Someone very wise once said, “change is the only constant in life.”
And that is certainly true for PluginID. This is Adam, the owner of this blog and I have some good news and some bad news. How about the good news first? This blog has some exciting things happening in the near future. For example, PluginID has a new writer, moi! Here is a recent photo of my family and me. This was taken while on our vacation to Palm Desert this past June.
As mentioned in the last post, we will also be giving PluginID a facelift. Actually, it will be more than a facelift. It will be a whole new, updated, clean, simple, yet complete-with-cool-new-widgets, modern blog that our commun. Secondly, as we make our changes and implement our big plans for the site, we will be completely transparent by posting case studies into exactly what we’ve done, what worked, what didn’t and why we believe it worked or it didn’t.  Third, we will continue to offer very helpful content to help you plug into your identity in two ways:
(1) Your identity as it pertains to your own personal development
(2) Your online identity as a blogger, Internet Marketer, content publisher, and online business owner
And now for the bad news…
Brett will be Moving On
I mentioned that I would be the new writer. I should explain. Brett is off to the University of Pennsylvania and he has decided to simplify his life and focus on his education. I fully back him in this, of course. Here is a farewell letter he wrote to you.
Readers, Even though my time at PluginID was a fairly short stint — only about a year — I really enjoyed my experience. I’d like to thank Adam and Bud so much for giving me this opportunity. My life was made demonstrably better by having the opportunity to write here. I can only hope that you, my readers, can say that my writing had a similar impact on you. Brett Hagberg ÂWho’s the New Guy?
So what makes me qualified to write for PluginID on the topic of personal development. Who am I and why would you want to read what I have to say about the problem of becoming fully human. That is to say, what makes me an authority on being fully alive and purpose-driven in life, business, relationships, Internet marketing, and life in general?
Well, since the age of 15, I have been on my own personal journey, gathering experience and knowledge in finding true fulfillment in life.  I have found that one is only truly happy when one has a true purpose and a way to live that is meaningful! I decided long ago that merely existing and simply going through the motions of life was not for me.
Pain was Inevitable
I have always been an introspective type, which is great because I know myself well and have some great inner conversations that lead to deeper insights about myself, and how I relate to everyone else. However, I also tend to go to extremes in my ideologies and appetites, and this has caused me much pain.
For example, I went through a period in my life where I was obsessed with being intoxicated 24/7 and I turned myself into the most accomplished drug addict I could be. I do everything 150% and I applied that to drug use as well.
The Beginning of my Turn-Around
When I got sober more than 13 years ago, I had to find other, more productive outlets so I went to school and studied mathematics, physics and computer science. I pursued my degree with a vengeance and graduated Summa Cum Laude with honors in math. The only problem with that is that I became a bit too consumed with my studies and drove all of my loved-ones nuts because of my obsession. My girlfriend, who is now my wife, got the impression that I loved theorems, derivations, and proofs more than her.
I have been obsessed with work, video games, extremely difficult math problems and many other things.
These and other obsessions are a good indication that there was a void in my life that I was trying to fill with mostly good things (after I became sober at 21 years of age, of course). So, how did I eventually fill that God-shaped hole in my life? How did I get away from being so self-consumed and obsessed with my pursuits that I couldn’t see much else?
The Completion of my Turn-Around
It was prayer and the development of a deep faith and trust in God that filled that void. And it wasn’t until I was taught to laugh at myself that I could truly relax, enjoy life and start focusing on helping others rather than just satisfying my own appetites. I discovered that wasn’t what everyone was thinking about just because I was all I was thinking about.
People generally aren’t thinking about me because they’re wrapped up in their own lives. I found I was actually happiest when I was doing what Chuck Chamberlain so aptly phrased as, “helping God’s kids for fun and for free.” In later posts, I will go into more detail about how I do that exactly.
I found that universe doesn’t have me at the center of it, even though it seems that way sometimes. I could either accept these and search for other greater truths and meaning in my life and be happy, or I could continue deceiving myself and continue in my self-centered, self-consumed, miserable state. Well I chose the greater path and have found more purpose in life than I know what to do with!
Where is PluginID Headed?
The above is a bit of a preview of what will be discussed in future posts on the personal development front. And I cannot wait to show you some case studies of my personal development and online marketing successes and failures. I have been on the personal development journey for 20 years. I have also been engaged in Internet marketing for 10 years now and have owned and run more than 80 sites during that time. I have had many successes and many great learning experiences and I am very excited to share them with you.
Now it is your turn. What has truly made the difference in your personal development journey?
Also, we are asking you again to tell us what you would like to see on the site as we are completely remodeling it. What do you love about the site now? What needs to go?