I Repeat: The Secret to Success is Quality and Persistence

Perhaps that should be "perserverence" and not "persistence" but I'll stick to my original quote.

A few months ago, I was working as the web developer for a fantastic online community called Business Warriors. I was earning what was, from the average middle-class South African's point of view, a pretty decent "salary". (I contract under my company.)

I wasn't really happy with my work, though, and I wanted to focus on my own projects more so I quit.

The first few months were tough as, shortly before leaving, my laptop packed up and I had to fork out big bucks for a new one.

Things got tough and I started wondering whether I had made a mistake.

Well, shortly after that I started working with an old client of mine for (admittedly) significantly less than I was making before.

The rent was paid, we (mostly) had food on the table, so I wasn't complaining (much) and I kept on working on my personal projects.

Now, just a few months later, I'm earning exactly what I was earning before but with a huge chunk of it (25%!) coming from one of my web sites.

Yup, I'm earning real money for jam and, in a few more months, I won't need to work at all!

How come?

Because I pressed on with my personal projects and I made sure I did my best to deliver quality and I stuck with it. I was persistent and I never gave up.

The moral of the story?

When life's got you down, take a break from whatever you're unhappy with and start focusing some time on those things that excite you. Keep at it and, eventually, you'll see your returns. Many times over!

Amazing Video of Loser Turned Opera God

This is just jaw-droppingly amazingly wonderful. My eyes actually welled up with tears watching this video of a seemingly hopeless guy prove that he's really amazing, if the world would just shut up and listen.

Amazing and breath-taking!

Relax. Play a Game :)

No philosophy today. Just some fun games to keep your mind fresh and help you take a break from work :)

Enjoy! Courtesy of SkillPod.com (my client's web site).

Gold Miner - Play Now! Catch those Gold Nuggets

Mario - Play Now! Help Mario to send water to princess in time

Donkey Kong - Play Now! A true 80s Classic Arcade Game

Starsky and Hutch - Play Now! Hutch Driver - get these legends through the obstacles.

Tetris - Play Now! Tetris - stack them up line for line.

Traffic Jam - Play Now! Get Yourself out of the Jam

Mario Rampage - Play Now! Help Mario to shoot at the enemies before they get to Mario

Basic Sudoku - Play Now! a Japanese puzzle that's taken the world by storm. The objective is to fill in every cell in the grid with numbers from 1-9.

Add free games to your site / blog here. (I developed the engine used for that site and other sites including iolgames.co.za, games.ktv.co.za and more. Cool huh?)

Bring Back the Yin Yang

Consider, for a moment, the energy it takes you to move 2 steps forward. 1 step forward can take quite a lot of effort by itself but TWO whole steps forward -- wow, that's a lot.

Now think about how often you've felt like you've taken 2 steps forward and somehow stumbled 1 back? It happens a lot, mostly because we don't bring about change in our lives in a balanced way.

For example, you take 2 steps forward by getting a better-paid job but then you take 1 back by having to work longer hours and not having the time to enjoy your extra money.

Or maybe your new job is an extra hour's drive each way. Same result, less time for you!

Another example: You take 2 steps forward and buy the car of your dreams. For me, that's a Viper RT/10, 94 model. Then you take 1 step back by taking on another client and, once again, you have less time to enjoy the fruits of your efforts.

One last example: You give up chocolate on your mission to losing 10 kilos this year. You take 1 step back by binging once a week, "because you've been good."

This pattern makes it a LOT harder for you to move forward in your life and, finally, results in you going off-course. Most people give up because they can't see the results. After all, we've put in all this extra effort to go 2 steps forward, surely we should see some changes by now, right?

No, because you've only really taken 1 step forward. At least, only 1 step forward that counts.

So how do you fix that? Well, re-assess you life once in a while and change things in 2s.

If you're getting a new job that will give you more money and less time, find a way to free up some time elsewhere!

If you're getting a fancy new car but you can't afford it without earning more, raise your prices!

If you're cutting chocolate out of your diet, it's so easy to binge unless you replace it with something healthy, so go out and get some sugarless chocolate, or rice cakes or something delicious that you can eat when you feel nibbly.

Hey, I'm no health-expert but I'm hoping that you understand what I'm getting at. Bring the Yin-Yang back into your life and you'll feel more balanced, healthy and wealthy!

Going with Your Flow

When life looks like it couldn't be going worse... BEWARE because it's probably an introduction for the best time of your life!

People make plans. Usually with the hope that those plans will bring them what they want. Generally -- money, joy & love.

What people don't do is realise that we are greater than our plans and if we let our souls lead the way, we'll quickly arrive at money, joy & love but seldom in the same way that we'd thought we would.

That's why The bible tells you to have blind faith. That's why The Secret tells you to "believe and you will receive."

The problem is when you find things not going according to plan so you feel an overwhelming (stupid) urge to fight the process and go against the nature of your soul.

THAT's when it hurts.

So if you feel like nothing's going right, take a break because the truth is that everything is going as planned -- except you.

And once you get past your plans not "working out", you'll quickly find yourself doing something you never imagined possible and having the absolute most thrilling experience of your life.

That's what your soul does. It finds you cool things to experience and then shoves them in your face. Fight that at your own silly peril :P

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with a great life!

Today is the Result of Yesterday

Having a difficult day?

Got more work than you think you can handle?

Got less money than you think you need?

Here's a profound lesson that will help you start changing your life for the better...

"Accept Today's Circumstances as a Result of Yesterdays Actions and Move On."
-me :)

What does it mean?

It means that, instead of complaining about your current situation, accept it as a result of what you did yesterday (your past actions) and move on creating a better tomorrow.

If you can focus your thoughts on creating a better tomorrow and letting go of yesterday, you'll notice huge changes in your life.

The reason this works is simple -- people reject the life they've created for themselves which only makes it more difficult to change it because you cannot improve on something that you've convinced yourself doesn't exist.

So accept what you have right now as a result of choices you've made and things you've done and, when you're done accepting it, resolve to make tomorrow a wealthier, healthier day full of the things that you DO want.

You just HAVE to subscribe!

Go to www.cuteoverload.com, look for CuteMail^TM on the right and subscribe today.

You can thank me later ;)

You Know You're Portuguese When...

I don't know who to credit with writing this but it is absolutely brilliant! I can relate to almost every point here :)

--

Your mother or grandmother has Maria in her name.

You have a rooster napkin holder.

Your father or grandfather is called Manuel, Jose, Antonio,

You have crocheted doilies on your kitchen counters, dining room, living room, bedroom--on all your tables.

You decorate your walls with plates.

Your house is a mini church with just as many statues of saints and Jesus as your church itself.

You're 25 and still living with your parents. (Extra points if you're married and living with your spouse in your parent's house)

You warn other drivers of police on the highway by flashing your lights, even though one of the drivers might have just robbed a bank.

You baptize your child and send him to catechism even though you might never go to church except for weddings and funerals.

You think all university graduates should be called "Doctor" and like to be called so if you are one of the chosen few who have managed to finish college.

You park on the sidewalk when necessary, even asking the person standing there to please move away.

You have a mobile phone and spend a small fortune on it, but think twice about going to the dentist.

You have a mother or grandmother who wears black.

You spend your holidays in Spain instead of in Portugal because it is cheaper.

If you are a woman, you have been to see a "curandeiro" (healer) or have had your fortune told.

You insist you wouldn't be caught dead buying Spanish olive oil even though most of the olive oil consumed in Portugal comes from Spain.

You laugh at jokes about the Alentejanos but get angry to know that the same jokes are told in Brazil about the Portuguese.

You think that you can catch a cold with a draft or by sitting in the spring sun. Cold drinks are also thought to bring on the dreadful "gripe". And don't let anyone have a shower after eating as something terrible could happen to them.

You get a letter from your doctor saying you can't work because of an "unspecified, ongoing medical condition" and then go on a two-week holiday.

Your child's teacher misses two weeks (because of a letter from his or her doctor) and you don't complain because you also will use the same doctor when you have to miss two weeks from your work.

If you are from Porto you don't like people from Lisbon and call them Moors. The reverse is also true but they don't call you a nice word like "Moor".

You think Brazilians speak incorrect Portuguese and will not read a book written in Brazilian Portuguese.

The last major military victory you can remember your country having was the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385.

You say that the Portuguese, unlike the Spanish, are good at learning foreign languages.

Your parents own like 9 houses in Portugal but complain about the lack of money in the States.

Going to Portugal involves buying gifts for all 500 members of your family

You go crazy for the World Cup

You refer to Portugal as "O Continent"

You've walked in "as paradas" longer than you can remember

You have grape vines in your backyard

You earned over $10,000 for your first communion.

To hell with the Turkey and Roast Beef! X-mas dinner was bacalhau au braz, baby!

A barbeque does not consist of burgers on the grill... Hello! Can you say sardinhas?

You've had your license for a month, but your $20,000 car has been "hooked up" for a year. I'm talking rims, tints, a system...

A wooden spoon equals discipline, or if you ever had to duck so you wouldn't get hit with flying shoes.

Your parents anticipate that you'll marry your first long-term boyfriend/girlfriend.

When you hear the word "Sagres" you think Beer, not historical marine school.

Nothing beats a buttered papo-seco.

Your 15 year old brother is allowed to have two girls sleep over, but your 19 year old sister can't go out past 7pm.

You think that 2am is too early to go to bed and that 11am is to early to get out of bed.

Your grandmother tells you look sick because you are too thin.

Your parents make you eat 3 servings of dinner at each sitting otherwise they think you don't like the cooking.

You're proud to be Portuguese - and you pass these jokes on to all your Portuguese friends!

Focused Energy == Better Results!

Focusing your energy will help you get more out of life.

Coming from me, you must know that it's really true because I used to be a person who scattered his energy every where. I used to do one thing for about 5 minutes and then get distracted by something else.

What type of results did that get me? Scattered results. I'd do some great work for a few hours (maybe even a few days) and then fall into a lull of almost doing nothing. Don't take me wrong, I'd do stuff but nothing that was aligned with my goals and vision.

Now that I'm focusing my energy, each day, on just 1 objective -- things are getting done and I'm making more money!

As an example, I have a site, FreeArticles.co.za, that makes me some AdSense cash. I never used to make much from AdSense -- maybe $1-$2 a day. Now I'm making upwards of $20 a day and it's all because of this one secret:

Focus your energy for better results!

Now, with that extra "passive income", I can spend more time working on the things I enjoy and I can spend less time doing the stuff that irritates me.

I'm about to launch a new, international website that will match the AdSense income I'm currently making in the beginning and then it will probably overtake it. By focusing my energy on AdSense and making great sites, I soon won't have to work.

How can you get the same sort of results? I'd recommend visiting www.simpleology.com. It's free and you'll learn everything I've learned to get to where I am now (and more!)

Good luck :)

Success = Quality + Persistence

Look at Google, YouTube, Digg and others. They started off with an idea and then they attacked that idea with quality people & technology and then followed through by being persistent in their quests.

If you made a site or service that offers the same sort of service as any market-leader but did it much better, you'd eventually overtake them as long as you stuck with your idea (persistence) and put more quality than your competitor into your service.

How? People would start talking about your service. Once people start talking about something, it starts growing.

If you keep at it, eventually 2 people talking about your service becomes 4, then 8, then 16 -- you get the pattern.

It's not theory, it's the inevitable result of mixing quality with persistence. It's how the universe works.

Now take this idea and see how many other things it applies to. What else works in your life? Is it because of Quality + Persistence?

You'll quickly begin to see the patterns and then, the only question left is, how can I apply this to my business?

Google Organised My Desktop

Computers are great but I've always found it difficult to use them to their full potential. Most tools are either too simple or too complex.

Heck, for most people, the time is a digital clock on the lower-right part of your screen. That doesn't help too much for humans who tend to think visually (despite what others might've told you ;))

Enter Google Desktop. It's a nifty tool that you can get from www.google.com/desktop and it allows you to put all sorts of quick and easy-to-use tools right on your desktop -- where you need it.

I use it to ...

• Keep track of the time (using an analog display)
• Organise my To-Do list
• Keep Google Talk and Skype handy and open in case I need to speak to someone or someone needs to speak to me
• Make quick notes in Scratch Pad
• Keep an eye on my AdSense earnings
• Calculate things quickly without having to hunt for the Windows calculator
• And show me pretty photos of things I like to look at to keep my day going well

And that's just a small selection of what you can do with it! I've seen gadgets to keep track of Cricket scores, news headlines, comic strips and so much more.

I don't think I'd trade it for anything in the world :) Google rocks!

Photographing The Cousin

Tanya had an assignment to photograph a well-known person and she really didn't know what she was going to do. After all, she doesn't personally know any famous people and she generally doesn't like asking people for stuff.

So I came to the rescue. Off we went to barryhilton.co.za to get some contact details. I helped write a few emails and, eventually, she photographed Barry Hilton.

Not bad.

He was quite helpful and the shoot went really well. We did it in and around the Intercontinental Hotel at the OR Tambo airport.

Not the most ideal spot for a photo-shoot but Tanya's a pro, so the photos came out great anyway :)

Barry's a natural at pulling silly faces so all she had to do was click -- really, really fast!

One minute he's turning serviettes into the Sydney Opera House, the next he's knocking lamps by mistake and trying to convince us that nothing happened.

Barry's son (I think his name is Brad -- I feel so bad for not remembering!) joined us as well. You could see that they don't generally see each other so they had to take this opportunity, at the airport, to get some time together to chat for a bit.

All in all, it was a good experience and I look forward to watching Barry again at the Barnyard Theater here in Pretoria.

Yummy!

So here it is!

The verdict? Divine! Tanya (my fiance) has insisted that I make this again in the future. She's even protecting from our visitors later today so she can eat more of it :P

By the way, she took this photo for me. She's studying photography at TUT so even when she takes a quick photo (like this) it's still pretty.

That's it for now. It's my sister's birthday today so I'm going to go spend time with her now. (She slept over last night and she doesn't yet know that we're planning a surprise braai (barbeque) for her with the whole family. Hehe :)

Cooking is Fun

Cooking can be fun when you're feeling inspired. I like too cook by throwing a bunch of things together and waiting for the result.

We had some left over steamed butternut, cauliflower and broccoli. I mashed it all together to form an interesting orangish concoction.

I added left over crumpet mix to that and mixed it in real good.

Then I stir fried some soya strips with some Pesto & Parmesan spice and some chutney. That's delicious by itself!

After that, I mixed it into the orange concoction stuff, put on a thick layer of cheese and sprinkled cinnamon sugar (very generously) all over the top.

I've just put it in to bake on 180 and I can't wait to eat the result.

I'll post a picture here when it's done so you can all be jealous of our lunch ;)

Use the Right Tool

I like designing things. Mostly web sites but, in general, it's fun to make pretty things.

Gimp used to be my tool of choice but then I "discovered" Photoshop. It makes designing SO much easier. I used to be one of those Gimp die-hard fans but no more. I respect what they've done but they simply can't match Adobe and the money they've put behind Photoshop.

Now that I'm using Photoshop, I can focus more of my time on the desired result and less on how I'm going to get there.

Take this header I just did for Tanya, my fiance.



It was so easy to do and, in The Gimp, it would've taken me forever and I still probably wouldn't have achieved the same quality result.

What I'm trying to say is that you should always use the best tool for whatever you want to do. If you're a programmer, use the best IDE, if you're a designer, use the best design-tool, if you're a plumber, use the best wrench, etc.

The best part of it all is that you're left with a feeling of achievement, satisfaction and some time to go do something that has nothing to do with work.

I reckon it's my job to find the best tools to do my job really well because then I can spend more time playing guitar and less time paying for guitar :P

Beautiful Centurion

I just realised that we live in a beautiful place. Yup, I took a walk outside and it was really beautiful.

We live in Centurion. At first glance, it's not the prettiest place you'll ever see but if you take a moment to walk around in the "back-roads", you'll discover some classic beauty.

First off, it used to be a farmland so there are still a few plots here and there with their old wire fences and dirt driveways. It's kinda cute and a wonderful reminder to how it used to look.

Then, you've got these nice-sized houses with big trees hovering over them and over the roads they're on. These are the types of houses you used to walk past as a kid and say, "One day, I'll live there!"

The smells are the best. I love the smell of pine trees and other trees I never learned the names of ;)

Nature is a beautiful thing and, when I say that, I don't just mean raw nature. Walking around a suburb still gives you a taste of nature. The nature of the people that live there, the nature of the people who built those houses, the nature of that suburb.

Centurion has quite a calming nature about it. OK, in some parts, it's a bit like any other city but, in others, you can really lose yourself in the peacefulness of it all.

As it turns out, taking a walk is really good for you -- and not just for physical reasons.