Zing! Becoming truer and truer versions of ourselves

The problem with reading good books is that there’s never just ONE great, soul-opening quote, there are always several. I can’t get this one out of my head either, from the introduction to this book:

“…I hope the story of our company can serve as a little light that will shine into people’s hearts…so that many more of us will actively transform the world, day by day, with meaningful work that allows us all to become truer and truer versions of ourselves.”
—Shawn Askinosie, Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul

Beautiful arrow straight to the heart.

Looking back through the years since I started working for myself, I can see the pattern of becoming a truer version of myself so very clearly. Nothing’s been so surprising.

People I talk to believe that when you do it for a while, you get better at this ‘business thing.’  They think you’re constantly getting bigger, broader, building UP with skills and experiences. They want to build UP too.

But in fact, what I’ve found is the opposite: As the years pass I’m peeling away layers. It hasn’t been like stacking boxes of skills and wisdom higher and higher so I can get somewhere. It’s been like digging down, allowing myself to get closer and closer to what lies at the core of me.

And as we close in on that, something magical happens: Our intuition can finally take over, and the evolution of our work isn’t arduous anymore. Writing blog posts isn’t hard anymore. Even day to day business “bumps” aren’t a chore anymore, because the answers come singing out from that omniscient center of us that knows what’s meant to happen.

Who knew?  Not me. Not until now.