<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Heather Taskovics</title>
	<atom:link href="http://heathertaskovics.net/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://heathertaskovics.net</link>
	<description>On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:55:37 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2</generator>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
			<item>
		<title>This Too Shall Pass &#8211; Getting Beyond The Financial Chaos In Your Life</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/this-too-shall-pass/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/this-too-shall-pass/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:54:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Helpful Tips And Strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recommended Reading]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organization skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=599</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
A friend of mine sent me the link to this video by OK Go:



Besides being a really cool video to watch, the song itself carries a very important message that we all need to remember:  THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
We all have experienced times in our lives when we find ourselves in less than desirable financial [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fthis-too-shall-pass%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fthis-too-shall-pass%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p>A friend of mine sent me the link to this video by OK Go:</p>
<p>
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qybUFnY7Y8w&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x402061&amp;color2=0x9461ca&amp;hd=1&amp;border=1" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qybUFnY7Y8w&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x402061&amp;color2=0x9461ca&amp;hd=1&amp;border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
</p>
<p>Besides being a really cool video to watch, the song itself carries a very important message that we all need to remember:  <strong>THIS TOO SHALL PASS</strong>.</p>
<p>We all have experienced times in our lives when we find ourselves in less than desirable financial situations&#8211;unemployment, maxed out credit cards, too many bills and not enough money to even pay the minimum&#8211;all these things can make a person feel like they are drowning and can&#8217;t get up for air.  What you have to realize is that no matter what your current financial situation is, <strong><em>IT IS ALL TEMPORARY</em></strong>.</p>
<p>Like when facing any problem that initially seems insurmountable, the trick to getting yourself out of the red and into the black is by taking the financial recovery process one step at at time:</p>
<p><strong><em>***Please note that I am NOT a financial advisor&#8211;the following tips are based on personal experience and research on the subject.  As with anything else, do your own research and contact a financial advisor to help you out.***</em></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Contact a debt consolidation agency to help get your credit card debt consolidated and at a much lower interest rate than what you are currently paying, while keeping your monthly payments manageable.  Keep in mind that when you use a debt consolidation agency to reduce your credit card debt, those cards are then cancelled and you can no longer use them.</li>
<li>If you never budgeted your money  before NOW is the time to start!  Keep track of your regular monthly spending (groceries, gas, utilities, mortgage/rent, car payments, student loans, etc.) for each paycheck period.  With the money from your paycheck that is left over, make sure to pay yourself a set amount that you know will get you by until the next paycheck and DO NOT GIVE YOURSELF MORE IF YOU RUN OUT&#8211;if it&#8217;s $30 per paycheck, then that is all you are allowed to give yourself. </li>
<li>Cut back on extras.  You&#8217;ve heard this before and you&#8217;re gonna hear it again&#8211;until you can position yourself in a better financial situation, plan on taking lunch to work, brew coffee at home and bring it in a travel mug (or better yet, bring your coffee pot to work with you and get your coworkers to contribute to the coffee fund that you would all share).  If you absolutely MUST eat at a restaurant, keep to once a month as a special treat; otherwise, cook all your meals at home&#8211;you can make enough so that there&#8217;s leftovers that you can have for lunch during the week.</li>
<li>Instead of purchasing books that you want to read, go to your local library.  Most libraries have networks with other libraries&#8211;if the book you are looking for is not in the library you typically go to, then you can borrow via inter-library loan.</li>
<li>Cancel the Netflix subscription &#8211; most movies (and CDs!) can be borrowed from the library&#8211;the one I go to has a really great selection of movies.  Most libraries give you a week before you have to return the movie.</li>
</ul>
<p>All these small steps will add up to help you get back on track financially.  If your current financial circumstances are really dire, you may want to consider filing for bankruptcy.  As awful as that word tends to sound, it is really a chance for you to regroup and start over.  I spoke with a friend a while back who had filed for bankruptcy who said that she actually felt like a lot of the weight of her finances was lifted from her shoulders and she enjoyed the opportunity to have a fresh start.</p>
<p>No matter what your situation is, think of it as a time to *start over*&#8211;give yourself the chance to rethink your philosophies on money and spending, and educate yourself on what can be done to ensure that it doesn&#8217;t happen again.  BE SMART ABOUT YOUR MONEY.  If you are still not sure how or why you continually get into financial straights, you may want to consider counseling&#8211;there may be an underlying reason that has kept you in this vicious cycle.</p>
<p>Here are some books that you may find to be extremely helpful while you are getting reorganized with your finances:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812981316?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=heathertasnet-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0812981316">&#8220;Women &amp; Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny&#8221; &#8211; Suze Orman</a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=heathertasnet-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0812981316" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812981553?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=heathertasnet-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0812981553">Suze Orman&#8217;s Action Plan: New Rules for New Times</a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=heathertasnet-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0812981553" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307461866?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=heathertasnet-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307461866">&#8220;Payback Time: Making Big Money Is the Best Revenge!&#8221; &#8211; Phil Town</a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=heathertasnet-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0307461866" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785289089?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=heathertasnet-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0785289089">&#8220;The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness&#8221; &#8211; Dave Ramsey</a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=heathertasnet-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0785289089" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451205367?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=heathertasnet-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0451205367">&#8220;The Richest Man in Babylon&#8221; &#8211; George S. Clason</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451205367?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=heathertasnet-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0451205367"></a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=heathertasnet-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0451205367" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p>
<p>It is my undying wish that everyone the world over realizes their own power to create ultimate personal wealth and prosperity.  Some of the tools have been laid out before you&#8211;now it is YOUR TURN to take them and build the life of your dreams that you so richly deserve.</p>
<p>Leave a comment in the space below and share your thoughts on this subject.  If you found value from what you&#8217;ve read, please share it with others who may benefit from this.  Thank you.</p>
<p>TO YOUR SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY!!!</p>
<p>Heather Taskovics<br />
 &#8220;On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life&#8221;<br />
 <a title="http://heathertaskovics.net" href="http://heathertaskovics.net">http://heathertaskovics.net</a><br />
 Co-founder, Networking Women Today<br />
 <a title="Networking Women Today" href="http://networkingwomentoday.com" target="_blank">http://networkingwomentoday.com</a></p>
</p>
<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-599'><a class='like' href="javascript:wp_likes.like(599);" title='' ><img src="http://heathertaskovics.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-likes/images/like.png" alt='' border='0'/>Like</a><span class='text'></span>
<div class='unlike'><a href="javascript:wp_likes.unlike(599);">Unlike</a></div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/this-too-shall-pass/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>THANK YOU!!!! &#8211; Living A Life Of Gratitude</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/thank-you-living-a-life-of-gratitude/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/thank-you-living-a-life-of-gratitude/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:02:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Lessons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[alternative thought]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gratitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Law of Attraction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Positive Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Universe]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=541</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
You may have heard some well-known self-help gurus reminding everyone to have &#8220;An Attitude Of Gratitude&#8221; pretty frequently lately. In one of my posts, I even talk briefly about the importance of showing gratitude in order to become successful in all that you set out to do.  The reason is that by constantly showing gratitude [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fthank-you-living-a-life-of-gratitude%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fthank-you-living-a-life-of-gratitude%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p><strong><em>You may have heard some well-known self-help gurus reminding everyone to have &#8220;An Attitude Of Gratitude&#8221; pretty frequently lately.</em></strong> In one of my posts, I even talk briefly about <a title="Show Me The Results! - How To Create Your Own Success Story" href="http://heathertaskovics.net/show-me-the-results-how-to-create-your-own-success-story/" target="_blank">the importance of showing gratitude</a> in order to become successful in all that you set out to do.  The reason is that by constantly showing gratitude for all that you have and all that you are capable of doing, you are sending positive energy out into the world and opening yourself up to the positive energy that will come back to you in more ways than you ever dreamed possible.</p>
<p>I was at a party the other day and found myself involved in a conversation with an older gentleman, named Paul, who was probably in his 70s or 80s and had a bright twinkle in his eye.  Paul was telling me some fun anecdotes about his life, which included tales about his wife, daughter and grandchildren.</p>
<p>At one point, Paul went on to share how grateful he has been for having the life that he has lived and how much he loves his family.  He also said that he had NO REGRETS about anything that he did.  He concluded by saying that every morning when he wakes up, he begins to count in his head.  When he gets to somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 he stops and remembers that that is how many blessings he&#8217;s grateful for.</p>
<p>I was so moved by what Paul told me that day that it has stayed with me ever since that party.  His story has inspired me to practice having an attitude of gratitude more often than I did before&#8230;though I&#8217;m still working on counting to 3,000 in the morning when my daughter is screaming &#8220;Mommmmeeeee&#8221; so that I can rescue her from her bed and feed her breakfast.  :-)<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-571" title="Gratitude" src="http://heathertaskovics.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/chinese_gratitude.jpg" alt="" width="288" height="432" /></p>
<p>I invite you all to think about Paul&#8217;s story&#8211;take some time to meditate upon all that you are grateful for and share your appreciation with the universe.  You will truly be amazed at all the wonderful things that will transpire in your life as a result!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog!  It is always wonderful to *hear* from you all, so please leave your comments in the space provided below.</p>
<p>If you enjoyed this post, by all means share it with everyone you know via Twitter and Facebook&#8211;spread the love to the world!  :-)</p>
<p>Love to you all!</p>
<p>Namaste,<br />
 Heather Taskovics<br />
 &#8220;On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life&#8221;<br />
 <a title="http://heathertaskovics.net" href="http://heathertaskovics.net"> http://heathertaskovics.net</a><br />
 Co-founder, Networking Women Today<br />
 <a title="Networking Women Today" href="http://networkingwomentoday.com" target="_blank"> http://networkingwomentoday.com</a></p>
</p>
<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-541'><a class='like' href="javascript:wp_likes.like(541);" title='' ><img src="http://heathertaskovics.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-likes/images/like.png" alt='' border='0'/>Like</a><span class='text'></span>
<div class='unlike'><a href="javascript:wp_likes.unlike(541);">Unlike</a></div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/thank-you-living-a-life-of-gratitude/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Show Me The Results! &#8211; How To Create Your Own Success Story</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/show-me-the-results-how-to-create-your-own-success-story/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/show-me-the-results-how-to-create-your-own-success-story/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:50:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gratitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Law of Attraction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Positive Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Universe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visualization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visualizing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=514</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
We all have our own definition of what success means. For most, it is the idea of being financially independent&#8211;never worrying about money ever again and having the freedom to buy/do anything we want:  go on trips around the world, live in million-dollar mansions, drive expensive cars, etc.
Then there are those whose vision of success [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fshow-me-the-results-how-to-create-your-own-success-story%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fshow-me-the-results-how-to-create-your-own-success-story%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p><strong><em>We all have our own definition of what success means.</em></strong> For most, it is the idea of being financially independent&#8211;never worrying about money ever again and having the freedom to buy/do anything we want:  go on trips around the world, live in million-dollar mansions, drive expensive cars, etc.</p>
<p>Then there are those whose vision of success is far more simpler:  perhaps it is graduating from high school or college, overcoming a fear of flying or mastering a new language.  It could even be something as simple as getting an *A* on an exam for which you spent hours studying  and preparing.</p>
<p>Regardless of what your idea of success is, you must have a way of achieving that success.  There are a few things that must happen:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Visualization</strong></li>
<li><strong>Planning</strong></li>
<li><strong>Action</strong></li>
<li><strong>Patience</strong></li>
<li><strong>Gratitude</strong></li>
</ol>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>VISUALIZATION</strong></span></p>
<p>Typically, when you have a goal in mind, you are <em><strong>VISUALIZING </strong></em>it first&#8211;that is, you already have the desired outcome pictured in your mind.  Being the visual creatures that we as humans are, this step is something that we tend to take for granted&#8211;you may not even realize that you are doing it&#8230;because you visualize things all the time!  :-)</p>
<p>The key to visualizing what we want in life is to be able to <em><strong>feel as though it is already happening</strong></em><em>.</em> By doing this, you are creating the energy needed to *get the ball rolling* so-to-speak.  Now, don&#8217;t take this as all you have to do is sit on your behind all day just visualizing what you want and it&#8217;s all going to be handed to you on a golden platter&#8211;on the contrary, my friend.  This brings us to the next step&#8230;</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>PLANNING</strong></span></p>
<p>In order to reach your desired outcome, you will need some sort of game plan or outline of some basic steps that you feel may be required in obtaining your goal.  Keep in mind that this is just an <strong><em>OUTLINE</em></strong>&#8211;no one can possibly have everything mapped out to a *T*; there are always the unknown variables that one must consider and accept the fact that they may occur.  Once you have a plan in place, you can then take&#8230;</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ACTION</span></strong></p>
<p>By taking the action you feel is necessary in reaching your dream, you will find that many doors begin to open for you.  However, do not expect miracles to happen overnight&#8211;<em><strong>every person has their idea of what success is and every person has a different timeline for achieving that success</strong></em>.  Don&#8217;t get discouraged when you come across a roadblock or setback&#8211;it usually means that you need to rethink your strategy and figure out a different solution that will bring you closer to your desired outcome.   This means that you need to practice the skill of&#8230;</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PATIENCE</span></strong></p>
<p>As I mentioned before, everyone is different.  <em><strong>Each and every person follows their own timeline</strong></em>.  Do NOT compare yourself to what the *other guy* is doing&#8211;you will only slow down your efforts.  You must remain flexible on your journey to your success.  You&#8217;ve visualized what you want to attain and created a basic plan of HOW you would like to obtain your goal&#8211;so now you must <strong><em>ALLOW </em></strong>things to happen.</p>
<p>It may all seem like you are taking baby steps at first&#8211;just remember that all those steps add up, and eventually, <strong><em>YOU WILL ACHIEVE YOUR OWN SUCCESS</em></strong>.  There is, however, one small important detail we should always be mindful of&#8211;and that is&#8230;</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">GRATITUDE!</span></strong></p>
<p>No matter how things pan out on your journey to greatness, you should ALWAYS take a moment each and every day to be grateful for at least one thing that has occurred in your life.  Think of this as your *Awards Acceptance Speech* to the Universe, God, Powers That Be, or whatever you wish to call the creative force that has enabled you to make your dreams and desires a reality.  When you give your heartfelt thanks and sincere gratitude for what you have, you will see that return on emotional investment (ROEI) come back to you threefold and then some!</p>
<p><a href="http://heathertaskovics.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/success_baby.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-525" title="success_baby" src="http://heathertaskovics.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/success_baby.jpg" alt="" width="323" height="237" /></a></p>
<p>Thank you so much for taking the time to read this latest posting.  As always, I value your opinion on the subjects that I write about, so please DO leave a comment and let me know what your thoughts are.</p>
<p>If you enjoyed what you&#8217;ve read, by all means share it with the world via Twitter, Facebook or another social media of your choice.  It is greatly appreciated.  :-)</p>
<p>Until next time&#8230;</p>
<p>TO YOUR SUCCESS AND GREATNESS!!!</p>
<p>Much love to you all,</p>
<p><strong>Heather Taskovics<br />
 </strong> &#8220;On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life&#8221;<br />
 <a href="http://heathertaskovics.net">http://heathertaskovics.net</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/show-me-the-results-how-to-create-your-own-success-story/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Your Personal Hour &#8211; Taking Time For Yourself</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/your-personal-hour-taking-time-for-yourself/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/your-personal-hour-taking-time-for-yourself/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:25:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holiday survival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personal growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relaxation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-improvement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=458</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>AHHHHH, I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!</em></strong> For me, it starts with Halloween and ends on New Year's Day.  I love seeing all the holiday decorations, listening to the music and enjoying the positive energy that flows throughout the season.  At the same time, the holidays can be a time of stress for many people...</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fyour-personal-hour-taking-time-for-yourself%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fyour-personal-hour-taking-time-for-yourself%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p><strong><em>AHHHHH, I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!</em></strong> For me, it starts with Halloween and ends on New Year&#8217;s Day.  I love seeing all the holiday decorations, listening to the music and enjoying the positive energy that flows throughout the season.  At the same time, the holidays can be a time of stress for many people, which is why it is so important to take a few moments each day to dedicate to your own personal needs&#8211;be it reading a book, meditating, doing yoga, pilates, etc&#8230;anything that you feel would benefit you, nourish you, rejuvenate you.<br />
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="344" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Cx-YfcEtoQ&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x234900&amp;color2=0x4e9e00" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Cx-YfcEtoQ&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x234900&amp;color2=0x4e9e00" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
</p>
<p>Taking those precious moments to devote to something that gives you joy is a wonderful gift you could ever give to yourself&#8211;not just during the holiday season, but all year long!  You will feel more at ease and be able to enjoy this wonderful and celebratory time of year with your friends and family.  Thank you so much for stopping by!  I&#8217;d love to know your thoughts on the subject, so please do leave a comment at the bottom.  If you enjoyed what you read, go ahead and share this on Twitter and Facebook.</p>
<p>Below is a musical gift from me to you.  You may save it to your computer for future listening enjoyment.<br />
 <a href="http://heathertaskovics.net/audio/WexfordCarol.mp3">Download audio file (WexfordCarol.mp3)</a></p>
<p> Happy Holidays To You And Yours!  *&lt;:-)</p>
<p>Heather Taskovics<br />
 &#8220;On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life&#8221;<br />
 <a href="http://heathertaskovics.net" target="_blank"> http://heathertaskovics.net</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/your-personal-hour-taking-time-for-yourself/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>14</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Never Give Up:  The Power Of Moving Forward</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/moving-forward/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/moving-forward/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:30:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visualization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visualizing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=415</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last night, while I was watching the movie, "Meet The Robinsons,"  there was a scene that particularly caught my attention.  The main character was wondering why all the members of the Robinson family (who were all inventors) persisted on creating new inventions, even if they proved to be a tremendous failure...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fmoving-forward%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fmoving-forward%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p>Last night, while I was watching the movie, &#8220;Meet The Robinsons,&#8221;  there was a scene that particularly caught my attention.  The main character was wondering why all the members of the Robinson family (who were all inventors) persisted on creating new inventions, even if they proved to be a tremendous failure.  One of the Robinson&#8217;s promptly replied that without failure, you&#8217;d never learn whether or not something works.  They refused to allow failure to stop them from moving forward with their experiments and, eventually, were able to create something that does work.</p>
<blockquote><p><em><strong> &#8220;Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.&#8221;</strong></em></p>
<p>~ Walt Disney</p></blockquote>
<p>More often than not, we prevent ourselves from trying new things&#8211;anything that is out of our *comfort zone*&#8211;because we are afraid that it will fail.  Our egos try to protect us from disappointment by holding us back from taking risks.  It is so much easier to just stick with what we know, rather than moving forward in curiosity and going for something that we&#8217;ve never done before.</p>
<p>So what happens when we decide to take that leap of faith and try something that we&#8217;ve never done before?  Chances are, you may not succeed the first time&#8211;and that is ok!  All too often, people take on a new idea and run with it, only to find that it did not turn out the way they expected.  That is when their egos tell them &#8220;See&#8230;I told you so!&#8221; and they go back to their more *comfortable* way of life.</p>
<p>Rather than giving into your ego when something goes awry, just learn from your mistakes and *move forward*.  You will find that through trial and error you are learning what does and does not work&#8211;this, in turn, will lead you to a more successful outcome.  It may happen after a couple of tries or it may take thousands of attempts before you see any signs of success.</p>
<p>As Thomas Edison once put it:</p>
<blockquote><p><em><strong>&#8220;Many of life&#8217;s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.&#8221;</strong></em></p></blockquote>
<p>One way to ensure a more successful outcome is by <a title="WHY DO WE DO THIS AND HOW DO WE GET THERE? – CREATING POSITIVE ENERGY TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS" href="http://heathertaskovics.net/creating-positive-energy-success/" target="_blank">visualizing</a> yourself completing the task and seeing it work for you.  Once you feel you have seen it in your mind in full detail, then write down exactly what you visualized and take the necessary actions required to make your visualization a reality.</p>
<p>Just remember that the only real failure is when you stop pursuing your goals.  If something doesn&#8217;t work the first time, review the process that you used to figure out where it was unsuccessful and try again.  Eventually, YOU WILL achieve the success that you are striving for&#8211;it just takes time.</p>
<p><img class="size-full wp-image-420 alignright" title="keep_moving_forward" src="http://heathertaskovics.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/keep_moving_forward.jpg" alt="keep_moving_forward" width="280" height="243" /></p>
<p>I would really love to know your thoughts on this, so please take a moment and leave a comment in the section below.</p>
<p>If you like what you&#8217;ve read, sign up for my blog and share this with all your friends on Twitter and Facebook.</p>
<p>Until next time&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>TO YOUR SUCCESS IN HEALTH AND PROSPERITY!</strong></p>
<p>Heather Taskovics<br />
&#8220;On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life&#8221;<br />
<a title="HeatherTaskovics.net" href="http://heathertaskovics.net" target="_blank"> http://heathertaskovics.net</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/moving-forward/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>26</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur! (Part 3:  What Is Affiliate Marketing?)</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-3-affiliate-marketing/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-3-affiliate-marketing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:15:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Helpful Tips And Strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affiliate marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[network marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=337</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<strong><em>WOOHOO! </em></strong>So you've read <a title="So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur! (Part 1: Figuring Out What You Want To Do)" href="http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-1/" target="_blank">Part1</a> and <a title="So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur! (Part 2: What Is An MLM?)" href="http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-2-mlm/" target="_blank">Part 2</a> of this blog series in your valiant quest to become an entrepreneur and you find that there is still one more question burning from within the depths of your...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fso-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-3-affiliate-marketing%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fso-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-3-affiliate-marketing%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p><strong><em>WOOHOO! </em></strong>So you&#8217;ve read <a title="So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur!  (Part 1:  Figuring Out What You Want To Do)" href="http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-1/">Part1</a> and <a title="So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur!  (Part 2:  What Is An MLM?)" href="http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-2-mlm/">Part 2</a> of this blog series in your valiant quest to become an entrepreneur and you find that there is still one more question burning from within the depths of your soul:  &#8221;What Is Affiliate Marketing?&#8221;</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Affiliate Marketing Defined</strong></span></p>
<p>Affiliate Marketing is a type of marketing system by which companies pay a commission to people (affiliates) for referring their products and/or services to the rest of the world.  It is fairly popular with first-time internet marketers as it can be an easy way to earn some extra money.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>The Various Types Of Affiliate Marketing Programs</strong></span></p>
<p>Here are the three types of programs that you will typically find:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Pay Per Click </strong></li>
<li><strong>Pay Per Lead</strong></li>
<li><strong>Pay Per Sale</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Pay Per Click (PPC)</strong> &#8211; Not to be confused with Pay Per Click related to Google Adwords, with this PPC, the affiliate is paid every time a banner ad or a link that is placed on the affiliate&#8217;s website has been clicked on.  Typically the affiliate is required to get a certain number of clicks on their links before they receive any compensation.  For these the pay is rather minimal and should not be used as a sole source of income.</p>
<p><strong>Pay Per Lead (PPL)</strong> &#8211; With PPL, the affiliate receives commissions every time a lead turns into a potential buyer.  Even though the buyer may not complete the purchase, the merchant believes that the lead is still valuable and therefore will pay the affiliate for that lead.</p>
<p><strong>Pay Per Sale (PPS)</strong> &#8211; PPS is the most common affiliate marketing pay system.  In this system, the affiliate receives commissions based on purchases made by the lead.  If the lead does not buy anything, the affiliate will receive no compensation.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Examples Of Affiliate Marketing Websites</strong></span></p>
<p>There are hundreds of affiliate marketing sites out there.  The following is a list of what I consider to be the <strong><em>*BIG THREE* </em></strong>in the industry:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.clickbank.com" target="_blank"><strong>Clickbank.com</strong></a> &#8211; This is by far the most popular website for finding affiliate marketing opportunities.  There are thousands upon thousands of products available to market&#8211;there are even detailed sales stats to help you choose which product(s) to market.  Because many of these products are digital, you can easily earn as much as 75% commissions.</li>
<li><a href="https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Amazon.com Affiliate Program</strong></a> &#8211; Since 1996, everyone&#8217;s favorite place to shop for books, CDs, DVDs and clothing (and just about anything else you can think of!), has had an affiliate program.  You can earn as much as 15% on purchases and they provide widgets that you can post on your blog site as well as links for marketing on social networks.  Many people create complete online *stores* just with Amazon.com affiliate links.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.cj.com/" target="_blank">CommissionJunction.com</a></strong> &#8211; Basically, this is THE place to find merchants that offer affiliate programs.  It is a central location through which you would receive your commissions earned from numerous merchants that you choose to market.  CJ provides you with the affiliate links, which include imbedded tracking code so that you can monitor the performance metrics of the link.</li>
</ul>
<p>And thus concludes the <strong><em>&#8220;So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur&#8221;</em></strong> series.  I hope you have found this article series useful in your search for finding the right marketing opportunity and learning a bit about the industry.  If you like what you have read, go ahead and share it on Twitter and Facebook.</p>
<p>And by all means, please DO leave your comments in the space provided below.  I would love to hear from you.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for joining me on this fantastic journey!</p>
<p>As always, until next time&#8230;</p>
<p>TO YOUR SUCCESS!</p>
<p>Heather Taskovics<br />
 &#8220;On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life&#8221;<br />
 <a href="http://heathertaskovics.net">http://heathertaskovics.net</a></p>
</p>
<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-337'><a class='like' href="javascript:wp_likes.like(337);" title='' ><img src="http://heathertaskovics.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-likes/images/like.png" alt='' border='0'/>Like</a><span class='text'></span>
<div class='unlike'><a href="javascript:wp_likes.unlike(337);">Unlike</a></div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-3-affiliate-marketing/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Perfection:  Letting Go Of The Myth And Allowing Creativity To Grow</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/perfection-letting-go-of-myth-allowing-creative-growth/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/perfection-letting-go-of-myth-allowing-creative-growth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:20:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Lessons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Discovery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wellness]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=340</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As human beings, we constantly strive to achieve ultimate perfection in our lives--the perfect life, the perfect body, the perfect clothes, perfect looks, etc.  In reality, the idea of perfection is simply a myth created by our egos--IT SIMPLY DOES NOT EXIST--at least, not in the sense that we have been trained to believe...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fperfection-letting-go-of-myth-allowing-creative-growth%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fperfection-letting-go-of-myth-allowing-creative-growth%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p>As human beings, we constantly strive to achieve ultimate perfection in our lives&#8211;the perfect life, the perfect body, the perfect clothes, perfect looks, etc.  In reality, the idea of perfection is simply a myth created by our egos&#8211;IT SIMPLY DOES NOT EXIST&#8211;at least, not in the sense that we have been trained to believe.</p>
<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="340" height="285" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fjRGFgb6T4Y&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;border=1" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="340" height="285" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fjRGFgb6T4Y&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p>
<p>Once you ACCEPT YOURSELF FOR WHO YOU ARE and realize that the perfection actually lies in your ability to make mistakes and encourage creative growth within yourself, you will be able to appreciate what you are doing and achieve more in your life than you ever thought possible!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for stopping by!  I would love to know what your thoughts are on this subject, so please feel free to add a comment below.</p>
<p>If you like what you read today, go ahead and share it with your friends on Twitter.</p>
<p>Until next time…</p>
<p>To YOUR HEALTH AND SUCCESS!</p>
<p>Heather Taskovics<br />
“On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life”<br />
<a href="http://heathertaskovics.net">http://heathertaskovics.net</a></p>
<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-340'><a class='like' href="javascript:wp_likes.like(340);" title='' ><img src="http://heathertaskovics.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-likes/images/like.png" alt='' border='0'/>Like</a><span class='text'></span>
<div class='unlike'><a href="javascript:wp_likes.unlike(340);">Unlike</a></div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/perfection-letting-go-of-myth-allowing-creative-growth/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Staying The Course To Achieve Your Dreams</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/staying-the-course-to-achieve-your-dreams/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/staying-the-course-to-achieve-your-dreams/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:17:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Lessons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[overcoming obstacles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Positive Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Discovery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=333</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are times when we feel overwhelmed by all that we are doing in our quest to see our goals and dreams come to fruition.  We even find ourselves wondering WHY we even started in the first place and WHY do we keep going despite setbacks, defeatist comments from well-meaning friends and even self-defeating internal chatter from our egos...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fstaying-the-course-to-achieve-your-dreams%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fstaying-the-course-to-achieve-your-dreams%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p>There are times when we feel overwhelmed by all that we are doing in our quest to see our goals and dreams come to fruition.  We even find ourselves wondering WHY we even started in the first place and WHY do we keep going despite setbacks, defeatist comments from well-meaning friends and even self-defeating internal chatter from our egos.<br />
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="340" height="285" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b8D4FGMw60I&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x234900&amp;color2=0x4e9e00&amp;border=1" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="340" height="285" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b8D4FGMw60I&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x234900&amp;color2=0x4e9e00&amp;border=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p>
<p>Having these moments of self-doubt about what you are doing is COMPLETELY NORMAL&#8211;the key is to remember WHY you started on your path to greatness in the first place, then you can brush yourself off and get right back on that bike and keep going until you reach your destination.  You will realize, in the end, that IT WAS ALWAYS WORTH IT!</p>
<p>I would love to know what your thoughts are on this subject, so please feel free to add a comment below.</p>
<p>If you like what you read today, go ahead and share it with your friends on Twitter.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for stopping by!  Until next time&#8230;</p>
<p>To YOUR HEALTH AND SUCCESS!</p>
<p>Heather Taskovics<br />
&#8220;On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life&#8221;<br />
<a href="http://heathertaskovics.net">http://heathertaskovics.net</a></p>
<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-333'><a class='like' href="javascript:wp_likes.like(333);" title='' ><img src="http://heathertaskovics.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-likes/images/like.png" alt='' border='0'/>Like</a><span class='text'></span>
<div class='unlike'><a href="javascript:wp_likes.unlike(333);">Unlike</a></div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/staying-the-course-to-achieve-your-dreams/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>14</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur! (Part 2:  What Is An MLM?)</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-2-mlm/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-2-mlm/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:47:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Helpful Tips And Strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1Up/2Up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[binary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breakaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensation plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensation plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[matrices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[matrix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mlm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[network marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pay plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pay plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unilevel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=242</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<em><strong>Congratulations!</strong></em> You've decided to forge your way into the unknown and take the plunge in to the world where men and women are kings and queens of their own destiny--the world of the entrepreneurs.  If you've read <a href="http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-1/" target="_blank">Part 1</a> of this series, then you've created your list of what you desire out of life and are now ready to decide whether to go with an MLM company or...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fso-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-2-mlm%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fso-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-2-mlm%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p><em><strong>Congratulations!</strong></em> You&#8217;ve decided to forge your way into the unknown and take the plunge in to the world where men and women are kings and queens of their own destiny&#8211;the world of the entrepreneurs.  If you&#8217;ve read <a title="So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur!  (Part 1:  Figuring Out What You Want To Do)" href="http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-1/">Part 1</a> of this series, then you&#8217;ve created your list of what you desire out of life and are now ready to decide whether to go with an MLM company or become and affiliate marketer.  In Part 2 of this series, we are going to focus on MLM and what it&#8217;s all about.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>MLM Defined</strong></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">MLM or </span><em><span style="text-decoration: none;"><strong>Multi-level Marketing</strong> </span></em><span style="text-decoration: none;">(also known as </span><em><span style="text-decoration: none;"><strong>Network Marketing</strong>)</span></em><span style="text-decoration: none;">, is a type of marketing system in which companies contract people to work as distributors and sell their products and/or services to others&#8211;either in person, over the phone or via the Internet.  The multi-level part comes in when the distributor enlists other people to become distributors under him/her and earn an income.  Depending on the type of MLM system that is used, a certain percentage of the money from products or services sold is passed on to the distributor.</span></span></strong></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>The Many Facets of MLM &#8211; Compensation Plans</strong></span></p>
<p>There are several ways that an entrepreneur can get compensated for their efforts in MLM.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Unilevel</strong></li>
<li><strong>Forced Matrix</strong></li>
<li><strong>Binary</strong></li>
<li><strong>Breakaway</strong></li>
<li><strong>1Up/2Up</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Of all the different compensation plans out there, the <strong><em>Unilevel, Forced Matrix </em></strong>and <strong><em>Binary</em></strong> plans are the most common that companies use to pay distributors.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: none;">Unilevel Pay Plan</span>:</strong> The distributor is typically paid the highest on their front line&#8211;those who have been personally recruited&#8211;and earns a small percentage on every level built in their downline.  Then there are Unilevel pay plans that compensate only a small amount for personal enrollments and a higher percentage on the downline levels.  There is usually no limit to the number of people that can be sponsored on the front line; however, with most companies there is a limit to the number of levels a distributor can have.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: none;">Forced Matrix Plan</span></strong><strong>:</strong> This plan is basically the same as the Unilevel plan, with one exception: There is a limit to the number of people you can sponsor on the frontline.  This means that if, for instance, you had a 3X5 Forced Matrix, then you could only have 3 direct referrals&#8211;anyone you get to sign on after your initial three would then be placed under one of your three.  This process would continue until you have filled all five levels and then you would &#8220;cycle out&#8221; and start again.  Once you&#8217;ve sponsored your 3, then you can focus on helping them train their 3, etc.  This is actually a great way to grow your team and see profits increase faster.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: none;">Binary Pay Plan</span></strong><strong>:</strong> In this plan you have two &#8220;legs&#8221; with an infinite number of levels in your downline.  You are compensated based on the number of people in your weakest leg&#8211;if you have 30 people in one leg and 20 people in the other, you will only receive payment for the leg with 20 people in it.  The idea behind this is that you have more of an incentive to help your downline in the weaker leg and balance the legs in order to be able to receive full compensation for everyone in your downline.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: none;">Breakaway Pay Plan</span></strong><strong>:</strong> This plan, also known as a <strong><em>Stairstep Breakaway Plan</em></strong>, is actually the first and oldest (circa 1959) type of pay plan ever used in the industry&#8211;and is still widely used to this day.  What is interesting is that once you have achieved a specific qualification level, then you and your downline &#8220;break away&#8221; from your upline&#8211;become what is known as a <strong><em>generation&#8211;</em></strong>and you will receive higher commissions.  Your sponsor receives a small commission, known as an <strong><em>override commission</em><span style="font-weight: normal;">, as compensation for losing you and your downline. </span></strong> The problem with this is when someone in your downline breaks away, your commissions suddenly become significantly less than before&#8211;the override commission doesn&#8217;t usually make up for the loss of income.  This is just another incentive to continually build your frontline.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: none;">1 Up/2Up</span></strong><strong>:</strong> Typically used with high-ticket products and/or services, the 1Up/2Up compensation plan goes like this:  The first sale you make (or first 2 sales as in the 2Up plan) goes directly to your sponsor&#8211;any sales you make after that first one (or two) then go to you.  The same applies to those in your downline&#8211;you would receive the first 1-2 sales that your frontline gets and they would keep the rest.  This is not usually recommended for the newbie entrepreneur; however, that is for YOU to decide!</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Just Remember This&#8230;</strong></span></p>
<p>It is extremely important to understand your company&#8217;s compensation plan in order to best use it to your advantage&#8211;<strong><em>however, no compensation plan can work for you if you do not believe in the products/services that you are marketing</em></strong>.  If you joined a company solely for the pay plan in hopes of becoming a gazillionaire and could care less about WHAT you are marketing, then you need to re-think what you are doing, because I can guarantee you that you will not succeed unless you are 100% sold on what you are marketing.  Make sure you do your homework and learn everything you can about the company and products/services in addition to the compensation plan and you will be you will be on your way to seeing real success in your business.</p>
<p>Well, that&#8217;s it for this installment of &#8220;So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur&#8221;.   <a title="So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur!  (Part 3:  What Is Affiliate Marketing?)" href="http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-3-affiliate-marketing/">Part 3</a> will focus on affiliate marketing and using sites like <a href="http://www.clickbank.com/index.html" target="_blank">Clickbank</a>, <a href="http://www.getresponse.com/index/htaskovics" target="_blank">GetResponse</a> and <a href="http://aweber.com/?325013" target="_blank">Aweber</a> for your business.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for reading this.  I&#8217;d LOVE to hear from you.  Please take a moment to share any thoughts you have on this post.  If you enjoyed this content, feel free to share this with all your friends!</p>
<p>To YOUR  SUCCESS!</p>
<p>Heather Taskovics<br />
 &#8220;On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life&#8221;<br />
 <a href="http://heathertaskovics.net">http://heathertaskovics.net</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-2-mlm/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur!  (Part 1:  Figuring Out What You Want To Do)</title>
		<link>http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-1/</link>
		<comments>http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Entry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Helpful Tips And Strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finding your niche]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how-to]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[network marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[niche market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organization skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heathertaskovics.net/?p=188</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<em><strong>Hooray!</strong></em> You've decided that you've had enough of working long hours to make someone else's piggy bank expand while watching yours shrink from starvation.  You now want to join the ranks of those who want to reclaim their destiny, rather than leaving it at the hands of someone else.  You are an independent thinker who wants to be your own boss and earn millions of dollars so that you can...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fso-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-1%2F"><br />
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fheathertaskovics.net%2Fso-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-1%2F&amp;source=htaskovics&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly" height="61" width="50" /><br />
			</a>
		</div>
<p><em><strong>Hooray!</strong></em> You&#8217;ve decided that you&#8217;ve had enough of working long hours to make someone else&#8217;s piggy bank expand while watching yours shrink from starvation.  You now want to join the ranks of those who want to reclaim their destiny, rather than leaving it at the hands of someone else.  You are an independent thinker who wants to be your own boss and earn millions of dollars so that you can drive around in your new Lamborghini and take vacations on the southern shores of France in your little chateau by the beach whenever the mood strikes you.  You have decided to become:  <strong><em>AN ENTREPRENEUR</em></strong>.  <em>TA-DAH!</em></p>
<p>So now what?</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Finding Your Niche</span></strong></p>
<p>Determining your niche market is fun to do, but it can take some time.  You want to make sure that you&#8217;ve done your due diligence and the proper research to find what works for you and is of an interest to many.</p>
<p>There are a some of the things that need to be done first:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Create a list of what interests you</strong>&#8211;things that get you excited and inspire you to take actiion and see it through to completion.</li>
<li><strong>If you have decided to get involved in Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) or Affiliate Marketing, then do the research to determine what it is you would like to promote</strong> (more about how to do this in Parts 2 and 3).</li>
<li><strong>Write out a game plan of actions that you want to take to achieve your goal.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Keep a schedule of tasks that you want to accomplish each day that will bring you closer to your goal.</strong> It helps to write them out the night before in preparation for the following day.</li>
<li><strong>Write down your WHY</strong>&#8211;There are no right or wrong answers here&#8211;these are <strong><em>YOUR PERSONAL REASONS</em></strong> that remind you <strong><em>WHY </em></strong>you have decided to become an entrepreneur.  You will want to refer to this as often as possible to help keep you on track.</li>
<li><strong>Be constant and consistent.</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>These are just a few simple actions that can be easy to accomplish&#8211;as long as you are willing to do them.  Understand that if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur you need to commit yourself to staying on the path to achieving your goal, regardless of the ups and downs along the way.  Don&#8217;t be afraid of making mistakes&#8211;it is how you learn and grow to become the successful entrepreneur that you envision yourself as being.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>The Journey Can Be Even More Important Than The Destination</strong></span></p>
<p>While it is important to have an end goal in mind (the fame, the fortune and the chateau in France), you should also be aware of the present moment&#8211;that is:  what you are doing right here, right now and what is going on at that time.  Don&#8217;t become so attached to the final outcome that you fail to see even the most subtle of opportunities that arise on your path to greatness&#8211;this can either shorten or extend your route.</p>
<p>When we are mindful of our actions and what is going on around us we find ourselves more satisfied with the results of those actions; rather than going about our tasks without any thought whatsoever and wondering how it is exactly that we even got to the finish line.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>And Now We Begin To Eat The Elephant&#8230;</strong></span></p>
<p>In the beginning, it may seem a bit daunting to see where you are now, where you want to be and all the work that needs to be done to get there.  The idea is to start from the beginning and <strong>START SMALL</strong>.  Write down that list of goals and things that interest you and keep that list with you at all times as a reminder of <strong><em>WHY </em></strong>you decided to become an entrepreneur.  What may seem like small footsteps eventually end up becoming miles&#8211;and all those steps can add up rather quickly if you let them.  Further on down the road you&#8217;ll be able to look back and admire all those accomplishments (BIG and small) that you have achieved along the way.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>We Are Always Works In Progress</strong></span></p>
<p>The most successful entrepreneurs are constantly reading, studying and educating themselves in order to stay ahead of the game.  They know that things are always changing&#8211;technology, socio-economic environments, politics, etc.  They also realize that in order to grow they, too, should adapt and evolve.</p>
<p>Make a point to be consuming as much information as possible.  Attend seminars and classes&#8211;you can even check out the latest videos from your favorite entrepreneurs on YouTube.  Read the latest books on whatever niche it is that you have chosen; subscribe to trade magazines, ezines, blogs, and the like.</p>
<p>Just something to note:  <strong>In order to ensure success in business, you must also ensure success in life</strong>; therefore it is also very important to be good to yourself:  eat a healthy diet, exercise (i.e. yoga, pilates, tai chi, running, etc.), meditate, read self-help books, check out blogs, watch videos and listen to audio recordings in order to <strong><em>improve your life mentally, physically and spiritually</em></strong>.</p>
<p>You cannot expect to succeed in business while staying in one place with old mindsets and attitudes.  <strong><em>Education should be the #1 most important investment you ever make</em></strong>&#8211;the rewards will definitely outweigh the risks.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of the &#8220;So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur&#8221; series.  <a title="So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur!  (Part 2:  What Is An MLM?)" href="http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-2-mlm/">Part 2</a> will cover the different compensation plans that companies use.</p>
<p>If you found this information to be valuable, go ahead and share it with all your friends.   You can even leave a comment below with your own tips on choosing a niche.  I&#8217;d love to hear from you!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for stopping by.</p>
<p>TO YOUR SUCCESS!</p>
<p>Heather Taskovics<br />
 &#8220;On A Mission To Help You Achieve Success In Life&#8221;<br />
 <a href="http://heathertaskovics.net">http://heathertaskovics.net<br />
 </a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://heathertaskovics.net/so-you-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-part-1/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>12</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

<!-- Dynamic page generated in 0.756 seconds. -->
<!-- Cached page generated by WP-Super-Cache on 2010-03-10 06:35:16 -->
