To me, the holidays are all about the kids. At some point, we all reach the age when our parents have to get us up to open presents rather than the other way around. And once you reach this age, the holidays are a lot more fun when there are little kids around. 

One of the accomplishments I am most proud of revolves around the holidays and kids (though not my own kids). 

In December of 1984, my senior year of high school, I helped start a tradition in my hometown of New Castle, Indiana. My sociology class was going to “adopt” a family for Christmas, and we were all going to donate money to buy them food and toys. While I was all for it, I had what I thought was an even better idea. 

I proposed to my teacher – and my mother – that instead of adopting one family, each student in my class would adopt one of the children in my mother’s Head Start class. The very first time we did this was in my senior year, and I baked cookies and bought candy canes for each and every one of the children. We had a volunteer dressed as Santa Claus, and my classmates bought these underprivileged kids – who otherwise would not have received much of anything for Christmas – toys, bikes, footballs, and all kinds of goodies. 

Over the years, as my mom went to conventions and met other Head Start teachers, she kept spreading the word about what we did. The last I heard, there are over 25 classes doing it throughout the Midwest.

That first time, in 1984, I could have never guessed how it would catch on. The programs in New Castle now have corporate sponsors that buy the children clothes (and other things too). The entire high school is involved, not just the Social Studies department. And most of the local Head Start kids are adopted by two or three high school kids.

The last time I was able to make it back for the party, they had to hold it in an elementary school gym in order to fit in all the Head Start kids and the high school kids. The pre-schoolers were walking out with armloads of “stuff.” To see the smiles on their faces was an incredible feeling. To know that my mother and I started this tradition makes it that much more gratifying. Every time I think about it, I want to schedule a trip back home for Christmas so I can be there. And I get a little choked up thinking about how many kids this has positively affected over the years. 

As the Oak Ridge Boys say in their Christmas classic, “Thank God for kids.”

[Ed. Note: What's your favorite holiday tradition? Let us know right here.]

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Builders make plans. Entrepreneurs make goals. Gamblers make bets. Fools make predictions. 

I am quite sure that some of the following predictions will make me look foolish by the end of 2009, but I thought you might be interested in a few of the actions I plan to take, business-wise, next year. 

* Prediction: The information industry will hold up relatively well in 2009, particularly among those businesses that give advice.

What I will do about it: Remind my clients that information itself is unwanted. Today consumers are looking for advice. I will remind ETR readers to buy recommended products that explain how to become an information marketer.

* Prediction: General advertising’s decline will accelerate. Dozens of newspaper and magazine publishers will go out of business. At the same time, direct marketing will continue to grow, attracting some of the money formerly spent on general advertising.

What I will do about it: Continue to tell my clients to pay less attention to selling advertising and more to creating and marketing back-end products to their existing customers. I will also recommend to ETR readers that they learn about direct marketing.

* Prediction: The Internet will continue to become a larger and more active medium for commercial transactions. The Great Recession will make other media – print advertising, direct mail marketing, and TV advertising (to name a few) – less economic. Businesses will continue to spend more of their marketing dollars on the Internet.

What I will do about it: Continue to learn about how to be successful marketing on the Internet. I will recommend ETR readers do the same.

* Prediction: Glitzy products will become unfashionable. Hippie products – including artsy, crafty, and green products – will come into vogue.

What I will do about it: Where appropriate, I will adjust my advertising and product presentation to appeal to this growing trend.

* Prediction: Spiritual and self-help products – including books, CDs, seminars, etc. – will become more popular. Those businesses that sell such products via the Internet and by direct mail will achieve the greatest profits.

What I will do about it: Pursue this trend in with my clients. Advise ETR readers to do the same.

[Ed. Note: These aren't the only predictions Michael's made about what's going to happen with the business world and economy in 2009. Recipients of his exclusive Ready, Fire, Aim dispatch are getting the whole kit-and-kaboodle. Only ETR's VIP customers receive this exclusive communique. To become a member of this special service - in which Michael reveals insider business- and wealth-building advice usually reserved for his private clients - sign up for ETR's Total Success Achievement Program. Not only will you get free membership to Michael's service, you'll also get all the success tools, motivational resources, and goal-achievement techniques you need to make your dreams come true in 2009. If you have bought an ETR product or attended a conference and are not receiving Ready Fire Aim, please let us know by sending an e-mail to Michael@ETRfeedback.com.]

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It’s Christmas… and time has run out.

Did you forget a gift for Uncle Fred? Did you miss the shipping deadline to reach your cousin overseas? Do you just want to give a little something extra to someone who’s been there for you in 2008?

Well, here’s a GREAT really last-minute holiday gift – Early to Rise!

Just scroll to the top of any ETR issue on our website, look for the Forward to a Friend “winged box,” and click on it. Almost instantly, your friend, loved one, co-worker, or all three (you can send ETR to four people at a time) will receive an invitation to sign up for ETR and see that day’s issue.”

How good would you feel if the issue you send helps Aunt Edie lose 25 pounds? Or helps your cousin Bill recover the money he’s lost in the market this year? Or helps your little brother pay off his student loans with his own Internet business? You can do it right now – with just the click of your mouse.

Early to Rise. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

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On the outside, the church looked empty. Inside, it was a buzzing hive of activity.

Men and women formed makeshift assembly lines, popping Barbie dolls and teddy bears and Ninja Turtle pajamas into boxes. Others filled paper sacks with canned yams and string beans, boxes of Stovetop stuffing, and mesh bags full of potatoes. Frozen turkeys were added later.

When I was in high school, my best friend and I always volunteered to help.

Sometimes we would fill those bags and boxes with toys and food. We’d base the contents on lists that described the needs of the families we were “shopping” for. (This family has a baby – don’t forget the formula and diapers. This family has a wheat allergy – so leave out the bread. This family has a little boy – make sure you include a monster truck.)

Other times, we’d stand at the door, gathering stuffed animals and board games, underwear and socks, canned cranberry sauce and carrots from red-nosed, bundled-up donors, and then distribute them to the people working inside.

Once filled, the bags and boxes would be handed off to other volunteers, who’d swoop them off to the Salvation Army to be picked up by the families in need.

There’s so much to be thankful for around the holidays. And I loved those days of helping to make Christmas a little merrier for people going through a rough time.

[Ed. Note: What's your favorite holiday tradition? Let us know right here.]

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So there we were – newly married and living in an apartment furnished only by a mattress on the bedroom floor.

We had no money for lights or other decorations – but, hey, it was Christmas Eve! And we were in the middle of the Rocky Mountains (both of us working toward masters degrees at the University of Idaho). “We are surrounded by evergreens – Christmas trees more magnificent than anything you can buy!” we said. “How hard could it be to chop one of them down?”

We checked to make sure it was legal (it was) – and out we went into the snow, armed with a borrowed ax.

We searched. And we searched. And we searched.

“There’s one!”

We made a beeline for it… only to find, as we approached, that it was at least 20 feet tall.

“There’s a little one over there!”

Again, as we approached, it was enormous.

Finally, we found a “sapling” – barely nine feet.

We hacked it down (and I do mean hacked), tied it to the roof of our VW bug, and triumphantly drove it home.

Once installed in our formerly empty living room, it took on a life of its own. We trimmed it with the strings of popcorn and paper chains and “snowflakes” that we’d learned to make in kindergarten.

It filled the room – literally. And it filled the entire apartment with the fragrance and spirit of Christmas.

January came and went. February came and went. The tree still looked and smelled as fresh as it had the day we dragged it in. (That’s what you get for chopping down your own tree.)

Then it was almost Easter. It made no sense to keep the tree any longer – so, reluctantly, we dragged it to the curb and let it go. And the apartment looked even more empty than it had before.

But I still had – and have – my memories of that tree… and lots of pictures.

[Ed. Note: What's your favorite holiday memory? Let us know right here.]

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I grew up in an Italian/Irish household. That meant Christmas Eve dinner was usually a mouth-watering feast of seafood delights and culinary delicacies. Antipasto (a wonderful assortment of meats, cheeses, and vegetables), shrimp fra diavolo, fried calamari, breaded flounder, baked scallops, homemade rice balls, and, of course, pasta. Lots and lots of pasta. Dessert was even better with 7-layer rainbow cookies, cannolis, and cappuccino.

All of our extended family would arrive around 7:00 p.m. We’d sit around drinking wine or sparkling cider and eating antipasto while watching a Yule log burn on TV. The air was filled with Dean Martin and Johnny Mathis holiday tunes. And the kids clustered around the tree shaking boxes and trying to figure out what was in them.

Dinner started around 10:00 p.m. – and, as at every family event, we had an adult table and a kids’ table (with the “kids” ranging in age from toddler to 18 years old!). The food and conversation was savored for hours. We’d reminisce about the past, and poke fun at Uncle “Joe” (you know, that quirky relative that every family has). And we’d laugh until our faces turned as red as the wine.

Finally, the magical moment of midnight arrived. The kids moved like a swarm of bees from the table to the tree – waiting for “the word” to start opening their gifts. Then they were off like the start of the Kentucky Derby, ripping open their beautifully wrapped gifts and checking to see who got what. Mom, Dad, aunts and uncles watched with glee as each child seemed to get exactly what they’d wished for.

And then – just when you’d think it was all over – there were the stocking stuffers. We’d run over to the stair rail where we’d hung our stockings and find lots of goodies stuffed neatly inside (usually chocolates, jewelry, and other small trinkets).

Things started to wrap up around 2:00 a.m., and we all went to sleep with full bellies and full hearts.

When we awoke on Christmas morning, there were no stockings to ransack or gifts to open. But there were plenty of new things to play with all day long… with one caveat: We had to wait until we got back from church.

[Ed. Note: What's your favorite holiday tradition? Let us know right here.]

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1. Giving gifts and cards. (Of course, receiving gifts/cards is a great feeling too!)

2. Decorating the Christmas tree. It’s always so much fun.

3. Baking. This is when I can take my time to massively produce baked goodies, like gingerbread man cookies, cranberry scones, and pumpkin pies. Yum.

4. Getting together with my family. It’s a joy to spend time with them, especially the time we spend playing silly little games.

5. Listening to the Christmas songs. They bring up wonderful memories and lift everyone’s spirits. It gives me an excuse to act like a little kid again, singing “Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose…”

6. Seeing the Christmas lights around the neighborhood. When I lived in Hong Kong, they put lights up around the business buildings and skyscrapers. Here, most of the lights I see are on people’s houses. Both ways are beautiful! 

7. Drinking a cup of nice hot chocolate to add some winter essence to this wonderful season. (If the weather gets cold enough for us to put on sweaters and coats down here in South Florida, it will be even better!)

8. My aunt’s secret recipe for homemade dinner rolls. I get to eat them only once a year.

9. Dressing up in red (a lot) and wearing a Santa Claus hat.

10. The reminder that Christmas is not just an ordinary holiday. This is when Jesus was born. It reminds me of how fortunate I am to be where I am now, and reminds me of all the great things and wonderful people that God has brought into my life.

[Ed. Note: What is your #1 favorite thing about the holidays? Let us know right here.]

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1. Decorating the tree and the house with handmade decorations I’ve received from friends and family over the years. Each has a special memory.

2. Playing knockdown games of Trivial Pursuit with family and friends at my parents’ home in Buffalo – all the while sipping blackberry brandy.

3. Seeing friends who are home for the holidays at our favorite meet-up spot – TGI Friday’s at the mall.

4. Eating my aunt’s special beigli (a Hungarian Christmas pastry) for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

5. Going to midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

6. Setting the table for Christmas dinner. It’s pretty as a picture – and demolished an hour later!

7. Giving my husband a gift that he really loves and thanks me for all through the year. (So far, the winner has been the Sirius radio for his car.)

8. Going Christmas shopping with my mother and having lunch at a “fancy” restaurant.

9. The annual family Christmas party – a multi-generational fest that includes everyone from crying babies to 102-year-old Gram.

10. Watching It’s a Wonderful Life for the millionth time and remembering all I have to be thankful for.

[Ed. Note: What's your all-time favorite part of the holidays? Let us know right here.]

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1. Watching “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” for the thousandth time and still hoping the other reindeer won’t make fun of him
2. Buying our Christmas tree while wearing shorts and T-shirts
3. Rock star versions of classic Christmas songs, especially anything Bono
4. The smell of a fireplace on “chilly” evenings in South Florida (You know… when it gets all the way down below 68 degrees.)
5. Toasting the New Year with colleagues that I usually just talk business with
6. Knowing baseball season is only four months away
7. Looking at photos of the kids’ first Christmases with my husband
8. Listening to Mikaela’s holiday karaoke
9. Going to school with Connor for his holiday feast
10. Delanie suggesting that we adopt “the little drummer boy”

[Ed. Note: What's your favorite thing about the holiday season? Let us know right here.]

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1. Flying to DC and stepping off the plane to feel the cold air rush through me.

2. Waking up on Christmas morning, having coffee, and watching A Christmas Story while curled up in a blanket next to Grandma’s antique wood-burning stove.

3. Watching others open up presents.

4. The smell of snow (if it decides to snow that year).

5. Attending our yearly “Cookie Party,” which consists of 30 girls drinking, eating, and exchanging gifts.

6. My grandma’s homemade chocolate pie.

7. Spending a night with my three best girlfriends in DC – having dinner, going to see the Christmas tree by the White House, and then exchanging our not-so-secret “Secret Santa” presents.

8. Leftover ham sandwiches.

9. Sitting at Christmas dinner, watching my grandpa sneak food to the dogs (thinking no one can see him).

10. Listening to the radio and hearing the same Christmas songs over and over until New Year’s is over.

[Ed. Note: What do you like best about the holidays? Let us know right here.]

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I was proudly sporting my “I Voted Today” sticker when I ran into a friend.

He hadn’t bothered to vote. Why? He was afraid his vote wouldn’t count.

Of course, that’s just not true. Every vote counts for something – even if it doesn’t swing a state or win an election.

But maybe, when it comes to ETR, you’re feeling the same way as my friend felt. That there’s no point in speaking up.

The thing is, your “vote” counts around here, too.

We read each and every comment our readers make. We take your criticisms into account, we carefully consider your ideas, and we appreciate your taking the time to let us know what you’re thinking and how you’re progressing.

So if you haven’t let us know what you think or how you feel, please do so! Here are five ways you can make sure your voice is heard:

• E-mail us. Have a question? Want to tell us that you particularly enjoyed an article? Jot it down in an e-mail and send it to us at AskETR@ETRFeedback.com. We love to get customer comments – and we depend on you to let us know what we’re doing right and what we can do better.

• Post a review on Amazon. Just finished Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby’s new book Changing the Channel? Finally got a copy of Automatic Wealth? Let us know what you thought – and read others’ reviews – at Amazon.com.

• Start a thread on our reader’s forum. If you want to discuss an ETR article… get feedback about your business idea… or find support for your weight-loss plan, check out our SpeakOut forum.

• Post comments on our website. Did an ETR article pique your interest… or even make you mad? Share your thoughts in the comments section following each article on our website.

• Submit a ticket. If you have customer service issues, we want to know about them. All you have to do is submit a ticket right here, and one of our customer service team members will answer your question or find a solution to your problem.

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Flying is not fun these days. Delays, grouchy fellow travelers and service staff – and their boorish behavior – make it uncomfortable and irritating. But who wants to shell out lots of cash to fly first-class? Or fly even more often to earn the perks that come with “elite” status? Well, by signing up for American Airlines’ Platinum Challenge, you can get immediately upgraded to Platinum status with just one flight.  

American’s Platinum status means more bonus miles, no checked-bag fees, priority check-in, free admission to their Admiral’s Club airport lounges (international flights only), extra first-class upgrade credits, and priority boarding.

You won’t find the Platinum Challenge on American’s website. Here’s what to do: 

1. Call American’s customer service line and ask to participate in the Platinum Challenge. You’ll have 90 days to accumulate 10,000 points. 

2. Before you buy your next airline ticket, determine the number of miles you could fly on each leg of your flight. You can do that on the American Airlines website (www.aa.com), by doing a search under “Price & Schedule” and clicking on “flight details.”

3. After choosing the legs of your flight, click on “View Fare Rules and On-Time Flight Information” to figure out how many points those miles are worth.

• G, N, O, Q, S classes are discount fares, earning 0.5 points per mile.

• H, K, L, M, V, W are discount fares, but earn 1 point per mile.

• A, F, P, D, I, J, B, Y are premium fares, earning 1.5 points per mile. 

If you’ve got more than one flight planned in a 90-day period (or one long international trip), consider American’s Platinum Challenge to get the upgraded status. 

[Ed. Note: Sign up FREE for The Right Way to Travel e-letter - a 4-times-a-week dispatch - and get tons of insider secrets like this.]

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“I bought some Girl Scout cookies last night,” Suzanne told me the other day. “And,” she added proudly, “I donated a box of cookies to the troops.”

“What troops?” I asked. “Did they tell you which branch of the military they would be sending the cookies to?”

“No…” she trailed off. “Come to think of it, the sign was really vague. Who knows? Maybe they put the cookies I ‘donated’ back on the table once I left!”

Did Suzanne get scammed? I hope not. The holidays are a time of giving – and not just to family and friends. Charitable organizations of all kinds receive a flood of donations at this time of year.

Unfortunately, scam artists take advantage of this situation to pose as charities… and then take the money and run. So before you write that check or pull out your credit card…

• Don’t pay bills or invoices you receive in the mail from charities you’ve never talked to.
• Ask for a copy of the charity’s financial report and a list of its activities.
• Find out how much of your donation will go to programs… and how much will go to “operating costs.”
• Pay close attention to the name of the charity. Often, scammers will use a name that’s very similar to the name of a reputable one.
• Never give cash (except to Salvation Army bell ringers). Always make your check payable to the organization – not an individual.
• Be wary of “emergency” appeals that insist they need the money right away.
• Never give out your credit card number or bank information over the phone.

For a list of reputable charities and information on their activities, check out these websites: www.charitynavigator.org, www.give.org, and www.guidestar.org.

(Source: Arizona Daily Star and Consumerist)

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Recently, both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times published letters from readers citing the same familiar expression. Unfortunately, both readers – and the editors of these two distinguished newspapers – got it wrong.

The Times letter offered this version: “It’s not what you don’t know that hurts you. It’s what you know that just ain’t so.” The writer credited Satchel Paige. In fact, this witticism was crafted by Josh Billings in 1874 – three decades before Paige was born. (”The trouble with people is not that they don’t know, but that they know so much that ain’t so.”)

This is surely one of the most frequently misquoted and misattributed aphorisms. I have a file of clips with numerous variations. Among those erroneously credited are Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and Artemus Ward.

The irony is perfect. Because so many people are mistakenly certain that they have it right, the quotation proves its own point!

 The words “As so-and-so said…” are often a prelude to an error. Examples:

• “There’s a sucker born every minute.” P.T. Barnum? He never said it. Some historians credit Joseph Bessimer, a late 19th century con man, while others attribute it to David Hannum, a showman who was a rival of Barnum.

• “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Though commonly attributed to Voltaire, and consistent with his beliefs, this stirring declaration has never been found in his writings. The myth arose from an ambiguous and misinterpreted passage in a biography.

• “If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This was a popular expression five centuries before Isaac Newton said it.

• A particularly fertile area for these errors is technology predictions. “Everything that can be invented has been invented” wasn’t uttered by a 19th-century patent commissioner. IBM founder Thomas Watson didn’t forecast “a worldwide market for maybe five computers.” And Bill Gates never scoffed that “640K ought to be enough for anybody.”

Don’t fall for these quotation myths, or others like them, and don’t repeat them in your writing, presentations, or conversation. Two reliable books that set the record straight are The Quote Verifier

by Ralph Keyes and They Never Said It by Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George. Be especially careful online. Numerous reference sites routinely misquote and misattribute. One you can trust is quotation guru Mardy Grothe’s: www.drmardy.com.

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]

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If you travel a lot by car or by sea between the U.S. and the Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexico, or Canada, now you might be able to leave your passport at home. Because you can apply to the U.S. Department of State for a wallet-sized Passport Card.

The Department of State started issuing the smaller cards in July. You can’t use them for air travel or for travel to any countries outside the above list… but in every other way, the cards act just like a full passport.

You can apply for a card as a renewal to your passport, or apply for both at the same time. Get more details on the Department of State website.

[Ed. Note: Stay up-to-date with the latest travel tools, tricks, and tips by signing up for The Right Way to Travel FREE e-letter from AWAI's Travel Division. Sign up here.]

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For my husband and me, Thanksgiving is an international delight. My family is Italian and Irish. His is Latin American. When he was growing up, my husband and his family did not celebrate our American holiday. But since they’ve moved to the United States, they have embraced it wholeheartedly.

Dinner at our house is a culinary tour de force with the best traditional American, Italian, and Latin American foods you can imagine. Of course, we have turkey with stuffing (pavo con pan relleno), mashed potatoes (pure de papas), and veggies. We also have my Uncle Joe’s famous antipasto with the sharpest of provolone cheese, pepperoni, and artichokes, as well as my mother-in-law’s mouthwatering lechon and ensalada Russa. Lechon, a holiday dish in South America, is a whole or quarter roasted pig. And ensalada Russa, or “Russia salad,” is simply potato salad with peas, carrots, and hard-boiled eggs.

After hours of eating, chatting, drinking sidra (apple cider), and listening to Uruguayan folk music, the meal is topped off with good ole American apple pie… and a game of soccer. Truly the best of both worlds.

[Ed. Note: What is your #1 favorite Thanksgiving tradition? Let us know right here.]

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1. It really starts to “feel” like the holidays when Thanksgiving comes around.

2. I start Christmas shopping for my kids, and it is exciting to see all the cool new stuff in the stores.

3. Being a Florida resident, I get to enjoy the PERFECT weather we get this time of year. A nice cool breeze that allows me to relax on my front porch without the usual heat.

4. Having a day off so I can sleep in late.

5. Watching the football specials on the tube.

6. Having my entire family come together to enjoy each other’s company for an entire day.

7. The smells coming out of the kitchen. Even better are the smiles on everyone’s faces when they see that big juicy turkey and stuffing (made from scratch, none of that Stove Top junk!) on the table.

8. After dinner, watching my kids run around in the yard without a care in the world.

9. Reflecting on events that happened throughout the year. It makes me realize that the end of one year is almost here, and a new one is on the way.

10. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all!

[Ed. Note: What is your #1 favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Let us know right here.]

A new business recently opened a few blocks from the Early to Rise offices. But it seems to have an identity crisis.

The small shop has perplexed potential customers by offering not just vintage designer threads, but also vegan organic food. And they proudly proclaim this dual identity on their front window sign.

Now I happen to like both vintage clothes and vegan food. But is it just me or would most people looking for a dairy-free lunch not go to a store that sells meals side by side with used clothing? And wouldn’t someone shopping for a vintage Chanel dress prefer not to be browsing around people munching on lentil loaf?

I doubt this shop will survive. They haven’t focused on one type of product and one marketing message. This violates one of Michael Masterson’s principle rules: The Power of One.

This rule is usually applied to promotional copy. (Great advertisements, Michael keeps reminding us, emphasize one good idea, stir one core emotion, tell one captivating story, and direct the prospect to one inevitable response.) But it can be applied to businesses as well.

So this shop should choose to sell one product line or the other. They are just too unrelated for the owners to be able to do both of them well. Besides, customers don’t know what is going on when they walk past the place. Is it a clothing shop or a restaurant? And confused customers don’t walk in. They move on.

[Ed. Note: Are you confusing your prospective customers with mixed marketing messages? To hone your marketing skills, focus your marketing goals, and learn some profit-boosting new strategies, pick up a copy of Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby's Amazon.com best-seller, Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business.]

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1. Going to New Jersey to see my very large family
2. Watching football with my father
3. Eating sweet potato pie until my belly swells
4. House hopping to each relative’s home with a bagful of Tupperware for leftovers
5. Drinking root beer flavored Kool-Aid
6. My mom’s Thanksgiving decorations (Autumn leaves everywhere!)
7. Raking leaves into a huge pile and watching my goddaughters dive into them
8. My last frosty ride on my motorcycle before putting it up until spring
9. A flag football tournament with all my cousins and friends from the neighborhood
10. Breaking the wishbone with my father to see who has to wash all of the dishes

[Ed. Note: What is your #1 favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Let us know right here.]

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1. Having a day that’s specially set aside for all of us to focus on what is right in our world and to thank God (or whatever you believe in) for all our blessings

2. Fried turkey

3. Being near family

4. Cooking a big, fattening meal

5. Feeing like the holiday season has really begun

6. Pumpkin pie

7. Black Friday

8. The long weekend

9. Roasted turkey

10. Smoked turkey

[Ed. Note: What is your #1 favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Let us know right here.]

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Let’s say you are organizing your company’s big end-of-year conference. You’ve invited 50 of your company’s best clients and 25 prospective clients. If all goes well, the conference could bring in millions of dollars in sales.

You put together a team of people to help you with preparations. And you interview a dozen more before choosing “Jeff” to handle all the event details. He makes a very compelling pitch. He knows the best audio-visual teams in town. He has contacts with the best caterers. And he knows the perfect designer to create your banners and signs and brochures.

You check in with Jeff every week – and each time, he assures you that the planning is right on schedule…

But you start to get worried when you aren’t seeing results. Turns out, Jeff is swamped with other events he has to plan… and he’s pushed yours to the bottom of his pile. With only a few weeks left, you fire Jeff and find someone new. Of course, there’s no way you’ll hire him again – or recommend him to anyone else.

Building a solid reputation (in business or personally) requires diligent and consistent action. It can blow up in an instant. No matter your past accomplishments, one unfortunate incident can ruin it all.

And it doesn’t take a major violation – stealing, embezzlement, or fraud – to call your integrity into question. Distrust raises its ugly head in small ways, too. And breaking a promise – whether it’s failing to follow through on a project or canceling a lunch meeting at the last minute – is dishonorable in its own way.

MaryEllen Tribby, Publisher and CEO of Early to Rise, recently wrote about a lunch meeting she’d set up with a former protege who had moved on to start her own consulting business. MaryEllen made time in her busy schedule for the appointment. Yet, while making a routine follow-up call to confirm the date, she found that the young woman had forgotten about it completely. She’d never even put it on her schedule. Needless to say, MaryEllen’s opinion of her took a nosedive.

A scheduled appointment is an obligation to be taken seriously. You cannot build a solid reputation if you honor only the commitments that are convenient for you… yet expect others to honor all of theirs.

Promises mean a lot. They suggest appreciation, value, empathy – and, when fulfilled, give pleasure. In a very real sense, promises are a time-debt to be paid. If you create the obligation (promise), it is a debt you must honor.

Here are some techniques for keeping yours…

Promise-Keeping Technique #1: Make your promises sparingly.

Think twice before making too many promises.

Promise-Keeping Technique #2: Make realistic promises – promises that you are capable of completing.

It is easier to keep a promise when it involves doing a small task. But even if the task is larger and harder to finish… it’s still a promise.

Promise-Keeping Technique #3: Make promises that are important – to you.

Ask yourself, “Will this promise keep me on track for completing my goals? Will honoring this promise advance my career?” If there is no value in the promise for you, it will be easier to break.

Promise-Keeping Technique #4: Make your promises honestly.

If you are making promises simply to please people… you will end up over-scheduling yourself and slowing your progress in achieving your goals.

Be honest. Know that breaking promises will erode your trust in yourself. Get in the habit of keeping promises, especially the ones you make to yourself.

Broken promises result in missed opportunities, resentment, and anxiety. Furthermore, broken promises can lead to damaged friendships and loss of business. Everyone loses when you break a promise that the other person was relying on before they can take action.

Most people don’t mind the occasional broken promise, with a reasonable explanation or heartfelt apology. However, the most successful people I know value the promises they make and keep their promises faithfully. It is a matter of integrity and personal honor.

We are all busy. And with time being so limited, nothing is more important than quickly building solid relationships with your coworkers, partners, friends, family, customers, and vendors. Broken promises will destroy your credibility with them.

Promise-Keeping Technique #5: Make and keep ONE promise a day.

I want you to try to honor just one promise a day. If you can do that, in just a year you will have positively impacted 365 people. That is far better than trying to please 10 people a day by making promises you can’t keep and end up pleasing none.

And I want you to make and honor one promise a day to yourself, too. Then watch how a week of seven promises kept… turns into a month of 30 promises kept… and then a year of 365 promises kept. Write them down in your daily planner and put a “star” next to each one kept. By the end of the year you will see a constellation of success… and will have developed a habit that will keep rewarding you throughout your life.

I pride myself on making promises sparingly and keeping them faithfully… including the promises I make to myself. For instance, about three and a half years ago, I set a goal to obtain my private pilot’s license. At the time, I had no idea it would be as hard as it was to accomplish, cost as much as it did, or take so much time to complete.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was a promise to me. I needed to honor that promise to maintain my own self-esteem, so I persevered. (And let me tell you, it was a very lonely and frustrating process.)

However, I did earn my private pilot’s license. Not only that, I purchased an airplane, and I have set two world airspeed records.

When I fly, the feeling of wonder and freedom is at times overwhelming. The joy is indescribable. In fact, my co-pilots and I often say to each other: “Don’t you wish everyone you know and love could have this incredible experience?”

You can achieve almost any goal, personal or professional, you set for yourself. It may take more time than you expect, cost more money, or even challenge your belief in yourself. But you can make it happen. I’ve done it. So can you!

Begin today by making and keeping one promise to another person… and one to yourself.

[Ed. Note: Success mentor Bob Cox - who has worked with four billionaires during his career - strongly believes that keeping promises, to yourself and others, is critical to the achievement of your goals. Learn 3 more powerful but surprisingly simple success strategies from Bob Cox right here.

Bob can also give you the "insider secrets" that helped four Average Joes become billionaires. Best of all, you can master these billionaire success techniques in just 30 days. Learn more here.]

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Traveling. You’re stuffed into a tiny metal cylinder for hours at a time. You’re cramped. You’re hungry. You’re slammed up against a stranger. So why make it any worse than it has to be?

But some people seem to think that the world exists for them and them alone.

Take, for instance, the gentleman who sat down beside me on my flight home after Bootcamp, pulling on the seat in front of him as he eased into his. He proceeded to pick his nose, sneezed, and then kept creeping into my personal space. (Every time his arm touched mine, I’d squinch a little closer to the window. Only to feel his arm touching mine – again.)

The two hours I spent on that plane rank right up there with getting my wisdom teeth removed as one of my top-10 most uncomfortable experiences. (At least I was knocked out for the wisdom teeth!)

Travel – extra costs, constant delays, overworked airport personnel – is already high-stress. And with the holidays coming up, you’re probably going to see bigger crowds and feel even more frazzled.

Here are seven rules to make sure you never drive your seatmate as crazy as mine drove me. They’ll make you a lot more pleasant to travel with. And here’s hoping your good manners will rub off on those around you.

Travel Manners Rule #1. Keep it down.

iPods are super. Portable DVD players – great. But I don’t want to listen to the latest Jonas Brothers CD or listen to you guffaw at Steve Carell’s antics in Get Smart. Bring headphones with you – noise-canceling headphones. Because they keep outside noise to a minimum, you’ll be able to do your listening at a more reasonable volume. That’ll keep your seatmates happy and protect your hearing. Hold the headphones about a foot away from your body. If you can still hear something, it’s too loud.

Travel Manners Rule #2. Watch what you eat.

Yes, it’s annoying that most airlines have eliminated any sort of food service. But there’s nothing worse than getting my nose up-close-and-personal with my seatmate’s egg salad sandwich and side of Funyuns. Before you wrap up that garlic sausage hoagie to enjoy on the plane, remember – smells that make your mouth water just might curdle someone else’s stomach.

Helena Echlin of Chow.com offers a few suggestions: Bring cold food, which is less aromatic than hot food. (She recommends sushi, wraps, and sandwiches.) Avoid tuna. Skip “crumbly or slithery” foods like crackers and noodles. And give your trash to the flight attendant as soon as possible.

Travel Manners Rule #3. Watch your mouth.

For my last trip to Delray Beach, I’d printed out a stack of articles to edit. When my seatmate sat down, I smiled and agreed that the weather was delightful. But then I got back to reading and making notes. He, however, kept asking me questions and making comments about the weather. Hey – I’m fine with exchanging pleasantries and sharing a little small talk. You never know who you’ll meet on a plane, after all – a potential partner, customer, or future boss. But if I’m reading or sleeping or otherwise engaged, don’t try to strike up a conversation.

A Harris Interactive and Yahoo! FareChase poll found that 50 percent of people surveyed dread sitting next to an overly garrulous seatmate. And a CheapFlights.com survey found that Chatty Cathys are the most offensive violators of airplane etiquette.

Travel Manners Rule #4. Pay attention to boundaries.

• Armrests. I’m sorry if the armrest between us is uncomfortable. But we are already closer than I want to be, and that slim metal rectangle is the only thing separating my space from yours. So keep it down.

• Leg room. Yes, your carry-on is too big to really fit under your seat. But that doesn’t mean you can stretch out your legs under MY seat.

• Under the seat. Your carry-on luggage – that includes your purse, ladies – goes under the seat in front of you. NOT under the seat you’re sitting on. I don’t know why this is the rule, but it is. And if you shove your laptop under your seat, you’re robbing the person sitting behind you of leg room and a space for her own bag.

• Tray tables. I’m happy to keep your drink on my tray table when you head to the bathroom. (Not so much when you’re just sick of having your tray table down.) But ask first.

Travel Manners Rule #5. Keep your toys quiet.

I’m not a parent, so I’m sure there’s more to picking out toys than finding those that might be least annoying to other people on an airplane. But even if that beeping fire truck is Jimmy’s favorite, leave it at home.

Travel Manners Rule #6. Figure out which seat you’re in.

On one of my trips home from Florida, I overheard a conversation I’ve heard a dozen times:

“Oh, I think you’re in my seat.”

“What? I’m in 10C. That’s this one.”

“Um, no it isn’t. You’re sitting in 10D, not 10C. 10C is the aisle seat, not the window.”

“Oh, sorry, I thought it was the window.”

Even if it’s your first time flying – ever – it’s not hard to figure out where you’re sitting. First, look at your ticket. Prominently, under “seat,” you’ll see a number next to a letter. That’s your seat.

Now, take a look around the airplane. Turn (mentally, if you like) toward the front of the airplane. Starting on the left and moving right, the seats will be lettered A to D (or higher). So A is always the window seat. The highest letter (C on most Embraer planes, F on most Boeing 737s, L on Boeing 777s) will also be the window seat.

Once you know which seat you’re meant to be in, sit in it. (If there are empty seats on the plane, you may be able to switch – but only once the doors are closed.) On a flight from Atlanta, I went to sit down and found my seatmate in my window seat. When I smiled and told her she was in my seat, she wasn’t at all surprised. Hoping that I didn’t care enough to call her out? Too bad.

By the way, if you really want a window seat (or aisle), you can choose your seats on most airline websites when you buy your ticket. You can also try to switch your seat when you check in – either online or at the kiosk in the airport.

Travel Manners Rule #7. Be nice.

Traveling puts me on edge. And I’m betting it’s not your favorite thing either. But one way to make it more tolerable – for yourself and everyone around you – is to be friendly, polite, and just plain nice. If you have to ask someone to turn down her iPod or move her drink off your tray table, do so in a gentle, thoughtful manner. It doesn’t take a lot of effort. And it will make the trip a lot easier for everyone involved.

[Ed. Note: These seven "rules of travel" barely scratch the surface of irritating in-flight behavior. What's your biggest airplane etiquette pet peeve? Let us know right here.]

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1. Watching B- and C-level pop stars doing a terrible job of lip syncing from tacky-fantastic parade floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Bonus points if they are “playing” an unplugged electric guitar.

2. Another thing about the Thanksgiving parade, which happens only when the weather is extremely cold in New York… watching the “girls” in skimpy costumes shiver while I bask in the mild Florida winter.

3. Pretending to like football so I can fit in with my extended family… and then dropping the facade halfway through and playing video games with the kids instead.

4. No plain old pumpkin pie in my house. My wife and I love coming up with new twists on the old favorite. Last year it was a pumpkin trifle, the year before it was pumpkin maple walnut cheesecake, and this year we’re going to try pumpkin gingersnap tiramisu.

5. Taking a nap after dinner… and I don’t blame the tryptophan. I just always eat too much!

6. Trying to convince my wife not to go shopping the next day. She’s not one for standing in line at Best Buy at 2:00 a.m., but I really can’t see the point of facing the crowds at any time on Black Friday.

7. Heading to the movie theater in the evening. My brother-in-law is a theater manager – so we get in free!

8. Sometimes we just skip the big meal and use the time off to take a short vacation. Let me tell you, turkey (or jerk chicken, as the case may be) tastes just as good on the beach in Jamaica.

9. The dark meat. Most people seem to prefer white… so more for me – including leftovers.

10. Putting together a perfect music mix for dinner. I usually throw together some old school jazz, 70’s soul, acoustic rock, and world music.

[Ed. Note: What is your #1 favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Let us know right here.]

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1. The colors… burnt orange, squash yellow, brick red, shades of brown and dark green… make me think of Thanksgiving and fall in general.

2. Pumpkins! The traditions of roasting pumpkin seeds and making delicious pie.

3. Working so hard all day to create a masterpiece of a meal… just to eat it in less than 30 minutes and then feel uncomfortably stuffed.

4. Visiting with family and friends and reminiscing about good times while you make new ones.

5. Laughing at the ridiculous decorative blow-up lawn turkeys and orange twinkle lights that emerge in my neighborhood.

6. Actually getting to use our good china, crystal, and silver for a meal. (Tell me, again, why I registered for all that stuff.)

7. Eating together at the dining room table.

8. Lingering over laughs, drinks, food, and fun instead of feeling rushed to clear the table and do the dishes.

9. Giving yourself “permission” to eat a huge meal at whatever time of the day you want. 1:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m. … or all three!

10. Taking a moment to reflect back on the past year and really appreciate all the joy, warmth, and wealth that we have in our lives.

[Ed. Note: What is your #1 favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Let us know right here.]

I wonder if I should be telling you this…

It’s perfectly legal. And it could save you thousands – if not tens of thousands – of dollars. Well, I’ll just tell you what my sister-in-law did and let you decide if this is for you.

My sister-in-law is starting her own business. Using her home as collateral (it’s paid off), she got a business loan. But before she started to spend that money, she called up several of the credit card companies she held cards with. This is what she told them: “I’m starting a new business. I’m going to be spending a lot of money. I can’t guarantee how much longer I’ll be able to make my monthly payments. But I have some money right now. And I’m willing to pay off 80 percent of what I owe you today if you’ll cancel my card in return.”

Every credit card company agreed. And she used nearly $40,000 of her business loan to pay off $50,000 worth of debt. 

Keep in mind is that this could slightly lower your credit rating. But if you’re in a position to pay off 75-85 percent of what you owe on a credit card right away, maybe you should make a call. If they accept the deal, you’ll not only be saving by not paying half the principal, you’ll be saving all the interest that would continue to pile up in the account until you manage to pay it off. My sister-in-law is a fast talker, but not that fast a talker. If it worked for her, it should work for you too.

She wasn’t lying to those companies. She didn’t twist any arms. In fact, she told me that they jumped at her offer – and here’s why…

Card companies put a value on your debt depending on your credit risk. Could be 40 cents on the dollar… or 60 cents… or 80 cents. If it’s 60 cents and you offer to pay back 70 percent of your debt, that’s a good deal for them, because they would be selling your debt on the secondary market for only 60 cents on the dollar. If it’s 60 cents and you offer to pay back 50 percent, that’s a bad deal and they would refuse.

The worse credit you have, the better deal you can negotiate. It’s not unethical, it’s a business deal. What’s unethical is when a credit card company raises your interest rate by 50 percent even if you have a perfect payment record.

[Ed. Note: The corporate world is having a tough time these days, but you can still make money if you pay attention to the "red flags" - signals that could predict (with as much as 92 percent certainty) when a company's stock is going to tank. Know that, and you could make a bundle. Find out how to spot these red flags right here.]

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Hotels, restaurants, shops, and airlines are losing business… and some of them are coming up with creative ways to get it back. Here are three of the strangest deals of the season:

1. National Fee Relief: Expedia.com

To encourage you to keep traveling while the economy dips and dives, Expedia.com’s National Fee Relief sale cuts the booking fees on all hotels in the United States through December 1.

2. Baggage Fee Reimbursement Programs

• The Chamberlain Hotel, The Avalon Hotel, and Maison 140 (all in L.A.) have a “Money Bags” promotion that reimburses guests for the extra baggage fees they’re charged by the airlines. (Per reservation, up to $75 in hotel credit.)

• Loews Hotels’ “Baggage Buy Back” offsets the airlines’ checked-baggage fees by giving guests up to $30 in food and beverage credit. (Good until November 27.)

• Kimpton Hotels pays up to $25 toward your checked baggage fee until December 31. (Kimpton also has “Stranded in Style” amenities for guests whose flights are canceled – bath salts, complimentary wine or a movie, lounge socks, and a cocktail or appetizer at the hotel’s restaurant.)

3. The Race for Space: VirginAmerica.com

When you join Virgin America’s “Elevate” Loyalty Program, you get points that you can apply to free flights (as well as other benefits.) And when you acquire 10,000 points, you’re also entered in a “Race for Space” drawing to win a seat on one of Virgin Galactic’s upcoming space flights.

[Ed. Note: Stay up-to-date with the latest travel tools, tricks, and tips by signing up for The Right Way to Travel FREE e-letter from AWAI's Travel Division. Sign up here.]

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As I settled into my seat on the first day of Bootcamp, I wasn’t expecting to hear any ideas I wasn’t already familiar with. After all, I edit every issue of Early to Rise – which means I’ve edited articles written by all the experts whose Bootcamp presentations I was about to watch.

Then Alex Mandossian – Bootcamp’s official emcee – jumped on stage and kicked things off by super-charging an already charged-up audience. And he introduced a concept I’d never heard before: He told us to keep our ears open for what he called “pack-your-bags” moments. By that, he meant ideas that hit you so hard you feel that you have already learned something that was well worth the price of admission – that you could happily pack your bags right then and there and go home.

As I said, I didn’t expect to hear anything I didn’t already know. In fact, I hadn’t even bothered to bring my program notebook to that first session. But within minutes, I was grabbing for a pad of paper and a pen. And I didn’t stop scribbling down new ideas from that point forward.

Ideas like these…

• From Brian Edmondson: One big difference between traditional marketing and Internet marketing is the way you look at your competitors. With traditional marketing, they’re usually your enemies. With Internet marketing, they’re all potential partners.

• From MaryEllen Tribby: Insert space is an underutilized marketing channel. If you don’t have a physical product, you probably know someone who does. So… make a deal with them to put an insert (a brochure or other sales material) for your digital product into the fulfillment package they send to their customers.

• From Rich Schefren: Social media put you in direct contact with your market. With a blog, for example, you have a constant conversation with your buyers and prospective buyers – which can automatically turn them into a strong marketing channel for you.

And lots, lots more.

If you were at Bootcamp, you know what I’m talking about. If you weren’t, I strongly urge you to get ETR’s “Bootcamp Home Edition DVD Set“… and watch every single one. (By the way, the price goes up $200 after today, so hurry and get your order in NOW.)

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“Here you go – 20 percent off anything in the store,” the saleswoman said. She handed me a slip of paper with the discount printed on it.

Getting coupons is nothing new. Most of the retailers I patronize hand them out when you make a purchase. It’s a nice “reward” for being a good customer. What I’m not accustomed to is getting a coupon for being a bad customer – which is what had just happened.

You see, I hadn’t made a purchase. I had just returned a jacket for a full refund. That’s the opposite of what a retailer wants its customers to do!

To make things more interesting, the 20 percent off coupon came with a catch: It was only good for the next two hours.

This retailer was making the best of a bad situation. Here was a customer who had actually pulled the trigger and made a purchase. A customer who was willing to spend money… but, for whatever reason, was not satisfied with something she’d bought.

So instead of just handing over a refund, the store’s marketing team had come up with a way to recoup the loss: Give that customer an incentive to buy again. And put a time limit on the incentive, so she has to buy right away. (This deadline-driven approach is a powerful direct-response technique known as “scarcity” which creates a sense of urgency. This is also a form of a “fast-response bonus” that you often see in promotions which offer a special premium based on time limit.)

This idea is easy for an Internet marketer to emulate. Every time a customer returns a product, consider offering him a similar product – something he may like better. You don’t have to give a discount – although that would certainly sweeten the deal. But if you do, put a deadline on it so it encourages the customer to respond to your new offer quickly.

One caveat: You need to do this the right way, or not at all. I’ve written before about how frustrating it can be when a sales person is focused only on selling and not on your problem. What made this sales technique so pleasant was that the sales person waited until after she’d fully solved my “problem” – needing to return the jacket. If you try this tactic, make sure it’s only after you’ve fulfilled your customers’ needs.

[Ed. Note: The more opportunities you give your customers to buy, the more likely they are to spend money with you. Discover 12 profit-accelerating marketing strategies in Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby's Amazon.com best-seller, Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business.]

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Changing the Channel was officially launched on Tuesday, October 28. All day Wednesday, the book was on my mind. But when I sat down to enjoy dinner with my family, I tried to forget about it. (And with an unseasonable cool spell in Florida, roasted organic chicken was the perfect comfort food!)

As I cleared the table, my husband offered to do the dishes. It was obvious to him that I was itching to know how the book was doing.

“Why don’t you go check on the book?” he said.

I’d peeked at how sales were going a few times during the afternoon … but the book’s status hadn’t budged in the race to beat Buffett. (Meaning the book about Warren Buffett by Alice Schroeder.)

So I left Patrick to do the dishes and headed to my computer. And there it was – #1 on Amazon.com’s list of Business and Investing best-sellers!

Not only that, it had climbed all the way to #10 on Amazon’s list of overall best-sellers. (The next morning, Jason Holland told me that it hit #8 later that night.)

I can’t say how proud I am of all the ETR folks – and how thankful I am to our readers for pushing the book up to the top.

Our rapid climb past authors like Jim Collins, Stephen Covey, and Seth Godin is solely due to your taking the time to buy Changing the Channel. I sincerely hope you are being delighted by the book – and that it will help you boost your income, achieve a higher position in your business, or finally get your own business off the ground.

In the meantime, if you’re one of the readers who bought the book as soon as it was launched, I promised that I would give you a bonus that would knock your socks off. I think you’ll agree that this fits the bill!

I’m going to be hosting a special webinar exclusively for book buyers. I’ll be answering some of your toughest questions about marketing, business building, managing a team, and – of course – Changing the Channel. To sign up for this no-holds-barred conversation, simply enter your name, e-mail address, and receipt number from your Amazon.com order here.

Thanks again for helping drive Changing the Channel to #1.

[Ed. Note: MaryEllen Tribby and Michael Masterson have combined their 60+ years of business-building and marketing experience in one easy-to-read book. Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business reveals 12 profit-acceleration secrets that can help YOU boost your company’s revenues… and skyrocket your own career. If you don’t already have a copy, get yours here.

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Yes – you can make it big without a formal education. But some companies require a college degree before they’ll even consider a candidate for a job. So it’s logical to assume that if you encourage your kids to get a master’s degree or Ph.D., it will help them make more money. However, depending on the field they intend to go into, it may not make sense.

Census Bureau figures confirm that the average holder of a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts or social science, for example, makes just as much (and sometimes more) than a master’s degree holder. That’s an investment of an extra two or three years and thousands of dollars that won’t return any financial payback. People who plan to go into one of those programs should do it for the love of knowledge – not the love of money.

The best advice you can give your kids might be to stick to the educational path that Michael Masterson advocates: “Get your bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, because that is the best way to achieve the basic skills – reading well, writing well, speaking well, and thinking well.”

(Source: MSN Money Central)

[Ed. Note: Education IS important. One of the best ways to educate yourself about business is to pick up ETR's Information Marketing Bootcamp DVD Library. Bootcamp attendee Sharon O'Day said about last year's conference, "It's like getting a master's degree in how to build a business on the Internet!" You'll be learning insider secrets from some of the word's top Internet marketers - secrets that could make you $1 million or more in 2009. Order your DVD Library today - it won't be available after Saturday.]

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