this is the story.
this is the story of a challenging journey.
it is the story of a late, late re-start in life.
this is the story of the 4th quarter of my life as i take my life back. (starting at age 68) growing a community from three subscribers in my drip subscriber list on March 31, 2018, to ten million paid monthly (at $3.97 per month) subscribers.
recover and win?
it’s like being behind three touchdowns going into the fourth quarter of the biggest game in your life. no way that you are going to recover and and win. but you can finish strong and not look foolish. that’s how i feel at age 68 in the fourth quarter of my life. i don’t feel like this game is winnable. but i do know i can finish strong. and not quit.
i have some BHAGz.
i’m hoping that my BHAGz will be a factor in my 4th quarter.
and i have a strong set of core values called “we believe…” and i plan to be living and writing proof that my creator ain’t done with me yet.
progress to date
i have purchased the following software systems to make this happen:
- designrr – to create flipbOOks – what i will deliver on a monthly basis
- drip – for my email list and campaigns and workflows
- leadpages – to create lead boxes and landing pages
- purchased LeadPages on December 21, 2017, and decided to spend the necessary money on software to more forward instead of making excuses
- leaddigits – to deliver my flipbOOks to my users phones
- photopad image editor – to edit images
- wordpress for my blog
- note: and i have written daily (since 2009) for the last nine years (specifically for the interweb). it is my time. it’s my life. time to take my life back.
today i made strides on my branding with consistent branded feature images on wordpress. and a “we believe…” page expressing the core values of our staff
and created a separate and clean page on my blog for the links to bible verses in the flipbOOks.
next steps are:
- write the 1st five messages to new subscribers
- offer encouragement via
- you are not alone
- your creator ain’t done with you yet
- we believe
- and create this campaign (workflow) in drip for new subscribers from flipbOOks
- continue to work on a 24 week drip campaign to get buying subscribers
- convert all subscriber links in blog to drip; and delete mailchimp after i have adequately tested drip
- create a facebook ad campaign with leadboxes and a thank you page using flipbOOk as my lead magnet
- set facebook ad budget to $100.00 per month; two campaigns at $50 each
- scrub all flipbOOks to have consistent links to “creator ain’t done” (proverbs 3:6-12) and “we believe…” to create a consistent and branded user experience.
- “we believe” link will be promoted in email sequence
- edit flipbOOks to say, “you are not alone” in two places.
April 01, 2018 – SUNday
time to grind
gotta remind myself that the magic is in the process.
focus on the process not the outcome goals.
“everybody wants to be a beast until it’s time to do what beasts do (at 4:04 a.m.)” – et the hip hop preacher.
“i’m weak. that’s why i let my habits make decisions for me at 4:04 a.m.” – alvin weiss – creator of TakeYourLifeBack Graduate Program.
alarm at 5:05 a.m. – just marching to ten million this morning @ 06:05 a.m.
checking stats and writing and creating. interesting day – easter and april fools day on the same day.
a concern voiced by a reader. “i am tired of grinding (regarding his weight issue). i am willing to just surrender to my poor eating habits. and quit the struggle of grinding and fighting this demon of eating addiction.” this is a real voiced concern. and i’m glad it was said versus being kept silent.
note: sounds like this reader is exhausted from battling his eating addiction. sounds like a candidate for susan’s bright line eating program. where she treats eating like an addiction. and relies on programmed habits and community support for success versus will-power.
note: susan’s model for change is my model for change. people need the support of their tribe, their creator, and a constant reminder of their why’s and encouragement on their mobile devices
the solution from the staff of TakeYourLifeBack to this voiced concern from our “tired-of-grinding” reader is to address the value of community, your tribe. you are not alone anymore. you do not have to do this alone. and we believe your creator ain’t done with you yet.
most of my battles are fought and lost within my mind. maybe you can relate to this. my mentor says to me, “your mind is a dangerous place. don’t go in there alone.”
like jim long and his 20 man tribe. jim’s main rule of the campus is: “don’t go anywhere alone.” you break that rule and you’re out of the program.
April 02 – Monday
feeling disappointed…
…in myself for avoiding a meeting with wordpress people this morning (8:30 a.m. in Winter Park). because i didn’t get out of bed early enough. and because i was tired of driving in orlando traffic. just poor planing combined with laziness. that simple. and disappointing. this is the messy part of TakeYourLifeBack. a small setback that has the potential to ruin my day.
i have the same faults and weaknesses of others around me – and i am so highly critical of these people for their weaknesses. so i need to own my weaknesses.
i am paul
i am paul. i know what to do, but i don’t do it. i know what NOT to do. and i do it anyway. i do exactly what i despise. and i do it again. in short, i fell fucked regardless of what i do.
my friend, paul, says, “i’m so full of myself. but what i don’t understand is i decide to do something good. then i do the opposite. i do something i absolutely despise. so i can’t trust myself to know what is best for me. it is obvious i can’t do this alone. i need to form good habits and become their slave.”
“no, i need more than that. because i keep failing with my good intentions. and my good habits. i keep sabotaging my success. i do not have what it takes. yes, i have good intentions, but my actions suck. my best thinking ends in failure. again and again. i believe the devil made me do it.”
“i need bigger help. i’ve tried everything. i’m looking for a way to end it all. no one can help me.”
“i know i’ve tried everything. nothing works. and i keep failing. is there any help?”
“finally, i have found the answer. that answer is my creator. finally, i have the help i need.” – Romans 7:15-25 – (AGG)
i could (and i will) write a flipbOOk about paul’s angst. we all have paul’s angst.
this is the key difference between bill williams and alvin weiss. bill did not ask for help from the right place. alvin realized that his best thinking always ended in shit. and alvin asked for help because he believed his creator ain’t done with him yet.
alvin is not a hero. bill was not a demon. alvin asked for help from the right place. bill did not.
this is a powerful story (the story of bill and alvin) that will change the world for many families. one flippin’ bOOk at a time.
april 03 – tuesday
yesterday morning’s FUBAR resulted in this being written – a critical piece for the TakeYourLifeBack series.
and paul says, “i need more. much, much more.”
i was able to pause and reboot. and not allow a morning mistake to ruin my entire day or even my morning. i treated a mistake as a teachable moment. imagine that. i may be growing into adulthood.
my ranting about paul’s shortcomings became a worthy blogpost. and a cornerstone piece for the tribe – TakeYourLifeBack.
everyday getting closer to launch. today i will finish one workflow or campaign in drip. started with a strong “thank you” (1st) message to new subscribers.
april 04 – wed
spent 4.5 hours on one flipbOOk for a client. i need to re-evaluate the time spent with this client. and apply the 80/20 rule to my projects. good ol’ pareto principle applies everywhere.
and i need to stay focused on the tasks that will move my biz forward. not all of the feel-good tasks i do. helping others with tech issues who are not so tech savvy feels good and makes me feel important. but these non-essential activities do not move me forward in my biz. and then rent some space in my brain as lingering resentments.
grinding “in the trenches” is harder in reality than it sounds. working with technology that challenges me without a face-to-face resource is stressful and disappointing. working with slow-to-respond people is stressful. i wish i could talk to my x-factor face-to-face.
while i am in the “grind” mode right now. this is when i design TakeYourLifeBack for real. i will not offer my tribe the normal platitudes and half-time locker room hype – “you can do this; you’re all winners.” no, i am tired and stressed and feeling helpless and hopeless. (write bill and alvin story offline – one made it; one didn’t. what’s the difference?)
this is where and when i tell people to embrace their fears and disappointments. and learn from them. a good chef needs to eat her own cooking. a good mentor needs to use his own teaching.
right now i could use an encouraging word from a confidante. a friend; not someone who will enable my discouragement, but someone who will remind me of my mission, my task. and i need to review my whys – long term and short term whys.
my screen savers can help. and my BHAGz can help. and my tri-fold board can help. (i really want to smoke.)
do BHAGz really work?
how do BHAGz work when i am discouraged and grinding. grinding out of habit and desperation, not enthusiastically or with passion. just grinding like “chop wood and carry water.”
chop wood and carry water
chop wood and carry water with bloody hands and tired legs and exhausted lungs. let my creator carry me when i can’t carry myself.
a one million dollar immediate annuity (10 year certain) for each of my children will provide each child a guaranteed income of $100,000 per year for ten years. and this is possible using the leverage of the internet and my x-factor. good page idea: the unfair x-factor combined with what if?
put all of the pieces together to really work while you are grinding. and your x-factor needs to be solid BEFORE you reach your melting point. just like you maintain your health so you can expect performance from your body on demand. you can not demand performance from your body is you do not care for it.
no one tells the ant what to do
you can not demand money from your back account if you have not made sufficient deposits. take a lesson from the ants. you lazy fool, no one has to tell the ant what to do – (proverbs 6:6-8). you must have a constant connection with your x-factor. so you can have that valuable conversation when it really matters.
april 05 – thur
well, i talk a good talk, but…
i often fail at my my own course – TakeYourLifeBack. i fail at the course i am developing. i preach a good sermon, but i fail when the “rubber meets the road.” so knowing this, transparency to my tribe is a key principle. just tell the truth – candidly. and let the critics critique. and let the haters hate. let the scoffers scoff. my mission is to bring a service to my tribe that works. and its imperfections are like a 12-step program and the christian walk – imperfect. because we are working with imperfect people. to think otherwise is arrogant.
so this morning i booted my computer at my Panera Bread office one hour late, because i am an imperfect human. but i feel like a failure just because i slept until 05:24 a.m. and i don’t want to accept this kind of behavior from myself.
how do i relax and enjoy the journey as i walk through this journey called life? i need a break to see things more clearly.
i need to get resources for my curriculum for TakeYourLifeBack from the many rooms and conversations of AA. because people there are actively trying to change – failing often. and sometimes people are transparent about their struggles and successes. and honestly is measured on a sliding scale. transparency is measured the same way. it takes time to trust enough to become transparent.
look at the model of susan peirce thompson. susan exposes herself. sometimes to the point that i feel embarrassed. but this gives freedom to her tribe to expose themselves. to become vulnerable. but healing occurs because of this transparency and vulnerability.
i have spent years and years in this 12 step environment. and thousands of hours on both sides of this healing process. a process for radical change.
core concept of change
change is not an event.
change is a continuum.
change is a lifestyle commitment and does not end with a graduation.
a graduation from any program does not mean that you have changed permanently. leading a life of change is a lifestyle decision.
your reality is that somedays you may actually take two steps forward and four steps backwards. but ya don’t quit. you failed that day. but you are not a failure.
ya don’t quit because the day is coming when you will consistently ONLY take steps forwards. and on some days you will leap forward. have patience. these days are coming.
there is no graduation.
this is why TakeYourLifeBack does not have a graduation date. programs like 12 step programs do not have graduation dates. you can celebrate milestones like birth dates. but a birthday is not a graduation. it is a celebration of a milestone. maybe you can level up. but not for your benefit, but you level up to help others. you level up to become empowered to help others.
this is why TakeYourLifeBack must have a tribe. just like when elephants circle together. they circle around the younger ones and the weak ones. and put the strong warriors on the outside and the babies and newcomers are on the inside. until they grow stronger and become the outer barrier warriors. and when the outer warriors become older and physically weaker, they gradually make their way to the inside of this fierce circle to be protected by the stronger warriors on the outside.
elite athletes do NOT graduate.
like an elite athlete always trying to continually improve. never, ever quitting this process. just beat your personal best. and again. and again.
[alvin, find your notes about the peak performance coach (marie forleo video interview and the donald miller podcast in your briefcase notebook) of elite athletes who only work in 90 day intervals.]
here is the core concept of change.
change involves embracing a belief system of continual change and embedding yourself in a mastermind culture of change. just like those recovering in 12 step programs – ask susan peirce thompson of brightline eating.
real change does not have a “cheat day” where you eat whatever you want.
there is no “cheat day” for food addicts and cocaine addicts and those wanting to make massive changes.
5 easy steps is a lie.
it is not “5 easy steps” and done. like you have graduated with a final degree that guarantees that you know everything about change. “5 easy steps” and done. that is a lie. and i am now free to call it a lie. and the promoters of “5 easy steps” are knowingly misleading people. and disappointing their followers. and unfairly taking their money. “5 easy steps to your best whatever” is a lie. and can not deliver what is promised. this “5 easy steps” idea implies that you are finished after completing “5 easy steps.” this is misleading, too.
“Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” – step 12 – AA
to stop is to start moving backwards.
people in 12-step programs (remember the 12th step is to carry the message to those who are still suffering) who are continually getting better are totally immersed in the process. not finished, never finished, but on a continuum. and accepting the belief that to stop is to start moving backwards. and continual change is their lifestyle. while others – the christians – want a weekend workshop where they are healed. after the weekend and their certificate of graduation, these people stop the work of change.
actually, this is just the beginning. the christians forget to carry the message. the 12-steppers are reminded at every meeting that their only chance at a lifetime of sobriety is to carry the message.
when you really change
this is the core concept of change.
change involves embracing a belief system of continual change and embedding yourself in a mastermind culture (AA meetings, continual bible study groups at the tables of recovery at panera bread) of change.
when you really embrace change is when you are helping others on their change journey. when YOU become the change agent. this is when your change journey BEGINS.
my change began…
my change journey began when i started to develop this course.
if i am to model TakeYourLifeBack, i need to take massive actions that result in massive changes. weight loss and income – these two changes could be the most visible. as the result of massive internal changes. and i need to find (or create a tribe) for change. to carry the message to others and to protect myself from predators during my times of weakness.
2,100
[note: 2,100 is a magical number.
2,100 new subscribers in 24 hours – magical. during bike week in florida in october, 2018]
viva 2,100 – the magical number
april 06 – fri
learning new habits is difficult, but not impossible. i wanted to start each day with reading the scrolls of The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino. but i start a new habit and i last for two weeks, maybe one month.
when i kept to a schedule with discipline, i had commitments to keep – soccer practices and games, appointments with clients, office hours, and more. i had a human support system. how do i do this today? i need to create my own tribe of committed people. i need a support system. i am trying to live life alone. and i am doing exactly what i recommend NOT to do – just like paul.
news from 2019
ten million people per day enjoy a flipbOOk.
time to get messy
…and stop worrying how i look
this is how focused looks
apr 07 – sat
yesterday i discovered a new truth.
you can lead a thirsty, stubborn horse to water. you can put his head into the water. and he will drown before he drinks the water. if he doesn’t think it is his idea. and if he doesn’t believe you are the source of good ideas.
so i lost my BIG WHY enthusiasm and passion for an afternoon and an evening.
and the lesson i re-learned is to work with the people who want to work with you. work with people who want what you have. don’t try to work with people whom you believe need it. work with people who want it.
this seems like a simple lesson that i would have learned by now.
not my tribe
the intersection where my skill sets meet other people’s pain points is… this is the intersection where i should spend my time.
those who don’t want what i have are not my clients. they are not my tribe.
enter – again – the pareto principle – the simple 80/20 rule. work with the 20 % and get things done. leave the 80% alone. they do not want what i have.
and out of my anger and frustration, the creator urged me to develop this step-by-step guide for a good UX.
lesson learned: i am one step away from learning a good lesson. and doing something exciting everyday.
listen
there are valuable lessons everywhere – if i would just listen. AND LEARN…
in hindsight, i believe THE CREATOR wanted me to listen and learn yesterday. and review this series of events for a life-changing lesson.
note: create blog and link to THE CREATOR to explain to my tribe my belief system. clearly. similar to the clarity found in What If?
apr 09 – monday
yesterday (sunday), i started on track and took a grandson to his basketball tournament in the early a.m.
but after the morning (by noon) my video addiction owned me. i got hooked into hours of watching a series (the americans) on amazon prime video. a sad use of my day that did not move me closer to my goals.
lesson learned: i can relate better to the “pauls” in my life who say, “i know what i want to do and don’t do it. i know what i don’t want to do. and i do exactly what i despise. there is no hope for me. i quit.”
because i was a whining and moaning and complaining paul yesterday. – Romans 7:15-25 – (AGG)
i felt dirty at the end of the day based on not moving forward to any of my goals and filling my mind with useless data. no forward movement, just backward movement to my mind and my spirit.
apr 11 – wed
getting closer to launching via facebook promos
the course – TakeYourLifeBack – is ready. ready to launch. not finished, but i believe it will never be FINISHED. it will be evolving – as we are going. but today it is ready to launch. i just need to create Lead Boxes and a Lead Page for facebook.