Still Seeking Online Income Solution

I've written other blog posts about my desire to increase income online, and I've received a number of great comments from other bloggers seeking solutions to the same problem. Well, after reviewing a number of "make money online" blogs and testing several opportunities, I find myself right back where I started... I'm still looking.

I'm finding that many of the "opportunities experts" are suggesting the same opportunities, many of which are in a niche already overcrowded by opportunity seekers. They advocate following their programs, but most of what I'm finding is outdated information that has been rehashed time and time again.

What I've found in all of my research is that:

1. Whatever you do it must be original.
2. You must believe in what you're doing.
3. You have to stick to whatever you're doing, and
4. You've got to have traffic to your site.

With all of that said, I'm still searching, and I'm not giving up hope.

 

Free online marketing is not always free

I enjoy blogging, but marketing a blog is another thing entirely. Those of us who must rely solely on free marketing, or marketing as inexpensively as possible are at a disadvantage to those with marketing budgets for Adwords and other traffic generating alternatives. We are unable to establish the reach that paid marketing generates, and there is a greater commitment of time and effort.

"Free" is not always free in online opportunities, and that certainly holds true for online marketing. There is a significant contribution of time and labor which takes even more time to pay off, if it pays off at all. I feel blessed that I've attracted some readership, but would love to see the numbers grow. And juggling time between marketing and searching for legitimate online opportunities has drastically increased the amount of time that I already spend online.

It would be easier if I were able to generate the type of income that would remove me from the dreaded "rat race" which so many sites promise a solution to. But, as of yet, none of them have lived up to their billing. So for now, I must continue dropping EC's, twittering, and pushing my site on Facebook to generate traffic. I guess, "nothing ventured, nothing gained" applies to me.

But if anyone knows of a better way, let me know.   

Sorting through the online opportunities clutter

                  
After months of sorting through opportunities for earning an income online, I'm finding that the best source for reliable information is other bloggers.

First of all, bloggers do what they do out of their passion for blogging, and if they are lucky enough to earn any income for their efforts, they are happy to pass that information along. Gurus on the other hand only want to separate you from your money, offering mostly worthless duplications of income opportunities that aren't even earning them money.

I've recently come to find that I'm not alone in my quest for earning an income online, and I'm certainly not the only blogger who has been taken in by grandiose claims of outrageous earnings from sites promising quit-your-job kind of money with their set-and-forget opportunity sites. The difference is that now, after seeing most of the scams, I've become much wiser, and have learned to quickly forget them.

That's not to say that there are not some real opportunities out there, because there are. You just have to sort through the clutter to locate them.

If anyone's interested, I'm still looking too. 

Finding the Right Online Opportunity

I have this dream of working from some exotic location from my laptop, so I've spent a ton of time online in recent months searching for the perfect work at home opportunity. I'm looking for something to supplement my current income, something that could possibly evolve into a full time income. But I'm finding that there are so many scams out there that I'm finding it difficult to feel comfortable with any offers at all.

I'm not looking to make $100,000 a month in the first 30 days, but that would certainly be nice. I'm simply looking for something that I can be paid for my time and effort, and something that I don't have to feel like I'm selling my soul to the devil to promote.

So many of the programs that I see appear to be duplicates of other programs, and some of the claims are so outrageous that I can't see how anyone would ever fall for them. I believe that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. But, I hear so many success stories, that I have to believe that there are legitimate opportunities to be found... I just don't know where.

I can't be the only one with this problem, and I'm curious if others have run into the same situation. If so, I'd love to hear from you.

Overcoming Daily Obstacles

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" Mathew 7:7

I often find myself guilty of losing faith in my own potential. I try to stay positive, but life events can cloud my direction, and leave me leaning onto my own short term understanding of things. During such times, I have to coach myself back to the reality of the big picture. I have to encourage myself to understand that whatever I'm going through will pass, and that I must continue on the path of my goals.

None of us are perfect, but we must strive to be the best that we can be in any situation. Sometimes, that illumination comes from within, and other times, it can come from the most unlikely of sources. The reality is that, regardless of how difficult the obstacles we face, there are others who are facing even greater obstacles. Such is the overwhelming truth of our existence.

I was once told a story about a soldier who, while patrolling in the jungle for weeks, became miserable because he longed for air conditioning and his soft bed. One day, he ran into a small boy searching for food in a deep part of the jungle. The boy had no shoes, and appeared hungry. The soldier offered the boy his rations, but the boy declined.

Curious, the soldier followed the boy to a small village and found that the boy was not looking for food for himself, but for his parents, who were both disabled and unable to provide food for their son and a younger daughter. He noticed that they all slept on thin mats on the ground, and that there was no running water, or any of the amenities that would make life comfortable.The soldier offered his rations to the family, and days later, encouraged his fellow soldiers to do the same. Each time they fed the family, he noticed that the small boy was the last to eat.

When he questioned the boy, the small boy told him that he got his greatest joy from knowing that his family was taken care of, and that he could not enjoy a meal knowing that there may not be enough for his family. Suddenly, air conditioning and a soft bed did not seem so important, and from that point, whenever the soldier was faced with obstacles in life, he would think of the small boy and his family, and refused to complain.

Think of where you are in life today, and know that your life is indeed blessed, regardless of the circumstances which you are facing.

Have an AWESOME day!

Opportunity Knocks (Open the door!)

Great Opportunities Don't Grow On Trees

Great opportunities are all around us, but they don't just grow on trees. Someone once said that opportunities are like pennies on the ground, we always walk over them until we actually need one. But, every now and then one comes along that makes us take notice. Either we believe in it, the timing is right, or like a penny on the ground, we simply just need it.

I recent found an opportunity that fit all three for me, and I'd like to share it with you! It may, or may not be for you, but like that penny, you may just need it.

Opportunity knocks!

Happy New Year and Keep Those Resolutions

I just wanted to take a quick moment to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and I hope with all of my heart that this becomes the best year for all of us. Over the past few years, I've learned to stay away from making New Year's resolutions, not so much because I don't believe in them (I do), but because I've seldom followed through with them.

This year is different.

Not only am I making resolutions, but I'm also resolving to remain committed to them. Yep, the usual are on my list... Lose weight, volunteer more of my time to special causes, etc. But, the big one is to save more money. I'm learning though, that in order to do that, I need to earn more money, so we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, have a great year this year, and let's all win in 2010.

Theresa

Also... Check out my new site (click here).

An Apology to My Readers

I just wanted to take a moment to apologize to my readers for taking an extended leave of absence. There was a lot going on in my personal life that simply took longer than expected to resolve. But I'm back now, and happy to reconnect with all of you.

Thanks for everyone who sent words of encouragement.

Theresa

Spring Weddings Make Me Mushy

I love weddings, they seem to always make me cry.

My sister, Patricia, got married last week. For the past few weeks, you'd have thought that it was me who was preparing to walk down the aisle. I got excited because she got excited, anxious when she was anxious, emotional when she got emotional, and cried when she cried. I guess you can tell, we're very close.

Tish married a wonderful man who adores the ground she walks on. It was a beautiful spring ceremony on a beautiful spring day. Her happiness is my happiness, and I think that counts twice as much for our mom. But it's amazing to me how quickly after the hectic, never-seems-like-enough time running around a wedding creates, that things must get back to normal.

It seems like the drop off in excitement should be more gradual. One day, everything is amazingly chaotic, the next day, I'm saying goodbye to loved ones that I haven't seen in years. I went from an incredible high, to an instant l;ow in less than 24 hours. It doesn't seem fair.

But I'm happy for Tish and her new husband, and I wish them the very best in years to come. Meanwhile, I'm getting back into the groove of my day-to-day routine.

Springing Into A Positive Attitude

                                                

Okay, I've got to admit... the recent 70 degree weather after months of dreadful cold got my motors running. I sort of went crazy for a few days, looking for any excuse to get out of the house. But when it dipped back into th 40's, reality set in, and now I'm back into my grind.

It's only the first few weeks of warm weather that effects me that way. Once spring and summer sets in, I'll be complaining about how hot it is. I really try not to be a complainer, but hey, it's a part of what makes me who I am.

And that's what makes blogging so great. Here, we can explore every aspect of ourselves without being judged for being one way or another. Sure, there are some extremists out here, but it's hard for me to believe that anyone can be so one dimensional that they are in one singular mode all the time. Everybody has their good days, and their not so good days.

I choose to feel like it's the first few weeks of spring all the time, but the reality is that there are days when life  feels a little cold and dreary. It's how I choose to get through those days that matter.  There's one thing in life that I've learned for sure, and it's that the sun will come up again tomorrow. And on that, you can bet your bottom dollar.