Resolution vs. goal

Last year, I posted a blog, and a video, on my 12 goals of 2009.  Out of the 12, I have achieved eight.  Every January, I hear the same question, “What is the difference between a goal, and a resolution?” For those who are still confused, here it is.

A resolution is a promise that you make to yourself right now.  Usually, a resolution is made half heartedly, it’s always short term, and it’s of something you should be doing anyway.  Prime examples would be, losing weight, saving more money, paying bills, and working harder.

In contrast, a goal is a promise to yourself, which will bring you to your dreams.  It is never made half heartedly, and is always long term.  Some goals may be finished within the year, but if they aren’t you can still continue trying to achieve them.

As an example, I will share some of mine.  My ultimate dream is to become a full time writer, and photographer.  Some of my goals from last year are:

1) Organize my time to include more writing.

2) Get at least one article written and submitted.

3) Take more photographs for my stock.

4) Write blogs that send a good message, and get more views.

6) Learn how to make quality videos.

Start making 100 dollars per week with writing and photography.

Not all of these have happened yet, but out of 12 goals, I have achieved eight.  The other four, I will continue working for. (to see a complete list of goals, read my blog from January first 2009.

As you can see, my goals are not the end result of writing full time, but they are steps, that once achieved, will be maintained until the ultimate dream is reached.

This, to me is the biggest difference between the two; resolutions are cosmetic quick fixes, while goals are a deeper, and more meaningful, step to something greater.  I hope this helps answer the question of why I don’t make resolutions, but I do make goals.

Enjoy,

Allen

Leaping before you look

The way I believe, I never call anyone stupid, that is, until today.  I had just gone to Wal-mart, and bought a new printer to replace the one that broke down.  The cab picked me up and we were headed down a busy street, when a car came barreling out of a driveway at top speed, and pulling a 180, just missing our cab, and a car coming from the other direction.

I’m not one to dwell on what could have happened if we were just a bit closer, that wouldn’t accomplish anything.  My calling her stupid was just a gut reaction, but I never actually talked to her, so she never knew what I was mumbling. After thinking about it, I realized I probably shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.  This girl, for whatever reason, lost control of her car, temporarily.  She could have been drunk, irate over a break up, had a heart attack, or any number of reasons could have caused it.  The point of this is, before I assumed she was stupid, I should have had the facts.

One of my English teachers told me “People love conflict, even if they have to make it up.”  This is why tabloids are so popular.  I admit it, when O.J. Simpson was arrested for murder, the first thing I thought was Oh yeah, he did it. But there was no possible way I could have known that.

Jumping to conclusions makes it possible for rumors to spread so quickly, and for misunderstandings to escalate.  Some may say, “When I jump to conclusions, I get all the facts first.”  But if that’s the case, you are no longer “jumping” to conclusions.

When you are jumping, there is no time to think; you are assuming that you already know what the facts are, and you might even try to force the evidence to fit your own theory just so you don’t appear foolish.  I’m not saying “don’t jump to conclusions.”  You will anyways, that’s just part of being human.  What I am saying, though, is that before screaming, yelling, and sharing with the world, the bone headed thing someone else did, get the facts.  There may just be a reason they did what they did, that made it unavoidable.

To that girl, in the car, I just hope she’s all right, and the reason she spun out has been corrected.

Enjoy,

Allen

The write solution to troubled times.

One of the biggest myths about writers is that they are recluses, who sit behind a computer, never letting the problems of the world enter their private space.  The reality is that writers are out in the world with everyone else, and all the problems that come with it.

 

The Movie “The Princess Bride” has a line in it that I always thought was true to a point.  “Life is pain, highness.  Anyone who says different is trying to sell you something.”  I did mention that it was to a point.  How we handle the situation will determine whether it will end good or bad.

 

I know, while we are going through the painful times in our lives, it’s very hard to imagine anything but more pain coming of it, but there is always an end to it.  The best thing to keep in mind, it’s through the most painful times in our lives that we find ourselves becoming stronger.

 

There are two things that help me through the hardest times; the friends that I have, and the ideas I get for writing.  This is where writers are different.  Yes, we feel pain, sadness, anger, and sorrow, but we can turn it around by writing about our feelings, and the stories that have come out of it.  In a way, we can vent our frustration, without taking it out on someone else, causing them pain.

 

I know I already mentioned Nora Ephron’s saying, “Everything is copy.”  This is one of those times it bears repeating.  Time may heal all wounds, but it still leaves scars, and the best way of reducing those scars is to write about it.  There is no such thing as an “off limit” subject, and if you are worried about offending a friend, or relative, don’t.  Just change the names.  The purpose is to write through your problems, and air out your feelings so you can move forward in the healing process.

 

The best part of writing it down, and working through your pain, is that you can share it with someone else who may be going through the same thing.   Of course, while you are writing through your pain, don’t forget that you have friends who are always there to help you, and are just a phone call, or e-mail away.  It’s good to write about the troubled times of your life, but it’s a bad idea to shut yourself away from them; you can find comfort in your friends, and stories in your writing.  Use them both to help you heal.

 

Enjoy,

Allen

What to do with hard to open trash bags

Don’t you just hate it when you’re trying to open a trash bag, and it just won’t open?  Well, here’s a simple solution that never fails.  Wash your hands.

 

The reason it becomes hard to open the trash bag is that during the course of the day, oil from the fingers builds up.  The oil is especially slippery when it rubs against the plastic.  When you wash your hands, it removes the oil from your skin, making it tacky enough to open the bag without slipping.

 

This has worked with all the trash bags I’ve tested,   even the hard to open bags.

 

Enjoy,

Allen

If you have any questions that need a creative solution, let me know in the comments.

Nanowrimo day 7

Today was day seven of the nanowrimo, and I just barely squeaked by, hitting my word total of 11,709 words.  First off, let me just say that, with my schedule, if I can write a novel in a month, anyone can.

Last year, I made it up to 7,000 words, and then got completely distracted.  Being able to make it up to 11,000 words for me is quite a feat.  Now I know the myths.  “People who write novels have no life.”  and “Only certain types to be able to write.”  I say myths because that is exactly what they are.  I’ve made it this far, and I have a very hectic schedule.

To answer the second question, you don’t have to be a literary genius to write 50,000 words in a month.  Your first draft is going to be garbage, accept it.  Nanowrimo is not about writing a sell-able novel in a month; it’s about putting 50,000 words on “paper”.  If you want to know what that breaks down to on a daily basis, it’s about 1667 words a day.

Now that may seem like a tall order, it’s not so hard as it may seem, if you don’t edit, stop to correct, or give up.  In my experiment last month, to see if I could do it, I took a writer’s prompt, and just wrote without stopping, for two hours, and came up with 1700 words.

It can be done, you just have to motivate yourself.  Besides the great feeling that I can do it, I have a reward system for reaching my daily word goal.

As most people know, I love watching movies, but they can be a terrible distraction from writing.  I made up my mind that until I reach my word goal, I can’t watch a movie.  I even go so far as to pick out a movie, put a post-it on it with the word count, and put it right in front of me.  It’s kind of the same as putting a carrot in front of a horse to get it to move.

The reward you choose doesn’t have to be big, it just has to motivate you to do something.

If you have a dream to do something, but don’t think you can meet the daily requirements to get there, try a reward system, that will motivate you to get busy and make your dream come true.

This is what my first week in nanowrimo has taught me.

Force the doubt right out

The question came up the other day, “What do I do when I start to question my own talent?”  And “Does anyone else ever go through this?”  My original answer was everyone goes through that, but after further thought, I discovered a common but little known confusion that changed my answer.  The confusion is this; talent and ability are two completely different things.

Talent is a natural motivation to accomplish something in a certain area.  Writers have a natural motivation to write; engineers have a proclivity for math, and structure.  You can have a talent to do something, but you may not have a great ability, which just means you have to work a little harder.

I had a friend in high school that was a perfect example of this.  His true ability was comedy, and writing, but he really loved to draw comics.  It used his sense of humor, and his writing skill, but his art ability was mediocre, so he would spend hours practicing his drawing.  Eventually, he became exceptional, and was able to draw comics better than his older brother, who actually did have a natural ability.

Talent can be such a driving force, that it can seem to be an obsession, except it doesn’t come from an irrational fear.  When I was younger, I was told that my drive to write was a waste of time, and that writing is nothing more than a hobby that only a few special people can make any real money, so I suppressed the drive.  Have you ever felt like something was missing from your life; like you are miserable, but you don’t know why?  This is what I felt like for all those years I didn’t write.  I lived my life by going through the motions, but they were just empty.

The moment I started writing again, it was like someone broke down a wall to reveal the spirit that had been blocked for years.  Many people say that if you don’t use your talent that you lose it, but it’s not true. You can hide it, and ignore it for years, but the moment you start using it, it comes back. While you may be able to hide your talent, you can’t truly question it.  What you can question, however, is your ability.

Ability, according to the “American Heritage Dictionary”, is the power to do something.  I believe this is one area that, at times, should be questioned. Questions can force you to look at your current level, and begin to seek answers on how to improve.  Those answers will eventually lead us to work harder at improving our quality.

In case you haven’t noticed, I never used the word “doubt”.  The reason for this is simple.  When you question your ability, you are seeking answers that can keep you going in the right direction, but when you doubt your ability, you are telling yourself “I just don’t have what it takes”, and that can lead to giving up.

If you do find yourself doubting, the answer is to keep going and “force the doubt right out” of your mind, it’s not doing you any good.

Enjoy,
Allen

Use responsibly…

We all have those kinds of friends; you know the kind.  They say they’re going to keep in touch, and you do receive e-mails, but instead of actually communicating anything, all they do is forward jokes, and perverted pictures that they assume you find tasteful.  O K, maybe that’s just some of my friends, and they may just be good friends when you’re face to face, but when they send e-mails they are a totally different person.  So this leaves me with the question, what does that say about them, and their view of me?

When you send e-mails, it’s important to think about what you’re communicating to the recipient.  If all you send are humorous forwards, you are saying that you have no real creativity, and that you prefer to be a pest rather than a true friend.  What it says you think of me is either I’m too serious, and need to lighten up, or you think I’m too self-centered to take anything seriously, and too stupid to understand anything higher than third grade humor.

If all you send are religious forwards, you are showing me that you are a religious fanatic that wants to toot your own piousness to everyone who hasn’t already been turned off by your holier-than-thou attitude.  That shows that you think I am a heathenish sinner, who will never make it into heaven unless I forward your message to 10 of my closest friends; or that I’m incredibly gullible to fall for another chain e-mail.

I’m not going to say much about what it says if all you send are pornographic e-mails, except you should be ashamed of yourself you pervert. (You know who you are)

In all seriousness, forwards do have their place, and they can be useful in communicating something you found exciting, or humorous, but that shouldn’t be all you send.  E-mails are designed to give you a full range of tools to express yourself, and if all you do is forward you aren’t giving your recipient the chance to know the real you.

If you do type real messages make sure to use the spell check, or your spelling can be a distraction from what you’re trying to say.  Your grammar doesn’t have to be perfect, but you should at least punctuate.  Sending a message with no punctuation is not only harder to read, but it sends the message that you are an uneducated hick, or at least an executive (just kidding).

I realize the English language is being infused with a plethora (I just love that word) of abbreviations, but unless you know your recipient is up on all the jargon, keep it to a minimum.  It can become very frustrating trying to decipher such language, and the point could be lost.

The best thing you can do is proofread your e-mail, and make sure it communicates exactly what you want it to say.  Used correctly, e-mails can become your best way to communicate, beat only by face-to-face talking.  Use it responsibly.

Something on subject for a good laugh: what your e-mail address says about you, just go to this link. http://thecoffeedesk.com/news/index.php/2009/08/08/what-your-email-address-says-about-you/

Enjoy,
Allen

Making your business name stand out

We’ve all heard the saying, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”, but when we start a business, we don’t put enough thought into the first thing people see, our business name.  There are many things to do when you start a business, and the name is at the top of the priority list, but unless you choose one that stands out, you won’t get enough business to succeed. So how do you make your name stand out?  There are quite a few things you can do to make it stand out, but here are a few tips that might help.

The first thing you should do when naming your company is to make it say something about your business.  This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many first time business owners get this wrong.  To have a business called “McKenzie and associates” doesn’t tell you anything about what the business is without a follow up description like, “legal services”.  If you want to stand out more, you can make it even more specific.  There is a business here in Maine called “Ankle & Foot associates.”  If you have foot or ankle problems, you don’t have to call dozens of businesses to see if they can help, this name is an obvious choice.

Another thing to consider when coming up with a name is whether your name is unique.  When I originally chose my name, it was “Bradford Photography.”  After looking it up online, I found over 100 companies with the same name.  If I wanted my business name to stand out I had to come up with something a little different.  My business had more than photography; it also had writing and photographic design as part of it so I went with productions.  The only problem with “Bradford Productions” is that Bradford is too common a name to make it unique, so I turned to something from my area.

I live one block from the “Portland Breakwater Light.”  That name would be too long for a business name but it has a shorter, less known, nickname, “Buglight”.  I liked the sound of the name, so I tested it.  “Buglight Productions” had a nice sound to it, and when I looked it up there was only one other business with that name, which in my book makes it unique.  This brings me to my third tip; keep it short and simple.

If I had used “Portland Breakwater Light Productions”, it would have been hard for people who used my services to spread the word, and remember the name for future services.  The longer the name, the easier it is to forget.  With only two words in the name, it becomes much easier to recall.  You will need that advantage if you want to spread your business name.

Remember this one thing, the name of your business, if chosen well, can become your best advertisement, and a great way to make a first impression.

Enjoy,
Allen

The three kinds of nude photography

Working in a photo shop, I have learned a lot about which kinds of nude photography a standard lab will print, and which type requires a more private developer.  There are three classifications, or types, of nude photography, two of which can be processed traditionally; they are natural, artistic, and pornographic.  Many people have a hard time telling the difference, so I will try to explain this for those who are still confused.

Natural nude photography is the most widely accepted type.  Professionally, this is what ends up in magazines like “National Geographic”; personally, it includes such photographs as kids in bathtubs, and we’ve even seen shots from nudist resorts.  The photographs in this category focus on the situation, of which nudity is either a natural part, or an accidental result of the situation.  There is no attention focused on the body.

Artistic nudes require more attention to detail than you find in low quality labs like Wal-Mart, and many grocery stores, but they can still be processed and printed in traditional photo labs.  These photographs do focus on the body, but it has nothing to do with erotic response.  Artistic nudes are designed to elicit an emotional response through form, lighting, and texture.

Pornographic, or erotic, photography has but one purpose, to bring on an erotic response.  This is one area of photography that cannot be printed by traditional labs; at least not during operating hours.  As long as the models are over 18, it’s not illegal, but most traditional labs are public.  Let’s face it; some things don’t belong on public display.  Photographers of pornography are looked on as bottom feeders of photography instead of artists

There are some magazines that have what is considered borderline between artistic, and pornographic.  Well-known examples are “Playboy”, which is a well-written magazine with nude pictorials, and “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editions” with partial nudity, body painting, and semi-transparent clothing.  Some labs will print these types, and some won’t, it really depends on the feelings of the lab owner.

The human figure has always been a part of the artistic community, but knowing the difference types can greatly influence the availability of developers, and how closely you have to be involved in the process.  It also determines whether or not you’re thought of as a true artist.

Enjoy,
Allen

Nanowrimo

We are less than two months away from November, and one of the most important writers’ events of the year.  I am, of course, talking about “Nanowrimo.”  Nanowrimo, short for “National Novel Writer’s Month”,  was started in 1999 to help aspiring, and experienced novelists, to write a novel in one month.

As someone who had never heard of it until last year, I am still learning about it.  I can honestly say my first attempt last year was a failure.  I only learned of it at the end of October, and had only a couple of days to prepare.  This year I am determined to make it, and I’m starting to prepare now.

If you are new to writing, or want to try writing a novel for the first time, I would recommend learning about it now.  You can go to www.nanowrimo.org and find everything about this wonderful event, and sign up to become a member.  It’s free to become an active participant.

The October issue of “Writer’s Digest” has a great write up on the Nanowrimo.  You can get some information before deciding if you want to participate.

Don’t think you have what it takes to write a novel in a month?  Don’t worry about it.  You are under no pressure to write the novel, and have it ready to sell.  This is about the first draft only, so you don’t have to worry about it being perfect.

Don’t worry if you don’t have an idea yet, on page 59 of the same “Writer’s Digest”, there’s a great exercise to help.

I know this is beginning to sound like an infomercial, and I don’t mean for it to, but I’m just excited, and happy to be prepared ahead of time, for once.

Happy writing
Enjoy,
Allen