You have to learn to earn

Sorry I’ve been away for a while, I’ve been busy with many other projects.  So this week I was just minding my own business…well not really; -I was actually researching on ways to make money online that didn’t involve you giving out your credit card information and getting scammed through recurring monthly charges for inferior products that don’t actually work- Whew!

ok, so I came RevResponse, It’s a company that I want to actually try to make an effort and see how well I can do with them.  I want others to succeed as well in their online ventures, so I am not one to be at all secretive about what I am up to.

So if you happen to be interested; sing up here

I am also interested about what anyone is doing, -now that the new year is here-what are your goals you have set out (and I am not speaking about the cliche that is called new years resolution!) .

First Impressions Count!

When it comes to your business and making money online, appearances can be everything! How many people would make a purchase through a website that looks as if it was just put together by a 5 year old? Truthfully, not many people, professionalism is everything in the business world and first impressions can either produce loyal and committed customers, or lose you a sale.

As a business woman or man, I feel that it is very important to present yourself as well as your company’s image in the most positive way, -this also means carefully considering the appearance and functionality of your online presence. Below are some themes that I highly believe take professionalism into consideration to the highest degree:

1. iBusiness Theme

view the demo Purchase: iBusiness Theme

A functional theme, you can use this theme for your company homepage and information. It’s the ultimate theme that reads “professional”.

2. eproduct theme

view Demo Purchase  eProduct theme

A theme that works great if you intend to sell digital products or software, it can also used as a landing page!

3. iproduct theme

View Demo Purchase iProduct Theme

This theme is versetile, yet attractive and effective as a landing page!

4. ebook Theme

View Demo Purchase eBook theme

If you are an e -book reseller  or promoter, here’s a theme that is structured to convert! It acts as a great information and landing page!

5. Consultant Theme

View Demo Purchase Consultant Theme

The Consultant Theme is the perfect theme for the professional consultant and expert in their chosen field.  Great for showcasing your services or products!

6. Product Folio

View Demo Purchase ProductFolio Theme

Are you a professional web designer, graphic designer, SEO consultant e.t.c ? This theme is great for showing off your gallery of past or present projects!

7. Store (ecommerce)

View Demo Purchase Store – Ecommerce theme

Are you looking for an e commerce template to jump start your business? This Store template will enable you to use Wordpress as a CMS in order to list and sell your tangible and intangible digital products! It has an user friendly back end too!

If  You have any more templates, feel free to  let me know!

Your life doesn't have to be a broken dream.

I was watching a movie the other day, the character in the movie was sitting in an office and I must say he was the most miserable looking man that I have seen in a long while. His main regret was that he did not pursue what he had always wished for,- instead he had chosen to adapt and conform to what he saw as society’s norm (i.e go to college and find an office job with some form of job security and a steady paycheck). He had bought into the whole generalization that joining the masses was what would secure him a definite place within society and make him happy and fulfilled.

Needless and sad to say, the years had gone by (as they often do), he was now middle-aged, working the same job, getting a steady salary and unfulfilled as sandpaper! He had let his dreams go, -because after all, many naysayers had told them he was “building pies in the sky” and “if pigs could fly” from the very start…sadly he believed them, and thus slowly let go of his ridiculous dream to one day become an award winning chef with his own line of gourmet food. To make a long story short, he never truly lived up to his potential, the end for him was tragic as he never really accomplishes his ambition.

So what is the point of this story? I wanted to persuade anybody reading this, that it is never too late and that you are never too old to go after what you have always wanted. It is so sad to say that some people never even try, so how in a sense can you even fail! Whether you’ve always wanted to be a cartoonist, famous photographer, pilot, movie star , a model, a fashion designer, a web designer, an internet entrepreneur, land & real estate developer e.t.c , it is never too late! Fear is the worst enemy that will keep you from never accomplishing or even attempting to go after your true passion!

It is worth a shot to live your life to the fullest, and if financial rewards are an end result, so be it! The point is, don’t just live on this earth breathing oxygen. How many people would have an answer (aside from paying the bills and putting food on the table), when asked “Why do you go to work every morning?” I don’t know about you, but I intend to maximize on my life while on earth, discover, create and know that I did the best I could.

So whether you are in your teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, e.t.c, just know that it is NEVER too late to go after what you have always wanted. Turn a deaf ear to the naysayers and discouraging people around you. I am so lucky to have found out at a young age, that if you want something Soooo bad, you have to go out and get it! No one is going to ring your doorbell at 5a.m in the morning and hand you the golden ticket!

Always remember: The worst regrets are on the chances you never took!

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt:

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”

www.tradepub.com

So you’re still in college, or perhaps you’ve just graduated and BAM! You find out the real world is not as you’d expected or planned for. The high paying job you always hoped for is sadly yet another realization that even with your degree, it is not what you know, but rather who you know, that can get you to the top much faster in the corporate ladder climbing world.

So what’s a new college graduate to do, rather, what should you have done to avoid such a future scenario to begin with?

I think that many student limit themselves to just studying and most thing academics during their college or university years. It is amazing how many students let perfectly approachable opportunities pass them by because they are either too busy focusing on the next midterm, the next term paper, the next presentation, the next lab e.t.c. A university or college can be a place to cultivate more than just basic theory, textbook memorization, formulas or test writing abilities.

In the end, what many students fail to realize, is that focusing on getting an A+ can only get you so far in life; -you need people skills, analytical and creative thinking to truly succeed and solve the problems that need to be solved, in order to succeed outside of the college or university classroom.

I have met people in the past who are so focused on being “book smart” and achieving the highest A possible, that a failure to do so leads to mental breakdowns and an endless flow of what I can only describe as bucketfuls of bitter tears. It has even reached a point where it is frankly just bogus and annoying.

These students are the same students that would rather go club hopping, or partying, or sleep off the all night study sessions  rather than attend a networking event, learn something new and creative outside of school and academics e.t.c.

As a matter of fact some students limit themselves in many ways and thus they miss out on many positive and fulfilling life changing opportunities, because due to an over-focus on academics (yes it is possible), they would rather cram, memorize and study, than make any attempts at joining any clubs and getting to know themselves as well as other people better. Usually this type of student will only join a club, volunteer or attend a seminar only if it “will look really good on my resume”.

Am I against studying? Of course not, after all, most students incur thousands of dollars in student loans, just to attend university or college- so why not ace it! I am however against being too limited and imbalanced because I believe in order to take full advantage of opportunities, one has got to put themselves  in a position to willingly accept them, -even to be financially successful, one has got to establish a proper balance in order to live a happy stress free life .

So next time you’re tempted to constrain yourself into a corner, just think about the opportunities you might be missing and the impact that may have on you in the future!

This year is a new year for me, I have learned to take a lot of risks (calculated risks that is), and as a person I continue to learn what works for me and what areas I am good at or need to improve in.   I also came to a conclusion that I want to ultimately pursue my own path rather than that of joining the masses.  So what do I mean by this, I am basically saying that I just don’t want to survive and live and breathe on this earth! I want to do exciting things to make money, I also want to truly create and leave behind a legacy that includes being a mentor and a contributing member of society and also helping others to succeed in life.

You are the Ultimate Decision Maker in your life!

I am a strong believer in being in charge of your own life and making the most important decisions ultimately by your own accord.  I am not refuting consulting with personal friends or professional mentors on your life decisions, -what I am saying is, the ultimate decision maker in your life, should be you! Remember you are a capable human being after all.

Choosing to pursue your vision is NOT easy!

Choosing to be different and not following the masses is not an easy pathway, that’s for sure. If you ever want to be really unique, you can not fall prey to thinking that your life should be like all your friends.  Some people were meant to go to college, get good grades and find a job working for someone else,  perhaps get married and have kids.  But does that also mean that you have to and must follow the same pathway in order to succeed in life? The answer is no, I don’t believe that every single human being in this world has to follow that common blueprint in order to succeed intellectually or financially in their life.

I have come to learn through personal experiences, that choosing not to pursue the traditional and preached about “road to success” will be met with hostility and disapproval -even in today’s society.  Parents, acquaintances , friends and most people you will meet will have one or two negative things to say and ways to discourage you that may put a damper on you emotionally and psychologically.  But DO NOT EVER let such negativity such as: “what about a secure job and a secure paycheck?” “what if you don’t succeed”  interrupt your determination and persistence to succeed in a non traditional  environment.

I wasn’t meant to work a regular job:

The great thing about working a regular jobs, is that I was able to really think about what would work for me and what I definitely could not put up with in the long run.

Now I am not saying that all regular office jobs are terrible, as a matter of fact, I have friends who work regular 9-5 office jobs who happen to be very happy and content with their chosen career.  All I am saying is, I have been fortunate enough to go through that pathway of pursuing success in an office setting through a “professional” 9-5 office job.  During my first year of university I worked at a bank over the summer,- and I found out that being trapped in an office from 9-5 every single day of the week doing something I didn’t like,  made the day seem that much longer.  My summer experience was not how I wanted to operate in the long run.  It took a toll on me emotionally, and even though most of my friends envied me and most of them wanted me to “hook” them up with such a job, I was frankly very unhappy and unmotivated to say the least.

I always looked forward to Friday and Saturday and by Sunday, my mood would deteriorate rapidly as the thoughts of going to my regular job would suddenly hit me.  After that summer I made a mental note that I  had to do more with my life; and that is when I truly begun to examine and dispute following the norm, and rather I wanted to pursue my own interest in carving out my own career.

The road has not been easy, especially now that my plans have started to succeed and I am earning money working on my own, rather than holding down jobs that most of my friends have. Be prepared to work even harder than 9-5, if you are to succeed outside that realm.  It is not an easy road and if you are lazy or tend to procrastinate,  it can be a sure way to failure.

My dad thinks that the best way is to still find a well paying job working for somebody else. It is not that he doesn’t want me to succeed, he only wants the best for me, but being traditional, he is influenced into thinking that working a traditional 9-5 is the only way to succeed.  I’ve been stubborn enough and more focused than ever to prove him wrong and succeed in all that I intend to do.  I intend to take control of my life, not just live a pipe dream.

If anyone has ever had such an experience career wise or in their life in general, I  would love to hear about it! Leave a comment!

We all go a little bit overboard with the spending part of our finances from time to time. What I want people to know however is that it is never too late to ease up on the cash out. The main issue to watch out for, is how often we tend to buy things outside of our budget.

We all know that when :

Cash in < Cash out =  We have a problem

I was at Chapters near my university yesterday and I decided to pick up Suze Orman’s book : Suze Orman – For the Young, Fabulous & Broke so I’ve been reading the book  I have to agree with some of Suze Orman’s methods on saving and striving for financial security, however I don’t agree on her stance on using debt as a tool. I believe that debt is something that one should strive to get rid of, or at least reduce – if not completely eliminate! – But overall, I am finding that Suze is quite sincere in her financial advice and she does talk about paying off debt not accumulating it! The book talks about how to analyze and really get to know your credit score.  The advice given in this book  is clear, but only if you’re willing and open  to listen!

A Good read if you’re into books, Suze Orman also has DVDs if you’re more of a visual person!

Sometimes I wonder, is there a money tree out there that I am not aware of?

Nice car--I mean car payments!

It surely seems that way at times, as I witness my age mates 21+ set up a lifestyle to which they can not surely afford to maintain in the long run.  Recently a good friend of mine Cliff  (not his real name), graduated from university, and after getting an entry level job, he felt it was time to perhaps impress those around him by providing the illusion of wealth and  validating the value of his degree and student loans somehow, by buying himself a very nice vehicle, (to which he owes $700 car payments every month).  I guess its mission accomplished for him!

When he first told me (upon complementing him on his “nice wheels”) of the value of the car and let alone the financing, I must admit I was floored! Being my regular frugal self, I was about to tell him how unwise an idea it was to buy such an expensive car as a newly graduated student from a middle class background who just got an entry level office job.  As an economics major didn’t he know the real fact that brand new vehicles depreciate at an accelerated rate and his very nice would lose approximately $17,000 in value in the span of 4 years! -I caught my tongue, as I saw the excitement he now had for his  new “investment”  and his “baby”.  I knew for certain that Cliff wasn’t prepared for the harsh and truthful reality of Depreciation 101 and Cars are Not an Investment par say 101.

Bills Past Due

Yet as I observed him in the past months, I do not seek nor envy to be anywhere near his position.  Yes, he does have a very nice vehicle, but the stress levels he has to put up with every end of the month (when the $700 is due in car payments) combined with the insurance payments and student loan repayments,  is another realm I’d rather not have to deal with.  Working a job he himself describes to be “mundane and boring” has become an extreme necessity in order to avoid any issues (aka repossession and a tainted credit history).

Not yours if you didn't pay full cash!

I know that my friend Cliff is not alone, hundreds and thousands of people continue to compete with others by acquiring status objects to which their current lifestyle and financial status can not afford to maintain in the long run; – as a result many people continue to get themselves into an endless cycle of debt!  It’s is sad to still witness people both young and old squander away their earnings as if there’s a money tree to replenish from.

Be Money-wise, always remember, youth doesn’t last forever(sad but true), who wants to be the old man or old lady that has to cook Alpo for lunch, dinner and snack time! Relying on a government that already has a deficit in trillions of dollars to take good care of you in your old age is a sure and guaranteed failure by default. I don’t know about you, but I envision my golden years spent traveling and soaking in the rays without having to worry too much about the next pension check being too small to pay my bills for the month.

Financial responsibility is a choice, but it is also a choice that is solidly and clearly yours! Take ownership, it’s never too early to start! In fact, the earlier you can start, the better!

Take control of your spending habits, unless you want to remain heavily dependent on clipping coupons and eating sardines or Alpo on a daily basis for the major part of your life.

Food for the extraordinarily in debt

It doesn’t hurt to save a little bit of money from time to time.  I am  always amazed at how much people can save if they tried to find the best deals instead of just settling for what they think is best.  Instead of immediately purchasing an item from your local store, it’s important to first find the best deal.  A dollar or two saved here and there on purchases does add up in the end, trust me.  It is awesome how many good deals one can find online alone! Deals on such items as : electronics, books, apparel, toys, coupons, shoes, furnishings, software e.t.c

To help you along, here’s a list of some of the websites I continue to use from time to time in order to save some of that hard earned ca$h:

1. Fatwallet

FatWallet offers cash back for registered users who purchase goods and services through their website. They also have cool forums where you can gather coupon codes and links without having to become a member of the site. Before I shop at my favorite websites, it’s great to see what’s hot in the forums!

2. MomsView.com

MomsView is another big coupon site that provides a variety of links to free merchandise, online coupons and printable coupons.  Before you shop or go out to eat, check out this site to find the most updated and recent coupons. There are also forums for moms/parents to connect with one another about a variety of family-related topics.

3. Volition.com

Volition is the original freebie website started by Ray Sola over 10 years ago.  Besides listing the best freebies on the web, Volition also tells you about point earning opportunities, survey links and various business opportunities. Check out the “Stuff I Found” forum to get the latest and free offers around. Volition is the most detailed  freebie and work-at-home website on the Internet today

4. StartSampling

This website sends you free samples of new products to try out and assess. You’ll need to register with them and as a member, you’re required to fill out some profile information. Each day, you can request to receive new samples that are recommended for you to use and try out based on the profile you’ve entered.  If you like products, this is a great site to try the sample before you commit to a purchase!

5.BzzAgent

BzzAgent is a word-of-mouth promotional website. When you sign up as a Bzz Agent, you will receive free products and coupons from time to time. The main aim is  for you to spread the word about new goods and services that you’re able to try out for free. Hence, you’re encouraged to “share the Bzz” with others, or report back about the products and items that you have sampled.

Once your Bzz (your opinions and views about what you’ve sampled) at the site gets reviewed and approved for others to see, you’ll then earn points at a website called MyPoints. It’s quite the perfect combination where you can “double your rewards” mainly because you’re able to get free stuff at BzzAgent to sample, and plus you’re also able to “earn” free gift certificates at MyPoints by simply sharing and talking about the free goodies you’ve sampled while at BzzAgent

Caution

Beware of any other websites not listen on here that may claim to offer you the same benefits…often I have found that other “savings” websites are mainly  created just to gather information about you, making you vulnerable  to spam and other possible online security problems. Unfortunately, many of these sites and schemes are scams that are intended to take advantage of anybody who signs up.

watch out for freebie sites that offer those long surveys in exchange for a chance to earn a gift certificate; I’ve found that some of these offers and surveys usually involve revealing your credit card information. By dealing with these domains, you may unknowingly be providing sensitive information to scammers; needless to say, you won’t be receiving a gift certificate from them.

Wouldn’t it be so cool if you could just stop dealing with the one hour commute to and from work! Many of us dream of working even part-time from the comforts of our own homes – let alone earning some additional income doesn’t hurt either.  It is possible to turn a passion into cash, one must never forget that. Creativity and perseverance are both necessary components required in order to succeeding financially. With that said, here are a few ways you can make some ca$h straight from your living room!

So after having over $1000 on my credit card, I finally decided to pay it all off and eliminate credit card debt all at once. I did this within 2 months and it’s one of the accomplishments that I am actually very proud of.  I have only one credit card and for that I am glad.

Starting today, I have decided that I am going to pay for it in cash and debit card. I have seen too many people let credit card debt get way out of hand. My new motivation is to continue my debt free lifestyle. I must say, Owing zero feels super GREAT!!!