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.
Don's Ego 