Quick Update

Just a quick update - not feeling very good at the moment.

I spent the day looking up ad agencies in the Denver area and sending my information to them. I've got another 30-40 on my list so that is exciting. Next week starts the follow up and hopefully the interviews. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Tomorrow I'll send more emails to the agencies and more thank you notes for the giveaway gifts. There is plenty to do and it's up to me to do it!

Enjoy the Clayton Makepeace article below and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Create a nice day,

Lara

I'm A Thief!

Yep that's right, I steal. And I steal good stuff...now I'll share it with you.

Here's another brilliant article by Clayton Makepeace as it originally appeared in The Total Package. Since I haven't figured out how to repost the article, I'm just providing the link.

Enjoy!

Mind Games: How To Program Yourself for Total Success!

What's your threshold?

The last month has pushed me over my threshold repeatedly but the last 2 weeks have been particularly difficult. I've never been a big fan of change but now that I understand why change occurs and that the end result can be positive (if I make the choice to see the positive), it's become easier.

Notice I said easier...not easy. Change still isn't my favorite thing in the world.

Today I found a bit of clarity though and I have Bill Harris to thank yet again. My internal map of reality is changing and pushing me above my threshold so I've been uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable seeking copywriting jobs with ad agencies because it's new territory. I'm uncomfortable not knowing what my mailing address is going to be on July 1st because that again is new territory and very undefined.

So what's the easiest approach to all of this? Simple: raise my threshold and remember whatever happens is ok.

Yes easier said than done but at least I know how to approach my current circumstances and that is making a huge difference in my response. I'm finding I have an incredible ability to find peace, love and joy in all events and situations right now. No not at every moment of every day but I can find that inner calm much more frequently.

To further aide me I am reading Joe Vitale's The Attractor Factor. I love Joe and his work. This book is incredible. It's another fun tool to help me create!

One of my intentions is to find a full-time copywriting job by June 27th so that is where my focus was today. I spent the day sending emails to ad agencies and showcasing my talents. I had 2 responses...one I initially interpreted as snarky and condescending. And it probably was.

But then I decided that person was someone I wouldn't want to work with anyway...if they would talk that way to someone they didn't know, imagine how they would talk to someone they did know! Clearly that person and that agency just isn't inline with my goals and dreams and I'm not inline with theirs. And so it is!

The second was a nice, personal note from the HR Director thanking me for my interest. It was an actual email though - not a standard rote response - so I was happy with that.

Tomorrow is more of the same along with fixing up the sales letter for a mailing.

Create a nice day!

Lara

Daniel Levis article

Thanks for letting me know my link to the Daniel Levis article didn't come through! So let's try this one more time.

Here's the link again.

Sleepy Sunday

What a lovely day!! I feel rested, refreshed, rejuvenated.

I spent the morning washing and cleaning my much-neglected baby, Kala...most of you would call her a Toyota Rav4 but I call her Kala (sounds like Kuhla) because she's my doll. I missed my car so much when I was back in Wisconsin that I wanted to give her some TLC today.

I ran errands, played with the cats, etc and after I grab a quick snack I'm going to send out more thank you notes for the giveaway gifts I've gotten.

I'm quite thankful for today - it's been an excellent day and it's only going to get better because I'm off to dance the night away with some of my Cozumel friends. It's a foam party!! Don't know what that means but it sounds too fun to pass up!

Happy holiday weekend.

Create an even better tomorrow.

Lara

Returning Home

Sigh...what a busy day! I flew in from Wisconsin late last night, got home, unpacked and repacked after which I promptly went to sleep.

Today I woke up early, went to the trainer since I haven't worked out in a month and then drove to Longmont. I'm cat sitting for some folks and will be here for the next 12 days.

But the excitement didn't end there!

It's Memorial Day weekend which means BBQs, friends and potato salad. After driving the hour to Longmont, I got myself situated in my temporary home, played with the cats and then drove back to Denver to visit my Cozumel friends at a cookout. I spent the afternoon regailing ourselves with fond memories of our 8 days and catching up on our lives post-trip.

By the time I got home (driving the hour back to Longmont), I was wiped out. I read a little bit and am now signing off to sleep. It's been a busy 24 hours and I'm looking forward to a slow, sleepy Sunday.

I do hope you created a lovely day for yourself.

Lara

Decision Time

Well we've come to a crossroads of sorts. This month hasn't produced the results I needed. We've definitely made progress which has been wonderful and I'm thankful for that. Now it's time to make a decision.

It's been a tough call for me. I've felt as though I've failed because this wasn't my vision. My vision was to be fully and gainfully self-employed by June 1st. Because I became attached to that vision I've caused myself some misery the last few days. So instead of being down on myself, I'm choosing to see this as a hurdle. Choosing to work for someone else full-time is simply a new path to follow that will one day lead to bigger and better things.

In the mean time it will keep a roof over my head.

Honestly many copywriters work for other people as employees before going out on their own. The greats like Clayton Makepeace, John Carlton, etc. Who am I to argue with their paths?! If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

Keep your fingers crossed for me - I've got about 30 (ish) days to find a job and get a new place to live. Lots of possibilities and opportunities but somewhat stressful.

Which means it's time to focus on what I'm thankful for and what I appreciate in my life because gratitude helps me keep things in perspective.

Today I choose to be thankful for the day, for my willingness to explore possibilities and options, for my family, friends and loved ones, for bright, beautiful skies, for love, peace and joy, for all the wonderful people in my life who are here to help and guide me, for every challenge and hurdle I face because as Napoleon Hill once said: Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.

Isn't that a wonderful quote to remember? I'm thankful for that quote! And for Hill's priceless book "Think and Grow Rich". I'm so grateful for the teachers in my life in all their forms and influences. I'm also grateful for the optimism I find in wondering what lies ahead. Even though events may not unfold exactly as I had hoped for there is always education in every experience.

And so I am off to enjoy the day in all its splendor! I hope you will do the same.

Create a nice day,

Lara

And the Suspense Continues...

Remember the client call yesterday? He wasn't there when I called so I left a message and will call back later this morning. So I have to work through the excitement and anticipation all over again! It's hard not to put too much on this call. If he wants us to help him I will be set financially for at least another month. If not, I may have to get a part-time job when I get back to Denver.

There's a lot riding on the call from my end but I just remind myself that whatever happens is ok and I'll make it. My desires don't change the situation - this is about what he wants and how we can best help him achieve those desires.

With that in mind, I plan to call him again later this morning.

In other news, I'm working on our gadget package, drafting an email to send to the other man I met in Cozumel and my apprentices have disappeared.

So my tasks today will be to make the client call again, finish the other client's email and get back to sending out more thank you notes. There is plenty to do as always so I am thankful for that!

I'm thankful for the bright, beautiful day outside, for yet another day on this planet, more opportunities and potential growth experiences, for my family, my friends and other loved ones and for all the goodness, beauty and joy that surrounds me! I greatly appreciate myself for how far I've come and how far I'm continuing to go in every facet of my life. It's been an amazing journey which will continue!

I'm thankful for the Universe and for the role I play in it.

Create a nice day,

Lara

A Big Day

Well this afternoon is our big call! I'm excited...more excited than nervous actually. I find that surprising to be honest. I have adopted the attitude that whatever happens is ok.

Naturally I want to work for this client and I'd like to earn quite a bit while helping him to earn 10X what he pays us. It would be fantastic! So here's hoping that happens and if not, I'll be fine. I'll keep you posted. :) Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Yesterday I spent the entire day with family...the day turned out well even though I didn't get any work done. I guess it is what I needed!

I'm quite thankful for yesterday...it was relaxing and fun.

I'm also very thankful for today! It's a wonderful Wednesday.

And the list of my appreciation goes on....

I'm so thankful for my family, my friends and loved ones. I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with them yesterday and over the course of the last 2 weeks.

I'm thankful for ...

• opportunities, challenges and possibilities of today
• world I continue to create for myself
• lessons I learn every single day
• me!
• the partnerships I create
• the clients I work for and will be working for
• the love, joy and peace all around me
• the abundant creations in all areas of my life :)

Indeed, there is much to be thankful for! I hope you feel the same.

Create a nice day,

Lara

John Carlton on Sales

I read John's blog this morning. He writes about the art of sales and how it's often ignored by most copywriters. However it's the one thing that separates the good from the greats.

You may find it useful and informative.

Check it out here.

A Morning of Thanks

Today I'm thankful for the day. It's beautiful, sunny and warm outside. I love sunshine rays and blue skies!

I'm thankful to be in Wisconsin with my family while I'm still thankful to live in Colorado. :) I'm grateful to spend time with my family and friends here; I appreciate how much I love them and how much they love me. The love is real and genuine and I'm thankful for that.

I'm thankful for the opportunities today will bring...the challenges, the possibilities and the achievements. I'm thankful for all that today will bring and all of the people in it!

Most of all, I'm thankful for me!

On to the day...I'm taking off to spend the morning with my grandmother and then I'll be back in the afternoon to work on our latest project. And to prepare for our client call tomorrow. YAY!!!

Create a nice day,

Lara

I think it's time I start writing my blog posts in the morning. I'm just too tired at night! Most mornings I get up, write in my gratitude journal, read something inspirational and get started.

Starting tomorrow I'll write my daily appreciations here! And I'll include a recap of the previous day...much like I do now.

Before we move on to the new entries, I'll share today's tale.

We landed our first full GMPS package order today! Woo hoo!!! This is the same client we did work for last week. He upgraded to our full services this afternoon. I'm very excited!

I'm hoping this is a prelude of things to come as we have a call with a potential client on Wednesday. How wonderful would it be to land two projects in one week?! I'd be beside myself with joy. I like imagining how I'll feel when that happens. I've got a happy dance all planned out!

In other news, our apprentices are MIA. They could be doing work for all I know because no one has checked in with updates. I've asked for those updates several times but haven't gotten one.

Not sure how best to tackle that hurdle so I'll sleep on it and see what we come up with tomorrow.

This truly has been an incredible couple of weeks! I am so happy to have been able to celebrate with a trip to Mexico and a trip to see my family. It is wonderful to have this kind of freedom and control over my life. I know I have miles to go but they are finally exciting miles. I see possibility and I believe in my ability to create those possibilites and outcomes as I determine them.

It is a wonderful life! It''s been amazing to share it with those I love the most. Tomorrow will be even better because we are having a family BBQ and the majority of my family will be in one place having fun together! We'll take pictures to share with you. :)

Here's hoping your day was wonderful too!

Create a nice day,

Lara

Saturday reading

Well I am spending most of the next two days with friends in different parts of Wisconsin. I'm unsure of my Internet access so this may be the only weekend entry you get. I thought I'd make it informative and fun!

Here's one of Daniel Levis' weekly articles. Enjoy!

Create a nice day,


Lara

Busy Bee Friday

Lots of tasks got done today...busy Friday!

Here's what I did:

*contacted a few apprentices (4 have been given
the first steps)
*submitted our Google MainPage Report for a $10K contest
*completed a personalized iGoogle.com page for a client
*downloaded more gifts and sent thank you notes to everyone

Lots going on but it's after 11pm and I'm tired. It's been a great week and I'm looking forward to more exciting progress next week! Stay tuned because I've got my first client phone call to make in the middle of the week.

Let's see what happens!

Create a nice day,

Lara

Happy Birthday to me

Yay! It's my birthday today.

It has been a fun day...made a few sales, contacted some more folks and generally had good times all around.

There are several apprentices who have agreed to work on this project but I haven't gotten updates from them. No word on how they are doing or even what they are doing.

It is a challenge to help others...especially when they don't help themselves.

I know I did the same thing! I turned away from help - almost always without realizing I was turning them down and/or pushing them away.

But that is why I am here to help others - because people helped me.

So I'll continue to be here to support, guide and offer assistance to anyone who is willing to reach out for it.

I am learning to better define that line between actually doing the work for them and simply helping. It's an ongoing process! It is fun when I look at the experience (or any other experience for that matter) as a process and a continual improvement versus an obstacle.

It's much easier to learn, grow and continue when every experience is viewed as a learning tool...at least for me it is. Hopefully I can help others to life their lives the same way. It's much more fun!

Anyway, that's my daily update. I'm going to take the evening off and spend it with my family.

Making Progress

There are definitely days that test my strength and my persistance. For some reason today was a day like that. Perhaps it's the pressure of a looming deadline for payroll ($2K by May 30th) or maybe it's just the stress of having been on the road for the better part of the last month.

It's nice to work from anywhere but it can also be a test of patience. Have you ever tried to write an email with two teenagers fighting next to you? Or with toddlers underfoot?

As always, there are pluses and minuses to every situation and there are definite drawbacks to only spending 6 days in my own home. I miss my dog! I miss my bed! I miss having quality quiet time with myself.

So I am a bit stressed. This is the first real test I've put myself under as a business owner. The world won't stop turning if this doesn't happen but I would strongly prefer we reach our goal!

I battled through the doubt, anxiety and fear today along with herding my apprentices.

On the plus side, I made two sales! Yipee!!! I did a little happy dance. It's a nice pre-birthday gift for me. :) Tomorrow's the big day, my birthday. It would be so fun if my sales would double or triple tomorrow! :) A girl's gotta dream.

So stay tuned and see what happens in the next 26 hours. I'm excited!

Til then,


Lara

More Promotion

I spent the day sending out more thank you emails (got a sale!) and moving the apprentices forward.

It would've been much easier to give them an audio recording of their instructions but step by step emails will work just as well. As long as they get going I'll be happy. It's a lot of work to do this by myself.

That's my exciting news for the day - I hope tomorrow I'll have more sales and more apprentices to tell you about!!!

Til then,

Lara

Chugging Along

Well our conference call was a bust. None of the apprentices got on the call to get their instructions so there was no recording to send out. The point of the call was to get them moving and earning. I'd love to see a few of them enjoy the benefits of their own promotions as I think it would keep them committed to the apprenticeship.

There have been several people who have fallen by the wayside as we progressed but there are a few who are sticking with it. I'm thankful for my experiences with all of them because they are teaching me so much. It's invaluable for me!

Other than the conference call I spent the day sending out thank you notes for all of the giveaway products I've received. Tomorrow is much of the same!

I also started an MSN AdCenter campaign to promote the Google Main Page Report.

It's been fun and I greatly appreciate the experience.

All the best,


Lara

Here We Go!

There are 6 apprentices ready to join me on our latest endeavor. I'm so thrilled to have more people on board! I enjoy the process we're going through so it's great to have more help. I'd much rather do this as a big team.

The more the merrier I always say!

I'm back in Wisconsin for the next 2 weeks and I'm so happy all of this great stuff is happening now. As much as I celebrated in Cozumel being able to share in my achievements is that much more special when I share with my family.

My family has been very supportive of me through the rough times so I'm incredibly appreciative of the chance to show them I can and do reach my goals. Woo hooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been a busy weekend of weddings, visiting friends and family and Mother's Day activities so that's my update. :)

Til tomorrow...

Lara

The Money Dance

Woo hoo!!! That's what I said today when I woke up and saw some conversions. :)

12% to be exact.

How cool is that?! Extremely.

I'm really excited about the report and the whole process. It's a terrific learning experience and even better to get paid while I'm doing it. :) It's about time for that money block to be released.

Remember when I said you'd see some exciting things over the next few weeks? Here they come! Come and join me in the money dance. It's the greatest thing ever I think...even better than the Macarena. And you know you loved that dance.

Hang in there, this is going to be fun - strike that, it already is! It's simply going to be even more so as the days progress.

Stick around!


Lara

Google Main Page Secret Revealed!

I'm always looking for faster, easier and cheaper methods of promoting my web site. One of the subscribers to my list stumbled across a fabulous way to have my site permanently placed on Google's Main Page ... and it didn't cost me a penny!

Once I did this, I knew it was so good that I had to get it out to you!

I knew you would want to get your pages on Google too so here's the Google Main Page Report.
Come and sit on the top of Google with me!

Here's another cool thing about this report... it even shows you how to get Google to put your AdSense link on the main page too! Imagine Google paying you to be on their main page every single day for the rest of your life!!!

Can you believe you get all of this in one little $7 report?! Exciting isn't it?!

So act now, don't hesitate! There's only a certain amount of real estate on Google's main page so you've got to get on it fast.

Follow this link and grab your spot right now!

To your success,

Lara Kay Loest
SiteHunt.com

P.S. Remember it's just a couple of bucks to discover this secret tactic! Get your business on top of Google with one easy to use report.

Some Cozumel Photos

Well I promised to show you photos when I got some so here they are! Enjoy.

The first photo is from our day cruising the island on mopeds. It was one of the best days of the trip!

This second photo is just a night by the pool before dinner. We're all relaxing and having fun.

Are You Willing to See Both Sides of The Coin?

Most of us think we want to be rich, famous, etc but very few are willing to accept both sides of those coins. If you want to be a millionaire, you must do what millionaires already do. You can't continue to act the way you are and expect different results.

A lot of people aren't aware of that fact however. I have become aware of this truth in recent months.

And being self-employed has had a lot to do with that. It has been a painful process for me at times, internally and externally. I have had to examine my internal beliefs, actions and thoughts around money specifically.

It took some reflection for me to see that my once low self-esteem led to a negative (almost perverse) relationship with money. I'm letting that go finally.

Money is merely a tool that makes life easier. And it most certainly is a reflection of how you value yourself...or at least it is for me. I am finding it much easier to create situations where money will flow from; it's much easier to develop these relationships because I believe in myself and because I love myself.

I don't think I ever really did before or at least not consistently and my results expressed that belief.

I still have miles to go in the financial arena but at least I see progress. Any sign of positive progress is beneficial because I can look back on it and draw from one growth experience; I can build on it to create more. Isn't that cool?!

I do see that money is beneficial for me and I can do so much good with it. It's merely a way I show myself how worthy I am. And I am so very worthy. :)

Money isn't the devil manifest or the root of all evil. The worship of money can be viewed as such I think. The only thing I want to worship from now on is love, joy and beauty in all things and in all people. And so I shall!

Peace and love,

Lara

Slow Turtle Sunday

Today was another slow day...another steady stream of reality droplets hit me and I took care of personal matters around my house. And I did it slowly, very slowly. Much like a turtle carefully plodding along towards its goal with no sense of time, space or urgency.

Yep, I'm still moving myself back from turtle mode (aka island living) into full working mode.
Tomorrow will be another step in that direction! Hopefully a very big one.

While I get back to my tasks, enjoy this interview with Gary Bencivenga. It's a treasure trove of goodies for anyone interested in copywriting. Enjoy!

John Carlton's Lesson Learned From Gary Halbert

Today I took it easy and kept things light. As I began to get back into working world mode, I realized there were a few projects I forgot about last week.

One was my weekly status report that is due every Thursday. It completely slipped my mind.

The second was a weekly newsletter that is due every Wednesday to our web site members. Again, it didn't even enter my train of thought all week.

On one hand it's good that I relaxed so much that work wasn't at the forefront of my thoughts. On the other hand, it showed me that it would be beneficial to have a back-up for me. Someone I can hand projects off to and know they are taken care of. And that's where our apprentices come in! YAY! :) So again, I see the value and importance of building a team and working together.

Other than those thoughts, I just read emails most of the day. I don't think I'm quite finished but an interesting one I thought I'd share came my way from John Carlton. He has yet another insightful blog post you can read it here.

John Carlton is a brilliant copywriter and today he shares his thoughts on what he's learned from Gary Halbert. It's one particular bit of valuable info for all copywriters: studying the human species. A topic I have always found incredibly fascinating and useful in my daily life. It's a must-have trait for anyone who is involved or interacts with people every day. And don't we all do that?!

John says much more and in a more brilliant manner than I can so I'm sharing the link with you.

Check it out here.

Quick Update

I spent most of the day traveling back to the states so there's not a great deal to report.

The coolest part of the day was that I ran into the property management client in the airport check-in line and then we sat across the aisle from each other on the plane. And finally we sat next to each other on the shuttle bus back to our cars after the flight. How funny is that?! It's pretty cool.

I also had breakfast with the other potential client this morning and then saw him at the Cozumel airport.

The day was a whirlwind of travel though and I'm a bit beat. We left the hotel around 9:30am and arrived at our baggage claim in Colorado about 4pm.

By the time I dropped off some folks, drove home and unpacked it was about 6pm. I'm tired! :) But in a fantastic way. The trip was absolutely wonderful and I would've been overjoyed to stay another few days! Island living has a powerful effect on my soul. I'm calm, relaxed and content.

This is just a recap post. Here are a few things I'll be working on over the weekend:

• catching up with my apprentices. We have 5 people working on tasks...but only 4 of whom I've talked to in the last 2 weeks.
• read my emails (literally several hundred from the last 3 days)
• sort through business cards
• set up networking meetings for next week
• begin crafting the emails I'll be sending as follow ups with the potential clients I met this week

It's going to be a hectic few days because I am heading back to Wisconsin on Wednesday to spend a few weeks with family.

My goal is to set up two meetings and send out two emails (to the potential clients) by Wednesday night when I leave. It will be fun so come on back and watch me work my magic. :) Ok, maybe it's not magic but it is fun to create!

So even though I'm not jumping for joy to be back in Colorado, I am happy to be working on new projects and new clients...both are fun fun fun!

See you soon...

Lara

P.S. I'm waiting on photos from other folks from the trip so when I get them, you'll be the first to know!

Heat Exhaustion

As I do with most things, I overdid the last 2 days here in Mexico. Tuesday I spent the afternoon wandering around the town square and looking at different shops. Yesterday I spent my afternoon exploring the ruins of Chichenitza on a guided tour. The tour was pretty lame but the ruins are incredible. I highly recommend visiting the site, minus the tour guide.

But I spent too much time in the sun with too little water and too little rest so by last night, I was sick with exhaustion. I'm still wiped out today.

Not much to report in the way of copywriting news. We've got a few apprentices on task but since I'm on vacation things have slowed down a bit. I certainly needed the down time so I won't get worked up about it. That doesn't do much good anyway so I'll just roll with it. :)

I promise you'll have a terrific recap of my trip to Cozumel (complete with photos) very soon!

Til then, enjoy yourself and I'll see you soon.

Lara

Short & Sweet

Yes this post will be just that...short and sweet. I spent all afternoon in the sun, walking around the city and checking things out. I am exhausted.

Met up with the potential client I was telling you about (he's checking his email next to me as we speak) and we had dinner last night. We continue to run into each other so one of these days we'll head off on our bikes and go into town.

Other than that, I'm not working much at all which is good for me. :)

Tomorrow I will be off touring some of the ruins for a full day. The full tour and travel time is around 14 hours so I won't be posting.

See you soon!