Issue #2291
- WEALTHY: The best thing you can do for your investment portfolio? (Andrew Gordon)
- HEALTHY: 3 ways to keep the weight off (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Mark Twain on exercise
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- What does it really take to be "great"? (John Forde)
- A 4-step approach to selling your best ideas (Michael Masterson)
- It’s Good to Know… new evidence about the origin of an epidemic
- Add "malapropos" to your vocabulary
50 Years of Back Pain Gone in Just Days
Jerry Tarman had suffered from chronic back pain on and off for over 50 years. Like most people, he had tried it all… chiropractors, physical therapy, he even overdosed on Tylenol but nothing gave him lasting relief until he discovered muscle balance therapy.
Unlike most treatments which only deliver temporary relief, if any at all, muscle balance therapy delivers lasting relief to 8 out of 10 people who use it because it addresses the underlying cause of the pain, not just the symptoms.
If you suffer from any type of back pain, neck pain or sciatica, I urge you to learn more about this breakthrough new treatment.
Click here to learn more about this breakthrough new treatment.
Let the Market Reveal the Future
There’s nothing good about a recession. It puts your job at risk. Your bonds earn lower interest. And your favorite stock investments turn to mush as corporate profits head south. If you’re not careful, your savings get smaller rather than larger.
Yet, the best thing you can do for your portfolio is to invest in stocks in the middle of a recession.
The reason is simple. The market runs ahead of the economy. While the economy is mired in a deep funk, the market is racing ahead – anticipating a recovery. Instead of continuing to drop, it breaks its fall, turns around, and heads back up.
But don’t try to predict when this will happen. Wait for it. See it with your own eyes. Then jump in. A good place to start would be with value companies or mutual funds specializing in value investing.
It’ll feel early. Just keep reminding yourself: We live in the present. The market lives in the future.
[Ed. Note: ETR's Investment Director, Andrew Gordon, is the editor of INCOME, a monthly financial advisory service that uncovers income-generating stocks that promise safety (first and foremost), along with much-higher-than-average profit potential.]
"Whenever I feel the urge to exercise, I just lie down and it goes away."
Mark Twain
How to Walk Up a Mountain: Exposing the Myth of Willpower
By John Forde
What does it really take to be "great"?
In the movie Rocky, there’s that pivotal scene. You know the one. It’s cold. It’s early. And the Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa, is bounding up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.
Earlier in the story, he barely reached the top. But today, this day, we have the swelling of the trumpets… the soul-stirring chorus… and he’s been working hard. He’s strong. He’s ready. He’s… inspiring. Does he make it?
Here’s the thing.
I grew up in Philadelphia. I know those steps. In fact, the doors of my high school were a scant 1.3 miles from there. And from October until March, I ran that distance – and back again – almost every day after school. With about 50 other guys on our crew team. And with all of us playing that same Rocky theme in our heads. Only it wasn’t the same for us as it was on the big screen.
Our high school crew team was one of the best in the country – and one triumphant run up the steps wasn’t enough for us. On reaching the bottom of the steps, you would line up with the other guys and wait for a coxswain to jump on your back. (For those who don’t know, the coxswain is that annoying little guy with the bullhorn whose job it is to yell at you while you’re rowing the boat.) And then up the steps you’d go. And down again. And up. And down again. Over and over… and over. Until your legs turned to rubber and you were desperately sucking oxygen from the icy air.
It was grueling. And let me tell you, there were no trumpets.
So this is my message?
No, not yet. See, while my high school went on to win the nationals and all kinds of other races that year, I didn’t. I quit.
Given a second chance, would I have stuck it out? Maybe. Meanwhile, there was another guy on that same team named Rich G.
Rich was different. He worked harder. Not just harder than me, but harder than just about anybody. Even as a sophomore, he already had a captain’s slot on the senior varsity crew team. And when he wasn’t rowing, he was an emerging star on the football field too. No question, he was a born athlete. But he had a secret beyond that. One that eluded the rest of us.
Conventional wisdom would say that Rich had the willpower to be great. But I don’t think that was it. Not at all.
You might know Rich, by the way. After high school, he went on to college ball. And then turned pro. He ended up with the Oakland Raiders, where he really hit his stride. In 2001, they voted him Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the Pro Bowl. They did it again in 2002. That same year, Rich was voted MVP for the entire NFL. Nowadays, you can catch him – Rich Gannon is his full name – as a regular NFL analyst on CBS.
It plays like the American dream. Kid works hard, excels, and the rest of us are left to learn – yet again – that you can’t be a quitter if you want to get ahead. But like I said… I’ve come to realize that achieving something great, in sports or career or relationships or anything, is not just a question of willpower.
Let me explain…
The Myth of Willpower
No pain, no gain. Just do it. If it doesn’t taste good, it’s good for you. And I love that logic. It feels solid. It feels honorable. But here’s the problem: It doesn’t add up.
Think about it. How many enviably successful people hate every minute of doing what it takes to get ahead? How many runners grimace every time they strap on their running shoes? How many "A" students tear up when they crack open a textbook? How many entrepreneurs still complain about getting up early after years of growing a moneymaking business?
Not many at all.
Pick someone, anyone, in that position. They didn’t succeed because they’re masters at suppressing their displeasure. They don’t hate their lives or their choices. When they’re grunting their way up the mountain, they’re loving it. Every step of the way.
How often have you had to will yourself to do the things you love? Not often, I’m guessing. Maybe never.
So the next question is how they got there from here. And how we can get there ourselves, given what we want out of life.
I had a writing teacher who said, "You’re not a real writer until you can’t wait to get home to a blank page." I understand that now… because while I’m writing, time evaporates. And willpower has zilch to do with it. What makes it happen? I’m not sure myself. But if I had to guess, I can only pin it down to a simple but powerful shift in desire.
Throwing Sparks Across the "Desire Gap"
I see two lessons here.
First, if you’ve got a goal, forget about toughing your way toward it. You’ll need to work, sure. But you’ll never make it if that’s all the juice you’ve got powering your engine. Instead, take the time to embrace the process that’s going to get you there. How? By going past the superficial reasons you want to achieve that goal. ("To get rich.") By digging deeper to connect that goal to what it really means to you. ("My family will be so proud of me!")
In the abstract, lots of challenges don’t look worth the trouble. But in the details, the process becomes real… and rewarding in itself.
Now here’s the second lesson, and this one is more specific to us as marketers and business owners: What’s true for us is true for our customers too.
That is, much as you’ll try, your advertising can never "trick" a customer into doing something he doesn’t want to do… or into buying something he doesn’t want to buy. But somewhere in the details of what you’re offering, you might find those things that connect your product or service to something he deeply desires. So much that, simply by making that connection, he’s going to enjoy giving you his money.
It’s that simple.
This is almost entirely what good salesmanship is all about – finding the spark that bridges the gap between a prospect’s most deeply held desires and what your product can do.
How to get there?
The secret is nearly as accessible. All you need to do is look beyond the cliches and beyond the superficial assumptions other lesser marketers will almost certainly leap to. And, instead, venture into the specifics, the details.
In his classic book Breakthrough Advertising, Gene Schwartz called this "picking out the vital fact from a maze of information."
"What you are looking for in this product and in this market," he wrote, "is the one element that makes them unique. The idea you want – the headline you want – the breakthrough you want – are all wrapped up inside that product and that market. Nowhere else."
In your advertising, paint the picture of your prospect feeling the way he wants to feel. Talk about it, develop it, let him enjoy that feeling… as you walk him subtly down the path that will lead him there. That’s all there is to it.
Sounds easy, don’t you think?
[Ed Note: John Forde, a published writer and a direct-mail copywriter since 1992, is a featured expert in The Magic Button, ETR's step-by-step guide to starting a profitable Internet business. Applying John's proven techniques for writing promotional copy will make every customer contact an opportunity for a sale, whether it's your company's homepage, sales letters, emails, ads, and even editorial content.
Sign up for John's free weekly e-zine, The Copywriter's Roundtable.]
Can You Afford to Lose Half Your Profits to the Tax Man?
Tax season is approaching fast, and many small business owners could be in for a rude awakening. In fact, one of the tax professionals we regularly feature estimates that most small business owners could pay 50 percent or more of their earnings in taxes in the coming year.
What’s worse, uninformed business owners are risking assets like their homes, cars, furniture and other personal property — leaving them wide open to confiscation if their companies become involved in a lawsuit.
But you don’t have to take these unnecessary risks.
Click here to learn how you can shield your personal assets from your business, save thousands of dollars in taxes, and dramatically reduce your risk of an IRS audit.
How to Get the Team to Buy Into Your Ideas
The most important ideas in business – the ones that revolutionize processes – are usually met with resistance, resentment, skepticism, and misunderstanding. To help your best ideas succeed, take this four-step approach:
- Pre-sell the idea to the power mavens. Get feedback and make revisions.
- Re-sell the same idea to the same power mavens. Get feedback and make revisions.
- Make your big, formal presentation to the proper group.
- Follow up with multiple small meetings with all the implementers until you have their cooperation.
[Ed. Note: Get Michael Masterson's insights into becoming successful in your business and personal life, achieving financial independence, and accomplishing all your goals on his website. You'll find updates on Michael's books, news on upcoming ETR events, Michael's blog, and room to send in your comments and questions. Check it out today.]
Reader Feedback: "I just applied the principles of management that you publish in ETR and my life changed."
"When I started reading your highly motivational e-letters, my life turned upside-down. I died and rose again. I died as the underachiever and rose up as Mr. Winner. Before I ever read your articles, I earned about 6 dollars a week, yet I worked 10 hours 6 days a week. Now, just eight months since I first read ETR, I am earning thousands monthly.
"I just applied the principles of management that you publish in ETR and my life changed drastically. Michael also taught me how to be self-confident. It’s this belief in myself that is driving success into my hands.
"My life is now much easier because I learnt how to plan every single move. Thank you for being my inspiration."
- Simon Matovu
Kampala, Uganda, East Africa
[Ed. Note: Want to get your name and opinions published in ETR? Let us know how reading ETR has 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 Truth About the Latest Diet Pill
How much money have you wasted on fat-burning supplements? Whatever the dollar amount, I assure you that you wasted every penny. Whether it is calcium, CLA, HCA, or some pill loaded with caffeine, no supplement can help you lose inches.
Researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA looked at the latest weight-loss pill to come on the market – a combination of rhubarb, ginger, astragulus, red sage, and turmeric. Sounds exotic, doesn’t it? Well, the results were not impressive.
Twenty-four women followed a low-calorie diet and took either the supplement or a placebo for eight weeks. Both groups lost a little weight, but the placebo group lost more. Clearly, the supplement had no impact on the diet.
But you don’t have to wait around for a "real" miracle pill to come along. You can start changing your lifestyle today to lose fat and improve your health.
Here are three quick-start tips:
- Set aside one to two hours on the weekend to plan, shop, and prepare your meals for the week ahead. This will help you eat right and avoid junk food.
- Eliminate all sources of liquid calories. Drink water or unsweetened green tea.
- Schedule three 45-minute exercise sessions per week. Start with 20 minutes of strength training (you can even use bodyweight exercises only) and finish with 20 minutes of interval training and five minutes of stretching.
Consistency, not pills, will help you lose the weight.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne is the creator of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system. For a free online source of information, motivation, and social support to help you improve your health, lose weight, and get fit, sign up for ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
It’s Good to Know: New Evidence About the Origin of an Epidemic
Historians agree that many deadly diseases were unknown in the New World until brought to the Americas by European explorers. Now it turns out that the explorers may have brought back a deadly disease to Europe: syphilis.
Recent genetic research by scientists from Emory University in Atlanta indicates that syphilis originated in the Americas, and the record reinforces their theory. The first European epidemic of this disease occurred in Italy just three years after Columbus ’s voyage in 1492. Although it is curable today, syphilis was a major killer during the Renaissance.
(Source: LiveScience)
How to Get the Heart of 370 Business Magazines in Just 30 Minutes a Month
Did that headline catch your eye?
How about this one:
"32 Ways to Save Time and Money From the Pages of Good Housekeeping."
Gene Schwartz knew the power of a compelling headline. He wrote those two – and went on to generate over $2 billion in advertising sales during his career.
Now you can find out, step-by-step, how to accomplish breakthrough marketing results no matter what you are selling, with our "accelerated marketing" program.
If you are involved in any form of sales, the benefits you’ll receive could be worth hundreds of thousands to you in future earnings. Click to continue…
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Malapropos
"Malapropos" (mal-ap-ruh-POH) – from the French for "badly to the purpose" – means unseasonable, unsuitable, or inappropriate.
Example (as used by Gerry Forbes in The Calgary Sun): " As an on-air radio pronouncer, I am quite familiar with the hazard of opening the mouth before the brain is in gear. It is very easy to fire off a malapropos statement in the heat of trying to make a point, and the result is some funny things are said, but perhaps not meant."
[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.]
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008
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