I guess it must be almost a month since I last wrote for this blog. And a lot has happened since then, not least Christmas! I hope you all had a good Christmas no matter where you are in the world!
For me? Quiet. One of the quietest Christmas’ I’ve ever experienced. A time to reminisce and get all sad about the number of poor choices I’ve made in recent times 
I never receieved a single Christmas present nor a single Christmas card. Is that progress in life or regression? Depends on your point of view.
Nevertheless, there’s been a lot of good too and there’s a lot to look forward to during 2013 and beyond.
One thing that’s got me all excited is a new project I’ve just embarked on. At the moment it’s a secret. A work in the making. And there’s a lot of work to be done, but I’ll be sharing it with you very soon, don’t despair 
Actually, this new project may very well formulate the backbone of my business for the whole of next year. I envisage growing it from strength to strength and no doubt it will have a major impact on this blog. And I suspect it could in fact have a fairly large impact on a number of people who are reading this, even if they (you) have no interest in the specific niche I’m going to focus on.
Basically, and in a nut shell, I’m going to be sharing more of my life with anyone who wants to enjoy that experience. Opening up more. Doing more to help you. Doing more to help myself. 2012 has been a year of trial and mostly error. Well, I intend to make 2013 a year of trial with a whole lot more success!
But here’s a bit of a clue to what I’m intent on.
Do you listen to Pat Flynn’s podcasts about people who are successful (oftentimes VERY successful) in a niche other than the make-money-online niche? I do. It’s one of the very few podcasts I listen to regularly. But, my problem, or so I thought, was that my passions consist of making money online and nothing much else.
For sure, making money online is a means to an end. Making money online leads to choices that other “normal” people can only dream about. Making money online, in the passive sense of the “word” gives you freedom – freedom to choose. A freedom that very few others ever have. And that is more than IMMENSE!!
My move to the Philippines which occured only some five months previously has “forced” me to make a number of reassessments as to where I’m at in the world. It’s been a painful experience actually. Regularly I’ve felt that I’m moving backwards, not forwards. That leads to frustration and for me, to sadness and a true sense of loss.
Nevertheless, it’s been a necessity so that I can move onwards rather than sit tight and live out my days in mediocre.
So, what’s now happened is that one or two of my previous interests have progressed to becoming passions. It merely took a little bit of a push, a change in my circumstances, to realize it.
And fortunately I’m in a position to extend those passions into the creation of an online business (businesses).
Although I have big ideas, one step at a time is a wise precaution. I’m guilty of biting off more than I can chew, as many of you are aware, and I have no intention of doing the same here.
My next blog post will reveal more… a lot more!
And that blog post will be completed prior to the turn of the new year – promise!
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Merry Christmas! Jo. Sorry for the late wishes and wish you all the best with your new project.
Merry Christmas Akila and thank you for your kindness!
Jo
Merry Christmas, Joseph!
I’ve been following your adventures for several years now, ever since I first ran across your posts on the Warrior Forum. You, along with Pat, have been one of my go-to sources for inspiration with my own endeavor.
Interestingly enough, you helped to motivate me to start a project based on my great passion, which is writing fantasy fiction. I launched this site almost two years ago (Mythic Scribes), and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It’s opened many doors for me, and has given me a lot of hope for the future. The fact that it’s built around something that I love has been the key to it’s success, in my opinion.
I want to thank you for sharing your journey with us so candidly, Joseph. You’ve made a real impact on my life, and I’m sure the lives of countless others.
Tony
Hello Tony, really good to hear from you and thanks for letting me know about your success with Mythic Scribes. Sounds fascinating and I’ll be sure to pop over to your site shortly!
I’ve been known as an SEO guy and that’s for obvious reasons but truth be told, I’m really terrible at SEO because it’s so methodical and uncreative. Time to get much more creative and let those juices really start to flow. Good for you Tony – you’re already there!
Regards
Joseph
Tony, great stuff indeed – I love what you are doing! Maybe you should get in touch with Pat Flynn – I’m sure he’d be delighted to feature you on his podcast.
Hey Joe….
I have a very close friend who is living in Manila and I am well aware that things are not always easy there, particularly with the severe weather. One of the sites that I frequent is managed by a lady from Manila, she does well with her hundreds of pages.
I mentioned on another post that I feel there would be a good market for a rewrite of your book (maybe because I want to see your current views lol).
You and Pat Flynn have had a profound effect on my thinking.
I want to wish you every success in the New Year.
Hi Dave, yeah, it can be harsh in this part of the world. Manila and the flooding a few months back and Mindanao taking a heavy toll with that Tornado earlier this month. Philippines certainly don’t get it easy. As for the power cuts, seems to be country-wide. I remember in the day when I employed a number of Filipinos and fairly regularly they’d disappear for a few hours because of power cuts. I don’t understand what’s going on with that situation – the power goes off and on willy nilly, it’s really weird.
I’ve been hesitant about re-writing the book because I’m trying to broaden my horizons in terms of attracting visitors to my sites. Relying on Google alone is not a clever game to be playing. But I do believe and trust that gaining a whole mass of long tail rankings is a very strong way to drive a business forward. After all, long tails tend to convert far better than short tails. Anyways, my new project is going to be focusing on a much more rounded philosophy. Nevertheless, Goog will still play a vital part in over-all success. I still sense that for most niches, Goog traffic are the best “quality” in terms of conversion to a sale.
Wishing you too every success for the coming year!
All the best Dave!
Jo