What Is Your Focus?

September 3, 2012 by Olga 3 Comments

What Is Your Focus?

by Olga Hermans

As we go through life, it is very important that we choose our focus. Choosing a positive approach keeps us connected to the reliable lifeline of hope God has placed in each of us. In some instances, we focus on our circumstances such as our health concerns or our financial situation.

For example, when the doctor gives us a bad report, we start to worry and begin to place our focus on the news that just has been given to us. What we should do is having our focus on the truth of God’s Word. God says that you are healed.

So when the doctor’s report differs from the authentic report God has given us, we have to choose to focus on God’s Word. Even through the most tedious moments in life, we have to muster up the courage to activate our faith by believing His Word.

A Positive Outlook

Focusing on positive solutions and possible alternatives during difficult times helps us to maintain a positive outlook on life even when circumstances seem hopeless. By exercising our faith, we stretch and position ourselves to experience the miracles God has in store for us.

Some circumstances that occur in our lives have a way of dimming the positive aspects in our life. It’s not that positive things don’t exist after negative situations have occurred; rather, it is the shift in our thinking that causes us to give more attention to that which is negative and less to that which is positive. As a result, the positive can rarely be seen and enjoyed. It is like the old cliché, we can’t see the forest for the trees.

Focus On The Positive

Staying positive in a negative world is not easy, but it can be done. In fact, it must be done if we want our faith to continually increase. To live a positive life, we must intentionally focus our attention on good things. The Bible urges us to fix our thoughts on things that are true and of good report.

God never asked us to focus on the economy, our bank accounts, or other challenges we face. He knows those things will discourage us and cause us to cave in and quit.

Your bank account balance may not be where you need it to be right now. Your job security may seem a bit shaky, and your marriage may not be as fulfilling as you desire. But it doesn’t help to focus on the negative aspects of your situation.

These things are temporal, which means they are subject to change. Instead, thank God that you have a bank account, job, or marriage. Seek Him for the answers you need and allow Him to direct your path.

Focus More On God

The key to having a positive outlook on life is to focus more on God and less on the challenges we face. He is the only One who can sustain us while we’re going through the rough spots in our life and bring us out better than we were before.

There are times when focusing on the positive is a lot harder to accomplish than those around us might imagine. Very few people know the impact negative emotions can sometimes have in our lives. And every now and then, they may tell us to “get over it!”

While getting over it is what we want to do, it is much easier said than done. Sometimes life shocks us in such a way that it leaves us completely numb! I’ve been there. When my parents passed away, I simply wasn’t prepared. Nobody in our life had seen that coming, but even if we had, dealing with their absence in our life would have been less painful.

Other People Need Us

You too might have experienced some form of loss: the death of a loved one, divorce, or job layoff. Perhaps you’re dealing with a setback related to a relationship, your health, or finances. There are people who struggle with deeply rooted issues that sometimes lead to feelings of low self-esteem and hopelessness.

Unforgettable events such as physical, verbal, and mental abuse, abortion, alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, and even incarceration can be overwhelming. The truth of the matter is that despite the origin of the negative or unjust circumstances we encounter, God is always with us. In Him alone we find the strength to grow and the courage to move forward.

Maybe none of these examples quite fit your current or past circumstances, but chances are, you know someone in your family, community, or workplace who is dealing with one of these or similar situations. Although you may not be completely aware of the challenges the person is enduring, your positive attitude can have a tremendous impact on their recovery.

Just as we want others to be sensitive toward us, we must also be sensitive toward them. We may never know why a person thinks or behaves the way he or she does, but we can be the positive force in their lives by demonstrating love, compassion, and respect.

Filed Under: 6 Your Destiny Tagged With: abortion, alcoholism, circumstances, compassion, connected, death of a loved one, demonstrating love, divorce, drug addiction, emotions, finances, financial situation, focus, focus on God, Focus On The Positive, health, incarceration, job layoff, low self-esteem hopelessness. physical abuse, mental abuse, miracles, need people, negative emotions, outlook on life, Positive Outlook, positive solutions, prostitution, relationship, report, respect, verbal abuse, what is your focus

Your Facebook Family Tree: Trim It With Love

August 29, 2012 by Olga 13 Comments

Today is our last day of our Social Media series this month. I am so glad that you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Now, you also know some of my friends on Facebook. 🙂

Dorien and I have something special in common and that is that both of us are Dutch; we come from the same country: The Netherlands. And although we have never seen each other, there is that one thing that makes it a little special, no maybe 2 things: both of us are Dutch and both of us love Social Media.

I know that you will enjoy her post as much as I do, maybe especially because of all the insights she gives on how to do certain things on Facebook. Enjoy her post and please leave her a comment.

Here is Dorien!

Your Facebook Family Tree: Trim It With Love

by Dorien van Dam

Remember when you first made your Facebook profile? Whether it was yesterday, months or years ago… Facebook ‘knows who you know’ and you probably gathered your first few family members and close friends and ‘friended’ about 50-60 people within a week. I venture to guess your Facebook family tree quickly branched out when old high school friends found you, present and past colleagues sent friend-requests and your child’s teacher or your neighbor’s son asked as well. Sounds about right? Maybe you made a business page since it is the only way to conduct business on Facebook. You got fans. With that, I dare to wager, came the friend-requests of people who really weren’t your friend. Business associates, fellow bloggers, other page owners and just plain strangers, all wanting to ‘friend’ you. Feeling it? Now how do you keep track of the friendships, make sure you see the important updates of your loved ones and don’t miss anything you value on Facebook? Here are some ideas and Facebook features to do all that AND keep your Facebook family tree healthy, trimmed and neat so you are in control.

USE YOUR LISTS For personal profile/friends only

Use the initial ‘Lists’ Facebook set up for you, and put people in the appropriate lists. They are:

* ‘Your Town’ Area

* Family

* Close Friends

* Friends of ‘Your Business Fan Page’

Create new lists

Think:

* Acquaintances

* Sports Friends

* Colleagues

* PTA moms

* Friends in Europe

* Etc.

Each list you add to your profile creates a new ‘filtered news feed’ meaning only the status updates/posts of those personal profiles on that list are seen in that filtered feed.

CREATE INTEREST LISTS

Add both personal profile/friends AND Facebook Pages to these interest lists.

Think:

* Social Media Managers and their Pages

* Local Pages and Page owners

* Experts in your field

* Authors Pages

* Publishers

* Restaurants

* Entertainment in Your Town

* Fellow Bloggers and their Pages

* Etc.

Each list and interest list you add to your profile creates a new ‘filtered news feed’ meaning only the status updates/posts of those personal profiles or pages on that list are seen in that filtered feed.

CREATE GROUPS

Groups on Facebook are a great way to solidify new friendships or to share sensitive content.

* Secret groups are great for MasterMind-type groups, family groups or support groups. No one can see who’s in them or what is talked about. They are by invite only and do not show up in Facebook searches.

* Closed groups are great for like-minded business owners, networking groups, PTA’s, camps, sports teams, fraternities and sororities, book clubs etc. They do show up in Facebook searches and everyone can see the members, but no one outside the group can see the posts. Admission is by approval of the admin to the group.

* Open groups are good for large brands, fundraising campaigns and interests like ‘reading’, ‘writing’, ‘surfing’ etc. Everyone can join, everyone can see the posts.

How will this help you ‘trim’ your Facebook family tree? When you want to interact with a person about their business or a mutual interest, but you have nothing else in common, groups are an ideal meeting place. Being in a group with a business associate gives you access to them and lets you tag that person in a group, but it protects your personal newsfeed from their updates. If you feel inclined, you can ‘friend’ later. It’s almost like trying out a friendship first, to see if it is a good fit! 😉

HIDE UPDATES

This option is great for friends and family you love, but whose continues and annoying updates or game requests you despise! Hide all but their ‘most important’ posts and you are both happy. Your online relationship continues without hurt feeling and you both win. (And they will NEVER know you hid their annoying statuses 😉 )

DELETE SPAMMERS

I am sure you’ve accepted friend-requests from those known to you or not, to only regret it right away: You are inundated with messages about events you never want to go to, receive coupons for items you will never purchase or find game requests notifications each time you log on. Only one way to deal with them: un-friend them NOW! Do not react to them, or send them message to ‘please stop’. You are one of many Facebook friends; spammers play the ‘number’ game. They probably care very little about you and what you want. They want to sell you something or promote themselves.

UNFRIEND THOSE WHO ARE NOT WORTHY

You must know whom I am referring to: People who continually bash others, people who are very negative, people who are extremely controversial and post inappropriate stuff. There is nothing left but to un-friend those people along with the spammers. And guess what; unless they go looking, they will not even notice you ‘left’ the conversation! No notice will go out that you un-friended them.

I love my Facebook family!

Facebook is a great platform to connect on. I personally use B2C and B2B marketing and I have met some great people on Facebook I am proud to call my friends! Taking the time to ‘trim your tree’ every once in a while will enhance your productivity: It will create more time for those who are a positive influence, those who share your vision and those who with amazing content. Will you take the time this week to trim yours? Leave a comment and let me know when you do!

Dorien Morin-van Dam is the face behind the orange glasses! Proud to be Dutch, Dorien wears orange glasses in real life, too!

As the social media manager of my own company, I find myself frequently talking and walking business owners and friends alike through the initial steps of social media set up and management. Explaining and helping them understand this is important. Even though they might delegate some or all of their social media to a social media management company, it is crucial for them to understand how the different platforms work before they engage in social media marketing.

Dare To Be Real

August 26, 2012 by Olga 29 Comments

Dare To Be Real

by Olga Hermans

Have you ever wondered why people do the things they do or what causes them to behave in a certain way they do? What motivates them to achieve or accomplish things in life? These are some good questions and to answer them we have to look within.

Though many people think they might know themselves and others, we cannot see what is happening on the inside of them or us; in our soul where our will, our mind and our emotions reside or what is in our heart.

We may get to know others over the course of time in a very personal way as we share our experiences in life, our hopes and our dreams and maybe our secrets from time to time. But we will always have limited access, because in the end it is always God who can see within the soul.

It Takes Courage

There are times that it really takes courage for us to look within ourselves and to see what is really going on; our hidden thoughts, desires and emotions that are tucked away but need to be dealt with. We might think or feel that most areas of our heart are perfectly fine.

But it really takes time to examine and reflect on the things we’ve experienced in life; we have to figure out how we really feel.

Life is a journey to be discovered and it brings a lot of change. As we go about to discover and uncover certain things about ourselves, we find out that we need to make adjustments in order to continue to grow and to become mature.

There is this continuous growth process and personal development that enables us and empowers us to be men and women of destiny and of purpose. When we discover who we really are we will experience that it liberates us to be free and to be the best at what we have been created to do here on this earth for God, for ourselves and for others.

Are You Willing To Look Within?

There is a quote from Oscar Wilde that I really like, it says: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Or Ralph Waldo Emerson, who says: “Make the most of yourself….for that is all there is of you.” I love quotes, you? The point is that we shouldn’t try to become someone you are not. Be real. Be yourself.

Oftentimes, when we are not true to ourselves, we end up deceiving ourselves in an attempt to be someone we really aren’t. We can get so caught up in the day to day interactions with other people and the things going on around us that, if we are not careful, we end up losing ourselves in the process.

Be Authentic

The key to being an authentic individual is having a pure heart and really knowing who you are, from the inside out. We are the sum of all the choices we have made in our life; the good, the bad and the ugly.

Everything that we have experienced from childhood to the present has helped to shape and mold our personalities and identities. My own experience that has definitely shaped me is that my parents passed on when I was twenty years old. This definitely has set me apart from many other people but also in a group of many people who have experienced the same.

Looking within may require us to face some real tough issues, but as we expose and uncover them, we allow God to do a work in us. Then the experience becomes a testimony to others of the goodness and the faithfulness of God.

Why We Do What We Do

Every issue in our life stems from what is within. This includes why we do the things we do. Whatever is in the inside will eventually be seen on the outside. Whether it is low self-esteem, pride, unforgiveness, appreciation, love, commitment, or some other underlying factors, they will determine our thoughts and our actions.

Pure Motives

It is within the heart that we can find the true reason or motive behind why we do what we do. People look at the outer appearance, God looks at our hearts. Many times in life we have to judge our hearts by asking questions like: Why do I do the things I do?
Am I going above and beyond my duties at work to simply be noticed, or because I am a diligent and dedicated worker? Do I help others just to be seen or for what I can get out of the deal, or am I doing it because it honors God? Doing right things for the wrong reasons, still doesn’t make things right.

Guard Your Heart

When change occurs on the inside of our hearts, it causes a change on the outside. True change will happen from the inside out. We are instructed in Proverbs 4:23 to guard our hearts diligently. Guarding ourselves against negative talk and negative people helps us to keep our hearts guarded and free from contamination.

When we put the right things in our hearts, we will get the right results in our lives.

Are You The Real Deal?

When we have the courage to look within, it causes us to be honest with ourselves about who we are at the very core of our being and we can honestly answer questions like: what drives my actions? What causes me to behave a certain way? What are my motives?

What are the things that keep you moving in a positive direction?

Filed Under: 5 Your Character Tagged With: appreciation, Are You Willing, authentic, Be Authentic, commitment, Courage, Dare To, dare to be, Dare To Be Real, decimation making, destiny, discover, experiences, growth, growth process, Guard Your Heart, life, life experiences, Life is a journey, lifestyle choices, love, low self-esteem, Motives, Olga Hermans, our soul, people, personal development, pride, real, The Real Deal, unforgiveness, What We Do, Why We Do, Why We Do What We Do

How Often Should You Be Blogging?

August 22, 2012 by Olga 24 Comments

Here we are in week 4 of our Social Media series; many of you have let me know how much you appreciated the topic of blogging. Some of you even told me that you are thinking about starting a blog yourself.

There are so many ways to go about blogging, really. It is just fun! I always tell people, if you like to encourage others and you like to talk; blogging is for you. It really might be your thing to do. There are others out there that need to hear your story; something that you know or something that you have experienced in your life.

Think about it; how much fun that would be.

Anyway, today my good friend Elizabeth will be talking to you about a few more details about blogging. She is a lot of fun.

Here is Elizabeth Maness:

How Often Should You Be Blogging?

by Elizabeth Maness

We’ve read tons of posts on this subject and it seems like everyone has a different opinion and there is no right or wrong answer. The only one who can determine how often you should be blogging is you. I am about to give you the best blog tip ever so listen up and take notes.

The best way to determine how often to blog is to first determine what your goals are as a blogger. People blog for different reasons and those differences will determine how often you should be blogging.

What Are Your Goals As A Blogger?

To truly get this blog tip, you have to first identify what your goals are as a blogger. Are you blogging for your business primarily to help drive more traffic to your site? Are you blogging to provide value to your readers with the expectation to monetize your blog through ads and affiliate programs? Some people blog for personal reasons with no intention other than to share with others and build a community. So what are your goals?

Personal Blogging

There are a ton of personal bloggers out there; those whose sole purpose is to simply share with the world their own personal experiences and stories, grow community, and connect with like-minded people. Figuring out how often to blog if you are a personal blogger is simple. It’s always a good idea to have some consistency. Create a schedule of some kind and train your readers when to visit your blog for new updates.

The one truth about blogging frequency that rings true no matter what your blog is that the more pages there are on your site to index in search, the more chances you will receive more traffic from search.

Blogging for Business

Blogs that are attached to your business website are a little different in nature. The main purposes of your blog should be to add value to your readers, establish your authority and expertise in your industry, and to increase search engine traffic. It would never be a bad thing to blog every day, if you can come up with enough relevant, compelling content, which can be a challenge.

We tell our clients that at a minimum they should be updating their blog twice a week, on consistent days, every week. If you send out an email twice a week, making those days the same day you update your blog is a good idea, that way you can include the link to your updated info in your emails.

When Blogging Is Your Business

So your blog is your business. What do you think you should do? As with any business activity if that is the primary way that you are making your income, or if you want that to be the primary way you make your income, then you should be going blog crazy.

It will be more important for you to have fresh, relevant, engaging content updated very frequently. You want to have as many pages as you can index in search engines, as most of your income will come not for referrals, but from search engine traffic. If blogging is your business then you should blog every day.

If you can’t imagine updating your blog that often, or find that you have trouble coming up with content at that rate then fill your days with guest posts to help out and also bring additional traffic to your site. The more you blog, the more you will be successful at driving traffic to your blog. And when blogging is your income, traffic matters a great deal.

So to sum it up, there is no real answer. Consistency is essential and there is no way to deny the benefits of blogging more often. What are some things you have learned about the frequency of blogging? Do you have any blog tips to share?

Elizabeth Maness
CEO AssistSocialMedia.com

Owned and operated by Elizabeth Maness,mompreneur, building business branding and relationship using social media since 2003.

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: a blogger, Are you blogging, blog tips, blogging, business, choice, choice driven, choices, consistency, content, Create a schedule, decision making, different reasons, How Often, How Often Should You, how often to blog, Olga Hermans, Personal Blogging, search engine traffic, search engines, Should You Be, social media, the benefits of blogging, Your Business, Your Goals

Your Words Will Direct Your Life

August 19, 2012 by Olga 36 Comments

Your Words Will Direct Your Life

by Olga Hermans

Your words will either cause blessing or curses to come into your life. They will take you up or bring you down. You can change the atmosphere of your soul with pleasant words, such as: In my pathway is life and there is no death. (Prov. 12:28.) The joy of the Lord is my strength. (Neh. 8:10.) Because You are my Shepherd, I shall not want. (Ps. 23:1.) You will never leave me or forsake me. (Heb. 13:5.)

I would say that it is a good thing to think about the power of the words we use on a daily basis. We all like to live the best life possible, isn’t it? Well, then we also need to look at the way we choose our words.

Our words have the ability to improve our attitude, strengthen our mind, heal relationships, give wisdom in the midst of chaos, communicate ideas and speak peace into a situation.

There are so plenty possibilities for the words we use. Unfortunately, there are just as many negative possibilities. Words can create confusion, anger, hatred, and tear down in just a few moments what has taken years to build.
Although you may not notice that your words do anything negative in the world around you, I challenge you to consider ways that you can do more good in the world through the power of your words. Consider these questions as you seek to do just that:

1. Do I often find myself wishing I could take back something I’ve said or written?

The blessing and curse of words is the same: They cannot be easily undone. That’s why it is critical to choose your words carefully. Whether it is the words you use to communicate with your children or handle a conflict in your work environment, once you say something, it’s said, and once you fire off that mocking email, it’s a permanent record. You can do damage or good in a matter of seconds. Make sure your words do the latter.

2. When I hear gossip, do I give in to the urge to encourage more conversation or do I change the flow of the conversation to something more positive?

I know, I know. Some gossip is awfully tempting, but make a choice to steer clear of all of it. When you embrace all that is possible for your life, you become much less concerned with negative conversation. What does it mean to gossip? Is gossip when you tell something good about what someone else does? Of course not. It is when someone tells things about another by revealing a confidence, or with the intent to “sow discord.” Proverbs 11:13 says, “A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.”Be on your guard about any negative words you allow into your environment – whether through people or media.

3. Do I wait until I am angry or frustrated to give people my opinion about their behavior, or do I take time to calm down before speaking about an emotionally-charged topic?

Nine times out of ten, waiting to respond to a situation that has you emotionally charged will result in a much calmer and wiser response. Wait a set period of time (it could be ten minutes, 24 hours or more) before addressing someone about an issue if you think you may say something too harshly or that you may later regret. Your communication will be clearer and more effective when you have time to take the emotion out of your response and think about the words you want to use.

4. When I am feeling down about my circumstances, do I speak negatively about myself?

The power of your words not only affects others, but perhaps most significantly, they affect you. Become aware of what you say about yourself – whether speaking to yourself or others. Do you beat yourself up for making a mistake? Do you tell yourself or others that you aren’t smart enough, experienced enough, talented enough, attractive enough or good enough to succeed in your endeavors? Even if your self-esteem leads you to believe these things are true, tell yourself the opposite. “I have everything I need to accomplish my dream. I am a good person. I am getting better day by day. My circumstances, whether positive or negative, do not define who I am.” Use your words to enhance, enrich and empower your life rather than allowing them to tear you down.

5. Do I feel the need to always voice my opinion?

Some of the wisest people in the world speak the least. They are secure enough in who they are that they don’t feel the need to prove their worthiness by expressing their opinion and knowledge at every given opportunity. Instead, they listen without judgment. Through their listening, they learn and gain wisdom. Practice being quiet, even when you feel the urge to let everyone hear your opinion. Of course, there are times when expressing your opinion is critical. Learn to discern the difference between speaking out of insecurity or a need for attention, and speaking out of authenticity and mutual benefit.

If you get control of your tongue, you can direct your entire life the way it is supposed to go. Begin speaking the truth of God’s Word, and you will see your life driven by the Word of God instead of the storms of life.

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Filed Under: Making Choices in Life Tagged With: Be on your guard, behavior, choice, choices, choose your words, conversation, daily, Direct Your Life, feeling down, gossip, life, lifestyle choices, Making Choices in Life, negative words, positive words, questions, The blessing, The blessing and the curse, the curse, The power of your words, voice your opinion, words, your life, your tongue, your words

3 Big Reasons Your Online Business Needs a Blog

August 15, 2012 by Olga 54 Comments

This is our 3rd week of our Social Media series in August and I know that all of you love it as much as I do. Today, my friend Jennifer Herndon is talking to you about why a blog would benefit you, especially it you are interested in making an income.

She loves to motivate people to go all out on the potential that is on the inside of you. Every time I read one of her blogposts, I am impressed and always feel I have to take some action. I hope you feel the same.

I know you will like her; she is very upfront with you and I know she will show you what to do as a newbie in blogging and even as a professional blogger; enjoy her post as much as I did.

Here is Jennifer:

3 Big Reasons Your Online Business Needs a Blog

by Jennifer Herndon

You can build an online business through social media these days. I love that fact. It really levels the playing field. No longer do you have to be rich enough to rent an office, tech savvy enough to program a computer, or fresh on the heels of a degree from the Harvard School of Business.

All you need to know is how to do social media right. That doesn’t sound too hard. Signing up for accounts with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest takes a total of about 30 minutes. And you’re in business, right?

Wrong. Yet I hear it often. People I meet on social media tell me they have an online business. But when I go to trade websites with them, it’s “well I don’t have a website yet.” And most of them have no realistic plan to get one.

Because they are building their business with social media. Which is great. But, you are making a huge mistake if your blog is not at the heart of your social media strategy. (I’ll use blog and website to mean the same thing here because in the beginning, there doesn’t need to be much on your website other than your blog.)

Your blog is in fact the motherload of your social media marketing. Why? Here are the top 3 reasons:

1. Your Blog Makes You an Expert

Yes, you can put out some wonderful nuggets of wisdom on Facebook, Twitter and the rest. But people go to these traditional social media platforms for bites of information. Social media moves quickly. They aren’t going to “pull up a chair and stay awhile” while you try to educate them on your market.

Even though Facebook and Google+ allow for blog-length posts these days, that’s not what your readers are going there for. (There are some exceptions to this when it comes to Google+).

The place to teach the masses is at your blog. Your audience expects to come there and be educated through articles containing 1000+ words, as opposed to 140 characters. And, it is in the consistent reading of your blog content that your market sees that you do know what you’re talking about.

It is your blog that’s going to establish you as the “go to” expert in your market, not the witty quote you just posted on Twitter.

2. Your Blog is Where the Money’s At

I hope the purpose of your online business is to serve others. But let’s face it, this is your business. It needs to be profitable.

Your social media networks are where relationships are built. Your blog is where the money is made. You aren’t going to build a million dollar business tweeting and posting about your products and services. You can however, build a million dollar business using social media to drive people to your website.

Once at your website, what do they find? An opt-in box, where they give you their email address in exchange for a valuable freebie from you. Now they’re on your email list and you can sell to them. Email marking works for making sales. Social media works for building the relationship necessary for people to see that they want to be on your email list because you have valuable things to offer.

3. Your Blog is Your Story

A huge part of the reason people buy from you is that they like you. And they like you because they remember you. There’s a whole lot of noise on social media, and you have to figure out a way to shine, or you’ll never catch your intended audience’s eyes.

And the place you can really shine is on your blog. Because your blog is yours. I know you paid a lot of money for that Facebook cover photo and custom Twitter background. But, do you realize most people see those once, if at all? Your audience is seeing your posts in their stream, looking the same as everyone else’s posts.

And what you are putting out on Twitter and Facebook and all the others is disappearing almost as fast as you post it. Finding it again takes some work.

Not so with your blog. YOU own your blog. And you have the power to customize it however you want. You can put the pictures of your family, tell the stories of your past, and display client testimonials as your successes. And it’s all right there for your reader to see. All in one place, all designed by you, and all permanent. It’s like a virtual book about you. And it includes the stories people are going to remember. The things that make people like and trust you. The reasons people buy from you.

So, Get to Blogging

Your blog is the home of your online business. It’s as necessary as a building is to any offline business. Trying to run an online business using social media without including blogging as part of your strategy is akin to a dentist setting up his chair on a street corner. Don’t do it.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you don’t have a blog, will you be setting one up today? If you are blogging, how important is it to your online business?

Jennifer has two passions ~ raising her children, and helping entrepreneurs grow profitable online businesses. She has been enjoying the time freedom and financial benefits of being a work from home entrepreneur for over 14 years.

As a single mom of three awesome kids (ages 4, 5 and 7), Jennifer relates to the challenges of being a full time parent and small business owner. Jennifer specializes in working with offline experts to build a strong online presence. Her programs combine mindset with method to produce lasting results for your business.

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: a Blog, All you need to know, an Expert, Big Reasons, blog, blogging, business, Facebook, google+, jennifer herndon, LinkedIn, Online Business, pinterest, Reasons, serve others, social media, social media marketing, social media platforms, Social Media Strategies, twitter, your blog, Your Online Business, Your Story

How To Train Your Children To Make The Right Choices

August 12, 2012 by Olga 33 Comments

How To Train Your Children To Make The Right Choices

by Olga Hermans

My children are all grown up now; I have a daughter and a son. I love them both; they are on fire for God and desire to serve Him with everything they have. They are truly a blessing to me and my husband.

But….if I would have a chance to do everything over again, I would spend less time on teaching my kids to obey me and spend more time teaching them to make wise choices. I remember the times that I thought it was the most important thing for them to obey us as parents. That is how I had grown up and so I didn’t know any better.

And of course, don’t misunderstand me. It is good for children to obey their parents, but it is better for children to hear directly from God and obey Him because they want to.

So, what are we doing when we make all the decisions for them? They won’t know how to make decisions for themselves.
There are so many areas in life where they need to know how to make a decision and how to choose for themselves. You can start with things that really don’t matter; things where they don’t sin when they make the wrong choice.

I remember when one of my children wanted to build a friendship with some body that I knew wasn’t the right choice. I knew that this friendship wasn’t going to last for more than one reason, but she wanted to hold on to that choice just to find out later that it really wasn’t what she had expected from it and it was a short friendship.

So, now she knew that some choices that seem to be right are not always right.

Then there comes a time that your children get older and you need to allow them to say no to you at times. For example: you might want to go to a particular restaurant for lunch, but your children don’t like it. It’s okay to let him or her make some of the decisions as long as it is not rebellion or manipulation.

Another important aspect of teaching our children to make right choices is allowing them to experience the consequences – good or bad – of their choices.

You and I as parents want to “rescue” our children from experiencing the negative consequences of wrong choices. When we do this, and we all do, we actually teach our children that it is okay to make a wrong choice because someone will always be there to save them and in the end, we set them up for failure.

Remember Eli in the Old Testament with his sons: Hophni and Phinehas. Eli should have taught them and warned them about the wrong things they were doing; they were dishonoring the Lord and defiling the temple and their own temple. But, Eli never confronted them and kept them employed as priests at the temple, which was not a good thing. The Bible says, “their sins will never be forgiven.”(Samuel 3:14)

This is difficult for us as parents to confront our children for certain things. I am much more confronting with our children than my husband is. I know the heartache of being in the unknown of some things in life and I have wished many times that my parents would have informed me of certain things. My father was a hard working business man, but he never talked to us about what he had to do to come that far.

He only told us that money didn’t grow on trees and that we had to work hard to make some money. So, when he died at 57 years of age, we all were in the unknown and experienced some heartache in our lives.
You see, if we rescue our children from certain consequences in life, we are not allowing the law of sowing and reaping to operate in their lives.

Here are 4 ways you can help your children make the right choices

1. Allow your children to make their own choices some of the time and as they get older; allow them to say no to you as well. When you do, it lets them feel independent and it shows your children that you trust them.

2. Let them experience the consequences of their choices; the good, the bad and the ugly so to speak. If you protect your children from the bad consequences, they will never learn from their mistakes.

3. Teach your children to follow their conscience; this should be fun! Every child loves to learn this; it makes them feel responsible for themselves. Every child has a conscience. Why do we as parents always have our kids check with us when they have to make a choice to watch a certain movie or read a certain book? We should be training them to listen to that red and green light on the inside of them.

4. Last but not least, we need to teach our children to think right thoughts, because our choices are a product of what we have been thinking about.

I think that most children don’t even realize that they have choices. We owe it to our children to teach them that they have control over what they think. That is the only way that they can have control over their own life. We as parents don’t have any control over what they are thinking, even God doesn’t have that control; we need to inform our children that what they think and speak will eventually become their destiny.

I truly believe that if we do these things we empower our children to make the right choices; they will do mighty exploits on the earth because God’s blessing will be upon their lives.

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Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: an encouraging message, believe, children, choice, choices, consequences, daily, decision, decision making, exploits, God, God’s blessing, how to, how to make decisions, How To Train, Make a choice, make choices, make decisions, make the right choice, Make The Right Choices, Olga Hermans, parents. parenting, right choices, the choice driven life, The Daily Choice, The Right Choices, things, Your Children

How Your Family Can Benefit from Social Media

August 8, 2012 by Olga 42 Comments

Today is another social media day and my friend Mandy Edwards talks about how families can not only benefit from social media but embrace it in a way that it is fun and bring our relationship with our chilren even to a higher level.

Using social media is among the most common activity of today’s children and adolescents. Ok, there are some risks inherent to online social networking, but there are also many potential benefits. Social networking can provide opportunities for new relationships as well as strengthening existing relationships, whether your kids’ friends are close to home or across the world. It’s important to be vigilant when your kids are getting involved in online social networking, but it’s also good to encourage positive relationships through various avenues, including the Internet.

I know you will enjoy today’s post from my friend Mandy who I also met in the same business networking group online where we learn and receive input from each other. So, I will not put you on hold any longer; here is Mandy!

How Your Family Can Benefit from Social Media

by Mandy Edwards

How Your Family Can Benefit from Social Media

“Okay sweetie, let me take a picture so I can post it on Facebook for grandma.”

“I saw where you tweeted you ate at Olive Garden! Was it good?”

“Oooh, I love the pin of that recipe you made last time you were home.”

Any of these sound familiar?

Social media has integrated itself into our lives – both professionally and personally.

I always blog about how social media can benefit your business, but today I’m blogging about how families can benefit from social media. Yes, families can benefit.

Example: me.

Born in Iowa, I moved to Missouri when I was 10, then Georgia when I was 16. I have lived in a lot of places. My mom was an Army brat. My dad lived in one town for the first 28 years of his life. Moves and military have my family spread everywhere. My parents live in Louisiana, I am in Georgia, my sister is in South Carolina (until October, then the Marines are moving them to Southern California) and my extended family lives in Missouri, Texas and Tennessee. Without social media we would have such a disconnect. But thanks to it, we stay in touch more than we did B.F., you know, Before Facebook.

Social media does a wonderful job of keeping grandparents up on what their grandkids are doing. Parents overseas in the military can Skype each day with their loved ones back home.

Social media is meant to be social. We can let those who cannot be with us be a part of our lives. I know my mom appreciates seeing all the pictures of the things my two girls do – she feels likes she’s here while being 12 hours away.

Some benefits of families using social media are…

More Involvement – when families use social media to stay in touch, they are more involved in each others’ lives. It’s like a family reunion when everyone is on!
Closer Relationships – by staying involved, relationships can become closer. I know with my mom on Facebook, I message back and forth more than we talk on the phone. Having that ongoing conversation helps with communication.
Parents can keep up on their kids – If you are friends with your kids, then you can see who they are interacting with. And trust me, you will want to do this. I am still thankful we didn’t have Facebook when I was in high school and college.
Sharing the Love – Memories. Remembering past events. Family members can post pictures of loved ones gone before us and share the great memories they had. You can see a loved one’s wedding pictures if you couldn’t make it.

Of course, there is always a flip side to the benefits, but that can be another post on another day.

In the grand scheme of life, communication is key. Social media provides an effective and efficient way for family members to interact. With the launch of Google+’s Hangout, multiple family members can video chat while living in several different states.

In today’s world, families are busy and there is a communication breakdown. Family dinners are a thing of time gone by – fast food dinners in the car between dance and ball practice are the norm. Teens spend more time with their noses down texting. Video games keeps tweens glued to the TV. Social media brings all of them away from this and allows them to video chat and interact with their family members, especially those who do not live close.

What are some ways your family is benefitting from social media? Comment below! I’d love to hear!

About Mandy Edwards

Mandy Edwards is the owner of ME Marketing Services, a marketing firm in Statesboro, Georgia that specializes in social media marketing for small businesses. The local go-to person on spcial media, Mandy is a momprenuer , President of her local chapter of BNI – Business Networking International and 2013 Chair for her local Relay for Life.

For more information on Mandy, please visit www.memarketingservices.com. You can also follow her on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (@memktgservices).

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: a Hangout, be social, benefit, choice, choices, Closer Relationships, decision, decision making, decisions, Facebook, family, google+, how, Involvement, relationships, social, social media, your family

3 Things You Need, to Discover The Life You Were Born to Live

August 5, 2012 by Olga 37 Comments

3 Things You Need
to Discover The Life You Were Born to Live

by Olga Hermans

#1. A Plan

The purpose of life is to discover your gift, which means that you need to discover the things that you like to do. If you are inspired and motivated to “Discover The Life You Were Born to Live” and make a difference with your life, then you must have a plan. Nothing will just happen automatically. The primary reason why most people do not succeed is because they do not plan. Planning is one of those lifestyle choices.

This morning my husband and I were talking about some things that we want to do with our life. He said a few things that just hit home to me. “Yeah, yeah, that’s where we’re going” was my quick reaction to it. And I saw it so very clearly what we are going to do in the next few months, the next year and the next five years.

I’ve discovered that most people do a better job at planning a trip that will only last for a week than they do planning their life which is a lifetime. A lot of people do not succeed simply because they do not plan. God didn’t just wake up one morning and said, “You know, I think I will make a universe.” That is not how God operates. Nothing that God does is by coincidence. God is the master-planner.

If you are one of our valuable readers, you have read a few times that we have talked about the fact that God has a plan for your life even before you were formed in your mother’s womb.

You know as well as I do that if you want to be a doctor, then you have to make plans to be a doctor. If you want to own a business, then you have to make plans to own your own business, and if you want a better life, then you have to make plans for a better life. All of that is a choice.

So many people live for the moment. Whatever happens, happens. What will be, will be. You are not going to experience God’s best with that attitude. It takes planning. Success in any endeavour requires planning and planning is a choice. If you never succeed at anything, it is simply because you didn’t plan to succeed. Success doesn’t come easy, if it did, everybody on the planet would be successful.

Just a few weeks ago I was at a party where some of my friends shared that they had gone through very stormy conditions in their life. Life can be full of stormy conditions and that is why you need a plan. With a plan you can maneuver through life’s storms much easier.

A person who never sets goals is like a ship without a rudder; a ship without a rudder is like a person who just wanders aimlessly through life. Aimlessly wandering is like depending upon which way the wind blows. There are a lot of people like that today.

#2. Positive thoughts, words and actions

This universe is governed by certain laws, which were put into motion by God Himself. One of them is called the law of gravity. This works for everybody the same way because it is a law. If you let go of a book in your hands, it will drop on the floor. If a baby rolls over to the edge of a table too far, it will fall on the floor. This law of gravity cannot decide that because the baby is a baby, it will not go into affect.

If you don’t want to be a failure, then you have to learn certain laws that produce success. One of these laws is also the law of seedtime and harvest; or the law of cause and effect. The way you live today is the result of the seeds sown in the past. If you don’t like the way you live, then you have no one to blame but yourself. So, if you don’t like the harvest, stop planting it.

I want to encourage you to take the time to sit down and carefully look at what you have been doing that is preventing you from having success. Most importantly, take time to listen to yourself. Whether you realize it or not, you are applying the law of cause and effect or as the bible calls it, the law of sowing and reaping every time you speak.

In my new book “Pursue your Destiny with Passion and Purpose” I cover this subject in great depth. It is a very important subject and we need to learn to apply this law and put it to work for the contentment and happiness of our life.

# 3. Perception

In order to discover the life you were born to live, you have to learn how to become perceptive. Every problem has a solution. Many times people fail, because of wrong perception. By changing how you perceive your problems, you can literally change your life from failure and defeat to victory and success.

You know the story of David and Goliath. When David saw Goliath, his perception of that challenge was totally different from that of his brothers and the entire armies of Israel; they perceived Goliath as too big to kill. When David looked at him, he thought he was too big to miss. Same giant, same problem, a different perception.

You and I are created by God to succeed and not to fail. Success does not come without adversity; there is no such thing as success without adversity. Most people run from it though.

Learn to look at every situation, every problem, and every challenge with a different perception that your problems are subject to change. That is how you can endure anything.

If you don’t like the way you are presently living, then it’s time to make some choices. If you don’t like where you are, then you have got some decisions to make. One thing you have to do for sure is to Pursue Your Destiny with everything that is within you. Stir up your passion to make a plan, to think on good things and let those thoughts come out of your mouth. Use your words as the rudder on that boat and decide to take some action. You will see your life from a totally different perspective.

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Filed Under: 3 Your Actions Tagged With: actions, choice, choices, Christian, Daily Choice, David and Goliath, decision, decision making, decisions, discover, discover your gift, Faith, God, lifestyle choices, Perception, plan, Positive thoughts, purpose, The Life You Were Born to Live, The purpose of life, Things You Need, words, you were born, You Were Born to Live

Using Social Media Strategies To Relate To Your Partner

July 31, 2012 by Olga 31 Comments

Today is a special day; I am so excited to introduce to you my friend Susan Preston who writes on relationships and social media strategies on her blog. Susan and I have met in a business networking group online where we learn and receive input from each other. I know that you will receive something new from her today concerning your relationship with your partner using Social Media.

Here is Susan; enjoy her post!

Using Social Media Strategies To Relate To Your Partner

by Susan Preston

Just about everybody uses some kind of social media site these days. I just finished commenting on what are the essential elements that are necessary when using social media on a facebook post. Then it hit me, what if we spent even half as much time on Relating with our partner, as we do with our friends, potential clients and clients…can you imagine how much better our relationships would be?

Since we go to relationships to give and share, by using the five strategies that you use everyday when you are on your social networks you will find that you have even more so to bring to your relationship. I believe that you will find that it will help you to relate with your partner at an even deeper level, thus bringing your relationship to an Extraordinary place!

Five Steps On How To Use Social Media Strategies To Relate To Your Partner:

Be You:

It is so important to be yourself in your relationship. By embracing who you truly are and tapping into your true Magnificence and then sharing yourself with your partner, it will help them to feel like they can do the same and be themselves. Don’t try to be like you think they want you to be, but rather who you really are.

By continually filling yourself up with love, joy, happiness, self-esteem, honor, respect and worthiness, etc. you will be able to share yourself at a much more deeper and meaningful level. Now you have two people who are building a relationship who are totally comfortable being themselves, that is a Win-Win situation for everyone!

Listen Attentively:

You need to listen to your what your partner is saying. They maybe sharing with you their problems and frustrations and if you are so busy trying to do other things while they are talking, you may miss the true meaning of what they are trying to say. Make it about them! Really listen generously, to what they are saying not what you think they are saying. Reflect back on what they said to make sure it is accurate. Tune in to what they truly need and feel what’s going on underneath it all. It is so important to make them feel that they are being heard and that they truly matter! By giving them your undivided attention, they will feel like they are a priority rather then as an option in your life.

Engage:

After you listen to them, engage with them. Acknowledge what they are feeling. Give your input into the situation in a kind and loving way. Sometimes, just by acknowledging what they are feeling is all that is necessary. If there is a way to help them, do so. Don’t go overload them with your opinion. Your partner may not always remember what you say, but they will always remember how you made them feel.

Give:

Since relationships are a place that we go to give of ourselves, by filling yourself up with all the goodies as I call them [love, honor, respect, etc.] you will have even more to give of yourself on a consistent basis. You see you cannot give to others on a consistent basis what you don’t give to yourself first. A lot of times people try to do so, but end up feeling drained and empty and don’t feel like they have anymore to give.

Making it about them at times makes them feel that you appreciate them and you know yourself, when you feel appreciated you want to give even more. People love to feel that they are a significant part of their partner’s life.

Share:

When you continually fill yourself up with all of the goodies, you will find you are much more creative and inspired. Thus, as a result you will be able to share yourself as well as your creativity and inspiration to help with a challenge that your partner maybe going through. Share who you are and some of the great things that are happening in your life and business, but do it graciously. By doing this, you will help your partner to feel comfortable about sharing who they are.
By using these five strategies, it will take your relationship to that next Amazing level. You might even want to message them privately on facebook and ask them on a hot date. We spend so much time using our social networks why not get creative using them to relate to your partner! I would love for you to comment below how you might use social media to relate to your partner, thanks!

Is your mindset keeping you from growing your business? If you would like more help with this or if you are having challenges in any of your relationships, Susan would love to help. Click on Free Consultation and Susan will give a free 30 minute consultation to answer any pressing questions that you may have to give you the clarity that you may need, in order to move in the right direction.

Susan Preston is a Mindset Motivator & a Relationship Mentor. Susan can empower you to Master your Mindset and Ignite your Relationships by helping you to get the clarity to take your life and business to that next Amazing level. She brings a lifetime of experience to help you create that balance in every area of your life so that you are truly living your Dreams! You can see more of Susan’s work at http://SusanCanHelpMe.com.

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: choice, choices, decision making, discover, Five Steps, how to be authentic, how to give more in your relationship, how to listen attentively to your boyfriend or girlfriend, how to relate to your partner, lifestyle choices, passion, personal development, relating to your partner, relationship advise, relationship help, social media, Social Media Strategies, strategies, Susan Preston, the choice, the choice driven life, using social media to relate to your partner, your life