Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a fabled kingdom called Digg.

“Bloggers!” The Digg King proclaimed. “Tens of thousands of visitors for you – if you get on my front page!”

“And how do we get there?” the humble bloggers asked in unison. They were soon to discover that they needed content that had been Dugg by others.

For tis a voting system, you see, dear reader. Each Digg member can Digg or Bury an article once. Each Digg is a vote. Each Bury is a negative vote. The more people Digg it, the higher the chance it has of landing on the legendary front page and having tens of thousands of surfers hit your blog. So began the mad race to get Diggs.

42 Diggs to get on the front page.

Along came the little Urban Monk. His blog was new, and he wanted readers.

“Ah ha! I shall make my own valiant attempt to get on the front page!” He exclaimed.

So he asked a few of his friends to Digg his article. In return he would Digg theirs. The little monk thought it was standard practice – he heard that the Digg aristocrats frowned upon exchanging Diggs, but he didn’t know it was a serious offence. But a few days later his account at the fabled website was banned for “misuse”.

“Why!!!!” the little monk wailed as he tore his hair out. But a few seconds later he got to his feet. “I can not maintain a personal development blog if I don’t practice what I preach. I must persist. Success has its seeds in failure.”

He pondered long and hard. How was he to get traffic to his blog?

Then it hit him. “I shall set up a rival kingdom that will dwarf Digg in magnitude!” he proclaimed. “I shall name it… ”

How many Dikks do I need to get on the front page?

(By the way, that “tongue-in-chick” advertisement isn’t Photoshopped, it was really there. And if you’re wondering about the Green Ogre reference, a mate of mine I showed the draft article to said it reminded him of Shrek. So there you go.)

Anyway, this isn’t a post attacking Digg. Bless them – they set the rules and I didn’t read them, so it was my fault. This is actually a post to promote another site named High Vibe It. It’s a relatively new site, but let’s hope it becomes a giant! Why? Digg has a lot of power – but it focuses on technology and news. The other giants, like Reddit, each have their own niches. High Vibe It’s niche is us – Personal Development and Spirituality!

Sorry if I offended anyone, but I let myself have a little rant once in a while. I thought readers won’t like it, but my last one was quite well received.

There is another meme going around Personal Development blogs – this time started by The Optimist Lab to support High Vibe It.

I’ve been tagged by a few people to participate in this meme, I’ll put them here (apologies if I missed anyone, and also if I took my time getting to this meme – I just got off a very hectic time in my life!).

KL Masina
The Daily Positive
Moritherapy
Lola Fayemi

I’d like to continue the link love to a few very special bloggers that have helped me tremendously over the past few weeks. Not only that, this is a genuine recommendation for their blogs and their material. Here they are, in no particular order:

Kenton of Zen Inspired Self Development – I’ve recommended him before and I’ll recommend him again! Thanks for all the books we write back and forth buddy! You cannot imagine how much you’ve helped me in my growth!

Wade of The Middle Way – He’s been expanding my knowledge on the Buddhist teachings, talking me through a few blocks I’ve been having in my own growth – he’s got so much wisdom for a guy his age, and he’s a genuinely cool dude too!

Slade of Shift your Spirits – He did a way cool and an in-depth review of my blog. And he’s been giving the benefit of his tremendous knowledge as well. A very inspiring man!

And last but not least, KL Masina herself (who tagged me above)…she’s been like a mirror via email – pointing out my own unconsciousness to me. Thanks KL!

OK, enough exclamation marks – on to the five ways I raise my vibes:

1) I follow my Think and Grow Rich (aff) intention. I do this whenever I remember – I repeat a memorised statement to myself, while holding a feeling of gratitude that it’s on its way to me. If anyone’s interested in what it is, I want Urban Monk dot Net to be huge – the next Steve Pavlina.

2) I water my plants. I sometimes forget to think positive thoughts and get caught up in my plans for the day as I wake up and run around brushing my teeth, etc. I keep a few potted plants next to the sink, so as I water them, I tell them I love them, and that reminds me to tell myself I love me too. I try to surround myself with a loving feeling and vibe whenever I remember to, and recently I’ve always had a loving feeling even when I forget.

3) Go out with a few friends. I have funny friends – we always enjoy a good laugh, even if it’s over nothing. It’s stupid, but it feels good.

4) I blog. No lie. I really enjoy blogging and writing and replying to emails and comments.

5) I pour myself a bit of Bailey’s and Milk (not the most masculine drink, I know – but it’s smooth and creamy). And I close my eyes and relax with some nice Neo-Soul music.

Thanks for tagging me, everyone. And good luck to High Vibe it. May it hit the upper echelons.