There are people who manage to embrace change, play with it, and cherish the surprise it bestows on their lives even when it includes pain and frustration, and to you people I dedicate these notes and pictures. You provide their inspiration.
Then there are the rest of us who resist change, clinging to the habits we learned as children even though the teddy bears have long gone moldy and rancid. We know down deep what we want from our lives, but we often feel powerless to make it happen. In the face of relentless schedules, endless bills, or the confusion of so many choices, following our passions seems impossible. Change seems like something that happens to us. It’s out of our control.
There is hope for us.
We can shed the habits that anchor us to the past and learn to body surf the waves of change, float on its currents, and curl up and slide to the bottom of the sea as a storm passes. We can also learn to swim, build boats, and set sail to adventures that will make our lives rich and full of meaning. And even if the boat we’ve built is gigantic, we can always turn it. Making a small change in direction will, over time, make all the difference in the world.
I know this because I was living a life I considered pretty crappy, and then I turned it around. I changed it methodically and deliberately, developing methods that work so well, that when I teach people how I use them, they tell me they feel more in control, more satisfied, and more connected to their passions.
This site could just as easily be titled “Paying Attention.” All we need to do is focus attention on what is most important to us, and peace, passion, balance, and meaning will follow. A theory and practice for doing just that, through incremental steps, is the subject of this work.
I am currently writing my creed, my doctrine, a manifesto that invites you to join me called, “Build the Fire of a Passionate Life.” I offer what I have learned so far and what seems to work when I teach others the practice of Designing a Balanced Life. If you are interested, sign up below, and I’ll send you a copy as soon as it’s ready.
It’s a big ship to turn, and I plan to put my weight into the wheel. I play many parts in the process, and here are my goals with each:
As Writer, I hope to inspire you to action and outline a path to your own success. I will do my best to deliver the truth, and in turn I ask for your careful attention and thoughtful feedback.
As Designer, I will use your feedback to design and refine tools to help you manage your attention to Creativity, Money, Love, and Vitality you can use forever.
As Connector, I want to build a language and a mechanism where people can help each other spread the fire of their passionate lives.
As Entrepreneur, I’m working to build a powerful business that does nothing less than change the way people pay attention to their own lives and each other.
By its nature, this first post will probably see few readers as it gets buried below recent posts. If you stumble on it at any point, please let me know:
How am I doing so far?
-David