A Goal That’s Easier to Achieve Than Ignore
Issue #2252
- WEALTHY: Should you re-organize your portfolio in the face of market struggles? (Rick Pendergraft)
- HEALTHY: Drink this to help stave off illness (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: Confucius on sincerity
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- A personal goal that will affect all other areas of your life (John Forde)
- How one man used the RFA philosophy to become a screenwriting dynamo (Jason Holland)
- It’s Good to Know… how to avoid lines at the post office
- Add "persiflage" to your vocabulary
From the desk of Michael Masterson…
My colleague Robert Ringer is one of the brightest personal development teachers in the industry. And if you read his books, you will see how strong and original his thinking is. As a fan of his writing, it’s no surprise to me that two of his books have been listed by The New York Times among the 15 bestselling motivational books of all time.
Robert Ringer is the real deal. His writings have helped guide millions of entrepreneurs, business owners, and individuals in all walks of life down the path to purpose, financial prosperity, peace of mind, vigorous health, a balanced life, and, above all, happiness.
I am happy to announce that you can now get Robert Ringer’s insights and advice FREE by signing up for his e-letter - A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World.
I can promise you this: It will be like nothing you’ve ever read before.
2 Things to Watch to Protect Your Portfolio
With the market struggling over the past few months, you might be wondering whether to lower your stock holdings. You can keep an eye on two things that can save your portfolio. Both are moving averages on the S&P 500.
The first one is the 20-month moving average, which measures the average closing price for the past 20 months and then plots it as a line on a chart. Should the S&P close below the 20-month moving average this month, it would be a bad sign for the market. In 2000, the S&P closed below the 20-month in November and then proceeded to drop another 40 percent. Had you lowered your equity holdings in November when the 20-month was broken, you would have saved yourself a lot of pain.
The second one is the 100-week moving average. If you are feeling skittish about the market and the economy, keep an eye on this. It could be a heads up for what happens with the 20-month moving average. (Because the readings on the 100-week can be calculated weekly rather than monthly, you will get a bearish reading earlier than you would by waiting until the end of the month.)
Should you see the S&P close below either of these moving averages, you will want to lighten up on your stock holdings and increase your fixed-income holdings. Right now, the S&P is below the 20-month and above the 100-week.
[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.]
Confucius
A Goal That’s Easier to Achieve Than Ignore
By John Forde
Quit smoking. Lose weight. Read more. Work harder. Get organized. Spend more time with family and friends.
Every January, we make the same promises. By March, most of them are out the window.
"A resolution," somebody once said, "is a thing that goes in one year and out the other."
What if, this year, one resolution could improve every aspect of your life?
Yet, to make this one promise stick, you need to do no extra work, command no extra discipline, and make no extra sacrifices. In fact, following through on this one pledge is actually easier than NOT doing it.
What is it?
Two words. But before I explain, let me give you the set-up. It starts 15 years ago, just six months into my copywriting career.
I was an understudy to one of the best copywriters in the country, Bill Bonner. Already, I had a handful of very successful sales letters under my belt. And we were just sitting down to talk job review and salary.
Now copywriting is about selling. And, I have to admit, at this point I had some mixed feelings about what that meant.
It was only natural.
Lots of people are under the impression that selling is about fooling people. Says the stereotype, it’s all about tricking the customer into wanting something he never wanted before. Or doing something he never really wanted to do.
Was that accurate? I genuinely wasn’t experienced enough to be sure. But being young, I also sometimes mistook cynicism for the cloak of the wise. And during this conversation with Bill, that’s how I dealt with my doubts.
"Of course," I told him, "you know I don’t really believe in all this stuff."
This "stuff," by the way, was what I was supposed to sell. Bill looked taken aback. "Wait a minute," he said, "You’ve got to believe in it… otherwise how can you write about it? You can’t sell what you don’t believe in."
He was right. It was simple. Yet it felt like a revelation. With every copywriting project that followed, that was my guideline.
If I couldn’t buy the product’s proposition, I either wouldn’t agree to write for it… or I would work with the product manager to reshape the product until I could.
Sometimes I’d get in deep on a hopeless case and have to extract myself. But for the most part, it’s a strategy that’s worked out well. And I’ve heard plenty of other top copywriters say the same.
Sell the products that are so good they sell themselves. Those are the ones you can believe in. And that’s the key to a successful career in sales and marketing. Yet, even in something so simple there’s something else that’s profound.
I read a book a few years ago by Joe Vitale. It was called The Seven Lost Secrets of Success, and shared the life story of advertising legend Bruce Barton.
Maybe you’ve heard of Barton. He’s most famous as the second ‘B’ in "Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn" or BBDO, one of the most famous ad agencies of the 20th century.
He’s also the creator of "Betty Crocker," named General Motors and General Electric, and helped build Ford Motors, Carnegie Steel, plus a few dozen more of America’s most famous companies.
Here’s the funny thing. Barton never imagined he’d wind up in the ad industry. He originally wanted to be a novelist. Then a journalist. For a while there, he was a magazine editor. But his partners would later say Barton was born for advertising.
Why?
Not because he could successfully bamboozle customers into buying. But for the opposite reason. Here’s Barton himself, spilling out his personal philosophy back in 1925:
"Do not venture into the sunlight unless you are willing first to put your house in order… no dyspeptic can write convincingly of the joys of mince meat. No woman-hater can write convincingly of love… unless you have a real respect for people, a real affection for people, a real belief that you are equipped to serve them, and that by your growth and prosperity they will likewise grow and prosper, unless you have this deep-down conviction, gentleman, do not attempt advertising. For somehow it will return to plague you."
And then once more, writing in that same year:
"I believe the public has a sixth sense of detecting insincerity. We run a tremendous risk if we try to make other people believe in something we don’t believe in. Somehow our sin will find us out… the advertisements which persuade people to act are written by men who have an abiding respect for the intelligence of their readers, and a deep sincerity regarding the merits of the goods they have to sell."
Translation: "Be genuine."
That was Barton’s secret. It’s also the secret I suggest you and I carry into the coming year. By the way, that doesn’t just apply to your business decisions.
Being genuine means being honest with yourself too. Especially when it comes to focusing on your objectives and setting the goals you’ll target over a lifetime.
Ask yourself, did you buy that exercise bike as a tool to finally better your health… or did you really buy it as a towel rack that says "I care about exercise" even if you don’t?
Are you saying you’ll quit smoking because you know you should? And because it’s robbing you of cash, health, and future time with your family? Or just because it’s what your friends want to hear?
Is this really the year you’re going to get organized, get serious, and get to work building the career you care about, the skill you wanted, and the life you desire… or are these just more superficial ornaments to jot down on your "to-do" list to make yourself feel better?
Be honest. Be sincere. Be genuine.
With yourself and with everybody else, as often and as much as you can. Nothing else you’ll resolve to do could make a bigger difference.
[Ed Note: John Forde, a published writer and a direct-mail copywriter since 1992, is the editor of the free weekly e-zine, The Copywriter’s Roundtable
You can meet all your marketing goals - and achieve all your personal, social, financial, and business dreams - with the help of ETR’s Total Success Achievement Program. Learn more by clicking here.]
You Already Know Fortunes Are Made from Trading. The Question Is: WHAT Are "They" Trading Most? (And It’s Not Shares or Commodities!)
… Thirty times more trading going on than the stock market and mostly investment banks doing it. Ummm… Maybe "they" know something you don’t? Click here to learn more…
Don’t Wait for a Lucky Break
As an in-demand television screenwriter, Jurgen Wolff has definitely made it. But he didn’t find fame and fortune based solely on his writing skills. He got to where he is today by using Michael Masterson’s Ready, Fire, Aim philosophy to distinguish himself from the wannabes.
Wolff didn’t wait around, hoping that a chance meeting with a producer or studio executive would lead to a job. He started his own industry newsletter, The Hollywood Scriptwriter, to raise his profile in town.
He had no idea if this newsletter would help him find work. But that’s the point of Ready, Fire, Aim. He had what he thought was a good way to meet important people in the business. And if it didn’t work, he could try something else.
For his newsletter, Wolff didn’t seek out Hollywood stars. He conducted interviews with well-known scriptwriters, agents, producers, story editors, and other behind-the-scenes players. And in doing so, he soon made enough contacts to jumpstart his career.
After about three years, Wolff was too busy writing scripts to keep up the newsletter, so he sold it to a friend. He has since worked on The Love Boat and Family Ties TV series. He has written TV movies starring Rob Lowe, the Olsen twins, Kelsey Grammer, and others. He’s written plays that have been produced in New York, London, Los Angeles, and Berlin. He’s branched out into writing books, including Successful Scriptwriting, Successful Sitcom Writing, Your Writing Coach, and Top Secrets: Screenwriting. More recently, he’s gotten into Internet marketing with his own e-newsletter, blog, podcasts, and website (yourwritingcoach.com).
Now in his 50s, Wolff has already made enough money to retire comfortably. But like many superstars, he continues to work because of his love for the craft.
As Michael Masterson writes in his Amazon.com #1 best-selling book, Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat:
The nothing-less-than perfect attitude has been the theme of many success stories, but it is exactly the wrong notion to have in your head when it’s time to launch a new product or business. When the time is right, you must fire. If you spend another moment aiming, the opportunity to hit your target may pass you by.
Are you waiting to get a product "perfect" before you start selling it? Have you been honing and re-honing and re-re-honing your business plan? If you’ve been putting the finishing touches on your idea for weeks, months, or years, you need to stop and take action. Only by "firing" - getting that idea out into the world - will you discover whether it will sink or swim. Then you can make the necessary adjustments… or move on to the next idea.
No matter what goals you’re reaching for this year, cut the endless preparations and take action quickly. Ready, Fire, Aim.
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson’s brand-new #1 best-seller, Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat, is a book for entrepreneurs and businesspeople. But no matter what your goals are, this blockbuster book will help you take action. Learn more about the proven strategies and time-tested techniques Michael reveals in Ready, Fire, Aim by clicking here.]
Red Wine: An Immune Booster?
A robust Cabernet Sauvignon or a sweet and foxy Muscadine may be a better beverage choice when it comes to your immune system, new research suggests.
Scientists at the University of Florida evaluated the effects of different types of alcohol on immunity. In the eight-week study, mice were divided into four groups: teetotalers (drinking water only), Cabernet Sauvignon drinkers, Muscadine drinkers, and ethanol drinkers (receiving alcohol in concentrations equivalent to that in the wine).
The mice were given the equivalent of two or three glasses/servings of wine or alcohol each day. Researchers then made the mice mildly ill to determine how the alcohol would affect their immune responses.
While the mice that were drinking ethanol experienced a suppressed immune response, the mice that drank either of the red wines maintained normal immunity. What’s more, the wine-sipping mice had double the antioxidant capacity of the animals that drank ethanol or water.
If you choose to imbibe, opt for immune-friendly, rich red wines packed with antioxidants. Cheers!
[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: How to Avoid Lines at the Post Office
By Lori Allen
No need to lug packages to the post office and stand in line to mail them. The U.S. Postal Service will pick them up from your office or home for free. Once you’ve addressed your package and attached proper postage, it’s easy to schedule a pick-up online at usps.com. You can also calculate and buy postage at usps.com.
[Ed. Note: Lori Allen is the Director of AWAI’s Travel Division. For more than 90 time-saving, money-making travel tips, click here. Find deals, ensure a smoother trip, and even find out how to get paid for your travels.]
Start Making Money Today
Interested in getting a nice little side-business going on the Internet? Or maybe even from your living-room table?
But you don’t have too much money, you don’t have too much time, and you’re not exactly Bill Gates when it comes to technology. Sound familiar?
A lot of people are in the same boat. The good news is that ETR has heard you. And now we’ve done something about it…
We’ve asked our colleague Marc Charles to be on the lookout for profit opportunities that can be run from a kitchen table, your desktop or out on the road.
Criteria? They’ve got to be inexpensive, easy to start, and still have great income potential, but without a lot of red tape.
They say when you’re first getting your feet wet with a side-business, the most important dollar to make is the first one. Well, Marc is an expert at taking beginning entrepreneurs and showing you how to make that first buck. He knows, because he’s done it dozens of times for himself, his family and his friends.
If you’ve been dreaming about starting your own business… now you can get started for about the price of 2 lattes.
And get this - you could be making money literally just hours from now. Imagine the feeling of finally getting a side business launched - TODAY!
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Persiflage
"Persiflage" (PUR-suh-flahzh) - a French word - is frivolous or bantering talk. It is ultimately from the Latin for "to hiss at" or "to whistle."
Example (as used by Rosemary Mahoney in A Likely Story): "He was somber and wordless and utterly unresponsive to my mother’s charming persiflage."
[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