I'm practicing a new writing style - conversational. My opinions and any articles I want to write will now be presented in a conversational style, with a fictional person called Jake. Any feedback you have on what you think of this new style would be appreciated. Thanks.

"You know, you've been talking a lot about doing what you love doing, but what if someone doesn't know what they love doing? What do they do then?"

Alan looked at Jake for a few seconds, thinking about what the younger man had just asked him. "Yeh, that's a good question. If you've never really thought about it, I can see how it'd be a tough question to answer."

Jake nodded. "There's a saying that's often thrown around: 'If you didn't have to worry about money, what would you choose to do?' Once you've thought about that, you're supposed to go out and do it. It's all very well to say that, but those of us that have to think about that NEED to worry about money."

"I know," Alan replied. "It's because you DO need to worry about money that stops you from taking that giant leap of faith to do what you love."

"Exactly," Jake said.

Alan continued. "And because you're worrying about money so much, you've never got the time to even THINK about what you love doing, 'cause you're working too hard to make money!"

Jake smiled as Alan started getting excited about what he was saying. "Yeh, so... what's the solution?"

"Well, one of the important things you need to do," Alan said, "is find what you love doing that can actually make you money at the same time, so that you don't have to worry about it."

"You know that's easier said than done," Jake replied, frowning.

"I know," Alan said, smiling. "Most people are working their butts off doing stuff they hate doing. They're trapped, stuck in a job that's going nowhere, just to make ends meet. They're on this treadmill that has them working hard going nowhere and they're too afraid to jump off it, because at least it's giving them the money they need to stay afloat. How can they worry about doing what they love when all they see is the treadmill?"

He paused as he sat back, thinking about it. "I do know what you're saying. I think it was Thoreau who said, 'leading lives of quiet desperation'. I think it's really sad that they they're too afraid to do anything about it."

"Afraid?" Jake asked. "Of what?"

"Well, afraid of losing their income, for a start," Alan replied. "They've got a lifestyle to maintain, bills to pay, families to take care of. Imagine the problems they'd have if they lost their income! It's FEAR that stops people even considering doing what they love, including the fear of what other people might think of them for doing something that might be so crazy and foolhardy."

"So what do you think they need to do?" Jake asked.

"Well, the reasons they're not doing anything is because they don't know what they love doing, and they're afraid of doing anything in case it doesn't work out. The fear of failure, that the risk is not worth the reward, all of that. But if they can work out what they really love doing, then that's a good start to overcoming the fear. Fear of the unknown disappears when the unknown becomes the known."

Jake nodded, thinking about what Alan said. "But you still haven't said anything about how they can find what they love to do."

Chuckling, Alan nodded. "First, let me ask you something. Do you know what you love doing?"

"No, not really," Jake said.

"Do you want to know?"

"Of course I do! Why do you think I'm talking to you about it?"

"I'm only asking," Alan said, smiling. "There's no point in understanding how to do something if you're not actually going to do anything about it. You have to be prepared to actually get off your butt and do something, especially if you know what you need to do."

"And you know what we need to do?"

"Well, I think so, but I believe we already know what we need to do. We just don't do it. As someone once said to me, 'You might know what to do, but do you do what you know?' Most people don't do what they know. They get caught up in the act of procrastination due to fear, and then before they know it, life's over."

"Yeh, and that's what I don't want. I'm too young to waste my life being afraid of the unknown! I want to do what I love, but I haven't had the time to try and find out what it is I love."

"Well, that's where I disagree with you," Alan said. "We all have the time to do whatever we want, we just don't take the time to do what's really important for ourselves. We have time to watch tv, go to sporting events, read the paper, talk for hours on the phone, play games on our computers, go nightclubbing and getting drunk, and all kinds of other things. People are wasting their life doing things that don't matter!

"I really get frustrated seeing people wasting their lives doing things that aren't important. And I know I'm not that much different either, which also frustrates me. For me, I know what to do but I don't often do what I know. Not as much as I want to, at least. I want to do more of it."

"More of what?" Jake asked, still trying to get to the bottom of it all.

"More of spending time with myself," Alan replied. "I want to meditate more, think more, write more, focus more on myself and my life."

"And that's the secret to learning what you love doing?"

"Sort of. It's a start. Even though you need to spend more time with yourself, there's a strategy you need to apply to learn what you love doing."

"And that is?" Jake asked.

Alan got up from the couch and moved over to his desk, grabbing a notepad and a pen. He brought it back and, as he sat back down again, put the notepad on the coffee table between him and Jake. He then drew a line down the centre of the page, splitting it into two columns. At the top of the first column he wrote 'SKILLS', and at the top of the second column he wrote 'INTERESTS'. He turned it around and passed the pad and pen to Jake.

"Here you go," he said, explaining to Jake what was required. "In the skills column you write down all the skills you've got. I mean ALL of them. Go back to your childhood and include the skills you had then, and work your way through to the new skills you have today."

"But I know all of them," Jake said, interrupting. "They're in my head already, I know what my skills are."

"Sure, but there's a lot from our past that's stored away in the old filing cabinets of our mind," Alan explained, smiling at his analogy. "As you write things down, you're shuffling through those file cabinets, remembering the skills you used to have. It's amazing what you can dig up as you remember things that were forgotten 'cause they've been stored away for so long."

"What kind of skills should I write down?" Jake asked, thinking.

"Everything," Alan said loudly. "Everything you ever did! I don't care if it includes how good you were at blowing bubbles with your spit. You can include everything you did, like computing, biology, basketball, plays, football, magic tricks, anything. Don't stop with just your childhood though, I'm just suggesting where you can start. Move forward and write down all the skills that you've learned over the course of your life. Driving, handling money, using a rifle, fixing computers, making web pages, helping people with something, like being a teacher. You have to write down everything. All of the skills you've ever had and have today. Use up lots of pages if it takes that many. Include the skills gained from jobs over the years, anything."

"And I guess I do the same with interests?"

"That's right. Interests aren't necessarily skills, although skills often come from doing things we're interested in. Interests are those things you've been interested in, whether it's insects or spiders, sports, shoes, babysitting or kids in general, fishing, martial arts, movies, can openers."

"Can openers?" Jake asked, looking up from the notepad.

"Yeh, I knew someone once who collected can openers. That was something that interested them."

"Ok," Jake said, sounding dubious. "And what's the purpose of all this?"

"Well, believe it or not, doing this is spending time with yourself, and helping you find what you love doing. It's better to do it by yourself though, in a place that's quiet and where you won't be distracted." He got up and turned off his phone, ensuring they wouldn't be interrupted. "Whatever you love doing has to be leveraged from something that you're skilled at." Alan sat back, watching Jake start writing. "By writing down all your skills and your interests, you're not just remembering the things that you have skills and interests in - you're allowing yourself to see connections between them that you might never have seen before. You can see them on paper, and they can inspire new thoughts in you."

He thought for a moment, and then continued. "Also, when we're kids, we have great ideas about what we'd love to do when we grow up, but once we've grown up we forget what we wanted to do. The passion that existed in us when we were kids, when we didn't have any worries in the world, if we can remember some of that it can be a major influence at helping us work out what we want to do today."

"Ok, I get it," Jake said, beginning to get interested in what he was writing down. "Hey, can I have a drink?" he asked.

"Sure,"Alan said, standing up and heading to the kitchen. "Beer or juice?" he asked.

"Beer will do," Jake said, still writing. "Thanks," he said when the beer was put in front of him. He kept writing. Alan sat back, smiling, and looking out the window.

"Why don't people do this?" Jake asked after a few minutes. "It's pretty easy..."

"I know," Alan said. "They spend a lot of time doing their taxes, cooking, watching movies, reading, getting drunk.... but when it comes to their own personal future, they never have any time for that." He looked back from the window to Jake again. "Really, what's more important? TV or your future?"

"That's a stupid question," Jake replied, not looking up.

"Maybe you could explain why it's stupid to everyone that thinks it's more important to watch TV," Alan said.

"I get your point," Jake said, continuing his writing.

While Alan waited for Jake to finish, or at least pause, he sipped at the beer he'd gotten for himself. He was watching what Jake was doing, amusing himself by trying to read Jake's writing upside down. Deciding to do something productive, he went to his computer to do some writing of his own.

After a while Jake called out that he was finished. Alan was washing the dishes by this time, both of them having finished the dinner he'd ended up cooking.

"Ok, I've finished," Jake said. "Now what?"

"Now's the interesting part," Alan said, sitting back down again. "Now you have to ask yourself a very simple question. WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO DO ON A DAILY BASIS, USING BOTH YOUR SKILLS AND YOUR INTERESTS, THAT WILL PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT VALUE FOR POEPLE."

"Alright, no need to yell it," Jake complained, rubbing his ears.

"Sorry, I get excited about these things," Alan said, smiling. He went on to explain. "When you include the value part to the question, that'll inspire you to find a way to make money doing what you love."

"Hey, I think I get it!" Jake exclaimed, almost jumping up and down while seated on the couch. "When you think about how you can add value to people's lives with your skills and interests, you can discard all those skills and interests you've written down that don't add value!"

"That's right," Alan said, nodding. "You can do that. So you can probably cross out that you like watching tv and that you love video games... But that's just another step in the process. The next thing you have to do is get another bit of paper and write down some answers to that question."

"What was the question again?" Jake said, looking up. Alan sighed.

"Write it down, ok? So you don't forget it again - what would you love to do on a daily basis, using your skills and interests, that inspire you to find ways to make money doing what you love."

Jake nodded and grinned as he wrote it down, and then he started writing various thoughts that were coming to him.

"A lot of people think so much about how to make money," Alan continued,"they fail to realise that money is simply a side effect of adding value to people's lives in the form of a product or service. When you know how you can add value doing what you love to do, you'll know how to get money."

"What about if an answer is stupid?" Jake asked, looking at his list.

"It doesn't matter. The stupidest ideas could lead to the most amazing answers." Alan paused for a moment as he thought about something. "Which reminds me of a story I read some time ago. A town with a ski resort attracted a lot of tourists. But when it snowed a lot, the snow would collect on the power cables, until the weight collapsed the cables and resulted in several power outages. The tourists eventually stopped coming, so the town had a meeting to work out how to solve the problem. Solutions were thrown about for a while until someone yelled out, 'Let's hang pots of honey on the cables so that bears will climb up, and the movement will shake the snow loose.' Someone else thought that was stupid, as they wouldn't be able to refill the pots of honey. Someone else suggested using a helicopter to refill the honey pots, and then suddenly they realised that they could use the helicopter to blow the snow off the cables with its rotors...."

"So what you're saying," Jake said, "is that one stupid idea can lead to another stupid idea, which could lead to the answer you're actually looking for?"

"That's right, and you'd never get there if you never wrote down all those skills and interests to see where you can take advantage of what you know and love, to make money from it by adding value to other people."

"Gotcha," Jake said. "But how will I know which of my ideas is what I really love to do?"

"Good question. You have to feel it. When you look at it on paper, and when you feel what it would be like to be doing it, how does it feel? Does it feel good? Does it feel right to you? Would you be able to talk about it for ages, to anyone that might be interested - and even those that aren't? You have to have absolutely no reservations about it. You have to know that, against everything that seems logical, this is it."

He paused at that moment, because he could see that Jake was crying as he was looking at his list. He smiled and said, "And if you can cry about it, then you know you've found it."

He stood up and got some tissues for Jake, then waited for Jake to regain his composure.

"I'm looking at this," Jake said, pointing at his sheet of paper, his voice still a bit emotional, "and I can already see how I can make money from it. And it's something I'd just absolutely love to do, and I can't believe I never thought of it before!"

Alan nodded. "And if you want to find more ways of making money from it, just go through those steps again. Your skills and interests, then ask yourself the question of how you can use those skills and interests to provide value to others. The more you do it, the more you'll find."

Jake nodded, his eyes still a bit red. "This is pretty amazing stuff. I take it you've done it as well?"

Alan nodded. "I'm doing what I love to do - helping people grow, and think a bit more about themselves and their lives and how they can find ways of improving things for themselves. It's what drives me every day." He smiled at Jake. "I'm yet to make a lot of money from it, but I know this is just the beginning. Opportunities make their way to me, and the more I do what I love, the more it will reward me, in so many different ways."

Standing up, Jake went over to Alan, who stood up as well. Without saying anything, Jake hugged him, and silently they stood there, arms around each other as they shared Jake's special moment. It was moments like these, Alan thought, that made it worth so much more than money.

"Thank you," said Jake, stepping back.

"Don't thank me," Alan grinned. "Thank yourself. You found what you love to do. Now go out and do it."

Please visit this article's new location. Thank you.

(You can download article as PDF by clicking here.)

When people reach adulthood, everyone and everything tells them they need to go out and get a job. Everyone else does it, so they should too. I guess if everyone else decided that jumping off a tall building was a good idea, there'd be a lot of people who'd follow them. But doing what everyone else does isn't always the best way of doing things. Here are some reasons why you should do things different to everyone else.

1. Slaves to money
   
   The time you trade in order to receive money is crazy.  You only get paid for the time you work.  What about being paid for when you're not working?  What about receiving an income when you're sleeping too?  Most people think that's crazy, but if you can set something up that pays you for the time that you're living, isn't that much better?  Your plants grow when you're not tending them, your bank account should do the same.
   
   Many employers care more about how many hours you work than the kind of work you're doing.  They don't care what you do, or even how you do it.  As long as you're working the hours they demand of you, they're happy.  They're paying you for your time, not for your work. 
   
   There are few employers who pay you for the work rather than the time, but if you're getting the results that they need for their goals to be realised, then they don't care if it only takes you an hour a day!  But being paid for your work is the same as being paid for your time - if you stop giving your time or your work, you stop being paid.
   
   Each of those types of jobs equate value with time.  Whether it's 40 hours a week, or only 5 hours a week, the time you spend is being traded for money.
   
   Some people build a system for themselves that generates money every hour of every day throughout every year.  They're the smart ones!  The ones that have worked out how to bring money into their lives without needing to trade time for it.  The money they receive then helps them create more money, or goes towards the lifestyle of our dreams.  They're living the dream!  (I'm yet to achieve that, but I'm certainly working on it.)
   
   Whether the system is a business selling goods or services, the concept is simple.  Have something of value for people to buy, at any time of the day, anywhere in the world.  And it has to be of value, otherwise people will not spend their money on it!  Instead of trading time for money, you're trading value for money.  Now, it might take time to build the value, but once you do, you can sit back and reap the benefits. 
   
   There are plenty of systems out there that have already been created by others, for you to take advantage of.  Ad networks and affiliate programs are just a couple of examples.  There are plenty of other examples in bookstores or libraries, with business ideas and plans.  There's something there that you can do too, you just have to look for it.  (A good way to start looking is to work out what you love doing, whether it's a hobby or an interest or a skill that can be of value to others in some way, and then you create a system where others can find and buy the results of what you've done.)
   
   
2. Limited experience
   
   Many people get jobs to gain experience, and then use that experience to go on to other jobs.  But really, the other jobs are the same as the first one...  You gain experience from living, regardless of how you live and what you do.  Jobs only give you experience at that job.  If you did nothing for a few years, you could say you're an experienced philosopher, or even a politician...
   
   If you want to get an appreciation of the value of experience, ask yourself if the experience you're gaining now will be worth anything in 20-30 years.  Will the job even be around then?
   
   Which experience do you really want to gain - the knowledge of how to do a specific job really well (trading time for money), or the knowledge of how to do enjoy financial abundance for the rest of your life without needing a job again?  If you're like most people, you'd rather have the knowledge of how to enjoy financial abundance for the rest of your life.  Now's the time to start finding that experience.
   
   
3. Lifelong domestication
   
   Cats are domesticated.  Getting a job is like being a good pet.  Look around you at the world.  Are you free?  Are you able to do what you want, when you want, where you want?  Or are you actually living in a cage that you call society or your country?  How's your obedience training going?  Does your master reward you for good behaviour, and do you get disciplined if you don't obey your master?
   
   Is there any spark of free will inside of you, or has the conditioning you've grown up in made you a pet for life?  The question is, are you a pet, or a human being?  Human beings were not meant to be raised in cages, and yet that's exactly what you exist in, a cage that keeps you restrained and controlled.
   
   
4. Too many mouths to feed
   
   Income tax.  You know all about it, I'm sure.  How much are you taxed on your income?  Probably quite a lot.  Americans, for example, have about half their income taxed.  Your employer pays tax on your behalf, which is considered to be part of your income, along with any bonuses and benefits.  However, everything that is paid to you or for your requires you to be paying for it with your effort.  Another part of your income goes to owners and investors.  In total, that's a lot of mouths you're feeding.
   
   You only end up being paid a fraction of the real value you generate, with your real income possibly being triple what you're actually paid.  Your money, that you never see, goes straight into other people's pockets.  Don't worry about donating your money... you're already doing it!
   
   
5. Way too risky
   
   Many people think that having a job is the safest and most secure way of supporting themselves.  A 'guaranteed income', is what they call it.
   
   Social conditioning does some amazing things, like getting people to believe the complete opposite of what's true.
   
   When you have a job, you are at someone else's mercy.  Your boss decides whether or not you can continue working for them, and as long as you cater to their needs, you can guarantee your income.  But what if their needs change and they forgot to tell you?  What if your own needs change, and they don't like it?  How safe and secure is your income when someone else is in control of it?  Not to mention the issues of slavery that we've already discussed...
   
   Two words is all it takes to shatter your world.  "You're fired."  That's all it takes to take away your income.  Not very safe and secure, is it.
   
   Is one income source honestly safer and more secure than 10 income sources?
   
   
6. Having an evil master
   
   When you run into an idiot entrepreneur, you can turn around and go the other way.  When you run into an idiot in the corporate world, you have to turn around and say, "Sorry boss."
   
   The word boss comes from baas, a Dutch word which means master.  In many video games the boss is the evil guy that you have to kill at the end of a level.  So if your boss is really your evil master, then what does that make you? 
   
   
7. Begging for money
   
   When you want to get a pay rise, you usually have to sit up and beg your master for more money.  You have to justify a pay rise to them, prove to them what a good little dog you are.  Does it feel good to be thrown a few extra snacks for being a good dog?
   
   Or are you free to decide how much you get paid without needing someone else's permission?
   
   
8. An inbred social life
   
   Many people have their only social activities through their jobs.  They hang out with the same people they work with.  These relationships go nowhere.  They talk about work during the day, and then they talk about work during social occasions too...  What would it be like for them to go outside and talk to some strangers?  Much safer to stay inside...
   
   if one of your fellow slaves is sold to another master, do you lose a friend or simply a fellow slave?  Why not decide for yourself whom to socialise with, rather than having your master decide for you?  There are actually places on this planet where free people get together.  I kid you not.
   
   
9. Loss of freedom
   
   It takes a lot of time and effort to tame a human into an employee.  The human's free will has to be broken.  One of the easiest ways to do this is give the employee a large policy manual with all the idiotic rules and regulations that most corporations have.  That'll do it every time.  It leads to the new employee becoming more obedient, fearing that they could be disciplined at any time for something completely incomprehensible.  The employee will often conclude it's safer to simply obey the master's commands without question.
   
   As part of their obedience training, new employees are taught how to dress, walk, talk and so on.  Employees can't very well think for themselves, can they?  That would ruin the master's image.  Never put a plant on the desk, as that's against company policy.  And if someone finds you DO have a plant on your desk, oh no!  It's the end of the world as they go tell someone that you're not complying with company policy.
   
   Free human beings think stupid rules and regulations are... stupid.  The only policy they need is: "Do whatever makes you happy, as long as no one is hurt."
   
   
10. Become a coward
    
    Have you noticed that people with jobs always whinge about the problems at their company?  However, they don't want solutions, they just want to complain about why it's someone else's problem.  It's as if getting a job turns them into spineless cowards who have all their free will completely drained from them.  If you can't call your boss a jerk now and then without getting fired, then you're not free.  You've become your master's property.
    
    When you work with cowards, you eventually become like them.  It's only a matter of time before you sacrifice your humanity on the altar of fear.  Courage, then honesty, then honour and integrity, and finally your free will.  You lose it all in favour of having a job, of being part of the work force, of fitting in with society. 
    
    You sold the essence of who you are for nothing but an illusion, and now your greatest fear is learning that everything you believed is wrong.
    
    It's never too late to regain your courage.

Do you still want a job?

If you feel defensive about anything in the above list, don't get angry at me.  Your feelings are related to your own situation.  I'm just helping open your eyes to the truth!  The truth is still the truth, whether it's me telling you, or someone else.  If you're angry about anything, then you need to look at what is really making you feel that way.  You have the power to change it.  It might mean you have to quit your job, and do something that really benefits your life, and / or the lives of others.  Whatever the case, your feelings of anger or defensiveness are signs that a nerve has been struck.  You're unhappy about something, and this article has helped show you what you're unhappy about.

What's the alternative to getting a job?

The alternative is to create other means of income that allow you to avoid working in a job.  Create something of value to others, and they will be happy to buy it at a fair price.  Start your own business.  Whatever you might do in a job, you could od in your own business, and you could do it better.  You would be in control of what you do, how you do it, when you do it, and how much you earn from it.  Make sure it provides value to others, so that they're eager to buy it from you.  Your investment of time and energy is returned to you.

Everything you learn along the way can be shared with others to create even more value.  Even your mistakes can be used to bring you money, if you can help others avoid the same mistakes.


Thanks to Steve Pavlina for providing the basis of this article, which I added my usual distinct flavour to. :-)

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I get breaking intelligence reports relating to conflict around the world, via stratfor.com, most of which is very interesting. Not all of it is new though, or interesting enough for me to write about. The other times I did was when I was talking about the bird flu hoax and the Muslim crisis planned by the US. The latest report I got, just in the past hour or so, talks about the Middle East, but is the most recent of many.

The ground war has begun. Several Israeli brigades now appear to be operating between the Lebanese border and the Litani River. According to reports, Hezbollah forces are dispersed in multiple bunker complexes and are launching rockets from these and other locations.

It provides a very interesting analysis of events. Basically, Hezbollah have initiated this war at their own time and choosing, and dragged the Israelis into Hezbollah territory, both of which are strategically advantageous.

Israel is forced to end the threat to its cities by destroying Hezbollah's launch capabilities, destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure, and do these things in a way that avoids occupations. It has to do it quickly and decisively.

Unfortunately, its ability to do that is severely hampered by Hezbollah's effective strategy, and has thus lost the strategic initiative. That doesn't mean Israel's options are limited, as it's still a frorce that is superior to Hezbollah. Israel's most effective strategy, according to Stratfor, is:

1. Insert airmobile and airborne forces north of the Litani to seal the rear of Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon. Apply air power and engineering forces to reduce the fortifications, and infantry to attack forces not in fortified positions. Bottle them up, and systematically reduce the force with limited exposure to the attackers.
   
   
2. Secure roads along the eastern flank for an armored thrust deep into the Bekaa Valley to engage the main Hezbollah force and infrastructure there. This would involve a move from Qiryat Shimona north into the Bekaa, bypassing the Litani to the west, and would probably require sending airmobile and special forces to secure the high ground. It also would leave the right flank exposed to Syria.
   
   
3. Use air power and special forces to undermine Hezbollah capabilities in the southern Beirut area. The Israelis would consider a move into this area after roads through southern Lebanon are cleared and Bekaa relatively secured, moving into the area, only if absolutely necessary, on two axes of attack.
   
   
4. Having defeated Hezbollah in detail, withdraw under a political settlement shifting defense responsibility to the Lebanese government.
   
   
5. Do all of this while the United States is still able to provide top cover against diplomatic initiatives that will create an increasingly difficult international environment.

Israel has one other choice, which is to extend the campaign to defeat Syria as well. Israel can do this, but the successor regime to Syrian President Bashar al Assad likely would be much worse for Israel than al Assad has been. Israel can imagine occupying Syria; it can't do it. Syria is too big and the Arabs have learned from the Iraqis how to deal with an occupation. Israel cannot live with a successor to al Assad and it cannot take control of Syria. It will have to live with al Assad. And that means an occupation of Lebanon would always be hostage to Syrian support for insurgents.

Hezbollah has dealt Israel a difficult hand. It has thought through the battle problem as well as the political dimension carefully. Somewhere in this, there has been either an Israeli intelligence failure or a political failure to listen to intelligence. Hezbollah's capabilities have posed a problem for Israel that allowed Hezbollah to start a war at a time and in a way of its choosing. The inquest will come later in Israel. And Hezbollah will likely be shattered regardless of its planning. The correlation of forces does not favor it. But if it forces Israel not only to defeat its main force but also to occupy, Hezbollah will have achieved its goals.

Interesting times ahead...

Imagine a group of civilians calling themselves the Canadian Liberation Front. Imagine that they resented the actions of the US so much that they would kidnap two US soldiers. Would it then be reasonable for the US to engage in a full-scale invasion of Canada? Would it be reasonable for the US to bomb Canada's civilian infrastructure of commercial and industrial facilities? Would it be reasonable for the US to engage in bombing campaigns against Canadian bridges, and strafing runs by jet fighters against Canadian civilians?

No, of course not.

So why is it reasonable for Israel to do exactly the same thing against Lebanon and Gaza?

One of the trends in IT these days is something called ITIL, which stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. It's basically a new way of standardising Service Desk processes and the language around it.

I finished Day One today of a course called ITIL Service Management Essentials. I need to do this one before I do the next one, which is ITIL Service Management Practitioner (or something like that). The course I'm on right now is only two days long, followed by an exam at the end of it. Pass mark is 65%. Based on a sample exam I did at the end of today's course I got 78% on today's content. I'm quite excited about that! My rate of comprehension isn't usually very good, and today was just casual reading and listening to the lecturers (there were two of them). I guess I was surprised about how much I retained.

I've been working in IT for 10 years now, and these ITIL qualifications will be the very first course I've ever done which will qualify me for anything! I'm a highly-skilled,highly-experienced but completely unqualified IT professional. Somethign I'm actually quite proud of.... But now I'll have some qualifications... my life will forever be changed.

ITIL Service Management Essentials
This is designed to provide a foundation level of knowledge in IT Service Management and is aimed at all personnel who wish to become familiar with the best practices for IT Service Management, as defined in the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). The Foundation Certificate in particular enables people to understand the terminology used within ITIL.

ITIL Service Management Practitioner
This is aimed at those who are responsible within their organisation for designing specific processes within the IT Service Management discipline, and performing the activities that belong to those processes. The Practitioner's Certificates focus on the depth of understanding and application of those subjects, treating each subject as a specialism.

At work I've been made responsible for preparing the service desk's Bird Flu pandemic plan.  This is quite amusing to me because I consider the whole Bird Flu to be a hoax, but it's also quite interesting to me because if the Bird Flu does happen, I'm the one responsible for the plan that my work will be using to continue providing service to customers, as well as ensuring the safety of the employees.

There's quite a lot involved, as you'd imagine.  The enforcment of 'social distancing' for a start, where no one is allowed to stand closer than a metre from each other, no touching of anyone else, and no gatherings of groups of people.  The staff kitchen will be closed, and enforcement of hygiene will become an issue.  There'll be signs and people ensuring that hands are washed in the toilet, medical checks, all kinds of things.  Core personnel will work at home with resources provided to them to continue working, while those that aren't core staff will be required to still come to work unless sick or dead.  :-)

I'm quite excited by it, to be honest with you.  It's a very interesting project to be given and to work on, and I'm hoping I'll be, in some way, responsible for managing it if it ever becomes needed.

A rumour: I might be going to Sydney for work in the next month or so.  No details yet as to why, or when, or for how long, as I don't know.  But more information will be coming, as I get it.

Are you sure there are any captured Israeli soldiers, captured by Palestinians or Hezbollah guerillas?  Are you really sure?  You've only got the Israelis telling you this.  Any news of Hizbollah or Palestinian negotiations comes only from Israel, who provide all the news about what's going on with Israeli interests.  Israel is now telling everyone that the Hizbollah plan on moving their captured Israelis to Iran.

Why would the Hizbollah do that?  They've never done that before, why now?  Why would Iran take them, considering that Israel and the US are just looking for excuses to attack? 

This certainly would provide them with the excuse, but how true is it, when the only news that's available is from Israel, who wants to go to war with Lebanon, Syria, and Iran?  How can you believe that the news coming out of Israel is not propoganda created simply to further their agenda of destabilising the Middle East, and giving them reasonable grounds to invade whoever they choose?

If you believe what Israel tells you, and what the US says, then you're a fool.  If you consider that the whole thing could be a lie, that there aren't any captured Israeli soldiers, and that everything you read and hear could be a lie, then you're smarter than the average bear.

When political or military actions occur around the world, look closer to see who benefits, and when you find who benefits from it, then you find the instigator of it.

Hezbollah doesn't benefit from it.  Lebanon doesn't benefit from it.  Iran doesn't benefit from it.  Syria doesn't benefit from it.  Who benefits?  Israel does, and subsequently the US. 

When you seriously think about it, you'll learn that you can never trust the media again, and you'll never look at the world the same way again.  But your eyes will be open, and you'll see more of what's really going on in this world. 

If you think you could do with some confidence boosting, you might want to print this list out a few times and put them at various locations around the house, work, and in the car.  When you think you can do with a bit of a boost, have a read of the list and use it to put yourself back into a more confident mode.  Just before job interviews is a good time.

1. Think about someone who is confident, and act like them.  Using someone as a model for your own behaviour is very helpful.  Pretending to be like someone who's confident isn't much different from being confident, and eventually it'll become second nature to you.  Instead of pretending to be like someone who is confident, you'll discover that you're confident too.
   
   
2. The past is there for you to learn from.  Don't beat yourself up over things that have happened in your past.  They're gone, never to return.  What's done is done.  All you need to do is learn from it, use it to understand how you can do things differently in the future.
   
   
3. Know your strengths and take advantage of them.  Know what you're good at and seek out opportunities to do more of them.  You'll have more confidence as you do more of what you're good at.
   
   
4. Just say no!  There's nothing to be afraid of by saying no.  Say no to someone today.  It's not going to end their world, nor will it end yours.  Saying no sets boundaries, gives you space and freedom, and inspires confidence.
   
   
5. Look at the 'can do' side of things instead of the 'can't do'.  You know you've done a lot in your life and achieved many successes.  Understand that you'll achieve a lot more successes in future.  Know that you can do it, just like you've done it before.
   
   
6. Change how you think.  Do you let other people affect how you think?  Do you care what they think of you?  Remember that no one can make you feel a particular way.  How you feel about something is simply a choice you are making.  It's not what others say that causes you problems, it's what you say to yourself as a result of their words that creates the problems.  Say different things.  Stop caring what others think.  Change how you think about things, so that you're less affected by the ignorance of others.
   
   
7. Be grateful for what you have in your life.  Be grateful for having someone you can love, or who loves you.  Be grateful for those who help you, or who appreciate the help you give them.
   
   
8. Work on improving your body language.  How you move your body has a great impact on your confidence.  Walk with your head ups, shoulders back and as if you have somewhere very important to go.  When people look at you they'll know you are walking with purpose, you have somewhere you need to be. 
   
   
9. Be proud of what you have achieved, and let others know about it.  Yes, that's right.  Talk about yourself more than what you currently do.  Express to others your successes and achievement.  You'll feel more confident as a result.
   
   
10. Is what you're worried about really that important?  Ask yourself this: in 5, 10 or 20 years time, will today's worries matter to my life?  Remember 5 years ago, what were you worried about then?  Does it matter today?  No, it doesn't.  What worries you today will be gone soon.  Keep it in perspective, and remember that your future is up to you. 
    
    
11. BONUS TIP - make wise choices.  Who you are today is a result of what you've done over the past 5
    years.  Who you will become 5 years from now will be a result of the choices you make today. 
    Choose wisely.

If you're like most people, you probably find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of email you get, especially at work.  Is your Inbox full of emails?  Have you lost track of what you've answered, what needs answering, or what you don't even have to answer?  If so, then these tips will help you get on top of your email problem, and allow you to manage it better.

1. Filter your emails.  A lot.  Filter everything except what's sent directly to you.  Filter company emails, mailing list emails, and all emails that are CC'd to you.  Set up automatic filters so that they go into their own folders. This helps avoid Inbox clutter, and you can choose to read them whenever you want.  The ones that are sent directly to you are the ones that stay in your Inbox.
   
   
2. Filter specific senders out of the inbox.  If you have those people who send you emails regardless of how relevant it is for you, then filter them into a special folder, even if it's into the Deleted Items (Trash) folder.\
   
   
3. Schedule time to review the folders.  Ask yourself a simple question - if you don't read the email in X hours, can you still do your work?  If you can, then schedule yourself so that you review your folders in max X hours.  With those emails that you are CC'd, and memos, you're being informed and don't have to reply to the sender.  Read them in your own time.
   
   
4. Read emails as a thread.  Usually, if an email has multiple TO: and CC: recipients, it will likely attract a number of replies.  When you read them as a thread, you can get the information from the conversation at once, rather than from multiple emails.
   
   
5. Don't answer every email, especially if you're CC'd.  If you're being CC'd, then you're only being informed.  Replying is not necessary.  Answer only the emails that require a reply from you.
   
   
6. If you can't reply immediately, move it to a Reply folder.  If you need to reply to an email but can't do it straight away, move it to a Reply folder, and make sure you go through it at the end of every day to clear it out.  This is more efficient than trying looking in your Inbox and trying to remember what needs replying to and what doesn't.  When replied, move it to the appropriate storage folder.
   
   
7. If you cannot read the email immediately, move it to a Read folder.  Do this when you start reading an email and decide you should read it later.  Move it to the Read folder so that you remember to read it.  When finished, reply to it, move it to the Reply folder to reply later, or move it to the appropriate storage folder.

I hope these tips help you keep your Inbox uncluttered and manageable.  When you're not overwhelmed and stressed by your email, you're going to enjoy what you're doing a lot more. And you'll have more time for all the important things you need to focus on.

Please note that my photo blog is regularly updated with links whenever new photo posts are made.  If you want to check out the photos and you aren't a regular visitor that sees them when they're posted, then click on the Photo Blog link above to see them sorted by date and subject.

Thanks.

As you're blogging, it's always a good idea to keep these things in mind:

1. Every reader has an opinion - and they're all correct.  At least, in their own mind they are.  Don't be too sensitive about what people say on your blog.  Remember, they're entitled to their opinion, especially if you don't agree with it.  There are going to be people who don't agree with you - does that make you wrong?  No, it doesn't.  Just because you don't agree with others, doesn't make them wrong either.  Let them have their opinion, and use it to encourage discussion.
   
   
2. Posting the same thing as everyone else just makes you boring.  If you're writing the same things as other bloggers, why would anyone be interested in hanging around your blog when they can get the information elsewhere? 
   
   
3. Posting unique content is how you get noticed.  Ensure that whatever they're
   reading on your blog can not be read anywhere else.  That's how you'll
   keep visitors coming back. 
   
   
4. It's better to have controversial posts read by people who disagree with you.  You want to provoke people into thinking about things they normally don't.  Getting them to actually feel an emotion in some way - even an angry emotion - is a guarantee of encouraging them to keep coming back for more.  What inspires emotion inspires interest.
   
   
5. Only a few of your readers are going to leave comments.  Don't expect everyone to feel inspired enough to comment.  Most visitors will read what you say and then move on somewhere else.  Only a tiny few will leave a comment about something you write.  The more controversial your topic, the more likely they'll comment on it.  If you're blogging to gather praise and acknowledgement, you're doing it for the wrong reason.
   
   
6. The same people are the ones who will repeatedly comment on your blog.  It's not a bad thing though, as it means you're encouraging people to come back, and they're inspired to discuss their opinions with you.
   
   
7. Don't have a hit counter.  Knowing how many people have been to your site is meaningless, and no one cares.
   
   
8. Don't complain about web traffic until you've taken the time to analyse your logs with a decent web stats package.  Understanding your traffic is important if you want to know how many people are visiting, what they're looking at, and which sites they're coming from.  Knowing these things can help you create more popular content.  I use www.statcounter.com which I find excellent.
   

I found a great site here that gives you the coding instructions to add 'emoticons' to your blogspot blog.

:) :D :P :O :(

I hope you enjoy adding these to your blog too.

Yesterday - Sunday - was a lovely day. Considering that we've had almost a week's worth of freezing cold, torrential rain, and general nasty storminess, yesterday was an absolutely fantastic day!

We started the day by having brunch (breakfast/lunch) with some friends, and then going for a walk around Oriental Bay.




After the lovely walk around the harbour, we went to a bed store, so that we could find ourselves a foldup bed / couch for the spare room. Deidre wants to make the spare room into her 'special place', where she can relax and chill out in her own space. As a result, the best solution, I felt - and which she agreed with - was to get a couch / bed, so that she can relax on the couch while enjoying the space of the room, and then when we have guests we can just fold out the bed for them.

So we bought a nice one yesterday. It'll be delivered in 6 weeks.

Then we went to have a fruit smoothie and sat and watched the people go by, followed by a visit to Tory Motors to have a look at the car that I want to upgrade to if I don't get the 'free' Chrysler. We took it for a test drive out to Petone, then home, then back to the dealership.




It's a BMW 728i, built in 2000. Beautiful to drive, very smooth, very luxurious. Deidre loved it. So did I. Only done 40,000 km too, which is average of 6,600 km a year... I think the original owners must've used it just to go shopping with! I've averaged about 12,000 km a year in mine over the past 6 years, which is also not much. But now that my car is over 14 years old, with over 200,000 km on it, it's time to upgrade. That's why I'm looking around at new cars. And it's why I'm working on 'manifesting reality', bringing a new car into my life by visualising and test driving and emotionalizing the experience.

Here's my current car, which doesn't look as good now as it does in these photos (which were taken over 5 years ago). The paintwork is a little 'faded' now... :-(

As part of my dream-building activities based on the 'law of attraction', I've been visualising and emotionalising driving a particular car. It's a nice car. It's a car that I'd just LOVE to drive.

Last weekend Deidre and I went to have a look at this car. I sat in it, felt the steering wheel in my hands, imagined driving it and feeling the experience. This is the car.

It's a Chrysler 300c luxury sedan, imported from America. I think it looks awesome!

So anyway, as part of visualising and bringing it into my life, I was helped by my friend Ken this afternoon, with some ideas on how to get the car without actually paying for it.

I sent an email to the salesman I'd met last week, presenting a 'radical proposition'. I lease the car from them for only what it would cost them to have it, like insurance, maintenance and registration, etc. Obviously MUCH cheaper for me than if I were to buy it at full price. In return for getting the car 'free' from them, they put whatever advertising they want on it, and I drive it around for a year.

It creates a win-win scenario, where I get the car I want, and they get increased exposure to the public of this new car, as well as extra advertising, which only increases their sales and overall profit.

It's a 'radical concept', I know, but hey... you never know what will happen if you don't try to make it happen. They can only say no. But they might say yes too.

The salesman is yet to reply to my email. I'll let you know the result.


UPDATE: I just got a call from the salesman who said that my proposition caused the directors to scratch their heads a while as they thought about it, but unfortunately the depreciation of the car was too much for them to consider it as a feasible option. Worth a try though. :)

Over here I've talked about my personality type being an INFP.

Quiet, reflective, and idealistic. Interested in serving humanity. Well-developed value system, which they strive to live in accordance with. Extremely loyal. Adaptable and laid-back unless a strongly-held value is threatened. Usually talented writers. Mentally quick, and able to see possibilities. Interested in understanding and helping people.

I wanted to explore it a bit more.

I found a 'portrait of an INFP', which I'm using to help me talk about my personality. As far as I can tell, it's completely accurate.

It calls me an idealist. That's certainly true. I have this vision of an ideal world, and am often frustrated when reality doesn't match my vision. And yet, I find myself frustrated because I know reality could BE like my vision, if only more people cared.

My primary mode of living is focused internally, where I deal with things according to how I feel about them, or how they fit into my personal value system. My secondary mode is external, where I take things in via my intuition.

I'm focused on making the world a better place for people, finding the meaning of my life, and what my purpose is. Interestingly, finding my purpose has been quite challenging. Maybe my purpose is to help make the world better for people? I'll have to explore that idea....

I'm highly intuitive about people, relying on my intuition to guide me, and I use my discoveries to search for value in life. I'm on a continuous mission to find the underlying truth and meaning to things. Every encounter and everything I learn gets sifted through my value system, and is evaluated to see if it will be useful in helping me move forward on my path. The goal is always the same - to help people and make the world a better place.

I'm flexible and laid back - until one of my values are violated, which turns me into an aggressive defender, fighting passionately for the cause. That's certainly me, with the political stuff I've been 'passionate' about in the recent past.

When it comes to the ordinary details of life, I'm completely unaware of things. I might not notice a stain on the carpet at all, or dust building up in the corners or on items around the house. Small, mediocre things aren't important in the grand scheme of things. I focus on feelings, and the 'big picture'... housework is something that will be done when I trip over it. (Although this has changed considerably since Deidre moved in early last year.... now I actually have a list of things to do around the house, but that's still no guarantee of getting everything 'just right'....)

Facts and logic often get in the way of a good emotional analysis. Why worry about facts when the feelings are all that are important? Some of my friends in the past have often been frustrated about this, where they rely more on logic than emotions.

I'm a talented writer (although I don't feel I'm talented enough...), which allows me to express myself quite well in my writing, but relatively awkward when expressing myself verbally. In a social situation, where all eyes are on me, I often don't know what to say (unless I know them exceptionally well).

The traits that are very strong in me are:

• strong value systems
• very interested in people
• loyal and devoted to people and causes
• future oriented
• growth oriented, always wanting to grow positively
• creative and inspirational
• flexible and laid back, unless a ruling value is violated
• sensitive and complex
• dislike dealing with details and routine work
• original and individualistic
• excellent written communication skills
• prefer working alone
• value deep and authentic relationships
• want to be appreciated for who I am

That's me. That's my personality. That's who I am.

Who are you?

Do you believe that if the law states that the actions of George Bush is illegal, then the law needs to be changed?

Do you believe that if the Supreme Court finds that the actions of the Bush Administration is illegal, then the Supreme Court justices are on the side of terrorists?

Do you believe that anyone who is against the Bush Administration's actions, either morally or legally, are, in fact, terrorists and should be treated as such, including arresting them, or just shooting them?

Do you believe that Republicans are on the side of God and George Bush, while Democrats and the rest of the world are on the side of Satan and the terrorists?

Do you believe that the world would be a better place if everyone would just follow what George Bush wants, and all Democrats and non-Americans (if they didn't follow Bush) were executed?

Whose side do you believe God is on? Republicans or Democrats?

Do you believe these are valid and reasonable questions, or do you believe that the fact these questions need to be asked shows how crazy America has become?

Which is, I'm sure, related to the Law of Attraction. Deidre and I are visualising and emotionalising greater prosperity in our lives, bringing more money into it, etc. We want better things for ourselves and our lifestyle, and our future.

The funny thing that's happening - just this past week - is that we're getting occasional unexpected savings on our spending.

I took the car for a car wash a couple nights ago. I went to the service station only for a car wash. As I was about to walk in the door, one of the attendants approached and handed me a voucher - for half price car washes. He was handing them out to everyone walking through the door. No one else, while I was there, accepted it. I paid half price, and left for the car wash. When I finished the car wash, I looked back at the attendant, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Yesterday I took the car for a major service. It was going to cost $1400 - just for a service, including labour and parts. But it was a service that I hadn't gotten for maybe three years, as I wasn't able to justify spending that much money. Having a BMW is expensive... First, I had the money to spend on the service, so I got it done. Secondly, at the end of the day it turned out to be only $800. They decided not to do the transmission service because it required the replacement of a leaky gasket and that would take longer than the time they had available. The extra transmission work was something I knew about, and was going to comprise $400 of the $1400. Somehow, I ended up not paying that and getting another $200 taken off the total. I wasn't going to question it!

The transmission needs to be done, I know that. But there's no urgency. It can wait. Instead, the $600 I saved on the service will be spent to pay off one of my debts, thus getting rid of it..

Today Deidre and I went out for brunch. We have an 'entertainment card' that gets you discounts on establishments that are part of the program. We went to a cafe, placed our order, and got one meal free with the entertainment card. As we expected. What we didn't expect, however, was that my meal - pancakes with bacon, banana and maple syrup - would have uncooked pancakes. I ate the bacon and banana, leaving the gluggy pancakes, and then returned it to them, saying the pancakes were uncooked. My intention was just to let them know of less-than-adequate service, but they gave me a refund of the price of the meal. So in the end, we got two breakfasts - even though I only ate half of mine - and two orange juices for the price of only two orange juices.

Small incident, obviously, but I think the law of attraction - attracting greater prosperity - is beginning to work in our favour. This week alone has resulted in the 'obtaining' of many hundreds of dollars, that we've put to good use to make our financial situation that much better, and bringing us closer to having our own house soon.