As any high-functioning, competitive-private-school-honed gal worth her salt may be wont to say, I have had a slightly rocky relationship with work since, well, learning the word. Having spent years in various (often really random!) roles – mostly part-time or volunteering alongside studies – I have enough evidence that when work is good, it can be really, really good.
I do feel lucky to be able to say that loads of the jobs I have done have been the source of such nourishing moments of connection, many of which have turned into years-long, treasured relationships. Through these roles, seeds planted by initially shaky, self-doubting hands have grown into beautiful, confident gardens of “transferrable skills,” ambitions and motivations. These self-sustaining energy systems have the potential to grow and become even more vibrant and dynamic.
However, I have also had some seriously shit shit shit experiences, and have some of my very own self-limiting weedy belief cycles and spirals to disrupt (how original…) As I am about to start a new job, I want to prioritise these disruptions and some good old weed removal so that seeds sown have the best possible shot at seeing sunlight.
The manifesto below is in service to this. For me, it mainly revolves around not fuckin overcooking it all, but I imagine each person’s list would look different. And in the spirit of my shifting from a perfection/paralysis strategy to a work-in-progress one, even this manifesto is a WIP, open to input. Maybe mine will also be different when this season’s weeds have been removed, and when more of the ever-expanding garden has taken on a life of its own! In the meantime, however, herewith my:
WIP MANIFESTO
1. I have agency.
2. I know how to handle moments of overwhelm.
3. I can meet the basic requirements of the role.
4. Meeting the basic requirements is enough.
5. My quality of work has nothing to do with my value as a person.
6. I prioritise my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health.
7. I am learning. It is okay not to know.
8. The overall success of the company is not my responsibility.
9. I am part of a team.
10. I can re-negotiate my terms of employment at any time.
11. I am not responsible for meeting all expectations that come my way.
12. I do not have to complete every task all at once.
13. It is okay for work to take up only a small fraction of my inner and outer life.
14. I can trust myself.
15. I can ask for help.
16. I can leave.
17. It’s no big deal.
18. It’s not that deep.
And with that all lovingly, firmly said (and hopefully continuously done), I don’t even know if this really counts as a manifesto!? In line with my commitment to honouring WIP over perfection, though, I’m going to go ahead and publish anyway!
Partly because I want my garden to have touchstones for me to return to when in the grip of parts of myself that can’t see the above so clearly (they’re usually very young and honestly too short to see much of what goes on above the weeds).
And partly, too, because I’d love to know, in community or in secret, if your garden could speak, what would it say? Let’s learn from each other about this whole work thing and perhaps in the process, those of us who struggle can find an-oh-so-tantalising-other way.
Yay she’s back. So much wisdom. Keep this close to you and flexible. It’s so easy to forget when you get into that mink lined barrel. Faux of course these days..
Love this so much, 7 because you are obviously going to have to learn, it's a new environment after all, 9 because you are just one piece of a bigger puzzle, 10 because you do have agency as captured in number 1 and 18, because it's really not that deep. Love, love this.