In your day job you are an engineer, an analyst, juggling with a lot of numbers, data, information and complex stuff. When you come home, had dinner, a talk with your life partner or friends, you still have time for your night passion. Let’s say 2-3 hours because you don’t watch television (anymore).

Your passion is a right-brain’s activity like drawing, painting, singing, dancing, juggling balls. I’m assuming that your day job is a left-brain-heavy profession. It can easily be vice versa. Important is that both are complementary to each other.

If your passion is similarly focussed on the same brain half’s work or even in the same field as your day job, there’s a big chance you’ll exhaust yourself or leave no more energy for you night passion. So, it can be wise to choose another field of profession for your day job or admit that your hobby should change.

The take-away from today: Leave energy and lust for things you’re passionate about. Find other areas of interest if day and night job are too equal, or change the field of your day job so you can enjoy your passion without the pressure of making money, but with your own pressure of wanting to learn and become really good at it.

This was episode 14 of the #weekdaykickoff. Every Monday-Friday morning. Colombian time. Until episode 5 I also audio-recorded on Anchor, you can find me there as “Alexander Kluge”.

What will be your last words in the death bed? Sounds dramatic?! It’s your life full of dreams waiting to come true. So, nothing is too dramatic, too ridiculous, too embarrassing.

In fact, everything is alright.

As long as it’s aligned with the pursuit of your dreams — and you don’t harm people, animals, nature and the environment in general. Yes, it means that some people’s big companies don’t give a shit about not harming since they are so distant from real reality. Instead they enjoy themselves in their bubble reality.

Let the bubble blow.

The take-away from today: Don’t die, and if you do, take all the ignorant people with you. But don’t kill them. Get creative. It’s your turn now.

This was episode 13 of the #weekdaykickoff. Every Monday-Friday morning. Colombian time. Until episode 5 I also audio-recorded on Anchor, you can find me there as “Alexander Kluge”.

Do the things you’re vain* about, that if they weren’t very good, you’d feel ashamed. You’d even feel ashamed for other people’s work in your field of expertise — if it’s really not good.

Don’t do things of which you think that the idea of you being that person would be nice. It’s not about being it, but doing and enjoying it.

For my person I would say that the thing I’m vain about is writing**. I couldn’t stand if people told me it’s a piece of garbage – and they have good arguments to prove that. Don’t get me wrong. I’m able to receive negative feedback but my vanity with this creative pursuit makes me want to become exceptionally well. I’m envisioning myself dominating my field of writing. That’s how much I’m convinced.

And yes I do design as well and I enjoy it. I do it because I’m hungry for variety in my creative output and I’m applying my writing principles to design. In short: I design how I write. I write how I talk. Short. Focused. Straightforward***. And from the hips.

The take-away from today: Observe yourself continuously, constantly and find out what vanity is driving you. If you just like seeing yourself being someone/something, that’s not your vanity. Don’t pursue it. If you can’t stand bad output of something, there’s a good chance that you found your vanity.

This was episode 12 of the #weekdaykickoff. Every Monday-Friday morning. Colombian time. Until episode 5 I also audio-recorded on Anchor, you can find me there as “Alexander Kluge”.

Footnotes

*I prefer to use the German “eitel”

**After high school I desperately wanted to become a media designer. I applied for many companies. I never made it. Instead I chose to do an apprenticeship as a salesman for two years followed by 7 years of studying Int’l Media & Computer because it was the most adequate replacement for a direct media design apprenticeship – and actually pretty close and I got a degree which can help me in some cases although I’m not super enthusiastic about it.

With that big amount of time studying (yes 7 years is a lot, I know) I almost had a career only by studying. What’s your career? I’m a student – long term *hahaha* And in that time it became clear that I didn’t enjoy designing anymore.

So, after my studies and the short film I made for my Master’s thesis I found that something’s wrong with me and designing. I didn’t feel fulfilled anymore with it. It took another year and a half until I saw what I am and want be: a writer and creator of authored experiences with pieces that start with writing and sometimes end with it 🙂

***I prefer to use the German “Schnörkellos”