Is it ok to swear on a g-rated blog? I mean, sneak a little one in? I could possibly put it in a hyperlink to make me feel better. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Indirectly I'll have made a statement about my mind. And I feel a whole lot better for it.

I've been spending a fair whack of time cruising my favourite marketing-related show-o-pages and come to the conclusion that there's too much interference out there. Too much static.

I'm talking specifically about the cumbersome motherload of eBooks and courses that show you how to do stuff.

I wonder if there's a way we could introduce some sort of barter system to exchange skills for skills? So a plumber who wants a nice hog for his mother's birthday roast (they're not interchangeable) could go to the butcher and fix up his refrigeration system which has been keeping the hogs slightly warmer than they should be.

You get the picture. In this case John Plumber may have chosen to buy himself a hog at the Pig Discount Store, but the methodology is sound.

At my old place of work we pitched a Points version of a standard exchange system. The thinking being the extra flexibility would tantalise the excitable minds of holidaymakers.

And it did.

Points simply represent a currency. If you have 100 points you can spend 20 at a time, thus spreading out your ownership. Take that in context of the skills exchange and we see that if you teach Bob's kid how to play guitar four times, you have enough 'currency' to get Jakob to pop round and show you how to completely transform your website usability.

Anyone who knows me realises I have a giant gob and a passion for bargains. And this is the very thick end of the bargain spectrum: instead of paying for an endless and mostly futile stream of eCourses you get proper mentoring and it's entirely ethical because you're Giving Back.

Where was I? Oh yeah, those 10 incredibly inspiring free ways to change your life:

1. Focus on someone else. It's the zenith of every personal achievement since time began. Everything that's ever been admired has always been done with a third party in mind. From Jesus to that blue kid in Avatar. Doing stuff for others is great for them, but the sense of fulfilment you get is magnified nineteen-fold when you giving of time or mind for the benefit of someone else.

It works in every environment. In business, it makes you a worshipped brand. There's some serious shit in this karma ideology, you know. Whether or not it's founded in religion I guarantee - that's no risk - that when you go out of your way to commit something to someone, you'll climb a couple of notches on the life ladder and become someone's hero. Word of mouth, you hear? You'll get it back.

2. Take yourself to market. Even if you don't actually do it, practice selling yourself (and I don't recommend doing so bodily in any case - too many risks, like crossing a road in the dark). Update your CV, and don't forget that these days, your CV is in the digital tracks you leave. Still want to have a pop at Mariah Carey's arse being the size of two planets?

3. Ask for help. Every single time - that's every, single, time - I've asked for advice, I've realised how much I've learned as a result. It's easier to do it now, because Googling means you can act stupid and save face. But take that a step further, and ask stupid to a real, live person. Because it isn't stupid. It's just learning. And we all need to learn to survive and thrive.

4. Just do it. Your mind says no, your heart says yes. Just frickin go and do it. Seven-eighths of my life have been spent turning down offers. The balance saw me regretting not cashing in on opportunity. Lethargy is a cancer that attacks us all.

5. Show your strength. Strength is best manifested through our weaknesses. It's only at moments of pain that we truly acknowledge our emotional and physical resolve.

6. Step out of the comfort zone and take a chance. I WILL jump out of a plane this year. It scares the hellfire out of me but I know the only way I'm going to grow is to do things that I'd ape if I were living as 2008 Dave. Time moves on. We have to move with it, and give ourselves the chance to be what we should be (even if we don't know it). I also need to do more karaoke so the world truly understands my inner clown.

7. Bond. It sometimes takes the might of a world-class spy to achieve poster child status in the eyes of your family. Or so it seems. But when was the last time you spent some proper time with your sister, brother, cousin Jack or uncle Billy? Only he's not your 'real' uncle, is he? A fictional title bestowed by your dad after he lent him his axe for that tree overlooking your garden. And how was he to know there was a cat in it?

8. Jam. Old petrol can? Tree? Can tie that loose bark to the can and with a few elastic bands (how the hell do those red ones from the postie wriggle free from parcels with such regularity as to adorn my street with the apparent detritus of a mouse hula hoop championship) and you got yourself a guitar. Make some music with some pals, or if you have a Wii/PS3/Xbox 360 to hand, rig up Rock Band and caterwaul your way through some classic choons.

9. Cook. Rustle up some chow and you have friends for life. Shop local and you're thumbing your nose at the titans of trade. Slay your own lamb and, well, Ray Mears or Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will come round and feed it to your kids. Raw.

10. Take a week off the web. You've fought tigers, ridden angry bulls, jumped off bridges wearing only a meagre strip of cord and climbed Everest. But try as you will, you just can't shake your internet addiction. Believe me, I'm with you (apart from all the other stuff preceeding the web revelation). I'm in a bit of an internet-free stranglehold grip here, admittedly, since someone seems to have stepped on the wires and cut o2's network off. Which is ironic, since I'm using a wireless broadband connection. Yet...

While it feels strangely neanderthal to be cut off from the internet revolution, I've been behaving like one of those people from the Victorian age. Not exactly dressed as a flapper, I've been demonstrating peculiar tendencies such as talking to people, reading - gasp - books bearing paper, and using my legs to do something other than push me away from my desk towards the mini bar.

And you know what? It's strangely empowering! You should try it. Who knows, one day someone might cut your internet connection and you'll be liberated from the shackles of PC hell!

So come on, own up - what do you to motivate yourself and lead your own soul?