Life has an amazing way to pull you on track. You may know these phases when everything seems stuck, frozen, not moving at all. Then you turn around and all of a sudden, everything flows. Just happening right now.
My suspicion is this is possible because „going on an action research field trip to Hamburg, Berlin and Copenhagen“ is a very clear idea.
It’s simple. It’s easy to talk about. It’s almost self-explanatory. And it has a dash of adventure in it.
The beauty of having a very clear idea is this: when you are very clear about what you want to do, it is easy to communicate your ideas. When you get your point across to other people, it’s easy to say what your wants and needs are. And ultimately, it’s easy for other people to jump in and support.
Think about it: when a person asks you for something specific, how likely is it that you say no?
My experience is that most people are happy to help, offer their skills and support when they know what you actually want from them. In general, it seems to be a lot easier to be the person helping out than the person asking for something. Asking for support means being open about not having everything figured out, showing vulnerability.
However, there’s beauty in vulnerability, because it allows you to be open and authentic. Being vulnerable doesn’t mean to run around talking about the things you lack 24/7, but truly showing yourself, stating where you are at and what you need right now. What may feel „vulnerable“ to oneself is most likely perceived as „strong“ or even „brave“ from others.
So last week, I wrote a very clear/ vulnerable/ brave facebook-note stating what I want to do, what my current interests are and what I need. And the responses blew me away. Exactly seven days later I’m sitting in a beautiful apartment in Hamburg and can stay here for two weeks for watering a bunch of plants. In the beautiful apartment of Anna Lena Schiller, to be precise, who I’ve never met in person before. Who is one of the key persons in the field of graphic recording in Germany. Whom I wanted to write a really witty and profound e-mail to for weeks…
Life has an amazing way to pull you on track. It’s a miraculous cycle: You jump, you get scared a little despite (or because of) your own courage, and you do it anyway. You start feeling comfortable, you develop yoiur idea, you jump again. At least that’s how I operate.
Now it’s on me to fill this time in Hamburg with many experiences, to share and give back what I’ll find and to ride the wave. Feel free to comment and support the ride with ideas, contacts, people, communities, companies, places. If I was into hashtags, I’d join the #soblessed crowd. The next thing comes to mind is #yolo… but wait, what about #youmaylivemorethanoncebutthatsnoreasonnottoenjoythisone?
annafritsche.com 