Blog | The Natural Professional

roots-reaching
Reach your roots deep into the earth,
pushing aside rocks,
breaking through hard clumps,
high-five the earthworms who say
‘Thanks!’ for forging a new way.

Keep going deeper.
Where are the roots going?
They seem to know
where they want to go.

They seek the Cave
of muted light, earthy smells
where the cauldron sets
and the bottles line the wall.
Magic and creativity fill the air.
Ahh, the Secret place, the Silent space
My Sacred Home.

The roots want to pop through
the ceiling of the cave,
just to hang out there
to witness the energy being conjured.
It’s their home, too.

They get super nourished here,
no chlorinated water
or Miracle-Gro here.
Just yummy,
delicious
nourishment.

Here there’s no more effort,
no need to try or push through.
Here you are loved
for simply being.
Appreciated
for your presence,
though don’t skip out on
your turn to cook.

Be.
Try not.
Enjoy.
Be home.

It’s the easiest place to exist.

The morning did not start out well. I wasn’t even out of bed and I could feel it.

All wound up and worked up about everything. About nothing.

My head was in a tizzy just because. My panties all in a bunch just because.

My mind had been hijacked, once again, by prim, narrow-minded, short-sighted, control freak, borderline obsessive inner Cranky Bitch. Shit.

She who acts as if she’s perpetually wearing the female equivalent of tighty whiteys 2 sizes too small.

She who demands that breakfast be finished before going for coffee (even though I’m no longer hungry).

She who insists that I shower before coffee, because that’s the “right” order of things (even if I don’t feel like it).

She who snarks and snips if I even think of not doing the dishes before leaving (how could I even dare consider such a thought).

She’s the one my insecurities love to harass. And indeed they were right there, on the edge of peripheral awareness, just waiting to pounce.

You know the ones: they sneak quietly into the light of consciousness only to scream once there: “See us!? We’re still here! It’s never gonna happen!” (Usually they don’t bother to clarify what “It” is—seems to be a blanket statement for everything.)

She’s the churlish teenager who wears dark, heavy makeup. The one the kind teacher tries to reach out to but gets only a sneer in return.

She’s the bureaucrat who takes her job way too seriously. The one who takes secret pleasure in making people jump through ridiculous hoops to achieve the simplest of outcomes.

Nothing is good enough for her. The coffee not hot enough, the foam not micro enough.

Oh, I think she enjoys being miserable, maybe even gets some kind of perverse self-satisfaction in her unhappiness. She wears it with a big old splash of smug.

She was not to be denied, she was intent on being in a bad mood.

Somehow, thank goodness, she wasn’t able to take over 100%. There was still a small part of me that knew (hoped?) that a change in venue and some caffeine might be able to turn the tables.

After journaling the above diatribe, I washed my face, got dressed, grabbed the laptop and set off for the cafe.

Along the way, I stopped under my favorite tree—a big Laurel of India. The canopy is tall and wide, the trunk and main branches smooth and whitish.

The dark leaves provide dense housing for a metropolis of singing and chirping birds. Oh, how I love that cacophany!

I chose a table in the main room of the cafe, an atrium-like space with a bright wall of windows and high ceilings. Fun, almost ska-like music by a Mexican group filled the space.

After ordering a cappuccino and calling on my support team of Devas, I got to work.

Within 10 minutes I was deep into the next Workbook. WHAT?!?

After weeks of hemming and hawing about what to include.

After seeming eons of “what format?” ponderings.

After a crotchety morning (ref. above soliloquy) of seemingly senseless irritation… despite all that, the ideas were flowing, combining and pouring forth in a logical-creative, entirely-acceptable format.

There was zero wishy-washiness about the concepts flowing onto the page. There was no waffling about what belonged and what didn’t. How deliciously satisfying! I was direct, clear, focused.

What a second… Focus!

Muse with me here for a moment—what just happened?? How could a day that started out so obnoxiously turn into a Fantastic Work Session so quickly?

Thinking back to the feelings of the morning, I’d summarize them as: tight, constricted and narrow-minded.

Couldn’t you use the same adjectives for laser-focused attention?!? A spotlight beam of concentration. Zero diffusion.

It was as if the energy of intense focus was present all morning, but at first it simmered and stewed and spewed randomly which tainted everything and resulted in a super cranky mood.

Journaling directly about the experience served to reign in the wild energy. The walk and change of venue encouraged a shift in attitude (probably by getting energy moving). And an amazing-awesome work session followed.

What’s the take-away here? Use your tools, let go of expectation and live fully.

More specifically, six steps to avoid the curse of the tighty whiteys:

Ride a bad mood like you’re on a bucking bronco and holding on for dear life.
Lean into it—instead of ignoring, denying, or trying to change it.
Pull it into the light by describing it or personifying it. Seek out every little hiding place. Call out every insecurity it brings with it.
Write it all down as fast as you can (so that you don’t get caught up in what you’re writing and get tempted to believe any of it).
Ride it all the way. You’ll know you’re nearing the end when you start finding it amusing.
Then do something physical. Get your energy moving. Let the mood organically transform into something else.

Instead of staying stuck in a “bad” mood, consider this an opportunity to play alchemist and shift your energy. There’s no need to be victimized by it!

Besides, this may well be your Soul’s roundabout way of inviting you to open to something downright amazing-awesome. You won’t know unless you give it a go.

3251510062_dffed5d7fd_o Here’s one simple trick to have a more positive effect on others, recover from stressful situations more quickly, have a more positive outlook on life, and… the best part of all, be more attractive to others. Booya!

And I won’t charge you $1,200 for it. That’s right, this one’s on me.

I’m in Mexico learning Spanish. The very first thing my teacher did with me was go through the vowels: a e i o u. “Ah – Eh – Ee – Oh – Ooh”

I mimicked her, or at least I thought I did.

“No, no. Ah – Eh – Ee take a very wide mouth. Oh – Ooh are narrower.”

Pulling my mouth as wide as I could, I tried again. Ack! It felt like major distortion of my face. A grotesque parody of speech.

“Yes, Yes! That’s it!” She exclaimed.

Are you kidding? It’s like talking with a perma-smile.
(more…)

Last December I announced that I was going to be joining the ranks of digital nomads exploring the world.

(In case digital nomad is a new term for you, it’s basically someone who takes advantage of widespread internet access to stay connected and grow their business with digital tools from anywhere in the world.)

After two months of all-consuming ToDo Lists to prepare for international travel and wrap up eight and a half years of life in Nevada City, I left the country on February 5^th.

Now in Guanajuato, Mexico a new lifestyle is slowly emerging. And while the colorful city I’m in, food I’m eating, and language I’m attempting to learn is different than what you’re experiencing, there is a universal exploration underlying it all.

It’s based on what I’ve been calling being a Natural Professional, or creating the New Way of Working—easifying your experience so that working, playing, living, and loving are all one big awesome adventure!

When free time is not your friend

The first week and a half in Mexico was dedicated to a writing and meditation retreat in San Miguel de Allende. Oh, what a perfect adventure to begin this journey!

As an indy player, you surely know that having total control of your schedule is a double-edged sword. If you’re anything like me, throughout any given day you flip and flop between: “I love being in control of my life!” and “I wish someone would just tell me what to do right now!”

After years of chasing never-ending ToDo Lists and then a solid month of intense racing to deal with everything that needed to be dealt with before leaving the country, having endless open days on the road could’ve been quite the shocker.

It all starts with your butt on the pillow

Instead, my travels began with the retreat. One of the defining characteristics of that week was the schedule. The morning session went like this:

Sit (i.e. butt on pillow to meditate for 30-40 minutes)
Journal (3 full pages)
Write (for the remaining time which was over 2 hours)

It was the perfect amount of structure. Not too much that we felt constrained and not too little that we felt lost. Oh joy!

Long time readers may remember that my morning routine has long been: yoga, sit, journal. Note the one missing: write.

Journaling and writing are different.

Journaling is for processing everything going on in my life, for reconnecting with my Wise Self, and for working out how to deal with stuff that comes up.

Writing is my co-creation with the Greater Powers that Be to produce blog posts, articles, courses, book etc. for others’ benefit.

This is my Work, the stuff that feeds my Soul and allows me to feel like I’m contributing to the betterment of humanity. Not doing it sucks.

Doing your Work takes work

In California, my life had become such that I was hardly writing (it’s been 2 months since last blog post!) Here in Mexico, post-retreat, I’m following the good structure practices we established. (Well, except for those days of being cursed by Montezuma’s Revenge.)

While practicing this structure is best done at the same time each day, tightly holding on to a specific time frame can invite rebellion. Let’s face it, we’re fiercely independent.

Doing your work outta be fun!

My routine is a morning one. And… the other day I was invited to go on a hike the next morning. Oh, dilemma! That’s My Time. And yet… how could I turn down this sweet opportunity? I don’t want to hike these hills by myself and here was someone offering to lead the way.

I talked with Tall Guy (boyfriend) that night. He reminded me that flopping my lifestyle upside down was in part in response to spending too much time in front of the computer and not having enough fun adventures to bounce off of.

Smart guy, he. I’m lucky to have someone who will help me stay aware of that truth.

So I reviewed the rest of the day and renegotiated My Time with myself.

The next day, I got up early, sat, did an abbreviated journaling session and a short writing session. Then, after the hike, had a second writing session to achieve my full two hours for the day.

Structure for your Work is your friend

Your best tools and habits are those that support You. Structure allows your mind to relax which allows creativity to flow.

The right amount of structure for your highest priority work is one that is not so rigid that it’s constraining and not too flexible that you can wiggle out of it.

Because structure is such an impersonal word, I use the term My Time to indicate the time and activity that my structure is meant to protect. This reminds me that when I consider sacrificing this structure, I’m actually talking about sacrificing my Self.

Key components to supportive structure

Identify the important work to be protected by your structure. This is the work that only you can do and that is critical to your advancement in some way. You might include prep activities. As I mentioned above, mine is a threesome: Sit, Journal, Write.Note that I don’t necessarily know what specifically I am going to write about. I just know that writing is the most important Work I can do and that showing up every day will provide ample opportunity for the right Work to be done.
Define your container. How much time? Is there an appropriate/preferred location? What activities are not allowed (for ex. email, social media, “quick questions” from colleagues, etc.)
Be prepared. If you work in a cafe, make sure you have your power cord and internet access (if needed) ahead of time. Don’t waste your precious dedicated time screwing around with logistics.
Be dedicated. The more passionate you are about your work, the more Resistance* will likely attempt to sabotage your efforts and distract you. Be aware of this reality and firmly resist the urge to turn away from it. The only way to do Your Work is to Do It!
[*Ref. Stephen Pressfield’s The War of Art]
Be honest with yourself. Only you can feel and know the difference between cheating yourself out of Your Time and having a clean conscience when negotiating a change to your scheduled time.

There are two super awesome side-effects of sticking with the structure of doing Your Work.

Satisfaction. You are on this planet for a purpose. Whether you know exactly what that is or not (and really, who does??) making daily effort towards your heart-based highest priorities gives you a deep satisfaction that cannot be achieved with checking even 100 things off your ToDo List.
Relief. Once you’ve done Your Work, the rest of your day is free for ToDo List items, socializing, other projects, and self-care. Gone is that nagging feeling “I should be doing… (that thing you aren’t applying adequate time to).” In other words, relief from having done Your Work gives you lightness of being.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Guanajuato, Nevada City, or Sydney, the right and right amount of structure can make doing Your Work so much easier.

If you haven’t tried it before, give it a try for a month. And if you’re needing some encouragement to come back to something that has worked for you before, let this be that.

If you’re willing to share in the comments, I’d love to hear what Your Time is dedicated to and what you do to keep steady with it.

What all needs to happen in order to rent one’s house out for a year?

Especially when you consider that this whole life-shake-up adventure has strong roots in the desire to lighten up, both in spirit as well as in the stuff realm.

First of all, you need to clear it out—and isn’t this the perfect time to purge!

I’ve been in the same house for 8 years (My previous record since moving out of the house to go to college was a year and a half.)

Accumulation happens.

As an Organizer and Simplifier, I’ve developed the persona, deserved or not, of being the Master of Stuff. People assume I don’t accumulate, have immaculately ordered closets, and have zero issues around knowing what to get rid of and what to keep.

Short of broadcasting a reality TV cam, let’s pull back the curtain and debunk some myths, here, eh?

Reality check: I go through the same head trips as everyone else when figuring out what to keep and what to let go of…

Even when it’s about something as silly as cardboard.

Step away when the cardboard incites violence

Here’s what happened: The Me who is clearing out her house hired the Me who is a Professional Organizer. (I occasionally work for lattes and truffles.)

The scene: purging materials in my craft area.

Organizer-Me: What’s this?

Me: The backs from pads of paper. I use them as covers for journals.

Organizer-Me: Have you been making journals lately?

Me: No.

Organizer-Me: Is it worth it to store them for a year?

Me: No.

Organizer-Me: Ok then, recycle?

Me: Well… I might make journals before I leave.

Organizer-Me: You think you’ll make journals before you leave?

Me: Well… probably not.

Organizer-Me: OK then. Recycle?

Me: Well… Look how many I’ve collected (12-14). Maybe someone else could use them?

Organizer-Me: Considering everything you have to do before leaving the country for an indeterminate amount of time, how much energy do you want to put into finding a useful home for 13 pieces of cardboard?

Me: None.

Organizer-Me: So… Recycle?

Me: Well…

Organizer-Me: It’s cardboard.

Me: … (Silent stubborness.)

Organizer-Me: CARDBOARD, kiddo.

Whoa there, Nelly! Take a step back. I’m in a stalemate with Organizer-Me and it’s starting to get ugly.

At this rate, one of us is going to strong arm the other into a decision which is only going to leave hard feelings.

[Note from your friendly Neighborhood Simplifier: this is why it’s good to have an objective person on the scene—which is not the case above. We’re hardest on ourselves. I’ve found that it’s much easier to have patience, understanding, and compassion for other people than with ourselves.]

The cardboard that is so much more than wood fiber

As you may have guessed, it turns out that it wasn’t really the cardboard that I was holding on to.

My Creative Self, unacknowledged in the above conversation, wanted to be heard.

She was pissed that I might toss out materials that represent creative play when she hasn’t been getting adequate expression time.

Does that make sense? Since I haven’t been making stuff and playing with artistic expression lately, my Creative Self was protesting.

And since she hadn’t been brought into the conversation, she was throwing a wrench in the works to get attention.

So as you see, the question here wasn’t really about cardboard at all.

It was about indulging spontaneous creativity (or not as the case has been).

Sake, the Great Flow Instigator

At sushi with my beau the other night, I recalled that when I lived in Italy for a year going to University, one thing I sorely missed was having something to do with my hands. I had no gardening, no art, no crafts, no animals to take care of. Nothing.

After several cups of sake, we explored ideas of what I might be able to do on the road that would require minimal tools and that could be customized based on the materials available wherever I was.

One of the ideas was… you guessed it, journals!

Check it out:

Cardboard, paper, and glue are always easy to come by.
Magazine cutouts and postcards make for great decorations.
All I’d need to carry with me would be needle and strong thread. Perfect!
As an added benefit, they are useful and easy to give away.

(Could this solution have been discovered without sake? We’ll never know now will we?)

Circling back to the cardboard in my craft area. Its purpose of representing creativity having been satisfied with the promise of journal making on-the-road, the cardboard could hit the recycle bin without another thought. Phew!

Thankfully, most of the stuff I’ve been going through has been much easier to deal with.
Donate!
Keep!
Give to my sister!
Donate!
Sell!
Toss!
Keep!

It’s the stuff that isn’t just stuff that asks for a more consideration—those items that represent memories, hopes, or possibilities.

The things that hold the promise of who we want to be, how we want to express ourselves, and of how we want to be seen.

Acknowledging what message a thing has for us allows us the opportunity to choose an appropriate mode of expression. Understanding what it represents releases its hold on us.

Ahhhh. We aren’t our stuff, but we can certainly learn from its presence in our lives.

Thoughts?

XO
Shawn

Chasing the roots to Sacred Home

By Shawn Tuttle on April 5, 2013

Reach your roots deep into the earth, pushing aside rocks, breaking through hard clumps, high-five the earthworms who say ‘Thanks!’ for forging a new way. Keep going deeper. Where are the roots going? They seem to know where they want to go. They seek the Cave of muted light, earthy smells where the cauldron sets […]

Purging and the hazards of recycling cardboard

By Shawn Tuttle on December 21, 2012

What all needs to happen in order to rent one’s house out for a year? Especially when you consider that this whole life-shake-up adventure has strong roots in the desire to lighten up, both in spirit as well as in the stuff realm. First of all, you need to clear it out—and isn’t this the […]

← Previous 1 … 17 18 19 … 29 Next →

Main Menu

Navigation

The Natural Professional