89% Funded KickStarter Journal Day 25-26
What lesson can I share today? Today's lesson is on getting out of your comfort zone. If you plan on using crowdfunding for your project and you aren't comfortable asking for help especially monetary help then prepare to be uncomfortable.
It was my hope that one quick email would be sufficient to get enough backing for my project. That was wishful thinking. No, In order to have gotten this far I sent out a newsletter every week. I mentioned it every chance I got at social gatherings. I had numerous one on one meetings with friends and family and I sent out friendly reminders via text especially now that the deadline is approaching.
Now I hope I wasn't a pest. But what I learned in my journey is that "A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have." - Tim Ferriss
So prepare to be uncomfortable because that's where growth occurs.
To a Life Beyond Ordinary!
Orlando Javien Jr., The Man of Many Hats
To follow my entire KickStarter Journal click here.
What's Your Noise?
Good morning a welcome back to The Javien Chronicles! Today I have a question for you. A question to ponder and a question to share if you would like. My question for you today is: Are you living a life beyond ordinary, or are you just existing ("same thing, different day" mentality)?
In the beginning when God created man He said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
If we are to believe God at His word then should we not strive to live in His image. In way that magnifies His greatness. I believe most people choose mediocrity because they are too distracted to see any other way.
One of the latest crazes that is fueling this mindset is the game Pokemon Go. I mean it seems innocent enough. It does get the kids out of the house and walking and interacting with others. However, the problem is most kids and adults who play the game aren't paying attention to their surroundings. That's why the news headlines are plastered with Pokemon Go accidents. The sign below makes you think. Really! Does one really need to be reminded that distracted driving is dangerous.
Pokemon Go is just one of noises preventing many from living in God's image. Do you know what distracts you? If you are a stay-at-home mom, it may be keeping the house in order or driving the kids to all their activities. If you are a teen, it may be your cell phone, social media, or video games. If you love watching or playing sports, that may be what hinders you.
Some noises are louder than others, like an addiction to substances or pornography, while others may not be as loud but innappropriate in certain scenarios.
Take a look at a drum beat. If and when it is played within the context of a parade or concert, it is regarded as music. However, when it is played while someone is sleeping, the beating of a drum is without a doubt, noise.
In my upcoming book I share the noises in my life in hopes that others may recognize the noises in theirs. God speaks in a still small voice. If we neglect to lower the volume how can we ever expect to hear Him.
To a life beyond ordinary!
Orlando Javien Jr., The Man of Many Hats
What's Your Noise? Part II
One of the biggest distractions and loudest noises in my life was an addiction to pornography. It was an addiction that consumed me daily and almost consumed my marriage. One of the detrimental affects of the addiction was the barrier that it created between my wife and I. My wife always wanted to talk to me and she wanted to know what was on my heart. But because only darkness dwelt in my mind and in my heart I choose to stay quiet, afraid of revealing my sins.
Then on August 14, 2007, when the weight became more than I could carry, I gained enough courage to seek help. On that day I attended a 5:00 A.M. prayer meeting and at that meeting I encountered God and was forever drawn to His light.
God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:5-9
I've been asked why I am so open about my past struggles. I think the best answer can be found in the Gospel of Matthew.
In Matthew 7:3-5 Jesus says, Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
From the above passage I've learned that if I point to my own log for others to see, invariably others can see the splinters in their own eyes. And when the obstructions are removed from our eyes, it is then, that we can see the true beauty of God's light.
If you know of a family member or friend that is having marital struggles please forward this message to them. It may be what they need to hear. Also take a moment to watch the video below so you can take a glimpse of God's bright light.
KickStarter Journal Day 10
Good morning and welcome to Day 10 of my KickStarter Journal!
It's day 10 and there has been very little activity since the surge I saw last week. It is to be expected. I mean people have lives. No one besides myself is watching everyday to see if the pledge number goes up.
So the lesson for today is on planning. Because I have an idea of the mindset of people, I realize that I will need to remind them again soon to keep the momentum and at the same time not harrass them. So my plan for the upcoming weeks is to unveil a couple of comic strips that relate to my book. I plan on unveiling one each week until the campaign comes to a close.
I plan to use it like a movie trailer that allows my audience to experience the book before it comes available. So keep an eye out for the first one. I plan to unveil it on Tuesday.
To a Life Beyond Ordinary!
Orlando Javien Jr., The Man of Many Hats
KickStarter Journal Day 9
Good evening and welcome back to my KickStarter Journal. Today is Day 9 of my experiment. Today was a slow day. No new backers.
Hmmm? What lesson can I share today? I think today would be a great day to talk about persistence. Tonight as I reviewed my numbers I contemplated skipping out on the journal entry. I mean nothing changed from yesterday to today.
Yesterday I had 8 backers and $431 pledged. Today I have 8 backers and $431 pledged. At first glance one could say that today was a failure. That would be true if the only goal was to get pledges. But if you go back to Day 1 of my journal you can see that the overall goal was to create a buzz, raise capital and to learn something.
Although these journal entries haven't yielded any pledges, what they have yielded is exposure. Like a pebble being dropped in water creates ripples, each post yields a few more views via LinkedIn and each new post yields a few more views on YouTube. So in the respect to the goal of creating a buzz. Today was a good day!
To a Life Beyond Ordinary!
Orlando Javien Jr.
KickStarter Journal Day 8
Welcome back to my KickStarter Journal. At the end of the night, I got one new backer. "FANTASTIC!" As of tonight my campaign is 28% funded with 23 days to go. We are on our way!
What lesson can I share from this day? Well without sounding like a broken record, I believe the most important lesson is on relationships. In preparation for my KickStarter campaign I studied many successful ones and many unsuccessful ones. If I can nail down one common thread in the failed campaigns, it's that they are not relational. It looks as if the creator just threw up an idea and hoped the World Wide Web community would just magically fund them. It's like going to a business mixer and handing out your business card to everyone and anyone hoping someone will call you tomorrow.
In business there's this saying, "It's not what you know, but who you know." I believe it should read, "It's not who you know, but who knows you."
In Matthew 7:21–23, Jesus says “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’”
Why would Jesus say to them, "I never knew you?" I believe its because many knew of Him but not all of them knew Him intimately. I could say that that I know who the president of the United States is but that's not going to get me a seat at his dinner table.
In my video below I share how one can form an intimate relationship Jesus. The lessons I share can also be used in creating relationships with others hence helping one with their KickStarter campaign.
To a Life Beyond Ordinary!
KickStarter Journal Day 7
Hello and welcome to Day 7 of my KickStarter campaign. The last two days were pretty dry and a bit depressing but today I got 3 new backers and now the project is 25% funded. YEAH!
What lesson can I share from this day? I believe the three new backers were attributed to my recent newsletter. In my newsletter I shared how special this month is. This month marks the 9th year of my walk with Christ. In the newsletter I shared with my audience the highlights of the past years so they could be a part of my story.
Also in my newsletter I thanked those who already backed me and explained in detail why I needed the funding. I've learned that its important to share why someone should support you. I don't think I did that very well in my first announcement.
Also an important lesson to be shared is the importance of relationships. I try to foster relationships by sharing my stories in my newsletters and by regularly reaching out to friends and family via text messages and phone calls. I am also very active in church ministries where I have the great pleasure of greeting people at the door on Sundays and encouraging the men at retreats and regular groupings.
Because of these activities its not a surprise that my recent backers were a friend from highschool and two people I attend church with. So the lesson of this day is to be visible to your audience, explain your need, and foster relationships.
That's it for today!
To a Life Beyond Ordinary,
Orlando Javien Jr., The Man of Many Hats
KickStarter Journal Day 6
For me when things aren't going the way I would like them to be going, I like to look up motivational images. The late Zig Ziglar was once asked, "Is motivation permanent?" He replied, "No, and neither is bathing that's why I recommend it daily."
So today to motivate me and for you if you are following my journal I found this image of Nick Vujic, the man with no arms and no leg, to focus on.
Attitude is everything when you try to bring something amazing into the world. So with the above image I will continue talking to potential backers tomorrow and praying that others will help.
I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings,
Orlando Javien Jr., The Man of Many Hats
KickStarter Journal Day 5
It's Day 5 of my KickStarter Campaign and it looks like I got zero backers today. No sweat I still have 27 days to go. I did speak to a potential backer that I got confirmation that they would support me but no funds yet so I won't count my chickens til they hatch.
What lessons can I share today? Well I did try to do some outside advertising with individuals that promised to share my campaign to their audience. Did it work? I really won't be able to know until the end of the campaign. It wasn't an expensive venture. I only spent $15 dollars on Fiverr.com. At best it's creating spider webs in the world wide web.
So bye for now!
Orlando Javien Jr., Author
Stop Googling Yourself and God Made Me Pick Up Underwear
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