Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is THE BEST. – Frank Zappa
infoholic (noun): a person addicted to getting more information; a person addicted to acquiring information, esp. via the Internet [definition from dictionary.com]
As a professional online expansion enthusiast, I’ve been immersed in a universe of social media excellence: audio, video, and articles that just make me wanna be a crossbreed between Johnny Mnemonic and David Blaine — if he were to go for the Guinness speed-reading endurance challenge.
So much good stuff, so much talent, so much abundance of yummy information and tips, tuts, how-tos, and inspiration pouring out in ever more generous streams through the social media outlets . . . . How to stuff all this must-read, must-check-out, must-not-miss tidal wave of home-made goodness in a 24-hour circadian rhythm that you and I’ve been given by default?
Here are my suggestions for navigating your way out of information overload (btw, it’s great if we read and understand them but they will work only if we consistently practice):
Give yourself permission to make living with joy and enthusiasm your sole decision-making criteria for at least a day.
Eliminate all goals, activities, to-dos that don’t make your hear sing.
This is a bit woo-woo-land but it does miracles if you’re willing to give it a try (won’t tell anyone, I promise): trust that existence and its infinite flow of intelligence will bring the blog posts, audio, and video inspiration your project, business, or life need at the perfect place and time via the perfect social media channel.
Do yourself a favor and don’t bookmark a million delicious and seemingly crucial units of information only to keep them marinating as an unconscious burden on your to-do list for weeks and months.
Eliminate all information resources that don’t serve your current essential projects. If you survive a day, do the unthinkable and try the joy diet for a week. If that doesn’t finish you off, how about a month?
Narrow down your information intake to only the units that you intuitively feel will make the most difference and bring the most value to whatever your essential priorities are.
Shortlist as many as you can enjoy in the form of text, audio, or video without rushing.
Pick the next most effective action steps based on the new information.
Take action, implement the new knowledge and enjoy the ride.
No angel myself, here are some of the resources I’ve greedily bookmarked over that last week and I haven’t got round to. Who knows, they might be just what existence has in mind for your online project or dream:
And yes, it will be great if you feel like sharing your own take on dealing with information overload in these glorious times of the social media revolution.
The new media revolution has opened incredible new opportunities to create and share passions and enthusiasms while enjoying delightful financial results in return!
Would you like to know how some of the most influential players in the game of independent online blogging reached the top?
Here are two of my favorite online success stories:
Editor’s note: Jack Canfield is one of the brightest stars in the human potential field today. This article is reprinted with his kind permission from his Success Strategies newsletter. Jack’s monthly Ask Jack Canfield free teleseminar features his insight on questions submitted by a global community of fellow adventurers.
By Jack Canfield
The law of attraction states that you will attract into your life–whether wanted or unwanted–whatever you give your energy, focus, and attention to.
You are constantly giving off vibrations of energy when you think and feel. These vibrations can be picked up and received by other people. That’s why people say, “he has good vibes,” or “he gives off bad vibes.” You are constantly giving off vibrations — literally!
If you’re feeling excited, enthusiastic, passionate, happy, joyful, loving, appreciative, abundant, prosperous, relaxed and peaceful, you are giving off positive vibrations.
On the other hand, if you’re feeling bored, anxious, worried, confused, sad, lonely, hurt, angry, resentful, guilty, disappointed, frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed out, or depressed, then you are giving off negative vibrations.
The law of attraction states that the universe responds to whatever you are offering — by giving you more of whatever you are vibrating. It doesn’t care whether it is good for you or not; it simply responds to your vibration.
If you saw the film The Secret, you saw this explained in great detail.
The problem is that most of the time, you are not aware of what vibration you are offering. You are simply responding to things outside of you–current events, the news, how people treat you, the stock market, how much money you are making, how your children are doing in school, whether or not your favorite sports team wins–and then having a feeling that is either positive or negative.
When you are simply responding unconsciously to what happens around you, you tend to stay “stuck” in your current condition. This is why most people’s lives never seem to change very much. They get stuck in a repeating cycle of recreating the same reality over and over by the vibration they are sending out.
It works like this… First you observe what you currently have and are currently receiving in your life. You call this your “reality.” You respond to what you observe with a feeling, positive or negative, which then gives off that vibration to the universe. The law of attraction then responds to this vibration and brings you more of what you were vibrating. This keeps the cycle going over and over, until you choose to change it through the exertion of your will. You are a victim of your lack of awareness of the law of attraction.
The Process of Intentional Creation
It is possible to get out of this vicious cycle and create what you want instead of continually recreating what you already have. It is a simple, three-step process that you can begin immediately.
If you’ve been implementing the action steps I coach you through in The KEY to Living the Law of Attraction, you have already begun this process.
Step 1: Identify what you truly desire & eliminate the negative
It is important to focus on what you want rather than what you don’t want. You must state it in the positive and filter out the words don’t, not and no. Remember, your mind works in pictures and if you say I don’t want to be mad, you are creating the picture and thus the vibration of being mad. You must create the opposite of what you don’t want.
Step 2: Raise your vibration level
Your job in stage two is to create a vibrational match for that which you say you want to have. How would you be feeling if you already had those things–the perfect job, the perfect relationship, the amount of money that you want to have?
Your job is to identify what makes you feel good and do more of it, then learn not to tolerate your negative feelings.
Affirmations are an important component in raising your vibrational level to what it is you want. Remember, the law of attraction does not respond to the words you use or the thoughts you think. It simply responds to how you feel about what you say and how you feel about what you think.
For information on how to create even more effective affirmations, review chapter 10 in The Key to Living the Law of Attraction, where you’ll find my guidelines for creating effective visualizations.
Step 3. Release it and allow it.
In this third step, you simply release your affirmation, your vibration, and your feelings to the universe to take care of your “request” or “order” as I call it. But you have to abstain from any doubts. If you doubt you can have it in any way, then you are not allowing it. You are pushing it away and you end up with contradictory messages to the universe.
It is only when the contradictory thoughts, talk, and images are removed that your desired results will manifest. The faster you remove your resistance, the faster your dreams can be realized.
Are you “stuck” in this area?
Send me your most pressing question about this topic, then join me for our monthly
“Ask Jack Canfield” Tele-Clinic on September 2th! www.AskJackCanfield.com
In the beginning of 2008 I couldn’t get my students to touch Twitter with a 10-foot pole but now everyone and their great-grandma seem to have an account, so I’d like to contribute my #1 source for Twitter dos, don’ts, and know-how: TwiTip.
Happy tweeting and please don’t fall into the how-the-fuck-can-I-get-more-followers trap. The only follower you’ll ever need is yourself. Everyone else is a welcome fellow traveler.
Taken aback by that little four-letter expletive delight four sentences ago? Can you imagine my initial reaction when I chanced upon www.IttyBiz.com — Naomi Dunford’s independent business marketing site?
She’s wild, her language and work are a breath of fresh air and my second contribution to our power resource data base! This link will take you directly to her free courses and while you’re there, have a look at her blog — Naomi’s turned quite a few (economic) lives around plus you’d be surprised how someone can write in such an expletively captivating way about small business Internet marketing.
Third, Jonathan Fields launched Career Renegade as a community where you can find support, resources, and inspiration when you’re finally ready to have your cake AND eat it!
Here’s a quote from Jonathan’s spunky mission statement: “Career Renegade is a movement. It’s about leveling the playing field for anyone who’s ever dreamed of making a serious living doing what you love. It’s about gaining the knowledge, skills, ability, confidence and support to pull off what everyone around you says it’s impossible. It’s about valuing passion as much as prosperity and pursuing both with zest. It’s about coming alive in all areas of your life.”
My favorite Career Renegade section is the audio interviews with delightfully successful folks like Shama Hyder, Naomi Dunford, and Brian Clark. Access is free, but you’ll need to opt-in to get the password to the mp3 vault.
Editor’s note: Jack Canfield is one of the brightest stars in the human potential field today. This article is reprinted with his kind permission from his Success Strategies newsletter. Jack’s monthly Ask Jack Canfield free teleseminar features his insight on questions submitted by a global community of fellow adventurers.
By Jack Canfield
Asking for what you need is probably the most underutilized tool for people. And yet, amazing requests have been granted to people simply because they’ve asked for it!
Whether its money, information, support, assistance, or time, most people are afraid to ask for what they need in order to make their dreams come true.
They might be afraid of looking needy, ignorant, helpless, or even greedy. More than likely though, it is the fear of rejection that is holding them back. Even though they are afraid to hear the word no, they’re already saying it to themselves by not asking!
Do you ask for what you want or are you afraid of rejection?
Consider this: Rejection is just a concept. There is really no such thing as rejection! You’re not any worse off by hearing no than you were before you asked. You didn’t have what you asked for before you asked and you still don’t, so what did you lose?
Being rejected doesn’t hold you back from anything. Only YOU hold yourself back. When you realize that there’s no merit to rejection, you’ll feel more comfortable asking for things. You may just need a bit of help learning how to ask for what you want.
How to Ask for What You Want
There’s a specific science to asking for and getting what you want or need in life. And while I recommend you learn more by studying The Aladdin Factor, here are some quick tips to get you started:
1. Ask as if you expect to get it. Ask with a positive expectation. Ask from the place that you have already been given it. It is a done deal. Ask as if you expect to get a “yes.”
2. Assume you can. Don’t start with the assumption that you can’t get it. If you are going to assume, assume you can get an upgrade. Assume you can get a table by the window. Assume that you can return it without a sales slip. Assume that you can get a scholarship, that you can get a raise, that you can get tickets at this late date. Don’t ever assume against yourself.
3. Ask someone who can give it to you. Qualify the person. Who would I have to speak to to get…Who is authorized to make a decision about…What would have to happen for me to get…
4. Be clear and specific. In my seminars, I often ask, “Who wants more money in their life?” I’ll pick someone who raised their hand and give them a quarter, asking, “Is that enough for you?” “No? Well, how would I know how much you want. How would anybody know?”
You need to ask for a specific number. Too many people are walking around wanting more of something, but not being specific enough to obtain it.
5. Ask repeatedly. One of the most important Success Principles is the commitment to not give up.
Whenever we’re asking others to participate in the fulfillment of our goals, some people are going to say “no.” They may have other priorities, commitments and reasons not to participate. It’s no reflection on you.
Just get used to the idea that there’s going to be a lot of rejection along the way to the brass ring. The key is to not give up. When someone says “No”– you say “NEXT!” Why?
Because when you keep on asking, even the same person again and again … they might say “yes” …
… on a different day
… when they are in a better mood
… when you have new data to present
… after you’ve proven your commitment to them
… when circumstances have changed
… when you’ve learned how to close better
… when you’ve established better rapport
… when they trust you more
… when you have paid your dues
… when the economy is better
… and so on.
Kids know this Success Principle better than anyone. They will ask the same person over and over again without any hesitation (can you relate!).
Getting a good perspective on rejection and learning how to ask will make a world of difference for you as you work toward your goals. Practice asking and you’ll get very good at it! You’ll even speed your progress by getting what you need, or improving yourself in order to get it later.
Make a list of what you need to ask for in all areas of your life, and start asking.
Remember, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE . . . if you dare to ask!
Editor’s note: Jack Canfield is one of the brightest stars in the human potential field today. This article is reprinted with his kind permission from his Success Strategies newsletter. Jack’s monthly Ask Jack Canfield free teleseminar features his insight on questions submitted by a global community of fellow adventurers.
As you move forward on your journey from where you are to where you want to be, you are going to have to confront some of your fears. Fear is a just a natural part of living.
Whenever you start a new project, take on a new venture, or put yourself out there, there’s usually some fear involved. Unfortunately, most people let fear stop them from taking the necessary steps to achieve their dreams.
Confronting your fears is a very necessary step in achieving success.
There is simply no other way.
Fear can be a helpful emotion, as it tells you when you need to be extra careful, keenly aware, and cautious. Fear is not an emotion that is telling you to stop. In fact, it’s telling you just the opposite!
Acknowledging your feelings of fear helps you know when you are stepping out of your comfort zone. It points your awareness to areas where you could improve and grow.
Successful people also feel fear. Yet they don’t let it get in the way of anything they want to do–or have to do. They understand that fear is something to be acknowledged, experienced, and taken along for the ride. They have learned, as author Susan Jeffers suggests in her must-read book, to Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway.
Fear is more of a signal that we should stay alert and cautious. We can feel fear, but we can still move forward anyway.
Think of fear as a 2-year-old child who doesn’t want to go grocery shopping with you. Because you must buy groceries, you’ll just have to take the two year old with you. Fear is no different. In other words, acknowledge that fear exists but don’t let it keep you from doing important tasks.
Also realize that so many of our fears are self-created. We might frighten ourselves by fantasizing negative outcomes to any activity we might peruse or experience. Luckily, because we are the ones doing the fantasizing, we are also the ones who can stop the fear and bring ourselves into a state of clarity and peace by facing the actual facts, rather than giving in to our imaginations.
If a fear is too great for you to overcome, try breaking it down into smaller challenges.
Try starting out by doing the parts of the project that don’t scare you so much. You need to give a speech in front of a large group? Try giving your speech in front of a small group of people who care for you. Work your way up until you are able to feel the fear but still move forward. As you do you will build your confidence and eventually you won’t feel fear surrounding those issues because you’ll have done them enough to count it as a skill.
As you move toward your goal, don’t attach yourself so much to the outcomes.
Keep moving toward your dream doing everything you can to create what you want, then let it go and see what shows up. Sometimes the universe will have a better idea in mind for you and present a better opportunity when you were expecting something completely different. Don’t let fear keep you from moving forward. Even if the horrible outcome that you imagined happens, the universe will always provide for you another way to succeed. So be on the look out!
Trust that no matter what occurs, you are smart enough and strong enough to keep looking for, and attracting, opportunities.
If you are willing to try new experiences in spite of your fears, then more new experiences will present themselves for you to try. And the more you try, the more you are likely to succeed!
If you are doing things to be happy, you are doing them in the wrong order.
– Michael Neill
Would you be doing what you’re doing right now if you had guaranteed financial security and you didn’t have to work for a living? What’s your favorite way of making meaning in life? What’s the best way of making a difference in people’s lives and have a great time doing it? Is your site, online business, or project really an expression of your calling? How can you know for sure?
Here’s what two guys who really walk the talk have to say about success, money, the blessing of selfishness, and making meaning:
Would you like to have a private Twitter-like communication platform for your team, office, company, or organization? The new (and absolutely free) P2 WordPress theme will make collaborating on projects easy, instant & fun!
Farewell stone-age days of exchanging emails & messy IM updates. How about posting pictures and videos to add an extra visual dimension to your group messages? With P2, you can also read & join your team updates in real time plus you can export and backup the content of your conversations. Check out P2 in action here and while you’re at it, why not give the keyboard shortcuts below a go!
Here’s how to make your P2 experience lightning-fast with this keyboard shortcut map:
c — compose new post j — next post/next comment k — previous post/previous comment r — reply e — edit o — show/hide comments t — go to top esc — cancel
Editor’s note: Jack Canfield is one of the brightest stars in the human potential field today. This article is reprinted with his kind permission from his Success Strategies newsletter. Jack’s monthly Ask Jack Canfield free teleseminar has always been a blast.
How can we use this information to energize our online projects? Do you have a cyberspace mastermind group whose members telecommute?
We all know that two heads are better than one when it comes to solving a problem or creating a result. So imagine having a permanent group of five or six people who meet every week for the purpose of problem solving, brainstorming, networking, and encouraging and motivating each other!
This process is called masterminding and is one of the most effective success tools you can adopt! It is a powerful way to support your dreams and bring unlimited resources to your business and personal life.
Participating in a mastermind group has been critical to me. I can’t imagine achieving all I have without one, and it certainly made my goals happen much faster.
A Process for Accelerating Your Growth
The basic philosophy of a mastermind group is that more can be achieved in less time when people work together. Sometimes called a “dream team,” your mastermind group is made up of two or more individuals who voluntarily come together on a regular basis — weekly, biweekly, or monthly — to share ideas, thoughts, information, feedback and resources.
