Great Writing

Spam has ruined email for the most part for companies. This isn’t a new revelation, a quick google search will show that the clutter that email campaigns cause is as bad, if not worse, then the clutter we see in traditional media. Here’s the exception, the shining gem that makes me hopeful that some marketing and some companies “get it”.

I look forward to an email every morning. It’s not a list serve email, or one from a friend in a far away place. It’s the opt in emails that steep and cheap send out. They know the people who buy stuff from them, and they don’t’ get to ’salesy’ This was the email that was in my box this morning:

Every morning some random thought or story is conveyed to me, as I wolf down a double helping of instant oatmeal and coffee. I actually look forward to the random nature of the story, and the great deals that steep and cheap offer. I’ve bought a number of things from them, and will continue to do so. I strongly suggest that you subscribe to the emails.

7 things you may not have known.

There’s a meme going around on twitter that’s “7 thing you may not have known” Since a was tagged here goes:

1) If not for having an appendectomy I would have enlisted in the Air Force.

I was in AFJROTC during high school, and my senior year I was going to enlist. The recruiter failed to let me know I had to have documentation about the appendectomy since it had been within 6 month and considered major surgery. I took the ASVAB, physical, and only had to be sworn in. After I got home, a few people talked me out of enlisting, and going to college.

2) I fell asleep backstage at a Megadeth concert,that Seven Dust opened for.

Through high school, and part of college, I worked freelance for a couple stage companies. I did a lot of different things, from driving trucks to running shows. I got the call to load and unload a show at the meadows in CT. By the time Megadeth went on I had been up for 14 hours or so (had to drive to the shop, load the truck, drive to CT, oversee the unloading of the truck… etc.) I sat down in a bin of feeder cable, which was warm, and promptly fell asleep while megadeth was on stage.

3) I was afraid of heights as a kid.

I don’t know when I stopped being afraid of heights. Now heights don’t bother me in the least, I’ve jumped out of planes, gone rock climbing, hung lights 100+ feet in the air, all with no issues.

4) I didn’t want to learn how to ride a bike.

I fought with my dad for a while because I didn’t want to learn to ride a bike. This makes me laugh, since now I’m an avid cyclist, riding multiple centuries in a summer.

5) I didn’t like bacon as a kid.

Again, this is one of those things that I can’t pinpoint when it changed. As a kid I didn’t like bacon, I would order sausage, or nothing with my eggs. I’m so glad that I’ve changed my mind on the bacon front.

6) I marched in Drum Corps and Marching band in High School

I played trumpet (and soprano horn) in high school. I only marched in Drum Corps one year, but the Spartans made it to the DCI finals the year I marched.

7) I took ice skating when I was a little kid.

I took figure skating for a year or two as a kid. Preformed a routine and everything.

Twelve is attainable.

The nostalgia of December is quickly wearing off for the hope and promise of the new year. Every year I seem to make resolutions, and ever year I don’t follow through with all of them, the dusty unicycle mocking me from the closet is a case in point. My 2009 Moleskin arrived in the mail over the weekend, and I took the time to transcribe the already committed and planned dates from 2008 into it. While leafing through the planner I started humming the  Seasame Street Pinball count, we all know that catchy 1,2,3,4-5-6-7,8,9-10-11,12. Then my thoughts turned to David Allen and GTD. Then I began, for the first time, to break my resolutions up into actionable items.

It is very easy to set attainable goals for my year this way. By breaking down my resolutions to actionable items.Historically I’ve set out with resolutions such as:

• learn to ride a unicycle
• run a 5k
• join the circus
• etc, etc, etc

This year I still have resolutions, but took the time to proactively break them down to smaller actionable items that aren’t nearly as daunting:

• Weekly spend an hour falling off the unicycle
• run 30 minutes 4 times a week
• defeat my fear of cotton candy
• etc, etc, etc

With my new found way of attacking my yearly resolutions I’m now also thinking about other “12’s” I can attain? I also believe that revisiting the goals and re-planning attainable goals will allow me to keep focused on the tasks that I want to lay out for myself over the coming year.