How do yo define who you are?

There are certain occasions or blessings in our life. They serve to define who we are. Sometimes we don’t have the courage to create who we want to be.

How many times have you thought why didn’t I say that, or why didn’t I do that?

How often have you done something that was completely opposite to what you believed in, all because you thought you had no choice in the matter?

They say that life is truly lived fully when you live on a higher level of consciousness, when you understand what the world is asking from you and you allow you moral compass guide you.

As part of this journey I have begun to take make does hard choices. The reason so many of us make the choices that go against who we are even if we know the outcome will be less than desirable is purely because we “know” what will happen. We can predict. We can control getting there.

The reason we don’t make the hard choices, the choices that will define who we are, is because we aren’t sure where it will take us.

I’m happy to try this path in my life. I can only it hope it takes me where I want to go. However, I do know, that living in my skin, I will be happy that I have made the choice to define who I am and be truthful to who I am. My life has been created. My personality. My path. I don’t have to worry because God has made me. Made me perfect for my mission. Knowing that. Knowing that God is one my side. I have nothing to fear.

Most of the greats that have come before us. Even those that are making it now face the same situation. People in the world, even family and friends will tell you that you’re mad trying to do what your doing. You live in a fantasy land they say. This is true. Those people that have stuck to what was in their hearts, whether the world thought was plausible or not, got to the that place other call “fantasy land”. The land of freedom.

I know the path of a job,  a career, a life of servitude, the mortgage, the family, the wish that there was more time: I see this path everyday with just about everyone I meet on daily basis. I don’t how the other path works. All I know is I am trusting it. And pleased with myself for having the courage to enter the unknown in search of fantasy land.

As always people, we only live once, we get one shot, act now, not tomorrow, not later today, ACT NOW!

 

Your thoughts please!!! A partner in Life?

Do you ever find a partner in life?

If you do, do you both agree on path together?

OR

Do you get married etc and carry on working towards separate goals?

One focuses on their career and the other like wise?

Is it possible for both to focus on a career together? A career in choosing the best possible path to happiness and freedom?

Freedom in terms of free time. Free time to enjoy life, kids a partner etc?

What do you do if you find that you can marry someone and have kids, but know in your heart that as time passes so too will the distance between you.

Distance, because you both chose a path that was actually what you thought the other wanted,

or you were afraid to go after what you wanted for fear that the other will not approve, in which case resentment builds?

Please comment, let me know your thoughts.

Masses of People Jump of Cliffs One by One!!!

Interesting headline right? We understand that this happens with sheep in the mountains. The basic premise is that of a herd mentality. One follows the other presuming the other knows exactly where it is going.

So what?

Well, today I heard on a company on radio advertisement, a bank nonetheless, tell the listeners that they should open a bank account at their branch. They opened the add with someone saying “why are we following along with a crowd of 400 people” and the other replies, “notice how a two cafe’s could be next to each other but one could be full and the other empty…these people know where they’re going and they’re going to open an account with company x” The add ends with the emphasis on the phrase “crowd wisdom”…trust it.

Is this a form of  ”Adult Peer Pressure”?

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Crowd wisdom is well documented as those that first pick up new products and trends, and it is also known in the stock market. This theory of crowd mentality is very well known in the stock market.  Warren Buffet, king of the stock market, advocates the opposite. That if everyone heads in one direction then you should head in the other. Large banks and corporations are notorious for sucking in masses of people with false leads with their ability manipulate the market and then drop the guillotine.

Banks did this with 100% mortgages to those that could not afford mortgages. Now many families are in financial ruin. There was definitely a herd mentality going on. Who was it led by? The banks, right.

Friedrich Nietzsche was right. That both forms of this herd mentality are weaknesses and that the true “superman” is one that overcomes the values of the fallible herd.  A person needs to be able to understand what the herd is doing and make a call on what is really happening.

What is happening to our society? It’s as if we don’t really follow our own path, our own intuition anymore. We go through a system from birth to death. A system designed to extract as much energy from us for the production of services, products and taxes. Where are the signposts saying “Think for yourself!” when you were growing up.  Even classes in schools and colleges train us to think in a certain way. To stay within the norm of what should be presented. How often is analysis playing a part in the overall solution?

The world is not flat, yet we were thought it. …..Dare not question it.

Yet, in a classroom, a person can be put down, brushed aside, ignored, deemed arrogant, or contentious or even egotistical for challenging accepted thoughts and theories. Obviously there has to be a limit in it.  Otherwise it’s a little exhaustive and contentious, but my point remains.

Are we really a society that is governed by brands and by marketing? We do what we are told everyone is doing? Sure one coffee shop is more full. That’s because there is a social hierarchy communicated through the brand and everyone wants to keep up with the Jones’.  Or one is simply more known through advertising and marketing. A price differential occurs even if there is no disparity between products or environment of the sale.

How long are we going to be told what others are doing and therefore we should also do it?

Lisbon Treaty for Ireland? Remember the line “every other country is doing it”.

What if a law is passed that we don’t like. A law that affects 30% of the population in a adverse way. Is it enough that all 30% take to the streets to voice a concern? Will that change the law?

Does it now mean that we would have to congregate with other precentages of populations from other countries to voice a concern? Not as easy, right, bringing masses together from other countries.

All I’m saying here is that the more we give into herd mentality the harder it will be for a group of individuals to pull out of the herd before their guided over the cliff.

Think people. Act, Act now.

Keep Your Dog On A Leash!!!!!

I was out today doing my normal Tuesday 10 mile run around the Phoneix Park in Dublin, Ireland. I have two lovely and well trained dogs. One is a Dalmation, a beauty with brown spots and a miscievious personality. Another mix dog with a sneaky rebellious personality. Both know tricks like dance, “walk” walk on hind legs, “Bang Bang” my version of play dead.

I enjoy my freedom in this life. Like most I don’t get much of it. But I seize the opportunity when I can. I give my dogs every chance to feel freedom and life in the great outdoors. I always run with them without a leash. In fact, when I go to the shops in out little village with my partner and our dogs we bring them without a leash. They learn to sit when we stop. And stay close under command.

So, I’m in the park and some guys shouts as I pass “those dogs should be on a leash”. My mind is racing. All I can think off is that this is a national park where even deer run freely. This guy wants my dogs on a leash. Yet they have done nothing to him or anyone else.

It got me thinking about what we as a human race are doing with our society. How are we molding our futures. How many dogs are left lost, left to die, left in a backyard, left chained to a wall? I’d hazardous a guess and say around my area anyway. I’d say there is a dog in 1 in every 3-4 households. Yet I rarely see dogs out and about being walked.

Why are we keeping dogs and not letting them enjoy life. Enjoy being a part of the world. Allowed to enjoy the odd time, a sense of freedom?

And who is this guy? The dog police? A man so inwardly frustrated with an inability to live his own life of freedom? Why does he feel a sense to start confrontation with a stranger and two placid dogs, both tired from a long run in the wilderness?

Does this man really want my dogs always on a leash? Never to run freely? local parks, beaches, and just about any other public area are now becoming dog strict. Leashes only!  What are we doing with all these dogs keeping them locked up and on leashes?

Men, not too long ago in my society, yet probably still prevalent in pockets of my society and probably perversely popular in other societies, we men used to keep women locked up. We wanted to control our partners. Forbid them to be out of the house freely living? What if they didn’t return?

Now, our society, the life we live today become very much like a dogs life. Tied to the mortgage or rent. Tied to the job for a living, tied to the constant bills, tied to the speed limits, tied to the traffic light system, tied to stock market, tied to the normal dress sense, tied to the CCTV every where we go, tied to the socially acceptable and non contentious conversations, tied to conceptions and norms passed to us and regulated by a few.

All of us, trying desperately to achieve a sense of freedom. A sense seemingly to the many as an achievement only conquered by financial wealth. No need for a job, to worry about the bills, no need to worry about what the boss thinks, your friends, your family. You can do what you like when you like without any repercussions.

I think this civilization is heading down the wrong path. How dare the government try take welfare payments away from those vulnerable elderly people that have built our society, roads and schools. How dare they take from the under privileged children. Taking away their ability be clothed, fed, and taught how to think in out societal system.

How far will this capitalist system that is run by the few take our civilization. Over the nearest cliff? We all follow like goats over the mountain top? Follow under supported education system, follow the astronomical tax system that pays nothing back? Wait until your old to receive some tax back ( benefits ) from your working life? How long do we wait? 60? 65? 68? sure why don’t we make it an even hundred? that way the government does not have to give any of the money back to those that have help build the system?

All I’m saying is freedom is a word that will die with our ancestors. It was a word that meant the meaning of life to so many in our history. It was embodied with love, passion, hope and eternity. Now it’s something you think when your out walking the dog in the local small park surrounded with railings with your dog on a leash.

How many people and how frequently will we meet them in the future, that shout at us “keep that dog on a leash”, “Do your job and keep your mouth shut” “Don’t obstruct the law with your rights campaigns” How much more will we take?

Will our house become our prison?

Take action folks! Make a difference! make a stand! You only live once, you don’t know when the grim reaper will be standing at your door.

Robots attack revenue bank

Robot.txt file, be very careful with this file. If you are managing the hosting of your own website be sure that you know what this file is and how to use it.

The Robot.txt file tells web spider bots to either enter the site and take note of what pages and content are available or it tells it to take a hike and go pester some other website.

It can be helpful to keep certain pages from being crawled, private information that you may not want shared. However, if not coded right it could tell google and any other search engine bot not to enter. If this occurs you could immediately be dropped from any rankings you had.

I’m not too sure what happened with my site. I was ranking third in Google for some keywords “internet grocery shopping dublin” but I fell from the rankings. In fact I feel off the rankings completely. Yahoo still kept me, and I still rank number one I think it was an automatic upgrade to my website that entered the Robot.txt file. It wasn’t previously on my site folder.

Below is some information that should be helpful:

To exclude all robots from the entire server

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

To allow all robots complete access

User-agent: *
Disallow:
(or just create an empty “/robots.txt” file, or don’t use one at all)

To exclude all robots from part of the server

User-agent: *
Disallow: /cgi-bin/
Disallow: /tmp/
Disallow: /junk/

To exclude a single robot

User-agent: BadBot
Disallow: /
To allow a single robot

User-agent: Google
Disallow:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

To exclude all files except one

This is currently a bit awkward, as there is no “Allow” field. The easy way is to put all files to be disallowed into a separate directory, say “stuff”, and leave the one file in the level above this directory:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /~joe/stuff/

Alternatively you can explicitly disallow all disallowed pages:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /~joe/junk.html
Disallow: /~joe/foo.html
Disallow: /~joe/bar.html

Anyhow appartently while I’m on the subject. Be careful when you change the URL of your website. If you have two different URL’s pointing to the same site Google drops you from rankings also. A 301 redirect is what is needed. For more information on how to change the URL of your old site, please visit here.

Keeping your files close? Might be a bad idea

I’ve been sick for about a week. So things ran a little slow with the development of the online business. To top it off, first day back in seat behind the desk and my dalmatian puppy hit my Maxtor external hard drive. It dropped about a foot and an atomic bomb hit my prized possessions and memorabilia. Movies, Albums, Engagement Pictures, Holiday Photo’s, Art Work, Software, Applications, Personal information nulled. All hope is not lost yet. I still have my brain to retrieve memories right? Maybe it’s just me, I can’t even remember my own number any more don’t mind those of close friends. Technology is eradicating my need to exercise the storing of memories and facts. It seems that I can stay in cruise control in life. Sure my bills will be paid by direct debit. Photos save my memories. Applications do the work for me. Etc Etc.

Suppose the moral of the story here is if you do decided to keep an external hard drive. Get a NAS and attach it to your router. Why?
1) It’s more than likely in a safe position.
2) It does not use your computers memory for processing and downloading.
3) Back up your files on a regular basis for good measure in case the hard drive ever malfunctions.

Stay close to your files. Stay productive. Stay in cruise control. Because if you get behind the wheel now and again, you might find you forgot how to drive!

As always don’t wait for action. Take it today, take it now. Become your potential!

Culture, People, Life doesn’t last forever

The Roman empire fell, the English empire fell, and it’s just a matter of time before the culture of Amsterdam as we know it today fades into history. I read somewhere that laws will soon come to prohibit cannabis in Amsterdam. I thought it was to happen this year. I can’t imagine what will happen to Amsterdam if they change it. Imagine, just a red light district. Not to sure the balance of society would be quite right there if this was to occur. Just people looking to pay for sex and be involved in exploitation of the most precious gifts we have been given. Our bodies! Just doesn’t seem right to me.

I’m sure it’s ok to visit and be involved in other extracurricular activities when there, such as cannabis and shrums. But just a sex. Just red light turns me off the idea of going completely.

With that, my partner knows that I want to experience it before it fades into history so she has booked us a weekend away.

In preparation I have got Ann Frank’s audio book, and completely the first two CD’s of Michel Thomas’s Dutch Foundations so that I have some sort of idea what they are saying when over there. It’s remarkably similar to English. I mean you could guess what the dutch counterpart to an English word is. It’s that similar.

I’m off to keep an open mind and explore what learning is coming my way. No doubt the insights into humanity and our fixation with the “feeling” of desire and it’s byproduct sex will play on the conscious mind. But as Napoleon Hill has stated that our ability to achieve great things in our life come through sex transmutation. Using that burning desire to use our bodies in means to accomplish our goals just as we would use them to accomplish the sexual acts of reproduction.

I’m looking forward to somehow engaging more with the feeling of it all and then trying to associate the idea of it all with the accomplishment of my dreams. If you can understand that natural drive and channel it into your vision, you may have the key to unlocking your future.

My partner would say I don’t need any more motivation. It’s hard enough trying to pull me away from trying to accomplish my dreams. There’s still learning to be had. I’m going go learn!

God Bless, Act Now!!

The importance of favicons : Brand Building Ur “Fav” Thing to do?

It may only seem like small thing but there is a missed opportunity to those that don’t create a favicon for their website. Reasons why you should include favicons with your company branding and marketing strategy.

1) Increase your sites usability.
When too many tabs are open in browser you may not see the name of the site. Sometimes you may only see two or three letters in the tab, especially with Google Chrome. A favicon not only allows your customer to find you quickly amongst all the other tabs that are fighting for attention, they also cause a subconscious easy feeling with the customer. Because they were able to identify your site quickly amongst all the others you have solved their immediate problem:finding you.

2) Build Brand Awareness.
Being able to find you quickly amongst the other tabs teaches users that your brand icon is the gateway to certain information. Your brand becomes synonymous with some service or information. Providing, of course, you have quality info or service.

3) More Brand Awareness
Every opportunity to promote your brand should be taken. Most RSS readers use favicons when displaying information from websites. Designing a favicon that grabs the attention of the reader can increase the probability of the reader actually reading your latest release.

4) Increase Income.
If you combine the ability to attract the readers attention and make your site easy to identify amongst the crowds in the open tabs of your browser, then you have more traffic coming to your site. More pageviews. More opportunity for advertising sales, or simply sales of the service / products you offer.

5) Professionalism.
All in, a site with a favicon adds a professional touch to the website. If the person takes the time to design the favicon and understands the importance, i’d be sure that they will also pay attention to other small things that make good service.

“Good service is not about the big things, it’s about doing the little things” – Rob Jones

Create a Favicon easily. It is very simple to do. It is not only simple but FREE. Create a favicon free at http://www.favicon.cc/

My ecommerce site is nearly done. I hope to post it here soon for you to review and comment on.

Remember take ACTION! not tomorrow, not later, but NOW!

Income From Domain Names

Thought I’d share some experience. I wanted to host my Ecommerce site under a different domain name. So I chose a new domain name and then after more research realised that I wanted a different domain name yet again. TMD Hosting have been extremely helpful and have redirected my site to my new domain free of charge. I’m having a slight worry now.

Sometimes when I put into the browser my new domain name, my old one shows for just a second. I think maybe the new domain just cloaks the old domain. And I have searched my site in Google and there is no sign of it. None at all.

However, my old site name when searched directs traffic to my new domain. Consequently, my ecommerce site is still receiving alot of traffic through my old domain name. I’m worried about my new domain name not showing up in Google in case the robots see it as the old domain but just cloaked!

I resubmitted my site today through Google. I’m hoping this will help it show up. I know there are loads of places where I need to register the site and will begin doing so very soon.

This brought me to the idea of making money through parked domains. I receive 50 hits a day on my old domain, all looking for a specific category of product. I’m wondering if hosting a page and making it a directory for those companies supplying those products could be a way to generate income.

I’m too busy at the moment to do anything about it but I am keeping it in the back of my mind.

Other than that, take my advice when it comes to logos and branding. Get someone else to do it! Tell them the pixels and size and colors you would like and let them do a great design at a cheap price. I learn the hard way and I am convinced that I can do this for little or no money. I also like being able to make changes myself and have more influence over how things work so for me it’s an additional skill. I plan on testing the waters with many ideas, and it just would not be practical to always outsource this. However, if it is a one off for yourself. Definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, outsource it! Something that could take you a few days to master could cost you less than $50 and allow you time to work on what’s important, Growing the Business!

Best of luck, and act now!!!

No One Likes the Euro?

Today’s objectives are to complete the payment gateway for my E-commerce site.

I’ve had a problem with doing this for some time. You would think the likes of Google Checkout and PayPal would have the facilities to accept Euro! Google does not accept to display the currency in Euro when you checkout. This means the price on checkout to my site is numerically the same when you go to pay at Google checkout but it’s a different currency. The Sterling.

Suppose it wouldn’t be a big deal if the pound continues to weaken and your getting a deal using your euro credit card

Paypal offer the ability to process payments in Euro through their website. I don’t really mind this approach personally. I love PayPal. Some don’t! I want to give every customer their preferred approach to payment.
PayPal also offer a “Pro” version of their payment processing. This allows you to accept payment for credit cards on your own website. Which is a great deal, especially because, like Google, it’s free to setup with no monthly costs or contract.

The problem you ask?
The Pro version of Paypal only accepts Sterling. Again! That leaves me buggered. I thought! The most important thing to any start-up business is to keep costs to an absolute minimum until revenue is generated. So an alternative has come to light

(A little prayer and a belief that things will work out )

MoneyBrokers.com

Yes, the cost per transaction is outrageous. 8% of turnover per transaction. This really hits the bottom line. It means my prices have to be inflated by 8%. So, THE “work around program” THE “Solution.”

That being said. I can set up with MoneyBrookers. When turnover begins to show life, I can switch to a full fledged Merchant Account with a bank.

“It’s not like I let a Leprechaun out from under the stairs every time I need some coinage”

Why don’t I get a merchant account with a bank right now?
Good question. They require business plans, account history, company formation documents and yadda yadda. Can you image the costs associated with forming a full fledged company with internet merchant accounts, 12 month contracts, monthly fees, accountancy compliance, and decommissioning costs associated with every idea you want to test in the market? It’s bonkers. Entrepreneurs should be given some leeway. Free internet merchant accounts, pay later company formation, and all the rest. I’m not saying entrepreneurs should avoid any responsibilities, but rather government should be flexible enough to give people a chance to test the market and start some turnover before hitting them over the head with the Red Book of “Pay Us Now” Tape.

How Can I Start?

Maybe I’m just a chancer in life. Maybe I don’t care much for bureaucracy and need to learn how to work with the system. If you ask me. It just takes too long. How many ideas have you had that sounded great and then thought, nope I wouldn’t no where to start with legalities etc. But I bet if there where no regulations (provided your service or product was not of harm to the environment or people within it) then you could get it started quickly.

It’s like the Sunday Herald describes below:

In myriad different ways, it seems that so much attention is paid to minutiae of working practice that the bigger picture is lost. By disincentivising businesses in such ways, we are effectively preventing long-term growth and economic sustainability

That’s it for my rant. Back to Work. Best of Luck all.

Take action! Not Tomorrow, not later, Now!