curiosity killed the cat... or wait - maybe not

I ran across this TED talk last night and that really resonated with me.  Here are a few key points:

• Curiosity is good and leads to questions
• Questions are good and lead to a search for answers
• Questions should come first then instruction vs. lecture then questions

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ted-talks-education/speaker/ramsey-musallam/
the talk is only 6 minutes long - I would highly recommend checking it out

OK so I know I am a total dork - but I have been thinking about this subject from several different angles: 

1. My husband has a research lab and remarks that his students that do well are the ones that are able to think of questions about the process and then go out to search for the answers. I wonder if this is a skill that can be taught? How do you encourage this behavior or get someone to do it on their own when it is not an inherent skill?
2. My 17 year old nephew is staying with me for the summer and I am not sure how to encourage the "curious learner" style.  I have tried all sorts of things like introducing Kahn Academy video learning, talking about grant opportunities (asking him to research), and asking open ended questions about what he wants to do after high school and how he might go about making it happen.
3. Personally this relates to my own search for what's next.  I am constantly going down rabbit holes searching for more information on my chosen subject (knitting, personal finance, blogging!)  But then I question myself and wonder - am I spending too much time on the wrong thing? Am I looking in the wrong place?  The path is not always obvious....

Have you ever gone down a rabbit hole fueled with curiosity? What did you find? :)

bringing a hobby back to life

I am about to dabble in something that I have been waiting years for....

Painting (I know you were probably expecting something more exciting like rock climbing or bread making or traveling or politics (just kidding))  

I am by no means an expert at painting but would love to do something artistic every now and then.  I find a lot of excuses not to:

• too much time to set up
• would be expensive to buy all the materials
• my two boys would make a mess with all the supplies
• whatever I paint would come out looking amateurish*

I have not seriously painted since college and I am excited to be taking a painting class next week for 3 days in a row.  I promise you this will be no masterpiece and I may not even finish it since one of the days will just be sketching.  The good news is - no matter how horrible this experiment comes out I plan to hang the picture someplace in the house..... room choice will depend on success of the finished product.  If it is horrible - it will hang in the guest bedroom, if it is good, it could hang in the hallway, and if it is great then maybe the dining room (where most people hang out when we entertain.)

The most exciting part of this painting class is that hopefully it will remind me how much I like to paint and draw - this could be the kick in the butt I need to just stop making excuses.  There is no time like the present to focus on what you enjoy and expand your skillset. 


Just for kicks I wanted to share one of the few things I have kept from my Art minor.  I did this drawing in a nude pencil class and it has survived a marriage, two kids, three states, and 10 houses.... come to think of it - that is pretty amazing :)

*is that a word?

You tell me, what hobby have you been thinking about starting or rekindling? Have you procrastinated doing something you love?

90 minutes or bust

I made a horrible mistake this week.

I showed up at my local Bikram Yoga studio for a 90 minute class.  This is a big deal because I am a beginner yogi (as in just about a month of experience.)  Up until this point I have only attended the shorter 60 minute classes which have all the same poses but do ONE set instead of two sets for several poses to decrease the length of the class.  I was oblivious to my upcoming 90 minute challenge while I went about my normal prep:

• getting dressed in my fancy yoga pants
• hydrating; hydrating; hydrating for two hours pre-class
• driving
• setting up my mat (on the line - following the rules)
• soaking up 15 minutes of "quiet time" laying in the hot room (104 degrees) before the start

Nope - I didn't realize my horrible mistake until I was five minutes into the class and we started a SECOND set of warm up breathing exercises.  All I could think at that moment is oh sh*&!

How much time does that mean I will be in this room?? 15 minute literal warm up + 90 minute class + 5 minute cool down - that is close to two hours.  I immediately started second guessing myself, feeling faint, wasn't sure I could do the poses (even the ones I could tackle in the 60 minute class) because I was doing calculations in my head about how much longer I needed to stay in the room.

I couldn't leave - because everyone would figure out that I am not very good at this yoga thing.  Ok, they probably already know that by the number of times I have to sit down and gulp water - but let's not add insult to injury.

The worst part about all this - and now I actually get to the point:  I have been daydreaming about how cool it would be to become a yoga instructor.

• I would get to wear yoga pants ALL the time and nobody can give mecrap about it
• I would have a rockin body because I would be constantly stretching and contorting and practicing
• best of all I would probably get a discount on the coconut pineapple water (which reminds me an awful lot of a Pina Colada)

(As a side note I had a very similar dream in college where I thought I was going to become a pro surfer.  I bought surfing magazines - even though I went to school in the landlocked state of Pennsylvania.  I talked about it with my roommates and planned all sorts of trips that never happened to go to California and learn.)

After all of this self reflection - I know my dreams are crushed and I am going to have to cross Yoga Instructor off my list of next possible careers.  what about you, have you ever dreamt of teaching yoga, or zumba, weight training, cycling class or anything else?  Did your dream come true?

split personalities

I feel like two different people - I have a creative side fighting with a very analytical corporate side of my personality.  This becomes a fight because there are very few careers that meld those two things together. 

Last week I discussed one of the ways I could express my creativity with a career move.  My next option is quite a bit more practical.  I am considering being an accountant.  I have just finished up my first year in an evening MBA program and the first semester was all about Accounting (financial and managerial.)  I really enjoyed the challenge and working with numbers which was a surprise for me.  I haven't had this much fun in a math class since AP Calculus in high school.  (Yes I was a total nerd in high school - I was also the layout editor of the yearbook and the lighting person in stage crew to round out my nerdiness.)

Pros of accounting: I think the work could be fun and interesting.  I would learn more about financial statements, taxes, and how this information effects stock prices.  I would be able to see through all the fine print - like an investigator flushing out all the details of a new case.  I would clearly be a hit at all the parties.  I love the accounting jokes on Parks and Recreation.

Cons: Lose the flexibility I have in my job today.  I would have to wake up - get dressed - commute to work at an office and be stuck their until the end of the day, every day.   I have been very lucky to work from home since 2009 and I am grateful for the flexibility that comes with a home office.

While I ended my last post with the decision NOT to open an Etsy shop; being an accountant is still on the table for me.  What would you do?  Would you ever consider a career in Accounting?

narrowing the field

When I broached the subject about changing careers with my husband - he said I can do anything I want as long as I don't open an Etsy shop...

What's wrong with an Etsy shop???

He hit a nerve! One of my fantasies is just that - to open an Etsy shop and sell hand knitted items.  I have been thinking about this in the back of my mind every since I realized that Etsy is a thing. 

I learned to knit from my aunt growing up in Maine and have since gone through phases of constant knitting (months at a time) to years of not touching a needle.  It can be really rewarding to finish a project and give it away as a gift - and it can be really tedious to finish a project that you realize at the end doesn't fit right and needs to be completely pulled apart to start all over again. 

I have a vision of knitting every night once the kids go to bed and selling the handcrafted items the next day for a profit, smiling the whole time and enjoying every aspect of running my own business.  Practically speaking I know this will not be a good second career for me. 

Knitting is TIME CONSUMING and choosing the right yarn and patterns that people will be willing to buy is an art.  On top of that charging for your labor is a sensitive topic - most people do not want to pay the premium for a handmade product and would choose the cheaper machine made knitted item.  (heck - I would too!)

With all that being said - opening an Etsy shop is a nice dream, but not a real option when it comes to making a change.  I can see why my husband would ban that as an option.  In his mind it is probably worse than laying on the couch all day watching reality TV.  At least while watching TV - I wouldn't be spending lot's of money on expensive yarn and supplies. 

I guess I will reserve my Etsy dream to just browsing and buying from other artists.  What about you - would you ever open an Etsy shop?

jump right in

is it bad to write my first blog post while watching Intervention?

First things first - let me introduce myself.  I am a learning professional in the financial industry.  I have worked for the same company for over 18 years and I am at a crossroad.  With 35 years left until retirement - I am taking my time now to decide what do I want to spend the rest of my working years doing?

I am torn between early retirement goals, pursuing advanced degrees, working harder in my current company, exploring a different side of my personality and starting at the ground floor in something completely new. 

I feel like a college freshman trying to choose their major in college.   That decision seemed like a piece of cake at the time - you would think that with years of life experience behind me, this would be an easier decision today. 

I plan to share the details of my research, and make some tough decisions along the way.