This Makes My Life The Best!

I am so excited, I was chosen as the "Student Of The Month" from Global Cash Flow Network!

I recently found out and since then my opinions have been reaffirmed about their superior customer service and genuine care and dedication for their students.

I submitted an essay about what has been the greatest thing I have learned during the program. So, I wrote about the life changing information found with in a newsletter, The 2 Comma Club. Access to this newsletter is an example of the "over delivery" of their commitment to assist their students to reach his/her dreams.

I feel so privilege! First I was told since I won student of the month, GCFN would donate $250 to my favorite charity... St. Jude Research Hospital. Then to my great pleasure I was given an opportunity of a lifetime...Mary Gersten, herself, scheduled an appointment to interview me!

Not only did she take time to get to know me and my goals but she offered valuable information and inspiration! I thought this was such a fantastic thing in itself but then it got even better!

GCFN sent me a Flip Video! Is that cool or what? I am so blessed! Thank You Mary and Global Cash Flow Network! I will b e sure to send you a video testimonial (as soon as I get my hair cut tomorrow!)

Stay tuned, because soon I will have the link to my interview with Mary! You'll want to hear it! (I just couldn't wait to tell you all!)

Why Learning Chinese Will Make Your Life Better

In recent months, China has been big news, especially since Bejing was the site for the 29th Summer Olympics . Because of the increased interest in China, many people are realizingthe importance to learn the language.

Many schools across the US and around the globe are offering students the chance to learn
Mandarin Chinese and if they are not they should be!
Some reasons are:

1. China is now part of WTO (World Trade Organization); now, major and even small companies need to be able to communicate effectively.

2. A bill has been introduced to require all U.S. high school students to be given the option to take Chinese language classes.

3. The ablility to speak Chinese, sets you apart and demonstrates initiative and proactivity. This skill will allow you to take advantage of future trade opportunities.

4. The Chinese work force out produces in labor instensive jobs creating lower operating costs. Many of the Chinese manufacturing companies employ foreigners to manage, consult, and accounting. Learning Chinese, provides a link between Chinese companies and American businesses.

5. Around 16,000 American companies are trying to sell their products to China. Because of the size of China there is a great demand for products produced abroad. The companies that can speak and write Chinese gain an advantage and more importanly, a foothold.
6. Learning Chinese. is not as difficult as you may think. Because of modern technology, the learning process has become simplified. Many professionals have learned to speak without knowing how to write Chinese. (Learning to write is the most time consuming but the translations programs in computers has greatly eased the burden of learning.)

With some effort and using the tips shared here, a person can begin speaking Chinese quickly. Learning Chinese will undoubtly provide you a brighter future for your career, company, and more than likely, for your personal life.

**Thank You for the use of the photos, MIT!**

Helpful Techniques To Learn Chinese Makes Life Easier

When you learning Chinese or anything, it is best to learn many variations or different techniques. This creates a better understanding and a solid foundation for success.

Here are some tips and techniques to help you to master the Chinese language. Note: Using multiple tips will maximize efficiency, effectiveness, and ease of learning. Always remember to have as much fun when learning.

Step 1

The first thing anyone should do is learn Chinese Pinyin. This is the Chinese phonetic alphabet used to pronounce Chinese characters and helps you to distinguish the 4 different tones used.

(Unlike in European languages, initials (simplified Chinese: 声母; traditional Chinese: 聲母) and finals (simplified Chinese: 韵母; traditional Chinese: 韻母, or rhyming sounds) - and not consonants and vowels - are the fundamental elements in Pinyin)

Step 2

Take the time to listen, as well as practice, both simple Chinese sentences and vocabulary, to memorize it.

Here are tips to achieve the above two steps:

a. Take a local community Chinese class to carry out practice drills with a study partner. The more you are able to speak the language, the easier it will be.

b. Buy a good dictionary, with the right phonetic spellings of each word.

c. Find a native Chinese speaking person and spend time conversing in their language. (There are a lot of Chinese/US exchange programs; Exchange language lessons.)

d. Barrow or purchase audios/software programs where you listen to and then repeat out loud what you ahve heard. Finding Chinese Newspapers and magazines can be a big help!

e. Sing Chinese songs. Go to your local library, or purchase online some tapes and CD's, and then listen to them. Emmerse yourself in the culture so you can speak the words and the sentences on your own.

f. It is important to review all your "learned" words regularly to keep them fresh in your mind.

Step 3

Spend time writing Chinese. You will not only understand the strokes and rules relating to each Chinese character, but it will provide a sound foundation of how each character is formed.
Below are some tips:

a. To memorize each character, write them until you remembered them. Start with the easiest ones, then build up the difficulty level.

b. Write a character once or twice. Once you have a list of words in front of you, go through this list writing each word once or twice, then start from the beginning and go through it again. Do this for as many times as you need to; It will ensure that the words you have learned are more firmly planted in your memory.

c. Whenever possible, watch Chinese movies, videos, and TV programs that have subtitles. It is one of the best and easiest ways for a person to learn Chinese, through both the spoken and written word. http://chinat0wn.blogspot.com/2008/03/learn-chinese-pinyin-in-6-minutes.html

d. Get some post-it's and write down characters you are about to learn. Stick them to the objects they relate to.

After time, you'll notice many characters have elements in common. They may be related to each other through the meaning or pronunciation of the word. By noting common elements, it will help you to remember much easier.

Step 4

The grammar of the Chinese language, is almost identical to all other languages. The only difference you may find between Chinese and English grammar is the sequence of words. Therefore, pay close attention to these differences and practice them as much as possible.

The most important thing to remember is not to be afraid of mistakes. Most people have difficulty learning a language...mostly because they are extremely self conscious and are worried too worried to make mistakes.

The Best way to learn anything, especially something tough is to break it down and do it a little at a time, each day. Consistency is King so, add it to your daily schedule. You'll be amazed at your progress.

Great Places To Start Learning Chinese To Make Your Life Better

One of the most interesting ways to learn Chinese is by finding an online course or software you can use on your computer. More and more people are becoming interested in learning this language because of the growth in China within the economic markets.

Currently, over 1.2 billion (1 in 5) people speak this language. In fact, it is the most commonly spoken language throughout the world today. That number is only expected to climb.

When it comes to learning Chinese, your level of learning doesn't matter - courses are available for all stages. These courses will help you to learn to write characters, understand grammar as well as using the right tones and the proper way to pronounce the words.

So, if you don't have the resources to visit China for an extended period of time or to take classes at a local college, these options are powerful! I recommend finding some great softeware programs like Rosetta Stone and Fluenz Manderin. Then, use Skyp to practice with live available teachers over the internet Skype (a free form of voice over Internet Protocol). This is an easy way to carry out conversational Chinese on a regular basis.

Because of the growth in internet connections, as well as the advancements in voice over internet protocol (VOIP) software, it has made it extremely easy for people to find a tutor and polish up on what you have already learned.

Skype can not only connect you to freelance tutors, but also language schools who use this form of technology to help their students with their lessons. Some are even located in China. This can make learning Chinese so much easier because it is in the comfort of your home, but keep in mind the time difference (about 12 hours from the East Coast).

Some other helpful ways to start learning Chinese is to buy mp3, cd's, videos of familiar music/shows translaeted in Chinese so you can start emersing yourself in the language. You will be surprised at what you will find!

Learning Basic Learning Skills Makes Your Life Best

Here is a list of problems, new students often face when starting to learn Chinese:

1. Recognizing and writing the characters.

2. How to correctly pronounce characters.

3. The Meaning of each character.

4. Finding the right character.

New technology has helped overcome these barriers offering not only a fun way to learn but more effectively and efficiently.

It is documented that there are over 80,000 Chinese characters. Luckily for us , many are rarely used today. The modern version of the language only requires the average person to know about 3,500 characters to be proficient.

The kicker is, for each English word translated into Chinese, it usually uses two or more characters. Each character is linked together, read from left to right, and is written in relation to its purpose within the content of the text.

Chinese writing comes in many different forms and styles. Some date back to very ancient times and began as pictures. Today, there are normally two forms used: simplified and traditional.

Simplified is predominately and officially used in mainland China, while the more traditional form can be found in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

So, are you ready to learn Chinese? Find out in my next post.


Did you know that the Chinese Olympic Logo is an interpreted version of the ancient character "jing" which means "capital"?

Easy Ways To Learn Chinese To Make Your Life Better

It doesn't matter what you want to learn, you must put time and effort into it. This is especially true of learning Chinese.

Here are some ideas to make the time you spend learning more effective and efficient:

1. Integrate new material with more familiar material to make your basic level of learning stronger.

2. Develop a concept map, to identify characters or groups of characters which are similar
(groups of characters should have similar meaning and in similar clusters).
a. Words which fit into the same sort of pattern.
b. Those characters which share the same sort of radical or same sort of phonetic (similar
pronunciation) components.
c. Those characters which share any other type of component that is similar.
d. Look at placing those characters together which have a shared idea, such as colors,
activities or places.

3. Create hierarchical chart to break down single characters into smaller and more meaningful
components.

4. Make a mnemonic device to help remember particular parts of your character. One way of
remembering it is through using a picture, which will suggest the characters particular
strokes.

5. After each lesson, wait 15 minutes and go back over what you just learned. Studies have
shown a quick review shortly after a lesson helps retain the lesson better.

6. Read out loud. Reading out loud is a great way to practice and helps to discover particular
words and phrases which need more work. Plus if you ever have to read out loud , you will be
better prepared.

7. Don't study for long periods of time. Study a little each day, and you will find it is easier to
learn the language (you will more likely retain what you learned this way).

8. Break up learning new vocabulary into several small sessions. You can do this while travelling
to school or work, or even when you are waiting in line to pay for your groceries.

9. The most effective way to learn Chinese characters is to memorize them. A great way is to
write them down. (Don't write the same word over and over again, write each word down once
or twice, then go to the next one. Then go through the list again until you are comfortable
with it. This helps to put the words more firmly into memory and your mind.)

10. If possible, practice with a partner. Each person read a line, like a conversation (but do
not use your books or study notes). To understand what has been said, each person reads the
response a second time in English.

11. When reading Chinese, cover the pinyin (the way it sounds) while reading the text to understand the characters better. If unsure of a character, write down notes on a separate piece of paper to refer to
later.

Developing the above habits will make learning Chinese so much easier!

How To Set Up Google AdSense To Make Your Life Better

Google AdSense is a by product of Google AdWords. Goggle AdWords are the ads you see when you search on Google and you see the ads on the right side of the page under the title, "Sponsored Links" or when you visit a site and you see the row or column that say, "Ads By Google".

Google AdSense is the means of placing the "Ads by Google" on your site to bring in some income.

Here is how you can get started:

1. Sign up for an AdSense account

It takes a couple minutes to create your user name and password. You only need one account! It is considered "black hat" or "bad" to set up more than one account and Google will boot you out if you try to set up more than one account.

2. Then you follow the instructions in the "AdSense Set-Up" tab. You can change colors and fit the look of the ads to meet your theme of your blog.

3. After you have identified the ad "look" and any variables such as a filter for ads you may not want, such as a competitor's ad.

What Google does, is place ads on your site that are in relation to the content you have written in your posts. So, setting up blocks or filters may be beneficial.

4. After that, Google AdSense will give you code to copy and then paste into your blog. Each blog service is a little different so if you have additional questions please email me at admin@MyBestLifeNow.com and I will try to figure it out.

On Blogger they have made it really easy. Go to your http://www.yourdomain.blogspot.com/ site and click on "Customize" on the top right corner. That will open up 3 main tabs and you will be on the "Layout/page element" page. Go to the blue text "add a page element" and click. There will be a list of elements you can add.

If you want to just add the copied code from Google AdSense click "add html/java script" and paste the code there and save. If you want life to be super easy... after you have opened your AdSense account you can go to the "AdSense" page element (also located in the "Add Page Element" page and if you have your AdSense account up, it should pop open a page where you can customize the ads you want on your blog there and then click "save" and voila, you have AdSense on your page!

People often ask, "How much money can I make with AdSense?" Well, more than likely it isn't a who lot, especially in the beginning. Most who do make a lot on AdWords have multiple sites (like 1000+) to make a living at it. Those whose site is very popular may only need the one site but again their site is VERY popular.

I don't mean to discourage you, because this is a free service and over a period of time you can earn an extra $100-$200 a month. Not something to cough at especially with the rise of gas and grocery prices.

Things to remember:
1. Only open one account: Google is strict about this and will hunt you down and boot you out when they find you!
2. Google does not allow you to click on your own ads
3. Google frowns on you asking friends and family to click on your ads.
4. Good Karma: Visiting other sites and clicking on others' ads will persuade others to visit and click on your ads.

Where To Start: Learning "How To" Speak Chinese?

Okay, so after watching the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics how can you deny that China has become a power house to be sought after as a business opportunity? Chinese has become one of the most popular languages. China is extremely influential in the world’s business markets today and even more so in the future.

I know I don't have to remind you that Chinese is a very difficult language to learn. But if you have been able to master English (another very difficult language to learn) then, with some effort you should be able to learn Chinese, too.

Take Note to remember that this language is tonal. You will have to think of learning it like you would a foreign salesman or sports announcer would in English. Each word, when pronounced using the 4 different tones, will have a different meaning. Plus, you not only need to learn about the tones, you also have to learn and memorize the Chinese characters (more than 3000). [** Note to Self ** combining 2character forms another meaning]


Obliviously, the best way to learn and study a language to visit and live in the country with the language you wish to speak,called "immersing" yourself in the language and culture.

If you can, find somewhere that does exchange programs, or even a private school in China that you could attend.I can see though, how this is not an option for most...
Luckily, there are some other options and when combined can greatly influence the chance of reaching your goal to learn Chinese.

The Internet has made it extremely easy and possible to learn Chinese, without actually having to go to China to carry out their studies. Several sites on the web offer free lessons to learn Chinese. One example is
www.chinese-tools.com/learn/chinese or www.LearnChineseForFree.com

Another great way for learning the language, if you are unable to spend time in the country itself, is through finding an exchange partner, or hosting an exchange student or teacher from China.

The best way of finding an exchange partner is through your local College, School, or ESL Department. They will be able to find you a student whose native language is Chinese, and is willing to spend time with you teaching you their language.

However, you will need to reciprocate and be prepared to spend time with them teaching them how to speak your language. It is recommended to have basic familiarity with the language before looking into this. Early communication with two unfamiliar parties can be challenging!

There are also a number of groups that have been organized by such sites as Yahoo, where you can join and start to learn Chinese. One example is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alearningchineseonlineclub/

It is through these groups and forums that you will be able to post any questions you may have regarding the language, and be provided with feedback from those that either speak Chinese or those that are also learning it themselves.

The final way you may want to consider for learning to speak Chinese is through making new friends whose native tongue is this language.

Soon, you will discover just how much easier it is to learn this language when you spend time with the people whose speak it!

What Is Most Important To Making Your Life The Best?

I want to challenge myself and hopefully you.

I get so caught up trying to do things: busy raising kids, caring for a household, crossing out things on my to-do lists, and I haven't slowed down in a while to ask myself some important questions to make sure I am on track, have you?

What do you think is the most important factor to create your ideal life? Is it your education? Is it the tools and skills you acquire? Is it the way you were brought up? Is it the way you perceive and look at life?

What are your expectations for yourself? What have you been putting off? Have you ever wondered what would happen if you made decisions about your life without fear?

These are really important questions? Would you agree?

*Thanks http://bia2.com/ramona/ for the photo!

I spent too much of life in limbo, waiting for the right things to happen to in order for me to then do the things I want to do. I realize that this has been my excuse, my reason for not "going for it". I don't mean to jump into something spontaneously with clear thinking and thoroughness but have you put off what makes you happy or something that fills an empty spot in your being?

I have...who will join me in taking a challenge to change?

Can you write down 3 goals and share them with me?

My top four are (they aren't super crazy, nor exciting except to me:
1) Pay off my house and other business debt;
2) Send my kids to the school I want to send them to; and
3) Learn Chinese;
4) Continue to invest in my well being and prosperity.

It is a good place to start, isn't it? Tell me where you are so I can learn from you too!