Blog 101

Since November 18th 2008, I have posted 100 pieces on my blog. This is Blog 101.

These days, I am spending more time looking forward than back, but as a turbulent year of change comes to a close, it seems wrong not to think back over these 100 pieces.

At that moment, when I posted the first piece, it felt that many things were sliding underneath my feet, as the trigger for setting up my blog was losing my job. The first pieces were all about that experience, for myself and friends. Looking back on it, I feel a clarity that I had been allowing my job to be my life, a clarity which was definitely missing for a number of years. My friend Yvonne said to me in the Summer, “I don't want to be defined by my job”, and certainly I was in danger of that. When the job was removed I felt a part of me was removed too. Instead what has taken its place is a willingness to look at life in a different way and look at what my values are through different experiences.

It doesn't mean I have any regrets. My life in Canon gave me the chance to experience diversity in ways I could not dream of back in my teens when I tried to imagine my future working life. From the moment I started working with people from different countries, I felt at home and suited to the environment, personally and professionally. The job led me to live in different countries and experience new cultures, languages and people first-hand. Those opportunities more than anything have shaped my character.

Nevertheless, I needed a trigger for a new start, a new development. If I am honest, probably I would never have willingly left Canon without the push, so for that I am personally grateful. It is a rare case to have the will to make a change hand in hand with a push from your company and the resources to make the jump. Every day I remind myself how lucky I am to have been able to take time off and review where my life is headed.

Many of my pieces over the last 14 months have focused on the change of job. But increasingly things have shifted, as they have for all my former work colleagues in Canon. Instead of mourning the loss, I found new spirit in thinking about new plans for the future and writing about my travel. Trips to America in April, Spain in May, Greece and East Europe in June and July and the whole tour with Nicki since October have given so much inspiration and new input.

It has meant that my directions and dreams have shifted since I set out my plans in this blog in early 2009, yet somehow have stayed on track.

The first dream and direction was to write a book about Amsterdam. While the work I am now writing will be very different to my planned novel, the book “49 Things You Might Want To Know About Amsterdam” (working title) will be published in 2010 – of this, I am absolutely certain. My love for the city, the research I have done and my will to write and create something unique will come together in this book.

Where the book will be published remains to be seen. Amsterdam? London? Buenos Aires? Auckland? All are possible.

The second dream was to go to Australia, and that dream has transformed into the most memorable experience of my life, thanks to this world tour with Nicki. Seeing such extremes of country and culture has been amazing. The madness of Venice Beach and the calm of Sonoma's wine valley. Peru's poverty in the countryside and dramatic history at Macchu Picchu. The buzz and creativity of Buenos Aires' San Telmo district and the calm and quaintness of Colonia Del Sacramento in Uruguay. And the all-happening life in New York contrasted to the calm beauty of Easter Island and Tahiti. What incredible luck to have seen all this! And still to come are all that New Zealand and Australia have to offer, and so the dream has taken on totally new wings.

The final part of the dream was to start my own Business Coaching company. I still intend to start a company but it will be a very different one. The company – DJB Pubs BV – will publish the first “49 Things” book. There is a whole plan developing in my mind for what to do to make this successful – to make it so much more than “just” a book and rather a way of life for me in the future – but this is still in process, so more on this another time.

Through it all, friends and family have been so supportive and understanding of these decisions not to simply move to London or hunt a new job immediately.

At the end of 2008, Sonny and I came up with the slogan for the new year. “2009 – The Time for Radical Change”. At the end of 2009, I want to keep the spirit of that with my wish for this New Year. 2010 – The Time for MORE Radical Change.

And the motto for the year will be;

“If they give you lined paper, write sideways”. (Juan Ramon Jimenez)

All the best for the New Year, thanks for reading my blog, and be assured that there is plenty to come on this site in the coming months.