Wow, I haven't blogged in a while! You can tell that I have more time in my hands now! Actually, I'm just getting ready for the big moment -- giving birth! I'm due on April 4th this year and I'm bracing myself for another life changer. Life, oh life!
Speaking of life, I am going through my whole Bible again (chronological), and I've just been so amazed by how relevant and accurate the scriptures are! I'm reading the story of Israel just before they entered the promised land. Moses was prepping them to conquer it and they were about to face 7 nations more powerful than they were! I read their story and God's instructions to them and I see how the choices they've made in the past (whether to obey or not to obey) have affected their future as a nation -- even to this day.
I just watched a documentary called, "To die in Jerusalem", and the movie gave me perspective on Israel's current relations with its neighboring countries. God is so wise and if only Israel obeyed Him completely, they would have had peace in all directions. But they didn't, and so their difficult journey continues. There's so much to say and share about this, but I'd keep my opinions to myself and focus on what really hit home in my quiet time today.
Deuteronomy 8:2-5
"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. "
1. God sometimes purposely leads us through the desert of our lives, where things don't seem to be so exciting-- when everything seems lost and dull. Imagine eating the same food (manna) for 40 years! I would honestly struggle! Yet, God does this to test us and to know what's in our hearts. Will we still obey Him even when things are not as we expected them to be? The Israelites would have been in the promised land sooner than later, if they had obeyed God completely. Sometimes, we are in a rut because of our own disobedience. But, even then, God uses that time to refine us and grow us into better individuals.
2. Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Let me cite another scripture that says, "...life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." Luke 12:15. I would encourage you to read the whole parable and context of this scripture (Luke 12:15-21). It is very convicting!
How true it is that you may have all your needs and wants met, and yet still be so empty and lonely! I am convinced that ALL of us can relate to this. I remember a time in my life when I had everything -- great family, great education, good image and reputation, a promising future, a church, community involvement, etc. And yet, I felt so empty. It was so sad that I cried myself at night, and even had thoughts of wanting my life to end!
I am not exaggerating nor lip serving God when I say, "He made me whole." Studying the Bible and learning what it truly means to be a Christian-- to live in God's grace, and yes, His Lordship--that's what really saved my life.
And when I say saved, I'm not only speaking of a futuristic eternal time in heaven. I am speaking of this present life. God saved me and my life from going to a dangerous direction. I can honestly say that I am content.
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13
God has given me the strength not just to endure but to see His blessing in plenty or in want. I hope that this is a conviction I keep for life. Knowing that God strengthens me to face up to any situation in life, and works out the good for me (all the time) gives me a lot of peace.
3. God disciplines us for our good. Have you ever felt like "life just ain't perfect?" Just when you think you've found stability and comfort, something happens and shakes your equilibrium. Then, you seem to be back where you started or at least starting a new chapter in your life.
I call this discipline. We are constantly in training, constantly being refined. And how long we linger on one particular lesson in life really depends on how we respond. Check out this scripture:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. Hebrews 4:5b-6
The two extreme responses are: 1) Making light of the Lord's discipline; 2) Losing heart.
Making light means just being complacent and not taking life's lessons seriously. We shrug things off and pretend that everything's okay. We say, "everybody else does it, so why can't I?" Or we blame everyone else for our "misfortunes", except ourselves. If we go through life this way, then we're gonna be stuck in "our" deserts for life. We never learn, and so we stay in Kindergarten or even day care. We are designed to grow through life, not just go through it.
Losing heart means getting easily discouraged and feeling hopeless. I lean more towards this tendency. My conscience gets easily guilt-ridden and when I allow this to linger, I quit or give up. I get nervous by setbacks in life and have a hard time moving on. I thank God because lately, whenever I pray and feel like giving up on a relationship or a task or a responsibility, I get reminded to "never give up". I get reminded that if I give up, I am not learning and growing. Reliance on God is key to this attitude. By reliance on God, I mean to trust and obey His Words. And then when I've given my best to obey, to trust that God will work out the rest for me. Prayer is of course important too.
So, that's God's nugget of wisdom for me today. Thoughts anyone?
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Prayer: The discipline to complete well-meaning intentions
In this quiet time, I followed a Bible character who I can relate to in a lot of ways: Simon Peter. Prone to being impulsive, Simon lacks follow thru.
This article shows the importance of prayer in completing our well-meaning intentions. I recommend reading all the scriptures below, but if short of time, you can just read Mark 14:32-42, and Luke 22:54-62.
Key scriptures:
Mk 14:27-31; Mt. 26:30-35; Lk 22:31-34; Jn. 13:36-38
Mt. 26:36-46; Lk 22:39-46
Peter was an earnest disciple of Jesus. He left everything to follow Him. He passionately believed in and declared that Jesus is Lord, the Messiah. He also believed that Jesus was the promised King of Israel who will redeem God's people.
Once, he pulled Jesus aside to tell him that he must not die, but Jesus rebuked him for thinking humanly, not spiritually.
Peter walked on the water. He took that walk of faith that no one else did. When he lost focus on Jesus and became aware of the storm around him, he started sinking.
This was to be a pattern in Peter's life. He was impulsive. Quick to declare his faith, quick to commit, quick to admonish. Not that he was half hearted, he just lacked the depth needed to count his cost and finish his task. He was not reflective. (In a later story, we will see how Jesus helped him through the process of counting his cost).
Of him, what Jesus said was true, "the spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
On the night that Jesus was to be arrested, He vulnerably told his disciples what was about to happen to Him. He was to be arrested, flogged, crucified--ending in his death. This would cause everyone to fall away and leave him.
Peter boldly said (the passionate/impulsive guy that he was), "even if all fall away, I never will." I will die with you Jesus. I will go to prison with you.
Scriptures show that after Jesus was arrested, Peter did not abandon him right away. In fact, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prepared to attack. He cut off someone's ear in his desire to defend Jesus. When Jesus willingly submitted himself to the arrest, I wonder how Peter must have felt?
While everyone else ran away, Peter followed Jesus right up to the high priest's courtyard to find out the outcome. Jesus recognized him from a distance.
However, when pressure built up and people started recognizing him as a follower of Jesus, Peter gave in to fear. He denied Jesus three times. He broke his word. His spirit was willing, but his body (his flesh, his humanity) was weak.
Too many times, I see myself doing the same thing. My well meaning intentions and goals get reduced to just a forgotten to do list. While I may first feel passionate and convinced about a business idea, a book I wanna read, a character I wanna work on, a book I wanna start writing, a skill I wanna master, a person I wanna help, a ministry I wanna get involved in--I may forget about it the next day, or the next week, or the next month.
This results to much confusion and insecurity. How am I going to accomplish anything?
Thankfully, the Bible is filled with input or examples that I can imitate. Let's follow Peter some more.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus took Peter and the 2 sons of Zebedee with Him. He asked them to pray. To Peter, he specifically instructed, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak." As the story goes, Peter went on to sleep and didn't pray.
Jesus knew that Peter had great intentions in his heart--that he had what it takes to follow Jesus even to the point of death. Peter was willing but his body was weak. He needed God to strengthen him and supernaturally enable him to do what his body didn't want to do.
Jesus was a great example of this kind of reliance on God. He prayed to God in order to prepare his heart for his task. He was tired, sorrowful, and scared of the cross. The human side of him was pleading to be spared from suffering. Jesus knew His flesh was weak to accomplish God's will. He prayed intensely to the point of sweating blood. In Luke 22:43, we see that an angel appeared to him and strengthened him.
Peter needed to pray as much in order to carry out his good intentios. Alas, he gave in to exhaustion (John 22:45). He was not prepared for what's ahead.
This is what happens to me again and again. I don't prepare myself enough by praying to accomplish what my spirit is willing to do. God blessed me with talents and skills, and dreams, and ministries, and discipleship-- but I need to pray earnestly in order to stand by my word. I need God to strengthen me in order to complete what I said I would.
Prayer is a discipline. In fact, it's the most important discipline I must learn.
Personally, I see the following hindrances to my prayer life:
1.) Not prioritizing it
2.) Not knowing what to pray about
3.) Laziness
4.) Wanting to do something else instead of sitting down and praying
5.) Not scheduling it
6.) Refusing to start to pray because it is boring
I have decided that in order to help me with my prayer life, these are what I need to do:
1.) Have a prayer list
2.) Pray about every good intention, every goal that I have -- that God will strengthen me to follow what my spirit is willing to do
3.) Ask my husband to pray with me
4.) Go thru the ACTS prayer (Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication)
5.) Schedule times to pray
6.) Spontaneously pray or pray on the spot if I remember something I should pray about.
Prayer is a discipline and we can not complete anything without it.
Lastly, prayer is an act of reliance on God. We know that everything in the heavens and the earth belong to God, and He controls power and might, and it is at His discretion that men are made great and given strength.
Nothing happens outside of God's will. And here are more scriptures to help us rely on God:
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.
There's more about Peter in the next days.
Questions to ask:
1) What good intentions have I wanted to carry out recently? Have I been praying about it?
2) What will I do to grow in my prayer life?
Decide to pray for all your goals and surrender the results to God.
This article shows the importance of prayer in completing our well-meaning intentions. I recommend reading all the scriptures below, but if short of time, you can just read Mark 14:32-42, and Luke 22:54-62.
Key scriptures:
Mk 14:27-31; Mt. 26:30-35; Lk 22:31-34; Jn. 13:36-38
Mt. 26:36-46; Lk 22:39-46
Peter was an earnest disciple of Jesus. He left everything to follow Him. He passionately believed in and declared that Jesus is Lord, the Messiah. He also believed that Jesus was the promised King of Israel who will redeem God's people.
Once, he pulled Jesus aside to tell him that he must not die, but Jesus rebuked him for thinking humanly, not spiritually.
Peter walked on the water. He took that walk of faith that no one else did. When he lost focus on Jesus and became aware of the storm around him, he started sinking.
This was to be a pattern in Peter's life. He was impulsive. Quick to declare his faith, quick to commit, quick to admonish. Not that he was half hearted, he just lacked the depth needed to count his cost and finish his task. He was not reflective. (In a later story, we will see how Jesus helped him through the process of counting his cost).
Of him, what Jesus said was true, "the spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
On the night that Jesus was to be arrested, He vulnerably told his disciples what was about to happen to Him. He was to be arrested, flogged, crucified--ending in his death. This would cause everyone to fall away and leave him.
Peter boldly said (the passionate/impulsive guy that he was), "even if all fall away, I never will." I will die with you Jesus. I will go to prison with you.
Scriptures show that after Jesus was arrested, Peter did not abandon him right away. In fact, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prepared to attack. He cut off someone's ear in his desire to defend Jesus. When Jesus willingly submitted himself to the arrest, I wonder how Peter must have felt?
While everyone else ran away, Peter followed Jesus right up to the high priest's courtyard to find out the outcome. Jesus recognized him from a distance.
However, when pressure built up and people started recognizing him as a follower of Jesus, Peter gave in to fear. He denied Jesus three times. He broke his word. His spirit was willing, but his body (his flesh, his humanity) was weak.
Too many times, I see myself doing the same thing. My well meaning intentions and goals get reduced to just a forgotten to do list. While I may first feel passionate and convinced about a business idea, a book I wanna read, a character I wanna work on, a book I wanna start writing, a skill I wanna master, a person I wanna help, a ministry I wanna get involved in--I may forget about it the next day, or the next week, or the next month.
This results to much confusion and insecurity. How am I going to accomplish anything?
Thankfully, the Bible is filled with input or examples that I can imitate. Let's follow Peter some more.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus took Peter and the 2 sons of Zebedee with Him. He asked them to pray. To Peter, he specifically instructed, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak." As the story goes, Peter went on to sleep and didn't pray.
Jesus knew that Peter had great intentions in his heart--that he had what it takes to follow Jesus even to the point of death. Peter was willing but his body was weak. He needed God to strengthen him and supernaturally enable him to do what his body didn't want to do.
Jesus was a great example of this kind of reliance on God. He prayed to God in order to prepare his heart for his task. He was tired, sorrowful, and scared of the cross. The human side of him was pleading to be spared from suffering. Jesus knew His flesh was weak to accomplish God's will. He prayed intensely to the point of sweating blood. In Luke 22:43, we see that an angel appeared to him and strengthened him.
Peter needed to pray as much in order to carry out his good intentios. Alas, he gave in to exhaustion (John 22:45). He was not prepared for what's ahead.
This is what happens to me again and again. I don't prepare myself enough by praying to accomplish what my spirit is willing to do. God blessed me with talents and skills, and dreams, and ministries, and discipleship-- but I need to pray earnestly in order to stand by my word. I need God to strengthen me in order to complete what I said I would.
Prayer is a discipline. In fact, it's the most important discipline I must learn.
Personally, I see the following hindrances to my prayer life:
1.) Not prioritizing it
2.) Not knowing what to pray about
3.) Laziness
4.) Wanting to do something else instead of sitting down and praying
5.) Not scheduling it
6.) Refusing to start to pray because it is boring
I have decided that in order to help me with my prayer life, these are what I need to do:
1.) Have a prayer list
2.) Pray about every good intention, every goal that I have -- that God will strengthen me to follow what my spirit is willing to do
3.) Ask my husband to pray with me
4.) Go thru the ACTS prayer (Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication)
5.) Schedule times to pray
6.) Spontaneously pray or pray on the spot if I remember something I should pray about.
Prayer is a discipline and we can not complete anything without it.
Lastly, prayer is an act of reliance on God. We know that everything in the heavens and the earth belong to God, and He controls power and might, and it is at His discretion that men are made great and given strength.
Nothing happens outside of God's will. And here are more scriptures to help us rely on God:
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.
There's more about Peter in the next days.
Questions to ask:
1) What good intentions have I wanted to carry out recently? Have I been praying about it?
2) What will I do to grow in my prayer life?
Decide to pray for all your goals and surrender the results to God.
Monday, February 22, 2010
What I'm up to: Blogging about my great weekend and the things I've been learning.
My character focus this year: Self-control/Discipline
How did I come to focus on this?
I realized that a lot of my character flaws is covered under this big umbrella. I need discipline in order to:
1) Complete what I started. I am a starter, not a finisher. Sad to admit, but it won't change 'til I deal with it. I am a generalist. I learn a little about everything, but fail to focus on one thing. I find myself jumping from one thing to another. I get excited and then when the excitement wears out, I move on. As a result, I am 30 and without a clear direction.
2) Control my temper. Yes, between my husband and I, I am the one who struggles with temper more. Joe (my husband) is able to control his tone even when he's angry. I lack the self control to keep my voice calm when I'm angry. I am harsher with words, and more prone to fits of rage. I've got to grow in my self-control if I want to kill this marriage love buster.
3) Pray. Now that life's gotten so much busier, prayer takes the sidelines, which, come to think of it, is counter productive. Who was it that said, "I have so much to do today and that's why I have to pray?" Dunno if I quoted him correctly, but I find that prayer is a discipline. If one is to pray and come before God's presence, he/she must be focused in order to not babble and be whole hearted.
4) Reach my goals. One who fails to plan, plans to fail. One who sets no goals, achieves no goals. I set a lot of goals, but I need discipline to accomplish them.
Anyway, there's so many more reasons. I looked online for any helpful book on discipline or self-control and found nothing substantial. Any tip, anyone?
But, I know that the Bible is filled with a lot of scriptures on this subject...so that's where I'm starting. At the end of my study, I hope to compile a book about this, and I hope to share it with you.
And you know what? Peter (the Rock) might be a good character study on temper/anger. I'm excited to read about him.
On Marriage:
Joe and I are going through the Dynamic Marriage class. In all honesty, we are struggling through it. There's a lot of homework to do, which is all great.
But you know what? I am proud of our teamwork. There were times when really get into arguments or passionate discussions. I can tell you that it's while doing this class that we (Joe and I) saw the worst of my angry outbursts so far. But, we are not giving up. I am grateful to my husband for really taking this seriously and leading me by his example.
I am learning so much, especially about myself. I learned that I have been out of touch with my real emotional needs. This is challenging for my husband because he will not able to meet my needs if I don't know them. So, this class pushed me to be gut-level honest about what will really make me happy in our marriage. I used to think it's a selfish question to ask, but now I realized its importance.
Last Saturday, we attended a marriage retreat, with David and Robin Weidner as speakers. Wow! Their insights, practicals, example, story blew me away.
One of the light bulb moments for me was when Robin explained the meaning of wives being suitable helpers to their husbands.
We women don't like the idea of being mere "suitable helpers" to men. But this is mostly because we don't realize God's design and real intent when He made us. The Hebrew word used to describe "suitable helper" in Genesis is "ezer". It really literally means "life saver".
We women were made with eyes that see danger, meaning our danger instincts are stronger than mens's. I guess that's why we're less inclined to try dangerous stuff. We were made to stand beside men, to fight with them, to warn them of danger or trouble.
I used to think that this side of me was a skill I developed when I was an event managemer. I was trained to think of "what could go wrong?", and to make sure that they don't happen. Now, I know that all women have this gift and we all should use it to support our husbands.
On parenting: Actually nothing much. Reading the "Discipline" book by Dr. Sears and getting things ready for Dayton's first birthday!
On website building: Taking time to study today, and possibly talking to my client today or tomorrow morning.
Lots to do, so I'll get started. Bye for now!
How did I come to focus on this?
I realized that a lot of my character flaws is covered under this big umbrella. I need discipline in order to:
1) Complete what I started. I am a starter, not a finisher. Sad to admit, but it won't change 'til I deal with it. I am a generalist. I learn a little about everything, but fail to focus on one thing. I find myself jumping from one thing to another. I get excited and then when the excitement wears out, I move on. As a result, I am 30 and without a clear direction.
2) Control my temper. Yes, between my husband and I, I am the one who struggles with temper more. Joe (my husband) is able to control his tone even when he's angry. I lack the self control to keep my voice calm when I'm angry. I am harsher with words, and more prone to fits of rage. I've got to grow in my self-control if I want to kill this marriage love buster.
3) Pray. Now that life's gotten so much busier, prayer takes the sidelines, which, come to think of it, is counter productive. Who was it that said, "I have so much to do today and that's why I have to pray?" Dunno if I quoted him correctly, but I find that prayer is a discipline. If one is to pray and come before God's presence, he/she must be focused in order to not babble and be whole hearted.
4) Reach my goals. One who fails to plan, plans to fail. One who sets no goals, achieves no goals. I set a lot of goals, but I need discipline to accomplish them.
Anyway, there's so many more reasons. I looked online for any helpful book on discipline or self-control and found nothing substantial. Any tip, anyone?
But, I know that the Bible is filled with a lot of scriptures on this subject...so that's where I'm starting. At the end of my study, I hope to compile a book about this, and I hope to share it with you.
And you know what? Peter (the Rock) might be a good character study on temper/anger. I'm excited to read about him.
On Marriage:
Joe and I are going through the Dynamic Marriage class. In all honesty, we are struggling through it. There's a lot of homework to do, which is all great.
But you know what? I am proud of our teamwork. There were times when really get into arguments or passionate discussions. I can tell you that it's while doing this class that we (Joe and I) saw the worst of my angry outbursts so far. But, we are not giving up. I am grateful to my husband for really taking this seriously and leading me by his example.
I am learning so much, especially about myself. I learned that I have been out of touch with my real emotional needs. This is challenging for my husband because he will not able to meet my needs if I don't know them. So, this class pushed me to be gut-level honest about what will really make me happy in our marriage. I used to think it's a selfish question to ask, but now I realized its importance.
Last Saturday, we attended a marriage retreat, with David and Robin Weidner as speakers. Wow! Their insights, practicals, example, story blew me away.
One of the light bulb moments for me was when Robin explained the meaning of wives being suitable helpers to their husbands.
We women don't like the idea of being mere "suitable helpers" to men. But this is mostly because we don't realize God's design and real intent when He made us. The Hebrew word used to describe "suitable helper" in Genesis is "ezer". It really literally means "life saver".
We women were made with eyes that see danger, meaning our danger instincts are stronger than mens's. I guess that's why we're less inclined to try dangerous stuff. We were made to stand beside men, to fight with them, to warn them of danger or trouble.
I used to think that this side of me was a skill I developed when I was an event managemer. I was trained to think of "what could go wrong?", and to make sure that they don't happen. Now, I know that all women have this gift and we all should use it to support our husbands.
On parenting: Actually nothing much. Reading the "Discipline" book by Dr. Sears and getting things ready for Dayton's first birthday!
On website building: Taking time to study today, and possibly talking to my client today or tomorrow morning.
Lots to do, so I'll get started. Bye for now!
Friday, February 19, 2010
What I'm up to: Reading up and found a great article
Ok, looks like I'm on to something. Just want to share this very encouraging article I got from yahoo!
Decided to copy and paste it unto my blog so I can always read it when I need some inspiration.
If these people below can do it, so can I.
;)
Good night for now.
**********
Making Money by the Click
by Michelle Goodman, PayScale.com
Forget looking for your next job in a traditional office. Armies of recovering cubicle dwellers are making an honest-to-goodness living right here on the Web -- and we don't mean by selling diet pills or kitchen accessories to unsuspecting friends and relatives.
From writing and graphic design to software development and social media marketing, countless creative types are hanging their own virtual shingle, often with a minimum of overhead, sometimes even surpassing the salary they made as an employee.
Seven successful web workers share how they did it, how you can follow in their footsteps, and what pitfalls to watch out for:
1. Blogger
According to the Wall Street Journal, 1.7 million Americans make money blogging and 452,000 of them derive a majority of their income from it. Ariel Meadow Stallings is one such blogger, dividing her time between the blog she writes for her part-time corporate job and her own blog, Offbeat Bride. "It took about a year to build traffic to the point where advertising and sponsorships made sense," says Stallings, who's been publishing OffbeatBride since January 2007 and now averages nearly a million page views a month. Her advice to would-be bloggers? "Just blog. And then blog more. And read other blogs." For tips galore on earning a living as a blogger, see ProBlogger.
2. Web Designer
Bloggers often need help updating their site design and code, which is where freelance web designers like Liz Andrade of CMD+SHIFT Design come in. Like many Web jobs, once you have the skills in the bag, the office overhead is minimal. "If I have a laptop and an Internet connection, I'm in business," Andrade says. And while she studied design in college, she learned far more about Web design and business branding on the job. To follow in her footsteps, Andrade suggests first working in a junior position at a boutique design firm. She also suggests meeting other freelance designers on at popular online water coolers like FreelanceSwitch.com, FreelanceFolder.com, and WebWorkerDaily.com.
3. Social Media Marketer
According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 1 in 10 U.S. adults now use microblogging sites like Twitter to update friends and colleagues on their status, mood, or latest personal news. Not surprisingly, publicists and marketing mavens like Lisa Hanock-Jasie have begun promoting their clients on these social media sites. "It's become more a virtual work existence these days, with the majority of client contact via the Web -- be it live Web chat, e-mail, or IM -- or phone conversation," the independent publicist says. The upside: finding work online is easier than ever. The downside: the isolation. To beat the solitude, Hanock-Jasie regularly schmoozes with several professional groups on LinkedIn.
4. Web Community Founder
With the Pew Internet and American Life Project reporting that a majority of U.S. adults under age 70 use the Internet, it's no surprise that Web communities have been sprouting up like weeds. But launching a successful online community is much more involved than starting a freelance business, says Lara Eve Feltin, who in 2005 co-founded Biznik, an award-winning web community for the self-employed, with husband Dan McComb.
"Dan built the first version of the site in his spare time," Feltin says. "And because our product helps small businesses, a lot of people offered to help us for free." Dan's Web development work alone saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars, Feltin says. In short, be prepared for lots of ramp-up time and -- if you have no volunteers -- lots of programming and legal expenses.
5. E-commerce Site Owner
Armies of savvy craftsters and artists sell their wares online. Take Maggie Kleinpeter and Michael Pittard, who in 2001 opened the online store Supermaggie, where they sell Kleinpeter's hand-made scarves and print T-shirts to retail and wholesale customers. "It took about three years for it to provide full-time income for both of us," says Pittard, who built and maintains the website. The pros of running an online boutique: "The world is your storefront, and we have practically no overhead," says Pittard. The cons: There are no dressing rooms online, and customer feedback isn't instantaneous. To learn more about starting your own e-commerce business, see the community pages on Etsy.com and sites like TheSwitchboards.com, SuperNaturale.com, and Craftster.org.
6. Social Media Application Developer
In March 2009, the blog TechCrunch.com ran the headline "Some Indie Facebook Developers Pulling in over $700,000 a Month." While Web developer Jesse Stay has yet to hit that financial jackpot, he does credit SocialToo -- the online collection of social media tools and services he built -- with providing 80 percent of his income. (The rest comes from consulting work.)
His advice for hopeful social media developers? "Don't expect to get any investment." Most startups never see a venture-capital dime, even in good financial times. Instead, he says, you'll need to rely on your savings until you make enough cash to pay yourself a salary. To learn more, see the blogs All Facebook and Inside Facebook and the developer forums and wikis of your favorite social media platforms.
7. Infopreneur
You know that old saying about making money in your sleep? There's an entire population of Web entrepreneurs who aren't just waxing poetic about it -- they're doing it. Erin Blaskie, an Internet marketing specialist who was making six figures by age 23, is one of them. Though she got her entrepreneurial start in 2004 as a virtual assistant, she now creates and sells virtual training programs for entrepreneurs who want to promote themselves online.
Her advice to hopeful infopreneurs? "Check out what already exists in your market and see where there are gaps." Also, "Ditch the perfectionism! The cool thing with info-products is you can produce it, publish it, and edit it later if need be."
Michelle Goodman's latest book is "My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire." Visit her blog at Anti9to5Guide.com.
Decided to copy and paste it unto my blog so I can always read it when I need some inspiration.
If these people below can do it, so can I.
;)
Good night for now.
**********
Making Money by the Click
by Michelle Goodman, PayScale.com
Forget looking for your next job in a traditional office. Armies of recovering cubicle dwellers are making an honest-to-goodness living right here on the Web -- and we don't mean by selling diet pills or kitchen accessories to unsuspecting friends and relatives.
From writing and graphic design to software development and social media marketing, countless creative types are hanging their own virtual shingle, often with a minimum of overhead, sometimes even surpassing the salary they made as an employee.
Seven successful web workers share how they did it, how you can follow in their footsteps, and what pitfalls to watch out for:
1. Blogger
According to the Wall Street Journal, 1.7 million Americans make money blogging and 452,000 of them derive a majority of their income from it. Ariel Meadow Stallings is one such blogger, dividing her time between the blog she writes for her part-time corporate job and her own blog, Offbeat Bride. "It took about a year to build traffic to the point where advertising and sponsorships made sense," says Stallings, who's been publishing OffbeatBride since January 2007 and now averages nearly a million page views a month. Her advice to would-be bloggers? "Just blog. And then blog more. And read other blogs." For tips galore on earning a living as a blogger, see ProBlogger.
2. Web Designer
Bloggers often need help updating their site design and code, which is where freelance web designers like Liz Andrade of CMD+SHIFT Design come in. Like many Web jobs, once you have the skills in the bag, the office overhead is minimal. "If I have a laptop and an Internet connection, I'm in business," Andrade says. And while she studied design in college, she learned far more about Web design and business branding on the job. To follow in her footsteps, Andrade suggests first working in a junior position at a boutique design firm. She also suggests meeting other freelance designers on at popular online water coolers like FreelanceSwitch.com, FreelanceFolder.com, and WebWorkerDaily.com.
3. Social Media Marketer
According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 1 in 10 U.S. adults now use microblogging sites like Twitter to update friends and colleagues on their status, mood, or latest personal news. Not surprisingly, publicists and marketing mavens like Lisa Hanock-Jasie have begun promoting their clients on these social media sites. "It's become more a virtual work existence these days, with the majority of client contact via the Web -- be it live Web chat, e-mail, or IM -- or phone conversation," the independent publicist says. The upside: finding work online is easier than ever. The downside: the isolation. To beat the solitude, Hanock-Jasie regularly schmoozes with several professional groups on LinkedIn.
4. Web Community Founder
With the Pew Internet and American Life Project reporting that a majority of U.S. adults under age 70 use the Internet, it's no surprise that Web communities have been sprouting up like weeds. But launching a successful online community is much more involved than starting a freelance business, says Lara Eve Feltin, who in 2005 co-founded Biznik, an award-winning web community for the self-employed, with husband Dan McComb.
"Dan built the first version of the site in his spare time," Feltin says. "And because our product helps small businesses, a lot of people offered to help us for free." Dan's Web development work alone saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars, Feltin says. In short, be prepared for lots of ramp-up time and -- if you have no volunteers -- lots of programming and legal expenses.
5. E-commerce Site Owner
Armies of savvy craftsters and artists sell their wares online. Take Maggie Kleinpeter and Michael Pittard, who in 2001 opened the online store Supermaggie, where they sell Kleinpeter's hand-made scarves and print T-shirts to retail and wholesale customers. "It took about three years for it to provide full-time income for both of us," says Pittard, who built and maintains the website. The pros of running an online boutique: "The world is your storefront, and we have practically no overhead," says Pittard. The cons: There are no dressing rooms online, and customer feedback isn't instantaneous. To learn more about starting your own e-commerce business, see the community pages on Etsy.com and sites like TheSwitchboards.com, SuperNaturale.com, and Craftster.org.
6. Social Media Application Developer
In March 2009, the blog TechCrunch.com ran the headline "Some Indie Facebook Developers Pulling in over $700,000 a Month." While Web developer Jesse Stay has yet to hit that financial jackpot, he does credit SocialToo -- the online collection of social media tools and services he built -- with providing 80 percent of his income. (The rest comes from consulting work.)
His advice for hopeful social media developers? "Don't expect to get any investment." Most startups never see a venture-capital dime, even in good financial times. Instead, he says, you'll need to rely on your savings until you make enough cash to pay yourself a salary. To learn more, see the blogs All Facebook and Inside Facebook and the developer forums and wikis of your favorite social media platforms.
7. Infopreneur
You know that old saying about making money in your sleep? There's an entire population of Web entrepreneurs who aren't just waxing poetic about it -- they're doing it. Erin Blaskie, an Internet marketing specialist who was making six figures by age 23, is one of them. Though she got her entrepreneurial start in 2004 as a virtual assistant, she now creates and sells virtual training programs for entrepreneurs who want to promote themselves online.
Her advice to hopeful infopreneurs? "Check out what already exists in your market and see where there are gaps." Also, "Ditch the perfectionism! The cool thing with info-products is you can produce it, publish it, and edit it later if need be."
Michelle Goodman's latest book is "My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire." Visit her blog at Anti9to5Guide.com.
What I'm up to: Website building and everything web site related
With a little prodding from my husband, I finally decided to learn web design and along with it, everything else web related: SEO, CSS, HTML, social media, e-marketing, etc.
Bought some "dummy" books and borrowed some from the library. I bought the dummies on Web design and E-marketing, and borrowed one on SEO from the local library. There's much to learn but I'm excited.
I realize that learning this stuff is like learning a new language. I had to google, wikiseach a lot of stuff. I'm surprised to find so many free resources out there, which makes it more exciting. But, I've to organize my thoughts and schedule my time, like I'm going to real school.
Went to a college and inquired about getting an associate's degree in e-marketing and guess what? It costs $35,000 just to get a 2-year degree. I am not going that path. We still have lots of debts to pay and wanna experience being debt free (please God make it happen this year).
Like I said, there's so many resources out there and I can read and study on my own. I realize this is more challenging, but I know it's not impossible. Besides, I can get a lot of help and tips from friends.
And guess what? I got my first client yesterday! (Thanks to my husband again). He just needs some graphics added to his website and some brand reinforcement (which I'm excited to do 'coz I worked in advertising before). I've talked to some potential partners and I think I'm ready to go. Leap of faith!
So, I'm here to tell you about the adventure of learning something new and going after what I like. Pray that it all happens as planned (please God?).
And hopefully it inspires some (of you) along the way.
Catcha later!
Bought some "dummy" books and borrowed some from the library. I bought the dummies on Web design and E-marketing, and borrowed one on SEO from the local library. There's much to learn but I'm excited.
I realize that learning this stuff is like learning a new language. I had to google, wikiseach a lot of stuff. I'm surprised to find so many free resources out there, which makes it more exciting. But, I've to organize my thoughts and schedule my time, like I'm going to real school.
Went to a college and inquired about getting an associate's degree in e-marketing and guess what? It costs $35,000 just to get a 2-year degree. I am not going that path. We still have lots of debts to pay and wanna experience being debt free (please God make it happen this year).
Like I said, there's so many resources out there and I can read and study on my own. I realize this is more challenging, but I know it's not impossible. Besides, I can get a lot of help and tips from friends.
And guess what? I got my first client yesterday! (Thanks to my husband again). He just needs some graphics added to his website and some brand reinforcement (which I'm excited to do 'coz I worked in advertising before). I've talked to some potential partners and I think I'm ready to go. Leap of faith!
So, I'm here to tell you about the adventure of learning something new and going after what I like. Pray that it all happens as planned (please God?).
And hopefully it inspires some (of you) along the way.
Catcha later!
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