Getting back on course

A ship is off course 95% of the time it’s at sea.

Then you might ask, how the heck does it ever get to it’s destination?  The answer is simple: it constantly makes corrections to get back on track.  At first thought you might think that a ship travels from point A to point B via straight line, but that is so far from the case.  There are outside forces that push and pull the ship in directions that the captain didn’t intend for it to go.  Forces such as wind and currents, not to mention the storms and hurricanes that could knock a ship off course.  A smart captain will account for these trials at sea and make sure that once the storm has passed, he is again checking his charts to make sure that he gets back on course.  You could picture a ship traveling not in a straight line but in a zig-zag pattern to it’s destination and just like a ship, this is how most of us professionals travel to our destinations, or goals.

Rarely do we ever plot a course for our goals and it’s carried out exactly like we planned.  Those of you with little children know that planning on doing something is tough when you have certain variables vying for your attention.  But if this principle is understood then we don’t need to beat ourselves up over not being on course 100% of the time.  I hold myself to very high standards as I’m sure you do too, and I normal beat myself up when my plans don’t go the way I want, but I quickly realize that’s just me getting off course and I need to understand where I’m at and get back on track.

We normally view these zig-zags as negatives as if we are going backwards when actually we are just a little off course and we just need a little bit of adjustments to get back on track.  I recently had a “zig” in a project as a series of events prevented me from getting some easy work done.  If it wasn’t one thing it was another and it seemed that I couldn’t find the time to get this work done.  (I’m sure I’m not the only one who has felt this.)  It wasn’t something urgent but it was something that I had planned for and kept getting push back.  Just when I was about to get started, something (or someone) would call for my attention and I’d have to get up and tend to that issue.  This work wasn’t like a meeting or anything where I would normally block off time but it just so happened that when I decided to work on it, I got interrupted.  I wanted my ship to go in one direction and the tide wanted to take me in another.  Once I realized this, I was able to get back on course by slicing up the work into smaller tasks, scheduling a chunk of time to get it done and getting this monkey off my back.  A small task turned into a huge ordeal just because of the life that was happening around me. The first thing you have to do is realize you are off track, then the rest is up to you on how to get back back.

Here are some things I use when I want to get back on track:

• Do a Mind sweep – listing all the things that have your attention right now.  Fix the window, call Mom, Schedule a meeting with client…  Dump all of that onto a list and don’t stop until you have everything written down.  After you have that list written out, you usually find it’s not as impossible as you made it out to be.
• Journal/ Talk to someone – similar to the mind sweep, this is a way to get your issues out in the open to give it a face or make it tangible.  When you verbalize something, it has to make sense otherwise you’d just be rambling.  But in your quest to make sense, the solution to your problem usually is right in front of you.
• Buy a book – Sometimes reading helps me gain insights to what I need to do and some reading in that field will help stir up ideas or thoughts on adjustments that could be made to my current plan of action.
• Take a trip – seems counter productive when you are planning on going somewhere else, but taking a side trip, or a pit stop might be just what the doctor ordered.  Enjoy your tangent off course and chalk it up to living in the moment.  Let everyone know (including yourself) that when we get back, it’s time to work.
• Clean my desk – Something easy that could be done at anytime.  A clean workspace tends to help ideas flow better.  An uncluttered desk leads to an uncluttered brain.

Let me know what you do to get back on track.

Mind like water

In the book “Getting things done”, David Allen mentions having a mind like water. When a pebble is dropped into a pond, it creates a reaction called a ripple and this ripple is in direct proportion to the size of the pebble. The water doesn’t overreact or under-react to the pebble but it reacts perfectly to the pebble and then comes back to clam again. This is the first step in creating boundaries for all your areas of life.

When a pebble gets dropped into your pond don’t overreact or under-react but give it the attention it deserves and then move on. Back to calm, ready for the next pebble.

New Project with Built 2 Gr1nd

Working on a new project with DL da Arsun from Built 2 Gr1nd.  Talking with DL, the founder of Built 2 Gr1nd, he has a vision for his label and his music.  But basically the vision he had was in sync with my vision I had for my writing so instead of being in competition with each other, I decided to lend my services and offered for the two of us to work together.  We have a lot in common so it was natural for us to work together.  I’m working on writing profiles for his upcoming magazine that is part of the Build 2 Gr1nd line.

I will be posting on things that come up with this project along with other projects that come along the way.  More to come.

What do you want?

Its funny how things work out.  You think you are doing the right thing and walking a certain way but situations seem like they just aren’t working out.  So you try something different and still you don’t what you want.  So you look at the process and try to change it, thinking that it will give you a different result.

Well I have an idea.  Instead of looking at the process, try looking at the result and changing that end of the equation.  I’m not asking you to change your dream or your goals, but just evaluate why you want that dream or goal.  If it’s a material thing or if it’s a state of being, maybe you are looking at it the wrong way and you want what you want for the wrong reasons.

Think about it: maybe the reason that you’re not getting the results you want is because you don’t really want those results to begin with.

Once you know the deep down “Why”, the how will follow.

Mind sweeping

Sometime life gets so complicated and so overwhelming that it’s hard to see which way is up.  You have responsibilities with the kids, with the family, with work, with 101 other things.  Here is a quick tip that I use anytime I’m feeling overwhelmed.

Take out a pad and paper or any word processing program and start writing down everything that has your attention and why.  Start with the biggest thing on your mind and work down.  It doesn’t have to be a task that you have to accomplish, it could just be a feeling or a person you are dealing with, just put it down so that it covers the thought that is in your mind.  And be sure to write down “why” this thing has your attention.  Continue to list things until everything that is on your mind is written down.  Once you are done with everything that concerns you, ask yourself “is that it?”. Put down anything else that comes to mind.

The purpose of a mind sweep is to give you a tangible list of things to tackle.  I usually do this when I’m worrying about things or when I feel, “there are just too many things going on”.  I usually find out after writing there are just a few things going on that I’ve blown out of proportion.  Or after I’ve written the list, I find that there are things that are outside my control so why worry about them in the first place.

This list is a way to mentally check-in with yourself to see how you are doing and make sure you are on track.  Now that you have a list, you could plan, prioritize, and take action on those things and make your worries disappear.

The opposite of fear is not courage, it’s action.

7 reasons why you should start your business today.

Here are 7 reasons why NOW is the best time to start a business.

Costs are low

With the economy still struggling to get on it’s feet, prices for goods and services have never been lower.  Deals are running rampant as company’s try to get your patronage by whatever means necessary, even if that means dropping price.  This could be especially good if you have strong negotiation skills.

Talent is out there

Unemployment is still high so you have a huge talent pool to choose from if looking for the right person.  It’s an employers market out there and people looking for jobs are desperate right now.  You should be able to find the perfect candidate for your position in no time.

Internet is free

This has been a big one for along time and will continue to be big one for years to come.  Just 20 yrs ago if you wanted to be a real company you had to open up a physical shop.  Now you could have a website and look professional for little to nothing.  I know of some businesses that their only customer channel is through a Facebook fan page and those are free.

Leveled playing field

With the cost of professional equipment down, and people getting there starts on YouTube, its anyone’s game right now.  There is no excuse for you not to be in the field that you want to be in.  Kids are getting there start just by playing around in the field that is now accessible to them.

Global market

Aside from the internet, foreign markets are looking to put there foot on US soil. Partnering with companies could be a great way to get started.  China has manufacturing companies that are looking for business to sell their products here in the US.  They are just waiting to see who will contact them.

Communication

With technology bringing people together at a rate as never before, there is no excuse for not getting in touch with partners, customers or anyone.  Texting, email, Social Networking sites and the old but true, phone call.  All could be done by your smart phone and done right now.

The structure is in turmoil

Don’t wait until the dust settles to find out what you want to do, otherwise you will be reacting to those around you.  The large companies of today were small ones that took action when things were in chaos and when the dust settled they came out victors over the battlefield.

Fad or Trend

When I was going to Jr high and High school, the popular thing for the guys was to wear baggy pants and to have them worn lower than your hips, to “sagg”.  And to some the lower your pants were the better, it was sign of how cool you were.  I’d hear parents tell me to “pull up your pants”, “do you need a belt”.  To them it looked like a baby trying on his dads clothes.  Fast forward to today and you just the opposite, you see kids wearing skinny jeans and it looks like the tighter the better.  I shake my head looking at it and wonder what are they thinking, just as my parents shook their heads looking at me. It’s a cycle that all parents go though with the next generation, but need not worry because it’s just a fad.

Now a trend on the other hand starts out looking just like a fad.  A few people start getting into it and it starts to get popular.  But trends have something more than just a popularity thing going for them, they have this factor of reaching across generations and they usually have a stronger cause for the “why they are doing it” other than the teenage “just cause”.  Going “green” is a good example of a trend.  How more and more people are environmentally conscious, buying and investing in products that are good for the planet.  I see this trend growing more and more as some of the larger companies are now heavily investing in this trend.  On a more techy side, smart phones are trending up.  With the launch of the iPhone more and more people are getting used to having devices that do everything, so Blackberry and Android Phones are getting a boost too riding the wave of that trend.   With trends there ideas are here to stay, the products may change and the leading companies may fall, but the ideas are here to stay.

Is what you are working on a fad a trend?  Are you working on something that is hot at the moment, or are you working on something that is trend, something that is hot right now but will be smoking hot in years to come?

It’s just people.

Do you think you would have all these problems if you were the only one person in this world.  Financial problems, social problems, whatever your problem, it wouldn’t be a problem if you were the only one here, right?

But you’re not the only one here.  The world is filled with all these people that you have to deal with.  Your parents, friends, co-workers, your boss, the lady in the check-out lane, the guy that took your parking spot.  So here it is, the great equation for life.

Me + (Other People) = Life

You are the constant and the “Other People” are the variable.

So it’s not the world that you have to deal with, it’s these other people that enter and exit your life that you deal with.  It’s not them and it’s not you, it’s the relationship that you have with these people for the whatever amount of time that you spend with them.  It could be 1 sec or 1 lifetime.  Its how you choose to deal with each relationship that forms your life.

So when life gets you down, don’t sweat it just remember,

it’s just people.

WordPress vs Tumblr

There has been a lot of discussion about the fact that Tumblr now has more subscribers than WordPress.  As a first time blogger, I took the liberty of creating both a Tumblr and WordPress account to see where I could best set up shop to display my work and which one best embodies my style.  I thought what better way to do this than to pit the two together.  I figured since I’m just starting out and haven’t used one more than other, that it would qualify my opinion as unbiased.  So here we go.

I chose the following categories for the two hosting sites to be compared:

• Posting
• Customization
• Mobility
• Socialization

Posting

Posting is the lifeblood of the web and you’ll need to be quick and stand out if you want your posts to be read.  WordPress has a few more formatting tools when posting text like Header formats and changing the color of your text.  Where as Tumblr‘s point and shoot style is quick and simple.

Tumblr has a chat type post that allows your post to look like a dialog.  Something that would be good for if you had a funny conversation with your daughter or someone who didn’t understand what you are saying.  Just so you don’t have to put “and then she said”.  I could see this coming in handy for telling jokes too.

WordPress has two other post types: polls and custom forms.  The Polls are done by Polldaddy and are very cool at getting ideas or making decisions on dates for events, new projects, etc. and they even tally the results so you could see it in graph form or percentages.  An awesome feature for gathering data.  The custom forms is another feature that allows you to add a form in the middle of your post.  Another tool for gathering data or organizing feedback.

Customization

Both sites have their own theme library which vary from the super simple to complex.  If you know HTML/CSS you’ll be able to go further than most and customize to your desire. Without getting into each detail, WordPress has a lot more customizations that are just drag and drop where Tumblr holds to it’s function of simplicity.  There is also a larger community for WordPress designers, so there are tons of widgets to choose from.  Tumblr has the same but you might have to learn a little HTML/CSS if you are picky about designs.  Also WordPress looks more corporate and Tumblr looks more creative, just an overall observation on majority of the themes.

Mobility

Both have mobile apps that allow you to post on the go.  Your able to see posts that are in the drafts and in the queue and able to upload images and posts like normal.  Since Tumblr has it’s dashboard you are able to see what’s happening with people you are following, where as WordPress, you could only see comments to your posts.

Socialization

These sites both have ties into Twitter and Facebook.  The only difference that I could find is that with Tumblr you have to turn off the feed to Facebook in the settings section if you don’t want a particular post to be sent to Facebook.  In WordPress you have both Facebook and Twitter as check boxes on each post, so you could customize after you write.  WordPress also has feeds to del.icio.us, Meebo and Flickr, if those are sites that you subscribe to.

My Final Thoughts

No matter how you slice it, I have to say that WordPress is the better blogging site.  Tumblr is a good site too, but I find it to be a website sideways from Facebook.  If Facebook allowed the user profile pages to be customizable then you could have Tumblr right there.  But then you would be looking more like MySpace and not Facebook.  Not sure if that would be a good thing.

Due to it’s rich tools and customization, it is better for professional bloggers and those that want to write posts such as this one to use WordPress.  I mean that’s why you are reading this here instead of there.

I’d love to hear back from you on either side.  Leave a comment, tell me what you think.

Thanks.

Ube-be-baby!

Ube-be-be-baby!

Ube cupcakes.

Sophisticakes by Heidi.

Photo by Cedric Reyes.  These were an order for my god daughter’s baptism.  So good.