Blogging Success According To My Favorite Guru!
December 17, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
How in the world did I land in the blogosphere you ask? Well, funny you should ask.
I was searching the internet for “how to make a living online”, not the fast buck but the career type venture. I tried one scam after another for a year or so. Ahh, the scam artists paints a pretty picture. After being stung a few times
, I became a little more cautious. I scrutinized every detail of every claim!
I landed on some sales page that discussed blogging. I survived raising three daughters who were all teenagers at the same time. I will investigate most stories. I understood blogging a little. But, this character wanted to sell me some secret that would allow me to gain entry into the blogosphere.
Of course I googled his name. Surprise, yet another scam! I was getting very discouraged. Why do 9 out of 10 (more like 99 out of 100) ventures all have to be scams? Forget this internet business stuff. I’ll think of something else. After all, I am an entrepreneur at heart.
I researched blogging a little further…
I went to the website of Darren Rowse - ProBlogger and I was bit by the blogger bug. I got it and I got it bad. I never looked back.
I was so excited, I worked on my site for hours every day into the wee hours of the morning. Yup, I was going to make some serious money. Now you know. I started blogging for the money. I am not afraid of hard work so I knew I could do this. I bought my copy of ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.
As many of you are aware, I am at the 6 month point of my blogging “career”. This is one of the checkpoints in my business plan. At 6 months, I evaluated the progress of my goals to date. Am I where I want to be, where I thought I would be? Do I need to re-evaluate the plan and adjust?
Being that I had very little knowledge about blogging, my business plan was somewhat vague. I know how to run a business and how to write a business plan but blogging is a little different then what I am used to. After 6 months I do have a much better grasp on the reality of blogging.
I originally thought that all I had to do was write a few good posts, put up some ads and wala - I’m in the money. Doesn’t quite work that way. I am happy to report that I am not in the blogging business for the money. It is simply a love affair. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to make money at blogging but that is secondary.
I am in the process of revising my business plan. I went to my favoirte Guru for some advice. I asked Darren Rowse the following questions:
- Do you think a blogger can make a living with just AdSense type ads?
Yes - it’s possible. It really depends upon the type of blog that you start as to what type of monetization works best. Some work great with AdSense, others do better with affiliate programs, others better with direct ad sales. The key is to experiment and see what works best.
- Do you think a blogger can make a living with just one blog?
Again - it’s possible and many bloggers do it - but not all do. Some bloggers take the approach of building a few smaller blogs rather than one big one.
- What do you consider the top 5 picks of Social Media?
Depends a lot on the type of blog you start. The key is to find out where your readers (or potential readers) hang out in social media and join them there. For me that’s been Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn and Digg mainly.
- If you could only pick one avenue or company for monetizing your blog, what would it be?
Really tough question. I’ve made more with AdSense than any other ad network but it depends upon the blog. It’s a good starting point and can work well but in the long term on a successful blog direct ad sales will probably work better.
- What do you consider the one thing that contributes to your success?
Staying at it for the long haul. Posting something every day for 6 years has not been easy but it’s paid off.
I had questions from the answers too but that will have to wait another day. The one big message I received from this interview is - patience. You need patience and time to nurture your blog. 6 months is not a significant amount of time to invest in a blog.
You need to test your advertising plan just like any other business. You don’t necessarily know what works until you try it. What works for you might not work for me. It also takes time and patience to build your social network. Again, the same advice applies to the typical brick and mortar business. Thank you Darren, for your wisdom and advice.
Is Darren’s advice an eye-opener for you? Are you more motivated now knowing that success is possible?
Toodles - Blog Happy!
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“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and
an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen…”
- Frank Lloyd Wright
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Do All Parent’s Want A “Do Over”?
December 13, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
“Do All Parent’s Want A “Do Over”?
I wrote a post earlier this week about blogging and the early days. After six months of blogging one might ask, in hindsight - What would you do different?
I pointed out that six months isn’t very much hindsight to pick and choose all the woulda, shoulda, couldas from, however, I mentioned that -
“I have often contemplated the “what I would have done differently” in regards to raising my children. In retrospect, there is a significant amount of time to review to be able to discuss lessons learned. Once you see the outcome of your actions it is always easy to have 20/20 in hindsight.
My daughter, Courtney, read the post and commented that she thought she would be interested to read what exactly my hindsight is now that all three girls are grown. I thought I had always told her to be careful what she asked for. They just don’t listen, do they?
Valerie (aka Natural) from Thinking Out Loud Blog had a guest post from Cardio Girl describing a childhood story. She listened very carefully to her mom. The day of the fight is a hilarious story, you have to read it.
As most parents can attest, we probably all would like a few “do overs”. One of my many challenges as a parent was to teach my daughters about the value of money. I would like to share one story that actually still resonates today.
Lesson plan one
We used to go on vacation at least once a year when the girls were young. They would nickel and dime me to no end. Can I, can I, can I? I want, I want, I want! They drove me crazy. Finally, one year I decided to try testing their responsibility. We were going to be in Virginia for five days so I decided to give the girls each a budget. They were 8, 9 and 11 years old. I gave them each $100.00 to last them the 5 days we were going to be there. Sounds like a lot of money for a small child but they had to buy their lunch every day as well as any souvenir they wanted.
Eldest daughter
Darcy, Darcy, Darcy. I think my oldest daughter was broke by breakfast the next day. I asked her how she thought she was going to eat for the rest of the week. She didn’t know. I knew. It was either going to be me or she would bum from her sisters. If it was me, she was certainly not going to have burger world! For some reason, Darcy did not come to mommy for her lunch.
Middle child
Danielle took her cash and divided it in 5 different piles representing each day we were going to be in Virginia. She spent the entire twenty dollars each day. No more, no less. She didn’t come home with any money.
The baby
Courtney was very careful with her money. In fact, at lunch the very first day, Courtney asked the waitress if she could get a half order of cottage cheese. Yeah, that was real funny. We all laughed. I was a little embarrassed. The waitress looked at me like I wasn’t letting my kids eat but I really didn’t care. I think Courtney came home with about $80.00!
One more quick story
A few years later I decided to try another lesson. I took the girls school shopping when they were teenagers. Such a chore. I decided to give them each $100.00 to get an outfit. You can probably guess the outcome. Darcy bought A shirt. Danielle bought a very nice outfit for $96.48 and Courtney bought an outfit for $48.59!
First I insisted Darcy take her shirt back and get a real outfit. I decided the other two could keep the change. Danielle could not believe how unfair that was. Courtney was happy! Hey, lesson learned.
In hindsight
My plan was to teach them the value of money as well as how to budget. I think their spending habits are similar today! This research tells me that personality has as much to do with your spending habits as does how you are taught. I always made them earn whatever they received but in hindsight I would have done it a little differently. They always had to earn what they wanted. No free ride here. I would pay for whatever they wanted to buy and they would pay me back. So in effect, I taught them the “buy now, pay later” lesson. Yuk, bad lesson. From that, however, they did learn that there is no such thing as a free lunch, that they have to work for what they want and they do take care of what they have because it wasn’t handed to them.
What about you? Do you have any “do over” wishes? What are they?
Toodles - Blog Happy!
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“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money;
it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort….”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
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The Lost Art of Personal Responsibility
November 30, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
“The Lost Art of Personal Responsibility”
Whatever happened to personal responsibility? I don’t get it. It’s always someone else’s fault. Nothing ever works for me! I can’t ever get ahead. Everyone else is so lucky.
It is rare to see someone take full responsibility for their own actions. You can usually spot them with no effort. They stand alone amongst the crowd.
My mother has never allowed excuses. Whenever we whined or complained about something, she always told us to DO SOMETHING! No excuses here. In fact, any “challenge” is just that - some kind of a test or something to see if we can accomplish our goal. Just so life can be interesting. Life would be kind of boring, I guess, if everything was simple and we didn’t have any challenges.
She also, somehow, has embedded herself in my head so I have to listen to her wherever I go, day or night. Real amusing.
Social Media Marketing 101 recently wrote a post regarding Self-responsibility. It is up to you. It is your responsibility to “fix” yourself and your circumstances. If everyone took responsibility for themselves, things would go much smoother. There would be a lot less whining and complaining.
The only thing stopping you is you.
You cannot fix what you do not acknowledge. If you do not know you are overweight, then you are not going to eat less and exercise more. That bit of information, by the way, is the best kept secret in the weight loss world. And you found that information here free! Sorry no pill, no magic. Just personal responsibility.
The only thing stopping you is you.
Your job sucks! You are going no where fast. You are stuck. There is nothing you can do. Oh, wait. Maybe you can take a little initiative and try to better yourself. I don’t know your exact circumstances so I don’t know if you need to simply apply yourself and work towards a promotion or ask for a transfer to a different department right where you are or if you need to be completely radical and change your job entirely. What I can tell you, is talking about it probably won’t change anything.
The only thing stopping you is you.
I am not trying to be glib or flippant. Most change does not happen overnight. You need to take baby steps. Realize the meaning of cause and effect. There are results for every action. Good or not so good. It usually takes a while for you to get where you are. Either standing still by not moving or moving by taking action. It is up to you.
The only thing stopping you is you.
Personal responsibility is a refreshing trait. Do you know what happened to the lost art of responsibility?
Toodles - Blog Happy!
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“We know the truth, not only by the reason, but by the heart…”
- Blaise Pascal
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3 Steps To Achieving Your Goals
November 23, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
“3 Steps To Achieving Your Goals”
Are you a goal setter? Are you a dreamer? Do you try to make your dreams come true by an organized plan or by wishful thinking? You have a plan and success is in your future! Your plan includes a step by step course of action and life is good! All you have to do is follow through.
Do you follow through with them? It doesn’t do any good to write something down then not look at it. What is the difference between goals that fail and goals that are successful? There are 3 critical steps to any goal. A goal must be defined, measurable and Acted on.
- Define
Define your goal. What do you want? What do you really want? You have to have an end result. What do you want to accomplish. You should be very specific. Rather than say “I want to make a lot of money”, explain your goal. I want to make $100,000.00 in extra income in a five year period. It’s difficult to know which way to go when you don’t even know where you want to go.
Make your goal believable to you. You described what, now you need to define how. HOW are you going to accomplish this goal of $100,000.00? Let’s sell an eBook!
- Measurable
Detail, break it down. Make it measurable. List step by step reasonable tasks that will get you closer to your goal. Divide the massive task over a smaller, more manageable process.
Take your $100,000.00 goal and divide it over the 5 year period. That breaks down to $20,000.00 per year, divided over 12 months is $1,668.00 per month even further - $416.00 per week. Doesn’t $416.00 a week feel more “believable” than $100,000.00?
What are you going to do to achieve this now weekly goal? How many eBooks do you need to sell to make $416.00 within a week? Break down the detail. Depends on the price you will list on the eBook you sell. For this goal, let’s sell our eBook for $9.95 each. we will need to sell 42 eBooks per week.
- Action
The final step in accomplishing your goal is action. What action will you take to accomplish your goal? The action steps need to be realistic & measurable.
Once you are setup with your goal and you have it in measurable segments, set up checkpoints to insure you are on track. At the end of every month, see if you are where you are supposed to be. Then set quarterly checkpoints. Don’t let your goal get too far off track, at the same time, don’t get discouraged after only a couple of weeks, especially in sales. This type of goal can be dependent on cycles or be seasonal.
A goal is a dream with a deadline. What are your dreams? What do you do to accomplish your goals. Do you have specific “sure fire” steps that insure your success?
Toodles - Blog Happy!
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“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable,
or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same…”
- Martha Washington
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Life Happens
November 18, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
“Life Happens”
All around you - life happens.
All around you people are going about their business. They go to the post office, stop and get their groceries, run their errands, visit with their friends they meet on the street.
All the while your life has just crashed down around you. How can this be? Don’t they know? Some inconsiderate driver just cut you off. How could they do that when you are in so much pain? What is wrong with people!
The world has stopped, but only for you. Isn’t it surreal? It feels like you are in the twilight zone. (I watch too much Sci-Fi.) Everything is running in slow motion. Except your mind. Your mind is running 100 mph. What are you going to do? How are you going to deal with this? You close your eyes for a second to try to calm down.
Nope, everything is still in motion. In the midst of all this turmoil, there is a lesson to be learned. Yeah, there usually is.
Treat people like they are going through a trauma..treat every stranger like they are in the middle of a crisis.
Is it so hard to be courteous? Are we so caught up in ourselves that we think “it’s all about me”. The great thing about making other people feel good is that it makes you feel good. Be aware of your actions, if only for today, try it.
Toodles - Blog Happy!
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“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion…”
- The Dalai Lama
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Really, You Gotta Stop!
November 15, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
“Really, You Gotta Stop!”
Too much to do? Always in a hurry? Want to get more done? I have a perfect solution. STOP! Slow down. Really you gotta stop.
Do you think multitasking is more productive? Some say it depends on what you are multitasking. I’m not sure if I agree with that. I’d have to hear your argument for multitasking. Really, if you stop working on 7 different things at the same time you will actually get more done. Hmnm, getting something finished is actually more productive.
I am the Queen of multitasking. I’ve told you that before. I can’t go from one end of my house to the other without working on 10 different chores.
The same goes for blogging. I was working on 3 or 4 posts this morning and adding lots of content to each one, but getting none ready to publish. I left a few tweets in between, started cleaning out my mailbox, back to my posts, I really need a graphic for this one.
I wasn’t completing anything, I need to do something different. So what is the plan?
1. Okay, so the first step - yeah you guessed it - the dreaded list. Why do people insist on telling you the first thing to do is write it down? Will writing it down get it done? Nope, I tried that. I write stuff down all the time. I even buy different notebooks and numerous notebooks to see if that works. I don’t care how many times or where you write it down, it won’t get done with that one lonely step. You actually need to take a little action.
2. So, you got your list. Goody. Now you need to prioritize. What is a “must do”? There are specific categories of your to do list.
- Can not live without
- Would be nice
- Someday I’ll get to that
- Probably not going to happen
3. Well you have your list, you’ve checked it twice, rearranged it; you are ready for some action! This is the hard part! Just do it. Don’t look at anything else until you are done with each task. Exercise that discipline characteristic you have. You have it. You use it when you want something. After each duty, reward yourself with something fun or something you look forward to doing.
When your “to do” list is overwhelming it is hard to get started but getting started and knocking off one thing at a time is a relief. You get a sense of satisfaction when you actually accomplish something. The stress of having too much to do is lifted and you get motivated to move on to the next task!
I’m thinking this advice would work with me too! I think that sounds like a post. I’ll get to work on that right away. I have a plan, sorta. It’s written down somewhere, probably spread across a few different notebooks. I will post my “blogging productivity and action plan”. Stay tuned, you will want to implement this plan for your own blog!
How do you stay productive? Do you have any creative procedures that are effective in producing results?
Toodles - Blog Happy!
“There is never enough time to do everything,
but there is always enough time to do the most important thing…”
- Brian Tracy
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Who Are You?
November 12, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
Who are you?
Can you answer that question? Do you even know who you are? It’s easy to lose yourself in society today. All the pressures to conform to, all the social roles we are supposed to “belong” to.
How do you achieve the balance of your authentic self and the expectation of society? How do you overcome the struggle of keeping the real you?
Whenever you are struggling with the real you, just repeat the two most powerful words to yourself. Tell yourself who you are, because only you can say “I AM”.
That is so easy to say and so hard to do. I guess that saying is true with most things. But if you are doing something and you have that - “this does not feel right” - feeling, then STOP! I do not think I have ever had that “no” feeling and have ever been wrong. You know how sometimes you second guess yourself? Well don’t!
On the journey to the rediscovery of yourself you will need to set new boundaries and some people in your life are not going to like this! They will resist your efforts but you must stay tough and keep your stand! I read a couple of great books - Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life
The Dance of Anger was especially interesting as the metaphor describes every day life. If you keep dancing the same dance you will get the same results. Nothing will change unless you change your steps. If you continue to react the same way to the same situation you will get the same result. It’s like the definition of “stupid”, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I don’t like the word “stupid” but I do like the rest of the explanation.
How do you maintain the real you?
Toodles - Blog Happy!
“There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving,
and that’s your own self…”
- Aldous Huxley
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Sunrise or Sunset?
November 8, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
“Sunrise or Sunset?”
Which do you prefer? Sunrise or Sunset? Why? Do they symbolize anything to you? I like both the sunrise and sunset for different reasons but if I had to choose, I would pick the sunrise.
The sunrise is the start of a new day; the promise of a new beginning. Everything is fresh and clean. The dawn of something new and exciting. The day is an opportunity to create a difference.
Yesterday is gone, you can be done with it. You can’t change it. Learn from it and start over.
I can bask in the warmth and glow of the sun. The sunrise provides a sense of hope and anticipation. It gives me the chance to stop and regroup before the flurry of activity begins.
The excitement prepares me for all the challenges of the day ahead. I feel like I can do anything, accomplish anything, like I am unstoppable!
Ah, the sunset. Absolutely breathtaking. Often a spectrum of colors, pink, purple, orange. Hard to turn your eyes away. The sunset provides a time of relaxation. A time for reflection on your day.
Hopefully, you can look back on your day with pride and a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. It is a deep satisfaction to be productive and to achieve your objectives.
The sunset is a sign that it is time to rest. You have done what you can do and now it is time to rest and regain energy for another day.
What do you prefer - The Sunrise or the Sunset? Why? What do they mean to you?
Toodles - Blog Happy!
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” Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending…”
- Lazurus Long
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I Don’t Know What To Do
November 7, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
I Don’t Know What To Do”
Decisions are a daily occurrence in our lives. 
Throughout our journey we are faced with many decisions. They range from silly easy ones to some that require a little thought, some that are difficult and some that are extremely difficult.
Every choice has a result. Every single decision you make today, big or small, will affect your life sooner or later. It might not be today, tomorrow or even next week but eventually you will see results. Good or bad, you will see results.
I personally believe that your attitude takes you places. If you have a positive attitude, you will see positive outcomes. If you are negative, you will attract negative. I have always believed that and it has served me well. You know some of the old sayings - “Do Unto Others”. , if you are there for people when they need you, they will be there for you when you need them. I try to be positive and believe them.
There are some people that ALWAYS need. Always need a shoulder to cry on, help with this, they can’t do that, and on and on. They always get the short end of the stick. I know a person that even goes so far as to say the weather is against him. I’m not kidding! I laugh out loud at that one.
Ross from “Will It Change You” speaks of Compassion vs Personal Growth. That can be a tough choice. Most people want to help others. They have compassion for someone in need. Ross makes a great point about striking a balance. There is a fine line between not helping enough and helping too much. The secret is finding that line and properly balancing on it.
I have a few people in my life that just can’t see the good in anything. Can consistently find negative in just about everything. I try, I really do, to show or offer the positive to help with their attitude. After just a couple of hours I feel like I am overdosed with these people. I have to get away because I can’t breathe.
So why do I ever go back? Yeah, you guessed it - family. Sometimes, I don’ know what to do. First they are family, second they need me or need help of some kind. I do feel compassion but luckily my instinct for survival keeps me from drowning.
I have a hard enough time keeping myself positive without having negative people around. I can tell you it is amazing how many negative people I know. Sometimes, I’m the only positive person I know. I’ve even been around people who are annoyed with my positive attitude! “Mary Sunshine.” I guess I could be called worse.
If things are going so well revert to plan b. If you don’t have a plan b, improvise and make one or just roll with the flow. If it’s raining outside on your outdoor project, postpone it and start your indoor project. If you don’t have one, come over to my house. I have 5 to 10 ongoing projects at any given time. I just don’t find anything productive in being negative.
I’m not saying I am perpetually “Mary Sunshine”, I am certainly not. I have my days just like everyone else. I just don’t like being negative, it doesn’t feel good. So after I have had enough of my own little pity party, I try to find my positive solution or sometimes just any solution and concentrate on something else.
When I quit smoking in January of this year it was one of the hardest goals I have ever accomplished. Even with half my family and friends continually telling me how hard it is and how often people fail at quitting smoking, despite all that support, I succeeded. Instead of concentrating on the “suffering” of quitting smoking I concentrated on my fitness, health and weight. I didn’t want to gain too much weight while I was quitting smoking. That’s not real positive.
I have repeatedly hoped that my positive attitude would rub off on my negative little family members but so far their negativity is too strong. I get too weak and sometimes succumb to the ugly opposite of positive. Then I realize that I am sinking into an abyss and if I don’t run and run fast I will not see the light of day or the sunshine for a long time.
My balance is that I will listen for awhile, for as long as I can take it, then I will offer my positives and hopelessly watch them fall on deaf ears, then I will plan and watch for my chance of escape till the next time.
What do you do?
Toodles - Blog Happy!
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“Most of the important things in the world
have been accomplished by people
who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all…”
- Dale Carnegie
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It’s All Relative
November 5, 2008 by BloggerNewbie
“It’s All Relative”
I read somewhere that you should not discuss money with people that have more than you or less than you. I thought that was amusing and I thought - oh so true!
If you have more money than someone and you are discussing anything - home repair, vacation, or even simply grocery shopping, you do not have anything in common. You will either sound totally pompous or totally stupid! You cannot have discussions on the same level. You cannot relate!
Home Repair
People will make repairs based on their income level. If you need to make a repair to your home and you are on a budget you will probably try and go the “do it yourself” route. If you don’t really follow a budget, then you will probably hire it done or replace the whole project rather than repair it.
The “do it yourselfer” will probably be annoyed that they have to do everything and you can just hire it done”. If you are the homeowner with the advantage of hiring it done, you may be a little annoyed that you aren’t handy enough to fix it yourself. It’s all relative.
Vacation
So, the mountains of Vermont or the streets of London? Is that a comparison? It’s all relative. To some, Vermont might be the first choice. Especially if you are from London. It depends on what you are used to, what you are accustomed to. If you are a city dweller, the mountains of Vermont would probably be a dream come true. If you live in the country, the excitement of the city will catch your attention.
Shopping
Oh is it lobster or chicken? Is it Gucci or Wrangler? I shared a little of my childhood story a couple of weeks ago that describes the difference. I was talking to my boss one day about his good ole’ college days! He was complaining about eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches twice a week. He was explaining how rough he had it. It was an amusing little story because he has no idea what struggle is.
What do you find to be “all relative?”
Toodles - Blog Happy!
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“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one…”
- Albert Einstein
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