Be Thankful for the Tragedies this Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

 
As I was walking in the woods early this glorious Thanksgiving morning, I was very aware of how blessed my family has been this year.

 
Although my husband of 31 years almost died in February, he’s changed his diet and is doing well now. In fact, we’re all eating better.

 
The economy has taken a hit this year, yet because of my Internet business, we haven’t felt it that much. I still took my kids on two week-long vacations to the beach and the mountains and I took my team and advisors to our annual Beach Retreat for a week.

 
My debit card number was stolen and I lost $6,000 which the bank says is gone. Yet as I was canceling, re-establishing and examining my accounts with a fine-tooth comb, I realized how much we are wasting and promptly plugged the leaks.

 
I also realized what a steady stream of in come we have that keeps our marvelous virtual team in Starbucks and our business able to offer cutting-edge education to the families we serve.

 
Although the housing industry is crashing, we realized that combining Drew’s system for selling houses on eBay in about 17 days with my love for hosting live events can solve just about any homeowner’s problem.

 
With the renewed vision I’ve gotten this year, I am on the warpath to surround myself with men and women of vision who desire to raise children to learn how to effectively lead this country in government, business, education and the entertainment realm.

 
My advisors criticized our old outdated website – EducatingforSuccess.com – so we restructured it to be a hub for coordinating all our efforts and communities.

 
All the challenges we’ve faced – and there are many more than I’ve listed here – have become like pearls. They started off being huge aggravations which seemed to steal our time, energy and resources, yet each one made us stronger and more efficient.

 
If you are facing challenges this year, spend a few minutes today and write them down. On one side of the page, list the tragedy. On the other side, write the benefit you received because of it.

 
Realize that you wouldn’t have gotten the benefit if you hadn’t experienced the pain.

 
Seeing those challenges from a different perspective may make today a better day for you. It may even change your perspective on the rest of the year!

 
Above all, be thankful for whatever comes your way.

 
Have a GREAT Thanksgiving!

 
So many books, so little time…

 
Rhea!

who is off to go host a very large dinner for her very wonderful family of 15

Stats Are Good But What About Demographics?

For the longest time now, those of us in Internet Marketing or bloggers for that matter have relied on web statistics to help us figure out what kind of traffic we’re getting. What content is bringing in the traffic, who sends us the traffic, what people are searching for, what people use to access your content which is very important because you want your site to look good for everyone… ok, well almost everyone. These are all good to know, great for tracking where you are, how far you have to go to reach your goals, what’s working and what’s not.

The thing is, web stats don’t tell us who these people are. Sure, if we’ve been in the business for a while, you more or less have an idea who your audience is. Either by talking to them on the phone, during webinars, teleseminars, emails, blog comments, social networks. You more or less have an idea who reads your blog and visits your site. But fact is, a lot of that is gut feeling or a group you want to target. Are you really speaking to your target audience or not?

Do you know…

• What kinds of income bracket are they?
• Are you serving more women than men or equally split?
• Are you visitors more likely to be of a certain ethnic group?
• What age brackets are most of your visitors from?
• Do they have children?
• Are they college educated?
• What kind of lifestyle do they lead?

Did you get to answer all of the above? No need to despair if you didn’t because you can use Quantcast to help you track all these. Quantcast is stats tracker that tracks the finer stuff like these. What’s also cool, they tell you what else your audience will like – great for researching new topics, new affiliate products to promote or create your own products. If there’s sufficient data, you’ll also find out what other web sites your audience visits.

Check out the estimated stats for Internetbasedmoms.com. Yes that’s right. You can check other sites too – how’s that for a neat research tool and all free. You may think you know your audience well, but try it out and see how close you really are from your target.

It’s Always Time to Be Thankful

Not sleeping well at night?

Got a crick in your neck and don’t know why?

Do you feel like the harder you work, the behinder you get?

You’re not alone.

Many folks don’t realize that during unstable economic times like these, it’s easy to take your eyes off your goal and focus instead on your lack.

It’s quickly becoming essential, though, that we learn to keep our perspective in balance.

You know we have a lot to be thankful for.

No matter how bad things may get at your house, when you step back and look at the big picture from the Goodyear blimp point of view, Americans have it better than most people who have ever lived on the earth.

Even the poorest of us live a better life than most of the kings who reigned in past generations. We have year round a/c and heat, electricity, SUVs and sports cars, TV and Internet, cell phones and shoes, airlines and light in the house 24/7.

Yet in spite of we have, we still worry.

Maybe it’s time to cut back. Maybe it’s time to become even more resourceful. Maybe it’s time to look at what you already have or can do and figure out how to monetize your gifts and natural abilities. Maybe it’s time to create systems so you can generate some extra income.

I truly believe it’s time for all freedom-loving Americans to create their own sources of income and not rely on anyone else. It’s great to have a job and if you have a good one, that’s just one more thing to add to the list. But in times like these, you don’t know how long that will last.

So start preparing now for your future. And start educating yourself to help your children prepare for their future. Their world will be completely different from the one they take for granted now.

This Thanksgiving, as you gather your family and friends around a table full of abundance, make a list and share it with the others of all that you have to be thankful for.

You’ll be amazed at what you have.  

Have a marvelous Thanksgiving this Thursday!

 

So many books, so little time…

Rhea!

who has plans to spend a great day with my favorite people eating way too much turkey and taking a very long nap

 

Plagiarism – The Internet’s Naughty Little Secret?

Plagiarism is defined by the wonderful folks at Plagiarism.org as:

1. to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
2. to use (another’s production) without crediting the source
3. to commit literary theft
4. to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

Unfortunately, with the vastness of the internet and the abundance of content available, plagiarism by and large goes unnoticed and silently accepted.  In an effort to demonstrate credibility and to meet content demands – content and ideas are “borrowed.” It doesn’t have to be a blatant cut and paste. Plagiarism occurs in degrees from using a person’s ideas as your own to the good old fashioned cut and paste.

I’m not going to lecture on the moral and legal implications.  This is not a soapbox moment. But rather, discuss how you can create wonderful content without risking plagiarism and copyright infringement.

1. Create proprietary slogans and acronyms.  This not only sets your content apart from the other content available online and off, it’s great for branding and building credibility.
2. Share personal stories and examples to demonstrate your ideas and concepts. You’re a unique entity and in todays market the more transparent and authentic you can be, the more your audience is going to respond to you.
3. Source and give due credit. If you like and embrace the ideas of another internet marketer then quote them, give them credit when you reference their content and expand upon it if you want to differentiate yourself.
4. Do your research. There’s a notorious quote by playwright, Wilson Mizner which says “Copy from one, it’s plagiarism ; copy from two, it’s research.”
5. Make certain to hire ghostwriters who provide original content and source their information.

Transparency and authenticity are an internet marketer’s secret weapon.  When you create unique and valuable content – you’re providing something beneficial to your market.  Creating original content may be a bit more challenging than copying others however it’s well worth the effort ethically, legally and it’s more profitable.

It’s also worth the effort to do what you can to protect your unique content.  I truly believe that the majority of Internet Marketers are honest and ethical business people.  However, if you do come across potential perpetrators – consider taking a stand against plagiarism.  It elevates the industry which benefits us all.

Blip.fm ~ Music Social Site

Just when I thought I had discovered the coolest social site – Twitter, along comes Twitter with music.
It’s called www.Blip.fm

 
Once you sign up for an account, you can enter the name of a group or song
you’d like to hear and you get a list of members who provide those songs or artists.
A page appears with all the pictures of “DJs” with the note at the bottom that says, “add all?”
Once you click that link, you instantly have 30 new “Favorite DJs” in your community
(or however many were on the page).

 
If you want to hear a song, all you have to do is enter the title or author in the field.
It will search for that title or author and allow you to preview or blip.
Click Preview to make sure it’s the song you are looking for.

 
If you blip it, you send it out to the community. Add a message to say anything you’d like.
Blips come in constantly just like tweets do on Twitter and it’s fun to see
what people around the world are listening to.

 
It’s a cool way to share and hear your favorite music.
Isn’t it amazing what you can do with technology!

 
At our last conference in Atlanta, social sites expert Don Crowther taught a
session on how to use social networking to make a pile of money.

 
If you’d like to watch his session, his was just part of the video set for the conference.
You can check it out at www.EntrepreneurDays.com.

 
And if you get the videos, make sure you don’t miss watching MikeandMichael.com,
who provided the musical entertainment at our Saturday night banquet.

 
They are actually Mike Stewart and Mike Edging, two musical geniuses who wowed
the crowd with original jazz on the piano and sax. It was one of the best nights of my life!

 
I wonder if their music is on blip.fm…

 
So many books, so little time…
Rhea!
who isn’t the most technical knife in the drawer

 

 

Lessen Your To Do List & Still Get Things Done

If you are like most work at home moms, your daily to do list seems endless. You probably finding yourself wondering, “Will I ever get ahead?” or “Will I ever get it all done?” Sure you can – but not alone. It’s time to start outsourcing and shaving away things on your list that are not necessary to run a profitable business.

First, it’s time to admit there are things on your list that you feel you must do that really aren’t necessary. These types of things can be adjusted or removed completely so you can be more productive in your day. Some common culprits include:

• Checking your email repetitively
• Logging into a social networking site daily
• Chatting via instant messenger while you work
• Doing all of your own article writing or submissions
• Continuing to do tasks that you dislike (such as bookkeeping)

Next it’s time to make the changes. Take time to decide if these tasks should be eliminated completely or outsourced to someone else. This will shave down your to-do list and increase your productivity. Here are some examples of ways to shorten that list and still get things done.

Instead of checking email every time you get a notification that you’ve got one, set aside 2 or 3 times a day to check and reply to all emails. Are you addicted to Twitter and keep it open all day long? Change your routine and only hop on to chat a few minutes in the morning while drinking that first cup of coffee and in the evening once your work is finished for the day.

Now for things that can be handed off to someone else. Does it take you an entire day to complete monthly bookkeeping? How about article writing, do you dread writing and struggle with doing so to the point it takes hours to turn out one article? If you find yourself taking tons of time to do certain tasks such as these, start looking for someone who specializes in those areas and get some help.

As work at home moms, we may THINK we can do it all, but the reality is we can’t and there’s really no reason to try! It’s time to stop trying to be Super Mom, Super Business Owner, etc. In order to be truly successful we need to learn that this requires allowing some things to go by the wayside, while obtaining assistance with other things. Only then will you be truly able to handle the extra long to-do lists.

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How Can You Encourage the Genius in Your Children?

I have Legomaniacs in the house, know what I mean?

These boys would spend every minute of the day building amazing creations with Legos if I didn’t make them stop to eat and sleep. Yes, they are addicted.

After a discussion in the DealingwithLearningDisorders.com community this week about creativity, I looked “creativity” up on Wikipedia to see what it had to say.

Listen to this:

“Creativity has been attributed variously to divine intervention, cognitive processes, the social environment, personality traits, and chance (’accident’, ’serendipity”). It has been associated with genius, mental illness and humour. Some say it is a trait we are born with; others say it can be taught with the application of creativity techniques/ simple techniques.

“Although popularly associated with art and literature, it is also an essential part of innovation and invention and is important in professions such as business, economics, architecture, industrial design, science and engineering.

“…entire industries have been spawned from the pursuit of creative ideas and the development of creativity techniques.”

Here’s what I got from that:

Creativity is a result of:

*The way you think  *Your environment  *Your personality

I have conscientiously designed our environment to give my children the freedom, acceptance and time they need to explore their personal interests.

Often, people wonder if I give them too much time. I wonder that too. But the creations these guys come up with shows me that giving them long periods of uninterrupted thinking time can result in some pretty amazing creations.

Check out this Spartan armor Benji made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3M8msj3lcY

This kid also has a very easy going personality and loves to tell jokes at exactly the right time.

Because of the way we have structured our family life, these kids are developing a very mature way of thinking.

Is it by chance? I don’t think so.

I’d say it is my design. It has taken a lot of sacrifice for us to find the place where we live and to create the environment that allows us all to work and learn from home.

I think we are starting to identify a gift this boy has. I’m not sure where he’ll go with it but at 15, the possibilities are limitless.

I’m sharing this info and video with you to encourage you to relax and trust yourself and your child and to give your kids more free time to explore their world.

Don’t let them sit idly on the couch watching TV, movies or even playing video games. Those don’t challenge the mind to work and create something useful for society; they only stall the brain in neutral and steal days and weeks of productive time.

Encourage them instead to do something creative. Finance their projects. Give them tools and resources they ask for.

Most of all, give them time to develop their genius.

That boy or girl that drives you crazy may just design the answer to this economic crisis we’re in.

You never know.

So many books, so little time…

Rhea! who sincerely believes that everyone is gifted; we just haven’t identified how

P.S. Don’t forget to grab a copy of the videos from our Entrepreneur Days 2008! They will change your life!

http://www.EntrepreneurDays.com

NaNoWriMo for Marketers?

November is National Novel Writer’s Month – it’s the month that authors or would be novelists are challenged to write 50,000 words on their novel.

For a novelist that is a large word count and a very lofty goal.  Writing every day, it comes out to about 1700 words a day.

As a novelist looking at that daily word count, I cringe and hide in the corner.  Am I participating in NaNoWriMo this year?  Nope!

For an internet marketer 50,000 words a month equates to about 80-120 articles/blog posts/social marketing and networking posts, blog comments, reports, sales letters, emails and so on… each averaging between 400 and 600 words.

Do you presently write 50,000 words for your business?

If not, consider setting yourself a goal – we’ll call it NaIMWriMo – National Internet Marketer Writer’s Month.  Keeping the same 50,000 word count goal that means:

30 Blog posts (600 words per post) – 18000

20 Articles (600 words per article) – 12000

3 ten page reports (400 words per page) – 12000

That leaves 8000 words for email messages, blog and forum comments, tweets at Twitter and so on.  Easily accomplished, right?

So how do you track all this content – consider saving the month’s content in a single NaIMWriMo folder.  That way you can see at a glance how many articles, reports and emails etc..you have written and how close you are to your goal.

Reaching your goal – the celebration

Attaining any lofty goal deserves a lofty reward – right?  If you’ve written 50,000 words then you certainly deserve a reward!

Now for internet marketers much of the reward will be in the form of additional profits.  However if you like to up the ante, consider giving yourself much needed time off – even a day or two just to sit back and enjoy life.  Go to the movies.  Buy those shoes you adore but really have no place to wear.  Do something fun!

Oh, and don’t forget to make a plan to get all that new content online and available to your prospects and customers!

So…is NaIMWriMo for you?  If so, get busy it’s already Nov 10th!

Why You Need 2 Mastermind Groups

One of the keys to success in anything in life is realizing that you can not accomplish anything by yourself.

Too many people are convinced that others will steal their ideas, concepts, people, resources, everything so they never share their thoughts with others.

That thought comes from fear which way too often, does run rampant through the world.

Consequently, waaay too many men “go to the grave with the song still in them,” as Henry David Thoreau once said.

Because they don’t trust others to help them accomplish their dreams, they never get started.

Wise people, however, realize that building a business is like building a building. You can’t create a skyscraper without a team.

Belong to 2 Types of Masterminds

Unless you’ve jumped into the zany world of home business, you may have never been confronted with the concept of a mastermind group.

Groups are organized for many reasons: religious, business, marriage, friends, brainstorming, whatever.

But ultimately, there are basically two types.

One group is your internal team; those who work with you on projects or business.

The other group is made up of random friends, entrepreneurs or others who do not work with you on your projects on a regular basis.

To be successful in business, I personally think you will be more successful by belonging to at least one of each type.

Team Masterminds

Way too often, business owners and managers don’t ask their team members for their opinions on anything.

Imagine how frustrating that is to a worker who day-in and day-out probably sees hundreds of ways to make their work more efficient but isn’t given the opportunity to initiate change because no one ever asks for or listens to their suggestions.

Yet in the world of small business, entrepreneurs often make the same mistake. We generally know what we want so we work 16 hours a day to make it happen without ever asking any helpers or contractors what they think.

Instead, try forming a small group of people who are involved in the project who can meet together once a week or so either virtually or live to discuss the projects at hand.

It’s like asking the five blind guys to describe how the elephant has changed from their perspective this week. Imagine the possibilities!

Not only will you get some criticism and possibly some good ideas, but you’ll also gain the commitment of the team members who will be more likely to contribute from the heart because of their involvment in the project.

Peer Masterminds

The other type of mastermind group is one where unrelated people share their goals for the week with each other and offer helpful advice from different perspectives.

Everyone needs someone to bounce ideas off who has a positive, educated perspective to offer.

Whether this group is made up only of your peers or includes a mentor doesn’t matter. The benefit is that sharing ideas and problems with others who care about you and who are there to help often stimulates creativity.

Surrounding yourself with wise friends makes it easier to get past inevitable road-blocks that always face anyone who tries to do anything out of the norm.

Create Both

I’ve been in peer masterminds and I’ve met with members of my business team randomly before, but I’ve never seen the importance of designating the time to be in both… until now.

I just finished reading Meet & Grow Rich by Joe Vitale and Bill Hibbler where they explain the difference between the groups and give the reasons for each.

Although I’d personally recommend skipping chapter 16, the book was full of wise counsel from experienced members of successful mastermind groups.

It only makes sense.

If you want the people who are members of your team to be committed to the same goals and be in harmony with each other, spend time at least weekly with them re-evaluating your goals and activities and building those relationships.

If you want to gain perspective from outsiders who see your projects and business differently, meet regularly with friends, peers and other business owners to get perspective about “the other side of the coin.”

Life is not always as we perceive it. Letting others show you what’s hiding in your blind spots is a smart move.

Go for it!

So many books, so little time…

 

Rhea!

who hopes you participate in a mastermind group

 

P.S. Our Entrepreneur Days 2008  videos are now ready:

www.EntrepreneurDays.com

 

Google Documents – Free Time Management & More

Most of us struggle to find affordable time management tools that we can use as work at home moms. With limited funds it is absolutely essential to find tools that will be both useful AND affordable.

Google offers many valuable tools that are better than just affordable, they are FREE and they can also be a valuable asset to your business. They can help you manage your time wisely and assist in planning, collaborating and connecting with those you work with, including clients, partners or assistants.

One of these tools is Google Documents, which gives you a way to save documents to the web giving you the ability to access them from anywhere. This is one of its best features. Now, when you are out of town, you can have access to your important documents without having to worry about copying your files to a jump drive or worse, not having access to them at all.

Google Documents allows you to create both folders and labels which will help you to organize your documents to be found easily in the future by both you and those you might be collaborating with on a project. Yes, it even allows you to share your documents with others via file sharing, with the option of allowing them to edit the document or just view it.

There is even the option to chat with the person you are collaborating with in the same window where you are doing the edits. You both view the document simultaneously and can see the changes that the other person is making instantly.

You can also email the documents to others as an attachment right from the screen where you are editing the document. No need to open email in another window to quickly send one file.

Other valuable options include the ability to save documents and spreadsheets as Microsoft Office, Open Office, or PDF files. You can upload and download files to and from your computer as well. You can also star files for quick locating or even hide them if necessary.

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