That’s right! So many new and popular markets, and marketing methods have emerged in the past couple of months that show the signs of a bumper year.  Let’s also not forget Google getting even tougher on internet marketers adwords accounts recently, so we’ll need to be in peak performance and stay at the forefront of current trends. But I’m taking the hard work out of it all for you.

I’ve just returned from a relaxing 6 week break – and I’m pumped. I never strayed too far from home, but the opportunity to just relax and enjoy some stress free time with family and friends was too good to pass up. Although, I didn’t totally disconnect. In fact the time I spent relaxing was some of the most productive time I’ve had in the past 12 months, and I’m truly excited about the year ahead.

I should confess that I’m a little compulsive about my business (as you should be too) so even though I was on a break I’ve still been watching the inbox and analyzing data. I even attended a couple of amazing webinars (one that gave me about a million new ideas), got involved in some product launches and all in a very relaxed and not-so-organized way.

I spent a lot of time thinking about new and unusual ways to drive my business and my profits further and as we continue through this year I’ll be testing these new ideas and sharing the results with you.

Now hopefully you’ve also had some time to relax, get your head clear, and get laser focused on your business and personal goals for 2010. If not, do what you can to take some time off – with no obligations. Do it in a way that you don’t feel pressured to be anywhere or do anything.

If you can manage it, try it for a week. You’ll be amazed at just how clear you mind is when you return. A clear, sharp mind is your greatest asset if you want to make it in the world of internet marketing.

I have no doubt this year is going to be a big one – for all of us.

So now it’s time for me to get things moving and add another zero or two to my profit – and I expect to see you right along side of me. Let’s work as hard as possible together to make 2010 a bumper year and make more money than any of ever thought possible.

Well let me tell you right here and right now that I value my friendships and if Google were a person, I’d have slapped it about the head several times and dumped in a parking lot somewhere!

Your probably wondering what’s this all about. Even if you’re not, I’m going to tell you anyway.

I’m no fool, and when I started this blog, choosing the make money online and make money blogging niche, I knew full well that there would be a serious challenge facing me to get any kind of ranking in Google.

Recently, after some massive effort on my part, all that work appeared to have paid off. I was ranking 1, 2, 3, 5, and 9 for five of my targeted keywords. I was actually quite impressed because one of the keywords had me out ranking mashable and the first 3 had me out ranking ProBlogger, Entrepreneurs Journey, SEO World and a string of others.

Obviously I was pretty damn delighted with that. In fact I think I even breathed a sigh of relief because those keywords are intensely competitive  and to have reached a number 1 or 2 ranking in just a few months, without black hat methods, was a real vindication of all the work I’d put in.

But alas. The bitch that is Google decided to play her little frickin game again. She loves to dance. I prefer to sit at the bar quietly while visitors share a drink with me, put their money on the bar, and continue on their way.

What was a #1 ranking is now not in the first 10 pages. What was a #2 ranking is now 15th. And it goes on and on like this for every keyword I’ve targeted.

Do I like what Google stands for and attempts to achieve? You bet I do.

Do I like the way that Google works and the hoops you are forced to jump through? No frickin way.

Honestly if you had a friend or a girlfriend who changed their minds that quickly about you they’d be left for dust. Right?

So I’ve decided today that while I’ll still make every effort to make gains in Google SERPs, it will no longer be my focus. I honestly don’t care about Googles market share. The truth is that the people I want to visit my blog, to share my stories with, and hopefully teach something to, are generally not going to be Google users.

For the amount of traffic my blog gets from Google, it’s hardly worth getting wound up about but when you put in that much work and find that your making gains, then suddenly your being treated like a leper at skin care convention it’s clearly time to say hit the road baby.

Yahoo, MSN, Twitter, it’s all traffic. Make it viral and Google no longer really matters. So that’s what my intention is.

And you can help. If you like a post, tweet it, share it, stumble or dig it and help me to prove, if only to myself, that the Google beast is not the be all and end all.

And maybe, just maybe, the bitch will get all jealous and come running back to me.

[end rant here]

Seriously though, did you get hit by the Google dance this week?

I used to have one of those slides when I was a kid. Albeit a much smaller version. We did do some crazy stuff and even though what my brother and I did as kids was nothing like this, it still brought back some great memories.

I couldn’t help but wonder, “could I do it“?

What about you? Could you you do it?

Giant Waterslide Jump

The down side was all the cleaning up afterwards. Thankfully we kept the numbers of friends limited so it wasn’t such a big deal in the end.

All the kids had a great time. We had a great time (yes the adults too). Watching the kids was great fun. They seem to take on a whole different persona at parties. The raw excitement and energy. Watching kids at parties is like watching a whole other species, and when compared to adults they could almost be from a different planet.

The most alien thing of the day though was the fever I caught. I’m still not sure if it was something I ate, the cold winter days we are having, or if someone at the party passed something on to me but Saturday night I fell in a heap. Literally within hours of playing games and being the entertainment for the kids, I was on the sofa, with blanket and pillow, and an icepack. I was the only one who got sick so it’s made it even more difficult to work out how I caught this bug.

I had no posts scheduled, nor anything that is complete to have posted. I really try to post at least 4 to 5 times a week. So I was caught out this time. Luckily I had started some promotional activities last week which kicked in right in the middle of my fever. That was a bonus. Traffic has blown through the roof.

I’m back to about 90% energy and health now. I’m ready to get back to putting the blogs and my marketing business back into full gear. I’ll also be making a big effort to get post scheduled well advance.

So what’s the moral to this story? It’s best explained like this. For the last 5 days, the entire time I’ve been lucid, I’ve had a 10 second movie clip running over and over in my head. It’s Bruce Willis walking down the road in the final scene of The Last Boy Scout saying “be prepared son, that’s my motto“.