tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37163317456721807772024-03-14T01:17:25.418-04:00Make This Job & Love ItGuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-64586588431648825572015-08-11T20:40:00.000-04:002015-08-11T17:57:20.074-04:00THE RAT RACE<!--[if !mso]>
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<![endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Getting Poor by Working Yourself to Death</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think that almost all of us
have at some time or another felt trapped. In a situation. In
a relationship. In an emotion. It's got a hold on us and we can't
seem to break free of it. There's been plenty said about being in
"The Rat Race." But somehow it never quite gets defined or
understood completely. We're going to try to do that here-- because some
people are caught in the Rat Race, even joke about being in it, and yet do not
really understand what it is and what it is doing to them and their family's
lives.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Getting Nowhere Fast</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So.. are you feeling just a little bit
like a guy, caught inside of a wheel, going around and around and never getting
anywhere? Never finding any solution to your problem.
Never finding any peace and contentment and real satisfaction in your life's
journey. I find that I have a degree of compassion for those who
are experiencing this feeling, because I've been in the middle of it. But
my compassion wanes when people like this will act as if they are happy in a
situation that they continually complain about all of the time.</span></div>
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</span>Why must we make matters worse than they already are by denying their
existence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People talking about “working
for the weekend,” and then when the weekend comes, they talk about “having to
go back to work on Monday.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose
some actual enjoyment takes place on weekends for some, but it seems as if everyone
is just always complaining about the status quo, but not knowing any way out of
it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwC-BwGbrAGNtgCWpZJoL8VM8eEBQ7C37vP35EL5aqgxA4uPqPZeXfFIOLuQHAP3SiZiUlI-I2SsUhL1sW-SL7Es7r1NjPVEuhTwGYOzVq2wz1e_pwyilnRqY98rhQbKZqmdF8MlOUcQ97/s1600/matterofheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwC-BwGbrAGNtgCWpZJoL8VM8eEBQ7C37vP35EL5aqgxA4uPqPZeXfFIOLuQHAP3SiZiUlI-I2SsUhL1sW-SL7Es7r1NjPVEuhTwGYOzVq2wz1e_pwyilnRqY98rhQbKZqmdF8MlOUcQ97/s200/matterofheart.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <b>
</b></span><b>I believe that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most people simply do not believe in
themselves and their ability to do anything different or unique in their
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their imaginations are not
charged to be able to think beyond the box in which they find themselves
confined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if they have a dream,
they do not have a capacity to plan a particular time or situation in which
they will execute an escape into freedom.</span></div>
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</span>You might say, “Well, this is just the way that it is,” or “Someone has
to do it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actor Will Smith once
remarked that “Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to
mediocrity.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love this quote because
it symbolizes where MOST people are in their lives : on a one-way road to
nowhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this scenario, there are no
exits nor scenic routes along the way, only an asphalt highway that leads to
misery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Quality of life is not necessarily about money. It's not about possessions. It's not even ultimately about friends or family. It's about choices and freedom. You want the power in your life to be able to decide for yourself what it is you wish and want to do. And then also have the power or ability to go do it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTB6PSTkJgX81Cj3XPRXkBJX0vkm_M13xTWVgQ0dzYq_1mDSXEMAbg44sLyHzwOY4qAfU4ESMWsy43ImsIqJXqKmnJk78WE7u0EcMJpDdyBIor8JYSkSidm3VNxMig0lif_xt0XV4qBGe/s1600/Freedom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTB6PSTkJgX81Cj3XPRXkBJX0vkm_M13xTWVgQ0dzYq_1mDSXEMAbg44sLyHzwOY4qAfU4ESMWsy43ImsIqJXqKmnJk78WE7u0EcMJpDdyBIor8JYSkSidm3VNxMig0lif_xt0XV4qBGe/s200/Freedom.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Freedom to Choose</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> One of my favorite quotes of all
time was made by philosopher Henry David Thoreau, who said, “Go confidently in
the direction of your dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Live the
life you have imagined.”</span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But what can be accomplished if one
does not have or exercise an imagination?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What becomes of individual effort and progress if someone is complacent
in their ordinary, commonplace existence?</span>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Take a few moments of your time to take a long, deep breath, and then quiet yourself long enough to rethink your life's situation. Are you in the place that you want to be? Are you trying to trade the quality of 2/3 or 3/4 of your life in exchange for a few years of satisfaction? Most people are in that Rat Race. Most of those people don't want to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> If you're one of those people, don't put off making a decision that you want a better existence-- no, Life-- for yourself. Decide that you don't want to leave your life's destiny up to chance. You want to make a decision TODAY to begin to live life's ultimate purpose for yourself. What is that purpose? That's really up to you (and God) to work out. But as of today, stop letting another person or situation in your life make those decisions for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The famous leader and politician
William Jennings Bryan said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter
of choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a thing to be
waited for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a thing to be
achieved.” </span></div>
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GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-87235521240972692282015-06-12T13:19:00.001-04:002015-06-12T13:20:16.953-04:00Minimum Age-- Maximum Wage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnePg0hJWgjDrRBEFRs7iMK8uPmC_iptxXEkijzOpeMs-bL73K_CosF4eCvN5oVwTgTdVUJ68hKNtBvY1QtmND1dzZGFajy5O76cgsgrdf6DguuqdItXVYFFAotL6KShP8vp91YrBRTCZg/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnePg0hJWgjDrRBEFRs7iMK8uPmC_iptxXEkijzOpeMs-bL73K_CosF4eCvN5oVwTgTdVUJ68hKNtBvY1QtmND1dzZGFajy5O76cgsgrdf6DguuqdItXVYFFAotL6KShP8vp91YrBRTCZg/s200/download.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I heard a report on TV this morning that 21% of all teenagers now are doing some type of an entrepreneurial business or activity, rather than applying for and working at a normal job. I was encouraged by this news. Although 1/5 is not a majority, it is a growing trend. Most teens settle for minimum wage jobs because their parents and grandparents did the same thing when they were that age. But there are those who are breaking out of the mold, and venturing out. Those young people, in my opinion, will have an obvious advantage when entering into any future workplace or career.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQRtGOEVcdkeMgaxWrUfHIIY-37O_ha9XTNn35FtUNrdlp4vL7yIXTFKz4AFGvpw0WJbd-jHTShyphenhyphensVcTmkkX0uZJEsMkMUNzcFNbdHZXJ10-r0GopFKEnytgw_bh5UN3MIXxKI9M7lPub/s1600/Jacks-Lemonade-Stand1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQRtGOEVcdkeMgaxWrUfHIIY-37O_ha9XTNn35FtUNrdlp4vL7yIXTFKz4AFGvpw0WJbd-jHTShyphenhyphensVcTmkkX0uZJEsMkMUNzcFNbdHZXJ10-r0GopFKEnytgw_bh5UN3MIXxKI9M7lPub/s200/Jacks-Lemonade-Stand1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lemonade Stand</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9AqRpsSi4gqhPIoy6m0WmY1k3gwYreSnYbO4clKYuh0UBVGbaonVGSs8Tw9rVakFdHXrgNmuTnut4BXCtOQJZ7kELcAY_YPigpojpLA0oFiR4PDjgX0yar-5dogwc_lLN4OB2l776Juf/s1600/mowing+yards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9AqRpsSi4gqhPIoy6m0WmY1k3gwYreSnYbO4clKYuh0UBVGbaonVGSs8Tw9rVakFdHXrgNmuTnut4BXCtOQJZ7kELcAY_YPigpojpLA0oFiR4PDjgX0yar-5dogwc_lLN4OB2l776Juf/s200/mowing+yards.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mowing Yards</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Whether it's a lemonade stand, mowing yards, or working a commission job, it's a good thing for a teenager to do something that is "their own thing" rather than working for someone else. They soon realize that the MORE they do, the MORE they make. Such is not true for a typical minimum wage job. Teens often work crazy hours, give up much of their free time, and settle for a meager paycheck. A few years later, this often translates into working two or three jobs, when the responsibilities of an apartment or family come into the picture. It can lead to a better job or career, but oftentimes fosters a rut of working paycheck to paycheck, and never achieving freedom or fulfillment.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGa4ftu07ANLfqocj1cE5aM9weYUNOlDdG8xfwZRCbRrjy5tt4UGQlMjN4WVd4nfI1jL-9hvFds1tDtt_aCZ4HskEOdaXVXNtOPlCF6zM4eCiouzkGjj0Hs1l4wrOjWqS0f1oLVaodSyv/s1600/kid+counting+money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGa4ftu07ANLfqocj1cE5aM9weYUNOlDdG8xfwZRCbRrjy5tt4UGQlMjN4WVd4nfI1jL-9hvFds1tDtt_aCZ4HskEOdaXVXNtOPlCF6zM4eCiouzkGjj0Hs1l4wrOjWqS0f1oLVaodSyv/s200/kid+counting+money.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> The experience of planning and executing a business brings a new sense of identity and accomplishment. The thrill of doing something that actually produces your own income causes young people to begin to exercise their minds and hearts toward fulfilling lives. Some even venture out on a summer internship that may involve travel and greater adventures and excitement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> I personally applaud these "kids" who, with parents' and friends' encouragement, venture out to START SOMETHING of their own. May we all give them support in every way that we possibly can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-33294817394049289202014-10-01T12:47:00.002-04:002014-10-01T12:52:29.796-04:00GUEST BLOGGER :: CHERRATHEE HAGER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-15980109554913398912014-08-21T16:05:00.001-04:002014-08-21T16:05:58.786-04:00Realistic Mediocrity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJD3HuK1HX2h_9c7lURoHzdA3ZvsJjc8KC3OAB7KYvhEgQGvB0phyphenhyphena8K9XREzxBh18vhDE03IibJw4DzF8ZuEmAYCfOetJ9Dv3O-iQZMi8MuKnGU0r3Laie6FQyeiyo_5lqmpHcgriPo/s1600/will_smith.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJD3HuK1HX2h_9c7lURoHzdA3ZvsJjc8KC3OAB7KYvhEgQGvB0phyphenhyphena8K9XREzxBh18vhDE03IibJw4DzF8ZuEmAYCfOetJ9Dv3O-iQZMi8MuKnGU0r3Laie6FQyeiyo_5lqmpHcgriPo/s1600/will_smith.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Being realistic is the most commonly</span></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>--actor Will Smith</i></span> </span></span></b></div>
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GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-37112390874206300222014-08-19T17:42:00.002-04:002016-02-23T11:03:07.255-05:00Don't Short-Change Yourself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5yMRJAPi0w9tzthhQevVz9hmDAt2PeRhByJ1O6e1KH3S-gTOzncS5TPG1ksdJXmXuLU7OvH5uLJFsD2rTCX1kcLEf4Uo93gsHdiRm-JwGvt-o7EVEqKQ-4pqivAJ_7qs0c99NEAY1_rB/s1600/change.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5yMRJAPi0w9tzthhQevVz9hmDAt2PeRhByJ1O6e1KH3S-gTOzncS5TPG1ksdJXmXuLU7OvH5uLJFsD2rTCX1kcLEf4Uo93gsHdiRm-JwGvt-o7EVEqKQ-4pqivAJ_7qs0c99NEAY1_rB/s1600/change.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Potential" is a word that I've heard a lot in my life. Its definition is "having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future". Potential can be a very good thing, but it can also be destructive and harmful if left latent for long periods of time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> The word "potential" comes from the same root that the word "potent" comes. "Potent" means "having great power, authority, or influence." If you have potential, that capacity needs to be catapulted into something real. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> I know a lot of people that don't seem to have any talents or abilities whatsoever. I've learned though that many times, people's skills are suppressed by people and situations in their life, to a point where they no longer believe in themselves or in what they can accomplish. They begin to stop caring, become lackadaisical about everything, and often recoil into a commonplace existence.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPy88MExLT3pZmeLmOaVW18K7imDPks3iWFAaL7aqi0Ml7Vlqq4E60cE5KPDdf2pXQw9sU0cEAgBurYhfdYG8j7mxxJz9kCllFRuByIELvLUDuMkC4EqiTOyRhhf95jKG660urX3bEADS/s1600/flimflamcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPy88MExLT3pZmeLmOaVW18K7imDPks3iWFAaL7aqi0Ml7Vlqq4E60cE5KPDdf2pXQw9sU0cEAgBurYhfdYG8j7mxxJz9kCllFRuByIELvLUDuMkC4EqiTOyRhhf95jKG660urX3bEADS/s1600/flimflamcover.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b>George C. Scott in the "Flim Flam Man"</b></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="ssens"> "Shortchange" means "to deprive of or give less than something due; cheat". We usually think of shortchanging as a sort of "flim-flam", when someone else tricks us into taking less than they owe us. Actors George C. Scott ("The Flim Flam Man") and Steve Martin ("Leap of Faith") gave depictions of these types in their film roles. But sometimes people actually short-change themselves. </span>They begin stop trying to achieve anything in their lives. They fall way short of their potential or destiny. They start expecting and accepting less. It appears they might be happy, but deep within, they know there is something better for themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> We all come to a crossroads at different times in our lives. All of our stories are unique. Our paths and timetables are each set on an individual basis. But we all share the same inner desire to find the right course and pursue it. If we allow ourselves to want anything less, we are cheating ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Stop a moment along life's highway and reevaluate your course. Are you following the path that brings you joy and fulfillment, or are you somehow stuck in a path that's not of your choosing? Actually, you did choose it, but you did so out of compulsion or necessity, and not out of a yearning and longing. Each of us needs to eventually find that right course where we know we belong, and follow it with all of our heart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Don't short-change yourself. It's bad enough when another person succeeds in robbing you of what you are due. Don't ever let yourself do it. You owe yourself more. Check your "pockets." Do you have all that life owes you. Or have you settled for less ? If so, take some time to think about what you need to do to pursue your life's dreams and goals. And then take your "potential" and mold it into something powerful in your life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-32340104807583928182014-07-11T16:14:00.001-04:002014-08-19T17:10:28.271-04:00Choices and Freedom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJf8b5rfU_r-7sm3b5UbbxBg_L5AbDSyT7U8_ugusqOdM52xeoSFZqJAI0dhtFp8IZAwSFazIvzfM-9U15_9qBBqVwUAn9f7YXRbqW5UEDI2LJhOsmCJ9Kq-LMLOXQfsDP5MQ67x-yGE41/s1600/freedom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJf8b5rfU_r-7sm3b5UbbxBg_L5AbDSyT7U8_ugusqOdM52xeoSFZqJAI0dhtFp8IZAwSFazIvzfM-9U15_9qBBqVwUAn9f7YXRbqW5UEDI2LJhOsmCJ9Kq-LMLOXQfsDP5MQ67x-yGE41/s1600/freedom1.jpg" height="235" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I went on <a href="http://bobtrip.blogspot.com/2014/07/hiking-at-salem-lake.html">a hiking trip</a> today with a group that I had joined just a short few months ago. I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. I enjoy <a href="http://www.scout.me/hiking--near--salisbury-nc">walking or hiking</a>, and love the scenic view of a natural park. About a dozen of us walked around a 365-acre lake today, enjoying the company and the scenery. It was a lovely experience... one that I hope to enjoy again soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Okay, so "what's the point?", you say. This is a Business website, isn't it? I mean, at least it's supposed to be. It's a place where you can come and learn more about becoming and being an entrepreneur and finding new avenues for a fulfilling career and life. So... "why are you talking about hiking on your business site?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Because... part of planning and living your dreams is to actually begin to <i><u>enjoy the things that you enjoy</u></i>. That may sound redundant to you, but it's not at all. Well, of course <b><i>you enjoy the things that you enjoy. </i></b>Yeah, but the real question is <i>NOT <u>if</u> </i>or <i><u>whether</u></i> you enjoy certain things, but <b><i><u>how often</u></i></b> do you really have the chance or opportunity to enjoy them?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-dolJIfEusDtQvn0kgCpKW7lWyEJab7vjXLAxWxEfT6Qr_EjrG802rXH-rhBu_cM6JzvH2xxehZj6BbvXPf9QJhhWyZ9mfZICfvqM_NjYqa2oAj5JbirwdyYTvtMq6W4NflGPJhdGA6F/s1600/a+sweating+man.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-dolJIfEusDtQvn0kgCpKW7lWyEJab7vjXLAxWxEfT6Qr_EjrG802rXH-rhBu_cM6JzvH2xxehZj6BbvXPf9QJhhWyZ9mfZICfvqM_NjYqa2oAj5JbirwdyYTvtMq6W4NflGPJhdGA6F/s1600/a+sweating+man.png" height="132" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Part of the drudgery of life sometimes is always doing things the way you've always done them, and never ever becoming able to make the changes that you need to that will make things any different than they've always been. Wow- that statement I just made feels really monotonous just typing it or saying it. Much less-- actually living it<i>!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> The trouble is, so many times we resign ourselves to relinquishing control of our lives over to someone else, or groups of people. Oftentimes we do not even realize that we are doing it, until we've been doing it for such a long period of time. Have you ever <b><i>REALLY</i></b> believed that you could live the way you <b><i>REALLY </i></b>want to live it? I mean-- <i><b>REALLY</b>! </i>Not just talking x's and o's here.. but smack dab down on the field of life, in your everyday life? If not, then there might just be a problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Like I've said before (see the rest of this website), if you want to work for another boss, or another man, or another-- whatever-- then that's <i><u>fine</u></i>. But the <b>KEY </b>word here is "want". Is it <b><i>REALLY </i></b>what you want? Or are you just settling for something less than you <i><b>REALLY</b></i> want or that you've always wanted.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEw2YNUzvngVjjGNS62AEL3v2LK3KXG30-rNcQQd_SkOz6YPpbbadrzrjOEVtdAUbcYC5GtoqmRrdteYzr1Kx1UbAnIWufBqMhyB7ZXyqL7H-a_7Cb66nZkEmPyYzrQeISHKTYsM0xMWM/s1600/work.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEw2YNUzvngVjjGNS62AEL3v2LK3KXG30-rNcQQd_SkOz6YPpbbadrzrjOEVtdAUbcYC5GtoqmRrdteYzr1Kx1UbAnIWufBqMhyB7ZXyqL7H-a_7Cb66nZkEmPyYzrQeISHKTYsM0xMWM/s1600/work.png" height="320" width="298" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> You may be noticing the use (or over-use) of the word "<b><i>REALLY</i></b>" here. It's quite intentional. Why? Because lots of times, we are not <b><i>REAL </i></b>with ourselves. We are dishonest and fool ourselves into thinking that somehow, everything is the way that it should be, or if not, then at least everything will eventually work out the way that we want it to be. The trouble is, the only thing that usually changes when we think this way is time. Yeah, time. In other words, we eventually take a look back and see that over the past 10, 20, 30, 40 (fill-in-the-blank) years, we've maintained the SAME exact attitude about our lives, and nothing else has ever <b><i>REALLY </i></b>changed, except... the date (and our ages)<i>!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><i> </i> There is no doubt that the worst thing that can be taken away from a man is not a house, not a car, not any other prized possession. It is his choice or his freedom. Or we could say: his <b><i>freedom to choose. </i></b>May God have mercy on those souls whose freedom has been taken away from them, not from their own neglect or folly, but totally without any fault of their own. There are countries where governments have subjected their citizens to such a life of misery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> It is a fact that no matter where you find yourself in life, no matter what choices you've made in the past, no matter how difficult or impossible that you feel your situation to be, the <b>one thing </b>(and the most important thing) that you still have available to you is your ability <b><i>to choose.</i></b> You can choose to make today different than yesterday. You can choose to take a different direction than you've taken in the past. You can choose to stop following a path that will only lead you down a spiral to misery.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VKw0TQhTNMtL71XactPU7KEyl1S6hR4Yz4bCgYTUmj-UHX8i6DNUTZiY4JryR5MD8ovoISx0i09iFqZONCuvlgLdftJQgifeGKJRGHwakZiveO6I_99y3w2SZn3lLDxutFmU0g7GNZQp/s1600/Screwtop_spiral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VKw0TQhTNMtL71XactPU7KEyl1S6hR4Yz4bCgYTUmj-UHX8i6DNUTZiY4JryR5MD8ovoISx0i09iFqZONCuvlgLdftJQgifeGKJRGHwakZiveO6I_99y3w2SZn3lLDxutFmU0g7GNZQp/s1600/Screwtop_spiral.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Most people are in that spiral, and not only don't realize they have a choice, but many times don't even realize that they made the choice to be in that situation. There are many excuses : "I don't have an education." "I'm not smart enough." "I've always done this and guess I always will." "I don't know where to start." "I don't feel comfortable making changes." The excuses will always be there. There's always one available. But do you choose an excuse, or choose an escape?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Ten years ago, I probably couldn't have gone on a scenic hike on a Friday morning. But it's not about the hike, or a concert, or a beach trip... or even about the money, or the cash flow.. it's all about <i>your freedom.. </i>to be <i>able to choose. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Don't kid yourself. If you think that working for forty years to get to retirement will help you enjoy life more, you're fooling yourself. Especially if you're not really enjoying those forty years of your life that it takes to get you to that point. It makes no sense at all to devote yourself to something for that long a period of time, sacrificing many enjoyments of life (family, friends, travel, etc.), so that you can get to a place where you can perhaps enjoy those things for a few short years. First of all, there's no guarantee that you will even make it there, or once there, live that long to enjoy it. Second of all, there's a great chance that the pressures and stress of everyday life will wear on you to such an extent over your lifetime that, by the time you get to retirement age, you may not have the energy or health to really enjoy what you've worked so hard and long to obtain.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuCCZTCQI31gq4Qq5mxpOlV8T16gEY93pIB7ksyknezTElWqeigobOp2_deCuO7by7T99OPjKeTn03iOOwXdbAaq8_3jZKlmoE8NT3cZ0PN5NByQHxYDLPxMmJTL58qjkYH0N-owvpR0u/s1600/choices-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuCCZTCQI31gq4Qq5mxpOlV8T16gEY93pIB7ksyknezTElWqeigobOp2_deCuO7by7T99OPjKeTn03iOOwXdbAaq8_3jZKlmoE8NT3cZ0PN5NByQHxYDLPxMmJTL58qjkYH0N-owvpR0u/s1600/choices-sign.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Think about it. No matter where you are in life, no matter your age, or your situation, you still have a <b>choice</b>. You still have the freedom to make choices. You have the freedom to make changes. Don't sell yourself short in believing otherwise. This little essay today is not about specifics or details. I'm not about to tell you -<i>what it is</i>- that you should do, or what you should think. But one detail is important- don't stand still and make no choice or decision. Because not to choose... is to choose. But the lack of making a decision can never be a good choice. So give your life some thought. If you're not really where you want to be, you can pull off the exit ramp, and get on a different road, one that will take you in a new and exciting direction.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-32586558965644414392014-06-13T12:26:00.002-04:002014-06-13T12:31:32.520-04:00My Business Logos<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> <b>MY BUSINESS LOGOS</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> One of the assignments in an Internet class that I'm taking is to take another look at my business materials, including my logos. I'm posting my logos here for my instructor and classmates to view, and also for me to see all of them together in one place. I'm going to listen to feedback, and see if I can discern any new ideas for making them better and more applicable. They are supposed to send a message to everyone who views them about my business and what I'm seeking to do. It should clearly show and promote my goals and purpose.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRH2d0zPJuD_Upsb0b2SCL6vxWdA1ujhY3NQN80MQowYg3sNcEX756o3VYBIb_oUi2ZBs8igsAHaVpmcHE3WRTqrXG89ByhP7UA9PH7r5dD4Q3JLau5TdTLgrhAMG0n7b1r-wW_wAEUf1_/s1600/new+BOB+PAGE+logo+may-14c.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRH2d0zPJuD_Upsb0b2SCL6vxWdA1ujhY3NQN80MQowYg3sNcEX756o3VYBIb_oUi2ZBs8igsAHaVpmcHE3WRTqrXG89ByhP7UA9PH7r5dD4Q3JLau5TdTLgrhAMG0n7b1r-wW_wAEUf1_/s1600/new+BOB+PAGE+logo+may-14c.png" height="220" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I just look for something unique and different when I'm thinking about a logo or banner. This idea for <b>"The Bob Page"</b> logo came to me just out of the uniqueness of my name, it is a Palindrome, meaning it's the same forwards and backwards, and there's the "O" in the middle of my name, with two identical "B's" on each side. I thought it would be clever to use the "O" as a picture frame for my image. The ultimate would be to have a slide show of pics, revolving from one to another, inside of the "O" frame. I believe that I'm aware how to do that, only haven't had the time to explore it yet. I'm not even sure it would work in Blogger. =)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The idea of <b>"GuiTarHeel"</b> probably came about because I am a UNC Tar Heel basketball fan. Of course, although <i>"Tar Heel"</i> is a university and sports moniker, it is also the official nickname for our state : the Tar Heel state. Not that the basketball connection actually directly caused the name or logo, but because of the relation between "gui-tar" and "tar-heel". They shared a common word or syllable between them, so I chose to capitalize on that by combining them into a new word : "<i>gui-tar-heel</i>." I like it, and it's also become an online login name and identity for me at various sites, including my own blog. I believe it's distinct, unique, and different from most business names that I've seen used in the past. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I also think that the name clearly and cleverly states what I do, and also where I do it. </span>Using the NC map as a background also enhances the look and builds upon the theme.</span></div>
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"<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>NovelTees"</b> is a name that I came up with about 5-10 years ago whenever I started this online tee shirt at Zazzle. I wanted a word that ended in "ty" or "ties" so that I could change the spelling and make it applicable to selling tee shirts. "Novelty" is defined as "the quality of being new, original, or unusual." This was exactly what I was shooting for, both in a business, my products, and a name. The whole business idea came about through casual conversations while just hanging out with some close friends. We would always humor one another by saying clever things or making puns. One day, one of them said, "That would really be good on a tee shirt." A bell sorta went off in my head. The idea germinated inside my head for awhile, lying dormant until that same friend gave me the encouragement to start the actual process of designing and selling the shirts. The logo itself is fairly simplistic. I wish that I had a better concept or idea; perhaps a better one will come along at some point. But for now, this logo incorporates an upside-down tee shirt, implying something a little different or unique. It may not make any real sense, except it's meant to project a thought of uniqueness or difference. Many of me tee shirt slogans are off-the-wall humor. [for example, a picture of Rodin's "The Thinker", (which is a nude guy) with the caption "I wonder where I left my underwear".. or a pic of a little boy peeing, with the caption "I stayed up all night studying for my urine test".. there are many, many more examples.. go check out my site to see them all<i>!</i>] So-- the overall theme of a lot of my shirts also coincides with the concept of being unique or different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> <b>"Night Light"</b> began in the 1980's when a "friend-of-a-friend" was just starting to venture out to make a career out of a hobby of playing guitar and performing original songs. This singer/songwriter had been working as a maintenance man on a golf course, and as he rode around on a riding mower, he would hum tunes in his head and come up with songs. He was also teaching guitar lessons to local students. Somehow, I got involved in helping him promote and develop his performing career. We started out playing at local churches and events, then I booked him at some regional festivals and colleges. In the mid-80's, we took off on a two-week tour through the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. I also booked a short trip to Tennessee and Kentucky. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">[In the late 80's, he formed a 4-5 piece band, and was able to make connections with a festival promoter in Myrtle Beach, who booked him and his band as the festival warmup band, playing on stage with some nationally known artists and performers. He has since worked with international Christian ministries such as YWAM (Youth With a Mission), Last Days, and now develops guitar and music teaching materials for Hal Leonard Publishing and has a monthly column in Worship Musician Magazine.]</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> During this time period, I added a few other artists (booking as many as a dozen artists) in various fields, such as bluegrass, gospel, jazz, and speakers/comedians. I continued doing booking and promotion into the early 90's. Sometime in the mid-90's, I let it go for some reason, and it has been dormant for the last 20 years. I am now beginning to plan to revitalize this musical venture again, and hope to develop a website to implement concert booking and promotion services.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> The name <b>"Night Light"</b> just came to me, but later I discovered that it probably came from a Scripture (Bible) passage in <i>2 Corinthians 4:6 : </i></span><i>"</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ."</i> My ultimate logo will also have a skyline as a background, and may change in other minor ways, but will always have <b>the "light bulb"</b> as the major theme or icon. Here's another version of the logo.. I don't particularly like this skyline, I'd like a more realistic and bold one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">THANKS FOR LOOKING AT MY LOGOS. PLEASE SEND ME OR LET ME KNOW YOUR COMMENTS <i>& </i>OPINIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS <i>& </i>IDEAS FOR IMPROVING IT. =)</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ImLhKr0lwx6H1LVcVkpXbxHkctGLW70oNCu9knfrWUgkR9iAUs91sQ9a6D85Q-KsMIASKGFyALM28pzkP4cQs8d_bq7uxdPRWgn4_dcst6Qw8jGxKRt-lQ_qACE___QB0RzoSPVj0lt0/s1600/noveltees+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-33788519850769533262014-04-23T18:09:00.004-04:002015-08-11T16:51:30.029-04:00You Never Stop Learning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Someone tells me, "You're a lifelong student." My retort to that is : "Shouldn't we all be?" If you ever stop learning, I think that it signifies one of two things : (a) either you think you've learned it all, and are therefore superior to anyone else's intelligence or wisdom; or (b) you have lost the interest, will, or desire to learn. I'm not sure which of these is the worst; both are probably equally horrible traits and fate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I have set about to learn and educate myself on as much information as possible concerning a very broad subject : the Internet. In specific, I'm seeking to gain wisdom and expertise at understanding how to effectively use the Internet to promote and market one's self and business enterprises. It's a vast undertaking. There are so many areas to grasp and understand : website development, domains and URL names, Search Engines, social media, effective writing, promotional tools, etc. The list goes on and on and on.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0C2swil0TyDV9AEYx7CFbNAKiCsDDMRvRT32PZ8fqezS8b0Zk9ihvZ5Kx7GsiiywcawAkZe1aKvBOWQVvcfuglje8VBxOvbNVAOZFUB4QE72XOsz8k04mUSngMyCwF66OKRE2Cyq7x9a-/s1600/gale-courses.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0C2swil0TyDV9AEYx7CFbNAKiCsDDMRvRT32PZ8fqezS8b0Zk9ihvZ5Kx7GsiiywcawAkZe1aKvBOWQVvcfuglje8VBxOvbNVAOZFUB4QE72XOsz8k04mUSngMyCwF66OKRE2Cyq7x9a-/s1600/gale-courses.gif" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I've discovered some books and online sites that have been helpful to me, and I intend on sharing these at some point in the near future. However, I will tell you about something that has been extremely valuable, and that is a new tool that is being offered through my local public library. That is the wonderful educational site called <a href="http://ed2go.com/"><b><i>GALE COURSES</i></b></a> (formerly Learn-4-Life). It is available through my library at no charge. That's right- FREE<i>! Over 300 courses </i>in many, many different fields or interests are available. <i> </i>I have finished one course, and am taking three more presently, all revolving around the Internet. I am also recommending this to other friends and associates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I have taken the following : </span><br />
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<li><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET </span></b></li>
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<li><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN BUSINESS</span></b></li>
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<li><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">ACHIEVING TOP SEARCH ENGINE POSITIONS</span></b> </li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET WRITING MARKETS</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>WRITE <i>&</i> SELL YOUR E-BOOK</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>WRITING <i>& </i>SELLING SELF-HELP BOOKS</b></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO GETTING PUBLISHED</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>THE CRAFT OF MAGAZINE WRITING</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR WRITING </b></span> </li>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I previously studied "<i>Blogging and Podcasting</i>". All of these courses are expanding my knowledge base. With each new concept or piece of information that I grasp, a whole new world of understanding opens up, and slowly but surely, I am going to be able to piece together a unified, sensible approach to building and growing an Internet business model.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtICumlcgCn79TwFyW_0DMKGZZXynUJzTz1HTjWsjBotmJYNVQgFD6S_e5qq4EfC0BwYQScfIjxN_kQkr8lSeSPs7OBitNwcvNEEghO_uDiY_K41mP7iG1IR5juWp_HuCjiEw-1H3pVps/s1600/effective-internet-marketing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtICumlcgCn79TwFyW_0DMKGZZXynUJzTz1HTjWsjBotmJYNVQgFD6S_e5qq4EfC0BwYQScfIjxN_kQkr8lSeSPs7OBitNwcvNEEghO_uDiY_K41mP7iG1IR5juWp_HuCjiEw-1H3pVps/s1600/effective-internet-marketing.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> As you can tell, I'm somewhat excited about this. The free courses that I'm taking are not the only means for my learning. I've also been reading some books, watching some videos, listening or viewing some online webinars, etc. All of it is helping me develop a solid foundation for moving ahead with various online projects.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> You should check out <a href="http://www.ed2go.com/"><i><b>GALE COURSES</b></i></a> online. See if there is an organization in your area, perhaps a business or college, which is offering their courses. They are invaluable and would be well worth the investment to pay for these courses; however, if you are fortunate, you will find a group that is a sponsor and is offering them at no cost to the community.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Click on the Links ABOVE or BELOW to check out More Info :</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://solutions.cengage.com/GaleCourses/"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Gale Courses</span></b></a></span><br />
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GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-6489765802761550652014-02-19T15:57:00.002-05:002016-02-23T11:59:37.784-05:00My Story -- (and I'm Sticking to It)<span style="background-color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><u><b>My Own Story</b></u></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> My own story is a history of twists and turns, detours and roundabouts. I wish that somehow I could've had the wisdom or discernment about careers or business that I am starting to develop now, back then in my teens and 20's. It seems that my dreams and goals didn't really start blooming until I was nearly 40. I'm grateful for all I learned previously, and certainly not regretful of my past, however ho-hum it might've seemed in retrospect. I became like many people : lacking any kind of motivation or concept of a better life, I settled into a lifestyle of mediocrity, accepting whatever was dealt to me as my destiny's lot, and not questioning my pay scale or my lackadaisical attitude about my jobs or work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: blue;"></span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><u><b>Following in the Footsteps</b></u> </span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Let
me tell you about my father's background, and perhaps this will help
you understand my background and development. My father worked in the
retail sales environment for 45 years. He was the youngest store
manager in his company's entire chain at 21 years old. He typically won
all of the chain's sales contests, beating store managers that were 25
or more years older than himself. Before he was 30, he left the
department chain to go to work for a small town men's specialty store as
Assistant Manager. Within two years, he was Manager of the store, and
remained in that position, for two different periods, from the late 50's
until 1971, and from 1972 until the mid 90's, when he retired. In the
intermittent year (1971-72), we moved about 200 miles to my aunt and
uncle's hometown, where my dad had heard of a job opening at the same
chain that he left back in his early days. He accepted and worked a
position of Assistant Manager, until it was apparent to him that his
main job was to help train the manager's nephew, and it was proposed to
him to take a Store Manager's job in Oklahoma. For some reason, moving
that far away did not appeal to him or to my mother. So we moved back,
and he took the same job that he had before. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> I
need not go any farther for you to see that my dad was very
knowledgable and capable at retail management. In fact, a college
professor gave my father a copy of his Business book, autographed with
the words, "To Bob, who could write his own book about business management." I
always wished that my dad would've done just that. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He
knew and read people very well, and loved interacting with them. He
had the "gift of gab" and loved selling and being able to please his
customers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><u><b>Early Years</b></u></span> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4vD331EEsw4Jho8FdM3v8hyQ-teHLA-vR5dwn67OQemCf2Uy3XRF02mZ9kriXEuz98QzwMIc7R_U8bRTI1zNYGTrXCJDbG253qecAyg1crInSCu3mZr9E2M82pbPKQ8UKiouKi2ljDXw/s1600/graduation_cap_and_diploma.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4vD331EEsw4Jho8FdM3v8hyQ-teHLA-vR5dwn67OQemCf2Uy3XRF02mZ9kriXEuz98QzwMIc7R_U8bRTI1zNYGTrXCJDbG253qecAyg1crInSCu3mZr9E2M82pbPKQ8UKiouKi2ljDXw/s1600/graduation_cap_and_diploma.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> It was in this environment that at about 21, I started out in the work world by working for my dad. I worked off and on for several years. My
dad helped me get a job with the same chain that he started with, and
worked there for a couple of years. While working these jobs, a friend
of mine got me interested in computers, and I began taking a few courses at the local community college, which eventually led into an associate's and then a bachelor's degree. I felt newly energized, putting all of my time and energy into learning and developing a new career path in technology. While in school, I managed to secure several jobs in the field, working as a computer operator at one organization, and then as a computer help desk operator. As I was finishing school and after graduation, I worked as an assistant to a Network Administrator, and as a Computer Tech at my college.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> In about 2000, after the last company I had worked for closed down the local office, I found it more difficult to find a job in this field, and began a job search which had degenerated into finding "anything to do". After being so driven to find a new career, it was a terrible awakening to realize that I might have to leave what I had felt so excited about, to go back to the routine of working a menial, ordinary type of job. After a few months of searching, I wound up at a local hotel, and worked at two different ones over the next five years. In the meantime, I was still interested in computers and the possibility of returning to that market, but the right opportunity did not immediately present itself, and over time, I settled in again to accepting the status quo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><u><b>A Brand New Direction</b></u></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> I ended up working at a printing shop for two years, and then back into retail department store sales for another two years. I had picked up a habit though, while working at the hotel jobs. I was a customer service / front desk clerk, and while waiting for guests to arrive or for a phone call, I began letting my mind "wander" and imagining things that I would like to do with my life, and areas that I would like to explore as a career. I popped a disk into a computer, and began typing up these different ideas. Over a period of a few months, I had amassed what was probably the equivalent of 50-75 pages of ideas. These weren't just one-liners; they were fully developed business plans, with bulleted lists and short and long-range goals. And it wasn't just a handful of ideas. There were probably dozens of them. You can see that this was a time of letting my spirit out of its cage and letting it attempt to fly into unknown territories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><u><b>Goals and Dreams</b></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Just about five years ago, a friend had given me the idea of starting my own business. The idea came from us throwing around word puns, and laughing between ourselves. Then one day, he said, "That would be good on a tee shirt." And then, "I bet that would sell, if you put it on a shirt." The original idea was to print up tee shirts, and put them on consignment in different shops around town, and eventually other areas. But along the same time, it became aware to me that a lot of companies were springing up online, ones that somehow were able to offer free services to just anyone that was interested in <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bobbyboy123" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYoC7Zl0sQ44-dPBi0fY314nEeYcbq-EwejrmgneFFHECM_AQq5_9Dzrq1SgwVrBRC4YcA9XjtSXocqKJV-oLH-EmQTO44d9dUzEjRLEAukqOcZ-L4PGHQkFHaIlHwTUgtRq645_Po7or/s1600/NovelTees.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bobbyboy123">Browse My NovelTees Tee Shirt Store</a></td></tr>
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starting their own independent online store. I went to one of them, and started a free website. This was the origins of what is now known as "<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bobbyboy123">NovelTees</a>". I started by spending my one or two days off a week, using the interactive screen to combine clip art graphics and text on tee shirts, caps, and bumper stickers. I probably put up a dozen shirts my first day. And now, there are between 1,500 to 2,000 items for sale. It has not become a full-time career or income yet, but it is a start in a new direction, with a great potential for growth and success. I eventually want to expand into several online stores, and also take the business offline, when I develop the capital to do so, and print my own shirts, reducing the overhead, and being able to sell them at community festivals and flea markets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Another idea of mine which has become a reality is my guitar teaching. I began playing the guitar when I was a teenager, never with the idea of teaching anyone else. In fact, at the time, I wasn't sure that I would ever really learn to play. But in the 90's, while I was working those other jobs, I started teaching in a guitar shop, and did so for two years, developing about 20-25 students, working two days a week. I also taught a guitar course <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrMMY0mobZsDVnP49QTYdImMfN2ouhys7vxonhveFORP3CbWU_-vcWouCM2DERZGmRhRF_h-wvZ9m6qc_QbN_mgAb6WE-JUdimCoJqAKHstja6rhin6SNHxg_OJBfQslMLkms_JcvZZXy/s1600/guitarheel1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrMMY0mobZsDVnP49QTYdImMfN2ouhys7vxonhveFORP3CbWU_-vcWouCM2DERZGmRhRF_h-wvZ9m6qc_QbN_mgAb6WE-JUdimCoJqAKHstja6rhin6SNHxg_OJBfQslMLkms_JcvZZXy/s1600/guitarheel1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.guitarheel.com/">Go Check Out My GuiTarHeel Website</a></td></tr>
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at the local community college. Then, for some reason, that idea fell to the wayside for the next twenty years, but about two years ago, after being on unemployment for over a year, I decided to "test the waters" again, and found a local senior adult center that was interested in having guitar classes. I've been doing them for the past year, teaching three classes now, averaging about 25-30 students per eight-week session. See <a href="http://www.guitarheel.com/">my Guitar Site</a> for more information on this venture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> It was in this context that I took the local library's offering of a "Blogging for Beginners" class in June 2013. This class allowed my past technological background and my newly fertilized visions for various online business ventures to fuse together into an amalgamated, unified path. I had developed a personal website while taking a class in HTML and web design back in the 90's. It was mostly for my class, <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thebobpage.com/"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSp9y_nLYH0Cljt5VgqiMshCwJKhJMs17A9BF_3Zt42u-BgK4-DKA2Bkt96ZsdpihpxX3dz3LvYYmbvFhNDrFnFLXtN76WKykgmW21er68QEZjbjL1PGT0GQFKHP5R63M6YOiclTi45Cl3/s1600/bob+page+black+bckg.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thebobpage.com/">Visit "The Bob Page"</a></td></tr>
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and for my friends. They loved it, and told me so. But eventually it, like most of my other projects and dreams, fell by the wayside, while pursuing other dead end roads. After taking this blogging class, I immediately set out to re-invent this website. It was called "<a href="http://www.thebobpage.com/">The Bob Page</a>", and was basically.. about ME -- "Bob". However, I'm in the process of learning how to delicately combine personal and business into one consolidated web community, which hopefully will someday soon develop into both an enjoyable hobby plus a career and income.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> More later.. as "My Story" develops more.. <i>& </i>more.. <i>&</i> more.. Stay in Touch.. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-57947172316784189312014-02-19T15:10:00.002-05:002016-02-23T11:42:53.666-05:00Maximum Age / Minimum Wage<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1TuHIOh2sof6xl8ouxoiOZnax1siXH0E3cKI1M-EwWiS3c58nKzqcQh954oqJaxmAL7-BmNPSseuv2MAkzz-a8PcQ1EXanixaQdV9Kjg6eLvsjxoJ1KgQbjt1HNtQlHrjX8npSi-ovV0/s1600/minimum+wage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1TuHIOh2sof6xl8ouxoiOZnax1siXH0E3cKI1M-EwWiS3c58nKzqcQh954oqJaxmAL7-BmNPSseuv2MAkzz-a8PcQ1EXanixaQdV9Kjg6eLvsjxoJ1KgQbjt1HNtQlHrjX8npSi-ovV0/s1600/minimum+wage.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> I've got a Tee Shirt on my "NovelTees" store that portrays "Minimum Age / Minimum Wage". It's meant to be a pun or jab at teens trying to find work whenever they reach the minimum age for a work permit. Usually the only thing available is a minimum wage entry level job. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> On the other hand, I've seen some teenagers venturing out to even start their own businesses while in high school, or even before. The days of kids setting up lemonade stands are almost gone now. Kids are web savvy, creating complex Internet sites and learning how to play and even create <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7XaTWPQ8LmLvtDCsfxYn_wIcgnGBnk3NPkf4Un2d73fbjgQCB-JPJI0qVf_FYuLZIHz3gWw3xC4yOLE-kq9sx4_jBxEq2tNnyyklFInJw3zs13qD38dbySvjSGBV8npbDUqoI_bJaorg/s1600/minimum+wage+shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7XaTWPQ8LmLvtDCsfxYn_wIcgnGBnk3NPkf4Un2d73fbjgQCB-JPJI0qVf_FYuLZIHz3gWw3xC4yOLE-kq9sx4_jBxEq2tNnyyklFInJw3zs13qD38dbySvjSGBV8npbDUqoI_bJaorg/s1600/minimum+wage+shirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/minimum_age_minimum_wage_t_shirt-235979602289543853">Order This Shirt @ My NovelTees Store</a></td></tr>
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computer video games. Some other young people are venturing into other areas, like crafts or food or writing. I've heard of girls baking and selling cookies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> One of my college friends had a daughter who she helped set up a website and sold cookies online. Although I'm sure that a lot of them had their parents' guidance and help, I am amazed and impressed that so many that are so young can manage to imagine and conceive such enterprises, and then follow through on it to actually put it into motion and achieve a measure of success. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> One of the focuses of this <b>"Make This Job <i>& </i>Love It"</b> site is to try to help people get out of the old mentality of "I CAN'T do this" or accepting their current job or career status as "Oh well, somebody's got to do it". If you are in this mental state, then you are ACCEPTING the status quo, and ENDURING your work, rather than EXCEPTING the status quo, and ENJOYING your work. I had lunch with a couple of friends yesterday. One of them said about their past job, "Well, it was a necessary evil... it had its pro's and con's." He enjoyed his co-workers; in fact, some of them are still casual friends several years after he left the job. He found that the job itself was not that difficult. He was a photographer, who went in, did his job, and then usually went home. But he found that the company did not treat him fairly, cut the benefits to a bare minimum, and at the end, left him with no alternative but to quit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> My own story has similarities to my friend's, although the circumstances are different. It was about four years ago that I returned back to my hometown from about a two-year stay in Nashville, and was somewhat excited to be able to find a job within about a week. It so happened that one of the managers, the one conducting the job interviews, was a former co-worker or boss at one of my former jobs. I was hired, and settled into the retail environment once more. Having just spent almost two years in a retail sales job in Nashville, it was natural for me to be comfortable in that setting. But what I began to see and find over the course of the next 2-3 months was that this particular job was a return to "Point Zero" for me, a reoccurring revolving door or detour off of life's highway. I had been making almost $10 an hour at the former job. Even though our commission had been cut out about halfway through my stay there, I was pretty satisfied. To some of you, working for $10 an hour is an appalling thought. To me, it was Retail Heaven. When I got back home, and got the new job, I was again making Minimum Wage, which was something in the neighborhood of $7.25 an hour. I was being paid a stipend of 50 cents for store credit applications that were collected and approved. (Wow!) My former job in Nashville had given us $2.00 for each credit application. When I asked the manager about the differential, he just flatly stated, "It's your job. Take it or leave it." At 5:30 a.m. sales meetings, the store managers would look at me and make remarks like, "We're counting on you for five credit app's today. Come on.. you can do it!" The appeal of this pitch was totally lost on me. I began to see through this whole game of the corporate ladder, and the low rung to which I was seemingly permanently affixed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> After about two months, the store laid me off. It had been a seasonal temp job anyway. Two or three of us got extended into regular employees. I was one of the "unlucky" ones that got axed. But looking back, I could not thank them enough for their generosity in letting me go. It opened the door to almost two years of unemployment, through which I began to look for other alternatives to the Minimum Wage dead end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> More later.. For an in-depth look at my history and background, read "My Story--(and I'm Sticking to It<i>!</i>").</span><br />
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GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-5256662018680429372014-01-04T12:47:00.005-05:002014-01-04T12:47:58.612-05:00Destiny Quote<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcVSvsoOBP4tPV6VQgMC4DICdWQadOodWIGWE_P-ClH7zFfagNNs6YJHZnpyaea2R7Tcp1T-rQN24YIqWuIAq9mq-DiGx2dPFxMAZePRuxEveV9O0iwR2QTVXd2a9JAxhh71BEc-WRzR9/s1600/William-Jennings-Bryan-1902-280x150.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcVSvsoOBP4tPV6VQgMC4DICdWQadOodWIGWE_P-ClH7zFfagNNs6YJHZnpyaea2R7Tcp1T-rQN24YIqWuIAq9mq-DiGx2dPFxMAZePRuxEveV9O0iwR2QTVXd2a9JAxhh71BEc-WRzR9/s400/William-Jennings-Bryan-1902-280x150.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhby9gc3OOS7twYVsPHtgETH4QPLDFmY1AcUEU_z49JzCqqZychAfB_jMROW-uFk2lcq2gW1B7A0AlI1ZlBKechMyLRwyyyaIEI6vXJGDifBdYLU8PcetBhbWY6HQWHSqDSt8r1cc3I-QOI/s1600/Destiny+Quote.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhby9gc3OOS7twYVsPHtgETH4QPLDFmY1AcUEU_z49JzCqqZychAfB_jMROW-uFk2lcq2gW1B7A0AlI1ZlBKechMyLRwyyyaIEI6vXJGDifBdYLU8PcetBhbWY6HQWHSqDSt8r1cc3I-QOI/s400/Destiny+Quote.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-192016795787398112014-01-02T16:46:00.000-05:002014-01-03T15:19:17.355-05:00Strength in Numbers: The Splendor of Mentors<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> As I look around at the various leaders of
our generation, I notice something. Even
most of the leaders are followers.. that is, copy-cats. They will borrow something that works, and
take it to the next level.
Unfortunately, those that lead and those that follow leaders rarely do
it from an unselfish motive to foster new creativity and individuality, but
rather to help build their own dynasty and legacy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2PPZ-ZKvmysO_3CBcnf31NBE-pm8aSthLLyzojTvigkUiXM_Dlk34Cyo2LA5m_y2TqnJfPgQAq27n8Nbob8G2sS9lDpfOAo0cUqj8wzBUGA6I1qf1UQF6cEIkexZ82z6eQEGaM2sWjbQ/s1600/lone+ranger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2PPZ-ZKvmysO_3CBcnf31NBE-pm8aSthLLyzojTvigkUiXM_Dlk34Cyo2LA5m_y2TqnJfPgQAq27n8Nbob8G2sS9lDpfOAo0cUqj8wzBUGA6I1qf1UQF6cEIkexZ82z6eQEGaM2sWjbQ/s1600/lone+ranger.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Almost everyone is familiar with The Lone
Ranger. If you weren’t a watcher of the
original or re-run old B&W TV episodes, you probably saw or heard of the
new movie of the same name that premiered this past year. The idea was that this crusader wore a mask
to conceal his identity, and only his Indian friend knew who he really was. But, you see, even The Lone Ranger wasn’t
alone. He had Tonto, a very faithful
comrade and sidekick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Everyone at some point wants to follow their
dreams. They have a vision and goals and
wish to follow after them. Sometimes
these are dreams that others also aspire to reach. Sometimes it is a unique dream or vision. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Whichever
path you are following, it is almost certain that you will not reach your
aspirations unless at some point, you find some help along the way. Even travelers who take off on an independent
journey have signs along the way to direct their path, signs that someone has
earlier placed there to help them find their way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I just got an email recently from a friend
at the library whose course I took a couple of months ago. It was called “Blogging for Beginners.” I would not be writing this article for you
to read if it had not been for her initiative to develop a class where I could
learn the basics. I already had an idea
for redeveloping a website that I had created about fifteen years ago, but it
was this class that gave me the motivation and final impetus to get it done. This new email was a follow-up to that
class; she was letting me know about a
new program that the library is using that offers free online classes, and so I
am actually signing up to take a few, including “Blogging and Podcasting for
Beginners.” I have been wanting to
develop online video lessons for my guitar students, and the idea of
audio/video podcasting sounds like the ticket that I’ve been needing. Plus just today I discovered “Windows Movie
Maker”, a basic video editing program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJf7kskzE3gi00JZnJTAjFpl_dU0aUIGnTJ9y8ZeoxB6x6Q2lRqVh9V77wJK1s9uRVxf-P85nIshly61b6E7pVF6_L-tiqtjMPRWtN_Yd1Lkdqoe3bP2eQLQH22ePeeVU8iuEYBa-J2IU/s1600/man+on+island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJf7kskzE3gi00JZnJTAjFpl_dU0aUIGnTJ9y8ZeoxB6x6Q2lRqVh9V77wJK1s9uRVxf-P85nIshly61b6E7pVF6_L-tiqtjMPRWtN_Yd1Lkdqoe3bP2eQLQH22ePeeVU8iuEYBa-J2IU/s200/man+on+island.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> The point that I am making is one that
you’ve heard over and over : that “no man is an island.” Most people typically equate the term
‘networking’ to Amway or some other business, but if we take an honest look,
all of us “network” with other people.
You cannot really function or make it through an entire day without
getting the help of a few people along the way.
And a lot of them are complete strangers. Let’s say, you take a trip. Perhaps you have directions or a map. But somehow, you still get lost along the
way. What do you do? Quit, and turn around to go home? No way.
You stop and ask directions… from a complete stranger. And more than likely, they are willing to stop
and help you. On a much bigger and
broader level, this continually happens in our lives over and over again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDoJt7j82ksphrqwEfm8a29fxBPKoP15gtKZBkl9R3QLlCUK00tLHVccKh5nXlwmAmKomk7BSyJPEQbsXRqvqSY5OBnJ6uj-Udy6Dp_8YIx7ALQk73PDINZ5jUnhRAzFz1SoJFfeAzhhy/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDoJt7j82ksphrqwEfm8a29fxBPKoP15gtKZBkl9R3QLlCUK00tLHVccKh5nXlwmAmKomk7BSyJPEQbsXRqvqSY5OBnJ6uj-Udy6Dp_8YIx7ALQk73PDINZ5jUnhRAzFz1SoJFfeAzhhy/s320/index.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> About two years ago, a dear friend prayed
with me, and several months later, he told me that besides the spoken prayer that he had uttered,
he had also asked a silent prayer that God would send me the people into my
life that would be an encouragement and help to me. And it was amazing…
that I was able to share with him many instances where new people had emerged
in my life to help me in certain areas.
Coincedence? You might say so. But I believe that ordinary, random events in
our lives can also be appointments with destiny. How so?
I think it is just a truth of life, but very few of these circumstances
tend to be viewed in this panoramic way at the time they happen. It is only after a season of time has passed
that we usually gain the perspective to see the purpose in things that otherwise
had seemed ordinary and mundane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I am thankful for my friends. They mean so much to me. But I’m also thankful for the acquaintances
in my life. And also for the strangers
that I encounter on a daily basis. They
may come and they may go. But each and
every one of them appears and disappears for a reason. You may say : you are philosophizing, or overstating
the obvious. You may be one that takes
everything that happens at face value.
And you may even be somewhat right.
But I think one’s perspective is not always just a perspective, but a
perception of purpose and meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK5dIbQOmwMZd7-brXq7mTBf8bDoSpmb4EcqDG3N2v4pkuup3iHSFJOZO_RXWS_uY1YANPXwWxequVgvJjSGRkm06uOH4qtYzBA5k4dbpSwSgE5Qe-q4e0cqnuqSz2sJRIsFfG6AeY3bv/s1600/network.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK5dIbQOmwMZd7-brXq7mTBf8bDoSpmb4EcqDG3N2v4pkuup3iHSFJOZO_RXWS_uY1YANPXwWxequVgvJjSGRkm06uOH4qtYzBA5k4dbpSwSgE5Qe-q4e0cqnuqSz2sJRIsFfG6AeY3bv/s1600/network.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> One short word here about networking in
groups. It’s not only <i>individuals</i> that come into our lives,
but sometimes we come across groups of people who can help us. In recent days, I’ve seen the importance of
making contact with groups of similar interests </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">and visions. Today, the Internet can be a source or tool
in finding these groups, as well as word-of-mouth and daily interaction. It also affords us the ability to network
with people all over the world, as well as those in our local areas. I have encountered groups that exist to help
entrepreneurs, guitar players, as well as hobby and health groups that exist to
promote sports and recreation, or just social interaction. My church has also been a rich source of
meeting new people and interacting with them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Remember.
We’re not an island. We are not alone. Who is out there? E.T.?
I don’t know, but I can tell you that there’s a God who loves us,
watches over us, protects us, and also sends people into our path to prepare
and equip us for what lies ahead. As you
go forward with your life and business, take a second look at your perspective
with the people you come across. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Value them and
appreciate them for what they have to share with you. </span>They might just be the “angel” that God is
sending to help you. If you have something to give in return, then
give it. Your life will be that much more rewarding for
it. But more than anything else, you
will have a new, richer view of the world and people around you, and a better
perspective of how it all fits together in the big picture we call “life”.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> </b>“Two are better than one, ... if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up ... Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken ... If God be for us, who can be against us ?" [ Ecclesiastes 4:
9,10,12; Romans 8:31 ]<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-43655488307478896082013-11-13T14:56:00.001-05:002013-11-13T15:57:41.579-05:00Working for Peanuts<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXi4sdDfeRpnUTQCq7-QEJdJXRkSidLScyQYK9krnxWXd2GDZ__6anfzTRpeS-_ZHdhmOIJPG4trdPfNar8gsmcU2kOAChjCZd7qid991znyx3uYjEvJitZI8IhAmKzCtekSsmo3J5tYP/s1600/monkey+&+peanuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXi4sdDfeRpnUTQCq7-QEJdJXRkSidLScyQYK9krnxWXd2GDZ__6anfzTRpeS-_ZHdhmOIJPG4trdPfNar8gsmcU2kOAChjCZd7qid991znyx3uYjEvJitZI8IhAmKzCtekSsmo3J5tYP/s200/monkey+&+peanuts.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I'm sure you've heard the old expression "<b>working for peanuts.</b>" It is often heard when someone is complaining about their rate of pay, or demanding their fair wage, as in "I ain't working for peanuts."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> As far as I can tell, the expression has its roots in the animal kingdom, either coming from the feeding of elephants in a zoo, or from an organ grinder who sent his monkey out into a crowd to collect donations of money, and also received peanuts from the gallery for his efforts. Either way, it is not thought of as a decent kind of retribution for a human's working.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> In the same vein, I have a friend who once told me, when speaking of his job, that he worked for celery (a "salary"). These cute word puns leave us with the thought that each person has a desire and an idea of working for what he or she is worth, and is not really fulfilled, happy, or satisfied with anything less. A person's time and talents should definitely be rewarded by their employer, or by their customer /client. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UwYMZjTAAhHudIpPlY1Hn0KR9PxRCnYNw_uxj5bAwtHID8kdVkun-OkUG4_Fn327flR-L5-4NL1nGjp9GEnrkiizfbAAMiQOC6MeTXc70CSLMVO-JXKwiIOh_dIkHoT_qB4fus9sK8LR/s1600/The%252BBeatles%252BDRIVE%252BMY%252BCAR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UwYMZjTAAhHudIpPlY1Hn0KR9PxRCnYNw_uxj5bAwtHID8kdVkun-OkUG4_Fn327flR-L5-4NL1nGjp9GEnrkiizfbAAMiQOC6MeTXc70CSLMVO-JXKwiIOh_dIkHoT_qB4fus9sK8LR/s320/The%252BBeatles%252BDRIVE%252BMY%252BCAR.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b> The Beatles song "Drive My Car"</b> drives the point home in a sarcastic lyric, "Working for peanuts is all very fine- but I can show you a better time," suggesting that being their chauffeur would be a better proposition than whatever meager-paying job that the listener may already have.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> Fact of the matter is, most people today aren't rather picky whenever it comes to jobs or occupations. We have many in the midst of unemployment, just wishing for any job to come along. Others have spent years in study, preparing for a certain type of job or career, only to find that their services are not readily needed, and having to settle for something that they never intended to do or be. And still others, secure in their job, putting in 30 or 40 years of their life, seemingly content, but often really unhappy but unwilling to take a risk or challenge to do anything else of any consequence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> What's the point of it all ? Most people plan their budget around their pay, instead of the other way around. Can anyone <b><i>REALLY</i></b> hope to ever make what they <b><i>REALLY </i></b>feel or know that they are worth ? The better question might be, "Should anyone <b><i>REALLY </i></b>settle for anything <b><i>LESS </i></b>than what they <b><i>REALLY</i></b> think that they are worth?" </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKpoNphSGjDKorI4y_dy24np8SsxtW3IYkUYjKB5bzuSTNsqE39aS6yHNgqSbAtIduzE4j78IgF6yZKwbDODGkJVxJuoA6IGMDNSxTAf-OuS5i2MbsT5nkZ3CO1sFEGisa-8zoGIU3qpH/s1600/fast+food.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKpoNphSGjDKorI4y_dy24np8SsxtW3IYkUYjKB5bzuSTNsqE39aS6yHNgqSbAtIduzE4j78IgF6yZKwbDODGkJVxJuoA6IGMDNSxTAf-OuS5i2MbsT5nkZ3CO1sFEGisa-8zoGIU3qpH/s200/fast+food.png" width="158" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I'm not proposing that we all quit a job or career (if we have one), and proceed to live penniless until we are able to latch onto that dream of a job or career. I'd just like to plant a seed in our minds that it's not pointless or meaningless to <b><i>pursue a dream</i></b> until it </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">eventually happens. You may say about a minimum-wage or other unfulfilling job, "Well, somebody has to do it." That may be so. And if you are happy in that position, then there is nothing wrong with it at all. But most of those types of jobs are either filled by part-time workers who are waiting or pursuing other careers, or by those who cannot or will not ever have anything better for themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I think that <i><b>Henry David Thoreau</b></i> said it best when he wrote, </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcjZn2mfnzLOfywJJJhTPt9fYu_wjEgGgUO4szDxj38pjtHD6y2rB7pMvysh7yZH9f39RY_yF92HJxT09CgEPzAQIWGr6Ih1oKHdUbiPqnsHAhSHUjDrBSA2wtuod8_IWnS7mZReO7HaP/s1600/thoreau+quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcjZn2mfnzLOfywJJJhTPt9fYu_wjEgGgUO4szDxj38pjtHD6y2rB7pMvysh7yZH9f39RY_yF92HJxT09CgEPzAQIWGr6Ih1oKHdUbiPqnsHAhSHUjDrBSA2wtuod8_IWnS7mZReO7HaP/s640/thoreau+quote.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i><b><span class="st"> </span></b></i><span class="st">If you are unemployed, and have to take a modest-paying job to help meet your expenses, then by all means, take it, and work at it as hard as you can ; and if you are already working such a job, do not necessarily quit without having any other means of supporting yourself. But, at the same time, why must you settle for less, if your mind and heart are dreaming and yearning for more ? It's not so much of a selfish quest, but ultimately a spiritual one of seeking to fulfill the destiny that has already been planted in your heart.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span class="st"> And if you are one of the fortunate ones out there who have their own business or enterprise, consider your worth. You possess talents, skills and knowledge that you are willing to share with the rest of us in your world. Do not short-change and over-extend yourself by "working for peanuts." Assess your market value, and do not be afraid to set a price for your services that is commensurate with your abilities and that will allow you to be fulfilled rather than frustrated with your efforts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span class="st"> Don't "work for peanuts." Leave that for the monkeys and elephants in the world. Instead, go out and fulfill your heart's and life's dreams. Go for it<i> ! </i></span><i><b><span class="st"> </span></b></i></span><br />
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<br />GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-92151360957089347172013-11-06T15:40:00.002-05:002014-01-04T11:59:24.929-05:00Be Awesome<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorDN3YZ6IUJuWCCUCcDyFpD9rX17rMwhyphenhyphen3bkrcBUUJV50cjQf1qyqNyLPEpeVM-ylcfcPYsA4oZNosV-Qlr6zbcCrD_opNgscnTL3LegxhSUsVrRI9pWTgwBDG_KBbFDlN2mb2MP4g6-4/s1600/wake+up+and+be+awesome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorDN3YZ6IUJuWCCUCcDyFpD9rX17rMwhyphenhyphen3bkrcBUUJV50cjQf1qyqNyLPEpeVM-ylcfcPYsA4oZNosV-Qlr6zbcCrD_opNgscnTL3LegxhSUsVrRI9pWTgwBDG_KBbFDlN2mb2MP4g6-4/s1600/wake+up+and+be+awesome.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-55190028322412741292013-07-31T13:05:00.002-04:002013-07-31T17:40:29.913-04:00Total Freedom & Control<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> A lot of people say, "Well, somebody has to do it." Or- "It's not the greatest job in the world, but it pays the bills." I totally understand these feelings. Mainly because I once had them myself. But I came to a place where I began to explore what is really important.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> If someone <b><i>TRULY</i></b> wishes to work as a fast-food cashier, a hotel clerk, or a department store salesman, that is absolutely okay and wonderful. If it fulfills their deepest longings, and satisfies their innermost needs, then fantastic<i>!</i> But the <i>bottom line</i> (and purpose of this site) is that many of these people <b><i>do</i></b> long for more in their lives. Oftentimes these </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3o1HTVNF7XRpnvHHavguhxFjKX6voOp9vyjAabZmIK9UX0Q1WjV7R8K4CseUxUWPZYGA5iJa94L_mJzfI2qwpYbiQGnsW6GWJx5rAQBTq78JRDKzLatYUPtcMxsj0chseNE9cfBM_0akg/s1600/rodria0022s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3o1HTVNF7XRpnvHHavguhxFjKX6voOp9vyjAabZmIK9UX0Q1WjV7R8K4CseUxUWPZYGA5iJa94L_mJzfI2qwpYbiQGnsW6GWJx5rAQBTq78JRDKzLatYUPtcMxsj0chseNE9cfBM_0akg/s1600/rodria0022s.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">types of jobs are designed and meant to be transitional. Most owners and managers of these types of businesses plan for turnover on their staffs. They realize that most people wish, at some point, to "<i>move on</i>" to some other calling on their lives. Most folks don't feel a huge compulsion to sell burgers or shoes for the rest of their lives. If they do, more power to them. I totally respect that decision. But.. if you're like me, then keep on reading. We'll explore many other possibilities and horizons for our careers and lives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> One of the things that drove me crazy about various jobs was the lack of control and freedom that it gave to me. I was <b><i>ALWAYS</i></b> finding conflicts in what I wanted or needed to do.. and my job.. which paid the bills.. and so, therefore had to come <b><i>first</i></b> and before any other need or desire in my life. It was somewhat understandable when a friend invited me to a party, concert, or to the beach, and I couldn't <i>"get off work"</i> to go, but whenever things begin to happen like wishing to attend a graduation, a funeral, or a best friend's wedding, and you cannot attend because you are forced to work your schedule, then it became not only confusing, but intolerable at times.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Like I say, some people are aware of these conflicts and seem to be okay with them. They will spend 30, 40, even 50 years at their job, working for an hourly pay, and being understanding of the demands that are placed upon them by their managers and work schedules. It is rarely flexible. When you find a job where a boss works around your schedule, then you have either found a wonderful situation, or else whenever you are not asking off for a special event, you are <i>working yourself to death </i>for them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> There is no real "black and white" when it comes to career moves. What I mean by that is that most of the time, when we make a decision to change our lifestyle or career, it is not a question of working one job one day, and then the next morning, moving on to something different. Even with a typical ordinary job, there is a process.. of answering an ad, setting up and having an interview, being accepted for the job, and then quitting your other job, working a notice, and then going to new job orientation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> This is even more true with finding a career of your own. When a person decides to change their career and lifestyle, it involves some thinking and planning. Sometimes not a lot of it, but nevertheless some advance forethought. It is great when you can find a career move which is meaningful and also does not conflict with your current job. Then you can continue to work and draw a paycheck, while at the same time working on an alternative career until it becomes viable and affords you the opportunity to leave your other position.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> This may sound like a lot of work. Sometimes it is, but the benefits usually far outweigh the obstacles or struggles. The most rewarding part of it all is not income. Far from it. If you can become financially wealthy or independent, that is great. But the biggest value or benefit lies in the fact of you controlling your own time and schedule. When an opportunity comes up, whether it be business or personal, public or private, you are able to make a decision whether to participate or not based upon your own values and interests, rather than upon someone else's. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> You begin to "<b>own your own life.</b>" Isn't that REALLY the way it is meant to be ? Think about it. Should someone else dictate how you are to spend the majority of your time ? Whether or not you will be able to watch your child grow up, or attend to your elderly parent or grandparent ? Or just.. whether or not you are able to go to the beach or mountains or some other place.. whenever you wish to go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> <i><b>Total Freedom and Control</b></i>.. sounds good, doesn't it ? Let's explore this concept in future days and weeks.. please feel free to use the <i>"comments" </i>box to make suggestions and offer your own advice or expertise in this area. We'd love to hear from you <i>!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716331745672180777.post-27779035860696849272013-07-30T13:53:00.000-04:002013-07-31T17:45:31.818-04:00Make This Job & Love It<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You may remember an old 1977 hit by Johnny Paycheck called <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>"Take This Job & Shove It"</b>.</span> I don't know about standing the test of time, but I know that I remember hearing many a disgruntled employee or co-worker of mine mimicking the words to this song as they walked into work, or as they stood at the clock at 4:59, waiting for the last tick of the clock to punch out.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3u450Y1_8G393n8szoXXYJD14UyTqENMQYF96qlhiyhQue0LbVFP3amuXsody2evuToQegkO8S35sFl2eGds2qqFUX3DEHIW1LGQ_28u4qKjKJj4Btxm0fWsC2_JqL90scWPxl6Cu-7hE/s1600/I+love+my+job.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3u450Y1_8G393n8szoXXYJD14UyTqENMQYF96qlhiyhQue0LbVFP3amuXsody2evuToQegkO8S35sFl2eGds2qqFUX3DEHIW1LGQ_28u4qKjKJj4Btxm0fWsC2_JqL90scWPxl6Cu-7hE/s200/I+love+my+job.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A few years ago, this song's title just stuck in my mind, and after hearing someone else talk about the concept of <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>"Doing What You Love & Loving What You Do"</b></span>, a positive derivative of this song title hit me: <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><u>M</u>AKE THIS JOB & <u>L</u>OVE IT !</b></i></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.48days.com/store?ap_id=bobwingate" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="48 Days, LLC" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.48days.com/wp-content/affiliate/bizideas120x240.jpg" width="160" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b> </b></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I know we've all speculated and mulled over our life choices before. There are many of you who love your jobs and wouldn't trade them for the world. But many, many others are in a routine rut, and worse yet, have settled into a mental rut of allowing themselves to stop dreaming and planning for something better for themselves. Many folks that I know are convinced that they neither have the skills and know-how, or the fortitude and will to <i>get over the hump</i> and go on to achieve their potential dreams or find any kind of meaningful lifestyle.</span><i><b> </b></i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b> </b></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It
is with this backdrop that I offer up this little site as a means and
resource of information, tidbits, innovative or creative job and career
ideas, and testimonies from people who are either searching for or have
found their life's calling.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> Some of you might want to check out the book that's offered on this page, <i>Dan Miller's <b>"Low or No Cost Business Ideas". </b>(see above)<b> </b></i>I've been a subscriber to Dan's regular e-newsletter for several years, and found his insights on business and careers to be a fantastic wealth of knowledge. His expertise, experience and compassion for those of us who have not always <i>found our niche </i>has drawn me from the very beginning and kept me glued to him and his website. You can find it at <a href="http://www.48days.com/">www.48days.com</a>. I'll be sharing some excerpts and links from <i><b>48 Days </b></i>and other similar sites from time to time on this page.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
THANKS for checking in, and we invite you to come back often.
Hopefully this will be an extremely meaningful and resourceful site for
many of you.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />GuiTarHeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12413857762949356012noreply@blogger.com0