Getting back into a workout routine after taking an unplanned, month and a half hiatus is a contradiction.
On the one hand, it feels really good to get those muscles warmed up and pushing weight again, but on the other, the first couple of weeks can be rather painful. At this point, as I’ve now completed one chest and triceps workout and one back, biceps and shoulders workout, the pain is remarkably well distributed from about my hips up. The legs were subjected to the warmups and half ball squats, but were otherwise pampered with some nice stretches and little else…until Friday, anyway.
Toby tried to help by playing mamo-cat on my chest, but unfortunately, he is not especially skilled in deep tissue massage as he stomps where he wants to rather than where I need it! Truth be told, I am not really a fan of the deep tissue massages anyway, but prefer a more gentle approach.
Speaking of massages, I’ve put a request out to the Universe tonight. I really miss my monthly massages so I’ve asked for revenue generating opportunities to come to my attention sooner rather than later. With my workouts, those monthly massages would really make a difference in my overall pain management. Yes, I know. I have a high pain threshold but after making my muscles go the extra mile, a little pampering would go a very long way!
Tonight, I listened to yet another webinar. This time from Mary Morrissey who offered (for a price, of course) to teach me how to make all of my dreams come true. Just out of curiosity, I googled her after the webinar. Interestingly enough, she and her hubby got themselves into a bit of difficulty by “borrowing” over 10 mil from funds which were loaned to a church they ran. Her hubby even served a prison term for money laundering, but managed to plea bargain Ms. Morrissey’s butt out of any real punishment. Although this was a few years ago now, and it’s possible they finally repaid everyone, I have a bit of a problem taking life advice from someone who had no qualms about using a non-profit, and a religious one at that, to essentially steal from people who entrusted them with not only their money but their spiritual guidance.
Needless to say, I’m not going to be investing the meager sum of $497 to learn her secrets!
You probably wonder why I waste my time listening to what we all know is simply a sales pitch. The truth is, I use it as research. I find that if I listen, not only to the words, but to the persuasive techniques they use, it could help, not only while I’m studying copywriting techniques, but once I actually start taking paying jobs. These webinars are a wealth of examples, both of what works and what doesn’t. Some of them are pretty impressive while others just make me laugh because they’re so bloody obvious. The ones marketed as “Awakening to …” (fill in Abundance, Your greatest life, etc.), “Secrets of Effortless Manifesting” and many with similar names are the ones which amuse me more than most. In most cases, the first 15 minutes consist of the host gushing over the speaker. There might be about 15 minutes of very vague content followed by 20 minutes of sales pitch.
After listening to a few, I got the pattern down pretty well, and they now just get moved to my copywriting folder entitled, surprisingly enough, “webinars”. As I see it, even a poorly designed tool has value, as it can teach you what you need to do to make it functional. Someday, I may decide to put out a webinar or two myself, and I’ll glean a lot of “don’ts” from my stash of webinars.
If nothing else, during those times when my confidence flags, I can listen to one and realize that people are making money with something that I know I could do better! They’ve convinced people that they are being helped with some of what I consider drivel. And maybe they are, if only to help them gain a little more confidence and the ability to believe in themselves despite any setbacks they might have experienced.
In some ways, listening to the webinars, and finding that, as time goes on, they promise a lot and deliver very little, shows me that I don’t have what it takes to take peoples’ hard earned money without giving them something of value in return. But there are plenty of folks who see nothing wrong with it. Either that, or their idea of value is in a completely different dimension than mine!
As I ranted once before, I’m particularly put off by people who go on about their millions and all of their possessions and make it seem simple for anyone listening to do the same, just by parting with a few hundred, or even thousand dollars to receive the speaker’s wisdom.
The truth is, we all have it in us, but we have to get there by learning our own lessons along the way. Taking shortcuts leaves us vulnerable because we fail to add a necessary tool to our tool box. Lack of that tool when the need arises could mean the difference between staying afloat and weathering a storm or sinking very quickly to the bottom. If that tool happens to be a life boat, the situation could be very dire, indeed!
Thank you, but I will spend my dollars on more worthy causes, learn my lessons instead of looking for a quick fix, and rise to the top when the time is right. In the meantime, I’m putting effort into making me better. That is always time well spent.
My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful to be back on track with my workouts.
2. I am grateful for the plethora of examples of marketing do’s and don’ts.
3. I am grateful that I have immediate access to a hot shower whenever I might be inclined.
4. I am grateful for a cooler day which allowed me to open the windows.
5. I am grateful for an abundance of opportunities to improve my income and lead me to a place of prosperity.
Love and light.
