This weekend I am in Portland for the World Domination Summit (WDS) where I will be meeting lots of awesome people. Like a 10 year old on Christmas Eve I cannot wait.
Strangely I have only just discovered that going to conferences and getting to know other like-minded souls can have an awesome impact on EVERYTHING… Your happiness, your value to the world and in turn the positive energy (and profit) that flows from that.
I realize of course that not everyone can attend WDS so in this post I want you to get to know me, but to be honest I am afraid of what you might think. Speaking to someone at a conference is one thing but pressing publish on a blog is quite another…
Here goes nothing and everything.
When I am online and working I really only have two principles:
1) Add value to the world
2) Have fun doing it
For this post however I thought I would focus 100% on number 2 – the “have fun doing it”. The irony of course is that “doing it” and “having fun” can often be at odds with each other because when you “do it” you often learn from it – And that’s the point.
HAVE FUN DOING IT is the fastest way to be successful that I know.
If you can learn with a smile on your face, what is there to fear?
By the way, if you get to the end and think, “Why the hell do I listen to this guy?,” please pretend that this website was hacked and enjoy the rest of your day.
Beer
1) Very, very fond of a craft beer (especially American-style IPAs these days). This has led to some embarrassing times. My favorite party recently was on Richard Branson’s Island in Australia. As usual, things got out of hand, and I ended up singing Karaoke with the band and my best mate who, like me, can’t carry a tune.
2) A dream of mine is to own a micro-brewery. Not because it’s a good business, but because I love every aspect of the business – marketing, brewing, equipment …and especially the product.
3) Recently tried not drinking at all for a few months, and I really liked that too!
Girls and Food
4) Cooking is a passion of mine. It may have started when my mum said to me in my teens that women are attracted to guys who can cook. My wife to this day says that was one of the main reasons she became attracted to me. My mum rocks!
5) I met my wife in a job interview. Wholly Hell, recruitment rocks too!
6) I was a lead role in the school musical twice. Both times following our singing auditions, I was given the only non-singing lead roles available. My singing voice apparently should only be heard by me. The policeman in Fiddler on the Roof was my favorite role.
7) My 22-month-old daughter absolutely loves what I cook her and she eats everything. As a new parent it is such a pleasure to see her so happy eating with the family every night. She delights in eating anchovies, olives, mushrooms, capers and oysters…
Rednecks and Cars
8) I was born in a town in Northern BC, Canada that is known for its logging, and I grew up in a town that is known as the “beef capital of Australia.” I often think I have grown to become less redneck, but occasionally I am reminded that some things are hard to change.
9) My first car was a red, two-door Toyota Corolla that had mag wheels and velvet on the ceiling.
10) I have a passion for Porsches but even with all the money in the world I would prefer one that I can fix. Owning a Porsche is a dream that I have yet to realize.
11) I believe that being handy is partially genetic. Sure you can learn how to fix things through practice, but genetics is the only way I can explain my love of making broken things work. All of my cousins are very handy.
Money
12) I love the stock market, particularly dividend stocks and REITS. In recent years my conservative stocks have done pretty well but it has not always been that way.
13) At the age of 19, I lost a big chunk of my then life savings by “investing” on an airline company that only lasted a few weeks.
14) At the age of 25 I sold one of my stocks for a huge gain and used the money to travel around central America for several months and then fly to England to begin living and working there for three years.
15) In Vegas I recently lost $400 in a street card game scam I was absolutely sure I could win. (I have not told my wife this yet. Please don’t tell her.)
16) In 2010 I spent a few weeks by myself in Vegas playing blackjack for fun. It was the hardest money I never made. I made more passive income from my businesses online, however, while I was sitting at the tables.
Jobs (before I became cubicle free)
17) I worked in the restaurant industry for seven years mostly as a waiter in Rockhampton, Brisbane, Calgary and Vancouver Island. I also got a job in London in a wine bar in Covent Garden, but failed to show for my first shift. I still feel bad about the London job.
18) I tried selling Amway and leather jackets while I was still at University – both ventures never got off the ground. My really good mates in Australia occasionally like to remind me of these ventures and have a good laugh in the typical “take the piss” fashion I love.
19) At the age of 23 I was responsible for the running of a concrete plant with three trucks and three drivers. In the two years I was there, one truck rolled over with a full load of concrete in it and another caught on fire. I also made a batch of concrete that did not harden immediately and was put into a multi-million dollar bridge. Although all my concrete eventually hardened, this job caused me to quit, travel the world and try to be damn good at things that I cared about.
Environment
20) Snakes scare the hell out of me. I once nearly stood on a snake on my parents’ property in Australia and the sound that came out of me was like that of a 10-year-old girl.
21) I am a “greeny” at heart. I have no idea how I am going to make a big difference in the world in this regard yet, but on a daily basis I try to live green.
22) I worked in Costa Rica for two months on a volunteer project reintroducing wildcats back into the jungle. It was the hottest, hardest and most thankless experience I have ever had but it was awesome because I am now one step closer to making a real difference.
Thanks for reading all the way through my attempt to help you to get to know me.
I really want to help others build businesses around their passion – If you want to get some clarity sign up now for a free strategy session with me now.
If I’ve offended you or turned you off, thanks for reading anyway. I know that I won’t appeal to everyone, and I have also learned that’s OK too.