Watching and Waiting

It's been years since I've written a poem.  I guess it just took me this long to find the proper inspiration.  In any case, the mood is right, and the words are flowing.  So here's what's been on my mind and heart lately:

Watching and Waiting

No greater love has e'er been known,
Than to lay down your life for another.
My aim has been nothing but
To learn to love you as such.

Who'd give up her own ambition
Sacrificing to help me reach my own.
But who's strong enough to ask
I forsake my dreams for hers.

I thought we met once in high school,
We connected a moment. Just a glimpse.
A joke in class. The school dance.
But it wasn't you at all.

I'd lost you. Before we'd e'en met.
I searched. Wand'ring. 'Til we met in college.
Lives complete, then something changed
And it wasn't you at all.

I see you in a smile. A laugh.
But you're always distant. Just out of reach.
Did we meet the other day?
Our paths finally crossing?
Maybe for the final time?

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Decisions

I've spent the last couple of days taking stock of my life, and I think I've come to a decision.  For years, I've been pushing forward with no goal.  When you don't have a destination, though, pretty much any road will get you there.

Luckily enough, I've ended up on the road less travelled and I'm fairly content with both where my life is and where it seems to be headed.  At the same time, though, I want more.  Not out of greed, but out of this deep feeling that, while I'm still finding a lot of success, there's more I could be doing.

So my decision.  At the moment, I'm working for an incredible, mission-driven start up company.  I'm also managing my own business, an all-purpose marketing/publishing firm.  Both jobs are fantastic.  But they're both domestic, and I want to do something global.

What I'd like to do is keep moving forward in what I'm doing, but with two things in mind.  I want my business to be profitable enough by the middle of 2010 that I'm earning enough passive income to cover my debt from school so I can move on to other pursuits.  I also want the start-up I currently work with to be so successful that I can step out and work on another, equally important project.

Really, I'd like to be able to join the Peace Corps to work on business development abroad.  Ideally, I'd start my application by January 2010 so I could be ready to start in Q4 of the same year (it's a long application process).  If the start-up is up and rolling by then, and my personal gig is also picking up speed, I should be able to take the time to go and make a difference where I'm needed while still knowing I'll have something to come back to after the two year stint.

I know, it sounds like a crazy, wild ambition.  But for once I feel like I have a target - a goal to push towards.  I'm excited, nervous, and a bit scared ... and I like it that way.

So ... what do you all think of my insane decision?

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Lost and Found

Don't you hate it when you spend 2 or 3 hours searching each of the ten places something could be only to come up empty? I've spent the past week looking for something that I know is here, somewhere. There are only three other places it could be:

1. The attic - I'm not looking forward to searching up there
2. Two closed boxes at the bottom of the pile in the shed - I can't get there without help ... and that would ruin the surprise.

Ugh!

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Follow the Jumping Duck

I usually don't post about business stuff here, but I thought I'd break that pattern today - because it's a day of accomplishment.

Back in April, I finally pulled the trigger on starting my own publishing company, Jumping Duck Media. I registered the name with the state, bought a whole lot of Internet real estate (not really "real" estate, more like "virtual" estate, meh), and started talking up my new idea. As my brother would say, though, I was "all talk."

In reality, the idea of owning my own company and being self employed scared me to death. It still does, a little. Today, though, I realized a great many things.

1. I actually know what I'm doing - I went to business school and got a fancy degree that tells the world I know how to manage a business, so why not manage my own business? The principles are the same and, now that I'm in the throw of things, it's a lot easier than I thought it would be.
2. I like to try new, exciting, frightening things - Sometime I have to remind myself how much I like the adrenaline rush of doing something new and unexpected. I spend so much time worrying about what could go wrong that I forget it's the actual execution I enjoy.
3. Every successful businessman started somewhere - Every great company started from a single idea and, in most cases, a single visionary trying to act on that idea. Yes, even the Microsoft giant started small ... so why can't I?

So here I am, ready to actually take on my first handful of writers and first couple book projects. Getting to here I've been publishing blogs and social networking sites, some of which are actually seeing success! In under a month, InspiredSmiles.com has collected 50 stories!

Am I still scared? You bet! But at the same time, I'm trying to harness that nervous energy to accomplish something wonderful. Wish me luck as I keep going!

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Barack Obama

I had the priviledge this weekend to finally see one of my heros, Barack Obama, speak in public. I've seen almost all of his televised presentations, but never one in person.

The gates were set to open at 12:30 on Sunday, so I showed up at 8am to get a good seat. I was early enough, I was given the chance to volunteer and help set up and run the event! I had a nifty "volunteer" pass and was able to walk around the grounds long before the Secret Service allowed the general public in.

I did take a lot of photos before, during, and after the event. I also recorded some great video. The problem: I was using a brand new phone, and if you don't click the "save" button after recording content, it disappears about 5 minutes later. :-(

Nonetheless, here's a YouTube video showing some of the highlights of Obama's speech:

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