Issue #2538
- WEALTHY: Why you should wade into the water (Rick Pendergraft)
- HEALTHY: An odd use for a social networking site (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Emily Matthews on Christmas
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Your holiday “Vision Statement” (Bob Cox)
- Avoid this common pronoun misuse (Don Hauptman)
- It’s Fun to Know… how to contact Santa
- Add “coruscate” to your vocabulary
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What Is Panic Buying, and How Can You Protect Yourself From It?
The huge gains in the market in the week leading up to Thanksgiving reminded me that there is such a thing as panic buying. Mostly, we hear about panic selling – but panic buying is just as dangerous for investors.
What is panic buying? Panic buying occurs when there has been a prolonged down period in the market and everyone is expecting a bounce. Investors dive in headfirst for fear of missing the next rally. Because stocks get overheated in a very short period of time, the sentiment shifts too quickly and short-term traders look at this as an opportunity to take gains or to take smaller losses.
My advice: Don’t get caught up in panic buying. The next rally likely won’t start with a bang, but more of a whimper. When the selling is exhausted, the market will start a slow methodical climb that could last for months, or even years. Trying to time your entry perfectly is nearly impossible. If you are a long-term investor, there are deals to be had right now, but you don’t have to dive in. Wade into the water.
[Ed. Note: Nervously following the crowd is never a good thing. You need to stay calm and think logically. And that's exactly what market analyst Rick Pendergraft wants to help you do. Learn how he can help you get 12 triple-digit winners in 2009.]
“From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other.”
Emily Matthews
How to Find the Jingle Bell Spirit
By Bob Cox
I used to gripe about the “inconvenience” of the holiday season. Too often, I felt that my work goals suffered because people I needed to get in touch with were simply not available. It sometimes seemed like everyone I wanted to talk to was taking a long lunch break to do Christmas shopping or had left work early to get ready for an office Christmas party.
It took me way too long to realize how important it is for our sense of well-being to allow ourselves to partake in all the joys of the holidays.
Let In the “Jingle Bell” Spirit
I believe that any system you don’t embrace will ostracize you. And the relaxed attitudes in the workplace and loss of production that go along with the holiday season are part of a system I wasn’t embracing. So I was getting left out. And it was all of my own doing.
For too many years, while my partners, coworkers, and friends were planning joyous occasions and enjoying time with family… I was in a foul mood. Meetings were cancelled, projects were delayed, and my timeframes were adversely affected.
I was on a mission (achieving my business goals), and to heck with the holidays.
Eventually, I realized that my approach was limiting my success. I had been oblivious to the reality that the holidays DO change people’s normal schedules and – to some degree – their thinking. Everyone wants to spend additional time with family and friends.
Yes, maybe a coworker was taking a few days off because his kids had come home from college for the holidays. But did I really need to let that throw me off? Would it matter if I had to wait another day or two to receive the information or schedule the meeting? Of course not.
The eureka moment for me came when my wife Karin let me in on a little secret. (Actually, almost everybody knew it but me.) “Bob, you are bucking a system, and you can’t win!” she said. “Besides, you are missing unique opportunities to refuel your emotional well-being.”
Suddenly, it all made sense (especially since she first put in a Bing Crosby recording of holiday music to set the mood).
From that day forward, I vowed to let “der Bingle” fill me with some jingle bell spirit. And, quite truthfully, I have become a better person, husband, father, friend, neighbor, and coworker because of it!
How can YOU not miss out (like I used to) on the joys and wonders of the upcoming holiday season?
Create Your Own Holiday Vision Statement
Every business has a mission – a mission that it often shares with its employees and clients through a “vision statement.”
When done right, it puts everyone on the same page: Clients know what to expect when they hire the company, and employees know what they need to do to get the job done… and why it’s important.
The same principles can be applied to creating your personal Holiday Vision Statement.
1. Begin at the beginning.
The best way to begin to put together any mission or personal vision statement is to ask yourself questions. What is expected of me during the holidays from my family, friends, and coworkers? What priorities are important to me? What community activities do I want to participate in? How can I reflect the best of myself during the holidays to those around me? How can I apply myself to yield the best results?
2. Bring in those that matter.
There is no reason for you to do this alone. Bring in your spouse or significant other, children, friends, and other family members to help you plan your holiday mission. You could do this by phone, via e-mail, or by holding a group meeting. You might even encourage them to create their own holiday vision statements or work together to create a Family Holiday Vision Statement.
It may take some time to make those calls or send off those e-mails or set up a family meeting. However, the benefits will be well worth it. You will get a lot of great input. And you will end up with a statement suited for your personal objectives that also takes into account the thoughts and feelings of people who matter to you.
3. Make a rough draft.
Once you have everyone’s input, as well as your own answers to the questions you asked yourself, you’ll be ready to draft your personal Holiday Vision Statement. And it only needs to be a few paragraphs. Here, I’ll even get you started…
My goal this year is to enjoy the holidays! To that end, I choose to embrace a holiday mindset of being ready for the joys and wonder of the season…
4. Polish it to shine like a star.
When you complete your draft, I want you to polish it over and over until it shines like the star atop a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. You could even circulate it by e-mail to everyone who helped you with it, or hold another family meeting to discuss it.
5. Post it.
Whether you write out your Holiday Vision Statement by hand, hammer it out on your old typewriter, or use your computer, I encourage you to post a copy in a place where you will see it often throughout the day: on your refrigerator, on your wall calendar at work, and/or on your computer’s desktop.
Your Holiday Agenda
I want you to have some fun this holiday season… especially with your family. And make sure every family member gets involved in making it a great time for all. Pop up some popcorn or make hot chocolate and sit at the dining room table with paper and pens. Say “We are going to enjoy the holidays this year. What are your ideas?”
Here are some ideas to consider:
• What can we do in the community this year? Visit a nursing home, participate in the church choir, sponsor a toy drive?
• What can we do to stick with a realistic holiday budget? Could we go online to find deals or stop by a local crafts store for ideas on making gifts instead of buying them?
• Do we want to make plans for family visits, travel, or hosting a party? If so, who is going to do what?
• What school, work, or neighborhood events are we attending this year?
You’re getting the idea, right? The holidays are going to happen anyway, so why not begin them with a joyful mindset and take advantage of the opportunities that are unique to this time of year? If you are open and receptive… good times will happen. Even more important, you’ll remember those good times forever.
A final thought: Don’t forget to enjoy holiday working, too! The holiday spirit at work can be infectious if you are in the right mood.
I am not condoning abandoning your responsibilities. Not in the least. I am advocating expanding your goal to enjoy the holidays this year to include the workplace – to bring your newfound Jingle Bell Spirit to your coworkers, partners, bosses, vendors, and customers. After all, a genuine smile and happy holiday greeting doesn’t cost a penny… but can be priceless to the recipient.
[Ed. Note: Pledge right now that the holidays will be a time of joy rather than stress. Share your own Holiday Vision Statement here.
For more of success expert Bob Cox's advice on how to achieve your goals, check out his "Flip the Success Switch" guide. Learn how to get your copy here.]
I Can’t Take It Anymore…
When you are in the know about something – like I am about generating sales online – you can see right through the smoke and mirrors. You clearly see the true money-machine the Internet could be… in the right hands. Now I’m going to show you exactly how to make money online in 3 easy steps.
Yes, it’s that easy. And some have been hiding the real secret all this time. Check out everything for yourself by clicking here…
The #1 Way to Stick To Your Diet
The #1 way to stick to your diet is going to sound strange, but trust me on this one.
There’s a popular new “social networking” website: Twitter.com. At first glance, it looks as dumb as it sounds. But after spending some time on it, I realized it could help my clients stay accountable to others – and that’s key when it comes to sticking to a diet. Because if you promise others that you are going to lose weight, and you promise to report the contents of every meal, you’ll think twice about cheating on your diet.
I use Twitter to post all of my meals, snacks, and nutrition tips over the course of the day, and I encourage my clients to do the same. No one likes to disappoint other people or look bad in their eyes. So when we say we’re going to stick to a diet, AND we’re going to post every meal we eat on the Internet, it motivates us to keep working toward that goal.
It’s really simple. You just sign up for an account, and then you can post whatever you want (limited to 140 characters per post). Some folks call this micro-blogging, and most folks use Twitter for business networking – but we’re going to use it for social support.
To get started, go to Twitter.com and sign up for your free account. Then you can search for people to “follow” – to see their updates. And other people can “follow” you to see your updates.
Of course, you don’t need Twitter to be accountable for sticking to your fat-loss plan. You can keep a daily food journal for your trainer, post your meals on a weight-loss message board, or simply buddy up with a friend and check in every day. But Twitter is a quick way to do it online.
[Ed. Note: Online support can be very helpful when it comes to reaching your weight-loss goals. Share your weight-loss struggles, diet and exercise techniques, and encouragement for free right here.
And for a topnotch fitness program that can help you burn fat and build muscle, check out Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program right here.]
The Language Perfectionist: Me, Myself, and I
By Don Hauptman
Usage experts agree that the pronoun “myself” has only two proper uses: the intensive and the reflexive.
“I’ll do it myself” uses the word as an intensifier, to convey emphasis. “I see myself as a leader” is reflexive – with the action referring to the subject.
Thus, avoid using “myself” where “I” or “me” is appropriate and grammatical. Example: Say “My family and I are glad to be here,” not “My family and myself…”
Observes Bryan A. Garner: “Using [myself] that way… is thought somehow to be modest, as if the reference were less direct. Yet it’s no less direct, and the user may unconsciously cause the reader or listener to assume an unintended jocularity, or that the user is somewhat doltish.”
Often, the word can simply be eliminated: “I bought myself a new suit” is equally as clear as “I bought a new suit.”
The same rules apply to other pronouns: “yourself,” “himself,” “herself,” “themselves,” etc. Many dictionaries are permissive on this subject, but it’s usually wise to follow convention, especially in formal writing.
[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]
It’s Fun to Know: How to Contact Santa
If you have young children, you may be interested to know that there is an actual mailing address for letters written to Santa Claus: Santa Claus, North Pole, HOH OHO Canada. 13,000 volunteers (”postal elves”) reply to the letters every year in 16 different languages, and even Braille. And for technically savvy tots, there’s a website where Santa can receive e-mail, too: canadapost.ca/santascorner.
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Word to the Wise: Coruscate
To “coruscate” (KOR-uh-skate) – from the Latin for “to move quickly” – is to sparkle, to give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light.
Example (as used by Bill Roorbach in The Atlantic): “They pulled up at the farthest end of a loop path that looked out over the great basin of the Rio Grande under brilliant, coruscating stars.”
[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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