Depending on your age you may not have had a mid life crisis or menopausal moment but mine came on my 50th birthday.
I attended one of those "Free" lunches at a really posh hotel in our area. The catch was I had to listen to a short presentation, but in return I would get not only the lunch but also a valuable gift.
Anyway, as it was a milestone birthday I thought it would be a great way to celebrate, and something to relate if anyone ever asked me what I'd done. The prospect of being able to truthfully say I'd dined at this particular hotel was very appealing, and there was no need to explain the circumstances.
Many of my peers had been on holidays, cruises, or thrown big lavish parties, but I wasn't in the financial or personal position of being able to do either.
As a full time carer for my autistic son, I hadn't been able to work properly since his birth, so finances were tight. It's hard to find work when you have children any way but if you throw special needs into the equation, it becomes even more difficult.
I had been a courier, delivering parcels when he was younger, but he had no sense of danger. He always sat strapped into his car seat in the back of the car with the child locks on, and never spoke or moved. I used to pull up outside people's houses, quickly deliver the parcels and return to him.
He was never out of my sight, but on one occasion he released his seat belt and got out of the car into the road, leaving the car door swinging wide open. I can still hear the squeal of brakes to this day, but thankfully no one was hurt.
Needless to say the courier job had to go and after that I worked as a teaching assistant at a local secondary school helping children with areas of concern. It was stressful and unrewarding because I was trying to help those who didn't really my help anyway.
It was at this point the "Free" lunch came along and although it proved in the end to be very expensive, it was in hindsight, the best meal I've ever had.
I went to the meal knowing absolutely nothing about Internet Marketing and came away a few hours later completely hooked. I ended up buying some websites, some hosting and a dream. I had no idea how, why or what to do, but I knew in that menopausal moment things could and would change.
Internet Marketing has opened up a whole new world for me. It covers so many different aspects, which could appeal to anyone able to use a computer, even at a very basic level. It gives you the freedom to work when, where and for how long you choose, and is a wonderful way of meeting new people, albeit not personally.
However, unless you have someone to show you what to do it's confusing. There's a lot of information available, but also a lot of misinformation. The Internet is a rapidly changing environment and there are always new tactics being taught. Everytime I thought I knew which direction to take, someone else would tempt me with yet another new strategy.
It took a lot of courses, videos, audios, reports and months of expense and frustration before I finally discovered someone who actually provided a tried and tested, proven, six-step process to get from A to Z. Everyone else had great bits of the puzzle, but without all the other pieces they were of little value at the time.
Each step of the process begins with the letter "m", so the title of this article is particularly relevant. It's really true - My Menopausal Moment Makes Me Money so if you want to check it out be my guest, and good luck.
Oh, by the way, it works for men too!
Jean Shaw
www.jeanshaw.blogspot.com
16/04/2008
15/04/2008
Too Much Time And Not Enough Money? - Try Blogging
I have always been an early bird and am very good at getting up in the mornings. I know it's not the case for everyone though, and often see people drag themselves, bleary eyed past my house on their way to catch the morning train.
I feel sorry for them, especially when the weather is bad and know they'll arrive for work cold and wet. In the summer too, when the weather is warm and sunny, they'll be stuck indoors trading their time for money making someone else richer.
It's not just the working either. Many people spend several hours travelling to and from their place of work, and there's a lot more to consider than just the pay packet when you are offered a "job". The word "freedom" springs to mind, or rather lack of.
Of course we all have to work and it's such a shame so few people actually enjoy what they are doing. I think I can count on one hand those who have told me over the years that they "love their job".
However, love it or loath it, a "job" tends to take up a vast proportion of a person's life, and it comes as quite a shock when one isn't available. Financially it makes things difficult, but also many people often miss the social side of working. Of course not everyone gets on with all their work colleagues, but we are social creatures and used to being with others.
The main problem for most people who have no "job" is they find themselves with too much time on their hands and no idea how to fill it. That's one of the reasons many people seem to change once they retire and although we might all say we can't wait to give up work, the reality is often quite different.
Men, in particular, find retirement difficult because if their wives are at home they usually do the domestic chores and often complain their husbands are now always "under their feet".
If a person has a hobby or interest, that obviously helps considerably, and so does having plenty of income. Everything costs money and people live a long time these days. Unless you have made wise investments over the years, any retirement nest egg can soon disappear.
That's where blogging can be such a wonderful opportunity. If anyone can use a computer and can type e-mails then it opens a whole new world. It's easy to learn and anyone can do it regardless of age.
You can set up a blog for FREE, and although you don't have to blog to make money, it can certainly provide a very lucrative passive income once you understand the process.
It's something you can do from home, or anywhere with a computer access. You also work the hours you choose and that means just one thing – Freedom!
You can find many free and paid courses on blogging but one of the best ones I've found is provided free with GVO which is an amazing hosting company providing all the tools you need to create a presence online.
Take a look and check out Chet Hastings videos. He's an inspirational grandad who didn't start on the internet until he was in his sixties!
Take care and good luck
Jean Shaw
I feel sorry for them, especially when the weather is bad and know they'll arrive for work cold and wet. In the summer too, when the weather is warm and sunny, they'll be stuck indoors trading their time for money making someone else richer.
It's not just the working either. Many people spend several hours travelling to and from their place of work, and there's a lot more to consider than just the pay packet when you are offered a "job". The word "freedom" springs to mind, or rather lack of.
Of course we all have to work and it's such a shame so few people actually enjoy what they are doing. I think I can count on one hand those who have told me over the years that they "love their job".
However, love it or loath it, a "job" tends to take up a vast proportion of a person's life, and it comes as quite a shock when one isn't available. Financially it makes things difficult, but also many people often miss the social side of working. Of course not everyone gets on with all their work colleagues, but we are social creatures and used to being with others.
The main problem for most people who have no "job" is they find themselves with too much time on their hands and no idea how to fill it. That's one of the reasons many people seem to change once they retire and although we might all say we can't wait to give up work, the reality is often quite different.
Men, in particular, find retirement difficult because if their wives are at home they usually do the domestic chores and often complain their husbands are now always "under their feet".
If a person has a hobby or interest, that obviously helps considerably, and so does having plenty of income. Everything costs money and people live a long time these days. Unless you have made wise investments over the years, any retirement nest egg can soon disappear.
That's where blogging can be such a wonderful opportunity. If anyone can use a computer and can type e-mails then it opens a whole new world. It's easy to learn and anyone can do it regardless of age.
You can set up a blog for FREE, and although you don't have to blog to make money, it can certainly provide a very lucrative passive income once you understand the process.
It's something you can do from home, or anywhere with a computer access. You also work the hours you choose and that means just one thing – Freedom!
You can find many free and paid courses on blogging but one of the best ones I've found is provided free with GVO which is an amazing hosting company providing all the tools you need to create a presence online.
Take a look and check out Chet Hastings videos. He's an inspirational grandad who didn't start on the internet until he was in his sixties!
Take care and good luck
Jean Shaw
02/04/2008
Autism Awareness - Things Are Not Always What They Seem
Autism Awareness
Apparently this week is autism awareness week. For those of us who have children with autism, every week is autism awareness week - every week, every day, every hour, every minute, every second. There's no escape, and for some the reality is very hard to take.
Some parents are so conscious of the unusual and unpredictable behaviour of their offspring; they refuse to take them out in public. Instead, they elect to hide away in the safety and seclusion of their own four walls, unable to face the stares, the whisperings and the downright rude remarks.
I know. I've been there, done that and worn the tee-shirt.
The big problem with autism, apart from the fact it is different for every one with the disability, is that it is invisible. There is usually nothing for the outside world to see. Our children look "normal".
When an autistic child misbehaves in public it is generally seen as a failure on the part of the parents to control him or her. The child is obviously "naughty", spoiled rotten and clearly in need of a firm hand. At least that's the way it appears.
However, perception and reality are two different things.
Autistic children do everything for a reason. When my son was small he used to hit and kick me all the time. He would have terrible tantrums, throw himself on the floor screaming and I never knew why. I only knew he wasn’t being deliberately naughty. He was just frustrated because he had no way of communicating.
Just imagine how you would feel if you suffered a stroke or some other condition which left you so you couldn't speak, read or write. You were also unable to point, or look at the things you actually wanted. Also, you didn't know the difference between Yes and No, so even if someone did ask you an appropriately worded question , you wouldn't be able to answer.
How would you communicate? How would you tell the world what you wanted if you couldn't actually see or get it?
Just think about that the next time you see some poor harassed parent with a seemingly spoiled and naughty child. Don't judge. Those poor people will be doing the best they can in a VERY difficult situation and the last thing they need is for people to stare and criticise.
Thankfully my son has learned to communicate and I am no longer his punch bag. Never once have I hit him but many people have told me I should have given him a good smack round the backside. "That will sort him out", they said.
One woman even offered to lend me her walking stick to beat him with when he was misbehaving in a shop, but children learn by example. What sort of example would a smack give? Anyway I knew he wasn't really naughty.
Autism is a growing problem. It's not going away and at some point you will come across some autistic children and some very worried and anxious parents. Please don't make their lives any harder by making rash judgments.
Many autistic children are hypersensitive. They see, hear, and feel far more than we do, and things like shopping can be painful and frightening experiences for them. Autism is a very complex disability.
So the next time you're out and see a parent struggling with a "naughty child", just stop and think for moment. Things aren't always as they seem!
Jean Shaw
www.jeanshaw.com
For an EASY to read, FUNNY and FASCINATING, TRUE STORY about AUTISM
to help explain the condition to friends, family, neighbours, teachers and just about anyone else on the planet.
Apparently this week is autism awareness week. For those of us who have children with autism, every week is autism awareness week - every week, every day, every hour, every minute, every second. There's no escape, and for some the reality is very hard to take.
Some parents are so conscious of the unusual and unpredictable behaviour of their offspring; they refuse to take them out in public. Instead, they elect to hide away in the safety and seclusion of their own four walls, unable to face the stares, the whisperings and the downright rude remarks.
I know. I've been there, done that and worn the tee-shirt.
The big problem with autism, apart from the fact it is different for every one with the disability, is that it is invisible. There is usually nothing for the outside world to see. Our children look "normal".
When an autistic child misbehaves in public it is generally seen as a failure on the part of the parents to control him or her. The child is obviously "naughty", spoiled rotten and clearly in need of a firm hand. At least that's the way it appears.
However, perception and reality are two different things.
Autistic children do everything for a reason. When my son was small he used to hit and kick me all the time. He would have terrible tantrums, throw himself on the floor screaming and I never knew why. I only knew he wasn’t being deliberately naughty. He was just frustrated because he had no way of communicating.
Just imagine how you would feel if you suffered a stroke or some other condition which left you so you couldn't speak, read or write. You were also unable to point, or look at the things you actually wanted. Also, you didn't know the difference between Yes and No, so even if someone did ask you an appropriately worded question , you wouldn't be able to answer.
How would you communicate? How would you tell the world what you wanted if you couldn't actually see or get it?
Just think about that the next time you see some poor harassed parent with a seemingly spoiled and naughty child. Don't judge. Those poor people will be doing the best they can in a VERY difficult situation and the last thing they need is for people to stare and criticise.
Thankfully my son has learned to communicate and I am no longer his punch bag. Never once have I hit him but many people have told me I should have given him a good smack round the backside. "That will sort him out", they said.
One woman even offered to lend me her walking stick to beat him with when he was misbehaving in a shop, but children learn by example. What sort of example would a smack give? Anyway I knew he wasn't really naughty.
Autism is a growing problem. It's not going away and at some point you will come across some autistic children and some very worried and anxious parents. Please don't make their lives any harder by making rash judgments.
Many autistic children are hypersensitive. They see, hear, and feel far more than we do, and things like shopping can be painful and frightening experiences for them. Autism is a very complex disability.
So the next time you're out and see a parent struggling with a "naughty child", just stop and think for moment. Things aren't always as they seem!
Jean Shaw
www.jeanshaw.com
For an EASY to read, FUNNY and FASCINATING, TRUE STORY about AUTISM
to help explain the condition to friends, family, neighbours, teachers and just about anyone else on the planet.
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