The Legacy of Steve Jobs

A few words about Steve Jobs, a man whose achievements and legacy we'd all do well to consider.

Steve was a game changer. Time and again, he changed the protocols that defined the way we engage our digital world, from one of the first commercial PCs, animated movies to entertainment and communication devices. He left his indelible mark on the whats, whys, hows, whens and indeed wheres of our interactions. He was an icon that represented more than just his world changing inventions (with his registered patents numbering in the hundreds). He stood as a bold testimony to the power of innovation and the immeasurable extent to which we can impact our world if we're willing to work on our dreams. And that legacy promises to reverberate even after his passing.  

Steve changed the way we operate and interact; challenged the status-quo; shifted the paradigms and repeatedly took the game up a notch. He boldly went where others dared not go; questioned assumptions most held sacrosanct; took on market goliaths like they were little babes needing direction. I remember vividly how the iPod virtually turned the world of 'portable entertainment' (as it was called back then) on its head, its revolutionary simplistic concepts roundly trumping the then reigning Sony Walkman. By applying a pradigm shift, Jobs changed the whole mindset of device complexity by replacing the myriad of redundant control buttons on devices with a simple 4-button navigation set working against a software driven interface. In an interview on how he did it, Steve famously answered: "It's the software stupid!" Truly, the idea of software driven entertainment was one that the industry should have considered if not for its inflexible feature-based approach as opposed to user-friendliness and customer needs. With the iPod, Jobs virtually did away with the need to consult your manual before you could use your new music player.

That scenario of a 'computer company' dabbling -and succeeding- in a market dominated by giants like Sony, et al. was unheard of, but would be subsequently repeated in other markets ranging from gaming to telecommunications to PDAs to tablet computing. With each step, he left the competition scrambling to follow his footsteps, like unwilling, yet hapless students of the Steve Jobs faculty in the school of innovation.

But after all's been said and done, the real issue is how you're going to likewise impact your world. Steve indeed took the game up many notches in his lifetime and now he's exited the stage, leaving a little more space for you to shine up there in that vast arena of opportunity. If ever we had any, there's one less excuse for not stepping up to the bat. The world is waiting to be changed by your dreams. Don't disappoint! Apple gave us the USB port in a world where the serial port held sway, amidst the ho-hums of technology naysayers, so what's our reason for holding back our own 'stupid' ideas?

On a final note, if anyone ever asks: "Who is Steve Jobs?" remember to answer: "You and I, with the courage to follow our dreams" That's all.

...Now I respectfully set my iPhone back to its silent mode in respect of the visionary who brought it to life.

When you hold a poor image about you and money, it's almost impossible to attract enough of it into your life.

Want some of this? Got what it takes to keep it?

It's a blunt truth: Even if you've used your talent and enormous energy to earn some big money, a poor image will do everything it can to sabotage your wealth (there are a number of well known athletes and celebrities who are proving this truth right now).

Here are some beliefs that are common to those with a poor money image:

"I can't ever seem to get ahead."

• "It takes money to make money."
• "Most people who have lots of money got lucky."
• "I'm not worthy enough to be wealthy."
• "I don't have what it takes to make a lot of money."
• "I've never been good at managing money."
• "To earn more money, you have to sacrifice everything."

And there are many more.

I had most of those beliefs myself thirteen or fourteen years ago when I didn't have any money. So I know they're very real beliefs for a lot of people.

When it comes to money, most people believe it will take a struggle to ever have any. The truth is, as Bob Proctor teaches, "you were born rich."You literally possess, right this moment, everything you need to be wealthy beyond your imagination.

You're just not conscious (aware) of it right now.

I've had the great honor to speak on the same stage with Bob a number of times. It's always very exciting to watch the looks on the faces of the audience as they listen to Bob. People have told me they've never heard anyone explain money and wealth the way Bob does.

On one occasion I remember an audience member that Bob interrupted as he was describing himself as "hard working." Bob asked him why he wanted to be "hard working," because creating wealth has nothing at all to do with working hard. The audience member grew speechless as it dawned on him what Bob was talking about.

His response was just as memorable as the gentleman who participated in the first-ever You Were Born Rich Tele-Seminar we did with Bob. He said, 'For all my life, and I'm pushing 70, I've had a poor image as far as money is concerned. I grew up in a very tight home and your seminar has led me to think I can earn five thousand a week. And already things are coming to me just like you said. They're coming to my mind, how I can begin doing that..."

And he wasn't alone.

In celebration of the anniversary of this "paradigm-busting" program, we're able to offer a very special MDI Big Deal. Listen to a great audio and get the details here.

As always, thanks for supporting our site :-)

P.S. As Bob says, "Lack and limitation can only exist when we make room for them in our mind." And the same is true for abundance and wealth. Start making room for them by making time to check this out -but hurry, the special anniversary savings and this MDI Big Deal end in just a few days.

10 EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES & TACTICS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Making the most of your marketing budget and time is very pertinent in forging a successful business in this  tough economy. Below are 10 of the more effective marketing and strategies that have worked for many and can help you in growing your business.

1. Stand out from your competition. Create a unique corporate identity, define how you stand out from others and write effective calls-to-action in your copy. 
2. Create relationships with your customers. People like personalized service, after all, we are doing business with PEOPLE and not companies when all is said and done.
3. Have a simple, effective and easy to use website and have it optimized for search engines.  It makes you look successful and will get you traffic that can convert to leads and new business.
4. Collect email addresses. Both on your website and offline by collecting business cards, get those emails into a spreadsheet and when you’re ready, you can start using them in email marketing efforts.
5. Join local business networking or social groups.  Getting yourself out into the larger community and meeting people creates relationships and when people know you and what you do for work, they will recommend you and your company.
6. Speak about what you do. Getting speaking gigs and talking to people about what you do illustrates your expertise and gets you and your company out into the public eye.
7. Write and publish press releases. Get any news about your business happenings out to the public. This can be done both online and offline.
8. Have professional marketing materials. Includes visual identity items like your logo, business cards, website, flyers, brochures, case studies and testimonials.
9. Online Advertising. Includes SEO, Social Networking, Paid Inclusion programs and more.
10. Blog it! Create a blog for your website and write about what you do, become a recognized expert.

The important thing about making a success of your venture is keeping your eyes open for useful tips and ideas. These can help give you that needed business edge, tipping you into the realm of success and standing you out from competition.