When I was doing a study on environmental toxins, I came across a product that seemed too good to be true. I am a natural skeptic, so when I was reading about the healthful benefits of Zeolite, I was sure that it was just another scam to rip off people who were concerned about the world and all of the chemicals that could not be avoided.

I decided, though, that I could not be too judgmental on a product that I was not even willing to try. It is like having a child that says he does not like a certain kind of food when he has never even tasted it. Always one for trying new things, I decided to order some and then I knew I would be able to be critical of it if it didn’t work.

Much to my shock and amazement, I found the bottle of liquid Zeolite to be one of the most beneficial things that I have ever put into my body. I am no longer skeptical about it, as it may be the greatest discovery that I have ever made for myself. I am a big fan now and I have made all of my friends and family try it.

One thing that I have noticed over the past few years is that if you don’t keep up with the world, you get left behind.  I look at my sister-in-law that just purchased her first computer, and she doesn’t even have a clue on how to use it.

The same thing goes for all the new technologies on the market.  You might not know that there is something that is available that you should purchase as it would make your life easier.  So, if you don’t know, I feel that you are doing a disservice to yourself.

So, I make sure to keep up with all the latest gadget news, to make sure that I not only know what is coming out, but so that I can make informed decisions when I go shopping.  If I didn’t do it, I would be missing out on life.

Do you keep up on the latest products, soon to be hitting the market?  You should.  You just don’t know what you might find.

Fight gear. I’d never heard the term before, but assumed it was related to boxing.

I was disabused of that notion by a few male students at the middle school where I do the bulk of my substitute teaching. They explained — as though I were someone who had been living under a rock for the past five years — that the term sometimes referred to boxing gear, but that aficionados (Well, okay, they did not use that term.) knew it referred to MMA.

So there I was. Do I further reveal my ignorance or act as though I know what they’re talking about?

Seeing a teachable moment, I asked them to explain MMA. This they did, as if I were a doddering old grandma. Oh, wait. I am old enough to be a grandma. I just don’t dodder yet.

If I’d been their classroom teacher, I would have pursued the conversation after library period was over. It turns out the Greeks had an Olympic event in 648 BC called pankration which combined wrestling and boxing. My teachable moment was lost when the bell rang.

Even though I do offer a web design service, I don’t have the time to help everyone.  I have a lineup of customers and there are some that have more time than I do.  Instead of losing business, I can provide them with a solution to their problems.

You see, I am an affiliate for some quick and easy web design software that is available to the public.  When I am unable to provide the web design services myself, I direct them to the software that I market, and then they are able to create the site themselves.

Not only does it allow them to get their site online, but it eases the process of creating the site themselves.  Included in the software is a handy web menu builder that is as simple as filling some blanks - something that most people can handle.

Sure, by following this path, I do lose some income, but I still make money on the affiliate sales - and the customers are happy because they have been helped out.

I remember in high school playing mock market in one of our classes. It was probably science or social studies of some sort…….. Anyway, we got to set up accounts and play the stock market as a part of a class project.

I honestly don’t remember now what the heck I did, traded, or made in profits or losses. It was probably Wally World since they were actually pretty new back then, but it might have been a product brand too. Who knows? But I do know that if I decided to try my hand at any of the markets now, I would need a commodities broker.

I would hope that a broker would be able to help me understand (in layperson’s terms) what was happening with my money and the stock or commodities that I had chosen to trade. See, I think maybe I’m combining two different things into one now.

Are commodities a product and stock a piece of a company? Man, it is beyond me!

I recently read a blog post, one of those “ask the expert” type articles. This one was about a marketing couple who apparently were not from the USA and so could not use the usual US payment processor. Furthermore the woman and her husband weren’t sure they had the credit rating to use the traditional shopping cart services either. Their question was, what are the advantages and disadvantages of high risk merchant accounts?

The first advantage is fewer restrictions. That is also the first disadvantage, since fewer restrictions can lead to abuses of the system. Another advantage is that approval for an account can happen in as little as 72 hours instead of in three to four weeks, as is the case with some merchant accounts. Again, this can be a disadvantage, too, because a shorter approval time might mean the company does not do thorough background and credit checks.

The “expert” blogger did not offer advice. Instead he laid out the pro’s and the con’s, leaving the decision totally up to the couple asking the question.

In my quest to get my blog to rank higher in the search engines, I’ve hooked up with an SEO mentor. He’s brilliant in other online areas, as well, but for now I’m only interested in the search engine part of his psyche. *grin*

It came up in conversation recently that dotnetnuke web hosting might influence a page’s ranking on Live.com. I tried to act as if I understood, but my eyes must have rolled up into my head because my mentor just laughed and changed the subject to a topic I was capable of understanding without straining something.

Little by little I am starting to “get” search engine optimization. In the past I’ve been put off by so much conflicting information. Now that I have a mentor who knows when I’ve lost him, we can go step by step over every point from page rank to keyword research to using alt tags, at a pace I can handle.

I have been making a point of doing some social networking to increase my reach and find new business partners.  For the most part, it has been going very well, but when I am working on the road, I have had some problems.

You see, the laptop I own has a really old battery that doesn’t hold a charge, and I have been unable to find a new one.  Also, I don’t have the money to replace the laptop, so my networking efforts have been reduced to the time that I have at home.

But I found out recently that there was a mobile social networking site that I could use on my cell phone that would let me accomplish my goals, without the need of a new computer.  Not only was it a wap site, but it worked perfectly on my phone.

So, now when I travel, I can still get the networking that I need to do without missing out on any opportunities - which is perfect for my lifestyle.

It seems that no matter what you do, I find myself bombarded with many different investment opportunities.  Let’s face it - there are many different ways to make money.

The problem lies in the fact that not all of them are the best ways to make money, and I would like to make the highest return possible so I don’t have to work all of my life.  Originally, I was told to invest in shares to make my riches, but now I am not so sure.

Even though I could reduce debt with my savings, a friend of mine suggested that the true way to wealth is through property investing.  I decided to look at the facts and figures online, and as it turns out, he was right.

So, now I think that I am going to take the time to learn how real estate investing works, and I’ll take that knowledge and apply it.

I just became the head of maintenance at the church that my family and I have attended for over 15 years.  One of the first things on my list as head of maintenance is to have a window company come out and give us an estimate on whatever cost to replace all of the windows in the sanctuary.

A friend and I have been discussing an Illinois window company that he had used when he built his house.  He told me that they had given him the lowest quote and that they had done a really good job installing the windows. He was very happy with the service he had received.  I contacted the company to see how soon they could come out and they came that very afternoon.

It was suggested that we look into vinyl replacement windows as they were both cost-effective and energy-efficient.  I was impressed with the salesman and I took my quote before the board who gave me the go ahead to have all of the windows replaced as soon as I could.  It looks great and it is one job that I can cross off my list.