What Are You Doing New Years Eve?

I don't have the luxury of a wealthy family and so many other risk takers have a spouse with a good incomes and there are other factors in lives that support entrepreneurial endeavors but I can boast of none of that. Without an inherent amount of dough it becomes necessary for the cook to get creative and since creativity is my business, I should get to cooking.

Mindset is number one. I have a lot going for me and if I can focus on that and not the real or perceived obstacles, I'm certain we'll have good results in 22.

Talking no more. The time is now.

Making Up for Lost Time

The Continuing Story

I've often described drawing as a form of writing. I'm also aware that good writing and good drawing, when combined, has the potential of providing the artist/author with a much better chance at success. Of course, there are other factors involved but to own those two attributes is like owning an untapped diamond mine.

Countless occasions I've used sketchbooks as a graphic diary and it brings much credibility to the adage "a picture is worth 1000 words" because, upon opening an old sketchbook, I can recall the circumstances I was under at the time I drew the picture. 

I also write much. In fact, writing might be as much of a habit to me as drawing and when I combine the two disciplines there's no end to the possibilities. 

So, tomorrow is my 60th birthday and I've yet to succeed at drawing, writing or drawing/writing. What authority or credibility am I using to make the above claim? Has it simply taken me this long to come to the realization that I possess skills that will take me to the top as others have encouraged me to do? Am I a victim of my life-long habit of being a working stiff; a belief I was indoctrinated into from childhood?

Stay tuned.

Mice and Men

I've come to discover, especially in these last days of 2021, that some of my best days have been when I wasn't feeling so well. The work I do is generally fun but it isn't always fun.

I've laid out my plans for the year to come and if the past is of any value, I need to accept the fact that I'll be punched in the face. I need to be flexible, improvise, adapt and overcome.

It's mine!

We all are familiar with the post Christmas blues and even though we still have New Year's Day to celebrate  (and I personally have a birthday sandwiched in there) it seems I consistently suffer this malaise. Is it because the joy of Christmas is over? Is it getting back to the routine work week, the thought of which can be depressing? Is it the prospect of just repeating another year? Is it that I feel I could have had a better holiday if I had a better year?

In all my years, especially since my self-employment ventures, I've concluded there are as many theories and formulas on success as there are people, and for me, the truth is that the best method of success is the one that works for me. 

The bottom line is, I can't find inner peace and self-satisfaction by copying someone else's ways. I can learn from others. I can emulate and admire them, but whatever works for me needs to be mine alone. 

It's not unlike my artwork. I have my own style and when I copy someone else, my work looses power and credibility. My work must be my work. So, in extending that to all things, I can't find satisfaction at years end if I sought someone else's approval but only if  I was productive enough to get my results. 

The other side of that coin is earning a living and if we can earn a living with our calling, it's even better. I'll save that thought for another post.

 

Santa Takes Round Two

Boxing Day in England is something I never really understood or cared to, for that matter, until I married Tracy. She brought so much more to Christmas I've never been exposed to and among other things,I learned of Boxing Day. Her mother, being a Brit herself, contributed to my Christmas expansion of knowledge.

Scrooge the Protagonist

There have been some in the literary world who are sympathetic to Scrooge because he is the most authentic amongst all the characters. Scrooge regards Christmas as a "humbug" because for 364 days a year, people are the usual cruel, self-absorbed rabble who on Christmas day cover up their true self with counterfeit benevolence. He, some say,  is the only one in the story with the courage necessary to call them out. 

 

Yule Get There.

I've had an actual "yule log" in the garage for about 5 years anticipating having a place to use it instead of these restrictive apartments. In lieu of the actual log, I burned a candle.

One Small Step for a Man

As we're all approaching the end of the year, it's common to reflect back on the year just passed in review. In my case I have to confess I've had worse years. 

I set a goal to publish a book and I did. I committed to selling t-shirts and I did. I committed to more drawing instruction, more gigs and I did. I also vowed to focus more on illustrations and less on my window cleaning line of work, which I've done with a small degree of success.

Needless to say, there are many areas I could use improving such as book publishing, more t-shirts and other merch, more and permanent drawing instruction, more gigs and commisions and having BDI as my only means of income.

If I were to use historical analogy, I'd say 2021 was the equivalent of the first year of the Mercury project in the space race. I've made a couple of suborbital hops but better things are ahead.

Right Song, Wrong Year

I posted the above illustration on social media and it's turned out to be wrong because the information is correct except for the date. Jingle Bells was played in 1964 on a Gemini flight and not on Apollo 8 in 1968.

Let's hope no one does a fact check. 

Drawing is Sexy?

I've never been the sexy type as I've been a rather plain looking fellow all my life but I'd like to think drawing brings out the stud in me.

Actually, I view my artistic abilities as one of those rare and enviable talents most people see as a gift which isn't a gift at all. It takes hard work.

Minute Man

In the middle of a quiet dinner at home on Saturday night I got a request to draw for a small party which was to be held within an hour of the phone call. Since it was close by and the people were friends, I accepted. 

No Excuse

Having no job, but rather being self-employed' there are disciplines required of me that are not required of those with jobs. Among these practices is the necessity to remind myself of the projects and requirements I've set for which I alone am responsible. No one is available to order me to get to work or remind me when something is due.

I've made the commitment of 1,000 blog posts in 1,000 days and I've already let yesterday slip by without a blog post. In todays environment and technology I have no excuse for missing it. In fact, no matter which era in which I could have lived, there is no excuse.

 

I Don't Feel Like Fulfilling My Destiny Today

Mornings have always been the best time of day for me. It's when I feel best, I'm most optimistic, I'm most productive and I feel like nothing is impossible. Then the problems of the day, my energy levels and life in general slap me around as the morning turns into afternoon and the  optimistic productivity I had early on, begins to wain. This is a great reason why looking outside myself for a source of strength is so critical. 

Doing only that which I feel like doing is a recipe for disaster and to either pace my morning glee to proceed into afternoons or keeping the same or near same energy levels throughout the day requires a commitment to having the right mindset. 

 

The Dickens You Say

 Reading Dickens when I would rather be abed is a habit I've owned since childhood. It's been said that "going to bed the same day one eats breakfast is uncivilized". He mustn't have been as stricken as I. 

Alone Again, Naturally

So often my best times are the times I I spend alone. It's been said that so many people can't spend 15 minutes doing nothing. I don't have that problem.

State of Denial

It's been said others recognize our gifts before we do and it may be true but it's also true that others see our laziness before we do. It's not unlike an alcoholic who dosent admit he's is an addict even though everyone else clearly knows he is.

Not So Unsolicited Advice?

 As I was drawing caricatures at a company Christmas party in Baytown yesterday, a mother and her 6 year old son sat down in the hot seat for me to draw. Much  of the time, during these moments, I'll  exchange small talk with the customer and so many of the conversations veer toward the parent mentioning how talented their child is at drawing. Frankly speaking, it happens so often I hardly recognize it but this one was a little different.

This lady mentioned how so many have told her to steer her kids in directions other than art because there isn't much of a future in it and I bridled a bit at that statement and, without going into it very much I mentioned how that is a general perception among non-artists. Most people are unqualified to make such a statement just as I am not qualified to make any presumption about any vocation I know nothing about, like nuclear engineering for example. 

People can succeed or fail in anything and, in fact, do. There are successful doctors and mediocre ones. There are successful writers and mediocre ones. The same is true in any career: carpenters, welders, lawyers, educators, firefighters, garbage collectors, janitors, insurance salesmen, window washers. You can name any profession and you'll find success as well as failure. The same is true with art.

I advised her that if her son is interested in art then encourage him to commit to it and ignore everyone else. 

 

What was I Thinking

The wind was doing about 25 mph and the wind chill was in the 40s but even doing doing fun things isn't always fun. Today in Baytown was a company Xmas party gig and I must admit, it made for squiggly lines from my shivering cold reaction to the weather. 

1000 Days of Blogging

I recently gave a presentation to a small group of people about how learning to draw can help people do everything better and it included a brief rundown about everything I do in relation to my artwork. The list was considerable and included caricatures, merchandise, sales, commissions among other things, including work which has nothing to do with Bob Doll Ink but is necessary for me to make ends meet. 

After the presentation was over I considered an issue that arose in my mind which is, if I have these various projects I'm working on, why am I living a life of scarcity? I have enough projects so that I should be earning more income.

I know there are people and artists with no more talent that me but are far more successful. and without getting into the particulars, I've been around long enough, and have enough experience in self-employment to know the answer. 

Years ago, as a young Marine, I learned early in boot camp that it doesn't matter how well armed a warrior is or how athletic he is or how well supported. Victory or defeat lies between the ears. It's all about mindset.

I commonly listen to a podcast by Vincent Pugliese called The Total Life Freedom Podcast and on his December 3 show he described his commitment to producing one podcast everyday for 1000 consecutive days to gain followers and customers among other things. I thought about it and even though I have no plans for podcasting (my work is visual), I am a blogger. So, I've made a commitment to 1000 blog posts in 1000 consecutive days, starting today, for the same purposes. I know the why and how of the posts which, for now, I will keep to myself to save for other posts, but suffice it to say this is just one tactic I'll use in making BDI a success and quit living a life of scarcity. 

 

Avoid the Water Cooler

 Even though I've devoted my life to being a successful visual artist, I've never actually been a part of the artist tribe and I've also adopted the philosophy of Mike Rowe's mantra "be wary of all earnestness".  

Most of my public drawing career has been performed solo because the vast majority of events for which I've been hired required only one artist but recently with my new affiliation with other entertainment agencies, I've been accompanied by additional cartoonists as well.

This week I had the pleasure of performing at Memorial Herman Hospital and along with me there were three other artists which brought to the forefront the priority I have of  non-conformity. The other artists were talented, friendly and related well to me and the customers but we then we began to diverge. There seems to be similar traits, habits and practices among caricaturists from which I want to be unassociated which results in predictability, mediocrity and forgettable work. The successful visual artists I follow and the careers I wish to emulate do nothing the same way as everyone else.

It's a rather simple formula, really: to be average, I should do what 95% of what everyone else is doing. To be extraordinary, I need to do extraordinary things and depart from the familiar. 

I'm happy to be someone who isn't part of the crowd even among my peers. I've always been that way and in my naivete of years past, when I tried to blend in and be "one of the boys", it usually ended up to my own detriment. 

Smiling Through it

 Recently I had a gig where I performed at Spring Creek Retirement Community and part of my agenda was to draw for the residence in the memory care facility. Needless to say, the old timers in that wing were suffering from dementia and some of the cases were pretty severe. However they were all receptive and friendly even if some were a tad confused as to what I was actually doing but once  I showed them the finished product they were delighted.

Not a Painter but a Draw-er

 I'm not a painter and I prefer to not to paint. Although I have some experience in painting, I don't take to it very well.  I'm a draw-er which matches my creative philosophy and is more suited to my talents but on rare occasions someone will ask me to do something in the painting realm and I reluctantly agree.

Recently, I was asked to paint the logo for a newly opened store in La Centera, Cinco Ranch, called Cultivar on the wall behind the register and above is a quick time lapse of the process.

Showing Up

Scale things down to make them easier to do. In his book The Now Habit by Dr. Neil Fiore, he suggests to look at a task which appears large and arduous in increments by thinking from the concept of "just start it". 

For example: reading thirty books a year starts as reading one page a day. Going for a run means putting on your running shoes walking out the door, locking it, then turning around and going back inside. Doing so is the inception of becoming the person that reads thirty books a year or runs two miles a day. 

There is a story of a man who lost over 100 pounds in a year and it started by him getting into his workout clothes, driving to the gym, doing one exercise then going back home. It seems silly but what he was doing was becoming the person who showed up at the gym five days a week and worked out for 45 minutes.

A habit has to be established before it can be optimized. If you can't go to the gym for 5 minutes then you don't have a chance of being a person who stays for 45 minutes.  

 

Discovery

 

Ten Reasons Why We Fail: #4 Fail to Network

In the profession of illustrating and visual arts there is much alone time which is customarily the way I prefer it. This is not uncommon among most people in a creative field and in fact, I find it difficult to allow others to influence my work as I'm somewhat possessive about it. However, as time passes I realize more and more how counter-productive that habit is. I have single-handily undermined my own success because of my hesitancy to reach out and connect with those who can help. Creating beneficial relationships hinges on the ability to meet others and connect with them in meaningful ways. 

 

Ten Reasons Why We Fail: Reason 2

In continuing my remarks about a recent Mark Manson article I read on ten reasons why we fail, the second reason listed is that we fail because we're not persistent enough. Most of us give up on something way too soon. Not only that, it involves consistent habits and showing up everyday and the failure to do so can involve the dreaded "P" word: procrastination.

In the book The Now Habit by Neil Fiore, he tells the story of one woman's lesson on battling procrastination. Laura was a science teacher working on her masters degree and she was great about starting things but seemed to falter in finishing a project. She was also an avid runner and trained for a marathon but on the day of race she was well prepared except for the last six miles which is known as the wall when the runner's body is screaming for nutrition and demanding rest. It was during this period in the run when she found herself saying something that later helped her get beyond her procrastination and on to finishing her research project. 

"I'm in pain" she said "it hurts to run, it hurts to walk, it hurts to stand here and it would hurt to lie down. Regardless of what I do, it hurts so I might as well finish the race and get it over with as soon as possible."

She realized it takes work to procrastinate and it takes work to face our fear of finishing. There is really no escape from some form of work. Why not choose the work that's going to reap the most benefits?

 

Ten Reasons Why We Fail: Reason 1

Recently, my attention was grabbed by an online article written by Mark Manson on why people fail. There is a constant struggle with many, myself included, surrounding the mystery as to why success seems to be a common characteristic of some while it eludes others. I found Manson's particular take on it interesting. 

One reason may be that people are afraid to stand out from the crowd. We may have a particular talent or level of interest in something that may be different from the commonly accepted dogma but by pursuing and indulging in it, we may disrupt the relationships we have with others or even disturb our own comfort levels. 

It's also possible that these self-conceptions are related to weak boundaries or lack of confidence in one's own ideals or desires.  

 

What People Say

I get many interesting comments from those who stand around me while I draw at events. Some can be downright insulting but one must develop thick skin if one is to draw in public. However, in all fairness, most comments are favorable and very positive.

 

The Tomato Technique

 

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980's. As a university student in Italy, Cirillo used a kitchen timer, in the shape of a tomato, to study for 25 minutes, afterwards taking a 5 minute break, then resuming work for another 25 minutes and after 4 rounds he took a longer 30 minute break. He found it a productive way to work and because the timer Cirillo used was in the shape of a tomato, he dubbed the method the Pomodoro Technique, pomodoro being the Italian word for tomato.

In my youth, my grandmother would frequently comment on the price she would need to pay for tomatoes. The state of the world at the time was indicated to her by what she paid for tomatoes. If tomatoes were too high then things were bad. Reasonably priced tomatoes was a good sign. The tomato was her standard.

As the years progressed, I've noticed most people have something to which they look which indicates to them the state of their world and outlook in much the same way my grandmother considered the tomato. Maybe it's the price of homes, inflation or maybe something that has little to do with economy like the weather. It could be who's president, the day of the week it is or what they have for dinner.

I came across the Pomodoro Method while I was writing my book Shut Up and Draw and have found it useful in a number of other projects which gives special meaning to my tomato analogy and begs the question, "what's your tomato?".  

Necessity, My Mother

I was listening to a recent podcast by Hal Elrod who was interviewing a guest by the name of Gino Whitman, entrepreneur. author, speaker who gives yet another ambiguous list of "requirements" one must possess in order the be an entrepreneur. By his definition of the word, a person is "hard wired" (his words) from birth to be a success or be better off as someone's employee. He listed six specific traits an entrepreneur must possess.

In my experience as a small business owner of not one but two businesses, I must admit I should not be  so because I don't possess all those arbitrary traits. However, giving Mr. Whitman due credit, because success has such subjective meanings, there are areas of weakness I need to improve upon to go to the subsequent levels of success. Having said that, I became a small business owner not out of passion or vision nor for a desire to change the world with a driven personality. It was out of necessity. Being under employed and in jeopardy of being homeless and divorced I made the decision to do something to maintain a dignified existence. Necessity is the mother of invention.

With respect to Mr. Whitman, business owners' experiences are as diverse as the entrepreneur himself or herself. 

 

It's All In My Head

Motivation, mindset, positive mental attitude, it's called many things, but my best real life lesson for it's definition was in the Marine Corps. They have a philosophy, particularly in boot camp, where it was drilled into our psyche, which is all about the mentality of the fighting man. All the best weapons in the world can be at our disposal and we can have the best training which is of paramount importance, but victory or defeat is between the ears of a Marine. Of all the intense physical challenges I encountered as a Marine, and there were plenty we had together, the most important was our personal belief system. 

It's a lesson I still call upon today in my endeavors to succeed as an entrepreneur in the sense that no matter how skilled I am, no matter how much experience I have or expensive and state of the art are my tools or how many people I know, non of it matters if my mindset is bad. I recall how as a young Marine, my thought life could allow me to do the impossible and it's a trait I must call on today.

 

Fear of Success

My lovely wife has a way of seeing things in me before I do and not long ago she mentioned how I sometimes reach a certain point in a project, then just quit, move on to something else and don't follow up on my previous project.

I brought up this condition to my mastermind group a short time later and a number of the men mentioned they also are afflicted with this poor habit. One insightful member suggested it was because of an innate fear of success, which sparked my interest, so upon the conclusion of the meeting I researched the subject. 

It appears there are a number of signs and causes for the fear of success which I won't get into much here for the sake of brevity but to mention a couple of highlights:

Signs of a fear of success:

• Giving up just at the point of succeeding. Isn't it ironic that this makes the list since it was this comment made by my wife that started this whole conversation? 
• Procrastination which is a method of avoiding discomfort or conflict which might arise in the pursuit of success. Procrastination is also a symptom for the fear of the unknown.

Other results from the fear of success:

• Being in the spotlight. Is it realistic to believe that one can avoid the spotlight and still be a success, especially in my particular line of work?
• Being anxious about additional responsibilities that come with success. This is related to comfort levels. It might interrupt our TV time.
• Being afraid of what others will think of us. Pursuit of success might not be compatible with the image our friends have of us or it might shift the balance of power in the relationship. This may be one obstacle to success but a possible solution is to either find new friends or conduct business completely apart from your friends.
• The imposter syndrome. This is a factor with me personally and it is related to being afraid of what others think of us. There are always going to be those with different styles or skill levels than I but that doesn't negate my abilities.

 

Writing the Book

Put a Nice Bow on it

Pure Drivel Drives Out Ordinary Drivel

 

A Twinkie is satisfying, it tastes good and it gets the dopamine popping but it has virtually no nutritional value and will only serve to make a person fat and unhealthy. In fact, there is so much processed food on the market that many times, as consumers, we may think we are eating healthy food when a closer look will reveal it's actually not what we thought it was. It's quite common that non-food products are put into the food we eat.

It's much like the information we are fed on a regular basis by TV, entertainment, news, social media etc. It comes under the guise of being important and the producers are very skilled at pitching it as "must see" and various other descriptors like "breaking news" to makes us feel un-informed by not watching it. However, a very high percentage of the drivel that proceeds from the media has little to do with us, no affect on our day and they're compelling us to watch lengthy news reports and tragedies that mean little to us as individuals and about which we can do nothing about.

It takes intention to quit eating unhealthy food and the results will be better physical health and if we eliminate the "junk food" of media we may become healthier mentally.

So You Think You Can Draw?

 I love to teach others how to draw and one of the benefits I espouse about drawing is how it levels the playing field. Anyone can learn. It doesn't matter about their physical prowess, their income level, their popularity, looks, social status or age. It doesn't matter who they know, who their parents are or were, their education level or where they went to school. 

It's true. It's a way for the unnoticeable to make an impact.  

What's the Difference

 So often in the world of the self-employed and advertising, people and companies claim to be "the best" at what they do. "I'm the best realtor", they say or "We're the best car dealership", "I'm the best insurance salesman" and on and on. It gives rise to the question of  determining the meaning of "the best". If I have a leaking pipe and I need a plumber, can one plumber fix the leak "better" than another one can?

Most people in my environment will agree that when it comes to chicken, Chic-fil-a is most favored not because they have the best chicken necessarily but because they differentiate themselves not just in the chicken fast food industry but from every other fast food restaurant out there.  

In light of this, what makes what I do preferable over all the others who do what I do? I think it's all in presentation and attention to detail. It means I have to stand out, do what others can't or are unwilling to do.

Let the Tools do the Work

Upon reflection of all my desires and aspirations, I find myself frequently and way too often "planning" for my success when this morning it hit me; I already have everything I need. Further planning is a waste of time.

General George B. McClellan was general of the Union forces early in the American civil war who had several golden opportunities to gain strategical advantages and shorten the war but was reluctant to engage the enemy because of an unreasonable fear of the enemies strength. He always requested from President Lincoln more troops, more horses, more cannons or a better plan. He rarely attacked.

I, myself, have all the tools and planning I need at my disposal. I have the skills to use said tools and the maps and strategy to locate and uncover the treasure.  

 

Catagorized

It was a neighborhood party and all but two of  my drawings were of children which is fine. It's work, right? However, as thankful as I am for the job, I felt a bit under appreciated not only by the children, too young to appreciate art, but more so by the ungrateful and at times rude parents. I couldn't help but get the sense that so many of the parents were angry. I was just stuck by what appeared to be an angry demeaner. 

I also felt a bit under utilized as I was next to a balloon clown and a face painter. The event was booked by Twist it up Balloons, an event planner I've worked with for several years, and this is her major clientele so I should expect this flavor. Twist it Up is the only event planner providing me with gigs since the start of the pandemic as the others have either gone out of business or started a new line of work. 

This event plays into my desire to seek out clients who have deeper pocketbooks and are willing to pay for a higher quality of art as well as the outfitting of me as a digital caricaturist. 

 

Do You See the Light!

Short of re-hashing the rhetoric I've expressed over the past months and years, the situation is as follows: over the past nearly 10 years, Dollhouse Windows has met our financial needs enough to keep us fed and with a roof over our heads but the reasons for starting are not the same reasons to justify its continuation under these circumstances. 

I've hired another helper, a kid named Kameron and so far so good but I've resolved that if he doesn't work out then he will go the way of an ever increasing list of helpers and so will DHW. Needless to say I've commitments to customers and at this point it would be foolish to turn down money from anywhere but my intentions are such that my only fulltime vocation is BDI.

 

On this Memorial Day I thought I would post this drawing I recently made for my grandson whom I've nicknamed The Blonde Bomber because of his beautiful blonde hair. One of the products I offer are these personalized posters from a small 8 x 10 to poster sized.

Part of my endeavor to be productive in my life's work is to become proficient in making people aware of products I can provide and selling them accordingly. One of my projects I'm undertaking, especially since covid restrictions are being loosened, is the digital presentation of gigs for my caricatures. This type of presentation provides a polished, professional look for company functions such as trade shows, company parties etc. and along with it comes the promise of more money.

 

The Pump

There is an illustrative story regarding motivation which was so eloquently and colorfully told by the late Zig Ziglar involving a pump type water well. The operations of a water well is that one must prime the pump with a small amount of water in order to get water flowing. In short, you must put something in before you can get something out. In fact, in order to actually get water from the well, one must pump vigorously to get the water to the surface but when the stream of sweet water arrives all one must do is keep up a slow steady pressure on the crank to keep it coming.

That's my commitment. I vow to ordain my efforts toward BDI until such a time as to enjoy it's rewards with steady pressure. I welcome the obstacles, temptations and heretofore unforeseen problems associated in pursuing this endeavor. This includes gigs, digital conversion, SUD editing, marketing SUD, merchandising and anything else associated with my life's work.

This includes a holistic approach that spills over into all my personal as well as private endeavors. The biggest benefit in reaching a goal is not in the accomplishment but the person one becomes in it's pursuit.

 

I recently realized that although awakening early as prescribed in The Morning Miracle by Hal Elrod is a good thing, I'm really not using it to my benefit if I don't actually perform any worthwhile task during those early hours. Oh, sure, running two miles a day defiantly has a positive affect on my health but I'm really not doing much of anything else. 

Author Dan Miller suggests that if a person has a 15 hour a week side gig then 5 hours should be spent  learning, 5 hours should be spent reaching out to others, connecting with people, customers and clients. The remaining 5 hours should be spent marketing. I have to admit that I'm doing little of those things in the morning or at any other time of the day for that matter. It certainly stands to reason that by performing better in these realms then I would see a noticeable change in the state of my business. It all comes down to the choices I make on how to spend my time. 

Everyone spends their time doing something and I could be accused of spending most of my day on low priority tasks. It would appear I have the world at my finger tips as an artist, author, t-shirt salesman etc. and yet my sales are painfully low. If I'm honest with myself I can trace my poor performance to focusing more on the learning, as in Miller's assessment, by drawing most of the time without making connections or marketing that which I draw. Then there is planning of which I'm a master. Planning is also futile without actually doing any of the things I've planned. 

Most people would love to stay in their warm bed at 5:30 am and most people would prefer to do things that are enjoyable. I'm no different but I have to make the choice of being responsible for my circumstances or flutily wait to be discovered.

My Special Purpose

Dan Miller is 73 years old and at an age where most other people his age are retiring and spending the rest of their lives sliding into there golden years and degenerating, Dan has actually planned the next 25 years of his life and on top of that, he's doe it one quarter at a time. 

It's prevalent, especially in America, to work for a company for an entire career then retire but Mr. Miller uses a different term. He calls it graduation which is a commencement; a new beginning. He likes to refer to his life up to this point as tenure. In the Marines, we referred to it as time in. "Rank has it's privilege's", we used to say.

Dan Miller has a perspective that steers away from the traditional philosophy of accumulating all the money you can at a career then retiring. His outlook is focused more on fulfilling his purpose in life even past the age of traditional retirement.

I, of course, latch on to this outlook because, lacking a career, I've reached a point where retirement is out of the question even if I wanted to. Continuing to work is essential just for my survival so it makes sense, then, to fulfill my purpose in doing so.  

   

 

Not My 600 lb Life

 The TV program My 600lb Life chronicles a people's lives who are extremely overweight by 100's of pounds, most of whom are over 600lbs in total weight. The characters are seeking solutions to their health issues which are easily connected to psychological factors.

In their journey toward a "normal" life, the specialist doctor instructs them to make small changes that to an average sized person would be nothing unusual but to the patient, produces big results. By sticking to the changes in eating habits and activity the obese patient can easily loose 25 lbs in the first week. It took me 6 month to loose that much weight but to the unusually overweight person it would barely make a dent.

I see my self in much the same light only not in the sense of my weight or even in the matter of having too much of anything but rather in the other direction, namely in the area of scarcity of income and enterprise. At the moment it's scant and slight changes in my behavior and activity can produce for me dramatic effects which to an average person may seem trivial. For someone who scrapes by day to day it can be a big difference.

Really?

 I'm frequently encountered with self-professed avid readers who declare with firmness, 

"I don't read fiction. If it's not true I'm not interested in it". 

Yet in most cases the boasters of this rigid affirmation will, without deliberation, watch the spurious tripe put out by modern Hollywood without a second thought and declare it a "good movie". 

It makes me seriously question the validity of there assertion that they love to read.

Passion Smashin

Being passionate about something doesn't mean you're good at it. Likewise being good at something doesn't mean you're passionate about it. In the field of art, whether drawing, painting or sculpting there are lies that seem to be popular among the artist crowd that, if nothing else, justifies their lack of initiative and laziness. 

One lie is that you will one day be discovered. Truthfully you won't be discovered, ever. Your success, no matter what you do, is 100% your responsibility and passion has nothing to do with it. It's all about finding your niche audience and marketing to them. 

The fact of the matter is there is no substitute for hard work and there are no shortcuts to success; It must be earned. Don't make the mistake of sitting around waiting to be discovered when you already have enough to do for ten life times.