Wednesday, February 20, 2013

World Wide Web Marketing Discovered by NextStudent?

Let's be honest. You got had. Titlebait strikes again.

Marketing on the web wasn't in fact founded, created or even stumbled upon by NextStudent.

No, that came along long before we were ever around to help students find great student loans and give some of the best customer service in the industry.

Here's some truth for you, though: NextStudent Web Marketing is the hippest, coolest, smartest, bestest place on the planet to work.

That is, if you like crazy, random outbursts, blogs that push the envelope, and characters that are more fit for fiction novels than the typically stodgy corporate workplace.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Successful Failure: the Path to Achievement

I just love it when I find stories where someone has become enormously successful then failed.

Not that I relish someone else's bad fortune. Most of the time, these snippets provide long-term motivation and inspiration that transcends cliches and hollow platitudes. That's because so much of the time these entrepreneurs bounce back quite remarkably, having learned a huge lesson that puts them back in the game, usually more successful and profitable than ever.

Here's an article that is particularly meaningful to me: www.secretsofsuccess.com. It's the story of a guy who is involved in the field of adult education. This is an industry that is close to my heart, since I work as a copywriter at a company called NextStudent, an organization that assists students in planning for and financing their college education.

Anyway, check it out. Hope you find it as powerful as I did!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Growing Pains: Not So Easy

Last week I came across this article about YouTube. In 2006 alone it grew by 1,972%. Pretty phenomenal, even unbelievable. Check the article out here. With social networking sites like MySpace, LinkedIn, FaceBook and others growing like wildfire, it caused me to examine my own life and my personal growth.

January has come and gone--which means that most peoples' New Year's Resolutions have largely done the same. I personally don't believe in resolutions, and never set any since by nature, they seem to be self-defeating.

But my bottom line is to challenge you today regarding where you're at and where you're growing (going).

Ask yourself these questions:
  1. Are you safely entrenched in your comfort zone and determined to stay there? (That's ok if you are).
  2. Or, are you doing new things, things you may not be comfortable with, including going after your dreams?
  3. Are you at least taking daily "baby steps" that stretch you?
  4. Have you set up a plan for 2007?
  5. If so, how's that going for you? If not, are you stuck?
  6. What are some things that you'd like to accomplish this year, realistically?
In a later post, I will address motivation and a way to accomplish your dreams that flies in the face of conventional wisdom. It's contrary to what most of the "self-help gurus" have been preaching for years.

But the wild thing is that it works--and it has absolutely nothing to do with goals!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Day Launcher Routine (10mins 4 all 3 vids)

Finish Strong (4:15)







Finding Joy (3:33)







Choose Life  (2:40)
(frustration is a choice)


You are the Author of Your Circumstances

Just the other day, I discovered that one of the Internet's most renowned marketers, Dr. Joe Vitale (www.mrfire.com), just had surgery. He's the guy that came up with the 'hypnotic writing/marketing' concept. Apparently he has just recovered from an appendectomy. Since that's something I went through a while ago, what he shared brought back a string of memories--both somewhat pleasant--and unpleasant.

Check out his blog here: http://www.mrfire.blogspot.com/, starting with his Feb. 3rd entry.

In case you don't know, Joe is the author of "The Attractor Factor" (www.amazon.com) and tons of other books, and most recently is part of the "Secret" video that's been sweeping the Internet. The book/video highlights the Law of Attraction, with the main idea being that you draw to yourself that which you most think about or speak about. I probably don't do it justice, so check out the Secret website and blog.

The reason I mention all this is that he brings up a really good point. He basically says that somehow he subconsciously brought his burst appendix for me:
  • to start eating more healthy foods
  • to get in better shape
  • to start living out my dreams
  • to radically think about changing my life and doing it now
Ok, so I get it. What I probably relate to even more is the whole attraction thing. I'm not into any new age stuff, but I know that this "attraction stuff" works, whether you believe in it or not.

As I mentioned the other day, several years ago I was a bitter, angry pessimistic individual who had pretty much only negative on my mind. Those words flowed out of my mouth and my cynical, sarcastic, negative nature began to consume me. As I look back, I can see now that what I believed and spoke out of my mouth is exactly what I received (or attracted). Now that I've stopped dwelling on the negative, have started replacing my misbeliefs and started to have a positive, optimistic outlook, my life has drastically changed for the better.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

The Art of Letting Go: Success with a Twist

You've gotta watch out for what you wish for ('cuz you very often get it). Today my heart is full of joy, hope and peace. And that doesn't come easy for me. I think I'm finally starting to learn something...

You Try Running Through a Brick Wall at 100mph: It Hurts

All my life, I've been one of these overly serious, stressed types who always tries to "make things happen," regardless of circumstances and others around me. I guess I just naively believed that I could bend the will of the universe to my own. Or, help others' will align with my own. Whatever. For most of you out there, this probably isn't any big newsflash, but I've come to a very rude awakening in the last few years. It just doesn't work. That is, just going after what you want, who cares about what anyone else thinks.

No matter how hard I tried, even with a healthy dose of willpower, determination and perseverance, things didn't always turn out the way I wanted. It drove me crazy and caused a lot of frustration, anger and lack of peace in my life.

The Art of Letting Go: Works Wonders--But Not So Easy

There have been a lot of books and courses on the internet in the last several years on this topic. One of the most well known is Hale Dwoskin's The Sedona Method (www.SedonaMethod.com), recommended by Jack Canfield, author of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series of books. In the Sedona Method, Hale focuses on something called 'the release technique,' which basically teaches you to let go.

There's a popular, well-known saying that goes, "Let go, let God." Alcoholics Anonymous popularized the Serenity Prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." (I think I got that one right). In any case, these sayings, and a myriad of courses, books and probably most importantly, life circumstances have helped me to just 'go with the flow.'

Before I endure unwarranted ridicule, I want to be clear here. What I mean is, you don't have to just go through life like a limp rag, a victim of your circumstances and allowing people to take advantage of you. No. But consider this, why not try something different and watch how the stress in your life just disapears? It might surprise you.

When something comes up that upsets you, bothers you or isn't (at 1st glance) in your best interest, go through these simple steps:
  1. Simply accept the circumstance. Say to yourself, "Though I may not like this ___ (circumstance), I accept it since I know that something good will come out of it."
  2. "I choose to release this ___ (circumstance) right now and be at peace." Or, if you prefer, "God, I give this ___(circumstance) over to you now, and I receive your peace."
  3. "I give thanks for this ___ (circumstance) and am open to receiving the good that will come to me through it." Or, "God I thank you for what you've allowed to occur here, and I thank you for the good that will come out of it in my life."
This simple exercise has worked wonders in my life. Granted, I still struggle, but I am amazed at how wonderfully life unfolds when you no longer force it to happen! Oh, and the physical, emotional and spiritual benefits aren't bad either.