I've been thinking about who I am and my work
I've been thinking about the: "who I my self" and "and what is my work". This equiry is triggered by work on "Theory U" by Otto Scharmer.
Be careful here, cos your work is not your job! There may be overlap, but your job is your paycheck, your work is the doing that flows from your Being. Work is not about meeting your lower Maslovian needs, but about the higher needs. Work is that which invites you into self actualization and self realization. It is living in alignment with the best version of you. It is an optimal experience of self. As David Whyte wrote, "work is a pilgrimage of identity". It's how we fold and unfold to discover deeper more complex versions of ourselves.
I've recently read a book on Adler's perspective on psychology (Courage to be Disliked). Adler proposed that suffering is grounded in interpersonal dynamics, and fundamentally, issues with interpersonal dynamics arise in failing to separate your task from someone else's, and also allowing the expectation of others to dictate what you expect of yourself. These are both invitations to live someone else's life, instead of your own. Know your work.
Notes
- An version of this reflection was posted on LinkedIn.
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