Google created Google Places – a strategy for giving
searchers what they’re looking for in their own local towns or cities – whether
it is a restaurant, hair salon, plumber, CPA or attorney.

When you do an online search, Google will show local results first from local businesses, along with a map at the top of the page. Google Places listings are among those local results.

To learn how to get your local small business listed on Google Places.

Get your free report “Small Business Guide to Google Places” http://www.powerhousetips.com/Google-Places

How’s the stimulus working for you?

Well for most American’s it’s not. While it appears the fat cats and elites keep getting richer most of Americans are struggling to make ends meet.

Who really profited from the most recent bail-outs? Did you? I think not.

Unfortunately, it’s probably not going to get better.. maybe even worse.

So what’s the answer? How can you prepare for the future and maybe even the next financial meltdown?

Do you think you might be safe right now?  Are you breathing easy because you have a decent job.
Feeling save because your business is surviving. Or maybe you feel secure with a some money in the bank.

According  to T. Harv Eker you might be prepared for a rude awakening.
Rules of the “Money Game” Have Changed

I just listened to Get Hardwired for Success by T. Harv Eker and it’s a really powerful!

If you’ve ever wondered how to become financially free then you’ll want to check-out T. Harv Eker’s report – Get Hardwired for Success.

T. Harv Eker says, winning the money game and becoming financially free boils down to 3 things:

1. The right knowledge at the right time.

2. The right vehicles at the right time.

3. The right you… all the time.

In his free report you’ll find out how to jump start your wealth starting today.

We can think we can rely on corporate America, or Wall Street, or on the government,
but in reality most people have come to the conclusion that we can really only rely on ourselves. 

The question is, do most people have the skills to be able to build wealth and financial freedom for themselves and their family?

Learn the #1 obstacle that keeps most people trapped in a position of financial mediocrity – or even failure!
Get Harv’s Free Report By Clicking Here Now! 

Have you taken the time to think about your retirement?

Have you actually visualized what that will look like?

Most people haven’t.. most people prefer not to even think about it. In America today it seems that people are more interested in making it day to day, dollar to dollar, paycheck to paycheck, one year to another.  Thus, retirement does not have a priority because it’s something so far in the future most people can’t see that far. For some of us it’s right in front of us and we haven’t done anything about it. Some may be in retirement now and on a “fixed income” relying on the Government to provide for them. What about you? You must be different because you’re here on my blog apparently you’re part of that very small part of the population that cares about making a difference.

When thinking of retirement you’ll need to create a vision for yourself.
Using your imagination is important when planning for the future and creating
the life you want. In addition to using your imagination it’s also important to
use a forward thinking process I call Remote Visioning ™.

Remote Visioning ™ is essentially a combination of imagination, facts and history.
In order to use Remote Visioning ™ accurately you’ll need to know what may be
on the horizon. This means you’ll need to evaluate several potential outcomes.
Once you’ve done this your heart will tell you which one to go with… You’ll know it
because it’s a feeling that resonates with you. Now that you’ve gathered some
data, next you’ll need to know a little about history and what has taken place before.
Once you have facts and history the final step is Remote Visioning ™.

Remote Visioning ™ is a personal process that will allow you to create and envision your future.

Here’s how it might work.

Some people during the fact gathering process and learning of history may intuitively
know how they feel about the future. Others may require a process of mediation in
order to gain clarity. It’s going to be different for everyone on how they come to the
precise feelings they have about their future. Once you’ve connected with this feeling
the Remote Visioning ™ is ready to take place.

Now that you are connected to your future with potential facts or data about the future
and historical facts from the past it’s time to begin the Remote Visioning ™ process.

Sit or lay down in a comfortable position. You may have some classical music or meditative music in the background. Begin with history… all that you learned about history focus on what it must have felt like, looked liked, smelled like and how people felt at that time in history. There is no time limit, you’ll know naturally once you’ve connected to the past. Once you’ve connected with the past and the past is now with you take the next step in looking into the future based on the facts you’ve gathered. Look at the facts as if it was happening here and now. Feel what it feels like if the facts were
applied to day. Again you will naturally know when it’s time to move to the final step in the process. This is the creation stage; this is where you are going to envision your future based on how it felt in the past and how it will feel in the future. You will add to these items your imagination of what you desire. Utilizing your desire and using your imagination you’ll be able to see and create an accurate future for yourself. Now you can begin to take the steps necessary for you to have exactly what you want in the future.

Your vision is not set in stone, you can revisit it at anytime and it can change with you. Some might think this is crazy, stupid or insane. I personally believe that my future is worth taking the time to plan my future and to plan it so that I am the one that has control over it and not someone or something else. Folks it all comes back to personal responsibility all that has happened to you, all that will happen to you is your responsibility no one else.

The Remote Visioning ™ process can obviously be used in any facet of life. I have chosen to begin the discussion about retirement because I feel it’s extremely important that the changing economic times don’t control us by getting us to take our eye of the ball. You know what you need to do… you feel it in your gut. Now’s the time to take action.

I’d like your feedback please leave your  comments below.

By: Charles R. Bell
March 14, 2010

I am nature’s greatest miracle. 
By Og Mandino, Bantam Books, New Yorks, N.Y., 1968

Since the beginning of time never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my ears, my hands, my hair, my mouth. None that came before, none that live today, and none that come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. All men are my brothers yet I am different from each. I am a unique creature.

I am nature’s greatest miracle.

Although I am of the animal kingdom, animal rewards alone will not satisfy me. Within me burns a flame, which has been passed from generations uncounted, and its heat is a constant irritation to my spirit to become better than I am, and I will. I will fan this flame of dissatisfaction and proclaim my uniqueness to the world.

None can duplicate my brush strokes, none can duplicate my chisel marks, none can duplicate my handwriting, none can produce my child, and, in truth, none has the ability to sell exactly as I. Henceforth, I will capitalize on this difference for it is an asset to be promoted to the fullest.

I am nature’s greatest miracle.

Vain attempts to imitate others no longer will I make. Instead I will place my uniqueness on display in the market place. I will proclaim it, yea, I will sell it. I will begin now to accent my differences; hide my similarities. So too will I apply this principle to the goods I sell. Salesman and goods, different from all others, and proud of the differences.

I am a unique creature of nature.

I am rare, and there is value in all rarity; therefore, I am valuable. I am the end product of thousands of years of evolution; therefore, I am better equipped in both mind and body than all the emperors and wise men who preceded me.

But my skills, my mind, my heart, and my body will stagnate, rot, and die lest I put them to good use. I have unlimited potential. Only a small portion of my brain do I employ; only a paltry amount of muscles do I flex. A hundredfold or more can I increase my accomplishments of yesterday and this I will do, beginning today.

Nevermore will I be satisfied with yesterday’s accomplishments nor will I indulge, anymore, in self-praise for deeds which in reality are too small to even acknowledge. I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will, for why should the miracle which produced me end with my birth? Why can I not extend that miracle to my deeds of today?

I am nature’s greatest miracle.

I am not on this earth by chance. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.

I will increase my knowledge of mankind, myself, and the goods I sell, thus my sales will multiply. I will practice, and improve, and polish the words I utter to sell my goods, for this is the formulation on which I will build my career and never will I forget that many have attained great wealth and success with only one sales talk, delivered with excellence. Also will I seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracted.

I am nature’s greatest miracle.

I will concentrate my energy on the challenge of the moment and my actions will help me forget all else. The problems of my home will be left in my home. I will think naught of my family when I am in the market place for this will cloud my thoughts. So too will the problems of the market place be left in the market place and I will think naught of my profession when I am in my home for this will dampen my love.

There is no room in the market place for my family, nor is there room in my home for the market. Each I will divorce from the other and thus will I remain wedded to both. Separate must they remain or my career will die. This is the paradox of the ages.

I am nature’s greatest miracle.

I have been given eyes to see and a mind to think and now I know a great secret of life for I perceive, at last, that all my problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise. I will no longer be fooled by the garments they wear for mine eyes are open. I will look beyond the cloth and I will not be deceived.

I am nature’s greatest miracle.

No beast, no plant, no wind, no rain, no rock, no lake had the same beginning as I, for I was conceived in love and brought forth with a purpose. In the past I have not considered this fact but it will henceforth shape and guide my life.

I am nature’s greatest miracle.

And nature knows not defeat. Eventually, she emerges victorious and so will I, and with each victory the next struggle becomes less difficult.

I will win, and I will become a great salesman, for I am unique.

I am nature’s greatest miracle.

I’m currently on Scroll 3 – The importance of persisting until I succeed.
If we are to seek personal success, adversity is bound to pop up it’s ugly head. It is in these times we define ourselves. We can call it quits or we can be winners and stick it out until we succeed. You never know what awaits you around the corner, success could be a step a way or 1000 steps away. That’s why we take one step at a time and if and when we fall down we get back up. Success requires stickablitity.

Do you have it?

Here’s Scroll 3

I will persist until I succeed.
By Og Mandino, Bantam Books, New Yorks, N.Y., 1968

In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is brought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricks them with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. Henceforth will I recognize that each day I am tested by life in like manner. If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed.

I will persist until I succeed.

I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.

I will persist until I succeed.

The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner.

Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.

I will persist until I succeed.

Henceforth, I will consider each day’s effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today.

I will be liken to the rain drop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good. I will persist with knowledge that each failure to sell will increase my chance for success at the next attempt. Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea. Each frown I meet only prepares me for the smile to come. Each misfortune I encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow’s good luck. I must have the night to appreciate the day. I must fail often to succeed only once.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will try, and try, and try again. Each obstacle I will consider as a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession. I will persist and develop my skills as the mariner develops his, by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm.

I will persist until I succeed.

Henceforth, I will learn and apply another secret of those who excel in my work. When each day is ended, not regarding whether it has been a success or a failure, I will attempt to achieve one more sale. When my thoughts beckon my tired body homeward I will resist the temptation to depart. I will try again. I will make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails I will make another. Never will I allow any day to end with a failure. Thus will I plant the seed of tomorrow’s success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labor at a prescribed time. When others cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full.

I will persist until I succeed.

Nor will I allow yesterday’s success to lull me into today’s complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life.

So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough I will win.

I will persist. I will win.

The Greatest Secret in The World
By Og Mandino

[caption id="attachment_101" align="alignleft" width="170" caption="Get this book! It\'s Great!!"][/caption]I’m still on track with Og Mandino’s Book
“The Greatest Secret in the World” I’m on currently on the Scroll marked II.

I’ve really enjoyed reading Og’s book and it has helped me gain a new perspective on life. I would highly encourage you to take this journey with Og as he leads you down the road to success. This is not just success in sales, but success in life.

If you are an Og Mandino fan, I’d love to meet you. Please leave a comment and let me know how you found out about Og and what he’s done for you in your life.

“The Greatest Secret in the World”
Og Mandino

“The Scroll Marked II”

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

For this is the greatest secret of success in all ventures. Muscle can split a shield and even destroy life but only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of men and until I master this art I will remain no more than a peddler in the market place. I will make love my greatest weapon and none on whom I call can defend against its force.

My reasoning they may counter; my speech they may distrust; my apparel they may disapprove; my face they may reject and even my bargains may cause them suspicion; yet my love will melt all hearts liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I speak? I will laud mine enemies and they will become friends; I will encourage my friends and they will become brothers. Always will I dig for reasons to plaud; never will I scratch for excuses to gossip. When I am tempted to criticize I will bite on my tongue; when I am moved to praise I will shout from the roofs.

Is it not so that birds, the wind, the sea and all nature speaks with the music of praise for their creator? Cannot I speak with the same music to his children? Henceforth will I remember this secret and it will change my life.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I act? I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they be hidden. With love I will tear down the wall of suspicion and hate which they have built around their hearts and in its place will I build bridges so that my love may enter their souls.

I will love the ambitions for they can inspire me; I will love the failures for they can teach me. I will love the kings for they are but human; I will love the meek for they are divine. I will love the rich for they are yet lonely; I will love the poor for they are so many. I will love the young for the faith they hold; I will love the old for the wisdom they share. I will love the beautiful for their eyes of sadness; I will love the ugly for their souls of peace.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

But how will I react to the actions of others? With love. For just as love is my weapon to open the hearts of men, love is also my shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger. Adversity and discouragement will beat against my new shield and become as the softest of rains. My shield will protect me in the market place and sustain me when I am alone. It will uplift me in moments of despair yet it will calm me in time of exultation. It will become stronger and more protective with use until one day I will cast it aside and walk unencumbered among all manners of men and, when I do, my name will be raised high on the pyramid of life.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I confront each whom I meet? In only one way. In silence and to myself I will address him and say I Love You. Though spoken in silence these words will shine in my eyes, unwrinkle my brow, bring a smile to my lips and echo in my voice; and his heart will be opened. And who is there who will say nay to my goods when his heart feels my love?

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And most of all I will love myself. For when I do I will zealously inspect all things which enter my body, my mind, my soul and my heart. Never will I overindulge the requests of my flesh, rather I will cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation. Never will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and despair, rather I will uplift it with the knowledge and wisdom of the ages. Never will I allow my soul to become complacent and satisfied, rather I will feed it with meditation and prayer. Never will I allow my heart to become small and bitter, rather I will share it and it will grow and warm the earth.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

Henceforth will I love all mankind. From this moment all hate is let from my veins for I have not time to hate, only time to love. From this moment I take the first step required to become a man among men. With love I will increase my sales a hundred fold and become a great salesman. If I have no other qualities I can succeed with love alone. Without it I will fail though I possess all the knowledge and skills of the world.

As with any good leader and entrepreneur it’s extremely important to start anything with goal setting. However, I have a slightly different philosophy. I can hear you asking and what philosophy is that Charles.

Before you even begin the  process of goal setting it must be preceded by the proper mindset. My philosophy is known as “mind-setting”.  In this mind-setting process it will become very important for you to believe in yourself. For some this might not be difficult for others this can be a great challenge. I will address this concept as part of an ongoing basis of this Blog.

For not those of you have trouble believing in yourself. I’ve a homework project before you begin goal setting. You’ll need to purchase a nice notebook one that you will keep with you for some time one that makes you feel good.  Now that you have your book,
take the next few days or week and write down in your notebook all your notable accomplishments.  Go all the way back to you childhood. Search for things that you felt were you greatest accomplishments. Maybe you passed a test, made the basketball team, raised a child, lost weight, created a website, started a business, gave a public speech, recruited someone, got married. These are all notable accomplishments that need to be added to your book. These are personal to you, do not share them with anyone else and continue to add to the list.

Now that you’ve created your list, you can begin to working on your mindset.  Obtaining the proper  mindset is critical in any process and especially the goal setting process.  You have to believe in yourself and in the goals that you were about to write.  So it is extremely important to have and develop the proper mindset.

The belief system is also known as BS.  You can probably figure out what that means. So a lot times what we have to do is overcome our, BS.  Our belief system is based on many different factors many of which are mostly based on what has happened to us in the past.  Our past can hinder us in our goal setting process. We want to make sure that we remove any negativity and be in a positive space before continuing with the goal setting process. So do not attempt to start the goal setting process if you fill in angst or negativity of any sort.

You will want to make sure that you are in the right space and of course the right mindset before you continue in the goal setting process this is an extremely important because when you write your goals, you carry that energy with you. I know this sounds sort of woo-woo, but that energy carries over into your writing.  If you have difficulty with your belief system and your mindset, no worries all be covering all of that in this Blog. So be sure to subscribe and keep coming back.  But for now I think you have the basics of what I want to get across in this post.

I’ve included below some guidelines on setting goals.  As always you comments are welcomed.

Personal Goal Setting
Find Direction. Live Your Life Your Way.

Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn this vision of the future into reality.

The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You’ll also quickly spot the distractions that would otherwise lure you from your course.

More than this, properly-set goals can be incredibly motivating, and as you get into the habit of setting and achieving goals, you’ll find that your self-confidence builds fast.

Achieving More With Focus

Goal setting techniques are used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. They give you long-term vision and short-term motivation. They focus your acquisition of knowledge and help you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life.

By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. By setting goals, you will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set.

Starting to Set Personal Goals

Goals are set on a number of different levels: First you create your “big picture” of what you want to do with your life, and decide what large-scale goals you want to achieve. Second, you break these down into the smaller and smaller targets that you must hit so that you reach your lifetime goals. Finally, once you have your plan, you start working to achieve it.

We start this process with your Lifetime Goals, and work down to the things you can do today to start moving towards them.

Your Lifetime Goals

The first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve in your lifetime (or by a time at least, say, 10 years in the future) as setting Lifetime Goals gives you the overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your decision making.

To give a broad, balanced coverage of all important areas in your life, try to set goals in some of these categories (or in categories of your own, where these are important to you):

• Artistic:
  Do you want to achieve any artistic goals? If so, what?
• Attitude:
  Is any part of your mindset holding you back? Is there any part of the way that you behave that upsets you? If so, set a goal to improve your behavior or find a solution to the problem.
• Career:
  What level do you want to reach in your career?
• Education:
  Is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular? What information and skills will you need to achieve other goals?
• Family:
  Do you want to be a parent? If so, how are you going to be a good parent? How do you want to be seen by a partner or by members of your extended family?
• Financial:
  How much do you want to earn by what stage?
• Physical:
  Are there any athletic goals you want to achieve, or do you want good health deep into old age? What steps are you going to take to achieve this?
• Pleasure:
  How do you want to enjoy yourself? – you should ensure that some of your life is for you!
• Public Service:
  Do you want to make the world a better place? If so, how?

Spend some time brainstorming these, and then select one goal in each category that best reflects what you want to do. Then consider trimming again so that you have a small number of really significant goals on which you can focus.

As you do this, make sure that the goals that you have set are ones that you genuinely want to achieve, not ones that your parents, family, or employers might want (if you have a partner, you probably want to consider what he or she wants, however make sure you also remain true to yourself!)

Starting to Achieve Your Lifetime Goals

Once you have set your lifetime goals, set a 25 year plan of smaller goals that you should complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan. Then set a 5 year plan, 1 year plan, 6 month plan, and 1 month plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goals. Each of these should be based on the previous plan.

Then create a daily to-do list of things that you should do today to work towards your lifetime goals. At an early stage these goals may be to read books and gather information on the achievement of your goals. This will help you to improve the quality and realism of your goal setting.

Finally review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want to live your life.