I think we all have a routine to one extent or another.

Things we do.

Just automatically, almost without even thinking about it.

I think that for most of us, whether we even think about it, our routine is important to us.  It is what we do, and the reason why we do it is simply because for one reason or another, at one time or another in our life, the things we do in our routine have become part of our routine because they are things we need, and things that are important to us.  If these things were not important to us, we would not do them every day.  Right?

This morning, I was in the middle of my morning routine:

1. Get up.
2. Boot up my computer.
3. Check my e-mail to see if anything important came in overnight.
4. Check a series of websites that publish information on topics that I care about.

Taking Stock

Hold on.

Scratch that #4 above.

As I was checking my “regular websites” this morning, I realized that much of this stuff was not important to me anymore.  Some of the stuff, to be honest, I really don’t care much about anymore.  Why am I spending time checking about stuff that I really don’t care about.

After the realization, I sat there thinking.

What is important to me these days?  I’ve changed a lot, and it is different things that are important to me than what it used to be.  But, what things really are important to me now?

Honestly, I was not sure anymore.  Oh, of course things like my family and friends are important to me.  That’s not what I’m talking about, those things are a given.  I’m talking about my interests, things that I care enough about to spend some time every day keeping up with the topic.  That sort of thing.

Jimmy Buffett

As I sat there thinking over what is important in my life, the words to a song that I like came to me.  The song is called “Distantly in Love” by Jimmy Buffett.  The first verse of the song seemed to fit my feelings this morning:

Pay phones all were ringing as the crowd went roarin’ by
Lovely dancers swaying to an island lullaby
Beside the southern ocean taking stock of what’s to be
Writing you this letter that you’ll probably never see

It’s the third line that fit my feeling today – “Beside the southern ocean taking stock of what’s to be.”

Yes, I realized that it’s time for me to take stock of my feelings and interests today, and to revise my routine to something more current.

One of the parts of my routine that really is of little interest to me these days, but used to be, is an interest in US Politics.  I used to be a real political junkie.  These days, I don’t even live in the USA any more, so why do I even care?  Fact is, I don’t care too much any more, but I still check the political news religiously every day.  Why?  I need to cut that off, and spend that time on something that is more relevant to my life that I am living today.  I need to take stock of what’s to be in my life, and modify my routine to fit what I discover when I take stock.

The fact is, as I think this over, we all need to take stock from time to time and unclutter our lives of things that really don’t mean much to us any longer.

Just like what Jimmy Buffett says in the song… I want to go sit next to the southern ocean and take stock of what’s to be.  I think I’ll do it today.

What about you?

I must say, I was happy that bin Laden was finally dealt justice, it was a long time coming.  I feel that what bin Laden received was certainly coming to him, and I only wish he had gotten his justice many years ago.

Usama bin Laden was the mastermind and financier of many terrorist attacks over the years.  Perhaps one of the earliest attacks with bin Laden’s fingerprints was the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Centers in New York.  Over the years, up to 2001 bin Laden struck many other targets as well.  Of course, on September 11, 2001, bin Laden’s biggest attack occurred, again on the World Trade Centers, and a couple of other targets in the United States.

Celebration of bin Laden's death

When I saw the announcement by President Obama, I was happy that the rein of bin Laden had come to an end, and hopeful that this was the beginning of the end of terrorism as we know it today.  That is probably too hopeful, as others will fill the shoes left empty by bin Laden.  However, when I saw the wild celebrations, I was a bit saddened.  I posted this on my Facebook Status:

Justice is sweet. Wild celebration is not necessary, though. We should celebrate by remembering the victims.

You see, I felt that it would be more appropriate to remember the victims, and not be boastful about the victory over bin Laden.  Being boastful is not a good habit to get into, because it only sets you up for a fall.  When I saw the celebrations unfolding, I was reminded of some scenes we saw from the Arab world on September 11 where people were dancing in the streets.  I didn’t like those celebrations at that time, and I also felt that the celebrations earlier this week were unwarranted.  They showed no class.  They were an “in your eye” type of reaction.  The US should be better than the people who danced in the streets on 9/11, we should be more composed, more mature, and more introspect.  It’s the smart way to do it.  By celebrating, we are also challenging bin Laden’s followers to retaliate, which I am sure they will try to do.

Usama bin Laden

Yes, there is a major difference between what happened on May 2, 2011 and September 11, 2001.  Usama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda cohorts killed around 3,000 innocents.  On May 2, 2011, those who were killed were not innocent, and had death coming to them, without a doubt.  I still feel, though, that the smart reaction would be to honor those who were slaughtered on 9/11, rather than dance in the streets over the death of bin Laden.

After I posted that Facebook update calling for less boisterous celebration and more remembrance of those who died on 9/11, something funny happened.  There were 107 comments on my update within only a couple of hours.  While nearly everybody agreed and thought it would be smart to be less boisterous, there was one person who just went bonkers.  He started posting foul language, cussing at those who had agreed with my statement.  It was, from what I could see, a demonstration of the exact behavior that I felt was bad for our country on the day when we made a huge step in the War against Terror.  Frankly, it saddened me a great deal.

There is a time for wild parties.  There is a time for celebration.  I, though, personally do not think that the killing of Usama bin Laden called for such behavior.  Yes, I have no problem with people feeling joy over the death of such a terrible person.   Celebration, though, goes a bit too far, in my opinion.

Perhaps your opinion is different?  Let us know by commenting below.

I run into this issue on a regular basis with some of my businesses, and other things in life too, but mostly in business.  I tend to come up with some rather unique business ideas, and when I start I am the only one doing it.  After a while, if I look, I will find that there are lots of others doing the same things.  It’s a problem, but frankly, it is a problem you will need to learn to deal with, if you are the kind of person who can think outside the box and come up with unique plans and ideas.  Frankly, if you come up with something that is unique, and it turns out to be successful, others will copy you.

I prefer to be unique

The good news for you is that in almost all instances, you will do it better, because after all, it was your idea to begin with.  You have the ability to think outside the box, and most copycats don’t have that ability.  So, you can innovate and improve, while the others are stuck with only copying what you do.

Which one is the Copycat? CTRL+V of course!

About a decade ago, I came up with an idea for a website that I felt could make a good deal of money.  It was a unique idea, and there were no other websites of the kind online at the time.  After I got the site rolled out, and it started making good money within only a few months, it didn’t take long and I had plenty of competition.  In fact, a year after I started the site, there were more than 100 other copycat sites online.

It can be frustrating to see others copy your ideas.  However, it is human nature, and if your idea was a good one, it will be copied!  What is the old saying?  Something like “copying is the sincerest form of flattery.”  I think I am a bit off with that, but I am sure you know what I mean.  If your idea was a good one, others will copy.

The key for you, though, is to stay ahead of all of these competitors.  Always be thinking of ways to innovate and improve your site.  Yes, others will copy your innovations too, but fewer than who copied your original idea.  And, the more you innovate, the more unique your site will become over time, and there will be fewer real copycats to deal with.

If you are the type of person who is a copycat, think about it before you start copying.  Can’t you come up with your own ideas?  If not, perhaps you should not be in business at all!  Of course, these days, no idea is 100% unique, but the more unique you make your business or project, the better you will do, provided that the things you use to make it unique are things that people want.

Being unique and finding your own unique path in life is a good habit, and if you are a smart person you will seek that route.  I know that it works well for me.

Being the best that you can be is important for many reasons.  For one thing, it will make you feel really good, and thus even make it possible to improve on your best.  But, probably the most important thing when it comes to focusing is that it gives us purpose.  When we have something on which to focus our efforts, it gives us a purpose, it gives us more drive, and we tend to try harder when we know on what we are focusing.

Always chase your passion

For me, when it comes to my business, I have been working on focus lately.  I am an entrepreneur.  I like to start new businesses and get them up and running.  It is something that gives me joy when I see a new enterprise of mine start to take off and flourish.  Being an entrepreneur is good and enjoyable to me, but it is not always the best thing when it comes to putting money in your pocket.  Almost any entrepreneur would tell you that you have to come up with and try a lot of ideas before you get one that really pays off.  Oh, many will experience some success, but to really put serious bucks on the table, you need a really good idea, and you need to develop it properly.  Those kind of things don’t happen with every idea that comes to your mind.  Far from it.

I have businesses and activities in my life from a number of different areas or niches.  Most of my niches that I am involved with involve writing in one way or another.  Like this site, I write here, and I make a bit of money from it.  Well, it happens that many of my niches are relatively small niches that are not overly popular.  In today’s age of the Internet, though, even a very small niche can pay decent money, because the potential audience, although small in a percentage term, is still very large because you are drawing from a worldwide audience these days.  Gone are the days when your potential audience was either only near your base of operations, or was relatively expensive to reach because you had to use some kind of mass media marketing to reach a wider audience.  Now, with the Internet, you can reach people anywhere in the world for virtually nothing, if you know how to find them.

Two guys who are focusing on what they are good at - Bob Martin & Matt Mullenweg

Over the years, I have had people… mentors and friends, who have encouraged me to widen my niches into bigger areas with a larger audience by moving into other things than where I am really the best.  I mean, I could choose to write about topics that have millions of potential readers.  Instead, I choose to focus on niches that have a smaller number of readers, but those are areas where I have much more knowledge and am also more comfortable.  In short, I like to focus in areas where I have a passion.

Lately, one of my niches, probably the one that I am most passionate about has begun to pay off for me much better than it has in the past.  Because of this increase in fortunes, it has caused me to think.  Instead of following the advice of changing into bigger niches, I am now thinking that it is better for me to focus in on the things that I am best at, the things that have my true passion.  I have always been a big believer in two things:

1. When you do something that you are truly passionate about, the money will come.  There are other things you can substitute for money – fame, satisfaction, etc.
2. You should focus in on things that you have knowledge about.

I believe that these two things are important, and when done in conjunction with each other you can really be successful.

So, with the moves I am seeing relative to one of my niches beginning to gel and really “pay off,” I am only having my original thinking reinforced.  I am realizing that my thinking was right all along, and that I need to hone in even more in those areas where I have a true passion.

For all of you smart people out there reading this, I really encourage you to focus your energy in areas where you are good already.  Hone your skills and your knowledge.  Always get better.  Oh, it’s always good to spread your wings a bit and explore new things… but always keep your eyes where your passion is too.