#Work

It's 12:45 a.m., and I'm exhausted.

By the time you're reading this, I will probably be driving again - back at work, back at the grind.

But that's just what I do to pay the bills. For now.

I never imagined after 6 years, I would STILL be trying to start my own business. It has been a growing process, for sure.

But I wouldn't trade it for the world. Everyday I wake up to work a job making someone else money, the more I realize and am certain that I need to be working for myself. It's the only time I truly feel like working.

Most of the early excitement has worn off, and very few still see the vision for what it is. But that's fine, because it's not their vision.

The long hours, the sleepless nights, the thinking, the laboring, the failures, the few successes - all are part of the formula that is slowly becoming a success.

Money is beyond tight, bills need paid, we need working capital, but I wouldn't have it any other way. When the pressure is on, I can think creatively like no other time. And for that, I am thankful.

We're slowly making progress on making a dream reality, but we've still got a long, uphill way to go. So much is happening behind the scenes, but soon you will be able to see exactly what we have been planning so long!

I'm pumped for what lies ahead, even in just a few short weeks! The thought of it finally taking off keeps me up at night as much as work and long hours. It is both exhilarating and totally draining at the same time.

But soon, we can show you what we have been working on. Very soon.

That's all for tonight. Have a great day! Chat at you all very soon.

posted from Bloggeroid

The Secret to Success

If there is one thing that I am learning about being successful, it's that it takes work.

Work and work and more work. That's it, plain and simple.

I used to imagine that if I could create that one magic method of not doing anything and getting paid for it, it would change my life! (Exaggerating the nothing part...)

But, in search of that magic method, I never made a dime. Seems like no one ever wants to pay for somebody to sit around and do nothing. Unless, of course, you're in politics. But that's another post.

The times when I actually make a breakthrough and get to collect a bit of pocket change are the times I actually put in some work. When I really put in the effort, money seems to follow.

I know this is very, very elementary. It really should go without saying. There is no secret to success. You become successful by working hard.

But so often it seems everyone is still looking for that golden egg to financial freedom that they won't have to lift a finger for. Why? Because we all want to be wealthy and pay others to fix or worry about our problems.

But there is another side of all the hard work that no amount of money can ever buy. The satisfaction of a job well done.

If you've never sold anything of your own, whether tangible goods or intangible services, you may not fully relate to that feeling. But for anyone who has ever had to actually produce a product or supply a need, it is both daunting and exhilarating at the same time. To put something out into the world with YOUR name on it... truly amazing.

And that is the part I want to focus more on now.

Sure, it takes work. I've come to accept that fact. There's no getting around it, but if it's all you ever concentrate on, you'll never know the true pride and joy that comes from creating something that is uniquely yours and someone else who decides they have to have your product in their life. It truly is a one of a kind feeling.

So, work and work away, because success truly comes from a little work each and every day.

posted from Bloggeroid

#snapshot

What happenin' gang, yours truly comin' at ya with another quick update. :)

Been a few weeks since last post, work is going well as usual. Busy as ever! We had been running the long haul trip via rental truck and trailer, but just yesterday Hanson's International here in town called and delivered our old rig back in mint condition! Still waiting on a new trailer until May, but at least the tractor will have a much shorter wheel base than the rental (Almost 5 feet shorter!). I get to take the maiden voyage tomorrow at 4:30 am, here's hopin'!

Family is doing well, we are getting a dog!! She is a super sweet black lab/??? mix. Only 2 yrs old, so old enough to be house broken, but young enough to be exited about everything, lol.

Baby Benjamin is growing like a weed, 15 months old and hungry ALL the time! Smarter than his old man already, I swear. Lord, gimme strength! Ha!

Allie is getting much better with the pregnancy, we think the morning sickness is finally gone. Found out the gender at the end of the month!! We are hoping for a baby girl. ;)

Got a new podcast coming out soon, will be sharing the links with that once it goes live on iTunes. For now, Random Talk Radio is still our only show. Failed on and forgot to pay the internet bill last month, so new episode won't be up until next Tuesday. You can still find us on iTunes though, Random Talk Radio under "podcasts."

That about wraps up my lunch hour. Hope everyone is doing well, hit me up on twitter, @levispann, if you want. I will be trying to update this blog once a week now, but we'll see.

Until next post,
Don't forget to be AWESOME!!

Levi

posted from Bloggeroid

Out of Town

It's another Wednesday on the south truck. Staying at the hotel in Ignacio, and I am wondering how much longer I will driving these same routes.

Got a lot of things planned, really. Sometimes it sure is tough to know when to act though.

Weather has been clear all day today, and supposed to continue through the night into tomorrow. Good news with an open bed.

Ugh. I really don't even like having to mention it in my personal life. I would much rather be working for myself.

Been looking into some more equipment, pricing is of course a large issue. I am beginning to understand why loans are so large now. Upfront costs can be daunting.

But not to worry, I am not swayed in my feelings about opening shop in the near future. It just takes so much darn time! Lol

Had dinner tonight listening to "Crazy" by Gnarles Barkley (Cee Lo Green). An odd choice for dining music, I thought. Couldn't help but ponder how that guy got his start in the music industry.

Listening to some smooth jams back in the room, trying to avoid going to sleep. Pretty bad when you avoid sleep just to postpone waking up any sooner than you have to for a new day of work. That's why I need a new job.

Had some podcast ideas today, since I forgot my headphones again. Guess the drive time is good for thinking those kinds of things through. If I can still remember them later, lol. Gotta start writing things down!

Anyhoo, that's about it for tonight. No weather yet, so I think it's safe to crash. Thanking the Lord for at least providing me a good trip, even if I don't want to be here.

Until next post, be excellent to each other!
Levi

F.O.C.U.S.

Today's post is a bit more difficult for me to write than previous posts. 

In the past, I've been told that I am a bit of an extreme individual. A bit hardcore, if you will. You see, I have struggled and always will struggle with a place known as the "middle ground." I've never been able to find a happy medium among all the things I do. I know that it is very difficult for many people to understand, but more and more I am starting to realize that this is simply who I am.

I am an all or nothing individual. I function at my core by giving everything I have to a task/project/relationship/etc. Because of this, however, I am a terrible multi-tasker.

I'll admit it - I cannot DO more than a couple things at once. Not long term, anyways. I've tried. In fact, I've been trying. I've been trying really hard. But I have been failing miserably, and I am getting burnt out. 

So what does this have to do with anything, Levi?

Well, at a distance, it probably won't mean much to anyone really. But for myself personally, I am drastically going to be cutting back on almost everything I have been doing over the past year, and I will be going "hardcore" after one thing: working for myself. 

Let me explain. My brain is hardwired to think in t-shirt slogans. I can't help that. If it's not a one-line philosophy or a four point goal plan that fits on a shirt, forget about it. It will be gone in about a month. 

But the title of this post (F.O.C.U.S.) is what I NEED to do and WILL be doing for the foreseeable future. And, of course, it is broken down into an acronym so my one-track-mind can easily remember it. 

Follow One Course Until Success. 

And that is what I intend to do, friends. 

I have over-committed myself recently, and I can't stand living my own life everyday. I feel as though I am cheating myself and everyone I am supposed to be helping, simply because I cannot perform to the best of my ability because I've spread myself to thin. I know what I am capable of, and as much I absolutely love being involved with so much that's going on around me, in the end it is not moving me toward reaching the goal of working for myself. 

Don't get me wrong. I am more than willing to help out where I can. But long term commitments are just that - commitments. They require time, energy, often money, and other precious commodities that I have simply been throwing around far to carelessly. 

So starting today, I will be taking my life "under the knife" and cutting back what is not moving me in the direction of starting my own business. If I have committed to reaching a certain stage in a project, I will see that through. But by next month, I plan on completely "F.O.C.U.S.ing" my efforts on getting out of the workforce and launching my t-shirt business. 

I hope that it is understood that I do not mean to harm anyone in anyway by making these changes, but I absolutely will not live another day beyond today where I wake up and my first thought is not having enough time to do X, Y, Z. I plan to start living and loving life again. It will genuinely be a journey of a thousand miles, and this is my first step in that direction. 

In closing, one of the things that has personally been dragging me down is Facebook. It consumes far too much of my time and benefits me nothing (at the moment) except for the ability to stay connected with friends. 

"Learn to control your Facebook time, then!" 

Yes, this is a true argument. I recognize I need to grow in this area, and will be working on it diligently. However, for now I will be using Twitter only as my social sharing site of choice. I will continue posting to FBOOK via this blog from time to time, but if you want to keep in touch please follow my twitter @levispann. 

Finally, I want to thank all of you for being an amazing part of my life. I want you all to know that I am who I am today because of each and every one of you. And I want THAT person to be someone all of you can be proud of. Someone you are glad to know. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the incredible experiences I've had up to this point in my journey. I look forward to many, many more. Let's make this year the best year any of us has ever known! 

All the best, 

Levi