Imagine choosing 12 things that you would like to do more, better, or that you would love to learn, then throwing them into a list and devoting a year of your life to doing one each month. Sounds crazy, impossible, well that is exactly what one inspirational Sista has gone and done. Welcome to The Spin-Off Project.
Do you think you could do it? Want to know little more about the girl with the 12 plans, let us introduce you to Mirha Masala.
KSm: Tell us how did this idea come to you?
MM: I felt that I never had enough time to do or improve all the things that I like to do. Let alone to in addition learn something new. Trying to fit in so many things into each week made me feel rushed and unsatisfied. I felt like I was not dedicating the time that I needed and wanted to any of my passions. I ended up doing none of these things or doing them half-heartedly. I was starting to think that I would end up living my life liking to do all kinds of things, but never doing any of them properly.
Besides, as I discovered my true passions ‘quite late’ in life, I now felt like I had missed so many years of doing what I love to do. What if I had learned snowboarding at a young age? How would my life look now? Could I have been a pro by now? Would I even have wanted to be one? I was anxious to find out how it would feel to live some of my possible lives. I wanted to experience my life as snowboarder, artist, wine connoisseur and more.
I started dreaming of having enough time and thinking about scheduling 2.0. I started nurturing this idea of having one year to do everything that I love to do or would like to learn. I would dedicate one month to each item on the list of 12 and concentrate on one at a time for every day for 30 days. This lifestyle concept is what I eventually called: The Spin-Off Project.
The Spin-Off Project allows me to experience 12 of my possible lives in one year. It permits me to answer the question that, in a way, started it all: is the grass greener on the other side?
KSm: Can you tell us a little bit more about the items on your list and your motivations behind choosing them?
MM: Longboarding and Snowboarding are things that I love to do. I got introduced to both sports just a couple of years ago, so I really need and want to spend some good quality time in evolving my skills and talent further.
Initially, I did Kiteboarding for a month for the love of my boyfriend. I had no attraction whatsoever to this goofy sport and definitely no intention of spending my life chasing winds in midst of sandstorms. Turns out, I am totally addicted to this awesome, extreme sport. Now, I am flying around recommending it to everyone.
The Surfing spin-off could also be called ‘Overcoming Fear’. Waves scare me and wipe-outs paralyze me. However, when traveling the world, surfing seems to be an easy sport to do. You are not depended on many weather conditions; there is surfing everywhere and as for equipment, you just need a bikini and board. People say that surfing equals freedom. I would like to see my fear translate in its opposite. It is important to me to strive for a life that is free of fear.
Learning Spanish was essential because my family-in-law is Spanish. It is unimaginable for me never to be able to get to know my boyfriend’s family. Adding a new language to your life, means to open your heart to many life stories and lessons that otherwise would have stayed unknown to you.
Being An Artist and art are two concepts way too elevated. I wanted to break this dogma and to re-invent the meaning of these concepts. If you do not have traditional creative skills, like painting, you might still have lots of great ides. There is nothing stopping you of implementing these in a non-traditional way. You can be an artist minus the traditional artistic skills.
Learning about Wine, Living in New York and Dancing in Cuba – I would say that these three should be universal wishes. These spin-offs are about extreme happiness. Perhaps the kind you see in good movies. Eat, Pray, Love: eat my heart out.
Help Someone and Self Improvement – Enjoying life without sharing is impossible. Living without the wish to improve your inner self is a retarded limitation to your greatness.
Setting up The Girl With The Blueprint, a very special handpicked city guide, is a dream come true. I know good food and I know awesome places. I have always been sending lists of recommendations to my friends and friends of friends, who all enjoyed the tips so much that I decided to make it all accessible online for everyone. The Girl With The Blueprint is being designed by professionals as we speak. As soon as they finish, I will be starting my month of testing.
KSm: Once you had the idea, the list and realized it was something you needed to do, was it hard to start?
Being able to distinguish sole negativity from constructive criticism is essential for living your life to the fullest
MM: No, not at all.
The universe had thrown me a big love personified into a handsome Spaniard who has been supporting me from the beginning of the beginning. I cannot say how things would have gone without him, and well, I guess I was supposed to do it with him.
What I did find hard, was to get passed the fear of what others may think or say once I had decided to actually share The Spin-Off Project online. What would people say about the project, about my writing, about me?
Looking back, only a few months later, it was a stupid fear but a necessary lesson. I wish I had cared less about opinions sooner in my life. Being able to distinguish sole negativity from constructive criticism is essential for living your life to the fullest. Letting go of opinions and status quo will enable you to do the things that make you truly happy.
KSm: How do you think this project has changed you and the direction of your work/life?
There is no way back to an office job
MM: With The Spin-Off Project I have once and for all proven to myself that I can do anything I want. That I can try everything and that there is no harm in not being the best in everything or even the worst in some. I have been able to drop the story of having no passions and not being good in things. I used to tell that “Yeah, I might have a masters degree, I know good food and places, luck is always on my side and I have a talent/curse for random people telling me their life stories, but I have not discovered any real passion and it is probably too late”. Turns out, it is not too late, turns out I like to do a lot of things and I am pretty awesome in learning new things like kiteboarding, surfing etc.
Business wise my life now looks how I have always imagined it should look like: traveling the world, working for myself while doing all the things that I love to do. There is no way back to an office job, I have tried the crappiest ones and the coolest and they have only confirmed what I always felt inside: office is not for me.
KSm: Why do you feel that this is something that everyone should try and how are you going about spreading the concept?
MM: If anything, The Spin-Off Project is a technique designed to help you tick off things from your bucket list. Dedicating a month to one passion, and one passion only will leave you much more satisfied than trying to fit in everything into a week making you feel rushed and undisciplined because you bailed out on all. Moreover, The Spin-Off Project will help you to once and for all clarify your wishes and dreams. You have always dreamed of learning to tango …but what happens when you are? You still like it? Trying is the only way to find out.
If in between, The Spin-Off Project can be a way to organize your sabbatical.
If everything, The Spin-Off Project will make you realize that there is nothing more valuable than dedicating your life to doing the things that you love to do the most. Happiness is what matters.
As for spreading the concept, evidently, I use www.thespinoffproject.com and the usual social media, like Facebook and Twitter, to share all of my stories, tips and tricks. Next to this, I am reaching out to inspirational examples all over the world asking them to share with us how their Spin-Off List of 12 would look. I hope when you read the lists of inspirational, ambitious, some times well-known people around the world, that through them you will find the courage and inspiration to make your own Spin-Off List. Once you have your 12 items on paper, and it is out there somewhere …. I do believe it will be impossible for you not to try The Spin-Off Project.
KSm: What will you do with the project when the year is over?
MM: Perhaps I would like to make a documentary out of it, contact some TV channels. Get sponsors for the project… To be honest, it is too soon to tell.
What I do know is that I definitely would like to continue with a Spin-Off Project 2 ..and 3 ..and ..who knows.
KSm: What has been the most enjoyable item on the list so far?
MM: Kiteboarding.
It enforces a great conscious state in me and helps me tune out from daily worries, tasks, goals and judgements. Every session makes me feel revived and fulfilled. This awesome feeling drags and affects the rest of my day as well. It was definitely love at first try.
KSm: …and the hardest or scariest?
MM: Scariest, Surfing for the reasons mentioned before (waves, wipe-outs).
The hardest could be Self Improvement. This experience could get quite difficult and definitely personal. I am not sure how much of this experience I will allow myself to share with my readers.
KSm: It can’t all be fun and desire – have you had to make sacrifices in your life in order to make this project and the items on the list a reality?
MM: Certain moments are definitely more bitter than sweet and the saddest ones evolve around family and friends. I swapped goodbyes with dreams just a month before my niece was born. I would have liked to have carried her home.
KSm: What has surprised you the most about this project and/or yourself since beginning?
I am free to create my own happiness, just like everybody else
MM: I do not feel guilty anymore for living the life I want. I am free to create my own happiness, just like everybody else is.
KSm: Do you have any words of wisdom for the Sistas out there reading your story?
Think there are not enough hours in a day to do both? I am sorry to burst your bubble, but then you do not want it bad enough
MM: I find that nowadays there are too many self proclaimed internet business gurus claiming success stories and advising people to quit their office job and pursue their dreams. It is not this easy. Setting up a business is hard. You need to switch to a total different mentality than most of us are used to. You will be putting in a lot of hours, getting frustration in return and you will be making huge mistakes – all yours this time. And at this point you are not even making money.
You do not have to leave your office job to commit to The Spin-Off Project or start an internet business. Actually, if you do not have a trust fund or some decent savings or other additional ways of making an income out of your passion like lets say, being a kiteboarder instructor, I would advise you not to. At least not in the very long beginning until you have discovered if you really enjoy and can pursue this passion or idea that has been lingering around in your mind.
Just go about it in parallel, try setting up your business next to your current job. Customize your Spin-Off Project by for example adding an extra month per passion, giving you more dedication time along your daily job. Once you are on your way and you gain confidence, it is easy to say goodbye to the least favorite.
Think there are not enough hours in a day to do both? I am sorry to burst your bubble, but then you do not want it bad enough.
if you do this right, what you get back is a life that is truly yours
It may sound like an unromantic end and perhaps you wish I had just thrown in some quote. But do not get me wrong, if you do this right, what you get back is a life that is truly yours. A life that evolves around all those things that you love doing the most. It is priceless pure magic. Once you are there every cliche and every quote that you read will be right because you will be living it.
[photos courtesy of: Arjen Calter – www.arjencalter.com]
