Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

Forbes Magazine recently wrote an article listing the highest and lowest paying jobs.  It comes as no surprise that jobs in the medical field such as surgeons, were in the highest category while the lower paying jobs were cafeteria workers and other service type positions.

I know that not everyone can be a surgeon.  You may not have the inclination, the time to put into training, or the confidence and intelligence level to be an accomplished surgeon.  So, if you want a high paying job with out investing years and years into education to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer  what are you to do?

It seems that life is full of trade-offs.  If you are wanting a job with regular hours, a steady salary and full benefits, chances are you will be settling for a less pay.  If, however, you fully believe in yourself, you know you will make it no matter what, then a commission only job, a job as an entrepreneur  could bring you the pay of a surgeon without investing in the education.

For some that seems too good to be true, but success comes with the right mindset, and if you look around, you will find the most successful people in the world are entrepreneurs, people who have taken a risk, had a great idea, believed in themselves and ran with it.  If you are determined, driven, dedicated and have a burning desire to succeed, nothing in the world is holding you back from earning the same income level as an accomplished surgeon.

One of the most important factors in determining how much you are capable of earning is knowing the amount you BELIEVE you are capable of earning.  As Napolean Hill states:, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve”.  You must believe in yourself, believe that you will make it no matter what, and follow that belief with massive action towards your goal.

I work in an industry that does offer unlimited income potential.  I see people with various backgrounds, people who had been in the construction industry, doctors, lawyers, hairdressers, people who wanted to change their lives, and live life on their own terms.  We have the ability to work when and where we want  and the financial resources to truly enjoy life as it is meant to be enjoyed. If you are interested in learning more about what I do, click here.  I would love to talk to you personally about how simple it is to live a life of true abundance, a life that many simply dream about.  Be sure to fill in your information and I will contact you right away.

In the meantime, never stop dreaming.  Know that life is meant to be truly lived, to be embraced and enjoyed!  We were not put on this planet to dread every day, working for a tyrant and missing out on the really important things in life like being with your children,  and taking time for friends and family.  Live life to the fullest!  Begin today to do live life on your terms!  Click here now!

For so long when people asked what I “did” I would reply “I am a stay at home mom”. Usually I would feel great pride in that answer, but as my daughter began getting older and more independent I often felt a little embarrased. She really wasn’t home that much, and actually neither was I. I really wasn’t a home a stay at home mom, and in reality not many moms actually stay at home that much. Busy moms are either volunteering at school, driving their children from one activity to the next , and getting everyone and everything organized.

When a “stay at home mom” decides she also wants to add a “stay at home job” to her life, how on earth does she fit it in. Honestly, she will probably have to give a few things up. As a stay at home mom who has started my own business from home, I am able to do it, but I realize that in order to be successful, I must be very organized, dedicated, determined and very particular with what I do with my time.

I love the fact that I am still home when my daughter arrives home from school. I can take a break from my work and ask her how her day was, and be there to support her if ever there is a need. As she does her homework, I can work beside her, enjoying achievement as we both work towards success.

I possibly am more “stay at home” than I was in the past, giving up my tennis time to work on my business. I do still have the time to work out on a daily basis, and spend time with friends and family as needed. I was so grateful that I chose a stay at home business when my father recently endured serious health problems. I was not working from home at all, but could work out of the hospital, his house, or take a break as needed to spend valualbe time with my father and mother.

I also love working from wherever home might be. Last year I had the pleasure of traveling to Canada, California and Nevada. I had a wonderful time in each of these locations and was never missed a day of work. This year I have plans to visit San Diego, Puerto Rico, Denmark, and others. Of course I will not miss any of the sites, but I love that my time is my own, and I can easily work from any place in the world.

My choice to work from home was very much like my choice to be a stay at home mom. It is a personal decision, and you get out of it what you put in. As a stay at home mom, I was president of the PTO, Brownie and Girl Scout Leader, very involved in every aspect of my daughters life. Now, as a stay at home business woman, I know that I must give my business the same attention I would to any full time business in order to be successful. I love the flexibility it gives me and the income it allows for me to travel the world, donating to charity and live the life of my dreams. If you would like to learn more click here.

“Don’t stop taking chances because you learn, and you learn and then you learn some more.”  These were some of the last words of advice given to me from my father shortly before he passed away recently.  First he told me that I am that I was doing O K, that he wasn’t worried about me, but I just needed to keep taking chances.  What great advice, thank you Daddy!  I know that his 80 years of life experience, his advice means something, and I know that we had great love and respect for one another and above all he wanted me to be happy.

In life, sometimes we get comfortable with the status quo, and often we do stop taking chances.  This is when lives can become boring, stagnant, and we stop really living.  If we continually have goals,, something that we are constantly striving to achieve, it keeps our minds and bodies stimulated, it helps us be happy!

What was the last big chance you took in your life?  Can you even recall?  Did you set a big goal, and go for it?  Have you thought about trying a new career, but are being held back by fear?  Is there something you want to do in life, but you are afraid of the potential of failure?  Examine those dreams, goals and what is stopping you.  How many of your goals are being squelched before they even get off the drawing board by the little negative voice inside you  The voice  that tells you you can’t make it, you can never succeed.  That little negative voice  can easily be overcome, by the voice of confidence, the voice of reason that it is worth taking a risk.  Just to know that you gave it your best, you did everything you could to make your dream come true will make you happier, and you will have learned something from the process.

It seems common  in today’s economy for many people to give up on their dreams and live lives of quiet desperation because of life they have built based on fear.  They go to jobs they dread, doing whatever it takes to make it though the day, stay employed and then they go home to complain about how horrible their day was.  They do this because they are afraid of what an alternative life might be like, if they did go ahead and take that chance and made a change. This is not a way to live!  Most people work until they are at least 65 years old,if you start this kind of life in your 40s, you may not even make it to retirement.  Your health does not do well under stress and misery.  You must let go of fear and embrace a life of taking chances and live life to it’s fullest.

If you are really not happy in your current career, what is stopping you from making  a change?  With the Internet, there are so many ways to turn your passions into a profitable career.  Whatever it is you love doing, there is probably a market for it and you simply need to learn how to capitalize on that market.  The most important resource that you need for success is your own attitude.  With the right attitude you can achieve anything.  Know that you will be a success and tell yourself nothing will stop you until you achieve your ultimate goal!

If you are interested in learning about how to market on the Internet, I would love to help you with the tools you need.  This will also provide you with a great alternative if you are in a place where you want to make a change and make substantial income as an entrepreneur click here.

October is filled with the fun of Pumpkin Patches, Hayrides and Cornfield Mazes.  Although I love the Pumpkin Patches and Hayrides, it is the Cornfield Mazes that attract my attention.  I love the challenge of going into a field, not being able to see the final destination, yet knowng I will somehow make it to that point eventually.  There are interesting parallels in  navigating through a cornfield maze and  navigating your way through life.

In a corn maze we are not able to see our final destination, this lack of vision is what makes the course so challenging.  If we could glimpse the maze from above, and see the entire path, we could easily run through the maze, correcting ourselves when we get off track.  Life is very similar.  If we have a vision, a goal ,we are driven towards that target.  It pulls us like a magnet, as we carry on our day to day tasks.  With out a planned intent, it is as if we are going through the cornfield maze blind, bumping into one dead in after another.

In the cornfield maze, if we do hit a dead end, we continue on, hoping to find the right path.   Some people choose  to go back to the very beginning, but this simply puts you further away from your goal.  As in life, you must keep on trying to find the end, realizing that each dead end you reach takes you a step closer to your goal as you can cross that path out and move forward.  In life when we don’t fulfill our ambition immediately, we must not see it as a failure, but  a step closer to success.  Learn and use that experience as a lesson to take you closer to your objective.

Some people find cornfield mazes scary and avoid them all together.  In the same light, some people are so afraid of failure that they avoid anything in life that may be a bit challenging.  The trouble with that type of attitude is that you may  experience success, but it will always be small successes, never a huge triumph that will make you stand out from the crowd.  You must be willing to take a risk, to go into that giant maze of life, with a vision and confidence that you will  reach your ultimate goal and be a huge success.

In my work, I am constantly learning, constantly navigating through the maze of life, and I love it, just as I love the challenge of a cornfield maze.  I am fortunate to have mentors who have walked the path ahead of me, and can guide me, so my route is much quicker then if I was maneuvering on my own.  Running into a dead end hear or there never deters me from continuing on in my quest towards the finish line.  Ultimately I love this process, and I love helping others as they navigate their own mazes, teaching them the secrets that I have learned, and helping them avoid the impasses that might stand in their way of success.  If you would like to join me in the path to success, click here.

When many of us make changes in our lives  it is often due to the pain that we are currently experiencing.  That pain can lead to very positive improvements, but in order to experience true success, we must move past the pain, and focus on our expected gains.

The Law of Attraction states that what we focus on, or think about continually, becomes our reality.  With that in mind, it is extremely important to be mindful of our thoughts, and make sure that we are spending our time thinking about what we want in life, not the experiences we wish to leave behind.

One tool that is extremely helpful in this area is the t-chart.  Simply draw a horizontal line at the top of the page and a vertical line cutting the page in two.  On the left side of the the t-chart list everything that you do not like about a certain area of your life, your pain.  Then, on the right side of the chart turn those negatives into positives.  For instance, if you are wanting to make a change with your job and you currently dislike your boss, on the left you would write. ‘My boss is an obnoxious jerk”.  On the right you would right something like “I love working for myself without a boss”, or “I love my boss, he is so intelligent, supportive of me and a great mentor.”  By the time you are finished with your list, you will have created  the perfect job, simply by turning all of the negatives from your current situations into the way you would love them to be.

Once you have created your list of positives , cross out all of the negatives and leave them behind.  Do not think of them anymore, they are in the past!  Take the list of positives and write out a paragraph detailing how your ideal situation would be.  Write it in the present tense, as if it is really happening right now. As in the above example, it would be something like:  “I love my job!  I have the most amazing boss, he is so intelligent and supportive of me, he is a great mentor.  I am really lucky to work with him!.  “  I love going to work each day, my salary is more than double what I used to make and I know that I will soon be promoted to an even more prestigious position.  I look forward to going to work each day.”

Write that paragraph on a 3×5 card and carry it with you, reading it out loud as often as possible.  You can do this with every area of your life.  Whenever you find yourself complaining about something , stop yourself and think about how you would like the situation to be.  If you feel put upon that you have to do all of the cleaning and chores in your home, then turn that around, saying “I love the way my family helps me  keep my home clean and orderly.”  If you are complaining about your spouse because you never do anything fun, your new statement would be. “My spouse and I lead such a romantic life.  We have so much fun together!”

Remember, what you think about all day long becomes your reality.  Are you putting thoughts out into the universe that underscore the current negatives in your life, or are your creating the life of your dreams?  The time is now to live the life you love, take action and make it happen!

I love my life and I took action with the above steps in finding a job that I love.  I wrote down and read aloud several times a day that I wanted to work in a job that allowed me the freedom to be with my family, to travel, to work with positive, fun people and to make a lucrative income.  I am so fortunate to have found a position that encompasses all of those desires.  If  that is something you would also be interested in, click here.

I am writing this post sitting in a rehabilitation center with my 80 year old father.  He is sleeping after a night of “carousing”, climbing out of bed trying to get home.  My dad, or Daddy as I call him, had major spine surgery in May 2010.  Although he was a healthy 79 year old going into surgery, and the surgery went very well, post surgery he managed to catch every major infection out there.  He has recovered from all the strains that are currently going around the hospitals, c-diff, ecoli, pneumonia and more.  They call him the miracle man because he has overcome so much, defeating death at least three times.

My mother and father have been married 59 years, next March will be their big 60th Wedding Anniversary. Their love is true and runs deep. It is based on a lifetime of friendship, respect and of course romance. They have been fortunate to travel the world together, sharing adventures that most just dream about. During the course of their marriage they raised five daughters, and have been blessed with ten grandchildren, three great grandchildren with two more on the way.

While my dad was in the hospital my mother was constantly by his side as well as myself, my four sisters, my nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. Friends from the community never stopped coming in offering well wishes and constant prayers. During the three months he was in the hospital we never gave up hope. Nurses or doctors would pull us aside sometimes, saying they felt it was their duty to let us know the truth. Some said, they hated to be the bearer of bad news, but they didn’t want to sugar coat reality and they doubted he would ever get out of the ICU. One doctor, with out even reviewing his chart, advised we put him in hospice care adding that if we lived in Europe they would never do this type of extensive care on such an elderly man.

My father did make it though and is now in this rehabilitation center. The physical therapists here and the doctor had also given up on him, but my sisters and my mother continued on with our love and our hope. One day, perhaps it was a miracle, but he came out of his fog and reentered reality. He is such a kind, funny, intelligent, warm, loving man, that the staff was also overcome with love for him. He is now in the process of relearning to walk, and he progresses a little bit each day. He smiles and chats with all of the staff, giving them advice on their lives and joking with them to brighten their day.

The head physical therapist at this rehabilitation center has admitted that they had all given up on my father and if it were not for the continued support of his family he would not have made it. Surprising that he would admit such a thing, but we all knew it was true. Now, my mother and father can go back to living out their sunset years together. They have their 60th wedding celebration to look forward to as well as the birth of a great grandson and great granddaughter in November and December. My father will continue on with all of his volunteer work, contributing to society more than many much younger individuals ever even think about.

All of the love that went into saving my father is already given back to us each day as he tells us all how much he loves us and thanks us again and again for standing by him. With love miracles happen.

I had an interesting interaction at my local gym this morning.   One of the salesmen there asked me  what I was planning on doing today, and I replied, “Work out, work, have fun, you know, the usual”.  It was just your average chit chat, but what made me think was his response as the conversation went on.  I asked, “What about you?  Do you have fun plans?”  He replied:  “No, I have to work.”  I said, “Work can be fun!”  He stated adamantly, no it’s not, work is NEVER fun!”  Of course I had to continue and say, “Work can be  fun!”  and with that I left to begin my work out.

As I ran on the cross trainer, I thought about the preceding conversation.  How sad, I thought, that that guy thinks work is  never fun.  He is a salesperson at a gym, that could be a fun job.   I don’t really know the details that are involved in selling gym memberships or personal training, but I have a feeling that if he had a little fun, he may even be more successful at selling!

I have had jobs in the past that at I absolutely dreaded.  When you reach that point at a job, when it is not fun at all, and you can’t stand it, it is time to find another position.  Once I finally took action to find something more appropriate for me, I did find a job that I loved, and had fun every day.  Sometimes you stay at a job for  security, but it is not worth the security if you are miserable all of the time.  During the week days the average person spends at least one third of their time at work.  One third of your life should not be spent in misery!  If you can not make your job enjoyable take action and find some type of work that is!

Your attitude can go along way in making your job enjoyable.  In the scenario that I mentioned with the gym salesman, it seems that if he had a better attitude, his job could be fun.  If he viewed it as a game, a challenge to be the best, to sell the most memberships, or do better each day than the day before, perhaps he would consider it fun.  If selling is just not his thing, he may need to get into a different field, but as long as he is there, he should make the best of it until he takes action to find a job that he does enjoy.

Your mindset is a huge part of whether you enjoy your job or not.  Many of us were programmed that work was not supposed to be fun, work is work for goodness sake!  If we had parents that hated their jobs but did it to provide for their families then it is ingrained in our subconscious minds that that is how it is supposed to be.  I have heard of parents discouraging their children from pursuing their passions because “you can’t make any money at that”.  How sad.  Life is not meant to be spent chasing the dollar, it is meant to be cherished, lived and loved! I know in our current economic environment it is sometimes difficult to think of just doing what you love, but you can do it, millions of people do, why not you?

I encourage you to do everything in your power to make your work as enjoyable as possible, and if it continues to be a “grind”, then take action, make a change and love life!  I work in the field of Internet Marketing.  The people in my field that are extremely successful love to have a good time, work hard but enjoy their work, and have the right mindset.  If that sounds like you and you would like to learn more, click here

When we make the decision in our lives to be happy, we “choose” happiness, we also must learn to handle people who are not on the same page, people who are angry, irritable, or just plain grouchy.  How do you  deal with the cantankerous individual, who no matter how kind, happy, and helpful you are they just react in a surly fashion?  The answer?  Create a ray of happiness, a barrier if you will, that allows you to navigate through the world, deflecting  negativity and shining positivity on everyone you come across.

Think of your  ray of happiness as your “happy armor”.   Before you even get out of bed in the morning,  visualize your ray of happiness, that will touch all the people you come in contact throughout the day.  Think of all of the things in life that you love.  See yourself happy and count your blessings.  Be mindful of  everything in life that you have to be grateful for and give thanks.  Spend time in meditation, feeling the sensations of love, joy, bliss, kindness and gratitude.  Know that you will spend your day being happy, loving and kind.

As you go through the day, you may come across situations that are sad, depressing, or difficult.  Be  as kind and loving as you possibly can in every situation yet allow yourself to be in the moment and feel various emotions.   Feeling appropriate emotions in different situations allows your ray of happiness to shine even brighter at the correct time.

When you are in the company of someone who is extremely negative or depressed, do not allow yourself to get sucked into their gloom and misery.  If they seem to be clinically depressed suggest that they seek help of a professional.  If they are going through a hard time, do lend a sympathetic ear, but rather than dwelling  on everything that is not going right for them, ask them how  they would like their life to be and have them focus on their ideal life, and the ideal situation for whatever problem they are currently complaining about.   Encourage them to take action and make a positive changes towards improving their life.

If you have an interaction in the day with a person who your are not connected to: a stranger, a clerk in a store,or a customer and they are negative or angry, remember those are their feelings and not yours.  You and only you are  in  total control of your own actions and reactions.   If  the irritable person is your customer and you have done everything in your power to help them, and they are still upset then realize that you have done all you can do and move on.  Give them kindness and compassion, and be happy in the fact that you did your very best. If the angry person is a stranger who you have offended in some way, apologize for the mishap and again show kindness and compassion and move on.

Move forward in your day, shining brightly with your ray of happiness.  You will not only have a great day yourself, but you will probably improve the lives of countless others!

I work with an incredible group of people who seem to each emit their own “rays of happiness”.  If you would like to lean more click here

I am grateful for my happy life and happy that I have a life for which I am grateful.  What an awesome never ending circle of positiveness.  When I express gratitude for all of the blessings in my life I feel happy.  It is such an interesting cycle, the more you feel grateful for in  life, the happier you are,  and the happier you are the more you have to feel grateful .

Several years ago I started living a life filled with gratitude.  It is really amazing how much you can change you life, and your attitude simply by being grateful for everything you possible can be in your life.  I have found  ways to be grateful for the things in my life that I used to complain about.  For instance, doing the dishes.  Now when I do dishes I quietly give thanks for the fact that I have had the opportunity to enjoy a delisious meal, that I have running water and a dishwasher, that I own a house with a gorgeous kitchen.  We tend to take so many things for granted in our lives, or even worse, complain about the simplist things when if instead we show gratitude for them, we feel so much better.  The complaining goes away, and I have found that even more things seem to appear for which you can be grateful.

When I was in my early 20s I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease, cancer of they lymph nodes.  I received the news on my 22nd. birthday, not news that I was especially grateful for.  In looking back, I did have much to be grateful for in this situation.  They had found the tumor very early, it was curable and I only had to go through eight weeks of radiiation treatment.  At the time I was scared and not exactly the most positive person.  I did get though the treatment, but if I had faced it with gratitude instead of fear, anger, and sadness, I possibly would have had an even better result and I would have enjoyed my senior year of college much more.

We are always going to have situations that come up in our lives that are not the most pleasant to deal with, but when we have the right attitude we can handle  anything.  If we face life with an “attitude of gratitude”, we can not only change our own lives for the better, we can also have a positive  impact on those around us.

Take the time to let the people in your life know haw much you appreciate them.  Instead of griping at your spouse for the little things they do wrong, thank them for whatever they are doing right!  Catch people doing something well, and let them know that you noticed, and that you appreciate them.  When your children do something sweet, kind or thoughtful, tell them how great they are, and how grateful you are to have such a wonderful child.  Everyone loves to be loved and showing gratitude for one another is a great way to demonstrate your love.

You are meant to have an amazing life, live it!  Look for everything you possibly can to be grateful for and before you know it your life will be overflowing with an abundance of greatness!

I am very grateful for my life and the work that I do, grateful for the freedom that my work allows me.  If you are interested in learning more click here.

Happiness as a habit?  Wow, have you ever thought about simply making being happy a habit?  Why not?  I bet you know people who are cranky all the time, irritable or negative.  It is very possible that those emotions have just become a part of their persona because of habit.  So why not make being happy a habit?

You have control of your emotions and can simply choose to be happy.  There are also simple action steps you can take on a regular basis in order to be happy consistently.  In other words, make being happy a habit.

First, when you wake up in the morning think of everything that you love.  Take a moment to be grateful for all of the blessings in your life.  Picture your dream life, and imagine yourself living that life now.  Say to yourself, “I am so lucky to have such a wonderful life!  I am so incredibly happy!”

Listen to upbeat happy music whenever you can.  Make a playlist of songs that make you feel good, inspired, and joyful!  Everyone has their own taste in music, but you know which songs stir emotions of sadness and which make you feel happy.  If you get the chance, sing along, dance even shout out a woo hoo!  You will be thrilled at how great you feel.

Exercise.  Exercise releases endorphins in your body and elevate your mood.  If exercising seems like pure drudgery to you try to find something fun, like a salsa class, or train for an upcoming race, or simply go for a walk with friends.  Sometimes starting is that hardest part, but commit to making exercise a part of your life and a part of your happiness habit.

Allow yourself to feel and express other emotions.  Just because you decide you are going to be happy doesn’t mean there will not be times in your life when you will feel sad.  I think of myself as a very happy person, but I also cry very easily when I am sad.  Expressing your other emotions allows them to be released and allows you to return to the state of happiness.  If you are feeling irritable look at the source of irritation and deal directly with the problem.  If your irritability is groundless, than go back to practicing the steps of happiness, think of all the things you love, be grateful, exercise, and love your life!

Make a joy board.  You may have heard of vision boards, a joy board is similar.  Simply put items that make you feel happy on a bulletin or poster board that you can display and view regularly.   The difference from a vision board is you  include pictures from your past, quotes, lyrics, anything that makes you smile and makes you feel happy.  I also suggest you make a portable version called a joy book.  Put the same items you would post on a joy board into a 5 by 7 photo album (often called a brag book).   Carry your joy book with you as often as possible and view it regularly!

Be kind to others!  This is so obvious, but the nicer you  to everyone you meet, the more joy, love and kindness you will receive back.  It is so rewarding to help others and what we give is always surprisingly small in comparison to what we receive.

Take in the beauty that surrounds you.  We often travel the world to see the sites that everyone raves about when some of the greatest creations are right in our back yard.  Take the time to appreciate the small details in life, the sunsets, smiles,  laughter , a delicious dinner, a romantic kiss.

Live and love your life!  Practice the “Happiness Habit”!

I am so fortunate to live a life I love and work with positive people who live their dream lives.  If you would like to learn more click here.