Dear Subscriber,

Welcome to the May 6th, 2008 edition of my newsletter.

Wow, it has been too long since I've written an article for the newsletter.  Too long - sorry about that.  It isn't that I haven't had anything to say - it is more that I've had TOO much to say and too much to do (and time management has never been one of my strengths). 

I'm working on getting a couple different blogs set-up - and trying to get the hang of this Web 2.0 stuff!  It's fun though.

The kids are doing well and getting big.  Caitlyn is having her first birthday party with friends in a couple weeks, her birthday was April 29th, but May 17th turned out to be the best time where her cousins and her friends would be able to make it. 

I found a REALLY great resource for building a business.  Mike Dillard is a respected online marketer and businessman and I may not fully support in the "Magnetic Sponsoring" ideas, I DO think that "Building on a Budget" is THE resource that every internet marketer should have!

Enjoy the article!

Best wishes,
Liz Martinez
Cruise to Cash - Vacation Your Way to Wealth

Focus and Perseverance - Are they part of YOUR business plan?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines focus as: Close or narrow attention; concentration.  Do you think that you need that for your business?  How about perseverance  -- Steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.

Focus and perseverance are crucial pieces of your business plan if you are to have any success with your business.  But how exactly do they fit in your business and how do they work together to assure your success?

Focus is important to everyone.  It plays several roles in your business.  First, you must focus on your goal, you must be looking to where you want to be rather than focusing on where you are or on the obstacles that you may have to overcome.  You must also remain focused on your business.  This is a big challenge for many people working in online businesses.  There are so many ads and other businesses out there tempting us, drawing our focus away from the business we’ve started.  So many ads promising immediate riches that make us believe that we are doing something wrong and that other program must be the answer.  They do not have the answer, they do not have a “better business” or the “magic pill” that will bring you guaranteed results. 

As a chronic multi-tasker and scattered business person, I can say from experience that focus is one of the hardest parts of my day.  I have spent periods of time where I’ve joined way too many things because I let myself get easily distracted.  But I know that my best results have come when I have been focused on one or two programs that I was very passionate about.  I take that even further to include focusing on one task at a time.  I have been known to sit down and try to do 50 things at once and then an hour goes by and I haven’t made a dent in ANY of them.  If I set a timer and FOCUS on one thing for just 15 minutes then I can usually get that one thing done so I am free to focus on another task. 

Perseverance – owning a business is hard work.  It is not going to be built overnight, it is not going to be like taking a walk in the park.  There might be times when it is easy and goes smoothly, these times are fun.  But there will be other times when you will be facing obstacles and issues that you will need to push yourself to get through.  You need to persevere through these obstacles and down times.  If you do no persevere then you will lose out on the rewards of that business and you will never see yourself through to the financial freedom at the other side of these obstacles. 

To summarize, you need focus and perseverance to bring your business to next level.  You need to not only focus on one or two businesses that you are passionate about but you also need to give yourself daily tasks and focus on one task at a time.  I know this is a hard task, but this one thing can make a huge difference in your life.  Perseverance will allow you to get through the obstacles and issues you might be facing right now and bring you and your business to the point of the financial freedom that you are dreaming of.

Have a prosperous week - I know I plan to!!