
This is an interview with Chase Amante, a teacher of the social arts and author of How To Make Girls Chase.
Chase has been practicing and teaching how to pick-up women for over half a decade now. After working 3 years in San Diego, California, he now practices his studies abroad. Currently stationed in Beijing, China, Chase is living proof that the principles of attraction are virtually universal and cross-cultural.
In his 400+ page guide, Chase tells everything he knows on how to make men more attractive and seductive. He emphasizes key principles and techniques to help men achieve greater confidence, as well as how to get men to tap into their often neglected sexual and intimate nature around women.
His guide covers everything from body language and speech to cultivating the right attitudes and habits around women, and beyond.
Unlike other pick-up/seduction material, he doesn’t tell men to recite scripts or make up stories so that they appear better than who they really are. Instead, he offers tools that guys can use to authentically build upon themselves (without needing to hide their true personalities). He also doesn’t ignore the importance of things like fashion and physical appearance (which keeps his teachings firmly grounded in reality), but he does emphasize that these are only one of many factors (and they are rarely a deal-breaker).
Be warned, however, Chase’s teachings aren’t going to give you overnight success – Chase acknowledges at the very beginning this stuff takes both smart work and hard work.
I’m really happy Chase took the time to do this interview with me. You can tell he carefully thought out each response and he has a huge range of knowledge. Chase doesn’t just give hope to men who are in desperate need of improving their success with women; instead, he actively walks men through what they need to do in order to make their dreams with women into a reality.
Quick note: I was really tempted to break this interview down into 2 parts (because it’s nearly 4,000 words!) but then I thought: screw it, I might as well package all the information in one punch – what’s the point of making people wait to get the rest of it? That being said, because there is so much information in this post – I really encourage you to read through the entire thing so you don’t miss out on anything important.
How To Make Girls Chase: An Interview with Chase Amante
STEVEN: Hey Chase, I really want to thank you for doing this interview for our readers. I want to start by asking: how do you usually teach this stuff to guys? In particular, what role does a guy’s confidence play in being successful with women, and how can guys become more confident in themselves?
CHASE: I’m a big believer in teaching guys inner confidence and mental attitudes through outer experiences. Reason being, you can talk about inner game until you’re blue in the face, and get people really excited, but even if you do that for a whole weekend, you won’t change guys half as much as if you just get them out there talking to a few girls and having some good experiences. The guy who builds up positive experiences keeps going out and meeting new women and getting better and better; the guy who doesn’t, doesn’t.
I do start with a bit of an overview on the learning process. I make it a point to let guys know that it isn’t easy to get good with women, and that it may very well be the hardest thing you ever do. But if you forge ahead, through all the hard nights and tough experiences, and you make yourself stick with it and you force yourself to confront your fears and you feel that fear and the uncertainty and you go out and meet girls anyway, you WILL improve, and you WILL get there, provided you keep at it.
I’ve heard it said that the pace of scientific innovation is never as quick as the optimists say it will be, but it’s never as slow as the pessimists proclaim it’ll be, either. Getting good with women is like that; it never happens as fast as you think it will in your fantasies, but it never happens as slow as you think it will after a tough night that leaves you feeling like you’ll never get any better with girls.
One other thing I like to start with is giving guys a quick and dirty roadmap to getting a girl. I feel like pretty much everyone out there – from the mainstream dating advice people, to the other folks teaching in the pick up industry – they all focus on getting part of the way through an interaction with a woman. Like, get her to like you, that’s all you need to do. No wonder guys are nervous – what do you do after she likes you? The advice gets a lot hazier at that point.
My roadmap is, who cares if she doesn’t immediately like you – focus on moving her instead. You’d be surprised how often you’ll meet a girl who seems to be really flirty and nice, but you try to move her and she won’t go with you; you try and get her home and she’ll decline. But other times you’ll have a girl who doesn’t seem to be into you at all; she’s being rude, she’s distracted, but if you ask her to move with you she does; and when you invite her home, she goes with you, and the two of you end up becoming lovers and you later realize she’s a wonderful person, but she was just having a bad night.
STEVEN: In other words, first impressions aren’t everything?
CHASE: Thing about first impressions is they’re a two-way street. A lot of people think of first impressions as being one-way — there’s how you make your impression on others, and that’s it. But there’s also how good others are at reading between the lines of that impression. Like, if a guy who’s not all that experienced socially yet and hasn’t built up his social intuition much goes out and runs into a girl who’s acting rude, most of the time he’s going to shut down right then, feel a little intimidated, and get away from her or not talk to her. But a guy who’s been around the block, on the other hand, he’s much better sizing a woman’s real character up pretty fast, regardless what her mood is right then in the moment. It’s like the difference between a guy who can only see a diamonds when they’re sitting on a nice black cloth, and a guy who’s good at finding and identifying the diamonds in the rough.
Moods are temporary, and they aren’t who someone is. The guy who meets a girl who’s dancing wildly at a nightclub is going to be sorely disappointed if he thinks she’s always like that, you know? Especially in extreme situations — like walking up and meeting a stranger, for example — you’ve got to go in with a certain expectation that people may not act themselves right off the bat.
STEVEN: A lot of guys seem to have the belief that they need to bend over backwards to get girls to like them. They think they always need to buy a girl drinks or nice gifts, get the door for her every time, and practically kiss her toes whenever she enters the room. They think if they do all these things correctly (“treat her like a princess”), then the girl should fall for them, but how might this common strategy actually be counter-productive?
CHASE: Instead of making the focus – “get girls to like you” – which is a horrible focus, by the way, because the best way to get girls to like you is to be really, really friendly, which is actually quite detrimental toward making a woman want to become your lover – I instruct men to make the focus first to keep meeting girls until they find one they like who’s responding well enough to them too, then to seek to move her to somewhere else within the venue, then to either set up a date and grab a number and say goodbye, or to invite her home.
STEVEN: Yes, definitely. I think the problem with the “get girls to like you” mentality is that it makes men come from a place of desperation. You feel like you have to mold yourself to act a certain way to get her to like you (such as doing “really, really friendly” things), and your actions come from a place of weakness and insecurity.
I don’t think that “being friendly” in itself is a bad thing though, only when it comes from this place of desperation.
CHASE: Yes, you know, that’s really an excellent point. Trying to make people like you is a really harmful, detrimental mindset — it’s one I had for a long time, from the time I was about 13 until I was maybe 24 or 25 — and it can really grind you up inside. The worst part about it is, there’s no end point! You never “win;” you can never say, “All right, Casey likes me; mission accomplished.” Nope, because she can always like you more, and she could always like you less, too. You have to keep working at it forever.
As for being friendly, that’s totally fine, though you want to combine it with having an edge. Most people talking about dating you’ll hear tend to recommend that either you be really friendly and that’s it (but that ends you up in the friend zone — not so effective at getting you girlfriends and lovers) or you be really edgy and that’s it (that’ll get you more girls in the short term, but good luck holding onto them). You look at a guy like George Clooney though, and there’s a man you’d say is a relatively friendly guy — but he’s still got a very noticeable edge. Combining warm, genuine friendliness (not the fake “pretend to be nice” friendliness a lot of men mistake for the genuine variety) with a sexy, attractive, appealing edge makes for a deadly and highly charismatic combination.
Also, having a concrete set of goals like “meet lots of girls, try to move them, then try to get them home” is a lot easier to wrap your head around and go out and do than a big amorphous blob of a goal like “try and get girls to like me.”
STEVEN: There’s often a big elephant in the room whenever there is a discussion about attraction – and that’s how big of a role looks play in picking-up women. What do you say to guys who may not be the best-looking dudes in town, but still want to be successful. (I know you cover all of this information in your guide, but try to summarize some of the main points for our readers).
CHASE: Well, that’s a good question, and the answer’s not what you probably think.
So, first, looks matter. But don’t go crazy on looks – it’s not like with women; they only matter to an extent. Lose excess weight, get trim, wear clothes that fit you well (I’m 6’00″ and 160 lbs. with an athletic body type and I wear American size “small”), learn fashion and dress with style and flair. Wear something unique, but also subtle – don’t do outlandish so much, unless you can do it in a classy way. Find a highly rated fashion hairstylist – male, preferably – in your town, and tell him that you want sexy and edgy (but still able to be put into a “work safe” mode if you’ve got a day job) and that your hair’s his canvas, so do with it what he will. Watch how he styles it so you can style it yourself, too. Get facial hair – it’s underrated how much this helps – a trim moustache and goatee, a chinstrap and soulpatch, or, my current favorite, facial stubble with a clean shaven neck. Stubble and facial hair turns “boys” into “men,” and it’s amazing what a difference a few days’ growth can make in your reception from women.
But beyond that, I’ve met girls leaving the gym in a sweat-drenched undershirt and had them pick me up. I’ve had occasions where it rained and my styled-up hair became a frizzy afro, or I was sick to my stomach and looking like a ghost, and I still did crazy things with women. And not always when I was amazing with girls… I had experiences like this back when I still struggled to get dates. So I think it’s important guys never get into the habit of thinking, “Oh no, I’m not wearing my best outfit… I can’t go talk to her like this!”
The thing looks do for you is they get the door open more easily, but that’s it. I’ve met tons of tall, wickedly handsome men that the women around me were drooling over for their looks, and had those men confess to me that in fact they never got girls, and that all the attraction women had for them at first faded quickly into friendliness when the guy couldn’t figure out what to do with that attraction.
Fact is, most men aren’t closers – they aren’t guys who will take a woman’s interest in them and actually do something with it before that interest is gone. The first guy I ever met who was really, really good with women was an old coworker of mine – a tire salesman named Jim. Jim was 5’3″, Puerto Rican, 23 when I knew him, with a big beer belly and a touch of a premature bald spot, but he also sported an easy laugh, a megawatt smile, and a magnetic personality. He was a gifted salesman, and he had a beautiful, devoted blonde girlfriend, and a ton of other lovers on the side, including the boss’s stunning British cousin, who visited America for two weeks, and by the time she returned home to England she was calling my buddy late at night and telling him she hadn’t slept with her boyfriend since she got back and that she was staying up at night touching herself thinking about him.
The next guy I knew who was really good with women was a roommate of mine in college – a 5’6″ Asian guy who pulled off (and still pulls off) the craziest things with girls. Even when he was (briefly) in a committed relationship, he still had women – some of them tall, very pretty, and with incredible bodies – chasing after him. And at the time, his Chinese accent was so thick I couldn’t understand how American girls could even understand him, let alone chase him. I mean, he wasn’t exactly the stereotype of “sexy” that you see on TV. But chase him they did.
The difference with Jim, and the difference with my old college roommate, and with a dozen other guys I’ve known since then who had wild results with women – some tall, some short; some ridiculously good-looking, some decidedly lacking in the looks department; some wealthy, some dead broke – was that they were men who closed, and women could tell it. While most guys are sitting there like rocks, fretting over whether a girl thinks they’re too fat or too short or too poor or too whatever, these guys just went “to hell with it,” and took the girls they liked by the hands and ran away with them somewhere and found out what happened. In fact, I just had a short, none-too-cute unemployed friend of mine dating a tall, pretty, blonde ESPN sportscaster. Why was she dating my friend, when she no doubt had so many options, you’d think? Because he made it happen, and all the other men she met didn’t.
There are few guarantees in life, and even fewer in love. Nobody knows if that girl from class or work or the coffee shop or the bus stop or the bar down the road is going to end up being your lover or girlfriend or wife or if she’s going to wave you off and go back to whatever it is she was doing. The only guarantee is, if you approach doing well with women as a skill, instead of as a life-or-death now-or-never this-is-my-only-shot sort of deal like most men do every time they see a pretty girl they like, you will improve, and you will get higher quantities of women, higher qualities of women, and a greater amount of satisfaction in your love life.
STEVEN: It sounds like your guide is primarily about getting intimate with women (“moving a girl”), from first saying “Hi” to getting her in bed. I was wondering if your book has anything to offer individuals who may not be AS interested in only having sex with women, but instead wanting to be more effective at dating or simply maintaining a relationship?
Will some people be turned off by the direct, sexual intent of your book?
CHASE: Good questions, Steven. Well, you’re right — the book is very much geared toward showing men how to build a solid, consistent process they can use to meet the women they want and take them as lovers. Much of what’s discussed is highly applicable in relationships too, and I’ve had lots of people commenting that what they learned from reading my book they’ve been using with everyone in their lives, but the book is directed at teaching men to attract and become intimate with women.
I’ve seen lots of different men’s approaches on trying to bring women into their lives, and I’ve tried a great deal of them myself. The vast majority do not work. The fact is — and this is a pretty uncomfortable truth for a lot of people to hear — the longer you know a woman without becoming her lover, the smaller the chance becomes that the two of you will ever get together.
Before anyone objects or gets offended at this notion, a simple question to ask: how often do you end up dating someone you’ve known for a really long time?
The mainstream would have you think everyone people ended up dating was a really close person to them they’d known forever. Like, each one of Sally’s boyfriends was one of those guys who’d been chasing after her for 2 or 3 years. Eventually, each guy got his shot with her, goes the thinking. He just had to wait it out long enough.
But what you actually see most often is guys who think a girl is their dream girl, and they chase her for ever and ever, but meanwhile she’s dating a bunch of other guys she’s just met. Because that’s how dating works — once a woman’s known a guy for a little while, she puts him into a category, and if the category you end up in isn’t “lover” or “boyfriend,” it’s really, really hard to climb out of there and re-categorize yourself later on down the road.
So how do you get into the “lover” category or the “boyfriend” category? Well, the easiest, most reliable way is to actually become a girl’s lover, and, if you like, become her boyfriend.
That aside, if a guy’s primary goal is dating around to find the one girl he likes and make her his girlfriend or wife, there’s a lot of material in this book that’ll help him immensely. Regarding relationships, I specifically did not go into the topic of relationship management — that’s a huge topic in and of itself, and this book alone on just how to actually get a girl is already pretty darn long — I may at some point do a separate book on it. But no point putting the cart before the horse — I wanted to get the one on how to get the girl out first, and the one on how to keep her I’ll get out later!
Most of the stuff in the dating and relationship advice category is very much just feelgood, pump-you-up stuff that doesn’t provide much practical, actionable, how-to advice. There’s a lot of fluff like, “Just be yourself! It’ll all work out. Do what comes naturally!” that maybe leaves you feeling happy when you’re finished reading it, but you’re still no better at dating, at getting lovers, at getting girlfriends, at making them want to stick around and be with you over the long haul.
So that’s what I focused on putting together. A focused, direct book on the mechanics of how to actually get girls interested in you, how to make yourself more attractive, how to make conversation with the opposite sex, how to move things forward with women, and how to get together with them. Will some people be put off by that? Perhaps. I’d like to think I’m an eloquent enough writer that I can get my point across without coming across too boorish, so hopefully the offended represent a small minority. I wanted to get something out for all the guys who really want to know this stuff, though, because I haven’t come across anything anywhere near as thorough and comprehensive. So if I have to offend a handful of people in order to get the guys who really want to improve themselves and find greater success with women the information they need, I guess that’s the path I’ve taken. I’d be surprised if too many people were offended by this book, though. Heck, I let my mother read it (although, admittedly, she was a child of the ’70s).
I want to again thank Chase for taking a big chunk out of his day to answer these questions and share some really valuable information. I hope the readers here appreciate his effort too. If you find his teachings interesting, be sure to support him by checking out, “How To Make Girls Chase.” I personally think there are some big answers in this book that many guys have probably been searching to find for a long time now. I’ve personally read a lot of books on this subject in the past, and I can tell Chase knows his stuff better than just about anyone else in the field.


The other day I had the pleasure of interviewing Jonathan Mead, an entrepreneur and blogger at Illuminated Mind, and author of the fearless self-improvement guide Reclaim Your Dreams. The book teaches you how to escape the monotony of 9-5 jobs, and begin living more on your own terms – a theme that really strikes the core of my own blog, and the lifestyle I’ve been trying to cultivate for myself over the past year.
So often people live their lives based on the blueprint that has been handed down to them: go to school, get good grades, go to college, get a comfortable job, and then settle down and start a family.
While this lifestyle may be perfectly suitable for some, I have always had other ideas in mind. I’ve always wanted more freedom and more choice. It’s good to know that I’m not alone, and others like Jonathan have already been successful defining their own path and living their dreams.
It can often be a scary thing to start living on your own terms. I’ve experienced the fear firsthand, and I face it everyday moving forward. It takes a great deal of responsibility to take control of your life. It also takes a lot of experimentation and inevitable failure.
It requires a leap that many are not willing to make, but when they make it work, they realize it was well worth the effort.
I’m currently in the same process Mead maps out in Reclaim Your Dreams. I’m facing uncertainty, I’m taking action, and I’m ready to learn from my failures and push forward.
I want to thank Mead for participating in this interview and letting me pick apart his brain a little:
Question #1: The unemployment rate remains high, and a recent article in the NY Times said that many are now seeking the entrepreneurial route. How can your book Reclaim Your Dreams help those who want to become self-employed or start their own business?
Reclaim Your Dreams isn’t a how-to guide to starting your own business. But it is a book that addresses an important pre-requisite to taking the plunge: how to find the courage to follow your heart. Most people sabotage themselves before they’ve even taken the first step. The ownership of their mind is not theirs; it’s overrun by the conditioning and ideas of what other people think they should do. We’re told from an early age that what it’s not okay to be who we are, we need to become something. We’re told that we need to work hard to succeed, and the work is a chore. All of this is nonsense. You don’t need to become anything, who you are right now is what you need to embrace. Work needn’t be a chore, you can do what makes you come alive and find purpose, enjoyment and earn a comfortable living from it as well.
Question #2: What is the single biggest factor that stops people from following
their dreams?
Passive assumption. The belief that things are a certain way without any real evidence to prove it. Most of the things we believe about the world or our capabilities are rooted in these assumptions. The problem is that we haven’t actually tested them, we don’t know if they’re true or not, so we’re really just guessing. That may be okay when you’re playing a game of cards, but when you’re life is at stake it’s better not to guess. It’s better to take what you believe, suspend it, and see what happens when you actually follow your dreams. You’ll be surprised that the repercussions are often vastly overrated.
Question #3: Is there ever a dream that is too big?
The only dream that’s too big is the one that you can’t truly believe in. Or the one that takes you away from living right now.
Question #4: In your book you write about dealing with naysayers, those people who discourage us from pursuing an unconventional lifestyle. Can you share some of that advice?
Well the first thing to remember is that “a statue was never raised to honor a critic.” It’s easy to be a critic, it’s a lot harder to do great things.
With that said the best way to deal with naysayers is to not care. And the only way you can be unaffected is when you get all of your approval from yourself.
Question #5: Instead of living their dreams, many are stuck in nightmare jobs, with nightmare bosses, and nightmare workloads. They want to be independent, but they have families to feed and bills to pay. They have no clue how to escape this prison-like lifestyle – what can these people start doing RIGHT NOW to build a better life?
You can start making more deliberate choices within your current circumstances. In a situation like that there are probably a lot of obligations and commitments that seem mandatory or unquestionable that really aren’t. Start systematically removing the commitments that don’t make you come alive. But start with something small. That might be deciding that you won’t work on the weekends and the evenings anymore, without exception. It might mean that you’re going to write a letter to your boss to explain how you want your working relationship to be. The more we work on these small things, the more courage we build to take bigger steps to creating the life we want.
Question #6: I’ve been collecting a lot of quotes lately. Do you have any favorites you’d like to share?
While we’re on the subject of following your dreams, I’ll share this quote I
highlight in my other ebook, The Zero Hour Workweek.
“The master in the art of living
draws no sharp distinction
between his labor and his leisure,
his mind and his body,
his work and his play,
his education and his recreation.
He hardly knows which.
He simply pursues his vision of excellence
through whatever he is doing
and leaves others to determine
whether his is working or playing.
To himself, he is always doing both.” – James A. Michener
—
That quote is one of my personal favorites. I’ve always explained to friends how I’ll never have a “job” or do “work,” because I absolutely hate the negative connotations attached to those words. To me, the biggest obstacle in life is re-framing your work as a form of play, and then using that playfulness to create awesome things that people value. I sometimes think of this as the “Google mentality” – Work hard. Play hard.
Thanks again Jonathan for sharing a little about your personal philosophy. I think we could all benefit from listening to your advice and applying it more in our lives. I know our paths will cross again soon.
If you want to learn more about Reclaim Your Dreams click below.

For my second interview I’ve chosen Peter Shallard from The Shrink for Entrepreneurs. Peter is a business psychology expert. He used to do clinical therapy, but then found how much easier it was to work with entrepreneurs who tend be more goal-oriented. Since then he has never looked back.
When I first discovered Peter’s site I was very impressed with the wealth of information offered there. His blog posts are Grade-A quality and he also offers a free e-book called “Seek And Destroy: How To Identify Entrepreneurial Obstacles and How To Overcome Them.” (direct PDF download – he doesn’t even make you sign up to his newsletter, although I would recommend you check that out too). I am currently halfway through reading this one and it is not your typical free e-book – there is actually value here. I recommend it to any aspiring businessman.
Peter and I both share an enthusiasm for the human mind and business. We are also both optimistic about the direction many industries are taking online in the digital world, and how this will continue to change the business landscape in the future (more on this in the interview).
I want to thank Peter for providing very detailed and thoughtful responses to all my questions. I really think this is an incredibly informative interview. It’s a lot of reading compared to my typical posts, but it is well worth it. Check it out!
Also, please note that none of the links in this interview are affiliates. I recommend these products and services because I believe they are good and worth the price. I don’t make commission off of any sales.
1. Entrepreneurs are risk-takers. But risk-taking can be a fearful endeavor. You have a book out called, “Demystifying Your Fear.” What are the kinds of things it covers, and how can it help individuals be better risk-takers?
I decided to write “Demystify Your Fear” because, after years working as a therapist and coach to entrepreneurs, I’m convinced that Fear is always the last obstacle between an entrepreneur and their business goals.
“Demystify” looks at the two different types of fear – it educates entrepreneurs on how to identify when fear is a useful, appropriate response… and when it isn’t. Fear has a very positive use sometimes. It’s an evolutionary tool that we’re equipped with that pumps the perfect chemical cocktail into our body when we need to fight or run. Fear is great for when you meet a grizzly bear in the woods!
The problem is that entrepreneurs experience the same emotional response that a bear might create… but when they’re contemplating various business activities!
When that happens, an entrepreneur is being subjected to ancient psychological forces trying to make her “fight or fly”… when really, she should be making a pitch, closing a deal or something.
So sometimes fear is a useful tool – a signal from our unconscious mind telling us we need to urgently prepare for something (an encounter with a grizzly?). And in business, sometimes we do need to prepare.
More often though, Fear is an inappropriate response – it pops up and cripples entrepreneurs in situations where there isn’t really anything to “prepare”. When it’s time to just say “screw it – let’s do it!”.
Demystify Your Fear is about conquering that inappropriate, useless fear – including all the modern, insidious manifestations like “the inner critic.”
2. You used to do clinical therapy, but now you only offer counseling to entrepreneurs. How is the mindset of an entrepreneur different from your previous clients?
I began my career working with entrepreneurs by accident – a business owner came along to my practice for help with a phobia! Once he realized that “this psychology stuff is important in business too” he kept coming back to discuss business challenges. Then, he referred his friends!
I discovered a segment of the population more committed to growth and aggressive pursuit of goals than any other. For a therapist or coach of any kind, working with such people is highly rewarding.
To generalize, I’ve found that entrepreneurs are faster moving, more open to radical change and far more pragmatic than most “civilians”. This makes for a fast-paced consulting relationship where smart ideas and realizations get acted on (and produce results) fast.
Most entrepreneurs also realize that their financial results are directly correlated to their mental state and performance, so in many ways the success of consulting with entrepreneurs is empirically measurable. I know that if I’m doing a great job with a client, their companies profit/loss statements will reflect that.
3. You’re from New Zealand. In a nutshell, how is the economy doing there? Are they being hit by this worldwide recession as hard as other nations like in Europe and the United States?
I’m from New Zealand but based in Sydney Australia. Australia currently seems to be impervious to the GFC (global financial crisis) – business is booming and the Aussie dollar, at the time of this interview, is cents away from parity with the US.
Meanwhile, across the Tasman Sea in my home country, things are not going so well. Overall, I think that the antipodes have remained reasonably insulated from European and US financial crisis. New Zealand has definitely slowed down since 2008, but so far remains relatively unscathed compared to some European nations of similar size.
One concern that I’d like NZ entrepreneurs to address is the extent of international ownership of New Zealand commercial and real assets. While investment dollars pour into the country from overseas, New Zealanders face the prospect of becoming tenants in their own country and businesses. This means that a vast proportion of consumer spending in NZ ends up in the pockets of international organizations operating from abroad. Meanwhile, much of NZ’s top young talent continues to leave the country for greener pastures.
All in all, I consider it a matter of personal and national priority to focus on educating the NZ public to reduce consumer debt while increasing investment in NZ owned business, ultimately to bring back the talented New Zealand workforce currently living and working abroad.
4. How is the internet changing the business landscape? Is there too much false hope in making money online?
Like anything that is new and exciting, the internet is also misunderstood. The snake-oil salespeople selling fast-fortunes through “online business” are preying on the ignorance of a public that is still learning and understanding the internet.
I believe that in the next five to ten years, we will see a dramatic reduction in the “make $$$ without any work, instantly” type offers. This will happen as the public becomes more aware about the nature of the internet and how commerce works online.
Aside from the scammers, the internet is certainly the single most significant evolutionary step in business that this generation has seen (and probably will see)…. and the best part? It’s all just getting started!
The internet is and will continue to impact business in ways more numerous to list here. Personally, I knew that “internet business” was for me, the moment I read Chris Anderson’s views of “The Long Tail”.
For the first time in history, it’s now possible for tiny businesses to connect with and grow and audience of rabid, passionate fans. The internet facilitates this communication and connection. This is exciting news for those contemplating the step (leap) into entrepreneurialism – never before has it been easier to build a business doing what you love!
But keep in mind – I said “easier”… not easy. One of the things I’ve noticed is that, despite all the new shininess of the internet and social media, the old commercial realities stay the same. Smart ideas, relentless action-taking and hard work are just some of the old school “must-have” requirements that’ll never change.
5. Who are some of your favorite business leaders today?
I’ve always struggled to answer these questions without the obvious cliches…
Steve Jobs
Apple seem to be going from strength to strength. Not only am I a crazy mac-fan, I also enjoy watching in awe as Steve and his people build empires and out-fox enormous, successful competitors. The best part is that every time they win, so does the consumer! The ability to interact with internet through mobile devices (iphones etc) is something we all seem to take for granted now… but it was just a few years ago that must of us could never even dream of posting videos on the fly to Youtube and tweeting to hundreds of followers while walking down the street.
Apple has captured the attention of so many of us because they’re hitting home-run after home-run of innovation. Pumping out such remarkable stuff, so consistently, is what puts Steve at the top of my business-hero list.
Richard Branson
Richard’s diversity of attention simply blows me away. What is it that makes a billionaire leap up from his hammock on Necker Island and think: “Screw the airlines, music label and banking… I want to start a mobile phone company!!”
His ongoing accomplishments with the Virgin brand would seem like a scatter-gun of barely controlled chaos… if it weren’t for the fact that he seems to hit home-runs far more often that most would believe possible. I’m intrigued by the mind behind Virgin.
6. If you had the capital to start any business you wanted to, what would it be?
I would explore online education, in a big way. I think that the entrepreneur who figures out how to overcome the current limitations to online education solutions is going to be the next tech-billionaire.
Larry Ellison has famously voiced his belief that education online will dwarf the internet as we know it today. I think we’re going to see a radical shake-up of the tertiary education system and an inevitable super-ceding of old school education delivery by a new, internet based *sometime*.
I would love to be the person to find that something. Angel investors can contact me at my blog.
Online education is definitely something that I am excited about too. I have taken some online courses from independent, unaccredited organizations, but the value I have received in return has been unfathomable. The Mises Academy in particular, which teaches free market economics, has a great set-up right now with teaching students from all over the world. They use DimDim for online lectures and “office hours,” and they also include forums and discussion boards. They are just as valuable as many of the college classes I’ve taken off-line, but they are offered at a fraction of the price. I have a feeling online education in the future has a lot to learn from the Mises Academy.
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I want to thank Peter Shallard again for this wonderful interview. I urge you all to check out The Shrink for Entrepreneurs, poke around through his blog, check out his free e-book, and also look into “Demystify Your Fear,” especially if you are a businessman (or woman) who hasn’t quite made that leap into the “entrepreneurial unknown.”
Questions.
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To add some different personalities to The Emotion Machine I have decided to interview some of my favorite writers and bloggers. I will be publishing a new interview about every other week (in addition to my weekly PsychNews updates and of course my own original content).
I chose Rob White as my first guest to interview because he has had some real success stories in his life. He started at the age of 30 with over $50,000 of debt, and now he is a multi-millionaire after earning some serious bank doing real estate. Since then he has created MindAdventure.com to share his winning attitude with the whole world.
When I first discovered Mind Adventure, I was blown away by Rob’s ability to break down empowering concepts in such a down-to-earth way. He is a real teacher and a real motivator of the heart. His passion is contagious, even through a computer monitor, thus I wanted to share him with my readers.
1) When did you first start MindAdventure.com and what was your motivation?
“I began MindAdventure.com a few years back. My intention was to ‘give back’ to others marvelous tips that others have given to me. We never break free to innovative newness until we finally get fed up with stubborn oldness. BUT, to get fed up with stubborn oldness requires that we become conscious that we are slaves to 1,001 useless opinions, erroneous notions, and debilitating thought-habits. Thus, the reason for MindAdventure.com.”
2) Every week you are generous enough to give a free copy of your book 180 to whoever leaves the best comment on your site. What does your book aim to teach individuals?
“My book aims to help folks become cheerfully curious about themselves so that they will take an adventure in self-discovery. What they will find, as they journey through the days of the book, is that they already have the knowledge they need for transforming their lives. It is only a matter of practicing the little things daily, and the big things will take care of themselves.”
Editor’s Note: To find out more about the book please click here (not an affiliate).
3) What is your “heart-mind?”
“Your heart-mind is the level of thinking that occurs in the subconscious (where your emotions dwell). Without your heart-mind’s cooperation (without the participation of deep-level thinking) your dreams become nothing more than a shallow ‘wish list.’”
4) What role does philanthropy play in good business?
“Good business practices (sound business practices) are philanthropic in nature. When business gets greedy, things begin to fall apart. Take a look at big businesses today that have turned from philanthropic to greedy. You cannot worship god and mammon too. God is philanthropic. Mammon is greed.”
5) If you could change one thing about the economy to make it healthier and more prosperous, what would you change?
“I would remind big business that the ‘Law of Sowing and Reaping’ cannot be tampered with; either you live your life by this ‘Universal Law’ or you yield a sparse harvest.”
6) Fill in the blanks: If I was a college professor I would teach ______ because __________________.
“At one point I was a college professor, and I taught philosophy. I believe the foundation of a successful happy life is based on a personal philosophy that includes the truth about reality.”
7) Aside from 180, there is a new book you are working on too. What’s the title and tell us how it is different from your previous work.
“My second book, Mind Adventure, is a personal story of my own successes and the life-lessons I learned along the way.”
Editor’s Note: You can read a short bio about Rob’s previous successes here.
Thanks for the interview Rob! Do you have any last piece of words or advice for our readers?
“I offer your readers this one piece of advice: you must make tracks into the unknown if you are to express and experience your ‘unlimitedness’ (which is your raison d’etre).”
Steven’s Wrap-up
Rob teaches us all to follow our own path, to discover our own personal philosophy, and to go head-first into the unknown.
Of course I want to again thank him for taking some time out of his busy day to answer these questions. And although I am a relatively new acquaintance of Rob’s, I hope we continue to develop a friendship as the weeks, months, and years go by. If you haven’t already, please check out his site to learn more about him and his philosophy.
Questions.
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Today I was visiting one of my favorite personal development blogs over at DragosRoua.com. In his latest post “33 Questions For An Interview With Yourself,” Dragos proposes a series of questions that he would like you to answer and display on your blog.
I skimmed through the questions and figured it would be worth a shot. I haven’t really been given a good opportunity to go into personal details about my life and this would be a fun experience to embark on.
So here it is! My personal interview with Dragos Roua:

1. What Do You Do For A Living?
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Ah, you are starting out with the hard ones! I am currently a full-time student at Binghamton University, and I am graduating this semester with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. But what am I doing after I graduate? I really have no idea. I have a lot of interests but I am not sure which I want to pursue first. For the moment I am just keeping my eyes open to opportunities.
2. Who Do You Love?
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I used to not use the word “love” because I found that most people use it carelessly and without meaning. However, recently I have re-defined what love means to me. I see it as a way of seeing the world now. It is something that I generate from inside. With that being said, there is not any person or thing that I deny love towards.
3. Do You Have Enough Money?
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No. I am a broke college student entering the economy during a devastating recession. If it weren’t for my parents I would be homeless.
4. Are You Healthy?
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It is difficult being healthy in college. My diet is centered around convenience, I don’t spend enough time being physically active, and I probably party and drink too much. However I am making a conscious effort to bury these bad habits and find better ones.
5. Do You Think You Are a Good Person?
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Absolutely. Sure — I make mistakes and sometimes hurt myself and others — but I also make a conscious and well-intentioned effort to learn from these mistakes. I don’t think you can ask anything more of yourself.
6. How Old Are You?
Twenty-one. But I think like I am 8 and act like I am 80.
7. Who’s Your Best Friend?
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I can’t really choose a specific best friend. I know too many people that have been too significant in my life to narrow it down to just one.
8. What’s Your Childhood Dream?
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What wasn’t my childhood dream? I wanted to be everything as a kid: veterinarian, filmmaker, writer, rockstar, scientist, actor, video game designer – the list goes on and on. And I still have many of the same dreams today. Why let go of them? You never know when the opportunity will arise.
9. How Often Do You Laugh?
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Everyday. Humor is an important part to good living.
10. What Makes You Smile?
All sorts of things. Sometimes I worry myself at how often I find stuff silly.
11. Who’s Your Most Dangerous Enemy?
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I guess it would have to be my own self wouldn’t it? The question isn’t who is going to let me, but who is going to stop me.
12. Where Do You Live?
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Currently reside in Binghamton, NY. But after I graduate I will be back on Long Island with my family. I am considering a variety of places to move to once I have the money. It may even be outside of the country.
13. Do You Think You’re Strong?
Physically? Probably not, although I suppose I could be if I went to the gym. Emotionally and spiritually? I think I am stronger than most.
14. What Was The Most Important Thing You’ve Done So Far?
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This is a difficult question. I haven’t achieved anything too extraordinary over my short life. I always do well in school so I suppose that would be the best thing I have to show for. I have a feeling my best is yet to come.
15. What Was The Most Stupid Thing You’ve Done So Far?
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Ohh, many things. I have blacked out from drinking too much. That is certainly not an experience to be proud of. I have also said a lot of mean things to people that I have very much regretted over the years.
16. Do You Love Yourself?
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Of course.
17. What Do You Fear The Most?
Not fitting into the world in a way that I can be happy with.
18. What Is Your Favorite Word?
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God. The word means so much to so many people and so little to others. People can be healed by it, and people can also kill each other over it. It’s a powerful word, and that fascinates me.
19. When Was The Last Time You Cried?
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A few years ago when my first dog was put to sleep. I bawled and bawled right in the waiting room. I didn’t care if anyone saw. It was very therapeutic. I should probably cry more often.
20. What Is The Best Thing That Could Happen To You Right Now?
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If I could win the lottery or find a million dollar paying job. My financial situation gives me a lot of stress and it is my main focus right now.
21. What Is The Worst Thing That Could Happen To You Right Now?
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I could drop out of college and waste the last 4 years I spent here pursuing a degree. Or I could die – that is always bad too.
22. Picture Yourself In 5 Years From Now
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I picture myself with a lot more money than I do now. I also see myself pursuing a variety of projects and making good progress. I may even be starting my own business. Perhaps I will also be dating a fine girl or two or three.
23. Do You Regret Anything?
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Not at the moment. Sometimes I reflect on an experience and feel regret, but I don’t actively identify with regret. I just take past experiences and learn from them. The feelings I have associated with these experiences are usually positive. I prefer to look back at myself and laugh at my naivete.
24. What’s The First Thing You Do In The Morning?
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I most definitely don’t remember the first thing I do in the morning as my mind is still waking up as my body gets out of bed. If it is a weekday though, the first thing I do is probably shut off my alarm.
25. What Are You Thinking Just Before Going To Bed?
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My first thought should be “Everyday In Every Way I am Getting Better and Better,” but most likely it is something more mundane like, “What do I have to get done today?”
26. What Was The Highest Point You’ve Ever Been To?
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Standing by the edge of the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon. Both are absolutely beautiful to peer down into. At a moment, it makes you feel insignificant. There is also a compelling sensation to throw yourself off. The existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard actually discusses this feeling in his paper “The Concept of Anxiety,” in which he describes it as the “dizziness of freedom.”
27. If There’s One Thing In Your Life You Want To Change Right Now, What Is It?
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I would like to fast-forward to the end of this semester so I can finally secure a job and a means of living.
28. What Are You Proud Of?
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I got a 770/800 on the Math SAT and a 5/5 on the Calculus AP back in senior year of high school. I have always been really proud of that.
29. Sum Up Your Life In One Sentence
Thank God and feel blessed.
30. Name The Thing That Annoys You The Most
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I don’t like it when people critique my food as I am eating it. It is a huge pet peeve! But other than that I am a really tolerant person – most things don’t bother me.
31. What Is Your No 1 Question To God?
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Why?
32. Do You Have Secrets?
I think everyone does and I am certainly no different.
33. What Makes You Laugh?
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Bill Hicks, Robin Williams, Joe Rogan, Steven Colbert, South Park, Pineapple Express and Naked Gun all make me laugh.
Ok, I lied. There are 34 questions” – Dragos Roua
34. Are You Happy?
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If there is anything I am then it is happy.
That was a really great interview Dragos! I appreciate you taking the time to put together these questions and giving me the opportunity to talk a little about myself.
If anyone else would like to take part in this please check out “33 Questions For An Interview With Yourself.”






