Home to the wise, unwise, flippant and thoughtful musings that pass through my head.
What "Chimpanzee" tells us about our story
Semi-spoiler alert for the Disney movie "Chimpanzee"
"Chimpanzee" is a fun movie with an amazing story. I'll try not to give too much away -- maybe the trailer and news articles already inform you what I'm about to write about anyway...
Ultimately this is a story about a newly orphaned chimp facing the threat of being cast out by his community. He finds acceptance, and ultimately family, from the least likely place: the elder, alpha male of the group.
I don't know much about Chimpanzee behavior, but from what was said in the movie, casual reading, and with a basic understanding of alpha-male social structures, it is easy to see that a male's role in communities like this is typically very unconcerned with the welfare of others--outside of basic community survival. So the fact that an alpha-male truly became a mother to this orphan is incredible. He is a representative of the first single dad.
It's the outlying stories of individuals like this male throughout history that created the evolutionary path to human existance. We are a product of scattered individuals breaking rank with their instincts and adding a compassionate intelligence to the DNA pool. We are a species of care, emotion, and thoughtfulness. In watching this movie, I felt I was witnessing one of the many forks in the road that led directly to not only my anatomic makeup, but my existance in that very theater!
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Getting shit done and still having fun
When I first started transitioning to my current work style, I felt guilty for waking up refreshed and without an alarm. In the very beginning of my transition, I rushed through my shower so I could start working as quickly as I could to make up for that lost time. When 4:00 came around, I felt guilty that I was finished for the day, so I slogged it out for another hour. I caught a fair amount of shit from people implying that my work day didn't really count.
After being on my own schedule now for basically three years, it's the rest of the world that seems screwed up to me.
I wake up when I wake up--oddly enough, now that I'm more relaxed I often wake up before my wife anyway. I enjoy my breakfast and take breaks during the day to watch The Daily Show or read blogs. It becomes very clear to me when I'm done for the day, so I stop. Some days I'm on fire and I get an insane amount of focused work done. On days like these I often end up working long hours, but I never notice the time. Other days when things just aren't clicking, I turn to easier tasks and end the day early.
As a result, my work is of higher quality, I get more done in less time, I continue to stay excited about the work that lies ahead, and my work-life balance is great. I feel in tune with my body's natural rhythms: I'm off caffeine, I sleep well, and I eat healthier. Of course there are times when I have to push through to deal with time-sensitive issues, but those occurrences are the exception, not the rule.
Here are some things I've learned:
- Prevent distractions: don't interrupt others and expect the same in return
- Don't do things that don't matter: spend 5 minutes thinking if a task should even be done before you start--don't invent work for yourself
- Set realistic expectations: don't bite off more than you can chew and don't let others dump work in your lap
- Believe you will succeed: the simple mindset that your goal is possible truly helps make it happen
- Strike while the iron is hot: take advantage of those good days and kick some ass
- Inject change: every once in a while add some kind of change to your daily life
- Be responsive to your body and your mental state: don't force it--if tired or bored feelings last more than a couple of days then you're in a rut and you've got a more systemic problem to address (change something about your life!)
- Have fun: when you get lost in the fun of something you'll find yourself reset and energized the next time you sit back down for work
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Unmasking your secret identity
Childhood was thrilling. Adolescence was impossible at times and amazing at others. My early twenties were inspiring but sometimes frustrating. I turned 30 in 2011 and over the past few years I feel I've finally got a decent hold on who I am.
Through a fair amount of tough love and doing my best to maintain a deep honesty with myself (at times facing some pretty tough questions), I have uncovered bits and pieces of my identity at each stage of my life, desperately seeking the big picture. Not that I'll ever be finished learning and growing (puh-leaze), but it's relieving to finally feel a truly strong foundation on which to build.
I don't mean to imply that I have it all figured out, but I feel a strong sense of peace and compassion in my life right now. I feel empowered and ambitious, but also very content. And it strikes me now that while any early death is tragic, the ultimate tragedy is death before getting a chance to really know yourself.
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