Tune in tonight and have a fun mental exercise

I rarely talk politics, even to my closest friends. It meddles with people's convictions and values so it gets very messy. We can all agree at least to pay attention tonight, as President Barack Obama will have his very first State of the Union.

When the speech is done, complete this questionnaire:
1. What is your initial reaction? Are they generally positive or negative?
2. Tune in for about 15 minutes after the State of the Union address to see how known political thinkers react. Do your reactions from question 1 lean more towards those known to be liberal/Democratic or conservative/Republican?
3. See how the other parties from question 2 react. Where are they honing in on their praise or criticism?
4. Do you see yourself agreeing with at least one point from the other parties, or do you see yourself retorting their arguments?

There is no right or wrong answer. I have done the exercise before since high school. Here is the one conclusion that still stands to this day. This was my answer to President George W. Bush's 2002 State of the Union address:

I have generally noticed people will hear what they want to hear, especially in the State of the Union address. If you want to hear something about your topic of choice (terrorism, poverty, social security, etc.) you will tune in exclusively to the opinions expressed on that topic and tune out almost everything else. Every topic is important, and the fact we disagree on how to best handle those topics only emphasizes their importance. Solutions may not happen instantaneously, but they will likely emerge after much compromise. No one will get exactly what they want in these solutions, but something is better than nothing.

Don't you love political spin?

Wait, pursuing your dreams and running your own shop is hard work?!

Who would-a thunk of that?!

A recent article by the New York Times covering the difficulties faced by Etsy's big blockbuster sellers rubbed me the wrong way. (That Hobby Looks Like a Lot of Work by Alex Williams) Congratulations! You made it! The arts/crafts you're good at are recognized by others and purchased often enough for you to pursue it full time! Consider yourselves lucky and blessed.

I'm not jealous of their success nor their fame. It just surprises me that so many artists and crafters don't figure out the underlying consequences of setting up your own shop.

Shoot for the stars and be the best at whatever you're good at. But be ready for haters in the shadows mocking your work; be ready for long sleepless nights trying to make enough items to ship by the next day; be ready for little to no chances of socializing while you're forced to craft; be ready for those handful of unhappy customers out to ruin your good times; be ready for natural disasters; be ready for getting hospitalized on your own insurance (or worse: no insurance); be ready for your family and loved ones telling you that your business is becoming your life.

My business background prepared me and gave me the basic tools on how to set up and operate my own shop. I may be selling arts and crafts as a 'side job' but that doesn't mean I take my side job lightly. I highly suggest for others to take introduction to business classes, or read up on good books on how to run a business.

What you do as a 'job' everyday should be fun and exciting. When it isn't then you're just 'working' and not doing what you love. Be prepared my friends.