Ah, once again it's time to set goals to make 2009 even better than 2008.

If you haven't set goals, this year could turn out to be a nightmare instead of your dream-come-true.

One of the first things I always encourage our Proteges and others to schedule on the annual calendar is their family vacation.

Most families I know who have a home business, haven't taken a vacation since they started it.

What does that tell the children? What does that tell their clients? Does that really make them feel "successful"?

Success embodies more than just a nice paycheck; it mainly affects your lifestyle. If you're making all the money you want but are so tied to your business that you can't leave it for a week, you may need to analyze your structure.

After all, you started a home business to get out of a rut, not to create a new rut at home.

If we are training our children to be entrepreneurs who lead their society in business, education, government, entertainment, sports or religion, they've got to have the right mindset. And that means balancing all parts of vocation and avocation.

We have a duty to teach it to them by example.

H. A. Ironside, who lived from 1876-1951, said, "If lips and life do not agree, the testimony will not amount to much."

So taking at least one family vacation every year not only gives you a break and let's you enjoy some of that success, but it lets the kids know you really can afford to spend money on them.

"Resting" is the other side of the "working" coin. If you don't rest regularly, you soon won't be able to work.

After having 10 babies, a home business, and still educating my last 4 kids at home, why do you think this has become so important to me?

Life is a marathon, not a sprint. If you don't pace yourself and reward yourself along the way, you'll soon crash and burn.

Not good.

So promise me AND yourself that you will at least TRY to schedule one family vacation, even if it is only for one weekend, into your overly-busy schedule this year.

And if your schedule is soooo jam-packed that even one weekend won't fit, consider changing something serious, like your job. Something is out of balance.

Okay, so there. I said it.

Before I tell you about my family's winter vacation, listen to this!

In case you're kicking yourself because you missed the Arbitrage Conspiracy class, guess what?

Haven't I always told you that if you position yourself correctly to be in the line of opportunity that if you miss one wave, another one will come along?

Well, here's the next wave, straight from my friend Andy Jenkins and StomperNet.

It's an MBA in a box, except it's a free downloadable report, not a box. It's the basic systems of business that everyone needs whether they realize it or not.

The MBA in a BOX report is 96-Pages FULL of "Plug In - Get Paid" projects that even average business owners can complete in less than 2 days.

Once you turn on these systems which are based on compounding your business instead of creating new stuff, they keep growing your business over and over again.

You will learn how to

*Make more money on every item you sell. (I just tried this and made $197 in one day on one sale.)

*Write copy for ANY product you sell

*Revive dormant customers

*Bring order to business that seems unorganized and overwhelming

*And much much more.

Here's where you can watch a very entertaining video to learn more from my friend Andy:

www.EducatingforSuccess.com/f5.html

Listen to what people are doing with this information:

Rich says: "I have to say. I started implementing the concept and today I am seeing at one website (which is just not ready for primetime) and another website of mine - a burst of traffic. Coincidence? I think not - they are not even linked."

Amber says: "Andy and Paul, you guys never cease to amaze me! Constantly coming up with fresh innovative ideas that are so inspiring and immediately useful to me."

If your business could use some organization and systemitizing, here it is.

If you haven't started an online business yet, here is the foundation.

Don't miss it.

www.EducatingforSuccess.com/f5.html

I confess, I love to play! I totally believe that life is not about just working hard all the time and never enjoying life.

So when I started my online business several years ago, one of my goals was to take a vacation every year, mainly because I went so many years without one.

Well, during the first few years, there wasn't enough extra income since I was re-investing sooooo much in my online business education.

Then things started going so well that I didn't have time to take a break.

When I realized my business model wasn't lining up with my goals, I decided to systematize it and learn how to outsource.

So finally we've gotten to the place where I can leave for a week, call into our Branch Office in California (that's Denise's house) to see how things are going and not worry about how everyone will possibly get along without me.

(In fact, I've found that things usually run better when I'm gone!)

So let me tell you about what we did in 2008.

One day last year, I suddenly looked at 3 of these kids who are all taller than I am and realized they don't know anything about snow and winter sports.

So at the end of February, I took my 5 youngest kids to Gatlinburg, TN to spend the week skiing and doing Winter Stuff.

They LOVED it!

We also went to the Dixie Stampede because I wanted my musicians to hear some great bluegrass and my 10 yo Horselover (check out her drawings at www.RateMyDrawings.com) to experience a cool dinner theater with horses.

They LOVED it!

We also toured the Gatlinburg Aquarium.

They LOVED it!

We also visited the Biltmore House in NC - the largest house in America - and really enjoyed the audio tour. Yes, I paid extra to get a headset for all 5 kids plus me.

They LOVED it!

We also sat in the outdoor hot tub while it snowed and chatted with our condo neighbors.

They LOVED it!

Needless to say, they loved the mountains and especially skiing.

One of my goals is to take them on extended vacations like that twice a year. Hey, they're older now and will probably be leaving home soon so I want to spend as much time with them as I can sharing great experiences and showing them what I value.

So just a few a week or two ago in December, we rented a different resort in Boone, NC to go skiing again which we did - twice.

And we went snowboarding.

And we went tubing at HawkesNest.

And we toured Linville Caverns.

And we drove to the top of Grandfather Mountain and crossed the mile-high swinging bridge.

And we shopped at the Mast Country Store.

And we went swimming in the indoor pool at the resort while it was freezing outside.

And we ate out a few times at some very cool local restaurants.

And we laid around the condo watching old movies and eating popcorn for a day or two.

Then we dropped by to see some friends before driving to my brother's house to have dinner with him and his wife.

Yes, they got tired of driving all that way, but they LOVED it! AND they're ready to go back.

Now you may be asking... how can a homeschooling family with 7 kids afford to do all that in One Year?

Simple.

1. Set goals that place your family first.

2. Have an online home business that creates residual income.

3. Create systems so YOU don't have to do all the work.

That's what I teach our Proteges. In fact, during the first session of our 2009 $50k Protege Project last week, part of their homework was to schedule their 2009 family vacation.

One of our Canadian proteges - @PatinMB - sent this note to Twitter:

"@RheaPerry my kids like the way you plan. #1 priority - family vacation! Oh yeah! All of a sudden Mom's goal planning is Great! Cheering me on!"

I love it when families do great things with their kids!

So how on earth can you afford the time AND the money to get away for a family vacation?

That's one of the things we are learning in our 2009 $50k Protege Project. We're learning how to create an online business that serves us and others instead of us serving it.

Last week we talked about getting a vision for your own personal Big Picture. This week we'll be talking about the basics of successful affiliate marketing and our upcoming family Protege Retreat on April 3-5.

And next week we'll learn how to use Twitter for list-building.

If you want to have not only a successful business, but also a successful family, make sure you schedule great vacations at least once a year.

Your kids may need the break more than you!

So many books, so little time...

Rhea! who totally believes moms need a break more often than they realize

P.S. If you want to follow us on Twitter, go here www.Twitter.com/RheaPerry!

P.P.S. And to learn more about our Protege program and upcoming retreat, go here: http://www.RheasProteges.com