Oh, I’m very much a Hunter!

But being a Gemini, I do have a kind of split-personality. So, occasionally I chill out and become a “Farmer”. Not for too long though

Well, almost free. Paid $15.95 S&H.

Charge enough for Shipping & Handling to cover the cost of your shipping and your actual product (printed reports).

And in return, they’re getting my email id (of a paying customer), and also my mailing address.

There are a few one-time-offers along the way. And they’re 1-click. So be careful about what you click on the upsell pages.

And I’m guessing my shipping address would be generously shared with direct marketing companies to send me “Internet Marketing” junk. But that’s not too bad. There’s no law against sending junk offers by regular mail, and I can always opt-out of those if I wanted to.

Anyway, here’s the link if you want to get the free videos and the report (yup, I will be compensated if you go through that link .

And I did get it myself too

Enjoy.

I believe it is critically important to have role models, teachers, mentors, gurus, leaders, spiritual guides – from whom we can draw courage, inspiration, enlightenment, guidance – in times of need at various stages of our life.

So here’s a short list of my role models, who have all tremendously inspired me, taught me, and given me courage in difficult/tough/desperate/sad/challenging times.

Times when I ask myself…

What would Nick Vujicic do?

What would Seth Godin do?

What would Steve Jobs do?

And of course, I never stop thinking this….

What would my beloved Father do? (And what is he doing now?)

- Ravi

Did you know that the incredibly famous Nike “Swoosh” logo was created by a graphic design student desperate to pay for a dress for an upcoming party, for a stunning total of $35 (at $2/hour)?

I watched a Nike documentary recently, where they interviewed  Philip Knight (one of Nike’s Founders), “His Airness” Michael Jordan, and the legendary designer of all (or most?) Air-Jordan shoes.

Knight talks about how when he first met the folks at Wieden+Kennedy (the media company that helped launch Nike as an international brand, with mainly remarkable marketing), he told them that he didn’t believe in advertising!

There is a clip at the end where LeBron James, one of the highest paid basketball players in the world today, says he grew up watching Michael Jordan, and how he and every single kid he knew felt that if they wore the same “Air Jordan” Shoes that they saw Jordan wearing in the commercials, they too could “soar in the air” and make all sorts of magical moves on the court – Just Like Mike.

Did the kids know deep, deep, deep inside that just wearing a specific brand of shoes won’t make you a better player? Of course, they all did.

But did they still convince themselves (and their parents) against reason and common-sense, that the shoes were really what counted? Of course, they all did!

How much did the association with Michael Jordan help Nike become the sports-wear-juggernaut that it is? Probably a LOT.

That just proves one thing: When you have a really strong brand (remarkable shoes, remarkable computers, remarkable prices, remarkable advice), people are much more likely to  buy your products – AND your recommendations – without thinking too much.

My hero Seth Godin recently recommended a book called “Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions“. All he wrote was, (paraphrasing) “It’s remarkable, just go buy it”.

Had never heard of the author. Didn’t read any reviews. Didn’t care about the price.

I just went and bought it  – just because Seth Godin thought it was good (yes, he has worked hard to build that level of trust, and I’m sure he knows better than to dilute it by recommending purely in return for money (say, commercial endorsements?).

If you read only one book this year, then make sure it is this one.

The difference is pretty simple, actually

Quit Smoking
Simple: We all know the health benefits of not smoking. Quit smoking, live longer.
But Not Easy: The actual act of quitting is really hard.

Losing Weight
Simple: Do it and you will look good, feel good, and have more energy
But Not Easy: Working out frequently, cutting down on your favorite fatty foods, and eating healthy, is the hardest thing to do when you’re overweight.

Raving Fans
Simple: Take good care of your customers, and address their questions and concerns quickly.
But Not Easy: The amount of time and effort spent and processes you need to put in place. And sincerely caring about your customers.

Creating Something “Remarkable”
Simple: Build something that people want or need with a unique twist, go really deep in features, and address all the benefits.
But Not Easy: Think Microsoft. All the money and resources and clout in the world, yet they give us Windows ME and Vista.

Earning A Recurring Income
Simple: Build a membership site, add great content, price it well and market it well.
But Not Easy: Implementing the right membership software, creating great content consistently, doing the research and testing on pricing, implementing solid marketing.

If you just looked at what needs to be done, a lot of things in life are actually quite simple.

But the act of just doing it, doing it well, and continuing to do it well, is never ever easy.

Hope you don’t settle for the easy in life. Because nothing worth doing in life is ever easy.

Simple, may be, but never easy.

Last week, I searched YouTube (not Google) for how to “change wiper blades“, and watching a couple of the videos helped me change the wiper blades on my car in under 2 minutes (something I had been putting off for almost a year!)

Here is an interesting article about the shift in the way people are searching for information…

In November, Americans conducted nearly 2.8 billion searches on YouTube, about 200 million more than on Yahoo, according to comScore.

If you are not using video on your site, you are leaving a lot of money (and visitors) on the table.

Yet another incredible presentation from Seth Godin.

I can’t seem to get enough of what he talks about…

Ok, I was being dramatic. Plus I’m straight (and I think Seth is too).

Last evening, I was fortunate to be a part of a private group that participated in Seth presentation for his new book, “Tribes” .

The presentation was “remarkable!”, as Seth would’ve said himself.

Filled with extraordinary images, and almost no text, Seth walks the Garr Reynolds talk.

Came away with some terrific ideas for building and nurturing my own tribe.

Thanks Seth!

If you haven’t watched this presentation he gave at Google, it’s a must-see.

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Uncanny!

I got “Presentation Zen” delivered in the mail last night from Amazon.

And someone tweeted this Garr Reynolds video of “Authors at Google”…