The Oatmeal: How to Get 5 Million People to Read Your Website
One of the things professionals and small business owners always struggle at is finding ways to get their message or ideas across to the masses. Mentors are always telling us to network, to meet new people, to stand out, but how do we do that? There are a few sites I found that are completely dedicated to spreading ideas in a unique way, and two of them caught my attention: igniteshow.com, whose slogan is “enlighten us but make it quick,” and ted.com, “ideas worth spreading.” Read the rest of this entry »
Steve jobs, co-founder of Apple just passed away a couple of hours ago. He’s the epitome of a true Top Contributor, and one of the most creative and successful business men in this country. I’d like to remember him by posting his famous speech at Standford University: ‘You’ve got to find what you love.’ It’s so inspiring and it shows where he got his motivation.
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“I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.
Ideas come when you least expect them, but there’s no reason to be unprepared when your light bulb goes on. People always say that their best ideas come to them when they are sitting on the toilet. Feel free to confess; we all do. I don’t know if it’s because your body is relaxed, or because that microfiber bathroom rug is massaging your feet, or simply because you’ve got nothing else to do for a few minutes, so you just start thinking.
Well, so why not make that time productive? Hang a pen or marker from your toilet paper holder or Read the rest of this entry »
The other day I was watching The Latino List on HBO, where multiple successful and famous Latinos, such as Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, were talking about how they made it.
One comment especially made an impression on me, and that was how John Leguizamo says he encourages his kids to achieve their dreams. He tells them that if they want something, they just need to put 10,000 work hours on it. He promises them that if after 10,000 hours they do not get what they want, he will pay them for that time. Read the rest of this entry »
So, being a Top Contributor is not about climbing the corporate ladder, it can also be about building your own company and making it to the top there. Yes, it will be 1000 times more difficult. You will have to work insane hours at first, and there will be millions of obstacles in your way, but if you make it, you will make it big.
I read the article From Unemployment to Startup at CNNMoney and loved some of the ideas these entrepreneurs had to start their own companies. I specially liked the one about ticketkick.com. After getting 3 tickets in a week, Greg Muender founded this site to offer people legal advice to get their tickets dropped. This is such a simple idea and yet so great. He barely opened this company last year, and he’s on track to break a million dollars this year.
So, whether your idea is to build online videos, online apps, or name new products, go for it. Start small, and dream big.
There’s a saying that says, “When I was a kid I dreamed of being somebody. Now, that I’m an adult, I wish I would have been more specific.”
This might sound very funny, but it’s actually very true. Your goals should always be specific. For example, if you want to lose weight, your goal should not be to lose some weight. It should be to lose 7, 10, or X number of pounds. That’s a more tangible goal, and you will know when you achieve it.
The same way goes for your career goals. If you want to get a promotion, a salary raise, or simply pass a certification, make it a specific enough goal, so you have a set of steps you will take to achieve it and a time frame of when you will take those steps.
So, why don’t you take some time and practice writing your goals?
Office Depot was in the news today for firing an executive who had, what they called, an “improper relationship” with a coworker. They said “the company has a zero tolerance policy in this regard.”
Negative thoughts and negative self-talk can be our enemies at work. All that energy you use to put yourself down will simply diminish your chances to achieve your goals. If you catch yourself frequently saying things, such as:
- I’ll never finish this project on time.
- I’m so stupid. My boss will never take me seriously.
- I’m just not as smart as Joe is. He will surely get that promotion I want. Read the rest of this entry »
Part of being successful at your job is being stress free, and playing sports or just being outdoors can really help with that. Of course, the next best thing to playing sports is watching professionals play live.
If you happen to be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on business or just visiting and have some free time, make sure you visit the PNC ballpark. I’ve seen some great ballparks around the country, but this one is just spectacular. You get a magnificent view of downtown Pittsburgh while you relax drinking a local beer and eating a hot dog. Read the rest of this entry »
This book offers four simple strategies to be successful at work and protect you against layoffs.
In a nutshell, this book encourages you to: - Be Visible: Out of sight, out of mind, out of a job. If your superiors do not know you and don’t know what you are doing, then you’ll be the first to go in bad times. Read the rest of this entry »
I don’t know if it’s because your body is relaxed, or because that microfiber bathroom rug is massaging your feet, or simply because you’ve got nothing else to do for a few minutes, so you just start thinking. 
