365 Days in Aspen

Brownell

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The Mexican Fisherman, Part 2

carefulIn yesterday's blog, I shared the story of the Mexican Fisherman and how it was my response to a friend suggesting that I do something "grandiose" while here in Aspen. The moral of the story, of course, was that we have to look at our goals and see if the "grandiosity" of them might interfere with what we really want. And perhaps that we already have what we really want. 

As someone who's always strived (striven?) for lofty goals, this is a big lesson for me, especially given my history of not-quite meeting these goals. #understatement

I used to brag about never wanting to be "retired." What does that mean? Not doing anything worthwhile? Selfish indulgence? Or is it more about freedom to enjoy life? The Mexican Fisherman didn't intend to stop fishing. If he had, he'd needed to look for a way to save money to live another life. 

So here I am, living in a paradise with the opportunity to live my version of the lifestyle of the Mexican Fisherman: sleep until I feel like waking up, do what I enjoy most (write and create and invent) while enjoy the beautiful view until I can go outside and physically soak up the energy as I hike or ski or do some other outdoor activity in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. 

It's not that I don't still want to make a difference, but I don't need a fleet of fishing boats to be happy. 

I also know to be careful what you ask for. Every new addition to your life also adds complexity. And it usually also means giving up on something you now have that you might take for granted. So think about your life like the Mexican Fisherman. What do you enjoy?  What gives you pleasure? What are you really striving for? What are you willing to sacrifice to get that? 

The Mexican Fisherman

fishingLast night a friend asked me what I planned to do for the remainder of my 365 Days here. "You should do something grandiose," she said.  

"Hmmm…" was my response.  

Then I told her the parable about the Mexican Fisherman and the Harvard MBA. 

There are several versions of this story, so bear with me if you've heard a better telling. Here's the part I remember, and shared with her. 

A Harvard MBA went on vacation to Mexico, where he met a Fisherman. He took notice of the fisherman's lifestyle, which was to sleep late, go fishing for a while, go home for lunch, make love to his wife, take a siesta, do a little more fishing and then spend time with his family.  

The Harvard MBA said to the Fisherman, "You know, if you got up a little earlier every day and skipped your siesta, you could catch more fish. Then, within six months you could afford to buy another boat and hire someone else to fish for you."

"And then what?" asked the Fisherman.

"Well, within five years, if you worked hard enough, you could have a whole fleet of boats!"

"And then what?" said the Fisherman.

"In 20 years you could retire," said the MBA.

"And…?" asked the Fisherman.

"You could sleep late, go fishing for a while, make love to your wife, take a siesta, and spend time with your family."

The moral of the story, of course, is to really get clear on what you want. What lifestyle. What purpose. What contribution to the world. How you want to spend your time.

To be continued…

wink

 

 

Depleted

depleteMy word of the day is: depleted. 

It's challenging writing a blog. You really try to make it interesting and honest, while also making it upbeat and positive. Sometimes those goals just don't align. 

So, do I put off writing on those days? Or do I go for transparency, even if it's a downer? 

RhetoricI honestly don't know. I guess the answer to the question lies in what's the purpose of this blog. Is it to entertain? Enlighten? Share? Reflect? Rejoice? Is it for me – or for you, dear reader? 

A rhetorical question. Literally. One that invites rhetoric. Discussion. Response. Effect. Language.  What do YOU think?

So Many Hours, So Little Time

You-are-responsible-for-the-energy-you-bring-into-a-spaceI owe you, dear reader, another apology. Again, I've broken my promise to myself and to you. I'm not sure if my reasons are valied or just excuses. 

Time is energy. Life is energy. One of the most difficult things to master is how to manage that energy. 

While it's true there are only so many hours in a day, not all hours are created equal. Some are for sleep. Some for communing with friends or spending with people and relationships. Some for mindless but productive work like cleaning the house or doing research. And some, those precious few, are for creative endeavors. 

Like writing a blog. 

It takes a special kind of energy to write a blog every day. For me, if it's not done "when the iron's hot" (so to speak), then it's not likely to happen. Sure, I can write, but it becomes meaningless dribble. 

The last 2+ weeks have been bereft of creativity, and while it requires a special energy, it's also an energy that feeds me. Keeps me going, breathing, alive. 

What fuels you?  

I hope it's reading this blog. If not, I forgive you. wink

Tada!

Logo squareI'm about to share something with you that you might not know about me. 

In addition to being a writer, I'm also an inventor and an entrepreneur. The business I created and own is called DrawSuccess. I haven't talked about it much because I put it on hold before I moved here and I honestly had (and still have) no idea what will happen with it. 

I do know that it's something I put enormous blood, sweat and tears – and immense love – into. It's one of, if not the, greatest accomplishments of my life. It's certainly one that I put the most hours into.  

15,000+

If you read Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, he asserts that in order to be an "expert" at something, it takes 10,000 hours of diligence. So, in that way, I'm certainly an expert. 

Beyond the time invested, however, there's immense original intellectual property in the business. Things that I can confidently say that no one on earth has ever ventured or accomplished.

Still, it lays in wait. 

I honestly have no idea. I would like to see it come back to life. Especially DrawSuccess 4 Students with it's powerful anti-bullying program.

DrawSuccess is my baby.  I just know I wasn't meant to raise it myself. It needs someone with the right passion and excitement and connections to make it happen. 

In the meantime, I've spent the last 2+ days updating the website. (This explains another reason why I haven't written in the blog). After dozens of attempts, I think I finally got it right. Check it out. 

http://drawsuccess.com/

DrawSuccess website

 

Coming Up For Air

Deeper cover in 3d - CloApologies for being absent for the past – what has it been – 10 days? 

I've prided myself on both my diligence and my ability to draw insight for this blog (almost) every day for over six months, and now I broke that promise to myself. 

And, more importantly, to you, my dear readers. 

So why did I do it? (Or, more accurately, not do it)?

I wish I could say I'd met some foreign prince who whisked me off to a magical world (without internet) filled with all my greatest fantasies, and was dying to share all the sexy details with you. But, alas, I've just been busy. 

I do have a reason – and I hope it resonates as a valid excuse. I've been working sequential 12-14 hour days for many many days in a row to launch my new (collaborative) book, Fifty Shades Deeper. Getting the book edited and the cover designed, etc. in time for the movie coming out next week was laborious, to say the least. But it's out and I feel very proud!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MUEY6LT

Pride

pridepride 2Pride is a tricky concept. It's one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and based on this definition, I would agree. An over-inflated sense of self-importance is the hallmark of a narcissist. A sense of superiority. Ugh.

But then, when you do a search for synonyms, the original word – or at least the concept – isn't so off-putting. Delight, Happiness, Honor, Joy, Self-love, Sufficiency are all beautiful things. 

And what does it mean to be proud of your heritage? 

I suspect my great-great-great-great-great grandfather will be in the news more in the upcoming months. (Let's hope it won't take years, but that's another discussion). And, yes, I'm proud of him. Of having some fragment of his blood flowing through my veins. Does that make me superior? Of course not. Does that make me have an over-inflated sense of self importance? Not that, either. Though I do realize that some people will take it that way. 

You know what? That's their problem. I'm proud of being related to Grandpa George…

george mason 10 george mason 10 george mason 9 george mason 8 george mason 7 george mason 5 george mason 3 george mason 2 George mason 1

Despair

despairThis is a dark day. And I'm not talking about the weather, although it does seem like the heavens are crying in a lot of places, too. 

I'm not going to write more today. I'm just going to…

Face it

Feel it

(and, when I'm ready)

Free it.

Through action. Through awareness. 

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