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	<title>Success Begins Today</title>
	
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	<description>Personal Development Plan for Success</description>
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		<title>How to Create a Book from Blog Posts</title>
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		<comments>http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/05/how-to-create-a-book-from-blog-posts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 May 2012 14:39:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog post]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog templates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goal Setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael hyatt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organization techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publishing book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tag]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/?p=3962</guid>
		<description>I’ve been blogging for over 7 years now, and during that time I’ve written hundreds of blog posts on a variety of subjects. Many of my blogger friends have suggested that I compile a non-fiction book based on these varied posts and publish it. Taking their advice, I sat down the other day and took [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I’ve been blogging for over 7 years now, and during that time I’ve written hundreds of blog posts on a variety of subjects. Many of my blogger friends have suggested that I compile a non-fiction book based on these varied posts and publish it.</p>
<p>Taking their advice, I sat down the other day and took a look at my posts by dividing them up by category and keyword. My WordPress blog makes this easy by viewing my tags in a tag cloud. Here is what it looks like.</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/popular-tags-sbt.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border-width: 0px;" title="popular-tags-sbt" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/popular-tags-sbt_thumb.jpg" alt="popular-tags-sbt" width="524" height="255" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>From the tag graphic you can see that the more popular categories have larger fonts. I did a quick tag sort and came up with the top 10.</p>
<ul>
<li>Goal Setting, Goals</li>
<li>Social Media, Twitter, Facebook</li>
<li>iPad, Technology, Software</li>
<li>Business, Management</li>
<li>Time Management</li>
<li>Public Speaking, Presentation, Powerpoint</li>
<li>Blogging, Blog</li>
<li>Personal Development</li>
<li>Productivity</li>
<li>Writing</li>
</ul>
<p>While the list is somewhat eclectic, I think it can be broken down further into 5 broad categories.</p>
<p><strong>Personal Development:</strong> Goal Setting, Goals, Time Management, Productivity</p>
<p><strong>Social Media:</strong> Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, Blog</p>
<p><strong>Technology:</strong> iPad, Software, Computers</p>
<p><strong>Presentation:</strong> Public Speaking, Powerpoint, Toastmasters</p>
<p><strong>Business:</strong> Management, Productivity, Writing</p>
<p>From this list it’s a little easier to come up with a book category. We can combine everything into one category, or select certain pieces. Let’s try to combine everything into one compelling title.</p>
<p><strong>How about…</strong></p>
<p><em>Take your business productivity presentations to the next level with the latest technology via social media.</em></p>
<p>Hmmm… doesn’t quite work.</p>
<p><strong>Let’s try again…</strong></p>
<p><em>Build an incredible time management business presentation for your iPad and share it with the world via social media.</em></p>
<p><strong>Better… but too limiting…</strong></p>
<p>Maybe I need to pick just one category…. but which one?</p>
<p><strong>I need some guidance here… let me bring in an expert.</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/michael-hyatt-speaking1.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="michael-hyatt-speaking1" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/michael-hyatt-speaking1_thumb.jpg" alt="michael-hyatt-speaking1" width="260" height="221" border="0" /></a></strong></p>
<p>My blogging friend <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com">Michael Hyatt</a> just published a book called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/159555503X/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=159555503X&amp;adid=1RX4H6PYYY6CX979MVFF&amp;">Platform, Get Noticed In a Noisy World</a> developed over the past year from his popular blog at <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com">Michaelhyatt.com</a></p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/3d-platform-cover-5.png"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="3d-platform-cover-5" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/3d-platform-cover-5_thumb.png" alt="3d-platform-cover-5" width="240" height="172" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Let’s take a look at how he put it together.</strong></p>
<p>Michael has been blogging for over eight years now and he has developed some important techniques that have helped him compile material for his book, over time, via his compelling blog posts. He does the following…</p>
<p><strong>1. Uses a template:</strong> He started with a <a href="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s1/sh/a168c6cf-1c89-4db7-9f62-3719529f1794/d92b73d5eb307e3f0d4915165c7824e7">basic blog template</a> that includes…</p>
<ul>
<li>Subject</li>
<li>Central Theme</li>
<li>Objective Statement</li>
<li>Rationale</li>
<li>Resources (Title, Illustrations, Images, Links)</li>
<li>Evaluation</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2. Creates an Outline:</strong> From his basic template he created an <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-write-a-blog-post-in-70-minutes-or-less.html">easy to follow outline</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li>Main Subject</li>
<li>Sub Points</li>
<li>Conclusion</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>3. Stores Information in Evernote:</strong> Michael used the great online storage of <a href="http://evernote.com">Evernote</a> to capture his ideas, outlines, and peripheral information. He stored them in an <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-organize-evernote-for-maximum-efficiency.html">organized hierarchical fashion</a> using Evernote’s built in features that include…</p>
<ul>
<li>Notebooks: Collections of individual notes</li>
<li>Stacks: Collections of notebooks</li>
<li>Tags: Attributes applied to individual notes</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Tracks His Blog Posts in Google Analytics:</strong> This allowed Michael to see which posts were popular and what keywords were driving traffic to his site. Once Michael decided to write a book, he took a look at his highest rated posts and <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/four-actions-you-can-take-now-to-dramatically-increase-your-blog-traffic.html">looked at his overall engagement</a>. It became obvious to him that a lot of people were interested in blogging and social media.</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/michael-hyatt-tags.png"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="michael-hyatt-tags" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/michael-hyatt-tags_thumb.png" alt="michael-hyatt-tags" width="570" height="256" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>From there it was a matter of <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-use-evernote-if-you-are-a-speaker-or-writer.html">searching his Evernote notebooks by keyword</a> for related subjects and then searching his WordPress blog for the finished posts.. Once he located his material, he put together a basic outline of the book. From this process he just needed to isolated chapter headings, sub heads, and assorted resources.</p>
<p>He then put together a <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/writing-a-winning-book-proposal">book proposal</a> and submitted it to various publishers. Once he was picked up by a publisher (Thomas Nelson), the hard work started. Having the categorized blog resources gave him a major resource to compile the book. While this was just a starting point, he had a great amount of material to put together the draft manuscript and then work with an editor to fine tune the document and create final page proofs.</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/platform-book-journey.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="platform-book-journey" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/platform-book-journey_thumb.jpg" alt="platform-book-journey" width="932" height="541" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>From there, an advanced reader&#8217;s copy was produced and handed out to various beta readers. After that, all final edits and corrections were made and a final proof was created. This final proof was turned into the published book.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qkeicFhhwvU?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe></p>
<p>The major points of Michael’s book were then turned into a video trailer. Here again, keywords, tag lines, and important concepts are used to promote the book.</p>
<p>As you can see, organizing your material for your blog posts gives you a huge head start on book creation. Just make sure to store them in a central place for searching and easy retrieval. <strong><em>Store items by category, keywords, tags, and concepts.</em></strong></p>
<p>As for me, I’ve got some homework to do. I need to isolate some keywords, create a basic concept outline, and then put the pieces together. Michael’s journey is a big help.</p>
<p><a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/platform"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="8-bonus-items-group-shot (1)" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/8-bonus-items-group-shot-1.png" alt="8-bonus-items-group-shot (1)" width="570" height="305" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>To help you get started on your own book and online platform, Michael has put together a special package of gifts for those that purchase his book between May 21, 2012 and May 25, 2012. This package has over $375 worth of bonuses. <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/platform">Click Here for info!</a></p>
<p><strong><em>Question: What kind of book will you create from your blog posts?</em></strong></p>
<div class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Posts"><H3>Related Posts</H3><ul class="entry-meta"><li class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post"><a title="How To Set Goals With Lasting Impact" href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/12/how-to-set-goals-with-lasting-impact/" rel="bookmark">How To Set Goals With Lasting Impact</a></li>
<li class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post"><a title="The Weakest Links of Goal Setting" href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/12/the-weakest-links-of-goal-setting/" rel="bookmark">The Weakest Links of Goal Setting</a></li>
<li class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post"><a title="The Shocking Truth About Goal Setting" href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/12/the-shocking-truth-about-goal-setting/" rel="bookmark">The Shocking Truth About Goal Setting</a></li>
<li class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post"><a title="10 Free Gifts That Can Change Your Life" href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/12/10-free-gifts-that-can-change-your-life/" rel="bookmark">10 Free Gifts That Can Change Your Life</a></li>
<li class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post"><a title="Do You Give a DAM About Your Life?" href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/11/do-you-give-a-dam-about-your-life/" rel="bookmark">Do You Give a DAM About Your Life?</a></li>
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		<title>Innovative Solutions To Common Problems</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/successbeginstoday/BHWQ/~3/luXa5t0eAsM/</link>
		<comments>http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/05/innovative-solutions-to-common-problems/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 13:39:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bill bradley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[daily planners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economic growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[focusing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovative solutions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recycling bins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/?p=3939</guid>
		<description>I was viewing an informative video interview of Senator Bill Bradley this morning that was conducted by Skip Prichard, the CEO of Ingram Publishers. While the main interview was based around Senator Bradley’s new book, We Can All Do Better, what really intrigued me were some side notes along the way about training for basketball. [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was viewing an <a href="http://www.skipprichard.com/senator-bill-bradley-on-how-we-can-all-do-better/">informative video interview</a> of Senator Bill Bradley this morning that was conducted by <a href="http://skipprichard.com">Skip Prichard</a>, the CEO of Ingram Publishers. While the main interview was based around Senator Bradley’s new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593157290/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=1593157290&amp;adid=0717ATFENZP3VX3BNNW6&amp;">We Can All Do Better</a>, what really intrigued me were some side notes along the way about training for basketball.</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/skip-video.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="skip-video" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/skip-video_thumb.jpg" alt="skip-video" width="575" height="288" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>It seems that Bill (former NBA star for the Knicks) had trouble finding other kids to play basketball with growing up, so he came up with some unorthodox ways to practice. He executed jumps with weights in his shoes, put cardboard in his glasses so he could not look down, and dribbled through stacked chairs that stood in for opponents. These simple innovations allowed him to excel at common tasks in the sport and take his game to a new level.</p>
<p>As I thought back to my days in high school playing basketball with friends, I was intrigued by how cool Bill’s ideas were. I remember that by finding better ways to execute common plays, a short player like myself could have a decided advantage over taller opponents. I wish I would have thought of those cool “hacks” while practicing at home.</p>
<p>It’s with this “innovative” thought in mind that I would like to share with you three quick tips that can take your daily “productivity” game to a new level.</p>
<p><strong>1. Clean Off Your Desk.</strong> If you are like me, you probably find yourself inundated with junk mail, bills, advertisements, notes, and a whole list off assorted items that for some unexplained reason all end up on the top of your desk. To battle this “in your face” enemy takes planning and a can do attitude. In this <a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/03/five-minute-success-create-a-recycle-bin/">helpful video post</a>, I’ll take you through a quick process of creating a recycle bin to quickly overcome this scourge.</p>
<p><strong>2. Set a Daily Plan.</strong> Productivity starts with a plan. While there are many solutions on the market, I’ve found that having a simple daily planner on my desk lets me get started quickly. I just write down my top priorities for the day and then quickly put together a to-do list. It only takes a few minutes but can save me hours of frustration later. You can download our new <a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/03/how-to-finally-get-things-done/">Top 6 Daly Planner here</a> and learn how it works.</p>
<p><strong>3. Work in a Focused Manner.</strong> Once your daily plan is completed, take one of your major items and work on it in a focused manner. Our <a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/07/the-48-minute-empower-hour/">48 minute solution</a> will cut out distractions, and get you reaching your goals quickly and easily. You’ll just need a timer and the quick instructions here.</p>
<p><strong>Overall:</strong> Finding some innovative tips and tricks can help you make the most of your day.  The downloads are free and you can be up and running in just a few minutes. Why not take a few minutes now, grab some supplies, fire up the printer and get started.</p>
<p><strong><em>Question: What innovative solutions have you found to increase your productivity?</em></strong></p>
<div class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Posts"><H3>Related Posts</H3><ul class="entry-meta"><li class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post"><a title="Overcoming The Resistance" href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/06/overcoming-the-resistance/" rel="bookmark">Overcoming The Resistance</a></li>
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		<title>The One Glaring Drawback In Sales &amp; Social Media</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/successbeginstoday/BHWQ/~3/pe6MLjUscrE/</link>
		<comments>http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/05/the-one-glaring-drawback-in-sales-social-media/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 May 2012 18:55:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drawback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[zero]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/?p=3931</guid>
		<description>Years ago I had a job in outside sales. I sold automotive fasteners and called on repair shops, dealerships, and parts stores. It was a good job, but it had one glaring drawback. Every day started at zero. No matter how well I did the day before, I always started the day with a blank [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Years ago I had a job in outside sales. I sold automotive fasteners and called on repair shops, dealerships, and parts stores. It was a good job, but it had one glaring drawback.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/zero-pic.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-3933 aligncenter" title="zero-pic" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/zero-pic.jpg" alt="" width="328" height="172" /></a></p>
<p>Every day started at zero.</p>
<p>No matter how well I did the day before, I always started the day with a blank order form.</p>
<p>This made it hard to get out of bed in the morning.</p>
<p>Facing zero was tough.</p>
<p>Social media is the same way.</p>
<p>I fire up my machine to a blank line.</p>
<p>My mind goes blank… what am I going to say?</p>
<p>Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t like zero. I fight zero. I hate zero…</p>
<p>Zero does not inspire. Zero does not motivate. Zero gives me nothing.</p>
<p>So what is one to do with zero? Can we fight it, control it, destroy it, or maybe employ it?</p>
<p>Some of the great salesmen that I knew fought with zero. They got out of bed in the morning with a dagger in hand. They needed to kill zero before 8 am. They couldn’t leave the house with zero on the pad. They were on the phone, with passion in their eyes. Call after call, rejection after rejection… they were driven…</p>
<p>The clock would tick, their fingers would dial, the raging battle was on… Zero was toast…</p>
<p>But not for me. Zero controlled me. It depressed, agitated, and sometimes destroyed me.</p>
<p>It was never ever fair. Zero had a power unlike any other. There was nothing I could do.</p>
<p>Until one fateful day, late in May, with a customer named Ray, did zero die.</p>
<p>It was all by mistake. I hadn’t planned to do it, it just happened.</p>
<p>I forgot to send an order in at the end of the day.</p>
<p>When I awoke from my bed, it said hey.</p>
<p>There was no zero that way.</p>
<p>I simply said… Yea!</p>
<p><strong>I had found a way, to start the day, that really was OK!</strong></p>
<p>I had discovered a buffer. If I held an order back, I could go on the attack.</p>
<p>Zero would die… and that’s not a lie!</p>
<p>So every day, I would hold back one order… in order to silence zero. I woke up with a smile, with power in my step, out the door and on to sell more. There was no zero to deal with, no depression to overcome. It was a simple but effective way to kill nothing.. nada.. zero.</p>
<p>Here is the exciting news. Now you can kill zero in Twitter and Facebook.</p>
<p>You can literally wake up and have had tweets and posts sent on your behalf.</p>
<p>Just sign up for the <a href="http://bufferapp.com">Bufferapp service</a> and you can schedule your social media in advance.</p>
<p>And say goodbye to zero for good!</p>
<p><em><strong>Question: Have you tried Buffer Yet?</strong></em></p>
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		<title>Develop an Online Presence, Build a Business Around It, and Make Money Doing it.</title>
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		<comments>http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/05/develop-an-online-presence-build-a-business-around-it-and-make-money-doing-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 14:09:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amazing book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[businesses start]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[make money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael hyatt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online presence]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/?p=3915</guid>
		<description>Have you ever wanted to do what you are truly passionate about, build a business around it and make a good living doing it? That seems to be the outlook of many people in the new economy. If this is your goal, I have great news. It is possible to escape cubicle nation and get [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Have you ever wanted to do what you are truly passionate about, build a business around it and make a good living doing it? That seems to be the outlook of many people in the new economy. If this is your goal, I have great news. It is possible to escape <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VYBEK2/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=B003VYBEK2&amp;adid=1S5SYPZVH778VWN70VMJ&amp;">cubicle nation</a> and get started… today. I have three powerful resources to help you take the first step.</p>
<p><strong>1. </strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/159555503X/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=159555503X&amp;adid=007DN98DFB02X848HREE&amp;"><strong>Platform: Get Noticed In a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt.</strong></a> This book is a great place to start when building an online presence. <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/about">Michael</a> is the Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers and has developed a <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/">very popular blog</a> over the past few years. Through this experience, Michael has put together a step-by-step guide that anyone can follow to create a powerful online platform. His book is divided into five sections.</p>
<p>1. Start with WOW<br />
2. Prepare to Launch<br />
3. Build Your Home Base<br />
4. Expand Your Reach<br />
5. Engage Your Tribe</p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/159555503X/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=159555503X&amp;adid=0PJMV903QZ0XKXE3DK7J&amp;"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-3918" title="hyatt-book" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/hyatt-book.jpg" alt="" width="121" height="193" /></a>What I love about this book is Michael’s down to earth teaching style. He takes his extensive experience and puts all the pieces together in one easy to follow guide. If you have a product to sell, a business to promote, or an organization to build, pick up this wonderful guide and get started. Michael takes you through his experience building a Twitter following of over 100,000 fans and a blog that has over 400,000 visitors a month. He also shares his secret of getting hundreds of comments daily on his site. As a pre launch incentive, Michael is offering over $375 worth of free bonuses if you sign up on <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/platform">this list</a>.</p>
<p><strong>2. </strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307951529/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=0307951529&amp;adid=0VC1TE49H1WTJZX2WN5B&amp;"><strong>The $100 Startup.</strong></a> Once you have your platform started, you may want to build a business around it. If you have ever dreamed about quitting your day job and doing what you love, you need to read this book. <a href="http://chrisguillebeau.com/">Chris Guillebeau</a> interviewed over 1500 businesses that were started on a shoestring (many for $100 or less) and allowed the owners to follow their passions. From a bicycle mattress delivery business to a guy who makes over $100,000 a year helping people use their frequent flyer miles, you’ll be fascinated with the ingenuity and resolve that these real world businesses have.</p>
<p>The great thing is, Chris shares ways that you can do the same thing yourself. It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise” — even if you don’t consider it such — and what other people will pay for.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xbwBboFr3fQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe></p>
<p>In this short video clip, Chris shares a few of the business owners highlighted in the book. I really enjoyed reading about the down to earth start-up adventures with little or no capital resources.</p>
<p><strong>3. </strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1118034716/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=1118034716&amp;adid=11E2KN0TPME79NWKXRXE&amp;"><strong>Free Marketing: 101 Low Cost Ways to Grow Your Business.</strong></a> Once you build your platform and develop a business, you’ll need to find unique ways to market yourself. <a href="http://www.jimcockrum.com/blog/">Jim Cockrum</a> has put together an extensive tool chest of ideas to help you do that. From unique marketing on Ebay, developing a custom email list, all they way down to creating an online membership site, you’ll find amazingly creative ideas here.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LVQP48/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=B005LVQP48&amp;adid=1SECDNVVTWCGH81RXBWM&amp;"><img class="size-full wp-image-3926 alignright" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;" title="free-marketing" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/free-marketing.jpg" alt="" width="127" height="175" /></a>This book can help you make money, add traffic, and get the word out about your business with proven strategies. Jim has over a decade of experience with web based businesses which give him unique insights into what works… and what doesn’t. I really like the in-depth coverage and wide variety of ideas. This book is sure to give you some ideas to take your business to the next level.</p>
<p><strong>Overall:</strong> These three books are a low cost primer to help you get your platform built, a business started, and lots of ways to market your products. While each comes from a unique point of view, the combination will give you a powerful understanding to the opportunities that are available today.</p>
<p><strong><em>Question: What type of business and platform do you want to build?</em></strong></p>
<div class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Posts"><H3>Related Posts</H3><ul class="entry-meta"><li class="SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post"><a title="Low Cost Marketing Tools in Just Minutes" href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/08/low-cost-marketing-tools-in-just-minutes/" rel="bookmark">Low Cost Marketing Tools in Just Minutes</a></li>
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		<item>
		<title>Finding Your Writing Voice</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/successbeginstoday/BHWQ/~3/1eU4ftZEp5s/</link>
		<comments>http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/05/finding-your-writing-voice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2012 13:24:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eBooks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeff Goins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Maxwell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mystery novels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sentence structure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stephen covey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[voice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[word usage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[write online]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[write project]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing voice]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/?p=3904</guid>
		<description>As a blogger, I’ve been writing online for seven years. In that time, I’ve had a chance to write posts, short articles, an ebook, and publish a mystery novel. In each one of my writing projects, I’ve had to create and refine a particular writing “voice.” To develop my voice, I found that reading and [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As a blogger, I’ve been writing online for seven years. In that time, I’ve had a chance to write posts, short articles, an <a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/prod-hoax/">ebook</a>, and publish a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1448646960/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=1448646960&amp;adid=02YG4T4SVDTS1PARWQDY&amp;">mystery novel</a>. In each one of my writing projects, I’ve had to create and refine a particular writing “voice.”</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/microphone-560.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3906 alignnone" title="microphone-560" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/microphone-560-300x212.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="212" /></a></p>
<p>To develop my voice, I found that reading and critiquing other people’s work really helped. I looked at sentence structure, word usage, vocabulary, flow, as well as individual content.</p>
<p>In my early days of blogging, I referred to other bloggers in my genre for inspiration, including <a href="http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/">Steve Pavlina</a>, <a href="http://www.43folders.com/about">Merlin Mann</a>, and <a href="http://rosasay.com/">Rosa Say</a>. Each one had a different style. Steve was always pushing the limits with very extensive and somewhat confrontational writing, Merlin had humor, and Rosa brought structure and organization.</p>
<p>I discovered early on that boring posts would not find traction. Reading and reviewing popular personal development books by authors like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/landing/B001H6NROC/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=successbegins-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;qid=1336482988&amp;camp=1789&amp;sr=8-2&amp;creative=390957">John Maxwell</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/landing/B001ILIG4C/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=successbegins-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;qid=1336483044&amp;camp=1789&amp;sr=1-1&amp;creative=390957">David Allen</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/landing/B000AQ2VAQ/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=successbegins-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957">Stephen Covey</a> gave me substance.</p>
<p>However, it wasn’t until this year that my writing took on a new dimension.</p>
<p>I discovered that something sinister was holding me back.</p>
<p>It caused me to pick words with caution and care.</p>
<p>It affected my subjects and content.</p>
<p>It kept me from expressing myself.</p>
<p>It was subtle, yet overwhelming.</p>
<p>Some days,it stopped me cold.</p>
<p>I instinctively knew it was there.</p>
<p>But I didn’t know how to fight.</p>
<p>Then I read something new.</p>
<p>I began to see the enemy.</p>
<p>And the enemy was me.</p>
<p>Confronted by FEAR.</p>
<p>What changed my outlook, was something very simple, yet profound.</p>
<p>I never had expressed to myself one simple fact.</p>
<p>I am a writer and I write.</p>
<p>I don’t have to hold back.</p>
<p>I now have permission to fully express myself.</p>
<p>I can put powerful words on paper that make a difference to the world.</p>
<p>You see, I met someone who gave me permission to be my true self. Someone who told me in no uncertain terms, without a doubt, that I am truly a writer. Now all I have to do is…</p>
<p><strong>Write</strong></p>
<p>In his new ebook, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007YJEIAS/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=B007YJEIAS&amp;adid=0KG66T8HPDSJM9Z0HS52&amp;">You Are a Writer</a>, <a href="http://youareawriter.com/">Jeff Goins</a> shares his struggle with fear and how he overcame it. I learned…</p>
<ul>
<li>Why most writers struggle with confidence</li>
<li>How to stop waiting to be picked and start choosing yourself</li>
<li>The secret to getting your work published and your brand noticed</li>
</ul>
<p>This work is truly a game changer. If you put words on paper, you need to read this book.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007YJEIAS/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=B007YJEIAS&amp;adid=0KG66T8HPDSJM9Z0HS52&amp;"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="you-are-a-writer-final-gold-225x300" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/you-are-a-writer-final-gold-225x300_thumb.jpg" alt="you-are-a-writer-final-gold-225x300" width="200" height="260" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Jeff has a unique style and he will confront you about your fears, excuses, and procrastinating ways and help you get your true self on paper. If you want to take your writing to a new level, pick up this profound and motivational book.</p>
<p><em><strong>Question: Have you found your writing voice?</strong></em></p>
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		<title>Dream A Little</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/successbeginstoday/BHWQ/~3/HQtmwfsofRw/</link>
		<comments>http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/05/dream-a-little/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 May 2012 13:04:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goal Setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Impossible]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreamer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreaming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams can come true]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams come true]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[henry david thoreau]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[impossible]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[impossible dream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[james huneker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[walt disney]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/?p=3895</guid>
		<description>All men of action are dreamers. ~ James Huneker Make An Impact: Start With Impossible All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. ~ Walt Disney Have An Impossible Dream Dream and give yourself permission to be the You that you choose to be. ~ Joy Page I Believe [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Boy-facing-sun.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="Boy-facing-sun" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Boy-facing-sun_thumb.jpg" alt="Boy-facing-sun" width="416" height="323" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><em><strong>All men of action are dreamers.</strong></em> ~ James Huneker</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/04/make-an-impact-start-with-impossible/"><strong>Make An Impact: Start With Impossible</strong></a></p>
<p><em><strong>All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them</strong></em>. ~ Walt Disney</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/04/have-an-impossible-dream/"><strong>Have An Impossible Dream</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><em>Dream and give yourself permission to be the You that you choose to be</em></strong>. ~ Joy Page</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/04/i-believe-in-the-impossible/"><strong>I Believe In The Impossible</strong></a></p>
<p><em><strong>Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.</strong></em> ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/04/do-the-impossible/"><strong>Do The Impossible</strong></a></p>
<p><em><strong>Dreams are the touchstones of our character.</strong></em> ~ Henry David Thoreau</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2011/11/3-ways-to-make-your-dreams-come-true/"><strong>3 Ways To Make Your Dreams Come True</strong></a></p>
<p><em><strong>In dreams begins responsibility.</strong></em> ~ William Butler Yeats</p>
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		<title>A Simple Way To Get Things Done</title>
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		<comments>http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/05/a-simple-way-to-get-things-done/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 12:35:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Habits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[do]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[list]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/?p=3885</guid>
		<description>In life, I have found a simple truth. There are more things to do than I have time to do them. I must decide on my priorities. In the old days, I used to set aside an hour on a daily basis to do this. I’d make complicated lists and then strategically go through and [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In life, I have found a simple truth. There are more things to do than I have time to do them. I must decide on my priorities. In the old days, I used to set aside an hour on a daily basis to do this. I’d make complicated lists and then strategically go through and mark them from A to F, depending on their priority. Then I would take this list and painstakingly plan my day. I would schedule things down to the minute.</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/priorities.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="priorities" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/priorities_thumb.jpg" alt="priorities" width="422" height="296" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Unfortunately, it didn’t work.</strong></p>
<p>That hour that I spent on planning was a way to procrastinate.</p>
<p>Instead of actually doing something, I was <em>planning to do</em> a lot of things.</p>
<p>Planning was the key word. I got really good at planning but really bad at doing.</p>
<p><strong>One day, I tried an experiment.</strong></p>
<p>I decided to see if I could plan my day in 5 minutes.</p>
<p>I got a sheet of paper, and made a list of the important things I needed to do.</p>
<p>Then, I looked at the list and picked the top six.</p>
<p>Then, instead of painstakingly planning them out, I did something unthinkable.</p>
<p><strong>I picked one task and got started.</strong></p>
<p>I was actually doing something.</p>
<p><strong>Time elapsed: 5 Minutes.</strong></p>
<p>To make this easy for myself, I designed a simple daily planner with six boxes at the top. I just sit down in the morning and jot the most important things down in these six boxes. Then I make a quick to-do list at the bottom.</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/picksixsheet-crop.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="picksixsheet-crop" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/picksixsheet-crop_thumb.jpg" alt="picksixsheet-crop" width="176" height="244" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Most days, this only takes a few minutes.</strong></p>
<p>The secret is to write quickly and not get bogged down in the details. Getting started is the important thing… <strong>P</strong>lan, <strong>L</strong>ist, <strong>D</strong>o… They say, dead men don’t wear plaid…</p>
<p>Plaid men get things done…</p>
<p>Here is the <a href="http://12habits.com/download/daily-priority-sheet-win.pdf">Daily Planner</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Plan, List, Do…</strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Question: What&#8217;s on your daily planner?</em></strong></p>
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		<title>How to Overcome Obstacles to Personal Innovation</title>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2012 15:14:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creative]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creative brain]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[creative ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[idea]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[obstacles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[overcome]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[overcoming obstacles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[potential]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[problem solving]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/?p=3865</guid>
		<description>This is a Guest Post By Chuck Frey. He is the author of Up Your Impact: 52 Innovative Strategies to Add Value to Your Work. Available May 1st. As someone who seeks to add value to your work, you ought to make a commitment to personal innovation &amp;#8211; to seek out new ideas, strategies and [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p>This is a Guest Post By Chuck Frey. He is the author of <strong>Up Your Impact: 52 Innovative Strategies to Add Value to Your Work. Available May 1st.</strong></p></blockquote>
<p>As someone who seeks to add value to your work, you ought to make a commitment to personal innovation &#8211; to seek out new ideas, strategies and solutions to improve what you do for a living. But there are a number of things that you may be doing that cause you to unwittingly diminish your potential for personal innovation. These unseen barriers may be the reason that you feel stuck in a rut &#8211; which one wise person once described as &#8220;a grave with both ends kicked out.&#8221;</p>
<p>Here are some tips to help you free up your creative energies and realize your potential for personal innovation in your work and life:</p>
<p><strong>Eliminate limiting self-talk</strong></p>
<p>Everyone has a steady, internal stream of “self-talk” – those beliefs and messages you tell to yourself. Examples of limiting self-talk include &#8220;I&#8217;m not creative&#8221; and &#8220;That idea will never work.&#8221; To free up your creative potential, you need to realize that you were born with the most important creative tool ever devised by the Creator – your marvelous brain, which is more powerful than any computer ever created.</p>
<p>Your brain can make intuitive leaps, associations and combinations that are truly stunning. Stop reading for a moment and take in your surroundings. Realize that everything you see that is man-made started out as an idea in someone’s mind.</p>
<p>To begin realizing your full creative potential, adopt more positive, creative self-talk. Examples include &#8220;I AM creative!&#8221; and &#8220;My brain and its ideas are the source of my future success!&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Lack of time for creative thinking</strong></p>
<p>It’s one of the perils of the Modern Age: We fill up nearly every waking moment with activity. When we’re driving, we have the radio on or we’re cranking tunes on our portable music players. When we’re walking, we’re talking on cell phones or listening to music. When we’re eating breakfast or lunch, we’re reading a newspaper, book or magazine. And each time we have a few minutes to spare, we&#8217;re checking Facebook or Twitter on our smart phones. All of this ceaseless activity doesn’t give your mind much time to incubate ideas – one of the things that it does best.</p>
<p>Think about the times during which your best ideas come to you. Chances are that they are the times when your mind is disengaged, and able to drift freely from one thought to the next. For many people, these times include taking a shower, mowing the grass, walking or when you’re trying to fall asleep at night. To be more creative, you need to take longer showers! (Just kidding!)</p>
<p>Actually, you need to take time for think time. Go to a quiet spot. Turn off the radio when driving. Turn off your music when walking. Forget about Twitter and Facebook for a few hours. Let your ideas begin to bubble up and enjoy the fruits of your creative brain!</p>
<p><strong>A lack of understanding about your brain&#8217;s operating system works</strong></p>
<p>Your subconscious mind is like the giant, submerged part of an iceberg – the unseen and little understood part of your brain where most creative thinking takes place. You don’t need to know a lot of brain science to benefit from the awesome power of your subconscious mind, any more than you need to know the principles of electricity to turn on a light in a room.</p>
<p>What’s important to know is that your subconscious takes in everything you read, hear, see and experience and stores it. That means one of the ways you can become more creative is to feed the &#8220;raw material&#8221; pile of your mind with a variety high-quality ideas and insights from varied sources.</p>
<p>Your subconscious mind relentlessly smashes together different ideas and concepts, and serves up those that are most intriguing as hunches or flashes of insight – the legendary &#8220;A-ha!&#8221; moment. Many people tend to ignore these hunches, but the creative person develops a great respect for them and seeks to capture them quickly – before they get away.</p>
<p>That’s one of the curious things about ideas: they tend to bubble up into our conscious minds when we least expect them, but they fade away just as quickly. And that leads us to the next obstacle to personal innovation…</p>
<p><strong>A lack of tools to record creative ideas</strong></p>
<p>Great ideas tend to get away – unless you quickly record them. Creative people always carry tools with them to record these flashes of insight, such as a small notebook and a pen, or a compact voice recorder. This enables them to go back to those ideas later and consider them further, add to them and DO something profitable with them!</p>
<p>One of my favorite tools is Evernote, a note-taking app on my iPhone. Using the Dragon Dictation app, I can dictate an idea into my iPhone. Within seconds, it&#8217;s translated into text, which I can then copy and paste into Evernote. I also like to use a small Moleskine notebook to record my ideas and insights – it’s very portable and durable, and even has a small, expandable pocket inside the back cover where I keep a folded-up sheet with creativity prompts, which I use to generate new content ideas for my websites.</p>
<p><strong>Getting stuck in patterns of behavior</strong></p>
<p>We human beings tend to be creatures of habit. We drive to work the same way. We listen to the same music, watch the same TV shows, read the same magazines and hang out with the same people. To be more creative, you need to jolt yourself out of your mindless routines, and expose yourself to fresh stimuli – which we&#8217;ve already heard are the raw materials of new ideas! Drive to work a different way. Read different magazines and books than you normally do. Travel somewhere that you’ve never visited before. Have lunch with one or two new people per month to share ideas. Inspire your mind with some fresh, different input – your brain will thank you for it!</p>
<p><em><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/chuck-frey-up-your-impact.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="chuck frey up your impact" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/chuck-frey-up-your-impact_thumb.jpg" alt="chuck frey up your impact" width="83" height="110" align="left" border="0" /></a>Chuck Frey is the author of <strong>Up Your Impact: 52 Innovative Strategies to Add Value to Your Work</strong> (<a href="http://upyourimpact.com">http://upyourimpact.com</a>), which will be published on May 1, 2012. Chuck is the publisher </em></p>
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		<title>Five Minute Memory Cards</title>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2012 14:33:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Memory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[flash memory cards]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[mnemonics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photographic memory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[word rhymes]]></category>

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		<description>The clock is ticking down. It&amp;#8217;s almost midnight and the important semester final is tomorrow. You have to remember ten important facts, in order, and you are having trouble. You can get the first two or three, but the rest are getting scrambled. This grade is really important for your scholarship requirements&amp;#8230; so money is [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/remember2.jpg" alt="" align="left" />The clock is ticking down. It&#8217;s almost midnight and the important semester final is tomorrow. You have to remember ten important facts, in order, and you are having trouble. You can get the first two or three, but the rest are getting scrambled. This grade is really important for your scholarship requirements&#8230; so money is on the line.</p>
<p>You remember something about a memory tag system that you read about in a book a while back. You go to your bookshelf and pick up, &#8220;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345410025/002-0904463-2305603?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=successbegins-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=0345410025">The Memory Book</a>,&#8221; by Harry Lorayne. It&#8217;s chocked full of great memory ideas and you skim the chapters looking for a technique that might work for you.</p>
<p>You find all sorts of interesting ideas and techniques for remembering numerous items, but the peg system in chapter 11 appeals to you. You give it a try and it seems to work. The idea is to tie the things you need to remember in with familiar items that you can <em>quickly relate to a number</em>. You take these items and add action and make a sequence in your mind. The examples in the book list ten different items that <em>rhyme with the number they represent</em>. The items are a little confusing so you come up with your own list of rhyming words. Bun rhymes with one, shoe rhymes with two, tree rhymes with three and on and on. You come up with a complete 10 item list&#8230;</p>
<h3><small><span class="mw-headline">Rhyming word list (Each word rhymes with the corresponding number)</span></small></h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Bun:</strong> Visualize the first item being put in a bun</li>
<li><strong>Shoe:</strong> Visualize an association between the 2nd thing and shoes</li>
<li><strong>Tree:</strong> Visualize the third item growing from a tree</li>
<li><strong>Door:</strong> Visualize the 4th item associated with a door</li>
<li><strong>Hive:</strong> Visualize the 5th item associated with a hive or with bees</li>
<li><strong>Bricks: </strong>Visualize the sixth item associated with bricks</li>
<li><strong>Heaven:</strong> Visualize the seventh item associated with heaven</li>
<li><strong>Plate:</strong> Visualize the 8th item on a plate as if it is food</li>
<li><strong>Sign:</strong> Visualize your 9th item on a sign</li>
<li><strong>Pen: </strong>Visualize the 10th item being written with a pen.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>For example to remember the following grocery list of 10 items:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Steak:</strong> Picture a steak between two buns</li>
<li><strong>Eggs:</strong> Picture an egg wearing shoes</li>
<li><strong>Coffee:</strong> Picture cans of coffee hanging from a tree</li>
<li><strong>Bread:</strong> Picture a door made from bread</li>
<li><strong>Catsup:</strong> Picture bees flying from a catsup bottle</li>
<li><strong>Soda:</strong> Picture a brick house with soda cans as bricks</li>
<li><strong>Apples:</strong> Imagine apples with angel wings and a halo</li>
<li><strong>Soap:</strong> Picture a bar of soap on a plate</li>
<li><strong>Dog food:</strong> Picture a large sign with dog food advertised on it</li>
<li><strong>Baby food:</strong> Picture a baby writing with a pen on a baby food jar</li>
</ul>
<p>This technique seems to work for you. You note that the crazier you make each visual the easier it is to remember. You wish there was a way to quickly take this system with you so you could practice on the go. Hmmmm&#8230;</p>
<p><img src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/treecard.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="144" align="left" />Enter the <strong>Five Minute Memory Card System</strong>. Ten memory cards that you can print quickly and easily on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&amp;tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;path=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB00006IBV3%2Fqid%3D1146839297%2Fsr%3D1-5%2Fref%3Dsr_1_5%3F%255Fencoding%3DUTF8%26s%3Doffice-products%26v%3Dglance%26n%3D1064954">Avery Business Card Stock</a>. You break them apart and list your memory items on each one. Improving your memory power now becomes much easier as each card has a picture of a rhyming peg of the numbers one through ten. You just write down the items you want to remember one by one on the cards.</p>
<p>Now you can easily lay them out in order on your desk and quickly come up with an <em>action sequence</em> in your mind. Each card has a graphic box where you can list the actions or sketch them out. Since the cards are flexible, you can gather them up and clip them together. They fit easily in pocket or purse so you can take them with you. You can use them as <em>flash memory cards</em> to help you develop a photographic memory of each item.</p>
<p><img src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/treecard2.gif" alt="" align="left" />Each of the cards has a word line and a corresponding box with a number in it. You just write your word on the line and make notes or draw a picture in the corresponding box. Since each card has a number in the background they are easy to put in order. You can lay them out on a table from left to right or from top to bottom.</p>
<p>You peruse the cards like a storyboard, visualizing an action sequence, one card after the other. Once you have formed the action movie in your mind, you can gather up the cards and shuffle the order. You turn them upside down in a stack and draw one at a time. Using them as flash cards gives you a way to test each item to make sure you have trained your short term memory on each one.</p>
<hr />
<p>The next morning you wake up, review your cards and double check your action. You grab a mini clip and clip the cards together in a stack. You slip them in your pocket and head out the door for school. As you pull in to the school parking lot you sit quietly in your car and review your cards. All 10 things are coming back easily now. You test them out of order and find that the rhyming words make it easy to figure out what number each item should be.. plate equals eight.. etc.As you enter class the teacher hands you a test booklet. The test goes well and when the questions come up about your ten items, you quickly remember the answers. Even the trick question about item <em>seven</em> brings back your memory of <em>heaven</em>. This little card trick has really helped you get a good grade on the exam and now you are assured of more scholarship funding in the future. The few dollars you spent on the business cards seems miniscule now.</p>
<p><strong>Instructions:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Download the <a href="http://12habits.com/download/memorycards3.zip">Five Minute Memory Card Template</a></li>
<li>Open MS Word and load the template</li>
<li>Print the template out on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&amp;tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;path=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB00006IBV3%2Fqid%3D1146839297%2Fsr%3D1-5%2Fref%3Dsr_1_5%3F%255Fencoding%3DUTF8%26s%3Doffice-products%26v%3Dglance%26n%3D1064954">Avery Business Card Stock</a></li>
<li>Break the cards apart.</li>
<li>Use a pen to enter your words and details</li>
<li>Arrange the cards in a storyboard fashion on a table.</li>
<li>Create an animated sequence in your mind of the actions</li>
<li>Use the cards as flash cards to test your memory.</li>
<li>Create advanced  techniques to improve your memory power</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><em>Other Five Minute Items that may interest you&#8230;</em></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2006/05/five-minute-organizer/">Five Minute Organizer</a><br />
<a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2006/05/five-minute-flowchart/">Five Minute Flowchart</a><br />
<a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2006/05/five-minute-outliner/">Five Minute Outliner</a><br />
<a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2006/05/five-minute-motivators/">Five Minute Motivators</a><br />
<a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2006/05/instant-garage-sale/">Instant Garage Sale</a></p>
<p>Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/memory" rel="tag">memory</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/five%20minute" rel="tag">five minute</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/business%20cards" rel="tag">business cards</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/storyboard" rel="tag">storyboard</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Flash Foresight: 3 Technology Solutions You Need To Know About!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/successbeginstoday/BHWQ/~3/wSnbqLXDS8E/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:04:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Richardson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[eBooks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iPad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Organization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>

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		<description>In my final wrap-up post about Daniel Burrus’s great new book, Flash Foresight, I’d like to show you three new technology products that can help you take your business or product to a new level. These tools are cutting edge and I plan to explore all three as I put together a personal development seminar [...]</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In my final wrap-up post about <a href="http://www.burrus.com/">Daniel Burrus’s</a> great new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061922293/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=successbegins-20&amp;camp=0&amp;creative=0&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=0061922293&amp;adid=1XPZHDS7PJ4EEPF5E3D3&amp;">Flash Foresight</a>, I’d like to show you three new technology products that can help you take your business or product to a new level. These tools are cutting edge and I plan to explore all three as I put together a personal development seminar called <a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/04/creating-relevant-light/">Relevant Light</a>. Let’s take a look at how they work and how they may help you create cutting edge products or services.</p>
<p><strong>1. <a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/index.php">Scrivener:</a></strong> If you are an entrepreneur, small business person, or blogger, you know the importance of writing a book. A book will give you credibility, provide an alternative income source, and give you a great marketing tool to increase your audience. The problem is, in 2012, there are so many publishing options, where do you start? Currently you can…</p>
<ul>
<li>Go through a traditional publisher and publish in hard cover, paperback, and Kindle </li>
<li>Self Publish in paper based print on demand format, epub format, and Kindle format </li>
<li>Create a standalone e-book in PDF format that you sell on your website </li>
<li>Create an interactive textbook for the iPad using iBooks Author </li>
<li>Create an audiobook </li>
</ul>
<p>If you have ever tried to output your document in multiple formats, you know the utter frustration of the current technology. Most programs, such as Word and Pages, offer minimal output options. Worse yet, they don’t offer any way to keep secondary items, such as graphics, photographs and videos organized in any way. If you are working on a multi-format project you’ll soon find yourself with an organizational mess.</p>
<p>This is where Scrivener shines. Scrivener is a content-generation tool for writers that allows you to compile and organize long and complicated documents.</p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/scrivener-sample-page.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="scrivener-sample-page" border="0" alt="scrivener-sample-page" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/scrivener-sample-page_thumb.png" width="571" height="292" /></a></p>
<p>Scrivener allows you to edit and combine multiple documents at once. This allows you to easily cut, paste, and revise all on one screen. With the built-in outlining tool, you can re-arrange chapters and sections with ease. </p>
<p><a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/scrivener-corkboard.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="scrivener-corkboard" border="0" alt="scrivener-corkboard" src="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/scrivener-corkboard_thumb.png" width="568" height="294" /></a></p>
<p>The corkboard tool allows you to see a synopsis of each section at a glance to easily compile a document to your specifications by simply moving cards around on a corkboard.</p>
<p><iframe height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AdwnHo23Ub8" frameborder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>To get an idea how to use this useful tool. take a few minutes and watch the instructional video above. You’ll be amazed how this can help your writing workflow. The output features allow you to create documents formatted for conventional publishers as well as output for self published books using Amazon’s <a href="https://www.createspace.com/">CreateSpace</a>. The new version will also output in popular e-book formats such as epub and <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/">Kindle</a>. Overall, this one tool can turn you into a full featured book author and publisher in no time.</p>
<p><strong>2. <a href="http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/">iBooks Author</a>.</strong> This innovative program for the Mac allows you to create interactive textbooks for the iPad. The included editor allows you to create galleries, video, interactive diagrams, 3D objects and more. While this type of file is only viewable on the iPad, with the growing base of users and it’s interactive nature, this is the future of textbooks and seminar workbooks.</p>
<p><iframe height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b-WsMzOwmhI" frameborder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Take a look at the incredible features of this product in the video above. This is the future. I’ve been experimenting with the wide variety of features. While it’s a little daunting at first, the updated version works well. I hope to have a sample workbook out soon for testing.</p>
<p><strong>3. Interactive Video Selections</strong>. Imagine watching a video that presents you with an emotionally charged situation. Just at the peak of the excitement, the video stops and you are presented with a menu. You get to choose the ending and the outcome.</p>
<p>In my current book and video project, <a href="http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2012/04/relevant-light-the-experience/">Relevant Light</a>, I want to be able to show my video viewers what the consequences of their choices will be. They’ll watch a video segment and them choose an action. The video will show them the outcome of their particular choice. I think this will have powerful ramifications with an audience. </p>
<p>While I have worked with this type of product in the past by custom designing video interfaces using <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/flash.html">Adobe Flash</a>, I’m currently in the market for a solution that will output in HTML 5 for compatibility with iPad and other IOS devices. If you currently know of such a product, please leave a comment below. </p>
<p><strong>Overall: These three programs can help you create a cutting edge book or video project that can help you take your business to the next level.</strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Question: What type of project would you use these on?</em></strong></p>
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