A Week of Tears Answered My Questions
With one statement she brought me to tears. It wouldn’t be the last time I cried that weekend, nor that week. And for days it seemed tears were always on the edge of spilling over.
Accidentally stepping on a ball the week before, smashing into a wall so hard it left bruises on my shoulder, knee and head (that order of seriousness) and twisting my back muscles in attempt to save myself, I didn’t cry. In fact later I laughed over it… (as much as you can laugh after being very sore from hitting a wall.)
What did she say that brought me to tears?
“You need to stop running after everything… you have too many goals” Stephanie Raindow Bell was doing some spiritual coaching. Renee Corbett is my work coach, so this was different. Stephanie told me her goals and how she was told to focus on one.
Read More#ThemeWord and Goals
Personally I am not big into resolutions. Resolutions do not seem to work for most people. Perhaps because we resolve to “work out more,” or “eat healthier” or “read more.” There are no solid resolutions, no commitment or number.
Work out more? Eat healthier? By choosing to eat an apple today instead of a doughnut by definition is healthier. Yet this is not really what we need to do, we need to decide to eat an apple everyday. Decide to work out 3 times a week . Commit to reading 2 books a month. Commit to losing 5 pounds for the next 4 months and then maintain.
These are defined goals. SMART Goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
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Specific ~ an apple. Measurable ~ every day. Attainable ~ a slight stretch going from once a month to every day. Realistic ~ 1 apple vs 5 (unless you really love apples) Timely ~ for a year |
The other thing to setting “resolutions” is to turn them into goals. Not goals for right now, but goals for the end of the year. So you have to keep working towards that end goal.
This is the idea that bubbled into my head reading Erica Douglass and her New Year blog. She has a #themeword for the year, Create. She wants to create more. More of everything. In Erica’s blog you can read that her goals are SMART.
After spending a few days in thought, my #themeword appeared. My #themeword for 2010 is “Action.”
Because for years I haven’t taken action. Because I want a massive change in 2010, which requires action. Because I don’t want to go back to a job, action is necessary. Because I must take action to get out of debt and into a new home. Because I want to get my ideas on paper and on video, which requires action. Because I have a lot to share that floats in my head, action again. Because I want to exercise 3 times a week in addition to daily walking, action. Because I want to travel, action. Because I want to spend time with someone special, action. Because I want to visit my friends in Texas, action. Because I plan to cook 3 times a week, action.
So yes, I do believe my #themeword is action. As for my goals… well I have them written down, but I don’t plan on sharing most of those. Yet, you will be seeing some interesting posts in the next few days.
What’s your #Themeword? Comment below and I will add your #themeword to this page.
MJ Schrader
Read MoreMake it so
A month ago I took off “suddenly.” The thing to know about me, is I never actually do anything suddenly. Having been alone for most of my life I plan things out with great detail in my head, so when I act it looks very sudden.
The visit was months of discussion, months of persuasion and me resisting. Actually I had planned to go since April, but things didn’t work. Yet this new factor was both a temptation and a reason to resist. One resistance was budget in nature, but I will explain that later.
On July 3rd a classmate came to town from Las Cruces for a family wedding. A third classmate joined us, and we went out to eat around the corner from her hotel. Soon we were joined by her husband. He had already eaten so he stayed for a drink and left, then her brother showed up, a friend on facebook.
The 5 of us soon went out to a club, her brother and I danced the night away at the Mambo Club. We laughed and acted like we were a couple (see the image above). So the next week, I asked my classmate about him. She didn’t say much, but a few weeks later she said to talk to him.
The conversations were few, but comfortable. Often with him encouraging me to visit his sister and him in New Mexico. Finally in November, my resistance broke, and I am glad it did. Yes, it was nice to get away from home. But truth is I had a lot of fun, and all we did was hang out, like a first date (that lasted 2 days) Well, I guess it was… and soon we will try a 4 day second date.
Unfortunately for him, I have dated more than a few jerks, so he’s got a mountain to climb. Which really isn’t fair to him; but, something tells me he’s up to the task. 
Course this is going to be a bit weird if he reads my posts… although he’ll probably laugh.
Now drifting back to the first resistance and the related. Part of the disillusionment with taxes and bookkeeping is the pay has not gone up while the bosses have gotten progressively meaner. In my 20s I shopped for designer labels on sale, although I could buy them full price. My savings was nice.
In my 30s after a bad business deal, the business partner made off nice 
. Followed by a period when no one would hire me, my savings disappeared, debts appeared, in droves. A few years of work helped, but when I was laid off in April, I decided to quit in July (long story). It was time to follow a 30+ year dream of being a writer, but the starving artist is NOT part of the dream.
I want to able to pay bills, even better to buy things again, without worry. But after New Mexico, my urge and urgency has grown. My debts need to be paid off, the sooner the better.
So what’s the plan o’ action? First are goals, $1500 to raise before the end of the year, $5000 by February 1st. That will be great forward progress.
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Sell my Wendi Friesen and Joe Vitale stuff on eBay to raise money ASAP (see if there is more stuff I can sell) http://bit.ly/6oBTJQ
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Promote my products more on http://RockstarGuideBooks.com,
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Produce new products.
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Find JV partners.
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Write articles.
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Do more graphics. I do graphics for fun but it’s a little bit of income.
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Offer ghost writing
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Make the ex-boyfriend pay his debt to me.
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Believe.
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BELIEVE. (worth repeating)
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Make it so… (Star Trek: TNG)
So if you need to learn something in particular, have ideas to raise some funds, ideas of what I can sell, please leave some comments. If you know (or even better are) a potential JV partner, please leave a comment.
MJ Schrader
Read MoreThe EJunkie Chronicles
This was my task. A simple one. One that multiple people had asked me about. It’s a simple process that I had already done, before, for myself and for others, this time they wanted it recorded. So my task was…
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“Record how to get a product on E-Junkie.”
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Ok, this should have been very easy. But there was something that literally and figuratively blocked me. I had internet interruptions that literally halted video, watching “Loading, Loading, Loading…” Two takes were interupted by Lilo. One time, she was mewing a lot, the second she tried to jump into my lap… and semi-missed. The claws went straight through the jeans and the scream and threat to kill the cat didn’t seem quite appropriate.
Then there were takes when I couldn’t talk, (on this vebite???) couldn’t type, couldn’t get to the right program. Perfectionism got in the way a couple times. Then some days I was too frustrated to film, and finally decided when it was 1am that it was too late.
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Was I not comfortable with doing videos?
Was it lack of right equipment? Was it that I didn’t want to work? Was it a dry spell? |
No, because I shot 4 during the Ejunkie chronicles. There is a “Rockstar Starter Guide to Autoresponders” available for sale as of November 6th. The sales page is ARVideo.RockstarGuideBooks.com For Halloween wallpaper I created How to change wallpaper. Then the popular MJ is dressing up for Halloween as with a Video is at the bottom To explain what I do I created a video for my friends on T61 Radio so we could easily explain the basics to newbies.
So that’s why I am a bit out of sorts over the EJunkie video. It took over 25+ takes, probably closer to 40. There were 10 in the two days before the final take, and that was 2 weeks of attempts. Fortunately I found a way to unlock the Edit feature on the Camtasia version I have. After that was unlocked I learned how to zoom, add boxes, arrows and some other stuff. Perhaps I should leave that as the point?
Honestly, I don’t know. Hope the block is gone. Hope it’s happy to leave me alone. BUT I WANT EVERYONE TO RECOMMEND THIS VIDEO!!! PLEASE BUY THIS VIDEO!!! It’s only $14.95 and it would make me feel TONS better about it. The sales page will go up on Friday. It will be $14.95 there, even if you join the affiliate program this price is still cheaper.
PLEASE BUY THIS NOW
$14.95 for the E-Junkie Video that took 25+ takes
Seriously, please buy it. It’s not a lot of money and it would really help me. Between my budget getting tighter and tighter and let’s just say the video still caused me nightmares in uploading, downloading, putting it online, streaming it…
But what is the lesson you ask? “You always share a lesson with us readers.”
Fall down 9 times get up 10.
Ok, a bit too fortune cookie. But what do you expect, I shot one video over 25 times?? OK! FINE! Lesson 1: The video isn’t perfect, but a perfect product never reaches the market because you are always working on it to make it perfect.
| Lesson 2: It took over 25+ takes, it cost me time, a big bruise on my ego, but I didn’t die. (Unless I am dead and typing blog posts? Potential side effect from Plants vs Zombies?) But the point is… the video finally got done, I learned and can move past it. I didn’t die, so what difference are a few bruises? It’s not going to be the first nor the last. |  |
Lesson 3: Sometimes you have to change pace, change your focus, change your mind. You have a block. So what? Is that the only thing you can work on right now?? Clean house, play a mindless game, watch a movie, go for a walk come back to it later with a clearer head and fresh perspective.
Lesson 4: The attempts didn’t work. You still put forth effort, find a way to reward yourself. Give yourself a half hour to read a book, play games whatever. Set a big reward for when the project is done. Movie night, a day off, several games of Mario Kart Racing. Those may be my rewards, but you get the point. Now for the final lesson.
LESSON 5: This is the most important lesson of all. Fall down 9 times get up 10. The fortune cookie was right. Sorry, but it’s true. You only fail when you give up; try again, change your project, refocus, but always get up again. AND THEN YOU HAVE WON.
Besides you can point and laugh at me and say, “it took you how many takes???”
Share with me some of your thoughts. *buy the video* Add some comments below *buy the video* Look for the sales page Friday *buy the video* and last but most important pay attention *buy the video* to the subliminal text in this paragraph.
Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love
♥ MJ ♥
Butterfly in Waiting
Last week I wrote an emotional blog. To all those who left comments. Thank you. Those both touched me, and helped me realize I am on the right path. Yet, even as I was asking forgiveness for not having done anything, I am still trying to forgive myself. 12 years later, and have not forgiven myself for having lost my only child… Also for the 5 or so years I’ve tried to build a business online, and haven’t yet. Change does not happen over night, no matter how much we want.
A caterpillar is a butterfly in waiting. Thus is life. Thus it is with you, with me, and with everyone in the world.
This week my focus changed. Well, has and hasn’t. After years, I resolved to make it without a j.o.b. when the tax season ended April 15th. (No income since then) Yet 2 days ago, I saw an ex-co-worker, tax training starts in July. A horrible wake-up call. A COLD HARD deadline, just one month away. Goal was to make money before training starts.
The desire to RUN AND DO is almost overwhelming, but when I run like that, I do it blind, and make a big mess. So I created a review site this week. Http://info-wizards.com/tattoo. Then started writing articles for another site. But this is still scrambling, un-focused, so I silence myself, and attend a mastermind (Thank you Kim Burney).
Define your goal, your need: Ok. To tell the tax office I will not be training, I need $1000 a month, and will need to grow even more before October. But I need time to study with Bill Hibbler & Ann Collins, finish a book, attend masterminds, help others, visit Montana, and attend seminars.
Define your niche: Repeatedly said here, that all I ever wanted was to write. It’s not really true, helping people has always been first. That’s why I started telling my history. Others have survived worse, but, maybe, just maybe someone will be helped by what I say.
And people keep asking “What do you do?“ Author isn’t me. Writer isn’t either. “Helping YOU Find the Love Within” feels like me.
Then my heart opens wide when I think about leading some Mastermind groups. In talking to my group, it’s part of what I need right now, to learn more about others and myself. Soon I hope to have a couple Mastermind groups, including one about “Finding the love within.”
So are you ready to join my mastermind groups? Seriously I am looking, contact me if interested. Yet it stirs my heart, leaves me with time to finish my book “Find the love within” (working title) and start on the next. Somewhere in the course of the week, I decided to embrace a joke. I now own http://LoveRockstar.com No, I haven’t decided what to do with it yet.
Love,
MJ
NEXT WEEK…
At my church “Some try to tell me, Thoughts they cannot defend,”
But as for me “Just what you want to be, You will be in the end.” ~ Nights in White Satin, Moody Blues
Viva La Vida
Welcome to my personal blog. This blog in various forms and formats has been in existence since 2000. As for why this is called Viva La Vida, it means "live the life" in Spanish, but it is a salute to living life to the fullest. And my hope is that you will live life to the fullest!
This is my personal blog! So viva la vida with me!!