It’s 3:04 a.m. as I write this. I can’t remember what time I was born 32 years ago. I think it was in the 3:00 a.m. range, but I could be wrong.
For whatever reason I can’t sleep.
32 years down.
I wonder what God has for me in the next one.
Category Archives: Personal
Early in the morning
Over the last couple of months I’ve started getting up early. I’m amazed at the difference it makes in my day. If I get up at 5:00AM, by the time the rest of the world is working at 8:00AM, I already have a few hours under my belt.
I really notice the difference when I don’t get up early. Yesterday morning I didn’t get up until 7:15. The entire day felt like I was under the gun. I was constantly running and my stress level was just higher.
Getting up early seems to lead to less stressful days for me and allows more creativity. Granted, I have to be in bed by 10:00PM at the latest, but that’s a fair tradeoff for more productivity and less stress. It’s been one of the best changes I’ve ever made.
Filed under Creativity, Personal
30 Minutes
What’s the one thing you could do this year that would change your life?
What would that goal look like if you spent 30 minutes a day on it?
Just 30 minutes. Over the course of a year that adds up to over seven and a half days. Over a week of completely uninterrupted work. 182.5 hours. That’s a lot of production when focused on one thing.
For me, it’s writing. What is it for you?
Burning the New Year’s resolutions list
Every January 1st: “This is the year. I’m losing weight.”
Every February 1st: “Well crap.”
I’ve learned not to do New Year’s resolutions. Usually when they are drafted, I’m filled with so much hope. I’m generally coming off a few days rest between Christmas and New Year’s day. I’m optimistic the next year will be different.
I fail to ask why it will be different. It won’t be different on its own. You see, and this may come as a bit of a shock, there is nothing magical about January. Nothing.
That’s why New Year’s resolutions never work. We don’t take steps ahead of time and plan to do the things required to be different. 2011 was very different for me because I had a plan well before January 1st. This year is the same. I have some lofty goals for 2012. I started working on those goals months ago.
Am I going to lose weight this year? Yes.
Am I going to make more money this year? Yes.
Am I going to spend more time with my family this year? Yes.
But only because these are more than just goals. These are fully realized plans I’ve been working on for a while. I figure if you aren’t several steps down the road to completing your plan by January 1st, it probably won’t be any different by December 31st.
But maybe that’s just me. Maybe everyone else always achieves their New Year’s resolutions…
Filed under Personal
2011
This has been a year for which I’m very grateful. It saw us hit a turning point in my business that will, I pray, drive it for the next decade. It had its ups and downs as with all years, but the ups where higher than ever and the downs really weren’t that low.
We were really blessed in 2011. I’m thankful for that and hope 2012 will be just as much fun.
My prayer for you is that however 2011 went, the next year will be even better.
Filed under Personal
Listening
I need to shut up and listen more. It’s harder than you might think.
All inclusive
All inclusive vacations should also encompass hiring a therapist to help with the transition back to normal life.
Days not filled with beaches, long naps and great food are just something I’m not prepared to deal with at this point.
Filed under Personal
Planning for a day off
I’ve always been very bad at taking days off. With business being really good this year, it’s been even worse.
Finally I’ve learned I have to plan for a day off. It’s not just going to sneak up on me. It’s not just a matter of taking off, I have to also get enough done ahead of time that I don’t spend my day off fielding client calls or worrying about the amount of things I have to get done.
So last night I planned ahead. I worked until 11 in the evening, finishing off the things on my list that I knew would come back to haunt me today. Here I set, watching the Rangers’ game from last night. Outside of also watching today’s Rangers’ game, I have absolutely no plans and already feel more relaxed.
I just need to start planning for a day off.
Filed under Business, Creativity, Personal
Cell phones are the new He-Man
Am I insane for thinking it’s insane to give a fifth grader a cell phone? I realize there might be a few fifth graders out there who have legitimate need of a cell phone. I get that. However, you can’t convince me that the majority of my son’s fifth grade class needs a cell phone.
This comes up because Colton was being made fun of because he didn’t have a cell phone. Back in my day it was He-Man. My mom thought He-Man was scary so I didn’t have any of the toys or watch the cartoon. Then one of my friends wouldn’t come to my house because I didn’t have any He-Man toys. My mom, being awesome, quickly bought me some He-Man toys so that my friend (who I realize now probably wasn’t a great friend) would come play.
But a cell phone?
I’m sorry, I can’t justify buying my 10-year-old a cell phone and a plan. It’s for emergencies, some will say. Sure. But you know what the boys were using their’s for when they made fun of Colton? Playing tag. He had to try to find them and they all coordinated with their cell phones so he couldn’t win. Yeah. Big emergency there.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m just being a cranky old man, but the very idea seems goofy to me. Am I wrong?
Filed under Family, Personal, Technology
A second ring
Becca and I are quickly approaching our 10th wedding anniversary. Knowing that date is coming up we’ve discussed what we’d like as gifts for our anniversary. I surprised Becca by telling her I’d like another ring like my wedding ring.
Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t wear jewelry. My wedding ring it just a simple titanium band and the only jewelry I’ve ever worn. But, I’ve thought about it a lot over the past year and decided that’s what I wanted. My wedding ring serves as a reminder of the vows I took. While that is special, anyone will tell you it’s easy to take vows. It’s easy to say forever means forever. Making that happen, though, well, that’s just plain hard work.
I wanted another ring as a different kind of reminder. I wanted the second ring to remind me that whether my marriage is happy or not is entirely up to me. I can choose to treat my wife the way she deserves. I can choose to continue to date and romance her even after 10 years. I can decide what our relationship looks like. The hard part is not letting circumstances effect how I act. This second ring is a constant reminder that I need to keep watch on the state of my marriage.
That’s why I chose to wear it on the middle finger of my left hand. Every time I hear that metallic clink as it hits my wedding ring, I’ll be reminded of my wife. I’ll be reminded of the good times, the tough times and all the times in between. It reminds me to stay vigilant and watch over this relationship God has entrusted to us.
I hate packing
I’m sitting here on the eve of a week-long trip. Why am I typing this? To avoid packing.
I hate packing.
That is all.
Filed under Personal
A curveball of a different variety
You might notice over the next few weeks I won’t be writing a lot. As life is apt to do, it’s thrown me a curveball. Unlike the usual “kids collapsing the roof” or “late night ER visit” type of curveballs, this one is actually good. Business is booming with a capital B and capital OOMING.
So that’s a nice change of pace from 2008 through 2010. To celebrate I’m taking some more time off of Twitter and Facebook. It was refreshing to do back in December and I think it’s already time for another little sabbatical. I’ll still post here when I can.
Hope everyone else is having a great year as well.
Filed under Personal
January 2011 habits
At the beginning of the year I wrote a review of an iPhone app, Streaks. I used it to track some of my habits through the month just to see how I was doing on some things I wanted to accomplish.
In Bed by 11: I have a very bad habit of staying up past midnight at any given opportunity. The thing is, I fully understand that my day goes significantly better if I’m in bed by at least 11. I didn’t do a good job of that in January. It was a great month but imagine how good it would have been if I wasn’t so tired through most of it.
Bible Reading Plan: Every year I start a new one-year reading plan on January 1st. Every year I make it less than a month. I’ll miss a few days, get behind and give up on it. Then the rest of the year is just whatever I want to read with no real plan. It also doesn’t happen as regularly as I’d like. So what’s different this year? I’ve given up on the idea that I have to read it in the mornings. I’m wired in a way that once I’m awake, I want to dive straight into work. I’m much more productive like that. So now I wake up, spend a few minutes praying through the day and then tackle my to-do list. Throughout the day, as I get a few minutes, I’ll read through part of my daily plan. Obviously it’s lasted 31 straight days, so maybe I’ve stumbled on something that works for me and the way I’m designed.
Write 1,000 Words: “Well, Chad, you really didn’t write a lot this month.” Actually, this was a pretty good month for me. The 1,000 words only includes writing for personal projects. Almost every day I write advertising copy and scripts. This is just things I want to write. In January I finished and released a short story and wrapped up the third draft on a 20,000-word short story. I also wrote up the outlines on a few others. Fiction-wise, it was a pretty productive month.
Walk 1 Mile: Shut up. It was cold.
Filed under Personal, Technology
Sick children and frustration
Sickness is one of the many challenges in life we face. I know, as a Christian, that they are designed to bring us closer to our creator as we rely on him. They reveal our own weaknesses and shortcomings, thereby revealing our need for a savior. It can be a beautiful thing when challenges like illnesses drive us into the arms of our great King.
But what does it usually look like in my house?
I’m human. Sickness is something I have zero power over. If it can’t be cured with NyQuil (or at least have the symptoms masked by it), I can’t help you. So when my kids are sick, I get very frustrated. I want nothing more than to see them happy and healthy. I want them well. When they aren’t, it reveals my powerlessness. Being a man, you can imagine how much I love feeling powerless.
Instead of first turning to God and laying all this at his feet, I get mad. My frustration turns into general crankiness. This usually ends when, for the hundredth time in a day, my sick kid comes and tells me they are sick.
“I know you are sick. You have a doctor’s appointment. I can’t do anything else.” Delivered with my usual “Dad’s-in-a-crappy-mood” voice, I end up sounding more than a little mean to a sick child who just wants to be told it’s going to be okay.
That’s the point when I finally take the time to stop, acknowledge I can’t do anything (and that the anger isn’t really helping anyone) and ask God to help. I know these truths, and yet every time it plays out the same. Put one of my kids in the hospital and it’s even worse. It’s no less beautiful when I finally turn to God than if I’d done it from the beginning. In fact it’s probably more so because it reveals even deeper levels of his grace and mercy. But even with that said, it would be nice to get it right the first time for once.
