Meeting Princess And Her Family

I recently had a mind-expanding experience. A boy invited me into his father's gem shop in nearby Bastrop, Texas. There was a cabinet with an aquarium by the door that had a piece of notebook paper on the front with the word "Princess" written on it in magic marker.

The boy explained that princess was their pet tarantula and that she guarded the shop. While the father told me about his business, the boy took the screen off the top of the aquarium and took Princess out, holding her in his hands. I had never before been that near such a large spider. I turned to the boy and acknowledged the creature. She reared back, waving her two front legs in warning. The boy asked if I wanted to hold her. I said, "sure".

I held my hands open together near his and Princess hesitatingly approached. Then she decided to walk over onto my hands. When she did, I could feel the most unusual, marvelous adhesive sensation as the tips of each of her legs moved about on my palms. The father explained that a tarantula has its sense of smell in its feet and that if you raise one from infancy, it will bond to you through that sense like any other pet.

When my visit was over, I thanked the boy for letting me hold Princess. He thanked me for holding her. I had just made friends with a new family in a very old-fashioned way - by socializing with them about their pet.

View From the Ground: Atlanta

They say the three keys to business success are, "Location, location, location." Atlanta, Georgia has been showing up on a lot of "Top 10" lists lately, for entrepreneurship, lifestyle, growth, etc. Annual data from the US Census bureau shows that it is certainly one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country. I decided to take action and travel to Atlanta myself to get a first-hand glimpse of the city and the surrounding areas. I've just completed four days there and my impressions are very favorable.

There are a number of neighborhoods like Decatur, Virginia Highlands, and, yes, even the downtown district where shops and restaurants are convenient to the walking public. This feature appeals to me as a businessman because it fosters that viral, word-of-mouth buzz that's just harder to attract if you're located in a strip mall. However, strip malls have their place too. In the numerous and prospering suburban communities along what's being called the "I-85 Corridor" to northwest of the city, I observed a great deal of business demand in the form of full shopping center parking lots and decent waiting lines in front of midrange to upscale restaurants.

While in Atlanta, I scored a meeting with the Vice President of Economic Development at the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and he supplied me with key information on everything from business licensing to demographic trends to commercial real estate resources.

All in all, a successful trip - I came away with a great picture of what Atlanta can offer in terms of retail business demand and growth trends. Incidentally, the people of the city were friendly and helpful, regardless of which neighborhood I visited. Whether or not Atlanta is my future destination remains to be seen. There are a couple of other promising metro markets I plan on visiting before making my decision.

Journey Within: Wilderness Getaway 2008

Five years ago, I went on a week-long trip to Hawaii and took the journals I had written with me. (five years' worth) I spent my days reading my life like a book, noticing tendencies about myself, and distilling the insights into a foundation for intentional growth that propelled me in in a very positive direction.  18 months after that trip, it was hard to recognize me as the same guy in the areas of self-worth, ambition, and tolerance.  For example, I no longer approached dating out of fear of loneliness or a position of need.  My deeply felt position had become, "I am loveable, and I generously share my loveableness with others."  The results in my life were dramatic, from income to relationships to my sense of purpose and beyond.

I now have five more years of journals in my library.  I decided at the beginning of this week to get away for eight days, starting Sunday Sept. 28, and repeat this process. This time I'm renting a remote cabin in the mountains of West Virginia.  No Internet, no cell phone reception.  Just what doctor ordered.

Back in 1992, I heard Jim Rohn talk about journaling.  He said, "Too many people try to just get through the day.  I've got something better for you to go for: learn to get from the day. Capture the insights and ideas.  Don't trust your memory."  I can be a bit slow on the uptake (as can we all) so I didn't formally start keeping a journal until 1998.  In fact, my first journal entry went something like this: "I probably won't keep this up, but here's what happened today..."  I've since learned not to dismiss a day of small beginnings in my life.  Starting journaling earlier would definitely be one of those things I would counsel my younger self to.

My dearly beloved friends and family think this trip is about my next career step, and to be fair, that's how I've presented it to them.  But quite beyond that, I foresee it as a launch pad for areas of personal growth I can't even imagine as I write this.  Wiping the white board clean and starting fresh with a clean set of markers.