We all know the economy is in chaos. Hey, can we avoid it? Even if we don't watch the news regularly, we see storefronts empty and friends out of work.
But if you've been on line long, you know there are those who say recession means opportunity.
Check out this cartoon...you remember, I know, the story of Chicken Little ("The sky is falling! The sky is falling!).
In in, Brian Wong, student of "The Secret" teacher Bob Proctor, reminds us this very thing.
With the right attitude, the right mind set, and the right tools, you can not just get by...you can prosper in this recession. Millionaires were made from the ashes of the Great Depression, and millionaires are rising now.
Check back. More tomorrow on how you can take prosper with a new mindset, and a new opportunity.
Blessings,
Judy
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Beowulf and The Audacity of Hope...A Lesson
Do you remember reading Beowulf when you were in high school? It's that story from forever ago about a man who defeated the monster Grendel, and then took on the greater monster, Grendel's mother without fear or hesitation.
Beowulf has a lesson for us all. Through his efforts, he gave a country back it's dream. He was determined to be immortalized in story, as his culture demanded; his heroic acts echo throughout the ages.
You can't have the strength of your convictions part time. It's an all or nothing game. We talk about loving our neighbors as ourselves, then we fear our enemies. Can we love and fear? Pretty wishy-washy, wouldn't you say?
My students loved the story...because they saw that it applied to them, that it meant something in their lives. It was one of the "bridge" lessons.
Another story that means something in all of our lives is the story we're witnessing. This is a time in history unlike any since the earliest awakenings of our country. At that time, forces converged, and men of great intellect and understanding put aside their differences to forge a new nation. These men shared a philosophy, yet creating a working plan to represent that philosophy in everyday practice was a monumental challenge.
Today, our country faces other monumental challenges. Again, forces converged to reawaken within us this philosophy that defines our democracy. And the man who stimulated that reawakening is our new president, Barack Obama.
Despite the historic campaign and the election results, clearly not everyone voted for Obama. Many of those who did were feeling the pull of history and the eloquence of his speeches that recreated the vision of the founders.
For all of you who are concerned what this man will bring to our country, you'll find answers in The Audacity of Hope.
The left already complains of the people Obama has chosen to advise him, sayings it's not change if old Clinton people are again in office. They forget three things; that Obama's in charge, that it takes people with experience to proffer advice, and that the change Obama promised is in tone, texture, and direction.
The right complains that this liberal Democrat will, despite what he's said, tax and spend us into even greater deficits, cause us to leave a war unwon, force abortion and gay marriage down our throats, and make our country even more vulnerable to attack by trying diplomacy with our enemies.
In his book, Obama answers all of these charges as he clearly and precisely lays out his convictions, where they've come from, and how they now shape his life, his presidency, and his vision for our country.
Obama's words, as Beowulf's acts, remind me that I sometimes get caught in the trivial and ideological when greater things are at stake. They, by defining their own convictions, remind me to define my own.
Think about it.
Blessings,
Judy
Beowulf has a lesson for us all. Through his efforts, he gave a country back it's dream. He was determined to be immortalized in story, as his culture demanded; his heroic acts echo throughout the ages.
You can't have the strength of your convictions part time. It's an all or nothing game. We talk about loving our neighbors as ourselves, then we fear our enemies. Can we love and fear? Pretty wishy-washy, wouldn't you say?
My students loved the story...because they saw that it applied to them, that it meant something in their lives. It was one of the "bridge" lessons.
Another story that means something in all of our lives is the story we're witnessing. This is a time in history unlike any since the earliest awakenings of our country. At that time, forces converged, and men of great intellect and understanding put aside their differences to forge a new nation. These men shared a philosophy, yet creating a working plan to represent that philosophy in everyday practice was a monumental challenge.
Today, our country faces other monumental challenges. Again, forces converged to reawaken within us this philosophy that defines our democracy. And the man who stimulated that reawakening is our new president, Barack Obama.
Despite the historic campaign and the election results, clearly not everyone voted for Obama. Many of those who did were feeling the pull of history and the eloquence of his speeches that recreated the vision of the founders.
For all of you who are concerned what this man will bring to our country, you'll find answers in The Audacity of Hope.
The left already complains of the people Obama has chosen to advise him, sayings it's not change if old Clinton people are again in office. They forget three things; that Obama's in charge, that it takes people with experience to proffer advice, and that the change Obama promised is in tone, texture, and direction.
The right complains that this liberal Democrat will, despite what he's said, tax and spend us into even greater deficits, cause us to leave a war unwon, force abortion and gay marriage down our throats, and make our country even more vulnerable to attack by trying diplomacy with our enemies.
In his book, Obama answers all of these charges as he clearly and precisely lays out his convictions, where they've come from, and how they now shape his life, his presidency, and his vision for our country.
Obama's words, as Beowulf's acts, remind me that I sometimes get caught in the trivial and ideological when greater things are at stake. They, by defining their own convictions, remind me to define my own.
Think about it.
Blessings,
Judy
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
More Economic Woes; Are You Prepared?
More bad news for employees...massive layoffs from companies who've been riding high for the past several years.
And worse news...companies shutting their doors.
Over half a million new requests for unemployment benefits that will stretch state resources thin.
But there is good news... There are more and more entrepreneurs making a successful transition to their own home businesses. And that trend is expected to continue for some years.
If you've ever thought about starting your own business, there's not a better time. Look at just a few things that you gain:
There are scams out there...it's just not easy to navigate what's real and what's not. So remember:
And it's worth your time and effort to find the business you can work at home, on or off line, that fits your personality.
Home businesses are work. But it's work you do for you, for your family, and for your future.
The economic news gets worse by the minute. It doesn't have to get worse for you.
Start a home business.
My husband and I have been where you are. We know you you have it in you.
Blessings,
Judy
And worse news...companies shutting their doors.
Over half a million new requests for unemployment benefits that will stretch state resources thin.
But there is good news... There are more and more entrepreneurs making a successful transition to their own home businesses. And that trend is expected to continue for some years.
If you've ever thought about starting your own business, there's not a better time. Look at just a few things that you gain:
- control over your time, so you can watch your son's soccer game or check in with his teacher
- the tax advantages of a small business that can save you money
- you're building a business for you, not for your boss
There are scams out there...it's just not easy to navigate what's real and what's not. So remember:
- just because "someone" wrote about it, doesn't make it true
- if that "someone" gave up, that "someone" can never succeed
- look beyond the hype; figure out for yourself what you can do and whom you can trust
And it's worth your time and effort to find the business you can work at home, on or off line, that fits your personality.
Home businesses are work. But it's work you do for you, for your family, and for your future.
The economic news gets worse by the minute. It doesn't have to get worse for you.
Start a home business.
My husband and I have been where you are. We know you you have it in you.
Blessings,
Judy
Law of Attraction or Browbeating? The Result...
I'm a pushover. I too easily think I can travel several paths at once. Which isn't necessarily a good thing when it comes to creating a home business. I've heard before, and I've said before, that you need to be careful, thoughtful, as you choose what direction to head towards your dreams. It's just not a good idea (so they say and so I'm learning) to work "horizontally" on lots of different projects instead of "vertically" focusing on one.
But I want to try this product. It's a bit about the desperation one who has a chronic, off-the-radar, health challenge that often gets in the way of substantial and persistent effort.
My friend is sure that this product will be the answer I've been looking for. The problem is I just don't have enough skepticism, and healthy skepticism is an important quality when looking for either the cure to a chronic problem or the right fit in a home-based business.
The Sponsor was tough...I took a bit of a browbeating. She was interviewing me for this spot, and she wasn't sure and still, apparently, isn't. Ah, well. What can I say.
My friend is willing to take a chance on me anyway; a bit of desperation, I think. But should I again take a chance on a kind of home-based business I've tried before...unsuccessfully?
What would you do?
At the last minute, I honored the lesson I had learned. I'm just not suited for multi-level marketing. My friend was disappointed, and I can't blame her. But neither could I go ahead with a business I finally knew had no place in our overall strategy. Instead of veering off the path we had determined, I remained steady. Phew!
Blessings,
Judy
But I want to try this product. It's a bit about the desperation one who has a chronic, off-the-radar, health challenge that often gets in the way of substantial and persistent effort.
My friend is sure that this product will be the answer I've been looking for. The problem is I just don't have enough skepticism, and healthy skepticism is an important quality when looking for either the cure to a chronic problem or the right fit in a home-based business.
The Sponsor was tough...I took a bit of a browbeating. She was interviewing me for this spot, and she wasn't sure and still, apparently, isn't. Ah, well. What can I say.
My friend is willing to take a chance on me anyway; a bit of desperation, I think. But should I again take a chance on a kind of home-based business I've tried before...unsuccessfully?
What would you do?
At the last minute, I honored the lesson I had learned. I'm just not suited for multi-level marketing. My friend was disappointed, and I can't blame her. But neither could I go ahead with a business I finally knew had no place in our overall strategy. Instead of veering off the path we had determined, I remained steady. Phew!
Blessings,
Judy
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Law of Attraction? Or Browbeating. What's Your Style?
Hey. I know that there are still people out there who haven't gotten the "law of attraction" message. You know, the one where you attract people into your business by addressing their concerns, answering their questions, and offering solutions to their problems? Gently? With honesty, integrity, and trust?
Some people just haven't gotten the message.
Like yesterday.
I'm looking at a product that I hope will help some of my nagging, chronic, and sometimes debilitating health problems. My friend swears by it and offers great testimonials. I'm well versed in alternative treatments, and I recognize the product's possibilities.
And, she offers a position to me, for a fee I'm willing to pay, that will put me in her group with enough volume to pay for my product. A win-win.
But, my husband and I are involved in developing other businesses, selling our home (and taking a HUGE hit), and relocating from Florida to Virginia in the next few months. I'm willing to give a few hours a week to this new business, but no more.
Red flag! Should I really get this position? Let's three-way with her sponsor...
I really like my friend and value her low-key approach to her business. But her sponsor subjected me to an hour of browbeating. (Why I listened for an hour is another story.)
*network marketing only works face to face...online marketing doesn't work
*you don't need to spend money on coaching or marketing programs or, or, or... (I've loved my coaching with Bob Proctor, Mary Manin Morrissey, Ellie and Charlie Drake; and I've devoured all I can about marketing from the best)
*you need to focus all of your attention on THIS company
*you need to prove yourself to get this position
*you should consider going to convention in two weeks (half way across the country, when I've booked a T.Harv Eker seminar nearby)
Whew!
Now, I don't think Ms. Sponsor would normally have been so tough, so hard, or so, frankly, off-putting. I don't fault Ms. Sponsor for what I see as her protecting her protege who really shouldn't sell the position to someone who will let that leg of her business slide. After all, it's my friend's business, her livelihood. She's spent two years building to this point where she said goodbye to her W-2.
So, a warning. When you're looking for a home-based business, the people you work with are key. The products can be great, the training awesome, the compensation plan the best. The company can be top-notch...and there are a number of terrific companies on all counts.
But it's the people you work with on a daily basis that are key. Pay attention. Browbeating just doesn't fly in this day and age.
Let me know what you think and what you're experiences are.
And I'll let you know how this story ends.
Some people just haven't gotten the message.
Like yesterday.
I'm looking at a product that I hope will help some of my nagging, chronic, and sometimes debilitating health problems. My friend swears by it and offers great testimonials. I'm well versed in alternative treatments, and I recognize the product's possibilities.
And, she offers a position to me, for a fee I'm willing to pay, that will put me in her group with enough volume to pay for my product. A win-win.
But, my husband and I are involved in developing other businesses, selling our home (and taking a HUGE hit), and relocating from Florida to Virginia in the next few months. I'm willing to give a few hours a week to this new business, but no more.
Red flag! Should I really get this position? Let's three-way with her sponsor...
I really like my friend and value her low-key approach to her business. But her sponsor subjected me to an hour of browbeating. (Why I listened for an hour is another story.)
*network marketing only works face to face...online marketing doesn't work
*you don't need to spend money on coaching or marketing programs or, or, or... (I've loved my coaching with Bob Proctor, Mary Manin Morrissey, Ellie and Charlie Drake; and I've devoured all I can about marketing from the best)
*you need to focus all of your attention on THIS company
*you need to prove yourself to get this position
*you should consider going to convention in two weeks (half way across the country, when I've booked a T.Harv Eker seminar nearby)
Whew!
Now, I don't think Ms. Sponsor would normally have been so tough, so hard, or so, frankly, off-putting. I don't fault Ms. Sponsor for what I see as her protecting her protege who really shouldn't sell the position to someone who will let that leg of her business slide. After all, it's my friend's business, her livelihood. She's spent two years building to this point where she said goodbye to her W-2.
So, a warning. When you're looking for a home-based business, the people you work with are key. The products can be great, the training awesome, the compensation plan the best. The company can be top-notch...and there are a number of terrific companies on all counts.
But it's the people you work with on a daily basis that are key. Pay attention. Browbeating just doesn't fly in this day and age.
Let me know what you think and what you're experiences are.
And I'll let you know how this story ends.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
How Do We Help Our Aging Parents? With a Home Business.
Early in October, we were in Virginia for my step-son's wedding. There were yellowing leaves on the birches, yellow day lillies clumping beneath, and a hint of the changing season in the evening air...beautiful.
This was home until just a few years ago when we thought we'd try the sun and surf of Southwest Florida. This is where most of our family now lives.
Like my father-in-law who is nearing ninety. He lives in the home he bought brand new more than fifty years ago, where he raised his four children, and where watched his wife succumb to breast cancer a year after he retired early so they could finally travel.
But he needs help, and his youngest son, my husband, is a thousand miles away. We need to move closer, and we'll sell our home at enormous loss to make that happen.
Fortunately, we have a family of home-based businesses that allow us to work anywhere we can get online. We need to be near his dad, and we can make it happen.
My friend, who also lives in Virginia, cares for her father in her home. She works as a home health nurse, and because she's in business for herself, she can schedule her time around his needs. She and her husband are at a time in their lives where they have money and time to travel, but they feel that her father's care comes first.
We're the lucky ones.
I watched a news report recently about a woman who worked more hours to pay for the care her father required in her home. Did you see it? She set up cameras and filmed the woman she hired beat her father in his bed. This was a woman she trusted. Now, I don't know if this dutiful daughter (bless her heart) could work her job from home, but I bet she wishes she could so she could better oversea her father's care and spend time with him before he dies.
And I watched a giant moving truck today packing up my elderly neighbor to move her to her daughter's home after a serious stroke now prevents her from living in her dream retirement home here in Florida. I don't know how caring for her mother will affect her family.
How about you? Are you in a position to help your parents if they were to need you?
Now, I know that working from home is not for everyone.
But in these economic times a home-based business provides us with so many more choices.
We're thankful that we can make the move, that we can be around to help his dad and keep him company. We saw on our visit just how much that meant.
How much would it mean for you to have that flexibility?
How much would it mean for you to be in a position to care for your parents?
Look carefully at yourself...you can have what it takes.
Blessings,
Judy
This was home until just a few years ago when we thought we'd try the sun and surf of Southwest Florida. This is where most of our family now lives.
Like my father-in-law who is nearing ninety. He lives in the home he bought brand new more than fifty years ago, where he raised his four children, and where watched his wife succumb to breast cancer a year after he retired early so they could finally travel.
But he needs help, and his youngest son, my husband, is a thousand miles away. We need to move closer, and we'll sell our home at enormous loss to make that happen.
Fortunately, we have a family of home-based businesses that allow us to work anywhere we can get online. We need to be near his dad, and we can make it happen.
My friend, who also lives in Virginia, cares for her father in her home. She works as a home health nurse, and because she's in business for herself, she can schedule her time around his needs. She and her husband are at a time in their lives where they have money and time to travel, but they feel that her father's care comes first.
We're the lucky ones.
I watched a news report recently about a woman who worked more hours to pay for the care her father required in her home. Did you see it? She set up cameras and filmed the woman she hired beat her father in his bed. This was a woman she trusted. Now, I don't know if this dutiful daughter (bless her heart) could work her job from home, but I bet she wishes she could so she could better oversea her father's care and spend time with him before he dies.
And I watched a giant moving truck today packing up my elderly neighbor to move her to her daughter's home after a serious stroke now prevents her from living in her dream retirement home here in Florida. I don't know how caring for her mother will affect her family.
How about you? Are you in a position to help your parents if they were to need you?
Now, I know that working from home is not for everyone.
But in these economic times a home-based business provides us with so many more choices.
We're thankful that we can make the move, that we can be around to help his dad and keep him company. We saw on our visit just how much that meant.
How much would it mean for you to have that flexibility?
How much would it mean for you to be in a position to care for your parents?
Look carefully at yourself...you can have what it takes.
Blessings,
Judy
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Whew! What a Week in Washington! How will YOU Weather the Storm?
We're getting ready to bail out Wall Street. Wow. The words "crisis" and "not since the Great Depression" and "imminent collapse" worry us, even terrify us. Are our jobs safe? Our retirement funds?
And all the talk about us...the American workforce...as the strongest, most productive, and most resilient in the world.
Yeah, butter us up. Just before you cut our medical benefits, our retirement benefits, our hours, or send our jobs overseas and leave us to fend for ourselves.
Now, more than ever, the idea of a home-based business provides an alternative.
A recent Fortune magazine cover story stated: "Forget the paycheck; your W-2 days are over. It's a 1099 world now."
A recent Gallup poll found that 61% of Americans prefer to be their own bosses. They realize they want more control over their time. They are less willing to work the extended hours their jobs require while their children grow up without them. And they simply don't trust that their loyalty will result in a secure retirement.
Experts, like Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad; Oprah's financial guru, David Bach, author of The Automatic Millionaire and Smart Women Finish First; Stephen Covey, author of the legendary book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; and the persistent billionaire Donald Trump all agree that direct sales in the form of network marketing offers a practical and accessible way for anyone who chooses to start their own business or earn extra income. Trump says, in the book he wrote with Kiyosaki, Why We Want You to Be Rich, "Network marketing has proven itself to be viable and rewarding source of income, and the challenges could be just right for you."
Women in traditional jobs still earn on average less than men for the same work. Astounding. But the Direct Selling Association reports that in direct selling 79.9% are women who have the exact opportunity as men to create an income that supports their dreams for themselves and for their families.
Direct selling is also a business that doesn't require you to have umpteen college degrees to create a successful business. Nearly one-fourth have a high school diploma or less, and 32% have some college or trade school. But college graduates, about 35%, choose direct sales over more traditional jobs. Maybe because there aren't any. And 8% have post-graduate degrees. (Maybe, like me, they've been in jobs, and now they're choosing another, more life-pleasing route.)
The news is scary. It affects our future as a country and creates a debt, already outrageously, unnecessarily high, that will extend beyond our lifetimes.
But we are the most productive, strongest, and resilient workforce in the world. And, even more important, we are creative, persistent, and determined.
We are the entrepreneurs that can and will rebuild the financial security of America...one family at a time.
And all the talk about us...the American workforce...as the strongest, most productive, and most resilient in the world.
Yeah, butter us up. Just before you cut our medical benefits, our retirement benefits, our hours, or send our jobs overseas and leave us to fend for ourselves.
Now, more than ever, the idea of a home-based business provides an alternative.
A recent Fortune magazine cover story stated: "Forget the paycheck; your W-2 days are over. It's a 1099 world now."
A recent Gallup poll found that 61% of Americans prefer to be their own bosses. They realize they want more control over their time. They are less willing to work the extended hours their jobs require while their children grow up without them. And they simply don't trust that their loyalty will result in a secure retirement.
Experts, like Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad; Oprah's financial guru, David Bach, author of The Automatic Millionaire and Smart Women Finish First; Stephen Covey, author of the legendary book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; and the persistent billionaire Donald Trump all agree that direct sales in the form of network marketing offers a practical and accessible way for anyone who chooses to start their own business or earn extra income. Trump says, in the book he wrote with Kiyosaki, Why We Want You to Be Rich, "Network marketing has proven itself to be viable and rewarding source of income, and the challenges could be just right for you."
Women in traditional jobs still earn on average less than men for the same work. Astounding. But the Direct Selling Association reports that in direct selling 79.9% are women who have the exact opportunity as men to create an income that supports their dreams for themselves and for their families.
Direct selling is also a business that doesn't require you to have umpteen college degrees to create a successful business. Nearly one-fourth have a high school diploma or less, and 32% have some college or trade school. But college graduates, about 35%, choose direct sales over more traditional jobs. Maybe because there aren't any. And 8% have post-graduate degrees. (Maybe, like me, they've been in jobs, and now they're choosing another, more life-pleasing route.)
The news is scary. It affects our future as a country and creates a debt, already outrageously, unnecessarily high, that will extend beyond our lifetimes.
But we are the most productive, strongest, and resilient workforce in the world. And, even more important, we are creative, persistent, and determined.
We are the entrepreneurs that can and will rebuild the financial security of America...one family at a time.
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