Post via Facebook...



"I was lazy enough to educate myself." Ryan Ferguson . . . . In 2001, Ryan Ferguson at 17, was convicted of murdering sports editor Kent Heitholt, who was found strangled in a parking lot in Missouri. For 10 years his family and many others worked to appeal a conviction that was confirmed then eventually over-turned. Recently his book "Stronger, Faster, Smarter" was released, telling his story of years in prison as a wrongly convicted murderer and how he used fitness as his therapy. A week after his arrest, his Dad told his teenage son "Ryan, I can help you out here but not in there (jail). So you've got to be Stronger, Faster, and Smarter then the others." (I can't imagine the hurt his Dad felt saying this.) In the beginning and without a gym, Ryan worked at "getting bigger" to handle moments with others in jail. Today Ryan is using his fitness knowledge to help others to new levels. Ryan says, "Get creative. You don't have to have the things you think you need. You just put in the work with what you have and the time you have and you'll get results... (When I was in prison) I read every book I could get my hands on. I'm a lazy person. I can get more done in less time and get results because I was lazy enough to educate myself." Laziness isn't always bad. It often drives the discovery of excellent shortcuts. Von Hammerstein, a German general in WWI and later an ardent opponent of Hitler said, "I divide my officers into four groups - Clever, diligent, stupid, and lazy officers... Anyone who is both clever and lazy is qualified for the highest leadership duties, because he possesses the intellectual clarity and the composure necessary for difficult decisions." I count myself in the lazy camp. I love shortcuts. Teachers haven't always appreciated them. (Clever? I'm trying :-) Be lazy and educate yourself. Your shortcuts could be exactly what will take you to freedom. . . . . #truth #successinlife #successatwork #motivation #inspiration #ldnont http://ift.tt/1GzWz4T

5 Ways to Make Facebook a Positive Part of Your Life





As popular as it is, social media, as a category of entertainment and information, is much criticized these days for its triviality. Facebook, as the king of the hill, takes the brunt of the attacks from naysayers.
So really, can a source of information that produces the latest Grumpy Cat meme or seem to constantly display your cousin's enviable travel pictures, be a positive voice in your life? The answer is yes.


Social media is not all about mere entertainment or killing time. It can be a positive way to connect with those around you and hold messages of inspiration.
Over the past couple years I have made a serious effort to filter my Facebook newsfeed in such a way that the pictures, thoughts, and quotes that scroll up the page are items that uplift, encourage or inspire me. At worst, I work intentionally to greatly reduce the negative vibes that I could be feeling with certain themes or from certain people who tend to share things that bring me down.
We cannot control the negativity that the world radiates, but we can control who and what we surround ourselves with. If we’re not careful, the dangerous thoughts of others can infect us and render us unable to think for ourselves. But we can trade that negativity for positive ideas that build us up rather than bring us down.
You might think this is airy fairy, positive-thinking rubbish. But truly, why get frustrated and either give up on this powerful medium or fill your head with negativity and focus on lower things? Facebook can be a simple way to enhance a positive mindset and connect well. So why wait another moment longer?
Here are 5 ways in which you can clean up your Facebook interaction. (Where appropriate, I've included some examples of Facebook pages that you also might want to follow... certainly not a huge list but you will get the picture)


1) Find encouraging, positive Facebook pages to follow. Follow inspiring speakers, clean humour, pages that share motivational quotes, pictures and articles. You will be surprised at how much just one simple post can change your mood.
Examples:

2) Choose virtual life role models - follow industry experts, and life leaders whose content lifts you up and takes you higher in academic thought, career aspiration, and leadership.
Examples:




3) Have a goal? Find pages to follow that share great things about your life goals. i.e. Is it your goal to go to Hawaii? Follow Hawaiian Tourism to take in the gorgeous beaches and sunsets.
Examples:


4) Unfollow friends whose posts negatively affect you. Do you have friends that constantly share things that build in you a disheartening outlook on life? Do you find yourself feeling jealous regularly when your high school chum shares pictures of the amazing travel destinations she frequents? When your news feed begins to emphasize on negativity in life, it’s time to delete the those negative influences.


5) Unfriend negative people. Do you need to do more than unfollow a Negative Nelly? Just delete them from your Facebook friends. A friend you ‘unfriend’ will not get a notice that you've done this. They will notice you aren't connected the next time they check your profile out. But unless you are blocking someone close to you or who is trying to contact you too much, they probably won't even notice. That small risk is worth taking in order to lead a life of positive thinking.



Facebook can be a foe or friend. I hope you find your own ways to furnish your newsfeed with positive influences in your life and post them in the comments!
See the post on facebook here... http://on.fb.me/1jZ1o0h

...the books you read and the people you meet.




“You are the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things: the books you read and the people you meet.”


One of my clients asked me of late what books I could recommend. He is really trying to “take on the year” and get some excellent business information into his head. The three books I recommended were 2 older ones and one recent…



War on Free Clicks

Our friends at Wordstream put out an excellent graphic explaining what online marketers and anyone who benefits from clicks is dealing with.


See the original here... http://www.wordstream.com/articles/google-ads

What Does $400,000 Buy? Welcome Home in Canada.








According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, The national average price for homes sold in June 2013 was $386,585.

What will $400,000 buy you across Canada?

Building Quality Links - important “Google Juice”




Links to your website around the Internet on other websites are points of reference for Google. They act as strong referrals to encourage Google to give you higher ranking in regular search - though not guaranteed of course. (Google's secret sauce - an honest and relevant algorithm - would be compromised if they did.)


A best practice to better Google Search ranking is building your links. This can be done simply by putting some time in, finding relevant, quality websites that would link to yours.


"Relevant" and "quality" is specific to you in many instances. Here are some examples of websites that are important and could work for you.

State of Digital Marketing in Small and Medium Businesses

Vocus released a very interesting marketing infographic today on small and medium business digital marketing use. Check it out.

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Whether looking for a new lead stream or grabbing hold of your market through another marketing channel, Arrowfinger can help.


We've assisted so many types of organizations - professional and business services, retail, industrial, specialty food, travel, automotive, the list goes on... we won't bore you!