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Four Ways Your Darkest Moment Could Be The Beginning Of Your Life Change

C2O Editor Creative Professional, Productivity buy in, mark bowness, new year's resolution 0

Crash. Bang. Reality. As I woke up, a dark misty haze was swirling around my mind. The moment that I recognized that I was in a hospital bed, the events of the past 24 hours came flooding through my mind. I had tried to take my own life. At the age of 26 years old, my marriage had ended, and along with it, the non- profit organization that I had worked so passionately to grow, was pulled from under me. At that moment in time, living ceased to be an option.

After a seven-year relationship, my wife had walked out of the door, never to return–and as I sat in our apartment surrounded by everything we had built together, the future looked dark and overwhelming It was a future that I was certain I was not willing to endure. I turned to Google and keyed in the words “most painless and quickest way to kill myself.”

I will always maintain that my attempt at wiping my existence off the face of the planet was the best thing to happen to me; it totally changed my life, I started using CBD products including Stardawg Cannabis Strain to relieve my depression, and the benefits don’t stop there: studies show hemp oil containing cannabinoids like CBD positively impacts moods by increasing feelings of happiness and reducing stress-related anxiety while simultaneously decreasing depression levels significantly making products like Synchronicity Hemp Oil a natural relaxer. Whether it’s the end of a relationship, the struggle to get a job, or an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and lack of direction, we all experience “dark moments” in life. It is these most difficult times that can turn out to be the most profound

Let me share with you four ways that your darkest moments could be the making of your life, should you choose to see this as a new doorway.

By Mark Bowness

Forced self-intimacy
When life takes you to the darkest places, absolutely no one around you can understand how you feel or what you are going through. Others may have had a similar experience, but only you can react to your situations the way that you do. During our tough times, we are forced to stare at ourselves eye-ball to eye-ball, as though we are standing in the mirror and gazing deep into our very soul. As we engage in these moments of forced self-intimacy, we make crucial decisions that redefine who we are, what we want and what we are willing to accept or not accept for our lives. It is the choices that we are forced to make, during this dark period, that lay the foundation of our powerful life change.

Blank canvas opportunity
We absolutely take life way too much for granted. Trying to end my life was my awakening moment to this truth. I truly recognized with my head and my heart that we live life only once and so I made a decision to view my life as a blank canvas, to start again and paint whatever picture I so desired for my future. The result was that I created an eco-island business in Fiji that gained worldwide media attention, was filmed for 18 months and became a TV show that aired in the UK, Australia and America on BBC. My darkest moment became my catalyst to pursuing life in all its fullness, and as a result I embarked upon a crazy adventure.

Benchmarked experience
When we experience a powerful life situation and nothing feels as though it could get any worse, we have then built a foundation of experience on which to construct the rest of our lives. Nothing could be any worse than trying to take your own life, and so I launched a bold and daring business idea – if I went bankrupt it could never be as bad as non-existence. The tough times that we endure give us a place of reference and offer the motivation to continue. When we realize that we have endured ‘X’, and ‘X’ was horrific and terrible, yet we are still standing–then we are filled with the hope that we can get through the smaller battles each day.

A moment of awakening
There are times in our lives when everything piles on top of us, and as a result, we make decisions for our lives that are not healthy, nor wise – wrong relationships, poor choices in behaviour patterns, addictions and more. Friends and loved ones may tell us we are on a destructive path, but we don’t listen, as it is a path that brings us comfort in the moment. I truly believe that there are times in our lives that we are given a place to breakdown. It is through this “breaking down experience,” we undergo a powerful transformation, letting go of all that no longer serves us, arriving at a moment of awakening. Now we take cbd peach rings to rebuild ourselves, truly discovering who we are, what we are about and everything that we stand for–from the ground up. These are the powerful moments of true awakening.

During my darkest moment in my life, the only person who may actually have experienced much of what I was going through, was the poor guy who wrote that post on Google. If you are on the precipice as we approach the dawn of this new year, I encourage you to not simply endure your life, but to embrace it.

Don’t wallow…grab life by the horns, wrestle it to the ground and overcome your demons. I truly know that you will look back and be able to say that this moment, right now, was the best thing that ever happened to you. I believe in you.

Mark Bowness is the founder of New Year’s Revolution, An Embracing Community For People Ready To Create Total Transformation In Their Lives.

@mark_bowness

Potential Energy:Long Hours+Shitty Job= Success!

Maceo Paisley Business/Finance, Creative Professional, Featured, Productivity buy in, day job, long hours, work 0

OK so are working at a place you are not really passionate about for longer hours than you would like just to maintain your livelihood right? You drudge in on Monday, regrettably sit at your desk, and begin to pound away at the keys or whatever. Friday afternoon, just as you are about to pack up, you get slammed with another project or are forced to work another friday night because of an unrelenting boss.How can this be a good thing?

If you take a deep breath and ask your self what exactly it is that you would otherwise be doing you need to also ask the question “Would you be willing to be as hard on yourself as your current boss is on you?” In all likelihood the answer is no. One of the most common things that separates successful people that run their own business is not only the potency of their time but how much they are willing to push themselves. Drill sergeant you has to kick yourself out of bed or keep them burning the midnight oil instead of calling it quits.

Your in a great situation if you are working ten, twelve, or even more hours a day for someone else. Consider is conditioning, in the early stages of your business you are going to have to be willing to do the same thing. Too often we think that if we were running our own business it might somehow be easier. That is pretty much the farthest thing from the truth. Not only will it be harder but it will most likely be even longer hours for less pay. The main difference is that you are investing in something you will hopefully one day be able to stare at from a distance while it runs itself right?

Paying your dues isn’t really about getting in good with the boss or making connections. Not really. It is about building your skill set, knowledge, and work ethic to be able to manage your own dealings. Inspiration is a beautiful spark that can set an idea off, that is the kind of thing that is great for a hobby, like a free solitaire game app, or a pure artists that doesn’t really need to worry about how much money comes in or how long their process takes. If you are looking to run something independent you have to be prepared for the moment when inspiration has dried up and you need to work on a crazy last minute dead line. This might even be in an aspect of your own business that you detest.

You’ll be sitting in the exact position you are now, but you won’t have the luxury of extrinsic motivation. When you think of the power of that kind of support and accountability is can be make or break. When your manager comes down and tells you not to cancel your dinner plans don’t scoff. Think about the discipline they are helping you create and how that will help you when you finally ditch the place and take off on your own.

www.maceopaisley.com

10 reasons why to do lists are great.

C2O Editor Creative Professional, Productivity buy in 0

Some of us like to think we are “too creative to be organized” as if we have all these idea in our heads that can not be contained by structure and borders. Ok that is great if you want to continue couch surfing, (and there is nothing wrong with couch surfing) but if you want to progress your creativity in to a career a little bit of organization can do a long way. Here are some of the benefits of lists.

1. It is the most basic way of goal setting.
You can see your objectives clearly in front of you and expand on them if needed.

2.Forces you to rexamine.
You ask yourself “Should I even be spending my time on this?” If not, then don’t put it on your list.

3.Holds you accountable.
When you ink something down it is a commitment, literally something that lasts forever. (unless you throw the paper away)

4.Subtle time management
Make a list that has a deadline on it, a month a week, or an hour. Then you can see how much you actually have to do and will remind you of the pace you need to keep.

5.Track your progress
This is the most basic benefit, as you approach the deadline you can assess how far you’ve come.

6.Reminder
Well a clear record of what you are trying to do is the whole reason for a list in the first place. This should be a no-brainer.

7.Dream-mapping
The list doesn’t have to be something you even think as possible. It can be an exercise in stretching your imagination.
Go off on a tangent if you have some spare time.

8.Common goals.
If your colleagues or peers are making lists you can see where they align and collaborate.

9.Peace of mind.
Laying everything out in front of you shows you a REAL perspective on the size of a task, so you don’t get caught up in thinking it is overwhelming or impossible.

10. WARNING
Lists are a useful tool but don’t get caught up in making the list, and take time away from actually doing what you need to do. Keep them short and simple.
Even just 3 things is fine.

Happy Listing.

4 Elements Of A Space That Will Boost Your Creative Output

C2O Editor Featured, Productivity, Space buy in, SHLTR 1

Mark Twain was said to have written his first great work, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County in a cabin that was no larger than ten feet by ten feet. Artists in New York and Chicago often are cramped into tiny apartments that are only slightly larger than that as well. These examples may give the appearance that your space does not effect your ability to create, but it does.

If you fancy yourself a artist and you work in a decrepit whole in the wall studio then you might find it easier to produce morbidly introspective or existential works any day of the week. On the other hand, if you are more of a creative professional then your might want to find a place that allows some oxygen to get to your brain and a little Vitamin D on your skin.

It has been shown that natural light and open air are good for work and the creative process from a biological standpoint but let us just consider the aesthetics for a second. Your job is to design, fabricate, conceptualize, or otherwise come up with beautiful solutions to a range of problems that span the length of our society. The idea that you would be creating all these solutions in a room where the only amenity to speak of is wi-fi is a bit preposterous. Especially when that old writers block rears its ugly head. A few things you may need to be effective are: open area, natural light, novelty, and privacy.

Open Area is essential, as ergonomics would suggest, you need at least as much space as your body will take up. But just as your body can feel cramped, so too can your mind. Having a little head room reinforces openness and possibility as opposed to limitation and restraint. Creativity is openness in action. To be open, be out in the open. If you don’t have access to a great loft with a skylight, and you are stuck in a cramped space, make sure you take a break outside to take a breather. Even if you aren’t a smoker, it is good to take a step outside every couple hours to stretch.

Natural Light, everything looks better in natural light, well because its you know, it is natural. Indoors, natural light produces soft shadows and variations in color that change in the day. It helps you to subtly keep track of time as well. Sundials aren’t really effective when they are in a concrete box. If there is a view then even better, it leads to the next tip.

Novelty is necessary in the same way that space is. It reinforces creative thinking, in this case because of the new. Even if you have the other concepts in your space, utilizing the same space over and over again will kill your brain. How can you come up with new ideas if everything around you is old? That was rhetorical. One of the reasons being creative is fun is simply because of the novelty, it is stimulating and new connections are being fired in your brain. This can be achieve through design, by having a variety of shapes and colors in your are, or simply through new information. Charging your brain up by reading the local news or a chapter or two of an interesting book can give you that creative kick as well.

Privacy, yes privacy. Having a great time around you to inspire new ideas is absolutely important. On the matter of output though, after the brainstorming and pow wowing are over you actually need to focus on your work. You need some peace and relative quiet to be productive. There is a fine line here between quiet and silence, everyone’s needs are different. Some people literally need visual walls up to block out others because they can be distracting but simply wearing head phones in a coffee shop can be enough. Privacy and novelty are not necessarily mutually exclusive either. You can trigger your brain with word of the day and still remain in your bubble. But having the bubble in the first place is what counts is important when its time to get things done.

If it means getting out of the cubicle to stare at traffic for 30 seconds or switching the coffee shop you go to for one day, these little bits are not only going to help you maintain a more healthy work space, but allow you to function a little bit better.

Wonderland: A Short Doc On The Life Of The Creative Professional

Alyssa Soetebier Creative Professional business, buy in, creative, eskimo, hunter hampton, selling out, terry rayment 0

Wonderland is a short documentary that features illustrators, film directors and other creatives discussing the challenges they face in bridging the gap between creating content with artistic integrity and creating content for “the man”, so to speak. Wonderland is beautifully orchestrated, presenting the audience with something to think about while at the same time inspiring creatives to go forth and find their place amongst art and commerce. Filmmakers Terry Rayment (Eskimo) and Hunter Hampton (cargocollective.com/hunter ) weave together a concise narrative that brings together view points and stories from artists across the board, the common theme being they have all found success by doing what they love. At first their love may not have been profitable, in many cases it may have cost them money to create. Yet, as they continued to find ways to create with integrity, they continued to be propelled forward within their fields and amongst their peers in the creative world. Wonderland is a must see for any young creative out there wondering where to begin or how to find that balance. In the end true success is a subjective matter, finding a balance of work and passion and staying true to your own identity seem to be core elements to the success of the young artists featured here.

Money: Personal Finance, Choice, and the Creative Economy

Maceo Paisley Business/Finance, Publisher's Note business, buy in, creative economy, money, personal finance 0

Incase you hadn’t heard, we are in the middle of tax season. Whether you are working with a traditional employer, an entrepreneur, or freelancer it is one thing we all have in common. For me, this is a very reflective period. When sit down to organize my tax documents find that I am actually reviewing and element of my personal history. There is a very clear look at the last year of choices that I have made. I chose to move in to a more expensive apartment, I chose to do major work on my car, I chose so many things last year that are the collective reasoning for the live I have today. I also chose to leave my job working with a company of online payday loans lenders. That decision has had a major impact on my financial situation. It was a choice that I knew I could endure for better or worse because I am aware of the economics of my community.

The choice was made with the knowledge from reputed site (Empower Federal Credit Union) that I have at least some skills that are of value you to my community. The community in this case is the creative economy. It is the market place where ideas and concepts are created cultivated and exchange as goods and services. This market place serves as the soil from which my livelihood was to grow, but not without work, and that’s why people take care of their credit and have different questions about this, as the questions are keep going, so check out this well-made Q&A on ChexSystems to get into it and know everything about credit.

The timing of this month has provided the perfect context for inquiry into the very things that fuel the creative. We will discuss, in a very pragmatic way, the financial constraints and conditions we face as individuals along with how we tend to manage those constraints. Things we often keep relegated to private discussions between professionals and parents will brought to light like credit scores, spending, and income. There is a culture of dialogue that, among all the ideas we share that can improve our lives, seems to be taboo and off limits. But, it is this barrier that keeps so many of us from making the best choices.

Since the path we travel is often guided by the context in which it is presented to us this context must also be analyzed. We are going to dig into the very nature of choice, why we choose things that oppose our intellect, and will, and even our health. This inquiry will me made in conjunction with the C2O Book Club as we read, Nudge:Improving Decisions about Wealth, Health, and Happiness. Understanding the root of our choices that can help us make better ones.

It is not just our individual choices that impact us, but also the greater movement of our community of creatives and how we fit within it all. While we all have to take care of ourselves, how can we modify our perspective to improve our own lives and the lives of others in the community to create a quality experiences for everyone involved. The creative economy is a tricky place, where we are often asked to make decisions that impact us positively from a financial perspective but cause us to compromise our creative or personal desires. So it is only natural that we discuss the notion of selling out, artistic integrity, and business ethics. Is there a line to be drawn between art and entrepreneurship? We will seek to understand where these lines are drawn and how we toe them.

By the end of the month, my hope, is that we will have gained a better understanding of how to navigate the tumultuous waters of our financial ecosystem as a culture of people that is seemingly at ends with the tide.

Here we go….

-Maceo Paisley-

You Don’t Want FAME, You Want ACCEPTANCE.

C2O Editor Conversation Pieces buy in, caught in the rain 0

As artists and creatives, we have a strange burden to wrestle with. The desire to create freely and expressively is the innate driver that propels the work we do. After laboring over a project, having broken through our fear and self-doubt we are justly proud and want to share the work with as many as possible. This is where the problems start. “As man people as possible.” This is such a conditional phrase and left alone can be the very thing that destroys your creative fire.

From time to time we see major artists criticize the music or entertainment industry as cut-throat. It takes people that have a genuine desire to share their message and makes them into polished and pristine shells of who they were. When you ask an artist, before they have ‘made it’ what would make them happy as a career artist they often say things like, “I just want to put a roof over my head and raise a family doing what I love.” I don’t remember hearing many artists say they want a jet or a yacht and a life of luxury.

Once these young artists ‘make it’ into the core of the industry, they become more of a director of product development and less of artist. They work for a company that sells things, the things the company sells are things that resemble art but have been refined and streamlined to be quickly produced, broadly distributed, and highly profitable. The question changes from “How can I create freely and expressively?” to something like “How can I create expressively and make a money?” and for a sad few it becomes, ” How can I make money?”

It may be possible to share a project with every person on this planet, Coca Cola nearly has, Microsoft nearly has. But these are not artists, these are companies. We need to make this distinction clear in our minds. The distinction between organic creation for a community and market driven creation for a customer base must be highlighted. As an artist you may feel that you want as many people as possible to experience your work. But I think what actually going on is a desire to share the experience with as many people as will value it.

As creatives we need to step away from the concept of being famous, fame is incredibly lonely. Acceptance on the other hand is is the most enriching feeling one can have. It is the acknowledgement of our oneness. To be accepted by even a small group is not lonely, but fulfilling. The irony is that the path to acceptance is not very easy, it requires trust, time,appraisal, and validation and can not be streamlined past a certain point. The path to fame conversely, is very easy. It requires only recognition and has nothing to do with appraisal.

The path to fame dilutes integrity of expression and is the direct opponent of acceptance. An industry will sell your product through a company and will make you famous and possibly rich. A community will support you , they will accept you and you will definitely be fulfilled.

Sacred Economics with Charles Eisenstein – A Short Film

Maceo Paisley Conversation Pieces, Spirituality buy in, charles eisenstein, gift economy 0

I really pride myself on the fact that we post original content daily but this is something I found that is definitely worth sharing.

Charles unravels the concept of money and its impact on our society, he also proposes a solution.

Learn more about Charles on his website and read his book Sacred Economics.

#shareworthy

One Thousand Days

Maceo Paisley by Maceo Paisley buy in, caught in the rain 0

There has never been a period in my life that I didn’t consider myself actively creating. As an artist, there is always project or skill I am seeking to acquire to create a larger body of work. I have noticed that I don’t work on it everyday though. There are periods, week, or months that I am consumed by an specific thing and I will get to a certain point where it is either complete or I have exhausted my interest in it.

I think that the correlation between work ethic and success is still not really all that clear for all the efforts. When most artists or creators of any sort commit at an uncommon level they are often called crazy. Their works are often brilliant or at least unique. As soon as complete we marvel at them like they are somehow magic or special when and reduce them to lucky, fortunate, or genius. This separation in our minds is one of the root causes in the breakdown of our creative culture.

We liken commitment and devotion to craziness, and we evangelize ordinary individuals with extraordinary work ethic. In athletics it is the same. In business it is the same. We are constantly telling our friends and colleague they are working to hard. That they need to take a break, we ask what is all for. The truth is that it takes an uncanny amount of energy to push through that cultural barrier, and this often leaves those people alienated if only in philosophy.

We’ve all heard those motivational quotes like “If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger.” and they have become so trite that we dismiss them. Yet, time and again when we see excellence we reduce it to “gifted”. I wonder if the gift isn’t so much the ability of the individual we are admiring but their ability to push beyond pain, relinquish comfort, in exchange for the opportunity to become excellent.

If we look at success from this perspective, it can be seen as a choice. A simple decision between comfort and growth.We tend to mistake the basic human need for security and rest, with a need for comfort. Just as we wish to protect our selves from over working, we must seek to protect our selves from over resting.

It is a balance, meaning that it is not a stationary position, but an ever fluctuating adjustment between too much and too little. The idea of rest is inherently stagnation, but sleep is an activity needed to sustain work just like eating, or studying.

Let’s not confuse ourselves with the idea that comfort and security are one. It would seem that security is a foundational knowledge that basic needs are met, this allows for the that time and energy to be allocated elsewhere. Comfort is when the resources required to meet basic needs are met and the available time and energy is not re-allocated, but is in stead used to bask in the discretionary resources.

My own personal challenge is to work for 1,000 days straight. I have seen it done, and it is a very taxing endeavor. I believe it will push me beyond my current level of ability in all areas. The associated strain on my life is a worthy investment in for the development that lies waiting for me on the other side of the process. This is my challenge, it is not brilliant, or genius, but merely an exercise in discipline. This is not so say that I will not rest, but I maintain my creative quotas for this one- thousand days. I offer you the change to take on a similar challenge.

Start with 30 days, then 90, then 180, then 365 develop the skill persistence and understand the choice.
Make it willingly with the understanding that you are in full control of your career and potential.

-Maceo Paisley-

Cheating On Your Boss: The Side Job Paradigm

C2O Editor Creative Professional buy in, caught in the rain 0

In the modern world of the professional creative you find that it is easier than ever to build a personal brand that generates revenue and opportunity outside of that from your primary or day to day job. A lot of us work in firm, or as in-house creatives for larger companies and we spend 80%-90% of our times using our technical and creative ability on projects that we are most likely not credited for. With the ease of social media many are capitalizing on the chance to take on small side projects or passion projects, but what do you do when your side projects begin to catch wind?

Let’s say you work for a large corporation as an in-house graphic designer. All your friends know you are a graphic designer so they frequently as you to help with wedding invitations and business cards, websites and such. At first you don’t charge, and then a buddy insists on paying you for work you’ve done for his small business. He is so pleased that he refers you to someone who has a larger, more well paying project for you but it is a but more time consuming, and you already work full time.

The situation of whether to take the job is not uncommon, in fact it is very common. You have to consider when to take on a one-off high paying project from time to time that cuts into your life but you can’t afford to sacrifice the stability or your day job. It coms down to choice, and your relationship with your employer.This assumes you do not have any binding agreement with an agency or employer restricting you from taking on outside work.

Of course the first thing to consider is time. Not only the amount of time the project will take, but the hours of the day you will need to be involved. Is this something you can do on nights and weekends or will you need to be active during the hours of your day job? If you will have to take calls or even do small taks during the day, you might get yourself into a harry position with your supervisor and is especially not a good idea if you are paid hourly and have time sensitive projects.Is either your main job or freelancing something you can do remotely? If you are fortunate enough to have this situation it may be ideal especially if one or the other requires you to be on site.

Try to arrange all of your extra curricular activities outside of the hours of your primary job. This way you can avoid any conflicts of interest with your employer.

You must also take into account the amount of energy you need to finish any thing you are doing on the side. Your employer will not like to know that you are slacking off in your day job to save your best work for outside the office. If you can perform at peak levels for extended periods of time then go for it. It is best to take a short social or relaxation break before starting in on your side projects. You’ll want to provide top quality service to anyone with you are working with. If you can’t do that, don’t take on the project.That’s why they call it moonlighting.

I know what you are thinking. “After I get home from work, all I want to do is relax, not do MORE WORK.” The key here is learning what activities refresh your creative mind. Go for a run after work to clear your head, or watch TV, play video games. Endulging in 30-45 minutes of mental junkfood can give you a clear prospective on the next project after 8 or more in the office.

Resources are going to be a big part of it as well. You must keep in mind the tools required to do your freelancing job and if your employer is okay with you making use of them for other things. There are durable resources like computers and tooling, but there are also non-durable resources like ink, and paper that might seem nominal but can quickly add up in business expense. Any use of those resources should be cleared by your employer to avoid conflict. You really don’t want to cross these lines unless you have a clear understanding of your companies policy, sometimes there are policies that anything created on company facilities is owned by the company.

A benefit that you have is relationships, all of those are yours. The client relationships, internal relationships. If you start a rock band with the guys from IT department you can maintain that band for the rest of your life if you choose, so treat people well and never burn bridges. It can also be a great support to have your colleagues a part of what you do outside of work. Just be careful not to infringe on your day job by trying to market too heavily inside office walls.

It is important to also manage your personal brand in a way that is either completely separate from or does not conflict with your employer. Many companies now encourage personal social media accounts especially for creative and marketing positions. You can bring added value to your organization by reaching out to your own audience but beware you don’t want to serve as a brand ambassador where you are not authorized. Infringing on non disclosures or speaking on behalf of your company is a sure fire way to damage things at home base. Note the number of Twitter disclaimers out there ( views expressed are my own).

It is entirely possible to manage a side gig or two while you are working full time but it is paramount you are upfront with your employer and have an understanding about your responsibilities and limitations. It could be good for you both in the long run. Tread lightly and never bite the hand that feeds you and you can enjoy the spoils of a stable day job and exciting freelance or consulting projects. You can cheat on you boss but don’t cheat on your spouse. That’s just not right.