School Blog

Archive for November, 2006

Moms all over the world are finding that Mlm is the only way for them to quickly and easily be able to work from home as a home business owner, without the headaches of running a traditional business.

As an Mlm Moms myself I’ve found that every day I feel like I’m balancing on a teeter totter. Successful business, happy family (including a tidy and deep cleaned home). At first I couldn’t see how I could have both.

I’m sure as an Mlmer yourself you’ve felt what I’m describing. Standing in the middle of the teeter totter, one foot on each side, wobbling a bit to try to maintain some balance. Then a big event comes up and suddenly all of your weight goes to the home business side of the teeter totter and your family shoots to the sky wondering what happened to their mom!

It’s not easy, but I’ve found that it’s worth it. And I’ve also found a way to show you how to balance a little (did I say a little…I mean, a lot) easier on that little teeter totter of yours.

The events are fun, albeit expensive and time consuming, and not always worth it. Yes, they pump you up and you learn some of the things that your company of choice is coming out with to benefit you as a network marketer. But think about it from the teeter totter standpoint and tell me if the events are important enough to sacrifice your family for?

We have heard it a million times from our upline: “If you go to this event you’ll be successful”.

Gag me! It’s a lie. You can get excited sitting at home at your computer. You can also learn about the new stuff coming out from your company online at your cookie cutter website.

This lie bothers me because they ask you to go into debt for a party and tell you that just by being at the party you’ll be a success.

I’m sorry ladies, but going to the event will not prosper you. Taking action will, and using the right tools to take action will.

So first find balance by staying at home. (Remember that if you like these fun events then you should still go. But just for the fun of it. For the “getting out” element. Not because you believe that going is the source of all of your future success.)

Next, find balance by using tools to put it on auto-pilot.

Now, to be fair, 100% auto-pilot is not really the smartest thing. In fact, I haven’t seen it actually be true that something can be on 100% auto-pilot.

But I have seen 80% and even 90% auto-pilot. And that’s what I want to recommend to you.

Tools are required, but I can save your life (I mean, your budget) there too.

When I first got started I got talked into spending over $200 per month just for my tools. These were tools with a monthly ding, and I was hurting because I wasn’t replacing the funds fast enough. Pretty soon I was in some pretty massive debt.

The tools that I recommend to you are pretty basic. One of them costs just under $50 per month, and the other is just under $20. Wrap your phone bill (unlimited LD I hope!) and your internet bill in there and you should be good to go. Write it off on your taxes.

The first tool is at easymlmleadtraining.com and you can get some training at no cost. I hope you will really go to school with this training because it’s free even if you don’t use the $50 tool. Free is GOOD. But I still recommend the tool because in essence it’s everything that I’m talking about. Auto-pilot.

These tools is designed to capture the highly qualified lead for you (all you have to do is get people to the page and It will sift and sort for you.) and then train them (with your optional mentorship) for you.

I don’t know about you but when I was running my MLM manually I was spending a LOT of time training people one on one. My family started telling me I was always on the phone…and they even started to get mad at me for it. It was pretty stressful. I enjoyed helping people, but not to the extent that my family was that unhappy.

Motherhood should come first for any mom. It’s important. We don’t just give birth and then we’re off the hook! (right?) We’ve got some kids to raise and teach and we want them to know that they are important to us.

So when it comes to MLM I’m highly recommending using some tools. Just take care because there are a lot of people out there who will take advantage of your newness to the idea and ask you to spend hundred, even thousands of dollars on tools that you don’t need…and if you do want them later, you don’t need them yet. There is a learning curve on all of this.

The final thing t

Humans are social animals. For many thousands of years, as we lived and worked in tribal societies, every toddler had ample opportunity to be social with the people around him. Learning and playing went hand in hand and all young children participated in tribal events and group socializing. It is only in the modern world, when we have lost the ‘village’ and fractured into single family units that our children do not get adequate socialization. In today’s busy world we use playgroups, playdates and kid’s activities to give our toddlers get a chance to learn interaction and social manners and behaviors.

There are two key reasons for getting your toddler involved in playgroups. The first is to expose them to other young children. When children are playing together in a group, they are automatically and sub-consciously learning from each other. Kid’s activities, special events and playdates are all opportunities for socializing with kids from a variety of backgrounds and cultural situations. Through social interaction your child will learn how to relate and effectively ‘deal’ with children of their own age. Too often our children have social interaction only with adults until they must go to school at which time the culture shock is immense.

The second reason for getting your toddler involved in playgroups is that being around other young children creates confidence and sense of security while in a group. Your child will not only interact personally with the other children, but will have the opportunity to make observations of the activity that surrounds them. Watching other kids playing or learning can give your child ideas – how to solve problems, how to make friends, share etc. This type of socializing is critical for development but, perhaps more importantly, it is fun for your child. Studies have proven that children who are regularly exposed to kid’s activities, events or playdates are better adjusted and better behaved overall.

If you want your toddler to be more social, playgroups, playdates and events where other young children are present are a good way to accomplish it. Learning to play well with others is a critical part of human development and the skills gained while playing and learning will pay great dividends later in life. As adults we sometimes look at socializing as something frivolous – something for our spare time. For toddlers, being involved in kid’s activities and spending regular time with children of a similar age is a critical part of development. Learn more at: www.socialtoddler.com

I have some close friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry, which I have dabbled in a little myself, and they have vented to me time and again about what they see during the open casting call process. In an attempt to not go insane from the repetition I hear from my aggravated acquaintances on an almost daily basis, I’ve devised a list in hopes that actors reading it will give them a break. Which consequently, will give me a break. Here we go!

1. Excuses:
Check those at the door. Time to be an adult. The dog ate my homework didn’t work in school, and no variation of that excuse is going to work at a job interview. Roll with the punches, and do what you can. Don’t start blaming anything or anyone. It just looks pathetic, and makes you look incompetent. Pity won’t get you the job.

2. Early Audition:
Now don’t get too discouraged, this is just a rule of thumb, but early auditions tend to get the part, or at least a callback if they were halfway descent. Reason being, the casting staff is tired at the end of the day. Like anyone at work, productivity goes down minutes before quitting time. They’re not really paying attention. They’re thinking of food, home, sleep or some other pleasurable, non-work related activity. Also, you might not impress them as much when compared to the blur of actors they’ve seen all day. Wouldn’t you rather audition in front of well-rested, fresh minds?

3. Headshots and Resume (aka a portfolio):
Even if a manager or agent is sending one over for you, bring extras. You never know whom you will meet, and you don’t want your career dependent on anyone but yourself.

4. Choose:
During an audition, confidence in yourself and your understanding of the character is very important. What shows this are the choices you make. When someone asks you to choose “what you like” or “which song”, do not reply with “doesn’t matter” or “whatever you want”. Huge turnoff and big mistake. You must know your strengths and preferences. This is not a social conversation. You’re being tested!

5. First Impressions:
Not really much to say here. When you meet someone, you envision him or her in the context of your meeting. You do it. They do it. They want a competent, personable employee. Come in looking prepared, confident and presentable. Not unorganized, arrogant and sloppy. If you don’t care, why should they?

6. Contact Information:
Simple but crucial. Use a designated audition email address and have it on your Resume and Headshots, which you should have with you at all times! Even if you don’t get the part, they might dig your file up at a later date. You might not have your agent or they lose that information and presto, they have your contact information handy and ready to go.

7. Memorizing Lines:
1. Learn them! If you don’t, can’t, whatever, DO NOT pretend to know them. You’ll just look stupid. While reading directly from the script isn’t ideal, it is not the end of the world.

8. 3 C’s:
This is a little redundant, but that’s because it’s important. Comfortable—Charismatic—Confident. You’re going to be an actor. You must have a stage presence. Focus must be on you, and the audience must want to focus on you. After all, you’re the reason why anyone is watching.

9. The Show Must Go On:
Did you mess up a line? DO NOT start over. This is a sign of professional maturity. Starting over is never an option, and it probably wasn’t as bad as you think. While you’ve just messed up in front of industry professionals, they’ve seen it fifty times that same day and it isn’t that much of a shock. If you wow them with your talent, a simple mistake won’t sway them too much.

10. Audition:
This might seem obvious, but a lot of people will only go on auditions that they really want. Go on auditions that aren’t so important to you. That is a perfect way to perfect your auditioning skills without blowing the real deal. You can also record yourself and use sites like Talent Trove to get feedback on your performance. Practice makes perfect, and you need to get those jitters out. Hone your skills, and get yourself familiar with the set

As the economy has shifted about and soured, many people have decided to go back to school for additional training or a degree to give themselves an edge in the job market.  If you are one of them, congratulations on making the investment in yourself and your future.  Now, it’s time to make sure you are saving all the money you can with your new student status.

There are all kinds of student discounts out there that are official and advertised.  However, there are also substantial savings that can be had by simply letting others know that your lifestyle has changes.  One place to look for those savings is in your car insurance premiums.

When you take on full-time student status, many of your usual routines will change.  Students don’t have regular commuter schedules.  They often walk, bike, or take public transportation to get around.  Their cars spend long stretches of time parked instead of out on the road.

As a result, students don’t have the same risk profile as regular drivers.  You just aren’t facing the same things on the road as a corporate warrior who has to drive in peak traffic five days a week.  You may fight for a good spot close to your building on campus, but you aren’t fighting urban traffic to get a good spot in a competitive corporate lot.

Thus, you should explore how your changed risk profile as a driver can save you money on your car insurance.  The first step is to realize that your standard car insurance cover likely isn’t pricing your premium right any more.  You’re paying average, working driver rates, subsidizing a lifestyle that simply isn’t yours any longer.

When you look for new insurance, you will want to look for an insurer that is going to make the effort to differentiate between you and average drivers.  You’ll want a company that is willing to keep up with the changes in your life and price your insurance cover accordingly.  After all, why pay money for coverage that doesn’t fit your needs?

The process of establishing yourself as a lower risk driver, or at least a different risk level driver, involves using a more inquisitive quotation process.  It can be done completely online, between classes or whenever you have the time.  Just answer additional questions about the number of days that you drive, where you usually keep the car, and your average driving distance to start separating yourself from the commuter crowds.

When you get back your quote, you can be confident that the cover you are offered has been priced based on your true risk level.  You may be quite surprised at the amount of money you can save with customized premium pricing on car insurance.  However, as a student, finding extra money by cutting out unnecessary spending is a great way to find the money you need to get the most out of your education.

Technology is unavoidable. The other day, my boyfriend couldn’t find the charger to his cell phone, and you would have thought that the world might come to an end if he didn’t find it in time to charge his dying phone. I couldn’t help but think to myself how far we have come in the field of technology.
r
rI can still remember having a rotary phone in my parents house when I was growing up. I remember it very clearly because I had been allowed to use it a few times to dial my grandmother’s phone number. Her phone number was considered “long distance” which was great for me back then because this meant that it took even longer to dial the number and wait. Nowadays though, if I had to make a phone call like that, I would cringe because of the sheer amount of time I would suspect that it would waste. Now, if I want to make a phone call, I press a button on my phone or say a name out loud, and my phone does the rest in a matter of what sometimes seems like nanoseconds.
r
rEvery time you turn on your car, play a cd in a cd player, listen to an mp3 player, write a blog or overhear a plane flying over your head, this means that technology is out there…working. Even the prescription glasses that are sitting on my face right now are evidence enough that technology exists. So, how do you avoid technology? Simple. You don’t. Instead, you get used to it; you become acclimated to the surroundings, and eventually, you forget that technology even exists until something doesn’t work the way it is supposed to.
r
rThe other day, I was trying to watch a movie on Netflix, for example. The movie was supposed to play instantly over an Internet connection. However, for whatever reason, it was not playing properly. Well, after about two to three seconds (tops) of waiting out the frustration, I got up and put in a DVD of my own. I don’t blame impatience in this case as much as I blame the fact that technology wasn’t working in one area, so I simply switched into a slightly different realm to satisfy my technological needs.
r
rTechnology is also at work when you need directions to go somewhere. When I first went away to school to go to college, I had purchased an actual, physical road atlas for driving purposes. Cut to almost a decade later, and almost no one uses road maps anymore because we all have some sort of GPS system to fall back on- whether it is one that we purchased to mount in our vehicles or whether it is some sort of capability that comes with our cell phones (like mine does). Even small things such as carrying cash around is affected by technology. For example, have you ever seen those Visa debit card commercials? Everyone is in line at a store swiping their debit cards and moving along smoothly until someone with cash tries to pay for something and ends up slowing the entire line down. It was both funny but true!