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Archive for the ‘Goals’ Category

30 Days of Intention

On April 19th, 2010   /   Goals, Life Learning   /   1 Comment

Two years ago, I wanted freedom from a stuck life, and now I have more freedom than ever before. Yet…I’ve found myself in a mild rut over the past month, and I’m intentionally taking action steps over the next 30 days to experience more freedom (coupled with responsibility).

After a great discussion with Laura on the way home from Sacramento this weekend, I was glad to hear that she was in full support of a 30 day plan. In some ways, I used to think “freedom” was the lack of plans, routine, or boundaries. In reality, that’s called suicide. (Ask me how I know.) Therefore, I’m envisioning the next 30 days as a self-directed curriculum that is centered around intentionality. I seek to live an intentional life, but the next 30 days will be even more focused on taking me out of my usual routine.

In order to maintain a creative intentionality, I’m choosing to avoid any browsing of Facebook or Twitter although I will continue to update you on the 30 days via Twitter on my phone as well as my blog.

Creative Focus

  1. 8TRACKstudios
    In terms of my Monday-Friday time, 8TRACKstudios is my #1 priority, because I’m committed to serving our clients (current and upcoming). I LOVE working with businesses and their communications, and projects have been quite steady for the last 9 months. It has slowed down a bit, but I’m committed to resist pushing the growth of the business. As new clients find that 8TRACKstudios is a great marketing partner, we invest a full focus. Yet, a lighter load is freeing up some of my time to be invested in new ways.
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  2. Health
    A couple of years ago, I lost 35 pounds on the “affair and divorce” diet, and I’ve managed to gain it all back. I’m not feeling so good about my gut or energy level. I’m experimenting with a slow carb diet that Tim Ferriss has outlined. I’ve never severely changed my diet, but I’m interested in trying this for 30 days alongside everything else.
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  3. Writing
    The majority of my remaining weekly investment will be put toward my writing. I was focused on a particular project for the last few weeks, but it’s just not gelling for me. Therefore, I’m putting it aside and picking up the next project. My goal is to complete the book in the next 30 days for an earlier release date.
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  4. Filming
    With a great deal of teaching experience in front of the camera, I’m ready to film my first DVD in conjunction with the book I’ll complete this month.

Creative Concentrations

  1. Painting
    I enjoy painting from time to time, and I’m planning to spend some time creating some pieces that combine my photography.
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  2. Typewriting
    I’m interested in creating some type written creative pieces that combine photography and poetry…as well as type written notes to clients and friends.
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  3. Flower arranging
    For years, I’ve wanted to take a flower arranging class, and I’m excited to do that over the next 30 days. Yes, I know…no need to even comment.
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  4. Photographing
    Although photography can feel like “work” sometimes, I’m wanting to experience the freedom of giving myself an assignment. Over the next 30 days, I’ll be creating my first photo book that I’ll shoot, design, layout, and publish.

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Creative Re-creation

  1. Family Time
    We have more family time now than ever before. I’ll continue to keep that as a time or re-creation…lots of adventure…lots of fun.
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  2. Meditation
    I plan to spend a portion of each day meditating on the Scriptures and experiencing a greater awareness of God’s presence.
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  3. Art Galleries
    I plan to visit at least one gallery over the course of the next 30 days.
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  4. Independent Stores
    I’ll be heading to LA each week to venture into new stores for inspiration and refreshment..

I’m interested to see how this “30 Days of Intention” experiment goes. I’ll be blogging every day to keep you up to date on how things are going.

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It’s Never As Bad As It Seems:
Overcoming Procrastination

On March 20th, 2010   /   Business, Creativity, Goals   /   Leave a comment

There always seems to be something on a to-do list that’s been there way too long. You know the one. It’s that task or project that’s face is darkened and seems to be hiding around the corner. You know it’s there, but you’re scared to death what will happen when you step around the bend and look it in the face.

Ironically, the face of that task always seems more vicious when you haven’t seen it in the light of day. What holds you back from peering around the corner is called procrastination.

For me, that’s recently included…

  • Completing a complex business proposal – I felt like it was going to take forever and that I wouldn’t be able to price it appropriately…not true…it only took me 2 hours.
  • Fixing the shower – The shower in our master bath has been unusable for years, and I just finally hired a contractor to re-model it.
  • Writing a book – I ended up writing two books last year, and I’m finishing up my third one next month.
  • Re-designing the 8TRACKstudios website – I was weighed down by the idea of starting over.
  • Prepping our taxes – um…this one is still around the corner…gotta knock it out this week!

Over the past year, I’ve come to the realization that it’s just never as bad as I tell myself. I think it’s going to be unbelievably painful, take an enormous amount of time, and potentially derail my entire day. Rarely is this actually true. 9 times out of 10, I finish the project way faster than I ever imagined.

How to Overcome Procrastination

  1. Don’t think about it – just get started!
    The worst thing I can do is start “thinking” about a project without actually getting started. It’s like standing outside the room of the project with the door closed as I envision how horrible it’s going to be. If I think long enough about how painful the task is, the longer that door will remain shut. Just jump in…whatever that means for the project!
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  2. Break the project down into smaller tasks.
    Open up a document and start making a list of the different components of the project. Even though all these tasks may be in your head, getting them down on paper will free you up to see that you’ll actually be able to accomplish them. A list of tasks is much more “doable” than a giant project living in your head.
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  3. Prioritize which tasks should be done first.
    Start numbering those tasks now. Which ones need to be done first? How about the ones that can wait until the end?
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  4. Ask for help!
    If there is something that someone else can do, ask for help! Ask for a volunteer. Call in a favor. Hire someone! Do whatever it takes to get people on your team to knock out the project. At the very least, just call someone to talk over the project to get some support.
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  5. Set a timer.
    Determine a set amount of time that you’ll work on the project for that particular day. If all you can handle is 15 minutes, set a timer, and get started! Or, maybe it’s 2 hours like me…and you might actually finish it early.

Procrastination sucks the creativity and life out of anyone. If we want to prevent getting stuck in life and business, we need to learn how to overcome the short-term discomfort. It’s rarely that bad.

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Move Stuff Around

On March 8th, 2010   /   Creativity, Fun Stuff, Goals   /   Leave a comment

When I was a kid, I loved to re-arrange my room. I’d pull out a piece of paper, and I would start plotting out the most strategic location for each piece of furniture.

  • What position should my bed be in? Near the door? In the corner? Under the window?
  • Should my stereo be next to my bed or under the window?
  • And, most importantly, where should I put my baseball collection?

I re-arranged my bedroom every couple of months for years! It was probably an adolescent sickness, but I absolutely loved it. I loved the creativity and the strategery. (That is a word, right?)

Then, I grew up.
I got married.
We decorated.
And, everything pretty much sat there.
Nothing moved.

Something changed when I moved back in with my family a couple of years ago. I re-decorated parts of our home, and I start taking photos and displaying them in matted frames and a creative hanging system. And, I started moving stuff around every few weeks.

Recently, I’ve found myself…

  • Buying an old set of lockers and placing them in our living room as a functional decoration.
  • Digging out a mid-century modern coffee table out of the trash in LA and using it.
  • Using an old stereo credenza to place our flat screen TV on in our living room.
  • Growing plants in a couple of glass terrariums.
  • Buying new accent pillows for the couch.
  • Displaying a number of my vintage cameras.
  • Placing tall religious candles along our front walk way and unmarked tall candles around our home.
  • Picking up interesting objects at a local home store and thrift stores and moving them around in different arrangements throughout our home.

Each time I place or move an object, it’s a moment of creativity. I’m enjoying the transformation of the moment, and I’m training myself to enjoy “change.” Rather than getting accustomed to the same ole thing, I’m enjoying the fluidity of our living space.

Not only do I want that for our home, but I want that for my life.

I want to hold things loosely and allow fluidity in my life. Things come and go. Experiences are here one moment and gone the next. People are here one day and not here soon after. Because of this reality of life, I don’t want to take anything for granted. When I allow things to fade into the background and just sit there, it’s like they become invisible. That’s why I like to move stuff around.

“Moving stuff around” means that I’m not seeing the world or people in the same way. I look at things from a different angle and think about things in a different way. What would it look like to move some stuff around in your life?

  • What about re-arranging your schedule?
  • How about re-arranging your priorities and calling someone that you haven’t talked to in a long time?
  • Maybe you could re-arrange your home or move things around in your office at work.
  • Perhaps you should re-arrange your desk and embrace a new organizational system.
  • How about if you re-arranged when or where you exercised?
  • Maybe you could re-arrange your mind and pick a new restaurant that you’ve never been to before.
  • What if you re-arranged your closet and purchased a different style of clothing just to mix it up?

I don’t know what it would look like for you to move stuff around, but I bet you’ll feel a little off balance which will make you see things and experience life from a new perspective.

Move something around today…re-arrange life.

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Looking Back, Looking Forward

On February 26th, 2010   /   Family, Friends, Goals, Life Learning   /   3 Comments

I turned 37 years old today, and I feel better than ever! A lot of things have changed in my life over the past couple of years, so it’s good to look back and see where I’ve come from. It’s also good to look forward to the future as well…although it is partly unknown. Both disciplines have been quite helpful for me over the course of my life.

Looking Back
Gazing into the past year or two allows us to gain perspective on life. Oftentimes, we want to make such huge leaps of progress that we get frustrated about the minute day to day steps we’re taking. When we look back over a longer period of time, we’re able to see the great growth we’ve experienced. On the other hand, some of us haven’t been growing much at all…instead we’ve been creeping off-track. It usually isn’t a sudden veering off course. It’s a slow slide into the ditch of life. Looking back allows us to see when we’re fading a bit.

As I look back over the past two years, I can see changes in my…

  • Vocation – I left full-time ministry – although I had planned to continue for the rest of my life. Now, I help businesses develop effective marketing strategies, and I create resources (writing & speaking) to help people live meaningful lives. I don’t plan to ever been in full-time ministry again, but I feel more “called” than ever to make a positive impact in this world in the ways that Jesus did.
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  • Family – I left my wife and kids – although I committed to be with them for the rest of my life. Having not nurtured my marriage or family for years, I made some horrible decisions. Thankfully, by God’s grace, my wife gave me another chance, and we are enjoying our marriage and family more than ever. It’s been a lot of work, and it’s all been worth it.
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  • Friends – I went from having more people than I could possibly keep up with to having three guys and a therapist willing to walk with me. Without them, I wouldn’t have made it. Now, I have a few people who I’m walking with daily through life, and I appreciate them so much. I feel like I’m freed up to be a friend rather than feeling the need to develop relationships for the purpose of building an organization.
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  • Fun & Enjoyment – I barely “enjoyed” life over the past 16 years, because I was so driven to succeed at whatever I put my mind to. I’m done with that. Although I love experiencing success, I’ve re-defined it in many ways. Enjoyment is a huge part of what I want to experience with my family and friends. In fact, I AM experiencing it in small and big ways every day. 
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  • Faith – As a pastor, I felt like a professional Christian. Although I worked hard to maintain an authentic way of life, I wasn’t at peace. I was worried about pleasing so many people…especially the “complainers” that are present within every church. Two years ago, I started de-constructing my faith by asking, “What do I really believe? And, what does it mean to live that out?” I sense that my faith is more authentic than ever, and I love following Jesus alongside some wonderful people in transition.
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  • Feelings – Before I got a brain scan, I didn’t realize how anxious I felt about so much of my life. I was in a constant state of fight or flight, and thankfully Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Earl Henslin, and Randy Powell have helped me out with that. By taking anti-anxiety meds, I’m now able to relax, focus on people, and quit running through the massive to-do list in my head. I thought everyone felt the way I did, but I’m finding out that my brain is wired to be over-anxious. It was funneled toward over-working, and it was killing me slowly. I’ve taken responsibility for this, and I feel like a totally different person now. Ask my wife and kids…I’m the “new Daddy.”
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  • Physical Health – A couple of years ago, I lost 35 pounds on the “affair and divorce diet,” but I wouldn’t recommend that path. I did start eating differently and exercising quite a bit, but when I moved back in with my family, my regime was derailed. I gained back most of the weight, but I don’t dare step on the scale to see. I started back at the gym a couple of weeks ago, and I’m more focused on the resulting health of my brain than looking like a skinny toothpick.

Looking Forward
Lifting our eyes to the next 365 days gives us something to shoot for. Rather than keeping our heads down and just putting our feet one step in front of another, there is something that compels us to take major strides forward. We’re looking toward growth, goals, or a greater sense of purpose. Looking forward prevents us from simply hanging out and collecting dust. We know that there are great things that have been planned for us, and we’re seeking to lay hold of them.

As I look forward toward the next year, I can envision…

  • Vocation – I’m enjoying the clients that God seems to be bringing my way, but I’m committed to NOT pushing or striving to build a big business with a bunch of employees. In fact, I’d rather work with the wonderful contractors that I partner with on a daily basis than having an office full of employees I have to manage (definitely not my strong suit at this point in my life). Although I enjoy photography, my sense is that my primary focus will be in the area of marketing. I’m also deeply committed to helping people through my writing and videos which I’m developing regularly. Last year I wrote two books and one e-book, and I am currently outlining two more books that I’ll write before my next birthday. Hopefully at least one of my books will get picked up by a publisher as well. Although I’ve been told that I need a large “platform” to be published, that’s not my goal. My goal is to inspire and motivate people to live a meaningful life with rich relationships. I look forward to seeing how that plays out in the next year.
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  • Family – I absolutely LOVE spending time with my family. I wouldn’t have said that two years ago, but God has radically transformed my heart. Before “all this” as Laura calls it, I was completely focused on work. Now, I can’t wait to hang out with Laura and the kids. We’re in the process of launching two small websites for the kids to sell products to other kids their age – all part of an effort to teach my kids entrepreneurial skills at an early age. In an effort to build some significant family memories and keep bonding in creative ways, I’d like to take at least two vacations and a long trip (2-4 weeks) to India in the next 12 months.
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  • Friends – I’ve intentionally sought to develop closer friendships with a couple of people, and I’m really enjoying it. I’m also more committed than ever to connecting as a community with the people who are part of New Wine – love every one of them!
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  • Fun & Enjoyment – I feel like I still need quite a bit of work in this area of my life. Although I’m enjoying life, I want to set aside more time to just have fun and laugh and play. I need to call my friends and say, “Wanna come out and play?” Although movies are enjoyable, I think I need to explore other avenues of re-creation that are more outdoors and more playful. I need to reflect on this one a bit more.
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  • Faith – I’ve never been a big “prayer” person. Some people just seem to want to pray all the time, but I’d rather “accomplish” something. Well, I’m not sure what happened, but I began to sense that prayer and meditation needed to be more part of our weekly Sunday gathering of New Wine. We’ve been spending more time praying for our community and one another, and I’ve been more aware than ever of the power, counsel, and comfort of the Holy Spirit within me. I feel like my faith is more authentic than ever, and I’m excited to keep growing. As I think about faith projects this year, I would like to see more people sponsor children at the New Wine Children’s Home, and I’d like our community to take on several neighborhood projects as they arise.
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  • Feelings – I’ve been learning about peace and stillness from a friend of mine this year, and she is always bugging me about just resting in God’s presence and letting Him love and heal me. She’s right…I need it. My stress level is so low these days, but I still get worked up from time to time. I’m not stressing about relationships hardly at all, and that’s a big change for me. I used to be so sick and worried about what others thought of me, and I just realize I can’t control that anymore…especially since all the craziness that I chose to unleash a couple of years ago.
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  • Physical Health – I’m back in the gym, and I’d like to slim down a little bit. More than anything, I don’t want to end up with a “middle-age man body,” and I want my brain to feel good – which is what exercise seems to accomplish.

Winter is Gone – Spring is Here!
The truth is…I have a good life. I sense God’s love. I love my family. I’m enjoying my clients, and I absolutely love working with the 8TRACKstudios team – Erin, Danae, Dave, Eric, Lee, and Bangbay rock! I feel called to make a positive impact through my motivational and inspirational writing and videos, and I trust that God will open the doors to impact lives as He sees fit. I’m going to enjoy the next year no matter what comes my way, and I’m going to trust that God has a plan no matter what. I’m not in the Winter season of life anymore…Spring is here!

How about you? Have you looked back and forward recently?

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No Pushing Allowed in 2010.

On January 3rd, 2010   /   Goals   /   3 Comments

David Trotter - 2010After spending two weeks in India, I’m sick and tired of pushing. It seems like there’s something about the Indian culture that loves jockeying for position. Whether it’s boarding or exiting a plane, catching a train, or standing in line for food, there is incessant maneuvering to get the best position and ultimately get ahead.

I used to love to push.

Actually…if I’m honest with myself, I still love to push…especially when it comes to getting ahead. I like to be first in line. I like to feel like I’m a little bit ahead of everyone else. Somehow, it makes me feel more confident and secure about myself. The only problem is that it wears on me. Over time, I grow extremely weary from pushing. That’s true whether it’s getting on a train in India or pushing to accomplish goals that lead to my destruction.

I’ve pushed most of my life.

  • I pushed in college to graduate with a BA and MA in four years.
  • I pushed to get married early in life at 21 years of age.
  • I pushed to find a role in full-time ministry.
  • I pushed to plant a church.
  • I pushed to grow that church to multiple campuses with hundreds of people.
  • I pushed to create bigger and better weekend services.

In the process, all my pushing wore me out and led to my own demise. It was in an effort to find my identity in outward success, and I lost most of my relationships in the process. Thankfully, I was given a second chance in my marriage, and I’m now enjoying a freedom-filled life.

With that said, my normal pace is probably considering “pushing” by many. I’m not sure why, but I’ve developed an ability to handle multiple projects at the same time…and I enjoy it. Yet, during this season of life, I’m not working more than 40-50 hours a week (compared to the 70-80 of years past), and I’m spending more time with my family than ever before.

I didn’t push in 2009, and I don’t plan on it in 2010 either. Yet, I do plan to accomplish many things. A few that I have on my radar include…

  • Enjoying my wife and kids every single day.
  • Loving those who are part of New Wine Community.
  • Developing new friendships with those who God brings into our lives.
  • Inspiring, challenging, and motivating others as I’m given the opportunity to share my story.
  • Serving great clients through 8TRACKstudios and 8TRACKphotography with financial feedback that results in earning more than I ever have in one year.
  • Continuing to expand the reach of KAUZBOTS.
  • Signing two book contracts with major publishers for “Lost and Found” and “Soul Renovation.”
  • Writing another book.
  • Taking our family and friends to India to visit our children’s home again.

These things are inspiring and invigorating to me, and I look forward to waking up to new opportunities every day. No need to push. No need to accomplish any of this to become “somebody.” I already am someone…a loved child of God, husband, father, and friend.

How about you? Are you feeling the need to push?
Why or why not? What are you looking forward to this year?

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About David

I'm a strategic marketing consultant, entrepreneur, photographer, writer, and creative communicator. I love spending time with my family including my wife of 17 years (Laura) and two amazing kids (Waverly and Emerson).

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12340 Seal Beach Blvd.
Seal Beach, CA 92340
Phone: 949.335.2925
Website: www.davidtroter.tv
Email: david(at)davidtrotter.tv