Friday, December 2, 2011

This blog - it's not just for writers

It doesn't take long to figure out that this blog is mostly intended for writers . . . although the advice can spill over into other arenas of thought.

I recently listened to a podcast (www.48days.com) where Dan Miller talks about why he attends various seminars, even if it's not in his area of interest--for those of you who don't know who Dan is, he's a successful career coach and author.  He gave the example of attending a real estate seminar.  He doesn't even sell real estate, but the principles he learned only increased his knowledge of what he's doing.  He took out what he could work with.

The same could be said about this blog.  I'm not sure the demographics of who reads this, and although there may be a majority as writers, let me speak to some of the others right now.  Finding out what one truly loves to do--something Dan Miller speaks about a lot, so I strongly encourage you to read his blog as well and listen to his podcasts--and doing what you love to do is a journey I believe everyone should take.  As Simon Sinek calls it, find out your "why."

If you love to work on Harley Davidson motorcycles, woodworking, creating quilts, restoring classic Mustangs, painting portraits, coaching people through the difficult parts of their life, photography . . . and the list goes on . . . whatever that may look like, envision it.

To help you, let me ask you a question I've been asking people for quite some time now: if you were able to be paid $500,00 (or even a million) dollars a year to do what you love to do, what would that look like?  Be honest with yourself.  The answer could surprise you.

Speaking of woodworking, one of my cousins has found his passion in woodworking.  But not just any woodworking.  Woodworking by hand, without any need for power tools.  I've been following his blog for quite some time, and I can honestly say it's very impressive. His blog is http://insidetheworkshop.blogspot.com/   I don't love working with wood as much as my cousin, but it still inspires me to do what I love: writing.

3 comments:

  1. Dude!

    I cannot believe I missed the fact that you were out here putting your foot in your proverbial online mouth like I have been, (That could just be me tasting my toes) I feel like a bit of an ass for not knowing, but I can't help it.

    Reading through some of the posts here I have much respect for the trials you and your family have faced in the recent months and your perseverance is inspirational.

    However, now that I know you are here, I will be reading, and commenting from time to time. It's cool to have a chance to connect with you again on a more significant level than the entropy of facespace. Infact I hope to get a chance to catch up with you in real life someday soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Derek, I appreciate that. And I meant what I said in this blog too; very impressed with your woodworking skills. I might have a fantasy character one day who's a woodworker--might need to learn a few more terms though. :-)

    I also hope to catch up with you in person soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Any time you wanna do some research my shop is open to you. I can even strap on my armor if you like. :-)

    ReplyDelete