Volume 1, Issue 10
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A MsXMedia Publication
today
CREATE
FREEDOM Bridging Business and Purpose
Self Limiting Beliefs Let Your SuperPowers Shine!
DUAL ENERGIES
One Body
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Common Financial Mistakes
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Sometimes we may feel alone or unsure while living our life journey. Like a mermaid (or merman) we are enduring in strength and will. Honor that strength and rest upon a shore on occasion - the waves will wait.
MermaidsInPow-
Painting by Marjorie Schoelles Available at SeahorseGallery.com
Volume 1, Issue 10
!
today
CREATE
Check out Page 11 for Technology & Marketing News
FREEDOM
FEATURES Limiting Beliefs They are the sneaky mind chatter that can keep us from moving forward and living our true, brilliant life
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A MsXMedia Publication
Bridging Business and Purpose Publisher Letter An inside look at what this issue of Create Freedom Today magazine is all about.
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...and MORE WordWorthy This months suggested reading “The Biology of Belief�
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Entrepreneur Spotlight An interview with Debbie Elder
ENERGY Dualities exist everywhere, especially inside us. Learn to recognize and embrace our unique ability to live and love fully as we integrate the whole
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MONEY There is no reason to wait till you are moving toward retirement to learn and change the way you harness the benefits of planning your financial future
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CREATE BreakThrough Habit #8 Honor your Creative Self!
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Ask Ms.X From business to creativity, answers to member submitted questions.
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Resources Looking for inspiration or help - our trusted resource partners are the best!
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Create Freedom Today magazine is published monthly by Ms X Media. Free subscriptions are available by signing up at www.MsXmedia.com. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. Interested in advertising? Please contact support@msxmedia.com The statements and opinions of the contributing writers and artists are their own, no warranty or results are assumed or guaranteed by publisher.
Publisher Letter
Marjorie Schoelles
CEO, MsXmedia.com MermaidsInPowerSuits.com MermaidSand.com
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or years I observed October and the growing Breast Cancer Awareness campaign with appreciation, and a certain amount of detachment. The disease had never impacted family or a friend directly. It was a year ago this month I found the first lump - leading eight weeks later to a double mastectomy. Doctors visits, tests and many nights being held and comforted by my husband filled the 8 weeks leading up to surgery. Questions ran through my head. “What if it’s moved in to the lymph nodes? Will I be here this time next year?” Even in the more desperate moments, I also realized I was experiencing a tremendous gift. So often we go through life not really present in the moment. Not enjoying our current loves or rejoicing in our existing abundance. I learned to be present in the moment, sometimes scared, other times playful and always grateful for the love of friends and family. 2
I was also fortunate with amazing surgeons and their support staff. Once again, thank you to everyone involved in my recovery - most of all to my gracious and caring husband Tony - a true soulmate. What also came from the experience was an unwavering acknowledgment that WE are the only ones responsible for our mind set. EACH OF US has an opportunity to choose fear or courage, scarcity or abundance. And to give ourselves permission to forgive, most of all, ourselves. So from the surgery through recovery I had a tremendous opportunity to decide what I REALLY wanted from this life. To continue on as a VP in a corporate environment that was stressful and often times in conflict with my integrity... or to blaze my own path, living my true life purpose. Nothing beats questioning the number of days you have left as incentive to start living! And as you may have guessed, I have chosen to live my purpose, with this magazine being an example of shifting my own self limiting beliefs. From “not good enough” to “I can do that - people will want to hear and see what I can help them with.”
with a sailor that wore a cape and could pull his belt tight, giving him the powers of the universe. I barely remember, but the story lives on in the family, of me running around with a pillow case clutched around my neck, with my father’s belt cinched tightly, proclaiming “I HAVE DA POWER OF DA UNYBERSE”
Hence the cute refrigerator art my brother-in-law Jerry put together for my birthday. No, that’s not me in action, but I believe a very close representation of how fierce I could be at that age. Amazing what we let go of as we “grow up.” And guess what? You also have the power of the universe - waiting and eager to be claimed - just beyond your self limiting beliefs. Life is meant to be LIVED - and Dreams brought to reality. Go get em!
When I was about 4 years old, there was a cartoon that I loved, Claim You FREE Subscription of Create Freedom Today! at MsXmedia.com
MISSION: VISION:
To enhance the lives of young adult cancer patients, ages 18-40, with any type of cancer at any stage. To continue to work diligently to provide young adults managing cancer a better chance at a successful journey towards remission.
3LITTLEBIRDS4LIFE.org Create Freedom Today! MsXmedia 3
Licia Berry’s multi part series on recognizing, balancing and integrating the masculine and feminine within us.
Dual Energies
One Body
Male and female represent the two sides of the great radical dualism. But in fact they are perpetually passing into one another. Fluid hardens to solid, solid rushes to fluid. There is no wholly masculine man, no purely feminine woman. -Margaret Fuller Licia Berry 2014
Put gender out of your mind as you read this article series; when I say feminine and masculine, I am speaking about qualities of energy, not our gender. Remember the atom, made of the two distinct and oppositely charged electron and proton? We are made of these two distinct energies, at an atomic level, and that includes human beings, whether we are female or male. Whether you are in a woman’s body or a man’s, you contain BOTH of these energies. These energies play out in every area of our lives…nothing escapes these two dual energies because everything in the physical universe is MADE of them at an atomic level! How we behave, how we think, how we feel…our physical body, our emotions, our mind, and everything we create and do are impacted by the interplay of these two energies. 4
Nature is balanced in the use of these two energies. It is only in us human beings that we can make choices (through our wonderful and wacky free will) that are out of alignment with what is life affirming. Because we live in a world culture that is out of balance, we have been trained to be out of balance, too. The purpose in looking at the qualities of the feminine and masculine is that by identifying them we can know how to apply them consciously in our lives. Over many thousands of years, the feminine energies have been made invisible through our development of our left brain/reason/patriarchal culture. Much of the suffering we see in the world is a result of this imbalance of these two energies. By identifying qualities of energy that we are already utilizing in our lives, we can make the invisible visible, and utilize the feminine qualities in
balance and partnership with the masculine energies, changing our lives and our world for the better. In my years of work and research, I have discovered that when the two energies are working together in partnership, we experience ease and grace in our lives. This can be a radical shift form our previous way of living! The difference is because working with these two energies in partnership is how the universe works! When we are cooperating with the design of the universe, we are working in cooperation with the flow of creation. And the atom is a model of how these two energies work in partnership to create everything! This month we are exploring how the Feminine is Inclusive and the Masculine is Exclusive. Feminine Energy is INCLUSIVE Remember the electron zipping
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around the core of the atom, “holding” everything in it? The feminine is the electron, the negative charge, the yin. Like great arms wrapped around us, like a vessel, like a container, like a womb, the feminine holds and includes All Things. Remember how the feminine’s primary quality is Connective? Her concern is what is good for the whole because she IS the whole. And so she is welcoming and embracing to ALL because she knows that everything that exists has a role to play. She knows there are no accidents, and that everything has its place. Feminine energy is non-judging, unconditional acceptance. An example of INCLUSIVE feminine energy? The feminine holds the space about how to operate in community. She is inclusive of everyone, whether they are of different gender, color, race, opinion, religion, sexual identity, ability, profession…all parts of the community are honored as vital components of a working system. Each are valued because we know that each plays a role in the community (even if we don’t know or understand what that role may be) and is needed-it is assumed each member of that community holds an important piece of the puzzle. Masculine Energy is EXCLUSIVE Last month we saw that, in the atom the proton, or positive charge, is the yang or the masculine energy. And the masculine’s primary quality is Individuation; the masculine embodies sover-
eignty. His concern is for the parts of the whole, rather than the whole itself. Whatever part of the whole the masculine is charged to protect will be his concern. The defense of the parts, the boundaries to identify and delineate those parts, and the defense of those boundaries is all given to the masculine dynamic, which is Exclusive. Where the feminine is welcoming and embracing, the masculine is charged with defending against anything that does not operate in support of the system and will cast it out. In a word, the masculine energy upholds BOUNDARIES.
Boundaries are very important in a physical universe. With no boundaries, there is no separation. If there is no separation, there are no parts. That means no stars, no planets, clouds, no mountains, no creatures, no trees, no people...back to square one and the beginning of time! Your skin is a boundary between you and the rest of the world. Now try to imagine you being you without the boundary between you and everything else. We need boundaries to physically exist! Can you imagine a world with no boundaries in it? It means there is no world! An example of EXCLUSIVE masculine energy?
Appropriate defense of boundaries is a needed aspect of physical life. Keeping out that which is NOT of service to what the masculine protects, whether that may be our body, our home, our child, our marriage, our business, or anything else we are charged to protect. Our immune system is a wonderful example of masculine energy in action…defending our body against marauders that threaten the health of our physical system. If a bear comes into your camp to steal your food, the masculine in you is what stands up and starts yelling, raising your arms to look bigger to chase the bear off. If a stranger threatens you or your family, it is the masculine in you that gets angry and defends those you are charged to protect. LISTEN to my radio show about The Need for Boundaries : http:// www.blogtalkradio.com/liciaberry/2013/02/02/the-need-forboundaries WHEN IT DOESN’T WORK is when there isn’t partnership between the two energies BOTH the feminine and masculine energies are needed to comprise the physical universe, and when they are working in balance and partnership then our life is copacetic. However, in a world culture that has suppressed feminine energy for 5000-6000 years, we have learned some pretty imbalanced, UN-partnered behavior, and that can create havoc in our lives. Continued next page....
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Some examples of imbalanced feminine Inclusion: too much acceptance! What are some ways you can think of in relationship that we accept something that really isn’t life affirming? • Lack of Boundaries: staying in unhealthy relationships, jobs or situations that threaten our wellbeing. • Saying YES constantly: perhaps in an effort to be helpful to be liked or to please others, we say Yes to things we really don’t want to do and which may even drain our life force • Believing things that don’t make sense: sometimes we can be soooo open minded that we will be blind to common sense and fail to take care of ourselves and be responsible in our lives. Some examples of imbalanced masculine Exclusion: • Discrimination: thinking/behaving in ways that say that certain members of a community should be negated, put away or even killed because they don’t fit our idea of how things should be such as different races, religious groups, LGBTQ, overweight people, mentally ill, differently-abled…anyone who is discriminated against. • Dismissal: Not valuing the input of every member of your team in your company or business. • Denial: Refusing to see reason or logic, refusing to acknowledge the truth, to the risk of everything you are charged to protect. ACTIVITY: think about a conversation you have had with someone recently where you could have been more inclusive of their opinion. OR, think of a time when you could have been more insistent on a boundary. What would have been different if you were more aware of the feminine and masculine energies?
Next Month: We’ll explore the feminine and masculine energy dynamics for manifesting, the Magnetic and the Electric. I can assist you in balancing your inner feminine and masculine energy! To learn more about Licia Berry and her Energy Coaching and Feminine/Masculine curriculum go to http:// liciaberry.com/mentor
Licia Berry is president and CEO of Illumined Arts a health and well-being curriculum consortium. A veteran educator and speaker for 25 years, she enjoys working with individuals and groups who seek consciousness, freedom and success in all areas of their lives. Learn more at http://liciaberry.com 6
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BreakThrough Habit #8 Each of Us is Born A Creative Being Have you ever felt frustrated and boxed in? Or maybe like you left a piece of yourself behind when it was time to “grow up” and make money? Just because you were told the grass is green and the sky is blue does not mean it still has to be painted that way. Find creative energy in everything you do. Coaching an employee, putting that extra touch on a project or simply being your amazing self.
YOUR CREATIVE LIGHT WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF YOU...LET IT SHINE!
Written By: Marjorie Schoelles From the MermaidsInPowerSuits.com series
We don’t set out to create them, but we live by them every day. Marjorie Schoelles
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elf limiting beliefs. If you take out the middle word, it is even more accurate. The beliefs we have either developed or agreed to about our “self ” are not necessarily accurate or permanent.
With the risk of seeming too simplistic, we made a choice to accept our current list of beliefs. We can also chose new ones. “I don’t have a problem with self limiting beliefs!” an exclamation often heard at the beginning of conversations started around the concept. Great! So none of these thoughts have crept around in your head, or snuck out of your mouth?... I don’t have enough money to _____________ .(travel, take a class, buy a house, have your care repaired) I’m not _________ enough to do that. (smart, tall, rich, brave, talented) I could never _________. (learn to fly, run a 5k, ride a horse, apply for that dream job) No one would be interested if I ___________. (wrote a book, displayed my artwork, offered catering services, taught music) 8 Create Freedom Today! MsXmedia
Other classic themes are: You have to work really hard for money. No one would pay me to do that! People would laugh if I tried ____. The truth is somewhere between ALL and MOST of us participate in mind chatter that gets in our way or realizing our full potential. It’s not like we set out each New Year Day saying we want to achieve our self limiting beliefs, but they are with us - and sometimes very subtly. From My Own Life A very personal example of a recurring one in my life has been around my creativity. I was selling artwork in my parent’s gift shop when I was 10 years old, giving private art lessons when I was 12, owned my own airbrush business on the beach at 16. And lived with the belief for years that my art was not really a viable way to make money, or even show to people. Sounds crazy when you look at the facts, but at 17 I chose to believe an authority figure that told me to concentrate on being a business person - no one could make money being an artist. I went years without drawing or painting. (See more of the story here: www.MermaidsInPowerSuits.com/marjories-story) My self limiting belief of “not good enough” kept me from one of my passions for years. When I chose to “question my answer” one day when someone asked about buying a painting, I realized I needed to make a new belief. Now my art is part of my business, an additional stream of income that helped me launch away from the corporate job that had me tied to a desk and endless meetings. I share it regularly in this magazine and on my gallery site SeahorseGallery.com. Continued next page...
Self Limiting Beliefs in Business When I managed a large sales force, one of the most common self limiting beliefs I found was around money. “I could never ask for that much” was a common refrain. If the person had never quoted a large job before, they truly struggled stating the dollar amount out loud. And I have found similar hesitation in coaching clients that do freelance work or are new to setting prices.
- think of it as an opportunity to “question your answer” of why, and how you can chose to change the response and actions the next time this comes up in your life. Chose New ones! With any self limiting belief around “not good enough” or money issues, there are a number of tripwires that you can recognize and release. Then chose new ones like:
Especially helpful to those folks reinventing their life, being business owners and entrepreneurs for the first time we deal with it by stating with the logical part...what do you want to make each year, what would taxes and expenses take, how many days do you want to work - and gross amount is a MINIMUM rate to start with.
I can have what I want.
The most difficult thing is putting the price out there, and waiting for a response. If you jump in too quick with “if that’s too high” you have no idea what the person is thinking. It may be that the potential client was actually thinking “whew, I think that’s pretty darn reasonable.” Most of this stems from the limiting belief of your talent, time and innate value are not “good enough” to deserve the price you need to set. And it’s okay if you are having an emotional reaction to these words
My time and talent are valuable. I chose to explore my creativity and hold my personal time as a promise to myself. I’m going to dance like no one is watching! :-) The Good News Actually, it’s great news. The acknowledgment that self limiting beliefs exist in your life is the first step in becoming your fully brilliant self. I have yet to meet someone that has conquered them 100%, but have seen tremendous strides made by those consciously making an effort to recognize and “reprogram” their language, beliefs and actions. It’s a beautiful change for you and the world!
Feeling Motivated and Ready!?! One of the best ways to begin choosing new beliefs that will expand your world and lead to greater abundance is to write down the old ones AND write down the NEW beliefs. Share the list with a trusted friend, partner or coach for accountability. Have an open heart and mind when they come up, and be as forgiving to yourself as you are to others. It’s a process, not a sprint to a blue ribbon! A self limiting belief that has held me back is:_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ I chose to believe: ____________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ My old one was “People aren’t interested in seeing or paying money for my art.” My new one is “My art and creativity inspire me and others, leading to a beautiful exchange of money and appreciation for my creativity, a pleasure to all involved. Contact Marjorie directly: Marjorie@MsXmedia.com
The latest in Technology, Marketing and Social Media Tips
(and anything else we come across that we think will help elevate your business to the next level)
At the risk of encouraging unwarranted selfies, if you are not already in possession of a monopod and remote - consider clicking over to Amazon or your favorite gadget store to add this tool to your lineup. Think about the last time you met with someone or ran across a person that you thought “perfect, let’s get a picture together and I’ll post it on social media.” Yes, some folks are pros at stretching their arm out - but most struggle with the right angle and capturing just the right moment. Then there is the video testimonials that are all shaky from your attendees from your last event. Not good. How about mounting your camera and using a remote to snap the picture - steadier images, more control and a whole lot more options when you are not limited to the length of your arm. YOAST Yes, it is pronounced like “toast” but it does a whole lot more for your WordPress site than a cold piece of burned bread. If you are unfamiliar with this particular plug in then you are in for a pleasant surprise. Excerpted from the WordPress.org site Yoast page: Write better content with WordPress SEO Using the snippet preview you can see a rendering of what your post or page will look like in the search results, whether your title is too long or too short and your meta description makes sense in the context of a search result. This way the plugin will help you not only increase rankings but also increase the click through for organic search.
Page Analysis The WordPress SEO plugins Page Analysis functionality checks simple things you’re bound to forget. It checks, for instance, if you have images in your post and whether they have an alt tag containing the focus keyword for that post. It also checks whether your posts are long enough, if you’ve written a meta description and if that meta description contains your focus keyword, if you’ve used any subheadings within your post, etc. etc. Okay - it may sound like a lot of tech talk, and for some folks that’s fine - for others your eyes rolled toward the back of your head. Either way - we encourage you to give it a try - it is a lot more user friendly than you might think and the benefits are +++
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Each month Create Freedom Today magazine interviews an Entrepreneur that brings tremendous value to their clients, our readers and the world.
Wisdom Begins With Wonder ~ Debbie Elder For this issue, we have Debbie Elder, a gifted educator, business woman and passionate advocate for learning and children. Q: Please give us a bit of your story? Debbie: I have had a deep desire to help children feel empowered and successful since I was a teenager. I coached little league in my early teens and babysat. As I grew older I studied criminology at University and became a police officer. From there I went into the criminal justice field and worked at a young offender center, taught criminal law at both the high school and college level, worked in probation and as a therapeutic foster parent. After giving birth to my two daughters I entered into the field of education. I taught Pre-school for 2 years and then spent several years touring the country training teachers in behavior management for their classrooms. I substitute taught at the local elementary school and this experience lead me to pull my daughters from the school and homeschool them. During my first year of home12
schooling I realized that I had a deep desire to service the children of our community. I opened my home to local school children who came each day after school to complete their homework and receive the academic support they desperately needed. Within two years this afterschool program had grown into a full time school servicing middle and high school students. After the first year of teaching students in my home the program expanded and within four years we had 15 schools nationwide. During our first year of school my students raised 94 thousand dollars for Down syndrome research. Community service has always been a core value for our schools and my students felt a strong connection to the DS community. They raised the money by selling little white mice that resembled beany babies. The program was called ‘Adopt a Mouse’ and the students presented a 30 minute informative presentation to various local clubs; Rotary, Lions, Exchange, etc. In addition to live presentations they sold mice
online and learned about product fulfillment in the process. It was an amazing experience for everyone involved! After my daughters started college I moved into college planning. In this position, I was able to help parents pay for college and help students acquire the necessary tools and systems to be successful in college, and finish on time! Since serving in that role I have published two best-selling books, and reestablished my after-school program as a franchise and opened an elementary school. Q: What are you working on right now? Debbie: I have an after-school franchise called Set Them Up For Success. Did you know that success is a learned trait? That’s right, successful people consistently do things in a certain way. You don’t just bump into success and it is yours. Success is the culmination of an acquired and carefully applied skill set. Are we teaching our children the skills required
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to be successful? Do you think the schools are teaching success strategies? At Set them up for Success we not only help with homework – we teach every student how to be successful without them even being aware of it. There is no teacher lecturing. Blah, blah, blah …….Instead, we engage our students with academic (“life”) coaches who integrate success strategies as they are mentoring the students.
Set Them Up For Success is so much more than tutoring, or a place to get a little help with your homework. No, this is a place where young people learn to be successful in life, while getting a little homework done on the side! It is not by chance that some people are successful, while others with seemingly similar characteristics and/or from similar environments are not. Just because one is bright does not guarantee success. Most of us have experienced a situation in which some of the “smartest” people we know are not successful, and have experienced repeated failures in life (business, relationships, and adventures). And why is this? Because they had insufficient training in the art of being successful. Let us help your child
succeed with after school homework help, while teaching them a system to achieve life success. It is a whole lot more than adding and subtracting (and a whole lot more fun!). I will be offering franchises in this incredible business January 2015. In addition to the after-school program I have an elementary school located in Richmond Texas. Several things make this school unique but our approach
to learning is probably the most impressive. How We Are Learning at Shady Oak Primary School: An Introduction to the Project Approach What is the project approach? The project approach is a method of teaching in which an in-depth study of a particular topic is conducted by a child or a group of children. How is it different from other ways of learning? Our children study one topic for a long period of time. The topic is selected partly because they were interested in it and it is meaningful to them and their lives. The children will go into great depth and often at a higher level than many adults would ever expect
for this. The teacher integrates content knowledge like math, reading, and science into the project. How is a project planned? The children make many of their own plans with the teacher’s help. Plans usually include an onsite visit and/or interviews with experts. An expert is anyone who knows a great deal about the topic of study. How will children learn? Together with their teacher they create a mind map to determine the direction of their project. These include traditional resources like books. Children use a variety of resources to find answers to questions. They also conduct in-depth investigations on site visits. The children plan questions for interviews and have assigned tasks for trips or for interviewing experts. They make field notes and draw or write on site. They make plans for building structures and play environments that will help them sort out what they are learning about the topic. Children do their own problem solving with the teacher structuring problems and assisting in finding solutions and resources. Children will redraw and rewrite as their knowledge grows. Some of the ways that they will record their learning are project books, lap books, posters, murals, artwork, graphs, charts, constructions, journals and presentations. How does the teacher know if the children are learning? The teacher collects children’s
continued next page...
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work, observes what they do and analyzes their work. This is called documentation. The curriculum goals of the school or center are reviewed and documentation is planned to be sure that children are learning concepts and skills specified by the goals. Often a display will be prepared that shows what the students are learning. In addition to this the children will present what they have learned to their classmates, teachers, parents, and selected members of the community. Is this the only way these children are learning? The project approach is one way among a variety of ways that children learn. The project approach integrates much of the same knowledge and skills presented in more formal ways in the classroom. Projects have the added advantage of providing an opportunity for the children to apply and use what they are learning as they solve problems and share what they know. It provides opportunities for developing group skills such as working with others
and challenges children to think, which supports brain development. How can others help with projects? Realize that children have their own questions and are learning to use you and many resources to find answers. Take their questions seriously and listen to what they have to say. Provide space and opportunity for them to draw or photograph what they are studying. Children learn best when many senses are involved, so anything that they can touch, see up close, or hear is helpful. Things that can be borrowed for study in the classroom are valued and appreciated, especially parts of machines, tools, samples of product and so forth. We hope you will follow up, view our documentation, and find out how Shady Oak Primary children have processed what they have learned. Q: What has made the biggest difference to elevating your success? Debbie: My key to success has
been the use of masterminding and setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. I have belonged to all different types of mastermind groups and each time I am member my business experiences an incredible increase! I am a big believer in the power of vision statements, a written mission statement and the act of daily rewriting your personal goals. This has always allowed me to be crystal clear on my target and this practices leaves me open to opportunities to fulfill my mission. Note from Debbie: Each of us has a purpose to fulfill. It should be our mission in life to determine this purpose and share our gifts and talents with others. Listen to your inner voice. Act on its instructions and trust that you are in great hands! I came to realize that when I ignored my intuition, I encountered roadblocks and setbacks. However, every time I listened to my inner voice, obstacles were removed and my path was clearly marked. Success was inevitable!
Debbie Elder, 832.419.1455 Debbie@SetThemUpForSuccess.com Sign up for a complimentary 50 minute Strategy Session with Debbie, Call 832.419.1455 to schedule your session, you will not be disappointed! Find more information here: www.SetThemUpForSuccess.com https://www.facebook.com/SetThemUpForSuccess https://twitter.com/DebbieStufs https:/www.linkedin.com/pub/debbie-elder DElder@ShadyOakPrimary.com www.ShadyOakPrimary.com https://www.facebook.com/shadyoakprimary https://twitter.com/ShadyOakPrimary https://www.facebook.com/debbie.elder1 14
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Why Referral Incentives Fail If only it was this simple… Find someone who really likes what you sell and pay them a few bucks or give ‘em something cool (everybody wants a free iPad, right?) every time they bring you a new client. Too bad referral incentives almost never work. There are two underlying reasons: #1 – Most people are uncomfortable with the self-interest that’s injected into their recommendation of your business. They worry that if they disclose the incentive they’ll hurt their relationship with the person being referred. And if they keep it a secret…they worry that they’ll be found out. #2 – The oft-overlooked reason these schemes fail is that selling is hard when you do it for a living, have training and experience. It’s nearly impossible when you’re part-time, virtually unpaid and completely un-trained. The idea behind incentives is good…align your client’s self-interest with your own. Steve Gordon | SteveGordonMarketing.com
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B
aby Boomers are turning age 60 and will for the next 18 years.
Most baby boomers will not be prepared for retirement. They will have to continue working longer than they thought. Why? I think it’s because of the following 7 mistakes:
Mistake #1 – Underestimating Life Expectancy: We’re living longer as a society. In 1900, life expectancy was 47 years. Currently it is 74 years for a male and 79 years for a female. Many people will live to be older than the mortality table suggests. This increased longevity will require better planning. 16
If we have 20 to 30 years of retirement, we will need an income stream we can never out live with increases to help offset inflation. Retirees can no longer just put their investments into a “conservative” investment program and ignore it. Inflation will steal from them. It also means we can’t be too aggressive with our retirement investments because we could end up losing money due to the stock market downturns like we saw in 2000, 2001 and 2002. We have to find that delicate balance between too much risk and being too conservative if we are to assure ourselves that we will not run out of money in retirement.
Mistake #2 – Paying too Much in Taxes: Most people don’t know how much income, capital gains, and sales taxes take away from their wealth. Every dollar that you lose to taxes is a dollar that you cannot invest for your future. Therefore you have an opportunity cost. In 1913 when the income tax was started, it impacted very few people. When I ask people what the maximum tax rate has been, most people say around 40%. History shows that our top tax bracket was over 90%. For well over two-thirds of our tax history the top bracket was 50% or more. Currently, the top income tax bracket is 35%. What will it be when you retire?
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Mistake #3 – Ignoring Inflation, The Silent Thief: If you ask 10 people what they think the inflation rate is, you will probably get 10 different answers. In reality, we all have a different personal inflation rate because it depends on how we use our money. If you have a tendency to travel and spend money, then you will have a higher personal inflation rate than someone who stays home and enjoys reading a good book. Inflation is a silent thief. A stealth tax! Why? Because it is chipping away at the purchasing power of your dollars.
Mistake #4 – Relying too heavily on Government and Employer Retirement Plans: All of us expect to receive something from Social Security. Why not? We’ve paid a lot of money into the system, why shouldn’t we receive money back. However, I think we all realize that something has to happen with Social Security. Congress will have to eventually deal with this
increase the tax rates for the younger generation, or a combination of the two. I believe they will do a combination of the two. What about company pension plans? Some companies have gotten into trouble and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has had to take over their pension plans. This has impacted many industries. I don’t have to list the companies here, look at Time, Newsweek, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, and others, article after article talking about Pension Plans being in trouble. We have to find ways to save and invest money on our own. We must take personal responsibility for our retirement.
Mistake #6 – Not Saving Enough Money on a Personal Basis: We have become a nation of consumers. We spend instead of save. Many surveys have shown the Baby
Those who do have a traditional Pension Plan are facing another challenge. Do they take the maximum benefit available for their life only, or do they take a reduced benefit in order to provide an income for a spouse or other loved one? There could be a difference of 20 or 30 per cent in retirement benefits for the lifetime of the retiree. What does he or she do? Understand these issues are in a much stronger position to make better decisions when they retire.
Mistake #5 – Not Planning for Health Care and Long Term Care Services:
issue. They’ll have to cut benefits for people that are already retired, or
home? Very few of us will ever live in a nursing home; therefore most of the care is going to come from our families. In fact, most of the time it’s going to be the children who care for their parents. How will you pay for these services?
As Baby Boomers retire, there will be more of a need for medical services than ever before. If we agree that we are going to live a long life, we also have to agree that we’re going to need some type of healthcare. Where will that care be delivered? Will it be in our home? Will it be in an assisted living facility, a skilled nursing facility, or a full-time nursing
Boomers are in trouble when it comes to their retirement savings. They have very little assets saved and they continue to spend! Why? Is it a philosophy of “I’m going to enjoy today while I’m still here and worry about tomorrow later”, or is it a matter of thinking that there’s not enough time to save and not enough money to save? Why don’t we save money? People with money have formed the habit of saving first. They save the first 10% or 15% of what they earn for their future and never touch that money.
Independence? With proper “strategies” we can reduce and recover costs to invest for ourselves and our families. That’s why I say that strategic planning is more important than the product. Do the planning first, then the products will simply fall into place.
These people achieve financial independence. Most people do not have a system or a process to help them save money. It is imperative that we find ways to save money first and then spend.
Mistake #7 – Focusing on Financial Products, instead of Strategic Planning: It’s not uncommon to see people buy financial products, believing that these products have some magic cure. They’re disappointed, when someone comes along and tells them they have a better product. So they cancel what they have and they start a new one. This is true with Mutual Funds, IRAs, Roth IRAs and Life Insurance policies.
It’s amazing the amount of money that all of us lose because of the way we make money decisions. Obviously, we need car insurance, home insurance and health insurance, but if you add up the costs for all of these programs from the time you start working until the time you retire, or until you die, it’s a huge amount of money. Is it any wonder that it is hard for people to achieve Financial
Well, there you have it! What I call the “Serious 7 Mistakes”. The seven serious issues that will impact everyone in planning for their retirement. I hope that you will study these issues and I wish you a Secure Retirement.
John H. Curry
CLU®, ChFC®, AEP, MSFS®, CLTC
Okay, technically I don’t have to go by Ms X, the mystery guest or speaker any longer, but it’s still fun to remember how I was able to build so much while still working my full time job. ~ Marjorie See my full story at MermaidsInPowerSuits.com/Marjories-Story Q: What sources do you use to stay current on web changes and the stuff that impacts SEO? A: Ah...Search Engine Optimization (SEO) the industry that was cut off at the knees with the last 18 months of Google updates. It used to be posting a few videos and getting some back links would get you to page one, but as some less than honest practitioners spent too much time trying to “fool Google” all of the search engines cracked down with changing algorithms. You can still “rank” as long as you are providing good content and value to consumers - my warning to clients - be very careful about any “black hat” practices. Look for a webinar on this very subject coming soon to SURGE and PowerHouse members. For resources, I like: HubSpot, Social Media Examiner, MOZ, Search Engine Land & Digital Marketer Q:In the last issue you talked a lot about life purpose - can you be more specific? A: Until recently, I pretty much lived my life as it seemed most appropriate to society standards then I was introduced to the idea of life purpose and have since developed the four pillars that go in to our Purpose Discovery Process. I believe that each of us is born “whole and creative” but so often are told “no” or “that’s not good enough” in our formative years that we loose touch or give up on what we are really meant to be - des-
tined to do - fulfilling our soul contract. Looking at a combination of our internal core values, what our innate design is, how others see us in the world and the master and student paths we are born with - it all comes down to how we are meant to spend out time, energy and talents. Mine is “Successful visionary entrepreneur in the spotlight as a CEO.” I didn’t always know this and looking back, the times I tried to be less - everyone was miserable. I am also meant to lead with power and speak my truth - and help others do the same. Not always easy, but when I don’t, it leads to frustration and resentment - the student path. Contact me directly if you want to know more: Marjorie@MsXmedia.com Q:Why are you including articles on finance among the others on creativity and inspiration? A: Our mission with MsXMedia is to “Bridge Business and Purpose” and to do that we need to be as open, educated and honest about money and finances as we are about being creative or focusing your energy. In my experience there are a lot of very smart, talented people that have unresolved issues about money, sales, marketing and/or technology. Every single one matters to have a successful life and business - especially if you want to be of service to others. The more successful you are, the more of service you can be.
Interested in having your question answered here? Simply email: support@MsXmedia.com We do our best to pick the most often asked questions, so check every issue. Not a subscriber yet? Please visit MsXmedia.com and opt-in to our FREE magazine offer! Create Freedom Today! MsXmedia
19
The Biology of Belief
Bruce H. Lipton, PhD, 2007
the more complicated concepts easily understood and the reading enjoyable throughout.
From the back cover: Stunning new scientific discoveries about the biochemical effects of the brain’s functioning show that all the cells of our body are affected by our thoughts.
With many instances of Dr. Lipton being ahead of his time, studies that prove many of his theories are now common and the concepts gaining ground in more traditional medical.
Feeling a bit like being back in biology class is an understatement for some parts of the book. Dr. Lipton, a cellular biologist by training, does an amazing job of walking through the complicated parts of science to bring us an entirely enlightened view of the power within our bodies. “While many in the medical profession are aware of the placebo effect, few have considered its implications for self-healing. If positive thinking can pull you out of depression and heal a damaged knee, consider what negative thinking can do to your life” from page 112. His humor shines through in many areas, making 20
What are we really, if not energy and matter? Going down to the cellular level and discovering that our cells react to energy may seem like a reasonable concept now - or that DNA does not drive the whole bus - was not easily accepted a decade ago. Whether you agree with the concepts or results put forth in the book, it serves as an excellent example of how our understanding of our bodies, minds and energy are evolving. It was not too long ago that scientists firmly believed there was no direct link - that our attitude and mindset had nothing to do with healing. Imagine what we’ll be thinking and practicing in medicine in another 10 years!
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“Ever since I remember, I have been wondering: What makes people happy? After retiring from a full time corporate job, I am doing exactly what makes me happy - helping people from the Woodstock Generation design and live a life of their dreams. As a professional coach, I am devoted to working 1:1 with a select few, who want to “reinvent” themselves. Using my unique TIP (Talents, Inspirations, Purpose) process I help you to uncover your brilliance and passions – so you do not die with your dream still inside you.” Elizabeth Haines To hear my story, click on the video. goo.gl/jVe13J To connect with me, email Elizabeth@giftstoriches.com
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We are turning the world UP SIDE
DOWN
&RIGHT SIDE UP and are as happy as this little girl with the changes!
We are Breaking open the traditional coaching and mentoring model! We are now including an hour of implementation for every hour of coaching on our Surge & PowerHouse levels. Why? Here’s a quote directly from Marjorie: “For years I shied away from taking on private clients - too frustrating to have one-on-one time with them, then watch the struggle to implement. So why not innovate to what is for the greater good of all? Now my clients receive the one-on-one strategic time AND I have “skin in the game” with matching the time with implementation by me or a member of my team. So for the two hours each month on our PowerHouse level, I’m matching it with two hours of implementation time. WHY? Because it’s time to concentrate on RESULTS & the process. I know this may not make me popular with some of my peers - oh well....Maximizing the use of my skills makes me happy and helps my clients... and THAT is my priority.” ~ Marjorie Schoelles | Marjorie@MsXmedia.com
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