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live life on purpose work at what you love follow your own road
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   Changing Course Newsletter: Issue 25Date: Aug 13, 2001Subject: Changing Course Newsletter: Issue 25 Changing Course Newsletter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ Issue 25 - August 13, 2001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brought to you by Changing Course http://www.ChangingCourse.com Dedicated to helping you: ~ Live Life on Purpose ~ Work at What You Love ~ Follow Your Own Road Barbara Sher, author of "I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was," calls Changing Course "wonderful, inspired and informative." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ QUOTE FOR THE DAY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid. ~ Audre Lorde ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FEATURED ARTICLE: The Freelancer Within ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sharon Davis Every day, I'll get an e-mail that goes something like this: "I've been looking for a home-based job for x number of months now... with no luck. I just want something I can do in the evenings or on weekends so I can supplement my income. Can you help me?" You might be thinking, "Yeah, I'd like that too... can you help?" Well, I just might, though my suggestion might not be exactly what you had in mind. A lot of the people who e-mail me have marketable skills. Skills like typing, word processing, accounting, human resources, transcription... the list goes on. Here you are working all day long, then spending all this time searching for that ever elusive telecommuting job. Well, there may be another option - freelancing. You might say, "Me? A freelancer? I don't think so. I don't have the time to go out drumming up business." I say, "Oh, but you do!" Among all the other nifty conveniences the Internet has given us (finally, a place where I can get garden gnomes 24 hours a day!), there are now "Freelance Marketplaces." These are sites that enable the freelancer and the employers who need freelancers to hook up. Most of these sites work something like this: ABC, inc. is a relatively small company that doesn't have a Human Resources department (or Accounting department or Transcription department). Rather than take on the expense of creating an in-house HR department, they want to contract out their HR related projects. They go to a Freelance Marketplace, post their projects and then wait for the bids to roll in. This is where you, being the consummate Human Resources Professional (or Accounting Professional or Transcriptionist), will go and post your bid for the project.. and voila! You're a freelancer. Some sites that offer this type of service are http://www.elance.com and http://www.ants.com While registration at both sites is free, Ants.com charges a fee of 5% for all jobs completed by you. eLance.com is currently offering their services for free during the Beta period, but it is clear that this will change at some point. At eLance.com, freelancers (or e-lancers as they are called) can leave feedback regarding project posters. This is a handy feature that can help you to decide who you want to do business with. The beauty of being a freelancer is that you can often do your work on a part-time basis - at your convenience. The bottom line is that you will typically have a deadline to meet, but when you do, the work is flexible according to your own schedule. Another benefit to this is that as you build your clientele and your reputation as a freelancer, you may find that you have enough business to freelance full-time. Sharon Davis is the Mother of two girls, the owner of http://www.2Work-At-Home.com and the Editor of that site's monthly ezine, America's Home. In her spare time she reminisces about what it was like to have spare time! [For more information on Elance.com as well as other resources for freelancers check out http//www.ChangingCourse.com/resources.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INSPIRATION TO FOLLOW YOUR BLISS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The principles you live by create the world you live in; if you change the principles you live by, you will change your world. ~ Blaine Lee We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops or we can make music. ~ Barbara Sher Every exit is an entry somewhere. ~ Tom Stoppard ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IN THE LIVE YOUR DREAM STORE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Find lots of great products to help you Live Your Dreams at the Changing Course Store at http//www.changingcourse.com ROAD MAP FOR YOUR DREAMS Valerie's booklet, 10 Steps to Escaping the Job World and Creating the Life You Really Want may be just what you need to put you on the track to a richer more rewarding work/life. Even if you don't order a darned thing, I invite you to read Step One of the 10 steps at http//www.ChangingCourse.com/articles/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VAL'S PICKS AND PONDERINGS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part I: This week I have two picks for you... STARTING YOUR OWN WEB BUSINESS: Have you been thinking about starting your own web-based business? Do you already do business on-line but need help taking your company to the next level? I launched ChangingCourse.com about four years ago now. At the time, I knew about marketing in general but not how to make a web site successful. So for those first three years there was much trial and error. I had some successes but I also made a lot of costly errors. That is until I signed up to be a member of a web marketing consulting site. Membership will run you anywhere from $167 to $299. The reason I can't give you an exact fee is that from time-to-time the site runs special time-limited offers. If you are seriously thinking of starting an online business - or want to make your current site more profitable - I think the service is a good value for the money. And don't worry if you don't yet know what kind of business you want to start. The site can help you there as well. One of the biggest dollar for dollar benefits is the personal consulting. As a member you are entitled to a free written analysis of your web site or your marketing campaign. The feedback I received was excellent. They spotted things that I had never noticed. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that once I put the recommended changes in place, the results were immediate. Another plus was that I no longer had to re-invent the wheel. Because the site offers so much constantly updated information, you'll save lots of time otherwise spent trying to research Internet marketing techniques and tools on your own. Two more pluses: These people have been around for a while and offer a 100% Risk-Free 90-day money back guarantee. (If you aren't yet ready to launch your business, I suggest that you wait until you are. That way you'll have a chance to actually use the service and if you are not satisfied, can take advantage of the 90 day guarantee.) This and other helpful links and resources (including a special offer for Changing Course visitors to save 15% on web site design from the wonderful designer who created both of my sites) can be found at http//www.ChangingCourse.com/resources.htm HEALTH INSURANCE TAX DEDUCTION FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED: A lot of people stay stuck in jobs they don't enjoy because they cannot afford to pay out of pocket for health insurance. There's no getting around the high price of health insurance. But, at least there is some good news on the tax front. Did you know that if you had been self-employed this year you could have deducted 60% of the amount paid during 2000 for medical insurance and qualified long-term care insurance for yourself and your family? And the deduction increases after 2001. For tax years beginning in 2002, the deductible percentage of your health insurance premiums gradually increases to 70%. Here is the best news of all. After 2002 you will be able to deduct a full 100% of premiums paid! Get it from the horses mouth at the IRS's page outlining health care deductions for the self-employed at http://www.irs.gov/prod/forms_pubs/pubs/p5350701.htm If you want to get an idea of what it might cost you to get health insurance, or if you are shopping around for a lower priced plan, go to http//www.ChangingCourse.com/resources.htm There you'll find a great site to help you compare the price of health insurance and even apply for coverage. If you are not prone to illness the experts suggest you consider a higher deductible in exchange for paying lower premiums. If after shopping around you are discouraged by the costs, don't forget to factor in the tax deduction! Part 2: Now for a bit of pondering on the importance of attitude. You've heard the expression that some people see the glass as half full while others perceive the same glass to be half empty? Yesterday I had the opportunity to see this difference in perception in action. My father and I drove to the airport to pick up my some family members visiting from Florida. It was 100 degrees and muggy. "Knowing" there wouldn't be any parking spaces close to the terminal my father was inclined to head directly to the back lot where we'd be sure to find a space. I, on the other hand, was inclined to start with the row closest to the terminal and work my way back. Since my father was literally in the driver's seat, he reluctantly agreed to check out the last row in the front lot. If we didn't find something there, he said, we'd proceed directly to the back lot. Not only did we find a spot, but on the way to the terminal we passed a prime front row space. His response? "It probably wouldn't have been there when we were looking." In other words, I prefer to think that things will work out. My Dad presumes they will not. Not surprising, during his adult life my father held two jobs. He was horribly exploited in his first job and left only at my mother's constant urging. He stayed at his second job for over 30 years. In part, father's long job tenure has to do with that fact that he is a product of at time when there was a different set of rules regarding employer-employee loyalty. You got a good (or even a not so good) job and you stuck with it for life. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with staying in the same job or town or anything else for an extended period of time. My mother's family has lived in this same area of Massachusetts since the 1600s. My father's family came at the turn of the last century. I love it here in what is known as the Pioneer Valley and despite feeling tremendous pressure after graduating from college to go somewhere new, I have never had any desire to move anyplace else on a permanent basis. When staying in one job or place too long IS cause for concern though, is when it is not driven by a sense of contentment but by the belief that things will not work out anyway, so why bother. A lousy attitude will kill a dream faster than just about anything else. If you find yourself automatically driving to the back lot of life, maybe it's time to do an attitude check: Do you see yourself as deserving of happiness? Do you think things will probably work out for the best and if they don't, do you see that as an opportunity to try again? Do you see yourself as the director of your life or as a bit player operating from someone else's script? Do you think that life generally has it out for you and therefore it is hopeless to even try to change your life? Or do you see life as Helen Keller once described it as being, "an exciting adventure or nothing at all"? Pessimists THINK a lot about changing course; unfortunately those with a negative attitude rarely ever act on their dreams. If you are prone to pessimism but really DO want to go after your dream of a more meaningful work/life, you may need to first practice viewing things from a positive perspective. Moving from a pessimistic, hopeless view to an optimistic, hopeful one will not happen over night. It is a goal that must be worked on one day at a time. Start by taking one situation each day and trying to reframe it from a glass half-full perspective. Fake it if you have to. After a while you will find yourself readily being able to not only see the glass of life as half full, but enjoying a long, quenching drink from it as well. When it comes to successfully changing course, attitude really is everything. That's because as Henry Ford once put it, "If you think you can or if you think you can't, you're right." Valerie Young Dreamer-in-Residence ChangingCourse.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |