Do what you love, love what you do…

You need to believe in what you do, have a passion for doing it, and do everything enthusiastically. Love what you do.

Stephen King says, ‘If you love what you do, you can do it forever.’

Know Yourself

First you need to know what it is you love doing. Then find out what makes it so lovable. Richard Bolles, author of ‘What Colour is Your Parachute’, outlines an exercise in his book for coming up with your ideal job profile (aka dream job). They are:

1. Your favourite interests
2. Geography – where you like to work (venue and location)
3. Your favourite people and environments
4. Your favourite values and goals
5. Your favourite working conditions
6. Salary and level of responsibility
7. Your top 6 favourite skills.

It’s up to you how much time you invest on completing the job description. I remember it took me a total of 5 hours one fateful weekend all that time ago. Once you’ve got your ideal job description, you’re ready to go job shopping.

Remember how much you enjoyed shopping for that gadget or picnic basket? And how was that possible? Because you’d somehow distilled (implicitly or explicitly) the key attributes of what it was you needed to achieve your goals. As Paul Arden said, ‘Without having a goal, it’s hard to score.’

Love the Job You’re In

Now imagine this. You’ve identified your goal. And you’ve got your dream job description. Ask yourself these 4 questions:

• What would happen if you got what you wanted?
• What wouldn’t happen if you got what you wanted?
• What would happen if you didn’t get what you wanted?
• What wouldn’t happen if you didn’t get what you wanted?

Answering these questions might be a challenge, but they really make you think. The questions force you to question why you want what you want and this, in turn, helps you refine your goal and your strategy to do what you need to achieve that goal.

It can make a difference

If you want to make a difference in your world, the single most important thing you can do is to make a conscious decision to choose to do work that you are passionate about. The greatest change happens because of people that are truly and deeply passionate, and have a great love for the work they do.

If you’re doing work that’s boring, you probably won’t make much of an impact. You get enough to pay your rent or mortgage, and maybe just enough to get by or maybe you make a good pay cheque. But, is it worth it? You probably won’t be inciting change any time soon. And you certainly won’t be inspiring others. Chances are, if you’re doing boring work, you do just enough to get you pay and to not get fired. Yea Hoo!

But if you do work that excites you, keeps you up at night, and fulfills you… you’ll do more. You’ll give yourself to it completely. You’ll put in extra time, more energy, more passion. Because it’s worth it. It’s satisfying. Its’ rewarding and it incites change in you and others around you. People see you glow when you do what you love, When you talk about it or show someone. You get people thinking, “how can I do that?”

Six things you can do to move toward getting paid to do what you love:

1. Find your passion. This is all about your great love, and what makes you come alive.
2. Find your strengths. What we’re looking for are things you’re naturally good at, and the unique strengths you’ve had since birth.
3. Find your value. Finding the intersection between what you’re good at and what people are willing to pay you for is what it all boils down to.
4. Make the commitment. I think, more than any other reason, people fail to succeed is because they fail to commit. Thinking “I don’t know” or “maybe someday” will not get you to the point of doing what you’re passionate about for a living.
5. What will you give up? You might not think that you have time to take on a new endeavor, and you’re right. You won’t have time until you make the time. There are a lot of things we place in our schedules that we think we must do. But in reality, our world wouldn’t collapse if we chose something else. Make a list of all the activities and time sinks that you’ll give up in order to make time for your new journey. – GIVING  UP WATCHING TV WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO START
6. Be willing to let go. As much as you might want to make this change for yourself, it can be hard to let go of the old patterns of thinking and behaving.

Now remember there are many different options for getting started down that path to doing what you love. I found mine through network marketing. Others have opened a franchise or their own boutique. Some have simply taken their hobby and made it their  lively-hood. You decide, but remember… Do what you love, love what you do and you will never have to work another day in your life.

Cheers

Appreciation Can Truly Go A Long Way – A "Must Read" Book

365 THANK YOUS

The Story of How a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life By John Kralik

The art of the thank you note is sometimes seen as a dying custom. With e-mail, cell phones, and other means of instant communication at our fingertips, the thought of hand-writing and mailing a card seems outdated and inconvenient. And following two years of economic struggles, environmental disasters, and other worldwide worries, it often seems difficult to find anything to be thankful for. At the end of 2007, John Kralik would have agreed. His law firm was operating in the red, his divorce still wasn’t finalized, his apartment was the size and temperature of a toaster oven, and his girlfriend had just broken up with him. At the age of 52, it seemed as if he had nothing to be grateful for, and that he was about to start 2008 at an all-time low.

A walk through the hills on January 1, 2008 changed all that. Unhappy with both his lot in life as well as his attitude toward it, he realized that if he could somehow be thankful for the things he already had in life, perhaps the things he wanted would follow. His plan: send 365 thank you notes in a year, one for each day. By the time he was finished he had lost weight, ran a marathon, raised money for charities, turned his law firm around, reconnected with old friends and relatives, and gotten back together with his girlfriend. 365 THANK YOUS: The Story of How a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life (Hyperion; December 28, 2010; $22.99 hardcover) is the incredible story behind this inspiring feat, and proof that the personal touch can sometimes make all the difference.

The project started out a bit slow (and 2 days late), but Kralik saw the benefits almost immediately. Loans were repaid, lunches were covered, and Kralik saw his relationship with his sons start to repair itself. Despite initially realizing that he had been spelling ‘grateful’ wrong his whole life (sheepishly admitting that he had hardly ever used the word), Kralik soon became a natural at crafting concise yet meaningful notes. Starting out with thanks for material things, he eventually began to examine his relationships with everyone from old friends to current employees, realizing how important, generous, and wonderful these people were, and how often he’d neglected to let them know.

His life didn’t change overnight, and Kralik’s journey is not all positive. The summer months brought hard times for Kralik with the collapse of one of his biggest clients, a major bank. His girlfriend broke up with him again, and his law firm was forced to change location early in the year. But through it all, Kralik was able to take note of and appreciate the good things that he had in his life, as well as the things he had to look forward to.

With extreme honesty and a friendly, conversational tone, Kralik tells the story of how his simple act of daily gratitude changed his life, and how losing sight of the good things in our lives can force us to only see the bad. Kralik’s story is at times heartwarming, at times heartbreaking, but always inspiring, a great example of how even small acts of appreciation can truly go a long way.

John Kralik was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended the University of Michigan for college and law school. He practiced law for 30 years, and was a partner in the law firms of Hughes Hubbard and Reed, Miller Tokuyama Kralik and Sur, and Kralik and Jacobs. In 2009, he was appointed a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. He lives in the Los Angeles area, and continues writing thank you notes to this day.

365 THANK YOUS:
The Story of How a Simple Act of Daily
Gratitude Changed My Life
By John Kralik

Hyperion
Publication date: December 28, 2010
$22.99 hardcover
ISBN-10: 9781401324056

The Next Few Minutes

In the next few minutes, the next few hours, or in the next few days - some things are going to happen that will impact your future.

You’ll take action towards fulfilling a dream… Or you won’t.

You’ll have thoughts that make you feel good about yourself and bring you peace and joy… Or you won’t.

You’ll make a choice to push past your comfort zone, take a chance on yourself, expand your opportunity for greatness… Or you won’t.

With the year drawing to an end and a new one just about to begin, what a great time to reflect on the year gone by. So much more than you may realize has happened in your life this past year and you may think to yourself, “I’ve let a few things go undone that should have been done”. Perhaps you have not been communicating with your friends and family, as much as you should have. Or, maybe there was something you wanted to do or to get started that you kept putting off or you specifically pushed off to the new year, well, now is the time to set your goals and create a plan for the new year.

This is the time when we all can reflect on our relationships. The new year gives you the opportunity to repair broken relationships, just bite the bullet and make a promise to yourself that you are going to be the nicest person you know. Don’t bear grudges, just forgive yourself, and then forgive everyone else who needs it.  Make this a time to clear the decks and start next year full of excitement and expectation, with no baggage from previous years.

Realize that a new year is your chance to reinvent yourself. Celebrate your accomplishments and start with a clean slate. Set aside any doubts or fears you may have. We all have areas in our lives that are working and other areas that are not. Figure out what you want and get it done in 2011!  Ask yourself these questions…

What relationships would you like to clean up? Who do you want to meet? Where do you want to travel? Who do you want to be? How much money do you want to make? What impact do you want to have on the world? What would you like to accomplish? How much fun will you have? Who will you hang out with? Where will you be living?

This is your shot at designing your dream life … no one but you can decide to go for it and make it happen or not happen.

So as you sit with family and friends and reflect on the year gone by, focus on the positives and wipe the slate clean. Set your goals for 2011 and go after them.

I wish each and everyone of you the best for the New Year and look forward to hearing your success stories and sharing mine. Happy New Year Everyone!

Michael

(Thank you ~ to my friends Croz and Jordan Adler for some of the ideas and content in this message)

Family, life and the human spirit

Christmas is upon us once again, and as we start to embrace the season, it seemed appropriate that I shared something about family, life and the human spirit.

A friend of mine sent me this message in an email and I thought I would share it with you. “Things Life Has Taught Me”

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it..
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present..
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you, really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone, everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

The 8 Rules of Business Greeting Card Etiquette

How To Impress, Not Stress, During The Holidays

From Lydia Ramsey

When it comes to holiday business greeting cards, to send or not to send is the question. Once you have decided to send, you then have to determine who to include on your list, what kind of business greeting card to choose, and how to address the envelope.

Business greeting cards can:

• enhance your current business relationships
• attract new customers
• remind old clients that you exist
• show appreciation to supportive clients

Use proper business greeting card etiquette. What is a well-meaning gesture can offend the people you want to impress when it is not done properly.

The 8 Rules of Business Greeting Card Etiquette

Buy Quality Cards: Start with a good quality business greeting card to show that you value your clients and colleagues. Skimping on your selection can be interpreted in a number of ways. Your recipients might take it as a sign that business has not been good or that they aren’t worth a little investment.

Update Your List: Make sure your list is up-to-date with correct names and addresses. If you do this on a regular basis, it does not become a dreaded holiday chore. As you gain new contacts throughout the year, take time to add them to your database for your business greeting card group. This way you won’t embarrass yourself by sending the card to the old address.

Sign Cards Personally: Even if you have preprinted information on the business greeting card such as your name, you need to add your handwritten signature. The most elegant business greeting cards should have your personal signature and a short handwritten message.

Handwrite the Address: If you are ready to throw up your hands at this point and forget the whole project, then have someone else address the envelopes for you. Don’t use computer-generated labels. They are impersonal and make your holiday wishes look like a mass mailing. You may save time and even money, but can lose a client in the process.

Mail to Home Address: Mail your business greeting card to the home if you know the small business owner. Be sure to include the spouse’s name. The card is not sent to both husband and wife at the business address unless they both work there.

Use Titles: Whether you are addressing the envelope to an individual or a couple, titles should always be used. It’s “Mr. John Doe,” not “John Doe,” or “Mr. and Mrs. John Doe, rather that “John and Mary Doe.”

Be Sensitive to Traditions: Find out whether your business greeting card recipients observe Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwanzaa. Make sure your message is appropriate for each individual. If you decide to go with one card, choose a generic one that will not offend. “Season’s Greetings” and “Happy Holidays” are safe bets.

Avoid the Mail Rush: Mail your business greeting cards in time to arrive for the designated holiday. If you find yourself addressing the envelopes on Super Bowl Sunday, keep the cards until next year and send out a high-quality note thanking people for their business during the previous year instead. To avoid the last minute greeting rush is to have all your envelopes addressed before Thanksgiving. Then during December you can leisurely write a short message – one or two lines are all that is necessary on each card, sign your name and have them in the mail with a minimum of hassle.

You now have all the time in the world for the shopping, baking, decorating and celebrating that accompany the holiday season.

Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of “Manners That Sell – Adding the Polish That Builds Profits” For more information visit her web site www.mannersthatsell.com

For a simple and affordable way to send all of your holiday cards and greeting cards through out the year visit our website www.cardsendercanada.com Send cards in the mail WORLD WIDE! You create your card on line and even in YOUR own hand writing with YOUR signature – click to learn more

Decided To Do Something About It

Like so many people,  my wife and I have grown tired of worrying how the bills would get paid every month.
I have grown tired of working a job I don’t really enjoy, and realize that it will never create the life my wife & I want and deserved.  There is nothing worse than going to bed every night with the feeling that what we were reaching for, felt so far away.

So, we decided to do something about it.

Believe it or not, the decision alone did wonders for us. It gave us a feeling of control and hope that we never felt working for somebody else! And now we know why. Working from home is becoming an absolute blessing.

It’s teaching us how to work smarter, rather than work harder. It’s helping us make more money, and at the same time creating more time to enjoy it. It provides us with an opportunity to meet people just like us, and help them create the life and lifestyle they dream about.

If you’re friendly and have a goal in mind, we’d love to work with you. In fact, there’s a team of people behind us that devote every day of their lives to helping good people succeed with this incredible opportunity.

Whether you have a lot of experience or none at all… a lot of time to invest or just a little… it’s all good! Our company, our team, and our proven system works with what you’ve got – and help you bring about the results you’re looking for.

If you have any questions, contact us! You want to see that we are REAL people, just like you, contact us!

If you’re ready to go, we’re right there with you!

Look forward to speaking with you, meeting you and succeeding with you. CLICK THE “OPPORTUNITY” BANNER ABOVE OR “FREEDOM” BANNER ON THE RIGHT to find out more.

See you soon!
Michael & Katharina (Tina) Bond
“Find us on Facebook”

SOC-Kody B Master MC

Send out cards has a two fold mission:
1. To help millions of people act on their promptings
2. To provide a vehicle for financial freedom

What Is Network Marketing?

The simplest explanation of network marketing is that it is a method of marketing that utilizes independent representatives to reach potential customers. Companies choose this method over traditional marketing such as print, video and radio advertising.

In order to accomplish this, network marketing companies and their associates sponsor or recruit individuals, “their sales force,” just like other companies, have done for years, an example being  the insurance industry. How often have you seen ads on television that use the term, “Independent Insurance Agent or Associate?” Yet, as we watch these advertisements we naturally assume they are employees of the company, when in reality they are independent business owners!

Why are companies willing to pay you to market for them…

Why don’t companies just utilize the internet or other traditional marketing methods to sell there product or service? It’s quite simple, they want access to your network, your friends and family members! Today there are hundreds of companies offering products and services. Many of these products and services you recognize by their brand name! The different products and services you can market today cover everything from Greeting Cards & Gifts, Communication Services, Nutritional Products, Legal Programs, Financial Programs, Electrical Power, Solar Power, just to name a few.

So why do they need us? Traditional marketing methods such at TV, radio and print ads have companies spending millions of dollars each year to market their products and services. But, it is very hard for companies to know which marketing tools work the best. However, they do know that word-of-mouth marketing is a far more powerful and effective method of marketing, especially, when that message comes from those whom we know and trust! So, these companies are more than willing to pay you, to communicate this message to your network of friends and family. When is the last time you told someone about a movie you loved? Did you get paid for telling them? Would you like to get paid for telling them?

It is extremely important to understand that this method of marketing is not about bugging your friends and family members, as many would love for you to believe. It is about your ability and skill to share with your network and determine from those individuals who would be interested in the products, services and/or the opportunity that your company has to offer.

If you want to call your own shots in life, if you’re willing to invest 2-10hrs per week, if you enjoy working with people, then network marketing just might be right kind of business for you. If on the other hand, you’re only in it for the money or you just don’t like dealing with people well then…you’ll most likely end up failing!

Personally I’ve found growing a network marketing business to be a very rewarding. While it can give you the freedom from taking direction from a boss, now you’ll be your own boss and will have to hold yourself accountable!

With the economy the way it is today, working from home makes more sense then getting a second job in order to make ends meet. And thats if you can find one! The other thing to keep in mind, is that you can start your own network marketing business for less than $500. Now, this is a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that most, if now all, can afford $500. The bad thing is that many treat this business as a $500 business. I treat it as if I had spent $500,000. It is a real business and you need to treat it that way even if you start part time 2-10hrs per week.

Of course I recommend our network marketing business… SendOutCards, but there are many out there. Its worth taking a few minutes the next time someone wants to show you an opportunity. You never know what you might be missing if you don’t even take a look.

SOC 2010 Making A Difference National Convention

SendOutCards’, life-changing event, 2010 Making A Difference National Convention is under way in Salt Lake City!

The four-day convention began yesterday September 29, with a Treat ‘em Right workshop, SendOutCards’ dynamic, foundational training conducted by Kody Bateman, CEO and Founder of SendOutCards. This motivational training will help you dig deep to discover your “why” and identify your “I am” statements, and inspire you to reach new heights in your SendOutCards business as well as in your personal life.

Today, September 30, they’ll host workshops designed to help you grow and develop in your SendOutCards business. On both of these days, attendees will be able to tour the SendOutCards home office, along with fellow SendOutCards team builders.

Inspiring and motivational speakers will join the SendOutCards executive team and Kody B on Oct. 1st and 2nd for the general convention sessions. Key Note speakers include Kathy Ireland and Thurl Bailey with Linda Clemons as Master Of Ceremonies.

This is also where they will be drawing the names of the lucky winners of a one-year lease on two cars, including a Mustang and Mercedes. As well, they will draw the winner of Kody’s own Aston Martin; the Eagle’s Retreat, a trip to Kody’s cabin in Idaho; and the Eagle’s Flight, a round-trip private jet trip with Jordan Adler, #1 income earner in SendOutCards.

The convention is also packed with team building events, innovative training, new product announcements, and the chance to mingle with fellow business builders and the team from the SendOutCards home office.

Truly a life changing and business building event.

Although we were not able to attend in person we did register for the live streaming video feed directly from convention – and so far its been great. We WILL be attending next year. I look forward to pictures and stories from team members.

Cheers

CIRA HOLDS ANNUAL ELECTION FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) Board of Directors Election is now underway. CIRA is the not for profit organization responsible for managing the dot-CA domain name registry and making sure your dot-CA domain name enjoys 100% uptime availability. It’s an important organization run by Canadians, for Canadians and I urge all existing CIRA members to take part in elections to make sure your voice is heard.

Take advantage of one of the key benefits of being a CIRA Member by casting your vote in the 2010 Board of Directors Election and help shape the Internet in Canada.

You have the opportunity to vote for four candidates from the Final Nomination Committee Slate and one candidate from the Final Members’ Slate.

Not sure who to vote for? Check out the Candidates’ election statements.

Take a few minutes and vote now by visiting ciraelections.ca/member.

Polls are only open until noon (ET) on September 29, 2010.

Looking for more information? Check out CIRAelections.ca

CIRA Members can cast ballots here before noon Eastern Time on September 29, 2010:

https://elections.cira.ca/2010/vote/login/en

For more information please contact CIRA at 1-877-860-1411.