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| The Wobble.. | |
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“The quintessential lifestyle design question is the “money question.” And the money question goes something like this: “what would you do if you had all the money in the world?” I like the money question. I really do. It’s a good starting point, but it also misses the point because it feeds the notion that monetary abundance is the primary freedom enabler.” This quote from The Growing Life really made a lot of things bounce around in my brain today. What would I do if I had all the money I ever could want, and why am I not already starting to do that now, even without the money? I’ve been in this sort of hibernation for the past year or so. I’ve been reading self help books one after another, listening to motivating podcasts and reading blogs that talk about inspiration, art and helping people. It’s been sort of a quest for a quest. I just want to find a way to figure out what I want. Almost every motivational speaker, writer, podcaster, etc. says to start with figuring out what you want. To define it in detail and see it coming. Set your goals in alignment with your values. Get to the core of what you want. But where does that leave us who don’t know? It leaves me in this perpetual state of searching and learning and dreaming. What if I choose wrong? What if the things that I want now are not the things I want in a week? I suppose it’s some sort of perfectionism that keeps me from moving, but I like to think of it as being eclectic. There is just too much good stuff to choose from. So, I have to figure out what I want, and where all of this hibernating is getting me. Let’s start with simple things that are in my head and don’t cost money. I want motivation and energy. It’s that simple. All of these self-help gurus that I’ve been reading lately usually say that it’s just a flip switch. When your brain starts in with the negative, snap back to positive, and use my special trick to do it! I believe it, obviously, because I keep reading. Flip the switch. Fake it ‘til you make it. Choose happiness. Ok, it’s tough, but we’re getting closer. What do I want, things-wise? A big Victorian house with a wrap-around porch and open breezy windows, but not way in the country, somewhere near a city. I don’t know what city. A garden with random flowers, herbs, and vegetables, that is more for fun than it is for show. A big kitchen with a big butcher block kitchen table. A red mini cooper. Heck, two mini coopers, one convertible, one not. A big studio with big windows where I keep all of my cool art and craft stuff and spend hours painting old pieces of wood, writing stories, and learning new crafts. A housekeeper, or at least a cleaning service. A sweet office/library with a ton of cool books on the shelves. A pool with a waterfall, a koi pond, and a hot tub. An outdoor kitchen/dining room like in the magazines… I could think of a lot more. The thing about the above wants is how close I could be right now. I have a house close to the city and room for a garden. I have a “studio/office” that is extremely messy, but it’s where I keep my supplies. I have windows that are breezy when they are open, and a big back patio. I have a decent sized kitchen with a bar with barstools. I have books and bookshelves. That’s where the balance is. You have to be happy and thankful for all of the amazing stuff you have while always dreaming bigger and getting closer to the big dream. The big dream is always evolving, but is closer than most people think. My current job and hobbies are reflections of my old dreams, mingled with my current ones, but still not quite there. When I think about my current “career”, I appreciate it for what it is, but also dream of doing something closer to what I love, closer to what I am capable of, and closer to what I care about. Without this wobble between want and have, people would be stuck in ruts very similar to my past five years. So here I wobble. Sometimes I feel like I’m right on the edge of that cliff, ready to base-jump, quit my job and start a business, move across the country, and sometimes I’m a good 100 yards away from the cliff, satisfied with where I am and what I’m doing. It feels like it’s all coming to a peak and something is about to happen. This time in hibernation has been put to good use. “A few years ago I read a fantastic book called The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What do Do About It . (If you are running a small business or you are thinking of starting one I highly recommend it) One of the best things I learned from the book was about the three basic roles that exist in any successful business. The Entrepreneur, The Manager and The Technician. The entrepreneur is the visionary. She is the person that looks at the big picture, creates a vision for where the company is going and creates a plan for how the business must operate to get there. The manager supervises, oversees the day to day operations and makes sure systems are in place that allow things to work efficiently. The final role in this trio is the Technician. This is the person that gets the job done. In my case, the technician designs the jewelry, puts it together, ships the packages and communicates with the clients.” That quote is from a post I read by a certain Superhero a few days ago. It sort of started this whirlwind of thinking. The idea that I’m not in a rut, but rather some sort of Visionary stage, is freeing and relieves a big part of this burden of being selfish. The Manager and the Technician are in here too and I can see both of these possibilities with more clarity than I’ve had in a long time. The imagining time is complete and the planning and doing times are starting. And if I flit back and forth between these jobs, that is how it is supposed to be. And look, I just wrote over 1000 words. More than I’ve done in probably 6 or 8 years. That is “doing”. |
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| Topic(s): inspiration writing | |
| By loosgroov on June 7, 2008 at 1:26am EDT | Add/View Comments (3) |
| I couldn't wait.. | |
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for weekend inspiration. This video gave me chills, today. Click on TED Talks to find more chilling speeches. |
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| Topic(s): inspiration ted | |
| By loosgroov on March 25, 2008 at 1:36pm EDT | Add/View Comments (1) |
| Weekend Inspiration | |
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Yes, it's over an hour long, but I think it's worth it. Also, here is a link to Google's Youtube Page. I haven't really searched it yet, but I'm sure there's more cool stuff on there. |
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| Topic(s): inspiration | |
| By loosgroov on March 23, 2008 at 12:29am EDT | Add Comment |
| Weekend Inspiration | |
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A few things I found this week that kept me inspired: An Oprah video I found through Morning Coach: The Dancing Mermaid gave us a sweet tour of her cottage. On My Desk is a cool place to be nosy and look at what other people have in their offices and studios. |
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| Topic(s): inspiration | |
| By loosgroov on March 15, 2008 at 1:06pm EDT | Add/View Comments (1) |
| 25 Days | |
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I haven't posted in a while about Twenty Five Days to Make a Difference. It is a really cool website started by a girl named Laura who just turned 11 yesterday. (We share a birthday month, happy birthday, Laura!) Last December, she wanted to make a difference in the world, so she started a contest and a blog, which soon grew and grew on the internet. I found her site quite randomly, and we happened to be from the same area. Weird coinkydink. I tried to do my part in December and I was blown away by what everyone else did. A huge number of people did random acts of kindness, supported new causes, donated money and time, and just plain helped out the world. And it was all started with just a little website. Since then, she has made a monthly theme. She picks two lesser known causes and runs a monthly contest for them. Go check out her site... I don't think I'm explaining it that well. Laura is who inspired me to start randomly paying for people's coffee at the Tim Horton's drive-through. I do it at least once a week, and I feel like some sort of under-cover ninja, trying to look in my rear-view mirror, to see how they react when they get free coffee. I can never quite see their faces as I'm speeding off, usually to work. I've always wondered if that chain ever continued. Did the person behind me pay for the next person's coffee? I heard there was a chain that lasted all day in Florida somewhere. My new thing that I've been thinking about a lot lately is Hope Revolution. It was started by a cool woman who took little notes and left them all over New York City. Love notes to the city and the people that live there. Now it's spreading, and I think Buffalo could use some love notes. Anyone want to join me? I figure, I make a bunch of them and then just pick one random day to stick them in weird places all around downtown, Allentown, Elmwood strip area, anywhere really. Leave me a comment if you want to join up. Also, Laura's causes this month are Cheerful Givers and Compass House. Go to her website to see how you can help. That's what I'm going to do. |
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| Topic(s): inspiration kindness | |
| By loosgroov on March 6, 2008 at 1:39pm EST | Add Comment |
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