Making the world a better place always seemed like very serious business to me. It’s serious because, in thinking about how to make the world a better place, I have to confront and think about some of the most awful problems in the world - the stuff that makes me feel sad, angry and scared. It’s serious because it inevitably involves intervening in some way, and with that comes the responsibility of wielding my power appropriately and sensitively. And it’s serious because when I intervene, my actions can have a big impact on other people’s lives, and even if my intentions are good, it’s possible to still harm other people, and I want to be sure that I’m helping and not harming. And it’s always seemed serious because it’s important to me. And surely if something’s important to you, it should be taken seriously?
Damien offered some really profound and perspective-shifting ideas about the role of our core selves in our work, challenging us to put the discovery and expression of our core selves before everything else in our business. Unlike so many people who say, “Follow your bliss and the money will follow,” Damien’s perspective is, “Follow your bliss and you’ll be following your bliss… and then you’ll have what you want, regardless of whether the money follows.”
One of the most common things I help people with is decisions around finding or creating work that’s aligned with their values and life purpose - doing “the work they were born to do,” as Nick Williams (author of “The Work We Were Born To Do: Find the Work You Love and Love the Work You Do”). With the multiple opportunities available to us all, it’s no surprise that so many people struggle with knowing that they want and deciding what work they’re born to do.
Tim Ferriss’ book, The Four Hour Work Week, by now has become the lifestyle designer’s bible. There’s a lot in in it that’s super-useful, but for me Tim’s true genius (and the reason why he’ll probably always be pioneering, ahead of the pack) is in his ability to identify and dissolve assumptions.
The Four Hour Work Week is basically the result of dissolving every common assumption that people have been making about when, where and how you should work. People have been saying for years and years that your thoughts create your reality, so you need to identify and dissolve your limiting thoughts and beliefs if you want to be successful and happy at work, but few people actually take the time to discover what they’re believing about work, and to challenge their assumptions and turn their beliefs about work around.
How to Overcome Fear by Increasing Your Fear Fitness
I’m convinced that the only major skill set that matters in creating the life you want is having the ability to manage your own fear. I wrote this post on how to overcome fear by increasing your fear fitness over at Life Optimizer. This is one of many ways you can improve your ability to manage your fear so that it works for you, rather than getting in your way.
My “Somedays” on Alex Fayle’s Someday Syndrome Blog:
Fellow Location Independent life coach, Alex Fayle has a regular feature where he interviews people about their “somedays” - the things they’re putting off until “someday,” or saving in case they need it “someday.” Alex got me thinking with some really interesting questions about my somedays. You can read our interview over here.
Thanks so much to everyone who submitted posts to the monthly Agile Living Blog Carnival this month. Here are my favorites:
Simplifying your life is essential if you are going to stay agile in this fast-paced, high-change world we live in - particularly in these turbulent financial times! To help you with handling your finances in a way that’ll enable you to stay agile, adaptable and resilient and create the life you want, Adam Baker wrote 42 Ways To Radically Simplify Your Financial Life posted at Man Vs. Debt. I love his take on simplicity in handling your finances - Adam says, “The heart of simplicity is in exploring, finding what works for you, and purging the rest.” So true!
