- - - the R A T P I T - - -

Fight Science Queenstown: Boxing 101 - June Training

2011-06-15T00:12:00.000+12:00

Fight Science Queenstown: Boxing 101 - June Training: "4 Weeks out from the next fights ( UBX - Owner /Trainer Stewart Mitchell ) is getting his team in shape, through his own unique workout..."

12 Fridays Project - The Cash Machine

2011-03-17T21:36:00.005+13:00

I have been working on plan to create my own Cash Machine based on Loral Langmeier's book by the same name!

My cousin came to visit and stayed over for about a week; we sat down and nutted out how we were going to develop a cash machine based on a program he had just purchased: Mass Money Makers - it is a strategy for affiliate marketing that uses a keyword tool called Super Affiliate Tools - real smart tool that ranks your keywords and finds your buyer keywords - handy!

Needless to say we jumped into the program straight away!

One of the things i did to keep me focused was create a vision board:

How to achieve an extraordinary life

2010-12-06T10:41:00.005+13:00

I am reading a fascinating book at the moment called The Answer written by visionary John Assaraf and business guru Murray Smith. Two of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world collaborate to produce a guide to setting up a successful business and by extension - life style; for me, it has proven to be a guideline on how to achieve extra-ordinary goals and live the life you dream of living!

I picked this little gem up on one of my travels down the North Island heading home to Dunedin in the South Island (NZ) - that was way back in June. I put it aside in my book case and finished up writing my PhD - handed it in 3 weeks ago!! I have just begun to relax into the end of the year and have started to think about my approach to next year - i spotted this book in my book shelf and opened it up - haven't been able to put it down since! - The ideas swirl around in my head - the opportunities and possibilities are astounding!

The Answer provides a framework for showing you how to to rewire your mind for success! It really is an extension of the secret; that seminally piece of work produced by Rhonda Bryne a few years ago which featured John Assaraf and many other illuminaries. The Answer shows you step by step how to achieve your goals and how to create an extraordinary life by changing your mind-set, habits, thoughts and actions.

There is no doubt in my mind that anyone who follows this step by step process to build their dream career, business or lifestyle will experience an enormous transformation and reach an exceptional level of living - i am implementing it as i write!

Why is Social Media Management important to your business?

2010-07-18T19:49:00.009+12:00

Quick Definition: SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT can be described as an innovative, creative and smart way of establishing and managing your online business profile & presence to the masses

What is SOCIAL MEDIA?

Social Media is a network of online communities that connect with each other often relaying what they are up to and what occupies their thinking! It all boils down to "Hello world, this is me and this is what i like doing"

Why is this important for your business?

Essentially, it is all about people and how you can find out what they need. Social media platforms provide opportunities for businesses to engage with their communities in a unique way, listen to what they need, and respond in a in a way that meets their needs!

Promoting your business online is one of the most innovative ways that will yield results almost immediately.

Managing Blogs, chatting, managing a profile with social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are some of the easiest ways for letting people know about your range of services.

Once you become familiar with the range of platforms available for networking with the masses the more you are bound to succeed with managing your business profile

How can you participate in this approach to build your online business presence?

Personal insights: My cousin and I have decided to take a leap into developing an online presence and innovating a way forward for our own business - and what follows is our FIRST STAGE

The Key Outcome: Set the platform in place

How: Strategy for stage one

Establish a presence with Social Media Sites including: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, U-Stream, Skype, SWOM, & BLOGS
Set up a specific WEBSITE and establish Page Ranking and Authority
Secure a specific DOMAIN
Develop a professional PROFILE: a short bio for sites such as Twitter and a Long bio for sites such as our website and LinkedIn
construct a SPLASH page to provide quick information re: service/product
BACKLINKING - established using BLOGS, social bookmarking sites (Technorati, DIGG, Propellor etc), videos, articles, and from social media sites (FB, Twitter etc)

Well, thats the plan; check back for an update on how we actually did it!

R E X: the bionic legs

2010-07-15T20:40:00.005+12:00

Here's a heartwarming story about a couple of Kiwi inventors, Richard Little and Robert Irving, who have invented a pair of bionic legs that allows a paraplegic to walk again.

Nicknamed Rex, the Robotic Exoskeleton, Little and Irving have been working on this device for seven years. It consists of a pair of robotic that enables a person confined to a wheelchair to stand, walk and even climb steps.

Launched today, using Hayden Allen's who suffered a serious spinal cord injury five years ago puts this design at the cutting edge of technology

This device makes Hayden one of the first people in the world to use the bionic legs.

Childhood friends Little and Irving say Rex is not a replacement for a wheelchair, rather Rex offers a range of options that are not available anywhere in the world.

Each Rex is custom built onsite at the Rex Bionics' headquarters in Auckland . It has a long-life rechargeable battery with sufficient power for a typical day of use.

COST: is estimated to be approximately $US150,000

AVAILABILITY: for purchase in New Zealand by the end of the year and in other countries by the middle of 2011.

The C H A L L E N G E

2010-07-06T14:45:00.007+12:00

The 2010 30-day challenge has kicked off - we are now at day three!!
A new format: 7 modules, each module conducted over 7 days - with 7 days between each module - do-able! All the modules are designed to teach you how to derive an income over the internet!!

So far: pre-CHALLENGE

Set up Twitter AccountSet up USTREAM account

Set up Google CHROME with all the extensions

Get on board!!

- PASSIVE INCOME = FINANCIAL FREEDOM -

2010-01-06T12:06:00.000+13:00

Kia ora everyone!
My cousin Johnny and I were pondering one day about a lot of things & one of the things that popped up was the notion of how to get out of the RAT RACE! The idea is not a new one, but check out Robert Kiyosaki's (richdad.com) game CASH FLOW - AWESOME GAME and you will get an idea about what we mean.

We made a commitment to finding ways in which we could get out of the Rat Race so that we use the bulk of our day, week, month & year doing the things that were important to us. So, this meant that we needed a PASSIVE INCOME! This is exactly what interest is: it earns while you sleep 24/7! We needed to develop a passive income to take care of all our expenses & provide us with a lifestyle.

Now don't us wrong - there is nothing wrong with work & paying taxes - but we wanted to put our efforts into securing an income that will be automatic, an income that will take care of all our expenses & lifestyle and then allow us time to do things that matter to us. For us Passive Income = Financial Freedom & thats exactly what we wanted!

Passive Income = Financial Freedom
Why?: To create more time for ourselves so that we can do the things that matter!

So, this BLOG will hopefully serve as (1) A learning tool for us (2) A place to record our journey towards financial freedom & (3) A road-map for you to learn from

My name is Hauiti aka Urban Rat

- naaku noa -

Forex 101: Newbie - Absolute NEWBIE

2009-03-11T13:38:00.018+13:00

Here we go!! Another Forex article written by another Forex wannabe!! NOT WRONG by much!!

Here's the difference:
I just set up a new twitter account: 2whare with the express purpose of following & learning about how to trade on the Forex Market - so i went in search for anything resembling FOREX & came up with a number of people using Forex as part of their twitter username!

So, i decided to check each one of them out, starting with: forextrading165 (this is his username)

First Glance:

No Bio
No web/blog/squidoo link
131 followers
369 following
12 updates: first 31 Oct 08 - 2 Mar 09

Not very busy at all!

Anyway, i decided to look into his Updates, starting with the first one dated 31 Oct in which he mentions an article worth looking at but doesnt give a link!!

"I came across this forex currency trading article the other day. It’s got some great information on why forex can be so lucrative."

The next update (dated 6 Jan 09) though has a link: http://tinyurl.com/8pprtu
which i thought was work a look! And this is what i found!

Forex Trading Education - The Basics You Need To Make Serious Profits Today

So, scavenging around this site i came across an article which our 'guy' had submitted (some two months ago!) - there's a photo with a real name!! Its a SCRIBD page! Now Scribd is a social publishing site where anyone can upload & share their documents.

So, i tracked down his documents on a separate page and found a BIO!!

Peter Johnson
Sydney
I am a keen forex trader with over 5 years experience. Currently I dont have a full time job, and am enjoying the flexibility of working from home.. Feel free to drop by anytime and share your experiences with forex.

A quick browse & i find more information about our intrepid Forex trader:

Website: Forex Trading Software review

You guessed it - a few articles & of course software to buy!! [Not really what i was looking for!]

Ok, back to the documents on his SCRIBD page: there are 9 of them - i'm going to dig in for a quick look!

At first glance he has been busy over the last 2 months, the latest document was uploaded 15 hours ago (its 2:11pm NZ time)

Documents:
[1] Uploaded Jan 09: Forex Trading Education: The basics you need to know to make serious profits today

Great title i must admit! [just what i am look for - let me explain - i am absolutely NEW to FOREX TRADING!!]

Content? - sections:

Trade with your head not with your heart
The secret to true profits
Forex Trading Software?
Conclusions

Is that it?
Lets drill right down!!

Trade with your head not with your heart

Forex is purely mathematical & historical.
There is no emotion or instinct involved

It comes down to predicting & analysing previous trends & applying this to live markets

Reading on the history of Forex & how the market operates will stand you in good stead for future profits

The secret to true profits

Learn the basics of the foreign exchange first before using a system or software!!
Successful traders make their millions by consistent small profits
They achieve these through leverage & having large amounts of capital to play with
You are not going to make thousands through one trade
The foreign exchange market is extremely volatile & & small profits are the pathway to serious forex profits

Forex Trading Software? [or systems]

These are platforms or software that allow you to interpret marketplace data & base decisions to trade upon
Some platforms are automated - known as forex robots

Thats it!!

Document 2: Uploaded Jan 09: Forex Autopilot: Why it only works for some?

Great introduction!!
The article was written in response to all the negative feedback re: Forex Autopilot

Contents

Well packaged get rich quick scheme?
You need to understand forex first
Not enough capital

Detail
Well packaged get rich quick scheme?

He admits that forex autopilot is packaged as a GET RICH QUICK SCHEME!!
It is an advanced piece of software
Attracting alot of attention

You need to understand forex first

First principles: take time to understand the markets
Place some demo trades
ease into it slowly

Not enough capital

to achieve significant profits in forex you need capital!!

Experience & approach is required to make this type of software work for you

Document 3: Uploaded one month ago- Does The Forex Miracle System Deliver Results with Minimal Capital?

Contents

What the forex miracle is not
What sets it apart?
Haven't i heard this all before?

What the forex miracle is not

It is not an automated forex system (robot)
it is a purely mechanical, step-by-step system which you can copy and use in your manual trading
It is not software that analyses the market & provides indications of swings & trends

What sets it apart?

Designed for new traders!!
Does not required a lot of upfront capital
a reliable system with some element of risk
you can use as little as US $ 300 to kick this off

Haven't i heard this all before?

60 day money back guarantee
Creators confident the system will work if you follow the instructions

Forex Miracle Review
I had a quick look at the bottom line - scrolled right passed all the information to the bottom line

US$97.00!!

Thats me for now!!

The RULE of 5

2009-03-08T14:27:00.002+13:00

I was born in a town called Taupo, North Island of New Zealand - te Ika a Maui, Aotearoa. We boast the largest lake in the country from which flows the mighty Waikato River, north to Port Waikato on the other side of Hamilton.

Taupo is distinctive in that it is smack in the middle of the North Island and is flanked to the south by 3 distinctive mountains: Ruapehu, Ngauruahoe & Tongariro (there are lots of stories about these maunga, but at a later post) Taupo is also surrounded by forests; mainly to the north and east.

I worked in the bush when i was a teenager: pruning & releasing during my school holidays. Sometimes we whacked a few pines down with slashers; once i got to work with one of the bosses carrying all the equipment while he dropped some huge trees!!

But i never got to use a chainsaw, just a slasher - a square shaped head - as long as it was sharp & your aim was true you could eventually bring down a 5 year old pine - you just had to swing that slasher at the tree - one after the other until it fell!!

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out"
- -Robert Collier

This is principle number 23 in Canfield's book: The Principles of Success - the RULE of FIVE

Here is how the RULE OF FIVR works:

Figure out what you want to achieve
then decide what 5 things you are going to do today, & the next day etc to move you towards your goal & eventually towards completion

SIMPLE!!

Now this month Poutu-te-rangi (March) is BREAKTHROUGH month & i have set out some big goals to attack for the month!!

So for this week: 9 - 15 Poutu-te-rangi - these are the 5 things i will do this week to move me towards my BREAKTHROUGH GOALS

B4L workouts at the gym 6/7 days
DETOX - start tomorrow
WRITE each day!
READ each day
complete BUDGET for CLAIM

- naaku noa -

W H A N A U

2009-02-20T17:39:00.004+13:00

Just how important is whanau? Thats family!!

When the ancestors looked into the pool of water, he saw his moko reflected back - he saw his children and their children - all the generations yet to come - he saw his mokopuna!

Family is important!
Here is mine: - - - >>>

101 Major Goals

2009-01-21T17:40:00.003+13:00

Mauri ora!

I got this idea last year from one of Jack Canfield's book: The Principles of success - 101 goals to complete before you pass away!

These are a list of my 101 major goals

Education

Complete & graduate with a PhD
Develop Wisdom & Understanding
Write & publish a novel
Study the works of 100 great persons
Create my own library of 1000 personal development books, DVDs, Audios & resources
Read 1000 personal development books
Collect 1000 positive thoughts
Compile these thorts into a book
Compile a 12 month calendar of thorts
Create & publish my own Planner
Organise a Maori GIS conference
Prepare a Best-Practice Manual for mapping cultural assets
Read all Clive Cussler's books
Read all Tom Clancy's books

Financial

Start & manage a successful national & international company
Create my own successful website
Become financially independent
Become a Millionaire
Eliminate all my debt
Develop no less than 5 streams of income
Develop a real estate portfolio
Develop a share portfolio
Invest in the Forex Market
Attend a Jamie MacIntyre seminar
Attend a Jack Canfield seminar
Write a book on business success/financial success
Run a seminar for Financial Literacy
Become a life-coach & mentor
Run a life-coaching seminar
Create a tee shirt business with whakatauki & other Indigenous statements on them!
Create training modules (GIS/Indigenous Mapping) & procedures for Mapping Cultural assets

Physical

Learn Tai Chi
Learn Qigong
Shodan Grading in Goju Ryu
Learn Aikido
Learn Kung Fu
Learn & practice yoga
Reach and Maintain a healthy & strong 87kg body
Learn how to use SAI
Nunchuks
& Bo
Learn to swim properly
Build 18" arms
Cycle around lake Taupo
I want 6 pack-abs

FUN

Build an Acoustic Guitar from scratch
Learn to play 10 classical guitar pieces
Learn to play flamenco guitar
Learn to play 10 songs on the piano
Learn to speak basic Spanish
Learn 3 Spanish guitar songs
Own a Hummer
Learn 3 Latin Dances
Attend a world cup rugby game

Cultural

Revive the art of whai
Publish the first series of 4 DVDs & Booklets on WHAI
Run a successful TRUST that deals with wananga & creating cultural resources
Learn 500 whai figures
Produce DVDs & booklets on all the figures
Create a TV series for whai
Join the International String Federation (ISF)
Attend at least one seminar hosted by the ISF
Write an article for the ISF magazine
Host an International Seminar on whai
Perform whai at Te Papa
Create an art series for an art display of whai
Transform the current whai books into instructional DVDs
Make a pukaea & putatara
Learn whakairo
Work on a whare - carve!
Visit a place of Wananga - an ancient wananga place
Learn 100 karakia
Learn 200 moteatea
Learn 5000 whakapapa names
Learn & make a manutukutuku
Carve a Rakau Whakapapa
Weave a Korowai & Maro
Learn tukutuku
Learn taiaha,
tewhatewha,
patu
& pouwhenua
Create a star map in Maori
Get a Moko
Learn ancient navigation skilss
sail a boat from the islands to Aotearoa

More FUN

Visit Cambridge University
Fly in a helicopter
Bungee jump
Hang glide
Get a pilot's license (small plane)
Learn to play golf
Holiday in Machu Picchu & Titicaca
Holiday in Hawaii
Holiday in the Mediterranean
Holiday in Africa
Holiday in South America
Holiday in Canada
Holiday in Europe
Visit Gallipoli
Visit Rome
Visit Stonehenge
Visit the Great Wall of China
Visit the Washington Memorial
Attend an Indigenous Mapping Network Conference
Meet Nelson Mandela
Meet Michael Jordan
Meet Tiger Woods
Build my/our dream home
Have my own in-house movie theatre
Create my own Bonsai garden of Natives
Own a Fender Stratocaster
Firearms training

Whanau

Home school all my children
Raise 7 leaders!
Write my Autobiography
Create a family trust for our lands
Organise a Hakopa Family Reunion
Organise a Te Kuru Family Reunion
See my children rise to their full potential

I just added up my list - there are 120!

Naaku noa

H24

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Believe

2009-01-19T09:00:00.003+13:00

Lets re-cap:
First Principle: take 100 % responsibility for the quality of your life & everything you do!
Second Principle: Be clear about why you are here! Create your own Personal Mission Statement!
Third Principle: Decide what you want

- - Principle 4: Believe it is possible - -

Expectation
I have always had high expectations!! When i first read the title to this chapter i didn't bother reading the rest of the blurb. One year later i read it: it teaches us to "Condition ourselves to expect the best"! When we do this then our brain will expect something to happen in a certain way - thus we will achieve what we expect

"You can be anything you want to be, if only you believe with sufficient conviction
and act in accordance with your faith;
for what ever the mind can conceive & believe
it can achieve" - Napoleon Hill

Believe in yourself, & if you don't believe in yourself just yet - then find someone who will believe in you!!

- Urban -

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- Decisions -

2009-01-14T16:34:00.010+13:00

- - Principle 3: Decide what you want! - -

Q: what do you want to accomplish?
Q: What possessions do you want to acquire?
Q: Where do you want to be?
Q: What does success look like to you?

- This lesson is about clarifying what you really want in life -

Make an I WANT LIST!
An easy way of clarifying what you want is by creating a I WANT LIST
- Make a list of 30 things you want to do
- Make another list of 30 things you want to have
- and another list of 30 things you want to be -----before you die!!

Make a LIVING from doing the things you love to do?
- Make a list of 20 things you love to do
- then, THINK of ways you can make a living doing some of those things!

Clarify your VISION of your IDEAL LIFE!
Q:How do you get from where you are to where you want to be?
Two things you need to know:

where you are
where you want to go to

Thus your VISION is a DETAILED DESCRIPTION of where you want to get to
- your vision describes what your destination looks like
- your vision needs to cover all your basic goal areas
- just figure out where your destination is, what it looks like and feels like

Inner GPS
You remember how we talked about your inner GPS?
Well, this consists of GOALS, AFFIRMATIONS & VISUALISATIONS!
All these elements help you to lock onto your destination and gets you moving in the right direction!

Clarify your VISION - exercise
Here is an exercise to help you clarify your vision (see Canfield pp32-33 for full description)
Set aside some time where you can have peace and quiet, and perhaps some soft music and close your eyes.

Focus on one of your goal areas - for example - your financial goals
- visualise what your annual income will be,
- visualise what your cash flow looks like
- visualise how much money you have invested & in savings
- visualise what your house looks like, how big it is, what the detail is like inside and out, where it is located,
- visualise the kind of car you have!
- and so on. . . .

You get the picture?

Visualise all your goals in the above manner!

then WRITE down what you have visualised!

- Urban -

A Personal Mission Statement

2009-01-13T12:30:00.007+13:00

Clarifying why you are here (Canfield Principle 2)
This lesson took a lot of thinking through - but once i committed my thinking towards clarifying my "life purpose" or rather the why behind why i do things - it became smooth!

Internal GPS
GPS is a Global Positioning System which makes use of a network of satellites to determine your position on the surface of the earth and to help you to navigate from A (where you are) to B (your destination).

We have an Internal GPS which helps us to navigate from where we are to where we want to be - it is referred to as JOY or HAPPINESS!! Quite simply, we can tell whether we are on or off our purpose by the amount of joy or happiness we experience!

What we need to do is identify the times when we have experienced the most joy, figure out what the common elements are in each of the experiences, and then look for a way to make a living from doing the things that make us happy!!

L i f e P u r p o s e E x e r c i s e
Following is one way in which you cna develop your life purpose or Mission Statement

List a couple of your unique personal qualities: e.g enthusiasm & creativity
List ways in which you express those qualities when you interact with others : e.g such as support or inspire
Ask yourself what your perfect world would look like? How would people treat each other, how would they interact with each other. Example: everyone is freely expressing their own unique qualities & talents. Everyone is working in harmony. Everyone is expressing love.
Now combine 1 - 3 above into a statement that identifies what your "life purpose" is: My purpose is to use my creativity & enthusiasm to support and inspire others to freely express their talents in a harmonious and loving way

The idea behind defining your LIFE PURPOSE is to ensure that your vision & goals are aligned with the 'why' you do things!!

M I N E
Unique qualities
- - - Vision, drive, creativity, persistence, innovation, proactive

How do i express these qualities when interacting with others?
- - - teach, guide, inspire & create

What does my perfect world look like?
- - - Everyone achieving their dreams & aspirations
- - - Everyone living to their fullest potential
- - - Everyone happy doing what they are doing every single day

My Life purpose - my MISSION STATEMENT

"My purpose is to use my vision, creativity & drive
to teach, guide & inspire others
to achieve their dreams & aspirations,
to realise their full potential
and to live happy & full lives"

Thats me in a nutshell

- Urban -

100% RESPONSE-ABILITY

2009-01-08T12:10:00.004+13:00

I have started re-reading Canfield's book: The Success Principles: How to get from where you are to where you want to be.

While i was reading through the introduction it occurred to me that that i should share what i learn as i read & implement the principles espoused in this book - so i made a commitment:

to implement each PRINCIPLE as i come to understand it
to SHARE each principle through this blog
& to MONITOR my EXPERIENCE throughout the year & again share that experience in this blog.

I have already set out my GOALS for 2009. No doubt - It is going to be a BIG year & what better way to develop a PROSPEROUS & SUCCESSFUL MINDSET (this is one of my personal growth goals!!)than by applying the PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS as outlined by Canfield?

I am looking forward to the rest of 2009!!
I am looking forward to achieving ALL my goals!!
I am looking forward to developing the type of mindset that attracts PROSPERITY
& I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with the people close to me & to YOU

SO, TO THE FIRST LESSON FOR THE YEAR!!

- - 100% RESPONSIBILITY! - -

Responsibility is a choice
You, me and everyone else is responsible for the quality of life we as individuals enjoy!!

"No one can do your push-ups for you, you must do them yourself to get the full benefit"

If you want to be in all your achievements, relationships, education, spirituality, personal growth, health & fitness, income, career, feelings - then you must take 100% responsibility for the outcome that you want!
:
If you want to create the life you always dreamed of, then you have to take 100% responsibility for your life

What does that mean?

It means giving up all your excuses, all your poor me stories & you must give up blaming other people & circumstances for the way thing are in your life!!

Dr Robert Resnick uses a simple formula that clarifies the idea of "100% responsibility"

it is expressed thus: E + R = O

where:

E = the event
R = is your response
O = the outcome!!

There are two choices that you can make when the result isnt to your liking!

1. you can blame the event (E) for your lack of results (O)

or

2. you can change your response (R) to the event (E) until you get the Outcome (O) you want!!

Everything you experience today is the result of choices you have made in the past!!

You have control over 3 things in your life:

1. the thoughts you think
2. the images you visualise &
3. the action you take - or your behaviour!

Now these 3 things are important to the experiences we have!
If we do not like the experiences we have, then we have to change the responses we have to the events that take place in our lives!!

Change
We can change negative thoughts to positive thoughts
we can change what we daydream about
we can change the images we hold in our minds
we can change our habits
we can change what we put into our minds - what we read!
we can change how we talk
we can change our friends

Don't blame others for what happens to you & dont complain about what happens to you - instead, do something about it!!

To be more successful all you have to do is act in ways that produce more of what you want! This may be a simple principle but is not easy to implement. You need to pay attention to what you are doing & the RESULTS you are producing. You need AWARENESS, dedicated DISCIPLINE & a willingness to EXPERIMENT & take RISKS!

You need to constantly ask yourself:

What am i doing that's working & i need to be doing more of?
What am i doing that's not working and i need to be doing less of?
What am i not doing that i need to try to see if it works?

So, do more of what's working
Do less of what is not working
Try new behaviours to see if they produce better results!!

- naku noa -
Urban

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te TAU HOU 2009

2009-01-06T11:35:00.003+13:00

One of my favourite places:
the Esplanade,
St Clair Beach
Dunedin,
South Island,
Aotearoa, NZ

"It has been said that a goal not written is just a dream!
However, it follows that a goal not reviewed is just a WRITTEN DREAM!!"

Towards the end of last year, i began the process of unpacking 2008 in preparation for 2009

I began by asking several questions:

If i could turn back the clock 12 months, what would i change that would have the greatest impact on my life?

- I would focus on BALANCE & PRIORITIES
- I would give consideration to my weak areas: EDUCATION & FINANCIAL.

What went well? What were the highlights of 2008?

What did i learn last year that will help me this year?

- CONSISTENCY: I need to be consistent with setting & following through with my goals
- MONITORING: I need to monitor my goals on a daily / regular basis
- SCHEDULE: I need to schedule in time for my goals each week & month
- CLARITY: my goals need to be crystal clear!
- VISION BOARDS / BOOK: create images/pictures of my goals & look over them each morning/evening
- AFFIRMATIONS: create affirmations for each goal & read these affirmations at least twice each day!!
SPECIFIC: be specific with what i want to achieve
- HUMILITY: cultivate humility to strengthen my character
- BALANCE: cultivate balance across all goal areas
- PRIORITISE: prioritise my goals
- BREAKTHROUGH: identify the goals that will have the biggest impact on my life!!

What were the biggest challenges that i faced last year with my goals?
- trying to do too much
- & high expectations
- lack of balance across all goal areas
- lack of priority with my goals

What is my personal mission statement?

"to teach, create, support & drive myself towards my dreams & aspirations"
Something like that - this needs some more work!!

What type of person do i want to be?
Courageous, prosperous, proactive, humble, trustworthy, honest, faithful, hopeful, loving, caring - Happy & Content!

2008 would have gone well if i:

Find a mentor/model/teacher to help me with my goals
Was patient in teaching
Focussed 100% on achieving my goals
Followed-through effectively to achieve my goals
Communicated effectively
could be more loving and respectful in all my significant relationships
took proper care of myself
became financially independent
educated myself for the 21st century
prepared 18 months of long-term storage

Identify STRATEGIES that worked - transfer to this year

set out a 90 day plan for all my goals to kick off the year
identify my BREAKTHROUGH GOALS 4 each month
clarify, specify, monitor, affirm, visualise & act

My ANNUAL GOALS for 2009
Spiritual: to tune in to the whisperings of the spirit

Physical: to have a lean, mean, strong, fit, flexible & healthy 87kg body!! & to look good along the way!!

Whanau: to raise my kids to be LEADERS & to develop loving & respectful relationships with my significant other

Mental: to develop a smooth & understanding mind

Educational: to develop a solid knowledge base and complete my PhD

Financial: to develop a prosperous & wealthy mindset

FUN: to be happy & content

Social & Community: to develop cultural depth, skill & capacity

2008 is now history, 2009 has arrived with a bang!!

- Urban -

90 Day Plan

2009-01-01T13:50:00.000+13:00

My 90 Day Plan

Read every day
Write every day
Set goals for each week, plan for each day
Review my goals every day
Visualise my goals every day
Meditate every day
Exercise each day
Express gratitude each day
Smile every day
Review each week
Rate each week based on my goals
Plan each week
Review each day
Karakia each day
Waiata each day

- Urban -

Visual Goal Chart

2008-10-11T13:00:00.019+13:00

Mauri ora!!

I was playing around with my 'planner' last week thinking . . . mmmm . . i need a visual chart to help keep my self in check - & to help my kids visualise the process of setting goals. So i created a document, then a PDF and finally an image to load up on this BLOG - so here it is - - - My first attempt at creating a Visual GOAL Chart for Setting GOALS: in a nutshell!!

- - - VISUAL GOAL CHART 101 - - -

This is the sequence in a nutshell:-

ask yourself this question:It all starts with a DREAM session:-

What would you like to achieve? Do? Be?

You've heard of SMART goals?
Well try the M.A.S.T.E.R. goals

M = Measurable
A = Achievable
S = Specific
T = time-based
E = Exciting
R = Realistic

get yourself a GOAL BOOK

Write your GOALS out in DETAIL

READ your goals every day - 3 times!!

identify your BREAKTHROUGH G O A L S

these are the GOALS
that will have the largest impact on your life!!!

PLAN of ACTION

Set out a PLAN of ACTION to progress each GOAL
- this is the HOW you are going to reach your DESTINATION

DAILY LIST

Each night

- set out a list of things to do for the next day
- that will move you closer to your goals!

WHERE can you find HELP?

Identify what Resources
or who is going to help you reach your goals!

- - - ->Coach - - --- --- >Books ------ -- - -> Mentor ----- ---- - - >Internet

Create AFFIRMATIONS for each of your goals
Write them on 3x5" cards & carry them around with you!

READ your affirmations each day!

VISUALISE your goals

Create a GOAL BOOK with images of your GOALS

Create a VISION BOARD with IMAGES of your GOALS

Take ACTION ! !

- - START - get going on your goals!!
this is the READY stage

- - - FIRE - - -
- just fire & adjust your aim later!

- - - AIM - -
- adjust your sights then take another shot !
- just get going & keep going!

- - REWARD yourself for each success!!

- -Now REVIEW your progress frequently!!

Naaku noa
Urban

- - Journey of a 1000 Books - -

2008-10-09T09:03:00.002+13:00

I set a goal at the beginning of the year to read a 1000 inspirational & motivational books!

As part of my my quarterly goals which I set out last weekend I set a goal to read a couple of Inspirational books and a couple of Biographies of Nobel Prize winners as well as the Old Testatment.

Well a couple of days ago i picked up “The Winner Within” By Pat Riley who was coach of the LA Lakers basketball team – awesome read!!

This book is about team-work and concentrates on developing a ‘winning team’. You dont have to be a basketball fan to benefit from this book because teamwork is essential in business, sports & personal development. Riley suggests that teamwork is the key to success in life & not just in sports!

Its an easy read with lots of examples taken from his coaching experience & his life time – i especially like the example of the Vietnam veterans story of re-claiming their place in American society – & i am not American – but it was a wonderful story.

Pick it up – you wont regret it

Urban

Inspiration is contagious!

2008-10-01T18:55:00.004+13:00

There is something about inspirational & positive thoughts that touch the heart & inspire the soul - they seem to generate a feeling of euphoria & and sense of well-being that go a long way to helping you reach higher!!

Dr Norman Vincent Peale, regarded as the champion of Positive Thinking said that "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."

Dr Robert Anthony & many others have stated that if you "Act as if you have already achieved your goal [then] it is yours."

Charles Kettering said "Believe & act as if it were impossible to fail"

Rich De Vos of AMWAY fame said “The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible."

Add to that: "You have to believe in yourself. And you have to, down deep within the bottom of your soul, feel that you can do the job that you've set out to do." from William Castle DeVries

Affirmations really are part of the key to developing a success consciousness - you must believe in yourself!! To help you do that you must fill your mind with positive & affirming thoughts - and you must read them everyday, at every opportunity - after all: "You are what you think about all day long." - Dr. Robert Schuller

Mauri ora
Urban

Mini-FUNNEL websites

2008-09-23T07:30:00.001+12:00

Mini-Funnel websites a smart idea by MAKI!!

Mini-sites are created to provide answers to specific questions - the goal is to funnel traffic to your landing sites or home base where your site will provide a clear explanation on the specific topic.

Thus the strategy is quite clear: Create a mini-website for with the express purpose of answering specific search queries or to deal with specific topics - then to use them to generate leads or send traffic to your home site!!

Smart idea!!
Maki provides some elements to make mini-sites rock!

Keep it clear and simple by dealing with a single-issue.
Reference-friendly - cover the issue in full - use original content & external links
Novelty/Simplicity - you can eat an elephant if you eat it one bit at a time!! . - a single-page website is easy to digest
Viral components - encourage people to spread the word!! - by providing sharing options like an email-a-friend feature or link-to-me banners.
Sell elsewhere - quite simply - the funnel-site is not the place to make money!

Smart thinking - i must implement this!!

Urban

INTERNET MARKETING MADE EASY!!

2008-09-22T12:55:00.007+12:00

I just invested in Market Samurai!! - thats the program used during Ed Dale's 30-day-challenge!

What is the 30-Day-Challenge?
In a nutshell: In 30 days Ed Dale & his team show you exactly how to start your own Internet business and generate your first income online without spending a dime.

So, back to the Market Samurai
If you EVER have any interest in ever doing any:

Keyword Research,
Search Engine Optimization,
Publishing Content Online,
Link Building,
Affiliate Marketing,
Virtual Real Estate,
Adsense, or
Google Adwords

Then this is the software for you!!

Background
Market Samurai was released into the market (into the 30-day-challenge) on August 2, yep its just over month old!!

Does it work?
Well, it was put to the test during the 30-day-challenge:

It needed to produce fast results for the 30-day-challenge
It needed to be simple enough for 30-day-challengers, some who have had little or absolutely no experience, to use & to produce results - in 30 DAYS
It needed to be streamlined, cut-2-the-chase practical to produce results with very little work involved!!

So how did it do?
Market Samurai shattered all previous 30-day challenge records!

The fastest recorded sale ever - less than 1 day!
The fastest recorded number 1 ranking in GOOGLE - less than 30 minutes!
Most Front Page Google rankings ever!
& The highest % of Front-Page Rankings in Google ever - currently over 28% of all 30DC sites!

Not bad eh!!

So how come people were successful with Market Samurai?

Well, in the first place it cuts down wasted-time on activities that don't create results - allowing you to get on with what matters!
it tells you exactly what you need to do next
and it helps to complete critical marketing tasks quicker, easier, more efficiently and allows you achieve results

In a nutshell - it will tell you:

What markets are worth targeting;
What markets are worth avoiding;
Which keywords you should focus on for fast results;
Which keywords should be avoided;
Which markets have weak competition;
Which markets show impossible levels of competition;
What are the chances of achieving front-page rankings for a keyword;
What topics you should write articles on for your web-site;
Where to find quality backlinks;
How many backlinks you need;
What quality backlinks you need;
How to determine the quality of a page for a backlink;
and then some!!

Is it worth a look?
Yup Market Samurai is worth a look!!

Mauri ora
Urban

Wellness: the Liver Cleanse Program - Day 1

2008-09-17T21:43:00.000+12:00

This is day 1 of the actual program i.e I have started taking the herbal pills!

After 8 days of quite good preparation, I am ready – so I decided to do the 10-day program. This consists of 4x4 pills in the morning & in the evening for the next 10 days accompanied with a strict eating regime consisting of fresh veges, soups, smoothies and fresh fruit plus a couple litres of water each day!!

I weighed in at 95.6kg this morning

Down from 99.9kg on day 1 of the preparation stage 8 days ago on the 8 of September

My food for the preparation stage consisted of:

Smoothies for breakfast

o Protein powder

o Prunes

o Soy milk

o Unsweetened natural yoghurt

o Frozen beries

During the day

o Citrus fruits

o Apples

o Pears

o Fruit salad with yoghurt & protein powder

At Night

o combinations including kumara, pumpkin, spinach, swede

o sometimes I would top that off with a power drink (soy milk & protein powder) or fruit salad with yoghurt

So, over 8 days I dropped from 99.9kg to 95.6kg that’s 4.3kg in 8 days!!

I go to the gym everyday: I am following the Peter Sisco 30-day program, with cardio/ab/lowerback/stretching on alternative days

So, day one is done!!

Mauri ora!!
Urban

- - 2 INTERESTING SITES - -

2008-09-17T17:18:00.001+12:00

The Oracle & the Bird
There is an old story told about Oracles in the ancient world. Oracles were regarded as receptacles of knowledge and were also known not to lie. Two young men though concocted a plan to make the oracle lie - and this is how they were going to do it.

They were going to go into the bush, capture a bird - live. Then they were going to take it with them to the Oracle, and with the bird in hand they would ask him two questions, the first "Oracle, what have we got in our hands?" of course the Oracle would reply "Its a bird"

Then they were ask the second "Is it dead or alive? Now, if the Oracle said "it is alive" they would simply crush it dead, but if he said "it is dead" they would open their hands and let the bird fly off!!

They really thought they had the Oracle trapped!!

So off they trotted to the bush, caught a bird and took it before the Oracle

They Asked "Oracle, what have we got in our hands?"

The Oracle replied "It is a bird"

With a smug smile they asked "Is it dead or alive?"

The wise old Oracle looked down at the two young men and smiled before giving his answer

"It is entirely in your hands!!"

I love a good story, and this one has been a staple of mine ever since i read it many years ago!!
So what has this got to do with 2 Interesting Sites?

To
2 Interesting Sites

I found 2 Interesting Sites yesterday that piqued my interest - - - why? Because they both got to the point without all the BS that accompanies a lot of landing sites!!

How did i stumble upon them?
Yesterday I was sitting in my chair, at my desk thinking. . . “hmmmmm, i need to find ways of being able to find money”. So, i dropped into google and typed in the phrase "How to make money online". A couple of sites caught my eye: My Debt Free Goal & The Niche Blogger - Author & owner Amy Bass!

Why did i find these 2 sites interesting?
Quite simply - - it was the fresh approach - - landing sites with information that was very easy to follow!

The first interesting site: My Debt Free Goal what a title!! followed by: My goal to pay off $72,900 in two years by making money online!! That now grabbed my attention!! I browsed through the blog and flicked over the headlines of some of the articles:- how to reach your financial goal, Blogging to earn money & My Debt Free goal. I even read a few and I was inspired by her honesty and the integrity of her approach to her writing!

Then I came across the second Interesting Site The Niche Blogger featuring a step-by-step guide to making money online – the Amy Bass way!

By way of introduction, Amy Bass is a stay-home Mom with 4 little kids that had some debt she wanted to get rid of – and decided that she wanted to do this online. After some success with online marketing (reducing her debt from $72,900 to $22,465.59!!) she launched her own program – the how to or rather, how she did it!

By the way she doesn’t have a college degree, she has no formal training & she is not a get-rich-quick overnight internet millionaire BUT she does claim to have built her own passive online income to well over $5000 a month in the past year

So, is it worth a look?
Well, this is what she claims:
The Niche Blogger guide is in a blog format and covers EVERYTHING you need to do to build your own passive income with Niche Blogs.

She shows you how to conquer Wordpress and choose niches and products that will bring you in money hand over fist.

If you are struggling to make your first dollars online then she shows you how she did it

She provides a business plan that will give you purpose and direction

And all this for $12.95 per month

Is there a money back guarantee?
I didn’t find one – that’s interesting!!

Who is this program for?
This guide is for the beginner, maybe a stay at home mom or an unemployed average Joe or perhaps even home-schoolers & teenagers?? (I must introduce my kids to this!!)

So for $12.95? I say “why not”

What have these 2 Interesting Sites got to do with the story of the Oracle?

Well, as with any program - "your success is entirely in your hands!"

Hei kona
Urban

- - my WEALTH program - -

2008-09-16T17:37:00.002+12:00

My Wealth Program
I was down at the Esplanade having breakfast the other morning & reading from Jack Canfield's book:

The Success Principles:

how to get from where you are to where you want to be

Great read!!

In particular, the chapter entitled: You get what you focus on

Dr John Demartini said

"you must seek wealth for it to seek you"

You get what you focus on
Whether it is a new job, building a new business, acquiring money, wealth & a rich lifestyle

Canfield says that you must decide to be wealthy - to be wealthy is a decision that each person must make! The thought occurred to me:

- do you have to know what wealthy means?
- & do you have to know how to acquire wealth?

NO you dont! You dont have to worry about HOW you are going to become wealthy

According to Canfield (See the Secret)
- first you need to DECIDE what you want
- then you need to BELIEVE that it is possible
- you need to recognise that you DESERVE it
- then you FOCUS on it by thinking about it and VISUALISING that you already have it
- Finally, you need to pay the price to get it - disciplined EFFORT and PERSEVERANCE over time

NEXT: decide what wealthy means to you

Jamie MacIntyre helped me with this - he wrote an interesting book called:

What i didnt learn at school

but wish i had

Chapter 10 in particular is refers to establishing your financial goals. He begins by asking the question:- What is the true measure of wealth? He provides this as the answer:-

It is how many days from now you can continue to live
without the need to work!

Then he provides a way for you to figure out how to make your Personal Financial Dreams a reality!!

He discusses FIVE levels of FINANCIAL WELL_BEING to help clarify what financial dreams are important for you to achieve.

- - - the 5 LEVELS of a FINANCIAL PLAN - - -

Financial Protection
Financial Security
Financial Independence
Financial Freedom
Absolute Financial Freedom

After you define your Financial Goals:- short-term (3-36 months), Intermediate (3-10 years) & long-term (10+ years) then you can figure out what level of Financial Well-being you need to support your Financial Goals

First Level: Financial Protection
This is your liquid assets - this is the amount of money you need to cover your current monthly overheads: - for example

Mortgage/rent
Power
Transportation costs
Food
Insurance and so on

Notice that it does not cover you credit card of debt repayments -- it is simply the amount of money you need to cover the basics & to survive financially for each month - then you DECIDE how many months of protection you want.

My financial protection plan
My monthly overheads:- - - $3000 (approx)
I decided that i wanted 6 months protection == $18,000

So, i need to put aside $18,000 to complete the first level in my Financial Plan

Second Level: Financial Security
This is the amount of money you will need to be independent of the basic necessities such as food, clothes & transport i.e Your Financial Protection figure

Thus, $Financial Security = $Financial Protection

So, if my $Financial Protection = $3000 per month
Then, for 12 months of security i need $36,000

So the Annual income i need from investments to achieve Financial Security FOR LIFE = $36,000

Third Level: Financial Independence
This is the amount of money you need to be Independent from work!

Financial independence is achieved when your investments produce an income equal to your WORK INCOME

My Monthly Income = $5000
Over 12 months = $ 60,000

So, my goal is to produce $60,000 per annum from investments to achieve Financial Independence

Fourth Level: Financial Freedom
This level of income is about LIFESTYLE - this is the amount of money you require to live in the lifestyle you desire:

So, besides your currently monthly income, you will need enough extra income to purchase the lifestyle, the 'other things' you would like to have but cannot currently afford!!

Perhaps:

the hummer
the beach side property
the 35ft boat
the regular holidays in exotic locations

and the list goes on!!

Here is how i worked it out:

Calculate the extra monthly income you need to buy the 'other things'
Add that to the amount you need for Financial Independence
This figure represents the monthly income you need for Financial Freedom

SO - for me

Extra income i would like =$10,000
Monthly income required to achieve Financial Independence = $5000 [see above]
Monthly income required for Financial Freedom = $15,000

Over 12 months = 6 x $15,000 = $180, 000 to achieve FINANCIAL FREEDOM

Fifth Level: Absolute Financial Freedom
This occurs when your investments provide you with the means to do whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want, and with whom ever you want!!

To work this out:

Create a list of all the things you would acquire if you were absolutely financial free & figure out how much this would cost you per month
Add this to the monthly amount you need for Financial Independence
Multiply the figure (monthly) in item 2 by 12 (annual)

For me:

Total additional income required = $25,000
Monthly Financial Independence figure = $5000
Total Monthly amount required for ABSOLUTE FINANCIAL FREEDOM = $30,000

12 months x $30,000 = $360,000 per annum to achieve ABSOLUTE FINANCIAL FREEDOM!!!

Back to Canfield discusses the steps towards weatlh as:

Step one: determine your net worth

Step Two: Determine what you need to retire

Step Three: Become aware of what you are spending

Step Four: Become financially Literate

Canfield also refers the WEALTH QUADRANT
This model was developed by Lee Brower who refers to weatlh as assets categorised into four areas:

Human assets
Intellectual assets
Financial Assets
Civic assets

Your human assets are those assets that enrich you:- it comprises of family, character, values, health, happiness, well-being, ethics & morals, habits, & relationships

Intellectual assets includes all of your accumulated knowledge & experience:- wisdom, formal education, ideas, life experiences, reputation, skills & talents, alliances

Your financial assets is the accumulation of cash, stocks & bonds, retirement plans, businesses, real estate and so on

Finally, your civic assets is your contribution to taxes, charities & scholarships plus private foundations and perhaps research & development

Something to think about
Hei kona
Urban

- - Wellness program day 1 - -

2008-09-08T17:29:00.000+12:00

Well, i have started my preparation period to launch into my liver cleanse!!

Monday 8: day 1 preparation
Weighed in this morning at 99.9kg
I begin to give up meat, wheat products & starchy carbohydrates!!!!
It was a tough day!!
Smoothies, fruit and fresh veges with lots of water all day!!

Urban

- - - WELL-ness & WEALTH - - -

2008-09-02T11:53:00.018+12:00

Well-ness & Wealth

My well-ness program
Part of my well-ness program will include the liver cleanse regime for the next 20 odd days. Its a program that i used around 4 months ago with great results called: The Ultimate Cleanse: www.theherbalist.co.nz

Worth a look!!

The Ultimate Cleanse is a herbal cleansing program comprising 14 herbs including wormwood, cascara, psyllium, fennel, cayenne pepper & ginger. The Ultimate Cleanse improves digestive secretions, increases bowel transit time, and speeds up your metabolism - in fact, you will lose weight!!

I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome & it cleared that up!! It is also known to cure other common problems such as: acne, allergies, bloating, gout, headaches, obesity and high cholesterol!!

You are restricted to eating certain foods during the process: most vegetables and fruits, yoghurt, vegetable soups, fruit & vege salads, avocados, cold pressed oils, brown rice, herbal teas, natural spices and herbs !!

YUP it is hard going - but well worth it!!

There is a preparation stage of 3-5 days - this is to get your body & mind ready for the cleansing part. During this time, you change your dietary habits. The main thing to remember is to eliminate the starches (potatoes, bread), processed foods, and stick to the fresh fruits & veges and remember to drink alot of water!! Natural unsweetened yoghurt, juices, smoothies and soups are what you need!

OK - what can you eat?

All fresh fruit except bananas
Raw vegetables
home-made vege soup
home-made diluted fruit juice
unsweetened yoghurt
herbal teas
cayenne pepper
garlic & ginger
pure water
culinary herbs

The ideal kick-start is a half teaspoon of Epsom Salts in water twice daily during the 3 day preparation stage - then launch into it!!

There are several choices of programs depending on your health:

- - The 5-day Power Cleanse:- for those who are fit & healthy
- - There is the 10-day Deep Cleanse for the average healthy person, first timer or novice
- - Then there is the 25 day Gentle Cleanse for the elderly, unwell or chronically ill
- - And finally there is the 50-day Maintenance Cleanse to encourage regularity

Thats it - i cant wait to start!!

Urban

- - - T U R N a L E A F - - -

2008-09-01T15:13:00.004+12:00

I feel like i have a spring in my step - i woke up this morning and actually felt very DIFFERENT!!

It was Eleanor Roosevelt who said:

"The future belongs to those
who believe in the beauty
of their dreams"

Well, today is just one of those days where everything has just "clicked" into place: my thinking, my enthusiasm & motivation, my energy levels & my desire to leap over the edge!

You remember the thought from Apollonaire, well this one is from Ray Bradbury:

"First you jump off the cliff
& you build your wings on the way down"

Now, this is the last month of the third quarter - and i am about to identify my major goals for the month. i know what you are thinking - and yes, i am late with my goals - it has been a very busy August which totally consumed my entire thinking and all my effort. But that is well within my stride now and it is time to move ahead!

I am thinking KIS - just keep them simple, keep them relevant, ensure they are breakthrough, detail how i am going to achieve them & then schedule my goals into my planner!

Simple = Clarity
Relevant = the goals will contribute to my overall annual plan
Breakthrough = these goals will have the most impact on my life!
Detail = break each goal down into manageable tasks
Schedule = timetable each task into my planner

"Everyone who got where they are
had to begin where they were"
- - Richard Paul Evans

Mauri ora
Urban

- - - - U N P A C K ur T H I N K I N G ! - - -

2008-08-27T14:19:00.007+12:00

Mauri ora !
One of my favourite quotes has to be:

"Faith can move mountains
but dont be suprised if the lord gives you a shovel"

&

"The giant oak lies in the acorn
but first, you must have an acorn"

The acorn is the seed of an idea!! But first we need to UNPACK the THINKING behind the IDEA - then formulate a ROAD-MAP to get to where you want to be OR what you want to achieve!!

So, I have just had a quick trip over to Queenstown (the resort capital of New Zealand) to visit my cousin Johnny. The idea behind the visit was to U N P A C K my T H I N K I N G!!

Background
For the past month odd i have been consumed with family responsibility. My father was admitted to Waikato Hospital (North Island of New Zealand) around the 29th July for a Bypass operation - complications occurred and he was admitted to Intensive Care Unit. 3 weeks later he was released into the ward for a week and is now (as i write) being transferred to Rotorua Hospital for further recovery.

What did i learn?

"It's good to have money and the things that money can buy,
but its good too, to make sure
you haven't lost the things money cant buy"
-- George Horace Lorimer

I learnt some very sage lessons: family are important and a passive income (along with good cash flow!!) is essential not only for lifestyle - but to allow you to focus on the things that are important without being too concerned with how to pay the bills and where your next meal is coming from!!

What now?
2am on the first day i was in Queenstown - my cousin helped me with UNPACKING my THINKING

First we had a look at his business plan: very simple, sound and exciting!! (He can tell you more about that!!)

Then he helped me to focus on first things:

Start the Tee Shirt line: instant Cashflow(within 7 days)
Position myself to start the 30 day challenge: Develop Skillset (Sept 1)
Assemble a 'team' of people to engage in the 30 day challenge: develop team skillsets & Dynamics (Sept 1)
Build a new company - focus on Cultural Mapping: short-term & long-term Cashflow and skill development (Sept 12th)
Use the skillset developed from the 30 day challenge to develop an income with the products and niches we have discovered!! (1 October)

What now?

"Faith without works is like a bird without wings;
you can peck around with the chickens on earth
but when it comes time to soar in heaven with the eagles
you are left found wanting"

I am not sure who is responsible for that quote - but it encapsulates what i need to do now -

PLAN MY WORK
&
WORK MY PLAN!!!

"Dont wish it were easier
wish you were better"
- - Jim Rohn

That's it in a nutshell
Hei kona
Urban

9 DAYS ! ! !

2008-08-11T18:51:00.002+12:00

Mauri ora!!
It has been 9 days since i left my last message on Twitter - 9 days!!

I have been bedside with my Dad who had an Aortic Bypass that resulted in massive bleeing. As a result he is in ICU (Intensive Care Unit)and is receiving the greatest of care to help with his recovery.

Anyway, it will be a long haul - perhaps another 6-12 weeks in ICU

I have learnt several important lessons

Family are important - great for lifting the spirits and giving you a sense of belonging
Passive income - a means to support yourselves at important times - LIKE THIS!!!
FOCUS: i need to absolutely focus my attention on the things that matter!!
Health & Well-being - i am not bullet proof - so, take care of yourselves!

I started up a new blog to keep my family from all around the world imformed about my Dad's progress: http://tetawirioterangi.blogspot.com

Naaku noa

Urban

30 Day CHALLENGE!!!

2008-08-02T13:04:00.003+12:00

The 30 day challenge has B E G U N ! ! !

LESSON 1: this is what Ed Dale calls : the Symphony of 4 parts

In a NUTSHELL & in ORDER:

Market Research
Traffic
Conversion
Product

Mauri Ora
Urban

One IMAGE - - - One GOAL

2008-07-28T16:40:00.000+12:00

Vision is perhaps our greatest strength...
it has kept us alive to the power and continuity of thoughts
through the centuries,
it makes us peer into the future and lends shape to the unknown
- - Li Ka Shing

Where there is no vision
there is no hope
- - George Washington Carver

"Visualisation - - is the act of creating compelling or vivid images in your mind"

- - Jack Canfield

Here we go: i have a couple of vision boards on my walls - -one is a compilation of my most important goals: spiritual, physical, financial, family, education & professional, social & community, fun & personal growth.

The other is a more detailed breakdown of my financial goals

It was a lot of fun putting both of them together. I did my first ones the old fashion way with pictures and images cut from magazines which represented my goals. These i glued onto a large A2 & A1 piece of paper.

Then i got adventurous and created a brand new one of all my important goals using Photoshop - and it is very kool!!

Why vision boards?
Denis Waitley said, when talking about Olympic athletes, "if you go there in the mind, you go there in the body!"

Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus said that he visualises a shot in three distinct phases:
- - first: - - he visualises the spot where he wants the ball to land - the end in mind
- - second: - - he visualises the ball's path - - how its going to get there
- - third: - - he visualises the swing he is going to make

"I never hit a shot, not even in practice,
without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head.
First i see where i want it to finish,
nice and white and sitting high on the bright green grass.
Then the scene quickly changes,
and i see the ball going there:
its path, trajectory, and shape, even its behaviour on landing.
Then there's sort of a fade-out,
and the next scene shows me
making the kind of swing
that will turn the previous images into reality"
- - Jack Nicklaus

Last night, my kids and i reviewed our goals. In this session we had a yarn about VISION, about the images that we hold in our heads, and about projecting ourselves forward in ways that will help us create a reality for the images and visions we have in our minds.

We reviewed last week's efforts and by their reckoning, they rated themselves from a 3-6/10. So we talked about how we could clarify our goals in more specific terms, set out a list of activities that we could focus on, and do something everyday to move towards our goals

It was Brian Tracy who said:

"If you raise your children
to feel that they can accomplish any goal
or task they decide upon
you will have succeeded as a parent
and you will have given your children
the greatest of all blessings"

Mauri ora
Urban Rat

B R E A K T H R O U G H - - - ! !

2008-07-26T13:28:00.000+12:00

"Success is what you attract

by the person you become!!"
- - Jim Rohn

My kids & i have been setting goals together for about 8 0r 9 years now - we do this on a regular basis - usually on a Sunday evening - and every year i try a new approach, in fact every week i try a new approach - over the years i have wondered whether i have done the right things by my children - - its not often that i see the fruits of all the labour that goes into raising kids.

I cant remember who said this, but i quite like it:

" Giant oaks grow from small acorns
but first you must have an acorn"

It was important that my kids had dreams!

Sometimes i see a small measure of success - and sometimes i see them grow in 'leaps & bounds'.
and when that happens - it is all worthwhile!!

Over the years we have used different methods for recording our goals - we started out using the back of our journals, then i made out a weekly goal sheet, then a goal book, then a SMART planning book, and now we use a M.A.S.T.E.R. planning book!! (I will explain M.AS.T.E.R. Planner in a following post)

Anyway, last Sunday i tried this with my kids:

I got them to set out their 'objectives' for the next 10 days (up to the end of the month) - then i said to them:

"which one of your goals
would have the most positive impact on your life
if you were to accomplish it?"

They hummed and they harred.
It took a while for them to settle on the most important goal on their list - and once they did - then i asked them another question:

"What 10 things do you have to do,
between now and the end of the month
to accomplish your goal?"

Eventually they set out their list of things to do to accomplish their goals - then i followed up with:

"everyday, i want you to do one thing from your list
that will help you move closer to your goal"

As i write this it is Saturday the 26 - tomorrow i will check in with my kids to see how they are progressing!!

These types of goals are what Jack Canfield calls BREAKTHROUGH GOALS - the type of goals that are going to change your lives significantly - the type of goals that are going to increase your comfort zone, stretch you and change the shape of your thinking!!

"Life is like a combination lock
your job is to find the right numbers
in the right order
so you can have anything you want"
- - Brian Tracy

Mauri ora!
Urban Rat

Exercise for your M I N D ! !

2008-07-25T06:30:00.000+12:00

- - - The legendary underwater explorer Jacques-Ives Cousteau said:

"If a man for whatever reason has the opportunity
to lead an extraordinary life,
he has no right to keep it to himself"

- - - Thomas Edison said:

"If we all did the things we are capable of doing,
we would literally astound ourselves!!!
"

so, here is the first question to Ponder
--- Jim Cuthbert said:

"How would the person i'd like to be
do the things i'm about to do?"

Nice one!!

Ponder these Questions:

- - - "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?"

- - - "If you could do anything at all, in your life - what would that be??"

- - - "Are you willing to do what it takes to get what you want??"

- - - "What can you do today that will take you closer to your goals??"

and

- - - "Are your goals worthy of you???"

"Successful people are simply those
with successful habits"

- - Brian Tracy

Mauri ora
Urban Rat

Trust ur INTUITION

2008-07-24T14:25:00.000+12:00

- - - it was ROOSEVELT who said:

"All the resources we need are in the mind"

- - - in other words,

you will find all the IDEAS you need to COMPLETE any TASK to SOLVE any PROBLEM and to ACHIEVE any GOAL

- - - so, What has INTUITION to do with this?
- - - in fact, What is INTUITION?

Well, intuition - is your INNER VOICE, it is those GUT FEELINGS you get inside

it can help you to SOLVE PROBLEMS quickly
it can unleash the CREATIVE GENIUS within you
it can help you CREATE BUSINESS PLANS & STRATEGIES

- - - it can help you to ACHIEVE anything you PUT YOUR MIND TO !!

- - - EINSTEIN said:

"the intellect has little to do on the road to discovery.
There comes a leap in consciousness,
call it intuition or whatever you will,
& the solution comes to you,
& you don't know how or why"

- - - so, How does your INTUITION speak to you?

lots of ways!!

a vision - a dream
a visual image or impression
a flash out of the blue - a spurt of inspiration
or a long-unfolding image - much like a movie unfolding!!
it could be a hunch,
a thought or impression pops into your head
or a voice speaks to you

- - -you can sense when the answer is ---- Y E S ! !----

- - - You get goose bumps,
- - - a Feeling of warmth washes over you
- - - you Feel a sense of relief
- - - the Light bulb in your head goes off --- and just lights up your world!!!
- - - you get a sense of Clarity
- - - you get RE- Energised!!
- - - you get full of Enthusiasm!!
- - - your Passion & Excitement is increased!!

so, take time to 'listen' to your Intuition & take action immediately!!

When you act, y0u will receive more intuitive impulses

Trust yourself & go with the flow

Mauri ora
Urban Rat

Commitment - - - Never give up!!

2008-07-19T14:25:00.000+12:00

My father taught me that:

"Integrity is the value you place on your word -
- in other words, when you say you are going to do something,
- when you PROMISE to DO SOMETHING - - - DO IT! - - -"

Anthony Robbins in one of his many interviews describes RESOLVE as:

"a PROMISE to YOURSELF that you will
- - - NEVER GIVE UP!! - - - "

Vince Lombardi describes the quality of a person's life as being in direct proportion:

"... to their commitment to excellence,
regardless of their chosen field of endeavour"

Pat Mesiti describes Commitment as part of FOCUS:

"prioritise what you need to do
make a plan to get it done
be accountable &
commit to your plan!!"

the END in MIND
Stephen Covey, in 7 Habits -- relates the story of the JAR - - - you know the one:

A professor stands before his class and whips out a large JAR and places it on the table in front of him. The he pulls out a bag with rocks in it and begins to fill up the jar. When it is full, he asks his students --

- - "is the jar full???"

They reply - - - "YES!!"

Then he pulls out a bag containing small pebbles and begins to fill the jar up. He shakes the jar as he fills it with pebbles, the pebbles fill up the gaps between the large rocks

Again he asks: - - - "is the jar full?"

The students reply - - - "YES!!!!"

Again, the professor whips out ANOTHER BAG, this time with sand in it. He proceeds to fill the JAR up with the sand, the sand finds its way into the gaps until the jar is FULL

The professor again asks "IS THE JAR FULL???"

This time, the students reply "NO!!!"

The professor smiles and pulls out a bucket of water and proceeds to fill up the JAR!!

Then, he asks his students - - - "Is the JAR FULL???"

They reply - - -Y E S ! ! !

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

What's the moral?
If the jar had been filled first with the sand, there would be no room for the rocks or pebbles or even the water - so, the moral of the story??

"FIRST - -do the things that matter most,
there will always be room for everything else!!"

In a nutshell,

- - - develop faith & trust in your WORD - from the INSIDE- OUT!
- - - determine what your DESTINATION is - begin with the END in MIND!
- - - figure out what your PRIORITIES are - focus on LARGE ROCKS!!
- - - change your DIRECTION to reflect your destination - take AIM at your TARGET!
- - - map out a PLAN to get you to where you want to be - your BLUE-PRINT!
- - - COMMIT to your plan - your RESOLVE & your PROMISE!

FINALLY

"Dont let the things that matter most,
become subject to the things that matter least"

Mauri ora
- - Hauiti - -

from the INSIDE-OUT

2008-07-15T20:02:00.000+12:00

I don't know who said this, but i have been using it ever since i heard it:

"You cant draw water from an empty well"

Change for me has always been about INSIDE-OUT
Change what goes into your mind - in order to change how you view the world, how you react to circumstances, and how you perceive obstacles.

Winston Churchill said:

" to improve is to change,
to be perfect is to change often"

I wanted to change my circumstances; i wanted to find a way to create a PROSPEROUS MINDSET - so i began to change what went into my mind. I read alot - Stephen & Sean Covey, Napoleon Hill, Zig Ziglar, Anthony Robbins, Denis Waitley, Paul Zane Pilzer, Pat Mesiti, Robert Kiyosaki, W Clement Stone, Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, Jack Canfield, Mark Hansen, Loral Langmeier, Brian Tracy, Vince Lombardi, Jamie MacIntyre and the list is endless!!

These types of books contain endless information and techniques for personal development and changing your mindset BUT, here's the rider:

"The KEY is in the person,
NOT the tools
- change must occur from the INSIDE-OUT!!"

In a nutshell, a person who does well has an inner set of beliefs - something called a mindset that helps them to achieve anything they set their minds to!! It does not matter what tools you give them, they will hone those tools using their mindset!!

So when i discovered that the key to success was INTERNAL rather than external - - - and that it is the person not the tools that determines a person's level of success ---- i began to look forward to change --- i began to look forward to developing a PROSPEROUS MINDSET - - - - A MILLIONAIRE MINDSET!!!

M I N D S E T
Pat Mesiti describes mindset as the capacity for thinking - in his book: The Millioniare Mindset, he quotes William Arthur Ward who says ----

"Nothing limits achievement like small thinking
and nothing expands possibilities like unleashed thinking"

A millionaire mindset is not about the money - it is about increasing the capacity of your thinking

James Arthur Ray talks about M I N D S E T

Henry Ford said:

"Thinking is the hardest work there is to do,
which is why so few people do it"

Charles Handy said:

"new ways of thinking about familiar things
can release new energies and make all manner of things possible"

Charles Simmons said:

“when things aren’t working right on the inside,

when our thinking and our feelings are wrong,

then we make it absolutely impossible for things to work correctly on the outside.”

- - - CHANGE YOUR THINKING! - - -

Try these:

Read good books that renew & fill your mind up with POSITIVE THOUGHTS
Surround yourself with positive minded people
Set goals that challenge your mind
Commit yourself to your goals

"Your choice of people to associate with both personally & business-wise
is one of the most important choices you make.
if you associate with turkeys you will never fly with the eagles"
- - -Brian Tracy

Charles Kettering said:

"Believe & act as if it were impossible to fail"

Thats is in a nutshell

Hauiti

If u fail to PLAN, u Plan 2 FAIL

2008-07-09T09:30:00.000+12:00

"If you don't design your own life plan
chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan.
and guess what they may have planned for you?
NOT MUCH"
- Jim Rohn

Jack Canfield talks about PLANNING!!

Journals, Goals & Planners
8 years ago in 2001, my two big children came to live with me - they were 13 (daughter) & 11 (son) years old. A year later, my other son came to live with me - he was 10.

I began to consider what was important for me to teach my children - and of course i wanted them to have the tools, skills and attitudes necessary for them to be successful in their lives!! I wanted them to believe in themselves. I wanted them to not fear trying anything!! I wanted them to have full lives!!

So, i decided on journals, goals & planners!!

"Its about doing something different
to attract different results"
--Unknown

With Journals - I wanted them to keep a record of their 'lives' - i wanted them to record their ups and downs, their triumphs and trials - a record that they could reflect upon & use to evaluate their lives - a treasure to hand down to their children; a tool they could measure their growth & progress!

"You cant change your destination overnight
but you can change your direction"
--Jim Rohn

With Goals - i wanted to open up their minds, to expand their world and to plan for success. I wanted them to develop the skill to design their blueprint for success - and goals is one way of doing that!

"Plan your work and work your plan. Decide in advance
exactly how you are going to get from where you are to
where you want to go."
-- Brian Tracy

With Planners - i wanted them to have a tool to manage their goals, aspirations, dreams & blueprints. Planners serve as a method for planning, scheduling & evaluation of your goals - thats it in a NUTSHELL!!

hauiti

Its about ATTRACTING different RESULTS

2008-07-07T10:40:00.001+12:00

It was Michelangelo who said:

"The greater danger for most of us
is not that our aim is too high and we miss it
but that it is too low
and we reach it!"

2006: a great year but something was missing

My cousin sends me a copy of the SECRET - yep the SECRET - absolutely amazing!! If you havent already watched the DVD, it is a must - it helped me to appreciate how to change my mindset and look at my life differently! This is where i first took notice of Jack Canfield of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books.

His story was amazing, one which i began to reflect upon as i contemplated 'jumping off the edge'!!

Anyway... back to October 2006

I began to watch the SECRET on a regular basis - daily. I gave copies to all my friends and encouraged them to watch it - which they did - they all appreciated it!!

I wrote many of the quotes that i enjoyed onto coloured cards and posted them all over the house!!

The SECRET and many other resources that i was devouring was responsible for helping me to change and improve my mindset

THE SECRET

What else did i do?
I read Anthony Robbins, Pat Mesiti, Denis Waitley, Covey, Kiyosaki and many others. The lesson i learnt from the secret was gratitude - so, daily power questions became a feature of my life(I got that from Robbins!!)

Did anything change? i am not sure - but one thing changed - ME - i changed the way i looked at my life, my day, & everything i did!! - I changed --- from the inside-out!! thats it, in a NUTSHELL!!

That was 2 years ago!! And life couldnt be better!!

Hauiti

Why we set up this BLOG

2008-06-30T15:11:00.000+12:00

Mauri Ora!

It was Lily Tomlin who said:

”The trouble with the rat race is that

even when you win you’re still a rat.”

In light of that that, my cousin Johnny & I made a commitment to find a way out of the RAT RACE – so we set up this BLOG to record our journey in the hope that we could maintain our commitment by making our goals & thoughts public – and perhaps someone else might benefit from our journey/journal?

My Story

The question was: how are we going to get off the treadmill and out of the Rat Race?

Well, John Fuhrman said in the prologue of his book The Credit Diet:

“If you continue to do what you’ve always done,

You’ll continue to have what you’ve always had!”

Now I don’t know who said this but it’s as painfully obvious as the above:

“The definition of insanity

is doing the same things

and expecting different results”

So, if nothing changes, nothing changes!!

Well, I made some significant changes to kick my year into gear – top gear!!

In a nutshell – it was a change of mindset, a commitment to make changes in several areas of my life, identifying some BREAK THROUGH goals to focus on for the new year, creating a simple plan that I could follow and generating faith in myself – and it all began in 2007!

"Come to the edge, he said.
They said, we are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came,
He pushed them
And they flew.”

- Apollinaire

So, I decided to take a leap of faith & jump off the edge & build my wings on the way down!!

That is it in a nutshell – and I will share the details of how I got to the edge in a later post

Hauiti: The Urban Rat