Jon Harrison

This post is part of a weekly feature called the Passion Series…enjoy!

One day, I hope to write blog posts as inspirational, informational, and motivational as Jon Harrison’s. His main goal is to help people succeed, but not just career-wise. His blog encompasses a lot of wonderful bits of wisdom and knowledge on how to be a better person in general, on how to absorb the ‘now’, on how to slow down, how to remember yourself, and become a better business leader.

Right now, Jon is participating in a challenge on his blog on slowing down, something I think we’re all guilty of not doing. I found it inspirational to say the least, and I love reading about new challenges that bloggers are exploring to savor the beautiful gift that is life.

Here’s what he had to say.

Has blogging helped you in any emotional or creative way? 

It was just over two years ago: I was sitting across the table from a friend of mine, eating Chinese take out and sushi for lunch. I was not sure how to answer the question I was just asked. It caught me off guard. In fact, before this moment, I never really stopped to think about having my own personal mission statement. But then it hit me. I did not even need to give it much thought at all: “Helping others succeed.” 

I wondered: did it need to be more specific? Should I focus on who the “others” were? My friend looked at me, smiled, and said:

“That’s pretty good.” 

Since that day, I have given a lot of thought as to how I can best help others succeed. Just this April I finally got around to what I knew in the back of my mind all along: “I’m a blogger. I need a blog of my own.” 

Before starting my blog, I felt stuck. Stuck in a way that is difficult to describe. I spent too much time making excuses, or looking to place blame on situations that prevented me from doing…I don’t know what. 

I am now creating. I am now cultivating. I am now putting energy into something of value, creating value for others and providing ideas, practical application, and life changing stories that can help others succeed.

 Has blogging daily/weekly helped you achieve any personal goals? 

One of my personal goals has been reaching a bigger audience, and doing whatever I can to help others in pursuit of their own passions. The experience has led me to making some great friendships and deepening existing ones. I have encountered a level of personal growth in a world I never knew existed before embarking on this journey. 

I am amazed at the stories I am blessed to have a platform to share. This has led me to the concept of “Life Changers.” I know that all of us have many life changing moments – something happens, we change our thinking or habits – and we are never the same. Look at the power of just one example: that of George Marriner Maull, Artistic Director of the Discovery Orchestra. Imagine the power of collecting these experiences and harnessing the life changing potential every week for an entire year! How might your life be different from when this journey started? 

The process of blogging has also provided the motivation, structure, and creative energy to begin writing a book (several decades before I imagined I would write one, no doubt).

Does the ritual of daily/weekly blogging give you motivation to pursue things you are passionate about? 

One of the best parts about blogging has been the discovery of a new passion. The concept of building a platform to share ideas, and the potential that online communications have to offer in the future is fascinating. I enjoy my self imposed structure of publishing new content on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This passion has allowed me to engage others in developing their own platforms, with my own experience as a guide to getting them started. I explain how easy it can be: only 20 minutes to set up a self hosted WordPress blog. You don’t even need a full weekend for that! This is just one more way that I have been able to live out my own personal mission of “Helping You Succeed.”

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This post is part of a series on bloggers who have found direction or passion through blogging. If you would like to be featured in the Passion Series, please contact me through this form with responses to the above questions, and share your passions. Thanks! See all Passion Series posts >> 

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Before we launch into this and that, look at that view, and consider your size.

Everything, all at once, gets lifted from your shoulders, because breathing, eating, swearing, and yelling mean nothing at all to this place, this home, this view. We should be told this, in my opinion, at every billboard, stop sign, and bedroom door. Because who in the hell do we think we are.

That being said, I turned 28 this passed Monday, which of course begs reflection. But someone with eyes, toes, and a single heart, under this very same sky, decided long ago just how long a single year would be. Turning another number every 365 days was something everyone agreed upon, so I can’t take it seriously. I feel like a young human, and that is as much reflection as I can give.

I haven’t blogged in over a week! I feel like there’s much to talk about, but I only want to talk about things you’ll find value in. I want to talk about how easy it is for good things to happen when you believe in them. I mean really believe. I know, it sounds kind of cheesy, but let me tell you a little story about what’s been happening to me over the past few weeks.

I didn’t get accepted to business school. That is a fact. After that fact, I sulked for about an hour, and I decided the only thing to do next was to go on.

So I went on. I went on home, opened up my mail box, and found a schedule of classes in the mail for Otis college. Otis College? Monique’s never had anything to do with Otis College, why would they send her a little pamphlet filled with adult classes she could sign up for to advance her career? That was gift one. I’m calling it. You can call it anything you want, but that pamphlet came to me only because it was addressed to the person who used to live here before me. So I’m calling it gift one.

Gift two. Inside that pamphlet were courses upon courses that I could take in subjects I’ve always been interested in: photoshop, web design, web development, and building mobile applications. I thought, gee, I didn’t get accepted into business school, but I could sure take a few of these classes and still learn a few somethings.

I flipped through and found a course that taught you how to build your own mobile applications. Hmmm. This was exactly what I have been thinking of doing for months, why not take a class and see where it leads me? I slept with that little Otis pamphlet next to my bed for days. Every night before I went to bed, I’d pick it up, read and re-read the course description for that mobile application building class, and smile. I was excited to save money and sign up for it this September. I kept thinking about this awesome mobile app I wanted to build, and wondering if I had what it took to actually build it. This was a gift because had I not received gift one (the pamphlet), I would have never seriously considered mobile app building, or any of the ideas I had for it. So thank you, beautiful whoever.

Gift three. Literally, two or three days after I received that pamphlet, I was on Facebook and saw a sponsored ad for a company called Game Academy. It said something along the lines of “Learn to build your own mobile applications”, or something catchy with that line. Say what? Was I reading correctly? I clicked. It took me to a nicely built landing page talking about a free e-book you could get on how to build your own mobile application/game, as well as a class you could take for $20 that would give you all of the tools you’d need to know to build your own apps from the guys that had already built tons of them. SIGN ME UP. (Don’t get easily tricked into things like this though. I read into it for like an hour before paying anything. It was extremely legit).

Wow, I thought. All of this was happening super fast, right after I’d been dumped by USC, and for what reason? I couldn’t believe it. All of these little gifts just kept falling into my lap. Who were they from, and what had I done to deserve them?

Nothing. I didn’t do anything to deserve them. But I didn’t give up. I didn’t get into business school, and I didn’t fucking give up. I kept thinking that this was just one tiny bump in the road and there was absolutely no way in hell I was going to be doomed just because of one lousy rejection slip (I didn’t even get that actually).

The whole reason I’m telling you this, is because since I received these little gifts, they’ve been happening more and more. Remember when I told you I was hiring a developer for a little website project? Well for the past week or so I’ve been struggling with the interview process. How will I know what questions to ask? How will I know what makes a good developer? How will I know if they will do a good job? I did a bit of research, and interviewed a number of them, but by the end of it all, I still felt like I wasn’t really doing it right. But I had faith that something would come along to help me out. That faith was so unbelievably strong, there wasn’t a question that something wouldn’t help me out.

Gift four. This morning I got an email from Game Academy. It was a video of Trey Smith interviewing a programmer, so everyone can see exactly how it’s done.

Un-freakin-believable. That was the icing, baby, the icing. Shit just keeps falling in my lap when I need it. Because I know you guys, deep down in my heart, that everything will always fall into place. It’s a beautiful feeling, and everyone is capable of it. Journey sure had something right (other than a catchy fucking tune)–don’t stop believing. It’s important, and it works.

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This post is part of a weekly feature called the Passion Series…enjoy!

Sylvia Phillips is a woman to be looked up to. Her strength far surpasses anything I’ve ever had to muster up, and reading her blog posts has filled me with nothing but gratitude and love.

First, I should tell you, she has nine children–and she still finds time to blog and be creative. I will never have a single excuse for not blogging ever again. Secondly, not only is she home schooling her children, (a few of them are grown up and out of the house), but she also attends to her daughter Bethany, who after undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumor back in 2000 was left with permanent disabilities that require an enormous amount of love, patience, and strength from Sylvia and her entire family. This kind of courage is rare for people in times of tragedy, which is why I am so moved by her strength to live a life completely filled with kindness and love, despite everything.

On her blog, Faithful Mom of 9, you will not find Sylvia complaining. In her pictures, you will not find her scowling. Sylvia’s blog is dedicated to spreading joy, and sharing the values that hold families together: love, patience, and more love. I am so honored to share her blog with you guys, because everyone needs a little inspiration now and again.

Here’s what she had to say.

Has blogging helped you in any emotional or creative way?

I started blogging because most of the people in my life have frankly gotten tired of the fact that my life has become consumed by the care of my daughter since she became disabled after surgery to remove a brain tumor.  I have a need to keep talking about what life is like now and so to spare them all the boring, gory details I decided to start this blog.  It has become my therapy.  I can keep “talking” and if no one wants to “listen” they don’t have to! 

 Has blogging daily/weekly helped you achieve any personal goals?

Blogging on a near daily basis has been good practice in setting goals and has given me focus.  Writing about life has helped me to process what’s going on and how to handle the challenges that come up. It’s helped me to sort what’s important in life from what’s meaningless.  Surprisingly, some of what I’ve written has actually been an encouragement to others, too!

Does the ritual of daily/weekly blogging give you motivation to pursue things you are passionate about?

Connecting with other people, exchanging ideas, and getting mostly positive feedback has been very encouraging to keep writing. I’ve written an eBooklet and hope to write an eBook about my daughter’s experience with brain cancer and how it has affected my family in the near future. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my passion!

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This post is part of a series on bloggers who have found direction or passion through blogging. If you would like to be featured in the Passion Series, please contact me through this form with responses to the above questions, and share your passions. Thanks! See all Passion Series posts >> 

August 19, 2013

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Pizza smile.

I bit the bullet this week and decided to hire someone for the first time. You can’t get anything done around here without people who know how to do good shit. And you can’t spend countless hours trying to figure something out when you can just go online, post a job, and find the right people to do it. People have been doing this for ages, and I usually just sit and whine about it but not tonight. This is the week we change our lives, right?

Here’s what was holding me back all this time: lack of money, not knowing what I really wanted, an inability to communicate what I really wanted, and fear of not finding someone good. If you think about it, all these fears were born and raised in my head by a mother called fear. Fuck fear. Sure, this is my first time hiring anyone ever, and no, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m a firm believer that putting yourself in situations you’re not sure about is a surefire way to get something you want done. Because I’ve wanted a web developer for some time and now I’m going to get one. I’m going to build a business relationship with someone. One small step for experienced entrepreneurs, one huge step for Monique mankind.

So if you’re looking to get something made, designed, or created, I would suggest just biting the bullet, because that’s the only way to get it done, and you’re going to feel great afterwards. We can’t achieve liftoff by hanging out on the launch platform with a cocktail (the cocktail is an in-flight beverage). Here’s some advice I can give you if you’re having some of the same fears as I was (am). There’s two websites that I’m currently using to hire great people for cheap, and it’s easy as cake: Fiverr (affiliate link) and Odesk. Odesk is an online workplace, where you can search and hire freelance contractors to do whatever it is you need done. Both are free to sign up for and very easy to use. I’ve just started using Odesk tonight and I’m already enjoying the process. (I’ve already got 55 applicants to sift through!) It’s really easy to just find people there and contact them for a job you need done. It’s amazing how many road blocks are obliterated by simply hiring someone online.

I’ll keep you updated later as to why I’m hiring a web developer and how that whole process turns out to be. I’m keeping mum on my side projects lately because I have a penchant for talk, talk, talk and not a lot of do, do, do. I don’t want to tell you about them until they’re halfway done, done, done. That’s when the hindsight steps in anyway, allowing me to reflect and offer up advice. Until next time! (Bows).

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August 15, 2013

Monday

 

All you need is a Monday, or in my case, a Saturday, but for the purposes of this blog post we’ll recognize a Monday for what it is most of the time–a smack in the face realization that the fun has ended and the work has begun. I saw this image on Facebook on Monday, and it drastically changed the way I’ve been thinking about this week. More specifically, that last little line at the bottom.
 

Make this the week you change your life.
 

At the time, it flitted in and out of my subconscious quicker than a cat video goes viral, but it somehow snuck up on me when I got home after work Monday night. I sat down at my computer to attend to my usual side projects, but I felt the itch to accomplish something.
 

I thought to myself, what if I really did make this week the one that changed my life? What if I really pushed myself to work on the things I enjoy, experiment a little, learn a little, and see what comes out of it? I also read a really great article on side projects in general by 99U, which basically talked about approaching side projects like they were experiments, so as to not be so afraid of failure. But my side projects haven’t seen fruition not because I was afraid to fail, but because I was too lazy to think about the bigger picture. I start them, and once that’s all set I feel like the plan to actually make them into something awesome feels too big for me, and I let it slide away.
 
Not this week. I was going to let this week change my life. And why not? We’ve all got mystery waiting for us at the end of the road, (as of this moment I’m not sure we can be bloggers in heaven) so we might as well PUT THE PEDAL TO THE METAL.
 
So I attended to those side projects, all of which are basically little things I work on so that they can one day become side projects. I happily stayed up till around 1am each night working on stuff that’s not really stuff yet. It’s like the preparation of stuff, and the researching of stuff, with no pressure to finish, fail, or succeed at any of it. And when I don’t feel like finishing the stuff, I’ve told myself you know what? What do you want more, to lay down right now, or actually accomplish this shit? The same goes for money, most of which I’d like to save so I can actually see these projects to completion. So I tell myself, what do you want more, the momentary exquisiteness of a Jersey Mikes sandwich, or to build that iPhone app you’ve been thinking about non-stop?
 
So it’s time, you guys. It’s time to make this week and every week after, better than all the ones previous. And I truly believe it’s possible to incrementally become the better version of yourself with each passing day. It’s like that saying (I’m full of them today):
 
“Don’t compare yourself to other people. Compare yourself to you, yesterday.” –some awesome person somewhere at some point in time.
 
Today you will not be as scared as you were yesterday. Today you will finish up what you started last night. Today is the most updated version of yourself there ever was. How does it feel?

August 14, 2013

Dirk Myers

This post is part of a weekly feature called the Passion Series…enjoy!

Julien Smith, co-author of the book Trust Agents, once said that it was always good to learn new things outside of what you were passionate about, because you never knew how those new things could relate back to what you actually were passionate about. I recall him saying this because as I sat down to review Dirk Myers’s blog for this post tonight, and happily absorbed all of the information he has written there, I realized that I was learning really valuable information that I would probably never think to seek out intentionally. And Julien was right–it totally related back to things I’m interested in.

Let me tell you a little bit about Dirk’s highly valuable blog, Service With a Style. It’s a blog centered on how to prosper in the service and hospitality industry, an industry Dirk has been thriving in for over 25 years.

In his posts, Dirk uses a great technique for coming up with good content–he takes situations that happen to him in a given day and turns them into informational blog posts related to his blog niche, resulting in really informative posts that stick. Just to give you an idea of what I mean, he used a bad experience at a restaurant to illustrate how important honesty and communication were between customer and employee in the service industry. Before I knew it, I was reading blog post after blog post, and immensely enjoying how much I was learning about teamwork and employee management, something I’ve always been interested in. You just never know where you’re going to learn something that ends up being really beneficial towards your end career goal.

Here’s what he had to say.

Has blogging helped you in any emotional or creative way? 

I created this blog because I wanted to share some ideas that I thought would help some people. Seeing the feedback indicating that it has been helpful to people has been very rewarding. It helps me feel like the time and effort have truly been worth it. Seeing how I am read in several continents also expands my horizons a bit and helps me think out of the box. It also makes you realize how widely received some simple ideas really can be.

Has blogging daily/weekly helped you achieve any personal goals? 

It’s actually helped me to set some goals. The fact that what I have done has been received so well has made me decide to take all of this to another level. I am in the process of seeing what opportunities there are for me to help companies put their best foot forward in Service. I am looking forward to seeing where this takes me.

Does the ritual of daily/weekly blogging give you motivation to pursue things you are passionate about? 

Participating in the WordCount Blogathon helped me build some good practices for regular blogging. I would recommend participating in such an event to any blogger. The event also helped me learn tools to assist me through creative blocks. That has been a very beneficial tool for me.

Thanks so much Dirk! I’ll need to check out this Word Count Blogathon sometime. I think my readers would get plenty sick of me if I blogged every day, but maybe one day I will have a host of more important things to say.

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This post is part of a series on bloggers who have found direction or passion through blogging. If you would like to be featured in the Passion Series, please contact me through this form with responses to the above questions, and share your passions. Thanks! See all Passion Series posts >>

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There are women in my life that I have never met, who inspire me every day. Whether it’s through Instagram, blogging, Facebook, or Twitter, I have come to know a handful of them through their words of encouragement, their careers, and social shares. While I am inspired by all sorts of women in my life, I was inspired today by Sarah Jenks (bottom left), and decided I needed to write a post about these women, who create such an impact on a daily basis in the lives of complete strangers–like me. Since they make me feel so awesome, I wanted to share their blogs/websites so you could feel awesome too. Awesome should always be shared.

Nisha Moodley (top left): I discovered Nisha through Brittney Castro (middle). Her blog, Fierce Fabulous Free, is about finding your freedom, being creative, and ultimately loving all that you are. Her posts are so inspiring to me because ultimately I crave the free life, one in which I am free from the burdens of self-sabotage and self-doubt. I follow her on Facebook as well, and she’s always posting great little nuggets of wisdom there too. Also her blog design is perfect.

Sarah Jenks (bottom left): I’ll be brutally honest here, I just discovered Sarah Jenks today, and she made me feel better in that first visit. She guest posted on Nisha’s blog not too long ago about her issues with weight loss, and how she lost a ton of weight by loving herself, being happy, and not dieting, which is something I’ve never heard of and am anxious to learn more about. She also has a kick ass ‘About’ section, in which she talks about the things she enjoys and her journey losing weight. By the time I finished reading it, I was in a better mood somehow. And even though she is a complete stranger, I saw on her blog that she’s having a baby, and the way she displayed that news on her website made me so happy for her it was unreal. I will definitely be returning there.

Brittney Castro (middle): I found Brittney through another woman and awesome entrepreneur I actually know, Jaclyn Mullen. Brittney is a financial advisor, who makes managing your money sound easy and fun. I follow her on Facebook and Instagram, and while my finances are usually the last thing I feel like talking about, I love the stuff she posts, and following her growing success. This is a woman who believes in loving yourself, and she inspires me every day with her quotes, book reviews, videos, and other projects she’s working on. You can tell that she truly loves what she does, and I am always interested in hearing whatever she’s got going on. You can find her very informative website, Financially Wise Women, here.

Erika Napoletano (top right): You’ve heard me talk about this gal before, so of course she would be included in this list. Erika Napoletano is an entrepreneur, author, and blogger that inspires me every damn morning. Her blog posts usually revolve around things she’s learned, things that annoy her, and things that help entrepreneurs the fuck out. Or anyone really. There’s not a single post that comes in my email from her that I am not completely excited about. She’s always teaching me something new about owning your own business, and she gets so into the nitty gritty of it that I get so excited and grateful that she is around to give out the kind of information I am constantly looking for. You should definitely subscribe to her ‘useful shit’ as she calls it, because her honesty about kicking ass in your personal and professional life is so necessary.

Kendi Skeen (bottom right): Kendi makes my day, every day, with her fashion blog, Kendi Everyday (how fitting right?). To be honest, I am not all that into fashion, but I am 100% into her blog, and to date, hers is the only fashion blog that I ever visit. I think there is a certain normalcy and realness about her that I adore. Her and I are the same age, and she has gone from working in a cubicle (like me!) to a complete fashion icon in the blogging world. I even saw her face in a Gap advertisement. A Gap advertisement! I feel like she is my daughter/cousin/sister or some other distant relative, and watching her turn her fashion blog into something amazing for herself makes me so proud. She even has her own clothing store. Basically, watching her bloom into a business woman from starting out as a random gal posing in front of a camera is amazing to me, and inspires me daily. I see no reason why she wouldn’t inspire anyone else as well. Okay well if you’re not into fashion maybe not, but still. It’s the story behind it, people, the story!

So if you’re feeling at all dulled out and low today, I hope you’ve checked out a couple of these fabulous strangers I know, and felt a tad lifted because of it. Because you’re worth it. (Not to sound all L’Oreal or anything, but you are.)

 

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Personally, there isn’t anything I feel like talking about more right now, than Disney.

Paul Harris blogs about visiting Disney World. While I’ve never visited, Disneyland is sure as hell my happy place, so I have no doubt that Disney World is truly, the happiest flippin’ place on earth. From the time he was a young boy, Paul was fascinated by the Magical Kingdom, and over the years developed enough experience visiting the magical place to turn it into something he not only wrote about, but a place where other Disney lovers could visit for travel information.

Over at his blog, The Visitor’s Guide to Walt Disney World Resorts, you’ll find great insider tips on the best places to visit, the best hotels to stay at, and the best places to eat. It’s like getting advice from a friend, which in my opinion is the best advice because it is upfront and honest about how to prepare for important aspects of the trip (like how to tame kids who are hot and irritable), unlike something you’d find on the official Disney website. Oh and another cool thing I thought I’d share before I let him take the reins–his daughter used to be a Disney cast member at Disney World! I thought that was SO cool.

Here is what he had to say.

Has blogging helped you in any emotional or creative way? 

Creatively blogging has created an outlet for the writer’s itch that has “plagued” me since I closed the doors on a magazine that I published back in the 90’s. Writing has always been something that I’ve enjoyed doing, and blogging gives me the opportunity to do just that.

Has blogging daily/weekly helped you achieve any personal goals? 

I try to achieve the goal of posting at least three new posts per week. I don’t always get that since my schedule can get pretty clogged up with life, but that is the goal. Blogging has provided a good framework to enforce the discipline and work habit to fulfill that goal. More importantly, blogging has forced me to put aside the stresses of meeting deadlines to do something that I truly enjoy doing; being creative.

Does the ritual of daily/weekly blogging give you motivation to pursue things you are passionate about? 

Absolutely! After starting visitorsguidetowdw.com I have re-started a virtual animation studio, PappaBear Studios to create short animations to include on the blog. The ultimate in storytelling, these animated shorts will help me communicate the message of the Visitors Guide, which is how to truly enjoy the Walt Disney World Resorts. With a cast and crew of volunteer artists spread throughout the world coming together over the internet to make these shorts, it is a dream come true for me. Starting my blog was the impetus to getting that dream to reality.

I find it so inspiring that Paul was able to rekindle his old passion for animation through the start of his Disney World blog. Sometimes I think blogging is just the spark we need to ignite that creative fire inside of us. Thanks for stopping by, Paul!

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This post is part of a series on bloggers who have found direction or passion through blogging. If you would like to be featured in the Passion Series, please contact me through this form with responses to the above questions, and share your passions. Thanks! See all Passion Series posts >>