Reblogged From My Friend G f
For a short time I attempted borrowing books from the library. Unfortunately it’s inconvenient for me to get to the library so I was always bringing them back late.
I’ve gone back to buying my books and I generally use Amazon.
Today I went into Borders and wandered around. I love seeing the books they are promoting, picking them up, reading the back, maybe even reading the first couple of pages to get a feel for the writing.
I found a whole bunch of books that I would like to read so I pulled up my Amazon iPhone application, added them to my wishlist, went home and purchased them on Amazon for far less than the Borders retail price. Sneaky, but fiscally responsible.
-By Mike Mulhall, The Entrepreneur
In the books, magazines, and blogs I read, everyone is talking about the power of visualizing your success.
One book in particular said that visualizing your goals in your mind is one thing, but creating a tangible visual aid is even more powerful.
I always tell colleagues one of my ultimate goals is to be on the cover of Wired magazine. So, instead of just imagining the light at the end of my entrepreneurial tunnel, I made it shine right in front of my face literally. Honestly, deep down, I can see it happening! It’s a great feeling.
I used Adobe Photoshop, but I found some great sites anyone can use to create magazine cover. Let’s face it, if you make it onto on the cover of your industry’s magazine, you’re doing well. The sites are:
But look beyond my example. A magazine doesn’t have to be your beacon. Visualize whatever it is for you and then make a tangible reminder to keep you on track. Get creative and try having fun with it. Maybe your goal is to buy a new car or a house in the near future. Try it out and see what happens.
“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” — Sigmund Freud (via Julie911)
I know this is true….but it doesn’t make today any easier….
REBLOGGED FROM SHEY.NET:
Tumblr launched one of its first revenue-generating programs today, allowing a select group of blogs (not sure how they’re selected, but the three options it gave me happened to be my three most popular blogs) to feature themselves in the Tumblr directory for a nominal fee — categories range from about $9 to $19 to feature your blog for a week. Here’s the link.
The process is ridiculously easy and fun — I tried it out and featured shey.net in about ten minutes (including Photoshop time) while visiting the Tumblr gang at their office today. The results were almost instant — as soon as the feature went up, I saw new followers start popping up in my timeline (thanks, guys!).
Screen shots of the process below.
1. Enter your info:
2. Get thanked:
3. In your face, Gary and Dens!
HERE’S WHERE I CHIME IN:
This is a great assist for a money-making basket (follow the basketball metaphor please); however, you still have to shoot a three-pointer not a lay-up.
The traffic comes your way, but to pay the rent from your blog you must:
- Maintain their attention.
- Manipulate tumblr to facilitate ads.
Neither can be done by a rookie.
Tim Shey, who blogged this entry, is actually a headof the one of the web’s largest video content distributors, NextNewNetworks (that co-produced TMI and LifeExperiment). That didn’t happen over night. On a MUCH smaller scale, I came into the blogosphere with a built-in audience and guidance from other leaders in the industry.
Your Tumblr blog can be monetized, it’s just not as easy as a click. That’s all I’m saying.
UPDATE from Twitter: @Moth (TimShey) The lovely + intelligent @MaryRambin points out why my last post was titled “Make Me Famous” and not “Make Me Rich.” 
Ummm….Ok, I won’t judge a book by its cover.
“Dad alwyas said a person must have a magnificent reason for writing out his or her Life Story and expecting anyone to read it. ‘Unless your name is something along the lines of Mozart, Matisse, Churchill, Che Guevara, or Bond – James Bond – you best spend your free time finger painting of playing shuffleboard, for no one, with the exception of your flabby-armed mother with stiff hair and a mashed-potato way of looking at you, will want to hear the particulars of your pitiable existance….” – Special Topics in Calamaty Physics, by Marish Pesse
You’ve just read the first few lines in my latest literary venture. My, how generations change!
The Times and USA Today wrote rave reviews about this book, aligning the author with well-known novelists that are still obscure to this novice. But of course the quote from Vogue hit home:
“Wity and exuberatnt, it is part coming-of-age, part road-trip adventure, part idiosyncratic Great Books survey, with dashes of romantic comedy and murder mystery thrown in.” — Vogue
Although young, author Marisha Pessel now has this New York Times Best Seller under her belt and won over the veteran critics.
You’re probably thinking to yourself at this point, “but what is the book about?” Honestly, I still don’t know. It’s the tale of a brilliant young girl that goes away to school in a small town after a “series of inexplicable events” that “[results] in an explosion of energy, light, and heartbreak.”
The book was suggested by a friend whom I revere for his, yes HIS, literary scholarship, and as you’ve read, the critics applaud her writing. Maybe I’ll pick up a thing or two 
I can’t wait to dive in!
(Cover via, photo via)
The title of this post started off as “While I Was Brushing My Teeth Tonight” but then I thought to myself, “I actually want them to read this post, and that title is far from compelling, so just tell them to read it.”
But, I’m still gonna entertain you with iPhone pics of me brushing my teeth. Dream come true I’m sure.
It dawned on me earlier that between myself, the bloggers I incorporated in my posts, Nutritionista, and Ron, we posted some quality content on the blog yesterday. And come to think of it, this week has been pretty solid. However, if readers only spend an average of less than 2 minutes on the home page, you’re missing info we find to be interesting and valuable.
Rebloggers used to give me a hard time for being too fluffy and self-centered, but now people asking for and DEMANDING more pictures and posts about me and Mason. I mean…I can’t win this battle.
Friday is usually my “Travel” day, which admittedly is the weakest theme, but I’m working on making it stronger.
I realize that most of you have not been reading my blog since the StyleByMaryRambin days and should revisit some of the tips I talked about back then.
All of that being said, I have pretty cool travel tip to share with you today. I was surprised to see this website that would allow all of you to travel the world like I do (on some level).
But before I do that, I want you to revisit what we at MTM have shared with you over the course of this week that you might have missed. We put A LOT of effort into this site which right now is yielding us very little rent money. So since we’re not asking you to pay up, we only ask that you take a minute to read. I read every one of your emails and personally provide lengthy answers, many times with links to posts I have recently written and you have missed.
So today, travel back through MTM this week and take away a few tips we have loved having in our lives. Below I’ve posted the bottom line, not the title, so you can pick and choose which are most applicable to you.
Fitness:
Fashion:
Living:
Food (scroll down the page) or:
So now that you’ve caught up on what’s going on with us and with you, get back to work!
The following article reads like a page ripped right out of a Self or Redbook, but I implore you to take 30 seconds to read it and 60 seconds to let the message sink in.
Finding Balance in Work and Life – by Dr. Christina Grant
When you are in balance and harmony with life you can be most effective in your business. What you want to achieve suffers when you are too much engrossed in the tasks or worries of work and not taking time to maintain harmony within your body, mind, and spirit.
Most of us have been trained to work hard. If we are not working hard, we have been programmed to feel guilty about not working hard. Ever heard someone called lazy because they weren’t working hard enough?
Hard work has held the promise of reward, but there is a downside if we find ourselves not enjoying the living of it all. If balance between work and life outside of work is not maintained, your well-being can suffer, harming your peace of mind, physical health, and your relationships.
Even if you love your work, thrive on it, and can do it all day and into the night, it is important to take some time to rest and create a balance. Stop, reflect, restore, and revitalize. Your relationships need attention, your spirit needs nurturing, your body needs care, and your mind needs some time off. If these are neglected, is there any amount of success that can make up for their loss?
I think it is important to work at something you love, or at least like. Simultaneously, it is important to pay attention to your inner world. This helps you maintain a healthy balance. There are 10 simple things you can do each day to aid you in this worthy endeavor. I practice them myself and hope you will join me.
1. Inhale with awareness.
2. Walk in nature, even for just 10 minutes. Aim for 30.
3. Sit in silence and still your mind for at least 10 minutes each day.
4. Notice if you are thirsty, hungry, tired. What do you do about it?
5. While eating, slow down and give your full attention.
6. Avoid people who consume your energy.
7. Embrace people who accept and support your endeavors.
8. Regard the beauty of your surroundings.
9. Appreciate the freedom and ability to work or establish a business of your own.
10. Exhale completely.
Small banks suck (to put it plainly). I don’t care what you’ve heard or what you think; using a small bank for your business needs is risky and can be detrimental to your success. This is one case where BIGGER is better.
For my businesses, I’ve gone the small bank route and was burned multiple times. You’ve heard it all before:
- “Small banks care more about their customers and provide better service” – FALSE
- “It’s easier to get a loan or line of credit” – Ehhh! Try again…
- “Small banks make less risky investments and are more safe and secure for my money” – Are you kidding me?
The larger banks have so many more tools that can make life easier for an entrepreneur. But most of all, they provide better security for your money. In a time when identity theft is rampant and fraudulent online transactions are growing exponentially, the larger banks are taking huge strides to combat this.
Most large banks are also publicly traded, meaning their books are open to the public. There are many savvy businessmen that won’t use a certain bank until they’ve combed through their balance sheets and investment practices. Good luck trying to get that kind of information from a “Mom and Pop” bank. Considering the recent economic collapse and torrent of bank failures, this type of caution should always be exercised.
Trust me…stick with the big guys on this one.
I use Bank of America. And I always will.
On Saturday, Mase and I set up the Roku box* that arrived last week.
Even for me, the electronically challenged, I was able to connect the box and get it going within minutes.
I knew it streamed Netflix to my tv, but had no idea I could buy movies on Amazon Video, access the stations on my Pandora account, and get channels from a few other web networks. Unfortunately the box can’t play all of the movies Netflix has avaialbe; only 140 are at your fingertips on the “Instant Queue.” The selection is mediocre, but you’re sure to find something that isn’t in your DVD library.
Like Heros! The Netflix queue has the entire first season. Mase and I have never seen the show everyone raves about so it was the obvious choice. We planned on watching a couple of episodes, but if you’ve ever seen Heros, you know it can be addictive. So one episode led to another….and we passed out after 6…..
The next morning I was ready to take Mason out for a walk, press some coffee, turn on Meet The Press, but he gave me the eye that said, “I ain’t movin’ until we finish Episode 6.”
So he got his way, then I had mine.
A lovely, lazy weekend over here. Hope you enjoyed yours.
More to come on the Roku box after I explore other channels.
(*Full Disclosure: Roku sent over a test box that I will return after I’ve written a review.)
