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I love gardening, but I'd never heard that analogy. It's a lovely way to think about writing and living.

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It's helped me avoid a lot of burdens I put on my work!

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This was yet another fantastic podcast. The concept of the engineer vs the gardener brought about similarities with the way different folks choose to live their lives—some with vision boards and visualizations and all about planning while others just flow with what is in the present moment.

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So true!

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As always a thought provoking post, Nishant. Loved the George Martin quote and the notion of borrowing from our world in an authentic manner.

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Thanks, Binu. :)

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Oct 23, 2021Liked by Nishant Jain

loved the conversation.

one lesson underlined for me, is things change and how we adapt is a mark of character and adapting is very energy consuming.

second lesson underlined for me; i'm not not so much an engineer or a gardener; i'm both an engineer who gardens and a gardener who engineers; one hat is too simple for the lovely creative lives we live.....we can both build our plans and step into a garden to tend it....

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I agree with both of those things, Jim. Adapting to changes, both in us and around us, is integral to a long career trajectory. And I suppose we are all a bit of both in varying degrees. It is good to be able to switch from one to the other. Knowing how much of each works for us and when is perhaps the great trick!

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Great post. Looking forward to chunking the podcast with a few long walks, and some stippling work.

Since diving into drawing, I find an increase in the occurrences of "the intersection of work and fun".

When I challenged myself to draw daily for 30 days, it's that intersection. Work: I'm improving my skills and training my discipline. Fun: trying new things, discovering what styles I like.

When I stick to a system of posting on IG daily, it's that intersection. Work: it's a way to share my work and reach new people. Fun: in reaching new people, I found a new community of artists which otherwise, I would have no way of knowing them, vice versa.

The intersection of work and fun. Fun and work; work and fun. How exciting!

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Great points, Melinda! Sometimes we forget the fun for the work, or the work for the fun. Keeping both in mind is so important for the duality to play.

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You know the saying “Want to make god laugh? Tell her your plan.” I feel I have a certain set of skills and interests, which serendipity then works with. The skills/interests start it, then chance and luck determine the direction and how far I go.

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Agree! And for opportunity to show up, it's essential that we also keep showing up!

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