This is going to be a topic of common sense that many of you are already aware of. But quite frankly, so many people lack common sense. What seems clear to one might be completely confusing to another.

Many of the terms we use in the English language are simply descriptions for the absence of something or the lack of something. These “terms” are ways to describe things that exist but are not tangible, yet, at times you can see them and feel them and at times these “terms”, if allowed to, can effect your thoughts. Now we all know that thoughts are energy and will eventually turn into action should the thought remain consistently.

Here’s an example: Darkness! It exists. You can see it and one might say that the darkness was so thick you could feel it. I think we would all agree that darkness can definitely effect ones thoughts and actions. I know full grown adults that still will not go out in the dark by themselves to take out the trash. It is something that generates that state if mind that we all know too well, it’s called fear. Darkness restricts movement, vision and ones ability to act normally. So what is darkness? Darkness is simply a term used to describe the absence of light. Light is the measurable factor here. Without it, there is darkness.

Another example: Debt! Debt definitely exists. You can see it in your life and we know that a significant amount of debt can effect ones thoughts and actions. In speaking with people about starting a home business, their main goal is to get out of debt. Debt instills fear in people. Fear of losing their home or not being able to make their bills. If it is bad debt, it restricts people in their ability to live a happy and fulfilled life. But what is debt? Debt is simply the absence of cash flow, or money! With money, debt doesn’t exist.

So here’s my point: A goal to get out of debt is a goal trying to get out of nothing. The real goal is to make money. So set that goal to the amount you desire. Getting out of debt is part of the process. Setting a goal to get out of debt is like saying, “Can you please take away the darkness?” We don’t say that! We just say, “Hey, can you turn on the lights?” The darkness goes away as part of the process.

You can’t take away the darkness without the proper actions and tools. You are required to get your butt up, walk to the switch, flip the switch on and have previously paid your electric bill. It works the same way with debt. Simply wanting to get out of debt won’t work. You’ve got to take the appropriate actions with the correct tools in order to fix your status of being in the “Absense of Money!”

If I can teach you anything, learn this one thing…debt is only the lack of money in your life. So instead of focusing on NOTHING (debt), focus on something. Focus on the things you want AFTER you have created the income that will, along the process, relieve you of the “absence of money.”

Are you truly fit for Entrepreneurship? I stumbled across an article while surfing through Entrepreneur.com, so they deserve the credit for these questions. The title of the post was “How to Start a Retail Business.” Ask yourself in an honest assessment if you are truly fit for Entrepreneurship. These questions are related to starting a retail business, but the same still applies.

1. Are you good at multitasking? In your own business, you have to be willing and able to do everything yourself. When you work for someone else, you are usually responsible for just one thing and have limited control. You are supported by others with expertise or experience in different roles and functions. In retail, every day can be a stretch, as you encounter customers, employees, vendors and landlords. You can’t say, “That’s not my job.” It’s all yours.
2. What is your risk tolerance? In a startup retail business, you worry about being in the right place at the right time with the right goods and services for the right people at the right price. Do you adjust quickly to unplanned events or prefer more predictable, organized projects? Do you see risk as a threat or an opportunity?
3. Do you count on a paycheck? New business owners can rarely count on a regular paycheck. Startups frequently require more capital than planned. Something’s bound to go wrong or change even though everything is penciled out in your plan. If you break out in a cold sweat if you aren’t paid on the same day every month, you may want to rethink going out on your own. Most of the money you make will go right back into inventory and other costs of doing business.
4. Are you a self-starter and comfortable being alone? Or do you draw your energy from being around others and count on colleagues for support and advice? In your own business, you must lead, knowing what to do and when to do it, and be fully accountable for everything that happens. The buck stops with you. Sometimes that’s a lonely place.
5. Do you value predictability or prize diversity? Not only are there laws against discrimination in hiring and business practices, but America is a multicultural society. When you open your store or service company, you will be interacting with a wide spectrum of customers, vendors, advisors and employees. Retailers need to be people-oriented, flexible and good-natured. Can you manage conflict, see things from others’ point of view, and cater to their taste, not yours?

I can tell you, as an entrepreneur myself, these are right on the money. So if you are someone who is thinking about starting a business, whether a home based business or brick and mortar, make a very honest assessment of yourself and your abilities. Desire can only take you so far before you actually have to start thinking and acting like an an entrepreneur.

How many of you have seen the commercial about “freecreditreport.com?” I guess the better question would be, “How many of you have not seen it?” It’s a service that allows you to check your credit report for free. Awesome right!? You get to see how behaved you have been in the alternate universe of credit and what your borrowing ability is.

So answer this one question: Is your credit report important to you?

Let me make it easier for you. What is credit used for? Come on…this is easy. The answer is simple. It’s to get into more debt! See! I told you it would be an easy answer. You strive to have good credit so that you can get that new car and get into more debt. It’s used to leverage what little cash flow you have coming in so that you can afford that new car or the nice home, right?

Credit is used by 90-95% of the worlds population to get into debt and it’s funny, the answer to this question varies depending on the way you use money. So is that really what you were thinking? Is that your final answer? Do you maintain a good credit score to get into more debt?

Very few people look at a credit score as opportunity. A tool for leverage. Frankly, most people have no interest in looking at their credit score because quite frankly, it’s not too pretty! It’s not something they use correctly so they don’t see the value in maintaining it. At the same time, some people absolutely stress out about having a good credit score out of fear of non-compliance to the credit system. Having bad credit means they’re slackers and can’t handle their money.

Some people have no need for a good credit report because they have enough cash flow. Others have bad credit that know it’s value but took a risk and lost.

My advice with credit….don’t let it consume or dictate your choices. Don’t become so uptight about maintaining a good credit score that you lose site of your ambition. Use it to leverage your financial situation. For a very small portion of the masses, credit isn’t used to get into more debt. That’s not the mindset behind it. It’s used as leverage to create an increase in cash flow instead of a lengthened payment plan.

The last time I checked, the definition of credit didn’t contain the word “Stretch” in it. Meaning, don’t use it to stretch a small paycheck, use it to make the paycheck larger the next time it comes in!

As many of you know I am a home based business entrepreneur and have been working from home for the last 5 years. Every once in a while I have people who want to know why I chose to get involved in a home business instead of doing some kind of brick and mortar business. The answer is simple, it’s all about lifestyle for me. I wanted so much more than just the bi-weekly pay check with two weeks of paid vacation. That’s a life of misery. I wanted financial freedom and the time freedom to enjoy it. I wanted to be at home, to be my own boss and set my own schedule. That’s why I choose to stay right where I am. It’s lucrative, it has given me lifestyle and I am my own boss. What more could you ask for?

So as you all know, a business requires marketing. I do several things for my marketing but my major source of lead generation is through my self-hosted WordPress blog. I share tips on mindset, personal development and business opportunity and by doing so, people naturally become interested in what I do. For me, it generates some of the highest quality leads one can get. If they like my content, chances are, they will enjoy my business as well. The perfect lead! Qualified with a common interest.

With my WordPress blog, I have certain plugins I use to promote my content and extend its capabilities. If you have any good ideas for new plugins, I’d sure like to try them out. They are as follow:

• Platinum SEO Pack – Prepares your blog for Search Engine Optimization
• All in one Adsense – Enables the all popular ad serving network of Google to place relevant ads on your site. I also use it to place a contact form directly following each of my blog posts.
• Twitter Tools – Connects your blog with your Twitter account and updates your Twitter account every time you publish a post.
• WPing.fm – This plugin makes ‘Twitter Tools’ and ‘Wordbook’ nearly worthless. It uses a service called Ping.fm to automatically send a status update every time a blog post is published with a link back to your post.
• WordPress Automatic Upgrade – This doesn’t necessarily assist in extending my blog but is a very convenient plugin. The name should be pretty self explanatory.
• Vipers Video Quicktags – This makes posting videos to your blog posts easy!
• Google XML Sitemaps – This will aid you in a few things. It helps you track the health of your blog by seeing how Google, Bing and Yahoo search bots view your site. It also gets your site indexed with the major search engines quickly.
• Add to Any -This is a social bookmarking plugin that allows your readers to quickly share your content on various social sites around the web.
• Stray Random Quotes – I love quotes and love to share them. This is a plugin that will easily allow you to add quotes to your blog in various locations. Have the quotes rotate, stay the same or change with each visit.
• Wordbook – Updates your facebook account with every published, edited or revised post and/or page.
• Yet Another Related Post Plugin – Enables your readers to get deeper into your archived posts. It shows posts with similar tags and topics below the post they are currently reading.

Feel free to look them up in the “plugins” section of your WordPress back office to see what they do. Each of them play a significant role in my marketing campaign.

Just as periods of time throughout history have been named for their accomplishments, such as the Ice Age and the Industrial Age. With the creation of the Internet and the ease of communication around the globe, today can honestly be considered the Information Age. Passing information from one person to the next or finding information on any conceivable subject is just a click of the button away. On top of the Encyclopedias, media, dictionaries and other sources of recorded facts and information, there are blogs full of the wisdom of millions of professionals in every different profession. It is literally impossible for someone with access to the internet to be ignorant, unless by choice.

All is good when it comes to learning right? But there is one principle that always stands true with everything: “To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.” Everything has it’s opposite. Good and Bad, Right and Wrong. With all this accurate information readily available, it is sometimes difficult to decipher what is legitimate and what is not. With all the good information available, there is the opposite…..bad information.

I know you have all heard the phrase: “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet!” I know! You are reading this on the internet! You are and have always been entitled to your own opinion, and so is everyone else. That’s why what you read on the internet is not always fact, or as accurate as it should be. Between the self proclaimed guru’s and professionals out there, confusion can set in. Look at the Network Marketing industry. You can find good and bad on just about any company large enough to be on the map. Who do you believe? Is the information you are reading right now correct and true? Can you trust David Allred? How do you know that I am not filling your head full of crap right now?

Guys, there is a way to gain clarity and to decipher what’s right! I have always operated on a core set of principles. These principles are based on religion, common sense and my personal education. These core values are impenetrable. They remain as the source of sorting through all the misinformation out there. What seems right to Joe may not be right for John and what’s right for me is not right for you.

Here’s a prime example that I am sure many of you can relate to. Do you remember the movie “The Secret?” It was a huge phenomena that many people connected with and many people disagreed with. The Law of attraction is a true principle to me regardless to other people’s opinions. The part that didn’t sit well with me, was the fact that the “Universe” is the energy behind the law of attraction. Being religious, I know that is GOD. So instead of completely disagreeing with the entire documentary, I took what I knew to be true according to my core values and used it to my advantage. I left the rest. My core values are the pattern that I compare everything to. When they don’t measure up, they don’t hold weight.

My advice is this….don’t be confused about who you are. You know! All you are searching for are ways to add to the person you already are. Establish your core values, get some education on how things work, and add to that. The things that measure up, keep…and the things that don’t, leave. In fact, I am in a business opportunity of media. Positive media and Personal Education is the way to gain clarity on what these core operating values are. It all starts with a DVD called “Know for Yourself” and moves into a higher level of learning that will teach principles of success, value and surety.

If you knew how to gain clarity on every bit of information you become exposed to….whether accurate or not, would that be something that would benefit you? It has been priceless for me.

I’ve compiled a few pictures here for a real quick survey. Look at the pictures below and tell me which view you would prefer while working.

Which workspace suits you best?

Workspace #1

Workspace View #2 – Supervisor of Workspace #1

Workspace View #3

Workspace #4 – Getting Better!

Workspace #5 – Very Nice!

Workspace #6 – Priceless! Working from Home!

So which of these work spaces looks the most appealing to you and which of these spaces are you somewhat currently in? Man, if everyone could just get this one concept: You have just as much of a choice to not work where you want as you do in working exactly where you want! So I chose work spaces #5 and #6 nearly 5 years ago. I used to work in something similar to work space #3. I think I definitely upgraded!

So you might ask the question: Is a home based business all it’s chalked up to be? The answer for me: YES! The answer for you: (Fill in the blank)!