Merry Christmas from Early to Rise!

 Issue #2548

• WEALTHY: Where is your business headed in 2009? (Michael Masterson)
• HEALTHY: Take your health and fat loss to a new level (Craig Ballantyne)
• WISE: Thomas Merton on happiness

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• Work, family, social life, good health – how to keep them all in tune (MaryEllen Tribby)
• A truly last-minute gift (Jason Holland)
• It’s Fun to Know… why we hang stockings on the mantle for Christmas
• Add “sacrosanct” to your vocabulary

== Highly Recommended ==

He Might Be a Very Successful Investor, But You’ll Never See Him on CNN!

The Wall Street financial jackals extract their “take” from investors just like you.

They perpetuate the myth, “Buy into good companies and hold on for the long term.”  Sure, sometimes these stocks go up, but they also go down.  In the meantime, these greedy insiders make money either way. They can do it because they’re playing with a whole different set of rules. 

One Wall Street Insider has jumped ship and started on his own path to profits. And he’s ready to give you all of his insider secrets so you too can make money no matter what the market does.

Of course, he wants to keep making these cash withdrawals himself… so he can only share these secrets with a limited number of folks.  If you want to stop being one of the sheep and join him at the table of success with all of those blueblood financial elitists, please read the following report.

Christmas Predictions for 2009

By Michael Masterson 

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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“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.”

Thomas Merton

Make 2009 Your Best Year Ever – Resolution #4: Find the Right Balance

By MaryEllen Tribby   

“I can’t believe he called you at 9:00 at night. You don’t think that is totally inappropriate?” asked my sister-in-law Connie.

When I told her I did not, and was happy he’d called, her jaw dropped even further. 

We were talking about a business colleague of mine. “Larry” had called to ask me if I could speak with his mastermind group on a teleconference later that week. 

He wanted me to speak to the group about accelerating their businesses growth via multi-channel marketing. Given the fact that his attendee list included people like Alex Mandossian, Tony Robbins, and John Carlton – people I personally considered my mentors – I was honored to accept. 

When I tried explaining this to my sister-in-law, she just waved her hand and said, “In my day, when you left the office at 5:00, you were done until 9:00 the next morning.” 

I thought about dropping the subject, but I couldn’t resist the challenge. 

She opted for early retirement about six years ago – but I asked her if, during her working years, she’d ever left the office to pick up a sick kid from school, go to a dentist appointment, or meet the cable man at her house. 

When she begrudgingly nodded her head yes, I knew I had her attention. And I hope I have yours as well. If you think that your work life exists only between 9:00 and 5:00 … and that your home and social life exist only between 5:00 and 9:00, you need to make a change.

I recommend that you resolve, right here and now, to make your life better, more rewarding, and more balanced. And I’m going to help you do it.

Who am I to talk about balance? Well, I’m a happily married mother of three who runs a 25-person business. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten pretty good at managing all the different aspects of my life in a way that makes me feel happy and proud.

The very first step to creating a happier, healthier lifestyle is to realize that “9:00 to 5:00″ no longer applies. By giving yourself the flexibility to do business at all hours of the day or night, you are actually better able to enjoy both your work and your family even more.

This may sound counter-intuitive but by taking the following five simple steps, you will be able to break free of the 9:00 to 5:00 shackles.

Creating Balance Step One: Define what a balanced life means to you.

Many people think that having a balanced life means spending the same number of hours on work as you do on personal activities. This is a big mistake, because most of the time it just is not realistic.

To define what will work for you, you need to take into consideration that life is constantly changing. And the right balance for you today may not be the right balance for you tomorrow or next week or next month, because over time your priorities change. The one constant in knowing you have a balanced life is the feeling of accomplishment and happiness you enjoy every day.

Creating Balance Step Two: Create Boundaries

Some people may agree with my sister-in-law that receiving a business call at 9:00 at night is inappropriate. But the way I look at it is that Larry is someone who is good for my organization and good for my career. Besides, when I met him at a conference earlier this year, he asked me for the best way to reach me. I gave him my e-mail address and my cell number. So why shouldn’t he call?

And keep in mind that I made the decision to take his call that night – I created the boundary. It happened to be a good time to talk. However, if he’d made the call 90 minutes earlier – when I was decorating the Christmas tree with my kids and my husband – I would have let it go to voice mail and called him back when it was convenient for me.

Later that week, I was the keynote speaker on the mastermind teleconference Larry had invited me to. Many of the attendees learned a great deal. In fact, I got several e-mails from attendees saying they’d purchased the book on multi-channel marketing that I co-authored with Michael Masterson. Others called or e-mailed to ask if they could promote the book to their in-house list. 

Had I adopted the attitude that I would do business only from 9:00 to 5:00, I may have lost out on a wonderful opportunity that proved to be valuable both to ETR and to me personally.

Because I advocate balance, I support the efforts my team members make in striving for balance in their own lives. Some of them work in the evening and/or on the weekends. So I have no problem with it if they need to leave to take care of something personal. I truly believe that your accomplishments aren’t dependent on how much time you spend in the office.

Creating Balance Step Three: Learn how to say “No.”

No one wants to say no to their boss, their spouse, their employees, their friends, or their kids. But to achieve balance, you are going to have to do it once in a while.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. And we cannot possibly do everything that we want to do AND everything that everyone else wants us to do. So a big part of leading a more balanced life is to cut down on unnecessary tasks and protect your priorities.

When requests or conflicts are set before you, ask yourself: “Is this going to give me a feeling of accomplishment and a feeling of happiness?” 

Almost four years ago, a good friend of mine – “Rita” – wanted my husband and me to meet her new boyfriend. He was “the one” as she put it. So we made dinner plans for the following evening. 

But when our two-month-old baby Delanie woke up in the morning, she had a fever. I called Rita and apologized, but told her we would have to cancel. I just did not feel right about leaving the baby with a sitter. 

Rita was irate. She said I was overreacting, and asked how I could possibly feel that way given that Delanie was our third child. 

As I held Delanie though the day and night, I knew I had made the right decision. But I was saddened by Rita’s anger – and her anger lasted for weeks.

Then, about five weeks after the infamous missed dinner, Rita called to say that “the one” had dumped her. This time it was her turn to apologize, saying that now she realized I had made the right decision. 

Social decisions are one thing, but work decisions can be more difficult. You must learn that sometimes you have to choose your family, your health, or even your social life over work. And you’ll also have to make some hard decisions to put work first.

For instance, I take my health seriously. But last week, a doctor’s appointment conflicted with a last-minute visit from one of Agora’s top executives. The only chance I had to see him was during the time I’d reserved for my appointment. Since I wasn’t sick and the appointment was for a simple check up, I didn’t think twice about rescheduling.

Creating Balance Step Four: Keep a journal.

The only way to make your life better is to understand what you’re doing, what’s working, and what isn’t. And there are far too many things going on in our lives to try to keep it all in our heads.

So keep a journal. Write down what you spend time on – everything from the meetings you attend to how many times you go to the gym.

Keeping a journal will help you see if you are spending your time in the most productive way – and it will make you accountable for your actions. It will help you accomplish your professional and personal goals, and will make you proud of those accomplishments.

Creating Balance Step Five: Understand that you’re not a superhero.

Having a balanced life means being realistic. Realistic about the fact that some things are just not going to get done. And you have to be okay with that.

When my husband and I got married 12 year ago, we both had busy careers. But we still enjoyed spending time decorating and upgrading our home with art and new furniture. After a busy day, we loved coming home to our immaculate sanctuary. 

Well… once we had kids, things started looking a lot different. Instead of the beautiful vase I picked up in Mexico on the coffee table – there was a stuffed Elmo. Soon our Tiffany picture frames were replaced by toy trains. And many days, while we’re making dinner, the kids have all the pots and pans on the floor. 

But instead of spending my time cleaning up and trying to make my house look perfect, I would much rather play with the kids, banging on the pots and pans with them and playing with trains. 

There are always things out of place in my house – but that is exactly the way it should be. Because when I come home to my family, I absolutely have a feeling of great accomplishment and happiness! 

This goes for work, too. You may have a dozen projects on your plate, and only so much time to complete them. Don’t get down on yourself for letting one of them slide so you can spend more time on marketing, or so you can care for your ailing grandmother, or so you can spend an hour at the gym.

Following the other guidelines I’ve recommended – figuring out what kind of balance is right for you, creating boundaries, picking priorities, and knowing what’s working and what isn’t – will help you feel confident that your accomplishments are enough… even if you have more goals you want to achieve.

[Ed. Note: One of the best ways to strike a good balance between work and home? Start your own Internet business. You can operate it on your own time, from your back bedroom. And it can help you achieve the financial security and satisfaction you've always dreamed of. Get a step-by-step guide to starting your own Internet business right here. But hurry - space is limited.]

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Your Special Holiday Gift from Early to Rise

MaryEllen has a super quick but powerful technique for deciding when to say “yes” and when to say “no.”

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== Highly Recommended ==

Who Can Guarantee You a Stress-Free Retirement?

Congress can throw money into our economy until the end of time…

The Fed can lower interest rates to practically nothing…

But here are the cold hard facts: At the end of the day, Uncle Sam ain’t gonna help you… the only one who can get you out of this economic mess  and guarantee you a stress-free retirement is you!

And one sure-fire way to do that is to acquire the wealth attraction skills of a billionaire.

Billionaires see money making opportunities where others see only despair!

Imagine having billionaire “money magnet” skills so ingrained into your consciousness that magically deals fall into your lap.

Imagine for the first time in your life NOT having to chase wealth! When in fact, MONEY opportunities just knock on your door— and you simply open it.

The Perfect No-Hassle and Useful Holiday Gift

By Jason Holland

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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How to Beat Peer Pressure

By Craig Ballantyne

‘Tis the season to be surrounded by people who give you a hard time for wanting to make healthy choices at holiday parties.

But… if you want to succeed, you have to lay the ground rules. There is no room for debate. You are either in or you are out.

Be LOUD and PROUD of the healthy choices you are making. Because, I promise you, there are dozens of folks you know who are secretly wishing someone would stand up and be a healthy role model for them. Someone who would show them the way to eating better and exercising for health and fat loss.

You can be that role model.

It might not happen overnight, but if you continue to lead by healthy example – without preaching or being condescending – you can build an entourage of social support and people who want to be healthy like you. This will build powerful relationships that will take your health and fat loss to the next level.

[Ed. Note: Sharing your weight-loss struggles, diet and exercise techniques, and encouragement can help you lose weight - and it can help your friends and family get healthier too. For a free way to offer support to friends, family, and even strangers, click here.

And for a topnotch fitness program that can help you burn fat and build muscle, check out Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program right here.]

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It’s Fun to Know: Why We Hang Stockings on the Mantle for Christmas

Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas, a 4th century bishop in what is now Turkey who was persecuted for his Christian beliefs by the emperor Diocletian. That’s what’s in the historical record. The legend takes over from there.

St. Nicholas’s reputation as a gift giver – and our tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace – comes from a story (there are several variations) in which he helps the three daughters of a poor man. Without a dowry, the trio were doomed to slavery or prostitution. So St. Nick tossed bags of gold down their chimney. Luckily, the girls had hung their stockings to dry by the fire, and the gold landed safely inside them. With their newfound riches, they were able to marry.

(Source: Catholic Encyclopedia and St. Nicholas Center)

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== Highly Recommended ==

Want Real Career Freedom This Year?

A “job” you love… Plenty of money… Working when you want, and wherever you want.  Now, you can have it all. You can even choose the type of business you want to get into, among dozens we’ve fully researched for you. There’s one that will likely fit you like a glove. See for yourself by clicking here…

Word to the Wise: Sacrosanct

Something that’s “sacrosanct” (SAK-roh-sangkt) – from the Latin – is extremely sacred or inviolable; above or beyond criticism, change, or interference.

Example (as used by Dawn Drzal in a New York Times review of Immoveable Feast by John Baxter): “How the boy from a town in New South Wales where olive oil was sold only in pharmacies became the man who now cooks the sacrosanct Christmas dinner for a clan of fastidious Parisians is as important a part of this book as the annual dinner itself.”

Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008

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