’Curiouser and curiouser!’ Cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol 

There are times when amazing things happen all at once.  And tonight was one of those nights.

Amazing things want to happen to you, its just that most of the time you’re holding yourself back.

There’s an energy, silently willing you to move towards the right situations and you can feel it. It wants you to go and do what you need to and you KNOW what you need to do.

“When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give
the right things a chance to catch you.”

If you pay close attention to things around you, you’ll find there’s clear directions laid out for you to follow. They lead you towards your self actualization – where previously, you saw nothing.

Each choice  in the right direction works to attract you to more right choices.

Its a ripple effect that overflows into every single thing in your life; more importantly, the lives of those around you!

• It starts with knowing YOU ARE POWERFUL
• Next all you need to do is will a thought into existence.

After you succeed in making one thought a reality… something EVEN MORE EXCITING happens…

!!–the momentum picks up pace–!!

!!–the space between having the thought and then seeing it in reality gets shorter–!!

Its the same as when you’re learning to do something new… like driving a manual car for the first time, or learning how to design a logo with new software.

Its pretty hard at first-

Making the first neural pathway in your brain always takes the most focused effort and conscious thought.

But each time after that it seems to become easier, until its part of your DNA; as if it were there all along.

So tonight… I made a decision. I’m going somewhere specific I feel drawn to…

But first – I needed something that would allow me to go.

…So I asked the Universe for it… 

(My aunty Celeste taught me how to be like this. )

As expected I got what I asked for. Thanks Universe!!! xoxoxoox

Then, (get this…!) I was right in the middle of writing a facebook post about how the Universe always delivers everything spot on time and someone knocked on my door…oOOoooo spooky!!!

The very lady I needed to see! Right on time how convenient!

So make the choices you know in your heart to be true and you’ll see everything else fall into place really freakin’ fast!

Amazing is waiting for you to choose.

For a while I kept a diary and would write in it every day without fail. It was my black book.

I remember being inspired by Ryan Fillippe’s character “Sebastian” in the movie Cruel Intentions (1999).

As humans its in our nature to want to create things that make a difference. It could be art or music, a great company or charity.

We like to make things that impact other people.

On my learning journey, in 2009, I saw a presentation by a young guy that changed my life and the way I thought about making money.

Before this I’d been just searching for something I could sell online for residual income. It didnt matter what it was as long as it made money, but this presentation filmed in 2006 changed that because it showed me that I really could make not just a living, but a fortune doing something creative – Something that I actually enjoyed & made a difference.

The young guys name was Mark Anastasi and his presentation was called “How to make $100,000 a year with e-books”.

I wish Id seen it when it was first released in 2006. The online marketing & distribution is different in 2012, but the fact remains - if you know something amazing, if you can help someone with your knowledge, if you have a unique story, then you can be rewarded very well for sharing these things with other people.

How many people do you know who have said they always wanted to write a book but then stuff just happens in life, time ticks by and their dream goes unfulfilled?

My Nana is an inspiration. When she wants something that shit gets done :p

She wanted to write a book and so in her 70s began to learn to use a computer & word processing software.

Her book is now published and is being sold in several bookstores in Western Australia (So proud!)

The thing is that printing costs are too high and the audience she can reach is limited in isolated Western Australia. She doesn’t make much profit from her work of art. This is unacceptable… Which is where I come in.

An ebook is made from nothing but 0s and 1s. Its electronic and has no production cost. Its like making money purely from the info stored in your brain. You dont have to pay for printing or publishers or anything. Just your time, knowledge and creativity.

So what Im going to do for my Nana, is take her book and package it into an ebook like this one I made.

They say “when the student is ready the teacher arrives” – Its amazing how the universe always delivers without fail.

Through some amazing & wonderful circumstances Ive found the people with the knowledge I need to help me to help my Nana.

So with their help Im going to distribute Nana’s book for her so she wont have to worry about money anymore.

Her bank account will refill automatically.

If you have always wanted to share your story, if you know something special, I’d highly recommend you subscribe to these guys mailing list. The information they give away for free is invaluable to those who know what they’re looking at. Its a game changer.

Tim Ferris defines adult ADD as Adventure Deficit Disorder. On JJJ Radio a while back they were talking about how Gen Ys are experiencing a quarter life crisis at about the age of 25.

Well I can tell you right now that Ive had this quarter/mid life crisis feeling for as long as I can remember.

Ive been feeling like that my whole life. And it seems that tonnes of people feel exactly the same. We are all suffering Adventure Deficit Disorder.

I was watching this video about ‘Flow‘, presented by Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi (Hungarian Psychology Professor) and then it all made sense to me why this happens…

We feel sad & depressed when we are out of what he calls ‘flow’.

What is flow? Its the feeling you get when you’re doing something you like. Something that you can lose yourself in and time passes without you noticing.

The diagram below shows where a flow state happens. But whats surprising is that a flow state happens at high levels of challenge.

How does it feel to be in flow?:

1. Completely involved in what we are doing – focused & concentrating.

2. A sesnse of ecstasy – of being outside everyday reality

3. Great inner clarity – knowing exactly what needs to be done and how well you are doing.

4. Knowing that the activity is doable – that our skills are adequate to the task

5. A sense of serenity – No worries about oneself and a feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of the ego.

6. Timelessness – Thouroughly focussed on the present. Hours seem to pass by in minutes.

7. Intrinsic Motivation – Whatever produces flow is its own reward.

Now, Im not a doctor or psychiatrist but Im pretty sure that heaps of people mistake falling out of flow with mental illness; depression.

They’re bored in their jobs and suffering from serious Adventure Deficiency Disorder. Their brains are numb, everyday is groundhog day and they’re not happy – they’re not in flow.

There’s no challenge anymore, they’re bored. Look at the diagram again. Its so simple and yet millions of people dont know why they’re unhappy.

My Mum is a pharmacist and sometimes I have a flick through her pharmacy journals. One day I came across an article on bipolar. It said something like “may take on large tasks others consider impossible such as writing a book” and I remember wondering what the hell was wrong with that?

There’d be nothing awesome in this world with out people who push the boundaries!

Check out the definition of Mania-

“A bipolar disorder typically involves a longitudinal pattern of manic or hypomanic episodes, usually interspersed with depressive states. Manic episodes are hedonic states, with the individual exhibiting confidence, optimism, grandiosity, increased energy, talkativeness, increased libido, and being drawn to pleasurable activities.”

–No shit. Who isn’t drawn to pleasurable activities???

Hasn’t the Pharmaceutical Association (or whoever writes those journals) ever heard of the saying “follow your bliss”?

Perhaps if more people did stuff that put them in a state of flow we would all be better off.

So are you in a flow state? Are you loving what you do? If not, why?

Trends you might wanna have a look at before next year–

1. Red Carpet

If you didn’t already know, get ready to welcome China. 2012 is the year of the Dragon. Businesses all over the world are tailoring their services to Chinese customers. Just the other day I was flicking through a Caporn Young Real Estate brochure & the back page was an ad looking for people who could speak Mandarin.

2. DIY health

Do you remember that movie “The Island” with Scarlett Johansson? How their health is monitored by machines every day? Well that’s what this trend is all about. Maybe not quite the same as in the movie, but its getting there. Health related apps are being churned out by apple and with Jawbone’s UP wristband you can track your sleeping patterns, eating patterns and activity patterns.

3. Dealer-Chic

Who doesn’t like getting a good deal? In 2012 its more than just saving money, its thrill, the pursuit, the control, and the perceived smartness.

4. Eco-Cycology

My brother David just came back from Germany and he said those clever Germanians had made wallets out of milk cartons. Now that’s what I call creativity! Expect a tonne of innovative recycling in 2012.

5. Cashless

Will coins and notes completely disappear in 2012? No. But a cashless future is (finally) upon us. Will our mobiles replace wallets? Perhaps – major players such as MasterCard and Google continue work to build a whole new eco-system of payments, rewards and offers around new mobile technologies.

6. Bottom of the urban pyramid

The majority of consumers live in cities, yet in much of the world city life is chaotic, cramped and often none too pleasant. However at the same time, the creativity and vibrancy of these aspiring consumers, means that the global opportunities for brands which cater to the hundreds of millions of lower-income CITYSUMERS are unprecedented.

7. Idlesourcing

Anything that makes it downright simple- if not completely effortless- for consumers to contribute to something will be more popular than ever in 2012. Unlocked by the spread of ever smarter sensors in mobile phones, people will not only be able but increasingly willing, to broadcast information about where and what they are doing, to help improve products and services.

8. Flawsome

Its awesome to have flaws. People like to see you’re actually human too. Why to consumers, brands that behave more humanly, including exposing their flaws, will be awesome.

9. Screen culture

Thanks to the continued explosion of touchscreen smartphones, tablets, and the ‘cloud’, 2012 will see a SCREEN CULTURE that is not only more pervasive, but more personal, more immersive and more interactive than ever.

10. Recommerce

It’s never been easier for savvy consumers to resell or trade in past purchases, and unlock the value in their current possessions. In 2012, ‘trading in’ is the new buying. Getting rid of clutter has never been easier. We are ultra connected now so with sites like Facebook, Gumtree & Ebay its never been easier to find buyers for your stuff.

11. Maturialism

This is my favourite new trend-

“Thoroughly exposed to (if not participating in) an uncensored, opinionated and raw world (especially online!), experienced consumers no longer tolerate being treated like yesteryear’s easily shocked, inexperienced, middle-of-the-road audiences. Able to handle much more honest conversations, more daring innovations, more quirky flavors, more risqué experiences, these consumers increasingly appreciate brands that push the boundaries.”

12. Point & know

Consumers are used to being able to find out just about anything that’s online or text-based, but 2012 will see instant visual information gratification brought into the real and visual world with objects and even people.

Source: www.trendwatching.com. One of the world’s leading trend firms, trendwatching.com sends out its free, monthly Trend Briefings to more than 160,000 subscribers worldwide in 9 languages.

Does your business have a dedicated sales team working for you? Drumming up new customers from all over the town/city/country/world?
A good online marketing system is like having your own sales team working for you 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Your website needs to do more than look pretty. Its job is to make a connection with your potential clients and then build a relationship with them.

The 10 Ingredients For Your Online Marketing Success:
1.Professional Look and feel

Have a website that suits your business and reflects what you stand for.

2. Maintain your own content

Be in control of what goes on your site. Keep all your information updated.

3. Designed For Lead Generation

This is very important. You want to know who visits your site and be able to contact them later. Your online marketing system should be building you a list of potential clients.

4. Designed to Connect with people

How many times do you hear the word ‘Facebook’ in a single day? Everyone is on Facebook. A social media marketing campaign is a valuable asset in your marketing arsenal.

5. Designed so people can find you

Integrate your website with Google places so your customers can find you.

6. Mobile Madness

More people are using their mobiles to access the net so its important your website displays properly on mobiles.

7. Online Publishing & Media Distribution

Show videos of your work and interviews with your happy customers.

8. SEO services

Make sure your site is on the front page of Google. Its easier said than done but its possible.

9. Focused Advertising with CTA

Run a Google Adwords & Facebook advertising campaign to drive laser targeted leads to your site.

10. Reviews and Support

Get customer feed back and reviews.

Im gonna be making a lot of videos. I made one yesterday actually…

Videos are hot stuff when it comes to SEO. Did you know 28% of Google searches are on Youtube? It works out that theres 50% more searches on Youtube than Yahoo!

According to Alexa, Youtube is the number 3 site after…

Facebook and Google… duh

Video is great in organic searches because a thumbnail of the video shows up in the search results. It grabs attention. So even if youre not number 1 your video will work to get you more traffic.

–Types of videos–
*Talking head – Your face – talking
*Screen cast – I use Camtastia but you can get Jing Pro (Free trial)
*Powerpoint – like a webinar with slides.
*Live action – think blair witch project, shaky hand held camera
*Animoto – creates a slideshow from your pictures with text and music. short ones for free. Longer ones you need to pay for.

– Uploading –
Hey Spread – uploads to a bunch of video sites all at once. You have to pay a little for it but it saves you mega time.

Oh yes, make sure you check out the Youtube keyword tool so you can see what people are searching for on Youtube.

Here’s the short video I made yesterday on my mac.

Ive known about ebooks as a tool for marketing for a while now. I even wrote one a few years back. But it was only yesterday that I packaged up my ebook into a pretty pdf and made a shiny looking cover for it. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I have no idea why I put it off for so long… Do you have something amazing to share with the world? Its so easy now to get your information out there.

Leave a comment if you’re interested to learn how I did this.

I just listened to this lovely song and it reminded me of this -

A while back I was entering a competition and asked Mum if she could find a copy of the short story I wrote in 1999 so I could use it to enter the competition. Well I ended up missing the deadline but I was glad I got to read it again.

Wrote this in yr 11 English when I was 16 and won some competition with it back then.

Here it is if you’d like to read it.

Click here to download it

I’m not an early bird. 10:30am is preferable. Wake up, lay there for a while thinking about stuff, get my lappy and check my email or read some book. Maybe make some breakky and coffee and then back to bed with the lap top. You could say I like a relaxing morning

But when you’re asked to interview an awesome musician you just have to say yes. Even if its at 6:30am when all sensible people should be asleep or just thinking about going to sleep

So having been the first time I’d done a phone interview, I was a bit stressed and nervous. I mean I didnt want to ask a stupid question and sound like a fool. So the night before I was up till like 1am researching and getting my questions right. When you need to wake up at 5am to warm your voice up, going to sleep at 1ish is not a good idea. Im so not the kinda person to function well on 4 hours of sleep. My brain just says NO.

So I woke up at 4:58am without my alarm going off. The internal clock is still working well. Must have been all those 5am starts I did when I worked up north on mines (ewwwwww!!). Jumped in the shower to wake my self up, cooked some porridge, made some coffee and all the while doing this I was doing my vocal warm ups. Hopefully the neighbors couldnt hear me making random noises at 5am.

I was SO nervous when my mobile finally rang. My brain had a little shut down – You know how in the movies when the power goes out and then backup power system is triggered? (Think some important government office) You know how the emergency power system doesnt power everything? Only a percentage of whats needed? Well that’s what my brain was like after 4 hours of sleep and the stress of doing my first phone interview. I just didnt wanna stuff it up ok?

My questions were all ready to go thank god. I was worried I wouldnt have enough but it turned out I had more than I needed. So yeh, 15 minutes goes really fast your interviewing people!

But all went well. My phone did its job recording the interview and the transcription should be on Teknoscape soon

Image via Wikipedia

For as long as I can remember, my Nana has been researching our family history. When I was younger I never really had an interest in it, but recently I’ve been finding it fascinating.

My Nana's book "Everlasting Memories"

Nana loves to learn and share her genealogy research with the rest of our family. But I guess I must not have been paying enough attention to what Nana was saying all those years.  I remember her talking about someone called John Ruskin. It wasn’t till last year that I was looking through a bookshelf somewhere and I was surprised to see his name on the spine of a quite old looking book. “So he was a writer.” I guessed he must have been kind of a big deal back then.

Turns out he was kind of a big deal. Not just an author, but an art critic, artist & philanthropist. The funny thing was that it was my relative, Effie Gray who divorced him. Now I’d consider myself just a little bit bold and audacious, but Effie must have been amazingly strong willed to divorce her famous husband. Divorce wasn’t really a socially accepted option then.

It turns out that there’s already been several tv series and movies about John Ruskin & Effie Gray. One I’ve just seen is Desperate Romantics, a BBC tv series. Next year Dakota Fanning will star as Effie Gray in the movie Effie which begins production October 17th 2011.

Dakota Fanning will star as Effie Gray in Effie (2012)

Effie’s marriage to Ruskin and her romance with Millais have been dramatised on many occasions:

• The Love of John Ruskin (1912) a silent movie about Ruskin, Effie and Millais.
• The Love School (1975) a BBC series about the Pre-Raphaelites, starring Anne Kidd (Effie), David Collings (Ruskin), Peter Egan (Millais)
• John Ruskin’s Wife (1979) a novel about the relationship by Eva McDonald.
• The Passion of John Ruskin (1994), a short film directed by Alex Chappel, starring Mark McKinney (Ruskin), Neve Campbell (Effie) and Colette Stevenson (Effie’s voice).
• “Modern Painters” (opera) (1995) an opera about Ruskin, Effie and Millais.
• Parrots and Owls (1994) a radio play by John Purser about the O’Shea brothers in which Effie appears as a friend of James O’Shea and her marital problems are discussed.
• The Countess, (1995) a play written by Gregory Murphy concentrating on the breakdown of the marriage between Ruskin and Effie.
• The Order of Release (1998) A radio play by Robin Brooks about Ruskin (Bob Peck), Effie (Sharon Small) and Millais (David Tennant).
  

  Photo taken by Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) - Effie, Millais & their daughters Effie & Mary. 21st July 1865, signed Effie Millais

• The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits (2002), a collection of short stories by Emma Donoghue, contains a story Come, Gentle Night about Ruskin and Effie’s wedding night.
• Mrs Ruskin (2003), a play by Kim Morrissey about the breakdown of the marriage and Effie’s fraught relationship with Ruskin’s domineering mother.
• Desperate Romantics (2009), a six-part BBC television drama serial about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. She is played by Zoe Tapper.

Ive just come across the book The Model Wife: Effie Ruskin and Millaisby Suzanne Fagence Cooper, which I’ll have to get a copy of!

Something else I thought was pretty interesting – Last year I had a photo shoot done and out of about 300 photos there was one I liked the best, which I now use as my profile picture on everything. Now, when I visited Nana late last year (after I’d done the shoot), she showed me a picture of Sophie Gray (Effie’s sister) and something I found quite amazing was the similarity between my picture and John Everett Millais portrait of Sophie Gray  (“Portrait of a Girl”).

Sophie Gray (Effie's sister) models for John Millais in "Portrait of a Girl"

A photo of me taken by Adam Mazur (Atomic Arts) in Perth, Australia (2, Oct 2010)

One of my favourite quotes from Lewis Carroll – “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – The White Queen, Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carrol.”

Download Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (audio book)