it's my island

Transition Times, Goodbye 2008

// December 31st, 2008 // Comments Off // Points In Time

It has been a strange road, but isn’t it always? 2008 marks the tired end of a mixed bag year but a bright glimmer for 2009.

Watching the Water

My father taught me to know a good sailor was to look at his his wake. A clean straight wake leaving the boat was a sign of someone who knew the water and the way to navigate it. To see a wake that zagged around was interpreted as floundering, slipping along.

The metaphor may be a bit mixed, it’s washing through a child’s remembrance, but I wish my wake were straighter.

With Kind Thanks

With 2008 closing I must give thanks to those who stayed close. Who were rocks instead of runners. During tough times the way people work to support one another shows colors that are hard to forget.

Alpha and Omega, I cannot thank my wife Robin enough. She is both inspiration, support, the embodiment of patience and shares my burdens with little complaint.

Love is the best adhesive.
— Flight of the Concords

Thanks to my family who took my challenges in stride and gave providence during my struggles. To my in-laws for whom good fortune rains with a sweet chocolate future.

To my friends, who many while down on their own luck only look for the smile of others. Self sacrifice and bleeding hearts I know well.

The farmers and their families, connecting with you regionally has been a deepening and gratifying experience. Knowing your land, your animals, and the micro/macro environment around it all to bring us a harvest plenty (and safe) is no easy task. Thank you for feeding us well.

Social networking kudos too. I’ve expanded my network of people I know locally by an exponent. The reward is compounding. Not only do I know more people in my area, they are as diverse as I am. Skydivers, foodies, marketing, PR, designers, comedians, small businesses and more. To connect everyone on a regular basis is instant community. I hope to continue to meet many more people that can be part of and share the experience that each of us create.

Healthy Growth through Improving

Of many things I saw in 2008 it was our ability to not finish the sentence that took the award for most needed improvement. There are so many who will pick up the mantle of responsibility only to never hit the finish line.

It’s Easy to Start,
It’s Hard to Finish.
—Jason Calacanis

I’ve had the discussion lately that I’m really curious what the statistical ratio is since I find the reliable in very very short supply. With an administration where accountability was unknown I hope the new year brings transparency and a sense of integrity again.

My Participation

• Nuance Labs shifted resources to consulting.

With the depletion of capital we’ve had to put our ideas in stasis and work more mechanically. It’s been fun bringing new small businesses into the net and seeing them plug in.

• IMI Photography strives for a piece of the market.

Photography in the Queen City is pretty hard to come by for those new to the market. We have over 6k photographers and some seriously talented and firmly implanted people. With a hung and dried economy, new resources are highly contended. I love the form and am applying my skills more to Nuance Labs imaging & The Secret Chocolatier projects. I’m still available and seeking new bookings for 09.

• The Secret Chocolatier brings many smiles to the community.

With a family idea and some organic planned thoughts we planted a chocolate garden and fed it with love and care. It has sprouted quite well. As a sapling of a company it’s filled with a lot of excitement and hope for establishing deeper roots in the community in 2009. Homemade chocolate for all!

2009, You are Welcomed

With the trials and tribulations from local and national economies, wars and unrest, new starts and learned from failures, I am ready for 2009. Again I cannot express my unending thanks to those who support myself or those I am connected with enough. May we all find successes in 2009.

-andy

Leaving the Fluorescent Halls

// June 2nd, 2007 // Comments Off // Career, Points In Time

We live in a moment of [impermanence](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impermanence). If we live in such a moment why aren’t we making the most of it. Why give energy into anything other than enjoying the experience by maximizing it?

I have (with great consultation of my wife) resigned from my former employ. That is to say I have left that which was comfortable for the vibrant dynamic life of an entrepreneur. Jeff’s [talking](http://blog.nuancelabs.com/2007/06/02/when-is-it-time-to-take-the-plunge/) about it.

We’re jumping all the way in to our passion—making us all [rock](http://liquidminded.com).

I got my first technology gig when I was 15 selling the first internet service in Charlotte. I remember going to business meetings and PC groups preaching what online connectivity would do for you. Can you believe how fast we’ve assimilated?

For the last 10 years I’ve honed myself into someone who just solves problems—people, graphical, engineering, environmental, and in between. There are questions that don’t have answers, but most of the world is run by a lot of things that _have_ answers. You just have to find the organization, association, peer group, blogs, usenet, irc, [continue list of sources] and filter the history or provoke a current discussion. It’s amazing.

Like [Scoble](http://scobleizer.com/) has mentioned for his work, you have to learn how to filter the inputs to gain relevance to find what you want, quickly. Know the problem, scope out the domain, find existing solutions or connect dots and develop new solutions, gather resources, implement.

The human filter needs help.

In this domain full of partial productivity (application) solutions the only people I see giving deep thought is the [OSAF](http://www.osafoundation.org/) [Chandler Project](http://chandlerproject.org/Product/ChandlerProjectHome). After a foundation of GTD going through Chandler made for some interesting synergies.

Unfortunately the complexity grew way out of line. If you can’t refactor something complex then you need to be worried. It only takes a few of those to make a solution [clunky](http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/2007/05/29.html) and once you give in to one you can easily give in to others. It’s better to table the idea if you stall and come back to it.

Later you’ll figure out what you really wanted to say, but couldn’t find it, have another solution, or you’ll realize what you wanted wasn’t really needed after all. As [Jeff](http://blog.nuancelabs.com/jeff) can attest, sometimes getting there can peel the paint. Taking a break can give you critical insight that you might miss in the moment.

The application we’re honing takes into account everything that has pissed us off about solutions since we first tried to live GTD lifestyles years ago. I really don’t like paper, but I put up with it. I put up with the best solution of the moment and that can flux depending on how angry I am at one vs another.

I want to live more in rhythm. Not only for myself, but with my network, my friends—my family. Why can’t we all help each other out and find a better rhythm for it all? That’s the itch I scratch. Personal communication, interaction, responsibility, with the ability to reflect on my history and work towards my future.

[David Allen](http://davidco.com) lays a compelling [framework](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_things_done) we’ve enjoyed immensely. We took a hard (amazingly hard) look at what tenets [bear weight](http://www.43folders.com/2005/12/07/ethan-hacks-gtd/) and those that are personal choices and turning that into a flexible, shareable, easy to use, access/input near anywhere solution. Piece of cake. I stayed at a [Holiday Inn Express](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BDW/is_22_42/ai_75286757 “Humorous Ad Campaign”), you have no idea what I can do now. haha!

For Real?

No! It has taken a lot of hard work (is fun hard work really hard?) just to get to this point. Eight months working towards a solution before it was decided that we would seek outside help, four more months to know we were solidly on-track and needed funds, three months to realize our brains we’re exploding with split resourcing. Today finds me working hard on a capital campaign to see this vision manifest.

Expect the unexpected or you won’t find it.
—Heraclitus

I am so psyched it’s hard to sleep. Thanks for all your emails of encouragement and great thoughts along the way (my support network rocks!). This new book we’re all cracking open is going to be one helluva journey.

-a

Altitude Awareness

// October 23rd, 2006 // 2 Comments » // Points In Time

I tried to get a jump in this weekend but I got on the idea too late and thus couldn’t get on manifest. I turned around and decided to continue the purging and reformation of my office. I’ve fallen out of my [GTD](http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280/sr=8-1/qid=1161623271/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-5890739-0898562?ie=UTF8&s=books) swing and I needed to reinvest the time to get back on track.

I’m working my way back into the fervor. Using [kGTD](http://kinkless.com/) (Kinkless) and [3x5 note cards](http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciordia/sets/1172352/ “Flickr pics of my note cards”). GTD is about getting it out of your head and in to places you trust. You must trust those resources or you will keep it in your head. I stopped trusting my places because I yearned for something yet undeveloped. During that pause I became again a chaortic person living through the brevity of things I could keep in my head. As we continue development however I realized I really needed to have GTD be a core methodology of my world so I could make sure development was going to do what it needed. Kind of a ‘like-duh’ moment. Again with kGTD, again with note cards, again it begins to take shape.

One thing I never really developed with my prior setups was the ‘Altitude Map’. I have a life-compass I look at for most of my decisions but I didn’t have a map (what pothole?). The compass makes sure I’m in the right direction (am I happy?), the map defines you. Definitions can be a scary thing, hence avoidance systems can try and stall this type of project. David Allen defines altitudes within 10k increments to 50k. From the runway to the top of the sky, what you see, how it is perceived, and how it guides/defines you should find harmony. If it doesn’t that’s a flag to do some serious soul searching and planning to put you in alignment. You can be happy in this world.

* 50,000 - Purpose
* 40,000 - Vision
* 30,000 - Goals & Objectives
* 20,000 - Focus & Responsibility
* 10,000 - Projects
* Runway - Next Actions

Getting friendly with 50k

In the last few months I’ve started to understand that I deeply care for culture. It is carried by the distant light of our forbearers to the creative fire of us each carving out our ways. Something that if not kept in scope I fear we end up losing to opportunists and greed. We need to celebrate our cultures, our traditions, our people, our purposes and move forward with these things in mind. I’ve never had such a position before but it rings in me and will guide me in my pursuits.

40,000 and looking good

Execute, execute, execute. It’s been said many many times of late that if you can’t execute a billion dollar idea isn’t worth spit. I’m going to work hard to execute anything I promise to. I see something I can stand on that is rock solid, a foundation, that will allow me the ability to launch from. No longer yolked by an oppressive force but free to be the entrepreneur. Opportunity knocks on many fronts and must be answered.

As I continue to fall through the layers I see how much is to be done but it’s not overwhelming. I feel like myself and my cadre have had much worse put to us in the past. This is just careful thought and thorough execution. We can do that. I can do that. The ground looms closer and next actions begin to stream by me until….flare flare flare… did I just walk that off? I did. (No pink elephants remember?!)

I like working with [David Allen’s](http://www.davidco.com/) model. It really is dead simple. If it has any complexity it is because we make it complex. I’ve about got some systems up that will keep me moving forward. I’ll let you know how they pan out after I trial them a bit. Least to say, keep it small, keep it simple, keep it up.

-a