Good evening / afternoon / morning depending on when you're reading this.
As you will know, I've a few projects going on in the background, including a novel that I'm twenty two chapters deep. One of these projects is a product and while I still plan to be vauge about it on this blog, close friends are aware and have been aware of it's conception for over two years.
I guess where I'm going with this post is simple.
I am going to release this project.
And it will be a success.
However...
My other half, who works in large corporations managing even larger projects was drafted in for her expertise, something I'm normally adverse towards (mixing business with relationships).
She spent a hour pawing at a keyboard before giving me an Excel file and explaining how it worked.
After our conversation it became apparent that my self-doubt and fears of failure stemmed from a large mass of data that's sat inside my skull, this data that flew about causing chaos desperately needed to be tamed.
This Excel spreadsheet worked out the steps needed to get the product ready to launch set into daily tasks with plenty of fat (fat means excess time to complete a goal to compensate for unseen complications).
Once I saw the timeline stretch out (until nearly may) it did dawn on me that this was a tremendous amount of work but after a moment of that, I felt calm, focused and precise.
I now KNOW what to do each day and this was the key aspect holding me back. Previously I had all these other stresses and thoughts racing around my head as I bumbled through the work but now i had clarity.
Lot's of clarity.
I've decided (since my job is fairly quiet until february) that I'd make the right decision. To be focused, tuned in and precise I needed to remove negative influences from my life, make time and knuckle down for one hell of a ride. After a long discussion with my other half, who is very logical based, we came to the conclusion that the only real way I could give this a shot at 100% of my ability is to give 100% of my time.
And that means leaving my job.
"you gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette"
Now before people think this is a good path, I'd like to stress I have saved up a good buffer of money to last me through and I'd never suggest anyone just leave their work and follow their dreams if they couldn't commit 100% to it.
This is the longest jump.
Leaving the safety of work and grinding each day in my bedroom / office / design studio isn't going to be easy, but it is however necessary if I want to make this product a reality and begin the birth of my own business.
The longest fall is if I don't give this my all or the project is a flop, on the one hand my position in life will be worsened but I will be able to say I gave it my best shot before looking at other ventures.
It's only failure if you take nothing from it.
.
Recently I've been reading this, it's a GREAT book on understanding the psychology of habits and how we both form and CAN change them, I will be utilizing some of the techniques in my marketing campaign as well as my health and fitness.
I've never had a problem exercising, I have the right cues, habits and rewards systems in place that keep me encouraged and active. When it comes to eating however, more so this time of the year, I let myself go a bit. I did this originally to give me a break from strict food and exercise routines but now it's become a habit, and one I plan to end. As of today I'm going to slowly try and reprogram my brain into better food habits, avoiding boredom eating etc.
I can highly recommend the book, it's a decent read and not too big.
Now to end this post, I WILL BE (to the best of my ability) blogging each day starting Sunday, throughout the experience. These will not be long posts, but just summaries of the experience so that it's fairly well documented.
"The ocean is violent but a good sailor can weather the storm"
It's been a long haul away from this Blog, I needed to focus a bit more and now I come back to you a different person.
The last 8 months I stepped up my training, hitting the gym almost daily, cut down on high saturated fat foods, cut down on consuming carbonated drinks and tried to eat a bit cleaner, not clean, but cleaner.
I focused on improving myself and I can confidently say I've achieved that, I lift over double what I could, run longer and generally feel a lot better in myself. My goals in this department are far from over, I have other ambitious goals to meet and when spring appears I'll go into my first clean eating cut (which will be difficult).
Aside from my physical appearances what else has changed?
My attitude, I'm more willing to believe in myself, I did this health change all on my own off research I did about the various items I wanted change. Christmas approach's and I'm going to share my knowledge for all the people wanting to make lasting changes on their health and fitness, so expect me to be back to regular blogs again.
How about the rest?
I'm STILL trying to find work in London, and while this has been almost a laughable experience the country as a whole is beginning to recover from the economic depression and employment rates are slowly on the rise, so I'm quietly confident this marathon is reaching it's end.
I'll be working hard to get job applications out and see where I can get, then finally move to London.
I've been visiting every month for a week or two and really feel integrated into a city environment, I still adore the countryside, the wilderness and the oceans call but I've got to make this move, and it's taken longer than it should. It has been a very long war, but one I will win.
So what's next?
Step up the resistance training program.
Build a stronger cardio base.
Move to London
New business ideas.
Think about my long term plans, and start setting some in motion
When working on a few small business ideas or any ideas for that matter, some will fail others will work, the trick is not to give up, pick yourself up, ten, fifteen or even a thousand times and carve out the world YOU want.
So make big audacious plans, make goals that terrify you, push yourself to the edge and beyond of your comfort zone, think, fight and live.
"If you can't fight for the life you want then you don't deserve to have it any other way." - Kiko
I'm still struggling to find work in London in the job field that I wanted (Digital Art / Graphic Design / Image re-touching) so I've got to make a decision.
The weather is starting to get good, and I'll have only a few months oppertunity to get the models on location for a shoot. This will also take massive planing, so I've got to stop and make a stand.
To get this all rolling, I'd need a minimum of £1,600 but to ensure everything is PERFECT which is what I always strive for, Ideally would like £3,000 - £3,500.
SO my challenge is to go, all or nothing!!
Doubt killed more ideas then failure ever could.
GOAL:
- Gather £3,000
Why? To finally launch business at full speed, with a wide range of products, website, model shoot, promotional video.
TO BE ACHIEVED BY:
- July16th
Why? So that there is still time and good weather to have the shoot and promo video on location.
HOW?: - Phase 1 Sell various personal affects that have either less use to me or just for the monetary gain.
- Phase 2 Get some work, part time, full time not in the profession I wanted. Once the business is stable hopefully that can become my full time job.
- Phase 3 Freelance work, granted it will be in dribs and drabs but this will grant some finance.
-Phase 4 Any small scale business ideas that have a small capital start up cost that I might invent during this process.
I've had some great progress lately in my endeavor to get a better body and become more healthy.
I go to the gym five days a week, weekends are used to rest and sunday is the day that I'll eat a little worse than I should, mostly because I don't want to feel like I'm denying myself bad food as a punishment, its more of a case of clever moderation.
The biggest change is my massive reduction in bread, I now hardly eat it. Don't get me wrong, I love bread, LOVE IT. But it was just something I ate on a daily basis which I didn't need to.
I've found that its just being consistent and working hard (you know in yourself if you've not tried your hardest) sometimes you have to put in the miles to make it all worth it.
As I've become more healthy, and exercised regularly I'm starting to really enjoy my time at the gym, I'm getting more self confidence and can see from my documented progress that Ive improved in leaps and bounds. I will say this for definite; you really do need to put the work in to get the results you want, no point relying on supplements, drugs or surgery, if you've not made the mental changes in your approach you will never achieve what you want.
Eat well, exercise regularly and more importantly, make sure you learn a good variety of exercises, for each area of the body there are tons of exercises for each part and with the right ordering of the exercises you can spend a hour and a half on one body part without it becoming too tired after 2-3 exercises!!
I've got to go now, but I'm going to be updating more frequently now I have things to say, peace you beautiful, beautiful readers!
Spring is
here, the sun in out and the very gloomy and record breaking cold
winter the UK has just had is but a mere frosty fog on the lens of
our memories. I'm sure, like myself you've noticed a drop in
posts and to make this up to you and myself I'm currently taking a
train back from London to my home-town It only just occurred to me
that I could write my posts in advance to save me work in the
evenings which is my normal posting time. The main issue is simple; I've gone from a slow pace of life to what is now a constant stream
of things creating disturbance and distraction in my normal posts.
I’ll talk about a few of the things I've been up to anyway.
Things
I have to fit into a day on average:
Eating well
(breakfast, lunch, dinner).
1.5
Hours in the Gym.
Work
on my Business (Which includes):
-
Finances
-
Product Design
-
Marketing
-
Business Model and strategy
-
Streamlining workflow
-
Social media presence
-
Designing new products
-
Maintaining strong supplier relations
-
Email Sifting
-
Arrange photo shoots
-
Work on Shoots
-
Arrange, and edit images after finding right shots
-
Branding and Company Identity
-
Promotion
-
Setting and meeting milestones
-
Organising all documentation and filing
-
Conceptualising new directions
Work
on various Freelance design work.
Work
a job (at the moment I've got some intern work).
Host
game nights (most nights).
Attend
a hobby club on Wednesdays.
Work
on miscellaneous personal projects.
Visit
parents once a week
Skype
my girlfriend in the night when not in London
Skype
friends and family when in London
Update
Blog
Update Various Facebook pages and groups
Things I
have coming up that I need to find space for:
Birthday
of a good friend
My
own birthday
2
weeks intern work
2
weeks in a clinical trail testing Flu vaccines (It’s really
helpful for other people and I also get paid to do it)
Dental
Surgery
A
event at London I may be attending to set up a stall
Freelance
work creating designs, manufacturing and printing T-Shirts for
another event
Creating
a cheap range designs and prints to sell off old out-dated stock
So as you
can see, I'm pretty busy and updating the Blog isn't a speedy
system, I normally write it up, and upload the various images you see
on here like the headers etc, this all takes time! My average Blog
post takes just under 2 hours, which in the grand scheme of things is
a huge amount of time!
However, I
do not view it as work or even a service. I view this blog as a way
of relaxing and noting down things that (most of the time) will help
other people save money and time or just provide what I consider
invaluable information I've discovered or learnt the hard way.
Anyway as you can see I've got a pretty tight schedule, so from now on I'm going to have to put to good use any waste time(like the long train journey to London) to get things lower on my list completed.
I hope everyone is well, oh and on the fitness and health front, I'm doing ok!
I've never really spoken about my employment, and if I have it's not been recently so I thought I'd talk a little about the problems in the UK with finding a job for me personally.
Before I start I'll run down a list of my education:
GCSE CC in science (I did badly at school)
NVQ in Art And Design
Degree in Games Art And Design
Masters Degree in Digital Art
So I'm not under skilled in any respects.
Previous work experiences?
I lived in a very rural seaside town in the UK, very small population and mostly populated local owned business. As a result of the downsized nature of my town the opportunities here are very limited, in fact non existent. Before I finished university I worked in the following fields (In no order):
Chip shop. Waiter. Argos Stock assistant (Last employment was here).
Second Chef. Stock manager at a small paint firm. Train guard on a small train. Chocolate factory line feeder.
So as you can see these jobs have nothing to do with Art and Design.
Since I finished University in 2009!
I realised pretty fast that the ONLY way I'd get employment in the fields I'd studied so hard in would be to in fact buy employment. What do I mean by that? I mean make my own business!
So after a brief hiatus I started work on my first buisness plan and concept for "Rocket Punch Web Design" and worked out all the things I knew I could do well. Promotional materials, scout for clients build a system of work and of course make it profitable. Since all I needed was software to make this business work it was a very cheap start-up idea! Low investment with high potential earnings. To make this work however I'd need to cover my weakness which is coding. So I talked it through with a friend at that time and we decided to work together to make this work! We did a test run designing a site and making all the elements towards it and it seemed to work good. Then as we approached launch the coder dropped out as that person got employment with the rival company in the town. That was that, all that time and work wasted, there was nobody else to ask for help and I had to take a step back and accept defeat which for me is a hard thing to do.
There was a period of time I sat about thinking about my next move (all this time being supported financially by friends and family since I didn't want to get money from the government for not doing anything) and a year nearly passed. Everything I could think of would require huge initial capital investment and I just didn't have anything to invest.
Mid way through 2010 I saw a video (during my daily search for good business ideas) about a man in the US who designed, printed and heat pressed T-shirts on a religious basis, he made enough to get by, not something I plan to do since I wish to make a buisness successful as oppose to just an employment option.
The initial idea sat with me for a few weeks thinking about the pro's and cons.
Pros:
Cheaper start up cost than most of the ideas I had.
I can cut out the middle men and design, print, press and distribute myself saving money and widening the profit margin.
Requires only a little learning process
Cons:
If printing onto dark colours, the design has to be simple in shape since you have to actually trace cut the image, the more complex the image is the harder and longer the print process with increased chance of error.
You have to have a target audience and do some work making sure the products have a place
You'll need a website OR a shop location (Shop is out of the question on my limited funds)
My grandfather lent me a chunk of money on the premise I'd pay him back when I'm "Rich and famous" in his words. This was greatly appreciated and I set about finding the right equipment that was cheap, effective and reliable.
I also set about looking for a wholesale provider for the raw T-shirts that the designs would be set in. If you've ever looked at wholesale you quickly realise just how much variety there is, and this variety is matched in price.
Eventually I settled for more expensive T shirts that had a denser and stronger quality because I thought that a product had to not only look good but function well also, hard to rip and warm where my choices after all if a T-shirt is comfortable and wears well people will remember that when for if they wish to buy another of your products!
Once I had bought everything, stock, heat press, Printer, industrial heat transfer papers (both colour and clear) inks for the printer I was ready to work on the designs and also start to drum up interest for the products.
I enlisted friends and did a photo shoot for the products, digitally retouched and designed the images like this one (Steak Kitty):
I was on a roll, I had designs, models, stock and started to generate online interest and then rather ironically was underfunded for one aspect of the buisness. The one element I miscalculated and crucially overlooked, the website. Now while this website fiasco happened my grandfather sadly passed away having never seen a return for his investment which left me heartbroken, but I had to carry one and make something of this, he had left me a little money which immediately most of it was invested into the business further. Now I'm aware of media's like Etsy and other free online shopping systems but I'll explain why this wasn't an option. For this buisness stratagem to work it needed a heavily stylised and designed website that was unique to the buisness since I'm more than aware of how important branding is. Etsy and the like are nice and work well for someone after small earnings with it's limited customization and lack of a unique domain with little work but for me I'm after forging my own company that will eventually be quite successful.
So I tried and even called in favours to try and get the site done for as little as possible (I had about £400 available and the lowest quote I could get was £1200)
But alas I had ran out of options, at this time my old friend who now worked for this other company said he would do it for me, for free on the condition I'd pay that person back when I started making money form it all! I just had to pay for a hosting package from where he worked which was about £75 for the year.
I asked what he would need from me so I could speed his work up. Firstly was the core design which took some time to finalize.
This whole process took a year. 12 months.
365 days.
A long time, each monthly deadline he set he had an excuse, I had no money and no option, I believed each excuse before after a year had passed we had an argument about this. I think he was envious of my idea and combined with being lazy that person let me down for the last time. I cut ties and was left with an incomplete business and no money.
Everyday since I've had to walk past my stock, still there un-moveable.
I really didn't want to end the business and still don't and since September 2012 I've been looking for employment. I can't get employed. and I'll explain why.
I've sent tons of applications, and heard nothing from most I did get feedback from one and regardless to having an Online CV.
www.kikojui.com
And a well designed CV I still don't get a look in, here is why.
Since I left uni I have not got ANY work experience in Art And Design other than my own buisness.
They don't care about Argos and all the other jobs, because they have no relevance with a job in the Digital Design field.
My portfolio might be ok, and my CV might be ok.
But right now when people are all clutching for jobs (most jobs I apply for have had well over 100 applicants) there will always be someone with previous work experiences and will require less training and thus money.
I just can't be hired, which leaves me at a dilemma, to continue living in London I'd need a £18,000 per year job to sustain myself, to get into that bracket you need a professional job, I can't make that doing jobs that don't require a skill since there is a whole horde of people more applying for those positions, again with previous experiences.
I can't make the buisness because I don't have any money, and I can't get money because I can't get employed!!
It's a vicious circle. and if I manage to break it I promise to share to you how I did it. So if you're in a job, even if you're not a fan of working there, be thankful because some people can't even get a job.
If you read this I just wanted ot get this all off my chest and will happily answer any questions you may ask, peace!!
If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know I'm not that interested in self indulging with my own life / opinions, I just like factual, to the point advice. So you might ask yourself why trust what I say? The answer is simple, like all things in life its about extracting the useful information from what I write and incorporate it however you see fit.
I write about my journey, not just physically life changes but also ones regarding the mind. When I learn something I share it here, it's not just for the benefit of the readers but also a way of storing my own discoveries so I can reflect and perfect things learnt.
I'm working towards getting the body I want and working towards for-filling all the things I want to achieve, life is non-stop and time waits for no man (or woman).
It would seem that, only naturally, there has been a fresh influx of viewers to the blog I thought I'd share my ambitions for this year and my "New Years resolution"; I'll also explain why this is a new thing for me and more importantly why this is in the ADVENTURE section.
Why I disagree with New Years Resolutions:
Why is it only the start of the year people decide to make life changes?
New year, new start, is what the majority of people will say. For me my perspective is more "seize the day" than maybe in January.
If you want to make life changes, do them as soon as possible!! Acting on a problem is like pushing a large rock down a hill, its a hard push getting that rock to move but once its set in action and starts rolling (Equivalent to making and keeping a routine).
So it's not that I'm ANTI resolution / change / thing's being given up, it's more the mentality that this can only occur in January 1st.
Why I am going to make a New Years Resolution... or not really:
I'm going to be making something similar to a NYR, except mines a little different to accommodate my views on only making changes once a year.
It shall be called: NEW YEARS MILESTONES, or NYM for an abbreviation. Why? Well It's not making resolutions and general life changes that is the problem, anyone can talk about what they want to do but as the saying go's "Actions Speak Louder Than Words".
So set milestones, things to have achieved by a certain time, make them manageable and not too difficult.
Why is this an adventure?
Whenever you undertake any life changes it's important to not only do it for a valid reason but also to enjoy the outcome of the change.
For example many people try to diet or lose weight through an eating habit change, but sadly, usually fall at one of the following hurdles:
Drown in all the tides of information available on the subject, magazines contradicting each-other and all the fads and products they tell you to use or avoid. Solution: There is a lot of information, but the basics are simple, avoid high saturated foods, foods that have been processed a lot and don't eat more calories than you need to expend.
Unable to keep up a healthy eating pattern, pushed for time you often find yourself making unhealthy compromises and thus slipping back to old habits. Solution: This is why you'll need structure, forward planning and backup solutions like a small healthy emergency food supply, make a chart for the week and buy everything you need in advance.
The cost of "Health Foods" seems disproportionally high, and not a viable route for your own economic situation. Solution: While in the UK fresh fruit and vegetables are not cheap they are however easy to process into a more useful and economic source. For example making various big soup batches and freezing them and just heating as when needed. Try and use all parts of what you use and limit waste, things like herbs can be grown at home with ease.
Some people take up a resolution with a friend or group of people for "support", but as soon as members succumb to some of the previous pitfalls. Solution:Always make a resolution for yourself, you should not really need support from other people if you have the drive and fire needed to make the change work, forget what people think or say, the changes YOU want are for YOU, not them. For motivation just think about the end goal and how you will feel having achieved it, and you will with that mentality.
The most common of all, is to view only the negatives attached to the diet. "I can't eat this, or shouldn't eat that" but never focus on the positives like "I want to look like this, I want ot feel like that", this is something I call Short-term thinking, and is the main problem.
Solution: While most changes require something to be given up or at least cut down it's worth looking at this in the abstract, yes you're giving up eating chocolate cake every week, but there is nothing stopping you once you've achieved some of your goals and feel comfortable in your control to treat yourself to a slice once in a while, its about moderation (not with smoking however). Just remember, the person you'll be after the goal, how that person feels, how much happier you are. After all this is the precise reason you want the change in the first place!
Ok so as promised I'd add my own personal goals, so you have a perspective as to what I'm trying to achieve, and while my list might look daunting I've been doing this for a while now and know what I can and cannot cope with, so this is by no means a guild line for other peoples list, you should have at least 3 items however spread across the year.
~ January ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keep up with diet, maintaining good discipline with the odd treat to keep me from straying off the path. Make sure to keep my workout days high protein.
Tick box's: VICTORY [ ] DEFEAT [ ]
Finally get some sort of consistent employment / keep up with freelance work.
Tick box's: VICTORY [ ] DEFEAT [ ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ February ~
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'd like to start running and cycling more seriously, Monday and Friday All being total Cardio days, either in the Gym or jogging / cycling outside.
Tick box's: VICTORY [ ] DEFEAT [ ]
Work on a few projects to try and earn a lot of money, as well as learning new ways to manage my finances.
Tick box's: VICTORY [ ] DEFEAT [ ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ March ~
1. Bench press 80kg on the smith machine 2. Squat 120kg on the smith machine 3. Single Dumbbell row 35KG 4. Dumbbell Press 30KG 5. Legpress (8 reps) 220 KG
Tick box's: VICTORY [ ] DEFEAT [ ]
Buy some new clothing and feel good enough about my body to post a progress photo on a fitness related site.
Tick box's: VICTORY [ ] DEFEAT [ ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ April ~
Make sure to have gone Abroad at LEAST once during the year.
Tick box's: VICTORY [ ] DEFEAT [ ]
See in the new year eve watching fireworks in a different country.
Tick box's: VICTORY [ ] DEFEAT [ ]
So there you have it, it took much longer to write up than necessary but at least now you can see what my milestones are for this year, things might get moved about or changed but that is the basic principal, if I achieve all of these then I can be happy with my year!
I'll also (at the end of the month) Post if I was successful or not in my goals, if I'm not then the most important thing to do is work out why, and then learn from that failure as that is the only way we as people can improve!
I wish you all the best of luck in your resolutions or milestones, I'll post again soon back onto topic. Remember if there is something specific you want me to cover then hit me a message and I'll do my best to meet your request.
Next post will be: HOW TO REPLACE THE GYM! (A post about how to do all you need at home for the price of a few months gym membership)
This weekend was the unleashing of a months work, I had spent the last month planning and arranging a surprise birthday for my lovely girlfriend, I had invited her friends and picked the venue etc. She had a lobster with candles in for her cake (She loves sea food) and we all had an amazing time, even if I was stressed and over heated (was a VERY hot weekend in London, more so in a suit) I still enjoyed and even relished in the challenge of making it all work.
It also reminded me just how much I like having adventures, more tales to tell my kids, so now I'm trying more than ever to start crafting the money I'll require to fund such a lifestyle!
I've got as much ready myself and even paierd with other artist's to create a more dynamic online store, I'm just waiting for the website, seems even if I've shaken the bad flea from the last attempt something is preventing me from getting this moving, and the amount I am trying to get in contact with the new coder it might seem almost like I'm very demanding, but I'm not, I just want to get everything finally launched and the products available online where they belong.
This week I'm going to Try my hardest to get SOME progress with the online store, I refuse to give up and I refuse to let up until I get some progress, this my dear readers may come across strong but believe me, in business you can only rely on other parties for so long, sometimes you got to grab the bull by the horns, snap them off and shove them deeply into the bulls ass.
Some point this week, as a treat IF I can achieve the Website progress, I will be having a camping adventure, maybe even by myself, so I can get some time to myself and evaluate some of life's aspects.
I'm hoping the weather remains as it is, if so I'm sure it will be a great and welcome break.
As I mentioned Earlier, I've been promoting products and collaborating with other artists, the Offical Rocket punch blog can be found > HERE <
The biggest problem was when I headed to the London MCM Expo, it seems people just do not care about copyright rights for the products they sell, so many people selling other companies logo's and designs without prior permission.
I was half contemplating on doing the same, I would make a lot of money, but after a lot of thought, I'm going to stick with my morals and company integrity. I may want to make profit, thats the main goal of most buisness's but I want to preserve my morals, I want to provide a quality product without stepping on those games and Tv shows that actually provide the initial interest and clientèle.
My products are more of a silent nod towards them, not a copy. I felt I needed to air this, as some people might wonder why, with a market saturated by people ripping each other off why I'm not following suit.
You might agree with me, or think it's foolish to sacrifice income for base morals, but that is just how it is.
It all started with my first ever print, I wanted to test the quality of the heat press and the quality and finish of the industrial heat transfer paper, the finish was amazing, and thus was my first T-shirt ever printed.
You might remember seeing this a long time ago on the blog, I was just thinking about how far I've come, I could be very established by now if not for the whole website fiasco, but I learned an important lesson, leave professional jobs to a professional.
I'm thinking of Framing this T-Shirt, it was the first in line, and lead the way in the direction I'm still following today even with all the issues and hurdles I've had to jump.
Recently I've started learning Traditional Mahjong, and I'm not going to lie to you, I'm still not 100% with all the scoring patterns as it is quite complex where scores can even go into the millions if you have not set a score limit.
What I will say is that it is VERY addictive.
Now I don't mean Mahjong solitaire, that is the most common mistake, that is a 1 player game, nothing like mahjong and calling it is the same as calling snap poker because it uses cards.
Anyway I won't rabble on too much about it as I'm certain its not everyone's idea of a fun game. Where am I going with this?
Not sure... I'll move on!
That feeling of vastness, the open road and the uncertainty. All these things are for me the signs of a great adventure.
If I had to say what one thing makes me feel adventurous it would be the big billowing clouds on a hot and sunny day, where the clouds themselves look like snow topped peaks on the horizon, for me that is the loudest call to the adventure for me.
Hello Readers! I thought I'd talk about some things I've been up to and trying to achieve this week. Why? Well because I'd like to keep you people in the loop!
But firstly I'd like to give you something to listen to when reading todays post, something easy on the ears and a little relaxing, I want you to be relaxed... ARE YOU RELAXED YET?
NO!?
Ok, here, this is for you!
Today I created the basic frame of the Facebook page for my buisness, it looks ok, this will be one of the main ways I get updates and new products out to customers, you can find the page >HERE<!
I'll be posting up onto the FB page daily, just posting updates on the buisness progress etc so you won't actually be able to purchase any items until the main site is complete, and that is the next topic!!
The main site, something that has been in the centre of all my problems, issues seem to gravitate around it and due to some bad choices on people to actually help create it it's taken me nearly a year to get going.
Since August last year I had everything set up:
Suppliers, and a good relationship with them.
Machinery to produce the items.
Models to use for photographing the goods.
Designs ready to print.
A solid marketing platform and strategy.
What I didn't have left was much money, and apparently a good choice in friends.
Due to my lack of funds, and a lack of E-commerce knowledge I'd need someone to make the site for me, and through my desperation I asked a friend at that time if he could help me.
I was assured that the project was simple and shouldn't take more than a few weeks, those weeks passed and then the deadline was pushed to November. This was frustrating, but because this was a favour being done for me out of someone's own time, I couldn't really complain and besides I was thankful for having the ability to get things rolling and start making money.
Every deadline was pushed further and further away, each time a new excuse was made, and each time my patience and understanding nature where misled.
A few times during the whole ordeal I asked the person if he just didn't have the time to do it, as I was contemplating learning how to do it myself, and I would have. But again, the usual reassurances where given and I lapped them up like a fool.
So, the person had made little attempt to make the site, I had provided everything the person asked for near enough when it was asked of me. I offered a way out, and even asked it this was too much to do.
In the end, I was gifted with the money to make this happen myself, and I contacted the person stating that I had gotten money and would now look elsewhere since he had done nothing for- wait for it- 8 whole months, this is a person who claims to be a professional in the field.
Anyway, the person basically told me that if I'd told him money was involved that it would have been done sooner.
Sadly the deluded fool must have thought favours require personal gain, the reason he was even asked was because of my lack of money... what a fool.
When you make a promise or favour to another person, that is what it is, its your word that you will do what you've stated to do, this had not happened for 8 months, and I was expected to PAY this person for 8 months of no work? so that he would do it!
To cut a long story short, I have nothing to do with the person in question, there is no need to surround yourself with people that are unreliable and selfish.
And readers, when someone tells you they will do a favour for you but keep putting it off and even say they are ok to do it when you ask them if they still can... what do you do?
In my eyes, a favour should be made in the idea that it will be undertaken, and if you can not do the task, then state that you cannot do it any longer.
This may of sounded like a little rant, but up until now I've kept this behind closed doors, I was so disappointed with the person in question it's even worse when I think back to all the selfless favours I've done for that person, even shared my home with him for half a year to help him out.
I've lost what little respect I had left for the person and sadly know that his blind and selfish attitude towards life will take him nowhere nice.
The main site is being done by another person whom is a professional, but actually works for a large well known company and has a lot of experience with E-commerce, plus a impressive list of coded products.
This new guy will hopefully be working on the website very soon and I'll be finally able to get things rolling hopefully before mid summer.
The pleasure I have knowing that this could get done and to finally have the buisness I've worked so hard towards, is almost too much to think about!!
This week it's mostly about the website as well as creating new designs!
Some Great tips!! 7 not-so-obvious habits to increase productivity!
I firmly believe that the art of ignorance should be taught in schools. We live in such an information-rich society, our focus is so deeply challenged by dozens or hundreds of stimuli each and every second, that we have a really hard time focusing on what really matters.
Especially on Mondays, when all the previous week unprocessed stuff seems to crash on us, try to apply this. Focus only on what matters. If you have a presentation to finish in one hour, cut out everything – and I mean: EVERYTHING – that is not connected to it.
Slash out Twitter, Facebook, email. Turn off the music. Close the door after putting a big sign with “Abandon hope all ye who enter here” on the other side. In time, you’ll become better at this. The hidden frustration that “you’re missing something” will fade away.
2. Tuesday – Reward Yourself Constantly
Each tiny task that you finish is an achievement. We forget too often that our big successes are in fact big chains of small tasks performed on a daily basis. So, in order to keep this chaining process running, put a little reward at the end of each small task.
Tuesdays are great for this habit, because they’re the first link after the week hast started. Just do something nice at the end of each task. Listen to your favorite tune or read your favorite blog (and that would be, of course, Stepcase Lifehack) for the next five minutes.
As much as we won’t want to admit it, that Pavlov guy was right. And I’m not talking about the dogs here. I’m talking about you. Because you gotta be your own Pavlov and the dogs will be your productivity habits. Train them constantly. And, if need will be, feed them some sugar every now and then.
3. Wednesday – Negotiate The Expendable
It’s the middle of the week, and, by now, there must be some garbage accumulated. Some stuff that you don’t really need to do, but, somehow, it’s still in your to do list. It’s a perfect time to negotiate that stuff. Does it really need to be on your to do list?
The pressure of constantly doing, delivering, accomplishing made us forget that we do have this option too in our arsenal. I’m talking about negotiation. “Talk” with the task. Or with the person at the other end of the task. Does it really need to be done right now?
I compare this negotiation process with taking out the water from a gulf. If you’re lucky, you will see an ancient shipwreck. That’s your task. It’s not a yacht anymore, it’s a shipwreck. You will start to realize that what you thought is important, may not even be there anymore. It’s just the ghost of the task.
4. Thursday – Reuse Past Approaches
This comes from a long history of programming. I’m still doing it, this programming thing, by the way, because I enjoy it so much. Just try to look at what you have to do and compare it with previous experiences. Like “Have I done this before?. How did I do it?”
Thursdays are perfect for that, because you now must have a consistent “week work history” to dig through. And, allegedly, you’re also pretty much at the top of your potential. From now on, it will start to go downhill, somehow.
So, try to identify similarities in your work before you will do the same thing twice, just because you don’t remember doing it before. Pay attention to the circumstances, because they’re never the same, but isolate what you can repeat.
5. Friday – Ask For Help
If I would have a dollar for each time I didn’t ask for help when I should have, I would certainly be a millionaire. Seriously. Being “productive” has this aura of “I’m doing all the stuff by myself. I’m so cool.” Well, maybe you’re cool, but you don’t have to do anything by yourself.
You have a unique set of skills. Other people have their own unique set of skills. If you combine your set with their set, it’s absolutely obvious that you will get far better results than by using only yours. It’s just simple mathematics here.
And Fridays are perfect to test this habit, because, admit it, you’re a little bit tired. And it’s also a good pretext for some social interaction. Isolate some task that you know somebody else may be doing better than you and ask for their help.
6. Saturday – Switch Workplaces
Ok, we don’t have to work on Saturdays. As I told you, you can just put this tip on any other day of the week. But I chose Saturdays because they are perfect for traveling. Short trips around the town, seeing some new places, meeting some new people.
Try to do the same with your workplace. See if you can work for a day somewhere else. From home, or from a coffee shop. Or even in another office. Or, if you can’t live your office, on a different chair. Just change something in your surroundings.
All our habits are shaped by our surroundings. The more you’ll change the surroundings, the better and more consistent your habits will become. This constant stimulation will summon energy resources that you didn’t even know you have.
7. Sunday – Change Deadlines Into Livelines
I kept this from my GTD routine, you know, the weekly review. I did this on Sundays, trying to project the next week. I still try to have a look at the week just before it starts. And now, a little bit of explanation about the word “liveline”.
I stopped use the word “deadline” long time ago, because it has “death” in it. The “task slasher” approach. I don’t do this anymore. Because crossing off tasks from your to do lists will eventually end up with crossing off your entire life from your to do lists. Rushing straight to your own death, one crossed task at a time. Change this perspective. A deadline is not the end. Make it a liveline. Make it a beginning.
And by that I mean something connected with something else. A new start. Think in terms of new beginnings not in term of endings. If you really need to reach the end of something, use the word “milestone”. And replace “deadline” with “liveline” every time you can.
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