Like clockwork, every two years or so I pick up and move my blog. Well, this is the last time. I’ve moved my blog and renamed it as Kaleidoscopic Raygun. Go and check it out. It’s not much different than here, but it’s there.
Actually, I recently met up with Detroit Bloggers and met a bunch of awesome people with awesome blogs and most of them had clever or interesting names (the blogs had interesting names, the people had normal names, fyi) and mine did not. People blogged about being Moms and I thought that was cool. Another guy blogged about being a Dad. And that was cool. I told everyone all about spunkybean – I’m way proud of that thing. But I had to do some soul searching to figure out just what exactly is Don’s Ego all about?
Am I a writer/humourist sampling my writing? Am I just journaling personal experiences for my own amusement? Am I trying to provide life lessons?
I still don’t have an answer, but I have a new blog. It’s a start. It’ll still be all over the map, but I’m hoping I can use it for sharing more stories, life lessons and anecdotes, some creative writing, and use it to push my personal brands and start-up businesses.
Kaleidoscopic Raygun will be like a scratch pad for a bunch of my other writing. Yes …that’s it. I hope you check it out.
I think I figured out why I didn’t ever finish Tony Robbins’s “Personal Power II” originally. It’s because I locked myself into this “must do this for thirty days straight – 30 days, no more, no less”, and when I got off course, I quit. Pretty much what I do with everything. If Bilbo had entrusted “the Ring” to me …well, Middle Earth would’ve been screwed. What were those things? Orcs? Um, yes, I would avoid any situation where those things might’ve been looking for me.
Anyway, as some of you know, I have a full time job and three kids and a wife (and, no, I’m not comparing any of them to Orcs), so thinking I can do anything for 30-days straight is fool-hearty. Heck, and those of you with kids can back me up on this …even making a goal like “sleep through the night” or “eat” for 30 straight days can very easily get derailed when you add kids into the mix.
So, here I am …Day 2, and the lesson was “identify four things; write them down; analyze it.” Specifically, (1) Write down 4 Actions You Want to Take Immediately, (2) Write Down the Pain that Prevents You from Doing Said Action, (3) Write Down the Good Things that Happened from NOT Taking Action, (4) Write Down the OPPOSITE Result, Short-term and Long-term, that comes from NOT Doing the Thing, and finally (5) Under Each Action, Write Down Everything y You’ll Gain by Doing These Things – EVERYTHING – Short Term and Long Term.
Jiminy Christmas! That’s like homework. But, I did it. I’ll share that list in a minute. But there’s also this thing that I thought, “cool, I’m going to do that, too.”
My goal for this blog is to, someday, be an extension of my writing career. Meaning, I don’t necessarily think I’m going to make a living telling the world what I ate and what I’m doing and what I want for my birthday. But, my plan is to write a book(s), finish this amazing idea for a screenplay I have, and convince someone to pay me to write entertaining columns and articles. Hey, it could happen. Eventually, I guess this blog could generate revenue by selling my books and short stories. Or selling “I *heart* Don” t-shirts.
And now back to my 30-day Revolution …The Don Revolution …the Donvolution. ArmagedDon, if you will. And you may snicker at these “Four Things”, but they’re my four things. And the main thing I pick up from “Personal Power II” every time I start it (and then stop it), is that for the first few days, I get stuff done. Two things I’ve found universally true …writing stuff down (like a to-do list) helps keep you focused, and then doing those things makes you feel awesome and energized.
So, mostly for my own enjoyment, here are my “Four Things.”
Write Every Day (and Identify Writing Tasks That Move Me Toward My Ultimate Writing Utopia)
Organize / Categorize my Contacts and Distribution Lists (because then I might actually use them)
Send My iSonic Entertainment Center Back to Polk Audio to be Fixed (this is something that just haunts me because it’s a constant reminder that sometimes I’m just lazy)
Finish My Sales Book/Manuscript; Finish My Short Story Book
That last item …#4 …if I can follow through on those two things, maybe by Christmas time or sooner, you’ll be looking at one happy guy. Yes, ultimately it would be awesome to become a best-selling author, but the first task of writing a book from beginning to end will simply make me very happy. For the people who love me an encourage me, it will make them proud. I’ll feel accomplished in a way I doubt I’ve ever felt. Like the satisfaction I have from finally, after 9-months, of mailing back my iSonic, I’m guessing finishing a book will be 73x as exhilarating. And then beginning the task of finding a publisher and readers …well …in order to lament that challenge, I’ve got to overcome the first (which I listed as the fourth and I don’t know why).
It’s Thursday, technically Day 4, and I just finished Day 2, but I won’t apologize. I will finish. I will do stuff. And if you are so bored that you’ll be following along, hopefully you’ll be a little entertained and inspired yourself.
Something I’ve been Tweeting and Facebooking about is my new year resolution of moving my body 2,010 miles, whether that be running, swimming, or biking. It’s ambitious (probably overly ambitious). Doing the math, it works out to 40 miles per week, seeing as I didn’t start it until the 3rd week of 2010.
Hopefully I don’t have to explain the significance of 2,010 miles.
Here’s the reason I did this. Most Facebook status messages and most resolutions I see or hear are all about “quitting” something or “losing weight”. And at the risk of sounding like I’ve read The Secret too many times (I read it once, and I hated it for the sham it is), it seems when you resolve to do a negative thing, you’ll struggle. And, I haven’t thought about how a person who wishes they didn’t need cigarettes every day should word their resolutions. Maybe they need to stick with the “quit” verbiage.
But …with regards to those excess pounds, that cholesterol, your resting heart rate, think about what you can do and will do to make a difference. Specifically, one status message said, “2010 will finally be the year I lose these 30 extra pounds.” And I got to thinking, that was my goal too. But rather I focused on the fun of running, the challenge of training for a triathlon, signing up for trail-running events, and you know what happened? I had tons of fun, did more outdoor and exercise type things than I have since I was a kid, and I lost weight and inches everywhere.
So let that be your mantra if you want 2010 to be different. Vow to walk or run 10 miles a week. Or eat 1 carrot, 1 green pepper, and 1 cucumber every day, and one apple (“an apple a day…”). It’s safe to say, you do that, you’ll spend so much time eating healthy things, I’ll betcha your cravings for junk food will diminish at least a little bit (I’m no Dr. Oz, I’m just guessing). Resolve to drink 80 ounces of water every day. If you buy 7 cucumbers, green peppers, and carrots every week, you’re budget for Doritos and Oreos is going to be cut by quite a bit.
The other good thing is this – you can totally track it. As I’m doing with my 2,010 miles. I invented this stupid idea 8 days ago and I’ve knocked out 14 miles, already.
Don’t lose, quit, or suffer. But set a goal and achieve it. The rest of your goals will come along for the ride.
Hi, loyal readers (all three of you). I told you, whenst next I blogged something, I’d be able to brag about a few things. Trouble was, my cleverly titled headings (‘Random’, ‘Pithy’, and ‘Passions’) didn’t really capture the spirit of this entry.
Do you ever have one of those weeks or weekends where it feels like the stars align and things (everything) go great? Mine was such a weekend.
Friday, I wrote. Saturday, I woke up and the leaf raking I did the previous weekend still had my lawn cleared of leaves. I made pancakes for the family. The carpenter who was going to hang solid-wood, six-panel doors on our bedrooms arrived on time to finish the job. Two guys hired to knock down 6 layers of bricks on our chimney and rebuild it also arrived on time. They all did great work. The six-and-under girls soccer team I coach scored 2 goals in a 2-0 victory (matching our entire season-long scoring – yes, we only scored two goals total in the other 7 games …I played fullback (defense) in my playing days …cut me some slack …we only allowed a total of 9 goals in those 7 games …we’re working on it …offense wins games …defense wins championship …you’ve heard about that, right?). With Saturdays victory, we ended the season 1-4-3 (we played to more than one 0-0 tie …because we’re a defensive team, as I mentioned). To end the season on this note (a flood gate of goals – all two of them) has me and all the parents quite optimistic for the springtime. Not only did we actually score two goals, I dare say we could have had 10 more. But these six year olds are awfully polite, and when they see a wide open net, they graciously allow the goalie to get into position to make a save. And when they dribble past someone, they sportingly allow the defenders time to get back into position and and try to stop us again.
It’s really quite nice, and as a parent you are proud to see how nice and thoughtful your daughter is. But as a coach, it’s a bit maddening.
So, my six-year-olds won their soccer game, and then I was home in time to sweat through an improbable victory by my Michigan State Spartan football team. And from there, it was onto a dinner party with friends – friends with children, which means all the kids run around and break stuff and scream and fight amongst themselves, and we parents can actually talk about something other than who pulled who’s hair, who started what, and further explantions as to how a Lego ended up in both nostrils.
Did I mention those doors? Or old doors never closed. Now they do. And our old master bedroom door never stayed open. Now it does. I should make some connection to new doors, opening new doors, and use them as a metaphor to life and how I’m opening new doors and “walking through them” and stuff like that. Or how “building” and “rebuilding” my chimney was akin to my rebuilding my writing hobby and my blog …but, I hired those things out, so it’s not really like I did them. Watching someone else install new bedroom doors and fix your chimney would be the same as if I just read some blogs and bought a book.
But, I really could’ve used the metaphor, except for that big flaw in the arguement I just pointed out.
I mentioned, I blogged. Then I met with my new client, Fit Kids Connection, and I got them all rolling with Facebook, Twitter, and their blog. You should check it out. And more than that, you should order something and tell ‘em “Don sent me.”
And if I could’ve logged into the Mel Robbins blog, I would’ve also pointed you to a hilarious (sarcasm) article I was going to write about epidemic OxyContin addiction levels in the greater Boston area, and how people can get help, or help someone they love who’s found themselves in the grips of addiction. Don’t worry …I’ll let you know when I write that jaunty little entry. Until then …keep hanging doors, building chimneys, and scoring goals.
I think I figured out why I didn’t ever finish Tony Robbins’s “Personal Power II” originally. It’s because I locked myself into this “must do this for thirty days straight – 30 days, no more, no less”, and when I got off course, I quit. Pretty much what I do with everything. If Bilbo had entrusted “the Ring” to me …well, Middle Earth would’ve been screwed. What were those things? Orcs? Um, yes, I would avoid any situation where those things might’ve been looking for me.
