Sunday, October 28, 2012

Working Out of Your Home

You may be wondering where I've been for the last couple of months. I've been recuperating from another Carpal Tunnel release surgery. This time it was on my right wrist. It took a lot longer for this one to heal than it did for my second left wrist surgery. But I'm back, and today, I'm going to talk to you guys about the legitimate  work at home opportunities that can be found if you know how and where to search.

Before I get into that, let me explain why  I, personally, have chosen this path. Many people think that working at home is lazy. They believe that people who work at home just don't have the drive to go out there and do something worthwhile. While this might be true in some cases. In my case, the need to find home based work was more of a requirement, due to several factors.

 The first of which is my anxiety disorder. Crowds, and being rushed, and many other things just send me into terrible fits of panic. Every work environment I have ever tried has inevitably led to this happening.

The second factor is that my immune system is very sensitive. Every little thing that comes around, I am sure to get, and this is even true when I'm in the house most of the time. The fact is, I am usually 70% sick, and 30% healthy. That's how I view it, anyway.

Needless to say, I've been frustrated by the fact that I seem to be unable to hold a normal person job. I have circumstances that even accommodations can't regulate. There is no "fix" for a weak immune system caused by my cerebral palsy. It just is. This is in mind, I decided a long time ago that I wasn't go to just settle for living off the government. Even if it meant 20.00 here, and 20.00 there, I did want to make my own money somehow, someway.

So. That's what's led me to writing about this. I know that everyone's conditions are different. Some of us can , and do go on to make very decent livings for themselves. And those people are to be appreciated and respected. This entry is for the rest of  us who want some sort of supplement to the income we already get.

To begin my search, I talked to a few of my friends who I knew already worked online. They told me what keywords they used, and how to spot a scam. If you have to give money, it is not worth it. You are trying to make money, not give it away.  So here are the couple of sites that I have found that work out the best for me.

Swagbucks is a site that allows you to earn points, called, you guessed, it Swagbucks for doing things like searching using their search engine, watching videos (called Swagbucks TV), completing surveys, and playing games. It is 100% free, and if you work with them steadily, you can easily make enough points to get the minimum of $5 giftcard to be redeemed on PayPal.
While a lot of people may be lured by that alone, I like to go for the Barnes and Noble giftcards because I am an e-book addict, and I love to use them for that purpose. There are other prizes too. This site is perfect for the individual who doesn't want to spend money to buy electronics and giftcards. Let your points do the shopping for you! Trust me, it's lots of fun!

InboxDollars has been used by various members of my family for the last two or three years. Only recently did I decide to give it a try myself. I have only been using this site for two weeks, and I am set to get my first pay check in a few days!

InboxDollars, like Swagbucks, asks their customers (or workers, since we're working!) to read paid emails, take surveys, complete cash offers (most of which are completely free and don't require a credit card), watch videos. Unlike Swagbucks, you don't get paid in points. This is real income. My aunt, who used the site for a while when she was out of work, was able to pay her rent off of this site.

 It's so easy, and it can be fun, when you start inviting people to join  you! Compete to see who has the most by the end of the week, to make things more fun, and motivate you! I have one other friend that I referred to the site, and the two of us are constantly telling each other how much we've made in a certain day on the site alone. We get a great big kick out of it. In my opinion if you want actual money, this is your better bet.

There are other sites out there, but they don't pay nearly as much, nor are they as fun as these two sites. If you have a site you'd like to suggest to me in kind, I'd be glad to feature it in my next blog. For the next few blogs, I will be recording, and talking about my experiences as an online survey taker and email reader.  I hope you will give one of these two sites a try. The worst that could happen is you hate it. You have nothing to lose.

Friday, October 12, 2012

The Less Obvious Problems

What do you think of when you hear the words disability or disabled?  Did you picture someone you know in a wheelchair? Did an elderly woman with a walker come to mind? If so, you're not wrong. Most individuals who  think of disability immediately think of things that are blatantly obvious to the eyes. However, those aren't the only disabilities, and I should know. I have at least two that have nothing to do with my physical condition of Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral Palsy in and of itself is handful to deal with. When I was a child, I had Mom, and physical therapists who helped me remember to do things for myself, such as swallowing, and walking with my heel down first.  The second, I still have issues with. Gradually, these behaviors became learned, so they weren't as obvious.

When I got to be a little older, and started going to school, the mental effects of my CP began to show themselves. I was incredibly smart in many different subjects. Indeed, I was the first to read in my Kindergarten class.

We then came to realize that I had trouble comprehending things that are just said to me. This was especially true when it came to the higher maths in upper elementary school and my later school years. Thank goodness  for the teachers Mom and I worked with. I wouldn't have made it through High school with their know how and patience!

While I know that learning disabilities occur in individuals that have no other condition, when it is coupled with CP, like in my case, it can be seem a little bit more challenging. But as I mentioned above, I did manage to make it out on top with a lot of hard work and determination.

Most recently, I have been dealing with major anxiety disorder. You would think it's not considered a disability, but in truth, it is in the dictionary as being a debilitating condition. My anxiety comes from years of physical and emotional abuse. But I also think it comes from the way people I have met throughout my life have dealt with my condition. Anxiety attacks come on suddenly, and almost  without a warning. It's easier for me to just stay home, and not want to go out. However, I've gotten a bit better at it, with the help of the psychologist and psychiatrist I'm  seeing. This is one disability I can help myself cure, or control.

The point of this post is to get people to understand that disability is more than just what is on the outside. There may be  things going on the inside that you don't know.