Ralph Waldo Emerson Trust 30 Day Challenge: Day 8, It's OK To Talk To Yourself, Past and Future.

Prompt #8 is very straight forward. Have a conversation with you 5 years ago and 5 years in the future.

The past me:

Congratulations, you've moved to a community that is very down to earth. Not every kid on the block is involved in 2 dozen activities. Most families are happy taking 1 vacation and not disappointed by taking only 2 vacations. The elementary school has a new principal and she's great. Most of the folks in the NW burbs are asking, "So when are you moving back?" I answer, "Moving back where? I'm home."

It's time to face the facts about your career. You realize that employees are valued less and less each year. Despite predictions that the death rate should be rising with the death of the boomers, there are fewer jobs in funeral service. The day of the career employee is coming to an end. You don't want to own a funeral home. If you don't make a plan you're going to get run over and your family may be flattened along with you. You're smart enough. You're well liked and well respected. Figure this crap out, the sooner the better.

The future me:
What do you know, you have survived. Things didn't go quite the way you planned, but what does? The business you've started has grown each year. You are beginning to see a steady stream of referrals and groups are asking you to present at their meetings. Maybe there will be some sales for that book you've been writing for 5 years. The economy is finally creating some good paying jobs, but you are pushing 60. Who would have hired you? It's a good thing you decided to start that business. Sure, it took longer than it should have to get started but you did get started. Forget what you haven't accomplished and relish all that you have accomplished.  All in all, it's gone pretty well.

That's my conversation with the past and future me. What would the chat you would have with your past and future self (5 years) sound like?

Ralph Waldo Emerson Trust 30 Day Challenge: Day 7: If Galileo Had Thought Rationally, The Church Would Not Have Needed 300+ Years To Decide On A Pardon.

Galileo

The day 7 prompt starts with the obvious: Rational thought is the enemy of both creativity and progress (see post title). Then the prompt make it personal. My challenge is to articulate something I always desired but considered irrational. After committing the thought to paper I must develop a business plan to make  it happen. Then I need to make it happen but I'm going to need more than 30 days.

I have always thought about writing a book. The thought would last about 2 seconds and then be replaced with a more rational thoughts like "Why would anyone care about what I have to say?" and "What's for breakfast?" As my journey from unemployed to... has continued for the last 1.5 years, it's time to start writing.

I have been blogging for almost a year and although not read by many, I have been able to provoke thought and conversation. I even have two titles in mind: "Embrace You Inner ADHD" and "The Reluctant Entrepreneur".

"ADHD" is dedicated to the fact that common wisdom takes a person with ADHD and teaches coping skills like organization and project management. Those coping skills are a jealous misinformed world trying to force an energetic creative person into a model that produces a paper pusher. Those with ADHD should be allowed to create and juggle a gazillion projects working in 10 minute increments. Pay an admin. to keep the stuff in the right piles.  ADHD'ers (I was diagnosed 2 years ago) need to embrace our gift, simultaneously working on multiple projects and developing creative ideas conjointly. Don't worry about messy desks and non linear project development. Linear thinking is for the boring.

"Entrepreneur" is about going from career employee to successful sole proprietor.  Losing my job in September, 2008 was earth shaking. Watching the stock market melt down and unemployment skyrocket during the ensuing weeks was earth shattering. It took a long time for me to realize how to put my skills to work for me. The conclusion isn't written because the introduction has just been completed. I am anxious to reach the end of the story. I'm invested.

The usual path would be to outline the book with a paragraph or 2 detailing each chapter. I'm going to do things differently. I will open a file for both and throw ideas in as they occur in my ADHD riddled brain. Once I have a half dozen ideas it's time to write paragraphs (and hopefully paragraphs and paragraphs) pull the paragraphs together and make chapters, etc. Self publishing and ebooks are a strong possibility.

As "out of the  box" as this sounds for ME, it's not really far out of bounds. I would have loved to have been in the pitch meeting for a storefront that would be open 24 hours to make photocopies in college towns. I have no idea who would invest in that crazy scheme, but once open for a while FedEx bought the whole thing.

Challenge complete. Time to collect ideas.

How about you? What do you think of my idea to write a book and my ideas for the books? What's something you've always wanted to do, but dismissed because it wasn't rational? What is stopping you from making it happen?