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Up and Up and Up…
A toddler at play…
… building with blocks, up and up and up and…
Crash!
A giggle and a smile and a reach all wordlessly say, “I’ll do it again”…
Meanwhile, a vital confidence embeds in nerve, muscle, and being:
“I can build my world.”
One day, maybe we find ourselves cultivating our surroundings, physically, mentally, and interpersonally. Maybe we even do so such that our worlds support us in turn, feeding a continued play as well as the things we find meaningful for ourselves and our loved ones.
But how do we get there?
A child’s play, seeking and challenging, is undeniably powerful. The quiet smile of a craftsperson deep in work shows the same depths, though now a mastery carved with care over time.
In either case, play does not appear without a trusted environment. Nor does it always connect without some form of guidance.
Our first role in life, as was so nicely described by psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, is to determine what we can trust. This same process continues throughout our lives.
Trust is the foundation of our relationships with people, objects, and even ourselves.
We then grow our sphere of trust through **risk**. Whether carefully considered or with complete abandon, we test the world around us and see what else we can trust.
As children, our caregivers ideally craft our environments to establish those trusted surroundings in which our playful spirits take root and grow. Whether that’s in the form of literal playgrounds or in the schedules of a school day, the wordless sense of “I can allow my mind to explore here” rests in unconscious trust. From here we can decide and build.
As adults, we must now build these trellises for ourselves. The craftsperson applies care over time, shaping the unique connections between self and world, nourishing a symbiotic flow for what they find meaningful.
To make this transition, we must consider how we guide ourselves, taking note of whim and worry without granting them the helm.
In a pause, we can gently rest our minds on the world and the effects it has on us and we have on it, doing so with whatever honesty and courage we can muster.
We exercise our sense of agency, our practiced skill and ability to decide and act non-reactively, to now build what we can trust ourselves.
Conceived in a pause, agency and play become the seed from which we grow the moment, up and up and up…- Kourosh
PS … into a crash and a smile…
PPS – I had a blast recording an episode with Carl Pullein for his Your Time, Your Way podcast. We talked about force-based methods of work, ADHD and it’s use and overuse in discussion, and more. I think we could have just kept on talking. The episode should be up by the end of the weekend. Do check it out! 🙂
What is Productivity?
Productivity is many things. For some, it is about doing a lot in a little time.
But, truly, productivity is so much more. It is about:
- Setting yourself up for success.
- Being focused where you want to be.
- Doing things that you find meaningful.
- Being creative, sometimes even in harsh environments.
- Forging your own paths.
- Finding your voice and delivering it well.
- Knowing and actively deciding on your obligations.
- Knowing where and how to say “no”.
- Avoiding procrastination.
Too often, many of us fall into just going along with and fighting whatever the world throws at us. “Go with the flow!”, we say. Meanwhile, we might think, “I’d like to do that one thing. Maybe one day I will.” The days go by. The goal never arrives, and then we wonder why or blame circumstance.
But when we learn to take charge of our lives and the world
around us, we start living life with intention.
Of course, striking out may seem scary. It takes courage to live life with purpose and on purpose. Roadblocks and worries, fears and concerns show up everywhere.
This is my passion. I want to help you to find that sense of your own unique play to meet the world so that you can:
- Create a life that is yours.
- Find and follow an inner guide in a way that works for you and those you care for.
- Decide on your obligations and meet them while building the world you want.
Productivity Journal
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“I’ll figure it out myself…”
How do you move from a bored, “Why don’t I get this?” to “I’m going to figure this out for myself?”
“Maybe I Just Need Another List…”
Dealing with our work is more than making a list. But what skills do we need?
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These products use or are based on Getting Things Done® or GTD® Principles. They are not affiliated with, approved or endorsed by David Allen or the David Allen Company, which is the creator of the Getting Things Done® system for personal productivity. GTD® and Getting Things Done® are registered trademarks of the David Allen Company For more information on the David Allen Company’s products the user may visit their website at www.davidco.com.