A month ago I wrote about the importance of taking a proactive approach to avoiding fear, a bad night of sleep, and ultimately Adultitis by staying clear of the evening news. Jason and I got a chance to be the gooey center of a death sandwich on Sunday, appearing on Madison’s CBS 5:30PM news. When we arrived on set and got our mics on, the anchor shared with us that they were all thrilled we were on the programming for the evening because they had so much bad news to report. Apparently, the hours before had been filled with body after body being found throughout the state of Wisconsin, leaving them with lots of deaths to report. Our three minute segment, talking about Adultitis and our upcoming Adultitis Clinic on Saturday, fell smack-dab in the middle of all of the bad news.
I feel honored that we could bring something light and uplifting to the dreary news of the weekend. The intern who walked us out told us he was in the middle of taking the Adultitis intake. It struck a chord.
I also feel regretful that I didn’t have a shirt on that said, “Yes, this is a baby bump and not a Wisconsin beer belly.” Oh well, it’ll go down as the baby’s first TV appearance. (Speaking of shirts, do you like Jason’s new Duck Duck, Goose shirt? It’s a Club K&J exclusive! We have less than 15 left.)
For all of the details on Saturday’s Adultitis Clinic, click here.
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Saturday, August 23, 2008
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Stop by Kim & Jason HQ to treat any symptoms of Adultitis and join us for a day of fun and frivolity! Revitalize your childlike spirit and help a good cause, too! Here’s some of the fun things we have planned:
• Face painting for kids and grown-ups!
• Meet Gary, our GIANT teddy bear!
• Sweet treats for only 25¢!
• Jelly bean taste testing!
• Meet the “Adultitis Guy!”
Our goal is to raise $1,000 for Care Net, a local organization that offers hope and help to young mothers. We’re donating 10% of every single sale to the cause. Also, the face painting is free and the sweet treats are only a quarter, but every single penny you donate above and beyond that goes straight to Care Net as well. Stop by and join in the fun!
315 S. Baldwin St. | Madison, WI 53703 | 608-278-1880 (Map)
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Kim and I are going to be interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio on Friday, August 1st at 10:00 a.m. Here’s the show description:
If you fear change, rarely laugh, and spend most of your day in a job you don’t love, you may be suffering from “Adultitis.” After ten, Veronica Rueckert’s guests describe the symptoms… and the cure. Guests: Kim and Jason Kotecki, authors, “Escape Adulthood” and “The Escape Plan: A 40-Day Plan to Annihilate the Adultitis in Your Life“.
If you live in the Wisconsin area, be sure to tune in! And feel free to call in to say hi! Here’s a list of the stations in your listening area.
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A couple weeks ago, Kim and I had the extreme privilege of appearing on Army Wife Talk Radio.
Army Wife Talk Radio is the internet talk radio show designed specifically for army wives by army wives. They feature information, special reports, empowerment, inspiration, stories and interviews. Army Wife Talk Radio is a weekly LIVE one-hour show that is available every Monday via their website. You can download the archived audio or stream it and listen through your computer. The show includes information relative to military spouses and families; many different topics are covered each week.
Their purpose is to motivate, inspire, and empower Army wives worldwide to make the most of their lifestyle choice. They strive to do this by providing helpful information, interviews, and tips that take the guesswork out of Army life.
So Kim and I were invited to be guests on the show, and we had a hoot! We talked a lot about Adultitis and how it affects Army Wives. We also jumped into their spirited live chat room as well. Kudos to the gals at Army Wife Talk Radio for their service to their audience and their country — we are big fans!
Listen to an archive of the show here.
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It’s true: This is the 1,000th post. Maybe by the time we get to 2,000, they’ll have developed the technology that will allow me to make confetti and streamers shoot out of your computer. Someday.
I can’t even begin to take credit for all 1,000 posts. Kim started up her own blog during the summer of 2005 and we combined forces and merged blogs last August. She doesn’t give herself nearly enough credit, but the truth is that she has written stuff that I wish I could claim as my own.
I started this thing on April 22, 2002 — over six years ago! — well before I had even heard of the term “blog.” The first post actually appeared in a thread called “Bird Droppings” on an infrequently visited message board called The Sidewalk. Some of you K&J veterans may even remember it! (And by “some” I mean Jenna.) Here’s an excerpt of the very first post, “The Beginning of Why“:
I’m not sure how this journal will evolve, but I hope it will be at least somewhat interesting to whomever finds themselves reading it. The reason for starting this is not because I feel that I have some great knowledge or experiential wisdom to share, but mainly because my wife thought I should. Apparently, she thinks there are people besides her who might like knowing some of the thoughts that take up residence in my head.
My plan is to just write stuff here from time to time; stuff about the strip, the characters, and the daily ups and downs that go with trying to live out this dream. I imagine it will be sort of cathartic for me, which is good, because even if no one reads it, I’ll have saved tons of money on a psychologist.
The good news is that people have been reading, and I have been touched by all of the kind words from people who have been inspired, encouraged, or entertained in some way. In looking back at my mention of chronicling the “daily ups and downs that go with trying to live this dream,” I can think of five lessons I’ve learned along the way. Maybe they’ll serve you as you pursue dreams of your own…
1) Just Get Started
It’s very common to hold off on chasing a dream until the conditions are perfect. The fact is that there will always be some reason to convince yourself to stay put. So if you want to start out on your dream, get over the fact that the economy sucks, you’re not as experienced as you wish you were, or your bank account doesn’t have as much money as you wish it did.
The other thing that keeps people from diving in is intimidation, especially when they compare themselves to the success of others. I’ve had people marvel at the design and comprehensiveness of our website. Sometimes they throw their hands up, lamenting that they’ll never have a web site like this. What they don’t realize is that this web site has evolved bit-by-bit over the course of eight years. It’s undergone countless revisions, thousands of tweaks, and we’ve added stuff to it one small piece at a time. Sorry to state the obvious, but Kim and I didn’t write all 1,000 posts in one day.
Everything worthwhile — including the pyramids of Egypt — has been built the same way: brick by brick. The only way to see a dream come to fruition is to get started.
2) It Will Probably Take Longer Than You Think
Optimism is what fuels the dreamer. This is good, because it gives you the energy to get up every morning and blow past obstacles that come your way. And there will be obstacles.
Eight years ago, I thought our revenues would be much higher than they currently are. I figured Kim and I would own a home and have at least two kids by now. Even though we are growing and moving in the right direction, certain things have taken longer than I expected.
But other than flash-in-the-pan Reality TV “stars,” there’s no such thing as an overnight sensation. Do a little research on the people who have achieved real success, and you will find a history of obscurity filled with hard work, serious setbacks, and marginal successes. You should expect the same. But don’t worry. Weeds grow quickly, sometimes overnight. Oak trees don’t. Which would you rather be?
3) Don’t Be Afraid To Change
When I first embarked on this path in 2000, the Kim & Jason comic strip was the center of everything. All of the products on the Lemonade Stand featured their likenesses, I had dreams of getting syndicated, and Club K&J was little more than a fan club for enthusiasts of the strip. (Check out the screen shot to the right to see what this site looked like when this blog began.)
But then the vision evolved, and my dream became much bigger than building a comic strip empire. I wrote a book. I started my speaking career. Kim and I began working together. The Lemonade Stand evolved to include thousands of new products, most of them having nothing to do with the Kim & Jason characters. We started impacting new people in new ways.
On December 11, 2007 I announced my decision to retire the daily comic strip. Let me tell you, that was a toughie. I feared that my dream was dying and I struggled to let go. But let go I did, and the business — and mission — evolved in remarkable ways. I took about a year off from Kim & Jason, which allowed my creative juices to bubble up. Now I am working on a new Kim & Jason project that fits better with my current lifestyle and has me more excited than I’ve been in a long while.
As you travel on your own path, don’t be afraid to change. It will be scary at times, but if you can go with the flow and follow where your heart leads, your dream will evolve beyond your wildest imagination.
4) Take Time to Look Back to See How Far You’ve Come
One thing I constantly have to remind myself to do is take time to look back at how far we’ve come. I tend to be a very forward-thinking person with big dreams. When you have big dreams, it’s easy to get caught up in a perpetual state of “never quite there.” To avoid burning out, it is vitally important to take inventory of what you’ve been able to accomplish.
In the past eight years, I’ve written three books (one of which was published by a major publisher), launched a career as a professional speaker, was named the “Rising Star” of the National Speakers Association of Wisconsin, secured licensing deals for Kim & Jason in countries like Japan and Australia, and moved into a ridiculously awesome new office. Not too shabby for a shy kid from a small town who started out in an old apartment with no money. These are the things I need to reflect on when I feel like we’re not making any progress.
When chasing a dream, be careful not to only compare where you are with where you want to be. Don’t forget to spend time comparing where you are to where you used to be.
5) Go With God
Faith is vitally important to me and Kim. We’ve had many dark and scary moments, moments that made us question our sanity and consider throwing in the towel. But time and time again, God has provided for us in amazing ways, often just in the nick of time. He’s guided me in directions I’d never considered and led me to people that I needed to know. And He’s given us the strength to keep going, even when the road was dark and hope seemed lost. I can’t imagine undertaking this journey without him.
I believe all real dreams come from God; they were placed deep within our hearts by a creator that loves us. The only way to achieve God’s best for you is to follow his lead. Pray for guidance. Pray for wisdom. Pray for strength. Somehow, he orchestrates things so that they always work out for the best.
These are five lessons I’ve learned while chasing my dream. And as the journey continues, I’m well aware that school is still in session.
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If you had 30 seconds to ask Kim and I ANY question about diagnosing or treating Adultitis, becoming more playful, dreaming big, living your passion – or anything else that relates to escaping adulthood – what would your single, most important question be?
We love getting questions, and often answer them on our blog and in our magazine, podcasts, and videos.
Just fill out the simple form here. Thanks!
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We are in need of a used digital camera. Something at least 3 megapixels. I know a lot of people buy new cameras and aren’t quite sure what to do with their old one. If you happen to have a decent camera sitting on the bench with life left in it but nowhere to play, I propose a trade.
If you’d be willing to send it to us (along with the memory card, cables, etc.), we’ll gladly send you a gift certificate to the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand. Just let me know what denomination you’d need to make it worth your while.
Update: We got a camera — Thanks, everyone!
Related Posts:Are you or is someone you know responsible for lining up speakers for events, meetings, or conferences? Maybe it’s your place of employment, an association you belong to, or a group for which you volunteer your time.
Kim and I love helping individuals and organizations become more productive by turning stress into laughter and having more fun each and every day. Our fall is booking up quickly, but we’re always open to discuss the prospect of coming in to speak to your group. Feel free to contact us or pass our information on to the “powers that be.”
Here is a new video that’ll give you a taste of our presentations:
Related Posts:Today is Father’s Day. I have to say my experience of this annual holiday is a bit different this year. Living with an expectant dad has allowed me to see fatherhood through a new lens. Yep, you read that right… we’re having a baby! ETA: right around Thanksgiving. (Our Club K&J members have known about this for a few weeks.) It’s all very exciting!
Even though the baby is only about 4 inches long, Jason has shown countless fatherhood traits over the last four months. Here are ten reasons I think Jason is the best father-to-be, this Father’s Day.
1. He insists on carrying the laundry downstairs for me, so that I won’t have to lift anything heavy.
2. He makes me a fried egg every morning, to make sure I start my day with some good protein.
3. He asks really insightful questions at our appointments.
4. He encourages me to rest and nap regularly.
5. The first time I threw up in front of him, he rubbed my back and said all the right things.
6. He patiently entertained my constant baby chatter which inevitably consumed the first month.
7. He found a handful of good books to help him prepare for what’s ahead.
8. He walks way slower than his normal pace, so that I can keep up, on our regular walks.
9. He tells me I’m beautiful, even when it looks like I have a Wisconsin beer belly.
10. Every time he talks about the baby he instantly has a huge smile on his face.
I am blessed! All of this is not a surprise to me, however. Jason has had an excellent model in his own life for what an awesome dad is all about! It’s true what “they say” about the apple falling from the tree and all…
Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads and dads-to-be out there!!
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Last week Kim and I were interviewed for Top Story by Kelly Klaas & Scott Martin from 1310 KLIX AM in Idaho.
The topic?
Adultitis.
It was a fun interview and very cool to see what sorts of things the guys recently did to try and counteract Adultitis. Even the “Adultitis Guy” made an appearance. I just posted the interview for Club K&J members to listen to. Check it out here.
Club K&J is now just $4.95 a month and comes with a bunch of groovy, way cool benefits. Designed for people serious about not taking themselves too seriously, it’s the #1 way to punch Adultitis right in the teeth. Don’t miss out — join the fun!
Kim and I have some really exciting news to share with all of our awesome Club K&J members. Like Ron Burgundy, it’s kind of a big deal. Click here to watch the video.
Club K&J is now just $4.95 a month and comes with a bunch of groovy benefits. It’s the #1 way to punch Adultitis right in the teeth. Don’t miss out — join the fun!
The first Kim & Jason Escape Event was such a hit, we’re doing it again. But this time, we’re adding even more secrecy. Official top secret details have been transmitted to all current Club K&J members via the U.S. Postal Service. Check your mailbox and join us in the fun!
