“Those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life’s deepest joy: true fulfillment” (Anthony Robbins). When I think about all the “things” that are in my life it’s clear that materialism is no substitute for connecting one’s self with a worthy cause, participating with people who share the same vision and values, or doing something for someone without any expectations in return. The feeling of fullness because your heart place is alive with energy and purpose is immeasurable.

Your resistance to change, negativism and unrewarding work are no substitute for doing something about which you are passionate. Fulfillment can be experienced through volunteerism, connection with your spiritual self, working toward a far-reaching goal, being someone’s support or mentor, or any activity that elevates your sense of self. It’s worth both time and energy to search for and find that vehicle or outlet which reflects your uniqueness and values your participation.

Denis Waitley says, “Personal satisfaction is the most important ingredient of success.” Feeling satisfied and knowing that who you are and what you do contributes to the well-being of people and community is powerful. Fulfillment is not the job you perform or the task you accomplish. It is how you feel about yourself because of the difference “being you” makes! Here is the question. “Where are you in your life’s experiences as it relates to feeling fulfilled?” Are you connected to something bigger than you? Are you engaged in tasks that are rewarding? Are you stretching your mind to explore new possibilities? And more importantly, are you willing to consider other options that could take you to a place you’ve not yet been? Take time to expand your self awareness. Find answers to these difficult questions.

Congratulate yourself if you are leading a fulfilling life. Give yourself permission to seek more rewarding avenues if you’re not. In either case, life is a journey. It’s your journey. What you do and accomplish in this lifetime and who you share your life with are your choices. Remember, you and your contribution matter!

I love to read. Were it not for the demands on my time I could spend hours at the bookstore.

I prefer buying books because I use colored “hi-liters” to mark everything I either intend to remember or refer to at a later time. I gravitate to books “in large print” because they are easy to read on the treadmill. It’s amazing how much information is available. Sometimes, however, it’s frustrating that we are limited in the time we can devote to reading for pleasure.

I also love seminars. For me, to learn in a “live” environment, to be part of an audience, and to be connected to what a speaker is sharing is worth both time and money. Some seminars only feature one speaker. Some last all day and include small concurrent sessions or tracks. Regardless of the format, taking time for self discovery, to improve one’s skills or just to learn something new is energizing and enriching. When you expand your outlook you feel empowered and motivated. There’s an expression that compares one’s mind to a stretched rubber band. Once either is “stretched” it can no longer return to it’s original form.

Do you ever think about what you might do to expand your awareness? There are many learning opportunities close to home! Hospitals frequently offer free clinics and lectures on health and well-ness. There are franchise centers which provide affordable classes on everything from A – Z. Chambers of Commerce have mini courses on business strategies. Local universities provide continuing education classes. Recently I attended an all day “Conference for Women” which offered several mini-trainings on personal and professional development. Imagine spending an entire day with high energy, entrepreneurial women who are committed to improving their effectiveness!

Anthony D’Angelo wrote, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” Take time to expand your thinking! Whether it’s a one time class, a course or a lecture, reward yourself with the gift of learning. If you find something you believe might interest me, connect with me via email to share the experience. Would welcome the connecting.

It certainly is easy to complain. And usually there is plenty to complain about. Sometimes complaining can produce a different outcome. Not often. It has been my experience that finding fault with just about anything is quite common behavior; mastering the art of accepting unpleasant circumstances and the people responsible for them is not.

The operative word here is control. How freeing we’d all feel if we could control situations, orchestrate what happens and modify other people’s performance to be more acceptable to us. In the real world this is an illusion. Everyone deals with their lives in ways that best serve them. It’s ridiculous to think otherwise. So, what is the answer? The answer is change? Yes,  change. The key, however, is not changing what is around us, but rather, changing what is within us. When we change our thinking by observing situations from a different perspective, we can change our behaviors and become better prepared to deal with the reality of life as it presents itself. We can actually choose to free ourselves from getting “caught up in” what might otherwise annoy us.

Do you know people who seem “rattled” about everything? Do you know others who seem even tempered and exhibit little or no stress? What’s the difference? How two people each handle similar circumstances is a function of how they each think. If you don’t like the way you behave in certain situations, you can change your thinking and your behavior when facing them as they re-occur. When you consciously and consistently do this, your world will change. It’s worth the effort.

I am an on-time person. One of biggest frustrations is appointments that run late. Being punctual has it’s drawbacks. Most people are not as conscientious about time so I’m generally kept waiting. It used to drive me crazy. By the time the person I expected arrived or the appointment for which I was waiting opened, I’d be fuming. Not only did this interfere with our communication, but it was also difficult to let go of the stress. Realizing I can’t control another person’s punctuality, I began to change my behavior and perspective. Now, I anticipate someone being late and plan ahead. I might read, write a letter, make some phone calls or anything else I can do to productively use the time. Choosing to be productive is significantly better than changing a behavior over which I have no control. When I changed, how I viewed my world changed as well.

I encourage you to look differently at those predictably annoying circumstances you face regularly. It may be the way you handle traffic, supermarket lines, being placed on hold, or anything else that frustrates you.

By making changes in both your thinking and behavior, you will find your world more to your liking. I can’t guarantee immediate success, however, I can assure you that choosing to change your behavior is a lot healthier than fighting against behavior over which you have no control. The only thing you have to lose is……….STRESS!

As I view my life the hours, days, weeks, months, and years flow so quickly I sometimes wonder what I’m consciously doing to create unique and precious memories. The majority of my time is in routine mode. Plans are set. Schedules are filled. Responsibilities are met. As I move from one day to the next, I go from task to task. The majority of my time I’m on “auto-pilot”.

Although I had heard the song, “One Moment in Time” on numerous occasions, it wasn’t until recently that those words had a significant impact on me. When I made the decision to support 3 breast cancer survivors by participating in the Avon 3Day 60 mile walk, my laser focus was on adequate training and fund raising. I worked consistently in both areas. There were days I walked for 6 hours or more. During the summer months I’d be out as early as 6 a.m to cover the miles I needed to before the day became too hot. At the beginning of each week

I’d anxiously wait for the email posting of the pledge update to be certain I was on target to raise the required money to participate.
I followed this routine for 7 months. Day after day I’d think about the women for whom I was walking, the cause I was supporting, and the positive impact the money raised would have in providing education and medical care to women in need. What I didn’t realize throughout the training was the impact the effort would have on me. It wasn’t until I was actually participating in the 3 Day that the value of all the work, the time, and the effort became clear. I had made an enormous commitment to 3 incredible women, to all of my supporters, and to myself to complete what I had set out to do. Although I went into the endeavor believing I could live up to the task, I had no idea how the actual experience would feel. The walk was overwhelming on all levels. I completed 60 miles feeling strong and healthy, without any blisters and with little fatigue. This accomplishment was a huge boost to my confidence.
Crossing the finish line to the roaring cheer of thousands of well wishers who had assembled to welcome us all home, I felt an emotion like no other. I felt so happy and proud. My “One Moment in Time” was more real than I ever thought possible. To this day I can still hear the clapping, singing, and shouting of the thousands of supporters. I can feel my heart accelerating. I have relived the emotion of that moment many, many times.

I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced your moment in time. If you have, you can relate to my feelings. If your time is still uncertain, create a challenge bigger than you ever thought possible and go for it with unstoppable determination. Believe me, every minute of your time and effort will be worth the struggle. When it becomes tough to continue toward your goal, (and it will) stop and think of those who will be cheering for you at your finish line because they love you and wanted to be with you to celebrate your success.

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.