Tag: writing

New pathways – leopards can change their spots.

Posted on by philipdodson

It’s 11.32 pm Friday night, I’d fallen asleep watching an episode of Sons of Anarchy. I woke and realised that I hadn’t done my 750Words for today.

I have religiously done 11 days in a row.

I was going to give in and not do this today, I said ‘don’t be too hard on yourself, you can’t expect realistically to do every single day’

So here I am at my desk at home listening to Ian Brown F.E.A.R. and you know what, I am doing my 750 words, I am not a quitter and it’s not about sheer will power, it’s about a determination to do something because I have a reason and a strong reason.

I know that I am a good writer and I know that if I practice, I will get even better. I have always wanted to write and I want to write a book, may be more than one, but one to start with would be great.

This is all part of my desire to deal with the gremlins in my head, the ‘truths’ that we all tell ourselves. Guess what if we tell ourselves these ‘truths’ often enough. Then they become the ‘truths’ that we believe and start to allow our lives to be determined by.

Well I have had enough of allowing the so called ‘truths’ about me, that I have told myself over many years, continue to stop me doing the things that I really want.

We all have them, those limiting beliefs, that prevent us for getting to the goals and dreams that we want to achieve.

I wrote only a couple of days ago about the ‘why’ power and that if we aligned this with our values then we would continue to do the hard work necessary to achieve our goals.

This is true, but there is one other factor that stands in the way of progress. That is the gremlins, the limiting beliefs, the untruths that we turn in to the truths. These gremlins as you get older become more stubborn and difficult to remove.

So that’s why I am sitting here doing this commitment.

This is one of those days, where the gremlin would have normally taken over and stopped me from going on.

Even though I am tired and probably not at my best for writing anything that will make a great deal of sense, I am here 404 words down, writing.

The longer we allow these so called truths about ourselves to remain unchallenged, the deeper they become ingrained and the more we act upon them without even realising that we are doing so.

The fact is that we can change anything within ourselves, if we are prepared to tackle them and if we are prepared to stick to it religiously to change, what after all is only a habit.

It’s a bit like a path through the forest. The path is the bad path that we walk every day and that path stays free and remains clear through the thick forest undergrowth.

So we decide we want to cut a new path. So we get out our machete and we start to cut a new one. On the first day it’s really hard work and we make a little progress. We start to make a new one. Each day that we go back to the new path and cut a bit more, the new pathway starts to open up and over many weeks of hard work, we get a new path.

The old one is now starting to get a little more overgrown every day that we don’t return to it. Eventually with enough time it will become overgrown and disappear.

This is what happens in our brains, if we work hard and long enough on something, the connections fade and new ones are made.

This is how you deal with removing the untruths, that we have held as truths for as long as we have kept walking that same path.

This is the amazing thing about life and it is the reason that I no longer believe, that we are what we are and some things just can’t be changed. The leopard can change it’s spots, it can become different.

So next time you are telling yourself something about you, that you believe is a ‘truth’, then ask yourself, if it’s really true. If you are not happy with that truth, if it makes you feel bad about yourself, then it’s time to believe that you can change that and cut a new pathway.

I’ve finished my 750 words for today, it took me 23 minutes to do and it has helped me to continue to cut that new path, had I not done day 12, some of the new path would have become a bit overgrown.

Freedom

Posted on by philipdodson

Freedom

Day 3 of 750Words.com and I’m getting addicted to this.

Today has been a great day and is one of those days that make you feel alive. I started the day of #AtTheHUb (@Work Hubs my co-working space) with a great networking breakfast that we host every 2 weeks for 4Networking.

I always love these meetings as it’s a chance to further connections and create new ones. That is so important to life. I no longer feel I work, I feel life is a series of connections and some lead to absolutely nothing and others lead to great things, that’s not measured by money.

I have been a member of 4N for about 3-4 years and it’s only in the last 1 & 1/2 that I have really got it and started to see the benefits of just building relationships. So many people use networking to sell their stuff, often relentlessly. I use it to make connections and build relationships, I never look at it as an opportunity to make money.

The fact is, that when people trust, know and like you, they will buy your stuff over ‘randoms’, when the need arises. So you can be completely chilled about it and not look at everything with the ‘ROI specs’ on.

The benefits I get in terms of advice, connections, fun and friendship will always outweigh whatever financial benefits that might come.

After that I headed over to Hackney Wick to catch up with Bernie & Neil, my #iCollDay buddies (International Collaboration Day) at 90 Mainyard, my favourite co-working space after the hub. Always enjoy these meets and today was an important one in terms of cementing the future of this event/movement (we’re changing the world as we know it LOL).

My top core value is freedom, not like the freedom to lie about on a beach all day or to roam the planet like a nomad. I mean the freedom to make my own choices, decide my own direction in life and be free to pursue the dreams/goals that I have.

So days like today remind me that I have that freedom to choose what I do and when I do it, one of the biggest pluses of self-employment.

So many are stuck in jobs that they hate and are trapped by needed to earn enough money to live the lifestyle that we’re all ‘sold’.

Therefore, I am grateful that I can do what I want, which also means that I need to stay focused and use the time wisely to ensure I stay free and happy. In order to maintain this freedom I need to work hard.

There are no short-cuts to success in life in whatever you are doing or want to achieve. There must be ownership of your life, commitment, discipline and responsibility.

I am now sitting writing my 750 words for the 3rd day in a row, this discipline is important for me in a number of ways.

Firstly, I want to improve my writing, as I have always wanted to write a book. So like anything in life, if you want to get better, there is no substitute for hard work and practice. As one famous golfer said ‘the more I practice, the luckier I get’.

The second thing about doing this every day, is it allows me to think, reflect and go through what is happening. We are all guilty of going from one day to another without reviewing or reflecting.

The third benefit to this, is a time-out from the normal daily routines, which is a huge benefit. I put my headphones on, music playing and I drift off in to my own thoughts and world. Otherwise you run ragged.

Lastly, if the piece isn’t up to scratch it doesn’t matter, as it is my choice to share it or not. So it’s a great place to brain dump, let off steam, and to exercise the mind.

Today, hasn’t finished yet, I am about to catch up with Bernie on what’s happening in the sharing economy. Instead of doing this in a stuffy meeting room, we are going to take a walk through The Olympic Park to Stratford.

This is another benefit of the freedom of self-employment, you don’t have to follow the old school norms that are ingrained in to most organisations.

Lastly, the best part of the day for me is the evening walks I do with #TeamDodson (my family). We have been going for a walk most evenings now altogether, as often as we can, for about an hour. We walk through the countryside around where we live. It’s chance to talk about our days and to share stuff, at the same time as getting some good exercise.