50 Steps To A Great Cup Of Coffee

At some point in my morning, I take time for a cup of coffee.  Here are the steps I took to get it done today:

1: decide to have a coffee
2: select flavour pod from my son's Nespresso collection
3: pick pod and open Nespresso machine to insert
4: realize the collector bin for used pods is full
5: get a bag from the wardrobe in front hall to collect pods for recycle
6: multiple bags fall out
7: decide to attach extra bags to dog leash so I'm ready for his next walk
8: find leash and attach bags
9: put dog leash away and realize I left broom in front porch when I answered the door earlier
10: return broom to basement
11: return to coffee machine
12: remember I need a bag
13: retrieve the bag I left in the front porch
14: empty used pods in bag
15: hang pod on front door handle so son 'might' see it and take it in
16: return to coffee machine
17: realize machine is out of water
18: disconnect reservoir and walk to sink
19: son has left empty milk carton in sink
20: rinse out milk carton and crush it
21: put milk carton in recycle in back porch
22: return to kitchen
23: fill water reservoir and attach to machine
24: can't remember if I've put a new pod in machine
25: open machine and pod falls into used pod bin
26: retrieve new pod from used bin and re-insert
27: close lid
28: select cup from cupboard
29: insert cup and press start
30: watch with eager anticipation as steaming coffee fills cup
31: answer phone
32: Sears delivery guys are early - new washer & dryer will be here in 10 minutes, not two hours
33: move car from front
34: disconnect washer and dryer
35: clear crap off stairs
36: lock dog in back porch
37: lock cat in bedroom
38: Sears arrives
39: old machines out
40: new machines in
41: re-connect washer and dryer
42: return to kitchen
43: pour out old, cold coffee
44: select new flavour pod
45: make a new coffee
46: answer phone
47: wife asks "So what are you up to?"
48: I respond "Having a coffee."
49: wife responds "Must be nice to have all that free time on your hands."
50: nod silently

Write Your Book, Dammit

When I was 12 years old the one thing I knew I wanted to do more than anything else was write a book.

When I was 19 I started working full time writing advertising for 630 CHED and I thought this would be a fun way to pass time until I published my first book in a few years.

At age 50 I woke up and said, “What the hell happened to my book?”

Sure, I had ‘started’ several books over the years but for one reason or another I gave up on them all. Lost interest, wrote myself into a corner, got lazy… the excuses piled up.

The solution

On that fateful morning of my 50^th birthday I realized that I was letting life pass me by. It scared the hell out of me and I swore I would write my book.

The first thing I had to do was identify everything that had been holding me back.

The discipline

Although a lifetime of advertising gave me the ability to be ‘creative on demand’, I still only wrote when I ‘felt like it’.  My commitment to myself was to devote a minimum of one hour a day without fail until the book was completed.

The story

I loved the writing process – it’s like painting a room of your house. Rolling the paint on is fun; it’s all the painstaking prep work that is not.  I committed to mapping out my entire story so I knew what would happen in each chapter before I allowed myself to write a single word. Working an hour a day this process took me almost nine months. Best investment of time I ever made on anything.

The characters

Every time I introduced a key character into the story, I created a detailed four page character profile for that character so he or she was vividly imprinted in my mind. I also had a better understanding of the character’s motivation utilizing backgrounds that were never revealed in the story, but critical to the continuity of the character’s actions.

The writing

The writing was glorious. Finally I was crafting a story with confidence. I wasn’t seeing a novel as a huge, daunting obstacle that had to be scaled all at once. I saw a series of small, manageable steps (chapters) that could easily be coaxed into existence. Never missing a day, no matter what, I worked for two years to complete the novel.

And if it sounds like I’ve taken the spontaneity out of the process, I was happy to find that wasn’t the case. Knowing where the story was going allowed me all kinds of freedom to play with the characters and make the story more detailed with every new element supporting the final outcome.

Goal setting

My biggest mistake. My goal had been to ‘finally write my novel’. The minute I was finished I breathed a sigh of relief and put it aside ‘for a few weeks’ before I picked it up again to begin editing.

A few weeks turned into six months. When I finally forced myself to pick it up again, I found out editing is even more painstaking than planning and the work went very slowly. Plus, I was not nearly ruthless enough with myself. At some point, I put it aside and forgot about it. My goal should have been “to write, edit and publish my book”.  Think big picture.

Another year went by before I finally picked it up again. I had ‘allowed’ real life to be an excuse for not following my passion. I made another commitment to myself: a minimum of an hour a day editing the book and researching the intricacies of self-publishing.

Editing

I started with the big picture, reviewing my notes and original story structure. My original investment of 9 months planning had produced a solid outline which required only minor tweaking.

Then, chapter by chapter, paragraph by paragraph, word by word, I went over my book, revising, correcting, cutting.

I shared the manuscript with a dozen friends who each came back with critical corrections, omissions and changes. My request to them was always the same – Don’t tell me if you ‘like’ it, just tell me which parts aren’t clear or don’t make sense. If you put people in an awkward position, the feedback you get will be of no help. Get them to focus on grammar and structure. Ultimately, if you can afford it, hire a professional editor. No matter how much you ‘self edit’, your book will end up going public with mistakes. (Deep sigh) Trust me on this.

Engage other writers

As I was writing my book, a friend of mine was writing his first novel as well. He beat me to the punch with self-publishing and, once I overcame the urge to break into his house and smother him in his sleep, he proved to be a valuable resource. Most writers I’ve met or talked to via social media love to talk about their experiences with writing. Engage them. Ask lots of questions. Take notes. Learn. Share.

Daryl

Last year I uploaded my novel "The Ghosts of Sundown" on Amazon. 

http://www.amazon.ca/Ghosts-Sundown-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B00IVYC3QG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422642452&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Ghosts+of+Sundown

The 'Sin' of Boredom

As my 'once vibrant' father sits withering away with Alzheimer's and dementia, unable to dress himself, eat properly or even turn on the TV, I am reminded of all the people who have ever told me they were bored. Really? Boredom in any able bodied person with a sound mind is a sin. Damn it. Read a book. Go for a walk. Visit a friend. Learn to dance. Buy groceries for a senior. Paint a picture. Change the batteries in your smoke detector. Perform a random act of kindness. Have your prostate checked. Find a hobby. Adopt a cat. Count the stars. Plan a project with your kids. Set an impossible goal. And then achieve it. Check your tire pressure. Make someone feel beautiful. Write a letter. Plan a trip to a destination on your bucket list. Master a musical instrument. Ask someone how to say 'I love you' in their native language. Laugh easily and often. Pick a wall in your home and paint it scarlet. Make eye contact with a stranger and nod knowingly. Visit a restaurant you've never been to and tell the server to 'Surprise me'. Have your mom teach you how to knit, then make a pair of gloves for a homeless person. Look at the glass as half full. Hug someone who needs it. And someone who doesn't. Make bread. Strike up a conversation with a stranger. Run. Blow bubbles. Watch a storm. Get a tattoo. Compliment someone on a job well done. Or do none of the above. But find a passion, large or small and pursue it. Think when you don't have to. Breathe just to feel your body respond and live because you can. And never, ever be bored. 

DC Hooke 
August 23, 2014 

Things I Hope I've Taught My Kids

1 Most rules are actually 'guidelines'

2 Every person you meet has something about him or her that is unique and interesting. Try to find that.

3 When someone hires you to do a job, give them more than they expect.

4 When you choose friends, look for people who laugh easily and make eye contact.

5 Find balance in your life. Work hard at something that matters to you but don't let it consume you. Life is short.

6 Your victories are my victories and your defeats are my defeats. If you don't always see that in my face it's because I want you to 'own' them first. I will share them when you've told me it's okay to do so.

7 If you have love in your home, you can make mistakes.

8 Age is a state of mind. That doesn't mean you shouldn't have your prostate checked.

9 I love you unconditionally. You have to earn my respect as I have to earn yours.

10 Spend your life doing what makes you happy, but set time aside to look after yourself. Finances are a fact of life. Invest time in yourself and your future.



And... The One Thing I WISH I Would Have Taught My Kids

That white thing, under the counter to the right of the sink... it's the dishwasher.

Time to sharpen our skates?

Before Wayne Gretzky joined the NHL, the patch of ice behind the net was a free flow zone. Gretzky turned it into his ‘office’ by making it a destination from which to quarterback a dangerous team attack.

With his natural creative instincts, Wayne Gretzky changed the game forever.

How many of us perform our jobs the way we were taught? Or worse, how many of us do it the same way it was done by the person who was there before us? How often do you schedule time to step away from the computer and the phone and just think about how you could change the approach you take to your job? Once a week? Once a month? Ever?

By not making (and keeping) an appointment to challenge the status quo, you could be depriving yourself of an opportunity to make the job more compatible with your natural skills, therefore – more enjoyable for you as well as more productive for your company.

It’s not only about finding the right position on the team; it’s about putting your own signature on the position.