You must tell me...
When seeking connections or guidance remember to first be of service. Write a few articles on a topic that reflects your expertise. Polish it up nice and shiny and share it with someone for free. Show that you aren't afraid to roll up your sleeves and contribute. You don't want to be yelling at a fireplace demanding warmth before at least throwing a log into the hearth...life doesn't work that way.
I am also fairly confident that nobody wants to hear how hard it really is. Successful colleagues show up every day. They may not be the cleverest or best writers or communicators but you know what they actually are? Deliberate and consistent. They will get there first and outlast you if you bring anything less than your "A" game to the table.
Did you know that only around 10 percent of people are early risers? My latest book will be driven by how a number or statistic comes to the surface and generates a story. Listening to Seth Godin's podcast has empowered me to write for the smallest viable audience. You can create something and not worry if it is an instant blockbuster--we already know how to appeal to the masses--write for the average. Don't seek something special or unique for your few true believers. But maybe that isn't where you want to be. How can you find a creative spark? Hint: it usually starts with a podcast ...
When on terra firma, I rely on podcasts--all kinds. Blending different industries and building new skills are paramount. Words of wisdom by Tony Hawk, he learned new skills to build a broad base of technique whether he was interested in the skills or not.
Align two industries or ideas along the edge and that is where innovation lives. I have a broad library of audio to listen during long trail runs or drives to DC (did I mention I was just accepted to National Press Club?). A bit of design, medicine, and economics mixed liberally with technology and health, machine learning and culture leaves me puzzled when asked about writer's block.
Because I work with data in an ecosystem of architecture, governance, analytics, and curation I am accustomed to cross pollinating a bit. When I see agile systems benefiting software development I think--"how can this apply to a current or potential client's data challenges?".
I will share an idea I adapted from a podcast. I started using the Fibonacci sequence in data planning meetings. The Fibonacci number is a series of numbers generated by the sum of the two preceding numbers, for example, 1,1,2,3,5,8,13...on and on.
Its utility in data projects allows each member of the team to use a card to represent the perceived complexity of a task. In software development this helps with story pointing or time estimates for work but for me--It allows me to level set expectations and gauge if the team is being realistic or if we need to spend a little more granular time discussing aspects of the project or overall strategy. 
The beauty of the Fibonacci numbers are so that we aren't dealing with negligible increments of detail. A 13 is discernible from an 89 when trying to measure complexity in a project and why we may need 6 weeks instead of the pie in the sky 3 week timeline.
How did you do it?
Stay tuned for the data resources I will be using to write a memoir driven by data. Think about Harper's Index and how the ember of an idea can be scaled to an actual narrative. I think once it gets rolling I can play the "cake" scrum card. Easy as a piece of cake...
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