We found a great article in The USA Today. An all to common question "I have a friend who has been unemployed for about two years. His unemployment insurance is about to run out and he has this kooky plan to go the self-employment route. I have tried to explain to him that this is no time to start a business. He won't listen to me. He likes your column — can you steer him on the right path? Thanks. — Jerry" 

The response is excellent, particularly, the argument that being self employed offers better security than being employed. Something I have argued in favour of for years. Of course, there are all the other great benefits such as flexible working hours, creative work — you wear many hats, the ability to make more money, the chance to do something you love.

If the question of being self employed has been nagging you and looking for a good excuse to take the plunge, you should read this article by Steve Straus

You have probably noticed by now that we just love TED talks (Ideas that matter) and that's because we just keep finding such simple yet great ideas that change the way we think and view the world. 

We recently ran a tourism business planning and marketing course for a rural community in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. One of the course facilitators asked us to show this TED talk by Simon Sanek to the students - I was blown away. The gist of the talk is about what makes people stand out, why do some companies do well, where others with exactly the same resources do not? The implications for this talk in terms of marketing and promoting your business are astounding and wonderfully simple. ....it's a simple process of answering the "Why" -

Enjoy, Duncan 

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz is one of the classic personal devel­op­ment books for all walks of life. For those of you who have never read this short, yet provoca­tive book on how to live life with integrity, I highly suggest it. There’s a lot more in the book than just four state­ments of course, and in my opinion, the first, being the most valuable. Be Impeccable with your word. As a brief introduction, here is a précised version of the Four Agreements

Imagine being in more than one place at the same time? Imagine that this potential exists in everything around you? Well, to a degree it does and the impacts of this can be far reaching in your day-to-day life. This clip from a recent TED talk (and if you have not seen some of their talks, we highly recommend this site!) shows just how this is possible and being done.

In this talk, Arron O'Connell, shows us in real physical terms (not some arbitrary theory) how things can really exist in multiple places at the same time. What does this mean for our sense of reality and our lives? For me, it just highlights the interconnectedness of everything. Things can be in multiple places because at a sub-atomic level, they are in fact connected and exist across the universe.

Our ability to create our own realities and shift our consciousness surely exists - if something tangible, physical and very real can be manipulated into more than one place at the same time, surely our minds, our consciousness has unimaginable potential to reach out to frontiers of potential we never dreamt could exist. Somewhere out there exist the POTENTIAL of a brand new you, the POTENTIAL for the life of your dreams, the Potential is infinite. And the best part is, this is not just "feel good" / "self help" theory, its real.

Our universe is indeed a strange place, yet a place where each and every one of us can literally be and do ANYTHING our minds can conceive. Mind bending and against all logic I know. But very real nonetheless. Perhaps take today and consider what your “potential” self would be like, what would you say if you met them, what would you want to see? Then….. start living it.