What's on my shelf? The Middle Finger Project - Ash Ambirge
My quest this year to read at least 20 books is going well. I should say that I also included audiobooks as being eligible, and I get through more of those than I do of actual books, but I do still have a few physical books and e-books on the go. My latest completion was The Middle Finger Project by Ash Ambirge. Someone recommended her blog to me some time ago when I was searching for a way to create some business from writing on my own terms. I like her writing style, and when she announced that she had a new book coming out, I thought it would be great to have the audio version, since she was the one reading it.
I was not disappointed. There is something amazing about hearing an author read their own book, especially when it is their own story, and especially when the author has the talent to bring it to life as he or she speaks, and this audiobook was no exception. Ash tells her stories with such candor and includes hilarious details which made me feel like she and I were sitting and having the conversation about it over dinner. The stories of the ups and downs that she faced before (and during) her journey to and during building her company and her life were extremely relatable to me (for the most part). And interspersed between her stories was one theme - we must own and unleash our most dangerous ideas. It got me thinking about my ideas (the most dangerous of which might very well be self destructive, so I may put those on hold for now) and what I am doing with my one precious life.
She told of her desire as a child to grow up and be “middle class” - eating lemon pepper chicken, and having a house, and I could so relate to this, especially on the heels of a recent discovery about myself, that when I was a child/teen all I wanted to be was a “proper adult”. This came with (and continues to come with) a long list of things that I cobbled together from observation of those around me, the books I read and the TV I watched. “Proper adults” were responsible, and had a house, job, car, work life balance, a narrow waistline, and didn’t make stupid mistakes. She and I both came to similar realizations (although mine came much later) - there is no “committee of true greatness” (as she calls it) to whom we are responsible for what we do and who we become. We are all just making it up as we go along, and so why not make it really good. I will confess that while I haven’t fully figured that one out, I am definitely working on it, and I found her book was just the inspiration I needed to keep trying.
One big theme that she focuses on that I am still thinking my way through is that of entrepreneurship. I was not the child who wanted to sell everything (and watching my nephew, I can see how some people seem to have that spirit in them). I still don’t really want to sell anything, and moreover, I never saw entrepreneurship as my path. It was interesting to hear it from her point of view, but her book also made me realize that so many of the entrepreneurs that I admire understand (and enjoy) the marketing aspect of their work, and I think this is where they have a huge advantage as they have started their businesses. It was a reminder to me that so many of the people who tell their story in such a compelling way through their books also have gone similar routes (and by that I mean - starting their own business) and that it sometimes makes me worried that taking that path is the only way to the freedom which I crave, even though as someone who is halfway there and who has been self-employed for so many years, it feels like a trap.
In addition, I have come to accept a world view of unity and community, and corporate responsibility, and so I have no real desire to break away from the pack and lone wolf it, as the only way to create in the way that I want. In that regard, one of my dangerous ideas is that we all need one another, that we are all connected, and responsible for one another, and that our belief otherwise can make us lonely and isolated. I am definitely my sister’s keeper, and many a sister has kept me at those times when I really needed it. In a recent conversation with someone, she told me that she has always seen me as someone strong and resilient, capable of “figuring anything out” and that doesn’t mesh with my desire to work as a part of a team and be reliant on the minds and expertise of others instead of figuring it out myself. To me the only reason I can be strong and resilient is because of those around me, the help and care that we provide for one another, and that strength is in the concept of being a part of a trusted team, rather than standing alone. Every large structure out there shows me that there is so much more strength in unity than in having one single pole trying to hold the whole thing up.
These were the things I thought about as I listened to the book. It was entertaining, thought provoking, well written and well read, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs the inspiration to put down their lemon pepper chicken (which I like by the way) and bring their most dangerous idea to mind… and then take one step towards making it a reality.
And today my most dangerous idea was a batch of chocolate cupcakes - that you can see in the photo above.
What is your dangerous idea, and what is one thing you can do to move closer to making it real?
Tell me below. And I send you big love from a small island.