#153 To 'own' your work might mean noticing your own sense of discomfort

Just being 'entrusted' with work doesn't mean you own it yet

Lately, I've been thinking about what it means to 'own' your work.

Being entrusted with it. Being in charge of it. Having to move it forward.
Being in charge of it.
Having to move it forward.

Those states certainly involve responsibility.

But can you really say
you own that work
just by doing those things?

There was a job I had that I still felt was a bit like someone else's business.

I knew what I had to do. I knew what I needed to think about. But somewhere, it was close to 'doing it because it's expected of me.'
I knew what I needed to think about.
But somewhere, it was close to 'doing it because it's expected of me.'

In that state, it's hard to get passionate about it.
it's hard to get passionate about it.

When a sense of discomfort arises, it becomes a little more your own

I felt a change when a sense of discomfort started to arise within me regarding a certain task.
I felt a change when a sense of discomfort started to arise within me regarding a certain task.

'I feel like this is a bit off.'
'Is this really the right direction?'
'Isn't there another way to look at this?'

The moments I thought that way increased.

At first, that sense of discomfort was a bit of a nuisance.
At first, that sense of discomfort was a bit of a nuisance.

Because once you have that sense of discomfort, you have to start thinking.
Because once you have that sense of discomfort, you have to start thinking.

It's easier to just proceed as told. It's less confusing to follow a policy decided by someone else.
It's less confusing to follow a policy decided by someone else.

But the fact that a sense of discomfort has emerged also means that your own emotions and intentions have started to move regarding that work.
the fact that a sense of discomfort has emerged also means that your own emotions and intentions have started to move regarding that work.

To 'own' your work might not just be about bearing responsibility, but about noticing your own sense of discomfort.

Starting to think in your own words

When you haven't truly taken ownership of your work,
you are often thinking in other people's words.

Someone said this.
We did it this way before.
Usually, people think this way.
We should do this now.

Of course, that is also necessary.

Ignoring past trends or the opinions of those around you and
proceeding entirely on your own is not the right approach.

However, at some point,
if you don't think about what you yourself believe,
the work will never truly become your own.

Why are you doing this?
What do you want to value?
Where are you convinced, and where do you feel something is off?

When you start putting those things into words,
your own warmth gradually begins to enter your work.

Busyness easily becomes an excuse for not taking personal ownership

Looking back,
there were times when I put off thinking deeply
because I was 'too busy'.

Moving forward with the tasks in front of me.
Meeting deadlines.
Clearing out urgent items.

That in itself is necessary.

But if you use busyness as an excuse,
it becomes easier to run away from what you really need to think about.

What are you aiming for?
What feels wrong to you?
What do you want to change?

Such questions
may not be urgent, but
if left alone, the core of your work will weaken.

Perhaps it is precisely when you are busy
that you need to re-examine
whether you truly own that work.

To own something also means to invest your emotions in it

When we talk about owning our work,
it tends to become a conversation about responsibility and results.

But lately,
I think it's also important whether your own emotions are invested in it.

I'm frustrated.
I want to make it better.
I feel like this isn't right.
It would be interesting if it turned out like this.
I want to move in this direction.

When those kinds of emotions emerge,
work gradually becomes your own.

Of course, you can't move forward with emotions alone.

You need the ability to think,
the ability to talk with those around you,
and the ability to give it shape.

Even so,
I think the spark that lights the fire at the beginning
is often these small feelings of discomfort or desire.

Finally

To 'own' your work
is not just about being in charge of it.

It is not just about carrying out what you are told.

It is about not overlooking the discomfort that arises within you,
thinking in your own words,
and gradually infusing it with your own will.

In that process,
the work gradually becomes your own.

Discomfort can be a nuisance.

But at the same time,
it is also a sign that you have started to take ownership.

So from now on,
when I think, 'This might not be right,'
or 'I want to do it more like this,'
I want to cherish that feeling.

Owning your work
might begin with taking responsibility for your own sense of discomfort.