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… 

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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!

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Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify.