My thoughts on Life, The Universe and Everything :) http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:16:17 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Enjoying the freelance lifestyle http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/enjoying-the-freelance-lifestyle/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/enjoying-the-freelance-lifestyle/#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:06:21 +0000 admin http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/?p=69 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 ;)

]]> http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/enjoying-the-freelance-lifestyle/feed/ 0 Ki Aikido – a year later http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/ki-aikido-a-year-later/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/ki-aikido-a-year-later/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:40:39 +0000 admin http://danijelgajan.wordpress.com/?p=46 ki1It seems like only yesterday I have made the decision to start practicing the art of Ki Aikido, yet over a year has passed since then. I have had ups and downs, a few bruises here and there, gone from frustration to excitement and I must say – it was well worth it!

Ki Aikido is one of the rare martial arts that promotes non-violence and peace. Basically you learn fighting skills with a goal and intention to never use them :) A true Ki Aikido master avoids conflict at all costs. Fighting techniques are used only if diplomacy fails, and even then the goal is not to harm the attacker, yet to disable him in a gentle and caring way.

I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my one year anniversary than attending a three day Ki Aikido seminar in Belgrade held by sen-sei Kenjiro Yoshigasaki, founder of the Ki No Kenkyukai Association International.

It was a thrilling experience. During the three days we were practicing for two hours, twice a day. Sensei Yoshigasaki has taught us some great new techniques and shared some of his wisdom. I was so amazed by the things he said – some of his words still linger on in my mind.

Taking Aikido lessons has for sure been the best decision I have made regarding my self-confidence, spirit and overall health. If you are interested in making a good change in your life, look up an Aikido dojo in your town and attend at least one class – that’s how long it took me to get hooked :)

]]> http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/ki-aikido-a-year-later/feed/ 5 Another job well done http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/another-job-well-done/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/another-job-well-done/#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:19:38 +0000 admin http://danijelgajan.wordpress.com/?p=42 pf_05A few days ago we’ve launched the official Cafe Club Coupe website. Coupe is the oldest club in Pancevo and has been very popular over the years. The place is well known for great live concerts and saturday night parties. I saw some of my first live concerts in Coupe back in the 90s, so this project is quite special to me.

The website is designed to follow the overall interior and image of the club. It provides information about the upcoming shows, as well as photos and videos from past events. As a special feature, we’ve created a Facebook page and a YouTube channel, so everybody can post their pics and vids and opinions.

It’s been a real pleasure working on this one. I have aranged long time maintenance as well, so I’ll be the first one to find out about upcoming shows and I’ll never miss another concert again – it’s a win-win! :)

]]> http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/another-job-well-done/feed/ 1 Muscle power http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/muscle-power/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/muscle-power/#comments Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:54:59 +0000 admin http://danijelgajan.wordpress.com/?p=29 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?

]]> http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/muscle-power/feed/ 0 The miracle of life http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/the-miricle-of-life/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/the-miricle-of-life/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:50:14 +0000 admin http://danijelgajan.wordpress.com/?p=26 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 :)

]]> http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/the-miricle-of-life/feed/ 0 The inner child http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/the-inner-child/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/the-inner-child/#comments Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:59:45 +0000 admin http://danijelgajan.wordpress.com/?p=22 Recently I have been given a task of creating a website design for a local preschool organization. I am most grateful for the opportunity to bring out the child in me while working on this project. I am having tons of fun playing around with blue skies, green hills, pretty flowers and paper airplanes flying around in the header.

In this tortured world of ours and with all the things going wrong today, it is hard to stay in touch with the beautiful things and I think it’s an essential task to keep reminding ourselves of our true, beautiful nature, every chance we get.

Of course, as soon as the website is finished I will post it on www.danijelgajan.com

]]> http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/the-inner-child/feed/ 0 A positive flow http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/a-positive-flow/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/a-positive-flow/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:59:19 +0000 admin http://danijelgajan.wordpress.com/?p=19 I have finished the redesign for the job seeking website Berzica. Berzica is a free Serbian based regional service for freelancers, job seekers and employers. Freelancing is quite underdeveloped in Serbia, and the main idea behind Berzica is to contribute to popularization of freelancing as a way of doing business. The service is completely free and more than 2000 users have registered in as little as 7 months of activity.

I have once again been blessed with a great client. The cooperation went smoothly and the end result is great. I just love the positive flow of energy when I work with good, open-minded people. I am sure that there will be all kinds of clients down the road, but I am more than grateful for the good ones I get to work with these days.

]]> http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/a-positive-flow/feed/ 1 Good job http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/good-job/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/good-job/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:54:53 +0000 admin http://danijelgajan.wordpress.com/?p=17 I have recently finished a project for a Belgrade based company SRB Invest. They are doing a great job promoting Serbia as a great place to invest and trade with. My job was to create a website which will promote the company and their vision as well as the beauty and the potential of the country itself.

I am grateful for the fact that this project turned out to be one of those good jobs. It was a real pleasure to work with this client – from the beginning of the design process they had a clear picture of what they wanted from the website and how it should look like in general. I had no trouble creating exactly what the client had in mind and the result was great – a good looking website and a truly satisfied customer.

I am looking forward to working with this client again, and hoping that my future clients will be at least half as good as this one

]]> http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/good-job/feed/ 0 Aikido – still going strong http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/aikido-still-going-strong/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/aikido-still-going-strong/#comments Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:25:09 +0000 admin http://danijelgajan.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/aikido-still-going-strong/ I have started practicing the art of Aikido in November last year. I made a promise to myself – if I stay interested and keep practicing for 6 moths I will buy myself a dogi. Dogi is the clothes we use while practicing – similar to kimono in karate. You can practice Aikido in any comfortable sportswear, until you purchase a dogi. So here I am 6 months later and still very interested, so the promise has been kept. It feels a little awkward to wear all white, but I’ll get used to it I guess :)

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]]> http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/aikido-still-going-strong/feed/ 0 Veggie BBQ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/veggie-bbq-3/ http://www.danijelgajan.com/blog/veggie-bbq-3/#comments Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:37:58 +0000 admin http://danijelgajan.wordpress.com/?p=11 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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