Packed and Leaving

Well, I am. Packed and leaving. Packed today, leaving Thursday.

My two shiny black suitcases are deliciously underweight (for the first time in more than 35 plane flights) and clothes are still sprinkled around my living room... looking somewhat like the way I imagine a hyperactive maraca player would decorate.

ANYway, I now have this queasy feeling in my stomach, which surfaces and disappears. What will happen next? Will I be able to carry everything? Do I have what I need?

It's also amazing to see these remnants on the floor, things I thought I truly needed, but now that I consider them... how important is that button-up vest, really? Is that red shirt truly as life-altering as I thought? I probably will survive for three months without my ski gloves.

I love the perspective that comes with these times. Similarly, as I'm considering being a freelancer (as of Wednesday!)... how important is it to work five days a week? Do I really need that salary I was on? Is it possible that I could find alternative ways to get my food, clothes, rent money, etc? I saw a quick documentary about some men who lived in a South American jungle who visited the USA. One man commented, "We know things that they do not know and they know things we do not know" as he discussed how they always had what they needed in the jungle, but people on Wall Street seemed to always need something else.

It's a cliche. It's overdone, but I know that a 9-5 is not everything. Stability doesn't come from an external circumstance.

The Number One Secret to Getting Things Done

I'll give you a hint: it's the easiest thing in the world, but it's the hardest. There really is no other secret, which is a relief, but it means you cannot compromise on this step. There are different ways to get to this step, and people will try to tell you that you can trick yourself into liking this step through various techniques, but at the end of the day, there is only one secret to getting things done.

I'm not telling you what it is yet. Bear with me.

You may have noticed there weren't many posts here recently. That's because I was in QLD at a wonderful music festival with some friends I grew up with. The intensity and frivolity of the occasion was delicious, but it's left me giving myself excuses for not doing the things I would ordinarily do (i.e. hang out my washing, blog, sleep).

Want to know the secret I have come to terms with? Do it. Just do it. Like Nike. Like Steven Pressfield's  new book (Do the Work), which is free for Kindle/iPhone/any eReading device, thanks to the Domino Project (this is revolutionary for anyone interested in books or what they achieve. Sign up now.)

I used to overthink things. I know, hard to believe ;)

One day, I watched the Triplets of Belleville with a friend and I was busy trying to discover its deeper meaning when he said, "Um, let it go?" and that moment changed my life. So simple, so possible, so easy... so why did it feel so hard?

Because there's no compromise. Ready? Go. Do. It.

Who Do You Hold Close?

So, who do you hold close? Whoa re the people you surround yourself with?

How do these people impact the way you see the world each morning?

I've recently reviewed the blogs I follow. One of the bloggers expressed that he was having a very difficult time, and I was moved to share some words of encouragment, but that was all shut down when I read his response to a fellow commenter. She had encouraged him to be open to receiving help, but he quite definitely told her that he is no position to receive help, because of reasons she couldn't understand. His statement made me realize that I was a voyeur in his life; we had no relationship or connection, and so I had to evaluate what I wanted to receive from his blog.

This made me reconsider all the blogs I subscribe to... I know I have to choose what I receive into my life, and I have to evaluate where it comes from. I used to listen to moody music when I felt sad. It seemed to soothe the emotion. You know what I've come to see? That music only enforced the emotion and fed it. Now, when I feel deflated, I put on something upbeat, full of passion for life.

This has been the number one most helpful habit I have ever built into my life.

So what about you? Are you surrounded by voices which inspire you and mould your view of the world into something beautiful and full of the goodness of life? Who do you read or hold close? Leave links below for the rest of us to share :)

Watching Memories Fly

We held a garage sale yesterday, in preparation for The Big Move.

It was disconcerting to watch objects from my memories fly away in someone else's hands. I'm convinced that these things had to go, and I was excited as I saw our piles growing smaller and smaller, so it wasn't too hard to let them go.

Life changes. I am not the girl I was when I hid that book from my brother 10 years ago. I am not the girl who sat on those chairs at Christmas and sulked because we got ham and not roast chicken. I am someone else.

This thought is intensely liberating. If I am not that girl, then I have no reason to still carry guilt about what that girl did. I have no reason to believe I am still that arrogant, nerdy little brat. I would not now do what she has done, so why carry vestigial remnants of her?

I was reading Poke the Box today, and I saw the value in this book for me, because it shows me where I still limit myself according to what I have been. Failure is the partner of exploration. Failure doesn't define us.

Praise the Lord that we can choose to be someone new every day and be open to the limitless possibilities.

The Problem with Being Babylon

I'm strongly considering buying the "classic" financial/investing book, "The Richest Man in Babylon." I've been told (by all the people who know these things) that's it's THE book to read. And it appeals to me; I believe completely in ancient wisdom. I believe that anything true will always be true, and history will prove what is real and what is false.

Here's my crisis:

The richest man in Babylon... is still in Babylon.

Is that where I want to be? In antiquity, the Israelites passed on to the Promised Land after being captive in Babylon. Do I want to get sucked into this cycle of earning and spending and achieving and spending and striving?

If I don't like that my shelves are full of half-read "good" books and my files are full of "useful" papers I never really use... Why am I doing it?

Where do I want to be? This week I'm going to sit with the questions "Why" and "Where." Why am I doing these things? Where do I want to live: Babylon? Israel? Somewhere else?


How about you? What's your "why" or "where"?

Under the Curtain... (#5)

I've had some trouble choosing my #5 blogger. This one should be something extra special, because I've kept it to last, and it is. But I can't share it with you :)

My all-time favorite blog, the one I would read the instant there's a post on it, the one I will always comment on, because the content is so rich, belongs to my best friend, Peppa. For privacy reasons, I won't include a link to her blog here.

She's not as technical and gutsy as Seth, not as crafty as Nie Nie, not as culinary as Monet, and she has noting like the beautiful design of Jen, but she's part of me.

I read a quote from Paddi Lund (the crazy dentist) which said something like 'people don't buy from businesses because they're the cheapest, people buy from people they like.'

It's true. I am an avid fan of Peppa, because she and I are connected. She is part of me and what she writes is part of my life, too.

The secret to success in blogging, or marketing, or sales, or relationships, is to become part of one another. Establishing trust is one of our core human needs.

Trust cannot be faked and it cannot be bought. Sometimes, trust is instant - that feeling of "clicking" with someone. Mostly, trust takes time.

As we all leave class and head off to our careers and families, consider how what you do creates trust, and how you give out your trust in others. What does it take for you to trust someone? Are there any companies or products you trust? Why?

Leave a comment and let me know...

And the Winner is #4!

Today is all about the number 4 - congratulations Zena! I had the imaginary number four picked in my mind, so you shall be the lucky recipient of some genuine Australian candy. I'll get in touch with you through our class mail to handle the details :)

And, on the theme of #4, my fourth favorite blogger is:

1. Seth Godin
2. Nie Nie (aka Stephanie Nielson)
3. Anecdotes and Apple Cores 
4. Green Wedding Shoes - wedding and design blog - www.greenweddingshoes.com

I don't know much about the author of this blog (Jen Campbell), except that she only shared one photo from her own wedding, while she shares all the intricate details from numerous wedding around the country each week. I searched high and low for it, but it seems to have disappeared entirely...

Jen's blog is a step away from the usual blog, because she rarely shares her own stories, but her posts are still so authentic and captivating. I know all about Monet's broken wine glass last week, but I couldn't even tell you if Jen drinks from glasses, because she rarely shares anything personal. What keeps her blogs so interesting? She shares intimate, personal details from hundreds of other people.

We live vicariously through these strangers and their romantic fairytales...

(a good thought to keep in mind for your own blogging - you don't have to tell your story, just make sure you tell a good story)

I'm not married, nor am I soon planning to be, but I keep coming back for the beautiful, thoughtful, personal design of each event.

My personal favorite is Ben + Catie's 1940's themed wedding. I might be biased, because I share an unusual name with the bride, but the simplicity and confidence of their style was stunning.

Top Five Bloggers - #3

Whew! What a weekend, and to top it off, our internet is down at home. The beauty of living in Australia (and rural Australia) is that this issue will probably take weeks to fix, when it would have been done in hours if I were in the USA. Communication in the southern hemisphere certainly takes a little longer than my northern cousins are used to!

So, on to #3 of my top bloggers:

1. Seth Godin
2. Nie Nie (aka Stephanie Nielson)
3. Anecdotes and Apple Cores - cooking blog - http://anecdotesandapples.weebly.com/

No modern blog list is complete without a cooking blog. After the movie Julie & Julia, these blogs seemed to be everywhere. The trend started earlier, but cooking blogs became superfamous with the movie's release. There's something simple and beautiful about a cooking blog. Something so traditional and habitual is elevated into a delicate treasure. The role of a woman in the kitchen is celebrated and glorified, like it should be.

Not that all women love to cook. Or that men don't like to. But these blogs are written by women who love what they are doing, and those of us who share their delight get to revel in it, too.

I love Anecdotes and Apple Cores for several reasons:

• It shows foods which are actually tasty
• The recipes are normal enough that the ingredients can be found at my local, rural supermarket
• The photography is as tasteful as the dishes!
• Personal notes and tidbits are thoughtfully included, but they don't overwhelm the content
• The author is one of my college roommates (I'm a little biased!)

Enjoy :)

Top Five Bloggers - #2

It is late and I would love to skip this right now, but my latest resolution in life is to "go the last inch" (this is a quote my Dad has made his own, from a 'famous Russian author'). This idea of the last inch highlights the importance of finishing a job completely. Almost everyone does an 'okay' job and gets close to finishing and then quits. 


~ For example, leave a comment here if you tucked in your bedsheets this morning ~


I'm betting most of us just threw the comforter over the top and headed to work. The last inch is where things become extraordinary, but we rarely go all the way, because it seems like a lot of effort for such a minor detail.


So, the last inch of my night: The continuation of my Top 5 Bloggers...

1. Seth Godin
2. Nie Nie (aka Stephanie Nielson) - Personal/lifestyle blog - http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

I'm sure most of you have seen Stephanie somewhere on the internet or Oprah; she's a mid-twenties mother of four who was in a serious plane (or helicopter?) crash a few years ago. 

I'm not sure why her blog is so popular, but it is something special. Stephanie shares her life in a transparent way, without being at all self-centered. She makes beautiful crafts and share her beautiful home and family with her readers, but nothing about her is conceited. 

Blogs like Stephanie's, written by young stay-at-home Mormon moms, are becoming very popular. There's a great article about the draw of these blogs here. This writer shares her addiction to Mormon Mommy Blogs, and I think she has some valid insights into the popularity of these blogs; however, I also think she misses the point. 

The point is that these women love to share what they have. Success in blogging, or in any form of communication, means sharing your thoughts without trying to impress or convince anyone. 

Bienvenue a la Blog...

I'm wondering if anyone else feels a little bit excited and a little bit nervous about this blog assignment. Blogs tend to be very personal places, but this blog is in the professional/education arena, so I wonder exactly where the line of appropriateness should be drawn.

So, for the first time, I'm really considering what the purpose is of the communication I'm using. There is no textbook to open and get answers from in this class, so I have to dig the answers out of my own education. Ironically, my questions are textbook questions, like, "Why am I blogging? What is the purpose of the things I'm sharing? What does my audience (YOU!) really want to hear about?" This class is forcing me to find a practical way to use all the theory I've been learning.

I adore John of Salisbury's idea that we stand on the shoulders of giants, so over the next few days, I'll include my favorite personal and professional bloggers, for your perusal and consideration. I figure this will give you some valuable blogs to read and a little insight into my tastes and inspiration.

As I've looked at these 'giants' of blogging, I have considered why each one is so successful and why I get so much value from reading their blogs. I have included my thoughts below each title in italics.

1. Seth Godin - Marketing/professional blog - http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Seth is THE marketing guy. Seth is the guy every marketer refers to at dinner parties when trying to impress non-marketers. If you can't nod and sigh over the idea of a linchpin, a purple cow, and the dip, you're not in the marketing club.

There are three reasons I never miss any of Seth's posts: 

- I know he will post every day. His consistency gives me hope in a world full of inconsistent marketing promises.

- It counts as 'work,' so I don't feel guilty when my boss sees me reading his blog on company time.

- He's real. He gives real insights and he never posts a blog just to fill space. What he says matters to him, and so it matters to me.

Go ahead and leave me your thoughts about this assignment and the personal/professional lines to draw here. Do you feel comfortable disclosing personal details in a class assignment?

Also, what do you think of Seth?