Accentuate the positive and eliminate self-doubt!

Seeing the joy on the faces of all those athletes who won one or more medals at the Sochi Winter Olympics made me remember something I've known all my adult life but sometimes tend to forget: if you combine belief in yourself with hard work and perseverance you can accomplish anything you set out to do. Nothing can hold you back if you really want something passionately enough.

But what exactly did it take for these athletes to become champions? Years of hard work and dedication. Days of rigorous training to be the best of the best in order to to earn a place on their teams and represent their countries in these prestigious games. And once they got their chance of a lifetime, they most certainly didn't waste it on self-doubt. They set their minds on winning, they concentrated on doing what they had trained so long and hard for, and put their hearts and souls into reaching for the gold.

Granted, not all of those magnificent athletes came away with medals, but I'll bet every single one of them went to Sochi convinced that they could rise above the rest of their peers and achieve something that millions of people around the world can only dream about. Those who didn't win a medal can go back home with their heads held high, knowing that they did their very best, and that there's always a next time. And that, in my book, is the mentality of a winner!

Now let's continue with that thought and apply it to our everyday lives. Most people who get up in the morning thinking it's going to be a great day, more often than not are rewarded for being such optimists by having things go their way. On the other hand, those who have to drag themselves out of bed and 'hope' the day will go well may be disappointed by the time the sun goes down, and will perpetuate that feeling of hopelessness and despair until just getting out of bed each morning becomes a painful chore.

The difference between winning and being a distant runner up lies in how we face the challenges in our lives, whether they be everyday decisions or long-term goals. If we believe we can succeed, and have the courage to stay the course, we eventually will succeed. Why is it that as we grow older, fear and lack of confidence start to erode our childhood confidence? Why do we allow feelings of self-doubt to invade our spirit? Don't you think it's better to think and behave like a winner rather than acting like a down-trodden wiener?

If you're going to be an employee, be the best employee you can be. If your goal is to become a movie or rock star, an entrepreneur or the president of your country, don't ever let self-doubt get in the way. Persevere and you will eventually reap the rewards. Whether it takes you a decade or a lifetime, when you get to that precise moment in your life when that elusive brass ring is finally within your grasp, the joy on your face will mirror the one we saw on the faces of this year's Winter Olympic champions. Why? Because you too will be a champion!

Think positive and have a great week!

Wow!!! SFI really works!

I can't believe it's been six months since I started this new venture at SFI. I guess time flies when you're having fun. I mean it! I am having so much fun that I find it really hard to keep away from my computer for more than a few hours most days. 

Every morning I log into my SFI 'office' to take care of business and see how my team is doing. Aside from doing my daily, weekly or monthly actions, I rate at least 30 questions in the ASK SC section and read the latest news and Forum posts, because those are the places where I get information 'straight from the horse's mouth', from SFI veterans who are successful and generous enough to share their knowledge with us newcomers.

I must confess that at the beginning I thought it would take forever to get an active Affiliate on my team. I thought that the odds of finding like-minded people who were ready to put 100% of their efforts into building a team and a business were pretty slim due to my lack of experience. But I kept at it, month after month, investing a little money here and there to acquire new affiliates for my team, and once I understood the importance of reaching Team Leader status, I went for it in order to get more affiliates assigned to me, in the hopes of finding that elusive diamond in the rough.

The good news is: I found one! For the first time in six months, I have earned a commission from purchases made by a member of my team and, most valuable of all, matching VersaPoints to add to my own VersaPoints. These points translate into real money that SFI pays out each month. We're talking about a whopping 40% of the Commission Volume from every sale at its online store TripleClicks, money that is distributed among all affiliates who have reached Executive Affiliate rank or higher. 

I'm sure you would like to know how much I earned, but that's for me to know and for you to find out. What I can tell you for sure is that I won't be buying my dream home any time soon, but this new milestone has given me the proof I needed to continue at SFI and work even harder, because I can honestly say that this method does work. It takes time, but if you keep at it you will reap what you sow.

I leave you with one sober piece of advice: If you want to earn a second income or wish you could quit your job and start your own full-time business, SFI is the best place to learn how. The training material is free and you can use it to start up any kind of business, online or off, either at SFI or elsewhere. There aren't many places that offer all that for free, with no strings attached, and no upgrades or other underhanded ways to get you to spend your money.

Visit my website moirasmoneymakingmoves.weebly.com and learn more about SFI and TripleClicks. You won't regret it and I promise you won't leave empty-handed: there's a free Gift Card* (12 dollar value) waiting for you. Take the time to fill out the contact form and become a member of one of the fastest growing online stores on the web: TripleClicks.

Have a great week!

*Only for non-members of TripleClicks or SFI. Sorry!

There's nothing like being your own boss!

I started working when I was 15, first as a baby-sitter, then as a kindergarden teacher. In my early twenties I worked as a secretary, an executive assistant, a translator and a typesetter. That typesetting gig got me a job at an important publishing firm in Mexico City where I went from assistant to the director to head of the copyright division. Throughout my years as a regular employee I worked for several brilliant men and women in cultural and academic settings, a business tycoon, a well-know orchestra director, a very chic art gallery owner and even a Mexican ex-president.

As you can see, I have been exposed to many different work environments and every person I have ever worked with has taught me something new: from learning how to change a diaper at fifteen (Yuck!) to understanding how to run a business (more or less) by the age of thirty. 

After so many years of working for others, I decided I had the wherewithal to branch out on my own. It is not for the faint-hearted, but I am more of a leader (bossy) than a follower and I knew I had the discipline to make it work for me. It was time to make use of all that knowledge I had accumulated over the years. 

At first I worked very long hours to establish my business. Without the safety-net of a steady pay-check, the stress of trying to meet all of my old and new financial obligations played havoc with my stomach, but as time passed I came into my own and I managed to earn enough to cover all my business and personal expenses. Of course I made a lot mistakes along the way, but I learned from them and worked hard to make my business work for me. And it did work for me, for many years, until I moved away from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City. 

Nowadays I work as a free-lance translator. It's sporadic work and doesn't keep me very busy. For a while I tried to keep my brain active by playing games on the computer –all day, every day (very addictive)–, but there came a point when I became really bored with this and felt the need to do something more productive. Luckily, a few months ago I discovered a new source of entertainment that also gives me the opportunity to earn money and go back to teaching. I love teaching my new and ever-growing team how to build a business and earn a second income. 

I've never regretted branching out on my own. Being independent and keeping my own hours has given me a sense of freedom that no 9 to 5 J.O.B (Just Over Broke) can ever provide. Since I am more of a night owl, I love the fact that I can get up whenever I want and not have to listen to the incessant beeping of my alarm clock; I can sit around and wait for my brain to catch up while I drink my first cup or two of coffee; I can stand outside on my balcony and appreciate the scenery, the smell of freshly cut grass and admire the cheeky birds that come visit for a few seconds before flying off into the wild blue yonder.

Sure, once in a while I still miss that regular paycheck, but not enough to go back to the morning and evening rush-hour traffic, or the office gossip and in-fighting that plague most organizations or businesses. The fact is, I love being my own boss! 

See you next week!

PS If you are curious about what I am up to nowadays, please visit my website: moirasmoneymakingmoves.weebly.com

Be smart: Start an online business but don't quit your day job... yet!

In this rapidly evolving world of new technological changes and globalization, many of us are in danger of getting left behind. I used to work in book publishing. My services included typesetting, formatting, editing, proof-reading, etc. I needed one or several people for each stage of production, until new technologies came along and revolutionized the publishing industry. My company shrank from 10 employees to 1 employee: Me! Anything extra I could outsource according to my customer's needs. 

Now even I have become obsolete. Nowadays many writers don't even require editing services, a publishing house to distribute their books or money to print hard copies. An acquaintance of mine just wrote a book and is selling it directly on Amazon. She eliminated virtually all of the steps in the publishing process and decreased her costs dramatically. But what about all those talented people who used to work in the printing and book publishing industries? What are they doing now?

In the music industry, new technologies and apps, as well as the unbridled piracy of record albums, are eating into record company profits and will eventually make them obsolete. Many talented and unknown artists, who have little hope of getting their music produced by a large record company, now produce their own songs and videos and upload them directly to YouTube, iTunes or elsewhere, with little to no cost. In this day and age, most people prefer to download their favorite song instead of paying for the whole album, so I'm thinking the employee pool in this industry is probably shrinking as we speak.

Over the last 25 years, globalization has benefitted large corporations but not their workers. Corporations are free to pick and choose where their products should be manufactured, and usually outsource their labor needs to countries where the hourly wage is much lower. It's good for the economy of the manufacturing country; it's great for the corporation and the end consumer, because the products cost less to make and are cheaper to buy. But what about the workers who are left out? What recourse do they have when they see the jobs that gave them economic stability suddenly fly off to far away places like India, China and Mexico? And what about workers in those countries who don't have the opportunity to get a stable job in those manufacturing plants? What do their economic prospects look like?

What I am saying is that this phenomenon is occurring in many industries. How secure is your job? How secure will it be 10 years from now? Where do you want to be 10 years from now? Still struggling to make ends meet in a changing world that may or may not eventually substitute your activity with a cost-saving machine, program or labor force, here or overseas? Don't you think the time is ripe to take control of your future?

Having your own business, whether it be online or not, is a way to take control of your future and your earning potential. I admit, going out on your own is not easy and can indeed be quite stressful, but if you have the opportunity to start your own part-time business while you still have your 'day job', you can invest a little time and money into it until the scales eventually tip in your favor. It's a gradual process, but once you start to earn more money from your part-time business, you will automatically want to dedicate more time to it and discontinue your 'secure' day job.

I am no economic guru and I still have a lot to learn about the online marketing business, but I am smart enough to realize that it is the wave of the future and the easiest and cheapest way to start a profitable business. In a world where good job opportunities are harder and harder to find and your paychecks are getting smaller and smaller, where your quality of life is decreasing in leaps and bounds, there is really no alternative but to find a niche that will eventually give you greater economic and personal freedom. 

There are millions of potential entrepreneurs all around the world who are already looking for ways to improve their economic situation and create a better life for themselves, and thousands of these go-getters are enrolling in SFI* every day. The training method is so comprehensive that it can teach virtually anyone who has a computer and an internet connection to start their own online marketing business.

This is the new economic opportunity of our lifetime. The stage is set. It's up to you to decide whether you want to maintain the status quo or go for the prize behind 'Door Number 2'. Just don't wait too long because, as Bob Dylan says, "The Times They Are a-Changin". For more information on how you can participate in this new economic revolution, visit my webpage: moirasmoneymakingmoves.weebly.com

See you next week!

* SFI stands for "Strong Future International Marketing Group", and is one of the fastest growing companies of its kind in the world.