How to Get Motivated and Get Started This Year
Issue #2245
- WEALTHY: Make sure 2008 will be a good year for your investments (Rick Pendergraft)
- HEALTHY: 3 ways to reduce a heart-harming compound in your blood (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: Les Brown on attacking your goals
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Pushing past the obstacles to your success (Michael Masterson)
- 3 actions you can take to be a top-notch copywriter (Clayton Makepeace)
- It’s Good to Know… about getting ready for Uncle Sam
- Add "doughty" to your vocabulary
Confidential Report: Disillusioned Trader Opens "Money-Floodgates" to YOU…
Rob Banks Legally… With an Inside Job!
Are You Ready for a "Smash and Grab" on the World’s "Hidden" Money-Mountain?
Great! The getaway car’s leaving…
Investing in 2008: One Question to Ask Yourself
Millions of people make New Year’s resolutions, the majority of them having something to do with losing weight or starting to exercise. Very few make resolutions about their investments. And why not? Vowing to get your investment portfolio into shape is as important as doing it for your body.
The first thing you can do to make sure 2008 will be good for your investments is to look at each stock in your portfolio and ask yourself one question: "Would I buy this stock right now?" Forget about what you may have paid for the stock. If you would not be willing to buy it now, why should you hang on to it?
Don’t just look at what your stocks have done over the past year and dump all the laggards. Look at each one from a technical analysis viewpoint, look at the fundamentals, and look at the sentiment for or against it. If it doesn’t currently meet your criteria for buying a stock, get rid of it. Find others that do measure up.
[Ed. Note: Rick Pendergraft, a two-time winner of the "Top Trader" award at Schaeffer’s Investment Research, is a contributor to ETR’s free e-zine, Investor’s Daily Edge. Learn how to protect your portfolio and multiply your money - in any market - by clicking here.]
"Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals, and charge after them in an unstoppable manner."
Les Brown
Kicking Off 2008 With ETR: How to Get Motivated and Get Started This Year… for Sure!
Larry Clockedile writes to say that although he regularly finds "excellent" ideas in ETR that could improve his life, he has yet to get an answer to a question that’s been troubling him: How can he motivate himself to get started?
As a highly educated, university-trained electrical engineer, Larry says he can "see the opportunities present in… real estate, import/export, online, etc." and that they are present "whether the economy is doing well, poorly, or in between."
"I recognize this intellectually," he says. "But what I don’t see in all the opportunities presented in ETR is how to get going. What do I need to do to push myself along?"
Larry has been a subscriber for just a few months, so he doesn’t know that every January we devote the first few weeks of the year to helping our readers set goals and giving them useful tips on how to achieve them. Some of the articles from those issues are being reprinted in a new edition of Confessions of a Multimillionaire, which will be available this spring.
But Larry needn’t wait till then to get motivated. He can read those articles right now by going to the ETR archives and searching through the first couple of weeks of every year.
Better yet, he can read what I have to say today, and then read ETR every Monday during 2008. I’ve set a goal for myself that should be very helpful to anyone in his position. I am going to lay out a new and revised program for accomplishing everything you want to accomplish. Like everything else I have written, it will be based on my own experience and the real-life accomplishments of friends and colleagues. Taken together, it will be a comprehensive program to become healthier, wealthier, wiser, and happier. And you can start working on it today.
Obstacles to Achievement: Why You Can’t Get Started
Larry says he believes part of his problem is that he is not absolutely, 100 percent sure that if he starts working on some specific opportunity he will be successful. How does he get past this obstacle?
The single biggest reason that people fail in life is that they never take effective action. Poverty is a problem, but not an insurmountable one. Countless successful men and women began their lives in poverty. Ignorance is a problem too, but that can be overcome by anyone willing to learn. Indecision and fear (of failure or success) are common obstacles to success. But all of these obstacles can be overcome, easily, by the individual who makes a commitment to take action, to figure out where he wants to go and then set one foot in front of the other in that direction.
Inaction is Larry’s problem - not the fear that he will work on some opportunity that doesn’t materialize!
Successful people don’t sit around waiting for everything to be "100 percent" right or to be "absolutely sure" they will succeed. They assess the odds. And if the odds are reasonably good, they strike out boldly and energetically. They don’t need absolute assurance because they realize life doesn’t provide any.
The cost of failure, successful people know from experience, is very modest compared to the cost of inaction. Failure means you are smarter the next time. Inaction means there is no next time. There is only a lifetime of unhappiness - first of worry and then of regret.
Larry is living in a world of worry now. If he doesn’t take action soon, he will settle into a retirement of regret.
My rule is "Ready, Fire, Aim." I have written about it many times in ETR, and it is the title of my latest book. As I explain in Chapter 17 of the book:
"Ready, Fire, Aim means disregarding most of the obstacles and detours that waylay others. It means finding and following the fastest path to any objective you set for yourself so that time and all the problems time brings with it don’t defeat you. Ready, Fire, Aim achieves more in less time because it puts the correct value on action. It is also a realistic approach, because it acknowledges human imperfection and failure in
an intelligent way. In effect, Ready, Fire, Aim is a way of increasing the success you have in just about anything."
Key to understanding the Ready, Fire, Aim approach is the principle of accelerated failure. The principle of accelerated failure rests on the recognition that we learn the most - in any enterprise - by making mistakes along the way. The faster we learn the critical mistakes, the sooner we acquire the knowledge we need to succeed. In other words, don’t fear failure… seek it out!
Larry recognizes that any of the opportunities regularly discussed in ETR - real estate, information publishing, Internet marketing, etc. - can be viable avenues for financial success… no matter what the economy is doing. That being the case, what is he waiting for? He’s not going to increase his odds by waiting and worrying. The sooner he gets going, the faster he will make the mistakes he needs to make in order to succeed.
I am very sympathetic to Larry. Many ETR readers are stuck in the same place. His problem is exacerbated by his intelligence. Smart people are good at worrying. They are adept at conjuring up reasons to fear failure and delay action. They are the victims of their own IQs.
Larry has to compensate for this by making a greater effort to ignore his worries and put himself into motion. It really doesn’t matter which opportunity he chooses. He knows he is resourceful enough to succeed at whatever he does. All he has to do is get going. Put one foot in front of the other and start to move.
I am going to make that process easy - not just for Larry but for you, too, if you are in his shoes. I’m going to tell you what you need to do today. And then, once a week for the next 51 weeks, I’m going to tell you what you have to do if you want to become successful - and not just financially but in every area of your life.
If you are willing to take my advice, I am willing to guarantee - 99 percent - that this time next year you will be well on your way to health, wealth, wisdom, and happiness.
Ready? This is what you have to do today: You have to fill out the following pledge and e-mail it to Early to Rise at ReaderFeedback@gmail.com:
Okay, Michael. I am with you. You have committed to creating a master plan that I can use to succeed in 2008. I commit to following that plan without question or complaint for the next 51 weeks. I further commit to keeping a journal on my progress and investing the time and money needed to achieve my goals. At the end of the year, I promise I will write to ETR and explain exactly what I have accomplished.
I hereby pledge_____________________________________________________
Name_____________________________________________________________
Date______________________________________________________________
That’s it! Do it now!
[Ed. Note: You CAN get out of debt… lose 10 pounds… start a profitable business… or achieve any goal you set your mind to. But to accomplish your dreams, you need to get started. Take that first crucial step toward success by signing up for ETR’s Total Success Achievement program today. We’ll provide you with weekly motivational e-mail messages, twice-monthly goal-setting teleseminars, and proven strategies for bypassing common obstacles along the way. Learn more by clicking here.]
What Would You Do with a $3,000,000 Payday on a $5,000 Investment?
“You should hear about the ones I missed,” Dr. McDougal said as he pointed to a page on the statement. “I bought this company for less than $1 a share… sold it later for around a 200% gain.
“’I thought I did pretty well, too. But in the years after I sold, the stock ran up to $300 a share AFTER a 2 for 1 split. If you want to lie awake at night… Just play with the numbers on a 60,000% winner.”
He’s right. Wondering what to do with a $3,000,000 payday on a $5,000 investment could certainly keep anyone up at night!
And now he’s ready to lead a group of investors to gains like 3,851%, 2,912%, even 2,445%… returns he has already enjoyed over the past five years.
Read his special report here and find out how you can pick up multi-thousand percent gains while you relax.
Reader Feedback: "I couldn’t agree with you more."
"I just finished your ‘response’ to Tamara Draut’s book Strapped, and I couldn’t agree with you more if I had written it myself.
"As a former (or, as I like to say, ‘recovering’) teacher, I have seen the results of the attitude that someone else is to blame and our government should fix it. We now have a second generation of children who frequently act as if the world owes them everything for nothing, and their parents who encourage this attitude. Just as an example, in my former school district, out of over 800 students in 8th grade who failed two or more core classes, 97% were promoted anyway because their parents filed waiver forms to keep them from being held back. Some people will argue that it harms children to hold them back, but as far as I’m concerned we do a greater disservice to them by sending them on. ‘You couldn’t handle 8th grade, so let’s send you ahead to 9th grade where you can really fail.’
"Your advice is so much more powerful, because it puts the responsibility for success right where it belongs - on the individual.
"Congratulations to you and the entire ETR team on a fantastic newsletter."
Stephen Prendergast
Santee, CA
[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.]
Copywriting Tip: How to Get Bigger Winners, More Often
By Clayton Makepeace
1. Write better copy than the other guy. "Genius is the art of taking pains," said Claude Hopkins. "The advertising man who spares the midnight oil will never get very far."
Put greater effort into sharpening your copywriting skills and into each promotion you write. Do deeper research on the product, the prospect, and the theme of your promotion. Do more drafts and take more time with each. Give your brain plenty of down time to serve up more powerful ideas in between.
2. Select your assignments with greater care. Find out who wrote the control you’re going up against. Ask how long it’s been the control… and how it’s performing now (response rate, average sale, ROI, etc.). If the odds are against you, decline that assignment and move on to something that has a greater likelihood of being a winner for you.
3. Go exclusive. When you find a great client with a great product and have a great success, establish a long-term relationship that allows you to beat your own controls (instead of letting others do it).
[Ed. Note: Clayton Makepeace has spent the last 35 years creating direct-mail, Internet, and print promotions that have sold well over $1 billion worth of products. He publishes the highly acclaimed e-zine The Total Package (www.makepeacetotalpackage.com) to help business owners and copywriters accelerate their sales and profits.]
Get Your B’s to Prevent Heart Disease
How would you like to cut your risk of heart attack and stroke simply by eating healthy and delicious foods, such as tuna, chicken, even beef?
It’s true! Foods rich in three B vitamins - folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 - help to reduce levels of heart-harming homocysteine in the blood.
Homocysteine is an amino acid found naturally in the body. However, high levels of this compound increase the risk of a number of health problems, including heart disease.
First, it may contribute to the gradual buildup of fatty substances in the arteries (a process called atherosclerosis). Second, it makes blood more likely to clot, which increases the risk for a heart attack or stroke. And third, it makes blood vessels less flexible - and so less able to widen to increase blood flow.
Ask your doctor about getting your levels of homocysteine checked with a simple blood test. And boost your intake of B vitamins with these foods:
- Sources of Folate: lentils, chick peas, asparagus, spinach, black beans, kidney beans
- Sources of Vitamin B6: tuna, bananas, chicken breast, turkey, salmon, cod, snapper, beef, halibut
- Sources of Vitamin B12: snapper, salmon, beef, lamb, scallops, shrimp, halibut, yogurt
[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the founder and CEO of Healing Gourmet (www.healinggourmet.com), and is editor-in-chief of the Healing Gourmet book series. Learn more about how simple lifestyle choices can improve your health by reading ETR’s free natural health e-letter.]
It’s Good to Know: Getting Ready for Uncle Sam
It’s not too early to think about getting your tax records organized. To get you started, here’s a list of commonly overlooked deductions and credits that you may qualify for:
- Earned Income Credit (EIC)
- Child Tax Credit
- Saver’s Credit (for IRA and 401(k) contributions)
- Education Tax Benefits
- Medical Expenses (including health savings accounts)
- Non-Reimbursed Job Expenses (including job-related moving expenses)
- State & Local Taxes
- Charitable Donations (including mileage for volunteer work)
- Self-Employment Deductions
- Energy Credits
(Source: H&R Block)
What If There Was A Way To Legally Beat A Traffic Ticket?
“When Attorneys Get Speeding Or Traffic Tickets, This Is What They Do… No Points, No Increased Premiums & Definitely No Stupid Driving School. These Tricks Work Like Magic.”
If you’re like me then the simple sight of a police car in your rear-view mirror is enough to send shivers down your spine, but…
When the lights start flashing…
There Goes That Safe Driver Discount… Right? Not anymore…
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Doughty
"Doughty" (DOW-tee) is another way to say "brave." The word was derived from the Middle English for "worthy."
Example (as used by Tom Blackburn in a review of Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore): "For several years, he [Stalin] ran a team of bank robbers that included some doughty gun molls who shot it out with the guards of stage coaches carrying money."
[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, 2008