Category Archives: Headline

November 29, 2009

Want To Make New Year Resolutions That You can Keep?

2010Do you realize that New Year’s Resolutions are the number one way to consistently set yourself up for failure? It probably starts with the fact that we can never have just one (resolution that is), there’s always two or three things that we feel need to be done or done better in the New Year.

Why is that do you think? Did you (your life, your clothes, your health, whatever) really suck that bad in the old year that you need to make a list of ten things to change right now or die trying? And sure you may get  to scratch one thing off the list, but what about the other 9?  Come to think of it – why are New Year’s Resolutions usually the same from year to year? Isn’t that kinda creepy in a Groundhog Day sorta way?

When my children were young I started Christmas shopping in January. I was able to buy presents for just about everyone (including extended family and  employees) without taking out a bank loan to pay for it all.  My strategy was simple, buy a few  presents each month – out of season and at a very low price. In December I would buy each child one “it” gift like a cabbage Patch kid or Teddy Ruxpin.

I think that we would all be more successful in our personal make0vers if we applied a similar strategy. Need to blog more? Start today, create a stockpile so that you will have posts that you can schedule well into the year. Want to quit smoking? Smoke one less cigarette every day or week  for the rest of the month, you may find that you’ve already quit by New Year’s.

Weight loss and fitness are huge and one or the other will probably appear on your resolutions list.  People often say that they need to lose the weight that they gained during the holiday season or need to get back into the fitness routine that they neglected during the holiday season. Don’t blame the holiday season for the bad habits that you let yourself fall into because it’s the holidays.  Get your fitness in when and where you can – 10 minute walk after lunch, hit the weights for 10 minutes after dinner (or do this free  boot camp workout)

Believe me, I know how  hard it i s to say “No” to all the Christmas cookies and other goodies at work and at home.  That’s why  I used  Cheat on all of my Thanksgiving food, I just sprinkled a little bit on everything and it absorbed 25% of the calories that I ingested.  For example if I ate 5000 calories then the Cheat helped me to eliminate 1250 of those calories.  A good strategy would be to enjoy all the holiday goodies and use a little Cheat when you do.

Bottom line – whatever your New Year’s resolution – to see more clearly, love more dearly, follow more nearly – don’t wait for January 1st, start now and do it day by day  to ensure success!

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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 10, 2009

Struggling? Here Are 10 Steps To A New Home or Just a New Mortgage Payment

NACA.com promotes home ownershipMany of us were hurt by the fallout from failed banks, failed mortgage companies, and failed financial strategies.  First home prices fell, then salaries fell – and shortly thereafter we realized that we were :

  1. In the best real estate buyers market ever with no way to take advantage of it – OR-
  2. Carrying a mortgage payment that we could no longer afford

Before we go any further let me make one thing clear – millions of people across America didn’t just wake up one day and each make the same bad financial decision to get into a mortgage they could not afford. I know that this is what some of you believe (and very strongly at that)  because it’s what the media tells you, it’s what your favorite talk radio guy tells you – but that don’t make it true people.

The fact of the matter is that you can have a low interest rate mortgage with a low monthly payment – but if you do not have  the same income that you did 3 years ago (or you have no income at all) no one and I mean absolutely nobody is going to help you when you’ve fallen 3 months behind, five months behind or even 6 months behind. The mortgage companies’ idea of  “a workout” is  often laughable; to you an dI it would make sense for them to look at your current income/debt and give you a payment that you could actually afford so that you and your neighbors can stay in their homes. But, nooooo, instead tey will attach the six months sans interest to your existing monthly payment and give you a payment that is basically double the amount that you couldn’t pay in the first place!

In some parallel universe this strategy makes total sense, unfortunately we do not live there, we are ere in tis universe where we end up losing tat home to foreclosure and then the bank sells your $100,000 home for $20,000. That’s right twenty thousand dollars! Now why couldn’t they just give you an affordable payment instead? If one of  you, my dear  readers , understands why this is please tell me so that I can explain it to my cousin who lost her home in just this way.

To add insult to injury, we also have companies who will take what little you have left in your savings account to assist you in getting a “loan modification” . I like to call this something for nothing, they take your money and promise you salvation, and you end up with the same deal that I mentioned earlier – that wonderful “workout” thing.

Well thank God for “The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America” and founder Bruce Marks who believe that neighborhood stabilization means getting people into home ownership and keeping existing homeowners in their homes.  NACA is a non-profit group that advocates for homeowners and would be homeowners. Their Home Save program can help you to get into an affordable mortgage situation if:

  1. You live in your home
  2. You only have one property in your name

To get help from NACA you must :

  • Visit NACA.com and find a Workshop near you
  • Fill out the forms on the NACA website and get an appointment with a counselor
  • I suggest filling out the forms after you have attended a workshop as the workshop will teach you how to fill the forms out correctly
  • Become a part of the solution. NACA is all about giving back, so don’t just take your new low mortgage payment and walk away. Volunteer to help out at workshops, help the advocacy effort by  advocating for economic justice to politicians at the  local , state, and national levels.

NACA is not a  government handout and no one gets something for nothing.  It is the kind of program this country desperately needs, so tell all of your friends and families – no one should lose their home when help is so close at hand.

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October 10, 2009

It’s Fall – Let’s Eat!

Bowl of chili with sour cream and cheese
Image via Wikipedia

My oldest child is 30, and I don’t think there has been one moment in his lifetime whe I wasn’t on a weight loss diet or doing some fitness routine or both. I remember back in cave man days when we didn’t have VCRs and one had to exercise with Jack Lalanne or do exercises from a book; I would wake up at 4 am to get a workout in (yes seriously, from a book!) before heading to work.

I had my two oldest while I was in the Marine Corps and in each case I had 4 – 6 weeks to get back into that uniform and in good enough shape to pass a PFT (physical fitness test). After the birth of my first I waited one week or whatever it was and headed home to Mommy with baby in tow. She would promptly put me on a diet  and I would get up every morning and run around Holy Cross Cemetery  (Beverly to Schenectady, over to Snyder and down to Brooklyn Ave and back to Avenue D) at least once. I remember  that about a year after my second child was born I weighed 128lbs, I was of course disgusted and went on the very restrictive Hamptons Diet and wore one of those rubber things around my waist under my uniforms (well my cammies anyway).

As you can probably guess,  I have been alternating between avoiding  food altogether and bingeing  on the foods I love. That is just tiresome and now that it’s fall I am ready for some good eats – creamy soups, halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, and all those Christmas cakes, cookies and candies. This year I am armed with a product called Cheat (read about it for yourself here) and a determination to not deny myself anything while I eat just enough to satisfy the craving.

Today I made one of my favorite desserts (it probably cost less than $3, that’s why I say “cheap”), you can fancy it up for family gatherings by adding sour cream to the cream cheese, and topping with fruit. I also considered putting caramel in the bottom before the filling, and maybe some on top after chilling:

CHEAP & EASY NO – BAKE FAT FREE CHEESECAKE

1 ready made graham cracker crust
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
1 (8 oz.) Fat Free Whipped Topping

Blend cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Again, blend until smooth. Pour mixture into ready made crust. Chill at least 2 hours.

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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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July 24, 2009

Personal Responsibility, Obama’s Birth Certificate & All That Jazz

In Scream, Jackson and his sister Janet angril...
Image via Wikipedia

I’ve been MIA from the blogosphere for a little while, but I’m back and raring to go. Been forced to listen to a lot of talk radio, read a lot of Tweets, and watch a lot of Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC lately. The negative vibes almost killed me….but I’m still standing and you can too.

I will get back to my regularly scheduled programming in the next post but there is something laying heavy on my heart and I have got to get it off. I have faith in America, I have faith in the American people, I believe that you are all bright, intelligent beings who can think for yourselves.

But I gotta tell ya, you are not Bill Maher, you are not Jon Stewart, you are not Bill O’reilly, you are not Rush Limbaugh, you are not Sean Hannity, why you aren’t even Keith Olberman! And you have got to stop letting these guys do your thinking for you.

Sometimes we forget that these guys are (as Rush once said) “only entertainment”.  That they actually get paid to do the things they do and say the things they say. Sure they’re passionate, loud, committed – but at the end of the day none of them can teach you to be a better Dad or Mom. None of their advice will show you how to be a better person, live a better life, play well with others. As a matter of fact it’s just the opposite. They are putting so much negative crap in your head, that you can’t  fit the positive thoughts that YOU need to survive and thrive and help turn this ship around. AND I am willing to bet that many of you are FEARful instead of  FAITHful – well that’s not moving you forward is it?

I believe (and this is America so feel free to disagree) that too many of us look to the media to educate and inform us.  And once upon a time this may have been the case (but I don’t really believe that , I think if I do my research I will unearth facts that prove that the media in one way or another has always been a propaganda machine).  Today no media  outlet gives us “just the facts”, they spin it, they twist it, they dissect and debate it – and I reiterate – they do not care about you or the effect this all has on you.

I mean seriously, in the old days the media might have waited a few minutes for the family of Michael Jackson to be notified that he was dead, before they told the entire world – today my friend it’s all about the scoop. That’s not about us, that’s about them.

OK about the title of this post – “Personal Responsibility” it’s a buzz phrase, you didn’t think it up yourself, it’s an implant – rip it out and get on with your life. Accept the fact that none of us have a choice but to be “personally responsible”.

Obama’s birth certificate – it’s not important to the majority of Americans. Majority rules as this is still a Democracy. Again, wasn’t your idea, was someone else’s, get it out of your mind – go and do some volunteer work, find a teacher who has to buy supplies for your kids school and give her a gift card to Office Depot, babysit for a single mother so that she can go look for a job and get off welfare (and you can lose your reason to think badly of her), or mentor a child in your own neighborhood who’s  lost a parent. This should take your mind off of the non-important issues and place it on something that might actually make a difference.

At a recent Town Hall, a woman raised the question of Obama’s  birth certificate and then she screamed “I want my country back” – well  so do the Native Americans and so do the people who used to own Texas, Arizona and California. They moved on and you should too.

And “All That Jazz ” id like one of my favorite movies of all time.

Tired of you tellin’ the story your way
It’s causin’ confusion
You think it’s okay  – ( “Scream” by Janet Jackson)

And yes it does all just make me want to Scream.

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July 14, 2009

Conventions Are So Darned Awesome!

Ameriplan Family Reunion 09

Ameriplan Family Reunion 09

I just got back from my company’s convention in Dallas,Texas ( is that the hottest state in the union or is there one that’s even hotter?)  and I am so pumped!  I think that recharging your entrepreneurial battery  and  reconnecting with your “people”  are two of the top reasons why we attend conventions. It most certainly isn’t  for the rest and relaxation as we stay up late into the night  and roll out of bed  early in the morning.

This year our convention was titled “Family Reunion ’09 ” and you know what?  That  is exactly what it was like, I have been to many events in the past and it really was like coming home. The faces were familiar, everyone had a smile or a hug for you, and we all had something in common didn’t we?  We are just ordinary people  taking a chance so that we can  live extraordinary lives.

The best part of convention this year was meeting all of my Facebook friends – like my sister from another mister Catey who is just the sweetest, tiniest person it will ever be my pleasure to know. I was also inspired by the young people – the under 30 crowd – who are setting goals, achieving them and setting new ones; cocktail waitresses and single Moms who have created  or are on their way to creating a monthly multiple comma income. And then there is my roomie and new BFF Waple  Michelle, who has vowed to stay on this ride with me no matter what!

What did I learn this weekend? Well I learned that I definitely chose the right company two years ago. One that has survived the economic downturn and is still  focused on helping people to save money and make money. I won’t bore you with the details, awesome though they may be (you can check it out on my website ).

I also learned that you absolutely cannot stand still, say a couple of prayers and hope that God hears you and sends abundance and prosperity your way. God hears you all the time, and  is just waiting for you to act, to move, to set your foot on that path and keep going no matter what. Life is all about the jorney, but most of us keep praying that we get air lifted to the destination.

Stop trying to hit your target and hit it already! Leave a comment and maybe tell me about your convention experience.

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June 30, 2009

Effective Listening|Maybe What You Thought You Heard Wasn’t What Was Really Said

*John is an entrepreneur, he’s popular on all of the social media sites, has multiple streams of income, and is always giving advice  online about how to succeed in business.  The funny thing is that John’s advice usually lands the person who asked for it on his business prospecting list, and if they don’t watch out before they know it they’ve landed in his downline – and still don’t know what to do to improve the business that they already have!

My question to you is  are you John? Do you rush in  with your product or biz opp, offering them as the solution to your prospect’s problem before you even know what the actual problem is? Deeper still, do you listen with your mouth instead of your ears?  In his book  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook Stephen R. Covey says that the key to effective communication is that you must  “seek first to understand, then to be understood“.

You:  “Hello, Carrie, this is ____ with the fitness company, I have a note here that says you’re interested in losing weight”

Prospect: “Oh, I definitely am.”

You: “Great, how much weight are you looking to lose?”

Prospect: “Well I gained 30 pounds with the baby and just can’t seem to get rid of it, and I’m breast feeding too so dieting is hard”

You: “Oh I know what you mean, it was so easy to take the weight off with my first two, but after my third I just could not get that weight off.  I’ll tell you I tried just about every diet that you could think of.  I tried walking, and exercise tapes and finally I found the XYZ fitness company. The company was started by a Mom who had the same problem, and she designed our products specifically for Moms like you and I. You know we are a 7billion dollar debt free company and our products are shipped directly from the Amazon River, where they are harvested by natives. ”

What are you reading a script or something? Did you even hear the part where she said that she couldn’t afford fancy diets or that she was breast feeding? I bet you were waiting for her to finish her sentence, so that you could say the next thing on your script.  You quickly jumped to the conclusion that her problem was the same as your problem and therefore what worked for you should work for her.

Next time, listen and respond to what the prospect is saying, rather than responding to your thoughts about what the prospect is saying. For example when she mentions breast feeding you could say: “Really? Do you have any dietary restrictions due to breast feeding?”   or “Tell me more about that”  Maybe she can’t use your product because one of the ingredients  gives babies gas. Isn’t it better to learn that early in the conversation?

Also, remember that the most important person in a prospecting call isn’t you, it’s the other person. You already know all there is to know about you, now you  need to learn what you need to know about them so that you can determine if your solution fits their problem

Good luck and keep your ears open…

* John is fictional, don’t be like that Carly Simon song “you’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you”

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June 26, 2009

10 Things They Aren’t Saying About Michael Jackson

michael jackson

Michael Jackson and I were exposed to America in the same year 1969.  The Jackson 5 landed their first megahit “I Want You Back”  and I landed in New York City. Michael Jackson with (and without) his brothers provided the soundtrack of my life – and a beautiful and memorable soundtrack it is.

I remember house parties in Brooklyn apartments from Ebbets Field to Vanderveer where the kids entertained the adults by  mimicking the choreography of  “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, and “The Love You Save”. I wasn’t in love with Michael, my heart belonged to Sigmund Esco Jackson the older brother with whom I created an inner fantasy life (if you have never listened to his album, you should run out and get it right now). Michael’s songs  “Ben”, “Got To Be There”, and  “I Wanna Be Where You Are”  took me from puberty into my teenage years.

My 2 oldest children watched “Thriller” every day, over and over and over, we wore the tape out. I think the fact that my son Khalil is a professional dancer and choreographer today is due in large part to Michael and Thriller. My youngest Jalen loved Moonwalker, we wore that tape out too and moved on to the Ones DVD.

So it just makes me want to “Scream”  that the foucs right now is on how strange Michael was, and whether or not he molested  children, and his many surgeries etc etc.. I had a real honest to God childhood, Michael didn’t as evidenced in this song

Have you seen my Childhood?
I’m searching for the world that I come from
‘Cause I’ve been looking around
In the lost and found of my heart…
No one understands me
They view it as such strange eccentricities…
‘Cause I keep kidding around
Like a child, but pardon me…

I learned how to interact with people as I grew older, I don’t think Michael ever learned how to trust adults, or handle money or any of that normal stuff. At the end of the day (I believe) he was a good human being, who left us with some wonderful music – his and the music of those he inspired (Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Neo, Ginuwine, Beyonce and on and on).

Here are just a few  things I admire about Michael Jackson:

  1. He made the Guinness Book of World records for basically being  the superstar who gave  to the highest number of  charities in 2000
  2. He gave anonymously to parents who lost their children to  gang violence so that they could bury said children
  3. He donated 300 million dollars to various charities
  4. It was reported that he bought Little Richards catalog (which little Richard did not own, story for another day) and gave it back to him so that Little Richard could benefit from his own royalties – this brought Little Richard to tears
  5. Neverland was not just a private amusement park for him, it was also a part of his charitable giving
  6. He didn’t steal the Beatles catalog – it was available, he bid on it and won, Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono were not interested initially.
  7. He  was guilty of random and anonymous acts of kindness
  8. He donated money from his tours to orphanages and hospitals all over the world
  9. He can beatbox and he legally patented his patented smooth criminal lean (http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/06/25/michael-jacksons-pat.html) (thank u Chris)

Feel free to leave a comment and add to my list,

I am declaring this a MJ no bash zone – there are plenty of other blogs where you can go talk bad about Michael, this isn’t one of them.
michael joseph jackson
RIP Michael Joseph Jackson – thanks for the memories.

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