So on the way back from dropping the kiddos off at school this morning, while A sat quietly in the passenger seat, and E and J-Boy talked about traffic and if the yellow cars are "mustard" and the white cars are "mayonnaise," then what were the blue cars called? I didn't know. Blueberries? But, anyhoo...
I got to thinking. Thinking about what I have attempted to accomplish in life. In the realm of "jobs" to be specific. My new eBook to really hone in on it. I was thinking that even if I don't sell one little digital copy, that I had at least set out to write and publish a book, and I was successful. And then that begs the question: What defines success? The bravery to do the action, or the results of that action once set in motion?
The simple answer would be the "results." But, like life, right answers don't come easy. And "results" aren't always a success story. So I'm banking on setting goals and having the courage to follow through with them.
Here's a list of jobs I've held in my life thus far. Not an impressive, exotic or monetarily stimulating list, but a list nonetheless. And I'm not sure why I feel the need to write these down, but I do, so I'm gonna:
1. Little League baseball scorekeeper
2. Little League baseball umpire (t-ball, pinto, mustang)
3. concession stand dude
4. bagboy (aka. grocery bagging specialist) at Brookshire's
5. bagboy (aka. grocery bagging specialist) at Albertson's (two locations)
6. salesperson at County Seat (not sure that clothing store is still around)
7. salesperson/assistant manager/manager at Sunglass Hut
8. assistant manager at quite literally a sunglass store who's name escapes me
9. assistant manager at Occhiali da Sole (another sunglass store)
10. promotions guy at 103.7 KVIL and affiliates
11. co-manager at Solstice Sunglass Boutique (two separate occasions)
12. props assistant for Prison Break on FOX
13. bar/restaurant Critic for ENVY Magazine - Dallas
14. inventory helper at Bath & BodyWorks
15. movie/DVD critic for CORE!Dallas magazine
16. senior editor for BlueSky Journal
17. assistant propmaster for The Deep End on the CW - where I met A!!!
18. assistant propmaster for Chase on the WB
....which brings me to...
19. independent screenwriter/author/blogger/whatever pays the bills + president of A Couple Bucks & a Bible + CEO of Ichthys Worldwide, LLC (a holding company.)
(Not on the list is a brief stint I did serving as Examiner.com's "Dallas Nightlife Editor," and well as a few months of work I did writing freelance for a company called Demand Studios.)
Again, not sure what compelled me to write out that list other than I feel that as long as you try something, you have already succeeded. I don't think going into anything blindly assuring yourself worldy gain is good for your mental - or soulful - state of health. Sure, plan to win and plan accordingly, but as long as there is one more thing you can check off your "bucket" list, my hope is that that is where you measure how well you did.
I never thought I'd write a screenplay, but when I found out I enjoyed it, I wrote several. Only one has been made and I still wait in the wings for the final results, but others have been optioned. But if worse comes to worst, at least I set out to do something and I did it.
I never thought I'd write a book, but now one is for sale and another is in the works. That has to count for something...
