Issue #2525
- WEALTHY: Time for a reality check (John Carlton)
- HEALTHY: 3 ways to make your tea drinking safer (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: Denis Watley on being a winner
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- E-mail and instant gratification (Suzanne Richardson)
- A formula for more powerful writing (Bob Bly)
- It’s Good to Know … a common misconception about winter
- Add “inexorable” to your vocabulary
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Denis Watley
What Makes an Entrepreneur?
By John Carlton
A few weeks back, I visited my hometown (yeah, I grew up in Cucamonga, what’s it to ya?) to see my family. Pop still lives in the same house he bought just after WWII, and it’s hard for me not to feel like I’m 15 again when I’m there.
Not that I feel all young and vibrant. Naw. More like I get back in touch with how freakin’ clueless I was for the first half of my life.
It was a great childhood, a gruesome adolescence, and even now ghosts from my past haunt every corner of the neighborhood.
Always interesting/spooky/insightful to go back to old stomping grounds. I love my family. And I’m still chewing over how that town shaped who I am today. In fact, it got me pondering long and hard about what “makes” an entrepreneur.
A lot of people – including me – talk about the value of goals in launching any entrepreneurial venture. Figuring out what you truly want … setting a plan in motion to attain it … and following through.
There is, however, a difference between “understanding” goal-setting behavior … and actually DOING it.
So here is what I propose you do this weekend: Give yourself a brutal reality check.
Are you spending enough time figuring out what you really want to do when you grow up?
This is not a trick question. Most rookie goal-setters need to refine their skills at this over a frustrating period of time.
The first goals you set are likely to be things you actually don’t want, after all. There is an art to looking deep into your own heart and soul and coming to grips with what REALLY rocks your boat … and what will continue to make nice waves in your future.
It’s never enough to want to be “rich.” You must spend time thinking about what “rich” means to you. Not to your buddies or your colleagues or anyone else. You.
And if you decide you want to be filthy rich … well, you’ve got to do more than just set that as a goal. Ya gotta work out your plan to get there. With lots of little goals along the path.
If you’ve yet to make dime one online, for example, then a goal of becoming a billionaire online isn’t a goal … it’s a dream. You’ve got to earn your first buck. Then your second. And go on from there.
Your first goal may be to weed through all the info available out there … find the resources you feel you can trust … and dig in.
Those subsequent “dig in” steps – the actual goal-by-goal stepladder that will take you toward your desired destination – cannot be glossed over.
And there are consequences to consider. You may not yet know what awaits you as a cash-generating genius. But you sure can examine how your life starts to change as you go.
Every detail of your life can morph in strange ways when the money starts coming in. Your friends and family may wrestle (often unsuccessfully) with your rise in status, liquidity, and self-confidence.
It won’t always be pretty. But the more you “arm” yourself with insights like these, the less surprised you’ll be when you hit each milestone in your quest for a better life.
You’ll be … uh, what’s the word? … prepared.
Goals are great. But I’ve known too many people who ONLY set goals. They never go after them.
Movement is key. And you’ll feel better about moving toward your goals if you spend some serious time thinking about them.
Play with them. Mold them. Constantly put them through your “What if?” grinder. (What if you can’t do it with your first idea? Will you try again? Try something else? What?)
The “secret ingredient” of great goal setting is to cogitate obsessively on the consequences of actually meeting each goal once you set it. This not only helps you blow through failure … it also creates a “vision” of yourself that keeps your motivation hot.
This requires “forward thinking” … which doesn’t come with the default equipment you’re born with. Ya gotta exercise it.
Without goals, you’re just being taken for a ride by Fate.
Goals do not guarantee anything … except, once you take steps to attain them, you will move SOMEWHERE new in life. And you’ll be doing as much of the driving as possible.
Fate will still screw with you. But you’ll no longer be helpless.
At first, even five minutes of focused “forward thinking” will make you sweat and want to go do something else.
Get over it. Stick with it. Soon, you’ll be an ace at peering into the fog down the line, and you’ll be able to exert more control over events than you ever dreamed possible in your pre-goal-setting days.
This weekend, get your five minutes in. Move through the sweat and avoidance.
Jumpstart something new.
[Ed. Note: Now's the perfect time to start setting your goals for making money in 2009. Follow Internet marketing expert John Carlton's advice and take a little time this weekend to practice focused thinking. Once you know where you're headed, pick up a copy of ETR's 2008 Info Marketing Bootcamp DVD Library. It will give you dozens of money-making marketing ideas you can use to help accomplish those goals.
John Carlton is an expert copywriter, a pioneer in online marketing, and a teacher of killer sales copy. He knows marketing inside and out. Discover how to get your hands on the kick-ass secrets of the world's smartest, happiest, and wealthiest marketers.
Why Get Your Hands Dirty When You Don't Have to?
Where there's a stampede, there's an opportunity...
Thousands of wannabe entrepreneurs have jumped on a bandwagon to find, fix-up and flip foreclosures.
They thought they were being smart. They thought they were doing the opposite to the crowd and had the license to print money.
Little do they know... they ARE the crowd!
Now, please don't misunderstand me. It's a fact that many properties (sadly) are becoming available at rock bottom prices due to foreclosure. It's also a fact that a few people are making money by flipping foreclosures...
And they're earning every penny (when it all works out)!
Flipping foreclosures may sound great in principle, but stop and think about what you have to go through to achieve that…
Not my idea of easy money.
The Dangers of E-Mail, Part 1: The Angry E-Mail Effect
You open your inbox, and there it is ... an e-mail, waiting patiently for you to read it and respond. A few seconds, a few quick keystrokes on your laptop, a click of the send button, and your response is shuttled instantaneously to its recipient.
It's quick and easy.
But therein lies a hidden danger ...
The ability to respond quickly and easily via e-mail can land you in scalding water.
For one thing, it takes the thinking out of your response. You can "blurt out" anything in just a few seconds. Click send before you've had a chance to reconsider ... and your words are going to be delivered, whether you like it or not.
This can be a big problem when you respond in anger. Take "Glen," for example. A top-level executive at ETR sent him an e-mail that didn't make Glen happy, and Glen shot off an angry reply ... full of curse words, overblown accusations, and defiant remarks.
Can you recover from mouthing off like that to your superiors? Possibly. But I wouldn't want to try it.
Instead, think long and hard about your response before you send it. If you're angry or upset, give it at least 24 hours. If you must put your feelings in writing immediately, do so in a blank e-mail or, better yet, in a Word document. (That way, there will be no chance that you'll accidentally send it.) Once you've cooled down, write a new response. You'll probably find that you're able to explain how you feel in a calmer, more rational way.
[Ed. Note: Have you ever sent an angry e-mail ... and regretted it? Let us know right here.] (To protect everyone’s identity, please use initials or pseudonyms!)]
4 Steps to Creating Better Info Products
By Bob Bly
The most common mistake you’re likely to make when trying to create your own information product is not having a good understanding of the subject you are writing about. You might have strong writing skills. But if you lack mastery of your topic, your writing will be vague, unfocused, and have little value, credibility, or authority. To prevent this error, use the following four-step formula:
1. Accumulate knowledge.
Before you can write, you need to have something to write about. This means acquiring in-depth knowledge – through a combination of research and experience – of a subject people will pay to learn.
2. Organize your content.
What’s the best way to present your subject? Is it a process with definite sequential steps that must be performed in a specific order? Find a logical organizational scheme that fits the subject matter. For example, an e-book on vitamins and minerals could present each one in alphabetical order, starting with vitamin A and ending with zinc.
3. Teach your subject.
Use illustrations, stories, examples, case studies, photos, diagrams, tables, analogies, metaphors, comparisons – whatever it takes to make your subject clear to the reader. Provide plenty of worksheets, resources, and model documents that the reader can copy so he does not have to reinvent the wheel.
4. Polish your prose.
Here’s where your writing skills come into play. Write in a natural, conversational style – like one friend talking to another or a patient teacher looking over the reader’s shoulder. Use small words, short sentences, and short paragraphs. Avoid jargon. Write in plain simple English.
[Ed. Note: Becoming a powerful writer is your ticket to creating marketable info products, as well as sales copy that sells. For expert insights into the world of direct marketing, be sure to sign up for Bob's free monthly newsletter, Direct Response Letter. Do so today and get over $100 in free bonuses.
For more multimillion-dollar advice about how to be a top-notch marketer, pick up a copy of Breakthrough Advertising.]
Brewing Up a Pot of Fluoride
You probably know that green tea has an array of active compounds that promote health – from calming theanine to antioxidant EGCG and heart-healthy tannins and cancer-fighting flavonoids.
But there’s another active compound in tea that produces some very unpleasant effects. Fluoride.
Fluoride is a toxic substance that can negatively impact multiple organ systems. It has been linked to hypothyroidism, skeletal fluorosis, brittle bones and teeth, gastrointestinal inflammation, and more. And because tea leaves accumulate more fluoride than any other edible plant, enjoying this otherwise healthy beverage could put your health in jeopardy.
To reduce your exposure to fluoride, here are a few things you can do:
1. Steep Less. The longer you steep, the more fluoride you’ll reap. In fact, in one study, after tea was steeped for 10 minutes, the measurable amounts of fluoride (and aluminum) almost doubled.
2. Go for White. While all true teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant, the amount of fluoride varies with the different “colors.” Green tea contains the most, black tea is next, and white tea contains the least. Instant tea mixes have been found to contain very high levels of fluoride.
3. Opt for Extracts. Many tea extracts, like Body Ecology Diet’s Green and Black Tea Extracts and Chi Green Tea Extracts, are free of fluoride.
[Ed. Note: Making your life - and the foods you eat - healthier doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. You can find recipes for plenty of wholesome, healthful meals - plus get the latest breakthroughs in health and fitness - in ETR's natural health newsletter. Sign up for free right here.
Survive the holidays with nutrition expert Kelley Herring's brand-new recipe e-books, Guilt-Free Desserts and Healthy Holiday Hors d'Oeuvres. You'll find 60+ healthy recipes you can easily make at home.]
It’s Good to Know: A Common Misconception About Winter
It’s a common misconception that the Earth is farther away from the sun during the winter months. We even published this incorrect statement in Early to Rise.
But, as Brad M. and several other ETR readers pointed out, the Earth’s orbit has nothing to do with whether we have cold or hot weather. In fact, our planet is closest to the sun in early January.
The change in seasons is caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis. Right now, the northern hemisphere of Earth is tilting away from the sun and the southern hemisphere is tilting toward the sun – which means that, right now, we are farther from the sun and the southern hemisphere is closer. So it’s winter here and summer in Australia. But, come June, the Earth’s tilt, and the seasons, will be reversed.
(Source: Space.com)
== Highly Recommended ==
How a Simple Internet Mistake Can Make You $3,012 in Just Two Days
Actually, you could make more, even faster. By complete accident, one of my colleagues discovered a “back door” to online money-making that is faster and easier than you may imagine…
You don’t have to be pinching pennies anymore because this new online program for raking in some good money works in almost no time flat. That $3,012? My colleague made that in only an hour. No hype, no kidding. Read on to discover how you could do the same starting right now.
Word to the Wise: Inexorable
“Inexorable” (in-EK-sur-uh-bul) – from the Latin for “not to be persuaded by entreaty or prayer” – means unyielding, inflexible, relentless.
Example (as used by James Carrol in The New York Times): “But the idea of providence, whether the biblical version or the Enlightenment’s or Marx’s, is at bottom a tragic notion, for it implies that individual human choices count for nothing against the weight of an inexorable, overwhelming force, whether benign or cruel, whether known as God, History, Destiny, Progress, or DNA.”
[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
Similar Articles:
- Dear ETR: “How come there’s fluoride in tea?” – “Kelley Herring’s article ‘Brewing Up a Pot of Fluoride‘ came as a nasty surprise. I’m aware that th…
- What Makes an Entrepreneur? – A few weeks back, I visited my hometown (yeah, I grew up in Cucamonga, what’s it to ya?) to see my f…
- Brewing Up a Pot of Fluoride – You probably know that green tea has an array of active compounds that promote health – from calming…
- The Hidden Poison in Your Wineglass – You’ve heard quite a bit about the health benefits of red wine. Not long ago, Dr. Sears told you abo…
- 4 Steps to Creating Better Info Products – The most common mistake you’re likely to make when trying to create your own information product is …
- The Problem With Enormous Goals – When Bobby announced that he was going to write a novel by the end of 2007, his family was a little …
- The Dangers of E-Mail, Part 1: The Angry E-Mail Effect – You open your inbox, and there it is … an e-mail, waiting patiently for you to read it and respond…
Gentlepeople:
You reminded me of a “makes-me-blush” email I sent last January. A new customer had taken a demo air purifier, agreeing to return it in a week. But she did not return it, and did not respond to six weeks of phone calls and emails. I finally emailed her that I’d be out to her house to pick it up that day, and she unleashed on me, though email, all kinds of insults and name-calling. I was simply asking for my property back, so I answered her cordially and kindly and sent her email.
I was interrupted and when I came back to my computer, I started typing into the open email form, thinking I was writing to a colleague…where I mentioned the situation in passing and remarked that I was being extra kind about it because the customer’s “head wasn’t screwed on straight.” Oops. I was actually replying to the customer’s email and not my friend’s email–and had already hit the send button when I noticed my error.
When the customer read THAT our small situation turned into an all-out war from her side. I back-pedaled and did my best to smooth and heal the situation for weeks. Apologies were not accepted. I got the air purifier back but I lost the customer.
To all at ETR,
I whole heartedly agree with everything mentioned in this article. Over the years, I have sent the odd cross email or two. The end result is never one that I wanted.
In time, I have been able to tweak my responses of dissatisfaction, and I’ve done so using the methods mentioned. As Dr. Phil says “If you don’t want anyone else to read it. don’t write it”. This is certainly a good rule to live by when it comes to email ‘blurting’.
I have read many times in ETR about the shortcomings of email communication. That is, when there is no opportunity to speak with the person, or deal with them directly, such misunderstandings can happen all to easily. Unfortunately, this can leave both the responder and recipent needlessly confused and agitated.
Peter Thomson, the U.K’s leading strategist on business and personal growth, reminds us to “criticize the action, not the person”. Wise words to remember the next time an anger evoking email reaches our inbox.
Roddy, Australia
Yeah, I’ve done this more than once and while I learned a valuable lesson I also lost a potential ally and resource in the process. I was so indignant at what I saw someone doing with the material from a seminar I went to that I began a series of angry emails to them. To their credit they didn’t “bite” and the next day I realized I was jealous. “Why didn’t I think of that” was really what I was thinking. They are making thousands doing something I completely missed and that was the source of my overblown indignation. What a weenie I am.
I was co-authoring a book with an associate. It was a true crime novel set in the area where i lived in South Louisiana. Mary was from Mobile Alabama. Often times when I’d finished a chapter and sent it to her she would change something; an expression, description etc. Her changes didn’t usually enhance the manuscript and so one night I decided to write her and tell her the constant changes were aggravating me. I wasn’t nice about it. I hit send and was so sorry. But there was a glitch in the service apparently and the next morning my letter was still in the outbox. I was so relieved. From then on, I paused and rewrote before sending. Loretta Theriot
I have no problem with all of the people selling CD’s out there on how to make money,but I think the day of making 500$ a day is over.Maybe in the early years of the Internet but not now,so I just wish they would tell the truth about what your going to make and yes you do have do some work.Most of them make their money off telling you how to make it on selling you the CD’s or E-Book’s.I have looked at all of them and I started a website to help new people like me!Just to get setup and then they are off and doing what ever they want. Check It out. http://olydale.ws