Many believed that the advent and rise of browser based information gathering would soon sound the death knell for traditional avenues.

What we have seen however, is that this is just another outlet for the same old same old.

Fret not, it is what gives companies the ability to deliver better products and services, for if there are no advertising dollars then the actual cost of delivering content, information and entertainment would be beyond the reach of most households.

The downside to this however has been the way that the world wide web is making itself useless.

Useless web? Absolutely.

There is such an abundance of woeful, non-productive information out in cyberspace that it is almost impossible to research any item of interest without spending hours upon hours scouring through sites that may be useful to some but in most cases are not relevant to the actual search activities and requirements of the user.

Hold on! I hear you say, what about the reigning King Google?

Unfortunately, through no fault of their own admittedly, the Google search engine is becoming drowned and mired in much the same problem. At one point in time, when they were clearly on the ball, it was a virtual impossibility for web designers and engineers to doctor results easily and gain a higher ranking in the search engine. That is what made them who they are.

Lately, I get inundated with at least 100 emails a week from specialists in this field who claim they can put me on the first page of Google almost immediately, at a price of course.

The other thing I have seen making a huge splash, at least for the time being, is people scrambling to get 'Liked' on sites.

Take a step back and a deep breath... What does this actually achieve? Have you done your homework and really sorted out whether this is actually worth the effort of achieving?

Personally, and that is the only point of view I can hold of course, I have seen the merit in the art of 'Selling Without Selling'... sounds like something Bruce Lee would encapsulate.

What I mean by this is that I have found that by giving of my time and expertise, by writing articles, by helping people out on forums and word of mouth, I have increased my business and therefore my own bottom line without having to resort to having a lot of people hitting a button in cyberspace that says that they 'Like' me.

It is kind of like the circle of life. We are now heading back to the days when networking meant getting off our collective behinds and going and talking to people – In Real Life.

Remember, You and Me together hold the power to allow any site on the world wide web to continue to be a factor in our lives.

It seems that in todays busy society, all the useful ideas and products have only added to the stress that we all feel in trying to achieve our end goals. Rather than making the treadmill easier to handle, everyone it seems, is running along even harder just to try to maintain what they have.

Silence Is Golden:
One of the key things that I have learned helps out immensely in my life is silence.
Taking time out in lifes busy schedule to re-centre myself, reconnect with the goals that I have placed in my life and to be thankful for those that have already been achieved.

Being thankful for those things that are right in our lives is of utmost importance. We mainly tend to dwell on the negative impact of the things that we do not have rather than being thankful for the things that we do.

It is only when you are truly grateful for those achievements that you will feel better able to receive the 'much-better' ones that are around the corner for you.

Inspiration Abounds:
In todays world, inspiration takes all forms, shapes and sizes. Learn to tune out the unnecessary clutter and noise that is our constant companion so that you may better hear the answers to those questions that you are searching for.

Inspiration can and WILL come to you from the most unlikely of places so ensure that you are in the correct physical and mental condition to take heed and act upon those flashes.

Staying Upbeat – When You Least Feel Like It:
It is easy to stay positive and upbeat when everything in your life is going to plan. The real test of your mental strength is to be able to harness and store those good positive vibes for when you most need them and are most likely to not feel like it.

What does this mean?

In a nutshell, it is when things are not going according to your view that you must learn to relax, recentre and keep yourself positive!
Even if you do not feel happy, think happy thoughts!
Especially when you do not feel like smiling – SMILE as though your life depends upon it. In a way, it actually does.

Every little positive step that you take, especially when you do not feel like doing so, will place you back into the happy, positive position in which things in life just falls into place.

Remember,

Whether you think you can,
Or you think you cannot,
YOU ARE USUALLY RIGHT!
- Henry Ford

Is what you are doing right this very moment worthy of being immortalised on-screen as part of your life story?

Is what you are doing this very moment what you want to be remembered for?

Are your actions on par with what they should be THIS VERY MOMENT?

If not, it may be time to take a step back and rework the script!

It has been said many times before by more eloquent speakers and writers than myself but it is worth noting and refreshing your memory again - Life Is Not A Dress Rehearsal.

This is it. What you are doing now in your life is what you will ultimately be remembered for by others.

Stop dawdling, stop procrastinating. It is now time for action!

Throw away the negative concepts, actions, thoughts and fears that are abundant in this life. Make room for positive action, positive thought and NO fear.

Life is what you make it, not what you will do tomorrow or next week but rather what you are doing now - this very moment!

At this point, and this is something that I rarely do, I will note one of the best comments by a true world modifying leader that I believe sums this up succintly:

"Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinion drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

There is not much more to say on the subject at this point except perhaps:

Get out there and live life to the fullest. Enjoy it and reap the benefits and rewards that are yours for the taking.

In the comment above Steve Jobs alludes to one of the most powerful tools known to people, the power of intuition. This has been labelled by others as:

* Positive Thinking
* Positive Thought
* Prayer
* Any other number of self-help terminology

Learn to use this powerful tool as a weapon in achieving your goals. There really is nothing to beat it.

Other useful little hints and tips to make your dreams come true:

* Every day is a new start

Do not let the failures and setbacks from the past hold you back. Every day is a clean slate and a new canvas to paint on

* Be True To Yourself

You are who you are, do not let others goad you into believing that you cannot be yourself and succeed. In fact, you will never be successful unless you stay to true to who you really are inside

* Be Proactive

Limited time! Get out there and start doing the things that you know need doing! One thing done right now, means one less thing to do!

* Create Your Own Opportunities

In this day and age there are opportunities aplenty if you just keep your eyes and ears open. Listen to your own inner voice and it will guide you straight towards these opportunities.

* Stop Putting Your Life On Hold

Is there certain aspects in your life that are 'on hold' waiting for one thing or another to present itself before you get around to fixing them? Do Not Wait!

Start to get these bits of your life back on track.

* Set Your Goals

It would be no good taking off racing without knowing at least in general what your actual goals are! Take some time out to clarify what these goals are!

* Take Action!

Get off that lazy couch and get moving. Now is the time, here is the place and you have the rest of the knowledge within you.

Go For It!

I have and decided that I would look into what makes some of these ultra successful people tick.

First and foremost what I found was:

Break The Rules!
Not one of these ultra successful people actually cared about what others were doing except to make sure that it wasn't a good idea that they were able to capitalise and expand further upon.

Obviously it goes without saying that the rules that I am talking about are not actual 'legal' laws. That would be crazy. What I am talking about is not being a follower who only goes out to copy somebody else's success.

Get out there, find your own niche, create your own story and in the end you will be rewarded in one way or another.

Another thing that they all seem to have in common is the ability to march forward with ideas that others (especially the know-it-all professionals) seem to think are hopeless.

Remember, the founder of FedEx got a 'C' on a school project that he created about being able to deliver overnight, guaranteed. His professor gave him a 'C' and told him that the actual project had to be realistic and viable... go figure!

So what can we take out of something like that?
Listen to the professionals for sure, but at the end of the day follow your own heart and instincts to achieve what the less open-minded out there will tell you is impossible.

Dare to dream, dream to dare and achieve everything that you want in life. It is there for the taking if you only but have the courage to follow your instincts and stick at it.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit.
Here is a question that I posed myself early on in my travels whilst trying to figure out the entrepreneurial mind:
What is the underlying factor or element that separates entrepreneurs from the rest of the herd?
At first I started thinking it was things like confidence, aggression, focus, commitment etc...
Not to say that most entrepreneurs do not have these traits, they do. However, the one clearly underlying and overriding trait that these people possessed can be thought of as 'independence'.

Independent thinking, independent action, independent thought.

These dreamers went out to achieve something that 99% of people out there would have told them they were crazy to do or try to achieve.

Making Your Business Pay!
A lot of business start ups fail early on in the piece because they do not value themselves appropriately. While it is pretty much accepted practice that in the early days of your business venture your charge out rate will not be extremely large, most entrepreneurs fail to remodel their businesses and themselves as to what they are truly worth.

Your expertise in your field is what will make you. Feel that you have paid your dues? Then it is time to re-evaluate what your charges are and the type of clients that you are currently getting.

Remember – you ARE an expert in your field and should be charging appropriately!

So How Do I Stand Out From The Herd?
For starters you need to be realistic. No potential customer is going to 'believe the hype' unless it benefits them and their needs. Making a big song and dance about your uniqueness is all well and good, as long as you can back it up.

The best way to tackle the issue of where you stand is to get feedback from your customers and potential customers. Try asking the question and see what answers come flowing back your way, they may surprise you.

The drive to succeed, to be successful is what motivates most entrepreneurs and gets them into action. Independent thought, independent action and independent motives.
Break the rules, carve out your own road, scale those heights that others tell you are unreachable.

What exactly does this mean?

It means that to effectively market your product, service and your entire company you must be a compelling story-teller and effective communicator.

So let us delve a little bit deeper into the art of storytelling and make no mistake, it is an artform.

Discover your story:
What is the motivation behind your passion? What is the excitement that led you to take a chance on your business?

Is it geared to your audience?
Does the story that you tell above directly impact on the emotions of your customers?

Share your story:
Figure out the best means of communicating your story with your target audience. This will then let you know where to best spend your marketing $$$.

Provide Value, Provide Service, Be Real:
Make sure that your story and hence the brand of the company or image you are trying to build actually provides value and service to your target audience. Be real about it as well. Authentic stories and attitudes will take you a lot further than a bunch of BS.

I guess the above just goes to illustrate that YOU are the best marketing expert for your company and image. If you are going to go to an external consultant, make sure that you have absolute input in what they come up with. After all, it is YOUR image on the line, not theirs.

Time to heed my own advice!

So with that in mind, I have a few techniques that I have had to remind myself about when work goes into overload and I found I had no time for anything else.

#1 Positive, Positive, POSITIVE!
Make sure that you keep a positive attitude and response to every little thing in life.
Over the last couple of weeks, when someone asked me how I was going, I would answer with less than enthusiastic replies. 'Hanging in there.', 'Flat Out'... all carry negative connotations.

Time to modify those replies with phrases like 'Awesome', 'Great' etc...

#2 Create The Proper Start To The Day
Ensure that one of the first things you do when you wake up is to set the tone for the rest of the day.
Keep a copy of something inspirational with you to read or listen to as soon as you wake up!
That will ensure that you set out on the days adventures with the proper frame of mind.

#3 Kill The Negatives
Stop using words and phrases that impact negatively. Nothing is 'Impossible' or 'Unachievable', learn to trust your inner instincts and reach for the stars!

Remember, at the end of the day, your attitude to what life throws at you is what you will be remembered for, not what was thrown in your path.

Get out there, live life, enjoy life, make a difference!

Make the decision to alter your life - forever. It will be the one day that you will never forget in your life.

You may not always win, in fact you may get knocked out a few times but the people we most remember in life are those who get back up regardless of what is thrown at them. They overcome all obstacles in their way to get what they want out of life.

Join these elite people. Decide what you want and settle for nothing less.

You are born into this world, that does not mean that you have to let it dictate what you get out of it. Do not let life be just something that 'happens' to you - but rather enjoy every little moment of it. Grab the challenges with both hands and aim for the stars.

I do not believe that there would be anything more disappointing in life than to look back and think 'What if?'

Do that 'What If?' today!

Do not settle for anything less than your most ambitious dream because in the end, you deserve it and you know so!

Stay away from those in your life with little to no ambition. These small people will not let you achieve your desires. In fact they will relish in the fact that you failed!

Surround yourself with greatness and that same greatness will make its way into your heart, soul and every fibre of your being.

"The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for." - Maureen Dowd.

You cannot say it much more succinctly than that!

Aim for the stars, dream big, achieve more than you hoped for and above all do not allow the 'What If' moments to slip you by!

That is why we never forget them. Which one are you? Are you just talking about it or are you doing it?

Most people are happily spouting off reasons as to why their brilliant product, company or plan did not end up materializing as they thought it should have. It is always the fault of someone else.

Let me just say that I subscribe to the theory that this is a total crock.

Many semi literate people, half baked ideas and products have become world wide success stories riding solely on the backs of some talented individuals. This has been happening since time began and is not about to stop now.

What you do or the product that you sell for a living is, is inconsequential in the end and does not really mean the success or otherwise of you yourself.

It is not even the marketing of your product or service per se that will see you succeed as many a 'business' coach will espouse as the final answer.

The answer itself is as simple as: 'Successful Marketing'!

No amount of throwing huge dollars on mediocre and unsuccessful marketing and advertising will make you a success.

Think about this. Anyone can shoot a video and upload it to youtube. That does not make it a success. If that same video goes viral, for whatever reason - THAT IS the answer to successful marketing.

Clever, witty, cute, straight forward... it makes no difference. What does matter is that your marketing has the 'it' factor.

Unfortunately for most, finding the elusive 'it' factor in marketing is a hard thing to do. Not even most of the people that are creating these successful marketing campaigns know exactly why it happens.

All we can deduce from all the known facts is one thing:

You cannot be following the herd and expect to be its leader at the end of the day.

Follow your own path and listen to your own instincts.

Learn from the mistakes of others but do not necessarily close down those avenues just because someone before you failed through there.