This has been frequently requested of me ever since my earlier post about ‘The Six Month Conversation’ resonated with so many people. This follow up is about the framework Alexis and I devised with hopes of guiding our life journey together independently and as a couple. I know this post is arriving several years late, after tons of requests, so thanks everybody for your patience!
I (somewhat) recently attended Traction Conf 2016. The second day of this event opened with a fireside chat between Justin Kan of Y Combinator and Kristina Shen of Bessemer Ventures. The conversation was generally interesting and useful, but there was one specific idea that stood out to me the most:
The Shitty First Draft
The idea that one should put something out when it's reached a basically useful state (a.k.a. MVP), become motivated that it's in the public (ish) sphere, and continue to iterate upon this first draft to make progressive improvements.
I decided to make some major life changes at the start of 2016. This was due to a number of factors, including health troubles, and something else that I couldn't explain.
A question many posed to me is whether I chose to take a sabbatical because my career wasn't going anywhere. To be honest, this couldn't be further from the truth. At the time, I was with Avanade and on a very solid career track within the company as well the area of industry where I was focused. Life was going great no matter how you looked at it, but something didn't feel right - it was this inexplicable feeling that led me to decide to pursue something else that was not in a career-oriented direction.
After carefully considering what I wanted to do, I chose to term my break as a "sabbatical" because it best aligned with what I was seeking…
Continuing along... what happens towards the halfway mark of time invested in personal development?
Wedding planning trip to Pemberton, BC to work meet with our photographer, chef.
Attend the Annual Ceremonial Review for 888 Avenger Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron, representing the Kiwanis Club of Vancouver in the review party and presenting the award for Top Instructor.
Ongoing things: quality family time, wedding planning activities, dedicated time for the Kiwanis Club of Vancouver, ultimate frisbee league, Weekly Coffee Hour, volunteering with Working Gear, and an unhealthy amount of time on Quora through it all…
Rounding out into the second month of time focused on personal growth and discovery... these are the notes I jot down as I went along:
Draft a lot of content, but not end up publishing it for various reasons (mostly perfectionism)
Continue taking the stairs
Update LinkedIn profile and clean up connections
Take a two week trip to San Francisco where I. I made a map of places I went and things I did. Visit C100, see public spaces (apparently called POPOS)…
So what happened during the first month I took for my sabbatical?
These are the notes I jot down as I ventured into this time off and commented on afterward.
Finish work, watch Tesla Model 3 unveiling, then disconnect
To kick things off, the first thing I did was digitally disconnect for 30 hours. Followed up by first ever visit to Float House.
Put together a personal website, something that's been (a low priority) on my to-do list for a couple of years..
Imagine spending two weeks, starting tomorrow, living in a remote area with no electronic devices. Does this 'disconnected' scenario greatly appeal to you or does it freak you out more than you'd care to admit?
In our rapidly changing world where technological marvels are appearing one after another in quick succession, it's easy to get caught up in the rush of of it all. We are constantly connected to different devices so we can stay informed, keep in touch with people, and entertain ourselves. I admit to being a strong advocate for utilizing technology in innovative ways that integrate with and improve our lives.
The flip side, however...
