10 ideas a day... A concept whose time has come

Several months ago I read the superb book "Choose Yourself" by James Altucher (I've enclosed an Amazon link to that book below) and in it James challenges the reader to begin what he calls the "daily habit" and while I'll cover that in a future edition, one piece that struck me was his call to document 10 ideas you have each day.  When I started this cycle of the 12 week year plan I'm in the midst of in July, I added this piece to my "project card" (I'll explain what that is later this week) and embarked on an attempt to do just that... And come up with 10 ideas each day.

 

Wanna know what happened?!  I failed - miserably I would add - and have barely come up with 10 ideas since July 1st... But here's the exciting part... That's right... I came up with 10 IDEAS ... And now have them all documented in my trusty moleskin notebook that's my now constant companion. 

It also altered my mindset.  No longer am I content to simply see, hear or think about something and just let it slip by.  Instead I'm conscious of the fact that I'm constantly surrounded by seriously smart and thoughtful people... And you never know when a concept mentioned in passing... Becomes something that can alter your life or that of others for the better.

So I challenge you.  As you start your day.. Think about the amazing volume of thoughts, concepts and interesting people that pass through your life today... Isn't some of that worth capturing?

I'd say it is... You'll be richer for it.

Here's to you.. And another day in a Life Well Led.

Thanks for reading.

Choose Yourself!  Be Happy.  Make Millions.  Live the Dream by James Altucher

Selfless Sharing: The real power of social media

One of the quotes from Tony Robbins that has stuck with me for a long time is “a life worth living is a life worth recording”.  When I first read these words a number of years ago, Facebook didn’t exist (although I’m sure Mark was starting to think about it) and the concept of being able to share your life with others in the way that we do today was probably not on Tony’s mind.... or maybe it was ... he's a pretty smart guy.

That said, the power of that simple sentence is even more pertinent in our “hyper-connected” world today where it seems with each passing day there’s another opportunity to join a platform that lets you share more of your life with those around you.  

I joined Twitter over 2 years ago, but the “original” social media site that I was a part of was LinkedIn.  As a result, most of the “sharing” that I’ve done over time has been with an eye towards my business life.  Over the course of the last several years though, I made an interesting discovery (which was supported by a terrific piece written by the eloquent @AnnTran_ which I’ve included below) in that people who are successfully connecting with others around them aren’t just talking about themselves… and in fact the most powerful of these “connected networkers” are nearly selfless.

The Power of Give & Take in Social Media:

http://ann-tran.com/2011/11/social-media-karma/

I’ve discovered this myself in recent months.  I started blogging a year ago and only began writing on a consistent basis about the middle of 2011.  When I started, I talked a lot about solutions that I had for clients or content that I thought focused on putting me and my company in a perfect light. The result was very little traffic and writing for what I like to call the “audience of one” (or two in my case since my wonderful wife not only tolerates all my habits, but supports me like I’ve never been supported before).  All that changed in November when I focused on giving people content that they could immediately apply and use in their business… all with no strings attached.  The fascinating part of this was that it also altered the manner in which I shared across all of the platforms I’m on.  It also had the impact of getting me to think about just what a great life I’ve got… and you can see the proof right in front of you.  

A great example of that is photos taken from my phone (in fact I’m flying over the Rockies right now as I write this) and the picture here that I took with the sole intention of putting it in this blog as a reminder….. you only get once chance to live a life well led…. You might as well make the most of it!

Here’s a question for you.  How has social media and “public sharing” impacted your life?  Do you know “too much” about those around you or do you find – as I do – that these platforms have brought me closer not only to the friends and family around me that I care for the most…. But they’ve also helped me forge stronger bonds with friends both new and old.

I look forward to your thoughts