Month: October 2019

First Year of Marriage

I can’t believe I have been married for one year already. Not only that it’s been a busy first year. Lindsay and so many close friends have said we have done so much in the first year of marriage. Me, I think it’s been a great year, don’t get me wrong. But I think the Harrowers are only getting started.

Lindsay and I started talking online on January 26th, 2018. Our first date was February 11th. I popped the question June 9th and we got married on October 6th. I never thought this day would actually happen.

Then we went to Mexico for our honeymoon and it was beautiful. We spent a week in paradise, literally it was the best trip I and Lindsay have ever been on.

Goal #2

Exactly 76 days later after my number one goal in life was checked off. My number two goal in life got a checkmark. I published my first book. I spent over four years writing and working on this book. But really this book has been in the works from age six to 28 when I published it. The World Through My Dyslexic Eyes came to life and is now out there in the world. I’m a published author is this really happening?

My wife is now a published author and I’m a two-time published author. HOLD ON, back up. I’m married and now writing a book with my wife this is crazy and can’t be real? This is how my old self would look at this. So, what a bunch of people have published a book before? I still have this battle to this day and you can ask Lindsay. It’s still a struggle and still a huge dark cloud over me.

Team Effort

Even since I started writing in my early 20s I wanted to write a kid’s book, I just didn’t know what about. I know it’s a very hard and competitive category to write in I just needed the right story. Then I met Lindsay. She always wanted to share her and now my dog’s story. So around April of this year, that story started to come to life. The World Through Bella’s Eye’s is now available.

It’s not just another story that Lindsay and I wrote. This story was written and told by Bella. She tells the story and shares the story through her eyes to you. It’s a story about her journey and what she went through in her past to where she is now and everything she battled within that time. Beating cancer, being abused and left in the woods for three days and much more.

Dream Chaser 

Now my wife is a published author and doing something she never dreamed of doing. Myself, on the other hand, I published two books in less than nine months. If I look to my left where my desk is I can see my book and Bella’s book on the top of my bookcase. Sometimes I look at them and think those are cool covers. Wait those are my books, crap I wrote those. Well, Lindsay helped with Bella’s but you know what I mean.

Then I wonder how did I get here? Just a few short years ago I never thought I would be getting married. Still living in my parent’s house with a dry erase board filled with some goals and dreams. Now those dreams are slowly coming true. I’m at 77 books read and my goal is to get 100 by March 25th. I have published two books and I just need to publish one more to accomplish my two big goals by the time I’m 30.

Hard Work Pay’s Off

It wasn’t easy getting to this point. I never thought I would ever get to this point. Now that I’m here it almost seems to easy. Of course, it wasn’t that easy but looking back and reflecting. Look at what I’m doing, look at what Lindsay is doing? Look at what were both doing together now with are books?

I’m not saying what we’re doing is better than what you are doing. Please understand I’m not bragging and saying we’re better than you. All I’m saying is we’re all on different paths in our lives. There’s nothing wrong with that and that’s ok. All you need to worry about is your path and the journey you’re on. I just never thought this would happen. I always figured it would be a dream.

Perfect Combo

Was it worth all of the years being single and wondering if I will ever get married of course it was worth it? I never dated that much and the saying I would rather have loved and lost than never have loved always seemed so stupid to me. Thinking about it if you didn’t love then you wouldn’t be sad if something happened or you lost your spouse.

On the flip side if you didn’t love in the first place then you will never know what it was like to be so connected to another person’s heart and soul. Lindsay and I have been married for 382 days and we dated for eight months before that. But I swear we have known each other for years.

Don’t Stop Searching

Now I understand that phrase and you know what it’s true. The only reason I never understood that phrase was because I never loved someone and cared about someone before. If you ask me it’s worth the battle and the pain and suffering to find your soul mate. Some days I swear she knows me better than me.

After our first year of marriage, I can now say I would rather have loved and lost than never have loved before. If I never met Lindsay then I wouldn’t be where I am today. More importantly, I wouldn’t have had Lindsay by my side. If you ask me it’s worth it to keep searching and fighting for the one you love. Life is short, enjoy the time you have now because who knows how long till your time runs out.

After the first year of marriage, I’m excited for year two. Love you, babe.

Laziness

Yes, you read the title correct. Shopping cart, it will make sense soon enough. Lately, I have been struggling with this. Now I like to think I’m not a lazy person. Now, do I have my moments I just want to lay on the couch with my girl and dog and watch a movie or some football, of course? I won’t lie that sounds amazing.

For the most part, I don’t like lazy days or its hard for me to not want to keep moving and doing something active or productive. I think one of the main reasons is I work from home. Lindsay is out in the real world and out and about all day when she’s working. Its a completely different story and scenario, so I think that’s the difference between us. Now I’m not saying Lindsay is lazy of course, that’s not what I mean. She works very hard in her job. So somedays she wants to take it easy and just relax. I get that and completely understand.

The Right Thing

The reason why I brought up lazy is this. We live about five minutes away from Walmart. It’s very close and very convenient in case we need something and its also right next to my gym so it’s even easier. I can pick stuff up after working out if I need to. Lately, though I have been seeing it alot and it bothers me. I guess I never really thought about it that much till one day a few months ago I saw the President of 1stPhorm Sal, talk about it.

He talked about doing the small things in life. It doesn’t matter what your title is if you see trash you pick it up. If you see something that doesn’t belong you put it away. Again I’ve been seeing this alot but it never registered. But whenever I go to Walmart or leave. Have you ever noticed a random shopping cart next to polls or in parking spots? It might not be at Walmart but I’m sure it happens all over the place.

Perspective

Well, I think it’s safe to say, ladies and gentlemen. Those people that don’t take those carts back or put them back are really starting to bother me. Now I don’t know their situation maybe they are sick or missing a leg or something I don’t know. I get it, maybe it’s hard or you had a long day whatever the reason. I’m human I’m not heartless I understand.

But really think about it. If your to busy to take the extra couple of steps to take the cart back into the store or to the drop off point that’s probably closer to you then what are you doing wrong in your everyday life? If you’re that lazy that you can’t take the 30 seconds to put the cart back then what else are you skimping on in your life? What are you trying to take the shortcut from in your everyday living thinking it will help you get an edge over someone? In all reality its really hurting you in the long run and your future. It’s also kind of sad if you ask me.

The Easy Way

If you use that shopping cart metaphor for a second and look in your life what are you taking the easy approach to in your life? For me, it’s not making enough sales calls sometimes for my job. I get distracted sometimes working on other documents for clients and doing other stuff when thats something I could be doing at the end of the day. So what I need to do is get better with prioritizing. That goes with juggling everything with my writing career and sales job.

The flexibility I have with working from home makes it so easy to do both or go back and forth if something comes up. It’s not like I’m on the road traveling or don’t have regular access to a computer like I always do.

Listen & Learn

What I’m trying to explain is this. Do you have examples or certain things you do regularly that you know you shouldn’t do or maybe you should be doing? Now it happens I have some and look at the one I just gave you above. Now the next most important question you need to ask yourself is this. What are you doing about it? Are you trying to fix it or just brushing it under a rug and leaving it for later and hiding it from others?

Depending on how you answer those questions and what your actions are shows the kind of person you are and also what kind of work ethic you have. Now here’s the awesome thing, you still have time to fix it and do the right thing. Do you want to get better at your time management or your to-do list? Well, read about the successful people that have been doing that for years. Do the research and learn from others and see what works for them. What works for them might not work for you, but it could lead you to the thing that does.

What Will You Choose

Just because you were doing something in your past doesn’t mean that it controls you and your outcome for the rest of your life. Your past is over and yes you can’t do anything about that. But today is a new day and once you wake up you can decide what you want to do with what’s in front of you today. What is your mindset going to be happy or angry? Are you willing to put the shopping cart back even when you don’t feel like it? Or are you just going to take the easy approach and be average and leave it? The choice is yours and your mindset is what decides that.

Remember whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.