Entry
Two Hundred One.
Tuesday, 2017.01.03, 9:00 AM CST.
My
three words for 2017.
Current Mood: Weary but highly
determined.
Current Scent: Indian Vetiver by Bath + Body Works.
Happy
new year, everyone. I hope this finds you all healthy, happy and
doing well.
As
I mentioned in the last
journal entry, 2016 was rough for a lot of people. The world
lost a lot of good entertainers, and I lost a few personal friends.
I was successful as far as my bookings and performances went, and for
that I'm very thankful... but I know that 2017 can be better.
This
morning, I want to share a more positive outlook about 2017 and write
a little bit about what I'm working on. As you know, in March
2015, I started a new mobile DJ company called Awesome
Retro DJ Service, specializing in 80s/90s music.
I've
gotten back to work on the full-blown Awesome Retro DJ website
(a major project I hope to complete this month). There's already
an interim site up at the time of this writing that still gives lots
of good information, but the new site... well, it's going to be pretty
massive. On top of that, I have other projects - music-related
and not - that I'm working on, plus my "day job" and family
and lots of other responsibilities.
Basically,
things are busy, and I'm purposefully looking to make things
even busier.
 The
main topic that I wanted to cover in this entry is Chris Brogan's "Three
Words" for each year. For those of you who may be unfamiliar,
Chris Brogan
is a business expert, CEO, speaker, and best-selling author. I
first discovered his work a couple of years ago when I picked up the
book The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth, and I've recently
started reading his 2013 book, It's Not About the Tights:
An Owners Manual on Bravery. I follow him on Facebook, and
despite his success, he seems like an extremely down-to-earth, genuine
guy. Not only is he insightful, but he's also entertaining.
I highly recommend checking him out.
Every
year, Chris publishes a list of three words upon which he's going to
concentrate in order to hone his efforts for the forthcoming new year.
As he explains, "We choose three words so that you can use them
for triangulation... Three words gives us a way to think about the situations
in our lives from many dimensions." For instance, his three
words for 2016 were "Home," "Shine," and "Win."
If you want to know his three words for 2017, which he just revealed
on January 1st, you should check them out on this
page of his site.
I
really liked the idea, so with his encouragement, I have decided to
participate by revealing my own personal three words upon which I will
try to focus in 2017.
They
are "Boost," "Charm," and "Give."
Boost.
"Boost" is a fun word to say, and it's flexible because it
can be used as both a noun and a verb. It's also a word that is
often overused in business. If you go onto Amazon and look up
marketing books, you're going to see the word used countless times.
"Boost your sales." "Boost your success."
"Boost your profits."
Despite
its overuse, I think it's a good inclusion in my three 2017 words because
it applies in so many ways. I need to boost the amount of bookings
that I am getting from Awesome Retro DJ... that's an easy thing to focus
on. I'm also looking to boost my productivity at my "day
job." I need to give a more consistent boost of attention
to my friends and family; they're incredibly valuable to me, and I don't
always relay that to them enough. Plus, I tend to be so cynical
sometimes (even if it's just in a joking fashion) that I don't do much
to really boost the spirits of those around me.
Life
is too valuable to make snide jokes as often as I do. Yes, things
suck sometimes, but there's also a lot of positive stuff in this world
to celebrate. Tacky jokes here and there are fine, but I don't
want to be "that guy" who is constantly a source of one form
of woe or another. If I can be more uplifting (without being a
cheeseball about it), more people will hopefully be able to identify
with me, which will not only invite success on a business level, but
hopefully help me to develop more friendships on a personal level.
This
brings us to my next word...
Charm.
"Charm," like "Boost," can be utilized as both a
verb and a noun. However, "charm" usually comes with
negative connotations. Unfortunately, it seems like sometimes
the word gets a bad rap because it is so often used to describe the
act of persuading someone to do something they don't want to do - like
"schmoozing" or "coercing." If someone is
trying to get a special favour and is being overly friendly in order
to make that happen, we sometimes say that he or she is "turning
on the charm." These are unfair associations for a really
good word.
I
have sometimes been described as "charming" or "a charmer."
I think part of that is based on the fact that for a good chunk of my
life - at the very least, since the point at which I got into the DJ
industry in 1988 - I've had to work hard and fight my own self-doubt
to get to a point at which I can actually hold good, productive conversations
with people in a fashion that will (hopefully) make them want to interact
with me again. It's still a work in progress; there are lots of
situations during which, even at 45, I find myself unable to add much
to a conversation, so I just kind of passively "back off"
and let the other people in the conversation interact amongst themselves.
This
will be the year that I will put a much greater effort into showing
genuine interest in others, not only from a business perspective, but
on a personal level. Granted, I already do show genuine
interest; if any of my friends are reading this, I promise that I actually
care about you! But, there's plenty (plennnnnnnnnty)
of room for personal improvement on my part. I want to become
more approachable to others, and I also want to become the type of person
who can walk up to someone much more successful (or powerful) than myself
and start up conversations without getting nervous and stammering or
going off on weird tangents. (That last bit's going to be a major
challenge, because I am full of weird tangents.)
I
don't want to "turn on the charm" in a weaselly, malicious,
or dishonest way, but I want to be someone that people will want
to get to know, with whom people will want to have conversations...
and, if applicable, with whom they will want to do business.
Thus,
the concept of "charm" is one that I plan to learn more about
- and "charm" is therefore the second of my three words for
the year.
Give.
"Give" is the most important of the three words. I like
to think of myself as a caring, "giving" person. I sometimes
give to charities and help out those around me who need help.
The
problem is... I don't do it enough. I'm not swimming in money,
but I'm doing somewhat better than "okay." I know that
I could afford to reach out and help others more than I already do.
Yes, I've worked hard for my income and I know it's "my money,"
but at the same time... it would make me happier to help other people
be happier.
This
initiative could range anywhere from going out and buying to-go meals
to deliver to the homeless, to picking up reasonable gifts for friends
for no reason at all, to giving more to charities such as Share Our
Strength - nokidhungry.org
- one of my favourite charity organizations ever, dedicated to getting
food out to desperate kids around the USA.
I
can't afford to save the world. I can't fly to other countries
and help deliver packages of food and medicine to the destitute.
But...
in a few simple ways... maybe I can make a difference in someone's life
by getting them through a night without hunger or boosting their spirits
somehow. (See... boosting.) I have been too selfish
over the years, and as I am starting this year by making at least one
or two very drastic positive life changes (which I can hopefully discuss
in detail soon), hopefully I can cause a ripple effect among those around
me.
We
will see.
Anyway...
I've obviously got my work cut out for me, and it looks like this is
going to be a pretty busy year no matter how I slice it... so wish me
luck!
More
soon,
Badger
#mythreewords |
