* Highly
Recommended *
The
Billionaire Way
I
would recommend "The
Billionaire Way" program to anyone who is
contemplating a new enterprise or business start-up, or is
already in business for themselves. It enabled me to look at
my life, attributes, and habits in a refreshing new way. I
was delighted to discover that I too have a number of the traits
and qualities that many who are successful in business possess,
which I hadn't realized. I am very excited to apply the principles
that were presented in the program to my new business ventures.
A
tremendous benefit was to be able to talk with the author of
the program, Bob Cox, about my own business strategies and
ideas. Bob spent an hour on the phone with me after I finished
the program, and his personal insights and suggestions were
very helpful and inspiring.
I
know that I will often refer back to the information provided
in "The
Billionaire Way"
-
Catherine McNeil, Monte Vista, Colorado
It's
About Time You Looked at Trends
By
Andrew M. Gordon
Be
careful about asking your investments "What have you done
for me lately?" The answer could lead to some very bad
investment decisions if you don't understand the question.
And many investors don't.
With
markets, investors usually focus on what they've done so far
in a year (year to date) and what they're doing today. With
stocks, it's more about the last quarter.
But
buying into markets and companies isn't like buying wine. We
can buy a familiar 1998 Cabernet and know it's good. Stocks
don't work like that. You shouldn't buy a stock (or market)
because it's had a good year or 18 months or eight months.
Timeframes
can be misleading. They can make the same investment look dazzling
or frightening. Take the Dow, for example. If you had invested
in it at the beginning of 2000, you would now be looking at
all of a five percent return on your investment. But if you'd
invested in the Dow at the beginning of 1996, you would have
made a dazzling 85 percent.
So,
which growth figure is more accurate? Five percent ... or 85
percent? They're BOTH 100 percent accurate.
The
lesson? Take quarterly growth, year-to-date growth, one-, three-,
or five-year growth figures - ANY growth timeframe - with a
grain of salt. Instead, look at the fundamentals driving the
trend. The good (and bad) times have to end sometime ... and
that "sometime" could have been yesterday.
[Ed.
Note: Andrew Gordon, ETR's financial expert, is the editor
of our new investment service, Income.
Each month, he uncovers specific stocks that promise safety
(first and foremost), along with much-higher-than-average profit
potential.]
"Dreams
pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems
the
dream again; and this interdependence produces the
highest form of living."
-
Anais Nin
Taking
Personal Inventory
By
Paul Lawrence
As
2006 wraps up, JL has something to smile about. He lives in
a beautiful home, complete with a swimming pool. And he is
well on his way to success as a partner in a profitable (and
rapidly growing) talent booking agency. That is an extraordinary
change, considering how dire his circumstances were just one
year ago. He had just been evicted from his apartment, had
lost his job, his truck needed a repair that he couldn't afford
(and that would cost more than the truck was worth), and he
wasn't even close to achieving his professional goals.
JL
took the first critical step toward getting himself out of
this mess by performing something I call a "Cumulative
Appraisal" of his situation. After doing so, he had to
accept the fact that he hadn't lost his apartment because of
a mean landlord. He'd lost it because he hadn't saved any money
when he had a good job. And he wasn't anywhere near his dream
of being successful in the entertainment business because he
hadn't done much to make it happen.
Once
JL saw his situation with clarity, he was able to formulate
a plan to change it.
Making
an accurate appraisal of where you are right now in regard
to actually living your dreams takes more than simply saying, "Well,
let's see ... I work in an office as a clerk, but my dream
is to be president of a Fortune 500 company. So I guess I'm
not there yet."
That's
simply not enough information to enable you to make meaningful
changes in your life. In order to truly change direction, you
must take some radical actions.
Momentum
is a powerful force in physics ... and also in your life. If,
for example, you are on course to work in a large company as
a low-level administrator, you continue to be propelled in
that direction by momentum. Factors in that momentum include
the way you get supervisors to perceive you, the set of skills
you acquire, and your behavior patterns.
In
order to break out of this path and get yourself headed toward
a higher goal, you must recognize how you got started in that
direction in the first place. Once you determine how you got
started, it will be easier to see what you need to do in order
to change course.
That
is why the Cumulative Appraisal is so important. It compels
you to dig deeper and identify the true reasons your life has
taken the wrong direction. Facing those reasons isn't a lot
of fun ... but it is necessary.
When
I was very young, one of my strong interests was to become
an actor/comedian. Yet, by the time I was in my 30s, I hadn't
done anything about it. It would have been easy for me to tell
myself that it was because I was so busy with other goals.
But that wasn't the truth. The truth was that I was afraid
of going on stage and having people not like me.
Once
I accepted that reality, I was able to find a solution to my
problem. I created a "comedic character" for myself
that made it easier for me to give comedy a try. When I had
enough experience and confidence, I gave up the character and
revealed my true self to the audience. Since then (I'm proud
to say), I've appeared as an actor in several large movies,
on stage as a stand-up comedian, and as a member of a sketch
comedy group.
Now,
your circumstances are probably entirely different from what
mine were. But if you don't identify the true reasons that
have prevented you from living your dreams, you won't be able
to overcome the tremendous force of momentum pushing you down
the wrong life path.
Are
you ready to make your own Cumulative Appraisal and start turning
your life around? Here's how to get started.
Step
#1: Determine Your Actual Life Position
This
step is not easy for most people, because it's natural for
us to minimize our shortcomings. Let me share an example.
My
close friend DM spent his mid-20s telling himself that he was
just one step away from catching that big break ... or moments
away from being able to jump into another career or a business
of his own.
But
that wasn't the case. He was just in a job that he hated -
a job with no future. He had no specific life goal, much less
a well-planned strategy to change his situation. Until he took
a realistic look at where he was and where he was headed, he
was stuck treading water.
Once
DM finally realized that he was staying with his job because
he had a lack of self-confidence, he was able to change things
for the better.
After
completing the Cumulative Appraisal, he realized that he'd
built up some substantial managerial skills. With a new perception
of himself, DM found the courage to launch his own business.
Now, instead of punching a time card and making just enough
to get by, he owns two very successful companies, an exotic
sports car, and several properties (including a luxury home
in an exclusive neighborhood). And he and his wife enjoy traveling
all over the world.
While
there are times to put a "positive spin" on things,
you don't want to sugarcoat your Cumulative Appraisal. You
need to be brutally honest with yourself. It's not always easy
to accept reality - but console yourself by remembering that
any negative life circumstance can be changed.
Step
#2: Identify Your Dreams
When
you've determined where you truly are, you've got to figure
out where it is you want to go. It's easy for some people to
pinpoint their dreams. But others may not know for sure what
would make them happy. All they know is that they don't like
what they're currently doing.
To
determine what you would really like to do, ask yourself, "If
I had a $50 million windfall - and never again had to work
to support myself - what would I like to do?" The answer
to that question is very likely the dream that you should pursue.
Be
very specific - and realistic - about your dream. The first
part of your Cumulative Appraisal will give you an accurate
picture of your strengths and weaknesses. So if, for example,
you're a heavy-set man in your late 40s, don't say, "I'd
like to be a leading man in action movies." That's not
realistic.
But
you can still be a movie star. You just need to "tweak" your
dream a bit. Perhaps you could say, "I want to be a character
actor who works regularly in film and television." That's
possible. And then, with this specific goal in mind, you could
figure out what specific actions you need to take to achieve
it. You might, for example, decide you need to move to Los
Angeles and enroll in acting school.
The
point is, you've got to take action based on an understanding
of who you are now, how and why you got here, and your (very
specific) dream. Completing these two steps will make that
possible.
Time
is the one commodity you have that is truly limited. If you
aren't living your dreams now, I strongly urge you to change
your life for the better. Believe me ... I'm living proof that
it can be done.
[Ed.
Note: Paul Lawrence truly is living his dreams. He is a produced
screenwriter who has written a multimillion-dollar film. He's
signed a development deal with one of the entertainment industry's
largest producers to executive-produce a television show, has
sold another feature film script slated for a 2007 theatrical
release, and is the president of a successful direct-mail company.
Learn
about Paul's "Dare to Live Your Dreams" program
on his website.]
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Stop
Dying Like a Man
By
Al Sears, MD
RH,
who is 69 years old, just got married. He came to my office
before leaving on his honeymoon. "Dr. Sears," he
said, "I want to live a little before I make my wife a
widow." He was only half-joking ... because men, as a
group, die younger than women do.
Women
are out-living men by an average of six years - a gap that's
grown considerably since 1920, when the difference was only
one year. Why is this gap widening? Take a look at the leading
causes of death for American men:
- COPD
(Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
When
I look at this list, one thing jumps out at me: All five of
these causes are linked to changes we've made in our environment.
And I can correlate increases in the rates of heart disease,
cancer, strokes, and lung disease to those changes.
For
men, one of the most problematic environmental changes is that
synthetic chemicals used in many products have a structure
that closely resembles estrogen. These products include pesticides,
pharmaceuticals, plastics, and the hormones given to farm animals
to fatten them.
Clinical
tests show that high concentrations of estrogen not only cause
problems in the bedroom for men, they also weaken their immune
system and lead to chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease
- the top two killers of men in the U.S.
The
right blood tests can be an easy and reliable way to counter
these environmental threats. Yet very few doctors order them.
Here's where your awareness plays a critical role in your health.
I recommend that you ask your doctor for the following tests
at least once a year:
Test
Your Manhood
|
Coenzyme
Q10
|
Total
Estrogens
|
|
Homocysteine
|
HDL
Cholesterol
|
|
Insulin
|
Triglyceride
|
|
Testosterone
|
PSA
(Prostate Specific Antigen)
|
[Ed.
Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The
Doctor's Heart Cure and 12
Secrets to Virility, is a leading authority
on longevity, physical fitness, and heart health.]
Notes
From Michael Masterson's Blog: Slow Down and Smell the Gingerbread
Some
of my friends, Jewish and Christian alike, say they hate the
holiday season because of all the stress it causes. Making
those endless shopping lists ... looking for "perfect" presents
... writing poignant phrases on 116 cards. Who wants to do
that?
Add
to that the worries about forgetting and therefore insulting
someone ... about what Uncle Harry will think if you don't
invite him over ... about getting a gift from someone you didn't
send one to ... about being caught "re-gifting." And
so on.
No
wonder so many people get stressed out, angry, and depressed.
I've
been thinking about ways to overcome this. Here's what I've
come up with so far ...
[Ed.
Note: Read the rest of this article on Michael
Masterson's blog.]
-
Michael Masterson
* Highly
Recommended*
You
Can Import Goods From Overseas For Pennies On the Dollar!
It
may have been hard in the past for small entrepreneurs to import
cheap products from countries like China, but things have drastically
changed.
For
example, In 1986, total trade between the United States and
China was $7.9 billion. By 2005, this total has reached over
$170 billion, making China the United States' third largest
trading partner.
You
can't believe how easy this is. With the right information,
you just find products that cost a couple of dollars each and
sell them for 1000%+ mark-ups by the thousands with your own
Internet sites.
Please click
here to read this urgent report.
-
Patrick Coffey
Word
to the Wise: Farrago
"Farrago" (fuh-RAH-go)
- from the Latin for "a mixed fodder for cattle" -
is another way of saying "hodgepodge."
Example
(as used by Roy Greenslade in The Guardian): "From
the moment the story of the Countess of Wessex and the Sheikh
of Wapping broke, there has been a farrago of rumour, speculation,
and fantasy of which virtually every newspaper should be ashamed."
