There are many ways to do fine work. One approach is to focus on the themes of enjoyment, effort and effortless effort.
Some people aim to follow the Taoist principle of effortless effort that embodies the concept of wu wei. Here is one description from The School Of Life website.
Wu wei is a paradox. It means being at peace while engaged in the most frenetic of tasks so that one can carry these out with maximum skill and efficiency.
Something of the meaning of wu wei is captured when we are at one with what we are doing. This is likened to a state of profound concentration, flow or being in the zone.
Imagine that you want to do pursue the route of effortless effort. One approach is to focus on the following steps.
Enjoyment
The first step is focus on a specific activity you enjoy doing. It can be good to focus on one where:
You enjoy the journey as well as reaching the goal;
You feel in your element – at ease and yet able to excel;
You can translate this into doing a piece of work or aiming to achieve a specific goal.
You may enjoy taking these steps when mentoring people, playing a sport or managing certain kinds of crises. You may do so when fixing technical problems, being on stage, climbing a mountain or doing other activities.
Imagine that you have settled on doing something where you will enjoy the journey and have the ability to deliver excellence. You may then want to focus on the next theme.
Effort
You may aim do special work by going a state of effortless effort. This does, however, highlight a paradox. You sometimes have to put in the effort before being able to go into that state.
There are many definitions for the word effort. These include the following.
The specific physical, psychological or intellectual activity required to overcome a challenge or achieve a specific goal.
Great workers focus on a specific activity and aim to maintain good habits. They practice, practice and practice. They practice until they can forget and the habit becomes part of their muscle memory.
This is why it is important to choose an activity where you will enjoy the journey as well as reaching the goal. If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following framework.
Effort
The specific activity where I enjoy the journey and
may also have the ability to deliver excellence is:
*
The specific things I can do to put in the effort required
to deliver excellence when doing this activity are:
*
*
*
The specific things I can do to encourage myself
on the journey and also keep improving are:
*
*
*
Great workers often love putting in the effort required to do superb work. They love to visualise potential scenarios, explore solutions and then translate some of these into action.
They enjoy pursuing their craft by focusing on Kaizen – the concept of continuous improvement. They love to keep building on what they do well, tackling areas for improvement and continuing to develop.
Imagine that you are taking these steps. There may come a time when you are able to move on to the next stage.
Effortless Effort
Some people do special work by going into a state of effortless effort. This step may involve doing different things when taking it in a spiritual or secular way.
The spiritual way can involve relaxing, breathing deeply and merging with life in a deep way. It can involve being in the moment, appreciating life and having a sense of wonder.
As mentioned early, the secular way may involve embracing a paradox. It may call for aiming:
To do superb work by putting in the required effort;
To then do something special by going into a state of effortless effort.
Great workers sometimes take this step. They commit themselves to doing their best and do what is required to perform superb work. They then go into a state of flow – sometimes embodying effortless effort – and deliver peak performances.
Such workers often make complicated things look simple. They seem to do things swiftly but slowly. They seem to have more time than anybody else. They then use their skills to produce something special.
Let’s return to the specific activity where you may want to follow elements of this approach. How can you enjoy the journey? How can you put in the required effort? How can you go into a state of effortless effort? How can you deliver excellence?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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