I think Star Wars was before it’s time; or, maybe just not understand fully as more than fun entertainment. Enjoy this little journey into the past! In fact, seeing this makes me realize I’m going to have to watch the Star Wars movies all over again. Listen carefully how Yoda explains “The Force” to Luke. It’s everything we want to incorporate into our own vision statements.

Take 10 minutes right now and watch Will’s insights on the power of believing, the power of “I Can”, the power of focus and how he moves past fears. I particularly loved his approach of building a wall one brick at a time.

Confucius said: “He who says he can and he who says he can’t are both usually right”.

A client sent me this video because he knows I’m an animal lover.

However, this wonderful dog and his human parents demonstrate:

• Acceptance
• Love
• Focus on your strengths

Take a couple of minutes to watch a video that so perfectly shows what is possible when theses principles are applied to anyone’s life!

It’s often the perspective given that makes a difference – not the situation itself.

As on Online Marketer since the late 90′s, I’ve seen many changes in publishing both online and offline.  Ebooks have been around in Internet Marketing for years.  Now the traditional book market enters in the ebook format and new devices like Kindle, Nook, Ipad, etc bring it mainstream. Along with that comes controversy.  Good or bad?  It’s often just your point of view as the view below demonstrates.

What’s your point of view?

Please comment here!

I’ve just started testing a free service called CoTweet.

It’s a tool for managing Twitter conversations like no other.

I’m really impressed and changing my entire Twitter strategy based on what they let me do.

They’re free right now, but they promise when they start charging for the service it will be reasonable.

Amazing stuff:

http://www.CoTweet.com

This post has nothing to do with business or social media and everything to do with life.

With two senior dogs in my life and an elderly parent, I was moved deeply by the connection demonstrated in this video.

I’ve posted it on my Facebook page, and wanted to make sure that if you aren’t one of my friends there, you see this:

You can read more about Baxter on his web site:
www.momentswithbaxter.com

Baxter is on Facebook, also

Zen Habits is one of my favorite blogs to follow, and I love their subtitle:  Simple Productivity.

Their recent post titled “8 Way Doing Less Can Transform Your Work & Life” mirrors my philosophy of ‘focusing on what matters to get the results you desire”.

More is not always better.

One New Year’s resolution that you keep is better than a long list that is forgotten before February rolls around.

Number 2 of the 8 ways listed says:

More ability to focus, to find Flow, to work in the moment. When you are doing too much, you are constantly switching from one task to another, constantly interrupted, constantly distracted. Do less, clear away distractions, single-task.

What one thing is most important to your success?

Focus on the one thing today and be brilliant!

Seth Godin has a great way of distilling information for clear understanding while being innovative with his concepts.

I came across this post on his blog where he addresses where individuals can misunderstand how having a web presence can make money and it’s not by just putting up a website.  He says:

Make money: not by building an internet company, but by using the net as a tool to create value and get paid. Use the internet as a tool, not as an end.

And he continues by saying the essence of having an internet presence is to use it to connect with other people who want what you have to offer.

Connect the disconnected to each other and you create value.

* Connect advertisers to people who want to be advertised to.
* Connect job hunters with jobs.
* Connect information seekers with information.
* Connect teams to each other.
* Connect those seeking similar.
* Connect to partners and those that can leverage your work.
* Connect people who are proximate geographically.
* Connect organizations spending money with ways to save money.
* Connect like-minded people into a movement.
* Connect people buying with people who are selling.

You can read the entire article here, and I’d love to have you come back and offer your comments here on what you learned from this article or ask any questions that come up for you after reading it.  I’d love to hear from you!

Read Seth’s full post here: How to make money using the Internet

I’ve had a spotty Internet connection today which at first was very frustrating with so much to accomplish online. When I decided to go outside, take a walk, and see the situation as an opportunity to take a break – this blog post formed in my mind.

Like most people, you may find it difficult to balance all the tasks that demand your attention. You may even find yourself saying, “If I just had more hours in the day!”

Do you feel stressed out, down in the mouth, or a bit low on motivation? If so, you might be wistfully waiting for a vacation even when we just had a ‘long weekend’ here in the US.   But what can you do, when you just got back from vacation, your weekends are full, and your evenings are all spoken for?

Start planning another vacation?

I hear so many people comment that they spend more time planning their vacations than they do their lives. Let’s start getting more out of our lives and needing that vacation less with This Month’s Stress-Busting Tip.

Vacations really are overrated, at least as far as managing stress is concerned. Chronic daily stress simply cannot be reversed in a week’s vacation. The next time you’re confidence takes a hit (how many rejection slips can one writer take?), your manager bites your head off (while adding more responsibilities), or your urgent to-do pile is so tall it’s leaning like the Tower of Pisa (and your energy is sinking just as fast), try one of these quick-lifts, adapted from the book, Recharge in Minutes by Suzanne Zoglio, Ph.D.:

1. Stop to Really Breathe. Sit quietly, inhale to the count of six as if filling a balloon just above your waist and then slowly exhale, feeling your balloon deflate and any tension subside. Repeat 3-6 times.

2. Keep a Commitment to Yourself. It’s easy to sell off little pieces of yourself by keeping commitments to everyone but you! List 6 things you’ve been “meaning” to do. Do something to forward that intention in the next ten minutes? The heck with what others think of you…value yourself!

3. Throw One Back. Consider one “little fish” that you caught without trying…from a friend, a boss, or family member. Now, shore up your courage, admit that you over committed, and throw it back.

4. Get Physical. If your mind is in overdrive, give it a rest and let your feet take over for 5 minutes. Run up and down stairs. Go weed in the garden. Do jumping jacks or a dozen sit-ups…or sprint to the store for a latte.

5. Unplug from Civilization. Turn on your voice mail and shut your door. Close your eyes and retreat to a favorite place. Hear the rain as you’ve heard it before, and smell the musty earth. Feel the sun caress your skin…and let it melt the tension. Stay for ten minutes; then as you leave, carry with you the serenity you experience in nature.

6. Get Out of the Blame Game. When life is spinning out of control, dishing out the unexpected, it’s easy to get caught up in finger pointing. The problem is that until you focus on what you can do, you’ll experience the stress of low control. Forget the blame and look for a way out.

7. Keep the Faith. What we think influences how we feel, and how we feel influences how we act. When you suffer a blow, bounce back with the encouraging words you’d offer a friend. Recite a favorite prayer, read an inspiring quote, or just repeat silently, “I can handle this” or “The universe conspires on my behalf.”

8. Dream Your Life Forward. Pretend it’s two years from now and you are writing to a close friend. Describe where you’re living, what you’re doing, who brings you joy, and how you are making a difference. Dare to dream…and write it down.

9. Turn Complaints into Questions. When you complain, you drain your brain. It’s an admission you’ve hit a dead-end. Instead, turn every gripe into a question that gets your brain fired up in search of a solution. From “I’m out of luck” to “How can I turn this to my advantage?” or “What can I learn from this?” or “Who could help me with this challenge?” Stomp out global whining…and you’ll plug up a huge energy drain!

10. Go on a Life-Is-Great Date. When you’ve had a streak of bad luck, celebrate. Hey! Who needs champagne when you’re high on success? When you’re stressed is when you need the lift! Meet a friend, make a reservation at a favorite restaurant, study a picture of a loved one, or just take a walk with Mother Nature!

AFFIRMATION: Today I will take a moment for myself because I know that I Can.

There are stars that have been in existence since the beginning of time, that we have been able to see only recently through a new and more powerful lens.

If you could use a more powerful lens through which to see your life, would you use it?

One of the more important points I have made in my teachings about ‘focusing on what matters’ has been the idea that you really do create your own life and your own reality.

It’s a fact that whatever you focus on manifests as reality in your life.

You are always focusing on something, whether you are aware of it or not. If I spent some time with you, I could tell you what you are focusing on. How? By looking at the results you are getting in your
life. The results you get are always the result of your focus.

The problem is, this focus is usually not conscious focus. It’s automatic focus. We unconsciously focus on something we don’t want, and then when we get it we feel like a victim and don’t even stop to think that we created it in the first place. And what is more, we don’t realize we could choose to create something completely different if we could only get out of the cycle of unconsciously focusing on something other than what we want.

Focusing on what you do NOT want, ironically, makes it happen. Focusing on not being poor makes you poor. Focusing on not making mistakes causes you to make mistakes. Focusing on not having a bad relationship creates bad relationships. Focusing on not being depressed makes you depressed. Focusing on not smoking makes you want to smoke. And so on. I think you get the idea.

The only thing you have total and complete control over is your own mind, your own thoughts and the way you communicate these thoughts. The words you use when you are communicating is a dead giveaway for what you are really thinking.

Luckily, this one thing – your mind – that you do have control over gives you tremendous power. Remember, The Land of I Can states, “The Power is in the knowing.” Know that you have the power to focus your attention and your thoughts and therefore achieve the results you desire.

Athletes understand focus. They imagine the shot, feel the movement, and focus on the results BEFORE they act. They KNOW this works. We as individuals, business people, or employees can do
this, too.

On November 15, 1993, Dr. Tom Amberry made 2,750 consecutive free throws and stopped without a miss. He was seventy-two years old at the time and had only been practicing for a year and a half. Dr. Amberry wasn’t a trained athlete, nor did he want to become one. He did this to demonstrate the power of focus and concentration. Most of the time, for most people, all the focusing and thinking is going by at warp speed, on automatic, without much, if any, conscious intention. Your job is to learn how to direct this power by consciously directing your focus to the OUTCOMES you want. If Dr. Amberry can do this, you can, too.

When faced with a particular action or decision, it is ideal to learn to narrow focus for that one desired outcome and widen focus in-between. By practicing in one minute increments you are retraining the way your mind auto-focuses.

Let’s use a typical dilemma some of you might face: If you want the day off, and your boss thinks you need to be in the office, staying focused on the outcome and creating a win/win solution is the only way you will create the desired results. Desired results that have you both feeling like winners.

You know your boss will want you to work that day, and from his perspective, you understand why. He’s on a deadline. You also know that you would love to spend a day with a high school friend you haven’t seen in twenty years and who is in town just this one day. Bartering with why your needs are more important than your bosses is not focusing on the thoughts, the words, the action needed to create your desired outcome.

Focus on creating a solution that will work- a way to create a win/win, acknowledging both party’s needs, and go into the discussion understanding that the other person involved in the decision has a valid reason for his or her position. Remove emotions from past interactions, stay away from concern or fears for the outcome and stay present. Focus on resolution. Stay present on a common goal that serves both of you. Could you stay late the night before and come in early to complete the project? Could you complete the work at home and deliver it to the office first thing before picking up your friend at the airport? Focus on achieving a solution that serves both of you. Focus not for an entire 24 hours, but for 60 seconds, one minute, when it really counts.

Concentration is really the partner of focusing. It does not mean “trying hard”.

Imagine when you are focusing that you are wearing blinders. As you begin your project or enter into a critical conversation, narrow your blinders to focus only on your desired outcome. The blinders should shut out both internal and external distractions. Afterwards, widen the blinders to sustain energy. Repeat this over and over for the duration of your day. As you practice concentrating on those outcomes that you desire in small, one-minute increments, you are re-training yourself to ‘think’ differently. You are intentionally choosing your thoughts.

This is the power of intention magnified by focus.

The result you desire will unfold. Trust this.

Practice Focus. One minute at a time.

Affirmation: Today I decide what I focus on – one minute at a time.

PC World says “Remember the Milk reinvents the to-do list”…

Huh?  Remember the Milk?

Yep – stroll on over to www.rememberthemilk.com to see how you can manage your everyday tasks, receive reminders via email, SMS and instant messenger services; and add tasks by firing off an email (or even by your phone).
This service integrates with Twitter, Blackberry, Google calendar, and other web properties.

Talk about staying focused (one of my favorite subjects) – it doesn’t get any better than this.

And, it’s free.

I crunch the apple skin shaving between my teeth and tart juices release flavorful memories along with its nourishment. The flour and water has been mixed and both the rolling pin and pastry cloth removed from their storage place. Once a year I perform this ritual, which brings back recollections from long ago.

My mother and I loved to bake together. Pies, cakes, cookies of every shape and size that were stored in tins for gifts to friends and neighbors at Christmas. But what I loved to bake the best was Apple Dumplings.

First she peeled the apples. Holding the paring knife at the top of the apple, she’d begin cutting between the skin and the apple. It was a game to see if she could peel the whole apple with one long perfect circle of apple skin. We’d both laugh whether she succeeded or if it broke, as I next popped whatever had been cut into my mouth, munching up like a piece of spaghetti. My job was preparing the sugar and cinnamon combination that would fill the cored apple while Mom peeled off the skins. Then it was time to roll out the dough. Mom’s individual dough wrapping for each apple was perfectly formed and evenly rolled. Mine tended to split and be lop-sided. No matter. We each wrapped our apples and placed them in the glass dish for baking with a dollop of butter on top of each dumpling. The final step was mixing a sweet sugar and cinnamon syrup that when poured around the individual apple dumplings made them look like little ducklings in a pond. We’d pop the pan in the oven and I’d gather up leftover dough pieces and the cinnamon sugar mix, making cinnamon crisps that we’d bake after the dumplings. Then we’d clean up the kitchen together, washing and drying the bowls and rolling pin before getting ready to fix dinner.

This is what I remember as I peel the apples, roll out the dough and prepare my pan of apple dumplings today in honor of the times we spent together, mother and daughter. It is how I celebrate each Mother’s Day. She passed away when I was only 25 and while I was grown and married myself by then, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. When I am in the kitchen baking, as I am here today, I can still feel her beside me. It is when I feel the very closest to her again.

So today, I celebrate as I bake. I remember the gift of love and warmth that comes from sharing simple tasks. I pop the finished dumplings into the oven, knowing that soon a sweet aroma will fill the kitchen. Another reminder that she, too, wafts through my life in invisible ways, and is with me still.

*****************************************************************************************

“Mothers are the most instinctive philosophers.”

~ Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

Stowe is best remembered for the melodramatic and sentimental “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, an antislavery novel written in 1851. This work, which made Stowe famous virtually overnight, intensified North and South antagonism in the pre-Civil War era, making her a hated figure in the South and the darling of the English abolitionists.

We always have a choice – is the glass half empty or half full.  You choose the way you see it.

With all the doom and gloom in the news, I was very excited when Good Morning America chose to look at the “Bright Side” and discussed a movement that is sweeping the country.  Hallelujah!

Watch and listen to this wonderful video / song

Spread Joy!

Feeling stressed, and have too much to manage?

Workaholics are usually poor time managers, and doing too much at once can be the #1 time waster. I know this. Yet, what we know in our hearts we should do and what we actually live in this hectic, demanding, and overwhelming society are often different. Sometimes just coping seems impossible.

In my frenzied attempts to manage the multiple tasks of my business and personal life, I was delighted when my email management software added a “task” feature. Now I could list my “to do’s” on the screen that held me captive and keep them ever-present in my desktop sight and mind. To remember them would remind me to accomplish them, wouldn’t it? Funny how as the list grew, I had a way of not seeing the list anymore.

When I acquired a PDA – a personal digital assistant– that would sync with my desktop, I was overjoyed to think I could keep this ever-growing task list with me wherever I went – thinking that to have the tasks more accessible would help me to click them off more easily. This assumption gave me the shaky illusion that I had some control over my life. Imagine my dismay when I realized that this marvelous new technology just made it easier for me to accumulate more “to do’s” than I could possibly finish. Unless, that is, I accomplished one of the more recent “to do’s” which read: Create more hours in a day.

As the task list continued to grow and I filled my head with more information, I growled internally at my inability to get ahead of the game. I finally stopped spinning out of control long enough ask myself what really matters here? Am I making my life simpler with technology’s assistance or am I postponing the steps that will actually help me accomplish my goals? Maybe simply taking action, taking one step and making the uncomplicated decision to prioritize and move on one item is more important than tackling “more.”

Lesson One for the over-achieving me was to accept that less can be better. I realized that I had all the information and tools that I needed to move through my day, and that learning to trust that inner voice would return me to a gentler life. That letting my own inner strengths guide the order of my priorities instead of using exterior tools to manage my life would lead me to the happiness and fulfillment I was looking for.