Uncategorized – Page 9

May 28, 2015

Capturing Great Ideas

How many great ideas slip through your consciousness on a daily basis?

Far too many, I bet, and it need not be that way. Capturing great ideas should be a high priority.

Splurge on a journal book. Writing down ideas is a much more effective way to remember things than to type a message/memo into your laptop.

Every day look for people and events that make you say: “There has got to be a better way.” There is! Write down the problem or irritation and then start looking for solutions or partner with someone who can solve the problem.

You’re in business. Memory is more than an exercise in writing down ideas. It involves taking care of your body and mind so that the aging process doesn’t lead to dementia.

According to the National Institute of Aging, here are a few ways to keep your mind fresher longer:

*Lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. A number of studies in recent years have suggested that vascular diseases–heart disease and stroke–may contribute to the development of dementia.

*Don\’t smoke or abuse alcohol. According to a recent research report from Harvard Medical School, “Improving Memory: Understanding Age-Related Memory Loss,” smokers perform worse than nonsmokers in studies of memory and thinking skills. Heavy alcohol use can also impair memory.

*Get regular exercise. Physical activity may help maintain blood flow to the brain and reduce risk factors associated with dementia.

*Maintain healthy eating habits. Eating vegetables may help slow down the rate of cognitive change in adults. Of the types of vegetables, green leafy vegetables had the strongest association with slowing the rate of cognitive decline. Also reducing foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol and eating fish with beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and tuna, may benefit brain health.

*Maintain social interactions. Social interaction can help reduce stress levels and has been associated with a lower risk of dementia. Get out from that computer parking space once in a while.

*Keep your brain active. Some experts suggest that challenging the brain with such activities as reading, writing, learning a new skill, playing games, and gardening stimulates brain cells and the connections between the cells, and may be associated with a lower risk of dementia.

And…don’t forget what you just read!

September 29, 2014May 29, 2015

The Lincoln Poem

The fundamental fact is,
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong,
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men,
You cannot help the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer,
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income,
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred,
You cannot establish security on borrowed money,
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence,
You cannot help men permanently, by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These cannots are both indisputable and worthy of putting on your wall or mirror. Empowerment is definitely an inside job.

June 11, 2014June 11, 2015

Life in the Balance

From time to time over the years I have heard the same sad song.

Though it is worth a listen, it is often ignored or detested.

The lyrics are sung by a variety of performers, each caught up in the busy-ness of modern life and while striving for financial success and spiritual fulfillment.

Their trouble is that they never live long enough to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They are casualties of war – the battle between living truthfully and in balance or living in a state of denial which often cuts short their visit to this world.

Your body is an important element of the “good life” which must not and cannot be neglected without dire consequences.

Here are a few of the deadly songs I’ve heard over time and have sung for myself:
1) “I need to lose weight.” Sung like a dirge, after the fifteenth time of stating the obvious without taking bold action.
2) “I should cut down my drinking.” Sung in a falsetto, after the third drinking binge in four days leads to a sexual assault charge being filed against you by your secretary, which subsequently results in your being fired.
3) “I know I should see the doctor about that chest pain, but this project is too important to take time off.” Chanted just three days before a major stroke leaves you incapacitated for your remaining years.
4) “I should quit smoking but…” Belted out before you start to hack. By the time your lungs have taken a rest again, you’re lighting up another one and asking: “Now what was I saying?” If ever the Grim Reaper were to chortle, now would be his moment.
5) “I know I should exercise, but I don’t enjoy doing it.” Crooned just before you see a train coming down the track at 100MPH. The best you can do is to chuck the Budweiser can and hug the bag of chips before crunch time.

Hey, we have a chance to hear the songs and change the tunes long before the choice is no longer in our hands. The most important changes for the better in our life start when we get into a doing state of mind.

I speak from experience on this matter, not from the Ivory Tower.

Take an inventory of your health and then begin to change it one cigarette, one beer, one hotdog, one examination, one step at a time.

No matter how old you are or how addicted you may be to an imbalanced life, today can be a new beginning.

May 30, 2014May 30, 2015

How To Discover (Or Rediscover) Your Passion

What affairs have you left undone?

If tomorrow were your last day on this planet, could you proclaim to your Maker or your mate that you gave it your all – that you have no regrets?

Come clean. I’ll bet the farm that you are hiding from yourself because you have come to believe that your dreams of youth are now unrealistic or unimaginable.

Most likely you live under the white flag of surrender, regardless of whether you can come to grips with that painful fact or not.
You give lip service to how happy you are, yet you sense you are riding through life with the emergency brake engaged.

You work in a job which pays the bills but provides scant satisfaction.

You hang out with people who challenge you not to change.

You may even be married or companion to someone who makes you continually unhappy to the extreme, yet you hang on to the leaky status quo through fear of loss.

So I challenge you – just as I challenge myself – to be a bigger person and truer to yourself.

Evaluate the circumstances you have chosen and decide whether it’s your life or someone else s which you are living.

Humorist Josh Billings once quipped,
“When the truth is in your way, you are on the wrong road.”

In order to discover who you are and what you are capable of, you need second opinions from people whom you can trust to be bloody honest in a sensitive way.

Isn’t it time to take control of your life force and live for a purpose of your own choosing?

Get started on defining your goals in life and then taking bold steps forward.

Make yourself whole again.

Be honest to the core.

Trust yourself to find solutions to your life riddles. You definitely can do it.

A good starting point is to evaluate your aptitudes. I found (and took) a very accurate test online a few years ago. It was so dead-on, that I knew I had to change.

Take this eye-opening evaluation while it’s fresh in your mind. It is an investment of less than the cost of a latte and some cheesecake at Starbucks.
Claim your greatness back!

*****************
Depending upon where you are on the success ladder, there will be obstacles and set backs to deal with. Deal with them, one and all! You do not want to live a bitter life of regret and second-guessing yourself.
“If you are going through hell, keep walking.”
~Winston Churchill~

May 28, 2014May 28, 2015

Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

A number of studies in recent years have suggested that vascular diseases–heart disease and stroke–may contribute to the development of dementia.

Don’t smoke or abuse alcohol.

According to a recent research report from Harvard Medical School, \”Improving Memory: Understanding Age-Related Memory Loss,\” smokers perform worse than nonsmokers in studies of memory and thinking skills. Heavy alcohol use can also impair memory.

Get regular exercise.

Physical activity may help maintain blood flow to the brain and reduce risk factors associated with dementia.

Maintain healthy eating habits.

Eating vegetables may help slow down the rate of cognitive change in adults. Of the types of vegetables, green leafy vegetables had the strongest association with slowing the rate of cognitive decline. Also reducing foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol and eating fish with beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and tuna, may benefit brain health.

Maintain social interactions.

Social interaction can help reduce stress levels and has been associated with a lower risk of dementia. Get out from that computer parking space once in a while.

Keep your brain active.

Some experts suggest that challenging the brain with such activities as reading, writing, learning a new skill, playing games, and gardening stimulates brain cells and the connections between the cells, and may be associated with a lower risk of dementia.

And, once again, don’t forget what you just read!

April 10, 2014June 11, 2015

A Penny Saved Cost Me Dearly

Image result for penny wise, pound foolish

For those of you non-technical webmasters or those more experienced ones wanting to have the newest tweak on their PC, I have a cautionary tale for you both.

Never trust your life to a stranger unless circumstances are dire and urgent. There are people and websites which purport to be authorities in some specialized area. In many cases, these people and sites are loaded with useful information, that is, if you are capable of understanding and then implementing it.

Most people are not capable of deciphering what is good and bad for them, so they chase magic bullets, potions and gurus while hoping against hope that these people and sites can save them from going through the learning curve.

Get over the lottery mentality because the chances are overwhelming against you that your business horse is going to even place in the race of life.

I followed the geeky advice of an authority figure on an authority site and wiped out my computer. The author of the article titled “How to Fully De-gunk a PC of Crapware” was flippant in stating the the solution was fool-proof and as simple as pie. My pie crumbled and fully fifty percent of my prolific writings and research was lost in a cyber vapor trail.

My advice is to hire a professional and outsource when you want to tweak your PC or run certain aspects of a business. The cost is much less than wasting your time and resources on becoming an expert on something you don’t need to do personally.

For good reason, most people want a car that runs. They don’t care even slightly about how many cylinders are pumping under the hood. They just want answers – a car that functions as transportation and provides certain creature comforts.

March 29, 2014May 29, 2015

Ode To Marketing Whiners and Losers

Image result for out of breath

Man, I’m winded!!!!

I’m dead tired of chasing one opportunity after the next.

Man, I’m winded!!!!

I’ve spun my wheels till they spark searching for the Holy Grail of online marketing success.

Man, I’m winded!!!!

How much chump change must I steal from my piggy bank in pursuit of my dreams before I strike gold?

Man I’m winded!!!!

How many rah-rah workshops, teleseminars, “secret” reports, half-functional software tools and an assortment of other junk must I collect on my hard drive before I say “Enough is enough”?

Man, I’m winded!!!!

Who am I kidding? Success is for the young, the intelligent, the fit, the privileged and the lucky. Isn’t it true that they – those greedy, slick hucksters proliferating the Net – play on our desire to have more for less?

Man, I’m winded!!!!

It’s hard to believe that I live in one of the richest countries in the world – a place teeming with information and freedom to attain wealth – yet I wallow in mediocrity, underachievement and resignation.

Man, I’m winded!!!!

So many choices and they all cost too much for me to explore.

Man, I’m winded!!!!

Who can I trust out there in cyber-land? All I want is an even break, a chance to strut my stuff.

Man, I’m winded!!!!

I’d give every scraggly possession under my sun just for one test drive in the success lane of life.

Man, I’m ready!!!!!

Get out of my way. I’m on fire and I’ll take no prisoners.

Man, I’m ready!!!!!

It’s a new day and a new way.

Man, I’m ready!!!!!

I may not be all I want to be but I am all I have…and that’s more than enough!

Man, I’m ready!!!!!

I have no ear for those voices of doubt.

Man, I’m ready!!!!!

Every tool I need for success is right before my eyes, if only I can learn to open them to the realm of possibility.

Man, I’m ready!!!!!

Before I can read the book of success, I must first open it with action.

Man, I’m ready!!!!!

The slings and arrows of life do not define me anymore.

Man, I’m ready!!!!!

My circumstances can’t confine me when my thinking is clear.

Man, I’m unstoppable!!!!!!

Life is a gift.

Life is a chance to see what is possible for you.

Life is a chance to make a significant difference in this world.

Life will not make headliners of us all, but we can touch others in ways which make them spiritually rich and financially secure. You have the choice to be winded, to be ready or to be unstoppable.

So what’s stopping you? Remove those barriers, one day at a time. There is greatness in each of us which is screaming to get out. I’ll be sappy, if I must: Don’t ever settle for second best or last place.

March 20, 2014May 30, 2015

The Entrepreneurial Mindset

I hold no grudge against an individual who decides to settle down to a life of moderate success. Having a fairly good income and a semblance of job stability does have some commonsense appeal.

But we live in a highly competitive world and settling for second place is a sure indication that one will inevitably be forced to settle for an even lower station in life a bit further down the road.

The margin of victory between the prize horse and the also-rans is usually less than a head or a nose. And so it is in the business world, in academia, and even in the act of courtship.

The difference between success and constant defeat is often a mere matter of a book read or unread, a risky chance taken or passed by, or a few moments more of preparation and practice rather than time spent in idle chatter and daydreaming.

Most importantly, victory only comes to those who finish the race.

The entrepreneur does not have a wage-earner’s mentality.

He/she does not tread water.

He/she does not depend on others to tell him/her how to act or how to live.

He/she sees opportunity where others see barriers.

He/she sees a chair as a lumberjack, as a carpenter, as a toolmaker, as a lathe, as nails, as a hammer, as a screwdriver and screw, as a saw, as a shipper, as a retail store, as a retail customer, and as an interior designer.

Profit centers all! That chair has many revenue streams which originated in a dream or a rough sketch on paper.

Wikipedia defines entrepreneur as follows:

An entrepreneur is a person who undertakes and operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks.

Most importantly, however, he/she reaps the exponential rewards of a plan well thought out and executed soundly.

Risk in life is unavoidable regardless of whether we chose to act boldly or sit on the sideline of life.

Why not test the waters’ of possibility in your life?

Why not start to see the opportunity within the challenges you face?

“Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say
today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.”
~Dale Carnegie~

Make it your intention each day to find a way to sprinkle your world with as many kind gestures and words as humanly possible.

This is not a just a religious principle for the pious, but a matter of common business and social sense. To be stroked by another is like a shot of adrenalin to the spirit and sends a butterfly effect which can span continents with untold smiles and acts of generosity.

Online, when you see someone in need of assistance in business or life in general, be a good cyber neighbor. Help out. Make a profit, if appropriate, but offer only authentic, proven solutions or advice.

Imagine yourself on the receiving end. What goes around does come around.

January 29, 2014May 29, 2015

Turning the WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) Nature of Marketing On Its Head

Image result for internet millionaire Image result for white elite people

If American media moguls and advertising executives have anything to say about it, all perfect families for marketing purposes are white, slim, and perfectly fit. They are often wrapped in glamorous clothes in front of palatial estates. Their cars are always spiffy Porsches or of that ilk. And their children are always pristine and smiling, as if they had freshly arrived from Heaven.

Is God white? Is the Internet a Caucasian stronghold? Are all happy and successful people practically perfect in every way? Do you feel connected with these images?

I’ve been online for 13 years and have taken notes on trends and marketing techniques. There is one constant: Blacks, browns and Orientals have scant representation in the elite crowd of online marketers or marketing imagery, which is not so different than in all vocations and social strata.

This seldom-discussed glass ceiling must be blasted out of the water. The white American dream is but one of many life choices. In itself, that dream is admirable and worthwhile.

Yet something is seriously flawed with this American paradigm. That something is an implicit, inbred racism which needs to be addressed…pronto!

There seems to be an unwritten rule floating through the cosmos that if you are not a WASP or a similar breed, you can only aspire to be a bit player online or offline. Sometimes a token black, Oriental or Third World refugee is allowed to shine and take center stage in the business world, but those cases are as rare and unproven as Elvis sightings.

The information age we live in presents each of us with a fertile chance to overcome our blind prejudices and start imagining that divinity comes in all stripes and colors.

October 30, 2013May 30, 2015

Decidophobia

One thing there isn’t a shortage of around the world is information and disinformation. In fact, our choices are often so overwhelming that we tend to freeze because of confusion or a fear of being suckered into something which won’t be in our best interest.

Welcome to the Decidophobia Penitentiary, a self-imposed jailhouse for fence-sitters, skeptics and ne’er-do-wellers.

Image result for indecision

I’m here to reveal to you a fool-proof escape route from D-Pen which is guaranteed to lead you to freedom and security at all levels of your existence. I’ll keep my voice down, but listen up…

Here is my checklist of 10 guidelines for whether or not you should reach for your wallet and sell your soul to the next slickest pitch artist is guaranteed to lessen information overload.

Keep these 10 guidelines posted by your computer ready for reference or folded into your billfold or purse:

1. Is this offer aligned with my goals? You do have goals, right? If it clearly isn’t aligned with your path, put the offer in your digital or real file cabinet and reevaluate it a few weeks later.
2. Do you need or just want such a product or service? Need means that it is or soon will become essential to the prosperity of your business or personal life. Want means it would be nice to have but is not essential in any level of my existence. The need item should then be compared with other similar products which can be uncovered using any number of search engines, review sites and online auction sites. The want items should be added to your goals list and a date for acquisition noted.
3. Do you trust this person or company? Is their identity masked or totally concealed? If so, the rule of thumb is to trash it. When the person or company is easy to determine, then contact them. Ask a reasonable question about the product/service that requires more than a rubber-stamp answer. If the response is wooden and plastic, then trash it. If the answer truly addresses and resolves your concern, then buy it.
4. If the marketer says that he or she is the only honest broker in a world of liars and thieves, then you will know that he or she is a liar him- or herself. This ploy which I call the “Savior Approach” is bound to weaken your psychic defenses. When you have been screwed by such linguistic gymnastics several times previously, you should know better than to jump. But it’s hard to resist. Put the offer in your digital or real file cabinet and reevaluate it a few weeks later.
5. Steer clear of any offer which is time sensitive. You know the takeaway-type offer I’m talking about: “This offer will only be available for the next 72 hours,” or “You will never see this offer again.” Both statements may even be true, but here is something to consider: Any product which finds success will be copied and offered at a more competitive cost down the pike. Put the offer in your digital or real file cabinet and reevaluate it a few weeks or months later.
6. Unsubscribe to any marketing publication which sends you three or four offerings per day(!) without giving one ounce of personal coaching or information for free. They somehow got you on their hook with a slick, initial offering; now it is time to wiggle your way out of their net and clean out your mailbox of such opt-in junk mailings.
7. Assuming you have a goal in mind when you turn on the computer, don’t let the newest and best marketers add you to their mailing list unless their information is definitively related to your goals. This is especially true for information junkies (such as myself) who are mesmerized by well-tailored copy and new ideas. I want to buy everything and read everything, but that is a formula for the poorhouse. Find your product or niche, and then run with it minus the information baggage.
8. Never buy an ebook or a software application which you don’t plan to read or use promptly. If you have tens or hundreds of such materials stored on your desktop in in the bowels of your PC, either trash them or read them first before you buy the newest hot item.
9. Listen to as many teleseminars or recordings of the people you want to buy products from. When you listened to these self-proclaimed gurus in more than sound bites, if they sound suspicious, seem arrogant and only seem to plug their latest launch…dump them. Your intuition is usually correct.
10. Your monthly self-training expense should be budgeted. If you are about to go over budget with this “must have” application or ebook proclaiming you’ll be making $3,000 in the next 30 days…go to your dream stealer or a negative person in your life. Explain to them that you want their opinion for what you plan to buy, and then, to the best of your knowledge, lay out what the ebook or application is supposed to do. If that neggie is neutral toward the idea or even wants to buy one too, go for it. Otherwise, sit on it until the next month. Don’t rob from Peter to pay Paul.

Noted motivational coach and multimillionaire marketer Anthony Robbins said:
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.”

The easy way to avoid success is to spend, spend, spend and then read, read, read.

I just know you can show some discipline. And when you show discipline, you will become laser-focused and unstoppable. And when you become laser-focused, with absolutely certainty you can achieve what you want in life.

Be creative without always reaching for your wallet.

“Our treasure lies in the beehive of our knowledge. We are perpetually on the way thither, being by nature winged insects and honey gatherers of the mind.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche~

There is nothing more precious than the mind on a mission. It puts into motion all the artistry of our life, in a way which only we can brush-paint it. Nourish your mind with good books to read, good people to share with, and good thoughts to inspire you. Your time of greatness has arrived.