Tag: life

Got Consistency? I don’t…

My bandwidth to focus on personal development has been lacking lately, to say the least. I see lots of people write on this topic on a regular basis, and I know that I too have the power to make big changes in my life.

Trouble is though, at the end of the day I don’t feel like doing anything. Let alone learning something challenging like JavaScript.

I’ve been giving myself a lot of shit for not following through on my plans. I feel like I’m failing if any free time is spent on something other than being productive. Sometimes the stress I’ve placed on myself outweighs external stress received from work or other areas of life.

Granted the goals I’ve set are high, however, they are completely doable if I would consistently spend time working on them. Whether they be habits, rituals, or whatever productivity gurus would call it, I need to establish and maintain momentum.

Stop, take a breath, and start again…

I’m going to hit the reset button. Just focus on doing a bit of a coding tutorial here, working on a project there, and writing an article no less than once a week. Easy, right?

Dedicating even thirty minutes a day will translate into progress. Just need to get back into actually doing something again to feel a little accomplishment, and let it compound.

So, to all my fellow side hustlers and after work learners, let’s raise a glass to keep on keep’n on!

Be Careful Turning The Things You Enjoy Into Sources Of Income

Rain falling on a row of SCUBA tanks

Passion Lost

Sitting in my standard issue corporate tan cubicle with absolutely no natural light, I begin to think back to the days when I used to make a living doing things I actually enjoyed. Back when my “passion” paid the bills. 

It doesn’t help that my Instagram feed is filled with people that appear to be living the dream. Digital nomads living off whatever it is they are passionate about, and all while traveling the world. 

It shouldn’t come as a shock that I haven’t always wanted to make a living sitting at a desk. Wasting away on one task after another until the day is over. Then sitting in traffic with all the other lost souls trying to get home. Another day over, and still feeling defeated.

My professional life wasn’t always so drab. There was a time I made a living doing things most people would envy. Things that could be considered a vacation. 

Are you for SCUBA? 

I originally came to Florida to be a SCUBA instructor.

After three years of living mostly outside while in the Army, and returning to a very cold winter in Colorado, I decided I was done with snow.

In true fashion, for those that know me personally, I came to the conclusion that I needed to get my life on island time and be rid of the colder weather once and for all. I have always had trouble deciding where I really want to live, so didn’t really think too much into another life-changing decision. 

Jumping all into my new endeavor I moved to the FL keys and earned my SCUBA instructor certification. I would spend the next three years teaching diving and working boats in various locations. Spending time in the keys, Bahamas, and even Seattle.

I really enjoyed working on the water. Most students and customers were in good spirits as they would have been on vacation or seeking a new leisure activity.

But, one day it stopped being fun and became just another job.

It might have been the first time a paycheck bounced or had an anchor dropped on me. Gradually I lost interest in diving at all. Adding all the non-fun aspects of work began to drown out the things I enjoyed about the industry. 

I think the same experiences affected my friends as well. I only know one person who remains a professional diver today. In fact, they may be the only person that still actually dives at all. That makes me a little sad.

Passion turned to dust

Each time I go out to clean my garage, I see my dusty old gear and think back to the good old days. Hanging out on boats, bumming around islands, and thoroughly embracing the boat billy lifestyle. 

My days in the sun have been replaced with beige walls with no windows. Responsibilities have changed from watching over someone’s life to checking boxes and responding to emails. 

Life changes, and we must learn to adapt. It could be that I needed a solid source of income once settled into a long-term relationship. Might be that I really became bored looking at the same pretty fish every day. Either way, my passion for diving died as a result of it becoming my only source of income. 

Granted this is my own experience, and I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that are able to make this type of lifestyle work for them. 

Just a cautionary tale for all those out there looking to make a living off the things they love. 

Taking comfort in being ordinary

I’m okay with living what some would consider an ordinary life. The effect of social media has raised most people’s expectations of what life should really be like. 

You see nothing but the good stuff. The traveling and grand accomplishments, but not the work or the unpretty tasks that got them there. 

Or worse, it could be the opposite. Those that show constant misery, and do nothing to improve their situation. Maybe it’s the attention received from all the sympathy comments. 

It’s okay to find a spot somewhere in the middle where real life exists. The place where you find a good mix of fun derived from sweat equity. Drinking that beer in your backyard with close friends rather than some fancy downtown rooftop bar. Enjoying a nice staycation rather than maxing the credit card for that trip to Paris. 

Should I envy those putting forth the money and effort put on a fancy show when I can do the same thing at home? And for far less money? 

Don’t get me wrong here. I’ve got my own bucket list, and love a good trip every now and then, but the ads and “influencer’s” push it too far. 

I don’t need some dude standing next to a row of super expensive cars, or the seat of a private jet telling me how easy it is to 10X my life. These people don’t represent real life.   

Not every day is going to be the Superbowl. Not every month is going to see record sales, and that’s okay. Somethings need to be hard, and you need to have a bad day every now and then. The sweet wouldn’t be sweet without the sour. 

We need to know suffering in order to feel joy. You would never know the relief of shedding the weight of a major problem without first carrying the burden. 

By showing each other nothing but the best part of our lives, and allowing internet personalities to tell us what is important, we’re losing touch with reality. Setting expectations of each other that can never be reached. The truth is that life is hard and that there is no way around it. You are, however, in the driver’s seat and can decide how much it will suck. 

We just aren’t meant to be happy all the time. Don’t take someone’s Facebook feed as a true representation of their everyday life. Don’t compare yourself to others based on only what they want you to see. 

If you need someone to compare yourself too, look in the mirror. Does that look like the person your loved ones look up to? You know, those people that really matter in your life that need you to show up every day? The ones that need you to suck it up and go to another day at your shitty job so the bills are paid. 

We all would love to lead a more glamorous lifestyle. When we get the chance to do something a little more fancy than normal we rub it in everyone’s faces. Be honest, we all do it. It’s fun, and we want everyone to know we are having fun. 

The challenge is to find just as much pride in the day to day events that truly represent your life. 

How To Leverage The Internet To Learn Anything!

alejandro escamilla - Unsplash.com

You know that you can find anything and everything online. Many people spend their time online shopping or perusing social media. Why not use that time to learn something new?

There is so much more on the web that you can use to help enrich your life!

Learn new things for free

Gone are the days that you needed to pay a great deal in order to learn new skills!

There is a shift in the workplace, where skills may soon outweigh a degree. While there will always be a place for college, these days you can teach yourself just about anything for free, or very little.

Want to learn about something? Google it. Pretty simple, however, given enough time researching you can learn quite a bit.

Want to learn to code? Check out Codecadamy. Need to change the breaks on your car? YouTube. Need ideas for a DIY project? Pinterest.

There are also sites like Udemy that offer free, or very cheap ($10), classes on just about anything you want to learn.

Rather read books? While not free, Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited offers access to a library of books for $9.99 per month.

Not looking for anything in particular? Sign up for a free daily email course through Highbrow. You pick a course and they send a short lesson to you each weekday by email. There are lots of topics to choose from art, business, productivity, travel… You get the picture. They have both free and premium memberships. One of these lessons leads to me starting this blog.

If you are looking for more specific topics, do a Google search for blogs in that space. You would be surprised the level of knowledge that people share for free. Some may even offer courses of their own on those topics. This brings us to the next topic…

Connect with like-minded people

Whether looking for information, or advice on an idea, the online community is a great resource. If you like the way someone looks at things, reach out to them. Collaborate and share! You can sign up for their newsletter, or contact them directly. Social media works the same way too.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”- Jim Rohn

Be careful who you spend your time with. Surround yourself with people that lift you up, and inspire you! Those that help support your goals, and hold you accountable. While there are downright awful people on the internet, there are so many great ones willing to help. You just need to find them.

Final thoughts…

Pick something you always wanted to learn, and go learn it. Anything. If you don’t end up liking it, just move on to something else. Nothing is stopping you, and most likely cost you nothing but time.

Make a commitment to yourself. Begin with small goals to ensure you reach them.

Don’t worry if you spend time on topics that don’t support what you do for a living. Everything learned in personal life will apply to business in some way. You might even start doing something you never thought you wanted to pursue. Like writing…

Leverage the people around you. You would be surprised what your coworkers know, and what they can teach you as well. Interact with people. Network. The more people you connect with, the more opportunities that come your way in the future.

There is so much content out there and ready to be consumed. Be careful not to become overwhelmed!