Many of you know that I am part of many social networking sites on the net. Honestly, creating profiles on social sites has been a little addicting and before I knew it, I was part of several hundred social sites ranging from Home Based Business Communities to Personal Development Communities. Trying to stay somewhat active in all of them is quite frankly impossible.

One of the things I wanted to accomplish was to link all of these social sites with my blog so that when I published a blog post, it would show on my social profiles. Some social networks aren’t as advanced as others, so I wanted to pick several of the main ones I was active on. Some of the big ones are Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, and Twitter. How could I update these places without having to do them all individually or without having to find a WordPress plugin for each individual social site?

Ping.fm

I discovered a site called Ping.fm that did exactly what I was looking for. It is a site that can send an update to all of these major social sites as well as many others simply by typing it on their website. All I had to do is configure my social sites on Ping.fm, enter an update and click “Ping It!” It keeps track of your character count for the character sensitive micro blogging sites such as Twitter. You can also choose what you want the service to do on any specific social site such as micro blog or status update.

So, the next task was to figure out how to update all of these social sites every time I post a blog entry with a link back to my blog post. Since I use WordPress software to power this blog, I found a plugin that works perfectly called WPing.fm. You can configure this plugin to update Ping.fm with the title and a link to your blog post. Very cool!

This one plugin has increased my readership to my blog and saved me so much time. I have made thousands of dollars from the readership I get from this service as well.

They are continually adding new social sites to their list so check back to Ping.fm frequently.

For me, I give it 5 stars out of 5.

If there is a better service out there, I would like to hear about it. Because as of right now, Ping.fm is it!

I have always had a huge interest in the Roman Empire. I don’t know if that interest came after watching “Gladiator” or if it is something I have always had an interest for. What an insane time to live on earth! The more I look into it, there was very little individual moral value, very little trust and a lot of death! It seems that the only way for the Roman empire to survive was to constantly expand. The people thrived on it and from some of my reading, it kept order in the empire.

Now, I don’t know if this is an actual quote from a Roman Emperor or not, but I thought it was profound. I first heard this while watching a movie, believe it or not! I swear, sometimes I wonder about myself. At times, all I speak in is movie quotes. Maybe I should just invent a new language called Hollywood! The quote was spoken by the character who played Octavius in “Night at the Museum.” He said, “We Expand or Die!”

Now the translation for the time of the Romans was to explore new lands and conquer. Power, wealth and death are the key benefits of that sort of expanding. For the Romans, it was a way of life.

“We expand or die!” The same can be said of us today except we must expand in a different way. We must expand individually. What happens to someone who chooses not to expand themselves? And no I’m not talking about physically! Nobody wants to be a walking blimp! I’m talking about our learning, our knowledge, our experience and our minds. We must expand in order to truly live. Someone who fails to grow, fails. We are all given life so that we can truly live. Living is learning and we learn by doing. Starting from birth we are born to grow, physically and mentally. Our bones grow and our muscles grow. Something is seriously wrong if they don’t. Our minds too, are meant to grow and expand. What is a cell phone without cell phone service? A waste! So are we unless we choose to expand our minds. Someone going through life, not fulfilling their true potential, is struggling against their natural inheritance. Everything about our existence is about thriving and learning to the absolute best of our abilities!

We Expand or Die!

The way to expand is through Personal Development, experiences, knowledge and learning. It is a continual process. The other day my daughter told me she wanted to become an athlete when she was a teenager. That question led into a conversation of what it would take to become an athlete. I reminded her of our last hike we had and how it wasn’t so easy. She complained almost the entire hike. After our conversation, she realized that the hard things make her stronger and the moment she stops doing those things is the moment she will get further and further from her desire of being an athlete. It’s a continual process.

Consistency brings results. Sparsity brings struggle. Doing nothing brings nothing. The moment we stop expanding is the moment we truly do die!

You all remember the game you used to play back in grade school called “Follow the Leader” right? If not, allow me to refresh your memory a bit. The basic concept of the game is to have one person doing things that everyone else has to follow, or mimic. There’s no real way to win the game as far as I can remember unless everyone else in the game can’t duplicate what the leader is doing. I think the reason the entire game was invented was to teach kids how to follow instructions and to keep them entertained.

Again, as I have mentioned before, as we grow up we tend to forget some of these simple lessons. Maybe it’s not so much that we forget, but maybe we just get more stubborn. While some people completely forget, others take these lessons way too literal. Some people get stuck in the follow mode and will never become the leader. Others get stuck in the leader mode and never learn to follow. There is a reason why you must switch back and forth from follower to leader constantly, or just do both at the same time.

I speak to people everyday who are looking to create something more out of their lives. They are tired of the daily grind, tired of struggle and tired of not having results. They tell me that all they want is the lifestyle that I currently have. They want the money, the ability to travel with their family, the time freedom and the business to provide it all. So I show them what I do and how they can turn around and do the exact same thing. You see, this is their opportunity to follow the leader. I know how to make it happen. I am the leader.

It is common sense to say that if you want something that someone else has, figure out what they have done to get it and do “that.” It’s the simple concept of “Follow the Leader.” But just as in school, some people don’t want to follow the leader and think they know all there is about how to create that success they long for. So they sit out of the game, doing nothing.

In order to get something you have never had, you must do something you have never done! So how are we all to learn how to do something we have never done? It’s simple, find someone who has done it and follow the leader! Even the leaders have leaders to follow. Just because I have been able to assist many people in realizing their ultimate lifestyle doesn’t mean that I know all there is to know about success. So I too must find the leaders who have what I want and follow them! It’s a continual process. Where you are on the level of success determines how much you are the leader and how much you are the follower.

If it is lifestyle you are looking for, time, money, passion, personal development or a business opportunity, play a little game of “Follow the Leader” with me. I’ll lead, you follow, until you are ready to lead yourself!

I don’t know if it is just me or did this Summer seem to just fly by!? It feels like it just started and here we are, already putting our girls back in school. This year, we have two girls in school instead of just one. As much as I have loved having my kids at home everyday, I always look forward to school for them. Well, the obvious reasons are the fact that they won’t be so bored, they will get to learn, make new friends and experience something new and exciting every day. Also, back to school time means more time for Mom and Dad at home!

The First Day of School

So, use your imagination for a second. What does that mean for you? If you have children that are returning to school or attending for the first time, what do you plan on doing with your free time? What can you create with your time? What great things will you accomplish?

What did you think of? Did you think of sitting around most of the day eating cookies and milk while watching your favorite daytime TV shows? Did you think of improving on your talents and hobbies? How about increasing your income? You’d be shocked at what a Big Thinker could accomplish in my income opportunity in just 2-3 hours of extra time during the day!

When my kids are at school, I use every moment of the day for complete productivity so that when my kids do get home, I can spend Daddy time with them. From 8am to 2:30pm, I am able to build myself, build my business and build my lifestyle. Instead of watching TV or lounging, I choose to learn about my passions and increase my skill set. I spend that time on purpose.

So tell me, can you tell the difference between those who spend their alone time as I do and those who waste away their alone time? Absolutely you can. It shows in every other action they perform during the day.

It has always been said: That which you do while no one else is around is what defines who you are!

What are you defined as? Better yet, what will you choose to continue to be defined as? The time between 8 am to 2:30 pm will define that for me and my results will show it! It is the difference between going somewhere and going nowhere!

Be always actively engaged in your future! Especially, when you are alone!

As you all know I am currently here on the Big Island of Hawaii with my family. We are here for two reasons: Lifestyle and Learning. We are attending a conference along with over a thousand people from all over the world who have also come here for Lifestyle and Learning. We have been here since last Thursday and have been having an awesome time! It puts new wind in my sails to sit here and watch my children experience Hawaii for the first time. The light in their eyes and the excitement in their step fuels me and gives me a new passion for life. Life is good!

The Path of Least Resistance

Throughout the conference I have heard a common phrase. The last two presenters, Shawn Achor and Erik Wahl, have both mentioned this phrase. I have always known this but it has taken on a whole new meaning to me within the last few days. The phrase is “The Path of Least Resistance.” Basically put, human nature. We, as human beings, are naturally programmed to take the path of least resistance. We will take the easy road. If we come to a fork in the road and one has a mountain to climb and the other has just a hill, we’ll take the hill. It’s in our nature. We’re not stupid right!?

Well, this can be a damaging trait. Allow me to attempt to assist you in seeing this point through my perspective, or through my eyes. In life, what is the easiest path for you, getting a job or starting a business? Coloring a page with figures already drawn out for you or creating your own figures to color? Building a tree house using a manual or drafting and building your own design?

The answers are obvious right? The easiest path is the one that has already been laid out for you. Most likely, the life that most of you are living right now is a life that you have been pre-programmed to live, a life that has been, in a sense, mapped out for you. You went to college because that’s what everyone did. You got that job because that’s what most people do. You took the path of least resistance. It’s easy to follow something that you have been taught since childhood.

The difficult yet more rewarding path is the path of the entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship isn’t something that is taught to us as children unless it comes directly from our parents. It definitely isn’t taught in schools until you get to college, but even then, learning about business economics can’t teach you how to think like an entrepreneur.

To truly become an entrepreneur one must, more than often, head down the path of most resistance. As they do, they grow faster, learn faster, get stronger, gain more experience and are the ones leading the pack. They are the Rhino instead of the cow.

I can tell you this much, and all of you should already know this…..success evades those who always take the path of least resistance.

So if you find yourself doing what seems easiest, think twice about that decision. Sure, common decisions such as climbing hills over mountains are a no brainer, unless you’re goal is to get into shape. But if you are someone looking to create a wealth of success in your life, make sure your decisions are moving you closer to your goal. At times, that requires you to go against your natural programming, and if you plan on being an entrepreneur for long, get used to it!!

So here we are, living the lifestyle of a home based business Entrepreneur. Well, I shouldn’t generalize like that. I am living the life of someone who is part of MY home based business. We are here on the Big Island of Hawaii. We arrived at the Kona airport yesterday the 16th of July, had a driver pick us up (very helpful when you bring your entire family) and are staying until the 27th of July. Nearly two weeks of paradise.

Ok, so you think the Big Island of Hawaii is the cool thing right? Well, you’re right. It is pretty cool. Most people will never be able to do this. I am so blessed. The other cool thing is the fact that I am here with thousands of other like-minded, home business entrepreneurs. Many of them are self-made millionaires. I am surrounded with people like me. These are people that have goals, take action and live a life that less than 3% of people will ever live. That is who I choose to be.

Tomorrow we are planning a trip around the north end of the Island for some site seeing. We’ll hit a few waterfalls and have some awesome photos to show you.

Today I was able to teach my 7 year old daughter how to snorkel. She had a blast and is a complete natural at it. It’s one thing being able to do these things yourself. It’s a completely different thing being able to show your kids how to do it while they are young. I am able, through my business, to give them opportunities that I never had! Awesome.

Aloha!