We’ve all been there before. Somebody offers you something, it could be anything – an invite to a party, a business proposal, heck even a stick of gum. We usually respond with a “yes”, a “maybe”, some silence, or sometimes a “no, thank you”. Lately I’ve been surprised at how many times I offer something to someone and simply never hear from them again. I realize people don’t have to fall in love with everything I do or offer…but seriously? No response?

A Few Examples

A friend of a friend asked me to help him out with developing a new website for his business. I told him I’d put together a price quote and send him an e-mail. Two weeks went by – no answer. Was my price too high? Did he find someone else? Was he simply not interested anymore? Who knows. I never heard back…

I listed my Dad’s Audi A4 for sale a few weeks ago and received a call from a local girl. She was driving by my office downtown, saw that the car was for sale, gave me a call, and went out for a test drive. She said her dad would be off work in a couple hours and she would pay cash. A few hours went by, no call. I left a voicemail and never heard from her again…

Our Response

I come by instances like these all the time where I get no response so I assume the answer is “no”. It’s not that I’m frustrated with their decision of declining my offer, it’s the method. Sure, we all like to hear a “Yes”, but even a “No”, or better yet, a “No, Thank You” is better than silence. I’m just interested in having closure. If I’m honest with myself, I know I do this too. I either change the subject after a question I don’t want to say no to, or just never answer, hoping they get the gist.

I realize it’s often hard to say “no” but I think we need to get back in the habit of saying “no, thank you” when we simply don’t want something or want to do something. I think people have got into a bad habit of letting the silence say “no” for them and it’s a cop-out.

Of course we can’t always say “yes”, but we do have a choice in how we communicate our response – staying silent isn’t an option.

Saying “No, Thank You” is a courtesy we can’t afford to ignore.

I can’t tell you how frustrated I was, logging into other email accounts and checking mail in 5+ different places.

Oh, and you can also send mail from outside accounts as well. Sweet huh? Ok, enough talk, here’s how it’s done:

How to add a new account:

1. Login to Gmail
2. Click the “Settings” link in the top right corner of your browser
3. Click the “Accounts” link in your settings area
4. Scroll down until you get to the “Get mail from other accounts:” section
5. Click the “Add another mail account” link



6. Enter the email address for the new mail account in the pop up box and click the “next step” button



7. Fill in the new account’s login credentials: username/password
8. In the “POP Server:” field: Most likely you can just leave what’s already provided in the text field, but you may need to adjust this to match you mail account settings. If you’re still stuck, go here.
9. Select any check boxes that you would consider helpful. I would recommend numbers 2 and 3 for security and organization respectively…but that’s just me.
10. Click the “Add Account” button and assuming everything is set up correctly it should go to the next step. If there are any errors and you’re stuck go here.



11. Fill in the name that will be associated with your new account and click the “Next Step” button.



12. Click the “Send Verification” button to verify your new email account.



13. Go check the email account that your adding, for new email, and look for an email sent from Google containing a verification code. Copy the verification code, paste it in the verification text field, and click the “Verify” button



14. If you would like to send email from your new email account, using Gmail, select the “Yes, I want to be able to send mail as: ” option and click the “Next Step” button.



15. You’re Done! You will be returned to your Gmail settings page and will now be able to use your new email account in Gmail. :)

As a note: Getting mail from a Yahoo account requires you to be a Yahoo! Mail Plus subscriber. Server denied POP3 access for the given username and password. POP access is limited to Yahoo! Mail Plus subscribers. Please contact Yahoo! Mail’s support team for more information.

I also wasn’t able to set up a Hotmail account – I think you need be considered a “Plus User” if you want to enable POP3 settings which requires you to upgrade your account and pay a fee.

If you run into any problems, Google has a support page which is quite helpful, or feel free to leave a comment with a question.

No, but seriously. It’s been a great year. My only regret is I didn’t start this whole blogging thing sooner. Thank you all for your wonderful comments/conversation. My contributions would be nothing without you, so Thank You!

Oh, and Happy New Year!

In my post TV vs. Internet I talked about how great the internet is, but we all know it’s not perfect.

I just recently topped 5,000 spam comments on my blog and continue to receive 30+ a day. Some big name bloggers receive 10x that amount. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise really, considering the net is an open invitation to all kinds of activity.

I’m sure you’ve heard about this woman and how she got tricked out of $400k. Deceived by Little Red Riding Hood? You bet.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we should tighten the reigns and smother our own freedom, but where are we headed? Hopefully not down the same path as China. Every +1 spam we have to deal with is -1 freedom from that opportunistic web we all grew up to love. How long before we experience a diminishing return?

I don’t have the answers. I’m hoping someone does or this could get ugly.

Most never start, some begin but give up, and few make it. It’s difficult, no doubt about it, but the reward is magnificent.

Seth Godin’s written about The Dip before, and I think it’s a great way to look at life’s adventures. However, I want to focus on the slant that faces so many of us soon after we start something new. This steep hill, or (apparent) “brick wall”, usually surfaces when we experience difficulties such as: we hit a learning curve, things start falling apart, we encounter road blocks, etc, etc. We all know what it looks like, but how do we become that 1% that takes a deep breath, and runs up the hill as fast as we can? Determination, perseverance, resiliency? Yeah, sure…these are all necessary but I would argue that passion is the driving force behind these qualities.

Why is the hill so steep!

Of course, the hill is steep for a reason. It exists, simply to discourage the masses. And give, a select few, the opportunity to be great. Mediocre won’t cut it. Being average won’t do. In fact, good isn’t good enough. The only way to make it to the top of the hill is to struggle. Yes, struggle.

I’m not talking about running a 10k, I’m talking about finishing well in the New York Marathon. Of course, we all live in our own little worlds. I have what I consider to be an impossible climb. You have what you consider to be an impossible climb. Each hill is unique for that individual…but what we do with that hill is what matters. It’s a choice really. Will you settle for being average? I struggle with this each and every day…but it’s a struggle I don’t think we can pass up.

Yeah, yeah…I know TV has it’s advantages and I’m not trying to say nothing good can come out of TV (I’ll admit I’m obsessed with 24), but for the most part TV is a dead end.

You’re entertained, but your mind turns to mush. That’s it.

You may think my view on TV is extreme, and maybe, just maybe it is. But, you get my drift. So…

For those who haven’t heard, Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. Sounds incredibly simple, and it is. One of Twitter’s high points, is you can let others know what your up too, without having the internet attached to your hip – nice for those who actually have lives.

Basically, it’s an awesome way to let others know what you’re up to without obtrusively interrupting them via phone, email, etc. If they want to know what your up to, they just “follow” you. Simple.
So, having said all that, if for some reason you would like to know what I’m doing on a somewhat regular basis, click here to follow me and get the inside scoop.

Do you use Twitter? Want me to start following you? Leave a comment and a link to your profile and I’ll add you to my watch list. :)

Leet (1337) is an alphabet of ASCII characters used by ‘elite’ internet users. Purposes for using Leet can vary, but I find it particularly useful for creating passwords. Here’s an example:

Leet sentence: 1337 |$ \/3|2′/ |_|$3|o5|_|1 |o50|2 [|2347||\|9 |o4$$\/\/0|2|)$
Plain English: Leet is very useful for creating passwords

Basically, Leet is just another way to write words using numbers and symbols. I know, incredibly geeky, but it can be a lot of fun! There are several different ways to write Leet, so you kind of have to settle on a standard format for your own use, or you may find yourself using 20 different versions of “M“. For a complete chart, click here.

Like I said, Leet can be used for just about anything, but I like to create passwords using Leet. Reason for doing so, is simply more security. Symbols and characters add a whole new level of security to passwords. It’s not for everyone, but I find 1337 intriguing.

Have you heard of 1337? Do you use it for anything?

Apparently all that borrowing and credit stacking we Americans swear by, isn’t the firm foundation we believed it was. Go figure.

Regardless, it should tell us something – you’d think. Unfortunately it looks like all we can think of doing is rinsing and repeating the same o’l process that got us here – prop up the leaning tower and hope it will hold another decade or two. I just wish we could look a bit further down the road and consider what the best approach would be for us long-term.

Ok, enough ranting. Steve Pavlina wrote an inspiring post, in light of our current financial situation. It’s well worth the read.

So, what’s your take on the current “Financial Crisis”? Do you think the “Bailout Plan” is a good idea? Has your lifestyle been changed by all this?