http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/business/branding/secrets-to-personal-branding-marketing-for-entrepreneurs.-part-2.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/branding/secrets-to-personal-branding-marketing-for-entrepreneurs.-part-2.html Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Here is comment pitfall that traps most entrepreneurs:
Consistency - Most entrepreneurs are type A, so 3 weeks into their personal branding Marketing. They start asking “It has been 3 weeks. Is this working?” Personal branding marketing needs consistency and commitment. You must stay committed and consistent in your personal branding marketing. It usually takes 3 to 6 months for the brand to take root. You have to fight the temptation to quit after a week or two of not seeing results. You have to stick to it and you have to really do it for 3 to 6 months for you to even see the results coming back. It takes that long for people to learn to recognize you for what your personal brand is, and to know you as the entrepreneur with that branding message marketing. Make a commitment to your personal branding marketing from the start. Tell yourself you are going to live with this personal branding message for 3 to 6 months. Don’t stop short on your personal branding marketing.


Impatient - Again, because most entrepreneurs are type A, they want their branding marketing to take off faster. Let me just say this, you cannot push these things onto people. People need to see it, absorb it, process it, and then recognize you as the entrepreneur with that personal branding marketing message. Therefore, you are going to have to fight the temptation; to change your personal branding marketing message before its taken root. If you find yourself thinking, oh, maybe I should change my branding marketing, you really need to be honest with yourself and ask yourself “Am I being impatient?”

Sometimes changing your brand can be detrimental. A great example would be Calvin Klein. Calvin Klein is a high fashion designer with an elegant image. He is famous for design that is clean, simple and fashion forward. Back in the 90s, Calvin Klein’s jeans were being sold at Costco. That did a lot of damage to their branding marketing. To this day, a lot of entrepreneurs still say that Calvin Klein has never recovered its brand. So be very careful.

With all that said; we entrepreneurs can’t lock ourselves into one branding marketing message forever. A personal branding marketing is a personal brand, so it revolves around the individual. As individuals entrepreneurs we grow and evolve over time, and our marketplace grows and evolves as well. So, have a one year plan for your personal branding marketing, after your year is up, come back and reassess your personal branding marketing. Take the temperature of your market. See if your branding marketing still fits your marketplace, and see if it still fits you as an individual. Maybe you have grown and transformed into a different person. If so, you have to make a new personal branding marketing to fit who you are as an entrepreneur.


We have addressed all of secrets and pitfall about personal branding marketing. I hope you have decided to start your personal branding marketing. When it is done correctly, it will do all the heavy lifting of selling for you and bring the right type of clients to your door step. A dream comes true for entrepreneurs.

Copyright © 2008 by Giovanna Garcia.

Giovanna Garcia’s vision is to help others live the life they deserve with her philosophy of Imperfect Action is Better than No Action. She helps clients integrate a new belief system with a wealth of practical life lessons she learned from owning her corporation, overcoming depression, finding love after a failed teenage marriage, and retiring financially independent before she was forty. Giovanna can help you reach your goals and dreams by taking Imperfect Action. Visit: www.giovannagarcia.com



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Giovanna Garcia’s mission is to help others live the life they deserve with her philosophy of Imperfect Action is Better than No Action. She helps clients integrate a new belief system with a wealth of practical life lessons she learned from owning a corporation, overcoming depression, finding love after a failed teenage marriage, and retiring financially independent before she was forty. Giovanna can help you reach your goals and dreams by taking Imperfect Action. Visit: Personal Branding

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/networking/the-real-meaning-of-financial-freedom-in-the-21st-century.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/networking/the-real-meaning-of-financial-freedom-in-the-21st-century.html Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Let me start connecting the dots by giving some perspective. Most of us are given the impression that being in the Heart is equated with weakness. This ego-based mentality has, in essence, been the dominant stance throughout the world, especially if we look at the prevalent business model of the 20th Century. The operating business model today is a top-down structure. Decisions are made based on what the company needs rather than what the people within that company need. In essence, most business today serves to alienate people. The people that make the business work are not part of the equation when it comes to the direction of the company.

The challenges of the 21st century are nudging us to operate differently, as many of our antiquated systems are falling apart. It's becoming obvious that preserving and respecting ourselves and others is essential to living and thriving on this planet.

I've come to understand through studying, being a student of wise and loving mentors, and by my experience as an entrepreneur, that our deepest desires are secured for us in our most sacred place, our Hearts.

So the first step in our Journey is to give ourselves permission to re-connect with and be in our Heart …. or as inspirational speaker Ellie Drake is fond to say – our "BraveHeart". Most of us have been conditioned to do what we think. Going inside our heart is not something you will be forced to do, you can only allow yourself to go there.

So, what does it mean to be in our Heart? Being in our Heart relates to the knowing that we are all connected; that when you "do" to another, you "do" to yourself and vice versa.

Once in our heart, then we can set about on the discovery of our purpose, our "mission". This is a really fun part. Start to "vision" what brings us joy, what our deepest desires are.

Here are three lists of questions that will serve as tools to assist you in the development of your vision. I would encourage you to write each set of questions on a separate piece of paper. Update your answers as you ponder the questions. Do this for 30 days and you'll begin to feel and see the thread of your path to financial freedom.

List One

What did you dream about when you were young, around five years old?

What did you want to be when you “grew up”?

What things came easy to you as you were growing up?

What did you get acknowledged for (even if it seemed like “no big deal” to you)?

Once you're satisfied that you've answered these questions, here are the next series designed to develop your vision as an entrepreneur. The point being, if you're not following what really makes your heart sing, everything becomes a "have to" situation and others will pick that up and run away from you! If you're really doing what makes your heart sing and what brings you joy, others will pick up that vibration and be attracted to you.

List Two

If someone you trusted gave you a check today for 5 million dollars, what might change in your life as a millionaire?
What would you stop doing?

What would you start doing?

Where might you go?

Who would you like to spend more time with?

What would become more important or obvious to you?

Describe your ideal day in vivid terms!

What would the sheets feel like as you wake up?

What sounds would you hear?

Where would you be?

Who would you be communicating with?


In addition, I have found it helpful to coordinate my desire for financial freedom with my other highest values, such as service and contribution.

List 3

How might my financial freedom benefit:

(1) my family;

(2) my friends;

(3) my community;

(4) my health;

(5) my enjoyment of life

(6) my growth

(7) my creativity

Connecting your financial freedom to your highest ideals is a good way to amplify your resonance with your Heart, which is the doorway to the Love that You Are and your point of attraction!

Then, once you begin to get more of a sense of your ideal reality that financial freedom affords, the next step is to move towards believing that you deserve to be financially free and that this financial freedom is possible for you.

The next step sounds so absurd but most of us don't actually take the step and it's one that's so crucial:

Make the decision to become financially free.

At this point, it is not so important that you think you know or don't know how this is going to happen. That will come later.


As you begin your journey, I promise you the time you spend on this path will be well worth the outcome. How does this all connect to your financial freedom? When you connect your "mission" with your heart, a magnet is created and you are that magnet. People will be attracted to you. Your entrepreneurial journey will then take off. Giving from your heart is like a mirror, it will reflect back to you. Following your Heart and your passion also shines light for others to follow on their own "passion journey".

I will see you on the path!



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The real meaning of financial freedom in the 21st Century
Author: Kathy Bibby
Categories: Home based Business, Entrepreneur, Nework Marketing

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/internet/online-business/amazing-online-marketing-3-great-steps-to-increase-your-online-marketing.html http://www.articletrader.com/internet/online-business/amazing-online-marketing-3-great-steps-to-increase-your-online-marketing.html Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Here are the 3 great steps to increase your onlinemarketing:

Go with article marketing. This marketing tool can truly bring wonders to your business. It can help you increase your page ranking, drive more interested people to your site, help you position yourself as a key person in your chosen industry, and it can help you boost your sales and revenue by up to a hundred times. Best of all, you can use this tool for free. All you have to do is distribute keyword-focused and quality articles to various sites. By doing so, you can attract more people by giving them what
they really need -- valuable information. In return, you’ll be able to obtain inbound links for each of your submission that can help in making your website more valuable to the eyes of most search engines.

Forum posting. If you love socializing with your potential clients and if you want to earn their trust in a second, you better join them on relevant forums. Offer answers to their most frequent questions and help them resolve their pressing issues. By doing so, they will know that you are really good on what you do and they will like you or even trust you in the long run. It will then become much easier for you to offer your products. Ensure that you visit the forums on a regular basis as long absences will make your potential clients forget about you.

Ezine publishing. This is another way to strengthen your expert status online. This internet tool will allow you to send your potential clients with valuable and informative newsletters through the help of your auto responders. As in article marketing and forum posting, this will give you a chance to show to your target market that you are very competent and they can trust you. Don’t forget to insert your site’s URL on every newsletter you send so you can easily drive your recipients to your website.



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Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/branding/secrets-to-personal-branding-marketing-for-entrepreneurs.-part-1.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/branding/secrets-to-personal-branding-marketing-for-entrepreneurs.-part-1.html Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
I was an entrepreneur of a computer networking company for over 13 years. My personal branding marketing star ingredients were. I am the owner of the company. What I did was? I design and implement the computer network system. What made me different was? I have a clear understanding of what business owner’s need is; because I am a business owner myself. With the above ingredients, my personal branding marketing message become: “I am Giovanna, the president of my corporation. I design and implement network infrastructures for my client’s company. I take care for all of my client’s enterprises like my own. My networks are design to benefit my client’s bottom line and operations; with my insight as a business owner and my technical skill as a network engineer. I will delivery the most effective and efficient computer network system to my client every time.” That personal branding marketing works wonder for me. My message told the entrepreneurs (my target market), that I understood them. I created a common bond by branding and marketing myself as an entrepreneur just like them. What made me different, and the value I brought to the table, was that I understood their needs. Not to mention most offices are full of ladies; and they love working with a female computer geek.

So by now you should have you three W’s the key ingredients to you personal branding marketing recipe. Next, let’s work on your secret sauce. To begin your entrepreneur personal branding marketing secret sauce, we’ve got to dig deep into you. Think deeply on the following 3 questions:

1. What are your personal characteristics? What are your interests, hobbies, values, beliefs, accomplishments, or quirks?

2. What are your attributes? What you are good at doing. You are fantastic golfer. You are an excellent writer etc.

3. What make you unique?
Once you have written down your 3 answers. You will have a list of your characteristics, you have a list of what you are good at, and you’ve identified what makes you unique. These are the spices to your secret sauce for an entrepreneur personal branding marketing.

You have answered six questions. Who you are? What you do? What makes you different than your competitors? What are your personal characteristics? What are your attributes? And what make you unique? So, you have collected your 3 star ingredients to your entrepreneur personal branding marketing recipe; and you got the 3 spices to your secret sauce for an entrepreneur personal branding marketing. Now, like a great chef. All there is to do is to put them all together. The final product is your entrepreneur personal branding marketing message.

Your personal branding message should be the first thing that comes to mind when people think about you. It should be your middle name. When they think of you, they should think of those things on your personal branding marketing message.

To find out the comment pitfall that traps most entrepreneurs, so you can avoid them. Read part 2 of this Article.


Copyright © 2008 by Giovanna Garcia.

Giovanna Garcia’s vision is to help others live the life they deserve with her philosophy of Imperfect Action is Better than No Action. She helps clients integrate a new belief system with a wealth of practical life lessons she learned from owning her corporation, overcoming depression, finding love after a failed teenage marriage, and retiring financially independent before she was forty. Giovanna can help you reach your goals and dreams by taking Imperfect Action. Visit: www.giovannagarcia.com




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Giovanna Garcia’s mission is to help others live the life they deserve with her philosophy of Imperfect Action is Better than No Action. She helps clients integrate a new belief system with a wealth of practical life lessons she learned from owning a corporation, overcoming depression, finding love after a failed teenage marriage, and retiring financially independent before she was forty. Giovanna can help you reach your goals and dreams by taking Imperfect Action. Visit: Personal Branding

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/branding/is-it-a-must-to-have-personal-branding-marketing-for-todays-entrepreneurs-part-2.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/branding/is-it-a-must-to-have-personal-branding-marketing-for-todays-entrepreneurs-part-2.html Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
1. Personal branding marketing will bring the Entrepreneur the right kind of clients, as an entrepreneur crafted the message of his or her personal branding; it is targeted to the proper target market. It will reach the proper market place and the proper clients. In turn, the people that respond to that personal branding marketing are the right kind of clients. Personal branding marketing bring the entrepreneur pre qualified clients.

2. Personal branding marketing will position the entrepreneur as the leader of their field, as an expert. For example you decided you wanted to be the online marketing queen, then go out and call yourself the Queen of Online Marketing. Claim it! Claim it like you have a flag. Stick the flagpole in the ground, and mark it: “This is who I am. I am the Queen of Online Marketing!” As you claim it, embody it, live it and you will naturally be what you say. Your brain will help you do all the things that you need to do to make it happen. Your consciousness will know that’s what you want to do, and your brain will just do it. It’s going to help you become an expert. You will be an expert automatically because now you are the Queen of Online Marketing. Personal branding marketing makes the entrepreneur a leader of their field.


3. Personal branding marketing will create recognition for the Entrepreneurs. They accomplish this with their personal branding marketing. By reaching out to the public and media over and over again, whether through blogging, e-mail marketing, advertising campaigns, postcards, business cards, speaking in public etc. everything that the entrepreneur do is for the goal of personal branding and marketing themselves. If you chose to be Queen of Online marketing, that would be your message. It would be your message on business cards, on your website, it would be your message everywhere you go, and that would be your middle name. Your brand slogan is going to create recognition, because it’s so easy for people to remember, “Queen of Online Marketing.” You will automatically gain recognition. Personal branding marketing makes the entrepreneur famous.

4. Personal branding marketing will increase the entrepreneur’s credibility. When the entrepreneurs are recognized and continue to inform people the same message. It wouldn’t take long for people to believe that message. Just like if you are recognized as “the Queen of Online Marketing.” Very soon people are going to go, “Oh, I’ve heard of her before! The Queen of Online Marketing. I know who she is; she must be very successful with online marketing. She is the Queen! She’s famous.” That happens because you’ve been marketing your personal brand and you’ve been branding your marketing over and over again. You’ve been reaching people with the same message over and over again. You will automatically get recognition and with that you get credibility because people naturally associate credibility with being famous. Personal branding marketing makes an entrepreneur trust worthily.

In closing, honestly I can’t think of a better way for an entrepreneur to market themselves and be more beneficial than using personal branding marketing. When it is done correctly personal branding marketing can bring you pre qualified clients, make you a leader in your field, make you famous and give you credibility.




Copyright © 2008 by Giovanna Garcia.



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Giovanna Garcia’s mission is to help others live the life they deserve with her philosophy of Imperfect Action is Better than No Action. She helps clients integrate a new belief system with a wealth of practical life lessons she learned from owning a corporation, overcoming depression, finding love after a failed teenage marriage, and retiring financially independent before she was forty. Giovanna can help you reach your goals and dreams by taking Imperfect Action. Visit: www.giovannagarcia.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/marketing/is-personal-branding-marketing-a-must-for-todays-entrepreneurs-part-1.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/marketing/is-personal-branding-marketing-a-must-for-todays-entrepreneurs-part-1.html Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Personal branding marketing is a carefully crafted message done by an entrepreneur to convey to their prospects - what they stand for, what their values are, what their abilities are, and what their track records are. It’s what people associate you with whenever they think of them. A successful personal branding marketing plan embodies the entrepreneur.

Some entrepreneurs ask “Personal Branding Marketing!? Is it important? Do you I absolutely need it? Does it work?” Well, here is the deal. Personal branding marketing allows an entrepreneur to create a perception of them, a way to accentuate their positive features. The task in personal branding marketing is to do whatever it is necessary to make the changes to present the positive image that the entrepreneur want others to see. That’s what personal branding marketing means.

Let’s first take a look at a few successful individuals. They have done an extraordinary job on Personal Branding Marketing. Their name is a brand; you come to expect a certain thing or a certain standard with those name. Then you can decide. If you believe you need personal branding marketing or not?

Here is a super star entrepreneur, with an excellent Personal Branding Marketing. Recently, I was on Ralph Lauren’s website and on the Main page was, “The World of Ralph Lauren. The Official Parade Uniform Of the 2008 US Olympic Team.” Now, most people may not know this about Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz. That is right. Do you think it would sound the same if he never changed his name? It would say, “The World of Ralph Lifshitz, the official Parade Uniform Of the 2008 US Olympic Team.” I don’t think that is the kind of marketing the US Olympic was seeking. Ralph Lifshitz, would never be consider as part of the official outfitter. No matter how stylish Ralph is, no one would want to wear the brand Lifshitz!?

Personal Branding Marketing is huge in the entertainment business. Haven’t you ever walked into Blockbuster on a Friday, after a long week of work? You got your favorite takeout food in your car. And you are looking for a good comedy movie to take home; you are ready for a night of relaxation and enjoy a good laugh. You look around and you realize all the good movies are gone. All that was left are movies that you haven’t heard of. When this happens, most of us would look for names of actor we recognize. If you see a movie with a name like Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, or Jim Carrey, you are most likely going to grab that movie. Even though you never heard of the title, you’re going to rent that movie because the name of these individuals; these personal brands mean “funny” to you. They’ve been funny in the past over and over again. That’s who they are - funny man, and their name is a brand.

All of the above are illustrations of personal branding marketing and the influence; it has on our judgment without any research or information to back the facts. You make a judgment based solely on that personal brand. If that tells you anything! It should show you that it’s very important to have a personal brand.

To find out how personal branding marketing can bring an entrepreneur: pre qualified clients, make them a leader of their field, make them famous and trust worthily. Read part 2 of this Article.

Copyright © 2008 by Giovanna Garcia



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Giovanna Garcia’s mission is to help others live the life they deserve with her philosophy of Imperfect Action is Better than No Action. She helps clients integrate a new belief system with a wealth of practical life lessons she learned from owning a corporation, overcoming depression, finding love after a failed teenage marriage, and retiring financially independent before she was forty. Giovanna can help you reach your goals and dreams by taking Imperfect Action. Visit: Personal Branding

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/story-behind-the-story.html http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/story-behind-the-story.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Now that we have had a look at how the spirit works in us and how to use that power to better ourselves and our opportunities by using motivation, inspiration and creativity we change our perspective slightly to see how we can utilize these techniques in our current everyday life.

Everyone of us is faced with different challenges on a daily basis, whether it be a money issue, like where is it going to come from to pay all the bills, is my home based business going to provide enough for us, or a family matter, even a matter of using your time in the most effective and efficient manner. The issue is how we deal with these matters on an internal basis, which will be a reflection on how they work out externally. After all we are what we focus upon. If you focus on money problems, then you will have money problems, but if you will make that ever so little shift on being thankful for the ability to pay those bills, even if it is not the whole thing, you will start to feel better about the money. I have heard this suggestion over and over many times while listening to, or watching the “SECRET”. Only I had not ever REALLY gotten a hold of the feeling in the spirit until now. It is quite okay that we have some bills, as long as I don’t let them consume me. When you go make a purchase at the store, remember to be aware of how you’re feeling before you make the purchase. If you’re “feeling” hesitant about the purchase, then likely it is not the thing to do right now. Last year my husband and I replaced one of our 4 door dually diesel trucks with a nice more economical Nissan Murano. We had been talking for sometime about doing this, only we hadn’t done much more than “window shopping”. Our one truck began having some mechanical issues and we kept putting money in to fix it. One of our reasons or ideas was that here on the ranch two trucks are better than one. Long story short, we eventually decided to trade the truck in for the Murano. When the deal was done instead of the usual little feeling of dread or, are we sure about this, what have we gotten into, you know that feeling of are we sure we should have made this expensive purchase? Well to our enjoyment and amazement we were actually quite happy, almost relieved. Yes the payments were higher than the truck had been, however this felt right. It “felt” like the thing to do. We also had the unique comfort that our residual income would help support this decision.

We are guided into the right direction by the higher power, if we listen. This vehicle came at the right time. We are very grateful to have purchased it, especially at the time we did. We get twice the mileage for half the price. It is much easier to drive the Murano around town and to park in the store parking lots. We have learned to live with only one truck, and are surviving just fine. We have a healthy mindset from this experience.

The whole point of this long story is to assist you in understanding it is all about how you “feel” about money. It is whether you maintain the power or you give the money the power. Focus on the blessings you have and the money will follow. Stop focusing on the bills and how your going to pay them – it creates a feeling (even unconsciously) of lack. Sometimes it really takes a while to make the deep heart felt connection of truly understanding an idea or a concept. Today as I was sitting down and reading my bible and doing my meditation, going through my gratitude list – it hit me like a brick how I am very blessed, so much so that I am thankful for my bills. Maybe you are not there yet, but you will know the feeling associated with this concept when you do finally get it. What a major breakthrough you will then receive. Then you will find how fortunate you are to have your financial health and that you can create your own wealth.

A person who is not willing to and striving to better himself or his situation is leaving himself up to fate. While the person who is using his ambitions, his internal power to create a more prosperous life is using his free will. Once we accomplish this our destiny to have our financial freedom, our health, and our dreams will be ours to enjoy everyday.



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Businesswoman, Friend, Collaborator, and Team player, Rebecca Hofeldt fulfills her Entrepreneurial Calling by offering a great service that enriches the lives of others.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/pets-and-kids-learning-resposibility-together.html http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/pets-and-kids-learning-resposibility-together.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Our children learn the most about many areas in life right from their home. Good manners, respect for others and responsibility to name a few. Wouldn't you say our responsibility to them is to set an example and to be great role models? Pets fit right in because they serve as live in teachers for the whole family not just the kids.

I feel this is the first and most important lesson. Animals are one of God’s creatures that deserve the same respect and the same rights to life as humans do. Many times people think animals are disposable. Often when their uniqueness wears off or the situations change for the humans, the pets are the first to go. I understand there are situations that warrant change but the responsibility factor still applies. When agreeing to accept one of God’s creations we are agreeing to do what is in the best interest of the pet. After all it was our decision to have them with us in the first place. Pets are like kids in that adults are their spokespersons and care givers. They do not ask to come into our lives. If everyone came from that mindset there would be a lot less child or animal abuse.

Realizing from the start that this cute cuddly ball of fur is not all fun and games and know that he or she has definite needs and with those needs comes plenty of work. The daily responsibilities about pet ownership are probably the least favorite part for the kids. None the less it is a year-round 24/7 commitment. This can teach our children to be dependable and conscientious about their duties regarding their pet. These daily routines; exercise, eating healthy food, expressing love and affection can guide our children to gain healthy lifestyles for themselves. They are totally dependent on us for fulfilling their needs. Even if we do not feel like walking or feeding them it still needs to be done on a daily basis. Our pets become a very important part of our lives; they become a member of the family. Neglecting them in anyway is irresponsible behavior.

Another form of responsibility is being prepared to provide adequate health care for our pets. Veterinary visits can become quite expensive, even for routine care. This is an excellent way to teach kids the value of money.
All these basic yet extremely important lessons and many more that I have not mentioned can serve our children well. By setting a good example with our actions we can create very smart children and very grateful pets. Remember if we treat them with the love and respect they deserve that is exactly what we will get in return.

Here's to unleashing your child's creativity,

Audie
P.S. Chances are you are a parent with a kid/kids and pet/pets. If you ever thought about being able to watch them play and spend more time with them. You might want to consider downloading my E book, 21st Century Wealth Building Secrets Revealed, absolutely free.



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Businesswoman, Friend, Collaborator, and Team player, Audie Perove fills her Entrepreneurial Calling by offering a great service that enriches the lives of others.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/time-eases-all-pain.html http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/time-eases-all-pain.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
As a nurse I ask my patients, “On a scale of one-to-ten, 1 being pain free and 10 being the worst pain you have ever experienced, how would you rate your pain right now?” Then depending on their answer, they may be medicated accordingly and evaluated for improvement. Each person’s interpretation of pain is personal. We, as nurses, have to refrain from trying to compare the patients presumed pain, from our own experience with pain.

When I was ten years old and almost died from Ovarian Cancer I can remember being in a lot of pain. I cried a lot and prayed often for the pain to go away. Treatment for the cancer was successful and I have now lived 39 years longer than they had predicted. More important than the idea of living a long life, for me at the time, was for the pain to go away. During my summer between 5th and 6th grade, I prayed more than once for God to take me home, for then the pain would be over.

As time passed, the pain did subside and within a few years of continual healing and recovery, the pain became a distant memory. During my life I have now had several additional surgeries. After each one, when the nurse would ask me how my pain was, I have only to remember my prayers as a child to “end the Pain” and my response by number would always surprise them considering what I had just been through.

Pain of the heart from losing a loved one can also seem like an event you will never recover from. When my father passed away, my heart ached. The thought of never having him there to talk about events of life seemed overwhelming.

When my marriage of 14 years ended rather suddenly, though not without warnings I tended to ignore, my heart broke. I wanted desperately to be OK with the situation and try to remain friends just to keep him in my life. But I was only kidding myself. I was still in love and he was not, at least not with me anymore. We would talk on the phone, or meet for lunch but without consideration on his part, he would bring up the subject of how he had moved on and was now meeting other women that interested him.

I would try my best to end the conversation, or get through the meal without loosing it on him. I didn’t want him to know how bad his statements were hurting me. And to make thing even worse I would usually spend the rest of my day crying my heart out.

So I prayed again for the pain to go away. The only answer to this prayer was for him to go away. Eventually he would probably remarry and I did not want to compare myself to the new love in his life. I knew I would continue to hurt as long as I tried to continue any kind of relationship with him. He was obviously moving on and it became apparent that I needed to also.

So I made the decision to end all contact. What I found was that I was doing most of the calling and the lunch dates. I had to stop trying to win him back and set him free. What I experience was the worst pain and depression I could ever imagine. It was coming to the reality that it was truly over. It just wasn’t meant to be.

As time went by the crying slowed, and thoughts of the life we once had were less frequent. I learned, with much intention, how to forgive him and how to forgive myself for loving another that didn’t feel the same way. I had to forgive him for leaving. I had to place trust in God that he had a better plan for my life that I was yet aware of. I had to forgive myself for having evil thoughts about him. I had to forgive myself for hoping the new woman in his life would make him suffer. I forgave myself for wishing great misfortune on his life. I forgave myself for all the jealousy I felt and for having thoughts of revenge. True forgiveness is not an easy achievement.

Once it has been reached, I could live again. I allowed myself to concentrate on all the other aspects of life that I loved. I began to realize the only true everlasting love in this lifetime is the love you receive from God and yourself. Even the love of family is not a guarantee.

Loving yourself is also not an easy achievement.

I am not referring to the “it’s all about ME”, but loving who I was on the inside in addition to who I was on the outside. I had and will always have room for improvement. It takes work to stop beating yourself up mentally. The mind, in my opinion, is the easiest entrance for the devil into your life. I like to think the mind is a lot like your home. It has many rooms (thoughts) and doors that can be open or closed to new information and experiences.

We can choose what we open the door for and when we decide that keeping the doors closed would be more beneficial. But the devil, because he has no morals or integrity, gets in from maybe an open window or a crack in the foundation. He comes uninvited and creeps into thoughts without warning.

When I recognize his presence I stand face to face with him and politely ask him to leave. I call the routine; Changing my Mind.

There are many instances when the fear of pain can be more overwhelming than the pain of the experience. We have tremendous fears facing us daily. And most of them cause pain.

The comforting news is that Time does Ease all Pain. The pains of today will be forgotten over time.

AnitaBurnett



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Anita Burnett, Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/clarity-after-commitment.html http://www.articletrader.com/self-improvement/clarity-after-commitment.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
We want what we want, and we want it now. That is how we human beings operate. It is good to have presence of mind and live in the now, but that does not mean that we should demand everything to come into our lives now. Everything that we need now, we already have. God has a set time for everything: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

My mentor Dr. Ellie Drake and founder of the Braveheart Women Community, uses this quote quite frequently: Clarity after Commitment; and it has helped me a great deal when I am in a situation where I find myself hemming and hawing. Do you know how sometimes we have a tendency to procrastinate or be indecisive? We behave this way for many reasons, some of which are because we are afraid, uncertain, doubtful or lacking faith and trust.

The way to get around this is to make the commitment you are hemming and hawing about, and clarity will come after. Have you ever heard the saying: when the student is ready, the teacher will appear? By committing to something we are showing our readiness. Making commitments help us find our true talents and lead us to our destinies.

When we have clarity, we make wiser decisions, take inspired actions and we are finally able to embrace our calling, enjoy our work and live in balance and harmony.

I have been privileged to be a co-author in a soon to be released book titled: living in CLARITY. Please be on the look out for this book. It has stories from many established authors, inspirational and motivational speakers and philanthropist that will change your life. Below are a few excerpts from the book.

I found that knowing my life’s purpose and my unique talents have been a key factor in knowing how I can best help and serve others. Brenda Blindenbach, page 71

Creating a life is like flying a plane-are you the pilot in your life and control of your circumstances? Or are you a passenger, letting circumstances control you, and allowing someone else to pilot your life to a destination of which you are uncertain of? Dr. Lawrence J. Tham.

After Alex Mandossian loss a quarter of a million dollar on a business deal, he ended up on a park bench for two weeks. From there he made a commitment and clarity followed. Read his Six Steps to Clarity story on page 17.

Read the list of things on that Anthony Robbins got clarity about after he committed: page 65. He has been able to accomplish great things to assist humanity.

I pray that you are living in CLARITY.
Until next time love, blessings & gratitude

Pauline Lewinson



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Pauline Lewinson, Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>