How Could Anyone Ever Tell You..

This is one of my all time favourite inspirational songs and if you listen with an open heart you will be able to feel yourself literally opening up to acceptance:




Annie is a Business Visionary, Social Marketing and Web Consultant, Quantum Educator, Master NLP, Master Results and Performance Coach/mentor who spent 20 years running her own business as a Natural Health Practitioner. Her love for helping people reach their potential has only grown over the years and she now consults and presents on topics such as social marketing, web marketing, having vision (in business and personally), growth and expansion strategies, and thinking quantumly - infinite possibility's.

16 Totally Random Things About Me

Image by alchymy8 via FlickrSomeone on Twitter got me thinking about my life when she asked that we contribute to her thoughts on "16 Random Things" @Drwright (thanks for the heads up and what I learned during this process:

1. I am a grandmother of 4
2. I spent years living without any electricity in the Australian bush
3. I love quantum physics and can explain the LOA in scientific terms
4. I have an IQ over 145 but it really doesn’t make me any more successful than anyone else
5. I have a very very quirky sense of humour
6. I cry when I see others are success (idol, etc..)
7. I can speak 5 words and count to 5 in 10 languages (hello, thank you, goodbye, coffee, beautiful)
8. I like to crank up the music and dance like a dervish when no-one is watching
9. Just seeing the moon or the sea can make me happy
10. I cured myself of an “in-curable” disease (MS)
11. I get crabby when people forget to notice how awesome and amazing our world is
12. I love lizards and dragons
13. I still have an imaginary friend and truly believe everyone should (nothing wrong with imagination it can keep you sane)
14. I love pistachios
15. I have had my picture in the paper (newspaper) in 5 different towns
16. I owned and trained a quarter horse named Flashdancer when I was 20.

Suddenly I feel a lot more successful than I did 10 minutes ago, why not try it and see!


Annie is a Business Visionary, Social Marketing and Web Consultant, Quantum Educator, Master NLP, Master Results and Performance Coach/mentor who spent 20 years running her own business as a Natural Health Practitioner. Her love for helping people reach their potential has only grown over the years and she now consults and presents on topics such as social marketing, web marketing, having vision (in business and personally), growth and expansion strategies, and thinking quantumly - infinite possibility's.

Can Social Media Create a Wave of Change?

Image via WikipediaSocial media is now becoming the new trend for marketing everything, but what about using these new strategies for real world change? Instead of promoting your latest product, promote high ideals, charities, and environmental and social forces for good. What a thought?

Social media has enabled many to harness the oldest and most useful marketing of all time 'word of mouth' which has by default become 'word of mouse' yet few if any of us have really thought about how we can change the world one mouse at a time.

Oh, I know there are heaps of charities, groups and forums all postulating about it, but how many do you join or enter only to find that most of the people there are only there to promote themselves or their products and few if any real conversations about real topics ever really take off and earn the respect of the community who joined that group or forum. Something as powerful as social media could indeed harness the power of real people by having real conversations that gain momentum right up to critical mass.

For those of you who do not understand 'critical mass' it is when something has enough momentum to tip over into a dynamic change, an altered state a new paradigm. Why not join us in starting a movement that will bring you and I, companies, organisations, and the ideals and values we hold dear together and change the world? If Coca Cola can up their sales by 200% using the power of 'word of mouse', imagine what we can do if we want world peace, real envionmental change or any other cause dear to our hearts?

If enough of us band together and have the same conversations we might even get whole governments to listen to us? Imagine this, we start a conversation about peace or the environment here on FB that gathers force because all the people who add to that conversation are authentically interested in that message leaving their own ego, products and services at the door on their way in.

Those conversations are so passionate, so authentic peoples passions are roused and the conversations are taken out to other networks and social sites, on the way articles, posts and hub pages written about these conversations with passion, verve and zeal. Next thing we know 100's of 1,000's of conversations about the same topic are being had all over the internet, on FB, Twitter, Plurk etc.. and video's of these conversations are being broadcast, group conversations on Skype, Oovoo and internet radio and then...

Right at the point when the passion for this cause is at it's leaders initiate a staged plan to the group/s to harness and focus their intentions, to stand up and be counted for all the world to see. Imagine if millions, billions of us stood side by side, hand in hand and come together as one force with one message - for generations people have asked "What can I do? I'm just one person'

Not any more with focus like this we could tell all the governments of the world what we really want - peace, a safe, pollution free home and the beginning of thinking of ourselves as people of the universe rather than separate individuals who are powerless to change what needs to be changed.

That is the power of social media!

How do we get started?

• Enlist a few people to help spread the word
• Create an emotional appeal
• Allow passionate people to participate and create ownership of the idea
• Allow the Meme (idea virus) to spread and gain momentum thought consistant conversations on all social site types
• Follow the meme as it spreads
• Gather the most passionate people together and ask them to direct and focus the meme to outward actions in the real world: parties, events, groups and conversations
• Add in some real world PR - it should come naturally if there is enough momentum
• Stand together across the world with one message and make ourselves heard
  

Can it happen? Easily we just have to take the first step. Begin by joining a group around something you are passionate about, experiment to find a group that is having real and continuing conversations around that topic, then do your bit by spreading the word about that group (via articles, posts, microblogging, youtubing it etc... or starting one of your own on another portal and asking a few of the main contributers from the first group to help get the conversations running on your new group.

Harness the power and force of the Butterfly Effect!


Come on, imagine the infinite possibilities, love you all, Annie

Related articles by Zemanta

• How to Start a Social Media Campaign
• Now Is The Time For Big Ideas

The Changing Face of Marketing

Image by luc legay via FlickrIn the last few weeks it has been a real experience to be on the cutting edge of something that needed to happen. Marketing has once again become human, almost spiritual and to borrow a phrase I heard 'somewhere', "It's about time."

For too long marketing has been filled with faceless hype in an age where we humans are feeling more and more isolated and craving connection. Marketers, I believe have a responsibility to bring connection, real, genuine connection back in to the marketing arena, act in responsible and accountable ways in an age when people are becoming more and more savvy and less and less gullible.

Social Marketing is the next new wave of internet marketing and if we bury our heads in the sand and pretend it will all go away, we will miss out. Social Marketing may be different, may even mean we will need to change the way we do business and become more accountable but pretending it is all just a fad would be a serious mistake.

Now is the time of the 'Conversational Marketer' perhaps even the 'Spiritual Marketer' someone who takes their responsibility as a trusted expert seriously enough to develop real relationships with the people who rely on them for recommendations to products that will meet their needs. Social sites like Facebook, Plaxo, Friendfeed, Diigo, Digg, Delicious, Twitter, Plurk and the many other sites that are popping up like mushrooms in the demand for social aggregation and the need for social connection are no longer time wasters as we are able to put those connections to good use, just as we would in the real world.

There is no such thing as a quick buck and those who still crave it are going to find themselves on the outer edge as the new clients and customers make their needs clear. Real people who care as marketers and sales people, no faceless websites screaming hype at them, the age of the red and black large print website will go the way of the dinosaurs and back will come real connection and returning customers who have developed a trust of their chosen marketer, who will recommend real products of real value after having a conversation with their customers to determine their needs.

The fact that this may take place in the medium of the internet is testament to the fact that there is a return to old fashioned values, technology is not going to make us more faceless and less connected. Humans need for social interaction and connection has finally turned the tide and we are creating a change or rather an evolution of the internet. This evolution is putting back the faces on the people who are behind the screens, creating connections through genuine conversations between real people and this is going to mean a real change of pace and a learning curve for the older marketers who sat safely behind their disparate pseudonyms and websites.

Personally, I am relieved as I never did fit in with that style of approach although my teacher was adamant that this was the way to go. I just couldn't go against my own personal ethics, and being faceless did not sit well with me.

I am wondering how many other people out there feel the same, it is obvious to me that many of you do. Many people I have already come across feel just as I do that the time of squeeze pages and blaring red text is at an end. We as marketers might need to become a little more vulnerable by making real relationships with real people, earning trust and loyalty from our clients and customers and then making recommendations to our friends about products and services that then suit their needs. Yes it is a longer route to a sale, but think of this, real people, real loyalty and real word of mouth or even word of mouse.

Viva la Change! I say and bring it on, finally I feel as if I have a direction, it has been a long time coming, I had an idea yet did not feel I really fit into any niche. Now however it is becoming more and more clear and I can see my path in the new evolution of the internet (or should that be revolution??).


Annie is a works as a Business Visionary, Social Marketing and Web Consultant she holds various credentials including: Master NLP, Master Results and Performance Coach/mentor and spent 20 years as a Natural Health Practitioner. Her love for helping people reach their potential has only grown over the years and she now consults and presents on the topics of success, potential and personal development as well has having Joint Ventures with two business and her own business.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Social Media, Free and Easy Advertising?
• What does Social Networking mean to you?
• How Can Facebook Crack its Advertising Problem?
• Advertising on Social Networks = FAIL?

An Attitude of Gratitude Paves the Way to Your Success

We have all been told that happiness is about wanting what you have, however that has always created more questions in me than it solved. If I want only what I already have how will I get more? How will I change my life? Perhaps it is more about being grateful for what you have while have a vision for how your life could be even better? An attitude of gratitude has an all encompassing effect on our life, it can make us feel more optimistic, more successful, more motivated, calmer and more open to opportunity as it comes our way, now that's got to be a good thing!

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." - Marcus Cicero

Now it seems even science is getting in on the act!

This article at Physorg.com, (and yes it's true, for those of you who do not know I am a science geek), is proving the point. Read on for more insight: " It turns out it can be tested. Texas Tech University psychologist Jeff Larsen and Amie McKibban of Wichita State University asked undergraduates to indicate whether they possessed 52 different material items, such as a car, a stereo or a bed.

Their results, which appear in the April issue of the Association for Psychological Science’s journal, Psychological Science, suggest that people can grow accustomed to their possessions and thereby derive less happiness from them.

They also suggest, however, that people can continue to want the things they have and that those who do so can achieve greater happiness.

“Simply having a bunch of things is not the key to happiness,” Larsen said. “Our data show that you also need to appreciate those things you have. It’s also important to keep your desire for things you don’t own in check.”

If the students owned a car, the researchers asked them to rate how much they wanted the car they had. If they didn’t have a car, they were asked to rate how much they wanted one.

Larsen and McKibban then calculated the extent to which people want what they have and have what they want. Their findings show that wanting what you have is not the same as having what you want. While people who have what they want tend to desire those items, the correlation between the two was far from perfect.

The researchers found that people who want more of what they have tend to be happier than those who want less of what they have. However, people who have more of what they want tend to be happier than those who have less of what they want. " Source: Association for Psychological Science I have said it before, if you want to be happy, if you want to achieve a goal in life you must look forward and want it. It all starts with desire, the desire for something achievable. However, while wanting to get away from your current life pattern, while can give you the impetus to get out of the rut, will not sustain your forward motion in life. Get some goals and move ahead toward happiness and success, all the while being truly grateful for what you already have.

Gratitude is key, being grateful can at times be difficult, however you can create a new habit of gratitude by allowing yourself to list at least 5 things everyday that you can be truly grateful for and allow those feelings of gratitude to grow and once you have done that continue on to your goals visualisation, it can make an incredible difference to your success and happiness.


Annie loves helping people reach their potential and that has only grown over the years and she now consults and presents on the topics of success, potential and personal development. Her favourite topics are quantum physics, NLP, personal growth and how all of these topics can show you the one thing you all need to know about yourselves - YOU CAN!!

Russell Simmons talks about life, success, giving and instant gratification, worth listening to even though the sound is a little off.

We need people like this to talk to our younger generation about these very topics, so nice to see a rapper doing good, talking and rapping about peace and giving for a change.







Annie is a Master NLP Practitioner, Master Eriksonian Hypnosis, Master Results and Performance Coach/mentor and spent 20 years as a Natural Health Practitioner. Her love for helping people reach their potential has only grown over the years and she now consults and presents on the topics of success, potential and personal development as well has having Joint Ventures with two business and her own business.

Stay Flexible and Open to New Opportunities

Image via WikipediaI am having such a great month! One of my JV's is really taking off now and the other one is steering in what we know is a new a profitable direction.

One of the things that has come up for me over the past year of joint venturing and working in the internet business is to remain flexible and open to new opportunities.

Now I know we are all told that if we have a great idea to keep plugging away at it until it works. I would agree with a couple of very important strategies that also must come into play.

Be open to what the universe is telling you, it might start out as subtle touches on your shoulder you know the kind that tell you that this might be a good idea. You know if something is introduced into your life as a good idea more than once, it could be a tap on the shoulder from the universe. My advice - listen. Turn around, stand still and take another look.

In my experience when you don't the universe will let you know in more apparent ways either by something to good to miss falling into your lap or if you really don't listen - something going wrong with what you're doing so that you have to re-evaluate what you are doing. Why ruin your momentum - listen now, it might not be exactly what you imagined your business being or looking like but the universe tends to know better than you what will work, after all it can see further than you can. No really!

Step out of your comfort zone and take a good look at how you could bring that into your business model. Same goes for what is clearly not working, no matter how much you want it, if it is not working for you you might need to consider letting it go.

The question to ask is, "How can I" about pretty much everything.

This is a very important part of the next strategy, staying open to opportunities when they knock on your door. Opportunity knocks every day, YES! every day, we might not hear the knock but we are presented with opportunities on a daily basis. Reasons why we do not hear the knocking:

• too busy trying to make something work that isn't, playing the victim and wondering why nothing is working,
• having too many boundaries around who we think we are and what we believe we are capable of,
  
• refusing to listen to good advice,
• having a vision of how our goals will come about rather than just focusing on the goal and allowing our ship to be steered by passion and joy.

Have a flexible mindset and stay open to opportunities knock and you and your business will become as successful as only you can dream. Treat live as an adventure to be had, or a roller coaster ride and learn to enjoy both the high's and the low's they all have something to teach us in life and in business.

and don't forget: Imagine the infinite possibilities.


Annie is a Master NLP Practitioner, Master Eriksonian Hypnosis, Master Results and Performance Coach/mentor and spent 20 years as a Natural Health Practitioner. Her love for helping people reach their potential has only grown over the years and she now consults and presents on the topics of success, potential and personal development as well has having Joint Ventures with two business and her own business.