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1. A Note From Shawn

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 this issue is intended to share this vision with you.

Enjoy,

Shawn Tuttle
Head Simplifier, Project Simplify
Co-editor, The Simplifier

P.S. This note has also been posted on the website. If you have any thoughts or feedback on the Natural Professional article below, please comment at this post. I’d love to hear what you think!

 

 

 

 

 

2. Our Featured Quote

“May our heart’s garden of awakening bloom with hundreds of flowers.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

 

 

 

3. Article: The Natural Professional

By Shawn Tuttle

For some insider notes on how this latest stage of evolution came about, read the Note at the beginning of this newsletter, 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!

—

Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify.

4. Your Simplification Tip

by Shawn Tuttle

Foundation Resources

Here are a couple of things you can do to support foundation building on your journey as a Natural Professional. They are from our archives, so you may be familiar with them already—but a reminder never hurts!

• Clear your mind
• Evaluate your time commitments
• Set up your office space 
• Use the 360-degree method for clearing clutter

 

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5. In the News

Compiled by Lance Brown

Stress Control (The Ticker - Baruch College, New York City)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/5q3kq2          
This article for college students deals with issues that affect folks of all ages and vocations–primarily list-making, and that old bear, procrastination.

Who knew healing could be so simple?  (The Courier Journal - Louisville, KY)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/5z5xsq        
A story of how one place has created a space where you can escape the race and slow your pace.

Taking the high road to a greener vacation (Toronto Star)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/5gr8z8      
Long-time stalkers of mine know that I have an as-yet-unfulfilled dream to travel the U.S. in an RV. (Not that they had to try so hard to find out - I publish a semi-regular newsletter just for my stalkers. I find it helps keep them off the lawn.) And, when you start thinking about RVing, you start thinking a lot about conservation, and alternative sources of electricity, etc. While it takes some extra work to reach the ideals in sustainability, the rewards of energy independence, and just independence in general, make it a worthwhile journey–whether your home has a license plate or not.

If you know of something in the news that should be featured here, let us know!

 

 

 

6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com

by Lance Brown

Latest Blog Highlights

Flat Irons pics
Who would’ve guessed you could find giant rock formations near Boulder, Colorado? ;-)

Green Aware Fair
A Northern California event on August 23, featuring a talk by our fearless leader.

When will blue skies return?
Having returned from her vacation, Shawn is finally forced to breathe our fire-enhanced atmosphere. It’s not fun.

How to get super strong while sitting on your butt
Doing some self-improvement powerlifting.

Road Trip 2008 photos, for real this time
589 photos enter…only six will survive. At least as far as this post is concerned. Travel with Shawn as she ventures through Nevada and Utah.

The phone battery that went kaput
From Colorado, Shawn dabbles in restaurant reviewing, with a brief account of her experience at the Dushanbe Tea House. Worth checking out just for the photo of the place.

The Campaign is over
Another photo-documentary entry–this one closer to home, at a post-election rally for City Council candidate (and friend of the family) Reinette Senum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Keep Smiling

Introduced by Lance Brown

Flowers for the occasion

A new business was opening and one of the owner’s friends wanted to send him flowers for the occasion. The flowers arrived at the new business site and the owner read the card: “Rest in Peace.”

The owner was annoyed, and called to complain. “Sir, I’m really sorry for the mistake, and sorry you were offended,” said the florist. “But even worse, somewhere there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a note saying, ‘Congratulations on your new location.’” 

From this “garden humor” page: 
http://www.gardendigest.com/humor.htm 

 

 

 

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Thanks for reading!

Publication Information
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The Simplifier is published by:
Project Simplify
P.O. Box 597
Nevada City, CA 95959
phone: 530.205.5775
web: www.projectsimplify.com
e-mail: (newsletter@projectsimplify.com) newsletter (at) projectsimplify (dot) com