It was a big occasion when Zoe lost her first tooth, one worthy of a Skype call to Grandma Vegas. I oohed and aahed as she preened and smiled. It was far more memorable than if she’d simply sent a picture.

Keeping connected to faraway family members is only one of the ways I use Skype. Nearly every day is a little brighter thanks to that bit of technology.

Yesterday I needed a small change on my Web site, so I Skyped Lisa Tarrant, my Web Wizard, who lives in Massachusetts. In the past, I’d have told her what I wanted and then checked my site when the call was finished. With Skype, I could see the changes as she made them.

I tune into teleclasses, consult with clients, and have regular conference calls with Alice Barry and Sandy Dempsey to plan the Joyfully Jobless Jamboree from my desktop.

Last week, Alice and I were trying to solve a Jamboree problem via e-mail and not getting very far. Alice suggested a call, we talked face to face and had the solution in no time.

On Saturday, I began my morning with a long overdue chat with my friend Georgia who recently moved to Sweden. Seeing her sitting at her kitchen table at her new home made the conversation more special.

Have something new I want to show my sister Margaret in California? Show and Tell is just a Skype call away.

Then there was the recent evening that Sandy Dempsey sent me an e-mail with a link to a video she had just spent three hours creating about the adventures of Flat Barbara. I could see she was still online, so I promptly Skyped her to congratulate her on the project.

(If you’ve watched the video, you know that Flat Barbara enjoys Skype too.)

Although my sister Nancy, who lives in Rome, had urged me to use Skype for several years, I was not paying attention. I remained unmoved when Maureen Thomson reported that she’d used Skype to keep her business in Colorado running smoothly while she was enjoying a home exchange in Spain.

Without any investigation (a bad way to make decisions), I assumed it would be difficult or would involve buying equipment. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

What finally motivated me to check it out for myself was a Webinar that Oprah did with Eckhart Tolle. The two of them sat on a bare stage discussing ideas in his book  A New Earth while readers called in to ask questions or make comments via Skype.

There was a discussion group at a bookstore in Los Angeles, a woman from Connecticut, a couple from Amsterdam. It was obvious that the visual component added a dimension to the communication that isn’t present with voice-only.

I was sold. What I didn’t know, however, was that I was also about to save $500 a year since calls to other Skype users are free, no matter where they are in the world.

For the nominal fee of $29.50/year I added unlimited calling throughout the US and Canada to non-Skype users (i.e. landlines and cellphones). There was no longer any need for long distance service with my landline so I cancelled it.

Last year, Soul Acrobats founder Alvin Tam wrote about getting rid of his expensive voicemail—his costly cellphone—and replacing it with Skype. He discovered, as do many users, that not only was he saving money, he was motivated to call his family in Canada more frequently.

Yes, there are times when I hear a call come in and on my way to answer wonder if my hair is combed or if I’m properly dressed. Much of the time, however, calls are arranged in advance so I’m ready and waiting.

If you’ve been resisting using Skype for personal and business communication, I urge you to take a look. Not only is it a wonderful way to add a personal touch, if you’re planning to run a global World Headquarters, it is essential mobility support.

And if that’s not enough, let me remind you again—it’s free.

Soul Acrobats founder Alvin Tam uses acrobatic exercises to help people break through their fears. He also challenges his own fears in other ways. When I read this piece he wrote, I knew I wanted to pass it along. Alvin agreed. Here’s his story.

Every now and then I will do strange experiments to push my  boundaries of comfort further. Being an acrobat in the circus means that I attempt flips, handstands, and high falls to challenge my physical skills and grow as an athlete. Being an acrobat of the soul means that I challenge my values, belief systems, and automatic behaviors so that I grow as a human being.

Last December, on a chilly winter day, I decided to challenge a deeply rooted fear I had by spending 24 hours on the street homeless. I carried no credit cards, cash, I.D., cell phone, house keys, extra jackets, tissue papers, chapstick, iPod (what else do you usually leave the house with?)

 I set off in the direction of downtown, carried by my own two feet, dressed in a tattered sweats, to challenge a fear (read: belief) that  my failure as a businessman would lead to me being homeless.

 I believed the equation: financial failure = homelessness. Do you believe this too?

 I did and I needed to confront it. I chose to experience homelessness for 24 hours. Here are the highlights:

• you can’t thumb a ride in Las Vegas if you look like a bum

• panhandling is one of the most difficult things to do

• I’m not a good panhandler; I made $2 in 24 hours

• nothing costs less than a dollar, except for bananas at 7-11

• it gets cold at night, even in Las Vegas

• misery likes company – I never realized how many homeless people there are

• people look at you with hate in their eyes when you beg

I literally walked for 12 of the 24 hours because no one would pick me up and I had no money for the bus. I also got kicked out of a public library, so sitting down in a quiet, warm place was not an option.

I ended up walking to the worst part of Las Vegas, the hidden, swept-under-the-rug part called “Tent Village” because of all the bums living in tents on the side of the road.

There I encountered hundreds of homeless men milling about, exchanging words about where to get the next meal, who’s handing out free socks, how many nights the local shelter lets you stay, and the best places to bum for money. When I bumped into another group of men, the conversation was the same. Another group, same conversation.

 That’s when it struck me.

I can never be homeless.

I don’t say that with an arrogant or pretentious intention. I say it because I simply don’t talk like a homeless person which is to say I don’t think like a homeless person.

And that was the kernel of wisdom of my exploration into my fear of financial failure. I realized that though I could fail in business, I could never become homeless. I just don’t have the belief that I would end up on the streets.

do speak like a professonal acrobat. While others are scared about heights, rapidly moving vehicles, and fire, I get enthused and excited.

do speak like a professional marketer. While others are lamenting about the economy, I talk about new online marketing techniques, social networking, blogging, and computer technology.

But… 

don’t speak like a millionaire entrepreneur. While millionaires are busy talking about their next deal, strategizing on new partnerships, and planning an investment, I talk about covering my mortgage, putting gas in my car, and the 3 for 1 special on avocados at the store. I spend too much time talking like an average income producer.

What do you talk about?

Here are the 3 things you can do to benefit from my experience on the streets:

1. Write down everything you say in 1 day.

2. Listen to the conversations or language of someone you want to emulate (a business person, a great athlete, a professional speaker)

3. Have a conversation with a homeless person and listen to his dialogue.

If you notice, all these activities are simply about building awareness, since awareness is the main catalyst for change.