New Projects for 2018

2018 - the year of new beginnings!

I was listening to Jim Rohn earlier today and I heard him say, "Learn how to separate the majors and the minors. A lot of people don't do well simply because they major in minor things."  Wow!  That's an amazing quote.

This particular talk was on time management and focusing on one thing.  If you're like me, ADD kicks in after 5 minutes of anything and focus and concentration are hard to come by.

I've started quite a few projects and many of them are still going strong today.  I think what I've learned through both the successes and failures is that you have to know quickly what's working and what's not.  Cut through all the noise and remove the things that don't work for you.

2018 is the year where I'm cutting out all the noise and focusing only on a few projects.

So, here's the roadmap for 2018...

1. Memorizing Proverbs - I discussed this in a previous post, but there's so much wisdom in the Bible, especially in Proverbs that I'm memorizing a couple of verses a day and planned to memorize the entire book within a few months.  This has become more challenging as I've progressed, so I'm extending my timeline out to 6-9 months.  No matter how long it takes and how small the steps are that I need to take to get there, I'm confident that even learning one verse a day will get me to my goal eventually.  It isn't easy, but if I never start, I'll never get there.  I'm 8 days into the new year and have the first 31 verses of chapter 1 memorized.

I can't even list out all the ways this practice has enriched my life already.  I highly encourage folks to practice memorizing scripture.  This is the simple technique I use to memorize verses.  Start with a small book of the bible, a single chapter or even a single verse.  Getting started makes all the difference.

2. Chatbot Automation - This is a new one for me.  I've spent most of 2017 on AI, machine learning, and neural nets.  While these technologies are exciting and cutting edge, the application of most are reserved for the elite and firms that have enough money, resource, infrastructure, talent and data to do it right.  But this doesn't have to be the case.

With chat bots, particularly integrated with FB Messenger, we're seeing businesses big and small being able to employ AI technology and robotics to engage with customers better.  This year, I'm focusing on developing a team to work with small and medium size businesses in the development of chat bots to provide customer support and engagement.  More than ever, this type of automation technology is available, but many don't know how to implement or utilize it.  I believe that my organization can help businesses through this type of technology.

3. ??? - I'm not sure what my third project this year will be, but I've got a couple of candidate projects.  We'll see what this turns out to be. 

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I've discussed in the past that my purpose is to be a speaker, teacher and coach who empowers others to serve and support the kingdom of God through entrepreneurship.  Each of these activities align with my calling and I believe will help businesses grow and me as a by product.

I'm learning how true Zig Ziglar's quote is - "You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

If you place your attention on the needs of others, you'll be fed as a by product.  If you have purpose, passion and happiness will follow.

Don't focus on the minor things.  Figure out what will move the needle for you in 2018 and pursue it relentlessly.

To new beginnings and continued success.  Have a great 2018!

-Alex