You Don’t Need To Pay A 30-Year Home Mortgage. You Need A Third Place To Feel Rested.

The featured photo is a skyline view of Hong Kong, a city I’ve been fascinated with for a very  long time… since their separation as a British colony in ’99 actually. . The impressive sky line, the fact they are in the forefront in trade, tech, tourism and so happen to be one of the few autonomus city states in the world – just really keeps me fascinated. ..   the picture was taken from Wikipedia, for whom credit is given.

But first my annotations….    🙂

I like the idea the author presents….. as an entrepreneur it motivates me to be in an office setting amongst other like minded people. When I first started my journey as an entreprenuer in my twenties,  I lived in a mixed use building where the first six floors were offices and the remaining upper six were apartments. Though the rent was expensive, I was determined to live in the St. James. It took me a couple of years and the help of my two brothers who lived with me, but I did it. It was one of the best decisions of my life. I met so many people,  simply  by going to and from my apartment on the 11th floor. I met lawyers, CPA’s and many others who influenced  me tremendously  as a young entreprenuer.

They even played a tremendous role in calming my young, naive self and fragile nerves  upon recieving a nasty letter from the owners of Caesar’s Palace because I was cyber squating on a Las Vegas domain… I was scared out of my mind. It was to be the first of many legal threats I’d recieve over the years.  Had I not been in the St. James where I was  in the midst of people who knew how to deal with such things,  I’m not entirely convinced my life as an entreprenuer would have turned out as planned… or at the very least I would not have been as confident as I am now with my decisions.

But luckily the people I had met were just as intrigued about what I was doing as I was at what they had already done. I consider my enterprise to still be in its youth (primarily due to setbacks and having to, in essence,  start over) so I don’t yet have the resources for an office full of staff… a staff just waiting to motivate me when I walk through the door.

I did have a derivative of this of sorts  when I had a small thrift shop;   a shop in which I allowed other people to sell in. They were often there attending to their products and working the cash register, checking people out and answering questions.  I loved walking in and seeing the hustle and bustle of people trading, working and making money. It motivated me. I also enjoyed getting there early in the morning before everyone arrived and just planning my day; visualizing how I wanted it to go. I eagerly awaited the vendors and customers that would walk in right before we opened at 10am. It excited me to be in my office and see people from all walks of life shopping and the vendors checking people out, collecting their money and graciously giving them what they had just bought. The entire process excited me.

This is something you don’t get when having  a business in the cloud. Yes, I can see how many people are shopping in my virtual storefronts, but of course it’s not the same as seeing their faces, hearing their voices or seeing how they interact with whatever I’m selling. 

Most of the people that I have working for me are freelancers working from their homes..  Rarely do I even hear their voice let alone see their faces. The only time I actually interact with someone physically is when I have product arrive at  a small space in a Columbus, OH warehouse I rent. We quickly process the incoming inventory and send it away to an outsourcer who takes care of fulfillment and customer service. I only have one ecommerce shop where I physically have to handle products. The remaining of my digital enterprise consist of boutique specialty sites where I dropship product to database and information driven websites.  So as you can see, the need to have a bona fide, dedicated office is limited. But I do think it’s important to have one.
This is why I’m interested in a coworking space that my current commercial landlord is actively working on. It will offer the flexibility of having 24 hour access and no long term commitments.  All of this without the hassle of utility payments, getting office furniture and being tied down to long term leases. I’ve looked at other solutions but they were always lacking in one very important area to me: they did not provide 24 hour access. Being a freelancer and small business owner I often keep odd hours. I don’t want to be limited by a 9 to 5 schedule. But I do want to enjoy all the benefits an office environment affords.

You can view a tour of what they have planned below…. then you can continue reading the article,  that I,  once again,  curated especially for you…

If interested,   they have a nicely designed and well thought out website with additional information @ ClubLevelCoworking.com

Now it’s time for a little PROMO…

metsrd3w23

You may be wondering, “What questions?”  If you are reading this blog,  chances are excellent  you’ll be interested in my latest project –  Find out More @ Digipire.com 

Now on to ” You Don’t Need To Pay A 30-Year Home Mortgage. You Need A Third Place To Feel Rested.” 

What’s better in life to have such a cozy home and office? Just a glance at the picture already makes you feel good, right?

Most of us spend over 80% of our time at home and in the office. It seems the environments of these two places largely affect our happiness and mental health.

But what if I told you actually you don’t need to spend a large sum of money for an ambient flat or hop from job to job for a pleasant workplace?

Then you may ask “What other place do I need instead?”

You need a third place. Having a balanced life is as simple as that!

Have you ever wondered why you felt relaxed or uplifted when you’re in cafes, bars or recreation centers? These are the examples of third places suggested by Ray Oldenburg, an American urban sociologist, in his book The Great Place.[1]

While the home and the workplace are defined by Oldenburg as the first place and the second place, the third place means the public area which allows us to gather and have social interactions with others.

When Oldenburg introduced this concept in 1989, he only focused on exploring how the third place helps bring a community together. But a recent study conducted by Dr. Adam Fraser and Deakin University has found that people who visit their third places often have better work-life balance than those who confine their lives to their homes and their workplace.[2]

The reason for this is that they do not only pack their daily schedules with obligations from family and work, but know how to appreciate the little moments in life. In other words, they master the art of living in the present.

 

The third place makes you mentally stronger and more productive

What’s more surprising is that the study also found that people with their own third places are more resilient and better at dealing with difficult times. Spending time in coffee shops or bars helps them shake off the negative emotions coming from other aspects of their lives.[3]

Even if you’re not the ones who like socialising with strangers, finding your third place still benefit you a lot. Research has shown that everything in coffee shops – the noise, the lighting and the dynamics – creates a favorable environment to boost your creativity and concentration level! That’s why you may find you have more ideas and work faster when you go there alone.[4]

How to find you own third place when there are so many options

If you have no idea of how to find your own third place, you can make use of this 3Rs rule to find a suitable one. That’s great if you’ve already had one! But you can still check to see if your third place is good enough or not:

Reflect

Traversing your home and your office every day can be a draining experience. Sometimes, you just wish to have a space to reflect on what you do for a whole day. An ideal third place should enable your mind to get into the tranquil and focused mode so you can think more deeply.

Rest

Your body will send the signals when you’re in your ideal third place. Say, your mind and your muscles will be in their most relaxing state. Watching a movie at the theatre, taking a walk in nature, or listening to your favourite songs in your car are all good options. Don’t limit your third place to the definition set by Oldenburg, Time has changed and so the definition should change as well. Finding a place that you feel comfortable when being alone is necessary for you to take a rest from your hectic life.

Reset

Finally, an ideal third place does not only make you feel relaxed but also energized. It should give you some stimulation so your life has more colors! For example, I usually go to the restaurant where my favourite band performs every Friday after work. Enjoying the delicious foods and the band show there refreshes my mind and gives me more energy for the challenges ahead. This can hardly be gained at home or at work.

Tie your shoelaces and look for your third place now. You’ll find that life doesn’t need to be routinised!

Reference

[1] Wikipedia: Third Place
[2] Expresso: How to Explore your Third Space Like a Pro And Find Work-Life Balance
[3] Expresso: How to Explore your Third Space Like a Pro And Find Work-Life Balance
[4] Lifehack: Why Your Creative Mind Works The Best In The Cafe

 

Curated from  ” You Don’t Need To Pay A 30-Year Home Mortgage. You Need A Third Place To Feel Rested.”  by

Featured Image is the Hong Kong skyline…   from Wikipedia  A city I’ve been fascinated with for a long time,  for obvious reasons.