My Account

Search
Close this search box.

Getting Back in the Swing of Doing The Work Again

siesta
Life in the Sahara included a siesta every afternoon.

I Enjoyed a Break from Doing The Work Last Month

It’s not that I didn’t do my work while I was traveling in Europe and Africa. It’s just that I didn’t do that much of the formal work (four questions and turnarounds). Most of the time, it felt more like on-the-spot adjusting to situations. And I remained peaceful.

For example, there were many delays, canceled flights, etc. in my travels. Once, I even got on the train going in the opposite direction in Italy. But in each case, I found patience. I rolled with it and was happy to go with the flow.

So in a way I was doing “The Work,” but I wouldn’t have called it that. Travel situations are not a big trigger for me. Maybe I was just resting on my laurels.

But Coming Back Home, I Resisted The Formal Work

Last week, I started participating in Slow-Cook Inquiry, Steady Pace Inquiry, and Self-Paced Inquiry like I have been doing for years. This is where I do my formal practice of The Work every day.

But my mind could find a thousand reasons not to go back to it. First of all, I was feeling quite peaceful. “Why bother doing The Work when I’m fine?” I would think. And I put my attention on improving The Work 101 course, giving that a higher priority than doing my own work.

The payoff: I get to feel more and more proud of that course, I get a greater chance for customer satisfaction, and which supports my successful business identity.

The trade off: I don’t do The Work formally myself, I become a teacher of The Work instead of a doer of it, I miss out learning more deeply from doing my work every day.

Thank Goodness for Peer Pressure and Reason

Sure, I could decide not to show up in the group anymore. I would have an extra two hours a day free if I stopped participating. Sure I could make more money, I could improve my website and my business in many ways.

But I know that the heart of my business is me doing The Work every day. And it’s still the main reason why I’m in this line of business. Not to make a living, but to support this meditation practice in my life. My business is a structure whose greatest purpose is to keep me doing my work.

And luckily, I have several groups of people who also feel the same way. And they keep showing up day after day, month after month, year after year to do their work with me. I call it a good kind of peer pressure. It helped me to get over the hump and start back up again.

Now I’ve Been Doing The Work for a Week

I’m back in the swing again. I’m loving the insights that keep coming. I’m loving watching my understanding deepen about confusing situations. And I’m loving being with a group again sharing as an equal.

The Work is alive in me to a large extent even when I don’t do The Work formally. And it was great to have a break for a month. But now I appreciate getting back into the formal practice once again.

My ability to peel back layers is much stronger when I do the formal work.

Have a great week,
Todd

“The story is what we resist, not the experience.” Byron Katie, A Thousand Names for Joy

Get two new articles about The Work of Byron Katie every week, plus my checklist for the Judge-Your-Neighbor-Worksheet. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

If you like this article, feel free to forward the link to friends, family or colleagues. Or share the link on Facebook or other social media. If you have thoughts you’d like to share about it, please leave your comments below.

Todd Smith has been doing The Work of Byron Katie on an almost daily basis since 2007. He is just as excited about this simple process of self-inquiry today as he was when he first came across it. He also enjoys writing about The Work, and training others in the subtleties of this meditative process. Join Todd for The Work 101 online course, private sessions, virtual retreats, and his ongoing Inquiry Circle group.