Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Thoughts Become Things!
Mike Dooley, featured in "The Secret," author of NY Times bestseller Infinite Possibilities and scribe behind "Notes from the Universe" explaining the inviolate principle that gives us dominion over all things.
More at tut.com Website
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.
"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time." ~ Jack London
Monday, December 27, 2010
Yanik Silver's 10 Best Books for Inspired Entrepreneurs from 2010
Yanik Silver's 10 Best Books for Inspired Entrepreneurs from 2010
http://www.internetlifestyle.com/blog/resources-and-tools/10topbooks2010
"Fun, Freedom and Financial Independence funded by the Internet"
Two Ways to Live Your Life
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle, and the other is as if everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Track your stolen laptop (or phone) for free
Many entrepreneurs find using a laptop to be a great convenience and/or necessity in realizing their Lifestyle (Re)Design. With the proliferation of WiFi hotspots and increased internet connectivity worldwide it allows you work from nearly anywhere without the need for an office or "brick and mortar" store.
With this convenience comes danger and we're referring to physical theft this time rather than cyber-crime. Clearly, it's bad enough when someone steals from you but your laptop presents its own unique problems in that it very likely contains sensitive personal or business information.
Which is the reason why Prey was developed. It's a free program (Linux, Mac or Windows) that works to track your laptop (or phone) should anyone steal it.
Prey Project
Rest safe. Prey lets you keep track of your phone or laptop at all times, and will help you find it if it ever gets lost or stolen. It's lightweight, open source software, and free for anyone to use. And it just works.
Silent but deadly: Basically you install a tiny agent in your PC or phone, which silently waits for a remote signal to wake up and work its magic.
This signal is sent either from the Internet or through an SMS message, and allows you to gather information regarding the device's location, hardware and network status, and optionally trigger specific actions on it." Quoted material is from the Prey Project Website
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Low Cost Travel Lodging
One of the goals in Lifestyle (Re)Design for many people is the option to be able to travel more. This requires more time, which is hopefully realized by the development of successful Muse(s), and affordability. Individuals with highly successful Muses will require less attention to affordability but still may prefer to travel as inexpensively as possible, regardless of their income. Many travelers find that hostels fill the bill for traveling affordably so we have devoted this blog post to Hostelling International USA. The information below is presented as it appears on their web site but by no means is intended as a substitute for all the info provided by HI-USA. I highly recommend that if you find the information presented below of interest that you use the link below to access HI-USA's attractive and easy-to-navigate web site to research further or join.
Hostelling International USA
"Hostelling International USA (registered as American Youth Hostels, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1934 to promote international understanding of the world and its people through hostelling. HI-USA operates a network of over 60 quality hostel accommodations throughout the United States that are inexpensive, safe and clean. Our hostels range from urban high-rise buildings with hundreds of beds to small more remote hostels in rural settings."
Hostelling International USA Website
"Are hostels just for young people? Hostelling International USA welcomes visitors of all ages. While the majority of our hostel guests are between 18 and 30 years of age, seniors, families and groups also enjoy using our hostels across the United States and around the world."
"Where are hostels and how many are there? Hostelling International USA has nearly 4,000 hostels in over 80 countries worldwide, including more than 60 hostels here in the United States. Our hostels are in major cities like New York, London, Paris, Beijing, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro and Nairobi, but you will also find hostels in smaller centers, rural areas, points of interest, national parks, along with mountainous regions and coastal shores."
"What does it cost to stay in a hostel? Big city hostels, like New York and London, will run $25-$35 per night. Smaller and medium sized hostels can be as little as $10-$14 per night. Staying at our hostels makes your trip more affordable and allows you to spend your money on other things."
"The types and prices of each membership
YOUTH: FREE (for those under 18 years of age)
ADULT: $28.00 ANNUALLY (18-54 years of age)
SENIOR: $18.00 ANNUALLY (55+ years of age)
LIFE: $250 (one-time fee & open to all ages)"
"Hostelling International USA is a nonprofit membership organization that provides you with a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to:
Access to more than 4,000 hostels in over 80 countries worldwide.
Access to nearly 70 hostel locations in the United States.
Savings up to 70% on international phone calls, free e-mail access, voicemail and travel information through eKit.
HI-USA members now get basic international travel insurance coverage and discounts on optional upgrades
Worldwide access to commission-free currency exchange."
"You must be a U.S. citizen or resident to purchase a Hostelling International USA membership. To find the closest Hostelling International office in your home country, visit www.hihostels.com."
A National Non-Profit With a Mission: "To help all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hostelling." Hostelling International USA
Rock Star Guitar
This blog is about Lifestyle (Re)Design and sometimes it's difficult to remember that this entails other things besides making or saving money or building Muses for income. Things like playing music, learning to paint or other some artistic endeavor. You know, the stuff that makes us feel satisfied just for the sake of doing it. Well, I ran across this guy this morning and asked myself, "How many people have I heard say they would love to learn to play guitar if it wasn't so hard and time-consuming?"
Well, Sammy T has done what Tim Ferriss is so fond of doing and deconstructed the music learning process and reconstructed it in a manner that is more readily learned by today's aspiring "rock stars". The success of the "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero" video games is a testament to the idea behind Sammy T's instructional method.
If you've ever had the desire to learn to play guitar, this just might be the system you've been looking for and with a $1.00 trial period who can't afford to check it out? When my son took guitar lessons back in the early 1990's the lessons cost $15.00 per hour session. That was costing us about $60.00 per month plus gas for a 45 mile round-trip excursion. At $37.00 per month for unlimited access, the member fee for Rock Star Guitar is a bargain!
From the Rock Star Guitar web site: "A professional entertainer and avid video game player, Sammy T has fused two of his biggest interests to create a unique learning opportunity for ‘Rock Band’ and “Guitar Hero’ players. Sammy’s new learn-to-play-guitar system uses color-coded chords similar to the popular video games so that game players can learn how to play a REAL guitar.
My new “Rock Star Guitar” System, which uses color-coded chords similar to the video game, will have you playing like a pro in no time! You’ll get the step-by-step instruction and the comprehensive information you need to get results fast! You’ll discover amazing methods that will enable you to play virtually any guitar song no matter what level you are at now (beginner, intermediate or advanced)!"
"Yes! I’d like to try Rock Star Guitar for $1! That’s right, you can have unlimited access to the site for 14 days for just one dollar. After 14 days if you don’t love the site, simply cancel your membership and you won’t pay another penny. If you enjoy the site, do nothing and you’ll automatically become a member at lowest price of $37 a month." Sammy T
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Jim Rohn and The Success Store
Without a doubt Jim Rohn had a significant effect on me AND my thinking when I first became involved with personal development, success achievement and wealth-building. It is true that wealthy people and poor people do think differently and THAT is the primary difference between being poor and being wealthy. Mr. Rohn explains how his mentor, Earl Shoaf, helped him to see that he had been thinking like a poor person and that once he changed himself that the world around him would change. Mr. Rohn went from being a poor store clerk in a JC Penney's store to being a multi-millionaire with several successful businesses. The story of his transformation is embedded with pearls of wisdom as passed on to him by his personal mentor as well as many other successful people.
The Success Store carries many wonderful books and audio products that contain those same pearls of wisdom. Many successful people are fond of saying that if you want to be successful, don't listen to people in the same situation or economic circumstances you're in; listen to and read advice from people who have already made it to where you want to be. If people in the same boat you're in really knew what to do to better their circumstances, they'd have already done it!
Success is not just about becoming more wealthy either. It is about becoming a better person than you already are. The tools and resources available through the link below will help you accomplish that goal. To your success!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Success Principles
Jack Canfield, the co-creator of the ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul” series talks about his failures and successes. Below is a clip from the video and the book is one of the ones on my bookshelf that I go back to time after time.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
MindJet Mind Mapping Software
Having a hard time getting your thoughts focused or visualizing a desired outcome? Check out the no obligation free trial for MindJet Mind Mapping software at the link below. Six out of ten Fortune 100 companies use it so it's worth a look don't you think?
MindJet Mind Mapping Software
"Mindjet provides productivity software that helps business professionals visually organize and act upon ideas, information and resources to drive productivity, team effectiveness and business innovation. Mindjet products include industry-leading software and online services centered around information mapping, as well as applications that incorporate Mindjet's innovative visualization technology to improve the usability of leading business applications. 1.5 million people use Mindjet software, including the industry-leading MindManager mind mapping application, to clarify thinking, efficiently analyze information, increase team productivity, and make better-informed decisions." MindJet.com
Vision Board Builder
Vision boards have been used for quite some time now as personal motivators. A vision board is an assemblage of pictures, photos & illustrations of things you want to possess, do or achieve or places you want to visit. Vision Board Builder is a free program that allows you to create vision boards on your computer. In addition to the vision board I have printed out for my office wall, I also use it as the wallpaper on my laptop. I have included some of the software developer's blog text in the section below for clarification. Enjoy!
"What Exactly Is This Vision Board Software? The Vision Board Builder is a completely free Windows application that’s designed to make building attractive image collages a snap!
A vision board is essentially a collection of images and ideas that reflect what you hope to achieve or acquire in life. Visualizing your goals is a powerful motivator– and with the free Vision Board Builder, it’s simpler than ever before! It’s also perfect for making general purpose collages or scrapbooks.
Simple drag and drop interface. Instant results. No spyware. No advertisements. No strings attached.
Is There a Catch? There is no catch. I originally wrote a simpler version of this for myself, then figured others might find it useful or fun. I offer it now completely free just for visiting my site, and hope you find some value in it. If you enjoy it, I’d love to hear your feedback or suggestions. If you really enjoy it, you’re always welcome to donate a few bucks. But like I said, this program is a free gift with no strings attached. And if you’d like to be notified of future releases and other exclusives, don’t forget to join the mailing list!" Kurt - DayBlocks.com
Video Tutorial
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Rental Properties as a Muse
One of my Muses is rental properties. Before you start about having to fix toilets in the middle of the night let me assure you that I consider plumbing right up there with bamboo slivers under the fingernails and waterboarding. We use property management and let them worry about it. If you buy the property right and are in a good rental market, you can lease it out and use the monthly proceeds to make the mortgage payment, pay the property taxes, pay the rental property insurance, pay the property management fee (usually 1/2 the first month's rent and 10% per month after that) and STILL pocket some profit each and every month. We shoot for at least net $200.00 before the property management fee so we still usually clear $180.00 per month per unit. All Property Management can put you in touch with property management teams around most of the U.S. Some PM companies specialize so it is best to double-check the property type for accuracy when requesting a quote. Think of them as a Virtual Assistant for your rental business.
All Property Management
All Property Management Web Site
"AllPropertyManagement.com is committed to being the most comprehensive, useful and informative resource for those researching rental and association management companies. We enable you to quickly and easily locate and compare thousands of rental and association management companies throughout the United Stated and Canada. We also provide expert advice to the most commonly asked questions to help facilitate your decision making process.
Owned and operated by All Property Management, LLC, the staff at AllPropertyManagement.com is comprised of a team of marketing and sales experts with over 35 years combined experience. Our consultants have a lifetime of experience in the property management industry to help assure that the needs of those using our site to seek rental and association managers are met.
If you represent a rental or association management company and want to be listed in our site, please contact our sales department at 509-996-8286 (DO NOT CALL this number if you have a property and are looking for management - view our featured property managers)." AllPropertyManagement.com
All Property Management, LLC
P.O. Box 1013
Winthrop, WA 98862
Landing Pages
I notice on a lot of the forums set up for web-based businesses and internet marketers that a lot of novices make inquiries about landing pages. I ran across this web site and it looks pretty interesting. From it's marketing pitch below it appears to be all that the novices are looking for and more.
Landing Pages System
Landing Pages Website Link
"Welcome to LandingPages, a website system specifically designed to help Serious Internet Marketers promote their business, OR the business they work for, and in a big way.
LandingPages is NOT just another flip site, capture page generator, or even a limited custom website or template. No, it is much more. LandingPages is a fully featured website building system that has been specifically designed for Internet Marketers. It has unique marketing specific features and expandability not found in other systems or websites, giving you the freedom to be as creative as you want to be, and even getting you back on Google PPC." LandingPages.ws
Monday, November 15, 2010
Kickstarter.com
Kickstarter Web Site
"What is Kickstarter? Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative ideas and ambitious endeavors. We believe that...
• A good idea, communicated well, can spread fast and wide.
• A large group of people can be a tremendous source of money and encouragement.
Kickstarter is powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands.
Who can fund their project on Kickstarter? Kickstarter is focused on creative ideas and ambitious endeavors. We're a great way for artists, filmmakers, musicians, designers, writers, illustrators, explorers, curators, performers, and others to bring their projects, events, and dreams to life.
We know there are a lot of great projects that fall outside of our scope, but Kickstarter is not a place for soliciting donations to causes, charity projects, general business expenses, or raising funds without a specific goal." Kickstarter.com
Free eBay Classifieds
eBay Classifieds
Free classifieds similar to Craigslist but eBay is supposed to use some filters to keep it more family friendly. Definitely worth checking out and an important tool for eliminating clutter from your life or finding virtual assistants and local travel deals. Broken down by major city or metro areas.
"eBay Classifieds exists for one simple reason: life is busy. It's a rare day when you're not doing at least one thing where eBay Classifieds could help: looking for a job, buying a car, selling your old bike, lining up a babysitter, or warming up to your kids' plea for a puppy.
Life is too busy to deal with iffy classifieds sites. Sites that are not completely free, remarkably simple, and safe enough for your kids to look at — they're not worth your time. eBay Classifieds strives to be all three. There's always "someone home", and we're here to help.
eBay Classifieds launched originally in the U.S. as Kijiji.com in June 2007. Since then we have grown a very large community and, more recently, re-designed our site to make their lives even simpler. We loved the Kijiji name ("village" in Swahili) but felt it was time for a change and that the eBay brand would breathe some fresh air into online classifieds." EbayClassifieds.com
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Mini-Retirements and Discount Travel
Tim Ferriss discusses the concept of the Mini-Retirement" in his book, "The 4-Hour Workweek". In his view one or two week vacations are simply not enough to break free mentally from the old grind at work. He advocates for smaller 1-to-several month long mini-retirements throughout your working lifetime rather than postponing for the sometimes elusive end-of-work retirements that is more common for most people.
He also chooses to travel extensively during his mini-retirements and, fortunately, a number of discount travel sites have sprung up recently that have made it within the financial grasp of more people. Following are some of the discount travel sites I have been able to locate during my research. I also thought these might come in handy for the upcoming holiday travel season. Enjoy!
OneTravel.com
Fly and Stay Cheap with OneTravel.com
"OneTravel provides you with the tools you need to book cheap flights and cheap tickets. Our site promises to find you the best flight deals around and our expert travel advice ensures that you’re getting the best airline tickets, car rentals, and hotel deals possible." OneTravel.com
CheapOAir
Domestic Super Saver Round Trip Fares at CheapOair.com.
"Start saving on air fares to top Domestic & International destinations & choose from 100 million flights options. CheapOair is a 7-time award winning travel website, ranked #7 amongst travelers by Hitwise.com. We offer one of the largest selections of airfares, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages and travel deals obtained from multiple sources, including three of the most respected and widely used reservation systems and fifteen other negotiated rates data sources to bring the best value to our customers." CheapOAir.com
One Bag
One Bag
"Pack light with One Bag. One Bag is a great site with lots of advice on travel and packing light. There's no question: overpacking easily heads the list of biggest travel mistakes. Thus this Web site, offering exhaustive (some might say exhausting) detail on the art of travelling light, living for an indefinite period of time out of a single (carryon-sized) bag." LifeHacker.com
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet
"Welcome to the Thorn Tree Travel Forum, the place where the Lonely Planet travel community get together to exchange travel information, advice, hints and tips. Get help, get connected, get inspired, have your say. Please choose from the Branches below or sign in to start posting." LonelyPlanet.com
BootsnAll Travel; The Ultimate Resource for the Independent Traveller
BootsnAll Travel
"The BootsnAll Travel Community is, we like to think, the soul of the company. It’s the place where like-minded travelers come to talk and exchange stories, travel tips and ideas. Our membership includes thousands of people from more than 90 countries – including experts in the travel industry – all interested in talking and reading about travel!
Becoming a BootsnAll member allows you to interact with the members of our travel community, whether you’re planning a trip and want feedback from others who’ve been there, in the middle of a trip and want to share your excitement, or you’ve just gotten back and can now answer questions for people who are in the planning stages. It’s wonderfully circular!" BootsnAll.com
Contact: 1-866-549-7614
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Clickbank Digital Marketplace
Have a digital product but not sure where or how to market it? Several of the role models I am emulating for my Muse project have earned their fortunes through Clickbank and I plan use Clickbank for my primary marketing to as soon as my project is done. Once set up on Clickbank, one has the potential for an entire "army" of affiliates to promote and sell your product for you. Definitely worth a look-see before you commit to something else!
"The Web's Most Trusted Digital Marketplace - Founded in 1998, ClickBank is a secure online retail outlet for more than 70,000 digital product vendors and 110,000 active affiliate marketers.
ClickBank makes a sale somewhere in the world every three seconds, safely processing more than 27,000 digital transactions a day. We serve more than 200 countries, and are consistently ranked as one of the most highly-trafficked sites on the web.
ClickBank is privately held with offices in Broomfield, Colorado and Boise, Idaho. Click Sales Inc. is a subsidiary of Keynetics Inc. All products and services offered by Keynetics or its subsidiaries are subject to the ClickBank Legal Notice." Clickbank.com
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
PDF Creation Software
PDF Creation Software
A sizable portion of information products are produced in the popular PDF format. PDF (Portable Document Format) was created by Adobe Systems over 15 years ago and is a formal open standard maintained by the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 32000 continues to be developed with the goal of protecting the reliability and permanence of PDF which will continue to provide an open standard for the millions of PDF files that exist today.
Beginning at $449.00, Adobe® Acrobat® 9 Pro software is a little on the high side of what most bootstrap startups can afford. PDF Creator is not as full-featured as the Adobe product but is more than sufficient for most applications required by the budding entrepreneur working on a Muse for Lifestyle Design.
Both products offer a free trial version which I have included links for below but be forewarned, the trial version of these products is really not suitable for Muse creation for various reasons. Use the trial version for testing but spring for the full version when you create your product. It will appear more professional and so will you.
"PDF Creator is a cost effective solution over the leading PDF product, Adobe Acrobat®. PDF Creator allows you to create PDF files from documents, spreadsheets, presentations, emails, websites, and virtually any file that can be printed. PDF Creator is a virtual printer so it's automatically integrated and ready for use in all of your favorite Windows® programs. This includes all of your Business applications, Multimedia applications, Web applications, Presentation applications and the list goes on and on. If you can print it, you can turn it into a PDF document." PDFCreator.com
Adobe Software (PDF, PhotoShop, etc.)
Download Adobe Free Trials Here
"Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information. We help our customers create and deliver compelling content and applications as well as fully realize their business potential. Together we’re turning engaging digital experiences into more valuable interactions every day — across media and devices, anywhere, anytime." Adobe.com
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