Sailing with My Friends on IsleMedia Philippines...

I am free! Working as a freelance writer, that is. I am finally living my dream. Anxious? Yes! Nervous? Definitely! Scared to death? You betcha! But one thing is clear, this feels right. Wow! That's the first time I've ever said that out loud. And now it's on this blog. This has been a long time coming. I opened this blog many, many months ago, not knowing that this was really my dream. I thought that having a regular paycheck would keep me content. But I guess not. I chose health over wealth this time and heaven help me I  sure hope I made the right choice.

When I left the corporate world, I went down the online route still carrying the corporate world mindset... missing my office mates, wishing I was working in an office. I started out as a virtual assistant but I did not know it back then. A few months later I applied as an online content writer and I have been very blessed ever since.

Yes, freedom has it's ups and downs but I'm enjoying the perks now that I've finally regained my balance. I am hopeful and dreaming again and that is enough reason for me to get up every morning, do my work, bond and reconnect with my family and friends and finally spend more time discovering Jesus working within me and around me.

I wanted to form or be part of a group of freelance writers who shared the same interests I did. When I opened this blog, I had no idea how and where I would find those people. Now I'm part of a small group of friends, old and new, who I include in my prayers because I am so enjoying working with them. I am still struggling in this new environment but I know that we're fighting the good fight and we're helping each other out. And that is enough for me.

My closest friends and I have embarked on a business venture that has its ups and downs. It hasn't been easy but our meetings are so much fun! We are building our dream team and I am so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people. IsleMedia Philippines is a dream that I've been nursing in my heart for such a long time and now we're on our way. Our ship is sailing, sometimes the seas are rough but the best part is, my friends and dream team are sailing with me. Are we on the same boat? Would you like to join us? Please feel free to leave a message and let me know... See you on the bright side! :)

Upgrade Your Skills: Join Our SEO-VA Online Training Now!

Discover more ways to earn online and find your special niche in the world of Virtual Assistants. Become self-employed now!


More and more foreign companies are hiring Virtual Assistants from the Philippines. Take advantage of this influx of work-at-home jobs.


What's your core gift? What would you like to specialize in? If there's something you would like to be an expert at, what would it be?


We would love to hear from you. If you think VA work is something you would like to pursue, then please click the link below to find out more details about this amazing opportunity. Tell us about your dreams, goals and plans. You may also ask any questions and I would gladly answer them.


We are offering online training for Virtual Assistants and aspiring VAs and would love to teach you the basics and be your official guide to launching your career as a Virtual Assistant and start earning dollars right in the comforts of your own home.


Right now we are holding SEO-VA training webinars with awesome people. If you would like to sign up for the next batch, please follow the link below and leave your contact details so we can contact you when the second training series is about to begin.


Click here to expand your horizons now.

SEO Trainers Unveil Latest SEO Training

Are you ready to embark on your home based business? Would you like to work from home full-time and finally quit that job that keeps you chained to a desk all day or all night long? Are you finally ready to spend time with your family and get as much R&R as you deserve?


If you answered a resounding "Yes!" to any or all of these questions, then YOU are exactly the person we're looking for. Learn the basics of home based work, how Virtual Assistants get things done, and discover the SEO secrets that experts dare not share with anyone.


Watch the latest SEO Training unfold this September. Book a seat now at http://bit.ly/naw0pq and join us on all 4 Saturdays of September from 1pm-4pm and master the art of Search Engine Optimization. Improve your current skill set and add this to your resume -- SEO expert. Now isn't that something worth your time?


Join my partner, Mark and I as we unfold the magical world of home based work and spill the SEO secrets that you've all been waiting for. See you in September! Register now at http://bit.ly/naw0pq


You may also share your comments and leave your questions here. Thank you and God bless!

Why We Should Be Passionate About Our Work

I love my work. It's not even work most of the time. It's fun! I understand now what my mentors mean by being passionate about our work. It's really important for us to love what we're doing because it's the only way to really be happy here on earth. Yes, we're all pilgrims living in our temporary home but I never realized before now that God truly wants us to be happy here on earth. He gave us the freedom to choose and I choose to be happy. I choose to bless and be blessed. I choose to live the life God wants for me. And I guess I'll always be me -- a writer servant. That is in honor of our servant King -- my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.


I love writing. I've been doing this since I can remember. It's my core gift. I am sure of that now. I guess I'm just the usual late-bloomer and wallflower. I dared to dream and I chased after my dreams with my heart on my sleeve and God by my side and Mama Mary urging me on. And now I'm doing exactly what I was put on earth to do, in my humble opinion. I believe that I was born to serve and I do that through my writing.


A priest once told me that I should write to inspire. And that's my mindset from now on. I am currently writing my first book and I am so inspired it blows my mind, figuratively, of course. God has gifted me with so much and I never even realized that I am already doing His will. Now I understand the real value of service and it requires a whole lot of patience while God provides all the inspiration I could ever need. He truly is my rock and my salvation. I know this is what God wants me to do -- be a writer, serve and inspire others through my gifts and show the world how much I care.


I have so many blogs right now, one for each of my passion but my favorite ones are this one, Misty's Gratitude Journal, and SelfHelpBlog.biz and oh, I also love Heroes for Children because I adore kids, toddlers in particular. Yes, I'm single and I hope to have a family someday. This is the best part about my work. When God will give me a husband and child someday, I won't have too much difficulty. I will be able to  spend time with my future husband and baby as much as I can because of my work. And I guess this is how God is shaping my future. He started with my core gifts and He just keeps on giving. Thank you Jesus! You are LOVE.


Aside from my passion for writing, I am also a gadget geek. I love tinkering with my PC. I love playing with my cellphones and I love walking while counting steps using my iPod. I know, I'm too attached to gadgets but I can't help it. It's both my blessing and my weakness. I am blessed because I am not afraid to try new things. I like trying new software. I've gotten over my fear of clicking things online. I learned that my PC doesn't explode if I do so my question is "Why not?"


Passion is important in all aspects of life. When we love what we do, it's no longer work. It's fun. And that takes all the stress away. I guess one of the advantages of working from home is that I manage my own time. That gives me the discipline to manage tasks and other people effectively. That takes away the pressure. Plus, I keep receiving the confidence boost that I never expected out of my work. The fulfillment of knowing that at the end of the day you have accomplished the important stuff, that's what keeps me going day in and day out. I don't even like being absent from work. I miss it when I'm not doing what I do.


Plus, all of the clients that I've worked with are the best people around. They have given me glowing praises and until now I am still overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity, in more ways than one. In one word, all of the people I have worked with are awesome. And I know that God sent them my way to encourage me to walk this path. He has paved the way for my freedom. God has literally given me the key to my freedom and happiness and I never even realized it. My dreams are unfolding before my eyes and this roller coaster ride called my life is awesome! God is awesome!

25 Reasons Why I Love Working From Home

25 Reasons Why I Love Working From Home:

1. I get to spend more time and share meals with my family.

2. Everything I need is right within reach; this makes my workday very easy to handle.

3. I don’t have to wake up too early, get dressed and deal with traffic to get to my workplace.

4. I learn more without getting bored because I can vary my tasks and juggle them all day long.

5. I can choose my clients and am actually working for the most generous client I’ve ever met.

6. I work with professionals who are focused on business and less on personal/office politics.

7. I am a subcontractor for a company made up of professional yet gentle leaders who take good care of me and are constantly working to make sure that we have the best work system.

8. I can go walking, go to church and generally do what I want after work without wasting time going home from the office.

9. When it rains, I’m happy I’m indoors and safe and don’t have to go anywhere!

10. I have come to appreciate the value of integrity, transparency, professionalism, dedication, and am learning how to think like an entrepreneur.

11. I learn new things every single day and you get over your fear of clicking a button or opening a website and generally get comfortable trying new things.

12. I get to spend time on my own blogs after work and actually apply what I am learning from my daily work routine.

13. I am growing as a person and as a professional and have become better at multi-tasking.

14. I am becoming a better content & SEO writer, virtual assistant, task and people manager.

15. I am constantly bombarded by internet marketing and copywriting lessons and I love it!

16. Work is so much fun! No hassle, no worries, no politics!

17. I am right where I want to be – working from home.

18. Working from home is awesome because you learn the value of discipline and avoiding distractions and interruptions.

19. I now have a better understanding of the value of time and task management and having a system that works.

20. I am now more flexible, better at juggling tasks and more detail-oriented. Reports are my friend and my love for analyzing things is very useful.

21. Working from home has made me realize that perfectionism is both a weakness and strength; I just had to draw the fine line between the two.

22. I can define my limits, set attainable goals, while still working independently.

23. Working under less supervision has a whole new meaning when you work from home.

24. I get to learn using so many tools – videos, flowcharts, PowerPoint presentations, Google docs, new and advanced software, iTunes podcasts and so much more. I am also learning about Internet Marketing and SEO, which I can apply on my own ventures.

25. At the end of my workday, I can just log out, turn off my computer or turn on my music player and bond with my family or commune with nature. No commute, no traffic, no pollution, less stress.

So there you go. This is the best job I’ve ever had which is why I am so grateful. In my opinion, it's best to find mentors, people who are willing to share what they have learned with you. Find out how you can work from home wherever you are.

If you would like to learn more about Internet Marketing and being a Virtual Assistant, you should visit Jomar Hilario's blogs. He's the Internet Marketing guru and go-to guide for Filipinos who are serious about becoming entrepreneurs and working from home. He also offers lessons about becoming a Virtual Assistants and Social Marketing.

P.S. Jomar Hilario is actually giving a 50% discount for his one-year online mentoring club. I suggest you check it out if you wish to be successful at this. He'll check your work and guide you for one whole year. How cool is that?

P.S. 2 Don't worry, this is no s-c-*a-m. I know the guy. He’s very good at what he does and you’ll learn how to work from home without leaving your comfort zone. You’ll learn what your strengths are and how you can capitalize on them so that you can work from home too. Read and judge for yourself. Click here.

Lessons In Humility -- A Day In The Life Of A VA-Writer

Working on websites all day can be so much fun. Most of the time, it doesn't even feel like work. It's like surfing the net all day, reading about interesting stuff, learning new things and trying out new stuff. These are the perks that come with being a Virtual Assistant-Writer. Well, my previous contracts used to say Content Writer but now that VA work has become in demand, I've decided to grow and go with the flow.

Yes, being a VA-Writer is so much fun but a warning for those who would like to try it -- never do anything before reading the manual -- online or otherwise. You can watch video tutorials or read the actual rules and policies of what you need to do but one thing that I will always hold close to my heart and mind is this -- our learning curve is dependent on a few things, one of them is the willingness to try new things and the other is the determination to succeed at it. And that could mean a whole lot of research. This is not to discourage anyone, far from it. I just want to write this down in case I forget this golden rule myself.

Even the key to writing great, credible content is research, research, research. Remember when real estate agents said it was about location, location, location? Well for us VA-Writers, it's all about research. You can try as many ways to use new software or install a plugin or two into a website but at the end of the day, not knowing what we're doing could be stressful. I learned this the hard way. The up-side? I just got glowing remarks from my client for a quick turnaround -- conducting an evaluation about our project and writing a report about it. Sure, it was hard work but at the end of the day, knowing that you finally nailed it is such a great feeling. It's too bad it rained today cuz I was oh so ready to head off to church today and give thanks to God for making all things possible.

This is one of the reasons why I so love working from home. Even though it can get lonely at times being cooped up in my room, staring at my computer for hours on end, I just love the fact that at the end of the day, I can just "step away from the computer" and do my thing. Spend time with my family, go to church, go walking around our neighborhood, pay our nearby grocery shop a visit and buy V-cut. lol. Private joke between me and my uncle and aunty. But yeah, I so enjoy working from home because I don't have to waste time, effort and money on travel, I get to share home cooked meals with my family (I don't usually cook but I intend to start soon).

But then, I digress. I just wanted to share this lesson which I learned the hard way -- not doing your research can be harmful even to your own health. The best part about my work is that even though it's not my business, I feel like such a part of our "family." Also, I learn to think on my feet, because no one else is here to do that for me. Yes, I still ask a lot of questions and I keep hoping my client and teammates don't get irritated but that's my way of learning. I love sharing ideas with others and hearing their input on the things we do on a daily basis. Plus, as each system is set up then redesigned, our workflow improves by leaps and bounds. We actually see results.

One more thing I learned, which I should have done in the first place, is not to read every single email that comes along. It can be taxing trying to keep up of who sent what and where this email came from and whatever else happens, at the end of the day, keeping your focus on the task at hand brings you the greatest feeling. Doing things one step at a time does pay. And it's the best way to get things done.

I'm currently using a system where I prepare a Things To Do the day before, then review it in the morning and send it to my client, then do one task at a time, crossing each one off as I go along. Then if I have some pending tasks, it goes into the next day's list, and so on and so forth. So yeah, now I have a system that I'm really happy with. It works for me and I intend to develop this and try to share new tips each day, if I'm not too tired. For now, my eyes are a bit droopy so I'll bid you Ciao until next time! God bless us all! :)

10 Things You Didn't Know About Working From Home

10 Things You Didn't Know About Working From Home:


1. You'll suddenly realize that housewives are totally busy people -with hardly any breaks.
2. You'll be challenged not to work because your cute baby is staring at you, saying "play!".
3. You'll be asked constantly, "What do you want to eat today" by your spouse.
4. If you're not careful, that DVD collection will be your #1 distraction from work.
5. You don't remember when was the last time you took a bath/shaved.
6. You're suddenly more interested in nice looking shorts and pajamas in the mall.
7. Your cellphone isn't getting much use unlike before.
8. When you walk to the neighborhood park, pool, all you see are yayas and their wards.
9. When it rains, you're happy you're indoors and won't be going anywhere!
10. In the hot months, you're happy that you can afford an aircon for your room!
-Jomarhilario.com


So there it is --the honest good and bad.  Find out how you can work from your nice bahay --even if you're already abroad.


Kristina A. Godinez


P.S. Don't worry, this is no s-c-*a-m. I know the guy. Read and judge for yourself.

So You're Thinking About Working From Home ...

Learn How to Work from Home

Well, a lot of us say "yes" when people ask, "Do you want to work from home?"

We all think it’s some kind of fantasy (that's impossible) or it's heaven (I wish...).

Why not stop the speculation and learn more about what to expect, how much can you earn, and know more about how you can do this "work at home gig."

Listen to the "work at home" expert Jomar Hilario as he trains you on how you can start making steps to leaving your stressful work and just staying in your bedroom all day ... while earning!

Click here to know more.

Here’s the thing, you have two options. You can either attend the VA seminar or you can join the ONLINE version of the seminar.

Find out more about this amazing opportunity.

Try it out. It’s about time you spent more time at home. Make your dreams come true and still have more time to bond with your family!

How to Get your Dream Job -- A Simple Guide to Self Improvement

If you're tired of dealing with traffic and office politics and expensive fast food that offer nothing but empty calories, if you're sick of dealing with irate colleagues and boss, if you'd like more freedom to do what you've always wanted to do like spend time with your 5-year old or go on a spur of the moment vacation, or enjoy home-cooked meals with you family, would you be willing to give up your precious spot in the corporate world and work from home?

Everyone has dreams -- whether you want to succeed in life, be happy, start your own family, launch and sustain your own profitable business or land the job you've always wanted -- your dreams are what drive you to do the impossible and take risks. Your dreams are what inspire you to try, your dreams motivate you to do everything you can to turn them into reality.

It helps to map out your steps so that you'll have proper direction. Here are some tips to guide you on your way to landing your dream job or get you started on that business you've always wanted:

·    Know what you want – Prior to filling in an application or taking that first big leap, it helps to have a clear idea of what you want to do. Ask yourself, “What do I want to do in the next five years?”

·    Use your imagination – Visualize your future. It’s a simple yet very powerful exercise as it reveals your dreams.


·    Find mentors - These days, it's not enough to actively look for help. We must be proactive. Search for people who are willing and more than capable of helping you fulfill your dreams. What's more, find mentors who can help you reach your full potential. Being someone's Virtual Assistant (VA) or Executive Assistant is one of the best jobs in the world. It's like being an intern, an on-the-job trainee where you get paid for learning how to do business, except that you get to participate and witness as the business grows. How cool is that?

·    Be creative - There are many ways to discover your dreams. Read self help books, inspirational books in particular can be quite helpful. Listen to self help audio books, self help mp3s and CDs, watch self help DVDs from your favorite mentors. Do some research and compare notes with others like you.

·    Trust your heart - Your dream is already in your heart. Remember, your dream job is out there, waiting for you to find it; that means your battle is already half won. List down your dreams and you’ll find out what you really want to do.

·    Rely on your instincts – Once you have a clear idea of what you want, your dreams and goals, you will know your dream job and what field you should pursue. Follow your instincts and you’re bound to succeed.

Look out for part two of this article! For more details on how to get your dream job, visit my Self Help Blog and discover many ways to improve your life. Be blessed!