The most common cause of failure, says Michael Masterson, is procrastination. The thief of dreams.

You’re a procrastinator if you have ever said something like…

“I’m definitely going to lose weight this year. I’ll start exercising on Monday.”

Or, “I’m going to reorganize my files just as soon as I catch up on all this paperwork.”

Or, “Once our busy season ends, I’m going to start that side business.”

If you’ve caught the procrastination “bug,” you don’t have to resign yourself to a lifetime of unfinished projects and unfulfilled dreams. Michael has a simple cure: Institute a 24-hour rule for getting started on a goal.

“Whenever I come to the conclusion that I ‘have to’ do something, I give myself 24 hours to take at least the first step toward getting it done,” says Michael.

“I write it down on my daily task list. It’s highlighted in yellow. If it isn’t crossed out by the end of the day as ‘done,’ I cancel all appointments for the following day and commit to doing nothing else. I don’t take phone calls. I don’t read e-mail. I don’t allow people to come into my office for emergency visits. I come in early – extra early – and do nothing else but work on it.”

The 24-hour rule will put an end to your procrastination. And when that happens, imagine all the accomplishments you’ll chalk up, the goals you’ll achieve, the dreams you’ll finally see become reality.

[Ed. Note: Everyone can use a little help getting ahead. For a weekly source of motivation, powerful success techniques, and easy-to-follow goal-achievement advice, sign up for ETR's Total Success Achievement Program. Get the details here.]

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As Groucho Marx said, “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” It would appear that more Americans than ever agree with Marx, according to The New York Times, which recently revealed the results of a report from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The report, titled “Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy,” bases its “good news” on the fact that, for the first time since 1982, there’s been an increase in the number of adults claiming to have read at least one novel, play, or poem over the past 12 months.

“At least one” novel, play, or poem? That’s all it takes?

Listen – if someone is only reading one of anything in a year, she’s in trouble. And so is her future.

Reading is one of the best – and least expensive – ways to “live rich.” It can also make you smarter… help you improve your life… make you a more interesting conversationalist… help get you a better job… keep you in tune with your industry… or help you begin a new career.

Reading ETR each morning is a good start. We strive each day to give you at least one useful piece of advice that you can apply to your life.

But don’t stop there.

• If you’re an Internet marketer, read books on Internet marketing. Read Gladwell and Godin and Masterson and Tribby.

• Sign up for e-newsletters by the best in your field. (For example, John Forde, Clayton Makepeace, Alex Mandossian, Yanik Silver, Rich Schefren, and Bob Bly all have e-newsletters or blogs that can help you get ahead.)

• Read The New York Times. Read The Wall Street Journal. Read Scientific American. You don’t even have to buy them. Go to the library or read them online.

Read what interests you, and read what’s popular. Fiction and non-fiction. Poetry and plays. Blogs and e-newsletters. Magazines and newspapers.

But whatever you do, read something.

[Ed. Note: Let us know - right here - the top 2 books you think EVERYONE should read. One must be fiction, the other must be non-fiction.]

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Last November found me sitting in beautiful Delray Beach, Florida. A warm wind was blowing, water was making gentle lapping sounds against the sides of the pool, fluffy clouds scudded across the sky. And there I was, scared out of my wits. I might as well have been standing on the edge of a 170-story building. I was shaking, my mouth was dry, and my mind was blank.

Was Michael Masterson reading me the riot act?

Had Brad Pitt suddenly revealed his plan to whisk me away to Paris?

Had a leopard escaped from the Palm Beach zoo and leapt over the wall of the Marriott veranda?

No. The reality was far worse.

Consultant and Internet marketer Terry Brock had a video camera pointed at me and was asking me questions.

Now don’t get the wrong idea. Terry wasn’t shoving the microphone in my face and interrogating me paparazzi-style. He wasn’t accusing me of any horrible crime or trying to embarrass me.

All he wanted to do was get me to talk a little bit about ETR and e-mail marketing. (He posted the video on his website www.TerryBrock.com. You can see it – and other videos – there.)

Maybe, like me, you are terrified of speaking in front of a camera. Or perhaps you are applying for jobs and want to appear calm and dignified in front of your prospective employers. Or maybe you’ve been invited to appear on TV or radio to share your expertise.

If so, you’ll be interested in the seven techniques I picked up from Terry that you can use to calm your nerves and get through any interview with flying colors.

Terry’s been interviewing people for decades. In fact, when he was 16, he was asked by his local paper to cover Richard Nixon’s inauguration in Washington, D.C. He has a background in radio. And he spent six years on the Board of the National Speakers’ Association.

These days, most of the interviewing he does is for his website. He’s interviewed Harvey Mackay (author of Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive) Zig Ziglar, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, and many others. He’s even interviewed ETR’s own MaryEllen Tribby. So he’s seasoned in what it takes to get a good conversation going.

And he’s equally versed in what it takes to calm down a nervous interview subject. (It comes with the territory.)

That’s where I come in.

As I said, I was freaking out. But Terry knew how to get me past my nail-chewing nerves and through the interview.

I think you should know that Terry charges $6,997 for a full year of hands-on individual coaching. But he agreed to let me give you seven of his nerve-beating techniques that you can use the next time you get interviewed – whether it’s for a new job or to share your expertise with a local radio or TV audience…

How Not To Be Nervous:

1. Prepare yourself. As Cervantes said, “To be prepared is half the victory.” Try to anticipate the questions you’ll be asked or the topics your interviewer might cover. You’ll feel a lot calmer if the questions aren’t thrown at you out of the blue.

2. Picture yourself in your living room, sharing a glass of Riesling with the interviewer.

3. Chat with the interviewer for a few minutes before you begin. Terry and I talked about his travels, the languages he speaks (Russian and Japanese), Ireland, and Guinness beer. When we were relaxed and laughing, he began the interview. It was an easy transition.

4. Talk to one person. This is a universal communication rule. Whether you’re writing an e-newsletter or speaking at a convention or giving an interview, don’t think about all the people your words are reaching. Instead, focus on one person. Even if that person is imaginary.

5. Visualize your audience as a friend rooting for you to succeed.

6. Be yourself. It’s a huge cliche, but it’s true. Don’t try to be some stiff Walter Cronkite copycat if that’s not the normal you. Just be sincere and true to yourself.

7. Don’t worry about messing up. Worrying about something that may happen is counter-productive. And even if it does happen (and it probably will), it’s not the end of the world. As Terry said to me, “You’re a human being. It’s okay to mess up.”

Now you may think that Terry’s advice doesn’t apply to you because you’re never going to be interviewed. Well, I never thought I’d be on camera, and now I am. As Terry pointed out, “It’s a video world.” Chances are, to reach your customers or your family or even – if you work remotely – your coworkers and employees, you will be on video at some point. So it’s a good idea to get past that irrational and blood-curdling fear of being on camera.

That said, here are two additional – more tech-savvy – suggestions from Terry for getting more comfortable on camera.

• Buy a webcam. (Terry recommends Logitech, which has a 2 megapixel model that goes for under $100.) Then find other people who have webcams and talk to them. It could be your old high school friends back in Michigan… your grandpa in Hong Kong… or your business partner in California.

• Create a video journal. Michael Masterson has recommended keeping a daily journal in writing. But Terry recommends using your webcam to record a video journal, as well. “Wouldn’t you like to see yourself on camera when you were 10 years old?” he asked me. “What about 20 years from now? Think how nice it will be to see yourself as you are today.” Plus, practicing in front of the camera is a great way to get comfortable with being recorded.

And that’s the final key.

The best way to get comfortable being on camera is to get yourself on camera as much as you can.

[Ed. Note: This may be the year you make your video debut. That's because video is becoming a more popular means of connecting with potential customers. To learn how to use video to build relationships with your clients, and to discover the best ways to market your business in the Internet Age, sign up for ETR's Internet Money Club. It's a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to growing an Internet business. Find out if you are still eligible for the "Class of 2009" right here.]

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Getting people’s attention is a big part of success in the business world. As Internet marketing expert Yanik Silver says, “If you want people to remember [you] and keep coming back again and again, [you have] to project a unique personality.”

You can develop a distinct personality for your business in thousands of ways – some of them very small. Take, for instance, a Holiday Inn Select I stayed in recently…

Instead of providing hotel guests with ordinary “Do Not Disturb” signs to hang on their doors, theirs say something like, “I’m much too comfortable to answer the door right now. Please come back later.”

Not only is the hanger fun, it reaffirms one of the big benefits Holiday Inn is trying to convey with its brand – luxurious comfort. It fits in quite nicely with the plush beds and large rooms.

According to Yanik, your personality should be “plugged into every nook and cranny” of your business. That extends to your website, your e-newsletter – and even details as small as your door hangers.

Take a look at your business. Where can you add more personality?

[Ed. Note: What are some things you do to make your business personality pop? Let us know right here.]

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The sun was shining, the sky was blue. And the bare-chested young man walking down the street looked like he could have been on his way to the beach. Except… it was two days before Christmas in Northern Montana. Even worse, it was 17 degrees below zero.

Sitting at a stoplight, all I could do was stare. Was this guy off his rocker? On drugs? Or just severely down on his luck?

But what happened next warmed my heart. A man in a pickup, two kids on the seat beside him, pulled up next to the shirtless man, rolled down his window, and handed out his own thick winter coat.

The young man gave a half-hearted wave of thanks and continued on down the street.

Who knows how much the coat had cost this Good Samaritan? Maybe it was a Kmart special. Maybe he’d shelled out a few hundred bucks. Perhaps he’d picked it up for a couple of dollars at the local Goodwill.

It could have cost $10 billion or 10 cents. That’s not what mattered. This generous man reminded those of us who’d witnessed his act of kindness just how easy it is to be selfless. He proved to his kids that some things are worth more than money. And in weather like that, he may have saved a life.

It’s easy to be thoughtful around the holidays. But don’t let the lack of a “reason” prevent you from giving. I’m not talking about donating money – although that is one way to help. I’m talking about donating a little of your time and energy to people in need. Helping the frazzled mother of four carry her groceries out to the car… holding the door for the gentleman in front of you at the bank… giving blood.

Roman philosopher and playwright Seneca said, “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” There are thousands – probably millions – of ways to spread generosity and goodwill. Do something kind today.

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