The Place You Come To...

It has happened to me in about every venture I have ever encountered. The wall. It is the place that forces you to stop and take measure of your own size.  It is a place that holds you where you stand and makes you aware of just how human you are.  You know your limits, not in a depressed way, but in a realistic way. I just know that beyond this wall I must rely on something bigger than myself to move forward. I imagine for many, this wall is all too real.  For our friends in Japan that wall metabolized in to a very real, very scary earthquake & tsunami. For many, that ‘wall’ was their end. My wall is more metaphorical... It is more of a day to day wall.

Its a great thing for a person to start a venture supposing that he himself can conquer the world. It’s a catalyst to one’s own evolution. As time lashes you with life lessons, that notion of 'going vertical’ in your own personal development forces you to go horizontal instead.  Now you rely on the power of friendships.  Those can take you pretty far.  But even the power of our dearest friends is finite.  You realize this before the end of that wonderful momentum you friendships provide you. Beyond friendship there needs to be something of a higher nature to help you become what you know you must.

In the world of app development you realize pretty quick that you are in the stock market of ideas and that there are all differing types of players. Even if you rise to unbelievable heights you will encounter many inevitable lows.  There is no such thing as perpetual growth by any cleverness you can devise on your own.  You can take the advice of even the smartest of friends and success stories, and still you will fall short.  Mother Nature is bigger than your plans. If there is a force that governs all of us we see it best when we try to combat its authority most.  If you want to know the power of the wind, run into it.  Feel the surge of what a current is by swimming against it. See how long your well-trained muscles can resist its force, a presence that will not falter. Good luck with that.

At some point you will hit that very wall, and when you do you have a choice. You can give up or you can go with it.  The wall won’t move for you.  Now, I never suggest giving up entirely. The trick is to change your point of view. Realize that there is a power greater than you at work here. Call it what you will. I call it God.  That power called you on this venture, didn’t it?  It stirred you like the moon stirs tides.  It called, then you answered, and instead of being a humble agent of its calling you fell into a trap- you claimed authorship. That’s a bad choice.

Perhaps the greatest lesson I have learned in this bold venture of creating something new is that I can’t create anything truly unique by myself. Something bigger drove me to create, and it’s not my job to guide that idea’s ‘life journey’ or to define its purpose.  Every mother or father knows this all to well when they realize the limitation of parenthood. You do your best, but one day you will have to let your child live his or her own life.  It’s the same with ideas, companies,  and apps.

It’s time I let my app be what it is, and I will go along with it.  It’s a good app.  I trust it can go far.  I will offer suggestions on its direction but it will go where it wants and help whom it wants to help.  It is, after all, just a thing.  Its worth is nowhere near the importance of one person in Japan for example.  My hat is off to that Nation in a gesture of humility and of awe of the Japanese’s amazing resilience and strength.

So on Friday April 15th, every cent we make will go to Red Cross efforts. The wave of devastation that hit this proud nation reminds us all that we are in fact small in this world, and our plans are best given up to a Higher Power than plotted over, like some sort of scheme for world domination.  Please join us in our small effort to support Japan.  We won’t save the world, but every little bit helps. Tell your friends, tell everyone about our efforts & join us in helping Japan this Friday.

Thanks for your time & support,
Joe

It's The Wild West In Here!

Well pilgrim, be forewarned.  You can find gold in the Apps Store Hills. Ya may find a lot.  I reckin’ you saddled up to start your first app thinkin' all you have to do is look pretty and tell a good ol’ tale and that there gold would come a rushin’ in. Well here’s what I figured in my first month in this wild, wild country. I pass it on free of charge...

I seen good apps shot dead in there first weeks. Maybe its because they didn’t now how to get the word out that they was comin’ to town. I also know that there be folks playin’ a hand with an ace up their sleeves too!  Cheats, snake oils sales men looking lookin’ to steal you customers by speakin’ ill of ya on your reviews page. They do it without even trying your app out.  WHY? They do it to convince people that your apps no good, even if it is.  You’ll know its when it’s them they write lies on your reviews. Nobody else knows they are lies but you.  But what can you do? Ya can’t complain to the Sheriff Jobs. You see, the sheriff, he don’t, maybe cant, regulate all these crooks. The know it too. Tey do all sorts of foul play in the open daylight. Sometimes buy their way to a top ten spot simply by gifting hundreds of apps to friends.  Its not illegal to do it, but it aint an honest way to make a livin’ either.  Heck there ain’t much law here anyhow no matter how decent you try to be.

I came to this here land to make a new start for myself.  I wasn’t all that naive, but I will admit that I did think that there would be some law.  Something that would make me feel like I could raise my kin in these here lands without the worry of bandits hijackin’ me at every turn.

You see if your competition thinks that you have claim of land thats got gold on it they will do what ever they can to run you off your land. Thats just the way the Wild West is...

Just hold tight Pilgrim. Do updates often. Address all the concerns you can. Get your beloved happy customers to review you newest updates often. Be the best gold miner you can be, because these hooded varmints who try to hamstring you can’t stay around for long. The only reason they take shots at you is because the curs are scared of you. Scared of who you are, and what you bring to the table. So cowboy up Pilgrim, and show those lilly nannies what true grit is all about!