Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Things I Wonder: Could This Blog be Better?
Could this blog be better? Yes, of course. But how? As a guy who’s been blogging for nearly a decade (I’m rounding up), you’d think I’d have it all figured out, by now.
I don’t.
I feel like I should just go back to making this a personal journal about whatever it is I’m doing. Like this weekend. As of Friday when I left for work, I had really not much of anything planned for the weekend. Then, there happened to be extra tickets to Disney on Ice for Friday night, so I asked for some and took my family. The 9-year-old boy was excited to go, but didn’t end up having all that much fun because, “there were too many princesses,” even though later he said, “some parts were sorta funny.”
Also, at some point during the day, my wife happened into 4 Michigan State football tickets, so before I knew it, my Saturday morning and afternoon were planned.
Then, the wife suggested, “hey, after the football game, whey don’t we head over the river and through the woods to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.”And we all voted YES.
Again, from no plans to a full, amazing weekend complete with driving Michigan backroads during its peak color tour.
But who’s going to read or care about a blog like this? Maybe just me, and maybe that’s just OK. I used to call my blog “Don’s Ego” and I gave everyone fair warning – this blog was going to be heavy on Don-related things.
What else am I doing? I’m trying to get full night’s sleep. I think it’s just a phase and I’m sure I’ll get back on track, but for some reason, when I wake up at night, I’m awake and that’s it and there’s no going back to sleep. It doesn’t help that my youngest daughter gets up just about every night for some reason or another – bad dream, itchy legs, “heard a noise.” The problem is, once I wake up, I feel awake and alert. It’s not stress or worry and usually I daydream about things – the same as I do at bedtime – and that usually puts me to sleep, but lately I daydream (in the middle of the night) and I don’t disappear into those dreams, anymore.
So there you have it. I think this blog is silly and pointless, I had a busy weekend, and I can’t sleep.
Seems like this could’ve been three blog entries. But who would read blog entries about sleep, an impromptu weekend, and blogging discipline?
Oh. Me. That’s who.
Things I’m Doing: Sleeping
Hello, R.E.M. sleep. It’s been a while. Science tells us sleep is important. I don’t argue with science. But what if, despite the best science available, “sleep” doesn’t happen?
I won’t say I’ve been an insomniac for most of the past 6 months, but my routine has been (a) watch TV until my brain can stop thinking about the day that I just finished and the day ahead of me, (b) wake up on the couch in a very tired state (c) drag myself to my bed and hope I can remain in this dream-like state until I hit my pillow and fall immediately asleep and finally (d) pray I don’t wake up in a panic at 4 a.m.
The problem is, as I guess is the case with most people struggling to sleep, is you add the worry of, “I need to sleep or tomorrow will be worse than today,” and suddenly you have another failure to obsess about. You start thinking about how much you used to enjoy bedtime and how you weren’t nervous or scared to wake up the next day.
Feelings of doubt, fear, regret, failure, anger, and sadness don’t help with sleep.
Last night? I slept. Today? I feel amazing. I have a feeling of optimism that’s been missing for many days and night.
All because of sleep. And what did I do with this new found energy and optimism. I went shopping.
Later, I might go for a walk. I might watch some TV and get some more writing done. Truly, with a good nights sleep, I can do anything.
Have you ever had trouble sleeping? From grief? Anger? Sadness? Stress? What did you do? How did you fix it and make sure you got sleep?
Leave a comment or Tweet at me at @donkowalewski.
Things I Think: A Rent Control Scam for a Century
It’s been a while since I had random thoughts. Random thoughts used to keep me going.
If I understand “rent control”, it’s something that happens in Manhattan. Or maybe all of New York. I mostly know about it through sitcoms and films set in New York. It’s a system for protecting little old ladies who started renting their apartment in 1970 from having to pay whatever the 2013 going rate is and, hence, being unable to afford it.
I always imagine some cute little 80-year-old woman is paying $315 a month for a great place overlooking Central Park.
It would be great if some guy rented an apartment, say, back in 1946, just after the war, and before he decided to move out in 1955, found another person who looked very similar to himself and let that dude take over the rent. And when that guy decided to move on, he’d find another guy who looked like himself and rent to him. And so on and so on. The first renter could’ve willed some of his clothes and his tell-tale Mets hat to the next tenant to really fool the landlord. In fact, it could go one step further… the new tenant would also have to change his name, legally.
People need to be more creative.
This could be made into a movie. An epic “period piece” spanning many decades in New York and show how a man named so-and-so always made headlines and was a part of many incredible, historic moments. Interesting people would move into and out of the apartment building, never realizing the so-and-so they said good morning to on a Thursday wouldn’t be the same person they said it to on Friday. Now I just need a motive, a climax, and an ending. But I have a premise.
Things I Don’t Do: Write What I Know
Lately, this blog is “trying too hard.” What happens is, I read six Seth Godin books in a row, I spend hours traveling around in a rental car and listening to Seth Godin books on CD, and suddenly I think, hey, I’m going to be Seth Godin.
But I’m not Seth Godin.
Then I got a book on CD about the Vatican and read a buncha stuff written by Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II, and wouldn’t you know it, suddenly I started writing like I was some sort of theologian.
I’m not any of those things. I’m a father, a husband, and friend. And I’m barely a B- or C+ at any of those things. I’m an employee (80% of the time). I fancy myself a “writer” and I do some writing here and there. I blog, Tweet, and Facebook a bit. And I do some public speaking when asked.
But …what am I? What do I know? Does anyone really know what they know?
I always wish I just had this incredible knowledge of automobile engines and I could blog about that. Knowing stuff about engines, I figure, makes you smarter than 90% of everybody else. But then I think, um, since 90% of all people don’t care a rats ass about car engines and how they work, well, that’s not a great idea for a blog.
What if I wrote a “Fatherhood Friday” weekly post? Would that catch-on? What about “Writing Wednesdays?” Or “Try-Something Tuesdays?” Would any of that be interesting? And would it get me 1,000 readers?
What do I know? What makes me special? And am I asking the right questions? Or should I even be asking questions? Maybe I should just write things on here about what I’m doing, and maybe you’ll get wrapped up in the “adventure” of my life.
Everyone’s got a blog. And so do I. This is what Ricky Gervais says about writing and creativity. Look for future blog entries where I write as if I’m Ricky Gervais.
Things I’m Doing: Using Evernote
So I follow this cat named Damien on Twitter and he’s a writer (writes alotta right-wing stuff, which isn’t my cuppa tea, but that’s not really the point of this blog). He writes alot and one day he opined about how much he loves Evernote. He’s not alone in my Twitter feed in his praise for Evernote. But I wasn’t sure, the few times I’ve tried it, how to make it work.
I asked him, he gave me some tips, and in two short weeks, I’ve managed to funnel just about every thought, article, task, list, schedule, and picture into I can think of. It’s on my iPad, my laptop, my iPhone, my computer at work, and if I could install it on my watch, I probably would.
I use it like my own personal Pinterest, but it’s better, actually.
If you’re a writer, or a multi-tasker, or you’re trying to balance home life, work life, hobbies, and other random activities, this is your app.
I fell in love when I got the idea to file the PDFs of my son’s and my daughter’s soccer schedules into it. See, storing a PDF, say, on my laptop is a good thing. It allows me to eliminate another email from my Inbox. But what if I’m sitting in a doctors waiting room and someone asks, “can you come for a follow up on such-and-such date?” And I say, hmmm, maybe, I’ll have to check because I think I have a soccer game that day. Well, with Evernote, I know that no matter what device I have with me, I can check.
I also have a book project I’m working on and my client shared a large document with me and I’ve been able to migrate material, research papers, etc all to a Notebook created specifically for this book.
For my job, I need to track leads, ideas, and sometimes record some audio …Evernote does it all.
Have I sold you on Evernote? Probably not. But if you meet me for a cuppa coffee someday, I’ll probably bore you to death telling you about how great this app is for staying organized across the many categories of your life.
I’ve even copy/pasted some Tweets to Evernote. Yes, I Tweet. I’m known as @donkowalewski on Twitter.
Things I Love: Powerball and Survivor – I Can Win One of Them
Is it the anticipation? Is it simply the fantasy? Tonight the Powerball drawing will award some lucky guy $400,000,000. I hope it’s me.
Also tonight, the new season of Survivor starts on CBS, and after all these years and all these seasons, I still watch it religiously. But I’ve gotten to the point, I watch it almost as a college class or instructional video, because I’m still convinced (as is my wife) that someday we’re going on this show and we know exactly what it’ll take to win.
The good news is, my Survivor dream is still intact. The bad news is, I don’t think I can win the lottery. It’s because of my “electricity theory.” My wife was recently talking to a friend of ours and it turns out he knows somebody who won a rather large lottery jackpot. So, with my “electricity theory”, I can never win the lottery. Why? Well, simple. It’s one thing for a person to know another person who won the lottery. But what are the odds any single, random person would know TWO people who win the lottery?
It can’t happen. It never happens. Twin brothers don’t win the lottery three years apart. A son and his mother don’t win the lottery at different times in different states. It doesn’t happen. It’s awful when it comes to the lottery, that you can write it off as something that “will never happen to you”, but it’s good when it comes to plane crashes. If you know somebody who knows somebody who was in a plane crash, you’re pretty safe. The theory being, your friend isn’t likely to know two people involved in plane crashes on two separate occasions.
Which brings me to Survivor. I know two people who’ve been on The Amazing Race (my other favorite show). But so far, I don’t know anyone who’s been on Survivor. And I don’t know anyone who knows anyone who’s been on Survivor.
So I’m saying there’s a chance.
Oh, and speaking of #Survivor …if you like recaps of shows you’ve watched with your own eyes, I do that sorta thing. I’ll be recapping #Survivor over at spunkybean.com all season. At least that’s my plan.
And I’ll Tweet about @Survivor_Tweet using my @spunkybean or @donkowalewski Twitter handles. Heck, I might even use both. Check me out. I’m all about social media.
Things I Think: We’re Looking for the Smooth Section
First, stop giggling.
Now, let’s talk about my street. It’s an old neighborhood and the streets are showing some cracks after years of snow, ice, salt, and snow plows coming through and tearing things up. I think my home’s value would increase significantly if the township would repave the entire neighborhood. Won’t happen; but it would make the entire neighborhood look better.
The township, instead, does spot-repairs. They fill in the holes with a shovel and some asphalt. Then, occasionally, they’ll realize when the damage is too great, and they’ll re-surface an entire 40- or 70- foot section. And when they do, it’s amazing. My kids have been obsessed with taking their bikes and their razor scooters down to the “smooth part” and just going in circles.
I can’t lie …it’s nice. It’s why I wish they’d resurface the entire neighborhood and rebuild all the curbs.
Anyway, I watched my kids race down to the “smooth part” and realized that’s what we’re all seeking …smooth sailing. We all want a smooth operation and wish we were smooth operators. We don’t like bumps in the road.
But just like my street, some things are out of my control. It’s not always smooth sailing and there isn’t always a smooth part – but when we find it, enjoy it. We should all be so lucky to recognize when things are running smoothly, and hold onto that moment for as long as we can. Go in circles while we’re there. Because, eventually, Mom is going to call you to dinner and you’re going to be back on the rough and bumpy parts of the road, but hopefully the thrill will keep you going. If you keep scooting and working, you’ll get another shot at the smooth part.
I can’t complain. My life’s been pretty smooth. And when things get bumpy and rough, most times it was because I chose that route. But I really want to get back to the smooth part.
I can get there. I just gotta eat dinner, do my homework, and then push my scooter back to where I want it.
Meet me at the smooth part.
I Tweet stuff at @donkowalewski, if you wanna see. Follow me and I’ll follow you.
Things I Did: Bought a Book Entitled “Achieve Anything in Just One Year”
I bought this book called Achieve Anything in Just One Year: Be Inspired to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals by Jason Harvey. I didn’t know what to expect. It’s a very different approach, and I like it.
Essentially, you brainstorm a bunch of goals, like “write a book” or “run a marathon” or “learn guitar” or “launch a business” and then he gives you daily tasks with the idea that, if you do the one thing he asks you to do every day, you’ll achieve the thing you want to do.
I’m on Day 5. It’s not easy, but I’m looking forward to where he pushes me, the reader.
Good book and I’d recommend you buy it. Kinda tough to check-out of the library because you’ll need it for 365 days. My library only lets me keep things for a few weeks.
I’ll probably tell you about what I’m doing every day on Twitter if you want to follow-along @donkowalewski.
Things I Did: Signed a Ghost-Writing Client
I once wrote a short diet book, but the author never used it.
I’ve written articles about talking to people in the afterlife, on mobile phone usage in third world nations, and “green living” in Manhattan.
This “ghost-writing” thing is something I stumbled upon and I love it. If you have a blog and need entries, if you’d like to write something for a magazine and your article needs a little spit shine, or if you have an idea for a book but are intimidated by the process of writing it, organizing it, and getting the story out of your brain and onto paper …call me.
Last week I talked to a gentleman with an amazing, heartbreaking, and incomprehensible story that he felt needed to be told. He’d hammered out various details and long sections, but wasn’t sure what to do with it. I know exactly what he should do. He agreed with my concept and story structure, and yesterday he hired me to write it for him.
I hope someday I’ll be able to brag about this project and tell you the title and plot, but sometimes ghost writers just can’t tell anyone what’s up. But I’ll say this …if I can capture his voice, pain, and the turmoil involved, this will be an amazing book. I’m thrilled to be a part of something like this.
Now, if you need me at any time during the next 120-days, I’ll be at my writing desk toiling away. And occasionally I’ll be on Twitter procrastinating at @donkowalewski.
Things I Wonder: Am I Among the Top 1%?
Am I among the very elite at any particular thing? Are you? Aren’t we all trying to be elite at something? Or is it enough for most of us to be very good? Is it ‘OK’ to be ‘OK’.
As I’ve reflected recently, I’ll never be the best point guard in the NBA. I’ll never be the fastest man alive. I’ll never be considered the world’s foremost authority on wine.
So why bother?
Seth Godin keeps pointing out, over and over again, that the world has changed and you can create your own tribe. So, maybe I’m not the most brilliant mind in writing, social media, or marketing. But I’ve begun forming a tribe and in this tribe, I’m very close to being #1. I’m not the worlds greatest husband or father, I can assure you, but in the world where people call me “husband” and “dad”, I’m aiming to stay on top of the rankings (currently ranked #1).
The point is, while there might be an elite 1% in any given discipline, endeavor, profession, or field, not everyone needs the top guy. There’s an entire world filled with the 99% of the rest of us who should find each other and “wow” each other.
And if you do things with an eye on greatness, never sacrificing quality, never missing deadlines, and always following through, who’s to say you’re not “elite”?
Start being an elitist. Start acting like you’re the very best as what you do. Keep doing it and, chances are, you just might be.
What do you do at an elite level? I think I’m among the best at Tweeting about what I’m eating and what I’m doing at random times. Seriously, follow me @donkowalewski and you’ll see …nobody is a bigger expert on myself than I am.
Don Kowalewski 