Sharing my life journey to help you with yours
Hello and welcome to beautiful Inspire With Hope.
Sincere apologies, but due to a proliferation of stuff and things to do, there's no entry today. Instead, I recommend some timely advice I need to take: Trizoko: How to Reduce Your Workload in 1 Minute, which I'll implement to ensure Friday's entry appears, bright and early! :)
Posted on 7 February '07 by Kathleen Bright, under General. 2 Comments.
All Things Bright is dedicated to the topic of Personal entrepreneurship, so every entry here is in some way connected to that. What do I mean by personal entrepreneurship? Many things, including the personal and human sides of being an entrepreneur, my experiences with enterprise and social entrepreneurship (which involves seeking to improve the lives of those less fortunate than I am).
Today I bring you five links focused on linking the personal and the entrepreneurial, it's the human side of business:
Plus, it wouldn't be a proper speedlinks entry without the bonus link! So here's a blog I discovered today, which includes lots on personal entrepreneurship by Bill D'Alessandro: Ready Fire Aim: Ramblings on Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Web Design
Notes: You can get inspiration from the strangest places, including random words. Today's entry is brought to you inspired by the word 'ducks', courtesy of Dave (thank you!)
Posted on 5 February '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Entrepreneurship, General, Speedlinks. 1 Comment.
On 29th December 2006, I made some important goals for 2006. I've already modified and developed them, which is great because it's important to keep re-evaluating, so I'll be doing this once monthly.
In 2006, I said it was Debt-free by December 2007 (excluding student loan). However, on reflection, this is a negative goal because it focuses on something I don't want, namely, debt. So, I've re-worded it to concentrate on something I do want, in the right spirit too: Financial abundance.
Spatial independence, financial independence, personal independence. For this I need courage, so I'm doing things a courageous person would do. I'm going on my first mini-break without my parents next weekend. Scary & exciting.
I've succeeded in not buying clothing this January (not including my uniform, which I overlooked when setting goals) and am continuing to avoid spending on clothes and clutter in to February. Hurrah!
Being more frugal when it comes to eating out remains a challenge. However, my awareness of how much I'm spending is definitely growing and I feel more uncomfortable when spending a lot on food. I've even taken a packed lunch in this week!
I'm working on exactly what kind of work I want to do, in addition to entrepreneurship: My thinking is that I want to raise capital via consultancy services etc before launching my business as planned upon completion on my postgraduate degree. To that end, at the end of February I implement, and in March I launch, KathleenBright.com. Exciting!
I have a new challenge for February – becoming vegan. One of the things I want to be true this time next year is this: I'm a vegan healthnut. All I can do to achieve this it to act now, so I am. I'm currently vegetarian, by March I'll be vegan too. Wish me luck!
In addition, increased awareness about what I'm eating helps to keep me on the right path of a) spending reasonable amounts on food, especially when eating out and b) eating healthily. Brilliant when goals come together like that.
It's still difficult, but I do want to succeed, so I'm just getting on with it. I've started actually writing my first essay too, so that's all good. My goal here is to continue as I've started: Forging ahead with dedication and conscientiousness.
Posted on 3 February '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Education, Entrepreneurship, Health, Lifehacks, Personal. 8 Comments.
If you're struggling to face your fears then you clearly need more courage, just as I do. But how do you get to be courageous?
Start doing things a courageous person would do. (For the moral philosophers amongst you, this is the kind of thing Rosalind Hursthouse suggests in On Virtue Ethics).
On a related note, I explored fear-based decision-making earlier this year. So, if that's what you're worrying about, do read that entry and let me know how you get on.
In my next entry, I'm sharing my review of my goals for the year: I've modified my intentions significantly already! My biggest fears at the moment revolve around my essays and my business; I'm tackling them by playing big! Check back on Saturday for details in my latest entry or subscribe to the web feed so you don't miss out.
Update: See 2007 goals reviewed, January, 4 Feb
Posted on 1 February '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Lifehacks. 2 Comments.
On 28 Jan, I highlighted two challenges to achieving my goals: Time and fear. I tackle the first challenge here, with possible solutions.
I'm being strict about how much television I watch: One hour a week for Desperate Housewives (what can I say? It's my guilty pleasure).
I won't even have television in the background because I tend to get distracted by it, sometimes being tempted to start watching it instead of doing things.
I've downloaded an egg timer program called Minuteur (Mac app), which is helping to jolt me out of procrastination. By default it makes a ticking noise, this is good because it reminds me that time is slipping away and I'd better not waste it!
I've been reading some articles about procrastination and the best advice I've heard includes:
Some excellent articles from lifehacking, productivity etc. blogs:
What do you think? Any articles to recommend?
Posted on 30 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Lifehacks. No Comments.
On 29th December 2006, I made some important goals for 2006. I've already modified and developed them. (Update: For details, see 2007 goals reviewed, January, 4 Feb)
I'm doing really well: All Things Bright has a new focus as my Personal Entrepreneurship site. The main thing to do is implement the changes I've decided to make. As for my other blogs and my essays, I have a lot of writing to do. I love writing; just as well!
So, how do I create more time and face my fears? I'm exploring that, check back on Tuesday/Thursday for my discoveries.
In response to Lorelle's Top 10 Blog Goals Blogging Challenge.
Posted on 28 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under About. 5 Comments.
I'm writing about education, yet again and with good reason.
My essay deadlines are creeping closer and closer. This time procrastination will lead to failure (er, again). So, I'm tackling my tendency to procrastinate.
You too can "Say No! to Procrastino."
My two main areas of focus at the moment: Studying and Entrepreneurship. Each has its challenges, for example, I'm working on breaking down the massive goal of 'doing Ethical Beads' in to daily tasks. Each has its rewards: Writing for All Things Bright is a reward in itself, knowing I'm helping people is brilliant and getting feedback makes me grin inanely. :)
The biggest challenges? Time and fear, which are intimately connected, especially as I tend to procrastinate out of fear, thus leaving myself less time. Doh!
Lately being cold has been enough to stop me from acting. This is actually a big problem for me, as my parents switch the heating off when they go to bed, but I tend to work better at night. Aagh! I'm tackling it by slowly adapting to working earlier (e.g. by going to bed earlier to ensure I get enough sleep), although it's cold in the mornings too – roll on Spring! Isn't that terrible though? To let being cold defeat me.
So, what I need to do is, well, just get on with it – there are no shortcuts. In the long run, getting on with it now will mean I save time anyway, so better get to it.
Well, quite a lot really. I've chosen topics in which I'm genuinely interested. For example, virtue ethics is about working out the best way/s of living one's life, how to be a better person and becoming wise – fascinating! These are all topics I explore, out of choice, at All Things Bright. So, I'm going to synchronise the two activities (essay-writing and blogging) more and thus cut down on the amount of work and 'work'.
Update: I almost forgot to mention that in my next entry I'll be bringing you up-to-date on my goals, which will also serve to give me something to measure my success against. 27 Jan
Posted on 26 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Education, Entrepreneurship, Lifehacks. 5 Comments.
I'm still not getting enough sleep.
Interestingly, I was listening to another Pavlina podcast in which Erin, I think, asks questions like: Do you hate going to bed because you love doing what you do? Do you leap out of bed because you can't wait to start your day? For me, it's definitely yes to the former, but it's no to the latter because I'm just too shattered.
I'm changing this behaviour because I love being healthy, I love having boundless energy, I love waking up refreshed and ready to start the day.
I'll continue being passionate about what I do, which is currently All Things Bright mainly, but also writing, tidying, reading, coding (well, playing with HTML) and smiling.
However, I really need to get more sleep and I'd rather feel differently about mornings. So there's some conflict, which I'm resolving by experimenting with my sleeping patterns. I'm considering polyphasic sleep, but I'll need to re-read articles about it first.
In the meantime, I'm intending to get eight hours of sleep each night.
It's so difficult; there's so much to do.
Any suggestions? I suppose that the consensus will be, 'just go to bed!' But whatever it is, do let me know. Thanks in advance. :)
Update: I found an excellent article about sleep, which includes an exploration of chronic daytime sleepiness and other disorders. Plus, some practical remedies, including the science behind exercise, warm showers and milk. See: Tired all the time? 25 Jan
Posted on 24 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Health, Personal. 3 Comments.
Apparently, according to public opinion, today is the worst day of the year (reports vary as to the specific date, but the consensus is it's roughly now; plus, it's Monday today) – due to a mix of bad weather, the likelihood of having broken one's resolutions by now etc. But I'm actually pretty cheerful because I've been focusing on my goals.
If you've not been as successful as you'd like, don't let dates rule your life: You can have a fresh start whenever you like. If you have goals or resolutions, re-evaluate whether they're important to you. If they are, decide today that you're achieving them and stick to it! For some practical help, see some of my earlier entries: How to achieve your goals.
If you're on track or can see where you've improved, join me in recording your achievements. It'll re-awaken your drive to succeed and boost your confidence too. Incidentally, some people use Twitter to mention what random things they're doing at that very second, I use it to record my achievements.
I've made a lot of changes in my life recently. Some of them are good habits that were gradually developing a few months ago, but with the progress I've made I think my old self would be shocked.
Some of my recent achievements:
I'm doing more to enjoy my life too, especially keeping in touch with my friends, meeting new people and going to the cinema. Next on the list is making the time to read more (including books for study and books for pleasure) and, eventually, studying marketing in a more structured way.
All Things Bright is enabling me to get in touch with even more people. Hooray! I always love hearing from you, so do get in touch.
Posted on 22 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Health, Lifehacks, Personal. No Comments.
Lots of people ask me how to be happy. Some directly, for example, many All Things Bright readers. Some indirectly, for example, my friends & co-workers ask me how it is I'm always happy. Incidentally, I'm not always happy; I am human after all. :)
As far as I can recall, I first came to the belief that it's possible to make oneself happy when I read that in addition to being an expression of happiness, Â the physical act of smiling tends to make you feel happier too. I experimented with it a little and it worked. I have no idea where I first read this, but something like this:
We've talked before about how scientists know that smiling produces physiological changes in your body. And thanks to mirror neurons, we know that seeing someone else smile or laugh can trigger the same neurons reponsible for making us smile.
Plus, Realise when you don't want to be happy
I've read lots of articles about how to be happy. When I was feeling particularly down I sought out relevant articles and used what I found to write one myself: How to be happy, or Why you're sad and how to fix it.
Steve Pavlina's tips on becoming more confident work for becoming happier too. (For example, I use music a lot to make myself happy). I think this is because happiness and self-confidence are inter-related. If you're self-confident, you're happy to be you. So, increasing your confidence will increase your happiness too. See StevePavlina.com Podcast #012 – Building Confidence.
Creating Passionate Users: Angry/negative people can be bad for your brain: In this controversial post Kathy discusses the facts about happiness. What you choose to do with that information is up to you. Actually, it's not controversial, just had some bad reception, especially from people who didn't read it very carefully.
I have a 'feel good: happy' playlist, which won't be very helpful for you unless you already own that music or are willing to spend money on it. So, I'm offering £5 of iTunes credit to the first person who asks for it in a comment to this entry, that will at least get you started.
In addition, I really want to know if you create or know of free & legal 'happy' music and where I can get it. Unique marketing opportunity, so do let me know! I'm interested in uplifting music, upbeat tunes, happy & inspirational lyrics… that sort of thing, humorous ones too. Please get in touch.
I have three 'feel good' playlists: energy, happy and inspire.
Energy: For when I need/want to stop procrastinating and just get on with it. The best track is Disturbed: Liberate, which is a hard-hitting rock/metal tune, with strong beats and baseline.
Happy: For when I'm feeling a bit down or mopey. Lots of cheesy pop tunes here. The best track is Suzanne Vega: Book of Dreams, which is really light & upbeat.
Inspire: For when I need/want more confidence. There are some really thoughtful songs in there too, to remind myself about how beautiful the world is, how brilliant human beings are, the strength of potential, things like that. The best tracks are R. Kelly: The World's Greatest, real ego booster! Christina Aguilera: I Will Be, which is about being strong & independent and Twista ft Faith Evans: Hope, which is really sweet, it has some sad themes but the triumph of the human spirit really makes me smile.
Kathy Sierra calls it a 'smile journal':
Try to write down every little thing that caused you to smile when you interacted with a product or service or person, and look for a pattern (or at least some ideas you can use)… If the notebook is nearly blank at the end of two weeks, time to rent some Monty Python.
Being optimistic helps you to be happy and saying thank you helps you to be optimistic.
I've written about this a lot recently, especially in Power of three: Goal-setting: Health (1 of 3)
Mind Petals: A Healthy Entrepreneur Is A Wealthy Entrepreneur David Askaripour wrote this with entrepreneurs in mind, I think because we're more likely to let our health suffer, but it's relevant for everyone: If you want to be successful, you need to be healthy. (Incidentally, I disagree with his definitions: I agree that true wealth is about more than money, but I think happiness is a better word for 'having it all', because I associate happiness with more than 'just' pleasure. Hedonism is not happiness. Never mind, the language doesn't really matter: He calls it wealth; I call it happiness).
I've no idea how much this will be true for other people, but I will abstract as much as I can: I identify as a creative and I really value creativity, so feeling inspired and creative infuses my perception of myself with happy feelings of confidence, self-worth and such.
What are your passions? What do you value? Do you know? If you don't, focus on finding out. If you do, nurture these in yourself.
See: eMoms at Home: Why do Entrepreneurs Need Inspiration?
I love singing & dancing. I can't do either well, but that's okay. I love spending time with my friends too. I love feeling productive. I love helping people to be happy. What do you love doing?
Get started with this excellent article by Alvin Soon: Life Coaches Blog: Start Your New Year In The Best Direction. Then continue with anything and everything by Steve Pavlina; slightly tongue-in-cheek, but I do find him very helpful; try his podcast #015 – What Is Your Purpose? which I recommended in my last entry too: Stability, security, sortedness: How to feel certain, or How to be okay with uncertainty
Sometimes I don't feel like cheering up. Sometimes I just want to mope. Sometimes I don't want to be happy.
Usually when that happens I'll listen to my 'sad' playlist (mostly schmoopy lovesongs, e.g. Easther Bennett: First Time Ever I Saw Your Face) to get it out of my system or I'll get away from myself for a little while, e.g. by sleeping. (Chris Hamilton has some more suggestions for how to get away from yourself, read his excellent book, Living Philosophy).
It's okay not to be happy all the time, the important thing is to be happy when you want to be happy.
I really hope this entry helps you; please let me know how you get on.
Posted on 20 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Lifehacks, Personal. 4 Comments.
In talking to two of my classmates about life today, I discovered that it's not just me: My peers want (some areas of) their lives to be settled too.
I don't write about romance & related topics on here very often (never before today actually), but I want to note two things:
Chief of these is the stability involved, the certainty (or illusion of it, perhaps), knowing – as Will put it – that one area of my life is sorted.
I'm happy to spend the rest of my life deciding what to do with it. (I think very few people share this feeling). However, I'd really appreciate having something reliable somewhere in my life. In the past this was a role imperfectly played by a best friend figure. I say imperfectly because, blessedly, I never managed to completely rely on anyone – just as well, otherwise it would be much harder to adjust now.
For a variety of reasons, it's untenable for anyone to hold that position now. For example, not having the benefit of an institution where I, along with my friends, must spend over seven hours of each weekday in one place means I just don't see any one person nearly as often as I used to see school friends. (Incidentally, this is what I've found is the hardest thing to adjust to socially since leaving school; 4.5 years on I'm still adjusting to it).
All of this leads me to believe something you may have anticipated already: The only person you can truly rely on is you. This needn't be distressing or depressing, because you're always with yourself, you can't let yourself down by not turning up, for example. It probably means you need to get to know yourself better though. I'm sure this is true of myself, even though I know myself well, after all, there's that picture of the self where 90% of ourselves is unknown to us.
I find that the challenge is knowing I'm becoming myself, accepting that with good grace and yet still being happy to rely on myself, even though I'm 'in transit', so to speak. On with the practical advice!
I'm not always happy.
Many people ask me, perplexed, 'How come you're always happy?!' I'm not. However, I do have a very strong belief that I can make myself happy, so I'm (almost) always happy or in the process of making myself happy. I'm currently writing an entry 'How to be happy' in which I give practical advice based on my personal experiences, look out for it this Saturday.
The reason I'm happy with taking my time to work out my life's purpose is because I have some pretty clear ideas about how I might do that. I'm answering the question 'What shall I do?' as I move through life, I don't feel the need to answer it definitively, once and for all at one point in my life (e.g. now).
So, here's what works for me: Knowing what my purpose is or, rather, working on finding out & creating it. Steve Pavlina has some excellent ideas on how to do this, I particularly recommend you listen to his podcast: #015 – What Is Your Purpose?
Dedication: Rachel, thank you for inspiring this entry.
Posted on 18 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Lifehacks, Personal. 3 Comments.
Because I am! So can you.
For a week, I've been thinking about two things I really want: Pencils and a camera. Specifically, I wanted Ikea pencils because they're free, small and seem to be a little harder than the regular HB grade (and therefore smudge less). I've only actively wanted the camera for a couple of days.
So, I started tidying my room again yesterday, for four hours. I felt really energised doing this. Simultaneously, I listened to Steve Pavlina and Escape from Cubicle Nation podcasts, so that really helped to inspire me: When I'm writing, I listen to music. When I'm tidying, I now listen to personal development, entrepreneurship & other inspirational podcasts, as well as comedy shows, especially The Ricky Gervais Show & Russell Brand.
So, my desk is really tidy now, which is making me grin inanely – finally I have a proper workspace! I've added inspiring slogans (like 'Creativity is what drives me' and my cuddly lion holding a sign saying 'Have courage'), photographs (just like a 'real' office) and loads of stationery, but in an organised way.
I filled another bin bag, plus another massive bag of charity shop stuff and some stuff I'm hoping to return for store credit, which I'll then be able to giveaway (seeing as I'm not accumulating stuff for a while).
Interestingly, I found a purse that exactly matched what I've wanted for some time now (months). Yay!
Confused? Well, it is confusing.
They're all names for the same thing: The way to get what you really want. I imperfectly understand and I know that it works.
Erin Pavlina has explained it really clearly and comprehensively in StevePavlina.com Podcast #017 – Placing Your Order With the Universe. Really, it's the best, most down-to-earth explanation I've ever come across – I've been paraphrasing it to my friends.
The Secret is another excellent explanation and it's free to one reader of All Things Bright.
Strangely enough, I saw The Secret and then listened to this podcast, thinking how similar the two explanations are It was only when I listened to the podcast again that I realised Erin mentions The Secret. Spooky!
So, what do you think? Are you dismissing this as wishful thinking or are you experimenting with it now? Have you seen it working for you already?
Posted on 16 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Personal. 4 Comments.
You cannot act in the past. It is only a memory and it may be mistaken.
You cannot act in the future. It is only a dream and it may be wrong.
You can act now. You can only act now. You owe it to yourself too.
In this individual movement you can choose to continue reading. You can choose to make a positive start on your goals now. In doing so, you create happiness for yourself because you create meaning in your life, which makes you feel fulfilled.
I read a brilliant quotation the other day: "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.", Martin Luther King, Jr. Take one step now, then another. Continue.
Just my two cents; what do you think?
Quick tip: If you make your goals more specific, you're more likely to achieve them: Change 'be healthier' to 'eat three servings of fruit daily' or 'tidy my desk' to 'clear desk today'.
What will you do? Write down your goals, at last? Choose an area of your desk to start decluttering? Play around with the code for your next great business idea?
I did all of the above today and now I'm going to do what I find hardest of all: Sleep, because in the rush to do it now, it's important to remember you can't do it all.
Good luck and do let me know how you're getting on; I always love hearing from you.
Posted on 14 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under General. 2 Comments.
In June 2006, I started writing & publishing a blog dedicated to documenting my entrepreneurship mistakes so that others could learn from them and so I could remind myself that it's important to make more mistakes.
In October 2006, I had to take a break from Make More Mistakes because I didn't have time to continue with it. I promised to return to it in January 2007.
January 2006, Make More Mistakes is back! With a funky new design and a brand new entry on Being tempted to quit my education early.
It's a very personal entry about my struggles with my postgraduate programme and the uncertainty of success. However, it is also a very hopeful entry in which I discuss different methods of tackling doubt and getting back on the right track, as well as the many important lessons I've learnt so far. Here's an excerpt:
The requirement to tell my parents if I were dropping out and the fact this might have made moving out more urgent has really helped me to bring ‘Making my Escape' to the forefront of my mind. It's now more pressing: I'm getting on with it instead of procrastinating. [...]
In addition, thinking about quitting has highlighted the importance of finding alternative sources of income. So I'm working really hard on that too: Ideas & Potential Solutions for my Fiscal Challenge. (Please do send me suggestions; I really appreciate your help).
Make More Mistakes: Being tempted to quit my education early
Writing and managing so many sites (three, shortly rising to four) is very challenging. Maybe that'll be the subject of another entry! In the meantime, I'm continuing with decluttering and working on spring cleaning All Things Bright too. So, as usual, do send me suggestions.
Currently, the biggest practical challenge is trying to make myself get enough sleep. Must stay healthy!
I'd also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to my readers and commenters. I really appreciate you and it's always lovely to hear from you. I'd love to know how you find All Things Bright, but mystery or not, I'm really pleased to have you here!
Thank you!
Posted on 12 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Blogging, Entrepreneurship. 4 Comments.
Well, Apple announced their brand new iPhone yesterday. Since I wrote an entry about it on 6th August 2006, when I thought it might be about to come out, I decided I'd better do a mini follow-up: Not to jump on the bandwagon, rather, to redirect those who've searched for 'iPhone' and landed here.
So, without further ado…
Before it became reality, my favourite things about the iPhone were all the myths & rumours about what it would or could be like. Now that the iPhone exists it's funny to see how wrong some people were. The best, I think, is that one of Rex's predictions for 2007 is wrong already: "And the iPhone? Nope, never. Why? Cuz the iPhone is like God — if it really existed, you wouldn't care that much." Heh.
I hope sites like the blog dedicated to pictorial guesses of what the iPhone might be like, continue to exist. For more iPhone myths, see Tao of Mac: iPhone speculation since 2004.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. Update: Thanks, Ian, for corrections!
Hope that was helpful! Do let me know either way.
Posted on 10 January '07 by Kathleen Bright, under Apple, Technology. 3 Comments.
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