Project Exponential

Tag: passion

  • It’s a set up.

    I say this phrase often, and most of the time people don’t know what I’m talking about. I think of life as a set up.

    Why? You can either set yourself up for success or failure.

    Think about it: from the people you’re with to the clothes you wear to the books you read to the ways you spend your after hours, you are making choices. I’ll say it again. You are making choices that directly impact your happiness and chance at success. Daily.

    I know it can suck to hear this. And I also know that yes, life can throw curveballs and things that exist beyond our control. Accidents happen. But generally speaking…

    The reason you’re lonely isn’t their fault.

    The people who are happy aren’t just lucky.

    The successful people on top don’t just end up there.

    It’s a result of painstakingly HARD WORK.

    The choices aren’t always easy ones, and I won’t lie and tell you there won’t be days you feel like quitting.

    Make an effort. Put yourself in situations to gain the experience you need. Surround yourself with people who can elevate, encourage, and inspire you. Identify what you need to get where you want to go, and make it happen.

    Set yourself up for the life you want.

  • What is your special?

    You have something to offer no one else has.

    Your choice is whether or not to share it with others.

    You have a unique twist, a special tint coloring your work and the way you see the world.

    Find people and environments that encourage this.

  • Transitions

    I’m often asked how I made the transition from social work to social curation. If I’m honest, I never dreamed of having my own business or running my own show. In fact, for a very long time, I was looking for the perfect job, desperately trying to figure out how to craft the perfect cover letter to land the interview that would set me on a fulfilling and profitable career path.

    I wish I could say I woke up one morning and realized this dream job was something I could actually create.

    It started slowly, with an idea, and — drip by drip! — grew from experimentation to action.

    You, too, can start small. You don’t need to have a finished product on the table before you decide to go. Simply identify what’s important to you, acknowledge your skills, and begin to make choices that excite you.

    You don’t have to figure it all out today.

    The things that really mean something take time.

  • Redefine work

    It’s no wonder we consider work very separate from play. It’s hounded into our heads since we’re able to talk.

    We watch Dad grimace as he races to work, and Mom moan about never having enough time (and she doesn’t look like she’s having fun). We’re given hours to learn, write, read, and make things. We have separate hours to talk, move, go outside, discover, and mess around. Recess becomes our gold.

    Once the school bell rings freedom, homework hours stand between us and our reward: time to play and make mischief. We quickly learn that good behavior and productivity yields more play time. Decisions are easy.

    Then we’re told to find jobs. Quite naturally, we look for ones that bestow upon us the right to play. We look for more money, more time, more vacation hours to do the things we really want to do.

    “Work” becomes the vehicle through which play is possible, our income, our sacrifice. Worse yet, boredom. “Play” stands for our hobbies, our leisure, our rest.

    Darlene Cohen, author of The One Who Is Not Busy, spells it out:

    “We describe our activity as either ‘busy’ or ‘not busy,’ either productively working or taking a blissful break from working. But actually it is possible to experience both ‘busy’ and ‘not busy’ simultaneously, to reach beyond the labels and connect with our work in a way that is deeply satisfying. What this requires is that we develop the breadth of vision and the mental flexibility to be both busy and not busy at the very same time.”

    Is it possible to shift our perceptions and redefine what’s work and what’s play?

    Can you turn one into the other and find joy in each?

  • envy

    Instead of wasting time and energy wanting what someone else has…

    Why not create it for yourself?

  • Jumping is scary. Do it anyway.

    As a young woman, I hitchhiked alone and traveled across many countries. I went head-to-head with lawyers and counseled delinquents. I earned a masters from an ivy-league, received a state license, and wrangled my way into an entirely new industry. I directed and designed and produced successful events, facilitating valuable connections between people who otherwise might not have met. But it wasn’t enough.

    I needed more experience. I wanted more connections. I didn’t have enough knowledge. I wasn’t ready. And if I’m entirely honest, I didn’t think I was enough. (Turns out, I was wrong. I just needed to jump.)

    I know I’m not the only one. Everyday I talk to entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and artists who struggle to take the first leap into the unknown.

    …It’s not the right time…I don’t have the resources…I can’t find the time…I’m worried about money…

    We do this to ourselves. We sabotage our dreams. We’re afraid. Deep down, we know that if we put our mind to it, we have the capabilities to break our biggest goals into manageable, digestible chunks. But we over-chew. We convince ourselves the path we’ve been traveling on, the one we’ve been walking down for some time, is the safest and best option. We lower the height of our own sky and the limits to which we’re capable of flying. We lull ourselves into forgetting the sweet deliciousness of new experiences.

    Fortunately, it’s never too late. It is just a matter of making that decision. You must choose. Nothing will happen until you decide to venture away from the safe waters into territory where there is no rulebook, no play-by-play. While you can find leaders and teachers and people whose experiences might mimic your own (and it is imperative that you do), there is no “on the job training.” It’s up to you to figure it out.

    Sometimes the hardest thing is recognizing what you want. The next hardest is to begin. By recognizing there’s no prescribed way to land that dream job, dream family, dream life, we open ourselves to an entirely new world. A world that is uniquely ours to create.

    Dare yourself. Set goals and work backwards. Plan checkpoints along the way and reward yourself when you reach them. Gather information, collect the necessary experiences, and confidently step in the direction of your dreams.

    Don’t hold yourself back. If not for yourself, do it for the people around you. Show them what it looks like to lead a life that is uniquely yours, a life filled with magic and dreams and adventure. Jump.