My Path Has Many Stepping Stones

I find myself quite reflective as I consider the first quarter of 2007. So many things have happened; so many things have gone wrong; so many things have changed, yet I find my heart is filled with hope and peace. I'm not the kind of guy who dwells on the catastrophes for the sake of lamenting, but I do remember them and use them as stepping stones. My path has many stepping stones. 

Things change.
I wrote a long article in December regarding my hopes and dreams for 2007. Most of them have been 'modified' to say the least. Most of the changes were forced through external influences, but all are embraced as the natural flow I call life. When I wrote the article, I had no idea I would be on the path I am on now! I had no idea we would revive the travel agency and I had no idea that I would have created an entirely new business from scratch.

The unexpected.
Though my current path is one that was completely unexpected, I'm glad to have found it! I feel a new sense of direction, a new sense of purpose and I am most pleased with the potential for my companies and my life. I could never have guessed that I would be doing the things I have been doing of late, nor could I have predicted that I would be making the plans that I find myself making now.

April ~ Oh now that's going be a month to remember!
For the past 3 weeks or so, I've been putting together a new business. With the help of my closest friends and advisors, I've been able to put all of the pieces together quite fast. With most of the fundamental issues addressed, it's now time to get busy and start building! April will be consumed with the building process and bringing this business from concept to reality.

Blogs, blogs and more blogs.
I have started logging my progress on the new business. Currently, it's not a blog because it's not on the web. I hope to keep it current and introduce it after the big "coming out" in June. There are actually several categories to this new blog in that I will journal the process of creating this company from scratch, including the specific challenges to this kind of business. It will also include a technology section since I am kind of going against the grain with the software I've chosen. With that in mind, I will also journal how I discovered and overcame the challenges of my decision.

What's next?
Well, Soky.net will be taken offline for a while as we begin the process of re-branding her for the new company. The new company website will also be created and deployed. Soky.biz will also be redesigned to focus more clearly on news and information for the local business community, including tools and resources for site members. DavidFrancis.org website and blog could feel the affects of these changes as well, partly because I'm tired of the website and also because of new methods of maintain my sites.

My web development company.
I'm not seeking new clients. I have too much on my plate to consider the needs of new clients and I don't want to offer service that is not up to par. After June first, I will resume accepting new clients but for now, it's best that I focus on my own web development needs. I will continue to support the needs of my existing clients but new ones will be asked to wait.

That's about it.
I started writing this early in the morning and admittedly, I was a little down at the time. Even though I'm exceptionally overwhelmed with all that needs to get done, I am very happy and very eager to keep on going with the flow. Sure, the first part of this year has been a little choppy, the swiftness of the rapids has caused me to travel a little farther, and a little faster, now I find myself in a different place. It's a better place and one that will build upon my success of the past.

Biting into the Apple - I have a Macintosh on my network.

I posted a blog @ Soky.biz titled, "Microsoft Man Buys Adobe Creative Suite." Since my new company will have a heavy need for graphics, layout and interaction with commercial printers, I decided that I needed to take a closer look at Adobe. 

I was using the trial version of Adobe InDesign on my PC and I kept having trouble with it locking up or refusing to open a one page project. I was discouraged with the performance of the PC version of InDesign. I don't think the software is entirely to blame, I think it just needs more processing ability and more memory than I have on my PC.

I consulted with my good friend Andy Baker of Bluegrass Advertising who makes his living using InDesign. He explained that Adobe is really a Macintosh friendly product and then went on a tirade about how much better Macs are for graphics and layout.

Andy offered me an "Old Mac we have lying around the office." I told him that I would have to think about it because I don't want to have to re-learn computing while learning the software. I've been on PC's since 1987 and I could not imagine trying to get all of this done in 4 weeks and have to learn the basics all over again.

I considered the performance issues; I considered the install issues; I considered the cost issues as well. I ended up agreeing to give the Mac a try for a few days and test the waters.

I picked up my well used loaner Mac yesterday morning, plugged it in and as the commercials will lead you to believe, it worked like a champ. I plugged in the network cable and again, it found my network and I got online in seconds.

A few issues! The mouse sucks, the keyboard is too small and somewhat "sticky" and the monitor is too small. Solution? Remote desktop! Long story short, I installed Vine Server on the Mac and RealVNC client on the PC and with a little configuration can now work on the Mac from my main monitor, mouse and keyboard. YEA! I had a little trouble with the Microsoft Small Business Server identifying the Mac on the network but that was resolved by installing the Macintosh File Sharing service on the server.

I still haven't been able to map a network drive for file sharing but I had many things to do for web clients plus work on our rate sheet, talk to the insurance company about my truck and go home to have "porch night" with my wife.

So far so good! The Mac is easy to run and now with my set up established, I think I will become productive very quickly. A big shout out to Andy Baker www.bluegrassadvertising.com. You came through for me my friend and I do appreciate it!

If this goes as expected, I will likely purchase my own PowerBook and network it in like my loaner. Yes... David Francis will be a Mac user after all. Whodathunkit? It's just part of going with the flow with an open mind and a willingness to adapt as needed.

Foggy Mountain Memories

Carrie and I just returned from a 3 night getaway to Gatlinburg TN. We rented a cabin in the mountains and just chilled out with some friends for the weekend. With all that has been happening the past few weeks, I really needed a break. With the loss of the cabinet shop, the auction and wrecking my truck, I needed something to break the cycle I seemed to be in.

As I sit listing to, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," I am reminded of the past few days and how it helped me take my mind off of what seemed to be a bumpy road. My friend Ken Kenslow bought me the CD after I refused to buy it for myself, it is the perfect reminder of what made the weekend so great. No worries, no phones, no computer, just good friends and a few quite days in the mountains. It's also perfect because it's much different than anything else I have in my CD collection. It puts an exclamation point on the decisions I've made since Thursday morning. Decisions that will take me in a new direction, different from anything I've ever done but still combines my skills and passions. Like this new CD, I have decided to play a new new tune.

Ken and Angel Kenslow are wonderful friends we met a few years ago as a result of our travel agency business. Ken and Angel were married a year ago in the Smokey Mountains, actually right up the road from where we stayed this past weekend. They moved to Raleigh and we have missed them terribly. Though we have many mutual friends here in BG, we didn't spend much time talking "shop," we simply enjoyed each others company.

It was too fun! With a hot tub and pool table as well as a huge deck, we sat and talked, laughed and looked out upon the Great Smokey Mountains. Nothing to interfere, just good friends and good times. I really needed this weekend.

Carrie bought me a book to read while we were there and it too was exactly what I needed. It helped me change my focus and offered a unique insight to self improvement that has solidified a new direction I am talking for my business and my life.

I've always been a positive thinker. I've always tried to focus on the good and discard the bad; I've intentionally remained unjudgmental of others; I've tried to see the good and while not ignoring the bad, avoided dwelling on it. My efforts to remain positive had become handicapped by the disappointments and failed efforts this year. My heart had become a little darker, my mood more cynical, my mind more negative and I found myself "blaming" others for it... I am not proud of it but I am happy to have discovered it.

If you've read my writing in the past, you know that I am a "reasonable optimist." I trust people (too much according to some) and when that trust is broken and/or challenged, I become disappointed and it inspires more distrust, more doubt, and more anger. In just a few weeks I found that I was actually attracting more "badness" to myself through these feelings.

The book Carrie purchased for me is a little extreme, a book that I would never had read just a few years ago because it is what I consider a 'progressive theology' book, at least as it relates to spirituality. I've experienced a few shifts in my own thinking for the past 4 years that allows me to open my mind to new ideas, and frankly I'm happy that I have.

The book offers some ideas that many (?most?) people will have a hard time understanding and even a harder time accepting. It offers some concepts that are so far away from the norm that I would imagine there are some people who reject it so passionately that they would disclaim it. I'm not suggesting that I agree with or embrace all of what the book suggest, but I did find many useful thoughts and ideas.

<edit>I removed a number of paragraphs relating to the book as well as my personal beliefs. In that my beliefs are important to me, they are personal so I have removed them. If you are interested in the full text including the title of the book, please send me an email and let me know.</edit>

I've been hard on myself as far as my own beliefs go but have learned to accept the fact that others believe differently than I. My beliefs have always been my own, unique from anyone else and I've been very deliberate in my efforts to not expect anyone to believe exactly as I do. In other words, I have to learned to accept that all people believe differently and the only person I should hold to my belief system is my own and no one else.

As I come away from a great weekend with friends, I feel as though I have a new insight for the days to come.

As I consider the weeks that preceded this past weekend, I can see that there are changes that must be made.

As I consider the failures of the past few months, I can see that a new path is necessary.

As I consider my path, I have come to understand that I must choose one that is best for me; one that will help me provide for my family; one that will allow me to enjoy what I am doing; one that prevents reliance on others; in short, a path that makes me happy.

I have made some ground shaking decisions and my feet are now on a path that will allow me to express my creativity, as well as use the skills and talents I have been blessed with. This new direction is the culmination of years of experience as well as a deep passion to contribute to my community. I am excited and I am happy... even for the disappointments that have led to these decisions, without them, perhaps I would have never found the road.

After have a few short days of rest, I am ready to get back into the flow of life. I feel rested, refreshed and renewed to the point I am looking forward to the journey once again. Though the next few weeks and months are going to be exceptionally busy and I know that I must face many more challenged, my heart is filled with hope and promise that the work I invest will result in a more balanced life, a more joyful existence and I will be doing something that will help me reach my primary aim.

All said however, this new step is only the beginning! I have some grand goals that will be reached one at a time. This new one is only the first step on the path which I have chosen.