doing the work.

“So you’ve done the work…”

I met Mel Greblo through my work in the impact space.

She does a number of amazing things, including founding Banksia Academy.

A destination for helping women create their own employment pathways to help remove themselves and recover from domestic violence.

She now leads Humans of Purpose.

“Oh yes, I have.”

If you read into the question literally - you can ask things like:

• what work?
• in what context?
• is it this or that?
• what kind of work?

But if you’ve done it - you know these aren’t the most important questions.

Call it what you will -

The work is that heavy, sloggy, penetrating look at one’s self that dredges up all of those dark and painful skeletons and grows around them.

I work with a lot of founders.

For a founder to be successful - in my sense of the word - it’s a non-negotiable.

If I sense they’re adverse to doing the work, or haven’t looked at it, I’m not going to work with them for very long.

I add the qualifier because there are a lot of “successful” a-holes out there.

They hold a lot of money and power, and it’s exceedingly obvious they haven’t done the work.

So today I’m going to give you a bit of a flavour for what it is, how to explore it, and ways you can go about it.

There’s not a one-size fits all approach to this.

But I promise you this:

Once you start the work it’s impossible to stop and your life will change irrevocably for the better.

Not easier – better.

Alright - stay with me for a moment.

Picture the scariest, darkest, and most intense moments in your life for just a second.

Stop.

Now feel it.

Is it it in your tummy?

Is it a sense of irritation?

Is it emptiness, numbness, or something else?

You don’t need to put words to it, think about it, or do anything about it right now.

But you know it’s there.

If you’re reading this you have something.

The work is the process of uncovering what that is.

The reason you uncover it is to grow.

The reason you want to grow is that’s your purpose.

​

Here’s some ways you can do the work:

• prayer
• therapy
• sobriety
• meditation
• breath work
• volunteering
• read “The Work” by Byron Katie
• connecting with your inner child
• 12-step recovery for alcohol, codependence, narcotics, gambling, sex, dysfunction and trauma

Here’s some ways you can not do the work:

• continue doing anything that disconnects, numbs, and stops you from ever investigating the thing I asked you to picture just before

The choice is yours.

But when you connect with someone who has done the work - you’ll know the difference and be better for it.

-Marshy

p.s. obviously different to the usual marketing/sales tips - when I came up with the name early growth school I thought about it as something that addresses all kinds of growth - and to be an effective founder you do need to grow personally as well - don't you think?