It is true that culture starts at the top and senior executives must lead by example.

That being said, it does not end there. You can’t sit at your desk and wait for your boss or your boss’s boss to wake you up ignite your spirit. You must take full responsibility for yourself and the quality of your life in and out of work.

If you want to thrive and be alive from 9 to 5, you have to do something about it.

Your Spirit is energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed but it can and does change. You have the power to choose whether you are in high or low Spirits and you have the power to influence the energy around you.

If you want to be treated like a leader, you must perform like one and that means that you take responsibility for your words and actions as well as the quality of your work.

Neuro Scientist and author of Stroke of Insight Jill Bolte Taylor declared “be responsible for the energy you bring into the room” because as she was recovering from a stroke she could feel the energy that visitors were carrying around with them and not all of it was welcome. Sensing these energies so acutely inspired her to study them and write a book about it.

Taking charge of your own ability to be engaged, thrive and be alive from 9 to 5 is just as much your responsibility, if not more, than those who are designing your corporate culture.

You may be responsible for a small team or have no direct reports at all but you are still the most powerful person in your life and you do have the power to influence others.

Here are some choices that you can make help you inspire yourself, even in the midst of other people’s negativity.

Take a good look at yourself and be honest. The use of professional psychometric assessments like the Lumina Spark Portrait can be very helpful.

Choose positive thoughts and language. Most of us are wired to think and speak in terms of the negative but remember, thoughts come to life and so what we think about, we bring about. What we speak about, we bring about.

Choose positive influences. Reduce the time you spend consuming negative media, both news and entertainment and look for positive, inspirational information.

Surround yourself by positive people. If you find yourself around folks who are always complaining, change the tone of the conversation.

If you are miserable at work take an honest look at yourself and do some soul searching to uncover the source of your unhappiness and how much of it you can shift into a better energy by making more uplifting choices.

Keep in mind that you are responsible for your career so it is up to you to engage in your own performance. If you feel trapped by the Spirit dampening effects of negativity that I mentioned at the beginning of this talk you must consider how this situation is weakening your CV and holding you back in life.

Read, study and grow. Invest in yourself even if your company does not.

Take care of yourself. Your body is the vessel for your Spirit and your Spirit wants to experience life. Choose foods that nourish your vitality, exercise and rest. Give your spirit the strongest and healthiest vehicle possible to travel around in and the effects will be amazing. Your radiant self will be allowed to emerge, and because like attracts like, the negativity and negative influence will melt away and other radiant souls will connect with you.

Our time at work takes up such huge part of our lives so we owe it to ourselves to tap into our spirits to find the essence of our power. We owe it to those who employ us as well as to those who report up to us to build a culture where there is spirit at work and people are alive from 9 to 5 because, for your company to thrive, the people must thrive.

Visit my website at www.CorryRobertson.com and order your free assessment of your coaching needs.