My thoughts on Life, The Universe and Everything :)

Archive for the ‘Life’ Category

Enjoying the freelance lifestyle

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

It’s been almost nine months since my last post here and there’s a good reason for that. I’ve had the most wonderful year of my life: I’ve become a full-time freelancer, I’ve recorded a great album with my band and most excitingly I’ve become a parent!

Taking the plunge

Leaving the world of employment has had a tremendous effect on my life. It’s a struggle to keep the money flowing when you’re your own boss, but for me there’s no better way to keep your life in your own hands. So, if you are stuck in a cubicle and wandering if there’s more to life than that, please do yourself a favor and get busy creating the life you were meant to live. You deserve it!

The lifestyle

Creating a freelance lifestyle and the fact that I choose my work hours has brought me two more benefits: I get to play in a rock band, which has always been a crucial part of my life, and I get to spend quality time with my family, which is a luxury many people today can’t afford, sadly. Frankly, it can be quite a challenge to juggle between work and family, especially when you work from home, but all it takes is some practice and there is a ton of useful information and advice from other freelancers on the web.

The information

Speaking of useful information, here’s a list of websites and books that I found very helpful when I was transitioning to freelancing:

  • http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com
    Pamela Slim’s blog about leaving the corporate world and starting your own business was my great source of inspiration and support when I was considering escaping my cubicle.
  • http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog
    Steve Pavlina is a personal development expert. His blog is packed with top-notch information about entrepreneurship, business, productivity, wealth as well as personal development oriented topics.
  • http://www.sitepoint.com/books/freelancer1
    One of Sitepoint’s great books, very easy to read and understand, focused on providing you with useful knowledge about the tips and tricks of freelance business management.

Get involved

I hope you’ll find these sources useful and inspiring. And please don’t stop here – the web is filled with great information. Find freelancers from your area of expertise and follow their blogs or Twitter accounts. Get involved, start your own blog, use the comment section of this post and and share your discoveries with others. You’ll be glad you did ;)

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Muscle power

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

Today, I’ve spent a whole day helping my father clean up the garden at his new house. My muscles ache from the hard work, I’ve got scratches on my arms from the bush and branches, but you know what – it felt great!

We’ve cleaned up a part of the backyard that is to become a beautiful garden soon. Between work I played with the dogs, which I enjoy very much. And at the end of the day we enjoyed a great meal my mother and sister prepared. What a day!

As a web designer I spend a lot of time in front of the screen and it’s really a great thing to get out and get those muscles into action from time to time, and for a good cause too. Is there somebody you could help out with some muscle power?

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The miracle of life

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

Thanks to the power of technology today I had the privilege to meet my future son! By using a 4D ultrasound device the doctor was able to take a peek into mommy’s belly and there he was – our little one, getting ready for the big wide world. Truly a miracle :)

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Veggie BBQ

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

On March 20th, the first day of spring, I have decided to give vegetarian diet a try for one month, inspired by Steve Pavlina’s 30 day trial system for acquiring new habits. I am proud to say that this first trial of mine was successful and I have indeed cut meat out of my diet for 30 days. The fact that I have made a conscious decision to do such a thing was exciting enough, and to complete the task was very fulfilling and encouraging.

I must say that this trial wasn’t as difficult as one might think, because I have been considering trying vegetarianism for quite some time and additionally I have chosen a very liberal form of lacto-ovo vegetarianism, which means that I was consuming milk, dairy products and eggs. I have also been reducing the meat consumption gradually in the months preceding the trial.

In a way I guess I was preparing myself, but it wasn’t until the day I have chosen to give up meat that I have finally made the switch. And that’s the only thing that counts – turning your ideas into action! I have encountered some resistance from family and friends, but generally my decision has been accepted very well. I guess the 30 day trial period works well both for the person who is doing the trial, as well as for the people who have to accept the change – “it’s only for a month, you know” :)

One of the most enjoyable moments was the family barbecue at my parent’s house – at that time I have not yet seen the Simpsons episode where Lisa (a vegetarian herself) ruins Homer’s BBQ party as an act of protest :) For the first time in my life I have prepared grilled mushrooms, carrots and other veggies instead of burgers and chicken wings, and it was both fun and very tasty – everybody have had a bite of my cuisine.

Right now I have returned to non-vegetarian diet since I have not made it clear to myself if I really want to be a vegetarian for life, but the 30 day journey brought me several benefits:

  • I have made a conscious decision about an important part of my life, which is great
  • I have tried some very tasty vegetable recipes for the first time… mmmm… grilled cauliflower :)
  • I have focused more on what I eat, which is important
  • Hopefully I have influenced a few people to think about their eating habits

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Value of compromise

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

This morning I have learned a lesson about differences and compromise.

It all started as a conflict between me and my fellow employee over the intensity of light in the office. There is a neon light source placed on the ceiling which shines right into my eyes and is very distracting. Incidentally, one of my colleagues needs this light, in addition to his low intensity overhead light source, for his working area, so turning it off wasn’t an option for him.

Naturally, each of us found his own trouble more important and we ended up with a conflict and no resolution. However, after a minute or two we have started discussing possible solutions, and came up with a simple idea. We took out one neon bulb from the problematic light source, thus decreasing it’s intensity, and added it to the group of bulbs above my colleague’s head, to increase the intensity of light for him.

However, the new intensity of light from his overhead source turned out to be strong enough for him, so we could turn off the problematic light completely. We have made a true compromise, without anyone’s needs being neglected.

This story may sound trivial to someone. For me it was a great opportunity to overcome my ego and learn the value of compromise.

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Can dreams save lives?

Wednesday, November 21st, 2007

This morning I woke up after a very intense dream. Usually I don’t remember my dreams, but this one was quite disturbing. In the dream I was driving my car on a usual route from my home to work. Suddenly a big gap in the road appeared in front of my car, as if some construction work was going on. I managed to stop the car just a few millimeters from the hole in the ground, avoiding an accident. The hole was very deep and falling in would have caused injury or even death. I remember thinking that someone should put up a warning sign!

At that very moment another car came down the road so fast that it couldn’t stop on time and crashed right into the hole. The car was a wreck and I was sure that there were no survivors. I remember calling the ambulance and this is where the dream ended. The weird thing was that the car looked just like mine.

So I got up, got ready and headed of to work as usual. A few minutes after I left the parking space and headed downtown a speeding car jumped in front of me from a side street. The guy who was driving was talking on a cell phone and wasn’t paying attention to the road. I hit the brakes and luckily managed to stop my car early enough to avoid crashing into the other car. As my heart pounded like crazy of the excitement the first thing that rushed through my mind was the dream.

It may sound like a coincidence but I am certain of one thing: in a way I already knew that the accident was going to happen and subconsciously my attention was higher than usual. As a result I was able to react more promptly.

So if someone asked me if dreams can save lives I would say yes, I do believe so. And I have a story to prove it.

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