I just have a few websites that I own, so my marketing efforts have been very focused.  My few sites are all content based information sites that offer advice or information for free.  Most of my marketing up to this point has been from articles I have written - I truly love to write.  But I have been thinking that I should market my sites in other ways to reach a broader audience.

While I was looking for ideas in a forum that I frequent, I did come across something that I had never heard about before.  There were quite a few members talking about free directory submissions that they were doing and I had to ask what they were and how they were doing it.

Even though I came across as someone new to the whole Internet marketing arena, they explained that free directories are excellent ways to market your site.  According to what I read, all I had to do was submit my sites to them and wait for my listings to be approved.  It sounded pretty easy.

A couple of hours of submissions later, I realized that even though it was a good method to market my sites, it was not the quickest method.  I decided to hire a directory submission service firm to take care of this aspect of my site promotion.  The money I paid (it sure wasn’t very much money) was well worth the time that I saved.

So, I have added directory submissions to my arsenal of website promotion tools.  Now, I think I am going to look into social bookmarking - that looks interesting as well.

I am so excited to wake up every morning an look in the mirror.  You see I love looking at myself - not because I am vain, but because it has been three weeks since I got rid of my acne.  Not only does my face look better, but my self esteem is better too.  Would you like to know how I did it?  I would love to share what worked for me, so it can work for you too.

You see, about six months ago, I was facing a problem.  A really big problem.  My acne was out of control and I was starting to get some on my back, and the acne on my face was getting worse.  You wouldn’t believe the number of cleansers I was using to try and get rid of it, but it just wasn’t working.  It was to the point where people were looking at me differently, and I was starting to feel ashamed about how I looked - no one should ever feel like that.

I went to our local drug store and asked the pharmacist if she had any ideas for an acne treatment alternative to cleansers.  She suggested that I take more Vitamin B5 and use Vilantae to reduce the amount of oil my body was producing - which would get rid of my acne.

Guess what?  It worked.  I still take extra Vitamin B5 each day and I have some Vilantae on hand in case I have an outbreak.  If you have an acne problem give it a try - you will be so happy you did!

I like to do things that don’t require a lot of work, but get the job done.  Now, I am not talking about shortcuts, but if it is something that is a more efficient process, then it is good for me.

So, when it came to my teeth, I was unsure about what I could do.  You see, they have never been too straight, and in my opinion, they have been a big eyesore on my otherwise handsome face.  I know I should have done something about it when I was a child, but as an adult, I now had the financial means to do something about it - so I decided to quit procrastinating and just do it.

While I was at the orthodontist I asked if there was an alternative to braces - I have always found them to be ugly and obtrusive.  To my surprise there was.  She suggested that I try Invisalign, as they were invisible braces that would do the job, without really affecting my life.

So, I decided to use Invisalign to straighten my teeth.  Sure the price was a bit more, but it follows my strategy in life:  they are out of site and out of mind.

I have always loved to find a bargain and I shop around for them.  It is no different when it comes to my business.  I don’t think you need to spend tons of money to get your message across.

I recently needed to find some discount promotional products to advertise my company.  These discount promotional items would be used to give out to prospective clients that I was trying to get interested in my services.

I found a place that sells cheap promotional mugs and they were quite attractive.  I ordered a bunch of them and decided to also use them around the office.  I packed up all of the stray mugs that I had lying around in the coffee room and replaced them with the new ones.

It makes me feel good to see everyone drinking out of a company mug.  I’ve had great feedback from the staff and my clients as well.

Tonight I am putting on a class for job seekers on how to write a resume.  I have been teaching these classes for some time and the results have been good.  Most of my students use the lessons I teach them and they succeed at getting a job quickly.

Up to this point, I have just been teaching my students how to make a resume using pen and paper - then typing it out.  Today I am going to try something different.

You see, a few weeks ago while reading my emails, I received one from my friend Jill who also teaches people about resume writing.  She sent me some details regarding an online resume builder that she found - it was free and provided the framework our students needed to do their resume quickly.

So, I had been testing this online tool for the past couple of weeks to make sure that it was valuable - and it has proven its’ worth.  So, I created some class material and I will be presenting information on it tonight.  I have decided to talk about it last, because I need them to know the basics before they try the tool - to avoid mistakes.

With the new lesson in place, today should be interesting and exciting - I was getting bored teaching the same thing each time - it will be refreshing to talk about something different.

I have a few friends that look "good" from the outside, but if you knew their financial story, you would see a gloomier picture.  You see Jake and Mary are up to their eyeballs in debt, with no apparent way out.  They don’t want to go bankrupt for fear of losing some of their toys and their lifestyle.  At the same time though, if they don’t do something, that will be the only alternative.

I talked to Jake yesterday and he said they had gone to get some credit and bill consolidation help.  The company that they were talking to was going to help them through their debt negotiation program.

This process would be essentially a two step process.  First their credit card negotiation services department would try and reduce their credit card debt in half and get them a better interest rate.  Then another department would try and negotiate similar deals for their bills.

These reduced payments would be lumped together into one single payment that they would make each month - reducing their stress immensely.  The goal of the work that would be done on their behalf would be to get them completely out of debt in about thirty months.

Though they had been crying for debt relief for many months now, they seem a little calmer now.  They have a plan and just have to follow it - and their troubles and stress will go away.

Sometimes you come across a business opportunity that you cannot pass up.  That was the case for me lately, when a local lounge ended up in foreclosure at a price I couldn’t pass up. 

The reason I was eager to jump on the opportunity was that the business did very well, the club was always busy, and the only reason it ended up in foreclosure was that the owners (I knew them) spent their money faster than it came in.  So, I wanted to get the club up and operational as quick as possible to lose the least amount of regular customers as possible.

The lounge came with all the equipment I needed - the only thing that was missing was ATM machines.  I decided that the quickest way to get the problem solved would be to get some mobile ATM machines so I would only need a wall outlet, and no other wiring.

I contacted a local ATM rental company and ordered some mobile ATMs.  They are scheduled to arrive in a couple of days.  With our opening date scheduled for this weekend, they are the final piece of our lounge setup - it will be an exciting (and busy) weekend.

I think it has been a couple of years now since I took a class on personal development.  It has been the only one I have taken up to this point, but the lessons I learned are still with me.  If you were my friend, you would have witnessed my personal growth over the last few years - many people have noticed the changes. 

The one skill that I would say is responsible for this growth is the eulogies I write each month about myself.  Now, you may think this is kind of weird, but think about it this way:  if you lived your life the way you wanted your eulogy should reflect that.  In this respect, writing a eulogy each month allows you to find your areas that you are doing well, as well as problem areas that you should be working on.

When I was first taught this skill, I was skeptical.  It really didn’t sound like it would work.  But now, a couple years later, you can see my development if you read the eulogies I wrote each month.

How did this all start?

At the class, they showed us some eulogy samples as well as a how to write a eulogy book. The first few I wrote were pretty pathetic, but now, they are really well written. 

I always recommend this method of personal growth to my friends - though I have only had one person actually try it out.  Most people think it is weird, but it has worked for me.

Well it is official.  My dog hates homemade dog food.  You see we have been trying to make food for the dog for the past week, and, well she doesn’t like it.

This whole idea of making dog food started about two weeks ago, when I was reading an article in a health magazine.  Now, the only reason I read the article is that it seemed out of place in a men’s health magazine - but obviously there was a reason that it was there.

Inside the magazine it listed the health benefits of dog food you made at home for your dog.  Some of the more compelling arguments were the control of ingredients as well as fewer preservatives in their diet.  I thought they were good reasons, and I thought we should try it out.

Now, our trial didn’t go as well as planned.  We made the food, gave it to the dog, and the dog sure didn’t like it.  The first time she vomited on the floor.  After three days, he was refusing to eat.

But all is not lost.  We did make some dog treats that she did love, and I think we will keep making them.  Even though she didn’t like the food, we are going to try again with our new puppy, which we will be getting in the spring.

As I get older, my mind gets slower.  I really don’t care to get slow or dumb - it is important for me to be quick on the draw for what I do.  Anyway, I try to give my brain a workout each day to keep it strong and learn new things.

Lately, I have been doing crossword puzzles to workout my brain.  The nice thing with them is that it takes just a little time out of your day to do one, but the benefits are obvious.  You learn new information (via clues and solutions) as well as work on your spelling (which I could use a bit of work on that).

I also tend to use free online crossword puzzles as opposed to getting a crossword book - not just because of the price, but rather because I have access to a computer all day.  I just take a break from what I am doing and work on a crossword for ten minutes for a break.

I have considered making my own crossword puzzles, but I do not want to do it on paper.  I have found a free crossword puzzle maker online that I am going to try out - but I will have to leave it to another day as I am too busy right now.

So, take the time to give your brain a workout each day.  Use my routine if that works for you, or there are plenty of other ways to workout your brain - just make a point of doing it.