Walk in the Woods

Nik Curfman 7/6/21 Nik Curfman 7/6/21

Journal: #327 My Friend David

You might say this trip is an elaborate excuse to talk in person to him. David is one of those friends who is willing to teach and explain. And, his patience is legendary. He never makes me feel stupid or ashamed for any of my interests.

Hello from New Orleans. It’s like Charleston, but more flamboyant. I’m with one of my best friends, David. We spent the day fishing on the bayou and it was fantastic. For starters, we actually caught fish. For amateur fishermen, that’s a big deal. Guys like us don’t usually catch much. We’d like to thank our guide and lifelong fisherman Jimmy. He was as Louisiana as you’d imagine— a distinct cajun accent, thick forearms, and never too far from a shaker of creole seasoning.

On paper, David and I have little in common. He’s married with four children, tall, and skinny (though more round than ever.) My friend grew up a missionary kid in Colombia and is fluent in three languages. History is his passion, so he never misses an opportunity to stop by a museum or battlefield. (One reason will likely visit the War War 2 museum tomorrow.)

In case you need a refresher, I’m still very single and a bit round. My formative years were also spent in a Columbia. In South Carolina. I’m still learning to write in my native English language, and I’d rather go to an art museum. Of course none these differences matter. It’s the conversations we will have along each stop that matter.

David and I spent the evening discussing God and politics as we drove up to New Orleans. I loved it. In all honesty, real conversation with him is all I want. You might say this trip is an elaborate excuse to talk in person to him. David is one of those friends who is willing to teach and explain. And, his patience is legendary. He never makes me feel stupid or ashamed for any of my interests.

As I think about today and what’s the rest of the week holds, I know I’m blessed. I’m blessed to have a great friend willing to meet me anywhere he can. Moreover, I’m blessed to be able to afford the trip and work for a company will to let me work whenever I want. One day soon I’ll have a different set of blessings— hopefully including a wife and kids. I won’t be able to pick up and fly to New Orleans or go solo hiking in Oregon.

For now, I’m going to soak up the rest of the week and stretch every moment with David as long as possible. Once I return to Redding, it’ll be the dead of summer. The heat will be at its zenith, and I have no more trips planned. Then it’s an eight week sprint to September 7th, when I’ll make more friends.

Nik Curfman 6/8/21 Nik Curfman 6/8/21

Journal: #300!

I’m confident I’ll finish 330 posts in 365 days. The experience is teaching me. I’ll illuminate more in the final week of writing. For now, I’ll end this short post by saying I’m glad I decided to do something. I’m glad I stuck to it. Good things happen when decisions are made and supported.

Today is post #300! I’m genuinely stoked I’m this close to my goal of 330 posts in 365 days. With 30 more to write by 11:59 PM July 10th, I have 32 days to hit my target. It’s going to be close, and I have some travel in early July. WiFi will be spotty when I go hiking around Mt Hood before Independence Day. Then I’ll be with friends in Nee Orleans for a week. (Friends can be the bigger distraction of them all.)

Nik Curfman 5/12/21 Nik Curfman 5/12/21

Journal: #279 Imposter Syndrome

If you read this blog you know I’m up and down. But, I show up. I write even if I have nothing to say or my words fail sense of perfection. I write anyway. I pray anyway. I journal and diet anyway. What a gift. By that, I mean to say, what an opportunity.

Last week I listening to marketing guru Seth Godin discuss the craft. If you don’t know, Seth Godin is to marketing what Beatles are to music in the 20th Century. He helped turn Yahoo into one the most trafficee websites in the world. He’s the gold standard, and what he says about the trade is insightful and challenging. If I could recommend a daily read for my customers it is Godin’s blog.

What I love about Mr Godin is he gets it. He understands products and services need to serve people. And better the product the more happy customers ate created. From this perspective, business becomes flexible and mimics a true relationship. Marketing isn’t about slamming slogans and features. Marketing is a feedback loop.

The most difficult part of marketing is the creative aspect. How does a brand communicate its story and purpose, especially small or new businesses? Where do we capture the attention of a potential customer? What methods and style does our marketing respond to? It’s a dizzying dance. I was once a team who spent a month revising a few facebook. The discussions unloved such topics as “should we use animated copy (letters that move)” and “which shade of fusia is best for women 24-38 in metro areas?” I wanted to crawl in a hole, mostly because I didn’t like the campaign approach. And, after listening to Seth speak, I think he’d agree with me.

Toward the end of his talk Mr Godin spoke on the topic of creative in marketing. My ears perked when he touched on the subject of Imposter Syndrome. Since last summer, nearly every work day, that’s me. I’m a newbie in the marketing world, but I want to deliver a healthy return for my clients. Thankfully, I work with a supportive team. They get it.

There’s one line from Seth’s brief discussion of feeling like a fraud: Imposter Syndrome is proof your pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, and doing the work. To be vulnerable, that’s how feel about most of my life. I’ve been pushed and stretched, and the Lord challenged me to stay the course.

This morning I wondered what my life would’ve been if I were still in a relationship. It’s impossible to say. Would I be on the verge of being a full-time investor? Would I have found the courgage to write? To dive deeper into the Lord? It’s possible. But I’m thankful for the chance to start over. I got to reset my life with minimal impact to a wife or family. If anything, I owe myself, my future family, and the Lord my best effort. The more I push myself through imposter syndrome now, the more I will be able to focus on them later.

What a gift.