His latest one, on the Purpose-Idea (and the attendant comments) is worth a look for anyone musing their (and their company’s) Great Work.

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From Gus - The Possibility Hunter

Scott H Young has inspired me to pick up that unfinished novel which has been collecting dust at the back of my C:// drive.

I started five years ago, with the secret dream of being the next Dan Brown, but after a flourish of activity… I stopped. Why?

Well, my goal - sell a bazillion books and never work again - was as frightening as it was inspiring. If I became more popular than Sudoku, people might realize I’m not that smart, talented or interesting. Plus it got hard after the first ten chapters.

Now, if I think of my book as ‘a project’, and not necessarily the means to achieve that goal, there’s a lot less pressure, and the words come a lot more easily. Thanks for the tip, Scott. You can check out some of his other tips at his excellent blog Get More From Life .

So I’ve reclaimed the keyboard, but I know I’m unlikely to outsell J.K. Rowling. Either way that’s OK, even if it means I may have to keep the ol’ day job. Keep your eye on Amazon.

What pony can you rename ‘Project’ and how far can you ride it?

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What’s most essential about who you are?

Rumour has it that over a cycle of seven years, our body completely replaces itself.

Even if that’s not true - and there’s some debate about it - it’s an interesting place to start in asking the question: just what *is* essential about who I am?

(Of if you’d like a more visual starting point, look at these photos with some great “before and after” shots.)

So how do you stay connected with what’s true and essential and core about who you are, while at the same time growing and adapting and changing with your environment?

Two ways to work out what’s important to you

1. Define your values (but not the usual way).

I know, I know - the “what are your values” gets trotted out by every coach and self-help newsletter across the planet.

I agree with the sentiment. And also get frustrated by the way “values” often show up - i.e. as abstract, “apple pie” words that are difficult to translate into the “so what?” (This frustration comes in part from spending time as a consultant helping organizations define their values - and seeing what an empty exercise that often is.)

So how do you make your values real and useful?

Connect back to a “peak moment” - a time when you felt you were really at your very best, a full expression of who you are. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a moment of public triumph (although it can be of course). It just needs to be one of those “that was fantastic & I was fantastic & I’m ALIVE!” moments.

For instance, a couple of my values which stem directly from Peak Moment experiences are:

“Naked on Stage” (when, as a 24 year old, I did a comedy sketch entitled “Synchronized Nude Male Modelling.” Let’s just say I’m glad YouTube didn’t exist then.)

“Teaching on the Edge” (when, as a 17 year old, I spent two terms teaching children who were deaf and/or had significant learning disabilities.)

My theory is that collecting values which have their roots in real experiences does a few things:

First, you get a “body memory” of the moment - and your brain and body conspire to get you to remember and recreate those peak moments.

Second, they work as a metaphor and have a complex combination of meetings. As an example, my “naked on stage” combines such core elements of who I am as: showing off; being provocative; taking risks; entertaining.

2. This/Not This

Before I speak or run a workshop - or when I’m just feeling a little discombobulated - I refer to my “this/not this” list. It’s a series of pairs of words that help me remember who I am at my best - and who I’m not - when I’m striving for Great Work. Somehow the act of putting down the opposite makes the choice more apparent.

Here are a few of my pairings…

- Provocative not Sycophantic
- Loose not Tight
- Curious not Knowing

You can see the rest (and add some of your own) here.

I’ve honed my list over the years, and continue to tweak it. Pay attention to when you’re shining and when you’re not - and start making notes!

Don’t take my word for it

Smart folks thinking out loud about values and identity.

“Identity would seem to be the garment with which one covers the nakedness of the self, in which case, it is best that the garment be loose, a little like the robes of the desert, through which one’s nakedness can always be felt, and, sometimes, discerned.”
-James Baldwin, American author

“Focusing on your values may provide you with meaning, but it won’t simplify things. You’ll just discover even more stuff that’s important to you.”
-David Allen, American business consultant

“‘Who am I?’ is not really a question because it has no answer to it; it is unanswerable. It is a device, not a question.”
Osho, Indian guru

“The best mirror is an old friend.”
-George Herbert, British poet

“To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author

“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.”
-Roy E. Disney, American businessman

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
-Epictetus, Greek philosopher

“Tell me whom you love and I’ll tell you who you are.”
-Arsène Houssaye, French poet

“The real meditation is, the meditation on one’s identity. Ah, voilà une chose! You try it. You try finding out why you’re you and not somebody else. And who in the blazes are you anyhow? Ah, voilà une chose!
- Ezra Pound, American poet

“I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam.”
-Popeye the sailor ma (cartoon hero)

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Don’t take my word for it

Smart folks thinking out loud about values and identity.

“Identity would seem to be the garment with which one covers the nakedness of the self, in which case, it is best that the garment be loose, a little like the robes of the desert, through which one’s nakedness can always be felt, and, sometimes, discerned.”
-James Baldwin, American author

“Focusing on your values may provide you with meaning, but it won’t simplify things. You’ll just discover even more stuff that’s important to you.”
-David Allen, American business consultant

“‘Who am I?’ is not really a question because it has no answer to it; it is unanswerable. It is a device, not a question.”
Osho, Indian guru

“The best mirror is an old friend.”
-George Herbert, British poet

“To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author

“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.”
-Roy E. Disney, American businessman

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
-Epictetus, Greek philosopher

“Tell me whom you love and I’ll tell you who you are.”
-Arsène Houssaye, French poet

“The real meditation is, the meditation on one’s identity. Ah, voilà une chose! You try it. You try finding out why you’re you and not somebody else. And who in the blazes are you anyhow? Ah, voilà une chose!
- Ezra Pound, American poet

“I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam.”
-Popeye the sailor ma (cartoon hero)

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Joyful not Fearful

Step forward not Hold back

Playful not Serious

Loose not Tight

Curious not Knowing

Comfortable not Anxious

Manifesto of Insignificance not “It really matters”

Provocative not Sycophantic

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From Gus - The Possibility Hunter

I’m a big fan of Dr Seuss and I love ‘Oh,The Places You’ll Go’.

Read it and you’ll get off your Lorax and get started on your Great Work.

Except when you don’t. Because sometimes you won’t.

But it also takes you to the darkest place in Seuss-topia. A place called “The Waiting Place”. Oh the horror! It’s where you spend hour after hour waiting for buses, The Big Break, winning lottery numbers, some extra cash or “…a pair of pants or a wig with curls” (even Dr Seuss’ dark places have a fat slice of the ridiculous!)

Are you stuck in The Waiting Place? Just can’t get started on that awesome project?
Why not use your hiatus to visit Growing Happiness and check out their tips for avoiding procrastination? Set a starting deadline for your next project and write your own bus-ticket out of The Waiting Place.

Or if you are just into taking a break (as opposed to waiting) you could try the ‘Oh The Places You’ll Go’ online game. Or find out more about the ‘political’ Dr Seuss and his Oscar winning documentary ‘Design for Death’.

If you don’t know what you’re waiting for, why not begin that unexpected masterpiece no one knows is in you?

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From Gus - The Possibility Hunter

I hate getting fit, and I’m bad at it.

It’s just not something I have ever managed to do on my own.

However, I am, it seems, coachable.

I need someone to make sure I get off my backside, to share my goals with and someone who will kick my backside when I spend too much time on it.

So, to make sure I did this I got myself a coach to encourage, threaten, and inspire me. And I bought a Nike iPod Run kit, to make running fun. (It doesn’t really work, but it does give me the opportunity to spend hours on my computer making play-lists!)

But Craig Harper has come up with an awesome idea which is unfolding as I write. If you see yourself needing a Productivity Partner, or are one of the awesome people out there who can be that partner for someone, tune into The Motivational Speak blog. Craig is linking the coaching with the coachable of us throughout the world.

Jump on board now!

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Here’s an example of why - Amy Tan talking about creativity and its sources.

It’s funny, self-deprecating and covers everything from Quantum Mechanics to genocide. And along the way, it throws some new insights onto the role of discomfort and ambiguity in the role of creativity. 18 minutes well spent.

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There’s nothing wrong with Good Work. But until you start saying No to Good Work, it’s difficult to get more Great Work into your life.

Seth Godin’s got his own take on this. In one of his recent blog posts, he asks:

Are you better at what you do than you were a month or two ago?

…

Does that mindless stuff you do at work when the boss isn’t looking (or all those meetings you go to are all those emails you answer) make you better or just pass the time?

Good question.

What if you started the day asking: What will make me better today? And what will I do to ensure I experience that?

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