So, we've just come back from the undoubtedly beautiful land of Switzerland. It was a few days, within a different world. A statement that sticks out in my mind is - this is no land of half measures…

Their country is amazingly beautiful. The weather - extremely hot (who would have thought, especially coming from Spain…). The prices of virtually everything - painfully expensive… But most notedly, and that's not just because I like my tipple, the wine portions are ridiculously tiny. In some cases 100ml per glass - what's that about?

Anyway, all the 'extremes' aside, I loved my holiday so much, that I thought I'd make a rare appearance and actually post about it…

A holiday is a holiday - and in my opinion, most of you probably don't wanna be bored by a full explanation of every day's activities. But my 'hidden' motive for posting about it is to express the importance of LIVING YOUR LIFE, rather than just getting by.

Don't get me wrong - I am not boasting here… Just merely stating that a small change in outlook on the way your life is meant to be, a small attitude shift, can transform your entire life, and your fortunes.

A few weeks ago, my mom came over to visit with her husband (and my step-dad). We had a great two weeks together, and they mentioned that they are going to Switzerland for a week - would we like to meet them there?

In my old mindset (I'm talking 8 years ago or so) I would have said to myself - "It would be so great to go…" and then I would have come up with a million reasons (excuses really) for why I couldn't do it. Like - I don't have the money. Or, I can't take time off work. Or, it's too short a notice…

I know for a fact that a lot of people - academically intelligent people - do the same thing, every time, life tries to swing them into enjoyment and excitement. And it is a BIG MISTAKE!

Let yourself enjoy life, the "HOW" bit will figure itself out. If you sat down to look for money for a trip of fun & relaxation - trust me you'll never get the pennies together - there's always something 'more important' that would such the spare cash up. But if you really look closely, you will find there's a way…

Disclaimer: I understand that there are people out there who are really in difficult cash situations, and I am not belittling that infliction. I am talking about the general public, who often (just like I did a few years ago) think they can't possibly go out and have fun, but instead end up staying in the same dead end job, same lifestyle, and same relationships for decades, spending money and time on things that don't make them happy.

All for the sake of comfort… Well guess what, human nature may pull us naturally towards comfort, but comfort never got anyone to the next step or to the next thrill of excitement!

I guess I am here to appeal to your wild side…

Take steps you know will make you happy. Feel life rather than feel your way through it… And in true Spanish spirit - grab the bull (of life) by the horns and do the fandango!

So in conclusion, here are some of the new experiences I had in Switzerland because I chose to make it possible to go:

- I tasted my first cheese fondue… or three…

- Did my first session of mountain biking (which by the way is not as easy as some of you may think, and it thought me that wearing a helmet when riding can save your life). No photo here, but let's just say I have the scars to prove I was there…

- Visited Switzerland for the first time - I get a kick out of going to new countries and experiencing the current culture. We went to Leysin, Montreux, Lausanne, & Geneva.

- Sipped my Rum & coke in a hut within a restaurant… Yeah! bizzare, but cozy.

- Ate dinner in a real Chateau :o) - Chateau d'Aigle in their restaurant - Pinte Du Paradis

- Watched the Sex & the City movie in Geneva in English - ha! With a bucket of candy floss…

- Had my photo taken with Freddie Mercury… ok, of course not the real one, but his very expressive statue in Montreux :o)

- And last, but definitely most thrilling - paraglided off the side of La Berneuse and flew (assisted of course) more than 2500m above sea level. One of the most incredible feelings I have had - dangling my feet 600m above ground - my head virtually in a white puffy (and freaking cold) cloud… suspended by a mere harness…

Eric at PanPam took me for the tandem flight and I must say Thanks! it was awesome! If anyone is out in the area looking to do paragliding, I would recommend those guys.

So, go on then, what are you waiting for? When will you choose to start LIVING YOUR LIFE?

Yeah! I am back from a very long blogging break, so long it's embarrassing…

But I have my excuse :o) - of course. I have been so absorbed in research for my new product that I've had little time for anything else.

For the first time in my life I am specialising into something I am very passionate about, and I am discovering interesting (to say the least) things about my good 'ole self.

I am loving every minute of this, and while for some people, I may look like a borderline freak, I couldn't really care less :o)

One of the most prominent discoveries I am making, is that I am a lot stronger mentally than I would have thought. Very often people lead a life in oblivion of "who's the boss". Them or their 'mind'?

No I am not going mad. If you stopped and thought about it for a moment, you'll see that you and your mind are two different things more often than not. The one usually rules the other. I guess that what they mean when they say - do you think with your mind or your heart?

Without launching into another one of my rants, I want to clarify. What I mean is - your 'mind' is the thinking/conscious part of you, and your 'heart' is your core - is what you're on the deepest level.

So, to answer the question… The boss should always be YOU!

Maintain control of your core so that you can live your life the way you want to. Don't let your environment control you, i.e. the 'mind' is always influenced by external factors. One way to do that is to challenge yourself constantly or from time to time. The other way is meditation. I'm just delving into the second, but I can see what the benefits can be potentially.

Right, off I go back to my meditation :o) & work of course.

Have an amazing day!

OK, I received this email from Rich Schefren two days ago, and read over it, but didn't immediately watch the videos. As I've mentioned before - I am VERY skeptical about messages that claim to be the best thing ever, and only read them to observe any useful marketing tactics, words or triggers marketers are using…

Don't get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for Rich - he is one of the few big marketers that I follow closely because he actually offers cutting edge value to my knowledge bank. It's just that I have learned to scrutinise everything nowadays.

Anyway, enough small talk.

The bottom line is that I watched the videos on offer this morning. There are 5 of them. I recommend you look at them all as they are all very good content that will definitely help you. For me though, most were somewhat bleak in comparison to Jay Abraham's video.

Watch Jay's video!!!

He gives such an 'obvious' method of creating great copy, but it is brilliant in its simplicity. It may have to do with the simplicity of the explanation. I found it excellent and am implementing it today.

Won't tell you what it is - go see for yourself. The video is just short of 11min…

Five Weapons Of Mass Persuasion >>

Well, it's that time of the year again… when I do yet another post… ok, so I have to make fun of my lack of posting - or someone else will :o)

So much is happening lately, that bloggin somehow gets pushed to the back. On the other hand, I only want to post on topics that are actually useful to you, so that cuts it down even further…

OK, enough of that.

Today's post ain't so much of an original content, but the video I am linking to is soo good - I don't see the need for me to try and say it better. I'm just the messenger… For those of you who have already seen this post (post is a few days old ;o) - why didn't you share it?

Well, I love online marketing - but I have always maintained a great respect for offline techniques and traditional marketing methods. I've know about this technique for sometime know, so when I saw this great video on the subject I thought - I have to share this with you.

What's this amazing marketing technique?

It has to do with knowing your target market and the characters that make it what it is. Creating a potential customer avatar is extremely powerful. I wouldn't dream of putting a campaign together without researching my audience's motivations, frustrations, circumstances and personal characteristics.

So this technique involves creating a virtual human being or three that will potentially clarify exactly what your campaign needs to say to your prospects to get the maximum conversions.

I have to say that I use this method all the time - and it is one of the best tools in my marketing toolkit!

The special twist in the tail for us - internet marketers - is that you can test and tweak your virtual avatars to perfection - pushing your campaigns to conversion rates you've never known before.

I won't go into detail of how to go about creating your customer avatars, because the 22 min video Rand Fishkin and Ian Lurie have created says it perfectly well - and gives examples.

So instead I'll leave you to watch it for yourself. Before I leave you to it, though, I want to say that it might seem time-consuming. You might think it's not THAT important and it's a bit fluffy around the edges… But you should try it at least once! You'll never start your campaigns otherwise.

Oh, you may want to take notes… Enjoy!

Just a short post to wish everyone a Very Happy New Year & a belated Merry Christmas!!!

It may seem like a trick question there in my heading, but it's actually a very very simple one. I love to set my new year resolutions just before the end of the old one, because it motivates me and makes me 'take stock' of the last year's successes.

The only catch in this exercise is that if you do set your goals and resolutions for 2008, you have to commit to actually review those commitments at the end of the year.

Goals mean nothing without measuring their success.

Here's a little tip that will make your goal setting and achievement a lot easier:

>> Make sure you set measurable goals. So, don't just put down "want to earn a lot more money per month from my online business" - put down a figure instead.

"I want to earn at least $4000 per week from my online business by the end of 2008"

Right, that's all from me for this post. Two of my new year's resolutions are to post at least once a week, but much shorter posts…

Here is to a year full of happiness, health and prosperity!