Where Did This Evening Go?

I have no idea. It felt like I sucked into Facebook at 8 p.m. or so, only to look up and realize that it was 10:30 p.m. already. Now, there's 35 minutes left in today. I'm hoping I can get this blog post done before midnight, or else I technically would have gone two whole days without blogging. That's not good, especially since I do have some really good numbers right now (at least good for the blog. There's nothing really to brag about here). I need to keep the momentum going.

Gateway Grounds

I should announce that Stirring Media has changed direction and its first media property is finally up and running. Gateway Grounds is dedicated to finding great coffee and sharing it with you, whether it's in St. Louis or around the country. Right now, I'm focusing on getting a new article up every Tuesday and Friday as well as opening up my revenue streams. I have a few affiliate partners in place, but now I need to review some of their coffee so I can put those links in place. I also might consider banner advertising, but that's a little farther down the road. In the meantime, check out Gateway Grounds! Hopefully, you'll find something work adding to your morning cup!

So Much Work to Do!

I've totally screwed up my sleep schedule and I am now more night owl than ever, if there are degrees of "nightowlness" or "circadian rhythm disorder", or what not. I"m still getting all I need to done, partly because I'm going to be up for four more hours (at least) and will spend that time working, so on that note it's not really a bad thing. However, I feel judged for this behavior. It stresses me out a little because I can't as easily go to Lab1500, even though they should have 24-hour access soon. Once they start the access, I'll be a little less stressed out about the whole thing. My productivity will go up, and I won't worry so much about being judged, even though no one who really matters who really cares that I'm doing this. I'm getting what I need to done and I'm doing my work well. I have the peace, quiet, and privacy to do things. I also have the freedom to get myself into this position in the first place. I'm not getting up at 6 a.m. because I have to.

I've gone through this whole debate in my head before. Several times in fact. I think if I can maybe mimic most of my day after the day in the life of an Inc. 500 CEO, I'll be okay. The guy who runs the company at number 26 on the list goes to bed at 4 a.m. and wakes up at 10 a.m. He's number 26, too! Running on six hours a day each day seems tough. Although, typical behavior of these CEOs is to spend about five hours per day on personal time (primarily exercising, relaxing, and spending time with family). Nothing says I can't throw a nap into those five hours. Yeah, I think I'll be okay.

I Missed the Midnight Mark

Oh well, probably just another thing that no one really cares too much about. I mean, the blog did originally go like three months without a post, and here I am worrying about two days without a post. I'm getting things done, as I've made clear in my previous paragraphs.

All right, I hear a cat meowing outside. I see it. I am going to investigate. The neighborhood has had several missing cats in recent weeks, and besides, cats are cute.

What to Do? What to Do?

I'm working at the coffee shop today for a little while. Today is such a nice day, and I don't think I've left my apartment in a week, so I much needed to get some fresh air, take a walk, and have a little change in pace. My schedule is out of sync since work has been slow, so I'm dealing with that as well. I think I'm getting back on track, and spending a few hours outside definitely makes a difference.

I Need to Take a Hard Look at the This Blog and the Website

It all needs a much more, more highly defined, purpose. Right now, this blog is kind of willy-nilly, which is no good. It's not really about anything and there really isn't anything I want to achieve with it. I need to fix that if I want all this to be turn into something. I do plan to use it as a supplement to the video content I want to create, but I haven't created any video content yet. So, right now I'm just trying to find something to write about each and every day. Is any of it beneficial and worthwhile to others?

If I do decide to change direction with my business, then my website content and brand positioning needs work as well. Stirring Media might not just be a content marketing agency, or it could be something other than a content marketing agency. Or, it might still technically be that, but just called something else for branding purposes. All this will be sorted out on Friday, when I do my VIP day with my wonderful business coach. Right now the business is chugging along. Even though work is slow, I do still have some work to do and I still have some revenue. Not sure if I'll have enough by the end of the month though.

Although, It Might Be Awesome to Have No Business for a Week

I originally went into business to create my own content. My first idea was a magazine for freelancers and solopreneurs called Two's Company, covering business topics that were relevant to them and from their perspective. I launched it, but I didn't see it get very far. I had grand visions of getting a print version out and to every coworking space in the country. I wanted to publish five articles a day online. None of that happened. We did about 30 articles before we let it all go. Perhaps I gave up too soon on it. Perhaps I launched it the wrong way. Perhaps such a magazine was a horrible idea in the first place. The point, however, is that ever since the end of Two's Company, there hasn't been any effort or initiative to create my own content. It's always been about doing something for clients, meeting client needs and meeting client goals. Even the goals and content for Stirring Media is more for the sake of getting clients, and getting to do all that for clients. I'm still not creating my own content and sharing the message that I want to share.

It might be worthwhile to have no work for a week, or maybe more, and just create content to see where that goes and to see if there's a market for what I do, versus fitting what I do into an existing marketing or into something that people may want to spend money on. I feel like for the past few months it's all been driven by needing to make money and needing to pay the bills and it's lost that bigger purpose. I'm doing a whole lot of things I have to do, not a whole lot of things that I need to do.