self-improvement

Goal Setting – Designing A Life Plan In 2017

by cifanic
January 4, 2017June 14, 2019

Photo: David Schap via Unsplash

One year ago I hired the talented Harper Spero to help me find the time to complete a creative project. My life was action-packed and I needed to figure out how to make quality time and space for my craft in order to ultimately reach my writing goals for the year.

What Harper helped me to understand was that it was everything around the project that needed to shift first. This shift was necessary to bring my best self to the table as a creative professional and burgeoning business owner.

Let me explain.

The process began by optimizing first for health. Getting the proper nutrition, the right amount of sleep, and regular exercise were key to functioning at a high level.

After that, I needed a support system in place. It was critical to surround myself with a steady stream of quality individuals and communities.

After that, I needed to make sure that all of my work — creative and otherwise — had meaning.

Environmental Biohacking & Rumbling With The Unknown

by cifanic
December 10, 2016June 14, 2019

Sunset at Big Sur taken during week 4 of my bio-hacking experiment

Big Sur, CA – Taken during Week 4 of my experiment.

The following is based on a talk I gave a few weeks back at Twitch HQ for Women’s Catalyst Lightening Talks.

At the end of September I deliberately kicked myself out of my studio apartment.

I sublet to a friend for two months and hit the road.

Now, I didn’t go very far. I drove around California in my trusty Prius C – living with friends, crashing on couches, spending time in nature.

I did this because I needed to get uncomfortable.

Because I believe that curiosity is greater than comfort.

[ Curiosity Zone > Comfort Zone ] *

I didn’t always believe this.

Becoming Antifragile – How To Gain From Disorder

by cifanic
July 20, 2016June 14, 2019

Image Credit: Andre Faria Gomes via Slideshare: Antifragile: Lessons Learned

“Wind extinguishes a candle and energizes fire. Likewise with randomness, uncertainty, chaos – you want to use them, not hide from them. You want to be the fire and wish for the wind.”

-Nassim Taleb

Last week I gave a talk at the monthly Catalysts Collective event here in San Francisco on the topic of antifragility. The following points are highlights from my talk.

To understand the premise of Antifragile – Things That Gain From Disorder there are three key areas to consider.

Nicole C. Lehmann-Haupt is an author and published writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in Hypertext Magazine, El Portal, Ignatian Literary Magazine, and Mulberry Literary, among others. In 2021 and 2024, Nicole's work was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She has also contributed to Thrive Global, Yahoo!, Indie Shuffle, and LAist. Driven by a passion for storytelling that resonates across ages, her stories feature misfits, underdogs, and weirdos stumbling upon the extraordinary in an ordinary world. She is currently at work on a short story collection.