Category: Personal Reflections

Lessons learned about life; pearls of wisdom I’ve gleaned through pain, failure and honest reflection

Future think

Carl Setzer

It’s quite easy, in this age, to pooh-pooh the wisdom of time’s past. To laugh at the myths, history’s weak attempts at knowledge. Yet, we must be humble. We must wonder what elements of our “now” that the future will consider childishly superstitious. For there will be something, if not many things, perhaps nearly everything, will certainly seem foolish and naive.

My hope is that the future will see us as sincere, just naive, lacking understanding that they will take for granted. That our knowledge will grow exponentially, that we will put aside petty power and grasp the hope science offers. That humans will dance amongst the stars. As I stare up to the stars, I’m inspired. The potential is immense. May we expand beyond narrow self interest, embrace our potential, and soar

Don’t use the Internet to deal with wakefulness

Carl Setzer

I woke about an hour ago; mostly feeling a warm, semi-wakefulness. Then I ruined it. Checked email, found something to post to my Not Just Seattle blog (just re-purposing a press-release, easy!). Noticed that this site got nearly 2000 views yesterday, and tried to figure out why. Then started reading old posts. And, here I am. Reminded, yet again, that the Internet is NOT the way to deal with early morning wakefulness.

More of my websites

Carl Setzer

I started a WordPress site some time ago in order to explore the platform. Recently, I relaunched it as my poetry site. I’ve heard so very much about focusing your sites. So, I’m trying to do something with that. Besides that one, I also have NotJustSeattle.com, where I focus on the local. Soon, I’m going to port my tech writing to its own site. This will also, then, be my professional/business presence. I’ll move my portfolio there, too. Trying to find another name besides “Setzer Consulting”. Feels too bidding. I’ll try to have the URL for in to that.

So, please check out my other sites and stay tuned to see how things change.

Being there

Carl Setzer

3:00 am, I receive a text, and slept through it. Logical, acceptable, and yet still painful. A friend hurting, and I wasn’t able to be there. She worked her way through, so no guilt on that. No, it’s deeper. 

I value my friends, my family. I value helping, to be present when needed. Thus, one of my core values failed. That is, and should be, painful. It’s not about effectiveness, or any of that. 
I know that these sorts of things will happen again and again. Failures of theses elements should cause discomfort, and reflection. That’s different than guilt. More akin to sadness. Which is fair to feel. 
I hope that feeling remains. Keeps me striving, pushing, growing. Another thing I value. 

Being there

Carl Setzer

3:00 am, I receive a text, and slept through it. Logical, acceptable, and yet still painful. A friend hurting, and I wasn’t able to be there. She worked her way through, so no guilt on that. No, it’s deeper. 

I value my friends, my family. I value helping, to be present when needed. Thus, one of my core values failed. That is, and should be, painful. It’s not about effectiveness, or any of that. 
I know that these sorts of things will happen again and again. Failures of theses elements should cause discomfort, and reflection. That’s different than guilt. More akin to sadness. Which is fair to feel. 
I hope that feeling remains. Keeps me striving, pushing, growing. Another thing I value. 

Change

Carl Setzer

Isn’t it amazing 
How destructive 
Change can be?
Temperature fluctations 
Can shatter the 
Incredibly strong. 
Radical variations in
Speed rip apart the 
Strongest of machines. 

Humanity often needs 
Such violence. Bringing
About radical new social
Orders, birthing freedom
From history’s wretched  
Injustices. 

The pursuit of balance

Carl Setzer

I seek balance, balance between career and family, spiritual and earthly. Balance, perhaps the zen of yin and yang.

Balance, though, is not a steady state, rather continuous action. Balancing, redistributing; because you can’t have it all, only what you prioritize

Thus, knowing what’s important is critical. Having goals, big overarching ones to guide you, to allow you focus.

With that, one of my traps: forgetting that I can shift, adjust to the changing reality. And that’s the real goal, to grow, learn and adjust. Its OK for the goals to move. Actually, its critical. If we’re growing, we’re learning. That new knowledge will open up possibilities we never could consider before. The glorious future unimaginable.