Author: MAÔ

Wandering around, exploring the Divine, figuring life out. No guarantees, no promises. Just day by day, an inner and outer journey.

Distractions are the worst

by MAÔ, posted in Work

It’s so easy to lose focus. How does one remain consistently on the day’s work? The important? The projects that provide the most value?

First, routine. I can’t seem to say this enough. The more ingrained a routine is, the more you’ll be able to stick with it. Establish working times for those important projects, and that’s what you’ll work on.

Next, schedule free time. If all your day is one thing after another, you’ll burn out. Fast. I’ve had burn-outs and, when not cared for, they can evolve into full-fledged nervous breakdowns. Given how stressful the world can be anyway, not considering the current crises, it’s best to give yourself free time. Time alone, preferably in quiet contemplation. To sit, to think, and to come to realizations.

Third, grow your mind. It needs inputs. Add them. Read an hour a day. Change the tv show binge to a documentary once a week. Or, watch a film that makes you think. Don’t just mindlessly vedge in free time. Be an active participant, so that when it’s time to work, you have a full well to pull from.

And lastly, maybe most importantly, sit down and do the work. We are often our most persistent blockage when it comes to doing the important stuff. I know how easy it is to get distracted. And I have to remind myself every day – do the work.

Recent Items 11

by MAÔ, posted in Social

With two weeks past since the last set of links I posted, there are only a few items that I wanted to share.

  • From Forbes, a reason why mornings may be more productive.
  • Shared this vanlife article with a friend of mine as he shops for a camper to travel the country in.
  • Apartment Therapy shares 3 things you don’t need on the bathroom counter. Why this is worth sharing? Three reasons. First, I like reading Apartment Therapy. I’ve lived in small spaces, and have eclectic tastes, and the homes they show demonstrate both. Second, while I’ve been decluttering for what seems like a century now, I’m still working on getting rid of stuff. The bathroom is an easy place to start. And third, who doesn’t like a clean bathroom?
  • If you’re looking for a pet, the Petco Foundation has useful resources and accepts donations to aid our stalwart companions.
  • How long does it take to learn a new skill? Less time than you think…

This quote came across my email, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot: “There is but one solution to the intricate riddle of life; to improve ourselves, and contribute to the happiness of others.” – Mary Shelley

Travel…

by MAÔ, posted in Travel 
Several months ago I left Alaska returning to the lower 48. I flew through Seattle, and the plane was empty. The airport was empty. The city was empty. 

It's been surreal, living in this era of ghost towns, where rather than sundown, it's the closeness that people fear. I can take a walk, and people will cross the street rather than walk close by. I find myself holding my breath as I come across people, whether grocery shopping or getting the mail. 

Ed Buryn once wrote, "If you view the world as a predominantly hostile place, it will be."

And while in past travels that would be true, right now it's more a matter of uncertainty. No one knows. We all think, and hope, and wait. But the certainty has been escaping us.

I don't know when travel will be possible, and when meeting with people in celebration of life will again be safe. But I do know that, no matter when it gets here, it can't be soon enough.

The persuasion

by MAÔ, posted in Writing

For two days now I’ve written about the importance of messaging when getting your point across. Whether to convince a client, make a sale, or help a friend, the message is important.

The downside of this effect is that we are programmed to be receptive to messaging. A skilled practitioner of the art of persuasion can often make us do things we’ll regret in the end. That couch you didn’t really love? The knives that you didn’t really need – even if the scissors can cut through coins…

That vacuum cleaner the guy at the door promised would revolutionize how you clean house.

There are numerous examples of salespeople selling. Prominent social scientist Robert Cialdini has a set of books on the topic (Influence, Pre-Suasion, and Yes!).

There are courses that tell how to get your way in business, at home, in picking up prospective partners at bars. It’s a world of persuading and being persuaded.

While it’s not possible to completely insulate yourself from the onslaught of marketers, salespeople, talking heads, and con artists, it is important to be prudent. Forewarned is forearmed.

Messages are important

by MAÔ, posted in Thoughts

As I wrote yesterday, messaging is critical when trying to make a sale. What that means, also, is that messaging is important in noncommercial selling. What is noncommercial selling?

Every interaction we have on a day-to-day basis with anyone we would like to convince of something is a sales situation. It’s apparent in the political races around the country, but also in health policy, self-help, therapy, and family relations. You may want your spouse to take out the trash. That spouse has to know the usefulness of that action (happy partner), and the value is more than the price (a walk to the dumpster).

It’s a crude example, but it highlights the point of messaging. When communication is concerned, it’s on us to ensure the recipient of the message receives it clearly and as intended. If not, we’ve failed to deliver the message. This results in us being unhappy with the outcome, potentially making the other’s life worse as a result.

We have that onus to do all we can to make sure our messages our articulate, in a medium that is easily understood, and received as intended.

Finding your message

by MAÔ, posted in Thoughts

It’s important to have a clear, concise message when attempting to sell. Selling is two parts – first convincing a prospect that the product or service is of use to them (has value). A change to their way of. thinking. Then, making them realize that the value is equal to or more valuable than the price being charged. Any break down in these two parts will result in a lost sale.

And both are reliant on the viability of your message.

When a break is necessary

by MAÔ, posted in Thoughts

Took some time off from writing, hence the absence of posts over the past week. I’ve mostly been working to catch up on some projects that I’ve let slide, brainstorming, and even helped a friend move.

Breaks are often necessary to recharge drained batteries, to give new perspectives on lingering issues, or just to remind yourself that you are important and valuable. On the one hand, there are aspects of this pandemic that are similar to breaks – not being able to go to many places, working on projects from the comfort of your own home, or just being. The problem is, the act of just being right now is much more stressful than it usually would be. Coupled with social unrest and the looming financial crunch of expiring pandemic aid, it seems that we’re more unsure now of what will happen than we were back in March.

But, I’m back to writing every day now. I’ve established a solid routine and practice, and I have some other exciting possible projects cresting the horizon. While the break could have been so much more restful and relaxing, it was still enough to jolt loose some of the thoughts that have been stirring behind the curtain. It’s good to work. It’s good to create.

At the end of this crisis, it’s going to be whatever we made that we feel represents the zeitgeist of this endeavor, and not the crisis itself, that we return to in order to heal.

Need vs. merit

by MAÔ, posted in Money

When considering funding an organization – nonprofit, arts group, etc. – there’s a question of whether fiscal solvency necessitates further individual support. Is your donation better served going to a group that may be struggling to stay in the black each year, or an organization that consistently shows surpluses?

While a surplus may indicate that your money will have less impact, a smaller nonprofit could potentially not be around next year.

It’s a question I keep hearing, and one I ask myself as I work on reviewing grants. I guess my thought is, if money is available to invest in nonprofits, it’s good practice to make that investment, large and small.

Joy

by MAÔ, posted in Thoughts

Joy isn’t necessarily happiness. One can be joyful without being happy all the time.

Happiness is a temporary emotion. “That is because happiness is an emotion in which we experience feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense pleasure, whereas joy is a stronger, less common feeling than happiness. We experience joy when we achieve selflessness to the point of personal sacrifice.” (Island Packet)

While this perspective encourages us to self-sacrifice, I contend that joyfulness can be attained without necessarily requiring self-sacrifice. Joy is an understanding of one’s own wants and desires, and knowing how to achieve that which is most important in your life. Joyfully moving through this world is one of the most important things we could do, if we only allowed ourselves to do it.

A brief history of blogs

by MAÔ, posted in Technology

Believed to be the first blog, Justin Hall’s links.net began in 1994. For Hall, it was a chance to combine his love of the internet (then mostly a fledgling technology) and his other interests. His first draft had “links to HTML information, some stuff about [Hall’s] college, a photo of [him] and Oliver North, a sound clip of Jane’s Addiction’s lead singer saying ‘Well I’m on acid too, and I ain’t throwin’ shoes at you,’ and a list of [his] favorite web sites.”

The early adopters called their pages online journals or diaries, personal pages, and similar titles. In 1997, the term “weblog” was coined by Jorn Barger to describe these sites.

Early blogs were mostly for the technologically-savvy, requiring some knowledge of HTML and its requisite coding. Eventually, platforms begin cropping up, allowing ease-of-use for non-technical bloggers.

In 2003, both WordPress (where my site is hosted) and TypePad (who I’m familiar with for Seth Godin‘s using) were founded.

Over the past fifteen years, the prevalence and persistence of blogs has increased. Internet visibility is important not only to companies but also to individuals. Beyond the social media spectrum, where what you produce is comingled with everyone else’s content, your own website allows you the freedom to create what you will, with the security that, should you choose, it will only be your content seen.