Yesterday I was strolling the Fundays at Aarschot. The result was a new pair of pants and a great book written by Jan Vermeiren titled: “Let’s Connect!”. After relaxing with a drink or two in the sun it was ready to go home. I hanged the pair of pants in my closet and made my self comfortable on my couch. I picked up the book and started reading.

Hello there,  this is Nick Belhomme and today I am writing my 50 cents on “Let’s Connect!” written by Jan Vermeiren and published by Prenctice Hall.

Maybe you have heard about networking. Maybe you didn’t.

Answers.com has this to say about networking: “An extended group of people with similar interests or concerns who interact and remain in informal contact for mutual assistance or support.”

Please observe that no egoism or selling is involved in this definition. It has nothing to do with hard-selling. But everything about “mutual” assistance and or support. People can achieve great results, fantastic results, but we are only a men or a woman. Isn’t it obvious that you can not be the know all, be all?! It is only when people work together towards a bigger goal that big things can be achieved.

Doesn’t it make sense to contact people who maybe have the answer to your specific need or question? And in return you give them access to your resources.

Receiving is one part of networking, but the other part is even more important: Giving!

By giving without expecting something in return you build trust and a relationship. This is your most valuable resource. It creates opportunities and possibilities. Giving to your network makes you grow individually, spiritually and gives your career wing.

The book of Jan Vermeiren is all about networking. What it is, what it isn’t and how to successfully create or expand your (existing) network.  You will read about the traditional networking methods like events, seminars, letters etc. But also about the newer ones like LinkedIn, Ecademy, Xing and Ryze. It will also tell you how to do follow-ups and how to successfully introduce your networking base to each other.

The entire book has some very valuable information and is clearly written. Everybody that is already or would like to begin with networking should read this book.

It took me a couple of hours to read the book sitting on my couch, but it will save me months of doing things the “wrong” way. Because like everything in life there is a certain way you can do things to get them done more effectively. Reading this book is a good start.

Sunny greetings from Belgium
Nick Belhomme

Ps.  You can visit: http://www.letsconnect.be for free courses and a free light version of the book.

After a lot of hard work, me and my girl decided to go on vacation to Florida.

Now we’re back! God what a super vacation…
Let me tell you all about it.

First stop, the weather.
Florida is called the sunshine state. During the entire month May we had temperatures between 80° - 93° Fahrenheit (27°C - 34°C). It is hot, but you can easily bare it because of the winds and air conditioning that is installed everywhere you go.

Compare this weather to Belgium and Florida wins this round.

Second stop, the parks.
We begin at the magical parks of Disney World which includes Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and last but not least Hollywood Studios. This last park has an attraction called the Tower of Terror. And it is a ride you have to do! The scenery in the tower is mind blowing. It really is a state of the art attraction. The visual effects are really astonishing and the drops are pure adrenaline shots.

The Disney cast members are truly wonderful. On a rate of 1 to 10 they really deserve a 10. I never in my life encountered such friendliness and eagerness to help. You are at a magic place. Where every one of your wishes is granted. Your vacation feels complete when strolling through those Disney streets.

At Seaworld you should try to visit the stingray pool. You have the opportunity to feed and pat them.
This is a unique experience and has a high addictive factor. If you have any questions about any of the animals feel free to ask.
As in Disney the employees at Seaworld are eager to give you all the information you want.

Universal Studios has great attractions of which I highly recommend Terminator 2 3D and Spiderman 3D.

Third stop, Miami vs CSI Miami.
Reality is a whole different story.
Don’t get me wrong I saw a great city. Super architecture and I really felt small driving those city streets.
But I did not really see any of the glamour and riches portrayed on TV. Me and my girl enjoyed a drink or ten at Gloria Estefans Hotel located at South beach. We watched people pass by for 4 hours. During this time we saw Hispanics, but mainly Afro Americans. The afro American men were really huge and fit. At 90° Fahrenheit they were doing push and sit ups on the beach…

Fourth Stop, the gulf coast.
The beach at Fort Meyers was great. White beaches as far as the eye could see. A gentle breeze stroked our hair and cooled our skin. A cocktail or two, reading a book or three. Live can’t be sweeter. Yet after a week we wanted adventure again and so we left for the next stop.

Fifth stop, the Everglades and Key West.
Everglades were hell! If you want to be eaten alive, please visit the everglades. And then I ain’t talking about the wonderful gators you see lying around. But the bugs. You can spray all the insect repellent in the world on your skin. Those bugs only think of one thing and that is to eat you alive. 5 Minutes and you had to flee a certain 20 times and resulted in 10 ugly big red bite bumps on your skin. Lovely.
The water in Key west was clear. It really was tropical. The people, consisting of 99% tourists, were a whole different breed than the ones visiting the Disney parks. The Disney parks were full of people with white shirts, shorts and socks. All ready to go golfing. In Key west they were all ready to go drinking in the local pubs, of which were many.

The Hotels:

I can highly recommend the Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites at Orlando and the Sea View hotel at the Miami Bal Harbour area. Both were great hotels.
The Outrigger beach resort at Fort Meyers was not what I expect from a good hotel. The staff was friendly, the location and beach was excellent, but the rooms tend to be less clean than what I am used to. They were not dirty, but they lacked the hygiene you find at the upper hotels.

Florida End Score:
12/10

conclusion:

Being a highly qualified PHP 5 Zend certified Engineer the world is my playground so mail me my green card, propose me a job and I move today.

Bye Bye see you at my next blog entry.

Sunny greetings from Belgium

Nick Belhomme

Dear reader,

Today I am going to write about the ultimate risk-takers, the masters of the universe, the go-getters and the achievers. They are such inspiring role-models it is only natural for me writing a book about them. The book should be finished in August this year and a lot of important names have already agreed to cooperate with it. This will make the book on itself a success, but I promise you dear reader, that it will be so much more. It will be a book that opens your eyes with real life examples that you can indeed achieve your goals. Be it founding your own company, being a guru with several books written, having a top executive position in a multi-million dollar company, being a founder of the latest web 2.0 hype bought in for a part of it shares by Microsoft.

Everything is possible. And this book will show you how they did it. Inside the masters of the universe will show you how.

Interested in reading the book? Interested in an eye opener that will change your life for the best? I know you are! But you’ll just have to wait till August.

Want to be one of the first? Write me an email if you want to be notified when the initial draft is distributed.

And if you know someone in IT, for who work and career take on the quality of a mission, and have succeeded in making their goal a success, just email me their name, and perhaps he or she will be included in the book.

Sunny greetings from Belgium

Nick Belhomme

Stop working, start having fun… Today!

Imagine a life where you never have to work again. Imagine a life of joy.
Worry free, a place where you are glad to get out of bed. A life where everyday is like a gift you have to discover. Some of the gifts will be predictable, others will be a real surprise. Nonetheless, it are gifts. You see yourself accepting them with great joy and enthusiasm. You can’t wait to unwrap them and see what today brings.

Now imagine yourself doing the job you love to do. Everyday a pleasure, money in abundance and your self esteem rising like an eagle knowing you are doing what you love to do. I want you to stop reading and think about this for a minute. Think about what you love to do and how you would feel if you made a livelihood from it. Wouldn’t that feel great? I know it does, I know you are reading this with a smile on your face. Maybe you have some rejections and you want to tell me that it can’t be done. Well if you can dream it, feel it and see yourself doing it, trust me you can do it! It just takes faith, faith in yourself. But it won’t be easy.

Nothing in life is really easy. But it gets easier when you are doing the things you are meant to do. The hardest thing in life is doing the things that don’t belong to you. When you are going in the opposite direction of the person that is within you, your authentic self, you lose the battle. By forcing yourself in a role other than the role you feel deep inside you should be, you are draining yourself of precious life energy. And everything you do will be a struggle. Imagine yourself blowing up a very large beach ball and trying to conquer it by holding it under water. At first it will be effortless. You will be able to hold the ball suppressed under water, holding it from going to the surface where it is meant to be. You see the ball trying to flip to the left, then to the right, always trying to reach the surface, and you see yourself non stop trying to keep it down. You know you cannot afford to be non vigilant at the cost of the ball emerging, because at that time it will find it way to the top. If you are one of those people and I am talking to 95% of you, you know it is true, you are constantly suppressing your inner self. And you know it. You know it because sometimes when you are alone, driving, laying on the couch, walking the streets, your inner self comes knocking. You know you have so much to give, and you are just not living at your full potential.

Do yourself a favor, believe in yourself, give yourself a chance to be you. Stop fighting yourself. Be happy give your authentic self the expression it needs. You cannot afford not being the person you ought to be. You have one life, it is your responsibility to make it the life of your dreams. Live toward the dreams, claim your life.

How can you be the person you want to be? One step at a time. You have to know where you are going, but you do not have to know how to get there. Don’t ask yourself how. That isn’t important. What is important is that you decide today that you claim your life and you start moving in the general direction of where you want to be. Start opening your mind to the possibility of you being you. Maybe your dream has been sleeping for almost your entire life. It is time to awaken the inner giant. Stop holding the ball under water, release it and see it bursting through the surface. From then on the ball will float effortless on the water. When you are going in the direction you are meant to go, everything will get easier. You will float through life. Don’t you ever think you help yourself or your beloved ones by not being who you are meant to be.

Start moving into the general direction, see yourself doing the things you would do if you were the person you want to be. Now start
doing those things everyday a little more. Start acting like that person. Act. That is all you have to do. Eventually you will become that
person. Start reading how other people did it. Choose someone you admire and read his life story. Ask yourself how would they do it, and do it.

Set a goal, take action and persist with passion. Everyday will be a blessing. Before long you will be telling yourself what a fool you have been not being your authentic self. Life will be fun, full with joy. Start living the blessed life, take your responsibility. You are 100% accountable, it is your life, claim it.

And remember all of the following:

• Find a job you love, and you will never have to work again.” — Confucius
• Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” — Buddha
• It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.” — Napoleon Hill
• Before success comes in any man’s life, he’s sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and the most logical thing to do is to quit. That’s exactly what the majority of men do.” — Napoleon Hill
• You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” — Beverly Sills
• No man is ever whipped until he quits in his own mind.” — Napoleon Hill

I know you can do it! If you are in need of a little help I am more then happy to coach you. Just send me an email, come over to the 5% side and start living the charmed life. If you want to read more about how to get everything you want I suggest you read up on the Science of Getting Rich

Sunny greetings from Belgium

Nick Belhomme