Quality over Quantity: Summer Camp Book News

It’s been a while since the last blog, and it’s about time to address that. So this post is an update on how we’re moving the summer camp book project forward. It’s time to talk quality over quantity.
It grinds my gears when you get stuck into a really good, new TV programme and then out of the blue, it’s pulled by the network. At least, that was back in the day when TV was the powerhouse it once was. I’d like to draw a parallel to my work for There’s No Place Like Summer Camp.
Writing There’s No Place Like Summer Camp has been a work of passion. I’ve been carefully crafting my first book to show the world the inner workings of my summer camp story. And over the same period, I’ve taken up projects to help promote it, to get the name out there and offer advice to budding volunteers.
Sticking to a weekly schedule, one podcast accompanied by a lengthy blog post would be up every Tuesday. A few months went by and I thought ‘what better platform to promote than YouTube?’ So then I was uploading one YouTube video, one podcast and a blog post every Tuesday. Quickly, life got in the way. And honestly? It’s worn me out.


There’s No Place Like Summer Camp Book Update

I’ve seen other authors do the same thing, focusing far too much of their time on things that their reader won’t give two shits about. And once I recognised that same feeling in myself, I knew it was time to take a step back.
It’s an unfortunate place to be in, but I think pulling the plug on such marketing activities would be beneficial for my well-being and the book in the long run. For the last 6 months I haven’t been pouring my time into the content of the very thing I’m so passionate to get on the shelves. There’s No Place Like Summer Camp will come, but I have to emphasise I do have a full-time job. It’ll come when it’s ready and I’m ready.


Quality over Quantity

There’s an old adage in the phrase ‘Quality over quantity’ and I believe that to ring true here.
There’s a slim chance I may revisit this in the future. But for now, I’m putting this routine down to one side. I’ll be keeping the podcast, YouTube content and blog posts up for entertainment, reference and advice.
Keep your eyes peeled for the next blog post, as I’ll return to my usual ramblings. They’ll be coming as and when.
So, I’ll see you about.
Thanks for reading,
A.

Interested in reading more about the summer camp book? Check out There’s No Place Like Summer Camp available for pre-order on the store.


Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years Time?

It’s a question I’ve pondering to myself recently. I have searched high and low online for insightful advice, but its surprising to see that the results were all related to job interviews. It’s about time someone makes an article on this.
 
There’s a reason why employers ask for your long term plans in life. They want the security that you are applying for a job that you will be passionate about. They also hope you will be a long term, happy employee too. Yet, this is a question that should transcend beyond an interview room.
 
Having goals in your life is crucial to living a fulfilled one. In this modern day and age, its all too easy to take the easy street. Society brings everybody up to be a consumer in this capitalist world. ‘The customer always comes first’ is a rhetoric that everybody is familiar with. Putting the illusive customer first, makes ‘the customer’ role in life an easy, quick fix one. Think to yourself when was the last time you made something. By that, I don’t mean the sandwich you just made for lunch… I bet you’re scratching your head.
 
Living life as a customer is all too easy. Everyone panders to your every need. Living for the 9-5 as an employee and then the weekends as a consumer means you aren’t challenging yourself. You can go through life without seeing the bigger picture of what you are missing out on.
 
I started That’s Your Best Bet back in 2012. I don’t know what got in to me the day I took a step out of my comfort zone, I wanted more from the world. Starting my own casino website was a great way to test myself, grow and manage something on the side.
 
And that’s my driving force. I want to leave a small mark on this world while I try new things. I don’t want to simply be a consumer of things till I hit the bucket. You shouldn’t be satisfied with that either.
 
Everybody has an entrepreneurial spirit that seeks independence and growth.
 

Not Doing Anything is Doing Something

 
On to more topical matters. Over the past year or so, I have knuckled down on my book. There’s No Place Like Summer Camp is coming on well and has taken strides as I seek to improve myself as a writer. Do I have the qualifications to be a writer? No. Have I done any courses on becoming one? No. It’s the self discipline and passion which has taken the book from strength to strength. I cannot wait to have it out on the market.
 
While my book has been coming along well, I’ve been refining its contents so much so that I have been building up my wanderlust once again. And I now find myself seeking my next big thing. In doing so, I have been pondering this simple question: Where do I want myself in 5 years time?
 
‘I’d love to be an established member of the team where I’d have more responsibilities as I seek to grow up the company hierarchy…’ is a typical response in an interview. I am not critiquing the answer. But I do think that this question is something we should ask ourselves outside the workplace. Living in the short-term, so you can ‘get-by’ is a simple philosophy which can become a pit with lack of progression. Many people these days take the same monotonous path to make sure ends meet. They do not consider the bigger picture.
 
I know too many people who hate the situation they find themselves in. But procrastinating about making a change keeps them there. It’s only until they hear the words ‘You do realise by not doing something about X, you are still doing something about it? All you are doing is settling for X’ that their eyes open to what they are doing to themselves.
 

Procrastination is my worst enemy

 
I’m now mid-twenties which is probably the reason why for all the gusto and seeking more from normal life. But I cannot understand why people put off doing things so much.
 
Lack of accomplishment is devastating to me. All too often friends, family and strangers have excuses for not doing what they want to do with their lives. “I haven’t got the time”, “I can’t quit my job” and “I can’t afford it” are all pathetic excuses for the deep rooted reason: I’m too scared to take a risk.
 
I watched a TED Talks the other week which sums this predicament up well. Instead of saying “I’m too busy”, replace it with “It’s not a priority”. It’ll open your eyes.
 
Such folk find themselves dissatisfied with where they are in life. Not prioritising their ambitions first has meant they are stuck in a rut. Will they do anything about it? Will they heck.
 
Currently I find myself seeking more from life again. The book has sparked a lightbulb moment to grow as a person once more. Browsing through Skyscanner and YouTube travel vlogs, I can’t help but want to travel. But yet, I find myself looking in the mirror and asking “Where do I want to be in 5 years time?”

So Where Do I See Myself? 

In mid-twenties now, I’ve come to realise I need to ask myself this important question… So where do I want to see myself in 5 years time? Well, I want to have a big fancy car, paying off a mortgage in a job I love. I want to grow in a company, perhapsmaking video games where hard work pays off with a complete product to show for it.
There’s perhaps more I could add, like relationship status, health and more. But for now, I think that will do.
At the moment, my life could be swung in a big way. I can settle down and buy that fancy car and start a mortgage or… seek more while I can. It’s been tearing me up for a while now as I peek through the keyhole in to the adult world.
 

I’m procrastinating.

 
I took to the forums asking for any advice and a flood of messages greeted me. Allow me to sum them up… 
Things are always just that, simply things. If you spend everything on settling down with a fancy car and mortgage, will you be happier? Probably not. Because that’s it: they are just things. You will be sat in your house with a fancy car in the drive surrounded by cool things. You’d be tied down, because you can’t exactly pause a mortgage nor can you sell that car for half the price it cost you. You’ll be unhappy, surrounded by things.
 
Experiences though? Well. That’s what makes a person grow. You’ll find the best of friends in new people as you experience different cultures and ways of living. All that hard work of saving money will be put toward incredible memories while you live the life of dreams, if only briefly. If all you are doing is working for things, then what is the point in working at all? The world is full of adventure, you only need to take that risky step first to experience it.
 
Sure, it’s easier said than done but too many people these days are afraid of taking a leap of faith. A happy life doesn’t get handed to you on a plate, so go out there and grab it. Adventure is out there.
 
I’m going to save the big news for another blog post. I’ve got some planning to do.
 
See you next one,
 
A.
 
P.S Bonus points if you got the very subtle Walking Dead reference

Never Forget Where You Came From

For a few weeks now I have been scratching my head on what to blog about next. But today, it hit me. And there’s a bit of a backstory to this one…

My First Job

Shortly after leaving sixth form in my quiet suburban neighbourhood, I went and found my first job. A bit later than my peers, my first role came when I was 17. The job itself was simple, a Sales Assistant at Sainsbury’s. Daily duties would include offering friendly customer service, stock control, reductions and obviously, stacking shelves. For what it was, on a part-time 12 hour a week permanent contract, I enjoyed it and it got me by. Heck, there’s no better feeling than that first paycheck, where your eyes are opened to the world. £350 a month!? That £12 a month pocket money I had irregularly coming in from my dad for the last 4 years was a thing of the past in one fell swoop.

Confident with customers and what my role entailed, I was now for the first time being referred to as ‘a man’. I vividly recall the first time I overheard a mum shopping with her young son to ‘ask the man where the creme fraiche is?’. It was a bizarre feeling. Fast forward toward the end of my two year tenure, it dawned on me that I needed to get out of the retail market. I felt I had learned what I could from my first job.  Now in more of a ‘reliable, team leader-esque’ role, I was at home on the shopfloor and felt I had to break free from it before I was sucked in to being trapped in retail for life. The one month’s notice flew by and I’ll always remember that last bus ride back home. Emotional from what that first job had done for me, I was now officially a man on a path to progress his career.

Growing into an adult

It was that first role as a Sales Assistant that really sprung me in to the world of work. Away from the routine school-life, I was now in charge of where I wanted my path to lead. It wasn’t about the money, it was about the independence and growth. Mid-way through university by this point, I was keen to find a placement role that would complete my Computer Science degree. I started to look online for available roles and one sprung out at me in particular. Working at Disney in their games department. It was the dream job that I would have thought would only present itself to me much later in life. But, the disappointing fact was that I had only just missed the deadline for applications. I plumped for it anyhow, spending every waking moment refining my application so I could have a good shot while my toe was in their figurative online door. The next day, I was called for a phone interview.

This was unlike any other interview I had previously. I was tasked with some taxing, personal questions like ‘who inspires you’ as they ventured deeper and deeper in to my responses… but alas it turned out I had passed. The face-to-face interview was lined up next where I’d also be tested with a presentation. It had to be on a mobile game to demonstrate that I knew the industry well while I provided insightful and entertaining content to the panel. Honestly, it was a piece of cake. The game I chose was World of Goo. Give it a try if you haven’t already, it’s one of the few mobile games out there that is really worth the premium price tag. The reason the most challenging interview of my life was a breeze was because of my passion. For what I lacked in the presentation, my hobby had filled the gaps. Not only had I made the presentation, but I ensured I had the game to hand also. With all the work I had put in, I had provided that extra effort other candidates hadn’t for them to remember me by. Handing them my phone to give that same level of engagement I had was a great move.

Working at Walt Disney

The manager who hired me saw something in me and my poorly written CV. So I soon found myself with my second job, working for Walt Disney in Hammersmith. Albeit, I had come second place. There was a candidate who had much more qualification than I. She was hired for the role while something quite remarkable happened on my side. A new, temporary two week unpaid role was created just for me as the manager had seen a spark in my eye that he wanted to alight. I simply couldn’t turn the offer down. My passion for gaming had got me in to their prestigious revolving doors in their Disney Interactive arm. It was there I met some amazing people on their graduate scheme. Seeing how a gaming company operated was awe-inspiring. For the first time, I had insight in to the role I wish to have as a long term career. It was just how I expected too. The people were what made Disney what it is. The world-renowned Disney values were emanating from every person in the office. The people were some of the most down-to-earth, professional and fun people I’d meet in a workplace.

Once the two weeks flew by, the manager had taken time out of his hectic schedule to sit me down and allow me to learn from his greatness. We would sit together at lunchtimes and during the work-schedule to take a look at the work I had been doing and my CV. After the great working relationship had come to a close, I was left with a stand-out CV. The amazing advice Matt had gave me would live with me forever. Plus, I now had Walt Disney’s name to add to my growing résumé. I learned that it wasn’t all about qualifications anymore. Your employment history has just as much, if not more of a factor when it comes to standing out in a crowd of paperwork. This was something you would never hear from a teacher at school.

My professional journey would then take me to other offices that would harness my (now earned) Computer Science degree. With each time I changed job, I unexpectedly learned more. I grew as a person and added more skills to my repertoire. I met a variety of different characters and while in a professional working environment, found myself new contacts and friends along the way.

Throughout my journey, I found workmates who would make my day to see as I seek their insight. From the few jobs I have had to date, I always find I have learned something new about myself or a new technical skill from the job at hand. Since that first job at Sainsbury’s, I’ve always had the attitude to work that I’ll leave when I feel I have peaked. I’m not one for settling for second best as there are plenty of opportunities out there to grow. Routine can be the bane of many people’s lives and I for one do not wish to settle for it.

Since visiting home over this weekend in the run-up to Christmas, I’d like to offer my sentence of advice. Simply, ‘Never forget where you came from’. It’s astounding sometimes to take a few minutes out of your day, recognise what you have gone through and who you have become.

 

See you on the flipside in 2017,

A.


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