Grant Thorpe Life Coach

Italian Joy

I was filled with an indescribable happiness for what my life had become!

Carla Coulton

New Microsoft Surface Technology

What is Microsoft Surface? Microsoft Surface™, the first commercially available surface computer from Microsoft Corp., turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface. The product provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that’s easy for individuals or small groups to interact with in a way that feels familiar, just like in the real world. In essence, it’s a surface that comes to life for exploring, learning, sharing, creating, buying and much more.

What is surface computing?
Surface computing is a new way of working with computers that moves beyond the traditional mouse-and-keyboard experience. It is a natural user interface that allows people to interact with digital content the same way they have interacted with everyday items such as photos, paintbrushes and music their entire life: with their hands, with gestures and by putting real-world objects on the surface. Surface computing opens up a whole new category of products for users to interact with.

How much money will you have made overnight while you were sleeping?

Before you actually start working today, did you have any assets working for you 24/7, earning you real dollars?

If the answer is none, then there is some work to do. And it’s never too late to start.

If you retire at 60, you will have worked for approximately 40 years. With the ongoing improvements of modern medicine, if you are currently in this working age zone, you could easily now live to 100. That means you will need enough income to pay for another 40 years after you stop working?

Oh – by the way, if you want to pay for those medical advances, those 40 years of retirement could well be more expensive than the working years.

So what can you do to create a passive income – that will endure beyond your ability to work?

Or create an income that exceeds your ‘working income’ allowing you to retire early?

Or create a passive income that will be a legacy for your grandchildren and their children.

A great book to read as an introduction to this concept is ‘The Richest man in Babylon’ by George Glasson, if you want a copy the easiest way to get one is to you can order it through my Life Coach website at www.grantthorpe.com just look under my recommended reading list.

The Richest Man in Babylon is about the lessons of putting your money to work for you and how to ensure it is invested wisely.

But most importantly for this discussion its about being able to start with very little and still make a success of creating a passive income for the future.

I have said before – that you can have anything you want in life if you are prepared to pay the price. And to start creating a passive income for the future, will require some sacrifice right now.

But that’s still better than 40 years of so called retirement, which really is, having to work until you die because you didn’t plan better.

It’s said that most people ‘will’ themselves to death because they run out of money to fund a decent life!

In George Glasson’s book ‘The Richest Man in Babylon’ he talks about the rules of money and I like them. First you shape your life to live off 70% of your income, guilt free. You use 20% of your income to repay debt. No more, no less.

And you religiously save 10% of everything you earn.

This 10% is the part that you use to start creating a passive income. As a side note it’s surprising how you won’t miss it if you skim it off right at the time of earning it.

Invest it wisely to go to work for you each and every day. Apart for the actual investment strategy, the power of compounding interest will also do its trick here and you will be very surprised how interest paid on interest over time will affect the value of your investment.

So how can you get started? Well first you need to understand that this is a long term project, but you can start right now, by setting up the model I have just discussed. Putting away that 10% of all you earn to start the passive income stream.

Is the one thing that can fund your personal dreams -also the one thing that is currently getting in the way of you creating a wonderful life for yourself.

Today we have just touched the surface of this topic. I can tell you though, that it’s a lot easier to create than you think. You may just need some assistance along the way.

Things you can do? Things you can’t do? Or is it?

While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this draw the number “6″ in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction and there’s nothing you can do about it.

That’s right there’s nothing you can do about it? Or is there?

With focus, training and commitment, (if you wanted to), you could overcome this trait?

Like anything in life, if you really want to overcome the problem you can do it if you are prepared to pay the price. And as I’ve said before the price is often on focus, commitment, training, sacrifice, not necessarily in money?

Everything is possible?

Apart from Gravity almost all of the rules are negotiable? Someone has just made them up!

So it’s no longer what you can’t do – it’s about what you can do?

For a free coaching trial this month contact me here

16 rules for success

I have been reading a post from Bob Parsons the CEO and Founder of GoDaddy.com where he gives his 16 rules for success. I thought you might like to read them?

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we’re in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I’m concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it’s attempted. Just because what you’re doing does not seem to be working, doesn’t mean it won’t work. It just means that it might not work the way you’re doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn’t have an opportunity.

3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think. There’s an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide. Remember what the Union Civil War general, Tecumseh Sherman said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don’t know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven’t examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you’re doing as anyone else, provided that what you’re doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn’t fair. You make your own breaks. You’ll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems. You’ll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There’s also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There’s always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you’re really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We’re not here for a long time; we’re here for a good time."

"The above article is included with the permission of Bob Parsons (http://www.bobparsons.com) and is Copyright © 2004-2006 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved."

The Road to Success

Here it is! Your road to success, just follow the signs This Way!

You can’t take everyone on the journey with you!

One of the greatest ‘Mooring lines’ holding you back from your true potential comes in the disguise of friends and family!

That’s right – the nearest and dearest can have the most positive or the most negative influence on your future success!

As we grow up our friends and family play a part in shaping who we are!

But as we start to shape our own lives to follow a destiny path, these influences can start to have a very different impact on our ability to move outside of ‘our formed’ comfort zones.

Why is it that most people are 10% richer or poorer than their family? What limits the majority of people to this zone? It’s about staying in the pack and not rocking the boat! Peer pressure perhaps? Strangely enough people who win the lottery often squander the money until they get rid of enough of it to put them right back into this very comfort zone.

At some time you need to realize that you can’t take everyone with you on the journey, and to cut the Mooring Line doesn’t mean you stop loving them or being their friends. It may mean though that it’s time to Divorce them from a business or wealth creation perspective, or from sharing too many of your long term life goals with them. Keep loving them, they are friends and family!

But it’s time to find new people who can travel with you on this next part of the journey!

The Dip

The old saying is wrong—winners do quit, and quitters do win.

Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point—really hard, and not much fun at all.

And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you’re in a Dip—a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

According to bestselling author Seth Godin, what really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.

Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt—until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become n
umber one in your niche, you’ll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.

Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip—they get to the moment of truth and then give up—or they never even find the right Dip to conquer.

Whether you’re a graphic designer, a sales rep, an athlete, or an aspiring CEO, this fun little book will help you figure out if you’re in a Dip that’s worthy of your time, effort, and talents. If you are, The Dip will inspire you to hang tough. If not, it will help you find the courage to quit—so you can be number one at something else.

Seth Godin doesn’t claim to have all the answers. But he will teach you how to ask the right questions.

Author Description

Seth Godin is the author of the bestsellers Permission Marketing, Unleashing the Ideavirus, Purple Cow, Free Prize Inside!, All Marketers Are Liars, and Small Is the New Big, among other books. He is also the editor of The Big Moo, the founder and CEO of Squidoo, and one of the most popular business bloggers in the world.

People come into your life for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime.

People come into your life for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime.

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realise is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a Season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Don’t Wait

“Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.”

– Alice Walker, Author