Category Archives: Creating Wealth

December 22, 2009

Part Two: Applying The Four Agreements to Your Business & Life

Presents under the tree, courtesy of my residual income check

Merry Christmas To You & Yours!

In my last post I discussed two of Don Miguel Ruiz’s “The Four Agreements” and how they can be applied to your life and business.  I was not surprised by some of the responses to my last post since at one point or another,  we all have trouble getting out of ourselves and interacting “correctly” with others. The first two agreements tell us that our work is always with ourselves in that we have to be impeccable with our word & we must not take what others do personally – remember you aren’t the center of the universe and everything is not about you.

Don’t Make Assumptions

Making assumptions wouldn’t be so bad if you acknowledged that “yes, I am making an assumption which may be an incorrect reading of this person or situation”; that never happens, you and I make assumptions every day, believing that each assumption is the truth.  And because we approach people and things in this way, we create drama out of nothingness.

One of the incorrect assumptions one can make in the weight loss business is that if you hand someone your business card, you’re insinuating that they’re fat and need your product. So you assume that it would be insulting to even approach people and you just keep it to yourself.  How much money can you make doing that?

Consider if you will the state of matrimony, starry eyed brides and grooms make a big assumption – they each assume that the other holds the exact same views that they do!  This leads to many problems down the road because each assumes that the other should know what they want, what they are thinking from one moment to the next, what their expectations are! The road to divorce is paved with incorrect assumptions; the road to a long and happy marriage is paved with incorrect assumptions which were then clarified because one or the other of you asks a question such as “Do you mind if I play poker with the guys every other Friday night?”. In some relationships it may be assumed that if there was a poker or girls nite out before,  then marriage won’t interfere with that. hmmm.

“Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama.”

Always Do Your Best

“Your best is going to change from moment to moment, it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.”

To live a happy, healthy, and  productive life you must always do your best.  Doing your best puts you on the up side of your  slight edge and keeps you moving forward in a positive direction.  Face it you aren’t always going to remember to be impeccable with your word – your sister will call and you will suddenly find yourself gossiping about your brother’s new girlfriend or you and a co-worker may engage in a water-cooler talk about a fellow employee.  Sometimes when you are in the middle of a sales or prospecting call you will forget that it’s not about you, you will take something personally, and then you will find yourself unable or unwilling to do another call. And yes of course you will make assumptions – you’ll assume that someone is unapproachable when they aren’t, or that your new husband’s parents don’t like you, or that someone is flirting with your girl, when in reality  they are just being nice.

Christmas is a bad time for a lot of people. I have never understood this. Why are you stressed? Do you tense up just thinking about Christmas dinner? Are you approaching the season with joyful anticipation or intense  trepidation?

Relax, be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions about the presents that you give  or the presents that you receive, just enjoy the season and do the best that you can at all of these things.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all!

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December 18, 2009

Applying The Four Agreements to Your Business & Life

The Four Agreements
Once upon a time I worked for a Fortune 500 company and was very unhappy. You see I was a dedicated worker who put in many hours and got the job done, but all anyone seemed to care about was my attitude!

Listen, I’m West Indian, we are born with attitude, we don’t sugarcoat things – not because we don’t know how to, but because we don’t know why we should lie when the truth is as plain as my very broad nose.

I live in the South and at the time felt unloved and misunderstood by my coworkers and managers; I wanted to be successful in my corporate career because I didn’t know any better. So my sister gave me this book “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz and when I  read it something clicked. I typed up the four agreements and pinned them to the wall of my cubicle where I could see them everyday.

Did I become an overnight success? Did the CEO send me flowers? Did I get a big raise?  No, but that wasn’t the point was it? The point was to feel good about myself and radiate that out to those around me. In this I was successful, because I was able to separate what was about me from what was about them – most of the time.

If you are a network marketer or internet marketer or in direct sales, I believe that The Four Agreements should be a part of your life too.  After all we attract what we are, and if you are a lying, cheating so and so, or are afraid to pick up the phone, or can’t bring yourself to approach anyone about your business because they might say “No”-  well….

Be Impeccable With Your Word

Don Miguel says that by adhering to just this First Agreement you will create “heaven on earth” for yourself.  He also says that your word is the power that you have to create (for better or worse) the events in your life. Impeccable means “not liable to sin or  incapable of sin”. To be impeccable with your word you must “Speak with integrity, say only what you mean.  Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love “

I think that, for the marketer, being impeccable with your word  could also mean to not make outlandish promises or tell lies about your product, service or business opportunity.  You know things like “make money in your sleep”?

Don’t Take Anything Personally

The Second Agreement was and still is probably the most relevant for me. We are all narcissists to some extent and think everything is about us  and when you get into marketing you really start to take things personally – the person who says that yes they are very interested as they hang up the phone, or the one who lets you get halfway through a 20 minute presentation and then hangs up, or the guy who skips your meeting at the  Starbucks way across town (for which you used up all your gas for the week), or the Purchasing manager who says “I’ll take a look at this and get back to you” – and then doesn’t remember who you are when you follow up!  “Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering”

The last two agreements will be discussed in my next post. If you don’t already own this book, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book get it now and leave me a comment, let me know what you think!

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December 15, 2009

10 Last Minute Gifts For The Entrepreneur In Your Life

christmas gifts for the entrepreneur

We all know and love someone who is just cut from a different bolt of fabric. That kid we knew who actually found a way to make real money from her lemonade stand or the big picture guy who actually loves talking to everyone he meets about that weight loss product he discovered in college or the grandma who is supplementing her income selling cell phone plans! Having trouble choosing a present for your entrepreneur? Have no fear, I made a list for you:

1. For the newly minted (or firmly established) network marketer in your life , might I suggest the book  Your First Year in Network Marketing: Overcome Your Fears, Experience Success, and Achieve Your Dreams!

2. Entrepreneurs are naturally  motivated people and they stay that way by focusing on personal development,  but they don’t always sit still long enough to read a book. Give them one that they can listen to in the car, on the bus, or wherever they happen to be. Try one of Jim Rohn’s audio books such as his Jim Rohn’s 2004 Weekend Leadership Event or UPDATED Building Your Network Marketing Business 10 Copy CD Pack

3.  For direct sales entrepreneurs (bearing in mind that we are all always selling something) I love Brian Tracy, practical advice delivered in a straightforward way. I  have personally listened to this one about 50 or so times just this year alone The Psychology Of Selling: The Art of Closing Sales

4. Entrepreneurs love books  because they always want to know what the other guy did to be successful! You can’t miss with a good autobiography like who doesn’t want to know how Bill did it (not Clinton, the other one) Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime

5. Network marketers and those in direct sales guys always need fresh blood/ new people to talk to. A leads subscription is a  practical and useful gift that keeps on giving all year long! LeadOverage.com offers packages that start at just $9.99 per month, or check out Freesurveyleads.com for less than $100 you can get 400 leads every Monday morning.

6. If your little entrepreneur is always on the move doing presentations in supermarkets, coffee shops and parking lots then they will absolutely love a mobile internet package. This will allow them to stream video and audio presentations or   go paperless and sign up prospects on the fly by accessing their websites from anywhere. CLEAR offers a great package as do other companies. If you’re interested in Clear call me (814) 422-5327, or see what your local providers are offering this month (here in Atlanta they are all trying to compete with Clear and that’s good for you).

7. The on-the-go marketer needs a way to organize all of their advertising materials (flyers, brochures, postcards, business cards) , I like this Melie Bianco W9-330 Messenger,Blue,one size but am sure you can find something more fitting for your male or female entrepreneur

8. Speaking of advertising, hop on over to vistaprint.com and bag some free business cards, brochures, glossy postcards etc. All you will have to pay is postage!

9. Even entrepreneurs need to relax (I know it’s hard to get them to do it, they are so focused on that goal) at some point. For the gamer in your life might I suggest a gift card from GameFly.com. I got this for my son three years ago and have saved tons on video games, while he has been able to play hundreds of games fo rjust 14.95 per month!

10. This present can serve double duty – your entrepreneur can use it personally or as a give away in their marketing package. Restaurant.com offers discounted restaurant gift certificates – a $25 gift certificate for example for only $2-$4. There are some minimum purchase requirements and restrictions (like it doesn’t cover alcohol) but I use them and love them. They have a special today: GET $25 GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR ONLY $3!
Enter Discount Code: SNOW

Well I could go on and on but I won’t. What would you add to this list?

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November 24, 2009

Honestly, Why Are Scammers Targeting You?

NEW YORK - JANUARY 14: Accused financier Bern...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

11/24/2009 – I just saw a story on TV where an older woman was scammed out of $3000.00 by two women who claimed to be illegal immigrants with a winning lottery ticket that they could not cash. She bought the ticket from them thinking that it was worth $50,000.00!!!! Of course it was  a useless ticket and she got what she paid for – nothing for something. This being the season for scammers and get rich quick schemes I thought that I should repost this article as a reminder that you really can’t cheat an hones man, but….

If I had a dime for every person who has told me “I’ve been scammed before”, I could retire to my New York penthouse.  But you know if you have been scammed, you do realize that you have no one to blame but yourself?

I hope that didn’t come as a shock and surprise, you see you can only be scammed if you are open to being scammed, meaning you’re looking for easy money or a way to “get rich” overnight with little or no effort.

You can’t cheat an honest man, it just can’t be done. But you can find the man who wants something for nothing, and give him nothing for something. – Michael “Mickey” Foster

Mickey Foster is a con artist, his job is to find people who want something for nothing and give it to them.  Like you, I have lost a ton of money in various “schemes”, for example I invested 10K  hoping to get a 25% return. It was 2007 and before i could say “money for nothing” my investment had vanished into a home that could not be sold because the market had tanked.   I wanted something for nothing and I got just that – nothing.

You’ve heard about the Nigerian scam, my Dad was forced to leave the country, there are millions in the bank and we can’t get it out, Mum is dying and we need the money to get her out of the country, my brother was run over by a lorry and lost his leg…the long and short of it – you give me a small amount of money and when we get our money we will give you 50K. This scam is as old as the hills and people still fall for it, why?

Probably because, it’s got a sympathy and empathy factor so that you don’t feel guilty for getting such a large payout for your small investment and you get to feel that you are doing a good thing. You may think that you’re an honest person, but honest people know that good things come to those who work hard for them. An honest man would delete the first  email after reading it and send all follow ups to his spam folder to be deleted later.

Of course a scam can be much more subtle “i can show you how to make money in your sleep”, “I made $6,326 in one day and I can show you how”, “attract endless leads with this system” and on and on. Here’s a clue:

  1. Only lottery winners make millions overnight, so if you haven’t won the lottery
  2. To make money while you sleep requires a lot of work on your part
  3. If you paid hundreds or thousands for a sure fire business opportunity.
  4. If you are having trouble finishing what you start  (jobs, businesses, relationships)
  5. Then you just may be an opportunist, that guy or gal who is looking for lots of return with little or no investment of time, energy, emotion, or dollars.

Don’t get me wrong , you get into the right business and put some muscle in it, you will make money in your sleep. But you have to be consistent and persistent, you have to be willing to do what it takes, you have to read some books and learn some things, attend a seminar or two or three, hop on some of those guru calls, manage your time well and learn how to be productive, and you can’t give up if you aren’t rich in six months , because then you’re just proving that you’re an opportunist, right?

And who the heck is Mickey Foster you ask? Well he’s just my favorite character on a Brit show called “Hustle“. It comes on AMC, I watch it On Demand so i have no idea when it airs, great show though.

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November 1, 2009

Is There Life After Debt?

blisshopeThe ability to dream sustains us for the long haul, gets us through the rough patches, carries us over the bumps in the road – or at least that’s what it should do.  But I got to thinking the other day, that sometimes just when we need our dreams, our faith,  and a strong belief system that’s when we lose them.

I had a business partner who was doing great, recruiting new team members,  marketing  our products and services and just movng up in pin levels and income like crazy. Joe had lost his job back in ’08 and was working to supplement his wife’s income. They had gotten behind on a few bills  and were living paycheck to paycheck.  So you can imagine why Joe threw himself into the business in a no holds barred way, and was experiencing success and getting checks in the mail. Then his wife got laid off and Joe felt so overwhelmed that he stopped working the business and eventually quit. When I asked him why he said that with all of the financial problems they had , he just couldn’t focus on the business at all.

This happens all of the time, some people call it quitting before the blessing, but I know better.  I know that what really happened is that Joe  suddenly  lost his ability to dream of a life after debt. That’s what debt will do to you, it throws up this wall between you and the things you used to dream about, the goals that you had previously set for yourself. Debt whispers insistentlyinto your ear that what you really really need to  do is forget all this six-figure income nonsense and go get a a real job  with a steady paycheck.  And, hey I’m not knocking jobs, after all  I have one of those too and I can honestly tell you (like I told Joe, but he was too far gone to get it) that  you will need a king sized salary (or more than one job)  to conquer debt in the short term and that’s why you should not quit working your business.

Anyway I’m not here to talk about jobs and debt really. What I wanted to ask you is “Do you still believe? Are you still dreaming?” If you close your eyes and all you can see is your pile of bills dwindling, then I gotta tell you that the answer is probably no.  Do me a favor, go lay down close your eyes for a bit of a bit and dream a big dream that involves cruises and traveling and designer clothes and big houses all paid for with cash. Visualize yourself driving a Lamborghini on the autobahn, having lunch in Dubai, or whatever trips your trigger.

I want you to do this a minimum of once a week, more often if you can. Take it a step further and start a dreamboard or two(just cut pictures and quites out of magazines that represent your dreams; paste them on a piece of posterboard and put it someplace that you can look at it everyday). Here is an example and here is another (I love examples more than instructions  don’t you?).

Soon you will see that there is life after debt if you persist and above all keep on dreaming. Come back and let me know if  this helped you…

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October 21, 2009

Marketing to Friends & Family – How to Stay Out Of The NFL

National Football League
Image via Wikipedia

What if you found a great product that you wanted to introduce to your family and friends , but realized that you couldn’t, because they would see you coming (and run the other way!)? Chances are that back when you started your first network marketing business, you initially pitched your family and friends on everything. So what have they done? They have tuned you out when it comes to network marketing opportunities and products.

It’s not your fault, most network marketing training initially focuses on the warm market, (even the top network marketing companies still teach this) what they don’t tell you is that this will place you in the NFL. And I don’t mean National Football League; NFL stands for No Friends Left when it comes to anything having to do with your business or products. This is not a place that you want to be; so how do you avoid it?

There is a better way to market to friends and family that will have them eagerly building your business for you. Kim Klaver wrote a great piece called Friends, Lies, and Network Marketing in which she offers twelve tips for keeping your friends and family in your corner and providing you with network marketing leads:

1. Don’t mislead your friends by introducing your product or business as if you were recommending a restaurant or movie.
2. Warn them up front that you’re selling what you’re going to talk about.
3. Don’t ask your friends to buy. Ask for a referral instead. [THIS IS HUGE!!!]
4. Don’t ask your friends to sell. Ask for a referral instead. [AGAIN,THIS IS MAJOR!!!]
5. Lead with your own hot button.[This goes back to the Law of attraction - you attract what you are. So those who are passionate about the same thin that you are passionate about will be drawn to you.]
6. Story replaces pitch. [Facts tell and stories sell - has anyone ever put you to sleep talking about their work? well don't be that person]
7. No promises, no problems.[If network marketing was easy, everyone would do it, so don't tell that lie to family and friends - these people love you, love them back.]
8. Enthusiasm sells. Hype and hounding don’t.
9. Recommend the smallest package,like a prudent advisor would.
10. Skip the therapy.They didn’t ask for it and won’t pay you for it.[As much as you want to save a friend who is deep in debt or a sister who is overweight, let it go if they don't see the vision. Spend time with like-minded folks who are going to get you to your multiple comma income]
11. Use multiple venues to tell your story. [Network marketing tip: do what fits your budget,don't spend more on advertising than you've made in your business]
12. Women: Stay in your comfort zone. Your natural ways are working in today’s skeptical marketplace.

You can find Kim’s manifesto at changethis.com.

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September 15, 2009

Have You Lost Your Business Mojo Too?

In Business Momentum is Everything

momentum is everythingThe summer business season started well enough, how was I to know that things could slide so far and so fast? All the business development books talk about momentum in your business and how important that can be . In network marketing what’s really crucial is your pipeline, you have to keep filling your pipeline with personal contacts, leads, and highly qualified prospects.Ellie Drake once gave me a great visual of a pipeline as an actual pipe where prospects go in one end and wander around in there until the pipe gets so crowded that some of them pop out the other end as customers and business partners.

When the kids got out of school for the summer my pipeline was so full that I was enrolling people into my business and signing up customers like crazy. Then my dog died, no seriously my dog actually died. Stopped me cold and slowed my momentum. I tried to get back into my schedule, continue marketing, prospecting and training – but my head was not in the game. Taking on additional responsibilities at work and with my son’s Marching Band ate up a lot of my time – instead of prospecting for my business, I was prospecting businesses and churches for band donations. Instead of marketing in my downtime I was rolling out two large web projects at work.

I was not surprised to discover that I was not alone in my situation, summer time and it’s attendant family centered activities  takes a lot of us out of the game. We do our business in drips and drabs, but momentum is nonexistent and prospects wander lost through our pipelines.  At some point this summer I seem to have decided that

If I Can’t Be A Producer Then I’ll Be A Consumer

As you well know Dear Reader, I have always been obsessed with my weight. I recently saw a picture of myself in high school and I could see my hip bones I was so skinny – which came as a shock and surprise to me since I’ve always considered myself chunky. Anyway I digress,  so back in May I started doing the P90x workouts and really enjoyed that for a month or so, but life got in the way and my workouts joined my business momentum in the land of limbo (and I don’t mean Trinidad).

About a month ago a friend approached me with a weight loss product/opportunity. I was not that interested in the opportunity, but was interested in the product because it didn’t require me to chew on my nails twice a week, eliminate meals, or change much of anything about what I was already doing.  It’s actually four products (aptly titled Core4) – a pill to boost your metabolism, a lean protein shake, another pill to flush your system, and a powder that you sprinkle on your food which takes away 25% of calories that you ingest (it’s kind of like Alli without the nasty side effects). So far it’s working great, I’ve lost weight even though it’s birthday month in my house. They’ve got a cool Facebook type website that you can join for free, so check it out if you are as obsessed with your belly as I am.

So now that I am done illuminating the negative , my plan is to get back on track with my business and my life. Ameriplan has just (today) launched two great products  SecureNet & AccessSaver and a new binary compensation plan APFLEXPLUS , so I have plenty to offer!

And so do you, don’t let a temporary slump be your downfall. Even the best of us fall victim to the summer,winter,spring doldrums; but it doesn’t mean that we have to quit pursuing the dream of financial freedom. Your biggest client, your most profitable business associate, and your best customer are all waiting for you to contact them – so just do it!

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September 4, 2009

Why Should I Pay To Work At Home?

banner_greenAny network marketer, who is actively building their business, has heard this question. Whether in person, on the phone, or via email the prospect usually asks the question with just a little bit of attitude, as if they’ve caught you taking a stance that you will in now way be able to justify.

You could say something like “well if you were opening a video rental shop you would have to invest in a space, inventory, employees ” blah blah blah. I don’t like that response, the person you are talking to is not interested in a brick and mortar business, they are interested in earning an income or supplementing their current income – preferably from home.

The myth is that a job does not cost money, but the reality is that it absolutely does! In January of last year I had to fly to Russia to do some consulting work. While I was reimbursed for travel and food, there were some out of pocket costs that almost made the trip not worthwhile – a new coat, boots, several suits (cause I had been working from home and was a size off from the suits in my closet).  During the summer I did some consulting in Florida, different climate requiring different suits. In both cases I had to pay up front and get reimbursed later (after taxes). Additionally, once the gigs were over so was the cash flow – I worked long and I worked hard, but there is no residual income in a job.

So when faced with that question, go back to the reason (s) that person came to you looking for work at home and  explain to them he following costs that are incurred by those who have jobs :

  1. If they have children then someone will have to take care of those children when they are at work; that’s money that is not being spent when they work from home
  2. A job requires acceptable clothing, this is a cost that  is incurred before any wages are paid and is not reimbursable nor can it be claimed at tax time
  3. Working outside the home means eating lunch outside the home – the average worker spends at least $5 per day on meals and beverages while at work (many workplaces now charge for coffee).
  4. Transportation – whether they travel by bus, train, or automobile it will cost them money each week to get to and from work.
  5. The cost of eating out more because no one is home to cook dinner.

The next time you are asked “Why should I pay to work at home?” by a prospect, present these facts to them, and add that many spouses who choose a job outside the home to “help out financially” are really only adding to the tax burden (more money coming in means more for your Uncle Sam) and the financial and emotional (you know how your little one cries when daddy goes to work? Well imagine what will happen when one of you hands him off to the folks at a day care center) costs of running the household. In “Lower Your Taxes Big Time” Sandy Botkin presents a financial breakdown which shows the money that is actually lost when both spouses work, and one of them doesn’t really make very much.

How do you handle this question? Leave a comment.

August 25, 2009

The Elephant in the Room| How I Crossed My Racial Divide

guesswhoscomingtodinnerBack in 1997 when my teenage son began dating the blonde haired, blue-eyed girl next door, my reaction can almost be called hypocritical. After all, hadn’t I spent the years after my divorce specifically dating only Caucasian males?

Well perhaps it was this specificity in my past choices, which led me to believe (as many still do) that just as lesbians and gay men “choose” to be homosexual, so do teenagers “choose” to date outside of their race.  I was distraught over my son’s choice because I felt that in choosing to date a white girl, he was rejecting his  Black mother, and all of the other Black women in his family tree.

So, what did I do? Well what could I do?  You know from my previous posts that I love my children just the way that God gave them to me – unconditionally. And, for  that reason, I would never allow them to feel less than loved by me.  When my son was 5, he said to me “Mommy, how come you’re white and we’re black”.  Hmmm,  even at 5 my boy had deep thoughts ; as you well know, I am not white, but I am less brown than my children are and I mention this only to illustrate that kids don’t start seeing color and differences until we point them out.

When it comes to people, our childrens’  likes and dislikes are based on their feelings about those people, and race and ethnicity don’t even come into play for them. That is until we start to point it out. I think that my reaction to his choice of girlfriend freaked my son out because I am the last of the hippie chicks, the love everybody equally generation, the don’t judge a person by what’s on the outside school of thought.

And there I was being a big fat hypocrite when my son did exactly as he was taught and didn’t judge the book by it’s cover!

12 years later I am older, wiser and more accepting. I know now that you love who you love, and like Michael Jackson so eloquently stated “it don’t matter if you’re Black or White” . I know that my childrens choices when it comes to their partners is not a rejection of me or their race. I believe that if we leave them be, our children will obliterate the racial divide – if we let them.

Unfortunately, I saw on Mamapedia that there are parents who are now entering the struggle.  I have a friend who is white and her  teenage daughter likes  a Black  child in her grade. They are unofficially dating, I don’t have a problem with it, but my friend does, even though she has never mentioned it to me.  I feel like there is a big old elephant in the room every time we are together, that there is something we should talk about but don’t. We discuss husbands, diets, raising kids – you name it. But I see the elephant out of the corner of my eye, and I so want to mention him.

I know in my heart, that she will come around on her own, 12 years from now she will probably laugh about this and wonder why the situation upset her so much. You see when our children date outside of their race it’s not about us, and if we will remove ourselves from the equation we would not be upset about the color of the other person and we would be free to judge them on “the content of their character”,  just the same way we judge anyone who dares to date our child.

I think it’s telling that this interracial relationship is totally accepted by her child’s peers. The future looks bright after all.

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