I tendered my resignation from the Tavern. Here is what I have accomplished since then:
Re-started my Marketing Consulting Practice. This is how I help pay the bills, by teaching small business folks what they need to know about social media, email, Facebook and other stuff for 21st century marketing.
I started writing a book, about food and romance, then I quit because it just wasn’t the kind of book I wanted to write. Now I am working on a novel of the dystopian future and a cookbook. The novel grew out of my desire to participate in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, and for the first couple of weeks it really flowed. I have only touched it a few times since then because I wrote myself into a corner. Over the past week or more I have been scheduling time to work on it, then billable-hours stuff comes up, or I just blow it off. Nice. I am going to finish the first draft soon. Very soon.
I started another business. A real business, you know, that could be sold to another person to run and operate. I have a handful of members right now and there are more in the works. This is going to be a real thing. And it is going to help a lot of small business people get more business, while supporting the local civic community. Yep, non-profit groups get to participate for free. It’s built around the idea of the local community supporting the local small business and civic communities. It is very cool and has the potential to grow and grow.
I took my wife on a vacation. Sure, we visited family, but who says that’s not a good vacation? We had a nice time (except for our debit card getting cloned and losing $1,000. We did get it back when we got home but it kinda spoiled out last night in Chicago.
I started an exercise program, in an effort to get in shape. It’s been on-again-off-again – at least it was until I quit smoking and gained 8 pounds – now it’s On and it’s going to stay on. I have lost that 8 pounds and 1 more! I am going to hit my goal of 200 pounds. I was stuck at 218 for a couple of weeks, but now I am changing my diet and some personal habits so it should start coming off again.
Here are two photos of my fat belly, to prove that I am getting somewhere with this and to motivate myself to keep working.
Yes, I was mightily inspired by Joel Runyon, who did what I am doing, just a lot more aggressively.
I am reading more and different books than I usually do. And reading blogs I normally wouldn’t. Growing as a person is important if I am going to help others grow and have a positive impact on the world around me. I have been letting to much negativity, from the news and the world, impact my life and get me upset or sad or down. I am responsible for the change that I am looking for.
I got involved in my hobby again, painting miniature soldiers and playing games. I found a group over in Laconia that was playing twice a week and I dove in with a vengeance. Unfortunately that group has had to relocate, so I will be looking to join a group in Rochester.
I laid out goals and plans for achieving them over the next three to five years. You can see them here [goals review]. This is not hippy-dippy shit either. It’s serious, SMART, responsible goal-setting. Broken down into actionable milestones and do-able tasks. Like I know what the heck I’m talking about or something.
It has been a very good year and I am looking forward to really kicking it into gear over the next twelve months.
Stay tuned…
