Never Work a Day in Your Life Again
Issue #2128
- WEALTHY: The most valuable secret to making money in the stock market (Charles Delvalle)
- HEALTHY: Is spaghetti better for you than carrots? (Jonny Bowden)
- WISE: Confucius on working
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- A 4-step plan for a happy life (Paul Lawrence)
- What you need to know before you start a PR campaign (Michael Masterson)
- It’s Fun to Know… about spaceflight ticket prices
- Add "gelid" to your vocabulary
An Exciting Opportunity To Take Advantage Of A Trillion-Dollar Industry
Of the many paths to wealth, there is only one that Michael Masterson most consistently recommends to his closest friends and relatives.
It has all the advantages you want if you’re starting from scratch: simplicity, an extremely low entry cost and a huge and growing potential for wealth-building.
Here’s what I am talking about…
- Patrick Coffey
Look for the Shortages
In the financial markets, the law of supply and demand is one of your most valuable allies.
The law is simple. It states that as the supply of something goes down while demand is strong, its price will rise. The inverse is also true. So if you can find a company that is having trouble supplying the market’s demand, and the product it’s selling isn’t unique, you can bank on sales rising for another company offering the same thing.
Right now, Intel (INTC) is going to have a heck of a time supplying computer motherboards to the market due to a capacity problem on their end. What this means is that one of Intel’s biggest competitors, Nvidia (NVDA), should see sales rise through the end of the year when Intel’s capacity problems get sorted out. Which makes this a good time to hold onto Nvidia.
[Ed. Note: Charles Delvalle is a contributing editor to ETR’s Investor’s Daily Edge newsletter, and a regular contributor to INCOME. INCOME lets you in on the safest high-dividend-paying companies, with the goal of providing you with a total return (dividends plus capital gains) of at least 14 percent per year.]
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
Confucius
Never Work a Day in Your Life Again
The title of this essay - "Never Work a Day in Your Life Again" - might make you think about being retired. About winning the lottery or finding out you had a rich uncle who left you a fortune. But you don’t have play games of chance or wait for a relative to die to stop "working."
For one thing, the prospect of winning the lottery or having a massive inheritance is unlikely for most of us. Besides, if you suddenly had a huge fortune, you’d still need to do something with your life - something that would give you pleasure.
Simply having money doesn’t automatically make you happy. All you need to do is read the latest news story about a filthy rich movie star who’s gotten arrested for drunk driving or gone back to rehab for the umpteenth time to know that’s true.
Having said that, I’m not going to tell you that having money won’t help you feel happy. I know I’m a lot happier now that I drive a new car and can afford to take trips to foreign countries like Peru (which is where I am right now). Nevertheless, many people who make great incomes are miserable… because they hate their work.
Then there are people like me. Even though I generally work about 14 hours a day, six or seven days a week, it feels to me like I don’t work at all. That’s because I love what I do. For example, when my wife and I were on the plane to Peru and I announced that I was going to pull out my computer and write for a while, she moaned that I should learn to enjoy myself.
"That’s what I’m trying to do," I explained. "I’m really excited about this new sitcom I’m writing, and this will be fun for me."
Although she dropped the subject, I’m not sure if she really believed me. But what I said was absolutely true.
It’s my contention - and it’s backed up by many people who are successful in fields they love - that you will not only be happier by doing work you love, but you’ll have a better chance of economic success. You’ll have more passion for your work and you’ll have the endurance you need to pursue difficult goals.
Take it from a guy who used to repossess people’s TVs and refrigerators for a paycheck. Life is so much sweeter when you’re earning a living by doing something you love. The question is: How do you go about finding that something?
Here’s how to get started:
1. Ask yourself what you would do if you didn’t need to make money to live.
Be creative here. Reach for the stars. Think about what would be your ultimate dream job. I love movies and television, so I made a decision to pursue a career in that field.
2. Create a plan that will give you the chance to make money in your dream job.
Now, there may be some limitations to your dream. If you would like to be a rock star, but you can’t sing and have no musical talent, it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll be able to turn yourself into a Grammy winner. But you could still do something in the music industry. You could start a record company, be a talent manager, or promote concerts.
Don’t be afraid to think big, but do be practical.
3. Formulate a strategy with practical steps that will make your plan happen.
In my case, I decided that since writing is one of my strengths, my best chance of breaking into the entertainment business would be to pursue screenwriting. My strategy included learning the craft of screenwriting, actually writing screenplays, and then making real efforts to sell my work.
4. Actually execute the steps.
No plan - no matter how good it is - will work if you don’t take action to make it happen. Let’s say your goal is to get into the music industry, you plan to do that by becoming a manager for rock bands, and your strategy to implement your plan is to find local talent by going to clubs that feature local bands. Well, you couldn’t be successful if all you did was watch the bands play. You’d need to actually go over and talk to them. Tell them that you’re looking for clients and give them your card. And then follow up with them.
As I said, happiness in life is not only based on economic success. You’ll spend a large percentage of your life working - so, it only makes sense that you’ll be much happier with an occupation you love. Do what you love… and the money will be there too.
[Ed. Note: Paul Lawrence is a produced screenwriter, direct-mail copywriter, and business author. He is also the creator of the Quick and Easy Microbusiness System, ETR’s program for starting a business for under $100. For Paul’s specific strategies to help you find your dream job, click here.]
Make Over 541% from the Silver Supply Crunch!
If you can spot which commodities are undergoing huge supply shortages, you’re on track to make huge gains. Consider:
- Uranium Prices soared over 1,200% in the past five years as new nuclear power plants went online.
- Copper prices have zoomed over 426% as world demand hits unprecedented levels.
But had you owned resource companies that took advantage of these supply crunches, you could’ve made MUCH more.
Click here right now to learn the name of one company poised to make early investors over 541% from the silver supply crunch.
Reader Feedback: "ETR has provided me with no small amount of inspiration."
"ETR has provided me with no small amount of inspiration, motivation, ideas, and even the occasional solution to a problem. The one that stands out the most was actually quite simple and I dare say one that affects many, many people. It dealt with all the reasons people would hesitate before going forward with projects. One of the reasons outlined in the piece (and the ONE which applied to me) was that some people might put off doing something because they ‘aren’t feeling well’ and would rather wait until they are well so they can ‘do a better job.’
"If you aren’t feeling well and there are things that need to be done - GET THEM DONE! Press on regardless. Concentrate that much harder so as to insure you do it as well as you would have otherwise. Then not only will you get the job done but you will feel better from the tremendous feeling of satisfaction that you overcame your stumbling block and persevered anyway! SIMPLE BUT TRUE! Thanks ETR!"
- Marc R.Williams
Lapine, AL
[Ed. Note: How has reading ETR helped you - maybe even changed your life? Send your comments to ReaderFeedback@gmail.com. Include your name and hometown… and we may print your e-mail in a future issue.]
The Power - and Challenge - of PR
If you play it smart, you can create a reputation for your business with PR that is bigger than you could possibly buy with advertising or word-of-mouth goodwill.
A basic program for a growing company could include a press release sent out every two to four weeks. Possible topics might be:
- the creation of a new product, product line, or division
- the opening of a new office
- the signing of a major contract
- an award that was won by your company, you, or one of your employees
- your company’s sponsorship of a local charity or team
Before you begin your PR campaign, spend some time discussing the image you want to project. It’s not enough to say "growing company, good citizen." Treat it as a marketing challenge. What is your company’s unique selling proposition (USP)? How does that apply to your market? How does it translate to the way you select, train, and motivate employees? And how is it reflected in the work you do (or refrain from doing) in your local community?
Pick an image that is (1) true - since you can’t fool all of the people all of the time - and (2) attractive - since there is no point in promoting an image the public won’t respond to.
Once you have that figured out, establish a way to ensure that what you do is understood as an aspect of that image. This, any good public relations professional can do for you. Better yet, do it yourself.
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson and his team of business-building and marketing experts will be revealing their strategies for getting a brand-new business of the ground… and making an existing business grow like crazy. Reserve your spot at this fall’s Info Marketing Bootcamp - Making a Fast Fortune on the "Other Side" of the Internet - today.]
Glycemic Index? Not So Fast
If you’re a regular ETR reader, you already know how important the glycemic index is to make sure you’re eating well. But there’s a big problem with using the glycemic index as a guide to eating: It doesn’t take into account portion size. Glycemic load - a far more useful number - does.
The glycemic index measures your blood sugar response to a "standard" serving of 50 grams of digestible (non-fiber) carbohydrate. Great. But the real world of actual portions presents a much different picture. Some carbohydrate foods have way less than 50 grams in a serving, while many typically have a lot more.
Enter the glycemic load, a formula that multiplies the glycemic index by the number of grams of carbs in a typical portion (and then divides the result by 100, in case you’d like to do the actual math). Because the formula for glycemic load takes into account real-life portion sizes, it gives you a much better idea of what a food is doing to your blood sugar.
Take spaghetti and carrots, for example. The glycemic index of 50 grams of spaghetti is only "moderate," but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who eats just 50 grams of spaghetti. The glycemic load of spaghetti is humongous. And while the glycemic index of 50 grams of carrots is "high," you probably wouldn’t eat 50 grams of carrots. (There are only three grams of carbohydrate in a single carrot.) Carrots have a high glycemic index- but a very low glycemic load.
Using the glycemic index is a great start in learning about the impact of food on your blood sugar. But glycemic load is even better, because it takes into account what you’re actually likely to eat.
It’s easier to find the glycemic index of a food than the glycemic load, but you can find both at mendosa.com/gilists.htm. Alternately, you could ignore the entire glycemic numbers game and just follow this simple rule: When it comes to sugar, less is more, zero is better.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Jonny Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition, and health. He’s a board certified nutritionist with a master’s degree in psychology, and the author of the best-selling book, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. For more information, go to www.jonnybowden.com. To read more of his articles on healthy living in ETR’s brand-new natural health e-letter, click here.]
It’s Fun to Know: Spaceflight Ticket Prices
If you’re planning a visit to the International Space Station, you’d better book your trip now - because prices are going up. A seat on the Russian Soyuz spaceship, the only flight available to space tourists, now costs $30 million, compared to $25 million earlier this year. Next year, the price will go up to $40 million.
Officials with Space Adventures, which organizes the trips with the Russian space agency, blame the falling value of the dollar for the price hike.
(Source: Associated Press)
Imagine Knowing of a Casino Where the Dealer Tipped His Hand Before You Made Your Move and Didn’t Care How Many Times You Beat Him.
When would you stop going there?
This is nothing to do with games of chance, but I hope your answer to that question would be a resounding, “NEVER!!” Assuming you’re sane that is… Well, that is a virtually PERFECT analogy of the power of the insider signal!
It’s often said, “The Stock Market is just a big casino”. And it’s true. But the important omission in that statement (to keep the masses out!) is the dealer in this casino tips his hand to the select few… the insiders.
Such powerful knowledge could make YOU very rich indeed… Click here to learn more…
Word to the Wise: Gelid
"Gelid" (JEL-id) - from the Latin for "frost" - means extremely cold.
Example (as used by Letta Tayler in Newsday): "The weather is gelid on a recent Thursday night - so uninviting that it’s hard to imagine anyone venturing out."
[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