I am starting to feel that it is time to move on from posting a daily journal. So on Day 30, I will officially stop my daily posts and move them to two or three times a week. Sorry mom & dad. Part of that has to do with the days are becoming more normal. Which means less to write about.
Today the kids started their after school activities and I started my morning Spanish class at the kids school. The class schedule works out well since Kel is better then me and is in a more advanced class on different days. Therefore, we each can take the kids to school two days a week and rotate on Friday.
My class was good. The teacher told me I was on the edge of which class to go in so I could switch to Kelli’s if I wanted. However, at this point I would rather be in the “slower” class as it gives me more ability to absorb, plus it just works out great with our drop-off schedule.
After class, I decided to take the metro home for the first time with friends more to just to try it out. It was clean, fast, and easy. Most metros have then benefit over NYC subways of being so much newer and as a result more modern.
I spent the rest of the day doing work. One zoom meeting was with Richard Hernandez and we were reviewing a new product launch. I asked to chat with him because we disagreed on how to do it in our executive meeting the week before. My goal was to better learn where he was coming from and share where I was as well. It is much easier to do that in a one on one situation.
We went for 45 minutes and it was a good conversation, but neither of us really moved from our opinion. After being interrupted for another quick call, I hit him up again to see if we could give it one last try. We talked and talked and it looked like we were at an impasse. Then at the last minute, Rich suggested what if we combine what I want to do with he wants to do.
It was almost embarrassing how much sense that made. Up until that point we were running on an set of rules that the choice was either/or, BUT why not both? With that new view we looked at the product and tested that assumption. We saw how it could work and left that call with renewed energy and great direction to share it with others.
The moral of the story keep is to keep trying when you do not like the end result. Talk further to understand someone else’s point of view and listen intently. And then most importantly break the assumption of what the set of rules are and do your best to think outside the box. Okay, work lesson over.
At 4pm, I was interviewed on Startup Radio Podcast. Went well. Doing podcasts are still one of my favorite activities.
Josh had his first basketball practice for his after school activity. Leila went to an all spanish dance class with a friend. I was so proud of her as that was not an easy thing to do. She said it was tough (her friend translated for her), but pushed her to want to learn spanish even faster.
We had our dinner on the terrace. Kel’s dream was to live outside in our apartment and luckily we found the perfect place to do just that.
Another full day in Barcelona.