Prompts-&-Challenges

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash – For Day 13 of the AoM 31 Days of Journaling Challenge; A Brain Dump using the GTD Trigger List. Work Projects Started Not Completed DL Management Strategy OFC Transition CCMTs & CCMT Action Management UKCS TAR Work Programs T T-A Communication File Note Area Reviews S Area PW Failures RCFA Work Projects That Need To Be Started CMS Year End Review T CCMT Preparation 2019 PoB Requirements for UKCS Projects 2018 Spend Reconciliation 2017/18 Appraisal Personal Projects Started Not Completed archive.rustgeek.me relaunch News31 EoY Video Preparation News31 EoY Review for magazine Personal Projects Yet To Start archive.rustgeek.me theme modifications 2019 objectives and planning Alicante Trip with S

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash --- For Day 11, the question is “Do you have a gang of friends who push and support you? If not, how could you make some good friends?” As with all the questions so far which have related to friends, I’ll have to hold my hand up again and say this is an area where significant improvement is required. That being said, I have a number of acquaintances in this city with whom I could be better engaged. A number of them are in the same season of life as I am which bodes well I suspect for our being able to band together for mutual support. First things first then, I’ll look to schedule a catchup with a couple of the guys, particularly D and R.

Day 9: My Day – Up at 4.42 AM and unable to go back to sleep. Meetings with senior leadership at work on my mind. Played around with some CSS for some modifications I have been mulling over for this blog Finally out of bed at 6.00 AM to start prepping for work. Off to work at 7.00 AM, glad for some respite from what has been terrible weather. Relief ends up short lived because it opens up again half way through. Arrive at work wet and cold at about 7.30 AM. Arrival routine kicks in; cup of coffee, read and respond to emails, catch up quickly with office mates. First hour spent reading up on latest version of slide deck for meeting, then attending final dry run In between, I sort out delivery of equipment required for a mobilisation offshore in two weeks. Spend rest of the morning in chasing final bits of data for meeting. Lunch @ 12 NOON, quick walk to Boots at Union Square for a sandwich, pepsi max, protein pot and two snack bars (meal deal) Back at 12.30 PM for final check of meeting requirements and then into meeting. Meeting from 1 to 3, a bit of a grilling but I feel like we do ok. A number of things to follow up on even though the consensus seems to be that it has been yet more talking shop. Hopefully real behavioural change kicks off after this. After the high of the meeting, rest of the day is an anti-climax of sorts. catch up with R for the first time this week now that I can catch my breath. Eventually it is 4.30 PM and home time. Walk home and arrive at 5.00PM Dinner, more CSS modifications and then soon it is sleep time.

For Day 8 of the AoM 31 Day Journaling Challenge: Reflect on Your Career. – Work for me has focused on materials, particularly ferrous ones, and how they perform in a variety of oil and gas environments, on two continents; Africa of my birth and Europe where I have spent the last few years. My journey began in December of 2003 with being hired straight out of University in 2003 as a trainee engineer through progressing via a number of roles in various aspects of the corrosion and materials discipline and eventually leaving in October of 2008, thanks to a mixture of burn out and the opportunity to return to the university for graduate studies. Since graduating in July of 2009, I’ve gotten back into the Corrosion & Materials field first with a service provider and latterly with an oil & gas production company where I am Corrosion & Materials Technical Authority. ...

Image source: rawpixel @ unsplash – And so comes Day 7. Whilst those who believe in numerology think seven is the number of perfection, the past few days have been anything but perfect. What they have been though is an opportunity to flex thinking and writing muscles which I haven’t used in a while, which were to put it bluntly beginning to atrophy. The general idea has been to try to block time out in the morning- between waking up, devotions and heading out to work- to pen a few words in response to the challenge of the day. There have been hits and misses along the way but thankfully I’ve managed to show up. Here’s to discipline winning through and birthing delight in the end.

Photo by Tom Grimbert on Unsplash. For Day 6 of the AoM 31 Day Journaling Challenge. – My six word memoir: Global Thinker, Local Contributor. Lived Intentionally.

For the prompt for Day 3 of the 31 Day Journaling Challenge at The Art of Manliness --- Alongside a regular practice, building a regular practice of prayer and bible study has been one of the things I have struggled most with over the years and which has come up again in this latest iteration of beginning again. As for actual steps this time, I have bought a copy of 90 Days in Judges, Galatians and Ephesians by Tim Keller and Richard Coekin, a notebook and a pack of hibiscus tea, the intent being to make that part of a new morning routine in which I brew a cup of tea and settle in to read the assigned reading of the day and write notes in my mew black book. Two days in already, I hope I can make it to the 90 and then beyond.

For the Day 2 prompt from The Art of Manliness’ Jumpstart Your Journaling 31 Day Challenge --- One of the frameworks which has most defined my thinking about Manhood came to me many years ago in the form of an Al Mohler article on Boundless, in which he suggested 13 marks which defined mature manhood in his opinion. Given his background, that his views were based very squarely on Christian Conservative ideals was not surprising, and were very much aligned with my thoughts at the time, seeing I was (and perhaps still am) very much of a similar spiritual bent. Roles (husband, father), Responsibility, Leadership, morals and ethics and an ability to provide for a family all feature prominently in his piece, which morphed into a small book eventually. ...

Image Source: Heartwoods It feels like a good time to try to develop a regular practice of journaling. For one there is the need to reflect properly on my latest attempt at rebooting, as well as the plethora of other more intelligent folk who think it is a good thing: David Sedaris, Austin Kleon, Michael Hyatt, Samuel Pepys, David Thoureau to name a few. The benefits are many, ranging from providing opportunities to reflect on life, a record of one’s day (both for the individual and for posterity) and also a source of material for future creative writing pursuits. ...