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'tis the season to be merry, over indulge, connect with family and friends and midst the dizzying glitz of consumerism to perhaps pause momentarily and contemplate the flip side of this coin of indulgence. Perhaps now's also the time to try something a little of kilter. Imagine the impact of a few Random Acts Of Kindness this month on both YOU and the recipient.
This is not a Mother Theresa manifestation of altruism I'm talking about just perhaps a token gesture here and there, that's spontaneous. The ripple effect may surprise you. My recent Blog on Life Matters is a little more descriptive.
Hope I'm not pontificating-I'd welcome your feedback if you've done something Random recently, how'd it feel?
Hope this crazy time of the year is treating you well-Cheers Kiaran
Perhaps you're on Facebook, Twitter or My Space sharing your thoughts about your area of interest and finding that people are just tuning you out. It's debateable if the above social media networks are the ideal forum for niche blogging.
I may be interested to learn that one of my network associates/friends has started a new business, but its unlikely I want to read 10 posts a day telling the world how great it is, which is really just spam disguised as banter. An occasional mention and link to a blog however is a different story.
When I have time to idle and browse i may be inclined to pop over to John's Blog and read his thoughts on Thai cooking or motorcycle maintenance. Alternatively I may pop over from time to time to see how Jenny's book publishing endeavors are progressing. It's not that I am not interested in what my connections are up to, it's just that I don't have time to engage incessantly and as we become more and more interconnected there is less time to 'waste'.
If you have more than 100 Facebook or Twitter connections then you may need to be selective. I feel guilty 'hiding' comments from some of the above but it is a necessary evil.
A Blog can be as simple as a ramble about some topic of interest or an in depth article. It's free to post and remains in the digital sphere indefinitely. Over time like minded people will start tuning into your Blogs and engaging. Initially it may feel isolating as there is no sense of anyone actually participating, and you're unsure if anyone's actually reading your Blogs, but patience is rewarded.
It's very easy to get to page 1 on Google for a Blog as simple as this. What that means is that you will attract far more page views over time than you can possibly imagine. A Facebook comment may have an immediate acknowledgment but a blog may be viewed thousands of times.
So I encourage you to set up a Blog-this is on the Blogspot platform and incredibly easy to use, and don't worry if anyone's interested, you'll probably surprise yourself with some of the content you consign to paper and over time niche communities will develop accordingly around you.
I appreciate any feedback unless it's nasty! If any of this material engages you then I would welcome you to RSS or connect on Twitter or Facebook. Hope your day is progressing as you'd like
Cheers Kiaran
Google Home Based Business Opportunities and you'll find a billion plus webpages-Wow! Where do you start?
The point is that despite some occasional stigma that running a business from home is somehow less worthy than working out of a big loud shopfront or city center office-The reality is that broadband connectivity has utterly changed the commercial landscape in the last few years.
More people are taking the opportunity to opt out of the 9-5 'rat-race' and embrace a less restrictive and more family friendly route to financial security. there are millions of opportunities to succeed or fail! Where do you start? There are so many compelling and seductive business opportunities that seem potentially perfect and yet....
Some research will reveal a troubling statistic. It is suggested that 90%+ opportunity peddlers will fail to achieve any measure of tangible success. Why is this so?
Hype sells. Alas by definition hype is the personification of gloss and exaggerated claims. It is hard to navigate through the mass of distractions that are eagerly soliciting our attention. each opportunity is pitched as the Ultimate, Best, Fantastic and of course Limited opportunity in the universe.
If there is a secret to building a successful online venture, then I would suggest that it is more important to establish an effective self branded 'Funded Proposal' than actually finding the ideal business. What?!
A funded proposal is a template or system for funding your lead and marketing costs, and is imperative unless you have deep pockets and are an expert in traffic generation tactics. No traffic = No business.
I cannot stress how important it is however that you brand YOU, not your business.
The good news however is that My Pet Monkey could make a pretty good fist of succeeding online by copy and pasting this system into his business model. This may all seem a bit obscure however I am happy to clarify if you'd like to connect. I don't want to take up too much Blog space here on the subject.
If you already have an online business, then this system will allow you to literally explode your penetration and visibility, and if you don't yet have a business, then you can actually dip you toe in the water and start your online ad-venture by promoting the system itself.
Having just read back this Blog it does all seem a bit vague-Sorry about that-Hook up below for more information. Remember this is a free resource and I will endeavor to provide as much useful content as I can to assist you in your online endeavors. Hope life's treating you well
Cheers Kiaran
email:
I've just hooked up to this site and I think you'll like it. It's not at all salesy but a great resource for inspiration with great content. Plus you get your own page FREE-check out mine if you like. It's not too flash I just threw it together quickly so that I could get the word out.
http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/kiaran_finn
Let me know your thought or connect via that site if you like. I'll be adding some more content here very shortly that I think you'll find useful.
Thanks for your support-cheers Kiaran
If you've successfully negotiated life's ebbs and flows and are in your 40s or 50's, then your chances of getting to 90 are pretty high. That does however pose one significant challenge. How you fund potentially 30 plus years in this golden cycle? Previous generations had a retirement expectation of maybe 10 years or so. They also had a more frugal attitude.
Here's an exercise for you. If you would like to retire on pretty much the income you are currently on, then you need to accumulate approximately 15 times that figure in order to live off the interest. If you are a couple and like the finer things in life, such as travel, going to restaurants, supporting the kids and grand-kids, and perhaps indulging in some hobbies such as Golf or Art, then it's not unreasonable to expect an annual maintenance figure approaching $100k.
Very few people will ever squirrel away $1.5 million in after tax savings in order to fund this type of lifestyle.
There are basically 5 strategies available to us:
Save-forgo current pleasures in order to hopefully live long enough to enjoy future wealth! Urggghh!
Inherit! Not a strategy for the motivated individual!
Lotto. Good fortune has its flip side, and in this instance, the problem is that there is a higher chance of being run over by a truck on the way to buy the ticket!
Hope! Actually hope is not a strategy but alas is the default for many.
Invest. Create a passive income through some form of leverage. Property, Shares, Business, Greyhounds, Racehorses, Music, or some appreciating asset. Investment can include investing TIME in knowledge accumulation, MONEY to launch a business, or ENERGY connecting and building community networks. (Incidentally I'm not specifically recommending any of the above-although if you do have potential million selling jingle/song in your head-go for it!)
The tone of this Blog seems bleak, but that is unintentional. Longevity should be celebrated, yet many that I've spoken to about the subject seem a little daunted by the consequences. The good news however, is that it's never too late to embark on an adventure. colonel Saunders started Kentucky Fried Chicken in his 60's and Ray Croc launched the franchising arm of MacDonalds in his 50's!
Let us know what your strategy is and how it's working for you. I'm online to Inspire and BE inspired.
Cheers Kiaran
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What's your favorite travel destination or style of holiday? Have your tastes changed over the years? I remember a time when the Costa Del Somewhere's of the world appealed. Amber Solaire sunscreen that smelt like candy from 100 yards, copious amounts of beer and spirits consumed poolside and foggy recollections of 80' Disco beats. Great memories but at the same time the prospect of embarking on such a journey today would be an absolute nightmare!
Recently I've travelled to Sentosa just off Singapore at a Spa Resort next to a PGA Golf course. Major pampering close to the hustle and bustle of the metropolis but isolated enough for some R & R tranquility. Everything is super clean and modern, but with the benefits of being in the tropics.
Previously we did Phucket. Probably a little too reminiscent of those 80's vacations, except with the benefit of outstanding Thai food. Lots of beached human whales wallowing on the beach or wandering semi clad into the local restaurants...urgggh! Cheap, warm and pretty friendly but with a seedy underbelly that seems to surface when the sun goes down. Probably best left to back packers and lonely hearts.
Europe. Now we're talking! Not everyone's cup of tea in winter but awesome variety and depth of experience. Jump on a train in London and a few hours later you're in Paris getting photo opportunities alongside the Eiffel Tower, accommodation a little Xee and usually cramped but forgivable. Another train trip to Amsterdam and another unique experience, mostly enjoyable as long as you don't have a bicycle phobia. Pretty liberal and plenty of watering holes to savour. If sport's your thing you'll find a multitude of sports bars with wall to wall plasmas covering every conceivable sport.
An over night train and a chance to catch up on some zzzz's gets you down to Munich. Late September and you're in Beer Festival mode with half the local populace clad in lederhosen. Quite bizarre. A mix of historical and modern architecture, a stones throw from the Bavarian hills. Great for a couple of days shopping and sight seeing.
Then a stunning train trip to Vienna. Views to kill for. For those with a few cultural interests this is the place to be. One of my favorite cities. Architecturally interesting. Major restoration projects makes it feel like you've gone back in time a couple of centuries, you can taste the history.
Finally another train trip down to Venice. Initially disappointing, until I accepted that the locals mostly resent their reliance on the tourist dollar. As unfriendly a destination in Europe as I've ever experienced. However after a day or so I started to empathize a little. Their city is sinking and its demise is the fodder of an amazing tourist industry. Travelers from all over the globe swarm into the crumbling city to gawk, take photos and tramp across the narrow cobbled streets, totally enveloping and diminishing the local culture. Paradoxically a must see and do European experience.
Coming soon the launch of a new Global Holiday Program that I 'm using to indulge my passion of annual world travel. To connect and find out more drop us your contact details or just Facebook or Twitter me. Hope your day's going well!
This a link to my other Blogging platform: Kiaranfinn-Online-which you might find useful. The link below however is a link to a compilation of 30+ thought's and ponderings of some of the greatest of world leaders, philosophers and social Icons of the ages. Some of the messages are incredibly powerful and I suspect timeless.
If any of this resonates-then just connect or RSS us on the box next to this-or maybe leave a comment
cheers Kiaran
No this isn't a self indulgent pat on the back! Blogging is not complicated. A few minutes of quality information can get your message in front of a tonne of searchers for free!
The above Blog was submitted just two weeks ago and is already on the same front page as PAID advertising.
Creating your online presence is not complicated, if you tune in to what works. Reinventing the wheel in a universe where wheels become obsolete very quickly can be a a soul destroying strategy.
As per my Facebook profile. I'm online to have FUN, Inspire and be Inspired. All connections are valued, half my online energy is leeching information from all those clever 'wheel inventors' and the other half offering my help to those that want it.
So if any of this resonates just RSS us on the side and/or connect on Facebook or Twitter. My experience to date is that Facebook probably offers more solid connections than Twitter-although I have unearthed some useful resources on that medium.
Keep having Fun-or start if you're not!!
Cheers Kiaran
Exercise for fun? Is that what you call an oxymoron?
Do you remember a time when your body was awash with those great natural drugs called endorphins? If not you missed out on a pretty crazy rush of euphoria that for many became so addictive they spent most of their waking hours running on treadmills, doing countless situps, cycling to work after having had the morning 2 k swim!
Such madness! Yet a lot of us secretly admire their energy and dammed fit bods, whilst justifying our less edifying inactivity by labeling them narcissistic with too much time on their hands!
Most excersise routines are adaptive to stress, meaning that gradually increased loadings not only increase our capacity to do more, but amazingly increase our desire to hit pain thresholds. Alas this doesn't happen on day one.
Remember your first aerobics session in 2 years? The pain! Especially for the next 2 days after. Muscle soreness. stiffness, cramps...what fun,,,NOT! Why bother? Yet a month or two of consistent exercise brings its rewards. That first day when you actually feel buzzed after a workout. The real progress is apparent when you have to miss a session and you actually feel bad. it truley is addictive.
Like most things in life the motto 'Use it or Lose' it rings true. A week or two away from the routine and the body and mind rebel and resort to the default. Ie: desire for couch beer/wine and pizzas!
Which exercise routine is most effective?
There needs to be some stress threshold involved, other than boredom. 100 bicep curls with 2kilo weights isn't going to cut it. A stroll in the park intermittently broken up with some Frisbee throwing to the dog is equally unlikely to produce much benefit except perhaps for Rover!
Most new routines probably won't be enjoyable initially, but you need to work out what would you probably enjoy doing if you were a bit fitter?
Swimming.
Low stress, unless you're a poor swimmer in a deep pool! Fairly time consuming though as you need to do a lot to get much benefit.
Power walking.
The benefit is that you can build up your distances gradually and can probably do anywhere. To maximise the benefits it may be useful to include some hills.
Running.
As above although you will need to be aware of potential injury. If possible it might be preferable to start on grass and build up slowly in order to gauge joint and ligament strength.
Gym.
My choice. Most gyms have a duty of care responsibility and will ensure that you are medically ok before they assign you a program. The downside is that you will need a budget, probably not too exorbitant and some inconvenience issues. The upside is that it can be motivating (once you've overcome some initial fear of the unknown) to be in an environment of music and common sense of purpose.
Contrary to popular belief, most gyms are frequented mostly by normal people, and the preening, or bodybuilder types are actually in the minority and often frequent more hardcore facilities anyway.
Personal Training.
Again if your budget, which will largely be dictated by the importance you place on achieving your desired results, will allow, it can be very beneficial to get a half dozen personal training sessions to kick start. Most gym newbies have very poor techniques and are counter productive if leading to injuries. Also a personal trainer will motivate you to push through some of your limitations. Once you've done a month or so those endorphins will come to your aid and keep you self motivated.
Golf.
I'm dubious of any significant benefits from a purely fitness point of view from golf as there is too much standing around talking and occasionally swearing to really make progress
Tennis/Squash/indoor Soccer/Netball etc
Once a basic level of fitness has been attained, then the merits of team sports are obvious. Camaraderie. The motivation to work harder. Enjoyment-mostly. Be wary though of joint and ligament injuries as opposed to general muscle soreness. The latter is an adaptive response to becoming fitter, the former is defeating the whole point of the exercise.
Let us know what your exercise of choice is. if you don't have one I encourage you to venture in to the unknown. The benefits will undoubtedly amaze you. More energy, likely longevity, some social benefits, less stress, increased strength and stamina and a myriad of other plusses.
If you relate to any of this please RSS or connect on the side boxes.
Cheers Kiaran
Once you get past the jargon and labels such as 'Web 2.0', 'Consumer Generated Media', 'Content Syndication Platforms' and other assorted gibberish, you start to realize that Social Networking is simply the most basic of human interactivity that has been around since the dawn of society.
Once upon a time it was the Market Square, or the Church. Today we a have simply moved from 6 degrees of separation to just ONE! In the past you might have a network of relatives, friends and casual acquaintances that might add up to perhaps a few hundred. With the arrival of broadband connectivity you can literally be linked to thousands directly, each of whom is linked to thousands.
The result is that your message can be spread virully in a matter of hours to literally millions of people. (Assuming your message is compelling enough for anyone to care!) Am I exaggerating? On the contrary, the above numbers are conservative. Remember Susan Doyle? Someone uploaded a 5 minute video to Youtube of her performance on UK Idol and within 7 days it had been seen by upwards of 30 million viewers!
Social networking ensures that there is no reason to feel isolated anymore. whatever your interests, proclivities, age, race, creed and peculiar interests, there are probably millions online that you can identify with.
How do you find this rare breed of individual?
Twitter. There are people similar to you twittering daily about all mannar of both interesting and banal subjects. Start engaging and responding.
Facebook. This doesn't need to be the preserve of generation Y, and isn't. If you think you don't have anyone who's be interested in following or befriending you, I guarantee you're wrong. all you've got to do is to start requesting acceptance to other people's Twitter or Facebook networks. How?
Well what interests you? For example gardening or recreational fishing. Google the subject. Jump on a few websites. Leave a few comments. Most of them will have a Facebook or twitter icon for you to click and connect on. Once you've been accepted, start leaving the ocasional responses to their comments. Before long some of their connections will start requesting to be you friend or follower. Because of the fact you have similar interests.
The label 'friend' is a bit of a misnomer. It's more of a loose connection that can over time be developed into a meaningful contact. Friend is a warmer label however.
Ezine Articles. Not so much a social networking forum, but if you start throwing together some 400 word articles on your topic of interest, regardless of how obscure you will attract views many of whom, yes you've guessed it will want to 'follow' you on Facebook or Twitter.
Youtube. For the marginally more adventurous. If you have a camcorder, it's pretty easy to do a 2 minute recording of your dog fighting with the cat, or a cool sunset, or a brief introduction to your town, upload to Youtube with a link to your Free blog or Twitter account, (or website -if you want to be fancy! LOL) and potentially drive thousands of people to check you out. it's called engaging.
Like most things in life however you've got to give before you get Start being interested ie comment on other people's blogs, twitters, youtube channels etc and after awhile many will reciprocate. it's human nature.
I have only touched on a couple of mediums here. There are numerous niche networking sites including friends reunited, and hub pages, I didn't mention My Space. But if you make a start with the above examples plus perhaps a little Blogging (see my previous article: "How To Build A Blog" before long you'll be as engaged and connected as much as you choose to be.
Thanks for stopping by-I welcome you to RSS me on the side box or connect on Facebook or Twitter!
Cheers Kiaran
Google 'over 40s online' and there are an amazing 6.3 MILLION pages. In just a couple of weeks this modest Blog has hit #23 on page 3! So what? Well the big deal is that nearly every other page listed higher is for dating services. Is that the only online topic that interests this generation? Surely not.
Let's get this party started and help us get to Page 1 and start engaging our group demographic (half the population mind you) in some common interests.
So if you have a modicum of interest in developing this Blog and sharing thoughts RSS the box just next to this maybe make a comment preferably a favorable one! Also if you're Facebook people or maybe thinking about it pop over to my site and add me as a friend so we can share common points of connection.
Thanks for dropping by Kiaran
Do you really care what some distant acquaintance thinks about the weather or the economy, or last nights episode of celebrity chef? Probably not, yet you may be missing out on a fantastic medium for connecting with really interesting like minded people if you totally reject this type of forum. If you can't beat them why not join them!
The beauty of Facebook and Twitter is that you can pick and choose exactly who you want to engage. If they bore you with their inane commentary, then you can HIDE their comments for a week or so, or simply give them the bullet! A bit easier than in the Offline world. Guess what? They won't even know.
Facebook I find is a little more sociable and whilst many do pitch their home based business ideas or try to foist their political opinions on you, if you have a reasonably eclectic group that you occasionally engage with it can be not only entertaining but also quite informative.
News will hit these networking sites, often hours before main stream media. You can upload photos or small video files and engage rapidly with a vast array of people.
Twitter is potentially more anonymous. Many use it purely to build a data base or audience so they can blast them almost spam-like with messages on an hourly rate. If you don't buy in too much to the concept of building thousands of followers unless the perceived increase in social status is your objective then it can serve a purpose of sharing your 'content' with like minded people.
To connect with long lost friends, or relatives they can be fantastic mediums, and you can choose to indulge daily or weekly or once in a blue moon. I like that you get a reminder of peoples' birthdays so you can send a meaningful comment and online card.
I do use these networking sites for some business activity, and I do 'Follow' people that I can learn from with no expectation of a reciprocal relationship, however my main objective is to simply engage and connect with like minded people for Fun and Inspiration.
If any of this resonates please connect below. Hope you're having a great day!
www.facebook.com/kiaranfinn
My other Blog sites are:
http://kiaranfinn.blogspot.com-A bit of naval gazing wry social commentary not to be taken too seriously!
http://kiaranfinn-online.blogspot.com-My training Blog for new Online Marketers
http://kiaranfinn.wordpress.com-Only of interest to those pursuing a fulltime business Online.
This is an article I published to Ezine Articles a couple of months back, but thought it might fit appropriately.
Midst the hustle and bustle of nurturing our careers in order to pay the mortgage, support the kids and animals, do some renovations, take an occasional holiday, oh and of course put some 'excess' funds away for the rainy day-(who's got excess funds anyway?)-do you ever feel that there doesn't really be time to do the important non-work stuff?
What stuff? You know, the stuff you'd want to do if your crystal ball told you you only had a couple of years left in your mortal coil. Perhaps indulgence in your art or sculpturing. Perhaps writing that novel you've been talking about for twenty years. Trekking through Nepal, renewing your vows, taking up Yoga, doing that course in NLP, or any number of seriously important non work activities that just never seem to get done.
Maybe it's time to take a step backwards for a moment and observe whether or not these are flights of fantasy that need to be consigned to the 'will never happen' basket or to decide that perhaps it's time to naval gaze for a bit and decide if there any new life directions that need to be taken. If not now, then when?
Here's the article, hope it resonates a little. If so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have a great day!
Why is it that so many people love Fridays yet don't like Mondays? This is not a trick question, as the answer perhaps seems obvious.
Many millions of commuters identify the daily grind of competing with the masses as a necessary evil in the pursuit of the wherewithal to pay for life's bare necessities.
The weekend however provides the opportunity to indulge in social activities. Catching up with friends for drinks, coffee, meals and good banter. Perhaps to pursue hobbies and crafts. Paint landscapes, re-build old cars, write the grand novel go for long treks with loved ones whilst contemplating the marvel of life.
The reality of course is somewhat different. Monday comes around all too quick. The weekend is spent cleaning, gardening, taking kids to sport, paying the bills, catching up on the news and worrying about work.
Is your work complementing your life or getting in the way of family time and meaningful endeavors. Are you energized, enthused, motivated and empowered or stressed, frustrated, constantly tired, and on edge? If so surely there's got to be another way. Is the alternative to work, the pursuit of a hippy life on some commune?
Millions of people are now searching for alternate solutions to the 40-hour week x 40 years to retirement existence that will be the default life for the masses.
The exciting news is that we currently live in the midst of greater opportunity and accessibility to knowledge than ever before in the history of the human race.There are more choices available regarding how to spend our time and earn a living than we can count.There are people working in their pyjamas at home earning more money and spending less time doing it than most of their friends spend just commuting to and from their labour of love
One of the great paradoxes of life, is that so many will spend their precious and finite hours in quiet desperation working to a plan that if successful will not even provide them with their desires.
Life balance is precious. There are alternate ways to live your life. Change jobs. Learn a new language. Live abroad for a year. Work from home. Try something new. Just do something different once in awhile!
