This is a great movie showing that the tiny differences… the small degrees of perseverence, pushing, enthusiasm, planning and action make ALL the difference.

Keeping faith when it might not seem so easy…
Giving that “little extra” when you’re tired…
Believing in Yourself just a little bit more…
Looking for an edge when you’ve already done a lot…
Having more and Being more requires Doing more…

So what will you do about it today?

The Top 3 Signs You Might Be Going Through an Important Transformation in Your Life…

Have you been going through a “tough time” lately..? Do you know you are meant to do more and fulfill a larger purpose? This year has been a year full of massive change for me. Last year I lived in Texas, now Im bistatal, living in both Texas and Atlanta, last year I had no kids, this year I have two wonderful boys whose lives I am helping guide into self-empowerment! So much change… so little time! Though it’s been great in many ways, it’s also been difficult and a bit overwhelming for me! The great thing is, I know all this was placed before me to help me grow and step up to fulfilling my purpose in a bigger and better way than before… so, since I’m going through what I believe is a full-fledged Transformation, I wanted to pose this question to you (and give you some of my answers!):

How can you tell if it’s just a rough patch or you are really undergoing a Transformation?

1) It Sucks Sometimes.

Ay chihuahua! Think about the little caterpiller… stuck in a cocoon, think about the birthing process… There are periods of expansion when things seem to be going smoothly and you’re moving forward, then there are periods of contraction when things seem stuck, unpleasant, annoying and uncomfortable at the very least. And you may even feel yourself moving BACKWARDS sometimes!
It can really suck. And that’s ok… It’s always darkest before the dawn… just be sure to Hold On!

2) Are You Getting Pushback?

Are you getting some pushback from people around you? Even from yourself maybe? Could it be because you are threatening to heal or complete or grow or become more empowered in some way? Listen, when you make the decision to grow and become more, to live a life of joy and fulfillment, you’ll get a lot of unhappy people around you. I guarantee it.
You’ve probably heard this said before… you cannot stay unhealthy/sick/poor enough to heal or help another person. Be aware and be compassionate when the people around you get upset that you are going through a transformation. It’s scary to them and can remind them of the growth they might not be doing in their lives. Send them blessings and keep moving forward with your growth.

3) Are You Growing From It?

Listen to your intuition. This is your inner wisdom and it’s always leading you in the right direction for you. Trust Yourself. The thing is, many times we get caught up in our own “stuff” and can’t see or hear ourselves clearly!
When that happens, It’s helpful if you can find a coach or mentor to help you grow though these periods of change. I’m heading to Martha’s Vineyard the second week of June to do just that with a 2 day Vision Weekend to get clear on my own vision and path for my life during this time of growth… I’ll come back with details on how it helped me during my current Transformation!

So be aware and awake to see the opportunities for growth during these times so you can emerge bigger, better, brighter! And when you do, there are people around you who you’ll inspire to live their best life too! (Hopefully, like my two soon-to-be-step-sons!)

Your Financial Freedom Bill of Rights
1. You have the right to a fair exchange of energy. Abundance is energy and money is simply a tool to facilitate energy exchange.
2. You have the right to knowing the secrets of the wealthiest people in the world. No one can keep you from this knowledge.
3. You have the right to be inspired to live the life you deserve. You are not required, nor does the universe want you to live a life that meets the expectations of others.
4. You have the right to learn the biggest obstacles to becoming wealthy. And the simplest steps to make money.
5. You have the right to know why lack of money is never the problem. And how to identify what is really holding you back from pursuing the life of your dreams.
6. You have the right to create a life that will be a shining example to everyone around you. Your life can be an inspiration to the world.
7. You have the right to dream big and ignore negative people. If you can dream it, you can live it, and anyone who tells you different is just plain wrong.

This movie was made for me by Scott Stratten! Enjoy!

I created a process for myself that I call Cocooning… Doing this helped me seriously reduce anxiety and re-empower myself again. In this video, I go over several steps to create your own personal “Cocoon” ritual… and this doesn’t have to take days, weeks or months…

Try a cocooning hour or even 15 minute break once a week where you nurture yourself and your spirit.

I found a beautiful video I wanted to share. What I love about this is the creativity and passion this woman has and the joy she creates for others when she’s in the “flow”…

Hope you like it!

I’m grouchy.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a Mastermind meeting with some incredibly successful entrepreneurs making millions a year… The very last person who shared told us all a very different story. Instead of focusing on ONE business and becoming successful at that, he had been trying to branch out to 5 different business niches over tha past couple of years. It was no surprise that he was making absolutely no money.

In fact, he was in a really bad place.

We all gave him tons of advice and asked him to please email us with what he promised he was going to do with the advice. (Million-Dollar advice from all of us, I might add)

We haven’t heard from him.

These are my thoughts about chasing too many businesses at once. Jeff filmed this at our Beach House on the balcony, so it’s pretty darn loud (and actually inspired me to begin using the Kodak Zi8 with a lavolier mic – which works incredibly – so please excuse the windy-ness)

We were just talking about this and it made me so angry and sad and so Jeff said “Let me just tape you on your rant…”

I suggested he begin with ONE niche, one way to add value, one product… ONE and then use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Ezine Articles (They’re all FREE!!!)  to drive traffic to the site wherever his optin page (and offer) are… AND to stop thinking it will be INSTANT. Everyone thinks you can just slap up a page with an offer and (theme music to “Field of Dreams”) they will come… and if they come… they will buy…

Not so much.

They probably won’t buy at first, so you must Look at what’s really happening (Google Analytics can help you with that), see where the breakdown is happening & TEST.

* Are they coming to your site and not signing up? Change the optin offer to a more compelling & juicy one.

* Are they not buying, once they’re in your list community? Talk more about the benefits… Really do your homework on this one. Find some case studies so people can see the results.

* Are you doing any live online events so people can get to know you? Use a free teleseminar line or try the free trial of a webinar service (and be sure to press “record” to have something you can use over and over…) and do your presentation over and over until you nail it.

* Play the theme song to Rocky (or whatever moves you) to get pumped up each morning and keep moving forward with focus and faith.

Have you had failures…?

C’MON… it’s time to get over it and do whatever it takes to move forward. We all have. The most successful people have also had the most failures.

During that Mastermind, I got out of my chair several times, my arms swinging wildly, my voice getting louder trying to get him to see that he’s been chasing too many things at once… no wonder he’s not getting ANYWHERE.

Your past failures (and even your wild successes!) do NOT define you. The only thing that defines you is what you choose to do NOW.

It’s here… There are officially 25 shopping days until the Christmas Gift Giving holiday… We have a great tradition at my home in Texas. No gifts. We started this tradition years ago after one year, my cousin and I were frantically wrapped presents (everyone asked us to wrap theirs) and we almost missed Christmas dinner. We all realized as a family that we’d forgotten the real meaning of Christmas and one of those is spending quality time with loved ones celebrating the season. I stopped spending money on gifts that were just for the point of giving something.

I now give gifts that have meaning and purpose… for example, Jeff & I decided this year to give each other a year-long high level coaching program with a brilliant teacher and marketer that will end up costing us hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s an investment in our own learning and growth and that’s the kind of gift we both want for ourselves and each other. Another thing we are giving ourselves (and the boys) is helping feed homebound seniors on Christmas Eve morning.
It’s well known in marketing that people will find a way to pay (with money or time)  for what’s important to them… they will forgo other things. That’s why you see people with fabulous cars or huge big screen televisions while they are living in squalor. Or people who have big dreams whiling away the evenings in front of mindless tv instead of working on their dreams…

What’s important to you..? Shopping for gifts that will be forgotten by January 1 or investing in your own learning (or your childrens) or giving time to people who will truly appreciate it?

That being said, I’ll get off my soapbox for a sec   & for those of you who will be buying presents (and I will be now that I’m in a home with two young boys!) check this out for free shipping coupons to over 1800 stores. Here’s to stimulating the economy and just being clear on knowing what’s important to you.

We’re so excited to be starting our show today Thanksgiving. We thought of “officially” starting it in the next couple of weeks, but as we were watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, we decided to fire up our flipvideo and start it today by saying Thank You to our teachers, subscribers, students and all the tweeple we’ve come into contact with over the last year… This show will be real, just like this episode… no editing stuff out, no scripts, no do-overs (no makeup even!) … You can even see one of our fancy “soft box” lights for videos in the background…

Some of what we’ll be bringing you 3 times a week starting Monday includes:

• online biz advice
• tech for non-tecchies (like us)
• motivation and inspiration to keep moving forward (even when you face pebbles in the road)
• cool tools that will make your life (& business) easier and better
• behind the scenes in two online businesses that work giving us both more freedom in so many ways
• how to balance life and your business
• and much more

We are so thankful today and everyday and we hope to help you with this show! We’d love to hear from you so leave a comment and we’ll “see” you in Webisode 2 on Monday! Happy Thanksgiving! Jeff & Maritza

As we’re approaching the Thanksgiving and holiday season, I’m visiting family in Texas for a “pre-Thanksgiving” celebration with family and friends… I’ve still been working a ton while here, but making sure to take time for loved ones and friends. Yesterday I had a wonderful experience that showed me yet again…  the best gifts, the ones that are most appreciated are free to give… love, kindness, understanding and compassion…

When I was about 9 years old, my parents finally started being successful in business after years of study and planning (and counting their pennies every single day) My Mom was the business manager and had to work a TON to get the business actually up and profitable. She made a difficult decision many working moms must face to get help.

Help came in the form of an 18 year old girl named Estella.

During this time of appreciation, I want to challenge you (& me!!) to be more free in giving out these gifts that mean so much… When was the last time you told someone “I love you?” or praised someone for their efforts or showed consideration and patience with a loved one, a student or a stranger… You NEVER know what’s going on in someone’s life and each interaction we have is an opportunity to lift others up or pull them down.

A few marketing teachers have questioned the way I sign off on all my emails… I always end with “Love, Maritza”  – I may not personally communicate with all subscribers but I do wish them all love and success… and it sure works for me!