If you're reading this now, you're likely curious about how to go beyond the "ok" in your life. Maybe you're craving a new challenge, wish to be inspired, feel a bit bored or simply want to work toward something remarkable.
That doesn't mean you can't do it within the boundaries of your current life -- it just might mean doing things another way. Perhaps it involves going beyond the good work you're doing and doing better work -- what some refer to as great work.
But, what does that great work look like? How is it different from simply doing a good job? How does one shift gears into doing great work when daily e-mail, appointments and meetings never stop?
There is an answer, says Box of Crayons founder and author Michael Bungay Stanier, in his best-seller Do More Great Work. His answer, though, is not a prescription for an overnight remedy. In Do More Great Work, he urges us to shift our mindset and practice shedding the busy work -- the "stuff" that keeps us from doing the 'Great Work' we're meant to do. The book is complete with uncomplicated maps, tools and steps to help create our personal 'Great Work' plan.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Michael about Do More Great Work, the inspiration for his projects and a few words of advice.
Laura Cococcia: Where did you get the inspiration to write Do More Great Work?
Michael Bungay Stanier: It was August, and I was on summer vacation with my wife and another couple - plus their young kid. We were in upstate New York near Lake Placid - and in fact, staying in the cottage that Einstein used to stay in (which was, as you can imagine, totally fantastic). That said, I was a little out of sorts. The lake we were by was very warm and very calm, and I'm Australian so I really wanted to go body surfing in the ocean. And the cottage was actually stinking hot and a little uncomfortable.
One morning, I woke up early - 5am, the sun was just rising - and as I lay in bed the whole idea for Do More Great Work popped into my head. I'd been talking about and teaching concepts to do with Great Work for two or three years, and what showed up in my head was a structure for a book, a way of bringing the concepts together that would be useful. That structure was the start of it, and I rushed downstairs and actually wrote 60% of a first draft in a flat-out, can-barely-read-my-own-writing rush.
LC: Many of our readers are aspiring writers. As an author, what advice would you give to other writers to get their great work masterpiece going?
MBS: Start.
Read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. They both say the same thing, albeit in different ways. You keep showing up, and you keep writing.
If I was to offer up something else, it would be to begin thinking about marketing your book right from the start. Annoyingly, you'll find that writing the book is the easy thing compared to actually marketing it and selling it. So start turning your mind to that right now.
LC: Who are the one or two people that you think are doing great work today? It could be an individual or a company or a group - but in your opinion, who are some folks we should be paying attention to?
MBS: Oooh - so many people, so little time.
I like Chris Guillebeau - he's always exploring the edges. Seth Godin is super smart and a great champion for this. Chris Brogan always has good things to say. And, well really, it's a question for everyone to look around and see who they admire, who's breaking the rules, who's making a difference.
LC: If you had to give someone the elevator speech for how they could do more great work, how would you sum it up?
MBS: You know how there's some work you do that's awesome, inspiring, fantastic, what you were hoping you'd be doing all the time? And you know all the other stuff you have to do? Wouldn't you love to do more of the former - Great Work - and less of that later? Of course you would!
For that you need:
1. Focus: Clarity on what matters to you, and clarity on where there are opportunities to find and do Great Work.
2. Courage: The willingness to start and take the first step.
3. Resilience: The strength to keep going when things get difficult and you want to give up.
Readers can also weigh in - what does it mean to you to do great work?