Issue #2635
- WEALTHY: A lowball real estate investing technique (Ted Peroulakis)
- HEALTHY: Load up your cart with new varieties (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Viktor Frankl on the last human freedom
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Get rid of the Great Recession Blues (Michael Masterson)
- 3 reasons to wait 5 seconds before you speak (Brian Tracy)
- It’s Good to Know… about medical adhesives of the future
- Add “tocsin” to your vocabulary
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Is It Time to Buy Real Estate Yet?
Real estate prices are down substantially, and many foreclosures and short sale opportunities are out there for the picking. We are certainly in a buyer’s market.
But is this the time to buy? Or will prices head even lower?
The millions of foreclosures coming on the market are driving prices down, but this could come to a head in the near term. And many experts think we could see the bottom some time this year. My suggestion: Keep your powder dry and get ready to jump into some real estate investments in the next year – when the right ones present themselves.
After getting out with a net profit in 2006, my wife and I are looking to add real estate to our investment mix again. We have been spending our weekends driving around, looking at properties that are bank-owned or are being short-sold by homeowners who are upside-down on their mortgages.
The trick is to find nice properties that you can rent out. That way, your property is working for you, generating steady income. When you find a place that’s got all the right criteria – good location, good or up-and-coming neighborhood, in good shape – make an offer that’s 40 percent to 50 percent below the current market value. Nineteen out of 20 owners will tell you to go somewhere else. But if one out of 20 accepts your lowball offer, you will get a great deal.
[Ed. Note: Interested in other "Great Recession" investment opportunities? Ted Peroulakis and his fellow market analysts at Investor's Daily Edge give you a daily dose of balanced commentary and incredible under-the-radar investments. Sign up for their free newsletter here.
Buying foreclosures is one way to make money in this market. Another way is to play the middleman between distressed homeowners and foreclosure investors. Find out more about this "recession-proof" cash generator and 13 other moneymaking opportunities here. /]
“Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. “
Viktor Frankl
9 Steps to Defeating Depression
Of all the many prescriptions for happiness that populate the media these days, the most popular one is also the stupidest. I’m talking about the idea that you can defeat depression by “paying attention to yourself.”
The truth is that paying attention to yourself doesn’t make you happy at all. In fact, the more attention you give yourself, the less happy you are likely to be. Focusing inward can perpetuate your feelings of hopelessness.
60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace defined depression this way: “Sunshine means nothing to you. The seasons, friends, or good food mean nothing. All you do is focus on yourself and how badly you feel.”
Think of the least-happy people you know. What are they always talking about? Their accomplishments. Their troubles. Their hopes. Their worries. Their this. Their that. In short, themselves.
I have a friend. Let’s call her Shelly. Shelly is a smart, good-looking woman but she can’t maintain long-term relationships. She has no idea why this is true. “People are always disappointing me,” she says. And she has stories.
We have lunch together two or three times a year. And at every meeting, Shelly talks non-stop about all the people who have failed her. She complains about her boss. She bitches about her husband. She does it with a certain sense of humor – but it is all “Wah! Wah! Wah! What about me?”
I’ve suggested to Shelly that she would be happier if she did some volunteer work or took on a hobby. Perhaps get a pet. But she doesn’t listen.
To the outside observer, Shelly has nothing to complain about. She has perfect health. She has a healthy family. And she is financially independent – putting her among the luckiest people on earth. Yet from her perspective – from the inside – she sees nothing but negatives.
You probably have a Shelly in your life. Maybe more than one.
The trouble with the Shellys of the world is that they spend too much of their valuable time thinking and talking about themselves. Their lives never get any better. And they can’t figure out why. They believe the solution lies in getting other people to feel sorry for them. They don’t understand that seeking attention is a big part of their problem.
I have a theory about why this is so.
There are essentially two impulses in the universe: contraction and relaxation. Everything – every animate and inanimate thing – is, literally, becoming more or less dense at any given moment. The ultimate denseness is a black hole, which sucks in light but gives out none.
As psychological creatures, our consciousness is always in flux between the contraction and the dissolution of the ego. Our egocentric impulses are the source of much of the work we do and the art we create, but they are also the source of tension, sickness, and despair. Our dissolution impulses are the source of our loving relationships. They relax us and prepare us to accept the ultimate dissolution of the ego, which is death.
Contraction gives us the egoistic pleasure of being loved – being acknowledged and appreciated. Relaxation gives us the exocentric pleasure of doing the loving – of our work, our lives, and the people who inhabit them.
Both contraction and relaxation can deliver pleasure, but the pleasure of contraction (the pleasure of the ego) is temporary, whereas the pleasure of relaxation is the enduring pleasure of the soul.
It feels good to have people pay attention to you. But even at its most intense (imagine being a movie star), the pleasure dissipates almost as soon as the attention shifts away. And when the pleasure of the ego leaves, a vacuum of sadness takes its place.
It’s like taking drugs. The effect is temporary. It’s addictive. It leaves you wanting more. And each time you get more, it is not enough. Eventually, it kills you.
“Enough of all this deep thinking,” you say. “What does this have to do with me?”
Just this: The next time you are feeling sad or angry, recognize that there is a way to become happy again: Relax your ego.
Here’s how…
1. Accept the fact that it is perfectly normal to feel crummy sometimes.
Despite your core strengths and your many accomplishments, you will occasionally find yourself down in the dumps. It’s natural for ambitious people (which means you – you are reading ETR, aren’t you?) to feel that way. As productivity expert Tim Ferriss says, “The occasional bouts of self-doubt and sadness are an integral part of building anything remarkable.”
2. If you are upset because of something you did to yourself, forgive yourself.
It’s okay. You screwed up. What matters is what you do next, not what you just did.
I sometimes get angry when I feel pressured by work obligations. But when I examine the reason for all the work, it’s usually because I volunteered to take it on in the first place. When I recognize that my mood is being affected by my own prior actions, I remind myself that I’m lucky. “It’s okay that you are angry. But you don’t have to be. You can get through today. And you can have better discipline tomorrow.” That’s what I tell myself, and it helps me feel better instantly.
3. If you are upset because of something someone else did to you, take a chill pill.
Count to 10. Recognize that you can’t control the behavior of other people. The only thing you can control is your response to their behavior. Nobody can take that away from you.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space,” said Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning.”In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
I used to get upset when my family, friends, or colleagues made a mistake. I realize now how stupid that was. It didn’t do me any good. And it made me unproductive, unhappy, and unpleasant to be around. I changed by learning to turn the other cheek. The moment I stopped resenting others for their shortcomings, I began to feel better about myself.
It’s amazing how well this works.
Somebody bumps into you on the street and you sprain your ankle. You have a choice. You can be angry at that person. You can be upset with yourself for not being more aware of your surroundings. Or you can forgive the person and yourself and change the way you think about your injury. Rather than rue the inconvenience of being laid up for a week or two, see the recuperation period as a gift – the chance to start a new project or catch up on your reading.
4. Don’t allow unrealistic expectations to interfere with your relationships.
(This is a sub-category of not allowing the behavior of other people to upset you.)
Instead of being upset by your spouse’s habit of (fill in the blank), resolve to accept the fact that she won’t be changing and find a way to forgive her and even love her for her frailty. Instead of being angry that your child is a slob, find a way to love him for his strengths while gently teaching him (by showing, not telling) the advantages of being orderly. Instead of being angry at your business partner because she didn’t perform as well as you expected her to, learn to appreciate what she brings to the table and negotiate a new deal with her out of love, not anger.
Accepting people for who they are does not mean allowing them to make your life miserable. On the contrary, it means being realistic – realizing that 90 percent of the time a person’s fundamental characteristics cannot be changed. If you find a certain behavior unacceptable, you change the way you deal with it (something you can do) instead of trying to change the person (which you can’t do).
5. If you are upset because of circumstances beyond your control, take a double dose of chill pill.
As Alex Green, Investment Director of the Oxford Club and Chairman of Investment U, said in his article “The Psychology of Optimal Experience,” you can deal with your troubles more effectively if you define them as “problems” (which can be solved) or “predicaments” (which can be coped with).
Getting caught in a storm or catching a cold is not a reason to get mad at yourself. Neither, by the way, is being caught in a worldwide economic collapse.
6. If you are unhappy at work, find a way to care about what you’re doing.
As Albert Camus said, “But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?” You won’t experience happiness if you work at a job you hate or if you do poor work on a project you like. But if you learn to care about the work you do, you will find that your energy will improve and you will start to enjoy it.
7. Engage in some sport or challenging exercise – something that is so demanding you can’t do it while thinking.
Walking, stretching, and yoga are great forms of exercise. If you do them with a tranquil mind, they will make you healthy and happy too. But if you do them when you are sad and feeling sorry for yourself, they will give you no relief. You will forget about the exercise and focus on your negative thoughts. That will make things worse.
8. Recognize that the health of your body has a great deal to do with your mood.
If you are feeling bad much of the time, you probably need to make a few lifestyle changes. To wit:
• Eat healthy. Eating too many carbohydrates will make you crazy, cranky, and tired. To have consistent energy all day, use food like fuel. Eat six smallish meals a day, avoiding junk food and favoring organics, lean meats, and plenty of protein.
For specific advice on healthy eating, keep reading articles in ETR by Dr. Al Sears, Kelley Herring, Jon Benson, , Jonny Bowden, Craig Ballantyne, Shane Ellison, and other experts.
• Sleep and rest adequately. For me, adequate sleep is a major contributor to feeling good. Studies show that people who get seven good hours of sleep a night live longer, suffer from fewer illnesses, and achieve more because they have more energy.
For tips on sleeping well, read my article “Are You Getting Enough Sleep?” If you get tired during the day, take a short nap.
• Get the advice of a good doctor about antidepressants. I’m generally against putting chemicals in my body. I much prefer natural cures. But antidepressants have helped some people close to me, and may help you too.
9. Take positive steps to focus “outward” instead of “inward” – to pay less attention to yourself and more attention to others.
A few examples:
• Make your friends happy. Smile when you see them. Listen to their stories. Give them the advice they want and shut up when they don’t want any. Become the person they turn to when the chips are down. Learn to love their peccadilloes and encourage them to overcome their faults. Above all, be loyal.
• Be a reliable and steady resource for your business colleagues. Help them achieve their goals – not because you want them to reciprocate in some way but simply because you care about them and want them to succeed.
• Do something for someone you don’t know – a stranger you come upon, a foster child, or a sick or poor person who can benefit from your help. Spend time and money.
Make this outward focus a natural part of your daily life. Do it purposefully and deliberately until it becomes second nature. You will know when that happens because you’ll be feeling happy most of the time – and when you become sad or angry, you’ll be able to get over it quickly and easily.
[Ed. Note: One of the best ways to feel better about yourself, to feel as though you have a purpose in life, is to pursue something you're passionate about. And there's no better way to pursue your passion than by starting a business related to it. Get a step-by-step guide to starting and growing an Internet business right here.
Get more of Michael's surefire strategies for getting ahead in business and in life in True Path to Profits: A Master Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Success. Find out more - including how you can get a bonus subscription to Michael's VIP newsletter, Ready Fire Aim - right here ]
Why It Doesn’t Matter If the Markets Tumble
If you’re one of the millions of people concerned by the latest turbulence in the markets,
I’ve got some good news for you.
It doesn’t matter if the markets tumble.
One investor delights when the stock market lurches up and down. His name is Frederick James and you won’t see him on Larry King or in the Wall Street Journal.
That’s because he’s always preferred to remain part of an elite group of investors who
extract their profits in the background while the masses of regular investors see their nest eggs vaporize.
But, now Frederick has decided it’s time to share the wealth. He has agreed to reveal his secrets to ETR readers. Get your special report right here.
The Power of Pausing
By Brian Tracy
Top salespeople ask good questions and listen carefully to the answers. One of the most important listening skills they develop is to simply pause before replying. When the prospect finishes talking, rather than jumping in with the first thing they can think of, they take three to five seconds to quietly wait.
Pausing before you speak has three specific benefits.
• You avoid the risk of interrupting the prospect if he has just stopped to gather his thoughts.
• Your silence tells the prospect that you are giving careful consideration to what he has just said. This is a compliment, and makes him feel valuable.
• Pausing before replying means that you will actually hear and understand the prospect better because you’ve given his words a little time to soak into your mind. You will be more alert to how his words can connect with other things you know about him in relation to your product or service.
When you pause, not only do you become a more thoughtful person, you convey this to the customer. By extension, you become a more valuable person to do business with.
[Ed. Note: In his audio program, Communicate With Power , Brian Tracy, master salesman and business coach, will show you how to influence people and get what you want by using only words.
And what better way to hone your communication and sales techniques than by setting up your own Internet business? The Internet Money Club Independent Learner Edition gives you the complete, start-from-scratch guide to finding financial independence online. Get all the details now]
A Great Diet for Your Heart
One of the easiest and most effective things you can do to improve your health is to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Researchers from Iran’s Obesity Research Center examined fruit and vegetable intake in 840 men and women from Tehran – and the results were dramatic. The subjects who ate a lot of different fruits and vegetables were significantly and inversely associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Specifically, it appears that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables leads to lower LDL cholesterol in a dose-responsive manner. That means you’ll get more benefits from eating an apple, an orange, a banana, and some broccoli than you will from just eating an apple and an orange.
So every time you are at the grocery store, add at least one new fruit and one new vegetable to your cart. You can choose from kiwi fruit, avocados, asparagus, pears, spinach, and so many other amazing foods.
Try to be a little better every week with your fruit and vegetable intake and you’ll reduce your risk of heart disease in one of the simplest possible ways.
[Ed. Note: Extending your life and living out your years in tip-top health is really a matter of making simple lifestyle choices - like eating a wider variety of fruits and veggies. For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, click here. .
Want to burn more fat? Follow Craig's Turbulence Training exercise program. ]
It’s Good to Know: Medical Adhesives of the Future
Mussels, barnacles, and similar sea creatures can stick to almost anything, even underwater, and hold on despite being battered by tides and waves. This unique ability has caught the eye of University of Utah researchers trying to create the next generation of adhesives for medical applications.
The problem with the current crop of bandages, sutures, and surgical-grade glues that keep wounds closed and/or covered is that they leave scars and don’t do well with moving bodies. The researchers are hoping to replicate the natural adhesives used by the tenacious sea creatures. However, the biochemical makeup of these substances is complicated, and progress has been slow.
(Source: Wired)
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The Best Feeling in the World
Accomplishing a simple goal can have powerful, long-lasting results…
Once you finally learn to play the trumpet, or start a business, or get promoted to CEO, or get your pre-baby body back…
You’ll notice that people start treating you differently. They’ll respect you more. They’ll compliment you. They might even try to imitate your success.
And the way you’ll feel about yourself is unparalleled. You’ll have new confidence. New happiness. Some new stress, perhaps. But new pride in yourself and your abilities.
Achieving a goal you’ve had for years… There’s nothing quite like it.
It’s time for you to feel proud of yourself
Word to the Wise: Tocsin
A “tocsin” (TOK-sin) – from the Latin for “signal” – is a warning, an alarm bell.
Example (as used by Herbert Mitgang in The New York Times): “The first atomic bomb fell and its radioactive cloud became a tocsin for mankind.”
[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, 2009
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This will no doubt piss you off but then I don’t care about that cause I do it alot. The thing is and I really get tired of this but here I go again. How is it that your so sure that you know ms. Shelly is upset? I mean just maybe that is her way of relieving herself in some way and just maybe she is perfectly happy whne your not around her, just how is it that you think you know, and further more in this line of fire how do any of us really know anything at all. The only truth is that we do not can not and will not, O an BTW I figured this out too. Have a nice day there! OK?
Insightful article that rings oh-so true!