There’s a lot of hype about digital programs and “information products” in the online world. For the most part, the talk is about how you can create information products that will generate a passive income and then you can work a four-hour work week (from your hammock on the beach, of course), and travel the world. There are a lot of hopefuls running after this dream, but few who ever earn enough from their “passive income information products” to realize this dream.

Personally, I think the mindset of building a business on digital programs alone is a limited one – coaching, consulting and speaking gigs open up the opportunity to earn significantly more. Sure, digital programs can become a source of passive income, but there are a lot more ways that you can leverage your consulting expertise through free and premium digital programs and build a sustainable business that draws a significant income through multiple streams.

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a personal update and there’s been a big thing that’s been going on in my life – something that’s completely turned our lives upside down. And is likely to do plenty more up-turning of our lives in the future. So I’m pausing the usual programming to share…

Andy and I are growing a little person!

We’re both very stoked and enjoying the whole process. Well… most of it. Some parts are a little less enjoyable – like the nausea I’ve had the past 2 weeks (just started in the second trimester, ugh!) and the crazy-tiredness. I’m having to nap most afternoons just to feel vaguely normal.

But mostly, we’re just in awe of the crazy miracle of being involved in creating a little person. We picked up a book that details the baby’s development each week and it’s been amazing to read and picture our little person starting to beat it’s heart at just 5 weeks, facial features developing by week 7, all of its body parts and organs in place by week 12, and doubling in size each week. Seeing the little 5cm bean on the ultrasound at 7 weeks, and hearing its heartbeat with the Doppler for the first time at 10 weeks were incredible moments.

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“Discover your strengths and then align your work with that,” is common advice these days. Most people now know that you’ll be more productive and creative when you’re working in your strength zone. You’ll also learn faster, so you’ll make more progress more quickly, and you’ll probably also be a more enjoyable team member and manager to work with because you’ll be enjoying your work. Best of all, you’ll be energized by your work and enjoy working.

But it’s not always easy to identify your strengths

Identifying your strengths is often not as easy as it sounds. Often we’re strong in performing tasks and ways of thinking that aren’t celebrated or rewarded in our family or social circles, and so we don’t even have a distinction for describing strengths in those ignored areas. Much of the time we’re also placing a lot of pressure on ourselves to make a decision about what work is right for us – and to make the “right” decision, and this pressure and fear clouds our vision. Add to that the fact that we’ve often spent 12 or more years practicing fitting into an educational system that encourages conformity and rewards only a small sub-sect of strengths and abilities, and then it’s easy to see how we can lose touch with our strengths. We’re so busy focusing on what our strengths “should” be that it becomes hard to see what they really are.

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Questions are a bit of a cheesy cliche in life coaching. Us coaches are known for telling our clients that we’re not going to give them answers, we’re going to ask them smart questions and help them find their own answers. And most people understand that a big reason for this is that other people don’t have all the answers for your life and, since you’re the person who spends the most time in your life, you’re obviously the expert on your life. But there are other good reasons for asking smart questions…

We’re designed to answer questions and make decisions

Asking and answering smart questions will empower you in all areas of your life. In fact, there’s research that indicates that we have a decision-making center in the brain, and when this center is under-utilized and undeveloped there’s a strong correlation with depression. This suggests that being passive and avoiding reflective questions and decisions reinforces depression, while making decisions can make the development of depression less likely. I’ve helped people to clear chronic depression just by guiding them to ask and answer smart questions for themselves and to be more active decision-makers and players in their own lives.

Questions determine your focus

Even if you’re not struggling with depression, you should be practicing asking smart questions. The main thing that makes questions so powerful is that they direct your focus. Focus is important, because focus determines what we pay attention to, and that determines what action we take and ultimately what results we get. You see, here’s how our minds work…

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Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Gelb, the author of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day for the upcoming Bottom-line on his book (due for release at the Bottom-line Bookclub on 1 Sept). As usual, I was really excited about the interview, but I’ll admit to having been more than a little intimidated by the prospect of interviewing someone who beat Prof. Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Garry Kasparov to the Brain Trust’s title of “Brain of The Year” in 1999 (yikes!).

With over 30 years of experience as a professional speaker, teacher and organizational consultant and having authored 12 books on creativity and innovation, Michael is a true pioneer and expert in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning and innovative leadership. And to give you a sense of his diversity, his other accolades include being a former professional juggler who’s performed with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. He’s also a fourth degree black belt in the martial art of Aikido, he’s a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, he has a Master of Arts in Psycho-Physical Re-education, and was certified as the first “Master Trainer” by the Buzan Foundation – that’s the Tony Buzan of mind-mapping fame, who I know a lot of you will be familiar with. He’s also been called one of the coolest titles I’ve ever heard; an NPR commentator called him a “ warrior against zombification.” And I have to agree – it’s a pretty apt description! (and a pretty freaking’ cool title, huh?!)

I had planned to talk with Michael about How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci and his latest book, Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking (yes, drinking wine the way Michael recommends can improve your creativity!). We did cover some of that ground, but we got side-tracked with a great conversation, talking about Michael’s personal success strategies.

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I recently had the privilege of meeting Gloria Tiede and being on the receiving end of her unique craft. Gloria gifted me an “All-Is-Well” session, and because it was such a great experience, I wanted to share with you about it and we’re going to be doing a free webinar in a few weeks (details at the end of this post). But before I share about my experience (and I’ve included the art that Gloria made for me), let me let Gloria tell you what the All-Is-Well place is all about…

The All-Is-Well Place

Life these days can be brutal. Companies are going out of business. We save for retirement and the bank goes bust. Wars don’t end. We’re wrecking our environment. Our relationships feel stress. We are aging. Life feels like one long marathon with only a few winners… and the signs indicate we’re not going to be one of them.

What if it doesn’t have to be this way? What if there’s an all-is-well place deep inside each one of us regardless of what happens? What if you could live from a felt sense of OK-ness right in the middle of everyday challenges?

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