Now I might be a touch biased, but I think Edinburgh is one of the greatest cities on the planet.

Edinburgh in August means Festival time. The annual Edinburgh Festival is one of the UK's great events. People from all over the world come to visit and be entertained but Edinburgh at any time of the year is special.

One of my favourite places is The Museum of Scotland- what a great place! It is fascinating to look at the different exhibits from such a wide range of subjects.

The last time I walked around I realised there were so many lessons that I could apply to my online business in 2013. Here are just two of them.

1. Persistence pays. Do you sometimes feel like giving up? Do you face regular problems which affect your plans? Does the unexpected happen? If your answer is 'yes' then join the club of the great inventors, scientists and business people over the centuries!

That's exactly what they faced. But did they give up? Most certainly not! In fact, it seems to me from reading their life stories that it drove them on all the more.

They had this knack of just keeping going despite every problem and challenge that they faced. They persisted with their ideas and tweaked their inventions until they were successful.

What a great lesson for everyone running an online business. Whether you're just starting out or are more experienced, you will encounter difficulties and challenges. The key question is - how will you respond?

Unfortunately, many people tend to give up at the first hurdle. They expect everything to work out perfectly right from the start, with no need for hard work, effort and perseverance. Some conclude that 'online business doesn't work'.

It's true that it won't work if you're not prepared to put in the effort to make it work. Just like the scientists of past centuries you'll need to persevere if you want to see success in your.

2. Don't be afraid to think differently. This is an essential element of inventing something new. You won't create a new machine or a new way of doing something by thinking like everyone else. Give your mind permission to think differently.

Consider what might be possible, what your customers might like to have that doesn't currently exist.

Then consider all possibilities - don't rule anything out. Look around for ideas in totally different areas.

I was struck that one of the key elements that Charles Babbage used when he invented mechanical computers was taken from another industry.

At the time punched cards were being used in looms to weave patterned cloth - he realised he could use the same principle and adapted the punched cards to programme his analytical engine.

So don't be constrained by what is currently possible or being done. If you have an idea, work on it and you might be surprised by the outcome.

And don't forget that however brilliant your idea nothing will come of it unless you put in the effort and persevere.

Why not spend some time today thinking about how you can apply these 2 principles in your online business?

David H Pool is an Internet Marketer who has been published Online and in Traditional Magazines. His Blog site http://www.GleneskBusinessBuilder.com is dedicated to helping people get started in Internet marketing.

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Home Business Ideas for Moms: Running a Successful Business With Children in the Home

1. Wake up at least 30 minutes earlier than your children! I know sleep is at a premium, but spending a few quiet, uninterrupted moments to get dressed and plan your to do list for the day will reward you many times over. An afternoon quiet time/nap time for your children (depending on your children's ages) is also a lifesaver for at least an hour of productive time as well. Plan it into your day! My oldest daughter (11) uses this time to sew in her room while my son (9) builds masterpieces with Legos or Contraptions. I plan this time to coincide with my toddler's afternoon nap and do the bulk of my work for the day during this window of time.

2. Organize your work area, which also includes your home, as it is an extension of your work area. It is near impossible to concentrate on lucrative projects when the desk is piled high with papers, all the horizontal surfaces are covered, and nothing is where it belongs (or even has a place where it belongs!) It overloads your mind with distraction and sabotages your time management because nothing is ever where you can find it. Take the time (a few days if necessary) to clean and declutter each area and start fresh.

3. Make a Toy Bin. If you have toddlers or preschool age children, keep a laundry basket filled with favorite toys and bring it out only during your work time. Blocks, books, and puzzles are great! Your children will look forward to the special time of day when they are allowed to play with their favorite toys and you can accomplish tasks in the same room with them while they play. Be sure to put the basket out of sight and reach when the business-related task is over to maintain the new and exciting allure of these toys.

4. Limit Screen Use. You will be tempted to place your preschooler in front of educational television and your older child with your extra laptop or smartphone, but resist the urge! Yes, they will be quiet and engrossed in the entertainment but it is a disservice to them and can very well have detrimental effects on their physical and mental development. Depending on age, you could allow 30 minutes - 1 hour of TV or tech gadget use per day per child, and planning those minutes to occur during your most intensely productive work sessions can be helpful.

5. Hire a Mommy Helper. If your profession requires your young children to have outside care for a couple of hours per day, consider a "mommy helper" instead. An older child or preteen who is not yet old enough to babysit alone can be a wonderful help to entertain your children while in the house with you and under your supervision. They will often work for a minimal amount compared to a daycare (clear with their parents first, of course) and it can be a positive first-time-job experience for them as well.

6. Implement a Chores/Cleaning Routine. Stop the marathon cleaning once you have completed the initial de-cluttering and cleaning of your house (see tip # 2)! You must have a daily plan, and different methods work for different situations. Consider dividing your weekly chores throughout the week: vacuum on Mondays, sweep and mop on Tuesdays, clean bathrooms on Wednesdays, etc. Wash a load (or two) of clothes daily, dry them, and put them away. Or, if you prefer a one day chore day, delegate 2 hours on Fridays for the basic cleaning routine. You will find that keeping the house uncluttered and organized will help you save time cleaning! If your children are old enough, involve them in the weekly chores. My oldest children vacuum and dust their own rooms, and one cleans the toilet and sink in their bathroom while the other cleans the bathtub. One sweeps the bathroom floor and the other mops it. Every week, they earn spending money by doing their chores well and without complaining. Spend 15 minutes a day (set a timer) removing clutter from one room/area or doing detailed cleaning (windows, corners, etc.) to stay on top of these "extra" chores. Be sure to daily put dishes in/empty the dishwasher, clean off the table, go through the mail, and put things back as you use them. It will change your outlook as well as your results!

7. Develop the Repeat Menu. If you already cook with creative variety and serve only the most nutritious meals without stress or fatigue, skip this tip. If, however, meal preparation is still overwhelming and takeout is becoming more and more of a regular option while you dream of the gourmet meals you will prepare in the future, here is the solution: Accept that it is completely okay for you to serve the same basic "family favorite" menu every single week. These are the meals you know your children love (nutritious, yes) and you have cooked them a million times so you do not have to spend a lot of brainpower preparing it. If there are 14 family favorites which are fairly quick and not terribly intensive to make, create a rotating two week menu. If you only have seven, repeat the same week over and over. Now that you have made your list of meals, pick a day to serve each one (Fridays are homemade pizzas at my house, for example. Mondays every-other-week: blackened chicken pasta with a salad. Sunday nights might include popcorn, apples, and cheese. You get the idea.) Now, this will take a few minutes, but you only have to do this once! List the ingredients needed for each week's meals (either on paper or a spreadsheet where you can easily reorganize or even a grocery list app on your phone). Reorganize the list by the item's location in your favorite supermarket (canned goods, meats, produce, etc.) Now, you have your weekly grocery list! Make copies to take with you to the grocery store to mark off as you fill your basket. Stop stressing and buy the same things over and over! If you want to cook something different and fun on the weekend or once a week, leave space to write in a new recipe's ingredients and designate a day to prepare it. Adapt this to work for you and your lifestyle.

8. Invest in Quality Time. The truth is that quality and quantity of time are important with your children. It is easy to forget that just because the children are always with you doesn't mean you are actually with them. When your mind is focused on work and you do not drive away from a literal office building, it can be even more difficult to put work aside and give your children your undivided attention. It is critical that you find a way to connect with them! Try setting a timer for 30 minutes a few times a day to look your child in the eye as he or she talks to you and play with him or her or accomplish something fun together. Also, after dinner is over and the kitchen is clean, spend time reading with your children and showing them affection. They need you, and not just your physical presence, but your mental and emotional presence as well. Giving them your full attention during specifically scheduled times will help you not to break the "appointment" but it will also help your children not to be as needy during the times when you must focus on your professional tasks. They will come to relish and excitedly anticipate their one-on-one daily times with you (and you will be amazed at how connected you will feel to them and how it will bless your own heart!)

9. Eliminate Time Wasters. You probably already know what they are without much introspection, but take a few minutes anyway and list the activities you tend to use as diversions from your responsibilities. Maybe it is a social network or television channel or... you get the idea. Whatever it is that helps you procrastinate needs to be contained in a specific time period and then put away for the day. For example, you can have your cup of coffee in the morning while you spend 30 minutes of computer time on personal interests and then check back in with e-mail for 15 minutes after lunch. The important thing is that you have a plan and stick to it so that the diversions stop eating the time you could be connecting with your children and/or profiting in your job. Also, think through your routine and find ways to make it more streamlined: Do your quick wipe of the sink and brushing of the toilet as soon as you finish your getting ready routine in the morning and don't go back in there until necessary. Clean up after your meal before you leave the kitchen. Have your older children bring their dirty laundry and put it in the washing machine instead of trekking to each room to do it yourself. Find ways to save steps and, subsequently, conserve energy and time. You will find you get better and better at this as you begin to practice it.

10. Refuel. For the majority of moms I know, this is the most difficult appointment to keep, but it is the most important one. The stresses of work and parenting and life in general take their toll on your mind, body, and spirit. You absolutely must plan to rest! Exercise daily. (This can be done with your children running around in your yard. Be creative and think outside the box). Take a soothing bath after the kids are in the bed. Spend a few minutes reading at bedtime instead of watching television as it helps your body to relax and your sleep to be more restful. Connect with your spouse and invest in your relationship. Go to bed at a reasonable time instead of staying up late. Set aside Saturday (or at least most of it) as a day for family fun, a day when your children know you will not be working at your desk and making phone calls all day. You need it, and they need it. Sundays are a day of rest in our family. We go to church to worship and spend the day simply being together. Take time to nurture your spirit and the benefits will astound you. Resting is not being lazy. It is a much-needed reprieve from the daily grind and it will actually energize and fuel your productivity and success.

These life improvements can be slowly added into your routine. Take one step at a time and don't let yourself get overwhelmed by all the changes you are trying to make. Allow yourself (and your schedule) to be flexible. No one can follow all of these every single day: Children get sick, obligations change, holidays happen. Focus instead on what you can implement now and reap the rewards as you grow, learn, and discover your biggest and best life with your family!

Are you tired of a business that does not allow you to spend the time you need with your family? Not all home businesses are created equal.

I researched long and hard before finding a company with integrity that provided the necessary training, support, flexibility, and did not require I have "parties" to sell my friends and family. The guarantee of return on investment or investment returned helped me make the leap and changed my life forever! You can read more of my experience at http://www.corriemims.com

Blessings on you and yours!

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Financial freedom is one of the most talked about, marketed, and analyzed topics of our day. A Google search reveals 64.2 million results on the subject. Sadly, most people have no idea what it means to be financially free. Sure, some may say financial freedom is getting out of debt, while others say it's having a six-figure income. While these are both great accomplishments, they are only pieces of the puzzle as a whole.

The truth is, paying off all of your debt or making millions of dollars a year will only take you so far if your mind isn't right when it comes to money. Bad debt and living paycheck to paycheck are only symptoms of a much larger problem. A change in our financial position has to begin with a revamping of our mindset.
What's the problem with how I think now?

One of the biggest problems for people today when it comes to money is that they have the "get now, pay later" mentality. It's the mindset that stems from a passion of desire, coupled with a lack of self-control and very little knowledge of how money works.

It's the view that exalts materialism and quietly pushes aside the fact that we're enslaving ourselves to creditors. What's worse is we begin to pride ourselves on the acquisition of "stuff" we don't actually own. Soon, we find ourselves burdened by these things because they become constant reminders that we're being bled out financially.

Shouldn't I be able to have things I want now?
Among some of the scariest things I've seen in life is an internet ad that pictured two children with mouth-dropping expressions on their faces and a caption stating, "One great way to get it all.

The brands you want, the payment options you need." This was scary to me for several reasons. The thing that struck me the most was the horrible indoctrination that payment options is something we need. This couldn't be further from the truth. To make things worse, the ad below it called out "Shop Now, Buy Later".

What it's really saying is this: forget about the fact that you don't actually have the money to pay for it now - just buy it and pay us later at a ridiculous interest rate with money we know you don't have. Ads like these are basically encouraging you to postpone the inevitable consequences of making poor financial decisions.

Do you see how ludicrous this thought process is? Do we really know how much our mind plays a significant role in our financial freedom? If drastic changes aren't made, millions of people will continue to find themselves enslaved as a result of their own financial ignorance.
What can I do?

What is the solution to this ever-growing problem? How do we break away from what seems to be "the norm"? Furthermore, how do we run in the opposite direction when everyone else around us is going the other way? A good start is making the switch in our minds. I sometimes compare the typical financial lifestyle with the popular tale of lemmings committing mass suicide as they follow one another over a cliff. Although this is a misconception of the lemming's habitational migration, the analogy is great.

Millions of people are committing financial suicide simply because they're following what they see as normal, acceptable and even admired behavior. What they don't realize is that they are simply following the crowds over a financial cliff. Financial freedom begins with a real knowledge of how money works. We must rewire our minds when it comes to our finances.

HOME » Self Improvement » Motivation 7 Tips on How to Get Motivated

Have you ever had a goal that you wanted to achieve but could not reach it? I know I have.

The thing about reaching goals is that it usually requires a lot of work.

As we all know, anything that requires hard work requires motivation to do the work.

So what would it take to motivate you to start achieving your goals? Here are 7 tips to help get you motivated to achieve your goals:


1.You have to want it! The first question you have to ask yourself is "How bad do I want it?" Do you tell yourself it would be nice to achieve your goals or I am going to achieve my goals? You have to really want it to achieve it.

2.Write down your goals. Make each goal specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-specific so you can measure your success. Studies have shown that you are more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down and review them.

3.Have a positive attitude. The more positive you are, the more motivated you are. Positive vibes lead to positive results.

4.Have someone hold you accountable. Ask someone you trust and cares for your well being to hold you accountable. We naturally don't like to let people down, especially those who support and encourage us to achieve great things.

5.Give yourself an incentive. Reward yourself after completing your goal or if a goal has multiple steps, reward yourself after each step. You may buy something nice for yourself or put a dollar in your vacation jar. Whatever motivates you is what you should do.

6.Get plenty of sleep. The more rested you are the more energy you have, which will make you more productive and give you more motivation.

7.Find a routine. Most of us dont like change, We like a rhythm and routine, including myself. Find a certain time of day when you can take action steps towards achieving your goal, and stick to that routine until it becomes second nature. We are creatures of habit and repetition.

Another thing that is very important is to eat healthy and exercise, but that could be one of your goals or requires more motivation than you have.

If that's the case, then concentrate on the 7 tips above. Motivation is a funny thing, but when you have it, you feel unstoppable and feel you could achieve anything.

Good luck on your journey.

And remember, you can't do it alone.

How to Start Making Money by Using Your Own Website

There is a new trend of making websites and creating blogs on the internet. Some create websites for personal use; whereas for some it is a source of livelihood or a part of their business. These days, everyone wants to have some income of their own; and with internet this has become a possible dream.

Making money online through one's own website or blog is slowly becoming popular. Earlier, websites were launched to promote big companies. It is no longer the same anymore. People are coming up with thousands of innovative ideas on a daily basis for launching their own websites. It has become a source of income.

Blogging and tweeting was started for fun. It was used to connect with a closed group of people but now it has become an effective way of earning money as well. Blogging is a passive way of making money online as it does not generate money on the basis of what you write but you get commissions on the clicks made on the ads displayed on your blogging site. For this, your website or blog should be a high traffic one. This needs lots of efforts and patience as viewers do not pour in overnight.

It is a known fact that if you want to succeed in something then you have to be passionate about it. Passion gives you the motivation to work harder. Hence, if you are starting you own website make sure that the contents of it are those which you firmly believe in. You should also have complete knowledge of the subject as half knowledge may prove disastrous.

The website should be well presented. It should be rich in content with image galleries, albums, freebies, and add on features. In case, your website deals with selling products you may have some gift options for your customers. It indeed does magic to attract customers. It is a very good method of creating high traffic. You may also have games and contests incorporated in your website.

In the beginning, it is always advisable to take help and advice of people who are already successful in blogging and website making. You can take tips from them on how to improve your business. You should also read lot of motivational books as they help you to stick around during trying times.

Make a website to start making money online