Personal Growth Resource Roundup #2

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It’s time for another Saturday roundup of Personal Growth Resources. My intention with these roundups is to turn you on to some of the powerful personal growth resources available on the web.

I’ll be including stuff from the some of the amazing personal growth bloggers out there. But what makes this roundup series a bit unique – I hope – is that I’ll also be reaching out beyond the typical personal growth sites to find personal growth resources in other areas.

Leave your comments below to let me know if you’re getting benefit from these resources. After all, they’re here for you!

Let’s begin with some inspiration from the Free Hugs Campaign Website. I wrote an entry about the Free Hugs Video just about a year ago. Now they have their very own website. If you want to add a dose of hope to your day, go check out their site.

Next up are some Blogging Lessons from Children over at the Brown Thoughts blog. I learn lessons in blogging and beyond from my daughter on a daily basis. So I can totally relate to this post. I love the last lesson – Every Day is an Adventure. Amen to that!

At Casual Keystrokes, Char reminds us to Look at Your Site Through a Different Set of Eyes. We all need a new, different perspective on our websites from time to time. And this advice applies beyond the world of the web. Having someone take a peek at some aspect of your life can provide just the kind of perspective you need to make a simple change that can make a big difference.

Outfit Inspirations has a wonderful post on the Five Rules Girls Should Learn In School. I would argue that most of these are rules that we all could benefit from. Here’s one of them – Never Make Fun Of Someone’s Enthusiasm. I’ve broken that rule on more than one occasion and the results have never been positive.

Then there’s Aaron Potts, at Today Is That Day, who has this truly timely – for me at least – post, Stop Waffling and Start Living! If you have trouble deciding what to do, or flip back and forth between your choices, go read this post right now.

Over at Copyblogger, Ryan Imel has a very interesting guest post, Are You Blogging With Confident Feet? Now hold on because this article has implications and applications far beyond blogging. Go read the information about how confident speakers pay attention to their stance and movement and see if you can translate that awareness into your life.

And here’s another link that may, again, seem a bit off topic for a personal growth resource roundup. But Robert Middleton’s post on The Christmas Tree Marketing Plan outlines a simple metaphor and plan for getting things done. The applications of the Christmas Tree Plan are not limited to marketing. Check it out.

That’s it for this week’s roundup. Tune back in next Saturday for another roundup of personal growth resources from around the web.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Link Love, Personal Growth, blogs 

The 4-Hour Work Week Meme Roundup

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Back in September I asked the questions “What Would You Do With An Extra 36-Hours Each Week?” a question catalyzed by the book, The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. If you have not read the book, I highly recommend it. The book is filled with truly out of the box productivity tips and insights that can help you get more done in less time (even if a 4-hour work week doesn’t appeal to you).

I posed the question, knowing that by taking the time to actually envision how we would fill those extra 36-hours would be a powerful exercise in creating a life with that level of freedom.

Over the last few weeks, there have been some wonderful entries outlining all the ways that those extra 36-hours will be put into use.

It’s been interesting to see the creative ways that people would fill their time. It’s also been quite eye-opening to realize that most of us have very similar thoughts. Here is a list of the most common ideas for filling up that extra 36-hours.

Creative Expression. At least half of the people who replied would use the time to be creative. Several people would write a book and there were a surprising number of musicians on the list.

Spend more time with family and friends. Another common theme was to spend more (Quality) time with family members and friends.

Exercise was another big one. Several people included “working out more” on the list. Some got specific including such things as yoga, rock climbing, a disc golf to name just a few.

Another big one was Sleep. They say that we’re a culture of chronically sleep deprived people. So adding an hour or two of sleep a night was a popular way to fill up those 36-hours.

Reading was also popular.  Jeesh, as if we don’t read enough with all of these awesome blogs!

And the winner of the “oddest” thing that someone would do to fill up their days goes to Adam Kayce. He would play more Quelf: The Board Game that Gives Random a New Name!

I highly recommend that you check out some of the posts from folks who played along. It was quite fun seeing what other people would do. And I actually found myself adding to my list when I found another great idea.

And if you missed the post back in September and would like to play along, write a post and I’ll add it to the list.

And if you did play and I missed your post, drop me a line using the comment form above and I’ll add you to the list.

So here is the list of participants.

Phil Gerbyshak at Make it Great.

Emily at Considering the Universe.

Gleb at Personal Development Ideas.

Aaron at Today is That Day.

Adam at Monk At Work.

Zoe at Law of Attraction For Inspired Living.

Lyman at Creating a Better Life.

Priscilla at Personal Development Demands Success.

Jeannette at the Law of Attraction Playground.

Karen at Live the Power.

Lorraine at Bring It On!

Judy at The Work Life Monitor.

Kirsten at Think Positive.

Marina at Sufficient Thrust.

Annie at the In-Debt Net.

SJ at Personal Development for the Book Smart.

Jamie Phelps

Saedel at Planet Saedel.

And a few folks left their replies in the comments of the original 4-Hour Work Week post.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Books, Personal Growth, Productivity, blogs 

Fun Friday: I’m A Purist Expert Socialite Blogger

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What Kind of Blogger Are You?
Charlene at Essential Keystrokes just reminded me about Blog Action Day. If you haven’t already heard of it (where have you been?) it’s a virtual gathering of blogs that’s going to happen this coming Monday.

“What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day?
One issue. One day. Thousands of voices.”

The issue is the Environment. So if you’re a blogger, consider linking up to the Blog Action Day site and posting something about the environment on Monday. Bloggers Unite - Blog Action Day

And in the meantime, go take their fun little quiz to find out what kind of blogger you are. I’m a Purist, Expert, Socialite. But of course you already knew that!

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Fun, blogs 

Law of Attraction Carnival Is Posted At Feels Like Magic

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Barb Lattin at Feels Like Magic has posted the 28th edition of the Law of Attraction Blog Carnival. And while we’re both a bit disappointed that there were not more image entries (the theme of this edition) Barb did an amazing job of highlighting some truly excellent posts in this edition.

So go check it out, and if you want to read past editions, visit the Law of Attraction Homepage.

And if you’re interested in hosting a future edition of the Law of Attraction Carnival, use the contact form to let me know.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Carnival, Law of Attraction, blogs 

Some Saturday Personal Growth Link Love

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It’s hard to believe that my daughter is turning 4 tomorrow. I’m really starting to understand what people mean when they say the time just flies by. [Key the song Sunrise Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof in the background].

So in addition to tomorrow mornings drop in Law of Attraction Group here in Sebastopol, this weekend is going to be filled with a big party and visits from various out of town relatives. So not much writing will be happening here at Evolving Times. So to keep you occupied, here are links to a few great personal growth posts.

First, Adam Kayce at Monk at Work recently put up his 100th post, sort of like the 100th monkey except much better. In it, he has a project (challenge) for eliminating a “vice” that holds you back. And he also throws in a cool contest to top it off.

Next, Gleb Reys has posted part 1 in the What Is Personal Development Group Writing Project. I’ve promised Gleb that I’ll have an entry for him soon. And I can see that he is not going to let me slide on this one! ;0

Karen Lynch, posted the 7th edition of her Live The Power Unlimited Carnival. In it, she included my entry, Dragonfly Asks If Illusions Are Holding You Back. There are some great entries in the carnival so check it out!

The Personal Development Partners forum that Aaron Potts recently relaunched is going strong. I must sheepishly admit that, while I have been following some of the truly insightful threads over there, I have not yet taken the time to join in the conversation. That’s going to change. And if you haven’t checked it out, now is the time. Aaron also has a contest happening and there are still 2-weeks left in the iPod giveaway!

Over at the Law of Attraction Playground, Jeannette Maw has a wonderful entry on the relationship between Integrity and the Law of Attraction. Well worth a read.

And finally, in a slighty off-topic tip, I discovered Another (wonderful) blog about blogging by Dana Wallert. She included my list of the 10 Best (Insulting) Comments I’ve Received On Stumbleupon in her post, 34 StumbleUpon Posts That Aren’t Crap. If you can’t tell, she’s quite funny. And she knows her stuff, especially when it comes to Stumbleupon!

Well that should keep you going for a couple of days! And if not I’m sure you can find some more great stuff out there.

Don’t forget to get your Law of Attraction Carnival entries in by Monday. Barb Lattin at Feels Like Magic, who is hosting the next edition has chosen a great topic – The Law of Attraction in Images. Because this is quite a unique, and somewhat challenging topic, there have been very few on-topic entries thus far. So if you submit a post to the carnival by Monday that expresses the Law of Attraction in an image(s) there’s a good chance that you’ll be included in the Featured Entries section.

Have an awesome weekend.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Law of Attraction, Link Love, Personal Growth, blogs 

The Problogger Contest Is Still Going On

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Just in case you haven’t heard, the birthday party is still happening over at Problogger and there are some truly amazing prizes up for grabs. There are over $50,000 worth of prizes available.

You don’t have to be a blogger to win most of them. So go head on over to Problogger and see what you can win!

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Fun, blogs 

How to be a Positive Force In The Blogosphere And Beyond

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Are you a force for positive change in the world?

Do your thoughts, words and actions uplift those around you?

Obviously we’re not all perfect, shining examples of enlightened beings. We have moments of lightness and moments of … well, not-so-lightness. And that’s fine. In fact, it’s the moments of not-so-lightness that catalyze us and drive us forward to grow and evolve.

My experience here in the blogosphere is that the vast majority of people writing and participating in this new relatively new realm are overwhelmingly positive. (Now I acknowledge that I could be self-selecting the people I “hang out” with). Most bloggers seem to either consciously desire to be a positive force or do so naturally and unconsciously.

And while this post was written specifically with bloggers in mind, the ideas in this post are almost all universal. Change a few words and you can apply them to any type of business or personal endeavor.

So if you want to be a positive force in the blogosphere and beyond, read on!

1. Intend to be a positive force
When you say to yourself and to the world that you are a positive force in the world you set the tone for everything you do. Intention is a powerful driver of action. If you have not consciously set your intention to be a positive force, you might want to do so now.

2.Be The Change You Wish To See
Gandhi said it best and your blog is your community and a virtual world. Take a look at your “world.” Does it reflect the changes you wish to see in the larger world? If so, congratulations! If not, what changes can you make to your world that will bring about the changes you want to see in the larger world?

3. Be Accountable
I will admit that this is one of the most difficult things for me to do. As I write this, I feel the weight of many “promises” I have made that I have yet to keep: Memes I have not responded to, comments I have left hanging, posts that inspired me but that I have not linked back to. Every time you say you’re going to do something and don’t do it, you lose a bit of energy. Each time you make a promise that is not kept you reinforce a belief that your word is not true. So, while it is very tempting to want to say yes to all the amazing invitations you receive, know your limits and …

4. Be Willing To Say No
This is a natural follow-up to the last one. In order to do what you say you will you must be willing to say No. You need the willpower to accept that you can’t do everything. Claim the power to choose what you will do, and then do it well! Learning to say no here in the blogosphere will serve you very well in the wider world.

5. Set Clear Boundaries
Similar to the previous item, this one is about knowing and honoring your boundaries. Examples of setting boundaries include: Letting readers know what types of comments are acceptable on your blog and then moderating out those that don’t meet your criteria. Setting clear time boundaries for commenting on other blogs, and social networking. And, if you are not a full time pro-blogger, you may need to set clear boundaries around how much time you spend blogging.

6. Take the High Road
While the vast majority of bloggers and blog readers are positive, there are a few vocal examples of not-so-positive members of this community. If you’ve read my article on the 10-Best-Insulting-commments or perused the comments over at Digg on my comfort zone article you’ve seen some examples. And there are certainly some bloggers out there who have chosen to use their platform to discredit, demean and insult others. As a positive blogger it can be tempting to respond to these people. (I can assure you that I was sorely tempted to reply to some of the comments on that Digg page)! But experience has shown me that this is rarely a good idea. It turns into a case of fighting fire with fire and inevitably by engaging them, you end up joining them on the low road. Far better, I believe, to let them have their space to rant while you continue on your chosen, positive, road.

7. Acknowledge That You Can’t Do It Alone
No blogger is an island! Our power to bring positive changes to the blogosphere and beyond increases exponentially when we come together. Whether you join or create a formal network such as the Positive Blog Network, or connect informally with other bloggers, these connections will provide fuel for your ever-increasing positive contribution.

8. Write What You Know
It can be tempting to write about something because you think it’s what people want to hear or because you think it will bring you more traffic. However the way to stay positive and, ultimately, to attract the best readers is to write about what you know. Your personal knowledge is immensely valuable to others. When you honestly share what you know people will want to listen.

9. Don’t Be Afraid To Ruffle Some Feathers
Admittedly, sometimes being a positive force means stirring the pot and creating a bit of chaos. Bloggers are good at this! If you’re worried about losing subscribers or want to make everyone like you, you will never become a top blogger. And that may be fine. But if you want to truly shine, you must be willing to speak your truth clearly and without apology. Unless…

10. Admit and Apologize When You Make a Mistake
When you are speaking your truth and stirring the pot, there may be times when something comes out that you later release was not true or fair or friendly. In those cases, positive bloggers acknowledge their mistake and apologize for what they said.

11. Recognize That You Don’t Have All the Answers
One of the most powerful aspects of the blogosphere is the incredible wealth of information that is available. If you are writing what you know, there is absolutely no reason to be tempted to write about things that are unfamiliar. If you find yourself tempted to write about something unfamiliar to you, choose instead to find other bloggers writing about that subject and pass that information on to your readers. You will serve your readers better that way, and ultimately they will reward you with their loyalty.

12. Engage In The Conversation
Similar to the previous item, this is about seeking out and connecting with other positive bloggers. When you join the conversation you bring value to everyone. You learn and grow, you get to share your wisdom outside of the confines of your own blog and you discover resources to share with your readers.

13. Appreciate Your Readers
It doesn’t matter if you have 1 subscriber or 100,000. Your readers have come to you because they see value in what you are sharing. Regardless of how many readers you have it is your responsibility to honor and appreciate them.

14. Accept That Your Readers Are Your Friends
Address your readers as friends. Don’t write down to them. Don’t imagine that you are the teacher and they are the students. The best blogs are truly conversations between friends. The writer is as much a part of the community as the readers.

15. It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect To Be Positive
Finally, remember that positive does not have to be perfect. This post is a perfect example. I read this post over at Problogger last night just before turning off the computer. I jotted down a few ideas and went to bed. This morning I got up at five to write this before my daughter woke up. She’s eating her cereal now as I finish it. Is this post perfect? Nope. Will it provide value? I think so. So, in your quest to be a positive force in the world, keep in mind William Stafford’s wise words: Lower Your Standards. Because if a post is gathering digital dust on your hard drive it’s not bringing a lot of positive change to the blogosphere or the world!

And this is where you come in. This is where the conversation starts. I know there are many more ways to be a positive force in the blogosphere and beyond. How are you being a positive force? What important points did I leave out? Share your thoughts below, or take this conversation back to your blog and share your ideas with your readers.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Inspiration, Personal Growth, blogs 

Submit Your Wordless Law Of Attraction Carnival Entries

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Barb Lattin at Feels Like Magic, who is hosting the next edition of the Law of Attraction Blog Carnival, just posted a reminder that there is one week left until her special edition. And it’s going to be very special indeed.

She’s looking for posts that express the power of the Law of Attraction through images. I’m thrilled with her idea and I’m really looking forward to this edition.

So go read Barb’s reminder post, and then head on over to the Law of Attraction Page at Blog Carnival and submit your entry.

If you have already submitted a written entry for this edition and would like to resubmit an image entry use the comments field to let me know and I’ll forward just your new entry to Barb.

And if you’re interested in hosting a future edition of the Law of Attraction Blog Carnival, send me a note using the contact form and let me know.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Carnival, Law of Attraction, blogs 

Some Personal Growth Link Love To Start The Week

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I’m way overdue for some Personal Growth link love. No excuses other than life. And I think you know what I mean. So here we go.

Let’s begin with my friend Gleb at Personal Development Blog. He’s launched an awesome group writing project: What Is Personal Development? This is a huge question. And in the wake of Priscilla Palmer’s hugely successful Personal Development List, I think it’s safe to say that there is a wide range of definitions of Personal Development.

To get you started, Gleb asks:

  • What does personal development mean to you? Feel free to define the topics and areas comprising this topic.
  • What characterizes personal development most? How does one decide what’s personal development and what is not?
  • What are your personal areas of focus in personal development? Share your wisdom by identifying the most important things to concentrate on.

For the full story and to find out how to participate, head over to the Personal Development Blog.

And speaking of personal development, things seem to be heating up over at Aaron Potts’ Personal Development Partners forum. There are some very interesting conversations happening, as well as some great bonuses available to paid members. If you’re looking to accelerate your personal growth by connecting with other leading edge thinkers, Personal Development Partners is the place to be!

Then I want to send out some kudus to Karen Lynch at Live the Power for tackling a difficult subject with her post, Global Warming for Deliberate Creators.
My appreciation also goes out to Wendy Piersall for taking the topic of my post 51 Ways To Expand Your Comfort Zone and running with it right up to the next level with her post, 10 Signs That You Are Way Out of Your Comfort Zone.

I also want to acknowledge Lorraine Cohen for including my article, 16 Personal Development Lessons from Harry Potter in the September 9th edition of the Personal Development Carnival.

I could definitely go on. But I’ll leave it at that. Hopefully that gives you a bit of personal growth fodder to chew on for a while!

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Inspiration, Personal Growth, blogs 

Law of Attraction Carnival #27

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Welcome to the 27th edition of the Law of Attraction blog carnival. This is the longest running blog carnival devoted to an exploration and deepening of our understanding of the Law of Attraction.

This edition is another general roundup of the best Law of Attraction articles from around the blogosphere. So get ready to immerse yourself in some excellent reading.

Let’s jump right in with our Featured Entries for this edition:

Featured Entries

First up is an entry from Erin Pavlina, See A Penny, Pick It Up. This entry immediately caught my attention since it’s a topic I wrote about a while back and it’s something that I feel very quite strongly about. Erin does a wonderful job explaining why it’s important to pick up those pennies you see on the ground.

In another article about finding money, sort of, Beverly Keaton Smith at Embrace Your Gifts and Soar, tells a moving story about her decade’s long quest in The Year of The Sand Dollar. Yes, the Law of Attraction works, sometimes it just takes a while!

Alex Blackwell at the Next 45 Years has a terrific entry on Achieving Life Balance. According to Alexander, one of the keys, from a Law of Attraction perspective, is choosing balance! In this fast-paced world it’s very easy to forget that balance is, indeed, a choice.

Raymond David Salas at ZenChill gives us some interesting ideas on How To Have a Conversation With God. Raymond points out the similarities between Neale Donald Walsch’s observations and teachings and those of Abraham-Hicks (Law of Attraction).

And finally John Wolfe at Season of Shadows (all about halloween!) has a very good article on what he calls, The Law of Distraction. And as someone who has faced confronted this law personally on many ocaisions I highly recommend this entry. .

And now the best of the rest

Patricia O’Rourke offers this quick look at a powerful idea in her entry A Fat Purse.

In Your Frequent Flyer Dream Account, Edith Yeoung inspires us to put all those dreams to good use!

Tracy Burchard gives us 10 Easy Steps to Using The Law of Attraction For Manifesting Prosperity.

K Sparks gives us a personal look at how to release negative energy.

Alexander Becker compares the Law of Attraction to the concept fo Self Fulfilling prophecy in this interesting article,

Arin Vahanian shows us how Gandhi’s quote: Be the change you wish to see in the world, ties into the Law of Attraction in this article, How One Quote Can Change Your Life.

In this extensive article, Tupelo Kenyon shares his thoughts about whether work is just a job or visible love.

Uni gives us a fun exercise for building abundance in Surround Yourself With Money.

Enoch Tan takes an interesting look at how Being Conscious of Miracles Attracts More of Them.

Kimberly Kingsley gives us some very concise tips on how to Love Difficult People.

Well that’s it for this edition of the Law of Attraction Blog Carnival. My thanks to everyone who submitted an entry for this carnival.

You can find archive links to all of the past editions on the Law of Attraction Homepage.

The next edition of the Carnival, on October 9th, will be hosted by Barb Lattin at Feels Like Magic. Barb has a GREAT idea for this edition, but I’ll let her share it with you. And when she does, I’ll give you a head’s up.

To read the submission guidelines and submit your article visit the Law of Attraction Homepage.

If you’re interested in hosting an upcoming edition of the Law of Attraction Carnival, drop me a line using the contact form above.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Carnival, Law of Attraction, blogs 

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