I host a brief a huddle with some good friends about RETSO.  This morning we covered topics such as next year’s event dates, cleaning up old content on our site, and focused on future curation of quality thoughts and thinkers.  We always end our huddle with some ideation for what’s next and regardless of all the things we think of that ‘we could do’, we try to always ask ourselves ‘what should we do?’

We ended with a firm resolve to keep RETSO closer to the Slow Web vs the Fast Web.
The Slow Web has been described as…

“Timely not real-time. Rhythm not random. Moderation not excess. Knowledge not information. These are a few of the many characteristics of the Slow Web. It’s not so much a checklist as a feeling, one of being at greater ease with the web-enabled products and services in our lives.” – Jack Cheng

While the Fast Web has been characterized as…

“Fast Web companies want to be our lovers, they want to be by our sides at all times, want us to spend every moment of our waking lives with them, when sometimes that’s not what we really need. Sometimes what we really need are friends we can meet once every few months…” – Jack Cheng

Enough About Work, Let’s Talk About Me
(this is my personal blog and all)

More than anything, today I realized one of my favorite things to work on is affecting Behavior Change.  Behavior Change, Not Growth.  ‘Behavior change is about improving the lives of others, scale is about ego.’  I hope everything I work on improves the lives of others far more than it scales for growth’s sake.  I feel confident both RETSO and Acru are truly working hardest on behavior change over growth.

In fact, I’ve been working hard on changing many of my own behaviors.  I have established many filters in my life lately to increase focus on the things that matter most.  I could do better yet.  I’ve tried to avoid shipping for speed of getting things done and work on prioritization and pruning.  Being mindful of value, not addiction to bells.  I could do better yet.  I’ve lost more weight and done more pushups over the last 6+ months than I ever thought I would.  I could do better yet.

I’ve been a part of some really cool moments and still found time to scratch my strategic gaming itch -a behavior I want to always remember  to work on improving as it makes me happy and a better thinker.

This time I was inspired by a unique combination of my nostalgia for D&D, my enjoyment of reading The Walking Dead, and an article from the Art of Manliness.  A month or so ago, I actually made a version of what I call my Bug Bag.  Not to survive the apocalypse, or bug out of town, or bug back home, but to be prepared for whatever bugs life may throw at me (flat tires, hungry kid, sudden rain storm, impromptu picnic, or just the opportunity to help others).  It was my way of bringing the thought of adventure to life.  In many ways, packing that bag was therapy.  It helped me think of ways I could prepare for and enjoy life better.

While sharing the Slow Web ideas with my friends this morning, it dawned on me that this Bug Bag of mine represented a Slower Life I’ve been working on for some time now.  Tomorrow I take some time off and head to the Outer Banks away from the Fast Life and celebrate the 4th at the beach.

What a perfect time for some gamification of my life.

The Rules:

• Get from Marietta to the Outer Banks within 24 hours.
• Leave around 6pm to force myself to stop overnight along the way.
• Assume the power grid is down throughout the southeast. Hotels are closed and boarded.
• Gas stations only have what’s left in the tanks below ground.  They can’t process credit cards. (I have limited cash in my bug bag).
• Grocery stores have been raided.  Restaurants abandoned.  I must eat & drink only what’s in my bug bag (granola, jerky, some water).
• I’m not leaving my dog behind.

Wow – I really had no idea I was going to share all this when I sat down to write tonight.  I was simply hoping to share my passion for the Slow Web Movement.  It seems the Slow Life Movement has me by the grip as well.

Until I return (if walkers don’t get to me first).