Category: How to

How you can make today your best day

 

There are many ways that we can do this. You and me both know that if you go full steam getting things done your day will be great. But before even doing that you should be focused and have set goals. Setting daily goals is a very powerful thing. I strongly recommend doing this.

Then you have to be positive. Just like anyone else you will have times when you are thinking negative constantly. Recently I have been more focused on thinking positive and keeping my vision and it has been working. Because we are constantly surround by negative people, complainers and doubters. You know the people who know what you want to do and suggest you take the safe route.

You could be ready to step foot into the career you’ve always wanted and have those people in your ear telling you to take the safe route. Well this is a part of staying focused and positive. Because they will give you their input. But their input is more so in their favor. It is not how you see yourself.

Then being grateful for being alive is important. Just think now  their is someone who would love to be able to do what you do. Someone would love to be able to have internet to read this post. So do your best to start appreciating what you have. These are a few simple tips that will help you make your today your best day.

Recap

  1. Focus more on thinking positive than negative
  2. Listen to yourself
  3. Be grateful

 

Weak links

This is a given in any sport or career. The reason I say that is because some people are simply just weak links. They have the confidence at the beginning but they eventually just give up and quit.

You most likely have met or possibly even been friends with people who are weak links. From the very beginning they were not all in. By all in I mean they lacked the passion. The passion to keep going when times got tough.

Everything that I have done in life there have been these types of people. From skateboarding to now design I have met many people whom just gave up and did something else.

This could also be in relation to what Robert Greene said in regards to people getting bored with a profession. Because if you get bored with something how likely are you to keep doing it? You will eventually stop and find something else to do.

The same type of example is when you are in a relationship with someone and everyday becomes routine. You will eventually get tired of it or just deal with it and find what ignited the spark in the beginning.

So therefore as I come to an end with this post do your best to not start anything you are not going to stick with. If you are not going to give it %120 then don’t even waste your time honestly.

Surviving disappointment

This has to be one of the biggest tests that you can have in life. Because disappointment can be detrimental to someones character and life. I for one have experienced disappointment many times in life. But you know what I did not let it get the best of me.

You have to realize that it is only temporary and not forever. The best way to deal with it is to react properly to the situation. You could either crumble under the pressure or you get face it head on.

Another way to look at disappointments is they are a way for you to see what you are made of. Because many people talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk. By that I mean people say many things but they crumble when it comes to a situation where they have to prove the validity of what they say.

Here are some tips that will help you survive disappointment

Stop and analyze your situation.
Ask yourself what did I do to get into this situation
Is this actually where I want to be
Realize that it is actually the beginning of something great to happen
If you think negatively you will attract those type of situations and etc
Make a plan to overcome what caused your disappointment
Learn that is just a part of life and it builds character

Be as quiet as a fish in the deep

Being a relaxed and calm person is very valuable. Because at times you will come across situations that are difficult. Other things are that or you may lack confidence. The mental game that we play day after day with ourselves and each other is not a joke.

We tend to kill the spirit that we have and at times the hope that we have. One major thing that meditation and yoga has taught me is to have more control over my mind. Everything more or less is to control our minds.

The advertisements, food,music, clothing more or less its a mental thing. This may sound stereotypical to say. But the perspective I am getting at is to have more control over your mind.

As bruce lee said be water. By that he means to be shapeless and formless. If you are formless you will be able to adjust to whatever comes your way. As well as you will be relaxed and have a more calm mind frame.

Weakness

What is a weakness that you have and you are just avoiding it? Because it seems to difficult to tackle it head on. But if you stop being scared you will make a drastic change in your life. You could be doing things that you know are bad for you or you have projects that you’ve planned.

Don’t worry I have been in the same predicament. The reason is because at times we try to over shoot. By overshoot I mean we think that the more we accomplish the better and more rewarding it will be. When in actuality its not as great as it sounds. The only way such a thing can be is if you have set goals and focused energy.

I learned that focused energy with a definite plan is golden. For example if you are setting out to go on a trip you have gps. Therefore you know which turns to take and even have an estimate on how long it will take you to get there. The same thing can be applied to your life.

Focus on your weakness and diminish it. If you are terrible at attention to detail set up a bootcamp for yourself. By bootcamp I mean for you to set rules for you to follow in regards to diminishing your weakness.

Avoiding being scammed as a designer

So not long ago I was contacted for a project. The person whom pretended to be a serious client was indeed not. So after conversing with the person I was convinced.  Then I worked up a quote for them. After they told me the brief about the work they needed. Well I’m sure about needing more so pretending.

So I for one going by the rule of %50 payment up front. The person did not use paypal they strictly wanted to only do check. Then the person sent more than what I quoted. Another thing was after they told me to deposit the remaining half into some account.

Which I told them I am not going to do that. Before you think so you did work for free. No I did not do anything and the client did not sign the contract. If you ever have a client and they are hesitant to sign a contract then you may want to be a little suspicious.

A contract is a way to weed out those whom are serious and or not. Now let’s get back to the check. So to sum it up the person wanted to know when I was going to deposit the check. If I deposited the check and took out the money I would’ve gotten charged for it. Therefore they are getting money for free and work.

From now on I’m only accepting paypal and no checks ever. Well checks only in person. Just remember to be careful and to never ever do any work without getting paid at least %50 upfront.

 

How to Stay Focused

Staying focused for some can seem impossible. Because we are so used to giving ourselves to many different things and people. But you have to soon realize what is actually important. More things that others are just time fillers and wasters. At the time you feel as if you are making so much progress by being busy.

A great example is the people whom are in college and you know they are just going to have something to do. Because they don’t do the homework,projects and study for tests. When a person does things like that they are clearly not focused. They are not focused on getting the degree and education that they are paying for.

The easiest way to stay focused is focusing on what is important. Also realizing what is a time waster for you and what is not. Your values will play a big part with figuring this out. Because a lot of people instead of staying focused they stay lazy and bored.

Do your best to not fall into the category of being a lazy and bored person. When that happens it may take something drastic to happen for you to change. So start the changes before its too late.

A relaxed mind is important

Being a creative individual and having a mind that is not relaxed you will run into a few problems. The type of problems are endless. So remember to take some time to relax. Personally I know how hard that can be to do. Because we are so used to always working.

Then when we are not working it feels as if we are unproductive. But you should remember that if you are always working you will eventually get burned out. A good example is a car that is very low on gas overtime you will eventually stop working.

Take a day to relax and refocus at least one day a week. You will start to notice a slight difference in many aspects of your life.

The legalities of image use while blogging

So the other day (yesterday to be exact) I received an email from none other than getty images. The email states

Dear Josten Dooley ,

It has come to our attention the following image(s) represented by Getty Images are being used or have been used online to promote your company.   

There is more but that is just a snippet from it. But I want you to know if you are a designer or whomever make sure you are careful. Because I for one thought that something like this was rare to happen. Because I thought oh I found this image I’ll use it and link to the person whom owns the photo. Well that does not work if you think it will.

The main thing to remember is that there are ton’s of royalty free images that you can find on various sites. From now I will definitely be using my own and royalty free images. I’m still in shock of such a thing happening with my blog. So take this as a lesson from me and make sure you do not do the same.