How losing your smartphone can open you up to a whole new and better direction in life (or, “dolce far niente”)

Hi guys, sorry I haven’t been around for nearly a week, hope you’ve all been well. I was gutted early last week to find I’d lost my (expensive) smartphone and a large chunk of my life with it. Thousands of photos, blog writings, and more – gone, baby. No cloud or dropbox (long story), so gone for ever.

I was incredibly upset, as you can imagine. My forward momentum on the blog and social media was huge and I was on a roll. This changed all that, yanking me almost viscerally back. I admit there were more than a few days of lying on the couch eating chocolate and feeling almost defeated. 

However what happened next was this breathing space opened up before me allowing me to regroup, read a positively life changing book (The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau), and take some long walks with the dogs. It also became the fertile ground for a new idea – a website/blog that would be alot more “me” (although I love DEC), would be helpful to people seeking answers on many of life’s problems, and could more easily be monetised once it gained momentum.

Rewatching Eat Pray Love during that time also helped remind me that sometimes taking a deep, long breath can help with what is often a tumultuous and misadventurous life path. It also dropped a pearl of a phrase into my lap: “dolce far niente”, the sweetness of doing nothing. It was being able to do nothing that allowed me to reconceive my direction – I am convinced I would not have thought of the idea had I not slowed down enough to hear its quiet whisperings. It also allowed me to gain clarity and resolve on what I wanted for my life – to be able to help people on a large scale and if possible, make even a small living while doing it. 

Now armed with a new Samsung Galaxy S7 (SO excited about the phone – and it’s waterproof!), and brainstorming ideas for the new website with loved ones, I am charged up again. In the end, it was only a week of downtime but what a difference a week can make!

Have you experienced something similar? An “aha” moment especially during a quiet time that helped you refocus and recharge? Would love to hear in the comments below! X
#inspiration #change #life #focus