Friday, October 12, 2007

Update - What I've Been Doing since July 24!

Goodness Sakes, I've neglected my Blog a bit too long, I know. And I was so ambitious at first! My path has winded alot. Although Angela Booth's 'Blog for Dollars' really lit my fire, I am not going down that road.

One site led me to another, to another, and I ended up at SiteSell.com. This is a phenomenal web package particularly for what the owner/founder calls 'Small Small Business', which ah-hem, is what I am.

Since late July/early August, after I purchased a package deal ($299), I've spent much time researching my site concept. What I mean by 'site concept' is the theme of my website. If you visit the main site, sitesell.com, you'll learn about the literally hundreds of sitesell sites in the top 1% of Google's Search results, which is an awesomely powerful fact in itself for businesses wanting to utilize online marketing.

More later! My site is going to be guitar-related, FYI. I'm a 40-something that can play guitar fairly well, so I decided my site's going to be a teaching-focused site.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Planetbeth.com

Visit my website to see my scribblings! Well they're drawings, really .... I'm much too self-deprecating and that's one of my personal goals in the next few years: to appreciate my self more fully!

Say it with me: I'm Good Enough! I'm Smart Enough! And Doggone It, People LIKE Me!

Thanks, Al Franken ... did you know he's running for the US Senate?

My most recent addition to PlanetBeth.com is Ann Coulter. Back in spring of this year, she was a featured speaker at some fundraising event. She jokingly referred to John Edwards as a 'Faggot.' Here's a CNN blip about it - you have to watch a 30-second ad first, but it's worth the wait if you don't know much about Ann. You'll get a taste of her 'polemical' style.

Anyway, she has the perfect face to caricaturize.... long and bony! Not to mention she's extremely lanky. So I ended up with the pic you see on my site. My imagination went wild -- I developed alot of funny ideas around her (after researching her).

On the 'work' front, I am still technically unemployed. I've decided to pursue Affiliate Marketing as one avenue, and Site Build It! as the other avenue. I've joined Wealthy Affiliate. For $30/month I learn from the super-successful Kyle and Carson, who started the company as college students.

I bought the Site Build It! package because it too is an incredibly cheap investment when I consider the fact that I could eventually earn thousands of dollars from a website. What convinced me thoroughly were all the testimonials from successful SBI Owners. These are people not necessarily making $200,000 a year or even $100,000/year, but are earning enough cash to make a big difference in their daily life. That sounds like a good place to start, to me!!!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Affiliate Marketer?

Well I've taken a break, as you can see.

It's been quite a week. I've spent a great deal of time catching up on tutorials, reading Forums, etc. Perhaps I need to give you a little more detail.

I was so excited to be publishing, thanks to purchasing Angela Booth's eBook 'Dollars to Blog' (or something like that!), that in my fervor I sort of jumped off the deep end and expected to hook up with all my favorites right away.

I'm back to a 'steady state' and wanted to update my little Blog so here I am. I've been very focused this past week on learning much more about Affiliate Marketing. In particular I discovered Wealthy Affiliate via Angela's website. She heartily recommended WA, and so I took that recommendation seriously. It is obvious Angela is doing well.

I then joined Wealthy Affiliate after becoming convinced of its success and the potential that I would have personally with them.

I've also just purchased Site Build It! Package (for lack of a better word). Again I bought SBI! after becoming convinced of its awesome potential. SBI! has opened my eyes to the concrete possibility that I CAN make money with a website related to a passion of mine. Dr. Evoy provides plenty of success stories. They're pretty cool.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Loan Originator? - Part Two

So as I sat with the others, internally I was mentally multitasking ... one-half of me listened to the voice-over and the other half explored my emotional state and wondered why the DVD triggered me. In hindsite, it was my artist self sending me a message. Or trying to.

About this same time I was intensely reading Carol Lloyd's book 'Create a Life Worth Living' (amazon page here). I loved the artist interviews the most because they validated my .... uniqueness, shall I say. I am not or have not been the first person to unsuccessfully try and fit into ready-made mode(s).

Right now I'm reading Julia Cameron's 'The Artist's Way' (amazon page here). If you're a closet artist or think you might be one, you should DEFINITELY read this!!

Getting back to the main point of my post today, I guess that point would be to listen to your self. In my case I've had to really struggle with 'shoulds' and 'should-nots.' I've found Iyanla Vanzant to be extremely inspirational also.

Iyanla Vanzant has sold over 8 million copies of her spiritual-based books, has appeared on NBC's 'Starting Over' from 2004-06 and has had her own talk show to name a few illustrious accomplishments. Would you be surprised to know that she actually practiced law for a couple of years?

'Yesterday, I Cried' is her autobiography - I recommend it extremely!! I checked it out from my local library - an audio book - also check out her organization's website. Here's the amazon page.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Loan Originator?

[Subtitle No. 1: Welcome to My Journey of Self-Discovery]
[Subtitle No. 2: How many times can Beth f*** up?!]

Thanks, Jon Symon, for your great site. 'Great Failures of the Extremely Successful' has just been added to my books-to-read list!

Here's the story:
In fall 2003 I bumped into John, an aquaintance of mine. We chatted. He had just left his job and joined an innovative home mortgage company. John is not a 20-year-old bubblehead. He's a 46-yr-old family man with responsibilities. 'Let's have lunch and I can tell you more about my company!' he said.

Over lunch he described the loan origination process and the handsome commissions to be made ($3000 - $7000+ per loan). I was intrigued. I took the plunge, attending intensive training seminars and ultimately obtaining my state license.

However, my 'Originatomobile' never left the parking lot. (As Dan Fogelberg put it, 'Some kind of message comes through to you.')

We (four other trainees and I) had just finished a tutorial with John at his home and were sitting in front of his computer. He put the company's slick marketing DVD into the DVD drive and as we watched the video I thought, 'It would be so much fun to make that!'

More Tomorrow ...

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

We Create our Own Reality

I grabbed my copy of Richard Kiyosaki's book 'Retire Young, Retire Rich'and randomly turned to p. 127.

'The more a person seeks security, the more that person gives up control over their life ... victims tend to want to give control over their lives to someone else in orer to avoid taking risks. Then they get angry when they feel someone abuses the control they granted the abuser in the first place. In other words, victims are often victims of themselves.'

Now do you see why I find his stuff so damn interesting?! Oh he has plenty of critics - John T. Reed is one of 'em.

It reminds me of controversies regarding the veracity of Lynn Andrews' or Carlos Castenada's books. I've come to the conclusion that whether it was Richard stating the above or a pink elephant with green polka-dots stating it, or Brittany Spears, no matter. The point is true.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

# 8 - Pharmacist or Dancer ...

When you figure out your commute time to and from work, time spent getting dressed, the taxes and other deductions that reduce your gross wage, and the 'psychic' costs of just trying to get along with co-workers and avoid office politics as much as possible, you realize how cheap you are!

[Here's an interesting article by a Mathematician about time.]

2003 was a tough year. As I've mentioned I lost my job in June, and about 3 months later I got a call at 5:00 am on a weekday morning, and my heart fell to the floor. It was my Dad's wife calling to tell me he had died of a sudden massive heart attack. (My parents divorced in 1972; Dad moved to Fort Lauderdale where he had a successful career as a Unity Minister.)

By October, despite debilitating depression, I latched on to some retail ghetto jobs which at least provided a steady paycheck. One of the jobs I had was working at a trendy gallery/restaurant owned and operated by two gay men. (My experience there in itself would be excellent material for a sitcom...)

One time I was kidding around with one of the waitresses - oops I mean servers - and we got around to complaining how slow it was that evening. 'Hell, we should just go to ____'s and dance naked for 500 bucks a night!' she said.

'500 bucks?!' I asked incredulously (I am clueless about this occupation). Well yes, she told me that $500 was practically an average amount for a topless dancer. I didn't pursue specifics - she seemed to know what she was talking about.

For roughly 3 hours of jiggling around in a tight skirt and no top, and bein' friendly with the guys, these dancers make more money than 70% of women. Holy Guacamole, Batman! This website shows top-10 Highest Median weekly earnings for women in 2005. Dancers still beat 'em! Plus, they don't have to put up with rush-hour traffic, neither do they have to invest in expensive suits and drycleaning ...

Monday, July 9, 2007

Overcoming Negativity

Today's suggested links: Eckhart Tolle ... Dr. Rachel Remen ... Dr. Colleen A. Sundermeyer (in particular, her book 'Emotional Weight').

You don't realize how pervasive negativity is until you you embark on changing your life for the better. I'm talking about the negativity within ourselves.

Negativity is literally a quagmire. The inertia is incredible. As soon as you think about doing something positive, or trying something different, another part of you blurts out some negative judgment. You expect the worst. You get stuck in a downward spiral, and no wonder depression ensues. When you're at this point, getting out of bed is a major accomplishment. Believe me, I have been there!

Between 2003 and 2007 I've sailed through some awfully choppy waters. It all began when my really neat job at a non-profit was abruptly terminated (budget issues). Thus began my sailing lessons.

More coming.

Friday, July 6, 2007

Reason # 7 - Not a Rule Follower

Today I'll tell you a story which will illustrate why square pegs can't fit into round holes (hey, remember that TV show?). Anyway silly me, thought I could wing a corporate day job, which would support me and give me health insurance benefits, in order to pursue my artistic life (I'm a fledgling Illustrator). I learned the hard way that this is not the case.

At about the same time my company hired me - I'll call it 'XYZ' - the marketing department was in the process of 're-branding' and revising all of XYZ's marketing materials. XYZ had recently become an affiliate of a global real estate services company which necessitated incorporating that company's logo and look, etc.

One of my main duties was producing marketing information sheets for a team of really nice sales associates. Each associate marketed anywhere from 10 to 30 properties. It was actually my favorite part of the job because my artistic inner child could express herself (albeit in a tiny way).

However within a few months, the marketing team clamped down on everyone. We were told to use their new info sheet templates, and there was to be no variation. Period. Exact spacing. Indent only 5 spaces, not 4, not 6, photos had to be this or that particular size, blah, blah, blah. The sales associates were used to creating their own info sheets as they pleased, even if they were too wordy, or had garish graphics. Now, the marketing police reviewed each sheet to make sure it complied with the rules (Spread your legs! Hands up! Keep your hands on the car!)

I hated these templates, in case you haven't figured that out by now. Having designed websites and created characters and logos as a freelance artist, well, I bristled at these rules. I'd been somewhat aware of my non-conformist tendencies. But my resistance to following every template rule, down to whether you indent 5 spaces or 7 spaces, e.g., brought to my awareness how ill-fitting this sort of task is to me.

So that learning experience was a definite take-away ... that I should not work in a widget factory where my responsibility is to ensure every widget is the same as the one before!

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Reason # 6 - Help's Just 2 Clicks Away

I want to thank Steve Pavlina, a successful online entreprenuer, for his really inspirational website. Check out '10 Reasons Why You Should Never Get a Job'. Reason #1 compares dumb money-earning systems (called 'Income for Dummies') with smart systems. His wife has an interesting site also.

I've been an official Blogger for 1 week. Already I've experienced highs and lows. LOW POINT -- On the 2nd day, after writing and editing for 45 minutes, my post disappeared! I freaked out immediately for 3-4 minutes, eventually clicking 'Help' and stumbling upon some potential answers. Somehow, I got the post published. I can't tell you specifically how I solved the problem, but that's Web 2.0 for you!

The highs come from my growing awareness of how big Blogging is already and will be. Let me explain. You know I bought 'Blogging for Dollars' by Angela Booth. Not only do I know have the ebook on my desk, I can consult her Blog anytime I wish. In particular the link 'Beginners Start Here' is crammed full of marketing ideas I would have never thought of myself! Again, that's the beauty of the web.

In 2 clicks I have access to a successful person's ideas and suggestions. Just 2 clicks! Not a trip to the library, or a lecture attendance, etc etc. It's available NOW, to me, to little 'ole start-up, entrepreneur wanna-be self-employed me.

Like Pamela Slim of 'Escape from Cubicle Nation' fame. She's got TONS of ideas, inspiration and information. Visit Pamela here. She actually posted to my little newbie Blog the other day!

I know that if I plug the web and its vast resources into my creativity, along with patience and determination, I can do it!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Reason # 5 - What is 'Work' ?

Happy July 4th! This morning I met Susan and John along with their 5 boys (yep, 5 of 'em) for my community's civil parade. I loved watching the kids. They have a natural therapeutic effect on me, or what I mean to say their spontaneity (sp?) does. Whenever a band came marching by, hese two little cutie-pies next to us would just break loose like there was no tomorrow. Now if I was to start dancing spontaneously, it definitely would be entertaining to watch crowd reaction!

Reason #5 relates to my personal expansion of the definition of 'work.' The first big crack or thump to my head was reading Robert Kiyosaki's 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' book. Here's his website. I first read 'Rich Dad' in Summer 2003, right after my position with a large (but poorly run) nonprofit organization was suddenly terminated (I received a 2-day notice. Outch). At this same time I got into network marketing, via my hairdresser, who was active in Market America.

I highly recommend this book to you. It's mind-expanding, but probably more so if you're already dissatisfied with the existing trade-time-for-money system and would welcome new ideas. I could easily create a whole Blog around his ideas (which probably already exists!). 'Rich Dad' stimulated my mind & imagination because of his perspective on the 'system,' especially the fact that he believes (as I do) that we are living in revolutionary times. I even think it is evolutionary - the digitalization of life has only just begun!

Reeling myself back in, 'Rich Dad' was the beginning of my mental meltwdown in terms of redefining 'work.' So fast forward to today - 2007 - and after much personal transformation and growth, I am FINALLY at the taking-off point. I have FINALLY given myself just about all the permission I need to start 'earning' money in a non-conventional way.

It's funny - I live in a typical suburban neighborhood. Most of the homes on my street are owned by families, or couples, who've lived in them for years. There are a number of teachers, blue-collar and clerical workers. And it's a pretty tight little street. When I left my last job, I can assure you the fact that I no longer walked out of my flat every day M-F at 7:35am, got into my car and drove away to work was definitely noticed by the nosier neighbors. Going 'to' work, coming 'back,' the whole rigamarole, it's such a part of us, our way of life. Everything gets all mixed up in it, like whether you're perceived as a 'lazy' person or a 'productive' one, and if you're not at work, but inside your house all day, what are you doing, playing computer games? Watching soaps and eating bon-bons?

Kiyosaki would point out that this type of judgement is typical of someone who's still operating under the 'Industrial Age' perspective. This means most of us still perceive 'work' as sitting at a desk or in front of a machine and producing. Our education system is still operating within this framework and its assumptions, e.g. 'Get good grades, go to college, and get a good job.' But as the last 20 years have shown, this no longer guarantees a good life. We're in the Age of Information now.

So my foray into Blogging is the result of years of soul-searching and going through some interesting adventures to get to this point today. Oh, and yesterday at Barnes and Noble I came across a very recently-published book about Mitt Romney, and he is a Mormon! As Johny Carson used to say, 'I did not know that.'

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Reason # 4 - Who is Mitt Romney?

Just after posting 'Reason #3' I went back to create a link for Hewitt's website when I stumbled upon Mr. Mitt Romney.

Who is Mitt Romney? 10 minutes ago I would not have been able to answer that. However the beauty of the web and having all this time is such that I can find out NOW. So I clicked on the link 'traditional marriage.' Here's the video of his answer.

Reason #4 - Knowledge is Power. How freakin' true. Educate yourselves!

Reason # 3 - Information Nut

I am an information geek... I suck it all in like an industrial-strength Hoover vacuum cleaner. It's a good thing I live only 7 blocks away from a really great library. The reference librarians and clerks must think I'm nuts, that I must be some unemployed nerd (which actually IS true as a matter of fact), 'cuz I'm there all the time. It's kinda funny, as a super-regular patron, you get to know them pretty well, know which ones are generally grumpy all the time, which ones are friendly, stuff like that.... :)

So back to Reason #3 ... I love researching and analyzing. At UW-Milwaukee I majored in History. I wrote a rsearch paper on the Little Rock desegregation 'Event' which happened in 1957, in which President Eisenhauer was forced to utilize the National Guard so that 9 black kids could enter the doorways of Little Rock Central High School (here's a Wikipedia entry).

For background I read personal accounts Virgil Blossom, School Superintendent and Daisy Bates, President of the Little Rock NAACP who registered the kids and helped them. Of course I also perused the anti-segregationists' stuff.

Blogging is a form of Journalism. No doubt about it! Blogging would fulfill that part of me that always wanted to go into Journalism. Why I DIDN'T major in Journalism is a whole 'nother topic. In any case, this new 'social media' fascinates me and I believe it will be a new pathway for cash flow.

I'm using Angela Booth's eBook 'Blogging for Dollars' as my guide. I purchased it for $97, printed it out and now it's setting here next to me at my desk. She lays it all out very simply. The first step is ... start blogging! And so that's why I went to Blogger.com. It's amazingly simple, although I ran into a glitch a few days ago and I'm still not sure how I found my way out of it.

I'm also utilizing my local library of course! I've checked out 'Blogging for Dummies', 'Blog' (by Hugh Hewitt), and purchased 'Clear Blogging' Since I am not working at a regular day job (I'm eking it out on my last bit of savings) I use the hours to soak up as much knowledge as I can. And, post to this blog, research other blogs, and then read some more. In the background I'm developing ideas for the kind of Blog I'd like to publish. Again Booth's eBook has helpful reports which came with the book.

So Blogging, as a form of Journalism, offers tons of intellectual stimulation and immediacy. Hmm, wouldn't I rather be sitting in a cubicle numbing my mind with soul-deadening, production-oriented tasks?

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Reason # 2 - Independence

I've realized I haven't provided enough practical information... what I mean to say is I want to back up a bit.

I've been infatuated by the web since 2001. Actually I discovered the web when, after my Mom passed away in November, 2000, I got online and began searching sites related to death, grieving, living through loss, etc.

I still remember one woman I connected with, via her website. At that point in time she was suffering from multiple health problems - which I now can't remember very specifically what they were - and her own death was imminent. It was freakin' sad. I emailed her and we got to talking about her life and her job in the music industry. She was involved in promotions and had met/worked with top acts like the Eagles, Marshall Tucker Band, etc.

Sorry, have to reel myself back in.... anyway, the web connected me with so many people and resources and info, I was majorly hooked. I must say, I'm glad to be alive in the 21st century... there is much GOOD about technology. Technology in itself would be a topic I could chat about for centuries. Jeepers, I'm sidetracking again.

Anyway, back to reason no. 2. Reason # 2 has to do with the fact that, I've always been the person that goes ahead and does everything. I'm generally impatient, and have lots of energy. When I'm stuck working in a group, I find myself becoming annoyed often because of the pace. Often with jobs I've had, unfortunately, the organization has delineated everything ahead of time, I mean specific tasks and responsibilities. Depending on the organization, this makes sense if it is a large bureaucracy where all the teeny tiny parts have to come together like a symphony. But it doesn't make sense in smaller companies.

I've also come to learn that companies are like people. Each one is unique in some way. Each company can be healthier or not-so-healthy. It's actually pretty fascinating from an objective, sociological viewpoint. But not from the perspective of the 'daily grind' and needing that steady paycheck.

I'm looking...looking, and did I say I'm looking? for ... the best fit for ME. Being a 'freelancer' seems to offer independence, meaning I'm as busy as I determine that I want to be. On the down side, I'm still working for someone...the client.

This has turned into a bit of a rambling again. But I've decided - taking my cue from Stuart Smalley ['I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!', which is a riot, definitely buy it!] to just keep going forward.

In actuality, I'm toying with setting up my own Blog, as a sort of Roving Reporter of the lesbian variety.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Why I'm going to try Professional Blogging - Reason #1

Although I've labeled this Post 'Reason #1', I'm warning you it's gonna be rambling. What I mean to say is that it won't exactly be the most organized ... entry. See, as I am SO new at Blogging, I think I'm still approaching it with an old school mind set. And that would be thoughts like, '...You're veering off topic here'.... 'What has THAT to do with today's topic?!' ....

I have to remind myself that this is NOT an academic paper! This is a BLOG! Ok. Oh, and I'd like to give a 'Shout Out' and 'Thank you!!' to Angela Booth. Her enthusiasm for Blogging and its future convinced me that I seriously give Blogging a try. Also a big THANK YOU to Pamela Slim who wrote the Forward to Bob Walsh's book 'Clear Blogging: How People Blogging are Changing the World and How You can Join Them'.

So less than 2 months ago I was employed as a 'support' person at a very successful, industry-leading company. This company is not a Fortune 500 or 1000 company. But in 20 years it had grown from 3 guys to an organization with 150 employees in like 4 states (I think that's right). Initially I got myself hired as a temp to fill in for a woman who was taking a 4-month maternity leave. My goal with this company: it would provide the cash flow needed for rent, food and bills, while I pursue my artistic life.

I don't think I ever worked as hard at a job as I did at this company. Specifically I worked for a team of six salespeople, and more specifically, I worked closely with the company's 2nd highest-producing sales associates. He was a whippersnapper, to say the least.

One of the things I found most amazing about working there was no matter how skilled one was, or how much initiative one had, or how positive and team-oriented one was, it all boiled down to whether you were part of the 'In' Group or not. Since I'm an ideal employee (i.e. I'm extremely reliable, proactive, quick, energetic, and have a good attitude), and because of a suddenly vacant position in my department (the lady literally walked off the job!), I came on board as a regular employee with benefits. A good thing.

But as I said, it became apparent that other rules, so to speak, were at play in this organization. I was reminded often of what I'd learned in my undergraduate course, 'Intro to Social Psychology' at UWM. In particular the dynamics of small-group interaction. Not to mention of course large-group interaction, which I guess would be the topic of 'organizational behavior' or 'sociology of organizations' or something like that.

Not only was I reminded of the 'Intro' course but also of ... high school! High school is that place where reality hits hard, if you aren't part of the 'A-list' crowd. You remember, right? If you were part of the 'A-list' you could goof off more, hand in more late homework, teachers were more lenient towards you, etc. Especially if you were a top performer, whether athletic or academic or artsy-wise, you were just somehow 'special.'

At my job, this was happening all over again.

So if I had to summarize (oops I'm writing a college paper again!) the above it would be that some part of me - my soul? - totally rejected the idea of selling my Self between the hours of 8am and 5pm, making my Self available to produce documents, marketing sheets, update innumerable records, files, websites, etc, etc. constantly, being 'supervised' by a person who didn't actually have a sense of what I did day in and day out, for a paycheck every other week.

The sad thing is (or maybe not so sad), soon after I was hired by the company, I realized how unfit the real 'me' was for the job. But that'll be my topic for tomorrow!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Today I start my 'Experiment' ...

Hello there,

Can I actually become a Professional Blogger in 30 days? Yeah I know, that's not a very long time. But I'm determined to strike out on my own.... I have a hunch that I WILL obtain at least ONE paid blogging gig by July 28, 2007.

WHY am I doing this? HOW do I have the TIME? DO I know what I'm doing [no, but that never stopped anyone from becoming successful... ]?

These questions will be answered in my next post.