The week’s podcast – a day late, due to the holiday week last week (I hope you managed to have a little break?). This week’s episode was recorded ‘on location’ with a Zoom H4 and its built in mics, so it gives an idea of what can be done.

Without further a do… episode II of the WOWNDADI Podcast:

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If you would rather read than listen, that is quite understandable! Here are the podcast notes:

Podcast II – Bootstrapping

  • Looking at bootstrapping – starting to make change, and planning. Or, looking at it another way, moving from accidental to intentional – making a concious choice.
  • Bootstrapping is the best way to start – using the choice to speed up progress as the starting point. I’ve tried all sorts of other methods, but you generally end up over committing to yourself with them.
  • Start from where you are, with what you have.
  • As human beings we have an amazing capacity to create change – check out the biographies of people you admire for some inspiration.
  • We have an unusual ability, which is ‘meta-thinking’, the ability to think about thinking, and to plan. It is a capability worth using more! Step up a level and take control.
  • We can even change the shape of our brains, through study and effort (as brain scans of London taxi drivers have shown).
  • Change comes at a cost – the taxi drivers had to dedicate a year of their life. You need to commit to change and investing in it. There is no point starting unless you intend to carry on and finish.
  • Bootstrapping means starting with what you have – the assets and the talents you have to hand – and maximising the return or impact of applying them.
  • Initially the only thing you can do is to rearrange that, unless there are other resources you can call on (friends and co-workers are good).
  • The initial investment is time and commitment, just as with the taxi drivers.
  • Write time in the diary, right now, that will be used for planning and improvement.
  • Put it in as the first priority. Feel that you can’t make the time? You don’t manage your way into a crisis, you get into a crisis through lack of management and planning. It is a worthwhile investment.