About the Attempt

This blog originally started because I needed help. I needed help transitioning from the life of a college legend to a young professional. This page used to tell about how I discovered my love for organizational strategy, and how I was going to use the blog to cultivate this passion. Here’s a short excerpt:

So this site is my Attempt at finding what I’m good at, where I can find my niche in this huge business culture, and how I’m going to get there. I’m going to take a stab at a number of different skills, strategies, ideas, etc. Right now, at the inception of this experiment, I don’t really know what I want, specifically. But I know what I love. I know what I’m passionate about. Let’s hope this endeavor leads to some sort of actionable conclusion. If not, at least I will have given the world an opportunity to read the eloquent musings of a brilliant young visionary. You’ll be able to say “I knew her when…”

This was written in November 2009, and since then, I’ve really developed as a leader, as a student, and as a writer. But okay, so you wanted to come to this page to learn about the attempt, not about what the attempt used to be. Okay, well…

The Art of Attempt is a title that describes me on both a personal and professional level. I am constantly thinking and creating and getting ideas and writing those ideas down and my brain is one big thundercloud of creation…but I tend to have trouble actually getting actionable results from those ideas. (Visionary thinking, occasional results)

So this blog is an attempt to learn about that which I love, and how I can successfully apply it to my life. It’s also a test of my stick-to-itness and commitment. I love using non-business anecdotes to make business concepts relatable. I love having personal revelations. I love communicating ideas inspired from books, quotes, and conversations. So I still want to learn. But I also want to teach. I want the reader to learn from me. I want to learn from the reader.

While I am a 22-year-old college student, I am similar to the leadership novice in the way that we are both starting over. The leader of the 20th century was focused on a structure and hierarchy that are no longer appropriate. I was a college student focused on getting by, rather than getting ahead. So we’re both sort of back at square one. Let’s grow together.

I hope you all enjoy it. If you find yourself inclined to share thoughts, ideas, opportunities, etc. please contact me at dmayland at mac dot com. I’d love to hear what you think.