Thursday, October 10, 2013
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
ATTENTION - I HAVE ENTERED THE E-VOID!!!
Avoiding someone electronically such as on Facebook, e-mail, IM, or text messages.
It's ok, from what I understand this is a common phenomena with newly minted authors. You send friends your new book, figuring that they'll gladly bound through it. LMFAO. Not!
Apparently asking people who know you to read your book has a powerful cosmic effect on them, rendering them unable to respond to your queries, calls or any other commonly used means of communication. My guess is that they think that since they know you, they figure wtf could possibly be interesting about your writing.
Perhaps valid. But it is an interesting phenomena. Several people who I do not know, have raved about "Alphabet Success", with a couple people asking about potential speaking gigs. No exaggeration. Since I am "unknown" I am possessed of special powers. The old rule "A good consultant is one is who has flown in" is certainly at play.
My guess, it is sort of the rejection of the familiar. If you know me, I must have already told you any important stuff you'd benefit from, and the fact that I decided to organize my thinking means reading the book would be like repeating a grade in high school (not desirable).
Having said that, I think if I sent the same people an e-mail that I had re-built a 68 Corvette, and they should pop by for a look, they'd be there post-haste. Just to be clear, I am not going to re-build any sort of car. A dirty keyboard is about as close to manual labor as I get.
Of equal importance, the new book doesn't mean I am going to wear a bow tie and cravat. Nor will I start smoking a pipe in my favorite leather chair and start wearing blazers with patches on the elbows. But most importantly, if you don't want to read it, just have the balls to say so. One friend bowed out, and I am completely cool with that. I didn't make it this far in life as an emotional cripple.
But since there is an obvious e-void into which I have entered, I want to public acknowledge complete amnesty for those who don't want to read, or even discuss the book. But I'm still putting it on you to "man-up" and say as much. Isn't that what friends do?
Anyhow, I'm not mad, just a bit surprised by people's hesitation to just bow out gracefully.
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Read it, apply it, realize it. FREE! Umm....did I mention....FREE!
With that idea in mind, I am promoting the book today to reducing the price to the incredibly democratic price of ZERO. Yep, today you will be able to download the book for FREE beginning at midnight PST in the USA, which is 9:00am for those of you in Central Europe, 10:00am in the UK and 3:00am for insomniacs on the East Coast of the USA.
My motivation? To get people to try it. What would I really like? Seriously? A positive review on Amazon.com. Now you might think, what will my review do for this book. Plenty. Given my private feedback (even from my remarkably, brutally frank, friends) has all been positive, I think you'll find it worthwhile. So, "do me a solid", and pop your loving review onto Amazon when you are done.
Thanks in advance. You rock!
Have a question or comment? Just reach me at tim@timfargo.com
A sweet moment, that I have awaited for a long time...
This is the opening sentence of an e-mail I just got from Amazon.com.
"Congratulations, your book "Alphabet Success" is live in the Kindle Store and has been enrolled in KDP Select. It is available* for readers to purchase here. "
The beginning of this book began over ten years ago. I was driving across the Howard Franklin bridge and thought it would be kind of cool to create a book that used the alphabet to convey some simple, yet powerful insights into success.
After a variety of events, including the sale of a business, the usual personal things that happen, and the distraction of having suddenly had my dream come true, I finally got around to finishing the idea.
Today is the day.
Needless to say, I am one very very happy guy.
ABC - Always Be Committed. I knew I would finally finish this book, and now it is finally out for the world to see. Will it succeed as a "book"? That is my next application of the principles in the book.
After all, if a guy who promotes success can't get people to buy his book, well, that'd be pretty lame.
But that isn't going to happen...
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Another beautiful day...
Thursday, July 04, 2013
The 4th Away from Home...
From afar, sitting just outside the Swedish capital, the voices of the USA sound like a not so united set of states. Part of that may be the din of the media, or the louder voices seeming to dominant the airwaves.
Regardless, today is a good one to remind ourselves the things that bind us together. Not only our nation, and language, but our shared history of weaving discord and rancor into a rich tapestry binding us ever closer.
It seems most often that we find the thread which holds us together when we discard, if only for a while, our particular ideology or politics.
We all want our nation to remain great. We want to live in safety and prosperity. We hope that our children and friends will make it home safe, and that nobody will be telling us someone we value is gone.
Amidst all the discussion on how we want to go about things, most of us desire the same destination. If we focus on the destination and work toward common methods of getting there we are much more likely to succeed than if we begin wedged in our "trench".
Our freedom of speech ought best be used to find our commonality and community. Our strength is our brand. Our brand is our name. We are the United States of America.
Have a safe 4th of July.
Monday, July 01, 2013
Check out http://alphabetsuccess.blogspot.com/
The book "Alphabet Success" is forthcoming. Starting the drum roll. Please join in the fun.
SUN DON'T SHINE
Back to Stockholm...
As with any journey I am a bit nervous (even after innumerable trips) and excited. My excitement is now two fold.
1) As before I look forward to swimming in the Baltic, seeing friends, and enjoying the lovely (if expensive) environs of Stockholm.
2) It will afford me the opportunity to experience a myriad of business interactions. Some positive, some negative. But all which are likely to appear on alphabetsuccess.blogspot.com.
This is part of my build up to the launch of my book "Alphabet Success". Available in Kindle format for the first 90 days. (Sorry).
My early retirement has frequently prompted the question: "How did you do that?" Now I am attempting to answer the question en masse.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
A Bit of Inspiration, and Reflection from Gabriel Byrne
A Prayer for My Daughter
You are born in love and pain.
Given to us for a short time only.
Before we must let you go again, with love and pain.
One day you'll come to know how close they are, one to the other.
You are a treasure, a blessing, a prayer's answer,A jig in my Irish soul.
You are me, and I am you.
You are both of us, the love of your mother and me.
Let me be worthy of you.
Let me lead you to truth, to beauty, to the mystery of the universe.
You will ask me great questions, and sometimes I will not know the answers.
Perhaps we are not meant to know some things.
That is life too... a seeking.
It may be our only purpose here.
All things are changing, always.
Yesterday is dust, tomorrow a dream.Our gift is now.
And so, my sweet angel, may you know love, and be loved in return.
May you know truth, and laughter, and peace, and happiness,And may the great spirit of the universe enfold you in his arms, and keep you safe, for always.
by
Gabriel Byrne
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Troll on the move...or watching?
These little folks are located throughout Wroclaw. Originally a symbolic part of the Solidarity movement, they seem to be secretly breeding at night. I'll be on the lookout for any that resemble Edward Snowden. Although the mini-statues may be part of another NSA program.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Midsummer's Eve Lunacy!
Every summer solstice in Sweden they pay homage to an ancient pagan tradition and have massive celebrations. This is no exaggeration. On midsummer eve and day it is akin to Christmas. Businesses close early on midsummer eve and celebrations carry on from morning and in some instances into the following morning.
It is worth seeing. Essentially a festival for the sun god (as good as any I suppose). People dance around a fairly phallic pole and sing songs. Many people wear special floral wreaths and occasionally a traditional costume.
As with many celebrations in the western world, it frequently involves a substantial consumption of alcohol.
If you have a chance to visit Sweden to experience it, I suspect you will find it quite charming. Even better for those without a local contact would be to reach out through virtualtourist.com or coachsurfing.com and see if you can wrangle an invite to an actual midsummer party.
Have fun....
Friday, June 21, 2013
Turbo traveling.
As those who know me are aware, I travel nearly nonstop. To do so requires financial freedom, or a job without geographical constraints. But even those with less ambitious travel plans can benefit from getting some basic travel knowledge.
First, sign up for AAA (if you are from the USA) and if you are old enough (50 & from the USA) AARP. You get good discounts and extras which if you travel even reasonably often more than pay for membership fees.
Second, and this requires decent credit, get into the mileage game. I will offer some extra thoughts later, but plenty of advice can be gotten from: www.thepointsguy.com, www.millionmilesecrets.com and travelsort.com. If you want to see the world these sites help.
Mind you, I prefer to use miles exclusively for business class international air travel. The hassle to get a free ticket in coach isn't worth it to me. Esp. if the flight is less than say four hours. But if you want to go to Asia, the Pacific, Africa or Australia, a seat you can truly sleep in makes a huge difference. Forget the "snob" appeal, it is great to hit the road as rested as possible. A tall order on a 12 to 18 hour flight in coach.
Anyhow, there is a start. A little homework goes a long way.
Good luck and safe travels!
Northern California - Elk
When I book travel for an area that is a bit "off the grid", there is a certain degree of skepticism that floats around in my head.
Nonetheless, Elk sounded sufficiently interesting so off we went. Our accommodation ended up being the Elk Cove Lodge. Fantastic. As is the area.
To me you get the Big Sur experience and views without the throngs of traffic. The downside is that your dining and accommodation options dwindle considerably. To me, well worth the trade. But everyone has their own personal preferences.
Enjoy!
Monday, June 17, 2013
Back with my friendly Android....
With the ability to post smaller notes (not quite of Twitter constraints) perhaps we shall stumble forward with the blog. Facebook remains in the rear view mirror. Too much for my personal taste. Obviously a minority opinion. And so we begin.
Currently renting a house that I sold four years ago. Still love it. Though love renting it much more than owning it.
Nestled in the archipelago outside Stockholm it is in an idyllic natural setting. Plenty of walking swimming and wandering in the woods.
A nice start to seeing the kids for the summer. We have plenty of memories here. Now we have a week to create even more.