The Power of Active Visualization
- WEALTHY: More on the connection between wealth and happiness (Michael Masterson)
- HEALTHY: Why are they adding folic acid to your bread? (Jon Herring)
- WISE: Vince Lombardi on developing confidence
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Picture this … (Robert Ringer)
- 3 more things you need to know about making sales to a business (Bob Bly)
- Add "disparate" to your vocabulary
The Billionaire Way
I just wanted to say thank you for putting The Billionaire Way together for others to learn from as well as myself. I have made it a mission in my life to learn from the greatest minds in history and business.
I came from a humble beginning … searching. I found what I needed to know in The Billionaire Way. My most important lesson was they are all human just like you and me . They had special skills which anyone can develop to attract that bit of luck we all need in life… that extra edge.
These lessons can be learned in The Billionaire Way and you don’t have to spend your whole life as a mission, as I have, to find what I found here in The Billionaire Way.
I enjoyed our call. It put the final touches together that I have needed. If I do happen to get stuck on something thanks for saying I can contact you again. People look to me for advice. It is reassuring to ask and receive advice and have an enriching conversation ..I find it is rare.
Thank you
Aaron Kaggie
President. of Kaggie Holdings, Inc.
Kearns, Utah
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Notes From Michael Masterson’s Blog: The Difference Between Intention and Desire
A few weeks ago, I tackled the question of whether you can achieve two seemingly disparate goals – wealth and happiness – simultaneously. And lately, I’ve been thinking about how understanding the difference between intention and desire is a necessary part of the equation.
Intention means setting a goal. Desire means attaching your feelings to that goal.
Let’s assume, for example, that you intend to eat steak and rice for dinner tonight. That is your intention. That is your goal. Here’s one way you could go about accomplishing that goal:
- Put steak and rice on your shopping list.
- Buy them at the market.
- Cook them at home.
- Eat them for dinner.
Another way you could accomplish the same goal is to call up a local restaurant, make sure they have steak and rice on the menu, make a reservation, and then go there for dinner.
Either of these protocols would accomplish your goal – and that accomplishment would give you a certain amount of satisfaction.
But what would happen if you intend to eat steak and rice for dinner and go about accomplishing that objective, but are stymied by an unexpected event? Perhaps the restaurant is out of steak when you get there, or the supermarket had to pull all the meat out of the case in order to fix a broken refrigerator.
Would you be disappointed? And, in being disappointed, would you be unhappy? Probably.
Now imagine that you intend to eat steak and rice for dinner … but at the moment you make that decision, you also rid yourself of the desire for that steak and rice. If this seems strange, bear with me. Imagine yourself thinking, "I will do everything necessary to have steak and rice tonight but if, for some reason, I end up eating something else, I will consider that an opportunity to enjoy that something else and I will be happy about it."
Can you imagine yourself having that thought?
If so, congratulations. I think you have what it takes to be both wealthy and happy.
For many years, my friend and former partner JG used to talk to me about the negative effect that desire has on achievement. I never liked the idea, because I harbored two incorrect ideas:
- I thought that desiring something would help me accomplish it. (This is a giant mistake that most success coaches make.)
- I believed that eradicating desire would eradicate happiness.
Now I understand how foolish those two thoughts were and how harmful they were to my ability to both accomplish goals and enjoy the fruits of those accomplishments.
- Michael Masterson
[Ed. Note: To read more of Michael's unedited, uncensored (and sometimes unexpected) ruminations, check out his blog here.]
"Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence."
Vince Lombardi
The Power of Active Visualization
By Robert Ringer
As a teenager, my favorite sport (after basketball) was fast-pitch softball. I was a catcher, slow afoot but determined. If you’ve ever played fast-pitch softball, you know that the ball is on top of you so quickly after leaving the pitcher’s hand that you can’t afford to blink. Which is why I almost never hit the ball out of the infield the first year I played in an organized league.
When I came to bat during one particular game, the second baseman for the other team yelled to the outfielders, "Move in. This guy’s an infield hitter." Sure enough, I hit a dribbler to the right side of the mound.
But the second baseman’s remark really ticked me off – so much so that it made me determined to do something about my meek infield hitting. I began by spending hours thinking about my hitting stance and how I swung the bat.
The first mistake I realized I was making was that I was putting my left foot "in the bucket" – stepping toward third base instead of toward the pitcher. When your first step is away from the mound, it gives you a head start on getting out of the way if the pitch ends up coming straight at you. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to hit with power when your pivot foot is preparing to head for the hills.
Second, I realized that I wasn’t swinging the bat with authority. (Experienced Major League scouts often categorize players as having a "quick bat" or "slow bat.")
Third, I was making the mistake of taking my eye off the ball, a result of focusing on getting out of the way.
Fourth, I was hitting the ball with a stiff swing – i.e., I wasn’t "breaking my wrists" at the moment of impact.
These four steps are a lot to concentrate on when the ball is coming at you from 50 feet away at breakneck speed. But I was determined to become a good hitter, so I started practicing them in my backyard every evening.
You might ask how I could practice hitting a ball … without actually hitting a ball. Well, I did it by using something I now call "active visualization" – the conscious attempt to influence the outcome of events by vividly picturing those outcomes in advance. This is a very powerful concept that can produce truly amazing results for the person who is willing to concentrate with intensity.
I got down in my batting crouch hundreds of times during each of my practice sessions and, with intense concentration, visualized the pitcher going through his windup and letting go of the ball. As I pictured the windup, I focused on stepping directly toward the pitcher with my left foot, which was a bold psychological statement that I intended to meet the pitch head on.
In step two of my practice, I swung the bat as hard as I could – initially in slow motion, then working up to full speed. For the first time, I was attacking the pitcher.
In step three, I practiced keeping my eyes glued to the end of the bat and visualized it making contact with the ball.
Finally, at the last instant, I sharply broke my wrists.
Each evening, after practicing these four steps in slow motion, I would begin to gradually increase my speed until I was swinging at full throttle. And I would mentally count the steps in order to give myself a rhythm.
I still remember the first game in which my 1-2-3-4 visualization practice produced positive results. The other team had a very fast left-handed pitcher who was pretty wild – just the kind of pitcher that would have scared me to death prior to my visualization practice.
I don’t know exactly how to express what I felt the first time I came to bat, but I distinctly remember there being no doubt in my mind that I was going to hit the ball hard to the outfield. I had visualized and practiced it so many times that I almost felt as though I had an unfair advantage.
In fact, I played a mental game with myself and pretended I was practicing in my backyard. When the pitcher went into his familiar windmill windup, I knew the instant I stepped directly toward him that I was going to make solid contact with the ball. And I did – a cannon shot that almost took his ear off.
I went three for three that day, all line drives to the outfield. After four straight games of great hitting, the manager installed me as the cleanup hitter, and I remained there for the rest of the season.
Instead of weakly dribbling the ball to the right side of the infield, I now pulled everything to the left, because I was always way out in front of the pitch. So much so that I hit a lot of line drives down the left-field line that went foul, and teams actually started shifting both their infields and outfields toward the left side of the diamond when I came to bat.
Little did I realize at the time that my successful experiment with the power of visualization would be one of the most important tools I would frequently employ years later in the business world. Before business meetings, I would play out in my mind every possible objection, question, and scenario I could imagine. And I would think through and practice how I would handle just about any obstacle that was placed in my path.
Preparation through visualization takes an excruciating amount of mental effort. But once you begin reaping the benefits of your efforts, I think you’ll find that the results are worth it. What it gets down to is paying the price out front … and enjoying the benefits down the road.
[Ed. Note: Join the millions of entrepreneurs, business owners, salespeople, and individuals in all walks of life who have taken gigantic steps toward achieving their personal and professional goals. Get your copy of three of Robert Ringer's best-selling personal-development books on CD.
And sign up today for a complimentary subscription to Robert's e-letter, Voice of Sanity in an Insane World.]
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The Difference Between Business-to-Business and Consumer Marketing, Part 2
By Bob Bly
Yes, there are some significant differences between selling to business/professional buyers vs. the general public. I gave you three of them yesterday. Here are three more to consider when developing your sales strategy:
1. A multi-step buying process
The purchase of most business products is a multi-step process. A vice president of manufacturing doesn’t clip a coupon and order a $35,000 machine by mail. First, he asks for a brochure. Then a sales meeting. Then a demonstration. Then a 30-day trial. Then a proposal or contract.
Thus, it is not a single piece of advertising that makes the sale. Rather, it takes a series of letters, brochures, presentations, and mailers – combined with the efforts of salespeople – to turn a cold lead into a paying customer.
2. Multiple buying influences
You don’t usually consult with a team of experts when you want to buy a fast-food hamburger, a soda, a bottle of shampoo, or a pair of shoes, do you? In most consumer selling situations, the purchase decision is made by an individual. But a business purchase is usually a team effort, with many players involved.
For this reason, a business purchase is rarely an "impulse" buy. Many people influence the decision – from the purchasing agent and company president to technical professionals and end-users. Each of these audiences has different concerns and criteria by which they judge what you’re selling. To be successful, your advertising must address the needs of all parties involved in the decision. In many cases, this requires separate mailings to many different people within an organization.
3. The complexity of business products
Most business products – and their applications – are more complex than consumer products. As a result, business-to-business advertising copy cannot be superficial. Clarity is essential. Half the battle is explaining, quickly and simply, what your product is, what it does, and why the reader should be interested in it. In many cases, your customer may not even know it exists.
[Ed. Note: Bob Bly is a popular Early to Rise columnist, self-made multi-millionaire, and the author of more than 60 books. He is also the editor of ETR's Direct Marketing Masters Edition - a program to help you start your own successful direct-mail business.]
The "Anti-Aging" Vitamin for Your Brain
By Jon Herring
Folate is a B vitamin that plays a crucial role in the development of the human embryo. That’s why pregnant women are generally advised to take it, and why the government has mandated that folic acid be added to many foods (particularly grain products). Despite this, folic-acid deficiencies are still common.
And it is not just the developing embryo that needs this vital nutrient. Folate also has the ability to neutralize homocysteine, which, in high concentrations, can not only increase the risk of heart disease but also induce premature brain aging. It is this latter effect that was the subject of a recent study.
Utilizing very sensitive tests on memory and speed of thinking (which are known to decline with age), scientists in the Netherlands demonstrated that folic-acid supplements taken over a long period can dramatically slow the effects of aging on the brain. More than 800 participants between the ages of 50 and 70 were given a daily dose of 800 micrograms of folic acid for three years. At the end of that time, their cognitive performance was comparable to that of people five years younger.
If you’re looking to add more of this brain-boosting B vitamin to your diet, the best sources are leafy green vegetables, beef liver (grass-fed, organic), beans, and mushrooms. You can also find it in supplement form online or in most health food stores.
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It’s happening everywhere. Ordinary people – including people who never finished school – starting their own businesses…and making in the neighborhood of $40,000…$60,000…even $100,000 or more a year.
Even though all these people are “ordinary” in some ways, one thing is certainly “out of the ordinary” about them:
Many used the same secret to start a business on less than $100. You can do it, too. Here’s how…
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Disparate
"Disparate" (DIS-pur-it) – from the Latin for "to separate" – means fundamentally different in quality or kind.
Example (as I used it today): "A few weeks ago, I tackled the question of whether you can achieve two seemingly disparate goals – wealth and happiness – simultaneously . And lately, I’ve been thinking about how understanding the difference between intention and desire is a necessary part of the equation."
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Michael Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2007
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