Chris Gribble

Be yourself - Everyone else is taken (Oscar Wilde)

4 Ways to Understand Failure

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One of the true tests of personal development is being able to handle failure. Success is easy you just ride the wave and enjoy the feeling. Failure on the other hand throws up a very different range of emotions. What we do with them is very important and can determine future successes and failures.

Here are some insights into the reality of failure:

  1. To fail is not to be a failure – At least you have tried. Winning is not always being first sometimes it is knowing that you have done your best, tried your hardest and given your all. That is all that we can ever ask of ourselves.

    Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.– Denis Waitley

  2. Once you have learned from your failures leave them in the past – The worst mistake is to fail to learn from our failure. Once we have learned the lesson leave the emotion behind and move forward, wiser and stronger to face the future. Failure is not a disgrace, failing to learn demonstrates ignorance and that is a shameful thing. We are designed to grow but to think that we have arrived is a false hope in ourselves that removes us from reality. Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death – Ananias Nin
  3. You are never a failure as long as you keep trying – In the words of Winston Churchill, “Never give up”, now say it three times. If you aim for nothing that is exactly what you will achieve in life. Don’t expect every idea that you have to be a winner and realise that the mark of creativity is to try and try and try again.
  4. Failure is never final – This is your choice. What are you going to do with your life? Are you just going to play it safe and live as a timid mouse or are you going to discover the true person and learn to accept the adventure that life is.

I have not failed I have just found 10 000 ways that would not work – Thomas Edison

I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward in the work that precedes what the world calls success – Thomas Edison

Steve Pavlina Forums

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A great spot to got to is Steve’s forums. I believe that Steve is one of the great resources in the blogging world on the subject of personal development and that these forums will provide an invaluable resource for people wanting to engage in more discussion on some of his ideas.

I am sure that they will be conducted in a very professional manner and it will be interesting to see how the conversation develops.

The Manse – Year One

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We spent 9 years of our life in a small country town in North Queensland called Charters Towers. These are my memories of the people and events that were a part of our life during that time.

Before joining Cornerstone community (A Christian Community based in outback Australia) shortly after becoming a Christian I had spent 9 months in Israel living in a kibbutz (at type of communal farm). Although not a Christian I recognised the relationships formed in that living arrangement were some of the most intense but also the most rewarding that I had ever had. We brought with us from Cornerstone a strong desire to develop Christian community in which people had opportunity to express their Christian faith. We saw this beginning with our home.

We developed a love hate relationship with the manse. It had magnificent potential but was quite run down. It was built on a slightly sloping block. There was a short set of stairs to the front entrance but at the back it was high enough to walk under. The area under the house was bare dirt that brought into the house a constant fine layer of dust. The church surrounded the house on two sides. The only barrier was a chicken wire fence. Our backyard felt a bit like a fishbowl. If anything occurred inside it was fair game to be discussed during morning tea after church.

When taking a shower upstairs you could also shower under the house because of the leakage through the concrete shower base. The kitchen cupboards were full of nooks and crannies that many cockroaches, silverfish, mice and other creepy crawlies called home.

Each of the rooms in the house had several layers of floor coverings. April began an eradication program of these multi-layer dust traps. Occasionally over the next few years I would arrive home to an exhausted, sweaty wife and a pile of floor coverings dumped on the front yard. This was the signal that the next room was about to begin its journey of restoration. 

Gradually we began working on different sections of the house. In our first year we rebuilt the bathroom with the help of a Peter a local handyman. David and Rachel ex Cornerstone students dropped in while on their honeymoon and helped scrape off rubberized glue and underlay from our living room floor. Once stripped back we then punched every nail in preparation for the floor sander Alan the floor sander to come and sand the boards back.

One of the bonuses of this work was discovering what lay underneath. Under the layers in one room was a pile of Townsville Bulletins dating from the 1960’s. Work came to a standstill as we read the news about men landing on the moon, etc. In another room we found a number of 10 shilling and 1 pound notes spread under the floor coverings. We were told that this was done to bring good luck. Sadly we discovered that they were not worth a fortune. However, one day they will be worth more but we have to wait for when the Queen dies.

Our home became the foundation of our community ministry within the church. Our first year brought many friends and family who came to check out our new residence. We got used to putting up all different types of people often at short notice.

Natasha – Year two

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We spent 9 years of our life in a small country town in North Queensland called Charters Towers. These are my memories of the people and events that were a part of our life during that time.

 

Don't let that girl near my mother.

Don't let that girl near my daughter.

The phone rang and the lady at the other end asked did I know a Natasha. When I said yes she asked if I could come and pick her up because there were a number of kids outside her shop threatening to bash her.

This was fairly typical of the types of feelings that Natasha evoked in people. At first glance the reasons why were not obvious. The first encounter with Natasha could be deceiving. She presented as a friendly outgoing young girl. After a short time it became very obvious that there was more to her than what first met the eye.

When Natasha came to live with us April and I were coming to terms with some of the implications of infertility. Life was marching on for both of us and the prospect of not having children was something we had to consider. The thought crossed my mind that perhaps Natasha was God's way of giving us a daughter.

I never saw anyone be friends with Natasha for more than a week. The only relationships she did develop were with people much younger than her and these never lasted. Perhaps the most enduring relationship she had was with our next door neighbour who was in Year 3. This was an age gap of nearly 10 years. One test of character she did pass was with our dogs. She was great with caring for our dogs and related very well with them. Dogs are far more forgiving than humans.

Natasha struggled with school. Or, should I say it in reverse the school struggled with Natasha. She was a constant visitor to the guidance officer and the school's administration with a constant array of problems. She was a dependent person and teachers who gave extra time and effort found themselves being sucked dry by Natasha's demands.

She was a chronic liar. Even when it was obvious that Natasha wasn't telling the truth she would still lie. It didn't matter if she knew that the lie would be found out she would still choose to tell the lie.

 

It was difficult to know how to handle Natasha's behavioural problems and we tried a wide range of tactics. Grounding seemed to be one option. But it ended up that she was never getting out of her room and zero social contact. Gradually we came to a point of allowing her to choose her actions and suffer the consequences of those actions.

Despite this black picture I have painted so far I really cared for her. Natasha and I spent lots of time together. Often we would dash over the church before the Sunday service to give the chair a quick wipe over and the floor a vacuum because the cleaner that week had forgotten to come. She was always willing to help out although when not interested in the task she worked at a maddeningly slow pace. She never refused to help when asked.

Her background was severely disadvantaged. She was taken from her mother at a young age and grew up with an alcoholic stepfather. The reasons why she was taken were never clear but they must have been quite serious to be removed from her step mother and placed not in the care of her natural father but her step father. Evidently her mother was quite promiscuous and her relationships with men intruded on her capacity to care for Natasha.

Lindsay the stepfather tried his best with Natasha. He was battling with his own demons and was poorly equipped to raise a teenage girl. Verbal abuse was quite a common occurrence during his drunken binges. Natasha's self esteem was poor and she clearly lacked many of the skills that a mother brings to a relationship with a daughter.

April worked on many of these things with her. Teaching her how to wear makeup and match clothes. She helped with all those girl sorts of things that I have no idea about.

Being the parent of a teenager is not easy for most people. Natasha brought with her a load of baggage that increased that difficulty immensely. We tried as far as possible to include her as a member of our family. She came on holidays with us.

The morning she left began like many others. I was in the shower when April tapped on the door and said, Natasha is leaving.

I quickly got out of the shower to see what was going on. Natasha asked if she could use the phone to ring a friend so that she could move her gear. Her room was already completely packed. Evidently she stayed awake most of the night packing. Within half an hour Natasha was gone. Despite the difficulties we had with Natasha we considered her part of our family. I couldn't bear to watch her leave the house. I had to go to the backyard to be myself and cry.

At first she wanted nothing to do with us. She told all sorts of lies to her friends about the reasons why she had left. However she gradually began communicating with us. We went a couple of times to the ice cream shop where we would talk. But, it was quite clear that she wanted to live her own life without any of the responsibilities that being a part of a family brings with it.

Shortly after she moved to Townsville. We tried to stay in contact. A couple of times when we were in Townsville we ran into each other. She would always have a bloke with her. Occasionally she rang to let us know her address. After a year or so the contact began to fade. I last tried to find her at a hostel but the people said she had moved and didn't know where she was.

I find it difficult to understand why Natasha would exchange the love of a caring family for the cheap transient pleasures that she was looking for. I know we are not the perfect family but I am sure the lifestyle we offered would be the most secure she had experienced. Then I think that most of us are not that different. We choose to forget to take the best that life offers and fill our lives with cheap baubles that have a superficial attractiveness.

WordPress for the absolute beginner – creating a category

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word logo An important aspect of blog maintenance is keeping it organised. Categories enable you to do this. There are several ways that you can create a category. Once you get to the categories screen the process is the same.

To look at the free course please go to my elearning site to register and login. You will then have full access to the course and be able to comment and make suggestions about how we can improve it further.

Are you tired of people pretending to be your friend

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I am. You know the type. The shop assistant trying to sell you a digital camera that is $200 dollars over your budget but has features that you cant simply be without. The car salesman who convinces you that you need the sat-nav system even though you live in a country town with only two streets. The telemarketeer who promises you instant savings on your phone bill but can never be contacted if you need some after sales support.

They will pretend to be your best buddy but we both know it isn’t real. So why do we keep playing the charade.

One call from a friend is worth 100 calls from an Academy-Award winner on tape.

The mistake politicians, like most marketers, make is that they think that what they are doing is way too important. Too important to leave to citizens. Too important to leave to ordinary people who happen to be big fans with organic, authentic networks of trusted friends. Too important to respect social boundaries. Seth Godin

We need to remember that we only have so much energy to see us through each day. We need to expend it on people who aren’t going to pretend. Sadly for many people these are the only connections that they ever get to make because they spend all their life pretending to be friends.

Its time to stop pretending and it is time to begin building those authentic relationships that are not based on what can be gotten out of each other. Marketeers and politicians can only ever speak to our materialistic existence. They only offer short term solutions.

Find instead friends who will speak to your soul. People who will be able to listen to you passions and contribute to that passion. Friends who you are able to listen to and offer the same in return. Find friends who will not pretend that they are listening and committed to you. Don’t allow inauthenticity to impinge in any way on the quality of relationship that you deserve.

Stop pretending and be energised instead. 

Gribble Awards – Gribbley’s for November

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Around the blogosphere this month: These are the articles that have stood out for me:
The Orlando Sentinal –

Although bloggers — basically people who keep Internet diaries to be read by a few or a few thousand — can start off with a bang, many are soon casting about for something to write about. When they get so desperate that they are actually typing “I don’t know what to write,” then the party’s over.

“That’s sort of the quintessential last post,” says Mason, “and then . . . crickets.”

Remember: Passion sells

There are 5,000 new blogs started each day. And many of them are, well, pretty dull. So how do you keep from being in that group?

First, be passionate about your subject matter — whether it’s dating or films or bowling.

  • This is so true. With so much happening in the blog world and new blogs being created every moment of every day there needs to be something that will distinguish your blog from the rest of the pack. Passion is a great beginning but then in the following recommendation you will find some tips about what to do to market your articles. People need to hear about what you are doing and that requires work as well.

Marketing Article

Last Thursday, I reported on an article marketing experiment I am in the midst of conducting. Specifically, I wanted to create more passive income, so I decided to give article marketing a real try and see how it went.

  • This article then has a great follow on to some of the ways to create increased revenue from your site.

Fast company.com

Silicon Valley start-ups and media behemoths aren’t the only ones realizing the rewards of the rebounding Web economy. Already, many A-list bloggers have generated significant income from running advertisements on their blogs. Though with an estimated 53.4 million blogs expected to launch by year-end, according to Perseus Development Corporation, it’s safe to assume that not everyone is going to get rich from blogging. So what’s in it for the up-and-coming blogger, beyond creative self-expression?

  • It isn’t as easy as it sounds and there are a number of articles that criticise this post because it doesn’t talk about the majority of blogs that wont make very much money. However the possibility to create a valuable niche is there. And, there are all sorts of reasons why you may want to blog. I would suggest that he adsense model by itself has limitations even though many are using it to create a significant income. A blog does give you a public face and it can be a factor in creating a profile that may just provide opportunities that you never thought about.

The emergence of the meganiche –

Now that a billion people are online, even sites aimed at a narrow slice of the Web audience can attract huge crowds. Make way for the meganiche!

  • The web world is continuing to grow and with very good incomes being made by those who have found their place the meganiche is worth understanding. The audience is growing everyday and a significant percentage of its users are looking for information. If you can organise your information well and connect with others then you have a high chance of success in creating a new meganiche.

I notice that the posts that have stood out to me are those about the possibilities that blogs can give the blogger. Thats ok because we need to understand the blogging community if we are going to be able to communicate with it. Each of these articles offers valuable insight and explores some of those possibilities.

Those wake up moments

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Steve Pavlina as usual has some great insights into the awakening of our consciousness. He suggests that humanity is at the edge of a significant mass awakening.

"One day you're tooling along, working your normal job, living your normal life, and everything seems OK. But something happens that triggers a sudden expansion of your awareness, and for that brief moment of perfect clarity, you know what it's like to be fully awake. You're struck by the terrifying realization that your life has gotten way off course, and that you're really meant to be doing something entirely different."

Discovery of ourselves is one of the greatest journeys that we can take. That awake feeling is cannot be artificially induced by chemicals or by the drug of choice of the middle class, shopping. It must come from within, from our spirits. What an exciting concept to see the possibility of people determing a new course for their lives based on the total awakening to their souls. What a difference such clarity could make for our collective consciousness. The first step of this journey begins with honesty. It will bring to us a mirror that will allows us to see ourselves in such a way that the possibility opens for us to begin that walk.

Positive thinkings power – there’s more to it than just weight loss

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Here is a great list of tips regarding the benefits of the positive thinking. Evidently it really does work. Even if it doesn’t its much better to be positive and reasonably happy than negative and very unhappy.

  • Optimism is a predictor of well-being, mood, physical health, and achievements
  • Positive thinking has been linked to a number of health benefits including enhanced immune functioning, faster recovery from surgery, increased longevity, reduced stress
  • Optimism can help people recover from setbacks during a weight loss program
  • Optimists are more persistent
  • Practicing positive thinking regularly helps to change the neural circuits in the brain, making it easier to think positively and engage in positive behaviors
  • Affirmations are short positive “I” statements that are in present tense – i.e. “I choose healthy foods that nourish my body.”
  • Keep a weekly journal of your achievements to help you stay focused on the positive and keep motivated
  • Connect with others – optimists are more likely to seek social support which can help during a weight management program
  • for more link here

Worth a read and the podcast should be worth a listen.

Be yourself – Everyone else is taken

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You are special. Until you realise that no one else in the whole world has your unique combination of strengths, thoughts, emotions, personality, desire, hopes and dreams you will never really reach your potential. No one else will ever be able to do the things that you do in quite the same way. You are special because of your unique spirit.

Until we learn to be comfortable in our own skin we can forget what it is that we were created for. That is why it is so important to be yourself. Everyone else is too busy to be themselves and can never really be the person that you are. That is why its so important to be ourselves and be happy with the way that we are.

This doesn’t mean that we should stop trying to improve ourselves. Being able to change is a part of the wonder of human existence. To become aware of ourselves and to recognise that we can expand our consciousness is a unique gift to humanity. That’s why we need to be ourself and not just try and clone ourself on a perception of what someone elses reality is about.

And if you ever forget just how special you are take this with you:

I’m special. In all the world there is no one like me. Since the beginning of time there has never been another person like me.
Nobody has my smile. Nobody has my eyes, my nose, my hair, my hands, my voice, I’m special.
Nobody anywhere has my taste for food or music or art. Nobody sees things just as I do.
In all time there has been no one who laughs like me, no one who cries like me.
And what makes me laugh and cry will never provoke identical laughter and tears from anybody else, ever.
No one reacts to any situation just as I would react.
I’m special. No one in the universe can reach the quality of my combination of talent, ideas, abilities and feelings.
Like a room full of musical instruments some may excel alone, but none can match the symphony sound when they are played together. I’m a symphony.
Through all eternity no one will ever look, talk, walk, think or do like me.
I’m special. I’m rare.
I’m special. And I am beginning to realise that it is no accident that I’m special.
I’m beginning to realise that God made me special for a very special purpose.
He must have a job that no one else can do as well as I.
Out of billions of applicants only one is qualified only one has the rare combination of what it takes to be me.

That one is me, because…….I’m special.

Read this poem whenever you begin to question just how important you are. When you question your life purpose. When you feel less than capable. When you feel as if you have failed in some way.

Always remember that everyone else is taken and that the most important job that you have in this world is to be yourself. Because, you are special.

He-Brew Beer

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beerI couldn’t resist putting this in. OK, we’re jealous. When did you last hear of Baptist Bitter? Or Pentecostal Pilsener? Or even Lutheran Lager? Like, never. So if you’re in search of a truly divine beer, you’ll have to cross the denominational divides big time, and head off to He’brew for “the best (and only) Jewish beer in America”.

He’brew, “the chosen beer”, offers four different brews. There’s Genesis Ale; there’s Messiah Bold (“the beer you’ve been waiting for”, ha ha); there’s Genesis 10:10 (brewed with pomegranate juice); there’s Monumental Jewbelation, and there’s even a beer in celebration of Jewish comedian Lenny Bruce. “This Chanukah, candles won’t be the only thing getting lit!” says one of the brewery’s many inspired sales blurbs.

He’brew: a beer so blessed, you’ll wish you were circumcised. Click here for the He’brew website. from the Ship of Fools

The long tail of success – or success for the rest of us

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The long tail is the concept that there are huge markets that lie on the periphery of the so called big ticket items. When it comes to sales we see that Ebay has capitalised on this almost perfectly. The attraction is that anyone can make money on Ebay. All that you have to do is clean out your cupboards and garage and someone else is bound to pay money for it. The long tail makes success more accessible for us all. It allows anyone to use technological resources to reach a huge audience.

 TV stations have limited time slots, so the opportunity cost of each time slot is high; stations therefore choose programs that have the broadest appeal. But as the number of TV stations grows or TV programming is distributed through other digital channels, the choice of TV programs grows and the cultural diversity rises.

Some of the most successful Internet businesses have leveraged the Long Tail as part of their businesses. Examples include eBay (auctions), Yahoo! and Google (web search), and Amazon (retail) amongst the majors along with smaller Internet companies like Audible (audio books) and Netflix (video rental).

Often presented as a phenomenon of interest primarily to mass market retailers and web-based businesses, the Long Tail also has implications for the producers of content, especially those whose products could not – for economic reasons – find a place in pre-Internet information distribution channels controlled by book publishers, record companies, movie studios, and television networks. Looked at from the producers’ side, the Long Tail has made possible a flowering of creativity across all fields of human endeavour. (Wikipedia)

In our own personal success the long tail is also very true. The long tail of success allows everyone possibilites to reach their potential. To discover their authentic existence that allows for their unique spirit to flourish. The highest human endeavour is to discover our God given creativity and to express that creativity in meaningful ways. The long tail of succes recognises that the resources to achieve greatness are available to not just a chosen few but to all who take hold of possibility and allow that to be expressed in their own life.

The long tail says to us that we don’t need to be overshadowed by a few bright shining stars. That that as we shine together we create a thing of far greater brightness and beauty. Success is no longer something to be controlled but it is a thing to be shared and given freely.

One question we should ask about our success is, what gifts can I give today? And, I am not just talking about that little donate safely by PayPal button on the top right hand side of this blog. I know that in my marriage when I stop giving I fail. My conversation expresses negativity, I am difficult, arrogant, rude and self consumed. The same is true of our personal devlopment it only starts when we are able to begin to give. It is not an option. We must never be fooled into thinking that just because we are the recipients of gifts that we have found a safe place. Actually the oposite is true such a privilege must shock us into an increased awareness that it is time to give.

Don’t go chasing people you’ll never make happy

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Don’t go chasing people you’ll never make happy.A great example is the original wiki design. Ward Cunningham and friends deliberately stripped the wiki of many features that were considered integral to document collaboration in the past. Instead of attributing each change of the document to a certain person, they removed much of the visual representation of ownership. They made the content ego-less and time-less. They decided it wasn’t important who wrote the content or when it was written. And that has made all the difference. This decision fostered a shared sense of community and was a key ingredient in the success of Wikipedia.

 One of the hardest aspects of community is learning that you will never make some people happy. This is why it is so important to have a core purpose fixed firmly in your own mind. It is important because unhappy people will try to manipulate and control you and often sidetrack you along your way.

Wikipedia is incredibly successful because it has such a strong sense of community coupled with a core purpose of building a knowledge base from its community. There are the whingers of course who would like extra features but Wikipedia has resisted the temptation to allow individuals to rule what the rest are doing. It has determined the big picture is so important and cannot be sacrificed for the sake of any one person.

Some people don’t like this often because of their overinflated egos and self perceived importance. At Wikipedia knowledge is king not, “I”. But, look at its incredible success.

In our own personal development this principle is also true. I must decide what I have been placed on this earth for. Do I really believe that I was placed here to make a difference? If the answer is yes then I must commit myself to a purpose, whether it be saving the whales, helping disadvantaged people, serving God, building a better family. Whatever it is it must be held at the centre of all that we do. It will then allow us to make decisions about the many choices that we will have to make about the way to achieve that purpose.

Take the time to understand yourself. Find a tool that will allow you to do this. I recommend the Green Light Profile because it offers its advice in the context of a relationship with your career coach who will help you look at your career choices. It is something that I have spent a lot of time working through with people and it is a very positive model that looks at your strengths. But really any tool that enables you to better understand some aspect of who you are will help.

It will help you to make some people unhappy. Not eveyone will appreciate your purposefulness because it will stop their manipulation of your circumstances to bring you down to their level. Don’t worry about them. Encourage if you have the opportunity but most of the time you will have to leave them in their misery. Move past that and do something great today.

 

Building a better blog world – one post at a time

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I believe that those who contribute to the conversation – even if it’s critically – are the bloggers that are really the ones that are the most interesting to read. These leaders don’t always paint everything as candy canes and lollipops. They call things like they see them. But they do so not to attack, but to advance the conversation forward. They do so to lead people toward a larger goal. (Micropersuasion)

This is a great comment on the world of blogging. As it becomes more and more influential we will see a growing confusion because of the sheer bulk of information coming out of the blogs.

Bloggers have a couple of options

  1. They can choose to add to the value already on the web
  2. They can choose to take away from the value on the web

The new leaders will be those who contribute. They will be those who give to the blogging community and those who are able to engage in real relationships and encourage others to find their voice.

Blogging is no different to many other conversations that we have its just that the medium is changing. And, as this medium matures we will see some people rise to the challenges of finding a voice. In many cases this will mean that those who are stuck in the traditional mindsets of authority, control and arrogance will eventually be drowned out by those who are able to share, relate and empathise.

The call is for people to be able to rise to meet this challenge. To set before us an agenda allows us all to move a step further forward. To move us all towards a greater honesty and integrity that will encourage us to see ourselves just that little bit more clearly. Isn’t this what happens in any good conversation?

One writer describes a range of people who contribute to the flow of energy in our lives. He called those who take VDP’s, Very Draining People. In the blog world these are the people who as Steve writes tear down and criticise. At the other end of the spectrum are the VIP’s, Very Important People. These are the people who contribute to your energy flow, they are the people who energise you. We have all had conversations that we go away from feeling drained you have just met a VDP we need to limit the time spent with them. On the other hand we all would have had energising conversations, where you go away encouraged to continue the journey or have been given a fresh idea or where you have been validates for who you are. These are the VIPs.

We need to ensure that we maintain a balance in the conversations that we have. Regulate the number of VDP conversations that you have whether it be through a blog or face to face. And, ensure that you have plenty of VIPs with you on your journey. They will give you the encouragement and wisdom to take move that next step forward.

Dealing with Debt

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Where does it all go?

Several people have pointed us to the rich calculator, that reminds you just how insanely rich your indebted best customers are. There are millions of Americans who make more than $200,000 a year. That's 2 million dollars a decade, five or ten million dollars over the course of a career. Add it up, then look at the number. All you can do is shake your head and say, "where did it all go…" (Seth Godin)

Where does it all go? Well it goes in small amounts.

A few years ago a friend of mine declared bankruptcy. In its simplest form bankruptcy is when you no longer have the capacity to repay your current level of debt and so you are given the chance to start again with a clean slate. Although this initially may sound like a good option bankruptcy also comes with a high price tag. This friend of mine had not managed his debt wisely he had spent more than he earned. His business went under and many people were not paid what they were owed. In the end everyone suffered because of the bankruptcy. I think the most devastating thing for this friend was the discovery that he didn't have many friends at all only people who used him.

This all occurred shortly before his fortieth birthday. So at 40 he had to rebuild his life, make new friends, move to a new town. Unwise decisions about credit and a lack of a clear understanding of how much he owed led to his downfall. Luckily he was resilient and he has begun to rebuild his life but debt led to a great cost to his family and his future.

Most people spend more than what they earn. We have learned to live two pay packets away from bankruptcy. It is estimated that the average amount that we spend is about $400.00 per family per anum more than what we earn. Although this doesn't sound like a lot of money most bankruptcies are for figures less than $20 000.

 

The first step in finding financial freedom is working out where it all goes.

  • Begin a spending log today to find out where your money is going
  • This must come before you try to start to set a budget
  • Once you work out where it is all going you will then be able to work out how to start saving money.

What is really important?

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George Carlin was an American comedian of the 70’s and 80’s. He was known to be a little foul-mouthed and it is fascinating that after the death of his wife and 9-11 he would write the following:

  • The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.
  • We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.
  • We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.
  • We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
  • We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
  • We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
  • We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
  • We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life.
  • We’ve added years to life not life to years.
  • We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour.
  • We conquered outer space but not inner space.
  • We’ve done larger things, but not better things.
  • We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
  • We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.
  • We write more, but learn less.
  • We plan more, but accomplish less.
  • We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.
  • We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
  • These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men andsmall character, steep profits and shallow relationships.
  • These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.
  • These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, weight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.
  • It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.
  • A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.
  • Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets,

keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don’t send this to at least 8 people….who cares?

George Carlin

WordPress for the absolute beginner – editing the timestamp

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Once you have composed your post you can choose to publish your post straight away or you can choose the time you would like it published. This tutorial will show you how you can select the time that you would like to have the post published using the timestamp feature in WordPress.

To begin using WordPress go to the elearning site and enrol. Its completely free to do so of course. And please feel free to add to the knowldedge base in the forums and wikis.

WordPress for the absolute beginner – posting on your blog

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WordPress is one of the best things on the web when it comes to blogging.

  1. Firstly is free so it can’t be beaten on price.
  2. Secondly its simple to use, the interface is very intuitive.
  3. Thirdly it has great support. There a lots of information if you have any questions. WordPress is one of the most widely used blogging tools on the web.
  4. It is also one of the easiest installs of any of blogging software. It basically does the whole thing for you in a couple of steps.
  5. There is a great range of free plugins, templates and other extras to help you manage and enhance your site.

To begin using WordPress go to the elearning site and enrol. The first topic is how to add a post to WordPress. There will be more topics to follow in the near future.

From the Pro blogger archives

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Interestingly enough I found that I was already doing most of Darren’s suggestions. I guess good advice is always good advice and the fundamentals of building relationships always is about communication. Let people know what you are doing, take an interest in what others are doing and contribute to the wider community remain the secrets of networking.

But, we can all use a reminder to keep us on track with what we are doing. Problogger is an invaluable resource for the aspiring blogger who wants to do it better.