Rockstar Guide Books

Today is Video Wednesday, and today’s message is a very heartfelt one. Shortly after the Ultimate Blog Challenge started, I heard a song. One with two very popular musical artists singing about abuse.

I won’t say their names, because it really doesn’t matter. Unfortunately in a few months some other artists will be singing a similar song that says abuse is ok. This was the final straw in avoiding a calling I have had for years. I can no longer stand by and let the cycles of hate and abuse continue.

While that calling came almost 3 weeks ago, and I stated to myself that I would finish the Blog Challenge before leaving this blog behind. Although I nearly quit just 4 days before the challenge ended.

Each day, each post has become harder and harder to write. Some of you may know that I also write for 365 Online Tips. This is a daily success and motivational site. There is another motivational site in the works. I am actually looking for some women who are willing to make commitment to helping women.

But for those of you who are friends on my personal website, you probably have read that I am thinking of getting out of making websites and even out of WordPress. Well, the decisions were made as to what I was/am going to do as of almost 2 weeks ago.

Now it is time to confess….

Rockstar Guide to WordPress will soon no longer be available for sale as an ebook. I am working on getting it published. It will be sold on Amazon and hopefully on Kindle as well. It will be available at a much lower price and I am looking to get some other authors to add some chapters to help people with their websites. This is extremely important because half of the profits will be going towards special organizations and that new project mentioned earlier. It will need some funds for scholarships and such.

So…

• If you want to add a chapter to a WordPress book, please comment.
• If you are a woman and would like to participate in a special project to help others, please comment. (make certain that you use email box because it will be a private message)
• If you are a man, and would like to help get the project going, please comment.
• If you would like me to continue doing Freebie Fridays, please comment.

I still enjoy WordPress and very much enjoy tech stuff, I just won’t be able to do daily blogs or commit to WordPress projects.

Tags: blogboost, challenge, Success, video

Unfortunately I have a stomach virus, and really do not feel like shooting a video, even if it is video Wednesday.   But this is a reminder of several things.

1) I have not followed my own advice in getting ahead on blog posts so you have extras when something happens.

LESSON:  Make certain you have a few extra posts in case an emergency or sudden virus happens.

2) Also make certain you know what you are going to cover before time.

LESSON: Plan in Advance.

3) Yes, One hundred articles in hundred days #4 just ended but I have not shown my video from #3

LESSON:  Your blog should also show your accomplishments so people know what you are about.  (ME=writing)

4) Videos should be filmed in advance and can be uploaded on the correct day.  Note: videos are helping me prepare for being a speaker.

LESSON: Record videos early.

Ok, so yes I am a writer.  The pictures and videos are from #3 which was the first HAHD I entered.    HAHD #4 just ended and it was my second HAHD contest, completed with over 200 articles.   Yes, I am working on becoming a speaker.  Yes I am working on becoming a published author.  And yes foreshadowing.

What?

Can’t tell you, otherwise you would know and this post would not be foreshadowing.

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

I heart Ezine Articles Mug from when I became a Platinum Author

The cartoon mug for completing a mini challenge

The HAHD is from HAHD that completed in April!

See all my articles at http://RockstarGuideBooks.com/articles

From their blog!!!!

• Of the 2,615 Expert Authors who enrolled, 261 (10%) successfully qualified with 100+ articles.
• Total Qualifiers = 261, Double Qualifiers = 68

Tags: articles, video, writer

Unfortunately it seems I fell victim to a classic blunder.  Of course the most famous of which is never get involved in a land war in Asia.   In this case the classic blunder was wanting to get more writing done by using my competitive nature so I joined EzineArticles HAHD Double.  200 articles plus 50 bonus in 100 days.

PROBLEM 1 I had not actually started a daily writing routine, so my goal of writing at least 25 articles a week for 100 in the first month resulted in 60 articles.  250-60=190

PROBLEM 2 One month into HAHD my grandmother had a stroke.  For 2 weeks we had to plan for the unexpected, a sudden leaving.  Then we had 10 days of taking care of things for the family.  So in the 30 days of June, I wrote maybe 15 articles.  190-15=175

PROBLEM 3 This left just over 40 days to write 175 articles ACK.  This resulted in basically what happens when your car is in mud and you decide to use speed to get out…  I bogged down. 

Now the count down is coming to the line… can I do it?  Who knows.

But this is supposed to be writing for internet success.  I learned lessons. 

Solution 1: Make plans to write every day, or a regular once a week session.  Set it up at a regular time.  If you can not write a post for your work blog, create another blog to share ramblings and thoughts but do what you can to write regularly.

Solution 2: Plan ahead.  Do more at the beginning when you have time when things are ok.  When things go south, you are ok.

Solution 3.  FOCUS ON THE NEXT STEP.  See the mountain in the distance, but focus on your next step not the path up ahead, not the hills, rocks and other things in the middle.  Focus one post, one article at a time. And then look up to check the mountain top and realize you are there. 

What solutions do you have?  Add some good ones in the comments and I may add them to another post with a link to your site.

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Tags: Success, writing

Tags: blog, blogboost, women

While George Orwell may have passed away years ago, he did help with today’s post.  In 1946 that could help you feel more confident with your writing. He wrote six rules in this essay and while they were 60 years ago they still hold true.

i. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you used to seeing in print.

Writers may use the phrase inappropriately, or it may not be understood by readers.

ii. Never use a long word where a short one will do.

In his case, he felt like people who used long words were doing so to sound pretentious. Now, people reading online come from all education levels and from around the world, long or confusing words you make your reading harder for them.

iii. If is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

Your articles and posts do not need to go on for pages when one page will do. People have limited time and are more likely to read an article that gets to the point and lets them go.

iv. Never use the passive where you can use the active.

Using active writing pulls readers into your article. The opposite is true of passive writing.

v. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

This was before the multicultural foods we enjoy and before technology was something you didn’t leave home without.  Currently this takes more thought and depends on your niche.  If your website is “Raw recipes” you readers likely understand the difference between Vegetarian, Vegan and Raw.  My readers maybe not, but my readers hopefully understand the differences between sidebars, headers, and posts.  While your raw reader may not.  So try to use words that your readers will understand without talking down or over their heads.

vi. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Even then George Orwell said the rules were mostly suggestions. Using these rules as suggestions will help your article writing and blog writing share information online while helping readers around the world understand you.

And because this blog is read by people in several countries…

Gracias, Blagodaram, Danke, Tack, Arigatô, Xiè xie, Merci, Mahalo, Grazie, and Thank you!

(Spanish, Macedonian, German, Swedish, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, French, Hawaiian, Italian and English)

If I missed your language…  please tell me thank you and please tell me your language.  Sometimes I know other times… not so much.

~ MJ Schrader

Tags: advertising, writing

While you may be thinking passion is reserved for love, but it can be part of your life. Yesterday’s post explained Why Passion Helps Your Online Business Success.   While knowing that may help your business, if you do not know what makes you passionate, it is hard to start an online business that can push toward success.

What did you enjoy as a child?

Remember what made you happy when you were young. Then think about the things you love to do now. There may just be a correlation between the two.

What would you do if every job paid the same?

You were probably told as a child that this job pays and that job does not. Your passion is in what you want to do.

What makes you feel alive?

This is actually based on a powerful quote by Harold Whitman. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

What fascinates you?

If you are regularly learning about something it is probably a passion of yours and a hint of your future business success.

What do people ask you?

The topic they ask about is very likely something that you are passionate about and they hear it in your voice and feel your enthusiasm. They are coming to you because you are who they consider an expert.

What would you do if failure was impossible?

This is probably the biggest test of all. You may have something pop into your head that you have been wanting to do. You fear failure. Do not worry, everyone does. The difference is what people do, do they push through the fear, or allow it to stop them. Your passion, your future, your business success all depend on what you do with that fear.

Tags: niche, Success

While you may be thinking passion is reserved for love, but it can be part of your life and significant part of your online business success.   You probably have read articles that have told you how important passion is.   There are very few articles that tell you why.   “Why” is what this post will answer.

Passion and You

Following your passion in business helps you reach for greater heights. You will have more incentive and tenacity to grow and learn more. It also motivates and encourages you and makes you feel enjoy life better.

Passion and Your Online Business Success

Going into business requires that you are able to push yourself. If your business is something that makes you feel alive then you will have a greater desire to persist when things are hard. You will be more likely to work the longer hours that starting a business normally takes.

The biggest advantage of being passionate about what you do in your online business is that it makes you a better person. You feel more confident which pulls people to you and they feel your passion and it makes them want some of that for themselves. They want your products and your services because they can sense your joy and almost everyone wants more joy in their lives.

~ MJ Schrader

Tomorrow: Finding your passion … (tell me your passion in the comments today and tomorrow and I will share a story about my passions!!!)

Tags: niche, passion, Success

In the past few days I have watched the tweet-stream roll with mention after mention after mention of the same post. Personally when the mentions come from a variety of people then it makes me curious about the post. When the author is doing all the promotion, it gives me pause.

Is it boasting or self-promotion?

It really depends on the point of view of the reader. The reader may feel like the person with nothing but posts about their blogs and websites is boasting. Another reader may be very much aware that the only person who is guaranteed to advertise for you is you.

If you have been online for some time you probably have friends who are also online and writing blogs. You may be friends with each other on various other social media formats as well. Traditional advertising to these friends might not work. We have learned to ignore the banner ads and other common advertising formats so reaching out on Twitter and Facebook is a new way to reach those people.

What if I don’t want to self-promote?

Unfortunately I have not been into self-promotion. While I have an affiliate program and offer ways to help people promote my business, people get busy doing their own promotions and make promises that are not kept. Therefore if you do not promote your business, your products or services then chances are good that no one will know about them.

~~

With that in mind today I am running a bit of self promotion. The Rockstar Guide Book to WordPress has helped many people get WordPress installed and set up. If you need information about how to get started online before you create a WordPress website then the Rockstar Education 101 is the way to go.

Finally there is the Coaching. I am running a crazy special, you get the Rockstar Education 101 coaching as long as the class lasts. It lasts just over 3 months so you get just over 3 months of coaching for just $425. (consider this, I get hired to fix problems

But if you are in the first 10 people to grab that awesome coaching you get  Rockstar Education WordPress Growth as well it is releasing in September!

For a complete insanity the first 5 coaching students not only get the Rockstar Education 101, with just over 3 months of coaching, the Rockstar Education WordPress Growth and …

coaching to last as long as WordPress Growth! So over 6 months of coaching for just $425.

Below is a video I recorded today.

~ MJ Schrader

PS.  Want to see something funny?  Click the video to see it on YouTube, then watch Welcome to my…uh…

This is final in the Planning the Unexpected series.  Each day is a products, person or service I recommend. Today is the final installment and this one is long, because a lot of people have questions about Hypnosis.  This also features another friend thanks to Unseminar and Pat O’Bryan and that is the lovely and wise Wendi Friesen…

Hypnosis and Online Business Success

Over the past couple of years I have gotten to know Wendi Friesen, a top hypnotist. In talking to her, it is surprising how many myths circulate regarding hypnosis and hypnotists.  The reality is it can actually help you with your online business success.

The Puppet Myth

Hypnosis does not make the mind into a puppet for the hypnotist. You are not going to do something against your nature. The people who jump up and crow like a rooster are people who subconsciously want to be performers.

You are not asleep or unconscious during hypnosis but your focus is completely with the words of the hypnotist or with what is hypnotizing you.   An example would be if you are driving a straight road, a road that seems to go on and on, you may have suffered from road hypnosis. In this state, your mind takes over and drives on autopilot, while another part of your mind is focused on entirely different matters.

A Focus Shift

You are not unconscious, but things that normally require thought do not, because your consciousness is targeted on the hypnosis. Thus when a hypnotist, like Wendi, asks you to raise your arm if you want to succeed, you raise it, seemingly unconsciously, because you want the success and you were focused on her words and not your own actions.

Will it work for me?

If you have an excuse or reason to not succeed, hypnosis will not help you. Conversely if your mind is open and receptive this greatly speeds up the process. An excellent hypnotist, like Wendi Friesen can find words that slip into your subconscious and your mind accepts the words as self-created. True hypnosis success is based on your mind accepting the message as part of you.

Should I try hypnosis?

Wendi Friesen has hypnosis CDs over a wide range of subjects and these are very beneficial for any problem you want to change.  You must be ready and wanting to change, or willing to find the reason you block changes. If you are blocking changes, you need something  like her “The Wall” hypnosis.   I have gone through it 5 times with different results.  Every morning Wendi’s “Wake up happy” CDs wake me up, they encourage me and I feel more confident.  So visit Wendi.com and see what will help you.

Tags: blog30, difference, Success

Alright this may seem like a strange post for the WordPress Rockstar, but it has a lot of advice. While helping others with their website or business may seem counter intuitive, there are benefits that that go beyond those you can see. Helping someone today, may help your business next week. Going that extra mile may spell out a benefit that you currently may not see.

An Example

Here is an example. Being more of a behind the scenes type person, it means I do not push my name out in public. Since I have helped various people with WordPress problems, even ones their tech person can not fix I have built a name. Now there are people who email me who need immediate help and are willing to pay for it.

But what about your business?

While that was helping people with my specialty, helping others in business can benefit you in additional ways. Perhaps someone needs help with something you know, you can offer a skill trade, like a barter. Trade your writing skills for their graphic skills. This helps both of you and does not cost a thing.

What about #Blog30?

Right now #Blog30 is running. This is a great chance to read phenomenal blogs and share them with others. You can comment on the blogs and help various people by pointing out things that can help make their blog better. By helping others they are more inclined to watch out for you and your business. In addition this cross communication of sharing information means invisible webs are being woven. A business acquaintance mentions your blog post on Twitter. Someone who reads their stream, may recommend you to someone else. Then that person may seek you out for friendship or business partnerships.

This is the beauty of sharing kindness.  What you do today, you may not see.  You may not see anything tomorrow either, but you could a week from now, a month from now… even later.  What you will get back will be a reflection of what you do.  So are you going to turn your back or spread the love?

~ MJ Schrader

PS. You should check out the new Rockstar Products!  And look into the new Rockstar Services!

Tags: blog30, problems, unique