#Trust30 Day 15

[We're halfway through the #Trust30 challenge...This is what it is].

Do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Take a moment, step back from your concerns, and focus on one thing: You have one life to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted. Sounds simple, but when you really focus on it, let it seep into your consciousness, you realize you only have about 100 years to get every single thing you’ve ever wanted to do. No second chances. This is your only shot. Suddenly, this means you should have started yesterday. No more waiting for permission or resources to start. Today is the day you make the rest of your life happen. Write down one thing you’ve always wanted to do and how you will achieve that goal. Don’t be afraid to be very specific in how you’ll achieve it: once you start achieving, your goals will get bigger and your capability to meet them will grow.”—Colin Wright

Someday, I want to build my own acoustic guitar. I really know nothing about what it takes to make one, so I am going to have to find some help. I will start by reading a book or two about the process, so that when it comes time to talk to someone about it, I will know what questions to ask. Then I will either take a class at a community college or find a luthier who is willing to teach me.

At this point, I do not have the tools or space to make one, so I will have to buy/borrow/rent the tools to undertake the project. If I am in Portland when I undertake the project, I will look at joining one of the community workshops around the city, where people can bring in materials and use the tools to shape them into finished projects.

The guitar will probably have a conventional design, much like a Taylor or Martin guitar. I’m sure I will put some type of signature art in it, but above all, I want it to have a unique tone. For me, tone is the most important part of a guitar.

One of the reasons I want to make a guitar is because I think that building something using real materials is fulfilling. These days, I spend most of my time in front of a computer screen, which can be tiring on both the eyes and the mind.

Making a guitar is a project that I could do that would require learning a whole new set of skills. It is challenging, tactile and full of real sensory experiences. I could easily see my progress toward the finish, and when I got done, I would have something useful to show for my efforts, something I would enjoy for years to come.

#Trust30 Day 14 - Ambition

[Yes, there are a lot of these #Trust30 posts...here's why].

When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The world buzzes about goals and visions. Focus. Create a vivid picture of exactly where you want to go. Dream big, then don’t let anything or anyone stop you. The problem, as Daniel Gilbert wrote in Stumbling Upon Happiness, is that we’re horrible at forecasting how we’ll really feel 10 or 20 years from now – once we’ve gotten what we dreamed of. Often, we get there only to say, “That’s not what I thought it would be,” and ask, “What now?” Ambition is good. Blind ambition is not. It blocks out not only distraction, but the many opportunities that might take you off course but that may also lead you in a new direction. Consistent daily action is only a virtue when bundled with a willingness to remain open to the unknown. In this exercise, look at your current quest and ask, “What alternative opportunities, interpretations and paths am I not seeing?” They’re always there, but you’ve got to choose to see them.” - Jonathan Fields

The author’s prompt does not quite fit my situation. I do not have a “blind ambition” that causes me to miss opportunities that I would otherwise see. Rather, I am too open to possibilities, and the reluctance to choose a more focused approach to life is creating challenges for me. There are too many distractions in my world, not too few.

However, even though the prompt is not perfect for my situation,  I am still willing to sit down and think about the ‘alternate paths’ I might not be seeing. Some of these could be:

1. Writing for a magazine or other publication
2. Start an international coffee newsletter, to combine my interests in coffee, travel, writing, business, economics and storytelling
3. Turn this site into more of a demonstration of my capabilities and let people know how they can hire me (building logos, graphics, creating presentations, speaking, editing videos, etc.)
4. Try to find a “normal” job that allows me to travel and write about those travels when not working for the company
5. Contracting with a company to write/oversee its newsletters, either internal or external

One alternative (#2 above) for what I am doing would be to create a newsletter for the coffee industry that is different from the coffee trade magazines. [side note: If you are someone who is in the coffee industry, is there some type of information out there that you are missing that you would like to have available? My crack team of researchers could start working on finding it.] I heard a marketing professor say one time that to be successful, you have to find a problem and be the solution to that problem. In other words, you find someone with a headache and then be the aspirin.

My current ‘quest’ is to make a living out of writing and other creative activities. I would like to turn Caffeinated PDX into a more important and useful site for visitors, but that is going to require some changes (and, eventually, some assistance). The blog is going to have to have a stronger message to attract more people and it also will need to grow outside the Portland area.

In essence, the current Caffeinated PDX is a first draft for the project it will eventually become. During the last several months, I have learned a lot about coffee, writing, blogging and social media. I continually remind myself that it takes time to build something successful, and that even on the days when it seems like my progress goes backwards, I am learning things that will be valuable in the long run. At some point, I will find the right mix of message and utility, and then use my “not so blind” ambition to make it work.

Trust30 Day 13 – Surprise yourself

[Want to know more about these #Trust30 posts? Click here]

I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will so trust that what is deep is holy, if we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Think of a time when you didn’t think you were capable of doing something, but then surprised yourself.  How will you surprise yourself this week?” –Ashley Ambirge

This question brings back a memory of a time during my sophomore year at college when I had gotten a little behind in my classes. I was still passing all of them, but was struggling to keep up with the material and assignments. It seemed like everything I did was at the last minute and all of my assignments were being finished just in time (JIT). JIT is a good system if you are a manufacturer, but not if you are a student.

I specifically remember one Sunday when I  had to write a paper that was due the next day. I hadn’t even started the research, and I remember thinking there was no way I was going to get it done. At that time, I didn’t write as much as I do now, so I was really slow. It took me forever to write anything and because I was slow, I didn’t like writing. Sitting there staring at a page was intimidating and I hated it.

If I could have, I probably would have put off working on the paper for another day, but there was no way out of it. The paper was due the next day and the teacher wasn’t taking late assignments.

Shortly after lunch, I drove my car to the library. I drove slowly, dreading the next several hours and thinking of how I would be imprisoned in the library all afternoon. To make matters worse, it was a beautiful spring day with lots of sunshine. Warm spring days were a rarity in Pullman, so it was doubly depressing to be headed for the library. There was no way around it though, so into the library I went.

The paper came together gradually, but it wasn’t easy. Around midnight, I went to the computer lab to type the paper. I was nearly finished at 1:00am when my computer froze. My heart did too. Oh, no. I didn’t have it backed up on a disk either. I buried my face in my hands. All of that work—down the drain. A tangle of nausea grew inside my stomach. I was already exhausted and ready to go home and get some sleep. The deep sense of dread grew stronger as I hit the reset button on the machine.

Miraculously (and I mean miraculously), when the computer restarted, my paper reappeared too. It was just sitting on the screen as if nothing had happened. If you had been watching me, you probably would have seen a look of complete disbelief pass over my face before tears of joy filled my eyes. Talk about relief!

I quickly backed the file up, not wanting a repeat of the heart-stopping drama. Half an hour later, I finished the last few edits and printed it out. It wasn’t the best paper in the history of my time at Washington State, but in my mind, it was certainly one of the most memorable. Although the incident did not help me break away from my JIT system, I did come away with a new confidence that I could pull together something at the last minute if I had to, which was a pretty good lesson to learn.

[This week, with visitors coming into town for a few days, I’m going to surprise myself if I get three good articles written for the blog in addition to these #Trust30 posts. Check back to see how it goes.] 

#Trust 30 Day 12

[To find out why I am writing all these #Trust30 posts, click here]

These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Is fear holding you back from living your fullest life and being truly self expressed? Put yourself in the shoes of the you who’s already lived your dream and write out the answers to the following:

Is the insecurity you’re defending worth the dream you’ll never realize? or the love you’ll never venture? or the joy you’ll never feel?

Will the blunder matter in 10 years? Or 10 weeks? Or 10 days? Or 10 minutes?

Can you be happy being anything less than who you really are?

Now Do. The Thing. You Fear.” –Lachlan Cotter

Another day, another similar prompt. This is getting a little redundant.

Is fear holding you back from living your fullest life and being truly self expressed?

On some levels, yes. I am working through it though. That is one reason I write.

The question that keeps me awake at night is, if I really want to be “truly self-expressed,” what is going to make it financially possible?

Here’s an example of what I mean. I read someone else’s #trust30 post today that described the rules of a game called “Spin the Globe,” where you take a well-oiled globe, give it a good spin and have a friend close his eyes and stop the globe with a finger. If the finger stops on a country or island, you have seven days to make arrangements and travel there. What a game! Unfortunately for the guy who wrote the post, the game was only theoretical. In his comments section, he admitted that it wasn’t real because he did not know how to pay for it.

Is the insecurity you’re defending worth the dream you’ll never realize? Probably not. While money is important, if it were the real obstacle, I could find a way to get it.

Will the blunder matter in 10 years? Only if the blunder is to not go for it.

Can you be happy being anything less than who you really are? Truly happy? No. Happy enough? I hope not.

#Trust30 Day 11 – Imitation is what?

[To find out why I am writing all these #Trust30 posts, click here]

Imitation is Suicide. Insist on yourself; never imitate. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Write down in which areas of your life you have to overcome these suicidal tendencies of imitation, and how you can transform them into a newborn you – one that doesn’t hide its uniqueness, but thrives on it. There is a “divine idea which each of us represents” – which is yours?” –Fabian Kruse (the Friendly Anarchist)

Emerson’s quote is a pretty absolute statement. By trying to be someone else, you lose yourself, and you might as well no longer be alive. The great ones know this. They are inimitable, with a style that sets them apart. As soon as Elvis opens his mouth to sing, you know who it is.

The concept reminds me of learning to play the guitar. At one time in my life, I aspired to be a musician. I spent hours trying to play songs in the same way that Eric Clapton and others did. I grew frustrated when I couldn’t reproduce the sounds I heard. My fingers moved too slowly, my tone was not clean enough and eventually I gave up trying.

Looking back, I would approach music very differently.

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Friday's news roundup, June 10

Happy Friday! The big news of the week was, of course, the sale of part of Stumptown to TSG, a private equity firm. Other than that, it was a fairly slow week as far as coffee news is concerned. We had to dig deep to find some interesting links (thanks, Google).

Here are this week’s links:

Stumptown’s Duane Sorenson wrote a letter to employees and associates about the investment by TSG. He comes across as very optimistic about the future of the company. I hope it turns out as well as he hopes. link

Oliver Strand (NY Times) keeps poking around, looking for more information about the Stumptown sale to TSG. link

Would you eat caffeinated popcorn? Why the hell would anyone eat caffeinated popcorn? link

Coffee doesn’t seem to shorten the lives of female nurses with heart disease, according to a recent study. link

Baristas at drive-thru coffee stands around Bend, Oregon, are breathing easier this week, after police arrested a 68 year-old man with a problem keeping his pants on…or something like that. link

Starbucks will soon be opening a new store in Portland’s Pearl District that will offer beer and wine in the afternoons and evenings. The company is trying to ramp up its late-day sales and plans to offer local brews from Rogue, Widmer and Deschutes. link

Good news for coffee-drinking expats in China, I guess. The big green apron wants to increase the number of stores from 400 to 1500 in the next four years. link

For those of you who will be in Seattle the next couple weeks, be sure to check out the Northwest Coffee Festival’s Coffee Crawl. It is a big celebration of the city’s great coffee. link

Hearing voices in your head? You might be drinking too much coffee…(so that’s where they’re coming from…) link

And finally, a photo from around town:

This guy's ready for summer!

Have a good weekend!

#Trust30 Day 10 - Message from a soapbox

[Today we have arrived at 1/3 of the way through the challenge! It's been fun so far, but exhausting too. To find out why I am writing all these #Trust30 posts, click here]

Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote:

To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. 

Mr. Eric Handler’s prompt:

What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?

[Let’s see…a million people….I would tell everyone to click on my ads….Wait, just kidding. . . Dear Google, I was only trying to be funny. . . It was a joke! Don’t banish me! Aaaaagggghhhh!]

The real message: Just because someone tells you it’s true, doesn’t mean it is. Be skeptical when you talk to people who are completely convinced, without any doubts, that they have the right answers—even if you agree with them. There is a lot more gray in this world than many are willing to admit.

Never lose your ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. You might find that your adversary has a good point, if you are willing to actually listen to what he or she is saying.

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