Just as important is how you think about your goal. Do you “hope” you can achieve it? Does it seem like something you’ll try to do… and see what happens?

Or do you think of it as if it has already been accomplished?

To achieve the extraordinary, you need to feel that kind of certainty about it.

Use this strategy with your team. Start talking about what you want to have happen in the future as if it has already happened. You will see amazing results.

[Ed. Note: Tom McCarthy (www.transformationtechnologies.com) is a success coach and business consultant. As the emcee at ETR's recent Info-Marketing Bootcamp, he kept attendees motivated and working toward their goals. You can see Tom in action, along with a dozen experts in business building and Internet marketing, in the Bootcamp DVD home-study program.]

“Finally! Someone tells the truth. Michael, you’re brilliant. Issue #2795 was right on the mark. Small productive actions taken consistently change attitude (and reinforce taking more actions) faster than anything else.”

Stacey Morris
New York

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How the “Missing Link” can kick your online business into overdrive

Every inefficient system… whether it’s an overweight body, a sputtering car, or a losing football team… has a “missing link” that prevents it from operating at full capacity.

It’s the same thing with a floundering online business.

There’s a “missing link” that keeps it from bringing in big-time revenues.

But once you pinpoint this “missing link” and get it taken care of, you can make more money online than you ever dreamed possible.

And the best part is, it is so easy to do, you’ll kick yourself for not thinking of it.

Let me show you how…

Fromm did not believe faith is in opposition to reason or rational thinking. On the contrary, he simply made a distinction between rational faith and irrational faith. He believed that irrational faith is based on submission to irrational authority. But rational faith is based on one’s own convictions.

Rational faith, then, is an important component of rational thinking. In fact, Fromm believed that creative thinking begins with a “rational vision,” a vision that results from study, reflective thinking, and observation.

In other words, rational faith is rooted in one’s own experiences and judgments. Irrational faith, on the other hand, is the acceptance of something as true only because an authority or the majority say it is.

The rational believer must have faith in his core being. He must have trust in himself. He must know that the person he really is will not change with changing circumstances. If we lose faith in who we are, we become dependent on others and change in ways to gain their approval. Not a good thing.

There is no rational faith in domination — either for the dominator or the dominated. To be sure, power is a panoptic objective for politicians and many religious leaders. But, to their dismay, it is the most unstable of all achievements.

Fromm pointed out that because having faith and having power over others are mutually exclusive objectives, all religious and political systems originally built on rational faith become corrupt and lose their strength. It would be difficult to argue that history has not supported his viewpoint. And over the next several years, this will become clear to all but the most brainwashed American sheeple.

What Fromm did not address head on, however, is faith in a higher power. Is it rational or irrational faith to believe in God? The atheist would say it is irrational. The believer would come down on the side of rational.

But the believer could just as easily say that the atheist’s viewpoint is based on irrational faith — faith, perhaps, that the universe somehow created itself.

In truth, both an atheist and a believer in a higher power can have rational faith in their beliefs, so long as those beliefs are based on study, reflective thinking, and observation. As I’ve said so often, I agree with Viktor Frankl’s view that there is probably not much difference between a so-called atheist and an individual who believes in God. It’s more a matter of semantics than zealous people on both sides might believe.

So, whether it’s faith in yourself, faith in your spouse, faith in a friend, faith in your future, or faith in a higher power, don’t let anyone tell you that faith is not an integral part of the human experience. Make thatrational faith. And you will do your children a great service by making sure they understand and believe in rational faith from a very young age.

[Ed. Note: To learn how to survive and prosper during the turbulent years ahead, check out Robert Ringer's powerful audio series Succeeding in a World of Chaos. And be sure to sign up for a FREE subscription to his one-of-a-kind e-letter A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World.]

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Making Money Online Is Not Complicated If You Are Not Greedy

Most Internet marketing programs promise you millions. But they deliver only manuals filled with complicated instructions. Many advocate strategies that most people can’t possibly follow.

If you are not greedy — if you are happy with making an extra $250 to $500 a day — we have a program for you. It was created by one of the industry’s most knowledgeable insiders. And the best part about it is that it requires you to work as little as an hour a day. Read more…

And that means, despite the possibilities you see in front of you, your brain can sap your confidence and “psych” you out of taking action.

It’s the biggest challenge Tom’s seen with entrepreneurs he’s coached. They look at experts who’ve had success in business, and they think, “They are too far beyond where I am with my business.”

It’s true that there are some amazing people out there who have done amazing things in the business world. But, said Tom, they are no better than you.

Their success is not just due to the strategies they have or the time they’ve spent learning those strategies. Those things are important. And you should model them. But the thing that really sets them apart is how they see the world.

The good news is that you can reprogram your mind. You can change the way you think about your capabilities.

Instead of thinking that success is not possible for you — that successful people are somehow different — create an extraordinary vision of yourself, Tom told Bootcamp attendees. And act on it. As you create new thoughts and take new actions, you create new connections in your brain. The more you practice and get out of your comfort zone, the faster the process becomes.

At first, it will feel awkward — or even a little weird. But you will get better and better. And eventually, you will program yourself to see opportunities that you couldn’t see before.

As Yoda said (And the reason I quote the Jedi Master is that Tom McCarthy did): “There is no try. Only do.”

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Everybody Should Be a “Closer”– Even if you’re not in sales… you’re in sales. You sell yourself at the very least. To potential employers. To your boss during meetings. To the customer service clerk refusing your refund. But you won’t get what you want in those cases without the ability to persuade. Let Michael Masterson show you how to project personal power.

It could be to start your own Internet business or learn a new language or travel to Asia.

Do you think you’re too old? Too inexperienced and unqualified? Too busy with other things? Too broke?

Overheard at ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp last night:

“I spent 20 years in the military. Then 25 years as a long-haul trucker. Now it’s time for something new. I want to start a business on the Internet, and I have some ideas. But I have no clue what to do next. That’s why I’m here!”

Age means nothing, other than time is running out for you to act. And other obstacles can be overcome easily… with the right attitude.

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Do You Think a Billionaire Would Read a Trashy Novel on a Business Trip? – Of course not. Business is business. They know, probably better than anybody, that time really is money. It’s part of the Billionaire Mindset.

How do you think like a customer?

Let’s start with the obvious. Your customers are interested in what’s good for them, not you. They don’t really care how hard you work or how much more complicated your business is from those of your competitors. They don’t care how much you spend on overhead or what regulations you suffer through. The only thing they care about is what you can do for them and how much it will cost them.


To think like a customer, you have to be able to put yourself in his shoes. Here are two questions to ask yourself:

• What do our customers want from us? (Go beyond the obvious.)

• How can we give them more of that? (In other words, in what ways can you reinvent, replicate, reproduce, renovate, refine, and renew the fundamental benefits of your business?)

How do you act like an owner?

What is the difference between the actions of a boss and the actions of an employee? The short answer is this: The boss’s rewards are tied more directly to the future of the business. So that’s what concerns him.

If you want to be the boss one day, focus on what he worries about. What are the problems he deals with on a day-to-day basis? How can you help eliminate them? Show him that you are ready to take the stress out of his life and make him richer by making his business run:

• more smoothly
• more efficiently
• more quickly, and more profitably

As an employee, you have one distinct advantage over your boss: You are closer to your customers and can, therefore, think more like them (if you try). When you come up with ideas on how to provide them with more and better products and services, you will be creating new and supplementary streams of income for the business. Your boss will see you as someone who can make his dreams of having more and worrying less come to fruition.

On stage, he comes off as quite confident. Watching him, you’d think he was loaded with self-esteem.

In fact, the opposite is true. And at a recent presentation, he let his audience in on this personality “flaw” right from the start.

Now I wouldn’t recommend doing this all the time. If, for example, you are delivering a sales presentation to a room full of businessmen, playing the “low self-esteem card” could backfire. Your listeners might think: “Gee, does this guy need a hug or something?”

But in my friend’s case, it helped him bond with his audience immediately.

Why? Because he was giving a speech at a self-improvement seminar. He knew his audience — and he knew what they would respond to.

His eager listeners almost certainly thought, “WOW! This guy has his own image problem. And yet, he’s accomplished all his goals. If he can do it… so can I!”

But though my friend has proven that you don’t need high self-esteem to be an effective speaker (or a successful entrepreneur) — he’s also shown that you need to be able to present your material with aplomb and conviction.

Fact is, your audience starts checking you out the minute you step on stage.

They look at the way you’re dressed and the way you move. But it’s the way you deliver your speech that makes the biggest impression on them.

Telltale signs that you have low self-esteem:

• You stand up there and just read off PowerPoint bullets.

• You don’t make eye contact with your audience.

• You use unnatural hand motions.

• You speak softly, and your voice tends to trail off at the end of a sentence.

Whether your self-esteem is high, low, or somewhere in the middle, you can learn how to turn on the switch when it’s “show time” and put on a splendid performance.

It starts with knowing your subject inside out. When you feel like an expert, you will exude self-confidence from every pore.

That said, here are four tips to help you give one great presentation after another — and keep getting asked back.

1. Deliver One Big Idea

As Michael Masterson often says… every effective communication is based on one BIG IDEA. Create a speech that has one BIG IDEA and it will stand out in the hearts and minds of your audience.

Worried about length? Don’t be! You do not have to deliver a long and exhaustive speech for it to make an impact.

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address — with just 271 words — is one of the most quoted and most powerful speeches ever given. Imagine: In less than 3 minutes, Lincoln not only summarized the Civil War, but redefined it as a struggle for freedom and equality!

2. Speak in the Moment

Practice, practice, practice… so the words, as Shakespeare said (when he was alive of, course) are spoken “trippingly on the tongue.” Do not give a canned speech or read your presentation. Outline your important points, know them, and then speak to your audience as if it is one person sitting across from you and hanging on every word you say.

3. Tell Stories

Don’t quote boring industry facts and figures. Any “B” speaker can do that. Be an “A” speaker. Capture your audience’s attention with a story.  If you are giving a speech on customer service, for example, tell them a customer service horror story. They will LOVE it!

Tell the truth… but embellish the anecdote a bit (using dramatic license, and adding humor if you can). The idea is to eventually lead your audience to the conclusion that you (or the product/service you are selling) have the solutions to their problems.

4. Fake It ‘Til You Make It

That’s what most top-gun speakers did in the beginning. With enough stage time, you’ll internalize what you need to know to overcome your self-confidence “issues.” And then, it will be second nature to come across as cool, collected, and in control.

Just like riding a bicycle. Guaranteed!

[Ed. Note: Want to dominate your niche market and become an in-demand public speaker? Get the training you need to learn how to tell humorous and captivating stories... and put yourself head and shoulders above the rest.

For more information on Peter "The Reinvention Guy" Fogel's Gold Public Speaking Package and to sign up for his FREE 7 Days to Effective Public Speaking E-Course (value $65), go to www.publicspeaklikeapro.com]

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MaryEllen Has Met the Man of Your Dreams – He’s got dark hair, piercing eyes, and he brings in sales of $5 million per month. He’s gone “beyond Google” with a homegrown strategy for powerhouse marketing that 99.9% of Internet marketers out there have never even seen…

Yet it eludes us. All of our activities — our pursuit of fame and fortune, our quest for meaningful relationships, our drive to build or change things — are directed searches for this ephemeral state. We get there, but we can never heave a lasting sigh of relief because the feeling is gone almost immediately.

Can happiness be a permanent member of our household rather than an occasional and erratic visitor?

Think on this parable from psychotherapist and Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello:

“A group of tourists sits in a bus that is passing through gorgeously beautiful country; lakes and mountains and green fields and rivers. But the shades of the bus are pulled down. They do not have the slightest idea of what lies beyond the windows of the bus. And all the time of their journey is spent in squabbling over who will have the seat of honor in the bus, who will be applauded, who will be well considered. And so they remain till the journey’s end.”

Too many of us are like those tourists, engaged in petty power struggles while the true beauty of life lies all round us, unobserved and unappreciated.

I see this all the time in the seminars I conduct. I have the participants call out things that would make them happy, and I write them on a flip chart. The list grows to 50 or 100 items in minutes.

Wealth is a common desire. Not run-of-the-mill, garden-variety wealth but a fabulous fortune. A trophy spouse is also popular, though people rarely label it as such. Instead the ideal spouse is described as extraordinarily good-looking and, as a self-justifying afterthought, intelligent to boot.

Lots of other items come up, too, including travel, good health, great sex, friends, loving relatives, and interesting work.

The truth is, none of those things is necessary for happiness. None of them.

This is an extremely important point. Because all of those things are dependent on outside circumstances that will never be in your control. And doesn’t that make the quest for them an extremely frail reed to lean on?

Don’t confuse true happiness and soul-satisfying joy with the temporary satisfaction you get when you gratify your ego. Your happiness is not dependent on your wealth, your intelligence, or your abilities. Your happiness is not even contingent on your continued good health or having loving friends, relatives, or significant others.

In fact, happiness is already a part of your nature. There is nothing you have to get in order to be happy. All you have to do is allow your inner happiness to surface.

When I get to this point in my seminars, I generally have a revolution on my hands. How can people be happy if they live in extreme poverty? Or if they are afflicted with a painful disease? Or if they have no friends or loved ones? Or if they’re in any other hypothetical situation along those lines?

Yet the statement holds. There is nothing you have to get in order to be happy.

One question remains. If happiness is our nature, why do we not experience it more often? Why are our lives filled with angst and sorrow?

The answer is simple: We have constructed mental models for ourselves in which happiness comes as a result of getting something — money, power, fame, etc. In the reality that we have created and that we live in, our achievements define us. We are “better” if we are “successful.”

The media reinforces those beliefs, subtly painting pictures of what successful and happy people have and look like. Your parents reinforced them too, imprinting on your mind that what they found valuable was what you should value. In all probability, they got their beliefs from their parents and accepted them without question. Your friends, relatives, teachers, classmates, and coaches all played a role. So did the movies and TV programs you watched, the books and magazines you read, the music you listened to, and what you observed in the world around you.

They all contributed to your mental model. And they succeeded because you did not question the beliefs and values they presented to you. But now, in your quest for happiness and freedom, you must question them.

When you want something — and you get it — there is a brief moment when you are content, when you are not your habitual wanting self. And in that moment, you experience the happiness that is always a part of you. You are content. And full. But the very next moment, some other desire raises its ugly head and you are off on another fruitless quest for happiness. It is a never-ending cycle.

The problem is that you do not realize why you experience that moment of happiness. You do not recognize that it is because, at that moment, you are free from want. The happiness springs from an acceptance of the Universe as it is. It is your innate nature bubbling forth in the absence of the bonds you put on it with your incessant demands.

Instead, you attribute the happiness you briefly felt to the acquisition of whatever it was that you got. And so you try to get the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing.

If you go barreling through life, desperately doing things to make yourself “happy,” happiness will elude you. It is like a puppy that runs away when you try to entice it to come to you. But as soon as you ignore it and start reading your newspaper, you feel its cold nose in your hand.

It really does work that way. You are bound by the things you own as long as you need them emotionally. The moment you sever this psychological link, you will experience freedom, a marvelous sense of liberation that cannot be described.

Think back to your life 10 years ago. You had a list of wants at that time, things you thought would bring you lasting happiness. Odds are, you now have many of them. Have they made you happier than you were back then? Probably not.

Pick any item you currently desire. Now imagine yourself as a 95-year-old person about to leave this world. From that perspective, does having that item really matter? Again, probably not.

Enjoy, truly enjoy, what you have. Strive for what you do not have but want. But strive joyfully, knowing that the pleasure is in the doing, not in the getting. If you succeed, wonderful. If you do not, still wonderful.

P.S. Finding true happiness won’t happen overnight. With my Personal Mastery Success Program, you’ll get all the tools you need to make a break with negativity, sadness, and disappointment. Soon you’ll be living your life to its true potential.

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“If a picture truly is worth a thousand words, we’re about to make a hell of a lot of money!” - The multi-billion dollar “home shopping” industry got its start on cable access. It was a low-budget public access “operation” run by three guys in Clearwater, Florida. Before they had even made their first dollar their success was a sure thing. They had the “Billionaire Mindset”…

Perhaps most important, scientists say, is that they never stop moving.

Think of that in relationship to your lifetime objectives. How often are you actively moving toward your goals? How many of today’s important-but-not-urgent tasks have you accomplished so far?

Most days, I wake up brimming with expectation. And I carry that energy throughout the day.

How are you doing? Have you let your inner shark out today?

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The Relaxation Technique that Eases Stress in Seconds

You’re stuck in a boring meeting… a long line at the bank… or bumper-to-bumper traffic… Your blood pressure is rising. Your stress is through the roof…

But with one unconventional (and often misunderstood) technique, your frustration, anxiety, and stress simply slip away. You’ll feel peaceful, in control, and happy within seconds. Any time. Anywhere.

But there are obstacles along the way to achieving those dreams.

Business management expert Elihu Goldratt explains this with what he calls the “Theory of Constraints.” In accomplishing any goal, he says, there is a bottleneck that serves as a constraint on the process. This constraint sets the speed at which you achieve the goal. But he has found that if you concentrate on eliminating that limitation, you can speed up the process.

Let me give you an example.

Let’s say you want to double your income. What is the limiting factor that’s holding you back and slowing you down?

Well, you know that your income is a direct reward for the quality and quantity of the services you render to the world. This tells you that if you want to double your income, you have to double the quality and quantity of what you do for that income. Or you have to make a change so that your time is worth twice as much.

The 80/20 Rule in Action

A friend of mine is one of the highest-paid commission-based professionals in the United States. One of his goals was to double his income in three to five years. By applying the 80/20 rule, he found that 20 percent of his clients contributed 80 percent of his profits. He also found that the amount of time he spent on a high-profit client was pretty much the same as the amount of time he spent on a low-profit client.

So he very carefully, politely, and strategically handed off the 80 percent of his clients who represented only 20 percent of his income to other professionals in his industry.

He then put together a profile of his top clients and began looking exclusively for new clients who fit that profile. And by taking on only clients who could become major contributors to his profits, instead of doubling his income in three to five years, he doubled it the first year!

What Are Your Constraints?

So what is holding you back? Is it your level of education or skill? Is it your current occupation or job? Is it your environment or health? What is setting the speed for achieving your goals?

Remember, whatever you have learned, you can unlearn. Whatever situation you have gotten yourself into, you can probably get yourself out of.

Three Keys to Living Without Limits

To live without limiting what you can achieve, you must recognize your constraints and then act to expunge them. To do that, you need clarity, competence, and concentration.

#1. Clarity

Clarity means that you are absolutely clear about who you are, what you want, and where you’re going. You write down your goals and make plans to accomplish them. You set priorities and do something every day to move yourself forward.

The more progress you make toward accomplishing what’s important to you, the more self-confidence you have and the more convinced you become that you have no limits.

# 2. Competence

Competence means that you begin to become very good in your chosen field. You apply the 80/20 rule to everything you do and you focus on becoming outstanding at the 20 percent of tasks that contribute 80 percent of your results. You dedicate yourself to continuous learning. You never stop growing. You realize that excellence is a moving target. And you make a commitment to do something every day that enables you to become better and better.

# 3. Concentration

Concentration means having the discipline to focus on one thing, the most important thing, and stay with it until it’s complete.

It’s knowing exactly what you want to be, have, and do. It’s persevering, without diversion or distraction, in a straight line toward the things that can make a real difference in your life.

When you allow yourself to dream big dreams, abandon the activities that are taking up too much of your time, and focus your energies on alleviating your constraints, you start to feel an incredible sense of power. As you focus on doing what you love to do and becoming excellent in a few areas, you begin to think in terms of possibilities rather than impossibilities. And you move ever closer to the realization of your full potential.

[Ed. Note: Do you have the feeling that you could be doing better? Why is it some people are wildly successful while you seem to be struggling? It's no secret -- they are clear about what they want. Brian Tracy's "The Power of Clarity" will show you how to zero in on your goals and simplify your life so you can achieve your goals faster than you ever could have imagined. (Learn more here.)]

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MaryEllen Just Met the Man of Your Dreams - He’s got dark hair and piercing eyes. And he brings in sales of $5 million per month. He’s gone “beyond Google.” And 99.9% of Internet marketers have never even seen his strategy for powerhouse marketing. You can meet him… but only at ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp in just a few weeks.

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“Who beat this girl up?” I wondered. “Where did she get the idea that you have to be an extrovert and interesting to be successful at communications?”

Most of the successful writers I know are introverts. And some of the most popular public speakers I know (you know them too) are just plain boring when you sit down and talk to them.

I blame those stupid personality tests given by guidance counselors for Sarah’s self-imposed limitations. The idea that you will be happier and more successful if you know “who you are” is bunk. It’s just pure bunk.

You can become good at anything that appeals to you. It doesn’t matter what your “personality” is right now. That will change over time with the confidence you will get from learning and growing and acquiring skills.

Study the field you want to go into and figure out what it is that successful people in that field do. Break down each thing they do into its component parts, and practice each part till you get good at it. If you put in 1,000 hours of work (less if you have good coaching), you will be on your way to success in any career — even if the “experts” tell you that you have zero talent for it.

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Latest News

• Scared off Wall Street? Liberty Street League Editor Charles Newcastle has the perfect remedy. It’s a monthly guide to “off the Street” investment and wealth building opportunities, with some of the financial world’s top experts leading the way. Check it out here.

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“I have been a devoted reader of ETR for about five years.

“Thanks to ETR and AWAI’s Six-Figure Copywriting Program, I am becoming a part-time copywriter with a very defined niche.

“The ideas and philosophy behind your new ETR seem to have more ‘oomph.’ It is more informative than the original version. While I might have glanced at the original ETR, I now find myself much more focused on the new formula — as in word for word. I have eliminated the other e-zines I was getting, as yours is the best.

“ETR & AWAI have helped me more than I can express. This new ETR is the gold standard on which I judge everything else.”

Tom Hackim
Maitland, FL

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$2.3 Trillion Floats by You Every Year… - Billions of dollars every month… millions every week… go right by you through your phone, TV, computer, and mailbox. The problem is those dollars are invisible. There is a $2.3 trillion industry all around us. You’ve seen its products and ads. But you probably couldn’t put a name to it. The profit opportunities for people just like you are enormous and easy to tap into. If you know how to get your “foot in the door.”

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