Sometimes you ask, why me?!
There’ll always be a reason why. At that time, the chimp part of our brain won’t listen. It’ll bang on about why me, why not them, what’s happening, etc…
This is why think about the journey.
Think about the process.
And keep going – stay on track and believe in yourself.
You are your own strength and supporter.
Who’d have thought. As a technology advocate, I’d be suggesting you switch your tech off for a while?
Well… I am.
Bal… are you going crazy?
No, not in the slightest. I am noticing that we are ever so becoming more and more dependent on technology – and yes, we’re surrounded by it. But I’ve written/blogged about it before. We should always take a break from it. And there’s some method behind the madness (of what I’m suggesting!)
Firstly, when you take a break from the tech – you’ll appreciate it more when you come back to it.
Secondly, when you take a break from tech – and when you come back, you can be more focussed on what you need that tech to do or what you want from it. Make it work for you.
Thirdly, when you take a break from tech – you’ll notice other things. What I mean about this is – you won’t be scrolling and seeing a device – when you look up you may notice something different, something unique, something that then gives you an idea! (you may need to return to tech to then progress – but take that break).
We now have smart cars, smart homes, smart tv’s, smart watches, smart… well, everything is becoming smart! And that’s with the advancement of technology. Which is great. Because it’s meant to be quicker and easier to do things. That’s what smart means, right? – the smarter something is, the quicker or easier it is to do something.
But I’ve noticed that whilst there’s alot of talk about AI (Artificial Technology) – we’re very reliant on technology to do the basics for us or become, dare I say it… lazy (er).
I’m sat at my macbook writing this blog. I’ve not written for a long time. Yesterday, I met a friend of mine – Craig. We had a coffee. No device in sight. For an hour. It was great. We had lots of ideas and things we want to do. The great thing then was, we picked up our phones, made notes. Productivity. On your mobile phone, you can see what you have used your phone for… productivity, social media, etc… Have a look at the data – and what it’s telling you.
Data-led decisions can then enable you to be more productive.
Data-led decisions can then help you be more adventurous.
So, maybe it is time to switch off for a while – take a break and look out the window for inspiration.
I was recently watching some videos on Instagram. And there’s one that I’ve watched many times – and I love it. I usually refer to it on many occasions when I’m talking to others.
I’ve even written the first part of it, on my chalk board at home!
There’s so many takeaways you can have from the simple message. I take away that no matter what you’re planning, looking to, etc… focus on today. It’s similar to the book – The Power of Now. Focus on the now, the here and enjoy it. What you do today will help you in the future… that’s why enjoy the present moment.
And if you’re thinking… Bal, that’s great – but what is the rest of it?
Well, here you go… Enjoy!
Time goes quick.
Tomorrow, in the morning… I’ll be attending the funeral of a young man who passed away.
Then tomorrow evening, have a wedding reception of a close family friend (who recently got married). I’ve known him since he was a little kid.
Got me thinking, how time goes so quickly…. And mostly around wanting to do things which unfortunately stay as wants and aren’t ticked off the list…
An old colleague recently reached out to me. He said, ‘Bal… I need some advice’.
I was more than happy to share whatever elements of wisdom I had and also provide him with not answers but questions for him to come to the answers.
You see, for me, I love to see people succeeding. It’s not a competition – it’s about everyone getting to where they want to get to and if I can help folks on that journey, then that’s only a good thing, right?
Summer is here! Well, the weather has been a mixed bag… some days have been awesome lovely sunshine, some cloudy.. but that’s ok.
So Summer is kind of here! and thank you to Koen, who part of this Summer Book Club, always sends me a book for the summer to read. He provides me with a list of great books – and asks me to choose one. I’ll be honest – look forward to the Summer Book Club email… because a) I know I’ll be going on holiday soon, b) I’ll have a book to read and c) it’s nice to be part of the club.
So which book did I go for this summer…. well it was a difficult choice! There were so many great books on the list. But the one I ended up going fo was ‘The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down’. It’s by Haemin Sunim – and I’ve already started reading it! It’s brilliant… my favourite part of the book is my Friday Thought for today. I shared it on my Insta and got plenty of likes… even Gurpreet Singh (aka Sikh Dad) privately messaged me reflecting on this.
Here’s my Friday Thought… a Buddha see’s Buddha, a pig sees pigs… what do you see?
I’m not going to apologise to the folk I spoke to for the last few days and kept referencing Ted Lasso.
It was the final show on Wednesday – and yes, one was a little emotional.
Absolutely brilliant! The best show ever! And if you haven’t had the opportunity to watch it – honestly, you should! There is so much we can learn from Ted. Like… be a goldfish!
Bal…. what’s your favourite quote or part of the show?
Well, there’s so many to choose from, but if you pinned me down and asked me to say one, it’d be the one below…
I’ve even got the quote saved on my phone.
Have a great weekend folks!
When was the last time you wanted something and you went for it?
When was the last time you asked for something, and got it?
In life, we have so many opportunities missed. Don’t miss them. Ask the question, go after what you want, do what you want – move forward… life is short. Enjoy it.
Happy New Year!
So… what’s big for 2023?
Well… technically, there’s nothing ‘big’ for 2023 – but alot of progress and enhancements of what is already out there.
I thought I’d share my Top Five Big Things for 2023!
So there you go – my Top Five.
Any things you’re thinking that in 2023 will hit us from a Technology perspective?
Off course… I left out some obvious items, such as what Elon is doing over at Twitter and a few other items because they’re more specific and all depends how much some of these billionaires throw at their projects.
For me – Point 5, sustainability is key. That’s the most important one. And in one of my up and coming blogs – I’ll talk about repair cafe’s that are popping up, and ways to be more concious about the environment when it comes to tech.
One snippet, one moment… is all it takes for someone to form an impression. To form that opinion. To form that picture by which they’ll judge you.
Usually, there’s much more going on. Much much more.
Social Media has made it so easy for us to assume from a persons single post or comment.
Whilst everyone chooses different things to share at different parts of the day, week, month… just remember, what we see isn’t always the full picture.
