I had a brilliant idea yesterday morning. For a number of days I have been mulling over the possibility of consulting in Africa. There is certainly work to be done all over Africa. The question is how much of my life do I still want to dedicate to the same old stuff that quite frankly bores me to tears. Then again, does it bore me to tears, or is it just that I have plateaud where I am? Am I bored by the tedium of implementation or perhaps it is the planning that I find terribly uninspiring? Am I just tired from the year and have used up all of my reserves and hence I now cannot see very far? I am not sure of the answer although there is probably truth in all of the statements. Bottom line is that I need a break and after that I will probably see a lot clearer.

My brain has been operating on auto pilot for some time now and I find it rather surprising when it very softly nudges me. For some time, I thought it was gas! Luckily, some thoughts persist and bubble up slowly through that murky grey swamp that I think is my brain. A thought materialized recently, why just accept that I only have a week a month that I can give over to consulting? I know I have blogged about the amount of work out there and that I must not get swayed from my goals, they are to be my guiding light. I suppose the question is how do I only consult 1 week a month AND still focus on my goals? I know that my one week is not what a potential customer would want. This, like any problem can be solved in many ways. One way is to accept that I am not the best solution but one that a customer would put up with till they can find a better solution. Why, I asked myself, could I not be the better solution AND still only consult one week a month. The answer is simple, get the best to join me!

OK, so this is pie in the sky. It is also incredibly simple but will require a whole heap of effort and determination. Possibly the question is how much stuff in life do we accept at face value? How much of our time do we spend like corks in a current, bobbing to keep our heads above water yet drifting where the current takes us? I suppose if I want to make this new life really work for me, I am going to have to think and act very differently. I have to be aggressive in the pursuit of my goals and cannot expect to drift and achieve them all.

If you think that I am mad to search for this elusive one week of work and expect to survive, you are probably right. One week is all I can dedicate to this pursuit, the rest of my time will need to be focused on the stuff for which I have sacrificed my career. You know, those things that we say are important but don’t usually bother with; family, community, photography and my book!