I don’t even know where I heard (or more likely read) the expression "Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life", but I am pondering it tonight and wanted to write about it.

Since I made the decision and resigned from my full-time job, for the most part I have felt wonderful about it.  I have a deep feeling of peace and calm and a great sense of relief that I am giving up the struggle of remaining in a job I no longer enjoy.  However, I have allowed myself some negative thinking (too much to be honest) - I won’t give them any more power by repeating them here, but I do recognize the importance of letting them go.

Today I realized that all of my dreams have come true in the last year.  I met and married THE man of my dreams (I had a list - it was like I ordered him from a catalog!).  Together we bought our dream home - it is wonderful and we both love it very much.  And now, I get to come home to work on my own business.  Those are my big 3 dreams.  I have been working on these dreams for years and years and years.  I had pieces and parts of these in my life - but now I have it all.

So tonight here I am, flying high with joy and appreciation to be sitting here realizing that my dreams have come true.   The contrast between these wonderful feelings and the negative ones is huge.  I decided to live in this wonderful place, the place where my dreams came true and I am living the live of my dreams, that I created though my intentions and focus and faith.  I am dropping the "what ifs" - I am changing my thinking and therefore changing my life.  Now, I need some new dreams………

Related posts

• No related posts.

I have had a change in my plans over the past week or so - a very good change!  Last weekend I made the decision to go ahead and leave my job so that I can focus my full attention to building my online businesses.  My goal was to first completely replace my salary (and then some!), but the frustration of staying in a job that I no longer enjoyed and the great desire to be self-employed won out after a really bad week.

I am a strong believer in always maintaining a positive attitude and I know that I have the ability to create whatever I desire in my life.  I have been unhappy in my job for a while now and I tried so hard to maintain a positive attitude and make the best of things.  I finally decided that all of the drama and negativity I was experiencing was a great big SIGN that it was time to go!  Because I have worked so many years at remaining positive and happy, drama and negativity are not things that I normally have to experience.  I think that they are such a big difference from where I try to live, that it really bothered me.  I kept thinking that if I could just remain positive and happy everything would be fine.  I think it was a sign - or a kick in the you-know-what to just do what I want to do already.  You know what?  Ever since I made the decision, I have had total peace and I am so happy and excited.  Here is my other sign - since I have resigned from my job - my web site earnings have been more than my take home pay from my job!

So in these uncertain economic times, I am thriving and I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders.  Now I will have the freedom I crave to live my life on my own terms and I will have the time to do what I really want to do - which is work on my sites.   I am so grateful to have my growing and thriving online businesses to become my life’s work.  I am also grateful that because I chose nursing as my first career, I can always get a decent job - which makes it much easier to take this leap of faith!

Wish me luck!  I am working out a 4 week notice and have 3 weeks left!  My last day is on my birthday.

Related posts

• It’s Never Too Late to Start Over
• The Way of the Tortoise
• What is your Passion? - Part 2
• What is your Passion?
• Going to the Next Level
• How I Got Here….

I have spent the last month or so revamping two of my sites.  They are both sites that have been up over a year, but have never received a great deal of focus.  I knew I wanted to do them, so I went ahead and started them so they could begin "the aging process".

After a complete review of the sites, I came to the conclusion that it is a miracle (and a complete testament to Site Build It! (SBI!) and long-tail keywords) that each site is currently receiving around 100 visitors a day!  They aren’t breaking any records, but they are at least paying for themselves.

I started analyzing each site by looking at the keywords.  (One of the great things about SBI! is that all of the keyword tools are built in - you don’t have to go searching all over for them or trying to figure them out for yourself.)  It is so funny to me now that with each site I had the exact same initial reaction - that it was hopeless - there was nothing I could do and I should just forget about the sites.  On each site, I came back the next day, used one of my favorite free tools (FreeMind - free mind mapping software ) and ended up with an awesome plan that I am really excited about!

The first site I did was my Trendy Plus Size Clothes site.  I have begun to excute my plan by adding more pages and in just a month my traffic has gone from around 100/day to up to 143/day.

My point?  One of the most wonderful things about having an online business is that it really is never too late to start over.  No matter how good or how poor your site may be doing you can always step back, regroup and move forward.  If you are using a great tool like SBI! (and following the directions!) you will never get so far off course that you can’t get back on track.

Related posts

• An Exciting Change in Plans
• The Way of the Tortoise
• What is your Passion? - Part 2
• What is your Passion?
• Going to the Next Level
• Site Build It Back to Work Special Promotion

I have been so focused lately on my goal of replacing my salary with income from my websites, I have set some very big to do lists for myself. Most days I do not come anywhere near completing the list and I have been feeling very "guilty" lately - like I’m not "doing enough" to move rapidly towards my goal.

A few days ago, I was showing some of the work that I have been doing on my sites to a friend and she was amazed that I had done so much.   I was thinking about that today - I didn’t think I had done enough, she was amazed at what I had done. Then I read a post by Dr. Ken (Evoy, the founder & owner of SiteSell) about the importance of taking steps every day toward your goal - no matter how small the steps are - the important thing is to keep moving forward.   I learned about the way of the tortoise from Dr. Ken - it is an advanced place you reach once you accept that for most of us there is no get rich quick and there is never going to be. It is the place where you stop dreaming and chasing every idea and commit to the journey.   That is the way of the tortoise. You don’t just set a goal, you commit yourself to the destination. Then you roll up your sleeves, put on your blinders and take whatever steps forward you can take everyday.  The way of the tortoise is mature, focused, committed, confident, persistent and resilient.

With a different "tortoise perspective" I realize that I have done a lot and I am very proud of what I have done and accomplished.  I am taking steps everyday and with every step - no matter how small - it is one step closer to my next goal.  I have decided to give myself a break and instead of mentally beating myself up for not meeting the day-to-day goals I set (which are probably a bit unrealistic), I am going to do my best to be satisfied with the steps I do take.   I KNOW I will get there and I have to accept that I will not get there tomorrow.  But as long as I continue in the way of the tortoise, I will get there.   In business and in life slow and steady wins the race everytime.

Related posts

• An Exciting Change in Plans
• It’s Never Too Late to Start Over
• What is your Passion? - Part 2
• What is your Passion?
• Going to the Next Level
• How I Got Here….

Yesterday I wrote about choosing a subject you have a passionate interest in as the topic for your website.  Today I wanted to mention the flip side of that - you may have a passionate interest in something and you have no idea how to "live your passion".  Often, a website is the only viable option.

You may love to cook or collect thimbles or have a passion about astronomy or Greek mythology.  It is very difficult for an "average person" to make a good, independent living pursuing those passions, so they become relegated to hobbies and we continte to trade our hours for dollars as a "wage slave".  However, a person with a passion for any of those things (and just about anything else you can think of) and some BAM (the SBI acronym for Brains and Motivation) can make the best website on the planet on that topic and replace those wages doing something they love.  Not only are they living their passion, they are contributing to their passion and creating both financial and personal freedom for themselves.  Sounds like a win-win to me!

Related posts

• An Exciting Change in Plans
• It’s Never Too Late to Start Over
• The Way of the Tortoise
• What is your Passion?
• Going to the Next Level
• How I Got Here….

We are constantly told that in order to achieve true happiness in life we must "follow our passion".  The same is true when choosing a topic for your web site.  If you are going to be committed to developing a site that will possibly sustain you for the rest of your life, you definitely need to follow your passion.

What is your love?  What do you never tire of?  What do you want to spend years learning about, writing about, teaching others about?  Ask yourself those questions and you will be on the path to choosing the theme for your website.

I have many passions and interests in life - most of them some people would think are silly or trivial.  They are things like vintage Barbie dolls and fashion and makeup…  But that is what I love.  I have come to the conclusion that I was "wired that way" and I am not going to fight it.

I have been a Registered Nurse for 24 years and I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.  I have had a very successful and varied career.  I also find it very easy to explain medical things in language that non-medical people can understand.  The medical section of the web is one of the fastest growing and profitable areas.   People who know me ask me all the time why I am not doing medical websites.  When I first started on online adventure, I had a paid job as a medical writer for a very big website.   It was fun at first, I learned a lot and I enjoyed being a part of a big, successful site.  After the newness wore off, I did not enjoy it at all.  It became another job.  After about a year I decided that I did not need another job and I quit.  I had the skills, talents and abilities, but I did not have the passion.  There is no way I would want to do that for the rest of my life.  I am glad I have chosen topics for my websites that excite me and continue to interest me, day after day, year after year.

I always encourage the people I am helping building their businesses to go with their passion.  I tell them not to worry about "how to make money" with that topic initially.  For an example - here is a list of Site Build It’s most successful sites - I am always amazed and delighted by the wide range of topics.  I believe that everyone has something to contribute and can have a successful site - as long as they stick with their passion.

I should add as a footnote that the reason I have started this site is that I have discovered that I have a passion for sharing with and teaching others what I have learned and helping them build their own successful sites.  Here is some more to read about making your living while following your passion .

Related posts

• An Exciting Change in Plans
• It’s Never Too Late to Start Over
• The Way of the Tortoise
• What is your Passion? - Part 2
• Going to the Next Level
• How I Got Here….

Today I have 5 established web sites, 1 stand alone established blog and I have recently started this site as well as 4 "micro-niche" sites that I am just getting started as an experiment.  Since this time last year, my income has doubled (a very good thing ) - but it has been flat for the last six months.  My own experience is that my income will take a huge jump in one month (sometimes doubling) and then go up and down from that baseline until it jumps again.

Since my goal is to double my income as soon as possible, I have been thinking about what steps I need to take to facilitate this.  In order to double my income, I need to double my search engine traffic.  I have been adding content to all sites on a fairly regular basis and I do think that is the only way to build a sustainable, grow-able site, I know that I need more incoming links for most of my sites.  I have been thinking about all of the ways I could accomplish this and have determined that writing and submitting articles to article directories is the best option for me.  I have written a few articles in the past and they have resulted in good links and traffic.

For some reason I end up putting off writing articles - but starting today I am going to be focused on writing and submitting articles.  Some people outsource their articles, but I have been very unhappy with the few articles that I have outsourced and I have ended up rewriting them - so I am going to write them myself.

Here is my starting point:

Site #1 - July 2008 unique visitors 25,045 - Home Page Page Rank 2.0 - This has always been the most profitable until recently.
Site #2 - July 2008 unique visitors 15,318 - Home Page Page Rank 3.0 - Currently the most profitable - making over half of my income.
Site #3 - July 2008 unique visitors 3.312 - Home Page Page Rank 0.0
Site #4 - July 2008 unique visitors 3,171 - Home Page Page Rank 2.0
Site #5 - July 2008 unique visitors 3,077 - Home Page Page Rank 1.0
Blog - July 2008 unique visitors 812 - Home Page Page Rank 3.0

I will be tracking my actions & results here.

Related posts

• An Exciting Change in Plans
• It’s Never Too Late to Start Over
• The Way of the Tortoise
• What is your Passion? - Part 2
• What is your Passion?
• How I Got Here….

Now through August 28, 2008 buy one SBI! site and get the second for only $100 - you can get 2 sites for yourself, give one as a gift or split the two with a friend.

Site Build It is the only tool I know of where an "average person" can build a successful business online.

Site Build It Back to School / Back to Work Special

Related posts

• It’s Never Too Late to Start Over
• Site Built It! News - Upgrades and Upcoming Special
• My Most Important Tool for Building Online Businesses

This week, SBIX News announces behind-the-curtains SBI! infrastructural upgrades and the "back-to-work" Hi-Ho $100 Special.

Site Build It! Xpress ("SBIX") is for SBI! customers only . It boils down the near-infinite Net marketing and e-business noise into "only what you really need to know."

Stay tuned for the Hi-Ho Special coming in the next day or so - it is one of the few times during the year when you can get a discount when you purchase 2 SBI! sites.   (Site Build It is so much more than a website - it should be called a business in a box!).

Related posts

• Site Build It Back to Work Special Promotion
• My Most Important Tool for Building Online Businesses

While I am not among the "rich and famous" (yet) by any stretch of the imagination, I have had more success than most building online businesses and I currently earn more than the "average American worker" with my websites.  I am successful enough that when people I know find out how well I am doing, they want to know more!  More importantly, I think, is that I am an "average person" who is working hard to figure it all out and build a better life for myself and my family.

Out of all that I have done and tried and learned and succeeded with and failed with, there is one tool and one tool only that I can contribute to my success.  That tool is Site Build It! (SBI!) . Site Build It is a company that is built to help average people build successful online businesses.  It includes everything you need to know and do and it is broken down in a series of simple steps.  SIte Build It is the "anti-get rich quick" plan - you build a solid business step by step.  I use a lot of tools now and I have websites that aren’t SBI! sites (including this one), but I would not have this site, or any of the other ones, without SBI.

I will be writing more about my individual sites and the other tools I use and more about SBI - but I want to lay the ground work - that without SBI I would not be here.  If you are considering building an online business, or you aren’t satisfied with your current results, I ask you to at least take a look at Site Build It!

So is this site going to be a nonstop promotion for Site Build It?  In some ways yes, because I do consider it the foundation to my success and future.  But more importantly, it is about what one person has done with Site Build It and what I have learned along the way.

Related posts

• It’s Never Too Late to Start Over
• Site Build It Back to Work Special Promotion
• Site Built It! News - Upgrades and Upcoming Special