Big Dreams in 2013

This year is going to be huge for you!

It's going to be your best year ever, and your dreams are going to come true -- so make them Big Ones!

What would you like to be doing, right now, if money was no object? By December 2013, if you focus on achieving it, I guarantee you'll be doing that thing, and loving it!

12 months is a long time - whole cities have been transformed in that time. Imagine what could happen to your life, with a bit of focussed effort?

You can do it. I know you can, because you're Incredible! :)

I can't wait to see how much you've grown by next year! Have fun!

Does God Exist?

Is there a God? 

That’s a good question for a Friday afternoon. In my opinion, I think there might be. I doubt there's a “God” in the sense that Christians or Muslims, or any other followers of man-made organised religion would describe it, as that would be an incredibly weird, petty and confusing God.

Why would a “God” be at all bothered about the actions of individual tiny humans, and whether they spent time praying to him or not? If there really was a God, in that sense, then the influx of calls and prayers he must receive in one day would be staggering.

OK, so you might say: "He’s God, He’s omnipotent, He can see into all our hearts and hear our thoughts... blah di blah." To me, the idea that any God would decree that human beings must do certain things, such as not work on the Sabbath, or not eat pork, or covet his neighbour’s ox, etc. just smacks of humans trying to gain control over others by setting rules. That’s all organised religion is, at the end of the day – 1% of the people hold the power, usually middle-aged or older men, over the other 99% of the people.

It’s good for the 1% if the majority continue to believe that if they live their lives quietly according to the “commandments”, if they do as they’re told and don’t cause a fuss, then they’ll be rewarded “in the next world” – whether that be heaven, or reincarnation, or some other afterlife existence. The powerful minority might even hold that belief themselves, or they might not, but I bet they’re happy for the rest of the people to keep turning up and paying their monetary contributions to the church for a new roof, or for the new Pope-mobile.

Wonder what their “God” would make of that?

But this post isn't about the evils of organised religion; I’ll save that for another day. I'm actually quite open to the existence of God. In a Universe as infinitely large and boundless as ours, with the potential for multiple other universes adjacent to/around/within it, there must be room for a God to exist.

What form that God would take, obviously we can’t be sure, but I like to imagine that the Romans and Vikings were along the right lines when they made up their tales of magical beings with super powers who could play with the lives of humans on a whim, and had story-lines involving births, marriages and deaths that any Soap scriptwriter would be proud of. Of course, they’re probably no closer to reality than the God of the Old Testament, but at least they’re more interesting to read about.

The main reason I don’t think there’s a “God” is that it’s never been proven to me. Ask anyone religious to prove why they believe what they do, and the answer is invariably the same: “I don’t need proof, I have faith!” 

Well, faith’s all well and good, but that’s not really a proper answer, especially for a physicist. I want to have concrete evidence that God exists, and not in the words or books written by monks thousands of years ago, or in so-called “miracles”, but in genuine experiential terms. And that’s (probably) never going to happen.

Also, I don’t see why an all-knowing, all-powerful God would allow/create such terrible and tragic things as cancer, AIDS or Hitler, unless they had a pretty bizarre sense of humour, or were imparting truly cruel punishments on Mankind. I honestly wouldn't want that type of God to exist, and I certainly wouldn't worship them if they did!

If there is a God, it’s much more likely that He/She would be more concerned with the life-cycles of stars and galaxies than with tiny bipeds living on a blue-green rock around a yellow star in the midst of gazillions of other stars, but you never know. There may be a God who is omnipotent. We may truly be “God’s children”, made in their image, and looked over by them for ever more... I doubt it, but if there is a God, I wish he’d hurry up and answer my prayers and let me win the lottery!

Of course, if there is no God, then I only have a 1 in 14 million chance of winning the lottery, so even if I keep buying a ticket every single week, it would take me about 270,000 years to win, statistically speaking. I guess the moral is that I’ll have to take responsibility for my own life, and take control of my own destiny. 

No matter what you believe in, whether it’s the existence of God or Allah or Humpty Dumpty, there’s bound to be millions of other people who believe in something else, which might seem utterly absurd to you. That’s the wonder of human beings - we all have brains, and most of us can decide for ourselves whether to believe in God or not, rather than simply taking for granted what parents, friends or dictators, or bloggers might say.

Most people don’t have the time or inclination to reflect on their own beliefs, and why they hold them.

Sometimes it’s easier to just accept what we’re told. What about you? What do you believe?

The World is Full of Amazing People

During the past couple of weeks, I've set out on a new adventure - creating a website using Site Build It!

And already it's opened my eyes up to a lot of different groups of people out there who are all doing amazing and imaginative things with their lives.

People such as Danny Wallace and all his Joinees in the Join Me forum - well worth a look if you're intrigued by the idea of random acts of kindness (RAOKs), and creating a community based on good karma.

And Just Joe Average, with his thought-provoking blog  about aspects of life we don't spend enough time thinking about.

The founders of Book Crossing - what a simple yet amazing idea!

And everywhere you look on Twitter, there are people with fascinating stories, jobs and hobbies.

There are so many different ways to make a living Outside the Box of regular 9 to 5 income. Sure, it's great that people are bus drivers, bank clerks, office staff... I'm sure the world would grind to a halt if all those people ditched in their jobs and decided to follow their dreams...

Or would it?

On an iPhone game I play occasionally (read: daily) called Tiny Tower, the aim is to have happy citizens populating your tower, each doing their "dream job". The game makes it easy though, by telling you how much someone would like a certain type of job, and even what their ideal job would be.

If only real life was like that!

We aren't born with sticky notes on our heads, setting out which industry or location we're destined to end up working. Most of us have to flail around aimlessly, until we stumble into something that will do.

That's why I think it's important to get to know your own likes and dislikes as much as you can.

Take time out to think about what makes you happy - and miserable - and focus on bringing as much of the good stuff into your life as possible.

We only get one life (except the Buddhists among us), and it is possible to have a really good one. Just don't worry about what others are doing.

They don't matter - you do!

Unless you find someone doing your dream job. Then you're fully entitled to stalk them and emulate what they do, and see if you can do it better. That's why mentors are so brilliant.

Just be yourself, and be happy. You Are Amazing!

How Do You Choose a Niche?

If you know you want to be your own boss, but you’re not sure where you should be focusing your energies, then you should think about choosing a niche.

Ideally, you'll find a speciality you love, something that will make you want to want to jump out of bed every morning and run to your office, ready to get to work with a smile on your face.

Having a niche will automatically make you more of an expert. For example, if you want to become a professional artist, you might experiment with watercolour, oils, graphite and sculpture, but it would take centuries to become a master artist in all those mediums. You’d be better off finding the field you feel most comfortable working in, and specialising in that.

It’s the same in any industry – it’s much easier to become really good at one or two things, and gain expert status in that niche. And generally expert status means more customers, more respect and a higher income!

If you’re struggling to think of a niche off the top of your head, try this exercise:

Take a piece of paper and divide it into two columns.

1. In the right column write a list of 10 things that make you happy. These could be anything from writing, designing or managing projects to horse riding on a deserted beach. If anything makes you smile just thinking about it, then write it down!
2. In the left hand column, write a list of 10 things that you’re good at. List here all your skills and positive attributes, and anything that you think you have the potential to be good at.
3. Finally, compare these columns and circle anything that overlaps the two. You might see a link that you wouldn’t have thought about before.

For example, if you enjoy painting and you’ve been told you’re a good teacher, then you might consider a new career as an art instructor or private tutor.

I recently helped a friend of mine to discover her niche using this technique. Her list of things that made her happy included being with children, and she realised that she could use her attributes of patience and kindness to work with children. She’s currently retraining to become a primary school teacher.

I’d love to hear how this works out for you. What will your niche be?

Question of the Day

How can I bring value to other people?

Did Einstein or Newton think about that, or did they just get on with what interested them?

Did Michelangelo lie awake at night thinking about increasing his “network”, or did he just take up a brush and start painting?

It’s a shame we can only have one life at a time – there’s a lot of things I’d like to do with mine, but each of them would probably involve a lot of training and time.

But what am I doing instead? Nothing. Just sitting thinking.

Poetry, science, art, psychology, astronomy, literature... I could delve into any one of them and find a million things to interest me. And yet when I try to focus on just one my brain goes blank.

I could throw myself into poetry, take courses, and practice it day and night. I’d probably make quite a name for myself in 5 to 10 years time.

I could travel round the world, learning about new cultures and different languages, writing and photographing as I go. I could study native animals, people, archaeology and gastronomy. All those things would bring excitement and happiness, right?

Or I could use my PhD in physics to do something remarkable in science. I could stalk top professors until they agree to take me on as their research assistant. I could spend hours buried in textbooks, dreaming up thought experiments, and solving science’s great mysteries. I could find the Higg’s boson (unless it’s already been found), or uncover the true nature of dark energy – is that what black holes are made of? There are a billion different questions that I could spend a lifetime trying to solve. And I could probably make a nice living doing it – the Nobel Prize money would come in very handy!

But what would I be sacrificing? My art, my love of books, or telling stories through the typed word?

Why am I even writing these words, and putting them out there? Do I hope someone will read it and give me the answer? Will anyone even care what I do?

Or should I shut up and get on with my day job. I have an easy life, answering information requests and taking minutes at meetings. I can carry on doing this job well for years if I choose. Nothing would change. The world wouldn’t end, and I’d never be in danger of failing anything.

Or would I?

Shiny Inspirational People

I thought it might be helpful to make a list of a few people who I hope one day to count as friends and colleagues in my independent, outside-the-box lifestyle.

All of these people are brilliant, switched-on people who are focussed on improving the world in their own way, and they're not the only ones. 

I'm sure there are plenty of other like-minded people out there, including you. 

Wouldn't it be amazing if we were all in a room together? Maybe we should make that happen...

Craig Ballantyne and Matt Smith at Early to Rise

Steve Roller at the Copywriter Cafe

Barbara Winter at Joyfully Jobless

Valerie Young at Changing Course

Chris Guillebeau at the Art of Non-Conformity

Andy Cope at The Art of Brilliance

Some other websites I've found inspirational include:

Sovereign Life

http://livingoutsideofthebox.com/category/about-us/

http://smartwomanonline.com/feature/2009/02/living-outside-the-box/

http://www.stevepavlina.com/

If you've found any of these links interesting, or have any suggestions to add, please let me know.

The Unconventional Future For All of Us

I’ve just stumbled on Chris Guillebeau’s site, and I’m so emotional I could weep – there’s someone out there who gets it too – and you know what, we’re not the only ones!

#1: What do you really want to get out of life?

A: I want to experience and observe as much as I can. I want to make a difference, and save humanity from the disastrous path it’s on. I want to find the answers to the big questions. I want to help people make their dreams come true.

#2: What can you offer the world that no one else can? 

My genius. My way of seeing things, and my compassion. My time and energy. I can offer myself.

The internet has changed the way we live our day to day lives, it’s changed the way we interact with others, and the way we view information.

But it hasn’t changed us.

We’re still people, with our own thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams.

In a thousand years from now, when the internet is a distant memory, and every trace of facebook is long gone, there will still be people. Human beings living their lives the best way they know how.

I’m here now, and this is my chance to make a mark on the world.  This is the perfect time to take action.

We need to look beyond online social profiles, and see the real people within. We need to remember who we are, and how to enjoy our lives.

I’m going to help people do just that. I’m going to remind them of their humanity, and set out a legacy for future generations.

In a thousand years, when people look back at 2012, they’ll see a golden age, when people started to truly connect with each other.

So go on, tell me who you are, and what your deepest hopes are for the future. Together, as a species, we can make all our dreams come true. 

Let's get started today.