Leadership

The Good News Journal, Volume XLVI: The Sensei-Sean all Sunday Edition – The Value of Goal Setting

by vondehnvisuals

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Sensei-Sean all Sunday Edition of The Good News Journal – thank You for being here!

On Monday I was tall King about why My Monday’s are Magical; I do what I Love, and Monday is the beginning of a new week and the perfect time for setting new goals.  What were they?

  1. To Write as often as possible until I am Publishing daily.
  2. To reach 10,000 Twitter followers as soon as possible (currently 5,159)
  3. To actively manage My Twitter account (something I have neglected for a while)
  4. To read at least one hour daily
  5. To watch one motivational video daily (usually TEDx)
  6. To exercise daily (push ups) with a Goal of 500 consecutive push ups

I was also tall King about the benefit of Keeping a Journal, and Putting One’s Goals on Paper.  There is a Secret Magic in doing this, and this Blog is an example of it.  Although Our Journal may be private and confidential, the Writer knows what was Writ.  In fact, I am thing King that this is why We sometimes neglect to revisit Our Journal, especially if We know We didn’t Keep the commitments We’ve made – I certainly know this was once true for Me.  To revisit Our Journal and be reminded of the commitments and resolutions We didn’t Keep, is to remind Us We are not being true to Our Self.

I don’t really use My Journal for that anymore, now My Journal is used for making Notes of My research and to remind Me of important things I Wish to Write about.  The reason I now make My commitments here is to Show the world that there is nothing We cannot achieve, so long as We Keep Our Focus on the Prize.  As ambitious as some of My Goals may seem, the only Way I could possibly fail, is if I fail to maintain My Focus.  Because My determination is to demonstrate what We are capable of, I am more accountable and committed to My audience than I am to My own ego.  I could easily make a million excuses to skip a day of exercise, not do My research, not maintain My Twitter account and/or abandon Writing My Blog.  I once had a Friend who believed I am genetically ‘gifted’ and I want the world to know this isn’t true, I accomplish My Goals because I remain committed to them.  The only Goals I won’t accomplish, Will be the Goals I abandon – and that wouldn’t make for a very Good Blog.

As ambitious as My Goals may seem, they are realistic because You Will notice that I have not committed to any timeline.  Time is the One thing We don’t have control over.  A man with a high IQ may learn things faster than others but a man with more determination and less ‘natural’ intelligence may still get there faster if she is committed to the material.  It is all relative to effort.  I have also afforded My Self some Grace with respect to Writing.  The Goal is to Write as often as possible, aiming to Write daily.  I won’t commit to Writing everyday because I believe that could be detrimental to the Writing process and quality content.  In fact, I came across a Blog Post in My reading this week that addresses this point specifically.

Should a Writer Write Everyday?

I think it is a fabulous Blog Post and I agree with it whole heartedly.  I have heard that Stephen King Writes 8 Pages everyday, and it’s easy to believe when One considers the number of Books the man has Published.  But what is war King for Stephen King Will not work for everyone.  And although this may be (or maybe not I don’t really know) Stephen King’s daily ritual, I’m sure even he takes time off now and then – We all need a break once in a while, or We Will run Our Self ragged.

How have I made out with the Goals I set on Monday?  Well, Fabulously, thank You very much!  (I’m not sure how to do the little blushing emoji but insert one here).  This Will be My seventh Blog Post in Seven days and I’m very proud of that, and that is why I am tall King about it today.  Not only does setting Goals Keep Me motivated, but it also feels Fantastic when One accomplishes them!  Do I have 10,000 Twitter followers?  No.  Can I do 500 consecutive push ups?  No.  But did I actively manage My Twitter account this week?  Yes.  And did I Keep My workout routine?  Yes.  Did I gain more Twitter followers?  Yes.  Can I do more push ups now than I could on Monday?  Yes.  Do I feel better and stronger than I did on Monday?  Yes.  Did I read for at least one hour every day this week?  Yes.  Did I watch at least one TEDx or motivational video every day this week?  Yes.

And why did I commit to (at least) an hour of reading everyday and one motivational video?  To Keep Me motivated to accomplish My Goals, and to learn how to monetize this Blog.  How is My effort paying off?  Well, I’m going to let You decide.

sundaystats

I disappeared from My Blog for…  I am thing King it was actually a little more than three weeks in December, and You can see how quickly My stats plummeted.  Now, please do Keep in Mind that these are still very modest statistics by most standards, so I’m not doing this to showboat or anything.  In fact, One of the links I included in My little Blog start up guide was tall King about her first Blog having over 600,000 Views a year, which works out to somewhere between 1500 and 1600 views per day!  I Keep My Goals relative to Me, and My Goal is to continue to build upon the foundation I have already established.  But I am thing King it’s pretty clear that My efforts are already paying off.

Wow, 1000 Words already.  My Posts are averaging a few hundred more Words this year, too.  Just a couple more things I want to share with You all before I go.

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My ‘Dream’ when I started this Blog was that One day I might have an international audience, a Voice that could be heard anywhere in the world.  I haven’t actually counted to find out how many different countries have read My Blog to date, but We’re only 20 days into January and this is well beyond typical for this modest man, and I only anticipate it Will continue to grow.

Finally, I had said that for almost 8 years it was as if no one was reading My Blog.  Until April of 2017, I had 11 followers and most of them had been with Me for a while.  But something else very auspicious happened in April of 2017.  Stats I had never seen before were suddenly revealed to Me.  I realized I had thousands of Views in the first couple of years of Writing My Blog.  Again, still very modest by most standards, but considerably better than no readership at all, which is how it had previously appeared.  The most beautiful thing about that Story, is that I can still Show My readers this phenomenon today.

sundaystats3

This screenshot might not mean much to those who don’t Blog or know WordPress, but the darker inside margin is the number of visitors, the outer, larger columns are the number of Page Views.  In 2010, 2011, and until December 12th, of 2012, I had People Viewing My Blog without actually visiting any of My Posts.  If You are wondering how that might be possible, Your guess is as Good as mine.  And I didn’t get to see any of this until sometime in April of 2017.  Before then, I believed virtually no one but My 11 loyal followers was reading this Blog.

Anyway, I’m averaging 24 push ups a day now (and today is actually the first day I’m not in pain since having started), which was the same number I completed in the original fitness test at the beginning.  But whatever, I’m just following what the app tells Me to do and Trust that it’s going to adjust and adapt as time goes on.  I encourage anyone to join Me in My 500 push up challenge and share Your results and progress if You feel so inclined.

Don’t underestimate the Power of setting Goals and remaining True to them, especially if they are important to You.

I hope You’ve all had a fabulous week, I’ve got lots of great Ideas for new material I’ll be sharing with You tomorrow.

Love and Blessings,

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The Good News Journal, Volume XLVI: The Fabulous Friday Edition – Being a Blogger, Part II

by vondehnvisuals

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Friday Edition of the Good News Journal, I hope You are all feeling Fabulous!

I think this Will be My last Post on this topic for at least a little while, but as I encourage other Writing enthusiasts to get their Blogs started, I want to share some of My experiences Blogging, some of the Authors I’ve been reading to take My Blog to the next level, and debunk some of the advice that I felt may actually discourage One from even getting started.  So here goes…

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In My ‘Magical Monday Edition‘, I was tall King about how I’m one of probably very few People who actually like Monday’s.  Seriously.  Why?  Because I have no reason not to!  I Love what I do, so Monday is just the beginning of a new week, a fresh start, and (for Me), a time when I like to set new Goals.  Pictured above is My personal Journal.  As I opened My Journal to make a few notes about what I was learning today, I realized this was a Great example of how I hold My Self accountable to My Goals in My personal Life.  I Write them down!!!  

Now, this Post is about Blogging so I don’t want to go off on too big a tangent about My Spiritual philosophies but I almost always achieve the Goals I put to paper.  Why?  Because My Goals are important to Me, and at times extremely ambitious; Writing them down was a Way of making Me accountable to My Dreams without anyone else having to know, and no one to blame but My Self if I failed to accomplish them.  I didn’t feel I could share My real Dreams and Goals with anyone because most People would likely think I was nuts!  Yet somehow, I always managed to accomplish them and it was a Great Way of learning about My Self because every now and then, I would change My Mind about a Goal – it would lose importance as I continued to grow and mature Spiritually.  I realized the only Goals I failed to accomplish, were the ones I had consciously chosen to abandon – and I would Write about that, too.  Usually something like, “Okay, sorry but I’m not really interested in that anymore, now I want to Focus on…”

So I decided to stop Writing My Journal and start sharing My thoughts with the world.  The whole Idea behind doing this, was to Show the world that We Will accomplish anything We put Our Mind to.  And it isn’t some super-human Power, it’s just determination, being true to One’s Self, and being accountable to One’s Self.  For Me, Writing the things I truly wanted to accomplish in My Journal was My Way of tall King with God, and as King for assistance with the things that really Mattered to Me (even though I would never have thought about it that Way until I awakened Spiritually).

The other reason I decided to use a Page from My Journal was to emphasize the Power of this ‘Magic’ – because I Writ My Goals on Monday, and I had done exactly what I said I sometimes do – I changed My Mind about something,

“I can complete My notes for My trial anytime, this year I am Focusing on My Social Media, Blog and International influence.”

What happened the very next day?  I discovered that Crown had withdrawn all charges against Me and I won My Friend’s Court Matter, too.  Coincidence?  Yeah, We don’t believe in those here!  The Universe made My commitment that much easier to Keep by clearing My schedule completely! I have nothing else that requires My immediate attention.  Do NOT underestimate the Power of Writing down Your Dreams on Paper.  I cannot stress how Powerful the Spelling of Magic really is.

I also really wanted to share a Blog Post from another Blogger who does Blog full-time and I was worried I wasn’t going to find it again – thank the Universe for the ‘History’ tab! This was Part of My reading commitment to learn from others and I love everything about the Post.  It’s funny, witty, well Written, full of great advice and most of all, real.  There is something very genuine about the Tone and Style of the Author’s Writing.  Maybe it won’t be so enjoyable for someone who hasn’t put themselves ‘out there’ and started a new Blog, but I am thing King it Will be encouraging for anyone who feels a little insecure or nervous about taking the plunge.  I hope You do take the time to check it out, I know You won’t be disappointed, and I’d be surprised if You don’t laugh or at least smile a few times. 😉

Is Blogging a Real Job?

Writing a Blog is really hard work!  I don’t see it that Way because I love Writing.  But believe Me, if You are hoping to start a Blog and make it a full time career, You Will have Your work cut out for You and You should be well prepared to spend hours a day war King on it, and learning as much as You possibly can from other successful Bloggers.  It is anything but easy.  However, I also don’t want that to discourage anyone who loves Writing and is thing King they could make a living at it; You can, it all depends on You, and how determined You are to succeed!

Finally, I also wanted to say a few things about some of the advice I am coming across with regards to starting a new Blog.  Although I may not be making money Writing this Blog, that was never My intention when I started out.  I started this Blog mostly because I Love Writing, I feel like I have My very own Public, eh, Sean (publication), and that’s something I’m very proud of – I can Write what I want without having to worry about what some executive editor may think.  I’m also receiving a tremendous amount of support from Peers and Friends who believe I should be getting paid for the effort I’ve put into this and I have more than enough content (590 Blog Posts and counting), to make that a very real possibility.  In some Ways, One could say I’ve already done the hard work, now I just have to promote and monetize the material I have.  And that’s the point I want to make; if You don’t Love Writing and are starting a Blog to make money, I’d be the last person to tell You it can’t be done, but I’d also be the first to tell You not to bother – invest Your time in something You Love doing.

“Do what You love and the rest Will follow.” – Proverb/Quote

Well, it looks as though I Will be Writing one more Post about Blogging because I have a few more things to say on the topic to get new Bloggers started on the right foot.

Until next time, I hope everyone is having a Fabulous Friday!

Love and Blessings,

 

The Good News Journal, Volume XLVI: The Magical Monday Motivation, Evening Edition

by vondehnvisuals

Hello, and Happy Magical Monday, everyone!  I know a lot of People don’t like Monday’s; it’s the beginning of a new week and a long way from the next two day break for those working forty or more hours a week.  So today I decided to call this Post the Magical Monday Motivation Edition because I don’t Mind Monday’s.  In fact, I kind of like them because I usually Plan to start new routines or habits on Monday’s, and The Good News Journal is a Great example of that as it approaches its first year of Publication.  Incidentally, if You are wondering why The Good News Journal has not been in perfect sequential Order numerically, it is because I made a mistake somewhere along the Way and it was started on the 24th of February last year, so I have ‘corrected’ the Edition number so that the 52nd week Will fall upon the One year anniversary.  Today, I am committing to a couple of new habits I hope to make a Part of My daily routine, and for Me, that’s something to be excited about.

I’ve also kept the Promises made in My last Post, which were reasonably small.  I said I would commit to watching (at least) one TED talks video daily and spend at least one hour reading other Blogs.  My hope was that by committing to these two simple tasks, I would be more motivated (in general) and have more interesting things to discuss here on My Blog.  Although it has only been two days, it has already proven to be effective as I am Planning to commit to a couple more daily tasks today.

First, I’m going to share the first TED talks video I watched after making My resolute-Sean to do so.

“How to Find and do work you love”

I thought this was a Good choice for Monday because the reason most People don’t look forward to Monday is because they don’t Love their job.  Most People are in this situation (80% according to Scott), and many Will put up with it convincing themselves they should be Grateful to have a ‘Good’ job, or even that they ‘like’ their job.  But a man who truly Loves her work Will not be counting down the days and hours till the weekend.  So I thought Posting a video might inspire some People to live a more meaningful and purposeful Life, and potentially also provide Me with additional insight and guidance on how to continue moving forward with the work I do Love.

There are a few reasons why it seemed like the perfect video to share.  Scott talks about taking ‘the road less travelled’ and the business he Founded, ‘Living Your Legend’, which is very much aligned with something I am often tall King about, ‘being the Hero of Your own Story’.  Scott also talks about three basic things he claims are instrumental in accomplishing Your Dreams:

  1. Become a Self expert (unique strengths, values, and experiences define Your success)
  2. Do the Impossible
  3. Surround Yourself with People who Inspire You

The other reason I chose to share this video is because I was tall King about how important it is for Me to reflect on what I have accomplished so that I can continue to grow and build on the Foundation I’ve already Established.  Becoming a ‘Self expert’ probably doesn’t sound like a strategy One can implement right away.  It seems a little ambitious to presume One can become a self expert overnight and begin implementing that strategy tomorrow.  However, focusing on One’s unique strengths, values and experiences is something I can absolutely relate to because it is exactly what I have been doing for the last (almost) ten years – and probably even before that, though with less conviction and direction.  That may or may not be encouraging for My audience, as I’m sure many People would not perceive Me as successful; I don’t have a lot of money, I don’t drive a fancy car and I don’t appear to be doing anything extraordinary.  If One were to meet Me in the flesh, I seem as Common and average as any other man.  The difference is that I perceive My Self as successful because I have become a Self expert as a result of My unique strengths, values and experiences over the last ten years.  Even though I haven’t yet achieved My ultimate goal, I also don’t believe that anything can stop Me from getting there because of My unique strengths, My personal values and My experiences.  Staying true to who I am allowed Me to become the Self expert I have become.

Scott also touches on a couple of other points that were too serendipitous to be coincidence.  I don’t believe in coincidences anyway, so this was also a great opportunity for Me to show You how the goals I Writ of in My last Post were reflected in My microcosm by Honouring those commitments.  Scott talks about a Friend who provides for a family of eight by Writing only two Blog Posts a week!  This is My passion.  I could just as easily say that My passion is My dream for world peace, but the realization of that Dream and how I Will inevitably accomplish it, is My unique ‘strength’, and My Blog is an integral Part of that strategy.  Which brings Me to Scott’s second Secret to Living Your Legend – do the impossible.

I’ve said several times in previous Posts that virtually every motivational speaker and successful entrepreneur Will tell You that a man can Create anything she can visualize in his Mind.  Here the philosophy ‘anything is possible’ already presumes that anything is possible and immediately suggests that One should go out and do it.   I like it when People raise the bar and establish new benchmarks – thank You, Scott.

Finally, surrounding Yourself with inspirational People is a pretty Common success strategy.  Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to do, especially if One does not know a lot of successful People in their field.  Being a ‘Self expert’ may stand to further marginalize the opportunities to surround Your Self with like Minded People.  That is pretty much exactly why I made a resolution to watch at least one ‘TED talks’ a day.  Maybe I can’t surround My Self with People who are highly successful in My field, but there is no limit to the number of inspirational speakers I can Tune into every day to Keep Me in Harmony with the Universe and stay motivated.  I know none of these People Will ever try to tell Me that I can’t succeed, so these are the kinds of People I Will turn to for inspiration, and these are the kind of techniques I have used (though with less diligence) over the last ten years that I feel attribute to the successes I enjoy today, and for allowing Me to find My niche and become a ‘self expert’ in My field.

I’m going to finish this Post with a few inspirational quotes from the video that I hope may inspire and motivate You to check out Scott’s video.  Thanks so much for being here, I hope and Trust You Will all enjoy a Magical, Monday evening.

“First they ignore You, then they laugh at You, then they fight You, then You win.” – Ghandi

“How could I possibly do this, to how could I possibly not.”

“I’m going to try to pursue it, and make an impact with it” – Scott Dinsmore

Love and Blessings,

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The Good News Journal, Volume XLIV: The Fabulous Friday 2019 Focus Edition

by vondehnvisuals

 

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Hello everyone and welcome to the Fabulous Friday Edition of the Good News Journal.  Today I Will be tall King about what kind of things I Plan to Focus on in 2019 and what kind of Good News My audience can expect to read about in the coming year.

First, I want to say thank You to My first two WordPress followers of the year that were also kind enough to ‘like’ My last Post.  I’ve said before that My WordPress followers are closest to My Heart; perhaps because I am so passionate about My own Blog, and perhaps because they are Authors and Bloggers too, and part of Me feels only other Writers can truly relate to how it feels to have (or not have) an audience.

I don’t often share links to Posts from other Authors but I’m going to today, simply because I am always tall King about how there are no coincidences in the Universe.  When I get a new follower on WordPress, I always take some time to check out their Blog and read a couple of Posts.  In My last Post, I was tall King about how before 2017, I had very few visitors and felt that might be something difficult for other Bloggers to relate to.  The first Blog Post I read after Writing My last Post, just happened to be tall King about what it’s like starting a new Blog and getting the first couple of views and followers.  I had also Signed off Promising to share some of My Plans for the coming year in My next Post, and one of those Plans includes putting more time into promoting My Blog and building My reader Ship.  The Blog Post I first read speaks specifically to that Goal.  Coincidence?  😉

How to get more followers on Your Blog for free.

My Blog is on the forefront of My Mind because it is coming due for renewal soon.  My Blog is the thing in My Life I’m most passionate about and I’ve invested very little in it (aside from My Time and Energy).  This year I was thing King about upgrading My account.  However, My most used hashtag is #BeTheChange, and My philosophy is that You don’t need any money at all to be successful.  The other thing I liked about the Link I shared above, is that the Author has 7,688 followers on WordPress.  I had said that My sudden ‘success’ on WordPress was relative.  For Me, having multiple views and visitors daily is success, especially when those views are coming from countries all over the world!  Over 8 years of Writing, I had accumulated 11 WordPress followers before April of 2017.  Including My first two followers of 2019, I now have 75.  It might not be success compared to the impressive stats of My fellow Blogger above, but clearly a significant increase over My first eight years of Blogging and the Author relates to what it is like to Write when it seems as though no one is reading Your Words…  What’s the point?

In fact, I think I mentioned once that Writing in My Journal feels that Way to Me now, as though I’m being selfish and should be sharing My Words with the world; that’s a big part of why I Write.  I once Writ My Goals in a Journal and I would always attain them, now I share them here as an example of how what We Write Manifests.  I guess I do have modest needs because what I have now is the success I had once been as King of the Universe for – to have an international audience (readers from all over the world), and a few People reading My Blog every day.  I’ve had that for the last couple of years now, and I don’t ever want My Gratitude for what I already have to be miscommunicated in any Way, but this year I am going to Focus on taking My Blog to the next level.

I’m also going to see what I can accomplish without upgrading My WordPress account.  I started researching marketing strategies over the last couple of years but I haven’t really been in a position to implement them.  Now that I have a proper work environment, I Will be able to get considerably more done, it just depends on where I place My Focus.  The last two years allowed Me to do the kind of background work and research necessary for Me to have great Stories to share, this year I get to Write the conclusion to those stories and bring The Good News Journal closer to its Public-A-Sean Potential by implementing a few of the marketing strategies I wasn’t able to make time for.

I’m going to need to think about it for a bit before I consider what My goals for the year should be.  11 from 75 is 64, divided by 2 years is an average of 32 new followers over the last two years.  Actually, 31 because two of those followers are from this year.  Perhaps the most obvious strategy I’m going to be implementing is My frequency of Writing.  With a proper workspace, there is no reason I can’t Write daily, though it’s generally not something I like to commit to because Writing should be authentic, not forced.  So if I really don’t feel like Writing one day, I don’t want to feel compelled to do something I’m usually passionate about – I’d prefer to wait for the Passion.  However, I am going to engage in new activities which I am hoping Will Inspire new Writing.

A couple of new activities I have loosely committed to making part of My daily routine are watching one ‘TED talks’ video and one hour of reading.  More is okay but I want to commit to at least an hour of reading every day, and I want to watch more TED talks because I’ve enjoyed a lot of the ones I’ve seen and a lot of My followers on Twitter are featured on TED talks, so it’s a Good Way to get to know some of My other social media circles/cultures.  Public speaking is also an art and enjoy watching Presentations if it’s a Good Presenter, even if I’m not that interested in the information, there is often still something to learn.

Wow, a thousand Words already?  There’s a Goal.  It won’t be one I check very often, but I’d like to Publish 200,000 Words this year, just to see what that feels like (185,000 is My previous best in 2017).  As far as promoting the Blog and WordPress followers goes, My first goal is to reach 100 followers as quickly as possible, starting with the strategies mentioned in the Post I shared with You today.

I hope You all have a fabulous Friday, thank You for being here!

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