Tag Archives: GOALS

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Does Your Life Feel Like a Vapor?

Every year I see countless ads scroll across my news feed challenging people to take control of their life, plan accordingly, say no, set new goals, achieve your dreams in 2016. Now I have no intention of bashing these courses. They are very good. In fact I’ve taken many of them myself. But often times people come to these with a preconceived idea and hope. And when that hope goes unmet they simply give up.

vapor

I use to be this way. Every year I would sit down and list out my goals. But then they would go unmet. Now there are a number of reasons for this. But mostly I was setting big goals and was focused more on what I wanted in my life instead of what God was directing me to do. As a result, I racked up large amounts of debt and was left with disappointment when everything I hoped for was never achieved.

I went to a school I shouldn’t have gone to because everyone said “That’s where you need to go…”

I entered a career in ministry because I thought that’s what I should be doing only to discover it wasn’t where God wanted me…

I could go on and on but what’s the point.

Sometimes God directs us to go places that don’t make sense in the beginning and goes against our finite minds but in the end- They lead us to a promise.

I love the passage in James 4:13-17

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live & do this or that. As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

I will admit that at first glance, at least from the worlds perspective, this verse comes across a little depressing. To think “I am nothing more than a mist that quickly disappears.”

I mean it goes against everything we ever thought about ourselves, our lives, our plans. It runs against the grain of contemporary culture and tells us our lives are worthless.

But is that honestly what God is saying here…?

For years I ran from what God was leading me to do with my life. I was afraid, overwhelmed, and lacked the confidence to be able to sit and use creativity to bring glory to Him instead of myself. I discovered through my own worthless efforts that I was trying to create on my own- Instead of being Creative with God.

I believe God has a desire for all of Life to become Spiritual Worship. He desires us to enjoy Him and to make Him known. God has blessed us with gifts, and talents. And more often times than not we take those talents and use them for our own personal gain, forgetting to worship and thank the one that created them in us to start with.

Life is short. To quote DR Who: “It all just disappears, doesn’t it? Everything you are, gone in a moment; like breath on a mirror.”

Imagine stopping for a moment this next year and surrendering everything to Him. Bathing everything in prayer. Taking your talents (whatever the may be) and letting His light shine through you during the process of you using them.

Now don’t misunderstand me. I believe God gives us talents so was can succeed in life. I do. Whether we make greats gains financially or not. But I also believe we should use those talents to build a platform to point others toward Him.

So the question is this. What if no one ever saw your talent in action…? What if no tasted your food, tried your recipe, looked at your art, read your devotions or you novel…? What if your sculpture sat in some dusty warehouse with no eye to admire it…? What if only you and God knew the words on the page…? Would it be enough to know it was there, and that you created it with God…?

 

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START BY BEING YOU!!!

I by no means claim to be a Marketing Expert. However, I have worked in the field for over ten years. And if those ten year of experience have taught me anything it’s this:

Comparisons Marketing is an alienation of the Brand You Should be building…

Tweet: Comparisons Marketing is an alienation of the Brand You Should be building. @jjjohnsonwriter #AuthorMarketing #Engagement

What do I mean by Comparison Marketing…? Well it’s quite simple really. It’s marketing yourself in a way that compares you to a product within the audience you are targeting.

Now don’t get me wrong. Comparison Marketing works so long as you aren’t the one marketing it that way. An endorsement from someone comparing you or your product to a similar individual or product is something entirely different. In fact that’s what you hope to achieve in some aspects of Endorsement Marketing.

But when someone seeks out to create an ad, tweet, FB Post personally Comparing their work to someone else- I want to shake my fist and scream at them!!!!

 Recently I came across several different ads on Social Media by authors where the title was:

“As Good as Ted Dekker…?”

“As Good as the Wheel of Time…?”

“As Magical as Brandon Sanderson…?”

Every time I see these I have to resit the urge to message the person and say: “Stop!!! You’re doing it all wrong!!!”

In Marketing you want to find ways to be Remarkable, Unique, Different… Basically You want to be remembered. Not Compared.  

I work in a Direct Marketing Firm. Every year we send out over 170 Million Pieces of Mail marketing our various forms of Life Insurance. Some will say:

“Now wait J.J. Direct Mail is like Junk mail. It’s almost like spam. You’re against the ‘Buy my book Spam post.” 

You’re right. I don’t like the Buy my book tweets and Facebook post. I like engagement tweets and Facebook post. But what we do in our company is simple. Most Spam tweets, emails, post etc. along with junk mail have one purpose and one purpose only. Flood the masses.

But does flooding the masses work? Maybe at one time it did. But my philosophy is that it doesn’t anymore.

What we try to do in our company is go beyond the idea of hitting the mail box with an envelope. Our goal is to engage you enough, without deception or trickery, into opening the envelope.

My advice. In your marketing. Go beyond comparing yourself. Go beyond just creating a simple tweet. Be creative. Be you. Be engaging.

Then you’ll be remembered.

What about you? As a reader. What makes you want to stop and look at a tweet, Facebook Post, or Ad online…? What makes you want to engage with the writer? And possibly- Buy their book…? 

 

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Why I Almost Quit Writing

4 Reason I Almost Quit

Being a writer is difficult. Heck- Being in any sort of creative work is tough. Most days we walk around with so many ideas fighting to get out of our heads we can’t hardly find the time or energy to sit down and get them on the page.

Not long ago I listened as someone in one of my Facebook groups said they were ready to give up. They had just gotten their sixth rejection on their fourth book. As of this date none of their works had been picked up by a small press or large publisher. Frustrated, tired, burned out, they were ready to throw in the towel. Heck, not even a relaxing cup of coffee could bring them to their senses and relax their mind…

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I felt for them- I really did. I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to fail- In fact- I still fail. The truth is I have even quit before. I’ve quit a lot of things. And afterwards, I feel more substandard then I did before.

Now don’t get me wrong- Quitting sometimes is healthy and good. I stopped drinking soda. Some stop smoking, and yes- Maybe quitting for a time will renew your passion. But that isn’t what we are talking about here. Where talking about quitting because you feel inferior.

The truth is- Quitting doesn’t bring closure or satisfaction, or even less stress. It doesn’t make you forget the pain of rejection- it only brings insult to your soul.

There was a time I just about quit writing. I sit on my patio and made list of four primary reasons I needed to give up. I’m sure there are a hundred other excuses as well, you may even have some yourself. But I have found that quite often the four below are pretty common…

Number One- Time:

Let’s face it. I have a busy life. I work full time, I’m active in my church, my wife and I have two children (Miles who is 2 ½ years old and Bennett who is 9 months) Finding time to write is very challenging. Luckily for me I have a very supportive wife who understands my need to get words on the page. There are nights where she tells me to just go, get out, and write. But let’s face it- I can’t do that every night. I mean I would be a massive jerk to leave her at home alone with those two. So what that means is cutting out the distractions (Netflix) and powering through from 9:30 to 11:00 until I get my words on the page.

If I can have a family, work full time, work out every day, eat healthy, spend time in God’s word, and still find time to write- So can you. So Don’t quit!!!

Number Two- Perfection:

The thing I wished someone would have told me when I first started is that it didn’t need to be perfect the first time. I have written some horrible first drafts before- Some that felt so bad I walked away from them. Don’t quit because of a bad first draft. Structure and grammar can all be fixed during re-writes. Let’s face it- Editing is a separate process for a reason.

Number Three- No Money to Invest:

I find a lot of people who think they have to go traditional because the publisher will pay an advance, take care of editing, and take care of cover design. It seems that most when faced with rejection from a publisher use money as the number one excuse for not going indie. As of right now I have a full length novel, two short stories completed, and a novella I’m currently working on. Now it’s true I can’t afford to send them to my editor all at once. But I don’t intend to start publishing these until next year (2016) anyway. My goal is to have four books in the queue ready to go up in Jan, April July, and October of 2016. Releasing those 90 days apart and putting out good content.

Why you ask- Because I can’t afford to edit them all right now, nor can I afford to pay for cover design for four books all at the same time. This is my approach to getting around the money issue, write, prepare over time, and publish throughout the course of next year. Technically I could even wait up to a month before to get the cover design ready. The point is find a strategy and go with what works best for you. Writing isn’t cheap, and sometimes if the finances aren’t there it may take some time to get them out. Don’t rush- And don’t quit.

Number Four- Lack of Forward Progress:

This is one I understand all too well. It’s also something I think people use as the number one excuse for giving up. Because this is a universal excuse. Why do most people give up on diets or healthy lifestyle changes? Simple- The scale never moves. Why do people stop blogging? No one visits their site. Michael Hyatt made a great quote on his podcast not too long ago. He said “Most people quite right before the inflection point.”

I’m glad I didn’t give up and quit, and so is my wife who would otherwise have to listen to all my crazy insane ideas. Now don’t get me wrong- I love seeing people quit for the right reasons. Stress, poor lifestyles, there are a number of reasons to let go of something and move on. But don’t let a list of reasons (like above) stop you when you feel like nothing is happening.

What about you? Have you ever felt like quitting at the beginning…? If so what did you do to overcome that feeling of inferiority?

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Anger, Aggression, AND Horror #ASMSG #MFLouie

598764_10151496384241057_826733573_nJust the other day I was driving down the road, you know the scene. It’s early, tons of traffic, you’re rushing out the door trying not to be late to work. You just want to make that insanely difficult left turn off your street and onto the busy road. But then suddenly, some moron cuts you off. That same moron then proceeds to chat on her phone oblivious to what she just did. In that moment, I want to ram her rear end. Cause her head to snap back against the seat so she comes up looking dazed and confused. I imagine her losing control and smashing into some telephone pole. Car in flames… Do I sound angry? Of course I was angry. But not angry enough to wish her harm.

We live in a world where anger has had an impact on people’s lives. People have lost their life because they encountered someone who couldn’t control their anger. I’ve seen people beaten and bruised and in some cases even hospitalized just because someone didn’t know how to suppress said anger.

It’s somewhat sad really. Anger is such an easy emotion to lose control of. But anger isn’t always bad. I was angry on 9/11 as many were. I was angry when my brother died. I was angry when some idiot NBA owner made a racial comment. I was angry when my Sooners lost to the Longhorns. I get angry. We all do. But it’s learning how to control, and finding a way to release anger in a positive way that makes a difference.

There are some that try Yoga, others run or workout. For me, well I’m an evangelical Christian, and therefore I pray. Whatever you choose one must learn that anger must find a way to exit.

Now- I’m not Dr. Phil by any means (And I’m not sure I would want to be). But that’s the basis of my New Novella coming out- “My Friend Louie.”

My Friend Louie is the story of a Bi-Polar fifteen year old boy and his baseball bat. It’s the story of a boy that was bullied, saw everything in his life fall apart, and finally- Just snapped. But the question remains. When life crashes down around you. When you do things that cause you not to recognize yourself in the mirror. When you reach the point to where you feel that no one cares- Is there a Hope?

For me the answer is clear. What about for you dear reader…?

“My Friend Louie” – June 17th

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A Brand New Year – #ACFW #AmWriting #ASMSG

I hate and love New Year’s resolutions.

I hate them because I only seem to keep but a few. Maybe I set to many goals, but that brings me back around to why I love them. Because goals keep us moving forward, give us something to aim for.

I come across a lot of people in life that have no ambition, no desire to move beyond what is ordinary. I guess I’m a little different simply because if I was forced to live the same life day by day with no change I would go crazy with boredom. Call the white coats to come and take me away, staying idle to me is a mark of insanity.

But hey, that’s me. Staying idle is perfectly fine with some folks and I give it up to them. But I don’t tend to be satisfied with simplicity.

So here are my resolutions. I break them up into several different categories. Faith, Family, Writing, and of course the one we all seem to always have- Fitness…

FAITH:

Those who know me understand and respect the fact that my faith is an important part of my life. It’s such an important part that it naturally becomes a part of all aspects of my life. Therefore my goal this year is simple. My sister in law Jessica got me the NLT One Year Chronological Bible for Christmas; a really nice one. Leather bound and all. I have read the Bible through its entirety once in my life, and I hope to do so again this next year. In fact- I started on Dec 26th so I’m off to a head start already.

FAMILY:

I love my family. My wife Ashley is my best friend and the most caring and understanding person I have ever met. She has blessed me with an amazing son who I love and cherish. Our lives are very busy. At times work, church, and other things get in the way of us spending time together. So this year I plan to sit aside a night every week where the three of us can do something together. No iPhone or ipads, nothing but the three of us hanging out together. I’m also planning a monthly date night every month with my wife. I don’t want to miss the chance to be with them ever. We only have so little time to grow with one another. The impact I make today could be the most memorable one.

WRITING:

Now that the two most important aspects of my life are out of the way lots talk about writing. I have set goals for 2013 and my writing. I achieved three of the four I set out. (NaNoWriMo was a bust). This year I’m publishing four Novellas’ I wrote in 2013. The first to come in March, then May, July & then October. The titles are-

My Friend Louie

Vampire Mormon

The future Voices of Ellis Creek

Sixty

I also have a goal to finish my new project that I’m currently about half way done with.

FITNESS:

I’ve never been much of a fitness nut, but when you reach 36 you start seeing a small gut begin to appear. This past year I cut pop / soda out of my life for the most part. I use to be an extreme addict drinking up to five or six cans a day. Today I can last a day and week without having the craving return. My goal is to work out more. Last year I bought the DVD collection “Insanity” and completed the 60 day workout regiment 1 ½ times. I seriously thought I was going to die the first two weeks, but I did manage to make it through one entire cycle without ever quitting. And guess what? During those 60 days I never felt better. I was more awake, had more energy and my mind was clearer to write. In fact I did my best writing during the second month of the program. So I want to get back into that starting this week.

Well 2014 will be an exciting year for me. As I said four publications I’m releasing, getting in better shape, more time with my family and God. I hope that when December 31st comes back around I can look back at this post and say- I did it.  What about you?

Happy New Years, Happy Writing…