Joe Kennedy's AID for December 31, 2011

Here is the video for my AID today - New Year's Eve 2011.



As always, I have a lot of great things to be thankful for and much to look forward to as well. Here is the text from today's AID:

AID December 31, 2011

Appreciation:
Having lots of good tools available to create online content.
Jackie, Makaya and Stacia making videos for www.JokingWithJackie.com
A great end to 2011.
Starting off 2012 on the fast track.

Intention:
Empty email inboxes
Update/finish goals
Celebrate the New Year in a fun way
Start the New Year feeling great and taking positive action towards The Plan
Post videos to www.JokingWithJackie.com
Create a better viewing option for the listings at www.EastsideBusinessDirectory.com
Belong to a high quality health club by the end of January 2012 - could be the Bellevue Club, David Barton Gym or ....?????  It seems like a savvy club would understand how much publicity and traffic I can generate for them through this site, as well as, JoeAbs.com, LuxuryFitnessFun.com and BellevueBusinessJournal.com.

Delegation:
I am leaving it to the Universe and my subconscious mind to work together to help create the perfect balance of love, truth and prosperity in my life – and I trust that they do.

Peace and Prosperity for All in 2012

For many of us, 2011 has not been the best year and 2010 wasn't so good either ....  Not sure about you, but I am ready for a GREAT year in 2012!

For my part, I am going to continue to live within my means, be thoughtful about all purchases and shopping habits - and continue to go out of my way to help others (and their businesses).  Are you going to be making any changes in 2012 to help make sure it is a better year?



 

My AID for Today - Appreciation, Intention, Delegation

Since I started seeing my Millionairess just about 90 days ago, there have been a number of really cool things that we have been able to share together.

One of the daily habits she practices, which I believe is a practice of her boss's entire team, is called AID:  Appreciation, Intention and Delegation.

Those of you who live in gratitude know the power of showing daily appreciation, so this is a great way to start.  The Intention and Delegation sections make it even more powerful.

I believe that Stacia and Thach's team are in the practice of emailing their AID to the group (or certain members of it) to share and help with accountability.  This is a great practice, but I am taking it a couple of steps further.  I have recorded it as a screencast and will post it here on my personal blog for ALL to see.  I hope you will ALL hold me accountable ...

 



Joe Kennedy's AID for December 30, 2011

Here is the text of it:

AID – Joe Kennedy, December 30, 2011

Appreciation:

A growing committed relationship with Stacia.

The opportunity to choose.

The health to exercise.

A brain to think with.

A really cool little girl.

 

Intention:

Total lifestyle design.  Nothing happens without thinking about it first and making sure it fits in with goals, values and The Plan.

New sponsors signed up for www.BellevueBusinessJournal.com and www.EastsideEntrepreneurs.com

I will live in a great downtown Bellevue condo or apartment by February 1^st.  (think Bellevue Towers, The Bravern, Washington Square, Ten20 Tower, or one of Avalon's downtown Bellevue properties.

Continue to eat clean while, learning to cook a wider variety of healthy foods and recipes.

 

Delegation:

I am leaving it to the Universe and my subconscious mind to work together to help create the perfect balance of love, truth and prosperity in my life – and I trust that they do.

 

BTW - the video was made with a screen recorder software called Camtica. What do you think about it? Screen Recorder Software

Google Up to Some Interesting Things with Schemer

It seems like any trip to my Post Office Box can truly be (or at least lead to) an adventure.  Because of my past as a newspaper publisher and a present that includes being part of the media by publishing BellevueBusinessJournal.com, I occasionally get sent some interesting 'stuff'.

Today I received a non-descript box with a nice little business card holder, with a single business card in it.  This card simply said Schemer on one side and a link on the other.  Of course as soon I had the change, I needed to visit the link http://goo.gl/Ppn3F - I'm assuming it was a special link tracked to me that opened up to a site called Schemer.  I am assuming that because this site is tied into Google+ that it is a Google site - and regardless of where it came from, I thought it was a brilliant marketing play.  After not a lot more thought, I realized that it was @Charles Koh who works at Google Places who probably was responsible for the mystery gift ...

Thanks Charles!

BTW - although I have not yet done a lot with it, I am on Google+ and have also rated a good number of local businesses on Google Places.  I would really love to have the opportunity to partner with Schemer, Google Places and Google+ with BellevueBusinessJournal.com and EastsideEntrepreneurs.com - and would love to be able to review some of the more luxurious and opulent Google Places for my new project at LuxuryFitnessFun.com

 

Wanna Buy a (Traffic) Island in Bellevue? OkaySoToday.com Wants to Sell You One ...

This morning I was a little tired on the way back from the gym.  It was still dark, but I could not believe my eyes when I saw what I thought I saw - I had to make a u-turn and find out.

This was a great play by the peeps at OkaySoToday.com !!!  BUT - how could they be so bold as to sell a traffic island that is so darn important to all those who use it as a litter bin for their signs during campaign season?  Are are the neighbors finally all done protesting light rail?

Lingering questions we would all like answers to ...

 

My First Crossfit Workout Ever: Going NUTTS at Stone Way Crossfit in Seattle VIDEO

Earlier today, at LuxuryFitnessFun.com, I posted a post workout video from yesterday after surviving my first ever crossfit workout introducing Stone Way Crossfit owner/trainer Scott Rodriguez, Joe Bauer of AllAroundJoe.com, his business partner Erik Bee, Malachi and Rob Kilcup who all made the experience very enjoyable.  Thankfully, Scott took it easy on me and gave me a modified version of the "NUTTS" workout that the rest of them did.  Here is some of the action (Thank you to the Millionairess, Stacia Loo for filming this):



After the workout I was pleasantly fatigued and exhausted - my whole body felt worked and my lungs had gotten more work in around 15 minutes than if I had done my usual hour of cardio on a Precor eliptical or something similar.  My heart rate was definitely increased and I'm sure I was still burning extra calories over a couple hours later.

Thanks to Scott and the guys, I had a great time with my first crossfit experience and am looking forward to more in the future.  Still seriously considering Scott's challenge to me to take a 90 day crossfit challenge ....  Anybody else up for it?

Six Reasons a Listing in the Eastside Business Directory is Crucial for Your Bellevue or Eastside Business

We just launched the Eastside Business Directory at BellevueBusinessJournal.com with a special $50 promotion (50% off) and if you act quick, you can still get the deal.

Here are just six reasons (not including the 50% discount) why all businesses in Bellevue and on the Eastside of Lake Washington should have a listing on the Eastside Business Directory and links on BellevueBusinessJournal.com (the highest ranked page under 'Bellevue Business'

• It’s an extremely affordable way to market your business – it’ll cost you just $100 50 per year or $0.27  .14 per day.


• It offers maximum exposure – something you definitely need. Well, at least for your business.


• It will help you increase your sales all year round.


• It will boost your SEO by having your URL link on a Google Page Rank 4 site


• It will get you on the #1 Googled site for Keyword “Bellevue Business”


• It will support your new business, product launches, promotions, specials and more

(if you decide to take advantage of this deal while it is available, make sure to select the package with a discount).

VIDEO: Looking for Internet Marketing Pros to Help LuxuryFitnessFun.com win ThinkTraffic.net's Million Dollar Blog Project

I'm looking for internet marketing pros to help give their expert advice and pointers so that LuxuryFitnessFun.com can win ThinkTraffic.net's Million Dollar Blog Project.  Are you a successful internet marketer?  Would you take the time to look at LuxuryFitnessFun.com and give me 1 to 3 suggestions of what I should be doing to maximize revenue asap?  Emails, phone calls and videos are all accepted and appreciated.

Here's my short (2.5 min) video seeking advice from successful internet markets around the world:

 

Do Bellevue Businesses Deserve a Business Organization That Promotes Them? Would You Support an All-Bellevue Chamber?

It seems like there is a huge void for the businesses of Bellevue - there is no business membership group (outside of Eastside Entrepreneurs which is open to all) which will help promote their businesses, offer affordable and fun networking opportunities as well as budget conscious ways for additional marketing.

The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce

Google "Bellevue" and then Google "Bellevue Business" and Find BellevueBusinessJournal.com

A couple of weeks ago, I tried searching for the keywords "Bellevue Business" on google.  I was a little surprised at all the paid ads at the top, but am proud to say that the #1 organic search result is BellevueBusinessJournal.com - one of my most active sites.  (Advertising is available and very inexpensive considering the market it has exposure to.)  It is a little surprising that the Bellevue Chamber with it's huge budget and staff is behind us - but hey I'm happy - and feel like we do a much better job of representing businesses and business people in Bellevue and on the Eastside of Lake Washington.  Shoot - at the time of this writing, my real estate blog site, JoeKennedy.biz was only two listings behind the 'mighty' chamber.

This morning I just googled "Bellevue" and was very surprised to see that BellevueBusinessJournal.com shows up on the very first page.  It is at the bottom, but heck we are on the first page!  Again, ahead of the slumping Bellevue Chamber of Commerce whose site does not even show up on the first page at all.

BTW - Microsoft's BING seems to continue to be irrelevant in search, (especially local search) as many of it's search results are simply list directories or links from the Bellevue's in Nebraska or Tenessee (although BellevueBusinessJournal.com is still listed #2 and way ahead of the once influential Bellevue Chamber, which is not even listed on the first page under Bellevue Business) ...  This is very sad.

Just Signed Up for the Million Dollar Blog Project

I just signed up for ThinkTraffic.net's Million Dollar Blog Project - and the competition is ON!

The blog that I will be using for the competition (and a lot of other projects) is LuxuryFitnessFun.com.  It is a very new blog with no real traffic or subscribers, but I think we will be seeing that change in the next few months.  My goal is to get to the top of the leader board in reported revenue by June 1st, 2012 - and that is starting out today with $0 reported revenue.

I'm also going to be learning a lot about internet marketing, as well as luxury, fitness and fun and will be wanting to blog and vlog about it all.  Cannot wait to share.

Ready for a Real Celebration?

If you thought that you've seen fireworks displays, you probably have not seen anything quite like this scene at the Oban community fireworks display.



All the fireworks for the entire show end up going off in the first minute ....  Thanks to Red and 107.7 The End who first posted it over on their blog.

Do You Have a Book, e-Book, Program or Course You Want to Sell More Of?

Have you written a book, e-book, program or course that you want to sell more of?  It can be difficult to sell these products through traditional channels and many times authors and creative types are not the right personalities to go out and sell.

Are you willing to partner with an internet marketer for a chance at sales going off the charts?

I'd love to hear from you.  I've been learning quite a bit about internet marketing learning from some of the best in the biz and need some products to market using some of the techniques that I have learned.

Preferred projects are deliverable by email and/or web, and designed to reach certain niche markets.  Optimal target markets in my eyes are: luxury, fitness, fun, pets and animals, and travel.  All reasonable (and most of the unreasonable) proposals will be considered.  Please write to me at JoeConnector(at)gmail.com.

JetSetLife.tv Doing A Lot of Things Right

This morning as I was going through my regular barrage of email, ads, e-newsletters and spam, I looked at an email from Rob over at JetSetLife.tv to see what was going on.  In his email, he actually asked ME (and every single other newsletter subscriber) to send him some questions about what is holding people back from building a successful online business.

I have not yet met Rob, but have watched a growing number of his videos and read many of his emails - he does genuinely want to help people.  I love his method and hope it creates a lot of engagement for him.  After listening this morning to Dave Navarro of TheLaunchCoach.com, I believe a side benefit (or possible even the main target of this exercise) is that Rob's readers will send him questions that will help him come up with new products to create and market?  Am I on track?

Anyway, here is the video of me asking Rob two main questions:



Basically my questions were:

1) How do you choose what to focus your time on?

2) How did you get started in internet marketing, what was your first product and how did it do?

What would you like to ask Rob?  Anything you would like to ask ME?  I'd love to get some videos from readers of this blog to share with all our readers.  If you have any questions, please feel free to comment, write or vlog with you questions.

Most Excellent Breakthough Thanks to The Launch Coach

This morning I've been doing a lot of plotting, planning, thinking ... I've also been listening to a bunch of really cool audio recordings from The Launch Coach who has stepped away from the Internet and offers a "Pay What You Feel Like" model for a lot of great content.

Thanks to listening to The Launch Coach recording on how to create products, I have decided that before I put together the Clean Eating Fitness Program that I am going to first create a great guide to getting jobs at ski resorts.  It's timely and there are a lot of people who would love to be a ski bum for a season (or three ...).   Not sure I have the right market to sell thousands, but I think it will get a decent response at $9.99.

If you have any suggestions on this, I would love to hear them but in the meantime I am looking for any and all information on seasonal employment, resort jobs, ski jobs, etc.

Thanks again to The Launch Coach, Dave Navarro and to The Millionairess in Training for sending the link!

Looking Forward to Being a Full Time Internet Marketer and Pro Blogger for Hire

It's been a real interesting week. After being approached by three separate parties wanting to contribute to me being a full time internet marketer and pro blogger for hire, I've got a renewed enthusiasm for projects like BellevueBusinessJournal.com and Eastside Entrepreneurs and a new excitement for my pet project Luxury Fitness Fun.

LuxuryFitnessFun.com has been born out of my desire to really design a life, rather than work at a J.O.B. 9-5 M-F.  In a way it was also made possible by the economy.  Up until recently (and maybe even now depending on the compensation) I would have been very happy to be able to land a job and get a paycheck.  I've basically been unemployed for most of the past 4+ years and knew early on that I did not like it.  Still the same, it seems like no matter how many contacts I have, positions I apply for or resumes I send out, I simply cannot even get an interview.  Guess I should just chalk it up to my appearance as The Hair Farmer and call it a day - and in many ways I guess I already have.

For way too long it was very easy just to feel sorry for myself, then I realized that I am not alone and that there are many other people in the same boat.  Over the past couple of years I have sure noticed A LOT more guys dropping kids off at school and the gyms seem to be a lot more crowded during the day than they used to be in the good old days ...  So knowing that other people are in the same situation somehow made it a little bit easier to cope with, but not a whole lot.  Knowing that there are other people and their families out there hurting was actually of zero comfort at all.

I finally woke up and realized that I have to take action - more, smarter, more, measured, targeted, more ACTION.  Since I've been so conveniently unemployed, it has been much easier for me to be involved in a "Clean Eating Project".  I'll be writing a lot more about it under Fitness at LuxuryFitnessFun.com in the near future, but basically I'm a little over half way on the 90 day commitment to myself to have a drastic and radical shift in everything I consume.  After only 50 days I have noticed a HUGE difference in my body makeup and I have learned oh so much.  It's amazing how much fat and sugar most people (especially us Americans) put into our bodies each and every day.  The first fitness "secret" I have discovered is that consistent consumption of the right types and amounts of food and drink are CRITICALLY important.  I emphasize "CRITICALLY' because I believe that nobody can be as healthy as possible unless and until they convert their total nutrition intake to that of Clean Eating.

If you are interested in learning more about eating clean, please make sure to subscribe to the posts at www.LuxuryFitnessFun.com

"Like"-ing the Mobile App from 107.7 The End - Which App Should it Replace on First Page?

I downloaded the mobile app for Seattle Radio Station 107.7 The End from the iTunes store the other day and am really digging it.  Great music with very few commercials (although the one about wearing seatbelts from the Smoke Shop Guy is really getting old fast.)  When first downloaded it ended up about 5 or 6 pages of apps deep, but is now on the front page - guess which app I moved down (waaaaaay down) the list?

Let me give you a hint:  There is a music app with some kind of ties to Facebook (or did they just create a FB app?) that has a mobile version.  Said mobile version is virtually worthless unless one is a "premium" subscriber.  This means that the app is really just taking up space on my iPhone and I should just deleted it.  I should also mention that I still have and will continue to use their (free) desktop version, although I think there may be better options for what it does.

What is your favorite music app? How many music apps do you have on the front page of your mobile device?

What Have I Done? I Just Volunteered to Be Troop Leader of My Daughter's Girl Scout Troop ...

Even I cannot believe what I just did.  I just did a bulk "reply to all" to an email from the very nice woman who was my daughter's Girl Scout Troop Leader last year.  She has been pleading for someone else to take over because she is super busy this year - but so far none of the mom's have stepped up.

This year would be their second year as a troop and is also the 100 year anniversary of the Girl Scouts organization - and Jackie really loves being in girl scouts, so I did a stupid thing .....  I said that if nobody else would step up (and Jackie is ok with it) that I would!  Not sure if I meant it more as a threat or an incentive to get one of the ladies to step up, but I'm hoping it does light a fire and one or more of the mom's do step up and help out their daughters!

This was what I wrote in the email:

Thank you ___________.  Unfortunately Jackie’s mom is working and taking care of a baby.

While I don’t think it is appropriate (or fair to the girls) for a guy to be a Girl Scout Troop Leader, I do think that Girl Scouts are important and that this 100 year anniversary should not be missed.   SO >>>> if nobody else decides to step up (and Jackie wants me to) I will volunteer.

You probably do not want a hair farmer being your girl scout troop leader, but it is an option ….

Thank you,

Joe

I Ate Pizza for the First Time in 45 Days and It Made Me Feel Terrible: Might Never Eat Pizza Again

Last night I was really hungry and felt like I needed a "cheat" meal away from my new, "clean" diet.
So I ordered a large pizza for my daughter and myself.  I used to be able to eat a large alone, but together we didn't even get through half.  I ate three slices, but kind of had to force myself through the third one ...  It did not taste good at all (although Jackie said it was really good) - and I'm not even close to wanting to order another one.

Eating clean has great benefits - gives me a lot more energy - and I'm getting used to it.  I don't think I will ever go back to eating a diet full of fats and sugars like I did for over 40 years ..

Goals for the Week:

I just have a great feeling that this is going to be a very, very good week.  I need to make sure, so I'm sending out my intentions and we'll see what I can make happen.

Here are my goals for this week (in no particular order):

Sell my 1997 Mercedes S500 or trade in for a Subaru wagon or other great snow vehicle.

Find a new place to live (either a house in Bellevue with a lease purchase, or a condo in downtown Bellevue that will allow pesky little golden retrievers like Hannah Montana Kennedy.

Find the right people to take over BellevueBusinessJournal.com and Eastside Entrepreneurs with the new energy and focus required to make them each thrive.

Contact at least 200 San Francisco area nonprofits about Deals4Dreams and help get at least 10 of them started raising money for their orgs through a D4D Deals Site.

Continue with the great progress with diet and exercise in my still top secret LuxFitFun project.

 

I know that there is a lot more I want to accomplish this week, but am working on a deadline right now.  Will finish this list a bit later ....

 

My 49th Birthday Wish: Help 49 San Francisco Non-Profits with Deals4Dreams

The new Bellevue-based start-up, Deals4Dreams has been up and running for just over a month and already has a bunch of awesome nonprofit partners - most so far here in the Seattle area.  These partners are rather happy, as they have already been getting checks for 50% of the net proceeds.

I am on a quest to offer the services of Deals4Dreams to help nonprofits down the west coast and throughout the US.  Since there are only so many hours in a day, I have to choose somewhere to focus first and I will pick San Francisco because The City is a great place, with very diverse people and also has a huge number of fantastic nonprofit organizations that do such wonderful work.  It doesn't hurt that it's only 750 miles away and hosts a lot of great tech and social media events.

MAJOR Changes Coming at Facebook with Timeline and OpenGraph apps, but What Does it Mean for Business Pages?

After watching Mark Zuckenberg's keynote this morning at Facebook's annual f8 Conference, I'm very fascinated at some of the planned changes with TimeLine and OpenGraph apps and am looking forward to checking them out.  It seems to me that there may be a whole lot more over-sharing going on with the new 'light-weight' updates.  Not sure I want to know everything all my friends eat and drink ...  Not sure I want my friends to know everything  my other friends eat and drink ...  Not sure I even want to share everything I eat and drink .. or listen to ... or watch ...

At the same time, I'm most interested in how these changes may or may not affect businesses and organizations and Facebook Pages.  Does anyone have have information on this?  How do you explain the total lack of even mentioning business and Pages?

You can watch the rest of the f8 conference here (or below).

Watch live streaming video from f8live at livestream.com

PETA Has Gone Too Far and MUST Be Stopped

A few years ago, I took my then 4 year old daughter to the Ringling Brothers Circus in Everett.  Standing out front to greet every man, woman and child were PETA protesters with signs that contained very graphic photos of what they claimed were animal abuses by Ringling.  Now it is never ok to hurt or torture an animal (and I'm not sure if Ringling has or does), but do two wrongs make a right?  Is it OK for PETA to ruin a 4 year old's first circus?  Or anyone's circus?

Now the Seattle Times has an article saying that the brains behind PETA have organized a protest in Seattle of all fish-eating places, to tell people not to catch - or eat fish.  They must have been ingesting way too much of something ...

Apparently, according to King5.com and Reuters, PETA is planning to launch a porn site in the name of animal rights.  Adult, XXX Movies mixed in with PETA's propaganda photos - sounds like they are looking in the right place. Most of the other people out there that are crazed and delirious enough to support PETA's extreme actions without regard to the general public, are probably watching snuff films anyway.

What's YOUR take?

Dinosaurs Reproducing in the United States???

According to a story by Jennifer Viegas at Discovery News, and spread through various social media channels by Guy Kawasaki and HolyKaw/AllTop, a five inch long baby dinosaur with a short nose and spikes was found drowned in Maryland.

And we've been taught that dinosaurs are extinct .... What's next?  Are they going to find Dodo Birds in TJ?

Life Changes, Web Partners and Community Advisors Sought for BellevueBusinessJournal.com and Eastside Entrepreneurs Social Network

WOW!  There is just so much good stuff going on that I don't know where to start ...

During the last I've been having some fun helping some friends who have created an awesome "Daily Deals" site that benefits lots of very cool nonprofit and charity organizations.  It is called Deals4Dreams and has had some really amazing "Dream Deals".  Today's deal is $15 for $30 worth of food and drink at Pasta Freska on Westlake in Seattle.

If You Watch TV, You Probably Want to Check Out Jason Griffin's TVaholic.com

I just stumbled across a site called TVaholic.com which just happens to be published by Eastsider Jason Griffin.  If you are into TV at all, there is information there for YOU - including listings, reviews, announcements and giveaways!

Great idea Jason - Nice site - I hope you are getting tons of traffic!

Update: Amazon Application Status

While perusing the Amazon Careers site and logging into my profile, I noticed a "What's My Status?" link.  The image below shows my "status" at Amazon - I have NONE ...

Although I have not yet been reviewed and rejected for all 15 jobs (5 are still under review), I am at least a little discouraged.  But I AM going to stick with the daily tweets to Amazon until I actually do get an interview with a hiring manager.

@Amazon @AmazonFresh @AmazonLocal Being Sent Daily Tweets Until I Get an Interview

I'm really hoping that my current project with the guys at Deals4Dreams really takes off like it should and that they hire me on an ongoing basis.  They are all great guys, with an awesome business model that helps people and nonprofits and ideally I will be involved longterm, but its kind of out of my hands and I need to have options.

This Twitter move is admittedly being done in frustration, but I'm betting it gets me an interview (and hopefully/probably) a job.  My frustration mostly comes from being basically unemployed for a little over three years - I know there are unfortunately still a growing number of people who share that in common.  During that time period, there have been varying levels of effort, determination, and levels of being desperate.  (Not all that long ago I even held a sign on a freeway offramp in the rain in an attempt to get enough money to buy my daughter a Christmas gift - and got zero donations).

Bellevue Startup Deals4Dreams Has Supporters of Many Nonprofits in Suspense

For the past couple of weeks I have been working on getting Bellevue-based startup, Deals4Dreams set up and established on Facebook and Twitter, while attempting to engage many different nonprofits to show them how they can benefit from the program.  It really surprises a lot of people when we tell them that they can offer their members and supporters amazing deals twice a week from Deals4Dreams - and that their nonprofit group will receive 50% of the profits.  

Facebook Landing Page for Deals4Dreams

I've been working on creating a Facebook landing page for new visitors to the Deals4Dreams Facebook page.  I've got new tabs from two separate apps, but cannot get them to come up first ...

Here's the image I want to show in the page (I need to post it so that I can link to it anyway)

Non-Profits Signing Up for New Fundraising Program - Deals4Dreams

At some point in the next week or two, Bellevue-based Deals4Dreams will be launching their free webservice for non-profit organizations.  I recently agreed to work on social media and public relations for the technology start-up on a short-term basis and cannot wait for the launch of the site and the daily deals for non-profits start getting sent out, purchased and redeemed!  In the meantime, please 'Like' Deals4Dreams on Facebook and follow @Dreams4Deals on Twitter and most importantly, let me know if you support any US-based non-profits that you would like to see have a Dream4Deals fundraising site at ZERO COST....

We will be kicking off in the greater Seattle area, while simultaneously launching in 24 other major markets across the country.  It's a fun, but busy time and we are looking forward to serving our partners - businesses, non-profits and their supporters.

  

August 1st This Year Brings Good Vibes, The Start of Big, FAT Changes

(WARNING:  This post is much more personal than most of my writing.  If reading it might make you uncomfortable, please don't.)

For some reason today (being August 1st) seems more like a day for goals, setting intentions and starting massive change than does January 1st.  Notice I did NOT mention resolutions - I've never believed in them!

Perhaps the recent nice weather has got me in a good mood and a bit motivated, I'm not sure if that is why, but I feel like some huge changes are finally going to be happening.

Latest Read: When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead by Jerry Weintraub with Rich Cohen

Another book I found on the Bellevue Regional Library's new non-fiction table the other day is When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead by Jerry Weintraub with Rich Cohen.  If you like autobiographies, are an entrepreneur or just like stories about show business, I would fully recommend reading this book.  Although Weintraub is constantly telling stories about really cool things he did - and doing a lot of name dropping, I didn't once get the feeling like he was bragging.  It was great to read about his relationships with presidents, heads of studios and much more.

The biggest take away that I got from this book was his quote that "When artists try to run their business, they stop being artists."  Although I am not personally an artist, I've thought a lot about this and believe that people should do what they enjoy (and are hopefully good at) and leave the rest to other people.  What do you think?

I remember when Weintraub had Concerts West going full tilt back in the day - but in the end, he just shut it down when he stopped enjoying it.  It didn't hurt that by then he was producing some really big movies ..

Amy Winehouse's Cremation Is A Reminder To All Of Us

"Get your final resting plans in order."  That's the warning to people of all ages from Jill Larson, Senior Vice President of Smart Cremation who was pleased that Amy Winehouse's parents made sure that their daughter's decision to be cremated was granted, despite what others had to say.

A number of stories were recently written about Amy Winehouse's decision to be cremated because she was Jewish.

@Twitter Has the Fail Whale, @Klout has the fail snail ...

Social Media Maverick, Eastside Entrepreneur and Magic Dad, Brian Crouch who works in social media at The Music Group in Bothell, WA got me thinking about the Klout web app the other day. For the past couple of days, I have visited the Klout site and spread the love by 'sharing Klout' with people.  If I was to share Klout with you, what subject would you want it to be under?  Let me know and I'll see what I can do to help give your more Klout!

Real Estate for me please!

Had to post the picture from Klout this morning, while Twitter has the Fail Whale,



 

 

 

 

 

Klout has the fail snail

Latest Read: Fail Up by Tavis Smiley

While at the Bellevue Regional Library (an amazing resource) the other day, I was browsing the table with new non-fiction books and came across a book called Fail Up by Tavis Smiley.  I though I had heard the Smiley name, but liked the subtitle:  "20 Lessons on Building Success".

Tavis does a good job of relating some of his experiences and mistakes (some HUGE) to the 20 lessons he shares.  He does an excellent job of promoting himself and writing his opinions, but that sometimes seemed to get in the way of the message.

If you have read this book or end up buying it and do read it in the future, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.  Thank you in advance and If you don't actually read the book, there is no need sending your thoughts.

Gratitude, Reunions, Friends, Bellevue Art Fairs and New Opportunities

This is going to be an amazing week!  I know - I usually say that on Monday mornings - and I always believe it too!  This week IS going to be a bit different, as there is a lot going on.

I first want to express my gratitude for getting to experience some sun and a little bit of summer over the weekend.  It was great to be able to take a few bike rides without the threat of rain.  I was even able to take a bunch of new pictures of Bellevue - particularly of hotels and apartment buildings.  I'll be posting some of those a little later in the week, so you might want to check back - or look at the Facebook page for BellevueBusinessJournal.com.

Andy Andrews' "The Final Summit" is a Good Read

Last night I finished reading  The Final Summit by New York Times Bestselling Author Andy Andrews.  I fully recommend that everyone read it - especially if you are into personal development and/or trying to help find a way for humanity to survive.

Although Andrews swears that The Final Summit is NOT a sequel to The Traveler's Gift, they do both share some of the same characters.  Although I have not yet had the pleasure of reading The Traveler's Gift (I do want to), it seems as though the main character in each story is David Ponder - and he is joined by a cast of amazing characters who along with Ponder, are referred to as "travelers".  Among my favorite characters in The Final Summit are Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and the archangel Gabriel - and they keep it interesting throughout.

If you would like to read The Final Summit by Andy Andrews, you can buy it on Amazon for less than $15, otherwise, please let me know and I will send the first person to inquire my own copy, personally signed by the author.  This was the first book I had read by Andy, but will be reading his other works in the near future.

Andru Edwards's Seattle Mind Camp 7 to be Held August 20-21 at ThinkSpace in Redmond

[caption id="attachment_221" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Seattle Mind Camp 7 August 20-21 at ThinkSpace"][/caption]

Andru Edwards's Seattle Mind Camp 7 is August 20-21 at ThinkSpace in Redmond.

Seattle Mind Camp is back! We’ve just scheduled Seattle Mind Camp 7 to take place over the weekend of August 20-21 at the incredible ThinkSpace. Oh, and yes, the event will most certainly run for 24 hours straight as usual. Tickets are on sale now, and we’ve already got a great group of people registered. Be sure to get your ticket, because we expect these to go fast!

Wondering what's so cool about Mind Camp? You may wanna check out their YouTube channel!

Who Are the Smartest People on the Eastside?

Are you or someone you know super intelligent?  Perhaps you have key critical thinking skills, or just a big brain that gets a lot of activity ...

I'd like to hear from the smartest, most intelligent people on the Eastside.  I'm especially interested in hearing from all the social media experts out there - anyone from Social Media Club Seattle want to chime in?

All of us here on the Eastside of Lake Washington have a fantastic opportunity - WE CAN END LOCAL HUNGER!  What's REALLY cool is that once we put an end to local hunger, we can show other communities how to do it too!

I know that I am not one of the brightest on the Eastside, but in my role as a consultant for World Impact Network's Renewal Food Bank in Bellevue, I do input from lots and lots of smart people.  My best idea to date to help end local hunger is the Eastside Year Round Sustainable Food and Fund Drive - but we need YOUR help to make it work.  There is a HUGE need for businesses and organizations to arrange food drives - especially during the summer months.  Please ask your company or organization to participate - it's easy, just choose one month to collect food and funds for your local community food bank!

Let me hear from you!

GiveBIG Today with Seattle Foundation to Benefit Renewal Food Bank in Bellevue - 7am to midnight

You are invited to be a part of Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG TODAY, June 23.  It might be the biggest day of giving ever in King County - be part of this historic event and help people locally!

GiveBIG is a one-day, online fundraising event sponsored by The Seattle Foundation.  Make a gift to World Impact Network’s Bellevue-based Renewal Food Bank TODAY ONLY 7am-midnight through The Seattle Foundation and a percentage of your gift will be matched by Seattle Foundation partners to enable WIN to continue local and global programs.It’s easy!  On June 23 from 7 am to midnight, visit the

Seattle Foundation World Impact Network donation page.

Then click on the “Donate” button. We appreciate your support!  Thank you for helping to feed the hungry in our Eastside communities.

 

Investment and Luxury Properties in Bellevue, Washington

I have recently started to focus my real estate business on investment and luxury properties in and around Bellevue.  You can read my real estate posts over on my Eastside Real Estate Blog at JoeKennedy.biz.

If you or anyone you know is looking for a great deal on an investment property, or is looking to buy or sell a luxury home or condo on the Eastside, please have them give me a call at 425-213-4176.  I will take good care of them - and promise to help them achieve all of their real estate goals.  Thank you for your support!

Poke the Box

Quite the provocative title - Poke the Box is title of marketing guru Seth Godin's "latest rant" (as he calls it).  It's a short read, but well worthwhile.

In his latest work, Godin explains that Instigators, those with initiative and those who are willing to make a ruckus are missing in many organizations, and thus, in great demand.  I've always considered myself an "idea guy", but while reading Seth's book, I started to realize that in a lot of cases, I have been an instigator.  In fact, on one of my old business cards, I used the title of "Chief Instigator".

Are you the type of person who is not afraid to "poke the box"?  You are probably just the type of instigator that many organizations, small and large, are looking for!  You are a hugely scarce and valuable asset!

How do YOU "poke the box"?

New and Old Connections at Eastside Net Tuesday

Last night I attended my first Eastside Net Tuesday meetup and it was very well organized and I was glad I went.

The event was held at Meadowbrook Church in Redmond and organized by friends Jason Dick, who is the Major Gifts Officer at Evergreen Healthcare, and Sean DeButts, Social Media Coordinator for the Puget Sound Blood Center.  There also appeared to be strong volunteer support, including Biznikers Rich Geasey and Shannon Evans.

What was really cool about the event, was that I got to meet four people who are all 2nd level connections on LinkedIn - and hopefully will soon be directly connected to each of them.  I've been reading Bob Yoder's Redmond Neighborhood Blog for some time, but hadn't had the chance to meet him until last night.  I also met Richard Bray, who has excellent experience in non-profit communications and fundraising and is looking for employment, Matt Jordan, Director of Marketing for the startup ServeSurfer and Zach Welch, Project Manager for BrandGlue, who gave a presentation on engaging supporters on Facebook.

Thank you to all the organizers, participants, speakers and volunteers!

 

Invoice to AT&T Mobility Goes Ignored

While I am very glad to be done with AT&T, they have ignored the invoice I mailed them back on February 10th. I guess I'll keep start sending them monthly statements with added late fees and interest charges ...

Five Ways to Make Your Web Presence Known from Robert G. Allen

I'm currently reading a book called "Multiple Streams of Internet Income" by Best Seller Author Robert G. Allen (recommended by e-Business Architect Mark Cofano).  Here is a list of five ways to make your web presence known from Chapter 6 in the book:

Looking for Exposure as a Community Blogger in Bellevue?

Are you a local blogger who wants to write about Bellevue, Washington and are looking for a platform with great exposure?  My new friend and Renewal Food Bank Hero at Bellevue.KomoNews.com, Leslee Jaquette is the Editor there and is looking for community bloggers to cover neighborhoods, spiritual issues, health & fitness and business in Bellevue.  You can contact Leslee at 425-746-9198.

Can a 7 Year Old Help End Local Hunger?

Last week I took my daughter Jacqueline to meet the staff and show here around at Renewal Food Bank while I was picking up some materials for an event that night.  I happened to be picking up a quantity of plastic piggy banks to give to people to collect spare change for the food bank.  Of course Jackie wanted one - and was real excited to start filling it up (she emptied the coins in my car's ashtray immediately).

The next morning when I picked her up, she was carrying her piggy bank.  I asked her what she was doing with it and she obviously didn't want to say.  Being a gently prying parent, I continued to ask and finally she said "I want to take it to the principle to see if we can get the school involved."  I was AMAZED.

I know I had nothing to do with putting that in her head - and I don't think her mom did either.  I think that's pretty cool for a 7 year old.  What's even cooler is that she DID go try to talk with the principal, who wasn't in.  But she left him a message AND has followed up with him TWICE this week.  Apparently he needs to check with and get approval from school administrators and has not heard back yet.

It may not actually happen, but there is really good potential for one first grader at Puesta del Sol Elementary (the Spanish language immersion school in the Bellevue School District) to get an entire school and possibly all the schools in the district involved in the efforts to fight local hunger.

When I asked her why she wanted to help Renewal Food Bank, Jackie shrugged her shoulders and said "I think EVERYBODY should have enough to eat."

I'm really proud of my little girl.

[caption id="attachment_189" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jackie Kennedy with Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States of America and Caspar Babypants May 2011"][/caption]

Cool National Geo Video of a Tiger Birth

I just stumbled across this video on my Posterous subscription to All Top and had to share it.

 

Pretty cool, no?

T-Mobile with a MAJOR Fail - How Does T-Mobile Get Away with Deceptive Advertising?

While being VERY happy to be away from the cell hell called AT&T, I'm constantly being reminded that all cell phone companies have their weaknesses.  Since I switched to Bellevue-based T-Mobile, they have announced plans to sell out to AT&T - and it seems like I am back in their cell phone hell.

While this probably is not related to the sale, I got an interested text message from the folks at T-Mobile yesterday and here's what it said:  "889: Free T-Mobile MSG: You have used over 5 GB of data this month. Your data speed has been reduced for the restof your billing cycle per the terms of your plan."

Well, I have to admit, I am one of the thousands (ok - everyone) who ordered my phone without reading the entire fine print of the contract, but I would have never thought that when T-Mobile advertises Unlimited Web - it is really NOT unlimited.  This is definitely false advertising - deceptive advertising by T-Mobile at best and I (like most consumers) do NOT like to be deceived.

It appears that I am still searching for a fair and reliable cell phone company - I have NOT found that with T-Mobile.

What do you have to say for yourselves T-Mobile?  Why is "unlimited" web not really "unlimited web"?  I really want to understand this ...

I Hate My Gym!

OK - I've posted enough over the last few years about wanting to join a quality gym.  Still have not got there.

Still stuck with 24 Hour Fitness (that's not really 24 hours).  It's a place where it's really hard to get any work done.

Chatty Cathys (two in particular) seem to ruin my solitude on the cardio machine each morning - even with my headphones cranked to the max.

Meatheads and old guys seem to want to drop their weights every set so that everyone is forced to look at them (and suffered extreme headaches).

The clubs staff is nice, but the trainers don't seem to care about the members that they aren't training and will make their clients do anything that will annoy the other members.

The club itself is laid out well and is fairly easy to get to, but as I have found with most 24 Hour Fitness clubs - the locker rooms are nasty - and they just do not keep the equipment maintained at all.  Preventive maintenance is unheard of.

I bought a new membership for this club at Costco - and I did it because the gym is close and the membership only cost me $12.50 a month - that's about 50 cents a day for as much as I go.

The value is decent - without all the annoyances that continue to make it hard to drag my lazy ass in every day.  One of my goals for this year is to join a better gym - where members matter and are taken care of.  I'm not sure which one it is yet (it needs to be in or close to downtown Bellevue).  I'm thinking Bellevue Club ($150 a month after initiation) or David Barton Gym (around $100 a month), but am open to suggestions.  Any ideas?

Ken and Zita Gustin are Now Beach Ninjas

Ken and Zita Gustin are the newest members of the Beach Ninjas!  They signed up for our travel program last night with Bob Gassen at our weekly travel party and I'm very excited to have them on the team.  Welcome Ken and Zita!

I don't know Ken well, but look forward to learning more about him.  Zita is a friend who is the past Executive Managing Director of eWomenNetwork and now is the Chief Yes! Facilitator at Studio B and Studio C (shared office space and meeting rooms).  Do you think they know a lot of people?  Perhaps even a few people they'd like to travel with?  (I think that the Beach Ninjas team is about to get A LOT bigger very quickly).

If you are interested in finding out about our travel program and how to join the Beach Ninjas, contact me - we can meet up one on one or you can attend our next travel party.  Your choice - you just need to see the program as soon as possible!

If you are simply interested in booking travel at discounts, next time you are arranging a vacation try booking at ThatVacationGuy.com.