Blast Through 5 Roadblocks to Success
Archives: Daily Issues
Issue #2584
- WEALTHY: 5 ways to prepare for financial independence (Suzanne Richardson)
- HEALTHY: 3 DNA-protecting ingredients (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: Henry Ford on obstacles
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- What’s holding you back? (Bob Cox)
- Which are the best mail-order lists? (Michael Masterson)
- It’s Fun to Know… about finger length and financial success
- Add “supererogatory” to your vocabulary
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What’s In Your Back Pocket?
For nearly three decades, Ernie Bjorkman was an anchorman for a Denver TV station. Then one day last month, after signing a yearlong contract, he was let go.
But Ernie wasn’t worried, because he had something in his back pocket. He’d been going to veterinary technician school to pursue a longtime dream of working with animals.
What’s in your back pocket?
It doesn’t have to be a new degree. It doesn’t have to be a new job.
I’m talking about a side business. Something you can set up and run in your spare time.
Starting a side business may sound scary. But it doesn’t have to be. It could help you set aside a little extra money for a nice vacation next summer or the new car you’ve been wanting. And, if the unthinkable happens, it could keep you afloat while you look for a new job… or even turn into a full-blown career.
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• Each week in Profit Center Dispatch, “King of Business Opportunities” Marc Charles reveals a cutting-edge business that you can start from home… and gives you actionable advice on how to get going.
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[Ed. Note: What's your backup plan? Let us know right here.]
”Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.“
Henry Ford
Blast Through 5 Roadblocks to Success
By Bob Cox
Following a proven goal-setting system can help you specify your objectives, measure your progress, and stay focused. But what do you do when you encounter roadblocks along the way? Today, I’m going to tell you exactly what I do to push through, jump over, toss aside, or take a detour away from five of my personal roadblocks in order to stay on track.
Roadblock #1: Perfectionism
Striving to be perfect was always my biggest challenge. My business associates and partners loved giving me projects because I would pull out all the stops and become completely devoted to getting it done… and done right.
It didn’t matter to me how much time or energy I had to spend – my pride demanded perfection.
What I finally learned was:
• My perception of perfection was usually more than what was expected.
• The last 10 percent of a project – the time it takes to get things “perfect” – takes just as long to complete as the first 90 percent.
• Project goals change all the time. So it’s better to come within 90 percent of my idea of perfection and save a little time for the inevitable changes.
For example, I used to design Group Health Plan documents for self-insured accounts. I would toil for hours on end, double-check with the client on her vision, and present the “perfect” document… only to hear something like this: “Great job, Bob! But there’s a different direction we want to go in regarding certain areas of the benefit design.”
It didn’t matter that I had listened and incorporated exactly what the client said she wanted. It didn’t matter that I had researched a mountain of data to figure out how I could achieve her initial vision. The project wasn’t complete, and more work needed to be done.
Bottom line: Stay in motion. Aim for good, push through the modifications that arise, and then… aim for better and repeat the process until the desired results are achieved.
Roadblock #2: Failure to Compromise
This is a roadblock to my success that still creeps up on me, though it doesn’t happen as often as it used to.
I was a real know-it-all. A jerk. I had little patience for anyone who didn’t want to do everything my way. But this attitude only served to alienate others. And often those were people who could have helped me on important projects.
Now when I’m working with someone who wants to do a project in a way that’s different from the way I would do it, I ask myself:
• Is this legal?
• Will this is in some fashion move my goal forward?
• Can I honor this request?
If I can answer YES… then I’ve taken an appropriate detour around this roadblock. That detour – known as compromise – really comes in handy. And it doesn’t work only at the office. It works really well at home. (Just ask my wife, Karin.)
Roadblock #3: Lack of Listening Skills
I can become easily distracted if the person I’m listening to is taking a long time to make a point. But when I remind myself to use active listening skills, I am able to toss aside this roadblock.
Through the years, I have developed the following tips to help me do that:
• Your ears are for hearing… your mind is for listening.
• Listen for ideas and central themes (even take notes).
• Don’t interrupt. Wait your turn to speak.
• Circle any points in your notes that you want to emphasize when it’s your turn.
• Judge content… not delivery.
Roadblock #4: Reluctance to Ask Others for Help and Ideas
I used to think it was a sign of weakness to ask for help on a project. I was wrong. It only slowed me down in achieving my goals… and created an unnecessary roadblock.
It’s better to have a “suggestion box” mindset. In other words, to be willing to ask for and receive help, including alternate ideas and solutions, from all those involved. I often ask for input even from people who are not involved.
You will be surprised at how many good ideas other people have.
And don’t forget to thank them. By developing this success habit, you will have lots of extra resources to draw on whenever you’re stuck on a problem.
Roadblock #5: Not Understanding the Team Concept
Here is where my know-it-all attitude would set up another roadblock for me. You see, whenever I was involved in a project… I always wanted to be the team leader.
I finally recognized that there are people who are better than I am (go figure!) to lead particular types of projects. It was a tough truth to swallow. But once I accepted it, it made a big difference.
Case in point: The safety meetings I attend for one of my insurance clients. In the old days, I would insist on being the presenter. After all, safety was my business, and I was an expert in claim-related safety issues. But the new Bob lets another guy, Kenny, chair these meetings.
Kenny is clearly more qualified than I to do this – and he does an amazing job. He has over 20 years in that particular industry, which gives him an edge (over me) in knowing how to talk to the managers and relate to the manager mindset.
I urge you to jump over this roadblock by letting someone else lead when the opportunity presents itself. Let another team member head the project, let your spouse call the shots for your next dinner party, or let your joint venture partner negotiate an important contract. When you do, you’ll realize how much you can learn by taking on the role of his or her assistant.
In addition to the above, you may have roadblocks of your own that you encounter on a regular basis. Here’s a simple three-step process to help you navigate through them and keep yourself on the path to success.
1. List three of your personal roadblocks to success. BE HONEST. It’s difficult to admit your “shortcomings” or “issues,” but that’s the only way this technique will help you.
2. Write two or three paragraphs about why these roadblocks are a problem for you and how they are inhibiting your success.
3. List at least three ways to push through, jump over, toss aside, or take a detour away from these roadblocks that keep holding you back from achieving your goals.
[Ed. Note: You can turn your dreams into reality just by implementing a few simple techniques. Success mentor Bob Cox has dozens of powerful strategies that can help you accomplish your longest-held goals. Discover how to get his proven advice and time-tested goal-setting program right here.]
Your “Off Wall Street” Cash Recovery Plan
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Read on to discover how this “Off-Wall Street Cash Recovery Plan” could recoup 100% of your recession losses by September 30, 2009.
Who’s Your Best Customer?
In the direct-mail world, the best names you can mail to are people who have recently bought products very similar to the one you are selling. (It’s also helpful if the price they paid was the same as yours… and the method of payment.)
The closer you can get to mailing to people who have JUST bought a similar product, the greater your response rate will be. This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s a fact of direct-mail marketing.
An example I commonly give: My partner has one briefcase, and it’s a mess. Without the addition of duct tape, the thing couldn’t carry a sheet of paper successfully. I, on the other hand, have at least 22 briefcases – half of them brand-new. Which of us is a better candidate to sell your briefcase to?
If you answered “your partner,” go back to the beginning and reread what I just said.
[Ed. Note: If you're not at least dabbling in direct mail, you could be missing out on massive sales. Discover how to use direct mail - plus 11 other marketing methods - in Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby's Amazon.com bestselling book, Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business.]
Another Way to Fix Your Genes
It’s hard to believe, but true. You can “turn off” disease-promoting genes and “turn on” disease-preventing genes simply by changing what you eat and how you live. But that’s not all you can do to make your genes healthier.
In addition to the antioxidants that protect DNA from free-radical damage, there’s a process that is absolutely essential to keep your DNA healthy: methylation.
But methylation doesn’t just protect your DNA. It is, in fact, at the very core of our biochemistry. It is involved with:
• producing neurotransmitters
• cell communication
• reducing the heart-harming amino acid homocysteine
• enhancing detoxification
• reducing inflammation
It’s no wonder that improper methylation increases the risk of almost every chronic illness, including cancer, heart disease, depression, Alzheimer’s, and more.
The good news is that, given the right ingredients, your body is a veritable methylating machine. Those ingredients are vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate. And here are the delicious foods that provide them:
•Vitamin B6: wild salmon (6 oz = 68% of what you need every day), organic, free-range chicken (1 breast = 64%), chickpeas (1 cup = 57%)
*Vitamin B12: clams (3 oz = 692%), oysters (1 dozen, Eastern wild = 545%), mussels (3 oz, New Zealand Green Lipped = 168%), wild salmon (6 oz = 88%), grass-fed beef (3 oz = 14%)
•Folate: lentils (1 cup = 90%), black beans (1 cup = 64%), endive (3 cups = 53%), spinach (3 cups = 44%)
This is yet another example of how a delicious meal like pan-roasted wild salmon with a spinach and lentil salad can please your palate while preserving your health.
[Ed. Note: One of the best ways to stay in peak condition is to eat good foods. Nutrition expert Kelley Herring has collected dozens of her healthiest and most delicious recipes in her e-book Guilt Free Desserts. Pick up your copy today.
Extending your life and living out your years in tip-top health is really a matter of making simple lifestyle choices. For more easy-to-implement expert advice on how to lose weight, stay healthy, and live a longer, fuller life, sign up for ETR's natural health e-newsletter.]
It’s Fun to Know: Finger Length and Financial Success
Look at your hand. Is your ring finger (the one next to your pinky) longer than your index finger? If so, congratulations! If not… well, don’t read any further.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge who studied male stock traders in London found that those with longer ring fingers tend to make more money (about five times more) than their counterparts with shorter ring fingers.
What does finger length have to do with financial success in the markets?
Here’s one possible explanation offered by the authors of the study: The length of those two fingers is determined during fetal development. And a longer ring finger indicates increased exposure to the male hormone androgen. Androgen has been linked to increased confidence, persistence, heightened vigilance, and quick reaction times.
This “cutting-edge” research doesn’t tell us however, what effect education, background, experience, and hard work might have on an individual’s success as a trader. Because, you know, that would be silly.
(Source: Associated Press)
== Highly Recommended ==
Start Making Money Next Week
Interested in getting a nice little side-business going on the Internet?
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- Charlie Byrne
ETR Associate Publisher
Word to the Wise: Supererogatory
Something that’s “supererogatory” (soo-pur-ih-ROG-uh-tor-ee) – from the Latin for “to spend over and above” – is unnecessary, going beyond what is required or expected.
Example (as used by Patrick Dooley in The Humanist): “As a result, [Stephen] Crane’s moral reflections range from the pre-ethical (duties toward animals) to the properly ethical (conduct toward humans in ordinary situations) to the optional and supererogatory (heroic actions above and beyond ethical obligation).”
[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
Interesting, Suzanne Richardson’s piece on the’back pocket’, and the offer of help in getting it going. My question is, would any of yr contributors have the necessary background to tailor that advice to a third-world country like, say, India, where I live. I wouldn’t want to waste yr time and mine unless the answer is an unqualified ‘yes’. Thanks.
Masterson’s post about briefcases conflicts with the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility.
Nevertheless I’ll buy his opinion – just he’s figured out what works from doing stuff, rather than reading about it.