Keyboard Shortcuts or Hot-Keys can save you time and speed up whatever you are working on.  I learned early on that the less keystrokes or mouse/trackball clicks you have to do, the more time you will save.  So, I wanted to present to you some handy tips that you can use to help save you some time.

Keyboard Shortcuts or Hot-Keys work by using a combination of keys, usually the Control key and the letter of the key that you need to execute the desired command. Hot-Keys can be found in the menus of many programs. When you activate the menu, to the right of the command, you will usually see the keyboard shortcut that you are looking for. So, for instance, in the case of needing to cut something out of a document you are working on, instead of having to highlight the area, right-clicking your mouse/trackball, and clicking on Cut, you can simply highlight the area (and if it’s just one word you can double click on that word to highlight the whole word – another nice shortcut), and press the Control Key and then X. This may not seem very short, but in the instances of copying and pasting, it’s very handy not to have to open the menu up several times. Using the keyboard shortcuts makes the process a lot quicker. Highlight the area to be copied (or you can cut it if you no longer need it there) and press Control-C (or X for cut) and then place your cursor where you want the text to go now and press Control-V.

These tips will work in Windows on the PC (sorry Mac users, I’m not familiar with Macs so I’m not sure if these will work on a Mac as well.  Although from the little bit of research I did, they might, instead of the Control Key, I think it’s the Command Key on a Mac.)

Some of my favorite and most useful keyboard shortcuts:

Ctrl-X = Cut (places the cut portion into the clipboard so that it can be pasted if need be)
Ctrl-A = Select All
Ctrl-C = Copy
Ctrl-V = Paste
Ctrl-Z = Undo
Ctrl-F = Find
Alt-Tab = Switch between open windows
DEL = Delete selection or whatever is to the right of the cursor
HOME = Go to the beginning of the line
END = Go to the end of the line

I hope these tips have been helpful.

When considering a path to follow, heed these words…

Do not follow because your friends follow…
Do not follow because the masses follow…
You have your own path to follow…
Follow only if the path rings true in your heart and soul…

~Kelli Jacobson

After listening to several training sessions where they mention how important having a schedule is, it made me start thinking…

I’ve been such an easy going person, just going with the flow…  And I realized, that it was because I wanted to please everyone.  Well, I’ve also realized that you can’t please everyone.  Someone, somewhere, is going to be unpleased with you.  And that’s okay.  You don’t have to please everyone.  It’s a perfectionist way of thinking and you need to drop that like a hot potato.  Humans are not perfect.  The important part is just trying to get it right most of the time.

A quote from Andy Andrew’s The Traveler’s Gift: “I understand that God did not put in me the ability to always make right decisions.  He did, however, put in me the ability to make a decision and then make it right.”

The most important thing to gain from that quote is to just make the decision, and then go about the business of making the decision right.

Successful people make their decisions quickly and change their mind slowly.  Unsuccessful people make their decisions slowly and change their mind quickly.  Which group are you in?

Do you make your decision quickly and then go about taking the actions necessary to make that a successful decision?  Or, do you hem and haw about it, finally decide to do whatever you were making a decision about, and then the moment you do, you think “Oh, goodness, was that the right thing to do”?

If you want to get anywhere in life, you need a mindset that will help you keep on track.  If you are a mess in your mind, you will be of no value to anywhere else, so you need to get your mind squared away.  Then you need to follow that up with the appropriate action steps.  If you take no action, you can expect to receive nothing back.

So, back to my original thought.  If you are easy going and just going with the flow, can that actually be harming you?  I think it can.  Afterall, if you are just going with the flow, you have no idea where you are going.  And if you have no idea where you are going, how do you know if you’ve ever arrived?  Or are even close to where you want to be?

Think of it like being on a ship at sea.  You are just sailing aimlessly in the ocean, never knowing where the land is.  Eventually, you will run out of food, water, and supplies and you will perish.  But, if you know where the land is that you are aiming for, and chart a course to get there, your mission will be a success.  You will arrive before running out of the food, water, and supplies that keep you going.

Scheduling is a popular subject on the training sessions I have attended.  Scheduling your activities for the day gives you a road map to follow so that you know what you are supposed to be doing and when.  It helps you stay on track and get the activities done that you need to be doing in order to attain the goal that you are shooting for.

So, stop going with the flow and figure out where it is that you want to be going and then chart your course of how you are going to get there!  You can use a day planner, a spreadsheet, or perhaps Google Calendar.  Just use something and quit wandering around aimlessly.  Be a real captain on your voyage and know where you are going and what you need to do to get there!

One last thought to remember: It’s good to connect with others, but help others connect with you by sharing yourself with them through the uniqueness of YOU!

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Kelli Jacobson is a Networking Mompreneur. She is a Mom to a 1 1/2 year old son and has been involved in Internet Marketing now for over two years. Her specialties are blogging, social media, and free to low-cost marketing methods. If you would like to learn more about Kelli, please see Who Is Kelli Jacobson. See you on the inside!

Twitter Tip Of The Day: Are You A Chronic RT’er?

When people go to your profile, do they see a full page of RT’s? This may mean you are a chronic RT’er.

People want to see YOUR original thoughts and ideas too. It’s okay to RT fantastic tweets that mean something to you, but don’t make that the focus of your Tweeting. Make sure to pitch in some of your own ideas and thoughts. Afterall, people are following YOU and they want to get to know YOU.

If you absolutely must RT something someone else has Tweeted, space it out amongst your own unique thoughts and ideas. An easy way to do this is: When you find something you like, copy and paste it into a document (i.e. Word or Notepad) and then throughout the day you can copy and paste them back into your Twitter Feed, or if you use a scheduler to Tweet your Tweets for you (automation is cool) you can sprinkle them in along with your own Tweets. Just make sure your page isn’t filled with a constant line of RT’s, people deserve to know you and what you think.

One last thought to remember: It’s good to connect with others, but help others connect with you by sharing yourself with them through the uniqueness of YOU!

Have a Twitterific Day! =)

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Kelli Jacobson is a Networking Mompreneur. She is a Mom to a 1 1/2 year old son and has been involved in Internet Marketing now for over two years. Her specialties are blogging, social media, and free to low-cost marketing methods. If you would like to learn more about Kelli, please see Who Is Kelli Jacobson. See you on the inside!

When you are broke, you often suffer from a mentality of lack. That is not going to bring good things into your life. You often stop wishing for things. Shopping becomes a thing that you dread because you feel like you can’t buy anything that you want, just what you need to survive. You need to get out of that place in your head. Stop telling yourself stories that you can’t afford whatever it is that you are wanting because indeed, you will get just that.

Instead, take a window-shopping trip. Look at all the things that you want. You know you can use those Bridal and Baby Registries. Just pick one of those up, and yes, you’ll need to enter false details, but have fun with it. Go all around the store and scan all of the things that you would like to have. Think of how great you will feel when you have them. Think as if you already have them. Maybe enter the date of the event as the time that you want to have all of these things in your life. Instead of registering for china and bedspreads or bottles and diapers, check out that computer or that Wii or MP3 player, or that beautiful outfit you would love to have. Allow yourself to dream. Print out your registry and then look at it every morning, imagine how you feel having those things. Visualize yourself using the items. Think about what it feels like to use them. Use all of your senses. When in the store, touch the items and remember how they feel, and how they make you feel using them. Let this be a fun experience for you.

You can also go online and download pictures of the things you want. The new car or house, the radical looking computer, the huge amethyst geode you see in office building lobbies, the digital picture frames, the home decor items you’d love to have in your house, whatever it is that you want. Save the pictures to your computer and then create a movie with it. Put some awesome motivating music to it, usually something fast and fun. Keep it short – a minute is probably more than enough time, and then watch it each morning to start your day and get you motivated. Then find a way that you begin achieving those things that you want.

Above all, start the dream process again. Think from a standpoint of abundance. Be happy with what you have right now, and be grateful for all you will be receiving.

Kelli Jacobson is a Networking Mompreneur. She is a Mom to a 1 1/2 year old son and has been involved in Internet Marketing now for over two years. Her specialties are blogging, social media, and free to low-cost marketing methods. If you would like to learn more about Kelli, please see Who Is Kelli Jacobson. See you on the inside!

Are you honestly making the grade when it comes to running your own home business?

Many times people fail in their online business because of several factors.

The Law Of Attraction
You may believe in the Law of Attraction, but apply it in the wrong fashion.  You might believe that all you have to do now is wish for riches and the riches will come.  But that is not so.  Having the belief that you are already wealthy is good.  But, you need to follow that thought up with an inspired action in order to put into place the building blocks for you to become wealthy.

But My Business Runs On Autopilot
You may believe that you have joined this awesome new program and you have been sold on it because you like the idea that it “runs on autopilot”.  Well, yes, it does run on autopilot.  But!  You must give that autopilot direction before it can drive for you.  You must put into place the advertising to let people know how to find your website first.  Then, once that traffic is being driven to your website, then it’s being driven 24/7 while you sleep, while you’re at the grocery store, while you are at your kid’s soccer game, etc…  But you have to do the initial driving in order to train the “autopilot”.  So, again, you have to take some sort of action in order for your plan to work.

Not Enough Pain
You may not be in a place yet where there is enough pain to make you do what is necessary; therefore, you end up treating your business like a hobby and only working it part time.  However, it may feel like full time to you.  Most of the time, however, if you were to analyze your tasks, you would find that you are not doing the things that will make you money, you are merely staying “busy”.  “Busy” doesn’t cut it.  You have to do the moneymaking activities in order to be successful.

Analyze Your Performance
When running your own home business, you are at the same time, your Boss and your Employee.  Let’s look at your business performance from a Boss’s perspective.  In most companies, there is a probationary period while they evaluate your performance and decide whether you are a liability or an asset to the company.  If you perform well, you usually receive a raise, are taken off probation, and become a full-time employee with all the benefits.  However, if your probationary performance is sub-par, you are either given remedial training and another probationary period to improve, or, in most cases, you are Fired.

Evaluation Time
Take a moment to think about your performance since you joined your company, especially if you have been there at least 60-90 days.  Have you been getting the leads?  Have you been making the sales?  Have you been generating enough leads and making enough sales?  Whatever you decide to grade yourself by.  Do you make the cut?  You are the boss.  You have to decide if you, as the employee, are hired or fired.

In the case of you being your own boss, don’t be so quick to fire yourself and give up.  It has been said many times that most people’s success is right around the corner, but they give up right when they are about to achieve it.  Go the remedial training route and get yourself back in the game.  Just know that you have to take your business seriously now and kick yourself into high gear if you really want to be successful.  Sometimes people just need a quick stiff kick in the butt to get them going.  I hope I’ll see you on the inside.  You can do it!

Kelli Jacobson is a Networking Mompreneur. She is a Mom to a 1 1/2 year old son and has been involved in Internet Marketing now for over two years. Her specialties are blogging, social media, and free to low-cost marketing methods. If you would like to learn more about Kelli, please see Who Is Kelli Jacobson. See you on the inside!

You know, by saying things like “I have no chance in hell”, “I can’t do this”, “there’s no way this will work for me”, or “I’m not good enough”, “I’m not smart enough”, “I don’t have what it takes”, or “I’ll never be as good as so and so”, “I don’t have enough time to make this work”, or “I can’t make this work”?

When you say these things, you are creating your own roadblocks. Thoughts are things. Whatever you think about, you bring about. Even if you do not believe in the Law of Attraction, these forces are in place whether you acknowledge them or not. It’s like the Law of Gravity. The Law of Gravity existed even before the Apple fell on Newton’s head and he gave it a name. It is a principle.

When you think things, it puts that energy out into the Universe for manifestation. So, if you are thinking that you can’t do something, guess what, you are right, you won’t be able to do whatever it is you are trying to do.

So, in 2010 let’s get our heads on straight and turn those negative statements into positive statements. Instead of “I have no chance in hell”, let’s try “I have every chance in the world to succeed”. Instead of “I’m not good enough”, let’s try “I am more than good enough”. Instead of “I’ll never be as good as so and so”, let’s try “I am as good as or better than so and so”. And just who the hell sold you the bill of goods that you aren’t and/or can’t be as good as someone else? You can be just as good as you put your heart, mind, and soul into.

Never sell yourself short. You are doing yourself a disservice. Buck up, chin up, and get your game on. You are an awesome person and you deserve to succeed just as much as the next guy, maybe even more so! I want to see that inner light in you shine bright. Don’t be afraid to come out of the dark, it’s very nice here in the light. Live a little. Smell the roses. And quit being your own worst roadblock to success.

Kelli Jacobson is a Networking Mompreneur. She is a Mom to a 1 1/2 year old son and has been involved in Internet Marketing now for over two years. Her specialties are blogging, social media, and free to low-cost marketing methods. If you would like to learn more about Kelli, please see Who Is Kelli Jacobson. See you on the inside!

In today’s economy, the job market is becoming more and more unstable and unreliable. One day you have a job, the next you don’t, and it’s not as easy to get another job, as some would lead you to believe. Sure, you have skills, but these days companies are cutting back, not just on employees but on salaries as well. You have now become highly over skilled, underpaid, and unappreciated. Is that how you wish to continue living your life? I suspect it’s not, as by your presence here, it is proof that you are searching for something else, another way to make a living. So you’ve stumbled upon the world of Internet Marketing and you are wondering what it’s all about, what it is, is it for you, and can you do it?

First, let me start by sharing what Internet Marketing is not. Internet Marketing is not a lottery ticket. No one is going to pull your number and suddenly you are a millionaire. Sorry to burst your bubble, but your riches are not going to come to you instantly. No one can do the work for you. You can’t just sit back and expect it to fall in your lap.

Some who falsely believe in the Law of Attraction believe that all you have to do is “wish” and it will come. Am I saying that the Law of Attraction is false? Absolutely not! I wholeheartedly believe in the Law of Attraction. What I don’t believe is that anything I want will come to me without any effort on my part but a thought. The thought is what puts the energy in motion. From there, it’s up to you to do what it takes to fulfill that thought. The Law of Attraction works by you putting the energy out to the Universe of what you want and the Universe returns to you with an “inspired idea” of what you can do to attain what you desire. But you have to do the work.

So, what is Internet Marketing? Internet Marketing, in a nutshell, is a skillset of advertising whatever you have to offer, whether it be a product or a service. You have to have a way of getting the word out to others that you are here and you have something to offer. There are many methods of Internet Marketing, from Articles like this, to blogging, to the Web 2.0 properties such as Video, Twitter, and Facebook, to banner ads, classifieds, and Google PPC. What is your role in Internet Marketing? Whatever you choose it to be. Pick an area that interests you and master it.

Internet Marketing is work. It is hard work. With anything, you have to work. But it’s the type of work that you do that you have to decide you want to do. Do you want to work and build a future for you and your family? Or do you want to continue to be a slave and work for someone else’s dream?

I recently watched the movie “The Matrix” again. It brought me to an epiphany. I can take the blue pill and go back to sleep and continue to be a slave and work for someone else and what they want, for their dream. Or I can take the red pill and awaken to the possibilities that lie within me. I can free my mind and take control of my own destiny. Neo was asked if he believed in fate. He replied that he did not. He did not like the thought of him not being in control of his own future. He chose to have his mind freed from the Matrix by taking the Red pill. My decision was the same.

So I have to ask you. Do you want to take the Blue pill or the Red pill? Do you wish to go back to sleep and be a slave to society? Or do you want to be awake and free and of value to society? All I offer you is the truth. I can show you the door. But you will have to be the one to open it. Once you open it, however, you can never go back. Your mind will have been freed.

If you are ready to open the door to Internet Marketing, I welcome you on the journey with me. I can show you how you can gain the skills to market anything to anyone anywhere in the world. Internet Marketing is doable, but only if you choose to make it so. You have to have the desire and the passion to make it work. The Internet Marketing vehicle can work for you, but only if you learn to drive it, drive it well, and enjoy driving it.

Kelli Jacobson is a Networking Mompreneur. She is a Mom to a 1 1/2 year old son and has been involved in Internet Marketing now for over two years. Her specialties are blogging, social media, and free to low-cost marketing methods. Check out how Kelli has made her mark on the Internet Marketing world at http://www.LiveAbundantlySuccessful.com. See you on the inside!

Insanity

Albert Einstein has said it best: Insanity is doing the same things over and over again expecting a different result.

If you want something different, you are going to have to make a change. What are you willing to do differently in order to bring about the results that you desire?

Key Areas of Change:

Organization

Get organized! Whether it’s a Day Planner, your PDA, your Outlook Calendar, maybe Google Calendar, or just a spreadsheet that you create, get a schedule down for you. Start by putting in all of your appointments, training calls, webinars, etc… Then make sure you schedule in any lunch breaks or regular breaks that you take (always make time for a brain refresher), and dinner breaks. Don’t forget to schedule in taking your kids to school, picking them up, their school activities, and things like that too. Next you’ll want to identify the times of day that you can dedicate to your money making activities such as writing articles and distributing them; shooting, editing, and uploading videos; blogging; posting to Twitter and Facebook; placing Classified ads; tweaking your Adwords campaigns, etc… Whatever online marketing methods you do to bring money into your business, be sure to schedule a time slot to focus on those and then do those during the times that you schedule. If you do not schedule yourself, if you do not make a plan for yourself, then you will wander aimlessly and ultimately, you will get nothing done.

Focus

Get focused! You need to be able to focus on your goals in order to be able to achieve them. There are several things you can do to keep yourself focused. One was just talked about, getting yourself on a schedule and having that schedule somewhere that you can see it or access it easily. Another way would be to have a focus board next to your desk. Somewhere to put up pictures of the things that you desire, maybe it’s that bigger house or better car, or a specific computer system you’d like to have. Maybe it’s a picture of somewhere you want to take your family on vacation. You could have your favorite quotes that help keep you focused on your objectives on there as well. Whatever pictures and phrases that will help keep you focused on your goals will work.

Planning

Get your plan of action! You have to have a plan to follow in order to achieve your desires. Those who do not plan, plan to fail… So make sure you have a plan. What is it that you are trying to achieve? Write that down. Then think of what action steps you will need to take to achieve that desire. I believe in the Law of Attraction. But just stating your desires is not good enough to bring them to you. You must have a plan of attack. What Law of Attraction can do for you, however, is after sending your desire into the Universe for it to be fulfilled, you will suddenly have an inspired idea of how to achieve that desire, and then it’s going to take work on your part to realize that dream. So planning is a great step in the right direction. The first step is recognizing what it is you want, and then finding a way for you to obtain it, and planning how you are going to obtain it is the key.

So, let’s get organized, stay focused, and then plan how you are going to achieve your goals, dreams, and desires! But let’s not forget the most important step.

Action

Take action! If you want something, you are going to have to work for it. Don’t let anyone fool you into believing you can get something for free. There is always a cost of some sort. Whether it be time, effort, or sacrificing something now to achieve something greater later. You must take action. You must do the tasks that will move you forward in realizing your dreams. If you think you can just sit back and become a millionaire, you are wrong. You must take the needed actions now in order to fulfill that destiny. Without action, there can be no reaction. The Universe is all about cause and effects. You must put forth that energy in order to receive something in return.

When is the last time you gave someone a compliment or told someone they are doing a great job at something? It seems in adult life that we are conditioned to always find the negative in anything and point it out. When we are raising children, it is encouraged that we acknowledge their good behaviors in order to reinforce the fact that we want them to do that behavior again. By rewarding a child’s good behavior, it boosts their confidence and self-esteem and makes them want to do more good things to please us. However, as adults we somehow have forgotten the art of compliments and focus on only telling someone what they have done wrong.

It seems to me, that the saying “You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar” is appropriate. If we focused on telling the people in our life that they have done something right, it will make them want to do more good things to please us. It helps build confidence and self-esteem and all around makes them a better person.

Think about someone in your life that has done something good, has had some kind of success, and pay them a compliment or recognition. It will go far in boosting that person up and enable them to come into a better mindset about themselves so that they continue to do good things.

I like to make it a habit to always find something good that someone has done and let them know that I think that they have done awesome and that they matter to me. If we boost each other up all the time it will be a far better world then always bringing someone down. Let’s focus on the positive and make this world a better place!