My mother often said, “The older you get, the faster the time.” As with most things, Mom was right. As you read this, do you find it hard to believe that its 9 years have passed since Y2K? Remember the crisis mentality that hadhalf the population stockpiling food and water and hoarding cash? All this just in case a computer glitch wiped out our electronics-dependent society. As it turned out, like continued as normal.

As with every New Year, people are pompelled to review and reflect on their accomplishments, unmet goals and the blessings and challenges they experienced. Personally speaking, I can remember being determined to make every year in the new millennium more memorable, productive and better than the last. What about you?

Where are you right now in the plans, resolutions and commitments you made for 2008? Did you enroll in a class that you have postponed until now? Have you announced to yourself and to everyone who cares about you that this year your health is your top priority.  Will you join a gym? Have you jotted down your goals? What about the book you have been meaning to write? Maybe this is the year you leave an unrewarding job to venture out on your own? Make plans to update your will. Do you have one? Is one of your goals to add more balance to your life, creating more time for family, friends and yourself?

The bottom line is that every day we make choices, deciding on the direction we want for our lives. A year from now we will be revisiting the outcomes of our choices; I encourage you to choose carefully. Say “Yes” to your health, to personal and professional development and to spending more time with family and friends. Engage in meaningful work - make a difference in your community - volunteer. If you need someone to help you be accountable, I welcome hearing from you. Together, we can make 2009 the best year ever. I welcome your comments. Bonnie Ross-Parker www.BonnieRossParker.com

If your blog is set up on a subdomain like yourname.wordpress.com or yourname.blogspot.com, I’m sorry to tell you, but you don’t really own your blog.

At any time your blog could be deleted.

Google (who owns Blogger/Blogspot) deletes blogs all the time. It happened to a good friend of mine whose blog got massive traffic and delivered massive value. I read her blog daily and it had fantastic advice. She had thousands of loyal readers who looked to her blog for sound personal finance wisdom.

One day she logged in and found that her blog had disappeared.

Did you know that Google somehow deleted their OWN blog?

How would you feel if you had devoted hundreds of hours to publishing a blog over a year or two and found that it had simply disappeared off the internet?

The lesson here: Make sure YOU own your blog. Publish your blog to your OWN domain on your OWN website hosting.

I get all my domains from Internet Based Moms, but you can use GoDaddy or whatever else you like. For about $8 a year, there is no excuse not to own your own domain name. Plus, it’s far more attractive, easier to remember and professional than a subdomain (like yourname.blogspot.com).

Send a message that you are serious about your business and buy a domain name.

Once you buy your domain you will need some hosting so that you can host your blog. This is the only way to really own your blog and all the files contained within!

I use ReliableWebs.com - they have great prices and stellar customer service.

You can still use the software at Blogspot or Wordpress (I love Wordpress!), you just need to tweak the settings in your account so that your blog posts are published to your domain.

The Joy of Connecting blog is a great example!

If you need help setting any of this up or learning how to really leverage your blog for more sales, traffic and publicity, I offer coaching.

Until the end of the month you get a free copy of my email marketing guide called Mini Course Money when you reserve an hour of coaching! That’s a $27 value, free. Get started now before this offer expires.

If you’re like most small business owners, your business journey will resemble a roller coaster ride long before it looks like a leisurely Sunday drive (in fact, it may never look like that at all!).

But if you’re thinking about giving it all up because you still haven’t reached your goal after months (years!) of sweat, tears and a sore behind, think of Winston Churchill’s words:

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

If you feel like giving up, don’t! Here is the funny thing about life: A year will pass regardless of what you do today to build your business. But the things you do today to build your business will keep paying off over and over in a year’s time. If you don’t believe me, then just keep reading.

Since I started working from home, I’ve changed directions completely a couple of times, undergone major life changes, even felt the rug come out from under my feet a time or two (divorce papers and raising four kids on your own will do that!).

But, I keep plugging along.

My business has taught me some important things about life in general. Here are a couple of things I’ve learned.

1) They Keep Moving The Cheese

Have you read Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life?

Highly recommended reading for anyone in business. It’s a slim little volume that you can devour at bedtime.

Things are going to constantly change: your life, the nature of business. What worked last year isn’t going to cut it this year. You have to keep changing if you want to survive and thrive in the online business arena.

Do your best to try out new technologies and see if they will improve your bottom line. Ask others who are doing it for help. Remember that just 5 years ago, nobody was blogging? Now if you don’t have a blog, you’re likely to lose visitors.

Lots of folks are stepping into audio, video and podcasting. These technologies don’t have to be a stumbling block. You can always hire or joint venture with someone who can do the techie stuff and just create your message.

Your family life is dynamic also and just when you think you’ve gotten into a comfortable routine, bam! A separation, a miscarriage, a new baby, somebody retires or gets laid off, etc. Life happens.
Anticipate that the cheese will be moving. Constantly monitor the state of your old cheese. If it’s dwindling or getting smelly, watch out!

2) Don’t Put All Your Marketing Eggs Into One Basket

While it’s good to learn one marketing method well before starting to do another, but just don’t focus on one thing entirely to the exclusion of others. For instance, search engine optimization might be your “thing”, which is great, but make sure you’re also writing articles and press releases too.

3) Lesson 3: Give It Time

It’s so hard to be patient, isn’t it? If you find yourself wondering when you will ever meet your goal, there are a couple of things that might make the wait easier while you keep plugging away at your business.

a) Celebrate small successes
Sometimes we get so caught up in humongous goals and forget to celebrate the little achievements. That first small affiliate check, that first autodraft customer, 5 new pages added to a web site, an unsolicited, glowing testimonial about your product, etc.

Keep a log of all the little successes that happen in your business and review them when you need to get motivated again. Keep a “done” list next to your “to do” list.

b) Start a Feel Good Folder
Start a little word document on your desktop. Anytime someone says something nice about you on a message forum, anytime you get a subscriber thanking you for your newsletter, copy and paste that into a text document. Review it when you’re feeling down and impatient.

Another thing that helps is to hang out with other successful women in business, not just wannabes. I’m not knocking the wannabe, because we all started there! But spend some time each week talking to people who are where you want to be. Seeing them share success stories, seeing their triumphs and growth makes it clear that you WILL get there. It’s them today, but it will be you tomorrow.

For a few years now I’ve been a member at Mom Masterminds, an online networking and business resource center for serious work at home mom professionals. I wouldn’t do without it!

Just don’t give up ladies. Remember Winston Churchill.

Carrie Lauth is a work at home Mom of 4 who keeps on truckin’, and wants to encourage you to do the same. Sign up for her free marketing tips at her blog.

CONSISTENCY | INTERNETWORK MARKETING | RELATIONSHIP | TRAINING

5 Tips: You will be amazed at the difference being consistent in this way will change - well, just about everything in your life.

by Andrea Goodsaid

________________________________________

As I sit here chowing on a bag of Peppermint Patties, after just yesterday getting pretty clear on the idea that ‘I want to get thin again’, I’m reminded of a little twist of the Law of Attraction that’s easily glossed over in the daily practice of it.

The Law of Attraction is all about “intention” and ˜focusing on what we want”, right?

Well, intention has to meet

consistent action in the right

direction to work out the way we

want it to. Or no go.

Luckily, I’m tuned in enough to know better than to focus on the unwanted behavior and am instead (out of habit now, which is awesome to realize) appreciative of this moment of clarity and can giggle at myself, shake my head and put the candy a-w-a-y.

Eternally grateful, that my bag is still half full.

Which turns me to thinking about consistency and the juggling act we can create for ourselves in the process of marketing via social networks online (I know, crazy segue but hey, welcome to my brain - grin).

It’s all too easy to get caught up in the social side of online communities and forget about our networking intentions. Who hasn’t blown an hour (or three) following what I like to call “he said she said” threads - I know I sure have.

Or on the flip side, been overly focused on the “marketing” side of things and totally missed on the gems to be found and relationships that can be built when we remember to take the focus off of ourselves, putting aside all agenda, and find ways we can add value to the lives of others.

Better to focus most on the

NETWORKING aspect of the

beast and take consistent action

in that direction instead, yes?

And leave the pure “socializing” and “marketing” to the distracted, to those who don’t care who they interrupt and to people who have yet to become clear on the niche they want to attract.

Recently in a conversation on a new site that was created to be supportive of what is now being termed ‘Networking Naturally’, the question of being consistent and ‘genuinely’ social in this brave new world of Web 2.0 and social networking came up.

My general comment was as follows:

Drive by forum posters and people who never expand their profiles or take the time look around to see what they have to offer others are just missing the point (in my humble opinion).

And yet how to be consistent in your networking over time remains the challenge. Or at least it may seem a challenge if you are not in the habit of it.

It’s actually really easy and doesn’t have to be time consuming at all. Once it becomes second nature, my guess is you’ll wonder how you ever built any lasting business online without it.

So what is the definition of “networking” exactly?? And how do we make it a habit?

Networking is the art of building

relationships. And the habit

part comes by taking consistent

action in the right direction,

which in this case is ANYTHING

that builds a relationship with

another.

So where does that leave us?

Well if our intention is to become a better online networker, the way to do that is to take daily consistent action doing things that build relationships with others. And web 2.0 has provided the perfect vehicle.

Nothing too strenuous - these

consistent actions are more

marathon material than sprint.

And so are the results you will

get.

Here are five simple things you can do each day to get into the relationship building habit on social networking sites:

1. Leave sincere comments on the profiles of three new people each day.

2. Leave sincere comments on the profiles of three established friends’ profiles.

3. Visit three of your favorite groups and offer value by replying to a thread (or start a new one that will stir conversation) - remember to include a curiosity stirring signature file.

4. Write a short blog or journal post that lets people feel like they know you better.

5. Follow up privately with three friends — either ask for help or offer it.

That’s it.

You will be amazed at the difference being consistent in this way will change - well, just about everything in your life.

Now, to get out and be more consistent myself!

I appreciate you.

——————————————————

Andrea Goodsaid is a writer, networker, small business brainstormer and online community builder. She’s been online and networking, one solid relationship at a time since 1996. Most recently she is co-creating a community that is open to anyone who practices or would like to learn to apply the Law of Attraction to their marketing efforts. You’re invited to come see if it’s a fit for you too - www.NaturalNetworkers.com

Do these statements sound familiar?

“I meant to call you.”
“I intended to finish the project before the weekend.”
“I’m sorry I forgot your birthday.”
“I had every intention of being on time.”
“I’ve been wanting to take a class, write a book, or volunteer.”

The truth is we are all well- meaning. The reality is even the most sincere intention has no value without action. The world is full of dreamers. It lacks doers. Intentions are a barometer of what is possible. Actions are putting your intentions in motion. Action, not intention, creates results. The expression, “Action speaks louder than words” is familiar to all of us because it’s true. Telling me you’re going to do something and not carrying it out is intention; it is not action. We measure someone’s character not by what they say, but rather by what they do.

This is part of the series “Personally Speaking: Volume 1” to purchase the entire series click here.