Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if it was more like Minecraft. I wake up alone in the middle of a foreign, undeveloped terrain full of wild animals and scary beasts. My only tools are my fists. I’ve got 12 hours until sunset.
Sometimes I fantasize about escaping through tunnels. When I was young I wanted to build a secret tunnel outside my brother’s basement closet wall. I never did, but I wanted to. I still think about digging a hole in my basement floor.
Maybe that’s because I’m an introvert. At least I am some of the time. I know this because I get energy when I’m alone. But when I’m alone, all I want to do is find things to share with other people. So maybe I’m an extrovert. Who knows.
The only times I’ve been alone in real life is when I chose to run away. People naturally group together. We are naturally social. It gets harder to make friends as an adult. You have to be more intentional about it, but it’s still possible.
In elementary I had a wooden fort in my backyard I made from recycled fence material. In middle school I built forts out of osage orange trees and old telephone poles. When I got one fort done, I’d start another. I do the same in Minecraft.
I go out exploring until I find a good spot to built an outpost. I then spend a few days to a few weeks setting up a small outpost. Sometimes people come behind me and the outpost grows into a town, but by then I’ve moved on.
I’m a developer. I develop new procedures, new roads, new towns, new ideas, and new products. I help get things started and then I move on. I’m a maker, a doer. Less talking, more action. But enough about me. Let’s move on.
One of the most popular computer games right now is Minecraft, a game that allows you to create, edit, and explore worlds by digging, transforming, and creating new things out of basic materials like wood, stone, and metal.
I started playing Minecraft on November 27, 2011. Two days later I noted, “I bought it specifically to dig holes and play with flowing water. The zombies really scare me so I started playing in creative mode. However, there is something not as fun when there are no limitations. And I was disappointed in whatever physics logic is used to control water flow. When water is released by digging next to it, it flows for a little while and then stops. It doesn’t flood wherever it can like real water would.”
On February 18, 2014 I was driving to work and heard The Foundation’s podcast, “Learning to Play and Boosting Productivity – with Charlie Hoehn”. In it, Charlie talked about how he discovered the power of play. One thing that struck me is how both James – in his post about Mastery – and Charlie, in his book Play It Away: A Workaholic’s Cure for Anxiety ask the reader to “List everything you enjoyed doing [before, when you were young]”.
When I first heard the question, I didn’t know the answer. All I could think about was how I really didn’t like playing traditional sports. But the second time I heard the question, it’s as if my mind was prepared for the answer and I started to think about all of the time I spent going out into the woods and creating spaces for myself. I called them “forts” because I didn’t have a better word for them at the time, but they were just private, open spaces where I could go to get away.
When I was young I created these types of spaces in urban environments under bridges, in my backyard, at summer camps I worked at, and at colleges I attended. In high school I watched The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995) – a movie about a map maker who comes to measure a mountain – just to learn more about maps and mountains. It turns out it was all a ruse to get us to watch Hugh Grant fall in love for two hours.
Minecraft Cartoons
Back in January of 2012 I decided I’d try my hand at making some Minecraft comics and then point you to some that other people have done. I’m no Oatmeal or XKCD, but I wanted to share regardless. This was my first attempt.
MapreneursObjectionable PhysicsMineworld Problems
Here’s some Minecraft cartoons that other people have done:
I’m underutilized. There are whole evenings where no one has any work for me to do. There are no meetings to attend. I spend entire Saturdays and entire Sunday afternoons with no work requests. So what do I do?
I rest. I meet with friends. I read articles on the Internet. I make videos. I tweet. I update my website. I go for a walk. There is still more time. There is a ton of time. I take the kids to the park. I read to them. Still more time.
There have been times in my life where I’ve felt overwhelmed or underwater. But even in these times, with a little bit of diligence and perspective, the short periods were not as bad as I originally thought. It was okay.
Do I need more purpose in my life? Do I need more goals? How do I determine success? What do I want? Maybe I’m being too introspective and I’m asking the wrong questions. Maybe I should look outward more.
Who can I help more? How can I start thinking more about other people’s needs, rather than my own? How can I seek to add more value to the world than the value I take from it? What I can I do to get started?
In order to reach my next goal of earning $20,000 a month, I’m aiming to create $200,000 a month in value to the world (or $2.4 million in value per year). This changes how I think about the problem I’m solving.
I don’t know how I’m going to get there, but I’m going to document the process so you can follow along with me. I’ve heard that if I ‘take massive action’ or even if I ‘work a little bit every day’ I’ll get there. We’ll see.
I hated to weedeat. I never wanted to do it again. I thought that if I killed the grass, I wouldn’t have to do it again. Every spin of the plastic blades was murder. I wanted the grass to die. And it did.
But something worse returned.
Bare ground, like power, abhors a vacuum. There is always a nefarious weed seed ready to grow in place of the previous grass. But unlike grass, weeds grow at a faster rate, and in weirder directions.
Instead of simply trimming the grass, now I had to trim the tops and sides of the crazy-haired weeds. They too would have to die. But there was nothing I could do to kill them. It was me who had to change.
Instead of fighting the grass, I would work with it. Instead of trying to kill the grass, I would simply trim it back. Two things happened: I started to actually enjoy weedeating and the grass didn’t die.
Zen masters who trim bonsai trees seek, “a kind of oneness with nature and with the universe” and they used it as a discipline to aid enlightenment. Trimming bonsai trees was also used as a means to meditate.
When you’re out weedeating you have a lot of time to think. This time can be used to appreciate nature and practice an attitude of gratitude or it can be used to be vengeful and hate your life. I’ve done both.
Thomas Campbell, physicist, author, and expert on consciousness, believes love is the opposite of fear and love lowers entropy while fear increases entropy. 1 John 4:18 says, “perfect love drives out fear.”
When we decide to love what we are doing and change our attitude about work, we reduce entropy and help bring harmony to our lives and the lives around us. In this, I’m reminded of this poem from 1100 A.D.:
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town.
I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself,
and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself,
I could have made an impact on my family.
My family and I could have made an impact on our town.
Their impact could have changed the nation and
I could indeed have changed the world.”
by Unknown Monk, 1100 A.D.
Update: if you’re looking for a coconut oil that tastes, smells, and feels like Skinny Coconut Oil from Skinny & Co., check out Dignity Coconut Oil (affiliate link). Like Skinny, their coconut oil is raw and they use glass jars instead of plastic, but the best part is their mission to raise women out of poverty.
This is a video I made for Skinny Coconut Oil using an MP3 from Pure Green Mag where the president, Matt Geddie, was featured as a guest on her podcast. Videos are from 2013-2015 featuring Luke Geddie, Stephanie Demic, Chris Murphy, Erich Stauffer, Matt Geddie, Joy Reese, Marcella Hoard, Michael Smeehuyzen, Madeline Disalvo, and Mary Pempek. With a special guest appearance: Kevin Stauffer. Not featured: Joseph – the first packing guy, Jennifer – the first sales lady, Lisa Vitkin – the first customer service lady (to get more off of Marcella’s plate), Peyton Zehner, and Madeleine Parker – the finance lady.
The story on Skinny & Co’s website has ranged from being about Luke, Matt, and Kim to now Luke and his mom, Joy. It was originally written by Chris Murphy in 2013 and slightly edited by me and Madeline in 2014, but it’s mostly maintained the same story. While it’s meant to weave a story about the outcome of 2 brother’s adventure around the world, it comes across as 2 rich kids who have started a company and has little to do with the people buying the product. This is my first draft at a slightly different story: one told from your perspective – a perspective that our target customers can identify with and be a part of:
New Skinny Story (Erich Stauffer’s “Joy” Version, written 5/7/2015)
As a stay-at-home mom who lives a holistic lifestyle, Joy understands what it’s like to spend your days helping others, preparing meals, taking care of children, and doing daily chores. She had spent her whole adult life providing for her children, but in 2013 her children had a surprise for her.
When her son brought home a new type of coconut oil from Vietnam, she immediately noticed a difference. Joy had tried a wide variety of coconut oils over the years and used it for everything from cooking to skin care, but she had never seen any oil as pure and white as this.
As a holistic practitioner who understood the power of raw, alkaline foods, she had the oil tested and was astonished to find that it had the highest alkaline of all coconut oils. She knew then that she had to do everything she could to help other people like her get access to this new type of oil.
That’s when she decided to start Skinny and Company.
What started as a small-batch coconut oil company out of her home kitchen is now a thriving business in downtown Broad Ripple – Indianapolis’ holistic hotbed. That’s where she met Omar, a well-known yoga instructor and massage therapist.
“He just showed up on our doorstep and demanded to know more about Skinny Coconut Oil,” Joy said, “After talking to him for an hour, we knew that our customers would love him – and they do!”
In addition to adding Omar to the team, Joy brought on Mary, a wellness coach, to help people like her learn how to incorporate Skinny Coconut Oil into their lives. Mary and Joy made fast friends and our wholesale clients just love working with her. We think you will, too.
We know you are pulled in many different directions and are responsible for making other people feel loved, appreciated, and understood, but at Skinny and Company you are surrounded by people who love you and can’t wait for you to feel the same way we do.
A Review of Skinny Coconut Oil
Adding coconut oil to your coffee is an easy way to supplement meals, to boost your metabolism in the morning, and to give your brain a boost of energy to start the day.
Are you interested in learning about essential oils?
My wife and I have found essential oils to be a great blessing in our house to keep people healthy and the house clean. The uses of essential oils in the house never cease to amaze me.
How to get started with essential oils?
I always recommend a Premium Starter Kit from Young Living because it comes with the Everyday Oils collection, a diffuser, and your own wholesale discount. Young Living is the leading manufacturer of essential oils.
What’s included in the kit?
The Everyday Oils collection includes 10 of the most popular oils and a diffuser. These versatile oils are a great starting point to use for yourself, children, pets, and around the house. It includes two of my personally favorite oils: Stress Away (to reduce stress) and Digize (to help with digestion).
What is a diffuser?
The diffuser is tool that diffuses essential oils into the air for inhalation and use on the skin. At home my wife and I run diffusers all day long to improve moods and help us get our work done. The Young Living diffuser is especially nice because it comes with a one-year, no-hassle warranty.
What is the wholesale membership discount thing?
That’s just what Young Living calls it so that you can get discounts on ordering any other products you may want. It’s like getting a membership to Costco. By becoming a wholesale member, you are able to get your oils at a 24% discount.
Do I have to sell anything?
No. When you become a wholesale member, there is no obligation to ever buy another oil or sell anything. However, if you or your wife ever wanted to make money selling essential oils like me and my wife do, we would be happy to talk to you about that.
What do I do once I have the kit?
You can always ask me or my wife anytime or join online teaching classes including “Essential Oils 101” classes. My wife hosts classes on Facebook and all new members get subscribed to a 4 week email training course to help them get started.
What if I have specific questions?
If you have any questions, I would love to answer them for you. My wife and I are always available to answer questions. If you would like to meet over Skype we can do that to answer any questions you have about using oils in your home.
Where can I find more information?
I’ve attached a graphic to the end of this post that talks a bit more about the Premium Starter Kit. You can also find out more information on the Young Living website (https://www.youngliving.com/en_US) and on our site (http://livinghappyoils.com/)
Why should I buy the kit now?
The starter kit is normally priced at $160, however it’s currently on sale for $150 to celebrate an upcoming convention that is just a few days away. The retail value of the kit is over $300, so buying the kit bundled together in this way is a significant savings.
How do I buy a kit?
Simply go to this link (http://livinghappyoils.com/suzanne) and choose “Wholesale Member” to get the discount. This PDF (link) briefly goes over the enrollment process. Again, there is no obligation with a membership. It’s simply a fabulous deal!
I wondered if I was making the right decision. I didn’t know. Amazon was having a Prime Day. There were going to be sales. My wife said she wanted tablets for the kids. I bought 3.
What effect would it have on the family? Would they ever talk to me again? How would we keep them from breaking them? How would we keep them safe online? I didn’t know.
I’m an IT guy, but I wasn’t looking forward to setting up 3 tablets at once (one Mini iPad and 2 Kindle Fire HDs for Kids). I didn’t setup any of them. My wife did it. That was nice.
What’s changed? My oldest daughter now texts me throughout the day. She asks me weird questions like, “How we will survive when the inventors starve us?” and “How was your day?”
My second oldest daughter Skypes with her friend in Chicago and sets the tablet next to the computer while she’s playing Minecraft. She already has a webcam. I’m not sure why she does this.
My oldest son likes downloading books and games to read. Books, movies, and TV shows are included in Amazon Prime on the Kindle Fire HD for Kids and parental controls are great.
Longer movies can be downloaded to view offline while in the car, but we limit their time on the tablets and have them locked via a pin code. We can also set it to turn off at a certain time of night.
When I came home from work today, the kids were sitting around the dinner table eating pizza and my oldest son showed me his favorite game: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Nice.
I have no delusions about them somehow becoming smarter or more tech savvy from having the devices, but I have noticed it’s dramatically changed how they interact with the world.
My son takes pictures with his Fire and shows me a slideshow. I get to see the world from his point of view and see the pride he has in presenting me his work. “That’s the best one!” he says.
They still greet me when I come home and hug me before they go to bed, but they also come over just to ask me to unlock their tablet (versus asking me for my phone when I get home).
When I was growing up we had Nintendo and VHS tapes. This is the same thing, replaced instead by apps and instant video streamed over the Internet. Ok, it’s actually quite different.
The easiest way to use Gmail with your organization is to buy Google Apps, but sometimes that’s not possible. However, there is still a way to use Gmail with your company email address.
How do I get my email in my Gmail account?
There are a couple of ways to do this. Your web host may have the option to forward your email to your Gmail address. Check with your company’s IT department to see if this is possible. If that is not possible, the next best option is to have Gmail check the email the way Outlook does using “POP”.
How do I add a POP email account in Gmail?
In Gmail, click on the gear ‘settings’ icon and click on “Settings”. Click the tab “Accounts”. Click “Add another email address you own”. A pop up will appear, enter your email address “youremail@yourdomain.com” and click on Next Step. The way this is done varies by web host.
In the following example, I will be using specific instructions for 1and1 webmail.
Under Username enter your email address “youremail@yourdomain.com”, enter the password you usually use for your email address. For 1and1 email use POP Server: pop.1and1.com and Port: 995, check the box “always use SSL” and check the “Label Incoming messages”, (Note: if you would like to keep a copy of your emails on your 1and1 server, check the box “Leave a copy of retrieved message on the server.”) and finally click on Add Account.
Click finish, go back to your inbox, and wait for the confirmation code to be emailed to you. Since it is forwarded to your email, it will come to you. Copy the code and go back into your settings > accounts and add in the confirmation code. You will now also be able to “Send as” this new email. It will be an option in a drop-down menu when composing new emails.
How would I put this on my cell phone?
The simplest way is to check it via the Gmail app in your phone after you add it to your Gmail.
How do we create a signature for it?
For signatures, you have to setup the signatures in Gmail. In the General tab you can setup a different signature for each email account listed in Settings > Accounts.
While the Gmail app on your phone won’t show the signature on the screen, it will attach the signature on send. When you go to send an email from your Gmail app in your phone, click your email address. A drop-down list will appear. Choose the email you want to send from and it will use that signature.
I would consider us nearer to full-stack marketers than any one thing, but wonder if this article is just a result of the difference in cultures between SF and the Midwest. Although I can think of exceptions, most non-employee consultants claim to be ‘full stack’ around here even though few are. Whereas most employees are more pigeon-holed and do more or less only a few things – such as sales or product management. I’m not sure either one is better or worse than the other. They each have their place: smaller teams need a more rounded guy, but larger teams can afford less rounded specialists.
From Justin, “I think the SF/Valley/Startup culture difference shifts the relevance of this article significantly for us.
I think on a strict application level, we are neither a building founder or a selling founder. This article very narrowly targets the discussion on a startup that develops “Valley” tech. We serve (varying, and at different individual mixes for each) marketing functions for our customers – but here’s the rub: it is usually for a product and company that already exists.
Now, in a sense, we are the product. For me, my product (design services, my reputation, a valuable solution pitch) is really just me. And while I will call that product the same thing, the actual product has great variability with each customer (or with each job of the same customer). I’m really just building a business on a talent, but I don’t have a building founder (because there is no focused product that the company markets).
Additionally, in a loose application, I don’t feel adequately talented (nor interested) in the full-stack of marketing duties. That is why I would love to have two roles on a full-stack marketing company: creative direction and visual design (creating things by pushing pixels, vectors, typography, and layout).
That said, I can take away a good point from this article, my business can neglect neither the product (sharpening my axe, identifying services [and means of delivery for those services] that I should pick up to serve my market better) nor the selling (pitching, building rep, demonstrating work I have done).
With that said, the next six months are critical to me: in that time I will decide to try to continue independently, join a small company or cooperative, abandon design and focus entirely on writing, or (dark horse) go to seminary.”
My oldest son likes downloading books and games to read. Books, movies, and TV shows are included in Amazon Prime on the Kindle Fire HD for Kids and parental controls are great.
How do I add a POP email account in Gmail?