Another Good Affiliate Marketing Program and System

As you know, there are hundreds of different affiliate marketing programs and systems out there. I belong to more than one, and in some cases, the various online marketing systems are offering the same end product - just using different strategies.

I like this, not only because it affords the online entrepreneur a variety of methods and systems to test, but also gives the entrepreneur an ability to target different markets or individuals.

For example, using the Global Resorts Network business opportunity, which I am extremely fond of, one person may prefer a more subdued approach to marketing whereas another person may be attracted by something that comes across as high energy. I fall somewhere in between, but I am aware that everyone is different.

Working with these different strategies is a lot of fun, and my work day is never dull!

With all that said, I am fully enjoying Bucky Shiver's system of introducing the business opportunity seeker to Global Resorts Network product. I think one of the things that catches my fancy is the fact that he is well aware of the need for self-branding - which is very important in today's internet marketing world. His system is inexpensive to maintain, and offers a good 10 landing pages which you may or may not decide to brand with your own picture, video, words, etc. Here are just a few different ones I've been using (feel free to click on all of them just to get a quick idea of what I mean): Truth To Wealth Online, Join The Success Team, and You Earn 1K per Sale.

He also offers a nice eBook for free called "It's Only Easy if you Know The Truth: Exposing the Lies, Myths and Hype to Help You Finally Succeed Online." It's certainly worth a visit for you to not only grab a copy of the eBook, but to get a tour around the system and product.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Great Kids Books by My Friend Peggy Gifford

Hello everyone! Today I just want to talk about kids books - not just 'cause I've written one that will hopefully see print some day, but also because I've had the great honor of meeting a wonderfully clever and sassy kids' book author while down here in South Carolina this winter.

Peggy Gifford has written a couple of great books based on an impossibly precocious procrastinator (a trait I, myself share and am going to get to work on curing - maybe starting tomorrow) by the name of Moxy Maxwell.

The books - Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little, and Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank You Notes - are hilarious! They are written in a very relaxed voice that you can just "hear." I love the chapters such as: "Wherein Moxy's Mother Says No..." or words to that effect - and the entire chapter is as follows - and I carefully quote:

"No."

The next chapter gets a little more detailed - but I'll leave you in suspense...

The books flow, kids will love them (actually, they already do), and I recommend that if you have kids anywhere from 8 years old and up, they will just fall in love with Moxy. And so will you. Peggy is a brilliant writer, and I'm not just saying that because we're pals.

While there are already a couple of Moxy Maxwell books out there, as I understand it, there are more in the works. Which is a good thing, because they're addictive, kind of like the Harry Potter books.

One of the great things I love about Moxy is her never ending and ever growing list of "Possible Career Paths." Of course I'm a little partial, but I think that Moxie ought to add "Internet Marketing Entrepreneur" to this list! (You knew I'd have to put a plug in for my own passion, didn't you!?)

So, visit Peggy's site - and tell her I said Hello!

Miracles from 2008

As I sat in meditation moments ago, my mind began contemplating the year that is about to end this evening. I opened my eyes, and was gazing out at the Atlantic from our winter rental here on the beautiful South Carolina beach. I marveled at the miracle that made it possible for us to leave our cold and snowy northern home for the winter – and as I marveled at that, I began to think of all the other miracles of this past year.

And I was inspired to write this post.

I have not yet attained millionaire status; however, if the miracles of 2008 are any indication, I am surely on my way – not only monetarily, but spiritually as well. May I share with you the multitude of things that awe and inspire me about this past year?

Thank you.

As I review the year, I realize that early in 2008, my focus began to sharpen. I am so grateful for the first 45 days of 2008, wherein I detoxified my body and mind to a state where mental clarity became the norm. How grateful I am.

In 2008, I made my first large affiliate sale, resulting in a real commission check – made out to me – and I no longer needed to visualize something that hadn’t yet happen. Because now it DID happen, and I could visualize even more of them. This first success made me realize that success truly is within my reach. How grateful I am.

I am so thankful for that experience, and thankful I didn’t quit the way I used to quit when success wasn’t mine overnight.

I am also thankful that, as 2008 continued, my other websites began producing sales. I didn’t quit 6 months after getting my websites up and running, even though I wasn’t yet earning enough to live on. How grateful I am.

I am extremely grateful that I have learned to calm my mind and become patient – and through this calmness and patience have seen my faith deepen.

Many times during 2008, I felt thankful that we had discarded our television 4 years prior. I am thankful that I avoided newspapers and newscasts, because I was unaffected by others’ pessimism about whatever was happening in their economy. The time I did not spend in front of the television set or newspapers was spent in learning to visualize my goals and intentions, and these were untainted by whatever was happening to others.

During 2008, as I walked along the quiet country road where we live in northern NH, I often found myself thankful that I didn’t really know or “hang out” with anyone in town – because my solitary walks became walking meditations wherein I could formulate new visions for my life. When I had first moved to that area, I felt lonely because I didn’t know a lot of people or have friends there. Once I turned my vision inward, I realized what a gift that the solitude truly has been for me. How grateful I am.

I am so grateful that 2 years ago I lost my job – another in a series of grant-funded work that always evaporated when the funds dried up. If I had been able to keep any of those jobs, I could not have packed up and left NH when the snows fell this year. I’d still be shoveling, scraping ice, driving on snowy mountain roads, and spending money on heating oil, plowing, and firewood. Instead, thanks to the fact that my jobs were gone, I was able to work on becoming an internet marketing entrepreneur – AND go to a beautiful southern climate for the winter. How grateful I am.

I am also thankful for laptop computers and cell phones which make it possible to work wherever I want to be.

Although this sounds sad, I cannot begin to say how thankful I was when, 6 days before we were to leave NH for SC, that we were both home when our beloved little cat, “Kitty,” suffered a stroke – and that we were both with her, petting her and loving her as she made her transition over the rainbow bridge. If we had both been at a job, our little Kitty would have suffered and died alone. Another miracle is that the vet – who is only in our rural area 3 days/week – was there and still open when this occurred. How grateful I am for the 9 years we had our pet. How grateful I am.

I am thankful that I reconnected with friends that I thought had moved on. I spent many pleasant hours with some of these folks, and heard new insights and gained a new appreciation for who they are. What a blessing these friends are.

We are told that the real estate market is doing poorly. There is a small city in northern NH where more than 120 single family homes are for sale, and few are selling. During 2008, we had a small single family house in that town that we needed to sell. How thankful I am for the miracle of the house selling within 7 days of being put on the market. How grateful I am, and awed, when I think of the person who bought the house – who we discovered was born 4 doors down the road, 68 years before, who had moved away 40 years earlier, and who just decided to “come home” to his hometown. How grateful I am.

I realize it is by no accident that, over the course of this last year, I have stumbled upon remarkable books, some written in the early 1900's, about the universal Law of Attraction. These books are not widely discussed today, as other, more contemporary books have since been written. Nonetheless, these older volumes resonated with me, and have quickened my progress in my own ability to visualize and act on my goals. How grateful I am.

I am overwhelmed with thanks that my husband joins me and supports me on my path, and that together, we spent the 2008 holiday season volunteering in our new winter community instead of purchasing and opening gifts. This experience was unlike any other we have ever had, and touched our hearts and changed our lives forever – and we will never be the same. How grateful I am.

Throughout the year 2008, I have learned to hear, listen, and follow the intuitive messages speaking within my spirit. I have been led along the path, guided to make certain turns – and have learned to trust the direction I find myself following.

I am seeing potential I never saw before.
I am meeting friends I never knew existed.
I am being introduced to business and marketing strategies that – a year ago – I had never even heard of.
I am trusting and loving myself as I never have before.
I am feeling a depth of love in my heart for others that I never thought could be so strong – so strong that tears come to my eyes whenever I contemplate it.

I am so grateful for the joys, miracles, and awe that 2008 has brought to me – and I have touched on but a few of them here. These words I have written come nowhere near the feelings and thoughts that are bubbling within my heart and mind.

But, I wanted to share them in the hope that they spur you to contemplate the miracles that may have occurred in your life – and to anticipate the miracles that are yet to occur in 2009 and beyond.

I wish you all a blessed and happy new year.

Forming SMART Goals to Crystallize Your Vision

I recently wrote about how positive thoughts and mindset are your most powerful tools in Internet Marketing.

We reviewed the importance of staying in the present moment. If you missed that article, please feel free to either scroll down to below.

Today I'll talk about formulating goals that are S.M.A.R.T.

Before we discuss this, however, please be sure you understand the importance of keeping your thoughts in the present moment. This is critical, because all of your goals MUST use words that keep each goal in the only moment when ANYTHING can be accomplished – and that is now. This very moment. Not yesterday, and not tomorrow. Now. Again, I briefly review this topic in the article mentioned above.

As we move into making S.M.A.R.T. goals for ourselves, I want to point out that there are entire websites dedicated to this well-known and well-used acronym. If this is a topic that resonates with you, I recommend that you visit one of the many excellent sites that cover this in great detail. Simply type in the search term “SMART Goal Setting” or some similar term. You will find numerous variations on the acronym, but, for our purposes, we’ll break it down as follows:
S = Specific.
M = Measurable.
A = Attainable.
R = Relevant or Rewarding (some sources use “Realistic” – we’ll stick with Relevant and Rewarding for our purposes).
T = Time-Based.

Let’s review each term separately:
S = Specific. When we write goals, they should have a razor-sharp focus about what, exactly, you want to have happen. It answers the question “What?” What is it that you want?
Example: Instead of having a goal to “have a lot of money someday,” try “have $10,000 cash flow every single month by October 2009, over and above business expenses.”

M = Measurable. How will you tell whether or not you are making progress toward your goal? Different goals will call for different types of measuring criteria. This answers the question “How?” How is this going to be accomplished?
Example: If your goal is to walk for 30 minutes each day, the way you measure progress towards that goal will be somewhat different than if your goal is to walk 5 miles every day. Your measurement criteria for the goal of walking 30 minutes each day may be to begin with 10 minute increments for the week, 20 minute increments for the second week, etc. If your goal is to walk 5 miles every day, your measurement criteria may be in half-mile increments for each week. In either case, the way you see your progress is easily determined by the criteria you have chosen.

A = Attainable. You want your goal to be something you can commit to reaching without giving up. The goal should push you – but not overwhelm you.
Example: Instead of having an initial goal of running 10 miles without stopping within the next month if you have never been a runner, how about starting out with a goal of running 2 miles without stopping? Again, I’m not saying don’t reach for the stars – I just want to be sure you stick with your commitment towards your goals. If you find yourself running 2 miles without stopping fairly easily, then by all means, up the ante and go for that 10 miles!

R = Relevant (also, Rewarding). Your goal should have meaning to your life and purpose. If it isn’t relevant to your life, or rewarding, you won’t want to spend a whole lot of time or effort on it, will you? It not only needs to impact who you are and what you’re doing – it also needs to be completed by you, and not someone else.
Example: Let’s say you love to sing, and want to find a way to earn some extra money through your singing. As you brainstorm goals to move you in that direction, the goal of “By March 10th, research 10 different venues in town that are open to auditioning new singers” is relevant – because YOU are the one who will need to attend the audition, and singing is important to YOUR life. However, forming the goal: “listen to 10 new CDs of different famous singers by March 10th” isn’t relevant to your desired result. How would committing to listening to some CDs get you closer to earning extra money by singing? Certainly, listening to others can be inspiring, but unless it compels you into taking some action, it’s not relevant – and if you’re not taking action, it’s not a rewarding goal either.

T = Time-based. When will you reach this goal? In a month? 6 months? If you don’t put some kind of time commitment to your goal, when will you actually make any progress toward your goal? Without any sense of urgency and importance to accomplishing your goal, it can get very easy to fall into, “Oh, I’ll start tomorrow,” or “Maybe I’ll get going next week sometime…” Setting a timeframe for your goal will help keep you accountable. It answers the question “When?”
Example: You may have a goal of earning $10,000 per month online. When do you intend to get to work on this goal? If it’s that important to you, you should crystallize your starting point, as well as mid term points where you can account for your activities toward the goal. In what month and year are you anticipating reaching this goal? Without a starting and ending point framing your goal, at what points would you know to do a check up on your progress?

Ok. So that briefly reviews the idea of the SMART goal. Let’s see if we can come up with a goal that meets all the points we just touched on.

NOTE: For purposes of this example, this goal assumes that I am already earning some money through online marketing, and the starting point is December 1, 2008. Here’s the goal statement (notice that the wording is in present tense – it’s happening right now, even though I am using certain calendar timeframes to help define measurement criteria):
GOAL:
“Beginning today, I implement one new strategy from the ABC Training Manual daily until each of the 10 named strategies is in effect – an effort which, monitored and updated on a daily basis, results in my earning an extra $1,500 or more per month from my website’s sales, building up sales each month so that I am earning $5,000 or more from my website’s sales each month by March, 2009.”

S = Specific: Is the goal specific? Yes, it gives an exact figure that we can visualize occurring – for example, we can picture deposits being placed in our checking account as they add up to the goal.

M = Measurable: Is the goal measurable? Yes, it gives us a “ruler” in the form of the method we will use (the strategies of our company’s training module) so we can begin looking at our progress. We also have the measure of progress by days for the 10 strategies – we either implement one each day, or we don’t. At any point, we can stop and examine what it is we are doing and adjust our activities to bring us back into alignment with the goal.

A = Attainable: Is the goal attainable? Yes, because it is something that, due to our plan and right attitude will be well within our reach in the given amount of time. It is definitely going to stretch us – but it isn’t going to overwhelm us. We will feel great as each day we see the progress that keeps us going.

R = Relevant and Rewarding: Is the goal relevant and rewarding? Yes, because once we see ourselves implementing the strategies and seeing the income grow, we will feel that our efforts are rewarding. We have the relevant strategies at hand that will help propel us to the goal. Just because we may not yet have implemented the marketing strategies, they are a critical part of the goal that will prove to be very rewarding as we move forward.

T = Time-Based: Is the goal time-based? Yes, because we have given ourselves a sense of urgency but at the same time have given ourselves a reasonable timeframe in which to accomplish the task. By outlining the initial 10 days of activity (implementing one new strategy per day), and giving ourselves a few months to monitor and update – all of which can be checked and accounted for on a daily basis – we have an excellent starting point as well as a finish line to aim for.

I have one further clarification to make regarding the way I worded this goal. I mention that “I implement one new strategy from the ABC Training Manual daily until each of the 10 named strategies is in effect.” You may be thinking that this is the only vehicle that will result in my earning the extra $1,500 or month per more.

This wording is not meant to limit the ways in which the extra money may come to me – it is a starting point. This goal may well be a “sub goal” – one of several smaller goals that are part of a bigger picture or bigger goal that is not evident in these examples.

I believe it is important to remain open to how goals might be accomplished. Please do not limit yourself to attaining goals through means that you can only perceive with your five senses, because there are possibilities you may not yet have been exposed to or introduced to yet that could far exceed any expectation (again, see the article I wrote earlier about mindset).

There are certain spiritual proclivities that I have when it comes to my own goal setting that may or may not agree with your own ideas or beliefs. In my case, I may indeed word a mini goal as I did in the above example, but I may also add that I am open to receiving the extra $5,000 per month in a way that has yet to be revealed to me.

I believe that it is perfectly acceptable to change goals as circumstances change. But, the important thing is that you have a starting point, and that it is written down. At very least it will help you to crystallize in your mind the picture of what it is you want to achieve!

Ok. If you are feeling up to a little exercise, here are a few hypothetical scenarios and corresponding goal statements that do NOT meet the SMART criteria. What can you do to change them?

Have fun!
Scenario #1: You want to get back into your old jeans which stopped fitting you approximately 20 pounds ago. You want to slim down before your college reunion, which is scheduled for November 2009. It is now July 2009. You know you need to cut back on the junk food, which you indulge in nearly 3 times a week. You also don’t exercise much – there’s just no time.
Ok… here’s the goal:
“On November 1, 2009, I weigh 20 pounds less than I do on July 1, 2009 by eating less junk food and beginning and sticking to an exercise program.”

Scenario #2: You want to start a home based business, preferably online. You don’t know where to begin – but you do have a good computer and high speed internet access. You would like to earn $1,000 extra per month for starters since you are still working full-time. It is April, 2009, and you would like to have something started by June, 2009, and be earning $1,000 extra per month by December, 2009. Some of the things you have decided you could enjoy marketing include luxury travel memberships.
Ok… here’s the goal:
“I have an online business selling luxury travel memberships for XYZ Company, and since each sale brings approximately $1,000 commissions, I am selling one or more memberships each month, beginning in November 2009.”

I hope this goal exercise has been helpful to you! Again, if you want more training regarding the S.M.A.R.T. goal, type the term into your favorite search engine, and study the various sites out there.

Remember the theme of the James Allen book, “As a Man Thinketh:” As you think, so you are, and so you will become. So, let's get SMART with our goals now!

What I did about a Telemarketing Call. After all, I'm an INTERNET Entrepreneur!

This is a draft of my thoughts which I've just submitted for publication. Perhaps it will resonate with some of you! :) It's all true, by the way...

This morning, I received a call from “Unknown Caller” as the caller ID displayed. My first reaction – as I’m sure many of you may recognize from your own experiences – was to ignore the call. “After all,” I thought smugly, “who would be calling me without allowing me to see his or her phone number?”

With shame, I admit to you that my first thought was, ‘Hmmm… must be someone trying to sell me something.” And my next shameful thought was, “I’ll just let the machine pick it up – after all, I’m busy working on my internet marketing strategy.”

Ahh, yes. That obnoxious, self-righteous thought that “I’m an internet marketing expert. I don’t have time for sales calls…” Shame on me!

Ok. Important Lesson #1:
Ask yourself – and please be honest with your answer, because no one but you will know how you answer: If or when you receive a similar phone call, what is your first thought? Do you think similarly, as I did? Or, do you look at the phone, smile, and think, “This may be the very call that is going to bring me some new business or other good news!”

There’s no need to discuss your answer. I’m glad to report that I corrected my initial thought, released the smug attitude, and began quickly thinking in terms of the call being one that changes my life for the better.

Let’s move on…

Fortunately, my husband – who is a pretty wise guy (I mean that seriously), said, “It’s probably for you!” He answered the phone, and sure enough it was for me. Well, as it turns out it was a telemarketer after all! It was a woman who mentioned that she had my name as one who was interested in earning some extra money from home. She asked if that was the case with me.

I will step back just a moment and mention that I have had this call – or a variation of this call – at least 50 times within the last year. And why is that? Why, because I am interested in earning money from home – have been for years – and am probably on a list somewhere that shouts out: “Live One Here!” or “Call This One!”

Important Lesson #2:
If you are a business builder, in an internet marketing venture, in a direct sales or network marketing organization, or otherwise deal with prospects and customers – it really could be just about anyone on the phone. Yes, it could be a telemarketer. It could also be a prospect who found your website and just wanted to speak with a human to see if one was actually there.

So, the point is, you should not only expect these calls, but you should answer them. I’ll explain in a minute. First I acknowledge that I am well aware of the strategies that teach us to ignore the phone or turn it off when we are following a schedule designed to maximize efficiency. And I agree with that. I’m talking about other times.

You may be wondering why I believe you should “waste your time” talking with telemarketers and callers such as the one I spoke with this morning.

Here is Important Lesson #3 – and possibly the most important point:
Think about your business. Maybe some of you are in a business where you do not have to call people in order to gather customers or prospects – if so, lucky you.

But I’ll bet a lot of you do have to call people. You may need to invite people to a home business presentation, if that’s how your business works. You may need to call a company and get past the receptionist – who already knows you are in sales – to your eventual prospect.

So, here it was – not even 9:00 am, and this cheerful voice was calling me and asking if I was still interested in earning extra income from home. Wow! Right there – I had to give her 10 points – no, 100 points! Because here is the point:
She DID SOMETHING. She actually picked up the phone, and made the call.

Hey, I don’t know about you, but cold calling is NOT for me. I find myself feeling sick just thinking about it. But this morning, the caller woke up and told herself she was going to do it, and she did it. Just like that! Her voice was pleasant. Confident. Did she actually feel like smiling when she placed that call – probably only one of many? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. Because her voice was smiling, and I could pick up on it.

Here is another question for you – again, only you need to know the answer: When you receive calls like that, and – assuming you answer them – how do you treat the caller? Do you hang up? Do you yell at the caller, telling him or her to never darken your telephone threshold ever again? Cuss at the caller?

If this is how you respond – or have responded in the past, why? Why respond in that way?

From a common sense, just plain ol’ good-manners, polite, golden-rule standpoint, it’s just plain rude. You probably wouldn’t talk to your best customer that way. You probably wouldn’t talk to your top producer that way. And, you probably wouldn’t talk with your next hot prospect that way. Would you?

Ahh. But, here, it wasn’t your customer. It wasn’t your top producer. And it wasn’t your next hot prospect. But – you were. You were the next hot prospect – or so the caller hoped. You were the potential next customer. You were the next potential top producer.

And so was I, when the phone rang, just before 9:00 this morning.

And so, you may be wondering how I answered the call.

I smiled before I spoke. Because – again, I had no way of knowing how this call might affect my life. I wanted to be prepared for it to affect my life in the best possible way! Plus, it’s always good to put a smile on your face before answering the phone – your smile shows in your voice.

I said, “Hello!” The caller gave me her well-practiced scripted question. I smiled and answered, “You are right! I have indeed been interested in earning extra money from home for a long time – and I’m glad to report that I’ve found a business that I’ve committed to, and am now concentrating on. I’ve decided to concentrate solely on that – so I will not be considering any other opportunities! But, I wish you the best of luck in your work!”

And it was true. Every word of it. I hope it gave the caller the strength and confidence to make the next call.

And I hope this little case-study has given you, dear reader and fellow entrepreneur, some food for thought as well. Because, one way or another – we are all hoping that the next prospects we call or run into will join our opportunity or buy our product. We are all hoping that the next people we speak with will treat us with respect, accept our invitation to our next home presentation, and have a smile in their voice when we make that call.

Your Mindset and Thoughts: The Most Powerful Tool You Have in Internet Marketing

Here is the copy of an article I just submitted to an eZine - hopefully you will find it helpful!

Ok. So you have bought into an internet marketing program. You did your homework, and found a product that you really would like to sell, because you enjoy using it – or would like to use it – yourself.

You went ahead and jumped right in. You bought the whole program, and you also bought into an automated marketing system. You feel great about this! The system you bought is the perfect vehicle for getting potential customers to your site!

So… You straighten out your folders, neaten your desk, sharpen your pencils, and then you… You what? What do you do?

Hmmm. Perhaps you log in to your site – maybe it’s an affiliate program back office where there are lots of links to training tips. Perhaps you start searching the internet to see who else is marketing your product, and to see how they’re doing it. Your mind begins buzzing with confusion.

Perhaps you see a bunch of people out there all of a sudden, and it seems like everyone is marketing – gulp – the same program. “Oh no!” you may wonder. “How can I compete with them?”

A chill runs through you. What do you do now? Your thoughts go from excitement to fear to doubt…

Ok. This is where your mindset comes into play.

The first thing you do is take a deep breath, and let it out – and while you are letting it out, you say to yourself, “Well, of course there are other people using this system! Of course other people are marketing this product! If they weren’t, there would be no demand for it! If there wasn’t any competition, I’d be in big trouble, because that would me no one wants the product. Boy, am I glad I have a product people want!”

Do you get it? First of all, to put the fear of competition to rest, understand that competition is important! When you market your product, you are not going to use the exact same words in your advertising as everyone else does! You are not going to have the exact same ideas for ezine articles or press releases that others do!

You will have your own moments of inspiration. You will have your own ideas for what might be a good advertisement. You will have your own story to tell. But – not if you keep harboring fear and doubt.

The important thing here is to have your mindset right. Here are some quick tips (and believe me, if you ever have browsed through the “Self Help” section of a bookstore, you’ll notice that there is no shortage of material on this subject! – so, when I say “quick tips,” I mean it! Take these as starting points!). And please remember – we are only concentrating on mindset and thoughts in this article.

We’re going to concentrate on getting your THINKING straight.

In a nutshell, this is the age old wisdom repeated in volume after volume of self-help works: “What you THINK about, you BRING about.”

Ever heard that? It’s in the Bible, quoted by the famed James Allen in his landmark book “As A Man Thinketh,” and many, many others. If you’ve ever heard of the movie “The Secret,” this is one of the main topics. If you have ever heard of the universal law of attraction, this is one of the primary points.

Your thoughts determine your ultimate outcomes. Have you ever heard people say that they want something, but their voices say otherwise. They may say, “Oh, yes! I just know I really want to succeed,” but their faces are saying, “Yeah, right. It’ll never happen to me.”

Don’t laugh! Have you ever caught yourself in that negative thought habit? Thinking things such as: “If I’m lucky…” “Well, we’ll see what happens…” “I’d better not get my hopes up too high…” – stuff like that?

Well… STOP IT! Decide to release or surrender any negative thought habit you have RIGHT NOW. You must if you are going to master your thoughts and mind – rather than have THEM master YOU.

“Kath, that’s not so easy,” you may be saying. Perhaps not on your first go around. But, once you get into the habit of correcting and releasing your self-limiting thoughts, and replace them with “can do” thoughts, it’ll get easier.

But, to begin with, you need the right thoughts to think - to replace the negative self-limiting thoughts with, right? Of course! So, this is where you take your goals and intentions, and put them into words of abundance so that you can begin to feed your mind with positive self-fulfilling thoughts (Note: The topic of proper wording for goals and goal-setting will be covered in a different article.).

Let’s say you have a goal to earn $1,000 extra this month. Instead of saying to yourself, “Oh, I sure would like to have $1,000 extra this month,” picture yourself looking at $1,000 deposit in your checkbook, $1,000 added to your balance column – and think, “Oh, it sure is nice having this $1,000 extra this month!” (Another Note: You need to FEEL it, too – and yes, there is a lot of literature out there on this, as well.)

Picture having the $1,000 – instead of wanting the $1,000. The mind doesn’t play favorites – if it sees you wanting, then wanting - or the feeling of wanting – is what you will continue to have. Do you really want to want it? Or do you prefer to have it?

You see, all things you can perceive with your 5 senses that are man-made began with a thought. For example, a table or a chair didn’t just appear one day out of thin air.

Someone, somewhere along the way had to have had a thought about a structure or tool that would somehow make life a little more comfortable. The thoughts might have been of a more comfortable posture, perhaps a more comfortable feeling while eating. Maybe sitting on a rock gave them the idea of a more comfortable feeling. The thoughts probably were not about “wishing” to be more comfortable. They probably thought about the postures that made them more comfortable, and opened their minds until the inspiration came to help them develop the tools. Again, this is just a simple example. But, again, primitive man’s thoughts were probably fairly simple too.

Which brings me to the next point – While you are training your mind to think in terms of your present state of abundance as a result of your business success (Again, think in the present – not the past or future.

Think in terms of “having,” not “wanting.” Think and picture having your goals right now. Practice!), don’t cram your thoughts with worry about how you are going to achieve your goals. You could not even possibly begin to imagine the multitude of ways you might find to achieve your goals. Remain completely open minded to what is out there. Help, guidance, intuition, etc., may come from a place you least expect it.

This is not “fluff.” It’s real. May I give you a true example of something that just happened to us? I’ll make it very short. We had a small property to sell, and were told over and over that we’d have a tough time in “this poor economy,” (by the way, another limiting thought), and in “this area, where nothing is selling!”

We chose to ignore such things, and we pushed on. While working on the house, and engaging a realtor to sell it, what kept going through our minds was this: “This is the perfect little house for someone who really is looking for an easy-to-heat, easy-to-maintain place here…This house is great for someone who wants a place in move-in condition…” etc. When I tell you that we had an offer within 1 week of the house being on the market, I am not exaggerating. Furthermore, the person who bought it was born on that very street – 4 doors up – and had been wanting to come back to that town for years.

You see, we absolutely refused to listen to nay-sayers. We had the idea and thought that this was going to work out. We never wavered on our faith that this was the perfect house for someone, and that the perfect someone would appear to purchase it. We completely released and surrendered any thoughts as to where this person would come from - and the person came from two states away! There is no way we could have even remotely imagined this buyer. We handed him the keys to the house today (as I write this article).

And that is just ONE example. There are many others. Don’t you want to have your own examples to tell others?

So, this is how important your thoughts are. Replace any fears about your marketing efforts by thinking about all the great things your product has to offer. Begin picturing people finding your website, and purchasing your product. Begin picturing the emails as they come in, informing you that you have an order! Begin seeing your checkbook balance grow. And – as you do so, keep your mind open to the possibilities as they come to you with regard to the actions you will take. And remember to not try to second-guess how or where or when these customers and prospects are going to come to you.

Embrace your competition. Look at what they are doing with an objective eye – one that is not fearful, but is curious. Hmm. What are they doing? Is there something that strikes you as an interesting method they are using? Use your competition as a learning tool. Be glad for competition, because it means your product or opportunity is in demand.

Once you get your mindset and thoughts working WITH you, with YOU mastering your mind and thoughts, instead of being mastered by them, you will soon find that you are ablaze with ideas and energy to help you get to your goals more quickly.

Remember to stick with it! Again, you may not have any idea where, who, how, or when your customer is coming – just keep those thoughts of abundance going. Keep your mind open. Keep the faith. And, while you are releasing all your previously limiting thoughts and replacing them with positive ones, keep working towards your goals with the knowledge you have, knowing full well that the knowledge you need will be revealed. Because you now have success on your side!