Risk or Opportunity?

 

"You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

~ Zig Ziglar

Since I stumbled upon this nugget of wisdom from Mr. Zig Ziglar, I have often used it to promote others through my writing. My first book was based on this philosophy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next book is written for someone special or the audience attached to that person.

I’ve often blogged about people going out of their way for others or examples of courage and bravery. It’s the least I can do to give back to those special people and my audience.

This is part of the battle I fight daily. Where to sometimes draw a fine line and either go to the edge or just bust the door down. Careful consideration is required and wisdom is heeded.

Slowly building a following, which look forward to what subject I tackle next or attempt to eradicate is always interesting. The opportunity to make a difference is too important to keep silent. The responsibility to serve others is a key to understanding success.

It’s not an easy road to travel due to risk. The possibility of success always exceeds the risk factor. Any great achievement was mastered by overcoming the fear of risk. History shows this correlation time and time again.

Giving into fear is true failure. By avoiding risk we stagnate, suffer and never enter the race. We never learn the tactics to improve our process. Never understand what we are capable of doing or perfecting. Subsequently, we avoid the opportunity.

It’s pretty tough helping someone achieve what they want, if we can’t overcome our own fears. Responding to someone with: “I’m sorry, I’d love to help you but…..,”- just doesn’t cut it and isn’t helping anyone. That’s not what Zig suggested in his motto.

By clearing the hurdle of risk, we can begin to make a difference in something meaningful that matters for others!

Until We Meet Again,
 Jim Carver

Author: The Legacy of David A. Wells- The Lexington High School “Band of Gold”
Something Meaningful that Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com

http://jimcarver.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer- Books and links on this website contain affiliate marketing sources between Jim Carver and third party companies. I only recommend products, brands and businesses that I strongly support. Photos used on this site are used courtesy of the original authors and in no way endorse The Rust Belt Chronicles or my work. Thank you.

The Heart of Amish Country!

 

Saturday, we travelled to the heart of Amish Country in Wayne County, Ohio. The peak colors of fall had passed a week ago, so I was hoping for less tourists and traffic to navigate. I should’ve picked a day during the week; it was still crazy with too many crowded shops and congested traffic.   

I often write concerning the opportunity to “wow” your customers. While driving towards our Amish tour, I stopped at a gas station outside of Millersburg, Ohio. The business was an old two- pump station which offered ample staples, including meat and Swiss cheese. I asked the young lady working at the meat counter if we could use the restroom? She replied:  “We don’t have restrooms for our customers.” We promptly headed back to the car.

A few more miles down the road we stopped by another gas station and were accommodated.

Those types of businesses should understand the power of marketing begins by getting you to enter the business. Once inside, the customer’s impulse to purchase candy, chips, or soda is how a shop makes money, not at the pumps.

During our journey, my Mother noticed a mile-marker sign for Mohicanville, Ohio. I’ve never been there. My Mother told us a story concerning her great Grandfather’s brother, who was skinned alive by Indians near Mohicanville. Gruesome stuff! My guess is this could have occurred around 1812, near the time of the Copus Hill Massacre, near Mifflin, Ohio.

We continued through Millersburg and onto Berlin, Ohio to the gift shops of Sol’s Palace and Sol’s Exchange. Sol’s is the area’s largest art and craft mall. Berlin, Ohio reminded me of  Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Crowded sidewalks of people, moving from one shop to the next, like a herd of cattle throughout the business hours. Well ok, maybe a very small version of Gatlinburg.

Outside of Sol’s Exchange was an Amish man selling buggy rides in an authentic horse-drawn carriage. His wife and perhaps their granddaughter sat in chairs near the buggy. The amount of congested traffic in the parking lots wouldn’t appear to be safe for a buggy ride.

After shopping at Sol’s we headed further down the road stopping by Troyer’s Country Market. While my wife and Mother shopped, I took the opportunity to snap a few photos.

 

 

 

Our next destination (by-passing Walnut Creek and Sugar Creek, Ohio) would be the Dutch Valley Restaurant. We arrived at 4:15 pm. The waiting line extended 50 feet outside the doors.

The hostess informed us the wait for a table would be 15-20 minutes. She stated a buffet was served in the basement of the business and there was no wait to be seated. I elected to try the buffet.  The buffet price was $33.00 for two people and included drinks, desert and tip. A young Amish girl served our drinks.

 The salad bar and food were delicious and we were surrounded by continual groups arriving from tour buses. I noticed many people from Pennsylvania and West Virginia at the Dutch Valley Restaurant.

After our meal, we departed for home. The tourist traffic was minimal since most of the shops had closed. We stopped by the same gas station on our journey home. My wife spent a few more dollars on pop.

The hand crafted furniture is remarkable in Amish country as is the food. The economy always does well in this niche. There’s never a recession in Amish Country.

And luckily, there is only one gas station without a restroom for their customers!

Until We Meet Again,
 Jim Carver

Author: The Legacy of David A. Wells- The Lexington High School “Band of Gold”
Something Meaningful that Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com

http://jimcarver.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer- Books and links on this website contain affiliate marketing sources between Jim Carver and third party companies. I only recommend products, brands and businesses that I strongly support. Photos used on this site are used courtesy of the original authors and in no way endorse The Rust Belt Chronicles or my work. Thank you.

Home of the Brave?

When dealing with something new, unexpected or financially challenging, we sometimes hear people mention “how awful” the situation was to endure.

Some folks never think of the ordeal as an opportunity for a positive outcome, educational experience or simply fate.

By reinforcing fear, we set the wheels in motion to expect the worst.

The tale of fear is perpetually encouraged, until someone breaks the cycle.

Running your life by state of fear is a guarantee to never find a cure, solve a problem or change the world.

Bravery, courage and wisdom silence fear.

Far less popular or easy, but quite effective, rare and noble!

Until We Meet Again,
 Jim Carver

Author: The Legacy of David A. Wells- The Lexington High School “Band of Gold”
Something Meaningful that Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com

http://jimcarver.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer- Books and links on this website contain affiliate marketing sources between Jim Carver and third party companies. I only recommend products, brands and businesses that I strongly support. Photos used on this site are used courtesy of the original authors and in no way endorse The Rust Belt Chronicles or my work. Thank you.

Blogspiracy?

Google or WordPress?

I have considered purchasing a Genesis Framework or Studio Press skin (theme) and converting my Google Blogger to WordPress. Having used WordPress (the free version- .com) a few times in the past, I noticed my blogs rate highly in all the major search engines. Google Blogger doesn’t seem to work well with Bing or Yahoo.

After seeing a few tutorials on the ease of creating the blog, my fear of the process has been reduced considerably. It’s the moving of my old blog history to WordPress that concerns me. A little more research into that part of the process is all I need.

Blogspiracy?

Tonight, I logged into my blog to find all of my Google statistics missing. Luckily, I signed up for Google Analytics and all of my blog stats are intact. Fearing I somehow was capable of creating a disaster, I checked the discussion board of Blogger to discover the reset of page views to zero happened this evening; so it has affected many users (or perhaps all users?).

Maybe it's time for a change in where my blog resides?

 

Michael Hyatt- Gets Noticed with his Platform

 

Michael Hyatt and his web designer are working on creating a premium theme for WordPress entitled: GetNoticed!. Michael is the former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. He currently is a consultant, speaker and author of the bestseller - Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Thomas Nelson).

The premium theme Michael is creating is based on many of the suggestions from his Platform book. The project appears to be interesting given Michaels ability to maximize his audience. I don’t know the price yet, but I am sure it will be worth every penny.

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World has given me a better understanding of blogging and I discovered many nice little secrets to improving my blogging platform.

I strongly recommend Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.

Purchasing a web theme through Genesis or Studio Press can cost as little as $59.95 (one-time fee) and a hosting service like Bluehost for $3.00-$6.00 per month(depending who you purchase through).

I’ve got a birthday coming up this week; it might be time to treat myself with a new blog site look, greater uptime, support (24/7) and improved SEO.

Until We Meet Again,
 Jim Carver

Author: The Legacy of David A. Wells- The Lexington High School “Band of Gold”
Something Meaningful that Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com

http://jimcarver.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer- Books and links on this website contain affiliate marketing sources between Jim Carver and third party companies. I only recommend products, brands and businesses that I strongly support. Photos used on this site are used courtesy of the original authors and in no way endorse The Rust Belt Chronicles or my work. Thank you.

Goal or Project- What are you planning?

Goals Anyone?

It’s time to begin thinking about goals for next year. Before long the New Year will be upon us, so it might be a beneficial period for thought. You may want to review this year’s goals as well and see if those goals are becoming a reality. It’s a great time to cultivate our thoughts of future endeavors.  

One Day at A Time

There are some of us who find it better to take things one day at a time. It helps to keep us grounded in who we are and what we do. The less we forecast the better off our mind’s function. Obsessing over a grandiose idea is a recipe for failure. I like to keep things simple. Life can be challenging enough without our help.

Project Time

Some people wrap themselves so strongly into goals it prevents them from seeing what’s in front of their face. That’s why I prefer to create a project, instead of numerous goals. It’s nice to have flexibility and not set deadlines. The freedom to create and the necessary time to finish the project is paramount to success!

Degree of Success

There is a greater feeling of success at performing one significant goal, instead of being mediocre with succeeding in a group of goals. Making a direct impact is a sure-fire way to make a difference. A series of small goals can be great for positive reinforcement, however; isn't any large goal in reality consumated by a series of small steps anyway? The risk is larger, but the reward is greater!

I never have particularly cared to be locked into someone else’s goals, because goals should be personal. When you are working towards someone else’s goal it’s just that- someone else’s! The procedure becomes a game or exercise, hardly worthwhile.

 A tribe of people interconnected for the same reason can create a common goal if the motivation is shared throughout the tribe. Being stuck in an organization doesn’t carry the same degree of thought, excitement or cause.

So pick a goal, tribe or project.

Whatever- you choose.

Just make it noble, realistic and genuine.

Follow through with the intent.

At the end of the day- it’s all that matters!

What goals or projects are you planning?

Until We Meet Again,
 Jim Carver

Author: The Legacy of David A. Wells- The Lexington High School “Band of Gold”
Something Meaningful that Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com

http://jimcarver.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer- Books and links on this website contain affiliate marketing sources between Jim Carver and third party companies. I only recommend products, brands and businesses that I strongly support. Photos used on this site are used courtesy of the original authors and in no way endorse The Rust Belt Chronicles or my work. Thank you.

Writer's Block- How to Breakthrough the Obstacles

The last couple of evenings, I’ve had a bit of writer's block. The inspiration to introduce an idea, story or adventure wasn’t within my mind. Lately, I’ve not been over-flowing with multiple thoughts and have been pulling recent blogs out of the thin air. But for two days my mind produced nothing. Frustration at its finest moment!

Why Me?

Perhaps it’s exhaustion from several years of burning the candle at both ends. Maybe I haven’t read enough motivating books recently. I certainly haven’t been able to surround myself with people who inspire success or think between the lines in the rust belt. Whatever the reason(s) it is a common occurrence among writers.

Last night, I decided to take the time and make the situation a positive experience.

How I Beat the Block

I took advantage of the situation by catching up on my responses to people who commented on my blogs, researched the subject of writer's block, stumbled across some thought provoking ideas and realized I have a great success story to share, right under my nose.

When a writer begins to suffer from writer’s block, the mindset slowly shifts from focusing on others to focusing on self. The soul searching experience locks you in a series of self-centered thoughts or emotions. My former tendencies often help provide insight for the psychological condition at hand. Recognizing the problem is the first step in changing the outcome.

So instead of having another unproductive frustrating evening, I broke through the chains to unleash new ideas and possibilities.

What I Discovered

Photo courtesy of: Sami Stoner.

 

The most meaningful take-away was to realize- I have the opportunity and duty to unveil the sweetest success story to ever grace our area. The young courageous lady I hope to interview is currently undergoing a tough schedule between school events and a television taping with ESPN. I hope to bring you her amazing story soon, as her time permits.

Sami Stoner and her guide dog, Chloe's latest inspiring story will be featured on ESPN on Tuesday, October 16th at 7 pm. (Eastern Standard Time). Please don't miss this incredible story of success!

Tips for Writer's Block

The next time you suffer from writer's block:

·        Use the time constructively.

·        Forget about your frustration.

·        View the time as a period of tying up loose-ends.

·        Immerse yourself in focusing on others.

I promise you, the little treasures you will encounter will not only bust through writer's block, you’ll be back at warp speed writing about something meaningful that matters!

I’d love to see your input and comments on this story.

Until We Meet Again,
 Jim Carver

Author: The Legacy of David A. Wells- The Lexington High School “Band of Gold”
Something Meaningful that Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com

http://jimcarver.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer- Books and links on this website contain affiliate marketing sources between Jim Carver and third party companies. I only recommend products, brands and businesses that I strongly support. Photos used on this site are used courtesy of the original authors and in no way endorse The Rust Belt Chronicles or my work. Thank you.

Checkout Anytime you Like, But you Can Never Leave

In one of Seth Godin’s recent blogs, I was inspired by several notions and wisdom.

Some valuable lessons from Seth’s blog:

·         Associate closely with those who emphasize and are experienced with productive failure.

·         Surround yourself with those who are motivated to make a difference daily.

·         Breakthroughs throughout history (music, software, athletics) are geographically located by attracting tribes of followers.

·         Relocate if you must, in order to join the tribe and become part of the creativity.

You can Checkout Anytime you Like, But you Can Never Leave

Living in the rust belt isn’t a place where ideas are flowing. The mindset is often discouraging and anti-productive. Consequently, it’s tough seeking out others with the same ambitions, goals and desires. Our local community is full of people who have experienced failure. The problem is few understand the greatness accumulated from productive failure.

Same Old Story

Many people in the rust belt have followed the status quo all of their work life only to be laid-off or shuttered from the industrial age.  Lacking other skills and every ounce of confidence shattered by the belief in a system that by being compliant ensured their success (until someone, somewhere else, could perform the duties cheaper). The low self-esteem, depression, shame and prevailing attitudes prevent those folks from moving on.  Creativity stripped from their souls.

Heart of Gold  

We have people within the community who want to make a difference. Many churches, organizations and people with huge hearts have donated selflessly their time, money and energy. But we need more.

We need people who can break down barriers and actually solve social issues. Instead of wasting funding (because we’ve have always done it this way). We need new ideas to promote prosperity verses a lifetime of dependency through aid and charity. We need to teach those in poverty the skills necessary to provide a plan to change their life. Only then, we will see dramatic results.

Where the Action Is

When I think of geographical breakthroughs music most often comes to mind. Prevailing musical styles and trends have always been a source of crowd sourcing and formation of human tribes. New Orleans (jazz), Nashville (country music), Seattle (Grunge), England (The Beatles) easily come to mind. It’s no accident software start-ups were created in certain parts of the USA.

Many of the most unique writers, financial experts and life coaches  are all located near Nashville Tennessee. Dave Ramsey, Jon Acuff, Michael Hyatt, Dan Miller and a host of other folks reside near Nashville.

One of my former classmates, Terri Lynn Weaver (who I played in a rock band with), is the first female State Representative within the State of Tennessee. Prior to her political achievement, Terri recorded a #1 Christian hit record and won a Dove Award. She is one of the sweetest and genuine people you could ever meet. Well done-Terri!

 

Former Cleveland native, drummer, Jimmy Clark and his beautiful wife are involved in the Nashville music scene and are great people! Jimmy has worked tours with Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift and Van Halen, along with many other big names in the music scene, through his Nashville connections. There really aren’t many recording artists in Nashville, Jimmy hasn’t toured with or provided the backbeat for during his career.

Coincidence? I think not. It seems personality, wealth and success have a common factor just like fashion, music, software, architecture and cuisine- the act of creativity has its own geographical reaction.

Easy Livin’?

I’ve definitely got Nashville on my mind for a future location to live.  Surrounding ourselves with people thriving on ideas, creativity, and success is exciting, motivating and stimulating!

People will flock in droves to the latest trend or the next “big thing.”

When will a breakthrough occur in the rust belt?

Who will lead us from the rust belt to the success belt?

Somehow, I believe Seth Godin has better wisdom.

Until We Meet Again,
 Jim Carver

Author: The Legacy of David A. Wells- The Lexington High School “Band of Gold”
Something Meaningful that Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com

http://jimcarver.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer- Books and links on this website contain affiliate marketing sources between Jim Carver and third party companies. I only recommend products, brands and businesses that I strongly support. Photos used on this site are used courtesy of the original authors and in no way endorse The Rust Belt Chronicles or my work. Thank you.