I fell off the wagon—the blog post wagon. However, all is not lost, as I have been busy. The sad thing is, there were so many things I wanted to write about between then and now, and well, now, it’s too late.
Emily graduated from first grade, I turned 40, we went on two cruises, we had endless summer parties, including our first annual Salon Summer Swim Party, my dad turned 74, and that’s just what happened recently.
The biggest transformational shift, however, was what happened after I turned 40, but let me back up a bit.
To celebrate the big 4-0, we went on a cruise, and it was great. In fact, it made Kelly a cruise person for life. She quickly planned a second weekend cruise (which wasn’t as great) and is now looking ahead to next summer’s Alaskan voyage.
When we got back from the birthday cruise and the celebration was over, I was left just being 40. And, like most newly-turned 40-year-olds, the weight of the milestone felt heavy.
Leading up to the cruise, I was living pretty large. I was eating whatever I wanted, spending tons of time playing video games (Horizon Zero Dawn Forbidden West), and just enjoying the final days of 39. I knew I wanted big changes when we got back, but the only thing rolling around in my head was the same goal I’ve had for years now—the Laneymane goal. So, I got to work.
I used ChatGPT to formulate a strategy on how to tackle the new business. It includes excellent strategies such as collecting market research and conducting competitive analysis. It also includes plans to create prototypes using a 3D printer and how to collect feedback from the THS stylists. But of all the things, the 3D printer excites me the most.
I kept thinking about that. In my daily daydreams, 3D printing and prototypes occupy most of my headspace. Sure, I am excited about the marketing, the web design, making actual sales, and of course, the money, but the 3D design aspect is what’s hooking me the most. With the fresh feeling of 40 (or the extreme, crippling weight of mortality) setting in, I really started reflecting on why that is. I think I figured it out.
3D is the origin point for my design career. When I was 16, I worked as a tech support agent in a call center for Cox, the cable internet company. At one point, I worked the graveyard shift doing four-tens (four days a week, 10 hours a day). Barely anyone called during the graveyard shift. To fill the time and make it through the night, I would draw, play video games, and drink a ton of Mountain Dew Code Red. But the thing I did most was watch a guy in the next row of cubicles 3D model. I would watch for hours on end, endlessly captivated.
I first dabbled in 3D with a program named 3DS Max. It was the de facto standard at the time, and I’m sure I pirated a copy off the internet somewhere. I made random alarm clocks and tree houses and poked around for fun. There wasn’t YouTube back then, so I’m not sure how I even figured it out.
Over the next couple of decades, I would go to community college for 3D, switch my major in college from game design with a 3D focus to graphic design, and finally begin working as a graphic designer, never even using 3D. However, I would keep up to date with the current 3D software and get excited about the possibilities.
Fast forward to the present, and I was reading a book named Grit, which talks about unrealized potential and becoming an expert in something. To become an expert takes 10,000 hours or 10 years and a ton of determined, deliberate practice. I have lacked determination. Consistency, however, is my kryptonite. But 40 is a strong reminder that time is running out, and it will take consistency if I want to become an expert in anything before 50.
I’ve repeated the mantra “good at everything, great at nothing” 500 times in my life. Throughout my life, I have been good at anything I’ve tried but never attempted to scratch the surface deeper into advanced stages. Honestly, I wore my jack-of-all-trades badge with pride. What the badge really means, however, is I lack grit. I lack the courage to push on when it gets truly challenging. Not anymore. I will become an expert in 3D.
Thankfully, I have a reason to learn 3D. It goes hand in hand with Laneymane and will help me make real-life products and bring my marketing to a level other brands can’t match. I’ve decided this is what I want to do with the next decade of my life. This means a renewed focus and cutting out all distractions—or, in other words, video games. A common story I have told myself, and others, many times.
Happily, I can say that so far, this story feels different from any other redefined era. I am two months in, and I have made great strides. I will talk about those in the next post. For now, I just wanted to get back to writing to my darling daughter’s future self through these blog posts.
I am really content right now—challenged, stimulated, and excited to share my progress with you. We have 10 years to make magic happen, and I want to savor every moment of this brand new era.
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