My 100th Post!

Yesterday’s blog post was my 100th post! (It was also my 30th birthday).

So in order to celebrate, I have decided to give my top commenter on the blog , Loren Pinilis, a $15 Amazon voucher as a small way of saying thank you. Well done Loren!

I would also just like to say THANK YOU to all my subscribers and followers, and every single person who has visited my site. It really has been a fun journey for me, and my hope is that something of my heart and passion for people to live life fully and intentionally has come across in my writing, and helped you in some way.

Thanks for reading. Until next time.

Tom

Why Consistency is So Important

On Sunday night I had a sick feeling in my stomach.

For the first time since I started my blog in December 2010 I did not have a post scheduled to go out on monday morning. The last few weeks had run away with me, and I simply hadn’t disciplined myself to sit down and write something.

I had nothing.

But then I remembered something that made me smile:

When I made the decision to start this blog, I committed myself to writing at least one post a week. At the time I wasn’t at all convinced I would stick to it, but now looking back, I realise I have! And what’s more, I realised that because my posts are usually between four hundred and six hundred words, and this is my ninetieth post to date, I have in fact written about fifty thousand words for this blog – the equivalent of a two hundred page book!

Now, if you’d told me a year ago that I would be able to write a book in my “spare time”, on top of work, studies, family, and everything else, I would have laughed at you. And that’s when it hit me:

Success is not a single act, but rather a daily habit. Whether you want to write a book, get fit, or lose weight, the key is consistency.

So here are 10 random thoughts I had about consistency:

1. Consistency creates momentum.
2. Consistency is a habit that can be practiced and learnt.
3. Consistency breeds credibility.
4. The person who takes action every single day toward the attainment of their goal will always triumph over those who do it every once in a while. Always.
5. Many think consistency is purely a matter of willpower, and that people who are consistent have some kind of special ability to endure. Not true.
6. Surprisingly, doing something every day or nearly every day is actually far easier to sustain than doing it once in awhile.
7. Motivation is not enough. A person waiting for inspiration limits achievement to times when conditions are desirable. And conditions are rarely always desirable. 
8. Creating healthy rituals will take you further than desires and passions.
9. Consistency will induce failure at some stage, which in turn provides valuable feedback, which ultimately leads to better results.
10. Consistency is more about sustainability than it is about speed.

What are your thoughts on consistency? What has helped you to become more consistent?

Welcome…

Today I had the privilege of guest posting on Michael Hyatt’s blog, which I’m really excited about. The post I wrote is called “The Importance of Crossing Daily Finish Lines”

If you are visiting from his site, then WELCOME and thanks for stopping by! That’s me on the right, and much like Michael, I too have a passion for “intentional living”. I write on productivity, tech, spirituality, relationships, and, on occasion, stuff that doesn’t fit neatly into any one of those categories.

If you’re looking to get more of a feel for what this blog is all about, take a stroll through my Top 10 most popular posts below. To make sure you don’t miss my newest posts, you can subscribe via RSS or email on the right hand widget bar.

• 16 Tips to Simply Your Life (And Increase Your Productivity)

• The First Thing You Should Do In 2012

• 6 Things To Stop Caring About Today

• 4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Do Kettlebells

• Mastering the Art of Self Discipline

• Do PowerBalance Bracelets Really Work?

• Life’s Too Short for TV

• All The Single Ladies Put Your Hands Up!

• Real Men Tell Great Love Stories

• 3 Reason Why I Love My iPad 2

16 Ways to Press Pause & Slow Down

This is a guest post by Loren Pinilis, who stumbled on my blog a few weeks ago and requested a guest post. Loren writes on time management and living a balanced life, all from a Christian perspective.

Go. Go. Go.

That seems to be the pace of modern life. Everything around us is telling us to go faster, do more, and try harder.

Taking extended breaks to rest and rejuvenate is essential. But you don’t have to wait until the weekend or until your next vacation to recharge.

With just a few minutes of intentional action, you can start today – even right now – to press pause, slow down, and relax. Here are 16 easy things you can do when you need to refresh yourself mentally and physically during your day.

1. Write an encouraging Email to someone.  A lot of people only hear complaints. Compliment someone on what they’re doing. It’ll lift your spirits and give you some perspective.

2. Wash your face. Try this one – it works. Cool water can refresh you when you’re hot, and warm water is very soothing when it’s cold.

3. Pray. Briefly give thanks to God or pray for strength and peace.

4. Stretch.  Get out of your chair and move around. There is loads of science out there that confirms the effectiveness of stretching, both physically and mentally.

5. Get a breath of fresh air. Step outside. Get out in the sunshine.

6. Have a snack. A light healthy snack does wonders to help you slow down, and gives you the energy needed for the next push.

7. Laugh. Watch a funny YouTube clip, or have a conversation with someone who makes you smile.

8. Think of a few things for which you’re grateful. Take a moment to count your blessings.

9. Breathe. It’s cliché for a reason – it works. Take a little while to breathe deeply and slowly.

10. Take off your shoes. Scrunch up your toes and rub your heels. This really does wonders if you’ve been on your feet all day.

11. Pay attention to your posture. Sit or stand up straight. Make sure your desk and chair are correctly positioned.

12. Drink some water. Don’t gulp. Sip on a cool, clean glassful.

13. Listen to a worship song. These do well to help you take a step back and regain an eternal perspective.

14. Get physical. A few jumping jacks or a brief walk around the office can refresh you immensely.

15. Unplug. Turn off your digital devices for an hour and do your most important work.

16. Get perspective on work. Remind yourself that your work is an opportunity and not a burden. Be grateful for the blessing of an income.

A few minutes later, you’re hopefully refreshed and ready to tackle life again.

What are some “tricks” you use to press pause and slow down?

Vote For This Blog!

Following my blog being Freshly Pressed and getting a bunch of attention, someone nominated me for the 2011 South African Blog Awards. I’m not sure what that means exactly, but apparently if you make into the top 3, you get to go to an “event” in Joburg. And my wife really wants to go to an “event”.

So, if you are a regular subscriber, have read a few posts, or maybe have just stumbled upon my blog and like what you see, please take a minute to vote for my blog. Voting closes this Wed 9th Nov! You can just click on the badge to the right –>

To those of you who have been faithfully reading and commenting, just want to say thanks for your support and encouragement. My goal is to create insightful, relevant content that you can put to work in your personal and professional life, and I will continue to do my best to keep the fresh content coming!

If you’re new and looking to get a feel for what this blog is all about, take a stroll through some of my most popular posts below:

• 16 Tips to Simply Your Life (And Increase Your Productivity)
• Mastering the Art of Self Discipline
• All The SIngle Ladies Put Your Hands Up!
• 6 Things To Stop Caring About Today
• 4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Do Kettlebells
• Real Men Tell Great Love Stories
• Do PowerBalance Bracelets Really Work?
• Life’s Too Short For TV
• 3 reasons Why I Love My iPad 2

Thanks again!

3 Ways to Get On Top of Social Media Before it Gets on Top of You

700 billion minutes.

That’s how much time Facebook’s 500 million active users spend on the site every month! 700 000 000 000 minutes. That’s the equivalent of 1,3 million years – nearly 18 000 lifetimes!

And 7 years ago Facebook didn’t even exist! What did we use to do with all that time??

A recent study of media habits found that 33% of people surveyed admitted to checking Facebook before they even went to the bathroom in the morning; 21% admitted to checking it in the middle of the night; and half of them considered themselves Facebook addicts. Clearly something about Facebook has captivated us and drawn us in.

Me personally? I love social media – Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc. (just not LinkedIn – please stop sending me invites!) They have all helped me build a platform, learn from influential leaders, and stay in touch with friends around the world in remarkable ways.

But even as I type this on my iPad I have a sinking feeling of being overwhelmed.

And I’m beginning to feel like maybe, just maybe, all of my devices, my gadgets, my apps, my social media, own me as much as I own them. As they constantly beep, buzz and vibrate around me, screaming for my attention, I’m starting to wonder whether all this was a good idea in first place.

Now please don’t get me wrong – social media and technology are good things. But, like most good things, they can become bad things.

Social media is both a blessing and a curse.

How we use it will determine which one it will be in our lives. Here are a few tips that can guide us along the way:

1) Own Up

No one likes to admit they’re addicted to something, but if you want to get on top of your habits, you’ve got to own up.

Ask your friends/spouse/children/parents, “Am I using my iPhone/Blackberry too much? Am I on Facebook too much?” Even if their answer is subjective, it is still helpful. Chances are if your wife says you are using your iPad too much, you probably are. (Thanks darling!)

Of course there is no right answer to “How much is too much?”, but a really good exercise is to record how much time you spend on Facebook in a given week. We generally tend to underestimate, and a good look at the raw data may be shocking and revealing.

2) Set Boundaries

I am convinced that in our information overloaded culture, discipline is becoming more and more key. Establishing clear boundaries, while tough to do at first, creates freedom and space in our lives. If we are always just reacting to our devices, compulsively checking email or scrolling through News Feeds, then it’s too easy for technology to get a grip on us and suffocate us.

Some ideas may be to have designated times in your family for going online, or perhaps a “tech-free hour” where you gather for a meal and everyone has to put their phones in a basket or switch them off.

The point is find ways of putting boundaries on your social media that work for you/your family – and force yourself to live within those boundaries.

3) Enjoy It

Having owned up, and established clear boundaries, you are then free to just enjoy the wonders of the Interweb! As I said, social media can be a wonderful thing. But we enjoy it most, when we enjoy it best.

Thanks to Tim Challies for the helpful info and statistics.

Digging Ditches – How I Got Freshly Pressed.

So last week one of my posts got Freshly Pressed.

What this means is that my post was featured on WordPress.com’s homepage, where each weekday, ten posts are selected from around 450,000 new blog posts!

What it also means is a lot of traffic to my blog… like 85 000-hits-in-10-days-kind-of-traffic!

So, needless to say it has been quite a buzz! Especially for someone whose previous record for a post was 350 hits, and who didn’t even know what Freshly Pressed meant.

So, how do you get featured? Well, according to WordPress, it’s all about the content. In a very helpful post Five Ways to Get Freshly Pressed they offer great tips for blogging that I think any blogger should follow, to get featured or not.

But let’s be honest, while I agree that content is king, there are a lot of great blogs out there with great content who still haven’t featured. Of course, there is always an element of “right time, right place” that factors in.

But here’s the bottom line – if you want to get featured, it’s all about “digging ditches”.

Steven Furtick sheds light on a story in the Bible where a guy named Elisha asks God for rain (read asks God to feature his blog on Freshly Pressed), and God responds by saying, “Dig some ditches first, and I’ll make it rain.” In fact he says, “Make this valley full of ditches.”

The truth is none of us can make it rain.

None of us can orchestrate “right time, right place”. No one can control the circumstances that ensures the editor reads our post. But what we can do is dig some ditches in the meantime – follow all the advice we can get, spit out quality content consistently – and prepare for the day when the rains will come and fill those ditches!

Keep plugging away. Writing your best. Checking your spelling. Using great images. Adding tags. Thinking of compelling headlines.

All of us can decide to write no matter what, even when it hurts.

And I think this principle is true for much of life. Some people just arrive. They write one post and “BOOM!” – instant traffic and fame. But for the most part, behind the scenes of great bloggers like Seth Godin and Michael Hyatt lies hours and hours of faithfully plugging away and the digging of many ditches. Malcolm Gladwell says that if you want to really shine in any field or skill, you’ve got to put in the hours… 10,000 hours in fact.

So… to all you aspiring bloggers out there (I include myself in this), keep on digging! Eventually the rain will come.

Thanks to WordPress for giving me the opportunity to get Freshly Pressed. Right now I am singing in the rain!

[Insert Catchy Blog Title Here]

cheesy photo from stock photo website of happy smiling couple doing happy things

[First, insert funny/controversial/shocking statement to grab readers attention]

[Now tell a funny anecdote or personal story to endear readers to you the writer]

[Next ask a relevant question related to above mentioned story/anecdote]

[Segway from question into main content ie. what you really want to talk about]

[Give two or three relevant and practical applications for readers]

[End blog post with a hard-hitting/thought-provoking question]

There you have it – the formula for a successful blog post! Designed to ensure increased traffic to your blog, and satisfied readers at the end of the day, right?

Yes and no.

Formulas are great. We use them to sell products, attract clients, improve our health, maintain our relationships, and even help people grow spiritually. We devise 7 habits for highly effective people (one of my best books by the way), 21 irrefutable laws of leadership, 5 languages of love and 101 ways to win friends and influence people.

And a lot of the time they are bang on the money. I guess that’s why they become formulas. Because they work.

But not always.

Sometimes life is just too complex and their are too many shades of grey to apply a formula and expect results. Sometimes life throws us random curve balls that we could never have anticipated or prepared for, and that blindside us on some idle Tuesday morning. Sometimes I guess we just have to figure things out on our own as we go.

And while that doesn’t always make for an easy life, it certainly makes for an interesting one!

And so, may you live your life beyond cliche formulas and prescriptions. May you embrace your existence with all it’s uncertainty and mystery, and may your life not be easy, but interesting!

Writer’s Blog

I am a maven by nature. I love gathering, collecting and sharing information. I love reading blogs. I follow a number of writers, authors, pastors and leaders, all of whom have blessed me incredibly through their personal blogs. I myself have tried numerous times to set up my own personal blog space. A space to wrestle with myself really. A place where I can jot down the unfiltered and wandering thoughts bouncing around in my often confused skull…

But I just can’t seem to get it going. Every time I do, I sit back and look at the pretty pictures and well laid-out design devoid of any actual writing and then just when I am about to put the proverbial pen to paper I stop and wonder… why? Who is going to read this anyway? Is it worth the effort? And that’s when i just throw it in.

But alas, here I go again. This may be the first of many blog posts, or it may just be another epic fail…