Fire By Sea

Salesmanship bugs me. I don’t mind selling things to people. I don’t like having to convince them they need it when they really don’t. I’d rather create something they do need (or want) and then sell it to them without the shameless pitch.

With this in mind, I turn back to publishing. Not book publishing but niche micro magazine stuff. Hawaii travel guide. There has to be a way to bootstrap the following:

• Plan an editorial calendar (content/editorial strategy)
• Manage contributors — writers, photographers, video, editors
• Outsource an app developer to build the app
• Sell ad space: free ad space but pay when a commission/sale gets made
• Market the app, collect reader data to improve it

Remember: Nimble Content.

When the question of the iPad comes up, I keep thinking about the potential of app publishing. I’d use the iPad to develop and test apps, with some kind of way to research them as well.

So let’s break this down:

• Publishing Nimble content is the basis of Wordful.
• The cutting edge of Nimble content is something you’d find on an iPad as an app.
• If I bought an iPad I’d need to seriously investigate how to build a content-rich app.

Websites and blogs are a good basis for content, but they don’t make content nimble.

Nimble content is the way to go.

It’s disgusting — the bane of capitalism trickled down to the greedy shallow consumer. T-shirts with name brand logos. Store after store selling image after image. Total spending masturbation.

Now I realize that even if I had as much filthy money as I wanted, I don’t have it in me to be a disgusting and excessive spender.

Thanks to habit and circumstance, I’ve learned to buy only what I need. Even the iPad is doubtful despite my strong interest in having it.

I’d rather spend the money on education, enrichment and experience. And philanthropy.

Money spent on stuff is unfulfilling, disgusting and ugly.

2-3 Year Vision: Be 100% autonomous in work and finances. No consumer debt and not working for anyone else. Enough money to pay for everything my family needs. (pretty typical early middle-aged vision)

Goals:

• Income: $125k yearly  by 2012. (~$10k/month)
• Take 1st real family vacation by 2012: Europe in summer!
• Renew vows. Somewhere awesome. Maybe on that vacation.
• See a real ball game with my son, musical with daughter.

Plans (how the hell am I going to get this done)

• Faith and the right attitude.
• Smart and hard working. Blogging/publishing at top, websites in middle, editor work at bottom (base).
• Fix up house over next year for renting out.

Success of this comes down to attitude, hard work and money.

I hear a lot (the majority) of people here in the city say they wish they could live on an outer island where life is slower, the air is cleaner and there’s a lot more space.

Hogwash!

These people are like me: too long in the same place and feeling stuck with routine.

So the real answer is not to just move somewhere because you’re dissatisfied with your present setting, but to live a dynamic life: adjusting your attitude within so no matter where you are you’re thriving.

Easier said than done. Another way is to split time between two places, but you run into cost problems.

So what’s the real problem: money or attitude?

Both.

Now that I’ve been in the city, and adjusted to it, I think about all the excuses we make as to why we should stay in our small town:

The people are nicer, with more aloha.

There’s some truth to that, but I’m not interested in making really good friends right now. I want to get as far ahead in life as possible and still make friends along the way. I’m sure there are people here friendly enough.

There’s more space.

Yes, that’s true. But I don’t need much space. I need enough space to do my work and enough amenities to get things done quickly, cheaply and efficiently. The city offers this. The small town doesn’t.

I’m starting to sound like a city person, aren’t I?

Good.

is the only option for me. There’s NO way I can work for someone else permanently (I’m doing it now and HATE it), especially since I’ve been working at this for so many years.

One of my Korean cousins told me last October in the hotel lobby in Seoul that the Ko family have a thing where they have to work for themselves. Some do well and some don’t. I like the fact that it’s not failproof — puts some fire under my feet.

The only thing I can think of is being a self-made success. Full freedom time and money. Can’t I just get on with things and accomplish it? Jeez!

On Friday I somehow got through a difficult blog writing session and hit publish before gong to the beach for some bodysurfing with my older son. I come back and a A-List blogger picked it up (I linked to him) and tweeted it.

Long story short, I got read by a bunch of bloggers. It gave me the confidence that I can actually get somewhere with the blog. It’s like being one small step up from the very bottom.

I know for a fact that if I keep at this and keep putting myself out there, I can do it. There ‘s so much I want to do (with my family) that I can’t sit idle or copacetic with what we have. There’s more out there, I know…

I don’t care for facial hair — it looks scruffy and primitive. But alas I’m growing some as an experiment to see what it feels and looks like. I don’t feel like I look that different but I do feel very different.

Obviously air resistance on bare skin is different than with a beard. I go to rub my face and it’s covered in hair!

The other thing is how other people perceive me. I look older and more mature, whatever that means. People look at me like I have more life experience and that I’m focused on some life-long goal or trade.

Being clean shaved might indicate that I haven’t found your groove yet. Whatever. I don’t buy it. I’m shaving this off soon.