Lifes lasagna, – The Layering Methodology
Well, 2016 came & went and 2017 was thrust upon me with all the expectation of a boxing day discount sale and I sit here, in my flash new kitchen looking back at the past twelve months – a mixture of both happiness & slight melancholy. (I’m not actually in my kitchen now, I’ve probably wandered off somewhere but…you get my jyst).
Lifes Lasagna – The layering methodology
What happened? Well, I lost a bunch of weight, (sorry that’s a proper Americanism isn’t it – ‘I lost some weight’) I became super aware of my mind, body & health. I spent some unusual additional time in the pub with new friends towards the end of the year (which was nice) & I became very critical about myself (more than usual) but 2017 looks pretty bright however, although I’m sure there’ll be a few curveballs I have to swat – I mean, what’s life without challenges?
I always think about family at this time of year, and can’t really express how grateful I (and we are) for all the help and support we get & how lucky we are to have that. It’s also a stark and very grave reminder of how lucky we are & how cruel life can be for some, and without being grandiose, self-gratifying or overbearing, it does make me think we really should do more for others – maybe social responsibility should be a big resolution for me in 2017!?
Business is going pretty well, have to be a bit more aggressive I think though (which means actually charging people for my work!), but have some pretty nice projects to work on in 2017 which should keep me busy for the foreseeable. I do love what I do, I’m so privileged to work in an industry I adore, and one which also takes care of my family so I’m thankful for that. I’ve got this idea for a finance start-up which I’m really excited about & cant’ wait to see if I can take that forward!
With this whole blogging lark, I realize I have to give you, the reader something, something to make reading this post worthwhile as I am aware (and somewhat surprised) that you don’t really want to read about me and my waffle.……
So, there’s a great article here https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-dont-suffer-fools-what-happens-when-become-one-marc-nourse?trk=hp-feed-article-title-comment from Marc Nourse, a lawyer & strategist, who writes about suffering fools, & what happens when you become one.
I’m always inspired by strong workplace culture (which is why I’m usually on workplace engagement & corporate committee’s), even if sometimes it’s purely inspirational than practical, here’s Netflix’s slide deck on culture (its 124 slides so grab a coffee) http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664 and my personal all-time favorite from Big Spaceship in New York – my favorite digital agency. Read their manual here, which may bring a tear to your eye as it did me when I first read it – http://www.bigspaceship.com/bsscom2013/wp-content/themes/bss/assets/pdf/BigSpaceship_OurManual_Digital.pdf
There’s something you need to consider if I’m doing websites for you (and that’s quite a few of you)
Firstly, Google are dictating that the web should be encrypted and from now, sites in Chrome which don’t have an SSL will be flagged & highlighted in Chrome, and this *may* impact your search-ability and usability in Chrome.
Secondly, with regards to making the web a better user experience on mobile, head on over to https://www.ampproject.org/learn/about-amp/ which details Googles open source project / initiative on making web pages better on mobile. It’s pretty clear this is going to be a key factor in search rankings on mobile in the future, (had some interesting chats with our SEO guru at work this week who flagged it) so it’s one worthy of discussion.
So back to my favorite subject, me….
Sleep has been somewhat of an issue, as my sleep schedule appears to be that of a fucking barn owl, but overall I’m feeling pretty fit & healthy and ready to ramp up what I do fitness wise in 2017 with maybe a couple more competitive runs as I work towards the London Marathon 2018. The same SEO guru I mentioned above is embarking on T25 which is like Insanity on steroids, so I’m looking at that to supplement my running regime if I’m feeling brave enough.
I’ve seen a few people fall on their sword this year (which I have to admit I kinda’ quite like) due to being just not-very-nice people and that fills me with confidence as it’s the balance in the world I crave, what’s the point in trying to be a decent human being if people can just piss life up the wall (sometimes literally) and not be impacted by those shocking, shocking choices. I still despair with the fucking human race, don’t get me wrong of course I still have this holier-than-though soapbox-standing sense of superiority which will only grow in 2017, but my excuse for that is I practice what I preach – and that’s good enough for me.
Resolutions wise not much, be nicer to people, especially my other half who puts up with my tantrums on a daily basis and I definetley need to spend more time with the kids as work/life balance is something always a bit hit & miss with me.
The worlds pretty fcked up right now, don’t contribute to the fuckery – that’s my 2017 motto, that and we’re all the same really…so best not to judge.
Right I’m off to steam some pak-choi on the arga, see you later.
