3 Comments

1. 

   Noëlle Aicher on June 22, 2020 at 16:52

   In my ideal life, my home is part of my work and my work is part of my home. I produce windowpanes with stained glass and with slices of bullets. (I am looking to my online dictionary for these technical words in english, so there may be some strange expressions too;)

   I do this first for my own home and sometimes also for friends of mine or friends of my friends…getting some fresh olive oil or wood for the stove etc.

   The tricky thing about it: although I already did some practice, I still have to learn a lot about and don’t already have enough tools and materials. And there is the need of a separate space/room, because of dust, small glass pieces, some toxics and noise when doing some special steps like grind the freshly cut glass pieces.

   I do not really feel helpless about single steps from here to there, but rather about the whole thing (space, the costs, getting the needed informations , tools, practice, transports…)

   Every time I go to the basement here in my actual home, I feel my heart jumping about the door to my part of the basement. This door obviously is as old as the house, has seen and heard a lot, has been painted and decorated with I don’t not what kind of paint and pictures wich only left small holes in this wonderful simple door and it has a – window! I am thinking about to take it off and replace it with one made of myself. And honestly I would like to take the whole door with me some day like other doors and small things.

   Just now, writing this, I decide to take a photograph of the door. See you!

   Log in to Reply
2. 

   Sarah Cudmore on June 19, 2020 at 13:39

   Spooky synchronicity …. facing the ‘feeling helpless’ in terms of my computer / IT set-up has been a large part of my last two weeks on this course… updating all the software after months of putting it off… Which then led to a different problem of not being able to back up… That has now been sorted (yesterday – Hurray!). The other job – replacing all the printer inks… again, not run smooth – printer now not printing properly.

   I am smiling as I think about the clear evidence over the last two weeks of my default response feeling helpless – when I have to do something, I move to delegate as much as I can. The second is to ask for help from someone to show me how to do it. Currently waiting on a technical support person to phone me back about how to resolve the printing issue….

   Equally, I have found it very helpful to notice that what has worked for me when I feel the fear/ panic rising, to step away for a few minutes, have a break and think of other things I could try – moving the issue to ‘actions I am capable of’ instead of I can’t do this.

   It has also reminded me that when I first went free-lance I created a ‘board of directors/ advisors’ for my own mental comfort… various friends who agreed I could talk to them about specialist things should I need to as I developed my business skills. A few I explicitly asked upfront if I could ask for their input when needed for things I knew I would need help with – marketing, IT, deep specialists in my work area. A few were added over time for very specific challenges – ‘What to wear to a black tie dinner when I really want to feel very relaxed and comfortable and wear trousers?’ being the most memorable! However, it was the IT ‘director’ who got the most calls for a long time!! Having felt very uncomfortable asking for help, I found over time it strengthened my relationships with the people I ‘used’ in this way. And I found I could contribute in return in ways that were within my strengths / skills that they were less confident with.

   I still hate having to ‘do’ IT… but it is in the category of “I need to go to the dentist for my annual check’… something that maybe unpleasant, but a big relief when it is over! And frequently not nearly as bad as I had been fearing!!

   And, as writing has made me feel a bit more empowered, I have just phoned to chase the technical support rather than just sit here for another 2 hours waiting for the phone to ring!

   And I am going to revisit what ‘advisors’ would be helpful to have on the end of a phone to ease my passage to having a bit more of my ideal life in my everyday living.

   And my answer to the last question on the exercise is “Since I managed to resolve the printing issue, I can print out all the handouts for this course!”

   Log in to Reply
   • 

     Rima Nouri on June 19, 2020 at 22:41

     Thanks Sarah, for this thoughtful and informative comment, to which, I’m sure, many can relate. I certainly can! And of course I love your answer to the last question ;)).