Thursday, January 15, 2015

A Day in the Life: A Beginning, a Morning Vision and a Tree of Unity and of Strength


Prologue: The First Day of a New Life



The sun is up and bursting through the blinds of my office window. My third cup of coffee sits cold and half full to the right of my laptop I try to jot down notes on this new "A Day in the Life" post that had been rattling around my head for over a week now. Even longer than that, if one thinks back. The idea simply took different forms over the years, but never in such a cohesive state. This new variation that is beginning to form is tangible, usable, but very fragile. I'm clinging to it right now, white knuckled against the fear of losing my grip. 

I look down at the stained paper containing my chicken-scratch notes, and suddenly realize that I have written two dozen phrases with no memory of the task. Phrases like freelance writing jobs, help your neighbor, content marketing, teach your neighbor, social media marketing, love your neighbor, help your community, online community volunteering, writing career, freelance career help, freelance site review, website help forum, freelance blogging jobs,  and on and on and on. Essentially, nothing more than a string of keyword phrases and common moral values, but somehow they strangely hold an astounding amount of meaning for me and, through extension of my own hopes and dreams, my friends here at FWP and all over the Internet, as well. 



The Vision and the Path


In a sense, those little collections of letters that form words and then meld into phrases suddenly took on far more meaning in my mind's eye than the symbolism of language could ever achieve. It's like a blind man given sight for the first time in his life. I experience clarity of thought like never before and for the briefest moment I see exactly how my life may unfold. I see the great deeds of fellowship and community that I may deliver to my online family. I see what an all encompassing force of love I can be. I see my life, my good life, my righteous life, how it should be, but how it's not. I learn that I may have that life if I only stay the path that was to be shown to me in that early morning light. 

The path that I see for a heartbeat's breathe during the instantaneous effects that flash into and out of my mind's eye. The path that, up till this point, I always fail to see or acknowledge, the path I avoid. It's the path of a truly good man. That path is always what I claim to walk while I speak from both sides of my mouth. A path that, deep down, I crave and need for my family and for me. A path that I feel forever barricaded against for fear of failure, of embarrassment, of responsibilities, of failing...or succeeding. A path that I am, that I will, that I must stand firmly on with every ounce of will and strength, with every bit of support and guidance and with every sincere act of generosity, compassion and love that I draw together and wrap around my shoulders like a cloak to keep me strong and safe as I begin my journey. And I know that my online family, my spiritual family and my immediate family at home will all walk with me and keep me firmly focused on the twists and turns of the path I must finally face.  

But that was early this morning, when the sun was still veiled behind the trees and the light was weak but expanding to something spectacular. Those wee hours make one likely to read more into signs and symbols than are actually there. Perhaps the morning light made me feel like something more happened than what really took place. Maybe that is good, maybe it is misleading, I don't know. But regardless of the nature of my morning "vision", for lack of a better term, something profound DID happen. Whatever it was, a daydream, a real dream, an imaginative flight of fancy, it opened my eyes and allowed me to see something that had been hidden. A way forward, a path well-traveled and a reason to strive for the chance to finally go down that path myself. 

It showed me that there is something good I can do. For me, you, and everybody else who is interested in this crazy industry we call Internet marketing or content marketing or freelancing or
LIFE. It showed me that, maybe, if I don't falter, if I don't give up, maybe if I continue to strive for the light, I, too, can be something good in this world. Something other than a negative force. Something positive in the eyes of others. 

A Family, a Community, a Co-Operative Working Together to Improve Everyone's Life Financially, Spiritually and Emotionally



All those answers turned back to questions and left me wondering, "Where do I start? What do I do? How do I do it?" After such a seemingly spiritual moment, the answers that came to me seemed childish, unworthy, ridiculous. But again I saw those phrases, and I realized that this was what we do. It's not childish. It's not ridiculous. The hundreds of thousands of exceptional people from every race and every nation surviving, thriving, growing and living as one because of this manifestation of a global community that we call the Internet. This amazing means for truly and completely building a world-wide system for connecting, supporting, loving, helping, teaching and thriving together while combining all our talents and skills into a business co-op that shares resources, volunteers, barters services, networks clients, finances ventures, brainstorms new ideas, trains each other, mentors the young or new and grows together as one cohesive community.

That is real. What we do here is real. The help we give each other, the community we build, the love that we share, that is the realest thing ever. And I want to be more than just a bystander. I want to help make those connections between people. I want to give people hope, opportunity, and freedom of choice. That is what those scribbled phrases told me. That is my purpose. That is what I will strive to achieve.


 The Sky is the Limit when we Join Together as One


To integrate freelance writing success with compassion, leadership and education for needs beyond the business aspect and into community building that will allow those who have succeeded as a writer, designer, coder or any others to mentor those who are just beginning the journey. 


Or developing a service barter platform for our community. A freelance writer offers writing services to a website developer that in turn creates a Wordpress template for the writer.

A volunteer training program.

A discount for services within our community.

And any other benefit imaginable of which I have a boatload just waiting for me to put into words and then into action!


The sky is the limit when we incorporate a genuinely vibrant and close community that conducts business in similar industries in order to pool resources, knowledge, fellowship, friendship and commitment to success in such a way that we all benefit and prosper together as a cohesive and loyal community. This is my vision. This is what I saw in the jumble of scratchy keywords mixed with righteous morals.


This will be the future of the global-consciousness/global-family based on caring, sharing and kindness and realized through technology.


And we can make it happen right here and right now.



"A Day in the Life" is Where We Shall Begin Our Journey to Success but Greatness Will Only Come Once You Are Part of the Family




It all starts with my idea for a new kind of article/blog post. One that blends information with storytelling, learning something practical while learning about life. Finding those weird little things that connect us all and shouting them so the world may hear the wisdom of our ways.


It will start with my story. My story told so that you all may find strength or hope or knowledge and also learn about my vision of a co-operative and it's objectives so that you may decide to join with us and share in our wealth of resources.


But I am the cornerstone, the sure foundation until more keystones join me. So for now it will be my duty and my obligation to spread the vision of a family-oriented co-operative focused on succeeding in business. 


My story is open for all, it is free for all, it is for all.


I only ask that you give it a chance and see what, if anything, you gain from it. It will be here for you whenever you have the time. Come and see what my story has to offer and then we can combine our strength to grow exponentially from there.  


In truth, without all of you, my vision is just that, a hallucination, a dream. But this dream can come true if you add your story to mine. 





If we succeed, it will grow like a tree, spreading branches here and roots there, until it encompasses all who seek shelter from the storm of life. 


Let's start anew now, together, and the sky will hold no boundary that we cannot overcome. 


I look forward to relating the rest of my story as the week’s progress. Part 1 will be released immediately after this prologue. Next Thursday will be Part 2 and every Thursday after that will be another part to my story. 


Beyond telling my past, my present, my hopes and my dreams, my story will hold truths and knowledge that I have learned. I will talk about freelance writing and content marketing. I will talk about how to earn money online and where to go to find various jobs. 


I will integrate my vision of a community of professional internet freelancers and marketers who connect on a deeper, more family-oriented level in order to achieve greater heights as a whole than we ever could as individuals.


My story, while told from my perspective, is all about you. It will be told so that you can gain something from it. My story will be uplifting and teach you while gently nudging you to join together to build this community for everyone's benefit. 


A community of equals all determined to succeed and help each other succeed too.


Hopefully, you all will join me to relate our stories together and, in so doing, become a community, a tree of life, of unity, to spread out in strength and accomplish our goals at will.


NOTE 1: Funny! I have been working on next weeks installment of "Day in the Life", and I jumped over to reference this article when I realized there's not a single piece of info on how to join up with this vision of mine, what I am now calling The Freelance Compassionate Community Co-Operative Project or FCCCOP. Kinda bulky name, I know, maybe once the first core member joins we will brainstorm a better one. 


The main site won't be launching for at least 3 months and maybe up to 8. It really depends on what kind of response I get. If I can get some talented folks on board to help me, then we can get it rolling faster. Otherwise, I will hire a few freelancers and finance the site. I am probably going to move this blog over to a Wordpress if I can figure out how to do it without a bunch of work. Until then, the best way to sign up is to simply subscribe to my email list up at the top of the sidebar. Or you can email me through the Contact Michael page or at mjdavis3937@gmail.com.



One more thing, I will be fleshing out my idea over the next few days and writing up a post and some salescopy. My intention is to have this a completely free community co-operative. No exclusive member access or any of that jive-turkey. Just some good old fashioned real deal community involvement with a huge amount of resources for every kind of freelancer. So, until next time. Take care of yourselves, and each other! 




10 comments :

Unknown said...

Three cups of coffee and a strong dose of New Year's resolution... you'll need some ritalin before long. No seriously, great energy. Great brainstorming. Coincidentally, I was just considering volunteering my copywriting skills at an ad agency in exchange for some graphic design training. This is better -- I don't even have to put on pantyhose. Count me in! Thanks, mEg

Unknown said...

Meg! Thank you, Meg! Tell me about the Ritalin! Excitement, motivation and copious amounts of caffeine can carry a man only so far before his eyes start floating and his wife begins contemplating institutionalization as the only course of action left. But, hey, consider yourself the first official member of the (working title) and thanks again for your kind and supportive comment. This is awesome! The first brick in our foundation has been added!!! One quick thing, I've been thinking about making it completely ad-supported so that us freelancers do not have to pay a dime for the nearly dozen services I have planned so far. What do you think? Is that viable?

Unknown said...

Great read Michael, keep it up.

Unknown said...

Count me in! The writing community needs this! Yes, the ads are viable. I can offer creative writing, academic formatting and how-to on citing sources, and research. I have volunteered as a social media advertising assistant for nonprofits. I am so on board with this. After you're ready I'll blanket my FB and Twitter and writing groups with your website info and have my friends pass it around. I love this idea.

Unknown said...

Awesome Rebecca!! Your skills will be a priceless addition and that is exactly what I had in mind for this site: community driven support. I am launching a Kickstarter campaign today, just to get extra funds for any design or infrastructure elements that I can't take care of myself. So, an optimistic launch date in 3 - 4 months. I'll be posting an update later today or tomorrow with a more solidified business model and service list. I'll keep you all updated because this is for everybody that proudly claims "freelancer" as part of their business title.

Jason: Thanks old friend! You've always had my back and that is most appreciated!

Anonymous said...

Although not so knowledgeable like U, believe me I am very much passionate about widening my writing zone. Here is where I am with U. Your enthusiasm has rubbed me more than anything. Let me have a go.

Unknown said...

If your a Freelancer, then you'll be welcomed on the Freelancer Co-Operative Community site once it launches. It's meant for all of us, greenhorns and salty dogs, to find every resource we need to succeed in our industries as freelancers.

KellySmith said...

Here's something I'd like to make available to the community. I've made an Excel spreadsheet to track income from clients and affiliate ads. The free download and instructions are posted at http://ksmithwriter.icanfixupmyhome.com/Downloadable_Income_Spreadsheet_for_Freelance_Businesses.html

Unknown said...

Nice resource Kelly! Thanks for sharing. Also, I'm adding your site to my FWP Blogroll in the sidebar. It can be very helpful and informative to other writers and marketers. I feel doubly obligated to support a fellow freelancer when that individual claims the art of fly fishing as a personal hobby. Great minds think alike.

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