Alan Weiss, doing what he does.

“It costs virtually nothing to act successful. But you have to give yourself permission.”

See today’s profound post here

Why Success Is a Science (from ETR)

By James Arthur Ray

In his best-selling book Automatic Wealth, Michael Masterson devoted an entire chapter to the importance of developing wealthy habits. One of the things he said: “There is no one way to become rich. But there are a number of habits that some people develop that give them an almost supernatural ability to earn money and build wealth.” He then went on to discuss eight things that successful wealth builders do - eight habits that they have in common.

You’ve probably observed that people who are highly successful at any skill - not only wealth building - achieve their results by doing “certain things in a certain way.” Add to this the scientific fact that “like causes produce like effects” - and one thing becomes clear: If you and I consistently employ the same thought processes and actions as these highly successful individuals, we will produce similar results.

This is why success is an absolute science. If you apply the principles (thoughts and actions) of peak performers, you will accelerate your results far beyond your current level of achievement. Put it to the test.

In his book Psychocybernetics, Dr. Maxwell Maltz talks about our daily actions being a direct result of our habits. Since your actions are the cause of your results, it is fair to assume that your habits are what ultimately create the results you obtain. Habits are the things you and I do naturally and automatically, without thinking. Most of these habits were formed at a very early age and are now collected in your unconscious mind. According to Maltz, if you want to change your results, you must begin to form new habits.

Your current thinking regarding your abilities, your product, and your industry is habitual. It is buried in your unconscious mind, and it drives your behavior on a daily basis. Many times, this mindset is limiting, because it has as its foundation things said by a parent, teacher, coach, etc. that were intended to protect us from disappointment … but are actually disempowering. Things like: “Be realistic,” “Don’t expect too much,” and “Life is hard.”

To reverse this negative mindset and build the habits of a top performer, start by taking these four first steps:

1. Set a clear and measurable goal.

Make it a goal that you are excited about accomplishing. The human spirit will not invest itself in mediocrity - so if you want to succeed in overcoming limiting habits, your goal must create passion in you!

When you set your goal, keep two other important things in mind: It must be specific … and it must be measurable. Instead of “I want to make more money,” write, “I am earning a minimum of $70,000 per year.” This way, you will know exactly when you have accomplished the goal.

2. Write your goal in the present tense.

Notice that in the above example, the goal is in the present tense: “I am earning a minimum of $70,000 per year.” There’s a reason for doing this. It will cause you to fully associate with the achievement of your goal. Your unconscious mind is totally deductive, and, therefore it accepts anything that your conscious mind gives it without question. Consequently, correct phrasing is imperative. Instead of “I want to earn $70,000 per year,” write your goal as if you have already achieved it.

3. Write your goal every single day, carry it with you everywhere you go, and read it as often as possible.

Remember, you are developing habits of the highly successful - ways of thinking and acting that are new to you. So don’t think that this step is redundant. Realize that it has taken years to develop your current limiting mindset - and it will take concentrated effort to replace it.

4. Take action and make daily decisions with your goal in mind.

For example, you might ask yourself the question: “What decision would I make right now or what action would I take right now as a $70,000 income earner?” Answer the question - and act! If you act based upon your current status, you will continue to create your current results.

Any time you experience frustration with these action steps, realize that it is caused by your old mental “programming” trying to push you back into old behaviors. Don’t give in! The mark of a master achiever is a person who has the ability to give himself a command - and follow it.

[Ed. Note: James Arthur Ray, a leading expert on the psychology of success, has devoted his life to helping ordinary people lead extraordinary lives. Recently, James put together an enormous package titled "Focusing on the Science of Success." If you are ready to transform your life, here's how you can try out this program for 30 days.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

What’s Your Story?

Much is made in marketing about your target market, demographics, which media to use, et cetera. The simple fact is, these are the least of your worries. When you begin to design a marketing campaign, you need to think about what stories you will tell.

The research, and yes, the results, show that the ads that bring in the most dollars always tell a story. Whether it’s Tom Bodett telling of the simplicity of Motel 6, to any number of “on the road” ads, storytelling is the way to get people’s attention and keep it. “They all laughed when I sat down at the piano.” Well, they may have, but that campaign from many years ago brought in many thousands.

What stories do your ads tell?
How can you use your product to tell a story?

Tig Wallis helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their marketing, technology, and customer service processes. He is founder of The Wallis Group, a business and marketing consulting firm located in California.

Contact Tig at tigwallis@thewallisgroup.com

One More Step

Thought I would share a song I just wrote today about persistence:

One More Step

it’s a crazy world, there’s no doubt
where you become what you think about
seems like sometimes this life’s so rough
i just feel like giving up

that’s when i take
one more step
got no time to stop and
catch my breath
whenever i feel like there’s
nothing left
that’s when i get up and take
one more step

one day i met the luckiest man
asked him what’s your secret do you have a plan
he said, i don’t know but on this i can bet
the harder i work the luckier i get

and i always take
one more step
got no time to stop and
catch my breath
whenever i feel like there’s
nothing left
that’s when i get up and take
one more step

you gotta be in the right place at the right time
so be in a lot of places

and don’t forget to take
one more step
got no time to stop and
catch my breath
whenever i feel like there’s
nothing left
that’s when i get up and take
one more step
(c) 2008 Tig Wallis

It’s Your Responsibility

Of course, it’s your responsibility. It’s your business, isn’t it? So if things aren’t working out or sales aren’t what you want them to be,

• It’s not the big box stores.
• It’s not the economy.
• It’s not the housing market.

It’s you.
Your business.
Your responsibility to make it work.

Otherwise, why stay in business?

Of course, I see the people who give up, because they just can’t make it work, and Here’s what I say to them:
Have you tried everything?
have you tried…something?

The Laws of Visibility

1. Customers will buy from you if they feel welcome.
2. Customers will buy from you if they like you.
3. Customers will buy from you if they know you exist.

Three Little Things

John Forde in Early To Rise proposes an interesting strategy: just do three things. Of course, pick three things that count; not like checking your email or the thousand little everyday things you do. But pick three things you would like to accomplish in the next 1,000 minutes. Those are the things you need to focus on for the rest of the day.

There are always things that you think of that need to be done every day. Throughout the day you think of even more. Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and realized that there was something you were meaning to do all day, and it just slipped your mind? It goes long with focus; you can really only focus on three things anyway.

The word decide comes from the Latin décīdere, to cut off. So when you decide on what you are going to do, you are cutting away all of the other stuff that wants to get in your way.

So, leaving out all of the calls and emails and hallway conversations and diversions, what three things are you going to get done today?

CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF WINNING?

is the first question I have to ask you. If you’re wondering why things aren’t not working out, why everything you try goes wrong, The very first thing you have to be able to do is see yourself winning. To view, as Matt Furey puts it, the “movie in your mind” See it, feel it, like it’s real. See yourself winning Give it a try.

Why A Database?

Well, my first thought would be, why not? But hey, I’m biased. So let’s say you have a client list you use for mailings. Sure you could keep your records in a Rolodex, in MS Word, or even an Excel spreadsheet, like many people do. But you expect your client list to grow (and grow it will), and after a while it will become unwieldy. There is just too much data in most client lists to keep track of efficiently in anything but a database.

Lucky for you, if you do keep your data in Excel, it’s incredibly easy to migrate it to an Access database. And if you have it in Word, it’s just a little less easy. The upside of this, other than your computer thanking you for being so efficient, is that you will have a multitude of new ways to look at your client list. Soon you will be thinking of new and interesting things to add to your information about your clients, like their birthdays, the names of their kids, all the things you can use to get closer to your clients and get them to buy more often.

1,440 minutes

We are all given 1,440 minutes every single day, to do with as we decide. Regardless of age, race, gender, or financial position, one thing all humans have in common is the amount of time we are given in a single day.

So why do some people seem to have so much more time than others? Well, you might say, they just manage their time better. But you can’t really manage time, just like you can’t save it. The answer is how you use it.

Here are three keys to get your time usage under control:

Write it Down
It has been said that 1 hour of planning will save 10 hours of doing. When it comes to getting through your day, the “To-Do” list is a must! But it has to be a list of more than just “what I want to get done today.” Start out by figuring out what you REALLY have to do. These are the most important things that MUST be done today. Realistically, you can probably get two to three really important things done in a day.

Prioritize It
According to a recent study, 20% of the average workday is spent on “crucial” and “important” things, while 80% of the average workday is spent on things that have “little value” or “no value”. Do the most important things first. Or, if you have something especially heinous you have to do, do that first. It’s always easiest to get the hard stuff out of the way first. Think of your time lake a jar: If you fill your jar with sand (lots of little stuff), you won’t have any room for big rocks (the big stuff). But, if you put the big rocks in the jar first, you will still have room for the sand.

One tool I heard about from magician Eric Paul (www.epmagic.com) is to use a cheap kitchen timer to keep you on task. Set the timer for however long you want to spend on the task at hand, then keep an eye on it! Every time you get an interruption, you will be reminded by your timer of how much time is being wasted by the interruption, and you will get back on task quicker.

Stay on Task
The average person gets 1 interruption every 8 minutes, or approximately 50-60 per day. The average interruption takes 5 minutes, so 50% of the average workday is taken up by interruptions. First thing to do: Stay on Task! A comment I hear often is, “I make a to-do list, but it gets buried on my desk!” One way to prevent losing your list is to keep your it in front of you at all times. Put it on a Super Sticky note on your monitor or, as one of my colleagues does, write it on your hand!

All in all taming you time is not a difficult task, but one that takes some planning and daily commitment. Try these tips for 21 days, and you will have a habit that lasts a lifetime.
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