Stuck in the shallows

I'm pretty invested in thinking about doing ONE THING deep. You may have noticed that.

There are times when we need to pay scant attention and do just well enough. Then there are things that matter, when it behoves us to dive deeply and master. Taking the time to learn and test ourselves and improve.

I remember travelling around Europe in my 20's and after a few months, there came a time when I would hear people in my carriage speaking English [my only language]. Where earlier it would have been a moment to speak up and join the conversation, there came a time when I deliberately kept my mouth shut. I could not go through the repetitive and introductory aspects of my life and I craved deep conversations with friends who already knew me and we could move on to debating stuff we cared about.

If we are stuck in the shallows at work, where we continually work for the short term, quick and dirty, tic the box, we can easily get exhausted.

When we work in the deep, even if we don't see the outcomes, or if we fail, it can be tiring, but not soul-destroying.

I hope at least one small aspect of your work is ONE of those THINGs. Something that you can dive into and matters to you and the people you serve.

When we find ONE THING that matters, do it deep.