The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare. -Bobby Knight

Speedcoaching: How to Avoid Making Stupid Mistakes Out of Stupid Anger http://ow.ly/17SpW9

Instinct won't carry you through the entire journey. It's what you do in the moments between inspiration. -- Cate Blanchett

Someone might have a germ of talent, but 90% of it is discipline and how you practice it, what you do with it. -- Cate Blanchett

HootSuite 5 - hotter than the World Cup but without the Vuvuzela http://ping.fm/678qO

Speedcoaching: 6 Horrendous Leadership Types - Have you ever had a really bad boss? One of those bosses who is so ba... http://ow.ly/17RzSx

A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life. -- Charles Darwin (Truth is truth no matter who says it.)

Speedcoaching: June 22, 2010 Edition 25 - Zig On…Reading, Writing and Arithmetic - Not Enough By Zig Ziglar Don't m... http://ow.ly/17QClU

Patience has its limits. Take it too far, and it's cowardice. - George Jackson

Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. - Denis Diderot

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou

Speedcoaching: Are You an Encouraging Inspiration or a Discouraging Dumbass? http://ow.ly/17PFSd

All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. -- Dorothea Brande

Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure. -- Pastor Dave Williams

SpeedCoaching: Branding – What Works and What Doesn’t - No matter what your brand is, in every case with the brand ... http://ow.ly/17Ntgh

Speedcoaching: Root Canal Sale! - Well, it seems that I have gone and done something to my teeth, and now I need a r... http://ow.ly/17NyqU

RT @CharlieCurve: Plenty of summertime fun in Detroit this weekend in Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup! http://j.mp/b6yLqE via @becksdavis

SpeedCoaching: Not filling your events? Not selling products? Web traffic non-existent? Maybe it’s your BRAND. http://ow.ly/17MB62

Speedcoaching: Personal Responsibility and Dog Poo - It is the middle of June, and while I generally love the sun, I... http://ow.ly/17MFNS

Speedcoaching: How to Accidentally Get Elected to Public Office http://ow.ly/17LLwa

Pray with Your Legs by Dan Miller http://ow.ly/1YErl

Make motivation a habit and you will get there more quickly and have more fun on the trip. -- Zig Ziglar

Speedcoaching: June 15, 2010 Edition 24 - Zig On…Pass the Test By Zig Ziglar She passed the test - can you?  Major ... http://ow.ly/17KQdx

Be an original. If there are two of you, one of you isn't necessary! -- Erika Jackson

I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs. -- Frederick Douglass

Pray with Your Legs by Dan Miller at 48Days.com http://ow.ly/1YEsG

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict. -- William Channing

SpeedCoaching: Two Top Strategies to Capture the Mindshare so the Market Share Will Follow http://ow.ly/17JOJG

Speedcoaching: Yet Another Reason Why Pixar Is Awesome - A few months ago, I posted an article about what we can lea... http://ow.ly/17JTXP

You can't do it unless you can imagine it. -- George Lucas

Got this from Arcamax Jokes this morning: http://ow.ly/1XPjZ

Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver!!

Good morning all you morning people. To you non-morning people, I'll say good morning to you this afternoon!

Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th. -- Julie Andrews

When you add to or take away from what God tells you, he’s no longer responsible for it. -- Michelle Dunlap

Speedcoaching: Motivational Humorist Advice: Don’t Succumb to Stupid, Stupid Anger… http://ow.ly/17HM9I

SpeedCoaching: 6 Steps on Maintaining Constant Gratitude, by Libby Gill http://ow.ly/17GNGY

Speedcoaching: I Am Very Important! - "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove al... http://ow.ly/17GTg0

A POWERFUL WOMEN'S GATHERING in Kalamazoo for networking and making life-long friends!!! Get details here - http://ow.ly/1U7cb

Perseverance is about as important to achievement as gasoline is to driving a car. -- Jim Rohn

Speedcoaching: Dying a Little Bit on the Inside - Yesterday, as a favor to a friend, I taught a 75 minute workshop ... http://ow.ly/17Fw2P

Speedcoaching: June 8, 2010 Edition 23 - Zig On…Use What You've Got By Zig Ziglar Dunsmuir Shell is a large, profi... http://ow.ly/17Fw2Q

It's what you learn AFTER you know it all that counts.

A POWERFUL WOMEN'S GATHERING in Kalamazoo for networking and making life-long friends!!! Get details here - http://ow.ly/1U7cb

Do dogs like bones? No. Dogs like STEAK!!!! They just "settle" for bones!!!! What are you settling for?? - Brian Klemmer

SpeedCoaching: ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM STRESS CREEP? - You know what it’s like when you’re down to the wire on a pro... http://ow.ly/17Ezqp

Speedcoaching: 4 Marketing Lessons From Watching Hockey… - I have a confession to make: this past Friday, I watched... http://ow.ly/17EEdu

Speedcoaching: Mosaic Summer Series - PASADENA WEST SIDE MAYAN SOUTH BAY INLAND WHITTIER SAN DIEGO http://ow.ly/17EEIS

Fear and Reward - Why is it that many of the things that give us the greatest reward are connected to processes tha... http://ow.ly/17EF8f

End Procrastination by Jim Rohn - http://ow.ly/1Vljg

A POWERFUL WOMEN'S GATHERING in Kalamazoo for networking and making life-long friends!!! Get details here - http://ow.ly/1U7cb

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. -- Mother Teresa

What is not started today is never finished tomorrow. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A POWERFUL WOMEN'S GATHERING in Kalamazoo for networking and making life-long friends!!! Get details here - http://ow.ly/1U7cb

Is it just me or did the gulf oil spill happen at an opportune time to help settle the debate on off shore drilling?

What is my life if I am no longer useful to others. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

SpeedCoaching: Libby Gill – An Affordable Branding Course that You Can’t Afford to Miss! http://ow.ly/17Dc6B

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A POWERFUL WOMEN'S GATHERING in Kalamazoo for networking and making life-long friends!!! Get details here - http://ow.ly/1U7cb

The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at what they enjoy. -Malcolm Forbes

SpeedCoaching: Being GRATEFUL for your Courage and Results - Having your own copy of You Unstuck will allow you to ... http://ow.ly/17CALy

Speedcoaching: The *Real* Lessons From “The Karate Kid” - Next Friday, June 11th, a remake of the Karate Kid comes ... http://ow.ly/17CF5p

Finished the recording for this week's counseling homework. I think it was a decent session. Let's see what the teacher thinks, though.

All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea. -- Napolean Hill

A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

When all else fails...faith stands!

Test.

RT @thirty9inc: New note on FB. check it out here --->>> http://ping.fm/w7Cjz

Speedcoaching: When Policy Meets Dumbassery: If You’re Too Good, You Automatically Lose! http://ow.ly/17BOq7

Speedcoaching: GPS Stupidity - As a Motivational Humorist, it is my job to see the best in people, make them laugh,... http://ow.ly/17AXpr

Speedcoaching: June 1, 2010 Edition 22 - Zig On…Tying Your Shoes By Zig Ziglar Roger Crawford was sixteen years ol... http://ow.ly/17A5Jt

Speedcoaching: 3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Ask For Advice http://ow.ly/17A5Js

Knowledge is power, but like power it must be hitched to something effective. -- Croft M. Pentz

If wisdom is the principal thing (Prov 4:7), why do we "Christians" spend so much time going after other things?

“Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.” -- Frank Herbert

"All wealth begins from the inside out." Mark Victor Hansen

Double? This is a test.

If this shows up as a double post in your facebook newsfeed, please let me know.

At least I can ping mobile! (E JACKSON)

Deal first with whatever is causing you the greatest emotional distress. Often this will break the logjam in your work and free you up mentally to complete (the) other tasks. -- Brian Tracy

Memorial Day: Remembering those who gave their lives to keep us safe and to keep war off our shores! Thank you!!!

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” -- Buddha

“If I want to be great I have to win the victory over myself... self-discipline.” -- Harry S Truman

Pay Attention To Your Energy ~¤~ - I'm not trying to be New-Agee. But I'm just responding to a truth that I am pres... http://ow.ly/17yB1w

pinging from my phone

This is for my KBD classmates: “He that cannot obey, cannot command.” -- Benjamin Franklin

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” -- Buddha

"Don't let your feelings be a God to you." — Joyce Meyer

The Writer's Affirmation

All beginning writers dream of someday being published. It's the ultimate affirmation that says, "My work is good; I was right to believe in it!" However, many good writers give up too soon.

Did you know that J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected 10 times before finally being accepted by a publisher? Canfield and Hansen's Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected (according to Canfield) more than 130 times before being picked up by a small Florida publisher, and we all know what happened after that! Dr. Seuss's first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected by 27 publishing houses, and Seuss (Theodor Geisel) considered burning the manuscript. Fortunately, he didn't. Jane Austen's first novel, First Impressions, was rejected in 1797. She revised and retitled it (Pride and Prejudice) and finally sold it to a publisher who printed it in 1813.

If you've tried and tried, and don't want to wait 16 years, as Jane Austen did, self-publishing is a viable alternative. Many famous authors self-published their first books, including Tom Clancy, Zane Grey, D.H. Lawrence, Mark Twain, and Richard Nixon. Richard Nelson Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute?, was a self-publisher.

Does "self-publishing" mean that an author writes, designs, prints, and promotes his book all by himself? No, of course not. It means that the author pays a publisher to design and print his book. He writes it and must promote it himself, sometimes with the help of a "promotion package," which he can purchase from the publisher. Self-publishing is often, but not always, a last resort for authors who have had numerous rejections from publishers who pay royalties. These authors believe their work is worthy of publication.

Vicki Lansky submitted Feed Me! I'm Yours to 49 publishers who turned it down. So she self-published it and sold 300,000 comb-bound copies. Bantam Publishing-attracted by success-then bought the paperback rights and sold another 500,000 books! That book was worthy, and the author knew it.

Karen E. Quinones Miller wrote Satin Doll, a book that was rejected by publishers 35 times. Quinones Miller decided to self-publish her book because she was convinced it was good. Through smart marketing and promotion, she personally sold 28,000 copies. That attracted Simon & Schuster Publishers, who then bought the rights - for six figures! - and republished it. Following that, Quinones Miller wrote four more novels for Simon & Schuster, all best-sellers.

M.J. Rose self-published her first novel, Lip Service, in 1998 after many rejections. She knew she was a good writer. Ten years later she is the celebrated author of 10 novels, including the acclaimed The Reincarnationist and, more recently, The Memorist.

When faced with multiple rejections, self-publishing can be an effective and satisfying option; and, as in the cases of Lansky, Quinones Miller, and Rose, an in-your-face affirmation! Don't give up.

Janet Litherland is the author of the novels, Song of the Heart, Vanished, Chain of Deception and Discovery In Time, as well as 10 nonfiction books, several collections of music/drama-related scripts, and numerous articles and stories for national publications. As former associate editor of Florida Hotel & Motel Journal, she contributed 78 feature articles to that magazine. She also has taught college extension courses in creative writing and has served as a seminar leader for writers' conferences. For more information, please visit http://www.janetlitherland.com

Influential Woman

Influential Woman
© 2005 Erika Jackson

He was poor, living check to check
Temp work in jeopardy of ending soon
Although unsatisfied, he did it day by day
Marking time
Then I came along and ignited a spark
Now he’s on track toward his dream

She wrote everyday, journaling about life
Her prayer journal of conversations with God
Although her writing was good, she kept it to herself
She didn’t think it was valuable
Then I came along and ignited a spark
Now she’s on track toward a bestseller

Her heart was aching at being alone
Not fair he was getting married first
Although she was very talented, she was distracted by her singleness
Then I came along and ignited a spark
Now she’s on track toward entertainment success

I encourage others to achieve
Nurture godly beliefs
Function as a buffer
Listen to others’ needs
Understand the nature of their needs
Ensure others of their value
Never underestimate them
Connect people with their destiny
Evolve everyday

Television

Television
© 2005 Erika Jackson

I look into your face and I see
A life not my own
I thrill at the beauty and splendor
Of exotic places and times
Your visage clouds my vision
And I am lost in your image
My mind is frozen in place
Numbed by your seductive pull
Entranced by the image you cast
And the glow upon the very walls
I sit absorbed in mindless entertainment
As I yield to the power of your embrace

Lifestyle and Employ

Lifestyle and Employment: Thought Produced Outcomes
Studies have shown that redirected thinking can produce desired lifestyle and employment outcomes.

Kalamazoo, October 15, 2005: Some of the most widely read books share the same topic, thinking. More specifically, the affect thinking has on a person’s lifestyle and employment outcomes. These researchers and authors have recounted study results that indicate that a person’s belief system is highly influenced by what the individual continually ingests into his psyche by reading, watching television, and spending time with other people. In fact, Dr. John C. Maxwell, author of Thinking for a Change, indicates that a person’s beliefs are partly derived from the people with whom she spends the most time.

“How big do we think determines the size of our accomplishments,” says noted author of The Magic of Thinking Big, Dr. David J. Schwartz. He insists that you are what you think you are. In agreement is Dr. Dennis Kimbro, bestselling co-author with Napoleon Hill of Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice. He states, “There is nothing more important than learning the art of keeping your mind focused upon the things, conditions, and circumstances of life that you really want.” They suggest that a person can condition herself to create positive outcomes by focusing her thoughts on those outcomes. On the contrary, a lack of positive mental stimulus also produces results, and the outcomes are usually negative. Dr. Kimbro says that you can tell a person’s outcomes by the types of books housed on their bookshelves. The greater the outcomes, the larger the library. The lesser the outcomes, the larger the television set.

According to Napoleon Hill, repetition is the key to focused thought. He recommends repeatedly exposing your psyche to words, pictures, and contacts that represent your desired outcomes. New author, Linda C. Newberry, concurs in her book Riches and Honor: Transform Your Life with God’s Powerful Word. In it, she provides a tool readers can use to cast a new vision inside their own minds. Her objective was to use the power of repetition to create new beliefs that, in turn, attract desired results. As researchers have discovered from various studies, and as the noted authors have confirmed, repetition is the basis for what people believe.

Using the daily affirmation provided in Riches and Honor, a person can affect her beliefs and, thus, change her lifestyle and employment outcomes. By making positive declarations about herself, the reader can attract people and circumstances that she desires.

Visit MySpace.com and Join My Space

Find me on MySpace and be my friend!

I Wonder...

Have you ever felt like this?

I need this picture

I just need this picture for another site.

Who Am I

My name is Erika, and I'm a freelance writer from Michigan. I also help other writers self-publish their own books with my editing, marketing, and other experience. During the day I help entrepreneurs start their businesses with business plan and marketing plan assistance.

I'm looking forward to posting and getting feedback. I'm also looking forward to networking and becoming friends. Again, this blog is for writers, so if you write, drop me a line and participate in this blog. Also, if you've written a book and would like your review posted here, let me know.

Book Revew

You ever get sick and tired of being sick and tired? I did. That’s why I picked up RICHES and HONOR: Transform Your Life with God’s Powerful Word. I needed inspiration, and it was great to finally find a book written by someone who actually lived the principles she was teaching. As a Christian writer, myself, RICHES and HONOR had the same impact on me that Joel Osteen’s book Your Best Life Now had. My life is forever changed as a result of it. This book teaches you how to actively use God’s word to create positive change in your life.

RICHES and HONOR merges the time-honored principles of Napoleon Hill’s Think & Grow Rich with the practical disciplines of Bruce Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez. Author Linda C. Newberry delves deep into the meaning of Isaiah 60 and paints a poignant picture of success for readers. Having lived through financial disaster and near mental collapse, Linda has created a significant positive net worth as a result of the amazing confession created from God’s words to His people.

Unlike Think & Grow Rich, that only tells readers what needs to change, RICHES and HONOR is an actual tool that can be used every day to bring about the change recommended by Mr. Hill.

Everyone who loved The Prayer of Jabez will indeed appreciate the power of the words in Isaiah 60 to transform their lives. Much like Jabez, RICHES and HONOR offers a specific tool to be used during meditation time to create altered thinking.

RICHES and HONOR will help readers unlock their destiny. When readers follow the simple instructions outlined in RICHES and HONOR, it will open the channels of communication between the reader and God so God can reveal his purpose and the steps to take to live out destiny.

Like the vision of Jabez, RICHES and HONOR will expand the reader’s vision. It will raise the level of expectation, causing the reader to see bigger and believe more. Readers will begin to look for God to operate in their behalf.

RICHES and HONOR is an excellent book for anyone who has recently lost a job or who is dissatisfied in their current position in life; whether work related, spiritual or financial condition. It is also great for high school seniors who need help deciding what steps to take next. Any college graduate who is facing life in the “real world” will not want to be without their own copy of RICHES and HONOR.

As a result of affirmations like the one in RICHES and HONOR, Linda has created a generously positive net worth in a very short period of time. She states, “I’m poised to never have to work a regular job again.”

RICHES and HONOR is available online at www.richesandhonor.com/indexej.htm. Contact the author at tarshish@charter.net. She welcomes comments, feedback, and suggestions that will improve the quality of life for her audience.

Get Published and Get Paid

Get noticed and get paid. Here's a site that offers listing for your writings. Go to Constant-Content to post your content for various ezines, newsletters, magazines, and whatever.

One of My Favorites

I'm just sampling something I've seen on dozens of other blogs, using images in my post. This is one of my favorite pictures ever. It's amazing! Whether it's real or not is irrelevant. The reality is human life within the womb.

It's George Bush's Fault

It’s all President Bush’s fault! I have not seen a country so adamantly opposed to its leader in all my life. Everywhere I turn someone is saying President Bush is responsible for some tragedy like he’s Saddam Hussein or something. It seems that they believe the hurricane wouldn’t have happened if someone else were in office. I’ll bet they even believe John Kerry would have shored up those levies if he had been in office. They want to believe that the war in Iraq would be over and that everything would be just peachy if someone else were leading this country.

So, let me get this straight. Someone comes into this country and poses as friendly visitors or students or aliens looking for asylum, we let them in because we’re so generous, and they bomb us to kingdom come. Then, we sit back and yell, “Stop it!” like a bunch of pansies? If I were president, I would have chased them out of our country too! You don’t just sit back and take a beating and let the aggressor run away while you play defense in case he does it again. That’s a sure fire way to get another whupping. Any football fan knows it’s easier to defend against the opponent on their end of the field!

Now people are saying that the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina is President Bush’s fault. Of course, they don’t have the gall to say he caused the actual storm, but the flooding and lives lost are all his fault. How is that possible? New Orleans government knew of the possibilities many years before Bush was president. I’m sure when the levies were built no one suspected they would last forever. Why didn’t the city raise money by any other means to get them fixed? It’s just like anyone else waiting for the government to fix their problems. How long did they have to fix those things before calamity struck? How many people had an opportunity to do something about it? Why is it George Bush’s fault they collapsed? If they had to seek federal assistance, someone on the local and state level denied it first! Who’s blaming them?

Our wonderful media has done such an amazing job making our president look like an idiot that his own people live in a constant state of criticism of him. They effectively fuel the flame of discontent among Americans. Every student in journalism school learns about how to slant a story to get the audience to feel a certain way. No one has mentioned anything about what New Orleans could have done on their own to remedy their own situation. If they tried to raise taxes to cover the repair costs, who voted it down? It wasn’t George Bush. And, are there no people living there who could afford to contribute to the repair costs? Don’t they have a state lottery? Could they start one?

This is the second major catastrophe that has occurred during President Bush’s term in office, and I think he’s handling it as best he can. Some are comparing the Katrina relief efforts with those of 9/11, citing that relief was much faster to upscale, white New York. Well, who provided the relief? From my recollection, New York’s mayor was at the forefront of those efforts. Help came from the private sector, not from the federal government. Those were policemen and firemen from many cities across the country who came to the rescue. That’s why that relief was so much faster. They also didn’t have flood water to wade through or gunmen shooting at them as they try to bring relief. I suppose George Bush gave them the guns, too.

All I’m saying is get off our president’s back. Instead of cutting him to shreds as though everything is his fault, take a look at the whole picture and find out the truth the media is not telling. Our media want you to hate our president! Why? What’s in it for them? Oh, ratings!