I’m taking a page from Havi Brooks. Every Friday she does a check-in. [ or should I say chicken. I don’t get the joke, but she and selma thinks its funny ] Now, I admit I haven’t gone back through all 22 yet, but what I have read has been a catalyst for me.
How does it help me?
- I get wrapped up in things. I forget to ask where I am.
- I sometimes bounce-back too quick. I don’t register what I learned from the last thing.
- I forget what I’ve done. Because I’ve moved onto something else, I don’t look back.
My format
For the layout I’m taking a lesson from one of my favourite Leadership teachers. [ who doesn’t appear on the web anywhere, so she can remain a mysterious teacher. Think of her like an ancient wise one who ends up turning into smoke and vanishing. Was she real you might ask? ] She asked 3 questions at the beginning of every class: What went well? When didn’t go well? what can you do better?
So here we go
Sunday Check-In #1: The First
What happened between Dec 29 – Jan 4?
What went well?
This Blog
I’m really starting to feel a benefit from this blog.
I’ve been dabbling with blogs for several years and haven’t felt I’ve been succeeding as a “blogger”. I’ve been trying to fit everything I do into one single blog. When I do, my marketing/radio mind says, “Hold up! You don’t have a point! People will get confused. [ Should that icon be corn flower blue? ]”
In my mind it start a little war debating the freedoms of creativity and natural flow, against the logical targeted and purposeful direction for media and business professionals. Translation: I become a cat chasing my tail.
So I broke the cycle. Spawning blogs as I feel the need. [ I feel like I could be the rabbit of the blogging world ] I’ve got a great webhost with loads of space, why not!
I’m still not the awesomest blogger ever. I don’t have millions flocking to my every word. I’m still muddling my way through. But those don’t matter because ultimately
I’m really starting to feel a benefit from this blog.
ether+nick
Tying in with the point of spawning [^], I’ve revamped ether+nick to my media mind. We’ll see where it takes me. I’m excited to see where it goes.
Time Off
I’m a full time student at BCIT. I’m taking the Radio Broadcast program. The tempo is lightning quick. And so you never feel like you’ve had a weekend or any time off. This holiday has been a wonderful, beautiful time to sit on my ass and do absolutely nothing. [ FYI: I love doing nothing – and I mean nothing. I’ve done week long meditations and fasts. So a day here and there … a walk in the park]
The quiet has allowed me to jot down everything racing inside my head. All my master plans, and the minor ones too. Get them out so I can look at them on a piece of paper in front of me. [ Some surprise me when I see them written. In my head I thought they were brilliant. And no! there were no substances used in this process other then coffee. ]
What didn’t go well?
Time Off [ That damn double edge sword ]
There is only so much nothing I can take. Sure I said I can last a week, but this is the end of a month. At some point this week [ let’s say wednesday ], I cracked. And instead of breaking out and doing something, I slid further and further into just-down-right-lazy. Did I even get out of my chair on friday? Did I eat? I know I drank some coffee? [ I am a koala wrapped around my tree high on eucalyptus. ]
Lucky for me, I’ve got no choice but to brush off the cob webs. It’s back to school tomorrow. [ That’s not a “not going well”, that’s a f@#!’n great! ]
Pains and Aches
I believe that there needs to be balance in everything we do. The universe does it, we should to. But I struggle with the body part – always have. And something about 31, my body is smacking me upside the head. It’s breaking down with pains and aches I never thought could exist.
Probably related to the koala like behaviour [^].
Now that I think of it, it could also be the fall on the ice earlier this month.
What can I do better?
Remember “Baby Steps”
I always need to remind myself of the classic lesson of baby steps. A little every day. I know of the lesson, and yet when I get to it, I get karmic road rage. I feel stuck behind a sunday driver. I peel by and honk my horn ( and yes, sometimes I give the finger.)
[ and yes, I know that in this analogy I am both drivers in effect giving myself the finger ]
Remember “Ebb and Flow”
Just because I’m not going forward doesn’t mean I’m not moving. Again, classic lesson of one step forward three steps back, blah blah blah blah [ Hear the audio being muffled “Charlie Brown” style. I hear the volume being slowly turned down ( it’s a radio thing ) ] ( more karmic road rage on this one too )
This check-in
Well, in the sense of remembering [^], this weekly check-in is exactly the answer to what can I do better. If I forget the lessons or, I zoom by things in my rocket ship, then by stopping for a second to do this check-in, I won’t stray too far. I hope.
And done.
[ Question: My brain works with the asides, and I like them. Are they distracting? Is there a better way to format them? Leave a comment and let me know. ]