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You are allowed to dream

This is an article I wrote for COTN Voices and decided to repost here as I wanted everyone to read it too. You can view it on the COTN website here.

I was walking down the aisle in Woolworths the other day when a little boy caught my attention. He was standing next to his father that was unpacking a few things from his trolley and kept asking questions which his father answered with a simple “Yes” or “No”….well that was until he asked, “Dad, why aren’t we rich?”

I was stopped dead in my tracks, how could the kid ask that to his father in public? I was wondering what the outcome of this could be…would the father ignore the kid? Would he tell him to keep quiet? (more…)

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Look Me in the Eyes when You Talk to Me

This is one of the most irritating things I’ve come across lately. Be it in meetings, social gatherings or even greeting exchanges, people struggle to look you in the eye when talking to you…

I don’t know if it’s because of guilt, insufficient self confidence or simply just a way to show that they aren’t interested…in the end I don’t think they know how much it actually counts against them.

Why do I say that it counts against them? Well I feel that it’s disrespectful when people don’t look you in the eyes when they talk to you. There is obviously certain scenarios where the person is busy with something else and can’t look at you, but in the cases where you are meeting face to face, eye contact is crucial.

Not only will you portray respect, self confidence and interest, but authority in some ways too. It is also proven that if you look at someone your attention is focused on them and therefore your mind draws up everything said in the conversation.

My opinion is that it’s very important to look someone in the eyes when you talk to them. This applies to business too. People want to be looked in the eyes.

What is your opinion? Let me know.

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4 Steps to Change Your Life for Good


Featured Image: Young Businessman Showing on Shutterstock

People are bogged down by unnecessary baggage which keep piling up and eventually destroys their dreams, hopes and confidence. You might be thinking to yourself that you are happy just the way you are…but are you really?

Are you driving the car you want to? Are you living the life you want to? Are you able to go on holiday and not worry about your finances? I thought so.

Being free, happy and motivated is something every person dreams about. They believe there is more to life than a nine to five job in a confined space. They believe that there is a gold pot at the end of the rainbow too though…that is a story for another time. Haha…

In the end I believe that every person is in control of his/her own life and determine exactly where they are going and what they are doing . Without guidance though these people are steering clear of their goals and real meaning in life and the reason they were placed on planet Earth.

If you feel like you are going nowhere slowly then it is time for a change. It’s time to get your things in order and live the life you have always wanted. It’s time to stun the world with your talents and confidence. It’s time to get motivated and change your life for good…

How do I do this though? Let’s see. (more…)

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The One Minute Managers 3 Secrets to Successful Management

The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard reveals 3 key secrets to managing a team successfully with utmost productivity. Now you might be wondering how success can be accomplished by making use of 3 little secrets.

The truth is…it can be done.

In the book, Ken tells a story of a young man on a mission to find out what the worlds most successful managers do with their time and how they lead their people. The kids entire world is turned upside down when he hears about a “One Minute Manager” and makes it his mission to find out more about this person and expose his secrets.

Now I’m cutting to the chase here because I decided to leave you with a bit of food for thought this weekend. I will be mentioning the 3 secrets to the one minute managers success in one minute. Haha, I’m kidding…Here they are below. (more…)

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Don’t be Lazy, Make Weekends Productive!

Yes, that is exactly what I just said. You have to make your weekends productive. Now productive to some might mean work, but to me it means being busy. People love weekends as they want to lazy out on the couch and rest. Yes, that is viable to some extent, but to much rest will only make you tired again.

I would recommend actually doing something that you don’t have time for in the week. This can simulate outdoor and indoor activities, personal projects you are working on ex: a model boat, new kitchen cupboards etc.

Work can also be included in this list, but who wants to work on weekends? Being productive doesn’t necessarily mean that you are working, it just means that you are doing something with your time that is worth while. You aren’t wasting time.

You might have grown up in a family where your weekends consisted of lying on the couch watching TV when all your neighboring kids were out in the park playing. That is a decision that needs to be made by you and only you. You need to decide what you want to do on the weekends that will create new memories, build new friendship and enrich relationships.

What can I do on Weekends?

I have the privilege to live in South Africa and there is so much to do. Just a few examples of possibilities for my weekends are as follows:

  • Water Skiing
  • Hiking
  • Motorbike Riding
  • Hanging out with friends
  • Archery
  • Sand boarding
  • Scuba Diving
  • Fishing
  • Hunting
  • Building projects

There is so much to do here and I only listed 10 things for you as examples. The list can go on. You just have to be creative and find a hobby that you love and run with it.

Having a productive fun weekend is a must. You will feel refreshed and ready for work on Monday morning if you had a great weekend.
So it’s decision time: Will you be lazy or Productive?

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My Writing Challenge – Coming Soon


Yes, I will be starting with a writing challenge “soon”. Now soon to some people can be portrayed as anything from 1 to 500 days. However, soon in this instance means within the next month. There are just some other things that need to be taken care of before then. Little things that are snatching up unwanted time in my eyes.

Taking up a writing challenge means that I can be held accountable by everyone reading the content and therefore gives me greater motivation to put out content. Now you might be wondering what my writing challenge is going to be? Yes, you might be aware of some other guys having taken up writing challenges in the past…just an example is Corbett Barr – Every Day for 30 Days. He took a 30 day challenge and wrote about different topics each day. Some follow his personal life, situations or instances and others are advice to people, tips on blogging etc.

In the end Corbett completed his challenge and noted that it gave him lots of motivation and it became second nature in the end. A writing challenge to me comes as a goal. A project to set goals and achieve them. It keeps you accountable on certain levels. You aren’t allowed to go to sleep in the evening without posting something. All in all it creates a habit. A habit that will take you to the next level. A habit that will instill a new understanding and research dynamic in my life.

So…..

What will my Writing Challenge Be?

Sure I could go with a 30 day challenge. However, I know myself and therefore I’m going to take it a bit further. I will be kicking off with a 60 days everyday challenge. I will be constantly pushing myself to create content that deems valuable to my readers. Yes, there might be some rants and other questionable annotations within some of the articles, but just to be fair; this is a personal blog after all.

Now when will I be starting this content generating journey? Soon.

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12 Super Motivational Videos You Have to Watch

Motivation comes in all shapes and sizes, but the true nature of motivation comes from within. Self Motivation is probably one of the most important things every entrepreneur in the world should have. These videos that I have rounded up not only brings motivation to the table, but an entirely new set of emotions too.

The key ingredient to keeping yourself motivated is consistency. Do you have a way of motivating yourself once you feel uninspired?

It’s actually pretty simple. Think of that one movie, video clip, scenario or book that put you into an overly excited mood. That thing that made your heart skip a beat and made you feel invincible…

Now all you have to do in order to rekindle the fire is repeat the process. Watch the movie or video clip. Read the motivating chapter in the book. Replay the scenario in your head of when you sat down with someone that greatly motivated you.

Sure these things will take up a bit of time, but rather work with motivation, determination and passion than sit around thinking about a thousand different things and not doing anything.

My one way of keeping myself motivated is watching a motivational video clip on Youtube every morning and evening. This not only keeps me motivated, but makes me go to sleep all hyped up and full of ideas..Which in the end is beneficial for me as I usually end up waking up in the middle of the night with fresh ideas that I then make sure I take note of.

Motivation can be found in all shapes and sizes, but these come in the form of videos.

(more…)

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The Lack of Money Shouldn’t Drive You to Succeed

Money is the one thing that “according to everyone” makes the world go round. In some sense it is true, but then again, if you look at island tribes or certain cultures you will see that they live a happy, fulfilled life without a dime.

I’m not saying that you too have to live without money, but if they can live a happy life without ever needing to worry about money, why can’t you be happy with a low bank balance? Why do you feel worthless if you don’t have any money?

I mean even Bill Gates said, “Being a Billionaire is overrated.“

You have so much to be grateful for yet, you always complain about the things you don’t have. The things that others have that you want. It gets so bad that you create a false motive in your head that you need money otherwise you can’t live a happy life.

Well let me tell you something, money shouldn’t be your drive train to success. Your path to success should be paved with dreams, goals and ambition…not the lust for MONEY.
(more…)

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How To Get Your Startup Idea Funded by VC’s

More and more ideas are being brought to the table and we are seeing young entrepreneurs getting their ideas funded by Venture Capitalists. These VC’s are looking for billion dollar ideas and even though every kid on the block thinks his idea will make millions, in the end it’s up to the VC’s to decide if they will be funding this idea or not.

Now how do you go about getting your idea funded by Venture Capitalists?

I know of quite a few folks that pitched their ideas to VC’s countless times before even being considered for funding. Don’t get discouraged, it comes down to determination and handling rejection. The worst thing you could ever do in growing an idea is quit because you don’t have the required funding.

It takes time and hard work to get your startup off the ground and not everyone is cutout for it either. You have to be from a specific breed of human beings. A breed that doesn’t ever give up. It doesn’t matter who or what gets in your way, you will always find a way to get to your goal in sight.

Now let’s take a look at what Don Dodge, Joe Kraus, Paul Buchheit and Seth Priebatsch have to offer in the video embedded above. They talk about attracting investors and what they want to see before writing a check. Listen to experienced entrepreneurs who have raised money and VC’s who have funded them.

This video will give you a base to go on. If you want your startup idea funded, I recommend you watch the entire interview.

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Why I Take A Cold Shower In The Morning

I initially thought that I was the only crazy person taking a cold shower in the morning until I read Borris’ Take The Pain post on The Next Web yesterday. It’s good to see that I’m not the only one. Not the only one that wants to be reminded of something.

So every morning whether its been chilly or warm for the past two weeks I’ve been jumping into the shower under warm water and then proceeding to switch to cold water for a minute or two.

Obviously it sometimes seems like a stupid idea, especially when its 10 degrees outside, but I do it nonetheless. I try to control my breathing and focus to numb myself against the cold. Sometimes it works, but sometimes I end up jumping around because of the inconsistent flow of the water from the shower head.

There is such a big difference to showering in cold water than there is to submerging yourself in a bath full of ice. I don’t know why it’s the case, but I presume it has to do with what I mentioned above, “the inconsistent flow of water from the shower head.”

Looking back at yesterdays article, Boris made a great reference to a post written by Brett & Kate McKay. The post covers the essential benefits of having a cold shower. I have cover the points below. (more…)

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About Jacques van Heerden

Jacques is an entrepreneur, investor and podcaster who founded the An1ken Group in 2007 on the premise that Any One Can be successful. He is passionate about helping you achieve greatness in your business and your life.
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11 Books “Every Entrepreneur” should read TODAY!

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