Am I working, going to work, or doing THE work?

Doing THE work isn’t always pretty…

If I showed you my resume you’d likely comment, without any prompting from me, that I have clearly worked hard to accomplish what I have in life.

And if you followed me around for a couple of weeks, you’d also witness that I go to work a lot, both at home and at my office.

But if I asked you, “Am I doing the work?”, you might hesitate with some confusion due to the way the question was asked.

And if I repeated the question with the emphasis, “Am I doing THE work?”, you’d very possibly and quite likely feel even more confusion, as if I’m trying to talk you out of complimenting me, or perhaps suggesting that you didn’t understand this very simple question.

Am I doing THE work? Five words and six syllables that separate my ordinariness from the extraordinary possibilities.

“So, what is THE work?”, you ask?

That, my friend, is THE question.

Oftentimes, I hear people use the words “job”, “career”, and “work” synonymously, which in some cases might be accurate, but for me, it’s been an ongoing and seemingly never-ending process, challenge, journey, and ocean of infinite angst.

Am I sharing too much? TMI?

Or are you relating?

Hopefully, and happy to suggest, the latter.

Why? Because that’s me doing THE work. And hopefully, you too.

THE work, for me, is my calling, my vocation, my purpose. It’s not always clear and I would prefer at times to deny and ignore it, but THE work never goes away, no matter how hard I might try.

It’s the insomniacal rat in my belly that wakes me rudely and abruptly at 2:15 a.m.

Yes, that never-ending flow of awarenesses, insights, and the lightening-fast a-ha that only I see, hear, feel and understand.

It’s the “Yep,” in my Soul that nods with an internal knowing and eternal confidence that my clever and creative outlook and personal expression is the only way to show up with complete integrity.

And it’s the depression and depletion I experience when I try to run and hide from it.

And those in my inner circle know how I’ve tried to run away, avoid, and completely refute THE work.

Why?

Because THE work is hard.

The paradox is that it’s also where the most flow, effortless energy and synchronicity occur.

So why the pushback?

Fear. Yes, simply stated, I get scared.

Not even sure what I’m afraid of. And once my ever-so-analytic and psychologically savvy brain gets into the mix, I can then run endlessly down the trail of analysis-paralysis.

That’s like the infamous deer-in-the-headlights on steroids. The fears of:

Failure.

Rejection.

Success.

Embarrassment.

Abandonment.

The unknown.

Fear of fear.

I can do a lot of “work” and never get to THE work.

I can work on myself, my business, my home, my relationship and even work on the world (because, you know, I have all the solutions).

Yes, I can do all this work, but never get to THE work.

But today; right here; right now, I am doing THE work.

I am following the call of my Soul in a way that only I and nobody else can.

And you are reading it. But here’s where the invisible and fictional rub comes in…

What if nobody reads it?

Or they laugh at THE work, and at me?

What if I’m scorned, ridiculed, and rejected?

And what if I’m completely abandoned and ignored by everyone?

See?!! And that’s just some of the chatter between my ears that distracts and stops me (if I allow it) from doing THE work.

You might want to think about this: When life is winding down into its last few moments, and you’re looking back for the last great review, what you I see? Will you have been true to yourself? Did you use your unique gifts and talents to the utmost? Will you have expressed yourselfself fully, loudly and completely?

Will you pass on to the next great Eternal Chapter with a smile on your face and happy giggles in your heart?

That’s all for now. Back to THE work.

Are you doing your WORK?

Today is the best day: Marry YourSelf First!