Why am I doing this? Because I want to. I am 85 years old. I should be content to just be retired after working all of my adult life, but I got so bored after I did retire that I started looking for something I could do on the computer to make some extra money. One would think that after working with computers for roughly 35 years since their infancy, I would be tired of them, but from the day I learned to program the big mainframes, I have loved every day of my work. So when I got bored and started looking for something new to do, I knew it had to be online on the computer.
I began looking at ads for people to work online. My thoughts were maybe data entry. I found one ad looking for people to transcribe recorded information. That sounded more interesting. I contacted them and applied but to qualify, I had to pass a typing speed test. I can type very well and quite fast, but just put a clock near me and I freeze. Even though I have been typing all my life, I couldn’t pass that test at the speed they wanted. So much for that one.
So What Else?
Then I started getting emails of other online opportunities. Some were just about sending text messages, but they wanted several hundred or even thousands of dollars to buy into it. I was skeptical of that, but ran across someone who was offering training classes about working online. That sounded interesting. I answered that ad and ended up signing up for six weeks of lessons that cost over $2,000. Plus I had to buy my own website and pay for ads. They taught me to write ads advertising their classes and paying for them — ouch. But I did learn a lot about the online internet systems. But I also ended up spending several more thousand dollars on Facebook and Google Ads by the time the six weeks of lessons were completed.
When the lessons were completed, I was supposedly ready to start my own business. All I needed was a product. I had no idea what to sell and I was introduced to Clickbank. But I was still in a quandy as to how it all worked. And my money was running out.
So Why PBS?
One day, I got a text message on my phone, which I was just beginning to learn to use. It was about weight-loss coffee. Curious about it, I called the number or texted back or something, but ended up talking to Christina Balboe. What she was offering me sounded too good to be true. A mentor who paid for everything. And having once been taken in, I was very cautious. I think I had three or maybe even four calls with Christina before I decided to give it a try. That was two years ago- April 2019.
I started out with a bang. Picked up the writing with Word Press and had my pages done in less than a month. Christina and Ashley both gave me a couple of students to work with and I was happy with it all. I loved working with the students, teaching and helping them. Ashley and Christina kept giving me some of their students that needed extra help, and I added a couple more of my own. I was happy, happy, happy!!
Then Disaster. Why?
Along the way, I friended another woman I met in a chat room on Skype who seemed lost. At that time, I wasn’t really clear about the protocol and hierarchy of PBS, but I learned them the hard way. I lost everything. All my students. My access to the 101 Boards. and my access to the Team Chat Group. My certification as an Instructor that I had worked so hard to get. I was left with my 200 web pages and my V-marketing. Cut off from everything. I was lucky not to have lost the website.
Why Did I Never Quit?
But through that empty time, I kept on. The “system” gave me something meaningful to do every day. I needed to see the people in the meetings during the week. I was living alone and having no interaction with other living beings except my dog. PBS gave me a reason to get out of bed every morning. I kept writing my pages and doing the V-Marketing and doing ads, hoping that somehow I would be able to sell something and make a little extra money. But without a team, it seemed hopeless.
One day I saw another student on one of the Chat boards, and I introduced myself to him in a private Skype message. We became friends and I found that he was hoping to make a move from where he was living. I had an extra room in my house, so I invited him to come to visit. He offered to do some work around my house that needed to be done in exchange. That was over six months ago. We’ve become good friends and we work our PBS every day side by side. His name is Mark.
PBS With Mark
After Mark came, Mark’s instructor interceded for me with a fellow MSI, Shane Balceto. Ironically, it was Shane’s coffee ad that I answered way back. Shane has made me work hard for the past six months to earn back the 101 Boards. I am now learning how to work them, although I was terrified to pick up the telephone before. I am still motivated every day to get out of bed and work on my system.
It would be nice to make a little extra money and it would be really nice to have a couple of new students. I am now sure that I am on the right track to make that happen. I loved teaching and helping people. But it is enough for me to just have something meaningful to do every day. It is wonderful having contact with people again by text, phone, or email. And the meetings at night continue to motivate me to keep trying. I love having new products to learn about and the challenge of writing about them.
So Why Am I Doing This?
Because I love what I am doing. I love PBS and I love being part of this family. PBS is keeping me mentally alert and active. I love every day. And that is my Why.
P.S. It is now almost five years since I wrote this page. It’s 2025 and I am now 89, but I am still doing it every day. I love the system and the comradery. I love being able to introduce people to this system and helping them learn. And Mark is still with me. I have over 300 pages now and I hope you will take a look at the menu either to the left of this page or up on top if you are on a smartphone. Check out some of the other pages. There is a wealth of information here and a few of my other memories.