I’m not the type of person to regret much. I generally live a happy life regardless of what’s going on around me. I’m upbeat most of the time.
I could be doing many things with my life and be happy about them. I’d be fulfilled with many jobs but I choose to help people have awesome Web sites that make them sales.
Of bikes and outside
I talk about it on my process page before, I like to ride my bike. It’s more than that though, I just like to be outside.
I take my kids on a hike at least one day of the week 3 of 4 weekends a month. I think that many, actually most people now spend way to much time in front of their computers and screens. Yes that’s very ironic for someone that is using a screen as he writes this.
I could be happy being a bike mechanic. I’d get to work with my hands all day and help people enjoy their life more while they get a bit more fit. I’d help commuters have a reliable bike to ride to work/school every day.
I’d get to talk about bikes all day, which is something I think about.
I could be happy being an outdoor guide (a former profession). Taking people in to the mountains and making the experience is pleasurable is awesome. Taking teenagers for their first real experiences outside is my real favourite pastime.
When I first got married my wife and I were the offsite trip leaders at a camp and we had a young lady from an ‘alternative’ school. For her it meant that no other school would take her but this school for difficult girls.
She was certainly difficult to start the trip. She didn’t want to carry anything when we had to move our group gear. She didn’t want to serve anyone, but wanted everyone to serve her.
This attitude came to a culmination on the second day when we had to carry our canoes and all the gear between lakes. It was her turn to carry one of the heaviest packs but she refused. She said that it was too hard and she didn’t come here to work hard that was my job.
I simply said that was her choice, but no one was going to touch that pack but her and we couldn’t leave till we had it with us. Then I laid back in my canoe and pulled my hat over my face while she yelled and took a nap. Yup I fell asleep and about 30 minutes later my wife woke me up to say she was going back to get the bag.
So I joined her and helped her put it on (while I carried nothing) and when it pulled her off balance and over I helped her stand up. When she took it off and left again I laid back down and pulled my hat over my face on the trail and attempted to nap again.
We got the bag where it needed to be and a few days later she told me that no one had ever told here she could do something hard, then made her do it. Her whole life people let her off the hook as soon as she complained that a job was hard.
That young lady went from barely being allowed to stay in her ‘special’ school to the class president and valedictorian. Her and her husband guide climbing, canoeing, skiing, and rock climbing to this day and she says it’s the fault of my wife and I making her work hard.
That’s a life I changed and the opportunity to do that again is something I’d jump at and be happy with as a job.
Okay so why Web sites?
Now the question is why do I build help people have awesome Web sites when I could be working with teenagers and spending my time outside with them?
Building Web sites helps me have similar leverage over people’s success. One of my favourite clients is Greater Impact. They help ladies have awesome marriages. Each extra person I can help purchase the course is someone that I can help affect.
But the affect doesn’t stop there. It means that this family has a better relationship all the way down to the kids. It means this lady can affect other friends and help them have better marriages. It means that she’s likely happier and that’s going to affect everyone around her.
I’d be happy being outside, but the work I do now has a huge reach and I want to reach far and wide.