From time to time I like to give little tutorials about how I set things up right here on my blog. I get a ton of questions asking how to do something on their own blog, so this is a great way to:

1. Avoid questions. Time preservation!!
2. Assist people with questions.

So it works out pretty well.

Now, anyone who is anyone know that if you are serious about blogging, then you must also be serious about commenting. Not only getting comments on your own blog posts, but also commenting on other blogs in your niche as well. Commenting does a few things for you and your blog:

1. It increases your traffic as you link your name to your blog. Along with the owner of that blog, others will click on your name, leading them to your blog.
2. It also increases your rankings in the search engines of you leave a keyword in place of your name. (Be careful though. You don’t want to be considered a spammer. Leave value in your comment. Look for a future post, this week, on how to include your name AND a keyword linked to your site!)
3. You start to be recognized as a frequent visitor to your favorite blogs and will eventually be rewarded for it in some way, shape or form.

I had a pet peeve about comments on my blog. They didn’t have a picture attached to them like everyone elses blogs did. So I fixed that through a site called Gravatar.com. It’s very simple to set up and it associates your email address with your picture. So as you leave a comment on another blog, use the email with the picture you want posted on that site. Simple…..and it’s completely free!

And as you can see below, that is if anyone has commented, there are pictures next to comments. It’s nice to know who is following your blogs and makes things a bit more personal. So, before you leave a comment, make sure you have a gravatar at Gravatar.com.

The great Personal Development mentor and coach, Jim Rohn, left this world last week after a long struggle with pulmonary fibrosis and as much as I could tell you about how he died, I would much rather tell you how he lived. Although I didn’t know Jim personally and was never able to attend one of his events, he went with us everywhere. We carried his audio cd’s with us as we traveled. He was and always will be, in the books, on of the best inspirational speakers and mentors in history. With his unique style and his christian background, I completely related to Jim and his message. His humble beginning as an “Idaho farm boy” is a testament to everyone that anything is possible for those who believe in something greater for themselves.

If you don’t have any of Jim Rohn’s material, get some. You’ll love it. I don’t think I have ever heard common sense in such an inspirational and useful way. Jim has a talent for allowing you to use the commonalities you already know to drastically improve your life.

There are very few people that can truly look back on their lives and see the millions of people they have directly and indirectly inspired and assisted. Jim’s message is one that will continue to inspire and uplift and I am grateful that I was here and alive when he walked this earth.

If you would like to check out some of Jim’s websites and material, there are plenty of places. Here are a few:

http://www.yoursuccessstore.com/

http://tribute.jimrohn.com/

http://video.success.com/featured/jim-rohn-tribute/

Jim’s Facebook Page

In closing, I’ll leave you with the quote on the header of his site:

“I wish for you a life of health, wealth and happiness; a life in which you give to yourself the gift of patience, the virtue of reason, the value of knowledge, and the influence of faith in your own ability to dream about and to achieve worthy rewards.” ~Jim Rohn

I just got off a conference call with leaders based in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and the list could go on and on, where we discussed a plan of action to propel not only this opportunity, but the entire industry of direct sales. Topic of discussion was creating more unity between the leadership of this opportunity that will allow us all to work more closely with each other and inspire a much larger team environment.With advancements in technology, our international business capabilities just increase and the income opportunity we offer is becoming streamlined.

Flourishing International Markets

For those of you looking for a truly unique, international income opportunity, now is the time to get involved. Our company originated right here in Arizona and within the last few years has gone completely international. We have customers and distributors in over 150 countries worldwide and growing. The areas that have experienced the most growth have been Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Canada, the US and coming up in the wings is South Africa.

The beautiful thing about this business is the fact that your income is not dependent on your local economy. In fact, I rarely even speak to people in my own zip code. I get calls from all over North America, Germany, the UK, all over Africa, India, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, and I think you all get the point. Our business is creating wealth from home by using a simple way for average people to offer the best products in Personal Development, Positive Media and Entrepreneur Education.

Look for updates on future documentaries put out by our company. We are going to be the source that truly changes the face of this planet and I am proud to be part of it.

To learn a bit more about the Personal Development industry, you can visit my Personal Development page. To learn more about the income opportunity, you can visit The Opportunity page.

This is a real quick post as a follow up to the Want to Start an Email Marketing Campaign post I did last week. In that post I had mentioned “Constant Contact” as a source for your email marketing campaign. However great the service, they do not accept accounts from certain industries. Some of these industries include Network Marketing, Online Medical supplies, Mortgages and Loans and many others. The list is pretty long and in my opinion, they should have just made a list of all industries they do accept. It might have been a shorter list!

I did come across another site, MailChimp. I signed up, of course, and created an email campaign based on motivational, inspirational and empowering Movie Quotes. Feel free to subscribe. MailChimp is a great service for the beginner as it is very simple to use and it can be used for free. You can send up to 3000 emails per month for free, forever, as long as you have less than 500 subscribers. It has an easy to use custom form builder for forms that can be embedded onto your website or subscribe page. Setting up an email template was very easy and simple to use. It took me less than 10 minutes to sign up, set up an email campaign, design a logo for my emails and enter a few quotes.

I still consider myself a newby in email marketing but know the effect it can, is and will have on my business. For those of you involved in Network Marketing or online marketing, have your leads go to an email marketing system that you can customize to your marketing ideas. You own your lead list. Use it with care, use it wisely and give value to your readers!

Now this post has nothing to do with Personal Development or creating success in a home based business, but it sure gave me a good laugh. It’s always good to know what the search engines think of your site…..but I don’t think we really ever wonder what search engines think of you, personally.

Go to http://google.com. Type in “(YourName) is a”. Here’s a picture of what Google thinks of me…and you know what, don’t get offended. It’s just a computer giving you suggestions of what other people have searched for. Blame the people, not the Google machine!

The unwritten law of success has always included, and begins with, thanksgiving. Gratitude is the act of showing appreciation. It is always said that, unless you are grateful for what you currently have, you will never be blessed with more. As I show that I can appreciate and manage all that I do have, it merits the fact that I deserve more.

Success Begins with Thanksgiving

I actually take time every single day, not just on Thanksgiving day, to think of all that I have in my life right now that I am grateful for. I think of my children, my home based business, the roof over my head, my vehicles, my family, friends, my church and yes, at times, I even think of my Sony LCD TV (Which is bigger than anything else in my house)! No matter what stage I am at in my life or whatever my circumstance, the day will ALWAYS go smoother if I simply spend some time to reflect on the things that are most important to me. As I think of my children, I have a little more temperance. As I think of my business, I become more passionate about changing peoples lives. As I think of my faith, my testimony is strengthened. As I reflect, I become stronger in every area that crosses my mind.

I once read a quote that stated something along the lines of, “Gratitude is pointless when kept quiet.” The best form of gratitude is the kind shared with those you are grateful for. It not only strengthens you, but the other person as well. So take some time to tell those who are closest to you how grateful you are for them and how much they mean to you. Chances are, they really needed to hear it, and may not hear that sort of thing very often.

Take the approach this holiday season to see who’s life you can effect in a positive way instead of who can effect you. Be the proactive blessing in other people’s lives. You deserve it and so do they!

Happy Turkey Day to everyone here in the US! Any holiday that involves a ton of food and family, I’m in!