Note: The following review is of a internet marketing book that I requested from Hay House UK, which they kindly sent me.

With the book ”Launch: An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build A Business You Love, And Live The Life Of Your Dreams”, internet entrepreneur and marketer Jeff Walker, who’s one of the world’s foremost expert in the online marketing industry, clearly outline the steps you have to take to bring your business successfully online.

Jeff Walker started ut in the online marketing industry back in 1996 when he began to publish a newsletter teaching people about the stockmarket. It was a modest beginning, but since then his Product Launch Formula that’s been developed through extensive testing, has drastically changed the way we’re doing business online.

In "Launch", you’ll get all the essential information and tools you need to turn your vision of an online business into reality.

The Product Launch Formula process

In an easy-to-follow approach, Jeff Walker takes you through the Product Launch Formula process, and by that significantly increases your odds of being able to build a solid and profitable online business.

What You'll Learn

After you’ve digested all of this valuable information the book contains, you’ll know more of how to build an mailing list from scratch, how to write engaging sales letters, find out which the mental triggers are that turn prospects into paying customers, the important role of social media and email and how to use these tools productively in your online business, and how to work with pre-launches prior to the big launch.

Inspiring Case Studies

To help you put all of the information into practical use, the book is filled with inspiring case studies of people who have started or turned their online businesses into successful ventures by using the information you find in this book.

You Can Sell Almost Anything

This sounds all great, but what if you don’t have a physical product to sell, but are eager to bring your business online? Good news – Jeff Walker has covered this as well – you’ll learn how to both sell non- or physical products and services, and how to build an online business from scratch. It’s all here!

Get Additional Free Resources

”Launch” also comes with free resources – these include a four-part training video with Jeff Walker, a 30 minutes full-length case study video presentation, a special questions and answers session with Jeff shot on video, and finally, a video presentation in which Jeff takes you through his own strategies when launching this newly updated version of ”Launch”.

"Launch" - A Wealth of Inspiration and Assistance

Whether you already are running an online business or thinking about it, "Launch: An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build A Business You Love, And Live The Life Of Your Dreams", will be a tremendously valuable source of inspiration and assistance on your way forward.

Note: The following review is of a leadership book that I requested from Harvard Business Review Press, which they kindly sent me.

”Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading” by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linksy is a book that urges you to seize opportunities for leadership on an ongoing basis, in your everyday life and working environment.

More written like a novel and a page-turner than a "dry and technical" manual, the book discusses the beauty of leadership and its importance, but at the same time highlights some of the common pitfalls that a leader or manager should look out for, especially in times of great change.

Below are some of the many key points that the book covers of which I took to heart.

1. Look out for clues in your working environment

With lots of different case studies from the area of business and politics, the authors describe how to look for clues in your working environment to get a clear sense of when to push forward or when to pull back. These are clues that otherwise might go unnoticed and get missed entirely or simply being overlooked by a leader that finds himself/herself in a demanding work situation.

2. Observe your closest allies and take note of the signals

To me, the book paints the picture of a work place that is like a living organism, an organization when experiencing too much pressure and strain in one area, risks of breaking apart in a whole different part. Things can quickly take a turn for the worse when someone who's taking on a leadership position doesn't notice the worrisome signals coming from their closest allies due to the pressure they themselves are experiencing in conjunction with the work of change.

Here, the authors do a great job of shedding the light on something that otherwise can result in major negative consequences for someone who's in the forefront.

3. How to reduce the risk of getting emotionally injured

Another important part the authors bring to surface, is how to avoid getting emotionally injured when leading. Just by changing how you, as a leader or manager, interpret the reactions and feedback you’re receiving from your team and colleagues can save you lots of unnecessary emotional pain – here Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linksy provide a great deal of information on how to do that, drawing from their wealth of experiences working for themselves and with others.

4. Leadership isn't a one-person operation

An aspect in regard to leadership the book covers is that leading isn’t a one-person operation. Instead, it is of significant importance to seek out and have allies, but also to seek out and work closely together with your opposition. For leaders, these are crucial steps for navigating through the sometimes harsh waters they find themselves in.

5. Delegate – put the work where it belongs

A good trait of a leader, the authors tell us, is knowing when to step back and delegate in some work related situations and let those involved take full ownership – to put the work where it belongs so as to avoid the recurrence of the issue and instead get sustainable results and achieve progress.

In closing – a great investment

The book makes for lots of reflection besides gifting you with valuable tools for making your work as a leader a more fulfilling one.

”Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading” is well worth your time and investment if leadership is something you’re already involved with or aspiring to explore.

Like the authors tell us – there are opportunities for leadership presenting themselves every day in every walk of life. You just have to seize them!

To transform video footage into a cinematic look, you can use something called 3D LUTs that, simply explained, when applied give your footage a new color scheme.

The recent change of video editor Filmora enables the use of LUTs, and since there is a good market with free and paid 3D LUTs, it's easy to get that specific look from a Blockbuster movie you've been wanting to recreate.

Read More: Review of Filmora Video Editor: A Real Powerhouse with a Very Modest Price Tag

Filmora already comes with a couple of great built-in 3D LUTs such as "Star Wars" and "Game of Thrones", but if those aren't enough, Filmora handles most of the LUTs I've come across fairly well. My guess is that in future updates of Filmora, you'll get more control of tailoring the settings of the LUTs your using since some of them, but not many, can ruin the look of your footage if set in default mode.

The one resource that helped me greatly in collecting a wide variety of LUTs was the extensive guide put together by film editor Jonny Elwyn. Most of the resources on this page is the same ones that you'll find after a Google search for free and paid 3D LUTs.

Happy color grading!

In an earlier post, I wrote a review about Wondershare's powerful video editor Filmora, that despite all its functionality comes with a very modest price tag.

Filmora's recent update includes a few features that I missed in the previous version and wished soon would be included. So, when the recent update was available, it didn't disappoint.

Pan and Zoom – In this update, Filmora comes with the pan and zoom tool also known as the Ken Burns effect, which makes it easy to give image and video additional depth by zooming in and panning over them.

The Magnetic Timeline and Auto Ripple – I really missed this feature in the last version, and alongside with the ability to pan and zoom, I thought these were the features that prevented Filmora to be a great film editor overall.

In the previous version, the video layer didn't correspond directly with the layers underneath, which meant that if you had synced and aligned sound, text and effects to your video and then decided to add another video clip somewhere in the video layer, it all got out of sync if you didn't perform a workaround. Now, enabling the auto ripple, a video clip's corresponding effects, overlays, text and music will move along beautifully to its new position. And another great little feature with this tool – if you decide to delete a video clip from the timeline, the corresponding elements below will also get deleted, leaving you with a clean working area without having to do the time consuming task of going through several layers and delete manually.

Advanced Color Tuning – With this tool, you can adjust the color of your video clips and images by using presets and 3D LUTs that you're able to adjust to your liking. Some of these presets are inspired by films and TV shows like "Star Wars" and "Game of Thrones" or that vintage film look that I love, like Polaroid. But it doesn't end here – you can go ahead and experiment by your own by changing the many different options and settings for light and color. If you end up with a nice color scheme, you are able to save it as a preset which is really handy if you need to reuse it on another project.

Read More: Cinematic Color Grading in Filmora Video Editor by Using 3D LUTs

Reading through the comments on Filmora's YouTube channel and Facebook page, there seems to be lots of requested features, that soon or in a near future, will be implemented. I can't wait to see what the new update will bring!

Like so many others, the growing popularity of videos and the business of vlogging has led me in the search for an easy-to-use, yet powerful, video editor.

After some extensive research, I found out about Wondershare's Filmora Video Editor.

A Major Redesign

What caught my interest initially with this program was it's nicely designed interface, something that just recently had been re-designed. The new interface looks organized and self-explanatory, and to make the recent change even better, you can shift the interface between a light and dark color scheme.

Dark skin:

Light skin:

With the recent change of the interface along with a few other important and useful changes such as an improved audio tool mixer, the ability to record your screen and an added animated GIF tool, Filmora's developer team seems to be keen to implement user suggestions of new features.

Many Theme-Based Effects Packs

Filmora Video Editor comes with many different library special effects, but additional theme-based effects packs like the "80's Retro Collection" and "Fashion Collection" are being offered for a very modest price tag, while many of them are completely for free.

Read More: Review of Filmora Video Editor's 80's Retro Collection Effects Pack

Royalty Free Music at Your Finger Tips

It's Easy to Get Started with Your Filmmaking

To get going with the video editor is easy because of the excellent user guides that are being offered such as text tutorials or video instructions. Filmora's YouTube channel seems to be growing in a fast pace with lots of tips and tricks being added.

Having imported my first media files, it didn't take long before I finished my very first short video. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it built confidence in myself and the program.

Must Read: Video Editor Filmora Now Includes Pan and Zoom, Auto Ripple and Advanced Color Tuning

Try Out the Editor for Free for an Unlimited Time

To try out the software, Wondershare offers you unlimited and full access to Filmora, with just one limitation – the free version will create a large watermark on the exported video. But, what I like about this offer is that everyone who wants to get started making videos can do it right away, and when you have finished a few projects you can just buy a license, rest assured that you have examined the program thoroughly.

A Powerful Video Editor That Doesn't Cost Much

To buy a license for personal use currently costs $29.99/year or a $49.99 one-time-fee that will include free future updates. If you need to use Filmora on additional computers or for use within business and school, different prices occur.

With a video editor that seems to undergo a major transformation, that's a pretty good deal. Take notice Adobe Premiere!

Featured image: From Filmora's YouTube video "How to Record Your Computer Screen: Screen Recorder & Editor for PC & Mac".

One sunny weekend in the beginning of July, I completed my beginner's course in Acem Meditation.

In two three-hour long sessions, spread out over a month, I learned how to meditate with a mantra according to the teachings of Acem Meditation.

How Acem Meditation Was Founded

To share a bit of history, Acem Meditation has its roots in the Transcendental Meditation movement. Acem's founder Dr. Are Holen had learned Deep Meditation in 1962 (later to be called Transcendental Meditation) from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who brought Transcendental Meditation to the West in the 50's. Holen represented Transcendental Meditation in Norway through the Academic Meditation Society (AMS) that he had founded in '66 while a student at the University of Oslo, but in 1972, due to disagreements with the TM organization, Are Holen and his fellow group of Transcendental Meditation teachers went on their own and founded Acem School of Meditation, in which the meditation technique was taught precisely as before minus some religious and philosophical beliefs and terms.

Today, Acem Meditation operates globally and offers a rich selection of different courses and retreats, all with a very affordable price tag.

Meditation Basics and the Method Sound

We began the course with a short presentation of ourselves, and then we moved on to learn about the basics in meditation such as correct posture, the placement of our hands, how to sit, and so forth. Then, we learned more about how to treat the mantra (in Acem called a method sound) and how it works, and how to avoid certain pitfalls along the way.

After an hour and so of teaching, it was time to put the knowledge into practice by meditating together, using the method sound. All participants in the group received the same method sound, but practitioners of Acem can ask to be given an individual method sound after six months of regular practice if they wish to do so. However, the method sound you receive at first can be used as long as you'd like and with good results – this is entirely up to each individual.

We received a short instruction in how to pronounce and use the method sound, and then we meditated for 30 minutes, followed by a discussion about what we experienced to ensure that we had meditated correctly. Another group meditation followed shortly, and then we were on our own until the next and final session two weeks later. These two weeks gave us ample time to meditate regularly and come up with questions regarding our practice.

Physical and Mental Releases of Tension Through Meditation

In our last and final session, we learned more about physical and mental releases of tension that occur during meditation and how to deal with difficult feelings and thoughts such as anxiety. Personal growth through a regular meditation practice was another topic that was discussed in detail.

Some of the information from our first session was repeated once more, like how to pronounce and work with the method sound. I also took advantage of a mantra checking to assure me that I remembered my newly acquired method sound correctly.

After having concluded two more group meditations, we had successfully completed the beginner's course.

Continuing Support and Follow-up Activities

But the course didn't stop there – we were encouraged to get in touch with our teachers if questions and problems arise. And, if we are unable to visit an Acem Meditation center, meditation checking can be done by phone or Skype.

Also, Acem offers a wide range of follow-up and refresher courses, retreats and other education materials such as books and audio recordings. Another great resource is their blog that contains many lengthy articles about Acem Meditation and the practice.

A Great Resource with an Affordable Price Tag

A great selling point with learning Acem Meditation is their lower course fees of $95.00 (full time students: $45.00) for the beginner's course, which makes effortless mantra meditation accessible to everyone – individuals, families and companies – and that is a great thing in today's somewhat stressful environment.

Although I've previously learned effortless mantra meditation from several resources online, I'm glad to now have experienced these teachings in a live class as well. And since they are all very affordable (I can't emphasize this enough!), you can easily combine them and get a wonderful education in this ancient meditation practice.

Featured image: Acem International Retreat Centre at Halvorsbøle outside Oslo, Norway, via Acem Meditation's YouTube channel.

In the book "The Transcendental Meditation Technique and The Journey of Enlightenment" (2015), Ann Purcell digs deep into the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who brought the technique to the West.

A TM teacher since '73, Ann has lots of experience under her belt. In the book, she blends written poems with everyday experiences that she and other meditators have encountered through the practice of Transcendental Meditation, together with a thorough explanation of the different elements and stages that are closely related to the technique, elements that you very well might encounter on your own meditation journey.

Ann's book differs somewhat from the books related to TM that I've previously read. While the others are a great read in their own way, this book deals more with the fundamental and spiritual stages and concepts that you associate with the technique, and less with scientific findings and personal accounts, although you'll find these as well.

In her work, Ann includes the writings from some of our most beloved authors such as Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Helen Keller, and scholars of today such as Craig Pearson and Robert Keith Wallace, connecting their work with the concepts of Transcendental Meditation.

A few of those concepts are:

• the natural state of enlightenment
• the growing sense of belonging
• bliss
• God and cosmic consciousness
• the experience of flow
• love
• the blossom of creativity

Towards the end of the book, I particularly enjoyed the part when Ann talked about the importance of taking better care of our nature, e.g., grow and eat more organic food, the use of renewable energy, and the creation of more stress-free environments in schools and workplaces around the world, and how your own meditation practice contributes to more peace in the world, not just within yourself.

The book is easy to read, from cover to cover if you'd like, and will inspire you to maintain your own meditation practice, growing yourself and the world at the same time.

Image credit: Via publisher Green Dragon Books.

A Book Review in Swedish Based on the Work of Mental Training Expert Lars-Eric Uneståhl, Ph.D.

The following text is a review in Swedish about the book "Huvudrätt: mental träning för alla" (Main Course: Mental Training for Everyone). The book is based on the teachings of one of the world's foremost expert on mental training, Lars-Eric Uneståhl, Ph.D. You can read about Uneståhl's work here, and find out more about the courses in English he has to offer, for example the extensive distance UMT-course (Unestahl Mental Training).

Bokrecension av 'Huvudrätt: mental träning för alla' (2015)

Vad jag håller i min hand vill jag sammanfatta som Lars-Eric Uneståhls, fil. dr i psykologi och grundare av Skandinaviska Ledarhögskolan samt pionjär inom mental träning, PUMT-kurs (Personlig Utveckling genom Mental Träning) i mini- och bokformat, som löper under 150 dagar. "Huvudrätt: mental träning för alla" (2015) ger dig möjlighet att snabbt och okomplicerat komma igång och träna mentalt.

Till sin hjälp har Uneståhl längdskidåkaren och världsmästaren Johan Olsson, den erfarne mentala tränaren och coachen Stig Wiklund samt författaren Sara Olsson som tidigare har arbetat med böckerna "Våga välja eget spår" (2013) och "Vägen tillbaka: må bra, prestera bra!" (2013).

För vem passar 'Huvudrätt'

Denna bok passar en bred kategori av människor, vare sig du är:

• föräldern som önskar redskap vilka kan ge återhämtning, lugn, harmoni, och förbättrade relationer
• företagaren, chefen, den anställde som önskar höja den egna prestationen, sätta upp och nå specifika mål, möjliggöra ett mer kreativt och dynamiskt arbetsklimat, skapa en bättre gruppkänsla samt friskare personal och kollegor
• idrottsutövaren, författaren, musikern som önskar att uppleva det kreativa flödet oftare och lättare, s.k. flow, där tid och rum står stilla och den egna prestationen bara händer
• för dig som söker lindring till följd av tinnitus, sömnlöshet, kronisk värk och sjukdom
• för dig som är utbränd eller upplever sig vara på väg dit
• eller för dig som enbart är nyfiken på mental träning och personlig utveckling och önskar upprätthålla något av ett mentalt friskvårdsprogram

Ovanstående lista kan givetvis utökas med ett flertal kategorier, men den visar på att boken lämpar sig väl för en bred målgrupp, för vem mår inte bra av att må bra mentalt?

Din egen vardagliga mentor

Att närvara vid och deltaga i diverse föreläsningar och workshops är vanligt förekommande idag. Dock händer det ofta att den initiala entusiasm som följer efter att ha lyssnat på en inspirerande och upplyftande föreläsning avtar efter några dagar, och sakteliga återgår man till gamla invanda vane- och tankemönster. Personlig utveckling kräver tid och övning och här utgör "Huvudrätt" ett utomordentligt komplement. Där kanske föreläsningar ger en "tillfällig smärtlindring" kan boken ta egenskapen som din egen vardagliga och närvarande mentor där du bjuds in att ställa personliga frågor som går på djupet och skapar varaktig förändring.

Även barnen får vara med

I boken finns en rad övningar specifikt utformade för barn, som hjälper till att bygga självtillit och självförtroende hos barnet, samt kan hjälpa till att skapa och utveckla en djupare relation mellan dig som förälder och ditt barn.

Självhypnos och det mentala rummet

Något du kommer att lära dig under kursens gång är självhypnos. Genom vetenskapliga studier har Lars-Eric Uneståhl kunnat påvisa att självhypnos och hypnos via en utomstående hypnotisör (heterohypnos) är lika verksamt, och att hypnosdjupet efter ett par månaders mental träning var detsamma som vid heterohypnos.

Som ett led i detta kommer du i boken kunna läsa om och skapa ditt eget mentala rum. Väl där kommer du att befinna dig i ett självhypnotiskt tillstånd där hjärnan blir mer balanserad och bättre mottaglig för suggestioner och föreställningar.

Här kan du exempelvis:

• få återhämtning
• programmera dina mål och framtidsvisioner
• ändra på fysiska och mentala tillstånd
• hantera och bearbeta stress, ångest och fobier
• lindra värk
• utveckla din kreativa sida

Tillhörande ljudfiler

Till vissa av bokens övningar ingår diverse ljudfiler så att du mer passivt och effektivt kan ta till dig den specifika övningen. I dessa ger Lars-Eric dig en rad suggestioner till tonerna av avslappningsmusik.

Vad krävs av dig

Att systematiskt arbeta igenom boken kräver av dig mellan 3-15 min varje dag. Dock är boken upplagd så att du utan problem kan bläddra igenom den och påbörja valfri övning omedelbart då det finns gott om fristående övningar.

Boken tryckt i smidigt format

För närvarande finns inte "Huvudrätt" som pocket men den inbundna varianten är tryckt i ett smidigt format vilket gör den lätt att ta med i väskan.

Var kan jag köpa boken

Följande aktörer tillhandahåller "Huvudrätt: mental träning för alla":

• Adlibris – 208 kr
• CDON.COM – 205 kr
• Ginza – 229 kr
• Campusbokhandeln – 208 kr

Vidare material

Som avslutning vill jag passa på att rekommendera Lars-Eric Uneståhls ljudprogram "Divine: det gyllene rummet" samt "Må bra med mental träning", vilka snabbt ger dig värdefulla tekniker. Jag har de flesta av Uneståhls ljudprogram vilka alla håller en hög kvalité, men dessa två är oerhört smidiga att komma igång med. Ett flertal aktörer tillhandahåller programmen, inklusive större bibliotek.

På en del av Uneståhls ljudprogram används avslappningsmusik gjord av Kasa-Lord, som är komponerat enligt det gyllene snittet vilket ökar lugn och avslappning. Du finner Kasa-Lords musik här eller via Spotify. Kasa-Lord ger också ut musik under sitt riktiga namn Tommy Kaså och då finner du honom här på Spotify, där du kan lyssna på en av mina favoriter, "Fagertärn" (2007).

Yesterday I watched the movie The Way, Way Back. At first I almost rejected the movie but me and my wife ended up watching it anyway. Seeing one of the posters, I mistakenly thought this was yet another youth movie. I´m so happy I was wrong. The movie left us with some very good feelings.

The story was touching, the movie was shoot in nice surroundings and the soundtrack was good (soundtrack on Spotify), but most importantly, the acting was great. Steve Carell played yet another character role, this time acting as the wicked and controlling stepdad. The acting by Sam Rockwell was pure pleasure to watch, Toni Collette, Maya Rudolph and Allison Janney were outstanding as always. The younger actors did really great too, Liam James and AnnaSophia Robb.

From the IMDB synopsis:

Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.

Trailer:

We fell in love with co-writer Jim Rash´s character Lewis:

Related reading:

• Jim Rash and Nat Faxon on The Way, Way Back: 'It's a rebirth'
• The Way, Way Back Trailer: Steve Carell, Jerkface
• "The Way Way Back" - a movie with plenty of laughs and lots of heart