Can you handle zero separation between your work and your play?

Good questions for the budding 2009 entrepreneur. Do you know why people can’t take the entrepreneurial leap? Fear of losing the patterns that shape their work and private lives. The same patterns that shaped their parents lives and their grandparents lives. Losing the walls that separate the private from the public.

The 9-5 work paradigm is dying

People used to go off to the factory or the office, for approximately 9.5 hours a day including commute, return home, and do their best to leave work behind. But no one really did, did they? It was kinda a lie we all told ourselves. Because the only real way to leave work at work, is to leave your paycheck at work. Your home life is directly affected by the stability of your paycheck, isn’t it? In family life, there is no way to remove the home from the economic situation and if your only income is a job, your job determines the decisions your family makes.

The line between work and home is disintegrating

Even if you have a corporate job there is a growing trend toward telecommuting. And there is a growing trend toward home based internet businesses. Our home life is becoming our work life. The industrial age is nearly dead, and taking its old social patterns with it.

The line between our public and private lives is blurring

The relationships we have in our personal life are quickly becoming the same relationships we have in our business life. Our social networks are becoming our business networks. The people we associate with directly determine our economic success. Our work and home lives are not separate, they are one life.

Change your thinking and change your life

Can you handle exposing your life to the world? If you can, the internet and social media will give you the greatest opportunity to realize your dreams man has ever known. Get over your fear of losing your privacy. If you can’t, you will be left behind.

This post is written by Christine Olson founder of Christine’s Books.

When we started blogging in 2006 I was making 75K in revenue and shooting for 150K. In 2008 I will do over 200K. Not bad for a one woman home-based business.

Lots of people ask me how I do it. But one of the most frequent questions people ask is…

Where do you find your products?

I am going to let the secret out of the bag. Where do people buy all this product they sell online? Is there a big secret website everyone goes to and picks this stuff up?

The answer to that question is simple. But the reality of finding the right products to sell at the right price is not so simple, but that’s another post.

The big secret…

People find products to sell at Trade Shows. You must travel, you must do research, and you must negotiate deals. You will make mistakes, you will get stuck with stuff that doesn’t sell, you may get ripped off, but you will learn. It can take years to find a set of dependable vendors.

First you need to decide what kind of products you want to sell. Are you going to sell NEW products or discount merchandise? If you are going to sell NEW products you need to find trade shows that specialize in your particular product. If you want to sell Golf Equipment, go to Golf Trade Shows or Sporting Good Shows. Google “Golf Trade Shows” and you will get several results. Do you want to sell jewelry or buy gems to make your own jewelry? Vegas has several shows a year just for jewelry merchants. Not sure what you want to sell? Attend one of these. Do you want to sell discount merchandise? Go to this variety show. You will be overwhelmed, but it will give you great ideas.

While books are the majority of my business, I also sell DVDs, audio books, diaper bags, and other items I find at trade shows that I think will be profitable. In the past I’ve sold board games, knick-knacks, dollhouse furniture, and purses.

To purchase merchandise at trade shows, you must set yourself up as
a business.

After attending several trade shows you will have collected a sizable list of websites and phone numbers. You will start receiving catalogs and things will begin to fall into place.

Today, I read that an anonymous donor gave $1,000,000 to the fire victims. That is over $17,000 for each leaseholder!

Maria Aguilar broke down crying. “We for sure need it,” she said. “Because what I have on, that’s just what we have. Nothing else.”

Jackie Weller says she’ll be able to get a new apartment, bed and couch.

“There might be a Grinch, but he’s not in Burnsville Minnesota, that’s for sure,” Weller said.

What an amazing act of caring and generosity. Lately we’ve heard so many stories about greed, selfishness, and corruption. But this story stands in sharp contrast.

I truly believe that most people are good and will do the right thing when given the chance.

God bless and Merry Christmas to All!

Yesterday a nearby apartment building erupted in flames leaving 200 people homeless in sub-zero temperatures. 19 families, three days before Christmas, are living in the Burnsville Minnesota High School.

Charles Wylie was doing laundry when the fire broke out. It didn’t
seem like a big deal at first, he says. “It didn’t even look like it
was going to spread to our apartment.”

But the fire quickly spread from one end of the building to the
other. Wylie figures everything he owns is gone, including Christmas
gifts for his three kids.

Many of the people who live in this apartment building have very little to begin with. So if you can afford to give something, here’s your opportunity.

The Goodman Group, which manages the complex, has created a fund
for the victims. There hasn’t been time to setup a website, so if you you’d
like to donate to the victims:

Make Checks Payable to:
U.S. Bank/Burncliff Apartments

Mail Checks to:
The Goodman Group
1107 Hazeltine Blvd #200
Chaska, MN 55318

You can contact the Goodman Group at (952)
361-8000.

Thanks so much for reading steve-olson.com.
The Olson family wishes you all a very Merry Christmas!

Suddenly, my hard earned, frugally saved, carefully budgeted savings appeared to have been chopped in half. Given that I don’t have guaranteed income, I am a single woman, and my net worth just declined significantly, conventional wisdom would say that I should be worried. I should be freaking out! But I’m not. I’m pretty happy, actually.

Why?

What can I change by becoming upset, anxious, or nervous? Nothing. By complaining or allowing my body to suffer through anxiety, I will accomplish nothing.

Then she goes on to share helpful advice. One point which is…

4. Stop Spreading Fear

Stop complaining about your economic pains, stop forwarding news articles of fear to your friends, stop talking about it, and start doing things within your control. If your immediate basic needs are threatened (ie. loss of job, shelter and food), take action, massive action, to help yourself. The only exception to talking about your economic situation is when you ask for help from others during a time of need.

They should give Tina a show on CNN! I’d watch it.

Finding the courage to start-over. Starting over again is not a sign of defeat; it’s a sign of hope. It signifies where we were heading was not the proper destination, but we still have the energy and passion to keep going – albeit in a different direction. Starting over recharges our spirit and keeps us moving forward in life.

Many of us are finding out we have to start over right now. We may have to do it several times in our lifetime. Starting over isn’t an end but a beginning, a cleansing, and a renewal.

A few extra seconds of asking and answering “What’s the next action?” can save minutes or even hours of correcting fast mistakes made by prioritizing doing before thinking.

Some of us need this lesson in impulse control. God knows I do.

Would you like to overcome anxiety?

The only antidote to fear is consistent, repetitive, courageous action.

The majority of people avoid public speaking. They fear it more than death.

• Are you one of the people who are afraid of public speaking?
• Would you like to overcome it?
• Do your hands shake?
• Can you feel your throat tighten?
• Does your voice feel weak?
• Can you feel your voice quiver?
• Does your heart pound so hard you can hear it?

Yes to all? Me too.

I don’t get the chance to speak in public often, but when I do, I always get symptoms of fear. That’s why I accept every opportunity I have to speak in public.

Let me give you a quick anecdote.

At a recent holiday party, an employee who reports to me was about to win an award. I asked my boss, “Who’s going to do the speech?”

He said, “I can, unless you want to.”

I thought about it a minute. The pain averse part of me wanted to say, “Okay, you do it.” But that would have been the chicken shit thing to do, right? You don’t grow if you avoid discomfort. So I said, “I’ll do it.”

Shortly after accepting responsibility I felt my heart accelerate and my palms start sweating. What a strange subconscious reaction. I wasn’t consciously afraid of anything.

Why should I be afraid? I was President of Toastmasters in High School, I’ve taken multiple college level public speaking courses, I’ve spoken to public school administrators about the social and intellectual damage institutionalizing our children has caused, and I’ve spoken to political conventions on several occasions.

Rock Stars Accept Their Fear

The biggest obstacle to overcoming fear is failure to accept it. Speech coaches have told me I may never overcome the fear of speaking. Some people don’t. But that doesn’t mean they can’t perform. Rock Star David Lee Roth of Van Halen said he was never able to rid himself of stage fright, he overcame it by re-framing it as a natural “high” he looked forward to. If a rock star who has performed nightly for decades still feels stage fright, I suppose it is reasonable for me to feel stage fright.

So in that moment I accepted my fear, stood up, said a short improv piece, everyone applauded, and I sat down.

I didn’t pass out. I didn’t say anything embarrassing. I didn’t draw a blank. I didn’t ramble on. It went fine.

Re-Framing Fear

When I sat down, I grabbed my fork and and I noticed my hand shaking.

I looked at the executive next me and said, “Look at that. I’m shaking. It always happens when I speak in front of a group.”

She said, “Don’t worry about it, if you didn’t shake, you’d lose your edge. Keep your edge. It is only a little adrenaline.”

She re-framed what I viewed as a weakness into a strength.

This principle not only applies to public speaking, but nearly all anxiety.

Don’t let your fear win. When you give in to fear, and avoid it or suppress it, the result is always more intense fear. The best way to create a phobia is to start avoiding little things that make you
mildly uncomfortable.

For example, maybe you’re shy in social situations so you avoid them. But if you want to become more socially adept, you have to face your fear directly, don’t expect it to go away, accept it, feel it fully, and act anyway.

Look Your Fear in the Eye

If you consistently avoid social situations, when you do find yourself in a social situation your anxiety will be more intense than ever, and you may find yourself on a long slide toward agoraphobia.

However, if you repetitively engage in as many social situations as possible and face your feelings with courage, you will find ways to re-frame your feelings into a positive experience.

Do you want to know the techniques (dare I say) a mentor of mine used to build a $150 million dollar manufacturing company from his garage, a company that now employs thousands worldwide? A man who believed in these techniques so strongly he gave company-wide seminars on the formula.

The formula is contained in Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, a book which has permanently changed my life. This book contains timeless ideas (written in 1937) you can use to enrich yourself monetarily, socially, and spiritually.

When someone asks me, what should I do to increase my income? What can I do to create better relationships? How can I achieve a new level of success in my life?

I tell them to read two books.

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Study them, highlight them, and commit them to memory. I felt that everything you needed to know about self-improvement was contained in these two volumes… Until Now.

There is a section in the introduction of Think and Grow Rich that reads…

“In every chapter of this book, mention has been made of the money-making secret which has made fortunes for more than five hundred exceedingly wealthy men whom I carefully analyzed over a long period of years.”

For years, I wondered if I knew the secret Napoleon Hill was describing. I had an idea what it was, but I wasn’t sure. I was intensely curious what the secret was, so when Brian Kim contacted me asking me to review his new e-book, The Hidden Secret in Think and Grow Rich, I jumped.

I have to admit, at first, I was skeptical. I’ve read so much personal development tripe on the internet that I am becoming a bit jaded. I thought he might just give us some hocus-pocus feel good nonsense about the law of attraction, or some other current pop-culture gimmick. I’m not big on the latest self-improvement fads, because most of them are just rewrites of older books which are available free.

But I was nicely surprised. The Hidden Secret in Think and Grow Rich provides valuable insight and actionable plans that will help you achieve whatever you want from life.

What is the book about?

Brian Kim writes of his interest in The Hidden Secret, which started at a very young age. He goes on to tell us about his near addiction to self-help materials and the problems he found with modern self-help tomes. He realized that he needed to grow beyond his narrow perspectives and begin to see the big picture. He believed if he discovered The Hidden Secret that the big picture would be revealed. So he developed a burning desire to find the hidden secret and document it.

In this work, Brian reveals his discovery of the The Hidden Secret and expands upon it in detailed step by step analysis compiled over 8 chapters and 122 pages. Brian followed the clues Napoleon Hill sprinkled throughout his book, and reveals exactly where the Hidden Secret is in every chapter of Think and Grow Rich. He shows how successful men and women have put The Hidden Secret to work in their lives and how you can put it to work in your life.

Without even knowing it, I’ve used The Hidden Secret in Think and Grow Rich to achieve virtually every goal on my life journey. The first time I applied the Hidden Secret in my life, I didn’t have a home, a car, or a job. Within weeks I met my wife, I had a home, I found a job, and bought a car. Later in life, I was working a horrible dead end job, 12 hours a day. I was at the depths of despondency. Just ask Christine about how dark those days were. Almost like a miracle, I made a decision to change the way I thought, and without even knowing it, I applied The Hidden Secret in Think and Grow Rich, and within four months I had my dream job in technology.

Why buy the book?

So why part with your hard earned cash? Simple, when you apply the knowledge Brian provides in his book, the return on investment will far outweigh the small amount he is charging.

I don’t recommend many products on my blog. I must believe the product is truly valuable before I’ll recommend it. This e-book isn’t for everyone who reads this blog. To find out if it is for you, answer these questions:

• Are you looking for a clearly defined repeatable formula to achieve your goals?
• Are you open to self-improvement/self-help concepts?
• Do you find a lot of self-improvement information disconnected and narrow?
• Do you want something more direct? Something less fluffy? Something actionable?
• Do you want self-improvement information that doesn’t just “pump you up” temporarily and then leave you to deflate?
• Do you want to put the self-improvement puzzle together once and for all?

If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, then The Hidden Secret in Think and Grow Rich is for you. Also If you haven’t read Think and Grow Rich I highly recommend you do so before reading Brian’s book. Fortunately, Brian includes a free PDF copy of Think and Grow Rich with the purchase of his book.

Brian is also including two free bonuses: a special report called The Three Biggest Mistakes People Make When Using the Hidden Secret in Think and Grow Rich and a workbook that accompanies the book bundled up as a special offer for steve-olson readers.

Click here to access the special offer for steve-olson.com readers and get The Hidden Secret in Think and Grow Rich by Brian Kim and the bonuses today.

Jim also has a lot to offer us on his own blog. The most credible blogs are written by those with proven success. If you are looking to improve and grow, listen to guys like Jim. His record stands on its own.

In a recent post Jim writes about how a failure to delay gratification has led to our economic situation. I couldn’t agree more.

Success will come to those who consistently give more than they take, who do more than expected, and who wait patiently for rewards.

The cries “I want mine and I want it now” are the cries of adult children who have yet to mature.

There are no get rich quick schemes. They are all lies.

But I’ve never seen someone fail who consistenly gives more than is expected.

Have you set a goal (like a business plan or a weight loss regimen) in a burst of energy and excitement, only to find after a few weeks the excitement fades? Your progress slows, then stops, and you regress to where you started? Unfortunately, for many of us, this has become a habit. Regardless if the goal involves diet, exercise, money, education, relationships, business, or career, the pattern is the same, a peak of euphoria, optimism, and creativity, followed by a trough of fatigue, boredom, and loss of interest.

Quitting is a habit. The habit is reinforced by your emotional state which is always experiencing peaks and valleys.  The good news is, habits can be changed with persistence and effort.

I’ve gathered 21 tips (from mentors, books, and blogs) that will help you stay motivated to achieve your long term goals:

21 Ways to Stay Motivated

1. Be prepared for setbacks - When you start something new, it’s fun, exciting, and it’s impossible to see that your enthusiasm will soon fade. But for most of us, it will fade. Prepare yourself mentally. Make the most of your “Enthusiasm Honeymoon.” If you plan ahead, and expect a letdown, you’ll be better prepared to persist when it happens.

2. Don’t do all the “fun stuff” first - When your enthusiasm is high (at the beginning), remember to leave some of the fun stuff for when you aren’t so enthusiastic. For example, If you like to create but you struggle with organization and planning, don’t jump directly into creation without taking the time to organize a plan, You’ll lose momentum later when the need for planning becomes apparent. Do the difficult things first when your enthusiasm is high.

3. Break it down - If you set big goals, they can feel overwhelming. I find it easier to break down big goals into smaller goals that you can achieve much quicker. Let’s say you set a goal to make 10K per month. You need to break it down into smaller steps. What actions do you need to take to achieve a higher income? Write those steps down and create a detailed plan.

4. Reward Yourself - When you work toward a long-term goal, it is difficult to see the benefits years down the road. Some of my goals took 5-10 years to achieve, so to maintain progress, it is important to reward yourself along the way. Give yourself a reward for your continuous effort toward your goal, not just for successful results, but for simply making an honest effort.

5. Keep your goals simple (at first) - You may have trouble staying motivated because quitting has become a habit. To break that habit you need to take baby steps at first. Failing at a large overwhelming goal will only deepen your bad habits. Start by setting a simple achievable goal. If you’ve set a goal to run 2 miles every day and failed. Try lowering the bar a little until you build up strength and persistence. Instead, try running 1 mile, 2 days a week. Find what works for you and build from there.

6. If You Still Struggle With Reaching Goals, Set Mini Goals at First - It’s important to create the habit of persistence. Success breeds success. Setting little mini goals are a great way to reprogram your subconscious mind. It worked when I quit smoking. When I swore off cigarettes for the rest of my life, I failed, more than 10 times! When I succeeded, I set a mini goal of driving to work without having a cigarette. Then I set a goal to make it until lunch without a cigarette. Then the afternoon. Then the evening. Mini goals, along with the nicotine patch helped me quit smoking 10 years ago.

7. State Your Goal Publicly - State your goals to friends and family or publish them on your blog. You don’t want to fail publicly. No one does. Your subconscious ego will push you toward success to protect itself from public embarrassment. This isn’t a good choice for all people, but for most people stating your goal publicly, will dramatically increase your odds of success.

8. Measure Your Results - Measuring your results will keep you pushing for improvement. Without metrics you don’t know where you stand. Without measurements, you are more likely to lose focus and interest.

9. Share Your Results Publicly - Making a public proclamation of your goals, your efforts, and your results creates social pressure to perform. Who wants to tell the world that they’ve set goals and made no progress? You will make progress because you need something to report.

10. Make it Enjoyable - A surefire way to fail is to make working on goals drudgery. It has to be fun or you’re likely to quit. One way to do this is to make your progress a game. Find a partner to join you in your quest.

11. Pick only one major goal - When you set multiple major goals, you are less likely to achieve any of them. Let say you’re 50 lbs over weight, you smoke, you drink too much, you want to make more money, and get in better shape. Do not try to conquer all these problems at once. You’ll fail. If you have multiple major items you’d like to change in your life, write them down, prioritize them, and knock them off one at a time.

12. When Down, Use Your Imagination - As you work toward your goal you will experience emotional dips. There will be times when you want to quit. There will be times when you feel like you’ve hit a plateau and progress has stopped. This is when you need to find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and visualize your ideal outcome. Imagine life when you reach your goal. Imagine in as much detail as you can. Imagine how you will feel. Imagine how it will look. Imagine your impact on other people. Do it to remind yourself why you’re working so hard. The stronger the images you can etch into your mind, the quicker you will restore your motivation.

13. Journal - Write a journal documenting your efforts. Write on your good days and your bad days. Write about your successes and your failures. Document how you feel. Make special note of recurring patterns. When you lose motivation, go back and read about a day when your motivation was strong. If you’re in a dip, read about a time in the past when you overcame a dip.

14. Read About Others Who Have Achieved Similar Goals - This cannot be stressed enough. If you want to lose weight and get in shape there are people who have done it before you. LISTEN TO THEM! They have a formula for success. The same is true about money. LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW! There is millions (maybe billions) of dollars worth of free information on the internet. Use it. Don’t go it alone. Follow and improvise on those who have come before you. You don’t need to figure it out yourself. Cheat.

15. Get Help From Like-Minded Friends - If you’re trying to make more money, don’t hang out with whiners. If you want to quit smoking, don’t hang out with smokers. Your odds of staying motivated increase 100x when you associate with people who share similar goals.

16. Commit To Working On Your Goal Every Day - Have one major goal. Every day, review what actions you have taken to achieve that goal. Make it habit by forcing yourself to review your progress every day for 21 days in a row.

17. Accept Your Negative Feelings as Natural - Fear, anger, sadness, and even depression are felt universally. Don’t believe for second that people who achieve their goals don’t have these feelings. They do. It’s natural to get down. Deal with it and push forward.

18. Act in Spite of Your Negative Feelings - If you start to get angry or depressed, quitting won’t relieve these feelings, it will intensify them. The only surefire way to relive these feelings is to act in spite of them. Don’t repress them. Feel them fully and move on.

19. Celebrate Successes - Focus on the little successes along the way. When you work on projects, always set milestones, and celebrate reaching each one. It gives you a sense accomplishment along the way.

20. Take Breaks - If you are getting frustrated working on something, stop and do something else for a while. Frustration can spiral out of control and kill motivation. Don’t stop for long, just long enough for your frustration to subside. Then get back at it with a clearer mind. You might be thinking, this is contrary to #18, it isn’t, taking a break is not quitting. Act again soon; just take a short break to cool off.

21. Fight Procrastination By Taking Immediate Action - Right now I’m sitting at my son’s Jiu-Jitsu class and it’s about to end, and as I was about to write this, I thought, I’ll write it later, after class ends. Then I thought, NO, take action now. Do it. If you have time, do not wait, do not hesitate. You will find that forced action in the face of procrastination will build motivation.

Americana - Bent Metal and Concrete

This playground is too dangerous for our precious 2008 children.

An old restored rural North Dakota gas station. (I think they called ‘em Fillin’ Stations)

For more great photos see Paul E Olson.

Many of you have lost your jobs, others are worried about losing yours soon. The news keeps telling us the economy is spiraling out of control. But it is a choice to view it as a disaster or an opportunity. It doesn’t matter how you choose to view it, what is happening is what is happening. Jonathan wrote The Firefly Manifesto which could help you re-frame your fear into hope. If you are feeling the slightest bit fearful or depressed about the economy, I suggest you read it.

On his site Johnathan profiles people who have turned adversity into opportunity. In his first installment he talks to Naomi Dunford who was once a pregnant, 17 year-old high school dropout. She now runs a $200,000 business from her kitchen table. Check her out at http://ittybiz.com/.

I can’t tell you how much I love to read these stories.

Hat Tip to Brian Clark at Copyblogger.

The Problem

In July I wrote 11 Ways to Build an Extraordinary Life and it did well in social media. I couple of days later I was working with a marketing group showing how list posts are constructed and the amount of traffic they can generate when executed correctly. Then someone asked, “Do you live an extraordinary life?”

I answered, “yes I do. Well… I try.”

I could tell he was skeptical. He’s right, I might think I live an extraordinary life, but to the outsider my life appears ordinary. However, I did point out that few of us live the ‘11 Ways’ I listed in my post, and if you did, you certainly would live an extraordinary life.

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits touched on this subject in a recent post:

Recently I read an old post about why another blogger doesn’t like
Zen Habits, and it centered around the idea that she thought I was
preaching to readers as if I’m perfect. And I thought to myself, “Boy,
I hope people don’t think I’m perfect!”

Because the truth is, I’m far from it. I have problems like everyone
else. I struggle with productivity and procrastination and losing
weight and losing my patience and everything else, just like you do.

I wrote a post about learning not to fear the economic crisis and got a
similar response. Posting positive news while others are suffering can cause ill will. You can appear to be a boasting know-it-all.

Sometimes when I read personal development blogs I feel the same way. How can this guy live such a perfect and productive life? I struggle with making money, being productive, staying focused, blogging, being a good father and husband.

Authenticity

I don’t want my readers to think I’m some perfectionist pollyanna, I’m not, so I purposely try to let my imperfections show. To me, it is the only way to be authentic and transparent. That’s why I’ve made this blog the way it is, this is a human story, and like me, it is imperfect.

Writing for the Reader

But I know why Leo at Zen Habits writes the way he does. He isn’t perfect, but he is a great writer who writes for you. You don’t want to read about my problems, or Leo’s problems. You need answers to your problems. You don’t want to read complaints. There are plenty of other people telling you how rotten the world is. Leo is an oasis in a desert of negative news and I love and respect him for what he’s done.

Negativity is the way most people’s minds work by default. No one needs to practice negative thinking, it comes natural. We all need to practice re-framing our situation in the most positive light possible, especially when times are tough. Feeling sorry for yourself gets you nowhere, and most of you know that in your hearts. But we all need to be reminded sometimes.

What its Really About

Productivity/personal development writers aren’t saying they are perfect. They are trying to inspire positive change in the world by showing others what is possible. They are trying to inspire people to reach their potential in spite of imperfections.

This isn’t about perfection, it is about improvement.

This is a picture of me with one day of shipments. This time of year I ship anywhere from 50 - 75 orders per day. You can do this too, if you know your business.

I frequently get comments that say, “You can’t make money selling books, games, and DVDs online. It’s too competitive. The market is flooded with cheap merchandise. I don’t believe you are making the kind of money you claim you are.”

Steve at budgetvideogames.com shipped over 130,000 videos games last year. He did this all from his 3 car garage! He has 1 FT employee and 1 PT employee. Video games are one of the most competitive markets out there yet he’s able to pull this off. Not only is his video game business successful but he’s used it to as a platform to launch other non-internet businesses.

When you work for yourself, when you run your own small business, there will be a million people who will tell you a million reasons why you will fail, even while you are succeeding.

Shattering The Myths

You don’t have to be the cheapest - But you do need to be competitive on some items. Not everyone buys on price alone.

You don’t have to be the biggest - Being small allows you to grow niche markets and give exceptional customer service. Sell to the long tail not the Wal-Mart crowd.

You don’t have to have the best technology - My business runs almost entirely via cloud computing. Depending on your niche and the size of your business there are web 2.0 companies that will provide you the tools to complete at a low cost. You don’t need SAP to run an online business.

The Reality

Know your customers - Why do your customers buy your product? Price? Quality? Are they collectors? Are they likely to be repeat customers?

Know your merchandise - Who are your competitors? How much of it is out in the marketplace? How many vendors are wholesaling it? Where can you go to find more merchandise?

Know your business - How many sales channels do you have? Revenue streams? Profitability?

Don’t listen to the naysayers, I don’t and I bet Steve doesn’t either.

Christine Olson owns and operates Christinesbooks.net.

Whip the fear of poverty by reaching a decision to get along with whatever wealth you can accumulate without worry - Napoleon Hill 1937

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is one of the greatest instruction manuals for handling the economic conditions we face as individuals. It was written in the throes of the second half of the Great Depression.

To move forward and create the future we want, we must re-frame our perceptions of our current situation from an outlook of fear and uncertainty, to one of opportunity and hope. As human beings, we can choose to view the journey ahead with anxiety or with excitement. It is a choice. (If you are sleeping on a park bench right now, I’m not talking about you. I understand you’ve given everything you have. I’m talking to those of us that still have something to give. I’m asking my readers to reach out to you.)

This is an opportunity to help our fellow man. This is an opportunity rebuild our world. This is a chance for renewal.

This is your opportunity to shine.

We are all in this together and we can’t escape it by throwing our brothers under the bus. That will only make it worse.

I know some of you will have to make difficult choices just to save your businesses, but when you do, remember to make them with the utmost ethics and integrity. Never make your decision in fear. Make the decision that is right for the largest number of people.

True security is found helping others. True freedom is found in the willingness to do it voluntarily.

Our current problems were created by ignorance, greed, selfishness, and shortsightedness. They will be solved with intelligence, generosity, selflessness, and long-term thinking.

Act with courage.

Believe it or not, none of these photos were photoshopped.

Click one to see a larger version. The large ones are spectacular.

Elisabeth commented on Do Not Fear the Economic Crisis.

Glad to hear you, Dawud Miracle, and the previous two posters are
doing so well, but I must say this is a depressing post to read after
having spent twelve hours every day for the past five days pounding the
pavement looking for a new job. I was recently laid off due to the
“hype,” and If I don’t find something in the next couple of days I
won’t be able to pay rent and will literally be on the street (medical
bills for family and myself have drained my bank account dry, and some
recent deaths in the family have left me stranded in an unfamiliar
city/state).

To whatever degree you choose to believe it, these hardships exist. To REAL people even – people like me.

“Right now you have more opportunity than you may ever see again.” Oh, Mr. Olson… if you could only walk a mile in my shoes…

Continued successes to you and your friends/family.

Take care.

It appears Elisabeth hit an ugly storm of unemployment, poor health, death, while stranded and alone. Elisabeth misunderstood much of what I wrote. That is my fault, I hope she will give me a chance to clarify. In no way, did I mean that hardships do not exist. Suffering exists, no doubt.

Acknowledge Suffering Exists but Never Focus on It

Whenever I write about how you shouldn’t focus on the things you fear, that you shouldn’t feed your worries, that you should avoid media hype, and instead focus on the life you want to create, I get a comment similar to Elisabeth’s.

To Elisabeth and everyone else who is suffering:

I acknowledge you are suffering. I acknowledge that children are starving in Somalia, people are being butchered in wars, people are dying of horrible diseases, children are being abused, and families are homeless.

A family friend is a Director for a non-profit in Bloomington MN. She supplies funds to families about to be evicted from their homes. She is the last stop before the homeless shelter. Most years she handles 2,000 families. This year she has handled 5,000 families.

Look what John Chow is doing for the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver. He donated 5K, with the hope that you will join his effort to help those in need. I joined him in helping the UGM and I hope you will to.

I acknowledge problems exist and I am not suggesting people become apathetic, quite the opposite.

The Problem With Focusing on Suffering

Fear, worry, and depression make life worse. If you have ever suffered from depression you know how it causes your world to contract. You will not grow when your mental focus creates fear, worry, or depression in your mind. At the macro level, this is exactly what is happening worldwide. Sure some systemic problems served as a catalyst, but the current situation is being fed by fear and lack of faith in the future.

The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself - Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Focusing on unemployment will not solve an unemployment problem. Focusing on creating jobs will. You will never create the world you want by focusing on the world you hate. Focus on the solution. Focus on the goal. If you are unemployed, focus on creating an income. It is the only long term answer to the problem.

That is the problem with media fear mongering, it perpetuates this problem. Turn it off.

Focusing on suffering creates fear and anger, fear and anger creates hostility, depression, and hoarding, hostility, depression, and hoarding creates a contractionary spiral in your life and the world in general.

So What Should You Focus On?

Focus on the opposite of suffering - happiness, joy, and health and go create them with all the passion you can muster!

Those of us that have jobs and businesses right now, need to redouble our efforts. We need to tap into ourselves and find energy we didn’t know we had. We need to look for opportunity now. We need to grow our businesses and create jobs for people like Elisabeth. Now is not the time to crawl into a shell and cower in fear. Work harder, work smarter, be creative, invest, seize opportunity, and create a better tomorrow. That is the only way out this mess. Fear, apathy, and complacency only create more bankruptcy, poverty, and homelessness. The only difference between yesterday and today is an abstract construct in our minds. This moment right now is all you have. Yesterday may have been lovely, but it is gone forever. So take the present moment and create a better tomorrow.

What other options do you have?

P.S.
To Elisabeth:

If you send me your information, I will do anything reasonable to help you find employment. I will publish your situation and information on this blog, I will twitter it, I will ask my social worker friend what you should do and then publish it here, I will ask every blogger who reads this blog to forward the information on. It is my firm belief that every (yes, I said every) human being has something wonderful and positive to contribute to this world if given a chance. I wish you the very best.

• It is believeing in yourself
• It is believing in others
• It is trust
• It is faith

How do you build it? By learning to think any way you want to. Let me explain.

Thanks to Lyman Reed, I’ve been listening to The Focus Society of Over Achievers which is hosted by Chuck Bartok. It is a radio talk show format, where people discuss some of the top Personal Development books ever written. A few days ago I started with Episode 1 and I am hooked. Today they were discussing the chapter on faith from Napoleon Hill’s classic Think and Grow Rich. And a thought occurred to me…

Napoleon Hill never mentions confidence, only faith. Faith has gotten a bad rap lately hasn’t it? Then I thought…

What’s the difference? Is there any? You can swap the words ‘have faith’ and ‘am confident’ in any of these sentences, can’t you?

• I have faith that the sun will rise tomorrow.
• I am confident my car will start when I turn the key.
• I have faith that my wife will feed the boys in the morning.
• I am confident my sons will make it to school in the morning.
• I have faith I will have income tomorrow.

I could be wrong about any one of the above statements, right? Why am I confident? Why do I have faith? Through my powers of observation, I have seen these things consistently repeated. I believe they are probable, even though I can’t be sure. So how do you build faith/confidence? Repetition and practice.

Some say our current economic crisis is a crisis of confidence. I guess it could also be called a crisis of faith.

How is courage connected to faith and confidence? Closely, right?

So how do you keep confident, courageous thoughts in your mind? The same way, repetition and practice. Confidence isn’t something that just happens, it requires effort to build.

After all this thinking this morning, I opened up my reader, and like magic, the first post I saw was How Can I be More Confident by @TimBrownson. Like all great coaches, he knows the secret to confidence/faith. The secret is changing the way you habitually think. In his post he has a brief story about Stuart Anderson and an exchange Stuart had with the media.

At the resulting news conference a journalist asked ‘Stuart, how did
you do that, how did you make that shot?’ Stuart looked puzzled ‘What
do you mean?’ ‘How did you hit that shot after missing more than 20?’
‘Well I’m a 50-50 shooter said Stuart, so do the math. If I’ve missed
so many the odds were stacked in my favor, how could I miss?

The journalist thought for a second and said ‘Ok, so if you’d have
hit every attempt then the math says no way could you hit, so would you
have asked the coach to draw a different play? Are you nuts, said
Stuart, if I’d not missed I’d be on fire, how could I have missed?’
‘But you can’t have it both ways’ ‘Yes I can’ said Stuart ‘I can think
any way I want to.’

You build confidence and faith by learning to think like Stuart Anderson.

Dawud Miracle lives in Michigan, and he tells us why we shouldn’t fear the economic situation. Every detail in his article is accurate.

Dawud Writes…

You see, small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy now.
Can we compete with Walmart, Ford or Pepsi - no. But we don’t need to
either.

I have a number of close friends that work for large corporations.
Most of them are scared they’ll loose their job because of the economic
conditions. But the other side of the coin is that I have a large
number friends who are self-employed or own small businesses who are
doing quite well - and plan to continue that way.

Besides, this crisis is nothing new. Most of us have lived through times like these. If you think this is new, take a look at this set of Time Magazine covers from 1974 - 1994. Isn’t it strange how every headline could apply to 2008? Don’t buy the hype. Turn it off, bust your butt, and make something happen.

It is amazing how the media sells the same old stories.

Right now is when fortunes are made. Right now is the time to act. Right now you have more opportunity than you may ever see again. Set your goals, make your plans, and execute now.

• You will see more frequent posts
• You will see more short posts
• You will see more posts from Christine
• We will be posting updates on what’s new at Christine’s Books (formerly Soconik Books).

For the last year or so I’ve struggled with what direction to take this blog. I have a wide variety of interests I want to share and express.

When it comes to social media and blogging I spend much more time trying to gain understanding and knowledge than I do on actual creation of content.

I’m interested in business, finance, writing, philosophy, spirituality, entrepreneurship, education, self-improvement, freedom, parenting, humor, and politics. No more humor, too many misunderstandings. At one point I created a political blog, which was a mistake because I haven’t had the time to maintain it. I am going to close that blog and keep most political content off this blog (as much as I can and still maintain some perspective on education, business, and finance). People get too negative about political stuff, and I have no interest in adding to the negativity out there.

We will be writing about our home business more. They say the economy is soft, but right now Christine is doing well.

I will be posting more short posts with links to content I think you will find interesting.

I hope you find the changes helpful!

Let me know what you think.

I work with a marketing executive, Jane Payfer, who Seth Godin told me to listen to. I have a note in Seth’s handwriting in my office that reads, “Steve listen to Jane! Seth.” I should have taken his advice earlier, but I admit, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed.

So one morning, feeling frustrated and dour, I ambushed Jane. I rambled off a dozen things that I believed were ruining a project and then said, “We’re transparent here, right? Let’s blog about it.”

She paused and gave me one of those thoughtful looks with her finger across her lips and then said, “No, don’t blog about it.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because it isn’t helpful.”

The words “Be Helpful!” rang through my mind. It sounds corny, but it was like a Homer Simpson epiphany…

Be helpful! Duh!

If you write posts that are truly helpful, people will read your blog. If your products and services are helpful to your customers you will succeed. If you are helpful to others your relationships will flourish.

I realize I am oversimplifying here, but being helpful is something that you control.

So go be helpful!

Tonight he asked me A BIG question.

It was bedtime. We had just finished saying prayers when he asked, “Why does life exist? Why is all this happening?”

I asked him, “What else could be happening?”

He said, “Nothing. There could be nothing.”

I said, “Well, aren’t you happy there is something instead of nothing? I mean, here we are, and I’m happy to be here talking to you right now. Are you happy?”

He said, “Yeah, life is fun. I like it. I’m glad it’s here. But when you get old, it doesn’t look like it’s as much fun. When you’re old you just think about dying a lot more, right?”

I said, “Sure, I think about it more than I used to. But the important thing to remember is… someday we will all die, me and you and everyone else we know, all that matters is we do something good with the time we have right now.”

He said, “Like laughing right?”

I said, “Yes”

He said, “Poopy Butt!” and squealed in laughter.

I said,  “Good Night, I Love You.”

How can you make more money?

We all could use some more cash right now, right? Sometimes friends, family and neighbors ask “How can I can make a few extra bucks for some Christmas spending money?”

$500 - $1500 selling clutter

Most of us have too much clutter. Why not turn it into cash? Almost any parent has at least $500 or even up to $1500 worth of junk sitting around the house they can sell. Between Craigslist and eBay there is no excuse to not create some extra cash this Christmas Season.

Now is a great time to sell old winter gear

First off, start with your winter gear. Pull out all the boots, snow pants and jackets and find out what doesn’t fit anyone. Sell the jacket and snow pants as a set if they are the same size. Any name brand stuff will get you more money than generic superstore brands. This is the time to sell winter gear.

Too many old toys cluttering up your house? Turn them into cash!

Next, go through the toys. Your house will be flooded with more of them next month so you might as well clear out some old ones. Craigslist is a great place to sell big toys that are too cumbersome to ship. If you have oodles of “Little People Sets” that are in good shape and you have most of the pieces, Craigslist is the place to sell them. To save time, sell them in one big lot. If you have a second hand kid’s clothing store nearby, like Once Upon a Child, they may give you good money for toys. I dropped off a load last month and got a check for $56.00. Sell little toys you can bunch together and easily ship on eBay. Grab a Large Priority Box free from your Post Office and see what fits inside. It is a flat shipping cost of $12.95. See if you can group items together like Dora, Disney, Electronic Toys, Baby Einstein.

Sell in lots to maximize profits

Speaking of Baby Einstein, go through those kids books and DVDs. Group them together by age and sell them as a lot on eBay. Large lots of chapter books do well on eBay. A single Captain Underpants book won’t sell but a group of 10 will get you $10 - $15. To save a pile of cash when shipping books or DVDs, use Media Mail through the US Post Office.

Turn used baby clothes into cash

If you are recently out of the baby years you have hundreds of dollars sitting around your house. I sold my Baby Bjorn on eBay for practically what I paid for it. Used baby clothes in large lots sorted by age will fetch $30 - $50. Do you have any Gymboree, Gap, Old Navy? Sell them now! Make sure you weigh your items before listing them so you charge an accurate shipping price. The post office has 3 free Flat Rate Boxes and a free  Flat Rate Envelope. They charge one price for anything that fits inside. Visit your local Post Office and pick up a few.

Turn Knick-Knacks into cash

In the past, did you collect Christmas Ornaments? Department 56 items? Pottery Barn decorations? Are you tired of them? Do they waste space? Check to see what kind of prices you can get for them on eBay. Check Completed Auctions, they give you actual prices people paid.

Turn more clutter into cash

Are your kids tired of Thomas? Sell them! Yards of Geo-Trax taking up space? Craigslist them! What about scrapbooking stuff you bought at Micheal’s? You know, for the elaborate plans you had to create a layout for every special occasion? Never got around to it, did you? Why? Well… you have kids.

Rubber Stamps that you don’t use anymore? Kids puzzles? Games? But remember, everything must be in good shape with no missing pieces.

Important points:

• Take good photos. I have 2 large pieces of white foam board I bought at Office Max I use for photos.
• Don’t over price your stuff. We all have a tendency to over price our own stuff. We attach emotional value to it. Do your research, and price it to sell.
• Don’t undercharge on shipping. Visit your local post office and visit http://www.usps.com for shipping prices and free boxes.
• Write good titles on your listings. Include brand names and sizes. Think of the words someone may use to find your items.

Expect many more posts from Christine in the near future.

To some, freedom means driving a car 150 mph, to others it’s a million dollars in net worth. Not to me. To me, freedom is having enough slack in your schedule to be spontaneous. To move on a moments notice. To control your time. That’s freedom.

To me, personal freedom means:

Spending an afternoon teaching little boys how to skip rocks across Nine Mile Creek.

Showing little boys how a Beaver can drop a hundred foot tree with persistent effort. (And not to worry if you grab your crotch in a picture when you’re 3. It’s the only time you’ll get away with it.)

To me:

• Freedom is the sound of a 1969 Dodge Charger.
• Freedom is bacon and eggs fried over a campfire.
• Freedom is smores and ghost stories.
• Freedom is posting about your kids.

What does freedom mean to you?