by Joey | Feb 16, 2016 | Throwback
“Let me list for you some of the many ways in which you might be afraid to live a more creative life: You’re afraid you have no talent. You’re afraid you’ll be rejected or criticized or ridiculed or misunderstood or—worst of all—ignored.
You’re afraid there’s no market for your creativity, and therefore no point in pursuing it. You’re afraid somebody else already did it better. You’re afraid everybody else already did it better.
You’re afraid somebody will steal your ideas, so it’s safer to keep them hidden forever in the dark. You’re afraid you won’t be taken seriously.
You’re afraid your work isn’t politically, emotionally, or artistically important enough to change anyone’s life. You’re afraid your dreams are embarrassing.
You’re afraid that someday you’ll look back on your creative endeavors as having been a giant waste of time, effort, and money. You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of discipline. You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of work space, or financial freedom, or empty hours in which to focus on invention or exploration.
You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of training or degree.
You’re afraid you’re too fat. (I don’t know what this has to do with creativity, exactly, but experience has taught me that most of us are afraid we’re too fat, so let’s just put that on the anxiety list, for good measure.)
You’re afraid of being exposed as a hack, or a fool, or a dilettante, or a narcissist.
You’re afraid of upsetting your family with what you may reveal.
You’re afraid of what your peers and coworkers will say if you express your personal truth aloud. You’re afraid of unleashing your innermost demons, and you really don’t want to encounter your innermost demons.
You’re afraid your best work is behind you. You’re afraid you never had any best work to begin with. You’re afraid you neglected your creativity for so long that now you can never get it back.
You’re afraid you’re too old to start. You’re afraid you’re too young to start. You’re afraid because something went well in your life once, so obviously nothing can ever go well again.
You’re afraid because nothing has ever gone well in your life, so why bother trying? You’re afraid of being a one-hit wonder.
You’re afraid of being a no-hit wonder”
Elizabeth Gilbert
Big Magic
Did that passage make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? Did it make you feel violated because how can one person be so inside your head? Did it make you angry because how dare someone actually write those fears, revealing them for the world to see. We’re supposed to keep those hush hush, hidden, until they eat us alive and stop us from being creative all together. And then finally, did it make you want to collapse into a puddle of tears on to the floor from the relief of the weight sitting on your shoulders?
It did? Okay, good. Because that’s exactly how I felt when I heard that passage. I just finished listening to Big Magic last week. I tend to steer clear of the overly hyped up books for so long that by time I read them, they’re irrelevant or the entire world has moved on to something else. But something forced me to get it with my Audible credit.
There’s something in here for you, Joey.
You need this.
I don’t want to admit it because no one does. But I’m scared almost all of the time. These projects I’m working on feel like a slow strip down, exposing everything. They’re projects that have been sitting on my heart for a really, really long time, but I ignored them. I told myself I wouldn’t, no, couldn’t because they felt too personal.
But isn’t that kind of the point of our work? To put out what people will relate to? And what can people relate to more than the truth? Than to what’s real? If it’s real for you, then it’s real for someone else, too.
The fear is always going to be there. At least for me it’s going to be. I’m just a scared person. But life will be a lot more fun and exciting if I just push it down, ignore it instead of my ideas. Because the fear isn’t real. The fear is a trick our brain plays on us telling us we aren’t good enough.
Who’s to say?
Exactly.
I don’t like the expression
do something every day that scares you. I have anxiety and that sounds like an exhausting way to live. But if what you love doing scares you just a little bit? I think that’s just a gentle reminder that what you’re doing is important.
So do it.
That doesn’t mean you need to quit your job. It doesn’t mean you need to up and move. It doesn’t mean a whole lot of anything except that you should just find a way to incorporate what you love into your life. And if something comes of it, that’s amazing. But don’t put that kind of pressure on your creativity. Take care of yourself. Take care of your creativity. And amazing things will happen.
I’m sure of it.
by Joey | Feb 11, 2016 | Throwback
What I really want to say to you here is this: I’m too lazy to make the commitment. I’m hesitant to make the decision to try because it sounds like a lot of work. And I have such little free time these days that I’m feeling less motivated to spend that free time being active. Because really? I’d much rather sit in a bath and binge watch Netflix.
Which is ridiculous because I’m not even currently binging a particular show. In fact, I sit more frequently with something just on while messing with my phone. So in other words, it’s a colossal waste of time.
I’m saying all of this to you now because I’m trying to convince myself to try something. I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a fitness challenge. Now, before you fall out of your chair laughing or click out thinking this is going to be some weight loss driven motivational post, it’s not.
In January 2015, I challenged myself to run 40 miles in a month. The whole purpose was to just do it. To see if I could. It wasn’t to lose weight. It wasn’t to become a better runner. It wasn’t to feel good about myself, though all of those things did happen (except the losing weight part–I work very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen). It was just to do it. To shake things up. To pull myself out of whatever boring habits and routine I had.
And I’ll be honest, I’ve been dreading writing this and putting it out there because then I know I just have to do it. Because I don’t entertain the idea of failure when I put my mind to something. Especially something I’m perfectly capable of doing. Failing because you simply can’t is one thing, or because you’re learning is another. But failing because you’re just too lazy? Yeah. I don’t do that shit.
At least I try not to.
So here it is, I guess. For the next 30 days, I will be active for at least 20 minutes every single day.
I am not setting myself up for failure here. I won’t commit to run every day. I won’t commit to just one thing, I get bored too easily. And I know there will be days when I’m just completely exhausted.
But I can commit to doing something.
I can commit to running.
I can commit to practicing yoga (I have wanted to give this a try).
I can commit to trying pilates (ditto the yoga thing).
I can commit to going for a nice walk.
So there you have it. It’s out there now, on the interwebs. Which means I actually have to do it. Anyone care to do it with me?
Oh, yeah. It starts today. So good luck!
Are you with me?
by Joey | Feb 10, 2016 | Throwback
People are either talkers or doers. Very few are both. In the last few years, I believe I’ve transitioned from talker to doer, but I’d started to lose my edge recently. I had this general sense of OMG I have so much to do, but couldn’t ever pin down exactly what it was that I needed to do. Tell me you feel me on this.
I have a lot going on right now. I work a full-time job outside of my home. I run this blog, creating new content three days a week, sometimes more. I’m writing a novel. I’m writing a non-fiction ebook. I’m launching a new website. I’m building a new business. I’m recording a podcast in collaboration with a friend and preparing that to launch.
It’s easy for me to get swallowed up in the overwhelm. To give up. Or to simply have no life because I’m busy working every minute of every day. I don’t want that.
That’s when I found Wunderlist. My number one issue with productivity was that I knew I had a lot to do, but when I would sit down to do it I wouldn’t know what to do.
Nothing fuels procrastination like the lack of a plan.
So what is wunderlist? Okay, let me break it down. Side note: you’re about to get a real, honest look into my life. Ready? Good.
Think of it as your todo list on steroids. I think of it as the gate-keeper to my success. I plug in the formula and failure is not an option. Okay, let me explain that to you.
If something is on my todo list, broken down into actionable tasks,
I will do them.
With Wunderlist, you can create different categories and add lists into those categories. Take my Hodgespodges Inc category for example. Hodgespodges Inc is something I have set to launch summer 2016. Within Hodgespodges Inc, you’ll find the blog, a few non-fiction ebooks, and a podcast (at least when it first launches. There will be other features launched after).
Those are all pretty big projects. And for about 5 months, they left me completely paralyzed. I had the ideas, but I wasn’t taking any action because to be honest, I didn’t even know where to start.
But once I could break everything down into categories, and then break each of those projects down into actionable todos, with specific deadlines, life started to feel a lot easier. I started to be so freaking productive!
There are several ways to view your todo lists and projects. My favorites are today, which is demonstrated in the image above, and the week view.
The weekly view helps me the most when I’m creating my iCal blocks for the week.
I can search by the hashtag, too. I break my iCal blocks up into #write, #focusedwork, and #unfocused. This helps me know what needs to get done during each blocked off period of time, and how much time I need to block off.
#write is pretty obvious. It’s writing.
#focusedwork means no distractions, headphones in, preferably alone.
#unfocused means if I find myself with a spare minute here or there, do one of these projects. Or if I’m sitting watching tv. It doesn’t need my total, uninterrupted attention. This usually includes emails, social media scheduling, photo editing, etc.
Setting deadlines is key, so do it. I aim high, but life happens. Sometimes you get invited out to do something. Sometimes you don’t feel well. Sometimes you’re just too dang tired. Or whoops, you sleep through your alarm. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
If you miss a deadline, it’s okay. This app helps me prioritize everything. Having a visual representation of everything that has to get done helps me make wise choices. It’s helped me have a better grasp on balance. With so much going on, it’d be very easy for me to work every second of every day. Wunderlist helps me make sure I’m still a friend, and a wife, and a young woman who lives in a fun city while planning to take over the world.
Features:
-Free downloadable app across all of your devices. I use it with my macbook, iphone, apple watch and ipad. I believe it’s compatible with android and others.
-Syncs across your devices
-Additional features available with a monthly membership. I use the free option.
*This isn’t a sponsored post. Wunderlist has no idea who I am. But when an app can completely turn my productivity around, I believe in sharing it with all of you. Because we all have dreams and plans and lives, and if something can make all of that a little easier to manage, then you need to know about it.
by Joey | Feb 9, 2016 | Throwback
Good morning. This post is coming to you in real time.
Remember when I said 2016 was going to be a good year? That I was going to push myself to do things I was scared to do? Well, considering my New Year only started on Feb 1, I’d say we’re off to a good start!
I don’t have a normal Coffee With Joey post today, I’ll make up for it on Friday, but I did want to share a little bit of life with you today.
You all know adulting is hard. I don’t have to tell you that. But if you would have told me this time last year that I would have just bought a car all by myself, I would not have believed you.
I know that might not seem like that big of a deal, and it probably isn’t, but I believe in celebrating the wins in life. And yesterday was a win.
We’ve had a rough go of it the last year. Leaving football and exploring new avenues has left us keeping our heads above water, but just barely. They call this type of situation a growing season in football. When you have a brand new roster and everyone is just trying to find their place. So for us, 2015 was one hell of a growing season. Just trying to get our feet on solid ground long enough to take a deep breath before the tide pulled us back under.
I don’t know when exactly it happened, or how, but we’re standing on solid ground.
I’ve been working my butt off the last year. And yesterday, it paid off.
Finally, I bought myself a car!
by Joey | Feb 4, 2016 | Throwback
Gather round, it’s story time.
So I got a Fitbit Charge HR for Christmas. It’s what I wanted, and having had a Fitbit flex for over a year, I knew I’d be happy with it. The one I got had a malfunction and stopped charging properly. No big deal. I called Best Buy to determine if I needed a receipt to exchange it for one that worked.
Well, while I was on the phone with them, I found out that the Apple Watch was on sale for $250. Just $100 more than the Fitbit. I was intrigued.
And as I admitted on Tuesday, I’m impulsive. I immediately decided I just had to have the Apple Watch. I quickly went online to see which locations had the one I wanted in stock. Just one store, and it was a half hour away. So what did I do? I ordered that sucker online and opted for store pick up. That watch was mine!
I get the confirmation email from Best Buy: your order is ready for pick up. So I hop in the car and set off on the 30 minute journey.
I walk in. Return the Fitbit. And ask to pick up my order.
Imagine my surprise when…they don’t have it.
But I got the confirmation email. The clerk frantically searched about. He found one, but it had someone else’s name on it. But I already purchased it. You have my money. And I’m in the store now. No luck. They wouldn’t give me the watch.
After some further digging, he found an open box one that he could sell me for a discounted price. Is anything wrong with it? No, I was assured. Okay, sold.
Luckily, I chose to set it up in my car in the parking lot. Turns out, the watch was still paired with the original owner’s phone. And you know what? There’s no way for Apple or Best Buy or Geek Squad or any of the Geniuses in the entirety of the world who can unpair that watch except for the original owner. Awesome.
So now, I was getting annoyed. And unfortunately, I was leaving town the next morning for an undetermined length of time (if you’re new here, read over some of my posts from early January).
The clerk, frantic to save the sale, threw out a hail Mary pass. I’ll tell you what–I’ll sell you one online for the open box price, and you’ll just pay the expedited shipping, making the total the same as the brand new watch. You’ll get it tomorrow.
Okay, I thought. I could live with that (remember here, folks, I’m impulsive). He works out the sale, and I’m off.
A little while later I thought you know what? No. Best Buy just put me through the ringer. This is on them, not me. So I called up customer service to cancel my order. I didn’t want to give them my money anymore.
While cancelling the order, the rep asks Okay, so are you cancelling because this item is on back order?
You’ve got to be freaking kidding me.
So yes. I cancelled the freaking order. Luckily, while on the phone, I happened to check my bank account. You guys? I had been charged for three Apple Watches.
That’s over $750 for a product I never received.
And get this.
It was over a week before that money was ever put back into my account.
And that, my friends, is why I’ll never shop at Best Buy ever again.
That day didn’t end in a total loss, though. I did manage to find the watch I wanted in a Target nearby. I called, asked the guy to put his hands on it for me. He did. Okay, I said, now write Joey on a post it note, and tuck that sucker away for me. He did. Ten minutes later, I walked out with a brand new, perfectly perfect Apple Watch.
So the moral of this story? Target beats all, always. Duh.
Also, in case you’re keeping count, that means I purchased 4 Apple Watches in one day.
According to our bank account anyway.
My husband really loves being married to me.
Man, we need a sarcasm font.
Just kidding.
He loves me.
I think.
On another note, do any of you care for a review (like, was all this hassle even worth it in the end)? Or care for a post on how I use it? Let me know.
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