One purpose for life could be to learn as many life lessons as possible.
Sort of living the “Hero’s Journey” on loop.
This is perhaps a more mild way of describing the “F*** Around and Find Out” meme.
The more you do, risks include, with a reflective mindset, you can process what you have experienced into learning. Now that doesn’t mean you will change in the end.
I think it’s quite common to learn the same life lesson more than once. So there’s some other factors and variables at play.
One point earlier in my life I found myself learning the same life lesson over and over again. What gives!?
Eventually though, somehow I determined it was time to create a different story.
When you look at life from a grand narrative standpoint and incorporate this idea of “Hero’s Journey” on loop it’s a helpful reframing for when feeling stuck.
When we watch film or read literature, very rarely do things just stay the same.
Imagine and maybe there’s something out there like this.
But something that’s the same scene over and over and things don’t ever change.
I don’t think we would give our time or money to watch that as entertainment.
The writer, storyteller or director is always looking at ways to keep things moving.
But, the character (you, me, us) though, sometimes loses connection to their story and gets stuck.
When stuck, we feel stuck.
“Agh! I am stuck! This needs to change. I am tired of this!”
But we repeat again and again.
But what if we asked ourselves…
“What do we need to do to advance this plot?”
We can often forget, especially when hanging out in the depths of frustration or life mud, but it’s good to remember that we can keep writing the story at any time.
*Inspired by this Simon Sarris Tweet/X.
Work Protocols and Professional Identity
Protocols: a system of rules that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations.
Venkatesh Rao is an incredible thinker and writer. Two of my favourites from him have been this series on Narrative and an explanation of The Office that culminates in the observation that it is “a fully realized theory of management that falsifies 83.8% of the business section of the bookstore”. He calls it the Gervais Principle and while a long series of posts, fun for anyone with familiarity of the show it self.
But the other thing about Venkatesh is that’s he’s been working as an independent consultant for over a decade and from that experience has written a book about it called the ‘Art of Gig’.
It’s mentioned in some circles of mine and now after having read about half the book, I can see how it’s influenced them.
Paraphrasing here, but one of the ideas I have pulled from the book and why I think it’s actually good reading irrespective of whether you are an employee or an independent worker. Since he shares that independent work isn’t for everyone, the book isn’t a critique of being an employee. If anything, it’s helped me realize what a full time, secured income job does offer (and not).
As I get settled back in Stockholm (more on this later), the book has me thinking about the hidden protocols, boundaries, rituals, and accountability structures that are gifted/imposed on us when working somewhere, some times to great comfort and peace of mind and other times to frustration and depression.
A workplace and its culture, tells you where you need to be and when, what your role is, what professional identity you subscribe to, what the processes are for creating your work, how collaboration works, how you interact with another and groups, what’s welcomed, what’s not, what the hierarchies are, how to navigate them, who takes lead etc. So on and so forth.
So, when you go independent, the argument is you need to create these things for yourself. It’s not something I thought of when embarking on this journey and there’s been times of confusion but not always via awareness. You can be in a messy moment and have the awareness to say “hey, this is messy territory this protocol stuff, let’s figure it out” and then there are times where “what is this mess I find myself in!?”.
It’s been a bit of a dance between these two spaces. Figuring these things out along with the identity question has been hard, but also liberating. Whether you like it or not, your job provides you with these things. And when it no longer suits you, you can pivot or change it. And now for me, I get to decide what I want it to be and see how that shows up in the world.
All of this being said, it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. You have clients and you seek clients out that have their own distinct approach to things, the only difference is that you get the chance to do it your way in a manner that also works for those you are supporting.
The areas we need to design for as shared by Venkatesh below.
Management, Structuring, Direction, Defining, Ceremonializing, Pacing, Socializing.
Sometimes You Just Need A Break
Lastly
I have been curating and triangulating podcasts, books, blogs, videos and all types of content on two fronts my whole adult life. Why though?
1) naturally as an expression of my consumption and 2) matching someones need to an inspiration or change they are trying to make.
This my invitation to say, if you are ever stuck and needing something to mix-up the story in your head or provide a prompt or perspective on challenge you are navigating, please ping and I’ll happily recommend somethings to explore.
See you next week.
Jamie