In our modern age of completely random jobs and services, I've stumbled upon quite a few that have made me chuckle to learn about.  Take, for example, dating coaches.  A Dating Coach is defined as thus:  A dating coach is one who helps clients improve their success in dating and relationships.  Now I'm no expert in date coaching, but I have played the role of Wingman a fair share of times.  The definition of a wingman is thus:  A wingman is a role that a person may take when a friend needs support with approaching the opposite sex. A wingman is someone that is one the "inside" and is used to help someone with relationships.

All kidding aside, I think that dating coaches in our modern day and age fulfill an exciting new role never presesnt before.  In the old days (and I'm talking a few hundred years ago) persons generally lived in small towns and married others who lived in their same small town.  There wasn't this idea of dating, only courtship.  For better or worse, things have definitely changed.  The dating world is a living breathing thing – changing and evolving its own set of rules.

When I first heard that there were actual, real life dating coaches, it kind of made me chuckle.  Whenever I had asked anyone for their advice on what I should do and how I should act on a date, their response was usually just “be yourself.”  So why, I wondered, would I then feel the need to hire someone to teach me how to be myself?  But then I started thinking about it more.  In today's world, we have interview coaches, resume coaches, life coaches, etc...  Why not dating coaches?  If it's important enough to hire someone to teach you how to put your best foot forward for an interview at a job, how much more important to learn how to put your best foot forward when meeting someone who you might conceivably spend the rest of your life with?

Not only that, but dating coaches often have certain specialties to help in varying circumstances.  Dating when you're 25 and just starting your career is a vastly different circumstance than dating when your 40 with two kids after just going through a difficult divorce.  Those most often searching for dating coaches generally have circumstances beyond the average and need someone who understands the pitfalls of dating in those same situations.  Every person is unique, and come with a unique set of circumstances.  When looking for a dating coach, it's important to find someone who understands those circumstances and has worked with people in your same situation before.  Don't settle for something less.

I recently locked myself out of a home I was house sitting for. Had I been in Los Angeles, where I usually reside, a locksmith would have been as easy to find as graffiti. And so, being as how I was out in the countryside and not in Los Angeles, I tried my hand at being my own locksmith. Making my way toward the garage and making some “Custom tools,” I proceeded to pick the lock to the home and retrieve the misplaced key. I must confess, however, that locksmiths have their trade mastered, for I never even came close to budging the lock to the home and eventually was forced to give in and break a window.

Ever since the experience, I've thought extensively on what it would be like to be a locksmith in Los Angeles. As far as the mystique goes, one could not ask for a better city to work at such a trade. Not only that, but something tells me that Los Angeles has more than its fair share of homegrown locksmiths who learned their craft through less than well-established means.

Through my experience, I began to wonder, what credentials does a person need in order to become a locksmith in a city like Los Angeles? Certainly it takes more than just the ability to pick a lock. Maybe not. And do they do it the old fashioned way, picking it with the tiny metal hook and bar we've all seen from the movies? Or is there some high tech machine, an electronic skeleton key that picks most any lock, that you can simply insert into the slot and then be on your way?

Whatever the case may be, I'd love to be able to be a locksmith in LA. Something about getting a call in the early evening, showing up to a house with a handful of precision metal tools and going to work on a lock while the distressed bystanders watch in awe. It seems like the right fit for me. That's one of the reasons why I love concepts like Servana. At Servana, one can literally offer any service they're competent to provide. And who knows. Maybe one day, I'll buckle down and learn how to do the strange jobs that have always intrigued me, and finally market myself as the writer/locksmith/detective I've always wanted to be. Until then, I'll just have to keep dreaming.

This past Friday, I went under the knife for the first time in my life.

It was a routine surgery, but nonetheless, it was invasive as a knife cut into my body around 10:00am. I wasn’t awake for it, thankfully. And, that hour of my life seems to have become a vapor. No memory or recollection. No dream or deep, ponderous thoughts. One moment you are in the operating room; the next, you are in the recovery room. What happened in between these two places is a mystery. For those of you who have experienced surgery, you can surely understand.

Prior to my surgery, I had to undergo a full physical exam. My surgery was scheduled for a Friday, so my exam was on the Monday prior. On Wednesday, I received a rather alarmed call from my doctor. He was cancelling my surgery, claiming my blood work came back “severely anemic”. Even though I had explained my hereditary anemic condition – indigenous of those with Mediterranean backgrounds. My father has this condition, as do I. If you looked at my blood work up and didn’t know I had this condition, it would appear I was bleeding internally. Thus the panicked call from my doctor. Even though I was confident the low blood count and irregular numbers was attributed to my anemic condition, the doctor was more confident it could be something else. So, on the day I was scheduled to make an appearance in the operating room, I instead paid visit to a specialist and had to release my mental preparation for surgery.

I had 2 days between the call from my surgeon and the visit to the hematologist. Within that 48 hours, my wife and I were everything from concerned to confused. The former for the obvious reasons – what in the world could be wrong? And, the latter from the fact that I have never felt more healthy. I have purposed myself to eat better, exercise more and despite the physical reality of predisposed to lethargy, my mind has determined not to give in to being tired all of the time. I yawned and slept my way through my twenties, but my thirties have been spent more energized, more stimulated. My anemia hasn’t dissipated or “gone away”. Instead, the worries have been replaced by a simple love of life; one that I hadn’t experienced in the decade where I thought I knew anything – that know-it-all wasteland of our twenties where anxiety was the only way of life.

One never knows the disposition of people, particularly doctors. So, I sit down with this new doctor. He looks at me directly. “This is pretty straightforward”. My heart sank a bit. He continued…”you’re in perfect health”. I asked him to say it again. Long story short, the blood work proved that I did have the anemic condition I’ve had since birth, and despite it, I was in great health.

I was feeling, physically, amazing. There was nothing within me that gave a hint to illness, despite the alarming report I was preparing myself to confront that day, with that doctor. I realized even though I’m getting older and things “break down”, I was very inspired for some reason. And, that inspiration was generating something within me that I can only describe as energy. I think I have reached the stage of my life that has me trying to figure things out less and open myself up more to the idea of inspired living.

I realized, walking out of this doctors appointment that gave the wonderful report of great news, that my life was truly energized by the ability to be inspired and engaged by each day, no matter how mundane or exciting or everything in between. I understood how little I actually have and that has inspired me to realize how much I really do. Sometimes, this is just enough of what we need to be spirited enough to move past our challenges and shortcomings. This surgery and the days leading up to it has provided me a unique opportunity to appreciate, in a new light, how inspired living is the only way to live.

If you've considered signing up for a meditation course, or maybe are simply exploring how meditation can help the balance and quality of your life, Angela Dugas, one of a mere 36 teachers of Vedic meditation, has some thoughts on the five thousand year old practice.

Angela’s own, personal search for balance and significance in her life coupled with a vigorous curiosity and commitment to diverse forms of creativity led her to discovering the Veda – an ancient body of wisdom, which serves as the foundation for yoga and Ayurvedic medicine.Her 3 year study began with her own first meditation course in LA, under the teaching of Thom Knoles, a preeminent, venerable expert of Vedic philosophy.  Angela’s studies continued in India and found its completion in a residential training program in Flagstaff, Arizona.

“Meditation, specifically Vedic practice, is designed for individuals leading busy, active lives with families, relationships and jobs that demand the most of them,” Ms. Dugas explains.  “Many people are daunted by meditation, believing they have to become some kind of guru.  In fact, it’s the most simple and effortless practice that anyone can master.  It really doesn’t require a change of lifestyle or personal beliefs,” she continues.

According to the Vedic practice, the repetition of a mental mantra – a “meaningless sound” prepares the mind to settle – to experience a state of rest up to five times deeper than that of a solid night’s sleep.  Twice daily, twenty minutes per meditation, the mind spontaneously quiets, providing a restful state of peace that balances the body with the mind.

Strong research suggests a manifold of health benefits derived from Vedic meditation.  According to Ms. Dugas, over six-hundred reports from two-hundred institutions in thirty countries have validated the physiological and mental benefits yielding from consistent meditative practice, learned first, and naturally, through a reputable meditation course.

“I’ve noticed increased energy levels, a more fortified immune system and reduced anxiety, to name a few of the benefits I’ve experienced from this ancient practice,” Mrs. Dugas claims from personal experience.

“We live in stressful, uncertain times,” referencing how a fellow instructor of the Vedic practice saw the need to teach meditation in New York City immediately after September 11^th.  “Even now, during such economic turbulence, it is more imperative than ever to manage and adapt to the complex stresses of everyday life,” Mrs. Dugas continues, sipping herbal tea (but still very much a coffee lover).

But, if one has never meditated, how does one begin?  A meditation course is a great start.

“The first step is to attend one of my introductory talks, free of charge.  There, I will tell you my story, what let me to Vedic meditation, the basic tenets of the practice and then be available to answer any questions,” Ms. Dugas tells.  “Following the talk, the meditation course is conducted over four consecutive sessions, each session approximately an hour and a half.”

This particular meditation course is designed to develop a clear comprehension of the practice and to teach how to incorporate it into one’s daily life.  By the end of the course, a new meditator will be self-sufficient.

“I am always here for my students and both welcome follow-up and offer advanced instruction for those wishing to take their meditative practice to a deeper level,” Ms. Dugas says.  “It’s changed my life and even though I never thought this is what I would be doing, it’s very clear to me now that it is what I am meant to be doing,” Ms. Dugas concludes, her voice, its own soothing instrument of centeredness.

Pilates.  Have you ever heard of it?  Millions of fitness enthusiasts across this country have and are being guided by a qualified of Pilates Instructor.  But, what is Pilates exactly and what do you need to know before you being training under this program?

Pilates, a combination of aerobics and yoga postures, is not as new as many would suspect.  The system, where one is encouraged to make a mind-muscle connection, dates back to Joseph Pilates, a German who came to America in the 1920’s with a dream and a revolutionary new exercise concept originally called “contrology”.  Sick and feeble as a child, Pilates devoted his entire life to improving his overall physical health and condition. 

Today, the principles of breath awareness, spine alignment and torso strengthening are more popular than ever.  But, what if you are new to this idea and interested in beginning a new program to incorporate in your fitness regimen? 

We turned to Amanda Grove, a brand-new Pilates Instructor in Los Angeles for some valuable insight.  Having just completed her Pilates Certification Program, Ms. Grove is eager to introduce people to this “profound exercise that will balance your body.  It can be as moderate or as difficult as you want to make it,” she says enthusiastically.

“Whether you are beginning a program for the very first time or a seasoned athlete struggling with an injury, Pilates is terrific low-impact training that focuses on flexibility, strengthening the core and breathing properly,” she adds, enthusiastically.

Scientifically, Pilates refined his technique to assist in rehabilitating soldiers returning from World War One.  By focusing on precise movements that stretched, controlled and stabilized major muscles, the ultimate body conditioning was born.  He truly promoted the idea that physical health and mental stability were one of the same, a potent combination that would bring about mind-body balance.

“Because core postural muscles are what support the alignment of the spine, these restrictive movements are ideal for strong abdominal muscles and overall health”, Ms. Grove commented.  “Breathing is a huge part of the training.  There is a correct way to breathe, it just takes some time to learn.  And, if you are injured, Pilates may not ‘cure’ the injury, but it will keep you strong and moving,” she suggested.

Traditionally, Pilates is taught on a resistance machine known as the “reformer”.  Because of the high demand of our modern lifestyles, this contraption is not the most ideal to lug around from client to client the way a massage therapist would his/her table.  So, many devotees have turned to the convenience of “mat Pilates”, simulating exercises and movements on a mat, instead of the large, but highly affective apparatus.  “Most people think you should begin Pilates on the mat and then graduate to the reformer, but it’s just the opposite,” advises Ms. Grove.  “However, mat Pilates is great.  It is mobile, especially for clients who want me to come to them, but learning on the machine first is best”.

When asked about the greatest benefit of Pilates Instructor training, Ms. Grove responded, “overall health, well-being and great posture.  People want instant transformation.  Pilates will not give you that. But, at 55 minutes per session and 2-3 sessions per week, you will gain the ideal foundation for any other program you pursue for that ultimate body.”

A partner in a small Internet entertainment firm admitted that the company had spent very little on marketing and that the company’s marketing was all over the place.

He also said that he was having an intern represent the company on Twitter – and when the intern showed us what he was doing, we immediately saw the missed opportunities of not having a coherent brand/vision for the company.

Let me make this perfectly clear:

Having an intern do your company tweets when you don’t have an overall Twitter/Internet marketing strategy is NOT a good idea.

While many Internet marketing gurus do use virtual assistants to help keep up with social media marketing, these gurus do so only after a consistent strategic social media plan is in place.

This person said that he keeps his eye on the company’s finances and leaves it to his partner to keep his eye on the future.  But keeping your eye on the future is not the same as gathering your chestnuts before the winter sets in.  Watching is not acting.

While no one can predict whether Twitter will be replaced by an even more ingenious application, if you have established relationships on Twitter, you’ll be able to migrate these long-term relationships to a new “hot” platform. 

And if you’re not using Twitter now for your Internet marketing, each day you delay is costing you a larger and larger opportunity cost.

If your brand, book or business is something that you take seriously, then you should be taking social media marketing seriously.  And right now, in my opinion (although it’s not for everyone), Twitter is the name of the game IF YOU USE IT STRATEGICALLY.

If you want to learn how to use Twitter strategically for your brand, book or business, check out the Miller Mosaic special Twitter strategy offer.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller's company has recently launched the monthly program www.WeTeachWebMarketing.com and she's a National Internet Business Examiner at www.InternetBizBlogger.com.

I've always had a strange longing to work as a stonemason. There's just something intriguing about working a profession that's been around and remained largely unchanged for thousands of years. Stonemasons have one of those select few jobs that have withstood the test of time. Having fashioned the ancient pyramids of Egypt or the Colosseum in Rome, stonemasons have one of those jobs that fills the mind with wonder.

It has always been an aspiration of mine to one day build my own home. Being somewhat enthralled with old-fashioned things, I've fostered the idea of hiring a stonemason to teach me how to build structures out of stone. I was surprised to find that very few buildings are built with stones as the supporting element in our modern day and age. Most stone structures don't meet with code for earthquake safety and other things, and so are only used as decorations on buildings. It's odd to walk up to a beautiful building, such as a courthouse, its marble shimmering in the early morning, and know that the outer stonework is only a thin layer covering a network of concrete and metal beams. But the modern age of skyscrapers has completely reinvented the ancient methods of stone-masonry.

Nowadays, a stonemason's work is relegated mostly to the outer landscaping of a home. Forming walls and walkways, stonemasons rarely are called to fashion actual buildings anymore. Most structures are made with cheaper materials, drywall and two by fours. The days of stone buildings are almost over. Though stonemasons often work with some of the sturdiest materials, much of what they do is mere facade, adding outer finishing stones to the inner foundation of whatever is being built. In the old days, stones were often the foundation of structures being erected. Now, in order to preserve that old fashioned feel, other materials are used for support, and stones are added on for effect. It's odd how things have changed in that way.

Brickmasons, however, still have an active role in the construction of buildings, and can often be seen inlaying intricate designs into the sides of giant structures. Brick buildings are some of the most beautiful modern structures being erected. One would have expected that brick buildings would go the same path of stone-masonry. But in fact, many bricks are still a very viable supporting element for brand new buildings. The cost difference in the materials must play a key role.

Though my newfound information on the work of stonemasons has shown me that I most likely will never get to build my old-fashioned stone home, I've developed an even larger respect for the trade, which has evolved completely in our modern era to facilitate the demands of an ever changing world.

Recently I've become a provider of gardening services. And though I've been doing it for a few months now, I was told very recently that I still can't refer to myself as a gardener. Apparently there's a clear distinction between gardening services and landscaping services -- gardeners not only maintaining outdoor areas, but being experts in plant know-how as well, able to discern what plants will do well in different environments and so forth. Landscapers, I was told, merely maintain existing areas. All that aside, learning how to offer landscaping and gardening services was one of the best things I've done this year.

If a person does it long enough, gardening will teach them just about everything they need to know to keep up with the repairs of a home. Repairing broken sprinklers, building apparatuses for ponds and waterfalls, and setting up retaining walls, one gets to try their hand at plumbing, carpentry, and masonry. Though I'm still far from being an expert about plants and their optimal habitats, I've learned many of the skills necessary for keeping up with a deteriorating home. Those I'll hold onto and refine as much as I can.

The other reason why building a collection of gardening services was so satisfying to me, was because it made me feel connected to that old-fashioned master/apprentice model of learning. Doing work for a friend of mine who owns his own gardening business, I was taught gardening firsthand by a man who'd been in the business for over thirty years. Being a younger man myself, I really enjoyed being around a person who's a master at their craft. There's just something special and rare about that style of learning in our modern day and age. You don't it much anymore. It's something I think we've lost in this country. Maybe I'm being overly nostalgic. I don't know.

On the more current, economic side, the demand for gardening services has seen a sharp decline, especially in the state of California, where I reside. During tough economic times, gardeners are seen more as a luxury than a necessity. Add to that the current water crisis in southern California, and you've got a very tricky situation for landscapers and gardeners. But the grass still grows as fast as ever, and people will hopefully soon start to miss their landscape professionals. I've seen quite a deterioration this year in the upkeep of outdoor landscapes. It seems simple enough to take care of a yard, but oddly, even maintaining a green lawn can be an arduous task. It's a shame, not only that gardening services are on the decline, but also that yards are losing their landscape lustre. Once things start to bounce back, hopefully we'll see a change.

    Babysitting jobs have always been a longstanding tradition among young people in America; a paycheck close to home to earn some extra summer money without the standard pitfalls of a part-time job.  Not long ago, teens would often plan their strategies for summer break  on how best to promote their services, getting as many good quality babysitting jobs as they could manage.  But these days, things have started to change.  Babysitting jobs are beginning to fade.
    As a youth worker, many hours of my week are spent with high school students, who, not that long ago, were the CEO's and Presidents of the babysitting industry.  But out of those I've talked to, only a handful consider it a reasonable option for a job these days, and none of them actively promote themselves.  It surprised me.  It was less than fifteen years ago when babysitting seemed to be a bustling enterprise.  My older sister was one of the many who made a consistent $400 a month from babysitting jobs, which was a huge amount for a high schooler in those days.   
    But something seems to be changing.  Though the need for babysitters seems to never have been greater, the demand for babysitters has most definitely dwindled.  I know this for a fact, being a grown man with two jobs who still is asked occasionally if I would babysit so and so's children.  The only evident, feasible explanation is the growing lack of trust and security in our neighborhoods.  At the time babysitting was in full swing, kids often spent whole days roaming freely in public parks with friends, unsupervised and yet safe all the while.  I myself can still hear the quintessential line called out from my mother as often I would sprint from my house: “Make sure you're home by dinner.” 
    That sort of thing doesn't happen much anymore.  Kids stay close to home, or only go to the park with parents.  With the dwindling of the feeling of security in our neighborhoods, it seems as though babysitting as a viable job is dwindling as well.  And that's not all, it seems.  In the “good-old-days” in America, it was common for neighbors to show up on doorsteps with muffins to welcome newcomers to the neighborhood and get to know them.  Nowadays, with lists of registered sex-offenders available online, thousands of neighborhoods nationwide are frequently put on alert when a dangerous person moves in to the area.  Neighbors are often fearful of others living in their neighborhood, and don't trust hiring someone as a babysitter unless they know them very well.
    Though such caution is warranted, it's a shame to see the impact such things have had on babysitting jobs.  Babysitting is the perfect job for high-schoolers on summer vacation, or those just wanting a little cash without having to look for part-time work.  But it seems like the trend is moving more and more away from the old-fashioned babysitting model toward something new.

Did you know that networking isn't everything?

Consider cold calling, buying e-mail lists as getting to know the 'wrong' kinds of people. The list often times provides a low end solution of finding the right customer for your product. The reason word of mouth is so good is very much due to the reasons such as trust, integrity, loyalty but equally common interest. 

At GY, we specialize in data collection and filtering against hypothesis (educated guesses) followed by plugging it into a proprietary algorithm called DCAL (Directed Combinatorial Algorithmic Library). This allows us to help you 'sort' the targeted customers against the nature of your business to optimize questions such as:

1. When should I launch my ad campaign (day of month, time of day etc)?

2. What kinds of discount programs should I use?

3. What kinds of products do my customers want and need?

4. How can I build a loyal customer base effectively and efficiently?

5. How can I get more vertical sales?

6. When should I increase my horizontal sales?

7. What are the low hanging fruits?

8. Should I run a discount/gift card program and when?

9. Is my customer base highly fragmented, partially fragmented or properly or improperly defragmented?

Notes: DCAL was further developed by GY for business systems to screen and optimize data against core business criteria. The basis of our mathematics algorithm is from a genius of the 19th & 20th century Dr. Vladmir Fock. The return on selecting out the wrong customers and keeping the right ones has always proven to add significant advantage to anyone's business profitability. The benefits towards inventory management and being able to please your customers are profound. The old adage of knowing your customers' needs is greatly enhanced and repeatable since DCAL allows you to understand your clients accurately and precisely by using advanced analytics.

Imagine as an owner of a computer shop, you knew that 90% of your existing clients would be users of blackberry, google search and were readers of the Wall Street Journal. This information combined with their spending habits would allow you to buffer your inventory if you also knew that there would be a collapse of Wall Street & banking. DCAL would allow you to know this significant business information months ahead of the curve, prepare, preserve and diversify.

As an owner of small, medium or large businesses, hindsight is always 20/20. If another crash were coming ... are you sure you are prepared? If your network hasn't been optimized and DCAL'd, you could be hit in more directions than one. 

DCAL data crunch on social networks & business conversions:

Imagine what the possibilities would be if you had powerful web-based platform that allowed you to categorize your customer base? Sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, MySpace, Servana all have an ability to upload your friends, colleagues and business partners. Did you know that LinkedIn, Plaxo & Servana offers a level 4-5 out of 6 in potential conversions vs. Facebook/MySpace's 2-3 out of 6 based on our DCAL analysis. This indicates that which site you promote your business matters. Just by migrating your network is free and can give your business a significant upside return.