Motivation Vacation

I'm still hanging in there - with 10 days to go till my due date. As predicted, my businesses are not at the top of my list of priorities at this point, but I still am trying to prepare things so that it can run smoothly without my full attention. I've stocked up on supplies, created a good amount of inventory - ready to go out with little labor needed, prepared wholesale materials for mailing, etc.

I have to admit, it's really strange for me to not have my focus be on work. For the past eight years, my business has been at the forefront of who I am and what I think about (for the most part) And now, to not be proactive in staking out press opportunities, possible retail outlets or new items to add to the line - is just plain weird. Unfortunately, it's a role I'm taking on with gusto.

It worries me somewhat that that intense motivation will never come back, as my priorities will have shifted permanently... and rightfully so. It does keep me up at night (as well as back pain, frequent trips to the bathroom, and of course, the sound of Chester licking his paw) - that nagging question: "What will I do if that passion for all things business-related has fizzled for good?"

I guess I have to have faith that Drive doesn't go away, it just might take a hiatus every now and then. So while my Motivation is sipping Pina Coladas in the Caribbean, I think I'll have to settle with the fact that I am still pretty interested in talking about other peoples' businesses and brainstorming for them. Is that a good sign or am I grasping at straws?

Can you relate? Do you have any advice?

Habit-forming

Chester, the King of our house (that is, until bebe arrives and we have a new dictator), has some bad habits. I've written about his OCD issues before, but that's just one tiny facet of his personality.

He has some harmless habits, like the intense need to steal a shoe whenever someone comes in the front door. I say "harmless" because he doesn't hurt the shoe, he just runs into my office with it and waits there to be called. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. We have tried removing all shoes from the area, but he just runs around looking for something, and kinda short-circuits. It's sad to watch, really. We've tried everything and cannot break this habit.

And he has some not-so-harmless habits. Like yesterday when he bolted out the door when we had a visitor, and made a beeline for the water. He had a grand ol' time - swimming, chasing geese, and generally ignoring his mom no matter how much I yelled for him. I use the word "habit" because unfortunately, this was not even close to being the first time he performed this shenanigan.

The reason I bring this up (besides just wanting to vent about the antics of the little creep) is that it got me thinking about the habits (harmless and otherwise) we create when it comes to our creativity. Do you need to have certain things in place to be able to brainstorm? Are you a late-night thinker... do you have to have absolute quiet... can you think in a busy environment?What kind of atmosphere do you need to extract a great idea?

Obviously, great ideas can come at any time - whether you have certain habits or not. But generally speaking, do you think it's a good "habit" to have certain rules that cultivate creativity, or is it better to be able to "wing it" at any time?

Randomness

A couple of tidbits that have been rattling around in my brain cage...

Did anyone catch Stephen Colberts interview of Malcolm Gladwell, author of one of my favorite books, "The Tipping Point"? Due to my bizarre sleeping pattern these days, I fall asleep around 10 pm and wake up anytime between 2 and 4 am - and am up for hours. Thus, I didn't see The Colbert Report at the normal time, but caught the last minute of the interview in the wee hours. A very long-winded way of saying that I'm bummed I missed it and curious to know what he said.

~~~

I heard about this book, The Cluetrain Manifesto, and was wondering if anyone has read it, or has any interest in reading it. From a review on Amazon, "... filled with dozens of stories and observations about how business gets done in America and how the Internet will change it all. While Cluetrain will strike many as loud and over the top, the message itself remains quite relevant and unique. This book is for anyone interested in the Internet and e-commerce, and is especially important for those businesses struggling to navigate the topography of the wired marketplace." Might be worth looking into.

~~~

As a "thanks for reading", here's a coupon code good for anything on either of our web sites (http://www.soaproll.com/, http://www.iambold.com/) Feel free to pass along - don't be stingy! Just enter voucher code 30607060 at check-out to receive 15% off!

Anything random you want to share? I'm all ears.