CRAKOWSKI - the world is my playground » Personal Development

27 Life Lessons

Rako — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:24:55 +0000

Below is a list of some life lesson I’ve learnt over the past several years. Some relate to personal experiences, some to professional experiences, while others are from books and internet articles I’ve read. All have forever altered my constantly evolving world-view.

Stress is a code word for fear.
Everything people do aims to gain pleasure or avoid pain
Don’t wait for other people permission.
Taking care of the things (and people) you love in your life matters everyday, no matter how busy you are
3 greatest human fears: rejection, we’r not enough and we won’t be loved.
Sometimes it’s necessary to be unreasonable
I don’t need to be perfect, but people do need to know they can rely on me
People respect you when you admit you were wrong
Relationships are never 100% equal
Fear of loss generally drives more action than desire for gain
We are motivated by our emotions and we then backward rationalize our actions
Pursue passion, not titles and dollars
Focus on the vital few. Ignore the trival many
Making a decision is more important than doing things perfectly
When I think my limit has been reached, take on step forward
Offer solutions when identifying a problem.
Agility matters
There is massive power in simplicity
Systems cannot change culture
Some customers/friends are not worth having
Companies/People can’t help helped until they’re ready to be helped
Raise issues immediately and directly – don’t delay
There is power in persistence
Disorient yourself when life gets too comfortable
There is a direct relationship between $ and value added
Chose doing over having
Most of the time, it’s not enough to be better. You need to be different. You need to be interesting.

My Favorite Quotes

Rako — Fri, 14 May 2010 04:12:55 +0000

Benjamin Disraeli once said, “The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotations.” Below is a selection of my favorites. Click here to download the full list.

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A journey can only begin with your decision to embark. – Michael Dell

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. – Marcus Aurelius

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. —Oscar Wilde

Those who stand for nothing fall for anything. – Alexander Hamilton

Those with more talent require fewer props. – Hugh

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. – Dr. Seuss

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain

It’s not about being treating like a superstar, it’s about being treated like part of the family. – Steve Lawler (DJ)

I work extremely hard doing what I love, mainly to ensure that I don’t have to work extremely hard doing what I hate. – Hugh

You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend or not. -Isabel Allende

Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light? – Maurice Freehill

Success is the culmination of failures, mistakes, false starts, confusion, and the determination to keep going anyway – Nick Gleason

2009 In Review

Rako — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:22:18 +0000

In 2009, my adventure bug bit again which shook me out of my comfort cocoon and made for a very interesting year. 2009 started in Las Vegas with my friends from Barcelona and ended in Sydney, with my new friends that I’ve made in my first 4 months in Sydney.

Below are a few of the more memorable moments (6 good, one challenge).

Went to the Obama Presidential Inauguration (thanks again Brian! I owe you).
Left Chicago Tribune after 1.5 tumultuous years (survived 4 rounds of layoffs, and then resigned).
Spent 2 ½ unforgettable months on summer holiday in Barcelona, spending the time with my friends that I first met when I lived in Spain from August 2006-August 2007….also making plenty of new friends
Traveled to Washington D.C, New York City, Los Angeles, Madrid, London, Bangkok, Istanbul, Dublin, Athens and Santorini (Washington D.C., Thailand, Turkey, Ireland and Greece were all firsts)
Relocated to Sydney, my current residence.
Started new job @ Myriad Minds
Father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, a challenge he’s facing with courage and grace.

2009 was an incredible year. It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since the apocalyptic predictions of 2000. Yet here we are. So much has changed in the world and within my life in the past ten years. It’s certainly a much different world.

I have no idea what will happen over the next 10 years, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. For me, it’s the excitement of the unknown, the chemical high of anticipation and the thrill of possibility that makes life worth living.

Beach / Blond Correlation?

Rako — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:16:50 +0000

This article in the Sydney Morning Herald and its comments provided incredible insight to the old (and tired) Sydney vs Melbourne debate.

More importantly, the author raises an incredibly interesting question whether more attractive, but less intelligent people tend to gravitate to beach cities like Barcelona, Miami and Sydney.

Hmmm…certainty worth pondering.

Growth Roids

Rako — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:14:10 +0000

Do you worry more about being overwhelmed or underwhelmed? Being overwhelmed is a valid concern and can become a source of great stress if not managed properly. More than being overwhelmed, I worry about being underwhelmed. Being underwhelmed is a sign that you’re stagnating – that you’re not growing & learning. Given the choice, I’ll almost always pick being overwhelmed.

Growth is built upon a series of stress and recovery, so you can excellerate your growth by consciously putting yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable. Over time, you’ll resilience and comfort with the uncomfortable will grow.

30 Day Challenge #1: No alcohol & caffeine

Rako — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:21:06 +0000

I’ve always enjoyed trying new things, pushing the boundaries and seeing what happens. For the next 30 days, I’m challenging myself to not consume any alcohol or caffeine. For many people, this may sound extreme. The reality is that it won’t be that difficult because I already don’t drink soda and have I drastically reduced the amount of coffee I drink compared to as recently as 1 year ago.

I plan to do more of these challenges in the near future, but want to start with a more manageable challenge and build up to larger ones (such as a 30 day vegan diet challenge).

If you’re interested in reading challenge updates, I’ll post them at @crakowski.