Well, its been a week hasn't it!  

 

Just when we think things can't get any more fractious and polarising - the US presidential race says “hold my beer”.  The overwhelming sense seems to be one of inevitability, people don't seem shocked and there is a false veneer over the coverage on both sides that is hard to ignore.  Medhi Hassan from Zeteo had the best comment for me "These are dark times for the United States of America. Political violence has been normalized. There are more guns than people in this country. And the most consequential and divisive election of our lifetime is less than four months away.  Whoever the shooter was, whatever their motive may have been, once again, American democracy is the loser."

 

Revisiting last weeks Meditations bookclub - I didn't complete the book in time for the bookclub but I did get the underlying gist and thoroughly enjoyed the discussion.  Marcus valued consistency and alignment with nature (or Logos) above all else, it is unclear if he was able to live up to his ideals but it is refreshing to read the inner workings of a leader of his magnitude who invested so much time into living up to his own standards.  Many leaders today could do with taking a leaf.  

 

Reflecting on this, a standard that I am not living up to is curiosity.  I don't prioritise time for reading, writing and creating.  Caught up in the paradox of the need to survive economically while also needing to explore and create, the latter is always the victim of my poor time management.  This is something I intend to focus on this week.  

 

How about you?  What personal standards do you feel you are not living up to?

 

 

REWIND

A huge thank you to wonderfully Creative Journaling Coach Amanda Grace for coming up with a brilliant name for this section - make sure you check out her new FREE Journaling Practice.  REWIND stands for:

R: Reading  |  E: Experiencing  |  W: Watching
I: Inspiring / Informing | N: Whats New | D: Done With

I won't hit them all every week but I love a good acronym 😁. 

I am about half way through this book and it is like balm for the soul during these turbulent times. The premise is that people are not inherently Machiavellian independent of environment. What was been most fascinating is the examination of the famous psychological studies and stories that fuel the global obsession with the belief in survival of the fittest.  I will update this next week when finished. 

📝 Reading:  "The job is all about anticipation' behind the lens of the defining photo of the Trump rally shooting - The Guardian

by Helen Sullivan. As this is the defining story of the week, I had to mention it in some regard and the article that I found most fascinating was the story behind the incredibly evocative photo of Trump, fist in air under the American Flag. So much of the job of a press photographer is boring and repetitive but the experience, skill, intuition and composition needed to frame and capture an image like this is an ode to the artistry of great photography.  I doubt Evan Vucci could do any other job as well in this world, he is someone who's work, passion and skills have aligned. 

Laura Kennedy is a Limerick writer recently moved to Australia.  She writes about life from a philosophical perspective and her writing is always deeply kind, funny and thought provoking.  This week's column is called “The Power Of Shutting Up” and this quote in particular has really stayed with me: 
 

 

This quote is eerily resonant with the book I am reading - Humankind.  Highly recommended Substack.  

Some will have seen this on my (very sporadic) LinkedIn feed but I am fascinated with a new AI company called Rebind.ai where they promise to turn books into conversations. The idea is that famous authors guide you through the classics, recording their commentary.  AI then takes that commentary and makes it 'chattable' so you can ask questions and get AI driven reply's from that author. It is like having an ongoing conversation with a literary professor in your pocket. It is currently in beta with an annoying (but understandably sticky) waitlist where you are assigned number and can get boosted every time someone you share the beta link with signs up so here goes my share to try and boost myself up that waitlist queue -https://lnkd.in/e9D9sacS  I have been stuck in the 4,000's on the waitlist since I signed up so I don't think I'll be accessing an early beta but I do look forward to its launch 😁.

✋ Done With:  Mobile Phone At Night

I have tried this before and succeeded for a short time.  It is a small change that feels monumental.  Without that phone on my locker I can't “Just look this up quickly” or mindlessly click one of those vortex of fear apps (ie: Social Media).  My plan for this week is to aim for 5 nights mobile free.  The last time I managed this, it had profoundly restful effects on me - let's see how this week goes. It also ties in with my intention to uphold my own personal standard or value of curiosity as it should make more space for reading and writing.  Do you take your phone with you at night?

Work With Me

I love to ponder and write about social change and equality but my day job is far more hands on.  I help people transform their ideas, hopes and skills into a professional, aligned and sustainable online presence quickly and supportively through fun and affordable Co-Creation sessions.  

 

🙌  I am now a Mentor with the MentorsWork Project

🤓 Whats New:  A Need To Unplug & New Project

I live in a very digital world - every day I sit behind three enormous screens and battle through the day, not always efficiently and then start my other job at 5pm of mom and bottle washer.  Wednesday has become my day of creative rest, though I am still spending it on my computer.  I am working on a new project where I will be interviewing people who live outside of the corporate rat race, are passionate about their work, cause or way of living.  The aim is to create a 10 part video documentary series.  If you know of anyone who would be interested in taking part - please let me know.  This will be an in person project, I will be visiting and chatting to them in their environment. My aim with this project is to highlight people who march to their own drummer to inspire others to take a chance, create social change and on a personal note, to truly connect to people I admire in the real world.  Please do let me know if you, or someone you know would like to chat about being featured ❤️.  Just pop me an email to orla@orlafitz.com and we can arrange a zoom call for a chat about the project.