There are many aspiring bloggers out there itching to get started. Most of them want to become famous, make big profits, lure massive traffic. Those are all wonderful dreams!

Early 2009, I was pulling in $6,500 to $8,500 per month as a professional blogger. Due to a financially devastating divorce, a disastrous flood and a couple of poor decisions – I find myself essentially starting over.

Times have changed tremendously since I first began working online. The last few weeks have felt like I was returning to school – learning so many new programs, investigating offers, talking to professionals, undergoing professional coaching, exploring opportunities and developing a new plan.

I will be taking the time to provide progressive information to you, my friends, my family and my blog readers – so you too have the option to build a blog and begin earning an income.

A six figure income is very realistic and it’s very attainable! Now, hold that thought and lets move forward with a step-by-step approach to how I have essentially started over – literally with $87 in the bank.

Realize this is just an overview of steps. We won’t be digging into detail just yet. The basic idea here is to provide an outline so you don’t overlook crucial steps. As well, we will focus on the development of your blog as a money-making venture. If you are looking at blogging as a hobby, that’s a whole different ballgame.

Decide on your target market – Do this by pinpointing the intersection between your personal interests, topics you are passionate about and what is popular. Take note that your interests and knowledge are key here. Within the list of topics, conduct a bit of market research to determine which of those have the best potential of developing into a money-producing market. This is a good time to create an “Idea File” for blog post ideas. If find you have problems developing a list you might question whether the topic is one you should get into.

Secure hosting and a domain name – I highly recommend you host your own blog and use your own domain name. Free services such as Blogspot are great for exploring whether blogging is right for you or for cultivating experience, but free services and sub-domains are unprofessional. Choosing a domain is simply ‘naming your blog.’ When exploring names, consider the long-term plan. Think about brandability – memorability and how easily the domain can be read or spelled without clarification.

I neglected to do this when I first purchased MomGadget. It wasn’t until well over a year later that I regretted the name that was so gender specific and limiting. Keep that in mind.

Set up Wordpress & Theme– As far as I’m concerned Wordpress is the gold standard in blogging platforms. If you are reluctant to set up your own, keep in mind I will do installation and setup for FREE! If you set up your own, be sure to change your permalinks right away so when you begin writing, you’re links will be more SEO friendly from the start.

Start a Mailing List – From the first day – you should start building your list from the instant your first reader visits. There are many, including myself who have regretted not doing so. You will use this system to broadcast mailings but it also allows your readers to receive your posts via email. Aweber is the gold standard in mailing list services – so if you can afford to spend a little extra each month, it’s worth it later on.

Create Master Content – Now it’s time to start writing. You will want to create 5 – 10 pieces of master content. This content should be ‘killer’ pieces of valuable information as it pertains to you and your blog. These pieces can showcase your best stuff, it can be the best of what you sell – just make sure it’s awesome content!  Since no one is reading yet, go ahead and publish these pieces as soon as they are written.

Create Draft Content – This is one that I have lacked myself, but in the new year with new goals and just starting over – I’ll be keeping my backup file. In fact, at the time of this writing, my backup file has over 40 draft posts that span across my blogs.

Social Networking – Sign up for Twitter using a name or handle that is related to your blog. Link to your Twitter account from your About page and be sure to enter a bio on your Twitter account that is descriptive of your market.  Now you can find other users who are within your niche or market and start following them.

Twitterfeed – You’ll want to set up a Twitterfeed account that will tweet your latest blog posts automatically.

Keep Writing – While you are going about developing your brand and presence in the social network arena – be sure you make a point to keep posting. You’ll want to keep your blog new and fresh. At the very least, commit to a few posts per week – preferably 5 – 7.

Start Connecting – Using Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and the host of other social networking platforms you can choose from will allow you to start conversing and connecting with people within your market and potential recruits. Take the time to locate leaders in your market and start conversing with them in a real way – not to pitch your blog or self promote, but to become recognized and to learn.

Research your Topic – Locate relevant blogs within your niche. You will want to find several of the leading blogs in your market – subscribe to them by RSS or email. Jump in and become a regular commenter on those blogs. Be sure to make your comments count – they should be useful to the content that’s being presented.

When it comes to blogging, you are considered live from the moment you upload your first post to the web. While there may not be anyone reading – you still want to take special care in getting your main content created before you start dropping your links or telling people about your blog. Essentially an official launch of your blog begins once you begin linking to your blog via social networking and comments.

So why not take this journey with me – as I start over, pretty much from scratch?

On May 16, 2008 I placed my order for ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income. A week later my book arrived. Due to it being the end of the school year and with everyday family chaos ensuing, I placed the book on my nightstand with the promise I would read it eventually.

June 4th was the morning my world came to a screeching halt. We’d had several days of steady, non-stop and, at times, heavy rains here in Indiana. That morning I woke to over three feet of water in my finished basement. When I opened the basement door and saw the water pouring in around the windows and down the walls, there was little else we could do besides close the door and let Mother Nature have her say.

Without Internet, there wasn’t much I could do besides grab a good book and read. The book I chose was Problogger Book.

I’ve followed the success of Chris Garrett and Darren Rowse since their very early days. It was nice to read a book that was written by two people I felt I had such a connection with. Authors I’d also grown to know as friends.

It had become obvious, the aftermath of this 30-year-flood was going to be financially  devastating at best. I was at such a loss for what I was going to do, how my family would recover, but for a few hours I wasn’t going to think about that – I was going to read. I was going to read and enjoy the success of my friends and feast on something positive in the wake of my worst nightmare that was obviously brewing the level beneath me.

As I began to read, I realized I was going to need a highlighter for this experience. While I’ve been blogging almost as long as the two writers, they had learned and experienced far more on the topic of blogging than I had ever dreamed of.

The more I read, the more I felt I was being pulled into some divine plan that was showing me the answer to my haunting question – “How will we ever recover from this horrible flood?”

As I read about selling blogs, I realized I was sitting on some fairly nice, prime online real estate and I was going to take a shot at selling one of them. I followed the plan as described by Darren and Chris and composed the perfect pitch. Once I was comfortable with the wording and presentation, I emailed the proposal to seven people/companies who would likely have interest in my particular niche. With a quick prayer and a click of my mouse, the wish was released and the waiting began.

Within 2 days the first bid came in at $75,000 and by the end of the week, I agreed to accept a bid of $95,000. June 14th I signed my letter of intent to sell and the rest is history.

My answer had come – I would survive – I would recover and my life and that of my family would change in such an amazing way.

Once I recovered from the flood  and her $20,000 plus reign of terror – the remainder of my funds were tucked away. I established an LLC and am just about to launch two new businesses that will employ relatives who need the work and will love and nurture the investment as I would.

More on those businesses later – but I will say one is so unique and landmark that finally, rather than being the person who sits back and says “why didn’t I think of that?” I can say “I actually thought of that!”

Call it Law of Attraction – Power of Positive Thinking – A Divine Plan or the Power of Prayer, but whatever you choose to call it, I believe my prayers have been answered and I’m achieving a level of success I never dreamed of.

I’m very blessed to have friends like Darren and Chris enter my life to become tools to get me to where I needed to be. The right place at the right time and with the perfect storm, literally.

In a single year, I sold a website, recovered from the worst Midwest flood in 30 years, launched two new businesses, hired 5 relatives I’ve dreamed and prayed I’d be able to help someday, will have bought and moved into a new home I can CALL MY OWN and paid off all my debt. I now know firsthand what financial freedom really is.

I can’t tell you enough, buy the book, buy an extra copy because you will want to give one away someday. Read it, learn it, live it! It works – and when combined with watching The Secret and using both in combination – I don’t think it gets any better.

Buy The Secret and/or The Problogger Book on Amazon

It was not so long ago that I crossed over into the 40-something zone.  It was a dreaded adventure.  I still have a difficult time saying I’m forty-two– not so much because it’s a dreadful age, but because my mind really did stop aging at 35.  It happens every time, without fail – I’m asked my age and it’s always followed by a long pregnant pause and the revelation.

Most of the time, when someone guesses my age at being much younger – I usually blow it off as some sorry effort at sucking up or trying to make me feel better about the character lines that have begun to form at the corners of my eyes.

Yesterday was different.  While doing some banking with my dad, a woman who works at the bank was introduced to my kids – only that my dad pointed out they were his twin grandsons.  Dad took for granted the woman would realize I was the mother of the two – however, what she said floored me.

The woman asked my dad if I was his granddaughter.  She thought I was the twins sister and NOT their mother.

Now, had it been anyone other than a woman who was of the age when women NEVER pay each other compliments on their looks – I would have let it roll in one ear and out the other – but not this time bay-bee – I am SO. Savoring. The. Words.

I certainly don’t want my dad to feel older, but gosh darnit, this was just too good not to enjoy.

The boys got a kick out of it too – in fact, they went around calling me ’sis.’

I like to think it’s because of my kids that I am able to maintain a youthful appearance and personality – however, that did get me thinking – was it that I maybe dress too young for my age that the misconception was made?

Do you think women of the 40-something age range are dressing younger than they should?  Or do you think it’s one of those things that “if you’ve got it, flaunt it?”

Technorati Tags: parenting,acting your age,40 is the new 20,aging,dressing younger,looking younger

Over the last few years, I’ve had many people email or IM me asking just what my secret is to earning enough money online to be a homeowner and raise a family in a single parent household.

In order to explain to you how I do it, I must first explain where I’ve been.

Before I go any further, please know that I’m not disclosing this information for pity – because I’ve honestly never been happier. I’m doing this to let you see just how serious I am when I tell you, you can take ANY topic and make it successful, if you just put your heart into it.

Once upon a time I had very low self esteem, made some pretty pitiful choices in life and because I had such a poor self image, I can see today that I purposely sought out someone who would treat me as badly as I my self image would allow.

By the time I snapped out of whatever brain fog I was in and left that man, I found that I was pregnant with twins. If it had only been one baby, I would have likely stayed on my own. But something inside me told me there was no way I could raise twins alone — so I married my worst nightmare. The twins were born 6 weeks premature and weight just a wee bit over a half-a-bag of sugar. I stayed in that abusive and toxic marriage for 5 years. Once I allowed myself to stop living in denial, and admitted knowing he was stepping outside our marriage (for some reason, that was the reason I needed to leave). It’s not like I ever expected him to be faithful anyway. I knew full well what I’d gotten myself into.

It took me several months to save up the money and get up the courage to ask for a divorce — following his leaving, I went to the doctor and had complete blood work done just to know, ya know?

I was on cloud nine when I was told the tests were clear and inactive — I had somehow escaped that marriage with little more then a bruised ego and two babies in tow.

So I thought!

A year later, following several medical complications, months of worry over strange symptoms and endless hours of research on the net, I was faced with something so horrifying I began to make plans for my kids when I was no longer here — when I was dead. Every symptom I had and every search I did pointed to HIV seroconversion. Having found out that STD tests don’t really test for HIV, herpes or HPV, I just knew something terrible was wrong.

It took two weeks for the blood test results to come back, but when they did, something inside me ignited almost. I didn’t have HIV – I was going to live!

What I did have was a chronic form of mono (Ebstein Barr Virus).

Once I knew what was wrong, I knew how to treat it and within a few days, I was feeling very spry again and like the old me — or as close as I could be.

I got dressed up in some cute little pumps and skirt to match and started out the door to go to work. Two steps out the door, I slipped, fell and broke my ankle in two places.

For some reason, God had plans for me and because I wasn’t listening I found myself laying face up on our porch, broken ankle and alone.

While down with a broken ankle, the Masters plan became more obvious… I took an entire three day holiday weekend that year and emailed every single member of my states General Assembly. I wanted answers. I wanted to know WHY people are lead to believe those tests were complete when they weren’t. Why are people allowed to live life like there is nothing wrong?

I received ONE answer! Our states Governor at the time, Frank O’Bannon invited me to speak before an assembly to tell my story and why the laws surrounding testing should be changed.

Long story short… With the help of my wonderful, supportive doctor, my status and patient advocacy spun out of control. Next thing I knew, I was being called by magazines, television shows, news and even major pharmaceutical companies asking me to participate in launch meetings, training sessions and discussions where I’d be the ONLY person without several letters at the end of my name. Even Dr. Ruth knew who I was (I’m quoted a few times one of her books)!

My God had big plans for me and finally I was listening – Like I had a choice! Here I was an all American farm girl — one of those people who thought I’d never have to worry about things I was suddenly faced with! I quickly learned that the message I was supposed to share and put every ounce of faith I had in the efforts that followed!

Though I DO genuinely LOVE the support and advocacy work I still do, I found myself in a position where I was losing myself. I was growing depressed, worn out and the more worn out I became, the less help I was to anyone who needed me.

That’s why I have so many blogs. I need them all to balance out the times when I feel I’m drowning and need someone to lift me up for a change.

So you see, you can take any topic and make it successful, you just have to have the will, heart and true passion for the topic to follow through.