It's Always the 10%

A video project I recently completed for Tax Solutions is a good step towards making the vision I have for BDI a reality. I need to exploit it and let plenty of others know this is what I do always remembering for every 10 prospects, only 1 may become a client. 

 

Kat Home and Garden Show

Attending the Katy Home and Garden Show this past weekend, hired by Chris Bryson, is one ingredient in the plan to have plenty of gigs to fill my time. I stress just one ingredient. The path to BDI's viability as a business in it's own right involves several avenues of income streams apart from the blue collar methods and mindset with which I've been plagued and from which I must be exorcised.   

 

From Discomfort to Disgust

I was at a job in town a few days ago, my usual detestable and laborious work, when I took a terrible slip, fell on some concrete stairs and painfully broke my arm. Aside from the terrible ordeal and pain of the injury,  then perilously driving myself to the emergency room, undergoing the distressful surgery and the tormenting recovery, it has also slowed down my newly gained momentum in my graphic web-content projects. One would typically say something like "that's terrible" or "I'm sorry for your unfortunate accident". However, now that the worst is over, I'm wondering just how unfortunate it really was.

Needless to say the accident has made it difficult to type these words and do I need to mention how arduous is the task of drawing with my working arm in a splint? My real question is why did this have to happen?

I received a call from a customer who wanted to have her windows cleaned and so, as usual, I set the appointment to offer an estimate. Something I've done countless times over the years without a thought and yet something was different this time. As soon as I put down the phone I began dreading it. I know from many years of experience and wisdom that the things we are most uncomfortable about or fear are probably the very things we need to be doing and yet this went beyond it. This was, and is, disgust. A revolting, repellant internal reaction as if my body was trying to reject a virus.

I arrived at her location non-the-less and delivered the estimate and sold the job but the problem is not solved. 

I started Dollhouse Windows as a lifeboat to deliver us from a critical situation and it's done it's job, and I am fortunate to have gone this long without other injuries but the time to disembark has passed. I'm no longer willing to risk my personal well-being for a career I never liked or care to continue. The goal of exiting DHW by this year must start not later this year but immediately which begs the question of what to do about my current appointments? It's clear to me I need to announce to these customers that I will no longer be serving them and give a firm ending date in the very near future. 

 

This aint Sunday School

I had an interesting moment with friends of mine earlier this week as we were discussing an audio book, The Four Agreements, by don Miguel Ruiz, we've agreed to listen to and chat about when I mentioned It's not something I particularly care for. They couldn't understand why I found it displeasing to my literary palate and I tried my best to answer the question, much to their dissatisfaction. In fact, I, myself, was unhappy with my inadequate attempt at explaining my feelings on the subject.  

Now that I've had time to organize my thoughts, if it ever comes up again, but mainly just to satisfy my own urge to know why I think this way, I can venture to put it to rest and join in a friendly discussion with my friends without being off-putting.

Last night I was reading a book on creative writing and chapter 9 was about the rules of writing. Rule number 2, Select the Specific and Discard the General and this, I discovered, is the best explanation which describes my feelings about The Four Agreements. 

In writing, an author is to show the reader something, not just tell them. For example, a tree is very general because there are many types of trees but to be more specific a tree can be described as an oak tree. Even within that context, one can get more specific because there are classes of oak trees such as live oaks, black oaks or post oaks. An effective author gets specific like that.

Interestingly enough, the same can be applied to drawing which I've taught in classes. Start with the general and gradually add more and more detail.

The Four Agreements is a general book. It gives few specific tactics I can use in this stage of my life and career. It is an appropriate book for someone just starting out but for my own applications there are many books I've consumed which is solid food to my needs. Books like Grit by Angela Duckworth, Late Bloomers by Rich Karlgaard, Personality isn't Permanent by Dr. Benjamin Hardy, The Now Habit by Dr. Neil Fiore and so many more.

I cant forget the enthralling biographies about people who inherently apply qualities in their life without much rumination over it. Chares Schultz, Dan Rooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vince Lombardi, Walt Disney, Franklin Roosevelt and the list goes on. 

 Out of respect to my friends and in the name of esprit de corps I will continue in the discussion but that's that.

 

I Don't Want Happiness. Just the Universe Will Do.

I've tentatively set the title of my next book as The First 4 Billion Years are the Hardest but I'm not certain of what it will consist, yet. Should it simply be a collection of gags, will they be single panels, quotes, comic style, one main character, a narrative? Whatever I finally decide upon, the bottom line is to just start it. 

I wrote in my personal journal, on many occasions, about one of my biggest weaknesses; my ability to plan and my utter lack of flair to actually do the plan. If I were to embark on a mission to change that crippling habit or trait, then the results would likely be miraculous in nature. The same conditions apply in the case of The First 4 Billion Years. I'm certain that if I begin assembling something today, then I will, without a doubt, formulate a workable, meaningful, purposeful and profitable idea.

Isn't life grand? Everyday in my endeavor to finish strong, I discover so many areas where life can be much more remarkable and yet with each new discovery I find more uncharted regions yet to be explored.

 

The Money is in the List

Upon reading 48 Days to the Work You Love, which was sent to me by my friend Dan Miller, I came across a list in chapter three on ten ways to get an education without a college degree. The list is as follows:

1. Read 12 great books
2. Attend seminars
3. Work on improving emotional intelligence
4. listen to podcasts or read blogs
5. Take courses in your area of interest
6. Reach out to help someone
7. Acquire new skills
8. Become comfortable with presentation skills
9. Design my own health and fitness program
10. Plan two trips

Five of the things from the list I can confidently say I am doing. One of them I am working on in an informal way which leaves four of them I'm not doing at all. There is obvious need for improvement based on this list.

 

Dan the Man

About three weeks ago, I sent a letter to one of my favorite podcast hosts, Dan Miller, about my situation with trying to be successful in this line of work, never really expecting any sort of an answer when to my surprise he actually read the letter on the air. He gave me some terrific props and compliments, as well as pointers on how to capitalize on my endeavors. The cartoon above is one he mentioned specifically. Anyone can do whatever they want for me but if they giggle at my one of my drawings, then that's the ultimate compliment.