Should I share with you that I am ....

Get Paid to share TSU

Yesterday I started sharing with my network a couple of new opportunities that have come across my desk.

It has been some time since I have bitten the bullet and done this… can you imagine why?? Fear of rejection and ridicule probably is at the top of the list and personal acceptance issues like “What will they think of me now…”

Today I feel much better that I have shared the ideas but yesterday those dark thoughts kept coming as about 10 people told me they weren't interested and some actually invented new words to describe their derision of how low I had stooped.

However, as I warmed up two thoughts kept coming to mind.

Firstly, progress is just outside of your comfort zone. This felt uncomfortable and it was obviously outside my comfort zone…

and Secondly, my mantra from my series COLD CALLING FOR SCAREDY CATS kept chiming in my head “Every NO gets you closer to YES!” and I remember the only way to get enough NO’s is to ask lots of people.

So, onwards and upwards… it will be OK in the end, and if it isn’t OK it is not yet the end!

Karma Comes to Those Who Wait

The Google Challenger

Whilst listening to the James Altucher’s podcast this week I heard an interview by James with Gabriel Weinberg,the founder of DuckDuckGo.com the alternative search engine.

James commented that the DuckDuckGo searches returned significantly different results to Google. And as vain as I am, I decided this morning to DuckDuckGo me - that doesn't have the same ring as “Decided to Google myself”, does it?

And yes, the results were much different with an author using my name as his pen name having more traction than myself. That Wayne Mansfield writes books about the steamy side of life and features prominently in searches for books on the subject in the context of Gay and Lesbians storylines. Anyway, not a subject I am personally interested in but one that generates huge incomes for the successful writers of the genre.

However, that distraction aside, I did find a listing I had never seen before where in a comment on the JoelComm.com blog, a compatriot of mine, and someone who I had done business with as a client of his, felt it necessary to give an opinion of about me. It was suitably embellished with a personal insight that, I would suggest, was as much fiction as those tales told in my namesakes books.

I wondered to myself why he would have done this?? And I thought there just might be some legacy goodwill that the comment might be removed if I asked nicely So I searched for information on this person and his business using Google.

And KARMA had done its job. The third listing on the Google was a SCAM report which I feel was probably the result of someone using leverage over a an outstanding account. Sure enough when I checked further I found the person's current website where he was complaining about the “shredding” of his reputation by a freelancer in India whit whom he had a payment dispute.

It was prophetic because he claimed it was unfair, it was permanent and it had caused damage in an instance to a 20 year unblemished business reputation and career. And in my opinion, all of these comments in the SCAM report were most undoubtedly false, but the harm was done and the comments will continue to have a negative residual effect.

Karma is such a powerful thing, wouldn't you agree??

Decision made, I will now just continue about my own business and let sleeping dogs lie. In a perverse way, all the negative comments on the internet about myself mean people are talking about me and that gives me influence. In an odd anomaly, influence on the web is often rated by the algorithms in a neutral way. so, whether the talk is positive or negative, the talk in and of itself gives you influence and third party rating services like Klout and its influence score reflect in a positive way that commentary. So, as I write this article I have a 83 Klout score, of which my extensive negative wikipedia listing makes up a significant, but glading, after 10 years,reducing portion.

I just love KARMA… don’t you.

Oh, and by the way, I recommend you do a DuckDuckGo.com search on anything you want a different perspective on... like what the web says about you!!

RELEARNING time

Alvin Toffer

My favourite quote is by Alvin Toffler:

"The illiterate of the 21st Century won’t be those who can’t read or write, rather it will be those who cannot learn, UNLEARN and relearn."

This week there was an article about a business run by Robert Nelson, called Proactive Accounting Services, which has been shut down. The opening paragraph reads:

After two decades of trying to convince accountants to be proactive and add value, business coach and consultant Rob Nelson has given up.

The article goes on to say “On Friday, staff set fire to every piece of Proactive marketing collateral they could lay their hands on - - a symbolic cremation for a business that has served Mr Nixon well.”

Some 40 years ago I wrote material for my friend Paul Dunn about how to market his telephone course Ring Ring which became Results Corporation and Mr Nixon learned his trade there. Paul pivoted 10 years ago after selling Results and is now changing the world with B1G1.com. Nelson is moving into cloud based software.

I am moving to a new phase of my adventure LifeTALES where we will assist people to turn their past, present and future life into a source of income to live life to the full.

So, I have done the learning, the last 6 months have been a very painful UNLEARNING process and I invite you to join me on the journey to RELEARN so we can enjoy the most prosperous time ever on Earth. All aboard for lifeTALES.

First World Problem - take 2

New way to serve meals
on Qantas maybe cardboard
is cheaper than real plates??

When I finished my around Australia tour on Wednesday evening, it was very apparent that Qantas staff are hurting as the company lays off GREAT people so that the costs of business can be aligned with the low cost aviation model with which they compete.

In Brisbane, on Monday afternoon as it came time to board to travel south to Melbourne, I politely enquired whether Bobby had been successful in reinstating my status to GOLD Frequent Flyer. The delightful young lady on the check in said there had been no change to my status but she would get the supervisor to have a look. The supervisor was another delightful older lady BUT she wasn’t having any of my proposition that as I had shown a solid 15 years of loyalty flying antas at every opportunity, she was not going to bend any rules.

“100 people have lost their jobs here at Brisbane even though we had done the right things by customers” she informed me. “We have 10 million Frequent Flyer members and they are known to “stretch the truth” and I am not calling you a liar Mr Mansfield but because of what some people are doing I am not able to help you.”

To which I said, as you do, “I am not the 10 million Frequent Flyers, I am me and I have been loyal. Not only that, but in September 2001 I paid for lounge access and you have kept my money for 14 years… and I believe my request for my status to be re-instated is a reasonable one. I have flown international out of Perth BUT Qantas now doesn’t fly out of our most prosperous city to ANY international destination - NONE. So, I think someone should look at this.”

This request was because on this trip I was being asked to pay $40 for my second piece of luggage which was just 8 kilos of a total of 21kilos. If I had packed differently I would be 11 kilos UNDER my 32 kilo weight limit. Their, the check in staff, answer was to advise I could take the same piece of luggage on as cabin luggage AT NO CHARGE…

But my pride was now hurting… had I been stupid to be loyal to Qantas… after all I was only 1 of 10 million Frequent Flyers a group prone to stretching the truth.. I relented and took my bag with me and travelled to Melbourne, tail between my legs, avoiding the $40 surcharge.

I did have a little bit of a fright though as the lady tried to confiscate my Gold Card as the expiry date on one side was September 39th. However the card now doubles as Qantas Cash and that side expires on November 30th….

All this would have to wait until Thursday when I was home again and I could ring the Qantas Club staff that “looked after these matters.”

First World Problem downgraded from Gold to Silver [Qantas]

Mmmm customers a distant second??

It seemed like I hadn't travelled as mush as usual this year, and it was confirmed when I booked my flight to Brisbane on Friday... it said SILVER where as since September 1st 2001 it has said GOLD or PLATINUM. Shock and horror.

I called the Qantas Club and explained to the guy on the other end that if Qantas actually flew to international cities from Perth... they have given all their flights to Emirates!! I would have stacks of status points to maintain my GOLD level.

He agreed that I still clocked up lots of flights with Qantas, had been loyal for 15 years, and, whilst usually  the answer was "no we can't do anything" he would strongly recommend to his supervisor that they should reinstate my GOLD. He would request it immediately and took my phone number so he could ring me back.

Well obviously 15 years of customer loyalty hasn't counted because here I am in the Qantas Lounge now a tattered SILVER member and the penalties of lack of status already are starting to bite. My 2 pieces of luggage weight only 21 kilos but because they are 2 I was presented with a $40 excess bill!

I might have to start considering Virgin who have upped their game lately with Lounges and included food and wine and entertainment and they are $20 on average a flight cheaper.

I will given them a call from Brisbane in the morning and see how my "reinstatement" is going.

Would you do THIS for money?

Money for Nothing

Do headlines really hold the secret to how many people read your emails??

This provocative headline has got me thinking. What would people do for money and in this fast changing internet would the money come fast?

I know that prime numbers work so I searched Dr Google for the 11 best ways to make money fast on the net… here is that list. Mmmmm bit of a bummer. Nothing really jumped out as being easy or quick… How times change [or do they]

Let me know what you think by commenting.

DONT FEED THE TROLLS

Just reminded... IGNORE THE TROLLS because if you don't you just encourage them!!

Sometimes that advice is hard to heed...

11 Ways to Skin a Cat

Sphynx Cat 

Obviously the skinning of cats has become a “lost art” so here are some suggestions… 11 in fact… of how to skin a cat…

And if you are wondering where the saying “more than one way to skin a cat” came from, you will have to research 17th Century British english sayings… and mostly the saying means that there are more than one solution to any problem.

So, lets get started on 11 ways to skin a cat:

1. With a sharp instrument like a knife, shard of glass, teeth or a small explosive if you want to achieve tasks quickly.

2. Use powerful vacuum cleaner and suck cats insides out, leaving just the skin.

3. Simply click your heels three times and say “there is no cat like a skinned cat” and if that does work, tie one end of string to a doorknob, the other end to the cat’s skin and slam the door.

4. invite the cat to play strip poker and cheat

5. Convince the cat that “all cool cats are getting skinned” and help the cat remove its skin.

6. Sneak up behind the cat, and clap very big cymbals, therefore scaring the cat “out of his skin.”

7. Get instructions from the nursery rhyme “Three Little Pigs” and then huff and puff and blow the cat’s skin off.

8. Get a very sharp samurai sword and slice the cat’s skin off.

9. Tell the cat that the current craze is for cats to get tattoos but the cat needs to shed its fur so you can see the tattoo.

10. Wait for a very hot day and invite the cat to play strip poker. Then I suggest you cheat because cats are very smart.  

11. Search Google images for furless cats, and print off hundreds of pictures of furless cats therefore shaming the cat into shedding its fur.

If none of these techniques work, get a dog.

Devil is in the details..

Napoleon Hill OUTWITTING THE DEVIL

After struggling for a few weeks to get traction I have decided now is as good a time as any to “pivot.” For nearly 20 years monthly seminars have been what I do. However, in the last 2 years, they have been less and less popular. So, I have made the hard decision to move towards creating residual income from membership sites. Maybe I should have done this earlier but when something is working, even when it is working less and less, it is easier to hold onto that than to leave it behind and start a new journey.

So, ringing in my head is “learn, unlearn and relearn…” and the trepidation of going into the unknown… I will get back to you about how I go… I just picked up for a second reading Napoleon Hill’s NEW classic OUTWITTING THE DEVIL. I hope it sheds some light on the new path as reading THINK AND GROW RICH did when I first read it on November 11th, 1975.