Laina Turner's Blog, page 48

Create a Plan to Make Profits for Your Passions – upcoming book!

I can’t even tell you how freakin excited I am. I’ve released several books over the last 5 years and this has to be in my top most exciting ones. I rarely write non-fiction but I’ve spent a good portion of my life teaching and educating and I realized I was leaving a LOT on the table by not using all same talents and experience to support my passion of blogging and writing.

Once I started thinking about how I could bring in my MBA and PhD. in business along with my 10+ years teaching at the college level I had an ah-ha moment followed by why the hell didn’t I think about doing this before. Then I buckled down to create something FANTASTIC and BAM! I can’t wait to share with you.

Wednesday September 30th at 8pm EST, I will launch the first in a series of books/workbooks/e-courses designed to help other bloggers and authors.

So mark it on your calendar!

Writing is a Lifestyle: create a plan to make profits from their passions.

Book blurb

You have an idea, a skill, or a passion and want to make it into a business. Then you can call the shots and get filthy, stinking rich. Who wouldn’t want that?

Being your own boss is AWESOME and there’s plenty of opportunity out there for all of us entrepreneurs to be wildly successful.

But like your mother said…

Do it right, or don’t do it at all!

When over 80% of new businesses fail it is crucial to know of where you want to take your business, how you will get there, and the tools needed to be successful.

You need to understand the direction you want to go and be prepared for potential obstacles so you can crush them and keep moving forward.

The e-book and companion workbook will show you how to solidify your goals, take an inventory of your strengths and weaknesses, and create a solid plan with specific actions to get you to your goals. There will also be interactive community forums on my website so you can ask questions of me and your peers as you go through the book.

Cost $19.95

Join my mailing list to get special pricing at $9.95. An email reminder on launch day will be sent to you with the coupon code for the reduced price.

Get your planning on!

It’s only 2 short weeks away!

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How do you stretch your dollar?

The thing about money is that for many of us who aren’t professional athletes, actors, or Warren Buffet, there is only so much of it to go around. We all have the main household expenses we can’t get away from like housing, transportation, food, and other common items that are bad enough (the cost of milk and toilet paper these days is ridiculous) but what about when it comes to the non-essentials.

Things like new clothes, new shoes, and toys for the kids (both little and big). All the things technically we can live without but don’t necessarily want to. How do you determine how to spend that discretionary income especially when your kids are old enough to understand the value of a dollar but yet want to keep up with the kids next door?

Our kids are 9, 12, and almost 14. Old enough to understand the value of things and that you have to work to get paid. In the past, we just bought them things when they asked but it was starting to get out of control. When I suggested we move to an allowance system based on pay for work completed you would have thought I was going to cut off the internet. That’s when I realized we had spoiled them.

We have a budget in my family, but I’ll be the first to admit it gets blown a lot because I’m busy and/or tired and throw my careful planning out the window.

I need to get back on track to a tight budget because we need to pay off the debt we incurred with the house remodel and we are getting married (for realz this time) July 2016 and I want it paid off as we go. Not to incur even more debt.

So I ask you. What are your best dollar stretching tips? I need HELP!

 

 

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Finally! All Moved In!

This weekend was the home stretch for moving.

Finally.

We bought the house in May. Moved in early June but only half way in half the house. We had to do a complete cosmetic update to the first floor and an entire configuration and remodel on the second floor. It was finally finished and passed inspection so we were able to move the 2 PODs of belongings (crap) from storage to the house and Saturday the last one came.

Honestly, I’d been dreading it all week. I’ve been overwhelmed with a cluttered house for the past year and even with 2 PODs full of our stuff in storage the house already felt full I could imagine where we would put it all.

A couple weeks ago I made the family watch the video by The Minimalists not because I expect us to become minimalists (I like to shop too much for that) but because I wanted to convey to the kids that things don’t make you happy, long term that is. I want to get away from buying things all the time we don’t truly need and instead spend our money on trips and things that make lasting memories. We live too much in instant gratification land, and I know this is largely my fault.

Before the movers came to help us unload the POD I told the kids (and my fiancé Matt) that we needed to look at each box that came off the truck and make sure it was stuff we really, really needed. If not then to put it off to the side for Goodwill.

I was so impressed at how much stuff the kids got rid of. If you lumped the 3 kids together, they probably got rid of a third of what was in their boxes. I tried not to think about how I’d been paying to keep it in storage for 2 months, as I was just glad they were getting rid of it now.

By no means are we clutter free but it’s a start, and the house is finally starting to feel like a home.

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Fab 5 Friday – Blogging Tips and Tricks

5 Tips for Running a Successful Blog

And I need to read your blog why?

“Give people a reason to care. You are in competition with every other distraction on the Internet. Your beautifully written sonnet must joust for attention against Miley Cyrus with a kitten.”

15 Reasons I Think You Should Blog

Blogging gives you more of a defined life and lifestyle.

“You’ll live a more intentional life. Once you start writing about your life and the thoughts that shape it, you’ll begin thinking more intentionally about who you are, who you are becoming, and whether you like what you see or not. And that just may be reason enough to get started.”

HootSuite, which yours truly uses!

“Add as many social media accounts as you like to your dashboard and manage them all at one place. More than ten million people are currently using Hootsuite, which makes it a worldwide and highly popular tool. Your Hootsuite Dashboard will allow you to manage all of your social networks, monitor your mentions, engage your audience, schedule messages to be delivered, and measure ROI.”

How To Decide What To Blog About

As I am starting to incorporate more of my knowledge of Business {and sharing more of my PhD knowledge} into the Blog, this is a great tip for those just starting out in blogging.

“What would people love to do if only they knew how? What do you know that you could teach them? Maybe you’re a whiz at crocheting, you have a knack for writing or you have a unique way of teaching math that makes it easy to understand. A lot of people have projects around the house they would gladly tackle but aren’t sure where to start. Teach them.”

6 Strategies for Launching a Successful Blog

Make it YOUR own

“Put a unique twist on your blog’s topic and content. It’s virtually impossible to brainstorm a totally original topic to blog about. Instead, your primary and ongoing goal should be to continuously develop innovative content and put a truly unique spin on whatever topic you’re blogging about.”

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September Goals (and August recap)

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! It was super hot here. Just the way I like it.

You may have noticed (or not) that I was “off” most of last week. I apologize if you were sad and lonely with my posts to read, but I promise it was for a good cause, and I won’t take off like that again until Christmas. Or maybe the week of Thanksgiving because I’ll be too busy eating my way through the week to blog.

I was working on my new book coming out September 30th – Writing is a Lifestyle: creating a plan to make profits from your passions.

As much as I missed blogging, and all you, I got a ton done on the book, and I’m thrilled. I was getting worried I wouldn’t be able to get it completed by the deadline.

If you haven’t already sign up for my mailing list to get it 50% on the launch day.

Who besides me thinks the summer just FLEW by? Labor Day is over, pumpkin spice lattes are out, any minute leaves are going to change colors, and I’ve got so many exciting things planned for the rest of the year.

But enough about that for now. I want to recap the progress made to my goals and talk about what I want to accomplish for September.

I haven’t made as much progress as I’d like to toward the goals I’ve been working on since mid-June http://www.lainaturner.com/july-and-l... I’m not going to beat myself up over it. It’s a new month, and there’s still 4 to go until the end of the year.

Weight 138 – I’m at a standstill at this goal because food (and wine) is my comfort food. The countdown is on….327 days until we get married (more about that later).

Get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day – I would say more often than not I am doing this but it’s still not daily. If I could do better at getting to yoga, I would need less comfort food.

Book Sales $5600 a month – this is definitely moving in the right direction. Had a new fiction release in August with another fiction release in October. Now that summer is over books sales should just get better. Busy season is Oct – Jan so I’m on the upward slope.

Blog pageviews 300,000 a month – another goal moving in the right direction. Last weeks not blogging, of course, didn’t help but fall is one of my favorite times of year as a blogger so I’m really motivated.

Release 3 more fiction titles – 1 down 2 to go!

Pay off all debt except house and car – yeah…that’s a work in progress. The house remodeling went over in time and over on budget. This isn’t an easy one.

Pay Cash for wedding expenses – the only thing we’ve done is book a new venue and YES cash was paid. Whoo-hoo!

In September, I want to add a couple more goals. Maybe a couple more thinks to focus on would be a better word than goals.

Getting rid of crap – we have had 2 PODs full of stuff in storage while our upstairs was being remodeled. One came this past weekend, and we unloaded it and another comes this coming weekend. We’ve lived without all the stuff for over 2 months now. Do we really even need it? I asked everyone to really think about what they need to keep and what we can give away when they unpack. I want to get away from so much cutter. It’s driving me insane.

The other focus is planning meals better and not spending so much on groceries. Then I can put more money towards paying off debt.

Wish me luck!

What are your goals for September?

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Fab 5 Friday – Office Supplies

Vintage Waste Can

“Enjoy the charm of rustic wire storage without the rust.” If I have to throw away notes and pieces of handwritten reminders, I am at least going to do it in style!

Mini Medley of Soft Cover Notebooks, Set of 10

It is easy to keep working when shuffling the kids back to school and jotting down a few ideas with these handy little notebooks.

Everyday Clips

These clips are perfect for keeping all my papers together and organized. When working on all the different books, podcasts, the Blog and just everyday mail, keeping all the “fun stuff” organized is essential.

Tech 3+ Satin Chrome Multi-Function Pen

When your going to write, make sure you write with a fabulous writing instrument worthy of the written word. Love this multi-functional tool, easy to write and easy to edit, all with a simple twist.

Ideas in Bloom Desk Organizer

Loving this cute and non-traditional take on a pen and pencil holder. Adds a pop of the outdoors and burst of color in the middle of piles of paper.

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Fab 5 Friday – celebrity authors

1.The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou – This is the fourth book in Angelou’s series of seven autobiographies and takes place at a critical time in her life, as well as an historic time for the United States. The brilliant poet details her one-on-one experience with Dr. Martin Luther King as well as many travels across the country and the world. Maya Angelou is a celebrated poet who lived an extraordinary life and although having recently passed away, her written work will remain an inspiration.

 

2.The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards – Although definitely for (very) young adults, I included this work by the fabulous Julie Andrews because unlike a lot of others by celebrities, this is a fictional novel; a platform which illustrates Andrews’ creativity and imagination instead of her life story and style tips. Not to mention, her serious writing chops. If you didn’t want Julie Andrews to be your cool, stylish aunt beforehand, your children definitely will after they read this lovely fantasy tale.

 

3.Sleepwalk with Me & Other Painfully True Stories by Mike Birbiglia – Without a doubt, poets and lyricists can produce great reads, they’re writers at heart after all. However, in recent years, comedic autobiographies have taken center stage perhaps because of one simple fact…they’re entertaining to read. Mike Birbiglia is funny. There’s no other way to put it. He’s a funny guy and the situations he describes in this book are genuine, quirky, and downright hilarious. Comedians manage to write books about their lives that don’t read as press releases, but as family stories shared around the Thanksgiving table every year.

 

4.Bossypants by Tina Fey – “You have to read this book.” That is what everyone told me for longer than I can remember before I finally picked up a copy. And let me just say, I was not disappointed. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Tina Fey is one of the best comediennes on the scene today. And by ‘today,’ I really mean since 2004 when Mean Girls came out… I’m not really even sure I need to talk up this book because the fact that Tina Fey wrote it should be enough information.

 

5.Life by Keith Richards – If Heart of a Woman is on the sincere, great-poetic-genius side of celebrity autobiographies, then Keith Richards’ is on the other. Over the years, many musicians have written autobiographies, but as a literary work, Life captures the attention of The Rolling Stones fanatics and skeptics alike. In standard celebrity-book format, Richards details his life over the years as the one of the greatest guitarists ever in arguably the most globally recognized (and longest-running) band of all time.

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That’s Not My Suitcase – Available Today!

Sterling Towne decided to take a last minute vacation to a sunny paradise to cheer herself up after a divorce. When the airline misplaces her luggage, she thinks it’s just a typical airline snafu until she gets her luggage back only to find out it’s not hers. Rather the suitcase belongs to someone who thought it a good idea to transport a gold Buddha statue via commercial airlines.

Sterling turns the statue into hotel security for safe keeping but then her room is ransacked, and she’s sure there was someone following her in town. Does the owner of the statue think she still has it? But if so, why not just ask? She’s getting nervous, and even her new friend Steve thinks she might be in danger.

Is she? Or is her imagination just working over time?

Buy now at .99 cents before the price increases to $2.99.

Happy Reading!

 

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What’s YOUR Why?

Why? This word can be one of the most annoying words in the English language. At least it can be if you have inquisitive kids.

Why is the sky blue?

Why do I have to go to bed?

Why can’t I have another cookie?

Why is my brother so annoying?

And so on.

But the word why can also be incredibly meaningful in the context of how you live your life. The WHY behind why you do what you do.

There are different levels of whys and in determining what you really want to do in life you need to assess your why and how important it is in relation to all the other whys.

For instance, if someone asks me why do you like to drink wine and eat pretzels for dinner. I simply say because they’re pretty damn good together.

Now on the other hand if someone asks me why Red Velvet Cake is my favorite I start to drool a little at the mere mention. I can talk for hours about the moist, but not overly chocolate cake, that’s in thin layers, so there is plenty of rich and creamy buttercream frosting. I go on about how every bite reminds me of my grandmother and all the birthdays and holidays when she would make this awesome cake.

So which is my stronger, more compelling why? The Red Velvet Cake of course.

Not that I’m trying to compare life choices with food but it’s about what you want, or think you want, and how bad (the WHY) you want it.

As you venture into this week, I challenge you to ask yourself what your WHY’s are. Are they compelling or do you find that you might be spending time in the wrong place?

I’d love for you to check back and tell me.

Have a fabulous week!

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Fab 5 Friday – classic literature

LOVE LOVE LOVE these!

1.Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – There is a reason Sandra Bullock’s character reads this book every Christmas in The Proposal; Wuthering Heights is truly a whirlwind of romance and drama spanning generations. Seeing as the book title itself is the name of a house in the novel, this is a story whose setting and landscape is as alive as its characters. As Emily Bronte’s only novel, Wuthering Heights is a masterpiece of English literature.

2.The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith – An interesting characteristic of Mr. Ripley when considered under the category of Women’s Lit is the fact that the protagonists are men. Highsmith brilliantly develops the characters of Tom Ripley and Dickie Greenleaf who traverse the beautiful terrain of Italy as Tom’s sociopathic tendencies become ever more noticeable as his jealousy of Dickie grows. The dynamic layers of this work including sexual discovery, socioeconomic class differences, and the hidden insanity in quiet people are what make this book a page-turner. Bonus: Jude Law and Matt Damon deliver radiant performances in the film adaption.

3.Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – It is impossible to discuss Women’s Literature without including Jane Austen. Although I’m sure most of you know the story, Pride and Prejudice truly embodies this genre as we follow five sisters (and their mother!) through the tiresome and heartbreaking process of finding a good (a.k.a. rich) husband in early 19th Century England. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy were the couple who created the term ‘love-hate relationship.’ Side note: Since having read the book a while back, I had completely forgotten that Mr. Darcy’s first name is Fitzwilliam as I’m pretty sure they never say it in the movie… Fitzwilliam!

4.Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – The other Bronte sister, Charlotte, equally as talented, has created an exploration of inner consciousness that has long been considered ahead of its time. This novel is perhaps the most representative of the genre because the plot follows the titular character, beginning as a young girl, into adulthood. Jane experiences abuse, shame, friendship and romance all while discovering herself in various locales.

5.Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen – Another classic of this genre by Jane Austen, this novel follows sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood who come to represent sense and sensibility, respectively. Austen examines how each girl, each with distinct personalities, approach love and cope with heartbreak. Austen’s intentions of the work in terms of which quality is most important are still debated and it is largely concluded that Austen wishes to leave readers with the message that both sense and sensibility are necessary to make sound life choices.

 

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