Fishstick Friday

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about things that I want to do sometime in my life. I think this trip (and the fact that we are ACTUALLY DOING IT) has really opened my eyes to how much control I have over my own life. Which sounds weird but I think you get what I’m saying. I’m feeling less constrained by thoughts of “you should be doing this now” and more often thinking things like “that would be awesome, how could I make that happen?”.

So I’ve started…in my head…a rough “life list” of everything that I want to do in my life. I’m not including things like get married and have kids because I already know I want to do those things, these are outside of what I would consider my realm of “normalness”.

1. Travel the world (I had to put on gimmie on here that I could easily check off!)

2. Spend a summer on a sail boat in the San Juans

3. Live for a few months in a small city outside of Paris

4. Bike across Hawaii

5. Take a road trip from Washington to the coast of Mexico

6. Go to Vermont in the Fall

7. Take a motorcycle trip through Australia

8. Drive up to Alaska

9. Go on a kyaking camping trip

10. Learn to make my own clothes

11. Have a big vegetable garden

12. Learn photoshop and make my photoalbums

13. Learn about website design and make some money via the sites I design

14. Help build something like a house or a barn or a port-a-potty

15. I tired to round out the list by ending at 15 but I can’t think of the last one

There is a small part of me that feels a little lame that I only have 14 things on my list, well technically 13.

My work email is down. I have a few impending projects that I can’t really do a whole lot on because my email is down, blah. So I am, naturally, surfing the web avoiding what little work I actually can do.

I have heard a lot about the book “The 4-hour Work Week” by Tim Ferris but its been mixed reviews. Some people say he’s crazy and that his methods don’t work for everyone (…most people also think he’s a little eccentric and kind of cocky, ok really cocky…) but everyone seems to agree that he’s on to something.

I started reading his blog today and its pretty interesting. I like today’s post, specifically this quote:

Doing the Unrealistic is Easier Than Doing the Realistic

He advocates setting BIG goals, goals that motivate and inspire. I like that, I like it a lot.  The boldness of it really gets to me. I agree that his methods may not work for everyone and that they are a little bit out there. But I also think that (I have not read the book this is just me hypothesizing from what I have read about the book) most people could learn something from him about priorities and time management in relation to what your priorities are.

I’m going to put some thought into what my Big Bold Goal is and post it here soon. I imagine it will be something about how to NOT work and live all over the world, but I will fine tune that.

Lately I have been borderline obsessed. I’ve been scheming and plotting trying to figure out a way  to make money doing something that I really like and, almost as important, something that would allow me to set my own schedule.

I’m FULL of ideas for other people -

Carly should start a baking business, Kiersten should start a food blog, Maureen should keep doing her freelance thing.

But what about me? Why is it next to impossible to think about ideas for myself but opportunities for other people are crystal clear?

Right now I’m ignoring the fact that this is a glaring red flag that maybe I have no marketable skills that could be turned into a viable business opportunity.

Is there a market out there for someone who can think of business ideas for other people? Part of me says yes the other says no.

YES - sometimes people just need an outside perspective, some actionable steps and a little enthusiasm.

NO - If someone actually wanted to start a business then they would. Period. Most entrepreneurial people don’t need the “big idea”, they already have it, or think they have it.

You could probably call this being a consultant, but a little less in-depth.

I don’t think that idea is very realistic, for a thousand different reasons, but it seems lately that its the only thing I can do!

So while I continue to ruminate about my own future business feel free to send me your skill set and interests and perhaps I’ll be able to come up with something great for you.

After re-reading my last post, although I hesitate to do this immensly…..I will put some “action items” on here that I will follow up on. These are intended to spur my creativity and extend my thinking beyond what I do on a normal basis. These are things that I have been wanting to do but for some reason writing them on here, in this random spot in cyberspace that I have laid claim to, legitimizes them. At least it does in my brain.

1. Take more pictures

2. Give people compliments!!!

3. Do yoga

4. Read more then watch TV