Happy New Year

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

What are you thinking about on this last day of 2007? Has it been a good year? Was 2007 a learning year? Was 2007 a year of barriers that were overcome by determination and persistance?

Take a few minutes tonight before going to bed and look at your accomplishments from the year. Think about all those things you did that you never every thought you would or could do. I don’t know anyone that as a kid decided that he wanted to be a network marketer, or a salesman. I know of very few that even in high school were able to get up and give a speech without getting butterflies. I know of some who when they went into college knew exactly what they wanted to do with their lives but changed their major 2 – 3- and even 4 times before graduating.

Life is all about change. It is all about looking forward.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
0-200 IN 6 SEC

Ed was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary.

His wife was really mad. She told him “Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to200 in 6 seconds, AND IT BETTER BE THERE.

“The next morning, Ed got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window, and sure enough, there was a medium-sized gift-wrapped box in the middle of the driveway.Confused, the wife put on her robe, ran out to the driveway,and brought the box back into the house.

She opened it and found a brand-new bathroom scale.

Funeral services for Ed have been scheduled for Friday.

Thought for Today:

Joy can only be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.

-Leonard Tolstoy

Tips and Techniques

Do join me in the conference room as you are able. Come with your questions. Our job is to help you build your business no matter what business you have decided to hang your hat upon. There are many skills to learn and master – we can help.

Happy designing!

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Giving – The Strategy

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

What will the world remember you for? As long as you are alive in someones heart, you live. I think one of my favorite lines in my favorite movie of all times is, it is not how much you love, but how much you are loved by others. Do you know the movie? Do you know who delivered that line?

It’s better to do something for nothing than nothing for nothing.

You wouldn’t think that anyone as big in the entertainment field as Jay Leno or Kenny Rogers needs to do something for nothing, but they do. Both realize that some of the best word of mouth advertising they could have would be taxi drivers raving about their shows. And so they are known to haven given a special show for taxi drivers at two in the morning. Otherwise, they could never afford to go.

This marketing strategy extends to freelancing too. Is there something productive you can be doing instead of nothing?
Something that is an investment in the future? How can you
demonstrate or give a sample of what you’re selling or presenting?

I like to teach, no I love to teach and so do four classes every week at no cost. Its a wonderful life. Giving is the only way.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Baby Jesus

It was the day after Christmas at a church in LosAngeles. The pastor of the church was looking over the cradle when he noticed that the baby Jesus was missing from among the figures.Immediately he turned and went outside and saw a little boy with a red wagon and in the wagon was the figure of the little infant Jesus.

So he walked up to the boy and said, “Well, where did you get Him, my fine friend?”

The little boy replied, “I got him from the church.”

“And why did you take him?”

The boy replied, “Well about a week before Christmas I prayed to the little Lord Jesus and I told him if he would bring me a red wagon for Christmas I would give him a ride around the block in it.”

Tips and Techniques

When I first started doing web design for other people, I started with non-profit organizations that wanted to do fund raising. I did the site with no cost other than being able to put a small logo in the lower left corner and a created by line in the footer of the web sites. By giving the site freely, my work was seen by literally thousands on their list. Great strategy!

Happy designing!

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The Persuit of Happiness

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

Did this past year do everything you wanted it to do? Or the better question would be, did you accomplish everything you wanted in 2007? I hate to tell you, but many people believe that time should do it. There are many people that readily blame luck or destiny to the shortcomings in their own life and livingness. Can you even imagine such a thing? There are even some who could not accept responsibility for their own life if their life depended on it. It is so much easier to blame circumstances than to look within. It so much easier to expect life to give happiness, that it is for you to create happiness out of the life you have been given.

In the US the Constitution gives us the right to persue happiness. But is it a thing? Is happiness something we look for outside ourselves?

Is happiness an emotion?

Is happiness a thing?

Is happiness attained by keeping the right company?

Is happiness something you can buy with any amount of money?

Is happiness the same thing for every human being?

Is everyone who is considered a success happy?

How does one become happy?

It is really a very easy answer – one simply decides to be happy.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
A New Kind of Car

Two guys sat down for lunch in the office cafeteria.

“Hey, whatever happened to Pete in payroll?” one asked.

“He got this harebrained notion he was going to build a new kind ofcar,” his co-worker replied.

“How was he going to do it?”

“He took an engine from a Pontiac, tires from a Chevy, seats from a Lincoln, hubcaps from Caddy and, well, you get the idea.”

“So what did he end up with?”

“Ten years to life.”

Thought for Today:

Never fear shadows. They simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere nearby.
– Ruth E. Renkel

Tips and Techniques

Define happiness, what is it for you? I can tell you, for me it is contentment. To be content with whatever I have and whatever has been given to me no matter what. It took a very long time to fully understand that everything works toward good.

Happy designing!

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Evaluate Carefully

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

Tis the day after Christmas. The stores should be busy, busy today. Now is the time to do your shopping for next year. This is what is known as thinking ahead for sure.

If you have never done it before, now is the time to open a savings account strictly for Christmas next year. This is one way to beat the trap of charging so much during the Holidays.

There are now 5 days to the new year. What will the new year bring for your. -another year older and deeper in
debt – another year of the same as last year or even the last five? The truth of the matter is it will unless you do something different. Let’s get to the gut of the matter here. Get rid of all those things that have not produced the expected result. But be careful at the same time to hang on to those that have not yet prodcued but yet hold a promise for you.

One of the lessons to learn from the movie, It’s A Wonderful Life is to maintain your cool when everything around you seems to be falling apart. Mr Potter was a wise business man but not a very good man. George Baily beat him at every turn, but the one thing they both had in common was keeping their cool during the depression. They knew the lesson of holding on to what they knew was good to tread water and be faithful.

Again we are at the top of the success cycle evalute carefully as you write your business plan.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Smell

Natalie, 6, and her 2-year-old little sister woke up Christmas morning. All their expectations about gifts that Santa would bring were met.

As Natalie opened up her new pajamas and quickly put them on, she ran up to her mother with her sleeve sticking out and said, “Smell, smell this Mama.”

As her mother obediently bent down to take a sniff of the new garment, Natalie said, “Smell, this is what Santa’s house smells like!”

Thought for Today:

“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tips and Techniques

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Better than great in 2008

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

Better than great in 2008 is that your target? Is that what you will be aiming for? What if you could just make a 10% improvement in everything you do? What would 10% increase in income mean for you and your family? What would a 10% reduction in your overall debt do for you?

These can and should be very big questions for you in working on your business plan for the new year.

Are you ready to hit your target? Do you remember the rules?

Ready

Aim

Fire

It takes planning to get ready. It takes knowing the target exactly. It takes a focus on the target to the point that nothing else exists except that which you are aiming for. There can be no distractions. With this kind of focus on the target imagine what you are capable of doing.

The biggest single fear is not that you will fail, but that you just might succeed.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
911 Call:

A man called 911 and spoke frantically into the phone, “My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutesapart!”

“Is this her first child?” the dispatcher asked. ”

No, you idiot!” the man shouted, “This is her husband!”

Thought for Today:

The odds of hitting a target go up dramatically when you aim at it. – Mal Pancoast

Tips and Techniques

It’s almost here, do you hear it?

Now is the time to decide on your menu for Christmas dinner. Does your family have favorites? I know mine does. Even the little ones are getting in on the planning. All it takes is a simple question, “What do you want your Nonnie to make you for Christmas dinner?” Orange juice rolls and popovers come to the top of the list.

What are your family favorites?

Orange Juice Rolls

Make a recipe of Bisquick biscuits
roll the dough out to about 1/2 in thickness
sprinke with cinnamon and sugar
roll like a cinnimon roll
cut into 10- 12 slices

In a 9×13 pan
pour in 1 can defrosted orange juice
1 C sugar
mix thoroughly

lay the roll into the orange juice cut side down
Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top
turn out onto a large serving platter
serve warm

Enjoy

Happy designing!

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The Joy of Giving

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

The joy of giving is like none other you can imagine.

What would you be giving beyond yourself and your family? As a Christian, I grew up with the “rule” 10-10-80, you know 10% to the Church, 10% to savings and live on the 80%. It certainly is easy to say, but very hard to do.

I always remember what it was like to pinch pennies. My husband would tell me too, “take care of your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.”

Money in, money out is at the heart of your business. While money is not everything and it is not the most important thing, without it the body of the business will not grow.

Where should that 10% you should be giving, where should it go? It should be going beyond you. What do you care about? Where do you get your spiritual guidance? When you begin to think beyond paying the bills and giving till it hurts, it just plain doesn’t hurt. Nothing feels better.

Start somewhere, maybe with time first. Volunteers are always needed. What about helping at the local soup kitchen? What about helping to fill the food boxes for the poor? What about your favorite charity? You don’t have one, Oh my! Now is a good time to decide that you are going to go beyond yourself and support one.

I worked in pediatrics for many years. One of my favorite things to do was to go to peds in the hospital and just hold the babies and talk to them. Many children are taken to the hospital and forgotten until it is time to take them home again.

What about the older people who have no one left in the world. But it isn’t just at Christmas time that volunteers are needed. Can you imagine what a change you could make if you gave 10% of your time.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers

Fall

I recall a time when my son was about 18 months old. I had him strapped in a backpack and was rushing to catch the bus. Apparently I mis-stepped and fell down an entire flight of stairs, (13 to be exact). I was bruised, bleeding and I had torn my jeans … but my main concern was, naturally, for my child. My fears were alleviated though when from behind me I heard a gleeful giggle followed by,

“Again!”

Thought for Today:

“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.”
Friedrich Engels

Tips and Techniques

We are under the wire now with 5 days left till Christmas. Now is the time to start planning for that big day. To help take the stress out of the preparation do as much ahead of time as you can. Almost the last thing I do is bake the cookies and make the fudge. I used to try to do it early but by Christmas it was all gone. I prepare mixes now early before Christmas now, then they are ready to add the milk and eggs for baking. Now I don’t have to tell anyone to “stay out of the cookies”

Happy designing!

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Back Up Plan

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

Six days till Christmas and 13 to the New Year. I do believe I received 10 – 12 email messages this morning telling me that the last day to order before Christmas is the 17th which is as you know past.

Yesterday there was some kind of accident that brought down poles and with it our Internet and cable access. My daughter is right, I do go into withdrawls when I can’t get on line, but it is almost like losing your keys and can’t open the store.

There were no classes yesterday, there was no live help desk but I have to say, It was fun to go shopping for all the goodie making for Christmas.

I used to let this kind of thing bother me, but it just isn’t worth it. I am sorry that I was not available to my students and affiliates. I did have to call someone to ask him to let folks know I couldn’t get to my classes. I do have my VOIP phone forward to my cell phone so the few that really needed to reach me were able to. Do you have a back up plan in place? Things happen and sometimes at the most inoppertune time.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Twelve of the Most Terrifying Things to Hear
1. The dentist says: “This won’t hurt a bit.”
2. The IRS announces: “We are simplifying the taxforms.”
3. Your lawyer says: “This is an air-tight case– youcan’t lose.”
4. Your stock broker says: “This little drop in the market is just a minor correction.”
5. Your physician says: “You’re in great shape–you’ll live to be 100!”
6. Your business partner says: “Nothing can possiblygo wrong.”
7. Your best friend says: “Trust me–I’ll never tell a soul.”
8. The directions on a do-it-yourself kit say:”Even a child can do it.”
9. Your colleagues say: “We’re behind you 100%–we’ll back you up.”
10. Someone giving you directions says:”You can’t miss it.”
11. The airline pilot announces: “Just a bit of turbulence folks– nothing to worry about.”
12. A voice on the telephone says: “Congratulations! You’re an instant winner

Tips and Techniques

Speaking of back ups. Now at the end of the year, do you have your files ready to archive? Remember there is nothing out there better than digital archiving. Use high quality discs and at least your data will be protected for your lifetime.

Happy designing!

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Lest We Forget

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

This made me think, will it you?

“Benjamin Franklin is best known for his inventions (lightning rod) and his aphorisms (“early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”). But he was also a key figure when the thirteen colonies were giving birth to a new nation.

At the age of 81, Franklin was the oldest representative at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Weeks after the convention began, representatives were still haggling about the relative voting power of large states and small states. Then Franklin stood up and said, “In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously answered.…Have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived a long time, and the longer I live the more convincing proof I see of this truth, that

God governs in the affairs of men.…We have been assured, sir, that ‘except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it,’ and without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.” – William J. Petersen

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
10 Things You Rarely Hear in Church

1. Hey! It’s my turn to sit in the front pew!

2. I was so enthralled, I never noticed your sermonwent 25 minutes over time.

3. Personally I find witnessing much more enjoyable than golf.

4. I’ve decided to give our church the $500 a month I used to send to TV evangelists.

5. I volunteer to be the permanent teacher for the Junior High Sunday School class.

6. Forget the denominational minimum salary. Let’s pay our pastor so he can live like we do.

7. I love it when we sing hymns I’ve never heard before!

8. Since we’re all here, let’s start the service early.

9. Pastor, we’d like to send you to this Bible seminar in the Bahamas.

10. Nothing inspires me and strengthens my commitment like our annual stewardship campaign!

Thought for Today:

Only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly.
-Robert F. Kennedy

Tips and Techniques

As we approach the New Year, again we will have attention on resolutions and decisions. With so many by March they are forgotten or have gone by the wayside. I have a bit of a different take on goals. I have posted my goals outline for you at http://www.computerkrafts.com/businessplan.html go ahead grab it, then come to the goals class tonight is the last one until next year.

Happy designing!

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Theme Contest

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

11 days till Christmas and 17 days to a brand new year.

We can truly make or create a great 2008.

Its time for our fourth annual contest. A good theme for the new year. There are a lot of words that do rhyme with eight – what can you come up with?

Do you know what you want your business to do in the coming year? Where will you be at this same time next year? What vacation will you and your family take next summer? How much closer will you be to being 100% debt free?

If you don’t plan for it, you know the truth. Fail to plan and you plan to fail. Plan, but then work your plan.

It is probably the best advice I was ever given and it is probably the best advice I can give you. Think you can and your’re right; think you can’t and your’re right. You will only be as much as you plan to be and are willing to work for.

What skills do you need to learn? What is keeping you from the success you want more than anything?

Post your list in the blog so I know what tips you are looking for in the coming year – Oh and don’t forget to post your theme for the new year.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Gifts

The pastor was coming over for dinner on the day after Christmas.The family’s little girl had just received a new watch with an alarm on it and some perfume as gifts and couldn’t wait to show him.

However, the parents cautioned the girl not to pester the minister and wait until after dinner to show him her Christmas gifts.

Still, the little girl couldn’t quite hold in all her excitement, so just before they prayed a blessing over the meal, she leaned over to the pastor and whispered,”If you hear a little sound and smell something, it’s me.”

Thought for Today:

If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. -Moshe Dayan

Tips and Techniques

What do you recommend for learning PHP?

This was a question that came up during the coffee talk this morning. There are a number of places to learn PHP and CSS. One of my favorite is http://www.killerphp.com The videos are an excellent resource. W3Schools is another. As for writing PHP I have found that PSPad is an exceptional free editor.

Stu Nichols at http://www.cssplay.co.uk/ has a great site for learning some really cool css tricks.

Happy designing!

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Dying of Thirst

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

I just love this story in the Ice Breakers today. Pay close attention. Yes, it will make you smile but at the same time there is a moral to this story.

Sorry I am so late with this today, but I did I played hooky last night and did absolutely nothing but become a couch potato. You know sometimes that is a good thing to do. Rest and refresh – that’s my definition of R & R. Sometime you just have to take the time to recharge the batteries, to get a new outlook on life around you.

I posted a skeletin outline for a personal business plan that you are welcome to go get. If you have NVU or Kompozer, simply open the page into your application and you are ready to start filling in the blanks. I can guarentee it will get you to thinking about what is it your really want to do with your business.

http://www.computerkrafts.com/businessplan.html

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

Ice Breakers
Dying of Thirst

A man on a camel rode through miles of the sun-drenched
desert searching for some sign of life. His supplies were
running low when his camel died. Now on foot, he desperately sought refuge from the heat, and, most importantly, a source for water. Suddenly, he came across a vendor in the middle of the desert. “Thank God I found you!” the man cried. “Please help me. I’m in dire need of some water.”

“Well,” said the vendor, “I don’t have any water. But would
you like to buy one of these fine ties.”

“What am I going to do with a tie?” the man asked.

“That’s what I’m selling sir. If you don’t like it, I can’t help you.”

The man left the vendor and walked on for many more miles, praying each minute that he would find refuge from the scorching sun. His eyes squinted a bunch of times when he came across a restaurant in the distance. Unable to comprehend a restaurant located in the middle of the desert, he assumed the place was a mirage, but decided to check it out anyway. As he approached the door, his mouth opened in amazement, seeing that the place actually existed.

The doorman stopped him before he entered. “Excuse me sir,” the doorman said, “but you can’t come in here without a tie!”

Thought for Today:

“It is better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.”
-Elizabeth Kenny

Tips and Techniques

Basic Back Button Code
The basic code for a back button link is a very simple JavaScript. All you have to do with this back button JavaScript is copy the code and paste it where you want the back button link to show on your Web page.
Go Back

Happy designing!

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