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Message #1781
Friday, July 14, 2006

WEALTHY:
If you had all the money in the world … (Michael
Masterson)

HEALTHY:
Drink yourself lean

WISE:
George Bernard Shaw on money

ALSO
IN THIS ISSUE:

A
warranty card worth reading (Charlie
Byrne)

I
can't wait for November! (Suzanne
Richardson)

Add "interlocutor" to
your vocabulary

*
Highly Recommended *

Give
Yourself a Nice Pay Raise – And A Three Day Weekend, Every
Weekend

By
the end of this week, you can give yourself a pay raise.
How does an extra $20/hr sound… and schedule a few days
vacation while you're at it!

After
a month or two, how about another raise… to $2,000 a week.

It's
happening everywhere. Ordinary people — including folks
who never finished school — starting their own businesses…
and making side incomes in the neighborhood of $40,000…
$60,000… even $100,000 or more a year.

They're
living the American Dream. Now it's time for you to start
living it too. Read
on…

-
Charlie Byrne

"When
a man says money can do anything, that settles it: He
hasn't got any."

-
George Bernard Shaw

A
Philosophical Ride With an Unusual Limo Driver

By
Michael Masterson

Question:
What would you do with your money if you had all you could
ever need?

I
was asked that question, strangely enough, by the limo driver
who was taking us home from the Miami airport at the end
of our trip to Asia.

I
didn't tell him that I was in that happy position … and
that I was still grateful every day for my good fortune.

I
didn't say any of those things because (a) I didn't want
to sound like a jerk and (b) I knew he wanted to talk about
it.

It's
an interesting question. What would you do?

What
would you do with your life if you had, say, 10 (or 20 or
50?) million dollars tucked away, earning you all the money
you needed to pay for everything you wanted … with plenty
left over?

When
ordinary people get lucky with wealth by winning the lottery
or coming into an inheritance, studies indicate that the
majority of them keep their jobs but increase their spending.
Bakers continue to wake up early. Plumbers continue to get
their hands dirty. And postal workers continue with their
daily rounds.

Why
do they keep working?

It
could be the attention they receive from their fellow workers.
(People whose lives remind them of what it "used to
be like.") It could be the force of habit. ("What
else am I supposed to do?") It could be the fear of
falling backward. ("At least I'll always have my job.")

That
last line of thinking isn't as crazy as it sounds. A significant
percentage of people who come into wealth quickly end up
broke in a relatively short period of time.

My
philosophical limo driver and I mused about these facts for
a while. And then he reminded me that I hadn't answered his
question. "But what would you do?" he asked again.

I
sat back in my seat and thought about it.

"I
would definitely stop working," I said. "At least
for money. I'd write books, work out, do a little painting,
and spend time with my family and friends."

"What
would your perfect day be like?" he asked.

And
so I thought about that too. I imagined myself waking up
in an apartment overlooking a sunny plaza. In Paris? Rome?
Buenos Aires?

After
taking a leisurely shower, I stroll, bathrobe-clad, to the
porch, where breakfast has been served. Eggs Benedict and
coffee. Silver and fine table linens. I read the International
Herald Tribune and then take a walk to my studio by
the sea. I write or paint until I get that Hemingway-esque
feeling of having "done good work." Then I head
to the local cafe, where my friends await me. We eat and
drink merrily, and then I take a short walk to my secret
apartment, dark and cool, where I enjoy a postprandial siesta.

Revived,
I meet K at some auction house or art gallery where, after
looking over the new arrivals, we successfully bid on a small
but exquisite pencil sketch by Jules Pascin. That evening,
we dine with our three boys and their spouses, who have flown
in to celebrate Mother's Day. Before turning in for the night,
I write a note to an old friend who's working in Japan, read
a poem by Ezra Pound, and knock off The New York Times crossword
puzzle in just under 15 minutes.

"That's
a beautiful dream," my driver said. "I hope that
some day you will achieve it."

"Me
too," I said, thinking about the ways my current life
is like and unlike my fantasy.

"So," my
driver said, after a while. "You didn't ask me."

"Sorry?
What did you say?"

"You
never asked me what I'd do if I had all the money I needed."

A
pang of embarrassment. "I'm sorry. You're right. What
would you do? What would you do if you had all the money
you could ever need?"

He
looked at me through the rearview mirror and smiled. "I
already have all the money I need," he said.

I
was taken aback. Was he pulling my leg? I took a good look
at him and noticed that he was wearing a fine cotton shirt
and sporting a Rolex.

"Really," I
said. "That's great. Wow."

His
smile had widened into a Cheshire grin. "You're surprised,
aren't you?"

"Well,
yes. I mean, no. I mean, I'm not sure what I am. So what
are you doing now that you've made it?"

"I
don't write books, I can tell you that," he said, laughing. " But
I do spend lots of time taking my friends to sporting events.
That gives me a lot of pleasure."

My
limo driver philosopher was a season ticket holder to the
Miami Heat, the Miami Dolphins, and the Florida Marlins. "Watching
sports is a big part of my life," he admitted. "I
don't have a family of my own, but I have nieces and nephews
– and they have become big sports fans. So that's good."

I
sensed that my interlocutor was a tad bit disappointed with
his life. I asked him why, if he was financially independent,
he was driving a limo.

"I
don't do it for a living," he said. "I drive a
couple of hours a day. That's it. But I like meeting people
and finding stuff out about what they do and what they think.
It keeps me thinking. And I get a kick out of it when my
customers find out that I'm richer than they are."

I
wondered if he was, in fact, richer than me …

He
exited I-95 and drove at a leisurely pace east on Atlantic
Avenue. "Like you," he said, "I used to think
about what I'd do if I had all the money I needed."

"And
how close is your life to what you imagined?"

"That's
the interesting thing," he said. "I think I am
leading my perfect life right now. But it's nothing like
what I thought it would be."

"How
so?"

"Like
working as a limo driver," he said. "I never imagined
I'd be doing that."

"Yeah,
I bet."

"And
yet I love it."

"It
sounds like you do."

"And
do you want to know something else?" he asked.

I
definitely did.

"I
wash and wax this baby myself. By hand. I could afford to
buy six car washes. Yet I go to the supermarket, buy the
Turtle Wax, and do the rub-on, rub-off thing myself."

I
thought about the pleasure I get from gardening. "I
think I can understand that."

He
turned north on Ocean Boulevard. "That's our house
up there on the left," I told him. He looked at it with
evident appreciation. "Nice," he said. "Really
nice."

"It's
kind of low key," I found myself saying.

"Hey,
you don't have to apologize to me," he said. "I'm
a limo driver!"

I
was not surprised when, after pulling into my driveway, he
hopped out of the car and helped us with our luggage. The
fare came to $42. I gave him a fifty and said, with embarrassment, "Keep
the change."

He
gave me a business card. Just his first name on it – Harvey
– and a phone number. "I live up the road, only a couple
of miles from here," he said. "Call me next time
you need a ride to the airport."

An
expensive shirt. A Rolex. A business card with only his first
name and a phone number. If Harvey wasn't the richest limo
driver in the world, he was at least doing a good job impersonating
him.

He
had said he lived "a couple of miles up the road" from
us. That meant Gulfstream or Manalapan. Could Harvey own
one of those $20 million homes on the beach? If so, he would
have to have a minimum net worth of $100 million.

For
the rest of the day, I couldn't get Harvey out of my mind.
Was he really rich or just a bullshit artist? And if he was
rich, how rich was he?

If
nothing else, I concluded, he got me thinking about what
I want from my life and what I'm doing about it.

Today's
Action Plan: My conversation with Harvey raised
some interesting questions:

What
would you do if you had all the money you needed?

What
parts of your present life would you keep?

What
parts would you change?

And
what entirely new things would you do?

Think
about it. And, if you like, e-mail your thoughts to me at ReaderFeedback@gmail.com.
Include your name, hometown, and state… and we may run
your response in an upcoming issue of ETR.

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A
Beverage That Helps You Burn Calories

By
Jon Herring

If
your goal is to lose weight and become lean, one of the things
you have to do is drink enough water. Not only does adequate
hydration boost your metabolism and speed up elimination,
it's likely to help you consume fewer calories too.

In
a study presented in the journal Obesity Research,
scientists at the University of North Carolina found that
men and women who drank more than 1.5 liters of water per
day consumed roughly 200 calories less than "low-water
drinkers." Considering that a moderate 20-minute aerobic
workout burns about that number of calories, you can clearly
see the impact increasing your water intake can have on your
weight-loss program.

The
Institute of Medicine suggests that men drink roughly 3.0
liters (12 cups) and women 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of water
per day. Here's how to do it:

1. Drink
a glass of water with each meal and between each meal.

2. Drink
a glass of water before, during, and after exercise.

3. Whenever
you're tempted to reach for juice, soda, or another high-sugar
beverage, have a glass of water instead.

Hot
Dogs, Burgers, and… Good Marketing Copy?

By
Charlie Byrne

How
many times have you bought a small appliance and thrown the
warranty card in the trash? If your habits are anything like
mine, the answer is "a lot." After all, who wants
to fill out a boring form that's only going to land your
name on junk mailing lists?

So
I was pleasantly surprised to see the following card when
I opened up my new Weber grill last weekend.

Here's
the headline:

SENDING
THIS CARD IN WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER GRILLER (OR YOUR POSTAGE
STAMP BACK). THERE ARE TWO GOOD REASONS TO FILL OUT THIS
CARD…

Of
course, I had to read the rest to find out what those two
reasons were. The copy goes on to…

1.
Offer a free publication:

"Each
issue of The Grill Out Times is packed with grilling tips
and advice, triple-tested recipes, and just about everything
you need to become a card-carrying Weber Grilling Guru.
So don't put it off. Register now. You have a reputation
to defend."

2.
Make an "anti-spam" pledge (written in a personal,
inviting tone):

"Oftentimes
when you send in cards like this, you end up receiving
boatloads of junk mail you don't want from companies you
don't know. We don't like that stuff any more than you
do. That's why we promise Weber won't give or sell your
information to anyone at any time – nobody, nada, never.
Information received from you will only be used to help
us to develop the next generation of Weber grills. And
for that we thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Hat's
off to the copywriter who came up with this. It may not be
truly fantastic copy (as taught by AWAI's
copywriting program). But it does what it's
supposed to do: It grabs your attention … and gets you
to fill out the card and send it in.

ETR
Insider Report: Everybody's Talking About Bootcamp

By
Suzanne Richardson

After
the long Fourth of July weekend, I wasn't surprised to find
my inbox crammed with messages. I was surprised, however,
that nearly all of them had one thing in common: our upcoming Information
Marketing Bootcamp.

This
year's speakers sent me dozens of e-mails, asking questions
about the articles they're working on for upcoming issues
of ETR …

Charlie
Byrne, our editorial director, and Patrick Coffey, one of
our marketing managers, sent a flurry of messages exclaiming
over the array of talented, successful businesspeople who
will be making presentations at Bootcamp…

Katie
Yeakle, AWAI's executive director, e-mailed me too, excited
because someone who took their copywriting
program – and who's written and published his
first book – will be attending this
year's Bootcamp to learn about the marketing
side of being a writer …

And
that's not the half of it!

With
all this talk about Bootcamp,
my head started whirling. I can't wait!

For
one thing, it takes place in Delray Beach, FL, right on the
beach. Can you imagine? Sun, sand, and seagulls, while ferocious
November pounds its stormy fists against the rest of the
country (especially New York State, where I'll be flying
from).

And
where else can you find so many marketing experts in one
place? Here's a small sampling:

Andrew
Palmer will be sharing his techniques for marketing your
business online. Rich Schefren plans to teach his own secrets
of successful Internet business-building. John Phillips is
going to explain how you can draw more visitors to your site.
Heather Lloyd-Martin will share the essentials of writing
copy that search engines love. Bob Bly will reveal the most
important elements of writing copy that sells. And, yes,
you'll get to hear Michael Masterson himself … live and
in person.

Of
course, while I'm
at Bootcamp, I'll be working. So I'll be lucky
to catch a few minutes of those presentations, here and there.
(And you'd better believe I'll have a notebook and pen with
me.)

But
you have the opportunity to hear every single one … and
to ask these experts specific questions … and even to chat
with them one-on-one between sessions.

Don't
miss it!

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Word
to the Wise: Interlocutor

An "interlocutor" (in-tur-LOK-yuh-tur)
is a person who takes part in a conversation.

Example
(as I used it today): "I sensed that my interlocutor
was a tad bit disappointed with his life."

Michael
Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2006

Have
a Question for Michael Masterson?

Want
to know the secrets to his success? Have a perplexing
business problem? ETR welcomes your thoughts. Post
them online at http://speakoutforum.com/forum/ or
send questions directly to Support@EarlyToRise.Com

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