Thursday, September 27, 2012

Still Here and Kickin'!


Update

It’s been a while since my last post, but I’m still alive and here on the blog! Last year I hurt my back and ended up with a herniated disc and some other spine issues. Jiří and I have been on a hunt to find the right doctors who can help “fix” me. I’ve been in the MRI scanner so many times; now I can go in and almost fall asleep inside the belly of that machine. You know how noisy an MRI scanner is—can you imagine sleeping in there? The journey to health and well-being can be a long one. We’re making progress, and hopefully sometime this fall I’ll be “fixed.” I won’t go into the details now, but will maybe share them at a later point. Just know I’m still here and have been thinking of you all quite a bit.

Experiments with Online Income

One thing I’ve learned with working online is to never put all your eggs in one basket. With that mantra in the back of my mind, I sometimes look for new ways to earn some extra money online. Creating a diverse income stream takes some time (at least for me), but is well worth the effort. If one stream dries up, you still have others bringing in some money. Let me tell you about a couple of places I’ve explored and tried.

Wizzley

While I’m in the waiting stage to be “fixed,” I’ve been introduced to Wizzley. Wizzley offers a platform where you can write articles and earn passive income. They allow you to make money with certain affiliate programs, as well as Adsense. The people there are friendly, the owners and employees are professional and pleasant. I don’t have many articles there yet, but hope to work do quite a bit more writing there in the future.

Fiverr

Another online site I've been working on is Fiverr. Fiverr offers a platform where almost anyone can sell their skills. The site allows people form about 200 countries to work online. Sellers create "gigs" (small tasks) that are wiling to do for $5 USD. The gigs are arranged by category, making it easy for buyers to find the best person to hire.

I’ve been on Fiverr for about a month, but have not done too much promotion of my gigs. I’ve had 4 gigs ordered. One gig was a bit challenging, and the buyer and I mutually decided to cancel the order. By mutually cancelling the order, the buyer was able to receive a refund. I was happy to refund the money, as I want a happy customer, and want to avoid a negative review. The other three gigs were fast; the buyers were happy with the work—which made me happy, too. Fiverr can be a good way for expats to keep working, from the comfort of their own homes. I’m still running the experiment with Fiverr—we’ll see how it goes. You can read more about my experiment on Shervacik.com.

BellaOnline Asthma Site and An Ebook

The BellaOnline Asthma site keeps me busy, too. In fact, I’ve been working on an asthma ebook the past couple of months. The ebook is geared toward those who are newly diagnosed with asthma, or for caregivers of newly diagnosed patients. I’ve been gathering up tips from the years of dealing with my kids’ and my own asthma, along with the facts of asthma. I’ve never written an ebook before, and I have to say it’s fun. However, I do work hard to ensure the information is correct, and then work hard on writing and editing. The asthma ebook’s in the third revision…I’m not sure how many more it will need before I’m satisfied it’s ready to sell. We’ll see how it goes.


The SUM-it UP Program

I'd like to recommend the SUM-it UP program for expats who feel lost living in a new country. The SUM-it UP program was created by Anastasia Ashman and Tara Agacayak. The program helps you to discover ways to utilize your talents and creativity, and teaches you how to use these talents to create work for yourself, and how to find joy in your new expat life.

I've had the pleasure to work online with both Anastasia and Tara. They're great fun to work with, and they've been a help to me in my own expat life.

If you're feeling lost in a new country and aren't sure how to create a life in your new home, then sign up for the SUM-it UP program. You won't be disappointed.* 

That’s all for now—I wanted to be sure and write a post to show I’m still here and alive. I’ve not forgotten you all or my blog! Medical stuff has made me have to slow down a bit, but I’m still kickin’.

Have a great day.

God bless,

*One note, I have not been paid or otherwise compensated to promote the SUM-it UP Program. 




2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I recently returned from a visit to the Czech Republic where I enjoyed garlic soup. Several times in fact, and each one was different but delicious. I will try your recipe. Thank you.
Now, if you can tell me where in the US I can buy Czech beer for my sons-in-law.........

Sher said...

I'm happy to hear you had a visit to the Czech Republic and enjoyed garlic soup! Garlic soup, for some people, is an acquired taste. I didn't like it before moving to Prague--now I love it and crave garlic soup in the fall and winter.

Did you try my recipe? If so, I hope you enjoyed it.

I found this link to Pilsner Urquell where you can find a vendor near you: http://www.pilsnerurquell.com/us/

Czech beer is excellent--even the gluten free version!

Have a great day,
Sher :0)