Stories - FD Thornton

The most productive way I've found to procrastinate is to write a blog post. By that I mean, usually I have something critical to do but, that doesn't mean I'm prepared mentally to do it. So in order to get the brain juices to flow, I'll write a draft or blog post.  Today is no different, I have a project to get started on, I've done the research and now it's time to put my fingers on the keyboard and go. But once again I find myself pausing and hesitating to get it done.  I really don't know why I do this, all I can say is I do. But instead of surfing web pages or taking a nap, at least now I'm doing something near being productive, like creating this blog. Which produces todays question, Am I so needy, that I need to blog? At first I think the answer would be yes. Before blogging or the Internet, a person may produce an article for a magazine or newspaper to make a statement or talk about something they discovered. Today's social media has made

For the four people that regularly follow my blog ( Thanks, Mom ), my last post dealt with the ever increasing amount of time we spend with our mobile devices. Staring blindly at our tiny screens, either commenting or goggling the latest celeb news. As for myself, I sat on my high horse confidently saying that would never happen to me. Mainly due to the fact that my mobile devices consisted of a laptop, and oh so, 1990's desktop.  Well can you say hypocrite, because I recently purchased my first ( yes, I said first ) smartphone. Since the 1980's, I either used a pager ( A what? Go ask your grandparents. ) or a regular cellular phone. Over the last several years due my areas poor cellular reception, I've gone to using pay-as-you-go "burner phones" ( ask your drug dealer ). Now some of you may be saying, but aren't you a tech consultant or some thing? That's a yes, but I also think of all these devices as tools and not who I am.  You see, I have enjoyed

As some of you may know, I work in the business technology industry. I've ran my own business IT consulting firm since 2010. As a tech geek, analyst, and consultant, I spent a lot of time searching for ways to save clients money and time through technology. With that said, despite the twenty-plus years I've played and worked with technology. I don't own a smartphone, I still get by with a desktop and laptop computers. Besides, by the time I finish this piece smartphones are going to be as big as my laptop anyway. The reason I'm mentioning any of this is because I just got through reading a piece by  Jenna Wortham for The New York Times.  In it she brings up concerns with most of us keeping our heads buried in our smartphones and tablets. It's also safe to say, that you can include individuals like myself, that are constantly on the Internet with our computers in that same group.  I will not sit here and transcribe word for word what Ms. Wortham is saying. But th

You know, there's really nothing more I enjoy then sitting with my laptop and writing. May be it's like hearing yourself talk, but when I do that I tend to ramble. It least with the keyboard, I'm forced to slow down and peck at the keys, but even then I get in such a flow you'd think I was closing my eyes just pecking away creating nonsense.  For a long time there has been one single statement that has been stuck in my mind, and that is, "it's all about balance." Funny how something like that can rattle around in your head, but there it is. Recently I was watching a film on something called, The Secret. If you don't know what it's about, it basically is a belief that whatever your thoughts good, bad, optimist, or not, that's the type of energy you draw to yourself. So if you have good thoughts you bring to yourself good things, while the opposite can bring to you, you know.  Personally, I don't totally disbelieve the idea. I'm sure

At the risk of repeating myself ( something I have no problem doing ) I am easily impressed by people I meet in my virtual journeys around the world. Ever since I begin using  about.me  to promote my business and general views. I've connected with literally thousands of individuals from across the globe. I know I mentioned it before that I use about.me , but I strongly feel it's worth mentioning again.  As the title to this post reads Easily Impressed , don't take that to mean that I'm gullible or naive. It's simply a statement of both my limitations and admiration for those who are willing to put themselves out there , risking criticism and outright disdain from others, which I'd sit here and say is the point of this post.  If you take the world or a country or a group, and judge each individual within it by a standard which you  or your click has set, then there's pretty much no hope in relating to others whom are not like you. Now if we to strip our

I've been around for some fifty plus years, and if anything, I know what things I like and what things I don't. I have a pretty good handle of the talents that I have and on the weaknesses I process also. So when things come up that want to aim me in directions I don't feel comfortable going. I have to ask myself, do I seize these moments or do I listen to that part of myself that just doesn't feel right.  So here I sit looking at some proposals that can put me on the path of fame and fortune. So is it me just being lazy or does the idea of doing something I simply don't feel comfortable doing holding me back? You'd think I'd answered these questions thirty years ago, right?  Awhile back before the Great Recession, I had a plan, I thought it was a good plan. I was finally going to finish college and work for myself in a career I learned and basically steer my own ship. But over the course of my collegiate journey things changed course, and things I thoug

As many of you may have figured out, I tend to write in chunks and that's true. I usually don't force myself to write, like some professionals do. I usually take it as it comes to me. It's not like I make my living at this, it's more like I live to do this. Over the past few days I have been kinda lazy. Lazy in that I haven't done much physically, but I have been reading and doing some course work for school.  During the past few days I've been engaged in some reading and researching on modern sales techniques and strategies. Some of the things I've learned have been pretty interesting. For example, the idea now of engaging in conversation with the prospective client as a business owner yourself. So that you can communicate n a more even level letting that prospective client (fellow business owner) know you have a service that can help simplify their overall process.  This struck me as a very good idea in how to carry out prospecting. But at the same tim

When I was younger and even in the here and now, I'm not much of a planner. This isn't to say I don't plan anything, it's just when do set a plan into motion, I lose all patients with myself or anyone else and I'm ready to get it done. So what I usually end up doing is give myself a loose schedule from which to work. So when time permits, I jump on the project with "all fours", so to speak.  This isn't the most practical way to plan ahead, but I know myself fairly well and so far it works for me.  But as I get older I do find myself appreciating the value of time more and more. Time is a limited commodity and each of us has just so much. To waste that time may be regrettable or criminal to some, but to focus on past mistakes can be a problem itself. By allowing regret to creep in and rob us of present moments, we are doing to ourselves the same things we are regretting in the first place, wasting time.  Now this isn't to say to not be remorsefu