Prosperity For You

If You're Going Through Hell...

I heard a new song recently that I really enjoyed.  It is called If You're Going Through Hell by Rodney Atkins.  Here is the chorus:

If you're going through hell
Keep on going, Don't slow down
If you're scared, don't show it
You might get out
Before the Devil even knows you're there.

What this song says to me is that if you are having a hard time keep pressing through it.  You will come out the other side just fine.  Concentrate on the goal you have in mind and keep focused on it and you will achieve it.

If you would like to see the rest of the lyrics they are here.
If you want to listen to the song you will have to find it at itunes or yahoo! music because they took the song file off of Rodney's new web site for some reason.

Have an awesome day!
Ken

Bartering - What is the message you are sending?

A few days ago I was talking with a massage therapist about our new Holistic Healing Professionals Directory at www.ChoosaAHolisticPro.com.  I explained to her that it was $40 per year to put her profile on the site.  The first thing she asked was "Do you barter?"

Well, I have to say that I was at a loss for words because I hadn't even considered it.  After I thought about it a second I told her I would consider it.

We priced the listings at $40 because we felt that was a small enough amount that anyone could afford it and if they get just one new client from their listing it would more than pay for itself.

Not only that, I wanted to make it a place where every Holistic Practitioner could tell about themselves and we could create a very dynamic community of providers in one place.

A pretty good discussion ensued with those around us about bartering and whether or not it was good, legal, etc.

I am not writing this post to take sides, just to make an observation.

This person made the comment that she didn't make very much money and bartering was a way for her to get things she wanted.  Now, as I said, I am not for or against bartering  but her comments made it very clear that she was operating from a position of lack instead of abundance.

That's what concerns me the most out of this entire encounter.  This young lady has knowledge and skills that are very valuable and yet because of her thoughts she operates from a position of lack.

Every one of you reading this post have a skill or knowledge that could be of value to another.  Find a place where your skills are needed and wanted and begin to promote yourself as a valuable answer to a problem.

Give thanks for your knowledge and skills.  Appreciate them for the value they bring to your life and to those around you.  Begin to experience life from a place of abundance instead of lack and you will be surprised how quickly abundance manifests itself in your life.

Here is a pretty good explanation of what bartering is and how it works from Wikipedia.

Here are a few links with some additional information about bartering.

IRS Guidelines on Barter Income
An article about bartering at Entreprenuer.com
Another good article at Microsoft.com

Have an awesome day!
Ken

I am in total shock!

That's right.  I am so shocked that I just had to blog about this.

My dad is a die-hard Ford fan.  Growing up, the only type of car I can remember us ever owning came from the folks at Ford, Lincoln and Mercury.  My own very first car was a 12 year old Mercury Cougar that my parents bought new in 1972.

My thoughts for products from the Ford family are far from positive.

As many of you who read this blog know, I travel every week for a living.  Every week I rent 2 or 3 cars from Hertz so I get to drive a lot of new and different cars.

Hertz buys most of their cars from Ford, but I rarely get one because I have asked for foreign cars on my profile. I just don't feel like Ford has made a quality product in many years.  Several times I have had brand new Lincoln Town Cars that the doors wouldn't close properly on.  And every one of them I had to have a short wrestling match with to get the shifter into and out of Park.

So, when the nice lady at the Hertz counter asked me tonight if I had driven the new Lincoln Zephyr, my response was less than enthusiastic.  I'm pretty open to trying new things, so knowing I'm only going to have the car for one day I went ahead and accepted.

This is where I get shocked out of my shoes!  The Lincoln Zephyr is one of the nicest cars I have ever driven from the Ford family.

The doors close with a solid thunk.  The quality of the leather interior is outstanding. The seats are comfortable and supportive even for my 6'3" frame.  The sound system is fantastic.  And it handles remarkably well.  The steering is tight and predictable.  The braking is sure and steady which comes in handy because this car can move.

Now you know why I am shocked.  If you are in the market for a new car, you definitely need to consider the new Lincoln Zephyr.  If you want to learn more about this car click here.

Have a great day!
Ken

HOWDY!

I guess it is due to the holidays but I have noticed an unusually large number of cars with tags from other states here in Dallas the last couple of weeks.

So, I just want to say a great big HOWDY to all of you visiting the Lone Star State.

I hope you enjoy being here half as much as I do.

Have a great day!
Ken

Getting Back To Everyday Life

Whew!  The busiest part of my year officially ended at 5pm yesterday.  Over the last seven weeks I have attended four major conferences for our industry.  Now I can get back to my everyday life.  It's like the day after Christmas the many years that I worked in retail for The Sharper Image.  The six weeks leading up to Christmas are a frenzy of activity and then it's all over.  Time to get things back in order and get back to everyday life.

It seems like time just stands still during this period.  Not much gets done except for the conferences, but it is a necessary part of our business.  If you don't attend the conferences rumors start that you are going out of business.  (Aren't competitors wonderful!  They really keep us on our toes.)

Anyway, now I can get back to posting on a regular basis.

Last week, one of the conferences was in Hawaii. I know what you are thinking..."What a tough job to have to go to Hawaii for a conference."  Well, that's not the tough part.  The tough part is taking the red-eye flight back to Dallas then unpacking, repacking and catching the first flight to Orlando the next morning (right into Hurricane country).  Fortunately, the Hurricane passed to the South of us and all we got was quite a bit of rain and wind.

Back in Hawaii, Ann and I had the opportunity to meet and have dinner with Rosa Say of Say Leadership Coaching.  I have enjoyed her work online and her book Managing With Aloha and I am truly blessed to get to meet her in person.  She is even more engaging in person, if you can imagine that!  She has a wonderful way of perpetuating conversation which is why I believe her blog has become so successful.

If you are reading this and haven't had a chance to see her work, click over there now and browse around.  She has links to dozens of other blogs that are just as enlightening, educating and empowering.

That's all for now.  I have to get some rest.

Have a great day!
Ken

Joy is Contagious

Kevin  Eikenberry shared a link in his blog a few days ago that is terrific.  It is a story called The Escalator Angel.  Go read it now and have a great day!

Ken

Gratitude

I was thinking this morning that I have so many things to be thankful for.  Right now I am sitting in a hotel overlooking the magnificent Lake Tahoe that sits on the border of California and Nevada.

Today is my seventh anniversary with the company that I work for and I am truly blessed to have the job I have.  I know there are many people who are either fed up with their job or just work so hard that they don't get to enjoy what they are doing.

I also have a wonderful wife who encourages me to try new things and to pursue my goals and dreams.  We have been together for about 7 1/2 years now and she is instrumental in the growth that I have experienced in that time.  When we met I was delivering pizza part-time trying to figure out how I was going to make my next car payment.  For those who know me personally, you know we have come a loooooong way since then.

I am also grateful for my health.  I could stand to lose a few pounds, but overall I am very healthy.

There are so many other things I could list here, but you get the idea.

Make a list today of all of the things that you are thankful for.  It is an excellent exercise in realizing just how good we have it.  When you get down in the dumps, just think of all the things that you can be thankful for.  You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving Day.

Have a great day!
Ken

Enjoying the View

Well, we just got back from a wonderful four days in one of the most beautiful places on earth, San Diego, California.  I made the mistake of taking my wife there a few years ago for a conference (now she wants to live there, and in case you don't know already, it is one of the more expensive places in the country to live).  Since then we try to go at least two or three times a year.

The weather was perfect and our hotel was outstanding.  We stayed at the San Diego Marriott & Marina.  We have stayed there a half dozen times in the last few years and the service is alway exceptional.  I highly recommend a stay there.

Here are a few pictures from our balcony.

Across the bay is Coronado Island where you will find the famous Hotel del Coronado.  You can barely see the red dome of the hotel in the center picture just to the right of the four square buildings on the left.  If you ever get out there, they have an unbelievable Sunday Brunch that is out of this world.

Anyway, now that I am back home, I will get back to posting more regularly.

Have a great day!
Ken

What a beautiful morning!

There has been a lot written about the benefits of waking early.

I am reminded of a saying by Ben Franklin, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

I am not usually a morning person.  I function much better in the evening and so I tend to stay up late and then I sleep until the very last minute possible to get to work on time.

Even though I am not a morning person, there are certain things that I must get up early for.

During the summer, if I want to be able to ride my motorcycle for more than about 30 minutes, I need to get up very early to get started.  We live about an hour North of Dallas and I just love cruising through the back country roads around majestic ranches and small country towns.

This morning was one of those days.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The air was crisp and cool; not so cold that I had to wear a jacket, but cool enough to be exhilarating.  When I began, the sky was starting to light up, but the sun was nowhere to be seen.  Within about 15 minutes it was peeking above the horizon and shortly thereafter it was shining bright orange in all it's glory!

This is my time alone with God - a time for me to reflect and give thanks and clear my mind for the day and week ahead. The morning is usually very calm and peaceful and its the perfect time to commune with nature.

There are many more benefits to waking up early.  If this is difficult for you, read the following two articles;  How to Become an Early Riser and How to Become an Early Riser, Part 2.

If you have any comments I would love to hear them.

Have a great day!
Ken

Shopping Cart Abandonment

Shopping cart abandonment is something that is talked about a lot in internet marketing circles and web development discussions.  In the internet world this is a phenomenon that everyone is working to avoid.  If you have added something to your shopping cart it is the sites top priority for you to complete the transaction.

As much time as I spend online, I don't really do much shopping online, with the exception of the occasional book or CD that I order from Amazon.

Today Ann and I visited the new IKEA in our area.  The store has been open for a couple of weeks now and we were finally able to get within two city blocks of the store.  This is not an experience that I want to have again.  It took us over an hour just to walk through the store.  There are a few shortcuts, but for the most part, if you are not going with the flow, you will get run over. 

When you walk in the door, they herd everyone up the escalator to the second floor.  Once you have made it through the second floor, you can make your way down to the first floor, where all of the small items are that you can actually put into your basket. 

We finally made it through the first floor and I began to see the light from the front doors.  I thought we were almost home free.  Not a chance. 

We got to the front where all of the checkout counters are and there must have been 30 or 40 checkout counters and at least twenty people in each line. Well, there was no way I was going to stand in line for another minute to buy the three items in our basket.  So, what did I do?  You guessed it.  I left the basket right there and walked out the door - shopping cart abandonment.

I don't have any illusions about whether or not the few things that we decided not to buy will make a dent in the daily revenue for this store, but I also know that for all the money they have spent to get people into the store, they should make a way for people who want to buy a few small things to be able to do it without spending the better part of the day there.

I have read lots of good things about the founder of this concept and I know he is worth several billion dollars because of it, so I tip my hat to him.  They have a lot of very cool things there.  They have just about anything you could possibly want for your home and at very reasonable prices. 

That is the key.  If you need lots of furniture and you have a limited budget, IKEA is the place to go.  If you need a few little things then go to WalMart.  You will be in and out in less time than it would take you to find a parking place at IKEA.

Have a great day!
Ken