Monday, June 25, 2007

Issue 421 - Elastic Band Whiplash

Hi,
I hope everything is well where you are.

Well I've had a funny old week - sort of difficult to explain.
Almost, in fact, to the point where it's not worth the effort, but of course as you know I like to get things off my chest (waffle), so here we go.

Something nearly happened.
It didn't happen, I hadn't expected or planned it to happen, it was a surprise, and had it happened it could have taken my life in a whole new direction, quite possibly with permanent (good consequences).
As it happens, it didn't happen, because of circumstance which happened to exist outside my control.
There you go, bordering on the nonsensical, and probably triggering spam filters due to my overuse of the word 'happen'.

I would liken the experience to an elastic band...
Imagine that you have an elastic band stretched between 2 fingers.
Then you take one side of it with your other hand and pull it.
Then you let go, and the subsequent TWANG sends ripples into the other side of the band.
I have a sort of elastic band whiplash!

It just goes to show, as I say often, that you don't know what life will throw at you.
It might be a long way down the road, it may be just around the corner, but life *will* throw surprises at you.
It's another reason to enjoy what you have at the present, and to make sure that if there is something you want to do, then get on and do it!
You may go round the corner, and bump into one of life's surprises which means you are no longer *able* to do what you wanted, and you may look back with regret at the opportunities you have right now.

This week is the last full week of me being 40.
Next Monday I'm planning to launch my new project, which will just sneak in before I turn 41.
To lead up to that, I've been thinking about what I did at 40.

I trained for and ran my first marathon.
I didn't get into the London Marathon, so just ran on my own around the local streets at the same time as the London race.
My time of 5 hours 45 is no record buster, but I was chuffed to bits - let's face it, it's a long way!
You can download the book I wrote to accompany the training here:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/cat/mm.pdf
It's free until July 3rd, then that option will be taken down.

Another project I started, but haven't really pursued yet is called 'The Great Gordino's Tears of a Clown.'
It's a photo idea, with the theme being the outward face we put to society, and whether we are too guilty of putting a false face to *ourselves* too!
I'm trying to get more models to pose, it would work for old, young, men, women, good lookers and the pig ugly...
You can see the basic idea at:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/clown.html

Something else I did to mark my 40th was write a song.
I called it 'Rock & Roll Town', and it's a deliberately cheesy-written-by-numbers song, and my idea was that it would be fun if loads of bands from all over the world recorded their own version.

As with a lot of my ideas, not everyone thinks it's as good as I do!
It has taken nearly a year to get another band to record a version, and you can hear my original and version 2 at my site on myspace.
Just to show again that you don't know what's around the corner, I got an email this very morning, from a band I had never heard of, saying they had done a version too!
You can also hear their version at the site:
http://www.myspace.com/rocknrolltown

One final thing in this last week of my being 40 - I can't decide whether to reduce my 'Transform Your Life in 21 Days' book to $7.
I wrote that in 2003, since when it has sold for $27 here:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com/

I probably *will* reduce the price to $7, but for this week only, until 3rd July, you as a reader can get it for $7 here:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/offer.html

Ok, that's it for this week, have you seen all the things I've done for my 40th?

'Til Next Time,
Health and Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!
How to generate no cost ongoing targeted traffic:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/traffic

How to make money from movies:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/movies

Grab my free 8 Step Goal Achievement Plan by sending a blank email to:
mailto:transform@getresponse.com

Monday, June 18, 2007

Issue 420 - Are You A Cupboard Shutter?

Hi,
I hope Monday finds you well.

Last week I talked about passion, a subject about which I'm, er, passionate.
So much so that this week instead of the Olympic subject I mentioned, I'm carrying on with the passion.
That always happens whenever I trail an upcoming issue!

Ok, last week I metioned a tv show called Britain's Got Talent, and featured an unassuming, low self-esteemed mobile phone salesman who launched into a goosebumpng opera performance.

As it turned out, he won the competition.
The show was undoubtedly geared to help him win, but at all times he was gracious and genuinely dumbstruck by what had happened to him.
His theme was 'I never though anything like this *could* happen to me'
He can now give full rein to his passion - good for him, and despite his admission that he very nearly didn't enter, he *did* enter, he took action.

At the weekend I went to a handfasting.
It's an ancient ceremony where two partners commit to each other for a year and a day, by the tying of their hands.
The expression 'tying the knot' comes from this old tradition.
After that time they either choose to go seperate ways, or make another commitment, usually longer.
It's not a legally recognised ceremony, but it was recognised by the couple, 2 friends of mine.
It was held in a big field around some ancient stones, and was a lovely thing to see, 2 people commiting to each other, sharing their passion with others, and it had a big feelgood factor.

I met a woman there who had a story that drew me in like an open day at the chocolate factory.
She's an artist, and decided at a juncture in her life to follow her passions, and now runs her own business creating and selling her art.
It's gorgeous work, and I'll be sharing it with you another time.

Last week I did a recording session with a music friend of mine, to help with his college course of music engineering.
It's what he wants to do, and he was whizzing his way around the equipment and incredible software as if it was as simple as ringing a bell.
That's a big learning curve he's been on, and what's his motivation?
(begins with a 'p', ends with 'assion')

A new TV series started tonight, about a woman who wakes up after 18 years in a coma to find she's now 35.
It was the first episode, and it's a thriller, so who knows where the storyline will go, but tonight's first episode focused on her trying to accept that she had lost 18 years, and all her friends and family left to think about what they had done over those 18 years.

If you are healthy as you read this, be grateful for that abundance, and look forward 18 years.
When you look back to today, 18th June 2007, what will you have done in those 18 years?
Will you have nourished your passions, or will you have shut them away in a cupboard?

I know which position I want to be in - how about you?

OK, that's it for today, lots of ideas about passions.
I'm thinking about changing the sales letter for my motivational book, so based on what I've just written about, I'm doing something I don't do that often, which is to out and out ask you to go and have a look, consider taking up the 100% money back guarantee and buy my book - you'll see a lot in it about passion, and just how to go about following it in real life.
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com/

'Til next time,
Health and Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!

How to generate no cost ongoing targeted traffic:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/traffic

How to make money from movies:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/movies

Grab my free 8 Step Goal Achievement Plan by sending a blank email to: mailto:transform@getresponse.com

Monday, June 11, 2007

Issue 419 - Do You Have Lurking Passions?

Hi,
I hope everything is ok where you are.

If I asked you to come up with 2 subjects that I could talk about for hours, sport and entertainment would no doubt be on the list.
In fact, they are both featured heavily in my new book, set for launch early July.
(If that whets your appetite, good, and if it doesn't, tough 'cos I've written most of it already!)

Ok, the sporting subject I was going to mention was prompted by last week's launch of the London 2012 Olympic Logo.
Much derision all round, but I will talk about that next week, as this week it's the entertainment subject that gets the nod.

A good while ago one of my online buddies sent me a video she thought I'd like.
She sends me lots of them, and they alwasy make me smile.
This one was from a show called 'America's Got Talent', where any type of act auditions in the show, it's a talent show in the style of Pop/American/Idol, with Simon Cowell included, but no retsraints on the type of act.

The show has finally made it over here, unsurprisingly called 'Britain's Got Talent'.
With my passion for goal achievement and entertainment, I was drawn like a pig to sh... er, like a fly to a flame.
Lets not forget, my Great Gordino act is a speciality act from the old school, and that whole area pushes me buttons.
The show here is screened over 9 straight days, not over weeks and weeks like the straight music talent trawls, so if you are in the UK, make sure you watch it.

Over the weekend there were acts I just have to mention.
The first was a bloke who stood at a microphone and pulled out a hand pupet of a monkey, and simply had the puppet mime to a Michael Jackson song.
A classic 'spesh' act, which he did so well that the audience were on their feet, they simply *had* to smile.
That's one of the keys of live entertainment to me, make the audience smile, so I was cheering him on.

The next act was a chap that sells mobile phones by day, but really wants to spend his time 'doing what he feels he was meant to do.'
It would be unfair to call him ugly, because I'm not exactly God's gift myself, so let's just say he wasn't God's gift either!
He was ungainly, and freely admitting he was not good at feeling confident with himself.

He walked on stage and quietly announced he would be singing "Nessun Dorma."
He stared uncomfortably into the spotlight, opened his mouth, and out came a magical tenor voice - strong and steady, but soft and smooth in the Andrea Boccelli style.
The audience was mesmerised - it was a real goose bump moment - superb.

The final act for me to mention was a 17 yr old male baton twirler.
He got into it because his grandmother had started a troupe.
He didn't want to tell his parents, and when he did they told him he shouldn't do it in case he got bullied.
He carried on anyway, and told the judges that when he performed, it let him 'escape from eveything'
Another well performed act, and one of the judges told him that dreams should never be put down.

Believe me, and you know me well enough by now, I think with a *passion* that if you have something you think you should do in life, something you've always considered 'for other people' and not for you - please, please, and please again, act on it.

Follow your dream, live your passion - it's worth it, it doesn't have to be in entertainment, but this show is as good a black and white example as you can get of what's possible.

It's an important pillar in my life, I love watching it on TV, and I also love acting on it in real life (what's that? when's my new book out?)

Ok, that's it for this week, do you have any lurking passions?

'Til Next Time.
Health and Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!

Transform Your Life in 21Days!
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com

How to generate no cost ongoing targeted traffic:
http://www.gordonbryan.com.traffic

How to make money from movies:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/movies

Grab my free 8 Step Goal Achievement Plan by sending a blank email to:
mailto:transform@getresponse.com

Monday, June 04, 2007

Issue 418 - What Will You Be Putting Off This Week?

Hi,
I hope Monday finds you well.

You may have noticed (although I accept that you also may *not* have noticed!) that for the last 2 weeks there wasn't a newsletter.

As it happens, my laptop decided to stop working.
I took it in to a shop, and they said it needed a new hard drive, and would be done in 4-5 days.
That was on a Monday so I didn't do a newsletter then, thinking I'd be back on it the following week.

4 days came and went, 5 days came and went, 6 days came and went...you get the picture.
I rang up and the man told me he couldn't be sure if it was done or not as the engineers weren't there.
I rang again the next day to be told it was being worked on.
I rang again the next day to be told it was still being worked on.
I told them that the 4-5 days had now been 9 days already, and could they call me back in 2 hours with an update about what was happening.

That went down like a cup of cold sick, but the grudgingly agreed.
2 hours later the phone rang - 'Your laptop's all done and ready.'

Coincidence?
Possibly, otherwise someone wouldn't have invented the word 'coincidence', but in this case I don't think so.
I suspect that they wait until the customer starts chasing and only then pull their finger out to get the work done.
That attitude towards the customer doesn't even come as a surprise either, that's the worse thing about it.

Ok, today I want to talk about procrastination.
I was going to talk about it a while ago, but didn't get round to it...

Backing up your pc data is a classic example - my recent laptop woes are not unusual, rather they are inevtiable, and if you put off your backing up, then you'd better be prepared to lose all your data, which is no joke.
As it happens, I had been good with my backing up, so had my data saved.

I can suffer from procrastination badly.
Because I live and work on my own, I don't have anyone to nag, er, remind me to do things, so if I can't be bothered to do something and it isn't essential, it occasionally won't get done.

At one of the local jam nights there is a barmaid who looks just like HeidieMarie Stefanyshyn-Piper.
'Er, who?' you may ask- the barmaid certainly did.

I told her she was an astronaut, and was currently living deep underwater for 10 days as part of a NASA space habitat development.
I kept telling her I would bring in a picture, but since the jam session is every 2 weeks, I never had any rush to do it.
Then the 2 weeks would be up and I hadn't done it, so I 'd think 'I'll do it for next time.'

Eventually I managed to get a picture printed, but when I took it in, the pub had new owners, and the barmaid wasn't there!
I was cursing my procrastination - it had purely and simply caused me to miss showing her who I was talking about.

Luckily for me it turns out she was just having a day off that day, and will be back, so I can show her - I may get a slap in the face, I may get a kiss, I may get a punch from her boyfriend, but by jimminy she'll know who I mean!

Before I go, someone sent me a video the other day, and it may be the cutest I've seen, only 15 seconds.
You may have seen it before, but if you haven't, I challenge you only watch it once - I would put my mortgage on you watching it again.
http://www.gordonbryan.com/panda

Also, I'm working on a new $7 project, so let me ask if this would interest you - you buy the guide for $1, and I then pay you $7 - does that sound like a deal?

Right, that's it for this week, remember that procrastination can be easy to succumb to - is there anything you know you should just get done?
Let's make a pact that by next week's newsletter it will be done!

'Til next time,
Health and Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!

Transform Your Life in 21Days!
http://www.gordonbryan.com/transform

How to generate no cost ongoing targeted traffic:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/traffic

How to make money from movies:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/movies

Grab my free 8 Step Goal Achievement Plan by sending a blank email to:
mailto:transform@getresponse.com