Misc
Do Something That Matters
It’s easy to get caught up in the Christmas Spirit, we suddenly get nice and more helpful at this time of year than any other time, why is that? I know, I know, don’t get your stuff in a knot. I’m generalizing but let’s be honest, we tend to focus on ourselves or our immediate families most of the time. I want to share a true story with you, no it’s not the story of how I met your Mother. I will try to protect the innocent.
Once upon a time…… there was a girl, she was 13 and was very confused, she was being abused in all the ways you can possibly imagine. She ended up living on the streets, selling drugs, doing drugs, and prostitution became her daily routine. This little girl found herself at the age of 19 and nothing had changed, no prospects of anything changing. That was until someone took a vested interest in her, saw someone desperately wanting something very different than what she dreamed of living.
This someone told her about a program to get her straight and on the right track. This little girl didn’t believe it and didn’t think she was worth it. Imagine going through life thinking that what you were doing was as good as it was going to get.
I have found, that when life gets to be too much, you have to give back more to life and to those around you. To put things into perspective, LIFE is not a thing on a shelf, life is more about the people you associate with, it’s the people you chose know. These are people you carve out your life with, sometimes we make poor choices and sometimes we end up somewhere we didn’t have a clue we were going to happen. Sometimes, we choose to carve out a life with the wrong people, people that aren’t healthy for us. That’s what happened to this little girl, she trusted people she thought her friends, people that were to be her guardians. They didn’t, they abused her, got her hooked and messed up, took what was to be a great future and the kind of life she was hoping to have.
Without going into details I’ll tell you where this young lady is at today. Three years ago she entered a Program, she became a Christian and has been clean for those three years. Not only has she been clean, she has been loved and treated like someone special, that never happened before. Through her walk with God, being off drugs and not selling her soul to strangers, some new challenges arrived and give her more work to do. She has A.D.D. and is struggling with temptation, to do things that are not good for her. You are getting the picture now aren’t you?
Today this young girl is now living with a loving, caring family, they are giving her what she has never truly had, a Mother & Father. I told you this story because I wanted to make you stop and think about others. Think about them all the time not just at Christmas.
You may not be in a position to take on someone who has gone through a rehabilitation program or is in need, but, you can always help by donating your time and money. I encourage you, no, I implore you to do something that matters, make a difference in someones life and in the life you were born to live. Don’t just wait for Christmas to do it, make it an ongoing mission.
You’ve heard me say it and I’ll say it again, How many people are better off because you lived?
How I'm Spending My Saturday Afternoon
I had to get out of the home office today, I drove down the road to a great little coffee shop called Gourmet Gallery. It so happens I had come down to my church to let the cleaners in so I had an excuse to get out, right next door is the coffee shop, so I brought my Laptop. One of the great things about getting out is you run into people you normally wouldn’t meet during the week, I even got to help setup the Christmas Tree here today!
Here’s a cool pic of the shop:
The tree is tucked way in the back of the shop, they have two already setup and a third back in the left hand corner of the picture. While here I did some research online and hunkered down to a London Fog, have you ever tried one? They are so yummy. Here I am sipping on one:
Owen Greaves
It’s a great day, you should be here! Cya Later.
Don't Forget To Connect Offline Too
You’ll notice I haven’t written lately, not because I don’t want to but because I have been spending time with people offline. I’ve learned in my 51+ years that you will never get or reach your dreams without others helping you long the way. That means spending time with those who have invested in you, they may have walked through dark times with you, they may have rode the storm out with you. I have been connecting and reconnecting with a few of those friends that I haven’t seen for some time.
I have also learned that it takes work to build relationships, it takes time too. Spending all your time online can get you disconnected with those who aren’t here with you, they don’t spend the same time or have the same interest in the online world. Try to connect offline too, I love seeing a pair of eyeballs and getting the body language, people are so special when they express themselves and you can see the passion let alone hear it. Sometimes, OK many times things get lost in translation because you can’t see or hear TEXT, too much room for bad interpretation.
Today I had lunch with a friend I haven’t seen in three years, we used to work together, I left the organization and got busy, too busy in fact that I forgot to stay connected offline too. I had a great time, it was not only special but energizing, I got to listen to what he wants to do and I got share what I have been doing here online with you. He is going to some great things, online too, and if I’m lucky I’ll get to be a part of his work.
Relationships are just as much hard work here online as they are offline, they take commitment, patience and love. Are you connecting offline, are you giving people the best you have to give that aren’t here online? Social Media is about relationships in much the same way as they are when you aren’t on FaceBook, Twitter and what have you. Balance is important.
Don’t forget to connect offline too!
Riding Out The Storm, We All Have a Story To Tell
We all want things to happen quickly, we all want them to happen without too much effort, and we all don’t want to wait. I think we would all being lying if we didn’t think this now and then, it’s human nature, we want what we want and we want the thing to happen easily. I’m generalizing of course, but I would have to be foolish to believe everyone has the same motives and thinks exactly the same way as me.
We all have our stuff, our baggage so to speak, we justify our situation and have enough excuses to choke a horse as to why nothings changed. I’m guilty of this, well, I used to be guilty of this. What I love about people the most, is the stories, the hardships they had to work through and overcome, what they learned through those hardships. Most of all, I’ve learned that everyone has something to offer, it’s up to you to decide what value they have on that offering.
I have the privilege of speaking to 500 people this weekend, I’ll be sharing about what I do and what I’ve learned on my journey. My story is not that different from yours, but it is my story, may it encourage you and may you learn from it.
I’ve been on the Internet for many years now, I’ve had websites but never a Blog. Blog’s remind me of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), they were communities of people learning from each other and sharing what was happening in their life at the time. These systems were the Social Media Networks of the day. I even ran my own BBS for a short while, but found the allure of the Internet to be overwhelming. I’m a technology man, I learned how to use computers when I was in Radio back in the early 80’s, I had learn how to program and use automation systems. You can see my background on the About Owen Page here on my Blog.
I started Blogging about two years ago, I started with another Blog before this one and then started all over with WordPress in a self-hosted environment. I also run a small but modest webhosting company called Billyhost.com for my clients, I wanted to provide the service so my client’s didn’t have to worry about it, it is a value-added service.
I still work crazy long days to make Billyhost.com & my Blog happen, I often wonder if it’s worth all the effort, not from a monetary stand point but from the perspective of, am I helping someone, am I making difference, do I bring value? Don’t get me wrong, I do want to derive revenue through all that I do here online but it’s not my primary focus, helping others is the goal. I have the gift of helps, and I figured this Blog was the perfect way I could help others, answer questions, provide information that may be useful, and most of all encourage and give hope to those feeling alone in the storm. I try to make myself available to any and all but let’s be honest that’s not realistic, there are only so many hours in a day. On this journey I’ve come to learn that I’m not alone, the good news is there is a way to get through the storm.
My story, my storm. Eight years ago at 43 years of age I suffered a heart attack (March 4th, 2001), I discovered all that I was working for, all that I was trying to accomplish, was for me and me alone. I’ll state upfront, don’t do that, it’s wrong and you won’t have the life you want to have in the long run. Life took on a different meaning for me after that episode, my wife & kids became my focus, people close to me seem to have more value and I just couldn’t stop thinking about those less fortunate than me, those struggling to get through the storm. I am also a Diabetic, I have hearing aids, and I wear Progressive lenses. I’m falling apart at the seams and I’m only 51 years of age! I’ll be 52 November 27th, 2009 : )
Two weeks after my heart attack I was out playing road hockey with the neighborhood kids, 2 hours a day for two weeks before I had to return to my job. I lost 20 pounds! I wasn’t going to let this heart attack beat me, if I was gonna die, it was going to be on my terms (sort of). If you want to succeed you have to think that way, after all, the option of death was not an option at all, so I was gonna make my life count, make it matter. As you can see I’m still with you and it’s October 2009.
Fourteen months ago I found myself unemployed, now I’ve always made money on the side fixing computers and doing consulting but not as a primary source of income. I started Blogging back then because I wanted to take what I knew and what I was doing offline to the web for ease of access, for me and for my customers. I have been doing Social Media for many, many years through different channels, but not like today, we have so many new options and tools at our finger tips. I would have loved to have the networks we have today back in the beginning of my Internet journey.
The problem of being unemployed is only a small part of my storm, you see a year ago I discovered I had a hernia and had to have surgery. I was booked for surgery in October, November, December 2008 and finally January 14th, 2009 I went under the knife. I was out of commission for 6 weeks recovering, by then I had already been established on Social Media Networks like Twitter & FaceBook. Then in July (the 5th,2009) I broke my shoulder, I was doing warp speed down the soccer field chasing a younger fella on a break away, I clipped his back foot and what should have been a tuck & roll was a SPLAT! I shattered the Clavicle at the joint of the shoulder. I was fortunate in the fact that the shoulder wasn’t dislocated or the shattered bones out of position, so I just had to wear an immobilizer for 4 weeks.
After the 4 weeks was up I figured I could get back to normal, wrong, the shoulder wasn’t healing, on October 20th, 2009 I finally got the clearance to resume normal activities, I can do whatever I want.
During the past 14 months I’ve applied and interviewed for many, many, many jobs only to be denied time and time again. My wife works but doesn’t earn a great deal and we can’t live on it, we own a home (well the bank does) and two cars (paid for). My only source of income was the existing clients and what I make here online, it’s not enough so don’t think life is a bed of roses. The challenge with having the surgery and the broken shoulder was I couldn’t do any kind of physical work, that wasn’t good for my self-talk and mental health. If I did land a job it couldn’t be physical work.
I didn’t let that stop me, I wasn’t going to let the health issues beat me, sound familiar? I recognize I can’t overcome all health related issues but I have been able to so far, your situation will be different. During the past 14 months I have spent 8 – 10 hours a day on the Internet, I have been writing and spending time helping others on Social Media Networks. I have been invited to speak at local events, get more consulting opportunities and me & my Blog are considered a resource to help understand Social Media & I.T. Strategic Planning.
I’m still in the storm but it seems to be subsiding, I am learning from it and I’m building all through it. Progress is being made, and I’m really excited about the ambiguity before me. You should be too. Learn to embrace it, embrace the storm because storms always end, they never last forever and you almost always become a better person because of them. The wisdom you acquire is priceless and you will be presented with opportunities to help someone else going through a storm. As I mentioned earlier, the storm is the loneliest place for a person going through it, that’s because it’s for you and only you, and only you can learn from it.
No matter what the storm, no matter what you want from life, you will pay a price, you will learn to overcome and persevere and you will at times always feel alone. Chris Brogan talks about this in his video called Overnight Success, if you want it bad enough you will certainly pay a price. The good news is, you have freedom of choice, you get to choose. You don’t however, get to decide when you will be at the place you want to be, success always requires time, lots of time, and you will always need the help other people to help you get there….always. You will go through a storm, maybe many storms before you can win, I can’t wait to hear your story, how you suffered and overcame, and how you helped others be better off because you lived.
We all have to ride out the storm and we all have a story to tell….what’s yours?
My 100th Blog Post!
It seemed like it’s taken forever to reach the century mark on my Blog, maybe it’s because writing is labor to me. I love to write but I didn’t master the English language like so many others that have gone before me here on the Internet. I set a goal this month to write an article or post everyday, so how am I doing? Let’s see, it’s October 21st so that means I should have 21 posts this month right? This post would make #20 for the month of October so I should say something deep and important so that it matters. 🙂
I will say this, if you haven’t started a Blog or are thinking about it, talk to a few veteran Blogger’s who have been doing it for awhile before embarking. I don’t mean that in a negative way, I didn’t ask and just jumped in, so I’ve made a ton of mistakes. The good news is, I overcame the blunders for the most part and things seem to be moving in the right direction.
The #1 best thing I did was to adopt Social Media Networks, all my reader’s have come from Twitter, FriendFeed, FaceBook & Google. Now I haven’t paid for traffic in any way, it’s all organic in nature, so I’m not lighting it up.
The secret to Social Media is service, help people, provide good information and resources and you will build credibility and trust over time. I’m still in the infancy stages of my Blog, afterall, 100 Blog posts isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. In the end you must keep your word and care for each and every person you come into contact with, do whatever it takes to keep those relationships healthy. In the end, that’s all that matters…the relationship.
A couple great books on this topic belong to two people I would consider Mentor’s, Chris Brogan & Julien Smith’s TRUST AGENTS and Gary Vaynerchuk’s CRUSH IT! (Amazon links) They are as solid as you get on building relationship’s online and working insane hours on your passion.
So, THANK YOU all who have clicked the RSS button my Blog, those who keep coming back to see what I’m yakking about now and especially those who follow me on all the Social Media Networks on the Internet, without you I would have no reason to write and be here. Thank you and Many Blessings to you from every part of my heart!
Always ask yourself this question when you wake up everyday:
How Many People Are Better Off Because You Lived?