Life’s too short to not do what you love
Mar 15, 2016

When we were kids, we believed we could be anything. We had dreams of being cowboys and presidents and astronauts – and we weren’t afraid of telling anyone. We colored, sang, danced, and we didn’t worry what other thought. We showed the world who we were – our full selves, with all our dreams, faults and quirks.

But as we grew up, the world got to us. School taught us that repeating the correct answers mattered more than our creativity of thought. We learned to remember facts and regurgitate them in tests, instead of using our imagination and thinking for ourselves. We quickly learned that if we didn’t do what our teachers told us, we’d get into trouble. We were better off just following the rules and doing as we were told. We learned not to interrupt, to only speak when called upon, to not cause any disturbances.

As we made friends, we learned that those rules applied in social situations too. If we were too different, we’d be outcast and made fun of – maybe even bullied. So we learned to fit in. To do what everyone else did. Along the way, we lost our individuality and our self expression.

Those lessons stuck with us as we grew older. And they taught us that we’d be better served following the same career paths that everyone else took – instead of forging our own unique path. And so we end up in the cul-de-sac of the status quo – going through the motions of day to day life, doing the same thing everyone else does. We may not be happy with it, but we’ve told ourselves that that’s how life is – that to dream of more would be unrealistic, or worse, would get us into trouble. We convince ourselves to be satisfied where we are, even though deep down, we wish there was more.

But life doesn’t have to be that way. Especially in today’s world. There’s no reason, especially in 2016, for us to force ourselves to stay in the status quo. To go through the motions, and count down til 5pm everyday. It’s completely possible to do what you love – to pursue your dreams, forge your own path and be your own person. There’s never been a better time in history to be an “outsider” – because it’s easier than ever to connect with other “outsiders”, and form your tribe. There’s more opportunity around us – to connect, to create, to express ourselves – than there ever has been before.

There’s never been a better time than today, for you to take that step out of your comfort zone. To do things that might fail – knowing that failure isn’t the end of the world, and it’s okay to fail. To do work that means something to you – that makes your heart sing, and connects with your inner self. To spend your days excited about what lies ahead. Because it’s possible.

Find your passion. Believe in your passion, and in yourself. Recognize that it’s possible. And take the first step towards it.

Because life’s too short to not do what you love.

Photo by Pilottage

We all slip sometimes
Feb 22, 2016

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you can probably tell I’m a huge believer in focus – in doing one thing, one thing alone, and diving in fully into that one thing. And I believe I’m better than most at it.

In the past couple of weeks, though, I’ve found myself slipping. I’ve been distracted, and taken my eye off the ball a bit. And I’ve found myself taking on projects I shouldn’t have taken, and spending time and energy working on things that I don’t want to be working on – and don’t take me towards where I want to be.

And you know what, that’s okay. Because we all slip sometimes. I still believe in that laser-focus. But I’m human, and sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Sometimes we make mistakes, and slip up. And it’s very important to realize and accept that that’s okay.

Beating yourself up over it, dwelling on it and feeling like you’ve failed – that doesn’t benefit anyone, least of all yourself. The trick is to acknowledge that “yes, I made a mistake”, accept it and forgive yourself – and then pick yourself up and move on. Even if sometimes the process of picking yourself up goes slowly.

But it’s really important to remember this – it’s okay to slip up sometimes. We all do.

Photo credit: Rob Swatski

Flip a coin
Feb 13, 2016

When it’s in the air you’ll know what side you’re hoping for.

Whether or not you have that realization, I do think flipping a coin is a great way to make a decision.

So often, we try to make logical decisions. We have decision making frameworks and processes that we follow. And that’s great, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Except when it hinders us from actually deciding and moving forward.

It’s very easy to get stuck in the decision making framework. We have so many choices, and we’re so desperate to not make the wrong choice, that in the end, we make no choice at all.

But in life, very often, there’s no real one right choice. Most of the time, any path you choose can work – once you’re committed to that path and put in the effort to make it work.

The act of choosing – diving in, committing to a path, and going down that path – is often more important than what the choice is.

So the next time you’re stuck on what to do, flip a coin. Maybe you’ll realize what you’re hoping for. Or maybe you’ll realize you’re not particularly hoping for either outcome, because it doesn’t really matter. And all that truly matters is you make a decision and take a step (no matter how small) forward.

Photo: Uncertainty by Nicu Buculei

It Depends
Feb 7, 2016

When I was playing poker, I was active on a couple of poker forums, where there’d be discussions and analyses of previous hands. And often, the standard answer to questions would be “It depends”. Depends on the situation, who the other player is, what your playing style is like, and a thousand other factors. Which means that while we can analyze the theory and make suggestions about what we would do in the situation, there’s no one objective correct answer, and that all advice should be taken with a pinch of salt.

These days, I’ve been participating on a few Facebook groups for entrepreneurs. In these groups, people are often asking questions such as “Should I use WordPress or Squarespace?” or “Should I use Facebook or Instagram more”, or more generic questions like “What should I do to grow my business?” And people weigh in with their opinions, suggesting platforms, methods, strategies.

But here’s what we need to keep in mind. Those strategies they recommend are what worked for them. It’s not necessarily what will work for you.

There are a thousand ways to grow your business. And in almost all situations, there’s no direct answer to a question like that. It varies based on who you are, who your audience is, what you want your business to look like, what you love doing – and so many other factors.

So often, we’re searching for one universal correct answer. But more often than not, the only actual correct answer is “It depends”.

Photo: That is the question…. by Beatnik Photos