Satisfaction Is My Inspiration

Friday, November 20th, 2009

I was asked via email what my inspiration is, what gives me the most joy and energy. Truthfully, up until now I hadn’t spent a great deal of time thinking about the answer, but when I wrote it all down in response to the question, I realised it actually made a lot of sense and was subsequently worth posting here. Chime in with what your inspiration is in the comments, and really think about the answer.

I can’t put my finger on why I’m so pumped to work, but even at 16 my school friends were out getting drunk and I was setting up a record label. I remember my mum telling me she thought I was odd.

I’m easily inspired, easily excitable, and so everything is an opportunity for me to do something. I know “something” isn’t descriptive, but that’s because I’m not sure what it is. I just want to do something. Maybe I shouldn’t admit to this, but I’m afraid of being a failure. I have failed in the past, many times. I have lost my business’ money, I have lost my own money. I’m not afraid of failure in the sense that I won’t go after what I want to achieve, otherwise that would leave no room for success. But I am afraid of failing because I haven’t even tried.

My dad is dead, but I want to make him proud. My mum and I are close, and I want to be able to provide for her. But ultimately, I want to feel a sense of satisfaction in my daily life that can only arise from doing these things I love. There you go, that’s your answer, I got there in the end; satisfaction is my inspiration.

And that leads onto what gives me the most joy, the most energy. Seeing something you’ve done – a decision you’ve made, a website you’ve built, a product/service you sell – be a success or get a reaction. Those things take time, and when you finally get there it’s like a drug. It’s addictive. I can’t wait to unveil Robot Panties. Sure, it will disappoint a lot of people, but it’s something I’ve worked so hard on and will continue to do so. Imagine the satisfaction I will feel building it up from nothing, just an idea, into something.

If you’ve figured out what you want to do then there’s nothing stopping you from going after it. Sure, time and money are the immediate restrictions I can think of, but in the long term you can make it happen by building up to it. I don’t know if you saw that tweet I posted a few weeks back? If you do nothing each day, at the end of the year it adds up to nothing. If you do a little each day, at the end of the year it adds up to a lot.

Tags: Inspiration, Robot Panties
Posted in Work | 5 Comments »

Robot Panties Update

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

If you’re reading my blog for the first time and wondering what Robot Panties is, I’ve yet to unveil exactly that, so it’s ok to be confused. I figured it would be cool to work on this, then say “Hey, look what I did” at the end of it all.

Behind the scenes in the Robot Factory, I’ve been quietly continuing work on my modest, little project; my creative outlet that is otherwise known as Robot Panties (I still can’t say that with a serious face). Initially I had pencilled in a launch for Summer, but with the Winter months fast approaching yet no sign of my rusty, tin headed friend making his debut, it’s safe to say I have indeed underestimated the complications of launching a business.

I could have pushed Robot Panties live by now, but there’s a reason I didn’t. And the reason is simple. It’s the importance of being affiliated with something you’re proud of.

It would have been easy for me to charge through the entire process only to get what I’m doing out the door, yet having something I’m not 100% satisfied with. And however my little venture pans out, it will forever be associated with my name, so I better do it right. I guess it’s about taking pride in your work.

On that note, what the heck is going on?

Well, I am close to launching. I ran into major issues, and I had to have things reiterated several times. Not just that, but it was a little like chinese whispers with several different groups of people involved. Information was being passed back and forth, and at times it felt needless and I was playing ‘the middle man’ role. It was frustrating, and for a few months I definitely wasn’t happy with how things were panning out. Not to mention I have invested a lot of money into this, and since I’ve yet to launch, I’ve obviously not seen any return. That’s stressful.

Now I’m glad I persevered, but there’s still loose ends to be tied up before I can unveil. I’m nervous as it’s definitely not something that will appeal to everyone, but because I’ve been tight lipped about it, a lot of people who’s interests fall outside of the circle that Robot Panties relates to have taken an interest in it.

In regards to deadlines, while I think it’s worth setting them, it’s also worth bearing in mind that complications can arise that throw you off your intended track (and consequently why I think 5 year plans suck). I beat myself up about this, but when I actually think of the reason I started this, it was to learn and gain experience. And that’s exactly what is happening.

Tags: Business, Robot Panties
Posted in Work | 2 Comments »

Drums, Rails, Robots

Monday, September 7th, 2009

I know this is lame given it’s only September, but this year has been incredible for me. I don’t know how many of you believe in or follow astrology like myself, but 2009 saw Jupiter return to Aquarius; a year long transit which happens only once every 12 years. Basically this sets all us Aquas up for a potentially fruitful 12 months, which has definitely been the case for myself.

At the beginning of the year, whilst not subscribing to any New Year resolutions, I promised myself I’d get back into drumming. I also wanted to start a project of my own outside of my insurance business, and I wanted to dedicate a lot of time to learning Rails.

Let there be drums

Drumming used to be my identity. I was 14 when my dad spontaneously brought home a 5-piece acoustic kit. I parked my backside on the leathery stool, curiously latched onto a pair of 7As, and I let myself fall madly in love. From that moment onwards, music was all I could think about. I gave up playing after my dad died, only because the business required most of my time and energy. Now I’ve got to a decent stage with work where I can let my mind wander onto other things.

Only recently have I been presented with the perfect opportunity to get back into drumming. I’ve scored unused office space which I have access to 7 days a week. It’s a 20 minute drive from my house and everything is safe and secure. Now my kit, which hasn’t seen the light of day in roughly 4 years, is getting a good thrashing on a regular basis. I can’t begin to put into words how happy this has made me.

Ruby on Rails

I’m still chugging away with Rails, and yes, I am getting more comfortable with it, but it’s going to take time for me to get to the stage I hope to be at. A big inspiration has been Hellamega, or more specifically Andrew Cornett. He’s the guy behind Live for Fame, which you may have seen me Tweeting about once or twice.

Upon asking him how he got to the stage where he was coding (fabulous) sites in Rails, he answered “Just reading most of the books you’ve got, and looking around at tutorials online”. This has encouraged me to keep chipping away at it, because now I know that how I am learning is capable of taking me to the level Andrew is at.

Other than that…

Have you noticed a change in the pictures I’ve been taking? Since getting my camera last year, I told myself I’d learn how to properly use it. Man, I’m such a procrastinator! Fortunately Rick has shared his knowledge on the subject, and it’s been invaluable in helping me improve. Not that I want to take photography any further than a hobby, but I definitely want to make the most of what I can do with my camera. I think Santa is going to bring me a Speedlite.

On the rusty, tin covered side of things, a lot of people have asked whether I’ve turned my back on Robot Panties, perhaps spurred by the ever increasing silence from my robot friend? The answer is NO, of course not. Problems were inevitably encountered, but I’ve been working hard at solving them behind the scenes. I’m still not sure what to expect when it comes to launching. Ideally I want to use this as a platform for experimentation; trying different techniques with marketing, stamping my personality on it, generally adding to my experience in business.

I’m also finding I have to take an in-depth look at my time management skills (or lack there of). In terms of work, I’m not being as efficient as I know I can be. I have to figure out how to effectively make the most of my working hours considering I have a seemingly insurmountable list of things to do. This is the problem with working within a small company – delegating isn’t always a viable option, so you often find yourself taking on board most of the work. If anyone has links to insightful articles on time management, please fire them over here!

What have you been up to?

Tags: Robot Panties, Ruby on Rails
Posted in Personal, Work | 5 Comments »