“You can live your life by chance or by choice. It’s really up to you.” – Robin Sharma

The internet is full of information and knowledge. We sometimes find ourself looking for specific video, post, tweet to be inspired from. Here is my list of sites that inspire me every day:

1. Ted Talks
2. Robin Sharma twitter (blog)
3. Freaknomoics
4. entrepreneur.com
5. inc.com

Thanks JD for the hat tip

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Photo credit wildtexas

When I was a child (around the age of 12), my parents used to tell me how important it is to read books.  I hated to read books, and, to be honest,  I didn’t read them at all!  I researched all of my school essays on the internet and, after editing, I turned them in and got A’s on most of them.

Today, I have more than 60 books on my shelf and read at least one, and usually two books a month.  So what happened? I have no idea. I don’t really remember exactly when I decided to start reading books.   What I can say honestly is that I was a real idiot for wasting so many years when I could have been reading amazing books.

I’ve spent a substantial amount of time thinking about books, both before and after reading them.  At the moment, I’m in the middle of a “reading frenzy”, as I’m reading a lot about marketing, and particularly about on-line marketing.  At times, when I’m interested in a particular subject matter, I’ll read 4 – 5 books before considering whether to read more, or to move on to another subject.

Finding time for reading was not an easy task.  In the beginning, I tried to read for 30 minutes every morning before doing my chores.  Unfortunately, this didn’t work very well because I consider reading to be part of my “leisure pie.”   Nowadays, I read before going to sleep but I’m honestly thinking about   returning to my previous routine because these days, reading is not only part of my leisure pie – it’s intellectual input for me.   With the last few books I read, I started writing brief reviews in a notebook, and I’m thinking of writing a formal review of some of them on Amazon.   Up to this point, I’ve only stopped reading one book at the mid-way point.   I’ve found that sometimes a book is like a movie in that, if you lose faith (or interest) in the middle, there’s a chance that by skimming through the rest of it (or for a movie – if you keep watching), something “golden” will arise at the end.

So how do I manage my reading list?
Each book that is recommended to me is automatically added to my wish list on Amazon.   On this list I keep notes about who recommended each book so that I can thank him or her after reading it.  Every month or so, I buy  5 – 6 books about a specific topic and have them shipped to me.  I must admit that I am currently very inspired by personal recommendations by people whom I really respect.

photo by tbisaacs

Bill Gates

Speaking before an audience is not as easy as you might think. Most people will tell you that speaking in public is one of their greatest sources of anxiety. In the past few weeks I’ve thought a lot about speaking in public.  I’ve never really wanted to be a professional speaker, but I know the importance of being able to speak in public, and it’s something that I would like to do in my spare time. Here are some pointers for people like me who are looking to sharpen their public speaking skills.

1. Do it for fun – Most people want to speak for two reasons: money and\or reputation. If you are the person who is looking to be paid for speaking, be aware that you must be familiar with how the industry works before you start asking for money. As I see it, most of the people who speak for free do so for only one reason: to leverage their reputation.
2. Speaking is like having something to speak about – Most of the time speaking supports a product or a business. If you have a product for which you’re trying to gain exposure, you’ll need to speak in public to promote it; it’s a great idea. If you are a consultant or you offer some service to the public, speaking can help drive business to your customer base.
3. Speak a lot and speak for free – Unless you have professional experience, you must build a track record of provoking audiences successfully.  In the beginning, you will do it for free, but over time you will be able to ask for expense reimbursement, and, later on, to be paid for the actual speaking. You will have to subjugate your ego for the first few months and speak for fun. Volunteer at social events, promotional events, and coffee-chat events to gain experience and confidence.
4. Speaking is not profession – People who speak for a living, do so while maintaining a professional career.  The ability to share some of your own experiences in your speeches is very important.
5. Speaking is not only for fun but is also valuable too – Yes, there is an undeniable thrill of being on the stage before 100 people trying to deliver your message in 30 minutes. The skills you learn over time are very valuable, and, most of the time, you will enjoy the experience.

photo by loritingey