Day 24

 I started the day with yoga.  One of the dogs (Joy) decided to join me.

Before I jump into Dharma I feel it is important to record my ideas on business ideas I could do for 55-65 years old (in order of things that excite me):

• Foster Care Horse BnB
• Temp CEO for remodeling businesses where the owner wants prolonged vacation or dies
• Workshops on Couples Coaching for people who work together
• Remote Chief Architect / Design freelance
• Knoxlife 2.0
• Remote Accounting
•  
• NEW (Not a job/work):  Atypical IRONMAN team building and sharing/coaching

I'm also trying to figure out ... "Why am I trying to adjust my current life?"  Yes, I am miserable in MN when it gets cold and dark. I get depressed and lonely. But maybe I could make it work (still want to move at some point...).  I think the root is that my lead value after "stability" is taken care of is "adventure". I want to change in life for the adventure. Can I sustain a life of adventure from MN? Do I need to just avoid the cold/dark winters there? I love MN summers. I don't feel as connected to the MN people as I do people in other communities, but maybe that is me... maybe it was easier to make friends in CA or DC or TN because I was young and everything was new... 

Here are my notes on the Purpose Chapter
Passion + Expertise + Usefulness = Dharma.

Quadrants of Potential   

Skill but no Passion	Skill and Passion
	Making Graphs Strategic Thinking / Problem Solving Business Strategy
No Skill and No Passion	No Skill but Passion
Physical Trades (Drywall)	Racing Ironmans League of Legends

I took the Varna assessment and came out mostly Creator. 

 

Questions from the book:

Do you like your job? 

  Yes

Do you love your job? 

   Yes

Are you good at your job? 

Yes - considering how few hours a week I do it, I'm pretty efficient at it and could do more if we needed to grow.

Do other people need and appreciate your work?

I don't know.  I know Kim appreciates the way we balance each others skills. I don't think of clients as somebody I'm helping. I think of the crew as somebody I am working for, but often I think they just vew me as somebody who periodically works and has a life they don't understand (I "need" them to work 40hrs a week doing physical things because I can't).  

Is your greatest skill or passion outside your work?

  Yes

What is it?

  Maintaining a work/life balance. I am focused on being physically and mentally fit as I age.

Do you dream of making it your work?

I don't think this fits... but what if my work became helping people learn how to live?  I am barely able to hold onto the balance of work/life myself and when I try to help Kim revalue her work/life I fail and convey what I've learned and am not even sure it’s applicable to her stochic mentality and superb work ethic. Maybe she is too close to me (I work with her so work/life is a hard thing to balance together in 4 dimensions)... maybe if I helped somebody else first? 

Do you think this is an attainable dream? 

I don't really understand how this is applicable... I have a dream life... if I could dream of a better life I would make that my life....

Do you think there might be ways you could bring your passion to your work? 

This question also isn't really a good question... I work so I can live, I no longer live so I can work.  I work the minimal amount needed to live the maximum life I can... during the minimal amount of work time I try to make it as efficient as possible and focus on doing things I'm good at and bring value... I could "bring value" socially or in service to others... but I choose to "bring value" doing something I like (but dont' love) for work ... but once I have enough $$ from the minimal work... I no longer see a need to collect more $$$ just because I could.

Write down any ideas you have for bringing your passion to the universe.

After this exercise, I added one to the list above of potential "work" related things for 55-65 years old.  I added the idea of A-Typical IRONMAN Training. I know I have a passion and expertise around fitness analytics, I also have a unique experience around being a Vegan-Clydesdale-Master-BumKnee IRONMAN... I don't want to create a business... but I could provide "service" to other people who are looking for information on how to train for their first IRONMAN if they are Obese or Older or Plant-Based (I would avoid the knee thing as I'm not a doctor and don't want to hurt anybody).  I brainstormed some models of it (the community needs a name). I would provide "free" coaching to people... but ask them to donate money to a purse if they join the club... The purse would be split by all people who are in the club and become an IRONMAN for the first time.  They would be encouraged to donate it, but could get it as cash... the idea would be to create a motivational community, and some people like the "diet bet" (.. if they have to pay a bit each time I analyze their data being what is generally available it may minimize people abusing my "free" consulting.)

Summary:

I don't think I need to adjust my "work" to align with my "purpose" because I have the ideal life... my work is simply a means to an end and I try to minimize time spent on it while doing things I enjoy and am good at.... I am going to re-read this chapter... but instead of using "work" as the thing I adjust for "purpose"... I'm going to think "way of thinking" as the thing I adjust for "purpose".  I spent a lot of time in my way of thinking trying to optimize "work"... instead of making a list of things to do, I should make a list of things to be.

So instead of:

Passion + Expertise + Usefulness = Dharma.

Current: 

MINIMIZE_BUT_FINISH(Analytics + Business Strategy + Helping Prima)

MAX(Adventure+CalculatedRisks+Self Discovery)  

Future Adding the Atypical IRONMAN such that I would be doing two Dharmas: 

MINIMIZE_BUT_FINISH(Analytics + Business Strategy + Helping Prima)

MAX(Analytics + Atypical IRONMAN + Helping Others )

What if the future was

MINIMIZE_BUT_FINISH(Analytics + Business Strategy + Helping Prima)

MAX(Adventure+Mindfulness+Enlightened) 

 I tried to explain this to Kim. Her response wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought her response was going to be something along the likes of being happy that I realized that I have an ideal life. She didn’t pull that thread, at all. I’m sure she is… I know her. But her response caught me off guard. She pointed out that it isn’t viable for people with responsibilities to just walk away from those responsibilities and that I have a lot of privilege (no debt, etc). I don’t think I communicated well because when I said “if I didn’t like my life I would change it” she told me it isn’t viable for people just to move to Mexico full time like the fisherman story from a few days ago…. I am not proposing even I live in Cozumel full time.  But I am celebrating that I am happy with my work/life balance and know that if I try to find purpose in work or even align my work with my purpose I would go balls deep into it again and lose myself again. Not willing to do that. I’ve got a great life. 

She changed to the topic to tell me about the electrician and some other work stuff… then the noise from the wind was too much for her and we stopped talking. I’m sure we will talk again soon… we tried 

The second attempt came out as smooth as a wet fart in church. A mother fucking mariachi band started playing 10 feet from me

 I wanted to share I am a recovering workaholic and if I make my dharma (life purpose) aligned with work I will go balls deep in that wonderful white pile of powder. I am focusing on working just enough and living as much as possible. I am super good at making and accomplishing lists of things to do… but I don’t have any lists of things to be…

Also… I LOVE MY LIFE. What if I stopped questing to make it better by doing things and start making my Purpose to try to BE:

• Grateful
• Content 
• Warm-hearted
• Fit physically
• Fit mentally