Category: Thoughts

Being Ready vs Being Curious: Which Approach to Take?

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset, Thoughts

Being ready and being curious are two different creative perspectives.

Confronting both concepts made me think about my friend Silvia. She wanted to be a writer.

Wherever she went, she always had a book in her hands. Additionally, she also had a pocket dictionary to look up any new word she stumbled upon. Silvia wanted to fully understand the content she was consuming to the last bit.

Silvia’s dedication to reading and endless curiosity for words was unparalleled. The most impressive part? When she wrote his own stories, she sounded like a seasoned author. Her structure was flawless, and her vocabulary was out of this world. She could have gotten herself a book deal whenever she wanted.

I’ve lost contact with her, so I don’t know what she decided for her writing career. I really hope she’s living her dream.

However, even when it seemed that she had everything to stand out in the writing world, I remember hearing her say this dreadful phrase from time to time:

“I’m not ready because I need more experience”.

How many times have you heard that statement from friends or colleagues? How many times have you caught yourself saying those same words?

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Why being yourself is the best thing you can do

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset, Thoughts

Being yourself is the best thing you can do for the world. Seriously.

We live in challenging times to make radical decisions. It feels like it’s difficult realizing our visions when noticing the current state of the planet. On top of that, we tend to worry about what others would think of us if we were to turn our lives around.

The antidote to that, in my opinion, is in one of the most beautiful videos I’ve come across on YouTube. It contains wisdom from Marcus Aurelius applied to any personal or professional situation.

Here’s why being yourself is always a great idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVKaK5Xt6TI

True usefulness comes from being what you are. Think about a tree: its fruits and oxygen are a byproduct of it being itself. The same holds true for us. We do useful things by being ourselves.

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Personal fears: An exercise for self-reflection

On By Alice StrathernIn Miscellany, Personal, Thoughts

I want to write openly about my personal fears. Since fear can be used as a GPS, I think it’d be a good exercise to see where it’s leading me. On the other hand, it’s difficult to be vulnerable in public. It’s a common belief that the more you hide your flaws, the stronger you will look.

It’s time to get rid of that belief and let my authentic self show. I’ll start by naming three of my greatest fears while elaborating a bit on them. I’ll mention where they come from and how I can overcome them.

Let’s see how this goes.

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Fear as a GPS: Where is it leading you?

On By Alice StrathernIn Inspiration, Mindset, Thoughts

It had not occurred to me to think of fear as a GPS.

It’s actually a refreshing approach when facing your greatest challenges as a creative. The first time that I came across this idea was on Twitter through Marie Forleo, entrepreneur and philanthropist:

https://twitter.com/marieforleo/status/888514454727602176

Whoa.

When it comes to fear, it’s easy to enter a cycle of thoughts that will prevent us from taking action. Endless “what ifs” flood our minds and great opportunities fade away.

A life filled with fear is not life.

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On beginnings: why you need to get started now

On By Alice StrathernIn Beginnings, Thoughts

I want to share a few thoughts on beginnings:

Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.

alan cohen

Reading that quote reminds me of different conversations I’ve had with friends or colleagues. When talking about big life projects, I would often hear: “I need to get really good at ‘x’ thing to then start my own business.” “I need a few more years of experience.” “I’m waiting for the perfect moment.” “When I become an expert, I’ll get started.”

I can relate to all those thoughts. In the past, I used similar phrases, too. It’s scary to begin something when you feel you’re not good enough or when circumstances make it seem almost impossible.

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Playtime: When your job as an adult involves having fun

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset, ThoughtsLeave a comment

I once read that playtime is essential to any creative activity. A person simply can’t be creative if there isn’t scheduled time to play, no matter what their job is or how time consuming their tasks can be on any given day.

This reminds me of some initiatives that companies have taken: assigning special spaces in the workplace to play ping-pong, video games and other games. Their objective is to encourage their collaborators to take a break and have fun.

“How can I make time to play if I’m already an adult, and I have a lot of responsibilities?” Life can certainly feel overwhelming at times, but pushing aside playtime can aggravate health.

Play and creativity are mechanisms of action.

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Realistic motivation: where energy and discipline meet

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset, ThoughtsLeave a comment

Embarking on new projects or new goals requires motivation: a powerful energy that fuels your spirit. It’s a good feeling. When you’re convinced that you want to accomplish something, it’s easy to feel excited and begin each day with a strong sense of commitment. However, is this realistic motivation?

Motivation is a temporary emotion. Some days you can strongly feel it; other days, it’s completely gone, and you struggle to bring it back. With this in mind, I think it’s time to rethink this concept and look at it with different eyes.

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Routines of successful people: to try or not to try

On By Alice StrathernIn Inspiration, ThoughtsLeave a comment

Type the phrase “routines of successful people” on Google, and you will get hundreds of articles that tell you how to organize your life in a way that will make you more productive.

While those articles are appealing, and some of them can be actually inspiring, the truth is that every individual in this world operates in a different mode. What works for “the successful” may not work for those who are trying to develop better habits.

Here’s a few thoughts on focusing on what works for you rather than following steps that you might not be willing to even try.

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Compound Knowledge: the key to gaining wisdom

On By Alice StrathernIn Inspiration, Thoughts1 Comment

One concept that has been buzzing lately is “compound knowledge.” I’ve been seeing it often in the Orange Book’s timeline on Twitter. Anything this person shares on that channel interests me, and if there’s an idea that’s completely new to me, I do a bit more research.

Compound means “made up or consisting of two or more existing parts or elements.” Therefore, compound knowledge refers to integrating all the elements we’ve collected from the various sources we learn from and using them to upgrade our skills or achieve wisdom, for example.

However, compounding is a process that takes time. Immediate results are out of the equation. The core essence is patience and consistency. Outcomes will show as one continues to gain knowledge year over year.

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