Hey! These are My Thoughts, Under Construction...

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Whatever time I find you, I hope it's good for you.

My name is Michael Francis, I am the owner of Future Productions and ConstantStrategies.com. I help entrepreneurs, businesses, artists, professionals and others, grow their online presence. I offer services like web design, logo design, search engine optimization and more. I also believe that I understand a lot about life and human behavior. This page is where I will share my insight, thoughts, and advice for anyone to read, if they so desire. Although I speak and write as if I am stating facts, please remember that these are only my opinions.

Today [at the time of this writing] is October 21st, 2012. I turned 35 years old yesterday. Although I am grateful to be alive, and blessed, I feel like I have not accomplished as much as I could have by now. I am not too sad about this. I know that going through what I have gone through has caused me to be aware of the fact that I could have done more. This awareness, ironically, is my motivation to now do great things.

I hope you will find value in my words. If you take the time to read through them, I believe you can take away some sort of lesson or truth. I have no planned format on how I will share my thoughts. I think I will just add to them as I feel the inspiration.

No Sausage, No Bacon This Morning

That is it. I would usually get bacon AND sausage with my breakfast, but today I did not. Just eggs and grits, hopefully the lesser of the evils. I have not completely cut off meats, but I feel much closer, and I know I will be happy and feel healthier when I completely stop.

To a healthy life and setting healthy examples...

Product Review - Postobon Orange Soda

Let's Try This Again...

Motivation

What is motivation? Is it selfishness or kindness? Does it include suffering, and delayed gratification? Or, is it the only way to true happiness?

Obviously, I am coming to the conclusion that motivation is the only way to achieve true happiness. In fact, a lack of motivation, may be the most effective way to accomplish "un-happiness." Motivation itself is not the primary factor, though. Being motivated for the right cause is equally important. Being motivated to enslave people, or be a tyranous dictator, will not lead to true happiness.

Lead By Example...

11.11.2012 - Talk is cheap... If it were not for the miracle of life itself, and the blessing we have in the ability to speak, I would even say talk is free. Everyone can talk. Everyone can repeat things they've heard said. Things that probably sounded smart when they heard them. Still, words are easy to say.

Some folks have mastered the art of "gab." People even tell them, "you've got the gift of gab!" Although the ability to sound persuasive and charming is a great gift to have, it means nothing without intention.

Going to a job interview and speaking highly of your skills, even if you do not possess them, is not smart. Giving someone your word and not planning on following through, or doing everything you can to follow through, is not smart. Simply forming sentences in oder to accomplish an immediate desire, is not smart.

All who practice this form of deception will eventually be found out. The repercussion of this dishonesty will undoubtedly hurt your future more than the immediate gain. Even a fool can tell when he is being fooled.

Taking this one step furthur, you must lead by example. The fact that words alone, without intention, mean nothing, should lead us to understand that action is required. Telling your children "not to smoke" is not enough. Telling your family that "you will do better" is not enough. Teaching those who look up to you with words alone is never enough. For they will see for themselves that actions alone speak!

Anger...

11.05.2012 - Anger is a waste of time. It is a stupid emotion. For example, if a monkey is trapped in a cage, he will eventually realize that he is trapped. He may then become angry, or even sad or depressed. His anger may cause him to beat up the guard and get out of the cage, which is good, he escapes. But, his focus should not be on getting angry. It should be to get out of the cage.

Now, if the monkey was focused on getting out of the cage, he could pretend to be sad, like some monkeys are. Then, when a guard opens the cage to feed him, he could beat the guard up, like an angry monkey would. But, his focus was always on getting out.

So, anger itself, is actually stupid. It is retarded. It usually stems from frustration, or not being able to solve or do something. The focus, therefore, should be on solving or doing something, not anger...

Etcetera...

10.24.2012 - I'm watching a program called NOVA. They are analyzing the remains of a person they believe died 50 centuries ago (I think. Ice Man, they call him). In this program, they explain that the man was lactose intolerant. They also claim, that humans, by nature, are lactose intolerant after a certain age. Meaning, as babies we are able to consume milk, but as we grow older, we become intolerant, and this is normal. In other words, being lactose intolerant is not a disease or ailment, but actually the way we were.

Looking at it this way, I deduce that adults who are not lactose intolerant, were actually malnourished as children. Due to the fact that they were fed milk for so long, beyond the age that they should have been, they then became tolerant to milk.

BTW...

03.03.2014 - Why are people saying B.T.W? Don't they realize there are more syllables in B.T.W than in the phrase "by the way"? Abbreviations are supposed to be shorter and less annoying then the actual phrase they represent. So please, stop saying "B.T.W". I know I'll get used to it, but right now, it is still annoying to hear...

The New Current Event...

09.02.2014 - I do not know about World News or Local News, but I want to start a Current Event. It has been said before that people should always have a back up plan. Or, do not put all your eggs in one basket. Well, I am finally experiencing what happens when you do not follow this advice.

I am the owner of Future Productions. I have a small client base and I enjoy the fact that I am "technically" my own boss. I provide a service to my customers, bill them, and collect. Unfortunately, with this type of employment, there are no medical benefits, overtime pay, or other advantages. When I earn too little, I have to sacrifice. When I earn well, I have to save for a rainy day, or invest in business expenses.

The freedom and joy of business ownership is second to none. But, this requires a strong desire and commitment to succeed. Sometimes I have had to take jobs or cash gigs to cover immediate expenses. I am struggling with finding a place to live which I can afford. The obstacles I am facing today are obvious consequences of not having a back up plan. I have never blamed another for my situation, and I will not start today.

My brother asked me how I felt last night (September 1, Labor Day 2014.) After a long pause, I was unable to come up with a word, or any words to answer him. Finally, I responded with "not frustrated." I added, "I am not frustrated, but it is something similar to that." I do not know the word to describe being in my situation when I know it is my own fault. I have no regrets, I needed to learn by my mistakes. I am not frustrated, I know I can overcome and succeed. Today, I have decided how I feel. I need a back up plan!

I can no longer depend on what I have been doing. I must take additional steps to ensure my livelihood and be able to provide for those who depend on me. I would also like to help people who do not depend on me. Many of my friends and family have been able and willing to help me in my time of need. I would also like to be able to do this for my friends and family. The only way for this to occur is for me to progress.

It is difficult to change, to try a different approach. But it is not the change or approach that is difficult, it is changing our habits and routines that is hard to do. The actual actions required to improve are not actually "difficult" or "complicated", but changing ourselves, and keeping new resolutions is the challenging part.

So, here is my idea for what should become the new Current Event. All of us should strive to have a plan b for everything, a way to make sure that our needs are met, and our success is inevitable. In my situation, this will include searching for new clients as I once did when I first began running my business. Not wasting money on hobbies or over spending on groceries and other needed supplies. I will have to re-focus my actions and press forth with my business plan as I once envisioned it. Distractions must go, focus must return, and responsibility again met!

So, how do I feel? Motivated. I am actually grateful for even realizing that great success is still possible for me. I am proud to say that I was not overwhelmed by the countless negative situations I HAVE CAUSED MYSELF. I am extremely blessed to still have awareness, patience, intelligence, and my business Future Productions.

So, moving forward, there can be no more stalling or procrastination. There will be no more waiting for one check, or one customer to pay their bill so I can move forward. I will continue to earn new business so that no one client can either make or break my bottom line. The health of my children, my living situation, and my ability to build a successful company will never rely on a single plan or customer again. I will be prepared, in more than one way, and able to solve "last minute" emergencies and expenses which I encounter. And I urge all of you to take this progressive step with me. Determine your Back Up Plan and commit to it. Do not allow any one situation or obstacle to hinder your entire life. Earn more than enough to cover your expenses, even if it means taking on extra part-time work. Let us think of solutions, and not excuses. We are the final stop to our own problems, no one else.