Saying “Thank You” in a unique (and fun) way!

What the heck is a “Twitzkrieg”? In my ever-growing attempt to make my digital self reflect my actual self, I’ve brought on a concept that I’ve done often over the course of the past 8 years – combining 2 words to make 1 new one.

“Twitzkrieg” = Twitter + Blitzkrieg

If you study your history, you’ll know that “Blitzkrieg” is the German word meaning “lightning war”. You can read the definition and explanation of that by clicking on the phrase above, but in short, it was a LOT of action in a very short amount of time.

Sean Ogle has inspired me to try something rather unique. Recently, he wrote on the “9 Ways NOT to Build a Blog – and 1 Way to Be Successful”. The 6th way mentioned is what’s inspired me to action today.

Tuition-Free Education

The Internet has become an amazing place as of late! From making new friends, to learning new things, it can all be done (well, ALMOST all of it) online. I’ve learned more through the people I’ve met and read online in the last 6 months, than maybe anywhere else in the last 2 years! Now, before I get ahead of myself, that doesn’t cancel out my college education, or the amazing education I’ve gleaned from reading some great books! I’m just really pumped about how FAST it’s gone!

It all started with Twitter

So…with all that being said, I’m going to be starting today, Tuesday, August 31st, 2010. I (@josh_crocker) am going to start saying “thank you” to every….single….person….I follow on Twitter, one by one. Is it crazy? Yup! Is it weird? Of course! Fun? Yesssss!

Loving on my customers

David Crandall and LaVonne Ellis issued a challenge yesterday for all who read to start aggressively “loving” on their customers for the next 28 days. I’ll also be participating in this challenge, and I consider this “Twitzkrieg” to be the kickoff of that. Sure, not everybody I follow on Twitter is a “customer” of mine, but I’m a “customer” of their education, friendship, and am a fan of their personalities.

Want to have your name called?

Right this very moment as this is being typed, I currently follow 405 people on Twitter. This is an open invitation for you to get your name called. I usually follow people back that follow me…but especially follow them back to see if they’re doing one or both of the following:

• Engaging with their community (in other words, they’re not just RT’ing everything and spouting off random quotes, but their participating in ACTUAL conversation)
• Are blessing others with some type of content of their own (be it a Facebook Note, blog posts, or a few videos uploaded to Youtube, Viddler, or Vimeo)

It’s going to take me quite a few days to get through the initial 405…and hopefully along the way, I’ll be making some new friends and that number will be added to over the next few weeks.

Anyways…I hope y’all will enjoy this crazy adventure. I know I will!

See you all soon!

- Josh

P.S. – I will be using the hashtag #TK (Twitzkrieg) to separate these “thank yous” from my regular tweets. Feel free to use it yourself if you decide to join Sean and I!

Photo Credit: Señor Codo

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This is a video that I’ll be watching over and over and over.

It’s pure magic! I needed this to help focus on relaxing a little bit more! Taking myself a little less seriously, and taking fun seriously. That is what it’s all about, isn’t it?

I really like #4 especially. Scaring yourself is fun

SUPER short post today folks!

I’d like to HEAR from you!

In my continuous quest to do things that scare me and push me outside of my comfort zone, I’ve made a slight change to my site here that I’d like you to be aware of and to take advantage of. This was an idea that was brought about from Dan and Ian at the Lifestyle Business Podcast. I’ve set up a phone number for my blog!

You can find it on all pages here:

NOTE: This # leads to a voicemail where you can leave comments/criticisms/critiques, or just say hey. I’ll call back if you want me to (and if you leave a #), and it’ll be a grand time had-by-all!

That’s all for now Talk to you soon!

- JC

Header: DanBrady

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Three questions

If you could choose to be doing anything, what would you be doing?

If you could be anywhere, where would you be?

If you could be anyone, who would you be? (This is a type of person, not a specific person)

Terrifying answers

Wow, what to do next? Those types of questions are one that not many people focus on often. If you dare to answer them, be careful, the answers might just scare you…into action.

These are the questions that I asked myself over a year ago which led me down a wild path that is still continuing today. If money were not a problem, what would you be doing? Who would you be? Where would you be?

My Progress Report

The purpose of this post is to encourage. You, me, and everyone else that may be asking themselves these types of questions.

I’d like to post something on here that I’ve never thought about until today. In a recent conversation with a friend, he asked me many of these questions that I’ve listed above. It got me to thinking about January of this year (2010), and when I first seriously filled out the 4HWW Dreamline Sheet. I’d like to share that with you in just a moment.

This is a big step for me in seeking to become more transparent with my community online. When I first started in this journey online (shortly after leaving my job in February), I had no idea about any of this stuff. Twitter made no sense to me (as it probably still doesn’t to some of you), I had no idea how to use WordPress, and Facebook was really all I knew of the Internet. Now, almost 8 months later, I’ve learned that real relationships can be made online, and that people are still just as valuable “digitally” as they are in person.

While this journey was started in my own mind and soul, it has been propelled along by a group of like-minded friends. As it has been said before on this blog, DON’T GO THE COURSE ALONE! It’s pretty hard to take fun seriously if you’re doing it by yourself. Playing solitaire gets boring after a while. Playing poker is much more fun, because you’re doing it with other people. Get the illustration?

That being said, I want to take you back to the beginning. I filled out this dreamline sheet shortly after my birthday, after once again asking myself the big 3 questions listed above. Less than 4 weeks later I left my job. I hope that this will encourage you. Click on the image to see the full-sized version:

Now, as you can see, some of the goals listed on there aren’t very measurable. When I make my second 6-month sheet (which will be very soon!), I’ll be doing things that can be measured a little better. “Athletic build” isn’t something that can be defined very easily. Example: I have the “athletic build” of a runner, but not of an MMA fighter. If the latter is my goal, and not the former, then I haven’t really reached the goal. Make sense?

Even though the goals aren’t defined perfectly, there’s one step that took place in all of this that so few actually do: I wrote something down, and then immediately acted upon it! My good friend and mentor, Nathan, has said this one to me a few times: “It’s hard to steer a parked car”. Lemme ‘splain that for a second. Folks are always spouting this one off while I’m within earshot – “I want to do _____ (life event), but I just don’t have ______ (resource, time, ability, etc.) to do it”. This makes me want to punch small animals every time I hear it! So many people dismiss potential life-changing opportunities simply based upon nothing but their own pre-conceived assumptions! And you know what happens when we assume, don’t you? They never actually act upon any of these ideas, to see if their assumptions are just a farse. This is very frustrating (not only for me,  but for them as well!). It leaves them in a constant state of disapproval with the status-quo (a good thing), but they’re paralyzed by their own inability to ACT to test it out (a very, very, very bad thing!).

What to do?

Two quotes that inspire me like no other:

“Do one thing every day that scares you” - Anonymous

“Action cures fear. Indecision, postponement, on the other hand, fertilize fear.” – Dr. David Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking BIG

Just Do It!

Action is the cure for fear! Ever been afraid of something, only to find out that after you did it, there wasn’t really much to be afraid of at all? I know I sure have!

Example: I’m afraid of heights, and of water where I can’t see the bottom. If I let that fear paralyze me and did NOT act, then I would have missed out on a fun time like this one:

Me swinging off of the "rope swing of doom" - NY's Adirondack Mountain Range

*NOTE – I went back and did this rope swing about 200 more times after this. Funny, the fear of the rope breaking, the sharks eating me (sharks in a NY freshwater lake?? C’mon you weirdo…), and the impact of the fall on the water breaking all of my bones just somehow didn’t materialize…*

It’s YOUR time to shine!

Now time for some practical steps from the “Fun Coach” (That would  be me…I’m thinking of using this as my mantra. Lemme know what you think in the comments below!). Here’s how you can get started on your path to greatness.

1. Take a while to unplug from all distractions, and seriously ask yourself the 3 deep questions listed at the beginning of this post.
2. Fill out the dreamline sheet, with no longer than a 6-month out projection.
3. Find someone that is willing to keep you accountable: Be it a mentor, friend, spouse, or relative. (The more the better, this is something I was late to the party to get on board with. It really helps!)
4. Pick points along the way to check yourself to make sure you’re on target. Set Google reminders, and make sure to fill out the right-hand side of the sheet, where it gives practical steps to to today, tomorrow, and the next day.
5. The most important step – Begin!
6. Final step – Give me a call. Seriously. Leave a message with your # and we’ll talk. This stuff fires me up because I know how much fun it is to really act upon it!


(This widget is also on the right-hand side of my blog. I’m serious about hearing from you!)

There’s much more that we could talk about to this process, but for now, let’s stop here. The point of all of this is to get started.

Make mistakes, fail forward, and keep on truckin’. It’s worth it to getting your goals and dreams!

Oh, and one more thing I almost forgot – the journey itself is just as much fun as reaching the goal is

See you in the comments

- JC

Header image: Badruddeen

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Photo credit: Gemma

I love the creative process!

Zach Daulton is one creative dude!

As a big fan of the Ren Men Show, I saw some of ZD’s work  recently on their site. He’s got some dynamite material that he’s created as a motion graphic designer, and is well on his way to doing big things as a freelance artist. I like creative stuff. I like cool ideas. This is both of them.

Let me take a minute to highlight what will be the first of many “Creatively Cool” posts that I’ll be showcasing over the next few months. And as always, if you’ve got ideas, hit me up at josh at joshcrocker dot com.

Take it away Zach!

Whew! That was a long time to go without the Internet!

I have just returned from a warrior’s journey.

As some of you may or may not know, I’m currently serving in the US Army Reserves. My travels this past month led me to the beautiful state of Wisconsin. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect heading into it, but it’s been some of the most fun I’ve had all year. Great people, great times, and great weather (I like thunderstorms, and the Midwest puts on a fantastic show!). My only complaint any of it was this – I had no Internet access the entire time there.

Before you think this is a problem, let me ‘splain somethin’.

I DID have my Blackberry, which allowed me to at least check up on emails and a few Twitter feeds, but by and large, I had no access to the REAL online world (because Blackerry uses the half-Internet).

So what was I supposed to do with all of this “down” time?

I thoroughly enjoyed my Internet vacation!

I’ve had a similar type of “problem” happen like this in the past. By not being connected to the information-abundant, never-sleeping Internet, I actually had an opportunity to live in the moment, and I loved it!

Meaningful relationships were built, memories were made, and stories will be shared from this past month. No regrets there.

As a matter of fact, a recurring conversation kept coming up amongst me and my fellow soldiers: taking time to un-plug.

Take time to un-plug

Smart phones, laptops, Internet cafes, iPads…..it seems like our access to the WWW is all around us and inescapable. Time to exercise a little discipline!

Leave the phone at home, or turn it off. Shut off the computer and don’t open it up until the next day. Spend time doing the things that are going to gain you life experiences and build memories.

When I was a younger lad, I used to enjoy MTV’s “Unplugged” shows. What made the show so special was that it allowed musicians to have a very informal time with their fans. The artist sat in the middle of the room and the fans were in a circle on the outside looking in. There was no backstage area. It was 360 degrees of Nirvana, Jay-Z, Seal, or whoever was on that show. We can learn a lesson from MTV here: taking time to un-plug is necessary to get a transparent view of what’s going on. Not only is it necessary for the artist to be able to relax a little bit, but it gives the viewer (in this case, the viewer is yourself, as the idea I’m presenting here is an inward look into yourself) a chance to see who the artist (you) really is.

Reflect

What matters most to you? Take some time to do THAT. Maybe on a Sunday, maybe on another day of the week. A good friend told me recently that she uses the Crossfit Rest Day for her day to unplug. She said, “It’s worth it physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”

Enjoy your vacation!

Lastly, a call to action:

In the comments, I’d like for y’all to share some things that you do to help you unplug, and also what you do once you ARE unplugged.

Cheers!

- JC

Photo Credit

You only get 24 hours in the day

Too often when in “let’s be more productive mode”, the big picture can be missed. I’ve done this far too often myself. Part of taking fun seriously is knowing when it’s time to say no to over-productivity, and live in the moment. I’ve touched on this a little before, and will be touching on it again in the future.

But for now, enjoy this video that was sent recently to me. It hits home on a point that’s been on my mind for a while: Relationships matter most! Enjoy this video and laugh along with me at the “productivity hacks” that are shared in it.

Photo Credit

I am pumped!

Recently, I’ve had some really great conversations with some really great friends.

What was the conversation about?

Motivation.

How do you keep going when you feel like throwing in the towel?

How do you stay the course when it seems like you’ve failed the whole time?

How do you succeed at something greater than yourself?

(Did you spot the trick question right there…?)

Answer – Something bigger than yourself.

David wrote on this recently, and I was a victim of his motivational attack. The bug is spreading, and I’m fired up!

If I could add one bit to his post it would be this – If you’re going to do something bigger than yourself, don’t do it alone. This cannot be stressed enough…DON’T GO THE COURSE ALONE!

Part of Taking Fun Seriously is finding others who are willing to do it with you. I’ve been very thankful to have spent some real mental and emotional energy with these folks. I feel like I share in their success, and I hope that they do the same for me.

One of the coolest aspects of the modern Internet is the ability to connect with REAL people online. Now, it’s pretty easy to find someone who shares in the same interests as you, and who can actually share in the same potential goals as well. I’m thankful to have found some of those people (and in some cases, they found me first!).

So with all of this in mind, I’ve been a little motivated to become more. To do more. To BE more.

I haven’t yet come close to reaching my full potential. In life, online, or with this site. So I’m turning over a new leaf, and bringing y’all with me!

When I first started this blog, almost a year ago, I had the title “Take Fun Seriously”. A good buddy informed me that saying “take” sounds too demanding and therefore wouldn’t reach the intended audience. “Besides,” he said, “if you make it present-tense and call it ‘Taking Fun Seriously’ then it’s more you. Because you’re always in the act of doing something fun or funny.” I like it! So here we are…I’m going to start establishing my “brand” online. I put it in quotes because I’m not really sure where it’s headed. But one thing is for sure, enough with the B.S. I want my “digital self” to fall more in line with my real-life self, so from now on, that’s what you’ll see. It’ll be less of a formal lecture from me and more of an ongoing conversation. Who knows, maybe we’ll both learn something in the process while we’re Taking Fun Seriously!

Cheers!!

- JC

Photo Credit

Bounce………Bounce………Bounce…………

As runners kept running, many turned their heads to see…A BASKETBALL?!?

In the 2007 New York City marathon, Dan “Occh” Occhiogrosso did something I’d never seen before – he dribbled a basketball through the entire race!

Why?

To become part of something bigger than himself.

By dribbling the marathon, Occh was able to raise awareness for the needs of the children stricken by AIDS in the Bethesda orphanage in South Africa. But with so many eyeballs watching, he didn’t stop there.

Ball for Lives has grown now to become a non-profit organization where donations are received and given to multiple charities and ministries throughout the world. He continues his ministry by giving assemblies around the country, and by also challenging others to join in by dribbling races as well. I had the privilege of bringing the message to my neck of the woods recently, and it was a blast!

The best kind of fun

When this blog was created, it was intentionally given the subtitle “Taking Fun Seriously”. One of the best ways to do that is to give to others. Time, talent, and treasure are all currencies that can be given to bless others. Often when (as Occh puts it), we’re involved in something bigger than ourselves, having fun comes naturally, and life is more enjoyable.

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Not following through on your commitments? Forgetful? My 3-step formula will do WONDERS!

Not really, but it should help. The following video is a trick that I use to help me remember pretty much anything that isn’t part of my normal routine. I’ve been using it for a little over a year now and have had zero problems with it.

Tools you’ll need:

• Cell Phone
• Google (Gmail) account

Enjoy, and please leave a comment below! I’m testing out ScreenFlow and want to know your thoughts on how the 2nd half of this video came out.

Talk to you soon!

- JC

(If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it directly)

Photo credit