English - The World's Language?

Since I began participating on various forums and blog sites, I have become aware of how many people throughout the world speak English.  I knew it was a widely-spoken Language, but I did not realize as far as native speakers goes, English is the third most commonly spoken language in the world (after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish).  As a second language, however, it is the most commonly used.  In fact, when including both native and non-native speakers, it is the most commonly spoken language.

My main resource for the information in this post is from:  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_where_English_is_an_official_language

In the United Kingdom, Australia and United States, English is the de facto language, but none of these countries has declared English as their Official language.

Many countries have declared English as their Official language, including several where English isn’t necessarily the primarily-spoken language. English is the official language in Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Dominca, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribata, The Netherlands, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Phillipines, Rwanda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Many of these countries are former British and American colonies.  In many other countries, English is widely or primarily used.  These countries include American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guam, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Jersey, Montsserrat, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Saint Maarten, San Andres y Providencia, Somaliland, Tokelau, Turks and Caicos Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

IBOToolbox definitely piqued my interest to know where English was spoken, and I am really amazed by what I’ve learned. 

Here I sit, and English-speaking American.  I’ve taken years of classes to learn Spanish, but I am still not fluent.  I don’t think I could be faulted for saying that the majority of Americans speak English and only English.  So, a huge percentage of people throughout the world could communicate with us in the United States, but few of us could go to their countries and speak to them in their native language.

I feel a bit uneducated, because I can only communicate in one language.  I wish that learning at least one foreign language was required in schools.  I admire those IBOToolbox members from countries throughout the world who have joined and contribute to this platform in English when it is not their primary language.

The Internet has afforded me the opportunity to communicate and learn a little about people all over the world, and for that, I am grateful.

Destiny

>>Something to which a person or thing is destined.

>>A predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency.

I have heard people say that they were destined to become a “blank.”  Perhaps because their father was a coal miner, they believed they were destined to become a coal miner too… Or a physician, or a lawyer or a farmer.  Really? 

I believe we create our own destiny.  We cannot sit back and relax and expect our lives to simply follow a certain course.  It is up to us to decide the direction our life will take us.

Who and what do you want to be?  If you admire your parents and their career path, if you choose to follow that path, there is nothing wrong with it.  If, however, you’re following that path because you believe you are expected to do so, you may be going the wrong direction for you. 

When you use your “mind’s eye” to see the future you, what are you doing?  Are you successful?  Are you struggling?  Are you passionate about your career choice?

If you follow your own intuition, trust that it is the right decision, you may begin to see doors open for you that you never imagined.

My parents and my grandparents owned restaurants.  I grew up in the industry.  My sister worked for my parents and was a waitress (or using the politically correct term, a server) her whole life, and my brother manages restaurants.  I could have worked in the industry.  My parents never pushed me in that direction, but it certainly would have been understandable if I had believed a career in the food industry was my destiny.

I did not choose a career in the “family” business.  I was the “independent” one in the family and chose my own path, eventually ending up where I am today.  I am an entrepreneur, a home business owner. 

Looking back, I know I could have gone in many different directions, but my self-created destiny brought me to a very good place.

http://joinxpresshealthcare.flash1.php/blogger

Leaving California

I was born in Los Angeles, California.  I worked for many years in the administrative end of law enforcement, so I was acutely aware of the rising crime around me.  Add to that the traffic everywhere in Southern California, and smog.  And then, there were earthquakes.  One day, my husband and I began to discuss escaping.

We took a driving trip to Arizona, traveling throughout the state for two weeks.  We came across a small city in a rural area that we liked immediately.  It was really pretty, low crime, no smog, no traffic.  Everything that we disliked about California was absent in this city.

We put our California house on the market and moved to Arizona.  It’s a beautiful area, totally black skies at night.  Our Arizona house sits at the base of some beautiful mountains, often covered in snow in the winter.  Ideal temperature, with a light dusting of snow each winter.  Our house is fabulous, much bigger than the two I’d owned in California. 

Then, our children, who were just out of their teens when we left California, grew up.  They had children.  We were grandparents!  We loved it, except, by then all the kids and grandkids were living in California.  It didn’t happen suddenly, but over a period of a couple years, we began to really miss our family.  As we’ve gotten older, we cannot travel as easily or frequently to see them as we did when we first moved to Arizona.

So, now our house in Arizona is on the market.  The housing market is not good.  We began trying to sell our house last July, and here we are in April, with our house unsold.

My dream would be to pick up our house and move it to California near our family.  Whatever house we buy in California – whenever that may be – will be much smaller.  We’ll have to adjust.

It is funny how our priorities change throughout our lives.  I’m not looking forward to living in California, with the even worse traffic and crime, but my desire to spend more time with my family outweighs what I dislike about it.

I am so fortunate to have my home business.  I can work here in Arizona and just as easily in California.  There will be nothing different about that aspect of my life.  And since I work primarily online, I don’t have to move much more than my desk. 

So, I’ll happily continue working my business while I await the sale of my house and another new chapter of my life.


http://joinxpresshealthcare.net

The Big Picture

When speaking to one of my team members today, we were discussing how, in network marketing, people often are unable to see “the big picture.”

As most people know, in network marketing a large percentage of those who join quit before they’ve put any real effort into their business.  I believe that is because they don’t have the right perspective, their overall view of what can be achieved is beyond them.

Those who can see "the big picture" are able to look beyond the immediate future, seeing in their mind through a wider lens that displays the true possibilities that lie before them.

There are network marketing companies that promise almost immediate success.  Although on rare occasions, someone’s business does take immediately, but it is bar far the exception, rather than the rule.

Network marketing companies that pay residual income do not pay a large amount for every sale an associate makes.  Rather, they will earn a small amount, but they’ll be paid that amount month after month, year after year, rather than being paid only once.  With residual income, once an associate builds a good income, even if they stop working their business, as long as they remain with the company, their residual income continues to come in.

I’ll use my own company as an example.  Xpress Healthcare sells discount health and dental plans and benefit plans that reduce our members’ costs in many other areas of their lives.  For instance, if I sell our top plan, I will be paid $15, which by itself may seem a rather small amount, not much at all.  However, I will be paid $15 every single month for every active account I sell.  Let’s say I sell our plans to a business with 100 employees.  

From that one sale, I’ll be earning $1500 month after month.

In the grand scheme of things, $15 is looking better.  PLUS, I’ll be paid a percentage of the sales people on my team down two levels are paid.  So, in addition to the $15 I’m paid for my personal sales, I’ll be paid $2.50 each month for all of the top plans my team members sell.  Again, using that company with 100  

employees example, if my team member made the sale, I’d be earning $250 per month, and I did no work for it!

Of course, anyone who “sticks it out” continues to make additional sales that begin stacking up, growing a larger and larger residual income.  Is that “big picture” beginning to look better? 

I personally believe that those who are unable to see “the big picture” should not work with a company that pays residual commission.  They should select a company that pays larger, one-time commissions.  If they are wise, they’ll invest it well.  If they are not, they may end up with nothing in the end.

With my own company, as with many others, the possibility of earning the “magical” six-figure income is very real for anyone willing to work for it and not quit.  I personally never worked a j-o-b where I came anywhere close to earning that much money, and if I quit that job, I received no additional paychecks.  So, what if you had to work two years, or three, or five?  Seeing that “big picture” up the road should keep you staying the course until you reach it.

http://joinxpresshealthcare.ORG

Building Your Online Business Foundation

Tenacity is vital to growing your business.  Stick firmly to what works well for you.  Discard anything that does not.  Make the decision to reach success in your endeavors, and YOU WILL. Nothing is impossible to you, if you believe.

Most of the time, the people who are successful are simply the ones who didn’t quit. Don’t quit. Don’t sell yourself short. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you will get there.

Work your business like you mean it.  If you treat it like a hobby, if you’re not making it a priority in your life, the results will be minimal. 

There are a variety of ways to market and promote your business, but doing so is your primary job.  There are myriad ways to do so, and I’m going to share with you what I have found to be the most successful methods. 

I have found – first and foremost, that using social media and online networking provides the most bang for your buck.  The buck being time, not money. 

So, start with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, IBOToolbox, for instance.  And feel free to find your own, possibly those in the industry in which you work when you had a job, or if you still work a job.

Once you get to the forum you wish to join. Create an account.  Be sure to use a photograph of yourself, not a logo or avatar, in your profile.  And when the profile includes space for a bio, use the same one wherever you register.

OK, your accounts are set up.  Now what?  PARTICIPATION!  The reason we all want to be participating in a variety of forums and social media networking is simple, to get our names and businesses “out there.” The more you participate, the more people get familiar with your name and your business.  As you participate in these various forums, you’ll find you’ll get to know people, see that you have things in common, and may actually become internet friends. Think of it like you’re attending a Chamber of Commerce meeting.  You’d be handing out your cards, chatting with Chamber members and getting to know a few of them.   Participation on forums can and should be fun. 

Blogging is another powerful method of getting your name and your business “out there.”  I’m pretty new to blogging, but I have found it to be very effective. I recommend you type your blog in a word document or on a site that allows spell check so your blog will look professional.

Creating your own videos can also be of tremendous help to your business.  Get past how you look on camera.  No one is critiquing your appearance, but they are hearing you talk about your business opportunity and products.  If you’re not telling them, someone else will, and they’ll be earning the money, not you.  If you have a web cam and a microphone, you can make videos. 

To help you grow a local business, join your local Chamber of Commerce and other business-related networks, and participate in their events.  Once they get to know who you are and what you do, you’ll find people will refer others to you.

Finally, word of mouth.  Some companies encourage their reps to approach their “warm” market.  I discourage my team members from trying to recruit or sell to family and friends.  You know what most of your family and friends do for a living.  Be sure they know what you do too.  In normal conversation, just mention your business.  If they know someone who can use your products or are looking for a business opportunity, they’ll send them your way.


http://julie.xpressabo.com/flash1.php?=blogger

I Got a "Code" in My Nose

For the first time in, I can’t remember how long, I’m ill.  It’s just a cold, nothing horrible, but you know colds can make you fell blah!  Anyway, it got me to thinking.

If I was working a j-o-b, I’d be staying home, using up my sick time or losing money.  It disturbs me when people go out spreading their viruses, so I try not to expose people unless I absolutely must.

With my own home business, I need not be concerned about missing work.  As long as I’m capable of sitting at my computer, I can work. In fact, a while back, after surgery, I was working from my bed for nearly a week.

That is one of the many benefits of having a home business.  Nearly anyone can do it.  I have two people on my team who are disabled, unable to work a regular job.  They can work on their computers though.  Mobility isn’t required. 

Someone unable to hear can work many home businesses.  With the right equipment, those who are blind can work from home on their computers.  With the technology we have today, there is almost no disability preventing someone from working at home on a computer.

We live in a very interesting time.  Our grandparents couldn’t have imagined all the machines, gadgets and equipment that we now find commonplace.  As I sit here sniffling and sneezing, I am so grateful for my Xpress Healthcare business.  I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.  (Please visit my website if you’d like to join my team… I won’t share my cold, I promise.) http://julie.xpressabo.com/xhc1?blogger

Julie Klein just posted a new blog titled I’m Ready to Throw a Shoe Through My Computer!.

Julie Klein just posted a new blog titled I’m Ready to Throw a Shoe Through My Computer!.