Tag Archives: Meaningful Work

On one side are my stories, poems, and a way of saying something; on the other are my hunches, griefs, secrets, and confusions. I enjoy that wrestling match because that, for me, is where meaningful work emerges.

To know by heart

Sometimes, when I’m alone enough, I stare into the mirror, reaching for the markings behind my eyes.

I see World Series games and buckets of beer, diving catches, and slow rollers that make it through a drawn infield.

I see Dad wearing Grandpa’s old fishing flannel and the warmth we both felt raking leaves. It was an annual rite of passage, and the smell of those leaves burning and the tight spiral of a football he threw as I ran across the freshly raked grass after the work was done.

I see me and Mom cuddled on the couch, sharing one spoon and a pint of ice cream, watching Guiding Light, and me talking, talking, talking when it was just us two living in the apartments on Burdick Street.

It’s parenting in and out of endless days and how taking that first step was a commitment, but going all the way is a promise. A promise I recommit to every waking morning.

I know these things by heart.

Reflective writing collaboration

Being a personal writer in the professional world is not something many people do, but it’s essential. It means writing down your experiences to help you think about them and share them with others.

I want to work with people who are willing to try new things. It doesn’t matter if you work alone, do physical labor, have a job, are part of a nonprofit group, own a small business, or work with a team of realtors or a parent-teacher organization. If you want to connect what you know with what you experience in your life, I’m here to collaborate.

You have something unique to offer. By learning how to solve complicated problems, you can teach others too. In our complex world, we always have to think about how to improve our lives, relationships, and work. Reflecting on things is important for figuring out how to do that.

When we work together as reflective writers, we focus on your learning and try to understand what it means for you and the people you want to share it with. I aim to help you become willing and make writing a part of your daily routine. It’s like a tool that lets you learn from different perspectives and ideas and understand other cultures.

This is just as important as eating and breathing.

If you want to know more, let’s talk.

Chip-on-shoulder motivation

Sometimes I put a chip on my shoulder to win.

I adopt an attitude of assertiveness to motivate myself or prove my worth to others. I purposely create a sense of challenge or competition within myself to drive my performance.

In the busy greenhouse shipping season context, I needed to take the lead and stand out in a demanding environment. By putting a “chip on my shoulder,” I get an edge that helps me demonstrate my best skills, exceed expectations, and win over the challenges that come with the season.

Reflecting on this experience, there are a few things I can take away:

Motivation and drive: The fact that I use this strategy during a busy season indicates that I have a strong desire to succeed and perform well. I acknowledge and appreciate my motivation and drive.

Self-imposed pressure: By deliberately adopting an assertive attitude, I notice I place additional pressure on myself to excel. While this can benefit short sprints, it comes with stress and burnout if I hold onto that chip for too long.

Healthy competition: The competitive mindset pushes me to achieve more, but I caution myself to maintain a healthy perspective.

Self-reflection: Consider why I needed to put a chip on my shoulder. Was it due to external expectations or my internal drive? Understanding my underlying motivations can provide valuable insights into my work style and help me balance healthy competition and self-care.

Ultimately, this experience highlights my determination and willingness to push myself. However, finding a sustainable approach that allows me to excel without overwhelming myself or compromising my well-being is crucial, too.

Personal writing

In my cedar trunk are cherished artifacts from my past: calendars, notebooks, letters, and photographs. I’ve carefully curated them, hoping they’ll be discovered by future adult children, or their children or their children, etc. seeking wisdom, like browsing a website or favorite social media feed. These treasures embody the essence of my life, transcending mere desk-bound tasks.

I write at varying frequencies, driven by the seasons and my preferred platform at the time. I find solace in journaling with a dollar store notebook and a thin-tipped Sharpie, clarifying my thoughts. I sometimes send letters on my Smith-Corona typewriter.

I photograph my children to capture fleeting moments, storing the memories securely in the cloud, and use these pictures as writing prompts.

Ultimately, how I express myself matters little; writing, collecting, or documenting. What’s essential is faithfully recording life’s significant moments. Each entry, like a precious bookmark, holds immeasurable value to me.

Where to start

I often talk about how to start? Usually in the context of taking yourself online and hanging a shingle. This post is about where to start, and who to start with.

My first piece of advice in building your personal business, or anything of personal business value, is to start as if you already have a platform. Express the body of principles for which you will take a stand. Then be clear about who you want to hear it. Doing this will build a presence, develop your voice, and be a place from which you share those principles and ideas.

Reflection

I gain insights and intuition based on my experience and taking time to reflect. Every day — I have the opportunity to use yesterday as the wise counsel I need to make the most of tomorrow. I have a journal and digital white space to wayfinding what I remember by recording the reflection of what these everyday stories teach me.

Thoughts on creative work

Creative work encompasses endeavors that have the potential to both fail and improve. It begins with the desire to bring about change.

Many individuals yearn for someone else to dictate their path, leading them to feel trapped and discontented. The fear of potential failure haunts them, reminiscent of the embarrassment felt in childhood when they misunderstood something and faced ridicule from peers and teachers. Such experiences can have long-lasting effects.

However, true creativity cannot thrive within the confines of waiting for instructions. It demands a fearless dance with the possibility of failure. This courage is essential to the creative process. If you can’t acknowledge that your endeavor could fall flat, it’s probably not “creative work.”

I consider creative work to carry with it these characteristics consistently:

  • Creative work involves the transformative power of change.
  • Relying on external guidance can stifle true creativity (yet true creative collaboration can be powerful).
  • Fear of failure stems from past negative experiences, impacting self-confidence.
  • Waiting for instructions hampers the creative spirit.
  • Embracing the dance with fear is crucial for creative work.

Creative work requires taking risks and accepting that not everything will succeed. By embracing the dance with fear, we unleash our true creative potential.

How to start

Health is not important. But sickness is. If you are sick, your thoughts will be stapled to that sickness. You can’t get rid of it; you’re in pain, and pain takes up the mind. This is why being healthy, capable, and strong is not about looking good in a bathing suit and feeling attractive (although that has a place, too).

The point? We don’t think about our health unless something is wrong, and then that’s all we think about.

Focusing on your spiritual life is the point of the bigger picture. And to do that, we must become and stay physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. Spiritual can mean many things to many people. In this context, spirituality means gratitude, gratitude means God, and God means miracles.

So if someone were to ask me Where or how to start – start anything? I would say, Start with physical, mental, and emotional health. Then document that process and what it looks like for you. What unfolds will inspire the right people to take the course of action you recommend.

A thread we must follow

Life can be uncertain, full of ups and downs, tragedies, and unforeseen events that can quickly derail us from our path. But amidst all the changes and chaos, there’s a thread that we must follow. It may not always be clear to others, but we must explain and hold onto it tightly. This thread gives us direction and helps us stay grounded, even when the world seems to be falling apart. Time may pass, and we may face many challenges, but we must never let go of our thread. It keeps us moving forward, even when everything else holds us back.

Fundamentals

We each possess our unique baseball swing.

It’s ours at birth.

Our swing doesn’t materially change.

As Babe Ruth has the Babe Ruth swing, and Ted William’s has the Ted Williams swing. We have our swings.

Even if we’ve never picked up a baseball bat.

The metaphor is our authentic self.

Each of us has one, and only one, swing (self) that is “authentic” to us.

The worst thing that can happen is to lose this.

Losing our authentic swing (self) is losing our soul, identity, and vision of ourselves.

We swing and miss. Whiff. Strikeout. Slump and feel cursed. Ask why?

The best-intentioned search for wisdom is worthless.

Because when “all is lost,” the only work is to regain trust in our swing (self).

We will always find what we need by picking up a baseball bat and taking as many swings as necessary until we rediscover what’s already ours.

Our swing (self)

The suit won’t burn

Once you’re Spiderman, you’re Spiderman for life. Forever. The suit won’t burn, and it’s flame resistant. That’s the point.

You try being Spiderman.

You get crazy calls in the middle of the night. Calls from the Chief of Police asking to catch a burglar trying to rip off the new flat-screen T.V.

Spiderman doesn’t care about the T.V.

Yet he pulls on the suit. That stinking suit. Because he didn’t get around to washing it yesterday.

And it’s hot with those sucker cups on the fingers. The bundle of ropes and a little package of equipment is cumbersome. He puts on the suit, anyway, and it’s his job.

Only Spiderman can put on that suit.

Off he goes. He is flying out from his living room window, swinging from rooftop to rooftop.

Until there is the poor, dumb burglar, the Chief called about. He is humping the T.V. on his back to the get-away car.

So Spiderman does what he does. First, he falls on him. Wrestles him, and just enough to whoop him. Then tie him up—no big deal.

You might think something big will happen to you when you’re Spiderman. That’s only in the movies, and it doesn’t happen that way – not even for Spiderman – in real life.

Nothing happens.

The Chief calls, and he goes.

The burglar gets an ass-whooping. Spiderman leaves him for the police.

The Chief calls again. Same story, different day.

Once Spiderman considered something different. He thought he might try something exciting like racing cars and something to make his heart beat at a different rate.

But once you’re Spiderman, you’re Spiderman for life. Forever. No turning back.

The suit won’t burn, and it’s flame resistant.

Maybe that’s your problem. Who knows. Perhaps that’s the entire problem with everything. But really, it’s an unknown blessing. Who you are is the best part once you figure it out.

Nobody can burn their suits, and we’re all flame resistant.