I told you in my last post, I have secured a spot at a real estate firm here in Rhode Island, which I really feel great about. I am a great judge of character and I think that was probably the best meeting I have ever had, from both my perspective and the broker with whom I talked with for about an hour. I can just tell that this brokerage is where I should be, and will be beneficial to both of us. So that spot on my to do list is a great big √

Moving on, next on the list is to set up my test for my license. This may seem like I am jumping the gun a bit, however, under the advice of my instructor, I will not be the only one, obviously, having to schedule this test in April, and if I wait until then it will push my test date out farther delaying when I actually get my license. √

So I am not going to bore you to death with everything on my list, I will spare you of that. Also, today I will be working on my goals for the my real estate career. People really overlook goal setting, even in business, and that is a BIG, BIG, MISTAKE. Personally, I feel everyone should be working on goals in their lives, whether they be personal or professional ones, that is how things get done. If you read about habits of highly successful people, usually one of the top things they do is set goals, why? YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN IDEA OF WHERE YOU ARE GOING AND HOW TO GET THERE. That is why. As the say “Plan your work, then work your plan” You cannot just be trying to do this in a willy-nilly fashion.

So, that is what is on my agenda for this cold and rainy Sunday here in Rhode Island, working. Although like they say “If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life” So far I am loving this journey, I just know it is what I should be doing.

As always thanks for taking the time to stop by and see whats going on.

#RhodeIsland #RealEstate #SundayMorning

Since my last post a lot has been going on in my life, I left my sixteen year career as a cable guy for a few different reasons. I then spent two years as a postal carrier, which at first I really enjoyed. Then after two years I was looking at a nine-year wait to get a full-time job, I simply do not have that kind of time to wait, it is definitely a job for a younger person with a lot less responsibility, so I left.

I then started a Construction company, and did OK my first year, and we are still plugging away.  Yes, I am still working on my book, The Teapot and The Trumpet. Now I have decided on changing gears in my career again. For at least ten years I have wanted to be a real estate agent, and then become a broker and eventually a broker/owner, but the time was never right, actually I did start the process of becoming a licensed agent ten years ago, my wife was going to school to become a nurse, and she was not working so she could be laser focused on her school, we also still had two kids in school, so the time was just not right.

I thankfully had a great job as the best damn cable guy on the east coast, okay that is self-proclaimed admittedly, but i was damn good at what I did, because I loved it, and I had the drive to succeed. Since I left cable I just did not have the same energy, the same enthusiasm, something was missing, I just was not as happy in my work life anymore. So I decided that now is the time to become a real estate agent, and my wife agrees, our kids are grown now and hopefully our youngest will be starting college this fall. Yes I am changing gears at forty-nine years old.

I have started my real estate classes, and will finish them April forth of this year. I actually sat with a broker owner for about an hour today under the advice of my real estate class instructor, to try to find a brokerage to work for to be ahead of the curve of everyone else, who will be looking for the same thing when we finish our course. I am very happy to say that I have been invited to join that brokerage as an agent when I am licensed.

I have to tell you, that takes a hell of a lot of stress off my shoulders. I am also happy to say that I have that enthusiasm back that I had when I was doing cable, I have just been super excited since I have decided to go after what I have wanted for so long. It just feels right in my gut, you know what I mean, that feeling, that deep, deep down inside you feeling, that you are doing the right thing, and I have to tell you, that is a DAMN good feeling.

Over the years, believe it or not it has been eight of them. I have tried to make this blog not only about my journey of writing my book and becoming an author. I have also tried to write inspirational and motivational posts for you my readers. In the hopes that it might help someone in any way it could. So now I am changing gears on this blog too, I will be writing about my journey and career as a real estate agent as I learn the business, hopefully it will help someone along their journey.

Lastly I would like to thank each and every one of you who have supported me and read my posts over the last eight years, I love each and every one of you, and I sincerely hope you stick around and come on this journey with me.

As always thank you for taking the time to stop by.

Jim

That baby, now with a fresh set of confidence, begins its life of meandering about its home. Eventually she or he grows up, and ventures out into the world, alone, without the constant vigil of mom and dad. Whether it be to college or work, look out world, here comes yet another full-grown adult.

That is where the problem starts.

A brand new full-grown adult, making her or his way into the world of adulthood, work, bills, work, taxes. For the most part she or he will do alright, at first. Every thing is new, permission is no longer needed to make a decision. At last, that person is free to make their own choices, and damn does it feel good.

This is where some people lose themselves, and losing ourselves can happen over and over throughout our lives. It can be quite sad to watch, because there are all sorts of ways we can lose ourselves.

Some people lose themselves, and consequently get trapped by drugs and or alcohol. I have watched far too many people I personally know and love, dive to the bottom of a bottle and stay there for a long, long time. I have also witnessed people I know and love waste and ruin their entire lives on drugs, some made it out, some did not, some are still there.

Then some people get lost within their own ego. “I am going to take the world by the balls and everyone will notice” good luck, so has every other eighteen to twenty something that ever walked on this planet. Granted some actually pull it off, but its far more common that most do not.

Then some of us lose ourself by the death of a loved one. I can personally tell you that I have. When my father passed away, I did lose myself, I am a writer, and for one hundred and four days after his passing I did not write a single word. I lost readers to this blog because of it. I was lost within myself, I was not confused, just lost. When you begin to wonder how much time you personally have left on this planet, with so much left to do, and wonder how you will get it done, and allow it to consume you, allow it to be in every waking thought, well, it can be quite maddening.

I found my way out of it however.

That is the key.

It is ok to lose yourself, how ever it may happen, and it will happen. As I said before we humans are a fickle bunch, but if you do happen to lose yourself  along this road called life, it is perfectly acceptable to ask for help, and do what ever it takes to find your way back to the light.

Back to finding Yourself again.

Not only did Danielle write this book, she lived it, as she herself is a resident of Monson. As you know this blog is not only about my journey to becoming a published author, it is also about inspiring and motivating in an effort to help one another. So lets help Danielle, and spread the word about her new book through our social media channels. As always my friends thank you for taking the time to stop by.
You can check out the Facebook page for her book here, The Chosen Path

Jim Cantwell
~2015~

OK, now that you have thought about that for a bit, you have to ask yourself, do I settle? If the answer is YES, then I have a question for you. How in the hell, can you realistically expect to be happy and lead a healthy and fulfilled life, if you settle for what you really do not want?
The math is easy,
life + settling = unhappy you.

Now, of course things happen that are beyond our control, such as being laid-off or just out right being terminated because of corporate downsizing. Then we may have to settle for a job that we do not want, because regardless, we need money to survive, and quite frankly, some money is definitely better than no money. But that is just a quick fix to keep us on our feet, we do not have to keep that job if it is not what we want, we can continue to job search and interview until we find a job that makes us happy.

Another thing that may be out of our control is divorce. Things happen, people change, we fall in to love, but sometimes unfortunately, we also fall out of love. I have been there myself, it sucks, it hurts, I know. My first wife left me, and after all the damn crying and wondering what was wrong with me, I came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with me, it was her. She simply did not want to be married to me anymore, she wanted to just be able to party all the time, and not be tied down by anyone, so off she went, we got divorced. Guess what happened next. I GOT OVER IT,and she found herself pregnant by someone else six months after our divorce, so the world turns. When I decided to start dating again, I made a promise to myself. I would not settle for just anyone to date, there was criteria damn it, and it worked out. I met the woman of my dreams, and we will have been married for 16 years this May.

Seeing how not settling worked for me, I decided I would not settle for anything in my life ever again. I would work for what I wanted, I would fight for it, I would, and do, find a way to do what ever it is I want, and that my friends has given me a truly happy life. Sometimes it takes a little bit to get there, but I do not settle in the meantime, I go without until I find a way to get what I am after.

So do yourself a favor, find a way to get what you want, it may, and will, take some work, but that is what makes it worth it, and do not ever, ever, ever, settle for anything, because you are stronger than that.

Motivate

Love

Grow

Then there is the change we seek in ourselves. Some of us look to change a bad habit such as smoking. Some of us look to change our bodies such as lose weight and gain muscle. This type of change is something that we can do something about, in fact we are the only ones who can do something about it. Nobody is going to give it to you, if you are sitting around waiting for someone to “hand” it to you, then you will be doing just that…… sitting around waiting.

So if you want personal change in you life, no matter what the change is, then do something about it. Initiate the change in your life that you want, do not take no for an answer, go out, kick ass, and take names.

The Box
Boxes exist in science, math and physics, unquestionably. They do not however exist in nature. Nature has no use for a box, for if it did, boxes would exist on their own naturally, in our environment. Humans are the only animals on this planet that have a use for, and use boxes. We use them all the time, we put things in them, they come in many shapes and sizes. With that being said, there is one more way a box exists, which is the point of this post, and that would be metaphorically.

The metaphor that is “The Box” is used every single day around the world. I know you have heard it before, at some point in your life someone has said to you “Think outside the box” Whether it be a boss, a publisher, an editor, whoever. I know its been said to you, at some point.

So, we begin to “Think outside the box” Well, seeing that “The Box” is man made, and you are trying to think beyond the confines of “The Box” it stands to reason that we certainly are limiting ourselves to a much lower standard than we can actually achieve. We inadvertently are limiting ourselves, because when we think outside “The Box” we only care to be just that, outside of it.

When you realize, that there is no “BOX” and let your mind go, the outer confines of the universe become your limits, and seeing how there are no outer confines of the universe as we understand it, the only thing stopping you from reaching these limits are in fact, you.

I read a lot about people, and I read a lot of posts and articles about “Traits of wildly successful people” Not one time have I read that thinking outside “The Box” was one of their traits.

So please stop trying to think outside “The Box” and realize that there is no “Box” free yourself from the chains and way of thinking we have come to know, and see where it takes you. I promise you will not be disappointed.

It has been said that desperate times call for desperate measures. I firmly believe that they do not, because if you are desperate, and I think we all have been at some point in our lives, desperate measures will only sink you further down in the hole we call desperation. So, there is never a need for desperate measures, it will only hurt you and never help you.

Hope is a fickle thing, it is not tangible, it is an idea, and that idea can come in many forms. We hope for change, we hope we are published, I hope someone reads this and it helps them. That is the good side of hope. It does have a darker side too. I hope I can find some way to pay for food this week, I hope I can kick my addiction before it kills me, I hope I can find a way to stay warm this winter.

Just to be clear, I am not talking about myself here, by the grace of God, I do not have any of these problems.

So lets talk about me for a second.
I have a pretty damn good children’s picture book called “The Teapot And The Trumpet” that I am currently working on publishing through smashwords, I know, I know, it is about damn time, Jim. That is the point, I did not lose hope, even though it has been an incredibly long process for me, about three years or so.

During this we lost our black lab, Toby. He was 12 years old and he was not a pet, Toby was part of our family, and a part we miss every day. As hard as that was I wrote though it, I wrote this blog and worked on the book and started to write a novel.

Then my older brother Rusty passed away on April 30, 2012 Rusty was fifty years old when he died, and he lived life by his terms. Again it hurt, but I wrote through it.

Then on March 20, 2013 I lost my father, for whom I am named after.
That hurt, a lot. It hurt so much that I did not write a single word, I did the bare minimum of what I needed to do on a daily basis, I got up, went to work, came home and watched tv, and repeated that for 104 days. I have a tendency to not lose, no matter what life throws at me, no matter how hard or how many times life knocks me down, I always get up swinging.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and,
Above All, Do Not Lose Hope.