Movie Rentals Could Be Coming to YouTube

Hey guys - check out the following Mashable article by Ben Parr about how YouTube is interested in placing entertainment media (movies) on its website. It will be streaming, & users pay a monthly fee to access all the video they like.

Awesome.

OpenCulture.Com - Blog for Free PodCasts, AudioBooks, eBooks

Hey guys - stumbled upon this awesome site blog. Gives a list of top sites for educational & cultural media - PodCasts, Audiobooks, eBooks.

Check it out!

Book Review: FREE - The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson

Hey guys - finished another fantastic book. The book, FREE - The Future of a Radical Price, by Chris Anderson, who previously wrote, The Long Tail, is about the concept of FREE & how it is changing in today's society.

He starts talking about the Industrial Revolution, & how the concept of FREE was either to 1. Entice you (give you a little bit, ie freebies at the grocery store), 2. Be included in the cost when you buy, 3. Marketing gimmick - buy one, get one free (ie buy one at 1/2 off). And how in the Industrial Age, whose concepts are based on scarce resources, goods, the concept of FREE bred distrust, reeked of scams, etc.

However, with the advent of increasing computing speed, bandwidth, and memory, the Internet is changing the concept of FREE, to be actually really FREE. For example, with improving technology, Moore's Law, and others, the amount of information is doubling every 18 months, and the price of computers is drastically falling (down to as close to zero as possible). And with services, digital media, non-tangible goods/services increasing in ever increasing supply over tangible goods/services, small entrepreneurial companies recognizing this trait have started to rake in profits over the slower, larger corporations. The book is filled with tons of examples, from RyanAir, Google, environmental companies (the list goes on & on), Chris Anderson weaves a fantastic thesis on the concept of FREE & how it is changing in today's Digital Age - politically, economically, socially. You can download a FREE audioversion (abridged) at the following link (not affiliate).

Check it out. I liken it to the book, The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman.

US Open Warns Tennis Stars About Tweeting

Recent article by Mashable's Jennifer Van Grove on curbing athlete Tweeting to prevent leakage of inappropriate information. Check the article out.

Tweeting and Insider Information, interesting.

Interview with Mike Cliffe-Jones, Blogger/ Author/ Consultant

Hey guys - today I'm interviewing Mike who I wrote about in last week's posts about blogging your way to a full time income and the Power of Karma. Mike was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions for us today.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself - have you always been an entrepreneur, did you work in the corporate world, etc.

I'd say the entrepreneur has always been within me, but I spent the first 18 years of working life with big corporations, I worked for Toyota, Ford Motor Company and then Volkswagen group in Northern Europe. When we decided to move to the island we live on now, about nine years ago, we set up a Real Estate business, which started small and then become quite big! So I guess that started in an entrepreneurial way, but became something more. I started blogging less than a year ago, but now it's my full time job.

2. Why/how did you get started in blogging?

I'd already started the process of easing myself away from my old business, and I wanted one which could provide me with a solid income, and which I could run until retirement without having staff or meetings or hassle! I also chose blogging because I have been writing all my life, and it was a logical decision. I studied the blogging market for some time before moving into it, and clearly understood what I wanted to do and which niches to enter, and I was fortunate in that my wife joined me in the venture and she runs one of our three blogs.

3. What are some key factors to your success in blogging?

The most important factor is lots of quality content. As long as you keep that going, everything else just seems to happen - traffic growth, more subscribers, great connections with other bloggers. You just have to keep the content coming, and stay focused on your readers and what they need.

4. Any tips on driving traffic to your site - SEO, PPC, affiliates, referrals - on & offline, partnerships?

I'm not a "technical" blogger. That's to say I didn't come at it from a web based background. I'm a writer, and the blog is simply a medium for that. Because of that I have to be honest and say I don't really "do" SEO at all. I simply write what I think is good stuff, and it seems to get indexed well and quickly by the search engines. Twitter has brought me an awful lot of traffic, but again I don't really push it for that reason, I enjoy the communication side of it. I've been lucky enough to develop some quite close relationships with other bloggers, which has enabled us to introduce our readers to each others. I've also worked hard at commenting on other sites, and I know that brings good traffic to mine.

5. Any tips of converting your traffic into profits?

We use different business models on the sites. Mike's Life is aimed at new and learning blogers and the income comes from a few affiliations, and three of my own products which we sell on there. On the other two blogs, the income is from direct advertisers, adsense and affiliations. The best tip I can give people is that the more good quality stuff you give away for free, the more your readers will want to buy the paid-for stuff. And products you create inevitably make more margin than selling other peoples!

6. What experiences - successes, setbacks have you experienced along the way & what have you learned from them?

I set out with some very clear objectives, and bar a few, we've exceeded them all, so I'm very happy! That's not to say I haven't learned a lot of lessons and here are some:

• Aim to grow your email list as fast as you can, and use a "proper" provider like Aweber
• Create a product of your own as soon as possible, it doesn't matter if you only sell two a week!
• If you plan to make money from your site, do so from the beginning, don't wait until you have lots of traffic
• Stay focused on the things that help you achieve objectives - it's easy to get bogged down in unimportant stuff
• Find one social media site you like (Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed etc) and become an authority

7. What projects are you currently working on?

My Beginner's Guide to Blogging course starts again on 1st September, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm also working with Nathan Hangen on a book (not an E Book) called "Beyond Blogging" which will go on sale in December. We're excited about that project and so far Gary Vaynerchuk, Penelope Trunk, Chris Garrett and David Risley have agreed to participate. On the travel blog, we are working on a book called "The Insider's Guide to Lanzarote." So we're pretty busy!

8. Where do you see yourself in 10 yrs? What is the long-term vision for your business?

I'll still be running the blogs and still writing every day, but we don't have any plans to grow the business to include staff. It will always just be us. I love public speaking, so I hope to start offering my services to talk at events about blogging and social media. But overall, we'll still be doing what we're doing now, just for millions, rather than thousands of people, I hope!

9. Where do you see the greatest opportunity for bloggers?

The greatest opportunity for bloggers is to provide a great service for a lot of people. There are so many niches out there, and so many people looking for information. Find the niche, provide the information and then sell a product, a service or a membership that relates to it. There's a world of opportunity.

10. What do you do outside of business, to balance your life/work?

I'm a scuba diver, so I get away to dive at least once or twice a week. The best thing about being a blogger is that you can come and go as you please. We are also part way through restoring a huge house in our village, so that takes a lot of time, and we're into various outdoor stuff like water skiing, sailing, cycling, quad trekking and camping. We spend as much time outdoors as possible, which is a great antidote to blogging! For holidays, we love snowboarding and touring around the mainland of Europe.

11. Any resources for beginning bloggers (books, websites, blogs).

My whole site is a resource for new bloggers, but I do give away a free E book for new bloggers to people who join the community, and there are some good starter posts here.

12. Contact info

Skype Camelmediagroup

Email mike@mikeslife.org

Twitter @mikecj

Mike CJ is a full time blogger, author and social media consultant. His main blog Mike's Lifeis focused on helping new and learning bloggers earn a sustainable, long term income from their writing - something he achieved in six months. You can follow Mike on Twitter @mikecj

Book Review: An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths

Hey guys - great book. The book is written by Glenn Reynolds, who writes on his blog Instapundit.Com. Written in 2006, the book is truly a glimpse into the future.

He starts out by describing the Hunter-Gatherer Age, then progresses into the Agrarian Age, Industrial Age, & into the Information Revolution. He describes the various economic, political, social factors contributing to the transformations.

Citing numerous examples where ordinary people are taking power away from Big Government, Corporations, & the media - from "viral" word of mouth/texting, tribes, easy creation of digital media through YouTube, MovieMaker, GarageBand.Com, to blogs taking over poor media coverage of Iraq, Reynolds illustrates how the "little guy" and "ordinary people" are taking down Big Goliath. He then goes on to describe the future of nanotechnology, space travel, & the singularity. This book is truly ahead of its time & a glimpse of what is in store for us in the future.

Literary Tweets: 100+ of the Best Authors on Twitter

Check it out at the following link, courtesy of Mashable.Com's Cameron Chapman

Enjoy!

Will the Miss Universe pageant replace the U.N.?

Hey guys - was surfing & came across this CBS video. Disregard the content if you're not a Trump fan. The quality is absolutely amazing. Maybe TV's will become like the radio, printed newspapers. Enjoy.

Book Review: Larry King - My Remarkable Journey

Great book. Talks about the incredible life of Larry King, from his early days, to interviewing celebs/presidents/CEO's, being put in jail, being married 7 times to 6 different women, having a traffic accident with JFK, & surviving a heart attack/bypass surgery. I don't normally watch primetime TV, but the book inspired me to start watching his show CNN 8/9PM CT/ET Monday - Sunday.

Some notable things that stood out to me:

1. Larry King knew that the radio was for him (his path/purpose in life) & sought out to create an experience out of it.

2. Regardless of his marital problems, financial problems, when he was on air, interviewing one of the greats, that was his "thing", his essence, he was totally in the moment, totally absorbed in the moment, totally in control. It was funny how he described it as being easy. He described it as something he'd done since childhood.

3. Rather than read out a script, to him an interview was easy. Simply ask simple questions, draw out the interviewee, create a void with your questions, & fill that void. Go with the flow.

4. Being "lucky" bumping into celebs, and the sort.

5. When interviewing top athletes - baseball, basketball, the common trait, was, "I just play", or "I just have fun". Fascinating.

6. How he arrived at the ER, decided to leave, but then fate intervened, so that his heart attack was caught early on.

Check it out!

The Power of Karma - a Random Experiment in Cyberspace

Hey guys - the other day, I posted an article/link to the blog MikesLife. What was interesting was that I was referred to this website from one of my friends & learned some interesting things. So I thought I would let my readers and others know about Mike's blog.

Well, I was checking my stats on SiteMeter.Com (not affiliate) the other day & noticed a lot of traffic from MikesLife. Curious, I clicked on the referring links & was surprised to see a whole video blog/post about my blog. You can check it out here to find out more about this extremely interesting incident.

Pretty cool stuff. Mike has offered to do a guest post, or possibly an interview, in the next couple of weeks. Karma works in amazing ways.

Nonfiction Tweets: 70+ Authors to Follow on Twitter

Great article by Cameron Chapman, of Mashable.Com, about 70+ authors who blog about some pretty interesting topics ranging from Career, General Business & Marketing, Personal Finance, & Creative Nonfiction, Hobbies, Social Media, and various other topics. Check it out. Great resources!

How to Make a Full-Time Income from Blogging

Hey guys - a friend of mine recommended this site called MikesLife.Org. The owner is a full-time blogger (he & his wife). In the span of a year, he was able to go from zero to full-time blogger, making a full-time income. They generate revenue through affiliate marketing, advertising, and others. The interesting thing is that he & his wife have different blogs devoted to different subjects. Each one targeted to a specific niche in terms of content, customers. He's got some great content that is absolutely free. His wife's website is called LanzaroteInformation.Com, a blog solely devoted to the island of Lanzarote!

Couple of things I've learned from them on being a successful blogger:

1. Focus on a particular subject, something that you're passionate about so that it's easier to write about.

2. Generate outstanding content that is free.

3. Know everything about your customer, see everything from their perspective.

4. Focus on driving traffic - either through other blogs, word-of-mouth, friends, family, PPC, SEO, affiliates/partnerships, social media.

5. Convert that traffic into profits.

That's it!

Showdown Between Facebook & Twitter

Hey guys - pretty interesting stuff - Facebook & Twitter competing in the social media domain, with their real-time search features. The Internet is absolutely exploding.

Check it out at Mashable.com's (cool website on social media) feature article by Ben Parr.

Book Review: Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

Hey guys - just finished this fantastic book titled, "The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, & Betrayal" by Ben Mezrich.

Great read. Talks about the founding fathers of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin. And the supposed controversy that Mark supposedly stole the Facebook idea from Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss (Founders of ConnectU.com). The book then chronicles how he went to kick out Eduardo Saverin (financier) & venture capitalist Sean Parker.

Some highlights I particularly liked:

1. The rise of social media, social networking.

2. Mark Zuckerberg dropping out of Harvard to work on Facebook, similar to Bill Gates.

3. Mark Zuckerberg's genius & passion was in computers & found a way to create something truly life-changing. Got me to thinking about my passions & talents.

4. The Information Revolution - sites such as Google (revolutionized Search), Facebook revolutionized social networking. The innovators, creators using technology & the flattening world to fulfill a need.

5. To see something start out as an idea, work on it as a hobby/side project, & to see it grow to a full time endeavour, with a billion-dollar valuation.

6. The rise of intellectual property & potential conflicts of interest.

Ben Mezrich has written other books about young, energetic, smart talented renegades/cowboys /mavericks/rebels who find a way to take their hobbies & make them into something big, unique, & interesting.

1. Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions

2. Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students for Took Vegas for Millions

3. Busting Vegas: A True Story of Monumental Excess, Sex, Love, Violence, & Beating the Odds

4. Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil from Wall Street to Dubai

That's it!

4 QUICK Updates on My Blog

Hey guys - have been working on my site, taking one action step a day. Just finished a fantastic interview with Brian Amstrong. Among other things:

1. Traffic has almost tripled since promoting my site on Twitter, Facebook, & my Ebay store.
2. Subscriptions to my blog have doubled as a result of the increased traffic, social media, personally promoting it.
3. Sales and revenue from my Ebay store have doubled using drop shipping & product sourcing strategies.
4. Logged into my Google AdSense account & was astonished to see money there by people viewing, clicking the ads (Talk about passive income).
5. Have secured 2/3 more interviews - one's with an Olympic Coach.

Now granted, these are small successes in the grand scheme of things. They don't generate a full-time income, but generate enough to cover my internet expenses & to go out once in a while. But what occurs in a positive feedback loop, is that small successes with enough dedication, hardwork, commitment, can turn into larger & larger successes easier, faster, and a lot quicker over time. What I'm excited about is the POTENTIAL to see my Ebay store/Blog grow. What started out as a hobby that I started from my own living room, did in my spare time, & with little capital can now continue to GROW.

Blogging is a lot of fun. You get to write, create something, interact with others, sell products (your own, others), & promote advertising. Of all of these, I enjoy the interviews, affiliate marketing, drop shipping, & the marketing & advertising aspects.

That's it. Stay tuned!

INTERVIEW with Brian Armstrong, Internet Entrepreneur, Author

Hey guys - today you are in for a treat. Every now and then, I'll interview someone who's been successful as an entrepreneur - either in the internet, real estate, stock, or brick-mortar business.

Today, we have Brian Armstrong, who has taken time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Brian is an American internet entrepreneur currently living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After graduating from Rice University with a computer science degree, he left his high-paying corporate job to work for himself & achieved financial freedom at the age of 23.

He started the websites UniversityTutor.com, BuyersVote.com, and FeedmailPro.com. His personal blog is at StartBreakingFree.com.

Brian has authored, "Breaking Free: Fire Your Boss, Toss Your Alarm Clock, and Double Your Income with an Easy Transition into Self Employment" (Click on the link to purchase his book). He is also an active speaker & writer & has written articles for sites such as ProBlogger.net, LifeHack.org, and GordieRogers.com.

Without much ado, here's Brian!

1. How did you get started in entrepreneurship?

I think it's always been in my blood. In 5th grade I started selling candy at school. I could buy pieces in bulk for 10 cents and the kids at school would buy it for 25 cents. It was great until some teachers got wind of it and I got called into the principals office. I'm not sure why, but they weren't too happy about it! In high school I tried several companies from reselling computer hardware to starting my own web design firm. There were more in college and beyond. I guess I haven't stopped.

2. How long have you been an entrepreneur?

Probably since 5th grade or so. I've always thought it like that and looked for opportunities.

3. Did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur - was it a sudden "aha" experience/moment, or was it a gradual realization?

I don't think I always knew. I've tried lots of things over the years from corporate America to strange jobs. Entrepreneurship was a good combination of something I both enjoyed and was good at. It was a slow realization and I think I'll be exploring this question for my entire life. Entrepreneurship is a huge field with tons of different things I could do. It feel right for now.

4. What experiences - successes, setbacks have you experienced along the way & what have you learned from them.

There have been a lot. I've started lots of project (or businesses) that completely failed, and I learned something valuable every time. In fact, here is a list of 9 businesses I started which failed:
http://www.startbreakingfree.com/363/9-businesses-i-started-which-utterly-failed/

Here is a quick overview of how I now think about entrepreneurship:
1. Most of the stuff you try won't work, and that's ok
2. Invest as little time and money as possible to get your idea off the ground and test it out (then if it doesn't work, no big deal try the next one)
3. When you have an idea you're excited about, get going on it right away, if you wait around too much you'll lose your motivation
4. You don't need a business plan or investors or any of that. Do a quick Google search to see what else is out there and if you still like it a day later, get to work
5. Start cheap (particularly anything online) by outsourcing the site, using free wordpress templates, or giving a programmer equity for his work (or learn to program it yourself)
6. DON'T take on business partners and DON'T take on investors for web businesses, boot strap. You need to be the one in control of your destiny, not bogged down in drama managing other people's expectations.
7. Once you have one that starts to work, don't be ADD and continue rushing off to start a new business every day, force yourself to stay focused and really make that one blossom
8. Entrepreneurship is an emotional roller coaster...you will doubt yourself and wonder if you made the right decision on a regular basis. Get around other like minded people as often as possible to stay mentally tough.

5. What do you say to the "naysayers"?

There haven't been any really. My parents weren't crazy about the idea of me quitting my job to wok for myself, but that's understandable. The biggest person you have to worry about motivation-wise is yourself I think. You have to realize you're attempting something very difficult and if you fail a few times on the way that is to be expected. In fact, it's more than that...it's REQUIRED to get to success. If you want it bad enough, you'll keep at it.

6. You specialize in web startups, why/how did you come to choose this sort of business?

My background is in computer science so it was a natural fit. Also, I like the low cost the web startups. It's an amazing medium to work in because you can throw up an idea in two weeks, and even launch an entire company for $10 that has the potential to be used by people all over the world (I've detailed how I've done this on my blog). When you compare this to other mediums, it's not even close. For example, if you're launching a bio-tech startup you need to rent lab space and equipment, if you're building something mechanical you need to cut metal in a machine shop. You can run up costs very quickly to "experiment" and if you don't get it right the first time you might be out of money. With web startups that's not the case. They're very forgiving if you do it right and keep your costs low until you're cash flow positive.

7. What are the critical skills needed to become an entrepreneur - personal, business skills?

That's a good question and I'm not really sure. Probably the most important part is to just love it and really want it. If you have that you can pick up any skill you need along the way.

But as for a list of skills, I'd say getting the basic of accounting is helpful (try this post). The basics of marketing is always good (I particularly liked this book). And then I would just read a ton of what other successful entrepreneurs are doing. I read as many of their blogs as I can and reach out to them personally when needed. I find these sources of information to be much more valuable than any MBA textbook.

8. What are you currently working on?

My latest project is FeedmailPro.com where I'm making a better, cheaper alternative to Aweber.com in the blog newsletter space. BuyersVote.com is less of a business and more of a community site where I'm helping people make better buying decisions. UniversityTutor.com is the company I've had the longest.

9. Where do you see yourself in 10 yrs? What is the long-term vision for your business?

Ultimately I'd like to continue to build websites that people are getting a ton of value from, with potential sales along the road as they mature. I'd LOVE to one day build a site that has the reach of gmail or craigslist, or a site on that order of magnitude. Selling one of them for $100 million wouldn't hurt either. My other passion is helping other entrepreneurs break free and start their own companies as well, so I could see that playing a bigger role down the line as well.

10. Where do you see the greatest opportunity for entrepreneurs?

200 years ago it was the industrial revolution
100 years ago it was the birth of mass media (TV, radio, newspaper, etc)
right now it's still the internet and technology revolution. To me, that's the greatest opportunity for our generation.

Some other technologies I see playing a bigger role down the line? Genetic engineering, robotics, artificial intelligence, and anything having to do with renewable energy. Not all entrepreneurship has to be technology focused however.

11. What do you do outside of business, to balance your life/work?

Lately not much! :) But seriously, I'm enjoying traveling (having businesses online allows this nicely) at the moment. I've tried lots of different hobbies over the years, like salsa dancing, brazilian jujitsu, and acting.

Brian can be contacted on his personal blog at StartBreakingFree.com, where he writes about entrepreneurship and his latest projects.

That's it!

6 Ways to Get into the Top 3 Searches on Google in Less Than a Week for FREE

Hey guys - have been working on my blog lately, did a search recently to see where my blog stood in Google, & was surprised. Decided to do an article on ways to increase your search engine rankings.

1. Blog every day on your particular subject.
2. Develop an online community network - contribute to other people's blogs via comments, interviews. Put your blog link in your emails, Ebay stores, etc.
3. Join free affiliate marketing programs including - Amazon.com, WorldWide Brands, Commission Junction, AWeber, Audible.com
4. Use references that link to past articles, different blogs, etc.
5. Utilize social media marketing via Twitter, TwitterFeed, TwitterPics, Facebook.
6. Promote your blog to your friends, family, coworkers.

I did 1-6 & in less than a week, a search on lifestyle blogs (Maximizing Life the Easy Way) put my blog in the top 3, where it was previously unranked. Things I learned were how Google decides to rank your page, building a successful blog (as with any endeavour) requires commitment, one technique/action per day to get you to your goal, various ways to promote/market your blog - online, & in person, & honing my writing skills to develop outstanding free content every day.

In the meantime, I am working on several other projects including interviews, articles, affiliate programs, increasing my reader base, and working on the overall design of my blog. Any comments, suggestions, or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Until next time!

5 Ways to Start an Online Business

With the Internet these days, tons of people have switched from their traditional jobs and moved towards Internet-based businesses. The opportunities are huge in this area. Here are a few ways to start an online business.

Online platforms:
1. Starting your own website - You pay for the hosting, design, marketing, & selling. People usually know about designing websites (or outsource it), what they're going to sell, & how they're going to sell it.
2. Blog - fun. A blog is like your own magazine/newspaper. You get to write about your favorite topics, design it, decide which products you'd like to promote, sign up subscribers, sell your own product, sell advertising, host videos. The possibilities are endless. Hosting & design are free. Great for sharing information, writing. Another variation of the blog are the vlogs (video blogs) & podcasts.
3. Ebay store - My favorite. Pay a monthly fee of $15.95. Ebay takes care of the marketing, promotions. Plus, millions of shoppers a day go through Ebay. You decide which products you'd like to sell, then list them. You pay to list, final sale price, & PayPal fees. Check out my Ebay store.
4. Yahoo stores - a variation of #3
5. Amazon stores - a variation of #3.

Once you have your store/website up & running, the next step is to market it. All of the strategies below are topics in and of themselves. So you drive more visitors, more traffic to your site. Market research is also important - what your niche is, who your customers are, what they're likely to buy & for how much, and product sourcing. After that it's refining, tweaking your site so that the people who come there are more likely to purchase something from you (increasing your conversion rate).

Strategies:
1. Affiliate marketing
2. Google AdWords
3. Sponsorships
4. Endorsements
5. Partnerships
6. Drop-shipping
7. Pay-per-click advertising
8. Search engine optimization
9. Social media marketing

That's it!

The TRUE Meaning of Wealth

In today's society, we're all conditioned to think of being wealthy & being rich as the same thing. Society defines being rich as having a lot of money. Yet, there are many people who have a lot of money, but are completely miserable people. Sometimes they have to put in 20+ hours/day to sustain their current standard of living. Or their kids, spouses resent them because they're never around. So society's definition of being rich is measured in financial assets - dollars, stocks, businesses, real estate, net worth, & so on.

However, being rich is only one component of being wealthy. Wealth is composed of not only financial capital, but also emotional, spiritual, social, & intellectual capital. In my previous post on your greatest assets, wealth is defined as the number of days you could sustain your lifestyle without working. So, in other words, having a lot of time is a measure of wealth. And along with time comes freedom, independence, and mobility. Being happy, healthy, having a lot of positive relationships, great ideas, a lot of leverage, are all forms of wealth. A way to true financial wealth is through sources that provide passive income. A great book that explains this concept is the "4 Hour Work Week", by Tim Ferriss. Great book, one that changed my reality on what it really means to be wealthy.

So in the Information Age today, being wealthy means:
1. Your health
2. Your time, freedom, independence, & mobility
3. Your happiness
4. Your mind
5. Your ideas
6. Your friends
7. Your integrity
8. Access to various forms of capital (social, financial, intellectual, emotional, spiritual)
9. Various social, business, professional, academic, athletic skills applied to the appropriate settings.

That's it. Stay tuned!

How to Get Quality Books for Pennies on the Dollar

Hey guys - the other day, I wrote a post on how to devour one book per week. Today, I'm going to tell you how to get top/quality books for pennies on the dollar.

Actual physical books:
1. Borrow them from friends/family, trade them for your personal library.
2. Local library. Has literally TONS of some of the best books of all time.
3. Book sales & auctions - usually done by local libraries (once per month), college/universities (once per year).
4. Half.com - Excellent
5. Ebay.com - Check out my bookstore.
6. Half Price Books - Excellent.

Digital media:
1. Scribd.com - Free site where you can download free ebooks. Courtesy of Brian Armstrong of Startbreakingfree.com
2. Audible.com - Great place for audiobooks! Highly recommended.
4. Ebooks.com
5. Itunes.com
6. Local library, friends/family, garage sales, books sales, auctions.
7. Ebay, Amazon.com

8 Environment-Conscious Habits

With global warming, erratic/extreme weather changes, extinction, pollution, scarce natural resources (energy, water, food) being major issues, a couple of things we can do to help save the environment.

1. Drive less - live closer to where you work, take public transportation, ride your bike, exercise rather than go shopping/eating out. Drive a smaller car. Go hybrid.
2. Eat less fast food.
3. Recycle. Waste less.
4. Adjust your thermostat to slightly higher temps (summer) and slightly lower temps (winter).
5. Use shades, reflecting windows, sealants to better insulate your dwelling.
6. Adopt a plant. More plants = more O2, less CO2.
7. Go digital - rather than waste paper, etc. Do everything online, on your computer. Back everything up, though, & have anti-virus software.
8. Use a water-filter system as opposed to buying bottled water.
9. Adopt a pet
10. Donate to charitable causes such as alternative/natural energy, saving species from extinction, fight against global warming, pollution, deforestation, etc.
11. Use your own reusable bags when grocery shopping.

That's it. Until next time!

3 EASY steps to Devouring 1 Book per Week

Does the title make you skeptical? Lots of people think finishing 1-2 books per week seems impossible. The barriers to making this happening include: time, distractions, energy, and money.

The 3 steps are:
Step 1: Increase your reading comprehension, speed. There are a number of cheap, easy to read books/tapes on speed reading.
Step 2: Invest in a iPhone, iPod, MP3 player, laptop/desktop, CD/tape player, or DVD player.
Step 3: Next is to use these tools & skills to acquire knowledge, ideas, insights rapidly, easily, cheapily. Play audiobooks, tapes, CD's, DVD's in the following subject categories - motivational, self-help, inspirational, spiritual, educational, professional, business, diet, fitness, relationships & learn from them while you go about your day - driving to work, cleaning, cooking, working out, running errands, waiting in line, eating. I also sometimes watch the movie version of a book, if I feel that I can get the gist of the book from the 2 hours I spend watching the movie, versus the 2+ hours I will need to spend to complete the book.

Another thing to take into account is how we learn: We remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, & 50% of what hear/see/do. I am primarily a visual learner. I find that audiobooks are faster for me (timewise), but I have to come back to them more often. Also, it's easier to locate information/ideas in printed text versus the spoken word.

Following the 3 steps above is sure to increase your comprehension, speed, acquisition, & ultimately the number of books you finish per week.

Until next time!

3 Easy Ways to Double Your Visitors Using Twitter

Have been using the Twitter application recently, & tried a couple of steps that doubled the number of visitors to my blog.

1. Twitterfeed.com - sign up. It's easy & free. Then add the RSS feed from your blog to the RSS feed that Twitterfeed looks for.
2. Sign up for Facebook, if you haven't done so already.
3. Sign up for Twitter. Look for the option that allows you to link your Twitter & Facebook accounts.

So everytime you post a new article on your blog, Twitterfeed automatically sends it to Twitter (for all your followers to read) and Twitter then tweets it to Facebook for all your friends to see.
You can do this for pics, audio, video (yours & others) as well.

I did this & in one week, the number of visitors doubled on my site. That's huge, a 100% increase in visitors, which translates into increasing the number of subscribers, people knowing about you, buying your stuff, etc.

Am excited about this finding. I'm currently experimenting with other ways to boost my site visitors/subscribers using social media marketing, so stay tuned.

Your Greatest Assets

Hi folks - a lot of people think that assets are things such as stocks, businesses, real estate, gold. While those are assets, and good ones, I think even greater assets are the intangibles things that have the potential to yield huge, infinite returns. So here they are:

1. Your health, energy, spirit
2. Your time
3. Your mind
4. Other people - their time, talents, resources, skills, capital
5. Friends, family

So all of the above encompass the realm of social and intellectual capital rather than financial capital, which is the subject of another post. Until then!

Random thoughts

Here are some of my favorite quotes to keep me focused in the moment, enjoying each moment.
1. Life is short. Work hard. Play hard.
2. Savor every moment, b/c it can be taken away in an instant
3. Use your creativity, vision to make each day your masterpiece.
4. Spend 80% of your time on the 20% that yields 80% of the results.
5. Focus on activities that either: rejuvenate, recharge, refresh, change/alter, help you to grow. For example, reading, working out, watching a movie, hanging out w/ friends.
6. Choose work that when you do it, it comes naturally, you feel in the moment, you feel energized rather than drained by it.
7. Check email at 11 AM & at 5 PM. That's it.
8. Cherish each day b/c it could be your last.
9. Greatest power that we have is in the power of choice.
10. Be grateful for your health
11. Happiness is an internal state - contentment, positive self esteem, self image, optimism. Not dependent upon anyone, anything, or any circumstance.

Top 7 Inventions of All Time

Wondering about the life-changing inventions, that have helped shape the world, our lives, & the way we live.

Here they are:
1. Automobile
2. Airplane
3. Computer
4. Telephone
5. Cell phones
6. Internet
7. Lightbulb

Curious as to what the next invention will be to change our lives. I'm thinking it will be along the lines regarding the environment, energy, water, or food.

Role of Charity in the Information Age

I've been thinking alot lately regarding the role of charity & giving. Was at a seminar this past weekend, & played a game called, Cash Flow. In the game, the player has the option to donate 10% of their income to charity & gets the chance to roll more dice, when they do. Most of the players, when they landed on this space, did not donate. Why? Interesting. Got me to thinking.

Lots of us are conditioned to get, get, get, take, take, take. That form of mentality was common during the Industrial Age & is based on scarcity b/c resources were by definition limited during this age. That is why after the Great Depression, the way to survive was to get a good education, get a good job - safe, secure, lifelong, w/ good benefits.

However, in today's age, that notion is becoming obselete FAST. Now that we are in the Information Age - knowledge, information, ideas & what we do with them are key. Speed, volatility are becoming the norm. We can communicate with people overseas in our bedroom w/ just a computer & internet connection, in our boxers. We no longer have to fly to conduct business meetings. We can host webinars, telemeetings in our own living rooms.

We can see signs of the Industrial Age disappearing in previously corporate giants (GM, Ford, Chrysler) collapsing, facing bankruptcies, smaller/faster/smarter/efficient companies overtaking them, airlines facing financial issues, labor jobs being shipped overseas, the price of oil increasing.

In the Information Age - where we make our living by sharing information, knowledge, a new paradigm is emerging, & that is the concept of abundance. Since transitioning into the Information Age - ideas, thoughts, words, pictures, sounds, etc. are all abundant, they are all around us. Our economy is now based on the creating, packaging, & giving of things that are knowledge based. Multimillionaires, billionaires were created from this idea that information (an idea) can be created, marketed, & sold to the masses. Examples include: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jerry Yang, Larry Paige, Sergey Brin, etc. Other examples include rockstars, movie stars, athletes, businesses who have created a brand from their identity, experiences, accomplishments & have sold it to the masses in the form of endorsements, sponsorships, CD's, MP3's, movies, athletic products, franchises, licenses, businesses, partnerships, you name it.

So as we progress into the Information Age charity/giving will be more natural, easy, in my opinion. By reprogramming our minds from a scarcity to an abundance-based mentality, we set ourselves up for greater returns in every aspect of our lives. Here are a couple of reasons why I think giving, increases your returns:

1. It trains your mind to think in terms of abundance
2. You give to give, rather than give to receive (trains your subconscious that there's abundance)
3. Karma

The returns may be in the form of monetary returns, but it can also be in the form of lucky breaks, excellent relationships, good health, happiness.

So give whatever you can to a cause that you're passionate about - it can be to your local church, hospital, school, whatever, as long you give.

That's it. Stay tuned!

Power of your environment - the key to lasting change

After studying psychology, success in various areas, I've noticed a few patterns. In the area of self help, psychology, success, there are few individuals:

1. Like the idea, toy around with it, then stop after a while
2. Hobbyists
3. Hardcore people who actively work at it, achieving success to levels

1 & 2 are propelled by different emotional mechanisms, different levels of leverage, while 3 are probably people who lacked that level of self esteem, achievement, validation, approval as kids. These are usually the people that you hear about on TV & the news -> rockstar, actor, businessman, politician, doctor, lawyer, etc. Either they were deprived, abused, neglected, didn't fit in, or constantly put down. However, sometimes you have people who are "on their paths". They are in category 3, not because of a lack, but because of abundance. They are doing exactly what they were put on this earth to do (Tiger Woods, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Kobe Bryant, & even everyday people we don't hear about & so on).

After a while, the individual says to himself, "Enough with this bullshit. I've had enough. I know I can do it, I'm in the wrong environment, with the wrong people."

1. There must be an emotional breaking point. A point where a person says, "I've had enough. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get XYZ". Emotional leverage. Either in weight, relationships, business/finance, career, etc.
2. They'll usually go to a seminar where likeminded individuals go. Pay a lot of money for information.
3. Afterwards, they're pumped, ready to get on the path towards success.

The key to all of this is 1. Taking action, & 2. Monitoring your environment so that they sustain the emotional leverage/motivation that propelled you to make change in your life in the first place. For example, usually after summer camp, kids will come home & be excited that they got a chance to get out of their old, environment & interact with kids who have different realities, hopefully more abundant mindsets. But then they come home back to their old paradigms. If they don't consciously strive to improve their surroundings, thoughts, etc. Before you know it, they'll be back in their same patterns all over again. Spending a summer with the "A" students, I learned that they have a system for their success, so I replicated their success, took it home with me. But I had to constantly apply what I had learned from that summer, otherwise I would not be where I am today. For example, setting aside time to read every day, planning, executing.

Reasons why people don't grow, evolve
1. Complacency - achieve some level of success, but then don't continue, or are happy where they are, when they could go so much furtheer
2. Lazy - sounds great, but don't want to put in the time, or effort to achieve what they want. They don't have emotional leverage.
3. Fear/guilt - see below.
4. Misalignment - between their desires/aspirations, their beliefs about themselves, the world governed either by fear or guilt, or a combination of both.

So the key is to consciously apply these principles to your thoughts, beliefs, values, words, actions, to make sure they are in alignment, & to actively seek to surround yourself with people who share the same/better mindsets as you currently have, or would like to have.

Preparing for the Day

Hey guys - today I want to talk about preparation. There's a saying that winners - plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win. So, in order to make the most out of each day - making each day your masterpiece - here's what I personally do.

Night before 1. Think about all the things I want to accomplish tomorrow & rank them in order of priority
2. Write it down, to the tiniest detail. What time you're going to wake up, eat, work, workout, relax, hangout, etc.
Day of (1st hour): 1. Wake up energetic, feeling like something good is going to happen today. Expect it.
2. Breathe
3. Drink water
4. Light workout
5. Good breakfast
6. Read something spiritual
7. Create something of value to someone else - article, post, blog, etc.
8. Choose to make the day a masterpiece regardless of what happens.

Then I go about my day - keep up w/ the financials, writing, creating, brainstorming, etc. I usually work for 1-2 hours, take a break - food/exercise/random errands, & then get back to work. I also take some time to meditate, reflect/think on my past/current/future situation, & make plans accordingly.

Things I do when I'm down & out.
1. Recognize it immediately & get myself out of it, into a higher state.
2. Take a deep breath - accept it, then let it go
3. Visualize the outcome I want, reaffirm that this is the right way, the path.
4. Trust in myself, and in a Higher Source.
5. Get back to my path/purpose, source.
6. Understand that the pressures/expectations are self-imposed, & constructs of society. I take what works from these constructs & apply them in my daily life, but I don't let them dictate how I view myself, the world, etc.

Take up a swimming workout during the summer

Hey guys - it's hot down here where I live, reaches 100+ degrees F in the summer. I'm used to running in cooler temperatures, & for the past few months have literally had to wait until 7 pm, for everything to cool down to start my run. However, was driving the other day & drove past a pool in the neighborhood. Not one that's for kids to play, but an actual Olympic-sized pool to workout in. So I signed up & now my workouts consist of swimming, running, & weight lifting during the summers. It's a lot cooler, a lot more refreshing, more bearable, & a better workout (from what I hear) for your joints, calorie expenditure, etc. So give it a try. If it's too hot, go to your local swimming pool & work out there. That's the beauty of adaptability & flexibility.

Until next time!

Reality-shattering, perspective altering, life changing books

Hey guys - back again. Over the break, I read some outstanding pieces of work. Work that challenged, changed my current perception of reality, how we view things as a society. They are as follows:

1. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - by John Perkins. I actually came by this book on "accident" browsing the shelves at the local bookstore. The title sort of jumped out at me, so I started reading it. Fascinating stuff. Real life autobiography talks about the experiences of an economic hit man (EHM) - a modern James Bond. EHMs are basically employed by the corporatocracy, consisting of HUGE corporations, governments, & banks, basically trying to take over the world. Imperialism. Together, they employ these people to go to developing countries with MASSIVE natural resources - oil, etc. Try & strike out deals that are favorable to the local governments. Huge payouts to the local politicians. If they refuse, any means necessary are used to take them out of power - bribes, death, scandal, murder. The deals consist of HUGE contracts for US corporations to go in & build infrastructure. In return, the country gets placed into massive debt that they can't repay & make the countries obligated to the United States - which they then usually repay by giving us cheap oil. The corporations then go in, employ slave labor, destroy the natural environment. All in the name of greed, profits, control, power. Also, discusses how the government & corporations control the media to feed the public misinformation, disinformation, or omits information, which is why we always hear on the news (which I stopped watching years ago), about this shooting, that shooting, but never real tangible, applicable facts. Gives examples from Venezuela, Guatemala, Panama City, Saudi Arabia, Iraq. And also details the consequences of foreign governments if they fail to cooperate, usually ending in puppet governments, jackals, & invasion - like we did in Iraq. Fantastic read.

2. Grunch of Giants - by R. Buckminster Fuller. Dr. Fuller was a futurist, so he talks about how governments, corporations, and the rich legally steal from everybody else, by 1. The use of entities, 2. Printing their own money, 3. Making the rules so that they make money, no matter what. A bit difficult to read, but I got the general ideas, which shattered by reality.

3. Creature from Jekyll Island - Dr. Edward Griffin. Talks about the Federal Reserve & the Central Banks. Basically the Federal Reserve & the Central Banks are a cartel, who work with the governments to control the monetary supply & policy. Describes the formation, their motives, objectives. Tells the REAL truth about money - what it is, how it works. How the Federal Reserve has the right to print as much money as it wants (not backed by anything, but the reputation of the United States) & the Mandrake Mechanism (basically how the banks legally "print" their own money, by collecting interest on loans on money they don't have). Outstanding.


Stay tuned!

What to Look for in an Investment

With the economy in the state it's in, scandals, & massive financial losses, I wanted to talk about what it means to really invest & what I personally look for when making an investment. One man that I've learned tremendously from is Robert Kiyosaki.

What is an investment? Is it a:
1. Hot stock tip from your friend
2. Commentator on CNBC saying, "blah, blah, blah"
3. News article recommending company ABC
4. Commercial touting the latest company XYZ
5. Buying a stock today at a low price & selling it a few days later.
6. "Flipping" a house.
7. Mutual fund advisor saying, "Work hard, save, invest in a diversified portfolio of mutual funds in your 401k".

(PS - the answer to all of the above are NO. These are not investments).

Planning for your financial picture encompasses investing to speculating. The key difference between investing & the latter is cash flow. Cash flow provides immediate income. It puts money into your pocket, right now, today. Examples would include dividend, option-writing stocks, & cash flowing real estate & businesses.

If I buy shares of company XYZ that provides a dividend, that stock would be an investment. I could also write options against my stock every month that would provide immediate, controllable, increases income. In real estate, if I acquired a property, rented it out to reliable tenants, and if the rent provided extra income, that would be an investment.

Notice how I did not mention either stocks or real estate increasing in value over time, otherwise known as capital appreciation. In the long run, stocks & real estate tend to appreciate in value. However, as we can see currently, this is not always the case, & timing the market is not very reliable, nor is it very predictable.

Buying for capitals gains is like icing on the cake, but not the primary reason you buy the particular investment. Even if stocks & real estate have decreased in value (such as current times), if they provide cash flow, you still have money to live. So cash flow is like oxygen. You have to have it, or you can't survive. Additionally, with capital gains you are hoping, wishing for appreciation. Hoping and wishing are not strategies I would employ when investing.


Here's how I divide investing:
1. Person
2. Vehicle
3. Knowledge & experience

Person: To invest you need to know your personal profile. Your goals, your tolerance for risk, your time horizon, how active do you want to be. If you are conservative, don't want to manage your portfolio, a lot of people would recommend mutual funds, although I would not recommend this route. Rather, I would work on increasing your financial education. If you are more active, have more experience then how about getting into stocks, options, currencies, interest rates, commodities, futures? Or what about real estate? Do you want to be a flipper, or do you want to buy real estate & then rent it out? Do you want to do it full time, making several deals a month? or do you want to do it part time buying one property a year? Again all of these depend on the person.

Vehicle: Stocks are stocks, real estate is real estate. No one vehicle is better than the other. It's how the person uses the vehicle that characterizes their particular investment style. Everything has its advantages & disadvantages. What I like about stocks are that they are paper investments. No hassles. I can easily get into & out of them if I so choose. I can use options to generate income, mitigate risk, acquire stocks for cheaper, & sell stocks for higher prices. What I don't like about stocks are false financials, corporate fraud, scandals, & manipulation by Washington/Wall Street. While I do own a successful company that trades stocks & options, I am personally moving towards real estate & businesses because I can actually see these investments. And my income from these investments comes from creating value for others.

Knowledge & experience: Most important. After knowing yourself, I would focus on increasing your financial IQ. Know what you're investing in & why. Gather more knowledge & experience. Go to seminars, meet like-minded people. Avoid salespeople, "advisors", conmen, "too good to be true" advertisements. Get a mentor, someone who's done what you want to do. Talk to people whom you trust (hint: not politicians, media, brokers, analysts). Read books such as Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I like books like this because they provide reality-changing ideas, while delivering outstanding content. If you increase your financial IQ, you'll be much better off. Start slow, learn, & then gradually work your way up.

So here are some criteria I place when making an investment.

1. Control
2. Cash Flow
3. Leverage
4. Tax advantages
5. Risk mitigation
6. Assets that I can physically see
7. Passive, automatic, residual

As with all things, making good investments is like making good decisions. It takes knowledge of yourself, planning, experience, & patience.

11 EASY Ways to BETTER Health

Ever wonder why every year there are so many new diets, new ways of losing weight, new diet supplements?
Or why the first month of January the number of gym membership signups are at an all time high, yet by February, more than half are never to be seen again?
Or why diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, eating disorders, depression/anxiety are becoming more and more prevalent?


Here are some facts:
1. Average life expectancy is increasing.
2. Our lifestyle is changing from a much active to a more sedentary lifestyle.
3. Fast, cheap, salty/greasy foods make up a large component of the Western diet.
3. Health insurance costs are skyrocketing with lower payouts. Medicare will not be able to support future generations.
4. Diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression/anxiety are increasing dramatically.

With these facts in mind, health is becoming more and more important. Maintenance and prevention require establishing healthy habits early on. Here are 11 simple things I do to maintain my health.

Diet
1. Drinking 8 glasses of water every day (glass of water in the morning, during each meal, & during your breaks).
2. Eating foods high in water, fiber (Eat a salad or fruit w/ each meal).
3. Taking a vitamin every day.
Exercise
4. Running 1 hr a day, 3-4x a week. Lifting weights 2x a week. If you have bad knees, back then swim, or get on an elliptical machine. Make sure you heart rate is working at 60-75% of your maximum heart rate (220-age) for the entire time.
Emotional, spiritual, energy
5. Deep breathing, meditation, stretching 10-15 minutes every day following exercise.
6. Getting 8-9 hrs of sleep.
7. Reading uplifting books in the morning & before I go to sleep. Keeping my brain active by engaging in hobbies, reading.
8. Writing in my journal before going to bed. Writing down 5 things that I am thankful for.
9. Spending time with friends & family.
Preventive
10. Getting regular medical checkups. Main things to monitor are your blood pressure, resting heart rate, weight, cholesterol panel, and fasting glucose levels.
11. Treating myself once a week to reward myself for maintaining these healthy habits.

Remember, maintaining your health takes time, effort, & discipline. It requires establishing healthy habits. Little by little, if you start small & work your way one day at a time, you'll make it!


DISCLAIMER: The following are personal examples only. They are not professional recommendations. Please consult your personal physician before engaging in any of the following activities.

BEAUTY of Traveling

Hey guys. Just got back from an eventful week in Niagara Falls. Some notables were driving through a tragic plane crash in Buffalo and experiencing a bout of stomach flu with my girlfriend. Nevertheless, the Falls were a wonderful experience illustrating the beauty, power, and grace of nature. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

( The Falls on the US side )

Today, I want to talk about traveling, and how it can be a tremendously valuable experience.

Traveling can serve several purposes:
1. Personal growth, development
2. Learn the local culture - language, cuisine, history, fashion/styles
3. Learn about people from a totally fresh perspective
4. Pleasure, leisure, relaxation

Traveling to an exotic place can be frightening, scary at first. WHY? Because you're stepping out of your comfort zone. Your surroundings, your familiarity with people, everything is being turned upside down. Human beings fear uncertainty. But that's where real value lies.

By visiting a foreign country, you are placing yourself in completely new territory. You will be forced to learn how to get around, how to find the best places to eat & sleep. You will be forced to meet new people. As one of my mentors called it, you will be applying the "INEVITABILITY PRINCIPLE", where you create situations & circumstances where you have no choice, but to succeed. Don't step out of your comfort zone, you risk being bored, alone, eating overpriced food, staying at less than desirable places. Worse than that, you stifle your growth.


By traveling you develop a sense of who you are. Your tastes, styles, passions, likes, dislikes. Your values, your beliefs about yourself and the world. You see where you fit in. You learn to stylize the expression of who you are. You come away with a view that the world is a small place, and have a greater appreciation for the simpler things in this world. You see how & why people live the way they do based on historical, societal, cultural contexts. You learn to be more open minded.

Traveling to places such as Seoul, Sweden, South America, London, Paris, Canada, LA, Manhattan, Sydney I came across some of my greatest insights, had some of my best ideas, & met some of the most unique & amazing people.


Here are some things I personally do when I travel:
1. No work. Total immersion.
2. Read perspective-altering books. One I recommend is: Talent is Never Enough by John Maxwell.
3. Bring a journal to write down all of your thoughts, ideas, experiences.
4. Watch some local TV during your down time, even if you don't understand what they're saying.
5. Structure something where you're talking to the locals everyday (cafes, restaurants, streets, bookstores, pubs, anything).

So with summer just around the corner & airfares being cheaper these days, decide what area of the world you'd like to visit & go there within the next few months. Have a blast!

The FASTEST Way to SUCCESS

Want to know the FASTEST way to achieve MASSIVE success? MENTORS.


When I decided that I was going to be successful in the areas that I was passionate about, I sought out mentors in as many forms as possible. Below are a few of my observations.

Mentors come in many different forms. They can be anyone, anything, in anything that imparts something to you on your path towards success, lasting anywhere from a few seconds to years.

The reason why having a mentor can be so powerful is because:
1. They've done it. They've walked the path you're embarking or are currently on.
2. You are around their way of thinking, how they perceive the world, their mental, emotional, behavioral paradigms.
3. They bring to the table a wealth of experience, expertise both in terms of knowledge as well as "hands-on" experience, that can be extremely beneficial.
4. Can offer support and guidance
5. Can be an excellent resource for future contacts, referrals.

How do I go about selecting mentors?
1. Decide what area you want to be successful in, whether it be in: finance/business, relationships, health, sports, whatever.
2. Ask them - it can be in a letter, an email, a personal request.
3. Take them out to lunch/coffee once a month, & ask them questions, their opinions, viewpoints on whatever is on your mind.


Below are some of the criteria I look for when selecting a mentor:
1. Trust - Most important. Without trust, there is no relationship.
2. Integrity - See #1.
3. Enjoyable - Life is too short. Learning should be fun. If it's not, then it's not worth doing. That's not to say that a mentor shouldn't push you when you're not performing up to your capabilities. They should, but it shouldn't be a relationship that's based on fear or guilt.
4. Should be mutually beneficial. The exchange can be in many different forms such as services, volunteering, etc.
5. Has something to teach that you need to learn - eg public speaking, sales.
6. Has actually achieved success in the particular area - No "talking", but someone who has actually "walked the path" and can produce MASSIVE results on a consistent basis.
6. Other things - make sure that the relationship is not there for approval, or validation of yourself or your ideas, but is providing sound advice that will help you in achieving your purpose. There are people in this world who will try to hold you back for their own personal gain. Avoid these people at all costs.

Here are some other ways of finding a mentor:
1. The internet - Google Video, Youtube, articles, blogs, biographies, autobiographies, interviews, video/audio media. Anything that will help you to gain insight into their world.
2. Books - library, Amazon, Ebay, borrowing/trading with friends, gifts. Audiobooks are great when you're driving in your car, or while your working at home.
3. Groups/clubs - will connect you with like-minded people & plug you into what Napoleon Hill, in Think and Grow Rich calls the "MASTERMIND PRINCIPLE".
4. Seminars - Going to one seminar per year in the area that you want to be successful in. This will help you to get new ideas, new information, and to network with other like-minded people. Doing this while you're on vacation can be an added bonus.
5. Professional coach - various companies offer these services, are usually VERY expensive, but can streamline the process and shave off huge amounts of time in reaching your particular goals.


Well that's it for today. Thanks for reading and stay tuned.