I Didn't Mean "Keep Your Nose Clean" Literally In the August 24 issue, I talked about Uncle Al's three rules for a lifetime of success: Show up, do your job, and keep your nose clean. Many readers appreciated his wisdom: "I'm very interested in the info in this article. The results shown are achievable by the hard work required. Get Going! Action!" -- T.R. "Thanks for this article. I felt that I was not utilizing my time right when I took time during my workday to read business magazines. Now I know I am on the right track, because doing that motivates me to move forward." -- G.B. But some were a bit confused by what was meant by "keep your nose clean." One reader, in fact, seemed to take it literally. (Or maybe he was just pulling my leg.) He sent me an e-mail saying, "I really benefited from that essay -- especially the third rule. It made a deep impression on me. Just this morning, I cleaned my nose. I always forget doing that. Now, I have to always clean my nose as I always brush my teeth." Uncle Al understood that you can accomplish just about anything you want in life by taking advantage of opportunity, approaching it (showing up) with a great attitude, and becoming a superstar in performance. Personal satisfaction, however, does not come to all who achieve great things. A moment's reflection on the unhappiness of so many great artists and celebrities and moneymakers will tell you that. Personal satisfaction, Al realized, comes from doing your job with integrity and attention to detail. In making your fortune or attaining your fame, you must always be respectful of the art of your craft -- the small things that show you care about the quality of what you're doing. In the business of information publishing that means caring about the quality of the ideas you disseminate. Do you know, from experience, that they are true? Or are you presenting them merely because you think they will sell? At a less important level, it means caring about the fine points of publishing: grammar and style and syntax. When I saw the following sentence of mine in the August 28 issue, I sent a note to ETR's managing editor and copyeditor, asking them how this mistake slipped through: "Every business should attempt to have every one of its product meet this level of perfection." I'd guess that 90 percent of the people who read that didn't notice that "product" should have been "products." But those who did must have wondered if we were getting a wee bit sloppy with our proofreading. If you make a habit of making small mistakes, they mount up. Eventually, you are producing shoddy merchandise -- and you may not even be aware of it. Business experts call this phenomenon "incremental degradation." I've written about it several times in past issues. If you'd like to read more on the subject, go here. In today's issue: - Wealthy: Survival of the Fittest
- Healthy: You Aren't What You Eat
- Wise: Alex Green on Letting His Daughter Jump Off a Cliff
---------------------------------------------- Advertisement ---------------------------------------------------- "As of today my account stands at approximately $123,500 ..." - That's how much novice trader K.N. made in six months, according to bestselling author Keith Cotteril. And, says Cotteril, Terry Hodgkinson racked up more than $2,700 in his first seven days alone. These are just two of the people who have profited from a new trading program. It's from Agora's U.K. partners. You can read their stories here ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."
-- Mark Twain The Beginning of Wisdom
I watched in horror as my 11-year-old daughter Hannah plunged 150 feet down Cheakamus Canyon toward the river raging below. My wife Karen and I had both tried to talk her out of it. But she wouldn't be dissuaded. She wanted to jump. Of course, she was attached to a bungee cord, one that "exceeded Australian specifications" (whatever that means). And Whistler Bungee -- an hour north of Vancouver and just below Whistler's 2010 Olympic Village -- has been in business for seven years with a perfect safety record. Still ... I got the willies just looking down through the 300-foot span as we crossed it. This was a murderous height. It would have taken at least three burly men to get me out on that platform. "You don't have any problem with this?" I asked a member of Canada's Olympic ski team who was suiting up for a jump as we arrived. "Not at all," she laughed. "What could go wrong?" "That's the difference between you and me," I said. "I have more imagination than that." Of course, I knew my fear was emotional not rational, otherwise I would never have let my daughter jump. That she wanted to jump still astonishes me. After all, this is the same girl who insists on cracking her bedroom door at night so she can see the light in the hallway. We hate to admit it but most of our fears are irrational. Everyday life just isn't that dangerous anymore. Technology, engineering, and modern medicine have eliminated most of the sharp edges. Yet we can't escape our past. Our fears evolved as a basic survival mechanism. They arise in response to perceived threats, triggering a "fight or flight" response. For most of us, it's flight (or avoidance). And studies show our fears are fairly universal: spiders, snakes, heights (... yo!), public speaking, and death. As Jerry Seinfeld once said, "According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Does that sound right? This means at a funeral most people would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy." Our greatest inhibitor, of course, is fear of failure. Consciously or not, it can paralyze us, keeping us from applying for the promotion, taking the risk, meeting the girl, asking for the order, experiencing the unknown. It's always easier to stick with the safe, the comfortable, the familiar. Yet every time we choose safety we reinforce fear. We nurture it. Only when we overcome this debilitating emotion do we really begin to live. "He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life," said Ralph Waldo Emerson. How is fear conquered? By doing what we think we can't do, again and again. When I was young, for example, public speaking made me nervous. Today, I relish the opportunity. After a particularly turbulent flight 30 years ago, I was a white-knuckle flier. Now, I can't keep track of all my frequent flier miles. Fear is the great barrier to success. It gives small things big shadows. It is the inverse of faith, trapping us between regret for the past and anxiety about the future. Yet few things warrant the fear we grant them. We run not from genuine threats but imaginary bogeymen. Perhaps that's why philosopher Bertrand Russell said, "To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom." And the rewards are many. Waiting for you on the other side of fear is freedom. Freedom from anxiety. Freedom from regret. Freedom from a life unlived. Fortune, it turns out, really does favor the brave. As Marianne Williamson wrote, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? ... We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." Does this mean -- like Hannah -- that I'm willing to embrace "Whistler's Ultimate Adrenaline Rush" and plummet toward the Cheakamus River? That depends. How many burly guys have you got? [Ed. Note: Alex Green, author of The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters, is the editor of "Spiritual Wealth," a free e-letter about the pursuit of the good life.] ---------------------------------------------- Highly Recommended --------------------------------------------------- They're Concealing $28,250,000 in Closely-Guarded Money-Making Secrets… Mark your calendar. Starting September 10, MaryEllen will be interviewing three men who can make you wealthy: - Rich Schefren - skilled entrepreneur and Internet marketing consultant. He knows the one thing EVERY marketer does wrong. This secret drove one client's sales from $10,000 a month to $12 MILLION a year!
- Mike Koenigs. He heads up a multi-million dollar company. He's created 300+ websites and over 40 products. Plus, he has access to 4.5 BILLION potential customers. (And not in the way you think…)
- Clayton Makepeace. He's heralded as the world's highest paid copywriter. His marketing strategies and sales copy have brought in over $1.5 billion in sales for his clients.
You'd pay thousands of dollars to get their advice normally. Now you can have it for free. Join MaryEllen while she grills them by attending our "Hot-Seat" teleseminar series. Reserve your spot now. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More from Masterson... Bankruptcy Is a Good Thing Equifax reports that small-business bankruptcies are up 81 percent over last year. Now don't get nervous if you have a small business or are thinking of starting one. This is a good thing. For several reasons: - Your competition is reduced.
- The businesses that are left are strong. They make better joint venture partners for you.
- It's the perfect motivation to look at your business critically. Is it in danger?
- Vendors have fewer customers. So you can make better deals.
How else can you take advantage of this information? If you have a business, don't cut marketing costs. As MaryEllen Tribby and I pointed out in our book Changing the Channel, you should market smarter. Add low-cost channels appropriate to your niche. If you market primarily through e-mail, try direct mail. If you've never explored social media, give it a shot. If you want to start a business, look at the remaining companies. Look at their products, their advertising, etc. If they're still around, they're doing something right. Model yourself on them ... with your own twist, of course. Stop Obsessing Over What You Eat My diet is made up of mostly healthful foods: grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, wild-caught fresh fish, vegetables and occasional fruits, whole grains, and the like. But, from time to time, I do indulge in foods that aren't "good for me." Total Health Breakthroughs' Dr. Sears says I shouldn't worry. He says a healthy attitude toward food includes not depriving yourself of your favorites once in a while. Don't obsess or feel guilty about the things you're not supposed to eat. Doing that makes it more likely that you'll overindulge. Instead, when you think about food, focus on the good stuff you do eat. You'll enjoy your food more, eat less, and feel more satisfied. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Keep up the good work." "Michael knows how to tell it like it is in his newsletter and in his books. I have read all of them. "Keep up the good work, especially regarding the sorry role government is trying to play in our lives right now and failing miserably. "The ostriches and the Mr. Magoos of the world will continue to deny the reality of our present situation in this country until it's too late to do anything constructive about it." C.L.
Fort Worth, TX ---------------------------------------------- Highly Recommended --------------------------------------------------- The Simple Six-Figure Marketing Strategy - Paul Lawrence spent less than $100 to start his first business. He used just one marketing plan. Soon he had so many customers he had to hire someone to do the work. He went after new business. He used his marketing plan again. Almost instantly, he was making $4,000 a month. The people he sold the business to (so he could finish college -- paid for by the sale, by the way) used the same plan. They are making $100,000 a year. Read more… --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Words That Work: Burly Burly (BUR-lee) -- from the Old English for "noble" or "excellent" -- means physically strong, muscular, and heavily built. Example (as used by Alex Green today): "I got the willies just looking down through the 300-foot span as we crossed it. This was a murderous height. It would have taken at least three burly men to get me out on that platform." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We want your feedback! Let us know your thoughts on today's issue. Email us at: AskETR@ETRFeedback.com | 
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