Finding True Wealth
Archives: Daily Issues
Issue #2565
- WEALTHY: What’s the deal with “FYM”? (John Carlton)
- HEALTHY: Regain your enthusiasm with 4 words (Jon Benson)
- WISE: Henry Ward Beecher on being rich
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- An ideal marketing channel for small and start-up businesses (Michael Masterson & MaryEllen Tribby)
- “Do Not Disturb” gets a makeover (Suzanne Richardson)
- It’s Good to Know… about media deadlines
- Add “tacit” to your vocabulary
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“It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.”
Henry Ward Beecher
Finding True Wealth (in ANY Economy)
By John Carlton
I just spent a week with family – mostly my sister’s boys and their wives and kids.
I was sitting in my sister’s living room, watching the grandnieces and grandnephew play (ages 2, 4, and 6) with rambunctious glee… and I realized that all the adults were reading books.
No TV blaring. No radio jangling.
In fact, we’d just finished playing some guitars together and having an intense discussion about world affairs. You know… like really intelligent people enjoy doing.
Not everyone was reading great literature, of course. There were volumes of happy trash being devoured, along with some really good stuff. But I was kinda stunned, just the same.
This was a room full of very educated people. Three are teachers, one is a school shrink, another runs a program for troubled youth. All were involved with written stories. All deeply involved, too.
No one wanted to talk about marketing B.S. Or ways to get rich. Or systems to get ahead. These were family-oriented people, content with doing their jobs well and living their lives as fully as possible within their means.
I felt a little… humbled.
I don’t apologize for my entrepreneurial DNA. Unlike most of the rest of my family, I chafed at authority, and desperately needed to find my own path.
However, as I hang out with more and more of the elite “winners” in the online marketing world… I am becoming acutely aware of how little I am driven by the desire for money.
Not that there’s anything wrong with making money. But throughout my career, I’ve felt out of place among the guys for whom business success was the ONLY thing that mattered.
I honestly do not “get” people who need piles of cash to justify their existence. And I am often offended by gratuitous displays of wealth. The path I took veered away from the glistening skyline of power and fame that most of my colleagues were attracted to.
I like having lots of dough, don’t get me wrong. But long ago, I figured out what “enough” was, and I’ve not sacrificed my other lifelong interests to build my pile bigger than my humble little self can handle.
We used to call it “F*** You Money,” to be honest.
True independence comes when you are no longer desperate for whatever your current client is offering you. You can walk away and not worry about the consequences if he turns out to be an ass. Or if the deal seems squirrelly.
You don’t need his money… because you’ve got enough stashed away.
It’s a stash you put aside and never touch unless you absolutely need to. If you die without ever dipping into it, you’ve won.
The psychological juice behind knowing you don’t “need” anyone’s money is staggering.
The size of your FYM stash, of course, is dependent on what you feel you “need” – in cold, hard, liquid cash – to be confident you’ve got enough to tide you over until circumstances change.
For me, it’s not a huge amount. Enough moolah to survive for a year or so with no other income. Being frugal, I could stretch it out for much longer. And still have fun, and still indulge in things I love.
But the key thing is… it’s your support system. It’s not an investment.
However… once you get a taste of business success, it’s easy to be lured into living each day FOR that business. You put off other pursuits, you start to obsess on projects, you become… boring.
You’ve suddenly got 20 times your basic FYM, and yet still get up each day focused on bringing in more.
I’ve been lucky. I don’t need lots of money to have a great time. So much of life’s best adventures are actually dirt-cheap.
I’m seeing a group of old college buddies this weekend, for example. None are “successful,” according to any measure a businessman would use. And yet, all are happy. All are good friends, and I cherish the time we get to spend together.
They don’t envy my success. And they don’t treat me differently. (To them, I’m still the nutcase I was 30 years ago at the university. And I embrace that character with gusto.)
All this gets me thinking about what “true” wealth is.
Being broke sucks. No getting around that. But somewhere between being broke and being stupid-rich, with 12 cars and three homes and more boats than you can count… is a sweet spot where many people live in near-bliss. Minus the expensive toys.
I think, by now, you know what I’m getting at.
It’s sappy, yes. It’s all about love and living well with what you have.
Ambition can be a curse. I’m very lucky to be ambitious… but also to be lazily moderate about pursuing what I want. I’ve done most of what I set out to do at this point in life. The goals remaining on my master-list are good ones, and I hope I’m around for another half-century to knock them off, too.
But, more urgently, I am reminded of how amazingly “rich” my family and friends are who sink their teeth into life without driving ambitions.
Sometimes, playing with your grandniece on the old swing set at the park is enough wealth to last an eternity.
There’s been a big shake-up in the economy. As with any shake-up, there are lots of opportunities to profit. If you have ambitions, this could be your year to break out. When you do, though… keep a little Zen awareness in your brain about what truly counts in life.
You can’t take your FYM with you when you die. But you can’t tell me that the love you generate and receive doesn’t travel to the Other Side.
[Ed. Note: If making more money this year is your top objective, that's great. ETR can help you grow your wealth every step of the way. But keep John Carlton's words in mind - and remember that amassing money isn't the only type of wealth you want to find this year. Whatever you're looking to achieve - business success, personal fulfillment, becoming a better parent or friend - our Success Mentor can help you find it. Learn more about how to get everything you want out of life right here.
John Carlton is an expert copywriter, a pioneer in online marketing, and a teacher of killer sales copy. He knows marketing inside and out. Discover how to get your hands on the kick-ass secrets of the world's smartest, happiest, and wealthiest marketers.]
Remove Your Success Stumbling Blocks
Having trouble reaching your goals?
You might be sabotaging your efforts and not even know it.
Do you know how to reach your goals?
Have you sat down and really thought about what it’s going to take in order to achieve them?
What steps must you take to bring that dream alive?
Are your day-to-day life activities eating into the time you need to spend nurturing those goals?
Is anyone encouraging you towards the finish line of your success?
If you can’t positively answer the above questions, then stumbling blocks litter your path to success.
Before you start out on your path to success you must have a firm destination in mind and the route mapped out in advance.
Click here to learn how you can get started and stay on track…
A Commonsense Approach to Getting Free Publicity
By Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby
Of the many channels of marketing, public relations is one that no business should ignore. And because PR is nearly free, that makes it an ideal channel for small and start-up businesses.
So how do you get your company and/or product mentioned on television and in the newspapers? You start by understanding what they are looking for. Generally speaking, they are looking for two things:
- News about subjects their readers are already interested in (i.e., Britney Spears – not you).
- Captivating and/or curious tidbits to fill in the gaps.
It is only into this second category of “news” coverage that you can hope to find a welcome place for your public relations campaigns.
It’s unlikely that the media will be interested in any sort of news about your business. Yes you may be able to get news about your company published in an industry trade journal, but what good is that? Your customers aren’t reading trade journals. They are watching TV and reading USA Today.
So begin with this: What you won’t do. You won’t waste your time and resources sending out press releases to the national media about company news. And if you do announce corporate news in industry periodicals, it will not be with any hope that it will boost your sales.
What you will do is figure out, first and foremost, which news media you want to be in, and then figure out how to create curious and captivating stories that relate to your business.
[Ed. Note: The above article was adapted from Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business, published with permission from John Wiley & Sons. Get your copy today.]
A Little Personality Goes a Long Way
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.]
Instant Motivation
By Jon Benson
If you’re like most people, this is the time of year when you make big promises to yourself. “I’ll lose 50 pounds.” Or “I’ll run the Boston Marathon.” Or “I’ll stop drinking diet soda.” Resolving to get fit and stay healthy is one of the best things you can do for yourself. But there will come a time when a little voice in your head will try to tell you your goal is too hard… or that you have something better to do.
Maybe your motivation is already taking a dive. If so, here’s a quick way to get your enthusiasm back. Tell yourself: “I’ll do it anyway.”
No matter what goal you are trying to talk yourself out of, these words can get you back in the game. Say them over and over again. In your head, you’ll hear…
“I do not want to work out today… but I’ll do it anyway.”
”I don’t want to drink water instead of Mountain Dew… but I’ll do it anyway.”
“I don’t want to do another push-up… but I’ll do it anyway.”
“DO IT” are two very powerful words. They trigger an action response rather than just a feeling. Give it a shot.
[Ed. Note: We've all experienced the "Excitement Dip": You've set an exciting goal for yourself, but now the motivation has worn off and your excitement has faded. Find out how to get a motivational push in the right direction right here.
For a jumpstart on your fitness and weight-loss goals, pick up a copy of nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's book, 7 Minute Muscle. It's a complete system for dropping fat and building muscle that's guaranteed to work for you. Try it for 60 days and prove it to yourself.]
It’s Good to Know: About Media Deadlines
If you want to advertise your products in magazines and other periodicals, remember that issues are usually prepared well in advance. So you need to find out the publications’ “lead time.”
The lead time is how far in advance you must place your ad in order to have it run in a particular issue. For example, if the magazine has a three-month lead time and you want your ad to run in December, you must have the ad ready to go by October.
(Source: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Direct Marketing)
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Word to the Wise: Tacit
“Tacit” (TAS-it) – from the Latin for “to be silent” – means implied or understood without being openly expressed.
Example (as used by Aude Lagorce in MarketWatch): “Boeing and Airbus don’t want to cannibalize sales of the B737 and A320. So there seems to be a tacit agreement to sweep the issue [of single-aisle replacement aircraft] under the carpet for now.”
[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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