The Things We Think, and Do Not Say
One of the best things about being a designer is getting positive feedback, and emails from people who are using your themes that say “Awesome theme, I use it on my site!” It’s really encouraging to hear stuff like that.
Now…
One of the worst things about being a designer is when someone leaves negative feedback, or worse yet, calls you out for having too many irons in the fire.
Time for me to be humble.
I want to thank the Chris for doing that. And since I know that it came from the very best of his heart, I feel comfortable bringing this up.
It’s very easy to become to entrenched online - whether it be blogging, designing, affiliate marketing, etc. With so many ways to participate on the internet, we find ourselves technically obese and not technically starving.
Too much information. Too many ways to burn an RSS feed. Too many blogs to read. And once in a while we find ourselves at a crossroad and need to make a decision.
So I’ll take a page out of Jerry Maquire’s famous mission statement, “The things we think, and do not say”, and use that for inspiration on the direction of my blog.
Fewer clients. (or in this case, fewer projects.)
I decided to log into my Feedburner account this morning to see how many subscribe to my feed - sometimes I feel as though nobody reads my blog… but was amazed to see that 161 people are currently subscribing. That woke me up, and made me realize it’s time to start making my blog #1 on the priority list.
So, as a result, I’m planning to narrow down my workload, and focus more on my site. That will include more blogging, more tips on design, more themes and more neat stuff to come.
From the heart, thanks Chris!
Thanks for the kind words, Brian. My goal really wasn’t to “call you out”, but just my observation as an outsider, but having experienced the exact same feelings from time to time.
If my comments, helped nudge you to take a step back and make some considerations, then I’m glad to have been of assistance.
I look forward to reading your blog every day, and gain tremendous insight. Keep up the good work, you help a lot of people.
Chris, I used the term called out in a positive way, although in most cases the context will derive negativity from that term. Yes, you nudged me a bit, and allowed me to see a few areas that I can refine, and make better. Not for my own benefit, but for that of my readers. On behalf of them, thanks.
Brian, Good to hear you’ll be concentrating on your blog and answering design questions. The trouble with having too many irons in the fire is we tend to lose sight of why we lit the match in the first place. Been there, done that.
Yeah, thanks Ed. I really don’t want to lose focus with my role online, and it seems I have been doing that a bit.
I’m glad to read this post Brian, because I think this blog is one of your most valuable assets. It’s good to have people who will do us the favor of speaking honestly when we need a word of encouragement in the right direction.
Thanks Randa, hearing that from another designer is gold. I suppose the phrase goes… “Dance with the one that brought you.” really should apply here too!
Brian, I can’t really say much that hasn’t been said by the other commenters. I’m looking forward to seeing more focus on this blog as well, but I wish you continued success in your other endeavors as well. Balance is key though, and it’s great you were able to catch yourself and set your priorities accordingly.
Ugh. I used “as well” twice in the same sentence in that previous comment. Please forgive me
Thanks Rob, I am trying to balance it out, which I think will work out fine.
Hi Brian - Great to hear. Hope you can still work on that smallish design tweak job for me though…
Brian, yes, it is not always the best thing to face critics, but they can bring changes, in some cases, needed changes.
Want to start your private office arms race right now?
I just got my own USB rocket launcher
Awsome thing.
Plug into your computer and you got a remote controlled office missile launcher with 360 degrees horizontal and 45 degree vertival rotation with a range of more than 6 meters - which gives you a coverage of 113 square meters round your workplace.
You can get the gadget here: http://tinyurl.com/2qul3c
Check out the video they have on the page.
Cheers
Marko Fando
I’ve got an Amazon gift certificate burning holes in my pocket,
and I want to get the most bang for my buck.
Enter the Secret Amazon Web Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/38sojf
This is where you’re going to find the “latest sales, rebates, and limited-time offers” from
Amazon, and you can score some pretty deep discounts if you’re a savvy shopper.
Next, there’s the special Sale link. This is open every Friday, and ONLY on Fridays.
You can find the same good discounts here as you would in hidden Deals, although some
Fridays you can really get lucky and make off like an Amazon bandit - I’ve seen discounts
there as low as 75% off sticker price.
There’s one special secret Sale link on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/2r7ldr
This is open every Friday and ONLY on Fridays!
You can find very good discounts here, although some Fridays you can really get
lucky and make off like an Amazon bandit - I´ve seen discounts there as low as 75%
off sticker Price.