I’m Getting a Pay Raise!

It feels like I’ll be getting a pay raise anyway.  Those of you who have kids in college know how expensive it can be.  If you’ve been following my posts you’ve read that our youngest son graduated from Chico State a couple of weeks ago.  Well, tomorrow our “baby” daughter graduates from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo!  YES, two out of school ~ so in my book, I’ve just received a raise!

I’m heading out now for all of the festivities, and will let you know next week how it’s all gone…. (which includes the packing her up and moving ~ that part won’t be fun)

Until next time,  J.

“Take control of your destiny or someone else will”

Running Your Business While on the Road

What a great weekend!  In part due to the incredible 1st ride of the season, and in part because of the system I have in place to run my business while I am out enjoying myself!     If you’ve been following me on Twitter , then you know this was our first "kick off" ride of the season, which we host.  We have a number of couples from out of town stay with us for the weekend, and then other local friends join us on a day long ride through Lake County.  We end up riding about 180 miles through beautiful vineyards, foothills, and lake areas.  Then back to our place for a big BBQ.  We encountered some incredibly hot weather - 102 degrees - very hot for this early in the season, but everyone still had a great time!

With regards to automated systems running my business full time (even if I’m not), it’s truly the way to run a business today.  It allows you to continue reading »

You Can Work on Your Mindset Even While in Relax Mode

What a terrific weekend!  We decided all work and no play lately has been making us very boring!  So we headed down the coast to Carmel , Ca.  We were in no hurry, so the stop to Cannery Row in Monterey was relaxed while we had a window seat to enjoy an afternoon snack and watched a beginning scuba diving class swimming amongst some sea otters.  They were sure having fun!

Then we took the infamous 17-mile drive along Highway 1 which meanders around the Pebble Beach Golf Course and some spectacular homes with amazing views.  If you haven’t done this before, I recommend it.  There are miles of beaches and paths to walk…… lots of seals, birds, and an occasional whale sighting.

By the time we reached Carmel, it was late afternoon.  Normally the downtown is buzzing with activity, but not so on this particular weekend.  Carmel is an artist enclave with galleries, restaurants and boutique hotels on each corner - and relies heavily on tourism.  I know the businesses were not enjoying the quiet, but we sure were. We decided to not make dinner reservations anywhere (usually can’t get away with that) and chose to visit numerous locations having an appetizer at each instead of a full sit down dinner.  The weather was perfectly mild, and the rain held out until late Sunday afternoon, making walking a pleasure.

So why did I bring up working on my “Mindset”?  Because although I love to read, there are times I get much too far behind on my “list”.  This is when I love the fact I can slip a CD in and listen to “The Greats”, which is what we did. We had hours in the car to listen and then discuss these “lessons”.  Here were some of them on our list the last couple of days….

• Seth Godin on Creating Marketing Movements

continue reading »

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Create Your OWN Stimulus Package!

We’ve all been reading about the government stimulus packages, and what they will and won’t do.  Isn’t it time to create your own and not rely on others?  You know my favorite saying, “Take control of your destiny or someone else will”.  I should be adding – “and you may not like their plan for you!”

So how do you start creating your own plan?  My suggestion is to attend the upcoming Wealth Masters, Int’l. M2 Conference , in Lake Tahoe , Nevada from March 22 to March 25th.

Wealth Masters International continues to bring speakers in that are relevant to the times and provides an education that isn’t being offered anywhere else. The opportunities and knowledge gained from the past M2 conferences I’ve attended, have more than paid for my attendance.

By attending you will receive continue reading »

How to Clear Your Mind for the Week

To be productive it’s sometimes best to be non-productive at times.  It will clear your mind of business related issues, allow you to regenerate, often giving you better ideas when you get back to your office.

How many of you live near a really interesting place, but seldom take advantage of all it has to offer?  Well, I live about 30 miles east of San Francisco .  People come from all over the world to take in it’s beauty and activities - but I seldom do.  I have been to places like Hong Kong , Mexico, Hawaii , the Carribean, the Bahamas , Italy, and about 20% of the U.S., however I have never walked across the Golden Gate Bridge .  I’ve driven over it, just have never walked it - until Sunday!

What a different perspective one gets when walking.  You can actually take the time to look, smell, and feel (which is why I like motorcycles too).  The intention initially was to visit the new museum in Golden Gate Park.  It houses the new planetarium, aquarium and rain forest .  They even have an albino alligator in resident.  The lines were so long to even get in though, and the thought of standing 6 deep to see a display didn’t appeal to me.  Another time….. so Plan B - the bridge!  (Another thought - do you have a Plan B for business activities that may not come to fruition?) continue reading »

Should You Supplement Your Income or Tap Retirement Funds, Regardless of Penalties?

As more people are feeling the crunch in the economy, due to an increase cost in groceries and living expenses, (in addition to job losses), more people are either cashing in their retirement funds or borrowing against them despite penalties. There is concern that future retirees will be less prepared than now, because of drawing down savings for the short term. However, it might still be the best personal choice at the time for some. Read the linked article from www.msn.com to see some of the problems and choices being made.

I am a big advocate of continue reading »

Adios Amigos - Why You Should Automate Your Home Business

This week my posts will be minimal (if any, other than the one you’re reading) as I’m off on vacation, cruising to Mexico.  However, my home business is still working for me while I’m gone - how about yours?

The reason I can generate leads and sales while traveling is because of the systems in place.  If you want to be able to travel and work simultaneously here are some suggestions of items to address when exploring a home based business:

• Can your products and /or services be marketed through continue reading »
  
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4 Tips to Teaching Kids How to Manage Money

I grew up in a pretty conservative household when it came to saving and spending money. Guess that’s why I started teaching my daughter, Mikaila, when she was young (& the other kids in my life) to be responsible with their money early on. By the way, she’s the baby and just turned 21 today! Happy Birthday kiddo!

I believe in giving children an allowance for two reasons. One, it instills in them a sense of pride completing a responsibility and receiving something tangible for their efforts. But secondarily (& most important I think), is to teach them how to manage money early on.

I gave the kids 4 "piggy banks" when they were about 4 years old and explained continue reading »

Making Money On The Road Again

I’ve said it before….. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to make a living while I travel! The only thing better is spending time with family, which I did this past weekend.

My parents, and my two brothers and their wife’s and I traveled to an area called Graeagle, California, for a reunion with friends and families we grew up with.  There were about 80-90 people there in total over the 3 days.  Many of these folks my brothers and I haven’t seen in 30 years.  A dear family friend hosted the event at their new "little log cabin".  The picture below doesn’t do it justice as that’s only half of the house in the picture!  We all rented places nearby and came there for the social gatherings.  We had a blast seeing everyone!

We did sneak away on Saturday afternoon for a quiet picnic away from the group.  We were at lower Sardine Lake at the base of the Butte mountain range….. breathtaking.

Here we are again, a little more cleaned up on Saturday evening … while my website was still driving traffic and working for me!  Life is good!

Leave a comment about some of your favorite weekend spots and/or lakes

Until next time,  J.

"Take control of your destiny or someone else will"