#NerdsUnite: Dear world, I'm ready for a life takeover "Lifescale" style
Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 5:50PMI love how long this post took me to write (you'll see why this is the whole point in just a second).
These (about to be) series of posts are very special to me.
I'm currently going through a lot of changes personally and professionally - and with all of these IRL and digital distractions percolating, I need to make sure I'm staying true to my own intention, and staying true to myself.
I don't know what that means yet, but I do know thanks to my friend @BrianSolis, I am going to give it a try.
I've talked about this previously, but my friend Brian has a new book out called Lifescale. (This is not an affiliate link.) Brian is one of THE smartest, hardest working, and kindest people I have ever met. I can't begin to tell you how many amazing conversations we've had over the past decade ... let alone our star studded adventure where I dropped the mic on one of my favorite pop stars.
Brian is one of those few and rare people in life who shine so naturally and organically. He practices what he preaches, and to hear him speak ... he's amazing ... through and through.
You can read more about his journey here, but this book has been very personal for Brian. As someone who CHURNS out content at an UNGODLY IMPRESSIVE RATE, (I know this because I've seen it first hand) he found himself not being able to focus the same way he used to.
Wait, let me just have him tell you this next part ...
Nerds say hi to Brian ... Brian say hi to the nerds ...
Page 10: "I began to notice I couldn't focus the way I used to. I felt on edge and I wasn't having much fun at all, constantly putting off "me" time and time with friends and family to keep up with my commitments. I was almost always either online or on my phone, needlessly consuming content with no real bearing on either my personal or work lives."
"... I kept forgetting about important events coming up, and found myself making lots of careless mistakes. I would also catch myself staring at a screen or talking at people when I was in meetings or out with friends more than listening."
I said those EXACT words in this post:
While I have actually been able to pull myself out of the depression (thank you self care and Jerry Bruckheimer), I know I still need help. The first sign of anything being "off" in my system is when I am not writing. The fact that this post took weeks and weeks of edits and re-edits is very strange for me. I was born a writer and storyteller. In fact, I just found this last week back at my parents house ...
I love how snarky I was at such an early age. See this next one? I wrote "yeah right, like I actually went there" below the brochure.
I didn't actually cross my brother's face off. These pictures were also in my grandmother's album and she wrote on the back of each one so sometimes they'd cross over.
This last entry is my favorite.
It reads AND I QUOTE ...
"Then something happened when I went to the bathroom! It was stuck! I waited 25 minutes and nobody came in. Then my grandma came in. While I was stuck in there it reminded me of the time they left me in a store for 10 min.
Jen!"
<tangent> I was SO specific with time. In one entry I wrote, "he came up at 7:39 am." Why was I in there for 25 minutes? Who knows. I'm sure my grandparents wanted some quiet time and knew I wasn't dead. Was I left in a store? Yep. What I found more interesting was the fact that I didn't just climb over or under the door. There must have been a reason. </tangent>
Anywho, why is this album so special? Because growing up, I had hundreds of these journals. I documented everything I did, everywhere I went ... writing is the equivalent of breathing to me.
In 2007 however, I lost everything I owned in a massive cockroach infestation and lost them all. I have NO IDEA how my parents managed to find this, but when I saw it I teared up remember exactly who that 9 year old girl was, and how determined she was to tell a good story.
WHO SAYS ENJOY THE SHOW ON THE INSIDE COVER OF A PHOTO ALBUM?! I knew I was going to do what I was going to do, and I want to get back to doing it.
... but I want to write just to write. Not write with the knowledge that what I'm doing "could one day be an episode," or even worse saying to myself "I don't have time to write. Look at the XYZ mounting on my to do list."
This is my life, and while yes, my life rights have been sold (twice) - it's about the choices I make and what I do with it.
Emphasis on the ...
I've noticed a huge change in Brian since writing this book, so each week I am going to hold myself accountable by not only practicing what he preaches, but also documenting the changes.
Thank you for your vulnerability in writing this book Brian. I'm ready to learn!!!
Page 19: "I call the method I developed for charting and staying on this new focused and productively creative course lifescaling; it's a process for achieving an intentional state of happiness, creativity and mastery in the face of the onslaught of distractions. Lifescaling isn't just about performance, it's about finding authentic happiness through unleashing your creativity, and about defining your own path in life, your own way.
The first step in lifescaling is coming to terms with why we've become so addicted to distraction. It's certainly not entirely our fault - not by a long shot- but the truth is that we've been complicit. So let's start investigating why ..."
