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2016 04-04 - Adrian Sameli - Mindful Work
Our work can be more meaningful and fulfilling if we bring more mindfulness into our workplace and consciously spend our time and skills.
2016 04-04 - Adrian Sameli - Mindful Work
- 1. mindful work by AdrianSameli www.aderama.com
- 2. ADRIAN SAMELI a webenthusiast on the road Jurmala, Latvia
- 3. ANGAZA pro bono consulting imageby AngazaDesign.com
- 4. GOLDEN AGE of theglobal society Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
- 5. SMASHING designers & developers AngazaDesign, San Francisco
- 6. STUCK in the wrongplace Developer Week Hackathon, San Francisco
- 7. SCARCE resources & infrastructure imageby AngazaDesign.com
- 8. INTERNET in facebook connections imageby Facebook.com
- 9. REACH more than youthink image by AngazaDesign.com
- 10. INSPIRE with everything youdo Wisdom 2.0 Conference, San Francisco
- 11. WORK with people forpeople image by AngazaDesign.com
- 12. CHOOSE the candy thatsuits you Z Cioccolato, San Francisco
- 13. CONSCIOUSLY use your timeand skills Wisdom 2.0 Conference, San Francisco
- 14. GOOD LUCK www.aderama.com Bicycling inSan Francisco
Editor's Notes
- #2 Before we start, I would like you to do something for me. I want you to turn around and establish eye contact with any person around you, that you have not met before. Reach out to them, shake your hands and say “Hi, I’m Adrian, it is nice to share this experience with you”, while keeping your eye contact. And to make it more personal and mindful, you can replace Adrian with your own name. Great! Now we are all tuned in and ready for some thoughts about “mindful work”.
- #3 Which means, you can be mindful while I do all the work. As you already know, my name is Adrian. I am from Switzerland and I call myself a web enthusiast. For the past 10 years I was building and managing a web agency. Until last year, when I decided to give up my comfortable life and leave everything behind. I wanted to find and engage in more meaningful projects worldwide. Since then I am on the road.
- #4 Today I am pro bono consulting a social startup here in San Francisco and Nairobi, Kenia – together bringing solar energy and light to the poorest people in the world.
- #5 I think, we are living in such a great time! We more mobile than ever before and can travel everywhere. I recently came from Europe to North America and soon will fly to Africa. Soon we will have affordable high speed internet everywhere. Google and other organizations are now working on this. So we are able to share moments and easily reach out to our friends and family. Many web platforms allow us to connect and stay in touch with people worldwide. We can learn nearly everything and study online for free. And there is an app for everything.
- #6 Now - we are especially privileged! Yes, we, the attendees of this conference. We are designing interfaces and developing all these awesome products. Our industry is still growing on a global scale and comparably well paid. We all have a great job, can travel and exchange ideas with likeminded people. Our profession allows us to work on interesting and exciting projects - for literally every industry. Every one of us is highly privileged, much more than the average. Am I wright?
- #7 Maybe that sounds too good! There are so many difficulties even in our industry. Not every task is fun and not every project fulfilling. We have to deal with annoying customers, difficult colleagues and egocentric managers. Sometimes we are personally stuck in a dead end and frustrated with your own situation. But hey, it could be even worse!
- #8 Most people struggle much more. More than a billion people do not have access to basic resources like clean water, sanitation, electricity or education. Even more live in an unstable environment or economy. Many do not have work or do not earn enough. Others are stuck in an industry without future or a fixed mindset. All these people are less fortunate than us.
- #9 Nevertheless, they might use your app or your website! They might be working with the product you create and see the visual you design. We are always having an impact on others with what we do. Working with the internet does not create this effect, but amplifies and accelerates it. It makes it easily possible to reach people worldwide – with or without our knowledge.
- #10 So let us be aware of this! Especially when building international apps, websites and other multimedia content. Think about your target audience, but also about other people you might reach. And for now I am not speaking of usability engineering or user centered design. I expect other speakers to address that. I am speaking about the impact we are all having.
- #11 Because we always have an impact! Imagine how your creation can influence and inspire others. Your website might provide helpful information to understand and improve their situation. Your app might allow others to work more efficiently or have some work at all. Your creation could spread joy and happiness. Either way, you could help someone to achieve a better life – for real! So, design and build for people, not the business.
- #12 Which brings me back to our workplace – where we have to deal with customers, colleagues and managers. Remember that all of them are people like you and me. They might have a different perspective and opinion or just having a bad day. So try to understand their background and situation instead of judging them. Establish a personal connection in order to nourish a healthier working environment. After all work should be a fun place and gratifying.
- #13 But we have to do something for it! We have to bring more mindfulness into our workplace. If we are open and receptive, the world is full of great opportunities. We can be selective with our customers and question their cause. We can choose projects and products that are more meaningful to us or people we care about. We can also support open source projects, share knowledge and experience with others – like we do at this conference. We can dedicate our energy for a good cause.
- #14 Can you imagine such a world? You would only produce and promote meaningful content and products. Every single business interaction would be positive and pleasurable. People would be so much happier and more fulfilled. I want to live in such a world. And I am doing something for it. I want to encourage you, to do likewise. So please, use your time and skills consciously. To do mindful work.
- #15 Good Luck on your journey!