I finally just listened to the last podcast and I think I understand it, but I’d like more guidance on this.

I had a friend whose gardener, Manuel, was a model of what all of us who knew him called a “Zen” way of working . The way I defined it for myself was that there was NO DRAMA at all around the work he did. He just showed up and got to work, doing whatever needed to be done with peace and focus. So all his energy was free for the actual work. He didn’t have to waste any of it managing his emotions. We all watched him in wonder and tried to emulate him, but I didn’t have the tools back then that I have now, so I never really figured out how to get there.

I KNOW that this is the area I need the most work in. Sometimes it takes me hours to process through my negative emotions around work and actually get to the tasks I need to do. I know if I could master this, my life would change radically for the better. I could have everything I want!

Could you say more about creating models that also create the mental space to work in? I KNOW how good I will feel when the work is done, but sometimes knowing that isn’t enough for me to create the motivation and no matter how focused I am, I still am not getting things done in the time I give myself. It ALWAYS takes longer.

So I’m trying your suggestion below:

C: work
T: I will never get it all done in the time I have given myself
F: hopeless
A: try to work, procrastinate, buffer
R: work doesn’t get done in the time I give myself

Let that model run, acknowledging that I don’t trust myself to get the work done in time.

C: work
T: I am capable to honoring my commitments and getting the work done in the time I want it done
F: disbelief

As I write that, I realize I don’t really believe it. Let me try again:

C: work
T: I am capable of working with focus and presence until the work is done
F: motivation
A: I get to work
R: Work is done, although not in the time I have allotted myself

Help?!