Risk & Happiness

This is a talk that I gave at KalamazooX Conference, April 26th 2014.

Transcript

1. RISK &
   HAPPINESS ALY FLUCKEY
2. Aly Fluckey @wtfluckey Iowan former COBOL dev loves lava lamps
5. The tiny seed knew that in order to grow, it needed to be dropped in dirt, covered in darkness, struggle to reach the light ! - Sandra Kring
6. “I could never do that.” “You are crazy.” “You moved here on your own?” “I would be so afraid.” “I can't believe you did this.” “That was risky...you must be so brave.”
7. Holding back is so close to stealing. - Neil Young
8. Why don’t we take risks? • Biology • Shame • Need for acceptance • Attachment • Critics • Self-esteem • Psychological reasons • Money • Security • Comfortability/ Complacency FEAR
9. We have been brainwashed by school, indoctrinated by industrial propaganda, and mesmerized by the popular media into believing that compliance is not only safe but right and necessary. ! - Seth Godin
10. The tall poppy gets cut down Settle down Follow the leader Don’t make trouble Teamwork is what we call it when you do what the boss says Fit in even when it hurts Trust the system to take care of you Teach your children to obey
11. THE REVOLUTION Rewards achievement and connection instead of compliance
12. Art is frightening Art isn’t pretty Art isn’t painting Art isn’t something you hang on the wall Art is what we do when we’re truly alive Art might scare you Art might bust you But art is who we are and what we do and what we need.
13. Art is the act of doing work that matters, while dancing with the voice in your head that screams for you to stop. - Seth Godin
14. Biology
15. Being Liked !
16. Being well-liked == pleasing the masses
17. You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there is still going to be somebody who hates peaches.
    ! - Dita Von Teese !
18. VULNERABILITY & SHAME
20. SHAME IS A FUCKING CHOICE
21. The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first. - Jim Morrison
24. Not only did I find what I had been missing, but I also discovered that I was finding things I hadn’t even realized I’d been searching for.
25. So how do we stop hiding?
27. Leon?
28. START SMALL
29. DON’T OVERTHINK
30. NETWORK Act like you belong, and suddenly, you do. - Leon Gersing
31. GIVE UP ATTACHMENT
32. PRACTICE
33. Are you paralyzed with fear? That is a good sign. Fear is good. Like self- doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. - Steven Pressfield
35. IT IS TIME TO STOP
36. So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?
    ! - Hunter S. Thompson Photo property of Magnolia Pictures
37. Thank You WORK TWEET CODE ALY FLUCKEY @WTFLUCKEY WTFLUCKEY