{"id":3254,"date":"2016-06-15T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T17:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/?p=3254"},"modified":"2022-09-14T09:51:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T15:51:28","slug":"be-loving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/be-loving\/","title":{"rendered":"A Gentle Warrior’s Guide to Doing Good Work (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Gentle Warrior\u2019s Guide to Doing Good Work is a list of 10\u00a0non-negotiables for creating and engaging in good work.\u00a0These rules don’t confine me.\u00a0Creating boundaries provides the space\u00a0to expand in all directions.<\/p>\n

If these rules don’t resonate with\u00a0you, create your own list to guide you in life and work and be sure to include some version of rule #5 found in the Gentle Warrior’s Guide – Part 1.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Gentle<\/p>\n

6. I refuse to hold on when it’s time to let go.\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThere are times, even when I think something is really good\u00a0when it just doesn’t work. A project doesn’t come together, an idea doesn’t resonate with others, or there simply isn’t time to nurture and grow something because there are other priorities. Instead of struggling to make it work, I let it go.<\/p>\n

Be a gentle warrior.<\/em>
\nResist the urge to hold on even tighter. Even though it’s hard to let go, the moment you do, you are free to move on and free of the stress and angst that was holding you back.<\/p>\n

7. I will let it be ugly.\u00a0<\/strong>
\nI can think of many times I didn’t try something because I was afraid I couldn’t do it, or because I was afraid I’d be bad at it.I was worried\u00a0I\u2019d look weird\/inexperienced\/dumb\/and the list goes on. Usually though, I was just afraid it would be ugly. When I say\u00a0ugly<\/em>, I mean challenging to figure out, or uncomfortable and imperfect.<\/p>\n

Now, I try things even if I don’t know how, or don’t know if they will work. I turn things upside down, burn them down, build them back up, recreate, reinvent, rewrite, and stumble through until my ugly idea turns into a butterfly.<\/p>\n

Be a gentle warrior.<\/em>
\nChoose grace over perfection and let it be ugly. Say “I don’t know” and ask for help. Give yourself\u00a0the time and space you\u00a0need to bloom.<\/p>\n

8. I will only work on projects I really care about.<\/strong>
\nI worked for other people for decades and was rarely in a position to pick and choose my work. Now I choose who I work with, when I work, and what projects\u00a0are best for me. I recognize it’s a disservice to me and everyone I partner\u00a0with if the work doesn’t\u00a0matter. If I don\u2019t care, I say no thank you.<\/p>\n

Be a gentle warrior.<\/em>
\nPay close attention to why you choose certain projects, clients and partners. If your choices are usually driven by money instead of genuine interest, ask yourself how things would change if you cared, really cared about your work.<\/p>\n

If you work for someone else and don’t care about the work, find one small part of it you do care about and focus on that. If leaving your job isn’t an option, consider a side hustle built around something you do care about.<\/p>\n

Don’t underestimate the power of being deeply involved and engaged\u00a0in your work. It impacts all areas of your life.<\/p>\n

9. I won\u2019t compromise my work based on what other people think.<\/strong>
\nThe title of Bren\u00e9 Brown’s book, Daring Greatly<\/a>\u00a0was inspired by this quote from Theodore Roosevelt and it strengthens my resolve as a gentle warrior not to\u00a0let negative or positive feedback influence how I want to show up in my work and in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Be a gentle warrior.<\/em>
\nAre you working in a way that resonates with your heart, or working the way you do because of other people’s expectations? Ask yourself if you are showing up as you, or showing up as a version of yourself to please others, or because you got a little lost. I used to be a little lost too, and as I learned\u00a0to be more me in my work, it was magic.<\/p>\n

10. I’ll do it all with love and the heart of a gentle warrior.<\/strong>
\nI will treat people like people. I will be grateful and say thank you. I will sign my emails “love, Courtney”, and x’s and o’s. I will care deeply, but let it all go at the end of the day to sleep well. When I mess it all up, I’ll\u00a0apologize and find a way to do it better, or differently.<\/p>\n

Be a gentle warrior.<\/em>
\nIt starts here. Think less about strategy and more about people. Ask yourself how you really want to work before you consider the salary. Be loving in your work …<\/p>\n