Senin, 15 November 2010

ketika jatuh cinta pada PURNAMA




Wanita mana yang tidak terpikat oleh pemuda seperti ini? Ia tampan, kaya, cerdas, keturunan orang terhormat, dan paling mulia akhlaknya di Jazirah Arab.

Menjelang tengah hari, sebuah kafilah dagang dari negeri Syam tiba di Makkah. Tak lama kemudian kafilah dagang itu memasuki pelataran sebuah rumah besar dan bagus.Dari dalam terlihat seorang wanita berusia bergegas ke luar dan menyambut kafilah dagang yang sangat dinantikannya.
Dari mimik mukanya tampak gurat-urat kegembiraan. Tak lama kemudian, terjadi percakapan antara wanita yang bernama Siti Khadijah itu dengan Nabi Muhammad bin Abdullah, pemuda yang memimpin kafilah dagang. Didengarkannya pemuda Nabi Muhammad berbicara dengan bahasa yang begitu fasih tentang perjalanan dagangnya ke negeri Syam, serta keuntungan yang diperoleh dari perdagangan tersebut. Demikian juga, Khadijah mendengar penjelasan Muhammad tentang barang-barang dari Syam yang berhasil ia bawa beserta kafilahnya. Khadijah sangat gembira dan terlihat antusias sekali mendengarkan cerita tersebut.Sesaat kemudian datanglah Maisarah; orang kepercayaan Khadijah yang menyertai Nabi Muhammad berdagang ke Syam. Ia pun menceritakan pengalaman-pengalaman yang ditemuinya selama perjalanan. Semua yang diceritakan Maisarah makin menambah pengetahuan Khadijah tentang Nabi Muhammad.
Sebelumnya, Khadijah pun tahu bahwa Nabi Muhammad adalah sosok pemuda yang sangat mulia akhlaknya. Dalam waktu yang singkat, rasa simpati itu berubah menjadi rasa cinta. Khadijah tertarik untuk menjadikan Nabi Muhammad bin Abdullah sebagai pendamping hidup.
Apa yang menyebabkan Siti Khadijah simpati lalu jatuh hati pada sosok pemuda Nabi Muhammad? Bukankah Khadijah adalah seorang konglomerat wanita terkaya di Makkah saat itu, sedangkan nabi Muhammad hanya seorang 'pemuda biasa'? Mengapa pula Khadijah 'berani' menjadikan Nabi Muhammad sebagai suami, bahkan ia yang berinisiatif melamarnya, padahal sebelumnya banyak pembesar Quraisy yang mengajukan lamaran, dan semuanya ditolak?
Ada beberapa faktor penyebab.
Pertama, faktor kesepadanan atau kesekufuan. Adalah sesuatu yang wajar bila seseorang jatuh cinta pada orang yang memiliki banyak kesamaan dengan dirinya daripada perbedaan. Orang pun akan cenderung memilih pendamping hidup yang sekufu (sederajat), baik dari sisi harta, ideologi, gaya hidup, keilmuan, dan kepribadian.
Khadijah mencintai Rasulullah SAW, boleh jadi, disebabkan karena Nabi Muhammad Rasulullah SAW memiliki banyak 'kesamaan' dengan dirinya. Khadijah adalah wanita mulia,Nabi Muhammad SAW pun seorang lelaki mulia, sehingga Khadijah pun cenderung memilih pendamping yang akhlaknya mulia. Khadijah adalah seorang konglomerat, sedangkan Rasul seorang entrepreneur dan marketer yang hebat. Rasul berasal dari keturunan orang-orang terpandang, begitupun Khadijah. Kedua karakter yang memiliki banyak kesamaan ini jelas lebih mudah bersatu.
Di luar ketentuan Allah SWT, Khadijah tertarik pada Rasulullah SAW karena beliau adalah seorang profesional. Sampai usia 25 tahun, Rasul telah melewati tahap-tahap kehidupan sebagai seorang profesional di bidangnya (pedagang).Mengkaji pribadi Rasulullah SAW, kita akan mendapatkan jiwa entrepreneurship yang sudah dipupuk sejak usia 12 tahun, tatkala pamannya Abu Thalib mengajak melakukan perjalanan bisnis ke Syam, negeri meliputi: Suriah, Yordania, dan Lebanon saat ini. Demikian juga sebagai seorang yatim piatu yang tumbuh besar bersama pamannya, Beliau telah ditempa untuk tumbuh sebagai seorang wirausahawan yang mendiri. Maka ketika pamannya tidak bisa lagi terjun langsung menangani usaha, pada usia 17 tahun Nabi Muhammad telah diserahi wewenang penuh untuk mengurusi seluruh bisnis pamannya.
Kedua, dilihat dari segi fisik Rasulullah SAW sangat sulit dikatakan jelek. Muhammad Husein Haikal dalam bukunya Sejarah Hidup Nabi Muhammad dengan baik menggambarkan bagaimana indahnya wajah Rasulullah SAW.''Paras mukanya manis dan indah, perawakannya sedang, tidak terlampau tinggi juga tidak pendek, dengan bentuk kepala yang besar, berambut hitam antara keriting dan lurus. Dahinya lebar dan rata di atas sepasang alis yang lengkung lebat dan bertaut, sepasang matanya lebar dan hitam, di tepi-tepi putih matanya agak kemerah-merahan, tampak lebih menarik dan kuat; pandangan matanya tajam dengan bulu mata yang hitam pekat. Hidungnya halus dan merata dengan barisan gigi yang bercelah-celah. Cambangnya lebat sekali, berleher agak panjang dan indah. Dadanya lebar dengan kedua bahu yang bidang. Warna kulitnya terang dan jernih dengan kedua telapak tangan dan kakinya yang tebal. Bila berjalan badannya agak condong ke depan, melangkah cepat, dan pasti. Air mukanya membayangkan renungan dan penuh pikiran, pandangan matanya menunjukkan kewibawaan, hingga membuat orang patuh kepadanya.
''Ketampanan Rasulullah SAW terasa makin lengkap dengan gerak-geriknya yang menawan. Dikisahkan pula oleh Ummu Ma'bad bagaimana sikap beliau, tatkala ia melihat Rasulullah SAW dalam perjalanan hijrah dari Makkah ke Madinah: ''Aku melihat seorang lelaki dengan wajah berseri-seri dan bercahaya... Jika ia diam maka tampaklah kharismanya. Jika sedang berbicara, ia tampak begitu agung dan santun. Ia tampak paling muda dan paling rupawan bila dipandang dari kejauhan, juga paling tampan dan memesona di antara rombongannya.
Ucapannya menyejukkan, perkataannya jelas; tidak sedikit dan tidak pula bertele-tele, sebagai buah dari kecerdasan. Beliau adalah orang yang paling menarik dan kharismatik di antara ketiga sahabatnya (Abu Bakar dan seorang penunjuk jalan)
.''Keindahan perilaku Rasulullah SAW bersumber dari kemuliaan akhlak dan kejernihan jiwa. Inilah faktor ketiga yang membuat Khadijah jatuh cinta. Muhammad adalah sosok pemuda berakhlak mulia, bahkan puncak dari akhlak yang mulia. Dengan karunia Allah SWT, dalam diri beliau terkumpul semua akhlak terpuji yang dikenal manusia: kejujuran, kedermawan, ataupun kelembutan. Tak ada satu sisi pun dalam diri beliau tanpa budi pekerti yang luhur. Akhlak Rasulullah SAW adalah sebuah keistimewaan, hingga beliau 'meringkas' misi dakwahnya dalam sebuah hadis, ''Aku diutus untuk menyempurnakan akhlak mulia'' (HR Bukhari dan Hakim).
William Moir, seorang pujangga asal Prancis, mengungkapkan bagaimana indahnya akhlak Rasulullah SAW. Ia berkata, ''Sederhana dan mudah adalah gambaran seluruh hidupnya.

Perasa dan adabnya adalah sifat yang paling menonjol dalam pergaulan beliau dengan pengikutnya yang paling rendah sekalipun. Tawadhu, sabar, penyayang, dan mementingkan orang lain lagi dermawan adalah sifat yang selalu menyertai pribadinya dan menarik simpati orang di sekitarnya. Tidak seorang pun di sampingnya yang merasa bahwa ia tidak memperhatikannya secara khusus, meski orang itu adalah seorang gembel. Jika bertemu dengan orang yang berbahagia karena suatu keberhasilan, maka ia menggengam tangannya dan ikut merasakan kegembiraan.
Jika bersama dengan orang yang tertimpa musibah dan dirundung kesedihan, beliau pun ikut larut merasakan kesedihan mereka. Beliau sangat perasa dan pandai menghibur.'
'Karenanya, wanita mana yang tidak terpincut oleh pemuda seperti ini?

By : Miftahul Mujahidah Al-banjari

Rabu, 03 November 2010

10 metode mengajar

Adapun para peserta yang mengikuti pelatihan berasal dari berbagai kalangan guru Taman Kanak-Kanak (TK) yang ada di Kabupaten Aceh Barat dan Nagat Raya. Kegiatan ini berlangsung selama dua hari, yang bertujuan untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dan pemahaman kepada para guru dalam melakukan kegiatan proses belajar - mengajar bagi siswa-siswinya.

Selama pelatihan berlangsung saya berusaha mengikuti materi-materi yang disampaikan oleh narasumber dengan baik. Saya tertarik disaat salah seorang narasumber menyampaikan materi tentang Memahami Penggunaan Metode Pendidikan Pada Usia Dini. Dalam materi ini disampaikan bahwa ada 10 metode yang dilakukan oleh guru dalam mendidik siswanya. 10 Metode tersebut adalah :

1. Tanya jawab

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru dengan cara tanya jawab kepada siswanya. Berbagai media juga bisa dipergunakan dalam metode ini, misalnya melalui gambar, benda dan mainan yang berkaitan dengan materi yang akan disampaikan kepada anak-anak.

2. Bernyanyi

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru kepada siswanya dengan cara bernyanyi. Kegiatan bernyanyi ini dilakukan kepada anak-anak sesuai dengan materi yang telah disusun.

3. Bercerita

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru dengan cara bercerita yang berkaitan dengan materi yang akan disampaikan kepada anak-anak.

4. Praktek langsung

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru dengan cara melakukan praktek secara langsung sesuai dengan materi yang akan disampaikan kepada anak-anak.

5. Pemberian Tugas

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru dengan cara pemberian tugas kepada anak-anak.

6. Sosiodrama

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru kepada anak dengan cara bermain peran dan disesuaikan dengan materi yang telah disusun.

7. Demonstrasi

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru kepada anak dengan cara melakukan, memperlihatkan, mengerjakan dan mempertanyakan kepada anak tentang media, benda atau permainan yang sesuai dengan materi yang akan disampaikan pada anak.

8. Eksperimen

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru kepada anak dengan cara anak-anak melakukan percobaan langsung tentang materi yang disampaikan.

9. Bercakap-cakap

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru kepada anak dengan cara berbicara atau menyampaikan materi pada anak-anak.

10. Karya wisata

Metode ini merupakan proses belajar mengajar yang dilakukan oleh guru kepada anak dengan cara membawa anak kelokasi atau tempat tententu (rekreasi) sambil belajar.

Ke -10 metode ini lah yang sering dipergunakan oleh para guru untuk mendidik siswanya di sekolah agar para siswa memiliki pengetahuan, pengalaman dan kepribadian yang baik.

Namun keberhasilan dari tujuan metode ini, juga ditentukan oleh sikap, kesabaran dan hati yang tulus serta kemampuan guru dalam mengimplementasikannya kepada anak-anak.

Oleh karena itu, jika 10 metode ini dilakukan dengan sikap, kesabaran dan hati yang tulus serta kemampuan guru dalam mengimplementasikannya kepada anak-anak maka keberhasilan dari tujuan dalam pendidikan itu akan mudah tercapai.

sumber: internet

Sabtu, 16 Oktober 2010

sepuluh tips

10 Guides



1.ENTHUSIASM, passion, love, dedication, drive, obsession, and the other positive emotional drives, are essential if we want to succeed in this brutal world of business. They are the fuels of our energy. We need them, we need them bad. Enthusiasm does not guarantee success, but lack of it does guarantee failure.



2.Be a REVOLUTIONARY, an activist, who shouts out loud and make the mark at this time of chaos. Dare to CHANGE, to be the UPFRONT of any new business movements. To be the change rather than the product of it.



3.Believe in TECHNOLOGY, and commit yourself to it. Internet, MP3, Mobile-stuff, Biotech, et cetera: learn and go with it. This is the century of brains, and of inventions. Use technology to our benefits. Try the new things, learn and learn and learn. And keep the competitive edge.



4.Go GLOBAL. There is no other time in history where globalization is so near to everybody. Technology has shattered distance and geographical limitations. Internet is the enabler. Connect with someone, anyone, in Japan, Slovakia, India, China, Russia, San Francisco, or Milan. Distance is no barrier anymore; neither do language (translation software is available easily). Make a web of friends.



5.Make MISTAKES, fail and learn. Shit happens. Catastrophes will make us stronger. Successful people know that failures may just be around the next corner. The bigger the prize, the further there is to fail. Caution rules.



6.Focus on the INTANGIBLES. Soft is in, hard is out. The era of brands, bits, and brains, the era of service. Expand and nourish the intangible competency.



7.Be CREATIVE, do something DIFFERENT with our works and products. Put our souls into whatever we do. Avoid the commodity trap.



8.Stay LOOSE, be happy, be crappy. Turn the workplace into a PLAYZONE, or quit. The world is already too dark to live by, we need to balance our life with the joy of living. Enjoying what we do and loving every second of it. Otherwise we are out, we are finished.



9.GIVE BACK to the community, commit to social cause, do random acts of kindness. We have to remember the poor and the needy, the rainforests and the environmental harmony. Karma counts, we are responsible of the humanity we live in. Embark the economies of souls.



10.Trust your INSTINC, go with your guts, and keep on running. Do the things that you believe is right, and that power will push you on and on. Determination rules.



by Tanadi Santoso

Minggu, 03 Oktober 2010

indah

INDAH Banyaknya perbedaan kepentingan dan perbedaan karakter di sekitar kita. Mana yang lebih berbahaya. menjadi orang yang mau menguasai sendiri semuanya. Atau orang yang suka iri dan menginginkan milik orang lain menjadi miliknya. Atau orang yang mengadu domba dan oportunis, mencari kesempatan untuk bisa merebut posisi orang lain. Atau orang yang banyak prasangka dan enggan berbagi..Atau orang yang menonton semuanya dan bergunjing atas kenaifan,kemunafikan dan keserakahan semuanya. tidak ada yang sempurna di dunia ini. Kesempurnaan hanya milik Allah semata..Kalau manusia mau muhasabah dan intropeksi diri..mustinya mau berbagi, bekerjasama, saling menghargai, saling menjaga.. Tidak perlu iri, jika ikut mendapat bagian ,Alhamdulillah. Kaau tidak, tetap bersyukur atas segala yang sudah dimiliki.Positif thinking, positif hati, positif langkah...Jika ingin ikut terlibat dan memperoleh porsi, sebaiknya sampaikan dengan baik dan menerima sewajarnya porsi yang diberikan. Jangan membuat orang lain surut apalagi menyingkirkan , mendepak atau mengucilkan orang lain. Apalagi membuat konspirasi untuk menjatuhkan (kredibilitas ataupun semangat) orang lain. Maju bersama kan lebih asyik daripada menang sendiri..Tidak perlu mencemooh orang lain dan merasa paling suci dan paling benar.apalagi kemudian berdiri di atas reruntuhan puing puing keputus asaan orang lain. Karena perbedaan dan keragaman termasuk perbedaan peran sesungguhnya adalah indah. Jadi sebaiknya keindahan itu dinikmati bersama.Begitu deh J

Selasa, 15 Juni 2010

humans

Tough time don't last ...
.:: H U M A N S ::. Humans are a species of animal known taxonomically as Homo sapiens (Latin: "wise man" or "knowing man"),and are the only extant member of the Homo genus of bipedal primates in Hominidae, the great ape family. However, in some cases "human" is used t...o refer to any member of the genus Homo. Humans have a highly developed brain, capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection, and problem solving. Like most higher primates, humans are social by nature. However, humans are uniquely adept at utilizing systems of communication for self-expression, the exchange of ideas, and organization. Humans create complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing groups, from families to nations. Social interactions between humans have established an extremely wide variety of values, social norms, and rituals, which together form the basis of human society.

Kamis, 15 April 2010

how to manage critiscsme

Oh sure, you think you nailed that site architecture and that home page reads like pure poetry, right? After all, you wrote it. But that’s the problem. You wrote it. You designed the graphics. You created the keyword list based on those finely-honed intuitive instincts so it must be perfect. It’s your baby.

Fact: you aren’t always right. Fact: some of your ideas just aren’t practical. Fact: a second, third and even a fourth opinion improves even the best-thought-out plan – if you’re willing to listen and learn.

1. Just because you fall short doesn’t mean you failed.

Easy to say, but not necessarily easy to live with. No one likes criticism. No one likes to admit that there’s a better solution, but the fact is, there are always better solutions. Criticism is a tool. It provides different perspectives. It identifies steps that you missed during the first round.

Learn from others. Just because you get push-back from a new client doesn’t mean the client got it right and you got it wrong. It simply means the client has a different point of view – one from which you just might learn a thing or two.

2. Open mind, closed mouth.

This is going to come as a shock but you won’t get it right every time. Ok you’re good, but you aren’t perfect.

You also aren’t a mind reader. Be prepared to revise your thinking and to look at your professional and personal life from a different point of view. Keep an open mind when listening to criticism. And don’t defend your baby. There are a lot of ways to get it right. Acquiring knowledge from others is the best way to learn. It’s real-world, real-time learning, not something you picked up in a school classroom 10 years ago.

3. Become a stakeholder but don’t drive your stake through the heart.

You know, the only way to kill a vampire is to drive a wooden stake through the undead monster’s heart. And you may occasionally run in to a client or colleague that tries your patience to the point where driving a stake through the “idiot’s” heart sounds like a reasonable solution.

Okay, first, it’s not a solution. In fact, your negative reaction to criticism, regardless of the source, will only make a problem worse. It’s important to remember that things like site design, graphics and site text are 100% subjective and sometimes you won’t be 100% spot on.

Take a position. Become a stakeholder in any project or undertaking but don’t cling to your POV with your last breath. There are a million ways to get it right and listening to some constructive criticism from a client, a co-worker, family member or friend may actually move that undertaking in another direction. A better direction.

4. Consider the source.

Who’s criticizing? Does that person have authority? Is she better versed in the topic? Is he the one with the checkbook?

Clients want things done a certain way – even if you know they’re dead wrong in their approach. As a knowledgeable professional, you have an obligation to point out flaws in the client’s thinking. However, once you’ve pointed out the flaw and the client still wants it done his way, you’ve done your job. You provided the best consultation you could, you provided the road map to success, but if the guy with the checkbook wants black text against a black background – even after you’ve explained why that’s a problem – you’ve done your job.

5. Learn from anyone and everyone.

There will always be someone who disagrees with your point of view, your suggestions, your designs and your expertise. No problem.

Confident people learn from anyone simply by listening. You don’t have to accept the point of view. Your free will remains in tact. Your opinions remain unchanged.

The key is to have confidence in your abilities, professional and otherwise. With self-confidence, criticism isn’t a threat. It’s a useful tool.

Learn by listening. The more perspectives you see, the better equipped you become when similar circumstances come up next month or 10 years from now.

6. How’s your self-image doing?

Don’t take it personally.

Development is a process, a strategy, a goal or objective, but it’s not about you. Keep your self-image strong and you’ll keep you self-esteem in place.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is an asset that’s often more important than intellectual intelligence (IQ). Accept criticism and learn from it. The result is a collaboration that delivers the positive outcomes from which all stakeholders benefit.

7. Not all criticism is constructive.

We’ve all met people, or have dealt with clients, who are mean-spirited – men and women who actually enjoy tearing your concepts to shreds. So be it.

Consider the source of the criticism. Consider the value of the criticism. Consider the benefits derived from the criticism. Never stop learning, even from those who are totally clueless. There may be a pearl of wisdom in what these mean-spirited people have to say.

Find those pearls and use them. Learn from them – even if the intent of their criticism is to undermine your efforts. Keeping silent in the face of criticism isn’t easy but it is beneficial to you, the client, the project, the objective.

Accept what you can’t change. It’ll save a lot of sleepless nights, hassles and headaches – especially when you realize that the source of the criticism doesn’t have the experience and knowledge you have.

8. Learn to let go.

You have an idea or concept, a design or strategy that you know is perfect. Okay, maybe it is, but don’t marry yourself to any one way of doing things. Learn to let go. Learn to keep an open mind.

You’ll be a better person for your efforts. Even better, you’ll learn to be a quality service provider when you can let go of that perfect concept and follow a different path. There are lots of ways to achieve success.

9. Recognize your own limitations.

Each of us has different strengths. Each of us has different limitations (weaknesses). Take pride in your strengths and use them to your advantage and to the advantage of your clients, your family and friends.

Accept your limitations and learn from others to lessen the negative impact personal limitations have on your professional career or the growth of your client base.

10. A closed mind never welcomes criticism.

Too bad. If you close your mind to new ideas, differing opinions or points of view, you don’t grow. You don’t get better. You don’t learn.

Criticism is about managing your emotions. It’s also about learning how people think, determining their needs and meeting those needs. Always put the needs of others before your own needs. It makes you a better human being and a better business owner, whether you’re a one-man company working out of a spare room at home or the CEO of a multi-national conglomerate.

Welcome criticism. Even mean-spirited criticism. In the end, you’ll learn. You’ll become a better human being and a better service provider. Think of criticism as a lesson from which you can become better at whatever it is you do.

The development of emotional intelligence isn’t something that’s taught in school. It’s something we learn by living, working with a variety of personalities and adapting to the needs of others.

To grow your business or to grow as a human being, recognize criticism as a positive, not a negative, in your daily routine.

In the end, you come out ahead. In the end, your business prospers.

In the end, you win.
by ethan wood

Kamis, 01 April 2010

Wise Internet User

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sisihkan 1-2 jam

Cara Membangun Passive Income
Menyisihkan 1-2 jam untuk membangun pendapatan tambahan adalah tindakan bijaksana untuk mengantisipasi kebutuhan finansial kelak saat kita tidak mampu lagi bekerja secara optimal. Ada berbagai macam cara kita meningkatkan pendapatan. Untuk mendapat tambahan income, jalan yang dilalui sebagian orang adalah dengan berkompetisi mendapatkan posisi yang lebih tinggi di perusahaan. Namun tidak semua berhasil karena persaingan tersebut sangatlah ketat. Kerja lembur akan menambah income kita, namun sampai kapan saya dapat berhenti melakukannya? Bagi orang yang bekerja sebagai buruh atau karyawan, dalam meningkatkan income, umumnya dengan cara memperpanjang waktu kerja atau mengambil jatah kerja lembur. Dengan bekerja lembur, kita akan mendapat upah tambahan untuk menutupi segala kebutuhan saat ini dan tabungan untuk hari tua nantinya. Namun kita perlu sadari bahwa waktu kita terbatas. Sangatlah tidak mungkin bila kita bekerja membarterkan waktu dan tenaga dengan uang selama 24 jam sehari penuh.Dampak negatif yang paling buruk adalah kita kelelahan dan kemudian jatuh sakit. Apa yang kita lakukan untuk meraih tujuan akan memberikan hasil yang berbalik arah. Sedianya ingin meningkatkan pendapatan malah membuat tabungan terkuras untuk membayar rumah sakit dan menebus obat. Bentuk negatif lain adalah kerja lembur membuat kita jauh dari keluarga sehingga keharmonisan rumah tangga akan terancam. Income akan berhenti bila saya sakit
sedangkan kebutuhan hidup selalu menuntut. Yang lebih sulit lagi bila kita mulai tidak dapat bekerja secara penuh. Alasan usia, kondisi fisik yang menurun dan sering sakit-sakitan tidak dapat kita hindari kelak. Kondisi tersebut akan mempersulit kita untuk mendapatkan income. Bagi yang memiliki pendapatan lebih dari cukup, bersyukurlah. Karena Anda dapat memberikan kontribusi yang berarti kepada perusahaan sehingga perusahaan memberikan penghargaan berupa gaji yang tinggi. Namun bagaimana bila Anda tidak mampu lagi memberikan kontribusi yang berarti lagi karena umur Anda tidak
memungkinkannya? Tentunya perusahaan tidak akan memberikan penghargaaan sebesar seperti saat ini. Kondisi ini disebabkan karena sistem kerja yang diterapkan saat ini menjadikan hidup kita bergantung dengan sistem gaji.
Bila sistem gaji harian, Anda harus bekerja sehari.
Bila sistem gaji bulanan, Anda harus bekerja sebulan.
Bila sistem gaji bulanan dan Anda hanya mampu bekerja setengah bulan (sakit, misalnya), gaji Anda akan dipotong (Anda harus bersyukur karena masih tetap digaji bukan diPHK). Inilah sistem yang membuat kita masuk dalam lingkaran barter. Dimana kita harus membarterkan tenaga dan waktu kita dengan uang. Harus ada solusi. Harus ada sistem yang lebih baik dimana kita tidak selamanya membarterkan tenaga dan waktu untuk mencari income. Saatnya mencari sistem yang menghargai kerja keras saya. Solusi terbaik adalah saatnya kita mencari penghasilan berkelanjutan atau sering disebut pasif income. Di mana kita tidak selamanya harus membarterkan tenaga dan waktu dengan uang. Hasil upaya meraih pasif income dapat kita rasa dan dapatkan walau kita sedang tidur, sakit, bertamasya, atau yang lainnya. Karena pasif income bekerja untuk kita selama 24 jam sehari penuh. Saat ini, saat Anda membaca tulisan ini, yang perlu dilakukan oleh Anda adalah menentukan sistem dan kemudian membangun sistem tersebut agar kelak pasif income yang menjadi dambaan dapat kita rasakan. Untuk itu, kita tidak perlu meninggalkan pekerjaan utama saat ini, cukup dengan menyisihkan waktu sekitar 1-2 jam setelah bekerja agar pasif income yang kita dambakan terwujud. Memang tidaklah semudah membalikkan tangan namun tidak mustahil untuk dicapai. Seperti ucapan Robert T. Kiyosaki: "Lakukan sekarang, sebelum Anda membutuhkan."

Semoga Bermanfaat

Bangun Passive Income anda

Selasa, 30 Maret 2010

5 reason why your idea not working

Constant brainstorming, rapid note taking, and visions of success are all syptoms of this sort of "business bug".

Many times, however, after a couple of days or even a couple of months, the motivation behind these great ideas just seem to die out and never evolve into the next step. It's kind of sad, because I'm sure many of those ideas were awesome, money-making ideas.

If we can understand why this happens, then I think we can stop the momentum from slowing down and start taking things to the next level. Here are 5 main reasons why I think ideas in our head take a turn for the worse:

1. We're Not Seeing Any Results

We live in a time where we all want things to happen FAST. I mean, Google searches take .000012 seconds, and we all perform these searches each and every day. It's what we're used to.

Ideas take time to materialize, so quitting or giving up before anything even begins to happen is a sure-fire way to kill a great idea. Remember what your goals are and why you were so excited about your idea in the first place.

One trick I learned is to map out your "path"or roadmap. Write down the steps you think it takes to get to where you want to go, and you'll see that you're only in the beginning phases of the entire process. But, seeing the rest of your "roadmap" (including your goal) on paper will definitely give you the boost you need to keep going.

2. We're Unsure of What To Do Next

This happens all of the time, but it definitely shouldn't stop us. We've just reached a hurdle, and we just have to do a little more research (or simply ask someone for help!), in order to jump over it.

Also, you can go back to your "roadmap" and see what the next steps are. And, remember to take things one step at a time.

"Cinch by the inch, hard by the yard."

3. We Just Don't Care Anymore

For whatever reason, you've lost sight of why you're working so hard. When it comes to motivation, here's what you can do:

* Remember why you were so excited about your idea in the first place! Envision what life will be like at the end of the tunnel.
* Read an inspirational book. My favorites are Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk, and The 4-Hour WorkWeek, by Tim Ferriss.
* Display your favorite quotes. At my desk, I have this quote posted up on the wall next to my computer: "The Harder I Work, The Luckier I Become." Reading that always gets me going again.
* Talk it out with someone. If you're feeling low on energy, sometimes all we need is a pick me up from a buddy. That's why so many people say it's a lot easier to go to the gym or stay on a diet if there's someone else there with them.
* Take a quick break. We often work on something so much that we forget why we're doing it. Take a day or two off, and you'll often see the motivation come back in no time.

4. We're Not Sure if Our Idea is as Great as We Thought it Was

Maybe you're having second-thoughts about your idea. Maybe it's not as awesome as you thought. This is the thought that pops into my head more often than the others, and it's definitely a downer. But here's what you can do to keep your idea alive.

Simply put - think positive thoughts. Have you ever heard of "The Law of Attraction"? It basically states that people's thoughts dictate the reality of their lives. In other words, think positively, and positive things will happen to you.

Also, you have to realize that you're not going to succeed unless you give it a shot. What's the worst that can happen? If you're doing business online, the worst is probably not as bad as you think it could be.

5. We See Someone Else Doing Something Similar, and It Seems Better

Okay, so someone "stole' your idea, or they beat you to it. Either way, it doesn't matter. Here's why:

* That fact that you see someone else doing something similar to what you had in mind is actually a good thing! In fact, it shows that it was such a great idea, that others are already using it to make money for themselves. There's a proven market for it, and now it's your turn to join in.
* The Dry Clearners Theory: Have you ever noticed how many dry cleaners there are in one location? Here in San Diego, there are over 600 (according to the yellow pages). My point is this: you don't need have a unique idea in order for it to succeed. And if there a need for something, there's always room for more options and solutions in the market.
* Lastly, all you have to do is make yours better. Put some thought into why people will choose to visit your website, read your content, and purchase from you, instead of someone else.

Rabu, 24 Maret 2010

beralih ke bisnis online

1.. Jasa membuat blog dan situs web. Anda bisa tawarkan kemampuan anda membuat blog dan situs web pada perusahaan, institusi, atau organisasi. Coba lihat sekeliling anda, mungkin ada kantor yang baru buka. Anda bisa coba dekati dan tawarkan keahlian anda. Contohnya seperti yang sudah dilakukan Mr Mung dengan jasa pembuatan blognya.
2. Konsultan blog. Tugas utamanya memberikan saran kepada klien baik yang sudah punya blog maupun yang belum. Bagaimana konsep blognya, brand seperti apa yang cocok untuk blog tersebut, strategi bloggingnya bagaimana, dst. Namun agar sukses sebagai konsultan, anda perlu membangun reputasi terlebih dahulu. Supaya calon klien, tak ragu meminta saran anda. Bagi yang berminat menekuni profesi ini, Rumusan Rahasia Blogging patut dijadikan panduan.
3. Konsultan SEO. Saat internet makin sesak dengan melimpahnya situs web, agar menjadi nomor satu di halaman depan search engine, search engine optimization (SEO) menjadi penting. Anda bisa tawarkan keahlian SEO anda dengan menjadi konsultan SEO. Contohnya seperti yang dilakukan spiderwebiz.
4. Menjadi web designer. Biasanya pekerjaan mendesain web langsung tercakup pada jasa pembuatan situs web. Namun kalau anda merasa punya keahlian khusus pada bidang ini, anda bisa menawarkannya secara terpisah. Mungkin saja ada klien yang butuh untuk mempercantik desain webnya saja. Atau bisa juga para penyedia jasa pembuatan situs web sedang butuh web designer khusus. Yang perlu anda siapkan adalah portofolio desain situs web buatan anda.
5. Web developer dan programmer. Seperti halnya menjadi web designer, kalau anda memang punya keahlian khusus untuk web development dan programming, anda bisa tawarkan keahlian itu secara online.
6. Illustrator dan desainer grafis. Kedua pekerjaan tersebut sebetulnya masing-masing bisa dispesialisasi. Yang penting, anda bisa tawarkan keahlian anda itu secara online. Lengkapi juga dengan berbagai contoh hasil desain/ilustrasi anda. Contohnya seperti yang telah dilakukan Mas Ismail.
7. Fotografer dan juru kamera. Kalau anda pintar memotret atau shooting dengan kamera, anda bisa juga tawarkan keahlian anda lewat internet. Agar order anda bisa mencakup luas, tentu anda perlu membangun jaringan dengan rekan di daerah-daerah lainnya.
8. Ahli computer. Kalau anda pakar soal komputer, baik mengenai hardware, software, operating system, anda bisa tawarkan keahlian itu. Kalau ada yang kebingungan karena datanya hilang diserang virus, atau mungkin komputernya error, bisa menghubungi anda.
9. Jual beli situs web/blog. Kalau anda jago membenahi sebuah situs web/blog, anda bisa buat blog baru, lalu benahi sampai mendatangkan banyak traffic, lalu jual. Anda buat blog lagi, benahi lagi, dan jual. Begitu seterusnya.
10. Menjadi perantara pencari kerja. Anda bisa menjadi perantara bagi perusahaan yang sedang mencari tenaga kerja dan orang yang mencari kerja. Posisi apa yang sedang dibutuhkan suatu perusahaan bisa anda carikan orangnya. Begitupun sebaliknya.

Internet sungguh anugerah yang tak terkira. Banyak pilihan pekerjaan yang bisa anda lakukan dengan memanfaatkan internet. Kalau mungkin penawaran keahlian, jasa, atau produk yang anda miliki belum pernah anda lihat di internet, bukan berarti tak ada demand-nya bukan? Mungkin Mas Endro mau mencoba melakukan jual beli sapi lewat internet? Atau mungkin Mas Umar mengajar secara online?

Yang penting, kita ACTION mencoba dan tak pernah menyerah!

Sekarang pilihan ada pada anda. Mau mulai saat ini atau menyesal nanti. Mari mulai bisnis di internet sekarang juga!


lanjutan kereta

Karena kereta kuda yang digunakan untuk mengangkut penumpang atau sayur-sayuran adalah kereta kuda yang terbuat dari emas. Harganya mencapai miliaran.
Ia menemukannya tidak sengaja di satu perjalanan. Mungkin bekas kereta kuda raja di masa lalu.
Setiap orang menganjurkannya untuk menjual kereta dan memulai bisnis baru, ia mengatakan tidak tahu harus berbisnis apa, karena menjadi kusir adalah pekerjaaannya sejak lama.
Ada yang menawarkan kerja sama ia tidak percaya.
Ada yang bilang ia bisa membeli puluhan kereta kuda bahkan ratusan bisa didapat, jika ia menjual kereta emasnya, tapi dia bilang ngurus satu kuda saja susah apalagi banyak kuda.
Ketika ada rampok ingin merebut gerobaknya, ia melawan rampok mati-matian.
Pak Dungu tahu gerobaknya dari emas dan berharga mahal, dan ia rela mati-matian menjaga asetnya itu, tapi ia tidak tahu bagaimana menggunakannya, dan memilih untuk menggunakannya dengan cara yang ia tahu. Yaitu menjadi kereta kuda. Sekedar untuk bertahan hidup.
Aset miliarannya digunakan untuk bisnis senilai beberapa puluh ribu sehari.
Padahal kusir lain juga berpenghasilan sama dengan modal tidak lebih dari 5 juta.

Tahukah siapa Pak Dungu?
Ternyata ia mewakili banyak di antara kita.
Ternyata saya di masa lalu adalah Pak Dungu dan semoga tidak lagi di masa depan.

Kita mempunyai akal, hati yang sangat besar kemampuannya.
Akan tetapi kita hanya memanfaatkannya untuk hal-hal yang jauh di bawah kemampuan akal.
Kita tahu otak kita berharga, kita jaga kepala kita, kita pakai helm, tidak boleh terbentur, tapi tidak menggunakannya secara maksimal.
Kita punya potensi berpenghasilan miliaran tetapi puas dengan gaji beberapa juta saja.
Kita punya potensi menjadi orang sukses, tetapi memilih hidup biasa-biasa saja.
Saya pernah mengalami masa seperti ini di satu waktu, tapi sekarang saya ingin menggunakan emas yang saya miliki, otak dan jiwa saya untuk sesuatu yang lebih besar.
Bagaimana dengan Anda?

Selasa, 23 Maret 2010

How to Earn More and Work Less

Do you want to continue working 50, 70, 100 hours a week the rest of your life?

Good! Neither do I.

Do you want to be able to take time off whenever you want to, without worrying about what's going to happen to your business?

So do I!

There's a saying in the corporate world: "Don't make yourself irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted." As an entrepreneur, this is still true in its own way. Let's think of "being promoted" as earning more and working less. You can raise your prices, but until you can remove yourself from being directly involved in doing the work that generates the income, there's always going to be a limit to how much you can earn, and it can only increase very slowly.

read more..

what people want from work

Every person has different reasons for working. The reasons for working are as individual as the person. But, we all work because we obtain something that we need from work. The something we obtain from work impacts our morale and motivation and the quality of our lives. Here is the most recent thinking about what people want from work.
Work IS About the Money

Some people work for love; others work for personal fulfillment. Others like to accomplish goals and feel as if they are contributing to something larger than themselves, something important. Some people have personal missions they accomplish through meaningful work. Others truly love what they do or the clients they serve. Some like the camaraderie and interaction with customers and coworkers. Other people like to fill their time with activity. Some workers like change, challenge, and diverse problems to solve.

Whatever your personal reasons for working, the bottom line, however, is that almost everyone works for money. Whatever you call it: compensation, salary, bonuses, benefits or remuneration, money pays the bills. Money provides housing, gives children clothing and food, sends teens to college, and allows leisure activities, and eventually, retirement. To underplay the importance of money and benefits to people who work is a mistake.

read more..

marketing is how to transfer emotion

A very wise man and mentor, Steve Davis, once taught me that the key to marketing is not what you say, but how well you can transfer emotion to your audience.
Subtlety

It’s an extremely hard concept to master because it’s subtle. There is no instruction manual on how to transfer emotion. This is bad news for over-analytical types that want the exact formula for success, and good news for creative types that know how to tap into other people’s emotions.

Considering that marketing is a part of everything you do, from getting a date to getting a job to asking your parents (or boss) for money; you would serve yourself well to understand and learn to implement this concept.

Why do you think that top actors are among the wealthiest in our society? They have mastered the concept of transferring emotion from the screen to you in your seat.

If you’ve ever heard Steve on his radio show, you understand that he is the master of transferring emotion. He is passionate about helping others succeed and he is able to get that across over the radio waves.
Digging Deeper

Steve taught me this concept about a year ago, and since then I have been working on it weekly in my role as a presenter and mentor. Over the last 3 months, I’ve submersed myself even deeper through the process of training my business partner, Shauwn, to present.

It has been a fascinating experience to watch his growth as a presenter from an outside perspective. We have learned without a doubt that Steve was right. Shauwn (or I for that matter) could say the exact same thing on two different nights, but the results might vary drastically based on how well he transferred his passion on the subject to the audience.

Sometimes it even seems like he could say almost anything as long as he transferred the emotion well enough.
The “Ah-Ha” Moment

A few weeks ago, I sat in as Shauwn gave his presentation. I could see in his eye that something had changed. The information was the same (making the same mistakes in the material.. damn you Shauwn!), but the delivery was very different. I found myself looking up and leaning forward in my chair, where before I had the tendency to mentally wander.

It ended up being his best night up to that point. Interestingly enough, he didn’t quite understand why. He told me that he actually felt like he had given a worse presentation that in previous nights. No…., I told him, It’s not the presentation that mattered, it was your transference of emotion. It was there!

I find it fascinating that the difference was so subtle that it was hard for him to put his finger on, but the audience could sense it.
How To Transfer Emotion

You may not be a public speaker like Steve, Shauwn, and I; but the concept still applies to you. Anytime you want something that someone else has, such as money, attention, acknowledgment, etc; you market yourself to get it. To be effective, it’s important to transfer the emotion of urgency, desire, sympathy, or whatever feeling is necessary to get them to take action.

Transferring emotion to another human being takes a delicate balance of passion, communication skills, and empathy.
Passion

To transfer an emotion to someone else, you first have to strongly have the emotion yourself… but how do I tell you to how have an emotion?

Feelings are funny, subtle things… especially for men. Maybe that’s why women tend to be better communicators.

If you don’t have passion for what you are selling, writing, asking for, etc; you are not going to be successful. Your audience can sense your feelings for the subject matter. If you are weak in this area, it’s possible that you are suppressing your emotions (a lot of us men), or maybe it hasn’t been properly marketed to you yet.

read more...

what i tell to myself if i'm 18th

I like to joke that I am who I am today because I did everything wrong in my 20’s. I’ve always been fearless, and it often got me in trouble. I wasn’t afraid to start a business, borrow a bunch of money, or quit a well-paying job to travel the world.

At the same time, the fact that I took chances (and often failed) gave me the wisdom that I have today. Lessons learned through failure tend to be much more meaningful than lessons learned otherwise.

Now that I’m in my 30’s, life is pretty good. While I haven’t learned it all, I feel my head is screwed on straight enough that life is much less stressful. I’ve come into my own and built the foundation for a secure and prosperous future.

Even though things are going well, I often imagine what it would be like to go back into the past and teach myself what I know now. I know enough to be certain that I lost most of my twenties to a struggle with debt and poor decisions. If I had done things differently, maybe I could have been where I am now at age 22.

Could you imagine? Self employed and almost financially independent at age 22? No… not almost. My expenses were much less back then… I would have been financially free!

I know, it doesn’t do any good to ask what if. If I had known it all at age 22, I probably would have been a little cocky. Doing things the hard way seasoned my character. I like who I am and I wouldn’t change a thing.

But what if…
What I’d Tell Myself at 18

read more...

how to get passive income

Wouldn't you like to take a vacation whenever you want, or
have your wife stop working so she can look after the kids
and still keep up the payment of your bills? Well, if you
wish to achieve this, you need to build a passive residual
income.

Definition of passive residual income:

The definition of traditional passive income is "Income
generated with minimal work from your investments such as
interest, dividends, or real estate rentals." However in
this article we are discussing creating a passive income
online. Investment of time and money is initially required
to build a passive income online, then possibly minimal
work thereafter.

The benefits of generating a passive income:

read more....

adsense

Google has changed the way webmaster's make money online. They have created a nice program called Adsense that allows any webmaster to make money off of their webpages. Adsense is completely free, and if you run a website, you can create a nice source of passive income with Google Adsense.

What is Google Adsense?
read more...

Senin, 15 Maret 2010

create passive income by google adsense

Google has changed the way webmaster's make money online. They have created a nice program called Adsense that allows any webmaster to make money off of their webpages. Adsense is completely free, and if you run a website, you can create a nice source of passive income with Google Adsense.

What is Google Adsense? - Google Adsense allows you to make money off of your web pages by displaying relavent, contextual ads on them. Every time someone clicks on the ads, you get paid. You get paid between $0.03 cents per click and several dollars per click. The amount you get paid depends on how much the advertiser is paying per click. What's great about AdSense is that it only displays ads related to the content on your webpage. For example, if your webpage is about vending machines, then AdSense will display ads about vending machines. If your webpage is about college, then AdSense will only display ads related to college. This increases your click-through rate dramatically.

After you have joined adsense, you’ll want to create the adsense code needed to put on your website. Do this by logging into your account, and then clicking on “AdSense for Content” at the top of the webpage. On this webpage, you have many options available to you for customizing the look of the ads. You can choose the color of the text that appears in the ads. You can also choose the background color of the ad box. A great way to maximize your AdSense revenue is to make the ads “blend in” with your website. You can do this by making the background color of the ads match the background color of your website.

The next step is to copy the code at the bottom of that page, and then paste the code into your webpage. The best places for AdSense ads are right above page content, above or underneath a navigation menu on the left, and also at the bottom of a content page. AdSense ads that appear at the top a webpage or on the left of the webpage generally generate the best click-through ratios. The more clicks your ad gets, the more money you’ll make.

How You Get Paid By Google - Once your AdSense account has earned $100.00, Google will issue your payment either by check, or by depositing the funds directly into your checking or savings account. I personally recommend the direct deposit. It is much easier than waiting for a check to come in the mail.
A Few AdSense Tips of Success

* Don’t Click on Your Own Ads! Clicking on your own ads is known as click fraud, and Google will disable your account in the blink of an eye.
* Put AdSense on all of your webpages to make each page of your website an asset.
* Generate more revenue by adding AdSense for Search on your webpage.
* Placing images above the ads has been shown to result in a higher click-through rate.
* Learn how to use Google Channels.

The amount of money you make with AdSense depends on a lot of different factors. In theory, the more website visitors you have, the more money you can make with AdSense because your AdSense ads will get more clicks. AdSense is perfect for content-driven websites that have a moderate to large amount of website traffic.

8 ways to create passive income

Wouldn't you like to take a vacation whenever you want, or
have your wife stop working so she can look after the kids
and still keep up the payment of your bills? Well, if you
wish to achieve this, you need to build a passive residual
income.

Definition of passive residual income:

The definition of traditional passive income is "Income
generated with minimal work from your investments such as
interest, dividends, or real estate rentals." However in
this article we are discussing creating a passive income
online. Investment of time and money is initially required
to build a passive income online, then possibly minimal
work thereafter.

The benefits of generating a passive income:

1. Make a strong initial effort to get your income started,
then do minimal work (or virtually none) thereafter,
resulting in earning more and doing less.

2. Freedom to choose when and where you wish to work.

3. Your passive residual income is not dependent on a 9-5
work week and can be generated 24 hours, 7 days a week.

4. Able to give yourself a pay raise whenever you want by
creating multiple income streams.

5. Create an unlimited amount of income - you are only
limited by your imagination.

6. Have more free time to spend time with your family,
friends or go on vacation.

7. Ability to give to charitable causes.

8. Create residual income for your future retirement.

Types of passive income streams to build online:

1. Affiliate Programs - passive income is derived from
setting up a web site that presells a companies’ products.
The parent company provides the products, tracks the sales
and gives you a commission for each sale. Find companies
that offer large commissions, and will track clients for
multiple sales over a long period of time (ie lifetime)
so you can get recurring commissions. Make sure they offer
multiple tiers (at least 2) for sales. ie you still get
paid if one of your affiliates makes a sale.

One of the best examples is the 5 Pillar Affiliate Program
from Ken Envoy.

He offers a number of great products with high commissions
with excellent sales materials and content to help you
presell his products.

Read the free ebook: Affiliate Masters Course to become a
high-earning affiliate champion.

2. Information Products - the web is great place to create
an ebook that explains 'How to" information ie How to start
an online business, How to buy a car without getting ripped
off..anything that makes life easier for people. People are
hungry for information, therefore if there is a need, you
can create an ebook and sell it on the Net.

What are the benefits of creating an ebook?

* Easy to create - you just need the ebook creation software.
Takes a short amount of time - you can create an info
report in a few hours or days. A large ebook may take
several weeks or months.

* Low cost - costs will include ebook creation software, web
site design, web hosting and marketing. Once you this set
up, with good promotion in the search engines, you can make
sales from your ebook 24 hours a day for years to come.

* Add an affiliate program - increase the number of ebook sales
sales by getting other people to sell it for a commission.
This enables you greatly increase your passive income.

* Allow reprint rights - charge a fee for people that will
have the complete reprint rights. They are able to place
there own affiliate links in the ebook and sell it for the
same price to others.

3. Creating software products - if you have a good idea for
a software product that will help people do something
faster, easier or teach them something, then you may have a
winner.

A friend of mine created a course that educates
autism kids step by step. He then sells the course on
a CD to educational institutions and individuals all over
the world. He makes a nice passive income each month from
his initial investment of time, effort and money. The best
example is Bill Gates who created the Microsoft Corporation
selling the Windows Operating System. You could do the same
on a smaller scale.

4. Advertising commissions - if you have a web site that
attracts 1000s of visitors a day from the search engines,
you can offer to place a banner or link on your site for a
fee that you collect each month. You set it up once, then
collect the passive residual income.

* Newsletters,or ezines - offer advertising space in your
ezine. The greater number of subscribers you have the more
you can charge every time you publish.

* eBooks - offer advertising space in your ebook. Give the
ebook away for free or even place links in it from
affiliate programs you recommend.

* Google AdSense - place Google Ads on your web site. When
someone clicks on the ad, you get a commission for every
click. If you have 100s or 1000s of pages on your site, you
can earn a substantial monthly income.

Read: "How to monetize your web site with Google AdSense"

5. Pay Per Click Campaigns - you can make money instantly
by setting up a Google AdWords campaign for your product or
affiliate program. If there are not too many competitors
promoting the same product and it is in high demand, you
can earn a good passive income. Creating several successful
campaigns will multiply the amount you can make.

Read: How to Set Up a Successful Google AdWords Campaign

6. Referrals - create a network of people that offer
services or products related to your business. Ask for a
commission every time you refer someone. For example as a
web designer, I sometimes refer clients to graphic designers,
search engine optimization experts, copywriters and database
designers especially when I don't have the time to do the
work myself or it is outside my area of expertise.

7. Create a membership site - if you are an expert in your
field and can provide the resources, knowledge and support,
you can charge a monthly fee to gain access to your
membership site. The more members you gain, the more money
you make. Because you are an expert in your field, you can
also recommend other products and services to your members,
from which you earn commissions.

8. Become a Reseller - by reselling other people's services
you can earn ongoing residual income.

One such example is web hosting or domain name
registration. You pay a monthly fee to the reseller and you
can charge whatever you like to your customers for your
service. Of course you must be thoroughly familiar with the
service to provide the necessary support to your clients.

Conclusion: Building multiple passive income streams is a
great way to secure yourself for the future. You never know
if you will be laid off from your regular job, get too ill
to work, experience a disaster or want to start saving for
your retirement.

are you ready

What is NetPassiveIncome Blog?

Then it dawned on me… I don’t want to be an opportunist (takes too much time and needs to be on the constant lookout for opportunities), I just want to do something that provides value to other people and if it makes money while I’m at it, all the best!

In 2006 I developed a new aquairum guide information product where I teach other people how to set up a new fish tank. It is a digital downloadable product so my profit margin is 100%, customers get my product almost instantly after making their purchase, and I don’t have to worry about inventory control.

The best part is that all the sales are passive - from the point of getting people to my website, to accepting orders and delivering the product - the entire process is on auto-pilot.

Since that first information product, I rolled out more and more products - each time adding more to my residual income.

Therefore, this blog is born - I am here to share with you exactly what I do to build passive income online and how I do it.

Why Should I Read Your Blog?

At minimum, I want you to learn from what I do, how I do it, and most importantly how YOU can build your own passive income online as well.

As I work on new projects, I will be keeping a log of all progress and development on this blog. If you happen to be an expert in a subject matter I am not, then there is a good opportunity for us to work together and develop your first information product (Did you know something as simple as an interview is considered a product and can be sold?).

As a side note - majority of people who come to my blog got here because they searched for “passive income” in the Google search engine. Have you ever wonder how I got my blog into the 1st page of Google search results (it sure wasn’t coincidence) and how you can get your webpage or blog in the top 10 results as well?

Have you ever come across buzz words such as SEO, PPC, Affiliate Marketing, Copywriting, Press Release, Social Media, Web 2.0, Blackhat, Greyhat, Whitehat?

The answers are in my blog. Keep reading…

What You Need To Do Next

A famous Buddhist proverb says “When the student is ready, the teacher will come” - the question to you is, “Are you ready?”

best deal i've made yet

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The more my mindset is focused on creating wealth, the more I realize the wisdom in these words. If you use a little creativity, you’ll find overlooked opportunities everywhere.

In How to Start a Bulk Candy Vending Business for Passive Income I promised to write about the biggest deal I’ve made yet. I wrote:

I have a keyword alert set up on my eBay account that alerts me whenever a listing has the words candy vending machine in it.

A keyword alert like this tipped me off to the biggest deal I had ever come across at the time. I found a listing that enabled me to buy out an entire vending route with locations for less than the machines alone were worth. I’ll tell you the whole story in another post…

Here’s the whole story…

When we lived in Austin full time, we decided to start a candy vending business to supplement our income. The more locations we found, the more we fell in love with the business. Since most machines only require service about once every two months, I considered it passive income.

When we moved to Los Angeles to pursue careers in the movie business, I started thinking about expanding our operation to the west coast. Since our business in Austin was such a low-maintenance gig, we decided to keep it and just fly back every two months to maintain it.

I had a keyword alert setup on eBay that sent me all the listings that mentioned the words candy vending machine. Every other day or so, I would get an email with the latest listing for used candy machines from people that bought too many and gave up on their business.

Two months before we were set to move, one listing caught my eye. A man in Los Angeles was selling his whole operation including twenty active locations profiting $500 a month, and twenty machines in storage. Isn’t it funny how synchronistic life can be when you set your mind to something?

I put the listing on my watch list and counted down the days until the end of the auction. In the meantime, I calculated what I thought the business was worth.
Book Value Method

There are several different ways to value a company. The most basic way is to calculate the “book value,” or what the assets of the company are worth.

This is a good way to find the low end of the value range since it doesn’t take into account any value that the owner has created by putting those assets together. It’s the salvage value of the company.


This company owned 40 machines
A used machine is worth around $100
40 x $100 = $4,000
Discounted 50% for risk = $2,000

Cashflow Method

Most companies on Wall Street are valued based on their cashflow. Have you ever heard of a price to earnings (PE) ratio? It’s the price that investors are willing to pay based on the company’s profits.

A PE of twenty means that investors are willing to pay twenty times the company’s earnings. If a company makes $1 million a year, investors would be willing to pay $20 million for it. Since they would be cashflowing $1 million a year (assuming earnings remain the same) on their $20 million investment, their rate of return would be 1/20 or 5%.


I wanted to make at least 20% on my investment.
20% = 1/5 = PE of 5
I used $250/month as a profit figure in case he was exaggerating.
$250/month = $3,000/year
5 x $3,000 = $15,000

The key to this method is factoring in the amount of money required to manage the investment, even if you plan on managing it yourself. You should always value a company as if it were a completely passive investment. Subtract out the cost of hiring someone to run it for you. Otherwise, you’re just buying a job, and you can get those for free.

20 machines = 10 hours of work per month
10 hours x $10/hour = $100
$200 x 12 months = $1,200/year
$1,200 x 5 = $6,000
$15,000 – $6,000 = $9,000

Once again, I discounted the value by 50% because of the risk involved with eBay purchases.

$9,000 x 50% = $4,500

My new negotiating range was $2,000 to $5,000. My bidding strategy was to wait until the last minute and bet the house. I anxiously counted down the days.

With one hour to go, I kept nervously reloading the auction page to see if anyone had bid. I was surprised that no one had. Maybe they were waiting till the last minute like I was.

With two minutes to go, no one had bid. I put in a proxy bid of $4,000, which broke his reserve at $1,500. My heart thumped loudly as I kept clicking refresh. I was prepared to bump up my bid to $5,000 if absolutely necessary.

Ten seconds to go, no bids. Five, four, three, two, one…

I won.

As the only bidder, I got it for the reserve price of $1,500!
Now What?

After several minutes of celebration, I started to have a few doubts. Why didn’t anyone else bid? Was I missing something? What if he was full of it? What if all the machines were in a bad neighborhood?

I reassured myself with the fact that I could sell off all the machines for $4,000 in the worst case.

I made arrangements to meet the seller on one of our scouting trips to Los Angeles.
I Get the Keys

We met at the storage garage where he was keeping the twenty unplaced machines. He was an interesting character, kind of geeky with a nervous dislike for silence. He was a really nice guy, and was bending over backwards to make sure I was happy.

I was a little worried that he was going to be sour that he didn’t get more for the company, but it turned out that he was happy to get rid of it. He casually mentioned that he had paid $20,000 for the company several years before, when there were 40 locations. He must have lost interest in the business and let it dwindle to 20 locations.

A quick scan of the machines confirmed that they were in decent shape. The storage garage was cluttered with tools, boxes, and parts; a reflection of his disorganized business.

As he handed me the list of locations and the keys, he added one important piece of information:

“By the way, I didn’t mention this in the listing, but there is something else you should know. There are about twenty additional locations I am throwing in with the others. I’m almost embarrassed to tell you because I have let some of them go.

I haven’t been to any of these locations in the last six months and I’m not even sure if the machines are still there. You can take them or leave them. Here’s the list.”

What! I couldn’t believe it. Not only had I acquired $4,000 worth of machinery, and $6,000 worth of cashflow for $1,500; but there were potentially twenty more locations and machines!
Treasure Hunt

When I got in my rental car armed with the location list, I felt like I was on a treasure hunt. I started plotting locations on my map and formed a plan. I battled Los Angeles traffic to start tracking down the locations.

I went to the abandoned locations first to see if I could salvage anything. I ended up finding about ten of the twenty “inactive” locations to be salvageable. Even more shocking was the fact that they had money sitting in them!

I don’t know if he was just lazy, crazy, or disorganized, but he didn’t feel the need to go pick up the money that was sitting in these machines. By the time I had hit all the locations on the list, I had about $750 in quarters!

$1,500 – $750 = $750 initial investment!

This deal just kept on getting better. With the money I picked up in the first day, I had cut my investment in half.
Perma-Grin

I flew back to Austin in total shock. We had found a great place to live, and had an income stream waiting for us. Two months later, we made the move.

As I got familiar with the vending route, the previous owner’s mismanagement became more and more obvious.

Cleanliness

It looked as if he had never cleaned the machines in his locations. There was melted candy, dirt, and dust all over the machines. He had let many of the candy selections run out, which exposed the gears and cost him money.

The first thing I did was cleaned up the machines and made sure they were filled to the top.

Settings

The amount of candy dispensed for a quarter in these types of machines is adjustable. The idea is to give out enough candy to satisfy your customers, but not so much that you kill your profit margin.

He had all of his machines set for the absolute maximum. Now, there’s a certain amount of candy that people expect for a quarter, and any more than that is wasteful. I adjusted all of the machines to more reasonable levels and increased my profit margin.

Storage

The biggest waste of all was the storage garage. Not only were those machines losing money by resting idle, but he was paying $250 a month to keep them there. This knocked out half of his profit!

I moved all of those machines into my kitchen until I found homes for them. It was annoying to have them there, but not $250 worth of annoyance.
A Deal to Remember

I first started thinking about creating value out of other people’s trash after I read Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad. His perspective helped me to be able to see value in overlooked places.

After I read his book, I bought the game that he created called Cashflow 101. I would highly recommend this game to anyone who wants to learn to think like Robert Kiyosaki. It’s one thing to read about a concept, but it’s an entirely different thing to practice the concept over and over with fake money.

I played Cashflow 101 as much as I could so that I would make this new way of thinking a habit.

In the game, there are small deals and big deals. Candy vending is just a small deal, but I have learned that it takes a few small deals to trade up into a big deal. Now I have my eyes open for the big one!

what i tell to myself if i'm 18th

I like to joke that I am who I am today because I did everything wrong in my 20’s. I’ve always been fearless, and it often got me in trouble. I wasn’t afraid to start a business, borrow a bunch of money, or quit a well-paying job to travel the world.

At the same time, the fact that I took chances (and often failed) gave me the wisdom that I have today. Lessons learned through failure tend to be much more meaningful than lessons learned otherwise.

Now that I’m in my 30’s, life is pretty good. While I haven’t learned it all, I feel my head is screwed on straight enough that life is much less stressful. I’ve come into my own and built the foundation for a secure and prosperous future.

Even though things are going well, I often imagine what it would be like to go back into the past and teach myself what I know now. I know enough to be certain that I lost most of my twenties to a struggle with debt and poor decisions. If I had done things differently, maybe I could have been where I am now at age 22.

Could you imagine? Self employed and almost financially independent at age 22? No… not almost. My expenses were much less back then… I would have been financially free!

I know, it doesn’t do any good to ask what if. If I had known it all at age 22, I probably would have been a little cocky. Doing things the hard way seasoned my character. I like who I am and I wouldn’t change a thing.

But what if…
What I’d Tell Myself at 18

Sometimes I imagine that I’m in a fishing boat, thousands of miles away from the life I know, slowly drifting across a lake. As I recline at an uncomfortable angle created by the wood bench and aluminum hull, I glance over at the 18 year-old version of myself and upload my wisdom to him.

Here’s what I say:
Don’t be so Serious

Relax… You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. I know it can seem like the most important thing in the world is fighting the good fight, but don’t let your life pass you by in the process. There’ll be plenty of time for starting businesses, writing books, creating art, and solving the world’s problems in your head.

It’s impressive that you do those things at such a young age, but life is really about experiences. Above all, it’s about sharing experiences with other people. Sometimes when you’re all wrapped up in your own head, doing the things that you are determined to do, you miss a chance to connect with other people.

So take it easy. Have some fun. Do something crazy. Let loose. Call up some friends and share some great moments together.
Don’t Be in Such a Hurry to Grow Up

A funny thing happens as you age: The older you get, the less of a hurry you’re in. You’d think it would be the other way around: the less time you have, the more of a hurry you’re in; but it’s actually quite the opposite.

At 18, it seems like you have to rush everything before you get too old. You think you have to graduate college, get a good job, and get married before you turn 22, because (for some reason) you think 22 is old.

Don’t take being young for granted! Being a kid without responsibility is a thing of beauty. I know you don’t appreciate it now, but you will when you’re my age.

22 is just getting started! In fact, life gets more enjoyable as you age. As you learn more about yourself and the world, it gets easier to enjoy what the world has to offer.

Your 20’s are the perfect time to explore the world and experience new things. If you grow up before you turn 22, you’ll have missed a perfect opportunity. Experiences at 18 are just not the same as when you’re 25.

Travel, art, culture, sport, and adventure take on a whole new meaning when you have had some experience to build on. As you add layer upon layer, each experience is more rich than the last.
Choose Experience over Material Possessions

If you’re ever faced with the choice of upgrading your lifestyle (an apartment by yourself, a new car, new clothes, etc.) or working less so you can experience more; chose the latter.

When I was your age, I thought I needed to have nice stuff so girls would like me. I ended up working so hard to pay for the stuff that I didn’t have time to meet girls.

Working hard is for grown-ups. Be a kid for as long as you can, even if it means living with a roommate in a crappy apartment and riding your bike around town.

Besides, girls aren’t going to like you for awhile anyway. What they really want is a man with a little confidence and life experience under his belt. Working too hard will just delay that process.
Be Confident

Oh yeah, you might as well get a head start on your confidence. Believe in yourself no matter what. Don’t let self-doubt ruin your chance to meet a new girl or to try something new.

I know I just said that girls aren’t going to like you anyway, but that’s not entirely true. While you are accumulating the wisdom that comes with life experiences, your best shot is to project confidence.

Always act like you know what you’re doing, even if you don’t. The biggest turn-off for a girl is self-doubt. If she still doesn’t like you, take it with grace and move on quickly.

Don’t start doubting yourself if you get turned down. You’re going to get turned down A LOT before you finally get the girl.
Don’t Get Attached

When you finally do get a girlfriend, take it easy. Along the same line as not trying to grow up too quickly, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that this is the best girl you’ll ever get. The second biggest turnoff for a girl is an 18 year old guy who’s already thinking about marriage.

Relax a little and enjoy the moment. Besides, you’re going to have several girlfriends before you find “the one.” How are you going to be able to know what you want if you don’t have anything to compare it to?

As you get older, you’ll naturally become more attractive to women. I had no idea this was true when I was your age. I thought that I was as attractive as I’d ever be. Not true.

It gets easier, I promise.
Don’t Get a Credit Card

If I didn’t get a credit card when I was your age, I would have saved myself 10 years of financial struggle.

I know it seems like you have to be a grown up and have nice things, but you’ve got to think long-term. If you can just have the patience to hold off a few years on the nice stuff, you’ll be able to afford more of it than you can imagine.

Buying something today on credit because you can’t wait will impact your financial situation for years to come.

Simply have the mind to save up for what you want to buy. If you buy with cash, you’ll always own what you have, and be free to do what you want.

When people build up debt and monthly payments, they become slaves to their job. They have to work to pay for all the junk that they put on their credit cards.
Put Money Away Every Month

Take this advice and you’ll never regret it. Open a savings account and set up an automatic withdrawal from your checking account each month. Don’t touch the money, NO MATTER WHAT!

Even if you can only afford $10 a month, you must stick to this plan because it’s your ticket to freedom. In five or ten years (whenever you decide to grow up), you’ll use this money to invest in something that makes passive income, like real estate.
Travel and Learn a Language

One of the wisest decisions I ever made is to live in another culture long enough to learn the language. (Read The Secret to Learning a Language for detailed instructions.)

Don’t just take language classes and backpack around Europe at a furious pace; immerse yourself in a culture. Pick a place and stay there for several months.

The best time to do this is the year after you graduate from college. You’ll be old enough to appreciate the experience, but young enough that you won’t have any responsibility.

If you took my advice about taking your time to grow up, you won’t yet be attached to a mortgage payment, a job, or a girl. Move all your stuff into a corner of your parent’s basement and live abroad.

It’s actually a lot more affordable that you might think, especially if you don’t have any expenses at home. Get a job in your chosen country if you need to.

Don’t allow yourself to hang out with other English-speaking people. That’s too easy. Force yourself to learn the language. It will be frustrating at first, but the life-long benefit will be greater than you can imagine.
Keep a Journal

Get a Moleskine Notebook and carry it in your back pocket wherever you go. Don’t be a perfectionist with it, just jot whatever comes to your mind in it.

Having a journal will help to solidify your thoughts. The act of writing helps to close the circle of ideas from your head to your hand and back to your head.

Plus, you’ll have a record of your thoughts for generations to come.
Get to Know People

As you travel and try new things, make it a point to meet people. As I said before, the most valuable things in life are shared experiences with other people.

There is so much you can learn from people. Open your mind and take in different perspectives. Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand why they think the way they do.

Your success in life will depend on your network of people. It’s impossible to achieve success in a vacuum. You never know what opportunities will present themselves when you meet new people.
There’s No Rush to Have it All Figured Out

When I was your age, I felt pressure to have my life’s purpose figured out. I think a lot of young people think there’s something wrong with them if they haven’t “found themselves” by age 22.

Most people don’t figure things out until much later in life (if at all). That’s what your twenties are for: exploring different paths, making mistakes, falling on your face, and building your character.

Take your time figuring it all out. You don’t want to rush such a grand decision as your life’s purpose.
Savor the Moment

Experience the textures, sights, sounds, and feelings of each moment. Time moves faster than you think. Your youth is special and you’ll want to remember it for the rest of your life.
Start Businesses Without Borrowing Money

When you decide to start a business, don’t go into debt over it. Most businesses fail, and it’s better to be left with nothing than to not have anything and still owe someone else money.

Pick a business that doesn’t cost much to start and grow slowly, reinvesting your earnings.

Choose a business that’s as passive as possible. Bulk vending is a good one to start with while you’re young.

Stay away from services. I made the mistake when I was your age of starting a T-shirt design service. The problem with services is that you have to re-create your work if you want to get paid again. Find something that pays you over and over for work done once.
Pick Something and Stick With It

Once you’ve had your fun traveling the world and being young, find a line of work that you are passionate about. Don’t worry about the money, that will come with time. As long as you are out of debt and putting money into savings each month, you’re going to be just fine.

Don’t get into the habit of changing your mind all the time. Each time you change course, you lose all your start-up energy. Learn how exponential growth can affect your level of success in your chosen field.

If you are passionate about what you do, and stick with it, you can’t help but be successful.
Back to Reality…

It’s fun to think about what might have been, but in reality, we can’t change the past. Ten years from now, I’ll have a whole new list of things I wish I knew in my 30’s. I would do well to take my own advice, and enjoy each moment.

stiff vs suit for day job

Blue vs. White

Here’s one you may not have considered: Is it better to be a working stiff or a suit if you’re an entrepreneur who’d rather be working for himself than the man anyway?

Entrepreneurial types tend to gravitate towards management (suit), but does that really serve their greater goal? Managers tend to spend long hours on the job and usually get paid on salary (which means no overtime). Where’s the time to make yourself rich?
My Prism

I see the business world divided into two groups: working stiffs and suits. “Suit” doesn’t necessarily mean they wear a suit to work every day; it’s a metaphorical term for someone who makes the decisions and delegates work to the stiffs.

Under my definition, an airline pilot is a stiff, the same as a coal miner. Each does the job they were hired to do with little say over the larger decisions, such as which routes to fly or where to dig.
“Stiff” Characteristics

Hourly Pay
Overtime
Repetitive Tasks
Supervise Few or No People
Make Local Decisions
Gets Delegated to
Limited Upward Mobility

Stiffs:

Bartender
Airline Pilot
Flight Attendant
Construction Worker
IT Professional
Film/TV Editor

“Suit” Characteristics

Salary
No Overtime
Varied Tasks
Supervise Several People
Make Global Decisions
Delegates
Expanded Upward Mobility

Suits:

Restaurant Manager
Airline Supervisor
Construction Manager
IT Supervisor
Film/TV Producer

Risk and Reward

The decision of which path to choose is a big one. If you’re a GeniusTypes reader, you probably have high expectations. Anyone who is looking for passive income obviously wants bigger and better things. If you choose to be a stiff and the passive income thing doesn’t work out, you risk being a stiff for the rest of your life. If you choose to be a suit and never have time to create passive income, you risk working for “the man” for the rest of your life.

Even more powerful are the sociological beliefs that we and our peer groups have about our career choices. If you come from a family of college graduates, you might be expected to pursue a white collar career. Conversely, if you come from a blue-collar family, being a “suit” might be looked down upon.

To get where you want to go, it’s important to get past your beliefs about career issues and choose the path that serves your goals the best.
Restaurants

A lot of creative types work in the service industry as waiters and bartenders. In New York, LA, and Austin (all of which I’ve spent time), when someone says they’re an actor; it’s usually followed by a tongue-in-cheek “which restaurant do you work at?”

Service jobs fall under the “stiff” category, which serves artists well. The jobs are flexible, the pay is relatively decent, and the job doesn’t require much responsibility. An actor or writer can pay their bills with a bar job and spend the rest of their time creating art (which probably doesn’t produce much income).

I’ve been around the bar/restaurant scene long enough to see many artists face the same dilemma: after several years in the service industry, without much success as an artist, they’re given the opportunity to go into restaurant management.

It’s usually a tough decision. Their friends and family have been pressuring them for years to get a “real job,” and management looks much better on a resume. On the other hand, managers spend endless hours at the restaurant which leaves less time to pursue their art.

To complicate matters, entry-level restaurant managers often make less than waiters and bartenders on an hourly basis. The trade off being they have more power and the chance to eventually become the General Manager of their own restaurant: a job that pays pretty well.

In my experience, choosing restaurant management means the end of their dream as an artist. This can be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. If they weren’t ever going to make it as an artist, perhaps it’s a good thing.
Entrepreneurship as an Art

Entrepreneurs are creative types with a little more business sense than the average artist (notice I said “little”). Therefore, entrepreneurs face many of the same challenges as artists. The rewards for their passion can be massive, but the risk is great.

In the restaurant example above, you could easily exchange “real estate investor” or “bulk candy vending entrepreneur” for “artist”.
Film/TV Business

A similar thing happens in Hollywood. Everyone’s first job is always PA (production assistant), which is definitely a “stiff” job; but after that you have to choose if you want to start on the path to producer (suit) or specialized labor (stiff).

It’s an interesting dilemma, and your choice will depend on either your personality or objectives. Producers get to call the shots. They have all the power in Hollywood, but they don’t necessarily have all the money. Think about it: who gets paid more, actors or producers? In most cases, actors do. Until you get to Jerry Bruckheimer’s level and you own the joint, you won’t make as much as a highly specialized stiff.

Being a paid actor might just be the greatest “working stiff” job on the planet. They get paid ridiculous amounts of money to have fun all day, but they don’t get to call the shots… producers do.

On a lesser scale, the same thing happens with other specialized jobs. In post-production, editors get paid much more than producers. I’ve worked in edit bays where the editor is getting paid over three times as much as the producer, but the producer is controlling the editor’s every move.

Some producers do it because they love the power. They would gladly give up the money as long as they can boss people around all day. I’m just the opposite: I’ll do anything you want, as long as I’m getting paid three times as much as you.

Editors get paid a certain amount of money because the art of editing is a specialized skill that few people possess. They need to have the technical skills of an I.T. professional AND the creative skills of a storyteller. The “suits” hire the editors for an hourly rate and tell them what to do. If an editor works more than 8 hours in a day, they get paid overtime. If a producer works more than 8 hours, they may not.

That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with choosing the producer route; it just depends on your objectives. If you plan on running the studio some day, then producer is where you want to be.
Airline Business

The same thing happens at airlines. Airline pilots have a specialized skill that few people have and they get paid for it. I once knew a pilot that made $500 an hour.

It’s a high-paying profession, but it’s still a “stiff” job. Most of the pilots I’ve talked to say it’s actually pretty boring. After you take off, the plane flies itself (it will even take off by itself if you want). On a seven hour flight to Europe, pilots kill time by reading the newspaper and turning a little dial every once in awhile to change course.

Pilots punch the clock like any other stiff… they just get paid more.
An Interesting Idea

Consider your objectives when choosing a career path. If you’re an entrepreneur who hopes to create passive income streams in your spare time; your only criteria for getting a day job might be this: the one that pays the most for the least amount of time spent.

You need to make enough to have some left over to invest, so stay away from minimum wage “stiff” jobs. There are plenty of specialized labor jobs that pay well. Think bartender, pilot, editor, etc. Even construction workers make a rather decent hourly wage.

If you choose this path, it’s important to stay focused. If you forget to put money away to invest in your entrepreneurial ventures, then maybe you would have been better off as a suit. I know more than a few actors/waiters who never found time to act. It’s a pretty crummy feeling to have spent many years in a “stiff” job without anything to show for it.
Check the Ego

When I was starting out in the career world, I had a mental block towards “stiff” jobs. I worked at an airline for awhile and briefly considered going to flight school. I ultimately decided that I wouldn’t be happy as a pilot because I wanted more control. I saw myself as more of an executive type who told the pilots what to do. (is that crazy or what?.. for $500 an hour, I could have controlled just about anything I wanted).

That’s the thing about life experiences: they make you who you are. Because of that experience, I didn’t make the same mistake the next time around. I joined the TV/Film industry four years ago and was told that I could pursue any career path I wanted. It was tempting to take the producer route… but I chose the path to editor.

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1 Richard December 18, 2008 at 7:42 am

I wouldn’t be so quick to give up on employment. People who can only talk about it in terms of “working stiffs” and how much overtime they can get are usually setting themelves up for failure. Personally I’ve never had a real job but I know it could help me get business experience and learn from more experienced people – I just like figuring it out as I go too much to do that.

Even Warren Buffet moved around a few different “regular” jobs after graduating from university, despite having a fairly significant amount of capital to invest and the skills to use it wisely. He didn’t just go for the highest paying jobs though – he went from working for a newpaper to buying newspaper publishers because media interested him.

If I did decide to go that way, I would make sure it was something that was engaging to me. Right now I feel a bit surprised when I remember that there’s people who spend most of the day doing something they don’t care about and I wouldn’t lose that feeling for a bit of overtime. The only limitation I’ve put on myself is to focus on things that have a good chance of producing significant income eventually, but I can do that because many interesting things meet that requirement. People often think about what gives them the biggest numbers in the short term, while forgetting that it forces them to struggle to get ahead.

Doing something interesting makes it easy to take advantage of compound growth in skills, knowledge, contacts, and influence – which can lead to a compound growth in your income without necessarily having to start a business or invest full-time. I actually like the idea of thinking about business and investing all day, but if it’s not that interesting there’s no need to force yourself into it rather than letting yourself enjoy what you spend most of your time doing.

Even if you’re a full-time investor you’re not independent – everyone has to do something that other people value or they’re just waiting for people to catch on to their tricks. Many people are so resistant to the idea of doing something because someone else wants it that they wouldn’t let themselves enjoy anything.

The beginning of security

ne of the greatest challenges we face in our lifetimes is becoming comfortable in our own skin. A person who is secure with himself is much more likely to achieve success, have meaningful relationships, and be respected by others.

A person who is insecure finds difficulty in many aspects of life. Since most people are insecure, a person who is secure has power and influence over others; even if they are not otherwise powerful.

Coming to terms with who you are is the first step in obtaining happiness in life. The sooner you realize that happiness is something that you decide internally, and not something that you get from people or posessions; the sooner you will be able to create your own destiny.
A Lifelong Process

Everyone has some form of insecurity. It’s almost impossible to be 100% free of doubt. There have only been a handful of people throughout history who have obtained this level of confidence, and most of them have gone on to be great spiritual leaders. Now, we look up to them as role-models.

Confidence is usually a gradual process. It often comes with age and wisdom (although some people never find it). Those who work on themselves and gain confidence early on will have a much easier time navigating the challenges of life.
Insecurity is Destructive

Even though none of us are perfect; it’s easy to spot those of us who are overly insecure. Extreme insecurity is usually marked by an obsession with gaining the approval of other people. This level of self-doubt is extremely destructive to a person’s life and is often the root of almost all their problems.

More specifically, secure people find validation from within; while insecure people attempt to find validation from sources outside themselves. This external search for security manifests itself in two major ways:

1. A person becomes overly selfish. While both sexes engage in this sort of insecurity, men are slightly more likely to choose this route. A selfish person attempts to find security by surrounding himself with possessions, accolades, and attention.

2. A person becomes overly accomodating. Once again, this form of insecurity is common in both sexes, but women are slightly more likely to choose it as their primary mode of compensation. An overly accommodating person attempts to gain the approval of other people by bending over backwards for them.

A Matter of Energy

I read one of the most eloquent explanations of why people behave the way they do in a book called The Celestine Prophesy by James Redfield. It’s a fictional adventure that tries to explain a few things about reality. The basic gist of the book is that we are all connected by an energy.

I read The Celestine Prophesy over ten years ago, and back then most people saw it as a little hokey. Today, the idea that energy connects us all is becoming mainstream, especially with the advancement of quantum physics and the cultural phenomenon The Secret.

Here’s the basic idea:

People need emotional energy like they need air. Scientists have found that infants respond dramatically to human touch, and will almost “starve” without it. Quality relationships have been found to be a better indicator of good health than smoking status, weight, or genetics. Even though we can’t quantify it, this emotional energy is a very real and important part of our lives.

As children, we get our emotional energy from our parents; just like we get food, water, and shelter. Just as food provides nourishment for our bodies, emotional energy nourishes our souls; giving us confidence and security.

A person has made a successful transition to adulthood when she has learned to provide food, water, and shelter for herself. By the same token, she hasn’t fully matured until she has also learned to provide emotional energy for herself.

Many people never learn to produce their own emotional energy and continue to seek it from other people, even into adulthood. When they are around others, they draw energy from those around them to fill their void. This burden of energy fatigues the people around them and causes conflict.

Conversely, a person who has learned to create their own energy is free to give the excess to other people.

Signs of Insecurity

Here are some common signs that indicate insecurity:
Defensiveness

Insecure people tend to be very sensitive to critique and respond with defensiveness. They aren’t comfortable enough with themselves to accept that they might be flawed.

A secure person can handle criticism. They’re open to hearing about ways they might improve. If they disagree with the criticism, they don’t try to argue because they’re happy with who they are.

They’re comfortable enough to be themselves, even if other people don’t like it. They realize that they can’t please everyone.
Can’t Enjoy Silence

Some insecure people just can’t deal with silence. They fill every void with meaningless chatter, almost to avoid having to reflect on themselves. The unfortunate consequence is the annoyance of everyone around them, who secretly look for an escape.

A secure person can tolerate, and often enjoys silence. If they are with someone else, they have the ability to let someone else talk without having to interject their own perspective.
Excessive Joking

Another coping mechanism for insecurity is constant joking. While a sense of humor is almost necessary for emotional health, the excessive joker doesn’t seem to know the limits of appropriateness. (Think Michael Scott on “The Office.”)

It feels good when everyone laughs at your joke, and an insecure person craves this sort of attention. The unfortunate consequence is an uncomfortable environment and an insensitivity to others.

Jokes are almost always more funny when they are well-timed and delivered by a person of confidence. Security gives you the ability to be sensitive of others; knowing what they would consider funny and what they would consider offensive.
Self-Promoting

Insecure people tend to talk about themselves constantly, as if they feel like they have to prove themselves. Self-promotion is paramount to over-compensation for doubt.

A confident person doesn’t need to promote himself. His qualities are displayed naturally by the way he lives his life. Besides, he doesn’t need validation from anyone anyway.
Bullying

Insecure people feel threatened by others, and one way to cope with this is to try and squash them. The most threatening person of all to an insecure person is a secure person, because they can sense their power.
Overly Authoritative

Insecure people in positions of power tend to compensate for their lack of confidence by taking out their frustrations on their subordinates. They might issue unfair punishments or orders as a way to prove their authority.

I once had a boss who took joy in screaming at his employees, even for minor offenses. Once, I overheard him speaking to another manager about picking someone to fire for the fun of it. This kind of excessive authoritativeness is an obvious over-compensation for insecurity.
Overly Competitive

Competitiveness is part of a healthy emotional makeup, but over-competitiveness is a sign of a problem. Someone who can’t take losing by making a big emotional display lacks confidence.

A person who is secure with himself wins or loses with grace. Grace has a lot to do with respecting your opponent, and you can only do that if you are first comfortable with yourself.
Materialistic

A very dangerous coping mechanism for insecurity is buying things you can’t afford just to show off. We can all think of people with huge TV’s, fast cars, and every toy known to man; even though they don’t make much money. People like this tend to run up their credit cards and get themselves into big trouble.

A secure person doesn’t need to show off. He doesn’t care what other people think about his possessions.
Insecurity in Relationships

Insecurity tends to be amplified in relationships. In this situation, there is a constant struggle for control and energy.

Interestingly enough, people tend to be attracted to other people at the same level of security. Insecure people tend to find other insecure people to date, and secure people tend to date other secure people.

A healthy relationship is made up of two secure people who create their own emotional energy and give to their partner. An unhealthy relationship is made up of two insecure people who take emotional energy from their partner.
Men

Here are some characteristics of insecure men in relationships:
Irrationally Jealous

An insecure man is constantly worried about his girlfriend leaving him, and is extremely jealous. This manifests itself in constant questioning, mistrust, and altercations with other men.

A man who is secure with himself and his relationship is able to trust his partner. He can do so because he doesn’t depend on her for his well-being. He knows that he will be okay no matter what happens. If she betrays his trust, he is fully capable of either forgiving her, or leaving her to start over.
Abusive

Abuse is where insecurity in a relationship becomes extremely destructive. Men become abusive out of the need to control their partner. Instead of loving them for who they are, they try to force them into someone else.

A man who is secure with himself is never abusive.
Women

Here are a few signs of insecurity for women in relationships:
Stays in Abusive Relationships

Remember how insecure people tend to be attracted to each other? Unfortunately, this means that abusive men end up with women who take the abuse.

Have you ever known a woman who has had a string of abusive boyfriends? She ends up falling for one after the other. She has so little confidence that she is convinced that it’s her fault.

A secure woman isn’t afraid of leaving an abusive man. She knows that she doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment. She creates her own emotional energy and therefore she will be fine on her own.
Overly Sexual

Sexuality is a very powerful force, as evidenced by the amount of sexual images in our media. Men especially are strongly influenced by attractive women. Some women learn that they can get a lot of attention from men by flaunting their sexuality.

An insecure woman who is seeking constant validation from others relies on her sexuality as a crutch. It becomes her main source of emotional energy and begins to define her.

A secure woman doesn’t need constant validation. She is confident enough to define herself in many dimensions; not just one.
Work on Yourself

A common thread in much of the success literature that I have read is the necessity of becoming independent before entering into relationships. If I had to recommend one book to help someone become more secure with themselves, I would recommend The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

He talks about achieving private victory before you achieving public victory. He talks about the process of going from dependence to independence to interdependence.

Insecurity can be highly destructive, especially if you don’t understand it. Many insecure people find scapegoats for their problems, never realizing that they are causing the problems themselves.

The beginning of security is learning to laugh at yourself, realizing that no one is perfect.