Tag: Philip Dodson

Coming back from the wilderness at a farm

Posted on by philipdodson

I feel like the last few years that I have been in the wilderness.

I stopped running my own businesses about 4 years ago, I took some time out, then my Mum passed away and COVID hit and then the last 3 years or so I have been inside a bubble.

After a working career of 15 years of running and building businesses for others, sitting on corporate boards and travelling all over the world, then running my own businesses for nearly 20 years after that…I NEEDED A FUCKING BREAK!

It’s interesting, we think when we have all the time in the world, that we will do everything that we kid ourselves we don’t have time for now…laugh out loud, we don’t.

The biggest challenge when you go from the crazy, stupid, busy insanity and stressed to nothing is that you have all the time in the world to think.

Thinking is the root of all of our woes. The more we think, the more we suffer. The psychological fear of the uncertain future is the killer. The ‘what if’ and ‘what now?’ conversations drain you.

About 5 months ago, I saw a job advert and just went for it and got a job!!! A job, something I’d not had since my mid-30s. The great news is, it is a job where I do not have to commute, it’s a mile from home, it’s working in a dairy at a fab bio-dynamic farm where we already get all our food from, I do not have to make decisions, I do not have to sit in meetings, I do not have to worry about anything other than helping to make delicious yoghurts and other stuff. I am part of a community and it feels meaningful.

And guess what? I stopped FUCKING THINKING all day long.

I am back from my wilderness and I feel like I am ready to take on the world…of course, one step at a time.

Rebuilding

Posted on by philipdodson

Rebuilding habits.

Here I am, doing my blog…three days in a row now!!

So what!!

Well, I blogged every single day for 6+ years and then lost the habit.

I’m trying to start it again. Habits are like driving your car. All the effort and fuel is used getting the car from a standstill to a steady speed. Once you reach a steady speed, especially on the open road, then the momentum carries the car along without the need for too much more fuel and energy.

It’s the same with any habit, getting started and building momentum is the hard part.

It’s doubly hard when you stop something after so long to get that started again.

You feel like you have been there and done it.

There is something for me to learn here. Try, if possible, to not stop a good thing once you have it going.

Of course, there are times when we need a break from our routines, some time to freshen up and come back with more energy. That’s what I needed.

However, the longer we leave something, the harder it is to restart. As the amount thinking time increases so does the level of inertia.

Let’s see how it goes…3 days is a start. So I am happy.