4 Ways You Can Avoid – or Recover From – Burnout

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 24, 2012

How Busy People Feel

The other day I was doing a coaching call with one of my executive clients, and she said no matter how much she planned to get done during the day, she always felt stressed out at 5pm when it was time to go home to her family. She never felt like she accomplished everything she wanted, and frankly, she was feeling burnout from this routine. We spent the next hour overcoming this obstacle. If you ever feel the same way, I have great news. Today, my friend and mentor Yanik Silver gives you four ways to remove burnout from your life.

Craig Ballantyne

“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” – Henry David Thorea

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A New American Dream

You know the Pareto Principle, right? It’s the belief that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. Are you getting 80% of your results from reading email? If not, then why do you spend so much time in your inbox? Young entrepreneur Jared Goralnick built a service called AwayFind to help you.

ETR Publisher Matt Smith is a huge fan of this program and has been using it for years because it monitors your inbox so that you can get away from it. If an urgent message arrives, it’ll find you. You can close your inbox for a few hours, and you’ll get a text message or iPhone/Android alert if a message you’re waiting on arrives.

All you need to do is set up the system to let it know what emails are important (for example, Matt has a list of five people that have their emails directed to his phone – all other emails can wait until he wants to check his inbox). If self-discipline can’t keep you away from your inbox, consider using AwayFind. As Jared says, “Stop being productive, and start being remarkable.” Try AwayFind for free for 30 days here.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here

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4 Ways You Can Avoid – or Recover From – Burnout
By Yanik Silver

Nearly every successful person I know has grappled with burnout. I’ve personally gone through it and come out the other side several times. I did it by using these four techniques:

1. Truly disconnect.

In today’s business world, we are constantly tethered to our BlackBerries and “always-on” connections. As a result, when we truly disconnect from time to time, the effect is almost magical.

By “disconnecting,” I mean being totally out of touch with work.

On a recent trip to Baja, for example, I did something that might seem a bit over the top: I “black holed” all my e-mails during that week. Everyone who e-mailed me got an automatic response letting them know who to contact for help or support while I was gone, and asking them to e-mail me again after my return if they still needed me. Then their e-mail was deleted.

Most businesspeople are scared to death to do this, worrying that they might miss something incredibly urgent. Then they come back from vacation and are even more stressed out than they were before they left, because they’ve got 2,313 e-mails sitting in their inbox.

If you just sorta disconnect instead of completely disconnect, there’s always a tiny voice in the back of your head replaying, over and over again: “Wow! I wonder how much e-mail I’ll have to catch up on? I wonder what’s going on back at the office?” You’ve got to totally cut this off to free up more “Psychic RAM” in your head.

2. Refocus on your successes.

Many times, the feeling of burnout occurs because things are NOT going “right.” Keeping in mind that “right” is a relative term (and I believe everything ends up the way it should be, no matter what), the way to overcome this form of burnout is to change your focus.

Focusing your energy on what’s wrong only creates an endless spiral of more and more negativity. Instead, take out a piece of paper and start making a list of every “victory” you’ve had during this year, this quarter, this month, or this day. When you do that, selective perception kicks in… and you’ll see that there is significantly more good than bad going on.

3. Set a major goal that you cannot achieve on your own.

I admit, I’ve only just started doing this. But I can already see how it leads to a powerful change of direction, intention, and motivation. And that can get anyone out of a funk.

I’m talking about setting what Jim Collins and Jerry Porras call a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” or BHAG – a concept they introduced in their book Built to Last. This is the kind of goal that rallies the troops and gets them to transcend what they themselves thought was possible. One famous example is Microsoft’s original goal of “A computer on every desk and in every home.”

Our company’s 2020 BEHAG is three-fold:

Motivate, inspire, and educate 1,000,000 young entrepreneurs to start their own ventures.”Maverick-ize” 1,000,000 successful entrepreneurs to buy into the philosophy of making more, having more fun, and giving more.
Have 1,000,000 cumulative items checked off entrepreneurs’ BIG life lists.

And the ultimate goal is to change the way business is played. To me that means bringing more fun into business and never doing things the same way they’ve been done.

4. Get back to the fun.

Think back to when you were a kid – to the things that got you really jazzed and excited. What did you like to do? For me, it was playing sports, drawing, and making people laugh. That’s why I still play ice hockey and beach volleyball. Why I’ve taken art classes and stand-up comedy classes. I make sure I incorporate activities into my life that give me enjoyment by making them a priority.

How many times have you heard yourself saying, “I’d love to ___ BUT I can’t because I’m too busy.” That’s total B.S. What you’re really saying is that you have not made that activity enough of a priority in your life. Or that you feel guilty about having fun.

For most entrepreneurs, work is our default setting unless we have something else scheduled. Don’t settle for enjoying life only when you can squeeze it in between business. Put fun activities, rewarding experiences, and exceptional adventures on your calendar and protect them like you would any other appointment.

As Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz say in their book The Power of Full Engagement, “The richer and deeper the source of emotional recovery, the more we refill our reserves and the more resilient we become.“

Give all four of the above ideas a try when you’re feeling burned out or when you’re trying to break free. They’ve worked for me – and they’ll work for you too.

[Ed. Note. Yanik Silver has successfully bootstrapped 8 different product and services ideas from scratch to 7-figures+ without funding, taking on debt or even having a real business plan. He is the founder of the Underground Online Seminar® and the new Maverick Startup book. Part of Yanik's 2015 "Maverick Mission" includes RE-inspiring 1,000,000 entrepreneurs to combine and create more profits, more happiness and more impact through their businesses. You can catch with him on www.MaverickMBA.com.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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The Power of Goodwill

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 23, 2012

Goodwill Hunting

We had journeyed halfway across the world because of the power of this one word. Our path took us from Denver to Vancouver (via Seattle), then on to Hong Kong, followed by a detour to Thailand, before finally arriving at our destination in Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia. Matt Smith and I traveled over 10,000 miles to share our thoughts on this topic and to learn from a company, MindValley.com, that has mastered this principle. Today, you’ll discover the importance of this one word.

Craig Ballantyne

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” – Christopher Reeve
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A New American Dream

All young Caine Monroy wanted was to have his own arcade and a few happy customers. But Caine’s arcade was built completely out of cardboard boxes and was housed in his father’s autoparts shop.

Fortunately, that didn’t stop filmmaker Nirvan Mullick from making a short video made about Caine’s dream. It has since gone viral and a Facebook page dedicated to the video has over 77,000 fans.

It’s heart warming to see how others have rallied around Caine’s American Dream to make it a reality. Of course, it all started with a big idea, creativity, and hard work by this young boy. Take a few minutes and start your day with this wonderful video and share it with everyone else that you think will enjoy it.

Watch Caine’s Arcade here. By the way, there’s a big lesson here. When you do good, people will go out of the way to support you. Never forget that.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here

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The Power of Goodwill
By Craig Ballantyne

Imagine going into an Apple store, investing $900 in an iPhone (purchased without a contract), and still coming away feeling like you owe the company something.

Sounds bizarre, doesn’t it?

Well, it’s not. At least not according to ETR Publisher, Matt Smith. “I bought my iPhone out of my service contract, so it cost me almost $900. Even though I overpaid for the product I feel like I still owe them. I feel like they did something for me. As I hold it in my hand I can appreciate it because it is unique. I can see that the designers of this phone really poured their heart and soul into this product.”

“There is an enormous amount of attention to detail and energy, effort, and even love that went into this product. I can see it and feel it every time I use it. Even when that transaction was finished there was something leftover and that something is still there, and that’s goodwill.”

If you’re an accountant, you’ll recognize Goodwill as a business term. If you’re not an accountant, here’s the definition according to Wikipedia: “Goodwill is an accounting concept meaning the value of an entity over and above the value of its assets. The term was originally used in accounting to express the intangible but quantifiable ‘prudent value’ of an ongoing business beyond its assets, resulting perhaps because the reputation the firm enjoyed with its clients.”

Goodwill actually sits on a company’s balance sheet and reflects a company’s brand. As the brand grows, goodwill actually accrues in value.

Matt used to think that the idea of goodwill was kind of silly, that it didn’t make sense that so much value could be associated with an intangible such as the concept of goodwill.

Something in the last couple of years has inspired Matt to change his mind. “I think that if you’re transitioning from a transactional business to building a real business you start to see how goodwill is really what it’s all about. Goodwill is the transmission of the heart, soul and love that’s put into the products that you create.”

How can you create goodwill in your business (or even in your career, if you are employed by someone else)?

First, you can put extra effort into creating and selling beautiful merchandise, like Apple, BMW, or Montblanc pens.

Second, you can overdeliver.

Third, you provide extraordinary customer service.

Zappos is a company that has mastered both, through their shipping policies and their contrarian approach to extreme customer service.

But what if you run an Internet-based business that delivers digital products?

Well, that was Matt’s job to explain the concept of ‘digital’ goodwill to the team at MindValley, the organization we were visiting in Kuala Lumpur. MindValley creates beautiful websites that sell meditation and personal development products.

Matt was straightforward about the difficulty in building goodwill when all you’re selling is, “digital ones and zeros that no one can see and hold in their hand”. Building goodwill when selling information products can be hard.

In fact, as Matt explained, “Most of the time when someone buys a digital product when they leave they feel just a tiny bit screwed after the purchase. It’s probably on a subconscious level. It’s not that the product wasn’t good and it’s not that they’re going to ask for a refund. They’re not even disappointed. But at the end of the transaction I believe that there is this sense that you kind of owe the customer instead of the customer owing you.”

That’s a problem. With a digital product it’s almost impossible for the consumer to feel and touch and really experience the deep love, effort, energy, and heart and soul that went into the product creation. That’s why information marketers need to work extra hard to build goodwill. Fortunately, there is a simple solution.

“Creating great products is a start. Standing behind your promises and your guarantees is a key. All those basics are there. But, I think you have to go above that,” Matt said to the young group of MindValley employees spread out on their bean bag chairs is the aptly named, “Hall of Awesomeness” where we were gathered. “I think you have to raise the bar well above that and content is a way to do it – free content, great content that’s intriguing and valuable, that makes a difference in the lives of your readers.”


Hall of Awesomeness Matt speaking in the MindValley “Hall of Awesomeness”




“The way we do it at Early to Rise, and frankly the way the largest online publishers in the world do it,” Matt explained, “is through daily editorial content that is excellent and is given away for free. The idea is that both our customers and non-customers have the opportunity to see what we’re about and to receive value from us every day without us ever demanding anything in return for that. That can create goodwill in an Internet business.”

It is our goal at ETR to make significant deposits of goodwill every day through our editorial and our customer service. In the future, we plan to incorporate improved product and website design, video content, and a supportive community into our ecosystem to foster even more goodwill among our readers and customers.

Content is one of the best ways, but not the only way to create goodwill with an Internet business. As Matt pointed out in his presentation, MindValley does an excellent job of creating goodwill through their customer service, fostering their customer community, and most importantly, their website design aesthetics that leave readers with a sense of bliss just from visiting the site.

Matt concluded his presentation to the MindValley team by saying, “The key if you want to build a long term business is that you must start making deposits of goodwill. And the easiest way to accomplish that is to help your customers see that this isn’t just about a transaction for you, that your heart and soul is going into these things that you’re creating, that literally your life force is being spent in order to add value to their lives. If they can see that then it will affect goodwill in a very significant way.”

If you are in this for the long haul, and you want to do it right, we encourage you to think about the concept of goodwill in everything you do.

As Matt finished his presentation to the MindValley team, “Work your butt off to let your customers know you love them. That’s how you truly create goodwill.”

[Ed. Note. Craig Ballantyne is the editor of EarlytoRise.com, and Matt Smith is the Publisher. Together, they are dedicated to helping you achieve a Life Well Lived, as well as to helping you achieve your version of the American Dream through their publication, Financial Independence Monthly (FIM). Craig recently interviewed Matt about Goodwill, Position of Strength, and three other forgotten business factors as a bonus for all FIM members. You can become a member and access the interview on your own terms here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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About You

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 20, 2012

Everyone Has Rough Days

I had one last Friday. But then I re-read this article and realized I had to share it with you. Enjoy, and make sure you keep a copy on hand in case you ever need a pick me up.

Craig Ballantyne

“Reward yourself. Having big goals is awesome. But you must set smaller “milestone” goals too, goals that you can reach and reward yourself for by doing something cool. And then when we hit that big goal – get yourself that prize. Savor the moment and THEN set the next big goal to achieve.” – Bedros Keuilian

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A New American Dream

Frank Kern is well known as that, “surfer dude who teaches people how to make money on the Internet”. After all, his boardroom consists of a room stocked with surfboards. But Frank also knows how to get serious amounts of work done and how to attract large amounts of money into his business.

He has run some of the most successful online product launches and has been behind promotions for personal development legend Tony Robbins and NY Times best-selling author, Neil Strauss. Frank is hands-down one of the best communicators in the ‘make money online’ space. His videos are legendary, including his latest “State of the Internet Address“. But he also writes some darn good articles, as you’ll see today.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here

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About You

By Frank Kern

Last year I sent this email to my readers:

“I’m sending you this because I just spent some time with my Grandfather today. He will turn 89 in a few weeks and when I was younger, he would tell me:

Let me tell you something about YOU.

YOU can do anything you want. YOU are in control.

YOU can achieve as much success as you want to.

YOU can and will pick yourself up when life knocks you down.

I BELIEVE IN YOU.

And let me tell you …I’ve been knocked on my butt more times than I can count. And it was those words that gave me the encouragement to get back up and keep trying.

We all need someone in our corner. He was in mine.

I’ll be in yours to the best of my ability.

We’re inundated with so much negative crap these days, we ALL need someone to encourage us.

Look, if you’re struggling, I’ve been there, and I can tell you first hand that it’ll get better if you keep on trying.

I believe in you. Go for it.”

But when I first wrote that last year, I was a mess.

I was unhappy with my business (even though it was making plenty of money).

I was miserable in my family life, and I was literally on the brink of dying young.

Seriously.

A few months after typing that very message, I went to the doctor for some random tests and so-forth. (I’d been feeling a bit run down for a long time.)

Anyway – after some testing, the doctor hit me with a dire warning:

KEEP IT UP AND YOU’RE A DEAD MAN.

Apparently, you can’t party like a rock star from age 15 until age 38 and get away with it.

But that’s exactly what I’d been doing, which is why I was literally on the brink of catastrophic liver failure. Plus, my blood pressure was off the charts.

The doctor gave me the Big Lecture and I actually listened.

Within 6 months, I’d totally cleaned up my act and lost 20 pounds of fat.

Fast forward to today and I have an entirely different and significantly happier life.

My health is good, my business is good, and I enjoy my family life so much that I closed down my office and only work from home.

I even have a new son who just turned 8-weeks old!

(He’ll be writing headlines by summer.)

Here’s the point:

If you’re looking back on the past year and you’re NOT happy with where you are now, it will NEVER get better. Not if you keep doing the same stuff that’s gotten you the results you’re not happy with.

If this is you then let me do you the same favor my Doctor did for me.

Let me tell you straight:

You gotta change what you’re doing.

It’s not working.

If it was, you’d be thrilled with your progress since my message to you a year ago.

But if you’re not, then it’s time to change.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Get absolutely focused on what you really want.

Do this by turning off the computer and just writing down the answer to this question:

“What do I REALLY want?”

Forget what the emails tell you SHOULD want.

Forget what anyone else WANTS you to want.

This is about YOU.

What do you really want?

Want to run off and play guitar in coffee shops across South America?

Good. You only live once. Be happy. Play “Freebird” at least once. For me. Thank you.

Whatever you do, get clear. Otherwise you’re ripe for falling into someone else’s agenda.

2. Dump The Crap Out Of Your Brain.

You do this by writing down a huge list of everything you think you must do to in order to do what you REALLY want.

Just doing that will kind of “clear it from your brain” and free up space in your “mental computer’s” RAM.

3. Decide what’s doable.

You know that big list you just made that’s probably scaring you?

Go through it and put star by all the stuff you can actually do.

4. Decide what you can do NOW.

Now. You know all the stuff with stars by it?

The stuff you can actually DO?

Go through all of it and find the stuff you can do in the next 30 days.

Put two stars by those items.

5. Forget the other stuff.

All the other stuff can be dealt with later.

Now – let me address critics in the audience who want to debate whether or not that’s a good strategy.

“Isn’t that procrastination?”

“Isn’t that other stuff important?”

The answer to both questions is …probably!

But here’s the deal.

You can’t do anything about it right now, and if you worry about it then you’re just taking away focus and energy from the stuff you CAN do.

And that’s not going to get you anywhere.

Also – actually DO the “immediately doable” things for the next 30 days, my experience tells me that your momentum will be so great you’ll actually be able to easily do a lot of the things from your list you originally thought were impossible for you.

You’ll also have new clarity and will probably find that much of the other stuff on the list isn’t even needed.

6. Get to work.

Listen.

If you get all caught up on the little details, you’ll be in the same place a year from now.

Don’t let that happen.

7. Accept Reality

You want to know something?

This is NOT going to be easy.

Remember how I told you I lost 20 pounds of fat?

Man, that first week in the gym was a nightmare.

And to make matters worse, my trainer (who is a terrible person) would make me display my physical weakness in front of girls!

So not only was it hard, it was embarrassing!

I was failing in public.

But that’s what it took so I did it.

And in the end, it wasn’t so bad.

So if I can muster up the gumption to struggle through my first few pushups in front of a room full of pretty girls, you can break through your comfort zone too.

You can do it. I believe in you.

[Ed. Note: Frank Kern has made his name as one of the most successful online entrepreneurs in the world of Internet Marketing. He's filmed a short, free video for you on the "State of the Internet" here.]

http://soti.kajabi.com/fe/23325-get-frank-kerns-new-state-of-the-internet-address?bt=2R7srTIG

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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I Dare You

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 19, 2012

Live the Life You Dare to Live

At some point it will be up to you – and only you – to make the decisions on how to live. Whether it is who to vote for, what diet to follow, career to choose, what expert to listen to, or what to believe about the economy. There will never be an area of life where every ‘expert’ is in consensus, not in health, not in real estate, and not in fixing the economy. And that’s good news. Because it gives you the opportunity to choose what is right for you. Today, we dare you to choose. We dare you to live the life that you dare to live.

Craig Ballantyne

Taking the path less traveled, against my inner resistance and excuses, has made all the difference.
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A New American Dream

Susan Fujii used to call herself, “a financial dunce”. Like many people, she graduated college and promptly got into credit card debt, bad stock investments, and lame mutual funds. But through education and action she has turned her portfolio around and today is an SEC Accredited Investor and author of one of the most practical financial implementation websites on the web, www.KungFuFinance.com.

You’ll discover the truth about investing and receive a proper financial education through Susan’s easy-to-understand articles and lessons. More importantly, she wades through the oceans of conflicting financial ‘facts’ to bring you what really matters. If you’ve ever thought, “if only there were a site that taught people the truth about money and investing, instead of the same old crap peddled by the large financial institutions, a place where an expert would help me with my financial problems”, then you need to hear more from Susan. Go to her website and download her free report: How to Protect Yourself from the #1 Threat to Your Financial Future.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here

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I Dare You
By Susan Fujii

When you were a child did you ever accept a dare from a friend? Or play the famous game “Truth or Dare”? I still remember sweating it out when it came to be my turn, wondering which would be worse:

Squirming uncomfortably in my chair while someone asked me a truly embarrassing question that I did not want to answer (and I’m a terrible liar so that was never an option for me – everything I feel and think is written all over my face), or being forced to summon the courage to do something physical that was probably even more embarrassing!

I can still remember my heart beating wildly and my extreme nervousness just before I had to choose. It was terrifying!

But I also remember the absolute thrill of having successfully completed a dare, the adrenaline rush, the appreciation of my friends, and the burst of confidence (and sheer relief!) that came with succeeding.

Daring is not just for silly childhood and teenage games. On the contrary, the most successful leaders and investors in the world are the most daring people of all.

Who immediately comes to mind when you think of the world’s most successful leaders and investors?

Maybe Warren Buffett, George Soros, Jim Rogers, John Paulson, all billionaire investing legends?

Or Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Jesus, Martin Luther King, Jr., all inarguably strong leaders able to touch millions of people’s hearts and lives?

And what do these successful investors and leaders have in common?

That’s right, every single one of them lived a daring life. They dared to challenge the status quo and fight for what they believed in.

Warren Buffett didn’t look around at his peers and say to himself, “Well, they’re all buying dot com technology stocks, I guess I will, too”. Instead, he is well known for sticking to the courage of his convictions and going against the grain when “everyone” else was participating in the crazy dot-com mania.

Likewise, Gandhi didn’t look around at his countrymen and say, “Well, I’m sure someone else will take care of those pesky British; I think I’ll have another loaf of bread.” No, he too stuck to the courage of his convictions and continuously stood up for what he believed in, freeing the entire country of India in the process.

What does it mean to dare?

The dictionary tells us that ‘dare’ is defined as a verb meaning, “to have the courage to do something”, and as a noun meaning, “a challenge, esp. to prove courage”.

And that is exactly it, to dare is to summon your courage so that it is stronger than your fear and to take action in spite of not knowing the outcome.

When you think about it, this is exactly what successful leaders and investors do.

Leaders summon their courage, take calculated chances, and continually live outside of their comfort zone. Leaders by their very definition are not followers.

Successful investors – and leaders – are daring. They consistently summon the courage of their convictions to go against the herd. They have the guts to buy when everyone else is selling and to sell when everyone else is piling in.

When was the last time someone dared you to do something? I would hazard a guess that it’s been awhile, maybe even as far back as grade school, or possibly college, depending on your peer group.

If someone dared you to make a million dollars, would you try it? Would you even attempt to do it? What if someone dared you to make just an extra $1000 in one month, would you do it? Would you at least try to do it? What if someone dared you to learn and make just one new investment or trade before the end of the next quarter in an entirely new asset class, would you do it?

I hope so!

It seems that as we “grow up”, somewhere along the way our lives become filled with responsibilities and with all of the things we feel we “must” do, instead of with the things we feel “inspired” to do or “dare” to do or “dream” to do.

We settle in, watch the nightly news, faithfully contribute to our 401k’s, talk about the stock market with our co-workers and neighbors, and tend to the responsibilities of everyday life. Rarely do we dare to do anything different or to challenge the status quo.

Daring becomes a forgotten game of childhood, something relegated only to our memories.

But this is a mistake!

In order to be a successful investor, you must dare. Dare to live your life differently from your co-workers, dare to go against the grain of herd mentality, dare to take a chance and to try new ways of doing things, dare to take a stand on issues that are important to you, and most importantly, dare to be different and to challenge the status quo.

In investing, daring to be different is known as being a contrarian.

Contrarian investors are those lucky few who realized in 1999 that “irrational exuberance” meant that you should sell all of your technology stocks at the top of the market (or who like Warren Buffett never entered that frothy market at all).

Contrarian investors had the courage and the guts to stay out of the amped up housing market in 2004 – 2006 when “everyone” seemed to be successfully flipping houses and making a killing in real estate.

Contrarian investors dared to buy gold and silver back in 2002 – 2003, when most people thought they were crazy.

Contrarian investors today wisely question the herd mentality of systematically contributing to their 401k’s and “hoping” that it will be enough for the future. They seek out alternative investments and viewpoints, challenge the status quo, and always think for themselves.

But what about you? Do you want to live an inspiring, daring life? Do you remember the exciting feeling of playing that game of “I Dare You”?

If so, then I have a challenge for you…

I Dare You to become a contrarian, to buy when no one’s interested, and to sell when everyone wants in. Go on contributing to your 401k if you must, but seek out new investment ideas and always think for yourself.

I Dare You to become a business owner or entrepreneur rather than or in addition to an employee, to reap the bountiful rewards of owning your own business, including time freedom, no income ceiling, control over your circumstances, control over your taxes, control over your life, and so much more.

I Dare You to become a leader, not a follower. I dare you to stand for something, make your life be about something, to mean something to the world and stand up for what you believe in. Search for your purpose, live from your soul, love from your heart, and inspire others to do the same. The world needs good leaders; the world needs you now more than ever.

Most importantly, I Dare You to discover your unique brilliance and share it with the world.

“I Dare You, who think life is humdrum, to become involved. I dare you who are weak to be strong; you who are dull to be sparkling; you who are slaves to be kings. I Dare You, whoever you are, to share with others the fruits of your daring. Catch a passion for helping others and a richer life will come back to you!” – William H. Danforth, I Dare You!

[Ed. Note. Susan Fujii won the I Dare You leadership award back in high school and though the monetary award was tiny, the impact on her life has been huge. To this day she recommends William H. Danforth's book, "I Dare You!". You can learn more about Susan and receive her personal finance wisdom for free at www.KungFuFinance.com]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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The Importance of Coaching

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 18, 2012

My Big Breakthrough

I hired my first business coach in the spring of 2006. Our initial call was the first time I had ever shared my goal of having a business like Early To Rise. Five years, three months, and seventeen days later, I became Editor of ETR. Hiring a coach was an important first step in the achievement of my dream. You can’t go it alone and expect to live your dreams. Please read today’s “anti-do-it-yourself” parable to discover why being smart and solo can be a problem in your life.

Craig Ballantyne

“All coaching is, is taking a player where he can’t take himself.” – Bill McCartney
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A New American Dream

Dr. John Berardi is one of the many people who turned his passions into profit while helping tens of thousands of people via the Internet. His company, Precision Nutrition, is often referred to as a “nutrition education company” – but in John’s mind, that’s not really what an accurate description.

Instead, John and the team at Precision Nutrition are in the business of changing lives, and it’s something that everyone on the team is passionate about. His team features top experts from the fields of health, nutrition, physiology, and human performance, and together they have worked with over 60,000 people since getting started only 12 years ago. Some of their clients have even gone on to win Olympic Gold medals.

Today, the Precision Nutrition team is dedicated to helping people transform their lives and they even have a Certification program in place to help others become better coaches so that they can change more lives, too. Discover more about all of the life-changing programs at www.PrecisionNutrition.com.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here

_________________________
The Importance of Coaching
By Dr. John Berardi

In the past, my default position, when butting up against a challenge or coming face to face with a problem, had been: “everyone out of my way, I’ll figure this out myself.”

Whether it was a relationship issue, a health issue, a business issue, or even a problem with my car, I figured I had enough intellectual firepower to tackle the issue. I’d buy some books, search Google, learn everything I needed to know, and then go about trying to fix my issue.

Yes, it feels empowering and righteous to be a do-it-yourself kind of person.

After all, I consider myself a pretty intelligent guy. I’ve earned a host of University degrees (including a PhD). I score in the top percentile on most intelligence tests. I run a successful and thriving company, one that does meaningful work. And I’m generally seen as the go-to guy for family and friends when it comes to solving problems.

However, this idea that I’m a “really smart guy” sometimes gets in my way. It’s also distracting, inefficient, and…well…not-so-smart.

I was reminded of this mission critical lesson the other day. I was running errands and returned home to find my home computer network broken down. Since my wife and I work from home offices, that’s a pretty big problem.

Being a “smart guy”, naturally, I’d set up my own home computer network. So, when I found it broken down, I began a “troubleshooting” process.

(I put troubleshooting in quotes for a reason. Having no formal training in network set-up or administration, I don’t really know what the heck I’m doing. So, what I call troubleshooting, others might call, stumbling around blindly in the dark).

I spent about an hour fiddling with settings and made some small improvements. But the network was still busted. And, based on previous experience, it’d likely take me hours (or more) to get this sorted out.

Fortunately, as I was just about to make a classic mistake and dig into this process, my wife and 2-year-old daughter knocked on my office door. It was quittin’ time for the day and they wanted to go to the park.

So, instead of ham-fistedly hacking my way though the network process, I called a local network technician I trust. (Someone who’s actually trained in the process). She came right over. I took my family to the park.

When we got back, she was gone and the network was fixed. And, not only was it fixed, it was working better than ever before, with more features and capabilities that would make our lives and our work easier.

I called her for a debriefing. Apparently, it took her only 30 minutes to fix the problem and enhance the network. (Remember, I’d already wasted 1 hour on the issue without resolving it).

I asked her to walk me through what she did. And, of course, her fix was something that would have never occurred to me. Even though I’ve set up networks and home offices in every house I’ve lived in for the last 15 years.

So, what’s the point?

Well, think of this story as an anti-do-it-yourself parable. I know, just saying that feels wrong to me. As an entrepreneur, I’m highly inclined toward do-it-yourself.

Yet, I’ve also learned that trying to do everything myself, even though I’m capable and “smart,” often distracts me from the most important things in my life.

Personally, these important things are my family, my own health and fitness, and my professional goals. They form my own “holy trinity” of meaning. And, in saying yes to anything else, I’m saying no to one of those things, if even for just a little while.

But that’s just at the best of times. (I’m lucky as my family, friends, and colleagues are willing to forgive me little diversions from the path).

At the worst of times, trying to do things myself can lead to massive inefficiencies, wasted effort, and tremendous frustration. I’ve seen this in other people too.

One of my closest friends – honestly, the most intelligent guy I’ve ever met – is a guy who’d struggled with “relationship issues” his entire dating life. Being a fellow entrepreneur and “smart guy” he figured he could think his way through these issues with that big brain of his. Never worked.

However, after getting some relationship coaching/counseling, he became a different guy. He ended up meeting the type of woman he’d always dreamed about being with. And he’s happily married to her today.

As a cool bonus, that coaching spilled out into other areas of his life, and other relationships too. Nowadays, he’s more calm, centered, and has a keen perspective that he never had in the past.

We’ve often discussed how important that coaching and direction really was for him. And, with 100% confidence, he tells me that the counseling didn’t just speed up his development. Rather, it took him to a place he’d never have gotten without guidance. His logical, “left-brained”, intelligence was killing this kind of progress.

In essence, being smart was the problem.

I see this all the time in the nutrition coaching business. My company runs the world’s largest nutrition coaching company. And, every day, really smart people come to us with their hands up in the air.

They’ve tried to get in shape, or improve their blood markers, on their own. And, although they’ve made some progress, it just feels too hard to sustain within the context of their lives. Plus, they often want more progress and simply can’t make it happen on their own.

This sounds familiar to me. It’s the networking problem all over again. Or the relationship problem. Smart people trying to figure things out on their own when help is just a phone call away.

In the end, here’s the point I’m trying to make.

Smart people – precisely because they’re smart – often think that they can single-handedly solve all their own problems by using their innate intelligence. As a result, they’re slow to ask for help and even slower to get coaching.

I totally get it. I was one of those guys for a long time. Thankfully, I’m not any more. I’ve learned that the smartest thing one can do is to drop the hero act and get some coaching.

It’s not just about speeding up the learning process. It’s about freeing up your time to say yes to the really important things in your life and no to everything else.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with my daughter at the park.

[Ed. Note: Dr. John Berardi is the director of the world's largest body nutrition coaching programs – Lean Eating for Men and Lean Eating for Women. He's also a faculty member at Eastern Michigan University and the University of Texas. And a consultant for a host of professional sports teams, as well as Nike. You can reach him at http://www.precisionnutrition.com]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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The Deadline for Your Life

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 17, 2012

Take Your Dreams Seriously

Five simple words from Dave Kekich should be all the inspiration we need to take action. In his 100 Kekich Credos, #83 states, “Nobody gets old by surprise”. It’s true. We all know that we have a limited amount of time in this life, so why do we delay taking action on what is important to us?

Think about what you accomplish if you really focus for the next 12 weeks. After all, that’s only 0.3% of your life. Surely you can commit to that, can’t you?

Craig Ballantyne

“Whatever your dreams are, start taking them very, very seriously.” – Barbara Sher
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A New American Dream

During my presentation at the Underground Online 8 seminar, I told attendees that everything we needed to know about time management and success could be learned from studying the winners of my fat loss transformation contests. First, each man and woman who has decided ‘enough is enough’ and wanted to change their body had to start with setting goals and visualizing their future.

Second, they needed to make changes in their lives and had to restructure their daily activities and habits to be more conducive to success and in line with their goals and vision. Third, these men and woman had to implement the most effective strategies to help them achieve their goals.

As you can see, these three steps are essential for not only fat loss, but also for building a business, getting out of debt, and even for improving relationships. If you want to transform your life in any aspect, start with these three steps. To watch the full online version of my Underground presentation, become a member of Financial Independence Monthly today on your own terms.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here

_____________________
The Deadline for Your Life
By Craig Ballantyne and Alwyn Cosgrove

In 2006 his cancer returned. Already having beaten it once, and despite being a young, fit, former world-champion Tae Kwon Do martial artist in his early thirties, Alwyn Cosgrove was being challenged with the fight for his life.

The survival rate for those who deal with Stage IV cancer is slim. Yet with the support of his wife Rachel, and his never-give-up attitude, Alwyn won the battle, and remains cancer free over five years later.

As a result of his life-threatening experiences, Alwyn now has less time than ever for worrying about petty details, negative people, or the minutiae that often stresses out the average person. Like Lance Armstrong, Alwyn is quick to remind me that he “only has good days and great days”. There are no bad days now compared to what he had gone through in the past.

Alwyn’s attitude on life and wisdom about the world are just two of the reasons that he remains one of the few fitness experts I subscribe to and look forward to hearing from each week.

It’s also because every few months Alwyn sends an email that reads like a cold bucket of water to the face. I want to share his latest with you today. It was sent on April 1st, but has just as much – and perhaps even a greater impact – today.

Here’s what Alwyn wrote:

“So here we are again. Today marks the 25% point of the year. Sorry – it’s not an April fools joke.

The entire first quarter of 2012 has already passed– we are now three months into 2012. 90 days are gone forever.

Are you on track with those New Years Resolutions? Are you on track with your goals?

If you wanted to lose 20lbs this year – are you down 5lbs already?
If your goal was to do 250 workouts – have you completed 62 ?

It’s amazing how time passes so quickly. If you need a “do–over” then I’m going to give you one. You can REDO your New Years Resolutions right now and get started all over again. That’s right – I’m letting you off the hook – but don’t waste a single second.

If your goal is (insert anything here) – start TODAY !

25% of this year is gone forever. Will you make changes TODAY or will another 25% pass, then another 25% –– and before you know it – it will be 2013.

I meet a lot of people in my job, and get a lot of questions via email. I’ll talk to guys who track every single macronutrient that passes their lips, and have tried just about every program out there. When I ask them how things are going, they’ll tell me that it’s great, or that the program is working well.

However, very few people actually measure and take stock of their efforts. If you are following a plan to lose fat – are you actually losing fat? And I mean at a rate that is acceptable for your efforts? Or are you blindly following a plan that doesn’t work, and essentially ignoring that?

I know where my progress towards my goals stand because I measure it.

When I was in the hospital for a stem cell transplant – the medical team took measurements of temperature, blood pressure and blood samples every 4 hours.

When we implement a marketing campaign at the gym, we track the results. We know for example how many direct mail pieces we send out, the cost of each mailing, how many inquiries we get, how many appointments are made, and how many people join the gym as a result. We know exactly how effective the plan is, and whether the return we are seeing is worth the investment.

We can see that for $X invested, we receive a return of $Y.

We need to know where our membership stands – how many inquiries, how many new members, renewals, etc., and when our busiest times are. Everything is measured and tracked so we can continue to grow and serve our members.

If you remember “SMART” goal setting –– one of the keys is ‘M’ – Measurable. Measure your results.

As we enter the second quarter of 2012, it’s time to take stock of your efforts. Has your current return been worth the investment?

Again, 25% of this year is gone forever. Will you make changes TODAY or will another three months pass, then another six –– and before you know it – it will be 2013.

Don’t waste a single second. Start TODAY.

Where will you be at the 50% point – July 1st? That’s 12 weeks away. Will you be 12 weeks leaner – down 12, or even 16lbs of fat?

Will your business demonstrate 12 weeks further growth – will you be 12 weeks closer to your goals?

The time will pass anyway.”

Thanks Alwyn, I love these reminders you send.

To me, the last line is the knockout punch. The time will pass anyway. The time is passing right now. Soon another day will be gone. Will you be any closer to your goals? If not, what can you do right now to change that?

If it’s better health that you want, be proud of the healthy changes you are making in your life. There are many more folks secretly wishing someone will take charge and be a healthy role model for them. 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.

If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels and not making any progress, one solution is to put more urgency into your life. Here’s what you need to do.

First, identify what it is that you truly want to accomplish. Second, outline what you need to do to get there. And third, give yourself a deadline. (Bonus fourth step: Cut that deadline by 20%. Don’t worry, you’ll reach it.)

These steps are simple, but effective, because they combine the power of a vision with the urgency of a deadline to help you finally accomplish the dreams that have been on your list for what seems like forever.

[Ed. Note: Alwyn Cosgrove is the owner of Results Fitness, Santa Clarita, California's Number One Fitness and Sports Training Facility. He is a regular contributor to Men's Health magazine and the co-author of several workout books, including his latest, "The New Rules of Lifting for Life" with Lou Schuler.]

[Ed. Note. Craig Ballantyne is the author of the invaluable dream–achievement book, "How to Set Goals". It is now available for only 99 cents on Amazon. This book will show you how to overcome the limiting beliefs that others – and perhaps even yourself – have about your success. Pass the links along, your friends will thank you for it. ]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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Turning Defeat into Victory

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 13, 2012

A Strange Suggestion

In the last couple of years I’ve come to a strange conclusion. I believe that everyone would be better off if they stood in front of a crowd and admitted their biggest mistakes and embarrassments. Then with that out of the way, they could get on with being completely comfortable with themselves and confident around others.

After all, things couldn’t get any worse (read: more embarrassing) than that, and they’d quickly realize that the “worst” never turns out as bad as they fear. It’s one way to turn defeat into victory. Today, Robert Ringer shows you another.

Craig Ballantyne

“Against criticism a man can neither protest nor defend himself; he must act in spite of it, and then it will gradually yield to him.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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A New American Dream

In his landmark book, “The Magic of Thinking Big”, Dr. David Schwartz gives us five methods for turning defeat into victory. Number One – Study setbacks to pave your way to success. You’ll find that when you make a mistake, the best thing to do is learn from them so you win the next time around. Number Two – Have the courage to be your own constructive critic. Don’t just finish a project and move on to the next. Identify what worked and what didn’t, and see what you can improve.

Legend has it that the band, U2, used to critique each performance in order to improve. Now that’s professional. Number Three – Stop blaming luck. It’s not your bad luck that is to blame. Instead, find out what really went wrong and fix it. Number Four – Blend persistence with experimentation. Find out what is working, fix what is not. Keep going after the goals you really want to achieve. Number Five – Find the good in everything. Mistakes lead to lessons, and lessons learned are a good thing. Stay positive and get better every time you take action.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here

___________________________
Turning Defeat into Victory
By Robert Ringer

As you can imagine, I receive a lot of e-mails from people who share their woes with me – particularly during these bad economic times. And while I can’t answer all of them, I do try to read each and every one.

I not only do it because I feel a moral obligation, but for selfish reasons as well. You would be amazed at the continuing education I receive from my readers’ e-mails.

The following e-mail, from “G.H.” in the West Indies, is a good example of what I’m referring to.

I am an avid fan. I am committed to change since I believe that, in spite of my talents, it is the shoot-from-the-hip, BS from the mouth that has me where I am today – over forty, no savings, and re-starting my business every Monday morning.

I have had far too many peaks and troughs since I started my business back in 1994. Sometimes the troughs were very deep and excruciatingly painful, only because I never stuck with anything long enough.

I was always leaving for a trip here, another opportunity there, getting sidetracked, and sometimes opting to party and enjoy life instead of attending to what needed to be done.

Thank you for your thorough explanation of this thing called persistence. I am encouraged.

What struck me about G.H.’s e-mail was his willingness to bare his soul and be totally honest – not so much with me, but with himself. By doing so, I believe he has already taken the first step toward rising above his past mistakes and achieving the kind of success he clearly aspires to.

Admitting your mistakes may sound like a small thing, but it’s not. On the contrary, you cannot navigate toward success until you have gone through the catharsis of being honest with yourself about the real reasons for your failure. Not excuses for your failure, but reasons.

I thought about G.H.’s e-mail the other day when I was strolling on the Mall in D.C., reflecting and contemplating. What caused his e-mail to come to mind was something I happened to read on the south wall of the World War II Memorial:

The Battle of Midway – June 4-7, 1942

They had no right to win. Yet they did, and in doing so they changed the course of a war… even against the greatest of odds, there is something in the human spirit – a magic blend of skill, faith, and valor – that lifts man from certain defeat to incredible victory.

– Walter Lord, Author

The moment I read these words, it became one of my favorite quotes. Walter Lord was a gifted author who wrote extensively about World War II and other historic events, such as the sinking of the Titanic. He had a long and productive career, passing away only recently (2002) at the age of eight-five.

What immediately struck me about this quote was Lord’s gift for sculpting words. As I have repeatedly stated, it is not a writer’s duty to come up with new thoughts. It is his duty is to craft ageless wisdom in ways that bring about epiphanies in the minds of his readers.

What a poetic and accurate way to describe the uniqueness of our species: “Even against the greatest of odds, there is something in the human spirit – a magic blend of skill, faith, and valor – that lifts man from certain defeat to incredible victory.”

Is this not the story of virtually all great successes? G.H.’s tale of woe describes the predicament that much of the human race finds itself in today. Between the brutal realities of government redistribution of wealth and oppression combined with our own human flaws, it can be quite difficult to pick ourselves up and trudge forward.

But the fact is that just about anyone with reasonable intelligence can do it, because the human spirit really does possess skill, faith, and valor.

Skill. You are born with one or more unique skills, and it is your job to discover what those skills are.

Faith. Faith is belief, and belief is a choice. In Star Wars, when Yoda effortlessly frees the X-Wing from the bog, Luke Skywalker says, “I don’t believe it.” To which Yoda responds, “That is why you fail.” As much as I’d like to, I can’t improve on Yoda’s explanation of why faith is so crucial to success. Who am I to question a Jedi Master?

Valor. Valor is courage. Because you have free will, you can choose to be courageous. In other words, valor is a state of mind.

The bottom line is that the magical blend of skill, faith, and valor is always available to us. Unfortunately, we do not always utilize these powerful tools. But when we do, we indeed have the capacity to lift ourselves from certain defeat to incredible victory. We see this happening and read about it virtually every day of our lives.

So if G.H.’s e-mail seems to describe your own situation to one extent or another, take heart. You can begin moving in the right direction today simply by utilizing three remarkable human traits – skill, faith, and valor – that are already available to you.

[Ed. Note: If you're ready for a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques that are guaranteed to dramatically improve your dealmaking skills - and, in the process, increase your income many times over - you won't want to miss Robert Ringer's bestselling audio series, A Dealmaker's Dream.

Robert Ringer is a New York Times #1 bestselling author and host of the highly acclaimed Liberty Education Interview Series, which features interviews with top political, economic, and social leaders. His recently released work, Restoring the American Dream: The Defining Voice in the Movement for Liberty, is a clarion call to liberty-loving citizens to take back the country. Ringer has appeared on numerous national talk shows and has been the subject of feature articles in such major publications as Time, People, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Barron's, and The New York Times. To sign up for his e-letter, A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World, visit www.robertringer.com.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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A Secret to Your Success

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 12, 2012

The True Meaning of Success

I’ve always liked this definition of success from Dave Kekich. He wrote, “You’re successful when you like who and what you are. Success includes achievement…while choosing and directing your own activities. It means enjoying intimate relationships and loving what you do in life.”

Today, Bob Bly gives you his own definition of success and a secret to achieving it. Let us know what you think about it on www.EarlytoRise.com

Craig Ballantyne

You control everything. Your success is your responsibility.
_________________________
A New American Dream

Bob Bly’s dream was to be a scientist and he majored in chemical engineering at the University of Rochester. While a freshman, looking for an extra-curricular activity, he began writing for both the college daily newspaper and the literary magazine, and he became hooked on writing.

Unsure of how to turn his interest in writing into a living, Bob got a break when, upon graduation in 1979, Westinghouse offered him a position as a junior marketing writer. Bored by corporate life, Bob became a freelance copywriter in 1982 and has never looked back. His clients include Agora Publishing, IBM, AT&T, Wolfram Research, Praxair, and dozens more.

He is the author of 80 books including The Elements of Business Writing (Alyn & Bacon) and The Copywriter’s Handbook (Henry Holt). Bob earns a six figure passive income marketing his audio CDs, DVDs, e-books, and other information products on the Internet here.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here

_________________________
A Secret to Your Success
By Bob Bly

A few years ago, I was part of a panel of supposedly successful people speaking to a room packed with about a thousand college seniors.

Our topic: how to be successful.

When it was my turn, I asked the students: “How many of you want to be successful?”

Every hand in the room shot up.

I then asked: “Who can tell me what success is?”

Not a single hand in the room was raised.

“If you don’t know what success is,” I asked the students, “then how are you going to get there?”

This is the dilemma facing many people I meet today.

They desperately want to be “successful.”

But when you ask them what that would mean, they either can’t give you a definitive answer, or they say it would be becoming a millionaire.

They define success by how much money they have because that’s how the world keeps score.

But does becoming a millionaire really make you successful?

If you won the lottery or inherited the money, you are a millionaire – but are you really a success?

If you have to do something unethical or illegal to make that much money, are you really a success?

If you work marathon days at a job that makes you miserable – same question.

That’s why early in my career, I thought about what success meant to me – not what others thought success is.

And I came up with this definition: Success is doing what I want to do … when I want to do it … with the people I want to work with … and getting paid very, very well for it.

I don’t claim this is a perfect definition for success. And it may not work for you. But it works for me and many others I have shared it with in my books and lectures.

Let’s break down this definition of success piece by piece….

“Success is doing what I want to do.”

To me, 90% of the secret of enjoying life is having a job or business you love … one you’re so excited and enthusiastic about, you jump out of bed every morning eager to get to your office and start the day.

After all, you spend more than half your waking hours working. If you don’t like work – and millions of people don’t – then your days will seem to drag on almost forever. It’s close to torture.

Now, the mistake people make is to believe the old saying, “Pursue your passion and the money will follow.”

There are plenty of things people are passionate about (e.g., 18th century Peruvian poetry) that may be fun and interesting but have close to zero money-making potential.

The trick is to pursue an interest of yours (e.g., restoring classic cars) that people will pay for.

Aristotle said words to the effect that wherein your passion intersects with the needs of the public, therein lies your vocation.

Next, success is doing what you love “when I want to do it.”

This is why 9-to-5 employment was not for me: I resented being told what to do and when to do it.

I could not abide having my freedom taken away and being subject to someone else’s whims at their beck and call.

And so I quite to become a freelance copywriter.

One of the dangers of self-employment is the crisis-lull-crisis rhythm of so many businesses.

To protect yourself against the slow times, you should create multiple streams of income – some active, some passive.

I have 5 income streams: (a) copywriting, (b) consulting, (c) Internet marketing, (d) writing books, and (e) giving workshops and seminars.

That way, I am always busy. If copywriting would ever slow, as happened a few times very early in my career, I would turn to the book I had under contract or do some workshops.

The best thing is that, being self-employed, I can largely work on tasks and projects when I want to do them, not when someone else tells me to do them.

Even meetings and conference calls are scheduled by me when I want to and can do them, not when someone else commands me to.

My old friend DH says, “I don’t like taking orders, and I don’t like giving orders.” I feel the same way.

That’s why, aside from my administrative assistant, JV, I work alone. And JV is a virtual assistant, so I really am alone all day, as I prefer.

Success is doing what I want to do, when I want to do it, “with the people I want to work with.”

By working diligently and consistently to build my copywriting practice, I could soon pick and choose the clients I accepted.

This way I could work only with people I like and respect – and only on projects that interest me.

If you are in a service business, figure out how much self-promotion you need to do to fill your book of business … and then do twice that amount of marketing.

This will fill your lead pipeline to overflowing and allow you to pick and choose what clients and assignments you take on.

The last part of my success formula: “getting paid very, very well.”

Goal setting experts would find fault with this statement, because it does not specify a dollar amount of money.

Well, I live in an affluent neighborhood. So I decided that for me, getting paid well meant earning 4X or more per year than my average neighbor.

You may have a different money goal: higher annual earnings or the accumulation of a net worth of a certain dollar amount; i.e. a million bucks.

That’s a valuable and laudable goal, but it simply isn’t part of my personal success definition. But by all means, if you want it to be part of your success definition, go for it.

One other thing….

I have a litmus test for your definition of success, and it’s simple: Does it allow you to live comfortably? Does it make you happy?

If you can say yes, then you are successful. At least in my eyes. And I hope in yours, too.

[Ed. Note. Bob Bly is a freelance copywriter specializing in direct marketing. McGraw-Hill calls Bob "America's top copywriter." He is the author of 80 books including The Copywriter's Handbook (Henry Holt). You can find out more about Bob Bly at www.bly.com.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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7 Ways to Spot a True Sense of Urgency

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 11, 2012

Everything I Need to Know

Everything I need to know about success I’ve learned from the men and women who have won my fat loss transformation contests. They’ve shown me the power of discipline, planning, setting goals, and sticking to deadlines. Deadlines create urgency, and today, Mary Ellen Tribby shows you how to harness the power of that urgency for your goals.

Craig Ballantyne

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” – Leonardo da Vinci
____________________
A New American Dream

“Nobody gets old by surprise.” – Kekich Credo #83. If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels and not making any progress, one solution is to put more urgency into your life. Here’s what you need to do. First, identify what it is that you truly want to accomplish. Second, outline what you need to do to get there. And third, give yourself a deadline. (Bonus fourth step: Cut that deadline by 20%. Don’t worry, you’ll reach it.)

These steps are simple, but effective, because they combine the power of a vision with the urgency of a deadline. Think about what you accomplish if you really focus for the next 12 weeks. After all, that’s only 0.3% of your life. Surely you can commit to that, can’t you? Let us know what you accomplish by entering our Financial Independence Monthly Transformation Contest – open to all FIM members. If you aren’t a member, make that your first step towards your American Dream today.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here
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7 Ways to Spot a True Sense of Urgency
By MaryEllen Tribby

“I can’t believe she just gave up,” commented my doubles partner Fran.

All I could say at the time was, “It is so incredibly sad.”

You see, it went down like this…

We were at three-all in the first set of our tennis match. We broke our opponents and took the lead at 4 – 3. I served and we won another game for a score of 5 – 3. They served and edged closer; 5 – 4. Fran served and we won the first set, 6 – 4.

First game in the second set, we broke their serve and BAM! Our opponents’ body language screamed, “There is no way we can win – we may as well give up now and get this over with.”

And that’s what happened. Fran and I went on to win the second set 6 – 1 and took the match easily. Not because we were technically better players, but because we cared about the outcome more.

You see, little did they know that just last week Fran and I were in a similar position. We were losing the first three games, at one point down 5 – 2, only to fight back and win the first set 7 – 5. We ultimately went on to win the match.

How?

By never giving up.

Why?

Because regardless of whether it’s sports, business, or family life, when I do something, I give it my all. I figure if I am going to invest my time and attention in something, then that something must be important. Otherwise, why do it at all? And I make it a point to surround myself with people who feel and live the same way.

Seems so obvious… Yet 90% of people walk through life like zombies just hoping to make it through the day with as little effort as possible.

Always hoping for a different outcome while maintaining the mindset that they deserve better.

These are the people who, when left in any position within an organization, can single-handedly destroy morale, consume mounds of energy, and obliterate profits!

They are called Complacency Campaigners or CCs. Many business owners and managers underestimate their power to ruin a business. They are full of excuses. And the drama is endless.

Complacency Campaigners can be anyone. They have no requirements or application policy; they come in all shapes and sizes. They are disguised as CEOs, Marketing Managers, Mail-room Clerks, and Sales Representatives. And they thrive on recruitment more than James Jones and the most sophisticated MLMers.

So why are they so prevalent?

Although complacency is pervasive, smart, experienced, and refined people do not always see it. They may mistake activity for productivity and franticness for urgency. And because CCs are skilled at shuffling papers and drumming up “emergencies,” it’s easy to overlook the fact that they are actually doing nothing.

But when you as a business owner, entrepreneur, or manager recognize this business cancer and do not take a stand against these CCs, you are as guilty as they are.

Door Number One or Door Number Two

When you decide to take a stand you have two choices. You can either let the CC go… or you can coach him and turn him into a valuable team member.

Truth be told, option number two is tough. Tough because very often the CC had a supervisor who let the problem go on way too long – either at your organization or at a prior company. The CC’s complacency may be too thoroughly ingrained for her to change.

However, it is possible to turn a CC into a valued member of your team. And I will admit, I always try that first even though there is only about a 25% chance that the infamous CC stays on board.

But when their “ah ha” moment strikes, you know the effort was worth it. You can see the transformation from hypnotic complacency into a true sense of urgency.

You can recognize those who really get it. They have the following traits:

7 Ways to Spot a True Sense of Urgency

1) A Winning Team: With a strong sense of urgency, people quickly identify critical issues and form strong teams that are committed to ambitious change even when those members are already working hard.

2) Vision and Strategies: Strong and committed teams organize the effort to find smart strategies and envision long-term outcomes when dealing with essential issues, even when the best strategies are hard to pin down.

3) Communication: High urgency teams inherently feel a need to persistently communicate the vision and strategies to the appropriate people to get them on board and generate still more urgency.

4) Empowerment: Those with a strong sense of urgency empower others who are dedicated to making a vision a reality by removing obstruction in their path.

5) Short-Term Wins: High urgency teams celebrate short-term victories and make them visible to the entire organization.

6) Never Give Up: After minor and/or great success, teams with a true sense of urgency never let their team slip back to complacent inertia. Instead they expand the effort and strive for improvement.

7) Making It Stick: Teams with a true sense of urgency feel duty-bound to find ways to make sure any change sticks by incorporating that change into the structure, the systems, and – most importantly – the culture.

Here is the truly amazing thing: Working with a sense of urgency actually requires less energy than complacency. And the rewards are ten-fold.

[Ed. Note. MaryEllen Tribby has created the site, www.WorkingMomsOnly.com, as the leading website and newsletter for the empowerment of the working moms. Her mission is to supply the tools that can give EVERY working mom the ability to lead a healthy, wealthy, and more balanced/blended lifestyle. To create a community where millions of working moms from all over the world come together in support and celebration of each other.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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Finding and Using your Unique Abilities

By BreakthroughMarketingSecrets | Published: April 10, 2012

The Success Formula

For both my fat loss and business seminars, I always leave the audience with a success formula. One of the factors in the business success formula is the Unique Ability of the entrepreneur. In fact, once you identify your unique ability, it becomes a magical ingredient in your success plan. Let me explain…

Craig Ballantyne

Stretch your thinking, challenge your potential. Don’t be afraid to set big goals. You never know whom you are going to meet or what is going to happen when you are committed to taking action.
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A New American Dream

The day you make your first sale will change the course of your life forever. It will give you a glimpse of what’s possible. It’s a powerful feeling to be validated for the value you are trying to add to the world. When you get that first sale, EVERYTHING changes. It’s a rush. A natural high. Once the first sale happens, your mindset will shift from “I don’t know if this will work” to “How can I make this work again!” If you haven’t made your first sale, I urge you to act now on a few simple steps that will get the snowball rolling.

First and foremost, get your product done. Don’t let this be the factor holding you back. Please, please, please don’t let it be the bottleneck. It’s the LAST thing that should be stopping you. If you aren’t sure where to start, heed this quote from one of the greatest philosophers in history: “Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your vocation.” – Aristotle. That’s where you must start your journey to financial independence.

Discover how to achieve your American Dream and Financial Independence here
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Finding and Using your Unique Abilities
By Craig Ballantyne

Have you ever found yourself working on something you enjoy only to look up at the clock and be shocked to see that an hour, two hours, or even longer has passed?

If so, then you might have stumbled upon to your unique ability. This is something that you can do better than everyone else and often with greater ease, as well. Plus, it’s something that you love to do it. And today, we’re going to show you how to turn your unique ability into the secret ingredient in your success formula.

When you are looking to start out in business, you need to ‘get to know yourself’. After all, you are, for the first time, relying on nobody but yourself for your income. You won’t have an employer to give you the security of a paycheck for turning up on time and doing what you are told.

But that’s good news.

As an entrepreneur, there will be no appraisal system, other than what you apply to your own work. It is down to you to know your strengths and weaknesses, and down to you to play on the good and improve on the bad.

Let’s take a look at how important it is to know your ultimate strengths – unique abilities, and how you can identify and use them.

Some people have a natural sense of where their key talents lie, and what they can do or offer that is special, unique even. For others, it can be a surprise to learn that they even have unique abilities, let alone what they are. This is because so often, we don’t notice that the things that come naturally or easily to us, or which we’ve been doing for a very long time, are actually difficult for other people, or valuable in business.

Just as it is important to know the selling points of what you are offering, it is important to know what your own key strengths are so you can optimize everything you do.

Whatever it is for you, there’s got to be something that first of all you’re better at than most people, that your experience has helped you become even better at and really polish your skills in, and that you really, really enjoy.

When you think about all that stuff, that’s what you want to use to get into your Internet business or your side business or your passion business. By doing this you will not only help your chances of success, but you will also find that you really can have a business that you love doing and that makes you money.

Start your “unique ability search” by thinking about what you’re good at and what you do a lot, and what you have experience in. Next, narrow that down a little bit into what you have that is different from other people. Think outside of the box when it comes to experience, too. Work experience that you’d put on a résumé is far from being everything in business. Experience you may have in your family life can be just as useful, such as conflict resolution or leadership.

What is it that you really, really enjoy? What do you find most satisfying and rewarding in your professional life? I know a highly successful businessman who really, really enjoys strategic thinking. He loves identifying opportunity and identifying how he can capitalize on opportunity. How he can find a problem and solve it. That is what really gets him going when it comes to his working life, and so as a result he is brilliant at it. If you love a certain aspect of your work, whether it is networking, writing, creative planning, marketing, or just about anything, then you are likely to be strong in that area.

Finally, don’t forget about what is it that gets you into the flow, as we discussed at the start of today’s message. What is it that you can do for three hours and think, “Oh my goodness, I thought only 45 minutes had gone by.”

If there’s a thing that you do that gets you into what people call flow or “the zone”, where you’re operating at a great speed with amazing productivity and creativity, what is it? One of the key benefits of running your own business is that you can work when it’s right for you, so if you have your best ideas late at night or write best first thing in the morning, you need to know this so you can work out a routine that gets the best out of your talents.

When seeking out your unique ability, remember that for a lot of people, it is often something that you dismiss as not being important, or not being that big of a deal.

If someone compliments you and says, “Hey, you’re great with numbers. I’ve never seen anybody track these numbers and find hidden opportunities in them like you,” this could be the identification of your unique ability. As ETR Publisher, Matt Smith, likes to tell our coaching clients, “The activity that you dismiss as being easy is probably your unique ability. People tend to discount the abilities that they are good at.”

Think about positive feedback you’ve had in the past, or the things people come to you for in your personal life. Are you the person your friends get to check over their cover letters when they apply for jobs? Are you the person people go to if they don’t understand how to do their taxes? Or are you a practical sort they ask for help if something breaks at home?

Chances are there is something your friends and contacts know you are the best at, that you think is nothing. So whatever it is, whether you have charisma that nobody else has, whether you’re a great speaker, whether you’re a great salesman, whatever you think is probably not a big deal, because you’ve been doing it for so long or because you had some natural talent with it, that’s probably going to be your unique ability.

It is important to think about this, and appraise yourself as others see you in terms of what you can offer that others can’t. The exercise will help you because when you get your unique ability then you focus on harnessing the power of it and you leverage your talents so that you get more done.

Once you’ve identified your unique ability, you need to protect and foster it just like you do with your magic time. In fact, you’ll need to focus on your unique ability talents during your magic time to get maximum results.

You need to build your work and schedule around protecting your most important talents and time. Do this by delegating the stuff that gets in the way of you being able to spend time on your unique ability, and maximizing the time spent doing what you do best.

[Ed. Note. Craig Ballantyne, along with Matt Smith, will show you how to turn your unique ability and passion into profits in just one day at the next ETR Mastermind small group coaching session in June. To find out more about this special event and to hear feedback from past attendees, go here. But hurry, the next five reservations will receive a big discount on the attendance investment.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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