LIVE | unconquered: September 2011

The Opening Word

LIVE unconquered's mission is to change people’s lives, for the better. To help everyone breakthrough to a brighter day, no matter their background, situation, or circumstances. Live Unconquered is about restoring and injecting positivity and optimism into your life – all day of everyday so that you can make the most of it. It’s about having faith; in a better day, in what you’re doing, in where you are going, and most importantly yourself – no matter your religious affiliation. Lu will also take on psoriasis/ psoriatic arthritis advocacy under its umbrella as well, in the form of E. A. R. S. - to educate, create awareness, promote research, and develop support in anyway possible.

Daily Mission Checklist
Develop as a person everyday.
Help someone else grow as a person, everyday.
Be a source of constant inspiration in your environment.
Provide light to areas mired in darkness.
Lead by example and with constant integrity.
Continually bask in education and knowledge.
Appreciate all things – good and bad.
Be respectful not only to others, but to yourself.
Establish and maintain a position of forgiveness.

Six Pillars of Development
Wisdom
Strength
Longevity
Hope
Tranquility
Desire

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for we entertain angels unaware.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Motivational Tid Bits

Just a few thoughts and "tid-bits" to get your fall started right...

> First and foremost, life is never about the mistakes you make, have made, or will make way down the road. It's about the lesson(s) you take from them, and the journey they place you on. If a mistake placed you on the road to destruction, know that while mistakes can't be changed, the actions and/or results in/ of their aftermath can be altered. You write your own storyline. Plan and choose to write a successful one.

> Maximize your potential as an individual. Scan over your dreams, your hopes, and creative desires that you have. Don't let any hidden talents escape, and worse yet don't let any hidden talents sit unused. Your hidden/ unused talent(s) could be the things that bring you forward into a brighter era within your life. Don't be afraid to hone and fine tune your talents either. Everyday should be a day of betterment. Train yourself and your talents if necessary, give them the soil they need to grow.

> Know the different types of motivation and adjust accordingly. There are two general branches - intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation refers to the motivation driven by the interest in, or the enjoyment of the activity itself, rather than external pressures. Extrinsic is just as it would sound - a motivation that is derived from the external environment of an individual. For example; rewards, coercion, threats, prizes, and recognition. While not all extrinsic motivations are bad in nature, try to focus on the things that come more natural, and thus are likely intrinsic to you (internally based).

> Plan out a realistic timeline for your future, whether short-term or long term, and stick to it. This can give you internal motivation to accomplish whatever goals or complete whatever projects you have out there. This can also serve as a source of optimism if you're lacking.

> Always enable those who surround you if you plan to succeed yourself. You cannot have constant success if your growth stymies those around you. Growth should be done in conjunction. Growth amongst your surroundings will lend itself to more growth; whereas you growing yet breeding a stagnant atmosphere around you lends to your eventual upending.

> Remember that your struggles are polishing you up for a better place. Don't get distracted, distraught, or disorderly when things don't work out as they should. Unfortunately, they never do. With anything, expect the unexpected but don't let it bend you out of shape. Maintaining a positive attitude even in chaos usually makes the struggle not so bad, and makes it pass you by just a little faster. Keep your mood together and push forward.

> Comprehend, communicate, achieve, succeed. And as always, live unconquered despite your circumstance, not conquered because of.

- J. Junior II
9/21/2011

Thursday, September 8, 2011

"Weathering The Storm" Timeline

As I push forward with my new manuscript project - which will carry the same name as this blog - I was excited to get an update on Weathering The Storm, which will allow me to offer a pretty firm timeline on it's production course.

Currently, WTS is in the copyediting phase, which will last about a month. Afterwhich, it will go through a three month period of conceptual editing. To kick off the new year, a cover will be designed, followed by two months of layout design. As spring nears, the book will be finalized, afterwhich I can begin the preliminary distribution of copies. While WTS won't yet be on the full market, books will be available through me and at any various events I hold (book signings, etc.). The book goes into a 90 day marketing phase, in which I work with the Publisher (Tate) to find my niche, build support, and ready all the markets for the "official release date". This gives Tate time to have copies ready for distribution once sales go mainstream. At the end of those ninety days, the book is officially released, and available in all major markets.

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Here's the timeline in a date format...

Copyediting - currently through the end of September.
Conceptual Edit - Phase I - October
Conceptual Edit - Phase II - November
Conceptual Edit - Phase III - December
Cover Design - January 2012
Layout Design Phase I - February 2012
Layout Design Phase II - March 2012
Book Finalized - on/ around April 15th, 2012 (copies available via me and/or my events such as book signings)
Book Marketing/ Preparation Phase - on/around April 15th, 2012 - July 15th, 2012
BOOK RELEASE DATE - on/ around July 15th, 2012
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These dates are not exactly set in stone, but a general timeline that will flex and flow as the production process moves forward, and give you a general idea of the "what/when" process for WTS. It may seem like a long time off, but I'm sure the time will fly by, especially as WTS nears its "birthday".

In the same time, I have also developed the timeline to complete the manuscript for "Live Unconquered", which will be the follow up to WTS and follow the scheme developed by this blog. I'm working now to draw out a frame for Live Unconquered, which could take a month or so. Afterwhich, I'll start filling the frame with the selected material, and give the manuscript a clear concept and message, all the while serving as a sequel to WTS. I'd like for the whole process to be done by the end of January, 2012. Once the manuscript is complete, I will begin the process of finding and selecting an appropriate/ compatible publisher (more than likely Tate) - and the production process will start all over again.

It'll be a lengthy but rewarding process, and I already can't wait for it to be complete. I'll keep working hard until that day...

JJR II
Keep Living Unconquered
9/8/11

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More Information

I encourage everyone to visit http://www.psoriasis.org/ - homepage for the National Psoriasis Foundation, to learn a little bit more about psoriatic disease. This chronic disease not only highlights why should we aspire to live unconquered, but we should live for a cause, live everyday, and live for now. The National Psoriasis Foundation is the United States' leading patient-driven, nonprofit advocacy organization that serves the estimated 7.5 million Americans affected by psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Currently, I serve on the inagural editorial board for NPF and our quarterly publication - Psoriasis Advance. As an active advocate with and supporter of this organization, our objective is the same - to strive for better treatments, access to care, and ultimately a cure for all psoriatic diseases.

Since joining Nationwide Insurance in 2013, I've strived to become more active in advocacy and general community involvement. Working for a company that has volunteering and goodwill branded into the culture has really strengthened my "live unconquered" belief, and I look forward to announcing further ventures and activies before 2014 concludes.

Weathering The Storm

Weathering The Storm is an inspirational, motivational, and faith inspiring book that will work to move you from any and all storms in your life. It will serve to move you out of the rain and help you breakthrough to brighter days. I wrote Weathering The Storm in a down to earth way so that everyone can easily relate, with everyday advice ranging from forgiving to moving forward with your life after tragedy. If your life always seems to be in the midst of turbulent weather, my goal is for Weathering The Storm to serve as a shield and a guide to get you through, and towards the fringes of the light. Written from my perspective as a psoriasis sufferer, I want to use my background to inspire you and invigorate you so that you can step away from storm clouds hovering over your head. Life is too short to be mired in constant stress; Weathering The Storm will move you away from the mess and instead help prove you are blessed – no matter your circumstance or situation.

The road to being a published author has been an exciting and rewarding experience, and I've garnered more support for this than I ever could have imagined. The book was officially released by Tate Publishing on August 28th, 2012. As with any book, we will work hard over the next year to increase the profile and momentum behind Weathering The Storm; remember, the life of a book never ends! When signings and presentations are scheduled, I will post updates and information here. The time has flown by working with this project, but I am looking forward to wrapping up new and more in-depth works going forward. Another thank you to all those who’ve been there during this exciting and groundbreaking process!

The Next Few Steps...

The LIVE unconquered Project
I plan for this LIVE unconquered blog will be transformed into a manuscript and book of its own. Serving as a follow-up to Weathering The Storm, I plan for the book to focus on continuing the progress once you’re out of the storm. It will focus on growing, developing, and molding yourself in the aftermath of tribulations. It will help you focus on living each tomorrow better than today and continuing to have success no matter the circumstance, situations, or environments you did encounter, and prepare you for any troubles that may arise in the future. As I work on the follow-up manuscript to Weathering The Storm and determine the appropriate publishing route, I will give updates and insights just as I have on Weathering The Storm. I have already started putting together the manuscript, and planned to be finished over the summer of 2013.

Psoriasis: A Life Changer
Once completed, I know that this will be the pinnacle accomplishment for me because of the effect psoriasis has had on my life. I started on this manuscript before Weathering The Storm was released, and while I have made some end roads, it certainly has not been an easy manuscript to place. As I become more actively involved in psoriasis advocacy and undergo some changes in my own treatment plan in 2013, I expect I will make significant progress and hope to have the manuscript complete and ready to send off for publishing by my birthday in June. Though it isn’t easy writing about something as difficult and traumatizing as psoriasis and the ripple effect it can cause to your life, I believe those same struggles have helped (and are helping) me grow in the proper direction, and that it gives me a tremendous story that I can share to potentially help others realize that while psoriasis is a chronic disease, it isn’t the end of the world unless you allow it to be.