2012 here I come

January 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks looking at my goals, dreams and projects for 2012. Okay, when I say the last couple of weeks that has been on and off. I’ve also been listening to some great music, making some (great?) music and doing my fair share of writing too. And that really is summing up where I want to head in 2012 – with a little bit of digital art thrown in for good measure. Of course I’m talking primarily about hobbies here. The day job is more challenging than ever, and the goals there will stretch me too.

Post it time

I spent the last weekend with a pile of sticky notes and covered the desk with these. The picture above was when I had finished just one pack, I ended up using several. The aim was to capture all the things I wanted and had to do. Since then I’ve been trying to align everything, using the classic GTD approach. To end up with the following:

  • Next actions
  • Projects
  • Roles (or areas of responsibility)
  • short-term goals (1-2 years)
  • long-term goals (3-5 years
  • life long vision, mission type thing

I haven’t completed it yet, but I am getting there. But one thing I do know is that 2012 will be a highly creative and transformational year for me. I hope it’s good for you too.

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Seven year itch – happy birthday blog of mine

September 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Seven years ago today I began this blog. I wasn’t sure what I would say or where it would go. I had been using on-line journals for a while, but they were private and within gated communities, so I decided to go public.

It’s emphasis has changed, developed, lapsed, changed hosts, obtained a proper url and so on. It hasn’t always received the attention it should from both myself, and the odd time I have written something quite interesting, from others.

But it is my blog, it is personal and as such does meander through the virtual landscape. I don’t have any grand plans for this space, the grand plans are for other sites I run and keep going.

So happy birthday to ‘an insignificant opinion’, long may it continue to offer a thought among the many.

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The danger with Social Media is it could be just the same

September 13, 2011 By 2 Comments

What was your last twitter update? What was your last tumblr post? What was the last image you uploaded to 500px? Was it really you?

Photoshopped?

The big issue with the human condition is that we are fundamental liars. It is something to do with the instinct to survive if you are of the Darwinian nature or just plain bloody-mindedness if you’re not.

‘How are you?’

It’s a question we all face from time to time, often when meeting someone who we haven’t seen for a while. The phrase has become a phony greeting across the world. ‘I’m fine.’ I have heard a couple of people who add, ‘no, how are you really?’ and sometimes, but not always, that may solicit a different response.

So what has this to do with social media? Well the issue is that our status update, image or comment isn’t always honest. This may well be a British thing, the stiff upper lip and so on. However, I think it is a wider issue, especially when you look at what people are sharing.

Back to the Darwinian issue. I will survive. No we’re not in a bad 70s disco song. The thing is we don’t want to admit that we have failed… or we can’t cope… or things have actually been a bit rubbish recently (that last phrase was edited to protect the innocent).

Please, please, please… let’s take this chance to be honest and authentic. I have heard that some people have felt a little uneasy about couples sharing their relationship situation on Facebook or similar, when it breaks down or it’s going through a sticky patch. Yes, it is uneasy reading, but it does let us, their friends know what is going on. And Facebook, google+ and diaspora allow us to filter who actually reads what we post anyway, so the whole world doesn’t need to know.

Thou shalt not lie and love they neighbour

I come from particular religious tradition that believe in the power of prayer and that we should help one another. If we don’t know how people are really feeling or how their lives are going, then we can’t help one another.

There are issues with sharing online but the one or two trolls, gossips and the odd potential future employer should not prevent us from being open and truthful. It is difficult because it means dropping the mask, baring all and showing that we are not perfect.

In conclusion, my life isn’t as interesting as my status updates possibly suggest. My life is just like yours, rough around the edges and not neatly aligned.

I hope I don’t hide behind my social mask.

Oh, and how are you?

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