BlueCapra

Using Technology To Solve Problems and Create Solutions

Where is your journey taking you?

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Journey in an origami boatI recently read a quote on a post at the Free Agent Underground by C. S. Lewis

We are made for something greater, but it takes a journey to discover what that is.

My journey has taken me to places unimaginable just a year ago.  Dreams and goals back then have become a reality and plus more.  There have been course corrections along the way, but just like the quote says, it takes a journey to discover the greatness for which we are made.

Where is your own personal journey taking you?  Are you wandering around, getting nowhere or are you finding your purpose and passion in life?

What are you doing today to help your journey?

(photo by fdecomite)

The importance of hobbies

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Hobbies are great. I tend to collect them.  I will often have an idea that I want to accomplish or a item I want to make that will steer me toward a new hobby or skill.  I have tried a variety of handcrafts including leatherworking, bladesmithing, woodturning, carving (wood, soap….. laser…..) and the ones I stuck with for more than a few minutes usually resulted in an end result I had been thinking about for months if not years.  So, what’s so important about a hobby?

You can’t work all the time. I know, I know…… everyone understands that they can’t work all the time but how many of you actually work all the time?  Not only that, how many of you do little else besides work, watch TV, and Facebook?  Now, I am not knocking work, TV, or Facebook, but if that is pretty much all you do, you need a life.  We all need a life filled with accomplishment (doing something, anything) rather than idle consumption (watching TV, mindlessly wandering the web, etc).  To me, that sense of accomplishment is found in either a hobby or work.

I want to work all the time. No wait, did I just say that?  What I meant to say is that I want to generate income as much of the time as I can.  I want to help people with my work.  I want to earn so much money I have trouble giving enough of it away.  But….. I want to enjoy my work.  In fact, I want to enjoy my job SO much that you not be able to tell if I am working or having fun.  I wan to wake up in the morning saying to myself “They pay me to do this?”  I want my hobby (or one of my hobbies….) to be at the center of my work.  How do I get started?

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The enemy of great

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I am good at many things.  No, I am not bragging, but I am good at a number of things.  I am good at woodturning, fixing computers, computer programming, creating designs for laser engraving, cooking, making bread, catching llamas (long story…) and a number of other tasks.  What about you?  If you think about it, you are good at many things.  Your list is most likely different (any other llama wranglers out there?) but you should be able to name a good number of them.  But how many of those are you great at?

I want to be great at something.  I want it to be something I really enjoy, but I want to be great at something.  I want that thing to support me and my family financially more than my current job or any other job I can find.  Not only that, I want my work, my creations, my life to be remarkable.  No one can be remarkable by being good…. but great, now that is getting closer to remarkable.

What about being good?  Being good gets in the way of being great.  I don’t want to be good at many things, I want to be great at only one or a very small few.  You will have to stop being good at some things so you can be great at others.  You must make the choice. It is a choice you should only make after you have identified your life purpose, passion, and priorities. There will be sacrifices.

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