The Power of Gratitude

Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow

This is the fifth video segment in the series I did with Lisa Rae Preston on "Branding Yourself, Becoming Popular and Developing a Fan Base." In it we discuss how to strike a balance between what you love doing and earning money.  I'm getting so many positive comments on these videos. My daughter Laurel truly is a creative genius. :)

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Niagara Falls, Tesla, and Your Success

Have you ever experienced something in nature that was so powerful and amazing that you felt puny in comparison? Last summer our family visited Niagara Falls. Niagara is such an awesome display of power that no amount of film - still or video -- can capture its grandeur. To think men have been able to harness the power of this mighty river and the falls is hard to imagine. It would take an extraordinary mind to even try to tackle something so colossal and crushing.

The mind behind the Niagara Falls power plant is Nikola Tesla. Many people don't even know who Tesla was, but he's actually the mastermind behind technologies like radio and cell phones. He's the original inventor of the radio. The US government awarded him the patent on the day he died -- after a lengthy lawsuit with Marconi for the patent rights.

Our eldest son Caleb read the biography of Tesla several years ago and has been a fan ever since. So it was a thrill for him to be at Niagara Falls and pose in front of Tesla's statue.

Tesla was the king of ideas. Nothing was too big or beyond his grasp. He harnessed electricity, airwaves, radio waves, and energy sources. Here are a few of the things that made Tesla successful:

• He thought outside the box, often doing things in a way that was unconventional and unusual.
• He saw the big picture in his mind first and then began envisioning the tiny details that comprised the project.
• He had lots of things going at once, and he knew which things to pursue and which ones to drop.
• He wasn't afraid to invest in his ideas. He constantly put his earnings back into his projects.
• He loved what he did.
• He saw nothing as impossible, but believed there was always an answer.
• Tesla believed in things he could not see!

Think about your own life. What would you dare to do or be if you adopted some of Tesla's characteristics as your own? I think that's the main thing I took away from Niagara -- never settle for mediocrity!

Shine in 2009

Are you ready to make 2009 your best year ever? If you're a talented individual with a message to share, then I'm excited to let you know about my new Shine in 2009 program. It's specifically designed to help you build a successful online business.

This is a custom program where I work with you one-on-one to help you do things like get your web site launched, develop information products, package your expertise and promote yourself online. I've allotted enough time to work with nine individuals in 2009. So if you're ready to stop talking about success and start achieving it, stop by my web site and apply for Shine in 2009!

Running a Home-based Family Business

Sandy Reed, founder of the International Association of Women In Family Enterprises, interviewed me the other day about my biggest challenges and blessings from working at home and having a family business.

Multiple Streams of Income

My guest today for Mondays with Marnie is a real mover and shaker. :) Milana Leshinsky is a marketing adviser to coaches, entrepreneurs and experts, helping them build a high-income business, with multiple streams of revenue.

In this call you'll learn different ways to "package" yourself and your expertise for maximum results.

Please join me for "Mondays with Marnie":

Monday November 3, 2008
Call Time: 1pm ET / noon CT / 11am MT / 10am PT
Phone Number: (605) 475-4333
Participant Passcode: 132313#

We'll also record the call, and you'll be able to listen to it in the member area of Mondays with Marnie. To become a member for free, go here.

The Power of One

Being one of those people who feels as if she must constantly be impacting the world for good becomes a little overwhelming at times. Sometimes it gets downright discouraging when you try your best to put good things out, only to see a deluge of negativity and corruption wash right over your puny efforts.

Have you ever thought, "I'm only one person. What difference can I make?" As those of us in the U.S. approach an election, I'd like to remind those who stand on principles to take a stand. Remember the words of Edward Everett Hale:

I am only one, but I am one
I can't do everything, but I can do something.
What I can do, that I ought to do.
And what I ought to do
By the grace of God, I shall do.

This summer our family had the privilege of visiting Washington DC. One of our most memorable stops was the Lincoln Memorial. This photo shows our two daughters standing by the Gettysburg address. As you know, many lost their lives defending the United States of America at Gettysburg. The last few lines of Lincoln's words stand out to me today:

"We take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation under God shall have a n.e.w birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth." (Abraham Lincoln)

If you believe in preserving life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for yourself and your families, I encourage you to take a stand for your ideals. Vote your conscience this election. Vote to preserve the liberties for which so many have fought and died. May they not have died in vain!

Jesus Christ proved the Power of One. One person can most certainly make a difference! Be that one!

Argument for Voting for Third Party Candidates

60% of Americans are not happy about their choices for President. If neither Obama nor McCain get you excited, you still have a choice. Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin make compelling arguments for ceasing to vote for the lesser of two evils and not continuing to settle for candidates who do not represent your principles:

As John Quincy Adams said, "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."

My office is a mess, it's time to get organized

My office is atrocious. I'll just admit it. It's stacked with papers and boxes.Rather than filing bills and paperwork when they get too high, I don't even sort them. I just toss them in a cardboard box and forget about them. I've got stacks and stacks of those cardboard boxes, and they're taking up a 1/3 of my little 10' x 10' office. Obviously, this isn't an optimal working environment or filing system. Honestly, I think I missed the "organization" gene when it was handed out in heaven. I must have been in line for a double dose of the automation gene.

So, I bit the bullet and signed up for Debbye Cannon's Virtual Organizing Your Office Fast day. I was immediately interested when I heard about it, but I postponed enrolling because I'm having a slumber party with the young women from church at my house the night before, and assume I'll be exhausted. Besides that, the whole thought of getting this office organized still feels overwhelming -- even with professional help.

Debbye assured me that she'll be taping the calls that will be staggered throughout the Saturday, I still was hesitant. Why? I know I'm going to hit snags and have questions that I want answered as I go, and I really wanted to be part of the live calls to get custom feedback just for me.

So I told Debbye my concerns and she reminded, "Don't forget, you get follow-up email consulting after the call." That's what I needed to know... I will have Debbye available to answer my questions when I hit a box of paperwork that stumps me cold. So I took the plunge and committed to the task. After all, that really is the bottom line with anything like this -- committing to do something about the overwhelming toleration in your life. Now that I've committed, I think I may make the calls anyway. After all, they don't start until 11am my time.

What are you tolerating? Is it your office? Join me for Virtual Organizing Your Office Fast day. Whatever it is...how would committing to a decision and taking action make a difference in your life?

Abudance and Messages that Matter

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been busy creating new ways of promoting videos, audios and podcasts for our experts at ideamarketers, but this past week I've been taking it easier and regrouping. I have to do that every now and then when I've been in production mode. I have to step back and realign.

What I'm reading:
The One Command- Imprint your DNA for lasting success by Asara Lovejoy - an interesting book on combining law of attraction and gratitude principles with a 6-step process that takes you into a theta brain wave state (like meditation). The idea behind it is that if you go into a theta state and issue the "one command" while you're there, you'll achieve powerful results. I'm experimenting with this to see how well it works. So far, it's increasing my peace of mind and making me feel like anything is possible.

I issued the command yesterday for my NY Times Best Selling Novelist goal and ever since I keep feeling like the phone could ring any moment from a publisher or agent saying they want to give me a six figure book advance for my manuscript that's in their hands. :) The jury's still out on how effective "the one command" is. I also tried it with several other goals -- ones that won't take as long to materialize. I only started using it yesterday so I don't have any tangible results yet.

Brilliance Unbridled (How the Secret Lives of Horses Reveal Your Power, Courage and Passion to Achieve Extraordinary Results) by Kendall Summerhawk. Kendall was nice enough to send me an autographed copy of her book. I love the way she draws lessons about life and business from the world of horses. She has a real gift for painting pictures and drawing analogies. I'm only about 46 pages in. Will write more on this one later.

What I'm pondering on / working on
I'm developing a live workshop where people will come to our property and learn about how to achieve and live their life purpose by connecting with the abundance that is theirs for the receiving. I'm hoping to offer a one-day beta workshop of this some time in October or early November. If you're interested in attending, email me.

Also, I'm developing a weekly group call, tentatively called "Monday's with Marnie" which will be held around noon each Monday to walk people through discovering their message and delivering it online. It will be a practical application of how to solidify your message, how to package it, and deliver it to the online world in a powerful way. If you're interested in attending these telecalls, email me.

So that's what I've been up to this week -- researching, pondering and praying for direction on creating powerful programs that will help people reach their full potential and deliver their messages to the world.

Mentors and Finding Your Focus

Behind every successful person, you'll find at least one or more mentors who helped them achieve that success. I know it's been true in my case. There are about ten people who have mentored me in one way or another over the last 18 years in business. Each has brought me something unique that only he or she could share, and I am immensely grateful for the impact they have made on my life and in the success of my business ventures.

One of my mentors is branding and naming expert, Phil Davis. Phil has been a fantastic resource to me over the last few years in helping me solidify not only my business focus, but also my life purpose. He's the one who helped me come up with my tagline "Highlighting truth & talent" and he's been the one who constantly reminds me to remain true to what I'm here to do.

I recently interviewed Phil for the CreateAWOW Podcast. I hope you enjoy this short 4-minute clip spotlighting some of Phil's wisdom:

Finding Focus in Life and Business
Branding and Naming expert, Phil Davis talks about how to find focus in your life and your business so that you make better decisions with clarity. Visit Phil online at www.puretungsten.com

MP3 File (4 minutes)