Missed a Beat

Sometimes we miss a beat. It might be dancing, stepping on a partners toes, or it might be something more serious like a project deadline.

Or of course, it might come in the form of a blog post. Forgetting to hit publish, or even worse, forgetting to hit save. There's nothing worse than losing the work that you toiled over, oozed your creative energy into, but at the end of the day, you really only have two choices:

Give up, or keep pushing forward.

I started writing this blog post almost 2 years ago. Literally. It was the end of 2013 and I'd just started working at iAcquire as a entry-level outreach employee (now called Influencer Relations, the role consists of cold emailing to generate relationships with powerful publishers in order to convince them to publish favorable content about the companies clients etc).

I can't quite remember the feeling, but I think it was something along the lines of, "I'm way too busy with my new job and OnlyTheBeat.com to continue writing my own personal Advertising, Social Media, Entrepreneurship content on DanielTaibleson.com."

And I was right...But I was also really, really wrong.

Heart-to-Heart 

If you're a good friend of mine and we've had a heart-to-heart in the last few weeks then you've probably already heard me say this, but I noticed a reoccurring theme in my past: I've always been so willing to give something up, in order to get ahead. Now, while I attribute this to bind passion and a testimony to my dedication when it comes to achieving my goals, it was also the same type of short-sided thinking that so many of us fall victim to in our (dare I say, capitalist) society. There are winners in loser in capitalism, and I feel like it does encourage us (with grand tales of both success and failure) to do whatever it takes to win.

I was inspired by Seth Godin today, as I so frequently am, and was 3 years ago when I started this blog in the first place. The quote that I shared with my friends and colleagues on Linkedin reads:

"Life is what happens while we're busy making plans. The interim is forever, so perhaps it makes sense to make act in the interim as we expect to act in the long haul."

I guess one could boil his post down into the old adage "The road to hell is paved with gold." We all want to create the next completely sustainable, best-place to work in the world startup. We all want to have a job that values us not only for the work we do but the people we are (am I starting to sound like a millennial? I am).  But work, life, the same things still ring true, they are relationships that we have, relationships with other people, companies, brands, clients, ourselves. And we all know that you shouldn't enter a relationship if you haven't taken care of yourself first.

My lack of blogging on this platform is appalling. Writing and blogging has always been a safe place for me to explore ideas and connect dots. And I feel that I've done the world, and most importantly, myself, a huge disservice by not taking the time to explore the deepest corners of my mind in a public setting. That might sound really odd to you, to say I want to explore my mind in a public setting, but I'd have to ask you a question in response: what else are we doing here?

I want to live and read and write and connect with other like minded individuals that are just as passionate about discovering the unknown as I am; the unknown of the universe, the unknown skills we need in a professional setting, the unknown of ourselves.

And although it was a great decision to bear down and give my new job (back in 2012) 100% of my full attention (it worked out, I got promoted after 6 months of cold emailing), I forgot the most important part of Godin's message:

This interim strategy, the notion that ideals and principles are for later, but right now, all the focus and resources have to be put into the emergency of getting successful—it doesn't work.
It doesn't work because it's always the interim. 

It's always the interim. I know who I am now, and there are things that I am not willing to part with because they make me Daniel Taibleson. Seattle Sports, Hockey, Trance Music, Snowboarding, and an unrelenting quest for knowledge fueled by a sense of curiosity that could kill 100 cats.

Don't forget who you are while you're busy working for someone else, it's hard, but it's why they hired you.

Moving Forward

I resigned from my position at Scottsmarketplace.com at the end of the July and hit the road. The decision happened in the span of about two weeks and I drove up the coast, making new friends and reconnecting with some of my dearest old ones. I'm so grateful to everyone that took time to connect with me during my 4 years in Arizona. Even more importantly, I want them to know that for the first time in my life, I don't feel like the exit was final. I'm not closing doors so that others can open, I'm just the kind of guy that believes it's possible to have as many doors open as you want, because I won't shut the door on people I care about.

I'm ready to give my full attention to the things that truly matter most and make me who I am. If you're interested in coming along for the ride, please, connect with me here: bit.ly/DanielTaibleson

I'm going to continue writing, hopefully everyday, even if it's just a little something. If I can't find inspiration in the world around me each day, then I know I'm not living my life correctly. 

"I go home to the coast 

It starts to rain I paddle out on the water 

Alone 

Taste the salt and taste the pain 

I'm not thinking of you again 

Summer dies and swells rise 

The sun goes down in my eyes 

See this rolling wave 

Darkly coming to take me 

Home 

And I've never been so alone 

And I've never been so alive"

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