Click Here!

I ran accross this site the other day, and wondered this very thing.

My wife is always running these programs past me to see if they are a good idea, and I am actually starting to become interested as well.

Do these programs work for people? I have read many testimonials and it sure seems as if this is a very popular program.

If you have any comments or feedback, please let me know.

Thanks for reading!

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Rumaging through itunes for a new podcast to listen to, I decided to use their keyword search to narrow down the plethora of offerings available, (I will mention the keyword in a minute).

Only a handful came up, so I downloaded them all.

 On my commute, I opened the first podcast on my Harmon Kardon ipod player, (a beautiful thing) and was shocked at the quality of the first one. Obviously you need to read some reviews before assuming that all podcasts are created equally.

Once I pushed throught the first “podcast”, the next one came up and WOW, was it well done in comparison to the first one!

There were two hosts of the show and they had mostly high quality information to talk about with very little fluff. The production level was great and well edited.

That night I downloaded the entire 2 year catalog of podcasts and haven’t looked back since.

The podcast is called Internet Business Mastery, and the hosts are Sterling and Jay. Their approach is very on point and organized.

I have already listened to every episode, and found their mannerisms easy to listen to and follow along with. The information they provided will definitely be an asset to my business.

This example is only one of the thousands of hours of information available for free on itunes. Keyword searches can help you find shows that are more hidden or newly listed, (the keywords I used to find IBM was “product creation”).

One important thing I learned from Sterling and Jay is that you need to do something today to bring you closer to your goals. Writing in your blog is one of the easiest and most important of them.

Keep a little notebook or piece of paper in your pocket to help you remember things that you think of each day that may help someone else, then blog it!

This is a great step, and keep learning using the free content that is available. Once you are serious and have a plan, you may want to buy full audiobooks or courses, (I buy at least one audiobook per month) to really get laser directed information that you need.

Keep learning, and thanks for reading!

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How can furniture stores go out of business twice a year?

Why do they hire people to stand on street corners holding signs with print so small you have to get out of your car and stand next to them to read it?

It seems to me that this kind of marketing is mostly funny, and bit sad for the people standing there in the summer heat, holding signs that people at stoplights stare and squint at, attempting to read the small print.

I have seen these signs for stores that are actually going out of business. This is most likely where the tactic began, trying to inexpensively attract locals to help liquidate the closing store’s merchandise.

Is this how you can get around paying for signage at busy intersections? Most times the intersections are miles from the actual store having the “sale”.

Now we have a new store opening by us, and already there are people on every corner with Neon pink signs ‘yelling’ at us to shop there.

To me, it’s like a pop-up banner ad on your way to work.

Hopefully these types of marketing tactics prove themselves to be non-effective, as people who find them intrusive avoid businesses that use them.

Thanks for reading.

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In response to my question post, I received the following comment from Suzanne: 

Hello!
Could you tell me more about DuBai? I keep hearing bits and pieces about it in the news, but I would be interested to know about it’s history and why they are building so many man made wonders.
Thank you!
Suzanne

The following is in response to this question:

Suzanne,

It seems that Dubai, a city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), began mostly as a trade city for Indian tradesmen. In the late 1960’s, oil discovered in Dubai increased it’s population and revenues to create a stong community.

When the realization that the oil revenues would eventually dry up in Dubai, they decided to build another type of destination. One of luxury and extravagance. The construction that is underway in this region is very unique and interesting.

They have created miles of artificial shoreline in the shape of a giant palm tree surrounded by breakwaters that can easily be seen using Google Earth or other satellite mapping software.

The Burj Al-Arab hotel that was created is one of the richest and most decadent hotels operating today.

The Burj Dubai, pictured above, is underway currently and slated to be the tallest manmade building in the world.

The newest project in the works is a series of man made islands that are being created in the shape of a world map. Each island will be independently owned and operated as a luxury destination/getaway. It will be very interesting to see what kind of creations will be built here.

I hope this shines a little light on this subject, it was fun looking into this for you. Thank you for asking Suzanne!

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It seems today that many people have blogs that are a bit preachy and talky, mine included. 

Steve Olson posted a question today and it reminded me that I wanted to pose one myself.

I want to know what you want to know about!

Maybe I have an answer or a theory. Maybe I know where to look, or who to ask to find out. . .

Just give it a try and either post or email a question (david@kasperwithak.com) that you would really value an answer to.

Thanks for reading!

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What is the best sounding word in the world? . . . Your name.

Why is this? It must be programmed into our psyche to feel and react positively to hearing our own name. 

Whenever I meet someone with my name, I know I will always remember their name, and usually say something like, “well that’s easy enough to remember,” that is, if I can get it out before they do.

How does it feel when someone gets your name wrong, on the other hand?  It is probably one of the most unintentional insults there are.  “Hey Dan, how are you?” “It’s Dave.”

Then there is the slightly less insulting mispronunciation of our name, which can arrive in various forms, from acceptable and common, to a flagrant refusal to even try.

Many of us have names that are frequently mispronounced and/or misspelled. Kasper is one of those names that is very easily read and pronounced, while the spelling of it is seldom true, (hence the name of my website). 

I have spoken these words almost like a mantra throughout my entire life.  Even by the time I finish saying it, a “C” has already been written or typed, and then needs to be corrected, (most times the “C” just gets a vertical line added to the front when it is written).

It is mostly humorous to me now, and I have learned to spell my name prior saying it, (although this seldom works).  Now my wife, (and soon my daughter) are the ones who get to accept this little fact of our life, (my wonderful wife handles it exceptionally well already)!

 Here is a typical example:

“Hi, I would like to make an appointment for my daughter”

“What is her last name?”

“Kasper, K-a-s-p-e-r.”

“Hmm. . . Has she ever been to this office before”

“Yes, many times”

“. . .Really, . . . I don’t see her in our system.  What is the phone number?”

“Did you spell Kasper with a K?”

“Oh, ha ha. . . I spelled it with a C. . . and, here she is.”

Sometimes we hardly notice when our names are spelled or spoken correctly, yet there is an internal bell that silently rings true with us:  “Ah, that’s my name there on that piece of paper” or “Yep, that’s me, Mr. Telemarketer.  Now please stop calling.”

When our name is misspelled or mispronounced, on the other hand, it is at the very least noteworthy that this person could use to pay a little more attention to detail, (or ask for a spelling or pronunciation).  It can also become a life’s nuisance:

“Is this Mr. Caldwell?”

“It’s Cadwallader”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Mr. Cald, wal. . . der . . .er.”

“Cadwallader, like it’s spelled”

“Oh, okay. . . sir . . . may I have a minute of your time?”

“It is highly unlikely”

 Then the reverse is inevitably true as well. . .

“Cadwallader, C-a-d-w-a-l-l-a-d-e-r.”

“Ok, C-a-b-w-a. . .”

“It’s C-a-d, as in dog”

“Oh, C-a-d-w-a-l-a . . .”

” Two L’s”

“What?”

“There are two L’s”

“Oh, okay, one more time. C-a-d-w-a-l-l-a-d-e-r? Is that right?”

“Yes it is.”

“Great! Thank you Mr. Caldwell”

For some people, this is a daily occurrence.  I have to keep reminding myself that it could be worse.  When my ancestors came to America, their last name was Kasprczak. . .well, for about an hour at least.

When it came time to register as an immigrant, the registration clerks took it upon themselves to simplify the paperwork of the new country by renaming many of the new immigrants.  They must have thought that Kasper would be a much better addition to this country than Kasprczak, and so they changed it right then and there.

This is why there are so many Smith’s and Brown’s and Green’s in the U.S.  Many last names were “simplified” in this way, thereby watering down the melting pot a little.

In another example, I received a fax from someone whom I have been working with for many years.  All of my correspondence has my name correctly spelled at the end, emails, fax covers, letters, etc. . .

Yet today I get another quote from them with my name spelled incorrectly in their system.  It could be that this person doesn’t even see the quote that ultimately gets faxed to me, yet there it is, on every quotation received from them.

My point is that it is so crucial to be aware of people’s names in every instance.  Even when you get the name of someone’s company wrong, it can be insulting. (Okay, sometimes it has to be the name. . . “Thank you for calling Liefbramulich, may we help you?”).

If you find a name uncomfortable to pronounce, you better ask for the correct pronouciation. Once you know it, repeat to yourself over and over until you have it down, and then use it often.

It can be very flattering to hear your name every so often within a conversation, and as long as it is spoken correctly, it can be a subtle compliment to anyone.

People with very difficult names are even more impressed when their name if pronounced correctly. So when you are about to call on Mr. MacGhilleseatheanaich, please be courteous and ask someone for the proper pronunciation first. You will both be glad you did.

Self Improvement | 1 Comment »

You may have heard of the notion that everything is sales, and that everyone is in sales. The more you know about sales, the better you equipped you will be to excel in many areas of your life.  

My current career is multi-faceted, and one important aspect of it is sales. When I first got into sales with this company, I was a bit overwhelmed. I did a lot of reading and studying to be sure I wouldn’t be making a fool of myself, and learned much more than I expected to.

I realized that I had been selling my whole life. Every job I had ever held had a level of sales to it, whether it was selling fries and soft drinks after school or selling my boss on the fact that I was the one to trust with the new position, it was all sales.

This goes equally as well at home, and is the purpose of this post. I overheard a conversation today that I am debating whether to get involved with my opinion of the situation or keep my thoughts to myself. . .

I am currently training and mentoring a great young man who has excellent potential, and is miles beyond a good number of adults many years his senior. He began his position a bit robotic on the phone, and we have been working on that aspect of his sales technique. Business is built on relationships.

Now he gets on the phone with a new or existing client and his vocal tone is one of excitement and exuberance. It is obvious that he is getting a much better response and building better business as a result. The only time I notice that he answers the phone differently is when he answers his cell phone.

Instantly his robotic tone is back and he answers “Yes.” or picks up and asks, ”How can I help you?” in a seemingly uncaring tone. I am certain that this is unintended, because I know how he feels about his family and friends.

When I first was in his role at this company, and had someone mentoring me in sales, this person would tell me about how he “turned it off” when he got home, (referring to his friendly and jovial demeanor).  He didn’t have the same personality at home as he did on the phone or in a meeting with a client, since this was a role he played to do business.

I understood that at the time, the way it was told to me, and didn’t really give it another thought until months later when he let me know about his separation with his wife.

Separation?! What about the great family life and the kids and the house and your life? I was very confused.

His mentioned that his wife was feeling alone and unloved, and was spending a lot more time with other people. It was still beyond me how this could happen, they seemed so happy together.

Soon after this, he left the company and his position was suddenly mine. I thought about his situation and compared it to my own. . .

I suddenly felt very fortunate that my wife let me know the instant something was wrong in our life or relationship, (I used to be much less appreciative of this constant feedback).

Now I could see that it was so much better that things got brought out in the open right away, instead of festering and turning into something serious without a chance to make a meaningful change.

I also realized that when this ”salesman” met his wife, he probably had his game “on” 110%. That was the person that she probably fell for, and that was the person she missed whenever he came home and had “turned it off”.

Sales is a full time profession, or an “all-time” profession. It is more important to use your charm and character to show the people in your life that they are worth the extra energy and enthusiasm that you may save for when the boss walks by or when your best client calls.

Your family is your best client, and if you talk to them like a disgruntled counter person at the local clothes store, well, you can see how this could eventually manifest itself negatively.

Everyone has a bad day or needs to just be low key for a while. The trap is when this gets to be the status quo and your blessings are taken for granted.

The most simple thing you can do to brighten someone’s day is to answer the phone or greet them in person honestly grateful that they are there.  ”HI THERE, YOU!”

It really does make a difference.

The other thing is to be honest about your enthusiasm at home and at work. When you fake an attitude, it is always apparent on some level, and you will ultimately be less successful than if you honestly appreciate the fact that a customer actually bought from you or that your boss is keeping you well employed. It really helps to be grateful and to show it often.

Now go do something nice for someone you love!

Thank you for reading this!

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After all, this moment is actually the only moment that there will ever be. Once it is gone there will be another just like it. Your life is a stream of moments, and the only one you have any control over is this one. . . and now this one.

I am currently listening to an audiobook called “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.  There are many, many deep points that are made in this book, and it will most likely take many times through to fully grasp many of the subtle principles contained within.

One of the main points, (as well as the title of the book), is about the ability to live right now. This absolute instant. In fact, ‘now’ is such a complex, and at the same time, simple idea, that this proves to be one of the most challenging aspects of the book.

‘Now’ is sometimes referred to as the ‘blink of an eye’, which can be an eternity, or an instant, depending upon your point of view. Any thought that you have contains an infinite number of ‘nows’, each with it’s very own power.

Obviously this type of thinking tends to melt your brain at first, trying to wrap your mind around this concept. These are the same ideas Einstein was toying with when contemplating his theory of relativity. In other words, this is the stuff that the real answers of the universe are probably made of.

Today I was running some errands alone. My wife and 2 year old daughter were at home, and I was in charge of fending off the Sunday afternoon crowds at the mall and the grocery store. It was a cold and wet day, and everything seemed to be fighting against me.

I turned on the XM radio and it was on a station called ”Fine Tuning“, a collection of genre-free music that tends to inspire me when I let it. Today I was having a difficult time with it, and even the music was leaving me feeling melancholy. I decided to leave the music on anyway and let it sink in and do its magic while I drove on.

I arrived at my first destination just as a Beatles song that I had never heard before came on. It was called “Tomorrow never knows”.  The lyrics to this song rang with me at that moment so well, that it rocked the rest of my day!

The lyrics go like this:

Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream,
It is not dying, it is not dying

Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void,
It is shining, it is shining.

Yet you may see the meaning of within
It is being, it is being

Love is all and love is everyone
It is knowing, it is knowing

And ignorance and hate mourn the dead
It is believing, it is believing

But listen to the colour of your dreams
It is not leaving, it is not leaving

So play the game “Existence” to the end
Of the beginning, of the beginning

This song was written by John Lennon in 1966, and is supposedly taken from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. My interpretation of the lyrics most likely made an impression on me because I shut down my vehicle after just the first verse and might have related to it differently had I listened to the whole song.  It slowly hit me as I walked into the store and this line echoed in my head.

That first line rang with me in regards to the principle of living in the ‘now’. Instead of fighting upstream the whole day against the weather, the crowds and my attitude, I turned off my mind, relaxed and ‘floated down stream’.

It was magic. When I let go and felt myself being carried along, everything was different. I could almost sit back and watch as everything I needed to do happened by itself, and in the process, my attitude and disposition changed as well.

The stress and tensity that been ruining my day suddenly disappeared, and it seemed as if the sun came out to shine, even though it was still rainy and windy outside. I felt as if I had an opportunity to watch my day and enjoy the scenery instead of focusing on the rantings in my head.

When you feel frustrated and overwhelmed with things, just try to let it all go. Keep moving in the right direction, do what needs to be done, and do it without fighting. When you are against something that you have to do anyway, it is against your being to do it. Let it happen by itself while you watch, and just be there to make sure that it happens correctly.

I definitely recommend that everyone read “The Power of the Now”, (the audiobook is read by Eckhart himself, and may be difficult for some to listen to fully). Eckhart believes that the only way the human race will survive is if we can escape the overwhelming power of our minds, and begin to live in the power of our creative selves.

This all may seem a bit far fetched to someone who is new to this line of thinking, and pretty simple to someone who has been following this school of thought for some time.

Me, I am making my way through each day, using the best methods I know to succeed one situation at a time. Some of these I learned 20 years ago, some of them last week. All we can do is fill our toolboxes with as much information as possible to be able to choose the right solution for each situation.

Thank you so much for reading this!

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When you look for it, you can find too many examples of what I am about to describe in everything we hear, read and say.  It is hard-wired into our minds, and unless we focus on it, this detail negatively impacts our lives on various (and often unseen) levels.

What I am referring to is the use of the word “no” and it’s counterparts “not” and “never”.  Any sentence that we create can have one or more of these little buggers in it, skewing the message that the sentence contains to create a negative connotation, even when we are trying to say something positive.

How many times have you heard someone say “Isn’t it nice out?” or “I can’t wait for the weekend!”

Even though these are typically regarded as generally positive remarks, the underlying message is one of passive negativity. Let’s flip these sentences around:

‘Isn’t it nice out’  now becomes,  ‘It is so nice out’,  and. . . 

‘I can’t wait for the weekend’  becomes,  ’I am so excited about this weekend’.  Can you feel the difference?

This type of negative talk is so common that it goes mainly unnoticed on the surface of conversation and writing.  Some say that 93% of our communication is non-verbal, and that what we actually say is only a small percentage of the message, especially when we are face to face.

Yes, what I am talking about does refer to what we are actually saying. However, this level of our communication can be regarded as non-verbal, as it is really affecting the tone or color of what we are saying.

Any sentence that contains a negative word or conjunction can be rephrased in a positive light. Let’s try a few:

“No, I’d rather not”  can be . . . ”I will have to pass” ; “This isn’t the right way to go” could be . . . ”There must be different way to go” ; “Not bad” should be . . .”Good”.  You get the idea.

Corporate America

Let’s take a look at a popular slogan. I used to see “No Fear” stickers all over the place, and the surface message is nice, “Be Brave” or “Have Courage”.

The underlying message can be negative, as the word “No” and the word “Fear” are the only words used.  Also, the text is typically written in a scary and jagged text that could be used in the title of a horror film.

What is the impact of this type of slogan? It’s affect is subtle and goes mainly unnoticed on the surface, and the impact is mostly in the non-verbal terrain of perception.

“No fear” people might want to have an intimidating air about them, or that they are to be left alone or regarded with trepidation.  This could be a misinterpretation of their intent, and they are most likely unaware that this is the non-verbal signal that they are putting out by displaying this message.  

I would think that if a holy person had the choice of a “No Fear” t-shirt to wear or a “Be Brave” t-shirt, they would more often choose the latter.

“Just do it” is a great example of a slogan with a positive and embraceable air about it.

Parenting

While raising our 2 year old daughter, you can imagine how many times we are yelling the N-word at her, or the many sentences with the “..n’t” type words in them.  Reasoning with a child of this age has little effect, and just trying to stop the action is about the only recourse you have.

We have started to use “Stop” instead of “No”, and this feels like the same message is getting across. Almost like saying “Gosh darn it” when you hit your head. It is still cursing, it is just a more PC versionj of it.

It has been a challenge trying to curb our natural reaction to tell our daughter all about the thing she is supposed to avoid and why, thereby making it even more attractive to her to explore further. Here is what I have come up with that has been working lately:

When my daughter is constantly trying to do things that my wife and I know better, and she has yet to learn, I try to show her something new and safe to discover.  When I do this, she is curious and almost instantly forgets that she was ever interested in the garbage can, the child proof plug in the outlet or whatever dangerous or fragile thing strikes her fancy.

This can be challenging to think of something new and safe that will work in distracting her each time, and keeps us on our toes to find things that she can safely be interested in.

Politics

When we were downtown yesterday to see the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, there happened to be some war protesters in the crowd as well.  One sign in particular prompted me to add it to this post, as it was a case in point.

The sign simply read “War is NOT the answer”.  On this sign, the violation is even underlined and in capital letters. If more people understood what they were implying with that kind of message, they may be prompted to change it to something more positive.

The underlying message is one of anger and helplessness. A much better sign would have been “Peace IS the answer”.  I love that, I agree with that, I can get behind a message like that. 

Writing vs. Speaking

The great thing about writing is that you can go back over what you have written and change and convey your message in the light of your true meaning.  Verbal communication (where I have the most difficulty managing what I say) is much more difficult, since what’s said is said.

Just the act of realizing when you are using negative speech at the time is the biggest step toward turning it around.  Think to yourself how you should have said it, and after a while, the positive language will embed itself into your consciousness and eventually become second nature.

I personally knew about the underlying message of negative connotations long before actually trying to change the way I was writing or speaking.  Sometimes just knowing a thing and believing that it is true is the most important step.  Then, when you are ready, you will make these changes in yourself, your life, and those whose lives you affect in your own way.

I love this life, and the fact that humanity is evolving so quickly that we can comprehend ideas like this and start putting them into effect immediately is stupendous.  Just take notice, have fun with it and have a great day!!

 Thank you so much for reading this!

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Many years ago I learned that listening to audiobooks can be a great way to ingest new information.

Actually reading a book to yourself is very powerful, since it is basically your own mind’s voice reading the words to you in a way that sinks in and makes an impression. A book on tape, I have found, is the next best thing, and can be done while driving, running or working in the yard.

Currently I am fortunate enough to have a 4-hour per day commute, 3 days a week. This seems a bit excesive to most people, however I see it as an opportunity to take a kind of lecture class of which I will never miss a day.

I have found that after only 2 months of this powerful learning time, my life is taking on a new light, and my level of knowledge is building quickly.

I have actually been listening to audiobooks for years, and it was only when I took long trips that I felt like I was making good use of this method.

Listening in 20 minute bursts is like watching 10 minutes of a movie each day. You quickly forget what you already listened to, and the next bit of info is now out of context and losing some of its true intent.

My first true experience with this technique was an audio tape from Amway (a direct marketing company which has been renamed recently). I signed up and was being led through their system of seminars and lectures on how to grow the business. They suggested that I start out by listening to tapes of successful people telling how they made the business work.

These tapes were the best part of the Amway experience for me. When I put in a tape of a live lecture from a successful couple who really changed their life through Amway, I had to listen to the whole tape in one sitting.

It wasn’t so much the business that I was interested in, it was the story, the life changes, the challenges and successes. These were real people who took the reigns of their life and made something great for themselves.

The next audiobook I really took hold of was Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. I had read this book long before, and had purchased many other audiobooks prior to investing in this (more expensive, but very long) 4 disc set.

The differing factor for me was the narrator, (Andrew MacMillan), that made this audiobook an all time great. Too many audiobooks are narrated by the author, who has little audio training, or by hired narrators that are only reading the text, and not feeling and impressing the main points in the way that the author intended.

Andrew read this book the way a colorful grandfather reads “The Night Before Christmas” to his grandchildren on Christmas Eve. This feature alone allowed me to listen to this 8 hour audiobook probably 4 times in a row. Talk about learning and instilling great principles into your very being, this is magical stuff!

Some authors are successful at reading their own works very well, and do a great job of telling their story in the way it is meant to be heard.

“The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey is great one, and I am currently listening to “The Attrator Factor” by Joe Vitale, who is one of the best at making his audiobook sound like he is just talking right to you. I am currently on my second helping in a row of this audiobook.

I have tried to listen to audiobooks with poor production or untrained readers, really wanting to learn the principles they are trying to convey, and I just find it too distracting.

The books themselves are probably great and full of intelligent insights and information. Unfortunately they took audio production quality too lightly, and the overall benefit is diminished.

When you find the right titles and the necessary time to really let them sink in, (for me, by listening to them more than one time) you will find that you are thinking and acting in a way that will get you closer to your true purpose in life.

My additional time to listen and learn has, among other things, inspired me to restart my website with all new stories that I can pass on to my family and anyone else who finds them useful or entertaining.

Thank you so much for reading!

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