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With more and more of us using computers across an even broader age range, it’s obvious to consider ways for our new piece of technology to earn its keep. Whether it’s a popular online auction site or any number of sites promising quick riches, it’s easy to see why making money online has such appeal:

it can be quite anonymous – you can set up relatively cheaply and promote other people’s products (you don’t even have to produce your own products or hold stock)

there are no age restrictions – so the internet has massive appeal to those in-between jobs, those with a family or people looking to supplement their income, to name but a few

there are no 9-5 restrictions, so you can work the hours to suit your lifestyle and commitments

with the right tools, you can even turn your hobby into a lucrative online business

the internet truly has a global audience, although not everyone will want what you have to offer

Internet marketing is a process, so it can be learned at your pace in your spare time

the Internet is not gender specific – in fact women have a better eye for relationships which is key to any sort of relationship marketing, and essential online

there’s a lot of free information available, meaning anyone who takes the time, can learn anything they need to succeed.
I’m sure you can think of many more.What does Google think?I just typed ‘make money online’ into Google and it returned 2,430,000,000 results!That’s a helluva lot of interest and competition there. But this in itself creates an even bigger problem. With those numbers, where do you start?Good question.It’s at this point most folks start looking for short cuts. This is where the get-rich-quick crowd enter because there are so many people looking for solutions. And we expect instant gratification – of course! But this can be dangerous because those looking to make money online rarely have any internet marketing experience.And the professionally written sales letters are ready and willing to help with this dilemma with their ‘cut and paste’ solutions and ‘overnight formulas’ promising quick riches.Any business takes time to put together and the internet is no exception. Many of the top earners online these days have been honing their skills for over a decade. It’s unlikely then that folks with practically zero experience are going to make a killing overnight! Presumably you want to build an online business not a one time payment? So why then do we fall for the promises of overnight riches knowing we have to do some work?The only people who provide turnkey businesses usually charge fortunes for it; they’re called franchises (think McDonald’s).You wouldn’t buy a car without a test driveLike any medium of exchange, an exchange of value has to take place. In the case of the get rich quick product, you exchange your money for something of value supposedly, right? But in most cases, the seller doesn’t tell you anything about what you’re buying! You pay your money upfront BEFORE you receive their secret ‘rags to riches’ formula!Why do we keep falling for this type of enterprise?I suspect it’s because, with our limited experience of internet marketing and online business, we think the hard work has already been done for us. We just plug in their secret formula and the money will roll into our bank accounts. If you think that’s true, I have some real estate to sell you!This ‘thinking all the hard work has been done for you’ kind of attitude leads to a kind of not taking this ‘make money online’ thing seriously. And for the newbie, making money online is seldom regarded as a business.Sound silly? It’s not.Why having no business experience mattersMany people who embark on the trail of internet success for the first time, rarely have any real business experience. Any successful business person will quickly tell you that success depends on systems. Think Franchises like our McDonald’s example again – the same systems that work wherever. The sole trader who does the work himself rarely has the know-how to look beyond their own way of doing things. Think of your business as a system of ways of doing things then scale the systems. This is important.To make matters worse, the internet takes a lot of commitment to succeed, especially if you’re planning to do-it-alone. You can just quietly walk away if things don’t work out, especially as there’s no-one watching.Don’t mistake movement for achievementIt’s easy to get faked out by being busy. The question is: busy doing what? If you’ve succumbed to some of the ‘make money products’ you’re likely to discover that most don’t deliver the riches they promise. The next question is how long are you going to keep trying this approach before taking the time to build a proper business people can trust?Indeed, this might be a good time to ask yourself why you want to make money online in the first place. You do want to create an income don’t you? Only you can decide.If you’ve read this far, it’s likely you’re already doing the work, so why not start doing it the correct way? Turn your hobby, passion or skill into a viable online business. What you probably don’t realise is that almost any topic can earn money with a website (the get-rich-quick sites don’t tell you that do they?)

Do you feel as if you’ve outgrown your circle of friends? Perhaps you do not feel safe or understood any longer. There may be fewer and fewer things you can share with people in your habitual circle, and it leaves you feeling lonely or isolated. If so, you are not alone. Welcome to one of the core dynamics of continuous growth!

As we continue to evolve, many of us struggle with a sense of not quite fitting in with our traditional community or tribe: we may have expanded or changed beyond the borders of tribal norms, and no longer find the same sense of belonging there. Other members may have tightened the tribal rules to foster a sense of security. As a result, we may feel a sense of disconnection or alienation.

In truth, each one of us belongs to many tribes simultaneously: there is your original tribe – the family you were born into – and then there are all the communities of choice you have joined: your work tribe, your social circles, your faith-based community, your neighborhood, and more. These communities are not static; they are in continuous flux because they consist of individuals who are in continuous states of change. When there is a lot of change happening in either the individual or the community, a sense of dissonance results.

How are we to deal with this? First, it is important to recognize that tribal allegiances were historically forged for survival. They were adapted over the course of centuries to ensure the safety and survival of the group. Survival required that individuation be sacrificed for the trade-off of security.

In modern society, the tables are flipped. Whether we enjoy it or not, change is essential for survival at every level of being. The pace of change is driven by technological advances and happens with increasing rapidity: sociologists estimate that more change has taken place in society over the course of the past 100 years, than in the totality of the previous 6,000 years. Individual adaptation now is a requirement for survival, and the pace of individual change does not always match the pace at which our various tribal communities evolve. The resulting dissonance can cause intense friction and pain.

Dissonance also results from confusion between the concepts of ‘connection’ and ‘community.’ We tend to equate one with the other, when they really relate to different qualities. Connection relates to connectivity: the objective physical technology or media that enables us to build community, but which does not represent the quality of that community. Connectivity simply offers the opportunity to connect with others through internet, texting, phone calls, or any other social networking options.

Community is the result of building relationship through meaningful interaction over time. There is no shortcut; it is a process that develops when bonds of trust and intimacy are nurtured and honored.

And here lies a caveat: When we confuse connectivity with community, we depersonalize the sacred nature of true community and start relating to people as objects. Instead of developing intimacy over time, we collect friends on social network sites or try to buy people’s allegiance. Yet friending is simply an act of connecting; it does not create intimacy.

In fact, social experiments indicate that technologically dominated connectivity results in alienation and social collapse over time. In a groundbreaking social experiment conducted by Josh Harris, one of the founders of social networking on the internet, he found that the more people’s private lives were exposed by 24/7 technology, the more their sense of intimacy and relationship deteriorated until the community collapsed in violence and self-destructive behavior.

It is time to revisit our concepts of community so we can create tribes that offer a true sense of intimacy and belonging.

In his 1987 book, The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace, psychologist M. Scott Peck described several core characteristics of true community. Beyond the obvious components of inclusivity, commitment and participatory consensus, Peck pointed out the quality of embracing diversity through realism. When each member contributes their unique viewpoint from a place of humility and goodwill, the community benefits from a broader perspective in which to better grasp the full context of a situation. In other words, mutual tolerance helps members to embrace one another’s different viewpoints as an integral part of the whole, instead of imposing a forced compliance to groupthink or cohesion.

In an environment like this, members experience and express compassion and respect for one another. They allow others to share their vulnerability, to learn and grow, and to express who they truly are. When conflict arises, they learn to resolve it with wisdom and grace. Members listen to and respect each others’ gifts, accept each others’ limitations, celebrate their differences, and commit to find solutions together rather than to fight against each other. Indeed, the true spirit of community is the spirit of peace, love, wisdom and power. The source of this spirit may be seen as an outgrowth of the collective self or as the manifestation of a Higher Will.

Does this description of community sound spiritual to you? It is indeed, because Spirit is the common denominator among all of us, regardless of how separate we feel from others.

As human beings, we often experience a socio-economic sense of separation from others because of different opinions, beliefs, expectations, language, culture, or interests, since each one of us expresses these in a way uniquely different from anyone else. And still, we continue to differentiate! In this ongoing process, we continue to evolve or devolve in response to life. A community that felt like a good fit last year may no longer work today; the places where we felt embraced, now may suffocate us. Over the course of a lifetime, we can expect to outgrow and change allegiances to many of the tribal communities we once belonged to.

And yet, when we transcend the layers of physical appearance, mental beliefs and socio-economic conditioning, we find in the presence of Spirit a common denominator in everyone around us. Perhaps it is time to expand our tribal definitions to embrace a spiritual community that includes all of mankind as children of God.

Mother Teresa admonished her nuns to see Jesus in every leper they encountered, to find His presence as they looked into the eyes of the homeless. When we can look past the issues that divide us to find omnipresent Divinity in each other, we will uncover the foundations of true community.

Spiritual community transcends all socio-economic borders, beliefs and backgrounds. It is inclusive because it operates on voluntary self-responsibility and mutual compassion, and its doors are open to everyone.

Building this type of community takes time: time to listen, to hear, to respond and to participate. Take a few moments to read the description of spiritual community again. Then, make time in your life to foster that type of connection with people who matter to you. You are one of the architects of community in your life, and you can participate in building a tribe where you belong.

Open your Bible to 1 Thessalonians 4:1 it says… Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. Go ahead and highlight that scripture.

Will you trust God to teach you in the way you should go? You need wisdom to live for His righteousness, His love and devotion to Christ Jesus. You see, you have to develop the habit of listening to God. He may give you direction you have never had before. Like what? God wants you under the influence of His Word. God wants you to live by godly principles in His Word.

God wants you to give Jesus first place! This is vital for your Christian walk! Jesus is your connection to the throne of God. You see, in this world, it is very easy to become distracted from God. Many people follow some other path apart from God’s will. But the foundation of all spiritual truth is obedience to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible tells you to praise the Lord! He is truly worthy of worship. Love no one not even yourself – more than you love God. Every morning you should be asking God to fill you with His presence. You want to be filled by the Spirit so that you’re led by Him. You love the Word, study the Word and learn the Word. Why? To live your life to please God. His Word is true wisdom for you to walk in His instructions.

If you want to live your life to please God give His Word a place of first priority! Scriptures will come alive on the inside of you. You’re knowing God for yourself and the importance of being led by the Spirit of God. Many people won’t like the new you, but you’re not living to please people, you’re living to please God.

You don’t need people approval when you have God’s approval! You want the praise of God more than the praise of people. Quit worrying about what everyone thinks and do what God has put in your heart.

God will put a new testimony in your mouth! You may think there is a lot wrong with you, but there is also a lot right with you. God is continually shaping and molding into the person He wants you to be. Stop focusing on what you can’t do, and start focusing on what God can do.

Serve God and worship Him and continue to seek His will. How? You have to establish a passionate relationship with God’s Word. Believe His Word, trust His Word, study His Word, thank Him for His Word. But always remember the devil will do everything he possibly can to lure you away from God. The devil does not want you to grow in the knowledge of King Jesus.

Since, we don’t have a crystal ball, it is impossible to predict, accurately, the future! This is especially true, when, it comes to economic issues, including investment, real estate, interest rates, inflationary pressures, government actions, international factors, etc. What are the ramifications of inflation, recession, interest rates, Federal Reserve Bank decisions, etc? How can one, hedge – his – bet, in order to minimize unnecessary risks, while receiving a quality return, also? There is no simple answer, because so many factors, have significant influences. With, that in mind, this article will attempt to briefly, consider, examine and review potential factors, in order to help readers, have a more – complete understanding of the possibilities.

1) Interest rates: We have experienced a prolonged period of historically – low – interest rates. This has created easy money, because the cost of borrowing is so low. Both individuals and corporations have benefited, at least, in the immediate- term, permitting home buyers to purchase more house, because their monthly charges, are low, due to low mortgage rates. Corporate and government bonds, and banks, have paid low returns. It has stemmed, inflation, and created a rise in home prices, we haven’t witnessed, in recent memory. The Federal Reserve Bank has signaled they will be ending this propping – up, and will also raise rates, probably three times, in 2022. What do you think that will cause.

2) Auto loans, consumer loans, borrowing: The auto industry has been, significantly, impacted by supply chain challenges. When rates rise, auto loans and leases, will be more costly.

3) THis pattern began after the Tax Reform legislation, passed at the end of 2017, which created the initial, new, trillion dollars deficits

4) Government spending, caused by the financial suffering and challenges, because of shut downs, etc, because of the pandemic, created trillions more in debt. Unfortunately, debt must be eventually addressed.

5) Perception and attitude: The past couple of years,apparently, created a public perception, plus many fears, with a crippling economic impact.

Either, we begin to plan, effectively, and with common sense and an open – mind, many will be at – risk. Wake up, America, and demand better leadership, service and representation.