When we wake up each morning, our choice of glass half full or glass half empty depends on our beliefs. So many times we are not even aware of what we believe. Watch this video about my beliefs on beliefs.

Please, if you like the video then share your opinion and share it with your friends.

Have a great day!!

Many people are unhappy with their lives, but few of them actually do something to improve it. Some think that they do not have the power to do it. For others they know they can change it but they are scared of change. They are quite comfortable where they are. So they are not desperate enough to change.

I want to talk to you today about the model of change. When someone decides to change they normally go through the same process. There are 6 steps in this model:

1. You realize that you are unhappy with the current situation. At this stage you know you are unhappy but you have not done anything about it.
2. At this stage you are thinking and deciding what you can do. You consider different options, getting help, changing career, jobs, houses, marital status, country, cars, diets, habits or anything that you may be unhappy about. For example you are deciding if you should go back to university to further your studies, or if you should stop smoking to improve your health.
3. At this stage you take relevant action. Now you set your goals and milestones, and you do what you need to do to achieve them. For example you register at university, you start a diet,  you stop smoking completely or partially.  It takes lots of courage to get at this point and only 5% of people that are unhappy really take action.
4. By this stage you have been taking action regularly.  You may have achieved some milestones, like doing a subject or losing 2 kilos, or being cigarette free for 2 weeks. You are probably feeling positive about this change and you know you can conquer it, although sometimes you may feel overwhelmed about it.
5. At this stage you may regress a bit. Suddenly you do not feel like studying, you are missing your TV program or going out with friends. Or maybe you had a social event where you could not resist that cigarette or the food. Next day you were too tired to go to the gym, and once you missed a session you felt lazy to carry on. Yes you have regressed in your journey of change. This does not mean that you have failed. Everyone is allowed to regress, it is normal, so you do not need to beat yourself up.
6. At this stage you have realised that if you do not get your act together you probably will never change. So you bounce back and you continue taking action towards your change. It is now time to celebrate. You have achieved your desired change and you are now happy.

Sometimes you may get stuck in any of these stages. It may seem like nothing is happening.  So what do you do then?

1. If you are unhappy about a situation, then look at yourself, be honest and take responsibility. You are the only one to blame. Look inside yourself and make a plan to change.
2. Thinking and deciding: Well just see how this situation has affected your life and realise that unless you do something different you will always get the same results.
3. Plan the change and make a commitment to yourself to carry on with it.
4. It is easier to maintain action if you set up small milestones. Celebrate each time you reach a milestone. Share it with someone and allow yourself a pat on your back.
5. You may or may not regress, and that depends on your determination to change and your circumstances. But if you do, then I suggest that you accept that regression is normal, learn from it and take action again to continue the journey of change.
6. Once change has occurred then it is time to celebrate and decide to change something else.

Some people are scared of change. And it is understandable, But remember everything is constantly changing. If you do not change, then you may be left behind. Change is needed to grow and learn. Learning is our purpose in this lifetime.

Remember we cannot fail, we are just learning, so if we think about it, we have nothing to lose by changing.

I encourage to look at something you are unhappy in your life and change it. Tells us about your journey, sharing it you may help someone else.

In case you do not know what it means, this article will give you an overview.  Affiliate program is an agreement between the vendor of a product or service and a so called affiliate.

You could be wearing either shoe. You could be the vendor of your services or products or you could be the affiliate that will promote other persons products.

So how does it all start?

The vendor has a website with products or services and in the website he encourages affiliates to join the affiliate program, it is free to join an affiliate program.

Once the affiliate joins his role is to drive traffic to the vendor’s site. He can  do this in different ways, some ways are cheaper and some are more expensive.

Once the affiliate drives traffic to the website, depending on the action of the visitor and on the affiliate agreement the affiliate will be paid by the vendor. There are different types of agreements:

The affiliate could be paid:

Per Sale: If the person that visits the vendors site as a result of the affiliate campaign  buys the product or service, then the affiliate will be paid a commission

Per visitor: The affiliate will be paid based on the number of visitors he has sent to the vendor’s site

Per lead: the affiliate will be paid based on the number of people that visit the vendor’s website and give their contact details (email address).

The vendor will provide affiliates with all the marketing material, like banners, emails to send, text links and will provide them with an affiliate link that can used to track the traffic.

The advantage of being an affiliate marketer is that you can earn a commission without having to create a product, worry about websites or dealing directly with customers.

For the vendor the advantage is that he is having a very effective marketing system and at a much affordable cost than in the offline world.

Now to manage an affiliate program involves some work. There needs to be a system in place. There are some companies that would run the system for the vendor, like commission junction or clickbank. They will have a system that keeps track of which affiliate sold a product and they would do the payment on behalf of the vendor. There is a cost involved for the vendor. Besides these two there are other programs depending on your product type and on your country.

Otherwise you can buy software that would help you with the tracking of the affiliate information.  Some examples are Infusionsoft and shopping cart. But you will still need someone to manage it.

In both cases you will still need to provide the marketing material

This is a general overview of the affiliate program. Please give me some feedback if you found this article useful and please post any questions you may have.

I also came to realize that like weeds that grow quite easily, our bad habits are acquired without even noticing it. On the other hand, it is harder to acquire good habits in the same way as it is harder to grow a tree. Why is that?

Well I do not have an answer to that. I suppose a good habit entails discipline and persistence, while a bad habit is more fun.

If you are at a stage when you have decided to get rid of these stubborn weeds, then here are 5 tips to ease the journey.

1. Decide on which habit you are going to break first, and tackle one at a time. I have tried breaking many habits simultaneously, hoping that at the end of the 30 days I would be a different person, but it becomes too overwhelming.

2. Write your new habit down together with the reason or the “why” you want to break it. Knowing the “why” will motivate you to succeed. Keep the actual writing where you can see it. This way if you get too involved with your daily activities you will be reminded. If the habit requires a specific time slot in your day, like exercising, then book it out in your diary (if you use one).

3. Start small. If you decide you want to exercise, do not set as a habit to walk for 5 km because that is not going to happen at the beginning and then you will get discouraged and quit. Rather set yourself a habit of walking 200 meters and increase the distance every day.

4. Use some triggers: Triggers are especially useful since our bad habits are buried deep in our subconscious. But if you keep reminders then it would definite help. For example if you are trying to form the habit to place your keys in the same place as you enter your house, make a note and stick it on the wall, or place something near the entrance that would remind you of what you need to do.

5. Tell someone what you are doing. That will hold you accountable and the person can also give you a pat in the back when you are actually practicing your habit

I do believe also that the habits also agree with your values. If what you are trying to change does not represent an important value in your life then you would probably not be so determined to change. But if the habit you want to break is related to your most important values then you will surely succeed at weeding out your habit.

I would encourage you to decide on a bad habit you want to break and post it here, Let us know how you are doing.

How does this apply to Internet marketing? A very popular strategy in internet marketing and a difficult one to understand at the beginning is to give free information. We think that if we give free information we are losing money. It does not work like that in internet marketing. There is plenty of free information available on the Internet. When you give free information you probably are winning new clients. If the information you give is quality information, the potential client will probably buy products from you in the future.

How can you give free information? You could do so by publishing articles on your blog, or we could write an eBook. We could have his eBook and offer it to the person if they give you their email address. In this manner we already have their contact details to keep in touch with them, build a relationship and in future offer other products.

Another way of applying the law of cause and effect is that if you look after your potential clients, you build and maintain a relationship through your blog or through newsletters; the person is going to remember you.

You also need to be different. Lots of people are teaching the same skills. If you are different the potential client will remember you. You give more by being different and as a result you will get more.

At the same time it is important that the potential clients or clients get to know you personally. In reality they do not know you, but it is important to establish this relationship through the interaction in the blog, through videos and audio. The more they feel they know you, the more they will buy from you.  You must not miss the point. You must not be false with the client. The point here is what I give to the universe and what I get in return. It is like a boomerang that always returns.

Can you see how we can apply the laws to anything in life? I would love to hear your ideas about this.

We live in a consumer based society, and we tend to consume without really considering. Some of us buy but never throw away. Why? It is probably due to the fact that most of us have a scarcity mentality. We scared that when we need it we will not be able to replace it. .

When we keep just in case, we are generally cluttering our space. You may ask what has to do with attracting things. Well remember we are all energy and everything has vibration, we are all connected, so it has lots to do with it.

How many clothes do you have in your wardrobe that you are keeping just in case you lose the weight you put on after your pregnancy? Last year with the help of a coach I had my wardrobe cleared of all type of clothes I hanged on for years. Most of them were out of fashion. Yet I was keeping them for different reasons. Some of them had sentimental value. In others cases, I was hoping I was going to fit in them after having two children and being 10 years older. Let me add that there is nothing wrong in believing I was going to fit in them, but my diet was not directed to ever fit in them.

My coach also helped me getting read of papers, and sorting out everything. But as I sorted out everything my mind also got clear and more organized. It was calming entering a room which was clear of clutter and organized. Today a year later I can see how many more things I have accumulated. I need another exercise to get rid of things that are taking my space and I do not need.

Clutter has many negative effects on us and yet we still collect so many things. Let me tell you about how clutter can keep you back:

1. You can never have a big enough house to keep all the clutter. Therefore your house would be always disorganized and messy, or you will be buying bigger houses and having thinner wallets.
2. A disorganized and messy house is in reality a reflection of the status of your mind. Is your mind cluttered? I find myself thinking clearer in a clear room/ I can just feel the difference in vibration.
3. If your wardrobe is overloaded with stuff, do you think you can find space for something new? Well the universe works like that. If you are trying to attract something new in your life but your space is cluttered the universe will not give it to you. You do not have the space for it. Trust me. You want more money. Then clear your space, throw away anything you do not need. And soon enough the universe will give you the extra money or extra thing you are wanting. This applies to love also. Are you wanting love to come into your life? Have you let go of your past relationships?
4. Is your bedroom cluttered? Your bedroom is like your sanctuary. That is the place where you are supposed to rest and recharge your energies. If your bedroom is cluttered you are not having a peaceful rest. You are most probably feeling tired all the time.  Your bedroom should be always tidy and organized like a hotel room. I always feel peaceful when I enter a hotel room. I must say I still need to master my bedroom organization.
5. If your desk is cluttered you cannot think clearly. Do an exercise and clear your desk you would immediately be able to work more productively.
6. A messy car also reflects your inner self. It stops you from advancing in life.

Clutter stops us from attracting love, friends, new things, wealth. I have never seen an untidy house of a wealthy person. All wealthy houses are completely tidy, nothing out of place. The truth is that in a cluttered house, car, or life there is no space for anything else. If you want to attract more you need first to get rid of things. This is not only a cleanliness matter. It is a self development issue. Your life will completely change if you can master having an uncluttered space.

Getting rid of clutter is contagious. Once you start you cannot stop. If you are one of these people, I would like to challenge you to take action this week. I will be addressing my paperwork.  Organize just one space, your desk, your car, or your bed side table. And then feel the difference. I look forward to your comments.

Sometimes we do not get the best, but that is life. I believe we came here to learn a lesson, and some of the lessons get presented as challenges. The important thing is your attitude to face the challenge you are dealt with.

Positive thoughts are not just something we change from one day to the other one. It involves a change of ourselves, of our mindset, of our lifestyles. Let me explain what I mean. I will best explain it with my experience. I included positive thoughts in my life, everyday I do my affirmations and when things go bad I become aware of it and change my thoughts. But I am not always aware of it.

At the same time we all need to vent sometimes. Yes, things happen and we vent. So I came to realise that sometimes I vent with too many people, therefore emphasizing things that did not have the outcome I wanted. But that was not on purpose. If I speak to a friend and she asks me how things are, I just tell them how they are. With this I am stressing the negative things, but also my friends think I am complaining. At the beginning this annoyed me because I was not complaining. I was just merely telling the way things were. Then I thought that complaining or not complaining I am giving too much emphasis on things that are not positive.

I have made a commitment this week to incorporate this to my life. I will vent with my coach and one other person. I will say it once to get it out of my system and then leave it to the universe. To the rest I will just say things are great, and speak about the positives. This way I will minimise the negative, the whining and complaining. I will embrace every minute as a lesson.

How about you?  Do you tell all your problems to all your friends?

Do you talk to your friend about the good things or do you meet for coffee to complain about your boss, your partner, or your lack of luck?

I would like to read your comments on this.

If you have started a blog, and you want to be different then I invite you to read how to make your blog stand out.

Happy reading!

There are several universal laws and I will mention some of them only. The laws apply to all aspects of our lives, home life, work life, social life, self development, and all other aspects.

They are laws, and as such they always work weather we apply them or not. Even if we think we are not applying them we are actually are. For example someone could say “I actually do not care about universal laws but I hate my current job.” Well he just made use of the universal laws. He is focusing on the current job and will most probably keep the current job.

So let me introduce you to some of the laws. As said you probably know some if not all.

Law of attraction: It is the most known as it was featured in the movies “The Secret” and it states that whatever we focus on that is what it will manifest. It is not as simple as the movie makes it, but it is not complicated. The point is to know exactly what we want and not contradict ourselves.

Law of allowing: This law states that we need to allow things to be like they are supposed to be, without the need to control everything. Sometimes we need to let things happen without interfering. The universe knows best, things happen for a reason.

Law of relativity: Everything in the universe exists because of relativity. So bad exists because good exists, and big exists because small. SO much depends on how we perceive things, and how we compare with other things. What we thought it was a bad situation can be good if we compare it with another’s person situation that is worst than ours.

Law of detachment: This law works closely with the law of attraction and the law of allowing. It talks about trusting and believing. When you want something, you can ask for it, but then you need too detach form the results. You must let the universe work on it and trust and believe that whatever happens will be the best for you.

Law of abundance: This law states that the universe is abundant. There is enough of everything for everyone, enough food, money, water. When we stress because we do not have money, for example, we are actually telling the universe we do not trust there is enough and therefore we will not get the money we need.

Law of rhythm: This law states that everything in the universe flows. After the night comes the day, and after winter comes summer, after a bad moment comes a good one. If you are going through a bad moment you must get very excited because a good one is coming soon. This is law. Nothing lasts forever.

Law of cause and effect: This law states that every action produces a result directly proportional to the action that originated it. In other words whatever you saw you shall reap. If we think positively, positive things will occur.

This is a summary of some of the universal laws. As said, these laws apply to any aspect of our lives and as such can be applied to our online businesses. I will cover this more in another article.

I would love to hear your experiences with the universal laws. Tell me about a specific incident t in which these laws were working for you.

I come to realize that sometimes I take life too seriously. Then I forget to laugh. It is actually sad that some of us consider take life as something serious forgetting to laugh regularly.

When I used to go to school I used to have laughter attacks and would start laughing at anything and would be tempted to continue for hours, anything was enough to start the laughter. Somehow with the challenges that life gave me I lost that ability. I do not know how fear, worries and anxiety made me become a sort of serious person. I am really sorry that I have missed so much in the last years just because I was more involved with “adult” life.

When I watch my own children I can see they just are free souls that not worry about much. They can cry and laugh almost in a second. They are more in touch with their emotions.  It s a spontaneous laugh and it can go on for a long time.

This week I have started to experiment with my children, to participate, to share their emotions. I have now started laughing with them. We tickle each other and we have fun for about ten minutes. I love feeling connected again with that inner child. In this way I also release all the tension I have in me.

Laughter is a survival mechanism; it really helps to overcome challenges. Humour and laughter increase the wish to live. This of course helps you to continue despite all the challenges life gives you. Try to laugh, even if you fake it, and be aware of how you feel afterwards/ Even a smile will change your mindset.

Laughter has tremendous physical and psychological benefits. Some of them are:

• It reduces stress. Laughter reduces the stress hormones while increasing enhancing hormones like endorphins, the happy hormone
• It provides a good emotional and physical release. You feel lighter afterwards.
• It acts as a pain killer; it reduces the emotional and physical pain you feel by increasing the pain threshold.
• It gives your abdomen a workout. It exercises the diaphragm, the abs and even the shoulders.
• It keeps you younger. Smiling or laughing exercises muscles we do not use otherwise making you feel younger.
• It keeps depression away, It also distracts you from your worries
• It increases your immune system
• It reduces aggression.
• It makes us feel like children again.
• It helps us make connections and therefore improve our social life. Laughing connects people; it breaks the silence and breaks the ice in an uncomfortable situation. I

laughter benefits

This is what I have been doing this week, twice a day.  I have set the timer for 5 minutes and started laughing without stopping. I had to fake it at the beginning but then I got myself going. Also my children joined in and we all had a good laugh. It was incredible how light I felt afterwards

Life does not need to be serious. Do you have the courage to try it?

I would love to hear your comments and experiences on this.

Do you laugh often?

When you laugh how do you feel?

Tell us about any anecdote.