So nice to see you at my blog today!  I woke up after enjoying a restful sleep, turned over, and heard my vertebrae go "You’re joking, right?" 

Not the most promising of physical moods, let me tell you!

Given that today is my beloved adult sparring class, methinks I’ll be most gentle on myself today.  If my back is still bothersome by this evening, I’ll focus simply on kata - those are always enjoyable to perform.

But I digress. 

Yesterday one of my kids came home with tears in her eyes about her poor grade in her spelling definitions test.  Now, in my family, there are a few rules when it comes to academics - anything requiring simple memorization HAS to score above a 90, else I will implement consequences.  But there is ONE extra compoment to this - I go over the test myself, and if I can understand from where the mistake originated (ie, the kid DID study but her thought process went left while the others took a jolly saunter off to the right), I don’t count that as a bona-fide mistake.

So!  Kid came home and we started reviewing the test.  And flap my earlobes and call me Dumbo, but for 3 out of the 5 questions she got wrong….they would be have considered correct GIVEN the way she approachs life in general.

My gosh, the way she thinks….it’s utterly bizarre and yet, totally believeable at the same time.  This particular child of mine is virtually a carbon copy of me back from when I was that age (okay, true, there are a few differences, the main one being she’s utterly magnificent and possesses self-confidence and style and ….), so I’m generally in sync with how her mind works, but still….wow.

Thus, an opportunity now arises.

I believe in NOT squelching such uniqueness…yet at the same time, she’s going to be hosed later on in rote memory tests if she DOESN’T learn how the rest of the world thinks.

So I need to teach her how to be, well, ordinary….and yet how to embrace her unique patterns of thinking and let them send her into the far realms of creativity.

It will be a challenge, but one that will benefit her in the long run as well.

You see, I firmly believe that while creativity is the fuel on which great achievements run, we DO live in the real world as well…and as such, need to possess the ABILITY to conform.

In other words, we might be eagles at heart, but if our circumstances plops us down among a flock of turkeys, we had better know how to happily peck for seeds with the crowd too.

I’ve always known my child has a very unique learning style - it was because of that that I designed and created my Lingstar Learning Reading Enrichment program when I taught her how to read.  Ever since that time in my life, I educated myself about different learning styles and how what fits one child can leave another one colder than a refrigerator hibernating at the North Pole!

Learning styles are a cause for celebration!  There are several out there, including:

• Visual learners grasp ideas through seeing.These learners like visual enhancements such as slides, pictures, graphs, videos, demonstrations and the like. He or she might have a vivid imagination, and possess the ability to focus visually on the teacher for a long period of time. If you were to ask the first thing thought of when hearing the word "dog", it might be a mental picture of the complete animal. Visual learners can see the information they learn in their mind like a movie picture.
•  Auditory learners grasp ideas by actively listening (and not just hearing!) their teacher. They learn best when they can concentrate on the speaker and process the information.
•  Tactile/Kinesthetic learners grasp ideas through doing. They learn best when physically engaged in a "hands on" activity. He or she involves all their senses (touch, sight, etc.) to understand the lesson. In the classroom, they might thrive in a setting where they can actively use different materials from stations to absorb new information…they learn best when they can be physically active in the learning environment.

Do you see the above in yourself…or any of your children? 

If so, remember….discovering the BEST unique learning style will give wings to your imagination and create a fire burning in your belly.

Everyone has their own best ways of becoming brilliant in their own areas…never ever short-change yourself at all.  Your future successes will thank you for it.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps - speaking about learning styles, have you seen:

Leapster Word Chasers game- Arcade Style Learning!

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

One of the best ways to stay head and shoulders above the thundering herd is to offer companies/corporations something only YOU can deliver.  And if you’re competing against dozens of other highly-qualified folk for a key new employment position…you simply HAVE to possess an ace in the hole.

Here’s one way to do so….learn!  Teach yourself…for free! 

Were you aware that hundreds if not thousands of tutorials exist online from which you can benefit for free?  Everything from technology to training dogs to selling combines to … you name it, the resources and quick tips are there for those with the courage to seize them with both hands.

Take selling combines!  Yes, combines, those thingees that help farmers harvest their big huge football-field-sized fields.  Did you know about the Combine sweet spot?  Heck, did you even KNOW combines HAD a sweet spot? 

Well…they do!  The "sweet spot" is the where the machine is operating at full capacity and maximum efficiency.  And there are several techniques farmers can employ to bring their machines to this hallowed place….thus helping them become more efficient and cost-effective to boot. 

Now, if YOU were a salesman for combines, being able to "talk the talk" to that precise detail certainly would help make that personal connection so important in buying decisions, wouldn’t you say?

And IF you were applying for that salesman position, being able to rattle off 7 bona-fide steps to bring a machine to sit up and beg would certainly impress the interviewer, wouldn’t you agree?

‘course you would!  Because you’re a smart savvy individual as well….and you know that profitable knowledge is one of the most precious things you can offer a potential employer.

So!  Prior to going on an interview or for a client consultation….research just what the requirements are and then go out of your way to educate yourself about them.  2 nifty tutorial sites include:

• GCL Learn Free
  
  
• Doc N Mail

Visit them now…you’ll see what I mean.

Remember, with the economy as lousy as it is today, you need every possible edge you can generate when it comes to shining above the rest.  Be proactive and make that happen today…your future income will thank you.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

This is a long post, but I urge you to read it - you’ll see several of my secret techniques that I use to build up traffic and income for any niche imaginable.

Have you ever wanted to generate direct intrest to your products online?

Okay, true, that’s like asking, have you ever wanted to experience soul-searing unimaginable joy every 10 or 15 minutes, but I digress. 

Here’s one way to tackle this.  Recently, I released the Job Seeker’s Power Advantage over at

http://www.jspoweradvantage.com

I severely underpriced it at $37 as I wanted to test if consumers could recognize such an incredible deal.  Alas, it appears the answer is NO - I’ve received several emails stating how the price is *so* good folks believe it NOT to be true.

Joy.  So soon, I’ll be increasing the price.  But that’s not the secret I want to share right now.

My challenge was and IS to generate wowness for my visitors.  Sure, I have my affiliate program over at
http://www.jspoweradvantage.com/affiliates/…

But relying solely on your affiliates is delivering control to outside sources.  I want to build up excitement myself as well.

So!  You know how Google generally loves to index blog postings? I figured it would be truly nifty neato indeed if I could generate useful posts automatically…and then design my layouts so that visitors would be presented with my JSPA no matter from where arrived.

Enter a domain I bought 4 years ago -

http://www.joblessnews.com

Visit there now.  You’ll see resources for Career Help, Job Tips, the Recession and more….but more importantly, you’ll see one of my great big huge bleeping banners for JSPA too!

This site posts automatically, meaning…I set it up ONCE and then let it run on autopilot.

But I didn’t stop there - I also built

http://www.joblessnews.com/shop.php

with

http://www.joblessnews.com/seeaom.php

It took me less than 5 minutes to set up that store…and because it’s hooked directly into my blog, the site should be indexed rather well in the future.

How did I do it?

One of the best resources you can use for automated blog posting is found at CF.

This resource is something that allows you to set up campaigns that will automatically post to your blogs…whatever it is you’d like.  I personally choose news feeds myself…but you can also use forum postings, chat discourses and more.
I have many similar resources set up like the above!  And it can be applied not only to ONE product, but you can use it to market other niche resources, offline businesses and the like.

For niche ideas, check out:

http://nr.barbaraling.com

and for offline brilliance, mosey on to:

http://www.barbaraling.com/olb.php

Remember, when it comes to making your ihncalm online…do NOT rely solely upon your affiliates or rest on your laurels…you simply HAVE to take control of your future today.

It really does work.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

PS - speaking about blogging, have you seen:

4 Method Blog 8oz Shave Creams

Over 2,000 Wordpress Blog Themes On CD

Our Outlet.com FORUM Blog Chat Dating Domain Name $ NR

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

I just can’t believe how really insightful the free Daily Dose can be - check out what arrived in my inbox today!

Crow’s Quote of the Day

One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike - and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
 
Albert Einstein
 
Why does Albert feel this way? Is it because he was a physicist and is simply being parochial, valuing what he himself does?
 
I don’t believe so. The question one needs to ask is "What is it in our world that’s  fundamentally unique and irreplaceable (except with itself)?" Religion? Not really. We’ve had hundreds of religions on our planet during the time we’ve been on it, with a huge number being practiced today. There’s certainly no lack  of them and they’ve shown a robust tendency to spring up rather easily. Take Mormonism, for example. It only came into existence a short while back and offers a modification of the belief structures displayed by already existing faiths.  So, although many could argue as to which is "the right one" it seems that there’s enough overlap and reinvention to reduce the "fundamentally unique" aspect.
 
Well then, how about our social structures? Again - no. Democracy has been fiddled with for  thousands of years and other forms (utopias, dictatorships, theocracies, etc) have shown up quite regularly over time. Nothing unique there.
 
Art? Nope. The Athenians were fantastic representational sculptors and painters. Speaking of painters, the neolithic artists did a bang up job decorating their caves with material that’d easily sell in an art gallery today.
 
Science though. Now there’s something different.
 
Mankind has been trying to figure out how the world works for tens of thousands of years and it’s only in the last couple of hundred that we’ve really parted the veil. What we now know is such a leap from our past understandings that it’s almost breathtaking.
 
Here’s another way to think about it. If you took Pericles from ancient Athens and put him into the US Senate he’d have no trouble understanding what was going on. If you transported an ancient Roman priest to a modern church and explained to him what was happening at the front of the congregation he’d nod his head and follow it completely. He wouldn’t necessarily agree but he’d "get it."
 
HOWEVER.

Take the top scientific mind from Alexander’s court and bring him into a modern research lab and he’d be completely confounded. Not a hope of understanding what was going on. Quarks? Hadrons? Dark matter? Electrical impulses traveling to axons? No hope at all. This material is absolutely solid, built upon a structure constructed over the decades, and completely beyond someone without the grounding and training that’s easily available today. Today, mind you, not a decade ago.
 
That’s what is precious about it. This "thing" we call science is the end result of YEARS of constant building and improving and if suddenly wiped from the earth it wouldn’t be recoverable without centuries of toil (and a lot of luck) ….MORE….

 WOW!  Read the above and tell me that’s just not utterly brilliant!

So let’s now take those ideas and apply them to the most important person you could ever imagine…YOU!

Tell me now….are YOU irreplaceable?  Hmmmm?

In the corporate world, it’s been said that NOBODY is irreplaceable.  I do suppose that does make sense - you don’t want your company’s bottom line to be dependent upon one sole individual whose absence would cause sheer financial panic!

But…..what about in your own personal teeny tiny network?  You know what I mean…your family, your friends, your loved ones….do you make yourself so unique and loved that if you were to disappear tomorrow, nobody could even come close to the magnificence you offer today?

I know I do!  Besides being godlike when it comes to raising my kids, turning on a dime with regards to the economy, and always knowing how to create profitable products, I also:

• Go out of my way to help out my friends
• Proactively look out for my colleagues online…and alert them when issues arise about which they need to know
• Constantly show my husband, kids and loved ones just how unique and important they are

You see, your life ISN’T only what HAPPENS to you…it’s also how you CHOOSE to affect others in your network.

So many times, I hear people tell me, yes, I heard that so-and-so came down with a cold/flu/terminal case of death/etc., but you know, business being what it is…I just didn’t have time to drop an email to ask how they’re doing or call or what have you.

Think about it.  It takes less than 2 minutes to send a message that says, Hey!  Someone cares about you!

And looking out for your friends online?  It takes less time than spilling your coffee to set up a Google alert to be notified when someone’s company or business or name/etc. pops up online.  And because Google automatically can send you that information when it happens, voila - you can then simply notify your friends/family what’s currently taking place online.

Making yourself irreplaceable means you don’t ONLY look out for Number One…it also means you ENHANCE your loved one’s life by your presence in it.

And truly….being a stalwart friend or parent or lover really IS what makes the world  go ’round.

It’s something upon which to think, eh?

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps - speaking about irreplaceable, have you seen these one of a kind:

a uniqe one of a kind lenin’s portret on jewelery box

One of a Kind Charcoal Drawing Signed COA No Reserve

HANDMADE - ONE OF A KIND Purse Handbag

BOB MARLEY X LARGE T SHIRT ONE OF A KIND RASTA LOVE XL

14K SOLID YELLOW GOLD PENDANT-ONE OF A KIND-RARE!!

Handmade, One of a Kind, Ruby Wire Ring

Chandelier Earrings, ONE OF A KIND, Handmade,

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

Today I awakened to the following in my mailbox from the DailyDose!  To wit:

…It would not be at all strange if history came to the conclusion that the perfection of the bicycle was the greatest incident of the nineteenth century.
 
Unknown
 
Really? Is the bicycle THAT amazing? You know what? It is. In fact, I think we definitely need to look deeper into this amazing device. But for today I’ll merely note one way in which the bicycle demonstrates its mojo:

Look at any college campus and what do you see. Lots and lots of bicycles. BUT. Are they all new?
 
The answer is - no. It’s staggering how many bicycles from the 1960’s and 70’s are still serving yeoman duty ferrying students back and forth. They’re such a marvel of design that they’re close to immortal. Slap some new tires on, lubricate the moving parts and you’re good for another few years of use.
 
They don’t just keep working - they keep working well. If they’re stolen they continue to be used - they’re not chopped up for parts as stolen cars are. Once a student graduates he might well just leave the bike - and it’s ready for a new semester with a new owner.
 
How many artifacts are there with the same degree of "works today, works tomorrow, never goes out of fashion?" Not many…MORE…

My imagination was captivated by the above words…so I decided to do some quality investigation over at your friend and mine, YouTube!  Check out the very first Bike tricks recording anywhere by Thomas Edison back in 1899:

Is that cool or what?  Think about it - an invention from over a hundred years ago…and you still see them here today!

Which brings me to the point of this post.

Tell me now, and be painfully honest….are your skills so timeless that no matter WHAT happens in the economy…you can turn on a dime and still be successful?

Hmmm?

Or are you one of those "Must…..have….latest……greatest……tool!" folk who continuously try this thing and that…but never stay long enough at something to truly master it?

Now so, more than ever, you simply NEED to put into place a process that WORKS.

And by WORKS, I mean something upon which you can depend to deliver a reliable income.  It could be your consulting, it could be your info-product selling, it could be your salaried paycheck….

SOMETHING.

This is NOT a time for analysis/paralysis!  If you are seized by an insane desire to succeed, you need to get yourself out there and create your own success….because nobody else will do it for you.

I remember back in 2004 when I broke the Google SEO code and brought in 250K that year.  Back then, I was able to achieve top 10 ranking for any (and I mean ANY, like "1957 ford" or "mesothelioma lawyer") keyphrase whatsoever.  But to design that pages that raked in this money, I had two choices - either teach myself complicated programming or fall back upon one of my Stone Age skills - that of masterful KSH hacking.

I opted for the second, and the rest was history.  I learned the sensual pleasures of KSH, gosh, hmmmm back in 1988…and was then able to apply those lessons 16 years later and milk Adsense to the hilt.

Gosh those were the days! 

Anywhos, the point remains.  Never abandon hard-won skills of your past simply because of the latest/greatest thingees that might emerge tomorrow!  To this day, I use my KSH skills to whip out scripted pages that would otherwise takes hours or days to complete.   Dinosaur-time?  Perhaps….but the end results speak for themselves.

Timelessness - make certain your reputation and abilities exude this quality.  It can truly make you stand head and shoulders above the crowd.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps - speaking of timeless, have you seen:

David Copperfield - a timeless classic - New DVD

PEVONIA CAVIAR TIMELESS REPAIR CREAM 1.7OZ

New CD Timeless Christmas The Glenn Miller Orchestra

2005 TIMELESS TREASURES ROD CAREW DUAL JERSEY AUTO 4 25

New Wilton Print your own invitations- TIMELESS ribbon

Timeless Treasures Retro Bowl Bowling Pins Fabric Yard

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

Ah, the sun is shining, the birdies are mooing and the cows are tweeting and oh yes, that reminds me! 

How’s the economy (I mean, pardon me, the "Opportunity to experience great financial frustration!") treating you?

That good, eh?  Well, I hate to be the bearer of lousy news but….it’s only going to get worse and worse.

Although….that can actually be a wonderful thing for you personally…IF you know to how shine bright and sterling ahead of any of your possible competitors!

And that brings me to the point of this post.  Humble people that many of us are, we generally are loath to toot our own horn and gently express to the waiting world with the quiet elegance of the Northern Lights….just WHY we’re head and shoulders above any possible other consultant or job candidate one can imagine.

Does this sound like you?  If so, I have some utterly soul-searing agonizing advice to offer - lose the humility!

You see, you can be more certain than the demise of an ice-cream sundae that visits a steel smelting furnace that other individuals have no such scruples…and will figuratively hire a brass band to ensure THEIR credentials are examined FIRST ahead of yours.

Not good whatsoever, wouldn’t you say?

So!  Onto the purpose of this post - why SHOULD anyone hire you?  And I’m even talking solely about "hire for a new job" - this can also be applied to consulting as well.

What IS it that you do superior to the rest of the world?  Hmmmm?

Remember, companies will not look to hire you out of the goodness of their hearts.  They’re in business to make money!  They’re in business to succeed.  So it makes sense that the people who interview you will be far more favorably impressed with you if you’re quietly aware of all the benefits you can bring to their corporation.

Perhaps you’re the kind of person who doesn’t leave a problem until it is solved.  Maybe…

• You’re the best in vendor negotiations. 
• You are known for completing projects in a timely fashion.
• You are skilled above and beyond the call of duty in helping fellow employees learn the company ropes. 
• You’re the number one sales person in a specific franchise.
• You can perform the duties required in your sleep. 
• You’re a recognized leader in your industry. 

See?

You need to articulate just what you bring to the table…and deliver that information in a self-confident, purposeful fashion.

One of the best ways to do this is to include an "Accomplishments" and a "Why Hire Me?" page on your own personal branded website. 

The benefits to this are huge!!  Remember how recruiters and employers will find your site in the first place….quite often, they’ll come across it from your profiles, your resume, your signature link in your forum posts, your Twitter Twelcome page and the like.

When these individuals visit your site, you HAVE to grab their attention within the first 15 seconds.  And proactively answering the WIIFM question ("what’s in it for me to continue learning more about you?") is a very wise thing to do indeed!

You can spell out in terms even your Aunt Bertha could understand…just what it is you DO bring to the table.  Your past accomplishments!  Your present successes!  Your industry awards! 

You can spend time crafting such things up yourself…or you can check out my latest job-seeker tool, The Job Seeker’s Power Advantage.  I’ve already created a template that requires you to simply fill in all the goodies about yourself and voila - instant professional web presence online. 

No tweaking with the look and feel, no coding required….I’ve done it all for you. 

You can see an active working example over at Wallace Harkness.com.  I invite you to tell me now….what impression do you think that leaves anyone who visits?  And the best news is…the deluxe version costs LESS than a night for 4 at the movies.

If you’re looking to brand yourself online as THE person to hire…ahead of the thundering herd…do yourself a favor and check it out now.  Remember, it’s the smart and savvy professionals who take advantage of what the Internet has to offer them in terms of tipping the scales in their benefits….it just makes great business sense.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps - speaking about careers, have you seen:

Emanual Ungaro Men’s Olive Wool Business Suit 38 R

BLACK WOOL WOVEN DB BUSINESS SUIT MEN 42L 42 L,36 28

KUPPENHEIMER GRAY PINSTRIPE WOOL BUSINESS SUIT 40R 40 R

NWT Mimi Maternity Black Business Career Suit Wool L

Emerald Green 100% Wool Business Suit Size 18 Tall

Ladies’ Grey Wool Business Suit – Excellent Condition

WOOL CHECK WINDOWPANE BUSINESS SUIT MEN 42R 42 R,36 31

Ralph Lauren navy blue 2 button business suit 42 R (Y54

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

Well!  So you might have noticed…the economy, far from rebounding like a kangaroo (pardon me) hopped up on Mexican Jumping Beans, has instead attached cement filled lead boots to its spiffy heels, taken a leap off the logic train, and plummeted down to the Cave of Caerbannog, where a moose…once bit my sister.  

But I digress. 

Anywhos, if you’re not considering turning on a dime to confront today’s economy, you’re more of a fool than that dapper young man who strapped freshly killed salmon to his waist in order to make friends with the local grizzly bear population!

Now, if you’re someone of a web-bent individual, you can take advantage of your knowledge and help local companies who do NOT possess an online presence…gain one with the greatest of ease!

And given the amount of utterly clueless fools who call themselves website designers or Internet marketing consultants…it’s simpler than one would think.  :-/

You see, if you know to how, oh, say, gee….search Google effectively, you’re 34 steps ahead of the majority of non-techie peoples online.  Add to that the ability to build webpages, and voila - suddenly you’re viewed as the Ultimate of Business Saviors when you approach businesses who are desperate to build their own storefront online.

One of the best resources for this is the Off Line Business portal.  This excellent membership site takes you thru:

• Getting Started
• Email Marketing
• Finding Clients
• Forms and Documents
• Internet Marketing
• Local SEO
• Outsourcing Help
• Pay Per Click
• Success Stories
• Power Tips
• Templates

and much much more! 

If you’re looking to get a jumpstart in becoming an Internet consultant and start to generate a healthy flow of business for brick and mortar companies, you simply need to check this site out - it flattenes your learning curve faster than an elephant can compress a grape with nary a wine.  :)  Thus…check it out, Off Line Business portal!

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps - speaking of business consulting, have you seen:

Make MONEY Computer Consultant Home CASH Business!

PARTYLITE CONSULTANT 250 Personalized Business Cards

Hewlett Packard HP 19B Business Consultant II HP-19B

Travel Agent Consultant Industry Business Positions

Tyler Hicks Business Consultant Broker Finders Fees Kit

PERSONALIZED BUSINESS CONSULTANT CLOCK! NICE! NEW!

NEW Business Plan Guide for Independent Consultants

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

Today is the ever-joyful Education Association conference scheduled at the Atlantic City Casinos!  Okay, true, no, not the casinos (and jeepers, their webmaster is ‘waaaay behind the times, as it’s updated to the remarkably distant past of 2007.  Makes me glad that the technology teacher of my hometown is an expert on website design!!) but the convention center.  And that means….my kids…they be at home!  Wheeeee!

So!  Today I gave my kids off and they’re currently rattling around and taking it easy (yes!  even Mean Mommy Ling is capable of surprising kindness!), while my husband and I cleaned out more of the garage and tackled work as well.  And while I was flexing my massively huge biceps and deltoids and effortlessly slinging about our MommyMobile and glass shelving (because remember, nothing says LOVE! like glass shelving), I realized something most important.

I’m busy being SuperMom and SuperWife and SuperEntrepreneur….but whatever happened to SuperMe?

I’m pretty certain I’m not the only individual with this issue as well.  Think about it - how do you define yourself?  Do you introduce yourself as "Fang’s Mom" or "Spike’s Spouse"? 

Or do you say instead, hi!  I’m me!  Me me ME!

You see, most of my waking hours is spent either Mom-izing or Wife-izing or Business-izing…the only time I ME-ize is during my beloved karate katas and sparring.  But surely…I’m much more than just that!

There’s Barbara the mom and Barbara the wife and Barbara the webmaster and Barbara the All-Powerful KSH hacker and …. whatever happened to Barbara the woman?

Whatever happened…indeed.

This realization flattened me earlier today because I remembered - this weekend, I had planned on kidnapping the husband for a few hours and taking a nice long walk on the boardwalk MINUS the kids (can you imagine?  Grown-up time!) and enjoying each other’s company.

But then…I also was offered the opportunity to train up north in various aspects of Martial Arts this weekend as well.

What to do?  Which to choose?

My husband, of course, is a superior priority over just about anything.  And yet…it really IS terrific to be able to be just "Barbara the woman" and indulge in pastimes only I appreciate…without feeling that I’m neglecting those other 76 various "Barbara The  Fill-In-The-Blank" sides of me.

And then, like a blinding flash of, well, common sense, it came to me - I could do double the driving on the weekend…kidnap the husband on Saturday, and then dedicate Sunday to my own personal pursuits.

I floated this idea to the husband and was met with a resounding "JEEPERS BARB, WHAT A TERRIFIC IDEA!"

You see, I firmly believe in honoring all the different aspects of WHO you are…but also in NOT losing site of your deepest, most personal side as well.

One of the benefits I have my marriage is that both my husband and I can happily give each other permission to joyfully go bananas with whatever activity is in question.  For example, I am NOT a movie-watcher in general, but my husband adores decompressing via this activity.  And he’s a lover, not a fighter…and bemusedly accepts the fact I adore sparring with folks 74 times more skill than me and ending up with bruises in the most fascinating of places. 

Thus, we don’t feel threatened by other activities that take us apart from one another, because we both know our love is more stable than diamonds.

Still, though, it’s nice to have couple-time too!  Thus….by dint of my utterly magnificent common sense approach to the starkly different aspects of my personality, I’m able to satisfy BOTH.

And that, of course, can only be described as a Very Good Thing Indeed!

Wouldn’t you say? 

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps - speaking about romance, have you seen:

3 Bath and Body Works Breathe Romance Body Lotion Large

Haunted Wiccan Gypsy FAIRY TALE ROMANCE spell 925 ring

### PROMOTION Betty Neels Romance 20 LOT EBOOK CD!!!!

NEW Pure Romance Tickle His Pickle Dr Sadie Book

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Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

And how are you today?  So nice to see you swing by my blog, for I shall now regale you with a tale of utterly amazing idjutness that is so other-worldly, it’s worthy of the Darwin Awards!

You see, it all started yesterday at the YMCA gym.  No, actually, that’s not true - it really started at Halloween, when I was brazenly attacked by insane amounts of chocolate bar goodness, Milk Duds and other tasty unmentionables that devasated my good eating habits into teeny tiny bits.  Add to that no exercise, and you have a recipe for one, ahem, out-of-shape mom.

So!  Yesterday at the gym, I pounced on my beloved upper body "bash the body workout" routine, and…

No!  Wait wait wait!   Prior to going to the gym, I decided to indulge in the "sit down, stand up, front kick left, sit down, stand up, front kick right" exercise that dissolves your leg muscles while waiting for the school bus.  I managed 120 of those and figured, golly, I’m still walking!  Let’s see what ELSE I can achieve!

But I digress.  Let’s return to the gym and….

The good news is, prior to that day, my record for a left handed arm curl was 35 pounds - yet I managed to blast past that and complete 3 sets of 8 reps of 40 pounds.  Wow!  Not only that, but I was able to leg-press 220 pounds, lat-pull down 150 pounds, and otherwise really out-do myself weight-lifting wise.

Now, should that have been my only exercise, life would have been peachy indeed….but yours truly kinda sorta neglected to realize, yesterday was Tuesday…the day of my beloved adult karate sparring class! 

Let me digress now for a moment and explain in excruciatingly dire calm sentences just how foolishly ill-advised that was.  Karate sparring (get this!) requires you to (are you sitting down now?) hold your hands UP to block punches (Jeepers Barb, ya think?). 

That’s quite a challenge if you’ve already burned out your biceps hours prior to the activity!

So!  There was yours truly, stretching out and warming up for adult karate sparring/kata class.  We always begin with a series of stretches and kicks etc to get the blood flowing (and the good news here is that for the first time (yes!  Mom rocks!) I was able to left/right lunges WITHOUT having to use my hands to push off/balance!).  These wonderful workouts reminded me that I had toasted my quads/glutes as well earlier in the day, leaving my legs about as strong as a soggy wet paper bag.

But!  Did I acknowledge this?  ‘Course not!  That would have been sane!  

Anywhos, we ran thru some great katas (I really adore katas) and then tackled sparring.  For the next 13 minutes (only 13 minutes mind you, 13 minutes), I went against some decent sparrings and some excellent sparrers and realized - the fact it’s been 5 weeks since I’ve last fought was painfully obvious indeed.

In a word - incompetence - thy name was Barbara!

Still, though, I really…REALLY! adored the activity.  I went against one of my favorite senseis, Sensei Infinite (he of the infinite patience) who totally obliterated me (I tried to take him down, he reversed the process and down I crashed instead, he was able to pound on me BUT! I kept my cool enough to roll away and get back to my feet…alas, I did lose my temper a bit later on and thoroughly deserved the punch(es) I took after that), against some other folks, and regretfully forgot one of the most important aspects of sparring - breathing!  I was so out of breath by the end, I could have crumpled into the floor in a heap of wrung-out sawdust. 

Drats.  I really regressed in my techniques.  Wah!  But I’m sure I’ll pick them back up again later.

After class, I returned home…and then endured the realization that those 13 minutes utterly pulverized my body to the point I was aching in joints I never realized I possessed.  Think "brick wall minus the concrete!"  I was lucky if I had 4 hours of sleep last evening….and today will be spent being most gentle on my body indeed.

So!  As I firmly believe everything happens for a reason, you’re probably saying to yourself right now….Jeepers Barb, what did you learn from this?

Golly, what a smashing question!

I learned that:

• Stop sparring for 5 weeks, and you get more incompetent than a parakeet trying to wield King Arthur’s sword.
• Even if you end up on the floor being beaten into sawdust, you don’t have to give into panic - stay focused and you can recover. 
• If you lose your temper when sparring, you’re not simply toast - you’re that lone marshmallow that bravely leapt off the stick at the campfire and ended up being burned into oblivion.
• If you fry your biceps and lats and deltoids and triceps and glutes and quads earlier in the day, you’ll be more than sizzled on a pan left on the stove too long at Adult Sparring - you’ll be roasted ashes stuck on a BBQ grill instead.
• If you can lose your ego and  admit to yourself that folks a weee bit younger than you are 38 times better than you’ll ever be, even when you’re incompetent….you still learn huge amounts of wisdom.

Wow.  Yesterday really was one super class indeed.  I’ll be paying for it big-time today (she said, as she hobbled from coffee cup to computer back to coffee cup), but jeepers….I really can’t say enough good things about karate, sparring, kata and the rest.  It truly is character-building for sure!

And how was YOUR evening? 

Time to make the donuts,

Barbara Ling

ps - speaking about karate, have you seen:

White Gi Karate Kid Judo Kung Fu Rubber Duck Novelty

Mitose kenpo kempo Karate Jiu jitsu ed parker

Cobra Kai Karate Kid Costume XL Low Price

Karate Champ NES game , Great Classic

6 pc Macho Sparring Gear Set ATA TKD , Karate Any Size

Martial Arts-KARATE FOR KIDS Motivate Energize NEW DVD

Karate Kid Collection Box Set (2005, DVD) new

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

The Recession….it’s on us.

Are you prepared?

Awhile back, Forbes.com released their Top 10 Recession Proof Jobs.  Apparently, they’re:

• Sales Representative/Business Development
• Software Design/Development
• Nursing
• Accounting & Finance Executive
• Accounting Staff
• Networking/Systems Administration
• Administrative Assistant
• Business Analysis: Software Implementation
• Business Analysis: Research
• Finance Staff

And jobFox has a complete listing of them over here.

Which, of course, brings me to the next question….if you’re an online Internet marketer or entrepreneur, how can you take advantage of this?

Easy!  You simply satisify the WANTS prevalent in the above industries

(NOTE!  NOT the "needs" (although you’ll tackle those too) - the WANTS.  People generally buy WANTS far more often than NEEDS).

And that, of course, brings me to….

What do people in Recession Proof industries WANT?

Hmmmmm?

Well, of the top of me head, I can think of several things!

First off, the people in these industries ARE people….and most likely they have the same desires and wants to buy/experience that everyone else does.  Thus, it makes sense that marketing to individuals in the above industries means you’re marketing to people with more money to spend.

But how can you make your offerings appealing?  How can you slant them towards your newly-targeted market?

Enter a nifty simple research trick!

Let’s say that you’ve decided to market to nurses.  A great way to find out WANTS and the like is to search for industry forums…and then see what problems/challenges are being discussed like so:

• nurse forums

brings you to All Nurses Forums, for example.  What are some of the topics you’ll see?  As of today, they include:

• CEN - Study Help and More!
• Question? - Critical thinking Help!
• Job Search Etiquette? Help me?

You could build sites/infoproducts around:

• How to ace the CEN
• Critical Thinking Mastery
• Secrets to Securing Nursing Employment

Even if you choose NOT to build an infoproduct, you can use your friend and mine, Amazon.com, to help populate nursing-related stores as well!  For example, look at my

• RISE Recruiters Store

This was created by the nifty program Associate-O-Matic and took less than 5 minutes to set up.  Amazon.com has lots of nursing goodies, including:

Thus, it stands to reason that you can create for yourself a destination site about your industry….and monetize it by giving visitors easy access to what they want to buy.  eBay also is great for this too!

Remember…with the economy as miserable as it is now (and increasing in its despair)…NOW is the time for you to take stock of the future and make things happen.  After all, if you do not….who on earth will do so FOR you?

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps - speaking about the recession, have you seen:

LIVE WELL ON A SHOESTRING -DEBT RECESSION PROOF- NEW

Dave Ramsey Mixed Bag Recession Kit

Poor Collector’s Recession Special 1918 Inverted Jenny

CHICAGO BEARS HELMET COLLECTIBLE PIN! BUSH RECESSION $

NEW! Young Jeezy - The Recession! Played ONCE! MINT!

John Q 2002 DVD Washington Heche Duvall Recession

RECESSION- TIME ARITHMETIC & OTHER ELEMENTARY SUBJECTSE

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara