This article was originally published in The Simplifier #68.

Article: The Natural Professional

By Shawn Tuttle

For some insider notes on how this latest stage of evolution came about, read this post. Otherwise, read on… 

—–

It’s generally understood that we have some significant turmoil heading our way. Between the economy, the housing/lending crunch, oil reserves and gas prices… there is a lot going on that we, individually, have very little control over. We can adapt by monitoring our spending habits, trying to make responsible decisions, and limiting our gasoline usage, but obsessing over these will only cause personal emotional difficulty. 

There is a way to bring relief in stressful times that also enhances goodness in peaceful times. Just as a healthy garden weathers a little drought or heavy downpour with ease, this vibrant resilience encourages life and growth while helping you skate through challenges. What is this vitality? It’s you. When your garden is dialed in, diverse, well-established, and easy to maintain, you know you’ve arrived. In the context of your work life, I call this the state of being a Natural Professional™. You may already be one, even if you don’t call it that. Natural Professionals are everywhere!

Are we talking about going to see clients au natural? No! Are we talking about ceasing all personal grooming and teeth-brushing activities? No! Are we talking about quitting everything, moving into a tree house and eating grubs? No! So then what is it?

Embracing change and becoming a “natural professional” means:

You do what you love and love what you do. You are clear on your vision, which is rooted in your heart. You’re free of the chatter-mind dictator. You’ve given the boot to the drains that were sucking your energy and attention, like extraneous responsibilities and excess stuff. You are engaged in the right relationships–meaning, all of your relationships are mutually supportive, respectful, and effective, whether with clients, colleagues, collaborators, vendors, customers, employees, consultants, or anyone else.

Your work habits are sustainable. You are satisfied, not fried, at the end of the day. You keep tabs on your mental, emotional, and physical states and care for them long before crisis hits. Your work style is characterized by planning and thoughtfulness, while crisis-management mode is reserved for true crises. Your day has an abundance of diverse activities, fun and interesting exchanges with others and smooth-flowing productivity. Your work load is an appropriate size for your resources.

You keep tabs on your internal world while managing the external. You quickly recognize when you get pulled off-center and can quickly bring yourself back. You accept intuition as one of your guidance tools. You can tell when a potential responsibility is not right for you and you respect that knowing — i.e., you know when to say “No”. Your presence in a situation adds fluidity and clarity.

You get to express your creativity through your work. You create innovative solutions. You develop programs, products, and services that uniquely express your take on life. You find inspiration in unlikely places. You adapt easily to new variables affecting your industry and business. You feel good about the impact your work has on the rest of the world. Your work is your art, and you’ve mastered it!

As a Natural Professional, your days are full of joy, fun, and celebration of life. Sounds pretty good, eh? Even better, fully expressing and cultivating these qualities will bring goodness to all areas of your life. 

It won’t happen spontaneously overnight, nor from a two-day intensive workshop, nor from several months of repeating affirmations–though all three of these may be part of your journey. 

A changing world means changing how we do things. In some regards, that’s tough–we don’t like change. But some things are good to change. I mean, workaholism, stress, and overwhelm are so last century. What a perfect time to give those the boot!

We Americans tend to gravitate towards promises of quick fixes, as if a long journey were inherently arduous and difficult. Instead, could it be that progress is more easily assimilated gradually on a long journey, rather than in concentrated doses on sporadic weekends? That over a long period of time your progress becomes almost unnoticeable because it happens so wholly and smoothly? That your increasing enjoyment of life heals the pain along the way, makes you impervious to drama, and aids you in keeping steady balance? 

In other words, it’s not something you just learn–it’s a lifestyle choice. There are many ways to explore a lifestyle such as this. If you are like countless others who want to give shape to their garden through the context of their work, then your efforts should reflect that.

The journey of the Natural Professional, in a nutshell, involves three phases: foundation, framework, and fulfillment (the three F’s).

Foundation - clearing the ground and gathering your toolkit
Clearing out the clutter in its myriad of masterfully-disguised forms, and then setting up the basic systems and stations to get you working efficiently. Just getting through this organizing phase will make a huge impact on how you work. 

Framework - designing the garden and planting the seeds
Carefully setting up the infrastructure that supports you on all levels. Learning to see past the initial excitement of an opportunity to assess whether it really is right for you.

Fulfillment - harvesting and distributing the fruits of your labor
Enjoying what you’ve created and sharing both your bounty and the wisdom you’ve learned along the way with others. 

No matter where you are in the growth cycle, I believe the cultivation of this rich, internal garden is possible. 

I believe that anyone who wants to manifest the work life they’ve dreamed of can, in fact do so. I believe that a satisfying, fulfilling, fun existence is possible…and I’m not the only one. Let’s create a world in which the state of being a Natural Professional is the norm–and let’s have fun doing it!

Project Simplify is dedicated to bringing the ideal of the Natural Professional into work lives everywhere. So stick with us!

—

Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify.

The sixty-eighth issue of the Project Simplify newsletter The Simplifier is now archived on our newsletter archives page.

Here is a brief summary of the contents:

1. A Note From Shawn
When puzzle-in-progress meets box-cover image
2. Our Featured Quote
by Thich Nhat Hanh
3. Article: The Natural Professional
by PS Head Simplifier Shawn Tuttle
4. Your Simplification Tip
Foundation Resources
5. In the News
Stress Control; Who knew healing could be so simple?; and Taking the high road to a greener vacation
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
Latest Blog Highlights
7. Keep Smiling
Flowers for the occasion

Read the full issue here.
Subscribe to The Simplifier here.
[posted by Lance]

Putting a puzzle together can be a very satisfying experience. You recognize some shape or color on a piece and know what area of the puzzle it belongs to. As the pieces click together, a cohesive image slowly appears, encouraging you to continue and connect the surrounding parts.

The image on the box cover guides you in the same way that an inspirational vision drives the entrepreneur. However, the pieces of her vision are dynamic, and tend to morph as she and her business grow. As entrepreneurs, we may think we know exactly what the vision is only to find that it was actually a significant chunk of the puzzle, but by no means the final piece.

Over the last couple of years I’ve had many satisfying moments in which I saw that a large chunk of the Project Simplify puzzle had emerged: the 5 Core Concepts, the Simplicity Statement, Organizing by Zones, the Inbox Zapper and so on. Each emergence was cause for celebration. My desire to understand what the final image would reveal kept getting stronger.

With great delight–and frankly, some relief–the various parts of the puzzle have connected to reveal my imagination’s inspiration on the box cover. Certainly there are still pieces to be developed and set into place but these will simply add more detail and richness to the whole picture. What has emerged is the vision of the Natural Professional™, an emerging group of business people for whom work has never been so fun. As far as I’m concerned, it’s time to celebrate!

The article in the upcoming issue of The Simplifier is intended to share this vision with you.

The face of the Flat Irons may be flat, but the trail to get there is anything but. My finger points to our hiking destination.

And the very satisfying view from that height. Looking down, I was truly amazed at where a couple of legs can take you in a relatively short period of time.

Just posted tonight on the speaking and appearances page of the site, my upcoming talk at the Green Aware Fair in Loma Rica, CA (near Brownsville), Saturday, August 23, 2008.

(click the arrow pointing to the right)

Thank you 1 Pixel Out for the WordPress audio player plug-in!

This was the warning issued by our local Air Quality Control District issued via email:
“AIR QUALITY ADVISORY – SMOKE & OZONE
WESTERN NEVADA COUNTY”

INDIVIDUALS WANTING TO EXERCISE OUTDOORS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN ENGAGING IN ACTIVITIES THAT REQUIRE BREATHING.

So try not to breathe. =)

The following clip features a radio recording of a partial list of the fires and their containment as of June 27th. It’s kind of chilling hearing him name location after location.

This interview was originally published in The Simplifier #67. 

Interview: Chuck Coovert, Master of Organization

By Shawn Tuttle

I met Chuck Coovert through Toastmasters; he was in his 5th year when I began three years ago. I was impressed by his preparedness and his willingness to help–he always had an extra joke ready in case we were short for the day and he constantly received kudos from members he had mentored. Since then I’ve been inspired by his ability to be substantially involved in numerous organizations while always maintaining an even-keel, good-natured attitude. After reading his reflections on several of my newsletters, a site visit to his office and wood shop clinched my impression of Chuck: he is a Master of Organization. His workspaces are well thought out; everything is in its place. His systems and actions are intentional and thoroughly self-customized. He applies the skills and experiences he’s gained from some 40 years in various electronic and high-tech firms to the multitude of organizations he works with now. He serves on the Boards of Directors of CORR (Community Recovery Resources), the Child Abuse Prevention Council, and the Coalition for a Drug-free Nevada County. He’s also a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children (CASA), a long-time member of Toastmasters, a wine connoisseur, an amazing wood worker, electronic wizard, a knowledgeable rose caretaker, and a much loved grand-dad. 

Being organized means different things to different people. What does is mean to you? 

Coovert: I organize because it’s the only way I can stuff all the things I want to do into the time I’ve got. I found that if I’m not highly organized I don’t get anything done. I have so many different interests, so many things I want to do. I also like to walk into a neat office and see a clean desk, and I like being able to find things, because I’ve got so many things going on, I like to be able to easily put my hands on things. That’s why I organize by folders, and by slots, and by bins, and all that kind of stuff. It’s a means to an end for me.

ST: You listed a lot of benefits and then talked about what that specifically means as far as using bins and folders, I think a lot of people have the desire to be organized for all the reasons you just listed, but what does that mean? Is it how you structure your time? Is it just that you can find things? Is it the way you think about your work for prioritizing…

Coovert: Yes, yes, to all of those. I have a set of folders on my desk. I also keep a list of activities and priorities, things I should be doing, and it sits right there, close by. Then I run down the list, and say I want to do this marketing plan or this review or whatever, I go right to the folder and it’s got a name on it, and I pull it up. Every time I get something for that project, or find something on the internet, I print it out and drop it in the folder. When I’m ready to work on something, it’s all right there in one place, I don’t have to go digging for it. In piles of paper, things get lost. If I set things on top of something, it gets lost. 

ST: I like your story about when you were managing employees and how you’d refuse to approve anyone’s request for a new filing cabinet, instead telling them to make room in their current cabinets.

Coovert: If you look at those filing cabinets, what’s really going on is that they are just too lazy to clean them out. And in every case that I’ve said “no”, they all of a sudden find all this space and find all kinds of stuff they don’t need to keep. I never bought a filing cabinet the whole time, except when