In this week’s episode of the Life in the Internet podcast, we ( actually “I” since @VickieRigsby was off this week ) devoted some time to defining a Definite Major Purpose a la Napolean Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. Coming up with my Definite Major Purpose, DMP for short, has now given me the opportunity to solidify and commit to making work optional… because that is now my DMP!

So I can hear the chuckles and the questions now. What makes me think we can make work optional and how do I plan on accomplishing such a thing? Well… I’m glad you asked.

This is a pretty big (read: lengthy) plan, way too long for a single post. And frankly, its not all done yet. There are parts I’m stuck on. But maybe by sharing the plan with you over time and letting you watch as we roll it out, you can help work out some of the shortcomings and maybe, hopefully, see a plan developing for yourself as well. So here goes…

Part One – Why Am I Working Anyway?

Work, as we know it, is a relatively new concept. For thousands of years men and women worked to survive. If they didn’t hunt, gather, or harvest enough supplies… they died. Simple. Their needs were food, clothing and shelter. If the activity they were engaging in didn’t support one of those needs, they didn’t do it… at least not before they had the hunting, gathering and harvesting taken care of.

The idea of exchanging labor for money then using the money to meet needs didn’t really come of age until the advent of the Industrial Age… then it invaded with a vengeance! Now, the closest most of us come to hunting or gathering is hunting for a fresh tomato in the super market!

Before we can begin to get our arms around the idea of work being optional, we first must have a solid grasp on WHY we work. I did a quick and definitely unscientific survey this afternoon and here are some of the answers I got to the question, “Why do you work.”

It’s all about the Benjamins baby. Gotta pay off the debt from my 20’s, man!

[B]ecause I have bills and I need to eat, if I could get rid of them, work would follow.

I work a job to pay bills and take care of my needs. This frees me up to WORK my business vision. Work is necessary 4 success.

To make meaningful contributions. B/c I like the other people. B/c my student loans aren’t paid off.

Sounds like the reason most of us work is to put food on the table, pay our bills and repay debts… all important things. I’m sure somewhere in there are considerations for a few wants, maybe a quick vacation or a cool (albeit expensive) toy. Now needs, we have to cover, no doubt. And don’t get me wrong, wants are an important part of a happy and fulfilled life. But right now, take just a second and stop reading this post and think about this single question:

The first step toward making work optional is to understand that there is a pretty big difference between needs and wants… and its not the difference we’ve been trained to believe!

Changing the way you think about needs and wants is not the whole answer, its just the first step! There’s a ton more discussion about this topic coming in the next few days. In the mean time, think about what needs you might be willing to transfer to the wants column. It doesn’t have to be forever but it does have to make a difference!

I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic! What are some of the specifics we can do to transfer needs into wants? Radical things wanted! Here’s one to prime the pump… get down to a single car family, or if you live alone, get a bike and save some gas. If you can cut back from two cars to one you’ll save on a car payment, insurance, maintenance and gas… not to mention you’ll get to spend some quality time with your significant other!

Ok, that’s one… lets get more going. Leave a comment below with your ideas!

As always, thanks for reading and don’t hesitate to hit me up if I can ever help you!

@jtrigsby

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This week, join @jtrigsby as he goes it alone without co-host @VickieRigsby. Its a little different this week without Vickie around though so be warned! Listen as JT talks about some reading he has done and how that will be influencing jtrigsby.com and the Life in the Internet podcast!

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We also have a new project moving up to the front burner in the next few days… sorry, not ready for more details than that but its pretty exciting!

Oh, and one more thing… We’ve started working on BarCamp Huntsville in earnest. If you’re in or near Huntsville, AL, keep an eye on this site for all the news and updates about this big event for the Rocket City.

See ya tomorrow night!

@jtrigsby

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• Safe Twittering
• Getting Fired Because of Facebook
• Timeshifting
• and Mini-Retirements!

We also throw props out to Tim Ferriss and his book The 4-hour Work Week and leave you with a few questions.

1. What is your favorite way to timeshift?
2. What would you do tomorrow if money were not a consideration?
3. What obstacles ( aside from money ) would keep you from doing that tomorrow?

PLEASE, join in the conversation like @ProfessorTom did last week via Twitter! Leave a comment below with your answers to these questions. Anonymous is ok, just let us know what you think!

So, till next week!

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As always, you can reach Vickie @VickieRigsby on Twitter or on her blog at http://www.CulinaryClique.com.

You can reach me, JT Rigsby, on Twitter @jtrigsby or via email: jtrigsby [at] jtrigsby [dot] com.

Thanks for listening!

@jtrigsby & @VickieRigsby

PS – Next week’s show is going to be the first to focus on Lifestyle Design! In preparation for the show I left a little teaser on this episode in the form of a question. Even if you prefer to answer anonymously, please leave a comment below answering this question: If money were not a concern (you had all you needed to do anything you wanted) what would you do? Travel, sing, cook…? Let us know!

PPS – I’ve come across a pretty cool service that will let you listen to the podcast live, chat in a chat room, even participate like a call-in show! If any of you think that might be interesting, leave a comment below and let us know.

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We do spend time on this week’s show talking about Google Buzz… what it is, some of the concerns about it as its being rolled out, and what you can do with it.

Also, in an almost all Google episode, we talk about the other big news out of Google this week… their Ultra-high speed Internet service.

And for all you creative types out there just dying to get your artwork up on a world-wide podcast (hey, its got potential!) here’s your chance. We’re looking for submissions for a show logo. Of course the “winner” will get full attribution for their priceless contribution to the podcast! If you’re interested, drop a comment below or email us at podcast [at] jtrigsby.com.

Please feel free to leave comments about the show below or questions for next week!

Enjoy,

@jtrigsby & @vickierigsby

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In this episode co-hosts JT Rigsby and Vickie Rigsby talk about

• what to expect from the show
• netbook or iPad…or iPhone, and
• cloud computing / Google docs

The audio is doing some pretty freaky things. Please try the player down at the bottom and let me know how it works for you, or you can download the show here. Also, it seems the audio level is a little low, again… sorry. Hopefully I’ll figure out what’s going on by next week! Enjoy.

@jtrigsby

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The Apple iPad and Dock - image from slashgear.com

I had the opportunity to watch the announcement yesterday with a room full of Apple users / fans and the general mood of the room was underwhelmed. Maybe its because the rumors of the iPad had been so rampant and included some pretty wild ideas. I think its more likely a result of no one really knowing what the killer apps for this thing is. Talking about it with my wife last night, maybe it would be a good information source to sit on the coffee table or end table? Pick it up when you need to see what other movies this person’s been in or check scores or something like that. Maybe it will play a part in the web of tomorrow?

So, have you seen it, heard about it, formed any opinions about it? Is this the appliance that will lead to the end of the personal computer as we know it? Do you have questions about it? Drop a comment below and lets talk!

@jtrigsby

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The Web Will Be Ubiquitous – Always connected, always on, fully integrated with the appliances that we use to manage our life. Finally!
(see more under Mobile Becomes King in my 6 Guaranteed Game Changing Predictions for 2010)

The PC Will Lose Its Dominance Over the Web – No need to rehash this one… I’ve written about it plenty! Check out Repent! Repent! The End of the Personal Computer Is Near

The Human-Computer Interface – Ben asserts that media centric interfaces will replace the good old keyboard and mouse. Things like voice to text and touch will eventually work well enough… in a decade or so! I’m not sure if you’d call that a pessimistic outlook but I think a decade is WAY too far away. I’ve said before the iPhone has changed everything and how we interact is no different. There’s an expectation for touch these days. The full court press is on and it will be a matter of months before we have usable alternatives to the keyboard and mouse… IMHO.

Finally, Social Media Will Be the Killer App – Have to say I totally agree Ben… and it always has been. Since Ray Tomlinson invented email all the way back in 1971, we’ve been using “the computer” to interact with other people. I mean after all… there are only so many recipes and checkbooks to manage, right? Sooner or later its all about interacting with others. In fact, most technological advances have derived their need by some form of human interaction. Telegraph, telephone, trains, planes… they all serve to facilitate human-to-human interaction.

Even though Ben and I disagree on a couple of the details, I think he’s right on about where we’re going over all. A lot of the things we’ve seen lately, devices like the iPhone, netbooks, and Apple’s new tablet, even applications like Twitter, Wave and fourSquare are really just enabling technologies. My frequent answer to those that don’t get Wave is that it won’t make sense until you have an application for it. Its a platform, an enabling technology that will make something else possible.

So, what do you think about these areas of tech development? Do we have it wrong? What else could be considered important?

And what about the enabling technologies? What did I miss.

Drop a comment and let us know what you think!

@jtrigsby

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For 2010, my buzz word is value. I’m including it in everything that I do, deliver, and offer. Some entrepreneurs just don’t understand the concept of value – especially, “internet marketers.” The term sends irritating shivers down my spine. The most successful entrepreneurs know that you can’t just spam, harass, and bully people into buying a product or service . . . you have to offer a value proposition.

What is a value proposition?

Simply put, it’s how you’re going to deliver value to the end user, client, customer, follower, fan, or prospect.

“Literally, what it is the customer gets for what s/he pays. The term is also used to describe some unique value a brand, company, product or service offers that its competitors don’t.”

via www.neubertweb.com/definitions.html

What if you don’t have customers? Maybe you’re a blogger? Well, the same principle applies, how are you going to give your readers value through your blog? It’s a very important question to ask because it extends to anyone wanting to gain anything from anybody. In order to “get” you must first “give.”

Why is a Value Proposition Important?

Back in 2002 I started hosting video game tournaments with inter-linked Playstation 2s and Xboxes (played on big movie projectors – your brain oozes from your ears with awesomeness!). My partner and I decided to make a full-fledged business out of it and decided to seek tournament sponsorship from the big 3; Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. In our sponsorship proposals we outlined our value proposition which was different for each company. We wanted Sony to be our primary sponsor so we emphasized more brand exposure, marketing real estate at event venues, and registration list sharing.

As you can see, a value proposition is important to the end-user to describe how you’re going to deliver value in return for something else. We offered value to Microsoft and Nintendo as well in different ways but, certainly not as much as Sony. In the end, we didn’t get the sponsorship we sought, but it was a great lesson in marketing and handling corporate America. Without a value proposition our proposals would have never gotten taken seriously. How can you expect anyone to take your business, brand, or blog seriously without offering some kind of value to them? When you find your value proposition that’s when you’ll find success.

People That Offer Great Value Propositions

There are plenty of people we all know who deliver strong value propositions online and off like; Chris Brogan, Darren Rowse, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, etc. (Interesting bunch isn’t it? Wonder what would happen if they all went out to dinner one day? . . . anyway . . . ) However, I want to introduce you to someone you may not know who I think is the very definition of value proposition (right beside my name in the dictionary, of course!).

Meet David Garland, show host & creator of The Rise to the Top. What I love about David is the fact that he really “gets” social media and knows how to maximize it for the benefit of his show, sponsors, followers, and fans.

You can see him regularly reaching out to his Twitter followers asking questions, running polls, and returning the love right back with their answers on his show. Don’t you get it? His value proposition is making his fans and followers valuable. How awesome is that? I’ll actually be interviewing David live in St.Louis next week for my show, “Inside the Success.”

How can you determine your value proposition?

Now that I’ve wet your appetite, what ways can you determine your value proposition? Here are a few thoughts;

• First, know who you are and what you have to offer. How can you give a man gold if you don’t know what’s in your pocket?
• Second, know what your prospects, potentials customers, site visitors, or blog readers want. You can do this simply by issuing polls and surveys. For a Wordpress blogger try the WP-Polls plug-in, for entrepreneurs give Constant Contact a try.
• Third, think of creative ways to serve. Hold contests, live Q&A sessions via U-Stream, webinars, host tweet-ups, organize a Facebook Group (mine is for Christian Entrepreneurs), or, ask your followers how you can best help them solve their most pressing issues.

Whatever you do make sure you have the right mind-set of adding value to someone else’s life. You’ll only be successful in doing so. Trust me. Want some extra help on delivering excellent customer service? Read my article, “Customer Service is Dead and You Killed It.”

Follower Feedback – Question: How do you add value to the lives of your readers, followers, fans, & clients?

Not So Final Thought

A value proposition is your dedication to adding value to whatever it is you do. Whether you run a business, blog, or a combination of the two. Don’t make it just another “value statement” on to your about page. It’s got be something you decided to do and not tell anyone . . . just show them the value! It becomes your silent partner on the road to success. I didn’t write this blog post in hopes of ending your ever thirsting quest for knowledge of how to add value . . . but in starting it. Let’s chat in the comment section below. What are you doing now to add value to your blog, business, or brand? What’s working for you and what’s not? How can I help you figure this thing out? What other suggestions can we come up with to help others determine their value proposition?

Rod Kirby is the editor-in-chief of The Success Center, the #1 Christian Entrepreneur’s blog-a-zine for small business, financial, marketing, and social media help. For resources to help you take your life, brand, blog, or business to the next level, check out the Best of The Success Center. You can also follow Rod’s rampage of terror on Twitter and find him misbehaving on Facebook.

If you’d be interested in guest posting at jtrigsby.com, you can drop me a line via the contact form or via email at jtrigsby [at] jtrigsby [dot] com.

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