Every so often, nature provides humanity with a profound and unexpected gift. Consider the distance from the Earth to the Sun: much closer, and life as we know it is burnt to a crisp, unable to exist; and much further away and liquid water doesn’t exist on the surface.
There are several moments when a 'personal crisis' pushed me towards certain positive choices. I am thinking above all of the changes that a difficult moment can stimulate, such as the work changes that you suggested. I think that naturally these are difficult moments to face, in which willpower is needed above all, but in my opinion it is important to take the right time to reflect on the status quo and on what realistically could be done instead, and on the steps immediate ones that can be implemented for a new direction.
Good way to put it, Riccardo! I like the idea of removing the "social noise" from what you see as best you can. Like you said, take a look at the state of things as they are, and ask yourself what parts of it you can impact through your actions. Make sure you're right, and double check your work.
Aaah yes, the "I'm Not A Cat" lawyer was a true Pandemic Classic!
Corona is actually responsible for perhaps the biggest direction change of my life.
When the lockdown in Denmark started, I was still working as head of cotent in a Danish event ticketing company. At the same time, kingergartens were closed. So we were two full-time-working parents stuck at home with a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old.
That month was brutal. We were caught between either:
a) Letting a toddler and preschooler watch way more TV than usual and be massively understimulated while we focused on our work-from-home tasks.
b) Spending time with the kids and ignoring work during the day, only to fall behind on stuff and having to catch up in the evening when the kids went to bed.
But because lockdowns also meant no more events, my company was barely surviving. (No events = no event ticketing.) So about a month into the lockdown, our boss had to make the tough call and the entire growth team, including myself, were laid off.
Up to that point, I'd been working my entire adult life and had never been without a job before.
But all I remember is feeling a massive sense of relief. I took the kids out to a nearby playground for 2 hours of guilt-free playtime for the first time in weeks.
And then my wife and I treated this as a blessing in disguise. She earns enough for the both of us, so instead of diving into full-time work, I started freelancing.
To this day, that's our division of responsibilities. She works full time. I freelance and take care of the kids and the house.
Four years in, and I'd say we're doing pretty well.
I love it! Being able to pivot like this is something I'd like to write about at some point. Mind if I share some of what you wrote here at some point?
Well, I did have the luxury of Denmark's safety net and my wife's income. But yes, it's been a good decision for the family overall. (Also, I'm quite sure I wouldn't have started Why Try AI if I were still working fulltime.)
And sure, there's nothing secret here, so feel free to share if it makes sense in some context.
It's a pretty important inflection point for you, and I guess it has been similar for me. The word "crisis" conjures up panic and tragedy, but if you look at what's going on, there's mainly a lot of change. Change need not be tragic or panic-inducing.
I don't because I don't have them. Crises are supposed to be things that affect whole countries and the world- normal people just have "problems". When Richard Nixon wrote his book "Six Crises" he wasn't talking about his personal life.
I've gone through a few times of emergency with my loved ones. I'd previously thought of myself as the type who falls apart under pressure, but age brought a surprise in the form of selfless competence in a pinch. Not everyone (looking at you, self involved sisters in law and insufferably egotistical uncle) seems able to perceive which player in a particular situation (e.g., dad in hospice) is the one we all must agree and conspire to support.
Thank you so much for the post. I was really depressed these days because of some personal affairs, but your post made me laugh. Yeah if we were able to face a crisis situation with positive mindset and view the difficulty as a little challenge, we will be much stronger afterwards.
There are several moments when a 'personal crisis' pushed me towards certain positive choices. I am thinking above all of the changes that a difficult moment can stimulate, such as the work changes that you suggested. I think that naturally these are difficult moments to face, in which willpower is needed above all, but in my opinion it is important to take the right time to reflect on the status quo and on what realistically could be done instead, and on the steps immediate ones that can be implemented for a new direction.
Good way to put it, Riccardo! I like the idea of removing the "social noise" from what you see as best you can. Like you said, take a look at the state of things as they are, and ask yourself what parts of it you can impact through your actions. Make sure you're right, and double check your work.
My life is governed by my anxiety, so yes.
I feel the weight of the world when I look out into it. I think we share that.
Aaah yes, the "I'm Not A Cat" lawyer was a true Pandemic Classic!
Corona is actually responsible for perhaps the biggest direction change of my life.
When the lockdown in Denmark started, I was still working as head of cotent in a Danish event ticketing company. At the same time, kingergartens were closed. So we were two full-time-working parents stuck at home with a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old.
That month was brutal. We were caught between either:
a) Letting a toddler and preschooler watch way more TV than usual and be massively understimulated while we focused on our work-from-home tasks.
b) Spending time with the kids and ignoring work during the day, only to fall behind on stuff and having to catch up in the evening when the kids went to bed.
But because lockdowns also meant no more events, my company was barely surviving. (No events = no event ticketing.) So about a month into the lockdown, our boss had to make the tough call and the entire growth team, including myself, were laid off.
Up to that point, I'd been working my entire adult life and had never been without a job before.
But all I remember is feeling a massive sense of relief. I took the kids out to a nearby playground for 2 hours of guilt-free playtime for the first time in weeks.
And then my wife and I treated this as a blessing in disguise. She earns enough for the both of us, so instead of diving into full-time work, I started freelancing.
To this day, that's our division of responsibilities. She works full time. I freelance and take care of the kids and the house.
Four years in, and I'd say we're doing pretty well.
I love it! Being able to pivot like this is something I'd like to write about at some point. Mind if I share some of what you wrote here at some point?
Well, I did have the luxury of Denmark's safety net and my wife's income. But yes, it's been a good decision for the family overall. (Also, I'm quite sure I wouldn't have started Why Try AI if I were still working fulltime.)
And sure, there's nothing secret here, so feel free to share if it makes sense in some context.
It's a pretty important inflection point for you, and I guess it has been similar for me. The word "crisis" conjures up panic and tragedy, but if you look at what's going on, there's mainly a lot of change. Change need not be tragic or panic-inducing.
That depends on what you mean by "crisis"- it's one of those English words whose actual meaning and application have been diluted through over-use.
How do you use it on a daily basis?
I don't because I don't have them. Crises are supposed to be things that affect whole countries and the world- normal people just have "problems". When Richard Nixon wrote his book "Six Crises" he wasn't talking about his personal life.
Would you say you use it on a weekly basis?
gigglesnort!
….that cat/attorney clip was hilarious! I had it on repeat in 2021😂
This got us through some dark times!
I've gone through a few times of emergency with my loved ones. I'd previously thought of myself as the type who falls apart under pressure, but age brought a surprise in the form of selfless competence in a pinch. Not everyone (looking at you, self involved sisters in law and insufferably egotistical uncle) seems able to perceive which player in a particular situation (e.g., dad in hospice) is the one we all must agree and conspire to support.
Family situations are where this gets the ugliest.
But good for you for evolving under pressure!
Thank you so much for the post. I was really depressed these days because of some personal affairs, but your post made me laugh. Yeah if we were able to face a crisis situation with positive mindset and view the difficulty as a little challenge, we will be much stronger afterwards.
That's awesome! I'm so glad I could help a little. :)