Capitalism and Transformations

I have to confess that I’m beginning to feel like a budding capitalist.  Oops!  I’m in business!  🙂

Also, I also have to confess that I’m feeling a little bit guilty about the preponderance of “Gee look at what I’m doing online” kind of posts which have appeared on my blog as of late.

But before all six of you who are reading this go all “99% on my not so skinny butt” let me connect the dots as to why me doing what I’m doing hooks up with me doing what I was doing.”  Still with me?  I hope so! LOL

This whole blog is a record of what is going on in my life as I try and move from

“out of shape, unemployed librarian” to “fit healthy in-shape full time writer and dance instructor”

At first the mission wasn’t so concrete and it certainly didn’t have the “unemployed” bit!  At first, I had a job, I had a blog, I had a very large body and I was VERY Stressed out and UNHAPPY

Well, now for the first time in ages, I’m happy; I’m not stressed, well not much anyway.   I still have the blog and the large body, but the 9-5 job is gone and my new job is transforming that body into something that I’m proud to call “my body.” However, to do that, well it takes money. *Siiiiiiiiigggggggggghhhhh*

I literally did just sigh as I typed this.  I kid you not!  I did!  I really did just sigh.  Now I’m smiling at myself for being silly and sharing that tidbit with you but hey, this is me we’re talking about.  LOL  And we all know I’m a little bit silly.  Ok, sometimes, I’m a lot silly

But I digress…  (yes, I do that a lot, but that’s how my brain is wired)

SQUIRREL  (if you don’t get the “joke” click on the link and all will become clear)

Oh, back to the post…

Oh, yeah, Cats, Capitalists and Transformations.  So you’ve probably already figured out the “transformation” part is about me becoming a person I like and a person who is happy being the person I like. Uhmmm.. that made my head hurt.

Before my little digression field trip, I said to get healthy “…well it takes money.”  Money in the sense of “I’m currently unemployed and need to have money to buy food and pay for dance lessons and pay my truck payment.”   The basics of living in other words.  Not in the sense that “if you don’t have money, you can’t get fit.”  There are lots of things that you can do that are zero cost to get healthy.  Or at the very least zero net increase in cost.  Things like walk.  Things like choose healthy foods.  Things like get a good nights sleep.  These can cost money but they don’t have to.

Capitalism Meets Creative Writing

Ok, now about that capitalist thing… I’m writing on Squidoo a lot instead of posting all that stuff here on my blog, because, well, to be frank, I can make money writing there while here on my blog, my writing is for free.

No, I haven’t made any money yet, but hey, according to what I read about this process, it takes 2-3 months but then if you’re doing it right the cash starts coming in on a steady basis.

And jus so ya know…  The amount of cash you get is based on rankings.  Of the eight posts I have on Squidoo so far, here are my ankings:

Article Title and link to the article in case you want to read it or like it or share it and thus move me up in the rankings  *hint*  *hint* *hint*	Rank as of today June 2, 2012	Pay Tier
Top 10 Line Dances from the World Line Dance Newsletter	7,485	Tier 2
Music to Dance By: Triple Two Step	14,138	Tier 3
Jenny Craig: 5 Tips and Tricks to Help you Succeed	52,443	Tier 3
Who is this Crazy Cowboy from Texas?	53,296	Tier 3
Top 10 Line Dances from LineDancer Magazine	70,823	Tier 3
What You Need to Know About Caffeine Using a Case Study of One — Moi!	74,747	Tier 3
5 Foods on the Jenny Craig Program That You Can Get Cheaper at the Supermarket	127,697	Tier 4
Top 10 “Best Known” Line Dances from Kickit Line Dance Archive	262,896	Tier 4

Now to put all this in perspective…  There are almost two million articles on Squidoo.  So my rankings are pretty good.  The higher your rank, the more you earn.  I don’t have any Tier 1 articles yet but having  a couple Tier 1 articles, a few Tier 2 articles and a whole lot of Tier 3 articles is just fine and a realistic goal.  I’d really like to have zero Tier 4 articles.

Ok, now you’ve got some of the capitalist thing down, here’s the next bit of capitalism:

Capitalism Meets Creativity Meets LOL Cats!

I have opened a store on Zazzle.com: TxCowboyDancer Designs where I will post designs that are related to well, uhmmm, ME!   Or, to be more precise, designs that are related somehow to the journey I’m making.

My dearest readers, all eight of you, being the intelligent, beautiful observant people that you are, have probably noticed that I like cats and that I often create LOL Cats to use as illustrations here on my blog.

Well some of those little gems are going to be placed on my Zazzle Store: TxCowboyDancer Designs where you can have them for your very own.

Whenever  I create a design from this point forward, I’ll do a much simpler post showing the design with a message under it that says “Go buy it”.

LOL

Ok, not really.  But it was a funny thought.  [wicked grin]

Below is my first design which you’ve probably seen here on the blog recently.  I created it in honor of my recent return to the Jenny Craig Program.   I had lost 38 lbs on Jenny Craig.  Yay Me!  Go Team Tony!  Woo Hoo!

Then I had my “year from hell” that preceded loosing my job.  Eeek.  Urk!  Ugh.  And I gained ALL of that weight back plus a few pounds more just for grins and giggles.  *SIGH*

So now, here I am, metaphorically, once again at the beginning of my journey toward fitness and health.  With that in mind, here is my design.  I hope you enjoy it!

Becoming A Dance Instructor and Becoming Self-Employed

Right now, I’m only teaching Line Dance, for pay.  But I’m working hard on learning enough so that by the end of the year I can teach couples as well and turn “full pro” and actually make a living being a creative self-employed person: Dancing, Writing, Designing.

So there you have it.  A not-so-brief  (well, for me this is brief) explanation of why I suddenly seem so money focused.

See ya on….

Oh, but wait?  Does my Inner Domestic Diva detect grumbling from the masses?  From all twelve of you actually reading this?  Do I hear shouts from the blog-o-sphere I haven’t actually explained  the “sudden” part?!

Ok, ok, here’s the deal:  Recently, I awoke to an awful realization.  Jan 1st is the deadline and it is not that far off!  Jan 1st marks:

• The opening day of the UCWDC World Championships,
• The date where my savings, at my current rate of spending, will be gone
• The date where, without any other source of income, my income will consist of a single $796 monthly retirement annuity check.
• At that point, unless I have made the transformation to self-employed creative person, I shall have to find a 9-5 job.  Ugh!

So, to avoid that dire fate, I have to start NOW to avoid being miserable THEN…

And that, dearest readers, explains the recent spate of money focused online activity.  Whew!

More on that in my next blog post.  Til then,

See ya on the dance floor!

Related Articles / Links

• I’m a writer! I’m a Squid! Woo Hoo! (txcowboydancer.com)
• I Feel Special! – Someone Blogged about “Moi” (txcowboydancer.com)
• Weekly Feature Added, Morning Coffee, and Being Self-Employed (txcowboydancer.com)
• Top 10 “Best Known” Line Dances (txcowboydancer.com)
• Updated my two “Top Ten” Line Dance Lists… (txcowboydancer.com)
• Ways to Save Money on Jenny Craig Food (txcowboydancer.com)
• New Jenny Craig Tips and Tricks to Help You Succeed (txcowboydancer.com)
• Week One on Jenny Craig – NOT! – Let’s Dance Instead! (txcowboydancer.com)
• I lost my job…and turned into a bear…kinda, sorta (txcowboydancer.com)
• I’ve turned Pro (txcowboydancer.com)
• “As the Boots Turn” #1, A Disaster or Opportunity? Glass Half Full or Half Empty? (txcowboydancer.com)
• “As the Boots Turn” #2, Sleep, Stress, and Number Two (txcowboydancer.com)
• “As the Boots Turn” #3: An Episode of Road Rage, almost (txcowboydancer.com)
• “As the Boots Turn” Episode #4, Depression, Drugs and Medical Varmits! (txcowboydancer.com)