| I've had plenty of failures in my life -- in business, in sports, in achieving my goals. But I don't spend much time ruing my failures. I may think about them for a day or two, analyzing what I did wrong. But afterward, I hardly think of them at all. And if I do, I don't feel badly about them. They seem like interesting experiences that happened to someone else -- the person I was before I made the mistake. If anything, they amuse me. They really do. I'm proud of my successes. And I'm ashamed of my personal failings -- e.g., my tendency to do something every year at a big Christmas party that I regret the next day. But I am not ashamed of my failures. There is a difference between failures and failings. A failure is falling short of a goal you set. A failing is falling short of a standard you set for your behavior. Overall, this attitude serves me well. The shame I feel when I betray my dignity is constructive. It helps me elevate my behavior in the future. The pride I feel in my accomplishments motivates me. I don't dwell on them. I try not to brag about them. I use them to tell myself, when challenged, "You've done this before. You can do it again." The amusement I feel when I think about (or am reminded of) past failures is good too. It keeps my ego in check. And it makes it easy for me to try again. If you want to accomplish great things in your life, you must be willing to set goals that are big enough and new enough to change your business, social, cultural, or personal environment. But since they are big and new, you run the risk of failure. By taking pride in your accomplishments and being amused by your failures, you will always be motivated to do more. And your mind will be clear to focus on the hardest thing: not making a fool of yourself at the next Christmas party. -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- Ready to Set -- and Achieve -- Big Goals? - Not without help, you're not. You need a system. Or you're likely to fail. But hope is not lost. We have the help you need. Find out more here...
"Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short." Adam Hochschild "ID Syndrome" -- How to Quiet Your Needy Inner Voice
By Bob Cox
I need to e-mail my sister this video of dogs and cats playing. It is so cute, she will love it. I need to check my favorite sports team website to see who has been traded and all the recent rumors surrounding our star pitcher. I need to call Bill to set up our golf game for next week. I need to add to my blog so my readers will be updated on my latest insights into Obama's policies. I need to go online and pick out a gift for Aunt Sarah's birthday. I really need to think about where I'm going for lunch and what I'm going to eat. Do any of the above sound familiar? Of course they do! I call this "ID Syndrome" -- the disease of Internal Distraction. And unless you learn how to defeat this affliction, you won't get anywhere at work or in life. We all have personal thoughts like these while we are working. But there's a big difference between how high achievers deal with them and how people who never do better than the status quo deal with them. You see, high achievers recognize that these thoughts are WANTS -- not NEEDS. And that they should be dealt with outside of the working day. Here's a little example of how problematic internal distractions can become... Let's say you are working on a research project for your boss. While searching for the latest sales statistics, you come across an interesting quote that you "need" to send to your brother. And when e-mailing him the quote, you feel the "need" to tell him all about your barbecue last weekend. Once you send the e-mail, you get back to the research project. But, suddenly, the task that you've scheduled an hour for has turned into an hour and 15 minutes. When this happens, it leaves you with one of two options for the rest of the tasks you've scheduled for the day. Option A: You could reduce the time you've allocated for the next thing on your to-do list. (Which is all too easy if that task is not one of your favorites.) Option B: You could stay an extra 15 minutes at the end of the day to complete your scheduled tasks. These options might not sound too bad, but neither is desirable. Option A steals time from a task you have committed to and set aside time for. Option B reduces time with your family and friends -- time that is important to maintain balance in your life. Plus, allowing 15 minutes to disrupt your day is one thing, but imagine what would happen if you went 15 minutes over on every task. Internal distractions may seem innocuous. But they can completely derail your schedule and put you off track. Fortunately, it's pretty simple to eliminate them and be more productive during every working hour. What you have to do is regulate your internal distractions by training your subconscious mind to honor your commitments and stay on schedule. Everybody has the same 24 hours in the day. But the successful people know how to manage their time to maximize what they get out of every minute. Here's how they do it: 1. Set aside time in your schedule that DOES NOT intrude upon the time you've allocated for specific work and goal-oriented tasks. Use that time to do such things as searching for a new book to read, catching up on sports scores, or setting up a coffee date with your best friend. Consider using part of your lunch hour or a few minutes in the evening to take care of these personal tasks. 2. Train your subconscious mind to recognize that you have set aside specific times for your personal tasks -- time that's separate from work. This is key! Don't allow your personal activities to distract you from your other responsibilities. 3. When working on your personal tasks, do not let other work- or goal-oriented tasks intrude. Make sure you spend the time you've set aside for personal tasks ONLY on those tasks. In other words, compartmentalize your time. Set aside a specific time for each task and honor the time assigned. When you're tackling a personal task that you've scheduled, don't let your mind wander. And when you're doing a work task or working toward one of your long-term goals, direct your subconscious mind to stay in the moment. Say to yourself, "Stop. I am not dealing with that now. I have scheduled X time to take care of it. Right now, I need to concentrate on the task at hand." External distractions -- a broken water pipe, a sick child, a construction site setting up outside your office -- are often outside of your control. Internal distractions are of your own making and, therefore, within your control. Begin to use the techniques outlined above and you will see the difference. Staying on schedule can feel restrictive, especially if you're not used to doing it. But it is the best way to stay productive and complete all the tasks on your to-do list. You will find that when you use your time more productively, you'll have more focus, and you'll limit your level of anxiety. [Ed. Note: It's entirely possible to accomplish every goal you set for yourself. But you don't have to do it alone. With your own "Personal Life Coach," you can get expert guidance every step of the way. And you can "hire" one for a full year -- for less than most life coaches charge per hour. Learn more here.] -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- Finally -- Your Own "Set It and Forget" Online Business - Hundreds are already doing it successfully. Now it's your turn. You can automate sales, marketing, product delivery, and more with simple software programs. In the Internet Money Club, Brian Edmondson shows you where to find the best programs -- free. And how to use them effectively. Find out more here...
Always Test -- and I'm Not Talking About Your Marketing Copy
By David Cross
When you're starting a new business online, or making changes to your current online business, make sure you take the time to test as many aspects of your venture as possible. This includes: - all the navigation on your website
- your order and payment systems
- your e-mail system
- your sign-up boxes
- and anything else your customers/prospects will encounter
Submit "fake" orders. Surf your entire website. Sign up for your own newsletter. (And use e-mail addresses from several different providers to see if your messages are getting through.) It may seem obvious. But I've seen too many marketers skip this step. Over the last 20 years of doing business online, I've gotten into the habit of testing everything -- everything -- before it goes live. And it's always paid off. [Ed. Note: David Cross is a veteran Internet marketing expert who has worked closely with Early to Rise and Agora for many years. He is also a featured expert in ETR's Internet Money Club.] -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- The foods you eat may not be as healthful as you think... Get your free report to find out how to protect yourself and your loved ones.
In this free report, you'll discover: - 2 types of pesticides used in producing most foods -- and why you NEVER want to feed them to your family...
- Why following the USDA's recommendation of eating 5 daily servings of fruits and veggies could be filling your body with toxins...
- 13 foods that are chock-full of harmful chemicals...
- A sneaky trick Big Business plays to get you to buy products that AREN'T organic...
- 3 pesticides that appear illegally in scores of different foods...
Plus, you'll discover the best defense against pesticide abuse in the foods you and your family eat. This is your chance to take control of your health and the health of your loved ones. It's much simpler than you think. And your first step is to read this free report.
What Are You Doing to Develop Your Up-and-Comers?
By Michael Masterson Let's begin with an axiom: Business growth depends on new ideas that are well executed. If you are running (or involved in) what I call a Stage Two business (with more than $1 million in revenues and 40 employees), you deal with new ideas almost every day. In fact, assuming you've staffed your business with smart people who want to succeed, you are probably overwhelmed with new ideas. The challenge is to make sure you have people on board who can make those ideas work. (When I consult with new Stage Two clients, that is one of their main concerns.) The best solution is to establish a leadership-development program in which your top people train other people in the company to do what they do. Then, as the business grows and your top people take on new responsibilities, the leaders-in-training step up to take on their mentors' old responsibilities. But according to one article I read recently, only two-fifths of large companies have formal leadership-development programs. With smaller companies, I'm sure the figure is much lower -- probably closer to 10 percent. I think the reason it's rarely done in smaller companies is that their growth is so fast that the need for people to take on new responsibilities is always immediate. That means one of two things. Either the more experienced people take on the extra work themselves, spreading themselves thin. Or the work is given to younger people who haven't been trained to do it. In either case, the risk of failure increases significantly. If I had to choose between those two options, I'd give the work to the less-experienced employee. And I'd put someone with experience in charge of mentoring that person, even if the mentoring is minimal. I'd tell the mentor, "Your job is not to teach this person all the details. And it is not to do it yourself. Your job is to review the project periodically to make sure we can afford the mistakes that are going to be made. Other than that, you should allow the new person to flounder a bit. Flounder, but not founder." The flounder-don't-founder method is imperfect, but it's better than nothing -- and better still than loading up all the new projects on your already overworked experienced staff. With a little guidance, smart new people can figure out a lot on their own. Sometimes they can create systems and procedures you never thought about before. Sometimes they will astound you with their success.
Latest News -
We're getting ready to launch a very exciting new program that can make a big difference in your future. We call it a "foundation" program, because it teaches critical and fundamental secrets about succeeding as an entrepreneur and wealth builder. We'll be sending a special letter announcing it in a few days. It really gets to the heart of what Early to Rise is all about: Overcoming the things in your life (including your own habits) that are preventing you from being successful. Keep an eye on your inbox. Don't miss it.
"Your subconscious mind doesn't joke." "Dear Michael,
"How I wish your article would be republished everywhere... and not just for those
who run businesses. Everyone needs to realize that what they 'joke' about imprints in the subconscious. "The subconscious mind takes at face value your words and thoughts. You think you're joking when you say, 'They're idiots.' But your subconscious mind doesn't joke. Your subconscious mind takes this 'joke,' evaluates the words, relates them to other words and images you have regarding 'idiots,' and files it away.
"The result: you form a belief that becomes the foundation of how you view and relate to those people.
"This is in every relationship... children, spouses, significant others, etc."
Cathy Chapman, Ph.D., LCSW -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended----------------------------------------------------- "This year I claimed $134,408 on my income tax return -- all from copywriting!" - What do a retired engineer, a ballroom dance instructor, and a grocery store clerk have in common? They all made more money than they ever had within months of finding out they could write sales letters. And they did it while working less than they ever had before. Hear their amazing stories here...
Today's Words That Work: Innocuous Innocuous (ih-NOK-yoo-us) -- from the Latin -- is another way of saying harmless. Example (as used by Bob Cox today): "Internal distractions may seem innocuous. But they can completely derail your schedule and put you off track."
We want your feedback! Let us know your thoughts on today's issue. Email us at: AskETR@ETRFeedback.com | 
No comments:
Post a Comment