Life Balance - Universal Principles

How do you fix Congress

2011-10-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

I received this from a friend and would like to share it as a commentary on our current political situation, state and federal. My hope is that it will trigger each of us to think about what we can do to facilitate movement in our government at a time when all of our elected officials (Dem, Rep, Tea, other) seem to be politically paralyzed or frozen in time. There seems to be a void of true leadership.

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:

"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure."

Please pass this blog post on:

If we passed it on to just 20 people we know, in three days most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!

A letter to my elected officials

2011-04-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

Below is a letter I have sent to my elected officials. I hope you will take the time to send one to yours as well. Feel free to use my letter as a structure but be sure to tailor it to your own area and family.

Dear Senators Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray, Congressman Adam Smith, and President Barack Obama,

My name is Cheryl Matthynssens and my sons are members of the Washington Army National Guard and Army. My sons have been serving our country for almost 8 years now.

We have all seen on the news and heard of the difficulties that our elected officials have had regarding the budget and have held out hope that they would come to their senses and resolve this issue in a timely fashion.

That however hasn’t happened. Many service men are now faced with deploying, leaving families behind, without the security of financial remuneration to take care of their loved ones. My oldest son opened his paycheck today and saw a debt balance due for almost half of his pay. In short...he is not being paid because our elected officials, yourself included, have failed to uphold your responsibilities to your constituents.

My oldest son's income is already low even as a sergeant leaving him living pay check to paycheck. He has a child and one on the way. Both my sons are very patriotic They serve this country and have deployed to Iraq at great sacrifice to their families. I know men are deploying even this week and had planned to do so, secure in the knowledge that their families will be financially provided for while they are gone. That security, no that trust...is lost!

Our soldiers should not be expected to continue to do what they do without compensation. Moreover, our government should not ask it of them. Do you work for free Senator? Would you go to a hostile environment and put your life on the line without pay? I think not. In fact, I find it embarrassing that our elected officials have secured their own paychecks during this time without ensuring that the individuals that protect this country get paid as well. That is fundamentally wrong!

This week, I got the privilege of my son calling in a panic unsure of how he was supposed to go into the field when he could not pay for the daycare required to do so. His wife has worked part time and will have to give up the job that they now need more then ever because our government has not paid them. They will have to hope that creditors understand that they will have to hold off on paying the bills this month.

I hope your family is safe and well fed and that you sleep well at night. I wouldn’t be able to if I were in your position. I would be ashamed.

Lastly I would like to make sure that you are aware that my parents, my family, we all vote! We will remember this at election time! Our elected officials have failed us. We will not forget.

One final note. If this is an aide reading this, please do not bother sending me a form letter. It would only add insult to injury.

Respectfully,

Cheryl L. Matthynssens

my son in the army and his daughter

The Price of Happiness

2011-01-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

In our society today, we put price tags on happiness. If I can afford this.. if only I had that. I would be happy. And if that were true, happiness would be such an easy thing to find. But the truth is, once we have the 'one thing' we have been coveting, (if we ever get it) we just choose something else we now have to have.

In America, teenagers talk about that first car. Oh yeah, the show room model would be nice but most teenagers get excited if it is theirs and it drives. But soon, that is not enough and the competition begins to have one cooler then Joe. Then it has to have the latest rims to be happy. The cranking pounding stereo has to be found to be happy. Yet, this never truly lasts.

Today, I was reminded of this lesson on a simple ski slope. Our daughter had never been skiing or snowboarding. A local ski business had a special where you could go up and for $58.00 get a lesson and equipment, everything you needed to try it for the first time. It was her Christmas present. I fretted the whole time I was wrapping it up. What if she hates snowboarding? What if she breaks something? And mentally, the price tag just kept going up.

We got to that mountain and with great excitement she got her snowboard and boots and headed off to her class. I sat down on a bench on a beautiful snowy Sunday Morning and marveled. It didn't last long. Twenty minutes into the lesson, I noticed my daughter sitting out of the class. My heart sank. Every fear hammered home. $58.00 wasted for twenty minutes of lessons and her giving up. The whole time I was waiting to join her, I was mentally seething at the cost and loss of money for something that she didn't even finish. I joined her on the bench and looked into her eyes. I didn't see the 58.00 wasted dollars. I saw a life time of expectation crashing down in on her as her fondest desire had become a nightmare. She couldn't stand in the boots required for snowboarding without pain in her ankle that she had injured. "Let's just go home mom." I could hear the heart rending pain as it ripped through me. I looked back out at that mountain for a long moment.

I patted her on the head and told her to wait there. I went into the ski school and talked to the instructors. They were extremely sorrowed to hear that she was giving up. They made a wonderous offer. If she would reoutfit into a ski set up, they would set her up with a private instructor. I girded up for the battle and headed back to Johanna. It took a little maternal browbeating but we got her back into gear. They sent over to her the nicest man and he took her by the hand and led her back out onto that mountain. Her ankle was still giving her troubles and she struggled and fell but she didn't give up.

The price of happiness was not a $58.00 dollar package. The price of happiness was a little perseverance. It sank home as she successfully made it up the rope tow for the first time. That smile was the same smile I saw when she walked the first time, rode a bike the first time, stopped her first soccer goal. The price of happiness is the smile you give to another because you don't give up on them and you don't let them give up either.

Remember or Dwell

2011-01-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

It is an amazing thing our mind. It records everything.. but we only recall with regularlity that which has some kind of an emotional attachment. Unfortunately, that does not have to be a positive thing. We can attach negative emotions.

Remembering where we have been is an important aspect. It is how we learn. It is how we avoid repeating past mistakes. Unfortunately, for many of us, rather then using this tool our mind gives us, we begin to dwell.

What is the difference?
Dwelling is allowing a negative memory to take root and take over. Rather then moving forward with the lesson learned, we are suddenly angered in the past. We rehash it over and over and over. We relive that pain and hurt again and again. To what end?? The truth is kind of scary. Because at some level we have become to believe we deserve it. Only when we realize that we should only have to pay for errors one time, do we stop this hurtful pattern of self abuse.

Dwelling can become so powerful that it can create stress caused illnesses and depression. Ulcers, heart disease, high blood pressure and many other ailments have been tied to staying in an increased stress state. And the worst part is, most of us do this to ourselves.

How do I stop this?
There are two major tools one can use. First, the old cliche .. Let go and Let God. The second thing is refuse to allow negativity to control your thinking. The one thing that is almost possible to take away from man is his thoughts. You may lock away his body and still his mind is his own. Even under the influence of the disease of addiction, there is still influence on thought. When you catch yourself thinking in a negative manner; tell yourself .. STOP! We are trained this word from a very young age. It will startle the mind for a brief moment. Then pick up something postive; a story, affirmations or a thank you letter. Anything that has hope, peace or love within it. This change in thinking will force the mind slowly to let go of the negative things in our past and move towards acceptance.

Remember.. do not dwell. There is freedom to move forward with the assurance of not repeating a past mistake.

Make Today. .. just a little better then yesterday and your future will always be moving forward.

God Bless

What you are putting in.. is coming out!

2010-10-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Before you change your thinking, you h ave to change what goes into your mind.
Zig Ziglar

The thing about universal wisdom is that it comes from so many mouths. The above saying has been proffered a many ways by many teachers. It is in the bible, the Koran and in every self esteem curriculum out there. TIt is a scientific fact that input is a direct influence on output. What this means in regards to today's teachings is that if you are not having the success you want in life, if you are depressed, if you are unmotivated and even if you are just really negative all the time; what is your input? Those things are the output. What are you reading? What music are you listening too? What is your visual surroundings? These things have a direct influence on what you think and how you act whether you are realizing it or not.

If you struggle with negativity but your only reading the Newspaper and the most uplifting thing you here is a sitcom and the evening news; it is no surprise. Face it, newspapers publish what sells and saving puppies is nice for the occaisional piece but a full article on it will not sell. Especially today where people can go online for fluff.

Ways to change this:

1. Read uplifting stories. Chicken Soup stories for example
2. Make sure that even if you like hard core music, you take some time to add in something light and soothing whether it is elevator music, classical or nature sounds. There are some cool sites you can just listen too like
http://www.rainymood.com/ that really help with relaxing and stress.
3. Practice positive affirmations. "I am becoming happier every day." "I am enjoying life." They are most effective in the AM state with a verb ending in ing. Never use can or will as the brain interprets this as someday down the road.
4. Look at images of vacation sites. They say just spending a few minutes looking at such pictures improves mood and stress levels.
5. Eat right and drink water. The brain needs nutrition to function and many of today's foods are just lacking.
6. Talk to your higher power regularly!

Th gist of today.. what goes in.. comes out! So watch what you are putting into your eyes, ears, mouth and body.

Unconditional Love

2010-10-07T07:17:00.001-07:00

The Greatest Single Cause of Poor Self-Image is the Absence of Unconditional Love
Zig Ziglar

It is hard to believe sometimes in life's struggles, but we really are our own worst enemy. The most dangerous streets we walk in this world is in our own head. You know.. those thoughts like ... should have... would have.. could have .. and the worst.. what if.

Your higher power is not in the business of creating faulty products. There is nothing wrong with you that you are not choosing to keep as yours. It is like we have this bag of nasty smelling garbage and yet there we go, lugging it around on our shoulder. Give yourself permission to be a human and make mistakes. But also be responsible enough to take the time in a situation and ask what could I have done different to get a better outcome. Then.. learn from it!!

Most important.. keep in mind.. your higher power does not make Junk!

Help me band together to plant 10,000 trees!

2010-04-28T23:36:00.001-07:00

I am excited about Avon's program to PLANT A TREE WITH AVON and help create a better future for our next generation. Avon announced that they are planting their first 1 MILLION trees in South America's Atlantic Rainforest - often referred to as "the lungs of the earth". I would love if I could gain 10000 people to plant these trees with me.93% OF THE ATLANTIC RAINFOREST IS GONE, which has a devastating effect for everyone - everywhere. Deforestation is second only to the burning of fossil fuels as a source of carbon dioxide emissions that cause global climate change. Every $1.00 contributed through Hello Green Tomorrow plants a new tree. Join me in helping Avon in planting millions of trees today for a better tomorrow.The trees planted through the Hello Green Tomorrow program will support the United Nations Environment Program Billion Tree Campaign.You do not need to order any Avon products to contribute a tree. There is a quick order option on my website - Just put in the number - 552216.There is no shipping charges if you are not ordering any other products. If you also would like to order products - you can get free shipping for 30.00 or more orders. That free shipping code is: FS30REP.

http://youravon.com/smarketing

Balanced Life Includes Healthy Weight Loss Practices

2010-04-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

Learning how to balance life is much like learning to eat a balanced meal. It needs variety, healthy choices and lots of color. However, due to a feeling of being out of control, many unhealthy weight loss practices are not only harmful but can lead to actual disorders.

There are a number of very dangerous eating disorders that effect people of all ages, races, sexes, and economic statuses. While you may hear a lot in the news about anorexia and bulimia, one of the lesser-known weight loss disasters sweeping the nation is binge eating. Binge eating is very bad for your body and can cause heart disease, diabetes, and a number of other medical conditions, which actually could result in death. Therefore, it is important to learn about binge eating and to seek help immediately if you think this could be a problem for you.

Binge eating is basically a form of overeating at its worst. There are times when we all overindulge in good foods, such as at a holiday or when eating out at a restaurant. However, a binge eater faces overeating problems more than a few times a week. Binge eaters often find themselves overweight and unhappy, which can make the situation worse.

Binge eaters will overeat to the extent that they feel sick. In many cases, they will eat thousands of calories in one sitting, and many of the foods they are eating are not very nutritional and include comfort foods. Binge eaters may enjoy sweet or savory foods, and may also have a problem with alcohol. In one day, a binge eater may eat more than the normal person will eat in a week. Foods that a person will binge eat vary and can even change for a particular binge eater from day to day.

Unlike people who are suffering from bulimia, binge eaters will not induce vomiting in order to rid themselves of the food they’ve eaten. Therefore, binge eaters tend to be overweight. In some cases, a binge eater may eat non-stop for an entire day, but then spend the next three or four days starving him- or herself and exercising vigorously in order to stay at the same weight if possible.

Binge eating goes hand in hand with a number of other physical diseases, but it can also effect a personal mentally and emotionally. Many binge eaters start because they turn to food for comfort as a way to work out their problems, which is unhealthy. Binge eaters are also usually very emotionally charged about their body weight and may experience depression because of it, regardless of if they are overweight or not. Binge eating is not only dangerous for the binge eater, but can affect everyone in his or her life. If you or someone you know is suffering from this disease, it is important to seek help as soon as possible. This is not a good way to lose weight.

Life must be given variety, mindful attention and as you know from the theme of this blog, balance! Eating should be no different, eat slow and with mindful attention to each bite. Eat a safe and moderate variety. Live life to the fullest, it is too short to be spent in regret.

You Can't Force Inspiration! It Will Strike When You Least Expect It!

2010-03-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

What Innovation Can Do to Your Life

It's a talent that everyone has, yet they think they don't. The power of innovation. If you've ever marvelled at somebody's creative prowess, guess what, you can create and innovate too. It just takes time. Everyone is born creative. The box of crayons in kindergarten were not limited to those who possessed potential; because the truth is, everybody has potential.

You know how long it took to learn to ride a bike or drive or to never commit the same mistake again? It's the same with innovation. It takes a bit of practice and a lot of time before this mind function comes easily when called. This article will teach you a few tips on how to bring innovation into your life.

Don't listen to what other people say. Follow the beat of your own drum. Allowing for the input of other people will only bring cacophony to the music you are trying to make. If you have an original idea, don't waste your time and effort trying to make people understand. They won't. And the help you will probably get comes in the form of negative feedback. If all those geniuses listened to their peers, we would probably still be living in the middle ages.

Spend time on it. I cannot stress that enough, although, please do not mistake this tip to tell you to quit your day job entirely. Do not. This involves some tricky time management but with a little discipline you'll be able to squeeze both in.

Exercise. Take a walk. Run a mile or two. Send all those endorphins coursing through your veins. Exercising certainly clears and relaxes your mind and allows for anything to pop up.

Record your dreams. Aren't some of them just the craziest things that your conscious mind would never have thought of? If you've had these dreams before, and I'm sure have, this only shows you the untapped innovative power you have lying within. So jot down those notes. Those dreams may just create an innovative spark in you.

Find your own style. You can always tell a Van Gogh from a Matisse. You'll know Hemingway wrote something by the choice of words on the paper. So it is the same with you. People will appreciate your innovation more because it is uniquely yours and that no one else would have thought of what you were thinking. That will let people see how valuable an asset you are.

Don't hide behind nifty gadgets or tools. You don't need the most expensive set of paints to produce a masterpiece. The same way with writing. You don't need some expensive fountain pen and really smooth paper for a bestseller. In fact, J.K. Rowling wrote the first book of the Harry Potter Series on bits of tissue. So what if you've got an expensive SLR camera if you're a crappy photographer? Who cares if you've got a blinging laptop if you can't write at all? The artist actually reduces the number of tools he has as he gets better at his craft: he knows what works and what doesn't.

Nothing will work without passion. What wakes you up in the mornings? What keeps the flame burning? What is the one thing that you'll die if you don't do? Sometimes people with talent are overtaken by the people who want it more. Think the hare and the tortoise. Ellen Degeneres once said that if you're not doing something that you want to do, then you don't really want to do it. And that's true. Sometimes you just want something so bad you become a virtual unstoppable. And that is passion. Passion will keep you going.

Don't worry about inspiration. You can't force it; inspiration hits when you least expect it to, for those unpredictable yet inevitable moments you should prepare. An idea could strike you on the subway, yet alas, you poor unfortunate soul; you have no sheet of paper to scribble down a thought that could change the world. Avoid these disasters. Have a pen and paper within your arm's reach at all times.

I hope this article has helped you bring more innovation into your life. Keep in mind that you're doing these things for your own satisfaction and not anybody else's. But soon enough they will notice, and everything should snowball from there.

hoquiam middle school 7th grade band

2010-03-11T19:06:00.001-08:00

One cannot be a momma and not brag.. My baby is a clarinet player so had o show the wallet off.

Nine Internal Traits Necessary for Success!

2010-03-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

There are nine traits that those of us truly interested in achieving success in our lives, need to be developing. Many people think that you must measure success by material items such as money in the bank or land owed. However, many people that have things things, live miserable lives. There must be something more. I propose that money, land and other material items are rewards from having success in our lives. We know we are succeeding when these things begin to arrive, but to truly measure success we need to look at our progress in nine specific areas. As these nine develop, we will KNOW we are successful because we will be truly happy.

LOVE:
I am not speaking of the love between two sexual partners here. I am talking about a deeper thing. A love of life itself.. of people.. of events. The more we develop a spirit of love in our lives, the more we will attract the right people to us. This law of attraction is often rewarded with the material things that we need. This love is demonstrated at a far deeper level and is not something you can "fall out of." I plan to blog more specifically on this type of love in the near future.

Joy:
What good is a thousand things in life if you get know joy from what you have. If the sound of your child or grand child's laugh does not bring a soft smile to you own lips. People like to be around happy people. It adds to the law of attraction. In addition, when you get genuine joy out of your work, your life, your family or whatever you are seeking to improve, people notice. This in turn brings rewards that are often unasked for and unlooked for by the one who sees life though the eyes of a happy child. Childlike vision but not childish!

Peace:
This is an internal peace. Have you ever met someone that despite the fact that those around them are screaming how the world is ending, the ship is sinking and the company is failing, seem to calmly address matters at hand. This is the type of peace that each of us must strive for in our lives. A sense of centeredness that cannot be shattered by day to day chaos that will pass if we do not let ourselves get caught up in it.

Patience:
Our world has become caught up in a instant gratification message. We even complain when our fast food at McDonald's or Burger King is too slow? Despite the fast pace of the world, we expect our needs to be met even faster. However, with the internal peace above and some patience, one can spot opportunities that others would have missed. The rewards of the long journey outweigh the wants of the moment. If this is mastered, great things can be slowly gained.

Kindness:
Want to see the lack of Kindness in the USA today? All you have to do is go to a public high school or read teenage blogs. These children mirror their parents and are back stabbing, mean spirited and often cruel in packs. Teachers today are not surprised about the horrid things do and say anymore; they are surprised by unasked for acts of kindness and this is a sad statement. By learning to be kind and learning to teach our children to be kind, we an improve the world as a whole. Plus, people remember who was kind to them. Many people have received surprise windfalls years later from someone they did not even remember. But that person remembered the random act of kindness and it left a lasting impression in their lives. This is the concept from the movie "Pay it Forward." If only we could all practice paying it forward every day.

Goodness:
Often in my counseling sessions with those who are both criminal and addicted, we spend a lot of time talking about "doing the right thing when no one is looking." That is the type of goodness I am talking about. Not the kind where everyone pats you on the back, but the type where you know in your heart of hearts that you are doing the right thing. When one lives life this way, there is little to regret or feel shame over. This type of shame free lifestyle allows one to interact freely without others and hide nothing about who they are. This in turn builds trust which is often rewarded in life.

Faithfulness:
This can be to a higher power, moral belief system or whatever is the guiding principle of your life. Whatever it is that you believe in.. remain faithful to it. A person who is a chameleon may blend in to each and every environment but he can remain true to none of them. The self confidence that comes from remaining to faithful to one's beliefs, god or guiding principles instills a noticeable type of confidence. It also helps guide what is right in and for your life. You will not enter a business deal that goes against this because you know that it will increase stress and worry and likely fail due to an ability to fully embrace it.

Gentleness
My Grandmother always said I would catch more flies with honey, I thought that weird since who wants to catch flies? But now I know what she meant, I would attract things to me with a kind and gentle touch, a sweetness if you will. A gentle word is always appreciated; bad news received ever so much better if delivered with a gentle tone. My children respond better to a gentle order then a harsh command. Being kind and gentle just makes since. Never mistake these two together for weakness. Some of the kindest, most gentle people I know are hard as nails when it comes to what is right or enforcing their boundary.

Last but not least: Self Control
This one practically speaks for itself. Without self control, we fail at many of the above. Can we not over indulge, over spend? Can we control our temper or impatience? These things are paramount to success. How can we ever find the peace or love above if we cannot control our impulses?

No one will likely ever live all nine of these to perfection. The goal therefore, is progress and not perfection. By learning to work on these, we increase our attractiveness to opportunities, windfalls and genuine happiness and success in our lives. Pick one each week and make it a goal to improve one thing in that area. Eventually, every couple of months, you will come back around to the first one. Evaluate your progress over the two months and reset the goal from before or set a higher or new goal to improve that area. This creates a personal plan of self improvement that when embraced whole-heartedly cannot help but to improve the quality of life.

Have a Balanced week!

Isagenix® Donates 1.2 Million Meals to Haiti

2010-03-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

CHANDLER, Ariz. (February 2, 2010) — Isagenix®, a company specializing in health and wellness products, is donating more than 45,000 canisters--equating up to 1.2 million meals--of its nutritionally-rich IsaLean® shakes to assist victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The meal-replacement shakes will be donated to Stop Hunger Now, a relief organization that has partnered with Mission of Hope in Port Au Prince, Haiti.

The UN estimates two million Haitians are in need of food, but only a quarter of those have received any thus far, and delivery operations depend on UN peacekeepers to control hungry mobs and keep bandits from convoys. Haitians needing food are choking on pepper spray used by UN guards at distribution points, according to CNN.

"It's devastating seeing thousands of Haitians charge down the street for only two distribution trucks of food," said Isagenix Co-Founder Kathy Coover. "Everyone deserves to have a high-quality nutritious meal and we can provide that."

IsaLean shakes offer balanced amounts of the best high-quality protein, "good" carbohydrates and fats, and a full-spectrum of vitamins and minerals. The protein complex, 23 grams of undenatured whey and casein protein that's enzyme activated to maximize nutrient absorption, is sourced from New Zealand pasture-raised dairy cows and has been clinically studied for its support to improving maintenance and growth of lean muscle. The shakes also feature lower lactose levels and a superior amino acid profile for easier digestion.

Founded in 2002, Isagenix prides itself in delivering long-term weight-loss results. More than 5.4 million pounds and more than six million inches have been lost by individuals using Isagenix products in the past seven years. Isagenix has helped more than 178 people lose 100 pounds, eight people lose 200 pounds and hundreds of thousands of others lose weight and improve their health and wellness.* ((To find more about Isagenix, visit http://sweetenergy.isagenix.com))

For more information on Stop Hunger Now, visit www.StopHungerNow.org. For more information on Mission of Hope, visit www.MissionofHopeHaiti.org.

Nothing stays the same but that everything changes

2010-03-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

Nothing in the world lasts save eternal change.
Marquis de Ragan

Don’t give up on a rainy day; the sun WILL shine again

Don’t give up on love; practice loving

Don’t give up on a task; perseverance will help you finish

Don’t give up on a friend; they may be in pain

Don’t give up on a client; they may understand tomorrow

Don’t give up on yourself: your potential has not been reached

I pray for the strength for each of us to persist through the day when circumstances…. Changes…

Or challenge would incline us to throw in the proverbial towel.

Be Safe and Be Prepared

2010-02-27T14:02:00.001-08:00

Today's events -

Two Earthquakes... Tsunami... drive home the point that life is precious. I wanted to point out that we have been told here in the USA to prepare. The larger the event.. the longer it will take the Government to get help to you. Please everyone, be prepared to take care of yourself for at least 3 days for the types of disasters that can occur in your area.

Disaster Preparedness Resources - click here

Here is info put out by FEMA!
First and foremost - Make a plan. Your family will likely be apart if a disaster strikes unless it occurs during the night. children might be at school or events. Parents may be at work. Have a phone number that each family member would call that is at least 100 miles away. Long distance often restores before local calls. This allows family members to at least relay and learn the status of others in the disaster area. Every family member, even children in their backpacks, should have a in case of emergency list. They should have a cell phone or a phone card.

Determine what kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, are most likely to occur in your area and how you will be notified. Methods of getting your attention vary from community to community. One common method is to broadcast via emergency radio and TV broadcasts. You might hear a special siren, or get a telephone call, or emergency workers may go door-to-door. Many communities have notification systems for cell phones now. Check to see if there is such a system where you are.

You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance

A great site to get downloads for written plans, emergency contast lists and other information needed in differing emergencies is available at http://www.ready.gov/america/makeaplan/index.html

Here is their list of what you should consider for your disaster kit!

When preparing for a possible emergency situation, it's best to think first about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air and warmth.

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:
Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers

Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:
Prescription medications and glasses
Infant formula and diapers
Pet food and extra water for your pet
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
Cash or traveler's checks and change
Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper - When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
Fire Extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Life Mapping: A Vision of Success

2010-02-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

Success is more than economic gains, titles, and degrees. Planning for success is about mapping out all the aspects of your life. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route.

Origin: Who you are

A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. Most people when asked to introduce themselves would say, “Hi, I’m Jean and I am a 17-year old, senior high school student.” It does not tell you about who Jean is; it only tells you her present preoccupation. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field. Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars were destructive to human dignity.

Destination: A vision of who you want to be

“Who do want to be?” this is your vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing Jean’s story, after she defined her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted to have a life dedicated in serving her fellowmen.

Vehicle: Your Mission

A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Bases on Jean’s self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully: it was to live a life dedicated to serving her fellowmen as a doctor in conflict-areas.

Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude

Food, drinks, medicines, and other traveling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge and skills on medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was something she wanted to change.

Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives

Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27; earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30; getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of 32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.

Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes

The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But oftentimes our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust accordingly.

Just Today...

2010-02-07T18:09:00.001-08:00

Just For Today
(and maybe tomorrow)

I was sent this.. I don't know who wrote it.. but Kudos to them. I liked it so am sharing it with you all!

Stand tall.
Start fresh.
Let go of guilt.
Don't look back.
Take an inventory.
Make amends.
Trust others.
Believe in yourself.
Discover God's love.
Appreciate your specialness.
Accept your humanness.
Ask for help.
Trust enough to take.
Have the courage to change.
Accept the unchangeable.
Be patient. Keep promises.
Bury regret. Discard hate.
Transcend self-doubt.
Don't dwell on the past.
Love each moment.
Live each day.
Build a better tomorrow.
Open your heart.
Explore your soul.
Expect the best.
Let miracles happen.
And smile!

Higher Power - A Force That Moves Even When You Are Not Paying Attention

2010-01-22T18:41:00.001-08:00

Regardless of what you have identified as your higher power, if you remain open to it, you can be amazed at the answers and guidance you can find. Some people only use that small quiet voice within as a higher power; others have identified a specific spiritual power. It doesn't matter who or what; what matters is that you remain open to it.

I recently had a real life example of this spiritual force at work. I was not looking for work and was enjoying both my brick and mortar job and my two online businesses. I was doing counseling work with inmates in a medium security prison which I loved. I had helped build the program and was able to see day to day changes in people's lives and families. Online, I was enjoying my combination business which is both face to face and internet and my straight internet work with http://drinkact.tv/cherylmatthynssens and http://EZWealthSolution.com/home.php?balanceguide One day as I was cleaning my email, I saw an email I almost deleted not recognizing the name or subject but something about it made me check it. It was a request to apply for a position in a little town across the state. Curious, I emailed them back for information. Mostly, I was curious as to how in the heck they even knew who I was.

I went for an interview, still curious. I really did not need the job. Things were going well for me financially and personally. I was well liked in my job and had the satisfication of watching something I had helped create within the prison I was employed at work wonders in lives. The position was in a somewhat isolated county. It was small, rustic and warm. It was barren geographically compared to the lush green coastal area I was used to enjoying. But for some reason, I fell in love with it and.......
was not chosen for the position. Where I had not sought the position in the first place, I chuckled and went back to my life, unaware that my higher power had other plans for me.

Four days before Christmas, I received a call that the original hire had not worked out, would I come for another interview on the 22nd of December? Surprised but again curious, off I went and this time I took my 21 year old son for the six hour journey to the remote center. It was a great time. My son saw a frozen river for the first time and made jokes that he was not moving with me if I moved, he was not living any where that a running body of water freezes. (this will become relevant soon) After I left, I had decided I would not take the job. I mean, why move off into the wilds and it would even mean a cut in pay. When I got the call offering the position, it was a warm and friendly call with three individuals. I found myself agreeing to take the job. I sat down afterwards and for a brief moment, wondered what in the heck I had just done.

My family has lived in the county I would be leaving since I was five. I had left it for brief forays into the world such as college but had always returned. My children were raised there and two were still at home and going to school I would be wandering off all by myself? After a few moments of "what in the heck did I just do.." I felt this strange sense that everything would be all right. For me, this is where the story gets a little wierd and it was only after looking back that I could see that my higher power had been at work all along.

My employer was horrified when I gave notice. I had been by her side the whole time. My co-workers were stunned. I had always been there and it was believed I would be there till I either burned out or retired. My family was even more stunned.

I began to look for a place to live by phone due to the six hour drive. Much to my horror, there were no places that were within my price range. I looked for a place to rent, but no one wanted my chihauha in their place. I had resigned myself to renting a motel by the week type room until I could find something face to face. On a whim, I called one place that had been listed the first time I interviewed and that was still in the paper. It was larger then I wanted, I really did not need that many bedrooms. However, I was getting desperate. I called it many times but never got a call back. Finally, I got lucky and someone finally answered.

As expected, the owner said "no pets." Frustrated, I asked for any referral. She listened to my tale and then asked where I would work. She took my number and about fifteen minutes later, she called me back and said I could have the place. I could have my dog.. .no pet deposit. Puzzled, I asked her why she had changed her mind. Turns out.... she would be in a referring agency and we would work together on those referrals. Her house had been sitting empty, and she had not been inclined to call any of the applicants back due to the damage done to the home from the last renters. A shiver went down my spine.

It just continued on and on until today. It snowed heavily before I moved, making me fear the trip with a u-haul across mountain passes. Yet the roads were amazingly dry and smooth for the six hour drive. The house turned out to be only a few miles from work in a quiet area. And then came the news that sealed it as a higher power movement. My 21 year old son calls me. This was what he said. "Mom, I met this girl that I really really like. I think this is the one. Here is the thing, she lives in (town I was going to work in). Is your place large enough that I can move with you and go to college there?" I sat down. The only place I had called with enough bedrooms was the one I had amazingly managed to secure. I, of course, said yes and then made sure to spend a great deal of time teasing him about love and a place where moving water freezes.

Oh, and the pay cut, it was only on paper. Turns out the benefits package was so much better that I didn't even notice the difference in my deposited check. There are many other small and strange factors that add to this experience for me. Probably the most significant was when I stepped into my office (which was not a renovated cell for the first time) I felt like I had come home.

The reason I relayed this story to you is that I could have shut down this strange series of events at any time. However, I remained open to internal guidance and opportunity. I did not allow the many fears I felt at any given time take over in my decision making. Our higher powers, regardless of whether it is more minds then one or a divine being; are offering us the answers we need every day, week and month. The problem is, we often are not listening. Or.. if we don't like the answer, we will shut down the response as "not an answer." The biggest reason we don't listen... we fear the answer. Our lives are filled with opportunities if we do not remains so focused on the problem that we cannot hear it. So remain open to new ideas no matter their source. Your higher power may even send you a strange ... curious email... I know mine did for me!

Spiritual Growth: the Spiritual Challenge of Modern Times

2010-01-13T20:58:00.001-08:00

More on Spirituality

To grow spiritually in a world defined by power, money, and influence is a Herculean task. Modern conveniences such as electronic equipments, gadgets, and tools as well as entertainment through television, magazines, and the web have predisposed us to confine our attention mostly to physical needs and wants. As a result, our concepts of self-worth and self-meaning are muddled. How can we strike a balance between the material and spiritual aspects of our lives?

To grow spiritually is to look inward.

Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that happened in a day, week, or month. You need to look closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the things you engage in provide useful insights on your life goals, on the good traits you must sustain and the bad traits you have to discard. Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement.

To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials.

Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, ba sense of belonging, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity and Islam see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology view that self-development is an end by itself.

To grow spiritually is to search for meaning.

Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions with people and from our actions and reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we reject and affirm. Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to---a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.

To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections.

Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being. On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.

Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible.

Happy as You Want to Be

2010-01-10T17:49:00.000-08:00

Almost everyone have heard the hit single 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy to everyone. Bobby Mcferiin's simple message surely made a lot of people by telling them not to worry.

Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health. Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke.

One of the better things ever said is - 'The only thing in life that will always remain the same is change', and in our life we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to. Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation we can always find solace in the knowledge that it too would change.

Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. People are different, accept people for who or what they are, avoid clashes, constant arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments. If arguments seem unavoidable still try and make an effort to understand the situation and you might just get along with well with

Happiness is actually found in everyone, increasing it is a way to make a life more wonderful and also more healthy.

To be happy is relatively easy, just decide to be a happy person. Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really, choose to be happy.

There are several ways by which you can do this.

Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner and thank the guy who cleans your windows. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mails, thank the policeman for making your place safe and thank God for being alive.

News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can't start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it, 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do.

A religious connection is also recommended. Being part of a religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers and meditations foster inner peace.

Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

Laugh and laugh heartily everyday. Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say -'Laughter is the best medicine'.

Express your feelings, affections, friendship and passion to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Try not to keep pent up anger of frustrations, this is bad for your health. Instead find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.

Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us, they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel worthy of your time.

Learning is a joyful exercise. Try and learn something new everyday. Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons. And could also give us more opportunities in the future.

Run, jog, walk and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.

Avoid exposure to negative elements like loud noises, toxins and hazardous places.

These are the few simple things you can do everyday to be happy.

And always remember the quote from Abraham Lincoln, he says that, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

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2010-01-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

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"Have One Week, Will Relax"

2009-12-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

Your 7 days program to Stress management

They say there's more than one way to skin a cat. The same goes when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress. It's a state of mental conditioning that is like taking that bitter pill down your throat, causing you to lose your sense of self, and worse your sanity. Just thinking about it can drive anyone off the edge.

And they say that the proactive ones are already living off the edge.

As one stressed-out person to another, I know how it feels, and believe me there are many variants when it comes to stress. Coping with life, and carrying the problems that may or may not belong to you can scratch away the little joy and happiness that you can carry once you head out that door. You can't blame them for being like that; they have their own reasons, so much like we have our reasons to allow stress to weigh us down. They say that stress is all in the mind, well, what's bugging you anyway?

There are several ways to manage stress, and eventually remove it out of your life one of these days. So I'll try to divide it into a seven-day course for you and I promise it's not going to be too taxing on the body, as well as on the mind.

1. Acknowledge stress is good
Make stress your friend! Based on the body's natural "fight or flight" response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment. I've yet to see a top sportsman totally relaxed before a big competition. Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.

2. Avoid stress sneezers
Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately and before you know it, you are infected too!

Protect yourself by recognizing stress in others and limiting your contact with them. Or if you've got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to better manage themselves.

3. Learn from the best
When people around are losing their head, who keeps calm? What are they doing differently? What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and experienced?
Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers and copy what they do.

4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing
This is something I've learned from a gym instructor: You can trick your body into relaxing by using heavy breathing. Breathe in slowly for a count of 7 then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11 breathing until your heart rate slows down, your sweaty palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.

5. Give stressy thoughts the red light
It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress knot all by yourself. "If this happens, then that might happen and then we're all up the creek!" Most of these things never happen, so why waste all that energy worrying needlessly?

Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them in their tracks. Okay so it might go wrong - how likely is that, and what can you do to prevent it?

6. Know your trigger points and hot spots
Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving difficult feedback, tight deadlines…. My heart rate is cranking up just writing these down!

Make your own list of stress trigger points or hot spots. Be specific. Is it only presentations to a certain audience that get you worked up? Does one project cause more stress than another? Did you drink too much coffee?

Knowing what causes you stress is powerful information, as you can take action to make it less stressful. Do you need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra resources? Do you need to switch to decaf?

7. Burn the candle at one end
Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks havoc on our body and mind. Kind of obvious, but worth mentioning as it's often ignored as a stress management technique. Listen to your mother and don't burn the candle at both ends!

So having stress can be a total drag, but that should not hinder us to find the inner peace of mind that we have wanted for a long time. In any case, one could always go to the Bahamas and bask under the summer sun.

Act AS If.. do not mourn have not!

2009-12-27T10:21:00.000-08:00

If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.

- William James

This Quote Reminds me of my article I did about the brain being like a smart bomb. Affirmations are also built on this concept. When we act as if we have ________ it is not long before life somehow fills it in for us. Act as if your happy, and unless you have a medical condition that impairs this, you will find yourself having more and more moments of happiness. Act as if you are deserving of success and success will find you.

The law of attraction has never been disproved. Like attracts like and there is also proof that the brain releases energy. For example, one test done was when a priest blesses water, the vibrations in the water actually change. We are more powerful and more deserving then we believe. The question of the day is... Do you believe?

"Life With Woody" 10 inspirational quotes than can improve yourself

2009-12-26T11:25:00.001-08:00

(A friend sent this to me and gave me permission to share it. They have rights. I liked it and thought it fit into what I love to share with you all)

How do people go through the usual part of life when faced with vein-popping stress? I mean, the new age thing like Zen or yoga is one of the good things and it actually works. Is there room for the intellectual side of people who can actually smell the roses-in-a-can while on the move? It kind of had me thinking that there really must be something in this 'mind-over-matter' thing.

Humor is indeed the best medicine there is whenever you are. I mean anyone can pay good money to listen to a comedian just to make you wet your pants after laughing so hard. Despite of what's been happening, and to those who has gone though the ordeal, it's better to just laugh while facing the troubles with a clear mind than anger with a clouded vision. One of my favorite celebrities of all time may have to be Woody Allen. Now this is one guy who gives you the in-your-face bluntness that he pulls out with gusto, even without even trying. You can talk just about anything with a man, and he's bound to mock the subject and you'll end up laughing rather than being upset about it.

Woody Allen has this to say:

1. "Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." It sounds good to me, I mean the practicality of all things does involve money but it doesn't have to take an arm and a leg to get it.

2. "I believe there is something out there watching us. Unfortunately, it's the government." 'Nuff said.

3. "There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman?" This happens to be one of the classic ones. I mean the issue about life's little problems isn't all that bad, until 'he' shows up.

Sure, relationships can get complicated, or does have its complications that probably any author about relationships is bound to discover it soon. We follow what our heart desires, unless you're talking about the heart as in the heart that pump blood throughout your body.

4. "Love is the answer, but while you're waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty interesting questions." And if you want more, just keep on asking!

5. "A fast word about oral contraception. I asked a girl to go to bed with me, she said 'no'." It sounds, 'practical', I think.

And when it comes to everyday life, he really knows how to make the best out of every possible scenario, and it doesn't involve a lawsuit if he strikes a nerve.

6. "Basically my wife was immature. I'd be at home in the bath and she'd come in and sink my boats." I never had a boat in my bathtub before. Just staring at it while soaking in hot water makes me seasick already.

7. "I am not afraid of death, I just don't want to be there when it happens." If it rains, it pours.

8. "I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." It could get worse when you're guzzling on beer… or mouthwash, and it happened to me once!

9. "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans." At least he doesn't smite us with lightning, and I'm thankful for that.

And despite of what may happen to all of us in the next ten, twenty, or even thirty years, I guess we all have to see things in a different kind of light and not just perspective. I can't seem to imagine life without any piece of wisdom that could guide us. Whether we're religious or not, it takes more courage to accept your fears and learn how to deal with them is all that matters when it comes to even just getting along.

And to sum things up, here is the last nugget of wisdom to go by… however, whenever, and wherever we may be.

10. "The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have."

That is it, that is the ten my friend sent to me. However, I would like to point out that laughter does release neurotransmitters that are responsible for easing stress and that feel good feeling. So maybe... laughter really IS the best medicine. Test it for yourself, make yourself laugh right now. Go on, don't feel stupid. Get that belly laugh rolling... and see if YOU don't feel better.

Have a prosperous day!

If You Are Not Loving Life Than Change Your Point of View

2009-12-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

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Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts, shared that, "Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."-

In a writing contest, if you’ve placed second, will you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to join again?

Life is filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and take a challenging and fulfilling life.

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?

Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

On the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits younger people. The mean age of onset has gone from 30 to 15. It is no longer a middle-aged housewife’s disorder but also a teen-ager’s disorder’ as well.

Here’s how optimists are in action and researches that back up why it really pays to be an optimist:

Optimists expect the best

The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.

The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune---it’s the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case.

Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they perceive it is a challenge and try harder.

They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”

Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They see opportunities instead of obstacles.

People respond positively to optimists

Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those they are with.

Optimism seems a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavorably.

In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and sought for advice.

When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher

Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.

They persevere. They just don’t give up easily, they are also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to that goal or elusive dream.

Optimists are healthier and live longer

Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's ability to fight disease.

Optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well, much freer than most people from the usual physical ills of middle age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.

So why not be an optimist today? And think positively towards a more fulfilled life.

Why not look forward to success in all your endeavors? Why not be resilient? Like everybody else you are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there. Carry yourself out of the mud and improve your chances of getting back on the right track. And why not inspire others to remove their dark-colored glasses and see life in the bright side?

If At First You Don't Suceed....

2009-12-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

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Every failure is a step to success.

- William Whewell

My Grandmother used to irritate me as a child when I would get frustrated and want to quit. She would always say .. "If at first you don't succeed, try try again." I do not know where that quote comes from, but as a child, I would have loved to kick them in the knee. Now, older and wiser, I see what my grandmother tried so hard to teach me. Success that comes easy is not nearly as valued as that success which eludes us for a time but then we overcome and achieve.

There is deep satisfaction in rising to a challenge and discover that you can overcome an obstacle or learn something that seemed out of reach. The things I have gained easily in life are treated more with an easy come.. easy go mentality. We see that in marriages today. Little effort is made to save them. The road gets hard and the two part paths. One cannot help but wonder how different our country would be today if people figured out how to work and live together.

Do not count your failures, count your steps to success. Each painful step, each back breaking lesson, each heartbreaking loss makes the victory just that much sweeter.

Have A Prosperous and Balanced Day!

Internal Motivation versus External Motivation

2009-12-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

Strong reasons make strong actions.

- William Shakespeare

Having troubles succeeding at something? First question you need to ask is what is motivating you. If it is outside YOU such as another person's desires, bills or even society; it is almost impossible to really find what you are looking for in life. The first ingredient for success at anything whether it be recovery from addiction or $100,000 in the bank is a strong reason for doing so and being able to name that desire.

One you have an internal reason for anything, the brain has a much easier time helping problem solve possible solutions and paths for achievement. When a roadblock shows up or a set back, you will push through rather then give up because it is YOUR reason you are working for.

So today's ingredient for success and balance is.... what do you want and why do you want it? It is the first step to reaching any goal.

Thought of the Day - December 17th

2009-12-18T09:51:00.000-08:00

Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man.

- William Penn

Education is the most important thing we have has humans. We pass down our growth and discoveries in every category of life. No one can speak higher of the need to get an education then I. However, here is a shock. I do not believe that it necessarily need to be within a four year institution.

Depending on your career choices, an internship or apprenticeship may be far more valuable in your time spent. In this case, education needs to be gained to fill in the gaps that such types of informal education bring. Our libraries are full of human treasure of thought, insight and wisdom. Colleges offer day type seminar courses. Then of course, there is here on the internet. Be careful here, anyone can put up a website. Make sure your source of information is legetimate. For example, when I wrote my blog on 2012, I made sure to research on sites like NASA and not fan mail from the film.

Two small points I wish to make on this topic today. The first it that there is one area where man refuses to learn from past great minds. When it comes to happiness and personal success, it seems like we are forever reinventing the wheel. Yet centuries of great minds have told us many such things. Early to bed.... or Neither a lender or borrow be.... We know the sayings, yet we do not follow them. We think somehow the formula for us is different. Even I fell prayer to this view of terminal uniquiness. How could someone know from 200 years ago what would possibly help me find happiness today? But the truth is, they did and do. Things such as not taking others BS personally or to understand that each individual has value and has nothing to prove to anyone but themselves. People go to seminars to learn more about success and happiness and learn the concept of self-affirmation. A free topic taught everywhere yet somehow not believed.

The other point I would like to make is that many individuals do not keep learning past retirement. Without continue stimulation, the mind whithers far more easily. This lack of mental challenge and/or goals for after retirement has led to a quick end for many of our older citizens. If you are approaching retirement, NEVER stop learning. Find a topic that interests you and get involved. Do not stop working and then wither away in front of a television set. Your generation has too much to offer to us younger individuals who still are living with the misconception that time old wisdom couldn't possibly apply to us!

Thought of the Day - December 17th

2009-12-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

I will prepare and some day my chance will come.

- Abraham Lincoln

Those of us stuck in a fast and easy mindset struggle with the idea that we may have to delay gratification. However, if we can push through that must have it now mentality, and prepare for our future, we will prevail. Whether it be saving, going to school or not jumping into a relationship just to avoid being alone; we might be better off if we can just wait.

Waiting ... patience.. is not an overall strength more most Americans. We have become accustomed to instant news, instant cash from a machine or credit card, instant transportation and much more.. heck even our food can be delivered in less then five minutes to our hands in many cases. Our children our becomeing programmed to expect this. We see this in the current generation just beginnning to work. They are struggling in the work world with expectations that don't meet old school boss ethics.

If you can make yourself wait 48 hours before doing anything other then buying necessities, you will be surprised how much you will save as the urge for gratification lessens. (The latest electronic device, computer game or kitchen gadget is not a necessity)

Mr. Lincoln was before our time, but his wisdom still remains relevant.

Quote of the Day - December 16th

2009-12-15T23:44:00.000-08:00

Aspire rather to be a hero than merely appear one.

- Baltasar Gracian

Who is your hero?
What qualities does your hero have that you admire?
Are you implementing those qualities into your life today?

Just a quick food for thought......

DrinkACT
Your Balance Guide

Complaining is Not Problem Solving - Part One

2009-12-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

I bet if you sat down and really thought about it. You could make a long list of the things over the last 30 days that you have complained about. It might be something as simple as the weather and the traffic all the way to the complicated such as the economy.

Some things that we complain about, we have no control over. The weather is beyond our ability to change. The most we can do to solve that problem is to move somewhere with different weather. But even the best place in the world has bad weather days. That is right, even Florida and Hawaii have their miserable days.

Some things we complain about, we have a small amount of control over. We, ourselves, have no control over traffic. We do have control over routes, times we travel and even how we travel. Examples of problem solving rough traffic would be leaving earlier, taking a different route or riding the public transportation so we can read that novel we have had no time to complete.

However, many things we whine and complain about we have complete control over. We complain about our incomes while we instead could be studying for promotion or applying for a better job. We complain about our spouses but make no attempts to take the first step to repair the relationship. If all we do is complain, we are not in solution, we are part of the problem. Negativity, especially in the workplace, spreads. I can complain about something small in the break room and soon everyone is listing all the reasons the company is horrible. If you are not doing ANYTHING to solve the problem - you have no RIGHT to complain.

My favorite Poem about this topic goes like this:

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done
Author: Unknown

Will you be an Anybody? Or will you be Everybody and get the same results Everybody has always gotten?

Complaining is Not Problem Solving - Part Two

2009-12-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

s

The reason it is so easy to complain rather then solve problems is that we have become a society of addicts and self-indulgent behaviors. That may sound harsh but look at the list of addictions facing our society today. (these are not in any particularity order)

* Fast and Easy: Most of us have never known true lack in our life. Since our country recovered from the last World War and the Great Depression, here in the USA we have been on the upswing until recently. We have learned to expect everything at our fingertips. Most people in the cities would have no idea how to survive if their electronics ceased to function for them and the grocery store could no longer provide for them. Our news, our money, even our food can be delivered to us with ease and no effort on our parts. This is very evident in many employees under the age of 30. Employers are finding they are quick to jump to the next employer that might offer them more. They quit when they feel they are made to work TOO hard. They quit when "their" needs are not met. It is like the employment is their right and the employer is there to provide them with something rather then the other way around. Much of the complaining in a work place environment is connected to this mentality. "My employer does not give me time to study this material and ACTUALLY expects me to learn what I need for promotion on MY time."

*Internet - This has become an addiction for many. Whether it be online games, just surfing or chat rooms - it has a severe impact. A definition of an addiction is anything done to excess that causes harm in your life. This addiction has destroyed marriages, has led to isolation from face to face relationships and has even been connected to neglect and death of children.

*Food - An addiction that is epidemic in the USA and many other countries. Like a drug addict, food has become a solace to true needs. It is used to nullify emotions, deal with stress and cover other problems. Add to this the combined problem of the changes in our food supply due to the fast and easy addiction and we meet this need with foods that are harmful, add fat and no true nutrition. This only increases the need as sugar and harmful carbs are actually craved.

*Alcohol - I have separated this from other drug addictions but let me make it clear there is no difference between the Heroin Addict under the bridge and the socialite who can not go the evening without her daily cocktails. I separated it because so many in society will say well yes I drink, but at least I am not using drugs. If jobs are lost, relationships damaged, children neglected due to alcohol use, then alcohol IS the problem. Alcohol is legal, this is true. It is still a drug. So is Oxycontin if you have a prescription, but if abused it is still an addiction. Alcohol makes it easy to scream out your woes and totally blocks most people from any true solution. Oh, they may come up with a solution and even act on it; but often it is not well thought out.

*Drugs - Many people in our society have learned to turn to pills for easy solutions. Every pain, sad thought and frantic moment is often medicated these days. Only a physician can say if this is really necessary. Unfortunately, many people have began to self medicate. They take other people's prescriptions. When that fails, they are forced to seek out street dealers. Methamphetamine is becoming a rampant problem. It started on the west coast and is spreading east. Unlike many addictive substances, one use can lead to a full blown addiction. Families destroyed, jobs lost, possessions sold till at last the addict is forced to a life of crime to meet the overpowering need. Unlike many drugs, due to how it is manufactured and what it is made up of, it's effects on the body are horrendous. It eats the teeth from the inside out. So the addict may not see the harm for sometime. It eats away at the body, sucking up the individual to a thin skeleton who ages with each passing week. It leads to often permanent mental health conditions due to damage to the brain from the drug itself and from sleep deprivation and malnutrition.

There are many other addictions out there impacting societies beside the USA, we are not unique in that aspect. The drug of choice may vary. The latest gambling idea may be different as well. But addiction is an epidemic that impacts almost all families in some way. We must as individuals learn to solve our problems without the use of a crutch. When we have done that, we can teach our families to do the same. Then our families can reach out and show our society how to face life on life's terms. Learning to solve our problems despite whether they are emotional, physical, social or spiritual is the first step in true happiness and prosperity in life.

Complaining is Not Problem Solving - Part Three

2009-12-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

If you are complaining and yet doing nothing, then you have NO right to complain. Only when you have done everything you can on your part, have you earned the right to voice your displeasure. Even then, it should be voiced to those who can take the next step. So how do you problem solve.

1. Define the problem: What are all the aspects of the problem. Brainstorm all elements of it. Look at what contributes to it, what those contributions cause and what the end result is. Circle everything that you can impact or make a change to. Pick one or two that you can begin to work on today.

2. Set Goals: Turn what you have circled into goals. Work out everything you need to do to achieve the goals. It might be only one thing. It might take several steps. By breaking it into small parts, you can then begin to break it down. Get ideas from others. Show them what you are working on. Two, three or even more minds are better then one. If it is a company problem, give it to everyone to send in ideas.

3. ACT: It can not be stressed enough that without action, a goal is just a dream. Part of the addiction - Fast and Easy - leads to procrastination. We will put off today whatever we can in hopes someone else will fix it. Remember the poem in part one. You must choose to act and do so. You have destination - You have a map. Start the car and go.

4. Learn: As you move down the path to the goal, learn from what works and what does not. The light bulb was not invented in the first try, not even the 500th try so do not expect your first solution to necessarily solve the problem. If it does not, look it over. What did you do that was working. What did you do that was not. Go back to step two and start over. It might even require you to go back to step one. Maybe the problem was not what you thought as you began to work on it.

A body in motion stays in motion. It is a scientific fact. It is no different for our brain. Once we truly commit to solving a problem, (notice I said truly and not half heartedly) our brain even while we sleep will be attempting to solve it. Ever wake up with an idea? That is why.

Think about the title of this article. Are you a problem solver or a complainer. Problem solvers find solutions and then find success and happiness. Complainers find more problems to complain about. Misery loves company so do not let these termites of your organizations and companies bring you to their level. Solve problems and take action. Only then will life around you change in the manner that will bring you peace and comfort.

Why DrinkACT for Extra Income?

2009-12-12T09:11:00.001-08:00

I have been asked multiple times why I choose DrinkACT with all the opportunities out there for my primary business. I thought I would spend a short time today and answer that question.

* First, I wanted a business with an online presence that could also be done offline. DrinkACT Gave me that.

* Second, I wanted a reputable company. DrinkACT is publically held. It's stock is ETEV. A company strong enough to go public with a residual income was exactly what I was looking for.

* Third, Low expenses: DrinkACT did not charge me for this state of the art website: http://drinkact.tv/cherylmatthynssens The monthly requirement for my residual check was the lowest I have ever seen. There was no start up fee. This meant I could invest in product and not a ton of other fees that had nothing to do with the business other then the company making money.

* Fourth - A Good Product Line at a Great Price. The main product is an energy drink along the lines with Monster, Red Bull or 5 hour energy. The product was competitive by price. If I get it in powder to add to water, it is only 1.00 a drink.

Added to that, I have a highly supportive upline, I am losing weight on the product line and I am HAVING TO NOT garage qualify. (order more then I can use to get my check) Truth is, I would use ACT even if I was not a Dealer for them.

Another aspect that has kept me going is that my downline can do business any way they want. Ebay, Street Vending, Wholesale to Retail, MLM or any other avenue as long as it does not involve false product claims. We have people doing trade shows and fundraisers even.

If you add all this up together with the fact that the only thing I pay to do business is my product I use to sample. Who would NOT get a free website. At the very least, they could get their energy drinks for wholesale prices?

DrinkACT Energy Drink!

Here is the reasons I love this drink:
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The crystal clear energy of A.C.T. healthy energy drinks just may be the Solution for the human energy crisis!

A.C.T. energy drinks work with your own body's metabolism to promote healthy energy and boost energy levels.

The Secret of A.C.T. is the Synergy of Our Proprietary Energy Blend!

No artificial sweeteners or preservatives are used in A.C.T. And with only 4 grams of fruit sugars per serving, they have a low glycemic index!

This Unique and Exciting Energy Drink Concept has Mass Appeal

The health and wellness industry is predicted to be the next trillion dollar industry by noted economist Paul Zane Pilsner. And with 90 million energy drinks served per day, the A.C.T. Healthy Energy Drinks are positioned perfectly to provide a healthy alternative to the leading brands that are loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients.

A.C.T. Healthy Energy Drinks are Supported by Science

...And backed by health professionals as well as athletes from around the world. With healthy, natural, and exciting ingredients such as natural fruit extracts, Green Tea, Vitamin C, B Vitamin Complex, Amino Acids, Ginseng, Guarana, and soluble fiber.

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Live cautiously, but Live Fully!

2009-12-07T22:27:00.000-08:00

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.

- Marcus Aurelius

Caution is such a two edged sword. We teach our children to be cautious with strangers; to be careful crossing streets. We have traffic lights, signs and symbols for caution. It makes sense to forecast possible danger in the world and then step carefully. So can one be too cautious? Yes!

When you always wait for tomorrow because today is too risky, then you miss on ever taking action. When caution turns into inaction for fear of consequences; life ceases to have any true meaning. Sometimes, one has to weigh all the possibilities and then take a step hoping for the best case scenario and not the worst.

Caution can turn into looking for every possible catastrophe that could possibly occur. Instead of moving with a wary step, the individual become frozen to a state of immobility with a fear of acting. Life is to short to spend it fearful of every possible bad result.

We must live for today, just for today. We must take each day and live it to its fullest. Be aware of the possibilities both good and bad then step forward. Make sure that you are prepared for the worst, but expect the best.

Only when we expect the best can we truly have a hope of achieving the best. The brain always works to achieve what it hears in our thoughts the most. If we expect the worst, chances our we will only see the possibilities and confirmation of the worst. If we expect the best, the same applies, we will see the best possible results.

So use caution as it was meant to be used, to take your time and make good and well thought decisions. Do not fret and worry to a state where you cannot take an action. Only by embracing each day for all it can bring us can we truly hope to enjoy life. Such principles are time honored as evident by today's quote. Wisdom does not change even in the face of progress. Live cautiously, but Live Fully!

Revenge - A Dish Best NOT Served!

2009-12-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.

- Marcus Aurelius

In life and business, we cannot get sucked into the concept of revenge. If we turn our focus away from our own personal success and fullfillment, we lose the balance that is necessary to maintain it. Revenge requires a great deal of wasted energy on the emotions behind it, the plotting and coniving that goes with it. If you want revenge, then get it through the very thing you desire most, success in your life.

Most people who cause us hurt or injury are usually jealous of us anyway. So rather then wasting that energy, just keep getting better and better. Then not only can you smile at the frustration of the one who was jealous, but you can do so with a clean conscience and without hours of wasted fretting and fuming.

It is strange how for centuries, great poets, prophets and political leaders have been telling us the keys to happiness and success, yet we continue to beat our heads against the stone wall next to the door. Go back to the old quotes, the old knowledge. The human experience has not changed. Jealousy and hatred has existed since man first had something that another did not.

True happiness is being okay within your own skin. Living each day the best you can and going to bed knowing it was your best. It is not caring what others think but being open minded enough to hear their feedback in case you missed something or cannot see it due to lack of knowledge or bad habit. Let the little people in life waste away on hatred and jealousy. Let them spend energy on revenge. That is just that much less competition you have in seeking out success in your own life.

The Six Essential Rules to Success!

2009-11-21T19:59:00.001-08:00

Success in life has rules just like everything else in life. If there is hot there is cold if there is sadness then there is joy. If there is poverty then there is Prosperity. Recognizing that everything in the universe has a set of criteria that defines it makes everything understandable and achievable. Success is no Different. I have compiles six guidelines for Prosperity that can be utilized by anyone with the desire to achieve.

Rule #1
Potential

The First rule required for success is to recognize that you have the potential to achieve more in life in any area you choose have picked to focus your attention. Too many human beings sell themselves short. Most of us have not even begun to tap our true potential in life. Only when we recognize that we are capable of more, will we then move forward and achieve more.

Make a list of all your strengths and your faults/weaknesses. STOP HERE and do not read on till you have made your list!

Which list was easier for you to create? If you said your weaknesses, then you are like most individuals who do not focus on what they CAN do, they focus on what they cannot. If your lists were equal, then you have reached the stage where at least you can see what you have and what you have yet to perfect. If you say your strengths, then you have learned to recognize your potential OR you have a tendency to next accept that you have faults. Careful of the second, we all have areas that we need to improve upon. Being able to recognize them is also strength. By the way, for the first group, was that strength on your list?? I bet it was not.

Rule #2
Selflessness

One of the things that the universe also teaches is that in order to receive, you have to give. You cannot have fire without first creating a form of heat. You cannot have money without effort of some sort. Many criminals will tell you that money gained without any effort rarely has value. Easy come... so it is easy go and go it will! So what does this have to do with selflessness? Our universe fills voids. For example, to get rid of an old habit, I must replace it with a healthy one. I just can't eliminate the bad habit. The bad habit met some need of mine and if it is not replaced, then once again, the need is not being met. If the need is not being met, the habit will either reappear or another habit (good or bad) will replace it.

If you apply this to success, then to receive you must give. What you give may vary; it might be your time, money or creativity. Many business people will tell you that you cannot make money without spending money. The basic precept is true, but you can make money without money if you have something to give in exchange. But Zig Ziglar had the precept down to a science, "I find success by helping others to find success." I have found this precept to be true time after time. My biggest successes whether they were monetary or just personal joy have been when someone else achieved. MLM's are built on this precept. The upline is only successful if the downline is successful. This is a forced version of a basic law of the universe. What you want in life, you must give away. Monetary compensation will follow if you learn to truly apply the law of selflessness.

Rule #3
Allowance

Allowance, what does that have to do with success? Ever 'try' to do something? Let us do an experiment. Drop an item of the floor and 'try' to pick it up. Okay, is it in your hand? Yes? Well then, you failed. I did not tell you to pick it up. I told you to try. Yoda from Star wars told Luke, do or do not. That precept is as basic as it gets. You cannot force success or life. We do not make the sun rise, it just does. The same applies to success. You cannot 'try' to get it, and you cannot force it. You must allow it to come to you through your daily efforts. The path of least resistance is always followed by nature for a reason. When energy is expended in a direction contrary to its nature, then there is no energy left for accomplishment. In the human experience, it is not uncommon to see businessmen frantically going about their day with high stress and no joy. They are so busy 'trying' for success that they cannot enjoy their own prosperity. Their family might enjoy the prosperity but often this forced effort is not enjoyed and often leads to medical consequences such as high blood pressure and heart attacks. Live life to the fullest every day. Live it to your potential. Success will follow. It has to follow because it is a basic law.

One note here: Define what success to you is. Is it a dollar amount? Freedom? Time? What is it and how will you know if you have achieved it? Once you have achieved it, then what?

Rule #4
Goals

The last note leads to the next rule. You must have goals. You do not get in a car normally and drive aimlessly. You have a destination in mind. You may need maps to get there. Depending on how far you are going, you might even have to plan stops, expenses and meals. Life is no different. A life without any goals is a life wandered and lived aimlessly. Your goals do not have to be mine. Your goal might be as simple as a small boat on the lake on warm sunny weekends and mine might be to fly into space before I leave this life. It does not matter how small or how extravagant, a life must have goals.

Make a dream board or book. This is a pictorial reference with notes of everything you want in life. Everything you want to do, see, have or be. Look at it often! Keep your goals in mind. Have at least one you are working towards at any given moment and mark it on your board or in your book. Then break that goal down into achievable and measurable steps. Let's say my goal is to get promoted. I go and sit down with my boss and flat out ask. What do you need to see in me or what do I need to improve to get a promotion down the road. I take the list from my boss. It might be education, experience or even just showing that I have invested myself into the company. Next, break the goal down into achievable, measurable and time focused steps. For example, let's say one thing I needed was better communication skills. I might set a date to join toastmasters, or a date to start a class at the local college to improve those skills.

Whatever you dream of should be in your book. Whatever you plan to actually work on should be your goals. Each goal should have ladder like steps to measure progress. If you miss a date, do not give up the goal. Go back and ask yourself was my timeline realistic? If it was, did I procrastinate anywhere? Identify what delayed your progress and rectify it. Once that is done, set a new achievement date and keep on going. We only fail in life when we give up!

Rule #5
Let Go!

Once you set your goal, - let it go. Do not spend every day measuring your progress. Even in weight loss they tell you to only weigh in once a week. It is the same with your goals. Pick a day of the week to figure out if you achieved your weekly goals and set new ones. Once that session of self-evaluation is done, then let it go! Live each day to the fullest. Remember the law of selflessness. Give of your time and your energy but trust that the outcome will occur as long as you are not trying to force it. Each time you force your goals, they no longer bring any satisfaction in the bigger picture because often basic building blocks of the foundation are not strong. It may look like you are making progress only to have it crumble near the top. Just trust in whatever higher power you have and move forward.

Rule #6
Purpose

I have a solid belief that everyone has purpose. If your chosen goals do not bring you happiness, you are contrary to your purpose. If your job is something you dread going to, it is not in line with your purpose. Now in this economy, I am not suggesting that you throw in the towel and quit your job. But what I am suggesting is that while you have that job, you start looking elsewhere. Do not think that winning the lottery will solve the problem if you are still not living to your potential (rule 1) and your purpose. More than one affluent person has committed suicide, been throw multiple marriages and so on. They are not happy, because they are not at purpose. Everything in this universe has a purpose. What is yours? You will know it when you find it. You could be out under the sun and sweating profusely and there will be a smile on your face if you are aligned with your purpose.

Living these six rules in life is difficult. I am not going to hint that they are not. Sometimes, I forget to look at my dream board and lose focus. How about you? Sometimes, I do not let go and try to force results only to spend money I should not have or energy that is wasted. How about you? Sometimes, I try to rush to the end of a goal and do not lay out a path that will actually get me there. How about you? Sometimes, I am my own worst enemy and cite to myself every possible fault I have and reason why I will not achieve a goal and forget I have strengths. How about you?

What I can tell you is when these six rules are in line in my life. I am happy. I do not worry about money. I do not dread getting up in the morning. My alarm clock, like Zig Ziglar often says, becomes my "opportunity clock." Someday, and it IS in my dream book, I will live all six daily because with that day, comes not only success, but happiness!

Have a prosperous day!
Cheryl Matthynssens
The Balance Guide

Click Here!

How to Get Free One Way Backlinks Virally

2009-11-21T10:11:00.000-08:00

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One way backlinks is one of the best and most effective ways to get high positions in search engines and milk these positions for targeted traffic. But getting quality one way links is a big job.

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Unlimited One Way Links" border="0">

Is your Business Prepared for 2012?

2009-11-17T23:58:00.000-08:00

Is there any Science behind 2012 predictions for the World to end?

There are actually three scientifice hypothesis that can be found at this time. The first is that around 2011 to 2012, our sun will have one of the worst solar storms ever predicted. Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) was quoted from science.Nasa.com. "The next sunspot cycle will be 30% to 50% stronger than the previous one," When the sun is throwing out radiation in a solar storm, it effects the ocean currents. This in turn, effects the weather. In the 1958 storm, the northern lights were seen as far south as Mexico on 3 different occaisions.

The effect on our current state of affairs in 2012 at the very least could be on our communication. Our world has become increasing reliant on satellite technology. At the least, we will see weather affects and possible sporadic communication problems. On a more massive scale, it could affect power companies. There is documentation to support that previous solar flares have resulted in subsequent transformer failures. This was with storms of a much smaller magnitude then what is predicted for 2012.

The worst case scenario is that a cascade failure of our power grids will slowly shut down power across the united states. Many other necessities are tied directly to power and such a cascade failure would be difficult to bring back on line quickly. Potable water is reliant on electricty. In our plastic world, few carry cash any more but without power, stores will not be able to take credit cards if they even decide to open. This will continue to spiral. Perishable foods will be gone in 12-24 hours. Depending on the weather, cooling or heating will be an issue for many people. Medicines will not be able to be refilled. Emergency services will be strained as time passes and predictions are that this may last for months. Trade will stop. Banks will close. There are plenty of articles on FOX news and NASA on this upcoming human event. Are you prepared?

The second hypothesis tracking for 2012 is the passing of Planet X. Geologic history shows that there have been world events at a geologic level every 2000 years. Planet X has an approximate 4000 year rotation, which means it is visible every 2000 years. Even more interesting is that more then one culture with little contact with one another have predicted as global event beside the Mayan. Sumerian, Zulu and Hindus also have global or time ending events preducted for 2012. Coincidence? The Mayan and Sumerian's were major civilizations that spawned others, were on different continents and had no contact.

If there is truth to this hypothesis, then the reason for concern is that the passing planet will affect magnetic fields, gravitation of our planet in turn impacting weather, tides and much more. There is much cover up hype around this theory. According to conspiracy theorists, our governments knows all about this approaching catastrophe and is not telling the people of our world because.. well what can we really do about it? So why panic the public? Of the three theories, this one has the most horrific worst case scenarios. Some have hypothesized that the last pass of Planet X resulted in the great flood recorded in the bible.

The third theory is a more complex one. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has an equator much like our world does. It is called the galatic equator. Our solar system rollar coasts above the plane and back down below it in a very slow movement. In 2012, our solar system will pass through this galatic equator. This will create a great gravitational pull on our solar system. There is data from astronomists to support this move through the galatic equator. It, by itself, would not be so bad. But theory one also has strong scientific data to support. To have the sun at solar maximum at the same time it passes through the galatic equator makes one's imagination jump to all kind of horrific possibilities. It is no wonder that doomsday fanatics have honed in on this date of the Mayan Calendars.

It is easy to consider the horrific possibilities if all three theories turn out to be true. Regardless of whether these theories impact us on a minor scale or a horrific one, it does not hurt to be prepared. The fact is, on our world, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and tornadoes happen. Our government in the USA has been spreading information to the public to create a 3 day readiness kit. Regardless of the emergency form, preparedness just makes good sense.

This expectation is important for your business as well. Often, disasters such as tsunami, earthquake and tornadoes happen while your employees are at work. It is important that you have a plan in place specifically for business. How will you help them reunite with family or get home? Can you feed and protect them if they are stuck in your place of business? Do they have a way to call and report in as to their status? Plan Now!

Get Prepareness Kits at : http://www.squidoo.com/survivalin2012

Time For White Elephant Parties!

2009-11-14T15:48:00.000-08:00

The practice of White Elephant Gifts actually started long ago. White Elephants were considered very sacred and therefore were protected. Emperors, therefore, made a practice of giving these elephants to nobles that had displeased them. Due to the laws protecting these rare and beautiful animals, the noble could not kill it, give it away or sell it. To refuse the gift would be to insult their Emperor. They were stuck with a symbol of disfavor that they must protect, feed and give precious care to. A rich noble who found himself in such disfavor would have to quickly move to replace favor for if the Emperor found more then one of these rare Elephants, the noble could find himself quickly without the riches he had enjoyed in an attempt to feed the appetites of more then one such gift.

Today, this practice in the office place and at differing social gathering has come to mean a series of gag gifts or a gift with a small expense. It is designed to bring a smile or a laugh to the recipient. Office places often go with white elephant gift exchanges to keep up moral and to prevent one person from getting something exceedingly expensive and another something someone regifted and didn't want.

I went and found my favorite twenty white elephant gifts and I also put up some party ideas!

To see the list - go here and vote for your favorite

Do Not Chase Happiness for You Will Never Catch It

2009-11-13T09:21:00.000-08:00

Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it comes and sits softly on your shoulder.

- Henry David Thoreau

It is amazing to me how we lose sight of gratitude in our haste and search for more. So many in our world have put price tags or destinations on 'happiness'. Happiness will not be achieved when I get______________ or have _________ in the bank. This can be seen by the many who have such things and are miserable to the point of even suicide.

Happiness is a state of mind. Whether we want to admit it or not, we can achieve happiness at any moment if we but set our minds to it. All you have to do is take a moment and remember moments that brought you a smile. Make a gratitude list for all the things you have right now.

In school, a well provided student asked a group of us why the old man on the corner with the hot dog cart was always so happy. In her perspective, since he did not have the house, the car and the lifestyle she enjoyed, he could not possibly be happy. We talked her into asking him, how he always had a smile. He told us a story that still brings tears to my eyes. This wonderful man who sold hotdogs spoke of a war that few of us had first had a first had awareness. He told of a beautiful wife that still graced his home. He spoke of a daughter that had survived cancer. He then talked of how he had nearly died from a heart attack and he was thankful that the good Lord was given him another day to hold his wife. Needless to say, his story was far better told and much more heart rendering from his lips. I still smile at his final words. "Best of all, I get to stand and chat with pretty young things like you all day and get paid to do it." We all bought a hotdog with a smile and a bit of reflection on how much we take life for granted.

If you are chasing happiness, STOP, you will never catch it. You already have everything you need in your possession. Refocus on what you have and not on what you have yet to acquire. Would the journey for more then be about just adding to the joy you already have in your life. Whether it is marriage, business, relationships or even possessions, the grass is rarely greener on the other side. We have just lost site of the preciousness on our side of the fence. In this month of Gratitude, reflect and find the very thing you have been chasing - Happiness!

"Tap Into The Ultimate Power of The Universe To Create The Perfect Reality You Desire! Manifest Super Riches, Happiness and The Very Best Life You Could Ever Enjoy!"

Click Here!

Thanksgiving Folklore Has Becomes Historical Fact

2009-11-13T00:39:00.000-08:00

It is said that history is often told by the winners and it would be a far different tale if told by the losers.

This is the case with our tradition of Thanksgiving. The truth is, both the Native People and the English had been having different sorts of feasts and times of thanks for many years prior to the event that children for years have been reinacting in elementary schools across the United States. In Canada, it is actually celebrated in October. The truth is, no one knows for sure when the actual feast took place.

If one wanted to get very particular, the first thanksgiving was actually December, 4, 1619. The Engish settlers at Berkeley Plantation on the James River (Now Charles City, VA)were required to celebrate the day of arrival in Thanksgiving to God.

Regardless of the many myths listed below, the concept of Thanksgiving is an important one! We must never lose sight of a tradition that crosses cultures around the world and throughout time. Taking time to be grateful for what we have and not focusing on what we do not is important regardless of nationality or religious persuasion. For many cultures, it is a time after harvest to gather together and celebrate the abundance that they have been blessed with. It is also a chance after many hours and weeks spent on cultivating crops, to take a break, to share stories and break bread with family that cannot always be together.

Myths and Facts
Do you know your REAL thanksgiving history?

Myth #1: The First Thanksgiving" occurred in 1621.

Fact: The Native Americans and the English had both been having giveaways, feasts of thanks and celebration for many years before the two cultures met. There is evidence that a feast of thanks was in place in England where a goose was used as the main dish. The turkey was more readily available in the New World.

The first feast was more political and neither side was giving thanks. In actuality, the first Thanksgiving occurred when Captain John Woodlief thankfully led the newly-arrived English colonists to a grassy slope along the James River and instructed them to drop to their knees and pray in thanks for a safe arrival to the New World. It was December 4, 1619, and 38 men from Berkeley Parish in England vowed:

"Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrivall at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God."

Myth #2: The Pilgrims found corn.

Fact: Well, they stole it. There are accounts where they went into Native dwellings and stole from their houses and stock piles. In addition, there is also writing that disclose that they robbed Native graves. While there is record of these thefts, there is no record of any restitution.

Myth #3 The Pilgrims invited the Indians to celebrate the First Thanksgiving.

Fact: The Natives heard the shots of the hunting parties and thought they were preparing for war. In truth, Massasoit showed up with 90 men and no women at the feast ready to do battle. Only when they realized what was occuring did they go out and bring back five deer and wild fowl to add to the feast.

In truth, neither side trusted the other. The English saw the Wampanoag as soulless heathens and the Wampanoag saw the English as thieves and grave robbers.

Myth #4 Pilgrims wore black and white

Fact: There is some truth to this.. on Sundays. At this time, black dye was difficult and expensive. Black clothing was saved for funerals, paintings and Sundays. According the the manifest on the Mayflower, they actually wore hues of blue, green, yellow and red. These colors were much easier to manufacture from the available roots.

Myth #5 The Pilgrims and Indians feasted on turkey, potatoes, berries, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and popcorn.

Fact: Written and oral tradition show that the meal actually included venison, wild fowl, and quite possibly nasaump-dried corn pounded and boiled into a thick porridge, and pompion-cooked, mashed pumpkin. Potatoes and sweet potatoes had not made it that far north at this time. Cranberries would have been too tart to eat without sugar to sweeten them, and the corn of the time could not be successfully popped, there was no popcorn.

You can find more myths and facts at: http://www.oyate.org/resources/shortthanks.html

An Open Mind is Critical to Your Personal Balance and Stress Management!

2009-11-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

No man is your enemy, no man is your friend, every man is your teacher.
- Anonymous

It is amazing how in the human race we need others in our lives to some capacity but are still quick to tribe up. What I mean by that is, we will create a small circle of influence and then stick to it no matter if we have outgrown it or even if we find out later that it harms us.

I see this a lot with those that I work with who are from street gangs. They want a better life. They have matured enough to know that this street life will not allow them to reach a single positive goal they want to set for themselves. However, the loyalty built to that "tribe" gang is so strong that often they cannot walk away. In some instances, that circle itself will threaten if a member tries to move away in a pro-social setting. This is just one example of how the human race has not evolved much despite all the technological advancements we have made.

Do not think that this is any different in the corporate world. Stand back outside of a large corporate environment and you will see many smaller groups that have formed for mutual advancement and protection. Let one person try to rise up and move to a higher group, because either he has the capacity or has outgrown the need for the group he is in, and the back stabbing will start. They do not use guns or knives to eliminate the upstart that dares to defy the group mentality, instead they use malicious words, gossip and false accusations. It is the same behavior but with a different weapon. In some ways, a more deadly one because the individual cannot always tell who is gunning for him. At least in a gang, he has a good idea!

The truth is, we as humans all need to grow and realize that no one is really our enemy. There are people that live and think the way we do. There are people who do not. It does not lessen us or them if they live different, think differently or dare to go outside the societal norm. Almost every great achievement in history has required someone to go outside the societal norm. Often, they are outcasts of the very circle that gave birth to their greatness because people fear change. Others will rally around them in hopes that their vision can be brought to fruition. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi are examples of challenging the societal norm.

When we can begin, especially in business, to look at people for what they can teach us, then we can really rise above the petty tribal squabbles of those who stopped growing. Some people will teach you what NOT to do or how NOT to be. Some people will be your mentors. Sometimes, you will excel beyond your mentors and need to develop new ones. This does not devalue your mentor so do not be afraid to keep them in your circle of influence as a friend or someone of value to your growth. Instead just add to your circle a new mentor.

A mentor should be someone that exhibits something that you want. It could be a way of communicating. It could be their values that led them to success. It may be a simple thing such as a peaceful aura even in stressful times that you wish you had. You can have mentors for each thing that you wish to harvest.

As I reread the quote I started with. I cannot think but that it was a very wise person that must have said it. When we in business can truly understand the meaning of those words, we cannot help but to find success.

Addiction - Don't Let It Steal Your Success!

2009-11-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

Addiction is one of the greatest and most costly public health problems in the United States. While all this publicity is going on for the H1N1 Virus, people are dying from a disease far more prevalent in our country. Addiction is the physical or mental dependence on a behavior or a substance. To take that a step further, dependence means that despite the harm it is causing in their lives, they are powerless to stop. It is not limited to drugs and alcohol. There are behaviors that can activate the reward system in the brain. This activation of the Dopaminergic system has the same effect as if someone uses Cocaine or Amphetamines.

Because of the similarities in response from the reward system of the brain, many addicts who are successfully able to quit illegal drug use or stop the use of alcohol will find themselves replacing the drug with behaviors such a sex, gambling, compulsive shopping, excessive exercise video games or even web surfing. Again, the definition of it being an addiction is when it brings harm to themselves or their lives.

Addictions to substances such as alcohol, illegal and prescribed drugs, tobacco and food bring with them other potential areas for harm. Many types of Cancer, Diabetes, liver diseases and life threatening interactions can result from a single use and from prolonged use. The problem becomes perplex due to the system of denial that protects the addict from seeing the harm he/she is causing to others and/or themselves. Add to this that most addictions come on slowly; it is difficult to accept that one needs help.

Help does exist. First and foremost, treatment is available for most any addiction that you might be battling. If you are a friend with an alcoholic or drug addict, most cities have intervention counselors to help you confront the addict and help them to see they are in trouble. You need treatment with the support of people who are struggling with the same addiction and from professionals who understand it. If you don't feel ready for this step, read on.

The next step is to begin Recovery. Once you are an addict, you will always be an addict. But just like a diabetic can control their disease, you can learn to control yours. It is learning about how to tolerate how you feel at any given moment and not have to participate in self destructive or self defeating behaviors and thoughts. It is realizing we didn't get to the place we need recovery overnight so we won't travel to a place of healthy life and wellbeing overnight either. One has to relearn how to have fun without the use of the addictive behavior or substance. It is about learning how to live life... on life's terms.

The next thing is to get involved with support groups. There are tons of support groups out there from spiritually based or church group ones all the way to the original Alcoholics Anonymous. There are groups for sex addicts and food addicts. There is no reason not to have a support group. There are even CODA groups for those that are co-dependent. Which means living with an addict and struggling not to make things easy for them?

Here are some resources for support groups:
http://www.na.org (narcotics anonymous)
http://www.aa.org (alcoholics anonymous)
http://www.codependents.org (codependents anonymous)
http://12step.org (twelve steps to serenity)
Free 24 Hour Addiction Help Line ~ 888-691-3919

You can also check with your church for more spiritual based programs.

If you do not feel like you are ready for this step where others are involved or if you are not sure your loved one needs an intervention, there is an eBook you can get to evaluate and also to get some tools on your own.

Learn about alcoholic tendencies!
Acquire various treatment options!
Learn how to help a friend or family member who is alcoholic!
Learn about drug addiction and methods to deal with it!
Learn alternative methods to the AA approach!
And much, much more!

Remember above all things... seek balance in life. Learn to be happy in your own skin and you will soon find that you do not need to alter your reality!

Have a prosperous day!
Cheryl
http://drinkact.tv/cherylmathynssens

Self Respect Can Be Learned!

2009-11-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

According to Merriam-Webster, self respect is defined as: 1: a proper respect for oneself as a human being and 2: regard for one's own standing or position. But what does proper respect of one's self really mean? It is the looking in the mirror and seeing someone of value. It is believing that you are as good as anyone else. E.E. Cummings wrote, "We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit."

Self Respect is not ignoring the fact that you have faults as a person. It is accepting that you have them and loving yourself despite them. It is knowing that making a mistake or failing at something does not define who we are inside. Many people think that it can be measured by the acts that they do, but self respect is about whom you are and not what you do on the outside. It is not about how we measure up to the person next to us. Our society of competition pushes people to be at their best and if they have strong self respect then they can weather the times when they do not come in first. However, for many it is a killer of both self esteem and self respect because there can only be so many winners in a competitive environment.

So how do we increase self respect? First, listen to how you talk to yourself! Carla Gordon is quoted as saying "If someone in your life talked to you the way you talk to yourself, you would have left them long ago." This is so true. The kindest of people to others often is rarely kind to themselves. It is estimated that over 70% of what we say to ourselves is negative. If you put yourself down that much, you cannot help but have little respect for yourself. So, the first step, speak to yourself as you would want others to speak to you.

The next thing you can do is stick to your values. When we lie but have the value of honesty or when we hold resentments yet hold a value to be forgiving, we tear at the very fabric of our values. Every time you act in a manner that is support of what you believe, you increase your respect of self. We will focus on all the reasons we are 'bad' or 'not worthy' which adds to our negative self talk. But when we act in a manner that makes us smile or feel a sense of pride, we walk a little taller and with a little more pep.

One other thing that you can do is to treat others in the manner you wish to be treated. I know, the golden rule has been preached and preached. But face it, the reason that this saying has held throughout the years is that it is a basic truth. In regards to self-respect, when you treat others with respect, most will treat you back in the same way. This raises your value in your own eyes. Forgive others when they make mistakes and then forgive yourself when you make them. This simple thing is so powerful. It leads to the belief that you are exactly what you are meant to be, a constantly improving member of your community that has value and worth.

The last thing is to stand up for you. Hold to your boundaries and your beliefs, but do so with respect. Agree to disagree if you must for the sake of relationships but do not sacrifice your beliefs. Whenever you allow someone to compromise your boundaries and values, you not only lower yourself in their eyes, but yours as well. Believe that you deserve to have an opinion, happiness and success.

If you work to develop your self-respect, you will find that your relationships will improve. Those you work with and for will seem more amiable and you will notice what you do well more and more. It is a cyclic event. The more you realize that you do things right and well, the more you will see the things you do right and well. The more you see it in yourself, the more others will see it in you as well. And if one must chose to do business between two people; one who cannot look you in the eye and that their mannerisms show a lack of self respect and another who has a warm handshake, a bright and honest smile and a posture of pride; the one with self respect will always win. Remember what Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without consent." Never give it!

Join my team today!
DrinkACT

Self Confidence - A Key to Personal and Business Sucess

2009-11-04T00:35:00.000-08:00

Self Confidence is a key part of success in business. It is the difference between having faith in yourself and feeling scared out of your wits. It is about having trust in what you know and your abilities to handle the unexpected events that life puts in your path. It is also a belief that you are the one in control of your life and your goals. It is that unexplainable and untouchable attribute that allows you get in touch with that inner self that allows you to express yourself fully.

The good news is that it is a trait that is strengthened so do not give up if you do not feel you have it at this time. In addition, self confidence varies depending on whether you are doing something for the first time or it is something you know well. It can vary due to environment as well. For example, some people are very confident in one on one presentation while others are confident in front of large groups of people. It won't increase overnight but you can work to build it up to the level of your aspiration.

The first step in building self confidence is giving you permission to not give up no matter what the outcome. The key is, to do your best in any given situation regardless of your knowledge or the end result. When this happens, then each small step of progress increases confidence.

The second key ingredient is to set achievable goals. If you are doing something for the first time, give yourself goals to learn each small step. Do not expect perfection in your first attempt. Progress and not perfection is the attitude that builds confidence. If you must be perfect in your own mind, then even the smallest error becomes disastrous to confidence.

The smallest things can improve confidence. Add a smile when you make a phone call and it will show in your voice, increasing a positive response. Straightening posture when meeting someone or giving a warm and confident handshake even if you are trembling inside returns a positive response. When another person responds in a positive manner, you comfort level increases.

The third ingredient to building up your confidence is based on your physical well being. When we eat right, sleep well and get exercise we then feel better. That sense of physical well being comes out in our work, our voices and even our presentations and productivity. These are all factors to building up a sense of worth. Making eye contact, a simple physical event, will actually convey confidence. So no matter how you feel inside, get those eyes up to those who you are speaking too!

The fourth ingredient is to watch your own self talk. Many individuals erode their own self confidence by the negative self talk and the downplaying of recognition or compliments. Monitor how you talk to yourself. If you find yourself discounting your work, your abilities or any other aspect of yourself, tell yourself "Stop." This word is so ingrained into our psyche that it will momentarily freeze thought. Then replace the thought with something that is positive and opposite of the interrupted thought.

The fifth ingredient to building confidence is to make an achievement list. Make yourself a list of everything you have accomplished no matter how small. We do not give ourselves enough credit for all the things we do right. We could in any given day, do ten things right and still focus on the one thing we have done wrong. Do not let yourself get caught in this trap. It is a self-confidence killer. When you find yourself fixating on an error, review you accomplishments. Then fix the error and move one. Life is too short to spend it beating yourself up for the thing you didn't do right. Pick yourself up... and get going!

Lastly, if you find a subject you need to know but have no confidence in then take a class, read a book or just find a forum and listen to those chatting about it. Knowledge is power! There is no doubt that just knowing what others are speaking of will increase your confidence and social presence. When you don't feel left out, you again, increase your confidence levels. In addition, when you pursue knowledge on a subject to which you have a need or a passion, you gain the experience of uniqueness which will also increase worth.

Making the decision to work on building self confidence could actually affect the success you find and achieve in life. It is an important decision. It is important to be you. Whenever we are put in positions to pretend to be what we are not, we risk our confidence levels. While there is some truth to the 'fake it till you make it' mentality, Life is a much happier journey when you can be who you are and when you can be proud of the skills you have. It is about recognizing your strengths and being able to truly understand that we all have areas of weakness.

If you are an employer or a team leader, remember to recognize the smallest gains from those you supervise. A first sale, a new technique, a first presentation, these critical moments can make or break those you work with. Recognize the strengths of an individual before you point out areas they may want to focus on next. When your team feels confidence, then everyone wins. That is the cool thing about self-confidence. The more it is felt the more there is... it just keeps growing till you have a powerful team that is unstoppable. As a leader, you have nothing to lose in these little recognizable moments and everything to gain. Success and Self-Confidence are intricately twisted about one another, never lose sight of it.

Entrepreneur? - What the Heck is That?

2009-10-18T12:19:00.001-07:00

Entrepreneur - a word that is hard to spell and its meaning is tied to business. But what does it really mean? Before becoming one, you need to know what it is. Perhaps you are already one? Are you an entrepreneur?

According to most dictionaries, an entrepreneur is a businessperson who willingly takes a new idea, concept or enterprise. He or She will take on the full responsibility for the outcome. They provide more then capital. Just providing capital would make them an investor, not an entrepreneur. An investor usually will let someone else handle all the day to day business activities.

Any person who invests in a business enterprise and then also runs it can be called an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is someone who develops a fresh and new product, a new way of manufacturing, or an innovative market. A large number of new ideas, products and ways of creating are developed by entrepreneurs. Often, they are then picked up by bigger companies and mass produced. Smaller companies can devote their ideas to a narrow niche and not have to spend the expense of mass production and advertising. This means more of their resources are spent on being innovative.

Some people just naturally have the spirit of an entrepreneur. You can see it early in life. The way the child problem solves. Usually they are more thinkers and often scheme their brothers, sisters and other relatives into getting them what they want. They set high goals that often seem impossible to those around them as they age but yet they often manage to reach or at least come near to reaching them. However, a person not born with this natural spirit can develop it.

The first key is to set a goal and let nothing stand in your way. A true entrepreneur does not worry if something does not work the first time. They just try another route till they find the way through the maze or difficulty. This means the number one quality that must be developed is to be a bit of a risk taker. Leadership skills can be learned. If one is not creative, linking up to creative people can also be achieved. But the biggest key is to have a goal that is solid in a person's mind that the drive and passion fuels the disappointments and roadblocks.

Though entrepreneurs are known to be risk-takers, they still have to make sure that they are entering a good business. There are thousand of opportunities available in our electronic culture and even in areas of health and wellness. Take the time to study markets. Find one that you believe in.

Becoming an entrepreneur is an exciting and challenging task. Learn what you need to know before moving forward and then do not hesitate to introduce something new to the market. Customers often like to be the first to have the latest idea, concept or product. What are you ideas? Is the area your considering starting in, have a need for your idea? What is your competition? When you have the answers and you are prepared. Step to the edge of the platform and leap! After all, faith in yourself and what you create are more powerful then any static!

Cheryl Matthynssens
cheryl@thebalanceguide.com
Balanced Freedom

Weightloss Energized - Fitness Happens - Are you in the Game?

2009-10-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

Written By Drinkact and brought to you by .. ME!

DrinkACT - GAMEON

Whether you are looking for cutting edge products to achieve your personal weight and wellness goals, or if you are looking to build a successful business that suits your lifestyle, the A.C.T.™ Game On™ Weight Management System is for you!

The Problem:
With obesity increasing at an alarming rate worldwide, weight management is at the forefront of the current health care crisis. Excess weight affects people of all ages. 120 Million Americans over the age of 20 are overweight and a staggering 59 Million Americans over the age of 20 are obese! One in five children between the ages of 6 and 11 is overweight.

The medical community reports that excess weight directly affects the health and well-being of millions of Americans. Increased risk factors for conditions such as Cardiovascular Disease, Heart Disease, Liver Disease, Diabetes and Arthritis are directly related to excess weight. Yet, the problem just gets bigger and bigger!

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), “American society has become ‘obesogenic,’ characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, non-healthful foods, and physical activity. Policy and environmental change initiatives that make healthy choices in nutrition and physical activity available, affordable, and easy will likely prove most effective in combating obesity.” This is the REAL healthcare crisis.

Identify the Problem
An easy way to gauge your health is to compare your current height and weight to the BMI chart. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct measures of body fat.

When Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeds 30%, the relative risk of death related to obesity increases by 50%. ( American Obesity Association)

The Solution:
Let’s face it, your weight is not going to change unless you do something different. The solution starts with a solid commitment to losing weight with the goal to maintain a healthy weight. This commitment is often the hardest part but once you’ve made this important decision to take charge of your life and your health, you are well on your way to improved health and a better quality of life.

We suggest to keep a food diary to help make you aware of what you are eating. Being informed empowers you to make intelligent choices. You don’t have to give up great food to achieve your weight loss and health goals - many great foods are good for you! Avoid heavily processed foods such as potato chips, sugary snacks, fried foods, and soft drinks. Many energy drinks or soft drinks are loaded with refined sugar and caffeine, these simple carbohydrates are terrible for you. Make the decision to eliminate these types of foods from your daily life. Make each food choice a healthy one! Eat fresh, non-processed foods and, replace those daily burger meals and fries with a terrific chicken or Caesar salad. Replace sugar and calorie-laden drinks with healthy drinks. You’ll feel better and you won’t suffer from the dreaded “sugar crash”, which only perpetuates the downward spiral of your health.

Now put one foot in front of the other and get moving, moderate exercise is invigorating and healthful too! 10 to 15 minutes of moderate exercise each day is a great start. Take a walk, ride a bike, make time for yourself and take a pilates or yoga class – it’s good for YOU! Moderate exercise is good for your body and your mind!

Maintaining your healthy weight is like balancing your check book or bank account. You can eat a specific number of calories per day to maintain your weight, exceed this number of calories and you could see your weight increase. To lose weight, consume less calories than this base line number or increase your activity level. Making better food choices and increasing your activity levels are great additions to your new healthy lifestyle.

This Revolutionary System includes:Power Up™ AM Thermogenic Action
This proprietary formula was specifically developed to boost energy and metabolism. Simply take two capsules in the morning and mid morning with at least 8 ounces of purified water to get your morning started and to Power Up your energy and thermogenesis to promote optimal metabolism.

Body Trim™ On-the-Go Weight Management
This natural, great-tasting pink lemonade drink supports and promotes a healthy weight and blood sugar levels with only 20 calories per drink. Body Trim™ comes in convenient “On-the-Go” Slim Pouches. Simply add this amazing drink in place of a mid-morning snack. Great to drink during your workouts too. Body Trim™ is a terrific source of natural soluble fiber as well, helping to satisfy your appetite without adding a lot of calories.

FORMŪLEEN™ Stealth Food Fiber™
A unique and proprietary formula developed exclusively for A.C.T.™ Studies show that most adults are not getting enough soluble fiber in their daily diets. Soluble fiber helps maintain healthy weight, balanced blood sugar levels and healthy digestion. This exciting product has been deemed a “Stealth Food Fiber™” because when added to most foods, FORMŪLEEN™ takes on the taste and texture of those foods. This amazing product has virtually no taste, but can actually accentuate the flavor of your favorite foods. Add FORMŪLEEN™ to hot cereals, soups, salads, meat or pasta dishes, throughout your day. Taken as directed, FORMŪLEEN™ adds an additional 7 grams of high tech Stealth Food Fiber™ to your daily diet.

Shake Down™ Meal Replacement Shake
Finally, a meal replacement protein shake that tastes great! Offered in Chocolate or Vanilla, Shake Down™ was developed to shake down the weight, by reducing the amount of calories you consume. Simply replace one meal, such as lunch or dinner, with a delicious Shake Down™ Meal Replacement Shake and a low calorie drink such as Body Trim™. It’s a simple way to assist in portion control. Shake Down™ contains 35% of the RDI of most essential vitamins and major minerals, while also providing 15 grams of the healthy protein your body needs.

Power Down™ PM Cleansing Formula
A proprietary blend of gentle cleansing herbs that is an integral part of the Game On™ Weight Management System. Many health professionals believe optimal health begins with the digestive system. Power Down™ helps cleanse and purify the body by supporting detoxification of the digestive system. Simply take 1 to 2 capsules before bed with at least 8 ounces of purified water. Power Down™ helps your body cleanse and renew itself as you wind down from your busy day.

Join the game at: http://drinkact.tv/cherylmatthynssens

Kids Group for Dogs and Kids gets Energized!

2009-10-04T10:19:00.001-07:00

(Free-Press-Release.com) October 4, 2009 -- This week, Kids & K9S club leader, Linda Shelton worked with a leader from the DrinkACT energy drink company to create a fundraiser for the kids she works with. Everyone is very excited because instead of having the children out door to door trying to sell fundraising items or being limited to their geograpic location, they have created a website to refer customers to.

DrinkACT has provided a website at: http:drinkactweb.com/kidsncanines
The children's club will get all the retail profits AND if individuals sign up to get DrinkACT wholesale or want a business through their site, the club gets those residual checks as well.

When asked why she chose an energy drink company. Linda replied, " I found out that 90 million energy drinks are served every day. Most of these are loaded with sugar and sodium. I was looking for three things. 1) Someone who would work with us. 2) A product people could use that was better for them and most important 3) Something the kids could raise funds with in a safe manner."

Further investigation found that this A.C.T. has only 4 grams of fruit sugars per serving with a low glycemic index. DrinkACT's A.C.T. energy is reported by them as "all natural ingredients that all work together on the cellular level. The resulting formulation creates a large, healthy, mental and physical boost that starts working in minutes and lasts for hours!"

Linda stated that even though they will focus on the energy drink, people wishing to support the kids will find there are many products for nutrition, energy and weightloss. They even have Suzanne Somers - Suzanne Essentials: Sip of Sunshine. A drink designed to deliver Vitamin D to the body.

Linda shared that the funds earned will first go to make sure every dog has proper care and supplies while the kids are working them. Then, they will use funds to pay for their entries and support during the Grays Harbor County Fair and then lastly to send each club participant to Camp. If there are funds left over, they will be donated to the local 4-H club to offer camp scholarships to other deserving children that can't afford to attend the yearly summer camp that 4-H holds in their local county.

Linda was asked what support she would need. She smiled and just stated, "Stop by the website instead of 7-11 and pick up your energy drinks from us. Better for you and if you sign up (free to sign up) to get them wholesale, cost the same as your favorite brands."

DrinkACT is truly on the cutting edge of fundraising. For more information on how to set up your own fundraising account, Linda stated she would be happy to help. She can be reached at balanceguide@gmail.com or call her consultant she is working with at 1-360-820-3392. Linda stated that they will set up your fundraising account for free. You just need your EIN number.

http://drinkactweb.com/kidsncanines

Do I really need to lose weight?

2009-10-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

It is a very small group of people that are actually happy with their weight in this world. If you are one of them, then you should stand with pride for your optimistic outlook on your life and your body image. Even if you do have such an outlook, healthy weight loss may still be needed. Even if a person is happy with their body, they may not have reached their healthy weight.

If you are overweight, even by a small proportion, you are at a risk for a number of diseases. The primary concern is, of course, the strain on the heart and then heart disease itself. This can lead to a heart attack. Extra weight and then heart disease causes the heart to work harder to pump blood through the body. This can cause the heart to become fatigued. The primary cause of a fatigued heart is weight, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

In addition, heart disease and high cholesterol levels can put you at risk for a stroke. Strokes occur when blood, and therefore, oxygen cannot reach the brain. This is usually caused by a clot when the cholesterol causes a build up of fatty deposits in the blood vessels. A piece of this faty tissue, plaque breaks off and that is what causes the clot.

For women who wish to become pregnant, being overweight can interfere with this as well. Obesity changes the hormones in your body and if you don't get the right nutrients in the body, the body does not produce the right chemicals for the hormones needed to ovulate or carry a child. Even if you become pregnant, being overweight can increase the possibilites of complications such as miscarriage or even a type of diabetes that only shows up during pregnancies.

With obesity increasing at an alarming rate worldwide, weight management is at the forefront of the current health care crisis. Excess weight affects people of all ages. 120 Million Americans over the age of 20 are overweight and a staggering 59 Million Americans over the age of 20 are obese! One in five children between the ages of 6 and 11 is overweight.

The medical community reports that excess weight directly affects the health and well-being of millions of Americans. Increased risk factors for conditions such as Cardiovascular Disease, Heart Disease, Liver Disease, Diabetes and Arthritis are directly related to excess weight. Yet, the problem just gets bigger and bigger!

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), “American society has become ‘obesogenic,’ characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, non-healthful foods, and physical activity. Policy and environmental change initiatives that make healthy choices in nutrition and physical activity available, affordable, and easy will likely prove most effective in combating obesity.” This is the REAL healthcare crisis.

An easy way to gauge your health is to compare your current height and weight to the BMI chart. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct measures of body fat.

When Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeds 30%, the relative risk of death related to obesity increases by 50%. ( American Obesity Association)

The Solution:
Let’s face it, your weight is not going to change unless you do something different. The solution starts with a solid commitment to losing weight with the goal to maintain a healthy weight. This commitment is often the hardest part but once you’ve made this important decision to take charge of your life and your health, you are well on your way to improved health and a better quality of life.

We suggest to keep a food diary to help make you aware of what you are eating. Being informed empowers you to make intelligent choices. You don’t have to give up great food to achieve your weight loss and health goals - many great foods are good for you! Avoid heavily processed foods such as potato chips, sugary snacks, fried foods, and soft drinks. Many energy drinks or soft drinks are loaded with refined sugar and caffeine, these simple carbohydrates are terrible for you. Make the decision to eliminate these types of foods from your daily life. Make each food choice a healthy one! Eat fresh, non-processed foods and, replace those daily burger meals and fries with a terrific chicken or Caesar salad. Replace sugar and calorie-laden drinks with healthy drinks. You’ll feel better and you won’t suffer from the dreaded “sugar crash”, which only perpetuates the downward spiral of your health.

Now put one foot in front of the other and get moving, moderate exercise is invigorating and healthful too! 10 to 15 minutes of moderate exercise each day is a great start. Take a walk, ride a bike, make time for yourself and take a pilates or yoga class – it’s good for YOU! Moderate exercise is good for your body and your mind!

Maintaining your healthy weight is like balancing your check book or bank account. You can eat a specific number of calories per day to maintain your weight, exceed this number of calories and you could see your weight increase. To lose weight, consume less calories than this base line number or increase your activity level. Making better food choices and increasing your activity levels are great additions to your new healthy lifestyle.

The White PIcket Fence Has Become a Little Grey!

2009-09-29T23:05:00.001-07:00

For many Americans, the dream of owning a home or a business is the definition of the American dream. Add to this, the 2.3 kids, the well paid job or successful business and the stylish car to drive to work every day and you had the true picture of success. An individual's home, that was the symbol of stability and security, has become the primary center of stress for many home owners. It is no longer a dream for many but a nightmare instead.

The United States Census Bureau in 2007 reported an increasing number of homeowners are spending a growing amount of their incomes on housing. People in 49 out of 50 states reported an increase. The only state that didn't, Alaska, spent the same amount. The report showed that people are spending around 21 percent on their housing needs, up from 19 percent in 1999. In many areas, and for many Americans, it has reached a much higher number.

At this rate, first-time buyers are being priced out of housing markets all across the country. Economists point to rises in home prices in the last 7 years, as well as higher interest rates, coupled with stagnant wages and lost jobs over the same period. Household incomes, on the other hand, haven't done a very good job of keeping up. The same Census report showed that income has actually dropped, not risen, over the past 7 years, down 2.8 percent.

The report goes on to share the percent of people who allot more than 30% of their income for housing. The numbers are up almost 8%. National guidelines suggest that more than 30% of household income for housing is excessive and not financially healthy. Add to this that many companies take advantage of those desperate to own with shady lending practices and impossible interest rates. If this census was in 2007, one can only guess how much worse the numbers will be in the 2010 census.

Buying and owning a home has dropped to its lowest level in nearly nine years in the first three months of the year at the same time, housing vacancies reached an all-time high, according to figures released early this year by the Commerce Department. In addition, many distressed sellers are facing declining home values, their rates on adjustable mortgages have gone up, divorce prompted by stress around finances and even loss of health to stress related illnesses. This only adds to the amount of foreclosures and housing vacancies.

What does this mean in the long run?

The real estate market will remain lifeless until income can catch up to housing. And since real estate is one of the biggest drivers to the overall economy, a weak real estate market means a weak economy. The downward spiral is easy to follow. If no one is buying homes, then the number of new homes being built then decline. This means that all those individuals that earn their income in the building industry now are losing jobs or have lowered income due to fewer contracts. Continue down, these individuals are not spending money they would normally have and down it spirals impacting out. A giant ripple effect that is long reaching!

Until income can begin to grow as quickly as the real estate market, this trend shows no signs of slowing down. This could mean that the upcoming real estate slump could last much longer than anyone predicted. The true impact and prediction will be measured with the 2010 Census. The only consumers that will benefit from this current trend are those with the financial position to buy up property that has dropped in value and can afford to hold on to it for a long term investment.

Live In the Moment! Be Present!

2009-09-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Being Present... what does that mean? It means that whatever you are doing, be there. If you are in a business meeting but your mind is on your kids at the lake this next weekend, you are undercutting your potential. You may miss making some contribution that would benefit your team. You may miss some contribution that could make the difference in your earning potential and freedom.

On the reverse side, if you are at that lake with the family and your mind is on work or you are answering messages, you are missing the miracle of family. You may miss that first dive or that accomplishment of overcoming a fear or beating a sibling for the first time. Children and Grandchildren grow so fast. Every moment you are with them, but not present, you are missing the miracle of childhood. Live life with no regrets! If you look back and wish you had been home more, you can never make that up.

One of the hard things about a J.O.B (Just over broke) is that you do not have freedom. That means that you have to work harder to get that balance in your life that is so crucial to stress management and happiness.

Physically - Be Present when you eat. Take the time to actually taste your food. Enjoy it. This lowers stress, lowers how much you eat and makes meals something to look forward to. Have dinner with people you care about. Make your meals about socializing and not about how quick can I get to the TV or back to that report that is due on my desk. Take care of your body! It is the main vehicle that has to get you through the next 70+ years. Pay attention to how you feel. Get exercise, plenty of water and good nutrition.

Socially - Be Present in your organizations. It doesn't do you any good to join a business organization whether it is MLM or Direct Marketing if you stand on the fringes and watch what others are doing. Dive in there. If you are volunteering, don't wait for someone to ask, Dive in there. Be present and let others know what your strengths are. You never know what opportunity will arise because someone remembered you from a PTA meeting, a spiritual gathering or a business meeting.

Mentally - What ever you are doing, where ever you are, be there in mind and spirit. Listen, really listen, to what others are saying. People, including me, are often so busy thinking about what they want to say next, they are not really hearing what their prospect is saying. If you really listen, you will connect better with family, prospects and customers. They will feel validated and important. Karl A. Menninger once said, " Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand."

Spiritually - Many think religion when they hear this word. But while it can include religion, it is not limited to religion. It is about staying in touch with that all important "I". What are you doing to stay centered? Are you happy? If not, what do you need to change? Ask yourself as you look at this, will _________ matter six months from now? If not, let it go. Spend time with you and be present. Don't let your mind wander to business, family or even finances. Just spend a little time being present with the most important person in your life. YOU!

For me, being present is so important. As a Direct Marketer with my company, I need to stay in the moment when I am working. If my mind is on dinner, the fact that it is so hot outside and I want to go to the lake, I won't get the things done I need to do with the quality that will bring me what I want.

Being present is especially important to those who are in business for themselves. Businesses need your attention to stay productive. Learn how to Market your business is crucial. Paying attention to current trends, really listening and focusing on what is working now. If this is an area that is weak for you, you can get training. There are many places out there to get such education. If you don't have an idea where to start, try Balanced Freedom, my site. We have great training, easy to follow instructions and marketing plans for any budget, EVEN ZERO Budget.

So how do you stay present? Practice! You need to catch yourself when your mind is drifting and remind yourself why being where ever you are in that moment was important to you. If it isn't important to you, ask yourself a even more important question, why are you there?

Have a Prosperous Day!
Cheryl Matthynssens

Amazing New Way of Generating Advertising, Traffic and Sales

2009-09-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

Traffic Python is a new site that says it guarantees more CONVERTING web visitors and online advertising with very little effort or cost. So I decided to put it to the test...

My first impression was the site looks professional and clean, with an attractive look and feel. It is easy to read and understand. Joining the site was easy and painless--they do offer 2 upgrade options but they are not required to gain the benefits.

The Members Area is very well laid out and intuitive--I could figure out what to do after only a few minutes and was able to get up and running in less than 5 minutes. Inside the site, you create links and ads--the links you simply enter any URL links you use into the generator and it transforms them into "Traffic Python" links. You create ads for anything you want to promote using the Traffic Python Ad Generator, which is very easy to use. You can create as many links and as many ads as you like. And they are organized in a logical way--links are displayed in the order you create them but also your 5 most recent links appear on the main page for quick reference. Also, since the link generator is the tool you'll use most, it is also right at the top of the main page when you login. Very smart!

After you've created at least 1 link and 1 ad you can start to generate traffic. Just use and promote the new Traffic Python link instead of the original source link you had. Every time the Traffic Python link is clicked, the page loads followed by a cool slide-up ad window at the bottom. It displays an ad PLUS an image with your affiliate link that goes back to Traffic Python. So if anyone clicks the Traffic Python image they see the site, and if they signup they become your referral. It's a great viral feature because you can build referrals without even trying to just by using the site.

Now every time the ad window displays (your Traffic Python links get clicked) you earn credits that get YOUR ad displayed in the ad windows when other members' links get clicked. So the more clicks, the more times your ads get displayed.

And this works virally--meaning as you make referrals into Traffic Python (either by promoting it or just using it and visitors click the Traffic Python image on the ad window to join) you also earn ad credits on THEIR link clicks. And this works up to 5 levels deep. So you can create a massive amount of free ad views and web traffic by referring others to Traffic Python also.

I didn't get to test the full effect of a big downline yet (I just got the tool) but I can tell you the rest of the site works exactly as stated--my links got clicked, I earned credits, and my ads got displayed. Traffic Python even tracked my results so I know how many clicks and how many ad displays. That was an impressive unadvertised extra feature.

There is one more benefit and feature which might be the best of them all--downline emailing. You can email your downline with offers, promotions, or whatever you like, and here is where Traffic Python really shines. They took time to make the emailing often enough that it's valuable as a user, but no so often that it's a burden to your downline. But the best part about this feature (and actually the credit earning too) is that it tells you exactly how long until you can mail again. Now THAT's cool.

Overall I have to say I am impressed with Traffic Python. It is simple yet powerful, and delivers on its promises. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to increase traffic and advertising.

See it and join here:

http://trafficpython.com/x/aff/56904

Have a Prosperous Day
Cheryl

Traits of a Successful Entreprenuer

2009-09-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

What characteristics do successful entrepreneurs have in common? According to the 2009 edition of The Small Business Economy released by Advocacy and posted on sba.gov this year, it was stated. "Risk-taking entrepreneurs are often the generators of the innovations that drive the American economy forward." So if this is true, if it is the little businessman and not the big corporation that often drives the economy back into the black; what do you need to be one of those successful entrepreneurs? After doing some research of several entrepreneurs, the following traits seemed to be the most common of those cited or observed.

Optimism
Optimism is looking at any event and seeing the positives rather than the things that will hinder progress.

Optimism continues to be a primary factor in whether or not an individual will stay focused on goals rather than being thwarted by the negative events that would impede progress. It is the absolute ideal that leads to achievement as nothing can be done without hope. Therefore, it is the very essence of success.

An Entrepreneur with optimism is always looking for ways to make things better. Rather than focusing on what hasn't worked, they will diligently search for an answer that will work. It is closely tied to self-esteem and one's sense of well being. It is well known that people are attracted to others who seem happy and successful. Optimism gives off the aura of success to clients, friends and family, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of positivity.
President Reagan was an example of a true optimist. He was able to bring a sense of positivity to his office even when our country was faced with pessimist predictions. The bottom line is that it is an essential quality for achievement and a principle foundation to courage.

Creativity
Can you think outside the box? Can you try what has never been done?
So many people get caught up in statistics. They fail because they are told they will fail or they do what they have always done expecting a different result. Dare to be different! Sometimes, even as a business owner, imagination trumps knowledge! While it is true, there is risk with being creative; it is also true that doing the same thing expecting a different outcome is a certainty to failure.

If creativity is something you are not used to utilizing, know that it can be learned to a large extent. Brainstorm a list of possibilities no matter how wild. Then, go back over the list looking for the unusual but plausible. Enhanced creativity when looking at possible business solutions increases the flow of ideas within the framework of a set of desired goals. Dare to be different enough to lead the way and break through the stereotyped ceilings that are set by those who fear jumping a little higher.

Risk Taker
Having the courage to step out into the unknown and pursue a personal dream!
When opportunity knocks, it does not come with a crystal ball. Many look back and wish they had bought into Microsoft and Yahoo when it was an unknown entity but fearing failure, made cautious investments. It is the entrepreneurial, risk taking spirit that ventured into uncharted waters. Had these risk taking individuals listened to investors seeking to avoid failure, we might be years behind in our current progress. Face it, it takes people who are genuinely creative and willing to risk, to break in to new markets and race out ahead of those who will realize a new path has been blazed and follows suit.

Energetic
Having the drive to reach the finish line no matter what it takes!
Read the want ads of any major paper and you will see ad after ad for "experienced and energetic." So what are they really saying they are looking for? Truth, they are looking for someone to pick up an idea once it has been approved or accepted and then run with it. Such individuals are valuable to companies because they save both time and money. So imagine how invaluable such a trait is to the entrepreneur.

Those who can project high energy are often seen as more reliable and more self-confident. These traits inspire confidence in clients and customers and will keep them coming back for repeat business. High energy also keeps the small businessman trudging through road blocks because their eyes are on the long term goals. They do not get caught up in the mental and emotional blocks that often halt the lesser inclined. They have a passion for performance that is always brought into everything they do. Tie that to creativity and an ability to take a risk and it is no wonder that those with all three traits delve ahead of the pack.

Charismatic
That certain magic glistening in the eyes and the ability to convey enchanting words that hold a convincing power no one can resist.
It is amazing but charisma will often take one farther than knowledge. To the business owner that combines both, there is nothing to stop them. They have that kind of attraction that draws the listener and the knowledge to back up the words to inspire confidence. These individuals appear competent, powerful and determined. We can all close our eyes and think of someone we would love to be in business with or that we wish we could harvest that seemingly secret quality they carry about them with ease. Charisma is such an important quality, and yes, it can be developed.

There are ways to increase charisma. First, be as aware of what you are not saying as what you are. What is your body posture saying? Are you smiling? Do you communicate clearly? These are all things that can be practiced. But ultimately, those who have the most charisma are those that truly embody the idea that Zig Ziglar said so often, "you can get what you want by helping other people get what they want." Those who live this ideal often are surrounded by others who see them as a mentor and one they would like to be like. Bottom line, charisma in terms of a business asset has to do with how well one can influence others by connecting with them.

Now draw all these attributes together: Optimism, Creativity, Risk-taking, Energy and Charisma. Pictures of top businessmen probably stream to mind. Men such as Martin Luther King, Donald Trump or even the Mother Theresa can be identified as powerful people with such attributes. The uplifting point is that each of these can be developed and learned. Choose the weakest one and begin to strengthen it. By living today, just a little better then yesterday, each of us can strive towards the goal of leaving our mark on the world and being someone that left it just a little better then we entered it.

Have a Prosperous Day
Cheryl Matthynssens

Squidoo

2009-09-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Okay I am hooked. I found squidoo. It is a way to take a blog and make it a money maker if the content will work. Here is one I did. You need to check it out. You can backlink and promote your primary businesses while trickling in a little income at the same time!

http://www.squidoo.com/tenfamousquotes

Have a prosperous day!
Cheryl
DrinkACT

Emotional Management a Must in Business!

2009-09-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Managing emotions is an arduous task for some but a skill that is essential to success in business and personal relationships. We all have and experience emotions whether we like it or not. Managing emotions mainly deals with unpleasant emotions: anger, fear, frustration, depression, despair. Emotions are the feelings we experience day to day, such as happiness, pride, boredom, sadness, anger and frustration. Emotions are a part of our everyday existence as they move through the body, affecting our state-of-mind, performance, health and energy. Emotions cannot be helped. Emotions we don't even realize we are feeling can influence our thoughts and behaviors; they can also travel from person to person like a virus. Due to this virus like state, it is of the most upmost importance for those in positions of influence not only their own emotions but understand the need to monitor and perhaps influence the moods of others.

Management is in a unique position to dictate the pulse and rhythm in their workplace. "We engage in emotional contagion," says Sigal Barsade, a Wharton management professor who studies the influence of emotions on the workplace. Broken promises, laying the blame on others, dishonest communications, and ignoring employee suggestions are all unfortunately very commonplace in real world management. So how does management expect their employees to manage their emotions in the workplace if the tone that is being set is negative or one of disregard? Without that emotional-management component, a work environment can become toxic.

Those in leadership positions are often not really good at working with people and so spend a lot of their time avoiding and/or strategizing how to deal with, avoid, or get rid of those who are troubling. In fact a great deal of leadership is actually about emotion management. Emotions are also essential to inspirational leadership. These managers often lack the necessary people skills, communication skills and leadership skills to influence the emotional tone of the workplace. This is a critical oversight by those in upper management who do not get or provide the training to create a positive emotional tone. So in turn, employees’ moods, emotions, and overall dispositions impact job performance, decision making, creativity, turnover, teamwork, negotiations and leadership.

For Management to be in complete control of emotions of the workplace, they need to be a master of themselves, both theirs and their employees'. It is essential for employees to positive at work -- but this has to be supported by upper management. Employees need positive feedback, and if they do not see that coming, or do not even get acknowledged for their work, they will look elsewhere. This creates turnover and increased costs and lowered performance. Many employers in the current economy are quick to just higher someone else rather than address this aspect. They fail to look at the long term costs of losing an employee in downtime and in the retraining of a new employee.

One of the most fundamental things necessary to improve employees' attitude and to create a “culture of love,” is to adopt systems that recognize and reward those positive attitudes and behaviors. When managers are manipulative and treat employees just as "equipment" rather than humans beings, poor attitudes follow. And a workplace where emotions run rampant can turn off employees, vendors and customers alike. Similarly, it is the duty of the manager to ensure that he manages the negative emotional attitudes of his team in such a way that such attitudes are not reflected in their performance. Managers also need to learn how to lead by the example they set -how to deal with their own pain in positive ways that can inspire others to deal differently with their own difficult situations. Barsade gave the example of a manager who was dragged down at the start of every day when passing by the desk of an employee who either grunted or gave no acknowledgement. The manager took control and simply started following a different route through the office. If the company is losing money and experiencing the effects of downsizing, should the manager, feeling stressed and overwhelmed, convey his despair to his workers. Or should the manager try to appear cheerful and act as if nothing is wrong. Barsade says it's possible for the manager to convey emotions that are both authentic and positive, saying something like, "I know you're worried. The ability to summon positive emotions during trying times of stress is the key to being a successful manager.

Most organizations have traditionally focused on teaching logical and rational thinking and have neglected emotional learning in their development programs. The main implication is that organizations should focus on hiring managers with high emotional and social competence and also provide EI training and development opportunities to managers to enable them create a positive organizational climate. Effective listening is an important aspect of learning to do that as well.

Listening effectively is difficult because people vary in their communication skills and in how clearly they express themselves, and often has different needs, wants and purposes for interacting. Still, listening is an important skill and needs to be taught. The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and to be understood. Feedback must take into account the needs of both the giver and the receiver. Otherwise, it can be destructive when it fails to consider the needs and feelings of everyone involved. Listen to words, body language and emotions to understand the player's both conscious and unconscious needs. By feeling heard, many negative consequences of a disgruntled or upset employee can be lowered if not stopped all together.

Managing emotions does not mean denying their existence or ignoring them. Never tell an employee he should not feel that way. Feelings are a biological reaction a circumstance, event or stressor and cannot be helped. How one can help is to acknowledge the feelings and help the employee consider positive possible choices they have to resolve their current feelings. Take a minute to consider the importance of active listening by thinking about how you can be a good active listener in terms of body language--or what you do during communication, voice--how you respond to the speaker, and content --what you say when you respond to the speaker. Active listening is an effective tool to reduce the emotionality of a situation. Every manager or sales team leader that can learn these skills will find that their team will overall increase in company loyalty and performance. Managing emotions is something that must be addressed, not avoided for success.

Effective Leadership in Business

2009-09-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

When speaking on leadership, so many typical conversations occur such as being responsible or educated, but the fact is that there are many people out there that are highly skilled and educated, responsible to the core and possess a high ethical and moral value system that cannot lead. It happens time and time again, a person of great skill in a company is promoted due to their exceptional results, only to fail as a manager or team leader. So there has to be more to leadership then these elements. After doing some research, these qualities are what I found often are common amongst leaders: Inspirational, good listening skills, ability to forecast, and courage to act.

Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. It is not magnetic personality, that can just as well be a glib tongue. Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve. It is about making other leaders and not followers. To do that, one must recognize the strengths in others and then nourish them. In projects that can allow for a little time and guidance, do not put your best man on the job. Put your second best man on the job and guide him to a number one performance. When you take others under your wing and nourish them to become leaders, you grow a team you can count on to make decision in your absence. This inspiration to be more then what one currently is not only builds self confidence in the individual, it builds investment in the company providing that leadership. An employee vested in the success of your company for personal reasons will perform at a much higher level then the one strictly motivated by the dollar amounts in his paycheck.

Get in there, roll up the sleeves and lead by example if deadlines are difficult or staff is short. There is nothing more inspiring to have your boss at your side sweating out the details rather then just expecting the results on his/her desk the next morning. This is not a new concept in the world of business and politics. Even John Quincy Adams stated, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." However to do this, to help others be even more then what they realize they are capable of you must have the second skill, good listening.

Active listening is one of those skills that's both surprisingly simple as well as surprisingly effective. It should include allowing others to make a point before interrupting, and valuing the opinions of others. In addition to improving your personal and professional relationships, listening also helps to prevent misunderstandings and facilitates cooperation. A great listening technique involves rephrasing the speaker's words and repeating them back to them. This shows that you are listening and are following them. Pay attention to what they are not saying as well as what they are. Sometimes a leader can pick up things to guide with by what the person is avoiding bringing up due to a lack of comfort in that particular subject area. Pay attention to the body language of the speaker. Does their posture show true intent or are they just speaking to hear themselves talk. When you respond, are their arms folded across their chest? This is a common defensive posture. There are many good books and seminars out there on communication skills, make sure to use one that includes active listening. One I recommend is Active Listening: Improve Your Ability to Listen and Lead (J-B CCL (Center for Creative Leadership)) Without this skill, you are not truly hearing the needs of important people in your life or business team and therefore, cannot take appropriate action.

Again, this not a new idea or a new revelation to business and relationships. Epictetus from 55 - 135 AD is quoted as saying. "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak." Unfortunately, the competitive nature often jumps into conversations and we become focused on winning a point or making ourselves heard and we lose the concept of open-minded and receptive. An important aspect of good communication as well as personal growth.

Another important aspect of leadership is the ability to forecast. On a larger scale, businesses are forced to look well ahead in order to plan their investments, launch new products, decide when to close or withdraw products and so on. Often, the financial well-being of the entire operation rely on the accuracy of the forecast since such information will likely be used to make interrelated budgetary and operative decisions in areas of personnel management, purchasing, marketing and advertising, capital financing, etc. What often gets overlooked is what will the employees need to meet the ever changing needs of the company. Is there training on new concepts that are needed. Is the time taken to educate the employees on the reasons for the change and the positive end results. One mistake often made in business is to throw change at employees with a 'just do it' mindset. However, if employees or even children for that matter, understand what is to be gained in the change and what the impact to them personally will be; they will be better able to manage the change and move forward in a positive manner.

One of the most important skills is the ability to make a decision, to take action. Often in today's world, untrained leaders are put into positions to make decisions they do not feel empowered to make. A leader forecasts the end results of a decision and makes it. It is often heard by frustrated employees, "will someone just make a decision." Leaders maked decisions and stand by them. If they make a mistake, they own them and learn from them then move on. By rolemodeling decision making, you teach others to do the same. Whereever possible, give people the power to make decisions and learn. Face it, most of us got our best learning experiences when we fell flat on our faces. By listening to what is going on and monitoring our teams, we can intervene before such mistakes our disasterous to the company over all. A mentor of mine is always saying - "trust but inspect." That is our role as a leader, to teach and inspire others to reach for the stars. As they reach, we guide their progress and help them analyze their results.

People do not have to be born leaders. They can learn to lead. Take the time to listen to those that are where you want to be. Forecast your decisions and possible end results before making decisions then look at who you need to achieve that path. Inspire others by being the person, the team player, that you want them to be. In other words, don't sit back and tell what is to be done, show what needs to be done. Roll up your sleeves and be willing to stand side by side on the sales floor, the copy room or even the mail room if there is a need and a shortage. Not only will it show your leadership skills and that you care for the team you lead, it will allow you to hear new ideas and spot problems quicker, it will allow you to find your future leaders as they step up beside you.

Cheryl Matthynssens
Wealth Masters International

Free or Low Cost Marketing Ideas to get your website out there!

2009-09-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

Recently I set out to explore how to get my blog seen by more people. However, I am on a low cost budget so pay for clicks were just not a feasible option for a blog that is still new. I thought I would share what I found because I am sure there are others of you out there in the same situation.

Traffic Exchanges: These seem like a good option on the surface when you are looking at the free traffic aspect. If you are someone who sits at their computer all day. It is indeed an option. I actually surf the exchanges while watching T.V., while waiting with my lap top and when I am bored and curious. They are much better as a paid advertisement. Your time is worth money too. Many exchanges for a low cost will place your URLs instead of you having to search for credits.

If you are promoting anything with AdWords. They do not like traffic exchanges. Create a splash page - a Catchy graphic billboard ad that when clicked on, will bring people to your site. I found a link that not only gives free splash pages, it also organizes a large number of the exchanges so you don't lose your log in information plus allows you to refer others. The advantage of it was that once I set up all the exchanges with my primary business and the URL that had all the exchanges organized, I began to get free credits from referrals. Took awhile but now it is just spinning in credits on its own. The Program is called Traffic Tornado - Awesome Tool - I give it an 8. I would give it a ten but it took awhile to get all set up but.. it was FREE.

A couple of programs that drive traffic and you could list in your exchange URLs are also: Six Links and Affiliate Funnel. Click them to check the look of these out. Six Links was free. I upgraded Affiliate to be allowed six options.

A similar concept is the surf bar. This little bar flashes a new ad up as I am going about my business. Every time the little text ad changes twice, someone is seeing mine once. Again, it was free but you can also pay so that you don't have to have the bar on your own computer. I give this a 7.

I found some other low cost options and using an ad tracker, found that they do indeed work. My favorite of these all would have to be Monster Traffic. For only ten dollars a month, this site is on automatic for me. It sends out a daily email to about 300 people a day. It rotates my sites through its home page as well as a small classified ad. I just go in once a week and change my email as I am still testing which email has the best response. It was an easy, low cost option and is indeed driving traffic to my primary business at DrinkACT. I give this advertising option a 10.

Another one that was low cost and has been a wonderful tool is TrafficWave. It has free 30 day trial but even then, was less then 20.00 a month. It includes: Build Your E-Mail Marketing Lists. TrafficWave.net Auto Responders help you efficiently follow up with prospects and convert more prospects in to sales. You can publish email newsletters and e-mail marketing campaigns. It also lets you track your results. It has more benefits that those of you who are webbuilder savvy might understand. I am still new to a lot of these and am just learning the benefits and drawbacks of autoresponsders. Anyway, first 30 days are free. I upgraded in two days because it lets me set a free letter to those coming into the FFA page and I mail out about 300 opt in letters a day. This one has a lot I still need to learn. I give it an 8 only because I don't understand it all yet. But the parts I have mastered are wonderful.

This one was simple and easy and if you upgrade, you got two for the price of one. It is called FFA Storm. It has a set it and leave it responder and I mail out about 500 opt in emails a day with this program. I give this one a 9.

Here is the list of other program and ratings I have been using. They are similar to the ones listed above. All these together, if I started them all at once would be about $250.00 for the upgraded versions. However many of them are free to try or set up. I added them slow enough that it was not a financial burden. Do to the fact that all of these are either free or have affiliate options, I pay nothing for my advertising. However, to get there, you have to share your affiliate URLs through the traffic exchanges or occasionally run them as one of your weekly emails. Anyway, here is the rest of the programs I am using, I hope they help:
* Multi-Links
* X-Stream Traffic
* Daily Targeted Leads
* Kiosk.ws
Oh one last thought, on the programs with the opt in emails. I have had more success if I go in and refresh my ad weekly and just spruce up the title. I only spend about an hour a week on my advertising so I can spend my time doing what I love most, writing! Well, unless I am surfing.. then I am always advertising because I have my surfbar. Have a prosperous week, I hope this helps some of you who are where I was not so long ago. Beautiful Websites - No Traffic!

Cheryl Matthynssens

Overcoming Adversity in Business Takes a Positive Attitude

2009-09-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

Overcoming adversity is part of everyone's personal and business life. The stress of our jobs, various family issues, personal relationships, and of course, today's economy, are all critical issues that makes it difficult in overcoming adversity that so many of us are fighting with to resolve our life's battles.

Adversity does not have the ability to ruin your life if you do not allow it to do so. Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful. It is the giant that does its greatest damage on the battlefield of our mind (not our body). It humbles us, but it’s our loneliness in the face of those setbacks that is devastating. The most important ingredient of success is the ability to bounce back from adversity. One trait above all others reliably predicts whether a person will be successful experience in overcoming adversity and that is a positive attitude.

Resolve in advance that you will meet and overcome every difficulty, and then, no matter what happens, don’t give up until you do. If "why" you want something isn’t strong enough, you may find it difficult to overcome the roadblocks. To maintain a positive attitude when the going is rough is difficult if your reason to do so is not motivating. Only then do you have the ability to overcome and summon the strength to do so. Persistence can overcome just about anything, given enough time. When you are feeling like you may not be able to overcome a roadblock, take a moment to remember a time that you WERE able to overcome adversity. How did you feel when you were able to overcome the roadblock and celebrate the success?

Attitude and motivation still transcend knowledge, skill, and technology as the most important contributors to success. A daily dose of motivation helps us cope with the challenges we face every day, giving us strength and reinforcing our beliefs in our own abilities. It helps us maintain our attitudes. Use positive quotes and daily affirmations to help keep you focused. Brainstorm other solutions if the path you have chosen appears blocked. Forecast possible end results to each brainstormed path and then choose the one that seems most likely to bring you success. If at first you do not succeed, well then use the old adage, "try try again."

Overcoming adversity is something we must deal with each and every day regardless of social position, economic background, race, creed, lifestyle or culture. Make no mistake, though hidden from plain sight, on the other side of every challenge is the opportunity to experience immense personal growth. You must maintain hope and perseverance. Then and only then will you overcome and experience the success that you deserve.

Have a Prosperous Day!
http://www.drinkactweb.com/cherylmatthynssens

Familiarity Breeds Success!

2009-09-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

By Abe Cherian ©Dec 13, 03 http://www.multiplestreammktg.com

This is in fact, an important tip (not a secret) and an opportunity for you to put it to work for your online business today.
Have you ever wondered why --- only a handful of internet marketers are raking in huge profits from their website while the rest of them are not succeeding?

I will point out one of the most important reasons (there are several critical reasons -- but this tip can be implemented right away) why most marketers are failing to achieve the level of success some do.

Here it is...

A successful marketer understands that 'people forget easily' --- and that, 'Frequency equals Familiarity equals Confidence equals Sales'.

Frequency = Familiarity = Confidence = Sales

This is a key strategy all successful internet marketers already know, and --- will actively seek for places where they can get the opportunity to practice this principle.

Ask yourself this question...

Are you implementing this principle in your marketing strategy? Are you taking advantage of every opportunity that comes along to put your product, service, or opportunity in front of a targeted audience?

I wish you all the best with your Internet endeavors!

.

Have You Heard of Suzanne Somers New Product Launch?

2009-09-05T17:17:00.001-07:00

Suzanne Somers has teamed up with a binary networking company to distribute a revolutionary Product. Suzanne Essentials, Sip of Sunshine is a anti-aging daily wellness drink powered by Vitamin D, Selinium, and SOD (superoxide Dismutase) a powerful anti-oxident. Created as a strawberry lemonade flavored powdered drink, it also has green tea extract.

Anti-aging doctors and health experts have long agreed on the importance of anti-oxidants to enhance our immune system and stave off age-related illness; with Vitamin D at the top of the list. While we can absorb vitamin D from the sun exposure, most of us do not get our 15 minute daily dose. Especially up in here in Grays Harbor where the sun does not really shine to much in the winter. Okay, I am fairly certain that for four months we do not even see it through the gray and gloomy skies. This combination of product is a great solution for those of us who either can't or just don't get sunshine.

The company that Suzanne Somers is teaming up to market this line with is DrinkACT. DrinkACT is a web-based energy drink company founded in June 2005 by Mark McKnight. Combining experience and a proven track record with direct marketing, he developed the DrinkACT concept to combine the power and technology of the Internet with an intense and proven word-of-mouth marketing strategy.

DrinkACT is a quickly-developing energy drink giant. DrinkACT is well on its way to changing the landscape of how consumers not only choose what energy drinks they buy, but also how they buy them. DrinkACT is also re-defining customer loyalty by allowing those customers to become Dealers, and for the first time, participate in the $93 billion a year beverage industry. This company has enough momentum to take Suzanne Summers, Sip of Sunshine right to the top.

Here is even better news. DrinkACT is so sure of their product line and their consumer base that you can either purchase retail, or you can sign up to sell both DrinkACT and "Susanne Essentials" Sip of Summer for free. They give you a turnkey website, all you do is pay for the product you wish to consume or resell. Your customers can buy direct. No wonder Suzanne chose them.

Check out her product line by clicking here and clicking on the buy retail button: Remember though, it is free to back up and sign up and get it wholesale!! http://robertdm.drinkactweb.com/

Complacency - The Business Killer

2009-09-04T01:02:00.000-07:00

Complacency is a business challenge that almost every sales force faces. It is not the result of apathy, carelessness or a flaw in personality. It is what happens if a task or job becomes too repetitive and it can happen without employees or managers even realizing it. Complacency can also occur when Business Owners become almost prideful and narcissistic in themselves; in other words they take their contentment in success too far.

Owning a successful business is one of the truest ideals of the World Dream, a joy and a privilege, and not to be taken for granted. Many complacent business owners have hit some of their initial goals, so they become satiated. The novelty of the business has worn off, and there just isn't that "fire in the belly" that drove the first few phases. Bear in mind that in order for most companies to get business, they have to take it away from someone else. If a business owner becomes complacent and not watchful, it will be their business that loses customers and sales.

Complacency is an intrinsic flaw that prevents people and organizations from pushing beyond the status quo to achieve exceptional successes. Success, and the resulting tendency to become complacent, often leads organizations and individuals to believe that they are very talented, have figured things out, have the answers to all the questions, and no longer need to get their hands dirty in the trenches. To avoid this issue, an organization must have absolute clarity in their sales process, with the measurements of the key activities that drive the organization's sales funnel. By defining the key activities that drive a customer through each phase, an organization can define the behaviors that are most relevant to managing sales performance. By keeping employees invested in the company goals, a manager or owner can help everyone keep their eyes on this very important aspect of performance.

Salespeople often get complacent in booming economic times, only to suffer extreme disappointment when there's an economic downturn. We've all faced this issue in our careers & we've witnessed others who get complacent. Many of our jobs are repetitive in nature, and the more we repeat what we are doing, the better the chance that we are becoming complacent without even realizing it. When complacent, the valued things that had captivated our thoughts, hearts, and energies tend to fade from priority and can even become mundane or the boring routine of everyday life. Like water, complacent people follow the easiest course -- downhill.

Complacency is a known problem and must be clearly recognized as a causal factor in killing sales and business success. It can kill entire organizations. Complacency makes people fear the unknown, mistrust the untried, and abhor the new; especially the new. In the face of complacency, Business Owners and employees resist change. They will stick to what they have always done even when it stops working because.... well it is what they have always done. Take a look around your business practices or your office. What is your company's yearly, quarterly and monthly goal. What part does each member of your team play in reaching that goal. Get your entire company or sales team invested in the goal. Only then can you and all those you work with insure that you stay at the top of the mountain rather then sliding down the easy stream to failure.

Book Review: Secrets of the Big Dogs

2009-09-03T09:30:00.001-07:00

Product Review of Secrets of the Big Dogs

Once downloaded, we expected this to be like many of the other e books we have read on marketing. A 'sucker in the get rich quick' entrepreneur. This book was a surprise. It starts off by taking the wind out of anyone who thought they could just get online and begin getting rich. It dispels many of the myths around creating a website and waiting for the money to roll in. It covers in the very first chapter, many of the mistakes that brand new and even tried and true marketers make.

This book is written with the brand new markerter in mind. An experienced marketer might gloss over it quickly with an "I know this" attitude. However, if you take your time and read through the simplicity, the message is clear and concise about the common mistakes and misconceptions.

Only then does the book go into how advertise your business successfully without using a high advertising budget. The Big Dog System creates a self-generating market budget that once built, can then be switched over to market anything you want and changed on a daily method.

* We tried the method for two weeks and found these results:
* You can set up the whole system for less then $250.00
* The instructions are very detailed and leave no room for error if you follow all the steps.
* You must be able to create an eye catching Title for your ad to get results (they do offer help)
* The results are tracked for your ad so you can monitor success.
* It is not a get rich quick system. Our estimate from our test results is that you would be self-generating free advertising in about two months. It would actually add additional income in four months depending on your ad writing abilities.
* Part of the system, once set up, sends you a tested marketing idea of low cost each week to add to your advertising routine.
* It only took about four hours to completely set up. It only took about 30 minutes a day to monitor and that is only because we were being highly critical.
* By taking the time to explore the system further, we increased hits to our blog within 3 days.
http://balancedfreedom.blogspot.com We used this website for our test as we could track the hits.

We would recommend this e book to even the most experienced marketer. Even if you are using part of their system already, they are detailed on how to get it to be self-generating to lower your advertising budget. It is simple enough for the new marketer. It Umbrella's your advertising sites in a manner that allows you to also refer others with a single URL. If you join the Big Dogs, they will send you a tested marketing idea each week so that you can slowly build your advertising without bankrupting your budget.

Product Review: Does Prospect Response deliver responsive prospects?

2009-09-03T00:20:00.000-07:00

I recently signed up for an excellent email promotion service called Prospect Response:
We are all faced with mounting problems getting email out to our lists. Spam filters and places like AOL are making it more and more difficult every day even to deliver legitimate messages in the process of fighting spam.
Even though email marketing has been tainted by the endless flow of spam (and overzealous email filters), email promotion need not be a frustrating experience any more.
Prospect Response ensures your message always gets there:
• They PAY your prospects to read your ads!
• You can get hundreds or even thousands of fresh leads every day!
• Each message is double-checked to ensure it does not trigger spam filters
• All email is delivered with personalized precision though proprietary technology
• The company works with ISPs to ensure your messages are not trashed into spammers' blacklists
and a lot more...

http://www.adsaturation.net/cgi-bin/pr/d.cgi/CM47684

The Power of a Compliment

2009-09-02T01:37:00.000-07:00

Compliments always bring a smile to our face and lift up our spirits, but sometimes in life we forget how easy it is to forget what the meaning or power of a compliment really means to a person. I have come to the conclusion that the power of a compliment is not related to it size. The power of a compliment is only limited by its lack of use. Never underestimate the power of a compliment, it really can go a long way.

By giving a compliment, you give others a good feeling about what they're doing, as well as the feeling that what they're doing is appreciated. Learn how to give an honest and sincere compliment. A compliment, given sincerely and publicly, shows regard and esteem for the recipient. People love compliments, but only when they're sincere. By mentioning someone's first name, the compliment gets really personal and adds to its sincerity. If this is done in a positive, complimentary way even customers will appreciate the extra effort.

Giving and receiving compliments in business is tricky so it's important to know how to do it properly. Compliments are easy to give in the work place as long as you don't comment on someone's appearance. Giving compliments using correct business etiquette in the workplace is a way of bringing someone up to your level. Especially if you are in senior management and you give someone a compliment, it encourages them because it makes them feel like they're worthy. While most companies offer monetary rewards, don't underestimate the power of a compliment, says Ken Moore, president of Ballston Spa, N.

When someone gives you a compliment in business, the ideal way to respond is by giving a compliment in return, this is good business etiquette. If you have projected a matter or area that deserves a thank you and are complimented, tell them "Thank You, that's the way I always do business. We give more to people we like, we prefer to do more business with people we like, and we eliminate friction when the people are likeable. Therefore in business, you need to be one of "those" people.

If you never offer a compliment, look at the quality of your relationships. They may not have the closeness or foundation you were hoping to achieve. You can begin or enhance a relationship simply by giving a compliment. A compliment sends a positive message to the receiver and has a tendency to bounce back on the sender, strengthening the relationship.

If you are on the receiving end and not used to receiving compliments, you may not know the proper way to accept one. The worst way to handle compliments, is to brush it aside with a casual "it's nothing" or "oh, I don't really deserve it." We should always honor the opinions of others, and when we receive compliments, respond in a way that shows we appreciate the kindness and thoughts that went into it. You will stop getting compliments if you push them away. And whether you become shy or uncomfortable, the truth is, it is still pleasing to know you are appreciated.

Regardless of whether it is to strengthen your business, your relationships or your home life, compliment have unmeasurable power. A simple smile can be the only bright spot in someone's bad day. Take the time to thank people, compliment good work and smile at them. Not only will it strengthen all that you want to achieve, you will find that you also just feel better yourself!

Have a Prosperous Day
The Balance Guide
http://thebalanceguide.com

No more Robots Calling my Business Phone!

2009-08-31T01:11:00.000-07:00

Starting September 1, consumers should experience far fewer telephonic interruptions of the automated variety. “American consumers have made it crystal clear that few things annoy them more than the billions of commercial telemarketing robocalls they receive every year," Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a statement and reported by Christina House, For The Times. The federal regulatory regime currently will exclude political robocalls from most telemarketing regulations.

And yet, Robocalls are made by all political parties in the United States, as well as unaffiliated campaigns, 527 organizations, Unions, and individual citizens. In addition, Robocalls fail in three areas that are crucial for any direct response campaign: they are intrusive, they are impersonal and they offer no incentive for voters to listen all the way to the end of the message. Robocalls are pre-recorded messages that can be sent out to tens of thousands of voters at a minor cost through computer automation. While Robocalls have been used for legitimate campaigning and public opinion polling, they have also been used for vote suppression, false endorsements, and negative campaigning that borders on fraud. So why is it that they were excluded from the new law going into affect to prevent intrusion and running up our cell phone bills?

Consumers received the robocalls at home, work, and on their cell phones, sometimes several times in one day. Those unwanted prerecorded commercial calls, soliciting services such as carpet cleaning or car warranties, will be a thing of the past unless telemarketers have written permission from consumers that they want to receive these calls. Despite the regulation, there will still be telemarketers of the human kind. The Better Business Bureau recommends the following advice for consumers who receive robocalls or telemarketing calls; never give personal information, including Social Security, bank or credit card numbers, over the phone to an unknown telemarketer. The commission will exempt calls that aren't trying to sell goods and services to consumers; that category would include debt collections and those providing information, such as flight cancellations and delivery notices. "If consumers think they're being harassed by robocallers," Leibowitz said, "they need to let us know, and we will go after them. Consumers who receive an unauthorized call starting Tuesday can file complaints with the commission online at http://www.ftc.gov/

So the question will remain –How do I get off the political robocall list?? The answer. You don’t. Once again, our politicians make laws and regulations that do not apply to them. I don’t know about you, but I will not vote for any politician that sends me an automated call. If he doesn’t have the time to arrange for a real person to chat with me, why should I take the time to give him my vote?

You may ask yourself, what is this blog doing in the middle of all my life balance and self improvement blogs? Well I do have an answer for that. First, I hate it when I put a customer on hold to answer the other line right quick, only to find out it was an automated voice at the other end. I hate that they use up my cell phone minutes! In addition, my last post talked about slices of pizza. Part of keeping myself educated in that particular slice is to pay attention to marketing trends. All those companies are going to be looking for a new way to market their product as the $16, 000 per call fine is a little steep to risk. As a direct marketer, I pay attention to the trends in the business world. It is part of MY pizza!

Have a Properous Day
Cheryl Matthynssens
My Advertising Funnel

Life is Like a Pizza!

2009-08-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

No, Really, it is.

First, for a happy life, you have to enough "slices" of variety to make up a life of balance and success. And just like a pizze, each of us have a preference as to what is on those slices. For me, my slices are my online career and friends, my counseling work, my family, my personal well-being, my education and my spiritual life.

An unbalanced pizza brings complaints. A pizza without the right combination of toppings is not appealing. So it is with life. Why do people add things to their life things they really hate doing and are not actually a "must?" Like saying yes when they want to say no? For me, that is like putting anchovies on my pizza. I do not want it! I will not eat it and I definitly will not enjoy it. Yet people do this every day. Add things to their life that they do not want and then .. they... complain about it? That is like you putting anchovies on your pizza personally, baking it and then whining that you can't eat it? How does that make sense?

That is the cool thing about life though. We decide how many slices will make us happy and in balance. We get to decide each day if we are putting extra cheese on that slice we are working with. And best of all, we decide what the basic recipe is.

So for those of you whining about the slices of pizza on your plate of life, why are you making it that way? Or worse, why are you letting someone else decide what goes on your pizza? Make the decision of how many slices is the best for you. Make the decision on what the basic recipe is for each slice. Then, each and every day, not only will you enjoy your day, but you can decide if it is time for a little dessert pizza to reward yourself!

Have a prosperous day!
Cheryl Matthynssens
The Balance Guide
(never let me eat pizza when blogging.. see what happens?)

Managing Personal Stress in Business

2009-08-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Managing stress in the workplace successfully needn't involve powerful medications. Managing stress requires taking an active role and to take responsibility for your own thoughts, feelings and behaviors. We cannot escape every deadline or every assurance, so, rather than trying to eliminate stress entirely, we need to attempt of managing stress as much we can. You need to develop strategies for managing stress, especially if you find yourself becoming constantly ill, or you feel nervous much of the time. Managing stress is not only the key to having a happier and more tranquil life, it is also necessary to remain successful in the work environment.

Stress is a portion of our daily lives. Stress is either acute (short-term) or chronic. Stress Management is the ability to maintain control when situations, people, and events make excessive demands. Also stress management techniques can provide us with a way of keeping our stress levels under control that tends to affect our physical, mental and emotional health. A particular stress management technique may be effective on one occasion, but not another, so we need to be ready to implement new ones at any given time. Effective stress management is not easy and stress management takes time and practice. These five tips are in no particular order.

The first important technique is the use of Relaxation. Relaxation techniques are extremely powerful in managing stress. Relaxation lowers blood pressure, slows breathing and pulse rates, releases muscle tension and produces a sense of well-being. Relaxation is most effective if it is incorporated into our daily life. Meditation can create a deep sense of relaxation and mental clarity. (There delightfully soothing relaxation music available. My favorite is Brainsync )

Whether in quiet or listening to something calming, first step is to relax yourself: close your eyes, and try using imagery of waves of relaxation running down your body from your scalp downwards, washing out stress. Feel the muscles in your body relaxing as the waves of relaxation wash over them. Spend time just visualizing this, even if you have to do at your desk. From massage to mediation to yoga, AARP recently described many methods of relaxation to help you reduce your level of stress. If you do incorporate this or any relaxation technique into your life you may notice an increased awareness of whether you are tense or relaxed. Learn a muscle relaxation routine, and practice it regularly. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule.

Another important element is that dreaded word - Exercise. Exercise is very important in stress and health management. Exercises form an outlet for your frustrations and anger. It also aids in putting a stop in the nasty cycles of stress-eating, indulgence to alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. Exercise also helps lift one's spirits and decrease depression. It has a number of other positive benefits you may not be aware of: It improves blood flow to your brain, bringing additional sugars and oxygen that may be needed when you are thinking intensely. Most medical experts have discovered that doing physical exercise can help you with the constant flow of stresses.

Of course, you cannot leave out sleep. Getting adequate sleep is another very simple but effective way to manage stress. We all have our own ideal amount of sleep, and if we don't get it, our performance and resilience suffer. Most people need about 6-9 hours of sleep per night. Loss of deep, restorative sleep can be attributed to stress and can lead to insomnia. People not sleeping can then stress about losing sleep, and another cycle begins. Allowing you adequate sleep can be a powerful part of your stress management program.

Feelings management is also an important tool to stress management. What is important is how you handle your feelings. Learning to express feelings and to deal with tensions in constructive ways is vital to your emotional and physical health. This will help prevent you from releasing your feelings in an ineffective and unacceptable way, such as snapping at your children or being argumentative and short with your spouse and becoming more aggressive generally. Your feelings can also greatly influence your judgment. Stress has fewer negative effects for people who admit their feelings and accept them. Repressing and denying feelings decreases energy and can cause irritability, depression, or physical problems. Keeping your feelings bottled up within yourself is like gradually building a potent bomb and will increase stress levels.

Setting goals is another good stress management procedure. Without goals, we are likely to spend time and energy in an aimless way. Setting realistic goals for your day and year helps you feel directed and in control. Set realistic goals and time frames for yourself. You will see results more often if you select goals that are specific and achievable. If you have only broad long-range goals, you are more likely to experience frustration. The degree to which short-term goals are accomplished will help you assess the practicality of long-term goals. Hand in hand with this is time management. When we mismanage our time, whether on work projects or towards personal goals, it increases stress and impacts performance.

Most stress arises due to feelings of life being out of control. - Have realistic expectations (personally and professionally) - No matter what, always maintain your sense of humor - Never bottle up your feelings, share it with someone you trust - Never try to control others - Manage your time well - Do important tasks first - Get quality sleep - Exercise regularly - Eat well - Keep the intake of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, habit forming over the counter drugs to a minimum. If you implement even a couple of these suggested techniques into your daily routines and life style changes you will find that not only are you feeling more relaxed and at ease, but that the bottom line is positively impacted as well. This is just one more step in creating a life of happiness and balance.

Life Balance and Happiness at Least As Important as Income Goals

2009-08-30T01:04:00.000-07:00

In today's hectic and competitive environment, it's increasingly difficult to achieve life balance and happiness. 67% of business owners surveyed, believe that issues to do with economic and social justice, public services, poverty, work-life balance and happiness are the most important in measuring a country's performance. This means that life balance and happiness are at least as important as breaking arbitrary revenue goals to the majority of business owners.

Happiness doesn’t just hang out there in the ether, waiting to be picked up like an email. Happiness is part of the fabric of our lives. The search for happiness is further complicated because the factors which most affect our personal well-being are commonly ignored or given very low priority in work and training, and in the media too. In schools also, life balance and personal happiness are largely ignored, and rarely explored or recommended as worth pursuing. Consequently throughout our lives, we don't find it easy to consider properly the issues which actually determine our own personal life balance and happiness.

One of the first items to impact both balance and happiness is your health. Sleep, nutrition, and exercise are vital in today’s world. Improving an individual's health in each of these categories, wellness practitioners believe, can lead to improved overall life balance and happiness. These include holistic practitioners who help people reach their health goals through nutrition, exercise, spiritual healing, counseling, and getting enough sleep. If you are not in the pink of health or not feeling very smooth in things that you do, you should MAKE AN EFFORT to improve the situation. Be sure to take vitamins given the dropping nutritional values of our natural food supplies.

Having unfinished business and clutter in our lives can cause us confusion, making it difficult to think clearly at times. Having a sense of humor in is also a contributor to personal and business success and anxiety reduction. It is important to live your personal and business life around your values as well. If you pay attention to these factors, you will find that: You cope with additional business demands with ease – knowing that you are still delivering excellence to your customers, you are seen as a great boss to work for and you feel great within yourself as a result. You enjoy more quality time with your partner and or family in a way that leaves you feeling happier, relaxed and with the peace of mind that you’re are living a life with no regrets.

We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The better you are at knowing yourself, understanding what positively motivates and inspires you, and creating a balance for yourself between your career/work life and family/home life, the easier it will be for you to predict that you will live a happy life. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The question is, what are you doing to insure that you are choosing a life of happiness.

Remember the first step to achieving life balance and happiness from the inside out is healthy diet plans and fitness routines. When your own health, life balance and happiness improve, you can act as a role model for your clients, and inspire them through your own experience. Get to know your real self. Knowing yourself is vital both to understand what factors most affect your life balance and happiness, and also for finding a satisfying purpose in life. This ensures you will achieve your objectives and gain your ideal triangle of life balance and happiness that you seek.

Cheryl Matthynssens
The Balance Guide

Ideas for the New Online Business or Marketer

2009-08-24T01:23:00.000-07:00

You sit down excited to start an online business. Maybe you are surfing for one or maybe you had one but now want to bring it onto the web. You type in your first phrase and thousands of opportunities pop up at you. Everyone claiming to get your website to the top. Everyone claiming they have the magic get rich quick solution to today's chaotic financial picture. You quickly find yourself in a maze of honest and deceitful entrepreneurs and no idea how to move forward. In fact, this picture probably feels familiar.

So how do you find your way through the maze of millions of websites, promises and opportunities. How do you find a solution before your spouse threatens to take an axe to the computer you have been enslaved to? The maze can be so complex that the new entrepreneur will end up in withdrawal symptoms when away more then five minutes for fear of missing that right link, that perfect opportunity or driving just one more lead to their business site.

First, do not do Internet business with anyone that won't give you their real name, address and phone number. Without this signature of legitimacy, how do you know you aren't dealing with a computer savvy 12 year old? A real ethical business or Internet marketer will be willing to share who they are with you and where they are.

Second, there are some huge scams the new business owner needs to be aware of while working online. One of the most hurtful to a new business is the scam in which the customer will offer to buy multiples of a product but they can't use their credit card through a legitimate site. They will offer to send a money order or a certified check. These are cleverly disguised fakes that are often not discovered till after the business owner has already shipped the product, leaving the business owner holding the bill. There is a list online of current Internet scams, be sure to monitor them.

The next is vital, anything that sound to good to be true, most likely is. While there has been growth in legitimate network marketing companies, even the most successful will tell you that it is work. The concept that you have to spend money to make money has not gone away. The advantage to Internet businesses is not having to pay for things like office space, other employees wages and other expenses that a brick and mortar business must have. But there are still some basic expenses that will occur. For example, advertising that is free to use will possibly produce some results, but it will leave you chained to the computer. Good Marketing takes a plan, one purposeful plan. The maze of offers can lead the new entrepreneur from offer to offer, nickle and diming them till they give up in frustration. There are some good companies out there offering to teach their plans. There are others that will offer to take your money and do it for you.

The most innovative idea and spectacular website will not make sales without traffic. Meanwhile, a mediocre product or website may have phenomenal sales with a good marketing plan. I have found that I can do all my marketing for less then $200.00 a month and in about 30 minutes a day. But I made every mistake above before I figured it out. I spent hours surfing traffic exchanges and placing free ads; there was no plan. It takes a good marketing plan with targeted selections designed for the type of business that is being promoted. With a solid marketing plan, you can get your business out there. Otherwise, the new marketer will find themselves spending $20.00 here, $9.95 there and even $100.00 here till their budget is mysteriously gone with few hits to show for the time or money spent.

Once you have a plan and a business. The final piece is stick to it. The biggest error online is working something for a month or two and because it doesn't pay off, moving to the next golden carrot. What makes a great online sales manager is the ability to learn what is new but stick to the business they have chosen. For example, do you know what a Squidoo lens is? Do you know how to Tweet? As new technology comes out, being able to learn how it will apply to your business is an essential tool. At the same time, it takes more then a month or two to build a solid foundation. If your business isn't growing, then chances are it is your marketing plan that is at fault. However, even a good marketing plan may take awhile to take hold. Be prepared to stick it out for awhile. Then, once you have a good foundation, you can add additional marketing phases to boost traffic.

If you have limited income to invest, consider multiple small income streams. But do not spread yourself to thin. It is difficult to market multiple earning opportunities unless they are under the umbrella of a single URL An example of this umbrella marketing for those who like traffic exchanges is the Traffic Tornado. Once you set it all up, you only advertise a single URL and can build an income stream from all of the opportunities gathered in the tornado. However, once again, you would make more if you do some investing to a basic paid member. So even if you start as a free marketer with an umbrella opportunity, be sure to upgrade as soon as you can regardless of what you are doing, usually the payout is higher.

There are just some ideas of for the online business beginner. Whether you are working on MLM, Direct Marketing, Promotion or Affiliate sales, there is success online. But just as you can find your fortunes online; you can also be sucked into the maze of scams and be nickled and dimed into dismal failure. Like any business or event in life; failure to plan is a plan to fail!

Have a Prosperous and Balanced Day!
Cheryl Matthynssens

Life Skills Coach - Where are you?

2009-08-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

I was asked recently why I did not have a website for my life skill coaching. The answer to that is actually quite simple. I have not needed one. I average 12 clients at a time in addition to helping my business team mates to a certain level. This takes up most of the time that I am willing to work. Being a teacher of balance in life, I will only work a set number of hours a day. The rest of my time is devoted to my passions, my family, my health and my own personal searches of interest. I love to travel and see things in our world. I absolutely love to just sit and watch people. People are fascinating! I even have a membership to the zoo and my children are grown.

My favorite aquarium!

If someone is looking for a life skills coach and is interested in the things they have read from me. Let me be quite candid. A life skills coach is exactly that. They help a person overcome obstacles that the individual puts in their own way. If you need help with past abuses, emotional trauma or an addiction, you need to see a professional licensed counselor. However, if you often seem to fail when you want to succeed. If you give up easily, get side tracked or just are not where you want to be in life, a life skills coach is ideal. You can use both but be sure to choose one that never asks you to be a part of what they are doing. Not a single member of my business team has ever been a client. That would be unprofessional. However, I often help people on my team, once they are there, in a mentor capacity.

What Kind of Things Do you Work On?
This may surprise you. I don't tell them, they tell me. One of the first things I have my clients prepare is the following questionnaire.

What three problems do you feel you need to work on?
What are you willing to do to work on them?
How do you sabotage your own efforts? (shoot yourself in the foot)
How will you know when you have successfully addressed these three problems? (what will life/you - look like? sound like? be like?)

The next thing I do is have them create their wish list - 100 things they would like to do, see or have. Some one asked me if this is like a bucket list? Same concept.. yes! For example, I wanted to see Mount Rushmore. I just crossed that off my list!

If you are willing to do the two above things and would like to retain me as a life skills coach, please email me at Cheryl@thebalanceguide.com with the first four questions, how many sessions a month you feel you would like and I will let you know if I have any openings and my current compensation rates. I will warn you, I am relentless and do not accept the word 'try'. To Quote Yoda - "You either do, or you do not!" (smile)

I posted those above, however, because just by filling that out on your own, without a coach, you can learn a lot about yourself. The 100 things list is a motivator to get going on your goals so you can cross items off. Also, if you are in a business that has mentors, they can use those questions to help focus and get you going.

My advice to everyone. Live today better then yesterday. If you do that each day. If you just give a little more effort, make a little more progress, say a few more "I love yous", exercise or walk just one more minute... etc - Life cannot do anything but get better!

Have a prosperous day!

Is it Safe to Start Up a Business in Today's Economy?

2009-08-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

How safe is it to start up a business in today's economy? That is dependent on many factors. What is the idea, is it unique? Will it fill a niche that is not being filled in your area? Does it require real estate location? How much money do you have for start up costs? Advertising? When making a decision to to start a business, these are but a few of the factors that need to be considered.

In July of 2009, the Federal Reserve Board released information that loans were declining. This was due to two factors, banks are tightening standards and terms for all types of business loans. The other factor was that fewer people were applying, most likely because they know that they don't have the credit or fear the risk in the current economy. This means without a unique idea and good credit that a bank can get behind, chances of a business loan are fairly low for starting a business.

A positive note, however, is that the Labor Department also reported in July that wholesale prices actually dropped. This is good news because when wholesale drops consistently, the consumer will usually see a drop. On the reverse, if wholesale inflation remains up, that is eventually passed on to the consumer. If this continues, it could mean the coming end of the current recession. These numbers will have to be monitored for consistent drop before the consumer will see it in the long run, however.

So what do you do if you don't know if your idea is a high risk or if you know you have poor credit. Well, if it is something you make, try a test run with an eBay store. See how the national market responds to your product.

Is it a business you can run from home for awhile? Can you market what you are doing from weekend shows? Can you start online and slowly move out to a solid location? Again, much of this depends on the type of business start up you are hoping to get going. A restaurant without a strong fresh niche may struggle today given that there is much competition and the profit margin on a restaurant is slimmer then many other businesses.

If you don't know what to start, there are many successful home businesses out there. Be careful and chose a company that has a reputation. Some good ones are Amway, Avon, and Nikken but there are many more out there. Some have low start ups for as low as 20.00 without supplies or product. However, if starting up a home business, I recommend that you get some literature and be using your own product. You cannot sell anything well without a passion for your product. So find a company you can believe in. I personally prefer the health and weight loss corner as this area has been fairly recession proof. Regardless of what is going on in the world, people are always trying to look better and feel better.

Other options for starting up a home business are affiliate marketing, this is fairly labor intensive but if you use all the free marketing tools out there, the cost is minimal. Good for part time income. Another one is direct marketing of products from wholesalers, good for eBay or a specific company. Top Tier Direct Marketing is another recommendation that I make. The reason for this is most home businesses market to the 80% of the world with only 20% of the income. Put your efforts into marketing to the 20% who have the money and you will make more. Do you want to sell 100,000 toy planes or one jet? A simplified example but it makes the point.

Regardless of what you choose, home businesses in this market are a safer option. About 70% of home-based businesses will last over a three-year period, compared to 29% of other business ventures, according to the Home-Based Business Institute. In fact, According to IDC, home-based businesses create an estimated 8,500 new jobs daily.

So is it safe? Only you can decide that. Do your research. Make sure you are going to provide a unique service. Try for a bank loan, if nothing else you may get feedback on why they do not see it as a safe option that maybe you had not considered. Look at your capital. Can you keep it afloat for one year till consumers know you are there? Can you get investors? Would it be better ran online or from home? Once you have satisfied yourself with the answers, take the risk! After all, according to the 2009 edition of The Small Business Economy released by Advocacy and posted on sba.gov this year, it was stated. "Risk-taking entrepreneurs are often the generators of the innovations that drive the American economy forward."

Have a Prosperous Day!
Cheryl Matthynssens

Structure is Important to the Success of a Home Business!

2009-08-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest mistakes that home business owners make is that in the attempt to build a business they lose sight of the very thing they wanted when they started. Most people begin home businesses to either supplement their income or to be home with family. However, if a person is locked in at their computer desperately seeking to drive sales or spending more then they are earning, they have lost sight of the very thing they were seeking.
Structures in life are necessary. Without them the human, unless naturally the high structures type spoke of in a previous article, will wander aimlessly from task to task. This is easy to do when promoting online because one site will lead to another. Each offering to nickle and dime the business owner with small costs to promote their URL. Each one seems small but when added up over the month, can be a large chunk if not exceed the advertising budget set aside.

The first thing to do to structure a home business is figure out the working hours. Are they while the baby is napping? In the evening when the spouse is home? Pick a set number of hours a day and the times that they are normally set aside for. This is flexible of course, that is the attraction of a home business. But on the normal, no appointments, no business meetings day, when will the home business entrepreneur be working?

The second thing to do is figure out what needs done in that time. How much time is needed to return emails and phone calls? How much time will be spent marketing online? How much time will be used in presentations? Deliveries? What ever ythe business needs done, allocate a time amount for it for the week. Now looking at these two things. Figure out what days and how much time on that day will be devoted to each of the indentified tasks needing accomplished.

Another important part of structuring is organizing the business expenses. Get a basic accounting system. It is hard at the end of the year to show all those little expenditures unless the business owner have been keeping receipts (email ones too). Take the time up front to desiginate how income and expenses will be monitored.

The last thing that is important to structuring a home business is to plan a marketing strategy wisely. If there is a marketing budget, get with the sponsor or find a trusted marketing mentor and find out where their money was best spent. If there is no budget, learn how to market for free. There are tons of free things that can be done to promote a business online. The key is consistency. When marketing for free, it is not about quick returns, it is about diligence and patience. Make a weekly goal of whatever strategies the business owner is comfortable using. For example, posting ten free classifieds daily. Something along those lines but for each thing on the list of free marketing tools. Be prepared to not see results for at least 30 days. People need to see the advertising multiple times before they will follow up.

Structuring a home business is not only critical to success, but it allows for tracking what works and what is not working. Wandering aimlessly in hopes of stumbling onto the gold mine does not work. Structures in a home business also mean that the important component of time with family or freedom to ___________ (you fill in the blank) remain an important focus in the week to week life of the entrepreneur. Remember, Balance is the key component to finding happiness, abundance and freedom in life!

Have a Prosperous Day!
The Balance Guide

World Vision - My Charity of Choice

2009-08-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have been a sponser of a World Vision child for Two years now. I want to help do more. Clean water, schools and a chance at a future are so important. Join me and help me raise $1,000000.00 for this vital organization.

Here is some information from them and please go look at their page worldvision.org if you are unfamiliar.

The Need
Today, more than 26,000 children under age 5 will die from preventable or treatable causes — that means an estimated 9.7 million children in this age group will die this year. And the vast majority of all child deaths occur in developing countries.

There may be cures for their conditions, but they don't have access to the necessary medication, treatment, or immunizations.

Their parents may lack basic knowledge of nutrition, hygiene, and health care. And their governments don’t have the resources to provide adequate health programs. When parents aren't healthy, they can’t provide for their families’ needs. And when children aren’t healthy, they can't attend school or focus on their future.

Fast Facts
Every day, more than 26,000 children under the age of five die, mostly from preventable causes.

More than 25 percent of the world’s infants are not immunized with critical vaccines that cost about $1.

World Vision’s Response
World Vision helps bring medical care and increased knowledge of health, nutrition, and hygiene to children and families in need through these interventions:

Emergency medical care
Health clinics and therapeutic feeding centers | Last year, World Vision teams helped 9.7 million victims of disasters and humanitarian crises in more than 50 countries. Emergency clinics enable staff to care for critical medical needs.
Medical supplies | World Vision helps facilitate emergency care by providing hospitals and clinics with top-quality medicines, equipment, and supplies.
Training
Health care | World Vision trains birth attendants and health workers in places like Ghana where people might not otherwise have access to health care.
Hygiene | Community programs teach the importance of personal hygiene in preventing disease.
Nutrition | World Vision volunteers and staff train parents in the critical role of healthy foods and nutrients in the diets of growing children.
Access to health resources
Immunization and early childhood care | World Vision provides children around the world with vaccines, vitamin A, and nutritional supplements, and supports mothers through pregnancy and childbirth.
Health clinics | World Vision works to ensure access to health care for people in impoverished countries like Romania, where years of oppressive leadership drained the country of medical professionals.
Preventative care | World Vision focuses on the prevention of childhood diseases through prenatal care and well-child care programs in countries worldwide.
Hygiene supplies | Families in need are given essential supplies like soap, shampoo, and toothpaste to help stave off serious diseases.
Advocacy | World Vision seeks to play a leadership role in advocacy and policy improvements for health reform at global and national levels.
Through all of its health and hygiene interventions, World Vision works to enhance the quality of life for children and their families in order to help them reach their God-given potential.

Your Opportunity to Help
You can help children survive and thrive by providing access to vaccinations, medical care, and health training for their communities.

Your gift will make an impact. For example:
$25 sends lifesaving immunizations and healthcare for needy children and families.
$80 ships vital medicines and healthcare supplies to help save the lives of children in 36 countries.
A gift of any amount will enable response to the most urgent health needs of the communities we serve.

Toxicity and Poor Nutrition Affect Business Performance.

2009-08-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

Many of us work in positions that leave us in front of computers, behind desks and much more. Many work in positions that never let them slow down for a proper meal during the day. We do not sleep the eight recommended hours. We believe our coffee should count in our glasses of water we are supposed to drink each day. Caffeine and other stimulating substances have become our mainstay rather then the occaisional lift.

We all know to be healthy, we are supposed to eat right, get exercise, drink water and sleep. It sounds so simple to say. Yet in this century of life on the run, it is not so easy to do. To add to this problem, the nutritional value of the food we are eating is dropping. More fat.. more sugar.. less nutrients.

Depletion levels (percentages) US senate document No. 264 and the 1992 Earth Summit report documents declining minerals values in the farm and range soils. (Over past 100 years) North America 85%.

The truth is, it is taking more food to get the same nutritional value, 85 % more. Add to this, the fat content of that food is also increasing through fast foods and just bigger plate sizes to satisify. The World Health organization reports. “Increased consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats, combined with reduced physical activity, have led to obesity rates that have risen three-fold or more since 1980 in some areas of North America.” Supplements in this day and age has become an absolute must. But you need to use an all natural supplement they dissolve better and are taken up by the body easier then chemical supplements

Adding to this alarming trend is the fact that today, more and more toxins are being introduced into our bodies through foods, things we put on our skins such as soap and make up and through the air we breathe. Our body has always had to deal with some toxins. It produces internal toxins as a by product of body functions. But with increasing chemical supplementation to our food supplies, the use of chemicals in most everything we handle, we are being assualted from the outside. Toxins if not eliminated, inflame and irritate cells and tissue. This can lead to troubles losing weight, decreased energy and increased illness.

So what can you do? Well body cleansing from the inside is important. Most people know about colon cleansing and that does help to some degree, but that does not help cells throughout the body. To do that, you need to do nutritional cleansing. There are several companies out there that offer nutritional cleansing products that will help safely remove toxins.

By using a combination of supplementation and nutritional cleansing, you can help your body function at it’s optimum levels. After all, if you are your best, then your business and sales will be at their best as well!

Recommended Product

Never Assume - You May End Up "Mopping" Up After Yourself

2009-08-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

While visiting my daughter in-law for the week, my 12 year old daughter and I were helping clean up while she was doing some errands. We don't have a dishwasher at home. I have always just done the old fashioned hand washing because I was unwilling to sacrifice my precious cupboard space for a dishwasher. However, I had made the mistake of assuming that despite this, my daughter understood the basic mechanics of one.

She had finished loading it and I checked it real quick, making sure that plastic items were up top - etc. It looked good. So without further thought, I told her. "Great Job, now add the soap and start it." That was it. It was all I told her to do. Unbeknown to me, she grabbed the dawn dish soap beside the sink, filled the dispenser completely and turned it on. About fifteen minutes later, I entered the kitchen and shouted with surprise. It was knee deep in suds. Despite three rinses and scooping out what we could, below is the status of the dishwasher on the fourth rinse.

On the Fourth Rinse

This got me thinking about two things as I was working to clean up the mess. How many other messes in my life had I been forced to clean up because I had assumed that the listener knew what I meant. Almost all major problems in relationships and in business teams comes from miscommunication and the primary one is making assumptions. Don Miguel Ruiz teaches, " Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. " this is from his book, The Four Agreements. I highly recommend this book by the way. Small and a quick read, but awesome. Anyway, I know this agreement and yet I catch myself doing it all the time. Mostly, in that the listener is understanding what I am saying.

When running a team whether in MLM, Marketing or in face to face Sales, you must never assume that your instructions are clear. It will save you hours of "cleaning up the floor" so to speak if you just take the time to stop and ask, "is that clear?" or "Have you been shown how to do that yet?" In busy lives and businesses, it is easy to make the assumption that someone else has trained the individual on that task or project. If you are not careful, your instructions might be followed to the letter. Which is great if you included all the letters but disastrous if you skipped a few. Remember always communicate clearly, check in now and then to make sure that your instructions were understood and be sure to own the error if you didn't give all the instructions. This will lead you far in being a great team leader. Most importantly to you personally, this extra little time will save you a lot of headache and stress. It might even save you an hour of cleaning up soap suds.

Have a prosperous day.
Cheryl
www.balancedfreedom.com

Balance through Financial Freedom

2009-08-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

So many Entrepreneurs spend their days after every dollar that they miss the most precious of success' gifts - Freedom!

What are you working for? If it is for a bottom line be careful that you do not look back with regret. Live a life of balance that insures that every day is a life of memory.

Spirit/Emotional- nourish your spirit however you define it. This does not have to mean a religious nourishment. What do you do to take time to enjoy the moment of the day? When was the last time you held hands as the sun set? When was the last time your spirit felt peace and awe? There is nothing so precious as a baby's first giggle. Your child's first goal. The site of puppies frolicking. Take time to nourish what is the most important thing you have - YOU!

Mental - Learn, never stop learning! Business, relationships, life in general changes. Each of us must grow and change with the world around us. If we do not, we will find that our relationships out grow us. Our businesses will be left in the dust as we remain in antiquated strategies. Never stop learning. A life of freedom, prosperity and nourisment depends on it.

Physical - Take care of yourself physically. Eat right! Take Vitamins - the toxicity in our environment and lack of nourishment in food today is a documented fact. Do what you can to exercise even if it is just moving between business calls. If you do not feel at your best, then you will not be all that you wish for family, self or business.

Social - Do not put off your "I love You's" You never know what time you have on this world. You never know for tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Spend time with people. If you wait "till we can afford to" - you may never do it.

I realized the importance of all this personally as I had the opportunity to see Mount Rushmore with my daughter and granddaughter this summer. I was always saying some day and I did not get to have my sons on that trip. I put it off till "I could afford it." Memories that will not be forgotten and a lesson I am passing on! Work like your world depends on it... but then.. take time to be healthy enough to enjoy it.

www.balancedfreedom.com

Motivating the Diverse Sales Team

2009-08-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

One of the mistakes that managers often make when working to build motivation for their teams is that they deliver information or create incentives that they would be motivated by themselves. In any office, there are four basic types of workers. What one type will need for motivation or before they feel comfortable taking on a project will often be different then their peers. There are many companies out there that will type employees with proficiency. This allows the manager to tailor make information, training and incentives to the employee's personality type. However, if that is not an option or if the team is very large, the information included in this article should help build motivation and incentive strategies that appeal to the bulk of most team members.

The four types are critical to any team. No one individual will be all one type so for the purpose of discussion, this article will address the extremes but keep in mind that everyone is a blend of these at some minor level, which is why there are companies to individualize these profiles. The four types for the purpose of information needs are: relational, informational, structured, and the energizer.

Relational-
Needs: Those in this type are a vital member of any team. They are the glue that hold teams together. They need to know how information given affects their team, the company and/or, if pertinent, their family. When given the right information, they will keep the value of achieving the project or reaching a goal in sight for the whole team.

Motivation: They often are attracted to incentive strategies that reward their team or office. If the incentive is competition based, then it needs to reward the team or be an incentive they can share with someone else in their life. This type in its truest form does not like to be put above their peers and will often defer any success to the team as a whole. They will often do well at team retreats and other gatherings which require the team to communicate and relate to one another.

Informational-
Needs: These team members need to know when given projects, the objectives needing to be met. What are the benefits and features? Why is the assigment important to the company? They are the ones on a team always asking questions. They are detailed and will often press deadlines trying to make sure their work is perfect. They are an important component to any team as they make sure objectives are met, policies are followed and will go the extra mile to get the information needed whether to make a sale or complete a project. They are really great on a sales team because they are the best at discerning what a customer is looking for and then meeting that need with the right product.

Motivation: These team members are often motivated by material or monetary compensations. If incentives are not in this category, then it must be something that clearly meets a need or has value to them. They are the ones that will often try to avoid company gatherings as they often do not feel the need to connect to large social groups preferring small groups of intimate friends and/or family. So recognition in front of the whole company will often be avoided.

Structured:
Needs: This group is often self motivated. They need to know what needs done, when it needs done by and are there specific instructions or requirements that must be followed. Once they have this information, just step out of their way and let them go. They will achieve a great deal just because it is their job and they value themselves as an employee. They are a valuable component on any team as they keep everyone one track for deadlines and will monitor how the team is doing as a whole if there are team incentives. Their weakness is that they are so direct and goal oriented that they often do not realize when they step on someone else's feelings because their intent is the job and they do not notice nor intend to cause harm.

Motivation: This group will go a long way just by continue small atta boys but they will also thrive on any incentive where they can win some form of recognition for the team or the company. They are also motivated in incentives that require them to beat their own numbers.

Energizer-
Needs: They need tasks that are not too routine. They often become easily distracted by mundane and routine activities and if there is an option will put these off til last. They are a necessary part of any team because they are literally the energy of any group. They do well if given multiple tasks that they can switch between to keep boredom at bay or in positions of constant motion. On sales teams, they are often that high energy guy on the floor. Their weakness is that they can be so end result focused that they run over the client or prospect's needs. They need to be reminded to slow down and listen.

Motivation: Anything they can win! These types of people are often highly competitive. Whether it be as a team or as an individual, they will go for the gold every time. They love any kind of recognition that puts them up front. They are the easiest to motivate. Strangely, what they win does not necessarily need to be financial or material. Recognition can put them on track just as fast as a prize at the end of the day.

As you can see, the extremes of each type have unique needs. If giving a project or goal to such a blended team, you need to answer the following questions to hit all the needs. What needs done? When does it need to be done by? Who will it benefit? What is the reasoning behind the goal/project? If successfully completed, what is the payoff? By hitting these basic questions, you will at the very least prompt additional questions to make sure every team member is invested.

When setting up incentives, there needs to be a combination package. For a sales team an example would be: Recognition for the best performing team, an overall sales winner with preferably a financial bonus, and recognition for those who beat last years numbers during the same similar sales frame. For even more investment, a bonus for everyone that beats last years numbers with a minimum base for new team members would insure that every single team member has something to gain. Your relational team members won't feel guilty because they are competing primarily against themselves and everyone has a chance to win.

As you can see, a diverse team requires a little more thought in presenting information, projects and goals. A diverse team requires a blended method of incentives. A cookie cutter method of information or incentives will not work except for a select few. The benefits of a blended type team is ten fold in output if the informational and motivational strategies are in line. So take the time to consider your audience, look at your team like you would your customers. What do they want and need.

Cheryl Matthynssens
Working to achieve Life Balance in others.
www.balancedfreedom.com

Making Money During a Recession

2009-08-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

On August 7, 2009 Mariko Lamb, of Talk Radio News Service reported that Keith Hall, Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics had released Data to the Congressional Joint Committee reporting a moderation in unemployment. A view of this report, available at the Bureau of Labor statistics shows that the unemployment rate has remained consistent at 9.4%. These numbers combined with the growing areas of job losses such as transportation, financial activities, and especially construction and manufacturing; can frighten someone considering opening a small business or a home business.

These numbers do not mean that this is a bad time to open a business, especially one with lower overhead such as from home. While it is true that the above areas have lost employment numbers, it is also true that employment in leisure and health care have been increasing. The important thing is to be smart in choosing a home business or small business that will fit the current trends. Statistics support home business pursuits. About 70% of home-based businesses will last over a three-year period, compared to 29% of other business ventures, according to the Home-Based Business Institute. In fact, According to IDC, home-based businesses create an estimated 8,500 new jobs daily.

When opening a business, consider a few important things. First, what do consumers not go without if they can help it? Where are the first places they will cut? Looking at these two factors will help with decisions as to whether or not the product to be marketed would be profitable or if it is on the list of things that a consumer would scratch off the list first.

Second, consider the 80/20 rule. Most marketers sell their product to the 80 percent of the consumers who have only 20% of the economic purchasing power. That is a lot of work. Consider businesses that focus on that 20% that hold 80% of the economic purchasing power.

Third, if a service industry business is being considered, look at what consumers are having to leave undone while they work harder during these economic crunches. Is there a service that could be offered to assist or fill in the gaps. For example, most day cares cater to the 9-5 worker. But many consumers today, are being forced to take jobs with differing hour structures. There are very few day cares that cater to swing shift or graveyard workers.

Another option is offer to teach to others an area of expertise. Consider taking on an apprentice at a lower wage to save money or offering lessons in a trade or industry. For those facing disability, look into helping others market their businesses from a computer. There are many affiliate programs out there as well as direct marketing that can be done.

Regardless of when an entrepreneur is looking to start their business, money can be made during a recession. It is a proven fact that many increased their portfolios even during the great depression. The important factor is to figure out what is either down in cost that can be invested in and held on to till the recession is over. Or, if that is not a financial possibility, to market to what people are looking for today. After all, according to the 2009 edition of The Small Business Economy released by Advocacy and posted on sba.gov this year, it was stated. "Risk-taking entrepreneurs are often the generators of the innovations that drive the American economy forward."

Have a prosperous week
www.balancedfreedom.com

Ten Famous Quotes - How can they be applied today?

2009-08-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

We all love quotes. Whether they be light and funny such as the many Homer Simpson faux pas or whether they are time honored and serious, they add meaning to our writing, our conversations and even our attitude for the day. But what about your business? How are some of the most famous quotes relevant to you and your entrepreneural spirit today?

1. America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. Abraham Lincoln

Many businesses today stand resolute to outside forces. They are quick to harvest new ideas and will expand to new markets. However, if they lose that since of personal investment - that sense of team - it can destroy the very fabric of a company. It doesn't matter if you have four employees or 400, the people in your business need to feel valued and a part of the success. A business that values its people and keeps them as a team can surpass seemingly impossible challenges. But if that sense of team, sense of belonging to something bigger then self, is lost; the company will slowly implode from the inside out. More then once, teams have fallen apart and departments have quit communicating. When this happens, the company is not destroyed by economic trends, it is destroyed from the inside out. Always look inward when your company is struggling. Does your team feel valued? Are they communicating? Does the right hand truly know what the left is doing?

2. Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. George S. Patton, Jr.

Do not micro manage your business. Let your employees know what you want to accomplish and when you need to accomplish it by and then ask them for ideas or just let them go with it. Trust but inspect. You want to give them a chance to use their own creativity and bring to the table the ideas that you would have never considered. Keep a basic idea of what is going on, but do not dictate every little step on every project. It kills moral. It kills creativity and in turn, can kill growth and expansion of your business. My Direct Marketing Mentor points me to a new tool, a new idea or venue but then he lets me run with it in the way that best fits who I am and what I stand for.

3. Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness.
Thomas Carlyle

This one rather speaks for its self. Find a business that you truly enjoy. If you do not have a passion for it, how will you maintain it for years to come? However, if you sit down at your desk, step into your studio or open your store with a sense of pleasure - prosperity will follow you. Wouldn't you rather do business with someone with a genuine pleasure at their task or in the making of their product then one who clearly is there for the money and naught else?

4. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle

Openmindedness is essential in today's constantly changing markets. Business can not continue to be done as it has always been done or it will be left in the dust. New inovations, new ways of marketing, new everything continues to evolve in our fast past world. Think back, it was not that long ago when almost everyone was like, what is a twitter? Listen to new ideas, read new ideas, analyze whether or not they are fruitful or possible for your business. If you do not know, check out if a small test run is possible without a great expense. Do not fear putting a toe in the water, after all, it might just be warm and soothing.

5. Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Hans Christian Anderson

Do not forget what your are living for, what you are striving to have. Most people will talk of happiness, success and freedom. Ask any man who has ever gone to prison what he misses most and the answer will almost always be the same; "people that love me and freedom of choice." Yet so many people, in the persuit of those words success and happiness, lose the very thing they seek. They turn around and their children are grown and they have missed it. They suddenly find they are to old to (fill in the blank) now that they can really afford to without any sacrifice or cost to their business. Have balance in life and live it. Do not fret and worry the hours away till there is no sense or purpose to the money in your bank account. It is fruitless if you never live to enjoy it.

6. Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision. Muhammad Ali

You have to have dreams, goals and a vision for you business and your life. They also need to match up. Even better, put them in visual form so you see them every day. Let that vision remind you of why you are taking on that task you don't always enjoy. Why you will NOT give up.

7. Champions keep playing until they get it right. Billy Jean King

In other words, if you don't succeed at something, analyze it. Get more education on what ever it is to make sure you are truly prepared. Make sure you aren't riding an old horse in a new race. Once you have a new game plan, jump back in and try again. Take marketing, you can't just do one thing. You can just place ads in newspapers these days. That will hit some of your market, but take me for an example. I can't remember when I last read my news from print and not online.

8. The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable receiving. -Albert Einstein

Make sure that in this life, you give. One of the first things that I have found is that it doesn't matter if you are religious, believe in Karma or philosophy; one universal principle holds true. People remember those who gave them something. It might have been time, an idea, a kind word or a multitude of other things that do not cost money. In time, those gifts come flowing back into our lives, often when we need them most. When chosing between two people, often people will choose the one that has brought them value. It is not always the lowest bid that wins but the one that comes with reputation, integrity and value. What do you stand for? Do those who work for you know what you stand for? Do your clients/customers know what you stand for. Most importantly, is what you stand for of value to your dreams, visions and goals; are they in alignment?

9. He that lives upon hope will die fasting. -Benjamin Franklin
In today's business world, you cannot just open your door and hope for the money to pour in. You must take action. You must get involved. Market, volunteer, get involved in your community and become known for who you are and not just where you are located. Do your homework. Get an education on your competition, product line and marketing options. The modern meaning of this quote - TAKE ACTION!

10. Do not wait; the time will never be ''just right.'' Start where you stand,
and work with whatever tools you may have at your command,
and better tools will be found as you go along.
--Napoleon Hill

The time is right now. Learn what you need as you go. Make every day a learning experience. You have tools, utilize the ones you have as you move forward. Mr. Hill is right, the time will never be "just right." The goal is to make it right.

So to sum these up:
1. Make sure your team/employees know they are valued and communicating well.
2. Harvest the creativity of those around you; don't micro manage for it is the death of creativity.
3. Find a business you can love and be passionate about.
4. Be openminded to new ideas, technology and techniques.
5. Enjoy life today before you are to old to do so.
6. Make sure you have dreams, goals and visions for your future.
7. Don't Quit!
8. Give of yourself, it will come back to you ten fold if not more.
9. Take Action!
10. Start Today

These quotes are not in order of any importance. Each of us have strengths and weakness that will change that order. Regardless of where you are today, do not forget the most important of all quotes to Business. Carpe diem - Seize the Day!
Make it a prosperous one emotionally, mentally, spiritually and financially!

THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A SOLDIER IN IRAQ .

2009-08-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A SOLDIER IN IRAQ And POSTED BY A SOLDIER'S MOTHER

I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson .. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made Millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make
him a villain to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my rant.

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood , and even Congress
sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?

Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be
asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America .

Where is there moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good ridence," and "Thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them.

But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Feel free to pass this along if you want. Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who
is serving in the military; "So that others may live..."
- Isaac

Press Release - We All Want Freedom! Cheryl Matthynssens Teaches How to Reach That Dream

2009-08-05T01:54:00.000-07:00

We All Want Freedom! Cheryl Matthynssens Teaches How to Reach That Dream
It is really a simple answer. No one teaches the definition of perseverance and how to manage finances whether personal or business. Learn the Top Ten things a Business Owner Must Have!

(PRWEB) August 5, 2009 -- Business Owner, Cheryl Matthynssens recently shared at a business meeting with a group of others struggling to make it from home, the skills necessary to achieve success in today's recession marketplace. Cheryl shared afterwards, "It is really a simple answer. We learn how to drive. We learn how to read. We learn how to write. No one teaches us the definition of perseverance and how to manage finances whether personal or business. No one teaches you BEFORE you open your business how to market."

Here are the top ten things she went over last night:

First and foremost, have a Long Term Goal that is broken down to a short time goal. From that short term goal, build daily goals.

Second: Long Term goals need to be visual. Some businesses teach a dream book. Others teach business owners to make a vision board. Visualization of goals is important in creating a success mindset.

Third: Structure. Have to set a schedule. If the goal was to have time with the children, but the business owner is in a panic mode constantly managing websites, marketing campaigns or phones, nothing has been gained.

Fourth: "Don't give up! Statistics show that many people stop trying to reach goals, RIGHT BEFORE they will reach them. Just short and they walk away from what they wanted most. Don't give up!"

Fifth: Education! Whatever business, education is a must. A business owner needs to know their products, their website tools, their shopping cart, their merchant account and most importantly their marketing tools! Cheryl suggested, "Do not choose a home business that just hands you a product and nothing else if you do not already have training in these things."

Sixth: Focus! Get to the office on time. Don't be easily distracted by an email, a phone call that is not moving set goals or even daydreams. When these activities become the focus, then that time in the office is wasted. Whether having dinner with a significant other or on a business call, focus on the moment. A business owner that can stay on task will always stay ahead.

Seventh: Affirmation - "We live in a negative society. If you think you will fail, you will." Cheryl's personal affirmation was: "I have abundance, heath and success in my life."

Eighth: A successful marketing plan. If the chosen home business company did not provide that, then it is a must to find one.

Ninth: Financial Management - Take the time to get this education. Through books or websites like Wealth Masters, Access them! If a Business manager does not know how to manage funds and expenses, they can quickly put themselves out of business.

Her last one was the surprise. Only then did she mention a good product line. Cheryl stated, "If you do not have the other nine, what you are selling will not matter."