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Resolutions

April 2021 Resolutions

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So it’s a week and a half late with this and that’s fine. It’s April and always a busy month for me so this is my monthly resolution post. There aren’t many changes to show anyway.

 

The intermittent fasting has been going great…except when I accidentally almost pantsed myself in a gas station getting out of a truck. I need to bring my belt down two notches (it already needed one notch because I guess I bought one size too big). I feel better so I’m going to continue the 12-12 fasting. I’ve been able to be more disciplined and some days goes as much as 18 and 20 hours off.

 

 

Looking to the gig change, I see a friend doing it and it’s slow moving so when I pull the trigger, it won’t be an immediate change, which is probably better for me anyway. I don’t want to shock my system too much, but I have also started focusing on a transition, any transition. I decided to go the rest of the way in on Spark Plug Strategies. I can operate it from anywhere and I am truly free of location while running it with the exception of possible in-person client meetings. Some people still like the old fashioned touch and I actually prefer it. Skype and emails will serve the majority of clients though. Spark Plug Strategies is a full-service website design and design company I have been working on for a couple years so I can do everything from building your website to managing your social media and designing company letterhead. I just need an internet connection and iPad or laptop to stay in touch with clients and my design teams. There’s no reason for me not to go forward with it. I ordered business cards for it and plan to be fully functional on SPS by May 1st.

 

I also decided to add a blog piece during the month and I did. I really enjoyed writing Filth Fifteen and got a lot out of it personally so I decided to do two this month, one for sure. I have two quasi-related thoughts bouncing around in my head right now.

 

The book, Do You Have a Pen, is coming along slowly. I did create blank blog pieces on my website here to post each of the main chapters on when we have a countdown  I will make sure everything is ready first before I do the countdown this time  the pieces will comprise the first or second draft version of the book with some parts omitted  the grammar will be horrible and there is gratuitous use of the word “that.” All of those issues will be fixed before it is published.

 

 

In essence, there’s not many changes from my last month’s resolution but I am feeling positive about this one. Next month might be a seemingly big change.

 

For more from Michael, please go to TheMichaelBeebe.com. Thank you!

March 2021 Resolutions

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This will be a short and easy one.

 

First and foremost, I want to continue the intermittent fasting as I have been for the last month with the 12-12 cycle. I have been feeling better while doing it and want to continue that good feeling with a plan of going to the 6-18 version for April.

 

Working on editing the book has been almost nonexistent, but the nice thing about your own book is that you are the only one in true control over it, so I will focus this month on getting the rough drafts turned into a final draft.

 

Lastly is the new contracting job. I have decided to go for it. There is no reason not to and I will focus on the training over the next month in-between my regular job.

 

Adding a fourth resolution that is not associated with any of the previous ones, I want to post one blog piece this month that is seemingly random and departs from what I have normally posted. I want to do something I find fun or of interest.

 

In review, I enjoyed the results of the fasting enough that I will continue it, I was lazy and busy which put my book into further delay, and I made the decision to transfer to a new line of work (causing a great deal of anxiety).

 

For more pieces like this, please go to The Michael Beebe so you can be part of the fun.

Monthly Resolution

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Like most people, I suck at New Years resolutions. Times Tribune’s Jerod Mills wrote, “Studies show that only 8% of Americans who make a New Year’s resolution actually keep them all year and 80% have failed by the start of February.” So being February first, 92% of us gave up already. That means we are all failures and have to wait around another year just to make another feeble attempt at weight loss. Well crap! Now what? Hit that all you can eat buffet and then go home and cry as you eat a whole tub of Ben & Jerry’s to yourself as you sob tears of failure on the kitchen floor. 

 

When COVID-19 hit and everyone panicked and lost their minds, states went into lockdown mode for two to three weeks. It lasted roughly two months in the end. I went something like 56 or 59 days without eating in a restaurant, which was too long. We got through it, though it really sucked. Catholics have Lent and that lasts 40 days. I remember how much Lent sucked. This is ten days less! 

 

I’m a big fan of Tim Ferriss so you will get two references to two different books of his. The first is 4-Hour Work Week. To paraphrase one of the premises the author stated, it’s about taking mini vacations throughout life while you can enjoy things instead of being on the “standard plan” of working till 65, drawing a retirement, going to see mountains you are too old to climb or swimming in oceans you are too out of shape to pass a SCUBA test to dive into. Also wouldn’t it suck to decide you wanted to move to Panama in your golden years based on what others told you, then you sell everything and buy a place there only to discover you can’t handle the humidity and you should have moved to Arizona instead? 

 

Let’s apply this theory to a New Year’s resolution too. Maybe you decided to learn to speak French only to realize you don’t like how it sounds or you meet a beautiful Colombian woman and Spanish was the better answer for you. You’re less invested in French and maybe know a couple words down the line. So let’s focus on monthly resolutions. You can survive a month of going to the gym, eating no carbs, two hours a day of guitar practice, or intermittent fasting. When the month is over, give up if you hate it or work it into your lifestyle if you found it rewarding. 

 

I have both print and audio versions of the Tim Ferriss book “4-Hour Body,” where he makes the valid argument where we all want immediate gratification and one month of the Slow Carb Diet can cause a loss of as much as twenty pounds, which is one pant size. Don’t make the resolution so easy that you will see no results. I can’t expect conversational Spanish in one month, but we can expect you to be able to order in Spanish at your favorite Mexican restaurant after one month of good Spanish learning (as opposed to how high schools teach Spanish). 

 

I am proposing at least two resolutions per month with one directly relating to health and wellness. The other, I feel, should be related to money and / or happiness. 

 

If you want to read the article I quoted in the opening paragraph, please click the following link: https://www.thetimestribune.com/news/local_news/tips-for-making-sure-your-new-years-resolutions-stick/article_8cd14b54-17fd-51a9-ab5a-89859e6e34c4.html

 

I scheduled another piece to post five minutes after this to discuss my February Resolution and you can read that HERE.

 

For more pieces like this, please go to The Michael Beebe so you can be part of the fun. 

New Years Resolutions 2020

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I have decided to do a New Years Resolution list this year and I think I might make this an annual personal piece. Following, I outline several things I want to accomplish for the year that are important to me personally.


Publish Book.

This is sort of a feel-good throwaway I threw in here. I all it a throwaway because it’s been a long-time aspiration of mine to write a book but I always got derailed. It’s no secret now that I have written a book and the final touches are being added to it. It is currently scheduled to be published on my birthday, April 7th. There is still a lot to do before that date, but it is far enough out that everything should be in place by that point. The book is about my travels and has some interesting events thrown in throughout. It became a personal passion project for me and kind of gave me a writing bug. I am proud of my work on it and grateful to those who have both helped me and agreed to help me with other aspects coming up for the book prior to its release.

 

Get Healthier.

I have ballooned up to an unhealthy weight and I don’t like that feeling. I need to lose weight and gain muscle. With this, I know me and I need to set a consequence for failure. I am not jumping on a scale or anything like that, mainly because I am afraid that if I knew what I weighed in at right now, I may shut down emotionally and just not care, so I am using the much more accurate litmus test of shopping. If I have to shop for smaller clothes, it’s working.

 

The consequence I sat is a fate worse than death and I actually achieved if for six months once before, though for different reasons. If I have not lost a noticeable and significant amount of mass between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020, I will go vegetarian for 2021. I REALLY don’t want to do that, but I know I can of I have to.

 

Look into Starting a Podcast.

This seems like a weak heading and passive, but I am not 100% sure yet if I want to, should do it, or can gain traction. This will requiring getting over some limiting beliefs and self-doubts, but also need more discipline to be able to put out one a week that is of interest.

 

Take a Selfie Every Day.

I have listed this one before, but I need to focus on it. It seems rather egotistical, but it’s actually not. I refuse to be in a picture if I am not shaved (head and face) within the last 48-hours. This is about me keeping up with my appearance and making how I look a priority and being presentable.

 

Fully Form Spark Plug Strategies.

Though it exists, I want to focus on the website and features of a consulting and design firm, Spark Plug Strategies, which I have decided to start. The primary focus is digital (websites, apps, social media marketing), but I also need to get systems in place that allow people to get full service consulting and design out of us. For instance, I want to help someone brand their business, create logos, and get physical business cards in the hands of the principals that fit the branding. It’s not just about doing a website here and there, but full synergy.

 

 

New Years Resolutions 2021.

I want to keep this going and make it an annual tradition.

 

Full Deployment of Brand Bee Media.

“What is Brand Bee Media,” you ask? Some people may know that I operate under Son of Bee’s Holdings LLC. Brand Bee Media is just a title and an extension of that, which I may create an LLC for in the future to have as an owned property, but that is not an issue right now. BBM is mostly websites that I have and want to have fully functional. I will list them with a brief overview:


Digitally Unplugged Magazine.


Digitally Unplugged Magazine is an online repository of cool stuff. We will work with venues and musicians to post about shows and artist interviews, but we will also work with some business aspects that are cool and interesting. It is designed to be more lively and fun. We also want to work with interns to write certain amounts of reviews on bands across all genres of big name artists to local bands that write their own lyrics (sorry, bar cover bands). The site is augmented by news releases from various industries.

 

Full Tilt Business.


Full Tilt Business is also augmented by various feeds from large corporations, but we will be giving interns and businesses direct  methods to showcase their writing on different topics related to business.

 

Local Paranormal.


Local Paranormal has a special place in my heart. It was my first website and was operated as a blog site. Now it has been redesigned as an auction site for paranormal objects. From my searches around the internet, it looks to be the only dedicated paranormal action site in existence and if not, the others hide themselves really well. There are a pair of sections for directories also, one is of paranormal museums around the world (of which, there are surprisingly few) and the other will be a directory for paranormal investigators. This directory will be a paid service, but inexpensive. We will charge $20 per year to be listed and that money is simply to make sure the organizations are still in business and keeping their information updated. I am also considering a companion directory for covens, but that’s just a consideration. A solo-practioner Wiccan friend of mine is trying to find a local coven to join and having great difficulty, so I am considering testing to see if there is an interest in such a thing.

 


Tattoo Artist Profiles.


Tattoo Artist Profiles is just that, profiles for your favorite tattoo artist or piercer. This is a directory site, as are the next five. We have free plans up to paid annual plans and I think it’s an awesome system. I have been testing it and need to do my final beta testing before I start opening it up to general usage. Obviously, the free version is limited on features, but still helps the artist with search rankings.


Strip Clubs Near Me.


Strip Clubs Near Me is a directory site that helps strip clubs get to be known by using a common search term…that Google hates. Google isn’t great with strip clubs, so we can help increase a club’s search engine optimization (SEO) by creating an information page for clubs and allowing them to post (non nude) photos and help build brand awareness. This is especially valuable for people traveling

 

Brew Houses Near Me.


Brew Houses Near Me is a directory site for brew houses and micro breweries that serve food and have other accommodations to help grow awareness by people that search for them.

 

Marijuana Near Me.


Marijuana Near Me is a directory site for dispensaries. Face it, however you feel about the subject, legalization is coming and people will want to know where to find their closest recreational or medicinal location.

 

Distilleries Near Me.


Distilleries Near Me is a directory site and may be a tad personal and built out of my love of bourbon and wanting to find the hidden gems, but all distilled spirits are equal and welcome in the eyes of Distilleries Near Me

 

Vineyards Near Me.


Vineyards Near Me is a directory site that will focus on wine tourism. People take vacations based on going to wineries and I simply want to help them be found.

 

I am considering doing a focus on one site per month to launch a fully capable site, even though the last six sites listed are similar designs and the last four listed were actually all built at the same times.

 

Take a Vacation.

Most people know that with my job, I travel a lot and I see some really cool things. Sometimes I get a day-cation somewhere, but usually out of necessity. When I see cool things, it usually has to do with me making some time and maybe spending a couple hours somewhere, but I think I need a few days somewhere. It can be by myself or with friends, but I haven’t really been anywhere for leisure in four or five years and even that time felt forced in a way. I just need a couple two or three days of relaxation and limited schedules to just have fun and see what happens and do it somewhere more than a hundred miles from home.

 

I’m not about that “new year, new me” bullshit. Everyone knows that’s not my style, but I have isolated some goals to personally focus on for the next year. This resolution is sort of a “tell it to the world” idea to help hold me accountable and focus on accomplishing what’s on the list.