Hi Reader, I'm on holiday this week (at the Olympics in Paris!) so I'm doing the equivalent of when you were allowed to bring in a toy from home on the last day of the school term. If you know me, you'll know I'm obsessed with music. I sing in a choir, I DJ, I work with music on pretty much all day and live music is one of my happy places. This song by Speech Debelle has become something of an anthem for me. The premise of the song is that "the work can't done" We are all working. We are doing paid work, but also working things out, working on ourselves, working out at the gym, learning, working at relationships... And "the work can't done" is a reminder that we all have work to do. Because we will always have work to do. None of us are perfect, there's no end to the to-do list and we can always be better. The word "work" has something of a negative connotation. But I see this as a reminder that life is about the journey, not the destination. It reminds me to be humble, because even the biggest achievements are a shadow of what's to come. And the process of the work is what matters, not the ticking it off. Because it's the process of our work (in its widest possible sense), not the results, that make up life's rich bag of experiences. Her line that "there's a balance that I'm searching for, and I found it in my consciousness when I was trying to build my core" is so wise. Because we don't have to be working on all the things all the time. In fact, whatever it is we are working on, it'll inform us or help us with some other thing we are working on. The more open we are to learning and finding the inspiration, the more it'll come. So rather than feel guilty when we take a break, or exercise, or spend time with family, or don't spend time with family(!), know that everything we do feeds the process - of everything else. "As long as we're here, the work can't done". And what a gift that is. Have a great week, Graham |
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This Rev Up is from the archives – originally sent 6 August 2023. Hi Reader, If you’re taking some time off this month, it’s worth spending a bit of time thinking about your intentions for that time. Aside from “exploring Cornwall” or “fixing the shed”, for most of us, getting some downtime and some ‘headspace’ is a crucial component. Have you got some big career decisions looming? Do you want answers from the summer period or just a better understanding of yourself so that you can guide the...
Hi Reader, Wekcome to Rev Up for the Week, where every week since sometime in early 2020, I've been showing up in your inboxes at 4.05pm on a Sunday, with something positive or productive to kick-start your Monday. A special shout out to you if you've been here since the beginning. It becomes a bit of a badge of honour, when you've done something so consistently and for more than half a decade. The consistency is important. It keeps me in the habit of telling you all about my work (and if...
Hi Reader, Coalmines weren't deliberately unsafe. Most people did their best with the resources they had available, and we can assume a few owners of mines occasionally cut corners on safety as a way to make a quicker buck, and a few loyal supervisors turned a blind eye. In the 1970's, builders cleared away asbestos from houses without knowing that the exposure could cause cancer. Advertising execs smoked at their desks, whilst they accelerated the use of what we now know to be harmful...