Over the past two weeks I have posted practically nothing anywhere, but have done more writing, creating, and painting then I have in at least a year.
It first started over a year ago when I realized that with twins & a wife who would be out of the house for 24+ hours at a time in a great job … I really needed to reduce my commitments. Then a few months ago, especially when work started back for my wife, I realized I needed to reduce my commitments.
About two weeks ago I saw a post about how to do an eBook in 30 days. I decided to do it, but screwed up the plan it outlined. I have this tendency to want to mess with systems, that is a major reason I don’t plan on purchasing a franchise ever. At first I brainstormed some ideas, and thought about some things people had mentioned before, but before day 1 I just started sitting down at about 10pm each evening with a blank sheet of paper (or a google doc, in a way where all I see is the page I am typing on) and I wrote.
Most nights I would clock in right at 1,000 words, some a little shy, a few around 1,500.
A few days into it an outline came to mind. So I started having a topic each night. It was a combination of my recent events, my history, and my desires. Sorta a present, past, and future.
It was good.
I was going to bed about the same time, I was getting things onto the page. I had some routine. Granted, my mornings are mostly routine:
7ish – wake up & start prepping stuff for babies
7:40 – babies wake up, diapers in their room, then bottle time in one of the two areas of our house with toys
8ish – breakfast
after that is play until they crash for a morning nap
But, the thing with that is there is no way I would train myself to wake up earlier just to do stuff like writing, reading, study, etc … I do better at that at night, so my new night routine is nice.
Moving Forward
On November 1st, after writing 10,000 words, over a little more than 10 days, I hit on a topic I labeled Moving Forward. It was the shortest, a little more than 250 words, but it put into some clear statements of both where I want to end up & things I need to focus on today – how can I:
- finding small companies & developing relationships with owners
- help improve profit per unit, either though higher revenue or lower costs
- increase the market, or client base of companies/products
- gain more equity in both public & private companies
What was rolling around in my head when the next morning I see in my RSS Reader a post titled Want To Be A VC? Start A Company.
Well, crap, how does that element of starting a company fit in with taking care of twins & those other things I was thinking I needed to be focusing on now in my productive & investing time?
Today, November 3rd, I had a lunch with a friend & mentor. I shared all that has been going on – more, but most of what is above – and he suggested a Stay-At-Home-Dad site/company.
And idea hit me later in the day that I typed up & sent to my wife. Once she gives me feedback I will decided to either kill it or share it with some more friends & advisers.
The Next Phase
I’m not sure what is next but I know I am getting closer to a better mix of taking care of babies, taking care of wife, taking care of me, and doing something to impact the world around me outside my house.
I know my natural tendency is to run hard at the world, with whatever I have raised high ready to break through walls, defeat enemies, or traverse wide distances. I am trying to be a good sailor where I do the little things to be ready for the wind. To take care of the boat. To prepare my skills, and to have the ship stocked – so that when the wind comes, I will be ready to race as far and as fast as I and my ship can go.
The wind is starting to pick up.
I have been doing good things, I know I can be better, but good has happened.
Bring on the wind & if the wind does not come, I will keep sharpening all that I can, especially since it had been so long & so much-needed work.
