On Resources

While not really a rambler, this one is long-ish. This is your long-ishness alert.

It's pretty easy for me to figure out what some of my problems are. It's also relatively easy to write about them. Far more difficult is solving them.

The radio show idea is a good idea. It would be fun, enlightening, good resumé material, and might even turn around some hobby money. It's pretty much a winner however you slice it. However, before such a project gets started, a problem I seem to have is sitting down and thinking, "yeah, that'd be a lot of fun, but I just don't have _______". No microphone, no time to write a story, no big enough pool of vocal talent, no money, whatever. So the idea gets pushed under the rug (I actually have a notebook I call "under the rug") and I think that, perhaps, I'll look at it another day when I actually have _______. Another good idea shrivels in the shadow of un-had resources. I could be a more successful person, if I was just a more successful person already.

But that's really just a convenient lie, isn't it?

Why is it such a challenge to decide I have everything I need and just make the investment that stands between a good idea and a good reality? Take the Timeline project, for example. How much time have I wasted wishing I had some seed capital, or dropping hints around family members hoping they'd just give me some? I went to a meeting of local nerd types last week in which startup funding was discussed. I left frustrated because the investors they discussed want to see significant receipts before investing. "If I already have receipts, what in the world do I need investors for?!" I thought. "The system is stacked against people with ideas and no money."

Another convenient lie.

The system is stacked, sure, but against a totally different kind of person, and if it's stacked against one, it's stacked in favor of another. Funny enough, it doesn't have much to do with ideas, and probably less to do with money. The system is stacked against people without will, or motivation. The converse of which means that driven people are more successful. That makes sense, too, in kind of a "duh" way. It also makes sense that successful people seem more often to be bi-polar or something.

The question, then, is: how do I become bi-polar?

Or more realistically, how do I find my inner Drive? Is there a well of motivation somewhere inside that I can draw from? How do successful people (who aren't crazy to begin with) do it? Is it something that can be acquired? We tend to talk about people as the _are_, like "he is doggedly determined". Can a person _become_ doggedly determined? Have you heard stories of lazy people who figured out how to work, like, hard?

One would think that the thought of the potential rewards, even when a reward is very likely, should be enough to motivate a person to action. Like the radio show. Wouldn't those rewards be worth the doing of the thing?

As I think about all this, something else comes to mind. Anybody even sort of familiar with the Scriptures knows stories of people of old (or maybe people of recently) who saw or received or performed something miraculous. I was reading last night in Acts, and there's this story of Paul preaching in an upper room, and a young man who is listening while sitting in the window falls asleep during the sermon (which I'm sure I never do) and falls out the window, down about 3 floors, hits the ground and dies (I'm even more sure I've never done that). Paul rushes down the stairs and tells everyone, "Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him." (Acts 20:10) Everybody goes back upstairs, eats some more, then Paul goes on his way. Wait -- what? Somebody just arose from the dead! It was significant enough to make it into the record, but from the sound of it, it wasn't a really big deal beyond that. Like they were happy about it, but not surprised.

It seems to me that this kind of miracle has a lot in common with some of the modern miracles we've seen and attributed to smarts or technology. Somebody has an idea of something good he wants. A gap separates this vision and the actual manifestation of the vision. Something has to bridge the gap. In Church, we call it Faith. Everywhere else, we call it Determination. What's the difference?

At first glance, all it looks like Paul "did" was run downstairs and touch the young man. It took us a lot more than running up and down stairs to land people on the Moon. However, I think it may come down to how clearly in your mind you can see the young man standing up again, or a guy standing on the moon with a fishbowl on his head. In the case of the young man, the Priesthood did the Work. In the case of Apollo 11, a lot of hands and brains did the Work (at the expense of a good deal of good health and a good many marriages and families). In both cases, the gap was bridged and the vision was forced into reality.

This makes me think I had it slightly wrong before. There's something that has to happen even before the Determination arrives, indeed the place where the Determination probably comes from. First there is a vision. Then there is Faith, or the ability to see, clearly, the vision as if it were real - taste the victory, smell the success, know the benefits before they happen. From Faith flows the Determination to make the vision real, and that is the fuel for the Work.

I've really never thought of Faith quite in this way, but it makes sense now. Faith seems to be a difficult thing to really nail down. How do you answer when somebody asks you "what is faith?" Think about the scripture you quote when somebody asks that question -- "...if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." (Alma 32:21) If a person has more Faith, he must have more hope. What does hope mean? The more you hope for something, doesn't the picture in your mind become more and more clear? Does stronger hope not drive you more strongly towards your vision? If I want a successful Timeline project, I need to have Faith in it. That sounds like saying "I believe it can work", but it's much more powerful than that. I need to see it before it exists. I need to see it so clearly, with so much detail that it can't help but pop out of my head and into reality.

Back to the question: how do I find my inner Drive? Is the answer really just Faith? How nice would that be? Faith comes with microphones, voice talent, as many lines of Javascript and Python as you need, and the entire Grumman Corporation (if you need to build a LM). Sweet.

Those are my current thoughts, anyway. I'm sure you have some of your own. I'd like to know what they are. Where do you get your motivation?

Thankful for Books

I was never a big reader. In fact I hated reading all the way through school and throughout college. I was told by my first grade teacher that I'd never learn to read because I was so slow at learning the words. Ironically, my best subject at test time was in english language skills/sentence structure. I felt cursed.

And then I found a reason to read. It would seem obvious that we read to gain wisdom and grow our minds, but I always perceived that wisdom and growth to be exclusive to scholastic achievement. (As most teens do, I suppose.) Unfortunately, it wasn't until I discovered a vehicle like Pre-Paid Legal that I began to realize the potential of personal development through reading "good books". I realized that to achieve more - in all areas of life, not just material wealth - one must become more. I regrettably admit that it's taken me 23 years to understand such an important principle, but I now treasure that knowledge as one of this life's most precious assets: A path of Personal Development.

In the home-based-business industry, we commit ourselves and our team members to read at least 10 pages of "personal development" material a day. Scriptures; training materials; biographies of such people like Henry Ford, Donald Trump, Napoleon Hill, etc.; Most people do not come with the mindset of a successful business owner/leader/builder, it is something that must be developed over time. (In most cases more time than most people have patience for.) The most painful thing for me to see is someone giving up on themselves simply because their feet haven't grown into their shoes quite yet. So refusing to grow off the shoes go, assuming they'll never fit, and somehow believing that to tread a lifetime through the weeds and thorns in bare feet the rest of their life (trying to get used to it) outweighs the temporary hastles of keeping loose shoes on their feet.

I hope that within our close group, each of us will constantly seek to learn and grow. It is the only way we will be able to accomplish our various goals in this life - whatever they may be. Well my friends, here's to keeping our heads on our shoulders, and our shoes on our feet. Good luck this week with your lives, finals/projects, the war, and other endeavors!

Electric Harp

You know every once in a while when you actually feel like you come up with an original idea, and then find out it isn't so original? That's what happened with me this morning when I woke up from a dream I had about making an electric harp. "WOW!" I thought, "what a cool idea! I've certainly never heard of one, this could be an exciting project." I started looking online, ... 41,000 hits for 'electric harp'. But my excitement wasn't deflated:

It's an exciting thing to come up with an idea - which is truly original to your experience - and then have it "validated" by seeing what a big success that idea actually became. Just because someone else thought of it before you did doesn't mean you failed or aren't creative. I think it should reflect the very opposite. The idea was good! ...others have proved it so. Just keep going. Allow yourself to dream and think big. I've heard some great ideas from many in the Herd, and I think it's wonderful to be associated with you. Believe in yourselves, we are all so full of potential and spirit. See you 'round!

At 30

While doing some reading earlier this morning I was looking for a short story I heard a while ago about growing up. Here it is. No title, no author, but the message remains just as stunning:

"When I grow up, I'm going to be a movie star!" a boy told his Dad, who smiled as his son shared what the wondrous future held in store for him.
"You certainly may. You've always been a great kid, and not too long from now you'll be leaving to make your place in the world. At 20, you'll have some success and might adopt even bigger dreams. The next 10 years after that will be filled with many experiences that will prepare you for when you finally turn 30." The boy couldn't hold back his excitement! He started to imagine that big break and what would happen after that. "Around 25 you'll have passed through some hard times and made many sacrifices to hold onto your dreams. Many give up at this point, but you'll ignore the doubts others have in you, and you'll be loyal to your dreams. You'll hunger for success, and wait for the day that all the hurt and discomfort of not living your dreams comes to an end... but you'll only have to wait 'till you're 30." The boy was getting anxious by now. "So, what will happen when I'm 30?" He inquired with a big smile. Then his Dad, exhausted from a long day at work, looked down to him with a sigh, and answered "At 30, you'll get used to it."

Keep Dreaming

(Just wanted to share this poem I found today, hope others will find it as encouraging as I do.)

I've dreamed many dreams that never came true.
I've seen them vanish at dawn.

But I've realized enough of my dreams, you see,
To make me want to dream on.

I've prayed many prayers when no answers came,
Though I waited patient and long,

But answers came to enough of my prayers
To make me keep praying on.

I've trusted many a friend that failed
And left me to weep alone,

But I've found enough of my friends true blue
To make me keep trusting on.

I've sown many seeds that fell by the way
For the birds to feed upon,

But I've held enough golden sheaves in my hands
To make me keep sowing on.

I've drained the cup of disappointment and pain,
And gone many days without song,

But I've sipped enough nectar from the roses of life
To make me want to live on.

~~ Author Unknown ~~

Non-stop Excitement

I'm so excited, I can't help it. Over the last MONTH, all I've been able to think about is FTR. (It's getting to the point where it interferes with my work. :) ) Anyway, it's interesting how pieces of such a huge puzzle seem to come together on their own without you doing anything other than thinking about it. (Assuming it's something you're excited about.) I actually have to work hard not to think about it, and focus on the moment.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some of that excitement with you today, and show you 1 of 4 sets of Gear we will start working on in January.
We are working on our business plan, and in thinking about what we need to do over these next 4 to 5 months, Funding is a big issue. (We're looking at roughly $500,000 to cover the first two years.) Strangely enough, we don't have any doubts that we'll get the funding necessary, but we want to be smart about it, and avoid as much interest as we can. We also want to avoid turning over a large share of our company's ownership to third parties. ...perhaps we're a little naive, but we don't want to empower others with the opportunity to shut us down.

Well, I'm certainly open to ideas. I will still do my research and due diligence, but I believe that within our group I am less aware of what's out there than some of you may be regarding Start up Capital.

Thanks for being such supportive friends. I was talking with Splashboy the other night, and it was exciting to hear his voice again. I see how privileged we are to have such a good group of sharp minded individuals, who collectively can accomplish much good. "If you're not strong, you can't help the weak." This has been a very motivating thought for me regarding our potential. The days are not far off that we will not only be in a position to provide for ourselves and our families, but to reach out and help countless others to do the same. Good luck, guys. I wish you all an enjoyable week!

FTR Studios

I'm pleased to anounce the beginning stages of what we've all been waiting for since "latex and strings" rolled off of James's lips: I'm finally going to open my Studio. FTR Studios (Fantasy To Reality) will be opened in the early months of 2009, working primerily on 4 major projects to be presented to a major company in the month of October. They will be produced under our sub-company EPIC Gear, providing World of Warcraft gamers with the First, Best and ONLY Licenced Sets of elaborate gear and Costumes. Because of the High quality materials and attention to detail, we will only produce 12 to 20 of these a year. They will be priced anywhere from $9,000 to $15,000 a set depending on the customer's prefereces, size, ego, etc.

We've thought this through... a lot. I've spoken to marketing specialists, business owners, and we have each done a lot of personal investigation and research to ensure we don't flop and die. But even if we do, "We come out with some pretty sweet sets of armor!!" according to Brian James, 1 of 2 current business partners. We all feel the same way about it; this is what we want to do, this is what we are passionate about, and we'd work with all our hearts just for the opportunity to do what we love.

This is just a great start to something bigger down the road. Will this change the world? Not likely, but it will empower us with the experience to recognize greater needs, and allow us to start other ventures as we accumulate capital. This is just a vehicle to greater means, to greater ends. (Like buying up all the land in Jackson county and donating it to the church. ...I'd like to see how far we can go anyway before they stop us.) I've got to run, but things are always looking up, and I'm excited to finally start "It all". Don't ever give up guys, this is going to be a great 5 years in front of us!!!