I ran into a girl while Wake Boarding yesterday that I hadn’t seen since High School. We got chatting about the usual things like what we’d been up to over the years, what we were doing now and where we were heading in life. We also touched on topics like the state of the economy & the employment market, job security and photography.

As it turns out she is now a very talented Graphic Designer. Information I wish I had 12 months ago!

But it was something she said to me that startled me a little, something I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since.

While talking about how I started Coolybar in 2007 and quit my job to work for myself, she stopped me as if in awe, and said “That’s really great! But wasn’t it risky?”…… “I mean, most people wouldn’t dream of it (starting their own business) because it’s so much trouble & hard work. What if you didn’t make any money?”

At the time this left me feeling a little dumb-founded and I simply brushed the comment aside by saying something along the lines of “Yeah well, I love that sort of thing, I love the challenge.” and left it at that. But what really got to me was not really what she said but how she arrived at that comment in the first place.

I was shocked. I didn’t take offense to anything she had said but I simply could not understand why someone would not want to challenge themselves, strive for their best and aim to make a difference in the world. I had never viewed what I was doing in the way that she had. Business, self development and entrepreneurship is my life, it’s what I do, it’s what I’ve always done, I don’t know any different. So to hear a completely different take on my life and how I go about it was some what mind-boggling.

Why do you think this was?

• Is this showing my ignorance for the 9-5 lifestyle I do my best to avoid?
• Is it because I tend to interact with people like myself most of the time who share common interests?
• Or, is it because I’ve never known anything other than to push myself to tackle new & exciting challenges and follow my own set of rules?

Yes, everybody goes about their lives in different ways, with different priorities and end goals. However I’m not sure I will ever understand why some people choose to move through life with no particular passion to achieve as high as they possibly can in their work, home and personal lives.

Never be afraid to do something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the titanic.

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If we haven’t met before, I’d love to meet you! You can find out a little bit about me here and get in contact with me here. Are you on Twitter? You can follow me here: @mikeboyd

I came across this photo while browsing a_lil_spaz’s Flickr stream today and it made me stop and think about the relationships that we share together as human beings.

Too often we see blatantly rude acts by strangers, friends & colleagues that are becoming more & more the “norm”. In this fast-paced technology age we are beginning to ignore our basic instincts of human interaction at our own peril.

And you know what? “We” as a generation will pay the price for this avoidable ignorance as we begin to understand that it’s not all about the iPod, the new plasma TV, the luxury car or the designer clothes, it’s about RELATIONSHIPS.

Relationships with your partner, your family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and strangers are so so important and you never know how a friendly act might benefit you in the future. Every action has an equal & opposite reaction and I’d much prefer to be on the receiving end of more positive than negative reactions. Wouldn’t you? In business and in life, relationships are far more important than the deal itself.

Stop and think for a moment, when was the last time you:

• Struck up a conversation with the person next to you on the train or bus?
• Talked to or even met your next door neighbours?
• Cared to listen to the answer when you asked “How are you?”
• Greeted the reception staff with a caring and patient response?
• Offered to help an elderly person with their shopping bags?
• Called an old friend just to chat?
• Sent snail mail?
• Smiled at a complete stranger?

“It’s not what you know, but who you know” and you won’t expand your social horizons by staying safely wrapped up in your technology cocoon away from all “those” people out there in the big bad world. As we experience an economic downturn and everything becomes just a little bit tougher, a lot of people are left wondering where to turn because they have no friends or support network left to fall back on in times of need. All because they simply didn’t have the time to maintain human relationships.

Choose to be different. Put down your iPod, mobile phone, laptop or blackberry and ask the cashier how their day has been. Who knows? It may lead you down a path to a new client, friend, lover or, better yet, just a simple positive human experience!

Until next time, SMILE!

If we haven’t met before, I’d love to meet you! You can find out a little bit about me here and get in contact with me here. Are you on Twitter? You can follow me here: @mikeboyd

Ready to leave your job behind and become your own boss?

It takes a certain kind of person to make it through the first few years. To help you along, we’ve culled the best tips from our own years of experience in running our own businesses.

• 1. Don’t work for less than you can afford to, but do offer a discount to customers or clients who sign contracts with you
• 2. Find people who will refer jobs to you. If they send you nightmare jobs, make sure they’re balanced out with rewarding (profitable!) ones.
• 3. Surround yourself with supportive people and don’t be discouraged by anyone. If your idea is good and you’re determined to stick with it through the first few difficult years, your chances of success are great.
• 4. Be flexible in your thinking. Prepare to change the way you work, the products you use and the services you offer, in order to meet the demands of your customers.
• 5. Admit your mistakes, correct them and carry on.(For example, if you purchase a piece of equipment that does not meet your expectations, send it back, sell it or exchange it!)
• 6. Develop a good relationship with your bank manager and creditors. Show a genuine interest in solving problems. Pay as much as you can afford to, to everyone to whom you owe money.
• 7. Get trained! You’ll be spending a lot of time doing things that have nothing to do with your area of expertise, like bookkeeping, marketing, and IT support!
• 8. Avoid isolation. Even if you work closely with your clients, you won’t be part of a gang anymore. Develop your own network of entrepreneurs that you see regularly and bounce ideas off. Ideally they’ll allow you to vent your anger and share your successes.
• 9. Separate your work and personal life. Set your working hours and stick to a strict timetable. When you’re not available to clients, leave a message on your answer machine letting them know when they can expect a reply from you. Let them know how to reach you in an emergency.
• 10. Plan some ‘thinking time’ into every day. If you pack your diary with back-to-back activities, your business will never grow.
• 11. Plan time to do something you enjoy at least a few times a week - recharge your batteries!
• 12. Write a business plan so you’re clear about what you’re doing, and update it every year.
• 13. Develop an excellent telephone manner and react quickly to any complaints or problems.
• 14. Confirm orders personally and immediately, especially those you receive on email.
• 15. Never lose sight of the big picture – look for innovative, little-explored directions in which to take your business.
• 16. When you find someone cleverer than you, employ them!
• 17. Solicit advice from people who know, for example, other entrepreneurs and reputable small business advisers – the DTI offers lots of information and support for new businesses.
• 18. Don’t enter a business or a venture that you know nothing about. You’ll be running to catch up for the rest of your business life.
• 19. Have an existing, loyal customer base and start locally.
• 20. Be aware that you will get through any initial investment quickly, so ensure you are covered financially until at least the end of the second year.
• 21. Focus on a specific goal and work at it until it’s achieved
• 22. Never worry about how to get things done when you are first developing your idea.Money and resources will come together once you have set your goals and begun to work at them.
• 23. Make quality in every aspect of your business your primary focus and aim. If it isn’t, you will eventually go out of business.
• 24. Use the Internet. Use email. Build a website (if you aren’t familiar with websites, try HTML for Dummies), send out email newsletters, buy online banner advertisements and register your site with all the major search engines.
• 25. Delegate. You might have to hire a good PA, lawyer, or marketing professional to ensure you’ll be profitable in the future.

source: ivillage.co.uk

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Peter Clemens is a young 25 year old Australian from Perth who is currently residing in Vancouver, Canada with his family.

Peter is a blogger dedicated to Self Development, Positivity, Change and Leading fulfilling lives. The Change Blog is his primary domain where he writes about change in our lives and the importance of it. Peter is also the editor at Pick the Brain another inspirational blog on Motivation and Self Improvement.

Quoting Peter on The Change Blog he says “My goal for this blog is to make the world a better place by helping people to lead happy, conscious and meaningful lives.

Peter is a truly inspirational, positive and happy leader - and I encourage all of you to have a look at his blog material, for you never know how it may help you.

Only recently he has released his first ebook entitled ‘A Year of Change’ summarising the first year of his change blog and his experiences. A great read! You can find the download link here

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It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.- Aristotle


Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I’d almost always sleep in late. I usually didn’t start hitting my stride each day until late afternoon.

But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high correlation between success and rising early, even in my own life. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher, not just in the morning but all throughout the day. And I also noticed a significant feeling of well-being. So being the proactive goal-achiever I was, I set out to become a habitual early riser. I promptly set my alarm clock for 5AM……

and the next morning, I got up just before noon.

Hmmm…

I tried again many more times, each time not getting very far with it. I figured I must have been born without the early riser gene. Whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that blasted noise and go back to sleep.

I tabled this habit for a number of years, but eventually I came across some sleep research that showed me that I was going about this problem the wrong way. Once I applied those ideas, I was able to become an early riser consistently.

Click the link below to read the full article on Steve Pavlina’s self development blog.

How to Become an Early Riser

Tags: SelfDevelopment, Aristotle, Early Riser, Sleep Patterns, Get enough sleep, become an early riser,