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Seth Godin pointed out a very good secret of the web, Patience.

But, it’s not just the web. If you take any Big-Win/Big-Money/Big-Prestige/Big-Anything life, they all have the same virtue present.

In music, most lasting name artists ( key: lasting name, no fly by nighter one shots ), had the same virtue. Gwen Stephanie and No Doubt started in 1986. That’s 9 years before they had their big boom with Tragic Kingdom.

In acting, watch the Actors studio, and all of them have been trying for countless years before any of us ever heard their names.

In politics, do any of us really hear these names until the election machine hoists them up for the nation to see? I didn’t. And yet they spend their lives in the political arena

Over and over again, if you stick with it, you inherently get better and you get noticed.

There is a real catch, and I think deeper than patience is another virtue. How do you have patience? How do you get it? You need to know that what ever your are doing is why you are hear on this earth. And you have to know, no matter what, that it will work out,

The only way I know something is with belief and faith. Not in the religious context, but the personal.

I’ve been more productive lately. At times maybe a little too productive to the point of burn out ( but that’s a different post, which I may or may not write ). So, what then made the change? Was there any change at all?

Was there any change?

This is very philosophical. A kin to the one with the bear, in the woods with no one around, and the odd smell of pepper. Hmmmmm.

Simple answer “yes”.

Long answer, is still “yes” but with explanation.

Change is funny. Change is difficult. Change is messy. And the first thing one must do, is feel awkward about something; anything! If you don’t have some sort of knot, or confusion, or nerves, then my friend, you are not changing.

And with this new regime, I feel very awkward and overwhelmed and off kilter, to put it mildly. And regardless of external proof ( which I have here, here and here), because of the attempt and the feeling, I know that something is happening and change will bubble out.

“Ignorance is bliss”, and asking the question opens the door that you don’t know something. And no matter what you do, you can’t go back and forget that you thought you didn’t know something. So, simply by asking the question, or putting a foot forward, you are making a step forward.

Now, what the hell did I do?

It’s as simple as a to-do list.

{pause}

Yes! A to-do list. But for some odd reason, these little simple yet menial powerhouses of organization fell short on me. I have some sort of magical power that shuts them out completely. I feel overwhelmed by these lines on a piece of paper say “do me”. And I feel this power that I must do them today!

Then I start racing down the rabbit hole with all sorts of other things I wanted to do – you know, like goto the moon.

Now I’ve got “Go to the moon” on my to-do list with a super urgency to do this today! And then comes the inevitable “Snap”. I then either “loose” the paper, or flat out crumple it up and through it around the house. The last one, was a really good toy for my cat, few at least a month.

What kind of to-do list?

I’m using Omni Focus. I decided that for my improvement I would tighten the student belt buckle and dish out the 75 or so bucks to have the fully running version. And it’s been very helpful.

There are loads of features that seem to work right for me.

It doesn’t yell – I’ve set it so that there are no exclamation points or jumping icons that say “tsk, tsk, Nick, you haven’t gone to the moon”

Daily Review and ongoing reassessment – I’ve set it up, so that there is a review period for each series of tasks. So for example, my Clients, I have set to review everyday, were as my long term career goals, set for 2 weeks. In the morning while drinking my coffee – I open my review list, and simply check that I’ve reviewed the items. I might not change anything – and sometimes I do an overhaul as I think of it.

What I don’t need doesn’t show – In the same way I look at my review items, I have a perspective for my daily docket. These are the things I know for sure I want on the list. If I don’t know – I take it off. And it’s not deleted, just hidden for today. Which I’ll review tomorrow and add again if I desire.

What’s in this whole post for you?

I think we’ve got a few tid bits for you.

Trust your gut. Admit if something isn’t working for you, even though that the world thinks it’s simple and powerful. I can say to-do lists do not work for me. What doesn’t work for you?

Feel free to trick yourself. I know my mind is hard to fool. I can see through various ploys and sometimes it fights me. So, when that happens I trick it. In this case, I hide things. “No, that task isn’t there” I say.

Keep searching. I’ve tried what seems like billions of “task managers” and some have come close, but there are key elements that stop me. So, I made a list of deal breakers, and they were that The task list shouldn’t be pushy, I need to drive, and I need to hide things from myself.

To unlock anything – I think you need to ask what are your deal breakers. And if there is the slightest problem and your gut is saying those important needs aren’t met. Admit it doesn’t work and move on.

It’s an engineering diagram…they swear.

http://www.needcoffee.com/2008/08/04/hanna-barbera-anti-marijuana/
http://saturdaymorn.blogspot.com/2008/07/hanna-barbera-against-marijuana-1970.html

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No vision to guide a weary hand that strokes aimlessly to the sky.
With fists of white they curse above.
A blinding light responds.

Dissembled, tattered, encased by polar’d rock, not pointing to a compass
but, round it pivots and spirals so
to add confusion to this travel woe.

Adrift and alone. Only flights of fancy that catch an eye and paralyze
till burning tips of painted wings
cause a tumble towards a bluest ember’d coal.

What must it be, to have dotted line between left and right, continued onwards
through and over mountain crest.
A beacon to souls desire.

A calling home from far off lands through places yet unknown.
The journey is important,
while destination still is always known.

Instead, in chaos core adrift, a regal ship of war, with sail forgotten by
silent iron children.
Still a boat.

It’s more like thought without a word.
Aimless throughout our conscious
with no doorway through becoming solid known.

Instead, it hides between words and lines
only glimpsed;
to some completely unheard.

To feel this curse is heavy.
But, unlike Atlas, temporary.
A limbo between dark and light.

My grey today will rain and wash away
my cloak of quills
and I shall shine no matter.

A star in heaven from far away
shall see me cry and
know my name.

On that day with fists of white,
what once was aimless strokes
connect to form a mast full sight

My painted life
of depth and hue
Concluded.

There is a phrase floating around the web called a “lifestream”, and several sites are capitalizing on this new term. You too can have a lifestream! But remember Shakespeare and his line: “A rose by any other name…” still smells nice. Or my favorite, “same shit different pile”.

First, you need to know, that like anything else, when a new term is coined, everyone is “it”. It’s no different then any industry phrase. I remember this conversation

Friend: “I’m ISO-9000 compliant.”

Me: “Oh, that’s nice. what is it”.

Friend: “It’s a framework for my company to effectively creat a QMS”

Me: “Yes, but what is it”

Friend: “Well it’s a binder with specific details about my products and organizational work flows”

Me: “Didn’t you have that before?”

Friend: “Yes, but it’s in a new template!”

This isn’t any different then let’s say web 2.0

Friend: “My site is web 2.0.”

Me: “Oh, that’s nice. what is it”.

Friend: “It’s a conceptual framework for combining web technologies for user interaction.”

Me: “Yes, but what is it”

Friend: “Well I’m using RSS, AJAX, and various other scripts to add more dynamic content”

Me: “Didn’t you have that before?”

Friend: “Yes, but it’s got gradients!”

Now, you probably have the question I asked my friends “Yes, but what is it?” It’s another log / blog / news feed, of things you’ve been touching and updating on the web. It’s supposed to be a one stop shop. “Look, Nick has a new bookmark.”, “What’s that, Nick? You’ve put a new poem up on pownce?”, “Nick, you’re blogging again?”.

You may have seen this kind of stuff before, only it wasn’t called a “lifestream”. You know on facebook, how you have a list of friends activities? Things they’ve done on facebook? Well…that’s a lifestream. Take a look at friendfeed.com and they are by far the best I’ve come across. Simple and to the point. I guess that’s becuase they don’t even use the phrase “lifestream” at all.

My round the bend and over the stream ( get it! ) point

Regardless of what it’s called, if you are an active user on several sites, consider finding a place to tie them in a pretty bow. First of all, it will let your friends see your presence on the web ( not for everyone I know, but for those marketers, it’s extremely powerful ). And second, I find it puts in my mind, which sites I use, and reminds me why I use them.

Pownce is for poetry
Twitter is for what I’m doing
Tumblr is for shitz and giggles blogging
Friendfeed is my lifestream ( well I have a copy here too )

(update: I guess the services I use have changed a bit since 2008. Maybe it’s time for a new list?)

Wind and willow, wisps of white,
whirling wistfully into the night.
Round through bark and timbers quake
from heavy feet your sprits do make.

But I, unliken kin, hath differed slightly.
You see, I tumble easy and sway so lightly
My Splints do crack and shed their skin
When set against your stance and spin

Am I infallible? Nay!

When plucked to marrow my amber drips
and stains like any other in this plain.
But, rather pop my join and let way my stem,
I gently dace and dissuade your strength.
It’s a gift bestowed from seed of spring
A duckling blossom blooms on tips of twig

A timbered night we stand awake,
with sounds and sights of fallen ache.
Cracked mid bow and bones at feet
I weep and morn my families grief
Wind and willow, wisps of white,
I curse and bless my natures right.

What dreams must come to Mothers minds
when hand of God shall crack the sky,
and rage away the troubled times
for perfect moments relief,
and breath.

Fresh weathered air
after tumbled trees and shaken nest.
When children hide and peak in wonderment,
knowing beauty in such natured strength.
The shutters flap and quake
about smacking harshly against the house.
And with a whack,
a clouded broom wipes all away
the greys, replaced by light and breeze
relief,
a breath

All the while she sleeps.
The storm her mind like R.E.M.
with visions of ages that call upon her depth.
When once that swam took first step
along rocken’d tip of skin,
or muffled crunch of those she loved striving to survive
while she entwined in cold lament.
Perhaps, she visions like we –
of happy days or strange desires.
Perhaps, she dreams of elemental fires.

No Matter

Like flesh and blood
to mount and mud.
Dreams do come to our dearest Mom.
After streak of sky and turbulence,
a peaceful time,
she takes
a breath.

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