“When can I retire?” It’s a question more and more people are asking every day. Every single day, from now until the year 2030, ten thousand people in the North America alone will turn 65. How many of them will be looking for the answer to that question? Without even checking the statistics you can safely say it will be most of them.

In all seriousness, if you are at or near retirement age and do not have a good nest egg built up, the prospects can be more than a little scary. Government pension plans are not nearly enough to maintain the kind of life you’re used to living, and if you’re depending on 401K, chances are you’ve lost a significant amount of your planned retirement fund.

I’m not going to claim I have an answer for everyone, but take a minute to watch the video below.  Because of the information in this video I answered the question “when can I retire?” with “now” when I was 29 years old and have never looked back. It’s worth a watch, and if it’s right for you, you’ll know it in less than 8 minutes:

When Can I Retire? Watch and Find Out…

So before I told you “you’ll know in 7 minutes.” Check your gut feeling… do you feel like this might be fore you? Because if so, that’s the same feeling I had before I took my leap of faith. And three years later I’m the most happily retired 30-year-old I know.

If you’ve already decided this is for you and don’t want to delay your retirement CLICK HERE.

If on the other hand you need more information then scroll down for the next video…

Can You Afford Not To?

Ready now to take action? CLICK HERE to open your Isagenix account for less than $20/year.

Dawn
925-979-5065

P.S. If you still have questions feel free to give me a call or send me an email.  I’m here to help!

When Can I Retire

When Can I Retire

I’m happy to announce that my eBook guide, Blog-It Rich, is finished! 

And yes, this eBook is totally free.

I spent 3 months and 2 days laying out the most comprehensive guide to creating an income with your blog, just for you.

Why?

It’s my way of giving back for all of the wonderful things that have recently happened to me with my online businesses and in my life. Learning how to create an income using my existing blog changed my life, and it’s my hope that with this eBook I can teach you something to achieve your goals too.

So enter your name and email address below to get free instant access to my eBook guide. You have nothing to lose! I promise it will be the best eBook about blogging income you will ever read.

Enjoy! I wish you nothing less than success. Cheers!

Hi everybody,

I hope you’re enjoying the last Monday in June… the weather in Northern California is hot and sunny, and I find myself thankful to be here in the climate that exactly matches my dreams. Actually, I’m finding myself thankful for a lot of things right now – the amazing man I share my life with, his beautiful children, our flexible schedules, our ability to travel and our amazing families that love and support us.

If you had painted this picture for me a year ago, and told me this would be my life, I would have said you were crazy. A year ago my government job felt stagnant. I dreaded the alarm clock. I was overweight and tired all the time. A far cry from my life now.

Through a series of experience, good and bad, life brought me through some lows, so that now I can experience some incredible highs. As miserable as I felt back then, I held on to an unwavering belief that there was something more to life, and that I was going to find it. I didn’t know it then, but where I was a year ago was perfect. I had to be there then, so that I could truly appreciate now.

Fast forward to the present… My life is pretty unremarkable when I think about it; domestic and calm. But it’s the peace and fulfillment I feel that make it noteworthy, and make me absolutely thankful for every second I’ve lived that got me to this point.

If you are going through a low period in your life right now – please know that through this experience of hardship, there is something great waiting for you just around the corner – if of course you are open to it, and willing to embrace it. No matter what challenges you’re facing today, where you are right now is perfect.

Enjoy your day…

I need your help today to find a lost dog. Milo is the beloved pet of the Ortiz family, and there are two little girls who are very anxiously awaiting his return.

He was last seen late in the afternoon yesterday, Sunday May 30 on Cottonwood Ct. He is freshly groomed  and is wearing a bandana with American flags and a blue collar with white and red bones.

****Milo’s collar was found earlier today on Tulare St. A reward is now being offered for his safe return, or any information that would lead to his location.****

If you have seen this dog, or have information regarding his whereabouts please contact the Ortiz family at 559-805-0300 or by email at aloveortiz@yahoo.com.

If you have contacts in the Visalia area please send them a link to this page… every view will help.

Thank you so much for your help.

I had a sudden revelation today… my twenties are rapidly evaporating, and I am teetering on the brink of my thirties. For some reason I thought I’d be a lot more bothered by the loss of my youth, but it wasn’t until today that I even acknowledged that it was happening. I guess a bottle of wine will do that to you… 

Back to my point – I’m getting older. Faster than I ever planned. At this rate I’ll be 80 next week, wondering how my seventies got by me so fast. And it got me wondering about why it is that the older we get, the faster time goes by. And this is what I came up with… for myself at least:

The older we get, the more we appreciate the things we have, the time we spend, the things we see and the people we love. And the more you appreciate, the more aware you are of them slipping away from you. The older we get, the more we realize that we’re human, and that while our faith tells us that we’ll meet again in the afterlife, our intellect is not so sure. We understand that this isn’t forever and that the more we try to keep things the same, the faster they change.

It sounds depressing, but it’s not. Because it’s a testament to our nature; not just that that we can learn enough to understand these things, but that we can learn to embrace them and make every second of the rest of our lives count.

My friend and confidant Jim is 84 years old. Two years ago he was dying of congestive heart failure, while the love of his life (50 years of his life), Annie, died of multiple myeloma (a rare form of cancer), at home, under his care. I didn’t expect he would make it through the following months, but instead of succumbing to his pain and his loss, he has gone on to thrive in spite of it all. A pacemaker operation and you’d think the guy had regressed 30 years… seriously.

Years ago, when his Annie was an artist, Jim photographed every piece of art she ever produced, and saved the 35mm negatives. Today his home is a museum of her life’s work, and he is surrounded by her ever-present memory… something which gives him great comfort, and strength and drive (yes, drive) as he heads into the late years of his life (he knows he’s there, this is not news to Jim).

Jim is driven in all that he does – in his preservation of Annie’s work, the transcription of his own works (he was formerly a biologist and writer), and in all of the other various pursuits that he takes on, including his continued role as a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, proud owner of a new puppy, and amazing friend. Jim’s crazy love for this life, even at his age and after all he’s lost, makes me realize that age really is just a number. And that regardless of what you have to be sad about, you have a dozen others to rejoice.

Tomorrow I might wake up, remember that I hate getting old and wish away the lines that I can see starting on my face. But they’re there because I’ve been laughing for 30 years, and right now, I love every one of them as much as I love Jim.

Thank you my friend, for all that you’ve taught me.

The release of WordPress 3.0 is big news in the blogging community. The beta version was released April 2, and in the month since, the freshly remodeled platform has created quite some buzz in the industry.

Check out the cool and impressive list of new features by visiting WordPress 3.0: The 5 Most Important New Features by Brian Casel, owner of ThemeJam WordPress Themes and CasJam Media.

I personally think the new (and lovely) default theme is going to make life a lot easier for people new to the platform. The ease of use is sure to attract new users, which means great new web content for everyone’s reading/watching/listening pleasure.

If you really can’t wait to try out the new features, you can still download the beta HERE. But for those of you who prefer the stable version, we’ll just have to wait. Release is scheduled for sometime in May.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and I’m feeling my customary anxiety over the whole thing. People who know me, know that I can’t stand “made up” holidays… Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day etc. It’s not that I’m a grinch; I think that celebration of mothers, fathers and love is something that should be happening all the time. The thing that gets under my skin is the ridiculous amount of spending that goes on… in the US alone $16.4 BILLION is spent annually, just on Mother’s Day. That’s INSANE.

Regardless, my own mother has been my personal hero and saviour this year, and so I’ve been looking for a meaningful way to celebrate my incredible appreciation for her, in a way befitting her generous nature. That’s why I was so pleased when I came across Mother’s Day 2010: 4 Social Good Gifts for Mom by Jeff Livingston, Author of Now Is Gone. While I realize I’m probably too late, and you’ve already ordered flowers, I’ve reproduced the Mashable.com article here for your reading pleasure.

”

“In America alone, we spend $14.6B annually on Mother’s Day for stuff that could just never say what’s in our hearts,” said Stacey Monk, founder of To Mama with Love. “How would it impact our world if we stopped using stuff as a surrogate for love?  What if instead, we used those funds to make the world a better place for mamas and children everywhere?”

It’s always hard to top last year’s Mother’s Day gift and really let that special lady know how much you care. Here are four ways to use social media to say “I love you, Mom,” and make a difference in society, too. Social media for social good, and Mom — does it get any better than that?

1. To Mama With Love

Epic Change, the folks who brought you Tweetsgiving, have focused their efforts on To Mama with Love, a collaborative global art space. Loving children and husbands buy spaces, then add videos, photos, and love notes, and send an e-Card to Mom. $25 donations are allocated for a children’s home in Arusha, Tanzania. The program was envisioned by local grassroots changemaker, primary school founder, and Epic Change fellow Mama Lucy Kamptoni.

In a Twitter () interview, Kamptonie said, “This project is superb! Kids need [a] proper home to study well & grow … [The] plan is [to] accommodate not less than 50 kids … After some years, so many kids’ll benefit from this gift.”

2. Love Needs Water, Too

charity: water is selling e-cards this Mother’s Day to help resolve the world’s water crisis. Women in developing nations are twice as likely to walk for water than men. In Africa alone, more than 40 billion hours are wasted each year just walking for water.

Each charity: water e-card can provide clean, safe drinking water for one person for 20 years. On average, a water project costs $5,000 — so 250 e-cards sold at $20 apiece can build a freshwater project.

“charity: water sells e-cards for every holiday, but Mother’s Day is especially relevant to the world water crisis,” said Scott Harrison, Founder and President of charity: water. “When we visit villages with charity: water projects, we hear a lot from the mothers. Once their village gets clean water, they’re not only excited to drink it themselves; they’re relieved they can provide safer lives for their families. Clean water and sanitation can cut disease rates in communities almost in half. What mom wouldn’t want to raise her kids in a world that is much safer?”

3. MomsRise for the Mom of the Decade

Last year, MomsRising had a Mother’s Day video card that went viral with over 12 million views. It informed its viewers about the realities of modern families in the U.S. According to last year’s video, over 80% of American women have children by the time they are 44 years old, and three-quarters of moms are in the labor force. Right now, according to the U.S. Census, full-time working women earn only 77 cents to a man’s dollar.

This year’s Mother’s Day video e-card takes the concept one step further, declaring the recipient “Mother of the Decade.” Luminaries ranging from Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to First Lady Michelle Obama to Ugly Betty star America Ferrera appear in the “news clip” praising the 2010 Mother of the Decade.

“Modern moms are stretched to the limit, juggling an unprecedented number of roles at the same time,” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, MomsRising Executive Director. “The labor force is now 50% women for the first time, and three-quarters of moms are in the labor force. Times have changed, but our policies and programs haven’t caught up, and moms are getting crunched. Having an easy way — like a video e-card — to acknowledge that we’re in this together, and that we support each other on Mother’s Day, is critical in this pressure cooker situation.”

4. Thankfulfor Moms

Thankfulfor, a collaboration between TechCocktail Creator Frank Gruber, and former AOLer Jen Consalvo, features a Mother’s Day giveaway contest. To participate, simply post a thanks to mom on Thankfulfor through Sunday, May 9th. The Thankfulfor team will select a handful of winners to receive some fun prizes. Thankfulfor will collect all the Mother’s Day posts and select the best to be published in a beautiful e-book to be given away to all Thankfulfor members (and Moms).

“We all want to feel deep appreciation,” said Jen Consalvo. “It’s easy to send flowers, gift certificates and the like. It’s much harder to spend time thinking about why you are truly thankfulfor for a mother in your life. We want to encourage people to dig down deep and write a few words every day about the gratitude they feel. This is a no-cost way to help mothers feel like they are deeply appreciated.

“We hope to serve as a reminder about what’s really important on Mother’s Day – and any day of the year,” Jen continued. “Given the research today that shows how keeping a gratitude journal can actually improve people’s levels of happiness and well being, and can have positive effects on health and focus, we believe that helping people cultivate a daily habit of gratitude could have a lasting impact on individuals around the globe.”

Be sure to share this one with your friends…

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DawnMarrs.com

Hi y’all,
I finally gave in and created a Facebook Fan Page.
If you’ve been enjoying the content I’ve been putting out, please take a second to visit the fan page and click the like button… it would really mean a lot to me. I can’t officially name it until I have 25 fans so it would also help me out

As anyone who writes a blog would understand, I deeply appreciate every single person who takes the time to visit, to comment or to get in touch. Thank you so much for being here.

If you ever have suggestions for topics you’d like me to cover, or ways I can make DawnMarrs.com more valuable to you, please get in touch.

Sincerely,
Dawn

Ya I know… I was offended when I read it too, but still the headline exists (used to exist anyway – was removed at some point) and is getting at least some mileage (probably in large part due to people like myself who can’t stand to leave it alone).

Jeff Crourere, host of a Louisiana-based program Ringside Politics, surmises that Earth Day is a “bogus celebration of the environment and green movement” promoted by the Liberal mainstream media in the “hope that Americans will feel guilty” about their energy usage and carbon footprint. He also explains that “it is the perfect way for hippies of the 1960’s to fit into to today’s world.”

WOW, talk about missing the point all together.

I understand that political writers sometimes like to create a buzz by using headlines like this, but come on. Do I think the government can leverage a day like Earth Day to bring awareness to their agenda? Sure, government, both Liberal and Conservative, will use anything they can find to get their point across – National observances are not off limits.

But for a political spin-doctor to try to turn a positive movement into something we should feel ashamed of? Shame on him.

To be completely honest, I’m happy to see the government forking out cash for a campaign that benefits more than just their public opinion polls. There is absolutely no harm that can come from the message “Reuse, Reduce, Recycle,” or from the idea that conservation of our precious resources is a good thing.

When I see groups of school children out planting trees, or my entire home town mobilizing for an Earth Day “clean-up,” I know for sure that there’s more to it than just political rhetoric and propaganda. It’s about a global community concerned with the preservation of the planet we call home.

In honor of that I’ve included a link to something I think should actually be getting mileage…

50 Green Tips for Earth Day and Beyond by Kathleen J. King.
Happy Earth Day everyone!

Dawn