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Stepping Over Fear

March 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

What pushes some people to take risks and go after their dreams while others get caught in analysis paralysis for years?

Human beings are creatures of habit, from how and when we brush our teeth to where we buy our clothes. The ability to push beyond this seems to be what separates the “I think I can” personality from “I’m doin’ it!” Here are some posts I’ve collected from well-known bloggers that face this struggle head-on:

Leo Babauta is a master at breaking down excuses and habits into small bits and pieces, then helping you build yourself up  with better ones:

Unhealthy Excuses

Ramit Sethi speaks frequently about being ready to change, overcoming fear and breaking the cycle of gathering information instead of going after what you really want:

The Myth of the Great Idea

Sean Platt is known for stepping away from a life of debt, the fancy house and a life piled up with material obligations to doing things his way:

7 Warning Signs You’re Working Too Much & Earning Too Little

Since moving a thousand miles away from the comfort of my house on a hill, rewarding design business and cozy group of friends, I’ve been forced to face a lot of obstacles that have kept me from grabbing the world by its tail and swinging it over my head the last few years.  But, I’ve again begun the process of again living life on my terms, just as I’d planned when I was younger.

This doesn’t mean I do whatever I want every day and only work on projects I am head over heels in love with.  That would be naive.  Through a careful analysis of  poor habits, triggers and what really matters I’ve been able to weed out the bad stuff and focus on the good.  This has paid off with better work choices, better friendships and a life really worth living.  I won’t lie to you, this takes work but once you start you’ll never go back to the way you lived before.

What have you done this week to get you closer to your goals and living your wild niche?

 


Filed Under: Productivity

Doing What You Love..and Getting Things Done at the Same Time

February 2, 2012 By 1 Comment
Seagull, Point Arena CA June 2010

Waiting for take-off

When people ask me what I do for a living, they often say  “Ah, dream job.  I have ALWAYS wanted to do that.”

My answer usually is “Well then, why don’t you?”  This often doesn’t sit well in the conversation.  Most people enjoy talking about working at their dream job, living in a different place or even finding a truepassion, but don’t seem to know where to start.  It’s just too much to think about.

In my e-courses we spend time discussing how to focus our goals and then using our time efficiently to reach our goals.   This makes people antsy.

They are in the class to get…things…done.   Not mess around digging into the why’s and when’s.  A quick fix.  Hence the proliferation of “Ten Best Ways to…” articles and blog posts everywhere these days.  But the follow through, ummm… that’s where the trouble starts.

Sometimes a little nudge is all you need to get started.

An example.  A few years ago, I attended a weekend seminar for designers on low-voltage landscape lighting by lighting guru Janet Lennox Moyer, and found I was fascinated with the niche of outdoor lighting.  It really got  me going.   What does this have to do with YOUR dream job, you ask?  By recognizing and then acknowledging this spark of interest as worthy, I began adding to my knowledge base over the next several years, subscribing to newsletters, buying books, integrating simple but elegant lighting plans into projects….see where I’m going with this?

I really enjoyed it.  I didn’t know anything about it before (or very little at least).  Whatever career path floats your boat, you can easily start moving towards your goals without committing a lot of time and energy.

So, try these two tasks this week:

 

  • Make a tiny change in your daily habits.  Instead of getting up and checking email, visit a website of a niche business and learn about it.  What do they do/produce/market that relates to what you enjoy?

 

  • Find another website that allows comments on something you are interested in, and make a comment on a post that makes you stop and think.  LinkedIn or Brazen Careerist are great for finding groups you might enjoy.  Follow up later with a private message to another person who has posted a comment.

We’re all looking for a balance in our lives that brings happiness, wealth and kinship.  Start looking for your wild niche and grab the reins!  Baby steps.

Coming up:  How to ask for help without looking stupid.

 


Filed Under: Productivity, Teaching, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: ,

5 Ways to Dress Up Your Doorstep

November 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The front entry is one of my favorite design spots, and is often overlooked by many designers or treated too formally.  Don’t be afraid to break out and make a statement here — it will increase your outdoor living space and make you smile when you arrive home.  Here are some ways to get started:

An easy way to modernize your entry, these metal house numbers could be mounted on a wall or set atop your mailbox to announce your pad’s existence.  Available from Seattle-based Objects Creative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A longtime favorite of mine for adding a color splash to your entry, bright concrete vessels by Mary Collins of Half Moon Bay, CA are sure to knock your visitor’s socks off.  In cold climates, add cherry branches painted ivory with stones and other finds below for seasonal interest.

 

Don’t own your abode or on a budget?  This wallet-friendly option lets you strut your style and take it with you when you go.  Mix and match oversized numbers with peel and stick modern decals for a custom look.

 

 

Moonlight® Floating Outdoor Patio Light modern outdoor lighting
Don’t abandon your yard when the snow begins to fall.  Light up your blanket of white with these glowing orbs that use rechargeable batteries and come in multiple sizes for your winter landscape.

This one works for interior splash, as a surprise detail for your guest room or home office. Doors can be expensive, but when you re-do, or in this case re-door them, you get recycling and style all in one.  Using a CNC router, precise patterns are cut into the wood and then finished with gloss lacquer in bright colors.

Resources:

My article in Zone 4 magazine on making the most of your front yard: Beyond Curb Appeal:  Achieving Real Design Change in Your Front Garden

Metal house numbers from Objects Creative.

Concrete vessels from Mary Collins at Marymarthacollins.com.

Vinyl House numbers from Etsy shop Vinylmill.

Lolliline decals also from Etsy shop blankcanvasdesigns.

Recycled re-door also from  Objects Creative.

Outdoor light orbs from Lumens.


Filed Under: Garden Furniture, General Design, Metals & Concrete

More on see-through concrete

October 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 


Things we love.

Products that force us to stop and give a second look:  llight-transmitting concrete from LiTraCon.

Comprised of glass fibers and a fine concrete mixture,it offers a multitude of possibilities in the landscape. It can be lit from within or outside, giving it a completely different quality in the night landscape.

Since this product is in the news again (we first blogged about it in Feb of 2009) I’m revisiting original post and adding new details about this unusual product).

Can you image what the neighbors would think?  Talk about a traffic stopper.

LiTraCon used at Iberville Parish Veterans Memorial in Louisiana According to the smartplanet.com blog, its described as a:

” …translucent material created by combining concrete and thousands of optical fiber strands that act like aggregate. The optical fibers form a matrix between the two main surfaces of concrete block, connecting and directing light between the two block faces.”

Whoa.

 

 

Here’s a short video showing its light-transmitting qualities:


Want more?
–Visit LiTraCon for more information

–Read the smartplanet.com story here

 


Filed Under: Metals & Concrete Tagged With: ,

How to Network Painlessly

October 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Tweet

Even the word network makes you cringe.  Trying to land a great client or job, going to school, working, playing…and now you need to get out there and press the flesh with strangers in the off chance that one of them MAY have be a good contact?

You’ve got it all wrong.

With social media tools (read FREE) at your fingertips, you don’t have to leave your cozy couch to make the magic happen.  Let’s look at two ways to jump start your network today:

Number One:  Forget job boards and Monster.com — that’s old school.  The person ready to lead you down the path to great employment is sitting right next to you.

Huh?

Not physically, but virtually.  They are at their computers RIGHT NOW just like you, visiting Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.  What, you’re not networking on Facebook? Time to get busy.

Search for four Facebook pages of people or companies in your field that you admire. These are different from personal Facebook pages, and are designed to market goods or services from someone.  Like the four pages, add them to your feed, and then post a comment on their page about something they’ve commented on.  Already you’ve added another contact to your networking arsenal.

I’ll wait while you finish that up. 

All done?  You are beginning to see how following people you want to work for or with is a way to connect with them without a lot of struggles.  Want another?

Number Two:  Tweet your future employer Too stalkerish?  Many people think Twitter is about sharing what you ate for breakfast, or how it stinks being stuck in traffic, but the BIGGEST SECRET to Twitter success is using it as a way to butt in on a conversation you are interested in. Here’s the best part – it’s not considered rude to tweet in on a conversation already happening—it’s expected on Twitter.

That’s the whole point of it. Stop thinking third wheel in a party conversation (remember, we’re talking virtual world here) and recognize that the rules are different here.

The rules are different.

This is your chance — go ahead, tweet your fave entrepreneur, architect or performance artist.  I just tweeted Steve Martin about an experience he wrote in his 2007 autobiography Born Standing Up that resonated with me.  This might seem a bit odd at first, but all you are doing is talking to that person just as you would at a face-to-face gathering with friends. Instead of following a celebrity, follow a head honcho in your field you love.

Productive networking from the confines of your home.

“Sending in your application for hundreds of jobs on Monster.com will work against you,” Not only is it difficult to remember what you applied for and when, but you’re also likely to send out generic resumes.”

–Dan Schawbel, personal branding expert and author of Me 2.0.

Want more?

–New to Twitter?  Visit this website to check for username availability on Twitter and every other social networking site out there.

–Visit wefollow.com to find like-minded people tweeting in your niche.

Tweet


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