Decision Making In The Real World – It’s Really Not Like In Hollywood

Making decisions is hard. Im not talking about the day to day decision here, the “should I wear the red or blue cap”, “shreddies or cornflakes” or “to be or not to be” ones, I’m talking about the decisions that are going to be pinnacle to the next few months or future of your life, or in my case, business.

How to step up and make a big decision.

On films, you will see the young lead character storm into the room, slam whatever he is carrying onto the desk, (they are always carrying something, adds to the effect when you slam it down), grabbing everyone’s attentions and then says something profound and inspiring like, “you seem to think this is a decide by committee, it’s not, I’ve listen to all your insights and made a decision, this is what were going for…” The idea is usually very risky, will come close to destroying the company and the individual that made the decision, then change his life in some fundamental way, and it all turns out well in the end. Very inspiring stuff.

Point of note. This is not how it actually works.

Same scenario in a real life setting and how it would work.

Young Lead Character storms into the board room, slams whatever he is carrying onto the desk…

Lead Character: You seem to think this is a “decide by committee”, it’s not, I’ve listen to all your insights and made a decision, this is what were going for…”

[Silence]

Experienced business man on board: Err…No.

Lead Character: What? (taken aback)

Experienced business man on board: Well you haven’t thought about x, y, and z (insert any number of blindingly obvious business practice rules that you have completely overlooked through naivety), and you have completely forgotten about …(again, insert any number of additional issues).

Lead Character (serious dent in the armour):  ok

Accountant guy:  And of course the cost implications of this are … (insert any number, followed by a great number of zeros… enough to make you cry)

Lead Character (serious armour peppering going on): Yeah, didn’t realise that (serious armour peppering going on)

Product experience guy: Your also making the fundamental mistake of …(there are many, many mistakes to make.) and ….(many, many of them)

Lead character (black and blue): err…

Time management guru: Of course the biggest problem of all is that with that approach it will be impossible to make the launch date.

Lead character (helmet beaten off): Really?

Accounted guy: And we won’t make any money, it’s too cost inefficient. You need to run the numbers.

Lead Character (in large amounts of pain): Err…ok…um…

Experienced business man on board: And I’m no sure we have the man power

Lead character (armour in tatters, body ruined): Anyone else have any ideas?

Decision making in the real world, not like the films…alas.

D

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. Life is a daring adventure…or nothing – Helen Keller

A Pretty simple, straightforward and most importantly, powerful statement I would say

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What Is Life If Not An Adventure?

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It’s a funny thing life, one day we are here and the next we are gone. Depending on your religious you may believe there is a ultimate point to life or not but in either case, what is the point of life if you are in it just to survive. Just to survive life seems to be rather a wasteful use of time and really rather pointless. If you have the gift of life then why spend 80 years justwandering through it trying to survive. if you have the gift of life it should not be wasted in this way. The gift of life should be used to have the greatest adventure you can, regardless of the fact that there may or may not be something waiting at the end of the tunnel.

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How To Add Adventure To Your Life

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1. Dream

Powerful dreams create powerful people.

A life without dreams is a life lived in the shadows, afraid of what might and could be. A life without dreams is like a hamster in a ball, you have to wonder if the hamster would be better off not existing instead of just exerting effort and going nowhere, just for the sake of doing something.

Your dreams should be the addiction you need for living a life of adventure. Your dreams should be the catalyst that drives you forward and upwards through life’s journey, sucking the very marrow out of it. Your dreams should propel you to greater heights on a daily basis and at the same time be dragging people along with you for the ride. Without dreams, and without powerful dreams, there seems little reason to exist just for the sake of existing. Dreams are thoughts about what could be, the evolution of humanity have been on the  wings of people who dreamed and asked the question “What If?” No one has ever done anything of any consequence without first having had the dream.

Develop your dreams and use them to drive you forward.

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2. Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone

When life gets safe it get boring and you become stagnant like a unkept pond.

When life is not keeping you on edge there is no need to develop, to learn, to improve. When risk is removed so is the adrenaline, the zest for excitement.

Don’t stagnate in life but instead try to COME ALIVE just a little bit more every single hour of every single day. Push yourself into uncomfortable situations so that you can triumph and feel the adrenaline coursing through your system. If it has been a while since you have felt uncomfortable then remove the cotton wool you’re wearing and get out there. Get used to feeling a tinge of excitement and fear in your life, just for the very sake of it, for the simple reason that it makes you FEEL ALIVE.

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3. Be Bold

Don’t shy way from life or from challenges.

Fortune favors the bold so aggressively pursuit it. Be fearless with life and not let obstacles, people, fears, uncertainties, inhibitions or wild boars hold you back from reaching out and grabbing life by the balls and demanding what you want form it. Don’t go timidly into the night a quite sheep but instead roar like a lion and face your fears and come out the other side a better person, shaking and perhaps a bit sweaty, but victorious.

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Don’t Allow Your Life Stand For Nothing

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If you are not doing something daring and adventurous with your life then it is wasted, as no one else is going to step up and do it for you…they are too busy looking after their own life. If the only thing holding you back from living a daring, adventurous life is fear then work out a way of overcoming that fear. If fear is going to be responsible for your life amounting for nothing then fear needs to be enemy number one and you need to work out how to overcome your fear. Here are some tips.

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Tips For Overcoming Fear

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1. See The Big Picture

Most fears are focussed on the here and now, they are based on very short term consequences. If you can lift your eyes to see the bigger picture of your life and lift your thinking above the small things then sometimes this is all it takes for your short term fears to melt away. Seeing in the big picture is like looking at a patterned rug from a distance. Up close it is frayed and dirty in the details but from afar it is a beautiful tapestry. Focus on the tapestry, not the dirt.

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2. Get Angry

Society will rob you of your dreams through the fear it holds over you, whether this is intentional or not. Most people are not out to frighten you but your own fear of people, of needing their approval and the risk of failure will keep you trapped. You are being robbed by fear and society, so get angry at both and then use that anger to break through the fear, don’t let it control the outcome of your life, don’t let it rob you of the one chance you ever get at life.

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3. Take Baby Steps

Like people, fears come in all shapes and sizes and different fears will be perceived as different sizes by different people. The very best way to start developing a habit of overcoming fear is to start small and increase the challenges you set yourself every day, just by a small bit. I have overcome a lot of fears using this approach but currently I am stuck on trying to lie down in the middle of an open street for 1 minute without talking. Although currently in India and I know no one, I still can’t do it. I must over come this fear first so that I can move on to overcoming bigger fears yet. This might be easy for you or it might not, each persons fear is different. I can talk in front of thousands without a problem but can’t lie in a street.

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Life IS a DARING ADVENTURE. You either get involved with it or cower in the sidelines, the choice is yours.

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Why do you blog or for that matter why do you do anything at all? An important question to ask oneself, after all most bloggers are investing a considerable amount of time and effort, not to mention funds, into their blog and so to this end, What do you get back? Seriously.

As a reflection and a starting point for answering the questions you need to ask yourself this important question. To help the process, I though I would put together a few of the major reasons why I blog and why I invest so much time into writing articles every week, getting involved in community and investing into the blogosphere even though sometimes I would rather be scuba diving.

The reason I blog is to:

1. Increase my Financial, Emotional and Creative Intelligence.

There are many different types of intelligence each of us can and will process to varying degrees and each of us will have strengths that range in a series of intelligences.

Personally, it is my contention that the Financial, Emotional and Creative intelligences are the most important to develop for success in life and it is for this reason that by blog focusses primarily on helping people develop these core three. I constantly develop these three intelligences for the following reasons:

Financial Intelligence: I develop this intelligence because I know that we have moved from the Industrial age and are now in the Information age and thus the old rules for wealth of working hard, saving and investing  in mutual funds are no longer the way to become wealthy and are in fact a bottomless trap. I do not want to work hard all my life just to give half my paycheck to the government in the hope of a miserly pension when I retire, a pension that is looking more and more likely a fantasy in any case. I develop my Financial Intelligence by teaching others through my blog because it helps me understand just as much as it helps others. I develop my Financial Intelligence because I know that the only way to become wealth and live life on my own terms in the information age is to have a high financial intelligence. Without it I will be stuck in the rat race for life.

Emotional Intelligence: I develop this intelligence because I want to have rich, fulfilling relationships with people in this life. I know that many people fail to have the richest relationships they can because they lack emotional intelligence, they do not understand how people act and operate and thus how to best relate to other people. This understanding  and control of my emotional intelligence helps me develop lasting relationships, become the heart and soul of the party and develop excellent business teams. With a high emotional intelligence I am in a much better position than most to get the very best out of the greatest resource we have on this planet – people.

Creative Intelligence: I develop this intelligence because I know that in this new information age the ability to think creatively and innovate in all aspects of life is what is most important to success. In this time, more than any other, the world belongs to those than can adapt and mould to an every changing, rapid environment. Those that cannot think creatively are destined to work for and create wealth for those that can. Those that are not creative are missing out of so much that a life of ideas and creation can offer.

2. To Learn And Be Inspired By Others

One of the greatest advantages of blogging is the awesome community of people you soon have access to.

I am always inspired and thus driven when I hear of the success of others, what they have done and what they are doing. I am always amazed by the amount of talent that resides among bloggers and so I blog so that I can be apart of this talented community. It is true that you become like those that you spend time with and so blogging allows me to spend time with some seriously talented people and through that I can develop my talents.

3. To Help Me Be Bold

If it wasn’t for my blog, I may not be living the life I do currently.

By announcing what I was doing on my blog before I was even sure about my plans put my cards firmly on the table for everyone to see. The loss of face due to backing down became greater than my fear of the unknown and so the decision to make good my plans was easier. I constantly use my blog to put ideas out there into the public domain so I am less likely to back out of them. I use my blog as liquid adrenaline for my big, adventurous plans.

4. To Help Others

One of the biggest reasons I blog is because as a good friend of mine said “I have shit to say”

I do not know a lot about many things but I do know some about a few things and it is this knowledge that I want to impart on others to help them. I think in is innate in all humans the need to help others and this blog is just another way I can do that.

5. To Fail and To Learn

I learn a lot while blogging and I fail a lot.

There are many projects that I can run through my blog with little cost to myself apart from my time. A lot of these projects fail, or at least miss the mark I want, but in failing they give me a great foundation of learning on which to build. Through my blog I have learnt a lot about building teams, inspiring people, effective marketing and good customer service – all things I can apply to the businesses that do make me money.

6. For An Ego Boost

Lets face it, everyone loves an ego stroke from time to time and I do enjoy peoples feedback, especially positive stuff. The feedback drives me to bigger and better things, without it I believe I would stagnate.

What I DO NOT Blog for:

Money. Period.

I DO NOT BLOG FOR MONEY. I may in the future find a way to use my blog to market other Products I create but I do not focus on creating content in order to get affiliation clicks. I would rather have a 1000 strong following of people that I can genuinely help and are passionate about my work then 10,000 names that are just signed up for monetary gain.

So Why Do You Blog?

Ask yourself why you blog, or for that matter, why you are doing anything in life and make sure you are investing time for the right reasons.

Peace.

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It takes me less than an hour to write blog posts. Most of my posts are around 1000 words.  Usually they make sense. This is how I structure and write them – I create elephants.

The Elephant Within

My post are elephants. Yep, big grey ones with trunks and floppy ears.

I treat my blog posts very much as an elephant because there are five major stages I go through when writing them: These stages are the Heart, Skeleton, Flesh, Skin and Polish stages. It is a very effective system for writing well structured, informative blog posts with the minimal amount of time expense.

My blogs usually take me less than an hour to write and I split this time up into two time boxes of 25 minutes each with a 5 minute break after each one. I use a countdown timer to keep me focussed.

Here is how I build my elephants to act as a guide for building your own.

The Heart

The heart of your post, like the heart of the elephant is critical to it’s survival. Without a heart the elephant dies and without a heart your post too will die. Try not to cry, there are ways to prevent it, your post will be fine.

The heart of your post is the title. Have A strong title and you will have a strong post. The structure of your post will flow from the heart and it is core to forming the strong message of your post.

Personally I tend to come up with good titles for posts at odd times of the day when I am out and about and so I save them to my ipod for writing at a letter date. I then have a section called “Pipeline Elephants” where I setup page documents with simply the Heart, (the title) of each elephant (post) on it.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BUILD AN ELEPHANT WITHOUT A GOOD HEART.

You cannot perform  an open heart transplant on a elephant after it is being created without leaving brutal scars than run though it.

The Skeleton – 5 Minutes

Once you have a good heart, your elephant is going to need a strong skeleton to support the massive weight of your message. This is usually the largest section of creating your elephant.

The skeleton should only take about 5 minutes to build but creates the foundation and structure on which you will build the rest of the elephant around and so is critical.

In creating the skeleton you need to create the major bones of your elephant and you need to get them in the right order and ensure the flow of the post is clear and understandable. For example the skeleton of this post looked like

Writing The Perfect Blog Post: Heart, Skeleton, Flesh, Skin and Polish Your Elephant

The Elephant Within

The Heart

The Skeleton

The Flesh

The Skin

The Polish

The Parade

Sometimes something as simple as this is all you need, other times more detail might be needed.

Imagine if your were building the skeleton of an elephant, you need to get it in the right order and built sturdily so you don’t end up with the head coming out the ass.  The skeleton will always flow from and around the heart. The heart is your core message and the skeleton is the structure for taking that message to your readers.

Flesh – 20 Minutes

Once you have a secure skeleton build around your strong heart it is time to flesh things out. This is where you add the bulk to your elephant – the content to your post.

The trick I find here is to start bulking out the major section around your skeleton without rereading what you have written. Basically brain dump everything you are thinking onto the page, ignoring bad grammar, spelling mistakes and anything else that stops you from concentrating. All this can be corrected and improved int he subsequent sections.

The idea is to have your skeleton and fleshing out section complete within the first 25 minute time box. This might sound like  a huge challenge but with practice it becomes easier and easier as your mind gets used to focussing on the time boxes you have in place. I rarely check my work count and timer when fleshing out but more often than not it always comes close to around 1000 words and within the 25 minute deadline.

Don not underestimate the power of the subconscious. In this time is is best to be in a place where you are less likely to be distracted or have to have your attention divided.

Remember, you have a limited amount of time to build your elephant and you don’t want to leave it half complete. That would be horrendous and probably scare small children.

Skin – 15 Minutes

So you have a strong heart, a solid skeleton and some meaty flesh around the bones. It resembles the shape of an elephant but it still looks pretty bloody.NOw is the time to skin  the elephant and give it it’s distinctive look.

The skinning stage should take about 15 minutes and is the time to re-read over your bulking sections making your corrections to the way it flows and changing any content to make it flow better and ensure you message is getting across.

Throughout the fleshing stages, no doubt new ideas have come to mind on better ways to get your message across and these can now be implemented at this skinning stage. The skinning stage help ensure that everything is kept in place, just like the skin of a real elephant does.

Polish – 10 Minutes

Now now you have a good looking elephant on display with about 10 minutes to spare. Best to spit shine that bad boy and get it looking good for your readers. Perhaps put a bow on it or something, whatever floats your boat.

Use the last 10 minutes to check grammar, correct spelling, give your elephant a quick final once over to make sure you hare happy with it and then give it a quick, playful slap on the ass and it is ready to go out the door.

The Parade

Now as it happens I like to work in batches so I tend to write batches of up to 10 posts over a few days and then set them up to automatically to be posted over the next few weeks.

This help free my time and also is required when traveling and I cannot be confident of internet access so I parade a whole load of my elephants at once. You may be different, do whatever works for your.

I have just finished the fleshing section of my post current word count is 1,0002 and time is exactly 25 minutes. Without looking, I promise. It gets easier with proactive.

*As it happens I am now skinning the elephant and the word count is 1165 but I finished with 8 minutes to spare so total work time is 45 minutes.

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“You know, I think a lot of people look at the lifestyle Jonny is living and think: “Lucky bastard!” But this interview points out very well the real ingredients for achieving a great lifestyle, which can be used by anyone: vision, plan, execution. It’s not luck. Pure gold man.”

You can read the interview here, but Eduard has a knack of simplifying concepts down to their core components and so in this post I am going to elaborate on his ingredients for achieving a great lifestyle: Vision, Plan, Execution which I also refer to as The Destination, The Road Map and the Vehicle.

The Vision (The Destination)

If the vision for you life is a 4 x 4 cubical cell and retirement at 75 then fair enough but for most I don’t think this is the case. Life your sights higher.

What is the dream destination for you life? Does it involve palm trees and coconuts or high rise city living and expensive night clubs? Is it a Family Man or High flying Business Woman? Are you working or are you financially independent?

You need to have a goal, a vision, a target; a destination in mind of where you want to go in life and the more vivid you can make this “Picture” of your dream destination the better.

If you have no target, how are you going to know what to aim at? If you have no vision of the destination in mind then why start the journey. A life without a goals is very much like the Pictomin below.

There is movement but there is no focus. One can be extremely busy going absolutely nowhere. The next pictomin shows a focussed life, one with a vision and goals.

With focus you move forward towards your goals and dreams. It will not always be a direct path and you will deviate from time to time but you will always be moving upwards and not backwards.

The Plan ( The Road Map)

If you have an awesome destination in mind then you cannot reply of the SATNAV like everyone else – it will only take you to where everyone else is going. If you have an awesome destination to reach, then you need a custom map.

So you know where you want to be, but how do you get there? Without a map, getting to Point B from Point A is almost impossible. Do you have a map to your vision? If not then you need one.

You need to have a vision of where you want to be and it is by breaking this vision down into both long term and short term goals that gives you a map to your vision – a plan of how to get there with all the checkpoints along the way.

An end destination without a map is useless as is having a map but no end destination.

Having an end destination in mind AND a map to get there is what will make your life successful.

You no doubt have notice that almost all successful people have a strong sense of purpose, a compelling reason for why they act and live a certain way and almost without exception, all successful people have a plan, their roadmap for reaching their highly visual destination.

I cannot help you with your vision but I can help you create the map to help you get there. If you are serious about being an incredibly lucky bastard and living an awesome life then you need to focus on the vision for your life and then read “A Simple System That Will Change Your Life” which will give you a tool for developing the roadmap to achieve your vision. A large portion of thelifething is also dedicated for developing that map to your dreams so you can follow more by coming back here.

The Execution (The Vehicle)

If you are only aiming to get to the next town then an old Skoda will suffice but if you are planning to get to the other side of the world then a clapped out banger will not do – You need a Merc.

So you have a destination in mind and you have a map to get there but how far is the journey. Can you walk it? Will you need a bike? Perhaps it is a great distance from where you are now and you will need a large 7 seater?

Depending on the distance your vision for your life is, from where you are currently, will determine the size and complexity of the vehicle you will need to get you there. Your vehicle is all your tools, systems and processes that help you achieve your vision. Your time management skills, your people skills, your sales skills, communication tools, knowledge and understanding. It is all the things that your need as an individual need to successfully navigate the map you have created to achieve your goals.

The bigger your goal and the further and more grand the destination is from where you are currently the more you need to invest into a better vehicle. You may have the destination and the map, but if it is beyond walking distance then you are going to need a reliable vehicle to get you there. Without it, the journey will be a lot less fun than it could and you will only get half way. Build a solid vehicle to get you there and everything is possible from this strong foundation/

The Journey Of Your Life

So in conclusion, to have the journey of your life you need to have A Strong Visual Destination in mind. You then need to have a carefully detailed map of how to get there from where you are now which is broken down into checkpoints along the way. Finally you need the right Vehicle to aid you on your journey which is made up of all the processes and systems you develop for reaching the checkpoints on your map on the journey towards your dream destination.

Visualize a grand destination – Get a custom map – Drive there in a Merc.

Thelifething Can Help

Thelifething.com can help you with your journey,  it is as much about helping other people on their own journey as it is about developing my own.

It is as much about helping you create your roadmap as it is about creating my own and it is as much about developing your vehicle as it is about developing mine. If we all help each other along the way then we can all reach our dream destinations and enjoy the journey to boot.

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I Suck As An Actor

I used to want to become an actor – I think it was mainly for the same reasons many people fancy their chances at it – for the money, the fame, the girls.

Unfortunately my love of it was simply a HEAD want and not a HEART one. I was alright at acting when I was younger, I had a few leading roles in the school play and one in an actually city theatre but I never pursued it after college. I might have wanted all the things that come with being a famous actor but I was not willing to put in the time or take the risk on making a serious go at it.

Just recently while I was in Thailand I had the opportunity to star in a TV commercial for Dog Food and so naturally I went to the audition and against all odds was picked for the role. I loved it, the setting, the people, being the centre of attention – Acting I though, was something I could really do.

Except for one small problem – I was useless. I hate cameras and prefer to be behind the lens then in front of it, I have trouble smiling naturally and I am pretty self conscious and unnaturally when a in front of the lens.

Basically I am an awful actor who would only be hired by a completely blind, death and dumb director and only then because of a moment of bad judgement.

I Suck At Other Things Too

Other things I would like to do but suck at Professionally -

• Lead singer of a rock band
• Extreme Sports World Champion
• Professional Footballer
• Pilot
• Marine Commander
• Marine Biologist Scuba Diver

The things is, there are a lot of things that I suck at but enjoy. I will never make any money out of them like some people do and so they are just hobbies for me. You can get stressed about this predicament or you can focus on what you ARE good at.

Where Do Your Talents Lie?

As an example, my personal talents lie in creativity, people skills and making money or put another way Creative, Emotional and Financial Intelligence.

I love and have made money through entrepreneurship and design and I plan to shelter my earnings by investing in Real Estate. To this end I focus my talents on being good at two things – Building Businesses and Buying Buildings. This is where I will make money and this is what will make me rich – It also has quite a nice ring to it.

I am sure I will make money and find a manner of success and happiness on other ventures of mine – as a freelance designer, journalist and photographer for example. However, these things will always be secondary to my core focus which again is:

Building Businesses and Buying Buildings.

Mind Your Own Business To Be Successful

There are many ways to make money and be a success but there are few that you will excel at. Don’t waste your time pursuing everything just because it has worked for someone else.

Work out what works for you and utilizes your passions and talents and focus on that. Everything else you do is a hobby and should be enjoyed as such – if you find success and additional money through it then great but this should not be the focus. Your hobbies are for your own personal enjoyment and happiness and should be treated as such.

That is why I do not monetise my blog or get involved in affiliation marketing – it is not where my wealth is generated and I do not plan to complete with the super blogs that are out there and I do not understand enough about SEO to give affiliation a real shot. I use my blog to explore my own thoughts, develop new relationships and to give to others. That is its reason for being – it is my hobby.

Find out what your one line plan of action is. Mine is Build Businesses and Buy Buildings. I repeat it to myself everyday and that is powerful in embedding it into my make up. My professional life is dedicated to Building Businesses and Buying Buildings, my hobbies are another thing completely.

Others would call this “Minding Your Own Business” Mined your business and what you are good at and don’t worry about the other persons businesses.

What Is Your Business and what is your one line plan of action?

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I guess everyone want to be a little more carefree in life or at least look like it to other people. I am also sure that many of us are just the slightest bit jealous of those that seem to be very carefree, especially those that are also seem to have done everything as well at the same time as being annoyingly carefree.

The Carefree Secret

Well here is a little secret. If you analyze a lot of successful carefree people you will find that actually underlying this happy go lucky surface is usually a very systematic and process driven structure for achievement. Sneaky I know but before you go out and lynch them I want to share some insights into this underlying structure that can be adapted to you own life.

Appear Carefree Through Carefully Planned Systems

Personally I am an avid promoter of systems, especially ones which are used to structure the repetitive tasks in your life allowing you to appear more care free and spontaneous on the surface. Systems are great for saving time, removing stress and being productive.

If you asked anyone who knew me for a short or long period of time they would generally be more than readily enthusiastic in highlighting how rarely I seem to plan things and generally act in very spontaneous ways and seem to drift through life in a very carefree manner, rarely letting issues or problems derail me. This is a great brand and one that I strive to develop every day but is also easy to achieve.

What also surprises people most is that under this carefree, devil may care approach to life I actually do an incredible amount of stuff and get through far more workload than most. I owe this mainly to the systems and processes in life that I am constantly honing and tweaking to allow me to get the very most out of each and every hour I invest while still living a great spontaneous life.

It is all down to Structure and Systems

It is all down to how I structure the day to day running of my life so that I can focus on the unexpected turns of the journey. After all, that is where the real fun happens and I want to have as much time available to me to enjoy LIFE.

To help paint a picture of the systems I use to make my life easier I have highlighted some everyday ones below.

Systems I Use To Free Time And Be Productive

• I always check email, blogs, social and stats once a day in the morning – NEVER more than once.
• I Always backup work once before shutting down in the evening. ALWAYS last thing in the evening so I don’t feel tempted to wait for 10-15 minutes till it completes so that I can work.
• I Leave Saturdays unplanned to finish off any outstanding work. If there is nothing to finish, then I take the day off. This gives an added incentive to complete all my work during the usually Mon-Fri.
• I use my 7Life system to structure my days to ensure that I am getting the key tasks I need done to achieve the vision I have for my life and the goals to get there as well as factoring in time for a social life, entertainment and continued learning.
• I worked out that I operate most effectively on 6 hours sleep so I have timer that ensures I get exactly 6 hours a night. If there is a deposit at the end of the week I catch up on Sunday.
• When I travel, I travel light with a single rucksack and I have a place for every article and I know everything I have an where to find it. This saves untold amounts of time when I don’t have to constantly check every pocket to  find something make sure I haven’t left anything.
• I always keep my wallet, phone and ipod in separate pockets and always the same ones so there is no fumbling around. I also place them in the same place and the same order when not in my pockets. I have never lost my wallet, phone or ipod in years because of this system. While in India I have adapted the system and now always carry a few rupees in my back left pocket to give to the beggars in passing instead of fumbling around my wallet.
• I spend exactly 1 hour on almost all blog posts – 30 Minutes to Skeleton and Flesh out the post, 15 minutes to skin and 15 minutes to polish. I time box it with a Countdown timer.
• I work in 2 hour productive pies. 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break, 25 minutes etc as studies have been shown that this is the most effective way of working. Generally I do two pies a day, one in the morning and one in the evening focussing on just 2 key things I need to get accomplished.
• In any given day I tend to focus an hour on reading, four hours on 2 key “Work” tasks, another two hours on a non work related task, around an hour on “Housekeeping” and the rest of the time on entertainment and social activities. It works well for me.
• Sundays are for organizing, improving systems and washing etc. I don’t work on a Sunday as I believe a day of rest per week is essential to a happy and productive life. On Sundays I like to spend time alone, organize my room, improve the systems and sort out washing as well as catch up on some reading, watch some movies and spend a few hours planning the next week and update my ipod with new podcasts. Basically relax and take some time off.

Developing Your Own Systems For Success

These are just some of the systems that I use and are they are constantly adapted and tweaked depending on the situation. Hopefully they give an indication of how being structured and systematic on the back end of life allows you be appear more carefree and spontaneous on the front end.

You no doubt have your own systems to a degree and I would suggest developing more to help reduce the time and effort that does into running your life on a daily basis so that you can dedicate more time to focussing on what is really important to you in life.

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A well thought out location to live is to your happiness like rich belgium influence is to “Death By Chocolate” – a necessity. Here some pointers on the importance of location, the key four things to consider and ways to find that perfect location for you.

The Importance Of Location

Is it just me or does it seem ludicrous to people that many professionals live up to two hours away from where they work. There commute can cost them up to 4 hours of their life every day – and this is in addition to 8-10 hours they are investing into their job. This rapes them of their time and lets be honest – our time is the most precious commodity we have.

The importance of location, whether you are setting down for many years or are temporarily basing yourself somewhere short term or are in fact traveling is universal. The need to understanding the importance of location is still critical.

The longer you plan to stay in an area the more critical this location becomes. I still find it impossible to comprehend the amount of people that don’t take the time to explore the local area before moving into a place. Below is some critical location thoughts based on my experience of moving and living in many, many different areas and cities all around the world

Key Location Needs – The 4 S’s Of Location

Social

Relationships are the key to human existence and so the impact your new location is going to have on your social life has to be a top priority when accessing the suitability.

You may have the nicest little farmhouse out in the country but if you are miles away from all your friends then you are going to have a very nice, lonely little existence. The social thoughts need to also go beyond just where you friends are located in relation to your proximity, your thoughts also need to be on how easy it is in the particular culture to get out and see them.

Studio

The studio is your work. As you are going to spend at least 5 days a week here typically, then where you are located in relation to where you work is always going to be a huge factor.

I would suggest living as close to your place of work as possible and definitely not further than 30 minutes travel time if possible. This is 30 minutes regardless of if you run, cycle or have to fight your way through traffic in a car. Even a short commute like this takes an hour of your day, robs you of at least 5 hours a week, an entire 24 hour day a month and over 288 hours or 12 days a year. Anything more than this is suicide to your life quality. If your are self employed I would still suggest an office or local cafe slightly away from where you live, it helps to separate work and home life.

Stuff

How close is your access to stuff. Shops, services and your local cafe. One of the nice things about living in a good location if your pick it right is that you can build a great community.

You can have a favorite local cafe where they know you and know your usual, a local restaurant that does excellent food and understands your need for a window seat where you can take friends for a good meal. A great cinema close by with comfy seats and a big screen and excellent nachos. A great pub for a friday night and a local saturday market for excellent home made treats at the weekend. These things are all key to your life quality.

Speed

Another key consideration is the speed at which you can access all of the above.

Is there great transports routes. DO you have to take a car everywhere or are cabs an option? How is the traffic? What are the bus and train routes like? All these factors should play a big part in deciding your location as it will have a massive effect on how much you utilize all that is available to you locally and how stressful it is to use them.

Ways To Get The Perfect Location

I find the best way to scout a location is basically to get out there and into the field.

The more permanent the location is going to be for you in the future the more time I would suggest investing. If you are planning to settle for a good few years then I would highly recommend renting a place for a week or so and investing some time understanding what life quality you can expect living here. The actual building you live in is important but the location is critical to your life quality. Below are some things to consider.

Transport Routes are critical

They will wither make you life a joy or a living hell and it will differ depending on country and culture and price.

When I was living in Bangkok I based myself near the sky train that can take me across the city in less than 20 minutes and had cheap taxis on call. It was an absolute joy living there. Here in Bangalore the transport routes are not so effective and things are more difficult but I have rickshaws. In England, my family home is isolated and with limited bus routes and expensive taxis. Needless to say my quality of life and social interaction goes down considerably when I am home even though I know more people here.

Local Shops, Cafes and a good restaurant – Take a scan

Best way here is simply to go and try some.

Make a looping scan of al the food places and cafes, restaurant within a 20 minute walk of where you want to base yourself and buy a drink in each. Get a feel of the place, the prices and the quality and make sure you have a good few you are happy with. This places will become your locals and you will develop relationships with the staff.

Places for a haircut and entertainment

Again the best way is just to get out there.

Get a haircut, try out the cinema. Try all the entertainment that you enjoy and try and find it as close to you ideal location as possible. You may think you can just drive an hour when you want to go tot he pictures every week but trust me this will not happen.

Invest and Sow

You location has a massive effect on your quality of life and it will determine how your social, work and entertainment life forms more that you would like to think. Take the time upfront  to invest in making it the very best location for you and you will be ensured of a happy future.

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Some may have noticed a theme running through many posts over the last few days. The theme was success and many, many bloggers that contributed to the Free SUCCESS Ebook has written a post on the subject. Here is the list:

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Greg | Is This What Success Is All About?

Colin | THE SPIKY, GEOGRAPHIC NATURE OF SUCCESS

Earl | Your Life Should Be The Greatest Success Story Ever Told

Ashley | The Flawed Cycle of Success That Could Be Causing You To Fail

Jen | Success

Carlos | The Success Thing

Matt | SUCCESS: REDEFINED

Gordie | The Success Ebook

Stephen | What is Success?

Henri | What is Success?

Alec | What is Success? How do you achieve it?

Brenton | Success Is…

Austin | What is Success? How do You Achieve It?

Cody | 30 Global Perspectives on SUCCESS

Lisis | The ONLY Way to Achieve Success

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Off you go now, read them and be successful. Good Luck.

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Photo courtesy of Kriss Szkurlatowski.

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Lesson 1: Stop Presuming

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“To Assume Makes An ASS out of U and ME. An annoyingly smarmy phrase made even more so by its strong underlying truth.”

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One of the biggest lessons I have learn’t in the last 6-8 months or so of my new business, one that has brought me the most grief and cost me the most money, is when I have presumed too much and assumed that certain things were obvious. Assuming is dangerous and to do so is also incredibly arrogant as it presumes that everyone operates and thinks as you do, which unfortunately, is simply not the case in real life however perfect you think your way of operating is.

For success you need to become an expert at working with people and a big part of this is an ability to communicate your ideas and wants effectively in a way that doesn’t get lost in translation. This is an art form, one that is constantly in development, and needs to be continually checked, honed and polished. It takes time, commitment and sacrifice but, as my dwindling bank account can testify to, it is worth the investment.

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Keep your communication skills as highly polished as a Hedge Funds welcome lobby and you can happily PRESUME you will be successful.

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Lesson 2: Use Standard Wherever Possible

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Almost 3 grand invested, 6 months in development and a lot of blood, sweat and salty tears and I find out we could have had a similar system for less than 50 quid a month in a matter of days – F@!£ Damn B*@£%$@! Son of a B*£$@.

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This is a lesson I should have learnt 3 years ago when I delayed the launch of my first product because I wanted to get it designed “Just right” That little badass decision cost me almost 3 months and 5 grand and I made exactly the same mistake just recently with the website e-commerce system of another one of my businesses. As it happens, the situation is not quite as black and white as that and the custom system will make my life easier in the long run but for a startup it would have been easier and a lot more beneficial to start with a standard and then develop a custom one when required.

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“When you are trying to reduce overheads – Use Standard. When you are trying to save time – Use Standards. When you are trying to befriend Batman – use….”

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Lesson 3: Learn From Your Mistakes

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Making mistakes is the only way to success – making the same mistakes again and again is just plain dumb.

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As highlighted in lesson two, not learning from my mistakes has cost me substantial amounts  of money and time as well as considerable stress, but really I have no one to blame but myself – although of course I do blame everyone else. I think the ability to learn from a mistake and take steps and actions in order to avoid making the same mistake again is what separates the truly successful people from everyone else.

Have a system for reviewing mistakes and making action plans in order to avoid making them again. If you don’t take the time and effort to access and correct your mistakes it WILL cost you in the long run. I currently am not practicing what I preach but given the amount of money I have lost so far, I definitely will be in the future.

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Fortune favours the bold, and failure follows the smuck that doesn’t learn from his mistakes.

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Lesson 4: Just Do It

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Most people treat ideas like they do journeys, they are waiting for all the traffic lights to lineup green before starting the trip.

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Even though I have just spent a ridiculous amount of money on a pair of Nike brand sports socks they defiantly got it right with the “Just Do It” tagline. Many people, myself included, tend to wait around until everything is “Just right” before taking action and actually doing something. It is one of the biggest reasons people are not successful. From my own experience I have found that if I have an idea and start testing it straight away it develops in wonderful ways and also grows in unexpected ways, other projects I have been developing to get them just right, are still developing.

For example, I have a project called Pictomins which I have been developing for over 2 years and it is still not really going anywhere because I have not got it out into the market to test it. On the other hand I came up with an idea for a SUCCESS Ebook, created a plan overnight and launched it the next day and over the last month it has grown and developed in amazing ways I could not have planned and has had almost 500 downloads in the first 48 hours of launch.

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Success and fortune rarely favours the smart, but the bold.

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Lesson 5: Experts Really Don’t Always Know Best

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It is amazing how many financial advisers and investors are not themselves stinking rich. They talk the talk but still live from pay check to pay check. Stamp on their toes.

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Again, I have lost major money and time in the last few year by presuming that experts on a  subject knew what they were talking about and especially when it related to my unique situation. I blindly followed their advice without putting the ideas through my own filtering system and deciding for myself if it was the right thing to do. Always look to others for advice, especially those that you respect and are more knowledgeable about a topic then you, but remember to take a balanced view from many sources and then run it through your own filtering systems to make your decision.

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Don’t fall into the trap of the blind leading the blind. Open your eyes.

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Lesson 6: Be Flexible

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Successful people are as limber and flexible as a Thai Chi practicing, double jointed gymnast at the peak of their career.

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We are no longer in the Industrial age, we are now in the information age and thus, like a cricketeer who has suddenly found himself in a basketball game, we need to learn to adapt and change the way we do things in order to succeed in this new, rapidly changing environment. Problems are numerous, setbacks are many and the damn world is changing so quickly that what you are doing this year might be out of date next year. This is not a bad thing and successful people will see it as an opportunity to be ready to take the new wave by storm. Learn to enjoy this world we live in currently, fast paced and all, and see yourself as being involved in the fastest and most exciting game in the world. Either that or shy away from the challenge and doggedly try to stick to old ideas of working and ultimately lose.

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Don’t be a stubborn slow moving dog, you adaptable, quick chameleon / cheetah hybrid.

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