She's The One

I'm getting married. Well, at a minimum, I'm engaged to be married. We don't have a date. We don't have a location. We don't have a plan. Honestly, I'm ok with no plan yet. I got through the hardest part.

I've known for a while that she is the right one for me. We just work. We talk about the hard things such as what scares us. We are very vulnerable with each other. She could crush my heart in an instant. I'm so open with her. I've never allowed myself to be this way with anyone, but with her it feels right. It wasn't a series of calculated of conscious decisions to let her in bit by bit. 

All that being said, asking the woman I love to marry me was the scariest thing I've ever done.

I have taught teenagers how to fly aircraft that don't have engines but this was scarier. I have flown across Northwestern Ontario in a light aircraft in bad weather but this was scarier. I have negotiated multi-million dollar deals but this was scarier.

Even though we had discussed it numerous times and were on the same page, I was so scared when I got down on one knee and asked her.

But then she smiled. It was the biggest, happiest, most beautiful smile in all the big, happy, beautiful smiles I've seen from her. I knew that she meant it when she said yes, and I also knew that my life was on a better path, forever.

For the record she wasn't surprised, she knows me too well. She had me all figured out. This also makes me happy. I love her so much that the idea of love doesn't seem like it fully describes how I feel. I miss her every moment we are apart and my heart fills with joy when I see her. I want to hear about her day and I want to share mine. The little things are better with her.

My parents always told me when you find the right one, you will just know. Mom and Dad were right. She's the one.

The Grind

About a month ago I left my full time job and I have been making my living as an Uber Driver Parter. Like nearly every way to earn enough to pay the bills, it is a grind. On those days when it's slow and you have time to think, it's not great. On the flip side, when you are doing back to back to back trips, the time flies by.

There are some upsides to driving an Uber.

I'm working for myself. I have had a few amazing bosses in my life. They have all retired so I can't go back to them. I've had quite a few bosses that make me lose faith in humanity. Not having a boss means I don't have to endure poor leadership and bad decisions.

I work when I want, as much or as little as I want. If I want more money, I simply drive more trips. If I have to be somewhere or want to do something, I don't turn on the app. It means I don't have scheduling conflicts with my job. You do have to have the discipline to put in the time to make the money you want to make and nobody is going to tell you to keep working or get started. Thankfully, I don't need that in my life. I get up, get cleaned up and dressed. then I drive.

Most of the costs of my car and my phone come out of my pre-tax income instead of my post-tax income. These are costs to my sole proprietorship and lead to some savings from the tax man.

However, the best part of the Uber gig is I have some really interesting conversations. Not everyone talks but some of those who do are really interesting. There was a woman I picked up from a TV studio who was just on live TV, she was going to work, and had her luggage with her to catch a flight to Paris after work. There was the guy who re-screens windows, and is trying to move his business but has so much work in town that every other week he rents a van, comes back and sleeps in the van while he does a bunch of jobs. These are just two examples but there is a couple of good conversations everyday. 

I'm not going to drive with Uber forever but it's a pretty good in-between-mid-life-crisis gig. I personally find it super low stress, even if the hours can be long to make the money I want to make. I feel like I have a lot of control over my life, more than I've had in a very long time and it allows me to be picky in my next step, which is what I need these days.

April Showers Bring.....

I was at a breakfast meeting last Wednesday where somebody mentioned that the normal rainfall total for the month of April in Ottawa, Ontario is 60mm. At the time Ottawa had received 91mm. This is a clear indication that it has rained way too much.

The Rideau River was on the brink of overflowing its banks, but now it has receded. Meanwhile the Ottawa River is really full of water. Also signs that it has rained too much.

There are a lot of great things that come with rain. The grass is greener. Less pollen is floating in the air, my sinuses really like that. However, it's getting a bit tiresome to have to deal with rain everyday.

It kept me from flying on Friday evening. It's keeping me from spending more time outside. It's making a lot of days grey. It's just not very cool.

We have a week remaining in April. If mother nature wants to keep dumping water for the rest of the month, that's fine. When May comes, we better be getting some sunny weather.

Spring in Ottawa can be really nice. It can be a great city to have a tasty beverage on a patio. It's a great place to go for a walk or run. It can be very beautiful and you want to walk with your camera. However, when it rains everyday, none of that is much fun.

I admit it, I'm frustrated with the weather. It's a bunch of garbage. There is however an upside, the snow has all been washed away. It's been swept away in the Rideau and Ottawa Rivers. It isn't underfoot and slippery.

I know the weather impacts my mood but it's time for it to get better.

Musical Mood

I sell advertising for an independent rock radio station. I really like the station. It was listening to the station that I discovered that they were looking for sales people. The station is very heavy. It is one of the heaviest in the country. Even though I really like most of the music played, I was finding that I was more and more on edge. I also noticed that when I was most on edge it was when I was listening more to the station.

So, last week-end I started to listen to the music on my phone. I had not done this in close to six months. Even though I'm a rock guy, I like a lot of different music and within about thirty minutes of listening to some different music, I found my mood changing. There was some Neil Young, Mumford and Sons, and Scott Nolan. All of these amazing performers are not what we play at the station. I found myself smiling and singing along.

Music can have a profound effect on mood. It gets deep into you and makes you feel different. It can explain how you feel or make you feel different. It makes us different.

There are songs that will get you jacked up for an encounter. There are songs that will make you feel romantic. There are songs that will make you smile and sing along. Everyone has a song or two that will take you back to a moment.

I don't want to abandon listening to the radio. I still enjoy the station but I needed to remember that we do what we do to get the results we want. However, we don't play everything I like and I shouldn't abandon that music I like.

I love a good party song, the ones that make you smile and sing along. I like to calm down with some Neil Young. There are even some country tunes that get my feet tapping. I have all of this on my phone. 

I enjoy music and it may have taken me a while but I realized that I should enjoy all of the music I love.

Exclusive Access

Most Canadians don't know that there is a restaurant that operates in Centre Block of the the Parliament of Canada. The primary mission is to serve Members of Parliament and Senators. It's a place they can take their guests and have a nice meal and not be in the public eye.

Additionally, there are opportunities for the staff of Members of Parliament to attend events. Now, I don't work for a Member of the House of Commons but the love of my life does.

Thursday night we went to an event where the Chef of the Parliament of the United Kingdom was in town and cooking. It was the one of the best meals of m life.

Most people have access to something exclusive. Often this is because of where they, or someone close to them, works. Unfortunately, this often becomes normalized and people don't take advantage of their opportunities. 

As I have moved through my sometimes strange life, I have had access to different opportunities. I have not always taken advantage of what was right in front of me. Now that some opportunities are no longer available, I miss them. As a result, when people ask if I want to do things or when I have opportunities to do things through my connections, I make sure that I find people who want to go and we enjoy the experience.

In my current gig, selling advertising at a rock radio station, I get opportunities to go to concerts. It's slower over the winter but will pick up as the show season gets going. Long before I ever worked for a radio station I went to a lot of shows and I won't be slowing down anytime soon.

So, look at your life. Look at what you get to do that not everyone may have the same access to, and make sure you enjoy it. These are the moments that are going to make the stories when you are old an sitting around at the Legion. Let's be honest, everyone wants to have good stories.

There are so many opportunities out there, find yours and don't let the day to day get in the way. Don't shirk your responsibilities but when you can, make sure you do the special things that you have exclusive access and live a great life.

The Search

I saw a memory flash up on Facebook this week. Four years ago I was lamenting that I no longer believed that I can change the world. This feeling made me eventually make a career change to go back to selling.

I was becoming increasingly frustrated with a lack of focus on the mission. The idea of returning to sales was very appealing because the mission was so clear. I knew that everyone would be on the same page. It is that way. There is no doubt about what is expected and where the focus needs to be. That part of my professional life is much happier.

All that being said, I find the focussed mission of sales to be rather singular. There are an increasing number of days I miss the multi-faceted days of my past. I miss thinking about all the ways that a change will impact the organization. I miss helping others achieve great moments. I miss being the go to person for so much.

As I look to the past I realize that the broader my responsibilities, the better I do. I don't like stove pipe organizations and I whole-heartedly believe that they stifle creativity. As well, the broader your responsibilities, the more chances you can take to have a shot at something magical.

If you emulate really good people, you can get really good results. However, if you go out on a limb you can change how everyone thinks. I need to find a way back to a place where I can change the way people think.

I realize a lot of people want a predictable life but I seem to thrive on a life of the unpredictable. I'm getting an itch to be entrepreneurial. I'm feeling like I need to be the boss again. I think there is going to be some risks in the future. Smart risks. Risks that will lead to reward. I'm fairly tolerant to risk and I'm getting close to taking advantage of that again. I used to present some crazy ideas. I used to be told on a regular basis that my ideas are a bit too much. Out of all that came some great improvements and I miss that.

Maybe I can change the world and all I really need to do is get back to thinking big and making everyone around me elevate their game and their thinking.

UBER

I started a new sales job a bit over three months ago. I like it and things are coming along. I feel that in the long run I'm going be quite successful. The buying cycle and the payment of commission is somewhat drawn out. The commissions are not paid until the services are delivered. As such, you end up with things like not getting paid for the deal I did at the end of February until June 15. In the long run this isn't such a bad thing however in the beginning, it can create a cash flow crunch.

So, in my off time, I drive a few hours a week for UBER.

I know UBER has taken a bit of a beating in the press over the last few weeks. It's unfortunate but I think in the long run, people will continue to use the service.

For me, as an independent contractor driving for UBER, it has been a great result thus far. There are a lot of things that are attractive about how they have set up the system.

You work when you want to and you don't have to schedule in advance when you work. This is vitally important for me for two reasons. With my primary gig being in sales, there is an element of unpredictability to my day. So, if my day goes long, I can start driving for UBER later and I'm not letting anyone down or breaking a commitment. If a scheduled activity is cancelled for some reason and I have a few free hours, I can turn on the app and earn some cash. If I make a lot of cash quickly or nobody wants a ride, I can can knock off early. Again, I'm not letting anyone down. This flexibility is key for me.

You get your money quickly. The work week goes from Monday to Sunday and you receive your money the following Thursday. That is a very quick turn around. There are options to get receive your money sooner, for a fee, but I don't have that much of a cash flow need. You are not stuck carrying a lot of costs for weeks before you see any cash, which is nice.

It was very quick to get signed up, if you have all your ducks in a row. I started the process on a Thursday evening and I was approved to drive on the following Sunday evening. For me, it took about 3 days. I will admit that because of other circumstances, I had all the necessary paperwork at my disposal, which sped up the whole process.

You don't have to handle cash. The transactions are handled through the app. So, you never have a car full of cash on a busy day and are susceptible to being robbed. You never end up taking someone on a long trip and they don't have any cash to pay you when you get there. You don't have to worry about anyone 'running the cab.' You get paid for every trip.

Now, driving for UBER is not for everyone.

First, you have be a confident driver. If you are a nervous driver, you will not create a pleasant experience and you will not be rated very well. If the driver comes off as scared, what do you think the passengers will feel?

You have to have some understanding of mobile technology. Everything is managed though an app. If you are not comfortable using a smartphone, you will not do very well driving for UBER.

You have to like interacting with people. I'm not saying you have to be everyone's best friend but you have be willing to greet people, and if they want to chat, have a conversation, while you are still driving safely.

Finally, you have to be customer service oriented. If you can't find the person you are picking up, you need to politely reach out and figure out where they are. You are going to have some strange requests. I've picked up four students and a flat screen TV. I've had a guy who wanted me to drive past a house and take him back home, I had another guy who wanted to go to where he was staying, get changed and head back to where I picked him up. As well, people will say the things you don't agree with, you can't fly off the handle. People will be intoxicated. Taking an UBER is a safe and responsible choice, but some will not be happy drunks. You have to roll with it all. You have to help them with their bags. Ultimately you have to remember that they are hiring you to deliver a service, so if you deliver better service, you will be looked upon more favourably.

Now, if you don't have a car or a smartphone, I would not suggest going out and getting both for the sole purpose of driving for UBER. If you do, you will be taking on a lot of addition cost and it will eat into your profits. However, if you already have a car and phone, you can make some extra cash. You are not going to get rich driving for UBER. However, you can make some money to take your girl out, offset the cost of your car, go on a trip, all those types of things. For me right now, it makes life a bit easier and I have control of how much money is coming in.