How Do You Spend That Hour Before Work?
Issue #2017
- WEALTHY: How successful people use their spare time (Michael Masterson)
- HEALTHY: 2 tasty ways to get your protein (Jon Herring)
- WISE: Richard Whately on wasting time
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Would you change a flat for a stranger? (Suzanne Richardson)
- 4 ways to take a better photo (Jason Holland)
- It’s Good to Know… about sound
- Add "stolid" to your vocabulary
Imagine if There Were Only 6 Numbers to Choose from When Buying a Lottery Ticket!
Wouldn’t that be great?! Of course, the less the number of choices, the more likely your chance of success, right?
How many choices are there when buying and selling shares? Errmm… a LOT! Hundreds… One of the reasons I enjoy such consistent success from trading, is because I only have 6 options to choose from! Except this is even better in a way, because the lottery is pure luck…
… I only have 6 choices AND have a VERY good idea about which choice to make because of the insider signal. Click here to learn more…
- Patrick Coffey
"Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it."
Richard Whately
How Do You Spend That Hour Before Work? It Could Mean Millions
By Michael Masterson
Jack and Jill live in the same apartment building and work in the same office. They both wake up at 7:00 a.m., shower, have breakfast, and get to work by 8:00 a.m. It is at this point that their habits diverge.
From 8:00 until 9:00 (when the rest of the workers come into the office), Jill plans her day and gets to work on a job that is important to her long-term goals. Jack likes to get into work an hour earlier too, but he prefers to spend the time "relaxing into his day" with a cup of coffee and the morning newspaper.
Jack sees Jill working away and feels sorry for her. "We both get credit for getting into work early," he thinks, "but she has exchanged happiness for money." In his opinion, that makes Jill greedy, foolish, and, ultimately, self-centered.
David Niven, a college professor and author of the book The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People would half agree. "Yes, Jill is acting out of self-interest," he’d say, "but so is Jack." Both of them choose to do what they do with their spare time because they believe they benefit from it.
Jack doesn’t like work. Thus, he doesn’t want to work any more than he has to. But since he has to work from 9 to 5, he figures he might as well do a good job during that time. And he does.
Jill does like to work. And although she doesn’t enjoy every single aspect of it, she especially enjoys the hour between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. That’s when she plans her day, figures out what she can accomplish, and gets some work done on a project that she knows will change her life for the better.
By 9 o’clock, Jack feels relaxed but just a little bit sad. In a few minutes, the office will be teeming with activity, his inbox overflowing with work, and the phone ringing off its stand. Jill actually feels better than she did at 8 o’clock.
In their use of spare time, Jill is an investor, while Jack is a spender.
As an investor, Jill works from 8:00 to 9:00 because it gives her dividends. On a short-term basis, she is rewarded by knowing that her day is set, her inbox is organized, and she’s already done something she cares about. On a medium-term basis, she benefits by enjoying a more orderly day. And on a long-term basis, the work she puts in now will provide her with all sorts of rewards in the future - higher pay, better work, more responsibility, etc.
As a spender, Jack is not willing to work that extra hour every morning. He would rather use it to "buy" some time that will give him instant gratification.
Generally speaking, value compounds over time. This is true of money, of knowledge, and of work. Invest $1,000 in the stock market today and you can be pretty sure it will be worth about $2,000 in about eight years (assuming the stock market grows at its historic nine percent rate). You get a similar reward with education. That’s why college graduates, on the average, earn at least a million dollars more during their careers than do non-graduates. The same principle holds true with work. Every hour that you put in today will be worth many times that amount later on.
The rewards can be extraordinary if you think of them in terms of money.
Let’s say Jack and Jill are both earning $20,000 a year right now. By putting in an extra hour a day for a full year, Jill can expect to get salary increases that are, perhaps, 20 percent higher than Jack’s. If that’s the case, when he gets a $1,000 raise, hers would be $1,200.
That may not seem like much during the first year, but by the third year, Jill will have jumped up to a new level - a management position with a salary of $40,000. If she continues to put in that extra hour a day, she will eventually be running the business, pulling down $175,000 a year. Meanwhile, though Jack has been enjoying his early-morning hours, he will have had a very slow career arc. With any luck, he’ll be earning about $55,000 a year as a junior manager.
During the 20 years of their respective careers, Jill will have earned a lot more money and lived much better in terms of material goods. But Jack does not regret his choice. After all, he figures that he has enjoyed an hour a day of pleasure - five hours a week, 250 hours a year, for 20 years - that Jill gave up. That’s 5,000 hours of "fun" that Jill didn’t have.
But now Jack and Jill are 48 and Jill doesn’t have to work anymore. She was able to retire with $4 million in the bank, while Jack is forced to continue working. With two kids in college and a mortgage, he couldn’t retire even if he wanted to.
Every 40-hour week that Jack now works is 40 hours that Jill can spend enjoying herself. It will take Jill just 125 weeks, about two and a half years, to catch up with Jack in terms of the amount of time he spent on personal pleasure all those years between the hours of 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning. And Jill will still not only be much richer and freer than Jack, she’ll also be able to continue enjoying herself an extra 2,000 hours a year.
How to Achieve Aggressive Returns… With Less Risk!
The most successful hedge funds and institutions often beat the market by allocating a large percentage of capital to long-term investments… while using a smaller amount of capital to make timely, leveraged bets on rising and falling market sectors.
And with the evolution of ETFs it is easier than you might think for YOU to do the same thing. Click here to learn how you can regularly see returns of 30%… 50%… 100%… allowing you to multiply your wealth, while actually reducing your overall risk in the market.
Reader Feedback: "It’s time for me to start ‘doing’ instead of ‘becoming.’"
"I just wanted to take a minute to let you know that I appreciated the article you wrote in ETR about becoming what you want to be. It fit me to a tee. Up until now, I had never been able to put into words exactly what it is that holds me back. It turns out, after reading what you wrote, that it’s the same thing that kept you from ‘being’ a writer. No light bulbs went off or anything, but I have to say that it did get me just a little bit closer to ‘doing’ rather than ‘becoming.’
"I have told myself since I was 10 or 11 years old that I wanted to ‘be a writer.’ During the last several years, I have taken small steps toward that end, going through the motions and taking what you called ‘psychological credit’ for wanting to be a writer; in effect excusing my lack of effort by telling myself that I will be a writer ’someday.’ Well, it seems that it’s time for me to start ‘doing’ instead of ‘becoming.’ And here’s where all of the fears come in.
"What I read in your article cleared the fog a bit. Bottom line: Do it or don’t. It all rests with me. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate the encouragement, and hopefully you’ll be seeing my name in print soon."
B.C.
Keeping Kindness Alive
By Suzanne Richardson
How often do you see someone go out of his way to help another person? Well, just last week, I was bowled over by one man’s unexpected kindness.
While on a family ski vacation at Big Sky, MT, our vehicle’s right rear tire started slowly going flat. We crept down the snowy 10-mile road to the gas station, pulling over so faster cars could pass. At one point, we pulled onto the shoulder, and a truck with a ski resort’s logo on it pulled in behind us.
"You have a flat tire there," said the friendly young driver.
"We’re driving it down to the gas station to put some air in it," my dad replied.
"Have a spare?" the young guy asked. "I’d be happy to change your tire for you."
Sure, he could’ve been hoping to make $20 off of some tourists. (Although $20 for changing a tire in the snow hardly seems worth it.) And maybe it’s nothing but good customer service on the part of the resort - a policy that requires their employees to keep their eyes open for people in a jam. But his unsolicited help seemed more like just plain thoughtfulness. And it left all of us with a warm feeling.
We’ve written about performing little acts of kindness before in ETR. Michael Masterson recommends it as a way to show gratitude for all of life’s blessings. You could, for example, bring flowers to someone in the hospital. Make a special dinner for your spouse - and do the dishes. Load someone’s groceries into their car. As Michael says, "There are a million tiny ways to make life easier for other people."
If you’d like some ideas on how to spread kindness, check out the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website. It’s chock full of suggestions for how to treat coworkers, family members, senior citizens, and your whole community with extra care. (And I’m sure many of those ideas could be adapted to work well for your customers, too.)
[Ed. Note: We'd like to hear your stories about random acts of kindness you've experienced. Send them to ReaderFeedback@gmail.com with "Kindness" in the subject line. Include your full name and hometown, and you may see your e-mail in a future issue of ETR.]
The Best Tasting (and Healthiest) Protein on the Planet
By Jon Herring
It is extremely important to have an adequate amount of protein in your diet. Protein is not only necessary for rebuilding and maintaining your muscles and bones, it is vital for the cells of your immune system.
In addition to eating naturally raised meats, a convenient way to get enough protein is to supplement with high-quality whey powder. This natural protein, derived from cow’s milk, is a rich source of the essential amino acids your body needs on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, finding a good protein supplement can be difficult. Most popular products are sweetened with refined sugars or, worse, toxic artificial sweeteners. You should avoid any protein powders that contain sugar, aspartame, or sucralose.
But there are two products that I use and recommend highly. The first is Jay Robb’s protein powders. You can find them at almost any health food store. They are sweetened with all-natural, low-calorie, low-glycemic sweeteners, and I can hardly believe how good they taste. In fact, they are advertised as "The best tasting protein on the planet," and, having tried a few, I would have to agree.
The other protein powder I highly recommend is Whey Healthier, distributed by Dr. Joseph Mercola. This nutritional powerhouse comes strictly from organically raised, grass-fed cows.
If you have trouble finding the time for breakfast - or if you feel you don’t get enough protein in your diet - stock up on some protein powder from one of these two providers. All you have to do is mix it with water or milk and enjoy. A quick, delicious, and convenient way to boost your health and fitness.
ETR Insider Report: ETR Gets Its Close-Up
By Jason Holland
Mayhem at ETR is usually limited to expletives during computer glitches or muttered threats when someone changes the thermostat setting. We have a newsletter to put out, after all. But last Thursday, mayhem ruled the day.
To address apparent "shortcomings" in our photo archive (which was basically nonexistent), we brought in a pro to get some shots of Michael Masterson and the entire crew. (We weren’t completely uncomfortable with the idea of being photographed, but MaryEllen did offer to bring down some Champagne to loosen everybody up.)
What ensued was a flurry of guts being sucked in, makeup being applied, and strained half-smiles being tried out in the mirror.
Photographer Red Morgan went through about five towels as he sweltered in the South Florida sun. But he didn’t pass out, and somehow managed to capture each and every one of our unique personalities.
Here are some basic techniques from Red for taking better portraits and group photos - things he has learned during his 30 years of being in the business:
- Use available or natural light and avoid flash photography as much as possible. Early and late afternoon bring warm light, which is ideal for shooting outdoors. Warm light can add "emotion" to your images, which should be one of your goals.
- Keep the background clean and ensure that it relates to your subject. Make sure nothing in the background, like a light pole or coat rack, seems to be growing out of your subject’s head.
- Poses should capture a mood. Stiff, straight, and in a line is boring. Movement conveys drive and character.
- All the high-tech equipment in the world can’t make a great picture if your subjects aren’t comfortable with what they are doing. It is up to you, as the photographer, to put your subjects at ease by encouraging them to be themselves and not be afraid to try some new and different poses.
[Ed. Note: You'll be seeing the results of Red's work on ETR's website in the near future. Meanwhile, check out his website at RedMorgan.com.]
It’s Good to Know: About Sound
The speed of light may be constant - but the speed of sound isn’t. Sound travels more quickly at high altitudes and high temperatures. It also travels faster through dense, compressed substances (like steel, for instance).
(Source: Contrary to Popular Belief by Joey Green)
Learn how to "Hotwire” the Internet for fast and furious profits…
These days, it seems like everyone’s getting bogged down with all the technical jargon and being intimidated by the internet… and rightly so, because doing things the way all the ‘experts’ say is a real headache!
This system assumes you have absolutely no previous knowledge about making money from the internet nor any previous knowledge about computers.
Discover that much needed extra bit of breathing space and peace of mind an extra grand or two here and there can give you today. Read about it here…
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Stolid
"Stolid" (STOL-id) - from the Latin for "unmoving" - means unemotional, not easily excited.
Example (as used by Robert Reno in Newsday): "The inherent irrationality of markets was first demonstrated in the 17th century, when the normally stolid Dutch population was seized by a tulip craze that caused the people to pay insane prices for a single bulb."
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Michael Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2007