Time to turn over a whole new leaf. What does that mean anyway?
You turn over a new leaf when you commit to changing your life for the better.” (from the GoEnglish.com Pocket English Idioms)
Come on ladies (and gentlemen). You’ve already heard my go off on all my visionary ideas on how to save yourself, your children and the world. You’ve heard me go on and on and play with puppets and wear funny hats too just for fun. I’ve talked about how I’ve seen many themes and patterns around people who had been through hell. Trauma = health problems to financial crisis to repeated self abuse cycles. I speak a lot about removing the sword of trauma. Removing the sword is not just about purging pain and healing the wound, it’s about learning sword play and being a warrior in your life. Being a warrior is taking care of yourself on all levels and that includes your bank account. So here we are. What do you do now?
Step 1 – Collect Gold Coins
I spoke about step one in this post. It’s all about changing the way you view money, learning about money and having a place to put it. By the way, once you start learning about money and making it then you can start investing too with www.fxcm.com!
Here’s a video of me talking to Mary Kelly about money.
Step 2 – Have a Booth in the Bazaar – Start Your Own Blog or Website:
OMG What?? Start my own website? I don’t know all that cyber teen talk! It’s easier than you think and you can start small and branch out bigger as you become more familiar with it. Much like we’re in the Bazaar of life, how are you going to be a part of it if you don’t have a booth? You need a booth!
Blogger.com is free and easy and has great how-tos. WordPress is a bit fancier and I prefer it although I super love Google. The theme that my site is on is Thesis Theme and the clever Chris Pearson who created it has the best site ever on how to use it. Highly highly recommended.
Here’s some videos about how to set up your WordPress:
Step 3: Sell Your Own Stuff – Products, Ideas, Consulting, Teaching
Now that you have your own site, you can sell your own product or products! Check out what Vanessa Kennedy did with her Fluttering Designs. She was talented, inspired, started her own website store and now is selling like crazy. That’s what I’m talking about! Go support her and tell her I sent you with a *Squish* too. Check out with the Modern Bag Ladies too. I mean really. Genius. Get clever, be creative, let your inner superstar come out!
It’s no coincidence that the best way to make money in the real world is also the best way to make money in the online Bazaar – your own products. You have a booth in this Bizarre Bazaar. What are you selling, sharing or giving away at your booth? Selling your own product is the best way to generate cash and to protect yourself and your ideas from all the bizarre stuff that goes on in the world. For example if you’re selling someone else’s product, that person could die or go bankrupt or disappear into thin air. If you’re selling your own product, you have more control and you know where the cash is and where it’s coming from. Making money is also one of the most important steps to take in order to escape a violent situation (aka skip town and get away from that abuser), you need money.
You’re probably aware of the fact that the US is having money troubles. It’s a depressing recession. However, if you own a business and sell your own product, you can bypass being depressed because you’re selling a product that people like and need (hopefully), you have direct contact with your customers and you’re making sales and forging your place in the Bazaar of Life!
Not everyone has their own product to sell, so that may not be the solution for you. Fortunately, you can sell other people’s products while you’re sharing your thoughts, feelings and opinions on your own website.
Step 4: Be Affiliated – Sell Someone Else’s Stuff
If selling your own product is the best way to make money, then selling someone else’s product is the second best way to make money. This is affiliate sales. There are tons of people doing this and making tons of money. I’ve been one of those people who thought it was cheesy. Although I love the Amazon Affiliate program. You don’t have to be caught up in having the perfectly designed site either, most of the sites that make the most money are one page sites that go on and on in one long page, explaining how great the product is, an offer to buy it, testimonials about how great the product is and a button to buy it and that’s it. And they make money!! I have not made that much money at it, but ten bucks here and there buys a burrito! And who knows, you could be way better at it than I am so try!
Affiliate programs have a bad name in a lot of circles because many times the products are like a trap, or don’t really work or it’s run by some fast talking sweaty anxious guy on the run from the law. There are countless affiliate programs available online. You can promote as many programs as it makes sense to promote but don’t overcrowd your website because your booth is your booth!
In order to make the most returns as an affiliate, you need to follow two rules:
- Make sure you’re promoting something that you genuinely like! If you love it, then that’s even better. People (especially twitter birds) can sniff out if you’re inauthentic and just out to make money. The more knowledgeable and authentic you are, the better you’ll do. For example the affiliate program that sells my products works because you already like me, know me, have had your own experiences with my books and workbooks and can genuinely talk about the differences they have made in your life. You can just continue talking about my work and sharing links, and the only difference is that you have your affiliate link code in the image or within the link. Then when someone purchases from your link, you make money! That’s the same deal with any affiliate, not just mine too! You have to like it to sell it, otherwise it’s Blech!
- You need to promote a quality product. An affiliate program can offer you great payouts, but if the product is not good and no one buys it, you make no money and it takes up room in your booth. Don’t give away that valuable real estate in your booth unless it’s for something of value that works, whether it’s a piece of equipment or a book you think is awesome.
Step 5: Have Fun!
You’re making money while you sleep. Go have some playtime. Find what works for you, what you believe in, what you already use and promote it. Best of all, create your own products. Get creative. I’m having fun because after all the years of speaking about trauma and seeing the repeated cycles of abuse, I have scratched my head over a way to help you make money. Of course I made the usual care-taker mistake of giving away all that I had in order to help. (That’s why I wrote the book Will Date 4 Food!) I had to learn the valuable lesson of putting your own oxygen mask on first before helping others. But still I have stayed awake staring at the wall thinking of all the protective moms out there trying to save their kids, all the survivors who want to heal but can’t afford all the great therapies out there (that’s why I started Survivor Manual). I wrote my book (Finding Angela Shelton
As we all spread the word and inspire and empower more people to heal, we create a global shift in consciousness. I hope you find this useful and I look forward to hearing how you’re making money for yourself. When you do, remember to spend money on good healthy food! Even better, start a garden!
Follow me on Twitter @angelashelton
Here's Some More You May Like:
