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I just wrote a guest post for social media guru Chris Brogan discussing how I have been able to move beyond feeling shy at conferences. If you have a presentation coming up the tips really apply to public speaking engagements as well:

Heading to the BIG Conference - 10 Tips to Help You Overcome Wallflower Syndrome

The post discusses some steps that have helped me and will hopefully help you before and during the conference to make you feel more comfortable so that you can maximize your time and investment at large scale professional gatherings.

If you find the post valuable, I’d really appreciate it if you helped spread the word by sharing it on StumbleUpon or Digg.

Also, don’t forget, Chris recently published a free ebook on personal branding that is packed with valuable information, “Personal Branding for the Business Professional“

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I just wrote a guest post for Darren Rowse of ProBlogger discussing how we launched Train for Humanity using only social media:

Launching Your Next Venture Using Social Media - 5 Lessons Learned

The post discusses five lessons that I learned along the way, and what I would do differently, if I were to launch a project solely with social media again and includes:

• Launch timing
• Utilizing community influencers
• Using your SM time well
• Prepared messages
• Redundancy

If you find the post valuable, I’d really appreciate it if you helped spread the word by sharing it on StumbleUpon or Digg.

Also, don’t forget, Darren has a fantastic book out right now, "ProBlogger: Secrets Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income"

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Are you in a rut? Do you feel like you are swimming through chilled molasses with cinder blocks for flippers?

I have been in ruts before and I am sure (positive!) that I will find myself in one again…however, right now, with running the guesthouse and the launch of Train for Humanity, I feel like I am in the opposite state of a rut, whatever that is?

I can’t speak for you, but for me, I get caught in a rut when I am inactive. Specifically when I am not taking action on any new ideas, goals, or working to get a project off the ground.

Let’s call it a state of sedentary creativeness! (Probably grammatically incorrect but I don’t care.)

What happens?

You have an idea. No, you have a GREAT idea but you are not taking the requisite action or the steps that are required to get this “thing” going.

I know that sometimes we are just hanging in there and waiting for something better to come along. You’re kind of cruising and that’s okay.

However, if you find yourself in a good old-fashioned rut and would like to do something about it, you need to:

MAKE YOURSELF UNCOMFORTABLE

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We all place great value on the importance of our various networks, whether it’s people (friends) who comment on our websites regularly, or a Twitter follower who says hello every morning. This is indeed your direct network.

image source: nadya

But, what about the network of the person that left a comment, or the “followers” of the follower who “retweeted” your message about the launch of your new project?

By default, this is your “indirect” network.

Today I was reading a post on Aaron Brazell’s website, The Rise and Fall of Friends. In the article he mentioned a recent interview that he had done with @newmediajim about Twitter, so I decided to check out his profile.

When I went to his page and checked out some of his messages, I thought…this is someone I should be following and did so right then. About two minutes later I got a note in my email saying that “newmediajim” was now following me, too. Which got me to thinking about how my network had just increased again, because not only was @newmediajim now following me but, through him, I now have the potential to reach his followers as well. Should I post a message that he deems “retweet” worthy.

Which leads to my question, thought really, regarding the almost infinite indirect value of our online (and offline) social networks. And let me qualify, I am talking about intrinsic value and not monetary, as well as, the value of what *I* can hopefully do for them and not necessarily what *they* can do for me.

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Those of you who have been hanging around MyTropicalEscape for a while now know that I have had a project on the back burner for quite a few months.

Today, I am really happy to announce that after a tremendous amount of hard work, Leo Babauta, Dan Clements, Andrew Flusche, and I (with design assistance from Joshua Clanton and Sean Hodge) are launching the online non-profit humanitarian organization:

TrainforHumanity.org - getting fit + social media + blogging = social good

Background Story – Train for Humanity

While I was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the jungles of Papua New Guinea ten years ago I was present the evening that the young woman below died from the effects of cerebral malaria simply because the proper medication was not available in our village. Following that incident, I didn’t know how I was going to do it or what I would create, but I new someday I would start a humanitarian organization.

Of course, life moved on, I went and got a master’s degree in International Development, continued to travel and live in various countries, and worked my way through numerous jobs. But, the idea to create “something” that could assist those who are facing humanitarian crises was always in the back of my mind.

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I hope that you all had a very nice weekend! Last week’s post on “goals for the week” seemed to resonate fairly well with some of you and it drew a pretty good response and discussion, so I thought that I would do it again this week.

However, before we go any further, I wanted to mention, if your goals for this week (or anytime in the future) include “self-branding” or online reputation management, then you need to get yourself over to Chris Brogan’s website. Chris, who just happens to be a Boston guy, is a social media guru and all around super nice person and he has just released an eBook, “Personal Branding for the Business Professional” that is well worth your time. It’s available for FREE so do yourself a favor and go download it now!! OK back to the post. :)

Today I actually have two questions for you:

1. What are your goals for the coming week?
2. Beyond this week, what are you really working towards in your life?

image source: bulldog1

What are my goals for the week and what am I working towards?

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Hey Everyone - on Monday I put up a post asking, “What are your goals for the week?” The natural follow-up question at the end of the week is, how did you do?

The following people dropped by and posted some of their goals: Brian Monahan, Expert in the Rough,  kelly, kazari, Glen Allsopp, Diana, Jarkko Laine, Ulla Hennig, Becky, Kelly@SHE-POWER, Success Professor, Susan, Cath Lawson and Al at 7P.

Did you complete all of the tasks and goals you listed?

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Do you long to be your own boss? Work from home as a freelancer? Or, perhaps travel the world?

image source: carter comics

Don’t worry, I toiled away in a cube for many a year working for the man, but still managed to free myself. And you CAN too!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the cube life, but for some reason I found it to be stifling. In fact, at the same time we were looking to purchase our business in the Caribbean I was offered a very good federal job in the states. I even went so far as to go (read: fly) to the interview at largely my own expense.

Obviously, you know the outcome because I am in the Caribbean. However, I must say that the clincher for me, when I really knew I would not take the job, came during the interview process. While getting the tour around the office they took me by (and specifically pointed out!) what was to be my cubicle and I knew right then and there that there was no way in hell I would take the job.

What about you?

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