tags - wombtoworldarticle
Remember those few sunny days in April?
We took a family trip to Instow to soak up the rays.
Rushing out the door, I threw a Devon Life in the bottom of Mabel’s pram - hoping (but not expecting) to get 5 minutes of quiet reading time.
Luckily, Mabel slept for an hour in her pram, so Cal and I went for a walk, picked up a hot chocolate from Johns’ and perched on a Tarka Trail bench.
A cover story in Devon Life caught my attention:
YOUTUBE STARS OLIVE & MABEL The famous dog from Devon
What??
They named their dog after my daughter?
(Let’s ignore the fact that the dog was older and I’ve never met these people…)
Anyway, when I read the story, I discovered it’s really about doggy daddy Andrew Cotter, a sports broadcaster who has covered the Olympics, Wimbledon, the Six Nation’s, Rugby World Cup, and more.
Like many of us, Andrew’s job was affected by the pandemic. One day, at home during the first lockdown, Andrew decided to commentate on Olive and Mabel’s breakfast time.
Long story short, the video went viral. Andrew continued to apply his broadcasting skills to Olive and Mabel’s adventures. And he even published a book, Olive, Mabel and Me: Life and Adventures with Two Very Good Dogs.
Why am I sharing this with you?
Mainly because there’s a good chance that, like Andrew, your job was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It may even have caused you to re-think your career and the direction of your life, especially considering you have a baby on the way.
If that’s the case, Andrew’s story is instructive.
What stood out is that Andrew combined two seemingly unrelated areas of his life: dogs and sports commentating.
New opportunities opened up for Andrew out of skills and interests he already possessed.
Steve Jobs had no computer science qualifications and dropped out of university after the first term.
Still, he went on to create the iPhone and the world’s most valuable company.
Jobs once said that “creativity is just connecting things.”
If you’ve lost your job or you’re changing direction because of the pandemic and/or having a baby, keep this in mind.
Creativity is just connecting things.
What skills and interests can you combine to take the next step forward on your journey through life?
[#cotter2021devonlife]: Andrew Cotter (2021): Doggone… meet the Devon natives who have become internet superstars, Devon Life, 2021, Vol. , S. 80-83.