Life update: What the heck am I up to?
First up, Welcome to any new readers who’ve come over from Ben Young’s blog. As Ben said I try to provide people with insights and inspiration, and encourage people to live awesome lives and change the world. I don’t post to a schedule, but I have a bit of a redesign in the works after which I’ll post more regularly.
If you like what you find here you can subscribe to this blog.
If you haven’t checked out bwagy (or his book) you should. It should be required reading.
I’m slowly tweaking my blog, what I write and how I write it. So here’s an update about what I’m up to at the moment. I’ll keep writing these updates infrequently when theres something interesting to update.
Moving
The most major change at the moment, and the one thats occupying a lot of my attention: I’m leaving my amazing job at Greenpeace NZ and moving to the UK in June. Complete with a side trip to Penang, Malaysia.
One awesome thing (of many): I’ve been amazed how easy it was to save money.
I thought it would take ages, but when I got serious about it it was easy. I put all my money in once place… discovered I already had $2000 (who knew?). I’ve cut back expenses by staying with friends and my savings are now on track. I’ve bought plane tickets and I’ve got a bit to keep me going till I have work in the UK.
This is a good example of how just starting is often the hardest part. Once you’ve created momentum its easy.
Updates
If for some odd reason you’re actually interested in my daily life and awesomeness: you should follow me on twitter here or just subscribe to this blog.
Who needs achievable and realistic?
This started as a blog comment, and I’ve ranted about it at Intersect meetups before. I think its worth highlighting again:
I cringe every time I hear someone talk about ‘SMART’ goals… Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time based.
I would keep the SMT… but who cares if its Achievable or Realistic?
In fact I’d almost add them as measures in reverse… be unrealistic and aim for what it seems you can’t achieve.. and you might get a surprise when you find yourself achieving it
Aside: I’ve always known SMART as Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-based. But Wikipedia suggests it should have Attainable and Relevant instead. My point still stands however… who cares if its Attainable? Relevance could be useful though.
Don’t offer me your path.
Don’t offer me your path
Don’t offer me your destination
Support mine
Offer me your tools, support and ideas to help me get there
Challenge me but don’t just tell me: “You can’t do that”, “you’re naive” or “that won’t work”
The beginning of an adventure
I can feel the beginning of an adventure
creeping in at the edges of my life, my consciousness
I don’t know where it is or how to get there
But this longing is back
with joy and love and beauty
I realise now this feeling
is not a hole to be filled
It’s a miracle to be embraced and enjoyed
The more I experience it, I feel free, hungry to explore.
Entrepreneurs don’t just start businesses
They start charities and non profits
They start social movements
These all require similar skills, spirit and courage… but have slightly different goals.
An entrepreneur is a person who has possession of a new enterprise, venture or idea and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome.
- from Entrepreneur on Wikipedia
Micro meetings
I’ve just been reading the excerpt from Rework – it looks like this will be a fantastic book so I recommend you check it out. Ordering my own copy might wait till I move to the UK or until I have an e-book reader. But here’s my thoughts from the excerpt:
Meetings can be a colossal waste of time.
But we often do need to meet with people – at least to avoid distractions while working on something.
So what about micro meetings? 15mins max. Focused on just one issue.
I’m sure this has been suggested before. But has anyone tried this out?
How did it go?
It still suffers from mental switching costs: breaking out of what you’re doing and going somewhere else to meet. But it’s better than the ‘normal’ model of meetings and it’s probably easier to sell to other people you work (compared with just no meetings).
Bring your enthusiasm
Bring your enthusiasm to life
Don’t settle for being a cog in the machine.
It’s really not the job your in that matters
But what you bring to it
I know I can bring real enthusiasm and passion to life
And I know from the people around me who do bring their passion too that it makes a huge difference to those they interact with
Let go
Share yourself
and see just how much richer life can be…
Don’t get stopped by perfect
Follow up from Redesigning your career:
I mentioned getting things moving quickly and then tweaking.
The key here is not to worry if its not perfect – not the perfect job or the perfect business idea, etc.
Just start, get moving, and keep moving towards your vision of perfect.
I don’t mean just take any old thing, don’t compromise your values or your goals – but don’t put them off waiting for everything to line up.
Serendipity might not happen. But you make it happen.
Old familiar spaces…
Trying something else: This isn’t a great ideas post, or strategy post or anything where I’ve got it all sorted (..I never really do anyway).
Its been an interesting week. I keep finding myself in familiar but quite old spaces… that is – I haven’t been there for a while. This odd feeling of peace and calm, waiting to start an adventure, wanting to just ditch all caution and planning and take off.
It’s a feeling I used to get quite often. And it can be a bit frustrating when I can’t find an outlet for it.
The interesting thing to notice was how much of a different person I am now… similar old space but different me..
And this time theres some outlets for that feeling… not just yet and with a bit of control… but a direction all the same
Over-consuming: Creating an incentive to publish
I spend a lot of time just consuming new ideas: reading blogs, twitter, books, watching TED talks… theres a lot of information out there.
And yet until recently blog was sitting stagnant.
I came up with the idea to use it as an incentive:
When I feel like consuming – I’m at a loose end, the automatic response is just to read blogs for a while.
Don’t. Publish instead.
Write something.
If I’m struggling with a problem.
Procrastinating.
Write about it.
I decided I’d try this for a week. And it’s been 2 weeks now.
I’m not doing it religiously but it got me started blogging again.
I’m still reading other blogs – but only a few key ones – and only when I actually have time – not when procrastinating.
Try it out.
Leave a comment and let me know if this worked for you too.
Or just tell me what strategies you have instead.