The Answer is in the Question.
There are a ton of websites and blogs offering all kinds of business advice, tips, resources, and news, but after scouring many of them, I’ve come away feeling rather unenlightened. Perhaps it’s because most of these sites are rooted in the assumption that you already know what it is you want to do. While it may sound odd, I actually think it is the prelude to that stage which warrants attention, advice, tips and resources. After all, you feel most vulnerable when the old internal compass is on the fritz. So, it seems strange that significantly more aid is directed to people who have intact navigational equipment. What about the millions of poor souls lost at sea? Continue reading »
We the Jury Find…A Little Peace of Mind?
Last month, I received the universally dreaded jury summons in the mail. Amidst business startup insanity and an insomnia induced haze, it was the last thing I needed. How could the gods conspire against me like this? After years of working crap jobs and praying for any believable excuse to call in sick, it is only now that I get tapped on the shoulder and handed the ultimate get out of work free card. As the owner and sole full-time employee of a fledgling company, timing really couldn’t have been worse.
I tossed the summons onto an ever growing pile of stuff to avoid and went on about my day secretly hoping that I’d be visited by some sort of civic duty fairy that could wave her wand and POOF, my summons would disappear. Sadly, several fairy free days passed and I began to realize that it was going to take more than wishful thinking to get myself out of this. So, as a last gasp attempt to dodge the bullet, I wrote a weepy request for postponement, taking extra care to trap a single salty little tear in one of the paper folds. Continue reading »
Filed under Blackbird Diary | Comment (0)Keep Your Stinking Ribbons.
Before I could walk or even crawl, I could swim. My mom often tells the story of how a woman at our local pool suffered a near heart attack when, at the age of 2, I walked over in my diaper and jumped right in to the deep end. It was like that familiar footage of newborn sea turtles that break out of their shells, shimmy to the surface of the sand, and instinctively crawl toward the water. Without influence or suggestion, I simply knew the water was where I wanted to be…all the time. I had the chlorine tinted hair and wrinkly extremities to prove it. And my affection for it would remain alive and well until competitive swimming entered my life. Sadly, adding structure, discipline, and a bunch of blue ribbon obsessed parents to the mix robbed it of all that was special to me, and I retired my little suit and cap by age 6.
Now, at 31, I look back on that early instinctive drive with wonder. It seemed to fade with childhood, only to be gradually replaced by all the things I was attempting to escape when I quit swimming. Rules, opinions, competitiveness and insecurities are far more accurate characterizations of adulthood than the self-assurance I felt as a child. You would think the opposite would be true, that people would get closer to their true identity, but in my experience that is rarely the case. Continue reading »
Filed under Blackbird Diary | Comment (0)Plop a Fat Note Right in Mahoney’s Inbox
So my latest and greatest idea, yet to be dismissed and tossed onto the enormous, festering pile of already considered ideas, is to go to work in advertising. The goal would be to work for an agency for a while, branch off on my own after learning the ropes, freelance my skills to worthy, sustainable businesses with a soul, all the while sitting back in the local pubs and coffee houses writing radio jingles and commercials. Sounds pretty good to me at this point! So now what?
One thing that has been reiterated constantly to me lately is that the job search takes bravery. Being a total coward makes this difficult for me, but I did something COMPLETELY outside of my comfort zone the other day. I emailed a dude at an agency and asked him for an information interview in exchange for a coffee beverage of his choice with all the trimmings. That’s right! I just plopped a fat note right in Mahoney’s inbox, asked for 12.3 minutes of the man’s time in exchange for caffeine, and sat back to wipe the sweat off the keyboard while I waited for a reply. He declined the coffee, but….he did say I could call him. Continue reading »
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