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If you happened to watch the New Year’s Eve festivities from New York’s Times Square, you may have seen Mayor Michael Bloomberg being interviewed and heard him say, as far as he is concerned, the operative word for 2009 is “Optimism,” which according to Wikipedia, is an outlook on life such that one maintains a view of the world as a positive place.
I’m with him. It’s about time we had optimistic talk being spread over the airwaves. We’ve certainly had our fill of the other kind.
As with anything else, if we believe this and begin affirming it, we will make it so. It would be really great if the majority of people followed the sentiment of “Mayor Mike,” however, what’s even more important is that each of us affirm it for ourselves.
In truth we can only create our own experience, not the experience of others so, regardless of what the masses choose to do we can start seeing this coming year through a lens of optimism and act accordingly.
No one but you can create your life experience. Not the government, not your employer, not even your spouse. What occurs in your life is totally within your control and is a result of your thoughts, feelings and actions.
If you choose to join with me and Mayor Bloomberg and see this year optimistically, as a year of opportunity and positive expectations, you will, in fact, create your best year ever.
While optimism is a great outlook on life and a key ingredient for success, it’s not all there is. You’ll need a vision of what you want your life to become, specific and measurable goals, an action plan to follow and, hopefully, a mentor or coach to keep you on track.
If you have a coach, great. If not, now would be a good time to get one. Or, if you cannot afford a coach right now, “buddy up”with someone and hold each other accountable. Find someone you feel comfortable sharing your dreams and goals with and arrange to meet with them regularly. This is an important component for success. No one does it alone.
With all the change in the air and the general feelings of hope and possibility being expressed by people from all walks of life, it’s looking like 2009 is going to be a banner year.
As with everything else in nature, there’s an ebb and flow to our life. After last year, I think you’ll agree we’re all ready for the flow to begin. Bring it on!
If you really want to make 2009 your best year ever and are ready to play full out, check out my new tele-seminar program “Live Your Destiny 2009.”
Over the course of the next few days, I’ll be posting a series of articles specifically written to help you start your year off right. If you miss any, or if you’re new to personal development, you can always find the entire series in the “Starting Out” category.
By the way, if you are planning on working one-on-one with a coach, I have an opening. You can learn more here
Georgia and I have used ebay.com, on and off, as a way to create some fast cash since 1999 and, as I’ve said over and over, I believe it’s something everyone can do whenever they want some extra money.
And, of course, you can do it as a full time business if that’s what you’re looking for.
Take a minute and watch this a short video, taken from one of my live seminar’s and learn some of my simple tips for making money on ebay.
This is the second in the series of “year end” exercises. In case you missed the first exercise, you can get it here: Write your accomplishments
Before we go on to the fun parts of creating your fabulous vision and plans for the coming year, I’d like you to take a look at everything in your life and list those things you are putting up with that you’d be better off eliminating.
As the title of one of my books points out,This is your life, not a dress rehearsal. You deserve the best life has to offer.
This means having a life where you feel safe in your own home. A life where you are treated well and respected by others. A life that is free from the things you do not wish to experience.
In the filed of professional coaching, there is something called Tolerations. These are the things that, for whatever reason, you tolerate in your life. Sometimes, they’re minor inconveniences like a friend who’s always late for appointments. Sometimes, people tolerate serious things like physical or emotional abuse. You do not have to tolerate that which you do not want or have in your life.
Take some time to look at your life as it is right now. What are you tolerating that you’d rather be rid of? Do you tolerate friends who constantly put you down? Why? Why not surround yourself with people who will support you in your endeavors, whatever they may be. After all, it’s your life, isn’t it?
Do you tolerate a boss who treats you poorly? No one should have to put up with disrespect. Maybe you should have a talk with this person and let them know how you feel. Perhaps, it’s time to look for another position or a career change.
Do you tolerate an abusive parent, spouse or child? Don’t! Go and get some help before it’s too late.
What about your home? Are you tolerating a dirty, cluttered environment when what you really want is a clean, uncluttered one? Change it!
Are you tolerating a dripping faucet or shower? Call a plumber. Do you tolerate an automobile that runs poorly or is unsafe? Have it fixed! Does your bedroom need painting or a carpet cleaning? What are you waiting for?
What are you tolerating in your health? Do you tolerate being overweight and in poor health when you’d really rather be healthy & fit? You’re in control you know. It’s your life and it’s up to you to make it what you want it to be.
Most of these things can be eliminated just by making the time to address them. While some may require you to hire a professional to help, others you can do yourself.
The interesting thing about making a list like this and going through it, item by item, is as you do it, you will feel more and more in control of your life and environment and this powerful feeling will carry over into all areas of your life.
Tolerate nothing. You are in control. This is your life, not a dress rehearsal.
It’s not very often I write a product review, however, the other day I received something from a trusted friend and I just had to check it out.
What caught my attention, aside from the fact it was from someone who’s opinion I trust, is that with all the hype these days about now you can make millions of dollars working from home just a few hours a day, this offer was promising, not untold riches, but the ability to add $100 a day or more to your income.
Since I already know what that could mean to the ordinary working woman or man I had to take a look.
I was amazed and, to tell you the truth quite impressed, when I realized this is a very comprehensive product with detailed, step-by-step information that almost anyone can use to make an additional hundred dollars (or more) per day, working from home in their spare time.
Of course, there are no guarantees but this contained so many different ways you can earn extra money, twenty to be exact, written by regular people who have been doing what they’re teaching for years.
The one thing that really impressed me was that, even with all the ways I know how to make money online, having been doing it for over a decade, I still learned new ideas and new ways to improve and enhance the things I’ve been doing all along.
If you want to kick off 2009 by adding another income stream to your household, check this out.
With so many people worrying about losing their jobs, this can provide a nice fall back plan should that occur.
Several years ago, I began a practice of writing my accomplishments at the end of the year I borrowed the idea from the corporate world. In most companies, managers are required to submit a list of their accomplishments and objectives annually. This information is used as the basis for performance reviews, raises, and promotions.
I thought, Hey, if it works for them, maybe it will help me. The sense of personal satisfaction and encouragement I received after doing this once was so great that it has become a regular practice.
We take so much of what we do for granted, or just shrug it off, saying, It’s no big deal. We point to the successes, contributions, and accomplishments of others while overlooking all that we ourselves have done. Only after taking the time to list our own accomplishments and activities do we see that we, too, are making a difference. We realize how much we have actually done in our lives, and this serves to encourage and motivate us to even greater heights.
In your journal, make a list of what you have done in the past year
- Where have you vacationed?
- What plays, movies, or concerts have you seen?
- What books have you read?
- What have you done for and with your family?
- What have you accomplished in your business?
- What about personal goals?
- What have you done for yourself?
- What about your health?
- Have you lost weight,began exercising, or played a sport?
- Did you start a business, write a book, or give a speech?
Write down everything you can think of. The more, the better.
Seeing all you have done will raise your self-esteem and increase the likelihood that you will accomplish even more in the coming year. You have probably done much more than you realize, and writing it down will enable you to see just how much you have accomplished.
Business guru Brian Tracy, once commented that whenever he interviewed a prospective employee, one of the first questions he would ask was, What’s the last self-help book you read? I’m guessing that the answer had a lot to do with how long the rest of the interview would last and the candidates chances of being hired.
With job losses mounting, this is a question worth considering. Why would anyone, especially a prospective employer, care what you read?
From where I sit, it’s quite simple. If you’re not interested in your own personal growth and professional development, are you really someone I want representing my company?
It’s a fact that virtually every successful person makes a habit out of reading and listening to personal development information. Years ago, audio program producer, Nightingale-Conant, conduced a survey of their customers and asked what value, in dollars, they would place on having listened to one of the company’s programs. The average was $180,000.
Years ago, as I wrote in my book Stop Living paycheck to Paycheck, my friend, John, increased his income 15% during one of the worst automotive slumps in history. The only thing he changed was he started reading self-help books for fifteen to twenty minutes each day before going to work.
Millionaire network marketers teach their people to read each day as a way to remain motivated. The people who are successful in that industry are the one’s who follow that advice.
Sadly, most people have not read a book since they left school and a third of the population has not been in a bookstore in years. In Korea in 2006, more money was spent on cigarettes than on books.
Joe Girard, the number one car salesman in the world, wrote a book, How to Sell Anything to Anybody about how he did it. It amazes me how few car salespeople I’ve meet who have read the book.
Personally, I watched as my life changed in direct proportion to what I was reading and listening to each day. To this day, if I start to feel, “less than great” it’s usually because I have not been keeping up my practice of ongoing personal development.
There are lots of great books published and more being released each week. Of course, I’d prefer you start with one of my books but it’s more important you read something that will nurture your spirit and help you maintain a positive outlook on life.
But, don’t stop there. Make this a part of your daily routine and you will learn, as I did, that it is one of the “secrets” to a happier, more successful life.
Reading self-help and listening to personal development audio programs transformed my life from one of desperation to a life beyond anything I ever expected. And they continue to do so today.
One of the major contributors to the achievements and successes I enjoy today is the fact that I have developed the habit of reading inspiring books and listening to personal development programs regularly.
With so many people uncertain about the economy, job losses mounting and financial news worsening each day, I want to make a special offer on what I believe is an ideal Holiday gift.
I have 14 copies of the CD version of my Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck audio program remaining. These are the one’s in the big vinyl binder.
When they’re gone, I will be changing the packaging to something smaller.
Since they make an impressive looking gift, not to mention the life changing information they contain, I want to offer you the chance to order one or more at a special “clearance” price.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave or just dropped in from Pluto, you already know that we’re experiencing challenging economic times. The US in particular, along with many other countries, is in a recession and there is no end in sight.
There are a lot of people who are going to give you lots of good reasons why this is the absolute worst time you can start your own business.
They’ll explain how, with the economy slow and money tight, businesses and individuals are cutting back on spending.
They’ll tell you about the tight money and credit situation and how banks are not lending money, which by the way, is not true.
They’ll pile on reason after reason until, feeling utterly defeated, you give up on your dreams.
I know. I received the exact same advice when I started my first business in 1974!
I heard it again in 1987 when I started my life over on my road to recovery, and I heard it in 1983, when I began a magazine for small businesses and, again, in 1996 when I published my first book.
As a matter of fact, every time I started anything new in my business, I heard essentially the same reasons why it was a bad idea, usually from the same sources.
The truth is, it’s all in your head, really.
If you expect to struggle and fail, you will. If you expect to have fun and thrive, you will.
It’s been said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!”
Whatever you believe is the deciding factor in your endeavor. Not what’s going on around you.
Like the little mints that are both “a candy and a breath mint,” it’s always a good time to begin your own business and it’s always the worst time.
Both the positive and negative polarities are there in any situation. The good news is that you get to choose which one you will believe.
What is important, especially in challenging economic times, it that you have more than one income stream. Additionally, having your own business part or full time is one of the best wealth building strategies that you can employ.
Today, you can begin your own business right from your home, with little more than a computer, an internet connection, a cell phone and some business cards. Follow this link to know more about some of the specific ways that you can start your own home-based business.
With the ability to outsource, create virtual teams and join venture, you can keep your overhead down and still grow your business. It’s important to understand that the business you start today will most likely look very different from what it will become in the future.
Stay flexible and ready to respond to changes in the marketplace rather than react.
A good example of the difference between the two is the comparison between the Japanese and the American car manufactures.
The Japanese companies, particularly Toyota, responded to market conditions by producing hybrids and smaller cars that use less gas. They shifted away from the big truck initiative as people’s needs and wants changed.
General Motors, Chrysler and Ford on the other hand, held to their position as though it were somehow sacred until they were forced look to the government to bail them out.
By waiting, they were forced to react rather than respond to market conditions. Perhaps the Ford, Chrysler and General Motors executives were busy flying around in their company jets.
WIth all the challenges people are having with money, especially this time of year, I felt these powerful affirmations would help. Speak, write, and/or sing them to help you change your money consciousness.
You can grow your business by leverage your relationships with colleagues, suppliers, distributors and yes, even your competitors.
Several years ago I attended a demonstration at a local copier supplier. It was a huge success as a herd of people roamed throughout the building seeing live demos of the latest in office copiers.
While the local business hosted the event, their supplier provided the factory trained experts on hand to answer people’s questions.
Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Saks have regular “trunk shows” and make-up events to attract customers, again with the expertise provided by the manufacturers.
Faith Popcorn pointed out in her landmark book The Popcorn Report published in 198?, people like entertainment while they shop.
Could your supplier help you create an event and fill your business with customers?
By the way, if you want to learn more about a huge untapped market, namely women, read Popcorn’s latest book Eveolution.
What about your colleagues? Could a carpet or home cleaning company team up with a caterer and offer a holiday special?
Might a lawyer, accountant and banker put together a free event for their business customers? What could you do to leverage your business?
Do you have underused equipment sitting around? Many local newspapers whose presses are only used for a few hours a day, will take on outside printing jobs. Your typical weekly paper is most likely being printed on a daily newspaper’s presses.
One smart auto repairperson I knew would rent out his extra repair bay to hobbyists who wanted to do their own work. Do you have additional capacity from your equipment that would be of interest to someone else?
Opportunities on the internet
I’ve saved the best for last. If there is one area that is underutilized by small businesses, it’s your website. Ninety percent or more of local business websites that I’ve visited are nothing more than online brochures. I call them Tombstones in Cyberspace.
Contrast this against the sites used by internet marketers. Internet marketers, people whose business profits entirely or in part online, engage the customer with an array of techniques designed to keep them coming back, refer them to friends and leave them wanting more.
The typical offline business gets little if any internet traffic, mainly because their sites have not been setup properly or not even optimized for search engines.
What is even sadder is that if someone does manage to stubble upon their site, they have no way to connect with the visitor and develop an ongoing relationship.
Other than SEO, the easiest thing that you can do is set up some sort of “capture mechanism.” A simple subscription box connected to an auto responder will enable you to begin building a database of your customers and potential customers.
As my friend Vic Johnson, a highly successful internet marketer of personal development information said, “He who has the biggest list, wins! Or, as every online marketer knows, the money is in the list.
Once you’ve started building your online database, you have the ability to contact your customers whenever you want and at virtually no cost.
If you can’t go into your business tomorrow morning at 7:30, create a special offer to jump start sales, and have it out to a list of several hundred or thousand customers by 9:00, you’re missing out on a great opportunity. Go here if you want to learn how you can grow your offline business with online strategies.
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