How many times have you heard the phrase ‘Practise Makes Perfect’? Well it’s not true. We all are taught from an early age that practice will make us perfect however, there is no such thing as perfection and so you can only just keep getting better, which is what you should strive to be doing.

Many children get taught and believe that just practising will make them perfect at what they are trying to do, the problem with this is that many other factors involved in improving; these factors include knowledge, understanding of where you need to improve and goals of what you want to achieve.

A good example of this can be found in all sports, in darts you would need to throw the dart then align the next one in relation to where the previous dart landed. You would not just throw hundreds of darts without caring where they landed, as it would not help you achieve your goals.

Learn – Knowledge

You know how to learn. Go read a book, take a course, get a friend to teach you. It does not really matter how you learn, what matters is that you have a solid foundation for whatever it is you are trying to do. For example, before you made a cake make sure you know the recipe and how to use the equipment.

Analyse – Understanding where to improve

There are many ways to analyse where you need to improve, you could compare yourself to those that you look up to (which I do not recomend), you could just use your initive and decide what parts of whatever you are doing you do not that you are doing well enough or you could ask for advice.

Whilst writing this post I was on the DeviantART #DigitalMedia chatroom which is a place where digital artists can get critiques and learn how to really improve their work. One of the users, The-Rails (aka Connor Adams), was commenting about how practise makes perfect. However, he did not just say to keep doing the same thing over and over.

“I’m deadly serious when i say this though, draw, draw, draw, paint, paint paint untill your fingers bleed, take in everything people advise even if it seems more offensive than good, etc. You get there in the end”

Connor Adams

Now you are probably thinking something along the lines of “you just said practise is not the only factor in improving, but that guy says it is!” Well, look more closely.When he said ” take in everything people advise” that is why I quoted it. You will improve if you practise all the time AND do something different, by using people’s advice.

Plan – Setting goals

Settings goals is a very simple part of planning, it is up to you how far you would like to take this stage. The best way to set good goals is by using what you learned from the first section about what is possible to do, then include what advice you have been given and what you analysed in the second section. It is a good idea to set both short and long term goals, but remember to check and update your targets often!

“Practise makes better, not perfect!”

Michelle Baker (my mum)

Well now is the time to stop! I would like to introduce you to a book that I recently had the pleasure of reading. “Stop Peeing On Your Shoes: Avoiding the 7 Mistakes That Screw Up Your Job Search” is a book written by career consultant Julie Bauke.

There are two main reasons as to why I recommend you to buy this book (don’t worry, I am not trying to make you click an affilite link). The first reason is obviously content (after all Content Is King), every single word in the book is important. There is no “filler” content, the whole book is useful. Secondly, Julie has a writing style rarely seen in books… she is funny. Yep, a useful humourous book… impressive!

I was going to give you a massive review but why? Nope… better idea… lets interview the author!

Firstly, could you please tell us about yourself?

I am a Career Strategy Consultant and I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. I speak professionally, write and coach clients to live the career of their dreams. Most of my one-on-one work is with senior level professionals and professional athletes, but in my writing and speaking, the messages, and info are for everyone.

What did you want to be, during your childhood, when “you grow up”?

I always liked talking to and learning about people and I always loved to write. I got into Human Resources work for the first half of my career- it’s the most people oriented side of business. I found that no matter what job I was in HR, I was always drawn to career conversations. I made a decision to move in to the career field for the second half of my career and have been wildly happy ever since. What I do is what I was meant to do.

You have recently released your book “Stop Peeing on Your Shoes”. Why did you write it?

The book was the result of my 10+ years coaching really smart professionals and seeing them make the same mistakes, regardless of how successful they were in their careers. Career Management is something that no one teaches us- we typically stumble through it and hope to figure it out. The problem is that most don’t.  My book as meant to get people started on the right foot- and to prevent them from making those mistakes.

As I have mentioned earlier, you are a very clever yet humorous woman. Most people either write really intensely with amazing information or they are more casual but with less useful information. Yet you write in a funny AND amazingly informative way, how do you manage it?

Thanks. My writing style is exactly like my speaking style. In fact, one of my good friends read the book and said it was exactly like spending the day with me. There really isn’t much to laugh at in job search as it is very serious and fraught with all kinds of pitfalls. BUT, at the same time, it can be very funny in kind of a “ya gotta laugh, or you’d cry” way. I really tried to capture that in the book by filling it with 100% true client stories of the good, the bad and the hilarious, and the use of cartoons.  My style is very direct, so I wanted the book to be very direct and very helpful, while making you smile.

Who/what is your greatest inspiration?

I would say that every client who sat at my desk over the years so completely burnt out and feeling so hopeless inspired me to inspire others to be in control of their careers. Companies absolutely do not care about your career the way you should. You have to drive your own Career Bus instead of careening through it as a passenger.

What would you say is your greatest passion and how does this passion affect your work?

Because I am in a career I love, I want others to experience the joy that it can be to truly be excited on Monday morning and as I say “skip to the shower”.

How would you describe your lifestyle?

Filled with male creatures. I have a husband, two teenage sons and three dogs, so that is 6 males and me. I love it. My kids, husband and dogs are all great. I like to think that I have found my perfect balance as the kids know they are top priority but that Mom is a better Mom when she has a career. I’m not a domestic- cooking and all of the other stuff that goes with running a perfect house is not my strengths or interests. I admire people who do it well, but it’s not me. We can’t do it all, so I choose to focus on the stuff I love and know that my kids will not be in therapy some day because there was dog hair in the corner.

Have you ever had times where you thought yourself as a “failure”? If so how did you stop feeling like it? If not how do you keep yourself so optimistic?

Yes… When I was in a big job with a gorgeous office and looked around and felt empty. But I quickly got to “it’s not me, it’s that the job is wrong for me” and set about making a change.

Your book speaks a lot about common mistakes, rightly so as it is what makes the book so useful, yet what intrigues me is what would you say is the most unique situation/mistake you have come across whilst you have been coaching?

Definitely the guy who had toy safes delivered to his top companies of interest that had his resume locked inside. This was before 9/11. Needless to say, it fell flat.

What advice would you give somebody wanting to speak at an event, possibly even as the keynote speaker?

You have to have something to speak on that people want to hear. Start speaking for free at lunchtime professional events, church, etc. and get your message honed and your speaking skills polished.  Be ready for someone to come up to you and say “I’d love to have you come speak at an event I’m hosting. What is your fee?” You’re off and running!

If you could go back and change one thing in your past, what would it be?

Not a thing. I am so happy with where I am today, that I believe everything that has happened, good & bad, has brought me here.

How has the internet improved your business? If there was no internet how would your business differ from its current form?

It’s been transformational. People can find you, follow you, engage with you from anywhere in the world. Without it, I would be limited to handing out marketing materials in my own community and hoping for the best.

Could you please describe your personal definition of the word “Success”?

Using your natural skills and talents, and pursuing your interests (and getting paid for it!) while maintaining a healthy personal life.

Obviously you have written your own book but what other books would you recommend to somebody that is looking for a job, or to improve their career?

I like Career Distinction by William Arruda & Kirsten Dixson. It’s a great way to get in touch with your personal brand, i.e. how others see you and how you see yourself

What plans do you have the future?

Continue to grow my business to spread the word that we all need to find what makes us skip to the shower. Yes, it’s takes courage, answering hard questions, and some risk. But the result is more than worth it.

If there was just one thing that you would like people to remember about you, what would it be?

I genuinely care about others finding their own version of career success but believe it is something that cannot be delegated or outsourced. And that I love to laugh…!

Thank you Julie.

Well as you all know I am currently working on improving Success Circuit. I was not planning to change the colour scheme or anything however I would like your opinions. Also please share this through twitter, facebook.. whatever! I want Success Circuit to be at it’s maximum potential. So without any further ado, here is the choices (you can choose more than one if you would like to and please comment here saying why you chose what you did):

Thank you!
Shane

Today is a good day for the Internet. One of my favorite time wasting websites was upgraded yesterday. WasArrested.com is now even more believable that ever. Founded in March 2001, by John Meloche, WasArrested is the world’s largest fake news website focused exclusively on Viral Social Media news. With more than 350 thousand monthly page views, WasArrested is the most prolific fake news blog in existence.

According to the websites owner, the audience includes early adopters, social media enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, influencers, brands and corporations, marketing, PR and advertising agencies, Web 2.0 aficionados and technology journalists. WasArrested is also popular with bloggers, Twitter and Facebook users – an increasingly influential demographic.

Today I was tipped off to the new look and feel of the website and figured I would give it a try.

Some of the new features include a few new stories, believable videos pertaining to each article, a new popular section that displays the last 20 stories created on the website and the ability to leave comments on the articles posted.

One question I had about the new look was “What about the old stories that were created from people in the past, will they still work?” the quick answer was “Yes!”. It seems the new technology of the website still remembers all the stories that were made in the past. Sounds genius to me.

Anyway, I figured I would let you guys know about this exciting new launch as i found it very entertaining. Hopefully you do too. Feel free to post your stories here!

…not if you want to win. And I mean really WIN!

I’ve been a little “inactive” here because every now and then I run off into my metaphorical mountain to improve, hone and master my god given skills. This means writing “practice” articles and experimenting with techniques in my niche while doing a sh*t load of reading.

While I was in this “phase” of intense reading, I realized something crazy and had a huge mental shift. So here’s a little motivational post for you peeps.

It became VERY apparent to me…

► That no one… AND I MEAN NO-ONE stays top dawg forever. Especially in the whole “marketing advice” and “make money online” niche. The leaders in this space fluctuate more often than the stock market. It’s crazy.

This means that in YOUR niche, the top dawg will be de-throned and be replaced by someone else too. Call it the circle of life or whatever but the fact is that no matter how grounded, successful or popular this person is… they will get their a*s beat by someone better. Then THAT person will eventually get topped by someone else, and so on and so forth.

So if we know this will happen, why are people cool with being “ok”?

Too many bloggers and “online business owners” are shooting for mediocracy (or “good enough”) because they have been led to believe that there is “enough room” for anyone who gets their feet wet on the internet. There isn’t! If you want to be at the TOP, then you can’t think this way. There is only “enough room” for those who want to collect peanuts, not for those that want a T-Bone steak… you need to be at the top of the food chain to get that.

What’s really messed up is that from the surface, it SEEMS that there is enough room for everyone to co-exist peacefully because:

1. So many people are making some average income to get them by, but let’s face it, this business is pretty insignificant. You can’t survive off this forever.

2. The top dawg is surrounded by a “few smart ones” who maybe aren’t as rich but are close enough… so it seems very appealing to be in this position to a newbie or outsider. The truth is that these people were either top dawg in the past or are going to be the up-and-coming mofos who will knock the current champ off his podium. There is a reason they are “close enough”.

How many times have you heard “If I can only make a 1/3 of what he/she’s making… I will have made it“. Heh, so pathetic! What’s actually going on behind the curtains is that these “few smart peeps” are constantly trying to 1up each other. The fact that they are AIMING for the stars is what’s keeping them in the sky. They might not even admit it publicly, but comon… are you kidding me? Why is there a new marketing product, ebook or online course coming out every 2 months from these “gurus”?

Because competing and wanting more is HUMAN NATURE. The proof is right there. And don’t think, even for a moment, that the “gurus” are releasing their new products because they have something REVOLUTIONARY DIFFERENT to share. Flock no! It’s the same re-hashed BS they sold a few months back… they just re-packaged it with something shiny and threw in a few useless bonuses to sweeten the deal. (This is true 99% of the time, but just like any rule, exceptions do exist)

Now, I’m competitive by nature so a “go-get-er’!” type mindset comes very easily. I’ve got the hunger. I want to (respectfully) mop the floor with the faces of my competitors and make them cry. Repeatedly if possible. Constantly if sustainable.

(Anyone who happens to be in the fitness niche… be very afraid)

But the really worrying thing to me is that not all of you will want to aim so high. In fact, you’ll be happy if your blog starts to pull in 300 visitors a day and you end up selling some affiliate products here and there so you can quit your 9-5 job. Maybe you’ll write a small ebook one day too, but that’s as far as you’ll take it.

However, you need to remember, there will be someone out there who’ll be doing it better than you and will probably end up attracting half your business from right under your nose (notice I said attract, not steal). But he/she cannot sustain that position forever. They WILL be knocked off by someone at one point another… so my question is:

WHY THE FLOCK CAN’T THAT PERSON BE YOU?!

The answer is that it CAN. Ain’t that an empowering thought? So stop crying, start wanting more and aim as high as humanly possible.

I’ll see your a$$ at the top where we shall dine on a fancy T-bone steak.

Hell… I’ll even foot the bill.

© FitJerk

This is not quite a guest post. Infact FitJerk does not even know that this is on here! But not to worry, he posted it for the ProBlogger community and specifically stated “I wrote this for the community but it’s not bound to this place. If you wish to republish this on your blog or post it on a site… you are free to do so as long as: 1. You keep the title & content intact and un-edited, 2. Include one do_follow link back to my blog with my pen name as the anchor text.” So obviously I thought that this post would be an excellent post for you all to read. I think it is very interesting and you probably would not be suprised when I say it has created a lot of lively discussion on the forum! Check out FitJerk’s blog and also have a look at this amazing interview. What do you think of this post? Do you agree with him? If so why? If not, why?

It is October 2009, the internet was released to the public in 1992. I was born in 1993. Everybody expects super things from the internet, but it is still very young in technological terms. Watch this amazing presentation to see just what the internet is and how super it already is!

I think this slide show really makes us understand how young the internet really is and how much more it is going to change in the future. Remember, there is always a innovative idea somewhere… even in areas such as the internet that seems overcrowded. The end of originality is NOT here, and probably never will be!

Please let us all know what you think about this and what the internet will be like in just another 10 years!

Shane

As I previously mentioned, Success Circuit is going in for a complete makeover (well not complete, I am trying to change as little as possible but still give it a massive update). So before I get too far into the production stages, I want to know what you want.

What do you want to see from Success Circuit?

Do you have any ideas on how to improve the current theme/layout?

What kind of posts do you prefer?

If I was to interview just one more person, who would you wish it to be?

Please let me know anything that comes to your mind, absoloutly anything! Do not worry, there will still be real content before this upgrade comes.

Shane

Hello everybody,

As you know, things get old and boring very quick. The internet some how speeds up this process. So I have decided it is time to spice things up a little. Now, I have big plans for Success Circuit which shall hopefully begin implementation by the end of the month. No promises though!

However, as you know I visit ProBlogger.net (and.com!) a lot. The other day a post was written by Mary Jaksch of Goodlife Zen regarding a WordPress plugin called Apture. I am trying to cut down on plugins, which will hopefully be noticed very soon, but this plugin really amazed me. It looked so useful! So I have installed it, and it is not going away.

This is actually a test post to make sure Apture does everything that it looks like it does, so I am going to try to embed some videos or something in a minute using Apture. This plugin will allow you to have a lot more access to a lot of information by using links and embedded media. For example it can find me the link to information about Richard Branson or Mary Poppins!

I can also embed this interesting marketing mistakes video.

Have fun and if you are doing anything interesting let me know!

Shane

This was meant to be a short post highlighting some recent start ups and make overs… not any more. The original sites that I was going to speak about will still be on the post but there is also going to be many many more. Why? To celebrate ProBlogger.Com, a new forum run by the blogosphere’s biggest blogger, Darren Rowse. On the forums I asked for people’s websites, more than a few people replied!

If you like to do domaining or graphic design then there is a high change you have heard of The Hive Designs. But, did you know they have had a makeover? Completely new website! It looks absolutely amazing. Check their new site out, and if you need any design work then I completely recommend The Hive Designs. I have had designs from them before and they were very professional but more importantly… the price was nothing compared to what the designs were actually worth. So scoot off and go order some designs!

The Entrepreneur Club is a brand new community that is being created by Roland Millward. It is not officially launched yet so join now! Now, the best thing about his website and community is… IT IS FREE!!

Now I need to quickly mention Old Steamers,  a brand new website about steam trains. The owner is Jamie House, Roland Millward’s nephew, so expect great things! By the way, this is his first website, so I am sure he will appreciate any help.

Income Diary is another of the sites I would like to mention. I think I have mentioned Michael Dunlop’s new website before… if not then check it out because it is VERY interesting and inspiring! A newer part of the site is his forum, which I recommend joining. I am an administrator there so expect to see me often.

Now for the reason why this list is so massive! PRO BLOGGER NOW HAS A FORUM! When I first saw the forum (a few days before release) I think it was about $20 a month. It is currently $1.95 and if you join now at that price then that is the only price you will ever have to pay! The best thing about this forum is the community and the amount of motivation everyone provides. UPDATE: I got the $20 a month wrong, it has now been put up to $5.95 which is still a complete bargain price for what is on offer!

As a treat, here is a list of people’s websites that replied to my post on the problogger forum about this Link Fest.

1. Ikaro – the english version of one of the most popular blog about new media and blogging in Italy.
2. Joomla Blogger- a blog with tips, tutorials and news about Joomla (and some SEO mixed in).
3. LifestyeDesign4U – a blog about lifestyle design, entrepreneurship, personal development and blogging.
4. Christopher Mark Smith – a personal blog about IT, technology, gadgets, and blogging.
5. ATMac – Disability, impairment, OS X, iPhones and iPods.
6. No Pity City – Disability gear that pulls no punches.
7. Four Walls No Limits – For the bedridden, housebound and nearly housebound.
8. Huzzer Magazine – An online magazine site that helps WordPress users, either beginners or pro to get to know further about WordPress, provides tutorials on WordPress related topics and give update on the latest WordPress news.
9. Writer Seven – Writer Seven is a blog dedicated to providing guides and information articles for developing one’s writing style and grammar.
10. Matthew Lyle- Matthew writes about blogging, designing, and makes free WordPress themes.
11. Thailand Land Of Smiles - Everything to do with Thailand from travel tips to attractions and personal stories.
12. Social Photo Talk – Social media and how it can be used by photographers.
13. Home Business Advice- Blog gearing towards people that want to start a freelance writing career.
14. Affiliates Tips- Blog about affiliate marketing.
15. Pyjamanation – Blog about  home office work and location independent lifestyle.
16. Uk Cider – Blog about real cider and perry
17. Pakblogger – A blog about Mobile Phones tips, mobile phones reviews/news, mobile phones themes and games and also occasionally about tech topics including software review, social media, Windows tips and tricks and How To tutorials.
18. http://failgif.com- Posting a couple Failure Gifs each day
19. http://dailygifblog.com- Posting random gifs daily for nearly a year now…over 1000 in the archive
20. http://dailyacid.com – A blog with a corrosive dose of the best of the web
21. Marriage Moments – Daily ideas, resources, and thoughts to Enrich your Marriage.
22. Eric H Doss – Technology and management for small businesses and nonprofits, including Web 2.0, blogging, social media, and SEO stuff, with a bit of personal life stuff thrown in.
23. YGrab – Domain Name Blog with all the latest news, tips, and ways to make money with domain names!
24. Dumb Otaku – Blog about Japan, Japanese Culture/History and learning Japanese.
25. Dane Blogger – A blog about a young blogger from Denmark who writes about blogging and internet marketing.
26. Future Expats – A blog about moving overseas.
27. Web 2 and More – A blog aimed at the self employed and small to medium sized enterprises who want to use cloud computing and Web 2.0 technologies to enhance the way that they work and provide services to their clients.
28. P How To – A photography how-to site.
29. What A Wookie – A blog about making money online.
30. A Boundless World – A blog on personal development. A Boundless world, live boundless.
31. Robs Web Tips – Blogging tips to help you succeed online. I actually already knew about Rob’s website, as he helps a lot on the Income Diary Forums, it is really worth reading through his posts!
32. Discovering Purpose – A blog about ways in which people can live a life of purpose, through personal development, self discovery and personal growth.
33. Genius Hackers – A blog about technology.
34. Swift Themes - Free WordPress Theme(s).
35. Domainvestors – A blog about domain investing.
36. Fix Your Broken Marketing – A blog about marketing for small creative services businesses (left-brain focus for right-brained creatives).
37. Chatty Gal – Described as the “Everyday Girl and Mommy Blog”
38. Strained Peas and Other Messes – Blog about attachment parenting.
39. Blippitt – An entertainment news blog that covers celebrities, tech, pop culture, and what’s going viral.
40. Market Your Startup- A blog about Social Media Marketing Strategies for Startups and SMEs.
41. Eat, Play, Frag – A blog about video games.
42. Professor Beej- “I write about television, gaming, and books from the perspective of a gaming, slacking, geeked out English professor. I do what I can to bridge the gap between the world of academics and geekdom. “
43. I Was Laid Off – “geared to people who have been laid off. I was one of the millions. Even though I’m working contract jobs right now, the future isn’t secure quite yet.”
44. SoundsAndGear.com – Not actually one from the forum but Joe’s music blog is great!

From the moment we are born there are smiling faces constantly in front of us. As each week of our early days go by our parents and others are hoping to see that first smile from us. Following that first smile come a constant barrage of faces wanting to see that smile over and over again. Many funny faces will be pulled, toys waggled about in the air and strange noises made all in the attempt to recreate that smile. More often than not that smile will be delivered back to these hard working makers of smiles!

Smiling is a natural and contagious event that is only shared by humans. We love to see a warm smile directed to us and it makes us feel good. Sadly though with the passing of time sometimes things happen that make us sad or even bitter and smiling on these occasions is a rare event. Our attitude can become downhearted and smiling is no longer a real part of our natural persona.

A lack of smiling can make our misery worse. Just as people are drawn to those who smile so they are repelled from those who look miserable. What can we do to change this situation? We may not be able to change or immediately improve the problems or attitudes that have made us lacking in the smiling department but if we start to smile we will see an improvement in die course. Remember the line in a well known song “smile and the whole world smiles with you”

Go and take a look in a mirror and give yourself a smile. Think of some happy thoughts and smile again. That’s better! Practice your smile. When you greet someone smile and then say ‘hello’ and and after saying goodbye smile.

Look at the person you are smiling at as a friend even if they are someone who you are meeting for the first time. When you smile you will break down barriers and build trust. People will warm to you, you will feel better. Always look people in the eye when you are smiling at them and your eyes will add to the warmth of the smile.

Be natural, be warm and friendly and your smile will light up the world. You will also find that your worries and stresses will be minimized the more you smile.

So go out and smile at everyone you can! Let’s get the world smiling!

Roland Millward is an entrepreneur and founder of the new Entrepreneur Club which offers free lifetime membership. Join today at http://www.profitsrgood.com/join-here/