Fuel.

Have you ever wondered what fuels you? Not like a good breakfast or those 6 Red Bulls you have every day. No…more like what gets you motivated and energized. I was feeling very unmotivated a while back and asked myself that very question. So being the “fixer” type, I took some time to really think about my answer.

Sure, these things are “no-brainers” and seem to be common sense. I didn’t uncover anything new or unexpected. So why in the world am I posting close to 1200 words to my site? I’ll explain soon.

So here’s my list of what “fuels” me:

music: I grew up with music on all the time (I had my own transistor radio as I took my first steps). I usually have music on and when I don’t I can really feel the difference in how I see things and in my mood. I always have headphones ready to be deployed and I should use them more often. I don’t use them that often because I think I need to hear what’s going on around me. I realize now that what is going on around me isn’t all that important unless it adds to my day. Hello headphones.

creativity/movement: This may really seem obvious being that I’m a designer and an educator. But by writing it down and really thinking about it – it solidifies the importance of creativity.

Keeping my eyes open and my mind primed is so vital in keeping me moving forward. Seems silly, right? Maybe so but I know I personally dip into a funk if I’m not keeping my brain running at a higher rpm. I think the only time I’m not doing something is when I’m sleeping.

I find myself needing to be drawing, painting, building, reading, watching or just listening. Maybe I’ll just go walk around or lately I’ll get the longboard out for a ride. Whatever it is, I seem to need to be always moving in some fashion.

seeing/learning/hearing new: I need to get out and breathe new air from time to time. As much as I love to travel, just driving to a different part of town or sitting someplace new at work can really wake me up. When I do have the opportunity to really travel I spend as little time in the hotel as possible.

I love meeting new people but my crazy anxiety really makes that a challenge. I try but usually wind up hugging the wall or sticking to people I know. That’s something I’m always working on. So if you see me – do me a huge favor and come over and say “hi”. I’d appreciate it.

New ideas really fuel me – even when they are someone else’s ideas. My friend Steve is working on some sweet projects. Just talking to him about what he’s got going on energizes me to push harder on my projects. (Thanks for sharing Steve!) Getting something new into my head is like a shot of caffeine (which is nice since I can’t have caffeine – stupid stomach).

New music is like crack to me. I’m always seeking it out. My tastes are very eclectic (excluding country and folk). In any given day I might my playlist might range from jazz to hip-hop, hardcore to opera or metal to who know what.

One of my goals is to learn how to DJ. I’m not talking about playing records for people at a wedding. No – I want to learn how to mix, and create. I have no plans on actually doing this in public or as a job but I want to learn how. (See, never stand still.)

structure + order: Let me start this one off by stating that I am not a clean freak – nor do I have OCD (not that either of those conditions are bad). What I’m referring to is basic structure and organization of my life and surroundings.

I have perfected the art of creating clutter. And it drives me crazy. So now I make a conscious effort to minimize, simplify and keep things in their places.

Using various tools/apps to keep me where I need to be helps too. By putting everything into my phone I wind up saving so much time. I also use apps/tools to sync my bookmarks, contacts and the like together so I always have what I need with me.

Along with being tidy and organized I really try to be conscious of how I’m spending my time. I guess you could say I try to have purpose in what I do. I might be watching TV or working on a project – doesn’t matter – whatever it is, I try to give it my full attention. If I’m being lazy then that’s what I want to be doing at the point in time – not just being lazy to avoid doing something else.

I’ve wasted so much of my life wanting to do this or that. It makes me sick thinking of all the things I could have experienced in life if I had only gotten off my ass and did them. So now I either do it or put the “want” to rest for good. Which leads into the next item…

growth: I hope we all want to grow as individuals but I’m sure we all know a few people that seem very content living in their personal boxes. As I mentioned before, I have crazy anxiety that has gotten and still gets in my way of experiencing life. The meds suck for anxiety/depression so I go hand-to-hand everyday with it just to keep myself out of any of those boxes.

My friend Jeff stopped attending events out of a sense of duty. Awesome approach Jeff! Attending events because “I should” is a thing of the past. I attend what I want to attend and then I tend to really enjoy it. If there is nothing to be gained from something, why waste your time with it? That may seem very closed-minded but life is short (and I believe in reincarnation).

Forward momentum is what I’m working towards. Keeping the flow going and the “moss” to a minimum. It’s a battle sometimes to make the time or prioritize things right to ensure the momentum isn’t lost. As long as it is honest and genuine momentum and I’m not forcing it – the battle will be worth fighting.

You might be asking yourself why in the world did I write this? That’s easy, I did it for me. I did it so I would hold myself to these goals and ideas. Writing it down wasn’t enough – I had to make it public. I feel when I keep something inside it does one of two things: it rolls around and makes a mess of things or it becomes a snag that everything else gets caught on causing a stop in my forward momentum. So there it is. Thanks for taking the time.

Be good.