Spirit in the Village

3 Tips for Using Twitter and Walking my Blog

So it's been almost a month since I signed up for Twitter and started the re-design and new focus on my blog geared around the Meditation Project, Song Writing and Social Media. Currently it's a work in progress so not all the pieces are in place yet.

Being a part-time blogger part of my strategy is to determine how to best organize my time and use of technologies like Twitter. If unmanaged Twitter can become an incredible distraction and time waster, but if properly utilized it can increase your blog readership and allow to you to make valuable connections. In the last month I have seen my readership increase by 5 times what it was at Christmas.

Here are some tips for organization both for Blogging and Twittering:

3 Tips for Blogging

For Blogging my main criteria are writing, writing well, linking, networking and commenting. Meditation is what I use to keep my blogging and personal life organized, hence the Meditation Project.

1. Writing without distraction is critical so I find it's important to block off time to write with phones, cell phones, email and Internet all off. I try to give at least 30 minutes a day. Sometimes I have more time.
2. Linking, Networking and Commenting - This is an area where I'm learning the ropes, making some connections and setting time into my day to read other blogs, make comments and allow for links to go back to my site. Usually I try to spend a couple of hours per week and set goals to comment on at least 10 sites.
3. Writing with thought versus quick writing - this blog post is flowing for me so I there's no draft it will take me about 15 minutes to complete. Other posts usually take longer and might take a few days to get the ideas down, edit and then post. It's good to have a mix of short blog posts versus some that require more thought.

3 Tips for using Twittering

This is new for me so I'm still sorting out some of the details. For those that don't know Twitter is the new trend in the Social Media and gives participants the opportunity to network and connect with people from a variety of businesses and backgrounds all over the world. The only catch is you have to limit what you say to 140 characters or less. This is good for me to keep it short but it does take a little time to master.

Here's what I've Learned about Twitter and Promoting my Personal Brand.

1. Manage & Schedule your Time - It's easy to get sucked in and spend hours Twittering. You can waste a lot of time and work does not get done. My days vary but I'll typically commit between 30 minutes to an hour a day.
2. Be Yourself but Don't be Crude or Rude - There is an etiquette on Twitter and most people play nice. The reason being is that if you don't play nice people can easily remove you or block you out. People can read what you're saying so I try to keep it fun, informative and personal.
3. Use Google Alerts, Blogs and Comments from others are a great way to create conversation. My goal is to keep my message on focus around the topics that interest me from the Meditation Project, finding Life-Work balance, Social Media and Song Writing. I've set up Google Alerts to help me find outside content which is usually pretty good. Stumble Upon is another way of finding good content.

There's an analogy that came from the Edelman article posted by Guy Kawasaki earlier this week. They were describing a methodology for building a social media presence and refered to crawling, walking, running and flying... Well I see my blog as a place where I'm walking right now, still building the foundation... Sometime down the road it will be nice to run and then fly...

The Meditation Project - Part 3 - Ideas for Starting a Meditation Practice

My main purpose behind the Meditation Project is to bring more balance into my life and share some of those experiences with others. What I've found is many of us are seeking greater harmony and balance in our lives. Whether you are a busy executive trying to find balance between work and family; a technology addict who’s completely wired to your cell phone, Blackberry, Facebook or Twitter and can never seem to take a break; or the parent (couples or single parents) who are so busy raising children, managing a career and have a grocery list of other responsibilities; Sometimes we just need a break.

Back in the 60’s and 70’s before the personal computer, text messaging and Facebook the promise of technology was it would make our lives easier. Futurists of the time predicted shortened work weeks, less stress and burden because technology would take care of our needs. HOW WRONG WERE THEY??

Instead of making our lives easier technology has increased the pace of our lives. Everything is faster! Communication, information, interaction, everything needs to be done yesterday! Our needs and our wants have also grown and with a never ending selection of options it’s harder to keep up and impossible to do or to have it all. That’s why most of the successful bloggers and authors today are preaching efficiency, organization, time management and focus as the mantra helping people to keep it all together.

There are two paradigms that I want explore and hopefully change through this discussion:

• The world is moving too fast and it's too difficult for me to have what I want or create work-life balance.
• There is no way of integrating the business or technology models of the world with our inner lives.

There’s a great John Lennon Song called Watching the Wheels where he talks about his experience letting go of the pop world and fame and taking time to be with his family in the mid-70’s. Many of his peers couldn’t understand why he would want to let go of his fame and just withdraw and spend time with his wife and child. His song was a message for us to learn to slow down and make time for the important things in life.

Our lives are filled with expections: to be connected… to be successful… to make money...to put food on the table... Sometimes we're so busy that we don't give ourselves time to go within and be guided by our intuition. I'm not saying it's an easy process but I do feel for our sanity (as a culture) it's important!

My Process for Meditation

My process for meditation is very simple and does not have a lot of structure… my goal is to meditate for 20-30 minutes per day… I’ll usually keep a journal close by and write down any thoughts, to-do lists, observations and insights… I’m in a place where it’s quiet with no interruptions. Cell phones, computers and all technology are turned off… No kids, no family, no friends… I set a timer for 20 minutes or so and I just sit… focus on my breathing, feel the stream of thoughts going through my mind… usually goes something like this... thought comes in... reflect on it… focus on my breathing and then let the thought go… next thought drops in… reflect on it for whatever time is needed… focus on my breathing and let it go… and so on… the process is very simple...and over time is very soothing...

Meditation is not sleep and I encourage you not to do this lying down (or you will fall asleep). It’s best to sit either on a chair or cross-legged and keep your back straight.

What You May Experience

If you’ve never meditated, you will be surprised at the constant stream of chatter flowing through your mind. If you’re connected to technology every day or really busy with your job or your kids you’ll find the chatter more intense. I went into silence for 5 days while on a cross country drive across Canada (from Ontario to BC). On that trip I was alone and chose to turn off all radio, all music, all conversation. I focused on my driving and became aware of my thoughts. The chatter the first day was intense and thoughts streamed through my mind endlessly. On the second the day the chatter had subsided significantly, by the third day I was feeling incredible, by the fourth day I was in bliss. When you can quiet your thoughts and connect to the silence of life you feel more connected to yourself and a sense of renewal.

Meditation and Silence can help you to reduce much of the mind chatter, stress and the distractions of every day life. It can give you more focus and direction, and allows you connect more fully to your intuition and your inner being.

There are teachers who are better qualified to teach the process than I am and over time I’ll list resources for those who want to learn more.

There are many approaches to Meditation. Choose the methods that suit you.

Here are some examples:

• Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga
• Silent Meditation – Becoming aware of your breath, thoughts and being present.
• Mantra Meditation – Mantras help to focus the mind.
• Guided Meditation – with music or voice can help you to relax the body.
• Affirmations & Visualization – Can help you to focus on your goals.
• Prayer – having that conversation or asking for guidance can help you to gain a sense of inner peace and balance.

There are other methods and I have used a combination of all of the above.
The point is there is no right or wrong approach… the approach I have developed is based on my own experience. Try a few, experiment and develop the method that works for you.

This is the last of my introduction the Meditation Project. Part 1 & Part 2 can be found here. Over the next few weeks my FREE E-Book will be available for download. I’m looking forward to hear your experiences regarding Meditation and Finding Balance, and for those of you who have connected with me on Twitter and through my Blog already thanks for your support and insights.

Take a few minutes after you’ve read this (or commented) and turn off your computer, your cell phone, your Blackberry, no text messaging, get away from the kids, set a timer for 20 minutes and give it a try. MEDITATE!

Have fun…

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You can also connect with me or follow me on Twitter.

The Meditation Project - Part 2 - Goals

Over the past few weeks I’ve been putting some thought into what I’d like to explore around Meditation Project. Here is a first draft of some of those ideas and in the coming weeks and I plan to create a FREE E-Book that will provide more detail.

Meditation has been successfully practiced for centuries. The purpose of the Meditation Project is to ask the question, can these techniques be applied into our lives in the ever evolving 21st century, where technology, business and the fast pace of life seem to be the norm?

Here are some questions I want to cover.

What is Meditation?

There are many approaches to meditation. These approaches can range from simply learning to sit quietly, let go of thought and focus on your breathing, other approaches use mantras to focus the mind, and others attempt to give us a framework to blend meditation within every aspect of our daily lives (similar to a walking meditation). Other techniques use a process called creative visualization where we use our minds to visualize our goals. Journaling or creative writing can be a form of meditation. Even disciplines like Yoga or Tai Chi seem to have a meditative quality to them. I’ll commit some time to explore some of these approaches or if I can find experts in certain areas I’ll either interview or let them write guest posts.

The Law of Attraction, Goal Setting & Meditation

There has been a lot written about the Law of Attraction going back to the 50's and 60's with people like Napoleon Hill and forward to books like the Secret. LOA is a teaching that I’ve been aware of for years and it came back once again onto my radar in 2008. The general premise behind Law of Attraction is where we direct our thoughts so we create our reality. Part of the Meditation Project will be to explore the principles of the Law of Attraction and how these philosophies might be incorporated into our lives.

Brain Science, Psychology & Meditation

Recently I read a book called “the Brain That Changes Itself” by Dr. Norman Doidge. The premise is that our brains are “plastic” meaning they can be re-wired to accommodate both our physical and life circumstances. Dr. Doidge a brain scientist relates a number of experiments showing how people have overcome great obstacles like strokes or learning disabilities in order to live normal, healthy lives. I will do a review of this book since the topic brings a whole new approach to how we may look at meditation or personal growth. The question is can we re-wire our brains? If so can we use meditation or other methods to help this process?

The Corporate World, Life-Work Balance & Meditation

In North America the concept of Life-Work Balance is something that is missing for a large number of people. Our jobs demand large amounts of our time and our ability to create some form of Life-Work balance can get lost. With the meditation project I want to explore two areas: How do people manage their careers and at the same time bring balance into their lives? Do our current Business models support our desire for work-life balance or do they hinder it?

Technology & Meditation

In our ever growing technology world people seem so busy with their pagers, Blackberry’s, cell phones and computers. Technology surrounds us from all levels from our business and professional lives right into the depths of our personal lives from Myspace, YouTube, Facebook & Twitter. For the meditation project my question is how does technology really impact our lives and is it possible for us to find balance?

Health, Wellness & Meditation

Can meditation bring better health and a feeling of well being into our lives? How might meditation be used for an exercise or weight loss program? For those with illness are there ways to bring meditation into the healing process?

Children & Meditation
For parents with young children the idea of bringing a moment of silence into their lives can seem impossible. I’m interested in learning how parents manage the responsibilities what methods they use to bring balance into their lives. Can children be taught to meditate and how will they find balance as they get older?

God & Meditation
A friend asked me recently, do you have to believe in God to Meditate? My response was NO… but the question really is can we all meditate and what experiences might we have coming from different belief systems? I’d be interested to learn how Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews or even Atheists experience meditation.

This is a start to this discussion. Please share any thoughts or ideas in the comments section… If there is interest I will create a share your story page.

I hope you will join me and subscribe.

Stay tuned for Part 3, a suggested process for meditation...

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You can also connect with me or follow me on Twitter.

The Meditation Project – Part 1 – An Introduction

For 2009 I decided to make one simple commitment and that is to meditate for 20 minutes a day for at least 1 year. I have other goals but I refer to them as “moving towards” goals. I’ll go into more details on this at another time.

What is the Mediation Project?

For me it is simple. A commitment to take 20 minutes a day of quiet meditation where I am in a space where there are no interruptions. In that 20 minutes I'll take the time to quiet my mind, become aware of my thoughts and my breathing.
(I’ll provide some pointers on how do develop a Meditation Practice in future posts)

Who Can Participate?

Anyone. If you already meditate or have techniques you use for creating balance I'd like to hear your stories. If you're new to meditation I recommend you keep a journal to keep track of your progress.

Is this project affiliated with any organization?

No.

What is the Timeline?

You can choose your own timeline but I recommend you choose as a minimum either 30, 60, or 90 days, 1 year or longer. Obviously meditation can become a lifelong practice however if you’ve never meditated before I’ve found a small commitment gives your mind something to focus on. My timeline is just over one year (to January 31 2010) and I'll use this forum to write about my experiences.

Can we Share our Experiences?
There are several options for this:

• On my blog you can either make comments on specific posts and if there is interest I will set up a “Share Your Story” page where you can talk about your experiences.
• Guest Articles: There will be an opportunity to write guest articles on my blog. Contact me for details.
• Twitter: Twitter is an excellent place to share thoughts and network with others. Follow my Tweets and begin the conversation.
• Write about your experiences: Share your stories via your blog or website and send a link to me. I’m always interested in learning more about how people experience this process.

More to come…

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Barack Obama - Who Ever Thought & New Day - 2 New Songs

For the last 3 years Barack Obama has been visible on my world stage and like many who will witness in person his inauguration on Tuesday I connected to his message, his inspiration, honesty and what you can see (if you look closely) his desire to do what’s right for people and the world.

Over the next 48 hours Barack Obama will be swore in as the 44th President of the United States, bringing with him a real promise to make change not only within the ways of government but in the way America wields it’s influence around the world.

America needs this change.

After Obama won the Presidency in November I wrote a song that reflected my feelings about life and about the changes we go through as we face the unknown.

The song Who Ever Thought starts with a story of woman who decided one day that she no longer wanted to sit at the back of the bus. Her decision to sit at the front of the bus, a simple act for many of us today, resulted in riots and bloodshed and eventually a change (in the segregation laws). At the same time a preacher man came on to the world stage and through his ability to inspire helped to birth a nation into the recognition that all of its citizens are created equal.

Barack Obama is the manifestation of both Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King’s dream of a nation where all are equal. Yes it is true that still have racism, inequality and a society that serves the interests of some better than others, but if you look back on the last 40-50 years we have come a long way.

The challenge of the 21st century will be to take this same message of hope, freedom and equality to not only the citizens of America who still struggle, but to all the citizens of the world. Barack Obama is a good person to start that journey into a new phase of our growth as a global community.

Even with the chaos prevalent in the world today our planet is evolving. We’re growing step-by-step and beginning to recognize that something needs to be done. Something needs to be done about pollution and global warming; something needs to be done to create peace in the Middle East, something needs to be done to help to solve the problem of hiv/aids in Africa and other nations, something needs to be done about healthcare, job security and overall human rights.

Today, Martin Luther King day is the launch of my two new songs, New Day and Who Ever Thought.

These are two versions of the same song one with a more pop feel and the other my attempt at bluesy. The recording quality is not the greatest since I am neither a professional musician or recording artist... I used my home computer, a microphone and some recording software I bought from Best Buy.

• The Story behind the Songs - New Day and Who Ever Thought
• Writing, Recording & My Vision for the Songs
• Chords & Lyrics: (New Day) (Who Ever Thought)

Hope you enjoy…

Listen

Vote

Updates to My Song Writing Page

I've now added a landing page where people can go to get some background on my songwriting and the music side to this site.

There are a couple of links to check out:

• My Song Writing Homepage (For Updates and the Latest)
• My Soundclick Page (My other site)
• My Only Song so far - Love is Free (More songs to come)

Hope you enjoy...

Meditation Project details will be coming soon!

20 Minutes a Day - The Meditation Project

Over the next week I plan to introduce to you my new endeavour called the 20 Minutes a Day - The Meditation Project. The outline will be given in series of 3 posts. These include:

• Part 1 – An Introduction to the Meditation Project
• Part 2 – Goals for the Meditation Project
• Part 3 – Guidelines for Incorporating Meditation into your Life

If you are someone who is looking to find ways to create more balance I think you will appreciate the angle that I take in developing this project. The outline will eventually be incorporated into a free E-book.

I’m looking forward to sharing this experience with you…

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My Brand New Design & Layout for 2009

Last week I had the opportunity to take some vacation time for planning, setting goals for 2009 and re-designing my blog. If you are viewing this post what you are seeing is the new format that includes a number of changes including a new design and layout that should make my blog easier to navigate. Also checkout:

• My New About Page - including a new photo.


• Featured Posts Tab - This will take you to some of my favourite posts.


• Song Writing & My Soundclick Link - my song writing initiatives (more to come)


• Easier ways to subscribe - via RSS or Email.


• Twitter & Contact Pages - giving you options for connecting.

Coming soon will be my new project for 2009 called, "20 Minutes a Day - The Meditation Project". I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences and connecting with those of you interested in bringing more balance into your lives.

Let me know if you like it...

Ten Questions for Twitter Users

Twitter is creating a wave within Social Media circles. There are many who are waving the flag of Twitter and saying this is next new trend that will eventually carry into mainstream competing or complementing with the likes of Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace and others. According to recent estimates Twitter has about 4 to 5 million registered users (as of Dec 08) and growing at about five to ten thousand new accounts daily. Impressive numbers but a drop in the bucket compared to Facebook’s current numbers which estimate about 140 million users.

I’m interested in Twitter not only to develop my own blog but to understand the business use for such a technology. Working for a corporation I’m interested in seeing how companies can use Twitter to increase PR, Marketing or Sales initiatives. After about 3 weeks on board I’m mostly seeing authors, famous people, small business entrepreneurs all networking and interacting to promote their message. There are also a lot of people who simply like to socialize and connect for personal reasons which is fine too.

While there are some PR staff, Marketing and a few sales people signed up I’m not seeing the masses (at this stage) and I’m wondering how users within this community see Twitter becoming a useful tool within traditional business. There are companies that seem to be dipping their toe in the water with a logo (and what appears to be no personality) but I’m not seeing a lot at this stage. I've read Chris Brogan's post on 50 Ideas on using Twitter for Business but I still have questions.

Here are ten questions for both Twitter Users & understanding the business potential of Twitter:

1. How do you use Twitter for your day-to-day activities?
2. What is your philosophy on following?
3. How do you navigate through the noise of thousands of tweets?
4. How do you measure the quality of a relationship?
5. How many hours a day do you spend on Twitter?
6. What do you most (or least) like about Twitter?
7. How do you see Twitter being used by the business community?
8. How easy/difficult is it to create a corporate message with Twitter?
9. How would you measure Twitter's value within a company?
10. Would all employees benefit or should only select people within a company be involved?

I’m looking forward to your answers and learning more…

An Introduction to Twitter (from a Newby)

Back in December I signed up for a Twitter account as it seemed everybody within the Social Media world was talking about it. At first I didn’t understand the concept. I went online the first time and couldn't figure out how to find anybody, but with a little education (and help ) I was soon able to figure out some of the basics. Over the first couple of weeks I started following some people and interestingly enough some of them started to follow me. Some have sent me direct messages, which is neat and others spam. At this stage no Viagra ads.

What I like about Twitter is the opportunity to connect with and follow people who you find interesting. Unlike Linkedin where you need permission and a personal introduction to connect with people outside of your network with Twitter there is no such restriction. You can follow anyone. This part for me is awesome because it enables me to follow people who are involved with topics that are of interest to me.

The other advantage is that I have chance to create a wider audience for my blog. With Twitter shorter is better, (unlike Viagra) you're limited to 140 characters within any message or post you make. For bloggers they call this micro-blogging, for people like me they call it "get to the point already" which if you read any of my posts I can get a little wordy.

In my next post I have few questions for the Twitter community...