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Have you recently been downsized?

Since then, have you found that it’s difficult to find a new job to replace your old one?

Today’s Conditions

If so, you have lots of company.  Since the beginning of the recession in December, 2007, more than 5.7 million jobs have evaporated.  According to the Associated Press (AP), after the May 8th release of the April, 2009 unemployment numbers:

• 13.7 million individuals were unemployed in April, 2009, and that was the biggest number since 1948
• 539,000 jobs were lost in April alone
• 8.9% unemployment (the highest since September, 1983), but if those who’ve been laid off and just given up or taken part-time work, are included, that number jumps to 15.8% – the highest since 1994

If you’ve been unemployed for more than a month, you may be feeling depressed, or maybe even a little overwhelmed as you see the pages of the calendar turn, with still no job on the horizon.  You’re probably also concerned about longer term issues such as figuring out how to send your kids to college or fund your retirement.

There are basically three options in this situation:

1. Freak out
2. Continue doing what you’ve always been doing (the same things that haven’t yet found you a new job), or
3. Try something new

Option 1:  Freak Out

The first option, panic, is entirely counter-productive, and should be avoided at all costs.  A little fear is an excellent motivator; it can help us focus and energize us for the actions that need to be taken. Panic overloads our nervous system, reduces our creativity, and generally degrades our ability to respond to life’s challenges.

Option 2:  Continue Doing What You’ve Been Doing

If doing what you have always been doing had been successful for you, you wouldn’t be reading this article right now.  Unless you’re willing to try something new, you’ll end up exactly where you are.

Good people have been unemployed for six months or more in this economy.  Despite doing all the “right things” (e.g, answering help wanted ads and sending out resumes), what have they got to show for all that effort?  Nothing. Zilch.

Even when people find jobs to appy for, they’re not getting callbacks in this economy, let alone hired.

Option 3:  Try Something Different

The third option – do something different – seems to be the only realistic solution.  But this leaves you with many, many choices – so, where should you start?

Try something new: start a home business .

• Take control of your income; don’t let your boss or your company determine whether you have a paycheck coming in.
• Let this be the last time that you exchange quality family time for long evenings or weekends at the office.

Take charge of your financial future; become your own boss!  Start an internet business!

One very good starting point for securing all the necessary knowledge about internet marketing that you will need is to sign up for the Online Success for Beginners program.

Home-based businesses account for approximately 7 billion annually and provides many tax benefits, more control over your time, your work, and your money.  Using the Law of Large Numbers, like insurance companies do, you can minimize your income risks during this recession. Insurers mitigate their risk of loss by spreading that risk across thousands, or even millions, of customers.

An internet business will reach thousands, and millions, of prospects allowing you to spread your recessionary risks across multiple people, regions and countries.   If you were to spread you financial risk, like the insurance companies do, you’d have a greater likelihood of a stable income and financial security for your family.while building a quality life

Serial Entrepreneur & Ultravagabond

Timothy Ferriss, author of the 4 Hour Work Week, is a self-described “serial entrepreneur and ultravagabond” who lives a lifestyle that most of us could only dream about — until now.

Ferriss presents a step-by-step guide to his free-wheeling lifestyle, allowing us to follow in his footsteps and realize lifelong dreams. Some people consider Ferriss to be an “Indiana Jones for the digital age”.

Ferriss’ challenging book has been a #1 Wall Street Journal Best Seller, a #1 NY Times Best Seller, and a #1 BusinessWeek Bestseller.

Replace Obsolete Assumptions

His basic premise is that we need to replace outdated assumptions with the “Rules of the New Rich” and enjoy life now.

Entrepreneurs need to replace the limiting assumptions that prevent us from enjoying life now. We want to be able to manage our businesses, and our lives, from anywhere, anytime.

Ferriss encourages us to abandon deferring a luxurious lifestyle and instead, build the life we want right now, using the currency of freed-up time and increased mobility.

Rules of the New Rich

According to Ferris, the “Rules of the New Rich” include the following:

• Retirement is Worst-Case Scenario Insurance
• Interest and Energy are Cyclical
• Less is Not Laziness
• The Timing Is Never Right
• Ask for Forgiveness, Not Permission
• Emphasize Strengths, Don’t Fix Weaknesses
• Things in Excess Become the Opposite
• Money Alone is Not the Solution
• Relative Income is More Important than Absolute Income
• Distress is Bad, Eustress is Good

The 4HWW Model

His model provides us with a roadmap for realizing our own lifelong dreams. He shows us how to:

• Live like a millionaire
• Free time and automate income
• Outsource our lives to overseas virtual assistants for $5/hour
• Travel the world without quitting our jobs
• Eliminate 50% of our work in 48 hours
• Trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and mini-retirements

He uses the DEAL acronym to describe his model, where:

• D = Definition
• E = Elimination
• A = Automation
• L = Liberation

He encourages us to use “Dreamlining” to design our own luxurious lifestyles. We need to focus our current efforts on elimination, simplification and outsourcing if we want to find ourselves among the New Rich (NR).

The underlying art and science is called Lifestyle Design (LD). Lifestyle Design (LD) relies heavily upon automation, i.e., creating systems and processes that remove ourselves as bottlenecks. But he cautions that we should never automate something that could be eliminated, and we should never delegate something that could be automated or simplified.

Carpe Diem!

Courage and self-confidence are the necessary ingredients for realizing our lifelong dreams. Along the way, you’ll come to realize that having options; i.e., the ability to choose, is the real power in life.

This is a very compelling book and presents a plan that is easy to understand and apply.

Ferriss has shown us that it is possible to realize our dreams – faster and cheaper than we ever thought we could.  I plan to implement many of his ideas into my own life.

Agreat place to start for gleaning all the  knowledge about internet marketing that you will need to be successful is to join the Online Success for Beginners course.

Have you ever longed to become a millionaire, but considered that was not even a possibility?  Don’t surrender your dreams – becoming rich is feasible.

Some experts predict there will be about 1,000,000 new millionaires produced during the next ten years, and about 90% of them will make their fortunes through internet marketing.

NicheMarketAdvisor.com reported (June 2009) that the number of US millionaires has more than doubled in just one year, and the majority of them made their fortunes using the Net.

Some, of course are the “brainiac” types like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, but plenty of these wealthy tycoons are ordinary people – just like us.  What marks them from the common person, however, is that they are totally dedicated to success.  They maintain a positive attitude that attracts wealth.  They know that their thoughts determine their future.

As for me, I’m intending to join their ranks; are you?

There’s an old adage that goes something like this:  “Yard by yard like is hard, but inch by inch life’s a cinch!”

It’s very hard to become wealthy all by yourself, but it’s much easier if you merge with a strong mentoring and support group.  One excellent place to start for gathering all the understanding about internet marketing that you will need to be successful is to enroll in the Online Success for Beginners program.

Internet millionaires share a number of common qualities, but most noteworthy among them is an affinity for taking action.

Renowned scientist, Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favors the prepared mind” and so it is with entrepreneurs – those who are prepared seem to stumble on more opportunities than others.

Successful entrepreneurs know how to recognize lucrative situations, and when they see one, they act – quickly and decisively.  Because they’ve done their research, they are open to grab hold of opportunities as they arise. 

How about you – are you ready?. 

This is your invitation to learn what it really takes to become a millionaire – and to understand that becoming a millionaire is well within the realm of possibility for you.  You don’t have to be a brain surgeon, or one of the “beautiful people” you see on TV or the movie screen.  You just need the desire, motivation, and the readiness to apply yourself to the task at hand.

If you would like to learn how to leverage your efforts, put your income on autopilot, and become a millionaire, get the FREE MaxPro Report and CD here.

Boomers Love Life!

Baby Boomers have come into their fifties and sixties in large numbers and have vowed never to grow old. As an age group we’re more in tune with the entire world than any previous generation at the same age.

Many of us want to put the “rat race” behind us but we still need a ordinary income, and we want to stay relevant in society (i.e., we’re not ready for the rocking chair just yet).

Starting and running an online business is a wonderful way for Boomers to keep involved, make a lot of money, and at the same time, enjoy freedom and mobility.

Many Boomers love to travel, and specifically, they love RV’ing. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to travel the country in an RV and still be able to earn a good living?

Fortunately, there is!

All you need is a computer with a wireless internet connection, an affiliate business – and, of course, a recreational vehicle, or “RV” as they’re known. With this basic equipment, you can manage a million-dollar organization from anywhere that your head and your heart lead you.

During the summer, you may choose to visit friends or family in the North, but then when winter comes and the temperatures drop, you might want to “blue-bird” it to the warmer southern climates..

Combine Work & Play!

Either way, you can conduct your affiliate business easily and comfortably from your RV – and you get to choose how much – or how little – time you work!

This is a good way to work part-time, or increase your retirement income, plus, you won’t have to worry so much about what is going to happen to Social Security, health care, etc. because you know your online business will be creating a steady second income for you, and doing so in a way that gives you the freedom and mobility you’ve worked so hard to earn.

I’ve been a full-time RVer and I’m following my own advice so that I can have greater freedom and mobility.

I’ve started my own internet marketing business. I’m a firm believer in “Stewardship Education” – meaning, what I learn, I share with others. I encourage you to take this opportunity to take control of your financial security.

One very good place to start for obtaining all the education about internet marketing that you will need to succeed is to enroll in the Online Success for Beginners classes.

Many people who are interested in starting a home-based business assume that because the country is in a major recession right now, this is not the time; however, I ask you to consider the facts:

1. As for most of the big life decisions, e.g., getting married, having a child, starting a business – there is never a “right” time; there is only today.

2. To become wealthy, you really need to own your own business (93% of the already wealthy do).

3. In 2006, Fortune magazine called direct selling, including network marketing, “the best kept secret in the business world” with a 91% growth over the previous 10 years. It has a market of $30 billion in the United States and $100 billion worldwide. By 2012, that figure is expected to reach 6 billion.

4. Network marketing has been called a “recession proof industry”.

5. Warren Buffet called his purchase of a network marketing company the best investment he’d ever made.

6. Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, called it the first truly revolutionary marketing shift in the past 50 years.

7. When you work from home, you don’t have to worry about the high costs of gas, parking or daycare for your children.

8. There are significant tax advantages from owning an online business.

9. You, too, can become successful with an online business as long as you have basic language skills, and the ability to point, click and follow directions.

10. When you have your own online business, you are in control of your financial future – not some “boss” you must impress or hope is not putting your name on the next list of job cuts! There’s the potential to make a lot of money.

Affiliate marketing programmes are potentially the best methods to begin a web firm, and most of them also include training referring to the product that you’ll be selling for them.

The difficulty with most online opportunities is that their training is limited, and generally centered only on teaching you regarding their product (s). Sadly, you will have to have more data and skills than that.

A superb starting place for gleaning all the rest of the understanding about internet marketing that you’ll need is to join the Online Success for Beginners program.

Don’t be discouraged if you want to start a new business – hundreds of thousands of new businesses will launch in the next 12 months; yours could be one of them. Is this the right time for you to join them? Isn’t it really time to leave the 9-5 routine behind you along with all the related job stress?

Carpe Diem! Seize the day! Today is the day to start your own business .

A lot of us elect to work at home to reduce the many problems related to the typical nine-to-five job – stuff like an unreasonable supervisor, too much to do and/or outlandish cut off dates.

But, we may rapidly learn that working from home creates its own issues.  So, how can we deal with these brand-new stressors?

1.  Organize A Efficient Home Office

Be sure you have a private workspace, together with all of the required appliances like telephone, PC, printer, fax, and so on. You’ll need a snug chair and a solid desk.  You can make your office area more pleasant by seeing to it that you have plenty of space, lots of light – and, if you are a feng shui fan, have someone come in and feng shui your workspace!

2.  Drop Pointless Tasks

Go thru your “To-Do” List and delete anything that actually doesn’t fit on the list, or anything that doesn’t truly need to be done.  Be strict in your choices – remove as much busywork effort as you can.  Editing your list will not only save you the time you would spend attempting to do those tasks – it’ll also prevent the stress and mental problems related to worrying about those unnecessary tasks.

3.  Acquire Required Tools

The right tools make any task much less complicated.  Spend the money to get the basic tools and equipment you need to do your work.  And, if your budget permits, spend some additional money to get the tools that ( while not totally necessary ) will streamline your job and make your life typically much less stressful.

Buy a valuable, computerized marketing management system and let automation take care of lead management and order fulfillment tasks for your business.

4. Hire a Administrative Assistant ( s )

Identify tasks that are normal, repeated and not one of your critical processes.  Contemplate outsourcing them to a virtual assistant (which is much more affordable than you might think).  Possibilities for outsourcing include bum marketing, site design, SEO, backlinking, lead follow-ups, etc.

5.  Establish a Support Community

Working from home can become a very lonesome activity.  Establish a strong support community – this should be a bunch of comrades with whom you connect through the internet (e.g, forums, chat rooms ) or a local group in your community or church.  The most important thing is to maintain regular contact with folk who are crucial to you – and who can share what you are going thru as an entrepreneur.

A excellent starting place for picking up all the understanding about internet marketing that you’ll need to be successful is to enroll in the Online Success for Beginners course.

6.  Control Your Goals

Don’t expect miracles or overnight success.  Create a connection with a coach or friend who can help you set practical objectives and expectations – and help you stay focused when things don’t go quite the way you would like them to go. An internet, or home-based business, is just that – a business.  As such it requires a n ongoing supply of customers and products and vendors, etc.  Every one of those presents another chance for a problem to happen, skyrocketing your daily stress levels – like the characteristic 9-5 work.

7. “Chunk-It”

Your great and exciting strategies may appear inspiring, but taken as a whole, they can be very overpowering and frightening ( e.g., “I wish to be a millionaire” or “I want to retire in five years”).  The neatest thing to do with such optimistic goals is to “chunk them,” i.e, break them down into much smaller, more manageable segment and then create a plan to achieve each of those smaller goals.

8.  Eat Nutritional Foods

Eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables.  Cut down on caffeine ( coffee, black and green tea, cola drinks, and chocolate ).

9.  Workout

Working out alleviates strain, pushes oxygen to the brain, and offers a respite from intense situations.

10.  Rest & Relax

Try to book time as a normal part of your day to slow down and do anything you enjoy, even if it is just for a couple of minutes.

One of the biggest blessings of a run work-at-home} business is that you are now your own boss – but that’s also one of the largest causes of stress in your life.  You are now the one person who has to decide what jobs have to be done, when and by whom.

As a further step in reducing your overall stress levels, get the FREE MaxPro Report and Audio which will describe the age-old secrets of creating wealth and show you additional ways you can reduce the hassle associated with running your web organization.

Threats to Your Retirement Income

If you’re part of the “Baby Boomers,” you’re likely giving serious thought to stopping work – provided that you haven’t already stopped working.  And if you have already retired, you’re probably considering whether you’re going to be able to continue to be comfortably retired.

Present recessionary economy complicates the retirement question substantially by increasing the following retirement oriented economic contingencies:

1. Life Expectancy Has Been Extended

Today, life expectancies are longer than their parents’ generation. For example, in 1970, a 60-year old white male would have had a life expectancy of an additional 16.2 years; however, by 2008, his life expectancy had climbed to 20 years.

So how is the Boomer going be able to afford retirement during those bonus 3.8 years? There are only a few probable solutions:

> Accelerate current savings

> Work beyond early retirement

> Move in with children

> Accept standard of living

2. Health Care Costs Keep Rising

Adequately funding one’s medical care programs are among the most difficult financial planning tasks, largely because medical costs are so individualistic, with requirements differing substantially between spouses. Long-term care requirements are even more difficult to plan for and fund.

Medical expenses have risen faster than 5% (inflation adjusted) for the past 15 years – a rate that is higher than the growth in family income. Medicare costs are expected to rise similarly.

3. Government Actions May Limit Retirement Income & Supplemental Programs

It is well known that the costs of major entitlement programs (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) are growing faster than other parts of the economy, and some experts question their long-term viability because of the cumulative effects of increased longevity, size of the Boomer population, and rising health care costs in general.

Further, immediate questions regarding continued health insurance in retirement, and at what benefit levels, are rampant in today’s economy – and these questions are further fueled by the reorganizations occurring, especially among the auto industry.

There is currently a lot of debate about a national health care program – but such discussions have been ongoing for decades, with few benefits to show for those efforts. Although President Obama will be leading such efforts this year, many people anticipate Congress to present a lot of opposition.

Many believe that people past age 55 will be exempted from reductions in these social programs, but providing full coverage for them is a two-edged sword – doing so increases the likelihood of a new value-added tax, which would effectively add to retirement tax burdens.

4. Retirement Dates Are Frequently not Totally Up to the Individual

According to a 2004 Health and Retirement Survey (HRS), 37% of seniors are forced to retire. This can occur due to poor health or downsizings, etc.

5. 401Ks Have Been Decimated

Did your 401k and other retirement savings take a major hit with the stock market crash in 2008? My investments were deeply affected. Many comedians now refer to 401Ks as 201Ks because of the drop in the stock market. For many people, their 401k was the bulk of their retirement savings, so this stock market meltdown substantially damaged their retirement plans.

Humpty Dumpty Had It Wrong

But, the news is not all bad. Luckily, you can repair a broken “Nest Egg”.

You can work longer, semi-retire and take a part-time job, work from home, start your own business, etc.

If you’d like to start an online business, but are hesitant because you’re not an internet expert, one very good starting point for gleaning all the understanding about internet marketing that you will need to be successful is to join the Online Success for Beginners program.

A report by Butrica, Smith and Steuerle (2006) noted that working just one (1) extra year can increase annual retirement income by 9%, while working a total of five (5) extra years can generate an extra 56% annual retirement income.

If you’d like to learn how to generate a supplemental income, so that you can have a luxurious, financially secure retirement, check out Darren Salkeld’s new MaxPro Marketing System and get his FREE Report and FREE Audio describing the age-old secrets of creating wealth.

Challenge Your Fears

Everyone has dreams of one sort or another, and most of us have dreams of living the good life, having an income that will let us spend quality time with our families and enjoy the finer things of life.

Past disappointments with other home businesses tend to make us hesitate when faced with new, better opportunities.  Many of us dream of great success from home businesses or internet marketing; however, we are intimidated by the breadth, depth, and dynamic nature of the internet.

Change happens so rapidly that it’s very difficult to keep up with the latest internet marketing strategies.  So how do we find the wisdom and the courage to take the next step on our journey to achieving our goals?

Attitude Is Critical

Sir Winston Churchill once said, “Success is measured by your ability to maintain enthusiasm between failures.”

Every day my inbox is filled with advertisements for newer and better ways to perform internet marketing.  But finding the best ones?  In many cases, the only way to find out is to give them a try.

Success Personality

One Gallup organization in-depth study of the “success personality” explored the attitudes and traits of 1500 randomly selected individuals from Who’s Who in America. The three most significant traits they found were:

1) Common Sense – the ability to simplify a complex subject by getting to the core of what matters

2) Knowing One’s Field – first-hand knowledge as well as support from experienced coaches, and

3) Self-Reliance

Noted author, Brian Tracy, has stated, “All successful men and women are big dreamers. They visualize their goals, and imagine their ideal future, then they follow through with hard work.”

Success Formula

If you want to achieve your dreams, apply the following success formula:

1) Determine your desired outcome(s)

2) Be proactive – meaning, do something!

3) Notice and feedback results

4) If the results are not what you want, change your strategy

For online businesses, the ability to maintain enthusiasm between failures (or more likely, between massive sales) will, indeed, separate the successful ones from the unsuccessful ones.

And one of the best ways to maintain your enthusiasm is to associate yourself with successful people – teachers, mentors and other gurus who’ve “been there and done that” and are already successful.

One excellent starting point for picking up all the knowledge about internet marketing that you’ll need is to sign up for the Online Success for Beginners classes.