 So this module I'm titling it as truly deep work and it's a playoff of the phrase deep work popularized by the book of the name by Cal Newport, and I've read the book. And basically, it's been a couple years but basically the book suggests different ways to put distractions aside so that you can spend more spacious time going into your flow state when you're working. And because you probably have noticed when you, when you do do some work, it takes you some time to get into kind of this flow, and then, or the some kind of trance is what I call it. And once you're into the floor chance it kind of it smooths out the work itself it's more, you know, you're in momentum, some people call it. So deep work from Cal Newport the book basically goes into different ways of creating flow state. And I'm calling this, this lesson truly deep work, because work has typically been defined as a means to an end. You work, so you get results. So you get income. So you make an impact even, but that's also the work itself is so that something else happens. So, when you learn about deep work and flow state. It's, it's still this idea of doing work accidentally so that you have great results, and they kind of suggest that maybe the flow state might be worthwhile in itself. You know, maybe. Maybe if it does, but still we're trying to get shit done. Right. And so, I'm going to suggest. So, so basically, you know, if you if work is a means to an end. Right, then you do it, you get the stuff, get the shit over with as fast as possible. This is where automation comes in outsourcing different productivity hacks and tips and tricks. Or, or you make it fun. You put on a candle you put on some music you you nice nice environment you try to make it a game. This is what people mistakenly think of as joyful productivity. And some of you may like I signed up for this course is I thought that's what this was about how do I make work fun, like not painful, not suffering, but fun. Sure, we may have a few things for that. But it's still not the true meaning of joyful productivity. So Joe productivity is not, not even about the flow state. And it's sure it helps. And it's not about make getting shit done as fast as possible and it's not about making it as fun as possible. Those are all helpful. Shallow band aid, you know, solutions to life is suffering. Okay. But here's another perspective. Work is love made visible. And you may recognize that quote from Khalil to run work is love made visible. And that changed my perspective about what is possible with work. And let me define what work is work to me is not the flow state we finally get into and oh my God I'm really into momentum now. And it's working. No, sure, that's great. That's maybe part of work but as a purist about productivity, I think work is actually the conscious effort before the flow state. Think about that in a single hour of writing, or doing your taxes, or solving a tech problem, or meeting with a client preparing a meeting, whatever you're doing. You know, the chopping wood, carrying water in the hour of the action. There's several states that happen. Eventually we get into a flow state where like oh the chopping wood is now, you know, the writing is now like in flow. I'm seeing at work. Right. It's, it's, it's happening. I'm enjoying myself even. But how do we get there to the flow? I mean, getting there to the flow state read, you know, deep work by Cal Newport. He has some tricks around that. But the moments before the flow state is what we all recoil from. Right, like that's what we resist and avoid. It's the getting into it, the momentum. Oh, I don't want to lose momentum because I have to get back into it. And if the getting into the momentum, the conscious state, because when you're in the flow state, you're in trance, you're in your hypnotize, you're, you're no longer conscious. Isn't that interesting when you're in the trance or flow state, you're no longer conscious. You're just doing the stuff. It's natural. It's fun. It's fulfilling. That's like you're now asleep. You're no longer mindful. And we all want to get there because we just want to get the shit done and get hopefully have fun along the way. But if you notice, much, a lot of our life, our working day isn't the flow state. And to even get into the flow state requires that first stage of the conscious effort before the flow. That if we could figure that segment out, it's life changing. I mean, it's world changing really. Right, like then we will no longer avoid work will no longer recoil from work, no matter how hard the work is the hard work. We're always talking about that first segment. Right. It's like no matter if you're like holding bricks for a living or something which hard work, but eventually you get into a flow eventually you get into momentum but like thinking about getting up and like starting to hold the bricks, or whatever however, holding bricks work, whatever, but the hard work or the men hard mental work of like trying to solve this tech challenge. The first segment is what we're going to we got to work on. And that is where truly deep work can happen. That's really where love happens. Like because you're conscious and love is conscious work. I mean, if you're if you're with a loved one who is pleasant and easy to be with is that really love? Or is that just natural abundance of enjoyment connecting with someone that's not really love. That's not spiritual love it's not really love is like when you're wiping someone's butt because you're taking for them that's love. Right, like love is the conscious work of extending yourself for someone else's well being and growth. That's from world less travel. One of my favorite books. Right. The love is the conscious effort of extending oneself for someone's spiritual growth is what the what the book said but but I would say for someone's well being and growth and ultimate, you know, yeah, ultimate goodness. So work is love made visible so work is really about the first segment before the flow and how do we bring love and spirit into it because if we're if we're only saying, Oh, I can only be in love. Work is loving visible when I'm meeting with my clients. Let's see that's easy shit. Everyone is in love when they're doing the fulfilling work of meeting with their clients and, you know, if you love writing, I don't love writing. Writing is love for me. You see what I mean, I love being on video this is not love. I mean I can try to bring love into it but this is easy for me. It's not really love. It's this this stuff is easy. Like for me talking on camera is easy now. Right. That's nothing. Love for me is like planning my next launch or figuring out why is this automation not working or doing my taxes. You know, that is where love is needed. Right. This stuff is this shit is easy, you know. So like there's that's in your work to you have some shit that's easy. And that's like yeah you can bring some some more happiness to it and bring some more grace to it sure, but that's easy. The shit that's hard is where work is love made visible. So what I'm saying is to reframe work itself, especially the segment before the flow as a sacred practice that work itself. What if it's not a means to an end, but that there's some deeper meaning to that conscious action of love. That conscious action of bringing grace or bringing forgiveness or bringing of yourself to bring bringing, you know, gently setting this inner critic aside. That's that's that's work to right love me visible. Thank you inner critic. I'm trying to write here. I'm trying to create here and I know you care about me. I love you. And please, please sit over here. I'll take care of you later. I love your work love love made visible too. So whatever work is for you right like, like, and the more you can say that the segment before the flow is itself worthwhile. Let me let me explain what I mean by this like athletes are amazing, because they have essentially refrained the pain of working out. The pain of exercise as itself good and worthwhile. Like that's why they're an athlete right like how does someone become an Olympic athlete, or just a just a pro athlete. They have to work out a lot they have to exercise a lot do you think all that stuff is fun for them. Probably not a lot of the time. There's a lot of flow sure when they're like on the ski slopes or whatever, but like the, the push ups and all the things they have to do. At least the beginning of it. It's not fun, but they somehow refrained it as worthwhile as like there's it's worth it I'm growing myself. And maybe yes maybe they're quite attached to the results but like the best athletes frame the work itself as being worthwhile as a personal development exercise. Right. So, so, so the first for us non athletes, I think of it as stretching itself can feel good. Notice that stretching itself can feel good. Like that's like the gateway, like, oh that feels good to stretch. What else could feel good that's good for me. Like that's not something I typically do or would naturally do. Could, could running be good for me could jogging be good for me. Yes, it's good for me and can I find a way to enjoy that pain. And to reframe it as could push ups be good for me. Yeah, push ups are good for me. Could I reframe that as somehow pride, or something deeper. The exercise not just thinking about the muscles or the, or the, or the fitness but to think about the value that I can infuse into into that effort. So that's physical athletes, mental athletes have done the same thing. Like, how can I infuse my values into the hard work of writing, or solving this tech challenge, or doing my taxes, or planning this thing, or solving this problem. Like how can, how can this solving process itself be good for my brain and creativity and bring goodness into the world. And emotional athletes, same thing. You live with someone difficult, or you deal with people that are difficult, or you have difficult situations you have you're dealing with your past trauma or whatever it is, and and the emotional work and emotional labor of life. Are we recoiling from it. Are we just going to resist it and like life is supposed to be vacations and the hobbies, or can life and the emotional work that's involved be itself. Love may visible. And we are athletes of joyful productivity. Right. So we're that's what we are. We're athletes of that I'm encouraging us to be. So, general remarks here about what work really is that segment before the flow, and how we can see deeper meaning in that segment that hard work, part of the time, how can we see deeper meaning into it. And if we see deeper meaning, then we aren't as attached to the results because that itself is worthwhile. We're not even attached to how soon can I get to flow because if we do that then again we come out of seeing that moment as it as itself worthwhile. And so there's this quote that changed my life really it's from the Bhagavad Gita and it goes to action alone has a right and never at all to its fruits. Wow, to action alone has now a right and never at all to its fruits. So the, the, the, the, the profit that comes the income, the, the impact on the world, even, or even the flow state that's a fruit of your action too. The fact of working hard to try to get into the flow state that itself is, are my hoping for the flow state or am I just trying to appreciate the hard, the hard work in itself. And when you are able to find the meaning and appreciation that hard work maybe the work is no longer hard in a philosophical sense, it might be hard physically or mentally or emotionally, but you found a another refuge, right in the deeper meaning of the hard work. But continue with the quote. So to action alone has now a right and never at all to its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be thy motive. Let not the fruits of action be thy motive. And neither let there be in thou any attachment to inaction so don't be lazy either don't be lethargic don't be in don't be an inertia. Don't chase the fruits of action but also don't be. Don't sit on your don't don't don't be depressed. Don't be depressed. Try not to be depressed and doing nothing because there's no, there's no point. No, don't don't be what you call it. Meaningless life is meaningless kind of thing right don't don't be that. So final, the final quote is for by working without attachment. One attains the Supreme. I'll pop a couple words here, and I'll move on because we have a lot to talk about. And from this philosophy comes three words or the three gunas G us is the three qualities of action or nature or universe. Thomas Thomas TMS is lethargy in action. Depression darkness. It's not all bad it's sort of like the yin of the Dow right. It's sort of like doing nothing like lethargy Rajas RHS is attachment to the fruits materialism experience hustle anxiety over over exertion action over workaholism. Rajas like Thomas on the one hand is like there's no point I'm not doing anything Rajas is like I gotta chase everything got a hurried rushed action. And then there's Satva, which is sort of like this melding or harmony of the two and a higher intelligence of calm wise action, which is actually seeing the meaning and the spiritual growth within the hard work itself. And not so much attached to the results because the results are up to God, or up to the universe up to natural forces. So karma yoga is another way of putting it right. So those are some general thoughts about work and let's talk a little bit about, well, in the next segment, I'll say a bit more about this.