Why can’t I be you?

We’ve all done it – wanted to live someone else’s life. I remember, years ago, when I was miserable in my job; my 45 minute commute seemed like forever. I would watch people who were jogging or walking leisurely in my neighborhood or on the streets I passed to get to the highway and wondered, “What do they do for a living?” Maybe they had a wealthy spouse and they didn’t have to work. Perhaps they were freelancers who set their own schedule and worked out of their homes. Who knows, maybe they had won the lotto and were now independently wealthy?

Whatever the case may have been with any of these people, I could only imagine, wonder, pine for their life. However I had no idea what happened behind the closed doors of their homes, the activities they participated in, the way they earned their livings. Therefore, being jealous of their lives was rather silly.

I realize now, after having been unemployed for over a year and being one of those people who took morning walks and jogs while the rest of the world was driving their cars to their workplaces, rushing not to be late, sipping from their coffee cups to wake up, someone passing me by on their commute might have, in fact, wondered about me.

And despite the fact I could set my own schedule and do things like go for long walks or sleep in a little later, or even meet someone at 2:00 in the afternoon for coffee and sit for a few hours to chat and brainstorm, inside of me I was frantically pondering how much longer until I became a working citizen again. I liked one aspect of my “freedom” but the other part of me wanted health benefits and a salary that would help me not to worry about every penny I spent. I wanted to feel like I was contributing my skills and knowledge and being useful in society.

I do admit, while I am grateful now for a job where I work with amazing people and have so much possibility to learn and grow, I do still long for the life of those who can make their days their own. However, I’ve started to realize that no matter how great we think someone else has it, maybe we need to stop and realize our lives can be whatever we want and we don’t need to try to live anyone else’s.

Do you have aspects about your life that you think others might secretly be wishing they had in their lives? You never know who might be wanting to be you.

Innovation

This morning at the office, we had our monthly communication meeting. Usually the primary messages encompassed in the PowerPoint slides are all about EBIT, making the numbers and other financial gobbledy gook that makes my eyes start to glaze over.

However, while there was some of that today, a pleasant surprise in the presentation included a short discussion on innovation.

Innovation is a new way of doing something or "new stuff that is made useful."

The gentleman leading the talk gave two examples of innovation. The first, about an employee of Johnson & Johnson who invented a product that failed miserably, but when he thought he would be fired, instead he was asked by senior management to make some tweaks to the original formula. The next attempt was very successful. The second person he mentioned was the entertainer Chris Rock. Apparently Rock goes to comedy clubs to try out his new material. And many of these jokes really bomb. But he keeps trying and eventually, he has some great material.

The true takeaway from all of this was, how can we be more innovative in our daily lives? What ideas can we try to make a reality even if they are looked upon with disdain or trepidation?

So now I pose that question to all of you. What have you done lately that was innovative? Or what can you do tonight, tomorrow, this week or even this year that is innovative, original, and really outside of your comfort zone?

You never know, you might change something or someone in a brand new way.

I Didn't Invent the Rainy Day, I Just Own the Best Umbrella

It really is a great umbrella. But it's really not about that...

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking about my life and some of the decisions I've made. I'm starting to realize that a lot of the time, the people I've chosen to spend my time with and the groups I've decided to join really have made all the difference for me and affected how I choose to spend my days.

Like today, for instance, when it's grey outside and not a particularly "nice" day. The weather is drizzly, chilly and gloomy. However, while I could have stayed inside and hibernated, instead I went to an event at a friend's house and met some new people. Afterwards I went for a run in my neighborhood despite the start of the light precipitation. And, both of these choices, have inspired me not only to write in my blog, but also to start planning for the weeks ahead. I've started to remember things that were important to me.

And I've been losing sight of that recently. Ever had times when you have felt like you are just merely existing verus living?

Starting Over…Yet Again

A new year begins – time to evaluate the past and anticipate the present.

Every time the clock strikes 12 on December 31st it’s as though we all wish for a little bit ‘o magic. We have hope for a new year, a clean slate, 365 days ahead of us to start fresh. However, I think it’s a good time to revisit the last 365 days, even if just for a few minutes.

I write a “year-in-review” on the 31st. I’ve been doing it for the past five years. This year I even started it a day earlier. And I’ve been editing it for a day or two since the new year began. For me it’s a cathartic process. It gives me a chance to look back and remember the good and the not so good moments. The times I want to treasure forever and those I’d rather forget.

Some how writing it down helps me. Helps me to think about my mistakes, my behaviors, my patterns and really try to figure out how I can grow, learn and better myself. I know I need to forgive a little more, be more patient (this is a BIG problem for me), and realize that my emotions should not be driven by other people’s actions. I have a tendency to get so wrapped up in thinking what someone says or does ALWAYS has to do with me. And often times it has NOTHING to with me. However, I just take everything as a personal attack. I’m learning that not everything can go the way I’d like and I need to stop focusing on what I can’t change. I need to think before I speak, be calmer and try to take things one day at a time.

So, while I don’t have “resolutions” per se, I think the above shows you what I’m learning from my year-in-reviews. And what I'm going to try to focus on in the current year. Perhaps, just taking time to wonder about what transpired in the past may help move us towards new opportunities, new challenges and even our “new” self.

And here’s hoping that whatever you need to do to help you transition from 2009 to 2010, remember that it’s not a race, it’s a journey. Therefore, enjoy the time and never try to rush a whole year away. There’s always much more to discover about yourself and your life.

Are You Talking to Me?

I admit it. I like Facebook. In fact, I like it so much I’ve been accused of being on it “all the time.” However, I beg to disagree. While I may check it more frequently than others due to being on my home computer more this year than I have ever been in my life, that doesn’t mean I am “on it” every moment of the day. I like to spend time with friends, to take photographs or a walk in my neighborhood, to attend seminars and exchange ideas with others. I like to learn new skills and explore new places.

And then there’s my cell phone. It’s not fancy. It’s an old flip phone; one that I can use to call people with or send a text message to, or even send a photo from time to time. Other than that, it’s just a phone. However, I only got it a few years ago in case I was either a) stranded somewhere because my car broke down or b) got lost and needed to call someone to get redirected or c) in case I was going to be running late and wanted to call someone on my way to meet them. Otherwise, for 29 years of my life I existed, JUST FINE, without having a portable phone.

All this being said, I do not have a problem with all this connectivity, HOWEVER, I find that nowadays people are on their phones – calling, texting, twittering or updating their Facebook status - and not really always aware of their surroundings or the people around them. They do it when they are at the register of a store having a purchase rung up or ordering food, they do it when they are driving in the car or sitting in a restaurant with a friend, and they do it when they are walking down the street with another person. It seems to me that all of us are just so involved with our technology that perhaps we are losing sight of the fact that we have friends who are right there with us and sometimes it’s nice to talk to the person you are with and only answer the phone or make a call if it’s an emergency. Perhaps we can put away our phones or not be constantly preoccupied with who might be calling us or texting us or getting in touch with us and remember we’ve got people right in front of us who want to talk to us, hang out with us and just spend time with us.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this? I’m just curious…

No Stopping Me Now!

I'm in full writing mode now. The music's cranking, the fingers are moving fluidly along the keyboard and words are forming on the page. It's amazing. These folks at NanoWriMo say that you can have an outline for your novel, or you can just randomly type and see what happens. Well, I'm the latter. I tried to write an outline but I am not someone who can see the end. I can definitely see the beginning and I know some of the turns along the way, but the end, is well, daunting to me. I just don't know where my characters are going to end up.

Therefore let the adventure continue. I am just typing along and getting excited by the surprise of what starts to develop in front of me. I think this is going to be a good learning experience for me - the ultimate list maker and planner - in not only forcing myself to write every day (something, as a writer, I should just naturally do) but also to see what I can create on the fly and without so much pressure on myself to be perfect. To not have to map out, diagram and prepare for every situation, every event, every move I make, or even my protagonist makes, for that matter.

Maybe I will really amaze myself by the end of this month. Anyone else doing something in November that they are embarking upon for the first time? Want to share with me? I'd love to gain inspiration and hear those stories.

My Mission If I Choose to Accept It...

"Begin with the end in mind." Good advice from all my writing professors but somehow, when I sit here, at my computer and try to type a NOVEL, not a short story, not a poem, but a NOVEL, one that I have to write in 30 days (less, now that I started it 3 days into this adventure) is SO HARD.

When I saw the ad for Nanowrimo - National Novel Writing Month - on Mediabistro, I thought why the heck not? I have some time, I need to motivate myself to write more often, and I always say I'm working on my novel. Well, what better way to do this than to participate in a contest that entails you to write a novel in 30 days - 50,000 words long - and submit it to a panel who will not judge you for content but rather for quantity?

The next day, upon reflection of my hasty action, I'm thinking I may have had a nice plate of crazy yesterday. But, that being said, I am going forth with this task. I know I can do it - even if right now I feel like ripping my hair out of my head and screaming at the top of my lungs - because I'm a writer, I like to tell stories, and at least, at the end of the month, I can feel like I've accomplished something.

I'll leave the worrying about editing the mess I've created until December. And that's per the instruction I was given from the nice folks at Nanowrimo.

Now I'm going to go forth and write! Feel free to join me in this excursion...it's not too late! For more details on the insanity, visit National Novel Writing Month.