When Everything Falls Apart

This is a guest post by Petteri Ollila, @PetteriOllila.

Have you experienced the moment when everything in your life seems to be going well and then, suddenly, something unexpected happens and it feels like there is no hope and nothing is ever going to be the same again?

Like when you find out that you have cancer, or one of your parents has died in a car accident or you lose your job.

Those incidents are usually very shocking and force us to adjust to the new situation quickly, but sometimes everything can also fall apart slowly, like when you work for a company for a long time and get a little bit more frustrated year by year, and start to think about different options in your life.

The feeling can be awkward, especially if everything seems to be going well externally, but you just don’t feel good inside. There is only hollow feeling and emptiness left in you, even though some years ago you were full of energy and motivation, and you were able to achieve many things.

I have had that feeling many times in my life. You are definitely not alone.

It can be very frustrating when you know that something has to be done, but you have no idea what it should be. All you know is that something is terribly wrong in your life.

The Peaks and Valleys of Life

Life is filled with peaks and valleys. Often everything goes well and those are the peaks of our lives, whereas sometimes nothing seems to work and we are in the valleys of our lives. The most comforting thing is that it is often in the valley that we discover the light – not the peak as you might suspect.

I was walking along the coast of Helsinki a couple of days ago and I saw this tree on a hill when the sun was setting:

The tree didn’t have any leaves on the branches even though it is almost midsummer in Finland, while everything else around the tree looked green and fresh. It made me think about how difficult it would be to appreciate the summer if there would be no winter, and how we would get too used to the beauty of green leaves on trees, if they never fell off.

It is really difficult to make any drastic changes in our lives when everything seems to be going well and there are still leaves in our trees.

If you let confusion, anger and anxiety be, and accept even the worst things in your life, often something great happens.

You find happiness.

Sometimes it can even happen overnight, when you realize all the new possibilities in your life that have opened up when everything went to pieces and you had nothing to hold on to. Maybe it forced you to think about what you really love to do in your life and made you realize that the things you thought were important in your life, actually might have been someone else’s dreams.

The deepest valleys in our lives often help us to find answers to the following questions:

• If I didn’t have to work for money, what would I do?
• If I had only one year left in my life, what would I do?
• Who are the people that are really important for me in my life?

It is the pain that helps us to stop and find a new direction, so let’s be grateful for it. When you are having the worst time of your life and feel that there is no hope, take a deep breath, let all the feelings come to the surface, and remember that the most beautiful spring of your life is probably just around the corner.

Petteri Ollila is a happiness hunter, trying to find the holy grail of long-term happiness at his blog Happiness Hunters. If you want to learn how to feel good, you will love his new free e-book “The Guide to Happiness: 9 Effective Steps to Improve Your Mood Permanently”.

10 Steps to Turn Your Passion into Business

This is a guest post by Anastasiya Goers of Balance In Me, @balanceinme

Our passions are the winds that propel our vessel. Our reason is the pilot that steers her. Without winds the vessel would not move and without a pilot she would be lost. – Proverb

Do you have a dream to do what you want to do and get money for that? Support your family while being fulfilled in life?

I always enjoyed watching nature and travel shows because the hosts seemed like the luckiest people in the world to me. They could travel all around the world, do fun stuff and get paid for enjoying their lives. Now that’s what I call life!

I must say that I didn’t become a TV host of any of those programs and I am not even Chris Guillebeau (from the Art of Non-Conformity) but now I earn my living doing what I love. I have been pursuing my passion for many years (eight if you want to be exact) and now it is finally turning into a business.

Following your passion is the only way to be great at something (we’ve all heard that saying, right?). It is the only way to be thrilled with your life and the only way to be fulfilled. However if you follow only your passion then you will most likely find yourself broken-hearted somewhere along the road. Your dreams will be just your dreams and your reality will get boring and sad again. When you decide to follow your passion you must make sure that your reason is always showing you the right way. When you combine reason and passion you can create a great business that you will enjoy.

Here is what you need to know in order to turn your passion into your business.

1. Make sure that you have a passion not just a mere interest/hobby. There is a huge difference between what we like and what we are passionate about. I like cooking, it is my hobby but I am not passionate about it. The thought of spending the entire day in the kitchen cooking for hundreds of people is horrifying to me.Ask yourself this simple question “Am I ready to do this every day of my life for 5, 10, 20 years?” If your answer is “yes” then you have found your true passion.
2. Expand on your passion. Look at your passion from different angles in order to see what the real source of it is.I have been a fitness instructor for 8 years and I considered it my passion. However, a few years ago I realized that my true passion lied in helping people perfect their bodies, improve their health and find their life balance. This is how Balance In Me (my blog) was born. Pilates, Yoga, self growth, spirituality and healthy eating are different branches of this passion and they help me stay enthusiastic about my goals.Do not choose a very narrow passion that you might outgrow in a couple of years. Look at the broad picture by analyzing everything that makes you feel fulfilled in life. Do you see a connection?
3. Think of all possible ways how you can pursue your passion. This is the opposite of the previous tip. Brainstorm all possible ways how you can pursue your passion. Let’s say that you are passionate about cooking. You can become a chef and eventually open a restaurant, you can write a book of recipes, you can have a blog about cooking, you can give private cooking lessons or cater for private parties. The more business opportunities you see the easier it will be to find the one that will work for you.
4. Get support from your family. If you are married then this is a must before you even start thinking about making business out of your passion. Misunderstanding, arguments and constant nagging can kill your passion really quick.
5. Treat your passion like business. A lot of people when they venture out in the pursuit of passion make a mistake of treating it like a hobby. There is a common misconception that when they love something they must do it only when they feel like it. In terms of writing it will mean writing only when you have inspiration (whether it is once a day or once a week). Treating your passion like business means:
   - Doing it whether you feel like it or not.
   - Having a to-do list or some plan that must be completed in a certain amount of time.
   - Having regular work hours (do not let your family or friends disturb you during those hours even if it means skipping a cup of coffee with your best friend or missing that great movie at the theatre).
   - Getting dressed for your work (you will need this if you are going to work from home. I can never come up with post ideas while I am wearing my pajamas).
   - Having an organized uncluttered work space (even if your office will consist of a chair and a table, make sure that you do not have any clutter or anything that will distract you from work).
   - Not expecting to earn a lot at once (at first you might even have to do everything for free just to gain the experience)
   - Having days-off and vacations (otherwise you will experience burnout really fast).
6. Be prepared for the boring stuff.  Every business has its boring side. Even though your passion will be your business you won’t escape this part of being an entrepreneur. Whether it is accounting, meticulous personal tax software, cleaning tons of dishes (if you choose cooking), fighting hundreds of spam messages on your blog or dealing with customers, you will have to get used to it. There is nothing much exciting about it other than the fact that this boring stuff lets you enjoy what you are doing 90% of the time.
7. Get some critique. You might think that your passion and idea for business is awesome but in reality it might be a disaster waiting to happen. Talk to your friends or family and let them critique your business to make sure that you have realistic expectations. Do not get offended when they criticize but rather use this information to come up with better plans for business.
8. Try a few different ideas. It is important to try a few different business ideas to see which one will work for you. A passionate writer might be great at writing children’s books but he/she will suck in personal development articles. Figure out what works for you.
9. Do not turn your passion into obsession. When you love doing something you must still be realistic about your plans and expectations. How do you know that your passion has turned into obsession? It is when you start thinking about your passion/business 24 hours a day and when you give up any other opportunities in your daily life (spend an evening out with your friends or take an unexpected trip to the ocean with your family). It is also when you stop noticing any critical comments of your friends or relatives and keep following your passion even when you are on the verge of bankruptcy.
10. Always have a backup plan. When you are just starting out it is good to have some funds built up in your account (enough to let you live for 6-12 months) or have a half-time job that will let you survive even if your business idea fails. Business laws have nothing to do with passion and your business might be a failure. Be prepared for any consequences and be ready to readjust your plans if needed.

If you follow these tips you will definitely turn your passion into a successful business and start living a brilliantly better life.

Anastasiya Goers writes passionately at Balance In Me. If you feel that your life needs some balance and you are ready to join her journey to a happy and balanced life, subscribe here or follow her on Twitter

Unautomate Your Finances – The Guide

On Queen Street, in Auckland, near the Auckland Tower, there’s a small coffee shop (in fact, it’s more than that, it’s a Starbucks). That was the first coffee shop I sat in during my trip to New Zealand, and that was also the coffee shop in which I met Adam Baker, the man behind ManVsDebt.com, back in October 2009.

We spent around 4 hours talking and sharing ideas, projects or life experiences. It was a very productive meeting and also quite an important one, because it led to my first mastermind group, involving Adam and Glenn Allsopp from ViperChill.com . Anyway, I’m not going to talk about Adam Baker or Glenn Allsopp in this article, although you should do yourself a favor and check out their blogs, I’m going to talk about something really, really important: Adam Baker’s first commercial product: Unautomate Your Finances.

Financial Freedom

I’m telling your from the start, this ain’t gonna be a re-hashing of what I read in Adam’s guide, that would be far too easy. And it will also spoil your surprise when you’re going to buy it . Instead, I’m going to address several problems that this guide will help you understand (and solve) in a simple and passionate way. Yes, you get that right: it’s time to bring the “simple and passionate” back to our finances.

First of all, by reading this guide you’ll start to have a better understanding of what financial freedom means. This is the cornerstone of every effective financial strategy and the guide does a pretty good job at it.

Second, you’ll start to understand why and how you’re giving away control over your finances. And instead of controlling the flow, you become being controlled by it. Which is not good.

And third, you’ll get a practical set of tools for improving your current financial situation.

If you ever wanted to live a normal life, you bumped into one of those roadblocks. You either traded your time for financial freedom, by building a consuming career, either sunk in debt, by giving away control of your finances, either struggled to improve your finances after some financial crash. Yes, we’ve all been there. Hence, we all can use some advice. And this solid 84 pages guide (and 9 chapters, no fluff) will give you exactly that: simple and effective advice on how to improve your financial situation.

The Deeper Meaning

What I really loved about this guide is not the technical stuff. For anybody trying to learn about how to acquire financial freedom there are tons of free or paid materials on the Internet. Technically, you can learn everything you want about budgeting, emergency funds and stuff like that. But Unautomate Your Finances will goo deeper. It will try to shape a big part of your life in a positive way.

You will find (more often than you think) ideas or concepts from personal development currents like minimalism or digital nomading. Adam was a digital nomad for two years, so he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to pressuring financial contexts (and I can’t imagine something more pressuring than being a digital nomad, living in a foreign country as a family of three with an infant).

Getting rid of what’s in excess and pushing up what brings in a bigger return, that’s the main traction of this guide and I admit I had a few “a-ha” moments myself. As an online entrepreneur, I did budgeting and financial projections almost on auto-pilot, for more than 10 years. But the world is changing and so does the world of personal finances. You need some fresh air every now and then, and Unautomate Your Finances does exactly that: refreshes the air of your personal finances with valuable information and supportive tools.

Leo Babauta Foreword and Interview as a Bonus

Yes, you got the right, the man who practically started what we know today under the name of “minimalism”, Leo Babauta from zenhabits.net, is part of this guide. He wrote a simple yet powerful foreword, which is a very interesting piece in itself, and he’s also featured in a 30 minutes exclusive interview. To be honest, I didn’t know the details behind Leo’s journey towards becoming debt free and the details he shares about he finally conquered his financial freedom were enlightening. And this was coming from a man who created and currently maintains one of the top 25 blogs in the world in 2009, according to Times magazine. Now, how does buying this guide sounds to you?

I thought I heard a “yes” (or at least I spotted an affirmative nodding, which is equally cool) and that’s great. Because this huge bonus is only the visible part of the iceberg. You’ll also have a 30 minutes interview with J.D. Roth from GetRichSlowly.org in which he shares his financial recovery story, and a few specially crafted templates to do your homework.

Oh, the price. It’s 17 USD. Yes, 17 USD, not 170 USD. I won’t detail more on this one because I’m 100% convinced it should have been WAY more than 17 bucks. But hey, that’s Adam’s guide, not mine. He is the one putting up insanely low prices on such a valuable content. Blame it on him.

My Final Thoughts

Are extremely positive, so to speak. I know Adam in flesh and bones and I know how determined he can be when it comes to making his dreams real. And this guide is one of those dreams. I’m happy for Adam. And I’m also happy for you, because you’re going to read an awesome piece of financial self-help.

Go for it.

Successful Excellence

This is a guest post by my friend Zeenat Merchant-Syal, @zeenatsyal.

Aren’t we all craving for success?

In whatever endeavor we take up success is what we are after. Be it a project or a job. Be it as small a task as completing a good book. We always want to be successful at the task in hand and in the broader perspective in life. Success in life.

But, What does Success really mean?

Is it the mere completion of a task at hand or the positive completion of the task at hand?
Whatever your definition of success is, whether its the smaller successes like learning a new language or quitting alcohol OR the bigger successes like landing a major project or finding the love of your life..what happens when you have attained that Success?? What happens when there are no more goals left, when you are where you want to be?
If you are a hardworking person success WILL come to you. There is no doubt about that. But on the road to attaining that success have you been truly losing out on whats most important-Excellence.

Now you may wonder What does excellence have anything at all to do with Success?

When you you’re working hard to attain these successes you often learn new things along the way. Like a new language, like learning to be more patient, be more persistent, be more focused. You have learned a wealth of information while attaining these successes. But, once these successes have been reached to full completion you tend to forget about all you learned on the way and jump onto the next success you’ve been eying! Those lessons you learned are adding to Your Excellence.

What is success without excellence? Its like a person having all the riches in the world, but not knowing how to use it. Its like having a beautiful chocolate cake right in front of you and then not knowing what to do of it…Eat it gorge it or savor it or just let it be!

Excellence comes with much the same things as what success comes with-persistence, hard work, focus…

But Successful Excellence comes with Passion. A passion to learn and to retain that knowledge. That adds to your successful excellence. You will have wealth of knowledge and know exactly how to use it and when to use it. But, only if you focus on YOUR EXCELLENCE rather than focus on just success.

Successes will come and go in time, but excellence will remain with you always. Even when you’re old and don’t have anymore successes to run after, this very Excellence will show you the way to live well.

Rather than focusing on just success why not focus on successful excellence? You have nothing to lose. In fact everything to gain.

Think of it this way- With success you don’t necessarily get excellence. But, with Excellence Success is INEVITABLE! These are changing times. Yet in the middle of all the changes there is one thing that constantly determines success. Some call it leadership. But to my mind, it is the single-minded pursuit of successful excellence.

Successful Excellence endures and sustains. It goes beyond motivation into the realms of inspiration. Successful Excellence can be as strong a uniting force as solid vision.
Successful Excellence does not happen in a vacuum. It needs a collective obsession as I have experienced the benefits of excellence in my own life. Successful Excellence is a great starting point for any new venture or new beginning but also an unending journey.

What is Successful excellence?

It is about going a little beyond what we expect from ourselves.
The main driver of excellence is internal. I have found that excellence is not so much a battle you fight with others, but a battle you fight with yourself, by constantly raising the bar and stretching yourself. This is the best and the most satisfying and challenging part about successful excellence.

How does one create successful excellence in life?

First, we create an obsession with excellence. We must dream of it not only because it delivers better results but because we truly believe in it and find it intrinsically satisfying to us.
We must think of excellence not only with our mind but also with our heart and soul.

Second, we need to build a collective self-confidence. People who pursue successful excellence are self-confident. This is because successful excellence requires tremendous faith in one’s ability to do more and in a better way. Unless, we believe we can do better, we cannot!

Third, we must understand the difference between perfection for its own sake and successful excellence. Time is of essence. This may seem like a paradox: should we aim for excellence or should we aim for speed?
Excellence is about doing the best we can and speed lies in doing it quickly. These two concepts are not opposed to each other; in fact, speed and timeliness are important elements of successful excellence.A balance is required.

Fourth, we must realize that we cannot be the best in everything we do. We must define what we are or would like to be best at and what someone else can do better.
Successful Excellence is NOT about being the best. It is about being the best in what we are good at. We have to define what our own core competencies are and what we can let others do. Share the responsibility… Headaches shared are headaches divided.

Fifth, invest in successful excellence for the future. Future always seems to be at a distance. But it comes upon you so suddenly that it catches you by surprise, if not shock. What constitutes excellence in the future will be significantly different from what it is today. In these days of severe pressures, there is big temptation to sacrifice the future to look good in the present.

Finally, successful excellence requires belief and humility. This is especially needed when we feel we have reached the peak of excellence and there is nothing further we can do. We need an open mind to look at things in a different way and allow new ideas to come in.

Otherwise, there is a real danger of becoming complacent or even downright arrogant. I would like to end this post with a story that illustrates this very well.

Story-A brilliant young professor went to meet a famous Zen master to have a discussion with him on Zen. He found himself in front of a modest house. He rang the doorbell and waited. A while later, he heard shuffling footsteps and the door was opened by the Zen master.

He invited the professor to sit with him on the dining table. The professor was a little disappointed with the shabby appearance of the Zen master. He started quizzing him immediately on comparative philosophies and the Zen master gave some brief answers.

When the professor began to debate with him on those answers, the Zen master stopped speaking and kept smiling at him. Finally, the professor got angry. He said, “I have come from a long distance just to understand the relevance of Zenism. But apparently you have nothing to say. I have not learnt anything from you at all.”

At this point, the Zen master asked the professor to have some tea. When the professor held the cup, the Zen master started pouring tea into it. After some time, the tea started spilling and the professor shouted, “Stop! The cup can contain no more.”

The Zen Master stopped and then, once again smiling, he said, “A mind, full of itself can receive nothing. How can I speak to you of Zenism until you empty your mind to learn.” The professor understood and apologized to the Zen master. He parted from him, the Zen master — a wiser man.

Author Bio: Zeenat Merchant Syal is a Practicing Counseling Psychologist/Spiritual Counselor/Motivational Speaker/Naturopath with degrees in Motivational and Counseling Psychology. She also holds degrees in various fields of Holistic and Naturopathic Medicine. She blogs at “Positive Provocations” Be sure to subscribe to her posts by RSS.

14 Ways To Say Yes

Mastering the art of saying “No” is compulsory in many cases. We do have to learn how to say it without offending the other person and still getting what we want. Appropriately saying “No” can really save our butt from a tricky situation and that’s why mastering our “No”’s is so important.

And still, the real power lies not in saying “No”, but in saying “Yes”. If mastering the “No”’s will activate an invisible safety belt, a good, plain and timely “Yes” will push us higher than we think we can. If “No” is the savior, “Yes” is the creator. “No” is defensive, “Yes” is empowering.

Let’s play a little with the art of saying “Yes”.

1. I Do!

If you ever asked somebody to marry you, than you know what I mean: “I do” is a very interesting form of total submission and commitment. You say “I do” with almost your last breathe, still thinking the other person would never ask. You are almost shouting, raising your voice in an effort of being heard and accepted. Can you hear me? I’m here! I do!

2. Let’s Do It!

The practical approach of starting stuff together. You use “Let’s do it” when you’re eager to start, have almost everything it takes, the only extra piece being saying it out loud so the other part can hear it. “Let’s do it” is the ultimate involvement answer, it’s so enabling that it barely qualify for a plain “Yes”, it’s more of an informal affiliation statement:.

3. What Are We Waiting For?

The standard “Yes” of the impatient (and maybe of the compulsive one, but I’m not quite sure about that). This answer literally bury the question and move the focus on the physical action. If you get this type of “Yes” it means the question was superfluous. Instead, you should just move on and start doing things.

4. Hell, Yes

Enthusiastic and passionate, this answer always reminds me of a long dusty road in the desert and a nice bike under the rider. It’s the ultimate expression of freedom, of leaving behind the old version of you and starting over. Every time I hear this answer, I know something fundamentally new will happen.

5. I’m In It

Business-like expression of a partnership. This “Yes” is wearing a suit and it’s quite disciplined. If your question involves some long term plan, receiving this “Yes” could be a very good sign. It shows commitment and strictness. The tricky part is that the other person is looking forward for the same things in you, so be careful.

6. I Was Born For It

“I’m waiting for this question since I was born, dude. Of course, it’s yes. How can it be the other way around?“ This ”Yes“ is always making me smile. Makes me actually visualize the whole process: well, I think I would like to be born for…. that thing! Can we do it? Please? Wow, great, now let’s find some guys to spread the word about it.

7. Of Course

Chilling and kinda polite. This ”Yes“ goes well with a cup of the and some biscuits. Maybe a little break in the afternoon, around five o’clock, but let’s not push it. Whenever I hear this ”Yes“ I’m also prepared to hear a ”but“. I think this ”Yes“ is the most ”but“-prone from all. Nevertheless, hearing it makes me feel like I’m having some very important negotiation.

8. My Thoughts Exactly

Confirming and validating, this ”Yes“ is almost a confession. It’s so powerful that I’m sometimes afraid I actually penetrated into the other guy’s mind. I mean, are those really his thoughts? Wow. Whenever I use it, I do it because I really trust the other person or I try to build a more intimate connection. Which is always happening after this type of ”Yes“.

9. Are We There Yet?

And that would be actually the “Yes” of the compulsive. I admit I get the shivers when I hear it, although I do know it’s funny. But the confirmation level is so high and the triggered energy seems so available, that I’m almost feeling guilty for not going “there” yet. I also think this is the more validating “Yes” from all.

10. You’ll Lead, I’ll Follow

Any “Yes” expressed in this form will show total trust and confidence from the other part. When it does not show a fine sense of irony too, of course. It’s the most uncertain “Yes” from all. If I hear this, I know that although I’m getting followed, I somehow keep all the responsibility. This “Yes” comes with a little bit of extra caution.

11. Aye, Aye, Sir!

Military-like acceptance. You can’t mistake this one as a disguised “No”, in my opinion. I almost always respond to this “Yes” with a relieving “Dismissed!”, just for the fun of it. And every time I hear it, I’m compelled to continue the discussion in short but strong sentences, also know as orders. The nice thins with orders is that you expect them to be followed, most of the time.

12. Undoubtedly

In case you’re having any doubt, I mean. If you’re hearing this, you’re taking off the veil from a possibly foggy situation and acknowledge total confidence. This “Yes” is coming with the sound of a hammer hitting a nail right in the head. If you know what I mean. I think this “Yes” is the most relieving of all.

13. Always!

You know I do, why are you still asking? It’s also a form of past, present and future commitment. If you hear this, your next question may not be necessary at all. This “Yes” is more than often the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

14. Totally!

Unreserved immersion and acceptance. That “yes” is my favorite, but if you ask me why, I’m not sure I know the answer. Maybe because I am that kind of guy: if I’m in it for something, I simply don’t know the meaning of half, I do it all the way up to the end.

***

What’s your preferred way to say “Yes”? Doesn’t necessarily have to be from the list above, surprise me . When do you say it? To whom do you say it? Leave a comment and let me know, I’m really curious.

And if you wonder why I chose exactly 14 ways to say “Yes”, well, it’s because I think for every “No” in our lives we should be able to come up with at least two “Yes”.

What Tarot Card Are You?

I admit I love from time to time some of those little games that runs out on the Internt. I don’t give them too much credit though, as I know there must be much more underneath a five-minute-symbol to be true. But, nevertheless, I do enjoy from time to time a little gimmickie like this one. The test itself takes no more than 1 minute, and, if the results are not likely to please you, at least you’ll be a little more familiar with the Tarot cards. Which, by the way, is great

Well, this is who I am, according to this little fun test:

You are the Hanged Man

Self-sacrifice, Sacrifice, Devotion, Bound.

With the Hanged man there is often a sense of fatalism, waiting for something to happen. Or a fear of loss from a situation, rather than gain.

The Hanged Man is perhaps the most fascinating card in the deck. It reflects the story of Odin who offered himself as a sacrifice in order to gain knowledge. Hanging from the world tree, wounded by a spear, given no bread or mead, he hung for nine days. On the last day, he saw on the ground runes that had fallen from the tree, understood their meaning, and, coming down, scooped them up for his own. All knowledge is to be found in these runes.

The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. It signifies selflessness, sacrifice and prophecy. You make yourself vulnerable and in doing so, gain illumination. You see the world differently, with almost mystical insights.

Take the Test to Find Out Which Tarot Card Are You.

The currency of the Internet

Back in 1996, when I first surfed the web, the Internet was just a network. Now, it’s a complete world. A world of worlds, actually. Have you ever wandered what is the currency of the Internet? What makes it move every day, every hour, every minute, every second? If there is a world, there have to be money. Or a form of money, a currency, something that you exchange for your basic needs every day.

I had to ask this question in a more serious manner these days. I was in the 2000 bloggers project, actually I am still in, even with a little mashup. For those of you who lived on Mars for the last week, there was a project started by Tino Buntic, in which he created a random window of the blogosphere, by making a photo wall of the faces of 2000 bloggers. Nothing evil, after all. But what followed was completely unexpected. Each and every blogger, proud to be in that nice face-wall, put the collage in his blog. Which exploded into a 2000 link block to other 2000 blogs. That they had another 2000 links and so on. The link factor got crazy.

Technorati had to review their link ranking policy, and, to be honest, that was the exact moment when I realized that something was wrong. Or not totally clear. Or just a little foggy. And then it hit me: the link is the currency on the internet. It is the only thing that make it grow and live each and every second. This is the blood that actually runs through the internet veins.

The 2000 bloggers was just an inflation. An unexpected boost of the currency on the market, with no tangible coverage. It’s the same with real life inflation, when you just print out money without coverage. In this case, of course, there is a coverage, but we’ll talk about that later.
(more…)

AGLOCO – who owns the Internet?

AGLOCO seems to be one of the biggest buzzwords these days on the Internet, if not the biggest. AGLOCO has a very interesting approach in creating a community, monetizing it, and keep it together. These are they key principles in succeeding on the Internet, by the way: create a strong community, find a way to make money out of it, and then find whatever ways you can to keep that community together.

AGLOCO wants to, basically, pay you for browsing the internet. But on top of that, they created a referral community (much like MLM works, or affiliates networks) and you can earn by leveraging your community resources. They actually started with the community, and the real product that measures the time spent on the internet is not launched yet. Another very interesting approach, I must admit, and they are not the only ones to do that. One very hyped online GTD application, Scrybe, has started the same way, building a beta testers comunity, and then releasing the actual product. Which, by the way, they didn’t yet launched, as far as I know.

My experience with MLM’s is a mixed one. From time to time, there were persons in my life that approached me with MLM communities. I started by being a convinced opponent of this type of commerce, and then, year by year, my position relaxed a bit. I even participated in a MLM related to cars, 6-7 years ago, and this is how i bought my first car, a Skoda Fabia. I changed several cars since then, but the first one was bought by a MLM. After completely paying the car, I interrupted my participation in that network. Several other MLM’s approached to me, by various persons since then, but I never restarted seriously my participation. And none of them was internet-based, as is AGLOCO.

Now, I am a relaxed observer of the MLM phenomenon, and AGLOCO is one of the MLM’s I observe. Obviously I created an account with them, and, of course, if you feel like joining my AGLOCO referral community will be benficial for you, please do it (that’s a referral link). I will closely watch what the viewbar offers, and, by reading other bloggers posts, like Darren Rowse from problogger.net, and John Chow, from johnchow.com, it seems that the viewbar, the actual tool that you will use to create value (hours of surfing the interent), seems like an interesting product.

As things will progress with AGLOCO I will post more and more related stuff. Until then, feel free to give it a try (another referral link, of course ).

[tags]AGLOCO, affiliate networks, MLM, viewbar[/tags]

Digital cults: reboot your epiphanies

In the 19th century, the populations from Melanesia saw a bunch of ships, with white people on board, carrying a lot of goods, called, generically, cargos. In their culture, white was also the colour of the dead people, so they assumed that those ships were the ships of the dead, returning their deserved goods. And the colonists quickly realised that they were treated like mithological characters. So was born one of the most recent religions, called cargo-cult.

A religious movement doesn’t necessarily have to be old. It can be as effective as an old one, if it correctly replaces and enhances (sometimes) the need for catharsis. An epiphany can be a momentarily lost of conscience at a rock concert, or even a happiness boost from a family reunion. As long as it touches your inner chords and make them sing, it does the job.

In a world where the actual spiritual connection has lost its privileged space – the church – the epiphanies are held in a digital space and form. On the internet, at the computer, by holding your BlackBerry or Palm. As long as it touches your inner chords and make them sing.

I am not talking about those well-known cults that are using the digital media to gather followers, featuring TV shows of priests, gurus, and so on. Those are traditionals religions. I am talking about movements or so-called organisations that most of the time doesn’t even know that they are acting on a religious field. The Open Source fans. The Linux movement. The Apple fans. The GTD followers. To name only a few.

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