The Best Way to Rise to the Top of Any Business
By Michael Masterson
What's the best way to surpass your peers and outdo your competitors? Work harder than they do. If that sounds daunting, consider this: Most people don't work very hard. Some spend their workdays doing as little as they possibly can. Lots more stay busy, but achieve very little. They write long memos, discuss issues that don't need much discussion, contest insignificant points, and attend to the tedium. But only a very few apply themselves -- long and hard -- to the key challenges that determine success. Understanding this, you can see that even a modest amount of hard work will put you beyond both the terminally slothful and the lump-along middle crowd. Just by working smart nine hours a day, you will eventually rise to the top echelon of almost any organization. But getting up the last rung of that ladder will be tough. At that level, you are competing against other hard and smart workers. And some of them may have advantages you lack. They may brighter. They may be more personable. They may have better contacts. But there is one thing they don't have more of than you do -- and that is time. If you can spend more time than they are willing to spend or use your time more effectively, you will move ahead of them. Fact is, life isn't fair. When it comes to money, beauty, intelligence, and talent, the distribution is uneven and arbitrary. But one thing we are all given equally is 24 hours a day. What you do with those hours is what will determine your success and happiness. ---------------------------------------------- Highly Recommended ---------------------------------------------------- Stop Playing Standard Stock Market Games - Spending 12 hours a day on research and obsessing over trades is one way to play the markets. But experienced traders don't need to do that. They use systems that work quickly so they can enjoy time doing other things, like golfing or tennis or reading books. Find out why you don't have to spend all day to come up with winning trades. Learn from one former Wall Street insider how to trade with precision and speed. Find out more here... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Higher education must lead the march back to the fundamentals of human relationships, to the old discovery that is ever new, that man does not live by bread alone." John Hannah The Only Thing That Really Matters
By Alex Green Why do some folks look back on their lives and say they wouldn't change much? Or anything? Is there a formula? Some mix of love, work, habits, or attitudes that offers the best chance of a well-lived life? Researchers at Harvard have been examining this question for 72 years by following 268 men who entered college in the late 1930s. Their discoveries might surprise you. Just listen to Dr. George Vaillant. Since 1967, the Harvard Medical School professor has dedicated his career to the "Grant Study." (It was named after its patron, the department-store magnate W.T. Grant.) Vaillant's specialty is the comprehensive study of a small number of people over a long period of time. His subjects were never a representative sample of society. They were all young men from relatively privileged backgrounds. Yet Vaillant's findings offer profound insights into the human condition. They have universal applications. And they illuminate the one factor that correlates most highly with a positive life assessment in old age. So let's take a closer look... From the beginning, the Grant Study was meant to be exhaustive. The researchers assembled a team that included medical doctors, physiologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and anthropologists. Participants were monitored, interviewed, and studied from every conceivable angle. That included their eating and drinking habits, exercise, mental and physical health, career changes, and financial successes and setbacks. They were subjected to general aptitude tests and personality inventories, and were required to provide regular documentation. Many of the men achieved dramatic success. Some became captains of industry. One was a bestselling author. Four ran for the U.S. Senate. One served in a presidential cabinet. And one -- JFK (we now know) -- was president. (His files have been sealed until 2040.) Some of the subjects were disappointments, too. Case number 47, for example, literally fell down drunk and died. (Not quite what the study had in mind.) Most of the participants remain anonymous. (Although a few, like Ben Bradlee, the long-time editor of The Washington Post, have identified themselves.) Over the last four decades, the lives of the Grant men were Vaillant's personal and professional obsession. In his book Adaptation to Life, he writes, "Their lives were too human for science, too beautiful for numbers, too sad for diagnosis, and too immortal for bound journals." Yet more than 70 years of data and enabled Vaillant to reach some broad conclusions. He found seven major factors that predict healthy aging, both physically and psychologically: education, stable marriage, healthy weight, some exercise, not smoking, not abusing alcohol, and "employing mature adaptations." (Vaillant believes social skills and coping methods are crucial in determining overall satisfaction.) However, his most important finding was revealed in a 2008 interview. He was asked, "What have you learned from the Grant Study men?" Vaillant's response: "That the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people." The Grant Study confirms what the wisest have always known. That a successful life is not about the grim determination to get or have more. Nor is it about low cholesterol levels or intellectual brilliance or career accomplishments. It's about human connections: parents, siblings, spouses, children, friends, neighbors, and mentors. Without them, life quickly loses its flavor, whatever material successes we enjoy. Look back at your life. You'll almost certainly find that the most significant moments were births, deaths, weddings, and celebrations. Your most profound moments? When you touched others. Or they touched you. In times of suffering -- loss, sickness, death -- it is not prescriptions, formulas, or advice we seek. It is the healing presence of another. When we forget this -- when we think only of ourselves -- we choke the source of our development. Real meaning comes from taking care of those you love, letting them know how you feel. Fortunately, we have countless opportunities to give a bit of ourselves each day through a thoughtful act, a word of appreciation, or a sense of understanding. As Dr. Vaillant concludes, true success "is more about us than me." [Ed. Note: Alex Green is the author of The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters, as well as the editor of "Spiritual Wealth," a free e-letter about the pursuit of the good life. ----------------------------------------------Highly Recommended --------------------------------------------------- Most of the Billionaires Living in America Weren't Born Rich - They became wealthy, studies show, because they had or developed a special way of thinking about money that 99% of the rest of us don't "get." Bob Cox, a lifelong "student" of the wealthy, has worked closely with four of the richest men in the world. He paid attention and figured out their secret. He calls it "the billionaire mindset." If you'd like to know more... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Swine Flu Increases, Smart Investors Take Advantage
By Michael Masterson
When the swine flu scare first hit the newspapers, people were nervous. Then the government jumped in. They told us that swine flu was not very contagious. And they said it wasn't even serious. "Don't worry about it," we were told. I was skeptical. And I was right. Now cases are popping up all over the world. One source estimates that as much as half the population will be affected by it. Another source predicts that 1.8 million Americans will be hospitalized by it. That doesn't mean all those people will die, but it does mean there will be a rapid escalation of concern. Manufacturers of vaccines, syringes, masks, diagnostic equipment, and antivirals have already seen their stock prices run up in anticipation. IDE's Steve McDonald says there are two ways to profit from this: - You can invest in the companies that are selling the treatments and equipment.
- You can short the companies that could see a huge drop in business because what they do involves enclosed crowds -- and that increases the risk of contagion. That includes airlines, hotels, retailers, and certain entertainment companies.
Steve has his eye on several shorting opportunities. To be one of the first to hear about them, go here. ---------------------------------------------- Highly Recommended --------------------------------------------------- If you felt 20 years younger right now, what would you want to do first? - Surprise your spouse with a romantic dinner... and follow up with an equally romantic night, all night long?
- Wake up rarin' to go, full of energy without the caffeine? And still have energy left at the end of the day!
- Plan a dream cruise to an exotic port with someone you love, and breeze through full days of sightseeing having the time of your life?
- Effortlessly bike through the magnificent New England countryside, listening to the birds sing?
Now, what if I told you that... You Can Control the Aging Process and Reverse Its Negative Effects -- in Months, Not Years -- without spending a fortune on "iffy" cosmeceuticals. Click here to find out how... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you have an unpleasant job to do, do it right away. The natural tendency is to put it off and hope it disappears. And there are situations for which this kind of head-in-the-sand approach works best. Dealing with conflicts between subordinates, for example. My partner almost always ignores such problems, and nine times out of 10 they get solved the way they should -- by the people who started the trouble. But most of the time, a bad situation will only get worse if not handled immediately. Let's say you inadvertently say something that offends someone who matters to you. You feel bad about it, but you do nothing. The next thing you know, there's a message on your answering machine from the person you hurt. You don't want to return the call. You know it is going to be uncomfortable. And not hearing back from you upsets him even more. He thinks you don't care. Meanwhile, you become angry at him for being upset with you. Now a mistake that could have been fixed by a simple apology has escalated out of control. Another example: You have a disagreement with a colleague about a business deal. Settling it is going to be messy, so you've been ignoring it. But it gnaws at you. And until it's resolved, working with him on anything will be difficult, if not impossible. Every day that goes by, a once mutually profitable relationship becomes shakier. This happened to me last week. I got JJ's acrimonious e-mail and let it sit. Finally, yesterday, I wrote him back and clarified my position. This morning, he responded. Tempers were easing. I wrote him back again, more conciliatorily this time. His next e-mail was nicer too. Now it's over and done with. I wish I had taken care of this thing the day it happened. I would have enjoyed the weekend more. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Latest News - Don't call him a "self-help" guru. Dr. Srikumar Rao, whose modern take on ancient traditions has helped thousands achieve happiness, shared his program for Personal Life Mastery last week in ETR. Did you miss it?
- Over at Investor's Daily Edge, Investment Director Bob Irish and the rest of the gang don't obsess over the economy. They think about it. They talk about it. But they don't worry about it. That's because they know how to make money during a recession. And they are making lots of money for their subscribers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Regarding your recent article on 'criticism': "At Toastmasters, we practice impromptu and prepared communication. And we 'support' one another by giving 'evaluations' (criticisms) of members' speeches. "[Your insights] gave me many good points to present as an Educational Moment at Toastmasters. Thank you." Carolyn Lancaster
Minden, NV ---------------------------------------------- Advertisement--------------------------------------------------- "As of today, my account stands at approximately $123,500..." - That's how much novice trader K.N. made in six months, says bestselling author Keith Cotteril. And Terry Hodgkinson racked up more than $2,700. In his first seven days. These are just two of the people who have profited from a new trading program. It's from Agora's UK partners. Read their stories here... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Words That Work: Acrimonious Something that's acrimonious (ak-ruh-MOH-nee-us) -- from the Latin for "sharp" or "sour" -- is resentful, caustic, or bitter. Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): "I got JJ's acrimonious e-mail and let it sit. Finally, yesterday, I wrote him back and clarified my position." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We want your feedback! Let us know your thoughts on today's issue. Email us at: AskETR@ETRFeedback.com | 
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