"Write from the soul, not from some notion what you think the marketplace wants. The market is fickle the soul is eternal." - Jeffrey A. Carver In the past six months, I've undergone a kind of experiment. As some of you know, a big company reached out to me to do some marketing work for them. That's still supposed to happen - sometime in mid-April. But at that time, I ratcheted back on my public presentation of me. Sterilized it, if you will. Not long ago, I changed my mind. I gotta be me. And then something strange happened. I became busier and more in demand than I've ever been. It was like a switch. Why is that? Like Jeffrey Carver says above, the marketplace is fickle. I can't - and shouldn't - change me for some notion of what others want. I'm a fiery creature. Passion runs deep in me and when I'm on, I'm very on. And sometimes, that causes magic to happen. There are a few niches where my talents work very well. By continuing to put myself out there, as I am, I've either been noticed or have attracted others to what I do, and so good things are happening. Which is true, I suspect, for everyone. That when they are true to their strengths and to their natural inclinations, they're firing on all pistons and woo boy - watch them go! My involvement with the Des Moines Tea Party has me in the position of being a hub for communication through the web site (because I built it). One guy who wrote in said this: I can certainly help with setup on the 15th, passing out flyers etc. I may need some help getting pointed in the right direction as I have never been a part of something like this before, but I will do what I can. Thank you and all your colleagues for putting this together. I am thrilled at the chance to have my voice heard for a change rather then sitting at home and getting mad at all the things I see going on. I think that's it... passionately getting involved rather than sitting around. It's productivity. It's action. It's movement. And that feels good and right.A friend of mine believes in the concept of "continued relevance." It's hard to have meaning in life when we're living life according to the perceived standards of someone else. The marketplace is fickle. The soul, on the other hand, is an eternal furnace of drive. Relevance, I believe, comes not when trying to get along with everyone (ask John McCain), but when sticking true to your principles and being fearless in the pursuit of getting shit done. | 
