Opportunity – Knocking or Walking

Misty Hollow Carving
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Today’s Blog Post
Opportunity – Knocking or Walking

Yesterday’s post included the following words that had popped into my thinking one day early while working out at the Gym.

“Tucked away inside of Impossibility is the word POSSIBILITY. I see that above the Impossible… but there it is again… POSSIBLE… and if I stretch this a little I see “I’m Possible” and “I’m Possibility”.”

“Today is the other side of Yesterday… and on the slopes of Tomorrow. And I know that I am not going back to the valleys of Yesterday. I simply can’t because there is too much waiting for me Tomorrow! Who has time for that Old Stuff.”

I offer them again in case you missed the first time.

And some one said that, “You must be ready when Opportunity comes knocking…!”

2009 was filled with reports of some really heavy stuff going down in the financial concerns of Canada and the USA. Downturns, bottom dropping out and the horror of a Recession that has lingered on and on. Listening to the reports can almost stop you dead… or slow you so much that you can not move further.

Money is tight, money is not there, money is impossible… I have heard all of these little suggestions and predictions. And as they come it is possible to have a cloud descend over your being. And when it comes you duck for cover.

I started Misty Hollow Carving as my newly launched Wood Carving business in late 2008 and 2009 was my first full year of operation.

At the beginning I had people warn me that it was not going to be easy. Others suggested to me that the ‘artistic type’ of business usually struggles and will have a hard time of it. In fact the creative type business has odds stacked against it. The forewarnings were from very knowledgeable people that I respect. I accepted the statements as possible direction that might help in my personal assessments as I kept plugging along. Because I INTENDED to KEEP PLUGGING no matter what!

SO – with all of that presented to me AND not having a clue what might come next, I set out on the journey of a life time. And what a journey it has been!

I have one huge regret in doing what I have done… I regret having not done this sooner!

A short history…
I started my journey in Misty Hollow with some simple ideas that would possibly catch the interest of my market place. The idea that I sold others and myself on was simple. I would receive information and photographs from people that would like to have someone (or themselves) placed in a caricature carving. My initial target was Golfers.

When the first orders started coming I was overjoyed! The idea worked and was providing the first fruits of my labour.

In addition to the initial idea of Golfers, has come Hair Dressers, Farmers, and now the whole set of the ‘12 Days of Christmas Characters”.

But then came the hand carved Feathers which become an important item in my NEW Carvings series. Added to that came the hand carved Leaves and the Celtic Love Spoons. Then more and more ideas kept coming and they all become popular with the variety of new audiences that were asking for the products.

The hand carved Teddy Bear faces have built to the place that I am slipping behind on potential orders… Oh boy!

But something that I didn’t expect happened. The Web Page that has been kind of an online catalogued for my potential customers has sky rocketed and doesn’t appear to be slowing with the number of hits per month! Starting as kind of flunky, Mom and Pop Web Page, the kind that guys like me create on their own, it achieved a huge following moving from around 150 hits per month to up to an amazing 1500 to even 2000 per month! I can remember when the first stats showed the big jump.

In January 2009 when downturns should be turning everyone off the hits of the Web Page rose to 3500 and stayed that way each month until the end of May 2009. In June through to September 2009 it sky rocketed again to 8500 hits per month.

I dreamed of the impossible day that maybe, just maybe, I might see the 10,000 hits per month happen. I was a little shocked when the Web Site not only hit the 10,000 mark but rocketed through to over 12,000 in October 2009.

But it would not stop there… are you ready? I wasn’t. November 2009 was another pinnacle moment – the 15,000 hit per month was reached. And December and January that have followed have shown increases yet again.

So why not wonder when I might hit 20,000 and even 25,000 – and who knows even 50,000 hits per month.

Opportunity has come knocking big time… oh boy. Now I am trying to complete the updates to the Web Page which will offer “real-estate sections” (add space) on my Web Pages to other businesses that are starting and need customers. I have more than enough to share now.

It seems that Wood Carvings are not the only thing that is saleable... so are ideas, my thinking, my creativity and whatever else is coming from my being.

In July 2008 when my 35 year career as a Minister came to complete stop I wasn’t sure there could be any future for a really old, tired out, exhausted guy that had talked for a living. Not a lot of people will hire you when you are 64 years and 2 months old – and you are on Unemployment Insurance with a Mortgage to keep paying!

This past few days yet another Opportunity has come knocking… actually it is BANGING on the door!

A kind of ‘Head Hunter’ has made an offer to me. Without giving away the details yet (because I am not sure at this point what will happen…), how does a task sound that pays royally, allows you to work only once in awhile, keep doing what you are doing at this time, and might take you away for short periods of time from home, put you up in a nice hotel, offer you a daily food allowance that will definitely make you fat… sound to you?

To me it is amazing. They only want my mind and my expertise for short bursts of time. And if I give it to them they pay about $500 per day, offer food allowance of $80 per day and the hotel is paid for… hmmmm I wonder?

But then my wife brought home another ‘Opportunity Knocking’ idea. She has found out that a Caribbean Cruise Line is looking for On Board Chaplains that would cruise with them for two weeks at a time…. Yikes!

And mean while the Web Page hits are building, contacts are being made and the business continues to grow. I meet a million people and have phone calls now lined up to answer.

And last night another person called with a brand new opportunity knocking.

What a difference 22 months has made… moving from a rather confused, complicated, discouraged 64 year and 2 month old, used up Minister – to a 65 year and 8 month old Business Owner that is constantly hearing Opportunity Knocking!

Oh… and there is another Opportunity now Knocking too… some people want me to begin speaking about what has happened to me over these past few months. It seems that there are some other older, discouraged, broken, downhearted, not knowing where to go next kind of guys that need to hear how they can get a new hold on life….

Hokey Mokey! I can’t wait!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

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Source
http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/

http://39thesecondtime.spaces.live.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZVfHoTROgQ&NR=1
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_24_qTNac&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gJiWJf4dMI&NR=1&feature=fvwp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl58qufXfYk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YprutmGYOyQ&feature=channel