I’m caught up in having it all be perfect now, instead of just starting to create content. Not to mention, I feel that self-imposed pressure rookie bloggers feel. And I have an awkward relationship with blog stats.

It’s a difficult thing to start something. It’s hard to start something by yourself. But keep in mind we don’t have to do it alone. Mindful Tech is excited to work with Words On The Page. We’re sharing skills, supporting each other’s goals, and giving each other homework and someone to be accountable to.

When you’re ready to kick-off that big idea, that side-hustle, or that creative dream –it can be overwhelming to get it off ground. Maybe you feel some kinda way about self-promotion, marketing, or social media. Maybe you have a ton of other things to do. All that stuff that comes up –Acknowledge it. Honor it. And don’t let it hold you back from breathing life into your great ideas.

So while I don’t claim to have all the answers, here’s some things to consider:

10 Ways to Kick-Off Your Project

1. Schedule a weekly (or bi-weekly) check-in with a mutual life-coach buddy. Give each other homework.
2. Define your target audience. Be specific. Create a story about them. It helps.
3. Define purpose, goals, and expectations (what can other people expect?)
4. Secure those Twitter handle, Facebook pages, WordPress, Tumblr, Gmail, the actual website URL if you’re ready to, and any other online space that makes sense for you.
5. Put stuff out there in a way that sustains your being. Props to make/shift magazine for modeling that for our community.
6. Revisit your organization and productivity tools. Google Docs is a must. And see if DropBox and Evernote work for you. Or maybe ToodleDo?
7. Commit. Revisit your vision and goals. Why is this project important to you? Why now? Why do you want to commit to it at this point in your life?
8. Research. What do you need to learn? What skills would support your project? Are there people you want to work with?
9. Finalize that logo design. Make sure it looks good in various sizes. Profile pics are really small. Banners are really large. Remember the exact colors and fonts. They’ll come in handy later. Remember colors on screen may print slightly darker.
10. Make that timeline. Any timeline. Even if it’s one goal with one deadline. Make a backwards timeline if it helps.

Thanks for reading! Although we’re not flowered yet, please follow our seeds. Pre-follow our super blank Mindful Tech blog. Follow @MindfulTech on twitter. Pre-Like us on Facebook.

The Higher Self increases awareness by becoming aware of one’s automatic self.  The Higher Self realizes you can create space –even in brief moments of spaciousness.

Observe your thoughts. Just observe. Some people follow their breath. Be aware of the air as it enters your body through your nostrils. Deepak Chopra suggests silently repeating the word “just” while you breathe in, and the word “this” while you breathe out. Just… This…

Thoughts are naturally based in the past and the future. The present moment however, is the actual place from which Life is lived. Life is right now. Our minds wander in the past –whether rooted in past trauma, loss, situations, regret, or memories. Our thoughts of the future keep us preoccupied with upcoming bills, unmet goals, responsibilities, fear, hope, dreams… visions.

I feel like I’ve posted about cultivating presence in numerous entries. Note that these writings are mostly reminders from my Higher Self to my automatic self. A gentle nudge to snap me out of where my own thought patterns take me. The stories we create. The chatter. Perceptions. Unanswered questions. Uncertainty. Shoulds and should-haves.  But all thoughts take a back seat to the spaciousness of Presence. And so I keep writing about this because I, like most of us, struggle to really live in the Here and Now.

So how do we cultivate presence? Try this:

1. Create a time and space dedicated to your spiritual practice
2. Join a sangha or community space that feels like a spiritual home
3. Don’t beat your self up when you struggle with being present
4. Create a journal about your experiences with cultivating presence -what works for you
5. Eating Meditation – Eat quietly, being aware of where the food came from (labor, sunlight, rain, etc.), and how it sustains your body and your life
6. Have your own 1 Day Silent Retreat – change your voicemail and notify your friends that you will not be communicating in any way (this includes reading, writing, internet, etc), for the designated time
7. Clear your mind before you sleep
8. Self-massage with massage sticks to help move stagnant Qi and release pain. Mentally release the pain in the places you carry stress and trauma.
9. Do chores mindfully. Start with one: washing dishes.
10. Use stretching as a time to breathe mindfully
11. Be self-aware of reactions
12. Be self-aware of wrong perceptions
13. Be mindful of cell phones interfering with face-to-face conversation
14. Change your cell phone notifications to a long, peaceful bell sound

*This entry and others are influenced by Daoist and Buddhist teachings.

And now for some Facebook tips. For the new Facebook Timeline, there’s room for a nice cover photo. You’ll need it to be 840 x 310 pixels, but keep in mind it will appear cropped when people view your profile (until they scroll up). Here’s an idea of what it will look like with your profile pic in the bottom left corner.

Facebook cover photos are 840 x 310 pixels

Excited? Check out this article about Facebook cover photos from Mashable, or this one from jeyprieysblog.

- Levinson & Levinson, authors of Guerrilla Marketing Remix

Currently, University of the People offers the following four undergraduate degrees: Associate (A.S.-B.A.) and Bachelor (B.S.-B.A.) degrees in Business Administration and Associate (A.S.-C.S.) and Bachelor (B.S.-C.S.) degrees in Computer Science.

University of the People Gains a Following -BusinessWeek 2010

i learn to seek guidance, support, knowledge, wisdom, skill, insight, and tools. reading was never my thing until after college. now i’m just a self-seeker. i self-educate through documentary films on netflix, TEDtalks, podcasts during my morning commute, and i jump around from book to book –every so often completing one.

if all children grew up being taught that everyone learns differently, many would strengthen their gifts instead of beating themselves up for reading slowly –or testing poorly.

i’m reminded of the animated films by the story of stuff project that allow people like me an easier way to digest information. i’m reminded of another animation i previously posted called RSA Animation – Changing Education Paradigms.

in whatever ways you like to learn, i honor your ways of learning. whether it’s through online research, books and print magazines, conversation, film, performance art, breathing, dancing, playing, or other creative ways… learning is a gift to our selves and therefore, our communities.

…and so i learn.

i think having few readers is like having few likes, comments, mentions, and other social media interactions. but low-readership is no cause for holding back truth. the truth is, i write a lot more than i publish. i self-doubt. i delete and revert to draft. i hiatus. and i return.

so here i am. writing from a space of slightly painful existence, but absolutely certain of Radical Abundance. sorting through my thought archives i witness my “shoulds”. the guitar i should really start practicing. the poetry i should really get back to. the healthy body i should really work towards. the books i should really read. the book(s) i should really write. the financial stability i should really build.

these “shoulds”, i’m aware, are not necessarily positive thinking. they are as they are, but they do not accept reality as it is. they are a nagging desire to seek balance, to change myself, while simultaneously rejecting the self of the here and now.

i’ve somehow settled for complaint-mind and lost touch with isness and spiritual wealth. i’m convinced “this isn’t me” but yes, this is part of me. all of it. the ebb and flow of one spiritual being.

and tonight, before my body retires, i will mindfully fall asleep to intentionally rest my body and mind. the challenge will be to mindfully awaken.

wishing you a restful night and a fresh start morning.

love, bloomingsoul

yellow apparel: when the coolie becomes cool from Yellow Apparel on Vimeo.