It is never too late to change your life – and the stories that proves it!
I admit any second that this statement is really coming from the wrong person, considering my age. However, I meet a lot of people who are 10 and 20 years older than me (still young, right?) who admire what I do with my life, and wish that they have done the same. The conversations I have usually begins with that statement, continues with me says that they can still do it, they respond with some lame excuse and then go on with their life of not doing what they really want. I think this sucks! (yes I use that word)
Thus, now I will take the five of the most common statements (I’ve heard) and prove them wrong, and hopefully on the way share some of the most amazing stories I have heard!
I’m too old
Have you ever heard about Kier Barker? He had been stuttering for 56 years and was forced into early retirement because of it, when finally he managed to turn it around. With a tool called SpeechEasy and the help from Toastmaster he not stop stuttering but he also became a motivational speaker to teenagers. Talk about making a complete makeover at the age of 60.
Thus, if you are 30 or 40 and not stutter, imagine how much easier is must be for you. It is never too late even if you are above 60. After all in Sweden we have university student that is older than 80.
I don’t know how to do anything else
A while ago, I read about a man who had been working for a charcuterie company. But always dreamed about being copywriter. Now at 47 he is finally doing something about it. He stopped working and is commuting 4 hours every day to school and of course most of his new friends aka classmates are half his age. However, none of that matters because he is fulfilling his dream. Money is short as his wife is the only one working in the household but they manage, probably a lot because of the happiness you get because you are doing what you want to do. Proving that being in debt is also a problem your can work around.
Even though it might take you four years to get an education it might be worth it, because of all the years you will have after to do what you want to do. Sure, money and location might be an issue, but you can get used to that and as I told you before you can study online.
What about our children?
Many adults seem to think that they would neglect their children if they moved for a job or reduced their income for a while because they wanted to study. I would say that it is actually the complete opposite.
- Relocating with children
There is many reasons to why people need to relocate for work and sometimes it is a permanent relocation while sometimes it is only for a few years. Regardless of which your children will become more culturally experienced and grow as individual because this, and most schools are used to handle transfers students today, so that won’t be an issue.
A friend of mine spent a year in America, as her father had to work there for a year. She says that it helped her gain new perspectives, improve her English and get used to the fact that no one seemed to know anything real about Sweden. Sure, it was hard to leave home to go, it always is, but when she returned her friends was still there and now 7 years later she is still in contact with the friend she made in the US.
Talk with your children about the move, regardless of if it is temporary or permanent, and hear their opinions. They might consider it “scary but cool.” And there are numerous sources to take help from.
- Reducing your income to study for a while
Most parents want to give their children everything, at least from their own abilities. Therefore, they argue that they cannot reduce their income to study because it will affect their children.
My dad changed profession from a truck driver to a computer teacher when I was around 10. A few years later my mum started studying at the university, for no other reason but to learn more about her profession of guiding people with autism and other neuropsychological problems. I barely noticed that they had less money while studying, but what I did notice was how much happier they got. Something that made me want to study and follow my dreams.
Conclusions
It is never too late to change your life and start doing what you want to do and the people who you love and care about will only admire you more for it.
Any other excuses to prove wrong?
Would you drop out or not, if you got your dream job?
Earlier this week I got the question; “If you got offered to start your dream job, would you drop out of school? I mean you seem to know so much already, do you really need to study anymore?” My first response was, “I think that the more I study, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” I really believe this which is why I continue to study and not only my major but other things as well.
So back to the question, would I drop out? I guess, this is one of those questions you cannot really answer until you’re in the situation and know all the details. However, I believe that I would not drop out.
The reasons for this are plenty;
- People who stop studying to work tend to never finish their degree
- I would worry on how I would do in future positions and when it came to promotions if I did not have a degree, (though this might not matter after a few years of working.)
- I believe that academic studies are important though I agree that you learn more by doing.
- Lastly, would I want to work for a company that could not wait for me until I finished school?
My ideal situation if this would happen would be to start working and finish my degree while working. As I have been working all through school, I know that this is possible though it might need some schedule management.
Anyone who would be in this situation should probably contemplate the same things.
What do you think you would do? Do you agree or disagree with my reasons for not doing it?
Why you should Use Twitter Lists to Complement your Blog Posts
More than a year ago, Mashable started to create lists of inspiring people on twitter in certain areas, which they shared in posts on their website. The lists were not only good marketing for the people on them, but they were also great for new Twitter users who want to find people who tweet about their field of interest.
Today, I see a similar trend happening on other blogs; people recommend other’s that they are following and put up a link and a description of the user. But this seem a bit “yesterday” to me, after all; we now have Twitter lists to do that.
If I go back to Mashable again, you can check their Twitter account and see that they have created multiple lists that is now named for example; web, twitter-stars, design, marketing and of course social media.
This means that if I want to I’m interested in one of the lists that Mashable have, I do not have to click on each users, I could simply subscribe to the list and see if I like it. Then, I could decide to start following individual users and not the list, but I saved a lot of time.
I recently did something similar when preparing a Swedish Blog post, I wanted to tell people about the social media representatives of Dell. Instead of listing each of them, I created a list with those I knew about and linked to that one, giving my readers an easy way to get in touch with anyone of them, in just one click.
So the next time you are recommending people to follow on Twitter on you blog. Do both! Give them the easy option to follow your list (which is good marketing for you also) or each individual !
Google Equalize Opportunities to Discuss for Online Students
So, as you know from a few previous blog posts and my bio, I study online. What you might not know is that I have done about half my education on Campus. Therefore, I often compare the pros and cons with the two ways to study and constantly find new ones.
My latest discovery was in the English Class I’m taken, we are studying culture and literatures and this particular assignment was an analysis of the short story Doctor Marigold by Charles Dickens. We were told to find interesting angles and questions to the text and then discuss the subjects in a group. In one of the groups I was in we started discussing whether the characters were “mimetic or semiotic?” I was pretty confused by this question before as both these concepts were new to me, but after making searching and reading some information on Google; I could participate in the discussion.
The interesting thing about this is that not only could I participate and generate value to the discussion even though I did not know anything about the concepts before. Even more, neither did the other group members (except for the girl who asked the question) but it still became the most active discussion thread.
Now, if this had been a question in the classroom, there would probably been more than one who where familiar with the subject and they could discuss it leaving other in the dark. Something that would be a lot less educating, than the online discussion group which allowed us all to understand and participate.
Thus, sometimes discussions and group assignments online are actually better for the students, because we have the time and material to understand new concepts. And everyone get’s heard, as there is no one speaking louder or thinking faster.
Bravissimo Use Their Customers As Models
One type of marketing technique that really interest me, and which I even consider writing my thesis about, is how you can use current events and issues to market your business. I been talking about this in a post about Ikea, and how they promoted their business with the message Obama sent the public: change.
Today I stumbled upon another example of this. I saw the advertising material for the lingerie brand Bravissimo, who focuses on underwear for women with bigger breasts. They use real women in and not just any women but their actual customers. These women are curvy, healthy looking women and thought they have been styled and look gorgeous they really are real women.
Of course the use of these models helps positioning the brand towards a certain audience which is what they are looking for. But more importantly, in this case, it diverts us from the size zero ideal and show how great women look when they have curves. This means that the brand Bravissimo takes up the battle against the sick ideals which the fashion industry promotes.
Other brands have done similar things before, but Bravissimo actually let their customers apply for the opportunity to model for the brand. This shows that these women are not only models but actually customers who like the brand and enjoy the products. This makes the campaign and the message of it even more genuine.
Because of the message and pictures of these gorgeous real woman, the brand have got even more publicity than they would in another campaign. But hopefully, they have also contributed to preventing the issues with teenagers that the size zero ideal creates.
Go Bravissimo!
3 Sources for Blog Post Inspiration
I often get stuck when I try to write blog posts on a set time frame instead of when I feel like it, and it is not because I do not have anything to write about. I usually have ideas for subject to write about a few times during the day, but they are rarely connected to the time which I am going to start writing, and then when I have time to write the subject does not feel as interesting anymore.
Therefore I have looked on ways to inspire myself to become instantly “passionate” about a subject to create a post about it at the assigned writing time. Now, I have figured out three sources that usually get me thinking enough to create that writing momentum.
Similar search terms
Looking though my daily analysis for website traffic I usually see word or sentences that people have search for and ended up on my blog by typing. Usually these keywords are very connected to what I have written, but now and then the keywords and the post they found does not seem to be a “match.” In these cases I try to write a post about the subject which they were looking to read about, because generally there is more than one person interested in that subject.
Tip 1: Create the content that your visitors are looking for.
LinkedIn Answers and More Particular LinkedIn Questions
The LinkedIn answers section is a great place to learn about things that you are interested in, and get answers to the questions. However, far from everyone even consider it as a source when they are looking for information. Instead, they make a Google search to find the answers to their questions. Therefore, you could go to the LinkedIn section to answer questions from your expertise, and also blog about the subjects that people ask questions about to make sure that even more get the information.
Tip 2: Blog about the subjects that are asked about in the LinkedIn answer section.
Read, read, read and then read a little more
When you read things that other people have written you automatically starts developing your own ideas and drawing your own conclusions about what is said, or perhaps the text even gets you thinking about something else. By subscribing to a about 150 RSS feeds on my Google reader I receive a constant flow of information and thus sources of inspiration.
Tip 3. Read and get inspired to create your own ideas based on the knowledge of others.
To this list I also have add the comment by Mark Murnahan, aka A web guy, who commented on my blog today saying “Exercise does not only count for biceps. I have found that the more I write, the more I think…”
I don’t think I write enough to have this working for me yet, but the concept is so trough that I wanted to share this as well.
Do you have any other tools that you use to get “on the spot” inspiration?
Fake Pages on Facebook Promise Free Items, such as Ipads and Laptops
A new trend has started on Facebook, where people set up Fan Pages and promote a message that promised some kind of free item; such as an Ipad or a Macbook. This trend seem to have a lot in common with the recent trend where people created Groups with names like “join and you while be able to see who visited your profile.” This issue seems to be going away and now the fan pages is the new problem.
The big difference between the previous group trend and this one with pages is that there is no obvious “gain” from these pages. Since pages cannot be tracked back to a specific user there is not gain for people to use pages to promote their personal FB-accounts, which was one of the reasons for the previous boom of fake groups. Another problem, with the groups was that the administrators changed name to the groups when they reached a certain amount of visitors. To for example “we are pedophiles.” Damaging the reputation of individuals as many of them don’t receive notifications when groups that they are in change names, and thus, do not realize what groups they were members of. But there has not been any inclines that these is the purpose of the Fan Pages either.
So what is the real problem with these Pages? Is there even a problem? Are the creator breaking against any policies? Who is gaining from these pages?
Groups such as “iPad Research Program – Test It and Keep It!” and “We’re Giving Away Laptops” get tens of thousands of fan and as far as I can understand they are not breaking against any of Facebook’s Privacy Policies, and thus get to stay.
If you access the page “We’re Giving Away Laptops” you can see that it is connected to a website called chooseyourcolor.com. The Fan Page also clearly states that they have no connection to Apple INC, thought they claim to be offering MacBooks to their Fans. Therefore I took a closer look at the site chooseyourcolor.com and realized that the website also gives away laptops, IF you apply for a credit card or a loan and also be accepted before you get your “reward.”
chooseyourcolor.com: “Completion of reward offers most often requires a purchase or filing a credit application and being accepted for a financial product such as a credit card or consumer loan.”
To check this group out I decided to become a Fan to see as they say that you have to become a fan “before the next step is revealed.” Then they say that inviting your friends is the next step and after that you should press a third link to “Finalize the Registration.” In the case of some applications on Facebook you have to invite a few of your friends to see the result of the test that you have taken, but as this is not the case with pages I just pressed step three to see where it took me. The result “Free Lotto,” which if you Google it seems to be a huge scam.
Thus, whether this page is in fact connected to the page chooseyourcolor.com or not, I have not been able to figure out. But according to other sources you are recommended to NOT finalize the step three in the group “We´re giving away laptops.”
So what is the conclusion? Stay away from groups that seem to be recently started and don’t have a connection to a well established company. Whether these groups are breaking against the Facebook policies I’m yet to figure out, but if they are, I truly recommend Facebook to create an “verified account” system such as the one Twitter have to protect their users. Because if we are to believe what they said in the blog post which announced their new partnership with McAfee, user security is one of their Goals!
Networking Tips: Modern Examples of Conversational Clothing
If you have read about networking you have probably come across the tools that are “conversational clothing.” The idea of conversational clothing is to wear items that catch people’s attention and invite a conversation. A very common example is a pin. A pin that you might have inherited from your aunt, found in an English second hand-store or that have some other interesting story. Thus by wearing this pin and being asked for it, you can network and start conversations easily with an “easy in.”
Now, as you might have guessed I don’t use pins, I never have and I’m pretty sure I don’t even own one. Considering that they are not that fashionable I guess that the same thing goes for you, if you are a girl. If you are a guy, then you probably never used one.
Recently though, I figured out that I do own an item that really catches people’s attention 
and create conversations. It’s a beanie, with the print “bad hair day.” In Sweden this beanie has been very popular during the last winters and if you Google the print on the beanie, you will find a lot of conversation around it. However, as I do not live in Sweden I manage to create a lot of conversations while wearing this, mostly because people wonder if I’m actually having a bad hair day or if I just like the hat. And everyone especially in the morning seems to wonder were to get one.
This made me start to think about the benefit of conversational clothing and how ridiculously effective it can be. In my case I manage to talk with a lot of people who I often just greet briefly, and it is just because of the hat. What other things could be useful?
A friend recently launched her own business, Nuance Journals, which creates and sells hand-made journals. Now, if you take a look at these journals they truly have personality and look very unique, which I think could create a few conversations. I mean in a time where it is difficult to impress with the latest tech-item, this might be the excellent choice.
How about you? What do you use for to start conversations? Have you tried wearing conversational clothing, or do you own any items that create conversation?
The Role of Social Media in The Brussels Train Crash and other Tragedies
I’ve read about the earthquakes, 
the tsunamis and the other disasters and how social networks have been used to keep families and other informed about what is going on. Still, because I have been lucky enough to never know anyone in any of these catastrophes I never really understand how big of a difference they make. Until today…
This morning there was a train crash in Brussels, or actually outside of Brussels (But the initial reports in Sweden did not say so). The current numbers say that 18 people died and over 50 were injured. Because of this my phone started beeping with messages and calls from worried friends and family members who wanted to check if I was okay.
Therefore I put it in my Facebook status that everything was alright and that I was not in the crash. This was very appreciated by others who were concerned. My friends here in Brussels also did the same which gave me less to worry about.
With cell phones many might not find this necessary, but if someone of my Swedish friends did not have my Belgian number, because we mostly speak on Skype they did not have to worry, neither did those who had run out of credit on their phone and could not send me a text. For these and many other reasons the Facebook status update became invaluable.
Thus, now I really understand the importance of using social media to update my family that I’m ok!
But social media helped in other ways too, on Twitter people who were at spot of the accident uploaded pictures that people could follow to see what was going on. Most information was easily available on the hashtags #brussels and #traincrash.
Where was the Buzz around Google Buzz?
Today Google’s latest service Google Buzz launched, and at least it took me by surprise, because I had not heard about it. I follow over 100 of the biggest social media, marketing, tech and web development blogs, yet the first article I could find about Google Buzz was published about four hours ago.
The function is coming to all Gmail users during the next couple of days, and I have to admit that I’m not one of the lucky ones who already got it. However, I was able to get a glimpse from it by looking at some other people’s account. Because you can see “buzzes” from those who have account and has “buzzed” publicly, here is Mashable’s.
So what is Google Buzz?
Google Buzz is Google’s first real attempt to a social network. It is build in to the Gmail interface and automatically connect you with your friends, and with 150 million Gmail users this is a social network with a high potential.
Here is the official video introduction:
So where was the Buzz around the launch?
Before the launch of Google Wave, there were videos, a site, invites and comments from those who had tried it. Yet, I still have not figured out how I could best implement the use of it in what I’m doing. However, I did know what Google Wave was.
With Buzz the opposite seem to be going on, no one had heard about it, or at least not said anything about it. The network seems to be easy to use and it does not require much set up as it is built into Gmail.
Now this might have been a smart move considering the amount of Buzz that is going on right now. On Twitter I looked at the hash tag Google Buzz and within seconds I had 290 unread tweets. Thus, they might not have needed too much pre buzz.
But why not? What will they win or lose on not having any buzz? Did they have any test group outside of Google before the launch?
I think that the face that they did not speak about it before make the implementation quicker. Because of the fact that Google is so established, they knew that the Buzz would come with the launch. Therefore by releasing it to all in a few days, they created an “eagerness” of people to try it out. Which could mean that people have time to create their own opinion before they have heard everyone else’s?
What do you think?
Try it out, or check the buzz, (without getting to influenced ;)
Here are is some of the latest Buzz about it:
- Read Write the Web – Live Blogging from Google: Launch of Google Buzz
- Marketing Pilgrim – Google Buzz Launches 150+ Million User Social Network
- Mashable – Google Buzz: Competitors and Experts React
- Read Write the Web – How Google Buzz is Disruptive: Open Data Standards
- Louis Gray – Google Buzz Brings Social Sharing, Aggregation into GMail
- All Facebook – Google Declares War On Facebook With Google Buzz
