Posts Tagged ‘Financial Difficulties’

Reducing Holiday Stress

Aug 24, 2010 Bakery House

The holiday season is upon us. It seems like only yesterday we were putting away the decorations and making New Years resolutions. Now Thanksgiving has passed and we’re all getting ready for December. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa or any other big holiday, the pressure of the season seems magnified compared to other times of the year.

It is also a time when we remember those who won’t be with us during the holiday season. Perhaps you have lost a loved one or you have a son or daughter in the military or away at college who can’t get home. Maybe they want to go on a ski trip with their friends instead. And, as the family grows, the juggling act of whose family to spend the holidays with often creates hard feelings for the family that not chosen. Perhaps money, or lack of money, is an issue. The anxiety induced by financial difficulties is high on the list of reasons for relationship conflict.

For many people, the stress of the holidays diminishes the joy of the festivities. Preparing the right meal, buying the right gift, having the right clothes, and cleaning the house can be overwhelming. Truly, don’t you deserve to enjoy the holidays? More importantly, don’t you deserve to enjoy each and every day?

Take a deep breath. Relax. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Don’t make yourself crazy making sure that your house is spotless and your meal is perfect. The holidays are about family and friends, not about the food.

Now, for some practical tips whether you’re celebrating with family or alone:

IF YOU’RE HAVING THE FAMILY:

While some people enjoy the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping and decorating, others find it cumbersome and confusing. There is the pressure to find exactly the right gift, to have the house decorated to Martha Stewart perfection, and to cook a meal worthy of Wolfgang Puck. Somewhere along the line, the true meaning of the holiday season has become muddled, and for so many people it is more stressful than enjoyable.

If you’re having the family over, here are some simple ways to relax and enjoy the holiday – a way to be a guest at your own party:

First, ORGANIZE! Make lists of everything that needs to be done. Have a list of things to buy for the big dinner; a list of presents for each person; a list of things to do in the house. Keep the lists handy so you can alter them as needed.

Then, PRIORITIZE! Figure out the Must Do’s and tackle them first. Then consider the Want To Do’s, see how much time and energy you have and decide how to proceed.

Finally, DELEGATE! Ask someone else to pick up the items on your grocery list; consider having a service come in to clean your home. Ask guests to supply the dessert or the wine. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Here are some more tips: Consider ordering gifts on-line. Some sites even offer gift wrapping and free shipping; but most importantly it saves you time and the pressure of facing the mall. You can even order food on-line or at local gourmet grocery.

Love the aroma of fresh baked cookies, but you can’t find your way around a kitchen? Buy a “Christmas Cookie” scented candle and check out your neighborhood bakery.

Most importantly and something that happens to all of us: make sure you have everything you need and you know where it is before you begin any project. Have you ever started wrapping packages and discovered that you can’t find a pair of scissors? Gather all your tools together before you begin.

Be sure to reasonably allocate your time. If you underestimate how long it will take to perform each task, you will be constantly running behind schedule.

Try to fit in a manicure, a massage, a lunch date – something that will help you reconnect and relax. Give yourself permission to find some pleasure in the process.

Holidays are about making memories. Make sure you have plenty of camera memory cards, film or tapes for your camcorder. And don’t forget to make sure that everything is charged and ready to go.

Turn on some holiday music to set the mood. Who doesn’t feel better listening to Jose Feliciano singing, “Feliz Navidad” or Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song”?

Whatever holiday you celebrate, remember that it is not about the stuff, it’s about the love.

The following websites are personal favorites of ours, and we want to share them with you:

Amazon.com – gifts for the whole family.

rachaelray.com – simple holiday recipes and organizational tips.

flylady.net – tips to help you to organize your life and simplify!

hgtv.com – decorating ideas.

realsimple.com – helpful holiday hints.

allrecipes.com – real recipes submitted and reviewed by real people.

We hope you will find useful tips and information to help you to be a guest at your own party! But what if you’re not having a party and are alone and not celebrating with family or friends.

IF YOU’RE ALONE

Some of us live away from our family, some of us have gone through a divorce or lost a loved one and may be alone or with only one or two people. Maybe it’s the first year you’re alone or maybe it’s the tenth. It doesn’t matter. The holidays for some are times of stress. We think we’re supposed to be happy, but we’re not. We think we’re supposed to embrace the holidays, but maybe fear is standing in the way.

Here are some suggestions for things to do if you’re alone and prefer not to be alone:

TRAVEL. There’s still time to plan a trip. Go on a cruise that has set dinner tables – you don’t have to dine alone. Take an organized tour of someplace you’ve always wanted to go. On tours there are couples and there are singles and think of all the people you might meet!

If you plan to stay home:

INVITE. Make a list of all the people you know who are also alone and invite them over. Follow the suggestions above to have a stress free holiday.

TELL A FRIEND that you’re going to be alone. Your friends are your friends and they want to be there for you. People want to help.

GO TO A RESTAURANT. Find one other person who is alone, or your child, or your parent and make a reservation at a restaurant where you never get to go. Make it special.

ASK AT YOUR HOUSE OF WORSHIP. Many churches and temples have dinners on the holidays. Many also know of people who welcome someone who is alone. Don’t be embarrassed, do it. You never know you could meet your best new friends that night.

VOLUNTEER. If you’re not ready for a celebration, volunteer. There are so many places that can use your help to serve meals to those who are less fortunate than we are.

The most important thing we can say is don’t sit home alone unless that is your preference. Embrace the holiday in as simple a way as you can and remember that your loved one wants you to be happy. This can be the first day of the rest of your life.


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Number 1 Leaders in the Internet Marketing Business Revolution (Worldwide)

May 30, 2010 Bakery House

Investing even a little into your business can pay BIG dividends down the road. Conveying the importance of this is vital to motivating you to action, as well as easing any reservations your might have to investing money into your home business.

I’m speaking directly to those of you who are serious about wanting to succeed with your own home business.

If you’re like me, you have joined a home business with a dream. Perhaps it was the idea of becoming financially independent, or maybe you’re having financial difficulties and are searching for a way out. Perhaps you dream of owning that “dream home” you’ve always wanted…or that car…or boat.

You may be searching for a way to spend more time with your family or have goals of raising enough money to leave your country for better opportunities. It could be that you are unsatisfied with your current job and are looking for a much more rewarding career, or you’re simply exploring a new possibility.

Whatever your dream, you probably joined that home business to begin with because you saw the word “FREE.”

I would like to tell you a story, if you will listen…

About a year ago, I came upon an ad while surfing the Internet. I read it, and it drew me in. It advertised an Internet marketing business that claimed you
could become successful with no investment required. It also stated it was completely free to join.

I thought, why not? I’ll try it since it’s free, and I’ll see what happens. If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work.

But if it DOES work…

I have dreams, as any person does. I also have my share of bills, and my credit is not as good as I’d like. I want to make money to take care of these problems. I’d also like to build a nice cozy house in the mountains and own a nice SUV. I want to work from home and raise a family of my own. I want to visit Ireland and work on my family’s genealogy. I also wish to help out my family, who are in need of assistance themselves-I suppose I want to be the “hero” of the family.

So I decided to try out this free offer. I set out with my goals and dreams and gave it a shot. I didn’t have much hope for this business, since my luck has never been very good. I have tried businesses such as this and never got very far. I was skeptical, naturally.

The business I’m talking about is SFI Marketing Group. I didn’t have any money to invest…and, even if I did, I was very wary about investing in something I wasn’t so sure about. So I worked hard for about three months placing free advertisements all over the Internet. After three months, all I had to show for my efforts was perhaps five affiliates and a very small monthly check.

But I was happy, nonetheless, because at least I was actually making some money with this business.

However, my financial problems were getting the best of me, and the progress with my business wasn’t coming fast enough. So I quit. After about six months, I was no better off than when I’d quit. I thought about the business again and said to myself:

”Where would I be now if I hadn’t quit? Where would I be if I had remained persistent and kept on going? After all they said to at least give it a year…”

I jumped back onto the SFI bandwagon and made a personal promise that I was not going to give up again. I also realized something VERY important: I wasn’t going to reach my goals very fast without making some kind of investment in my dreams.

Whether you open your own auto shop, run your own bakery, operate your own janitorial franchise, or sell homemade crafts, you have to invest something
to receive something. To make money, you need to invest money.

Now at this point you may be saying to yourself, “I knew it! This business was too good to be true.” You may even be thinking of quitting SFI. Just remember:

…No matter what kind of business you get yourself into you’re going to HAVE to make SOME KIND of investment to get ANYWHERE! To make money, you need to invest money.

That said, the investment you decide to make for your SFI home business does NOT have to break your budget. Actually, it can be quite reasonable and affordable.

For example, to start a traditional offline business (auto shop, janitorial, bakery, etc.) how much of an investment do you think you would have to make?

$10,000? $50,000? $100,000??

These type of businesses typically require a lot in start-up investment!!

But with SFI, you can launch your own home business for literally pennies a day.

We all subscribe to various clubs, subscriptions, cable TV, the Internet…many of which can cost quite a bit more than $29.95 a month-and they don’t actually provide us with the tools and resources we need for home-business success, like the IAHBE does!

Let’s look at what being an EA can get you with SFI Home Business:

You DOUBLE your Retail Sales Commissions!

You can collect Guaranteed Commission Checks through the Executive Bonus.

You can earn lucrative Leveraged Income.

You lock in your position in the SFI Powerline and become qualified to receive override commissions and bonuses.

You receive $334 in free business-builder tools!

Not only that, but as an IAHBE member, you’ll ALSO get:

Free Book-of-the-Month, featuring titles especially selected for home-business owners. You pay only shipping and handling.

Expert Audio Seminars and mini Home-Business Tutorials.

Magazine-of-the-Month (full 1-year subscriptions to top business magazines like Fast Company, INC, Business 2.0, Money Magazine, and more).

Free Bonuses and access to Money-Saving Deals!

Exclusive, in-depth and timely Business Reports you’ll find nowhere else!

Windows Software-of-the-Month.

Mac Software-of-the-Month.

Daily motivational messages.

Free IntroPak with over $1,000 in business-building bonuses-yours to keep, even if you cancel your membership!

…and MUCH more!
What’s more, you get a 30-day, money-back GUARANTEE!

All that for a measly $29.95 a month!

PLUS, as an IAHBE member, your EA status is renewed each and every month! Once you’ve gained EA status, you’ll be in a great position to move up to the the next level in SFI-Team Leader status, which is where the REAL money starts rolling in.

That said, your “investments” shouldn’t stop with an IAHBE membership-actions as small as the costs of making copies of fliers to post around your town, reserving premium advertisement space in an online classified site (where your ad would get MUCH better coverage than a free one), or posting an ad in a local newspaper are also investments you can make in your home business.

With SFI, you don’t have to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars into your home business. You call the shots and make little investments you can afford.

Now don’t get me wrong here. I’m not saying that free advertising doesn’t work! It does. But if you’re going to do nothing BUT free advertising, you’re going to have to work a lot harder than someone who invests a little money to post better advertisements or place fliers around their town, etc. Many people HAVE become financially independent using nothing but free advertising, but a wise person would combine the best of both worlds. I use plenty of free advertisements, for example, but I also take the time to invest a few dollars here and there.

”That all sounds really good,” you say, “but what do you do if you don’t know how to advertise?”

Well, some people don’t advertise at all. Instead, they invest in the Eagle Advertising Co-op and let it do all the advertising for them.

In the Eagle Advertising Co-op, you pay $20 per unit (two or three units are sufficient to start out with) in exchange to have professional marketers advertise ON YOUR BEHALF! Then, you simply concentrate on following up with the prospects the Co-op brings in FOR YOU.

If you have some money and little time, this is perfect for you. If you have little money and lots of time, stick with advertising yourself until you raise enough to purchase one or two Co-op units.

Even better, many people advertise AND invest in a share or two of the Co-op. Those are people who are well on their way to being successful! I now have 200 affiliates, for example. A small number compared to some, but enough for me to become successful! Most came in through the Co-op, yet I also continue to advertise manually.

The bottom line is if you want to be successful in ANY business, you will have to invest SOMETHING. And investing in SFI is one of the best and least expensive investments you can make.

If you cannot afford to invest anything at this moment, don’t worry! Just continue to advertise any way you can. When you have sufficient funds, you can make your investment….It’s not a race!

Work at your own pace, but overall, remember your dreams and your goals. Those are what you are striving for. And as long as you keep on working with SFI to reach those goals, and you DON’T GIVE UP, then you will reach those goals.

I learned that lesson when I quit. This time, though, I am determined to succeed and to KEEP working towards my goals and dreams. And I have to say I am extremely satisfied with where I’m at right now with SFI!

I started out JUST LIKE YOU did, and if I can make it here through determination, anyone can. If you want your dreams bad enough, you will get them.

REMEMBER!! The successful DID NOT get where they are by GIVING UP! They were determined enough to reach their goals…and that’s just what they did.

And so can YOU!

I wish you the best of luck in reaching your own personal goals!

What Others Are saying:
”I think SFI is an opportunity of a lifetime for anyone.”

Joseph M Kernats
WI, UNITED STATES

”One of the best things that I like about SFI is that I can spend as many hours as I want in my own home. This opportunity is not a get-rich quick scheme. It may take some time, but if you really want [your dream] bad enough, this is the way to go.”

Elizabeth Zimmerman
NY, UNITED STATES

”After only being with SFI for a short time, I am really impressed with the step-by-step training methods.”

David Lerchenfeld
MI, UNITED STATES
”It’s great to be involved with the professionals at SFI; they are there to help you succeed.”

Joseph Sousa
MA, UNITED STATES


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