MM2S035: Season 3, Episode 5
By: Ken Boone At the end of my last episode, I said I’d be announcing the new direction of this podcast. I’ve worked out most of the kinks, so here goes: I’ll do everything in my power to publish a new episode every week! Physically and intellectually that’s not a tall task. The challenge is the clutter in my brain. Every time I try to focus on doing something productive, other thoughts compete for my attention. I think of them as “delay tactics”. Why do I do that? It seems that sometimes, and only sometimes, when I get a good idea in my head, I can think of a hundred things I need to do before I begin the task. I guess I can consider myself lucky that I’m not coming up with a dozen reasons why I’ll fail. So, for today, HOORAY FOR ME! The episodes for the rest of the year will probably be based on at least one of the 15 items on my Resolutions’ list for 2022:
I spent several recent weeks eliminating boxes, papers, and other junk. That allowed my physical space to breathe. COOL! But that wasn’t enough! There’s the mental clutter. There’s the “I can’t start on this until I do that”. Then there is “the other thing” that becomes the latest priority. Before you know it, nothing gets done, leaving the question “where did the time go”? I don’t know. If you know me by now (and I hope you do), you know that the first thing I said was, answering a GOOD QUESTION makes for a pretty good podcast episode! The next thing you know that I’ll do is begin researching the subject for supporting data, challenging data, and catchy quotes. For some reason, I always start with the quote. Strange, but it works for me, so I don’t question the process! Early in my initial Google search, I saw something in the images and the shop sections of the first page that blew me away. There was the cool piece of motivational wall art that looked very familiar. Its heading is “7 Rules of Life” and I already have it! In fact, it’s hanging on wall right behind me! I read it every morning before I record into this microphone. I’d like to read it to you right now: 7 RULES OF LIFE
I originally bought it to inspire me, which it does. I didn’t realize at the time was that cleaning out the junk in my mind made a clear path to my success! Now on a roll, I looked around my space to see what else I have hanging around that suits today’s episode. I noticed that there is a lot of clutter on my wall.
What I was left with was the right amount of art, family-related stuff, and a load of inspiration. And you can never have too much inspiration! I’ll dive deeper into that hopefully in a future episode. One piece I’d like to highlight today is a simple yet tasteful wood and rope rustic plaque, that contains the following six affirmations:
And to think that despite all the physical and mental clutter I was dealing with, my subconscious mind attempting to draw me away from chaos to a state of calm. It just took me a long time to realize it! Will I be able to publish an episode of this podcast every week? I’d bet on it! But since I’m a lousy gambler, I’m going to hedge that bet somehow.
I’ve also made a habit of listening to other podcasts. Not the big-budget ones sponsored by Spotify or iHeart Radio. I listen to homemade variety of podcasts. I’m not concerned with the level of production, the audio quality, or if I’m better than them or not. The only comparisons I make are the duration of each episode, the amount of heart and honesty they put in each episode, and the consistency of publication. Then I say, “if these people can stare down their challenges to put out an episode per week, why can’t I?” All I need to do is clean out all the junk in my mind and let the creativity breathe. And if I ever get stuck along the way, I'll just read the writings on my decluttered walls! God willing, I’ll talk to you next week! Today's Quote “Clutter isn’t just the stuff in your closet, it’s anything that gets between you and the life that you want to be living.” Peter Walsh – Professional Organizer/Decluttering Expert
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MM2S034: Season 3, Episode 4
By: Ken Boone To quote American writer and naturalist, John Burroughs, “one resolution a have made and always try to keep, is this – to rise above the little things.” Rolling down the highway, we find ourselves approaching the halfway mark of 2022. So, let’s use this time and this episode to bring you the final progress report on my New Year’s Resolutions. Specifically, Resolution's 7, 13, 14, and 15. 7. Crack open a book occasionally I thought I had to strike that one off the list because I didn’t think I had the time or patience to sit down and just read. It didn’t help matters when I was addressing item 4 on my list, which is “making the house livable again”. I ran across literally hundreds of books in Celia’s library. She claims to have read them all, and I believe her! My style of reading involves me checking the table of contents and/or the index to find the relevant passage then dive in. As for works of fiction, no way! That’s sad. What’s even sadder is that I won an award for being the Bookworm of the Year! How about them Cowboys!?!?!? However, when I was doing research for an episode, I noticed that I cracked open not one, not two, but three books for the information I needed! Feeling proud of myself, I decided to read further in one of them. Before I knew it, I made my way through three chapters! And it didn’t hurt one bit! 13. Produce shows and/or episode for other podcasters There’s not much I can do about that item right now, except what I’ve been doing so far. As I explained in Episode 31 (“I’d Rather Talk to Myself”) dealing with people in general isn’t one of my favorite things. For the same reason that I scratched wanting to do interviews on this show is why I’m reluctant to pitch my services to other podcasters. It’s not that I will turn down any offers, it’s just they’ll have to come to me. And if the phone doesn’t ring, I’ll have my answer! 14. Do voice over projects I’ve been working on that item for over a year. I practice voice acting every day. I watch YouTube videos on the subject multiple times a week. And I’m incorporating microphone work with the video editing skills I need to get a handle on before I can begin to tackle Resolution 15! As an act of faith, I opened a Fiverr account and uploaded my voiceover demos. I haven’t bid on any gigs yet but hope to later this year. 15. Produce YouTube videos While this one may seem overly ambitious, I’ve got a ten-year head start on Resolution 15. When I produced Celia’s album, I created and posted about a half-dozen lyric videos to support the CD. Nothing fancy, but we I did it anyway. About 5 years ago, I created YouTube channels for our media network, Celia’s podcast, and a former client, so this isn’t my first rodeo! I’ll admit that I’m a little camera shy (for reasons that I won’t get into now), but I’m developing some workarounds that just might cut it. I think the background and lighting are both inexpensive and effective. If things go according to plan, I should have video versions of my podcast recorded later this year. Now I just must grow a pair and publish them for the world to see! So, here we are. Halfway through calendar year 2022 and I’m keeping most of my New Year’s Resolutions. Going forward I resolve to not just keep the resolutions, but to improve on each item! That’s my goal for the second half of the year. I will be making an announcement in the coming weeks about the direction of my podcast. I would do it now, but I haven’t completely worked out the kinks, so stay tuned. I’d like to thank all of you for your continued support and wish each of you have an amazing week! Take care, my friends! Today's Quote “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one!” Brad Paisley, American Country Music Superstar MM2S033: Season 3, Episode 3
By: Ken Boone The end of this block of episodes is in sight! We’ve already touched on 10 of my 15 Resolutions for 2022. I wanted to save Item 4 (“Keeping up the good work”) for last. As sort of a recap, or better yet, as a touchstone that I can return to from time to time. I might have promised you that I’d be publishing an episode of my podcast every other week. Well, it’s been nearly a month since I published my last one, so please accept my apology. I do have a good reason for the delay! I will try to do more than just stick with the items on my resolution list, I will try to improve upon the ones that I can. That would be the better accomplishment. So, where do I start? Let’s start with this here podcast! Other than my family (especially my wife), this show is the most important thing to me! I could start with improving my relationship with my family, but that is something I consciously try to do every single day! I got that covered! So, what about this podcast? Why the need for improved?
That’s all good, but sometimes I feel like I’m stuck! I feel like I’m running in place sometimes. I guess I want to know where I fit in this podcast universe. I’m not really trying to be the best. However, I am trying to be my best. And does my best fit in the landscape of shows out there. There are currently over 2 million podcasts worldwide in several categories. Last time I checked that number, it was a little over 800,000. It would be impossible to listen to all of them to get a handle on where I fit, so I looked checked the directly of my host (Spreaker) as well as the main category of my show (Personal Journal). Here is a partial list of the various podcasts I’ve listened to recently:
I enjoyed them all, but the old Ken would have listened to answer one question: who has the better show? Them or me? This guy first applauds them for their courage to write, record, edit, publish, and promote these shows. Especially when these “colleagues” usually do these shows without the benefit of a sponsor! When you approach it that way, you open your heart and your mind to new possibilities. Amazing possibilities! Is my show better than some of the others? Of course, it is! Are some better than mine? Again, OF COURSE! But that’s not the point. We all are on a noble quest to share our experience, strength, and hope with family, friends, and strangers. We all hope to make our little corner of the world a better place. I’ve learned a lot from my new friends in the Personal Journal podcast universe, and I hope that I can teach them something as well. They taught me how to open myself, expose my vulnerabilities to the internet, and just tell my story. I think that I can help some of them improve their production skills, improve the audio quality, smooth out their editing, just to name a few. But I’ll wait until they asked. Otherwise, I’ll just continue to enjoy their work! I still have 4 resolutions I owe you updates on. It will probably take the next two episodes to cover those. Thanks for your patience. I’m confident that at year end, I’ll be able to report to you that I’ve kept all the resolutions on my list. That if I don’t have a good reason to drop any of them. I’d like to thank the over 2 million podcasters who continue to provide content, regardless of the challenges they face. Whether the production is polished or crude, they keep moving forward. I admire that and will try my best to imitate them from now on! Today's Quote “To acquire knowledge, one must study. But to acquire wisdom, one must observe!” Marilyn vos Savant, American Columnist |
About the HostKenneth E. Boone, Sr. is a writer, podcaster, music lover, sports enthusiast, and retired accountant. Archives
May 2024
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