Daniel Johnson, Jr.

It is so easy to sit back and consume without giving much back. Turn on the TV, Netflix, Hulu, play a DVD, watch a video, listen to the radio, podcasts, read content like this on the web. It takes a different sort of person to create something instead.

A few years ago I first heard Garr Reynolds quote Guy Kawasaki, who said, “Eat like a bird; poop like an elephant.” Birds consume bits from multiple sources; when elephants do their business, it’s something… big.

I know for me that some of this tendency to overconsume stems from an insecurity I have about whether I know enough to be relevant to my target audience with the expertise I have to offer. I’ve had more than one friend in this space tell me, “You know enough, and you’ll figure out the rest along the way.”

As I read what I’ve written here, I’m reminded that my high school English teacher would not really appreciate the way I write. He’d call much of what I share “diary” versus “journal”. I don’t know if I’ll shake that or not in my personal blogs; part of my voice involves discussing my journey of learning as I go.

I don’t know if what I share here means anything to anyone. If that’s the case, I’m fine with it. Miles Davis said, “An artist’s first responsibility is to himself.”

I’m going to find ways to create more, even if it means opening up the blog page and typing what comes to mind. There may be misspellings or grammatical errors. The formatting may be off.

Image via Wikipedia

And that also means I’m reading less blogs, unsubscribing from more email newsletters, and possibly not reading as many books as I have been.It won’t be perfect. It doesn’t have to be. The main idea is to get it out.

I encourage you to reach out if you find I’m not offering more content. This is also part of my aim to Serve more in 2012.

Let’s get to it!

Resolutions are not my thing. Since 2010 I’ve used three words to set the tone for my year. That year it was “Be more helpful.” Last year the theme was “Focus, Intention, Deliver.”

This year the words are (more…)

Image via Wikipedia

Welcome to Dump Go Daddy Day.

I’ve moved my domain registrations over to Namecheap. Today only, for every domain transfer, they’re donating $1 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and their fight against SOPA.  If you’re interested in becoming one of their customers, I’d love if you’d use the following affiliate link:

Background

I think it was 2006 when a couple of other podcasters contacted me to say they had bought domain names for me. (more…)

Image by bitzcelt via Flickr

2011 has been one of the most challenging years of my life, I think. Most recently, this holiday season has found me the most melancholy that I’ve been in quite some time.

The depression I’ve felt has been seasonal and circumstantial. I’ve shared about this before, and there’s more that I need to share. This post, however, is not the one I’ll do it in.

Instead, as I type this the day before Christmas Eve 2011, with just over a week left in the year, I’ve gotten more in touch with why I’m where I am. (more…)

I really love the @GoogleTalks on YouTube.  This one from Conan O’Brien from May 2010, in addition to being wildly entertaining, struck chords with me.

Conan O'Brien (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)

Keep in mind that this was done within a few months of him leaving The Tonight Show. The part where he shows how he responded is what resonated with me. Specifically: (more…)