Best You Yet

Internet Marketing

Andrek1 — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 22:36:46 +0000

Imagine the possibilities, with the whole world being within your reach, from your laptop and the comfort of your home.

Having an Entrepreneurial spirit, my eyes certainly glazed over a few years back, as I contemplated the possibilities, especially from a money making stand point. I can do this on my own! Sound familiar. Today that has morphed more towards a side hustle and leaving a legacy.

As I almost always have a tendency to do, a few years back I jumped in with both feet and explored several avenues including MLMs, On-line marketing, eCommerce and developing on-line courses. Although experiencing some success and learning a lot along the way, which contributed to my forming a very successful Internet Marketing Mastermind group, I never achieved the results I expected. Perhaps you are or have been in the same boat.

Fast forward, still having that desire to achieve on-line marketing success, I recently analyzed the reasons as to what I was missing earlier. I came to the conclusion that I was lacking the guidance and “insights” that others who have built six and seven figure businesses from the comfort of their homes. Most have had 5-7 years of struggle before making it. In my search for someone with a proven record that has already paved the way, I came across Dave and his organization. I recently joined them both as a student and Affiliate, meaning that as a Affiliate I may get a referral fee, when the person I refer joins one of their paid programs.

Although you’ll find many so called “gurus” out there, many are very good at marketing themselves but, fall short when it comes to integrity and deliverables. I connected with Dave’s organization because of their openness, honesty and track record. For instance, their daily calls with members. If you have any questions reach out to me or just check out what Dave has to say.

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Our First Line Defense – Our Body’s Immune System

Andrek1 — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 19:17:30 +0000

If not compromised, our immune system does its best to fight off infections and diseases, including COVID-19 or at least lessen the impact. It truly is our first line of defense against those germs and viruses and other microbes that mean us harm. There’s much we can do to keep it healthy and in balance.

WHAT MAKES UP THE IMMUNE SYSTEM?

Besides genetics, which may predispose us to certain conditions, the immune system, which consists of trillions of microbes (bacteria, yeasts, viruses, & other microbial hitchhickers,) weighing about three pounds that resides outside and inside of us, with close to 99% of that residing in our gut. Meaning inside our intestines and oft referred to as the microbiota. These microbes are crucial in breaking down the foods we eat and in the process responsible for producing compounds that are critical to our body’s functions, including our immune system, which when in balance, keeps us healthy.

WHY IS THIS NOT WELL KNOWN

Research into the microbiome is fairly new and for instance, we’re discovering that an imbalance of healthy and unhealthy microbes may contribute to weight gain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and other disorders. As there is a direct link between our gut and brain, some studies show that the gut also influences our mood and memory. It’s just recently that we’ve come to recognize the importance of these little hitchhikers. Not so long ago, they were viewed as invaders and that we need to get rid of them. One of the major concerns associated with all the lock-downs and distancing being imposed on us by the COVID-19 pandemic. A good resource for learning about the gut, its impact and what we’re learning are some of the TED talks given by PHD researchers and MDs. Here’s an excellent one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47csmddyZMM.

WHAT CAN IMPACT THE BALANCE OF OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?

As previously mentioned, besides the genetics, there is much that we have control over that can impact that balance and impact on our overall health and well being. Let me just share some of the factors that can have a major impact on that balance.

STRESS – One of the major factors that triggers major health issues. More on that in another post.
WHAT WE EAT AND DO – Remember that you have hitchhikers that are depending on you to feed them what they like best. Basically, one type of food does not satisfy all. Variety is very important and hey love fiber. One of the healthiest diets being the Mediterranean one with all the variety of fruits and vegetables. Regular exercise is not only good for the body but, those microbial hitchhikers also appreciate it. A separate post will address the food aspect.
THINGS THAT CAN CAUSE HARM AND WEAKEN OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM – We already know that smoking is harmful, not only does it impair the functioning of our lungs, negative impact on the cardiovascular system, but it also harms our immune system. What many don’t realize, is that things we put into our bodies, such as certain drinks, like colas, can destroy many of the microbes. BTW, wine is not among those.
ANTIBIOTICS – Although, antibiotics may be necessary to combat serious issues and conditions, such as transplants, cancer and challenges created by major operations, they do have a significant negative impact on the microbiome. This is a major reason that individuals that have significant issues and on heavy medication are prone to infections and other ailments. Their immune system gets overwhelmed with naturally occurring microbes, which are all around us.

We’ll address many of the topics impacting our Health and Wellness in future posts.

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How Stress Affects Our Immune System

Andrek1 — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 19:06:45 +0000

STRESS AND YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM – You may recognize its symptoms; headaches, jitteriness, not sleeping well and forgetfulness among other signs, but did you know that stress really plays havoc with your immune system. Your immune system is your first and best defense against unwelcome viruses (can you say Covid) and bacteria types that bring you harm.

One of the best things you can do to keep stress in check is to exercise, which can be as simple as taking a walk. As a Harvard Health Letter points out, “Walking can strengthen bones, tune up the cardiovascular system, and clear a cluttered mind.” Basically, there’s nothing better than exercising to release tension.

Three easy ones are Walking, Yoga and Tai Chi. Not only are they healthy for your body but they also allow your mind to distress. There are a number of other avenues available but, start with these and see what happens.

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Florida-The Sunshine State

Andrek1 — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 13:20:04 +0000

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Become the Best You

Andrek1 — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 22:30:19 +0000

Become the best you

What is Best You Yet all about? Well, would you not want to be and do the best you can do? Perhaps a kick in the pants periodically, a word of encouraging or different ways of looking at things. Life is a journey, whether we like it or not and all we have is today. There’s nothing we can do about yesterday and tomorrow, no matter what, may not come about as we may have meticulously planned. Most of the time, the course may be changed by outside circumstances, we have no or little control over. Witness COVID-19.

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SWOT Analysys-Get Yourself Organized

Andrek1 — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 19:08:59 +0000

To Easily Identify The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Facing Your Life and Business.

Briefly, SWOT stands for a simple method that can be used in a number of ways including; evaluating the alignment of your business, evaluating a job or an opportunity and even doing a self analysis. For the purpose of this Post, we’ll focus on SWOT as applied to analyzing a small business’s health.

What makes SWOT particularly powerful is that, with a little thought, it can help you identify opportunities that you may want to exploit, and uncover weaknesses that you may have been unaware of or blind to.

Perhaps more importantly, by looking at our own business through the SWOT lens, we can start to craft a strategy that helps us compete more successfully and profitably in our chosen market.

How To Use The SWOT Tool

Originated by Albert S. Humphrey in the 1960s, and used extensively since, SWOT can be used to take a cursory view of your business’s health or if you choose, can be used as a serious strategy tool. Used in a group setting, it gives participants the opportunity to become stakeholders in the decision making. Great for building ownership and buy-in.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

Strengths and weaknesses are often internal to your organization, while opportunities and threats generally relate to external factors. Below, under each of the four points are the types of questions you need to be asking in each area. Be honest with your response. After all, it’s your business’s health you’re assessing.

Evaluating Your Strengths

What advantages does your company or product have in your industry or market area?
What do you bring to the table or do better than anyone else?
What unique or lowest-cost resources can you draw upon that others can’t?
What do others in your market see as your strengths?
What factors have gotten you “the sale”?
What is your organization’s Unique Selling Proposition, what makes your product or company unique?
Why do customer buy what you have?

Note: Consider your strengths from both an internal and external perspective, meaning from your customers and competitors point of view. For example, if all of your competitors provide high quality products, then a high quality production process is not a strength in your organization’s market, it’s a necessity.

Bringing Your Weaknesses To Light

What could you improve?
What should you avoid?
Where do you have fewer resources than others?
What are others in your market likely to see as your weaknesses?
What factors have lost you sales?
Are there quality or cost factors that need to be considered?

Again, consider this from an internal and external perspective: Do other people seem to perceive weaknesses that you don’t see? Are your competitors doing any better than you?

It’s best to be realistic about this and face any unpleasant truths rather than shoving them under the carpet. Get the weaknesses out in the open and deal with them!

What Opportunities Are Ahead of You?

What good and new opportunities can you spot?
What interesting trends are you aware of?
Are there changes in technology and markets on both a broad and narrow scale that may impact you?
Are there changes in government policy related to your field that could open opportunities?
Have social patterns, population profiles, lifestyle changes, and so on opened new opportunities?
Has anything changed in your local environment that may open new doors?

A useful approach when looking at opportunities is to look at your strengths and ask yourself whether these open up any opportunities. Alternatively, look at your weaknesses and ask yourself whether you could open up opportunities by eliminating them.

What Are The Potential Threats Facing Your Business?

What obstacles or threats do you or your business face?
What are your competitors doing that is or may impact you?
Are quality standards or specifications for your products or services changing?
Is changing technology threatening your position or ability to grow?
Do you have bad debt or cash-flow problems?
Could any of your weaknesses seriously threaten your business?

When looking at opportunities and threats, don’t overlook external factors, such as new government regulations, or technological changes in your industry.

Further SWOT Tips

If you’re using SWOT as a serious tool (rather than as a casual “warm up” for strategy formulation), make sure you’re rigorous in the way you apply it:

Only accept precise, verifiable statements (“Cost advantage of $10/per unit in sourcing product x”, rather than “Good value for the money”).
Ruthlessly prune long lists of factors and prioritize, so that you spend your time thinking about the most significant factors.
Make sure that the generated options are carried through and applied.
Apply it at the right level – for example, you might need to apply the tool at a product or product-line level, rather than at the much vaguer whole company level.
Use it in conjunction with other strategy tools (such as you may find on resources such as MindTools.com).

Key Points

SWOT Analysis is a simple but useful framework for analyzing your organization’s strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and threats that you face. It helps you focus on your strengths, minimize threats, and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available to you.

It can be used to “kick off” strategy formulation, or in a more sophisticated way as a serious strategy tool. You can also use it to get an understanding of your competitors, which can give you the insights you need to craft a coherent and successful competitive position.

About the author: Andre Kasberger is an entrepreneur, on-line marketing strategist and dot connector, who enjoys helping individuals and business owners achieve their goals.

This article is the culmination of my personal experiences working through many bumps on my journey, intense study of the subject and input from various experts. Look up or e-mail Andre at: www.AndreKasberger.com, andre@bestyouyet.com

Note: The format of this Post is an adaptation of an article published by Mind Tools on the same topic. Mind Tools is an excellent source of similar business tool kits.

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Discovering Your Personal “Sweet Spot” A Clearer Path To A Fulfilling Life and Career…

Andrek1 — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 19:06:11 +0000

What Is Your “Sweet Spot?”

Have you ever wrestled with the question of: “What is my passion and what is my ideal income producing job, career or venture?” You know… the place where everything just seems right and you’re in the zone. I call that the “Sweet Spot”.

Let me define this a bit further. If you play golf or tennis you know when you hit the sweet spot, it’s when you hit the ball and all you hear is a “ping”; the ball flies forever and goes in the exact direction and place you wanted it to go – everything is in balance.

It’s basically the same in life; things just seem to fall into place, you’re making good progress, all seems to be pretty well in balance and things are moving along smoothly. You’re in the zone, operating in your “Sweet Spot.” This is when you’re at your best.

“OK, so how do I identify my “Sweet Spot?” The Sweet Spot is where the following four components intersect: 1) Your Strengths, 2) Your Passion, 3) Your Resources and 4) The Opportunity you’re engaged.

To illustrate, in your mind’s eye or on paper, draw four intersecting circles with the top one being your Strengths, opposite of and intersecting it, is your Passion, to the left and intersecting both previous circles are your Resources and opposite it and intersecting the other three is the Opportunity. The “Sweet Spot” is where the 4 circles intersect.

Now let’s look at these individually:

1. Your Strengths: Dig deep on this one and don’t stop with the first things that come to mind. Look back in your life for a period and time when you did something effortlessly, excelled at it and had fun in the process. This can be a job, a specific task, a hobby, building a relationship, bringing something very important to a conclusion, making a major sale, organizing an event or a group, etc. Strengths are really a combination of: a) Your inherent talents + b) Your experience + c) Your education + d) the skills, you’ve developed over time. Let’s dig a bit deeper. Be sure to write these out, as you think back in your life and career:

a) What are your inherent talents? These are the natural aptitudes you were born with and perhaps developed early on. You may have an ear for music, a liking for numbers, a love of colors or drawing, a love for the social, the ability to think deeply, etc. Although one can argue that some of these “talents” can be acquired, each of us seems to naturally lean towards one thing or another. If you observe children within the same family, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

List your inherent “talents:”

b) What have been some of your best working and life experiences? Have you owned and operated a business, have you managed people, have you led a major project to a successful completion, have you had fiscal responsibility, is there a particular industry you like and know very well. Which experiences gave you real satisfaction and you would not mind having again?

List your “best” working and life “experiences:”

c) What has been your education? This does not need to include an academic degree such as a BA/BS, Masters or a Phd. Education may be as simple as being a self-taught expert in a particular area of interest or a trade. The latter frequently seems to be the case with many very successful Entrepreneurs.

List your “education” self-thought and academic:

d) Take an inventory of the special skills you’ve developed in your lifetime? Are you good at managing people or situations, are you comfortable in front of people, are you good with numbers, are you a creative thinker, are you a master at a particular trade, etc. This point alone will tell a lot about where your talents and strengths lie.

List your “special skills,” you’ve developed over a life time:

10.

2. Your Passion: What brings out your passion? This one frequently escapes people and may be hard to pin down. Your answer may be: “But, I like a lot of things”! Following are a couple definitions that define the “Passion” we’re talking about for this exercise. Per Wikipedia: “Passion is a term applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion, compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something”.

The term is also frequently applied to a lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity or love. This frequently ties in to one’s deeply felt purpose or mission in life, such as fighting hunger, poverty or injustice.

The feelings normally associated with passion include unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion, a positive affinity or love, towards a subject, idea, person, or object.

George Bernard Shaw insists that there are passions far more exciting than the physical ones…”intellectual passion, mathematical passion, passion for discovery and exploration: the mightiest of all passions”.

For the purpose of this exercise, the latter serves as a good guide. Ask yourself: “What have I done or have been involved in, past or present that has engaged my emotions and created excitement when I’m engaged in that task or thought”? Is it a particular hobby, an activity you head up or participate in, perhaps it’s situational or, is it when you render a specific service? And we could go on.

List what brings out your “passion:”

3. Your Resources: Now take an inventory of the resources you have available to you. Do you have a large circle of friends or business associates, perhaps you have access to financing or certain leading thinkers, is there an educational level you can draw on, perhaps you have a very logical or creative mind, or perhaps something very special you experienced or accomplished in the past can be brought to bear today, e.g.? In other words ask yourself: What am I able to readily bring to the table?

List the “resources: you have access to:

4. The Opportunity: This is a big one because frequently “entrepreneurs” pursue an opportunity on a whim and fully believe that what they are pursuing will somehow work out. This belief is frequently based on one’s stubborn determination and “I can do this” attitude.

Although that’s a great attitude to have, we “entrepreneurs” frequently run into an emotional “stop, what am I doing here” barrier down the road, as we discover that we’re way out of our “Sweet Spot.” At that point, the tendency is to jump on to another opportunity that, at least on the surface, appears to hold more promise. And as is often the case, the process repeats itself, as we continue chasing after the “right” opportunity. I like to refer to this as “chasing SHINY objects.”

When presented with an opportunity, ask yourself: “Does this hit my Sweet Spot?” If undecided and sitting on the fence over making a decision, following are two questions that will help you make that decision.

Am I most likely to say: “I wish I hadn’t or,”
Am I most likely to say: “I’m glad I did”

When asking those questions look at the longer term impact of your decision. Look out 6 months from now, a year from now, 3 years from now and further if you wish.

List the “opportunities” you have available to you right now:

Statistics show that most successful entrepreneurs operate in or very near their Sweet-Spot. Let me clarify “Successful”, because some through brute will and force will achieve a goal but, at the cost of perhaps their health, family, friends, freedom, etc. Their lives are out of balance and some have tragic endings. Success within the context of this post, means having a healthy balance in your life.

Now it’s your turn: Now, I encourage you to go through each point, on a clean sheet of paper, fill out the information but, don’t ponder on each point, just let it flow. After one pass you may want to let it sit overnight and go through the points again, just in case you remembered a new “aha” or two. Once done with the survey questions, do the following:

When An Opportunity Comes Knocking

Take each of these opportunities through the three other points and ask yourself:

Does it fit my talents?
How does it match up with my best work and life experiences?
How about within the framework of my education and interests?
Do I have the skills to do this or, does this come naturally to me?
Is this something I could get passionate about?
Do I have or could have access to the necessary resources?

In closing, realize that we’re all individuals, endowed with our own unique strengths and talents honed over our life time and as such we all have our own individual “Sweet Spot.”

Don’t look at icons such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Richard Branson or Mark Zuckerberg as your role models. These are very special individuals with special gifts and resources that most of us don’t have at our disposal. Be special in your own way.

———————-//———————-

About the author: Andre Kasberger is an entrepreneur, on-line marketing strategist and dot connector, who enjoys helping individuals and business owners achieve their goals.

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The Book and Principles That Changed The Way I Live My Life

Andrek1 — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 19:02:54 +0000

Me Afterwards

Let me start with how my life and participation in it changed after I was introduced to a new way of viewing my own human experience:

Thirteen hour drive in stop and go traffic (evacuating FL for hurricane Irma) and cool as a cucumber
Best communication ever with my wife of over 40 years
Noted a blood pressure drop of 15 points at my recent physical
Looking forward to the future with high expectations

On top of that, I’m now also a recovering junkie of “Self-Help” programs.

Self-Help Programs Junkie

The last point on being a “Self-Help Programs Junkie” is a very interesting one for me. I’ve always been a lifelong learner and grower and have the books and programs to prove it. Perhaps like many of you, I was always looking for new material and insights to help me improve or find that magic bullet that would help to propel me to the next level. From Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich to the Tony Robbins programs and seminars, T. Harv Eker, Zig Ziglar and I don’t know how many others throughout the years, whether books, audios or seminars.

Although I certainly gained new insights and knowledge along the way, nothing ever reached or altered my core beliefs. It all sounded good on the surface but, did not really sync up with my belief system and herein lies the issue. Unless you believe something as a core value, you may achieve short term results but those will quickly fade. Those newly learned values don’t have staying power. There’s nothing to hold on to. Fake it till you make it does not work for me. The challenge for most of us, is getting to the core of our belief system and then being open to learning what created that belief system in the first place. I bet it was your own perception or interpretation of an event or moment in your life.

Back to the self-help programs. You may gain new knowledge but that in itself will not change your belief system. Only a new insight, an aha moment, has the potential of doing that. As a result, although you have that new knowledge, unless your belief system agrees with it, you’ll seek the next “guru” or in vogue program or advice. Perhaps that will give me that magic bullet.

The Fallacy With Most Self-Help Programs

The challenge with most of the Self-Help approaches, is that they rely on behavior modification. For instance, working on your weaknesses, thinking only positive thoughts, repeating mantras or following a formula. This last one is always popular because it comes across as credible and frequently these same experts will show proof of where it worked. The issue is that it’s a process or formula that may have worked for the originator and a few others but is not necessarily applicable across the board. We’re are all individuals. Additionally, when you talk behavior modification, it’s something you have to work on and keep up with else the newly gained skill begins to fade. Sounds like the losing weight resolutions made every New Years.

There Has To Be a Better Answer

In truth, the answer or insight we were seeking may have always been there and available to us but, we’ve not been attuned to it. That’s the insight I gained by exploring the Inside Out way of looking at my being.

At the foundation of the Inside Out Revolution, first forwarded by Syd Banks, are three principles that form our human experience. Principles meaning givens, the same as gravity but in this case, the way we as humans experience life. These principles are now widely accepted and practiced in the personal development and life coaching community.

Below are the three principles in brief. For further detail and more insights into the topic read “The Inside Out Revolution” and research the many YouTube videos on the topic, especially from Syd Banks and George Pranski.

Mind: The Intelligence of all things. Why things grow, wounds heal, etc.
Consciousness: How we experience and interpret things. It brings thoughts to life.
Thought: How we perceive things. Or as Michael Neill puts it; “It’s the creator and substance of our beliefs and values. It’s the raw material of our hopes and dreams.”

Encapsulating The Idea Behind The Principles

We form our opinions and react to the world and everything around us, the context, through our thoughts. Because most of us are so busy in our heads, we seldom tap into the infinite resources available within us through the other two sources available to us; Consciousness and especially Mind. The real challenge comes in when we, through our consciousness, accept our “thought constructed world” as reality. Remember, it’s just a thought and we have the ability to change a thought at the snap of a finger. Try it, change a thought and the world or circumstances change right before your eyes.

How I’ve Been Impacted

Going back to the benefits I mentioned earlier and what had changed in me.

The thirteen hour drive and “cool as a cucumber.” On this drive, I did not allow the external circumstances (the stop and go traffic) influence me negatively. Instead I went inside and decided to examine what was right in my life. I have a great wife, we’re heading to a safe and picturesque destination, the car is running fine and not overheating and so on. I could have very easily resorted to “man this stop and go traffic (external) really ticks me off.”
Best communications with my wife of over 40 years. I had noticed that over the past several weeks, I was no longer getting irritated by some of my wife’s actions (external) or what she said. Most of the time these were petty little things that I allowed to irritate me. Again, not allowing external influences to drive my actions.
Blood pressure drop. This was a biggie for me, as my blood pressure, although not exceedingly high, always bordered on the above normal side. The only thing I can figure is that I let go of always having to strive or fix something. I am allowing myself to go with the flow and not be influenced by external stimulus.
Looking towards the future with high expectations. Being one that thought that I had control over an outcome, I came to realize how wrong I was about that. For instance, I have no control over the impact of severe weather, such as a hurricane Irma, the economy or other happenings could have on an expected outcome. All I have control over are the actions I take with what’s in front of me. That way of thinking freed me up to focus on what I did have control over, which is today and what’s in front of me, and allowed possibilities to come into play.

Anyways, these are my own personal observations and would not want to make claims for others. All I can say is that my experience of life and outward manifestation of my being has changed considerably to say the least. Do your own research, start with reading “The Inside Out Revolution.”

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Has My Ship Come In Yet?

Andrek1 — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 18:43:55 +0000

What If?

What if your ship has already arrived, is docked on a welcoming peer, and is just waiting for you to unload it?

That was the question that arose in my mind after my wife said to me “I don’t see you come in with a captain’s hat on you head,” right after coming in the door from checking the mail. Just kiddingly implying, “Did a BIG surprise check arrive in our mail box?

Our own thinking has that magic ship arriving sometime in the future and with perhaps a certain predetermined cargo. It could be an inheritance check from a previously unknown relative, a ranch in Montana bequeathed to you, a certain amount of money that would allow you to buy that new house, relocating to a dream area of the county or, perhaps providing for a certain lifestyle or, whatever your dream may be.

What we don’t realize is that our thinking is contained within our brain, which is a great keeper of record of our past but, a poor predictor of what can be. That has to come through inspiration outside of our own thinking, such as dreams and imagination. These have the ability to carry us beyond what does not currently exist. This is where our own thinking frequently is the limiting factor.

Dreams frequently create something out of nothing and normally are not based on our own past experience. Inspiration comes to us not from our thinking but from allowing ourselves to wonder outside the boundaries we set for ourselves.

President John F. Kennedy’s brother and his Attorney General, quoting George Bernard Shaw, a famous playwright; “Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?”

Take That First Step Towards Your Dream…

In answer to the question I asked at first, the only thing I can do about the future is take a first step – today. If you have a dream, take a step towards it and allow yourself the freedom to explore it. If you were to take that one first step, what would that one step be?

Note: May I recommend reading “Creating The Impossible” by Michael Neill.

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COVID-19 – CURSE OR BLESSING?

Andrek1 — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 20:33:20 +0000

Time To Pivot?

COVID-19 certainly put a crimp on our daily lives and perhaps many of our future plans. Time to pivot? Pivot meaning that this is perhaps a great time to rethink our life’s path, especially when it comes to earning an income. For many of us, not a bad idea, let’s start with a clean slate.

It seems that for many of us, almost overnight our lifestyle and means of generating an income was turned off. Worse yet, I believe that the economic and life impact will definitely be felt over the next couple of years and perhaps longer.

In the US alone, getting the 30+ million unemployed back to work will be a taunting task, especially in light of the many businesses such as restaurants and entertainment establishments that provided employment are not expected to survive. WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

Do what many of us are doing, explore and learn the Online/Internet world and look for ways to connect and generate income, whether part or full time.

THE ONLINE WORLD – A NEW PARADIGM

The lock-downs, six foot separation and the shutdown of businesses, forced many of us to look for alternative means of staying in touch and generating an income. Groups such as Toastmasters, which I belong to, that used to meet in person began to use online tools like Zoom and Skype. This turned out to be a blessing, because tools such as Zoom and Skype are used everyday for personal and business use and the online world is booming creating new income opportunities. A major advantage in their use is that now you have access to the millions and billions of Internet users across the world. Let’s look at some of the options.

Staying In touch

Fortunately, COVID-19 came along at a time when the online communication tools have advanced to a point where one can hold very effective meetings without having to be there in person. You can carry on conversations with quite a number of individuals all in separate locations, share documents, screens and watch individual’s reactions. No live hugs though.

Our Smart Phones, tablets and computers, each of which can now be loaded with apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and ZOOM to connect with others across the world and for the time being, most of them being FREE.

Making Money Online

Yes, there are many come-ons out there, ready to take your money with promises of making six figures, etc. Sure, tell me another one! Of course there are exceptions but, know that it’s not easy and you better know what you’re doing. Many individuals that have achieved significant income levels will likely never tell you about their failures (lessons learned), the years it took them to get there and the effort it takes to keep producing. Following are some of the more visible and easier ways of generating income. Perhaps you’ve heard of some of them.

Amazon Affiliate – Amazon will allow you to become an affiliate of theirs, meaning that when some one buys an item you sent them to, Amazon will pay you a percentage of the sale. It’s normally in the low single digits. For instance, let’s say you recommend the latest electronic gizmo on Amazon to a friend and they buy it, you get a commission. Not much if it’s a small ticket item but, it makes you smile. You’ll find additional information and a link to that, at the bottom of the Amazon’s site under “make money with us.”

Affiliate Programs – This is a great way to learn the ins and outs of building an online business , if you do not have a product or service to offer yet. Perhaps you’re thinking of entering that space but, are not yet quite sure about the what and how.

As an affiliate you basically become the marketing arm for someone’s product that already has hit the market and is making sales. You as an affiliate of theirs, get paid a commission, which may reach well into the double figures. Again, it definitely can be done but, it’s not easy.

Although there are many “how to” type videos on YouTube coming at it from different angles, I found Clickbank’s University to be a great, soup to nuts, training resource. Here’s the link – check it out. The training, especially the product and market selection, will not only help you with Affiliate Marketing but with any other online money making endeavor.

Amazon FBA Program – With the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you basically send your inventory, whether you produce or source it, to Amazon’s fulfillment centers, and they will pick, pack, ship, and provide customer service for your products. They handle the entire transaction and deposit the net, into your bank account. That’s how many of the products you’ll find on Amazon, got there in the first place.

Although that sounds great, it’s not easy. There are tens of millions of products listed on Amazon and perhaps thousands competing in a specific niche you may be thinking of going after. Remember that through the Internet, Amazon’s reach is Worldwide, with over 3 billion users. In other words, your challenge is to compete and win in a world wide marketplace.

There are many programs out there that will teach you the how tos but, unless you’re seasoned and have a very unique offering that’s in demand you may be wasting (ahem, spending) a lot of time, money and effort in the long run. Not saying that you shouldn’t give it a shot but, know what you’re getting into. BTW having retail experience really helps. Don’t sink too much time and money into it at the start. You’ll find additional information and a link to that, at the bottom of the Amazon’s site under Make money with us. Also Google Amazon FBA.

Etsy – A great site for listing arts and craft items that you produce or source. This is more of a hobby type site, where you can have fun by marketing something you love and earn extra cash in the process. Let’s say you have an interest in re-selling unique clothing items or have an in with the maker of a colorful and unique item in another country.

Shopify – If you’re thinking bigger and have experience retailing, this may be the route for you. Shopify is an eCommerce platform that allows anyone to set up an online store (Your Store). Similar to Amazon, in that they will handle the transaction, except that the support and shipping, whether direct or drop-shipped is your responsibility. They also accommodate services such as memberships, ticketed experiences, classes and lessons, consultations and rentals, which Amazon does not.

Your Own eCommerce Store – Basically, you would be developing your own on-line business from scratch. Most likely you would use WordPress to develop your site along with the eCommerce options, called Plug-ins, developed and supported by WordPress. Before tackling such an undertaking, I’d recommend building a foundation. I came across a video promoting a course that does an excellent job in identifying the five components that you should have a good handle on. Click here to access Gretta Van Riel’s video. She’s created four multi-million dollar eCommerce businesses.

The Bottom Line – Investigate and get comfortable with the online world. Before you spend a lot of time and money embarking on that journey – KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING and WHY.

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Don’t Fall For The Scams!

Andrek1 — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 20:26:23 +0000

Tips on How To Not Become a Victim

Ever receive any of these calls?

“This is officer Clara from the Social Security office informing you that your SS# is in danger of being cancelled because of fraudulent activity with your account.”

Or, “This is officer Allen from the IRS, we’re having trouble sending you the $1,200.00 stimulus check, we just need to verify your bank account.”

Hint #1 – Government agencies and Banking institutions normally never call you and ask you for personal information over the phone or to verify the same, in the first place. Don’t be duped into it.

The risk of buying online….be on guard

Scammers are thriving and scams are getting more sophisticated as we adjust to a more and more on on-line transactions. For instance, who would have ever thought of buying a car online, without checking it out in person and taking it on a test drive? Witness, Carvana and Vroom. Someone I know has a friend that just got taken for over $30,000.00 for a car that never existed in the first place. The entire process appeared to be legit but, was never verified, including the legitimacy of the escrow company. The entire process began with a Facebook add she responded to. Now, she’s out the money and very embarrassed that she fell for the scam.

Scams come in all flavors and colors

Whether it’s a Facebook Ad, a phone call, a site you happen to click on, scams keep getting more sophisticated. For instance, as we expose ourselves online, we may inadvertently reveal our phone number, email address and other personal information. How about the experience of having an ad for what you have just been searching for, pop up right after you searched for it on Google, Amazon or eBay? How did they know that I was even looking for that? Or, you received an unsolicited message, an email or phone call from what appeared to be a legitimate source. Hmmm, perhaps Google or Facebook sold your information. And the beat goes on.

What to watch out for and protect yourself

1. Stay Informed: By following some basic common sense and security measures, half your battle is won. Although there are governmental watchdogs for scam and fraud prevention, it’s still the individual’s responsibility to educate and protect their personal information. For instance, when buying that car or other item major item, always VERIFY. You may not always be mindful of it but, the reach of the Internet is Worldwide with over 4.5billion users. Most scams originate from areas of the world out of reach to US agencies.

2. Exploitation Through Social Engineering: Is the exploitation and manipulation of people and is the greatest vulnerability, whether it’s through your computer or phone. Frequently that’s passwords, specific private information and specifics that get leaked out. Humans are trusting by nature and lead to exploitation via social-engineering

3. Never Share Your Personal Information: If you get a message, an email or a call, claiming to be from your bank or other source that sounds credible, don’t share any sensitive information with them. Your bank or a government agency would never call and ask you for such information. For instance, verifying your SS#, bank account numbers and such – scammers would. To be safe always call your bank or agency and ask them to verify the source of that message/email.

4. When Online, Be Careful What You Click On: One of the weakest points of entry for Viruses and Malware are other sites. So, don’t click on sites that you are not familiar with and watch out for the FREE, games and porn, they are notorious for spreading viruses.

5. Secure Your Passwords. This is your first line of defense against all types of malicious intrusions of your Internet connected devices. By following simple password conventions, such as may be recommended by your bank or, other businesses that store personal information, like Credit Card info, you’ll have taken the first step in securing your information. A good practice, especially for your sensitive accounts, is to change your passwords at a minimum of once every 6 months. For added security, especially when working with financial or highly personal information, follow a two-step verification process. This is where after you enter your password, a message is sent to your Smart Phone, requesting a code you need to enter before going any further.

6. Update Anti-Virus Programs: The devices you use to get online need to be protected. Keeping up with the anti-virus and malware scams is a cat-and-mouse situation between hackers and anti-virus and malware programs. Nothing is 100% secure. Programs such as PC-PcMatic and Malwarebytes offer good protection. If you use an unsecured Wi-Fi network, such as you’ll find in most coffee shops, you need to look for a product that includes a VPN. Products such as Bit Defender or WebRoot, fit the bill. Avoid FREE unless you know what you’re getting, as these may contain Malware themselves, have adds and may be poorly supported. Also do not mix multiple anti-virus software on your system, as this may lead to conflicts.

7. Update your OS (Windows): Make sure that your operating system is up to date, that along with an updated version of a decent antivirus software, will generally be adequate to keep your system safe. If using Windows, you should be on Windows 10 and current on the updates.

8. Maintain a System Backup: If your data, like photos or business information is important to you, make sure it’s backed up, in case your system crashes or some really funky Malware gets into your system. The best practice is having an external drive backup, plus a cloud based system backup for your system and at minimum, your most important data. You may opt to use any reputed backup service like Carbonite, Acronis etc.

In Closing

Don’t panic – Be Smart, remember that when going online you no longer are dealing with your local banker or retailer, the world is now open to you. Although the major service providers, vendors and institutions we normally use do a good job in crime prevention, like mentioned earlier, it’s still a cat and mouse game.

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There Is No Such Thing As Failure

Andrek1 — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 20:15:15 +0000

The Lie of Fear of Failure

The “fear of failure” can be subtle and have a lasting impact and is always lurking just beneath the surface ready to spring on you. Let me start with myself and perhaps you can relate to some aspects of my own experience.

I’ve had a speech impediment most of my life and no matter how hard I tried to identify the root and fix it, although I’ve certainly improved, I haven’t totally eliminated it. Not until recently did I realize that the real issue has been “fear based” all along.

Unmasking “Fear”

How did I know? I noticed that I’d tighten up and basically restrict my breathing in situations when I faced others, be it one-on-one or groups. I (note the BIG I) wanted to look good and so I put that pressure on myself. No wonder I had difficulty getting some of the words out. I was uptight and without realizing it, I was restricting my breathing. Once I became aware of what I was doing, I realized that I could do something about it. For instance, releasing my diaphragm through breathing exercises in order to loosen myself up before speaking. Toastmasters certainly helped with that aspect, especially speaking in front of a group.

The COVID-19 introduced another challenge. Because of the stay at home mandate and separation recommendations coming from the government, our Toastmasters group resorted to using an online meeting/conferencing application called ZOOM for our meetings. Although it sounded like a good alternative to meeting in person, it brought out another challenge for me. I did not grow up with a telephone and for some reason later in life this presented itself as a barrier. Perhaps because I was now talking into an inanimate object, rather than face-to face with another person.

Unmasking “Failure”

Although with ZOOM, you can see the other individual(s) via video, it’s not quite the same as face-to-face. Again, here I was speaking to an inanimate object, just like the telephone, even if I could see the other participants faces. OK, another obstacle to overcome.

As I began to reflect on the why, and searching for some insights, the word FEAR kept coming up. I thought I’d pretty much done away with that earlier and realized just how subtle fear can appear and asked myself, how will I ever conquer this fear? Then while reading a book by Michael Neill with a quote by Tracy Goss which said “If you operate with the acceptance of failure, you will remain confident no matter what happens during the course of (fill in the blanks).”

The word failure hit me like a ton of bricks. That was it, I realized that I’m afraid of failure. Meaning afraid of letting myself down or more accurately, “what would others think of me” or, so I thought. The truth is that I was acting as the judge and jury of how I performed. It was all in the thinking I had made up. My own expectations, were the bar that I had set. Going through my subconscious mind was the following thought; “My ego will be crushed if I blow this one or do this right.” It was all about how I (notice the I?) looked at myself and prejudged how others may look at me.

“Fear of Failure” Is An Impostor, Don’t Let It Stop You

Fear manifests itself in physical ways, on the other hand, “failure” is what we think of a situation, a mental issue. Although mental, nonetheless it can manifest itself as stress and anguish. Because it is rooted in our thinking, we have the opportunity to either erase the word or attach a different meaning to it. For instance, “what did I learn?”

Many of us struggle with “fear of failure.” Carried to its extreme, it drives some of us to not start a project till all the pieces are in place, which in many cases, may never happen. In the end one may even stop attempting. Here’s where my friend Chris Krimitsos’ “Start Ugly” concept comes in. Just get started, take that first step and adjust as you make forward progress.

Erase “Failure” From Your Vocabulary

Even better, what if you just accepted “failure” as part of the process. Perhaps you’d approach new challenges no longer fearing “failure,” it’s just part of the process. Now, when you approach a new challenge, project or situation, if something you attempt does not work out the way envisioned, analyze it and perhaps there is a better way.

In everyday task and project that I have total control over, the thought of “failure” seldom enters my mind. On the other hand, my unfounded fear of communicating through inanimate objects such as the phone or ZOOM, is still a work in progress. Although there’s no magic bullet, I now realize what the issue is, and once surfaced, I’m able to do something about it.

How about you? What is stopping you?

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