My Coches de Cuba image collection is now up in the gallery! You are going to love these cars...
Coches de Cuba (Cars of Cuba) - the first Gallery - or use the link on the right.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
cuba tales II - Calle 62
One of the highlights of Cuba was visiting a Cuban bar on Saturday night. It's a little snack bar that has music and entertainment at night. Jon had been there before and just loved it, so I had heard about it, but to actually see it for myself was something completely different. It was beautiful! We got there around 9pm and got a table. By about 9:30 or 10 the tables were all full! The band started probably around 10:30 or so, and by 11 the place was really busy. 
Not only were the tables full, but people were standing and dancing in the street and on the sidewalk across the street, or at the restaurant across the street. The locals can't all afford to go and buy drinks, so some of them bring their own - we saw a couple different guys with their own rum and mix.The kids were beautiful. There were a couple of little girls, probably 8 or so, who were dancing - and they could dance! It was priceless!
Reminded me of my little sis and made me wish I could take her dancing. Salsa is a great dance style too. Watching the cuban people dance is just incredible. 
I wish I could move half that well! There were another couple of even smaller girls dancing up on the side of the stage during an intermission when the band was taking a break - again, incredible!The band was good too. I really enjoyed watching and listening to them. The girls on stage were dancing pretty good too. Boy can they move! It certainly inspired me to take some serious salsa lessons and learn to move my own hips like that - or as close to that as I can get?
They had a little dance contest. First they pulled 6 girls out of the audience, then they had them each do a little dance. Then the girls were to pick a guy to dance with and the contest continued with the couples dancing, the guys dancing, and the finalists dancing. Finalists were determined by the audience applause. Would you be surprised to know that it was a local couple who won? They rocked. Just watching them dance together, or separate was amazing! I was definitely voting for them right from the start! There were a couple of girls from Montreal who were in the contest and could shake it pretty good - but nothing near as good as the locals. The couple pictured above isn't the one that was in the contest - they were out dancing on the street - but they were just as good from what I saw!
The price of beer was comparable to what it is here - maybe a little bit less. It was $2.50 (Cuban convertible pesos), which converts to around $3 or a bit less. Probably less than you'd pay at most bars here, but not THAT much less. We did find it cheaper other places, but more on that in the Varadero Walk tale (coming soon).Our night concluded with a Taxi ride back out to our resort - about 15 minutes out of Varadero. And yes, that 1927 Ford was indeed our taxi! Is that beautiful or what? I will be posting an album on my Photographity site with Cuban cars - it is a must see if you love those classics! I'll let you know when it's up...
It was interesting to talk to the taxi driver. Jon got asking him about politics and how the government is compared to what it used to be and all that fun stuff. Basically, the guy was saying that the only thing he would change is higher salaries for everyone. So, even though it is a communist country, the people seem to be happy and content with the way things are run - except they'd like to be paid more. Interesting.
And that concludes our trip to Calle 62!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
cuba tales I
Christmas in Cuba was as good as I hoped/expected. Nothing ever quite lives up to my expectations, but I certainly wasn't disappointed! We met some great people, saw some of the Cuban countryside, got some great photos, enjoyed a warm sunny beach - ahhhh I did not want to leave at all! I could have easily handled at least another week there without getting bored or going crazy. ;)
We left home Monday morning, the 22nd. Our flight was out of London at 4:55pm. We arrived at the airport a bit over 2 hours before our flight - and you should have seen the line-up! Apparently they were having computer problems when checking everyone in for our flight, and we ended up waiting in line for over 2 hours. Our flight was delayed as a result, but at least they didn't leave without us! ;)
While waiting in line we met the two parties ahead of us in line - who both happened to be going to the same resort that we were! The chances of that are pretty small, since there are sooo many resorts, and just about everyone on the plane is going to a different one. We met Alex and her mom from London, and another gal and her mom from Toronto. Great people, fun to chat with, and we enjoyed hanging out with Alex and Jean later in the week as well.
So our flight finally left closer to 6, which meant we arrived in Veradero, Cuba around 9. It was after 10 by the time we got through customs, got our luggage, found our bus, exchanged our money, and made it to our resort, Melia Las Antillas. As soon as we stepped off the plane in Veradero, though, I could feel the dramatic temperature change, and knew I was going to love it!
Customs in Cuba was a cinch. Thorough, but not overboard like it tends to be in Canada or the US. We were in and out in not time, there were no looong line ups, and it was all very well organized. We actually had to wait for our luggage after going through Customs because it was so quick!
We got to our resort, checked in, unpacked, changed, then headed downstairs to check out the drink situation. The lobby bar was super quiet that night, so we went and found the "Disco Fun Pop" bar. Yes, it is actually called that! It was pretty busy that night, so we hung out there for a couple of beer before calling it a night. It turned out to be a nice little spot the rest of the week as well. It was great to watch everyone dance and just observe the people that were there. A lot of germans were at this resort, and we saw a number of them that night - including one guy in a very unique outfit. He was wearing a tank top that was almost more like a vest - it had three or so buttons that were undone, and was almost a sheer material. He had a beer belly, a mohawk, and patched jeans. We were amused. ;) We saw the same guy later on in the week several times, including one day when we went for lunch and he came to lunch in his Speedo - not a pretty sight! There were some amusing people there for sure...
Our first day there was overcast and cool - but still a hell of a lot nicer than Ontario! We spent a fair bit of time hanging out at the lobby bar, drinking cappucino (some of them with Baileys), and hit the Disco Fun Pop again in the evening. It was a pretty low-key day, but still enjoyable!
Our second day was warm and sunny, so we spent a good part of it laying by the pool - ahhhhh, the sun! It was delightful! They had some hammocks hung in spots around the pool as well, and those were nice to nap in a couple of times. The pool was huge - and there were tons of chairs around it - probably over 100 just around the pool. The resort holds about 350 people, so it's a good size without being too ginormous. There were at least that many more chairs down at the beach, if not more. There were four bars spread out through the resort. The lobby bar (24 hour), the disco bar - which seemed to be only open certain times, the beach bar (10-5) and the pool bar (open til midnight or so). There were three a la cart restaurants - which we never made it to. And there was a buffet and a restaurant by the pool. The variety of food was great, and it tasted pretty damn good too! I had heard before I left about how the food down there is very bland - but I can't say that I found it to be so! I certainly had no complaints.
The rest of the week was spent doing a jeep safari, visiting Veradero, walking the beach and chatting with people we met there. There will be more to come, including pictures, on the highlights of the rest of the trip...
We left home Monday morning, the 22nd. Our flight was out of London at 4:55pm. We arrived at the airport a bit over 2 hours before our flight - and you should have seen the line-up! Apparently they were having computer problems when checking everyone in for our flight, and we ended up waiting in line for over 2 hours. Our flight was delayed as a result, but at least they didn't leave without us! ;)
While waiting in line we met the two parties ahead of us in line - who both happened to be going to the same resort that we were! The chances of that are pretty small, since there are sooo many resorts, and just about everyone on the plane is going to a different one. We met Alex and her mom from London, and another gal and her mom from Toronto. Great people, fun to chat with, and we enjoyed hanging out with Alex and Jean later in the week as well.
So our flight finally left closer to 6, which meant we arrived in Veradero, Cuba around 9. It was after 10 by the time we got through customs, got our luggage, found our bus, exchanged our money, and made it to our resort, Melia Las Antillas. As soon as we stepped off the plane in Veradero, though, I could feel the dramatic temperature change, and knew I was going to love it!
Customs in Cuba was a cinch. Thorough, but not overboard like it tends to be in Canada or the US. We were in and out in not time, there were no looong line ups, and it was all very well organized. We actually had to wait for our luggage after going through Customs because it was so quick!
We got to our resort, checked in, unpacked, changed, then headed downstairs to check out the drink situation. The lobby bar was super quiet that night, so we went and found the "Disco Fun Pop" bar. Yes, it is actually called that! It was pretty busy that night, so we hung out there for a couple of beer before calling it a night. It turned out to be a nice little spot the rest of the week as well. It was great to watch everyone dance and just observe the people that were there. A lot of germans were at this resort, and we saw a number of them that night - including one guy in a very unique outfit. He was wearing a tank top that was almost more like a vest - it had three or so buttons that were undone, and was almost a sheer material. He had a beer belly, a mohawk, and patched jeans. We were amused. ;) We saw the same guy later on in the week several times, including one day when we went for lunch and he came to lunch in his Speedo - not a pretty sight! There were some amusing people there for sure...
Our first day there was overcast and cool - but still a hell of a lot nicer than Ontario! We spent a fair bit of time hanging out at the lobby bar, drinking cappucino (some of them with Baileys), and hit the Disco Fun Pop again in the evening. It was a pretty low-key day, but still enjoyable!
Our second day was warm and sunny, so we spent a good part of it laying by the pool - ahhhhh, the sun! It was delightful! They had some hammocks hung in spots around the pool as well, and those were nice to nap in a couple of times. The pool was huge - and there were tons of chairs around it - probably over 100 just around the pool. The resort holds about 350 people, so it's a good size without being too ginormous. There were at least that many more chairs down at the beach, if not more. There were four bars spread out through the resort. The lobby bar (24 hour), the disco bar - which seemed to be only open certain times, the beach bar (10-5) and the pool bar (open til midnight or so). There were three a la cart restaurants - which we never made it to. And there was a buffet and a restaurant by the pool. The variety of food was great, and it tasted pretty damn good too! I had heard before I left about how the food down there is very bland - but I can't say that I found it to be so! I certainly had no complaints.
The rest of the week was spent doing a jeep safari, visiting Veradero, walking the beach and chatting with people we met there. There will be more to come, including pictures, on the highlights of the rest of the trip...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
water holes
We were playing CashFlow the other night, and I drew a card that was offering a piece of raw land for sale, with a creek running through it. It got us on the topic of creeks. I realized I was very lucky growing up, as the first two places we lived - that I remember - both had creeks running through the property.
The first place had a creek that ran near the barn. There were minnows in the creek. Probably my most distinct memory of the creek is when Mom would make tapioca pudding and we'd take it down and put it in the creek to chill. Looking back, it seems like a looong way to have to walk to the refrigerator, but hey, it worked!
I remember wading in the creek as well - the water was always extremely cold. But when does that ever stop kids? The creek joined the river on the edge of our property, and when our parents were with us, we'd go down to the river as well. The path to the river crossed the creek, where it had carved out a mini canyon for itself, and we'd find all kinds of minnows down in there.
The second place we lived again had a creek that ran into a river on the edge of our property. This was a bigger creek, and came out of a huge culvert at the upper end, with a pool. On hot summer days we'd go play in the pool and the culvert - although the water was still rather chilly! I remember one time some of my siblings found an eel or two in the creek. That was pretty exotic for us. We'd never seen such a thing! This creek also had small fish near the river end.
I was lucky to grow up around so much water. We always had a lake near by to go swimming in the summer, or to go have picnics at. Rivers were abundant as well. We did a lot of canoeing, and spent a fair amount of time camping by lakes and rivers. There was the annual Swan Trip - a grand canoe/camping adventure, where we'd go and camp on an island. I'd like to make that trip again one of these summers.
I remember one particular camping trip, just before my brother Hiram was born. We were supposed to go to Brown Bear (out by Swan) with my uncle and his family and a couple other families, but Hiram was due right around that time, so my parents decided we'd go on our own camping trip closer to home. We went down by the river, at a spot a few miles from our home, and camped on a sandbar. I remember building a "tabernacle" (from the Bible) in the sand with leaves, sticks and stones. I think Mom still has pictures of that camping trip somewhere.
My earliest memories of swimming are of being afraid of it. I was terrified to get out in the water where I couldn't touch the bottom! Even with a lifejacket, I would be freaked out. I'd get myself all psyched up to go swimming, determined that this time I was going to swim by myself, but sure enough, we'd get to the lake, I'd get out on the dock, and I just couldn't do it! So my dad would eventually get me out in the water and then leave me to swim on my own. I am not sure why it was so terrifying, but it was a fear that took me a while to get over! He'd leave me on my own, practically forcing me to swim, and I'd panic a bit - and remember, I was wearing a lifejacket! I did eventually get over that fear...
Yes, I was lucky to grow up around so much water. I now live in Southern Ontario, and guess what? There isn't any water around! Sure, there are the great lakes, and the Detroit River, but they aren't play friendly, unless you have a boat or something. I miss the little lakes and rivers that you can really get down to and enjoy... I miss swimming in the summer, even when it was chilly. I miss picnics and camping by the lakes.
So I've decided, that when I am wealthy, I will purchase a summer home in BC. It's not a place I can ever again live year-round (I can't handle the winters), but I would definitely like to have a summer home to spend a few weeks each year! My winter homes will be somewhere warm and tropical - Thailand maybe - but BC will also be a special place to me as well.
The first place had a creek that ran near the barn. There were minnows in the creek. Probably my most distinct memory of the creek is when Mom would make tapioca pudding and we'd take it down and put it in the creek to chill. Looking back, it seems like a looong way to have to walk to the refrigerator, but hey, it worked!
I remember wading in the creek as well - the water was always extremely cold. But when does that ever stop kids? The creek joined the river on the edge of our property, and when our parents were with us, we'd go down to the river as well. The path to the river crossed the creek, where it had carved out a mini canyon for itself, and we'd find all kinds of minnows down in there.
The second place we lived again had a creek that ran into a river on the edge of our property. This was a bigger creek, and came out of a huge culvert at the upper end, with a pool. On hot summer days we'd go play in the pool and the culvert - although the water was still rather chilly! I remember one time some of my siblings found an eel or two in the creek. That was pretty exotic for us. We'd never seen such a thing! This creek also had small fish near the river end.
I was lucky to grow up around so much water. We always had a lake near by to go swimming in the summer, or to go have picnics at. Rivers were abundant as well. We did a lot of canoeing, and spent a fair amount of time camping by lakes and rivers. There was the annual Swan Trip - a grand canoe/camping adventure, where we'd go and camp on an island. I'd like to make that trip again one of these summers.
I remember one particular camping trip, just before my brother Hiram was born. We were supposed to go to Brown Bear (out by Swan) with my uncle and his family and a couple other families, but Hiram was due right around that time, so my parents decided we'd go on our own camping trip closer to home. We went down by the river, at a spot a few miles from our home, and camped on a sandbar. I remember building a "tabernacle" (from the Bible) in the sand with leaves, sticks and stones. I think Mom still has pictures of that camping trip somewhere.
My earliest memories of swimming are of being afraid of it. I was terrified to get out in the water where I couldn't touch the bottom! Even with a lifejacket, I would be freaked out. I'd get myself all psyched up to go swimming, determined that this time I was going to swim by myself, but sure enough, we'd get to the lake, I'd get out on the dock, and I just couldn't do it! So my dad would eventually get me out in the water and then leave me to swim on my own. I am not sure why it was so terrifying, but it was a fear that took me a while to get over! He'd leave me on my own, practically forcing me to swim, and I'd panic a bit - and remember, I was wearing a lifejacket! I did eventually get over that fear...
Yes, I was lucky to grow up around so much water. I now live in Southern Ontario, and guess what? There isn't any water around! Sure, there are the great lakes, and the Detroit River, but they aren't play friendly, unless you have a boat or something. I miss the little lakes and rivers that you can really get down to and enjoy... I miss swimming in the summer, even when it was chilly. I miss picnics and camping by the lakes.
So I've decided, that when I am wealthy, I will purchase a summer home in BC. It's not a place I can ever again live year-round (I can't handle the winters), but I would definitely like to have a summer home to spend a few weeks each year! My winter homes will be somewhere warm and tropical - Thailand maybe - but BC will also be a special place to me as well.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
more fish friends
We have acquired new additions in our fish tank. Jon picked them up on Thursday. There's a clown fish and a peppermint shrimp. Neither have names yet.I think Shiloh (the blue damsel) is happy to have another tank mate. They get along great. The Clown took a few days to get used to the tank, but he now is comfortable enough to swim merrily around the tank. He's such a cutie! I love clown fish.
Patrick the star is moving around the tank more than he did when we first got him too. You never really see him moving, but boy does he get around! He'll be on one side of the tank, and then next thing you know, he's on the other side, or sitting on top of the rocks. You can see him up in the left side of the tank in the first picture.The shrimp is pretty cool.
He kinda sways back and forth as he walks. And we've seen him sitting right on top of the starfish as well. He's more active now and moves around the tank a fair bit. And he's see-through! How cool is that? He's got these super long antenae/feelers and just looks funny.And remember the worm I mentioned the other day? Well, Jon did some research and found out what it is. It's a bristle worm, and we've got to try and trap it. They sting, and could be dangerous for the poor fishies.
And there's the latest chapter in our fish story.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
website ventures, part 1
I decided to start blogging about my new "baby" website. I want to document how I'm doing it, and figured since I'm already a regular blogger, this might be a good way to do that - plus it just might help someone else with ideas for their own websites!
My website is still in its infancy, but has certainly progressed past the newborn stage. Here's what I've done so far.
It all started when I got a hold of a tutorial called the Affiliate Masters Program (or the .zip version here). The tutorial takes you through, step by step, how to set up a website to provide tons of valuable information (for FREE), and how to make money through selling other people's products, google adsense, and various other methods of monetizing. The key point, though, is to create tons of value for your visitors!
This was along the lines of what I'd been wanting to do - an online site that once it was set up would practically run itself and make me money while I was sleeping, or vacationing, or whatever the case may be. And the beautiful thing with this is that you can pick a topic that interests you, something you can get excited about and enjoy doing.
So the first thing I did was to brainstorm some topics, ideas that would interest me, things I know something about that I could write about, and so on. I wrote out a whole long list, and then went through that list and picked out 3-5 niche topics to research. You want to narrow it down, drill down if you will, until you have a very precise, specific topic. If it's too broad and general, then it will be hard to do the research and get specific keywords, and it will be hard to rank well for that topic in the search engines. You can always add on more later once your initial niche website is established!
The research is not my favorite part, although some people just love it. The research for a project like this, involves picking some keywords for that topic and checking to see how much demand there is for those keywords (how many people are searching for that keyword) as well as how much supply there already is (how many websites come up when you search for that keyword). Ideally, you want to find keywords for your niche topic that are being searched by a lot of people, but don't have too many suppliers already. You want to be able to rank well in the search engines, so that you can get free targeted traffic!
I narrowed my topic down to one niche topic: romantic couples games. I then went on to do some more thorough research on just that one topic.
As I was researching keywords, I would type my keyword into Google.com and then go and visit at least the first 10 websites that came up, to see if 1) they were relevant to my topic (a competitor), 2) I could glean any ideas from them, 3) to see if they were quality websites (or if I could easily surpass them as far as quality goes) and 4) to see if they might be possible partners (with products I could sell on my own site, a site that I could request to trade links, etc). I learned a fair bit during this research, got some good ideas from sites that I found, and learned things that I wanted to avoid from other sites that I found. I kept track of all of this info and stats in an excel spreadsheet. (More info on the research in a later post - complete with copies of my spreadsheets.)
From my research I was able to determine a handful of good keywords related to my topic to use. I chose ones like the obvious romantic couples games, foreplay games, sexy games for couples, fantasy and roleplay games, and other such similar keywords. From my research, they seemed to have enough demand, and the supply definitely left room for a new and better website on the topic.
From there I went on to choose my domain name - I actually registered several. I was able to get romantic-couples-games.com (my main domain), as well as some other variations of the words. You definitely want to have your main site keyword in your domain name, so I was very pleased to find that one available!
The next step was to start creating the actual content, and designing the website. I started designing the website in DreamWeaver, but eventually moved it to a Joomla site, which is much easier to manage, even for someone who doesn't know html! I started with a very basic design - after all, the focus is on content not on design. Sure, you want it to look nice, but it's even more important that you deliver value to your visitors!
I started with the home page, and wrote up a few paragraphs about romantic couples games and how they can help make things more interesting, exciting and intimate in a relationship. I made sure to use my main keyword, romantic couples games, several times throughout the paragraphs, heading, and the title in the browser as well. My website still has pretty much the same original content on the homepage, so you can see basically how I structured the content, with the keywords, etc.
I moved on from there to create other pages about foreplay, sex positions, sexy food games, roleplay and fantasy, and homemade sex games. These were the original 5 internal pages that I started with. I went on to add the rest, like shower sex games, sexy oral games, talking dirty, and even more recently, sexy christmas ideas, love letters and sexy lingerie.
Since the original creation, I have been regularly adding new content, new products, new freebies, etc. The more value you create, the more awesome free stuff you give away, the more your visitors will want to come back, refer their friends, and buy the products that you recommend!
I also started a Sexy Tips Ezine, that I send out once a week (Mondays) with a sexy game of the week and a sexy tip of the week. I keep it short and sweet, but again, provide value! All of my ezines are also then added to my site after they go out, which also adds more content and value to the website itself.
I started out doing a separate blog as well, and linking it to my site, but I found that to be rather time consuming, and decided I would be better off adding the content I was putting on my blog to my actual site and having it all in one place. I do love blogs though, and it's good to have a "feed" for people to follow, so I found out how to do a feed of my website - my Sexy Tips Blog Feed - which is set up through feedburner.com. This feed simply displays the content of my site in a blog format. Every time I add a new article or page to my site, it updates in my feed.
Since the time I started the website, I have grown my newsletter list to 28 subscribers, I have grown my daily visitors to an average of 40 or so per day, and I have had a total of 3 sales with my affiliate programs, as well as 1 sale directly from a PPC campaign.
There's an overview of the project. In my next few posts I will go into more detail on things like the research, getting newsletter subscribers, the freebies I offer, how I get content, article marketing, and some of the other techniques I have used.
My website is still in its infancy, but has certainly progressed past the newborn stage. Here's what I've done so far.
It all started when I got a hold of a tutorial called the Affiliate Masters Program (or the .zip version here). The tutorial takes you through, step by step, how to set up a website to provide tons of valuable information (for FREE), and how to make money through selling other people's products, google adsense, and various other methods of monetizing. The key point, though, is to create tons of value for your visitors!
This was along the lines of what I'd been wanting to do - an online site that once it was set up would practically run itself and make me money while I was sleeping, or vacationing, or whatever the case may be. And the beautiful thing with this is that you can pick a topic that interests you, something you can get excited about and enjoy doing.
So the first thing I did was to brainstorm some topics, ideas that would interest me, things I know something about that I could write about, and so on. I wrote out a whole long list, and then went through that list and picked out 3-5 niche topics to research. You want to narrow it down, drill down if you will, until you have a very precise, specific topic. If it's too broad and general, then it will be hard to do the research and get specific keywords, and it will be hard to rank well for that topic in the search engines. You can always add on more later once your initial niche website is established!
The research is not my favorite part, although some people just love it. The research for a project like this, involves picking some keywords for that topic and checking to see how much demand there is for those keywords (how many people are searching for that keyword) as well as how much supply there already is (how many websites come up when you search for that keyword). Ideally, you want to find keywords for your niche topic that are being searched by a lot of people, but don't have too many suppliers already. You want to be able to rank well in the search engines, so that you can get free targeted traffic!
I narrowed my topic down to one niche topic: romantic couples games. I then went on to do some more thorough research on just that one topic.
As I was researching keywords, I would type my keyword into Google.com and then go and visit at least the first 10 websites that came up, to see if 1) they were relevant to my topic (a competitor), 2) I could glean any ideas from them, 3) to see if they were quality websites (or if I could easily surpass them as far as quality goes) and 4) to see if they might be possible partners (with products I could sell on my own site, a site that I could request to trade links, etc). I learned a fair bit during this research, got some good ideas from sites that I found, and learned things that I wanted to avoid from other sites that I found. I kept track of all of this info and stats in an excel spreadsheet. (More info on the research in a later post - complete with copies of my spreadsheets.)
From my research I was able to determine a handful of good keywords related to my topic to use. I chose ones like the obvious romantic couples games, foreplay games, sexy games for couples, fantasy and roleplay games, and other such similar keywords. From my research, they seemed to have enough demand, and the supply definitely left room for a new and better website on the topic.
From there I went on to choose my domain name - I actually registered several. I was able to get romantic-couples-games.com (my main domain), as well as some other variations of the words. You definitely want to have your main site keyword in your domain name, so I was very pleased to find that one available!
The next step was to start creating the actual content, and designing the website. I started designing the website in DreamWeaver, but eventually moved it to a Joomla site, which is much easier to manage, even for someone who doesn't know html! I started with a very basic design - after all, the focus is on content not on design. Sure, you want it to look nice, but it's even more important that you deliver value to your visitors!
I started with the home page, and wrote up a few paragraphs about romantic couples games and how they can help make things more interesting, exciting and intimate in a relationship. I made sure to use my main keyword, romantic couples games, several times throughout the paragraphs, heading, and the title in the browser as well. My website still has pretty much the same original content on the homepage, so you can see basically how I structured the content, with the keywords, etc.
I moved on from there to create other pages about foreplay, sex positions, sexy food games, roleplay and fantasy, and homemade sex games. These were the original 5 internal pages that I started with. I went on to add the rest, like shower sex games, sexy oral games, talking dirty, and even more recently, sexy christmas ideas, love letters and sexy lingerie.
Since the original creation, I have been regularly adding new content, new products, new freebies, etc. The more value you create, the more awesome free stuff you give away, the more your visitors will want to come back, refer their friends, and buy the products that you recommend!
I also started a Sexy Tips Ezine, that I send out once a week (Mondays) with a sexy game of the week and a sexy tip of the week. I keep it short and sweet, but again, provide value! All of my ezines are also then added to my site after they go out, which also adds more content and value to the website itself.
I started out doing a separate blog as well, and linking it to my site, but I found that to be rather time consuming, and decided I would be better off adding the content I was putting on my blog to my actual site and having it all in one place. I do love blogs though, and it's good to have a "feed" for people to follow, so I found out how to do a feed of my website - my Sexy Tips Blog Feed - which is set up through feedburner.com. This feed simply displays the content of my site in a blog format. Every time I add a new article or page to my site, it updates in my feed.
Since the time I started the website, I have grown my newsletter list to 28 subscribers, I have grown my daily visitors to an average of 40 or so per day, and I have had a total of 3 sales with my affiliate programs, as well as 1 sale directly from a PPC campaign.
There's an overview of the project. In my next few posts I will go into more detail on things like the research, getting newsletter subscribers, the freebies I offer, how I get content, article marketing, and some of the other techniques I have used.
Friday, December 5, 2008
pets of the aquatic and plant familys
We have pets. And we like our pets. They aren't the furry, cuddly kind, nor are they the yappy, noisy kind. They are nice and quiet, don't make a mess, and while we can't play with them, they are rather fun to watch!
Our aquatic pets are Hermie the hermit crab, Shiloh the blue damsel, Patrick the star, and a random little worm that we just saw last night and haven't named yet. Sadly our aquarium has had many casualties as well, including the cutest little clown fish, who I miss very much, and a beautiful emerald crab. We are enjoying the ones that are left though. When we first got the star, he just sat up in the corner by the heater, but lately he has been moving all around the tank and we have really enjoyed watching him and looking to see where he's going to end up next. Last night we saw him sitting on the crab. Poor Hermie just never realized that the little nook he was in was in Patrick's path!
Our plant pets are just as fun - although they don't move even as fast as the starfish! We have a couple of pineapple plants that we grew from the top of pineapples that we bought this summer. Perhaps in a year or so we'll have our own homegrown pineapples! Then we also have our mimosas that Jon collected from pods he picked up from other trees here in town. We've grown a couple from seed, and we also have one that a very kind lady dug up for us from her back yard! Unfortunately, we've also had casualties in the plant world, with one mimosa that a damn squirrel bit off - yes, bit off and had the nerve to leave the top part lying there in the pot, severed. It was a sad day! We have since managed to get another to grow from seed though, and it is currently about an inch and a half high or so, sitting in the kitchen window and opening up a little more every day. Oh the joy of having other little lifes living in our house!
Our aquatic pets are Hermie the hermit crab, Shiloh the blue damsel, Patrick the star, and a random little worm that we just saw last night and haven't named yet. Sadly our aquarium has had many casualties as well, including the cutest little clown fish, who I miss very much, and a beautiful emerald crab. We are enjoying the ones that are left though. When we first got the star, he just sat up in the corner by the heater, but lately he has been moving all around the tank and we have really enjoyed watching him and looking to see where he's going to end up next. Last night we saw him sitting on the crab. Poor Hermie just never realized that the little nook he was in was in Patrick's path!
Our plant pets are just as fun - although they don't move even as fast as the starfish! We have a couple of pineapple plants that we grew from the top of pineapples that we bought this summer. Perhaps in a year or so we'll have our own homegrown pineapples! Then we also have our mimosas that Jon collected from pods he picked up from other trees here in town. We've grown a couple from seed, and we also have one that a very kind lady dug up for us from her back yard! Unfortunately, we've also had casualties in the plant world, with one mimosa that a damn squirrel bit off - yes, bit off and had the nerve to leave the top part lying there in the pot, severed. It was a sad day! We have since managed to get another to grow from seed though, and it is currently about an inch and a half high or so, sitting in the kitchen window and opening up a little more every day. Oh the joy of having other little lifes living in our house!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
money mindset
As I was relaxing in the hot tub tonight, with my glass of wine and a good book, I got off on an interesting train of thought. Interestingly enough, it stemmed from the storyline of the book I was reading. It's one of that epic fantasy series. About ordinary everyday folk who become heroes and save the world. The thing that jumped out at me tonight was the whole thing of going back to their roots, who their family was, where they were from, and being heroes in that respect. One character is the king of a dead country, and goes off to fight a war against the shadow on behalf of that country - unknowingly inspiring others of his countrymen to ride along with him. And the stories of other characters are similar. The point is, it got me thinking about my own heritage, where I have come from, and what I'm going to do with it.
The first thing that jumped to mind was money. It's been one of my pet topics lately, but frankly, it's been something that has plagued my family for literally generations. I remember discussing it with my dad one day. We were discussing the religious or spiritual aspect of it, but I remember a comment he made about other more distant relatives, particularly my great grandfather and great uncle, and how we hear about these great opportunities they have making lots of money, but next thing we know, they're broke, or close to it, and looking for another opportunity. And they never seem to break out of that cycle. In this particular conversation, we were talking about a "spirit of poverty" over our family - again, the spiritual aspect - and how it needed to be broken (through prayer, faith, declarations, etc).
So I started thinking about this tonight and immediately compared it to my more recent experiences and learning. I was in the whole religious/spiritual circle for a while, and believed that pretty much everything was the result of or caused by an evil spirit or demonic power. Now I'm not saying that that isn't the case, but I've since seen things and learned things that have made me go hmmmm. For instance, let's look at the secular parallel to this "poverty spirit" thing...
In spiritual circles, like the one I was a part of for a number of years, poverty is caused by a demonic spirit, a "demon" if you will that subjects a person or people to this particular condition. The way to get rid of it is to pray, command it to leave, and have faith that it has left, or is leaving. This is all fine and good, but in essence, it leaves the control and power in the hands of someone other than me. Even if I pray, command it to leave, and have "faith" that it is so, if it doesn't happen, I will simply think that for whatever reason either a) it isn't God's will at this time (there's a lesson for me to learn in this poverty still) or b) I'm not praying hard enough or don't have enough faith. Either reason leaves me with very little power and very little substantial information to work with.
The secular parallel brings a new light to things. Instead of there being a "spirit of poverty" or "demon of poverty", there are unsupportive mindsets and beliefs. Practically speaking, this means that I have grown up with beliefs about money that support poverty. For myself, some of these beliefs include, "You have to work hard for your money", "You have to get a good job to pay your bills", "Rich people are greedy and likely did something evil to get their wealth", "You should only have what you need to survive" or "It is noble to be poor." These beliefs weren't necessarily spoken ver batim, but they were certainly implied, particularly in the religious part of my upbringing. Incidentally, the reason I was taught these things, was that the people who taught them to me were themselves taught that by someone else. I'm certainly not placing blame on anyone here. But the fact of the matter is that this is what I was taught regarding money.
My family never seemed to have quite enough money. It didn't matter what job my dad worked, or didn't work. Things stayed the same. And I still see it in myself and in my family today. We're running our own businesses, working for ourselves now, and yet where is that "extra" money that we've always dreamed of? When do the bills stop and the money for me begin? Is this speaking to you?
Do you remember when I talked about financial thermostats? This is what it all boils down to. When I was comparing the "spiritual" and "secular" views (which really aren't as different as they'd like to think...), I realized that this thermostat is exactly what's going on. And here's the major difference I found between the spiritual and secular: the spiritual leaves the control and the responsibility in God's hands, while the secular puts the control and responsibility in my hands. Now, there's nothing wrong with believing in a higher power, be it God, the Universe, or whatever you choose to call it. But the problem that I see, is that with religion, if something doesn't happen, people say it must not be the will of God. There must be a lesson to be learned by it not happening.
Here's what I think. Yes, there is a lesson to be learned - but it has nothing or very little to do with God or what he wants, and it has absolutely everything to do with you and what you want. You can pray, command spirits, and have faith as much as you want, but if it doesn't happen, who is to blame? Is it God? Or is it you? Here's what I am learning: I (and only I) am in control of my life, my destiny, and what happens to me. I am the one who chooses how to respond to circumstances and situations. I am the one who chooses how to spend my time and my money. I am the one who chooses how far I will advance financially, personally and professionally. I am the one who shapes my own destiny. It is my choices, my beliefs, and my attitudes that either limit or expand where I will advance and where I will fall short. I am not a victim, I am in control of my own life and my own circumstances. I am the only one who has the ability to take a situation that seems really shitty and turn it into a great opportunity by the way I respond to it.
As soon as I take responsibility for my own life and my own circumstances, that is when I am free and can do whatever I want! The sky is the limit once you have truly taken responsibility for your own life. Then it doesn't matter what anyone else does to you, says to you, or thinks of you, because you are in control of your own life. And in my opinion, this is where religion is lacking. As long as you have "someone" to fall back on, to place blame on, you will never be able to truly take responsibility for your own life. And if you cannot truly take responsibility, then you cannot truly be free to create your life the way you want it. Religion is too quick to "blame" the "will of God", and to say that if it doesn't happen, it is because it is not the will of God.
So all of that being said, this is what I intend for my destiny in relation to my heritage to be. Right now, today, on the 3rd day of December 2008, I, Jessica Webb, take full responsibility for my actions, my words, and my life, right down to every little situation and detail. I am no longer a victim, but I am in full control of my life and my destiny. I create my life the way I want it to be, and no one can stop me by what they do, think or say about me or to me. I am successful and prosperous in all that I do, because I do it to the best of my ability and do not give responsibility to anyone or anything else. I am breaking the pattern of poverty and blame, I am turning those negative, unsupportive beliefs into positive, life-changing beliefs and habits. My destiny is to not only experience wealth for myself, but to let it cascade down to my family and all of those in my circle of influence. This is what I choose to do with my heritage, and what I choose to leave as my legacy and inheritance.
The first thing that jumped to mind was money. It's been one of my pet topics lately, but frankly, it's been something that has plagued my family for literally generations. I remember discussing it with my dad one day. We were discussing the religious or spiritual aspect of it, but I remember a comment he made about other more distant relatives, particularly my great grandfather and great uncle, and how we hear about these great opportunities they have making lots of money, but next thing we know, they're broke, or close to it, and looking for another opportunity. And they never seem to break out of that cycle. In this particular conversation, we were talking about a "spirit of poverty" over our family - again, the spiritual aspect - and how it needed to be broken (through prayer, faith, declarations, etc).
So I started thinking about this tonight and immediately compared it to my more recent experiences and learning. I was in the whole religious/spiritual circle for a while, and believed that pretty much everything was the result of or caused by an evil spirit or demonic power. Now I'm not saying that that isn't the case, but I've since seen things and learned things that have made me go hmmmm. For instance, let's look at the secular parallel to this "poverty spirit" thing...
In spiritual circles, like the one I was a part of for a number of years, poverty is caused by a demonic spirit, a "demon" if you will that subjects a person or people to this particular condition. The way to get rid of it is to pray, command it to leave, and have faith that it has left, or is leaving. This is all fine and good, but in essence, it leaves the control and power in the hands of someone other than me. Even if I pray, command it to leave, and have "faith" that it is so, if it doesn't happen, I will simply think that for whatever reason either a) it isn't God's will at this time (there's a lesson for me to learn in this poverty still) or b) I'm not praying hard enough or don't have enough faith. Either reason leaves me with very little power and very little substantial information to work with.
The secular parallel brings a new light to things. Instead of there being a "spirit of poverty" or "demon of poverty", there are unsupportive mindsets and beliefs. Practically speaking, this means that I have grown up with beliefs about money that support poverty. For myself, some of these beliefs include, "You have to work hard for your money", "You have to get a good job to pay your bills", "Rich people are greedy and likely did something evil to get their wealth", "You should only have what you need to survive" or "It is noble to be poor." These beliefs weren't necessarily spoken ver batim, but they were certainly implied, particularly in the religious part of my upbringing. Incidentally, the reason I was taught these things, was that the people who taught them to me were themselves taught that by someone else. I'm certainly not placing blame on anyone here. But the fact of the matter is that this is what I was taught regarding money.
My family never seemed to have quite enough money. It didn't matter what job my dad worked, or didn't work. Things stayed the same. And I still see it in myself and in my family today. We're running our own businesses, working for ourselves now, and yet where is that "extra" money that we've always dreamed of? When do the bills stop and the money for me begin? Is this speaking to you?
Do you remember when I talked about financial thermostats? This is what it all boils down to. When I was comparing the "spiritual" and "secular" views (which really aren't as different as they'd like to think...), I realized that this thermostat is exactly what's going on. And here's the major difference I found between the spiritual and secular: the spiritual leaves the control and the responsibility in God's hands, while the secular puts the control and responsibility in my hands. Now, there's nothing wrong with believing in a higher power, be it God, the Universe, or whatever you choose to call it. But the problem that I see, is that with religion, if something doesn't happen, people say it must not be the will of God. There must be a lesson to be learned by it not happening.
Here's what I think. Yes, there is a lesson to be learned - but it has nothing or very little to do with God or what he wants, and it has absolutely everything to do with you and what you want. You can pray, command spirits, and have faith as much as you want, but if it doesn't happen, who is to blame? Is it God? Or is it you? Here's what I am learning: I (and only I) am in control of my life, my destiny, and what happens to me. I am the one who chooses how to respond to circumstances and situations. I am the one who chooses how to spend my time and my money. I am the one who chooses how far I will advance financially, personally and professionally. I am the one who shapes my own destiny. It is my choices, my beliefs, and my attitudes that either limit or expand where I will advance and where I will fall short. I am not a victim, I am in control of my own life and my own circumstances. I am the only one who has the ability to take a situation that seems really shitty and turn it into a great opportunity by the way I respond to it.
As soon as I take responsibility for my own life and my own circumstances, that is when I am free and can do whatever I want! The sky is the limit once you have truly taken responsibility for your own life. Then it doesn't matter what anyone else does to you, says to you, or thinks of you, because you are in control of your own life. And in my opinion, this is where religion is lacking. As long as you have "someone" to fall back on, to place blame on, you will never be able to truly take responsibility for your own life. And if you cannot truly take responsibility, then you cannot truly be free to create your life the way you want it. Religion is too quick to "blame" the "will of God", and to say that if it doesn't happen, it is because it is not the will of God.
So all of that being said, this is what I intend for my destiny in relation to my heritage to be. Right now, today, on the 3rd day of December 2008, I, Jessica Webb, take full responsibility for my actions, my words, and my life, right down to every little situation and detail. I am no longer a victim, but I am in full control of my life and my destiny. I create my life the way I want it to be, and no one can stop me by what they do, think or say about me or to me. I am successful and prosperous in all that I do, because I do it to the best of my ability and do not give responsibility to anyone or anything else. I am breaking the pattern of poverty and blame, I am turning those negative, unsupportive beliefs into positive, life-changing beliefs and habits. My destiny is to not only experience wealth for myself, but to let it cascade down to my family and all of those in my circle of influence. This is what I choose to do with my heritage, and what I choose to leave as my legacy and inheritance.
Friday, November 28, 2008
the barn
When I was a kid, we had this old gun we used to play with. We'd take it out around the barnyard or the rest of the farm, or we'd play with it in the barn, which was where we originally found it.
We had the greatest barn any kid could ask for. It used to be our house, but even my memories of that are very vague (something about a doll and swings in the livingroom and visiting cousins). My clearer memories are from it being a barn.
We found all kinds of treasures in that barn. There was the cow bell, the gun, the kid carseats and the magazines. And that was just the beginning! It must have been junk left after we moved into the new house, but it was unfamiliar to us and incredibly exciting! We'd play in that barn for hours, exploring, playing games and just climbing up and down. We had a place at each end where we could climb up the side, via a window or fence. There were always the stairs, but I guess that was just too damn easy!
In the winter the bottom was often filled with hay, and we'd nudge bales around so we had tunnels and forts in the hay. What great adventures we had! Our cousins did the same thing at their place, and we'd all show then our forts and they'd show us theirs.
Our barn had lots of cats and chickens. Most of the cats were wild - would hide from us, and were a challenge to catch. For that matter, the chickens weren't exactly tame either, although there was a mean rooster or two over the course of time. Also during the winter we'd find frozen eggs, that were cracked, and we'd break them up into little bits and feed them to the chickens - until we indirectly got in trouble when our parents started wondering why the chickens were eating the eggs in the nest! I guess they developed a taste for them...
Then there were the times when "Pastor Denver" would preach a lofty sermon from the top floor, preaching to my sister and I, or just the barnyard animals. Oh to be able to listen in on those sermons now! I'm sure it would be beyond entertaining.
I still dream about that barn, and interestingly enough, the dreams are not good, are in fact often disturbing. I'll go to climb the stairs and they are gone, or I'll be stuck up in the top with no stairs, and unable to climb down the end. I'll spend the entire dream climbing over fences and trying to avoid the electric wires. I'll vie for space with disagreeable or downright threatening horses and other creatures. Or I'll be running or hiding from a bear. Rather curious. My memories of the barn seem to be positive, yet the dreams almost always have at least an underlying panic or fear. Something to ponder...
All in all, I have good memories of that barn. Hunting cats or other creatures, finding treasures or preaching to the barnyard, we knew how to have fun without a tv or video games, that's for sure!
We had the greatest barn any kid could ask for. It used to be our house, but even my memories of that are very vague (something about a doll and swings in the livingroom and visiting cousins). My clearer memories are from it being a barn.
We found all kinds of treasures in that barn. There was the cow bell, the gun, the kid carseats and the magazines. And that was just the beginning! It must have been junk left after we moved into the new house, but it was unfamiliar to us and incredibly exciting! We'd play in that barn for hours, exploring, playing games and just climbing up and down. We had a place at each end where we could climb up the side, via a window or fence. There were always the stairs, but I guess that was just too damn easy!
In the winter the bottom was often filled with hay, and we'd nudge bales around so we had tunnels and forts in the hay. What great adventures we had! Our cousins did the same thing at their place, and we'd all show then our forts and they'd show us theirs.
Our barn had lots of cats and chickens. Most of the cats were wild - would hide from us, and were a challenge to catch. For that matter, the chickens weren't exactly tame either, although there was a mean rooster or two over the course of time. Also during the winter we'd find frozen eggs, that were cracked, and we'd break them up into little bits and feed them to the chickens - until we indirectly got in trouble when our parents started wondering why the chickens were eating the eggs in the nest! I guess they developed a taste for them...
Then there were the times when "Pastor Denver" would preach a lofty sermon from the top floor, preaching to my sister and I, or just the barnyard animals. Oh to be able to listen in on those sermons now! I'm sure it would be beyond entertaining.
I still dream about that barn, and interestingly enough, the dreams are not good, are in fact often disturbing. I'll go to climb the stairs and they are gone, or I'll be stuck up in the top with no stairs, and unable to climb down the end. I'll spend the entire dream climbing over fences and trying to avoid the electric wires. I'll vie for space with disagreeable or downright threatening horses and other creatures. Or I'll be running or hiding from a bear. Rather curious. My memories of the barn seem to be positive, yet the dreams almost always have at least an underlying panic or fear. Something to ponder...
All in all, I have good memories of that barn. Hunting cats or other creatures, finding treasures or preaching to the barnyard, we knew how to have fun without a tv or video games, that's for sure!
speedwealth
I got up early this morning - because I wanted to. Jon always gets up around 6-6:30, but I'll often sleep for another hour or two after that. This morning I was laying there contemplating whether or not to get up. A bit more sleep sounded good, but I felt like I should get up. Want to know what was the deciding factor? SpeedWealth. You see, a big part of the reason I didn't want to get up, was I didn't really have anything to look forward to. I figured, what the hell will I do if I get up early anyway? Have a shower and then piss away a couple hours on Facebook until I'm ready to start work? That doesn't get me very excited... Then I thought of something: I had downloaded this ebook after we got back from that conference - it was one that they talked about that both Jon and I wanted to read. So I had it on my computer, but hadn't actually sat down and read it through yet. As soon as I thought of it, though, I knew I had a reason to get out of bed!
So up I got, excited about digging into this ebook, and was it ever worth it! Let me tell you a bit about this book and maybe you'll get excited too!
SpeedWealth is written by T. Harv Eker, one of the self-made millionaire "gurus". The conference that we went to last weekend was put on by his company, and he is the one who originally wrote the Secrets of the Millionaire Mind that the conference was based on. (Haven't read that one yet...) The company seems to have gone downhill a fair bit since he first started teaching people, but luckily the book was written over 10 years ago and has some excellent principles and steps. The whole idea of the book is to give you 7 steps to follow in your business to make a million (or more) in 3 - 5 years. Sound good?
So I dug into this book this morning, hoping to pick up some tips for my business, and to find a system that I could follow to turn my business into a money-making machine that will work for me and without me eventually. And boy did I ever! I have a feeling that a few years down the road I may be looking back on this day and this book as the turning point in my business, and in my life! (Or at least a major turning point, as I'm sure there will be others.)
That being said, let me share with you what I've gleaned from this book so far. I need to develop my business into a system, where everything is systemized, from how and where I market, right down to how I actually design the site and get it live. Once a system is in place, then it can be done by anybody, and I can hire someone to manage, hire people to do the actual design work, etc, and the business can run without me. This is what is called passive business income. It works and makes money whether I'm there or not. Perfect!
But it goes even further. Not only can the business run without me, so that I can go and do whatever the hell I want elsewhere on other projects, but I now have a system that I can duplicate and sell (franchising). Not only that, but the business itself is worth a hell of a lot more and can be sold for a lot!
Now this gets me excited. But there's even more to the story. As I was reading through this book I started to get practical ideas to apply to my business right now, and now I'm really excited! It's one thing to read something with some good principles, steps, ideas, etc, but to actually have something to apply to my life right now is fantastic - it means I can actually do this!
So the ideas started flowing and I had to get up and get a pad of paper to start writing stuff down. I got one major idea that I am going to implement today that I think is going to really impact my marketing, sales and the whole business. I am going to find sales people to sell websites for me for a commission. Up to this point I've already planned to pay cash for referrals, but this is taking that a big step further. I am actually going to market and advertise this opportunity, and interview people who are interested, so that I get quality, skilled sales people who will best represent my company. And I'm going to develop the system as I go, so that they all do it the same way, the clients are all handled the same way, and so it can be done over and over again.
Do you see the possibilities now? Do you see the potential for your own business opportunities? This got me so excited that I had to immediately sit down and blog about it. Not only that, but I want to share the book with you, because I believe it can change your life and the way you do business as well. I am on my way to success and wealth, and I want to take as many people with me as I possibly can!
SpeedWealth by T. Harv Eker - download here.
So up I got, excited about digging into this ebook, and was it ever worth it! Let me tell you a bit about this book and maybe you'll get excited too!
SpeedWealth is written by T. Harv Eker, one of the self-made millionaire "gurus". The conference that we went to last weekend was put on by his company, and he is the one who originally wrote the Secrets of the Millionaire Mind that the conference was based on. (Haven't read that one yet...) The company seems to have gone downhill a fair bit since he first started teaching people, but luckily the book was written over 10 years ago and has some excellent principles and steps. The whole idea of the book is to give you 7 steps to follow in your business to make a million (or more) in 3 - 5 years. Sound good?
So I dug into this book this morning, hoping to pick up some tips for my business, and to find a system that I could follow to turn my business into a money-making machine that will work for me and without me eventually. And boy did I ever! I have a feeling that a few years down the road I may be looking back on this day and this book as the turning point in my business, and in my life! (Or at least a major turning point, as I'm sure there will be others.)
That being said, let me share with you what I've gleaned from this book so far. I need to develop my business into a system, where everything is systemized, from how and where I market, right down to how I actually design the site and get it live. Once a system is in place, then it can be done by anybody, and I can hire someone to manage, hire people to do the actual design work, etc, and the business can run without me. This is what is called passive business income. It works and makes money whether I'm there or not. Perfect!
But it goes even further. Not only can the business run without me, so that I can go and do whatever the hell I want elsewhere on other projects, but I now have a system that I can duplicate and sell (franchising). Not only that, but the business itself is worth a hell of a lot more and can be sold for a lot!
Now this gets me excited. But there's even more to the story. As I was reading through this book I started to get practical ideas to apply to my business right now, and now I'm really excited! It's one thing to read something with some good principles, steps, ideas, etc, but to actually have something to apply to my life right now is fantastic - it means I can actually do this!
So the ideas started flowing and I had to get up and get a pad of paper to start writing stuff down. I got one major idea that I am going to implement today that I think is going to really impact my marketing, sales and the whole business. I am going to find sales people to sell websites for me for a commission. Up to this point I've already planned to pay cash for referrals, but this is taking that a big step further. I am actually going to market and advertise this opportunity, and interview people who are interested, so that I get quality, skilled sales people who will best represent my company. And I'm going to develop the system as I go, so that they all do it the same way, the clients are all handled the same way, and so it can be done over and over again.
Do you see the possibilities now? Do you see the potential for your own business opportunities? This got me so excited that I had to immediately sit down and blog about it. Not only that, but I want to share the book with you, because I believe it can change your life and the way you do business as well. I am on my way to success and wealth, and I want to take as many people with me as I possibly can!
SpeedWealth by T. Harv Eker - download here.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
time to turn up the thermostat!
"It's better to give than to receive." Did you know that saying was originally a greek saying? And did you know that the actual translation is "It is better to be in a position to give than in a position where you have to receive"? Funny how things get so skewed and taken out of context, huh?
This was something I learned at the conference on the weekend. We talked about being good receivers. When someone compliments you, what should you do? You should simply say, "Thank you". Don't compliment them back. Simply receive it with a thank you and let them have the joy of giving the compliment. Or if someone offers to pay for your meal, don't argue with them over who is going to foot the bill - just say "Thank you" and let them have the pleasure of giving! I think we could all learn to be better receivers!
This applies to money and wealth as well. No one deserves to be poor. It is not more noble to be poor. And you are certainly not less spiritual if you are rich! I grew up with the mindset that it was noble to be poor and that rich people were greedy or had done something wrong to get all that money. Guess what? This is wrong! Generally speaking, it is poor people who are greedy and selfish, because all they are worried about is making ends meet for themselves! I've seen this in my own life. When I'm broke, that's all I'm worried about! I'm FAR less likely to help someone else out, because I'm so damn worried about my own finances. Wealthy people, on the other hand, are financially free, they don't have to worry about bills and making ends meet. They are in a much better position to help those around them and to give back some of their wealth to the world.
Somehow our society has passed on the belief that you should be satisfied with what you have, that you should work hard for your money, have a good career to support yourself, and be content with only what you need to survive. Anyone else see something wrong with this picture? How did money become so "evil"? And how we become such slaves to it?
Think about it: how much time do you spend worrying about money? Do you have to scrape to pay your bills? Do you have to work long days, or at a job you don't like, just to make enough to survive? That's certainly the boat I've been in my whole life! But I sincerely believe it doesn't have to be like that, and I am committed to obtaining financial freedom. I am committed to making my money work hard for me, instead of the other way around, and working smarter instead of harder. Anyone else want the same?
We each have a financial "thermostat", a level that we are comfortable at, because we are used to it, and because we subconsciously believe that is the level we should be at. We maintain that thermostat, and if our financial situation gets higher than that, we sabotage it, usually without ever realizing that we are! Hence the reason that in order to achieve wealth and the success I want, I have to change the way I think and the beliefs I have. I've been programmed to be poor - it's all that I've ever been taught! But guess what? Wealth is a learnable skill. Success is a learnable skill. Making lots of money in business is a learnable skill. It doesn't matter what you want to do or what you want to achieve - it is a learnable skill! If someone else has done it, then you most definitely can too!!! The only difference between me and a wealthy person is that they know something I don't!
It's so easy to complain, to blame other people and circumstances for where we are. I've certainly caught myself doing it many times! But guess what? I create my own life. No one else is responsible for where I am and how I'm doing. No one. I have the power to create exactly the life that I want! Again, it's a learnable skill! You can have reasons and excuses, or you can have results, but generally you can't have both. Or as Mr. Ford put it, "Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't, you're right!"
I want to be able to look back when I'm 30 on the last five years and be amazed at how far I've come. I want to be successful and rich, instead of explain why I'm not! And so I am no longer going to make excuses and give reasons. I'm going to get results instead!
This was something I learned at the conference on the weekend. We talked about being good receivers. When someone compliments you, what should you do? You should simply say, "Thank you". Don't compliment them back. Simply receive it with a thank you and let them have the joy of giving the compliment. Or if someone offers to pay for your meal, don't argue with them over who is going to foot the bill - just say "Thank you" and let them have the pleasure of giving! I think we could all learn to be better receivers!
This applies to money and wealth as well. No one deserves to be poor. It is not more noble to be poor. And you are certainly not less spiritual if you are rich! I grew up with the mindset that it was noble to be poor and that rich people were greedy or had done something wrong to get all that money. Guess what? This is wrong! Generally speaking, it is poor people who are greedy and selfish, because all they are worried about is making ends meet for themselves! I've seen this in my own life. When I'm broke, that's all I'm worried about! I'm FAR less likely to help someone else out, because I'm so damn worried about my own finances. Wealthy people, on the other hand, are financially free, they don't have to worry about bills and making ends meet. They are in a much better position to help those around them and to give back some of their wealth to the world.
Somehow our society has passed on the belief that you should be satisfied with what you have, that you should work hard for your money, have a good career to support yourself, and be content with only what you need to survive. Anyone else see something wrong with this picture? How did money become so "evil"? And how we become such slaves to it?
Think about it: how much time do you spend worrying about money? Do you have to scrape to pay your bills? Do you have to work long days, or at a job you don't like, just to make enough to survive? That's certainly the boat I've been in my whole life! But I sincerely believe it doesn't have to be like that, and I am committed to obtaining financial freedom. I am committed to making my money work hard for me, instead of the other way around, and working smarter instead of harder. Anyone else want the same?
We each have a financial "thermostat", a level that we are comfortable at, because we are used to it, and because we subconsciously believe that is the level we should be at. We maintain that thermostat, and if our financial situation gets higher than that, we sabotage it, usually without ever realizing that we are! Hence the reason that in order to achieve wealth and the success I want, I have to change the way I think and the beliefs I have. I've been programmed to be poor - it's all that I've ever been taught! But guess what? Wealth is a learnable skill. Success is a learnable skill. Making lots of money in business is a learnable skill. It doesn't matter what you want to do or what you want to achieve - it is a learnable skill! If someone else has done it, then you most definitely can too!!! The only difference between me and a wealthy person is that they know something I don't!
It's so easy to complain, to blame other people and circumstances for where we are. I've certainly caught myself doing it many times! But guess what? I create my own life. No one else is responsible for where I am and how I'm doing. No one. I have the power to create exactly the life that I want! Again, it's a learnable skill! You can have reasons and excuses, or you can have results, but generally you can't have both. Or as Mr. Ford put it, "Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't, you're right!"
I want to be able to look back when I'm 30 on the last five years and be amazed at how far I've come. I want to be successful and rich, instead of explain why I'm not! And so I am no longer going to make excuses and give reasons. I'm going to get results instead!
Monday, November 24, 2008
business proposal?
I had an interesting situation with a potential client/employer lately. I found the ad on Kijiji for a website manager and thought I'd check it out. Who knows? I responded to the ad and said that was right up my alley and I'd be interested in finding out more. The guy called me and told me about the project. It sounded very interesting, and like it could potentially be an ongoing thing as well. I was definitely interested and a bit excited. So we both decided that we were interested in discussing it further for sure and agreed to meet up when I got back from Chicago. During the course of this conversation he mentioned that he would like to meet at his place. His office is there, and I would likely be doing some of the work from there as well.
I wasn't sure how I felt about this at the time, so didn't say anything, just said we'll talk about it on Monday. After thinking about it over the weekend, I was really not feeling comfortable with it, even though he had suggested I bring Jon, and it sounded like his wife was going to be there as well. It just didn't sit right with me. On a first meeting like that, for a business thing, I like to meet in a neutral place, meet somewhere for coffee or a beer. So when I called him today I mentioned that. Had to leave a voicemail as he wasn't home, but I mentioned it in the message and asked him to call me and let me know his thoughts.
Oh boy did he ever! He called me back and right off the bat said that wasn't acceptable. He asked why I didn't want to meet at his place, and I explained that it wasn't anything personal, I just wasn't comfortable with it and didn't like to do business that way, that I wanted to meet somewhere neutral first. He didn't get it. He didn't get it at all. He even got his wife on the phone to talk to me and she didn't get it either. It amazed me that not only did they not seem to see my point of view, they didn't even seem to respect it. They basically said if you won't come to our house for this meeting, then we don't want you to work for us.
Wow. I find myself nearly constantly surprised and shaking my head over people - the way they act, what they say. What happened to common sense and common courtesy? It's obviously not so common anymore!
Don't worry, I didn't cave. I stood up for myself, stuck to my guns and my professional standards - and didn't get the project. Which I am now very thankful for. Sure, it sounded like a great project, but if they were soooo discourteous and almost rude about something like that, then I'm glad I got out before getting in and before something came up later on when things were more complicated and I had more invested in it! Always better to have those issues show up early early on.
So it was a good learning experience for me, a good chance to practice being assertive and standing up for myself. I'm learning to really appreciate these opportunities to get outside of my comfort zone and to grow. After all, if I always stay where I'm comfortable, I will never achieve the success, wealth, adventure and all that good stuff that I want. So hurray for uncomfortable opportunities to grow!
I wasn't sure how I felt about this at the time, so didn't say anything, just said we'll talk about it on Monday. After thinking about it over the weekend, I was really not feeling comfortable with it, even though he had suggested I bring Jon, and it sounded like his wife was going to be there as well. It just didn't sit right with me. On a first meeting like that, for a business thing, I like to meet in a neutral place, meet somewhere for coffee or a beer. So when I called him today I mentioned that. Had to leave a voicemail as he wasn't home, but I mentioned it in the message and asked him to call me and let me know his thoughts.
Oh boy did he ever! He called me back and right off the bat said that wasn't acceptable. He asked why I didn't want to meet at his place, and I explained that it wasn't anything personal, I just wasn't comfortable with it and didn't like to do business that way, that I wanted to meet somewhere neutral first. He didn't get it. He didn't get it at all. He even got his wife on the phone to talk to me and she didn't get it either. It amazed me that not only did they not seem to see my point of view, they didn't even seem to respect it. They basically said if you won't come to our house for this meeting, then we don't want you to work for us.
Wow. I find myself nearly constantly surprised and shaking my head over people - the way they act, what they say. What happened to common sense and common courtesy? It's obviously not so common anymore!
Don't worry, I didn't cave. I stood up for myself, stuck to my guns and my professional standards - and didn't get the project. Which I am now very thankful for. Sure, it sounded like a great project, but if they were soooo discourteous and almost rude about something like that, then I'm glad I got out before getting in and before something came up later on when things were more complicated and I had more invested in it! Always better to have those issues show up early early on.
So it was a good learning experience for me, a good chance to practice being assertive and standing up for myself. I'm learning to really appreciate these opportunities to get outside of my comfort zone and to grow. After all, if I always stay where I'm comfortable, I will never achieve the success, wealth, adventure and all that good stuff that I want. So hurray for uncomfortable opportunities to grow!
seminar psychology
Jon and I spent the weekend at a Millionaire Mind Intensive conference in Chicago. I will get into more details on my thoughts, insights, and more in other posts, but to start, I found some fascinating parallels between this and other seminars and conferences that I have been to.
I've attended a fair number of conferences over the last few years. During my early-early 20s, I was heavily involved in the religious/spiritual scene and attended numerous prophetic conferences, and have since attended other "secular" ones on topics such as internet marketing and developing a millionaire mind. I find the parallels fascinating - and in some cases disturbing. (Now don't get your knickers in a knot. I realize there is a fairly broad spectrum of people in my readership, and some of you will likely be offended - relax. Please. I am not attacking you or your beliefs. If need be, let's agree to disagree, okay?)
Most of these events are charged by hype and energy - which is not a bad thing. Where the problem comes in is when you get carried away by it. Energy is good - energy is GREAT. Energy is what gets you results, and you cannot and will not be successful without it! I love the energy at these things! But I am learning to also go in with a healthy amount of skepticism. Skepticism is also a good thing - as long as it doesn't develop into cynicism!
This event that we attended over the weekend contained some major hype and energy. The topic was about developing a millionaire mind - which included things such as recognizing and replacing un-supportive beliefs that you have about money, identifying opportunities to become wealthy (no matter what the economy is like), and learning how to make your money work hard for you - instead of you working hard for your money! The major focus was on changing the way you think and learning to think like a rich person instead of a poor person. Rather powerful, actually. There was some very good information presented, and I definitely learned some valuable things to apply in my own life.
What I found fascinating was the parallels between this conference and the christian/"prophetic" ones I used to attend. Guess what? There are some surprising similarities! Let's start with the "fear factor"...
Perhaps the most disturbing thing to me was this element of fear. This is a common thread at all of these things! The speaker/presenter uses fear very well to manipulate the crowd. It may be a fear of not having money, or working hard all your life only to find that you can't retire, or retirement isn't what you thought it would be. It may be a fear of darkness, demons, the devil, hell. It may be a fear of not being good enough, a fear of not measuring up to what others are doing (others around you, or the people in the examples they use). It may be a fear of sickness and disease, or a fear of poverty. It may even be a fear of being stuck in a boring religion, or a fear of spending the rest of your life just paying bills from paycheck to paycheck.
Or how about the fear of missing something at the conference itself? I've felt that one! They like that one. You are encouraged right from the beginning to be open, to not worry about what people around you think and to participate to the fullest degree that you can. You are told that if you don't, you won't get the most that you can out of it and you will miss something that could change your life. This may in fact be very true - whether it is true or not isn't the point. But it is a common theme at all of these things, and is used to get the response that the speaker wants, whether it be "coming to Jesus", signing up for another course, purchasing products, or whatever the case may be. The great evangelists wield it like a weapon, with their elaborations on hellfire and demonic possession. After all, who does want to go to hell, or be possessed by a subtle, yet deadly, demon?
I'm not quite sure where I stand on the tactic myself. I think it can be good to a point - after all, it is good to realize where we really stand, and to recognize problems or issues in our lives that we want to change. But how ethical is it to use that fear to manipulate people? Looking back on my experiences, I can recognize some of the ways that manipulation influenced me. The majority of the time, they provided a fix, or showed you the way to the fix, and things were great - for a while. But after coming down from the high of the conference, how often did I really hang on to that change? And how often did I give a donation, buy a product, or sign up for something as a result of that manipulation?
Another common theme is the testimonials, stories and examples. No one knows how many of them are even true, or how many have been embellished to make the point they want to make. The speaker has often been through some very trying time - a physical infirmity, a life of drug addiction, the loss of everything good in their life, or some such fantastic story and experience. Drastic and dramatic situations and stories suck people right in. We sympathize, empathize, feel sorry and want to help in any way we can. It gets our guard down and makes us much more likely to want to do what the person suggests or asks.
Or how about the speakers who have been where we are? The speaker at the conference this weekend mentioned many times how he started right where we were sitting. IN FACT, he sat in the very back row in the corner - sound familiar? In other words, he was the BIGGEST skeptic in the place - and he was convinced, so it must be the way to go! This follows suit in the other conferences as well. The speaker will tell how they were the biggest skeptic, the one who came in only for a few minutes, determined that they would leave before it had barely begun, or how they were dragged there by someone else. And of course, now they are up on the stage. They were convinced and sold on it. Or they will bring out their mentees, people who also sat where we are sitting and who decided they wanted to be trained by these people, and are now doing crusades all over the world, or are making $20,000 per weekend teaching seminars. Again, a common theme across the board!
Or, how many times have you been to some such big event where they DIDN'T ask you for money or try to sell you something? There is nothing wrong with selling, promoting, asking for donations. Don't get me wrong on that. Although it would be refreshing to attend an event where all they did was offer information, training, teaching and try to help you, without any promoting, selling or asking for donations. There are always people who want to buy the products, or donate to the cause, without being manipulated and pressured into doing so. And it is very possible to give them the opportunity, without promoting, selling, or asking for donations.
Which leads me to my last common theme: the pre-sell. We noticed it big time at this conference. They did provide some excellent teaching and information, but a lot of it was just "teasers", and you could always tell when they were leading up to another sale, because the information they promised was really good, something you really wanted to know - and it would turn into just a teaser, with more promised if you attended the particular course they were promoting. The pre-sells were always looong, they would spend about half the session talking about it - without really talking about it, trying to get you hooked. Now it's not always this bad, of course. But let's take a look at the christian version: the offering appeal. These can get incredibly flowery and drawn out at conferences! They will do a whole little mini-sermon before the offering, all about giving and how it is better to give than to receive (more about that in my next post) - and if you are paying attention, you can see it coming from a mile away! You can pick up on the clues and go, oh, look, here comes the offering, 30 minutes before they actually pass around the basket or bucket to collect. They will tie in some great points, some teaching, some "promises" of what you will or may get back. Their goal? To get everyone pumped up about it and wanting to give when the basket comes around. And how many of those people will later feel manipulated and "talked out" of their money?
Again, there's nothing wrong with giving, donating, buying, etc. But it seems to me that it would be much better to let people do so of their own accord, their own idea, and feel good about it much later, than to manipulate them, make them feel guilty about it, or tease them into it. In the long run, sure, you've got their money - but you sure don't have their trust!
Fascinating, isn't it? Perhaps a bit disturbing, as it was for me, to realize this. But here's the lesson I took away from it: don't check your mind at the door! Yes, do go into it with an open mind, ready and willing to learn everything you can to apply in your own life. Do participate, get excited, experience the energy. But don't leave your mind at the door! Don't be sucked into the hype. Realize that they do use these tactics, and don't make an impulse decision that you will later regret. Leave your money, credit card, etc outside, don't even take it in with you! You can always purchase or donate later, when your head is clear and you know that it is what you want, and what is right for you. With that out of that way, you can enjoy yourself and get everything that you can out of the meeting.
I've attended a fair number of conferences over the last few years. During my early-early 20s, I was heavily involved in the religious/spiritual scene and attended numerous prophetic conferences, and have since attended other "secular" ones on topics such as internet marketing and developing a millionaire mind. I find the parallels fascinating - and in some cases disturbing. (Now don't get your knickers in a knot. I realize there is a fairly broad spectrum of people in my readership, and some of you will likely be offended - relax. Please. I am not attacking you or your beliefs. If need be, let's agree to disagree, okay?)
Most of these events are charged by hype and energy - which is not a bad thing. Where the problem comes in is when you get carried away by it. Energy is good - energy is GREAT. Energy is what gets you results, and you cannot and will not be successful without it! I love the energy at these things! But I am learning to also go in with a healthy amount of skepticism. Skepticism is also a good thing - as long as it doesn't develop into cynicism!
This event that we attended over the weekend contained some major hype and energy. The topic was about developing a millionaire mind - which included things such as recognizing and replacing un-supportive beliefs that you have about money, identifying opportunities to become wealthy (no matter what the economy is like), and learning how to make your money work hard for you - instead of you working hard for your money! The major focus was on changing the way you think and learning to think like a rich person instead of a poor person. Rather powerful, actually. There was some very good information presented, and I definitely learned some valuable things to apply in my own life.
What I found fascinating was the parallels between this conference and the christian/"prophetic" ones I used to attend. Guess what? There are some surprising similarities! Let's start with the "fear factor"...
Perhaps the most disturbing thing to me was this element of fear. This is a common thread at all of these things! The speaker/presenter uses fear very well to manipulate the crowd. It may be a fear of not having money, or working hard all your life only to find that you can't retire, or retirement isn't what you thought it would be. It may be a fear of darkness, demons, the devil, hell. It may be a fear of not being good enough, a fear of not measuring up to what others are doing (others around you, or the people in the examples they use). It may be a fear of sickness and disease, or a fear of poverty. It may even be a fear of being stuck in a boring religion, or a fear of spending the rest of your life just paying bills from paycheck to paycheck.
Or how about the fear of missing something at the conference itself? I've felt that one! They like that one. You are encouraged right from the beginning to be open, to not worry about what people around you think and to participate to the fullest degree that you can. You are told that if you don't, you won't get the most that you can out of it and you will miss something that could change your life. This may in fact be very true - whether it is true or not isn't the point. But it is a common theme at all of these things, and is used to get the response that the speaker wants, whether it be "coming to Jesus", signing up for another course, purchasing products, or whatever the case may be. The great evangelists wield it like a weapon, with their elaborations on hellfire and demonic possession. After all, who does want to go to hell, or be possessed by a subtle, yet deadly, demon?
I'm not quite sure where I stand on the tactic myself. I think it can be good to a point - after all, it is good to realize where we really stand, and to recognize problems or issues in our lives that we want to change. But how ethical is it to use that fear to manipulate people? Looking back on my experiences, I can recognize some of the ways that manipulation influenced me. The majority of the time, they provided a fix, or showed you the way to the fix, and things were great - for a while. But after coming down from the high of the conference, how often did I really hang on to that change? And how often did I give a donation, buy a product, or sign up for something as a result of that manipulation?
Another common theme is the testimonials, stories and examples. No one knows how many of them are even true, or how many have been embellished to make the point they want to make. The speaker has often been through some very trying time - a physical infirmity, a life of drug addiction, the loss of everything good in their life, or some such fantastic story and experience. Drastic and dramatic situations and stories suck people right in. We sympathize, empathize, feel sorry and want to help in any way we can. It gets our guard down and makes us much more likely to want to do what the person suggests or asks.
Or how about the speakers who have been where we are? The speaker at the conference this weekend mentioned many times how he started right where we were sitting. IN FACT, he sat in the very back row in the corner - sound familiar? In other words, he was the BIGGEST skeptic in the place - and he was convinced, so it must be the way to go! This follows suit in the other conferences as well. The speaker will tell how they were the biggest skeptic, the one who came in only for a few minutes, determined that they would leave before it had barely begun, or how they were dragged there by someone else. And of course, now they are up on the stage. They were convinced and sold on it. Or they will bring out their mentees, people who also sat where we are sitting and who decided they wanted to be trained by these people, and are now doing crusades all over the world, or are making $20,000 per weekend teaching seminars. Again, a common theme across the board!
Or, how many times have you been to some such big event where they DIDN'T ask you for money or try to sell you something? There is nothing wrong with selling, promoting, asking for donations. Don't get me wrong on that. Although it would be refreshing to attend an event where all they did was offer information, training, teaching and try to help you, without any promoting, selling or asking for donations. There are always people who want to buy the products, or donate to the cause, without being manipulated and pressured into doing so. And it is very possible to give them the opportunity, without promoting, selling, or asking for donations.
Which leads me to my last common theme: the pre-sell. We noticed it big time at this conference. They did provide some excellent teaching and information, but a lot of it was just "teasers", and you could always tell when they were leading up to another sale, because the information they promised was really good, something you really wanted to know - and it would turn into just a teaser, with more promised if you attended the particular course they were promoting. The pre-sells were always looong, they would spend about half the session talking about it - without really talking about it, trying to get you hooked. Now it's not always this bad, of course. But let's take a look at the christian version: the offering appeal. These can get incredibly flowery and drawn out at conferences! They will do a whole little mini-sermon before the offering, all about giving and how it is better to give than to receive (more about that in my next post) - and if you are paying attention, you can see it coming from a mile away! You can pick up on the clues and go, oh, look, here comes the offering, 30 minutes before they actually pass around the basket or bucket to collect. They will tie in some great points, some teaching, some "promises" of what you will or may get back. Their goal? To get everyone pumped up about it and wanting to give when the basket comes around. And how many of those people will later feel manipulated and "talked out" of their money?
Again, there's nothing wrong with giving, donating, buying, etc. But it seems to me that it would be much better to let people do so of their own accord, their own idea, and feel good about it much later, than to manipulate them, make them feel guilty about it, or tease them into it. In the long run, sure, you've got their money - but you sure don't have their trust!
Fascinating, isn't it? Perhaps a bit disturbing, as it was for me, to realize this. But here's the lesson I took away from it: don't check your mind at the door! Yes, do go into it with an open mind, ready and willing to learn everything you can to apply in your own life. Do participate, get excited, experience the energy. But don't leave your mind at the door! Don't be sucked into the hype. Realize that they do use these tactics, and don't make an impulse decision that you will later regret. Leave your money, credit card, etc outside, don't even take it in with you! You can always purchase or donate later, when your head is clear and you know that it is what you want, and what is right for you. With that out of that way, you can enjoy yourself and get everything that you can out of the meeting.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
handmade christmas
I didn't get excited about christmas last year. It was the first year I couldn't go home for it, and Jon had his kids, so I spent christmas morning by myself. That was the hardest part. I had dinner with Jon later in the day, and we exchanged gifts. It was enjoyable, but it just wasn't christmas without the christmas morning stockings and special breakfast. So this year I was thinking maybe I'll let myself get excited about it - and tug Jon along with me. It would be fun to start some of our own christmas traditions.
I remember when I was a kid how my parents made a lot of our gifts. I remember wood letters on wheels - our initials. Little wooden boxes with red velvet lining for our hair clips, and handmade scrunchies in various colors and patterns. One year it was slippers - moccasin style.
I remember the years when the extended family made stuff. We'd all get together at Grandma's house for christmas, all the aunts, uncles and cousins. Each family would have made a christmas tree ornament - and brought enough for every family to have one. We'd go home with a handful of handmade decorations. There was some pretty sweet shit made! I remember a walnut shell cradle with an acorn mouse in it, or a Round-to-it - made with a red wooden circle hung on a grey pipe cleaner and labeled (so you couldn't use the excuse that you didn't get around to it).
Christmas in those days was much simpler - and FAR more exciting! It reminds me of Little House on the Prairie where they got a stick of candy, a penny and a tin cup - and were thrilled to get it! Try giving that to your kid now - you'd be stoned! ;) The season has become much too commercialized now. Instead of spending wonderful hours making individual gifts for our loved ones, we join the mad throng of shoppers, buying gifts that a good percentage won't even be enjoyed or needed. You hear people talking about "what they want for christmas" or "what they think they're getting for christmas", and it has become all about buying "stuff".
So I am contemplating going back to my roots and going handmade this christmas. At least the majority of it. The funny thing is, I did some cleaning a couple months ago and got rid of a whole wack of stuff, including my crafting supplies, the little that I had, at least. Now I am kicking myself - but who knew I would actually decide to use it so soon? It did feel good to de-junk and de-clutter - and come to think of it, it's pretty easy to hit the dollar store and get a handful of supplies for whatever I decide to do this year. The moral of the story? I still think it's better to be quick to get rid of stuff than to hold on to it forever just because you might want it or use it someday. The someday doesn't come as often as we think it might...
I remember when I was a kid how my parents made a lot of our gifts. I remember wood letters on wheels - our initials. Little wooden boxes with red velvet lining for our hair clips, and handmade scrunchies in various colors and patterns. One year it was slippers - moccasin style.
I remember the years when the extended family made stuff. We'd all get together at Grandma's house for christmas, all the aunts, uncles and cousins. Each family would have made a christmas tree ornament - and brought enough for every family to have one. We'd go home with a handful of handmade decorations. There was some pretty sweet shit made! I remember a walnut shell cradle with an acorn mouse in it, or a Round-to-it - made with a red wooden circle hung on a grey pipe cleaner and labeled (so you couldn't use the excuse that you didn't get around to it).
Christmas in those days was much simpler - and FAR more exciting! It reminds me of Little House on the Prairie where they got a stick of candy, a penny and a tin cup - and were thrilled to get it! Try giving that to your kid now - you'd be stoned! ;) The season has become much too commercialized now. Instead of spending wonderful hours making individual gifts for our loved ones, we join the mad throng of shoppers, buying gifts that a good percentage won't even be enjoyed or needed. You hear people talking about "what they want for christmas" or "what they think they're getting for christmas", and it has become all about buying "stuff".
So I am contemplating going back to my roots and going handmade this christmas. At least the majority of it. The funny thing is, I did some cleaning a couple months ago and got rid of a whole wack of stuff, including my crafting supplies, the little that I had, at least. Now I am kicking myself - but who knew I would actually decide to use it so soon? It did feel good to de-junk and de-clutter - and come to think of it, it's pretty easy to hit the dollar store and get a handful of supplies for whatever I decide to do this year. The moral of the story? I still think it's better to be quick to get rid of stuff than to hold on to it forever just because you might want it or use it someday. The someday doesn't come as often as we think it might...
Friday, November 7, 2008
sunsets and the big picture
What is it about sunsets that grab us? Is it purely the artistic visual aspect, or is there something more, something emotional or spiritual? I have no answer for that myself - it just makes me curious. (And if you have an answer, or some thoughts, I'd love to hear them as well!)I saw a couple of spectacular sunsets during my BC trip, and was able to capture them fairly well with my awesome new pink camera. (hehehe) For me I think it's the colors, the way the clouds fire up, and the deep intensity of the purples, oranges and yellows. I love nature, I love looking at it and capturing what I can of it. It's fascinating to me how it all works too, and to step back and allow yourself to see the big picture.
When I stand and look at a mountain, it reminds me of how very small I am. And to see that same mountain from the air, looking down on it, makes the big picture even grander - and me even smaller! I don't know about you, but I tend to get so caught up in my day to day life that I forget that big picture, and see everything in small sizes - everything except my problems and worries, that is. But when I stop and think about it, and really look around me, it doesn't take long to realize that my problems, my life, my worries, are entirely insignificant in the grand scheme of things! I am one tiny person, living on a tiny planet, in a little solar system in a galaxy that is just one in millions in the universe! How does that put things in perspective for you?When I look at a sunset, it gives me an inkling of the bigger picture. I know how it works - or the jist of it at least. I know that it's not really the sun going down, it's the earth that's turning away from the sun (and around the sun), and that the sun is really this hugely ginormous ball of gas that is extremely far away from the earth. That also puts it in perspective for me. The colors are absolutely breathtaking, and it's quite a show, but it's more than that in the bigger picture. And to me that makes it even more breathtaking. This universe is a beautiful thing - and I'm only seeing a very very very small piece of it!
Flying definitely gives me this sense of the big picture - in a small plane, or in a commercial jet. I always go for the window seat, because I love to see the land from that high in the air. On my last flight, from Calgary to London ON, it was pretty clear the whole way, very few clouds, so I was able to see a lot from the air, including the fabulous sunset. Seeing it from the air gives you an even better picture of the vastness - you can see for miles - hundreds of miles even! You see the lights from numerous cities, and lakes and mountains. It really lays it out for you, and it always makes me think of the bigger picture.I've watched a couple Star Trek series and some other sci-fi shows, as well as reading a lot of sci-fi, and the idea of space travel fascinates me. I hope to see it within my lifetime, and I would certainly jump at the chance to see space, or even the moon, up close and personal! I believe there is other life out there, other planets, other systems even with more than one planet. And while the thought of making first contact with another species is a bit frightening, it is also extremely exhilerating, and I really hope I get to see the day when it happens! It is a pretty big piece of this big picture - or at least a pretty big thing for our minds to take in. And perhaps the majority of humanity isn't ready for it, and isn't likely to be any time soon. But then again, perhaps we will never be really ready for it, and it will just have to be sprung on us!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
bareback and barefoot
It's been far too long since I went horseback riding - but it's like riding a bike: it doesn't matter how long it's been, you get back on and it's natural, feels like it hasn't been very long. I could do it with my eyes closed - it feels like home!It was rather nice to get back on my beautiful Bonnie. I love that horse. And I've missed riding her. Sigh. There's something about the feel of a warm horse, and the smooth motion of a nice trot or lope.
It took me back to the days when we used to go riding all the time. It was our life! Dixie and I would go even when it was freezing cold out - we'd bundle up, and maybe wouldn't go for as long as we normally would, but we'd still be out there! When we lived in Kitwanga, we lived right by a river, and we'd go and ride up the river, or across to the field on the other side. There were all kinds of places to ride around there!
My teenage years were spent on the back of a horse. We had crushes on local guys that we'd see when we were out riding - we'd watch for them to drive by. Typical teenage crushes. We'd ride into town to the store, or the post office. We were almost a part of the scenery, and well-known by the locals. The Webb kids, or the Dixie-Chicks as we were later nicknamed.There is something so relaxing and peaceful about seeing the world from the back of a horse. No stress, no worries about work or business, no need to even think about any of that stuff. It's just you, and the horse. I've always been a fan of bareback riding too (no saddle), and have seen my share of messy jeans. The best is during the summer, on a warm sunny day, when you can leave the shoes as well! Barefoot and bareback - ahhh, the simple pleasures of summer!
It's been very nice to get back to a simple, laidback lifestyle, even if just for a week. Makes me more determined to get my life more simplified, and get out of the city. There's a lot to be said for fresh air! I can't get over how very good it is to breath in the smell of forest and farm again!
Monday, October 27, 2008
bird's-eye view
I got to go for a plane ride today - not a commercial plane, but a little two-man plane. Big difference. And what a view! I was a wee bit nervous, having never been up in a little plane, but it was fantastic! I loved it! The nose-overs were a bit, ummm, stomach dropping, but even that was a bit exhilarating. Not quite as terrifying as a roller coaster. And pretty amazing to see the valley from that high in the air! So beautiful! We went up the Kispiox quite a ways - would have taken close to 2 hours to drive out that far and back, but only took a few minutes in the plane. Pretty sweet stuff! I would definitely do it again!
Watch for pics and videos from the flight when I get to another internet connection - as I used up too much bandwidth uploading pics on my parent's connection the other night. Oops.
The trip is going well. I am managing with the cold, although my feet are chilly. My next vacation needs to be somewhere WARM! It has been oh so good to see everyone again though. I did have one person ask me when I was going to "come back home" again - as in move back to the north. I was unprepared and didn't give the greatest answer. I hate it when people ask me that, or make comments about it. What gives them the right to think that I should be here? My response should have been something like, "I am home there, and don't plan to leave any time soon." (sigh) It just drives me crazy when people seem to think they know how my life should be, and that I don't. My "theme" song has become Billy Joel's "My Life". I don't need you to worry bout me cause I'm alright, I don't need you to tell me it's time to come home... I don't mind people caring about me, or wanting me to be happy and successful - that's normal and part of being a friend, family, etc. It's the people who think I'm not in the right place that bug me. Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone... What gives them the right to decide where I belong? I'm sure they think they got that info from God (knowing the person who said it), but to me it seems so very arrogant and judgmental. They don't even so much as take the time to talk to me and see how I'm doing! And to think that I was similar to that not so long ago... Oye...
I am already looking forward to getting back to Ontario. How sad is that? I still have a loong drive to get back to Calgary though. Will be kinda nice to do a road trip by myself. I'll be able to listen to my audio books and get all pumped up about business and new things to try. That's always fun! Will get me back in Windsor in a great frame of mind!
Watch for pics and videos from the flight when I get to another internet connection - as I used up too much bandwidth uploading pics on my parent's connection the other night. Oops.
The trip is going well. I am managing with the cold, although my feet are chilly. My next vacation needs to be somewhere WARM! It has been oh so good to see everyone again though. I did have one person ask me when I was going to "come back home" again - as in move back to the north. I was unprepared and didn't give the greatest answer. I hate it when people ask me that, or make comments about it. What gives them the right to think that I should be here? My response should have been something like, "I am home there, and don't plan to leave any time soon." (sigh) It just drives me crazy when people seem to think they know how my life should be, and that I don't. My "theme" song has become Billy Joel's "My Life". I don't need you to worry bout me cause I'm alright, I don't need you to tell me it's time to come home... I don't mind people caring about me, or wanting me to be happy and successful - that's normal and part of being a friend, family, etc. It's the people who think I'm not in the right place that bug me. Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone... What gives them the right to decide where I belong? I'm sure they think they got that info from God (knowing the person who said it), but to me it seems so very arrogant and judgmental. They don't even so much as take the time to talk to me and see how I'm doing! And to think that I was similar to that not so long ago... Oye...
I am already looking forward to getting back to Ontario. How sad is that? I still have a loong drive to get back to Calgary though. Will be kinda nice to do a road trip by myself. I'll be able to listen to my audio books and get all pumped up about business and new things to try. That's always fun! Will get me back in Windsor in a great frame of mind!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
cold vacations
Perhaps I shouldn't even be calling it a vacation. Vacation to me means warm, sunny, relaxing... And this certainly isn't all of those! Alberta is COLD, and so far the trip has held a fair amount of stress and fatigue. But then again, it HAS just begun! I arrived in Alberta yesterday morning, spend an hour or so on the phone with my credit card company trying to get my card to work for the rental car, then drove to Lacombe, where my bro Salem is going to school. Now I am just hanging out until he is done his last class this afternoon and we can head on out to BC-home. So I still have a 12 hour drive ahead of me before I can really relax - oh wait, I can't relax even then! We'll arrive home around 4am or so, then I have an appointment in Terrace (2 hours away) at 1:30 that afternoon to (hopefully) get my last retainer out. Then off to Prince Rupert (another hour or so) to hang out until Denver's wedding on Friday. Whew!!! Perhaps by Saturday I'll be able to just relax at home - but wait, I have tons of people to visit!
No, I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering why I call it a vacation! ;)
All in all, I am enjoying it so far - other than the rental car/credit card thing. I almost had to turn around and go back to Windsor, since without a car I'm screwed. But besides that, it's good to be out tripping around on my own again. Been a while since I went traveling all by my lonesome!
No, I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering why I call it a vacation! ;)
All in all, I am enjoying it so far - other than the rental car/credit card thing. I almost had to turn around and go back to Windsor, since without a car I'm screwed. But besides that, it's good to be out tripping around on my own again. Been a while since I went traveling all by my lonesome!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
no need to apologize
I see a common thread in conversations and in relating to people. Everyone apologizes - and most of the time when they shouldn't! I am not excluding myself in this either. I catch myself saying sorry when it is something I should not be apologizing for. In essence, we often apologize for who we are, or for being ourselves. Anyone else have a problem with this?
I apologize if I'm in someone's way - even when I have as much right to be there as they do. I apologize for things I say, when I'm speaking honestly and saying what I really think. I apologize for the way I feel sometimes. What is wrong with this picture?
Frankly, I often say I'm sorry because I don't know what else to say. It just pops out, because I'm so used to saying it, and I don't stop and think about another answer. A clear-cut case of not thinking before I speak! But it's something I want to change. I want to learn to think more before I speak, and to be so confident in who I am that I feel no need to apologize for it!
I apologize if I'm in someone's way - even when I have as much right to be there as they do. I apologize for things I say, when I'm speaking honestly and saying what I really think. I apologize for the way I feel sometimes. What is wrong with this picture?
Frankly, I often say I'm sorry because I don't know what else to say. It just pops out, because I'm so used to saying it, and I don't stop and think about another answer. A clear-cut case of not thinking before I speak! But it's something I want to change. I want to learn to think more before I speak, and to be so confident in who I am that I feel no need to apologize for it!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
run, fat boy, run
As "they" say, If you can't love yourself, then how can you expect anyone else to love you? Or, for that matter, how can you love anyone else? This is the one thing that I consider most important for myself. If I can't love myself, and be confident and excited about who I am, then how can I expect to really achieve what I want? I have to first believe that what I want is truly important, and that I deserve to have what I want. And that all stems out of loving me.
I have gotten to the point where I look in the mirror and actually like what I see. And I just love working out in front of the mirror too and watching my muscles and body respond. I tell myself frequently that I am sexy - and I actually believe it!
This is a long way from where I used to be. Particularly my teenage years, were very awkward and depressing. I didn't like how I looked and I didn't feel confident at all with myself. How far I have come since then! I look back over the last ten years and barely know the person I was then. I still have plenty of growth and development ahead of me, but if the next ten years are even half what the last then were, then I look forward to even greater leaps and bounds, because I now have a fantastic foundation to build on!
Jon and I watched a fabulous movie last night that got me really thinking about the next steps to take in my personal development. Run, Fat Boy, Run is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time (Iron Man is the other one). It is a comedy, with a really great message that stuck right with me. Usually I see these movies and sure, I see the message, but it doesn't necessarily personalize for me. This one did. I could relate to the character far too well! Like Dennis Doyle, I have often tended to run from things and give up when the going gets tough. As I watched him run that marathon, and finish, I thought, That is what I need! I need to do something extremely physical, that takes every ounce of determination and persistence I can possibly muster to finish.
So I'm starting with a workout program. And I'm giving myself a set amount of time - three weeks, which will take me up until my BC trip. I am going to watch my diet, take vitamins and protein shakes, and work out hard. When it comes to physical stamina and strength, I have tended to be a wimp, but no more!
The last month or so I've been really struggling with motivating myself, and have been fighting off depression and discouragement. My life was starting to feel so cluttered and scattered. I realized I needed to change something, but wasn't sure what. Part of the problem was that I wasn't sure what I wanted anymore - not clearly enough to really go for it, at least. This movie, and the determination and inspiration that it brought me, has given me something to work toward, something to put my energy into. Now I need to sit down and write some specific goals for the next three weeks, and I'll be on my way!
I still don't quite know what I want for my business, or other areas of my life, but I feel like I at least have something to put my heart into, and I know the rest will come. And I've got a great coach for this start, as well. Jon picked me up some vitamins and protein powder, and we're both going to be working on a menu to help us eat better - and he's good for suggestions for workouts too. I don't know if he'll go so far as to get out a spatula, like Dennis Doyle's coach did, but I know he'll be there when I need him, to encourage and even prod me along. And to point out the results as he sees them. Ah, I am blessed to have him in my life!!
My next personal development challenge - which I may take on at the same time - is to be more confident in interacting with people, to carry myself with more confidence and to learn to communicate with extreme confidence - especially in tense situations!
Look out world, here I come!
I have gotten to the point where I look in the mirror and actually like what I see. And I just love working out in front of the mirror too and watching my muscles and body respond. I tell myself frequently that I am sexy - and I actually believe it!
This is a long way from where I used to be. Particularly my teenage years, were very awkward and depressing. I didn't like how I looked and I didn't feel confident at all with myself. How far I have come since then! I look back over the last ten years and barely know the person I was then. I still have plenty of growth and development ahead of me, but if the next ten years are even half what the last then were, then I look forward to even greater leaps and bounds, because I now have a fantastic foundation to build on!
Jon and I watched a fabulous movie last night that got me really thinking about the next steps to take in my personal development. Run, Fat Boy, Run is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time (Iron Man is the other one). It is a comedy, with a really great message that stuck right with me. Usually I see these movies and sure, I see the message, but it doesn't necessarily personalize for me. This one did. I could relate to the character far too well! Like Dennis Doyle, I have often tended to run from things and give up when the going gets tough. As I watched him run that marathon, and finish, I thought, That is what I need! I need to do something extremely physical, that takes every ounce of determination and persistence I can possibly muster to finish.
So I'm starting with a workout program. And I'm giving myself a set amount of time - three weeks, which will take me up until my BC trip. I am going to watch my diet, take vitamins and protein shakes, and work out hard. When it comes to physical stamina and strength, I have tended to be a wimp, but no more!
The last month or so I've been really struggling with motivating myself, and have been fighting off depression and discouragement. My life was starting to feel so cluttered and scattered. I realized I needed to change something, but wasn't sure what. Part of the problem was that I wasn't sure what I wanted anymore - not clearly enough to really go for it, at least. This movie, and the determination and inspiration that it brought me, has given me something to work toward, something to put my energy into. Now I need to sit down and write some specific goals for the next three weeks, and I'll be on my way!
I still don't quite know what I want for my business, or other areas of my life, but I feel like I at least have something to put my heart into, and I know the rest will come. And I've got a great coach for this start, as well. Jon picked me up some vitamins and protein powder, and we're both going to be working on a menu to help us eat better - and he's good for suggestions for workouts too. I don't know if he'll go so far as to get out a spatula, like Dennis Doyle's coach did, but I know he'll be there when I need him, to encourage and even prod me along. And to point out the results as he sees them. Ah, I am blessed to have him in my life!!
My next personal development challenge - which I may take on at the same time - is to be more confident in interacting with people, to carry myself with more confidence and to learn to communicate with extreme confidence - especially in tense situations!
Look out world, here I come!
Monday, September 15, 2008
day from hell
First off I want to write a bit of a "disclaimer". I fully realize that much of what I write in this blog may be offensive to some of my readers. One comment after my last post made me realize just how many toes I may be stepping on. So I want to say, what I write here is in no way a personal jab at anyone. I am not trying to pick on anyone, or point at anyone. If what I say strikes you as being very personal (toward you) then please, take it to heart and see what you can learn from it (as we should with anything that strikes close to us), and if not, then please just brush it off. I am not talking about you.
That being said, on to the meat and potatoes.
Today was a bit of a day from hell. It was a Monday. And not only was it a Monday, it was a Monday after a hell of a weekend. Whew! Let's just say, I'm glad this Monday is almost over!!!!!!
I had my six month review for the self employment assistance program. I really really appreciate the financial support this program has provided me with, and I have learned a lot through their training as well, but there is a price to be paid for it!!! My six month review entailed the program director coming out to my place of business (my home office), going over my books and then deciding whether or not I get an extension. Oh boy. Oy boh. I'll sum it up. Don't want to drag you through the excruciating process... I got a 6 week extension. But I had to speak up for it. She wasn't going to give it to me, based on the "numbers" in my books. But then I pointed out that the last month, and this month, are looking much better, and she very reluctantly decided to give me an extension.
Now, I'm not one to sneeze at free money, but part of me was oh so tempted to say, "You know what? If you are that unsure about giving me an extension, then please don't bother!" I know I can make it on my own, and part of me is chafing at "sucking up" to the program director to get more free money. To be honest, I doubt I will be in the web design business for too much longer - I have my sights set on other things - and so at times I am unsure if it is even wise to continue in this vein. But experience breeds wisdom, and wisdom is as good as gold. I figure if I can make this business work for me in a year, then I will have that much more experience (and wisdom?) under my belt for my future endeavors! And so I stick with it. Not only that, but the process of building a business also increases your network. I have encountered people that I wouldn't have met otherwise - and am certainly much richer for it!
The rest of the day from hell was on the phone. I needed to call one of my student loans accounts to arrange a payment plan so I can get that all paid off, and I'm working through a credit counselor, so I can make all my payments in one shot. Oye. I had to call each place at least twice, because they kept saying, "oh, we don't do that, they are supposed to do [insert action here]." I hung up on one woman who was going on and on and wasn't listening to me. Felt a bit bad, but hey, she was probably glad the call was cut short! (I've worked at a call centre, I know I would've been! lol) I was getting so very very frusterated, particularly after what the rest of the day was like, and then I got a very nice gal on the phone at the credit counselors. Thank goodness! She understood what I was trying to do, spoke good english, and was very nice to talk to. I was able to get the matter taken care of! :D It certainly could have been worse!
So maybe it asn't quite a day from hell. In fact, it is now almost 7:30pm, the day is almost over, and looking back, it wasn't that bad. I stood up for myself with the program director - something I normally wouldn't do - and I managed to deal with call centre operators AND get my objective for the call done. The emotional stuff I was dealing with right off the bat this morning wasn't all that bad, and even though I felt discouraged during a good part of the day, I know in the end it's all going to be alright. Tomorrow is another day - a better one, I'm sure! - and we all have crappy days, after all. ;)
So I am moving up and moving on!!!! Yes, still on my quest to enlightened millionairedom, and more than ever determined to make my dreams come true - and those of others. Life is an adventure, after all. You never know what tomorrow will hold. Who will you meet? What opportunity will come your way? What new thing will you learn? Don't miss out on it, okay? Take that chance, that risk, and watch your life chance and blossom right in front of your eyes!!!
That being said, on to the meat and potatoes.
Today was a bit of a day from hell. It was a Monday. And not only was it a Monday, it was a Monday after a hell of a weekend. Whew! Let's just say, I'm glad this Monday is almost over!!!!!!
I had my six month review for the self employment assistance program. I really really appreciate the financial support this program has provided me with, and I have learned a lot through their training as well, but there is a price to be paid for it!!! My six month review entailed the program director coming out to my place of business (my home office), going over my books and then deciding whether or not I get an extension. Oh boy. Oy boh. I'll sum it up. Don't want to drag you through the excruciating process... I got a 6 week extension. But I had to speak up for it. She wasn't going to give it to me, based on the "numbers" in my books. But then I pointed out that the last month, and this month, are looking much better, and she very reluctantly decided to give me an extension.
Now, I'm not one to sneeze at free money, but part of me was oh so tempted to say, "You know what? If you are that unsure about giving me an extension, then please don't bother!" I know I can make it on my own, and part of me is chafing at "sucking up" to the program director to get more free money. To be honest, I doubt I will be in the web design business for too much longer - I have my sights set on other things - and so at times I am unsure if it is even wise to continue in this vein. But experience breeds wisdom, and wisdom is as good as gold. I figure if I can make this business work for me in a year, then I will have that much more experience (and wisdom?) under my belt for my future endeavors! And so I stick with it. Not only that, but the process of building a business also increases your network. I have encountered people that I wouldn't have met otherwise - and am certainly much richer for it!
The rest of the day from hell was on the phone. I needed to call one of my student loans accounts to arrange a payment plan so I can get that all paid off, and I'm working through a credit counselor, so I can make all my payments in one shot. Oye. I had to call each place at least twice, because they kept saying, "oh, we don't do that, they are supposed to do [insert action here]." I hung up on one woman who was going on and on and wasn't listening to me. Felt a bit bad, but hey, she was probably glad the call was cut short! (I've worked at a call centre, I know I would've been! lol) I was getting so very very frusterated, particularly after what the rest of the day was like, and then I got a very nice gal on the phone at the credit counselors. Thank goodness! She understood what I was trying to do, spoke good english, and was very nice to talk to. I was able to get the matter taken care of! :D It certainly could have been worse!
So maybe it asn't quite a day from hell. In fact, it is now almost 7:30pm, the day is almost over, and looking back, it wasn't that bad. I stood up for myself with the program director - something I normally wouldn't do - and I managed to deal with call centre operators AND get my objective for the call done. The emotional stuff I was dealing with right off the bat this morning wasn't all that bad, and even though I felt discouraged during a good part of the day, I know in the end it's all going to be alright. Tomorrow is another day - a better one, I'm sure! - and we all have crappy days, after all. ;)
So I am moving up and moving on!!!! Yes, still on my quest to enlightened millionairedom, and more than ever determined to make my dreams come true - and those of others. Life is an adventure, after all. You never know what tomorrow will hold. Who will you meet? What opportunity will come your way? What new thing will you learn? Don't miss out on it, okay? Take that chance, that risk, and watch your life chance and blossom right in front of your eyes!!!
Monday, September 8, 2008
who wants to make money?
A friend of mine recently posted a note on facebook talking about how he was committing to double his income in the next 6 months and was looking for others who wanted to do the same. I enjoyed his note, as this certainly parallels what I have committed to do myself, but I was amazed at the negative responses he got. Some of the comments had me gaping and shaking my head.
People, especially "christian" people, seem to be shockingly threatened by someone wanting to make money. The comments in response to his post included digs and insults (subtle and righteous of course) that triggered a sad outrage inside me. He was as good as accused of being a "spoiled brat" who "needs" a private jet, big mansion and several expensive cars. The comments were defensive, as if people felt they suddenly had to defend themselves and explain why they didn't need or want more money. The theme was one that I have heard over and over all my life. "I have my wonderful friends and family, what more do I need?" along with references to "God's will in my life." And all of this simply because one man declared that he wanted to succeed financially!
What is the problem with money, and when and where did people get the idea that it is evil to want to make money? What is wrong with this picture? What kind of society ridicules and discourages someone wanting to be financially successful? What is this mindset that holds so many people captive - and broke or close to it? How have we become so ignorant when it comes to money?
Perhaps this is in danger of becoming my favorite personal rant. It is certainly a topic that causes me much concern, as I firmly believe we can all be financially successful and live the lives we desire and were meant to live - but so few people will let go of their current beliefs enough to realize that there may be a better way. They are "content" to live from paycheck to paycheck, putting their money into cars and houses, that cost them money instead of making more. They have not been taught how to make money work for them, and so they work for money. It seems to me that the real evil where money is concerned is this attitude and ignorance that enslaves people to money, instead of learning how it works and how to make it work for them...
People, especially "christian" people, seem to be shockingly threatened by someone wanting to make money. The comments in response to his post included digs and insults (subtle and righteous of course) that triggered a sad outrage inside me. He was as good as accused of being a "spoiled brat" who "needs" a private jet, big mansion and several expensive cars. The comments were defensive, as if people felt they suddenly had to defend themselves and explain why they didn't need or want more money. The theme was one that I have heard over and over all my life. "I have my wonderful friends and family, what more do I need?" along with references to "God's will in my life." And all of this simply because one man declared that he wanted to succeed financially!
What is the problem with money, and when and where did people get the idea that it is evil to want to make money? What is wrong with this picture? What kind of society ridicules and discourages someone wanting to be financially successful? What is this mindset that holds so many people captive - and broke or close to it? How have we become so ignorant when it comes to money?
Perhaps this is in danger of becoming my favorite personal rant. It is certainly a topic that causes me much concern, as I firmly believe we can all be financially successful and live the lives we desire and were meant to live - but so few people will let go of their current beliefs enough to realize that there may be a better way. They are "content" to live from paycheck to paycheck, putting their money into cars and houses, that cost them money instead of making more. They have not been taught how to make money work for them, and so they work for money. It seems to me that the real evil where money is concerned is this attitude and ignorance that enslaves people to money, instead of learning how it works and how to make it work for them...
Friday, September 5, 2008
i was never taught...
There are a lot of things that I was never taught - how to set and achieve goals, how to function in an intimate relationship (particularly sexually), how to make money work for me (instead of working for money), and many other things. In fact, I was raised with the opposite mindset with these things. I was taught to work for money, and the topic of how to function sexually was certainly avoided. Goals were talked about, but no actual training on how to go about it exactly. And these are all skills that I have come to believe are rather important to success in life!
So no, I wasn't taught these things, but I have been learning them as needed. And it fascinates me how easily we humans adapt to things, and how much we are capable of learning. We may not be brought up with a skill, but our brains are so amazing that we can literally program that skill right in with some training and practice - and it then becomes something we can do without thinking! Have you ever stopped and really thought about that?
I can do anything I want. I may not know how - yet - but I can definitely learn! It doesn't matter what I already know or don't know, it doesn't matter how I was raised, it doesn't even much matter what natural talents I have! I can learn and do anything I want to do - and so can anyone else.
We really have no idea of the power of our mind. We let ourselves slip into an everyday routine, doing what we know and not remembering that we have the power to do whatever we want and create whatever we want. For instance, did you know that if you set a goal, picture it in your mind, and do that continually every day, that your subconscious mind will see that, see the reality, and figure out a way to make that the reality? It will try to line things up, make it match, by doing whatever it takes to make that goal reality in your physical world. Yes, people, THAT is the power of your brain!
So you may not have learned something growing up, you may have been taught things that don't help you now, and not taught the things that you most need, but guess what? That doesn't matter, because you have the world's best computer in your head - and you can accomplish anything you want! :)
So no, I wasn't taught these things, but I have been learning them as needed. And it fascinates me how easily we humans adapt to things, and how much we are capable of learning. We may not be brought up with a skill, but our brains are so amazing that we can literally program that skill right in with some training and practice - and it then becomes something we can do without thinking! Have you ever stopped and really thought about that?
I can do anything I want. I may not know how - yet - but I can definitely learn! It doesn't matter what I already know or don't know, it doesn't matter how I was raised, it doesn't even much matter what natural talents I have! I can learn and do anything I want to do - and so can anyone else.
We really have no idea of the power of our mind. We let ourselves slip into an everyday routine, doing what we know and not remembering that we have the power to do whatever we want and create whatever we want. For instance, did you know that if you set a goal, picture it in your mind, and do that continually every day, that your subconscious mind will see that, see the reality, and figure out a way to make that the reality? It will try to line things up, make it match, by doing whatever it takes to make that goal reality in your physical world. Yes, people, THAT is the power of your brain!
So you may not have learned something growing up, you may have been taught things that don't help you now, and not taught the things that you most need, but guess what? That doesn't matter, because you have the world's best computer in your head - and you can accomplish anything you want! :)
Monday, August 25, 2008
to be or not to be... healthy
I was having a discussion with someone the other night and suddenly had an interesting thought. The topic, I believe, was religion, or something similar, and my thought was a bit random, but perhaps related as well. I realized that while growing up, pretty much everyone around me was "health-conscious", vegetarian, and many of them were into the natural cures and all these drinks and vitamins and all kinds of natural healing. The shocking thing that I realized, was that many of those very people were sick a lot, and still are to this day. They do not enjoy the vibrant health that, according to their theories, they should. They may be overweight, or get frequent colds, or suffer from asthma or all kinds of allergies. Although they are proponents of health, they are not themselves healthy.
This realization caused me to stop and think. How does this apply to me? Well, either they had the wrong information - what they thought was healthy was indeed not, or they were missing some other piece of the puzzle. Perhaps it was a combination of both.
We all grow up with a set of beliefs and values, that we develop and personalize, but tend to cling to - anything outside of our beliefs is "wrong", "unhealthy", "bad", or any other number of labels that we pin to it. And yet everyone else also has beliefs, many of them dramatically different from our own. Who's to say who is right? Who is to say that your beliefs are right, and mine are wrong - or vice versa? I was raised in a social community that was very judgmental and rigid in their beliefs - anyone who didn't believe the same was wrong, and going to hell (or something similar). There was little room for being open minded, or for new ideas. Everything was doctrine, the way it had always been done. There was no "better way".
What does this have to do with the health issue? Believe it or not, it all ties in together. We get so stuck in our own beliefs, even when it comes to health, that we think we know what is right, and what will work, and are blind to other options. We do the same thing, over and over. We eat the same food, or if we try a new diet, we don't change our other habits so that it either doesn't "stick", or it doesn't have the affect we want because there is something else contributing to the problem. If we were open minded to trying new options - options beyond a new health product, or a new special diet - we would be far more likely to find something that works. What about emotional and mental blocks? What about a new mindset, where you picture yourself healthy? What about exercise - no, not boring "have to" exercise, but finding something you love doing that gets you moving and working.
More and more I find I am being challenged to open my mind, to be open to new ideas, and to try different things. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. If your health, or your life, isn't the way you want it, why keep doing things the same way? Do you think you'll get different results? Or would you be more likely to see things change if you tried something different, something you haven't done before?
Gasp. What a novel idea!
This realization caused me to stop and think. How does this apply to me? Well, either they had the wrong information - what they thought was healthy was indeed not, or they were missing some other piece of the puzzle. Perhaps it was a combination of both.
We all grow up with a set of beliefs and values, that we develop and personalize, but tend to cling to - anything outside of our beliefs is "wrong", "unhealthy", "bad", or any other number of labels that we pin to it. And yet everyone else also has beliefs, many of them dramatically different from our own. Who's to say who is right? Who is to say that your beliefs are right, and mine are wrong - or vice versa? I was raised in a social community that was very judgmental and rigid in their beliefs - anyone who didn't believe the same was wrong, and going to hell (or something similar). There was little room for being open minded, or for new ideas. Everything was doctrine, the way it had always been done. There was no "better way".
What does this have to do with the health issue? Believe it or not, it all ties in together. We get so stuck in our own beliefs, even when it comes to health, that we think we know what is right, and what will work, and are blind to other options. We do the same thing, over and over. We eat the same food, or if we try a new diet, we don't change our other habits so that it either doesn't "stick", or it doesn't have the affect we want because there is something else contributing to the problem. If we were open minded to trying new options - options beyond a new health product, or a new special diet - we would be far more likely to find something that works. What about emotional and mental blocks? What about a new mindset, where you picture yourself healthy? What about exercise - no, not boring "have to" exercise, but finding something you love doing that gets you moving and working.
More and more I find I am being challenged to open my mind, to be open to new ideas, and to try different things. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. If your health, or your life, isn't the way you want it, why keep doing things the same way? Do you think you'll get different results? Or would you be more likely to see things change if you tried something different, something you haven't done before?
Gasp. What a novel idea!
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