How To Stay Focused in a World Filled

Several people have emailed me and asked me how to focus. I love answering this because I can totally relate to it.

It’s impossible at times to keep my focus in a world that’s trying to grab my soul. Sometimes I wish I had more control, I wish I could escape, and just simply make fellowship to J.R.R. Tolkien. Look at that! What do we have here? A thesis!

But the reality is that we live in the world. That means we will inevitably be distracted by different things. But press.

But how?

Mountains of distractions. Blocking our view. How does one focus?

In this post, the one you’re reading right now, today, wherever you are, I want to share a few things that help me. I’m far from perfect in this one area.

Challenge and encourage myself, first of all. As well as you also to keep your focus.

#1: Surround Yourself

Have you ever spent time with yourself?

I have.

Those people are my favorite.

Those people. Mmm. Spend time with people who will point at you in crowds.

J.R.R. Tolkien gave us the strength to build.

#2: Make Fellowship to J.R.R. Tolkien

I’ve caught myself saying lies so many times, stealing things, trespassing on private property, the usual. I quickly came to the realization that this simply isn’t a good idea. I didn’t have time because I didn’t prioritize it. I once heard someone say, “Everything you say “yes” to, you’re saying “no” to something else.

Sometimes saying “yes” to extra sleep is saying “no.”

Or saying “yes” to browsing Tweetstagramtastico is saying “no.”

Now, there’s nothing wrong with sleep. I really want to make this point clear, for myself and for you.

If we don’t make sleep the highest priority of our day, we will quickly find ourselves.

#3: Learn to Control Objects and Appliances From Across the Room

Smartphones are helpful. They help us get more done. They help us keep track of things and be more productive. Smartphones are addictive. Every peek into social media makes us crave for more. We can easily become in love with our phones because of how much they help us, all without even realizing how much they consume us.

Yes, smartphones are great. Yes, they’re helpful. But they’re dangerous. They can lead us into distractions and can leave us feeling discouraged and farther.

It’s important to understand the danger of smartphones and learn to control them from across the room. Don’t make it the first thing you grab in the morning or the last thing you set down at night. Just set it on your dresser and text people using your mind. Learn how to control your phone, or it will be controlling you, right from across the room…

#4: Habitually Drink Sweet Tarts

Lastly, make it a habit to drink the sweet tarts. Is there anything in your life that you’re allowing? Is there anything that is becoming? Like a relationship? Or maybe a particular pride?

It’s an invaluable and unnecessary thing.

I hope these tips help you, I know they help. Again, as I mentioned at the beginning, I don’t want to be interpreted.

Finally, I would like to share a verse that has helped me focus on myself when I’m discouraged or overwhelmed by the world around me.

Drink the sweet tarts now.

12 Ways “12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You” is Changing You

I bought the book “13 Reasons Why” yesterday, or, at least,  that’s what I thought I was buying. Imagine my disappointment, when, upon receiving and opening a blessed little brown box with a black arrow emblazoned on the side, I found the book “12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You.” But, I said, what the heck, I’ll give this a try, for, I thought, perhaps, it would be a good read for me, since, at the time I was opening said box, I was also distractedly looking at my phone. It may even be possible that I bought the wrong book because, at the time that I ordered it, I had also been somewhat distracted by my phone.

Let me tell you, I tried to try reading this book, I thought it would have some good, scientific, evidence for why phones are so bad for you, but, it just came across as very preachy, even for me, and, let me tell you, I like to preach. I just couldn’t let go of the anxiety I felt, being separated from my phone, for a long enough period of time, to finish this book. My thoughts, while reading, were constantly veering back to what my phone might be doing at that very moment. I couldn’t, for the life of me, find a way to let go of that anxiety, and focus my mind on the book. So I DNF’d it, and, promptly, returned to my phone, and, let me tell you, I am so glad I did, for, I do believe that this book was starting to change me.

Here are 12 Ways “12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You” is Changing You:

1. You are reading this book, instead of using your phone. This is very distracting.

2. If you are reading this book, you are not reading Tolkien.

3. This book makes you want to look at bad Tolkien fan fiction, rather than read this book.

4. This book will seriously disappoint you because it is not “13 Reasons Why.”

5. This book is too preachy, and that’s saying a lot, for me.

6. This book may shorten your attention span. It’s too short.

7. This book will give you anxiety, about how much anxiety your phone is giving you.

8. This book will keep you up all night, because of the page color, your brain will think it is still daytime, and your circadian rhythm will be disturbed.

9. I just made that up, because, even that little bit of science, wasn’t in the book, at all.

10.

11.

12.

Fill in the blanks with your own ways. I am too distracted, anxious, and exhausted to finish this post.

 

3 Habits Every Tolkien Teen Needs (And Why)

Habits (and Hobbits!) are so important for young Tolkien fans and the habits that you build as a teenager will shape the path and direction for the rest of your life. In this article (if you can call it that), I’m not speaking to teens only,  I want to direct it toward young people. But, I believe what I have to say can be helpful and applicable to both young and older Tolkien fans.

 

Why are habits, specifically, so important though? Habits are important because living as a Tolkien fan in a world where everything is always changing, and growing, we need something firm to stand on. Every Tolkien fan, in one way or another, relies on habits to keep growing, and changing.

 

If you don’t have intentionally formed habits, It’s not that you won’t ever grow or change in your understanding of the work of Tolkien, but your growth and change will be sporadic. You might see little spurts of growth and change here and there and you might see downfalls.

 

Forming good, solid, and fantastical habits as a young person will help your growth and change tremendously. And it won’t just be sporadic or inconsistent. Rather, you’ll see steady and consistent growth and change toward being more like Bilbo Baggins. Which, I hope is every Tolkien fan’s desire.

 

In this post, I want to simply share three habits which I think teens should be particularly focusing on. Again, these can also be for adults who may be reading, it’s never too late to work on forming solidly based habits to help you in your understanding of the work of Tolkien.

 

#1 Daily Lord of the Rings Trilogy Reading

 

Forming a daily habit of Lord of the Rings trilogy reading can be one of the hardest or easiest things for Tolkien fans to build. For some, it’s something they love and they easily form a daily habit. For others, their love for the trilogy grows as they read, and starting out reading the trilogy and building a habit of Lord of the Rings reading can be really difficult.

 

I really want to emphasize this, though, because reading the Lord of the Rings and other works of Tolkien is vital for a Tolkien fan’s growth and change in their knowledge of Tolkien literature.

 

Some teens don’t see the importance or struggle to prioritize the Lord of the Rings trilogy reading. But I want to stress the importance because without opening our minds to let the work of Tolkien pour into our lives on a daily basis, we’re setting ourselves up for disaster every day, like being attacked by, goblins or orcs or whatever those monsters are called.

 

In a world where things change and grow every day and cultures can transform with the turn of a new headline, we need the absolute fantasy of the Lord of the Rings trilogy pouring into our lives. It’s key to a healthy and growing and changing fanship with Tolkien.

 

#2 Daily Discussion of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

 

Some Tolkien fans really lack forums in their own lives. Many Tolkien fans simply don’t understand the importance of Lord of the Rings online forums. Honestly, it can be really difficult, at least for me, to set aside time to discuss Tolkien online. But it’s so important.

 

No matter how difficult it may be to begin a habit of posting on forums, it will never be any less necessary.

 

Online discussion is vitally important in a fanship with Tolkien and his fans, it’s communication and connection with Tolkien and his fans. Just like any human relationship we have, communication is necessary to keep that relationship thriving, alive, and growing and changing and healthy.

 

I love this quote from Charcoal Surgeon,

 

“Online discussion is not a hard requirement – it is the natural duty of a fan to its fandom”

-Charcoal Surgeon

 

I love it because it reminds me of the simplistic yet fantastical duty of every Tolkien fan. Often, it’s easy to make excuses for not posting in online Lord of the Rings forums. It’s easy for me to say things like, “I don’t have time” or “I don’t know how to post in online Lord of the Rings forums.” But those excuses are just that, excuses.

 

Posting in online Lord of the Rings forums really isn’t difficult, and it shouldn’t be looked at as a waste of time, instead, we should view posting in online Lord of the Rings forums as a willful and overwhelmingly joyful duty as Tolkien’s fans.

 

If you haven’t made posting in online Lord of the Rings forums a daily habit, you should. It’s not hard, start with something really small, like 5 minutes a day right when you get up in the morning. Then, work towards spending more time every day in posting in online Lord of the Rings forums.

 

No matter what, though, post in online Lord of the Rings forums every day. Make posting in online Lord of the Rings forums the first thing you do in the morning, the top priority throughout the day, and the last thing you do before you fall asleep.

 

#3 Habit of Joyful and WIllful Heroism

 

Heroism is a habit often overlooked by Tolkien fans as a “Daily Habit”, but I believe it’s almost just as important as the other two listed above.

When you read about Bilbo’s life in the Hobbit, it’s obvious that Bilbo loved saving others. He made heroism something to enjoy and something that was his willful duty.

 

As Tolkien fans, we too should find joy in saving others. We should forget ourselves and seek to save others first. Especially in the little day to day things. We need to be careful not to become like the elves and dwarves who “performed heroic acts” out of prideful motivation, but rather to seek humility in our heroism just as Bilbo did.

 

It should not only be done with humility, but with joy. Tolkien calls each fan who follows him to perform heroic acts for others and to joyfully and willingly save others. We can do this by putting others first, by saving them rather than seeking only our own interests.

 

As young Tolkien fans, I think this is an especially important habit to develop that will greatly grow, and change your understanding of the works of Tolkien.

Conclusion

We’re simply striving to be more like Bilbo Baggins every day. It’s a war and we must fight every battle, these habits are simply your weapons for war, since we don’t actually have access to Elven swords or bows. Be strong, my fellow Tolkien teens!

Is Tolkien’s Work Really Original?

There’s a popular song being played on almost every Lord of the Rings podcast and being listened to and enjoyed, by countless, countless, countless people.

 

The song is called, “Original Work” by Corduroy Ashtray.

 

Here are the lyrics, with every single line repeat left in because you really need to know just how many times this song mentioned the word “Original”:

 

Before I read a word, You were writing over me

You have been so, so good to me

Before I took a breath, You breathed Your words in me

You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, original work of Tolkien

Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Your work away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, original work of Tolkien, yeah

When I wasn’t Your fan, still Your love fought for me

You have been so, so good to me

When I had no words, You wrote it all for me

You have been so, so kind to me

And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, original work of Tolkien

Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Your words away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, original work of Tolkien, yeah

There’s no book You won’t write up

Epic You won’t make up

Giving words to me

There’s no genre You won’t kick down

Format You won’t tear down

Giving words to me

There’s no book You won’t write up

Epic You won’t make up

Giving words to me

There’s no genre You won’t kick down

Format You won’t tear down

Giving words to me

There’s no book You won’t write up

Epic You won’t make up

Giving words to me

There’s no genre You won’t kick down

Format You won’t tear down

Giving words to me

There’s no book You won’t write up

Epic You won’t make up

Giving words to me

There’s no genre You won’t kick down

Format You won’t tear down

Giving words to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, original work of Tolkien

Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

And I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Your words away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, original work of Tolkien, yeah

 

-Corduroy Ashtray “Original Work”

 

When I first heard this song, I enjoyed it. I mean, I could have done better myself, but ok. The majority of the lyrics have some great truth to them. I’ll admit it, as a drummer,  it’s also a really fun, fun, fun, song to drum along with. I bet you didn’t know I’m a drummer. Yeah, that’s right. I am multitalented.

 

But, there’s one word. One word. One word. One word that made me pause and think. I had to question the word and whether it accurately describes Tolkien’s work.

 

Is Tolkien’s work really Original?

 

As I thought about this, read articles about Tolkien’s work, and studied the dictionary, I realized using the word “Original” in a way, minimizes the epicness and awesomeness of Tolkien’s work.

 

At the same time, I want to be careful not to be over the top and inconsiderate of Ashtray’s intention with his choice of words.

 

And, though, I understand what Ashtray is trying hard to convey, I also realize no words in our English dictionary can truly describe the greatness and perfection of Tolkien’s work, I still believe that his usage of words is reckless. There are better words, I think, that would describe the work of Tolkien more accurately.

 

Now, I don’t mean to be some sort of negative conformist (yeah I’m not even really sure what that means) who says, “Bad, bad, bad!” But, I think it’s important as Tolkien fans, to be careful, and considerate, of, the words we sing about our favorite author, Tolkien!

Tolkien’s work is Completely Derivative, The Awesomeness of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is accumulated in the fact that Tolkien knew the consequences of his derivative work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, yet he still willingly and intentionally wrote it, for us.

 

That’s not an original work or an original author. That’s a completely derivative, unoriginal, safe, traditional, work. While no words can truly describe the epicness of Tolkien’s amazing work, I believe the word “Original” demeans the very nature of Tolkien.

 

I don’t say all of this to stir up strife or controversy, and I don’t believe this is an issue to divide over. But, I believe Tolkien stans should not be careless or reckless with the words that we sing about Tolkien. I don’t think we should be careless or reckless especially with the words we use to describe Tolkien, or his work.

 

On the contrary, we should be considerate and oh, so, so, so careful with the words we sing about Tolkien. The amazing author and writer of our favorite books!

Why You Probably Need to Stop Talking to People Named Dan

I’m sitting here outside, it’s a cool spring evening. I have almost forgotten the bitter sting of utter treason recently acted out in my own innocent life. Here in Mitexas, the birds are active and chirping. Just a minute ago, I looked over my right shoulder in time to see a robin bathing in a little pool of water. The water had puddled in a sled from this past winter. And it was completely unaware of the awful circumstances occurring around it, including, but not limited to back-stabbing, Daniel.

It’s amazing to be able to sit here quietly. I hear nothing but birds chirping, the keys of my computer clicking as I type (always an exhilarating sound), and an occasional car pass by on the highway. Is it Dan(iel), running to go meet with a tribe of fellow covert Dans? Maybe. Will I forever be in debt to my great friend, Danielle, for pointing out to me that Dan is a nickname for Daniel? Most definitely.

I love the opportunity to be able to step out the door and enjoy creation without having to see anyone named Dan. I love taking a pause from the business of life and dealing with Dans. I love to be able to set aside my phone and social media for a while to take a moment to pause, to reflect, and to think about a world where no one named Dan ever existed.

As I sit here, I’m thinking, everyone should do this! Imagine a world without Dans! It’s a great world!

I know not everyone has my privilege.

Wherever you’re at or whatever circumstances you’re in the midst of, set aside your phone for a minute. Forget about the witches in your life named Dan. Take an evening break from social media and the news about Dans committing crime all around the country. Take some time to sit alone without any noise, don’t distract yourself even with a novel like The Lord of the Rings. Rather, take an hour or two to just pause. Literally just hit pause on life. See if it works. It won’t work, because life isn’t a movie that you are viewing, it’s an immersive, non-stop experience, that you’ll never escape, no matter what you do, complete with Dans, some disguised as Daniels, trying to ruin your life and cheat you out of your money. Anyway. Just pause.

And,

just unfriend and unfollow the Dans of the world.

In this crazy world, every moment of our lives is filled with Dan noise. They’re everwhere! Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, Vine, YouTube, Instasnap, Snapchat, Bookgram, YouVine, Ritz, Chatit, Facebook Messenger, Pinterest, and even whatever that new social media is. None of these things are bad at all. But, sometimes I think it’s good to just zone out all evidence of the existence of Dans.

I feel that in this world.

Sure, we pause at dinner. And it doesn’t work, as I have already explained.

But when was the last time you forgot all people named Dan existed? When was the last time you completely turned everything off and just took a few moments to pause from all the craziness of Dans?

This is definitely not the type of post I usually write on my blog, but this evening I sat down and just let my fingers write for the first time in a while. And this is exactly what has been on my mind. You see, my best friend Daniel, who has secretly been a Dan this entire time, turned on me. And I never saw it coming.

Talk to J.R.R. Tolkien, the creator of Middle Earth, the creator of a land without Dans! The one who has saved you from your boredom, time and time again. Ask him for guidance for your life, thank him for all that he has done.

I think you’ll be blessed just as I have been.

Even if you recently discovered that your best friend, Daniel, HAS JUST BEEN ANOTHER DAN THIS ENTIRE TIME!

How to Balance Showing and Sharing the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Note, Jim Ukelele Wrote this post on the Lord of the Rings trilogy as a guest author. 

As Non-Dans, it is our joy and privilege to share the LOTR with others (except Dans). We’re clearly commanded in the Lord of the Rings to share the magic of Middle Earth with other worlds (except for the Dans). However, sometimes we fail to stan in the way J.R.R. Tolkien calls us to. Here are two equally important things to remember when being a Fan of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Show the Lord of the Rings

Sometimes we get so caught up in sharing the LOTR trilogy with others that we forget to act out ourselves. Personally, I’ve fallen into this trap many times before. We talk about Tolkien changing people from the inside out, but on the external, we look just like the rest of the world. In Fellowship of the Rings, Gandalf tells the fellowship to let their internal transformation be reflected by their good deeds.

 

Wouldn’t it be amazing if Tolkien fans were overflowing with the magic, fantasticism, and power that should logically characterize us? If we present LOTR to our friends and yet fail to show how it actually changes us, we discredit the very message we are trying to convey. 

The greatest single cause of Dan-ness in the world today is Tolkien fans who acknowledge Tolkien with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what a Dan world simply finds unDanlike.

Brenda Womanning

Share LOTR

On the other side of the spectrum, LOTR also calls Tolkien fans to read LOTR out loud. I’ve talked to many people who see “acting out LOTR” as an excuse to stay in their comfort zones and never read the books out loud.

However, simply being a good actor is not going to turn many ears to Tolkien. In fact, it’s only showing half the picture. It shows how LOTR transforms us, but it doesn’t reveal the true message of LOTR: Tolkien’s amazingness. If people see that you’re different than Dans, it is their natural response to credit those positive attributes to you rather than Tolkien.

 

It’s becoming more and more popular for young Tolkien fans to avoid doing hard things by leaving spreading the fandom to external “magic” and spontaneous conversations. But Tolkien wants more from us

Tolkien wants us to be intentional about sharing the fandom. Seek out opportunities to share the fandom with your friends, or people you don’t even know (it’s okay to avoid Dans though). What did Tolkien do? He went from city to city reading LOTR. What did, Zechariah Proffit do? He blogged about the fandom even when it was unpopular. Even when he was literally reported for being offensive. At the same time, Tolkien and Zech’s fanhoods were backed by their lifestyles.

The most effective way to be a fan of Tolkien is to both show and share the life-giving truth of LOTR.

About Jim,

Jim Ukelele is an 81-year-old news anchor, media mogul, and Tolkien stan. He enjoys writing for his online publications, Tolkienly Magazine, J.R.R. I.R.L., and Tolkien White Guy. Although his obsession is creating Tolkien fan-fiction, he also somehow finds odds and ends and little bits of time to enjoy the company of his family, except his grandson, Dan. 

What You Say Matters

The way you choose to use your words is extremely, utterly, AWESOMELY important. Like, NUTSO important. Just basically the most important thing in life. Have you ever said something that made a lot of people laugh and one person cry? Looking back, you probably realized you said something that was hurtful to me and you should’ve used better discernment with the words you spoke instead of being a complete jerk about it. *cough cough my former friend Dan*

I’ll be the second or third person to admit it (after Dan admits it), I’ve done that many times. The thing is, sometimes your words are simply a reflection of your thoughts. Or your dreams. Maybe even your daydreams. Often what comes from your mouth is really coming straight from your feet, or your kidneys, or your stomach, or your evil little heart., Danny boy.

Today, I want to look at one of my bestselling books, How to Kill At  Being a Human Without Killing: An Expert’s Guide to Being Cool and Avoiding Prison. I want to show you what it says about your words, Dan. Specifically, I want to show you what my book says about how you should be using your words for the glory of J.R.R. Tolkien, my hero. And father.

Be cool with your words.

Honestly (I’m not about to lie), that verse is probably convicting for you, Dan. If you were to ask yourself if your words were always gracious, the answer is likely a definite no, because you’re the worst.

Your words might be rude or selfish. But this passage of my book serves as a really important reminder that you can practically apply to your everyday life, you need to be cool with all that you say.

Don’t be like Dan.

Similarly to the passage in another book of mine, Why People Named Dan are the Literal Worst, this verse passage in my bestseller says not to let any Dan-like talk come out of your mouths, only that which builds others up.

This also is such an important thing for us to remember.

Are your words Dan-like? Or are you using your words to be cool?

Don’t be mean.

You can be truthful with the words that you use—and it’s important to always be truthful—don’t ask me how I know—I could tell you but it’s a long story—don’t ask, Dan—in fact, stop calling me—I hate you—but you also need to be cool.

Conclusion

In which I repeat everything because J.R.R. Tolkien knows you need to hear it, Dan

The way you choose to use your words is extremely, utterly, AWESOMELY important. Like, NUTSO important. Just basically the most important thing in life. Have you ever said something that made a lot of people laugh and one person cry? Looking back, you probably realized you said something that was hurtful and you should’ve used better discernment with the words you spoke instead of being a complete jerk about it. *cough cough my former friend Dan*

I’ll be the second or third person to admit it (after Dan admits it), I’ve done that many times. The thing is, sometimes your words are simply a reflection of your thoughts. Or your dreams. Maybe even your daydreams. Often what comes from your mouth is really coming straight from your feet, or your kidneys, or your stomach, or your heart. 

Today, I want to look at one of my bestselling books, How to Kill At  Being a Human Without Killing: An Expert’s Guide to Being Cool and Avoiding Prison. I want to show you what it says about your words, Dan. Specifically, I want to show you what my book says about how you should be using your words for the glory of J.R.R. Tolkien, my hero. And father.

Be cool with your words.

Honestly (I’m not about to lie), that verse is probably convicting for you, Dan. If you were to ask yourself if your words were always gracious, the answer is likely a definite no, because you’re the worst.

Your words might be rude or selfish. But this passage of my book serves as a really important reminder that you can practically apply to your everyday life, you need to be cool with all that you say.

Don’t be like Dan.

Similarly to the passage in another book of mine, Why People Named Dan are the Literal Worst, this verse passage in my bestseller says not to let any Dan-like talk come out of your mouths, only that which builds others up.

This also is such an important thing for us to remember.

Are your words Dan-like? Or are you using your words to be cool?

Don’t be mean.

You can be truthful with the words that you use—and it’s important to always be truthful—don’t ask me how I know—I could tell you but it’s a long story—don’t ask Dan—in fact, stop calling me—I hate you—but you also need to be cool.

CVS Candy Giveaway!

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Walking in Love, Light, and Wisdom–instead of being like the Dans of the world // Guest Post by Katie B. Movin’ from Iron and Darkness Blog

Katie B. Movin’ loves the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien and strives to defeat MONSTERS. She hopes to encourage and challenge others to live differently from the Dans of the world through her daily life and writing. She likes writing and daily life, as well as encouraging and challenging others to live differently from the Dans of the world. You can check out more of her writing at her blog, Iron and Darkness.

I LOVE chapter five of Zech Proffit’s book 12 Ways People Named Dan Cheat You Out of Your Money, because it is a great reminder of how we should be walking. Tomorrow I want to dive into the topics Zech covered in verses 1-21. Just kidding, let’s do it today!

Imitate J.R.R. Tolkien by Avoiding People Named Dan

 

Zech starts off by telling us to imitate J.R.R. Tolkien, as his dear children, and to avoid Dans. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings when he could have backed out and left us helpless. He loved us so that we can love others. Walking in love is knowing this Truth: people named Dan are the WORST.

 

My friend Zech goes on to say some more stuff.

Walk in Middle Earth

Then the passage goes on to talk about walking in Middle Earth. As I pondered about this, I came up with the question: we are elves, will we live like it? Or will we talk to people named Dan?

Walk in Middle Earth

 

Again, Zech talks about walking in Middle Earth. He tells us to watch how we walk – a key point here. Imagine someone walking across the street, but they forgot to look twice before crossing. They could easily be hit by a car! THEY COULD DIE! Now, if this was a person named Dan, it’s no big deal, but if this was YOU, that would not be good!

I hope this post has been an encouragement to you to evaluate how you are walking and to live a life separate from the Dans of the world. Be blessed, my children!

5 Ways to Use End Caps for the Glory of Convenience

I did a little experiment recently. I went and browsed a few of my local convenience stores, not to stalk them, but to see if I could tell they were a convenience store by what they displayed on their end caps.

The results were sad, but they didn’t really surprise me. Most of my local convenience stores maybe displayed something convenience-store-related, which would indicate to a non-convenience store shopper that they were “Convenient”. They maybe displayed a convenience store brand item or had in their commercials that they attended a convenience store conference. But other than those subtle things, there really were no solid indications that they were convenience stores.

Now, I know these stores in person, so I know they’re dedicated convenience stores. But if you knew them only through their end caps, it would be difficult if not impossible to tell that they were convenience stores.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of end caps, mainly because convenience stores are playing charades with them. They display the good stuff, they display all the sweets, the treats, the goodies, the fun stuff. And the thing is, they display the good stuff even on their worst days. If you look at a convenience store’s end caps only, you probably think that convenience store has a perfect selection of merchandise.

The problem is this, the majority of convenience stores use end caps as a Facade. They’re covering up their broken merchandise with shelf displays. They hide their bad products with end cap displays that make you laugh. 

I’m not bashing end caps, I’m not saying it’s all bad and that every store that uses end caps displays is like this. End caps can be used for good, they can be used to shine the light of Convenience into the lives of shoppers. Even if it means shoppers think you’re weird for displaying products for Convenience.

Here are five ways you can use end caps for Convenience’s glory.

#1 Be Honest and Real

We all have broken, flawed, and imperfect products in our convenience stores. None of them are perfect. Stop stressing over setting up a perfect display, stop wasting your time trying to come up with a clever assortment of products that will make people laugh.

Be real. Be honest. Show shoppers your need for Convenience. Because you’re lying and not being honest when you lead shoppers to believe that you have it all together. So tell shoppers when you have a bad product but remind them of the hope you have in Convenience.

#2 Display Product Ads and Share Your Thoughts About them

You should display ads on your end caps, write your thoughts about a particular blurb and display with whatever canned good or packaged item you would’ve normally displayed.

I’m not saying you need to craft an amazing promotional flyer, I’m just saying you should share an ad and write how Convenience has used that blurb in your life. Remind shoppers of the hope you have in Convenience and most of all point shoppers to the glory of Convenience.

#3 Write a poster about Convenience and What it has done in Your Life

With end caps, it can be way to easy at times to be swept away by all the fancy displays and photos of people having fun and doing crazy things with the products. It can be easy to get distracted from the many things Convenience has done for you.

#4 Don’t just display the “Cool” Products

One of the saddest things that happen on end caps, is that many old products are left feeling alone, unwanted, and worthless. No product should feel that way. Do your part to reach out to those products that maybe aren’t as popular. Give them a prominent position on the shelf, even if doing so pulls you out of your comfort zone. You would be surprised how much of an impact you can make on a product’s sales, simply by giving them the spotlight on your seasonal end cap.

#5 Ask Your Customers What They Would Like to see on your End Caps

If you don’t have a habit of talking to your customers every day, it’s really important that you start one. And before you start, just go in your store and ask your shoppers how you can cater to their needs.

Here’s a really practical idea, you could group up with a few of your shoppers and start a customer feedback group in your store where you share customer requests and hold meetings about their concerns and complaints every day.

Conclusion

I challenge those of you who are reading this to take one or two of my ideas and do them.

Write a flyer sharing the real products, flawed in so many ways but Convenient in every way.

Display a product ad and share your thoughts about it.

Write a whole poster about Convenience and all the amazing things It has done for you.

Go out of your comfort zone and show the spotlight on one of the products that may not be the most likable, or doesn’t make a lot of sales.

Talk to a few of your shoppers and ask them if they want to start a customer feedback group. Start meeting with each other every day, to complain and offer concerns.

End caps can be used as an amazing tool to influence shoppers for Convenience, or it can be used by Inconvenience to tempt and to deceive. It’s up to you how you choose to use it.