Rants & Ravings, From Me to You.

Career Renegade – How to make a great living doing what you love.

Based on my internal review system of:

Must Read

Good Read

Toilet Paper

I will give this one a Good Read. It wasn’t one of those books that I picked up and couldn’t put down.  I was turned onto this book by Seth Godin’s blog. A recommendation from him is usually enough for me to pick it up. Although I liked the book, it was worth the price I paid for just the last two pages.

I hesitate to say that it  may be the best closing that I have read in a book in a really long time, or perhaps ever. The term “touched a nerve” comes to mind.

Hope Mr. Fields doesn’t mind but I’m going to give him a free plug. Here is some of the wisdom that I have read over and over for the last few days because I can’t believe how good it is. Below are  bits and pieces from the last two pages.

“It finally dawned upon me:  The person I was looking for was the one I would need to become. Others can offer guidance. They can share what they know from their own loves or the teachings of their teachers. ”

“But, in the end, no one else can stand in my shoes. No one else can live my fears, dreams, loves, relationships, desires, intellect, challenges, life, and lifestyle. No one else can enjoy or suffer the outcome of my decisions or actions. No one else can take action but me.

Upon that realization, I began to accept responsiblity not only for my life to date, but for the process of making it come alive from that point forward. Not for anyone else. For me.”

“I cannot conduct the balance of my life in a vacuum of inevitable regret. I cannot image the sorrow of leaving this earth one day filled with visions of a life I dreamed of living, but never had the will to try. I cannot rest with the notion that, in my inaction, I might have taught my daughter to do the same.

Like Helen Keller said, “life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

What are you waiting for?”

Thanks Mr. Fields, I needed to hear those last two pages.

Check out this link from Jason Fried from 37signals. Every wonder why you don’t get much done at work. He pretty much hits it on the head. Very interesting stuff and great concepts for productivity.

http://bigthink.com/ideas/18522

Shoot me a comment if you liked it as much as me.

The web is a vast, ever changing entity that is difficult to keep up with. It would be foolish of me or anyone else to think they are keeping abreast of the life force that creates it. It baffles me to think of all the tools and resources available to me and others that we don’t even know about.

The cream always rises to the top and eventually you would find out about face book, twitter, Digg, craigslist, just from the sheer amount of users and buzz.  Google does this with search, anything you want to know about. Google it!

Here’s the question; how do you find it, if you don’t know that you should be looking for it?

There must be tools that others are using that could help you, or others that you know. The key is:

• Getting the information to them
• Showing them the value
• Having someone act upon it

Doing two out of the three doesn’t work. It’s got to be all the way or nothing.

I started this blog to meet like minded people and share. Share things that I found interesting, cool, funny, and things that could help people. I now have people I consider friends half way around the world that I have never met in person. I have a rule that I use, share without regret. Don’t worry about the people that laugh, ridicule and put down the things that you share.

I challenged myself to write this blog, in order to share those things with the world that I found useful. Somewhere out there is something that I probably never knew I needed or could help me.  It’s that thought that keeps me reading, looking, writing and my mind inquisitive each and every day.

So, without further ado, here are some of my most precious resources.

Twitter – I have three active accounts that I use for three different passions.

• Baseball
• Business
• Giving Back/Volunteering

Blogs – I read religiously here are a few of my favorites

• Seth Godin – http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
• Lifehacker – http://lifehacker.com/
• Tim Ferris – http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/
• Google – http://googleblog.blogspot.com/
• Google Docs – http://googledocs.blogspot.com/
• Entrepreneurs Journey – http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/

Books – I read constantly check out this post for some of my favorites. (although they change all the time)

• http://jvanwyk.com/2009/06/24/book-suggestions/

Triiibes – Something I just joined and love. Don’t be a lurker!

Alltop – This website is extremely useful because it categorizes everything by your interest. Check it out – http://alltop.com/

If I can share something that makes your life, job or business better, I will consider that the best news of the day. If more of us do it, it will become common place and those that are struggling to do real work will be able to do it better, cheaper and faster. Please share with me your favorite resources; I’m always prowling for new leads! Leave me a comment below.

Leaders aren’t born, their made. Many leaders share the same core attributes. However, you don’t come into this world as a leader; many factors are involved in creating the leader. It takes years and in some cases decades. Good leaders continue to learn, adapt and have the foresight to spot opportunities as they arise. They aren’t much different than anyone else; except for the smallest amount of time it takes them to makes the decisions that mold the future. However, not everyone can be a leader, so……

Maybe you’re a doer. You don’t like the pressure or expectations that come with being a leader. You hate being in the limelight or the center of attention. You might work better being known as the person who gets things done and is dependable. Not the person whom the finger is pointed at and spoken about in hushed tones. We need doers in this world just as we need leaders, and although doers and leaders share a lot of the same attributes. The differences are vast.

Leaders push past limitations to the place that most don’t want to venture. That big dark place that is uncomfortable and scary. The one your mother told you about. Leaders may know words and phrases like “indecision”, “unsure”, “we can’t” and “it can’t be done.” They just don’t accept them. They take them in, let them wash over them and hand them off to the doer with a vision attached.

The doer does what they do and completes the project, or task to meet the goal. While dragging, prodding and prompting the followers kicking and screaming to the finish line. Followers can’t follow without a doer; doers can’t do without a leader, and leaders can’t lead without each of them.

Most people fall into this follower category.  Followers are a dime a dozen. We need them in many aspects of business. However, the follower will never succeed past their own limitations. If you are a follower, be prepared to work hard. Stop complaining about the boss, or your low pay. You chose to be a follower. You can just as easily choose to be a doer by changing your mindset.

Which one are you? Which one do you want to be? Or, do you just want to be a couch potato that eats sausage all day? To each his own, but don’t complain that life isn’t fair. You control the outcome, not your boss, parents, siblings, friends or significant others. You chose your lot in life, if you want to make something special, do it. It won’t be easy and you won’t always feel secure while doing it. Just remember one of my favorite sayings when that insecurity taps into your conscience, and makes you feel unsure. “It’s wiser to simply smile, knowing that the magic is out there.”

Stay strong mentally, physically and emotionally in order to choose if you want to be a leader, doer, follower or just sit on the couch eating sausage all day. The choice is yours, it always has been.

I received this from a friend of my the other day and it sat in my e-mail box. For some strange reason, I decided to read it this morning and was very impressed. I decided to place it on my blog. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did, please leave me a comment if you do.

“WISDOM COMES WITH AGE” Take 2 min to read this.

This is something we should all read at least once a week.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.  It

is the most-requested column I’ve ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1.  Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2.  When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3.  Life is too short to waste time hating anyone…

4.  Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick.  Your friends and parents will.  Stay in touch.

5.  Pay off your credit cards every month.

6.  You don’t have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree.

7.  Cry with someone.  It’s more healing than crying alone.

8.  It’s OK to get angry with God.  He can take it.

9.  Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10.  When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11.  Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12.  It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13.  Don’t compare your life to others.  You have no idea what their journey

is all about.

14.  If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15.  Everything can change in the blink of an eye.  But don’t worry; God never  blinks.

16.  Take a deep breath.  It calms the mind.

17.  Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18.  Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19.  It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.  But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20.  When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21.  Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.  Don’t save it for a special occasion.  Today is special.

22.  Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23.  Be eccentric now.  Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24.  The most important sex organ is the brain.

25.  No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26.  Frame every so-called disaster with these words.  ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27.  Always choose life.

28.  Forgive everyone everything.

29.  What other people think of you is none of your business.

30.  Time heals almost everything.  Give time time.

31.  However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32.  Don’t take yourself so seriously.  No one else does.

33.  Believe in miracles.

34.  God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or

didn’t do.

35.  Don’t audit life.  Show up and make the most of it now.

36.  Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37.  Your children get only one childhood.

38.  All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39.  Get outside every day.  Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40.  If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41.  Envy is a waste of time.  You already have all you need.

42.  The best is yet to come.

43.  No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44.  Yield.

45.  Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”