Becoming what’s
possible…
or die tryin’.
Designing life the way it ought to be.
#wearedesigners
INTRODUCTION
Hey, I’m James L. Watson a/k/a Watson by Watson
I’m an IDEAS guy and most of the times that’s where the process stops.
A few years ago, I left Corporate America to pursue my passion of becoming a creative entrepreneur. Since then, I’ve been on a rollercoaster ride trying to figure out how to navigate an independent lifestyle. I’ve had a few wins and losses but it’s all part of the deal when you choose this life.
Recently I decided to push the reset button and start over. I realized that I wasn’t living to my fullest potential and there are a lot of reasons baked into that. The one that stands out the most for me is F.E.A.R. (False Evidence Appearing Real).
“I USED TO FEAR FAILING; NOW I FEAR TO NEVER HAVE TRIED!”
To combat my fears, I wanted to do something opposite of fearful. That’s why I’m documenting, the behind the scenes of my new journey, publicly. This website reveals all of the celebrations as well as bumps and bruises of building a business. You will see the good, the bad, wins, mistakes… Am I worried about being so transparent? Not really. I know my capabilities and look forward to discovering new ones. Besides, I don’t know who, but I’m sure someone else out there feels the same way and needs to see this transformation unravel as proof that anything you want is attainable.
Creating this journal-styled website accomplishes a few things:
it becomes very therapeutic
adds a layer of accountability
gives transparency to each milestone
creates a place that inspires me and others who face this kind of challenge to pursue their own passions
The Agenda: Projects
Below are the current projects I am working on. There are others on the list but this is a good start. I don’t want to get too overwhelmed and risk not finishing. You can follow each adventure in the project section of the site.
CHALLENGE
Get outta the way!
I have to be honest here. If any part of my journey inspires you to go after a dream, you have to know what you are in for. Nothing worth having is obtained so easily. You have to learn how to get out of your own way in order to get what’s in front of you. I’m not going to preach to the choir; it goes for me too. I’m getting better with getting over my bull$#!+. As a creative I am most critical of myself but I am learning to live with ‘good enough’ because perfection doesn’t exist. With that said, here’s a glimpse of what WE have coming our way.
01 — What do you want?
Seems like an easy question but so hard for A LOT of us to answer.
HINT: I want to be rich too but the lottery isn’t the only way to get there. While I may continue to play the numbers, the better bet is betting on myself.
02 — What are you willing to do/sacrifice to get it?
If you are not investing time and/or money, you’re not in it to win. These are sacrifices you have to make and one way or another, it’s going to cost you something you won’t want to let go of. But, the question becomes: “how bad do you want it?” How you execute will determine your hunger.
03 — See it, study it, reverse engineer it!
No idea is original. Everything that is new has existed before in some form or fashion but done differently. The key is to make it your own. If you see something you like, add YOU into the process and the product becomes yours. Not following? A sneaker is a sneaker is a sneaker is a sneaker. Nike does it their way; Adidas does it theirs. At the end of the day, they both produce sneakers.
04 — Do you have what it takes?
Trust me, some things will not go according to plan. Frustration will creep in when things get tough and you’ll have about enough you can stand. Ask yourself, do you have what it takes. As long as that answer remains ‘YES’, find ways around your frustrations. Take a short break. It’s okay. You’ll pick where you left off and maybe this round will be even better. However, if that answer ever becomes ‘NO’. My advice: Give up! I have no pep talk for you. Once you’ve given up, there’s nothing else to say. No one is going to do the job for you. Pack it up. You just weren’t built for it. Guess what? That’s okay too. People would lead you to believe that giving up makes you a failure. On the contrary, sometimes it makes you a better person and stops you from wasting time on what wasn’t meant to be. The decision is yours though.
05 — Finishing & Launching
Stick to the script and finish it out. For me, this is the hardest thing to do. I’ll start something, it gets old to me and I never finish it. The reality I never faced was things get better in time. Iterations come after. The point is getting to a good enough place at first.
To take it further, when you do reach that goal, you are obligated to launch it into the universe. You can’t predict what’s going to happen. You just have to let it go, observe the results, tweak when needed, celebrate your accomplishment and learn from your mistakes.