The Four Tenets of Zen Remembered

1.Life is pain.

2.One must still the cravings for life, which is fed by perceptions and feelings.

3.The cessation of pain, resulting from the cessation of cravings, brings man into Nirvana, and to end the cycle of rebirth.

4.To achieve Nirvana follow the Eightfold Way:

1. Right views;
2. Right intention;
3. Right speech;
4. Right action;
5. Right livelihoood;
6. Right effort;
7. Right mindfulness;
8. Right concentration.

I have always tried to live the Kaizen Way through this four (4) tenents. Life has been difficult since, but I had no choice, this was the way I was brought up.

Last night was another struggle for me. We had our company management team building. It has been a fact that my work has been one of the most humbling experience I've had, maybe because I am forced and have decided to keep up with it and not to quit until I have made the company at least a step closer to the nearest state of perfection as far as process improvement is concern. Why? Because this is what I love to do! For the first time, I do't feel like working at all! But professional life do always put into tests...always, and that is exactly what I am going through right now. So yesterday's activity was a hope for me to make things better for me in the workplace.

With all modesty, I believe I did a very good job. I have approached all members of management with sincerity...I put all my cards in the table, and I only ask for one thing from them - to allow me to be of help to them and to their department in any way. I wanted us to push each othe up, not for anything else but because that is my job. I do process improvement, but I need cooperation to d that.

But what do you do when you are a target of a toxic coworker as I have been?

Yes, I have been "targeted". At first I thought I was just imagining the situation. But yesterday's event made it so clear that truly these types of people do exist!

I was overwhelmed! But I remember the way of the Zen...and one thing is for sure now, adjusting ones perception to the reality might help bring the problem or at least the conflict into clearer focus.
Yes, these workplace issues are real, and it is happening to me, I just try and get through each day and move on, I can only change myself. It seems that there are just some people in this world who have a need to attack others. I just don't understand their motivation though. My guess is that they fear people with personal integrity and they don't know how to get it for themselves, except by degenerating others.

So beginning today, I resolve to:

*Stay focused on my goals. I will be more organized and prepared at all times....and since I'd rather not deal with this individual more than I have to, I will be as efficient as I can to avoid additional and unnecessary steps in the tasks at hand.

*Kill him with kindness. I believe this works in all realms of life with people you might not see eye to eye with. The nicer I am, the harder it will be for him to treat me badly. (Or them for that matter.)

*Get other coworkers involved. I will make sure to include other people in all projects that I will be working on. With other people around, I won’t have to deal with that ndividual by myself!

*Use other forms of communication. Though maybe it's best to call someone to get things done, I intend to send more emails just to avoid dealing with this difficult person. I hope this avoids face-to-face conflicts.

*Give difficult people a second chance. I will not discount a person’s efforts forever if I have only met them once. Some people may have bad days, and it’s quite possible they are not always hard to get along with.

I pray for strength not to retaliate in any way that would belittle my self. After all, true victory is not defeating an enemy, true victory gives love and changes to the enemy's heart.

Yes, life indeed is difficult, it is pain. And I will continue embracing it as it is.

Thank you so much Red for making me remember the way.