Carrot on a stick

The Horse:

“I know that I’m a lucky horse,
For every day I’m blessed.
A crispy carrot I’ll get to eat,
If I pass my daily test.”

“I’m not required to do that much,
The reward seems worth the sweat.
I’ve always earned it by day’s end,
It’s a safe and secure bet.”

“When I awake on each new day,
I feel the hunger pains.
This causes me to look around,
For a carrot to take the reigns.”

“Just before I give up hope,
I spot it hanging low.
Dangling just above my nose,
And tempting me to go.”

“So I arise and get a taste,
Mmm…sweeter than a peach!
But just before I bite again,
It jerks beyond my reach”

“Of course this is expected,
For it happens every day.
I work all day to catch the prize
And it always runs away.”

“I’m not really worried though,
The prize is always caught.
True, at times, it seems too small.
After all, I’ve done a LOT.”

“I’ve hauled, I’ve pulled,
I've sustained a lot of stress.
I’ve been yanked and jerked around,
Hmmm… But I digress…”

“This is what I’ve always done,
I see no need to change.
I’ll follow where the carrot leads,
And fight off the hunger pains.”

The Rider:

“I am a lucky man indeed,
For every day I’m blessed.
I’ve planned ahead and found a way,
To excel beyond the rest.”

“I push myself to reach new goals,
And at first I had to sweat.
But now the plan is paying off,
And my future’s not a bet.”

“When I awake on each new day,
And I feel those hunger pains,
I’m reminded of the goals I’ve made,
And resolve to take the reigns.”

“In order to maintain my wealth,
I learned this long ago;
Ignore the fads and trendy things,
And be not tempted so.”

“Instead I’ve found more value,
In the pit than in the peach,
Potential lies within the seed,
That’s worthy of my reach.”

“To cover the great distances,
Of where I go each day,
I ride astride my trusty horse.
Which makes work seem like play.”

“With just one simple carrot,
I’ve got this horse well taught.
To be contented when we stop,
And eat what he has sought.”

“I’ve never seen a written rule,
That work should cause me stress.
Instead of hard, then, I’ll work smart
And ensure that I progress.”

“Striving for expiring things,
Means temporary gains;
And following where the carrot leads
Brings tomorrow’s hunger pains.”

The "Sick Leave" Ambush

Reason #3,628 to not work for someone else:
The "Sick Leave" Ambush

Will someone please explain to me the logic behind "sick leave?" I've found this concept to be a complete trap. Make no bones about it, everybody gets sick. Some get sick more often than others, but we all have those days when we'd rather just stay in bed and feel miserable all by ourselves than come in and LOOK miserable in front of everyone else for 8 hours.

The theory behind sick leave is well enough intentioned. When we're first hired on with a new company, most of us attend some type of orientation where a million different policies and procedures are fired at us. By the time we leave this "orientation" meeting, however, most of us feel much more disoriented than when we went in, despite the HR rep's reassuring, "Don't worry, it's all laid out for you in the handbook!" While drinking from this fire hydrant of information, you might hear them whiz through some policy regarding paid time off. This, for the average working American, is the needle in the haystack. The light at the end of the tunnel. It’s the one piece of this meeting that gives us something to look forward to. Don't kid yourself, you're already looking forward to the next paid holiday, or vacation that you qualify for. After all, not many of us are working just for fun. Ahhh...time off. But I digress...

Let's say, after you've been with a company for a probationary period of 30 days, that every pay period you now accrue 3 hours of "vacation time" and 3 hours "sick time." Now, let's say that you've been working for this company for about 6 months and have never taken a day off. Assuming it were possible, you would now have about 36 hours (nearly 4.5 days) of each. Ever wonder what would happen if you used all your vacation time at once? Probably nothing more than a little extra paperwork to catch up on by the end of your vacation, right? On the flip side, however, what if you were to call in sick every day for a entire work week? What would happen then? Chances are, your boss would start to make negative assumptions about you, don't you think? "He's faking it to make a vacation out of the long weekend!" "He's got interviews with other places on COMPANY time!" "He's milking the company!"

Although it is never said aloud, most people know that "vacation time" can be used without any worry about their reputation. Why is it then that those 3 hours of time, when used as "sick time," will usually negatively affect the way your employers judge you? The only difference between "vacation time” and "sick time", after all, is the amount of time we have to notify our employers that we'll be using it...right? Aren't vacation hours and sick time hours both GIVEN to us to use? Why then, for the love of Pete, should we feel guilty or looked down on when we actually DO use it...even if we use ALL of it?!

Although I've got a great boss now, and this isn't a current issue, in the past I've actually been dangerously close to getting canned just for using the sick time my company has allotted me. This doesn't make any sense to me. If I were to ask my previous boss whether or not the sick time I had acrued was actually mine to use, surely he would say, "yes"...wouldn't he? It's not like I had ever dipped into borrowed time off in order to be out sick.

I suffer from migraine headaches. I generally get a really bad one about once per week, and almost always have about 3 or 4 less severe, but nagging headaches during the rest of the week. Sometimes they're just annoying enough to make me miserable while I'm at work, while other times they're capable of forcing me to stay at home where it's quiet and dark. Someone like me can't just NOT work. I've got to make due with what I've got...

With the last company I worked for, which will go unnamed, this happened a lot. However, because I usually wake up with my headaches, I would pop a pill in the early morning, call in sick, and then lay down to sleep it off. More often than not, I'd feel well enough within a few hours, and be able to make it into work by about 11:00 am or noon. Granted, with a situation like this, the biggest problem is that my employer is expecting me to be at work until he gets my message. With vacation time, it would have been planned in advance. I can understand that. But they did GIVE me those hours to use....didn't they? I mean, they are allowed, right? It doesn’t make much sense to me to give someone "time off" hours (regardless of what you're calling them), and then get disgruntled when you take them up on their offer to actually use them.

Even the actual call-in to the boss is a joke. I've had a boss actually tell me, while briefing me on their call-in-sick protocol, "When you call in, you don't need to try to sound sick. Just say you’re using sick time." I had to laugh at that one. Obviously, that employer was tired of employees faking a desperately frail whimper in order to sound legitimately sick. I'll admit it...I've done it before. I'd venture to say that most of us in the working class have done it at one time or another; You know, when you called in sick, and, at the risk of sounding too healthy to be taken seriously, gave an academy award-winning sick voice performance. Psshhh....we've all done it, dude.

Listen, not much is worse, in my world, than having to call some other human being (who is only my boss because they got there before I did) and inform them that I'm not feeling well. Nothing else makes me feel as inferior and enslaved as having to call-in. Whether I'm truly sick or just want the day off. That, for me, is a great reason to work towards my goal of working for myself.

I've learned
That if you ever feel like you need to take a vacation from your work, you're in the wrong field. Those who truly love what they do, never really work a day in their lives, and subsequently never need (or even want) to take a vacation from it. To them, vacations are just interrupting them from doing what they enjoy.

I'm glad
That the general public has not caught onto the great investing secret of precious metals yet. I've still got some time. Gold and silver are both performing terrifically, and folks are bound to notice it soon. By the time they do catch on, it'll mean it's too late to buy it at a good deal.

I wish
I was able to consistently focus on just ONE of my ideas and get it totally finished. This is my greatest challenge as an aspiring entrepreneur. I can't seem to just put new ideas aside until after I've finished previously conceived ideas. All of them seem viable, and none of them seem unimportant enough to prioritize lower.

I will
Have to push a lot harder if I'm going to finish the Virtual Vault before the baby-boomers retire. They'll start within this year. I think they'll be my target market with all the pensions, investments and assets they'll need to manage during their retirement years.

The Fragility of Small Business

Like any measurable thing, businesses can be categorized into scaleable and quantitative groups. For instance, they can be categorized by demographics, or by the amount of jobs they create. They can be sorted by the amount of revenue they generate, by the amount of stock holders they have, by the products that produce, or by their marketing budgets. There are the major league players like Microsoft, Wal Mart, and Google, there are the mid-sized businesses (that still seem huge) like Post Net, Big-O Tires, and Pier One, and then there are the little guys. I mean the really little guys. You know the ones who “claim” to be businesses and who just barely qualify on paper as “legitimate” businesses. Sure they produce products and provide services, but generally speaking, the only difference between them and the average employee is which hour you happen to catch them working. It is this latter category that, ironically, makes up most of America’s economy. Strange, isn’t it? The big businesses make more money when compared side by side, but collectively it is the small (sometimes only technically) businesses that drive the national economy. How is this possible? Well, there are just that many of us out there. Folks like me who have great ideas, dreams, and aspirations, but not much clout. Many of us are starting from scratch. it’s all about good timing and being ready to welcome opportunity when it knocks on our door.

They say that 90% of small businesses fail within their first year. After that first successful year, they say that 90% of those fail within the next 5 years. I think failure and success are both relative terms. At the risk of sounding cliché, the only true measure of one’s success or failure is one’s own goals and aspirations. Those goals and aspirations are determined by commitment, optimism, and patience. Like all the other non-believers of the get-rich-quick method, I’m in this for the long haul and I know it’s going to take a long time before I see the results I’m looking for. It’s takes time to build a strong business infrastructure and system. I don’t expect to be wealthy overnight, but I do expect that it’s somewhere along the path I’m on. I just need to stay on the path and push....hard.

I’m in my 2nd year of business as a corporation. However, I’ve been working as a hobby business for about 6 years now. One might say I’ve beaten the odds of surviving longer than the 1 to 5 year life expectancy of a small business. Although, one might also argue that I haven’t been involved in the real business world long enough to have any measurable track record. Again, I think it comes down to perspective.

Why is it that most small businesses fail so early on anyway? I mean, why is it that so many well-intentioned, hard working, smart, and talented people’s business ventures go belly-up shortly after beginning? Businesses are like trees. They start out small, fragile and vulnerable. Expecting a business to start out generating massive amounts of money right from the beginning is as about as smart as expecting a newly planted sprout to start producing fruit in its first season of growth. They need lots of attention at first. Attention and NOT much expectation. Just like a new plant needs lots of sun light, fertile soil and water to grow, a business needs dedication, ambition, optimism, and conviction.

So, why am I writing about the fragility of small businesses today, you might be wondering? Well, today I feel small. Determined and confident, but very small. I guess I'm probably still trying to establish my own roots in the soil I find myself in. I'm still trying to look at my business' potential instead of seeing the current status of my fragile sprout. I'm trying to remain satisfied my pace as the torus, and not the hare.

I've learned...
That inspiration comes when it will. While I don't believe you can FORCE yourself to have good ideas, I certainly DO believe that you can help the process along. The implementation of "The Breakthrough Principle" has worked just about every time. In a nutshell, this theory states that once you've exhausted your mental resources, you should "walk away" from the project. This will allow your subconscious to work out the block while you're otherwise engaged...similar to when you dream while sleeping.

I'm glad...
That I discovered CNDD and have been able to help other identify it in those around them.

I wish...
I had the tenacity to quit my job today and work full-time investing in my own ideas.

I will...
Try harder to distinguish between what is urgent and what is important...and then do what is important FIRST.

Artistic Paradigm: the means or an end?

On occasion, when I log into my gmail account to check for email messages, I’ll find that my younger brother Glenn is logged in too, and we’ll chat. We actually do this fairly often. It’s nice because we’re not only states away from one another, but also because he and I share similar interests, and we like to discuss them. Like me, Glenn is an artist. Second only to his wife, I’m sure, I'm his biggest fan. Although he’s my younger brother, I really look up to him. I’d like to take credit for having “trained” him as an artist, and I actually do joke about it with him. We kid around about him being my artistic version of the Star Wars Padawan Learner…a prodigy born of my masterful skills and brilliant and artistic teaching techniques.... However, I hardly think that simply being born first and “allowing” him to watch me draw while we were growing up qualifies me as a mentor of any kind. Yes, I showed him a few things along the way, and yes, I “graciously granted” him access to my pencils, colored pencils and drawing pads (with some prodding by Mom and Dad), but really, Glenn made himself. I was a good soundboard for his own good ideas, just as he was for me. While I can’t take credit for his talent or techniques, I will accept credit for helping him to gain the initial interest in art (I was, after all, probably his first introduction to anything artistic), and for being supportive of his pursuit of his talent’s development. There’s really nothing noble in that….he’s always just been my little art buddy.

Glenn and I have really gone different directions with our talents though. Over the years, I’ve become much more specialized, while Glenn has chosen to broaden his range of expertise. While I’ve taken advantage of my artistic talent to produce sellable artistic products and, yes, some good artwork, Glenn has excelled in his exploration of his own remarkable artistic capabilities. He’s done something that I’ve wished for and dreaded all at the same time. He has, through school and experimentation, artistically diversified himself. Glenn has not only enabled himself to express his many creative ideas, but he’s also enabled himself to do it through many different mediums. Where I’m limited to my pencils, colored pencils, some acrylic paint, and some great computer programs, Glenn has really extended himself. In addition to the skills I've learned he’s also worked with clay, oils & water color, chalk, and ink. He’s also diversified the applications of his art. He’s gotten into live model drawing and artistic anatomy, rendering and animation, storyboarding, video production & editing, and is currently studying at BYU while being courted by Pixar. I've focused my talent mainly towards the creation of product lines, reproducible pieces of art, and industry-specific logo design. I've been working towards establishing a name for myself and to implement business systems that are propelled by my artistic styles. I've learned how to use my talent to increase my chances of building a profitable business through website design, corporate logo design, software interface design, and the design of artistic products.

While art is certainly my means, it isn’t always my end. With Glenn, however, art is created for the sake of being artistic. I admire that. I have ideas and systems that I endeavor to establish, and my artistic talents enable me to achieve those goals. Glenn creates art because he love to create art…it just so happens that other people LOVE his art too, and therefore commission him for their projects. For me, art is a tool. For Glenn, it is the prize, in and of itself. Both of us love art.

Recently, while chatting with Glenn online, we started talking about a blog entry I had written a few weeks back called, “Working for Money”. In it, I wrote a poem that I had created to make a point. The poem is called “What am I working for?”. In a nutshell, it’s about a wandering tradesman who, while in the middle of his daily routine, stops to reflect on the purpose of that routine. He questions his inherited motives for working and earning. After deliberation and a powerful realization, he ultimately decides against continuing on his current path, and instead, takes a new one that will enable him to achieve a comfortable and enjoyable life in his old age. I originally wrote this poetic analogy to illustrate a point only. Once it was finished, however, I envisioned actually illustrating its verses for a childrens book. Being busy with other things, of course, this idea dropped into its place in my brain vomit book to be regurgitated later. Glenn told me that when he read the story, it jumped out at him. He said the words produced powerful imagery to him and that he could appreciate the message of the analogy. I was suddenly very proud of it and hopeful again of my original idea to illustrate it into a childrens book. However, the wheels in my head started turning in a different direction this time.

Needless to say, I’ve invited Glenn to work with me on the project. He as the illustrator, and me as the author. Between his amazing artistic talent and my words and direction, we might have something here. He was delighted that I would ask him to help me with it, and accepted. I was delighted because I had just employed one of my favorite artists. We’ve already discussed the idea in great detail and we’re both excited about it. We’re also both very realistic about it. It is, after all, yet another idea on our already-full plates. We’ve agreed that this project is estimated to take a long time to complete. Fortunately for me, the story itself is already finished. When asked when I wanted the illustrations to be finished, I simply told Glenn that we should just take it one image at a time, rather than trying to squeeze out the whole project at once. I think that will be much easier for us both...especially with our schedules. We’ll constantly have ideas to bounce back and forth along the way, and we’ll have the liberty to take the time to really develop the imagery the way I've envisioned it.
__________________________________________________________________________

I’ve learned…
that while some people converse with others to exchange ideas, some merely converse to be heard and deliver ideas. This second type of person isn’t interested in learning or sharing, but only in knowing and telling.

I’m glad…
that the CD which is stuck in my new car’s in-dash CD player is of MP3 songs that I compiled specifically to play to over and over. Hhhhhhh…… (C’mon Ty, stay positive…) Could be worse. The CD player could have chosen to permanently swallow a CD that only has ONE song on it that I like.

I wish…
that there were more than 24 hours in a day. Of course, knowing me, if I actually had more than 24 hours in a day, I’d probably fill them all up too, and still wish for more hours. Perhaps I should, instead, be thankful for the amount of hours I have in a lifetime.

I will…
not make a very good millionaire unless I first learn how to be a good steward over the few thousand that I’ve earned, managed and lost already.

I've learned, I'm glad, I wish, I will...

Like every other person on the planet, I too have made some new resolutions with the onset of a new year. Unlike most people, however, I don't really like talking about them very much. I think the biggest reason is because I don't want to raise the expectations of those around me and then face their perceived judgments of my perceived failures at the end of the year. Sounds like I'm trying to dodge some accountability there... hmmm.... another topic for another day I suppose. Anyway, moving on…

This year, one thing I’m going to do is to start a new “segment” in my blogging. Aside from the regular thoughts I might have about my daily occurrences as an aspiring entrepreneur, I’m going to include some short blurbs called, “I’ve learned…”, “I’m glad…”, “I wish…”, and “I will…” in my blog. These will, if nothing else, give me a more regular launching pad for my thoughts as a blogger. I think by declaring something I’ve learned, I am, in a sense, forcing myself to learn, well... something on a regular basis. It may be something new, and it may just be something reviewed and re-realized – an “Oh, right!” moment, if you will. By specifying something I’m glad about, I’ll be identifying things I’m thankful for, big or small. No one can be too grateful. The more thankful I am, the more generous I’ll have a tendency to be myself. Wishing for things, while usually in the context of only hoping or dreaming, will be more like aspirations for me. Things I can strive for. Sometimes people wish for things, however, that just ought to be so, without any other intention. I’m no exception. And finally, by saying, “I will…” I’m committing myself to something. For me, this is important. It keeps me goal oriented, motivated, proactive, and productive. So, here we go…

I’ve learned…
That Rob is much more talented that I thought. Rob, one of my 2 best friends, and a guy I’ve known since the 4th grade, has always been a very sharp individual. This isn’t new to me. He’s always been quick-witted, great at chess (a calculated thinker), and good with numbers. In fact, Rob even has a strange talent that proves how quick he is. Not many people know this about him, but if you were to give Rob a word…any word…he’ll be able to tell you how many letters are in that word almost immediately. It’s kinda weird, but it's pretty cool to see him do it too.

I’m glad…
That he had chosen to pursue a career in computer science because it gives me an excuse to work with him like we’ve always talked about! Because he’s learned so much about computer programming I can “employ” him as an independent contractor to work with me on my business ideas! I’ve got a lot of them, and he seems to be just the man for the job! Over the New Years weekend, he and I worked tirelessly day and night to further my LittleLDS program re-design. He’s come up with a LOT of improvements to the old program and has already got most of the revisions finished.

I wish…
That I had more money to pay him what he’s really worth, and that I could employ him full-time. I am paying him, but in my opinion, he’s worth a lot more. For now, however, he told me that he’s content to be working with me, and doing what he loves to do…programming!

I will…
Definitely be looking forward to working with Rob to finish LittleLDS CD #4, “Scenes from the Plains,” and subsequent LittleLDS as well as LittleArtist titles. I’m also looking forward to having his expertise on some of my concepts for other Tyed Art products and programs! We’ve talked about a few of them and he really seems to be up for the challenge! I've learned that a good entrepreuer surrounds himself with people who are smarter than himself. Rob's employment is a good step in this direction.

I’ve been working a lot on my LittleLDS product party model too. After doing a lot of research and taking some surveys, I’ve got some really great ideas on how I can improve the concept of the product party. I’m currently creating a PDF file that will be downloadable to anyone who might be interested in hosting one of these parties. I should have it finished within the next few weeks, I think. After that, I’ll be posting it on my LittleLDS website for public access. I’ve had some very interesting challenges in making this work, but have met them all head on. Kim has helped me a lot with many of these tough issues. She’s been instrumental in helping me work through some of the hang ups and dead ends. I’m really looking forward to starting the parties publicly. I don’t expect them to “take off” right away, but I think they will be nice tool to have if I’m ever approached again with the question, “Does LittleLDS do parties like Tupperware?”…..to which I will now be able to proudly reply, “As a matter of fact, we do, Ma’am, and you can get all the information on the website.”

A product of "What-if" sight

Without formally deciding to do so, I’ve essentially allowed myself to “let my hair down” during the holidays this year. Normally, I’m a pretty relentless busy-body throughout the year with regards to my business aspirations and projects, but with the onset of Christmas I’ve taken a much more laid back approach to business this month. Sure, I’ll be back in full swing come January, but for now it’s all about my family. We’ve actually been pretty busy as a family with all the fun holiday things going on. The annual live nativity, Christmas movies, gingerbread houses, Christmas projects for the kids, and attending holiday get-togethers…. So much to do, and so much FUN to be had…who has time for business??

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting on any blinders to opportunity, by any means. I’m just not proactively LOOKING for new stuff this month. I have had a few things fall into my lap over the past few days though. Projects and ideas actually. I’m currently working on a Name Design for a client which will be a Christmas/Hanukah gift and, after sending out a mass email to my friends, relative and client database, I’ve even generated a few holiday-related sales for LittleLDS. My goal is to make Christmas much, MUCH bigger for LittleLDS next year.

On Monday, November 20th I was in a car accident that robbed me of my old and faithful friend “Bodona” (my horribly beaten, but very reliable 12 year-old ’95 Honda Civic). I had been driving about 30 mph when a car failed to yield to me, the on-coming traffic, and made a poor attempt to turn left across my lane after incorrectly determining that no one was coming. As he cut through my lane, I nailed him head on. My car looked like I had just hit a light pole dead center. Both air bags deployed, and the windshield shattered. My classes were thrown out of my open window but were recovered without a scratch. Despite being punched in the face, I walked away with only minor bruises, as sprained elbow (discovered later) and a headache. The car wasn’t so lucky. It didn’t make it. While waiting for Kim to come pick me up, I watched the tow truck hoist it up and away, and inadvertently I started to reflect on what had just happened. This was one of those priceless opportunities that life gives us once in a blue moon. Having just been saved and pummeled simultaneously by an airbag my seatbelt, I was given the gift of, what I like to call, “What-if sight.” Similar to hind sight, what-if sight gives us a clear and highly prioritized perspective of where you ARE vs. where you COULD be at that moment. While surveying the horrific scene in my mind’s eye of how this accident could have ended up, I started wondering the typical what-ifs. “What if the airbag had shoved my classes into my eyes and blinded me?” What if I had been rendered unconscious and wasn’t able to tell Kim what had happened?” Then came the inevitable mother of what-ifs….”what if I had died in this accident?” While processing this morbid thought, I noticed once again, as I have many times before, that opportunity was faintly knocking on my door. By the time Kim had picked me up, I had worked out, in my mind, another great money-making idea. That was the catalyst, here’s the result and premise.

People, in general, have amazing amounts of data floating around in the conscious and subconscious minds. Its something we usually just take for granted until it’s pointed out to us. Let me help you appreciate the amount of data you’re currently storing up there in that big muscle between your ears. Think about all the different names you have to remember and all the faces that you must recognize that go with them. Now, think about all the voices that accompany those names and faces. Think about all the phone numbers you’ve memorized. Past and present. Think about all the mailing address, email addresses, and website addresses you recall on any given day. Think about all the words you can spell on any given moment. Think about the sounds of the alphabet and the letters that make them up. Do you speak another language? I’m not just talking about boarder languages, but programming languages, body languages, etc… Add those to the list too. What about all those account numbers, user names and passwords? Which ones belong to which banks, website, memberships, and organizations? Think about all the schedules and appointments you keep. Think about all the financial process, calculations, and conversions you can remember. You’re able to remember quantities, measurements, medication names and their dosages, grocery lists and anniversaries. Think about all the sizes your brain can remember. What sizes are your clothes now vs. what you wore a year ago? Amazed yet? At any given moment, in today’s complex world, our brains are capable of harboring incredible amounts of data. It’s no wonder this is considered the information age. It’s also no wonder we’re constantly forgetting things either. It’s not necessarily that we’re that forgetful either. Perhaps it’s just that we have SO much to remember at once!

Because there are so many things to remember, it’s easy to inadvertently leave things out when recollection is really important. While waiting for Kim to pick me up from that accident scene, I asked myself, “What if I had died today? What information [what data] would I have taken with me?” The answer was a little startling. As a husband and father, I spend a considerable amount of time planning and strategizing how to generate new income, how to efficiently manage what we have, and how to invest in our future. I’m constantly re-evaluating our goals, moving around our investments, and exploring new ways to protecting our personal property and information.

However…

If I had died in that accident, would Kim know how to liquidate the assets we’ve accumulated together? Would she even know we HAD some of them? Would she know how to cash in our precious metals? Would she know how to access our I-bonds? Would she know where to go to collect my life insurance? While mourning my loss, would she be in a state of mind to contact my employer? Would she have the means to sell our house if she needed to? I don’t doubt Kim’s capabilities, but I do doubt the ease of accessibility to my own preparations. If I had died that day, would I have left my house in order?

The idea I came up with was software that would store and maintain all that critical information for me. Not only would it store that data, but it would also remind you at pre-determined intervals of time, via email, to update your time-sensitive information such as policy renewals, living wills and trust information, vehicle maintenance, and health check ups. The software would not only act as a guide for those surviving a lost loved one, but it would also serve the living user as a rolodex for personal & professional contacts, an inventory of personal & business property, a calendar for bills and bookkeeping, a database for codes, combinations, usernames, and passwords, a storage for images, a storage for important documents, and a living resume. There are many, MANY more things I would want to program into it. The idea is to make all of this information manageable, and accessible for me now and for her (or others) later.

I’ve looked into this market and have found several pieced of my pie. In the financial world, some companies, in order to help their clients manage their investments, bank accounts and insurances, have come with a paper form called a “family love letter.” Its purpose is similar to mine. Make financial information and assets easily located and liquidated when necessary. I’ve found software out there that specifically handle home and property inventory. These software programs are closer to what I’m looking to do, but they are still only pieces of the over all “preparation” pie.

I’m still not sure what to call the software, but after having met with Rob in Utah over Thanksgiving weekend, I definitely know that I want to work with HIM on it. He’s brilliant! I’m excited to work on this idea, although it may have to reside in my Brain Vomit book for a while first. LittleLDS needs some real attention after the holidays.

Opportunity is knocking

Opportunity is a very interesting thing. I’ve heard many people say that “you need to be prepared for when opportunity comes a knockin’ on your door”, as if there’s no telling when it’ll meander your way. It seems to me, however, now that I’ve answered that proverbial door several times to find opportunity smiling broadly at me from my front porch, that it has been there all along. It has actually been knocking all along too, but my ignorance has kept me from knowing what to listen for. Though many would probably disagree with me, I would contend that it is also completely an unbiased and non-discriminating visitor that knocks on almost everyone’s door on a regular basis. If this were not so, what other explanation could we give for the fact that multi-millionaire business owners, popular celebrities, famous authors, influential inventors, successful entrepreneurs, recognized athletes, and powerful world leaders have come from both affluent and poverty-stricken backgrounds alike? Yes, a good deal of their success CAN be attributed to talent, but as Robert Kiyosaki said in his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, “the world is full of talented poor people.”

Timing also plays a significant part in the achievement of those afore mentioned, but even timing is just a companion to opportunity. In fact, one might even say that opportunity is always punctual for its appointments. Opportunity has many such companions. Ambition, patience, humility, tenacity, ingenuity, faith, imagination, hope, diligence, wisdom, curiosity, and experience are just a few of opportunity’s many friends. Opportunity, itself, is a perspective…a method of observation. It is said that once you learn HOW to recognize opportunities, you’ll never STOP recognizing them. It’s like putting on a pair of night vision goggles after stumbling around in a pitch black room, and suddenly seeing EVERYTHING you’ve been bumping into for years. Finally, you can not only see what you’ve missed out on, but also what lies ahead of you. It’s a paradigm shift from ignorance to enlightenment. You’re able to see what others miss. You can see others stumbling around in the dark, feeling blindly and aimlessly on a path that might or might not lead them to a safe and profitable place.

It’s important to note that not all opportunities are equal either. Some are very small and have as little an impact on our lives as what we wear to work from day to day. Others are can be utterly life-altering in potential. Regardless of their magnitude, though, all opportunities are good things. That’s why they’re called “opportunities”….they’re opportune, fortuitous, timely and favorable in nature. Ever heard of a bad opportunity? No, those would be accidents, mishaps, mistakes and misfortunes.

The other day opportunity knocked again on my door. This time it happened with some new friends who were invited over for dinner. While eating dinner and getting to know this couple better, we discussed some of our similar interests. One of these interests was art. Michelle, it turns out, is a very talented photographer. She’s in the beginning stages of her new business and, like me, is always looking for great new ideas. While asking her about her photo shoot process, she said some things that struck a cord and caused me to recognize the knock of an old friend. Yes, opportunity had just made a surprise visit. Over the next few minutes, I proceeded to present my new idea to her as it unfolded in my mind. I felt more like a conduit for the arrival of this new immerging idea than a recipient of it.

This blog entry is supposed to be about the nature of opportunity, itself, and not the idea that it handed to me on this occasion. However, if I were you, the reader, I’d probably be irritated at read about an alluded idea, and not the idea itself. So, to appease your curiosity, here’s the idea in a nutshell.

Michelle’s photography is, in her own words, “images created [to] truly give a depiction of your relationship with each other and the love you share.” I’ve often referred to my own Tyed Art Name Designs as artistic reflections of the family’s love for each other and their sense of togetherness. These two ideas seem to really compliment each other well. The two talents that we have, photography and artistic design, collaborated in my mind in the form of a piece of combined artwork. My Tyed Art Name Design surrounded by the photographic images of family members and then framed within custom matting and framework. I created a virtual prototype of the product to show her and she seemed to like it. I took one of the Name Designs that I had already done (didn’t want to crate a new one JUST to get my point across), and combined it with a bunch of pictures I had on file.

I’m excited about the idea, and hope that it doesn’t become a mere member of the “lost-in-the-sea-of-ideas” club that resides in my brain vomit book. I don’t know the magnitude of its potential opportunity yet, but I suppose hindsight alone will afford me that perspective. For now, I’ll have to depend on opportunity’s friends, motivation, imagination, and curiosity.

Customizing a proven formula

The other day I had a customer express an interest in hosting a Tupperware-like party for LittleLDS. I thought it was very interesting because LittleLDS parties don’t exist (yet). The most interesting part of this is that it isn’t the first time someone has brought this up to me. The first time I had someone show interest in the idea, I was merely flattered. It was at one of the tradeshows that I was doing in Salt Lake City. The second time I thought was a bit coincidental, and the wheels started to slowly turn. I passively considered the details of such an idea, but never really did much about it amid all the other projects I’m currently working on. This time, however…with a THIRD request….a pattern has been formed, and I can ignore this issue no longer. There is obviously a market for the idea. It might be small, but it obviously exists, and, being the opportunist that I am, I MUST try my hand at it.

This could actually be just the system I have been longing for. It would be a way to sell, without doing all the work myself. I could set up the system, introduce it to the interested parties and then let it take off (Okay, that’s a little over simplified, but you get the idea). It would be like having employees without out the hiring, firing or technical tax issues!

Because I’ve never been to a Tupperware, Pampered Chef, or Mary Kay party, I only had a very generalized idea about what kinds of things are done at one. At the onset of my research into this idea, this is what I knew;

An interested person contacts the company and expresses an interest in wanting to host a party. Invitations are made and sent our by the host, and the company sends a representative to the party to demonstrate the product. The hostess’ motivation for having the party is two fold (I presume). First, she’s hoping that her guests will order something which will help her to earn some sort of pre-established credit toward the company’s products. Second, the host wants to have a fun little get-together with her neighbors and friends (psshhh…..right. Let’s not kid ourselves. It’s ALL about the products).

The other thing that I know about these types of parties (and I’ve also witnessed this one first hand) is the kind of reaction one has at receiving an invitation. There are only TWO reactions. Either you’re thrilled, or you’re totally put out. I’ve seen and heard of the latter reaction much more often. That being the case, I decided to ask Kim some questions about the nature of the “hosted product party.”

Question: What do most people hate most about these types of parties?
Answer: The pressure of feeling like they HAVE to buy something. Knowing your friend invited you so that you would buy something and also knowing that if you don’t buy something, your friend won’t earn enough credit towards what SHE wants to get out of this party.

Question: What do most people like about these parties?
Answer: If they do like the company and the products, then it’s fun to look through the catalogs and find something fun to buy. They also like hanging out with the other guests at the parties.

Question: What is the major motivation for someone to host a party like this?
Answer: Aside from being able to hang out with some friends, as a hostess, when your guests purchase items at the parties, you earn credits toward products you want from the company. Unfortunately, you never know if you’ll earn enough through your guests’ purchases or not until after the party is over. Some companies will even give extra rewards when one of your guests sets up an appointment to host a future party at their home with the company’s representative.

Question: From a corporate perspective, what are the drawbacks to hosting product parties?
Answer: A representative needs to be paid when present.

Question: From a corporate perspective, what are the major advantages of hosting product parties?
Answer: They generate word of mouth advertising, which is the most powerful method of advertising there is. Also, these parties can be self-perpetuating…on party can be the catalyst for a host of others when the party is done successfully. It is a low-cost, high impact method of selling and advertising.

Okay, so, taking a logical and practical approach, I’ve come up with the following assessment of the information that Kim gave me; First of all, if I can eliminate the hassle and pressure away from potential guests of feeling like they HAVE to buy something at one of these parties, I could probably change the initial reaction of receiving an invitation from “Ah, crap!” to “Oh, sweeeeet!” I could do that simply by letting the hostess and the guests know beforehand (through the instructions packet and party invitations) that credits earned by the hostess are NOT contingent upon the purchases of the guests. Easy enough. If I allow the hostess to know ahead of time what she can expect to earn from the party (regardless of purchases), then she might be more motivated to host in the first place. I can achieve this by making the level of credits earned directly related to the number of guests who merely show up (not by how much is purchased). For instance, I could say that in order for a hostess to earn one LittleLDS coloring CD, she would have to have, say, 5 guests attend her party. Those guests could then, in order to be considered “in attendance” provide their contact information for a future follow up letters and email – thus adding to the LittleLDS advertising data pool. Also, because LittleLDS is new, I can’t afford to hire a representative for each of these parties, and heaven knows I’M not going to be attending them! Instead, I could set up a pre-packaged demonstration & party suggestions with game ideas, and activity models that the hostess, herself, could handle. Essentially, it would feel more like a shower than a product party. Most women I know actually LIKE going to showers. Guests arranging to host their own LittleLDS parties as a direct result of the party they had just attended would only be an added bonus for the hostess by earning her ancillary rewards.

After making some of these suggestions, Kim admitted that this modified version of the hosted product party model might be more conducive to a fun outcome, rather than a pressured one. Kim did bring up something that caused me to really think. Right now, I only have 3 CDs for sale. I’m working on my 4th title now, and my LittleLDS Page Keepers, but they’re a long way from completion. I don’t exactly have a catalog’s worth of products to choose from. Say my hostess receives one free CD for every 5 guests that attend her party. If she has 15 guests show up, she’s just earned my entire available collection! Or, what if one of the guests buys 2 of the CDs at the party, and then decides to host her own? She really would only have to invite 5 people to receive the 3rd and final CD. This got the wheels in my head spinning faster. I could spend some time developing my Café Press products and have some on hand to include with this party packages. They could include free giveaways with the LittleLDS logo…things like, mugs, hats, throw pillows, t-shirts (for kids), mouse pads, tote bags, pins, stickers, etc…. Or, what if I were to network? What if I were to contact FHE on DVD or Little Play Dates, or another LDS company to create a joint product party model? What if the guests of the party are able to learn about, win, and buy other products besides just my own at the party? Chances are, this would help to advertise my product further. Not only would I be helping other LDS businesses to grow, but they would be helping me too, and neither of us would need to sell our products ourselves. I might have to formalize this on paper and make a few phone calls…

The daily grind

I’m finding my artistic inspiration and entrepreneurial motivation, lately, to be unreliable, and predictably inconvenient. For some reason, while I’m here at “the job” from 6am until 6pm I’m VERY motivated and even anxious to work on LittleLDS or other Tyed Art projects. In fact, my ideas tend to distract me from my work at “the job.” I’ll be sitting there working when all of a sudden I have an idea for an image that would look great on the tyedart.com website, or I’ll suddenly get a strong desire to illustrate one of the LittleLDS pages for CD#4. Of course, I CAN’T work on that stuff while I’m at “the job,” so I do what I’ve always done. I write down the idea in my Brain Vomit book or on my “to do” list, and put it back on the mental shelf to be visited later. The idea tickles my brain for hours. That’s the best way to describe it. It’s not hammering on my mind and giving me a headache. I’m perfectly capable of focusing on my work, but I don’t always WANT to ignore the idea. That’s the very nature of the beast though. It’s not necessarily annoying because it’s a GOOD idea, but because I can’t do anything about it, it does start to become a bit frustrating.

One would think that all this pent up inspiration and frustration would cause me to experience total uninhibited flow by the time I’m able to work on it at home. But, no….not lately. For a while now, when I get home all I want to do is vege-out. I’m in a funk and I need to snap out of it and get back on the horse. I need to give myself a schedule for completion of CD#4. I’ve done it before and I can do it again. It’s weird though, I think, that somewhere between getting out of work, the 30 minute drive home, and arriving in my driveway, I lose all desire to switch back into the driven and motivated President of Tyed Art, Inc. All day long I conceptualized, plan, and psych myself up for a good productive evening just to get home and fizzle out. Weird. Hope this funk doesn’t last long. I think it’s probably time I re-listen to Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and recharge my business battery. Maybe a little “War of Art” by Stephen Pressfield wouldn’t hurt either. I need to recalibrate.

Fortunately, tomorrow is a virtual Friday since the actual Friday this week will be a day off from “the job” due to Nevada Day. I’m looking forward to a long weekend. I’m actually hoping to really be able to get a lot done on CD#4. If nothing else, I’d like to add more Thanksgiving holiday coloring pictures to my November line up for free coloring pages on LittleLDS.com. It’s a new feature I’ve added in hopes of drawing more people to a “living” and changing website. I learned once in a seminar that people tend to revisit websites when they know it’s going to be different later. I know I fit that description. I’m hoping that rotating new holiday coloring pages on my site and offering them for free that I’ll get a great viewer base and perhaps more talk generated about the website.

Funny how things work out

Ever since we can remember, my two best friends and I, or "The Triangle" as we're known to our families, have dreamed of working together in the professional world. Oak has always been interested in financial fields, Rob has certainly found his niche in the world of computers, and I’ve always gravitated to the visual side of life. Although I’ve been working in the drafting and engineering industries for all my working life, I’ve always wanted to step out on my own creative pathway. Rob has done a few different things but has always had a brilliantly sharp mind which he has, until now (in my estimation anyway), never really been challenged. I’ve always thought of Rob as being more intelligent than I am. He’s quick-witted and very determined when he WANTS to be. He’s been involved in customer service (phones), restaurant management, and even pizza delivery. Oak, as his nickname implies, is steady, sturdy, and well rooted. He’s very practical, very loyal, and very conservative. By way of contrast, I’ve always judged myself to be short-fused, emotionally driven, and passionate about just about everything I do. I’m always either way up or way down. I’m a go-getter, yes, but I’m often only half cocked. For me, this combination usually translates into lots of new beginning projects and few actual accomplishments. Between the three of us, though, we’ve got drive & motivation, longevity & perseverance and of course intelligence & education. What a great combination of traits to begin a business venture! Combine these attributes with a GREAT business idea, and a couple of unbreakable friendships and what have you got? You have the ingredients necessary to realize our life-long dream. If we really wanted to, I think the 3 of us really could quit working for the man…any man. We could become the MEN. We could be partners and support each other like a well balanced tripod.

The closest we ever came to this in the past was when I first returned from Portugal in 1997. Rob had returned from Russia 2 months earlier and was working for a medical supply delivery company. When I got back, he helped me to get a job there too. While we spent the majority of our working hours in separate delivery vehicles, we spent a LOT of time messing around on company phones, sneaking out on joint deliveries, and taking lunches together. If nothing else, we received our paychecks from the same employer. That was good enough at the time. Although short-lived, it was fun while it lasted. Oak, at this time was still in South Africa. Oak and I have also had brushes with “the dream”, as he has used his marketing skills from his years of experience in trade shows to help me with my own trade show booths for LittleLDS. Those are some of the most fun “working” experiences I’ve ever had.

When Oak got back from South Africa, we all fanaticized over the idea of working together…just the three of us, on our OWN business venture, but none of us were ambitious enough at the time to really do anything about it. Instead, we all did what everyone else does. We did what is natural to do in our society. We spent our spare time hanging out together and the other 2/3 of our lives sleeping or working to make someone else rich. I’ve been fighting that ever since. I’ve always hated working FOR someone else. I’ve always done it, however, because that’s just what you do. It’s responsible…especially as a husband and father. I’ve brought the dream up a few times to the guys over the years, but mostly just in passing or in jest. I think over the past 10 years I’ve probably had about a million different hair-brained ideas of how we could all work together on our own, but none of those ideas have really been serious enough to merit any real devotion.

So, independently, the three of us have pursued our respective paths. Oak has used his education to specialize in selling and marketing of insurances, securities and some financial planning. He has recently, through some unforeseen opportunities, discovered an interest and knack in property management. Rob has not only climbed a corporate ladder from a customer service tech to a world-traveling computer programming instructor, but has pushed himself to become multi-certified, and technologically creative. Through necessity in his work, he has taught himself to invent solutions to problems with the computer skills he has acquired.

Busy with our respective lives, the three of us don’t have a whole lot of regular contact with one another. Oak makes fairly regular visits down to Vegas, usually between 2 and 3 times per year. Contact with Rob tends to be more cyclical, and we’ve been in the “out of contact” stage of the cycle for the last several months. I recently called him to see how things were going and as we were catching up, the subject of Tyed Art and LittleLDS came up. After hearing him describe some of the programs that he has designed for himself in his own work, I thought I might probe a bit to find out what types of programming he’s capable of. If I didn’t know Rob, this might have sounded like a job interview, where I’m looking for an independent contractor to work on my project. That’s exactly what it turned out to be. It turns out that Rob knows a ton about the very stuff my program is made to do. Although Charles did a fantastic job designing the LittleLDS original software, there are many things that I’ve wanted to improve and/or change from the very beginning. Charles is a brilliant programmer, but he’s extremely busy, and a bit difficult to work with. He talks over me when I’m trying to give him an idea of what I’m looking for creatively and artistically. He tends to try to talk me out of functionalities that I think would be beneficial for the user, when I think it is in HIS best interest to do so. I may be misreading that part of his personality. Charles has been a great instructor, and friend, but it’s time that I took a bit more control of MY project. I want to be able to meet eye-to-eye with my programmer. I want to have greater creative license and I want to be able to make things happen on a better time table. Rob seems to offer those options better. Charles, not being LDS, also seems to lack a bit of real-world practical knowledge of the LDS community which may be part of the reason he resists many of my modification suggestions. I want my software to be MAC-compatible so I can reach more customers. I want some of the functions to run more smoothly than they do now. I would like to change the overall development process for the development of each new CD so that it’s not so cumbersome and time-consuming. I think Rob will be just the man for the job.

Rob is going to be coming down in the next week or so as a “business trip” so we can work out the details of our new working relationship (if in fact we can do it). I’m VERY excited to finally be able to work with one of my very best friends. Now I’ve just go to work to get Oak involved or develop a new idea that we can all work on together. Shouldn’t really be too tough, right? I mean, I’ve got million ideas rollin’ around up there.

The cost of conviction

The dictionary defines CONVICTION as, “an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence.” It is, “A fixed or strong belief” or, “the state of being convinced” It means to be “certain.” The opposite of conviction, then, is to have doubt, or to be uncertain. "To waiver when there is a lack of evidence.” Conviction, in a religious context, is the reason Job continued to worship God despite his incessant mortal test of anguish. Conviction, in a business context, is the reason Walt Disney, Colonel Sanders, and Charles Shultz all succeeded regardless of how many times they heard the word “no.” Conviction is what enables amazing people like my brother to train for, start, and finish a grueling 26.2 mile marathon in less time than any previous race. Conviction is the “what if” killer. It is arch nemesis of resistance in any form. Conviction can cure laziness, bad habits, addiction, and any illness. Conviction wrote the Declaration of Independence. It also built the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China, and put men on the moon. Conviction can walk on water and even overcome death itself.

I admire those with real conviction. I strive for it myself. But it’s not an easy thing to commandeer. I would dare say that most people strive for conviction in some area or another, but only a few seem to truly hold on to it long enough to realize their deepest aspirations. The rest of us see these individuals, these movie stars, brain surgeons, and rocket scientists as special. Extraordinary. Our reverence for them implies that they are the proverbial Sneeches with stars. We observe them from the sidelines and we wonder if they are in some way different from us. It’s almost like we think they’re made of better stuff than we are. While we’re all made up of the same elements, chemicals, and organs, there is some truth to them being different than we are. They’ve done something that we have not. They’ve tapped into something that we have yet to discover in ourselves.

So why is conviction so difficult to attain? Is it like trying to reach perfection - an attribute no mortal can achieve in this life? No, I don’t think so. I think it’s more like being completely honest. It’s REALLY difficult to do because it means giving up something else. You can have it, but it’ll cost you. It'll cost you enough, that most opt out. So, the question then is….what IS the cost of conviction? I think it depends a great deal on the thing in which you are striving for conviction. I think striving for conviction in something that is inherently false or corrupt is futile. It might be possible to fake for a while, but ultimately, that false or corrupt thing will fail, decay, whither, or otherwise vanish, leaving us obligated to believe in something else. This process will continue until we learn NOT to place our convictions in any false or corrupt thing. That having been said, I belive that true conviction, in order to be absolute, must be in something true, honorable, or intrinsically valuable. These are the types of things that illicit the forces of resistance the most. After all, Conviction and Resistance are, as I said, arch rivals. Here are some examples of different types of conviction;


The Marathon Runner:
My brother Mike amazes me with his constant cravings for physical feats of excellence. He’s always pushing the limits of his own physical strength and endurance. He gives literal meaning to the phrase “going the extra mile.” This is the guy who rode his bicycle from Salt Lake City to Lake Powell with some high school buddies just because he could. He’s run 3 of these 26+ mile marathons now, and if I were a betting man, I’d wager this most recent one will NOT be his last. He’s the realistic version of a cross between the Energizer Bunny and Forrest Gump. In describing this grueling act of self imposed terrainial torture (the way I see it, anyway), he says, “I cannot say that I ever got to that "sleep" point where you're not thinking of running, but of other things, meditating or dreaming of a hot tub or whatever. It never happened. I wished it had because focusing on your pain filled legs and the miles of pavement before you can be grueling. I looked around at the red rock once in awhile, watched those passing me (there was a lot of that!), and more or less just kept thinking to myself to keep going.” Now those are the words of someone with real conviction. Though physically hurting, hot, tired, and perhaps even mentally stressed, the runner runs on. Why? Because of his conviction. He knows this is a worth while course of action. He knows he’ll be better for having done it. He knows the value of sacrifice… that by denying himself the relief of immediate physical comfort will, at the end, earn him a lifetime of respect, experience, and precedence of willpower. He’ll always be able to say to himself, “Hey, if I can run a 26.2 mile marathon…3 times, then I can certainly get through this” regardless of whatever this may be. He makes me and everyone around him proud.

The Leader:
Whether they are a Bishop of a Singles Ward, the CEO of a company or the President of the United States of America, all leaders must have a strong conviction of some kind. Whether it’s an elected, nominated, appointed or assumed position, leadership demands conviction. For the leader, conviction allows bold speeches, confident commands & directions, and an authoritative appearance. For the followers, a leader’s conviction establishes trust, assurance, and a sense of safety and direction. A leader without conviction is easily overthrown because they have no firm footing. Rather than establishing a standard to which all can adhere and confide, they sway to amidst diverse opinions, allowing division and abandonment.

The Investor:
Everyone knows the theory behind basic investing…that in order to make money in this game, one must buy low and sell high. Everyone KNOWS this is the formula. So why doesn’t everyone APPLY this knowledge? Conviction is the answer. When most people are making a mad dash to grab a piece of that HOT stock that everyone is talking about, the investor is typically the one who is selling it. He knows that HIS fortunes were made when he purchased it when it was still under valued. The investor is a different animal. An investor - at least a successful investor - has to have a different type of conviction. He knows what’s coming because he keeps his ear to the ground and does his homework. He does this so that he CAN have a conviction in his investment. He’s got to know the worth of whatever it is he’s investing in. He’s got to believe in it. He’s got to be convinced deep down that the venture he’s pursuing is worth MORE than the amount he’s investing in it. To buy low, means to ignore what’s popular. It means to NOT let it bother you that NO one else is leaping at the chance to buy that stock, or that commodity at bottom basement prices. It means KNOWING, regardless of popular belief that the object in the center of your investing cross hairs is under-valued and will eventually become the object everyone wishes they would have purchased “way back when it was a steal.” He knows to buy the rumor and sell the news. The conviction of the real investor is also what keeps him riding the fierce bucks of the wild bull market through its misleading dips and nervous corrections. His confidence in his choice of investments allows him to place his bet on the table and then turn his back to the market and ride out the turbulence that comes with every bull performance. He doesn’t allow emotion to creep in and talk him out of the decision he has already made. This is one type of conviction I strive for.

I’m a beginner in the precious metals market. First started watching the market shortly after 911 and invested small amounts in 2002. Over all, both gold and silver have appreciated, but there have been MANY corrections along the way. Most have been very slight, but some have been real testers. The more I learn about the world’s economy and about the history of these metals, however, the less ANY of these corrections affect my conviction in their values. I’ve learned what conditions make the metals rise and fall. I’ve learned about the rule of supply and demand as they pertain to this market. I’ve learn about the connections between our national and world economics and the precious metals. All that I have learned lead me to my conviction in their intrinsic values. This knowledge has translated into my conviction. The Bull won’t buck me off.

The work will speak for itself

I’ve always been an attention and compliment seeker. It’s diluted and insecure, I know, but true. There have been countless times in the past when, after finishing an artistic project that I’m really proud of that I’ve been really excited to show it to someone. That someone, before I was married, was usually either my mom, or my little brother Glenn. Mom was always my biggest fan. Available, interested, and seldom critical. When Mom wasn’t around, or when I needed an extra pat on the back, Glenn was always there to be fascinated, genuinely complimentary, and relatable as an artist. After getting married, Kim took over this role, like a fish takes to water. She’s very supportive, and always has been. She plays a much better devils advocate than my own blood did, however. I have to admit that she was much more awestricken by my “amazing talent” while we were just friends and dating than these days. To be fair though…I was certainly much more romantic and attention giving back then too. I guess we’re a bit more realistic now. But I digress…

I’m the type of guy that NEEDS to share his ideas. I NEED to express myself to others. I would be miserable on this earth alone. I can work alone, and even play alone for days on end, but eventually I’ve got to tell someone about. It’s just the way I’m hard wired. Consequently, I have a hard time living by some of the rules that many of my mentors have advised. In his book, Think Like A Billionaire, Donald Trump said that if what he’s doing is good enough, and merits it, it’ll generate attention by itself. I think that is generally true. Then again, he’s Donald Trump. He could probably just fart in a crowded room and get front-page media attention.

Steven Pressfield, the author of The War of Art wrote, “Seeking support from friends and family is like having your people gather around at your death bed. It’s nice, but when the ship sails all they can do is stand on the dock, waiving goodbye. Any support we get from persons of flesh and blood is like Monopoly money. It’s not legal tender in that sphere where we have to do our work. In fact, the more energy we spend stoking up on support from colleagues and loved ones, the weaker we become and the less capable of handling our business.”

Although difficult to live by, I agree with this line of thinking. If the work that I’m doing is worth any attention, it’ll generate that attention naturally. People will talk when they find it. All I have to do it make it obvious enough to be discovered. Advertising doesn’t’ necessarily need to be in your face. It needs to be where you’re looking when you’re ready and willing to see it. Our planet is littered with advertisements. Billboards, television and radio commercials, product packaging, backdrops in sporting events, newspapers & magazines, the internet…heck, some people even sell space on their bodies to advertise these days. However, them more we advertise, the more we seem to tune out the advertising. We mute the TV between program segments and surf the radio stations until we find music. Tivo was even invented JUST to avoid advertisements. We’ve become masters at IGNORING advertising. This is a natural filter. The only things that get through this filter of our attention are the things that we are actually looking for. The things we are seeking out. The things were READY to have pitched to us.

In other words, I need to curb my desire to proactively share (advertise). Especially to loved ones. Why burden them with the obligation of acting interested? What I need to do is develop my ability to recognized opportunities to passively share. I need to cast my net and wait. Rather than starting a conversation about a project I’m working on, I need to be ready to expound on the topic it when it’s brought up naturally in conversation. I need to wait for the wave to come to me, rather than wasting my energy paddling here and there for the ones I see off in the distance. I need to work and create for the sake of working and creating. If I perfect what I’m working on, I won’t need to spend as much energy on the announcing of it. I believe that LittleLDS is a GREAT idea. Yes, I’ll have to do some advertising, but I think that as I endeavor to create quality images for my CDs and create as many of them as I can, the acknowledgement and traffic will come on it’s own.

Risk Management: The Experiment

I had a great idea this week that I really want to try out. While listening to “The American Advisor” this week I heard Joe Battaglia say something that really struck me. He was talking about the world’s energy situation and how we are all in trouble because we’re all so dependant on oil for fuel. He mentioned how important it is that we, as Americans, be innovative and creative in our way of thinking. He said that it’s time to try new things and to come up with new ways of doing things rather than depending so much on the old techniques and resources that have become so hard to come by in recent times. Well, it got the wheels turning in my head. Not necessarily about the fuel crisis, but about doing things in new and innovative ways.

I had an idea for a game a little while ago and, having been through the game production process before, I know that the likelihood of me, a novice, introducing a new game to the market is VERY slim. I tried this before with my game “ABC’s & Penalties” and immediately lost $200. I had developed the game through the prototype stage and had submitted it to a company who charged a $200 fee to review your game idea and then tell you whether or not they are willing to pick up the project and add it to their inventory. At the time I knew nothing about the industry and how it all worked. I was VERY excited when I sent off the submittal, and a bit deflated after receiving their review of it. They told me that my game as not novel enough and that it had too many similarities to games like Scatergories. Fair enough, they’re the experts. That $200 investment didn’t go wasted. I didn’t lose anything on this deal. I learned a very valuable lesson. Not that my idea was bad, or even good for that matter. I didn’t learn NOT to trust companies like this one. What I learned was that I need to manage my risk better. You see, in this example, I was putting my own hard-earned money into the hands of other people and hoping that they would see my game the way I saw it. I was hoping that they would see the potential of my idea and then run with it. It wasn’t a mistake for me to invest in this idea. The mistake was in how I invested in it. The mistake was putting all my hopes into the hands of someone else. The problem with this is that my chances of success were completely out of my own control. By investing my money into the opinions of a handful of people, I was basically putting $200 on the gambling table and hoping to be dealt a good hand of cards. Who knows what the odds were? 50/50? They either take it or they don’t, right? No, I think the odds were worst than that. Who knows how many other games were competing with mine at that particular time for that particular niche? Who knows what sort of mood the reviewers were in?

This time, however, I have an idea. I’m going to perform a little experiment in the control of my investing odds. I’m going to try a completely new method of gaming production. I’m going to create this game in a way that, as far as I know, has never been done before. If I am successful my odds will increase because of the control I’ve taken in the management of my risk. Whether I win on lose money will still be a consideration, but only I will be responsible for that outcome. If I earn money with my new game, it will be a direct result of MY efforts in it’s development and marketing. If I don’t earn any money, it will be a direct reflection of my lack of efforts in development and marketing. My objective: To see if I can successfully control my level of risk in an investment. The tool: My newly conceived game.

Challenges…

One of the biggest hurtles for an inventor of a new game is in the creation of a working prototype. This can represent a financial and physical challenge. My idea will virtually eliminate this obstacle. Another challenge with getting a new game into the market is the task of finding a well established, trustworthy, and fair company to review and then accept the new game. My idea will eliminate the need for anyone’s approval (other than the buyers themselves). Obviously the final challenge, which can have a very heavy impact on the overall success of the project, is to have a game that people will love to play. In concept, my game offers a wide range of playable ages, will be great for a large group, and is very simple to learn and play.

My strategy…

Most games that a group of people can play can cost anywhere from $10 to $30. There are a lot of exceptions, of course, but that is pretty typical. The reason for this cost (aside from the creating wanting to make a profit) is to make up for production and advertising costs. My game idea is really unique. It’s a game that will be downloadable from my website. Rather than paying for my production and advertising costs indirectly, I’m going to eliminate as much of those costs as possible so they don’t have to be recuperated later through high priced sales. In fact, because there are virtually NO costs involved in my game, my sales prices will be ridiculously low. So low, in fact, that the mere sales price ITSELF will be a factor in my advertising. The more inexpensive the game is, the more of a thoughtless decision it should be to try it out. Most people can afford to pay $3 to $5 for ANYTHING. I would think that many people would purchase it just to see how good the game is out of pure curiosity. There are a lot of people, after all, who spend more for less.

Here’s the novelty of my idea…. ready? My game is mostly downloadable. No expensively made boxes, boards, cards, or dice. The game will have instructions, rules, and playing cards that can be, cut out, and then laminated if desired (for durability). These cards can be printed from a simple PDF file sold on my website. The game does require some physical playing pieces, but in my instructions, on the website, it will be explained that each of these physical pieces can be gathered from other games that folks might already own. Names of games that contain necessary pieces to play my game will be listed so that people can check to see if they have all the required pieces. Fortunately, most people who like to play games tend to already have collections of other games, which facilitates my idea. Basically what I’ve done is create an IDEA for a game, develop it only partially, and supplement it with existing gamers’ work. I’m capitalizing on physical games that have already been made. No production costs for me translates into no expenses passed onto buyers of my game.

The phases of completion…

Phase I - Develop game on paper

(establish rules of play, decide on playing pieces, work out a Q & A page)

Phase II – Create a cost-free prototype

(Virtual & assembled game pieces, and PDF file)

Phase III – Game testing

(Play with test groups to work out the bugs and evaluate levels of interest)

Phase IV – Develop online interface

(i.e., create webpage, download-selling software, etc.)

Phase V – Market testing

(Experiment with family & friends)Phase VI – Public launch (Marketing and advertising)

First Distribution Contract

This weekend marked a monumental event for LittleLDS. On Friday Kim and I went to a party that we had been invited to by Joe and Michelle. It was Michelle’s birthday party. Michelle is the one who told her mother, Marsha, of Wellspring Publishing, about my LittleLDS Coloring CDs. Marsha and I have spoken on the phone on numerous occasions to discuss the possibilities of me doing some cartoon work for their line of greeting cards and also for the sales and distribution of LittleLDS CDs. Marsha even took the first three CDs to the LDS bookseller’s convention last month and got a bunch of orders! Well, this weekend when we went to Michelle’s party, Marsha just happened to be there! She was in town from Salt Lake to surprise Michelle for her birthday and I was finally formally introduced to her. We had a great discussion, and ended up talking a lot more about LittleLDS distribution over dinner on Sunday. By the end of the weekend, I had signed my first distribution contract for LittleLDS. I’m very excited.

Ever since Marsha told me about how interested people at the Bookseller’s convention had been in LittleLDS CD#4 (Scenes from the Plains), I’ve been thinking, and have finally come to a big decision. I’ve decided that I am going to be reducing and perhaps even rejecting logo designs for the next few weeks or even months to focus strictly on the development of LittleLDS. If this is ever going to become as big as I want it to become, then I really need to put some time and effort into it. I need to really buckle down and get moving. I have quite a bit more to do on CD#4, namely finishing sketches, inking, refining in Photoshop & Streamline, and then getting all the files ready for Charles to create the software. After that’s finished I have to get the cover finished for the case, purchase a new bar code, and get the files to Peter at Conduit! Better get to it!

Working hard, or hardly working?

Aside from my missionary days in Portugal, I don’t think I’ve ever worked this hard before. I’m working 55-hour weeks at work these days and spending about 95% of my time at home working on some project. Yesterday, for the first time in months, I took a few hours off to unwind in front of the boob-tube, and with all the new season premiers starting, my Thursday-night excuse to not work has returned…Survivor and CSI, Las Vegas. Soon, Lost will come back to sabatage my Wednesday nights, and eventually 24 will return to knock out Monday nights. Yeah, I’ll admit it…. there are some really addicting shows on these days. I actually really LOVE the off-season (summer) just so I can remain productive from night to night.

Productivity, however, seems to be a challenge for me lately. Oh, I'm plenty busy alright, but it's what I'm busy doing that is the problem. I'll explain.

While it’s important to stay connected to my clients through email, I find that I spend a lot more time CHECKING my email for correspondence than I really need to. While doing research on Google for images relating to logo or other graphic design jobs, I often find myself getting distracted by all there is to see on the web. The web isn’t to blame…I'm just a naturally curious guy. I was the same way as a kid with encyclopedias. I would open one to find out about something in particular, and end up spending hours (literally) just reading adjacent subjects that had little or nothing to do with my initial search. I spin my wheels a lot doing things that don’t really need doing. I mean, they're good things to do, but they’re not exactly moving my business forward.

For example, one of my very favorite things to “work” on is the look of my website. Just having a website should be sufficient. However, I find myself tinkering on it all the time. Sure I look like I’m working, and I’m even doing things for Tyed Art, Inc. However, they’re not things that need to be done in order to be productive. Some time ago I noticed something that Google does every once in a while with their home page. I really like it and have tried to imitate it with my own style. For applicable months, I try to create some adaptation of my company logo to the corresponding holiday of that month on my homepage. Spiders and pumpkins for October, four-leaf clovers for March, hearts for February, etc...

For instance, December features a Tyed Art, Inc. logo where the blue image has a Santa hat on it. Another has a glowing red-nosed center with antlers imitating a reindeer. December has a lot of possible iconic symbols to select from so I have done several of these holiday-adapted logo images and I change them out once a week or so. I rationalize this time-consuming hobby by tell myself that I do this so my clients will revisit my website. They’ll come to expect that this is a “living” website. In other words a site that is attended to, cared for, and updated regularly. This creates curiosity in the visitor and a desire to return in anticipation of “what’s next?” Sounds good, right? Even logical. I learned this little trick at a free seminar I went to a few years ago here in Vegas. While it’s fun for me, and cool for them, it presents a big problem. The problem is that this type of “work” is not really doing anything for my bottom line. I don’t get paid for it, and its really time consuming. In reality, it’s actually taking me away from doing things that would otherwise contribute to my bottom line. And this is only one example of this type of non-productive "work" that I do.

In one of my favorite books, “The War Of Art,” Steven Pressfield defines RESISTANCE as anything that keeps one from achieving long-term growth, health or integrity. That’s a gross over simplification, but it serves my point. In my case, I’m trying to help LittleLDS, my small insignificant product brand become independent. I want it to take root in the market, and become self-sustaining, and profitable. I want it to eventually even actively and significantly participate in my retirement. I’m counting on it. I’m vested in it. The bottom line, then (i.e., the eventual success or failure of LittleLDS) really matters. Where LittleLDS in concerned, it’s ALL that matters. That having been said, I can’t really afford to be messing around with the cosmetics of my website during my few available working hours!

Although it generates income, designing logos and other graphic design has become a major obstacle in my path to success where LittleLDS is concerned. It’s a total catch 22 though. LittleLDS needs the capital for marketing, production costs, and further development, but monopolizing my time with logo work hinders my ability to dedicate time to work on furthering LittleLDS. In short, and to paraphrase Robert Kiyosaki’s description of guys like me, I’m so busy, that I don’t have any time to be productive! For a guy with as little time as I seem to have, this is a HUGE problem.

The solution, as my wise bride has reminded me, is to go into the office with a planned objective. “Don’t go in there just to work,” she advises, “…go in there knowing what you want to have accomplished by the time you come out tonight.” She couldn't be more right. Needless to say, I’m still working on it.

Where business ends, and I begin

The other day a good friend that I’ve known for about 7 years contacted me. His approach to reconnecting with me was typical to many I get these days. He and some buddies have been tinkering with the idea of getting a band together and are looking for a logo design. As usual, I was immediately interested. That was my first reaction. Then, the internal battle began. I remembered then that I'm trying to wean off the "working for money thing." HHhhhh..... Unfortunately, I can't have my cake and eat it too. Alas, it’s true what they say, it does take money to make money and designing logos is my best method (for now) of raising capital to fund and support my LittleLDS brand. So, okay, I'll look into it. Of course, none of THAT is said out loud.

So my friend and I decided to meet for lunch last Monday. After eating lunch and chit chatting for a little while I reeled him in and reminded him that this was a lunch break and that our time was REALLY short (man, I really HATE working FOR someone). When he finally expounded on his idea, I just about pooped my pants! I was shocked that this idea was coming from THIS guy. Without getting too much into the specific details, it turns out that this friend of mine, who, I'll remind you, I've known for a very long time, and who is also an active member of the LDS Church, has decided to start a band and actually call it "Internet Porn - The Band". Before I go any further with this story, I have to say that at this point, I had already checked out mentally. He was obviously off his rocker (no pun intended to the music genre). However, for the sake of discovering where exactly my friend had gone so wrong, and to what extent he had actually thought this idea out - I just had to know - I decided to hear him out.

It turned out that his idea was to capitalize on the already HUGE porn industry. His logic was that he could put the word PORN into his band, thus making his band’s name come up more in Internet searches by buying a high prioritized position in search results made by the sickos that surf for it. He rationalized that he would be a “distraction for good” to the lost souls who were already searching for Internet smut. Translation; he’s placing himself in a gigantic sewer, full of crap and stink, in order to attract the cockroaches to his own talent by naming it “crap and stink”. Hmmm… He said that he doesn’t want to promote the porn industry but to use it. He said that he thinks his idea is funny and that his t-shirts will sell like hotcakes because it’s poking fun at the porn industry. Hmmm….

Now, if I were a pure capitalist, motivated solely by my instinct to make money, I would jump all over this guy’s offer. Here’s a guys who is offering to pay me to create a logo for him, pay me to help him create a website, and pay me to modify the logo each time he has a new marketing spin to put out there. In all reality, we’re probably talking about $1000 or more. Good money for a bottom-feeder like me. I mean, to a PURE capitalist, it shouldn’t matter what content he’s offering the masses as long as I’m being compensated, right? Sure, I know this idea will go nowhere. I know that I will have collected my money and left a long time by then. But what is that $1000 really worth? Perhaps, in this world, it could buy me $1000 worth of stuff, but in the end, it would end up COSTING me my dignity. Even if I were to never post the finished version on my own website, like I usually do, it would COST me my moral conscience. Any other business probably wouldn’t think twice about taking this kind of job. For most of them, profit it profit. It’s the bottom line that counts. After all, it’s not like he’s actually promoting porn. Or is he? Unfortunately I’m not just a businessman. I’m an LDS businessman. I guess it’s instances like this that are thrown at you every once in a while that are supposed to be a test of what you’re willing to do to make a buck in this world. You couldn’t pay me enough to fail that test.

Needless to say, I’m not taking the job. How to convey this to my friend without offending him is what I’m still unsure about. In an attempt to guilt his conscience back in gear, I’ve already asked him all the deep questions. “With a name like ‘Internet Porn – The band’, aren’t you the least bit concerned about how you’ll affect your own children?” “What does you’re wife think about the idea?” “How would you feel if some 17 year-old teenager heard your music and liked it and, in an effort to find out more about your band, instead, found a porn site?” None of these questions have fazed him. He has clearly already misplaced his moral compass. I hope it isn’t permanent.

Working for money

Last night Kim and I had an interesting discussion about the present and future of Tyed Art, Inc. and LittleLDS. I was expressing to her my great satisfaction at having just secured a new working relationship with PostNet last Saturday. I had walked into the store to find out what it would cost to ship 150 LittleLDS CDs to my new distributor in Salt Lake City, but ended up talking to the owner of the franchise about graphic design. I've been a client of hers for a while now, but after discovering what it is, exactly, that I do she told me that she frequently had little graphic design side jobs come in that she had to contract out and that it was cumbersome for her to do so because she didn't have one go-to guy. To make a long story short, we ended up shaking hands on a little deal that would enable her to pass the work along to me. She couldn't pay much, but didn't really have to as the work was pretty simple and would end up equating to good hourly money for me. A win/win relationship.

After telling Kim about this new source of income, we started talking about how stretched for time I already am these days. Between work in my yard (a HUGE undertaking), designing logos, working 12 hours per day at my full-time job, and trying to move forward with CD#4 of LittleLDS, I'm feeling a bit drawn and quartered. I have to fight to find time to eat, sleep, and play with my girls. It would seem, that in all the excitement of securing new business, I have neglected a very important rule of basic Kiyosaki 101... In fact, it's rule #1; "The rich don't work for money. Money works for them."

In other words, while securing work with PostNet might represent a good business relationship and good source of extra income, it really is only good if I want to keep depending on having to work.... and I don't. Not really. What I want is to eventually get to a stage when I can work - or NOT work - as I please without effecting my ability to sustain my standard of living.

It's time to get back to what I know. Time to get back to "minding my own business" and planting the seeds of my retirement. Time to stop working for money, and start making money work for me. The poem was written especially for this post.