2008 #6 - Life Nomadic

Last week I started my crappier by the week goal-post with a little something in attempt to hint at the level of frustration I feel over my so called career. It got a little sidetracked when the author of the post I actually linked to noticed and didn't think much of my take on it. This was fair, as I didn't really make my point. I'm not slamming Jason, i'm really slamming myself. Anyway, see the comments on that post if you care.

This week, moving on from frustration - what's inspiring me?

Two guys, Tynan and Todd have taken off on their Life Nomadic trip. I don't know much about Todd. Tynan writes some of the most compelling longer blog posts i've ever read. He's well aware of this too - storytelling is clearly a big part of what he knows he does well.. this is not the point!

The point is, Life Nomadic is their attempt to live their working life online, and take a world trip at the same time. Again, that's a world trip, whilst working.

I find this very inspiring because i've been hardly anywhere, and i'm tired of being tied to a small cluster of offices in the dead centre of the UK, one of which is moments from deciding against allowing me to park there if I choose to move too close, forcing me into yet another unacceptable daily commute situation that i've been wanting to escape since the first week of doing it back in 2004. I'm not saying I plan to do what these guys are doing, but both elements of their vision are very appealing right now.

I feel it's time to start looking at moving on. It scares me to write this, which makes me a pussy. So be it. If I just think it I can justify ignoring myself. If I write it down, i'll have to justify not doing it to anybody that happens to read this, and as i'm sure you've guessed by now, the person that reads this, is me! That's right. This is an extension of me talking to myself at home. More on all that soon i'm sure, but for now, on to the other thing I decided to write down to hold myself accountable.

The Easy - I haven't taken any new photos this week, so I've fallen back again on that one. Will try harder. Will I move to Birmingham? I think so. This is still where i'd like to live, even if ultimately it isn't to aid work proximity. Keeping in touch is still going well enough, though I need to write to a few people I haven't spoken to for a few weeks before I next do this.

The Challenges

I haven't yet got a song idea for February, and i'm still working on the January song. At this point i'm not worried. If things are the same a week from now, maybe I will be.

My set work goals are unlikely to represent what I actually want to achieve, but let's for now say i'll keep working on them for the purposes of earning good money.

I am working very much on leadership/management this week and absolutely hating every second of it. Whether it's because i'm not good at it or because i'm dealing with difficult people is hard to say, and it's probably both - the simple fact is that managing reluctant people who fight me on things I don't believe in myself is something I will now actively seek to avoid, although I may have to take it on the chin until April unfortunately, when this unusual stint I was so positive about a month ago comes to an end.

I'm definitely considering my career. I'm realising more and more every day that I'm going to have to leave my current employer. After 5 years of steady, the uncertainty of this realisation is unsettling. It only seems a few months since I believed that share saving scheme and pension commitments were reason enough to carry on down this road. This, of course, is a dumb attitude and no doubt what the company counts on.

The exercise regime is at 1/3 capacity. I'm managing a weekly swim on average. A cold i've finally picked up might put me off this week but as of right now I still intend to go. My technique is certainly improving again and i'm feeling less pathetic in the lanes with others. If memory serves me correctly this now means about 2-3 weeks until the activity seems too boring to continue with. I wish there was a way to listen to music whilst swimming..

End of another contender for most rambling post ever. Through this incoherence I actually feel quite good about things. Very Slightly Less Directionless (Changes). If February's song turns out to be an Emo number - that, my friends, can be the title.

Oh, and Tynan and Todd - all the best. Anybody who hasn't yet should have a look at lifenomadic.com. Hopefully at some point in the not too distant future i'll figure out how to obtain the kind of drive you guys (and Jason Calacanis) have.