Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, is probably the most read and most discussed book on self-growth in motivational literature.

Hill presents a clear, unequivocal message – “If you can conceive it, you can achieve it.”

He should know. He spent twenty years studying with Andrew Carnegie, to learn the Scotsman’s formula for personal achievement with a promise to investigate, test, and present it to the world. It was Carnegie’s belief that this magic formula, that he used to create incredible wealth, should be taught in every school since most of the curriculum had little to do with the “business of earning a living or accumulating riches.”

In Think and Grow Rich you’ll find Hill’s philosophy wrapping Carnegie’s thirteen-lesson magic formula and his own case studies of America’s wealthiest and most successful men into a guide you can follow to reach your highest potentional – in health, wealth, and happiness.

If that is your dream, this is another of the essential books to read, and read again; to study, mark, make notes in, and dog-ear.

Blessings,

Judy

As A Man Thinkethis a gem of a little book. Even though written a century ago, it offers insights about the nature of the human spirit that are timeless.

The author, James Allen (1864-1912), insisted that each individual has the power to form his own character and to create his own happiness. He relates man’s mind, the key to his character, to a garden. Today, that’s a familiar metaphor.  But when we try to understand how the mind works, thinking of it as a garden requiring cultivation helps us to realize that weeds – careless thoughts – creep into our minds if we are not aware and affect our character.

Allen’s writing is poetic. The words rise and fall in a beautiful rhythm that draws the reader into his thoughtful and wise message. It’s a simple read, and quick. But it reveals deeper insight if read again and again. And, if you want an even more profound effect, try writing out a chapter. I suggest the last – Serenity. It reminds us to cultivate calmness so we can readily connect in harmony to the source of life.

Allen dedicated the last ten years of his life to his writing. As A Man Thinketh is but one of nineteen books he wrote to explain what he understood and experienced as the eternal life truths.

He wrote, “I send forth these books into the world on a mission of healing and blessedness, knowing they cannot fail to reach the homes and hearts of those who are waiting and ready to receive them.”

Blessings,

Judy

P.S.   This book belongs in your home and in your heart. I’ve provided a link for a free PDF copy. If you prefer a hard copy, click on any of the links.

Blogging is one of the best ways to build your brand, claim your Internet real estate, and build your business.  Once you’ve identified your passion, strengthened your mind set, and grown your determination to share your gift with the world, you’ll want to learn how your blog can help you accomplish your goals.

The folks at Simpleology don’t mess around. They make it, well, simple. I work with the WebCockpit every day… it’s a great tool.

So now I get a chance to work with their Blogging Multi-Media Course. I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.

Blessings,

Judy

We all know the economy is in chaos. Hey, can we avoid it? Even if we don’t watch the news regularly, we see storefronts empty and friends out of work.

But if you’ve been on line long, you know there are those who say recession means opportunity.

Check out this cartoon…you remember, I know, the story of Chicken Little (”The sky is falling! The sky is falling!).

In in, Brian Wong, student of “The Secret” teacher Bob Proctor, reminds us this very thing.

With the right attitude, the right mind set, and the right tools, you can not just get by…you can prosper in this recession. Millionaires were made from the ashes of the Great Depression, and millionaires are rising now.

Check back. More tomorrow on how you can take prosper with a new mindset, and a new opportunity.

Blessings,

Judy

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage) by Barack Obama

Do you remember reading Beowulf when you were in high school? It’s that story from forever ago about a man who defeated the monster Grendel, and then took on the greater monster, Grendel’s mother without fear or hesitation.

Beowulf has a lesson for us all. Through his efforts, he gave a country back it’s dream. He was determined to be immortalized in story, as his culture demanded; his heroic acts echo throughout the ages.

You can’t have the strength of your convictions part time. It’s an all or nothing game. We talk about loving our neighbors as ourselves, then we fear our enemies. Can we love and fear?

My students loved the story…because they saw that it applied to them, that it meant something in their lives. It was one of the “bridge” lessons…lessons that bridged the gap between school and the rest of their lives.

Another story that means something in all of our lives is the story we’re witnessing. This is a time in history unlike any since the earliest awakenings of our country. At that time, forces converged, and men of great intellect and understanding put aside their differences to forge a new nation. These men shared a philosophy, yet creating a working plan to represent that philosophy in everyday practice was a monumental challenge.

Today, our country faces other monumental challenges. Again, forces converged to reawaken within us this philosophy that defines our democracy. And the man who stimulated that reawakening is our new president, Barack Obama.

Despite the historic campaign and the election results, clearly not everyone voted for Obama. Many of those who did were feeling the pull of history and the eloquence of his speeches that recreated the vision of the founders.

For all of you who are concerned what this man will bring to our country, you’ll find answers in The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage)

The left already complains of the people Obama has chosen to advise him, sayings it’s not change if old Clinton people are again in office. They forget three things; that Obama’s in charge, that it takes people with experience to proffer advice, and that the change Obama promised is in tone, texture, and direction.

The right complains that this liberal Democrat will, despite what he’s said, tax and spend us into even greater deficits, cause us to leave a war unwon, force abortion and gay marriage down our throats, and make our country even more vulnerable to attack by trying diplomacy with our enemies.

In his book, Obama answers all of these charges as he clearly and precisely lays out his convictions, where they’ve come from, and how they now shape his life, his presidency, and his vision for our country.

Obama’s words, as Beowulf’s acts, remind me that I sometimes get caught in the trivial and ideological when greater things are at stake. They, by defining their own convictions, remind me to define my own.

What are yours?

Blessings,

Judy

The first thing my husband and I realized after we watched The Secret was that the movie just skimmed the surface, just tantalized.  If we wanted to truly understand the essence of its flashy, dramatized message, we’d have to go beyond.

We recognized that our core beliefs – everyone is born for so much more than most ever express, and life is meant for something greater than the lack most experience with the sadness and suffering that goes along – were the essence of the movie’s theme, but we knew that what the teachers revealed was just a doorway cracked open.

To experience what Rhonda Byrnes experienced as she created the movie, and what the teachers she gathered had already learned to express in their lives, we knew we’d have to push that door wide and walk through.

We researched. It’s so easy to do on the Internet these days.

Since Bob Proctor seemed to be featured, we started there, and we were duly impressed.

Bob, as a twenty-something, was sick all the time, broke and in debt, and not a happy person. Then, forty years before Rhonda Byrnes, he was given a copy of the same little green book that inspired her to create the movie.

He became a student of Wallace Wattles and every other book he could lay his hands on by every other teacher who taught these core truths, and his life changed dramatically. He is now amazingly healthy, wonderfully wealth, and peacefully happy.

We joined his coaching program, and we began to learn from a master.

If you haven’t watched the movie, The Secret, it’s a good start.

But it’s only a start. You’ll then need to go beyond.

Identify a teacher you particularly resonate with. For us it was Bob Proctor initially, and we’ve grown by leaps and bounds in his program. But we also began, as Bob did so many years ago, to study so many other teachers. You’ll find them in my WWW recommends (in Categories).

On this journey beyond The Secret to your more joyful, authentic, and abundant life – your journey to wealth – you’ll want a teacher, a mentor, a coach.

Invest in yourself.

Blessings,

Judy

P.S. Be sure to do your research. As a guide, I will continue to add links to teachers and their books and programs I’ve personally read and studied. You’ll find these links on this site. I will also add reviews to share with you my personal thoughts and experiences. I hope these help.

More bad news for employees…massive layoffs from companies who’ve been riding high for the past several years.

And worse news…companies shutting their doors.

Over half a million new requests for unemployment benefits that will stretch state resources thin.

But there is good news… There are more and more entrepreneurs making a successful transition to their own home businesses. And that trend is expected to continue for some years.

If you’ve ever thought about starting your own business, there’s not a better time. Look at just a few things that you gain:

• control over your time, so you can watch your son’s soccer game or check in with his teacher

• the tax advantages of a small business that can save you money

• you’re building a business for you, not for your boss

There are scams out there…it’s just not easy to navigate what’s real and what’s not. So remember:

• just because “someone” wrote about it, doesn’t make it true

• if that “someone” gave up, that “someone” can never succeed

• look beyond the hype; figure out for yourself what you can do and whom you can trust

Because there are also real opportunities out there.

And it’s worth your time and effort to find the business you can work at home, on or off line, that fits your personality.

Home businesses are work. But it’s work you do for you, for your family, and for your future.

The economic news gets worse by the minute. It doesn’t have to get worse for you.

Start a home business.

My husband and I have been where you are. We’re still feeling our way, but we’ve learned enough to know that you have it in you.

Blessings,
Judy

I’m a pushover. I too easily think I can travel several paths at once. Which isn’t necessarily a good thing when it comes to creating a home business. I’ve heard before, and I’ve said before, that you need to be careful, thoughtful, as you choose what direction to head towards your dreams. It’s just not a good idea (so they say and so I’m learning) to work “horizontally” on lots of different projects instead of “vertically” focusing on one.

But I want to try this product. It’s a bit about the desperation one who has a chronic, off-the-radar, health challenge that often gets in the way of substantial and persistent effort.

My friend is sure that this product will be the answer I’ve been looking for. The problem is I just don’t have enough skepticism, and healthy skepticism is an important quality when looking for either the cure to a chronic problem or the right fit in a home-based business.

The Sponsor was tough…I took a bit of a browbeating. She was interviewing me for this spot, and she wasn’t sure and still, apparently, isn’t. Ah, well. What can I say.

My friend is willing to take a chance on me anyway; a bit of desperation, I think. But should I again take a chance on a kind of home-based business I’ve tried before…unsuccessfully?

What would you do?

At the last minute, I honored the lesson I had learned. I’m just not suited for this current model of  multi-level marketing. My friend was disappointed, and I can’t blame her. But neither could I go ahead with a business I finally knew had no place in our overall strategy. Instead of veering off the path we had determined, I remained steady. Phew!

Blessings,
Judy

Hey. I know that there are still people out there who haven’t gotten the “law of attraction” message. You know, the one where you attract people into your business by addressing their concerns, answering their questions, and offering solutions to their problems? Gently? With honesty, integrity, and trust?

Some people just haven’t gotten the message.

Like yesterday.

I’m looking at a product that I hope will help some of my nagging, chronic, and sometimes debilitating health problems. My friend swears by it and offers great testimonials. I’m well versed in alternative treatments, and I recognize the product’s possibilities.

And, she offers a position to me, for a fee I’m willing to pay, that will put me in her group with enough volume to pay for my product. A win-win.

But, my husband and I are involved in developing other businesses, selling our home (and taking a HUGE hit), and relocating from Florida to Virginia in the next few months. I’m willing to give a few hours a week to this new business, but no more.

Red flag! Should I really get this position? Let’s three-way with her sponsor…

I really like my friend and value her low-key approach to her business. But her sponsor subjected me to an hour of browbeating. (Why I listened for an hour is another story.)

• network marketing only works face to face…online marketing doesn’t work

• you don’t need to spend money on coaching or marketing programs or, or, or… (I’ve loved my coaching with Bob Proctor, Mary Manin Morrissey, Ellie and Charlie Drake; and I’ve devoured all I can about marketing from the best)

• you need to focus all of your attention on THIS company

• you need to prove yourself to get this position

• you should consider going to convention in two weeks (half way across the country, when I’ve booked a T.Harv Eker seminar nearby)

Whew!

Now, I don’t think Ms. Sponsor would normally have been so tough, so hard, or so, frankly, off-putting. I don’t fault Ms. Sponsor for what I see as her protecting her protege who really shouldn’t sell the position to someone who will let that leg of her business slide. After all, it’s my friend’s business, her livelihood. She’s spent two years building to this point where she said goodbye to her W-2.

So, a warning. When you’re looking for a home-based business, the people you work with are key. The products can be great, the training awesome, the compensation plan the best. The company can be top-notch…and there are a number of terrific companies on all counts.

But it’s the people you work with on a daily basis that are key. Pay attention. Browbeating just doesn’t fly in this day and age.

Let me know what you think and what you’re experiences are.

And I’ll let you know how this story ends.

Blessings,

Judy

Early in October, we were in Virginia for my step-son’s wedding. There were yellowing leaves on the birches, yellow day lillies clumping beneath, and a hint of the changing season in the evening air…beautiful.

This was home until just a few years ago when we thought we’d try the sun and surf of Southwest Florida. This is where most of our family now lives.

Like my father-in-law who is nearing ninety. He lives in the home he bought brand new more than fifty years ago, where he raised his four children, and where watched his wife succumb to breast cancer a year after he retired early so they could finally travel.

But he needs help, and his youngest son, my husband, is a thousand miles away. We need to move closer, and we’ll sell our home at enormous loss to make that happen.

Fortunately, we have a family of home-based businesses that allow us to work anywhere we can get online. We need to be near his dad, and we can make it happen.

My friend, who also lives in Virginia, cares for her father in her home. She works as a home health nurse, and because she’s in business for herself, she can schedule her time around his needs. She and her husband are at a time in their lives where they have money and time to travel, but they feel that her father’s care comes first.

We’re the lucky ones.

I watched a news report recently about a woman who worked more hours to pay for the care her father required in her home. Did you see it? She set up cameras and filmed the woman she hired beat her father in his bed. This was a woman she trusted. Now, I don’t know if this dutiful daughter (bless her heart) could work her job from home, but I bet she wishes she could so she could better oversea her father’s care and spend time with him before he dies.

And I watched a giant moving truck today packing up my elderly neighbor to move her to her daughter’s home after a serious stroke now prevents her from living in her dream retirement home here in Florida. I don’t know how  this will affect her family.

How about you? Are you in a position to help your parents if they were to need you?

Now, I know that working from home is not for everyone.

But in these economic times a home-based business provides us with so many more choices.

We’re thankful that we can make the move, that we can be around to help his dad and keep him company. We saw on our visit just how much that meant.

How much would it mean for you to have that flexibility?

How much would it mean for you to be in a position to care for your parents?

Look carefully at yourself…you can have what it takes.

Blessings,
Judy