LegendaryLife Blog

I like goal setting, so here is what I hope to accomplish this year and what I did or didn’t for the last.

Goal setting for 2010

Here are some my goals for 2009, I’ve crossed-out the ones that were accomplished:

• publish my first inspirational/motivational book
• publish another WoodMarvels.com volume (current book one is already in pre-press)
• triple the total traffic from all my sites
• create lasting change in at least 100 people using LegendaryLife.com (thousands will join but not everybody will use it as intended)
• create two new sources of revenue for myself (online or otherwise)
• try to win some sort of award somewhere, somehow
• get WoodMarvels.com pre-cut kits into retail stores (online or otherwise)
• enjoy the gift of life even more!

Things I wasn’t able to predict

• I would write my first science fiction book around the same time as working on my WoodMarvels.com Volume II book, hoping to have it published sometime in February
• I got mentions in newpapers, blog and magazines around the world regarding my design work
• Due to WoodMarvels taking up so much of my time, I haven’t had as much time to dedicate towards this blog or LegendaryLife, though I did launch it already, it’s only a shadow of what it should be, something I hope to rectify sooner than later
• I would accomplish my dream of living in China for a year and learning Mandarin (something I’m doing now)

My 2010 Goals

• I really think this is the year that WoodMarvels.com blows-up on me, in a good way! All the things that I track regarding this site are on a steep upward trend with no letting-up. You can read what’s been happening right here: WoodMarvels 2009 Year in Review as well as the goals I’ve established for that property.
• I want to become fluent in Mandarin, it’s a tough language, but one that I enjoy and being in the country where that’s all they talk is my chance to turn this long time dream into reality
• I still want to win an award of some kind, somewhere, somehow but it seems that my focus for this year will be on WoodMarvels more than anything else, which is great fun

The Bottom Line

Focus still leads to opportunities hitting you from unknown origins.

Ask anybody who has accomplished a goal or vision they once had and the very first step they will say is that they STARTED. You can’t finish what you didn’t start… and each small step you take is that much closer towards the end of said goal or vision.

Starting is easy… follow-through isn’t

After you decided to take the first step and turn a dream into a reality… the next largest step is consistent steps forward, whether they happen daily or weekly… continual progress is a must because it create momentum that makes any distractions easier to deal with. Just like the body of a bodybuilder takes years of hard work, if he or she stops going to the gym… it’s always harder to start back up after a prolonged rest period than it is to continue through an injury.

Distractions are what you make them

It’s all too easy to get distracted from a goal, especially when it’s a difficult one or requires more effort than is ordinary. The mind is great at creating “outs” for you so that it can continue along the path of least resistance… the hard part is learning to scope and get back on track ASAP regardless of the distraction being present. You have to consciously decide each time you get distracted if it’s worth your attention or you are better off ignoring it.

What publishing has taught me… patience!

I’ve just published my forth book yesterday (WoodMarvels.com Volume 2) and the evolution in every respect is rather astonishing. I started this blog to improve my English skills and if you go back to the first article… it took me hours and it’s barely a paragraph and now, I’m editing my most ambitious effort… a science fiction book of over 240 pages! One thing that publishing has taught me is that no matter how much you have done in the past, there is always a better way of doing things, of telling a story, of laying the text out, of delivering key concepts and ideas to the reader. Patience is needed because just when you think you are done… you are NOT! I now fully appreciate why it sometimes takes a year or so between published books by the same author… and the pressure there must be when you have a publisher breathing down your neck to get things done ASAP! Luckily, I’m my own publisher so the pressure to get things done isn’t anything I put onto myself… things are done when they are done

The Bottom Line

First steps always require the momentum of a second!

I was watching a video showcasing an up-and-coming Anthony Robbin’es prodigy and over the course of 45 minutes, he kept repeating one key phrase. “It’s not your fault.”

Importance of personal responsibility

I fully realize that people like to hear that it isn’t their fault that they threw their lives away, allowed their body to get so out of shape that they suffer from chronic disease or were lied to by the marketing elite but let’s be honest… nobody cares as much about yourself as YOU and giving other power over your lifestyle, no matter the intent, is just a very bad idea!

For instance, we all know that alcohol is BAD for your body, no matter the amount but people still enjoy (?) getting wasted and pursuing other unhealthy habits. When the consequences come to the light, it’s always nice to blame others for your circumstances but the buck must always stop at yourself. You are the boss of your body, life and ultimately, what you leave behind… nobody else.

Why “it’s not your fault” sells

There is a lot in life that really is not our fault, genetically speaking but I believe we are all on an equal playing field (more or less) when it comes to finding ultimate happiness given what we have. Sure, being born in a 1st world country is an extreme privilege brought about by random chance and life is much easier when your parents are gazillionaires but given what you have in life, it’s up to you to make the most of it. I believe telling somebody “it’s not your fault” when in all actuality, their decisions in life are what lead them to the circumstances they are stuck in doesn’t do them a favor as they are not given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. If you can’t see what you did wrong in the past, how can you change your lifestyle so it doesn’t happen again?

The importance of self-study

I try on almost a weekly basis to try to improve my life, how ever minimal, in one way or another. Whether this is tweeking an exercise regimen, replacing things in my diet or planning my next adventure… the importance of studying what you did in the past and improving upon it should only end once you are 6ft under. An active brain with a capable body, however you wish to define them, can do incredible things when given the right drive, ambition and passion. If you have hobbies that are detrimental to your life, replace them with good ones, if you have friends who waste your time, show them the door. I believe life should be about exploration and learning… and things that prevent you from getting the most out of these experienced need to be weened away.

The Bottom Line

Some things are really not your fault, but most of the things that are can be traced back through earlier decisions that were detrimental to your goals in life.

I’ve now launched my latest book, Transforming Your Life From Blah To Legendary!: A Guide For Massive Positive And Lasting Changes In Your Life as a PDF Downloadable book using the WoodMarvels.com e-commerce system. This means that you can now get this book within a few minutes right onto your own computer if you do not wish to wait to get a physical copy or live where it isn’t available.

About Transforming Your Life From Blah To Legendary!

I decided at a very young age that I didn’t want a “normal life” and, through the years, have developed habits and studied how to improve the efficiency of my life, the thoughts, ideas and concepts from a lifetime of lessons are synthesized within this book. I had also read more than my fair share of motivational books and from those experiences, wrote mine to use extensive imagery using a comic strip of characters to help bring some humor to the information being given as well as a step-by-step guide. My hope is that this book can help turn your life into one that is remembered far after you are gone.

Where to find

You can find Transforming Your Life From Blah To Legendary! at WoodMarvels.com under Special / Books in the top navigational bar.

Here is the direct link

I started on my second book, part inspirational, part workbook and all passion. I originally started on this book on Feb 8th of this year and it has taken me till the 26th to get it proofed, laid out and a host of other changes before it became available on Amazon! (read about it here)

What did I learn publishing this book?

A hell of a lot, my first book, WoodMarvels.com: Top Sellers took about as long to publish and in hindsight, this one blows it out of the water regarding what I learned.

• Get your proof proofed several times and double-check it digitally before requesting another one! I went through 6 proofs of this book because there was always one small thing that was missed which added well over two months to the publishing date.
• Colors are a pain in the ass! My cover and inside was originally all full color, color correcting over 70 images isn’t any fun so I simply did everything in full color but decided to get it printed in gray scale to save me the trouble except for the front cover.
• Have a good internet connection! Uploading a 200mb file several times isn’t any fun.
• If you are not an American, you cannot get your book released on Kindle! Originally this book was to be Kindled but a few days ago, I was told this was no possible… I guess somebody forgot to tell this to J. K. Rowlings.

Why is this book special?

Other than the fact that there is a heck of a lot of work, which I did all myself, from layout, publishing, graphics, comic strip etc… I’ve read more than my fair share of self-help and motivational books out there and this one is the only one I know that has a mixture of humor, comics and simple task based projects.

Why is your name not on the cover?

Well, this is a book to help YOU transform your life… I though it would be silly to stick a big picture of ME on there with my name in bold letters. I’m taking a different approach towards self-help books… in that the focus is 100% on YOU, not the author.

Can I view a sample?

Absolutely, follow this link to view inside the book – be warned though, as of writing this blog, Amazon seems to have stuck a very early proof in the book in the “Look Inside” feature. I’ve just uploaded the correct versions of all these with the inside in gray scale and the cover looking far better, I figure it will be a few days before they update it. Somebody screwed-up somewhere and it should fix itself soon enough.

Transforming Your Life From Blah To Legendary!: A Guide For Massive Positive And Lasting Changes In Your Life

Is that it?

No actually, I’m less than a month away from releasing my second volume of WoodMarvels.com with 4 pages shy of 200 and a wicked upgrade from my first one… using what I learned from my first volume and this one has taught me how to do things right in the publishing world! Also, my science fiction story 2847AD is slated to be moving along in a few weeks as well. Stay tuned!

The Bottom Line

Publishing your own books is fun!