Hit play, sit back, enjoy, and of course, leave a comment to let me know what you thought.

I’m not ashamed to ask for help, and I’m sure you’ll see the irony here….

While I speak at conferences, seminars, schools, and even lunches, one of my favorite events is the 140Conf. Perhaps I am just utterly fascinated by the founder, Jeff Pulver (A coFounder of Vonage, and the guy who went to fight for us regular people, so that Telecoms can’t charge us for calls made over VOIP), who is just so multi-faceted, and so caring.

The 140conf is an event with the slogan “Characters Wanted” — the format is 10 minutes per speaker. You are not supposed to rely on power points… generally it’s about people with cool stories that revolve around innovative use of technology that connects… Social Media is a de-facto technology of course.

I always meet such fascinating individuals at his events, but the interesting thing is not just the speakers… the audience that Jeff attracts tends to be extremely smart! Speaking to them is always a refreshing blast… that, and Jeff always throws a great cocktail mixer.

Get your tickets here.

Not only will you get to see many amazing speakers, and be inspired, and get to meet many people that are definitely worth meeting…. but since I am passionate about how Jeff Pulver is changing the world, I always make sure to answer all the questions that everyone has (no matter how long it takes) at the 140conf.  So… if you want access to this brain, I recommend you go to the 140 Conf Des Moines.

One person you must meet is Deb Brown –  she specializes at social media strategies for businesses in small towns.  I met her at the 140Conf Small Town in Huthinson, KS, where we both spoke.  Since the theme of that particular 140conf was to help small towns, and we were both passionate about our topics, we got along.  She just has a great energy… makes you smile.   Serious about business.  A no BS person.  Check out her amazing story about volunteering (may make you change your mind about that you can’t make a difference)

I am speaking, but so are all of these amazing people:

Aaron Steinmann -Communication and Marketing Manager for Silos and Smokestacks. Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area is one of 49 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. Through the development of a network of sites, programs and events, SSNHA’s mission is to interpret farm life, agribusiness and rural communities-past and present.

Alexander Grgurich -Alexander Grgurich is a young entrepreneur who is passionate about Des Moines. As a college student, Alexander was able to juggle studies and his small business while also getting elected to City Council his senior year. His passion for technology and politics has spurred him to develop a volunteer management application for political campaigns and advocacy groups.

Angela Maiers – Twitter has changed my life; and now I spend a portion of that life trying to help individuals and organization understand the power of this amazing platform. Even more importantly, the power of their voice and place in the world.  When I began my Twitter journey, the farthest thing from my mind was having a global voice. It was a nice place to connect with friends; nothing more or less. Never could I have imagined it would change my life in such profound and prolific ways.  I want to speak at this conference because we have world changing work to do; work that requires human being to do it. If we underestimate our gifts, talents, and contributions, this world can not change in the way we need to to.  If I can help those participating in the conference believe their voice matters, then I have become a part of the solution. I will do what ever needs to be done to make that happen!

Ben Stone -There is a gaping hole in the social media conversation. Nobody is talking about how social tools can be used INSIDE organizations to help organizations leverage the social capital of its members. I want to fill that gap. By 2014, half of our workforce will be Gen Y and they will not be leaving their social selves at the door. From Employee Engagement to Competitive Intelligence, social tools will be the difference makers in the new economy.

Bridget Wagoner – High quality educational systems are fundamental to our progress as a society. Flipping our educational system is an effort that requires collective will and widespread input and commitment. The diversity and progressive nature of audiences at #140 conferences make this an ideal forum in which to challenge fundamental beliefs about education and engender support for and committed action for educational transformation.

Cassie Boorn -Technology has opened up the ability to reach your customers in an entire new way. Small businesses are built on small budgets and limited resources and it is essential that they tap into the opportunities available to them. Cassie Boorn is a Social Media Coordinator at a mid-size PR firm based in New York and works on some of the largest brands in the world helping them reaching consumers online. Cassie currently lives in a small town in Illinois and has had a passion for small businesses, entrepreneurs and teaching people about the social web.

Claire Celsi – Claire Celsi is a public relations professional and Des Moines native. Her consulting firm, The Public Relations Project, assists businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, associations, and educational institutions in developing and implementing social media and public relations programs.  A Drake University alumna, she is a lecturer and adjunct professor at her alma mater, teaching PR and social media courses. Claire also serves on Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications National Advisory Board.

David Murray is Director of Social Web Communications for re:group, an Ann Arbor-based integrated marketing and communications firm. Murray helps clients communicate and navigate their brands through the digital landscape. He is the founder of the Social Media Club Detroit Chapter, he is a member of Detroit’s food blogging team, The Hungry Dudes, and also serves asDirector of Communications for the FutureMidwest Technology Knowledge Conference in Detroit, Michigan.

Aside from being involved in various projects, David is an advocate for education and best practices when it comes to digital and social web communications. He has presented and lead discussions at events across the country including Tedx Lansing, #unGeeked Chicago, SocialBiz World, Social Media Breakfast Toledo, #140Conf Detroit, Ignite events, and more.

David can be found blogging at The Way of theMurr. You can also connect with him on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. Currently he lives in Troy, MI with his wife Jenni, and their two cats, Bree and Boo.

Derek Balsey – Derek is the Marketing Specialist / Social Media Manager at Kreg Tool Company and a Board Member of the Des Moines Social Media Club.  Derek’s experience in marketing covers a wide gamut including new-product brand development, print-ad creative, web banner and search advertising, product packaging, point-of-purchase, direct marketing, in-package advertising, direct response TV, and of course social media. Derek has helped Kreg develop an impressive social media presence online including a monthly newsletter being received by over 100,000 Kreg Fans around the globe, a Ning Community with over 30,000 members, and a YouTube Channel with over 2 million views.

Derek is an enthusiastic advocate for integrated marketing plans designed to enrich the customer experience and social media platforms which add measurable value to a company’s bottom line.  You can find Derek tweeting @derekbalsley, on LinkedIn, or helping out his wife Jessica with technical/marketing support over at www.theartofed.com.

Deron Durflinger is the Secondary Principal at Van Meter Schools. This is his 7th year as a principal, and 2nd year at Van Meter.  He is author of the #Vanmeter- Leading the Educational Transformation Blog, and he started the #vanmeter hashtag for Van Meter Schools, which today has thousands of followers and users. Deron is an active member of School Administrators of Iowa, serving on various state level education committees including Iowa’s ARRA EdTech Grant and the Competency Based Learning Advisory Committee. He has spoken at various Iowa school districts and state and national conferences about using social media, in particular Twitter to connect, learn, and lead in the 21st century.

Drew McLellan - Drew McLellan’s a 25+ year marketing agency veteran who lives for creating “a ha” moments for his clients, clients’ customers, peers and audiences across the land. Sadly, for his daughter, he attempts to do the same thing at home. Drew’s favorite tools for creating these moments are vivid story telling, Italian heritage inspired hand gestures and the occasional tipping of a sacred cow. Over the years, Drew has lent his expertise to clients like Nabisco, IAMS pet foods, Kraft Foods, Meredith Publishing, John Deere, Iowa Health System, Make-A-Wish, and a wide array of others. Drew is also one of the world’s top marketing and branding bloggers. He’s written the book 99.3 Random Acts of Marketing, co-editing the Age of Conversation series of books and in 1995, he launched his own firm McLellan Marketing Group. Recently he has appeared in the New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Week and Fortune’s Small Business. The Wall Street Journal calls him one of 10 bloggers that every entrepreneur should read.

Grant Griffiths – n February of 2005 my first blog was born. This blog was used to market and promote my business. Soon blogging became my only form of written advertising because of its reach and effectiveness. What I also discovered was blogging is one of the most powerful marketing tools available for the small business, home business and professional service firm. In fact, I am so sold on the effectiveness of blogging, it is the reason I am co-founder of G2WebMedia.

Gus Wagner -@RocketGroup is my twitter handle and Improving Relationship, Graphic, and Communication Strategies for Clients in Business, Politics, and Government is what I do. In short, we create original, affordable and effective communication tools for the real world, print and web applications. My talk in Des Moines is going to focus on #AstroTurfNetRoots – the process of engaging your audience to the point you will be able to call them to real action when you need it. This is something we do in our government relations activities but the process can work  for business too. Our website is RocketGroupLLC.com and we are based in the capitol of Missouri: Jefferson City. I am really looking forward to returning to the #140Conf and Des Moines!

Jeff Caldwell – Multimedia Editor for Agriculture.com at Meredith Corporation in Des Moines, Iowa. Responsible for mobile and social extensions of and outreach for our brand as well as our main website and its community. Enjoy cool music, good books and listening to my 3-year-old daughter yell “Rock and roll, dadda!” Life’s good.

Jeff Pulver is the Chairman and Founder of pulver.com, and one of the true pioneers of the VoIP industry and a leader in the emerging TV on the Net industry. Leveraging well over a decade of hands-on experience in Internet/IP communications and innovation, Mr. Pulver is a globally renowned thought leader, author and entrepreneur. His blog is well read within the IP Communications Industry and in high-tech communities around the world. He is the publisher of The Pulver Report and and creator of the industry standard Voice on the Net (VON) events. Additionally, Mr. Pulver is the founder of FWD, the VON Coalition, PrimeTimeRewind.TV, Vivox and is the co-founder of VoIP provider, Vonage.

Jessica O’Riley – Jessica O’Riley has been involved in the Iowa tourism industry for 14 years, starting with a marketing internship at the Iowa State Fair. After graduating from Iowa State University, she joined the Fair’s full-time staff as a Marketing Coordinator. Four years ago, Jessica joined the Iowa Tourism Office as Communications Manager. She works with travel writers, reporters and bloggers on Iowa-related stories by pitching ideas, fact checking and providing photos. She also coordinates the Tourism Office’s social media efforts including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and blog.

Jim Boyd -Is this not the first one in Iowa? Even if it is not, I am always one who looks for opportunities to speak about the message for not only my employer, WHO, but also the organization I feel passionate about, the Optimist Club.

Jody Halsted – Social media is the most powerful tool I use to share my travel stories and connect with destinations to partner with on upcoming adventures. I want to share the useful applications of social media in terms of travel. I think the results of my experiment will be exciting; I can’t wait to have the experience and share it!

Joe Gerstandt - am blessed to do work that I love and be surrounded by good people. I live in Omaha with my wife and our two beautiful and wise girls. My parents still live on the small farm next to the small town in Northwest Iowa and one of our favorite things to do is to visit the farm for a weekend (especially in the summer!). My sister and her beautiful family live in Sioux Falls, SD and we have great fun visiting them as well

Jo Cheray – Joe Cheray is a 39 year old single mom to an 11 year old son with special needs. She spends her time taking care of him, volunteering in the community and running her company Wildheart Social Media out of her home in Topeka Kansas. She caters to small business owners, home based business, and the solopreneur.

John Carver is Van Meter’s Superintendent of Schools and is committed to transforming education. By providing laptop computers to students in grades 6-12, and computer labs for students in K -5 learning now looks different at Van Meter.  John has shared Van Meter’s experiences at both the state and national level and with Twitter he has connected and learned with educators globally.  John is a member of the School Administrators of Iowa and is serves on the State Competency-based Education Design Team.

Jon Thompson - is the owner of Evolve, an IT Support company focused on the under-supported niche of Mac-based businesses in the Silicon Prairie. He arrived in the social media world in the fall of 2009 with his re-entry in entrepreneurship and, while he describes his social media skills as mediocre at best, has seen results.

Karen Smith is a recognized leader in social media at Verizon Wireless. In 2008 she received a mid-year leadership award from the Midwest Area for her initiatives in social media from Verizon Wireless. Karen works within the guidelines of a geographic corporate structure and looks for ways to build local and regional relationships using social media.   As PR manager for Verizon Wireless Great Plains region, Smith is responsible for media coverage about Verizon Wireless in traditional and non-traditional channels.  Smith has been instrumental in Verizon Wireless sponsoring social media communities including Social Media Breakfast Des Moines, iBlogger Conference, Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis St. Paul, and Mobile March Twin Cities.

Karen is an Iowa native, from Waterloo and a letter winner in field hockey at the University of Iowa. She has been spotted on many occasion at Hawkeye football games with her mom who is 86.  Smith began her career with a passion for promoting women’s athletics first in sports information and than in marketing with positions at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and the University of Minnesota where she served as assistant athletics director for external relations.  She joined the wireless industry in 1998, first as marketing communications manager and than as public relations manager.  Her responsibilities also include employee communications and community relations around Verizon’s corporate cause of domestic violence awareness and prevention.

Keri Holmes and Judy Wrolson – Judy started with a home business and transitioned into a store several years later.  Not sure what she wanted to do with social media, she started with baby steps.  Keri Holmes is her designer, gifted sales person and right hand girl.  Together they are utilizing the power of community, years in retail experience and a commitment to keep it fun!

Lindsey Smith – Lindsey is a freelance exhibit developer and curator at Exhibitsmith, specializing in content development and collections management. In addition to her consulting work, Lindsey is the archivist at Des Moines University and the collections manager at the Iowa Jewish Historical Society. Lindsey is co-chair of the Iowa Museum Association Exhibits and Collections Committee and is a TAN advisor for the State Historical Society of Iowa’s Historical Research Development Program (HRDP). She also leads preservation and exhibit development workshops for professional and community organizations, and manages the blog Museum Minute.   Lindsey received a BA in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MA in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University, focusing on collections care and management, material culture, and local history. She is currently pursuing a Certificate of Advanced Study in Archives & Records Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Lyz Lenz – I’d love the chance to share how Twitter is connecting Iowa to the greater media landscape and I want to encourage Iowans and the internet to embrace technology in one long awkward smooch.

Melynda DeCarlo – The Meyvn Group is committed to growing individuals, teams and organizations. Persoanlly? My goal is to inspire, learn, share and grow.

Michael Libbie - is the president of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications a full service advertising agency with clients in the United States and Europe.  Insight advertising goes beyond creating great print ads, websites, television and radio commercials…we help our clients better understand consumer trends and then create products and services that match the public demand.  Much of that is done by merging traditional and new media.  Our job is to not only be creative but to listen to buyers, consumers and the market.  In addition to the advertising agency Michael is responsible for the Insight on Business News Hour with Michael Libbie seen Monday – Thursday at Noon Central on the Webcast One LIVE Network.

Ori Bengal -Ori Bengal is an author, an award winning photographer and a business consultant.  While seeing the world from various couches, seeking the next adventure, he encounters amazing people and tells “groaner” jokes to all those he meets.  He has trained with UFC fighters, jumped out of airplanes, played bull poker and met many of his own heroes!! Amidst all of his adventures, he has made great friends, helped change lives and consulted with top business leaders.

Patrick Palmer - Owner and Technician at “The Computer Guy” in downtown Hampton, Iowa.  Since the age of 14, Pat has been working with computers, until starting his own small business in 1995 in his basement.  In 2009 he moved from the basement to a retail location.  Pat’s special brand of humor will gently poke fun at his wife Becky for her 2004 “That’ll Never Work” approach to Social Media — but now admits she may have been a been a bit mistaken.  Pat will also give examples of how he has taken ownership of the computer repair market in North Iowa via Social Media and why his wife still won’t let him use the “F” word in front of his mother-in-law.

Rebecca Grunewald – Twitter offered me the opportunity to branch out on my own, outside of my husband’s shadow and beyond my roles of wife and mother. Twitter has been a godsend to me. I have met so many great people, some in real life.   Twitter is great for so many things from opining directly to politicians or journalists, getting breaking news alerts at lightning speed to getting movie and music reviews from your Twitter family to of course, building your own brand through the magic of the Twitterverse. I hope to inspire others to do the same

Ryan Johnson – As info-markers pollute the world of social media with claims of “Twitter Riches” they’ve done a tremendous job misconstruing what Twitter’s real value is in the minds of business owners.  Those of us who really “get” Twitter take it for granted, but the reality is that traditional small business owners don’t need a whole lot to fall into a catatonic state of confusion.  In a tale of two twitter accounts (one a big fat juicy failure) under two drastically different approaches I will illustrate how I came to identify the most undeniable fundamental truth about social media.

Sam Schill – Everyday: Sam currently works in downtown Ames for Innova Ideas and Services , which is one of the three Sigler Companies based in Ames.   Play: Since recently becoming a Dad his hobbies have changed a bit, but when time allows he enjoys golfing, fishing, Cyclones athletics, singing, reading, and grilling in the backyard.   What are you reading?: Thinker Toys by Michael Michalko  What are you listening to?: Flogging Molly

Sandy Renshaw – Social media has changed my life. I think it must be similar to how people felt when the printing press was invented and the average person finally had access to books. I can fully see the impact use of social media has to help people find and grow a network. When I started blogging, Facebook andTwitter were new. Every year my appreciation and understanding of these powerful communication tools grows. It’s been exciting to see how technology that was new and different – and touted by only the early adopters – has evolved, and now has been embraced by so many. I want to share my experience with others so they can understand ways that Facebook and Twitter can help them connect with other business people they would never meet without these tools. It can have an impact on their bottom line. It’s not just for socializing.

Sara Broers – I want to let people know that it is possible to enjoy social media and even get paid while partaking in the experience. You CAN find a job on twitter.  Growing up in Iowa is an adventure that many people never get to experience. A two time cancer survivor, and having to learn how to walk again at the age of 40, Sara’s story is an inspiration for anyone that has struggled in their life. Iowa is where her feet were planted at a young age and remain there today. Through her faith, family, and friends she has learned to pull up those bootstraps and move on!

Shannon Latham – Shannon earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Ag Journalism/Public Service and Administration in Agriculture from Iowa State University, as well as an MBA from the University of Iowa. Prior to joining Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids, Shannon owned and operated her own communications business. She also worked as an account executive and public relations specialist for The Meyocks Group in West Des Moines, Iowa, and served as president of the Iowa Chapter of National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA).

Shannon McClintock Miller is the district teacher librarian and technology specialist at Van Meter Community School in Van Meter, Iowa.  Shannon is the author of the award winning Van Meter Library Voice blog and enjoys writing for ISTE’s Leading & Learning journal, various blogs, and in other forums. She has had the opportunity to speak in Iowa and around the country about advocacy, technology, social networking, and making a difference in education and the lives of others. She is a member of ISTE, SIGMS, ALA, AASL, and ILA (Iowa Library Association). Shannon serves as the advocacy chair on the Iowa Association of School Librarians and on the Iowa Center for the Book Advisory Council as the public school students and libraries representation. In 2010, she was also chosen to be part of the Cengage Learning/School Library Journal New Leaders Program

Shawn Mullen - I’m a relative newbie to this Web 2.0, Social Media gig. But at 50 years of age, I’ll be darned if I’m gonna miss getting with this program. I’ll admit it…I’m just getting started and am not as widely “linked”, “faced” “blogged” or “tweeted” as others, but I can share my beginner’s experiences in a fast paced, clear and concise presentation. I can also share why, from a business perspective, leveraging LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter is a no-brainer.I’m certainly no expert on the technologies, but I am an expert on my experiences.

Tara Litzenberger – Tara Saylor Litzenberger has always believed in knowing the rules before you try to break them. As part of the communications team for a Great Big Company, she gets a unique view of the concerns and opportunities of using Social Media on an global scale. Tara shares a behind-the-scenes look at company life on her blog, AdventuresInAg.com. She regularly spends time in 3 different states and still brags about the “Best Bale” award she won at company training.

I’ve been in South Florida now for almost 3 weeks. I’ve only left the house to go jogging daily (I have missed 2 days), and two times to go out to dinner with my folks.  Other than that, I have been in front of my computer day and night.

Over the last month, I’ve gotten my LLC, Merchant Account, Business Banking Account (got majorly disappointed with Bank of America, for the second time, so am never doing business with them again), Online Shopping Cart, and have set up numerous business relationships and creating a few products.

You see, I love helping people build and grow their businesses.  I’ve been doing this for ages, by providing people with high-end photography, videography, motion graphics, websites, marketing strategies and implementation, and even product design and creation.  I’m thrilled that I can help… But…. I can’t help enough people to feel like I’m making a difference when I’m doing it one on one.

Coming in April is my Big Ideas Workshops….Everyone spends their money and time on getting and learning the latest tool or tactic… but they don’t actually have a great idea to use it with.  People are running their businesses, but missing major opportunities.  So, I will be working with 20 people per weekend teaching high-end creative ideation, as well as doing many hotseats, so everyone gets to walk away with their own big idea:  a new product, or additional direction with their current product or service,the challenges you can expect to face, the resources you’ll need to charge through those challenges, and the tools to make sure that these ideas work with your market, as compared to just being nice ideas.

This week I am releasing a product that fills a major gap. It is a course on how to easily set up your own website, and fire that overpriced web designer that’s been holding your site hostage. Many people buy courses that tell them “ok.. just set up a WordPress site, and then do this this and this” — they don’t tell you how to customize it, or how to brand it.. I’m going step by step, and showing you exactly what to do, and… how to do it without having to know any of that geek-code… you don’t need CSS and HTML and PHP… although, I do teach that in case you do want it.

Ideas On Retainer, originally my coaching site, which I was adding a paid newsletter to, was getting great response… but as I said earlier in this post, I just don’t think I’m helping enough people if I put the information behind a wall.  I will be publishing those business articles on this site.  Ideas On Retainer will go back to being my coaching site.

So.. that’s some of what you can look forward to.

Sorry if I’ve been off the grid,

Ori

It’s 37 degrees out in Austin, so don’t expect that I’m going to go Streaking or anything like that.

If you missed yesterday’s blog post about Working Naked Day, you should read it ’cause I went in depth about the holiday.  What I say in this video that I didn’t say yesterday was that there are over 30,000,000 Americans that work from home. That’s not the population of Facebook or anything, but that’s a pretty formidable crowd!

Now, picture 30,000,000 million people naked.  Yeah, that is pretty gross.  But then consider that Naked just means free from the corporate structure, and then it’s not gross!  It’s 30,000,000 people that have chosen to go pursue their own dreams, or spend quality time with their families, or maybe just travel all over the world while working on a laptop from anywhere (that sounds familiar).  It’s an easy decision… all you have to do is make it, and take the first step.

If you’re not working from home, then spend a few minutes today imagining what it would be like if you could work from home. How would you spend your time? What would it feel like?  How much would you work?  Whom would you hang out with?  What kind of schedule would you keep?

If you are working from home, then spend some time reflecting on the freedoms that you do have, that you would not have if you were not working from home.  Then call some friends who are stuck at an office, and see how they are doing.  You get extra points if you’re calling them on video skype

Will you be working naked? (photo from fhmonline)

I’m not making this up! February 1st is Working Naked Day, and I am celebrating! If you aren’t, perhaps you should!  Let me tell you about the holiday.

Working Naked means Stripping yourself of the bonds of corporate World. Shedding that structure of the workplace.

Working Naked means working on your own terms, in what ever clothes you want, on your own schedule.  Basically, welcome to the world of being a home-based entrepreneur.

February 1st is a day kind of like Thanksgiving, but without the Turkey.  It’s a day of gratitude for those that have shed their workplace like a corporate suit.  It is a day to appreciate all the things you can do that you wouldn’t be able to if you were at a job.

For example- you can go to a theme park without having to wait in major lines, as you would if you went on a weekend.  You can go to the beach, or the park and read a book, because you control your own schedule.  You can bring your laptop and work by the lake, because no one says that you have to be in the office in order to be productive.  You can make sure to spend time with your family, or significant people.  You should definitely wear something comfortable- pajamas? boxers? nothing?

So, if you are a home based entrepreneur, then you should make sure to do something to celebrate your freedom, and you should also contact your friends that are working their corporate jobs, and remind them that they too can work naked… all it takes is a dream, and some hard work.

In this day and age of abundance, people are starting to seek passion and meaning, rather than just a place to pay the bills.  If you’re going to spend all your time working… you might as well be absolutely enthralled in what you do, and pursue your passion on your own term. You might as well work naked.

Who writes their happy new year post on January 7th?  I do! I’m on Tico Time ? Yeah… things in Costa Rica are pretty relaxed.  But.. it’s my last day! I leave today at 1PM, and I wanted to start my new year of blogging from another country. This blog post is very important to me.

Last year I started of writing about that new year’s resolutions are bullshit. I still think that.  Most people don’t even last 1 week! I do have a few declarations to make to you and the universe, but before I get into those, let me tell you something I’m really proud about.

January 1st was the anniversary of my Couchsurfing journeys starting!  I started on New Year’s day on 2007, which means I am now in my 5th year of couchsurfing! That’s also the reason that I wanted to send my blog post from here in Costa Rica… because that’s been a goal of mine which I finally accomplished: to couchsurf in another country.  I’ve been here for 5 weeks now on seven different beds.

As a kid I wanted to be an adventurer.  As a grown up (yeah, I know.. it’s debatable), I have “Adventurer” on my business card, and I’m actually doing it.  Here I am in a country where I don’t know the language, I did a shitty job preparing for the journey, the hotel room I got for the evening ($11) near the airport has what I think are bedbugs… so I helped myself to another room which seems to be bug free… we’ll see.  You might say “ugggh!” but.. it’s an adventure!

Adventure… new experiences.  While I was here I got up on some waves, I saw a dead guy, I stayed in a tree house 90 feet above the ground, I tried new foods, I pierced my foot with a branch… I took busses to get around.  I walked around a city where everything is vandalized and covered in razor wire, and security locks.

Know what?  It was a blast! The weather was great, the people were nice, I stayed optimistic, and I had friends along the way to help me make sure I wasn’t being too stupid.

Adventure.

I also got a lot farther on my book while I was here…. Which is a major step on my biggest adventure so far… getting a book out.  This is the hardest thing I’ve had to do to this day.  I enjoy the challenge, but it’s taken a lot of mental discipline. The book is coming out this year, and that’s a promise.

Speaking of this year, what else does 2011 hold?  Well, here’s those declarations to you and the Universe:

This year I am learning to pilot a small airplane to the point where I can take off, pilot it, and land.  I don’t really care about a pilot’s license… I just want to be able to do so.

This year I will do at least 10 public speeches in front of crowds of more than 300 people. I really enjoy being on stage, and I really love the feedback from people that the presentations helped them.

This year I am moving from consulting to coaching.  Rather than just taking on whatever projects come at me, I am taking on a select group of clients and working with them on a consistent basis for at minimum 6 months to make sure that their business grows, and they have more fun running their business.

In fact, I just started this recently, and here’s what’s being said already:

That’s Lisa from WorkingNaked.com – feel free to contact her and ask her about her experience.

This year I am sharing the vast knowledge that I’ve gained over the years from books, from consulting, from conferences, from couchsurfing with various experts on various topics, from everything…. I am extremely passionate about this.  I actually blew off partying in Jaco, Costa Rica for New Year’s just so I can launch http://IdeasOnRetainer.com on January 1st.  I wanted to start the year with this.  10 years from now, that site will still continue to offer incredibly useful interviews, and the best of all the resources that I know, and lessons that I’ve learned.

This year I will learn at least one song on the piano, and one song on the guitar well enough to play and sing them at a party or where ever… hopefully that means I’ll learn voice well enough to Karaoke those songs without peeing my pants or shattering nearby glass.

This is the year where I will listen more.  I will interrupt less.

The way I see it 2011 is the year of commitment.  These are not some bullshit resolutions, but are very specific goals that I am committed to, and am seeking help in staying the course.

I suspect that this will be the year of unbelievable serendipity. Just two days ago I said to Kathryn “I want to spend more  quality time with my parents”- so I called them up, and checked if they would be cool with a 2-3 week visit in February.  They said they’d be thrilled, and I never need permission.

The very next day I finally took the time to check out my flight schedule back to the USA – something I hadn’t done , not when I bought it, and not during my trip – and noticed that I land at 5PM in Miami, and fly from Miami to Dallas at 8AM the next day.  I am now going to visit my parents, today (a mere two days after saying I wanted to spend some quality time with them)!

Back to that whole five year of travels…. Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said

“You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read.”

Well.. it’s been five years, and I’ve read a LOT of books!  I’ve met a lot of people, and I am beyond proud of the ones I associate with now.  I’m not the same person that I was five years ago.  I have had countless people mention this to me.

My writing style has changed. My priorities have changed. My life seems more meaningful.  I’ve become extremely helpful and positive, and life just seems to get better and better, and I keep whittling my belongings down to fewer and fewer.

I’m not perfect,, and crazy shit still happens.  There have been months where everything seemed to be going to shit, and I thought it was game over, and who cares…. But you know what, people do care, and that’s what pulled me through.  That, and I’ve become a firm believer in “Well, that sucked, but… it will make for a great blog post!”

I know that everything will turn out great, and I think that people see that in me… because on those days I doubt myself,, I now have close friends that believe in me more than I do.

Five years of driving is a lifetime…. In my travels I’ve had more experiences in such a little time, and so much time to reflect.  I’ve really had an opportunity to discover myself., and I’m still discovering…. Every day.

This is the year of gratitude.  2010 was incredible, and I think it was so incredible because I’ve become a lot more thankful for what I have, rather than thinking of what I don’t…  this year that trend will continue to grow.

I am truly grateful that you’ve taken your valuable time to visit my humble site, and share my experiences.  I am grateful that you’ve read this.

I’ve learned that everyone is incredible, once you get to know them., and discover their story, and what they are about.

Tell me yours!  I’d love to know who you are, and what you’re passionate about. You can leave it in a comment, or use the contact form, or find me on Facebook, or Twitter.

Either way, thank you… for everything.

Oh yeah!  December 31st, I was working on my new site, and was dragged away at 11:40 to watch the fireworks. It was a 10 foot walk to the beach, ’cause Billy lives on the beach. Me, Kathryn, and Billy watched from the beach as people launched fireworks from every direction for about an hour. It was pretty mindblowing.  I was – and still am- grateful to be starting the year off with such a crazy display of fireworks, friends, and being on the beach in another country.

Now I am going to have to deal with the fears that I’ve let push me over to not committing. Check out Ideas On Retainer– coming January 1, 2011 after the hangover wears off.

I even like my new logo that I designed

1st, since you’re curious as to how I’m celebrating, I am going to learn to surf waves, not just couches.  I would’ve done it sooner, but I injured my foot when jogging barefoot on the beach.

A large branch pierced my foot almost all the way through.  I was going to title that blog post “Getting High and Popping Pills” because while I made a horrendous squeal/roar bizarre sound as I stepped on the branch, I made it home, then the next morning, decided to go jogging (which became more of walking) for an hour and a half, followed by a very tall hike.  The hike ended up with a tiny bit of trespassing to get to the Cell Phone tower, which is at the highest point (thus, “getting high”) and has an amazing view.

Actually, this is the first post where I try a new plugin that allows me to share albums from Facebook – so… the pictures from that hike are included below.  Here is a quick video from the top:

So, we get back after this hike — oh, since it’s my birthday today, and Brendan is younger than me, I have to point out that he is the one who kept having to pause from the exertion of the hike… despite that I am the one with a wounded foot, am older, and had to carry my camera.  The pointing out of this is even more important, as (until he saw that my foot was massively swollen, and my 2nd toe was 3 times the size of the other one, he was making old man jokes as I hobbled / limped around —  back to the house, and my foot is not feeling so good.  In fact, it was hurting like hell.

I was limping around, in pain.  For the next few days I was a bit drained of energy as my body healed itself. My 2nd toe was huge!  In fact, just 2 days ago I freaked out as I woke up and inspected it.  What happened was that I felt it, and there was a bump I didn’t recognize.  A really firm bump!  Oh no!  I hope it’s not some kind of a growth or something!  It turns out that it was just a knuckle… I just haven’t been able to feel it in a few days, as my toe was so swollen

As always, things became better when I listened to Brandie.  I limped over to the store, got Naproxen (the pill part of “Getting High and Popping Pills”, tried to stay off my foot, and I kept putting ice packs on it.  So… now I can walk, hooray! I guess the limp can be a metaphor, because usually when there’s a problem, and I listen to Brandie, things improve. Make sure to check out her blog.

My foot still hurts in the spot of the puncture, but who cares. I can walk without limping, and I’m going to surf today!

I couchsurfed with my friend Kathryn while here.  You can see her and her cool little triangular hut that’s 100 feet from the beach, in the photos below.  If you don’t recall, I met Kathryn in Austin– despite that she saw me speaking in Dallas.  She’s the one who rescued me  It’s entertaining because when I met her, she claimed to be shy and quiet.  Since then she’s sold all her belongings and now travels the world full time.  Make sure to read her blog, as she is traveling, is a great writer, and the reason we met was because her very first blog post was bashing me as an emcee and speaker who asked the panel “What would you tell a shy quiet person to do to embrace social media?” (even though as Emcee, that was my job) — and then I left a comment with solutions… go read… it’s entertaining.  And then she brought me a cake when she came to my rescue (see above link).

In fact, she invited me to Costa Rica before I even knew I was going!  Who knew?  Well, I guess she did.  But, serendipity wins again!  She invited me for a birthday surprise on the 18th-21st.  Then I ended up getting a ticket to Costa Rica for other reasons, and staying till January, and so now I get my birthday surprise.  I’d tell you what it is, but I have no clue.  Brandie knows, Brendan knows, but I don’t know.

I’ve made friends with the neighbors, which is fun and entertaining.  In one day I met 3 different people in different parts of town, then came home and there they all were, drinking rum in the gazebo that’s 20 feet in front of Brendan’s front door.  Serendipity much?  It was funny ’cause I met Dyrk by the pool.  I met Ryan when I tried to reset the neighborhood’s internet router because internet was down (turns out that someone was downloading pirated movies from Paramount Pictures, so ICE shut down the neighborhood Wi-fi), then since WiFi was down, Brendan and I went to this BBQ place that has WiFi.  We had dinner, and did our work on our laptops.  I was on Skype with Brandie when someone says out loud “Who wants to be my friend?”

I don’t think the statement was intended for me…. it was to her group of friends… but I turn around say “You mean, on Facebook?”  - she said yes, and I came over and taught her how to add friends on Facebook.   I then went back to my table, and she saw that I had left a video call to help her out.  I said that it’s ok.  Helping people is fun like that. 10 minutes later, I pop onto Facebook, and see I have a friend request, and her name is Brandie.  So… I introduced Brandie to Brandie.  One is named after the song, one named after the drink.

I closed the place out, since I needed wifi.  When I got back, there they were…. Brandie, Dyrk, Ryan, and a few other characters I’ve gotten to know.  Small world indeed.  So… we stayed up till about 3am drinking rum and telling offensive jokes.  Good times.

Since the internet was down, it was really useful to know Dyrk, since he has his own wifi network, and gave me the password.  The irritating thing is that that network doesn’t reach inside Brendan’s house– just outside of it.  So, I spent the whole evening walking from one side of the complex to the other (not far at all- we’re talking 60 feet maybe) and sitting outside of Dyrk’s getting eaten by mosquitoes.  I finally wised up and put on a long-sleeve hoodie that I brought, as Kathryn’s surprise is supposed to take me to the mountains, where it’s colder.

Speaking of long sleeves…. while I’m watching as the USA is covered in Snow, and my parents are telling me that Florida is at 40 degrees… it’s always paradise here!  I don’t wear shirts.  There’s no need!  You don’t even need them when you go into the grocery store, or to restaurants!  I gotta say, that’s kind of fun.

So, I gotta go and do some writing.  I’m completely redoing my coaching/consulting site– that will be another blog post – I’m thrilled with the new look and feel that I’ve created, alongside the very fancy technical backend functionality… just need to finish the writing.

So… enjoy these pictures.  I’ll post more later from surfing.  Thanks for all the Facebook birthday wishes (It’s not even noon, and there’s already over 120 birthday comments).

Oh yeah!  I almost forgot! My family has this tradition where we all call each other as soon as the calendar changes to our birthdate… so… midnight generally.  The whole time zone difference sometimes makes it challenging, but it’s always fun, and we’re a bit competitive over who gets the call in right at midnight.  Since my phone is off (apparently, Barak, my older brother got the first call in, AND he left his first ever comment on my facebook fanpage), I called my parents on Skype, we 3-wayed Barak, and to stay in Tradition, Barak sang me happy birthday in Hebrew. It’s cheesy, and I generally groan… and yet this year, I requested it, and I had a smile on so big that I felt my cheeks flush with warmth.  How lucky we are!  We can be somewhere else in the world, and still connect with those near and dear to us, as if they are right there with us! Years ago it would have been a strategically mailed postcard. So… here is Barak singing:

And here’s those pics I promised:

Costa Rica
By Couch Surfing Ori - Couch Surfer, Adventurer, Marketer, Photographer, & Fun  |  View on Facebook