New Arrival in the Family

Sorry for not posting this yesterday but, I was in bed not feeling too well. I am doing much better today. I received a phone call from my Mom and then my brother letting me know that my new nephew Edgar Michael was born happy and healthy. All 8lbs. 9oz and 21 inches came into this world yesterday morning. I feel incredibly excited knowing that I played a small part in allowing my brother to be there at the birth of their second child. Stacy didn't have to worry about asking time off from a boss, or finding anyone to fill in for him. He just quite simply took off and went to the hospital when it was time.

He had that freedom because he owns his own homebased business.

My Poker Income

"Whoever is happy will make others happy too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery." -Anne Frank

Ok so the title is a little misleading. I don't really have a poker income but I do have a goal of creating a fun part time income out of my poker play. I started with about $100 at my favorite online casino. I got down to about $13 and decided I needed to be serious about this game. So I moved from the $1/$2 limit table to a $.10/$.20 limit table. Since then I have been doing much better. Now I have been playing poker online for about 3 years often just losing money. I have been reading some books on poker trying to learn the best strategy for the game just like I have with most casino games that I play. However, poker is a lot different there is not set way to play poker all the time. You are not just playing against the math, you opponent is one who is logical and capable of changing his play just as you are. The good news is since you are not just playing against the mathematical calculation that says in the long run you always lose, you can be a long term winner in the game of poker.

All in all I see poker as a fun hobby that can be profitable at the same time. I don't expect to win the World Poker Tour or nothing but I look to win money playing poker in my spare time and around my business. I will continue to play at the $.10/$.20 level until my bankroll reaches $150 then I will move up to the $.25/$.50 limit tables. Everything I read says that you should have a bankroll that is 300 times larger than the BB at the table. BB standing for Big Bet so $150 would be 300 times the Big Bet at a $.25/$.50 table. Currently my bankroll is at $43.00 but I will keep you posted on my poker exploits.

Are you willing to persevere?

"If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average." M.H. Alderson

A friend of mine Shawn Scheppele, recently shared this with me. I wanted to post this here on my blog because I feel that anyone can apply the principles demonstrated here to reach success in their lives. Thanks Shawn, I found great encouragement in this and I am sure others will too.

He Failed in Business in '31.
He was Defeated for State Legislator in '32
He tried another business in '33. It Failed.
His Fiancée died in '35
He had a nervous breakdown in '36
In '43 he ran for Congress and was defeated.
He tried again in '48 and was defeated again.
He tried running for the senate in '55. He Lost.
The next year he ran for Vice President and Lost.
In '59 he ran for the senate again and was defeated.
In 1860, the man who signed his name A. Lincoln,
Was elected the 16th President of the United States.

The difference between history's boldest accomplishments,
And its most staggering failures is often, simply,
The diligent will to persevere.

My question for you is are you willing to persevere for your goals? Or are you too afraid of failure to ever succeed?

Donation made to www.city-ministries.com

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. But you ask, 'How do we rob You?' In tithes and offerings Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." -- Malachi 3:8-10 NIV

Several weeks ago the Lord laid it on my heart to tithe to an organization called City Ministries. This organization was started by a minister named Bob Johnson and his family. This is a ministry which goes out to the streets reaching the homeless and even prostitutes by giving away hot meals, offering prayer, and having Sunday School and worship services in the streets and of course making that available to the homeless. Many churches and organizations talk about helping the homeless and less fortunate, this is one ministry that literally goes down to the street level and does just that.

Some Christiansins have a real problem making money or being prosperous I will never understand that. If Christiansins we believe God will bless us, why do we often have trouble understanding that God can and will bless us financially? Christiansins, if we prosper financially then at the very least we will tithe to God's work. If non-believers earn money, many of them will spend money on things that will not benefit the kingdom of God. It obviously goes to reason who would God rather see prosper over his people?

Business, Investing, Gambling, and Their Risk

"Warriors take chances. Like everyone else, they fear failing, but they refuse to let fear control them." Ancient Samurai saying

Three really strong interest that I have are Business, Gambling, and Investing. Three unique playing fields but they all have the same goal, to increase income. Business, is the most controllable followed by Investing and then Gambling. I find it interesting how many people use these three words interchangeably. Most people will always tell you that starting a business is a gamble thus you are gambling. Investing is risky therefore you are gambling there too. What a joke! Sure there is a level of chance that occurs in investing and business however, both can be won or earn a positive income consistently over time therefore it is not a gamble. In the following paragraphs I set the record straight regarding risk when it comes to business, investing, and gambling.

Business requires skill and building a business can be an art. As with walking across the street business can be associated with risk however, that risk is extremely controllable and can be minimized by knowledge and skill. Obviously, walking across an urban highway can be very risky and that risk can be minimal if walking across a highway in a rural town. Just like we can decide what risk we take on by deciding what type of road we want to cross on foot, we can also control risk in business by deciding what business we want to take on and in what industry. We can minimize risk and increase success by increasing our skill in building businesses. Some people with an employee mentality will feel that they have minimized their risk my not starting a business and instead they will get a job.

In actuality all they have done is put the risk in someone else's hands. They leave the risk of the business they work for in the hands of the business owner they are working for. However, they also leave the risk of their primary earned income in someone else's hands also. In this situation the employee risks losing their job, due to downsizing, bankruptcy, or any other negative consequence that could occur in business. To the employee who has a family, average household debt, other financial obligations and dependents the consequences of losing a job can be catastrophic. I find it more risky to leave my financial future in the hands of someone else versus taking control of it by starting and building my own business. Therefore, I strive to be a successful business owner and not an employee.

Investing once again does involve risk but, that risk can be minimized and sometimes eliminated by understanding your investments. Since you are normally investing in a business of another person there is still some risk associated with your investments because they are less controllable. In other words you are investing in someone else's skill of running a business and not your own. Actually this type of risk is in some ways is similar to the risk taken on by an employee. Investing can be less risky than employment for several reasons. First, if you have done your research then you have a solid understanding of your investments, the business model they are based on, and the future before them. These are all things that most employees do not research before taking on a job with a company. Also most people don't earn their primary income from one investment but the vast majority of employees do earn their primary income from their job. Investors can actually take on less risk than most employees by understanding the businesses behind their investments.

Gambling is sheer luck and therefore is the riskiest of all of my interest according to most people. However, I submit to you that even this is not completely correct. Now I will agree that gambling is definitely the riskiest but it is not all sheer luck. Gambling is a game of mathematics and understanding the mathematics behind your gambling game of choice will help you to succeed more often or at least make your bankroll last as long as possible. With the exception of Poker there are no legit professional gamblers that last very long as professionals. Poker is different because it is not a game of sheer mathematics and chance; a very large element in poker is the skill of the other players at your table. Most people are truly ignorant when it comes to gambling I often go to the casino watching people gleefully play games with a tremendous amount of odds against them and they have no idea. Just a quick about two casino controlled games that can most often be beat in the short term are Blackjack, as long as you are using basic strategy and yes there is a strategy to that game. If you playing that game just trying to get close to 21 you will lose and usually lose fast. The other game is Craps, this game has some of the best and worst bets in the casino all on one table. As long as you know what are the good bets versus the bad bets you can sometimes play for a very long time on a Craps table with a minimal bankroll. What makes gambling so enjoyable is not the risk that is associated with it but the instant gratification that is experienced when winning.

That was just a little bit about my favorite interest of Business, Investing, and Gambling and the risk associated with each. Risk can often be controlled or minimized this is most evident in business and less so with investing. Gambling is most often the riskiest but does offer the quickest gratification at times. Risk can be minimized with gambling as long as your understand the mathematics behind the casino games or you increase your skill compared to others at the Poker table. Hopefully this article help to put the concept of risk in a more proper perspective when associated with starting or building a business, choosing an investment, or walking into the casino.

Congratulations to Bob Becker

"The first requisite of success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem without growing weary." –– Thomas Edison

Bob in Washington was a Level II Director and recently decided to step and to Level III. I have a long history working with Bob and I am eager to watch his business grow. He is determined and he understand peoples and how to work with people. Bob has a strong desire see people change their lives. By stepping up to Level III Bob is setting himself up to triple his current profits. Currently Bob can profit from a Premiere membership sale giving him a profit of $3,200 once he is released as a Level III Director he will be able to profit from a Platinum membership sale giving him a profit of $9,705. Not only will he be increasing his profits but he will also be setting himself up to help more people. Those who are the most serious about starting their business often get started at the Platinum level, once he completes his qualification requirements Bob will be able to help some of the most determined people in this industry succeed. I am behind you all the way Bob and I wish you the best.

Back home and ready to get to work

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."- Aristotle

We returned home from Dani Johnson's First Steps to Success today. What another amazing seminar by Dani. This time Carmen and her sales manager went with me. Carmen, does not even own a home based business but she had always wanted to go to one of Dani's seminars because she could never relate to me when I talked about the techniques and strategies that I learned at these seminars. After the first half of the first day Carmen asked me, "Why in the world didn't you tell me what this was like"?

I told her I never knew how to put it into words. I asked her to tell me how I should have explained it and then she agreed it wasn't really possible to explain how effective and amazing this event is without experiencing it. This was my 5th First Steps to Success seminar and I feel it may have been more effective on me than the other seminars. I am not really sure, why? It may have had something to do with Carmen attending with me. Or maybe, it has something to do with me learning what it will take for me to break through my own glass ceiling that I am putting on myself and my business. I am excited about seeing the effects of these new strategies and techniques on my business.

As always one of my favorite parts was getting to spend time with other Coastal Wealthbuilders in person. Especially Stacy from North Dakota and Jamie from Arkansas who has only been a Level III member for 2 weeks and has already made a decision to attend Dani's advanced training seminar later in the month. This advanced training seminar which I will be attending as well is known as Creating a Dynasty. In order to attend Creating a Dynasty you must first be a graduate of First Steps to Success; this will be my first Creating a Dynasty seminar.

Dani Johnson, here we come...

"I will equip you to succeed if you let me" Dani Johnson

Just before I go to bed I figured I would make a quick post. In the morning, I will be going to Dani Johnson's First Steps to Success this weekend. I think this is my 5th First Steps to Success seminar. I continue to attend Dani Johnson's seminar because I truly feel she is probably the most successful and viable home based business coach in the industry. Her track record literally speaks for itself. Even going into my 5th seminar I still feel like I am growing and learning as I come out of each seminar. It helps that Dani often has a different emphasis in each seminar so they can all be very different depending on what part of operating a home based business she emphasizes on. Dani, determines what to cover in her seminars by taking questions when you purchase your ticket. From those questions she is able to place emphasis where the majority of the questions come from.

People still don't quite understand the need in attending "First Steps to Success" multiple times. The only way I can explain it is this. Studies show that we only retain about 5% of what we hear. So for example if you were going to have surgery would you want a surgeon who only retained 5% of what he heard in school or do you want one who dug down deep and learned all he/she could about being a surgeon before they cut on you? Of course, you would want the one that learned all they could through indepth study.

In the home based business industry "First Steps to Success" is like a university education equivalent. However, anyone can go and listen to the lesson once but those who are most successful will probably attend multiple times, dig down and really study the lessons they are taught. I also view myself similar to that surgeon, I feel that I should be as prepared as possible so that I am able to serve my clients as best I can. This will help me to be as successful as possible, in turn I can teach clients the same.

The differences between the surgeon that I mentioned and myself are that I am able to earn a larger income than he/she is, I don't have to pay nearly as much for my education, my education doesn't take as long as his, and I will likely be able to retire before the average surgeon hits their prime. Of course Dani's seminars are a pivotal part for those who are ultra successful in this industry.

Month in Review

"Goals in writting are dreams with deadlines". Brian Tracy

What a month it has been. I have been doing plenty of thinking and reflecting on myself and my goals. There is so much that I think about and so little time to write about it. I continue to vow to put more of my thoughts and ideas down on this blog so that you can see what goes on in my mind first hand.

My goal for April was $30,000 profit, unfortunately I did not hit that. I only earned $9,705, that means that I am still behind for my annual goal of $250,000 profit. As of the end of April this year I have earned $43,705. That means over the next 8 months I will have to earn $206,295 to reach my goal for the year. Of course due to the number of level III members that are coming on to my team and quickly becoming "First Steps to Success" graduates and many will be Dynasty qualified by the end of May, I expect to see continued growth and increased momentum. I completely expect it will be possible earn as much as $50,000 in one month before the end of the year.

In order to reach my goal by the end of December I will have to average a monthly income slightly higher than $25,000 a month. With my increased advertising from last month and as I continue that into this month I expect to see a considerably higher monthly income within the next 30 to 60 days. Therefore, I will maintain my monthly goal at $30,000 going into May. It seems that by the end of this week I may very well already have about $10,000 for the month but I will keep you posted on that.

A big congratulations goes out to Jamie from Arkansas who started her Coastal business in April. When she first looked at Coastal she considered getting started at the Premiere level, however, after doing all of her research she felt that the best business decision for someone who was serious about earning as much as possible would be to get started at the Platinum level. Jamie, will be no doubt be successful as long as she consistently returns clients request within her business. Jamie owned a dog kennel business with her husband Josh; they both decided they wanted something that could allow them to earn more money but was not as time intensive. They have since sold their dog kennel and their dogs to get started with Coastal. Jamie, has a strong telephone posture that will serve her well. She seems to be the type of person that is decisive and capable of accomplishing anything she puts her mind to. With her husband's support I am certain they will be extremely successful.