Archive for October 12th, 2007
If you want to get to know someone then the only way that is going to happen is to spend time with them. There is no method that you can follow or plan of action that will help you to know every person you come in contact with because every person is different.
My oldest son loves to play games. He would spend hours with me and his dad just playing chess or cribbage if he was allowed.
My middle son loves to share reading time. He wants to curl up next to his mom and dad and read to us or have us read to him.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I have friends that like to spend time together playing online video games, watching football, and hunting. Everyone I know has something unique about them and how they want to share their lives.
It’s easy to see it with people, but for some reason we don’t want it to be that way with God. It would be easier if there was a 10 step program that would bring us into a right relationship with God, but there isn’t. If someone tells you that they know the process to hear from God or to know His will then it is either a trick or a delusion.
The only way to know God and His will is to spend time with him – consistently! That means that everyday should include time in His word and alone talking with Him. It has to be the most important act of the day because without Him nothing is possible.
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing.”
October 12th, 2007
When I first started to try and make money online, I was clueless. Even though the internet was not exactly new to me, the workings were. Computers have been around for most of my life, but speaking their language was harder than German (no offense to the German language, but I had enough problems with it in college that my tutor begged me to drop the class).
My journey started with some sites that would pay me to “try” certain offers (Mavishare is the site I chose). It started out great, and I was making what I thought was good money. Then the companies whose products and services I had agreed to try started billing me. It seems the fine print got passed me. Soon all the overdraft fees negated any money I had made. It was a nightmare.
I learned two things from this disaster – always read the fine print and never, never, never use your bank account to “try” something.
I also tried some of the survey sites and they were nice, easy paychecks. The only snag I had with them is that there just wasn’t enough for me to do and they took forever – because I’m on dial up. Several of the work from home moms I know use this as their “extra” source of income.
It was one of the homeschooling groups that told me about www.paidpostingtools.com. Basically, for $.15 I would pick a forum from their list and post a comment on that forum. Before long, my income per week was up to $40 – not too bad for just 15 word sentences, IMO. I shared the site with my girlfriend, and she found a half dozen posting sites that she joined.
By writing solid comments, some of the owners started to contact me about doing more in-depth writing for their sites (my girlfriend had the same experience). Before long, I was doing more articles and didn’t have the time (or the desire) to do the forums for pay. I still visited many of the forums because it helps increase traffic to my blog – but that is another article.
My confidence in writing continued to grow, and I started looking for more opportunities to write articles and blogs for pay. There are some “easy” sites, like Associated Content, but I wanted to find some places that would help build my resume while filling my wallet.
With a little help from some forums, some other writers I met online, and some searching, I have found several sites that are great resources for writing online:
1. www.craigslist.com The best thing about this site is that you can search all over the world if you focus on jobs that are internet based. I usually look in just the jobs area under writing and the gigs area under writing and creative. So far, I have stuck to more localized ads.
2. www.problogger.net This is all about the blog. Unlike some of the freelance sites I have run across, this site sets the price and you don’t pay if you get the job.
3. www.performancing.com Another great blog site. Like problogger, this site is also packed full of information on writing quality blogs.
4. http://aboutfreelancewriting.com When you sign up for her update, she will send you all the latest writing jobs that she has found. There is some insight into how to start a freelance career as well.
This is just the beginning. There are hundreds of sites with even more opinions. The best way to start and expand a writing career is to write. Quality work will beget more work and word of mouth is still the greatest way to find employment today.
October 12th, 2007
Keeping records is not as easy as I thought it would be. The theory is simple enough, I just don’t do it. I’ve got all the receipts in one place this month (which is definitely a leap forward), but the amounts are being kept a secret until further notice 
.
It’s connected to everything else I haven’t done. Because I haven’t washed the dishes, the counters are cluttered. Because the counters are cluttered, everyone piles things on my desk. Because things are piled on my desk, I can’t find the space to get my work done. Because I can’t find the space, the work gets moved over into a different pile until later. My piles are proof positive that later almost never comes.
What am I going to do to fix this mess and not fall behind every where else? I’m going to eat this elephant one bite at a time!
1. Clean off my desk (and keep it that way – even if it means putting things in a box next to the desk until I can find it a home).
2. Utilize the entire day and all weekend to catch up from my sick days – one more reason mom should never get sick.
3. Stay focused on one task at a time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when I pile up everything I have to do in front of me all at once. The discouragement usually causes me to walk away. Instead, just focus on writing my articles for write now (and refuse to look at the sink).
4. Plan rewards (short but meaningful). When I finish this task, I will have breakfast with my family. When I finish the next task, I will go outside and play for a little while. When I finish the next task, I will soak in a hot tub.
5. Get right back to it. The rewards (timeouts, breaks, or whatever you want to call them) have to be short or I’ll lose myself in NOT doing what I need to be doing. It’ll be easier to get back to it with the reminder that another reward is just around the corner.
It may not seem that my chaos is related to me not being able to stay on budget, but I know it is. I can’t know what I’m spending if I don’t keep a record of it. If I don’t know what I’m spending, then there is no way to control my spending.
By eliminating the chaos and clutter, I will be able to get right back on track to my savings plan for the upcoming year.
October 12th, 2007
