do what you love Page 13 of 94
Do What You Love Interview – Nick Christian
Nick Christian, now retired, has pursued a life of personal freedom in all its forms. At the age of 70, his lust for independence has recently culminated in his first self-published novel of Historic Fiction. “You have only one life, live it, and where possible, by your own rules,” he advises, and follows his own advice daily.
Having grown up in the countryside at a time in history when the Nanny State and pressures of social media would only have been a fantasy in a futuristic Si-fi movie, he had the good fortune, along with a proportion of his generation, of having freedom thrust upon him.
Home was a small cottage, isolated from the nearest neighbour by fields and woods. Water was gathered from a deep well and the house was heated by a coal fired inglenook fire. In winter, glistening patterns of frost decorated the inside of his bedroom window.
This is how Nick describes his childhood:
Here comes the sun!
May is here! I love this month, not just because it’s my birthday month (hello 39!) but because the air is filled with the smell of cut grass, and flowers bloom everywhere.
This week I am keeping it short and sweet because I want to challenge you to get out of your inbox, off your computer and out into the sun. If you are reading this in your office, find an excuse to sneak out and take a walk in the park, soak up the rays on your face and feel the sunshine transform the way you feel today.
I plan to spend the day in a hammock, safe in the knowledge that I’ll probably do some of my best work there.
Here comes the sun, now go and play with her! #nevertooold
Beth
It’s never too late to do what you love
This week has been a very sad one for us, as one of Mr K’s oldest friends lost his fight for life after a long illness. He had been waiting for a liver transplant but didn’t get one in time and passed away a few days ago. He was one of life’s really good people – a loyal friend, a ray of sunshine, a great husband and father – and he will be desperately missed.
In the days afterwards I felt like I had to DO something, anything. And so I joined the organ donor register so perhaps I can save someone else’s friends and family similar pain in the future after I am gone. Did you know one person’s donated organs can save the lives of up to EIGHT people? That’s amazing. If you live in a country where organ donation is on an opt-in basis as it is here, I’d really encourage you to consider registering as a donor too. It only takes a minute and it could literally save someone’s life. You can sign up here : UK / USA / Australia / Google for other countries!
This week has also reminded us that life is short, and precious. And so we have dedicated the coming month of May on the blog we are celebrating the wisdom of age, and the truth that it is never too old to do what you love.
We will be sharing interviews with some really inspiring older people who have made major shifts in their life at a later age, including a 70 year old first-time author! There are lots of obstacles to doing what you love, but age should not be one. We’ll prove that to you over the coming month, so keep an eye out on the blog for more throughout May!
And lastly this week, I’d like to introduce you to Bailey May, the latest addition to the Do What You Love family… We have dreamt of road trips in our very own VW camper van for many years, and after everything that has happened this week we decided to just go for it. I have a feeling this might be the best investment we have made in a while. I look forward to sharing stories from the open road…
And with that, I’m off to the station to catch a train to begin my 5,400 mile journey to Costa Rica, to work on my book.
This week I challenge you to ignore the clock and follow the sun!
Beth
Let the fun begin…
When did you last take time out from your every day life and responsibilities to play like you did as a child? Can you even remember what you liked to do?
When life gets busy it’s not always easy to find time to connect with your inner child but according to The National Institute For Play the benefits are huge. They include:
- A healthier immune system
- An improved sense of connectedness
- Increased empathy
- Boosted creativity
- Reduced stress (especially when paired with laughter)
- A positive outlook on life
5 easy ways to put the fun into your every day…
1. Organise a creative date with yourself: for example, you could visit an exhibition or art gallery, go for a walk with your camera, go pottery painting, pick up your guitar, create a vision board, write a letter or poem, or make a gift for someone special.
2. Create a ‘play’ box/draw: fill your box or drawer with things that will inspire you to play more often. This might include:
- The jigsaw you’ve been wanting to do for years
- An adult colouring book — like art therapy, colouring can help adults to cope with the daily stresses of life through the act of mindfulness — an active, open attention to the present.
- LEGOs. Take 20 to 30 pieces and see what you can build in 5 minutes.
- Sketch book and pencils to doodle and draw.
- Juggling balls or bean bags to practise your juggling technique.
- Play doh and cut straws, bottle tops, sticks, leaves, cotton buds, dry pasta, pipe cleaners, marbles — any small objects you have lying around the house — and give yourself five minutes to see what beautiful scenes/landscapes/characters you can create.
3. Get out of your comfort zone: Toddlers take risks all day long. As we mature, we tend to stay in our safe place. Your day will be so much more exciting if you see the queue as a chance to make new friends, or your walk to walk as an opportunity to gather inspiration for your next painting, after all, the world is a playground.
4. Games night: Get out the Monopoly or set up the Scrabble… there’s a board game for everyone and it’s a great way to socialise, have fun and switch off.
5. Call in the experts. Children innately know how to play and have fun. Whether it’s making up games, playing shop, or dancing around the house, you can’t help but be inspired. If you have nieces, nephews, grandchildren, or children of your own, make time to observe their abilities to live in the moment, and incorporate their ideas of playfulness into your own life.
How will you play today? What little things will you do to bring more fun into your life?
Need inspiration? Join us to rediscover the small wonders that make you happy, carving out one minute at a time, one day at a time
We all lead busy lives and it is sometimes easy to loose sight of those small things that can make a major difference to our daily experience of happiness.
That’s why we have created this fun 31-day challenge to make time for the things you love. Let’s think of it as an experiment in happiness and prioritisation – it starts very gently, and slowly but surely builds over the 31 days, so by the end you will be amazed by how much additional time and space you have found in your day. After all, the minutes, become the hours, become the days of our lives…
It couldn’t be easier to get involved – just sign up HERE and get ready to begin. Check your inbox for details, and get ready to receive one inspiring email a day for 31 days. Each one will provide thought-provoking words and a prompt to encourage you to create, connect or just find more joy.
Want to be more creative? Think like a child
There’s a fascinating relationship between creative thinking and play. If you’re interested in learning more about it, or you want to find out how play can improve your life, watch these inspiring TED Talks:
Tim Brown’s Tales of Creativity and Play
David Kelley’s How To Build Your Creative Confidence
Stuart Brown’s Play is more than just fun
Do What You Love interview – Nicky Westbury
There are now almost 1.2 million ‘mumpreneurs’ – mothers starting firms from home and setting up part-time – in the UK and their numbers are rising fast. The number of self-employed women has grown by almost 10% in the last two years, according to the Office for National Statistics. So why the boom?
We caught up with Nicky Westbury, one of the three founders of Scout & Co, an online kids’ lifestyle boutique, to find out what inspired her to leave her job and start a business doing what she loves…
What I learnt from two actual superheroes (and it’s not what you think)
The other day I went on a double date with Mr K and my older brother and sister-in-law to see the new film ‘Batman vs Superman’. The film choice wasn’t mine, but I have enjoyed some of the superhero films in recent years, and I was just happy to have some time out on the town.
We settled in with popcorn and wine (oh how classy cinemas are these days), and I was looking forward to a good story. Although the film was beautifully shot, after half an hour I was still looking for the story. After an hour I was bored. After 90 minutes I was actually getting really annoyed that I was sat there spending our rare night out watching gratuitous violence. I started asking myself why, when all day long I search for pockets of quiet time, have I filled my night off with guns and explosions?
And then I walked out.
Mastermind Week is here – your online teaching questions answered!
All this week I’m answering ANY and ALL questions you might have about building your own e-course and teaching online, in our first ‘Mastermind Week’ within ‘Reach. Teach. Profit. The E-course Creation Masterclass‘.
This opportunity is available exclusively to participants of the course, so if you want to get involved get yourself registered!
Don’t underestimate the value of being able to pick the brains of someone who has produced more than 15 online courses, with students in 100+ countries worldwide and who has probably made every mistake in the book along the way, so you don’t have to… You can join us here!
I look forward to being of service to you as you get your e-course out into the world.
Beth
Do What You Love interview – Henrik Dahle
Writer, artist, director of theatre and film, anxty environmentalist and social engineer, Henrik Dahle is passionate about doing what he loves. Always on the case with a project and forever thinking up new ideas, he spends his days rewriting scripts, lugging art to galleries, scrawling poems on tiny pieces of paper, editing digital images and making stories with them. Top of his list of priorities is protecting the natural world, and making the most of his time in it. This is what inspired his recent personal challenge: to climb a tree every day for a year.
Tree 111. Bay Tree. Chiavari, Italy. I bloody love this tree. Such beautiful shapes of intricate interwoven curls, pulsing out from the centre to gather the light. Image credit: Jacob Parish.
“365 days is a long-haul project and there’s discipline involved. There’s a scale to it – you have to persevere,” Henrik says. “Trees are the greatest lungs of the world. The largest single offering from the Earth. We take them for granted. We appreciate them if we take notice. We explore them as children, our bodies remembering the primal experience of climbing. It’s why hands were invented.”
Henrik’s journey took him through ten different countries, and saw him meet everyone from belly dancers and actors to school children and professors. As well as taking photos from the trees he climbed, Henrik found himself conducting interviews among the branches and he is now writing a book to document his wild and wonderful escapades. We caught up with him to find out more about his life, loves and leafy adventures… ~ Rachel