Imagine my fear when discovering that my debit card number had been stolen and used to buy diamond rings and for Skype charges!  I was devastated!  I started the recovery process by cancelling the debit card.  And, then I called the company that sold the diamond rings.  They are an online company with much the same look as Macy's.  Someone had created an account in my name and used my billing address, but shipped the rings to a person in another state.

Out of frustration, I placed a Facebook post......I hope that XXXX XXXXX enjoys the diamond rings I bought for her...

This morning I received a call from that person.  A friend had seen the post, and alerted her.  She had been in a relationship (hadn't physically met yet) with a man through a dating service who has been taking advantage of her.  So, now we are BOTH victims.  She has his phone number, alleged name, etc.

She is now in contact with my local police and HER local police, and wants this solved!  She is devastated, as this man had promised her a dream...

Once her friend had alerted her, how did she find me?  She used Google and found my www.MedicalMingle.com blog posting!

So there you have it.  Never underestimate the power of the internet...

Marilynn Stephens

www.olympiafurnishedhomes.com

www.facebook.com/olympiafurnishedhomes

Have you ever tried to row a boat in a straight line using only one oar? It just doesn't work very well, does it? In fact, when you row with only one oar, you tend to go around in circles and do not make much progress.

Now, apply that theory to your financial survival skills (job, etc.).

If, in fact, you have been laid off as a result of the economic slump, you may be collecting unemployment, which may be running out in a few days. Or, perhaps you are self-employed, but your phone isn't ringing, and you have had to lay off your employees. Or, perhaps you are a "one person show" and your phone STILL isn't ringing.

My question to you is, "Was the lost job, or lack of viable paying contracts the only oar you had in the water?". If so, then, you may be floating aimlessly with no means to row your boat.

Let me see if I can change that for you. Because, in many cases, all you really need to do is to change your mind. And, once you do, you will most certainly have enough oars in the water, and, quite possibly, may have someone to row your boat for you!

Today is the best time to start carving another oar. What material will use? Will it be metal, glass, wood? Whatever material you choose, once you get your oar in the water, it should do the job. Use your hidden talents, your "down time", and your imagination to create something irresistible. And, then, sell it. Sell it via Craigslist, Ebay, Etsy or any myriad of online classified websites. Or, sell it via your local store "corkboard". And, then, create another irresistible item, and sell it via whatever means you can.

Of course, I use the term "carve" rather loosely, because, in fact, it may be that you aren't making anything at all. Perhaps you are filling a "niche". Perhaps you are very good at doing something that not too many people are doing.

Remembering that the secret to success is to do what nobody else is doing, sit down with someone who knows you and your talents very well, and, decide which style of oar you will carve, and the SIZE of the oar. Perhaps it is a small oar. But, imagine that if you were to carve a second small oar, you might be rowing slowly, but, you would have TWO oars in the water.

You may even want to carve several oars suitable for a team of rowers to row your boat FOR you.

Once you have that boat rowing down the stream quite nicely, you might even want to build another boat and reproduce that success with a skill that you used in grade school...... MULTIPLICATION!

You may have started your business on a shoestring and are also working for someone else. If so, then, "Don't quit your day job", for that is an oar that you may need to count on.

Your savings account can also be an oar, or, perhaps is better described as a lifeline. Do the math and determine how long you will need your savings to support you. I recommend no less than six months.

I know that all of this may sound rather idealistic. But, if you can embrace the theory, and look for every opportunity to carve an oar, it will work. Visualize yourself with several small boats, or with one large boat, or any combination thereof, and, visualize each of them being rowed very straightly down the river of life toward your goal of financial independence, and, it shall certainly happen.

Oh, and, one last thought......while you are carving oars, be sure and plug the leaks in your bucket. Take the advice of Benjamin Franklin when he said, "A penny saved is a penny earned". Peruse your latest bank statement and decide how much money you will start earning by plugging holes in your bucket and saving pennies.

Feel free to comment to this blog with your own perception, and, let's all turn the economy around one person at a time!

Marilynn
www.olympiafurnishedhomes.com
www.facebook.com/olympiafurnishedhomes (become a fan)