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Category: Inspiration

Transitions

I’m often asked how I made the transition from social work to social curation. If I’m honest, I never dreamed of having my own business or running my own show. In fact, for a very long time, I was looking for the perfect job, desperately trying to figure out how to craft the perfect cover letter to land the interview that would set me on a fulfilling and profitable career path.

I wish I could say I woke up one morning and realized this dream job was something I could actually create.

It started slowly, with an idea, and — drip by drip! — grew from experimentation to action.

You, too, can start small. You don’t need to have a finished product on the table before you decide to go. Simply identify what’s important to you, acknowledge your skills, and begin to make choices that excite you.

You don’t have to figure it all out today.

The things that really mean something take time.

Dream chasers

Many years ago, a coach gave me an assignment that altered the course of my life. I’d like to share it with you, in hopes it might have a similar impact on the way you choose to live.

Write down a list of 50 – 100 things you’d like to do before you die.

My original list contained 88 items, a list of tasks ranging from intangibles to concrete — simple pleasures of learning how to tie a tie, to the (at the time) seemingly lofty goals of being in a movie, finishing a marathon, and being comfortable in my own skin.

I’ve revisited this list several times throughout the years. It’s acted as a guidepost for finding my passion and sorting out impulse from destiny. Sometimes it’s difficult to decide whether life choices are due to circumstance or something more intentional. One of my biggest fears is missing the boat, never finding true happiness and failing to follow my bliss. This list helps. It’s been an anchor.

Not to mention, it’s difficult to forge ahead if you don’t have a direction. I didn’t always know this and found tremendous challenge in commitment. But believe it or not, if you focus your efforts, you’re much more likely to get it done.

I’ve sat here and debated whether sharing this list is the right thing, but I have chosen to do so with the hope that it inspires at least one person to chase after their dreams. That’s worth a vulnerable moment.

Some items are outdated. Some I consider now and have no desire for it. Others aren’t even realistic. The point is to allow yourself to play, to dream, to explore. If you don’t “go there” in your mind, how could you any way else? Once it’s on paper, you can always return to it and assess if it’s probable or something you’d actually like to direct your energy towards.

First, create a block of time; carve it out on your calendar and set aside one hour to just write. Don’t pause to question. Just go. You might surprise yourself. I’d love to hear how it goes.

The point is, you’re never “too old” to start dreaming again.

What’s getting in the way of your dream chasing?

Note: this list was written in 2004. The “X” indicates completion. Italicized items are in process…

  1. Write/publish/sell a book
  2. Get published in a magazine X
  3. Display work in an art gallery X
  4. Do a triathlon X
  5. Backpack South America X
  6. Inspire/help a “troubled teen” X
  7. Be a counselor X
  8. Get my masters X (possible Ph.D.?)
  9. Volunteer again in a different country X
  10. Learn how to cook well X
  11. Go back to New Zealand
  12. Get better at guitar
  13. Play basketball again X
  14. Play soccer again X
  15. Go to Canada X
  16. Go to Seattle X
  17. See Egypt
  18. See Tibet
  19. Fall in love again X
  20. Live in a house with a green garden, beautiful flowers X
  21. Learn to salsa dance X
  22. Be in a movie X
  23. Own a small shop (gift/crafty type? or coffee?) X
  24. Improve 1/2 marathon time
  25. Buy a piano
  26. Study in a Buddhist center (retreat? school? etc.) X
  27. Learn moderation and balance X
  28. Learn a language X
  29. Have a flower garden X
  30. Grown own veggies X
  31. Hike the Grand Canyon
  32. Paragliding X
  33. Windsurf
  34. Surf X
  35. Go to Maine/Boston during fall X
  36. Taj Mahal X
  37. See a penguin in the wild X
  38. Learn how to juggle
  39. Go sailing X
  40. Hot air balloon! X
  41. Swim with dolphins
  42. Scuba dive
  43. Have my own art room/studio
  44. Camp in Yellowstone X
  45. Be a bridesmaid for [name protected]’s wedding X
  46. Own a scooter/motorcycle/moped X
  47. Drive a convertible, windows down, music up
  48. Spain
  49. Scandinavia X
  50. Southern Italy
  51. Be a bartender X
  52. Visit Westminster Abbey
  53. Tour Switzerland on a bike
  54. Learn how to tie a tie X
  55. Live/work abroad X
  56. Cruise to Alaska
  57. Visit Cuba
  58. See Jonny Lang in concert X
  59. Own another husky or dog X
  60. Learn how to ski better X
  61. Become less stubborn, prideful, more patient X
  62. Get rid of “perfectionist” X
  63. Walk through Big Sequoias
  64. Make a candle and give it to someone X
  65. Encourage someone to “be better” X
  66. Take a friend to a Day at the Spa X
  67. Be comfortable in my skin X
  68. Work on set/backstage X
  69. Family – one day
  70. Learn to say “no” X
  71. Become friends with a Tai Chi instructor X
  72. Host a very successful party X
  73. Go on a date in NYC X
  74. Be a travel writer/photographer X
  75. Take care of myself (don’t let self go)
  76. Get faster, fitter, leaner, healthier
  77. Improve diet X
  78. Cliff dive X
  79. Go on a rafting/canoe trip X
  80. Live by the sea
  81. African safari X
  82. Run on the Great Wall
  83. Find my purpose, align with passions X
  84. Marathon X
  85. Participate in a drum circle X
  86. Visit a reservation X
  87. Milk a cow X

10 things entrepreneurs [should] know

I’ve learned some tough lessons during my transition into the business world. I’m sharing a few of them here and believe they can be applied to more than entrepreneurial endeavors.

I hope they are as valuable for you as they have been for me:

  1. You’re never finished. There’s always more to be done. Bigger plans, more emails, another phone call, scheduled meetings, surprise encounters…
  2. You have to set boundaries. For yourself, your relationships, your time, your values, your abilities, your email checking. Prioritize, identify what is important to you, and rank your daily to-do list.
  3. Everyone has an opinion. That doesn’t mean you have to take their advice. Listen, and take what works for you.
  4. You’ll be scared and nervous and anxious as hell. Starting is scary. It doesn’t go away, but it gets better.
  5. You will fail. And you’ll fail hard. You’ll really f— something up, but you’ll learn from it and you’ll change it for next time.
  6. Not every idea is a slam dunk. That’s OK.
  7. Celebrate the wins. Even the really small ones. If you don’t recognize where you’re going and how far you’ve come, you won’t want to keep moving forward.
  8. It’s OK to ask for help. It’s impossible to know all there is to know about everything that is involved with running a business. Find people who can help and don’t be afraid to admit ignorance.
  9. It’s a process. You learn to ride the tide. Sometimes it’s in your favor, other times you’re swimming in the ocean for what seems like forever. There will be another wave, you’ll get to the shore, and then you can swim back out and do it all over again.
  10. It’s OK. It’s going to be OK. You’re OK. What you don’t know is OK. What people think of you is OK. Be OK with yourself.
empty highway overlooking mountain under dark skies

A manual for daily adventure

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. Go to work, come home, throw together dinner, veg out on the couch.
You’ll never live the life you secretly wish for if you become routine’s slave. You have to shake things up.
When you enjoy your life, you’ll inspire people around you to test limits they’ve drawn for themselves. Passion and excitement are contagious. Improved relationships, enhanced creativity, boosted productivity, discovery of yourself and the world around you are just a few byproducts of a life with fire behind it.
Sounds great, but how does this happen? Certainly not overnight.
Here are 80 ways to get you started.
We all have different thresholds for daring and adventure, so pick a few that feel brave to you and dive in. Let me know how it goes.

  1. Pack a lunch. For a friend.
  2. Go see a movie by yourself.
  3. Bring a slinky to the office.
  4. Rotate a stack of favorite photos in your wallet.
  5. Buy sidewalk chalk.
  6. Invite people you don’t know very well over for dinner.
  7. Dance.
  8. Call a friend unexpectedly, for no particular reason.
  9. Put Play-Doh on your desk.
  10. Write a love letter. To yourself.
  11. Stroll through a bookstore and notice which section pulls you in.
  12. Buy the Sunday paper and savor it with a treat.
  13. Do something to fail. Something you know you’re miserable at. And enjoy.
  14. Ride a bike. Rent if you don’t own one.
  15. Host a themed party.
  16. Take public transportation, even if you think it’s slower.
  17. Start a scrapbook with images you tear out of magazines, newspapers, funny office memos.
  18. Schedule a coffee date with someone you admire.
  19. Write a pageful of questions. Don’t worry about answers.
  20. Try a new restaurant.
  21. Mail a thank you note.
  22. Walk home from work a different way.
  23. Book a trip.
  24. Stare out the window.
  25. Set aside fifteen minutes to write. About anything.
  26. Make a themed playlist.
  27. Ask a friend for a book recommendation.
  28. List 100 things you’d like to do before you die.
  29. Sign up for a class.
  30. Teach a class.
  31. Move! Jump. Climb. Skip.
  32. Bake lasagna for the local firehouse.
  33. Compliment a stranger.
  34. Brush your teeth with opposite hand.
  35. Run an extra 5 (minutes, miles, blocks, laps).
  36. Concentrate on nothing except pouring yourself a cup of tea.
  37. Host a trivia night at your place.
  38. List 10 “self care” items. Aim to do 2-3 each day.
  39. Order in. Unplug and turn off everything. Eat by candlelight.
  40. Support a local business owner.
  41. Take your workout outside.
  42. Don’t send an email. Walk over to your colleague’s desk.
  43. Smile at a kid who isn’t yours.
  44. Find a recipe and cook.
  45. Look up. See the sky.
  46. List 4 things you are thankful for in this moment.
  47. Pick up your favorite book and head to the park.
  48. Watch a black and white movie.
  49. Make yourself feel uncomfortable.
  50. Consider the book you’d write.
  51. Bake something — a pie, cookies, bread. Wrap it in pretty paper and give it away.
  52. Set a new fitness goal.
  53. Initiate conversation at the coffee shop.
  54. Volunteer.
  55. Do 1 thing today that really excites you. Tell no one.
  56. Sing loudly in the shower/your car/your backyard.
  57. Doodle.
  58. Plant something.
  59. Allow yourself 5 minutes of nothing.
  60. Set out to scare yourself.
  61. Paint. Draw. Make something. It doesn’t have to be good.
  62. Visit a farmers market.
  63. Count your breaths, 6 seconds for each: Inhale. Pause. Exhale.
  64. Buy yourself flowers.
  65. Book a massage.
  66. Style your hair differently.
  67. Hide a note for your partner to find.
  68. Put your other shoe on first.
  69. Be a slob. Don’t make the bed. Leave it on the floor.
  70. Daydream.
  71. For one day, don’t make any plans.
  72. Write on a napkin.
  73. Eat with chopsticks.
  74. Act like a tourist.
  75. Clean. Throw out junk. Organize.
  76. Build a tent in your living room.
  77. Pretend you’re famous.
  78. Ask yourself: “If you could do anything, anywhere, what would it be?”
  79. Donate money to a cause you’re interested in.
  80. Write down what your life looks like this time next year. Five years from now. Next week.

We’re so careful.

We carefully plan our days, scheduling meetings and appointments to maximize our energy and time. We plan our evenings, scheduling outings and time at home in an attempt to balance work and play. Yet what if this careful planning is actually getting in our way? What if we’re creating a series of insulated experiences and limiting ourselves from true magic?

It seems (too often!) that moments of inspiration—those flashes of brilliance when you just get it, “Aha! I need to write this down!”—happen when we least expect them. The memories we cherish and the stories our friends eagerly clasp are often the result of something unexpected, unplanned, maybe even a “mistake.”

What if we are limiting ourselves and our own potential by limiting our exposure to the unpredictable? When we travel, we easily relinquish control and let ourselves live, experience, explore, and get lost.

What would happen if we released control in our day-to-day?