I’m sitting at my home office right now, typing these words, and considering how blessed I am to be living this life.

I want to show you how I’ve been able to create a life that I love, some of the struggles I went through to get here, and maybe some incentive for you to have more of the same, and better…

I also love talking about this life, business and big dreams stuff. So, here goes–

(This will only be about a minute or two of reading, so bear with me, because this one’s important.)

My quest, my victory and my eventual failure

A long time ago, I set out on a journey in search of the secret to true happiness.

In short, after nearly a year wandering throughout India with my video camera, my dream and a big ole’ crazy heart full of passion, I figured it out. It was simple really, and so beautiful! Pure bliss. Truly amazing wisdom…

But finally it wasn’t all that simple.

When I got back home the world crumbled around me, I had very little support and I fell into a deep abyss, worsened only by the tragic death of my sister in an accident.

I cleaved strongly to my dream and the knowledge and understanding I had gained, but eventually I succumbed to depression, the numbing effects of alcohol and a somewhat miserable life working as a full time production coordinator for “Reality” TV shows in LA.

You can imagine the challenges of trying to share the “secrets of happiness” from that perspective.

How I turned it around

I was still committed to my “great work,” so I began searching for ways to pull myself out of the mud.

It started with building my own website for the Happiness Project (a project i started shooting in 2004!). Then I got an offer to build a website for a good friend of mine and her popular raw food restaurant in Santa Monica. Soon I had completely left behind the production world, and started this amazing business creating websites and online consulting for people who are doing good work in the world.

Now I’ve come full circle, and started doing a fabulous hybrid coaching, consulting, social media and online development service for my clients. It’s a LOT of fun, and it works!

I’ve learned that in order to have real, lasting happiness, you need to be:

1) Doing work that you love, and that you’re in 100% alignment with; and

2) Spending more time (as much as possible) pursuing the deepest PASSION and callings of your heart.

The most important thing is, you want to stay true to your heart, and live by your passion (…and maybe even convert your passion into your thriving business).

The thing is, with the tools available today, it’s never been easier to promote your business and your passion online, and to create simple, gorgeous, interactive websites that bring in more business.

My passion is in service and transformation. That’s my business. I’ve been able to finally experience a total transformation from this experience, and from the empowering strength it gives me. I’m also spending more time pursuing my passions, and developing new projects, as I learn to balance work and life better.

The best part is, being able to help others to do the same.

I just want to ask you this:

What, if anything, do you still want in your life? – Are you really, truly living a life in alignment with your spirit?

It all starts with a little clarity, vision, and inner insight to listen to your heart and hear its calling. With a strong passion-driven goal in mind, you can literally create anything you wish, and in a very short time frame.

The one question:

Take a moment today, and review this question for yourself. Just ask yourself: “what do I want?” It can be so simple, yet so hard to answer. Write it down. Think forward a little bit. It’s pretty amazing (especially when you find the answer).

The Final Step

I can tell you that having a website you can update yourself, add new blog posts to it whenever you want, and leverage it to interact with amazing like-minded souls online — is more empowering and fulfilling than pretty much anything else I’ve ever done (and profitable).

It’s a cool solution, especially if you want to build a new website or blog in alignment with your spirit and passion, redo an existing site, or add a blog to your site, and do it for WAY less than a standalone website from the ground up.

Click here to learn more about my signature Total Breakthrough consulting and development service, and feel free to email me with any questions at any time!

- Wishing you the greatest peace, prosperity, and abundance in your life and work always and in all ways…!

Photo Credit

Be sure to share this post with your friends using the links below – I TOTALLY appreciate it and notice:

Here’s how to install the World’s Coolest related posts plugin for WordPress and other blogs. Great for SEO, stickiness, and over-all bad-assness. You wrote the content, don’t you want your visitors to know about it too…? :)

Get yours at LinkWithin.com

Share this post with your friends with the Share/Save button below, and then… check out some related content! :)

Cheers,
- Satya

It’s taken me two full years of “real” blogging (1.5 years of which were pretty much time wasted) and 1.5 years of professional web designing and online strategy consulting to finally come to a real understanding of the purpose and power of blogging for your business.

Today, I reveal it to you… :)

Guess what? I’m living my purpose, and I’ve never had more fun, or made a more powerful impact in the lives of people I work with. My stand-alone consulting is taking off, and I’m focusing far less on web design.

Bottom-line is this: forget about providing “useful content” – 100,000 people are using that same strategy every day, and it’s WEAK. You have to be a marketing NINJA if you want your business to blow up, and cut through the noise online. You have to create an aura of relevance, social proof and perceived social status.

The best and easiest way to do that is through ALLIANCES with people who you admire, people in your niche, people who rock. Online.

Capiche?

Every single blogger posted here falls under that description. If we haven’t built an alliance yet, it’s only because of my own self-perceived limitations up to this time. Do you have the same fear of putting yourself out there sometimes? Get over it.

Are you 100% committed to what you’re doing (and what you’re doing is helping other people)? You need to get past your fears, fulfill your mission, and go kick some ass already. I assure you that e v e r y s i n g l e o n e of these leaders linked here are worth your time to read, follow, and get to know.

Warning: this is going to be one of those annoying posts that link to a s***load of articles. Just click on the ones that interest you, related to the primary problems you’re trying to solve right now for your business.

p.s. there are no affiliate links here.

Oh, are there a lot of problems to solve for your business? My guess is they have A LOT to do with time management and cash-flow. Start by creating a to-do list system that actually works.

I recently adapted Leo’s “Kill Your TO-DO List” approach with a weekly entrepreneurial time-management strategy I learned and adapted from Danielle LaPorte. I’ve never been happier.

OK — the main point is this. I spent 1.5 years being all gingery about my blogging, and reading thousands of articles on the subject, and 99% of it all is USELESS information. I don’t care if you do the same thing, focus everything on learning, or implementing a blog profits blueprint like Yaro’s. But truth be told, unless you’re focusing on building status, and developing TIGHT relationships, you’re probably going to be wasting your time.

The number one truth is that the benefits of blogging go primarily to the blogger, and don’t relate NEARLY as much to the content that’s being served. The whole point of blogging is to elevate your perceived social standing, and be able to play on the same field as the bigwigs, the bestselling authors, and the people who’ve been working their asses off to live their dream.

That’s why comments are important, right?

Guess what, (and I learned this painfully early) the overwhelming majority of your commenters don’t comment just because they care, or because they feel moved by what you say (small percentage). Commenters make comments to raise their exposure, their status and their profile, and get traffic to their sites.

Back in 2008 when Leo still allowed commenting on Zen Habits, I remember this kinda quirky and controversial kid, Clay Collins, who used to comment like every single frickn day on Leo’s blogs. It was kind of annoying, but effective. Got my attention anyway. Guess what? A year or so later, Clay expertly parlayed his status in the personal development world into a 6-figure internet-marketing training program and virtual business, primarily through the relationships he leveraged with a handful of partners who at his level or above in perceived social status. Oh, and through the relationships with his community he developed through his blog, and leveraged through masterful status positioning.

[UPDATE: Lesson from this section is don't waste energy on random occasional comments, integrate commenting into your overall positioning, networking and alliance-building strategy.]

Don’t waste your time reading blogging for business advice: (like my own)

Catch a fire and just do it.

Let’s not waste time in constructing any more valuable blog-writing advice – it’s all useless, if you don’t have a strategy in place that rests in your own solid foundation in WHO you are, WHY you’re here, and WHAT you’re doing to support your mission. And of course WHO YOUR SERVING.

SO, assuming you have that info, you should be on fire, you should be making shit happen — most importantly, you should be BUILDING ALLIANCES — why aren’t you continually going out and building alliances with people who are in your circle of interest, friends and associates you’ve worked with in the past, and players in the field you respect that are already ahead of you…?

…Is it fear?

I’ll say it again: Get over it.

Here are a few more resources to help you with that:

Ok, you want a step-by-step to “Networking with the A-listers?”

Read and Download Dave Navarro’s 7 steps for networking with a-listers fast

Start with getting a strong foundation of who you are, and what you offer online, move to the people you know, then move to the people you respect who are up-and-coming, and don’t burn your bridges by being an A-hole, or asking for stuff, without actually being cool, and developing relationships.

You want some more reasons for blogging at ground zero?

Talk to Sarah Joy, she understands: 7 Reasons to feature your content on your home page

You want to read the only post you’ll need on social media strategy for the rest of 2010?

Read Glenn Allsop’s Social Media Supremacy: 10 Experts Reveal Their Strategies

You want to forge a stronger connection between your spirit and your wallet?

Read Mark Silver’s amazing new (free) guidebook: “Backwards/Forwards”

You want to know why I’m writing this article?

Read about Melissa Gorzelanczyk’s 80 Day Project.

I started mine this week. For me, it’s all about highly effective and productive creative expression (and, yeah, getting amazing things done).

I could go on forever, but I do have work that’s waiting to get done (and people waiting to speak with me). Today is supposed to be my all-out with the clients day. As Chris Guillebeau would say: from time to time, it’s good to Question Everything.

My little magic secret

OK, you made it thus far, do you want to know the magic secret I discovered that changed everything for me, and created the foundation for me to go out and do some serious butt-kicking for my business and my dreams?

Focus EVERYTHING you do on GIVING, instead of TAKING. That’s it. Life-changing.

Start by living – breathing – feeling generosity pouring from your spirit, along with admiration, compassion, love, and abundance – for everyone you appreciate, admire, respect adore, in your life, online, in your social circles, in everything you do. That’s it. OK?

So please, just go out there and do it, stand out, and “be somebody” — be gloriously, amazingly, out-standingly YOU (the best, and most remarkable of you, tho, K?).

“Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.”

- Thanks, Future Buzz (from “48 Laws of Power.”)

You know what else?

1: If you were signed up to my private email list, you would have gotten a lot of this information before anyone else.

2: If you share this post with your friends I will notice, and I will appreciate it! :)

3: Thanks for being here, and thanks for all you do – believe me, it IS noticed.

PHOTO by John Curly

I’ve been following Johhnny B. Truant for ALMOST a year now – mostly because of his insanely entertaining writing for Copyblogger – and I had the privilege to interview him and get some truly mind-bending advice from him a few months back.

I’m now making that interview available to the public for the first time below, but first…

Since that time, he’s just been blowing up the DIY marketing, mad fire-starting, “third tribe” world with his all around mind-bending punk rock awesomeness, and TODAY he’s launching his coolest project to date I’d say:

Question the Rules

Question the Rules: The non-conformist’s punk-rock, DIY, nuts and bolts guide to creating the business and life you really want, starting with what you already have. (ok, that’s a mouthful)

Not an affiliate link — these guys worked their asses off, and they deserve every cent. Seriously.

I’m SO impressed with Johnny’s work, and with his prolific growth. He’s a profound inspiration to me. That’s why I interviewed him originally for RebelBlogger, my WordPress and online business blogging video collection. The thing is, this information really needs to get to as many people as possible, so now I’m sharing it here — for free.

This is probably the most fun I’ve ever had doing a phone interview. (OK, I admit this was also my first recorded phone interview since using a Marantz with audio tapes when I was in college, like, when hotmail was still cool…)

- Much love, and ENJOY!

In this fast-paced interview, online marketing rebel Johnny Truant reveals all about his fast-growing online marketing business, and how he was able to build his business from 0 to six figures in less than a year by basically being himself (and kicking butt). Note: this was a few months ago, and since then, I’m pretty sure Johnny’s come close to doubling his monthly income. Listen to the interview to find out how.

Johnny B. Truant mind-bender interview: Right click here (or control+click Macs) and “save as” to download …

Check out Question The Rules here…

“Because one of the things you have to understand when you’re building or running your own business is that you’re a screaming hardcore punk bastard whether you know it or not.” – Johnny B. Truant (http://johnnybtruant.com/all-entrepreneurs-are-punk-rock/)

Bending the Spoon:

p.s. please use that groovy share button below to share with your friends, and sign up to my newsletter for more ridiculous mind-bending awesomeness… cheers!

In this video Brendan Burchard talks about success, how to win, becoming an expert leader and catching a winning streak.

Brendon is an astonishingly successful expert leader — expert to the experts — and motivational speaker. His site is BrendonBurchard.com. He really knows his sh** and shares TONS of free info.

I enjoyed this video — straightforward and true. The only missing key here is CLARITY. You need a foundation of personal clarity, and the rest will flow so much easier. Enjoy!

The remarkable thing about Brendon is really that he’s in his early thirties. I don’t know what he came from, or where he’s going, but he understands what he’s doing, he knows who he is, and he knows how to teach. He also understands and teaches something that most hard-core business/success coaches don’t touch: Gratitude. That’s really the key, and it starts with a foundation of integrity.

I’m in the middle of watching the video series he created for his “experts academy” training course. Cheesy name, maybe, but it’s to the point, and the free content he shares is pure gold. You can watch the videos at ExpertsAcademy.com (not an affiliate link) – and I recommend his newsletter.

Share this on Facebook or Twitter or Delicious with the links below, and get more juicy stuff at my newsletter: http://ienvisionmedia.com/view/

- Cheers!

OK, I have my moments of loving and hating Twitter, and it tends to go in cycles – depending on my mood! I know that’s the case for a lot of people, and a lot of my clients. The bottom line is: Twitter users who actively engage and interact with their followers, will more than double their monthly leads in many cases. The proof is in the pudding:

This from some hardcore research by the respected Hubspot internet marketing group In case you had any doubts about Twitter being worth your time, time to let those doubts rest.

So, how to have fun with Twitter? Start by following me :) – find some more cool people to follow that are talking about what you’re interested in, and retweet stuff they send that you like, send them a message in response to one of their tweets, or just send a tweet starting with their username to say hi. If you take a few minutes to observe how the people you respect and follow are using Twitter, you can get a lot of ideas. Like anything, with a little practice, it gets easier and maybe actually fun!

Don’t waste time studying the myriad Twitter tactics online. You can just find cool people, follow them, and use their follower lists to find other people to follow. You can also use the “Lists” created by users to find relevant people who are recommended by others. Above all, spend a little time to connect, interact and build relationships. Just a little common sense goes a long way… :)

Finally, I recommend using Seesmic or Tweetdeck to track your tweets, mentions and responses (I prefer Seesmic, as it allows you to also access your Facebook profile and Fanpage).

Most of all, Enjoy!

If you’d care to join me on the journey, I have a fun and free newsletter you can sign up for here. Join me on the social networks, and please share with your friends with the links below. I appreciate your support! :)

- Namaste

Seth Godin’s publishers bailed and forgot the index in his latest book (Linchpin). And he .. didn’t … notice. Which brings me to the question: who cares about indexes, and who uses them anyway…?

I never REALLY did until today — when I downloaded a searchable pdf Linchpin index online. Will I ever use this again? I may, or I may not. But I’m happy to have some fodder to riff on, and something to share — and so was Seth apparently, as he wrote a post about the index today. I’m also happy to report, I’m using the index to write this post and an impromptu review of the book apparently…

I wrote about Linchpin here the day it came out. I haven’t written about it again, except to post a picture of me and my Linchpin (which inexplicably has 1700+ views on my Posterous blog), and then to explain how the “resistance” stopped me from actually buying it until the day AFTER it came out — for 28 bucks at borders — and somehow to tie that into “changing the world,” but that’s another story.

Some of my favorite insights are when Seth reveals his own struggle:

“When you feel the resistance, the stall, the fear, and the pull, you known you’re on to something. Whichever way the wind of resistance is coming from, that’s the way to head — directly into the resistance. And the closer you get to achieving the breakthrough your genius has in mind, the stronger the wind will blow and the harder the resistance will fight to stop you.

I stopped writing this book a dozen times, Each time, the force that got me to pick it up again was the resistance. I realized that my lizard brain was afraid of this book, which is the best reason I can think of to write it.” – Seth Godin

One of the “reasons” I hadn’t yet written an official “review” is because: I felt it was just TOO big to write about (hint: resistance). I really had no idea where to start! In my mind, though, Seth has really become a sort of Yoda of marketing (“There is no try — ‘dere is only DO”).

Perhaps that’s the best starting point. Now that I have an index to refer to, it makes this a little easier too, since about every other page in my copy of the book is dog-eared and marked up…

The direction Seth Godin is going now is huge. Here’s Why:

He’s leveraging his massive influence to ignite a fire of revolutionary proportions. He’s stoking the flames of generosity, creativity and passion in the hearts and minds of our greatest thinkers and doers (and in my spirit too). He’s really on the crest of something big, the transformation that’s sweeping our culture for the past decade or so and shifting the old ways of selfish greed-based “commerce” into passionate gift-based “service.”

The voice in this book may appear to be talking to someone else, as opposed to you, at times. But be sure, the message is loud and clear, and yours to do with what you will:

“Everyone, every single person, has been a genius at least once. Everyone has winged it, invented, and created their way out of a jam at least once.

If you can do it once, you can do it again.

Art, at least art as I define it, is the intentional act of using your humanity to create a change in another person. How and where you do that art is a cultural choice in the moment. No one wrote novels a thousand years ago. No one made videos thirty years ago. No one Twittered poetry three years ago.”

The takeaway is: we humans are all artists. What we choose to do with our gifts, and how we choose to do it is ours to decide. That’s the greatest gift, the freedom of choice and possibility that we are able to access.

The wake-up message for me in this book was: stop thinking about building your business, providing good service, creating great “Value”; start focusing on expanding your heart into your business, being the best damn possible consultant you can be, and providing the best damn service you can, just BECAUSE you can. Even when that means fielding calls on a Sunday evening to fix an emergency shopping-cart glitch on a client’s recent site-launch (yes that was me two nights ago). Or offering a free consulting session to a client that really needs it, just because you can, and you see how easily you can make a huge impact on their business.

You do it, because you’re in some way hearing that part of yourself, that’s calling for you you to share your gift of humanity with the world:

“Art can’t be bought and sold. It must contain an element that’s a gift, something that brings the artist closer to the viewer, not something that insulates one from the other. So, we need to remember how to be artists.”

You just need to have the clarity and insight to create your own map.

Clarity of vision and purpose is perhaps the most important element, and one that is just barely touched on with the subject of “Prajna” in Linchpin. To be fair, listening to Seth talk about Buddhist concepts as they apply to work and art was surprisingly enjoyable, and he does devote a fair bit of time to the subject. But it is the subject for an entire book (and one that I’d enjoy reading). This one element may just be the most significant and powerful enabler of a purpose-driven, successful life.

Like so many insights in this book, there is no real step-by-step framework provided to have perfect Prajna, to vault into greatness, or to be “indispensable.” The point is, there IS no map, no “7-Steps to Linchpin Status,” no path to follow. You have to create it yourself — out of your own vision, and your own insight. That’s the great challenge (and that’s a good thing).

As my teacher used to say: “there is no path in the jungle, you have to make your own.”

“Artists, at least the great ones, see the world more clearly than the rest of us. They have Prajna, a sense of what actually is, not simply the artist’s take on it. That honest sight allows them to see the future over the cloudy horizon. As our world changes faster and faster, it is these honest artists who will describe our future, and lead us there.”

This is the sort of vision and clarity that allows the greatest inventions, the greatest art, and the greatest beauty to shine forth, persist in the face of challenge, and truly make lasting transformation.

Shining forth from a place of clarity and vision, even the smallest act, or seemingly insignificant contribution, becomes part of something bigger and brighter than you. Something with the power to change the world. Something as small as a single Tweet.

Can a single Tweet change the world?

The life-changing power of Twitter is it’s ability to connect people, and incite change. When I recently started posting short 120-characters or less Linchpin quotes from myTwitter account, I didn’t think much of it. But then I started to notice thousands of other people doing the same, and using the #Linchpin hash-tag, which connected us all together and made our quotes findable by others doing the same. Suddenly, a connection was formed between all of us. Something that wasn’t there before, but now instantly possible.

That only happened, because each of those people took the initiative and the opportunity to share their inspiration with the world. Inspiration with the power to incite transformation.

It also supports one of the key take-away’s of all this for me:

“Your personality and attitude are more important than the actual work you create, because indispensable work is work that is connected to others.”

When my approach, and my attitude, and the way I “feel” inside is flowing, and clear and in alignment with my perceived purpose, then my business grows, my work flows, and my experience is quite beautiful. That is something truly worth sharing, and that’s when true magic happens.

Will you allow your art and clarity, and sharing bring magic to life? What will that look like, I wonder…?

If you’d care to join me on the journey, I have a fun and free newsletter you can sign up for here. Join me on the social networks, and please share with your friends with the links below. I appreciate your support! :)

- Namaste

Here’s the index from Scribe: (may be easier to find online vs on your computer, the next time you need it, but the searchable pdf is a little more functional)

Linchpindex

A tribe united by purpose is stronger, more resilient, more likely to change the world for the better…

But very few tribes I’ve ever known (if any) are fully united. Most “tribe members” are driven to serve themselves primarily, and leverage the community to further their own agendas. These people eventually destroy the tribe.

There are really only Two Tribes:

1. Those who are driven by greed to serve themselves; and
2. Those who are driven primarily to serve something Greater than themselves.

You can actually serve yourself better, by serving the “greater good” first. I’ll give you a personal example in a minute, but you might want to play this video first:

Let me repeat that again: You can serve yourself better, by serving the greater good First.

This video is actually a great example of how working for Good first, actually helps you in the long run.

I happened to come across this homespun video of the Black Eyed Peas “One Tribe” song today by an interesting YouTuber embedded in a good blog post. I got the link on my Twitter feed from someone (sorry, she’s lost in the twitter archives) who had found it and tweeted it to her followers. The video’s had about 130,000+ views disseminating a powerful, uniting message.

What happens now? This homespun video producer gets a lot of attention, and built-in credibility. But is he working for himself?

If we really are all “One” — then working for the greater good is ACTUALLY working for yourself.

Those who are devoted to do something bigger themselves — not as a self-serving strategy, but as a natural, honest impulse to make a contribution, make an impact, and make a difference — those people will naturally, organically rise to the top, and they will stay at the top. After they’re gone, their lives will be celebrated.

Those who claw their way to the top, do whatever they can to accomplish their goals, manipulate and use other tribe members and leaders to accomplish their mission, and step on whoever they need to on their way up — they will fall as quickly as they rose. The forces of nature dictate their inevitable misery: the hollow resonance of the misery they’ve caused will come back to them, and whatever’s left of their spirit will wither, if it doesn’t kill them first.

They may also be celebrated on the way, and after their death, but they will be celebrated by the same forces of darkness that drove them forward and pushed them to the top.

“But what about my family, my mortgage, my expenses…?

Everyone has bills to pay, and it SUCKS when you can’t pay them (believe me, I know). Granted, you may have a family to feed, a mission to support, or someplace you’re trying to get. These are not inherently bad things.

Without a self-serving goal, most people find it hard to get anything done. Indeed, it’s possible little of anything would get done without a little ego in the mix.

But I repeat: when you work PERSISTENTLY out of service, from the heart, and for Good — the other stuff WILL take care of itself.

A personal example:

I recently decided to start working more out of service, and less out of the need to “survive.” Even though my company is specifically designed to empower the change-makers of the world to accomplish their mission online, there is a distinct profit component. After all, it IS a company. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, and profit is NOT the sole objective, the objective is to make a difference and be of service.

Nonetheless, my direction, had become somewhat limited by the need to generate more profit to pay for more and ever-growing expenses (both business and personal).

So, I was sitting in meditation, and I realized that in my quest to formulate a stronger business model, I had actually started to evacuate the true spirit of the most important aspect of my business: the aspect of service.

I immediately began reaching out to my friends, and followers and contacts, and asking them — how I could really be of service to them. I began to think about how I could really be of service to the world, and use my knowledge to make a real difference. I decided to offer minimalist websites starting at only $500 (instead of my usual $2,000 full-service starting price) for people who don’t need a lot of customization (and don’t mind getting their hands dirty, and learning how to add their own content and pics themselves).

When you think in terms of using your gifts to help people out, and you ACT on that impulse, good things happen. They always will. When I think in that way, I always experience big growth and spurts in my business. There’s a powerful energy behind it. I’m currently fielding a bunch of new projects and offers, and being invited into high-profile opportunities that would not have existed otherwise.

If we really are all “one tribe” — that means sharing the positive message actually helps ALL people.

Each person that’s touched by the message in that video, only makes it stronger and more potent. Each person that supports that artist, is in fact supporting the force of Good in the world, and multiplying the message exponentially.

I read Seth Godin’s Tribes a while back of course, and I thought he made a fairly persuasive, if somewhat patched together argument for standing up, standing for something, and becoming a leader.

As Heather put it:

I love the idea of the words, “One Tribe”. It gives one a sense of belonging and acceptance that may not have been experienced before. We all want to feel like we are connected with others who possess congruent qualities that we may possess. In the social media networking circles, a tribe is a group of people who share similar interests and support each other in those interests by syndicating (promoting) each others’ blog posts and sharing valuable content with the rest of the world.

I think the tribes concept is valuable, but antiquated. More and more I’m beginning to see a different model of the concept of tribes emerge.

Tribes change the world when united as a unified force. They also fight for darkness.

The concept of tribes is equal parts limiting and expanding. If there are different tribes, than some will compete, and fight one another. Some will unite with other tribes and form stronger and stronger forces. Certain tribe leaders of similar interests will meet, make truces, form agreements.

But tribe members are fickle and they switch sides, they jump to different tribes, they abandon ship.
More and more, I’m starting to see that the whole tribe concept really boils down to something far simpler:

What I’m seeing now is Two Tribes: The people that work for themselves, and the people that work for something bigger than themselves.

If you’re “neutral” you will tend to be co-opted by the forces of selfishness, greed, and ultimately destruction. These are the dominant forces of the modern age. They’re dominant, because they’re powerful. Personal gratification, luxury, sensual enjoyment.

Nothing wrong with these experiences, and with wanting them too. Problem is, the most direct path to achieving them is often the most destructive. Pleasure is seductive, and greed destroys.

To be sure, the people that work for something bigger, are more often than not, really just working for themselves. It’s all fine and good to work for yourself, you just want to try and not to make it the FIRST priority above all else and all others.

First and foremost: Work for something bigger than yourself. Be an artist in whatever you do. A rising tide lifts all ships. (Seth talks about this concept in length in his latest book Linchpin — follow-up to “Tribes” — and one that I absolutely adore and cherish.)

The world is changing…fast…don’t be left behind

The world of business and innovation and entrepreneurialism is changing in a big way. I’m talking REVOLUTIONS here, for real. The people who are working for greed will be left behind, as the old ways of business and commerce are redefined by new generations of people who are working for something bigger and more beautiful then their private selfish interests.

I’m feeling more optimistic about our collective future lately than I have in years… I think it’s in the air.
Or maybe I’m really just unrealistic, and overly optimistic…

Am I just naive, or is it really happening…?

Here’s:

An excerpt from the Black Eyed Peas One Tribe Song (iTunes) Lyrics:

One love, one blood, one people
One heart, one beat, we equal
Connected like the internet
United that’s how we do
Lets break walls, so we see through
Let love and peace lead you
We could overcome the complication cause we need to
Help each other, make these changes
Brother, sister, rearrange this
The way I’m thinking that we can change this bad condition
Wait, use you mind and not your greed
Let’s connect and then proceed
This is something I believe
We are one, we’re all just people…

We are one people
Let’s cast amnesia
Forget about all that evil
Forget about all that evil, that evil that they feed ya
Let’s cast amnesia
Let’s cast amnesia, forget about all that evil
That evil, that they feed ya
We’re one tribe ya’ll
We people, we people
One tribe ya’ll
One people, one people [One People]

What will you do to help unite and strengthen the forces of Good in the world?

Join me on my quest to empower passionate change-makers to unleash your true potential online, and make a real difference in the world.

Share this message with your friends, and sign up for my enlightened marketing for Good free newsletter. And when you get the first message, feel free to write me back and share your thoughts — let me know if you agree or disagree with me. Let me know how I can be of service to you, in your quest to make the world, and your life, a better place to be.

- Peace out!

Your fans online are the lifeblood of your business (more than ever before). But you may not realize how big of an impact super-fans and social sharing can have on your overall business, and your bottom line.

In a recent AdAge post, Taddy Hall identifies an “influencer” as anyone who shares your message with their friends/fans at least once. It turns out, this group typically comprises less than 5% of your visitor base, but accounts for up to 50% of your website traffic…

Basically, that means: time to start paying attention to YOUR “influencers” and potential super-fans and start rewarding them for their contributions.

How Significant a Contribution do Influencers Really Make?

According to Taddy’s research, these visitors are 2-4 times more likely to “convert” — meaning, whatever the goal of your website page or business blog is targeted to accomplish (whether its email signups, product sales, or fan-page follows) users who are sent by your fans are 100% more likely to do what you’d really like them to be doing:

When it comes to conversion, visitors driven to a site by influencers are two to four times more likely to convert compared to visitors from other sources, such as display advertisements or paid search. That means your landing pages for people coming from shared links and social sites should reflect these visitors’ interests and offer enticing deals that will encourage them not only to convert but to share the deals with others.

Sharing = Caring (for real)

When someone shares your content, it means they’re a fan of your work. They may not be a super-fan yet, and they may not even be a fan of YOU, but they’re showing that they endorse what you’re saying. They’re also the ones who are driving some of the most valuable traffic to you. You’re job is to simply acknowledge them, thank them and maybe even give them something useful, and cool, and free (the gift is optional, free is not). Social sharing is powerful. The gift of gratitude is even stronger.

Nurturing the “Super-Influencers”

As soon as you acknowledge the share, reach out to your endorsers and fans, and actually show your appreciation for them, they will continue to share your work, and you may be well on your way to having a “super-fan.” The truth is, anyone who shares your work online, and also becomes a fan — these people should immediately be considered and seen as “super-influencers.”

They should be courted, and treated with respect, because the potential influence they wield goes way beyond their immediate circle of friends and fans. Nurture them by encouraging and acknowledging their contributions. Enter the world of super-social sharing…

The 5 Steps to Turning Your Site Visitors Into Super-Fans:

1. Be remarkably human

Not only remarkable in who you are, and what you offer, but in how you communicate and share and connect with your visitors. Be totally human and totally generous, and totally real — demonstrate an understanding of your audience.

2. Offer remarkable stuff

It’s not enough to just “Be Remarkable” — you have to offer remarkable content, information, products and services that express and convey the “remarkability” that you carry. You’re going for creating something worth talking about.

3. Just ask for what you want!

Sometimes the best way to get what you want, is to just ask for it. Fine.
What’s almost never done is this: Include a compelling “call to action” with reason for them to share, that ties in to your content, i.e. “if you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends — they’ll probably also enjoy (understand, be changed by, find it useful to _______, etc..) and I’d definitely be grateful for your support!”

4. Make it easy to find and share the love

Of course, you should optimize your articles and your pages for social-sharing by adding “share this” links and buttons to the bottom of your posts and pages, adding a Facebook friend box to the sidebar, optimizing your email newsletter sign-up form and page, etc. But you can go a step further by including social-sharing links right in your “call to action,” and giving your visitors cool free resources that are easy to find, but also easy to love by virtue of their usefulness, and therefore easy to share.

5. Thank them for doing it

Show your gratitude by giving your fans and followers more free and cool stuff, special offers, and other stuff worth sharing. But don’t forget the difference that areal connection makes — reach out to them individually as much as you can, and really thank them one-to-one. See if you can offer them something more valuable than any commerce-based transaction ever could be — human kindness and acknowledgment.

6. Rinse and repeat

Keep rocking, keep being a remarkable and generous human, and don’t forget the fans and influencers — they are your lifeblood, and can make your life and work a LOT more rewarding.

The Final Word:

If you can be human, connect with the people coming to your site by smartly conveying your unique “remarkability,” and make it easy to be lovable and shareable (and follow-up with a little gratitude whenever possible) you’ll have the only business and marketing model you may ever really need. Once the initial connection is made — your job is to reach out, and make that connection stronger, as effectively and as often as you can.

Most of all — enjoy your work, and give from your heart. It will be noticed, and rewarded generously.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends with the “share/save” button below, and get my spam-free newsletter here: The View From Inside — I created it to share the most useful and remarkable gifts, and inside insights for the people who understand — and I’m definitely grateful for your support! :)

(Couple sharing image by Coal Miki)

Vook releases “Unleashing the Super IdeaVirus” an updated viral-ready version of Seth Godin’s groundbreaking “Unleashing the Idea Virus” book which itself went super viral as a free ebook at the turn of the millennium… Brilliant.

Some of my favorite concepts:

Don’t “sell products,” create ideas that fill a vacuum: ideas that fill a deep unfulfilled need; concepts that your target audience is driven to share.

Seth Godin: “What marketers do for a living is we build, from the ground up, ideas worth spreading.”

Be willing to have ideas that suck — every so often one great one will slip through…

Be willing to keep outputting the little ideas, keep creating, keep producing, keep “shipping” the small creative inspirations, until you hit the big one…

Incorporating a new multimedia online book format with fresh new interviews, written content, video clips and a navigation system that allows you to go through the entire book in less than 30 minutes. It’s like multimedia nonfiction-book cliff notes on steroids, narrated on camera by the author and the featured subjects… very cool.

I found the 18 brilliant video clips at about a minute or so each allowed for the whole presentation and concepts to absorb and filter through on a deeper, stickier level than just by reading…

At .99 cents for a limited time, it’s kinda hard to think of excuses for why you wouldn’t want it…

“When the platform changes, the leaders change”

- Make your own platform, and lead the change.