Goals for 2015: Quarter 1 Updates

2015 has already hurled past the first quarter (Q1), so it’s time for an update on how my goals for 2015 are coming along.  After several setbacks (one of which includes this post itself), I’m proud to say that my main focus has still been on my number one priority for the year: Writing. FOCUS … Read more

A Month in the Life of A NaNoWriMo Participant

Does the term NaNoWriMo mean anything to you?  If you’re a writer—especially a young writer—who’s been online for the past 15 years, then it probably does.

NaNoWriMo 2009 Winner Icon (Tall)    NaNoWriMo Participant Badge 2009

NaNoWriMo…No?

In 2009, I set out to finally achieve my goal of writing a novel.  The premise behind National Novel Writing Month, founded in 1999 by Chris Baty, is to write 50,000 words by the end of the designated month, which is always November.  Although I won the competition (along with hundreds, if not thousands, of others), my novel was still incomplete, life happened, and I abandoned my novel as a result.  Five years later, I began the journey to resurrect and complete it.

Here’s my story.

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Chasing Squirrels: How to Effectively Overcome Distractions

It’s so easy to allow distractions to get us side-tracked these days. With ever-increasing new versions of all the latest high-tech devices, temptations to multi-task, and having to be everywhere at once with social media, sometimes it feels like you’re just chasing squirrels.

Chasing Squirrels New

The Story Behind “Chasing Squirrels”

So what do I mean by “chasing squirrels”?  If you’ve ever seen the movie Up by Disney/Pixar, you probably think I’m referring to the dog, Dug, who is constantly getting distracted and yelling “Squirrel!” However, the story behind my version of chasing squirrels relates to a previous hunting experience I had over a year ago.

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More Goals Achieved: New Website Banner & Email List

This week I decided to kick things up a notch by taking several steps toward my goals.  I lost a few hours of sleep, but I ended up getting much more done than I had planned.

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New Website Banner

One of the things I did to step up my game was to install a new banner for my website.  I actually had my graphic designer create this at the beginning of the year, but I couldn’t seem to find the time to add it to my (growing) list of things to do.

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8 Questions to Help You Decide if Your Passions are Worth Your Time

Have you ever wondered if the passions you’re pursuing are a worthy investment of your time?  Join me as I dissect this topic and show you the 8 Questions to Help You Decide if Your Passions are Worth Your Time.

8 Questions about your passions

Journal entry from my “Whatever Happens, Happens” journal on November 2, 2014

Career Advice from a Tentmaker (Acts 18:3)

I’ve just finished prayer and a Bible study in Galatians 3-4 which led me to an exciting—and quite revealing—discovery.  After praying for clarity and direction concerning mine and Melissa’s (my wife) careers and where God wants us to be financially, I opened my eyes and they rested upon Galatians 5:1, which speaks of remaining (aka “standing fast”) in the liberty in which Christ has made us free and not becoming entangled again with the “yoke of bondage.”

From this text I began to think about the aspects of true liberty and was further directed to 2 Corinthians 3:17, which states, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emphasis mine).”

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The PIG Tool: How to Create and Organize Your Very Own Products

Update: I was notified by a representative who owned the name PIGLT and was asked to modify my post/document.  Sorry for the confusion.

Recently, while finishing up the hunting season of 2014, I was in the woods contemplating where my business would be heading in 2015.

Click image above to get your FREE copy!
Click image above to get your FREE copy!

An Overflow of Ideas

It was pitch black, and the sound of the overflowing creek below me was making it hard to stay awake.  Fortunately, my mind was busy conjuring up ideas for where to take my business in the coming year.

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New Guitar For Christmas: I’ll Have A Breedlove Christmas!

Just six days before Christmas, a former student dropped by to give me the surprise of a lifetime…

A Very Merry Christmas To Me

It was Friday, December 19, 2014.  I was getting ready for my last guitar student of the day when I received a text from a former student (Pat).

“What’s your schedule look like today?” the text read.

“I’ve got a lesson coming up in a few minutes, then I’m free til around 5:30 p.m.  What’s up?” I replied.

“Wanted to bring by some Christmas cheer!” Pat said.

“Okay,” I said.  “Where are you?  We can do lunch.”

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In Search of the Perfect Planner

3 Extraordinary Planners that Will Help Move You Toward Your Goals

A Shift in Planner “Status Quo”

While on my search for a new weekly planner earlier this month, I first considered ordering the same style I’ve been using for 2014. Confident I had settled in my decision, I began to search for it online and had almost purchased it when I ran across a different, more unique planner.

And when I first laid eyes on it, I knew it was the next planner I would be trying out for the new year in 2015.

This newfound planner wasn’t like the ordinary one I had been using all year with the typical format most offer: Monthly layout with daily/weekly slots for filling in the same old overwhelming tasks and projects.  You see, I had experienced a calendar overload in 2014, and I was ready for a change.

No, this one was extraordinary; what you might call a “Next Level” planner. It didn’t have any “bells and whistles” or try to impress me; rather, it had all the tools I needed to inspire me to take massive actions that moved me toward my goals.

But before I go into the details and benefits of this particular planner, I would first like to introduce a few other options I discovered—and also found very intriguing—along the way.  Let’s see if you can guess which planner I chose…no skipping ahead, either!

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Need a Planner that Fits Your Passions for 2015?

The New Planner for Your Passions

Looking for a new planner that will help you achieve your goals and pursue your passions for 2015? Me too! Well, actually, I’ve already purchased a new planner for next year, but I just came across a great new planner that I just absolutely have to try.  But I need your help to get one of my own.

I’m planning (no pun intended) on doing a blog post soon about the planner I originally ordered, comparing it to last year’s planner, but wouldn’t it be even better if I had a third option to join the panel? Here’s how you can get your very own Passion Planner…and help me get one, too!

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5 Proven Tips I’ve Learned for Effective Goal Setting in 2014

Nearly a year has come and gone and with it some “hits and misses” when it comes to reaching the goals I’ve set for myself this year.  Some were more realistic and achievable than others.  In this post, I’ll share with you via Google Hangouts some tips I’ve learned this year from tracking my goals and how you can use my experience to help further your goal-setting progress in the years ahead.

Watch the companion video to this article below

http://youtu.be/4aHyBvf7OlQ?t=38m24s

 To see when I first began tracking my goals in January of 2014, watch the video below or go to this corresponding article: Being a “Guitarpreneur” in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZK5nmAYiW8

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