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	<title>As A Dude Thinketh</title>
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	<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com</link>
	<description>Lifestyle Design to Help You Escape the Daily Grind</description>
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		<title>The Dark Jedi Guide to Getting What You Want From Life</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/dark-jedi-guide-life/</link>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Philosophy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mindset]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=472</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. ―Yoda In Star Wars movies and positive thinking manifestos, we are told to banish fear, anger, and other negative emotions in order to be successful. Modern American society has cast into us a belief that [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p>Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. ―Yoda</p></blockquote>
<p>In Star Wars movies and <a title="The Number One Problem with Personal Development" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/number-problem-personal-development/">positive thinking manifestos</a>, we are told to banish fear, anger, and other negative emotions in order to be successful. Modern American society has cast into us a belief that the most <a title="The Secret to Business Success: Don’t Be Original" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/secret-business-success-dont-original/">successful people</a> are always positive, do not get angry, and live in some transient meditative state where everything is happy all the time . . .</p>
<h3>What a load of crap.</h3>
<p>In order to truly get what we want from life, we need to harness what we are told to avoid. We need to use the fear and anger that exists within us to empower us to get want we are seeking in life. You must, as Yoda warns you against, go to the dark side.</p>
<h2>The Dark Side and Why It Will Motivate You</h2>
<p>We are often told that we need to eliminate fear and do it anyway. Why is that? Because the last time I checked, fear keeps me from playing in traffic, avoids me from walking in front of loaded guns, and from trying to jump off of the top of buildings to see if I can avoid the ground. <strong>Fear is what has kept us alive as a society.</strong></p>
<p>When you fear something, it makes you take the time you need to investigate if what you are doing is the right thing for you. I see too many people that are told to, <em>“face your fear, but do it anyway,” </em>and are now broke because they quit their jobs to follow the advice of a charismatic charlatan who convinced them to join a pyramid scheme.</p>
<p>Fear will protect you, but it can also motivate you to create a wonderful future for yourself. When you fear losing your job, being stuck with a company you hate or being in a damaging relationship, your fear can set you free on a path of discovering a way out of your situation.</p>
<p>As the Dark Jedi teach, <strong>your fear can set you free.</strong></p>
<h2>Fear Leads to Anger</h2>
<p>As Yoda teaches, fear leads to anger, but is anger a bad thing? We are taught that we should be happy and not allow anger to rule our lives. But consider this, if it was not for anger, would we be seeing the changes we are seeing in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and other nations that were ruled by oppressive regimes?</p>
<p>The truth about anger is that <strong>anger can set you free</strong>. When you are angry, you do not give into the status quo. Anger motivates you to seek change in your life as well as society. Instead of sitting around focusing on your navel all day, you are motivated to get up and be the change that you want to see in the world. Your anger gets you moving.</p>
<p>In my personal experience, it is anger more than anything else that motivates me to action. Many of my best writings have come from being angry about something or at someone. The anger allows me to channel my energy into a page and my writing tends to be more inspired and have a greater voice.</p>
<p><strong> What about you, are you motivated by anger to get things done?</strong></p>
<p>Fear and anger are emotions that many people want us to avoid. I say that like the Dark Jedi, you should embrace your anger, give into your fear, and come to the dark side.</p>
<p>You might just find some insight that your anger and fear will set you free.</p>
<p>Do you agree or disagree with me?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Let me know in the comments, on <a title="As A Dude Thinketh - Facebook Page" href="http://www.facebook.com/AsADudeThinketh" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, or <a title="Chris on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/chris_speaks" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Stupid Goals</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/stupid-goals/</link>
		<comments>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/stupid-goals/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 22:59:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=465</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While working on a speech, I was reminded of a lesson I learned at the Lady and the Champs Speaker conference. This one lesson might just kick you in the butt like it did for me. The lesson is that there are really two types of goals: Production goals Process goals Many people in the [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>While working on a speech, I was reminded of a lesson I learned at the<a title="Lady and the Champs" href="http://www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=2426995" target="_blank"> Lady and the Champs Speaker conference</a>. This one lesson might just kick you in the butt like it did for me.</p>
<p>The lesson is that there are really two types of goals:</p>
<ol>
<li>Production goals</li>
<li>Process goals</li>
</ol>
<p>Many people in the <em>“woo woo” </em> Law of Attraction crowd will have you focusing on the production goals, when you should be focusing on the process goals.</p>
<h2>What is the difference, aren’t all goals the same?</h2>
<p>Not really, but here is a background on the goals to help you see what I mean:</p>
<p>Production goals are goals that state a result in dollars or another measure. A production goal could say that in the next 12 months, I am going to <a title="Stupid People Making Money" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/stupid-people-making-money/" target="_blank">earn $100,000</a> from my speaking business. You know when it is a production goal, because usually has a number attached to it somewhere. So the goal could state a dollar value you wish to earn, the number of twitter followers you want have, or the number of pushups you can do next week.</p>
<p>On the other side are process goals. A process goal is focused on getting an action done. An example of a process goal could be to write a blog post every week. The process goal is focused on an activity that you have control of accomplishing. The process goals have a specific activity to be completed as an outcome. While there can be numbers to highlight now many blog posts you are going to write in what period of time, the goal is something that is dependent on you completing and not on the actions of others.</p>
<h2>101 Goals of Doom</h2>
<p>When I returned from <a title="Lady and the Champs" href="http://www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=2426995" target="_blank">Lady and the Champs</a>, I had to see if I was a production or process goal focused person. Pulling out a goal exercise a <em>&#8220;woo-woo&#8221; </em>life coach had me do, I had written down 101 goals that I wanted to accomplish.</p>
<p>Reading through the list, I was hit in the face by my own stupidity. Instead of focusing on the process goals, I was focusing on production goals. Almost every single one of my 101 goals was about how much money I was going to make, how big of a house I was going to own, and how many customers I had. All of them product and not process goals.</p>
<p>And what happened? I am sitting here three years after writing out those goals, with almost none of the goals accomplished.</p>
<p>Motivating?</p>
<p>No, but it reminded me that there is a better way.</p>
<h2>Where the Magic Really Is</h2>
<p>Let’s get back to bashing the <em>&#8220;woo woo&#8221;</em> crap.</p>
<p>The Law of Attraction crowd loves production goals. Like the 101 goal exercise my Life Coach had me do, it is fun to get people to dream about selling a million copies of a book, getting paid a million dollars for a speech, or having millions of cult-like followers on Twitter that are willing to retweet your every thought. However, writing down that you are going to make a million dollars in the next 30 minutes doesn’t mean it is going to happen.</p>
<h2>The Magic is in the Process</h2>
<p>True success comes from focusing on the process goals and not production. Instead of wishing that you were 20 pounds lighter, set goals that will allow you to make it happen. Write down that you are going to work out three times this week, eat one instead of 10 donuts a day, and that you will stop intravenous injections of butter immediately.</p>
<p>By eliminating the production goals, you are focused on the process goals that will allow you to succeed. It is there that you will find the success that you have been seeking.</p>
<p>If this kicked you in the pants, then leave a comment, forward it to a friend, or hire me to help you kick your life into gear.</p>
<p>P.S. The external links are affiliate links. That means that I get a percentage of any purchases made through the links.</p>
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		<title>The Number One Problem with Personal Development</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/number-problem-personal-development/</link>
		<comments>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/number-problem-personal-development/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:11:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=451</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you feel that the personal development industry has failed you? Have you been filled with a desire to lose weight, make a million dollars, or any other goal that can be easily solved (so I am told) by buying a book out of the self-help section of your local bookseller. Have you then been [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Do you feel that the personal development industry has failed you?</h2>
<p>Have you been filled with a desire to <a title="Are You What You Eat?" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/eat/" target="_blank">lose weight</a>, make a million dollars, or any other goal that can be easily solved (so I am told) by buying a book out of the self-help section of your local bookseller. Have you then been let down when that desire has not been fulfilled?</p>
<p>Are you then told that you failed because you weren&#8217;t visualizing hard enough, didn’t have the <a title="Why I Love My Feet" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/love-feet/" target="_blank">right attitude</a>, or you didn’t hustle enough?</p>
<p>I have realized that most companies and people that sell personal development products and services have one problem that causes most people to fail.</p>
<p>My “light bulb” moment happened when I saw the Facebook status update from one of my speaking coaches, <a title="Craig Valentine" href="http://www.profcs.com/app/?af=942816" target="_blank">Craig Valentine</a>:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/CraigValentine.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-452" title="Craig Valentine" src="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/CraigValentine.png" alt="Craig Status Update" width="462" height="83" srcset="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/CraigValentine.png 462w, http://www.asadudethinketh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/CraigValentine-300x53.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px" /></a></p>
<p>Most personal development experts would say that the people that stopped going to the gym failed at accomplishing their New Years goals of getting healthy or losing weight because they lacked the will power, didn’t schedule it, or any other reason that puts the problem on the back of the person who failed to accomplish their goal.</p>
<p>Those personal development experts are <strong>wrong</strong>, and it leads us to the number one problem with the personal development industry:</p>
<p><strong>The personal development industry puts the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">product before the process</span>.</strong></p>
<h2>The Effect of Putting the Product before the Process</h2>
<p>Take the gym as an example. Come January 1st, the gym is packed with people that want to get into shape. They have been sold on the fact that they need to stay healthy and the best way to do that is by going to the gym. So they go, they workout, and everything goes well for the first few weeks.</p>
<p>They lose some weight, they have more energy, and they might have made some new friends. Then it happens. They get busy, they lose interest, or they get sticker shock when they get their first bill. People stop going, cancel their membership, and go back to their pre-January routine. Then ten and a half months later the cycle repeats itself.</p>
<p>What does the gym do?</p>
<p>The same thing they did last year, convince people that they need to work out to get fit, give them a great rate, and watch them drop like flies after the first month. I am guessing that the owners of the gyms say the same thing, “I guess they didn’t really want to get in shape.” In thinking that way, the gym owners put the product before the process.</p>
<p>When you are putting the product before the process, you are putting the self interest of the person selling the product ahead of the person using the product. Since it has worked for you and maybe a few other people, you assume that it is everyone’s best interest to do what you do in order to accomplish your goals.</p>
<p>The problem is that accomplishing a goal isn’t about you or your product. It is about the person who has a goal that they want to keep.</p>
<p>Let’s use the gym as an example and a theoretical character, Bob:</p>
<p>Bob wants to get in shape for the New Year, so he takes advantage of an offer he is given by a nearby gym. He gets some new shoes, some new workout gear, and hits the gym after work on the 2nd.  The first few days seem to go OK. It is busy, but he is getting a workout in and is starting to feel like he is making a difference.</p>
<p>After a few weeks, Bob is getting tired of having to deal with the traffic on his way to the gym. Now that the holidays are over, work is piling up again and he is leaving for the gym later and later. It is in the opposite direction of his house, and by the time he gets home, he is tired, cranky, and doesn’t feel like it is worth it anymore with all of the work that is piling up at work and at home.</p>
<p>Those <a title="Energy Through Exercise" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/energy-exercise/">daily workouts</a> have become once or twice a week, and then by the time spring sports start for Bob&#8217;s children, he thinks about going to the gym every time he sees the membership on his key ring. Come April, the membership is cancelled and Bob is back to his normal pre-gym routine.</p>
<p>You could say that it is Bob’s fault that he doesn’t make time, but that is still putting your needs before Bob. I believe that the problems we encounter are far more systemic that many solutions presented can fix with a low monthly membership fee.</p>
<p>The problem is not necessarily with working out. Maybe the real problem is that the only time that Bob has available to work out doesn’t work with a natural time for him to work out because of work and family obligations. It could also be that the atmosphere of the gym focuses on people that are much farther along than Bob, so he doesn’t feel comfortable working out there. Whatever the case, the person selling Bob the product has put the product before Bob.</p>
<p><strong>How can we help Bob and others like him?</strong></p>
<p><strong><br />
</strong></p>
<h2>Put the process for helping people before the product.</h2>
<p>Stop focusing so much on the product and focus on the individual. Bob’s real problem might not be working out. The real problem is his job and other obligations. Find out when and where Bob needs to workout to succeed and focus on helping him work out at those times and places.</p>
<p>Individuals are not broken when they come to you. They just might need some help figuring out where your product or service can help them. Help them find that, put their needs before the need to sell them a product, and you can help them and you be more successful.</p>
<p>Stop telling people they are broken, and start fixing the process.</p>
<p>P.S. I am coming back strong. Get ready.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Please Pardon the Interruption</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/pardon-interruption/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:20:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Site News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=416</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You didn’t know this, but I have been in a self imposed exile of sorts. Until I return from my self imposed exile, I wanted to interrupt your freedom from me to let you know about an amazing deal that you might already know about. Some of the top names in ethical online marketing have [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You didn’t know this, but I have been in a self imposed exile of sorts. Until I return from my self imposed exile, I wanted to interrupt your freedom from me to let you know about an amazing deal that you might already know about.</p>
<p>Some of the top names in ethical online marketing have gotten together to offer a <a title="72 Hour Sale" href="http://bit.ly/euI18T" target="_blank">72 Hour Sale</a> on a few of their top products. The sales page for this deal is not dripping with text that scares you into thinking that this is the one product you have to buy right now, so you might have seen this but skipped over it.</p>
<p>Don’t . . .</p>
<p>If this sounds like something you would want, you have just over one day from when I post this to pick up this deal.</p>
<p>If you have ever wanted a package of products that gives you all of the information you need to start your own business, then I recommend picking this package up today. It might be a little pricey for some people right now, but it is far less expensive then many other packages that have been launched in the past few months.</p>
<p>If you do decide to get this product, please do me a favor and use my affiliate link . I will get a percentage of your sale and you will get an amazing package that will give you the information you need to get started with your own business.</p>
<p>Check it out today by clicking on this link: <a title="72 Hour Sale" href="http://bit.ly/euI18T" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/euI18T</a>.</p>
<p>You have until December 1st, 2010 to grab this deal.</p>
<p>Returning to my exile. See you soon.</p>
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		<title>Get Under The Hood of My Blog</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/hood-blog/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Oct 2010 09:32:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Site News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=405</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Don’t worry if you don’t have a website. Read this post and I can help you change that. My story . . . I have been tinkering around with websites since 1991. Since I never took the time to become a hardcore coder, I was always looking for the newest template or software that would [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Don’t worry if you don’t have a website. Read this post and I can help you change that.</p>
<h2>My story . . .</h2>
<p>I have been tinkering around with websites since 1991. Since I never took the time to become a hardcore coder, I was always looking for the newest template or software that would allow me to quickly and easily turn my ideas into webpages.</p>
<p>For almost 10 years, my tinkering didn&#8217;t produce many good looking websites. Sometime around 2000-2001 I started to play around with blogging platforms, and after a few years I landed on WordPress as my blogging platform of choice. By 2009, I was using blogger on every website I created due to its flexibility and the multitudes of templates available.</p>
<p>After a few years on WordPress, I found it difficult to stick with any one template for more than a few months. I kept having to switch as WordPress was updated or I found something that seemed a little more flexible than my last template.</p>
<p>Constantly switching stopped when I found <a title="Headway Theme" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/go/headway/" target="_blank">Headway</a>.</p>
<p>What got me hooked on <a title="Headway Theme" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/go/headway/" target="_blank">Headway</a> was the ability to visually modify my website without having to make changes to any code. With a few clicks and drags, I was able to create my layout, insert new widgets, and make changes to my navigation bar. With a few hours of playing around, anyone with a basic knowledge of wordpress can easily set up their blog.</p>
<h3>Why Am I Telling You This?</h3>
<p><a title="Headway" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/go/headway/" target="_blank">Headway</a> launched 2.0 today and I want to encourage you to check it out. I have been beta testing 2.0 on a new site I am launching next month and they have made setting up a professional website much faster than any previous version.</p>
<h2>What I Want to Do For You</h2>
<p>Until <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Friday, October 29th, 2010,</span></strong> Headway is offering <strong>30% off</strong> the Headway theme to celebrate the launch of this major step forward in simplifying setting up a website.</p>
<p>All you have to do it go to the <a title="Headway" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/go/headway/" target="_blank">Headway page</a> and use the offer code: <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">woot</span></strong></p>
<h3>What if you don’t have a website?</h3>
<p>If you don&#8217;t know how to set up a website or blog, then let me do it for you. All you need to do is sign <a title="Dreamhost" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/go/dreamhost/" target="_blank">up for hosting on dreamhost</a>, grab a copy of <a title="Headway" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/go/headway/" target="_blank">Headway</a> with the offer code <strong>woot (until Friday, October 29th, 2010)</strong>, and I will set up a webinar next week to walk you through setting up a basic website or blog using Dreamhost, WordPress, and Headway.</p>
<p>To qualify for this, you have to sign up for a hosting (a free domain name is included) <a title="Dreamhost" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/go/dreamhost/" target="_blank">at Dreamhost </a>then grab a copy of <a title="Headway" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/go/headway/" target="_blank">Headway</a>. Once you have done that, <a title="Contact Me" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/contact/" target="_self">contact me </a>with my contact form and we will make sure to sign you up for the webinar next week that will run through setting up your blog (some verification will be required).</p>
<p><strong>If you don’t want to be included on the webinar, I still recommend that you pick up </strong><a title="Headway" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/go/headway/" target="_blank"><strong>Headway</strong></a><strong> today, because it might never be discounted 30% again.</strong></p>
<p>I hope you take Headway up on this, because it is awesome!</p>
<p><a title="Contact Me" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/contact/" target="_self">Contact me</a> if you have any questions on signing up for the webinar.</p>
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		<title>Contest Winners and A Huge Dose of Fail</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/contest-winners-huge-dose-fail/</link>
		<comments>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/contest-winners-huge-dose-fail/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Oct 2010 20:49:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Site News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Failure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=393</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have decided that since only two people entered my contest this weekend, that I will reward both of them with a copy of INSERT YOUR TITLE HERE: A Step by Step Guide to Creating an Original Product this Weekend and the two hours of coaching. The Winners Are . . . Rich Hopkins Joe [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have decided that since <strong>only two people</strong> entered my contest this weekend, that I will reward both of them with a copy of <strong>INSERT YOUR TITLE HERE: A Step by Step Guide to Creating an Original Product this Weekend</strong> and the two hours of coaching.</p>
<h2>The Winners Are . . .</h2>
<p><a title="Rich Hopkins" href="http://twitter.com/#!/RichHopkins" target="_blank">Rich Hopkins</a></p>
<p><a title="Joe Tillman" href="http://twitter.com/#!/pfpmgmt" target="_self">Joe Tillman</a></p>
<p>I will be in touch with Joe and Rich this week to set up our consultations.</p>
<h2>Now about that Huge Dose of Failure</h2>
<p>I was surprised by the outcome of my contest. Though my traffic numbers are not huge, that with my current blog traffic, twitter followers, and Facebook fans, I thought I could drive some new traffic to my website with a contest.  I failed and will have to revisit what I did to figure out how I can improve the next time I attempt something similar.</p>
<h2>Why I need to Learn From this Failure</h2>
<p>I am working on a new e-book called <strong>In Search of Freedom Money</strong>. Don&#8217;t worry, the e-book is not about driving traffic to your blog, but I was looking to build some exposure so that the e-book has a larger impact when it is released.</p>
<h3>What The E-Book About?</h3>
<p><strong>In Search of Freedom Money</strong> is call to others in the same failure rut as I am to co-create a successful Freedom Money Businesses.  This is not a look at me I am an expert book, but a manifesto of how we can together create something great.</p>
<p>I might not be there yet, but I believe that together we can make great things happen.</p>
<h3>Are you with me?</h3>
<p>We will be in touch.</p>
<p>P.S. Even though the contest was an abysmal failure, you can still pick up a copy of<strong> INSERT YOUR TITLE HERE: A Step by Step Guide to Creating an Original Product</strong> for 50% off until Tuesday at 9:00 PM EST, so get it while the getting is still good.</p>
<p>Enter the coupon code: <strong>CONTEST50</strong> and click <strong>Buy Now</strong> to get it NOW!</p>
<form action="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?i=587201&amp;c=single&amp;cl=98504" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="POST"> <input name="on0" type="hidden" value="Promotion" />Discount Code:</p>
<p><input name="os0" type="text" /></p>
<p><input alt="Buy Now" src="http://www.e-junkie.com/ej/x-click-butcc.gif" type="image" /></form>
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		<title>Computers, Christopher Columbus, and a Contest</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/computers-columbus-contest/</link>
		<comments>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/computers-columbus-contest/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Oct 2010 21:36:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=380</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some people have a sale for their husband’s birthday, some for major holidays, and still others have sales to celebrate major life events. Not me. I am having a sale because the processor in my desktop computer decided to have a meltdown and it just happened to coincide with a holiday for someone with the [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Some people have a sale for their husband’s birthday, some for major holidays, and still others have sales to celebrate major life events.</p>
<p><strong>Not me.</strong></p>
<p>I am having a sale because the processor in my desktop computer decided to have a meltdown and it just happened to coincide with a holiday for someone with the same first name as mine.</p>
<p>So my loss this Columbus Day weekend (or Thanksgiving if you are Canadian) is your gain and hopefully it is enough of a gain that I can replace my desktop computer and not try to edit the videos for an upcoming launch using my clunky old laptop.</p>
<p>Here is the deal.</p>
<p>A few months ago I released, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">“INSERT YOUR TITLE HERE: A Step by Step Guide to Creating a Product this Weekend.”</span></p>
<p>While most get rich quick products will sell you on using other people’s content to create a product. This e-book and accompanying demos lead you through the process of creating a product with your own material in far less time then it takes to create one with content you scraped off article directories.</p>
<h3>For you feature junkies, here is what the product contains:</h3>
<ul>
<li>A 39 page workbook that gives you a step by step plan for creating a product this weekend.</li>
<li>An audio demo of the reverse interview process I have developed to help you create your product idea, an outline, and the content for your products.</li>
<li>Demo videos and PDF instructions on how to set up a domain name, hosting account, and shopping cart so that you will quickly get your product created and ready for sale.</li>
<li>An html template that you will use as the sales page for your product.</li>
</ul>
<p><a title="Create A Product this Weekend" href="http://www.createaproductthisweekend.com/" target="_blank">The sales page</a> for the product lists it at $37.</p>
<p>Since it is a long weekend for many people and I need to make some money, I thought I would give it to you for <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">50% off</span></strong>.</p>
<p>Sound good?</p>
<h2>There is more</h2>
<p>Since I want to help as many people have a productive weekend, I am going to run a <strong>contest</strong> now through<strong> Sunday, October 10th, 2010 at 12:00 PM.</strong> The sale will run until Tuesday if you don’t win and want to get a copy of the product after the contest wins.</p>
<h2>To enter the contest:</h2>
<p><strong>1. Tweet a link to this blog post and include #ccontest and @chris_speaks in your tweet. You can tweet it as many times as you would like, but I will limit your entries to 4 tweets per person so that you don’t spam the crap out of your Twitter followers. That means if you have four tweets, you get your name entered 4 times to win the product.</strong></p>
<p>A sample tweet would be:</p>
<blockquote><p>Oy! @chris_speaks is celebrating the death of his trusty desktop with a contest and a sale check it out http://goo.gl/SmFL</p></blockquote>
<p>Want to write a better tweet? Just make sure to include the link to this post, the hashtag #ccontest, and @chris_speaks.</p>
<p><strong>2. You also need to leave a comment on this post telling me the biggest challenge you face in creating and selling a product. Make sure to leave your Twitter nick name and use your real e-mail in the comment so that I can match your comments to your tweets and e-mail the winner.</strong></p>
<h2>What does the winner receive?</h2>
<p>I will pick one of the tweets from a commenter at random ( I am a dork so it will be with a random number generator) and they will receive:</p>
<ol>
<li>A free copy of “INSERT YOUR TITLE HERE: A Step by Step Guide to Creating a Product this Weekend.”</li>
<li>Two <strong>free</strong> hours of consulting on creating, marketing, and selling a product (Usually $97 / hr).</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Let the tweets begin.</strong></p>
<p>I know, I know, you want to get INSERT YOUR TITLE HERE: A Step by Step Guide to Creating a Product this Weekend, but don’t want to wait for the contest to end on Sunday.</p>
<p>Here is the deal.</p>
<p>If you have bought the product and you win, then you will get the 2 hours of free consulting and you can help one of your friends out by giving them a copy as well.</p>
<p>Are you ready to get your hands on INSERT YOUR TITLE HERE: A Step by Step Guide to Creating a Product this Weekend?</p>
<p>Enter the coupon code: <strong>CONTEST50</strong> and click <strong>Buy Now</strong> to get started.</p>
<form method="POST" action="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?i=587201&#038;c=single&#038;cl=98504" accept-charset="UTF-8" target="ejejcsingle"><input type="hidden" name="on0" value="Promotion"/>Discount Code:<br /><input type="text" name="os0"/><br /><input type="image" src="http://www.e-junkie.com/ej/x-click-butcc.gif" border="0" alt="Buy Now"/></form>
<p><strong>The sale will last from now until Tuesday, October 12th, 2010 when everyone has returned from Columbus Day stuffed with whatever people eat to celebrate Columbus Day.</strong></p>
<p>Now I am wondering, do they eat Turkey this weekend in Canada?</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
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		<title>Stupid People Making Money</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/stupid-people-making-money/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:49:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Philosophy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mindset]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=376</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post isn’t about marketing. It is about stupid people making money so make sure to read the next quote if this one doesn’t apply to you: I don’t care about the size of my list, because that’s not how I do business. I am more social in the way I sell product. I hate [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This post isn’t about marketing. It is about stupid people making money so make sure to read the next quote if this one doesn’t apply to you:</p>
<blockquote><p>
I don’t care about the size of my list, because that’s not how I do business. I am more social in the way I sell product. I hate long sales copy. I don’t buy from long sales copy so I am not going to subject anyone to it. I don’t need to pitch my readers, because I will lose them if I seem too sales-ey.</p></blockquote>
<h3>Do you know anyone that has uttered statements similar to those?</h3>
<p>The statements above came from me three years ago when I first dipped my toes into marketing my speaking, coaching, and products. Do you know how much money I made during that time period? Zero. Sound familiar?</p>
<p>If you aren’t marketing anything, maybe you have said,</p>
<blockquote><p>I don’t need to kiss up to the higher ups to get ahead, I don’t need a college degree to get ahead because I am a rebel, or I don’t need to save money for my retirement because I am going to get promoted soon then I will start saving.</p></blockquote>
<h3>Does anything in that statement sound familiar?</h3>
<p>I am not surprised if it does, and I would be less surprised if you followed it up with saying, “Why am I not succeeding? Bob is a freaking idiot and he is making a killing online, moving up the corporate ladder, and spends half his week playing golf. Why is that idiot making money and I’m not?”</p>
<h3>Why Are Stupid People Making Money?</h3>
<p>Here is an example from one of my mentors, Darren Lacroix as he talks about <a title="Darren's Ouch" href="http://darrenlacroix.com/2010/08/ouch-how-i-fell-on-my-face-all-the-way-to-the-top/" target="_blank">his experiences running a Subway franchise into the ground</a>.</p>
<blockquote><p>I thought I knew it all. I was 22 years old and fresh out of business school. A dangerous combination. Subway told me that the most successful franchisees were farmers. Farmers? And the worst franchisees? Business graduates.</p></blockquote>
<h3>Think about it . . .</h3>
<ul>
<li>Why are people that know next to nothing about running a sandwich store succeeding at running a sandwich store?</li>
<li>Why are people that know little about technology making money selling products online?</li>
<li>Why are people that have no knowledge of manufacturing running billion dollar manufacturing companies?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Do you want to know their secret?</h3>
<p>They stupidly follow the rules.</p>
<h3>Why Being a Renegade Can Hurt Your Chances of Success</h3>
<p>Renegades, Rogues, and Rebels make for great characters in novels and movies but are not ideals if you want to succeed in life.</p>
<p>Browse the business section of your local bookstore or pick up an entrepreneurial themed magazine and you will find plenty of books and articles that will tell you to, “Break All the Rules, Play Your Own Game, or March to the Beat of Your Own Drummer!”</p>
<p>So what happens when you don’t suck up to the boss, don’t ask for a sale from potential customers, or make up your own lesson plan in school?</p>
<p><strong>YOU FAIL!</strong></p>
<p>What does someone that is stupid do? They spend time sucking up to the boss to figure out what they want them to do, they ask for the sale, and they read the lesson plan to figure out what the teacher wants them to do.</p>
<p>The stupid person learns what rules are in place and they follow them, because they know they are too stupid to make up their own. They succeed because they don’t try to reinvent the wheel, annoy people by doing it their own way, or trying to build something from the ground up when they don’t have to. They make stupid an advantage over the rebels that try to <a title="Smart People Fail" href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/5-reasons-smart-people-fail-creating-online-businesses/" target="_self">over think everything</a>.</p>
<h3>Become Stupid</h3>
<p>In order to succeed in many endeavors, you need to be stupid. Give up on your knowledge of how to do something and start from square one. Read the instructions, ask someone what they did to be successful, or figure out what has worked for someone else and implement it in your life.</p>
<p>Many times we are too smart for our own good and just need to be stupid to get ahead.</p>
<p>How can you bring a little stupid into your life?</p>
<p>Let us know in the comments.</p>
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		<title>Are You Cutting Your Own Throat?</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/cutting-throat/</link>
		<comments>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/cutting-throat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:57:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=362</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am not going to copy something word for word, because that would be stealing. I am however going to share with you an idea and a link to some free content that will change the way you approach doing business online. Who Are You Listening To? Early last year, I was listening to a [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am not going to copy something word for word, because that would be stealing. I am however going to share with you an idea and a link to some free content that will change the way you approach doing business online.</p>
<h2>Who Are You Listening To?</h2>
<p>Early last year, I was listening to a copywriting teleconference with Sonia Simone of <a title="Copyblogger" href="http://copyblogger.com" target="_blank">Copyblogger</a> and Naomi Dunford of <a title="IttyBiz" href="http://ittybiz.com" target="_blank">Ittybiz</a>. While on the call, they told us to sign up for <a title="TalkBiz News" href="http://www.talkbiz.com/?page=asadudethinketh" target="_blank">Paul Myers’ TalkBiz News</a>, which is a newsletter on Internet Marketing.</p>
<p>So for over a year, I have been getting e-mails from Paul Myers that talk about Internet Marketing with a pitch here and there for a product that he has created or is promoting. I really didn’t think too hard about it until the past week.</p>
<p>Late last week, Paul sent out an e-mail about his new product, the Email Affiliate System. After reading the sales page, I realized that he was selling something that I wanted to know so I spent the $27 to get a copy of the report. The report is amazing and if I can put the tactics into my marketing, then the product will pay for itself many times over. I am not joking; the Email Affiliate System got me to think about my marketing in ways that I have never imagined.</p>
<h2>Then Something Happened</h2>
<p>While the product is great, Paul’s follow up e-mail to <a title="TalkBiz News" href="http://www.talkbiz.com/?page=asadudethinketh" target="_blank">his list</a> amazed me. On Sunday, September 26th, Paul sent a follow up e-mail to his list about some, “Interesting Responses,” he got about the product.</p>
<p>The “interesting responses” talked about how there was little new in the product or that it didn’t add up to what Paul had already given away for free. His response was an awesome lesson for anyone that gives information away for free.</p>
<p>Since you can subscribe to Paul’s newsletter to get these thoughts word for word, I am not going to copy them here, but I am going to tell you the lesson learned and how most people screw it up:</p>
<h3><strong>Lesson Learned:</strong> You have to create a clear distinction between what you give away for free and what you make people pay to receive.</h3>
<p>In Paul’s case, he gives away hundreds of pages of material a year that helps you build the skills you need to build a business. Information that many people charge for, he gives away for free.</p>
<h2>What You Make People Pay For</h2>
<p>What he makes people pay for are the specific tools and techniques that allow them to create a profitable business. It is a distinction that most people that market products online fail to make and it could be the one thing that is keeping them broke.</p>
<p>It is crazy how some people can figure out what they need to do from the free materials. They can take a 112 page e-book, build a website, create a product, market it, and then sell the product to thousands of adoring fans just from the information in the e-book.</p>
<p>However many people get stuck, they can’t figure out what we need to do next, or they are get overwhelmed by an inability to cut through a lot of technical jargon to get to what needs to be done online. That is were the paid products can come in to help you out.</p>
<h2>How You Can Use This in Your Business</h2>
<p>While your free content tells people what they need to do, the paid product tells you how to do it in a way your customers will understand. For example, you can walk people through a marketing plan, but charge them for the website they can use to put that marketing plan into action.</p>
<p>How are you developing products for your business? Are you making the distinction of what the free and paid products will do for your customers or are you “cutting your own throat,” and giving it all away for free?</p>
<p><strong>Let me know with a quick comment.</strong></p>
<p>Also make sure to check out <a title="Talk BizNews" href="http://www.talkbiz.com/?page=asadudethinketh" target="_blank">Paul Myers’ TalkBiz News</a> if you haven’t already and get the 112 page Need to Know Manual. Hopefully it will change the way you look at running your business.</p>
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		<title>Make Yourself More Transferable</title>
		<link>http://www.asadudethinketh.com/transferable/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:08:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chris]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Philosophy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Energizing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.asadudethinketh.com/?p=354</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Author’s Note: Scott Ginsberg a.k.a. Scott the Nametag Guy is celebrating the launch of his new book, -ABLE: 35 Strategies for Increasing the Probability of Success in Business and in Life, by challenging his readers to come up with their own –able word and write about it in a blog post. Reading Scott’s blog post announcing the challenge, [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Picture-1.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-355" title="-able Book Photo" src="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Picture-1.png" alt="Photo for Scott's Book Able" width="207" height="311" srcset="http://www.asadudethinketh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Picture-1.png 207w, http://www.asadudethinketh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Picture-1-199x300.png 199w" sizes="(max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px" /></a></p>
<p>Author’s Note: <a title="Hello My Name is Blog" href="http://www.hellomynameisblog.com/" target="_blank">Scott Ginsberg a.k.a. Scott the Nametag Guy</a> is celebrating the launch of his new book,<a title="-Able" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0972649786?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elementalmind-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0972649786" target="_blank"> -ABLE: 35 Strategies for Increasing the Probability of Success in Business and in Life,</a> by challenging his readers to <a title="Scott's Blog - Contest" href="http://www.hellomynameisblog.com/2010/08/win-copy-of-nametag-guys-new-book.html" target="_blank">come up with their own –able word</a> and write about it in a blog post. Reading Scott’s blog post announcing the challenge, I realized the one –able word that I would use to describe what I strive to be, and what Scott has nailed, is <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">transferable</span></strong>.</p>
<h2>What Does It Mean to be More Transferable?</h2>
<p> </p>
<h3>Transferable is more Memorable</h3>
<p>Think about all of the knowledge you gained in High School. What ideas, concepts, or principles stand out most in your memory? If nothing stands out, what events during high school stand out in your mind?</p>
<p>Unless you have a perfect memory, the most memorable ideas or memories are attached to a concept presented in a surprising way or were highly emotional. One idea that I remember is the “Mole scream” from Chemistry class, which was a high pitched scream that our teacher let out when anyone correctly used the concept of a mole in discussions.</p>
<p>Since the Mole Scream was memorable, it caused me to remember the concept of the Mole and the teacher’s knowledge was transferred to me.</p>
<p>What are you doing to make your ideas, products, and services more memorable?</p>
<h3>Transferable is more Understandable</h3>
<p>To be more memorable, you could stand on a busy sidewalk and yelling random equations at the top of your lungs for a few hours. While that would make you very memorable and possibly get the video of you screaming a few hits on YouTube, like many Internet Memes, the effecive lifespan of your demonstrationwould be short.</p>
<p>In order for you to be transferable, you need to make yourself more understandable. I recently heard about Danica McKellar, an actress turned author who was writing <a title="Math Doesn't Suck" href="http://www.mathdoesntsuck.com/" target="_blank">math books for girls</a> by using stories and examples from a young girl’s life to explain concepts in math. These books are understandable because they link familiar concepts to new ones.</p>
<p>Since these books are more understandable, they transfer the power of mathematics to people that might not have taken as much of an interest.</p>
<p>What are you doing to creating understandable products, services, and ideas?</p>
<h3>Transferable is more Actionable</h3>
<p>Let’s go back to High School (OK, I don’t want to either so let’s just go back to what we learned in High School).</p>
<p>While someone might have presented a quote out of the Federalist Papers in period costume so that you remembered the passage, what good did it do if you were not able to apply that knowledge in your daily life?</p>
<p>When you are transferable, you are able to provide information that is actionable. While many business classes provide a wealth of information, many professionals turn to public seminars, coaches, and consultants in order to bridge the gap between knowledge and execution.</p>
<p>When you are transferable, you are able to help people turn their knowledge into operational improvement, life enhancement, or monetary gain. From a product perspective, this is accomplished through actionable checklists, process diagrams, and worksheets that help people grasp the concepts that they need to take action on.</p>
<p>Though college is a great way to gain knowledge, it does not always provide actionable tools that transfer the knowledge to people that will use it.</p>
<p>Are you providing great knowledge with a heavy does of actionability?</p>
<h3>Transferable is more Marketable</h3>
<p>When you are transferable, your transferableness is more marketable. </p>
<h4>Which business book would you be more apt to read?</h4>
<p>“The book contained a lot of good information, but I had to wade through ten long chapters of extraneous self promotion, archaic terms, and unnecessary definitions to get to the material that was actionable.,”</p>
<p>Or</p>
<p>“This book was great? Using the knowledge in the first chapter alone, I was able to save my business thousands of dollars.”</p>
<p>I would prefer the second. What about you?</p>
<p>When you, your products, and your services are transferable, that transferableness becomes marketable.</p>
<h3>Transferable is more Compatible</h3>
<p>When you are transferable, you are more compatible.</p>
<p>I could talk about the chemical reasons that oil and water doesn’t mix, but I am afraid I wouldn’t be transferring understandableness in my description. Instead, think about relatives you might have that don’t get along. For some reason they are just not compatible!</p>
<p>What happens when those relatives get together during the holidays? They usually end up bickering, making snide comments, and not listening to what the others person has to say. If there was an important message that had to get from one of them to the other, do you think it would get there with the right intention?</p>
<p>When you are transferable, you are compatible with your surroundings, people, and the technology in your life that allows you to be a superhero.</p>
<p>What are you doing to be more compatible?</p>
<p>Of all the –ables that I can think of, to me, being <strong>transferable</strong> has the most potential to help someone achieve success. When you are transferable, you are more memorable, understandable, actionable, marketable, and compatible than your competitors which will lead you to amazing successes.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Are you transferable?</strong></span></p>
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