The Power of Gratitude

Have You Found the Missing Link to Success?

Back in early 1990, my husband lost his job. We had two small children -- a 2-year-old daughter and a 5-month-old son with a medical condition. When my husband suggested I look for work since I had computer experience and might have an easier time finding a job, I started putting out resumes. After the first interview, I came home and sat at my kitchen table and knew -- just KNEW that if I went out into the workforce, I'd never be a stay-at-home-mom again.

That's when an idea struck. It wasn't a brand new idea, but one I'd rolled around in my head about a year earlier. The idea returned -- teach people computers the way other people teach piano lessons -- let them come to my house and tutor them.

The newspaper was open to the "help wanted" section, and there was a number I could call to place an ad. I didn't wait. I called it and placed one that read something like this:

"Are you being turned down for jobs because you don't know WordPerfect, Pagemaker and Lotus 1-2-3? If so, call ###-#### for personalized hands-on training."

It ran in the next Sunday's paper and only cost $5.00. The first time the ad ran I signed up two students. I had to book them two weeks out so I could scramble and create my course materials.

By November of 1990, I was working 50 hours a week from our little 1,100 square foot suburban home teaching 2-3 people at a time.

That single idea set me off on a trail that has made me who I am today. I didn't know in May of 1990 that one day I'd be the creator of IdeaMarketers.com and SheLovesGod.com or the author of 20 books. I didn't know I'd have a career that I absolutely adore -- writing, speaking and promoting some of the most amazing people on the planet.

All I knew was that I wanted to be there for my kids and that I had an idea worth trying. I didn't wait until I had all my course materials created. I didn't wait until I'd researched the marketplace or even my competition. I just had a hunch that people would pay for private tutoring. And they did! What's more, when my students went on to get jobs, they told their employers about me. From there I got programming and consulting contracts with top notch companies. The experience was incredibly valuable. I was able to learn about business from some very savvy individuals as I went into companies and computerized their systems.
 
In 1995, a friend suggested we go into business together creating Web pages. I followed my heart again and leapt into a whole new world.

So ... have you figured out what the missing link to success is yet?  You guessed it! It's taking action! Lots of people have ideas. It's the individual who takes consistent action whose ideas transform into successful realities.

Taking action is so important, five of my colleagues and I are putting together the "Take Action Virtual Workshop." It's online, free and starts February 22nd. You'll be able to listen to successful entrepreneurs like Shannon Cherry, Janis Pettit, Adela Rubio, Bob Jenkins, Felicia Slattery and myself share our stories of how we took our ideas and transformed them to income. We'll also share action steps you can take immediately to turn your ideas into successful realities.

So what are you waiting for? Take action! :) Register today for free at
http://www.TakeActionVirtualWorkshop.com

Getting Your Message Out Webinar Series

I'm starting a Webinar series on Tuesday, February 10th that will be held for the next 4 months on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 1pm ET / 12 CT / 11am MT / 10am PT. The classes will cover:

1. Creating and Managing a WordPress Site/Blog
2. Listbuilding techniques
3. Selling ebooks - formatting sales pages & download pages, taking payments
4. Self-Publishing in Print - getting your book to print and on Amazon, B&N, etc.
5. Teleclasses/Teleseries
6. Joint Ventures
7. Article marketing, search engine positioning, keyword research, building traffic.
8. Social Media - Twitter and Facebook

For details on the Webinar series, go here.

Wireless High Speed Internet for the House!

It's a dream come true for me. I've been wishing for it for years, and now it's a reality - wireless internet throughout our house. Up until last year, I ran my entire internet business off dial up! Can you imagine?  We're so far out in the country, they said they'd have to launch another satellite into space to get us satellite internet. Cable and DSL have never been options and still aren't.

Then my brother-in-law stumbled onto Sprint's broadband service but it only gave us high speed on one computer at a time. With Laurel and Greg going to work in my business, we needed high speed for more than just mine. So my friend Zac (an amazing whiz kid) figured it out. There's not much Zac can't figure out.

He got us a KYOCERA KR1 Mobile Router that sits in our living room connected to the Sprint Broadband device. The 2 laptops can easily pick up the wireless like they would at anyplace that has WIFI. Then he got two EnGenius Wireless LAN Long Range USB Adapters for the 2 desktops. They just connect through a USB port. It took him about 1.5 to 2 hours to configure and test everything... of course that was with Elijah following Zac around, distracting him with a gazillion questions and making obnoxious noises pumping his hand under his arm. Poor guy. He handled it with the patience of Job and the genius of Einstein.

Needless to say I'm thrilled that everyone can use the internet and stop fighting over my high speed device!

Favorite Movie Clips

Just kicking back this evening and watching some of my favorite movie clips and thought I'd share a few of them here:

Hope you enjoy!