Sarah's Thoughts on "The Traveler's Gift"

The Traveler's Gift : Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews

I like success... I even like the word. My mom even has a blog called "Sustained Momentum" - our, FGE, definition of success... but anywho.. quick story....

While filming a video for the Austin Peay Comm Dept, a dear friend of mine handed me a book and said, "You and your mom would really enjoy this." My immediate thought was, "He obviously has no idea that I don't read books... but maybe my mom would like it." My second thought was, "Sarah, you're lame. Read the dang book." So I did.

As I had 984,769,276 things to do that week, Mom read it first. She loved it. She was so enthusiastic about it and was so eager for me to read it that she printed me a 4 page synopsis of the book (just in case I didn't want to actually read it, but just get the information lol) For her thoughts you can visit http://sustainedmomentum.blogspot.com/2010/10/making-best-decisions.html :)

Anyways, I finally got around to reading it. Took me a while, but hey it happened :)

If you plan on reading it and don't want anything to be given away, then feel free to stop reading and just know that I found that it was wonderful and incredibly inspirational. :)

For anyone else still reading, mostly for me to go back and read cause I gotta give the book back, lol, here's the 7 Decisions in the book, and my "take", if you will, on them.

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Decision 1 : "The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and my future." - I find that I make, or try to make, excuses, or blame others, for my past and current situation all the time. I over analyze things and it gets me nowhere, and then I wonder why. But I'm done. "I am where I am today -- mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially -- because of decisions I have made."

"Challenges are gifts, opportunities to learn."

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Decision 2 : "I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant to others." - I enjoy helping others. I am my mother's daughter and she is one of the most loving people and tries to find ways to help others and be a servant. I wish I did it more often. But the whole seeking wisdom thing isn't something I necessarily do. I don't choose my friends as well as I should and I don't seek counsel of wise people. But I will. "I will train my eyes and ears to read and listen to books and recordings that bring about positive changes in my personal relationships and a greater understanding of my fellow man."

"I will choose my friends with care; I will listen to the counsel of wise men; I will be a servant to others..."

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Decision 3 : "I am a person of action. I seize this moment. I choose now." - I like being a person of action. For those of you who may not know me, I'm a person of action. When I want something done, I do it. However, I do let things get me down and get in the way of my action. But no more. "No longer will I dwell in a pit of despair... I can do nothing about the past. My future is immediate. When I am faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing something, I will always choose to act!" So many times I get caught up in the "what if" of my future, or even the present. And all it does is bring me down. I waste precious time that could be used furthering the Kingdom of God, wondering about the whatifs in my life.

"I am courageous. I am a leader. Leading is doing. To lead, I must move forward. I seize this moment. I choose now."

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Decision 4 : "I have a decided heart. My destiny is assured." - Again with my whatifs, they cause me to pause and waiver. And so does any drama in my life. I allow it to cause me to pause and stop the course I am on. Why? Yeah, I have NO IDEA. "I will awaken every morning with an excitement about the new day and its opportunity for growth and change." And sometimes, stupidly, I think... boy I sure hope God knows what He's doing... and of course He does. I know He does. Just sometimes, I think well maybe I'm supposed to this... or that... or meet this person or that person, or maybe I met this person for a reason or not....

"I will not wait. I am passionate about my vision for the future. My course has been charted. My destiny is assured."

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Decision 5 : "Today I will choose to be happy. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit." - This was the 2nd hardest decision for me to grasp and run with. I understood the concept.... but as someone who deals with depression, I went "really... everyday I have to be happy?" haha like that was asking too much of me. I LOVE laughter. It's hands down one of my favorite things. I have a STUPID laugh, but I love to do it, so why would it be too much to ask of me to be happy and grateful? I spend more time in one day crying than I do thanking God for the blessings He's given me.... but no more. "My God has bestowed upon me many gifts, and for these I will remember to be grateful. Too many times have I offered up the prayers of a beggar, always asking for more and forgetting to give thanks."

"I will greet each day with laughter. I will smile at every person I meet. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit."

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Decision 6 : "I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive myself." - WooooooWeeeee... the hardest chapter for me to get. I love the idea of forgiveness. But I have never been a person of a forgiving spirit. I harbor things of the past, and dwell on wrong doings done unto me, and it WEIGHS me down. Like physically, I can feel my heavy heart. "No more! At this moment, my life has taken on new hope and assurance..." I now understand that forgiveness has value only when it is given away. By the simple act of granting forgiveness, I release the demons of the past about which I can do nothing, and I create in myself a new heart, a new beginning." I'm still working on the forgiving myself, but that is a process I'm excited to complete.

I also ask forgiveness of anyone I have wronged. I am truly sorry and hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

"I will forgive even those who do not ask for forgiveness. I will forgive those who criticize me unjustly. I will forgive myself."

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Decision 7 : "I will persist without exception. I am a person of great faith." - I have been fortunate in the strength of my persistence in some aspects of my life. It's applying that same persistence, if not a greater amount, to every aspect of my life, especially my faith. "I know the outcome I desire. I hold fast to my dreams. I stay the course. I do not quit."

"I will continue despite exhaustion. I focus on results. I am a person of great faith."

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Well that's all I got....

As I said before, I'm NOT a big reader... and I'm not a big blogger either. I've started a few blog-ish-type things and they all have been fizzles. So for me to read a book AND blog about it... well let's just say it doesn't happen all that much. This really was a blog merely to document the outline and my thoughts on the book. If you felt inspired, wonderful, if not, I pray that you find something that does inspire you to find your personal success.

:)

SWAY Update

I have realized over the past two years that I’m just not all that great at keeping people updated. I have never sent a Christmas newsletter, I don’t call my mom or dad nearly enough, and while I work diligently to keep my immediate family communicating, and that’s about all I get done with any regularity!

So, I’m trying once again to give you an update on SWAY. Yes, we are still making a movie. Yes, it’s taken considerably longer than we ever imagined. Even the big movie companies take years to make blockbusters, so two ladies working with great volunteers on their first indie film can take that long, I guess!

Here’s what we have accomplished:

*Screenplay is written
*All roles have been cast (Jay’s audition took 3 hours!)
*Choreography is complete
*Dancers have been selected
*Locations are finalized (over 35 locations were used including 3 colleges, 2 airports, and 3 dance studios in 2 states)
*Songs/Music selected
*Call sheets complete and distributed
*Teaser made
*Insurance procured
*www.swaythemovie.com obtained
*Record all the music
*Accountant retained
*Hardware and software purchased
*Equipment rented
*Jazz singer contacted (Yay for Debbie Cunningham!)
*Costumes done
*CD song selection completed
*Transportation set
*Crew “hired”
*Carousel found
*Music Director hired
*Successful Kickstarter campaign complete to raise an additional $6,000
*Business Licenses applied and paid for
*Set up a business checking account
*Photo shoots
*Airline tickets purchased
*Housing (if you can call it that) procured
*Tour bus spotted
*Grand piano found
*Music video for “Everything” complete
*www.feelinggoodentertainment.com created
*Meals coordinated for cast and crew
*Movie edited
*Trailer created

You get the idea! We had no clue all that would go into creating a movie. So, here’s an idea of what we have left to do (in no certain order):

*Final music tracks for the movie, trailer, and for the video for “Everything”
*Post the trailer online
*Find a distributor
*Hire a graphic designer for cd and dvd covers
*Procure headshots
*Finalize contracts for mechanical and synchronization licenses
*Focus Groups
*Update websites
*Premiere showings in Salisbury, NC, Nashville, TN and Southern California
*Manufacture DVDs and CDs
*Get CD available on ITunes
*Thank all the volunteers, friends, family, and God for all the support!

There’s way more to do that just that, but you can see that there’s so much left to do in putting this all together! We’ve had over 25 volunteer crew members, nearly 100 volunteer cast members and extras, and over 60 family members and friends (and some folks we’ve never met) to donate financially. Our largest contribution (other than Billy and I) was $1,500 and our smallest was $20. It’s been such an incredible ride and we’re just not done yet.

I did want to take a moment to thank all of you who voted for FGE, LLC (me) for the 2010 Leading Mom’s in Business competition with StartUpNation.com. There were thousands of companies/moms that submitted their profile and we were selected in the top 200 (#84 to be exact)! You can check it out here: http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business/. I was so blessed to have such immense support from those of you who voted everyday! It was awesome. I hope next year (with your help) to top that list! Again, I’m so appreciative.

Please pray with us for sustained momentum. There are days when Sarah and I can get so discouraged. God usually uses Billy or Jamie Crist to encourage us to keep going! I’m so hopeful that you will get to see the final product by the end of this year or for sure by early 2011. We are taking baby steps and trusting God that he’ll direct us as we move forward!

Let me know if you have any questions. You know where to find me! God bless.

Rework

When I started this blog, it wasn’t designed to be a place to share what I’ve been reading lately. It’s funny though that it’s morphed into that in some capacity. I started the blog to bring SWAY friends up-to-date on what we’ve accomplished and about this journey. But it’s interesting, I get way more feedback when I talk about a book. So, here goes.

Another good book that I’ve finished in the past two weeks is called, “Rework” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. Now this isn’t necessarily an inspirational book and it’s not one that will lead you to be a better Christian. It’s more of an entrepreneurial (they don't like that word) type read. And since Sarah and I are in the middle of developing our little company, Feeling Good Entertainment, LLC in support of our first project SWAY, I thought it would be a good idea to hear what these guys have to say. I love the quote on the front of the book from Seth Godin. He says, “Ignore this book at your own peril.” Well I want to avoid peril, so I’ve read it! It was an easy read.

I could say something positive about every chapter except 2 (and there are no chapters longer than 3 pages) – so that’s saying a lot . . . but I won’t. You need to read it if you are at all wanting to start a company or rethink the way you’re running your company now.

Chapter Highlights:

Ignore the Real World

You’ve heard it said, “that would never work in the real world.” It’s usually said by someone who doesn’t like change and hasn’t had a new idea in the past decade. The “real world” likes status quo. Think outside the box (so to speak) and ignore the real world. New ideas are finding sustained momentum all the time. Don’t let others determine what will work and what won’t.

Learning From Mistakes Is Overrated

I loved this one! “Another common misconception: You need to learn from your mistakes. What do you really learn from mistakes? You might learn what NOT to do again, but how valuable is that?” “Contrast that with learning from your successes. Success gives you real ammunition.” I hate making mistakes and I’ve never been great at learning from them. I like their encouragement to be successful and learn what works. Replication of success is sustained momentum!

Planning is Guessing

Get started! Don’t get bogged down in the mundane of planning and meetings. Just get busy. They repeat this type of a theme in “Start Making Something” chapter as well. “The real question is how well you execute.”

“The most important thing is to begin. So get a camera, hit record, and start shooting.”

Outside Money is Plan Z

Good advice here! Don’t work to get outside investors because: You give up control, you begin to trump building a quality business, spending other people’s money is addictive, it’s usually a bad deal, customers move down in importance, and raising money is incredibly distracting from making the product you want to create.

Be a Curator

They write, “You don’t make a great museum by putting all the art in the world into a single room. That’s a warehouse.” It’s about making the decision to say NO to what is not going to be put on the walls. When starting a new business then, “Constantly look for things to remove, simplify, and streamline. Stick to what is truly essential.”

I think this is so helpful, because often times we get caught up in wanting to add more. Add more staff, add more equipment, and add more projects to the calendar for this year. But if we are truly going to be successful, it’s about adding the right things at the right time and being able to say no to the things that will distract us from sustained momentum.

Meetings are Toxic

‘Nuff said.

Quick Wins

“Momentum fuels motivation. It keeps you going. It drives you. Without it, you can’t go anywhere.” “Get in the habit of accomplishing small victories along the way.” Sarah and I call this Baby Steps. When we first started making SWAY, God help orchestrate so many details to fall into place so rapidly. We thought we’d finish the movie in about 8 months, tops! Well, here we are two years later. Still making forward progress, but its taking so much longer than we ever imagined to make a movie. This chapter is so right – we really have to celebrate the small accomplishments! That momentum keeps us moving forward.

I think you get the picture. I found some great ideas in this easy read. I would highly recommend this book to you, if you are someone who likes to play by their own rules and are so not interested in getting from point A to point B the same way everyone else does. This book was a great help in shaping my perspective on starting and running a successful business.

It’s all about sustained momentum!

Thanksgiving

I’m on a quest, an expedition. In many ways it feels like a brand new journey. I want to believe that I’ve been pursuing this aspiration my entire life. However, I’m confident that I have not, at least not to the degree that I should have been. So . . . my new goal: To Be Thankful. Yeah, I know, you were probably thinking that I was going to say something far more amazing or enlightening. Sorry! I’m simply on a mission to be grateful, truly thankful.

I am not completely sure where to start. And it makes me sad that I can’t just be grateful without having to compare with others who are experiencing some sort of loss, like unemployment or a death in the family, or living in a country without the freedoms we expect here in the U.S., or parents whose kid’s lives are spiraling out of control. I just want to sit on my front porch swing and be grateful.

But my spirit is restless. I’m pretty ego-centric and selfish!

Sister Thomas Aquinas, the former President of Aquinas College, in Nashville once scolded me as the school year began that I needed to learn to stop and celebrate the here and now. You know . . . live in the moment. We’d just had a record number of new freshmen and transfer students begin that fall semester. She and I compared numbers and goals and things looked great! I began looking to the spring semester. And she abruptly told me to stop! She said I needed to celebrate the accomplishments of the Admissions team over the past 6 months. She went so far as to make me plan a party! It was so funny, because I would never have done that. For me, once a goal is met, I check it off the list and move on to the next task. I rarely, sit back and think about how I got from point A to the conclusion and how very grateful I should be – to my family, to my friends, to colleagues, and most importantly to God. I just blaze a trail without counting my blessings!

So, I’m starting today. I’m grateful: For YOU, and my family (Sarah would say, “especially her”) and friends, for the beautiful autumn leaves, for a working vehicle, for a job, for my new friend, Becca, for baseball, for caramel apples, for sunbeams, for hummingbirds, for SWAY, for the amazing sunrise I witnessed this morning, for the smell of fresh cut grass, for sustained momentum, for books, for Sister Thomas Aquinas, for the cry of a newborn baby, for breath, and especially for Jesus!

Guess what’s in 26 days? Yep . . . Thanksgiving! Counting your blessings with me?

Making the Best Decisions

I know; it’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything of serious value. I’m sorry. Life is such a roller coaster – I know you know what I mean! This year has been quite tumultuous for me and there are days that I feel like I’m just hanging on for dear life.

So, let me share the latest. I spent 40 days reading, “The Purpose Driven Life,” by Rick Warren. It really helped me focus on priorities and made things quite a bit more clear. Then last week, one of Sarah’s friends recommended that she and I read, “The Traveler’s Gift: The Seven Decisions for Success,” by Andy Andrews. I would recommend it to you; it was an easy read. And very thought provoking.

If you think you might read the book – stop reading this blog now!

Otherwise, I thought I’d share a bit about the things in the story that had an impact on me. Here’s my disclaimer though. There are assumptions, conclusions and goals made by the author that I don’t agree with – not many, but a few – so if you have issue with an opinion of the author’s, I too might agree with you.

The first decision: The Buck Stops Here. I liked the idea that we are responsible for our own actions. “The rise and fall of my emotional tide will not deter me from my course.” Wow! This is so me – each day is precarious depending upon my mood. No more; slow and steady wins the race. (Ok, I won’t be moving all that slowly, but you get the idea.)

The second decision: I Will Seek Wisdom. If you know me, you know that I strongly believe in being a servant to others just as Jesus modeled for us when he was here on the earth. So the second decision resonated well with me. I think it’s incredibly important for us to seek wisdom from those who are trustworthy and wise. I will seek to make positive changes in my personal relationships.

The third decision: I am a Person of Action. I was inspired by the challenge to seize the moment. I don’t think of myself as a coward, but there truly are times when fear (usually when it comes to a lack of funds) can paralyze me. “I am a person of action. I can make a decision. I can make it now.” Quite inspirational.

The fourth decision: I Have a Decided Heart. But sometimes, I lack perseverance. “I am passionate about my vision for the future.” “My course has been charted.” As I always say, in my mind, success is sustained momentum. I really need to keep moving forward. And STOP looking back!

The fifth decision: Today I Will Choose To Be Happy. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit. I love the saying, “Always have an attitude of gratitude!” It’s the reason that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The idea of stopping to be grateful and to share all that God has given with family and friends is really special to me. “It is impossible for the seeds of depression to take root in a thankful heart.” I loved that.

The sixth decision: I Will Greet This Day with a Forgiving Spirit. It’s so sad to see how really good I have gotten at holding a grudge. I can go all the way back to when I was 8 and think of friends and family (and others) who have wronged me. And I haven’t forgiven and definitely not forgotten. So, after reading this chapter, I am committed to forgiving myself and others . . . even if you never ask and have no idea that I remembered! Grudges stand in my way of attaining the goals I have for me. I wrote down a list of folks that have hurt me and I prayed that God would help me forgive. I tore up the list. Each day I start with a reminder to myself: Forgive and forget – I'll say it till I got it! My favorite line from this chapter is: “I believe the good Lord would rather me pray and work not pray and wait.” Alright then.

The seventh decision: I Will Persist Without Exception. “I know the outcome I desire. I hold fast to my dreams. I stay the course. I do not quit. I will continue despite exhaustion. I focus on results.” Mr. Andrews quotes the Bible here, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” “Too much of my life has been spent doubting my beliefs and believing my doubts.” No more! “I am a person of great faith.”

Many of these “decisions” pierced into my heart – and I “got” it! I am hoping that as a result of reading “The Traveler’s Gift,” I am a different person today. Honestly, the 6th decision about forgiveness was the most life changing. I hope that one (or more) of these decisions encourages you to make a change in your life. If the book sounds interesting, then read it!