Life Changes - Advice and Inspiration

Everyone's a Salesman

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 01:38:00 +0000

We all act as sales people at some point in our day. Have you ever had a disagreement with your spouse about where to go on vacation? How do you overcome this? Perhaps one of you wants to go camping in the mountains, and the other wants to go to a beach resort.

Likely each of you will present a series of points as to why your vacation idea is better. For example, camping in the mountains will offer beautiful scenic views, and the opportunity for fantastic nature walks. The kids will love it! On the other hand the resort might offer all kinds of activities for the kids, as well as some gorgeous scenery of it's own.

The spouse that makes the most convincing argument will have their way. It probably would't hurt to get the kids on your side either! In sales there will always be an actual decision maker, but it doesn't mean that others don't influence the decision. If you recognize this, you'll likely be more successful.

The same logic applies in actual business situations. Everybody in your Organization should consider themselves a part of the sales equation. You might be thinking this is a bit of a stretch, but it's true.

For example, consider the company accountant. Let's say he's attending an industry function and he has nothing but negative things to say about your organization. This type of action can most definitely affect your bottom line. You want your employees espousing the positives of your organization at every opportunity.

Developing a strong corporate culture, where your employees are satisfied and onboard with your goals, is essential to your success. As I've discussed in a previous article which you can find here, your people are your greatest assets. They can also be your worst asset if they aren't treated properly.

3 Videos With The Potential to Change The World

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 00:11:00 +0000

There are some battles it seems we were just not meant to win. Take nature for example, we can prepare for an earthquake but we never really know when it's coming. Sure we have some early warning indicators, but only enough to duck for cover. The same is true for some of the major illnesses that mankind has battled over the centuries, of which cancer is one of the worse. Will there ever be a cure for cancer? The answer has always been no, but in the video below scientists at Duke University seem to have made a groundbreaking advancement in the battle against cancer.

Towards a Future Without Alzheimer's

Cancer isn't the only malady plaguing mankind. As we grow older one of the most difficult things we have to face is our failing memory. It might seem amusing when you forget where your car keys are, but that could be the first indicator of something far more serious. I must admit, as someone who loves to read and write every single day nothing scares me more than thought of losing touch with my memories. They define who we are and who we will be. That's why Alzheimer's is one of the worst afflictions we can possibly face. I can't imagine slowly forgetting everyone I've ever loved, and now thanks to the groundbreaking research in this next video, there's a good chance we may not have to face that possibility in the near future.

Living Without Arthritis

For anyone that's ever had to watch a family member suffer with sever arthritis it's one of the most heartbreaking of experiences. I know from experience. There's nothing worse than watching someone you've always known as a strong independent person slowly lose that independence because of crippling arthritis. While many of the illnesses we face seem to making some progress, it always seem like arthritis is the forgotten disease. Well thanks to the hard work and dedication of the scientists in the next video there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

We face a lot of challenges in our efforts to cure some of the worst illnesses that affect our loved ones every day, but with the unbreakable will of the human spirit we are moving closer every day. These cures may not arrive in time to help those we love, but we can take solace in knowing that future generations may never have to face the scourge of cancer, Alzheimer's, and arthritis. I don't know about you but that makes me sleep just a little better at night. Have you come across any videos with promising cures for some of the worst illnesses? Send me your links, I'd love to feature them in a future article.

3 Videos That Will Change Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 02:00:00 +0000

Like everyone else I often experience challenges that make me ask the question why me? It's natural to feel a little overwhelmed when life throws us curve balls, but it always help to try and keep our troubles in perspective. There are very few things in life we can't overcome with a little determination and, while we can't overcome all obstacles, we can always control our will to try. When you think you've got it rough consider the story of Nick Vujicic - a man born with no arms and no legs and an incredible will to succeed.

Artistic Impressions

Artists have been inspiring us since the dawn of human civilization. From the first cave paintings to Rembrandt - art has always had the ability to capture our imagination. We usually take it for granted if we have any sort of artistic ability and if we don't we just accept that that's our lot in life, but we should never just accept our situation we really can do great things even when the odds are stacked against us. Johannes Swanepoel has been overcoming incredible adversity for more than thirty years.

Musical Inspiration

When we need to escape from everything life's throwing at us we often turn to music as an escape route. There's something about the rhythm of our favorite songs that can help us forget our troubles for a while, and in many cases help us to move past our melancholy mood. Sometimes it's not just the music that can inspire us but the musicians themselves. Stevie Wonder is one of the most successful musicians of all time and yet he's never seen a musical instrument in his life - he's never let that get in his way.

Life's going to throw challenges at us, but that doesn't mean we should just accept things the way they are. If you've got dreams go after them no matter what the obstacles are in your way - these three individuals sure did. Do you have any great links to videos that have inspired you? Send them a long I'd love to check them out.

Never Give Up - Find a Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 01:26:00 +0000

The one thing that becomes more apparent to me with each passing year is that we are all in this together. We all have our ups and downs, we all have good moments, we all suffer personal tragedies, and we all have dreams. It doesn't matter where on this earth we live, we face the same trials and tribulations. It stands to reason that the solutions we discover to issues that affect us can be of help to others. With this in mind I thought it would be helpful to share a few videos that have inspired me. When you think your problems are too much to bare, think about how these courageous individuals have found a way to push on in the face of overwhelming odds.

One of the most inspirational people of the last thirty years was Steve Jobs. This man took a dream that started in his garage and turned it into one of the most successful companies in history. Apple products are everywhere. Do you have an idea that you just don't know how to get off the ground? Take a look at this next video.

One final video I want to share with you today comes from an every day guy that wanted to change his life - for himself, for his family, and for everyone who's ever faced his unique set of problems. This one really inspired me on a deep personal level.

I really hope these videos are just as inspiring to others as they have been to me. This is the first blog in the new direction of this site. I'll be posting the videos that have inspired me the most over each week, so check back here every Monday for the next post. Best of luck in whatever life may bring you and feel free to leave a comment I'd love to hear your thoughts on the videos.

How to Avoid Losing Customers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 28 Dec 2014 04:33:00 +0000

One of my biggest pet peeves is heading online to search for some information I desperately need, only to be thwarted by the "snake oil salesmen" of the modern world. You know the type. They suck you in with a hook suggesting they have all the answers you're looking for, let you read four teasing pages of web type, and then you find that you have to buy their eBook if you really want all the information you're looking for.

Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against people making money for their hard work. I'm a big fan of it myself! I just don't believe you should waste peoples time letting them read page after page, only to tell them you're not giving the information away for free.

I guess what these people are hoping for is that by the time you get through their spiel, and you've been exposed to their writing style, you'll recognize them for the experts they are and you'll be dying to buy their book. Personally, the only thing I want from them at the end of their little deception is to go away!

My little piece of advise to anyone considering marketing their latest eBook this way? Don't! This is one of the easiest ways to alienate potential customers. Tell me right at the beginning of the article that you will offer a few useful insights for free, but that I have to buy your eBook for the rest of the material.

We were all told in grade school that "honesty is the best policy" right? Nothing's changed. Do yourself a favor, be honest about your intentions and you'll be a lot more successful.

Have you ever been frustrated by long winded sales pitches that try to conceal themselves until the last possible moment? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear if you've had a similar experience.

2014 - A Year in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 00:35:00 +0000

As we approach the end of another year it's time to reflect upon the year that was. What have we done as a species that inspires us all? What advice can I offer you to prepare you for another year? I certainly don't have all the answers, or even a lot of them, but I do prefer to look at what we've accomplished together rather than where we've failed. I believe this makes me a little different from most. Unfortunately far too many of us prefer to dwell on everything that's gone wrong, and everything that might go wrong. Why not make 2015 the year when you choose to look for the positives in every situation? Even in our darkest moments we can find inspiration if we're willing to look for it. Here's my look at the year that was and what we can take from it to make 2015 even better.

On a personal level this was a tough year for my family. It seemed like everything was going against us at times. Perhaps the darkest moment was losing my mother-in-law to cancer. She was a real tough lady, and she fought until the very end. It would have been easy just to give up, to resign ourselves to the fact that misery had a permanent seat on our doorstep, but that kind of philosophy simply isn't in my DNA. Sure we had our rough moments, but we chose to remember my mother-in-law as the inspirational lady she was. Those last few months when she was suffering with cancer where simply the last few moments in a very full life. She leaves behind a family that continues to be influenced by her personality in decisions they make every day. How can that not be positive?

Looking out at the world there was plenty of inspiration to be found. One of my favourite stories of 2014 involved the trials and tribulations of the technology company Blackberry. As 2014 began there wasn't anything positive happening for Blackberry. The company was bleeding money and going through a wave of downsizing. A lot of it's employees lost their jobs and none of the "experts" had anything positive to say about the company. Many were convinced that Blackberry was finished, but then there was a change at the top. John Chen took over, and Blackberry began to refocus.

They turned their attention to their strengths - business enterprise users. Sure Apple and Samsung had the consumer market under lock and key, but Blackberry was still recognized for their strong security features which continued to attract customers, particularly for government and corporate use. They announced partnerships with Ford, Samsung, and many others that took advantage of their strengths. They also introduced the Passport. A phone designed to appeal to the business customer. They might not be in the black yet but they're getting close because they chose to focus on their strengths, and because they chose to ignore all those critics that said they were finished.

This was also the year we landed a probe on a comet. After ten years of chasing the comet we finally caught up to it. These little pieces of ice and rock have been around since the birth of our solar system. There's so much we can learn from them. Needless to say, the scientists involved with this project were ecstatic even if communication with the probe didn't last long. It landed on the dark side of the comet preventing the sun from recharging its batteries. They chose to focus on the positives. In the short time that the probe was able to send information back to earth they were able to gather a lot of information that they had never had access to before. We can't always expect the perfect outcome, but that doesn't mean we didn't get it right.

Keeping our view on the skies beyond our earth, the first test flight of the Orion program was successfully launched on December 5th. This NASA program is being developed as a replacement for the space shuttle program. The space shuttle served a purpose, but it had limited range and was never meant to take us beyond the earths orbit. The Orion program is designed to take us back to the moon, and eventually on to Mars. For mankind to survive in the long run we have to move beyond this earth. What can be more inspiring than humanities continuing push to expand our frontiers?

2015 promises to be an exciting year. There's bound to be many more stories like those mentioned above that will continue to inspire us going forward. Sure we'll go through some difficult times as well, both on a personal level and as a species. The challenge is to use these difficult times to inspire us. Even the worst times will end eventually. Why not make 2015 the year that you choose to focus on all that's positive in life? What did you find positive in 2014? Do you have any advice for the rest of us that you've learned over the past year? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

Fall Revivals

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:58:00 +0000

Fall, what a spectacular season! Beautiful colour is everywhere. It's like an unseen artist has mustered every creative bone in their body to bring the trees to life. The weather's still warm enough to go for a long walk and enjoy the scenery. It should be a time to enjoy nature - to enjoy being alive, but for many it's simply a reminder that summer is over and winter's just around the corner.

If we let the seasons affect our mood depression can soon follow and with it a downward spiral from which we might have a tough time escaping. Often when we're depressed and feeling sorry for ourselves we overeat, abuse alcohol and drugs, and mistreat family members. So how do we avoid the onset of depression as the seasons change?

Instead of looking at fall as the end of something (summer), look at all the great things you can do in the fall. Watching the kids play in the leaves, curling up with a good book by the fire, Thanksgiving and Halloween. These are all great things to look forward to.

It's a great time of year to join a gym, and instead of overeating start the journey towards a new healthy you. You can workout at home if you prefer. It doesn't matter, just don't use fall as an excuse to let yourself go.

Have you been dreaming about going back to school or changing careers? What better time to get things started. Turn fall into the beginning of a new adventure in your life, not just the end of summer.

There are so many opportunities to make a better life for you and your family. It doesn't matter what time of year it is. Seasons change - so what? Don't let them affect your mood. Make a positive change today, don't wait for spring. How does the change in seasons affect you? What do you do to combat the change in mood? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Back to School

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 18:22:00 +0000

Back to School

photo credit: brewbooks via photopin cc

As September approaches we're all starting to think about the kids going back to school, but what about us? You know, us adults. Have you ever considered going back to school? Perhaps there's a language you always wanted to learn, or historical period you've always wanted to know more about? Well what's stopping you?

I know what many of you are thinking right now. I can't afford to go back to school, I've got bills to pay, the kids have soccer practise after school. I just don't have the time. Well forget about the cost. What if you could take courses online, for free, at a time that's convenient for you? Well you can.

There's an online service called Coursera that provides exactly the type of service we're talking about here. They offer free online courses from participating Universities for whoever wants to take them. No strings attached. Some even offer credit.

Their selection of courses is quite impressive. There are courses that will appeal to just about every interest. So what's stopping you now? Head over to Coursera and check it out. Let me know how you like being back in school, I'd love to hear from you.

New Beginnings

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 18:12:00 +0000

New Beginnings

photo credit: Janna McLaughlin via photopin cc

When children experience something new the wonder in their eyes sparks something in all of us. It takes us back to a time when we were that young ourselves. But the question is why do we find it so hard to capture that feeling as adults?

The truth is as we get older stress gets in the way of that feeling. Often it's financial stress, which we're all familiar with, but that's not what I want to talk about. I think the real reason we lose that spark of wonder when experiencing something new is that we aren't satisfied with our life choices.

Too many of us make choices that are just okay. It wasn't our first choice, but it will do. We plug along through life settling. Things seem okay, but deep down inside we know we're settling for less than we should. That feeling lurking under the subconscious slowly builds, and, over time, we find ourselves stressed out and we simply don't know why. We're stressed because we're not where we want to be in life.

How do we get to where we want to be in life? It starts with being honest with ourselves. Once we admit we're not happy, we can begin to focus on what will make us happy. Don't get me wrong, getting what we really want out of life is not always easy, but it is worth it. Myself I always wanted to write. Magazine articles, blog articles, short stories, even novels. I am a writer now, but for the longest time I did nothing but think about it.

I always read more than anyone else I knew. When I did write something, I'd get compliments on my style and the inevitable suggestions that I should consider doing more with it. I'd shrug it off, assuming they were just being courteous. It just didn't seem practical. Most of all, I didn't want to fail at it. But it always nagged at me. Finally I decided to give it a shot, and I haven't looked back.

Starting down a new path is a scary thing. We all like our comfort zone, but we like success so much more. Now that I'm pursuing what I really want to do I'm starting to recapture that childlike enthusiasm. I've got that sparkle back in my eye, and a real sense of optimism about the future. I definitely recommend taking a chance on going after what you really want out of life. Just keep telling yourself failure is not an option, and you will get there.

How about you? Have you taken a chance? Are you pursuing your real dreams? If not why not? Recapture that sparkle. Let me know how your journey goes, I'd love to hear about it.

Taking a Break to Restore Focus

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 18:18:00 +0000

A Bridge With A View

If you need a break take it. Don't apologize for it, just do it. That's exactly what I've been doing for the past couple of months. I hadn't lost my interest in writing this blog, I continued to work on a couple of personal side projects, but I needed some time away from the daily or weekly schedule of the blogosphere.

I couldn't take a break from my day job - you've got to pay the bills - so I took a break from the things I could. There was just a whole lot of pressure being applied from so many different angles, something had to give.

We've all been there, you're at the point where you really don't think you can handle anything else. Not one more little thing can go wrong. And then it does. You can crack under the pressure, or you can figure out how to deal. For myself, I had to reduce my commitments in certain areas or face the prospect of my head exploding! Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but it certainly felt like a possibility at times.

I needed to take time away from everything I could to clear my head. So what did I do to find that solitude I was looking for? I began a daily bike riding regime. I'd ride for an hour or two along the canal by my house. Just me and my thoughts. How cathartic!

Resting For The Next Stretch

I discovered a whole system of trails that paralleled the canal I didn't even know existed. Imagine that? I'd lived in the area most of my life, but didn't even know about these beautiful trails that were right under my nose.

This really made me stop and think. How much do we miss every day that's right in front of us because we're too busy with the stress of our daily lives? I came to realize what I needed was not a break from anything and everything for a small time period, but a daily break. Time for myself to recharge every day.

Mental health is just as important as physical health. That's what I've learned in the last couple of months. So I'm going to continue my daily bike rides, and in the winter months? Who knows, maybe
I'll take up cross country skiing? Maybe I'll just bundle up and go for long walks in the snow. What I do know is that my daily adventures in solitude are now a permanent part of my life. How do you keep your mental edge? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

Desire for Change, Develop a Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 25 May 2014 21:00:00 +0000

Fun in the Sun

photo credit: Loowgren via photopin cc

It's a beautiful spring day and I'm sitting in the back yard contemplating the rest of the year. It's hard to stay focused, the dogs are playing, the birds are chirping, and there's a perfect little breeze blowing. But this perfect day is exactly the reason I'm determined to get down to work. It's my goal to be able to do this every day. That is work from my backyard everyday.

I'm not one of those people that can't stand their day job. I like what I do. I just don't want to do it forever. In five years I want to be working from home all the time. The question is how do I get there? I believe it comes down to developing a plan.

Successful businesses have a plan. They plot a course for a year down the line - even five years. Why not do this on a personal level? There's absolutely no reason not to. Success doesn't just happen you have to work at it.

Determine where you want to be in five years, and then break it down into one or two year increments.Let's use the example of a blogger.

If you want to become a professional blogger perhaps one year from now you set a goal for yourself of making a steady secondary income from blogging. Two years from now you're blogging income is beginning to grow to the point that it's about half the amount of your regular day job. By the third or fourth year you're doing so well you're ready to take the plunge and quit your day job.

Sounds so easy right? But each step along that course requires an action plan. If you want to turn your dream into reality, instead of just a pipe dream, you need to know how to get there.

For a blogger that might entail creating a post everyday for the first year, while increasing your social media presence. In other words you have to create the content and get the word out. After a year of this you'll have a lot of content available to your readers - preferably valuable - and you'll have established a loyal following.

Now that you've established your presence in the first year you're ready for that next step. In the case of a blogger this might include actively seeking endorsements from popular bloggers to help take you to that next level. If you can get others who are already successful to endorse you, you can expect your presence to continue to grow.

Back to the main point. If you want to walk way from your day job and begin working for yourself you need a plan. Don't just sit in your backyard enjoying the sun, thinking about it. Do it! Get started today. What's to be afraid of? That you might fail? True, but I don't know about you, I'll be a whole lot more satisfied with myself knowing that I at least tried.

Have you seriously considered quitting your day job? Do you have a plan to get yourself there? Let me know about it. I'd love to hear from you.

Understand, but Don't Fear Your Opposition

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 21 May 2014 02:33:00 +0000

Don't Fear Your Opposition

photo credit: Elijah via photopin cc

The reality of life is that we all find ourselves in opposition to others at some point in our day. There's no point in hiding from it. It doesn't matter if you're a politician or a Buddhist monk. Conflict is a part of life. Learning how to deal with it is essential.

When we think of conflict we usually picture some violent confrontation. Two combatants in the ring, or two armies at war. These are certainly some of the more extreme examples of conflict, but conflict is not always violent.

When we apply for a job we are in conflict with the other applicants, although we will likely never meet them. When playing a game we are in conflict with our opponent. Conflict need not be violent, but it generally does imply a winner and a loser. Don't shrink from this. It's simply a fact of life.

Many of us find it hard to handle conflict. We try to avoid being in opposition to others at all cost. Conflict is considered a dirty word. Well it's not. Not everyone can get the job you're applying for, it's just a simple fact of life. Someone has to win the game, but there is a way to win without developing animosity between you and your opponent.

Be prepared to lose. Nobody will win at everything they do, so accept that. If you go into a situation with the recognition that losing is a possibility, and that it's not the end of the world, you will learn not to fear your opposition.

When entering into any type of conflict situation make sure you've properly prepared yourself. Research the situation. In a nut shell, do your homework. If you do, fear will no longer be a significant part of the equation as you've done everything you can.

Fear generally results from the unknown. If you've done all you can to prepare you will no longer fear your opposition. This doesn't mean you will always win, someone has to lose, but you will be at peace knowing you did everything you could and it just wasn't your day. If you approach life in this way, you'll be successful more often than not.

How do you handle conflict? Is it something you shy away from? Do you have a unique technique that you use to deal with conflict? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

One Chance to Make a First Impression

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 May 2014 19:28:00 +0000

Dressed for Success

photo credit: The Prime Minister's Office via photopin cc

"You only have one chance to make a first impression". This statement may seem a little overused, but that's only because it continues to ring true. You should always be conscious of how you are viewed by others - twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

I don't suggest you create a false persona to become more acceptable to others. I do believe you should always try to be the best "you", you can be. What in particular am I talking about? Well there are a few things to keep in mind when you know you're meeting someone for the first time.

First, be respectful of the other persons time. This is particularly important if you are setting up a business meeting, or a job interview. Don't assume because it's convenient for you to meet someone that it's also convenient for them. Make sure you consult with them ahead of time. Find a mutually acceptable time. Showing up unexpectedly is almost always a bad idea. Letting someone know how much you value their time is a very good idea.

Think about it. If some stranger shows up at your front door unexpected while you're in the middle of cooking a big dinner, you've got three kids creating chaos in the house, and the puppy just had an accident on the carpet, are you going to be inclined to invite them in to hear there sales pitch? Not likely.

You never know what kind of stress or timelines someone is under. No matter how anxious you are to set up a meeting you have to accept that the other person may have more pressing matters to deal with at that time. If you work with them to find a better time for both of you, you've already demonstrated your ability to problem solve. What a great first impression!

Once you've found a time that works for both parties what next? make sure you do your homework. Again this applies in business meetings, interviews, and many personal activities. If a company has a website check it out. If you can't find one search for articles that have been written about the company.

Researching a business will help you in a couple of ways. First, you'll get an impression of it's culture. Is it really the right fit for you? Do you want to work there, or do business with them, as the case may be? If your research suggests you don't you've just saved yourself a lot of wasted time.

If it does seem to be a good fit. They'll be a lot more impressed if you took the time to learn about them instead of showing up with little knowledge of what they're about. You don't have to spend hours researching them, but you'd be surprised what you can learn in half an hour.

Continue to emphasize your desire to learn all you can about the company you're interviewing with, or business you're meeting with. Come prepared to write things down. This really does apply in a job interview as well.

An interviewer won't be offended if you take notes. There's no rule that only the interviewer can take notes. Taking your own notes demonstrates a willingness to learn. They will be impressed by your initiative.

One more thing to consider is your appearance. What do you think your chances of winning a business contract are if you show up with ketchup on your shirt, and you're wearing jeans ripped at the knees? Not very good.

Take the time to dress appropriately for the interview. You might dress very differently if you are interviewing for a part in a dance production than you would interviewing to become a middle level manager of a large company. Again, this is where your research comes in. If you understand the corporate culture you'll know how to be properly attired.

Do you remember a time when you ruined a chance to make a good first impression? Did you learn from that bad experience? Please share your story. I think we can all learn a little from others experiences in this area.

How Your Surroundings Influence Your Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 May 2014 02:10:00 +0000

Building the Ideal Home Office

photo credit: Jeremy Levine Design via photopin cc

Where you write is as important as what you write. Think about it, if you're in a room full of screaming kids how much are you going to accomplish? Not a hell of a lot. You're environment has a huge effect on your productivity.

Working from home may sound like the ideal situation, but it won't be if you don't consider your working environment. You need to have a space you can call your own, and time to get things done.

Lighting is also an important consideration. If you're working in a dingy, damp, and cold basement, you're not going to produce you're best work. You just won't. However, if you work in a nice, sunlit home office, with a big bay window, it can't help but have a positive effect on your mood. I'd wager a guess your work will be the better for it.

I don't think most of us give a lot of consideration to our home work environment. I know I never really have. It's just something that kind of dawned on me recently.

You might be thinking you don't know my house. There isn't a peaceful place to hide. If it's hard to find your own little corner to hide in, consider a pair of quality headphones and some soothing music to drown out the background noise. It works for me!

How about you? Do you have the perfect space to get some work done at home? If not how do you cope? How do you get things done? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Cheers!

Avoiding Depression Due to Debt

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 May 2014 22:49:00 +0000

Escaping the Debt Crunch

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One of the most soul destroying problems you can face is crushing debt. If you've ever been in this situation you don't know how you're getting through to the next day. It doesn't matter whether you're making six figures or ten dollars an hour. Most of us have been through some trying debt issues in our lives.

I've never faced bankruptcy, but I've been close. I've felt the despair of wondering how on earth I'm going to get passed this. From the nervous twitch, to the constant anxiety, I've lived through it. When you're in the middle of it, you can't even imagine being in any other place. So what can you do?

At my worst moment I was trying desperately to hold onto my house. My friends wondered why I'd become so antisocial, but it wasn't a choice. Who wants to go out for a night on the town with your friends and explain to them that you can only go out for an hour, because you can't afford the dinner just the drink afterwords?

It was easier to stay home, and make my apologies for being unavailable. it seemed like a solution, but it wasn't. I was miserable. So what to do? I decided to get my debt under control and take back my life. With my closest friends I tried a little honesty. I told them I'd love to get together, but we had to do something affordable. For the time being I couldn't afford the dinner out, but how about a hike? Fresh air is free!

What I found was my friends just missed their buddy. They were willing to accommodate. We found things we could do that were well within my budget, and, to my surprise, they were feeling a bit of a budget crunch themselves.

Slowly through some tough decisions, and a little help from friends and family, I've moved passed some difficult times. I gave up some indulgences, and I made do. If in the end you have to consider bankruptcy or debt consolidation, don't rule it out.

When the debt collectors are calling every night, it's time for a change. When you declare Bankruptcy or start a Consumer Proposal the phone calls will most definitely stop. Having to deal with one point of contact will alleviate a heck of a lot of stress!

There is only so much anyone can take. Your true friends and your family will understand the tough decisions you've had to make. Bad things happen to good people. You may feel a stigma attached to such a decision, but you shouldn't. Circumstances will often be beyond your control. If people want to judge you for it you don't need them in your life.

As bad as it seems now you will get through it. You may have to start over and there's no doubt that can be a daunting task, but don't give up. This moment in time is just that, one single moment in time.

Have you gone through some difficult times? How did you get passed it? Are you going through something similar right now? Leave a comment, I'm always open to ideas on how to deal with this difficult topic.

The Importance of Writing Interesting

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 May 2014 23:43:00 +0000

The Importance of Writing Interesting

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What do I mean by the importance of writing interesting? Well it's something I must admit, I haven't given enough thought to myself until recently. It's one thing to pay lip service to something, it's another to actually do it.

I consider myself a good technical writer. I'm not bragging, it's something I've worked at for years. I have a good grasp of the way a sentence should be put together. A good grasp of how grammar works. This is no guarantee that people will be interested in what I have to say.

If you love music and I'm writing about Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, it doesn't matter how well I write, you won't give my article more than a cursory glance. It just won't interest you.

On the other hand, if I write about the giant rhinoceros that was seen rampaging through the streets of downtown Niagara Falls I'll capture a wider audience. At least initially. I'll have grabbed your attention, if only for a moment. The question is how do you hold it?

Well for one thing you have to remember you can't be all things to all people. I can make writing about accounting as interesting as possible. I can include background stories about my childhood, and real life examples of my ideas in action, but at the end of the day, if you have no interest in accounting, you simply won't read my article. That's okay, your audience will always be finite.

Accept the limitations of your topic and move on. Once you've done that, think about how you can spice things up. Bring a little passion to your writing. You've lived, you have experiences. Bring them into your writing.

In my office we like to throw in a little humour to get us through our day. We do our job and we do it well, but we do it with a little fun. Treat your blog like your own office. Spice it up. Don't just muddle through. You're not writing a technical training module. you're writing a blog! Bring it to life.

Oh and by the way, I made up the giant rhinoceros. Do you find you're writing to be a little bland? Do you think you could spice things up? Give it a go, make a conscious effort to bring your next blog post to life. Let me know how it works out. I'd love to hear from you.

Blogging as a Social Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 May 2014 00:52:00 +0000

Blogging as a Social Experiment

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Like many of you I've tried various different avenues to help grow my blog. There are those that tell you to blog once a day, some say only once a week. Still others suggest you should post five times a day if you can come up with enough quality material. So what's the answer?

I don't think there is any one right answer, but based on my own experiments a couple of things have become clear to me. First, if your a Pro Blogger then posting once a week will likely garner you a significant audience, because you've already established yourself. This won't work for you if you are just getting started.

You might have developed a small following, but they haven't established a firm loyalty to you yet. There is still a feeling out process going on.

In the past few weeks I've tried on a couple of occasions to limit my posts for a few days to see what happens. What have I found? I've still got a long way to go.

When I post on a regular basis, every day or every other day at least, I have a pretty steady audience. When I stop posting for a few days it quickly tapers off. You might say I haven't developed enough brand loyalty yet.

I guess it would be like opening a restaurant in a remote location, but not telling anyone you're there. If they happen to drive by, they might see you there and stop in and be pleasantly surprised. You know you make great food, but nobody else does. So until you've established yourself you need to advertise, and advertise often.

How does this relate to a blogger? Well just like the new restaurant owner you need to get the word out. As a blogger the best way to do that is to post, and post often.

If you can pump out three or four quality articles a day do it. If you can only produce one a day that's fine, just don't let it go more than a day or two or you'll probably have to work hard to reestablish yourself. Developing a committed following takes time and dedication.

How can providing people with quality, interesting articles be a bad thing? It's not. Where people make mistakes is when they produce post after post of weak content. Yes you can overwhelm an audience, but I believe if you're able to produce good content, and you can do it more than once a day, then you can only benefit from it.

This is based on my own experience. If you write an article that goes viral who knows? This won't happen for most. You'll likely have to do it the old fashion way. Hard work.

Good luck! What works for you? How frequently do you think a blogger should be posting articles? Let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear them.

The Customer is Always Right

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 May 2014 23:50:00 +0000

The Customer is Always Right

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The customer is always right. I think everyone's heard this statement before - unless of course you've been living atop of Mount Everest. But how far does this go? Is there a point at which this rule no longer applies? Of course.

When you're dealing with an irate customer, you should make every effort to calm them down and offer a solution to their problem. Remember, it's not just about the current sale, but also the potential sales in the future.

However some customers simply can't be satisfied. We've all dealt with people like this at some point in our lives. No matter what you do for them it simply won't be good enough. This is because they've already made the decision that your product or service doesn't meet their needs.

Sometimes it's best just to cut your losses. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting you shouldn't try and help them. What I'm saying is at some point you need to be able to recognize that with some customers you will never be able to satisfy them.

If you've provided a valuable service to your customer, and done everything you could to satisfy their needs, you've fulfilled your end of the bargain. Even in this scenario, there will still be customers who feel your best just isn't good enough. This isn't a flaw on your part.

When dealing with a customer that just doesn't want any solution you can offer, be willing to cut your losses. You've likely lost them as a future customer anyway. This doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to act in a professional manner towards them. Be firm, but polite. Let them know you've done all you can for them, and you're sorry it wasn't satisfactory.

You can't go bankrupt trying to satisfy an unreasonable customer. There will always be a point at which it's best just to walk away. This applies in personal situations as well as business situations. How about you? Have you ever dealt with an unreasonable person that you just couldn't reason with? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear about it.

Don't burn Your Bridges - The Importance of Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2014 00:34:00 +0000

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It never ceases to amaze me how short sighted people can be. No matter what your plans are, you should never burn your bridges. Every person you meet, in every walk of life, should be considered a potential networking opportunity.

A friend of mine learned the importance of this on a simple trip to the gas station. He had developed a friendly relationship with the young teenage clerk that worked the counter. He was a nice kid working a part time job after school a few hours a night. On one occasion while gassing up there was another guy paying for his gas that was treating the young clerk rather rudely. My friend stuck up for the kid, as he would have for anyone.

During their chats my friend had mentioned to the clerk that he was dissatisfied with his current job and was looking for something a little more interesting. It turns out the clerk's father owned his own construction business and was looking for a site super. He had suggested my friend to his dad. Based on their conversations, he felt my friend was just the guy his dad was looking for. Sure enough, he got the job.

The other guy that was rude to the young clerk, never gave a second thought to how his actions might cost him. You don't want to be that guy. View everyone you meet as a potential networking opportunity.

Perhaps even more mystifying are individuals who leave jobs without adequate notice, or on bad terms. Unless you've won the lottery you will need references in your future endeavours. Why would you burn your bridges? Who knows, maybe five years down the line an opportunity will arise at your former company that is right up your ally. If you leave on bad terms this door will be closed to you.

Have you ever given any thought to how you treat people and how it affects your networking opportunities? Do you have an example where your personal kindness has led to an opportunity you never expected? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear about it.

Understanding the Importance of Your Best Assets

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 03 May 2014 20:11:00 +0000

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What do you suppose your company or Organization's greatest asset is? Is it your physical location? Perhaps your technological expertise? Nope! It's your people. The people that work for you are by far your greatest asset. Even if your company is an Organization of one - you!

So what can you do to increase the value of your prized assets? Improve the quality of your selection processes, invest in training, have a succession plan in place, and consider establishing a mentor program. Let's take a look at each of these individually.

Improving The Hiring Process

Improving the quality of your hiring process seems like an obvious place to start, but what does that really entail? Obviously if you're hiring, your company has a position to fill, but have you given any thought to your ideal candidate or are you just looking to put a bum in a seat? I hope not.

What you should be doing, before starting any hiring process, is developing a job description for each position you are looking to fill. Develop a list of skills and attributes that your ideal candidate should possess. You should also consider what the minimal acceptable qualifications are, as you won't always find the ideal candidate.

Always go into the interview with a plan. Treat it like you would a presentation. The only difference between a traditional presentation and an interview is that there will be a little more give and take than usual.

Yes, you'll want to paint a picture of what your Organization can offer the potential employee, but you also want to ask the appropriate questions to determine if this candidate is for you. Be prepared. If you're not, you'll likely end up hiring someone that doesn't fit well within your Organization.

Invest in Training

Once you've hired the right candidate, your efforts shouldn't stop there. If you want to get the most value out of your employees, you should be committed to investing in training programs to keep them at the forefront of your industry.

Think about a mechanic as an example. In the past, once they were trained they were set for life. Very little changed in respect to how cars were made. Today cars are constantly changing with every new model year that's released, and they rely heavily on computers. A mechanic has to constantly upgrade their skills to keep up.

The same principle applies to most industries. If you want to take advantage of the full potential of your people, you need to be willing to invest in their future. This may be in the form of courses you pay for them to attend, webinars, or company retreats. There are many forms of training, but there is no doubt of it's importance for success.

Have a Succession plan

You must always be aware of the potential of losing key employees. Don't get caught unprepared. Put a succession plan in place. You never know when an employee might just decide to leave.

They may want to try a new career path, they might retire, or maybe they'll win the lottery. The reason doesn't really matter. You must be prepared for the possibility of losing key personnel at any time.

How do you deal with this? Conduct interviews periodically to obtain a list of potential replacement candidates. if you decide to take this approach, you'll have go through the process every six months to a year as good candidates will not remain available for long.

Be careful how you use this approach though. Don't be tempted to constantly replace valuable employees because you've found a candidate with slightly better credentials. If your current employees are doing a good job, support and encourage them. You don't want to be seen as a company with a revolving door. The best candidates will become leery about joining your Organization.

Develop a Mentor Program

Finally, consider developing a mentor program. Even the best employees won't be around forever. Take advantage of their expertise while you have them at your disposal. As you bring in junior employees, match them up with your shining stars so that they can soak up a little of their knowledge.

Do you consider people to be an organizations best asset? Do you have other ideas on how to get the best out of people? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear about it.

Avoiding Burn Out, Don't Outstay Your Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 01:03:00 +0000

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Recognizing the onset of burnout is not an easy thing to do. When you're heading down this road you might not even realize it. We all have stress. Burnout is not stress. Burnout is something more serious. There's a sense of hopelessness. So how do we avoid it?

First off, it's important to recognize the difference between stress and burnout. When you're stressed you may still have hope of getting out of the situation. You can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

If you're burning out you'll often feel a sense of complete hopelessness. You'll withdraw from everyone and everything. You're job will be unrewarding, and you'll feel a lack of control. Usually, you'll feel trapped in your current situation. So what do you do to get out, or to prevent burnout before it happens?

Consider talking to a friend or family member. You may feel you're burdening them with your problems, but you're not. More than likely they'll be flattered by your trust in them. Being able to talk things out with someone will often be enough to lift you out of your funk.

If talking to someone doesn't seem to help it's probably time for a break. Use up some vacation time, or take some sick days. Take a leave of absence if you have to. You're no good to your employer or your family if you can't function properly.

If none of this seems to help, perhaps it's time for a change. You might want to consider changing jobs, or at least your place of employment. It's not always easy making this type of change. Obviously there are financial considerations. There's no point in removing your job related stress, and replacing it with the worry about how you're going to pay the bills.

Perhaps you can't leave your job right away, but if you've made the decision that it's the wrong fit for you start putting a plan together for how you're going to be able to move on. You may want to consider night classes if you want to change your career but can't afford to quit your job today. If you're not dissatisfied with your career choice, just your current place of employment, start discreetly looking at other options.

The point is you need to remove yourself from the situation as soon as possible. Have you ever experienced burnout? How did you cope? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

5 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Time Management Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 01:09:00 +0000

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Time management skills are something everyone needs to come to grips with. It doesn't matter whether you're a stay at home mom or dad, or the top executive of a Fortune 500 firm. Time is a finite resource, and you should approach it with a plan.

For most of us this is a difficult proposition. Often the demands on our time appear to be overwhelming. We just don't know where to start. Fortunately, with a little conscious effort we can take control of our lives. With this in mind I'd like to take a look at 5 specific things we can do to improve the use of our time.

Create lists
Do the hard things first
Are your tasks Important? Are they Urgent?
Set deadlines
Delegate

Create lists

Creating "To Do" lists is a task many of us give lip service to, but rarely pay it the attention it deserves. It seems like a lot of extra work when you could just get the ball rolling and skip this step. Sounds logical, but it's not.

If you listen to many of the top performing athletes in the world they will tell you how they use visualization techniques to consider how each and every game is going to go before the game starts. In essence, they are creating a to do list before every game.

Stephen R. Covey, in his book Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, stressed the need to "begin with the end in mind". No successful person, regardless of their vocation, would consider going through life without a plan. Why should you?

I prefer to create lists on a daily basis. These are not written lists - at least not in my case. If you feel you need to write things down to keep you on track, go ahead. I just haven't found it necessary.

Every morning, as I'm taking the dog outside for his morning bathroom break and a bit of exercise, I mentally create my list for the day. What's left over from the day before that I have to worry about? What's new on the agenda for that day? By the time I leave for work in the morning I have my mental list for the day created.

The point is to organize your day. Have a plan, don't just go into the day on a wing and a prayer. This will reduce your stress levels, and it will increase your chances of success.

Do the Hard Things First

Do the hard things first? That's right. The natural human inclination is to put things off as long as possible. Given the choice between two tasks, we will invariably choose the easy path. But in the real world, we're only putting off the inevitable. It's better to tackle those difficult tasks as soon as possible.

When putting your list together in the morning give some thought to which tasks are more difficult. Then move them to the top of your list. If you get the difficult tasks out of the way early in your day, the rest of your day will go a whole lot smoother.

Perhaps more importantly, you're stress level will actually go down as the day goes on. Also consider that you will be better able to handle difficult projects in the morning when you're fresh. Your overall productivity will increase.

Are Your tasks Important and Urgent?

Not all tasks are created equal. If you divide the demands on your time into different categories, you'll soon realize that some tasks are important but not urgent. Some are extremely urgent and must be dealt with immediately, no matter what you're working on at the time. And still others are not important at all.

You should spend the majority of your time dealing with the important and urgent tasks. Only devote time to other activities when you have extra time. This will help you avoid wasting your valuable time. Checking your Facebook in the middle of the work day is neither important, nor urgent.

Set Deadlines

Even if you are not presented with deadlines by your boss or Organization, set them for yourself. When you work with predetermined timelines you'll develop a sense of urgency that will keep you on track. If you don't work with and end date in mind, you'll be far more inclined to put things off till a later date.

Procrastination is something we all have to come to terms with. How many times in a day do you tell yourself I'll get to "that" later? We all do it, every single day. Setting deadlines will allow you to take control of your life, and it will help to reduce stress.

Delegate

For me delegating is a very difficult thing to do. There's always a sense that if I don't do it myself something will go wrong. This is, of course, the furthest thing from the truth. We can't take on everything. Don't be afraid to ask for help. It's not a sign of weakness, it' actually a sign of strength.

If you can delegate tasks to others, it will free up your time to concentrate on the things that are most important to you. Believe it or not, other people are perfectly competent too! So resist the urge to take on everything by yourself.

Do you think a top defence lawyer does all their own research? Absolutely not . They rely heavily on legal assistants. There simply aren't enough hours in the day for them to research every single case and prepare a defence. The ability to delegate is an essential tool in any successful lawyers arsenal. There's no reason you should be any different.

Do you manage your time well? Where do you think you can improve? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Focus on Business Success

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Apr 2014 19:28:00 +0000

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For the next few weeks I want to take a closer look at what defines success in any business. Blogging, freelance writing, and any kind of on-line business are still just that - a business. They don't exist in a vacuum. If you plan on turning your on-line presence into a business, you need to know how to survive in the business world.

What defines success in business? There isn't any one thing, but rather a group of things. We've all heard the customer's always right, or how important time management is. To succeed in business you need a whole philosophical approach. You need to look at all aspects of your business and develop an actual culture within your Organization.

Do you set goals for yourself? Have you pictured where you want to be in a year or even five years from now? We all should, on both a personal and professional level. In fact, many of the principles for success in your personal life, also apply in your professional life.

There's no magic bullet here. It's largely common sense. If you look at the difference between Bill Gates and a college graduate working in a dead end job, it's about drive.

There's no doubt that your Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of the world are brilliant men, but for every one of them there are a thousand gifted individuals doing little with their lives because they lack the drive.

Even if you're blogging just for fun, you can benefit from critically examining your approach. You must want someone to read your blog or you wouldn't be publishing it.

Who knows? You might start blogging as a simple distraction from the ups and downs of every day life, and realize it's something you really like. Besides, anything worth doing is worth doing well. Oh yes, I did use that cliche!

Have you thought about where you want to be in five years from now personally and professionally? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear about it.

How to Speak to Your Audience and Avoid Google Ranking Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 22:28:00 +0000

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In the world of blogging there's always a lot of confusion over how to promote your blog without incurring the wrath of Google. Can your networking efforts actually harm your blogs ability to grow? Is guest blogging a good or bad idea? Do back links help or hinder your blogs growth?

I think a more important question is what speaks to you? What sparks your curiosity? What motivates and inspires you, will probably do the same for countless other people. The question is how do you connect with these like minded people without upsetting the apple cart - or Google cart as the case may be?

Content, content, content - period. Put your passion and personality into your writing. If you do this, and you can write well, eventually your blog will experience organic growth.

I think back to the day I started grade nine. I wanted to be popular, I wanted to fit in. I wasn't sure how to do it though. The next couple of years were filled with a lot of experimentation, and a lot of trial and error. Round about the time I was ready to leave high school, was about the time I felt like I was starting to figure things out.

This is your typical passage into adulthood - learning how to fit in. A blog is very much like that green little grade nine kid. At first you'll stumble around wondering where you fit in, but eventually you'll find your niche. When you're comfortable with yourself, others will become comfortable with you as well.

When you reach your comfort factor it will be reflected in your writing. You'll begin to really "speak" to your readers. In other words, you'll be producing great content. That's how you develop a following. Of course you have to get your word out there through social media and other avenues, but worry about finding your voice first.

Getting comfortable in your own skin is difficult at any age. It's something you work on your whole life. In the same way, your blog will continue to grow and evolve. How you write today, will not be how you write six months or a year from now.

Create a more narrowly focused target group to increase your traffic. People have expectations. If you blog about hockey one week, and then knitting the next you'll confuse your reader and they won't hang around very long.

So in the early days of your blog, worry about finding your voice and where you fit in. Once you've reached that point, then you can start to spread the social media word. You won't have to worry about schemes and gimmicks.

Forget about Google. If you blog about something you care about, and bring that to your writing, you'll develop a following.

Whatever you do, don't blog about something just because you think it's a popular topic. What good is blogging about personal finance if you absolutely hate math? The disinterest will definitely show through in your writing. Before you know it, you'll give up on blogging all together.

Have you found your niche? Do you think your writing's become better because of it. Leave a comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Write for Success - Use a Little Personality

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 23:38:00 +0000

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Not all of us have the ability to tell a compelling story. Don't get me wrong, anyone can slap a piece of writing in a blog and call it a day. This is not writing, and it doesn't offer any value to the reader. I'm not suggesting you have to be Hemingway to create your own blog, but you should be able to engage your reader.

The ability to get others involved in your "community" is what separates an average blogger, from a great blogger. Blogging is a unique medium. More so than any other writing style, it is built for interaction with the reader.

Bring Personality to Your Writing

Can you bring your own personality to your writing? To be a successful blogger that's what you have to do. Personally, I never had any inclination to become a writer as a kid. The thought never crossed my mind. I never really discovered my love of writing until my second year of university.

It's romantic to believe everyone that becomes a writer has felt the bug since childhood, but it's simply not the case. I have no problem with admitting that I was a late bloomer.

In fact growing up my sister was the writer in the family. She actually inspired me to give it a go. Without that little push who knows? The point is that it's never to late to start, but having a desire to do something is not necessarily a recipe for success either.

Be prepared to work

Are you willing to work at your craft? Look at David Beckham, his name is instantly recognizable to most of us. He had a great career in Football (Soccer), but he wasn't born with the ability to cross a ball with pinpoint accuracy. He spent thousands of hours practising crossing the ball into the penalty box.

Would Beckham have been a success if he hadn't dedicated the time to practise he did? We can't know for sure, but it seems improbable. So don't be discouraged if you're not satisfied with the level of your writing now. Study your craft, and practise, practise, practise! You can overcome your shortcomings if you're dedicated enough.

How do you bring your personality into your writing? Think about the normal everyday conversations you have with friends and family. Bring that style to your writing. That's what people want out of a blog. They want to be involved in your conversation. Don't disappoint them and they'll come back to visit.

Use anecdotes, incorporate tales of your childhood etc. Remember when your parents and teachers told you to listen and you might learn something? You wanted to rebel against them at the time, but later on I'm sure you saw the wisdom of their words.

What lessons did you learn from that favourite teacher? Can you share a bit of that wisdom with your readers?

My high-school football coach always wanted his players to give it everything we had. He was more disappointed with the naturally talented kid that didn't try, than he was with the kid that gave it his all but just wasn't good enough.

At first I was that kid, but when I bought into his message, I became something more. By the end of the year I was awarded the trophy for most improved player. So don't give up.

Right now your writing might not be where you want it to be, but it can be with practise. Keep practising, keep "crossing that ball" and you'll be surprised at what you can accomplish.

How determined are you? What do you thinks holding you back? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.