The Forever Sabbatical

How are you coping with your daily challenges?

Does the thought of a sabbatical for 6 months or a year appeal to you?

How about Forever?

Hang with me for a moment, or two.

Why do you want to go on a sabbatical?

Is it because you want to recharge your batteries and get new energy for tackling your daily task and challenges?

I have to be honest and confess that I have a major beef with modern media and technology. Everybody is selling the dream of being rich or only working 4 hours per week as the ultimate solution.

No, I have no problem with being rich, but I do not believe that to be the solution.

I love reading books and blogs of guys giving up their day jobs and taking on a huge 6 month adventure or going on a sabbatical to do the hobby that they never had time, or money to do. They have saved up for years to be in a position to go off into the wild blue yonder and do the thing they love.

Escape from reality for 6 months, just so you can report back to the grind for another 10 or 20 years.

Life was never intended to be lived this way!

No I am not a guru, on the contrary, the opposite would be the case. But that is the point exactly. We are all equal human beings on the first level and on the second very complex human beings. Why then are you molding yourself to Bill Gates,  Bono or whoever?

What might be good for them most definitely will not be good for you. That’s a fact! And is where modern media is trying to sell us a $%%^& utopia.

When you start analyzing what makes you happy it has very little to do with money. I say very little because money facilitates food and shelter. The rest of the elements on your hierarchy of needs have absolutely nothing to do with money.

I’m ranting, but my point is that it is not about your income, it’s about your actions. The things that you do every day that gives you pleasure. Your happiness and motivation in life is a direct result of doing things that make you happy.

Do you know what makes you happy?

How can you ever be happy if you don’t know what makes you happy.

And here’s the thing, What’s wrong with working a 8-hour day, 5 days a week if you’re doing something that you love and makes you happy?

 

Green Kangaroos and Purple Cows

So, the Purple Cows bit have given this away as a post influenced by Seth Godin. I was considering the title “Green Kangaroos and Puking Cats” to make a power statement but that type of title is exactly what this is about.

Seth has been a great influence on my understanding of Social Media and the process of building a digital identity. If it wasn’t for the insight I got from reading his books and posts I might have taken things personally.

In the movies it used to be said that a star will always be out shined by babies and animals, but how is it possible that Puking Cats gets thousands of hits on YouTube and I am battling to get 5?

YouTube and the Puking Cat Phenomena

What has become of mankind? Are we slowly but surely sinking down the slippery slope of predictable mediocrity?

How else is it possible that the most watched videos on YouTube daily features inconsequential crap such as Puking Cats and Farting Donkeys!

The Purple Cow

I guess Seth saw this coming when he penned the Purple Cow. But did he realise that it would get completely out of control?

Here’s how it goes; allowing me free interpretation; Owing to modern media and the daily bombardment of our senses, Seth identified that to get noticed, you have to be different. Just sticking with the Status Quo would not do it.

We’re a few years down the line and the Purple Cow has come full circle. The lines of what is normal have been shifted so far to the right, or is it the left, that Purple Cows are no longer good enough to get attention.

Negative Networking

So if Purple Cows won’t sell your idea, surely you can fall back on your network.

The gizzilion Friends, Fans and Followers must be the ones to rely on.

Sadly, just as video killed the radio star, Facebook and Twitter massacred the network. With the value of networks measured in Klouts rather than how often they actually read and respond to your posts, you might feel great having a 1000 Friends, but you might want to slit your wrists if you checked your stats on Facebook.

Oh, and don’t confuse the issue by having a Profile and a Page with the same name. Suggesting to your friends that they Like you, smacks of desperation.

Green Kangaroos

Nothing personal for or against Kangaroos! I am still planning to take a holiday down under at some stage.

Have you watched any programs about the Australian Outback? They always allocate a fair share of air-time showing Kangaroos.

I’m sorry, but they look okay from a distance but close-up doesn’t work for me. With the flies buzzing around and the saliva dripping off their paws in the process of cooling themselves down I can imagine the smell.

Like a green, rotting smell…

Green Kangaroos. Good from far, but far from good.

It’s like the Secret. Can’t believe it went viral like it did. It was good from far but far from good. Did you really think that you get get rich just by believing?

The problem with something like The Secret is that there is just enough truth in it to make it sell able; and off course the fact that we’d love to believe it!

Radical Realism

I guess it all boils down to the requirement for Radical Realism. That’s a concept by Robert Greene of “48 Laws of Power” fame.

Accepting things as they are and playing in the rules.

Any Ideas?

Please comment…

 

Mediocrity Sucks

Living day to day, merely surviving, hoping for something better to come along.

Conforming to the expectations of society to fit in and not to make any waves.

Afraid to stand out and be noticed because someone might have something challenging to say.

Mediocrity Sucks

We have not been put on this planet to just get by. The entire object of the exercise is to become more and to have a bigger influence.

Look at the trees around you. They grow every day; maybe not a lot, but little by little they do. A tree that isn’t growing is busy dying!

In growing that tree throws a larger shadow. Bit by bit it’s increasing it’s area of influence.

It’s part of nature’s blue print that you should be growing and expanding your area of influence.

I’m guilty of that life of mediocrity, of not growing, of going nowhere slowly. … Are you?

Can I challenge you by asking, “What have you done to make a difference today”?

If you don’t make a difference you don’t matter!

I would like to matter, How about you?

Challenge the Status Quo

Have you ever considered how the environment that you grew up in and the friends and colleagues that surround you today are impacting on your being?

If you haven’t noticed, we live in a world of complete contradictions.

The schools, colleges and religious institutions that we associate with are doing their best to put us into neat little boxes. Complete with nice wrapping that defines who we are and what we are supposed to do, both daily and in life.

Most often, our friends and colleagues take their cues from these formal bodies, repeating a vicious cycle that started a long time ago.

On the other hand, you will find coaches and alternative thinkers that will do whatever they can to encourage you to not confine yourself to the identity prescribed to you.

Most everything that were pushed down onto the “masses” have been proven to be nonsense. Starting with the Earth being Flat and the Earth, rather than the Sun being the centre of our Universe.

It is when you start researching the origin of the modern educational system and the financial system that you start realising that we have been hauled around by a psychological nose-ring for our entire lives.

It is only when we break free of the societal Rules for conforming that you can live up to your full potential. Make no mistake, you have been created to achieve hugely. Your failure to live up to your potential is an insult to your Creator!

So it’s time that you challenge everything that would prescribe behaviours to you. It’s time that you question all the BS that you are been fed and exposed to on a daily basis.

When you meet someone, like a manager, boss or even a friend, that’s not prepared to be questioned, tell them to “Get Lost”

Should you meet someone that tells you that you are not able to do something, be my guest and throw in a few profanities.

Whatever you do, Challenge the Status Quo and aim to achieve something HUGE and INSPIRING.

Anything less is an insult to yourself!

Motivation 101 – How to get Motivated Instantly

How many Motivational Blogs and Websites do you think you could find on the Internet? Do yourself the favour and Google “Motivation”

Next, apply the principles on the ones that are the most appealing. Share your results; On second thoughts, don’t bother….

I know it’s bad taste, etc, etc, to rant in public, but sometimes you have to have the guts to stand up and call a spade a spade. In E-Politics that’s sort-off acceptable, I think and since this is my Blog I make the rules.

Most people wouldn’t even know what it means for them to be happy. Do you know what it means to be happy?

So, if you don’t know what makes you happy, how can you ever know how to get motivated.

I’ll tell you. It’s not complicated. Nike has been saying it for years; Yes, to get Motivated, Just Do It!

Most people believe that when they get Motivated, they’ll take action; and that’s why they never get there (Motivated) To get motivated, you have to take action, as in putting the horse back in-front of the cart.

Don’t believe me? Try it!

Find something that you used to enjoy, but just don’t feel motivated to do; get of your a**e and do it for 30 minutes. then tell me I’m wrong.

The more you do it, the more you’ll be motivated. That’s when you get around to set the BIG Inspiring goals; not before you have motivation.

I know, I have stacks of goals and business plans that never came to fruition simply because I didn’t have the motivation. Thought I was visualising and affirming wrong, but all I needed to do is “Just Do It!

Why Performance reviews will always fail to motivate

Do you know of anyone that has ever felt motivated after a performance review? They are few and far in between.

Here’s Why

1. Performance reviews are about company objectives.

2. Performance reviews are done by superiors using corporate measuring criteria.

3. the superiors are using their a) opinions and b) corporate results

That sounds reasonable considering that corporates pay individuals to perform and thus they have the right to set the criteria.

But shouldn’t performance reviews also take into consideration

4. How well the company empowered the individual to meet the measuring criteria and the targets set.

5. The individuals personal objectives and how well they are aligned with the corporate objectives. Might sound over the top, but it costs both the company and the individual financially if the individual is employed in a position they are not motivated to be in.

6. The superiors performance. Shouldn’t the subordinates performance be mirrored against that of the manager. What is the collective opinion of the managers ability to manage and to empower sub-ordinates.

Motivation is 100% about Feedback. The question here is if a Performance Revue serves any objective; or is it an archaic and out dated measuring tool?

It’s Time

It’s time to say “Enough is Enough!”

Life's a Journey

The line has to be drawn somewhere, The only question is where? Where will you draw your line? Where will you say “I have had enough.”

So take a stand, today!

Rest In Peace Marketing: I Never Really Liked You Anyway

Social and selling just don’t mix. Have you ever been to a wedding sponsored by Nike? Does a future where restaurant tables display infomercials sound appealing?

The last thing anyone wants in a social context is a commercial. If you’re responsible for marketing your business, the time for change is now.

It’s time to pack away the marketing messages. If you don’t want to build a loyal and raving fan base, then simply promote the heck out of your products and services via every imaginable social media channel.

However, if you want to build lasting relationships with your prospects and customers, then keep reading

via Rest In Peace Marketing: I Never Really Liked You Anyway | Fast Company.

5 Content Marketing Strategies for Small Business

One of the most effective, lowest-cost ways to drive traffic and build awareness for your business is through content marketing: creating and distributing relevant content to attract, acquire, and engage your target audience. Content marketing can run the gamut from publishing status updates and photos on Facebook Pages and Twitter, to writing compelling blog posts and posting videos on YouTube. Popular types of content you can start with include how-to articles and videos, Q&As, behind-the-scenes looks at your business, photos and videos showcasing your work and first-hand accounts of your staff participating in local or industry events.

While many businesses have already tried a hand at content marketing, not all have been successful at getting their content found, consumed and shared. Those who have are applying a few key strategies that can dramatically improve the effectiveness of any content marketing program.

Here are five key content marketing strategies to boost your program success

Read the article on Mashable at  5 Content Marketing Strategies for Small Business.

Six politicians who have epically failed on Twitter

Thanks to Barack Obama’s successful use of social media in the 2008 elections, all politicians seem to have discovered Twitter and Facebook. From Cory Booker, the US mayor who tweeted his way through his city’s snow crisis, to South African political parties sometimes brilliant use of social media in the recent 2011 Local Government elections this message has clearly spread.

It does not always hit the mark though. Just as brands have sometimes “failed” in their social media usage, so have politicians.

We seem to be a society that is entertained by the fall of political figures. And what better place to watch this happen than Twitter. Sometimes politicians tweet before they think.

So here are a few examples for your enjoyment

read the article at  Six politicians who have epically failed on Twitter | memeburn.