Every Day There is Something to Be Grateful For

Tonight while scanning through my Facebook page, I came across something that really stood out. Of course in this world of "posts" I usually find several things that make me do a double take.  Well, there has been nothing like this.  Let me tell you about it.  No, how about I share the actually posts:

*****Note, I deleted all the names involved except mine.

Initial Comment:

Something pretty amazing happened today. I have been working on my credit, saving and 

changing my attitude about money. We were released from work early and I said, I wonder if I 

can get a checking account.  On a whim, I drove straight to my bank. He pulled the report and 

instantly I was approved. I have not had a checking account in six years, but it sure feels good to 

know I'm on the right path financially.

Replies:

Comments

Congratulations!! What an amazing accomplishment.

 It felt so good!!

Woot woot!!! Congrats!

Congrats!

Amazing! I am on the same road I got a checking and savings! God is great! Fixing my credit so I can buy my house!

That's awesome! Congratulations!

That's great news. This is only the beginning!

Reply from me:

Nikki Smith I might sound really out of touch (or bourgeois) but it's only for a 

minute until I get to my main point. So, bare with me and charge it to my head, not 

my heart. But, reading your comment turned on a light for me. Really, like a reality 

check kind of light. I never knew there were people who do not have bank accounts 

because they can't get one. I thought they didn't have bank accounts because they 

either did like my great grandma (put money under the mattress or in the closet) 

OR they just didn't want one. Silly me! Now my point is, this "ah ha" moment is 

going on my gratitude list at the top. You see, me having a bank account, since the 

age of 17, to me was a right. Having a bank account to me, until now, was not even a 

second thought. When in fact, it's actually a privilege and something to be oh so 

grateful for. Thank you so much for sharing this. I congratulate you my sister for 

your accomplishment, as well as being so open and so real. You opened my eyes and 

my heart.

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Am I the only one who was this naive?  Am I the only one who was so lost and now see? Wow, I am truly truly at a lost for words about how this enlightened me.  It's not the bank account any more.  It's everything.  Any thing.  It is a blessing to have walked through a dark room and have someone turn on the light.  

Is ignorance bliss?   

Twelve Types of Facebook Posts That Are Guaranteed to Engage People

Twelve Types of Facebook Posts That Are Guaranteed to Engage People

Facebook is a social media giant. Without a doubt it’s the most popular social networking site in the world, and in the past ten years it’s managed to get billions of people hooked on the platform. There are many different kinds of Facebook posts but here we’re going to look at Facebook posts that will engage people.

Social networking is all about interacting and if you can’t get people to interact with your posts, you’re probably not doing it right. Let’s take a look at twelve types of Facebook posts that are guaranteed to get people involved.

1. Like or Comment

Facebook is a very visual social network and one way to get people to engage is to post a picture. The next step would be to put two pictures together either side by side or one on top of the other and ask people to “like” if they prefer the option in one picture or “comment” if they prefer the other option.

2. Name Your Favorite

Open-ended questions are one of the easiest ways to drive engagement on Facebook. Asking people what their favorite movie, band or website is could generate a lot of engagement depending on how many people are willing to answer.

3. Caption Contest

Finding a picture that looks like it’s trying to say something funny is always a great time to hold a caption contest. Simply post the picture, ask people to add a caption in the comments and if the picture is good enough you should be getting massive amounts of comments in no time.

4. Looking for Advice

Reaching out for help is a great way to get people to engage with your Facebook page. Asking people what the best way to complete a task such as cooking a food item, building something, training a pet or any other situation that would require input from other people is a great way to drive traffic.

5. Like If You Do This

This post is almost too easy. Facebook users love pictures, so posting a picture of an activity or something people commonly enjoy and asking them to “like” the post if they enjoy it as well will certainly help you. A great example is posting a picture of ice cream and asking people to “like” the picture if they enjoy ice cream too. Honestly, though, who doesn’t love ice cream?

6. Nostalgia Posts

Every generation is different and making people feel nostalgic is a great way to engage users. Questions such as “remember when you had to rewind a video tape to watch a movie?” could be a big hit with the right crowd.

7. What Would You Do?

We as people like to think about what we would do in different situations. Asking people what they would do in certain situations is a great way to get some answers. Questions such as, “What would you do if you had 40 million dollars?” could end up getting you a lot of answers.

8. Fill in the Blank

Fill in the blank posts are also a pretty easy way to get people engaged. Asking someone to fill in the blank in sentences such as “my favorite food is (blank)” is another great way to get people to interact.

9. Post a Picture

It can’t be emphasized enough that Facebook users love photos. A great way to get people involved is to have them post a photo of their own. Post a status asking people to post a picture of their favorite vacation spot in the comments and watch how many responses you get.

10. Recommendations

Are Unsolicited Emails Legal

Are Unsolicited Emails Legal

Once you start engaging in email marketing (that is, marketing your products and/or services through sending customers or potential customers information via email), it's important that you understand and comply with the laws that have been created to protect you and the consumer. Remember that these laws protect both the business and the consumer. When you look at it that way it doesn't seem as bad that there are laws regarding email marketing.

Educate Yourself and Your Affiliates

Read and get to understand the CAN-SPAM Act on the Bureau of Consumer Protection Business Center. This will help you enormously when you are creating your email marketing campaigns. The law isn't really hard to follow.

Essentially, you cannot mislead anyone via deceptive information, headers or subject lines; you need to let your readers know the message is an advertisement; include your location on every communication; and tell readers how to get off your list and remove them immediately. In addition, if you have affiliates, you need to be sure to keep an eye out to ensure they are following the law, too.
CAN-SPAM is at http://www.business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

All Unsolicited Emails Are Not Illegal

You may not realize that once someone has purchased from you, you may put them on your email list. Sending email advertisements to customers is not considered unsolicited emails, and emails sent to corporations aren't considered unsolicited. So if you do B2B work then you have a little bit of an easier time marketing to those businesses. But, in general, any direct marketing emails that are sent without permission (former customer or opting in) are illegal and should be avoided.

Choose a Reputable Email Autoresponder Service Provider

It will help tremendously to choose a reputable email autoresponder service provider like AWeber.com, MailChimp.com, or GetResponse.com because their requirements on you match the legal requirements. If you're following their terms of service, it's unlikely that you will break the law. When you sign up for a service, read the terms of service carefully so that you don't break their rules because they will cancel your account if you engage in spam activity - whether it's on purpose or due to ignorance.

Be Safe and Follow the Path of Least Resistance

Even though technically you can send emails to your customers, it's best to always get your customers to opt in as much as possible to receiving information. Always explain clearly what to expect from signing up for your list, and then follow through. Avoid buying lists (even though that's not technically illegal) because it's really hard to tell whether or not the person gave permission - and honestly, it usually doesn't pay off.

Finally, deal with complaints fast, and always follow your ISP's rules as well as your auto responder's rules. Additionally, if you deliver quality content it's unlikely you'll have any issues following the laws.

Can Hiring a Business Coach Really Make a Difference?

Can Hiring a Business Coach Really Make a Difference?

Whether you’re just starting a business or you're well into your venture, the idea of hiring a business coach may have come to mind. But you may be wondering if a business coach can really make a difference for you. To answer this question, you need to understand what a business coach does, and how to choose the right one for you.

Business coaching provides a way to interact with a professional who has your best interests at heart and can help you be more effective building your business and balancing your life and your business. Business coaches are a good mixture of accountability partner, sounding board, cheerleader and even emotional support. The business coach specializes in ensuring that all aspects of your life work together with the ultimate focus on ensuring that your business works.

Even the process of hiring a coach can be beneficial to your business. The coach will want to assess where you are right now with your business and find out where you want to go. An effective business coach will help you determine not just the direction you want your business to go, but will also identity actionable steps to take to achieve the goals you and your coach set.

* Accountability – Checking in with someone else on a regular basis to tell them and show them what you’ve accomplished since the last meeting will give you someone besides yourself to be accountable to. For many people this helps them act in their own best interests and not put off anything, since most people don’t want to disappoint others.

* Sounding Board – Talking plans and proposals out with a third party who is also well versed in your type of business will help solidify each plan you make so that you’re not going down the wrong roads to start with.

* Cheerleader – Running a business is hard and some business coaches make excellent support systems and cheerleaders. In this way, you not only have a good plan of action to make your dreams come true but also someone to share your success with who has your best interests at heart.

* Emotional Support - Many business coaches understand how home life can affect your business life. They can often help you deal with your family and friends when it comes to pushing your business forward.

If you need help identifying holes in your business plan, ways to fill the gaps, and how to create an actionable plan to push your business forward, then a business coach can definitely make a difference. The trick is finding the right business coach for your particular business.

In order to find the right coach for you that fits your business type and personality, ask the right questions of any potential coach. Plus, ask others for referrals before hiring any business coach. Finally, buy some of the coach’s products and services and try working on a short-term project with them first. This can help you ensure that they are the right coach to push your business to the next level.

How to Choose the Right Controversial Topic to Write About

One way to capture more attention on the internet is to write about a controversial topic. Controversial topics can encourage more audience participation, which can actually go viral - thus grabbing even more attention than you may be prepared for. It's a fine line to walk when using it to get more attention on social media. But, there are ways to choose controversial topics to make it work for your needs.

Know Your Audience

Every blog post starts with an understanding of your audience. That goes double for choosing to write about something controversial. You don't want to completely alienate your audience; you want to, ultimately, get them on board with you regarding the controversy. Take the time to survey your audience about various topics that could be controversial to make sure you really understand them.

Ensure That the Topic Is within Your Niche

Remember the point of your blog. You can have a lot of lofty goals for your blog, but ultimately it's to attract attention in order to capture leads that will convert into sales. Your controversial post should attract visitors within your niche. If the controversy surrounds something outside of your niche, there is no real point in doing the post.

Choose a Position Based on Real Feelings

Don't try to play both sides against the middle. You won't create the controversy you want, and the post will fall flat. Choose a topic in which you can clearly take the controversial side of the argument without question. The controversial side of an argument is always the one that fewer people choose. If you really believe in the opinion and are invested in the topic, it will help you move forward with your blog post.

Back Yourself Up with Facts

Try to find a lot of statistics to help back up your opinion. As someone once said, "You always have a right to your own opinion, but you don't have a right to your own facts." Using facts to back up your stance will go far in making your post readable, understandable, and logical, while still keeping the controversy that will propel your blog post to become viral.

Be Willing to Change Your Mind

When presenting your argument, invite others to try to change your mind with facts. This is a great way to lessen the blow of your alternative opinion about a topic within your niche. If you're not being one sided, but leaving some sides open for exploration in comments, you can keep the controversy going longer in the discussion portion of your blog post.

To recap, remember to keep the topic within your niche, take the minority view (but only if you really believe it), back yourself up with facts and statistics, show examples and allow an open dialogue to ensue after your blog post. Be willing to change your mind once there is discussion based on sound reasoning and facts.


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Here are some of the books I have written-

1st children's book of many to come.  I wrote this book because the world is becoming focused on getting our youth of color interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).  My target audience is the educator market.  I have an upcoming speaking engagement in the Selma, Alabama School System to market my book and STEM.

www.bookemon.com

I wrote Seasons Change and So Do We, a few years ago.  This was my very first book.  At the time, there was the "Waiting to Exhale Movement" and black women were being noticed on an emotional level.  So, I decided to tap into that audience.  I still plan to take time out to really market this book because I believe this material will continue to be in high demand.

www.amazon.com

Again, black women...successful black women are shaping the world we live in at an alarming rate.  My goal with this book is to begin to tell her story (my story) from a military perspective.  My audience is military black women (30 years and older)  and aspiring military black women.

www.amazon.com

30 Self -Improvement Tips:  The target audience - Women and Men (40 years of age and up) embarking on a new chapter in life.  They are open to changing and reinventing themselves after experiencing success and failure. 

Inbox me to purchase

The target audience - Women 30 - 50 starting a new business.  They are entering the social media scene with an open mind and need a checklist of how to be successful on Facebook.
Will soon be available on bookemon.com

Lazarus's target audience - Women (30 years of age and up) embarking on a new chapter in life.  They are open to changing and reinventing themselves after experiencing success and failure. 

Available Thanksgiving Day on bookemon.com

Anthology - Stories of triumph through Social Media.  

www.amazon.com

www.amazon.com

A Phenomenal Woman:  Again, black women...successful black women are shaping the world we live in at an alarming rate.  My goal with this book is to begin to tell her story (my story) from a military perspective.  My audience is military black women (30 years and older)  and aspiring military black women.

The target audience - Women and Men (40 years of age and up) embarking on a new chapter in life.  They are open to changing and reinventing themselves after experiencing success and failure. 

Inbox me to purchase

A Phenomenal Grand Mother

Sign of the times -  Unfortunately black America is still facing racism to a degree that the world is stopping to "take a knee".  In this book I chose to have my voice heard as grandmother of a black young man.  The target audience - Grandmothers who are raising black sons.

www.amazon.com

Nine Questions to Ask When evaluating Affiliate Networks

Nine Questions to Ask When Evaluating Affiliate Networks

When you want to start an affiliate program it can be difficult to know how to choose the right affiliate network. Before you can even begin to choose, you really need to understand the right questions to ask when evaluating them. It's an important choice to make and migrating to a new system isn't always seamless. Here are nine questions to make the decision easier.

1) Does the network have an exclusivity clause?

This is something you absolutely do not want. These clauses can reach far into the distance after your first contract is up, and can affect advertising and marketing campaigns that you want to run with other networks even then. Immediately it affects you because you cannot be part of more than one affiliate program. You shouldn't allow a network to stranglehold you in your marketing efforts.

2) What is the commission structure?

Does the affiliate network allow you to choose your own structure? Can you have more than one level of affiliate, or tiers? Is it customizable so that you can create your own structure from top to bottom for affiliates as a group or even individually?

3) What is your budget in terms of time, expertise and money?

When you think of your budget, don't just think about dollars - think about the time you may need to invest, and whether you have the expertise to set things or you'll need to hire an expert.

* Time - Do you have the time to focus on creating, running and managing your affiliate program yourself? When you test out the network, do you understand how it works?

* Expertise - Are you going to be able to set up the network yourself, load in products, code for your affiliates, and so forth? Does the network offer any type of support with this or will you need to find your own expert?

* Money - Consider all fees associated with the network, such as hosting fees, monthly fees, cost shares, and anything with a dollar sign. Add up the worst-case scenario with any network instead of the best case.

Put all your findings into a spreadsheet so that you can understand the value of each individual network at a glance, including the cost of the expert help if you need it.

4) Does the network have a good reputation among affiliates?

If you're not sure what affiliate network to use, ask affiliates. What network do they prefer and which network are they most likely to use when signing up to promote your products? If there are high rates of click fraud going on, or payment issues, you want to know up front and you'll find these answers from people who already use the system as affiliate marketers.

5) Does the network offer any support?

If you call someone, will they answer? If you are okay without having a lot of support, you may be able to use a less expensive system. If you require answers to your phone calls, as well as some handholding, you may need to seek information about more expensive options. It's all in perception; some people are fine using open source platforms that offer no support other than group support. Other people aren't.

6) Does the network offer analytics and reports?

It's a great idea to be able to look at a wide variety of reports and analytics so that you can see which of your affiliates are doing super well, which are not, as well as your overall performance, clicks, views and so forth.

7) Does the network host your digital products?

Many affiliate networks do not actually host your products, or they have size limitations. Be sure to check on these factors. You may need to invest in another server to host your items and understand how to set that up so your customers can download your products.

8) Can you communicate with your affiliates easily?

Being able to communicate with your affiliates is an important because the more you can talk to them via email, webinars, and so forth, the more you will be able to offer them the tools they need to promote your products. Also, the more you can encourage them to sell, host contests and so forth.

9) Does the network use your list addresses to contact them?

Believe it or not - some affiliate networks will, if you're not careful, contact anyone you sell a product to, or who signs up for your email lists, or who signs up as an affiliate with their own marketing. If you don't want them to do this, read the fine print.

It's clear that you have a lot to think about when choosing the right affiliate network. But if you have clear idea from the start about what features you need in the network, you'll be able to make better choices.

Give feedback and join my facebook group for other subjects and big offers

https://www.facebook.com/exhaletoexcel

How I Manifested a Husband, a Child, $50,000 and Saved My Home

How I Manifested a Husband, a Child, $50,000 and Saved My Home

I remember when I first heard about the law of attraction it was like I had discovered the earth, wind and fire. It was just that fantastic to me. Fantastic can’t even describe the way I felt. It was as if the light had been off and then someone clicked on the light switch. The thing about it is, I knew I was in the dark. I knew I was in my own hell. I knew there was something else too...something better. I just didn’t know how to get to it. The great part about my misfortune is, I was trying to find the light and then the light found me.

I grew up in church. I knew there was GOD. What I was told though, that there was this GOD outside of me who controlled me and everything else around me. What I found unbelievable is that this GOD would be the author of good as well as bad. How? Impossible I always thought. To me, the image of my God was an image like my grandfather. He was kind. He was stern. He was loving. What I discovered OR shall I say, I remembered later is that the great energy I call God doesn’t move and shake just because I want him to or because anyone else want him to. There are laws that govern this world. Spiritual laws; these universal laws change not. They are set. Just like the law of gravity is forever and ever amen. So, are all these laws.

Getting reacquainted with what I had forgotten as a physical being was like food to me. I ate it. I slept it. I longed for it. I longed for everything spiritual. It wasn’t easy to totally embrace initially. As time progressed, I even began to accept the spiritual wisdom as I accepted the wisdom of my grandparents and their parents. I began to have faith. I began to believe that I controlled my destiny. I had to believe this in order to live my life without going mad. I figured if my destiny is in the hands of someone else, I mind as well die. I cannot live knowing this. That’s a scary thought. So, what did I do? I began to test what I had learned. According to the Word of God, I had every right to.

1 John 4:1–5King James Version (KJV)

4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

I believed the true Word would not disappoint.  I used the techniques I used as a child (without knowing what I was doing at that time). I began to visualize. I started writing down what I desired. I started creating vision boards and holding desires in my mind until I drifted off to sleep. Guess what? One by one manifested. Now don’t get me wrong, I wont pretend that every moment and every second was filled with bliss. There were challenges like we face everyday. So, remember we are still living in a physical world as spiritual beings.

Yet I continued even during some long dark days. I posted picture of my husband and me ( I really wanted love); I posted pictures of the money I wanted (all of it is not in my account yet); I posted pictures of a jazz band that I was singing in; I posted my master’s degree hanging on the wall; I posted a baby; I posted a house my home being saved (it was almost foreclosed on); I posted an apartment that I needed due to my military duty.

Yes, one by one and I mean quickly manifested. At one point I was taking pictures down weekly because they had manifested. I asked for an apartment right? The picture of that apartment was a one bedroom. Now, check this out. Never once did I think about whether the apartment would comfortably hold me and my husband plus our things and our dogs. LOL! Yes, husband appeared and we were tightly loving one another in my one bed room apartment. Thank God it takes nine months to birth a baby. We three would have been tightly loving each other in that one bedroom. The lesson there is to really think about what you desire because some times it shows up just like you asked for it.

When we finally moved, the money came. It was discovered that I had been underpaid for three years. YES! That was $50,000 minus taxes. We had a ball. We paid off some debt and got ready for our baby girl. Isn’t that something?

What did I miss? If I missed anything, I’ll make it up when I manifest my knew desires. If you want more detail or coaching on what you can do, contact me: exhaletoexcel@gmail.com