Personal Development with Levnow Self-Help Tools

This is a chronicle of what has turned out to be the best year of my life. Yes, it finally came, one entire year that I was happy no matter what. I am a big advocate of learning from the past and if my year building what I have proudly deemed a success website from scratch* helps you start to create the life of your dreams this coming year, then there is a purpose to this blog.

*By “scratch” I mean that, as of January 4, 2006, I did not know I wanted to create a successful website, I just didn’t know what I wanted to do. I had no idea what it took to create a successful website and I had never attempted to build a website.

“You must first learn to crawl before you can walk.” – Unknown

This saying encapsulates my year in review. Here is a peak into the journal entry of a person about the have the year of her life so far.

January 1, 2006, Midnight
Goals for the year: I declare that this year I will:

• Publish my amazing self-help book


• Buy a new computer


• Finish art projects


• Redecorate my home


• Lose weight


• Start an exercise program


• Buy a new home


• Save 30% of my earnings


• Make new friends


• Go out more


• Travel the world

This is going to be an amazing year, tomorrow I will start my Perricone Diet and go running, okay jogging with some walking. I will review all my writing of the last three years and emerge with an amazing best-selling book. Yes, these are my goals for 2006, I am going to hit the ground running.

January 2, 2006
I hate writing, I hate editing, will start diet tomorrow, need to finish food from the New Year’s party and what am I to do with all this alcohol?

January 3, 2006
AHHHHHHHH! I know everything self-help, I can do this.

January 4, 2006
Nothing is coming to me. I need to have a conversation with God, The Universe, All…

Dear God,
I am at a fork in the road. I have to make a decision now as to where the rest of my life is going and I don’t have a clue, I seem to have lost my way. My head hurts from thinking so I turn it all over to you. Here is what I need: I need a solid direction for my life, career wise. I want to know exactly what I am going to spend the rest of my life doing or at least the next five to ten years. I want to start doing it immediately. I will love what I do and it will be effortless. I turn my life over to you. I am going to redecorate my home.

Thank you in advance,

PS
I know there are other things I need help with but this is most pressing and I know you will show me what else needs my attention as the year progresses. Thanks again.

January 5-8, 2006
I am redecorating and reducing clutter. How did I acquire this much stuff? Put in a call to Salvation Army.

January 9, 2006
Got a call from my cousin today, she has a business idea that will have us “set for the rest of my lives” within the next month. “Wow, my little note must have been fast tracked.” Okay, I’ll bite. I called Salvation Army already, so I have time.

January 11, 2006
First meeting with my cousin: we are starting up an internet company, something to do with affiliates and Google ads and books and audio program, Oh My! She seems to have an open line to a higher power when you look at her and hear her speak she is so passionate I must say I am impressed. I sent my message to God a few days ago, this must be the answer. Salvation Army has been already and you could not pay me to write right now, so I am game.

PS
Diet is going great. I really don’t like cooking though.

January 12, 2006
Company created, site name brainstorming was success, and we have come up with a great concept. I have a “To Do” list, a glorious “to do” list. We need computer programmer, or is it a website designer, need to make calls. By the way what is an affiliate?

January 18, 2006
What the h…! I have to design the site? It is going to cost what? Thank God I like programming and I seem for some reason to be able to understand the programming code. Okay, I will do it, but I will get the content from my cousin, at least I don’t have to write. My “to do” list is 20 pages long, should I be scared? I sat at my computer for 18 hours yesterday and I loved every second of it. I have built my first website ever. I know what an affiliate is; I don’t know how it works though.

Going to a Learning Annex class tonight maybe we will get some answers.

PS
If I never eat another salad again, it would be too soon. As it turns out I don’t like cold food either. (I love cold desserts though.)

January, 19, 2006
Great class, great teacher, this whole internet thing, has potential, we provide free information, sell some stuff on the side, we carry no products, we are affiliates, Weeeeee! We don’t ever get to touch the products. (Have you ever been in line at the post office behind the person with the internet business, if you didn’t really need to be at the post office you would run out screaming.)

January 20, 2006
Thank you God, I have found something I could spend the next five to ten years doing, and it really meets all my criteria. Last night I dreamt I was walking through lines of html code, I think I am in love. I finally get to help people like I always wanted. I found my voice and if one person is touched, I have more than accomplished my goal.

January 30, 2006
Conversation with my business partner:
Partner: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE HAVE TO GET TRAFFIC TO COME TO OUR WEBSITE? WHY?”
Me: “That’s what the experts say you have to do to generate business.”
Partner: “BUT THAT MEANS I HAVE TO BE ONLINE FOR SO LONG.”
Me: “You have to do what you have to do. You have to do something to make the visitors find the website. We can double the efforts and make this work.”
Partner: “I DON’T HAVE TIME TO DO THAT.”
End of conversation, what is the point of arguing?

February 15, 2006
Partnership ends, business not working out as planned. I must save relationship and move on. I have learned so much in the last month, I will forge on, on my own. Create new business model, create new website, have total control this should be fun. Wow, I have to learn FrontPage and no more templates this time. “To Do” List: Go to library and Borders Books get books on using FrontPage. (There is an answer for every question in a book. I LOVE BOOKS.)

PS
Still not set for life.

December 21, 2006
I have never looked back, one failed site under my belt, a relationship saved, mastered FrontPage, still dream of walking through html code and loving it. I have spent hours and hours learning everything from scratch and I love the fact that there is always something new to learn. And guess what? I love writing again.

This year I have learned a marketable skill. I have built a successful website. I still love every moment of running and operating my website. I have regained my confidence in life, love, human beings and the power of the internet. I learned patience. I have met people from all over the world. I love my job and I have found a missing piece of the puzzle that is my life.

What I learned this year “One Year in Review”

• Let go and Let God (or whatever you choose to call your Higher Power.) It can also be called having faith. You can’t force things to happen, you will be fighting an uphill battle. Turn your focus elsewhere the answers will always come to you.


• There are no fast and easy formulas, everything requires work.


• It does not seem like work if you love what you do. It is never effortless but feels that way when you love what you do.


• Track your results. The only way to know your progress is to keep track. Two site visits are a lot better than zero. One person finding my site on Google was better than none. A return visitor is a blessing. It is always very motivating to keep track of your progress or lack there of, why? Because you know if your numbers are not up to par you need to work harder.


• Your faith will be tested often, obstacles will be hurled at you with wild abandon, you have to keep moving forward no matter what.


• Know when to cut your losses, if it isn’t working, change it.


• Enjoy the fruit of your labor, you did the work be proud.


• When in doubt find a forum, you will find at least one person that has experienced what you are going through if you find the right forum – People on my favorite forums are some of best people I have met online and the help they gave me was priceless.


• Get books (for everything and anything you can think of there is a book)


• Do something everyday (but take a break now and then)


• Set up your purpose, your project whatever it may be to the point where you are proud to call it yours. I was not letting my site out of my sight until I could proudly show it to my colleagues and say, “I made that.”

Review of Review
I didn’t hit the ground running the first day of this year as I planned. I had to slow down to crawl, pardon the pun, to pick myself up and create the life of my dreams. I had to learn a new way to look at life, so as it turns out creating websites was not the only thing I had to learn from scratch, but I would not trade it for the world.

This year I had to reconnect with what I love, I found myself starting from scratch and all I had was faith and the fact that I found what I loved to do. I was blessed to find a way and have to means to do it (more time than money). I watched myself change as I learned something new everyday and I could not have been more proud. Have you ever said these words to yourself, “I am proud of myself.” This year I did something out of the ordinary for me, I took a chance and it paid off. This is the first year in my entire life that I lived 365 day less four or five days that I lived way out of the box. And with what I learned this year, believe me when I say “there is no box.” It really is all in your mind. That’s my year in review, I hope it helps you take a positive look at the events of this past year or helps you look forward with hope.

Happy New Year Everyone. Remember it is possible to get off that hamster wheel of life and start living the life of your dreams.

Cheers

PS
I would not have written this post, had I not happened upon a post on problogger.net titled “ More Reviews and Predictions – Group Writing Project Day 2 ”. It peaked my interest and I had to share a review of my year, if only to help people searching for an answer, or help with direction as I was earlier this year. There are so many talented people out there who keep their gifts from the world. Don’t get overwhelmed, do a little at a time, like I said you have to crawl before you walk and before you know it, you will hit the ground running.

Good Luck.

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