The Focus Course

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Seven years ago (7!) I sat down in my home’s office and wrote and published my first post as a full-time, indie writer.

At the time I was not yet 30 years old. My wife and I had no kids. And my office looked like this:

It has been an amazing 7 years.

Since then I’ve started a handful of new websites. My wife and I now have 3 boys. We moved to a new home and new office. I hired a full-time employee (Isaac) and several amazing part-time contributors. Travelled all over the country.

It was February 2011 that I announced I’d be taking the website full time. I made a very dorky video asking folks to support me at $3 per month.

At the time, I assumed advertising was the way forward. But I didn’t have enough website traffic to earn enough in advertising. So I figured that the only way I could get going would be to “subsidize” some of my income through monthly donations directly from readers.

This was before Patreon or anything. And the only folks I knew doing anything like this were John Gruber and Roger Ebert.

Turns out, that direct support from your audience truly is the way forward. Little did I know that slowly, over time, advertising revenue would go down and income from readers, customers, and members would go up.

I’m so thankful for the friendships that have emerged over the years. I’ve gotten to know many fellow writers, Mac nerds, coffee geeks, and other peers in the entrepreneurship space.

Their encouragement and advice has been so helpful.

Some of it I was able to get directly, and some of it I just gleaned by watching what others did and then assimilating it to my own world.

There are some things that you build just for yourself. Your hobbies and interests may be things that you do for your own enjoyment and core desire.

And there are some things you build just for others. This may be your 9-5 job where you are doing what you need to do in order to make the rest of life be okay. Or it’s giving selflessly to the needs of someone else.

But there is a type of magic that happens when you build something that is for yourself and for others…

Building something that matters to you but that also provides value to others can be exhilarating and exhausting; fun and terrifying. It has its ups and downs.

Because what you’re doing is, you are taking something you care about and you are putting it out there into the world, and you are asking other people to care about it as well.

For sure, some people will hate it or be indifferent.

But, some people, will love it.

Like I said, it can be terrifying. But it’s that risk and adventure of unknowing that is, to me, half the fun.

As I look back at the work I’ve been able to do for you these past 7 years, I feel very proud.

In seven years from now it will be 2025… I’ll be sneaking up toward my mid-40s. My wife and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary. My oldest boy will be in middle school. My CJ-7 will be more than 40 years old and will qualify for one of those vintage collector’s car license plates. And my online business will have been going for nearly 15 years.

What will the Focus Course look like in 7 years?

What will my team look like? What will the online landscape look like? What will social media, email, and online economics be like?

There is a lot of life to live between now and then…

…and when I get there, I expect to look back at the choices I will have made and I hope to feel free from any regrets.

Of course, I don’t know exactly what all the circumstances of my life will be in seven years from now. Nor do I know what things will be outside of my control.

But I do know that between now and then I will be intentional with the choices I make regarding my time, my finances, my relationships, and my health.

I don’t know if the past seven years have been kind to you or not. I don’t know if you can look back and feel free from regret, or if there are things you wish you’d done differently.

However, I do know that for the NEXT seven years, you can get fresh focus and make wise changes…

Where will YOUR life be in seven years?

• How old will your car be? At 12,000 miles per year, that’s 84,000 miles. Will you need a new car by then?
• How many years will you have left on your mortgage? What about student loans? Car payments?
• What ages will your kids be? What grade in school will they be?
• How old will YOU be?
• Anniversary?

Think of one area of your life?

• Relationships
• Finances
• Health
• Job
• Rest / Recration
• Inner Personal

In 7 years from now, what is something you would like to be true?

• In 7 years from now, I’d like my house to be paid off.
• In 7 years from now, I’d like to be free from lower back and neck pain.

In one year from now, what is something that would need to be true to move you toward your goal for 7 years from now?

For me:

• I’d need to have paid down an amount that is equal to 15% of my current mortgage.
• I would like to have more clarity on what it is that is causing my lower back and neck pain. (Posture when sitting / standing? Sleeping? Not lifting properly? Lack of core strength?)