It's true, our senses do become dulled by the stresses of our careers and personal lives. Today, I choose to go for a walk outdoors and let the cool autumnal breeze blow my cares away. Awaken Senses!! Rise and shine! I will do your bidding!!
I can still turn this thing around. I have to rely on my positive senses and be able to tone down the negatives. The feeling of soft petals breaking away in my hand as I snip away and prune the flower beds. Prune thoughts just like flowers and vegetable gardens. The dead and dying need to go so the lovely can come.
I've finally also named my computers. Newly christened and reborn are Leah and Beate, who have been my long-standing work colleagues. Without them, I don't think I could write so much :D so I appreciate them today, for supporting me throughout the past 4.5 and 2.5 years.
My stories have names and are like little kiwi chicks being incubated. Some will survive. Some may not. That's just life. Life is fun nevertheless. Celebrate those little chicks in the incubator!
All my projects have names too... some more complicated than others of course, but that's just how it works. Give it a happy name, a positive name, a successful sounding name.
It's all part of the process, one I feel like I neglected quite a bit until now. My two most important colleagues have been here, working, unappreciated, anonymously.
Yeay, for Beate and Leah! Hip Hip Hooray!!
Showing posts with label process. Show all posts
Showing posts with label process. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
One day at a time
It truly is a wonderful life... the writing life... sure some days setbacks are all you get, struggling to write the next word, to come up with the next idea, editing, polishing, looking forward for all those rejection slips coming back... maybe some with a glint of keep going... but mostly its all you. This is my job, and it suits me right.
It's truly wonderful that I still have the power within me to change my life to change my vision. To actually feel good about it and go confidently into this world. Everything will work out and will come into place. This power, this inner strength if you will, is the single most greatest thing, the most valuable thing, that keeps one alive and healthy. Not a change in food, sleep, or exercise alone can do that. Inner strength. The power to change I contend has to come first and be the biggest proponent that drives all other change. Bottom-Up Management.
It's snowing here. I remember one bleak grey morning, not so long ago last March, when I started writing here. I remember feeling blessed for the snow, to be able to see it and enjoy it in the warmth of my apartment. The flakes may not be as fluffy and big, but they are creating a white blanket on the roof below outside my window, the hinterhaus of my neighbor's painting studio. I watched my cats watch the snow then, and I watch them again now. It's amazing, wonderful snow.
Sometimes I struggle to find something to write about. But it is really all around me and in me. I just have to start writing and its like a river that keeps flowing. The strength I need most days is to JUST START. Audacity!
Sometimes with the struggle comes fear. I know this now, and finally at last I can do something about it. START. The initial process of re-inventing myself is over. I've done it, I've succeeded. I found the inner strength, in my thoughts, in my prayers which create my success -- now I have to tap this stream of strength each day and START.
My START UP ROUTINE:
6.30 am AWAKE! Refreshed! Think what a great day! Energize!
7:15 am Yoga, Muscles, Aerobics, Balance physical work
8:00 am Shower and Energize again, mental work, warm up hands and ready set, and...
9:00 am START writing -- up to 2000 words per day...
My Maintenance ROUTINE:
12.30 Energize, tank up positive thoughts!
13.30 Business work
16.00 Small Re-energize, go for a walk?
17.00 Continue writing / work
My Shutdown ROUTINE:
19.30 lightly energize
20.30 wind-down: reading, relaxing, nothing too exciting, no computer work
10.30 Shutdown and think "what a good day! I did everything right! In my opinion!"
Much like a computer process (of course I am not a robot!). But there's lots of flexibility built into the process. One of the wonderful things about being a freelancer is to let go and allow your self to be flexible. The bigger the company is, the more drowned in processes and rules and hierarchy it is, and there is no creativity or flexibility or allowance for "out of process" custom work. The START UP, MAINTENANCE AND SHUTDOWN procedures are highly regulated, controlled and checked by the process engineers every morning, shift change, and night... (24 hour process control! Oh love I miss that!! NOT!).
But if I think of my mind and my body and my life as 24-hr Process Control, it's easier for me somehow as some of my inner strength is in that fundamental engineering knowledge. Weird, eh? Like the snow today, I feel like I have come full circle.
One day at a time. That's all the process engineer can do, is look at the system and process, one day at a time. Doing the best that he/she can with what they've got to work with. Whether or not the process actually produces the desired outputs in specification, well, for the moment, that is not his/her problem....The quality assurance engineer takes over.... whether the desired outputs are marketable or sale-able, someone else's job too... Other engineer's hats... other days... they all do the best they can with what they have at the end of the day... so all the other minutiae don't matter. In my opinion.
It's truly wonderful that I still have the power within me to change my life to change my vision. To actually feel good about it and go confidently into this world. Everything will work out and will come into place. This power, this inner strength if you will, is the single most greatest thing, the most valuable thing, that keeps one alive and healthy. Not a change in food, sleep, or exercise alone can do that. Inner strength. The power to change I contend has to come first and be the biggest proponent that drives all other change. Bottom-Up Management.
It's snowing here. I remember one bleak grey morning, not so long ago last March, when I started writing here. I remember feeling blessed for the snow, to be able to see it and enjoy it in the warmth of my apartment. The flakes may not be as fluffy and big, but they are creating a white blanket on the roof below outside my window, the hinterhaus of my neighbor's painting studio. I watched my cats watch the snow then, and I watch them again now. It's amazing, wonderful snow.
Sometimes I struggle to find something to write about. But it is really all around me and in me. I just have to start writing and its like a river that keeps flowing. The strength I need most days is to JUST START. Audacity!
Sometimes with the struggle comes fear. I know this now, and finally at last I can do something about it. START. The initial process of re-inventing myself is over. I've done it, I've succeeded. I found the inner strength, in my thoughts, in my prayers which create my success -- now I have to tap this stream of strength each day and START.
My START UP ROUTINE:
6.30 am AWAKE! Refreshed! Think what a great day! Energize!
7:15 am Yoga, Muscles, Aerobics, Balance physical work
8:00 am Shower and Energize again, mental work, warm up hands and ready set, and...
9:00 am START writing -- up to 2000 words per day...
My Maintenance ROUTINE:
12.30 Energize, tank up positive thoughts!
13.30 Business work
16.00 Small Re-energize, go for a walk?
17.00 Continue writing / work
My Shutdown ROUTINE:
19.30 lightly energize
20.30 wind-down: reading, relaxing, nothing too exciting, no computer work
10.30 Shutdown and think "what a good day! I did everything right! In my opinion!"
Much like a computer process (of course I am not a robot!). But there's lots of flexibility built into the process. One of the wonderful things about being a freelancer is to let go and allow your self to be flexible. The bigger the company is, the more drowned in processes and rules and hierarchy it is, and there is no creativity or flexibility or allowance for "out of process" custom work. The START UP, MAINTENANCE AND SHUTDOWN procedures are highly regulated, controlled and checked by the process engineers every morning, shift change, and night... (24 hour process control! Oh love I miss that!! NOT!).
But if I think of my mind and my body and my life as 24-hr Process Control, it's easier for me somehow as some of my inner strength is in that fundamental engineering knowledge. Weird, eh? Like the snow today, I feel like I have come full circle.
One day at a time. That's all the process engineer can do, is look at the system and process, one day at a time. Doing the best that he/she can with what they've got to work with. Whether or not the process actually produces the desired outputs in specification, well, for the moment, that is not his/her problem....The quality assurance engineer takes over.... whether the desired outputs are marketable or sale-able, someone else's job too... Other engineer's hats... other days... they all do the best they can with what they have at the end of the day... so all the other minutiae don't matter. In my opinion.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Work work work
It's again a nice day, and the words keeps coming, haunting me like the wind flowing through the cracks in the windows. I have a deadline tomorrow. I like traffic lights! Except when they are red.
I'm recuperating a bit from a stomach bug (ice cream and lemon beer do not mix) after going on a long 20 km bike ride last evening. It could be I was just a bit dehydrated, eh? The headache is gone and I can still sit and type. I have the most comfortable bike seat, so my bottom feels pretty good. It's these small things in life that make life bearable and help us go on.
Might end up working pretty late tonight. My partner is off on a company BBQ, and won't be back until late either, so it's all good. Procrastination is a process too... just a negative one that builds anxiety. I swear though I write better when I am under some time pressure. Maybe once I sell my book and give it to the editor / publisher (not necessarily in that order of course), and they give me tons of corrections with a deadline then I'll be clearer. No no no, IT has to be wonderful before that... work work work.
I'm recuperating a bit from a stomach bug (ice cream and lemon beer do not mix) after going on a long 20 km bike ride last evening. It could be I was just a bit dehydrated, eh? The headache is gone and I can still sit and type. I have the most comfortable bike seat, so my bottom feels pretty good. It's these small things in life that make life bearable and help us go on.
Might end up working pretty late tonight. My partner is off on a company BBQ, and won't be back until late either, so it's all good. Procrastination is a process too... just a negative one that builds anxiety. I swear though I write better when I am under some time pressure. Maybe once I sell my book and give it to the editor / publisher (not necessarily in that order of course), and they give me tons of corrections with a deadline then I'll be clearer. No no no, IT has to be wonderful before that... work work work.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
You know... (warning! long post!)
I've never thought about my problem-solving and troubleshooting skills as something special.
I just do what has to be done within the constraints of the problem. It's not a fixed process or anything in my mind that I do systematically. I know scientists who are painfully methodological, and can't see outside the box they've created for themselves. Sometimes you just can't remove all other variables (or keep them constant) and just vary the test variable. Sometimes you just don't know all the variables. How on earth can such a painful approach be cost-effective or realistic? But perhaps there's something to my skills, something I should consider as special, because there are so many books out there selling "total quality management" and "continuous improvement" process to improve one's products, services, and management techniques.
Now after a few days of considering a specific problem, and trying to find a written "bona fide" process that fits the description of how I solved it, I realized I might be a maverick (or a mad engineer). Perhaps it's out there, I just haven't found it yet.
I seem to have an innate knack of process definition and control, and can see when a system is out of order and fix it. I never thought of it as a process, but perhaps it is. A process then, is something that is more or less repeatable under similar circumstances, given variables X, Y, Z, input the process will output A, B, and C. (desired output(s), undesired outputs -- i.e. impurities and waste)). Ok, this is chemical engineering at its best. Of course A, B, and C have an optimal yield and each level has its costs. And getting rid of waste has its costs. Defining the process and defining when the process is out of specification (i.e. poor quality) is a business necessity and may not apply to simple challenges or "troubleshooting", such as those one may have around the house or in re-engineering/re-invention work.
I may not be as disciplined as a servo-mechanism or computer control system, but I know my systems and what it can measure and what it can not, what it can do and what it can't, what I can change, and what I can not, and how each one of the possible changes / measurements may or may affect the process output. I guess at the moment though, you could say that the "process of re-invention" is out of specification and some control (i.e. discipline) needs to be put on it so it comes back to its intended output.
Ah, then we have to come back to the philosophical side: What is Quality anyway? It's only how you define it in your process. Can you really measure 100% accuracy? No. Because it doesn't exist. Any statistician or mathematician worth his weight will tell you that. You can only ASSURE something with a certain probability is 'error-free' or within specification to a point. Say 10^(-6) assurance, that's 0.000001, I think, chance in 100 events. Say you have 10 million possible events: then with the above assurance level, 1 event will be out of specification. That's not bad at all. But of course if you are the one patient with that one failed device... well sucks to be you.
Quality in everyday life, is how you define it. I usually operate around 20-50% failure rate, depending on the subject or event. That's acceptable to me. I start to worry when I have a 99.9% failure rate, especially when it comes to publishing my writing. Ah, but then you only need one big break... you gotta play to win, so to speak.
For further reading on what is Quality please see "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".... apparently it was rejected over 450 times....
Anyway, my Re-Invention Process is out of control and out of spec. What do I intend to do about it? Do the best I can to get it back on line. There are other factors that I didn't consider and other players now want a piece of me (not paranoid really). Life happens. I've built enough padding into the process to allow for the major deviations. Things change. I ain't gonna get my panties in a wad. :-)
Now that's a pretty picture. Don't want to leave you with just that image.
It's a special talent to be able to critically think, problem solve, and troubleshoot. It's management on the fly. The best managers are ones who seem to solve a problem with a "win-win" solution at least 70-90% of the time, without letting anyone see them sweat. At the end of the day, you gotta live with yourself (and hopefully like yourself), be able sleep at night with your process control definitions and decisions. You gotta know what you want, when you want it, and at what conditions. You gotta have negotiables, and non-negotiables. You gotta have a good attitude about life, your work, and your processes -- whether mental, financial, physical, written down or in your head -- and realize you are in the greatest process of all -- the Learning Process. You can't stop that one!
I just do what has to be done within the constraints of the problem. It's not a fixed process or anything in my mind that I do systematically. I know scientists who are painfully methodological, and can't see outside the box they've created for themselves. Sometimes you just can't remove all other variables (or keep them constant) and just vary the test variable. Sometimes you just don't know all the variables. How on earth can such a painful approach be cost-effective or realistic? But perhaps there's something to my skills, something I should consider as special, because there are so many books out there selling "total quality management" and "continuous improvement" process to improve one's products, services, and management techniques.
Now after a few days of considering a specific problem, and trying to find a written "bona fide" process that fits the description of how I solved it, I realized I might be a maverick (or a mad engineer). Perhaps it's out there, I just haven't found it yet.
I seem to have an innate knack of process definition and control, and can see when a system is out of order and fix it. I never thought of it as a process, but perhaps it is. A process then, is something that is more or less repeatable under similar circumstances, given variables X, Y, Z, input the process will output A, B, and C. (desired output(s), undesired outputs -- i.e. impurities and waste)). Ok, this is chemical engineering at its best. Of course A, B, and C have an optimal yield and each level has its costs. And getting rid of waste has its costs. Defining the process and defining when the process is out of specification (i.e. poor quality) is a business necessity and may not apply to simple challenges or "troubleshooting", such as those one may have around the house or in re-engineering/re-invention work.
I may not be as disciplined as a servo-mechanism or computer control system, but I know my systems and what it can measure and what it can not, what it can do and what it can't, what I can change, and what I can not, and how each one of the possible changes / measurements may or may affect the process output. I guess at the moment though, you could say that the "process of re-invention" is out of specification and some control (i.e. discipline) needs to be put on it so it comes back to its intended output.
Ah, then we have to come back to the philosophical side: What is Quality anyway? It's only how you define it in your process. Can you really measure 100% accuracy? No. Because it doesn't exist. Any statistician or mathematician worth his weight will tell you that. You can only ASSURE something with a certain probability is 'error-free' or within specification to a point. Say 10^(-6) assurance, that's 0.000001, I think, chance in 100 events. Say you have 10 million possible events: then with the above assurance level, 1 event will be out of specification. That's not bad at all. But of course if you are the one patient with that one failed device... well sucks to be you.
Quality in everyday life, is how you define it. I usually operate around 20-50% failure rate, depending on the subject or event. That's acceptable to me. I start to worry when I have a 99.9% failure rate, especially when it comes to publishing my writing. Ah, but then you only need one big break... you gotta play to win, so to speak.
For further reading on what is Quality please see "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".... apparently it was rejected over 450 times....
Anyway, my Re-Invention Process is out of control and out of spec. What do I intend to do about it? Do the best I can to get it back on line. There are other factors that I didn't consider and other players now want a piece of me (not paranoid really). Life happens. I've built enough padding into the process to allow for the major deviations. Things change. I ain't gonna get my panties in a wad. :-)
Now that's a pretty picture. Don't want to leave you with just that image.
It's a special talent to be able to critically think, problem solve, and troubleshoot. It's management on the fly. The best managers are ones who seem to solve a problem with a "win-win" solution at least 70-90% of the time, without letting anyone see them sweat. At the end of the day, you gotta live with yourself (and hopefully like yourself), be able sleep at night with your process control definitions and decisions. You gotta know what you want, when you want it, and at what conditions. You gotta have negotiables, and non-negotiables. You gotta have a good attitude about life, your work, and your processes -- whether mental, financial, physical, written down or in your head -- and realize you are in the greatest process of all -- the Learning Process. You can't stop that one!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Aim and Process scratch work
Hi!
Today I am putting together some general notes on "process" again. Over the next few days, I am going to do a bit of scratch work for a test sample writing assignment I have to do for a client. So why not work out some junk here, I say. You all are my guinea pigs!! Bwaaah!!
The assignment bugs me a bit: "identify and illustrate a process you have used to solve a specific problem". Questions like the ones below have been bugging me (within the context of "The Process of Re-inventing Myself"):
Process ==> how to reach aim
Re-invention ==> change from one aim to another more "loftier" aim; gear changing -- not necessarily just making new wheels
Myself ==> knowing who I am and what I can meaningfully achieve in the time frame I have set up in the process scheme
Map ==> Contextual solution (framework, frame of reference) i.e. is your past woes plaguing your current or future context?
Change context ==> work from a different map an alternate reality, think different
What I am mainly doing here is trying to change my view of life and frame of reference. I think this will make the process and shaping into a hopeful author much easier and smooth. This could take years!! That's okay, I am cultivating patience. Liking the garden I grow now...
Today I am putting together some general notes on "process" again. Over the next few days, I am going to do a bit of scratch work for a test sample writing assignment I have to do for a client. So why not work out some junk here, I say. You all are my guinea pigs!! Bwaaah!!
The assignment bugs me a bit: "identify and illustrate a process you have used to solve a specific problem". Questions like the ones below have been bugging me (within the context of "The Process of Re-inventing Myself"):
- What is a process?
- What are some examples of processes that are used to help solve problems?
- Why use a process? Or is it one and the same to say how to get from "A" to "B"?
- Are some of life's problems just so indeterminate and so undefined that no solution or process will ever really cover them adequately?
- Isn't it all how you define it?
Process ==> how to reach aim
Re-invention ==> change from one aim to another more "loftier" aim; gear changing -- not necessarily just making new wheels
Myself ==> knowing who I am and what I can meaningfully achieve in the time frame I have set up in the process scheme
Map ==> Contextual solution (framework, frame of reference) i.e. is your past woes plaguing your current or future context?
Change context ==> work from a different map an alternate reality, think different
What I am mainly doing here is trying to change my view of life and frame of reference. I think this will make the process and shaping into a hopeful author much easier and smooth. This could take years!! That's okay, I am cultivating patience. Liking the garden I grow now...
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Next step
Am ready for the learning phase now, have submitted some work / proposals to a couple editors, jobs, or contests. It's quite fluid at the moment, without strategy or plan, which keeps it challenging and daunting at the same time.
Just trying to stay authentic, real and true to myself, and not get caught up in the same mess I found myself before. Taking my time so I don't get burnt out. Enjoying life. Seeing friends are also part of the process. Big fluffy clouds and blue skies to counteract all those grey days ahead.
ugh, I need a nap!
Just trying to stay authentic, real and true to myself, and not get caught up in the same mess I found myself before. Taking my time so I don't get burnt out. Enjoying life. Seeing friends are also part of the process. Big fluffy clouds and blue skies to counteract all those grey days ahead.
ugh, I need a nap!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
"Everything is exciting!"
One of my friends said this in response to my asking her why her Facebook "twitty" said she was excited. I assumed there had to be a legitimate reason. Everything decidedly can not be exciting. After my first thoughts of "oh she's young" naive, or whatever... I thought again... why can't everything be exciting? Isn't it just an attitude? I mean -- I might not find what she is studying exciting, but I can be excited for her. And it is relative, I do find what I do exciting... but many other people would not. Some elderly women and men in nursing homes have this attitude, and I believe it is this sheer simple attitude -- that everything is exciting -- is what keeps them alive. They may be sick and in need of medical care, but in their minds is excitement.
"Exciting" is a very subjective word. It does not always have to be roller-coaster, heart- thumping, earth-shaking, history making... I am excited that my cleaner is coming today and I can work on my stuff un-interrupted. I am excited that it is raining and finally cooling off. I am excited that we are finally organizing a hike this weekend. Seeing things through a child's eye -- with wonder, for the first time -- is excitement defined in my opinion. Common sense and humility are needed of course, to balance the inner child, but sometimes common sense needs to be excited!
Last night I went on a eclectic history tour of my town. It was really nice to see things in a different way, and gave me energy to write my fiction story on "ravens" again. I made some writing connections as well. :-) So that's exciting. I just have to be able to follow through with it.
This is where short attention span ADHD kid meets the humble researcher. Thundercrack! So there might be some storm damage after the process... but hey that's life.
"Exciting" is a very subjective word. It does not always have to be roller-coaster, heart- thumping, earth-shaking, history making... I am excited that my cleaner is coming today and I can work on my stuff un-interrupted. I am excited that it is raining and finally cooling off. I am excited that we are finally organizing a hike this weekend. Seeing things through a child's eye -- with wonder, for the first time -- is excitement defined in my opinion. Common sense and humility are needed of course, to balance the inner child, but sometimes common sense needs to be excited!
Last night I went on a eclectic history tour of my town. It was really nice to see things in a different way, and gave me energy to write my fiction story on "ravens" again. I made some writing connections as well. :-) So that's exciting. I just have to be able to follow through with it.
This is where short attention span ADHD kid meets the humble researcher. Thundercrack! So there might be some storm damage after the process... but hey that's life.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Good things come slowly
Yeah, writing is a lot of work, and it goes fairly slow most of the time. Discipline is my driver, and I hope my muse (moose?) will find me in my office at a scheduled hour. But good things take a long time to mix, knead, rise and bake like a yummy good loaf of bread. Really good things come slowly, my friend reminded me today.
The greatest thing to come out of this process so far is the feeling that I am more patient with myself. And that is a very helpful thing in this business.
Now the trick will be to be patient with others... ha ha ha... but I think I was better with others (at least publicly!) than with myself. Good relationships also take considerable time to grow and develop. Sometimes I overlook this fact, this truth, and miss key opportunities.
Ah, then the Great Big Moose in the Sky says, well, perhaps you just were not ready for those opportunities, the timing was not right for you, the environment, etc.
Then I say to my dear Moose: I want to be 15 and have that perfect storm again -- where things culminate to the point that I am getting stories done and accepted, and rejected too, because I look forward to learning from my rejections!!! I won't f*@% it up this time...
The greatest thing to come out of this process so far is the feeling that I am more patient with myself. And that is a very helpful thing in this business.
Now the trick will be to be patient with others... ha ha ha... but I think I was better with others (at least publicly!) than with myself. Good relationships also take considerable time to grow and develop. Sometimes I overlook this fact, this truth, and miss key opportunities.
Ah, then the Great Big Moose in the Sky says, well, perhaps you just were not ready for those opportunities, the timing was not right for you, the environment, etc.
Then I say to my dear Moose: I want to be 15 and have that perfect storm again -- where things culminate to the point that I am getting stories done and accepted, and rejected too, because I look forward to learning from my rejections!!! I won't f*@% it up this time...
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Progress!
I have a Publication Plan!!
There are about 15 short manuscripts/stories that will be fleshed out and finished in the next 12 - 15 months. I have 1-2 manuscripts, close to ready and will go for edit in the next month, before I go on vacation!
The big project, #16, "The Book", is BIG, and has been finally broken down into about 28 bite-sized chunks. OK, perhaps the bite of an elephant bite size, but still a meaningful progress. The chunks are scenes and/or chapters, and some are more fleshed out than others, which means some will be more easier to write than others. Chapters to me are like mini-stories and should be self-standing to a point, and readable within a sitting (0.5 to 1.5 hours??)
Nevertheless, I have scheduled a week for each chapter, on top of all my other work and vacations. Meaning somewhere around Christmas I will have a complete novel with the trimmings, i.e. selling points, synopsis, and a loose strategy.
I have my work cut out for me.... I am busy and doing a lot!
There are about 15 short manuscripts/stories that will be fleshed out and finished in the next 12 - 15 months. I have 1-2 manuscripts, close to ready and will go for edit in the next month, before I go on vacation!
The big project, #16, "The Book", is BIG, and has been finally broken down into about 28 bite-sized chunks. OK, perhaps the bite of an elephant bite size, but still a meaningful progress. The chunks are scenes and/or chapters, and some are more fleshed out than others, which means some will be more easier to write than others. Chapters to me are like mini-stories and should be self-standing to a point, and readable within a sitting (0.5 to 1.5 hours??)
Nevertheless, I have scheduled a week for each chapter, on top of all my other work and vacations. Meaning somewhere around Christmas I will have a complete novel with the trimmings, i.e. selling points, synopsis, and a loose strategy.
I have my work cut out for me.... I am busy and doing a lot!
Friday, May 2, 2008
The Three Ps
I am talking about Persistence, Patience, and Perseverance.
Like banging your head against the wall after your experiment screws up for the umpteenth time, you pick up the pieces and start again. Like finishing your thesis with all the damn minor corrections from your advisor you are so sick of looking at, and can't see straight. Like trying to explain calmly to a hysterical 3 year old, why we have to wait for mommy to come out of the hospital.
Sometimes I forget I have these traits even though I know I have exemplified them many times in my life. It's when I need the reminder when I fail meeting my goals, that I have to be persistent and patient with myself. I will persevere. I am strong enough, happy enough, smart enough. Change does not happen overnight. But if I keep in mind the Three P's, I have more than half the challenge solved.
Life is good. I better get cracking...
Like banging your head against the wall after your experiment screws up for the umpteenth time, you pick up the pieces and start again. Like finishing your thesis with all the damn minor corrections from your advisor you are so sick of looking at, and can't see straight. Like trying to explain calmly to a hysterical 3 year old, why we have to wait for mommy to come out of the hospital.
Sometimes I forget I have these traits even though I know I have exemplified them many times in my life. It's when I need the reminder when I fail meeting my goals, that I have to be persistent and patient with myself. I will persevere. I am strong enough, happy enough, smart enough. Change does not happen overnight. But if I keep in mind the Three P's, I have more than half the challenge solved.
Life is good. I better get cracking...
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Plodding along
It just feels like plodding along today. Writing and writing. What I do in between inspiration... the other 99% of the time is just pure "work" (hardly working having fun!). But it is in the sense the words come, but aren't coherent, or consistent yet in voice or theme.
Getting to synthesis, i.e. when I am really cooking is taking a while. I feel like I am just a simmering pot, a watched one at that. Will I ever be done??? Ah Tom Petty said it best, "the waiting is the hardest part".
I like slow-cooked foods they seem tastier or less tough to swallow. All this talk of food, none of this talk of writing. Remember how we brought up the concept of linear processes and recipes? Well here we are again, full circle. This is the strangest pot of non-linear stew I've made. Well there are thankfully lots of variety in my kitchen, and mostly healthy. Mostly!
NOTE: I have progress to report. I've put together realistic scenes probably for the first 2/5 or 1/3 of the scenes that will be needed for the novel. These scenes will help me considerably, and are better than the outline (spider gram) I had so far, which didn't really do the job for me.
Have a bit of business work and helping out friend for the next two or three days, but then I plan to get my other writing organized and cleaned up, with a publication strategy and plan. Woo hoo! I definitely need to do this before mid-May. That would be a good Mother's Day present, eh??
Getting to synthesis, i.e. when I am really cooking is taking a while. I feel like I am just a simmering pot, a watched one at that. Will I ever be done??? Ah Tom Petty said it best, "the waiting is the hardest part".
I like slow-cooked foods they seem tastier or less tough to swallow. All this talk of food, none of this talk of writing. Remember how we brought up the concept of linear processes and recipes? Well here we are again, full circle. This is the strangest pot of non-linear stew I've made. Well there are thankfully lots of variety in my kitchen, and mostly healthy. Mostly!
NOTE: I have progress to report. I've put together realistic scenes probably for the first 2/5 or 1/3 of the scenes that will be needed for the novel. These scenes will help me considerably, and are better than the outline (spider gram) I had so far, which didn't really do the job for me.
Have a bit of business work and helping out friend for the next two or three days, but then I plan to get my other writing organized and cleaned up, with a publication strategy and plan. Woo hoo! I definitely need to do this before mid-May. That would be a good Mother's Day present, eh??
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Time vs. Process
It takes time to make headway in all these process steps. I am struggling with time this week.
The Writer/artist in me feels timeless, unbounded, free and knows all the thinking and writing will come together at some point. The Engineer in me likes to see progress and needs to see results. Quite the place for conflict, wouldn't you say??
So next week, I am going to focus on the writing (i.e. the prototype / deliverable) and make a progress report here on Friday the 11th. I am going to a Fiction course on Saturday, so Friday will be a good point to break and work on the other steps of the process.
On another note, I still need to get out more. And find my beautiful self again in others...
Until next week then!
The Writer/artist in me feels timeless, unbounded, free and knows all the thinking and writing will come together at some point. The Engineer in me likes to see progress and needs to see results. Quite the place for conflict, wouldn't you say??
So next week, I am going to focus on the writing (i.e. the prototype / deliverable) and make a progress report here on Friday the 11th. I am going to a Fiction course on Saturday, so Friday will be a good point to break and work on the other steps of the process.
On another note, I still need to get out more. And find my beautiful self again in others...
Until next week then!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Process development basics
Today will be a short overview of process development, in the context of how one might go about re-inventing themselves.
As one might suspect, this would be far from a recipe-like, linear process, where you simply do one thing after another, and voila! you have completed the process and got what you want. True re-invention, although similar to invention or new product development (which can be quasi-linear), is a highly non-linear process. It is similar to the learning process of a baby to a child. Inputs you receive now may not be understood or processed until months or years later, when other inputs combine with the original input to produce a "productive" positive experience or output. The nature of the input may also affect the output, and intermediate feedback loops along the way will affect the output.
Let's assume we have some inputs and want some known, measurable outputs. We know our re-invention process is non-linear, but we want to impose a time frame on it just to say that the development, as we choose to define it, is finite. Say six months. Sounds a lot like goal-setting doesn't it? Yes, but I want to make sure you remember the process is fluid, not fixed steps on a ladder. You have to be flexible and adaptable to sense "good" & "bad" inputs or process streams that will affect your measurables.
The process I would like to adapt to fit my needs is a new product development process. I list the steps (some are more obvious and/or applicable than others):
As you can see, there are a considerable number of steps even before we get to the prototype (item 5). Taking this in the context of the process of re-inventing myself, the new "prototype" if you will still needs some pre-work before I can even really visualize the prototype. I would say that some of this pre-work has been done, but not clearly written down or explained to someone else (say not even my boyfriend!!!)
So I have got my work cut out for me!! More to come next week...
As one might suspect, this would be far from a recipe-like, linear process, where you simply do one thing after another, and voila! you have completed the process and got what you want. True re-invention, although similar to invention or new product development (which can be quasi-linear), is a highly non-linear process. It is similar to the learning process of a baby to a child. Inputs you receive now may not be understood or processed until months or years later, when other inputs combine with the original input to produce a "productive" positive experience or output. The nature of the input may also affect the output, and intermediate feedback loops along the way will affect the output.
Let's assume we have some inputs and want some known, measurable outputs. We know our re-invention process is non-linear, but we want to impose a time frame on it just to say that the development, as we choose to define it, is finite. Say six months. Sounds a lot like goal-setting doesn't it? Yes, but I want to make sure you remember the process is fluid, not fixed steps on a ladder. You have to be flexible and adaptable to sense "good" & "bad" inputs or process streams that will affect your measurables.
The process I would like to adapt to fit my needs is a new product development process. I list the steps (some are more obvious and/or applicable than others):
- Idea generation / Opportunity analysis
- Idea screening / Defining target market
- Concept development and testing
- Business analysis / Competition and customer feedback
- Beta testing and market testing (prototype)
- Implementation (logistics, resources, contingencies)
- Commercialization
As you can see, there are a considerable number of steps even before we get to the prototype (item 5). Taking this in the context of the process of re-inventing myself, the new "prototype" if you will still needs some pre-work before I can even really visualize the prototype. I would say that some of this pre-work has been done, but not clearly written down or explained to someone else (say not even my boyfriend!!!)
So I have got my work cut out for me!! More to come next week...
Thursday, March 27, 2008
I've won the lottery
Today's feature is about winning the lottery and what it means:
I heard a story about a 25 year old Welsh man who won 2 million (pounds or dollars I am not sure), who after two years of relaxing, decided to go back to work at... McDonald's. He says McDonald's makes him happy, and "there's only so much relaxing you can do!" Good for him. Of course we don't know if or how he spent all that money or if he still has some left, but he is young, and apparently couldn't find a better job with his previous qualifications.
In a way, I have won the lottery too. I asked myself this, when I had the decision of one of three options:
1) improve my average job performance in the short-term and continue with the 3 month plan of unpaid leave, with the expectation that I'd be back at high performance levels,
2) quit immediately, or
3) get fired
what would I do if I won the lottery (say 2 million dollars)? What would I do if I wasn't afraid? What would I do if the money (or legal permission to stay, or having the less than my ideal boss, or less than my ideal working conditions, etc.) didn't matter?
By asking these questions, I found out I didn't enjoy my work and environment enough to stay, short-term or long-term. It wasn't only the high pressure, demanding nature of the job that got to me. I just didn't care about the work. If the money didn't matter, and I know what I know now, I would no longer choose to work there. If I wasn't afraid of what would happen to me, I would simply quit.
Obviously, when I first took the job 2 years ago, I chose to work there, and it was really great for a while. I really loved it. But after two years, things changed for me, within me, and around me. Now, when faced with the choice, I couldn't pull myself together in the short-term to truly pull off Option 1, and I didn't really want to deal with Option 3 on my "record" so to speak, so I had to choose Option 2. Clear as crystal.
I know now that I can carve out work for myself on things I do enjoy, and freelance & consult for work when I need to pay the bills. I am highly qualified, have paid my dues in that line of work, and I no longer need to be stuck doing something I didn't truly enjoy doing.
I am enjoying life and my work now. I now have the time to pursue my hobbies and fulfill my dreams of being an author of essays and novels. Maybe I am not that young anymore, but I am not scared or afraid, and I have a little faith left in my back pocket...
So, what's stopping you from dreaming your dream?
I would go even one step further and challenge everyone to find what makes you happy and do the things you love as if the money didn't matter. Of course, it helps to pay your dues and get the qualifications you need, to say be an astronaut for example. You have to develop coping strategies to deal with all the crap people throw at you, from strangers and even your own family, and believe in yourself, and have faith that you know you are doing the right thing for you.
I contend that people who work that hard to be an flight pilot or an astronaut or doctor or lawyer are not doing it for the money. (If they are, they are insane). They simply love it and it shows through the people who love working with them.
There is absolutely no reason today why a situation that brings disappointment and unhappiness can't be changed. None, not age, not gender, not where you live or your genetic pre-dispositions. Don't play the victim, "woe is me", it is just boring. It just requires total commitment and resolve to bring about the changes that are needed in you (mostly, I would say your attitude) to get to where you want to be.
Are you loving it??
Tomorrow, I will write about "Process Development: The Stages"
I heard a story about a 25 year old Welsh man who won 2 million (pounds or dollars I am not sure), who after two years of relaxing, decided to go back to work at... McDonald's. He says McDonald's makes him happy, and "there's only so much relaxing you can do!" Good for him. Of course we don't know if or how he spent all that money or if he still has some left, but he is young, and apparently couldn't find a better job with his previous qualifications.
In a way, I have won the lottery too. I asked myself this, when I had the decision of one of three options:
1) improve my average job performance in the short-term and continue with the 3 month plan of unpaid leave, with the expectation that I'd be back at high performance levels,
2) quit immediately, or
3) get fired
what would I do if I won the lottery (say 2 million dollars)? What would I do if I wasn't afraid? What would I do if the money (or legal permission to stay, or having the less than my ideal boss, or less than my ideal working conditions, etc.) didn't matter?
By asking these questions, I found out I didn't enjoy my work and environment enough to stay, short-term or long-term. It wasn't only the high pressure, demanding nature of the job that got to me. I just didn't care about the work. If the money didn't matter, and I know what I know now, I would no longer choose to work there. If I wasn't afraid of what would happen to me, I would simply quit.
Obviously, when I first took the job 2 years ago, I chose to work there, and it was really great for a while. I really loved it. But after two years, things changed for me, within me, and around me. Now, when faced with the choice, I couldn't pull myself together in the short-term to truly pull off Option 1, and I didn't really want to deal with Option 3 on my "record" so to speak, so I had to choose Option 2. Clear as crystal.
I know now that I can carve out work for myself on things I do enjoy, and freelance & consult for work when I need to pay the bills. I am highly qualified, have paid my dues in that line of work, and I no longer need to be stuck doing something I didn't truly enjoy doing.
I am enjoying life and my work now. I now have the time to pursue my hobbies and fulfill my dreams of being an author of essays and novels. Maybe I am not that young anymore, but I am not scared or afraid, and I have a little faith left in my back pocket...
So, what's stopping you from dreaming your dream?
I would go even one step further and challenge everyone to find what makes you happy and do the things you love as if the money didn't matter. Of course, it helps to pay your dues and get the qualifications you need, to say be an astronaut for example. You have to develop coping strategies to deal with all the crap people throw at you, from strangers and even your own family, and believe in yourself, and have faith that you know you are doing the right thing for you.
I contend that people who work that hard to be an flight pilot or an astronaut or doctor or lawyer are not doing it for the money. (If they are, they are insane). They simply love it and it shows through the people who love working with them.
There is absolutely no reason today why a situation that brings disappointment and unhappiness can't be changed. None, not age, not gender, not where you live or your genetic pre-dispositions. Don't play the victim, "woe is me", it is just boring. It just requires total commitment and resolve to bring about the changes that are needed in you (mostly, I would say your attitude) to get to where you want to be.
Are you loving it??
Tomorrow, I will write about "Process Development: The Stages"
Monday, March 17, 2008
Hope Springs Eternal
Although winter is slowly being shaken off by the March lion, I will miss it. Winter has its own mood, full of solitude, quiet and reflection. Today has been such a mixed bag of a day, and I feel like inviting winter in my heart again. The cold rain calms me, instead of stinging me. The low bloated grey clouds blanket me and remind me to stay indoors where it is warm and I have all the things I need to stay comfortable and happy. The wind, whistling its way around my balcony, tipping my plants and singing a foul sound like a melancholy cat, is the only music. In my solitude, I can heal.
Spring will come again and I am confident in my new paths. I need these few last days of winter though, to gather my energies to plant and sew and dig deep into the earth. Once rested, the hope and promise of spring will be a welcome sight, I will have let go of all the bullies and naysayers of winters past. Let it go, let it all go away. I will thrive in generating contacts and networking, a relief from the solitude of today. Of course, winter will not go away entirely in April, as I live in a "tempest" zone, in a valley bordered by river on one side and mountains on another. I like the ever changing feeling of spring in this land, and would choose no other place other than a tempest in spring. It makes the hope I feel stronger, when things around me change so oddly and ambiguously. Is it spring or is it winter, or have we dumped straight into summer?
I have learned optimism in the past weeks, due to my illness. This is the well from which I will build my legacy. It will be out of love, as from winter to spring, there is so much love in the air, one becomes two, and two becomes three. The legacy will have a theme, but be fluid like the river, yet grounded like the mountains. I will write more on this legacy at another time.
I am so happy to have recovered so quickly from the illness of Bell's Palsy. Now I still have to recover from the years and years of emotional abuse at work and in my personal life. With my new strength and the love I have found, the healing process will take time, but I believe it will not be so painful, and I will thrive like a beautiful April daffodil, re-potted from the nursery.
Spring will come again and I am confident in my new paths. I need these few last days of winter though, to gather my energies to plant and sew and dig deep into the earth. Once rested, the hope and promise of spring will be a welcome sight, I will have let go of all the bullies and naysayers of winters past. Let it go, let it all go away. I will thrive in generating contacts and networking, a relief from the solitude of today. Of course, winter will not go away entirely in April, as I live in a "tempest" zone, in a valley bordered by river on one side and mountains on another. I like the ever changing feeling of spring in this land, and would choose no other place other than a tempest in spring. It makes the hope I feel stronger, when things around me change so oddly and ambiguously. Is it spring or is it winter, or have we dumped straight into summer?
I have learned optimism in the past weeks, due to my illness. This is the well from which I will build my legacy. It will be out of love, as from winter to spring, there is so much love in the air, one becomes two, and two becomes three. The legacy will have a theme, but be fluid like the river, yet grounded like the mountains. I will write more on this legacy at another time.
I am so happy to have recovered so quickly from the illness of Bell's Palsy. Now I still have to recover from the years and years of emotional abuse at work and in my personal life. With my new strength and the love I have found, the healing process will take time, but I believe it will not be so painful, and I will thrive like a beautiful April daffodil, re-potted from the nursery.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Let this day be the last
Today was my last day of work. Woo hoo! Total commitment, that's what it takes!
Where did it all start? It was at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Tunnel of Love Express Tour March 8th, 1988. Twenty years ago.
March 1988 is a time point that I want to return to mentally with the ideal time machine, i.e. with the maturity and lessons learned I have today. I could go back to that concert in my head, and recapture what I think I lost after a really bad experience later that same year, which has led me to experience great darkness since. I now know that I no longer have to be a victim of circumstance and can create my own success.
I can't believe I fought with myself for the past 20 years (and my parents and everyone else that would have liked to get close to me).
I went against my own dreams -- paralyzed by my own fears -- and did only what was expected of me.
NO MORE!! Today was my last day of sorrows at my very stressy agency job, and all this darkness that has shrouded me for 20 years will pass....I know it and I can feel it, the thunder underneath my feet!!!
Having just turned 35 last November, I am ready for that river of joy and happiness, and am totally committed to this new life. And I know that I can't get there by myself now! I am so glad for my friends, my partner, my family, for GreasyLake, and of course, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!!!
More real process stuff later. It's time to celebrate, and have a good time...
Where did it all start? It was at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Tunnel of Love Express Tour March 8th, 1988. Twenty years ago.
March 1988 is a time point that I want to return to mentally with the ideal time machine, i.e. with the maturity and lessons learned I have today. I could go back to that concert in my head, and recapture what I think I lost after a really bad experience later that same year, which has led me to experience great darkness since. I now know that I no longer have to be a victim of circumstance and can create my own success.
I can't believe I fought with myself for the past 20 years (and my parents and everyone else that would have liked to get close to me).
I went against my own dreams -- paralyzed by my own fears -- and did only what was expected of me.NO MORE!! Today was my last day of sorrows at my very stressy agency job, and all this darkness that has shrouded me for 20 years will pass....I know it and I can feel it, the thunder underneath my feet!!!
Having just turned 35 last November, I am ready for that river of joy and happiness, and am totally committed to this new life. And I know that I can't get there by myself now! I am so glad for my friends, my partner, my family, for GreasyLake, and of course, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!!!
More real process stuff later. It's time to celebrate, and have a good time...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
And Still...
Exhausted today, and still I must write. I love it. I was up late last night helping my partner with booking our mini-vacation to Barcelona, and writing... and got up again this morning to do more writing. It feels so nice.
When tension has stored in a spring for so long, it is always the same amount of energy that is released, irrespective of how long it has been since one has set the tension, assuming the conditions are the same (heat, friction, no damage). But we are different, thankfully, from a coil of iron. It seems when that tension is released, so much rush of energy comes off, as if you didn't realize that the crank was turning and turning, making the tension stronger. The conditions are for the most part different from whence the tension started, and when the tension is released. Exhaustion and drained feeling (tension gone) is balanced by the energy benefits of true relaxation.
It is full steam a head for me now, that the spring is relaxed ready for the next work. Nothing can stop me. Sure I will do small projects here and there for money, but with the loving support of my partner and the prudent smarts of Yours Truly of having saved so much money over the years, so the "starving" artist will not be too bad off. But somehow, to write something someone else would want to read and enjoy, well, one has to be "starving" just enough to make it work... it is Murphy's law.
I quit my day job. Bold. Crazy. But it was something I had to do. To be true to myself, to be honest and be able to write clearly, keep the well fresh for me. It's a bit selfish, but who said the process of re-invention of yourself could be self-less? By definition, it is what it is.
And still through it all I can connect again, to my garden to my home, to the universe and other people. This will be fun, and challenging, like I have never had a challenge before.
Later this week, I will unveil my "Publication Strategy" if you will. A roadmap which will keep me motivated and honest, Dear Reader! Hope you agree, and help me see it through its rightful course, what ever that may be.
When tension has stored in a spring for so long, it is always the same amount of energy that is released, irrespective of how long it has been since one has set the tension, assuming the conditions are the same (heat, friction, no damage). But we are different, thankfully, from a coil of iron. It seems when that tension is released, so much rush of energy comes off, as if you didn't realize that the crank was turning and turning, making the tension stronger. The conditions are for the most part different from whence the tension started, and when the tension is released. Exhaustion and drained feeling (tension gone) is balanced by the energy benefits of true relaxation.
It is full steam a head for me now, that the spring is relaxed ready for the next work. Nothing can stop me. Sure I will do small projects here and there for money, but with the loving support of my partner and the prudent smarts of Yours Truly of having saved so much money over the years, so the "starving" artist will not be too bad off. But somehow, to write something someone else would want to read and enjoy, well, one has to be "starving" just enough to make it work... it is Murphy's law.
I quit my day job. Bold. Crazy. But it was something I had to do. To be true to myself, to be honest and be able to write clearly, keep the well fresh for me. It's a bit selfish, but who said the process of re-invention of yourself could be self-less? By definition, it is what it is.
And still through it all I can connect again, to my garden to my home, to the universe and other people. This will be fun, and challenging, like I have never had a challenge before.
Later this week, I will unveil my "Publication Strategy" if you will. A roadmap which will keep me motivated and honest, Dear Reader! Hope you agree, and help me see it through its rightful course, what ever that may be.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day!
Looks like I already missed a day. That's okay. I am trying to create a couple of new habits (but not too many) as part of my process.
Today I have some administrative things to see to at my "day job" so that things will be easier for me over my leave time. So not all tasks reported will be related to the re-invention process, it seems.
Today is a bright sunny shiny morning with a haze of clouds high off in the distance. I am reminded also that I am well-loved by my partner James, and my two cats, Harley and Moe. These lovely greetings carry me to write and hope and dream again, a very warm and fuzzy feeling. I also wish love and happiness to my friends and family all over the world.
Valentine's Day is often denounced as a gaudy in-your-face, buy buy buy, marketing scheme for poor schleps (male and female) who feel they have to show their love in the form of flowers, heart shaped candies, and cards. I don't feel that way-- to me, Valentine's Day marks the beginning of renewed hope with spring just around the corner. The days between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day are cold, wintery and more often than not, been quite lonesome days for me. I think really in all, I have probably truly "celebrated" Valentine's Day only 3 times in my life i.e., with someone I love -- going out to dinner, dressing up, exchanging gifts, the nine yards. So it is still a joy for me.
I hope you enjoy this day! Have a great one.
Today I have some administrative things to see to at my "day job" so that things will be easier for me over my leave time. So not all tasks reported will be related to the re-invention process, it seems.
Today is a bright sunny shiny morning with a haze of clouds high off in the distance. I am reminded also that I am well-loved by my partner James, and my two cats, Harley and Moe. These lovely greetings carry me to write and hope and dream again, a very warm and fuzzy feeling. I also wish love and happiness to my friends and family all over the world.
Valentine's Day is often denounced as a gaudy in-your-face, buy buy buy, marketing scheme for poor schleps (male and female) who feel they have to show their love in the form of flowers, heart shaped candies, and cards. I don't feel that way-- to me, Valentine's Day marks the beginning of renewed hope with spring just around the corner. The days between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day are cold, wintery and more often than not, been quite lonesome days for me. I think really in all, I have probably truly "celebrated" Valentine's Day only 3 times in my life i.e., with someone I love -- going out to dinner, dressing up, exchanging gifts, the nine yards. So it is still a joy for me.
I hope you enjoy this day! Have a great one.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The first step is the biggest
Here it goes. I've made a decision to change my life and my work. Now I have to see my dream through. I have been given 3 months personal leave of absence from my "real day job" and I am taking it for all it is. Although the clock doesn't start ticking for another 6 weeks, I am in planning and preparation mode, setting up my pilot plant experiment.
I am an engineer. I have been one for almost 15 years. I once was a writer, of poems of plays, of short prose, twenty years ago. I now want to make my life's work, writing fiction. This blog will be dedicated to documenting my successes, daily and weekly, and monthly, until I reach my new status.
One must re-invent themselves from time to time. Madonna and her music her styles over the years is a perfect example. In marketing terms, its called "life cycle management", and represents a planned shift in the brand to match trends in the market. New indications, new mediums, new outlets must be boldly tried. Madonna can afford to fail at this point, but most of us who are in the process of re-invention can not fail so much. A little failure of course is expected, setbacks happen all the time. The key is to stay positive, and motivated towards reading the market and giving it from yourself the best you can offer. The ideas have to come inside out, but once they come, it's past due time to figure out how to best market them. Market research and knowing thyself come hand in hand.
Thirty-five seems to be a magical age. It's about half way to retirement, and if you are a woman like me, the clock seems to be ticking faster. It's time to figure out my brand, what I am all about, and bring forth my uniqueness to market. For me, it has to be more than doing someone else's idea of a job, agency work, or lab work that I am not particularly fond. I have to really love this idea, and believe in it with all my heart, thus maintaining my commitment. Commitment also then to knowing my brand's life cycle. This will come in time.
Stay tuned here.
I am an engineer. I have been one for almost 15 years. I once was a writer, of poems of plays, of short prose, twenty years ago. I now want to make my life's work, writing fiction. This blog will be dedicated to documenting my successes, daily and weekly, and monthly, until I reach my new status.
One must re-invent themselves from time to time. Madonna and her music her styles over the years is a perfect example. In marketing terms, its called "life cycle management", and represents a planned shift in the brand to match trends in the market. New indications, new mediums, new outlets must be boldly tried. Madonna can afford to fail at this point, but most of us who are in the process of re-invention can not fail so much. A little failure of course is expected, setbacks happen all the time. The key is to stay positive, and motivated towards reading the market and giving it from yourself the best you can offer. The ideas have to come inside out, but once they come, it's past due time to figure out how to best market them. Market research and knowing thyself come hand in hand.
Thirty-five seems to be a magical age. It's about half way to retirement, and if you are a woman like me, the clock seems to be ticking faster. It's time to figure out my brand, what I am all about, and bring forth my uniqueness to market. For me, it has to be more than doing someone else's idea of a job, agency work, or lab work that I am not particularly fond. I have to really love this idea, and believe in it with all my heart, thus maintaining my commitment. Commitment also then to knowing my brand's life cycle. This will come in time.
Stay tuned here.
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