I believe that we all strive to achieve something on a greater (not necessarily higher) level every day. Whether we are on vacation, dragging ourselves to work, or contemplating why we find ourselves in class every day — there is a common goal. We all want to do something else … something greater.
The unfortunate aspect of this daily life is that it’s tough to see the end of the path or the finish line. That’s because one path typically leads right into another. I think I still wonder every so often how I went from studying bio-medical science to developing online marketing strategy for a book publisher. Everything else is pretty much a blur. If you had asked me what I’d be doing 9 years ago when I was a university student, I never would have guessed that this is where I’d end up. I guess I just fell into it — and I am quite happy about it.
With the exception of my addiction to IRC (Internet Relay Chat) back in high school, never have I felt so connected to so many people around the world until a few years ago — and never have I felt so strongly about challenging the way we live our daily lives and do business from day-to-day — and I am quite happy about that too.
Over the past two years, I’ve had a great friend who works in the same area as I do. We typically share ideas and thoughts on overcoming the problems and issues we face — in addition to simply venting frustration at times. Unfortunately for me, she’ll be going back to school — yesterday was her last day. The funny thing about the connection between my friend and I was that our problems were shared. Similarly, my approach to work in the office is that everything is technically a “shared responsibility”. If my colleagues have a problem — that’s my problem too.
When the people around you who work become less optimistic, enthusiastic, and energetic than you are — then it’s up to you pull them back up if you can. Just try. It happened a couple of days ago to me. What I discovered was that there are two types of optimism:
Those who wield an optimistic energy about life from day to day.
And those who are hopeful.
I think I’m the latter type because I go into work everyday grumbling — but I see the horizon. To work, I need inspiration. I don’t wait for something to inspire me — I seek them out. This week was jam-packed with people and projects that provide me with inspiration. My friends and colleagues really liked what I sent around so I figure I’ll try and provide a weekly compilation of what has inspired me from now on. Maybe it’ll provide that necessary dose of inspiration to someone else in the world.
Don’t worry — next time, I’ll do less talking (or writing).
Unfortunately until I read the Globe and Mail the other day, I did not know who Randy Pausch was — but after watching his Last Lecture — I got a glimpse into what he believed in. It’s a long lecture but very worthwhile to watch — especially with references to the Alice project and “head fakes”.
Chris Abani’s stories revolving around the topic of humanity are immensely powerful and touching.
And Jonathan Harris’ work with stories is purely inspirational and soulful. But you definitely should see WeFeelFine.org for yourself.
Lastly, I am inspired by twitter. I know the conversations are tiny — heck we’re limited by 140 characters, but it really helps to force us to be as concise and to-the-point as ever when we talk with one another. To read these concise statements, questions or exclamations from so many people around the world continues to inspire me — this includes those who permit me to listen to them and those who are listening and responding to me. I would not learn the tremendous amount of what I learn on a daily basis without you.
Hey Ehren,
Thanks for sharing that. I watched Randy Pausch’s last lecture today and it was incredibly inspiring and touching. I definitely agree with you that connections with other people help us to chug through life and find hope.