To much jubilation, I’ve released my latest eBook 10 Proven and Simple Steps To Bring Calm To Your life!

As detailed on the main page, the book aims to help you bring a sense of calm and stability to your life, rather than the rush and bustle filled with stress that many are all too used to.

I would be honoured if you took the short amount of time to check it out, whilst the launch price is so low too (£2.49 / $3.89)!

Here is a short extract from the book, read in my totally monotone voice (that’s why I write instead!).

If you’re interested in reducing the effect of stress on your life, introduce lasting calm, and learning the life-enhancing benefits of meditation and other techniques, I have a free offering just for you.

I’ve launched a newsletter, sending occasional and (hopefully!) impacting advice on avoiding the stress-trap that is all too common these days. Boosting your positive reaction towards stress would surely help you in business, and your personal life, yes?

All emails are completely free, I’d never charge for sending them. All I enjoy is sharing what I have learnt over my years of experience personally practising mindful stress elimination techniques, and hopefully make a difference to your life in some way too.

Sign up below, no need for date of birth or any fluff like that. I look forward to speaking soon!

Sign Up For Your Free Stress-Reduction Newsletter Now!

In the spirit of Music Monday on Twitter, here is a recommendation of a soulful, catchy, uplifting track which is actually a remix.

For a review/background info, check out Pitchfork.

Twiends.com is a site run by entrepreneur Dave Sumter, which aims to help increase your twitter follower count, and connect you with others on Twitter that share your interests.

The site works on a credit system, in that you get credits for following people, and credits are taken when others follow you. You can set the amount of credits you would like to give away for each follow, and credits are regularly given for other actions on the site.

Twiends is not just limited to twitter though, with Facebook and general websites also up for promotion/following.

When registering with Twiends, you can highlight your three main interests, and the system hopes to match you up with those sharing the same interests, which seems to work pretty well.

The risk with the site, and competitor systems, is that they could often attract marketers and other slightly-dodgy creatures just looking to increase numbers and reach, rather than meaningfully connect with human beings.

After three or four days of trying out the service, it seems to work pretty well, and I have received some value from those I’ve followed (not to mention the extra 60 or so followers I’ve gained). Some new connections are “get rich quick” affiliate marketers, but others are real tweeters and do add substance to my feed.

Dave’s other projects include WebCandy, an exclusive group hoping to breed new web creations.

It was once the assumed practice that in order to attract and retain loyal customers, tricks, cons and sugar-coated marketing were essential. This, personally, is the legacy of the era before customers could scream and shout on social networks.

Huge incentives were given to sales personnel, who were trained to convince customers to buy what the company wanted to push, instead of the right product for that consumer. Deals such as given 6 months’ free mobile phone contracts were actually only given when you applied for cash-back within a two week period some time in the future.

Bait and switch, con and trick. And what did all this really show? Companies did not trust the quality, relevancy, or need of their products enough.

The changes that are slowly happening within the retail sector are, quite plainly, a miracle. Some companies (granted mostly start-ups, and not the Goliaths of old), are creating truly fantastic products, with a genuine attitude of giving value to customers.

One example though, of a big-boy-bully changing its tactics, is DSGi (Dixons, PC World, Currys). They are slowly realising they are, honestly, fucked. Confusing customers with techno-babble in order to up-sell, no longer works, as more and more of the population become tech-savvy.

But the true test, is to see if companies like DSG are being authentic, and this will soon show. They obviously see that today’s consumer is more informed, and their needs are changing to that of honesty and quality. But are they, and other organisations used to trickery, still going to attempt to appear honest – or has a leopard really changed its spots?