First, I think I need to start off this week with a clarification-Katya is not my girlfriend. We have agreed several times that we would not enter into a committed relationship until we met in person. I got a clue that I might not have been clear when Alfie congratulated me on my "new girlfriend" based on what I put in my last post(although Alfie has been known to come to wrong conclusions before ;-) ), so I just want to make this clear. Ironically, just as I was coming home from the Relationship seminar and ran into Sarah Mason on the subway, where we discussed lots of the issues in the relationship domain, and she even offered to try and make some nudges with some of the women in the ward in that area. I appreciate it, and it sounds like a sign that that area of my life is about to break. :-)
Meanwhile, the money area is still stalled. After looking for new restaurants to call for websites, Amy suggested I hadn't been focusing enough on my warm market and suggested I turn back towards that. I did have some success calling real estate brokers about text messaging, and I even reached someone who was interested in looking at it, and by now he's had a week to look at it, so I need to follow up with him. The next step is to look around and leverage my efforts with the people around me and find out who they know who they can connect me with.
This week was marked by two shocking events that have a large impact-Kucinich's abrupt withdrawl from the Presidential race and Pres. Hinckley's passing. I'm rather disappointed that corporate interests were able to recruit opponents in Kucinich's congressional race that were successful in intimidating him out of his Presidential campaign, although on the other hand, if we can use this event to try and muscle Obama or Hillary(of which I think the former is more likely) into adopting the Kucinich platform, since now we've become an undecided demographic, and if they're both smart, they should realize that either one of them could steal us away from the other and nudge the other out on Super Tuesday. And if they were to recruit Kucinich as a prospective running mate and announce it before Super Tuesday, that could, in effect, seal the deal. Furthermore, if they did that, they might even attract some of those who weren't even going to support Kucinich in the first place, because what Kucinich put forth is exactly what they want anyway.
Meanwhile, Pres. Hinckley's funeral is scheduled for Saturday, after which Pres. Monson will be announced as the new President of the church, as well as his new counselors. I suspect Pres. Eyring will be re-called as a new counselor, since he was just called into the First Presidency so recently, and Pres. Monson will have enough to deal with without having to train two new counselors. I was surprised though. I actually thought Pres. Hinckley would make it to 100-he was definitely healthy for his age, and a lot healthier than Presidents Hunter, Benson, or Kimball were when they died. Then again, Pres. Lee's death shocked everyone too, given that he was in such good health when he became the President of the church and he had only been President for such a short time. Meanwhile, I'm not even going to speculate about what kind of Prophet Pres. Monson will be-I never would have guessed what Prophet Pres. Hinckley would have been like when he was First Counselor, and yet his transformation was magnificent. So we'll just have to wait until April General Conference(which seems like an eternity away now, even though it's only two months!).
Speaking of new callings, Matt got released as Elders' Quorum President with his impending marriage, and Joel Richards was called as the new Elders' Quorum President-with no counselors. I have no reason to expect to be called into the Elders' Quorum Presidency, but I have no reason to think I wouldn't be called either. I've been in the Family History Committee for over two years now, and Wayne Van de Graaf did indicate that they were considering giving me a new calling just before Bishop Carter was released. For all I know, they may just shake up the callings to find who the new counselors will be, and I'll just be caught up in the domino effect.
I got a new roommate on Wednesday-just barely before I had to leave for the Relationship seminar. ;-) In any case, he seems all right. I know I'm not that social of a person, and I'm less social around guys, but I don't see any potential conflict. He works in TV and is looking to get a job here in the city.
Leadership school is coming up. This week's task is to cause the money to get myself down to Miami, because that's going to unlock the door to success in Market America, and by extension, with everything else. I am still going to be an Executive Coordinator and complete the pay cycle by the end of the year, no matter what happens. I also am going to complete Rich Dad Academy and start my real estate investing career.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Okay, I know this is breaking with the pattern of one entry a week, but some things have happened that I want to write down now before I forget. One, I got my new phone today(so if you have my number, you can call me on it and test out how well it works). But the bigger event was the free Rich Dad real estate seminar. And they make real estate look very easy. Don't get me wrong-I know it's plenty of work. But still, it looks like something that's very doable, that generates some nice income, and can even be used to generate extra income when a situation warrants it. Plus, as having read in Sue Gilad's book, this could be an opportunity to serve the LDS community in New York, just like Market America would be a way to serve the LDS community. And with the income potential, this could be the funding that IoFS needs.
I'm going to find a way to get to Market America's leadership school in Miami, a way to take the Rich Dad academy, and to register for the Landmark Effectiveness seminar. It's just going to happen, because it's worth it.
I'm going to find a way to get to Market America's leadership school in Miami, a way to take the Rich Dad academy, and to register for the Landmark Effectiveness seminar. It's just going to happen, because it's worth it.
Monday, January 21, 2008
A new tack
This week saw no new progress in my Market America business, although I did get a little bit of work. I'm still struggling with the web leads, but I finally realized after talking to Amy that I was totally not comfortable with cold calling, and that who I really wanted to be speaking to was who she called my "warm market." Then she asked me about what close friends I had(she used Alfie as an example) and then I realized that I don't spend the time to get close to people. As if I'm afraid to be disappointed by them. I guess this would be the perfect place for me to have a breakthrough in the Relationships seminar, huh? But, in spite of this, I actually got on the phone and cold called for an hour, resistance and all, to call up some real estate agents regarding the text message marketing service. Go me. :-) My mother tells me that she doesn't think this is a good fit for me. I see her point, particularly after the severe discomfort I felt at the thought of doing cold calls(or warm calls!) but then again, let's face it-traditional employment isn't a good fit for me either. So I've got to find some alternative, right? Maybe I just need to do a good hypnotic trance to break the cycle of discomfort I have around making sales calls. Particularly around those products I know are good and that can do some good-namely the Isotonix vitamins, the Transitions system, and probably others I haven't even discovered yet. Perhaps I need to give Pauline a call again and get a shakedown to get out of my own way-sure I benefit from the sales, and it's hard to take that out of the equation and just have it be about what would benefit the person on the other side of the table. Or maybe it's just hard to be patient and let them take their own time getting to yes.
Meanwhile, I realized that I had let Irony of Fate slip again, but I think VDO could give me an access. Danny is interested in creating a full size RPG and promoting it, so maybe I could talk to him about using his same promotional vehicle for Revolution's Dawn. I finally started work on the script for The Galactic Vikings, and Danielle and I are working on Sorceress Curse.
I've been reading Think and Grow Rich lately, and reading that has been really insightful. I think I'll have to read that a couple of times before I move on to the next book. I need to start taking some of the advice that's in the book! The most recent chapter I've read so far has been the most powerful-the one on decision. Make decisions quickly and change them slowly, if at all. That's something I need practice on. I think I change my decisions often when something goes wrong with my plans, and then I let some things go that I had intended to accomplish.
I also met with Brook and filled out my storehouse order. She said it was confidential, and I realize this is a blog, which means it's public, but hey, I don't care. If this is meant to be read by those closest to me, then they might as well get the whole story. Anyway, the thing that struck me the most was when I admitted that I tend to eat fast food a lot when I'm running from place to place, and she told me that it would take a lot more planning to stick with just the food I'm getting from the storehouse. Well, maybe I can use more planning. Hell, maybe planning better will also enable me to fit everything in-taking time to build my Market America business, taking time to work on IoFS projects, taking time for church, for Landmark, for Liberal Mormon Musings, for my wife and children, and everything else. I mean, once I have that residual income and I don't have to go to work every day, then I'll need that keen planning ability to be able to manage all that extra time well. I just wish I had it already. ;-)
Katya and I are talking a lot more. I think we're growing closer together. If she reads this blog too soon, we may be in trouble if she thinks I'm assuming we're more committed than we are at this point. I could see us having a great marriage together, and I do love her, but there's still the cautious side of me that's prepared for the chance that she'll leave me like I've been left before. Still, she did say she needed me, and she did want me to tell her that I need her, so I think there's something more there.
I've been following the elections, and believe it or not, I think there's a chance we may be moving towards a scenario where Dennis Kucinich(or someone like him) could be president. It will happen in one of these ways:
1)There will be no clear winner going into the Democratic convention, and we'll have a brokered convention. In that case, the delegates will have to look at the possibility of another candidate other than their own, and Dennis will finally get some notice, and finally, enough that he emerges as the candidate. If that is the case, then he'll win the Presidency the same way he won every other office he's ever run for-defeating a Republican incumbent(which will be made easier this time since he wouldn't be running against an incumbent, but a Republican nominee from a likewise brokered convention)
2)Hillary gets the nomination and wins in November. She won't be that well liked(and would only win by virtue of tying the Republican candidate to the Bush agenda) and in 2012, the typical Democratic candidate would not run against her, but Dennis would. The media would have to acknowledge that Dennis was running, because they certainly couldn't pretend that Hillary was running for re-election unopposed. People would then finally notice that he is running, and they would notice that his policies are most in line with what the American people want, and he could defeat Hillary in her bid for re-election, and likewise go on to defeat a Republican opponent chosen from a crowded field.
3)Obama gets the nomination and wins in November, but I suspect he would have the good sense to choose Dennis as his running mate, which would have Dennis serve as Vice President for 8 years and then run for President again in 2016.
Now, if you think that we're going to have another Republican president coming out of this election, I think it would be unlikely, given Bush's unpopularity and the even more contested nature of the Republican field. Even Hillary would seem better than any Republican candidate(with the exception of Ron Paul) and would still win in November. Good thing, too-after 8 years of Bush damage, any given Democrat would be better than any given Republican.
Okay. It's 3AM, and I'm not going to get enough sleep, so it's time for me to finish this up. ;-)
Meanwhile, I realized that I had let Irony of Fate slip again, but I think VDO could give me an access. Danny is interested in creating a full size RPG and promoting it, so maybe I could talk to him about using his same promotional vehicle for Revolution's Dawn. I finally started work on the script for The Galactic Vikings, and Danielle and I are working on Sorceress Curse.
I've been reading Think and Grow Rich lately, and reading that has been really insightful. I think I'll have to read that a couple of times before I move on to the next book. I need to start taking some of the advice that's in the book! The most recent chapter I've read so far has been the most powerful-the one on decision. Make decisions quickly and change them slowly, if at all. That's something I need practice on. I think I change my decisions often when something goes wrong with my plans, and then I let some things go that I had intended to accomplish.
I also met with Brook and filled out my storehouse order. She said it was confidential, and I realize this is a blog, which means it's public, but hey, I don't care. If this is meant to be read by those closest to me, then they might as well get the whole story. Anyway, the thing that struck me the most was when I admitted that I tend to eat fast food a lot when I'm running from place to place, and she told me that it would take a lot more planning to stick with just the food I'm getting from the storehouse. Well, maybe I can use more planning. Hell, maybe planning better will also enable me to fit everything in-taking time to build my Market America business, taking time to work on IoFS projects, taking time for church, for Landmark, for Liberal Mormon Musings, for my wife and children, and everything else. I mean, once I have that residual income and I don't have to go to work every day, then I'll need that keen planning ability to be able to manage all that extra time well. I just wish I had it already. ;-)
Katya and I are talking a lot more. I think we're growing closer together. If she reads this blog too soon, we may be in trouble if she thinks I'm assuming we're more committed than we are at this point. I could see us having a great marriage together, and I do love her, but there's still the cautious side of me that's prepared for the chance that she'll leave me like I've been left before. Still, she did say she needed me, and she did want me to tell her that I need her, so I think there's something more there.
I've been following the elections, and believe it or not, I think there's a chance we may be moving towards a scenario where Dennis Kucinich(or someone like him) could be president. It will happen in one of these ways:
1)There will be no clear winner going into the Democratic convention, and we'll have a brokered convention. In that case, the delegates will have to look at the possibility of another candidate other than their own, and Dennis will finally get some notice, and finally, enough that he emerges as the candidate. If that is the case, then he'll win the Presidency the same way he won every other office he's ever run for-defeating a Republican incumbent(which will be made easier this time since he wouldn't be running against an incumbent, but a Republican nominee from a likewise brokered convention)
2)Hillary gets the nomination and wins in November. She won't be that well liked(and would only win by virtue of tying the Republican candidate to the Bush agenda) and in 2012, the typical Democratic candidate would not run against her, but Dennis would. The media would have to acknowledge that Dennis was running, because they certainly couldn't pretend that Hillary was running for re-election unopposed. People would then finally notice that he is running, and they would notice that his policies are most in line with what the American people want, and he could defeat Hillary in her bid for re-election, and likewise go on to defeat a Republican opponent chosen from a crowded field.
3)Obama gets the nomination and wins in November, but I suspect he would have the good sense to choose Dennis as his running mate, which would have Dennis serve as Vice President for 8 years and then run for President again in 2016.
Now, if you think that we're going to have another Republican president coming out of this election, I think it would be unlikely, given Bush's unpopularity and the even more contested nature of the Republican field. Even Hillary would seem better than any Republican candidate(with the exception of Ron Paul) and would still win in November. Good thing, too-after 8 years of Bush damage, any given Democrat would be better than any given Republican.
Okay. It's 3AM, and I'm not going to get enough sleep, so it's time for me to finish this up. ;-)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Unemployment
So the good news is I've talked to a lot of people about my Market America distribution and even got a few three-ways. No one was interested(except for Alfie) but I'm spreading the word. I actually got a recommendation that I should shift the focus from finding partners to just finding customers. I've been struggling to motivate myself to call restaurants, maybe because I just don't enjoy the numbers game. Maybe I should just stop resisting. I just feel so awkward calling restaurants just to ask if they have a website, but at least I just have to ask the question and then get the info. Although now I'm looking to see who else I can interest in some of the other products.
I finally managed to apply for unemployment on Friday after getting disconnected for two hours. And then they told me I would have to call again on Sunday, and like an absent minded buffoon, I kept remembering during church or during the fireside, but then kept forgetting to call until Monday morning. Fortunately I got the call in to claim for last week, but like any automated system, they make it next to impossible to reach a real person who can actually answer the questions not answered by the automated system(which are the only questions I have when I get to the point where I bother to call anyway) and when I finally did get connected, the system said, "We have a lot of calls and we won't be able to talk to you today. Call back Wednesday." Amazing how my windows of opportunity keep slipping through my fingers.
How am I going to shift this week? Something's gotta shift, and I don't know how. I know what I'm not doing that I need to be doing, but how to close this gap between where I am and where I want to be-that's daunting.
I finally managed to apply for unemployment on Friday after getting disconnected for two hours. And then they told me I would have to call again on Sunday, and like an absent minded buffoon, I kept remembering during church or during the fireside, but then kept forgetting to call until Monday morning. Fortunately I got the call in to claim for last week, but like any automated system, they make it next to impossible to reach a real person who can actually answer the questions not answered by the automated system(which are the only questions I have when I get to the point where I bother to call anyway) and when I finally did get connected, the system said, "We have a lot of calls and we won't be able to talk to you today. Call back Wednesday." Amazing how my windows of opportunity keep slipping through my fingers.
How am I going to shift this week? Something's gotta shift, and I don't know how. I know what I'm not doing that I need to be doing, but how to close this gap between where I am and where I want to be-that's daunting.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
How it starts
So other than Dennis Kucinich getting no delegates in Iowa, which most everyone already knows about, I guess I need to update everyone on the events of the past few days. I just got off the phone with a friend to realize that, with one exception, 2008 is starting off very well. When I talked to my bishop today about my financial situation, the first thing he said was, "You look a lot healthier!" Thank you Isotonix Custom Cocktail! :-)
So, what have the first few days of 2008 brought? Well, I'm moving along slowly with the Market America business, and I'm realizing that I'm not spending as much time on it as I could be or should be, particularly since I'm not working right now. And then every day I beat myself up over it. Well, that's kind of a waste. But now I'm still not working, and it's the first full week of 2008, so I'm going to do it. Along with mailing my voter registration tomorrow. :-)
Yes, I think I'll be able to barely squeak in my voter registration. Turns out I don't need to have it in 30 days prior because they have a convenient little box where you can check affirming that you have lived in your present location at least 30 days prior to the election(which I have) so I don't have to prove anything. Yay! Now I just need to hope they get it in time to put my name on the books and get my registration card to me in the mail. ;-) And then, I can vote for Dennis Kucinich to be the 44th President of the United States.
This past week, I finally met up with someone I had met on Facebook who is a self-described trance addict, and I got to trance her over the phone. And then, as if completely randomly, she was supposed to meet a friend of hers in the city, and her friend stood her up, so she called me up to meet me in person. I got to set off her trigger a few times in person, and it was so cool watching her face go blank instantly as soon as I said her trigger. By the end of the afternoon, she couldn't even look at me because she would slip under just looking into my eyes. But she had fun, and so did I. :-) We're also going to be collaborating on video games(she's an artist and an illustration student) and stories(she writes, too).
Katya and I have been talking a lot, and the more and more we talk, the more I think she really likes me. She talks about things as if we were to be together, and I'm still not sure if it's hypothetical. She said she wants to visit me in April. We'll find out. :-)
And it looks like I'll be starting a couple more video game projects. I met up with a guy that I got a link from on Craig's List for a guy who's looking for team members for his video game projects, and I figured that even though I'm leading a team of my own, I can workon other projects and get additional experience. I've been talking with my mom and my aunt about starting my studies at the Game Institute in programming, and they seem rather supportive. My aunt is wondering if there are other places I can learn C++, which I can't blame her for since the Game Institute is an unknown factor to her compared to other institutes she's heard of through her professional experience, although my opinion is that the Game Institute would be a better option since their courses are specifically tailored to game creation. Still, I'm willing to evaluate the other options and compare prices.
The one bad thing about this week was finding that my bank account was overdrawn. Fortunately, we were able to pull my account out of that situation. But it's clear that I've got to shift my financial situation. I'm not having much luck getting work through OfficeTeam, simply because they don't have any to give. I guess I'd better get the Market America thing going, huh? So if you want any isotonic vitamins, custom blended makeup, or weight loss, shoot me an email. :-) Or if you want a website, I can definitely help you with that one. ;-)
So, what have the first few days of 2008 brought? Well, I'm moving along slowly with the Market America business, and I'm realizing that I'm not spending as much time on it as I could be or should be, particularly since I'm not working right now. And then every day I beat myself up over it. Well, that's kind of a waste. But now I'm still not working, and it's the first full week of 2008, so I'm going to do it. Along with mailing my voter registration tomorrow. :-)
Yes, I think I'll be able to barely squeak in my voter registration. Turns out I don't need to have it in 30 days prior because they have a convenient little box where you can check affirming that you have lived in your present location at least 30 days prior to the election(which I have) so I don't have to prove anything. Yay! Now I just need to hope they get it in time to put my name on the books and get my registration card to me in the mail. ;-) And then, I can vote for Dennis Kucinich to be the 44th President of the United States.
This past week, I finally met up with someone I had met on Facebook who is a self-described trance addict, and I got to trance her over the phone. And then, as if completely randomly, she was supposed to meet a friend of hers in the city, and her friend stood her up, so she called me up to meet me in person. I got to set off her trigger a few times in person, and it was so cool watching her face go blank instantly as soon as I said her trigger. By the end of the afternoon, she couldn't even look at me because she would slip under just looking into my eyes. But she had fun, and so did I. :-) We're also going to be collaborating on video games(she's an artist and an illustration student) and stories(she writes, too).
Katya and I have been talking a lot, and the more and more we talk, the more I think she really likes me. She talks about things as if we were to be together, and I'm still not sure if it's hypothetical. She said she wants to visit me in April. We'll find out. :-)
And it looks like I'll be starting a couple more video game projects. I met up with a guy that I got a link from on Craig's List for a guy who's looking for team members for his video game projects, and I figured that even though I'm leading a team of my own, I can workon other projects and get additional experience. I've been talking with my mom and my aunt about starting my studies at the Game Institute in programming, and they seem rather supportive. My aunt is wondering if there are other places I can learn C++, which I can't blame her for since the Game Institute is an unknown factor to her compared to other institutes she's heard of through her professional experience, although my opinion is that the Game Institute would be a better option since their courses are specifically tailored to game creation. Still, I'm willing to evaluate the other options and compare prices.
The one bad thing about this week was finding that my bank account was overdrawn. Fortunately, we were able to pull my account out of that situation. But it's clear that I've got to shift my financial situation. I'm not having much luck getting work through OfficeTeam, simply because they don't have any to give. I guess I'd better get the Market America thing going, huh? So if you want any isotonic vitamins, custom blended makeup, or weight loss, shoot me an email. :-) Or if you want a website, I can definitely help you with that one. ;-)
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