My Social Media

In late 2012, I retired from the full-time workforce, primarily related to the state of my health. By the time I retired I had been living with a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis for more than 20 years. Despite the condition, I was able to achieve a successful career, support my family to the point where my daughters have achieved the capacity four independence and to really enjoy my lifestyle primarily with the support of my wife as well as many friends, family and work colleagues. 

When the time came to move on from full time work and acting on the advice of those that have gone before, I took some time to construct a plan for my life in its new form. One important aspect of that plan for me was to ensure that I remained connected with people as had been such an important aspect of life throughout my career. 

 To achieve this, one opportunity that I was keen to examine was the role that social media may be able to play in assisting me to maintain that connection. So, I reached out through Facebook, Twitter and a newly formed blog. Looking back over the past year, I rate myself a C+ in relation to my efforts to remain connected through the social media world. In the relatively already comfortable medium of Facebook, I simply continued to interact with friends and family, sharing experiences from my own days as well as hearing about and seeing their experiences. I also found Twitter beneficial to quickly share simple observations of my daily encounters and experiences. Somewhat unexpectedly, I also found it a rich source of information that I chose to access through the medium. My blog on the other hand has not been as successful as I had hoped. Largely, this is because I have not been as committed as I would have liked to writing regularly and sharing my writings with those who may enjoy or benefit from it. 

So as we enter 2014 I have been thinking about whether my social media experiment should continue and if so how it might add more value for me and those that choose to link with me through this medium. Of course, personal connections over a coffee, dinner table or phone will always remain a staple for me, but I still sense that my connections through social media will add value to my original and sustaining objective of ensuring connectedness with others. 

To improve my efforts and experience in the current year, I intend to maintain my efforts and build on what I have been able to achieve so far. Primarily for my own benefit, I am going to attempt to write more regularly in my blog in the coming year. Through Twitter, (in addition to my random observations of life) each day of the year, I want to share a tweet about how MS has influenced me on that day. Specifically, those tweets will be signed off...MS365 and apart from providing me with an interesting log of my experience, I also hope that for some of you it may provide assistance, insight and encouragement around how to deal with impediments or challenges within your life. 

To all my friends and family, a very happy and fruitful new year in 2014. I look forward to staying connected with you in this coming year and truly value what our connection adds to my life.

Some days are diamonds...

Multiple Sclerosis is a weird condition.  Some days it lets you roll out of bed, full of energy and with a real sense of purpose to tackle those things on the 'to do' list and then again there are those days when my body just says "not today".  The real cruncher for a 'control freak' like me is the total unpredictability of this cycle.  Sure, there are mornings when you just know its going to be a challenge.  A late night or some other form of over indulgence is almost always a sure fire recipe for a couple of slow recovery days.  I should know better by now, but as one MS specialist medico once said to me..."Would you rather have 'passed' on that important, exciting, enjoyable occasion or have had a 'blast' and then know that you will need to recover, but focussed on the great time you had rather than on the regret of having missed out?" On the other hand, sometimes, it's slow going just because it is.

Recently, a bout of gastro (a 'just because it is' occasion) laid me low and without food for several days.  One of life's inconveniences to be sure but also one that scares me for I am always worried about potential 'roll on' effects for MS as well as what I not able to get done as I recuperate. Again, another challenge for a control freak but also an opportunity to pause and allow time to recover without feeling especially guilty.

So, these days of illness or MS 'sluggishness' are definitely not diamonds but I take much from them.  I will tell you, this has taken some adapting over time.  In years gone by, I cursed these days and was angry about their occurrence but gradually, I have come to realise that a different mind set and approach is much more productive.  'Time out' is good, it allows time to relax and maybe even quietly enjoy while recovering   They also remind me of what I can ordinarily achieve on a 'normal' day and to be thankful for that.  Getting off the 'treadmill' has allowed me time for quiet reflection and for new ideas and plans to emerge.  When I do bounce back, I come back with renewed energy and focus as well as health. 

Some of theses days to, I do push myself to do do just one or two things (the control freak still lies just below the surface).   To do so reminds me of running long distance events in a 'past' life.  Out on the road, when pain or tiredness intruded and tried to persuade me to stop or slow, I would begin to run focussed only reaching the next power pole or mail box.  This way, I would not stop all together or slow but, pole by pole reach the finish.

Apart from being a control freak, I am also very competitive and these small 'wins' - one pole or one task at a time, not only help me reach my goal over time but provide me with short term wins that buoy my spirits and enable me to overcome these challenges.

Out of impediments and challenges do come possibilities, it's largely and often a matter of attitude  that will determine the outcome rather than the impediment itself.

Goin' Slow

Life has changed.

When younger and without the imposition of Multiple Sclerosis, I fully embraced the opportunity to do things quickly.  I ran from place to place, I juggled multiple tasks, I rushed through conversations, I downed my food quickly.

I focussed on what was next and how much I could get done as quickly as possible.  I noticed as my career progressed that the demand to move quickly, decide quickly, act and move on became the latter day mantra and imperative for perceived success.

Now I have both the opportunity and am forced to 'go slow'.  The opportunity through retirement and the compulsion by virtue of MS.  At first, this has been a frustration.  How can I possibly get done all the things that need to be completed...and now?

But over time, I have come to appreciate and value the benefits of 'goin' slow'. The obvious...not falling over when rushing to my next appointment or task, but also the less obvious.  Taking time to plan and sort the important and meaningful from the pack of pressing demands on my time.  Taking time to be quiet, reflect and be calm with the associated benefits for my health, demeanour and relationships.  To focus on quality rather than speed and spending time on what I value rather than just on those things that are forced on me.

Consequently, I feel better... calmer, fitter and more satisfied with life and I feel as though I have more time and more capacity to get things done.  Strange that something that has been imposed on me by my health and over which I perceived I had no control should turn out to be a real asset.

So let me encourage you to take time to go slow and reap the benefits and as I have, feel the quality of your life improve.

Life has changed...for the better.

Is it habit forming?

As I went through my daily stretching and weights routine this morning, I was reflecting on the value of habits.  Clearly, these can be of great value or highly destructive.  My good habits such as my morning 'movement' regime and my approach to food intake stand me in good stead for a healthy and productive life, particularly given the challenges of a life with MS.

Last October, I decided that it was time to trim back my weight and having re-examined my food habits and with the assistance of the "My Fitness Pal" app, I have trimmed back my weight by around 12kg and stayed in my desired range since April.  This form of habit, has added much value to my life through added energy and sustained capacity to get things done.

So, many questions... Can good habits in other aspects of my life, equally add to my quality of life?  What about bad habits? Can good habits become bad habits? In what other areas of my life do I want to add good habits?

In my past professional life, I found that enshrining certain habits or rituals often helped to make me a more effective contributor to the business.  For example, daily reading of instructional financial literature, helped me to quickly understand and apply complex aspects of my latter responsibility for Superannuation.  Judging by the state and performance of the Fund, this habit was a value adding one both for me personally as well as for those stakeholders affected by my decision making.  So to a new habit for me.  In relation to my blog, as recently pointed out by a good friend of mine (thank you for your feed back Phil), I have been less than consistent in writing and posting.  And, so to a new habit for me...to write for at least 10 minutes every day and post at least weekly.  In forming this new habit, I hope to add value to my life and yours.

Procrastination...a bad habit of mine that does not serve me well and need to be broken.  And so to attack it, I will use my 'to do' lists more and account to you in future blog posts as to how I am going.  Outing bad habits and finding a way to be accountable to others are surely effective ways to overcome disappointing deficiencies...time will tell!

And what of good habits gone bad?  Surely this is impossible.  I used to work for a manager once who told me that he drove to work a different way every day.  But why?" I quizzed him.  "To keep me thinking flexibly" he said.  While, I am not convinced that this might be the most efficient process, I do agree that we need to review our habits, from time to time to ensure that they are adding value and quality rather than impeding us through inflexibility.

And so to the possibilities of forming a new habit (along with my blog).  Our federal government election has just been concluded and we have a new government.  Since this outcome has become known, I have seen a number of my friends express their grief, anger and concern through social media about our country's new leadership .  This got me thinking about the potential for a new habit.  When living in the US for a time, I saw that Americans seem much more inclined to regularly interact with their government representatives during their tenure rather than just holding them accountable at election time.  What a wonderful opportunity for a new habit.  Write to my local member regularly, to hold them accountable for their promises and remind them of their responsibilities to act on my behalf as they participate in the political process over the next three years irrespective of whether I voted for them or not.  Perhaps a new habit that just might add to my quality of life.

So...are there possibilities for you in an existing or potential new habit?  Let me know and in any case, enjoy reflecting on the possibilities.

Blogging on Blogging

Earlier this year, I set out to write a regular blog related to my purpose in life (particularly since I retired from full time work) and those things that I have come to value.  By my own assessment, so far, I am at best struggling and at worst failing.  Why? Because I am not meeting my own measures of success.

So, on reflection, one of my measures of success in persistence and therefore I am back, despite some setbacks to resume my commentary.  What have I learned by virtue of my absence:

• Just do it - write for a little while, every day if at all possible. It doesn't really matter how much or how little and then put it out there and wait for reactions and feedback.
• Use what's happening around me compared to what I have come to value to draw conclusions and share them through my stories.
• A little often is better for me than none at all in a quest for perfection and satisfaction. 80/20 is my mantra in this endeavour.

...and so I have returned and will share with you as often as I can.  Please give me your feedback as it helps me to remain connected (a critical part of my purpose), to re-examine my perspective, my aspirations, my goals, how I chose to spend my time and even my purpose.  

For 30 meagre minutes today, I have spent time on my blog and feel better for it and I hope you do to.

Over the past week, I have seen people who I am close to rewarded for their commitment, despite the challenges they have been confronted with.  Their lives will be better for that recognition as I am sure will be the lives of others.

Thank you Amy and Bec for your persistence and commitment despite the challenges.  Your careers as an HR professional and a Paramedic/Nurse are a reflection of both your capability and your character.  This fills me with pride and gratitude for the example you both continue to set for me.

So, like you, I am rising to the challenge and blogging on... 

Advocacy - Raising New Possibilities

In the past week, I have had the privilege of attending the MS Australia Advocacy Conference in Melbourne.  My initial motivation for attending revolved around my quest to establish new direction in my life now that I have recently retired from permanent, full time employment.  Given my professional background in Human Resources and Employee Relations, the field of advocacy seemed like an appropriate potential future endeavour for me.  It also seemed to fit neatly with one of my future life plan objectives of 'giving back'.

The conference was so much more than I anticipated.  Here was a group of inspirational presenters and participants.  Despite the significant challenges of their disability, here were people that allow their spirit to overcome the adversity of their condition and work on behalf of others to achieve a better outcome for all.  This inspired me and cemented my passion to examine and develop my own capacity to advocate for others.

I was so taken by 'the power of one'.  Carly Findlay presented to us and taught us about how to actively create a very effective advocacy platform, substantially by using social media technology.  What a powerful example this is of what is possible.  One individual, with a significant disability has built a huge network of influence and is generating momentum for change and making a substantive difference for both individuals and communities that are affected by disability.   Thank you for sharing Carly and for your practical inspiration that has given me so much to work with going forward.

Clear also was the power of synergy.  It was so encouraging to see a group of people with a common interest come together and work so positively to realise the possibilities rather than bicker about their differences.  The Advocacy Team, along with others of us who attended, modelled excellence in team work.  This will ultimately build the capacity and capability of MS Australia in its critical advocacy work.  The panel discussion on the first day, highlighted for me what can be achieved through determined collaboration.  Disability Care Australia has much to do with strong collective advocacy undertaken by people with disability.  Achieving the benefits of synergy in teams has always struck me as critical in a commercial environment and this conference has demonstrated very plainly how relevant it also is in the not-for-profit sector.

During my career, primarily in the commercial sector, I had many wonderful development opportunities and I have pondered whether this was a positive influence in my life that was to become a thing of the past.  I have embraced this conference as 'one of the best' in terms of what it has provided me with personally but more importantly, what it will contribute in relation to advocacy on behalf of people affected by MS.  Thank you MS Australia for this terrific opportunity.

For my own part, I am building my learnings into my own life plan in support of one of my key aspirations to 'give back'.  I would also encourage you to explore what opportunities might exist for you to positively influence our world.  The 'power of one' is indeed a possibility.         

I'm Back...finally

Having made a start on what I envisaged to be a regular blog and loading my first post several weeks ago with lots of promise of what was to follow, I found myself needing to take, in the sporting vernacular, a medical time out.  While this was a tad  inconvenient, I am happy that it was not related directly to my Multiple Sclerosis and also that I have come to understand the likely cause and that I can do something to prevent it for the future.

As a person with Multiple Sclerosis, I am relatively used now to irregular intrusions of a chronic health condition from time to time and the impact that this can have of your desired daily routine.  Over the 20 years since my diagnosis, I have thought a good deal about how I should respond to these events.  They, for me, are both physical and emotional occurrences.  I have said to people from time to time that MS is "God's gift to control freaks"...a wonderfully pinpoint and insightful way to learn about how to react to circumstance over which you have very minimal control.

For me, the most immediate emotions that rise up at the point of a relapse are sadness and frustration.  If I am not careful, this can also lead to anger about the constraints that the relapse inflicts on me temporarily and possibly in the longer term. However, over time I have come to realise that stepping back and focussing on gratitude for the support that I have around me from family, friends and medical staff, calmness to focus on treatment and recovery process and humour in respect to my temporary physical limitations takes me forward to recovery much more quickly and smoothly.  My family would tell you that I am far from perfect at this, but I do work at it and it does give me some sense of control despite the uncontrollable aspects of MS.

I have recently begun to investigate meditation as a means to strengthen my approach.  As a keen observer and previous participant in sport, I have been fascinated by Brett Kirk, an ex AFL football champion, who harnessed the power of mediation to enhance his football capability and performance.  He has pointed young players to a a book - "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.  A central tenet of the book is living in the present moment to deal with life's stress.  Clearly, participation in fast paced, elite level football matches can be very stressful and if mediation can assist to aid performance in these circumstances, the same benefits can surely be gained during the onset of an MS relapse.

What I hope to gain is greater calmness, better quality decision making and a better demeanour to benefit both me and those around me.  I will let you know how I go and in the interim, if you have experience of this kind of approach, I  will love to hear about it from you and gain your insights. 

And so to begin....

My Purpose
Life with purpose & balance - friends & family,wellness, challenging and rewarding work, delicious food, movies that entertain me, exciting sport, inspiring & engaging reading and giving back.

As I transition away from a life of full time, permanent work for compensation which has occupied almost all of my time since 1976 I have decided that I would like to share my plan, my day, my experience and hopefully some wisdom through blogging.  So, this is my first post and I have started by sharing my new found purpose. Why?  In preparing to move away from my career, I asked a number of people who had previously retired what was especially important in 'succeeding' at life post full time, permanent employment.  Consistently, they said "have a plan".  A plan to do what exactly I wondered and so I began to reflect and think deeply about what the purpose of my life should become and so you see the product of this process above.  

What goes with it is a pretty detailed plan which I am 'working' to fairly successfully so far.  It took  5 months to put together and I am sure that it will evolve further over time, but it is great for me right now, which is very calming and satisfying.

Over time and with further posts, I will share some of my plan with you as well as my daily experiences in the hope that this will help you to get the most and best from your life.

For now, thank you for taking your time to read (and comment if you wish),  live your life to the fullest and keep well (a key part of my plan).

Andy