It’s Only A Matter of Time

Misty Hollow Carving
This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/
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Today's Blog Post

It’s Only A Matter of Time
One of my friends asked me, “Where do you get the time to do the Blog – actually two, and a Web Page? Why bother? I couldn’t be bothered to do what you do!”

The man that made the comment is very busy in his retirement. I suppose. He putters around doing odd jobs and he complains of his busy-ness all the time.

I tried to explain that many people are reading what I write and present all the time. It is fun to do and to have so many people read what is printed is complete satisfaction. To be a sometime resource or at least point someone to a resource is deeply satisfying as well. Then from time to time to lift someone’s spirit by an off the wall reflection on something is what it is all about… helping another person.

My friend and I are a complete contrast to each other.

He was involved in one small part of a large company where he faithfully did his small part for 35 years. All of his work was important, don’t get me wrong, but it was fairly narrow as he worked with a product and interacted with few people.

To the opposite extreme my roles in the businesses that I was involved in was all about people. I interacted with them, encouraged them and sometimes taught them. The subject matter ranged from simple Christianity(when there is nothing simple about it) to complex relational solutions to disastrous human bonding (marriage). I would walk into situations where threats were bouncing around the room and lives were close to being destroyed. My work was people.

So I can understand his consternation when he looks at my output and reaching out to the world out there.

Looking at Blogging? Go for IT!
Some examples of this Blog’s recent post. Yesterday…about Goo. A ‘40 something’ business man came over for a short lesson on Wii-ing after reading the Blog. Okay it wasn’t his sole purpose for coming over – but for a short few minutes we “Wii-ed” together and laughed a lot. I think he may buy himself some(more) Wii this Christmas.

From yesterday’s post I received a message from my Aunt Annie who is 92. She lives in a senior’s home in Alberta and reads the Blog each day. She has also started blogging on her own.

She wrote that her senior’s home has Wii also… in her words… "Hi Murray, your aunt Annie just read your blog about the Wii game, well we have that games here in the lodge on our large TV screen, I have played games on it but there must have or are different games… I did golf, bowling, & a few others but not Goo, bye for now love from aunt Annie"

Aunt Annie didn’t email me she sent it via “Facebook”. She is the “coolest senior” I know. And if there is anyone that I would love to emulate in Spirit when I am 92 – it is Annie! “You go girl!”

The Blog today is running between 75 to 85 people per day with a total of 28,828 pages having been read (at this moment) in the course of 520 posts over 18 months. And the hits come from every corner of the earth… every major religion area and cultural center.

And that is without any promotion. Go figure! It happens on the content I am sure – wide and great variety…off the wall and down right insane… and just plain fun! Like the World of Goo… which in its own way has brought new people looking for info about Goo!

Looking at a Web Page or a Business? Go for IT!
I have written about this part of my life before. The Web Page has done things that I never expected to do – EVER! I first considered it as a possible good thing to tell people about my carving… and do a show case thing. Kind of like an online catalogue of sorts.

The initial start was simple… and the numbers were low. Then they started to climb. The stair steps reached were in the hits per month… 161, then 800, the a little over 1000, then up to 3500 a month. Last June 2009 it jumped up to 8500 in one month and stayed that way until September. I wondered about it going higher… if it would… and it did… In October it went over 12,000 per month and didn’t stop. November’s total was 14,820!!!!!

Yesterday was a banner day in another way. An email arrived as a result of the Web Page… with queries about what I do… asking what the costs would be for a certain carving that was shown.

My heart jumped – “WOW! Maybe I would get another order for this kind of carving” I thought to myself.

An email back with an answer produced an immediate reply asking if I would be interested in doing 12 carvings at about $175 USD each. They would be one of kind – kind of like what I do on my Web Page… with no rush to get them done.

The writer is from California and was just wondering… on the side… if I would be available or interested in traveling to California to teach some classes in Wood Carving?

I replied trying to type in a cool way… not showing that my hands were shaking and that I was shouting loudly for my wife to come and read the email!

I clicked on ‘send’ and off my reply went into Cyberspace.

Within one hour another email came from the “*** Art Center Education” Director that she had just received my email – that was passed on to her… very interested and would I be interested in becoming Wood Carving instructor… but concerned that the travel to that area might not make it worthwhile financially for me from Canada.

I decided to sleep on it…. and toss and turn a little more before answering it. Should I or shouldn’t I consider California… from cold Ontario… hmmm???

Does a Web Page work? Is it worth the effort? I kind of think so… whew!

In these economically challenged times – it was kind of dumb to start a new Business. At least one of my ‘friends’ told me what they honestly thought. But I had just been laid off and had to do something at 64 years old.

There was a gut feeling that was growing steadily… “It’s only a matter of time.”

I looked at Moses… who was 40 when he committed the crime or murder… then ran away… waited until he was 80… before being called to do the next thing… then for 40 more years he did things that no one else had ever done.

“It’s only a matter of time…! Then something will happen.”

There is one other thing that another older person shared with me that is super important, “You need to believe in what you are doing… then do it like no one else would or could do it!”
And finally... from my own Dad… “Don’t be afraid to try something new!”

Finally my one super important secret… “Celebrate even the smallest Victory! It is your party – go for it!”
~ Murray Lincoln ~
www.murraylincoln.com/