Tag: books

  • Weight Loss – How I Went From 340 to 199 Pounds, Part 1

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    I spent two years losing over 140 pounds the old fashioned way: proper diet and exercise. No fads. No pills. No surgery. No crazy machines. I was 30 years old and 340 pounds. With a history of heart disease and obesity in my family, I decided it was time to shed the pounds.

    Almost every day I get people I haven’t seen in years coming up to me saying “Wow! You look great!” and then the next question… “What have you been doing?” That’s why I wrote this article.

    Disclaimer

    Now, of course, as a general disclaimer, I have to say that the tips I’m sharing with you here are just from my own personal experience. I’m not a professional health expert – although over the past couple of years I’ve read dozens of books, and hundreds of articles on nutrition, exercise, and weight lifting. I’m not a doctor. You should, of course, seek your own doctor’s advice before starting any kind of a weight-loss or exercise plan. I firmly believe that with the right diet and proper exercise, almost anyone should be able to lose weight and get fit safely.

    Tip 1. It’s All About Calories

    First, the bad news. Weight gain and loss is directly tied to the amount of calories you eat versus the calories you expend through exercise. What’s a calorie?

    A calorie is a unit of heat energy. Specifically, it’s the amount of heat energy required to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. How this relates to your body is that when you eat food, the food molecules are broken down chemically and that energy is either used by your body to perform work (like building muscle, or constructing new cells) or is stored (as fat). If you take in more calories than you burn, you will start to get fat.

    Now, in the world of calories, it takes 3500 calories to equal one pound of body weight. So, if you take in an extra 3500 calories in your diet this week without exercising, congratulations… you’ve just gained one pound (probably all body fat). The good news is that you can lose one pound of fat by either removing 3500 calories from your diet, or adding 3500 calories of exercise to your weekly schedule, or a combination of the two.

    What’s 3500 calories? It’s actually not much if you’re eating the wrong kinds of food. You can consume 3500 calories in one meal if you eat two Double Whoppers (1010 calories each), a King Size order of french fries (590), a King Size onion rings (600), and a chocolate shake (440). Don’t laugh… this is what I used to eat for dinner if my family went to Burger King… or something similarly outrageous.

    So the bottom line here is that if you want to lose weight, you have to create a calorie deficit. That means you have to burn off more calories than you eat. You had to eat more calories than you burned to get fat… now you have to reduce the calories to get lean. It’s that simple. In order to know how many calories you’re taking in and burning off, you need to write them down.

    Tip 2. Eat Frequently Throughout the Day

    Think of your body as a furnace. You want your furnace to burn fuel as efficiently as possible. In order for that to happen, you need to let it burn hot and steady throughout the day.

    You need to stoke your fire often to keep it burning. Keep your metabolism running all day long by eating every 3 to 4 hours. My personal tip: I eat on hours evenly divisible by 3. That means breakfast at 9am (if I’m up that early), lunch at noon, a snack at 3pm, dinner at 6pm, a snack at 9pm, and if I’m still up another snack at midnight.

    Now, I personally work late (I usually get most of my “real work” done between the hours of 10pm and 2am) but if you need to eat at different hours, that’s fine… Just take the total number of calories you’re going to eat throughout the day and divvy them up into 3-hour intervals. Keep that fire stoked! If you can’t take a break at work to eat every 3 hours, bring a protein bar with you.

    If you skip breakfast, then you’re extremely hungry by the time lunch comes around. Skip lunch, and you’re more likely to gorge yourself at dinner. Why? Your body is saying, “Hey! I need food badly!” If you feed yourself often, throughout the day, your body doesn’t go into shock, and you won’t get those wild cravings and hunger pangs when it’s time to eat.

    Tip 3. Start a Food & Exercise Journal

    Don’t just dismiss this section. I did! The first couple of times I read about doing this in fitness and weight-loss books, I said to myself, “I don’t have the time to do this.” But you know what – it really works!

    I cannot stress how important it is to write everything down that you eat. All you need is a little notebook. Make four columns: what you ate, how much of it you ate, how many calories were in it, and what time of the day you ate it. It’s that simple. Also write down any exercise or other activities that are more strenuous than just sitting around.

    Taking the time to recognize what you’re eating is the first step to losing weight. A lot of people truly don’t realize how much crap they’re eating. When I first started doing this – and writing down everything I was eating – it really opened my eyes to the volumes of junk food I was eating before. I was a slave to cookies, chocolate, chicken wings, and pizza. When I first took the time to look up the fact that a chicken wing has 150 calories in it (yes, one wing), I was astounded. I used to eat 20 wings and 2 or 3 slices of pizza for dinner.

    Now you can get yourself one of those little calorie counter booklets from your favorite book store. Sometimes you’ll even see them in the grocery store. They’re invaluable. Once you get to know the foods you eat on a regular basis, keeping track of what you eat is really quite simple. You will gain a better appreciation for what you’re putting in your body.

    So please, please, please, take my advice and journal everything you eat. You do NOT have to do this for the rest of your life… just until you hit your goal weight. By that time, you’ll be able to keep a good mental track of what you’re eating, and you’ll be more aware of what you should eat, and how much exercise you should be getting every week.

    Also, you do not have to obsess over every little calorie! Counting your calories can be as detailed as you like. If you want to track every last celery stick, by all means do so. However, you can just round your calories off to the nearest 10, or 20. Don’t worry whether or not something contains 24 or 26 calories. In the end, it doesn’t make that much of a difference… but whether something has 100 or 200 calories does.

    The important thing… and I cannot stress this enough… is write everything down!

    Tip 4. Eat The Right Amount of Calories

    We’re not going to starve ourselves! In fact, proper weight loss is best accomplished by eating more frequently than you’re probably used to! Let me say that again: you’re going to eat more food than you are right now. You’re going to eat better food, more often, but at a lower calorie intake. If you’re like I used to be, you’re probably skipping breakfast. This means that when lunchtime comes around, you’re starving, so you probably overeat the wrong kinds of food (like pizza, wings, Chinese, etc.) for lunch – and I’ll bet it’s fast food or takeout. Then, you don’t eat anything again for six to eight hours, and pack in a monster dinner.

    Now here’s what happens: your body isn’t getting any food first thing in the morning, so your metabolism isn’t getting started. Your “calorie-burning fire” doesn’t get started in the morning, so you’re not really burning as many calories as you should be. Also, your body is saying, “uh, oh – I’m not getting any food. I better hold on to whatever body fat I can because we’re starving!” This is bad. If you don’t eat enough food, often enough, your body will basically go into starvation mode and hang on to whatever body fat it can.

    The key to unlocking your stored fat is to feed yourself enough good food so that your body doesn’t need to store any additional fat, while at the same time getting plenty of exercise and strength training to burn whatever fat you currently have and build muscle.

    There are a bunch of factors that go into calculating metabolic rates and all that jazz, but you can use this chart as a basic measurement of how many calories you should be eating as part of your weight-loss diet. Notice it’s based on your current weight and your gender. Women need fewer calories then do men. Also, if you’re a smaller person, you need less energy than a larger person. Use this chart to determine how many calories you should be eating on a daily basis.

    WOMEN

    Under 130: 1000 Calories

    130-150: 1200 Calories

    151-200: 1400 Calories

    201-250: 1600 Calories

    251-300: 1800 Calories

    301-350: 2000 Calories

    351-400: 2200 Calories

    MEN

    Under 130: 1200 Calories

    130-150: 1400 Calories

    151-200: 1600 Calories

    201-250: 1800 Calories

    251-300: 2000 Calories

    301-350: 2200 Calories

    351-400: 2400 Calories

    Now here’s something that’s vitally important… you want to make sure you get enough calories every day, otherwise your body will go into “starvation” mode. You want to make sure that you eat your meals at least four times a day to keep your metabolism running. If you don’t eat, your body will go into starvation mode. It will realize that it’s not getting enough food, and will hold on to body fat. It’s important to get enough calories spaced throughout the day to keep your fire stoked. Don’t think that by starving yourself you’re going to lose weight. It will be the wrong kind of weight. Remember, your body will eat it’s own muscle tissue first before burning fat if it doesn’t have enough protein.

    Tip 5. Send Yourself to Boot Camp

    Now, if you want to jump start your body on its way to fast weight loss, here’s what you’re going to do. Ignore the charts above, and drop yourself right down to a 1000-calorie-per-day diet immediately. In addition, make sure you get at least 15 minutes of walking (or some other easy, basic, extra exercise) in every day as well.

    You will do this for exactly two weeks… no more… no less. Then, you will go back to eating the normal amount of calories as indicated on the chart above.

    It’s not going to be easy. You won’t be able to eat any junk food for these first two weeks. You can, however, eat plenty of good foods – chicken, salads, whole grain breads, etc. It won’t be easy, but once you get through it, you’ll be able to add lots of calories back in to your diet, and feel more normal again… in fact, after eating only 1000 calories for two weeks, you’ll probably have a hard time bringing yourself back up to 2000 calories (or whatever you should be at).

    Here’s why this works: dropping your calorie intake down to 1000 calories will shock your body into new eating habits. You will cleanse your body of toxins (like those monster grease burgers you’ve been eating) and get some good, healthy food in you. You will notice weight loss after the first couple of days, but you’ll be keeping your energy up by eating good foods at regular intervals. You can stop any cravings you’re having with water, or add some extra veggies in there – you can eat just about as much green vegetables as you want.

    Tip 6. Don’t Think “Fat Free” Means “Calorie Free”

    Everywhere you look, it seems that “low fat” foods abound. While there are certain low-fat or no-fat foods that we are going to eat, you don’t want to restrict yourself to a totally no-fat diet. There are certain fats that are good fats, and other that are bad fats. We’re going to want to eat good fats because they are necessary for proper health. Bad fats, however, will make you fat.

    There are tons of fad “no-fat” diets out there that have promoted the whole “low-fat” mentality. What’s happened? People are still continuing to get fat eating “fat-free” foods. They eat fat-free cookies, fat-free chips, and fat-free dairy products, yet they keep getting fatter. Why? Many fat-free foods have nearly as many calories as their full-fat versions.

    Now, you start eating “fat free” potato chips thinking to yourself that you can splurge… hey, why not? They’re “fat free.” Well, you still load on the calories with fat-free potato chips. It’s the calories that make you fat. In fact, when food manufacturers remove fat from their products, often times they replace the fat with sugar to improve the taste. Guess what… by adding sugar, they’re bringing the calorie count almost back up to where the full-fat product was.

    We need fat. Fat forms lining of the cell membranes in almost every cell of our bodies. Your brain is composed primarily of fat. If you don’t eat enough of the right kinds of fat, your brain will not get the proper nutrition to function. Eating too little fat can also reduce your testosterone levels (equally important for women as for men).

    Tip 7. Know Your Fats

    Saturated Fats are bad for you. They are found mostly in beef, milk, cheese, deli meats, butter, and some tropical oils. Saturated fats increase your risk of coronary artery disease, diabetes, and obesity. Avoid or minimize saturated fat intake. Try to eat low-fat meats like chicken and turkey without the skin, and reduced-fat dairy products. If you’re eating red mean, get the lowest-fat, leanest meat you can.

    Trans Fats are saturated fats that are extremely bad for you. You should completely eliminate all foods with trans fats in them from your diet. These types of unnatural fats are created during food manufacturing processes such as the hydrogenation of vegetable oil. They are usually found in pastries, buns, chips, doughnuts, shortening, and other such foods. If the label says “trans fat” put that product back on the shelf. If the ingredients of any product say “partially hydrogenated” anywhere on it – put it back. One example: margarine! It’s evil. It’s loaded with trans-fatty acids. Avoid it at all costs. Also avoid vegetable shortening, commercial pasties, deep-fried food, and most prepared snacks, mixes, and convenience foods.

    Studies have shown that saturated and trans fats are actually addictive and make you want to eat more. They have also been linked to all kinds of health problems from cancer and heart disease to diabetes.

    Unsaturated Fats, on the other hand, are generally good for you. These types of fats are usually found in nuts, seeds, fish, and grains. Mono-unsaturated fats, such as the types found in olive and canola oil, will actually protect your cardiovascular system from disease. These are the types of fats we’re going to load into our diet.

    – Good fats: almonds, avocado, cashews, flax oil, olive oil, olives, peanut butter, peanuts, fresh fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna)

    – Bad fats: butter, coconut, corn oil, cream cheese, half-and-half, lard, mayonnaise, shortening, sour cream

    Keep in mind that you need fats in your diet, but even the good fats listed above have a good amount of calories in them – so take it easy! A tablespoon of olive oil, for example, as 100 calories. Almonds (which I love to snack on) have 6 calories a piece. Nuts are a great, healthy-fat snack – but just make sure to take a small handful not the whole bag!

    Tip 8. Add Omega 3 Fatty Acids to Your Diet

    Omega fats are unsaturated fats that are not only good for you, but they’re essential for your health. Your body cannot create these fats, so you must get them totally from your diet. Omega fats are helpful for many reasons, plus they are necessary for normal cell growth and development.

    First, Omega fats are an excellent appetite suppressant. Part of the reason why people binge on “fat-free” foods is because fat is what makes your stomach “feel full.” If you aren’t eating any fat in your meal, your stomach never tells your brain that you’re full. Add a little good fat to your meal, and you’ll feel full with less food.

    Eating Omega fats helps your body to unlock stored fat so that you can use it for energy. Omega fat balances your body’s ratio of insulin to glucagon. When you eat sugary foods, your body releases insulin to remove the excess sugar from your system. If you do this too often, the insulin will block the hormone glucagon – which is another hormone that functions to help your body burn fat. Too much sugar = too much insulin = not enough glucagon = little fat burning. Plus, you are at risk for diabetes. Omega fats help to balance this ratio.

    Omega fats help to boost your body’s metabolic rate. This also helps you to burn more calories. Omega fats are the building blocks of your cells. Your cell membranes consist of Omega fats. Since they cannot be created by the body, you must get them from your diet.

    A specific fat, Omega 3 Fatty Acid, is obtained from flax seeds or flax seed oil. This will be the primary fat that we’ll add to our meals. You can use it on salads and in breads, add it to soups and yogurt. Don’t cook with it, however, as the heat will change it’s chemical properties. You will also find good doses of Omega 3 in most seafood, green leavy vegetables, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel), walnuts, olive, and canola oil.

    Have fish for dinner at least twice a week – and I don’t mean your beer-battered, fried haddock that the local pub serves on Fridays. Pick a fish like salmon, tuna, or mackerel. Bake or grill them – don’t fry them. They have very high concentrations of Omega 3 fatty acids in them. Add flax oil to your salads instead of fatty dressings. Snack on walnuts or almonds instead of cookies and chocolate. You will feel full sooner, and you’ll be adding essential fatty acids to your diet to help burn calories!

    Tip 9. Get Plenty of Protein

    Proteins are the building blocks for your body. You need to eat lots of protein for your body to build, repair, and maintain your muscle and other lean tissues. If you don’t eat enough protein, your body will break down muscle tissue, which is bad, to maintain itself. As a result, your metabolism will slow, and you won’t burn body fat. Unlike fat or glucose, there’s nowhere in our bodies to store protein (aside from building muscle tissue) so you have to get a lot from your diet.

    How much protein should you eat? Most people should eat about 0.4 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Therefore, if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be eating between 80 and 160 grams of protein per day. This isn’t hard to do. Eat two eggs for breakfast, and an 8-ounce serving of chicken for dinner, and you’re at 60 grams of protein right there.

    What kinds of protein should you eat? I like fish, chicken (white meat), turkey (white meat), soy products, beans, legumes, and eggs (whites only – yokes have a lot of fat). Soy products are a great source of protein… once you get used to the taste. I have totally switched from regular milk to soy milk. It has all the calcium, much less of the saturated fat, and none of the cholesterol of normal milk (even skim milk!)

    Eat fish twice a week, chicken twice a week, turkey once a week, a vegetarian meal once a week, and then on that seventh day, go ahead and splurge with the pork or beef… just take it easy. Just make sure you choose lean sirloin cuts. Trim off any fat. Beef has a lot of saturated fat in it (it’s marbled throughout the meat so you can’t just cut it off). Beef is the worst meat for you – as compared to the other popular meats.

    – Good protein: beans (any kind), eggs (preferably whites – yolks have a lot of fat), chicken (white meat, no skin), turkey (white meat, no skin), salmon (preferably not farmed), tuna (packed in water, not oil), mahi mahi, any shellfish, any soy products.

    – Bad protein: bacon, ham, hot dogs, beef, pork, lamb, veal.

    In part 2 of this article, you’ll read about nine more tips to lose weight.

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    Source by Richard Rost

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  • The Way To Success For You Now With This Easy Abundance Mindset For Living Your Dreams

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    Is success for you in life possible right now? Your life isn't really about being a competitor against others, to be fought on their terms.

    A few separate business owners can be compared for their success in the corporate world, but this doesn't really show us about their entire lives, does it?

    As you read along and ponder this article keep in mind that the Course in Miracles states, "The body's serial adventures, from the time of birth to dying are the theme of every dream the world has ever had."

    If you'll be happier, wealthier and much healthier at some point in the future, does this imply you are a failure now?

    – Success in life is about the process, not about lists of accomplishments.

    – Your individual success remains in the actions of this moment.

    – This may be a genuine originality to you, but does not it make user-friendly sense?

    If you stop working at the specific goals you are presently working on, but the attempt is honest, and you're willing to learn from your mistakes, isn't this personal success?

    The idea might be annoying for some, yet for some others the idea of ​​success being someplace in the future is simply a method to excuse the actions of the moment.

    They can continue "waiting for their ship to come in," and postpone taking the actions they need to take to fulfill themselves.

    They can keep that future in mind – and always press it a little additional forward.

    If you think like this, you may not like the idea that you can have success in life right now, because it reminds you that it is your duty.

    On the other hand, the concept of success being in this instant now can be a very liberating thought.

    Previously I discussed free material on the web such as e-books and more on manifesting your desires and the right tools for getting you to that point.

    Discover your inspiration in the work of the instant you are in now, do it honestly and with acceptance of the requirement to constantly fix course and delight in the journey, and you are successful right now.

    Exactly what do you want out of life, is it to become wealthy?

    Travel the world? Be much healthier?

    Or, is it all of the above?

    Whatever your finest course remains in life is (and this is only for you to choose), when you to begin honestly in that direction, at that precise moment you are being successful as a human being.

    Success in life is distinct and individual.

    External symptoms of success are great – money, things and chances. This internal procedure of courageously choosing the best path again and taking action is what specifies success in life.

    As I 'd said success in life can be different for few, the same for a few, and unbelievably exciting for many who dive into the process.

    Success in life is about how you go about achieving your dreams, setting goals and objectives, and how you live your life while in this world.

    Does purchase to live life to the fullest as a way to create wealth with the abundance mindset make you a successful individual?

    If you believe like this, you might not like the idea that you can be a success right now, since it advises you that it is a duty you owe to yourself.

    (Please note I suggest that you search the internet for further helpful material when looking for a few things you can do to help you succeed in life, and while you do, keep in mind that success in life is unique and personal.)

    To success and happiness in your life!

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    Source by James Nussbaumer

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  • Entrepreneurship and Its Challenges

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    One of the challenges of being an entrepreneur and the reason many dread to venture into it is, “delayed gratification”. The entrepreneur is like a Lone Ranger who is walking through a lonely part. Initially, he’s never noticed. As he’s grinding and working smart towards his goal, people don’t take note of him. He’s laughed at. He’s jeered at. He’s called a fool. But he perseveres with the knowledge that anything good does not come easy. And then somewhere along the line, his efforts begin to yield results. People now begin to take note of him. Those who thought him foolhardy will now come to him to seek his advice. “How did you do it? They will ask. They wish to be like him. But the question is, how many can pay the price that he has had to pay? The life of an entrepreneur is not easy but it pays to be one.

    In your journey of entrepreneurship, focus is key. You need to stay focused in order to keep your desire for success burning.

    Sadly, though, success doesn’t come easy. And because of this reason, a good number of people lose their focus. They lose their focus as long as they are not getting immediate success.

    There is no doubt that today’s successful people have had to face the same pressure to give up on their goals for this same reason.

    To keep staying focused however, you will need to engage in one very important aspect of entrepreneurship. And by that I mean, you need to engage in self -education through studies.

    Whether you are in Network marketing, Direct sales or you are in conventional business, self-development through studies is important for success.

    An average successful person reads at least, sixty books a year. By studying, you learn the skills that will enable you to succeed. You study the experiences of those who have passed through that lonely part before you in order to avoid certain obvious pitfalls. No doubt, you will still experience failures along the way no matter how much you try. But the wealth of knowledge you have garnered from your years of studying and copying successful people will, as a matter of fact, be your guiding principle. It will give you the inner strength to go on and on even when everything seems not to be working for you.

    Be rest assured that to be an entrepreneur in the modern era doesn’t necessarily have to require huge sums of startup capital. The advent of the internet has made it relatively cost-effective.

    Therefore, become an entrepreneur today.

    Stay focused. Act decisively. Seek opportunities. Seek new ideas. Be humble. Learn from your failures. Study people who are successful. Make the most of your time. Above all, cultivate readership attitude for through reading you learn the secrets of success.

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    Source by Sunny Ngene

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  • The Age of The Information Entrepreneur

    The Age of The Information Entrepreneur

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    This has been changing rapidly, and now, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are starting to use e-books as a method of catapulting themselves into the limelight, using the option to become influencers, and gain a following through sharing of information. The ones who are quite savvy about how they do this, loop the system back and use their e-books as part of a sales funnel, whether it’s apparent or not.

    It used to be the case that the task of writing a book was tantamount to embarking on a long and arduous journey, that required long periods of time, great planning and dedication, an agent, the approval and acceptance of a publishing house, and more. This is no longer the case… Anyone who has wanted to write, can… and you can get your book published and ready to sell in less than 48 hours after it’s written. And no, it doesn’t take a great level of skill or any secret or specialised knowledge… I’ve done it, and have helped others do the same just by following a few simple steps, and using more simple steps have gotten books to #1 ranking spots – for some of them, without even a review to reassure buyers, (though I wouldn’t recommend this). So, if it’s that easy, why isn’t everyone doing it, and why aren’t all entrepreneurs who have published online have booming businesses?

    Well, in the answer lies what’s key… it’s not enough to simply write, what’s important is that you write content that others will find useful, and want to read, and more than that, essential for success is using that content in the right way. Let me expand…

    1) Whatever your entrepreneurial niche, learn what it is that people want to know more about.

    2) Write about this, keep it clear and simple… often short guides will get you further than long, complicated books.

    3) Publishing is easy, get your books on Amazon.

    4) Consider discounts and freebies… remember, it’s about exposure, publicity, and looping people back to you!

    5) Build up a database of everywhere you can promote your books. Take the time to research the social media groups, blogs etc. Ensure that they’re appropriate to your niche.

    6) Take the time to promote your discounts and freebies, and be honest and genuine about what your book delivers, and why people should get it.

    7) In your books, direct people to your website, subscriptions, other books etc.

    8) Always OFFER QUALITY & VALUE, and when you are looping people back to you, it should be to offer more value. Don’t use your books as a hook, only to steer people to an offer that isn’t worth the money or time they part with in exchange for it.

    9) The more quality and value you offer, the more repeat customers you’ll gather.

    10) Include snippets and tasters of your content on social media, blogs, forums etc.

    11) Repeat… remember, if you are choosing to be an influencer through information, you have to keep at it.

    And that’s it, in a nutshell! It is an era when anyone can be an author, so use your knowledge to your advantage!

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    Source by Noleen Mariappen

    Views: 0

  • Proven And Profitable Money Making Ideas

    Proven And Profitable Money Making Ideas

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    With an entrepreneurial spirit, perhaps you might be thinking about money making ideas that have been proven and are profitable on the internet that you can use to make a living with. Online business is still an evolving tool to earn money. Everyone has predicted a major tech crash as a matter of fact it’s already happening.

    According to Hostingfacts.com in 2017, “there will be more internet traffic than all prior internet years combined. Wi-Fi and mobile-connected devices will generate 68% of all internet traffic in 2017.”

    More statistics show that “worldwide retail e-commerce sales will reach $1.915 Trillion in this alone according to Emarketer.com. There are a number of ways by which people can make money online.

    Internet businesses provides relaxation and comfortability to people who run their own business while sitting in their homes or traveling the world. E- Commerce refers to the online functioning of businesses in which all of the transactions are accepted by means of the World Wide Web.

    Online sales in the United States are anticipated to reach $523 billion in the next five years. This is up 56% from $335 billion in 2015, and mobile devices are expected to be a key leader in that growth, Forrester Research Inc. says.

    The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced “that the estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the third quarter of 2016, was $101.3 billion, an increase of 4.0 percent from the second quarter of 2016. Total retail sales globally for the third quarter, was estimated at $1,212.5 billion, an increase of 0.9 percent from the second quarter of 2016.”

    With the collapse of the tech bust in full swing, should you even attempt entrepreneurship online, let alone a new business launch in 2017? My answer? Absolutely yes.

    On the internet, there are unlimited things that can be done to earn money. It is all up to the individual how much they can profit from these online opportunities. The trend is constantly evolving with innovative business ideas.

    The start of a new year means great interest in new and exciting things, as we look forward to the year in the making. The year 2017 is also likely to see some changes with a few money making ideas not being in demand and new ones harvesting up.

    Learning how to make money on the internet with an e-business is one of the most proven and profitable money making ideas dominating the economy. Facebook now has 1.55 billion active users and 2.9 billion Google searches are made every day. With this data, there is endless opportunity for the ordinary person looking to create money online.

    In this article, I’ve researched a few of the businesses that are going to be profitable for the next 5 years. While tech may be on the decline, the world continually has room for proven, profitable and innovative products as well as services.

    Proven & Profitable Money Making Ideas

    Blogging

    If you have a particular subject that interests you and you are passionate about it, then you can start a blog around such topic. Blogging is one of the fastest growing business trends on the web and the sweetest thing is that it is an information based business.

    Many people in the current world are getting money by having their own blogs and websites. Generally, on these blogs and websites, they are putting thought-provoking and valuable information that interests other people. The science is simple; the additional number of visitors the more money you can make via advertisement and other revenues.

    This works much like television where the more viewership means more advertisements and at a higher rate. This is one of the most well-known and informal techniques of producing income online and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Don’t worry about technicalities, programming, etc. You also won’t need to invest a dime to get started as there are free platforms you can utilize like Blogger and WordPress being the most trusted blogging platform since 2004.

    E-commerce Store

    Another proven and profitable idea to start an internet business is to maintain an online store. You can provide products to your customers online. Yes, you can set up an e-commerce or retail store online and you can start this online business from home without even owning a single product. You can sell virtually anything ranging from books, clothes and electronics to household item through wholesale drop shipping or by setting up an affiliate store with Amazon or eBay.

    You may even sell anything from customized cakes to used items to even new products you created on your own. With this kind of business idea, people primarily receive payment via credit card or PayPal accounts. It totally depends upon you as some people prefer to collect payment at the time of delivery of the products.

    In the online store, you can provide a wide range of products in one place and keep the customers engaged with new products or services. On the other hand if you are creating products from scratch, you have to keep up good relationships with your suppliers so your business can be successful.

    Affiliate Marketing

    To become an affiliate marketer means that you will be promoting other people’s products and services through a blog or store online. How it works is whenever there is a sale, you will get a commission. The most stimulating fact here is that you don’t even need a dime of your own money to start it and you get to partner with some of the biggest enterprises in the world. The first venture I would recommend you to start online is your own affiliate marketing business.

    Internet Marketing Services

    Servicing people to help drive visitors to their websites can be an outstanding online business with a strong profit potential. Examples of services you can provide include pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising services, blog marketing services, article marketing services, guest blogging, link building service, etc.

    Doing business on the web can be challenging because things often change quickly online. This idea allows you to help other online entrepreneurs such as yourself, keep up with the latest trends in internet marketing.

    VLogging

    This is comparable to a blog, but in video form. Basically turn your video camera on, feel free to use your tablet, and just talk! The best vloggers talk about a specific focus or niche. Vlogging about a topic that interest tweens or teens is most likely to get a big following fast.

    Some popular topics include makeup, fashion, music, gaming and how to videos. The strategy to making money with these vlogs is gaining a large following and then receiving sponsorship on the platform that you publish the videos on, such as YouTube or Vimeo. You can also make money via advertisement.

    E-Book Publishing

    The information business allows you to identify people’s problems and provide a solution in the form of an e-book. Any style writing on any topic can be used with this method. If you love writing and you possess some marketing skills, then you can venture into writing self-published eBooks.

    Educational Products

    People will always be willing to pay for education. A good example is university education. A public four-year college costs around $20,000, and a private college can make an income of $50,000 per year. In spite of the outrageously high prices, people are eager to give out the money. Why? Because a college education is worth it. Right? Well, most of the time it is.

    However, some disagree, and with recent improvements in the education platform, the traditional college model is being dismantled or unequivocally disrupted. The cause of these interruptions are startups like Udemy and Teachable, these platforms allow people to share their knowledge and profit from it.

    You don’t need a platform to sell your knowledge. You can self-publish a book, create a video coaching session, or teach others how to make money. People will gladly pay to learn a new skill, shape their lifestyle, make new money, impress friends with their knowledge, and change their life in significant ways. If you have something to offer to others, then start teaching.

    Graphic Design

    There are lots of graphic designers on the web offer free and paid services. However, if you plan to thrive in this capacity online, aiding a specific niche target audience will be the most profitable for you. Suppose you’re focused niche is in music and you have a good graphic design skill, you can launch an online graphic design business that focuses on graphic design for musicians or singing artist. You can also choose to focus on infographic designing, e-book cover design, album cover designs, etc.

    Implementing your ideas as an online business is a great way to start your business if you are low of capital. It is necessary that you have a proven and profitable online business idea to start your business. Starting and operating an online business is the new normal these days and continues to rise in popularity.

    If you have any ideas that can be transformed to fit the online business model then by all means do your research and get started the opportunities are endless!

    If I’ve failed to mention any other profitable ideas be sure to leave them in the comments below.

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    Source by Jamie Clay

    Views: 0

  • How Art Can Heal You

    How Art Can Heal You

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    A person when they are drawn to an artwork is experiencing either an awakening to the feelings of what they see or they are analysing for details in making sense of things. To express oneself to the creativity of being authentic and original is to experience true happiness as it has for most artists and the everyday people. Today stress has become an expected living condition for most people and many are unaware that they are slowly deteriorating in boiling water like a frog who is unconscious of its environment. The human mind is like an operating system and we store many of our memories and experiences in our subconscious mind therefore never realising that we are repeating a pattern or never understanding why we react a certain way when in fact we wish we dealt with matters differently.

    Since starting on my artistic journey in my living room a few years back I have come to realise that art is more than just a hobby, it can actually be a new way of life and that we are allowed to express our innermost frustration and fears that hang on our shoulders like a shadow of uncertainty. A simple thing like colouring in books and prints are now becoming a new found stress relief and according to researchers who have recognized the healing traits of art for years, say that today art is used to help people in order to express themselves when they’re sentiment and it is too difficult for them to put their emotions into words, most likely when they’re faced with a cancer diagnosis. Now when seeing colours in flowers and plants for inspiration it gives me a feeling of gratitude to what nature is quietly offering us, more than an aid for oxygen supply but a mark for attention in times of stress. The whole idea of meditation is to bring the mind to a focus point where the nerves are trained to not react to the internal dialogues and external forces thus strengthening the frontal cortex from reacting to stimuli and instead take a better course of action. Painting and colouring do for this very reason give you the same result. Observe the traits and characteristics of most painters and artists, you will see that in a general we are calm and are less prone to neurotic outburst of emotions. Some of us do practise a healthier lifestyle and it is a privilege for me as an artist to inform you that we are all not on drugs and substances and that the use of art can in a way be beneficial for anyone who require to relax and unwind.

    A habit once formed is not easy to break however with the right intention to change and move forward you will find that replacing an addiction or substance with a more therapeutic action such as colouring in or painting, it can give you the same feeling of satisfaction. As difficult and impossible this may sound, at first, you will never know until you try it. The secret to becoming a healthier and successful artist is to find what inspires you to create when observing nature and beautiful surroundings but if you have never touched a paint brush then start with the basics of colouring in or make a collage from gluing seashells on a canvas. Either way, art is subjective and my theory is if it makes you feel happy and gives you a sense of achievement from creating something out of nothing then you truly are an artist.

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    Source by Julie Rekha

    Views: 0

  • Wealthy Marketer Review – Your Top Five Questions Answered

    Wealthy Marketer Review – Your Top Five Questions Answered

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    I hope to answer your Top Five Questions in this Wealthy Marketer Review. I will be concentrating mainly on whether or not Wealthy Marketer’s 0-up program is a legitimate business opportunity. This is not an EDC Gold review or Roadmap to Riches review or a review or about any of the other 1-up and 2-up programs, however, I will be touching upon the differences briefly. So let’s dive right into the Top 5 frequently asked questions in this Wealthy Marketer Review.

    1. What is it all about? Well it is a zero-up; 3-tier program pays three levels deep. What this means is that a Wealthy Marketer member earns $900 for every direct sale they personally make. Zero up means that there is no passing up sales to a sponsor like many of the 1-up and 2-up programs currently on the internet like EDC Gold and Roadmap to Riches. On top of the $900 WM members also receive $200 from their second level, and $100 from their third level. The 100 and 200-dollar payments will continue to pay out to the member forever. New members will begin bringing traffic to their capture page and then convert that traffic into buyers, and the WM sponsor is there to assist and teach this process. This program is not a 1-up, 2-up program, M.L.M. or gifting program.

    2. What are the products? Alex Hunter, CEO and Millionaire of Wealthy Marketer hands over all of his secrets in his book entitled, “The $900.00 a day handbook” which is an easy to follow 72 page long, comprehensive guide to getting traffic to a website and converting it into sales. A new member will get over $10,000 worth of valuable software and e-books. There is also exclusive training material, compiled by one of the six-figure Wealthy Marketer members that is called, “The Wealthy Marketer Training Guide”, which offers many ways to advertise at no cost and insider tips about the industry. Wealthy Market also has an exclusive advertising Co-Op available to members that would like to be up and running faster.

    3. How easy is it to learn how to be a Wealthy Marketer? Yes! A new Wealthy Marketer member receives exclusive one-on-one training directly from their sponsor, and there are live training calls three times a week with the top earning mentors to answer questions. There is a learning curve involved with becoming an online earner, however, new members not asked to re-create the wheel, they are simply advised to copy what their successful sponsor is doing.

    4. Will I be able to see the site before I join? Yes! They do offer a 5-day trial period so that a person can see the corporate website, the back office, and the product.

    5. How much does it Cost to Join? There is a one time fee of $1497, and there are no other company costs to you. Part of this total, $297 will go for the companies administrative fees. $900 goes to the main sponsor and 100 and 200 are paid out to the respective sponsors. note: Another difference that should be mentioned here, is that there are no monthly fees with this program like there are with EDC Gold and Roadmap to Riches.

    In closing, I would like to say that mentoring and training are a must have if a someone expects to succeed online, and Wealthy Marketer seems to cover both with their team synergy mentoring approach. The one time fee, no monthly costs and the lifetime residual income, could be a nice draw to this program, for someone looking for a home based business

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    Source by Holli Diel

    Views: 0

  • Review: ‘Living A Laptop Lifestyle’ Book

    Review: ‘Living A Laptop Lifestyle’ Book

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    I recently came across the book, ‘Living A Laptop Lifestyle’ and had the pleasure of meeting the authors, Greg and Fiona Scott. They gave a presentation, at an event put on by the Six Figure Mentors for its members, about how to write your own book. So who better to show what works in internet marketing, than someone who has already been there.

    ‘Living a Laptop Lifestyle’ is their story into how they found their feet in marketing on the internet. Like many people in today’s economic climate, their circumstances forced them to make changes to the way they earned an income. After Fiona was made redundant, from a high paying job, they had to re-think how to reclaim their lives. Determined to never trade their time for money again, Fiona and Greg decided to start their own business… but they had no idea where to start and what business to go into.

    They attended what they call a ‘pitch fest’. This is a conference where other internet marketers talk about their products and have a platform to sell their ‘time limited offers’ or ‘money off for first 50 to sign up today’. If you have never been to one of these, count your self lucky, it is not a pleasant sight. Go to one to learn, but beware that you could end up buying products you may never need especially if you are new to internet marketing because you will not know what works and what doesn’t.

    If you are thinking of starting out online, books written by entrepreneurs, like Greg and Fiona, can give you many tips and resources to get you started in the right direction to set up and run an online business.

    Some of the points that are raised in the book, ‘Living a Laptop Lifestyle’,

    1. Initial Investment

    If you are starting out online, then don’t expect to invest zero. Many people think that they can start out online with nothing and earn millions. They may well have their bubble burst. Greg and Fiona talk about the reality of starting out online. Just as you can’t start an offline business with no money, so it follows that you will need to have some money to invest into your internet business.

    2. The Pitfalls of Working for Yourself

    If you are just starting out to build an online business, then you will need to be disciplined. The importance of time management and keeping to schedules is crucial when you are working for yourself. This book gives some useful tips and offers some tools that the couple use to help them schedule their time.

    3. Mindset

    The book does have a large section on mindset and you might wonder why. When starting out online you will realize that you will be working in isolation, so keeping a positive mindset is essential to your success.

    4. Fear of Technology

    Greg and Fiona break down this topic and show how the internet is accessible to everyone, no matter what your level of computer knowledge. There is no need to be afraid of the internet and to let this stop you from taking action to start out online. They give lots of advice about outsourcing and how to gain the skills you need to be successful online.

    5. Keeping Focused

    One of the reasons that stop many newcomers from succeeding in an online business, is that they keep chasing ‘shiny objects’. This means that they start one system, then a new one comes their way, so they drop everything to start something new and never complete any! They give up believing that building a business online doesn’t work. Greg and Fiona talk about how they avoided these ‘shiny objects’ and stayed focused on their goals and how you can too.

    You will find links to Greg and Fiona’s businesses and this part of the reason for any one with a business to write a book. Whilst giving lots of advice and information about your own story, a book will also provide the opportunity for lead generation. So if you are starting out online then you will want to read this book. Similarly if you have been online for a while, then this book will help you to outline what you need to consider when writing your own story to build your own online business.

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    Source by Bernie Podmore

    Views: 0