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Available for Kindle, Nook, and Desktop eReaders.On May 1, 2012 I set a goal to publish an eBook.
I thought it would take 6 months. It took 14. On July 14, 2013, with the help of some amazing friends, I published Sound Design Live: Build Your Career As A Sound Engineer. I learned a lot about writing and publishing and plan to update it with new information annually.
In May 2013 I set a goal to climb to the peak of Mt. Whitney.
Highest summit in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet.
With the help of Daniel Scott and Elis Bradshaw I trained weekly, working my way up to the necessary distance while carrying a full pack. On July 18, 2013 I struggled under the high altitude to our camp site 6.5 miles up the trail. Unfortunately, the first day was so strenuous that I wasn’t able to reach the peak with the rest of the team the following day. Still, for me, a success.
I thought it would feel amazing to publish a book, but it feels…pretty good. I thought it would feel amazing to climb Mt. Whitney, but it feels…pretty good. I also thought it would feel amazing to speak Portuguese, but it felt…pretty good. I better damn well speak Portuguese after living there for 18 months! It just made sense, you know? It’s not like, poof, here’s a book. It took a lot more work than I expected.
The power I got out of the process of setting and completing these two big goals was momentum. Now that I’ve published an eBook, I’m sure I can release another record or do anything else in the area of online publishing for myself and others. Now that I’ve climbed Mt. Whitney (12,000ft of it), I can find other hikes that I know I’ll enjoy and other land masses that need to be dominated.
I don’t have specifics on my next goals, yet, but one will involve a venture into online publishing and content strategy for hire, and another will involve rocking out with my cock out (aka music). Get your cameras ready.
For the last couple of months I have had a hard time staying motivated. I decided to put all of my projects on hold and just read books. That’s why there haven’t been any Sound Design Live podcasts in a while and I haven’t published my eBook (yikes!). At my lowest points everything seems wrong and I just lay in bed staring out of the window. At my highest points I am excited to get back on the path of self-discovery. Today is one of those high points. I present to you a short story in outline format:
I study A Course In Miracles.
I just finished Steve Pavlina’s book where this paragraph appears on the last page, “Fully develop your human abilities, and use your power in honorable service for the highest good of all. False power corrupts, but true power elevates. The more you resonate with truth and love, the greater your ability to wield power wisely. No one is served by your refusal to shine.“
Last night was Halloween. I was chatting with a slutty lamp. At one point she pulled a tinny rolled up piece of paper from her glove and read this quote, which she attributed to Nelson Mandela, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own lightshine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.“
**UPDATE: This goal has been completed! Read about it here.**
Landon Donovan, 1-0 Group C win over Algeria, World Cup 2010
I have a really hard time setting goals. This has to do with my fear of commitment as I spoke about briefly in my last post, or at least that is my self-analysis. I have a really hard time following through when I am not 100% clear about my motivation. If the work is hard and I start asking myself why I’m doing it, boy do I get pissed.
In an effort to break this habit and increase my goal-setting abilities I am joining Steve Pavlina in his free Passive Income Series. Normally I wouldn’t share this publicly because for most people money equals hard work and passive income just makes us think of scams and spam. In spite of this taboo, it’s important for me that I share this goal with you in hope of positive support and encouragement. This project is the training wheels for the bicycle that I will ride to even bigger goals.
GOAL: I am now successfully creating a new eBook by July 1, 2013 that generates at least $250 per month on average and endures for a minimum of 5 years, and I’m doing this in an easy focused manner that delivers valuable creative content for many others around the world.
I believe I can do this because I am not starting from scratch. I have been working on building an audience since my first rock band in high school and I already have some ideas for generating the stream. This stream will earn about $10,000 over the next 5 years, but more specifically, it’s the right amount to pay my utilities every month.
It would be great if you would like to join me in this series. While Pavlina is a good coach, he has far too many readers to work with them all individually. So if you are going to do it, email me or comment in below and we can share our experiences. Expect to succeed.
MY UPDATES FROM FOLLOWING THE PASSIVE INCOME SERIES
Put Your Goal in Your Face: I printed this and posted in near my computer and on my table – I am now successfully creating a new stream of passive income by November 1, 2012, that generates at least $180 per month on average and endures for a minimum of 5 years, and I’m doing this in an easy focused manner that delivers creative content for many others around the world.
Create Consequences for Failure: If I fail to complete this goal I will sell my desktop computer.
Involve Others: I am blogging about my progress on this site and have posted it on my FB timeline. Still hoping to find an accountability partner.
Stop Being So Selfish With Your Value: Society doesn’t care how hard you work. It doesn’t care how creative you are. It only cares about the value you’re actually getting into people’s hands. That’s what you get paid for — for value delivery — not for your ideas, or your long work days, or your intrinsic value as a human being.
What value do you deliver to your friends and family? I caring, fun, challenging, and supportive.
What other forms of value could you provide if you made an effort? Creative solutions to live event production challenges. Digital media production and distribution support. Entertainment (music, theatre, comedy). Education (audio tech, language, travel).
Passive Income As An Escape: “Overall, would you say that you like the way you’re currently living and wish to expand it further? If so, then you’re a good candidate for passive income. If not, then you need to stop and fix your form first.” This quote means a lot to me, because sometimes I like my day job, but sometimes I hate it, so I really need to work on eliminating the work I dislike and finding more of the work I enjoy.
Action Plan
Transcribe all interviews.
Make selections from three transcripts per week and add them to the master document. This step is just to get all of the content together.
Edit dialogue and add introductions to each chapter. (Can I add links and media?)
Send first draft out for feedback.
Send second draft to interviewees for changes and approval.
Have someone more aesthetically minded do the layout and cover.
Once the eBook is complete, I’ll create a sales page for them, add links through my website, and announce them on my blog, and Twitter, Google+, and FaceBook pages.
