7 FACTS OF LIFE

 

                       GET THE FACTS DOWN ON PAPER!

                    WHEN ARNOLD BENNETT STARTED OUT IN LONDON FIFTY YEARS AGO TO BE A NOVELIST. HE WAS POOR AND HARD-PRESSED. SO HE KEPT A RECORD OF WHAT HE DID WITH EVERY SIXPENCE. DID HE WONDER WHERE HIS MONEY WAS GOING? NO. HE KNEW. HE LIKED THE IDEA SO MUCH THAT HE CONTINUED TO KEEP SUCH A RECORD EVEN AFTER HE BECOME RICH, WORLD FAMOUS, AND HAD A PRIVATE YACHAT.

                   YOU AND I. TOO, WILL HAVE TO GET NOTEBOOKS AND START KEEPING RECORDS. FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES? NO, NOT NECESSARILY. EXPERTS ON BUDGETS RECOMMEND THAT WE KEEP AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF EVERY NECKEL WE SPEND FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST MONTH - AND , IF POSSIBLE, FOR THREE MONTHS. THIS IS TO GIVE US AN ACCURATE RECORD OF WHERE OUR MONEY GOES, SO WE CAN DRAW UP A BUDGET.

                   OH, YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES? WELL, MAYBE SO, BUT IF YOU DO, YOU ARE ONE IN A THOUSAND! MRS.STAPLETON TELLS ME IT IS A COMMON OCCURENCE FOR MEN AND WOMEN TO SPEND HOURS GIVING HER FACTS AND FIGURES, SO SHE CAN GET THEM DOWN ON PAPER - THEN, WHEN THEY SEE THE RESULT ON PAPER, THEY EXCLAIM, IS THAT THE WAY MY MONEY GOES? THEY CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT. ARE YOU LIKE THAT? COULD BE.

                      2. GET A TAILOR-MADE BUDGET THAT REALLY

                                                  FITS YOUR NEEDS!

                     MRS. STAPLETON TELLS ME THAT TWO FAMILIES MAY LIVE SIDE BY SIDE IN IDENTICAL HOUSES, IN THE VERY SAME SUBURB, HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN THE FAMILY, AND RECEIVE THE SAME INCOME - YET THEIR BUDGETING NEEDS WILL BE RADICALLY DIFFERENT. WHY? BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT. SHE SAYS A BUDGET HAS TO BE A PERSONAL, CUSOM-MADE JOB.

                  THE IDEA OF A BUDGET IS NOT A WRING ALL THE JOY OUT OF LIFE. THE IDEA IS TO GIVE US A SENSE OF MATERIAL SECURITY - WHICH IN MANY CAUSES MEANS EMOTIONAL SECURITY AND FREEDOM FROM WORRY. PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON BUDGETS, MRS. STAPLETON TOLD ME, ARE HAPPIER PEOPLE.

                   BUT HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT IT? FIRST AS I SAID YOU MUST LIST ALL EXPENSES. THEN GET ADVICE.

                   I ASKED MRS. STAPLETON, "WHAT WOULD YOU DO, IF YOU LIVED IN A SMALL TOWN, OR ON A FARM, AND WANTED PERSONAL ADVICE ON DRAWING UP A BUDGET,  SHE ANSWERED, I WOULD TERRITORY, I WOULD ASK THAT PAPER WHERE I COULD GET PERSONAL GUIDANCE IN DRAWING UP A BUDGET - AND I WOULD TRAVEL ALL DAY, IF I HAD TO, TO GET THAT ADVICE.

                                        3. LEARN HOW TO SPEND WISELY

                 BY THIS I MEAN: LEARN HOW TO GET THE BEST VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY . ALL LARGE CORPORATIONS HAVE PROFESSIONAL BUYERS AND PURCHASING AGENTS WHO DO NOTHING BUT GET THE VERY BEST BUYS FOR THEIR FIRMS. AS STEWARD AND MANAGER OF YOUR PERSONAL ESTATE, WHY SHOULDN'T YOU DO LIKEWISE?

                                4. DON'T INCREASE YOUR HEADEACHES

                                                    WITH YOUR INCOME

                   MRS. STAPLETON TOLD ME THAT THE BUDGETS SHE DREADS MOST TO BE CALLES INTO CONSULTATION ON ARE FAMILY INCOMES OF FIVE THOUSAND A YEAR. I ASKED HER WHY. "BECAUSE" SHE SAID, "FIVE THOUSAND A YEAR SEEMS TO BE A GOAL TO MOST AMERICAN FAMILIES. THEY MAY GO ALONG SENSIBLY AND SANELY FOR YEARS- THEN, WHEN THEIR INCOME RISES TO FIVE THOUSAND A YEAR, THEY THINK THEY HAVE ARRIVED. THEY START BRANCHING OUT. BUY A HOUSE IN THE SUBURBS THAT DOESN'T COST ANY MORE THAN RENTING AN APARTEMENT. BUT A CAR, A LOT OF NEW FURNITURE, AND A LOT OF NEW CLOTHES - AND THE FIRST THING YOU KNOW, THEY ARE RUNNING INTO THE RED. THEY ARE ACTUALLY LESS HAPPY THAN THEY WERE BEFORE - BECAUSE THEY HAVE BITTEN OFF TOO MUCH WITH THEIR INCREASE IN INCOME.

                   THAT IS ONLY NATURAL. WE ALL WANT TO GET MORE OUT OF LIFE. BUT IN THE LONG RUN, WHICH IS GOING TO BRING US MORE HAPPINESS - OR HAVING DUNNING LETTERS IN THE MAIL AND CREDITORS POUNDING ON THE FRONT DOOR?

                                          5. TRY TO BUILD CREDIT, IN THE EVENT

                                                               YOU MUST BORROW

  

                          BE SURE YOUR INSURANCE POLICIES HAVE A SAVINGS ASPECTS, IF YOU WANT TO BORROW ON THEM, FOR THIS MEANS A CASH VALUE. CERTAIN TYPES OF INSURANCE, CALLED "TERM INSURANCE" ARE MERELY FOR YOUR PROTECTION OVER A GIVEN PERIOD OF TIME AND DO NOT BUILD UP RESERVES. THESE POLICIES ARE OBVIOUSLY OF NO USE TO YOU FOR BORROWING PURPOSES. THEREFORE, THE RULE IS, ASK QUESTIONS! BEFORE YOU SIGN FOR A POLICY, FIND OUT IF IT HAS A CASH VALUE IN CASE YOU HAVE TO RAISE MONEY.

                        NOW, SUPPOSE YOU DON'T HAVE INSURANCE YOU CAN BORROW ON, AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY BONDS, BUT YOU DO OWN A  HOUSE, OR A CAT, OR SOME OTHER KIND OF COLLATERAL. WHERE DO YOU GO TO BORROW? BY ALL MEANS, TO A BANK! BANKS HAVE A REPUTATION TO MAINTAIN IN THE COMMUNITY, AND THEY WILL USUALLY DEAL WITH YOU FAIRLY. FREQUENTLY IF YOU ARE IN A FINANCIAL JAM, THE BANK WILL GO SO FAR AS TO DISCUSS YOUR PROBLEMS WITH YOU, MAKE A PLAN, AND HELP YOU WORK YOUR WAY OUT OF YOUR WORRY AND INDEBTEDNESS. I REPEAT, IF YOU HAVE COLLATERAL GO TO  A BANK!

                         HOWEVER, SUPPOSE YOU ARE ONE OF THE THOUSANDS  WHO DON'T HAVE COLLATERAL, DON'T OWN ANY PROPERTY, AND HAVED NOTHING TO OFFER AS GUARANTEE EXCEPT YOUR WAGES OR SALARY? THEN AS YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE, HEED THIS WORD OF WARNING! DO NOT DO NOT APPLY TO A "LOAN COMPANY" WITHOUT MAKING SURE THAT IT OPERATES UNDER STATE LICENSE. THE 32 STATES WHICH DO HAVE THIS LAW, HOWEVER, THE LICENSED LOAN COMPANIES CAN USUALLY BE DEPENDED ON. MOST OF THEM ARE ETHICAL, HONEST, AND STRICTLY ON THE LEVEL. THEY ARE DOING A SERVICE TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE FACED WITH ILLNESS OR EMERGENCY AND HAVE TO RAISE MONEY. THEY CHARGE A HIGHER RATE OF INTEREST THAT THE BANKS, BUT THEY HAVE TO DO THIS, FOR THEY TAKE GREATER RISKS AND HAVE GREATER EXPENSES IN COLLECTING. BUT, IF YOU LIVE IN A STATE WHERE LOAN COMPANIES ARE UNREGULATED. BEFORE DOING BUSINESS WITH ANY LOAN COMPANY, GO TO YOUR BANK, TALK TO ONE OF ITS OFFICERS, AND ASK HIM TO RECOMMEND TO RECOMMED A LOAN COMPANY THAT HE KNOWS TO BE FAIR.

                 RULE NO 6. PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST ILLNESS, 

                                        FIRE, AND EMERGENCY EXPENSES.'

                       INSURANCE IS AVAILABLE, FOR RELATIVELY SMALL SUMS, ON ALL KINDS OF ACCIDENTS, MISFORTUNES, AND CONCEIVABLE EMERGENCIES. I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT YOU COVER YOURSELF FOR EVERYTHING FROM SLIPPING IN THE BATHTUB TO CATCHING GERMAN MEASLES - BUT I DO SUGGEST THAT YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST THE MAJOR MISFORTUNES THAT YOU KNOW COULD NOT YOUR MONEY AND THEREFORE DO COST YOU WORRY. IT'S CHEAP AT THE PRICE.

                       RULE NO 7. DO NOT HAVE YOUR LIFE-INSURANCE 

                                    PROCEEDS PAID TO YOUR WIDOW IN CASH

                         IF YOU ARE CARRYING LIFE INSURANCE TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY AFTER YOU'RE GONE, DO NOT, I BEG OF YOU, HAVE YOUR INSURANCE PAID IN ONED LUMP SUM.

                       WHAT HAPPENS TO "A NEW WIDOW WITH NEW MONEY? I'LL LET MRS.MARION S.EBERLY ANSWER THAT QUESTION. SHE IS HEAD OF THE WOMEN'S DIVISION OF THE INSTITUTE OF LIFE INSURANCE. 60 EAST 42ND STREET, NEW YORK CITY. SHE SPEAKS BEFORE WOMEN'S CLUBS ALL OVER AMERICA ON THE WISDOM OF USING LIFE-INSURANCE PROCEEDS TO PURCHASE A LIFE INCOME FOR THE WIDOW INSTEAD OF GIVING HER THE PROCEEDS IN CASH. SHE TELLS OF ONE WIDOW WHO RECEIVED TWENTY THOUSANDS DOLLARS IN CASH AND LENT IT TO HER SON TO START IN THE AUTO-ACCESSORY BUSINESS FAILED, AND SHE IS DESTITUTE NOW. SHE TELLS OF ANOTHER WIDOW WHO WAS PERSUADED BY A SLICK REAL-ESTATE SALESMAN TO PUT MOST OF HER LIFE-INSURANCE MONEY IN  VACANT LOST THAT WERE "SURE TO DOUBLE IN VALUE WITHIN YEAR". THERE YEARS LATER, SHE SOLD THE LOTS FOR ONE TENTH OF WHAT SHE PAID FOR THEM. SHE TELLS OF ANOTHER WIDOW WHO HAD TO APPLY TO THE CHILD WELFARE ASSOCIATION FOR THE SUPPORT OF HER CHILDREN - WITHIN TWELVE MONTHS AFTER SHE HAD BEEN LEFT FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS IN LIFE INSURANCE. A HUNDRED THOUSAND SIMILAR TRAGEDIES COULD BE TOLD.

                     THE AVERAGE LIFETIME OF TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS LEFT IN THE HANDS OF A WOMAN IS LESS THAN SEVEN YEARS". THAT STATEMENT WAS MADE BY SYLVIA S. PORTER, FINANCIAL EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK POST, IN THE LADIES HOME JOURNAL.

                     YEARS AGO, THE SATURDAY EVENING POST SAID IN AN EDITORIAL: THE EASE WITH WHICH THE AVERAGE WIDOW WITHOUT BUSINESS TRAINING, AND WITH NO BANKER TO ADVICE HER, CANBE WHEEDLED INTO PUTTING HER HUSBAND'S LIFE-INSURANCE MONEY INTO WILDCAT STOCKS BY THE FIRST SLICK SALESMAN WHO APPROACHES HER - IS PROVERBIAL. ANY LAWYER OR BANKER CAN CITE A DOZEN CASES IN WHICH THE ENTIRE SAVINGS OF A THIRTY MAN'S LIFETIME. AMASSED BY YEARS OF SACRIFICE AND SELF-DENIAL, WERE SWEPT AWAY SIMPLY BECAUSE A WIDOW OR AN ORPHAN TRUSTED ONE OF THE SLICK CROOKS WHO ROB WOMEN FOR A LIVELIHOOD.

                    IF YOU WANT TO PROTECT YOUR WIDOW AND YOUR CHILDREN, WHY NOT TAKE A TIP FROM J.P MORGAN - ONE OF THE WISEST FINANCIEAR WHO EVER LIVED. HE LEFT MONEY IN HIS WILL TO SIXTEEN PRINCIPLE LEGATEES. TWELVE WERE WOMEN. DID HE LEAVE THESE WOMEN CASH? HE LEFT TRUST FUNDS THAT INSURED THESE WOMEN A MONTHLY INCOME FOR LIFE.

HOW TO ADD ONE HOUR A DAY TO YOURF WAKING LIFE

 

                               BEFORE ONE HOUR A DAY

                              WHY AM I WRITING A CHAPTER ON PREVENTING FATIGUE IN A BOOK ON PREVENTING WORRY? THAT IS SIMPLE FATIGUE OFTEN PRODUCES WORRY, OR LEAST, IT MAKES YOU SUSCEPTIBLE TO WORRY. ANY MEDICAL STUDENT WILL TELL YOU THAT FATIGUE LOWERS PHYSICAL RESISTANCE TO THE COMMON COLD AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER DISEASES, TO THE COMMON COLD AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER DISEASES, AND ANY PSYCHIATRIST WILL TELL YOU THAT FATIGUE ALSO LOWERS YOU RESISTANCE TO THE EMOTIONS OF FEAR AND WORRY. SO PREVENTING FATIGUE TENDS TO PREVENT WORRY.

                          DID I SAY, "TENDS TO PREVENT WORRY? THAT IS PUTTING IT MILDLY. DR.EDMUND JACOBSON GOES MUCH FURTHER. DR.JACOBSON HAS WRITTEN TWO BOOKS ON RELAXATION AND YOU MUST RELAX, AND AS DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LABORATORY FOR CLINICAL PHYSIOLOGY, HE HAS SPENT YEARS CONDUCING INVESTIGATION IN USING RELAXATION AS A METHOD IN MEDICAL PRACTICE. HE DECLARES THAT ANY NERVOUS OR EMOTIONAL STATE "FAILS TO EXIST IN THE PRESENCE OF COMPLETE RELATION". THAT IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING, YOU CANNOT FATIGUE AND WORRY, THE FIRST RULE IN REST OFTEN. REST BEFORE YOU GET TIRED.

                   WHY IS THAT SO IMPORTANT? BECAUSE FATIGUE ACCUMULATES WITH ASTONISHING RAPIDITY. THE UNITED STATES ARMY HAS DISCOVERED BY REPEATED TESTS THAT EVEN YOUNG MEN- MEN TOUGHENED BY YEARS OF ARMY TRAINING - CAN MARCH BETTER, AND HOLD UP LONGER, IF THEY THROW DOWN THEIR PACKS AND REST TEN MINUTES OUT OF EVERY HOUR. SO THE ARMY FORCES THEM TO DO JUST THAT. YOUR HEART IS JUST AS SMART AS THE U.S. ARMY. YOUR HEART PUMPS ENOUGH BLOOD THROUGH YOUR BODY EVERY DAY TO FILL A RAILWAY TANK CAR. IT EXERTS ENOUGH ENERGY EVERY  TWENTY-FOUR HOURS TO SHOVEL TWENTY TONS OF COAL ONTO A PLATFORM THREE FEET HIGH. IT DOES THIS INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK FOR FIFTY. SEVENTY OR MAYBED NINETY YEARS. HOW CAN IT STAND IT? DR. WALTER B. CANNON, OF THE HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL, EXPLAINS IT. HE SAYS, MOST PEOPLE HAVE THE IDEA THAT THE HEART IS WORKING ALL THE TIME. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THERE IS A DEFINITE REST PERIOD AFTER EACH CONTRACTION. WHEN BEATING AT A MODERATE RATE OF SEVENTY PULSES PER MINUTE, THE HEART IS ACTUALLY RATE OF SEVENTY PULSES OUT OF THE TWENTY-FOUR. IN THE AGGREGATE ITS REST PERIODS TOTAL A FULL FIFTEEN HOURS PER DAY".

                   DURING WORLD WAR 2, WINSTON CHURCHILL, IN HIS LATE SIXTIES AND EARLY AFTER YEAR. DIRECTING THE WAR EFFORTS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. A PHENOMENAL RECORD. HIS SECRET? HE WORKED IN BED EACH MORNING UNTIL ELEVEN O'CLOCK READING REPORTS, DICTATING ORDERS, MAKING TELEPHONE CALLS, AND HOLDING IMPORTANT CONFERENCES. AFTER LUNCH, HE WENT TO BED AGAIN AND SLEPT FOR AN HOUR. IN THE EVENING, HE WENT TO BE ONCE MORE AND SLEPT FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE HAVING DINNER AT EIGHT. HE DIDN'T CURE FATIGUE. HE DIDN'T HAVE TO CURE IT. HE PREVENTED IT. BECAUSE HE RESTED FREQUENTLY, HE WAS ABLE TO WORK ON, FRESH AND FIT, UNTIL LONG PAST MIDNIGHT.

                  THE ORGINAL JOHN D.ROCKFELLER MADE TOW EXTRAORDINARY RECORS. HE ACCUMULATED THE GREATEST FORTUNE THE WORLD HAD EVER SEEN UP TO THAT TIME AND HE ALSO LIVED TO BE NINETY-EIGHT. HOW DID HE DO IT? THE CHIEF REASON, OF COURSE, WAS BECAUSE HE HAD INHERITED A TENDENCY TO LIVE LONG. ANOTHER REASON WAS HIS HABIT OF TAKING A HALF-HOUR NAP IN HIS OFFICE EVERY NOON. HE WOULD LIE DOWN ON HIS OFFICE COUCH- AND NOT EVEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STTES COULD GET JOHN D. ON THE PHONE WHILE HE WAS HAVING HIS SNOOZE!

                     IN HIS EXCELLENT BOOK, WHY BE TIRED?  DANIEL JOSSELYN OBSERVES, "REST IS NOT A MATTER OF DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. REST IS REPAIR". THERE OS SO MUCH REPAIR POWER IN A SHORT PERIOD OF REST THAT EVEN A FIVE-MINUTE NAP WILL HELP TO FORESTALL FATIGUE! CONNIE MACK, THE GRAND OLD MAN OF BASEBALL, TOLD ME THAT IF HE DOESN'T TAKE AN AFTERNOON NAP BEFORE A GAME, HE IS ALL TUCKERED OUT AT AROUND THE FIFTH INNING. BUT IF HE DOES GO TO SLEEP. IF FOR ONLY FIVE MINUTES BE CAN LAST THROUGHOUT AN ENTIRE DOUBLE-HEADER WITHOUT FEELING TIRED.

                  WHEN I ASKED ELEANOR ROOSEVELT HOW SHE WAS ABLE TO CARRY SUCH AN EXHAUSTING SCHEDULE DURING THE TWELVE YEARS SHE WAS IN THE WHITE HOURSE. SHE SAID THAT BEFORE MEETING A CROWD OR MAKING A SPEECH, SHE WOULD OFTEN SIT IN A CHAIR OR DEVENPORT, CLOSE HER EYES, AND RELAX FOR TWENTY MINUTES.

                  I RECENTLY INTERVIEWED GENE AUTRY IN HIS DRESSING ROOM AT THE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, WHERE HE WAS THE STAR ATTRACTION AT THE WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP RODEO, I NOTICED AN ARMY COT IN HIS DRESSING ROOM. I LIE DOWN THERE EVERY AFTERNOON. GENE AUTRY SAID, AND GET AN HOUR'S NAP BETWEEN PERFORMANCES. WHEN I AM MAKING PICTURES IN HOLLYWOOD. HE CONTINUED. I OFTEN RELAX IN A BIG EASY CHAIR AND GET TWO-OR THREE TEN-MINUTES NAPS A DAY. THEY BUCK ME UP TREMENDOUSLY.

                

SUCCESS DEFINITION

 

                                     PERSONAL SUCCESS

                             YOUR SUCCESS IN LIFE DEPENDS MORE ON THE PERSON YOU BECOME THAN ON THE THINGS YOU DO OR ACQUIRE. AS ARISTOTLE WROTE, "THE ULTIMATE END OF LIFE IS THE DEVELOPMET OF CHARACTER". IN THESE CHAPTERS, YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO DEVELOP AND USE DISCIPLINE IN ORDER TO BECOME AN EXCELLENT PERSON. YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO DEVELOP GREATER SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-RESPECT, AND PERSONALE PRIDE. YOU WILL LEARN THE ESSENTIAL DISCIPLINES REQUIRED FOR PERSONAL GREATENESS AND HOW TO BUILD THEM INTO YOUR OWN CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY. 

                                                    DO YOUR OWN THING

                    A POPULAR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS IS "BEING ABLE TO LIVE YOUR LIFE IN YOUR OWN WAY, DOING ONLY THOSE THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO, WITH THE PEOPLE WHO YOU CHOOSE, IN THE SITUATIONS YOU DESIRE".

                     IN EACH CASE, WHEN YOU BEGIN TO DEFINE WHAT "SUCCESS" MEANS TO YOU, YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY SEE THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING MORE OF OR LESS OF IN ORDER TO BEGIN CREATING YOUR IDEAL LIFE. AND THE BIGGEST THING THAT HOLD YOU BACK FROM MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR DREAMS ISUALLY YOUR FAVORITE EXCUSES AND LACK OF SELF-DISCIPLINE.

                  IT'S NOT THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT RATHER THAT YOU DON'T HAVE THE DISCIPLINE TO MAKE YOURSELF DO WHAT YOU SHOULD DO, WHETHER YOU FEEL LIKE IT OR NOT.

                                            ALWAYS BEHAVE CONSISTENTLY

                        WHENEVER YOU ACT IN WAY THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH YOUR VALUES, YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF. WHENEVER YOU COMPROMISE YOUR VALUES, FOR ANY REASON, YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT YOURSELF. THIS ALSO MEANS THAT WHEN YOU COMPROMISE YOUR VALUES, YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE AND SELF-ESTEEM TO DOWN. YOU FEEL UNEASY AND INFERIOR, INADEQUATE AND UNCOMFORTABLE.

                     WHEN YOU COMPROMISE YOUR VALUES, DEEP DOWN INSIDE, YOU FEEL THAT SOMETHING IS FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG.

                    ALMOST ALL HUMAN PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED BY A RETURN TO YOUR HIGHEST VALUES AND YOUR INNERMOST CONVICTIONS. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK, THERE HAVE PROBABLY BEEN SITUATIONS IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU HAVE COMPROMISED YOUR VALUES IN ORDER TO SAVE AN INVESTMENT KEEP A JOB, PRESERVE A RELATIONSHIP, OR MAINTAIN A FRIENDSHIP. IN EACH CASE, YOU HAVE FELT WORSE AND WORSE UNTIL YOU FINALLY BROKE IT OFF AND WALKED AWAY.

                 AND HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FINALLY HAD THE STRENGTH OF CHARACTER TO WALK AWAY? YOU FELT WONDERFUL! WHENEVER YOU USE YOUR WILLPOWER AND STRENGTH OF CHARACTER TO RETURN TO THE VALUES THAT ARE MOST DEAR TO YOU, YOU ARE REWARDED WITH A WONDERFUL FEELING OF HAPPINESS AND EXHILARATION. YOU FEEL ENERGIZED AND FREE. YOU WONDER WHY YOU DIDN'T MAKE THAT DECISION A LONG TIME AGO.

                                                       THE BIG PAYOFF

                     THE PAYOFF FOR BECOMING A PERSON OF CHARACTER, FOR EXERTING YOUR WILLPOWER AND SELF-DISCIPLINE TO LIVE CONSISTENTLY WITH THE VERY BEST THAT YOU KNOW, IS TREMENDOUS. WHEN YOU CHOOSE THE HIGHER VALUE OVER THE LOWER, THE MORE DIFFICULT OVER THE EASY, THE RIGHT OVER THE WRONG, YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF. YOUR SELF-ESTEEM INCREASES. YOU LIKE AND RESPECT YOURSELF MORE. YOU HAVE A GREATER SENSE OF PERSONAL PRIDE. 

                 IN ADDITION TO FEELING EXCELLENT ABOUT YOURSELF WHEN YOU BEHALF OF ALL THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU. THEY WILL LOOK UP TO YOU AND ADMIRE YOU. YOU WILL BE PAID MORE, PROMOTED FASTER, AND GIVEN EVEN GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES. AS YOU BECOME A PERSON OF HONOR AND CHARACTER, OPPORTUNITIES WILL APPEAR ALL AROUND YOU.

                  ON THE OTHER HAND,YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE INTELLIGENCE, TALENT, AND ABILITY IN THE WORLD, BUT IF PEOPLE WILL NOT HIRE YOU, AND IF THEY DO, THEY WILL DEHIRE YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS WILL NOT LEND YOU MONEY. BECAUSE "BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER" THE ONLY ASSOCIATES (NEVER FRIENDS) YOU WILL HAVE WILL BE OTHER PEOPLE OF QUESTIONABLE WITH HAVE A MAJOR EFFECT ON YOUR ATTITUDE AND PERSONALITY, YOU MAKE OR BREAK YOUR ENTIRE LIFE WITH THE QUALITY OF YOUR CHARACTER - OR THE LACK THEREOF.

A DAY IN YOUR LIFE

 

                         THREE SIMPLE STEPS TO 

                                      BECOME THE BEST

                      BECOMING ONE OF THE TOP PEOPLE IN YOUR FIELD REQUIRES DISCIPLINE AND APPLICATION MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. THERE ARE THREE SIMPLE STEPS THAT YOU CAN FOLLOW TO BECOME THE VERY BEST IN YOUR FIELD :

                      1. READ SIXTY MINUTES IN YOUR FIELD EACH DAY. TURN OFF THE TELEVISION AND THE RADIO, PUT ASIDE THE NEWSPAPER, AND READ MATERIAL ABOUT YOUR FILED FOR ONE HOUR EACH DAY BEFORE YOU START WORKING.

                    2. LISTEN TO EDUCATIONAL AUDIO PROGRAMS IN YOUR CAR. START THEM AND STOP THEM AS YOU  LISTEN, SO YOU CAN REFLECT ON WHAT YOU HAVE JUST HEARD AND THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN APPLY THE IDEAS TO YOUR WORK.

                   3. ATTEND COURSES AND SEMINARS IN YOUR FIELD REGULARLY. SEEK THEM OUT. TAKE ONLINE COURSES IN THE CONVENIENCE OF YOUR OWN HOME, COURSES THAT ENABLE YOU TO UPGRADE YOUR SKILLS AND GIVE YOU IMPORTANT IDEAS THAT YOU CAN USE TO BE EVEN MORE SUCCESSFUL.

                        THE POWER OF COMPOUND LEARNING, LIKE COMPOUND INTEREST, IS QUITE AMAZING. THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE MORE YOU CAN LEARN. THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE BETTER YOUR BRAIN FUNCTIONS, AND THE SMARTMER YOU GET. YOUR MEMORY AND RETENTION RATE IMPROVE. THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE MORE RELATIONSHIPS YOU FIND BETWEEN SOMETHING YOU LEARNED AT ONE TIME AND SOMETHING YOU LEARN AT ANOTHER TIME.

                            NEVER STOP LEARNING AND GROWING.

                   1. RESOLVE TODAY TO ACCEPT 100 PERCENT RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYTHING YOU ARE AND EVERYTHING YOU BECOME. NEVER COMPLAIN, NEVER EXPLAIN.

                   2. LOOK INTO YOUR PAST AND SELECT A PERSON OR INCIDENT THAT SKILL MAKES YOU UNHAPPY TODAY. INSTEAD OF JUSTIFYING YOUR NEGATIVE FEELINGS, LOOK FOR REASONS WHY YOU WERE PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED.

                  3. SELECT A RELATIONSHIP IN YOUR PAST THAT MADE YOU UNHAPPY, AND THEN GIVE THREE REASONS WHY YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT OCCURED.

                   4. SELECT ONE PERSON IN YOUR PAST WITH WHOM YOU ARE STILL ANGRY AND RESOLVE TO FORGIVE THAT PERSON COMPLETELY FOR WHAT HAPPENED. THIS ACT WILL LIBERATE YOU EMOTIONALLY.

                   5. ACCEPT COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION AND REFUSE TO BLAME ANY FINANCIAL PROBLEMS ON ANYONE ELSE. NOW, WHAT STEPS ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE TO RESOLVE THAT SITUATION?

                  6. ACCEPT COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FAMILY SITUATION, WITH EACH PERSON,  AND THEN TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WHEREVER THERE MAY BE PROBLEMS.

                 7. ACCEPT 100 PERCENT RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR HEALTH. RESOLVE TODAY TO DO OR STOP DOING WHATEVER IS NECESSARY FOR YOU TO ATTAIN EXCELLENT ALL-AROUND HEALTH.

                                                       BLAMING IS EASY

                           PEOPLE WHO DEVELOP THE HABIT OF AUTOMATICALLY BLAMING OFTEN BECOME ANGRY AT THINGS. BLAMING INANIMATE OBJECTS WHEN THEY DO NOT FUNCTION AS EXPECTED IS SO SILY THAT IT ALMOST BECOMES A MILD FORM OF INSANITY. 

                        PEOPLE BECOME ANGRY AT DOORS THAT STICK. THEY SWEAR AT TOOLS THEY ARE USING WHEN THEY THEMSELVES MAKE A MISTAKE. THEY GET MAD WHEN THEY THEMSELVES MAKE A MISTAKE. THEY GET MAD WHEN THEIR CAR DOESN'T START. EVEN IF IT IS AN INAMINATE OBJECT, IF IT DOESN'T WORK PERFECTLY, THEN THE THING MUST BE TO BLAME. PEOPLE WILL OFTEN KICK A CAR THAT THEY ARE MAD AT OR A BOX THAT THEY TRIPPED OVER.

PHYSICAL FITNESS

 

                                 LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS

                   FOR YOU TO ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN HIGH LEVESL OF PHYSICAL FITNESS REQUIRES A LIFETIME OF SELF-DISCIPLINE AND WILL POWER. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT PHYSICAL FITNESS IS ITS OWN REWARD. NOT ONLY DO YOU FEEL GOOD WHILE YOU ARE EXERCISING, BUT YOU FEEL WONDERFUL ABOUT YOURSELF THE REST OF THE TIME.

                      IF YOUR GOAL IS TO LIVE A LONG, HEALTHY, HAPPY LIFE AND TO FIT AND TRIM PHYSICALLY, THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR REGULAR EXERCISE. FORTUNATELY, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TRAIN FOR THE OLYMPICS OR A TRIATHLON TO ENJOY  SUPERB LEVELS OF PHYSICAL WELL-BEING. BY BUILDING EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL TRAINING INTO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE YOU CAN ACHIEVE PHYSICAL FITNESS  JUST BY MAKING A FEW SMALL MODIFICATIONS TO YOUR LIEFSTLYLE.

                                                   LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS

                     PHYSICAL FITNESS SPECIALISTS GENERALLY AGREE THAT YOU NEED TO EXERCISE 200 - 300 MINUTES PER WEEK TO ENJOY THE MAXIMUM LEVELS OF PHYSICAL WELL-BEING THAT ARE POSSIBLE FOR YOU. THIS MEANS THAT YOU NEED TO EXERCISE BETWEEN THIRTY AND SIXTY MINUTES, FIVE TO SEVEN TIMES EACH WEEK.

                      AT THE LOW END, IF YOU SIMPLY WENT FOR A THIRTY-MINUTE WALK EACH MORNING BEFORE YOU STARTED OFF FOR WORK OR EACH  EVENING WHEN YOU GOT HOME FROM WORK AS WELL AS EACH WEEKEND DAY, YOU WOULD BE ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY.

                      IF YOU INCREASE YOUR EXERCISE LEVEL OF SIXTY MINUTES EACH TIME, FIVE TIMES PER WEEK, YOU WILL BE IN THE TOP 1 OR 2 PERCENT OF PHYSICALLY FIT PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TODAY.

                                                GET STARTED FIRST THING

                         THE BEST TIME TO EXERCISE IS FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. PEOPLE WHO GET UP EACH MORNING AND EXERCISE FOR THIRTY TO SIXTY MINUTES ARE MUCH  MORE LIKELY TO MAKE EXERCISE A PERMANENT PART OF THEIR ROUTINE.

                      ON THE OTHER HAND, PEOPLE WHO PUT OFF EXERCISING UNTIL LATER IN THE DAY, UNTIL AFTER WORK, ALMOST INVARIABLY FIND THAT THEY ARE TOO TIRED OR HAVE TOO MANY OTHER THINGS TO DO.

                       THEY PROCRASTINATE ON EXERCISING UNTIL ANOTHER DAY, WHICH OFTEN NEVER COMES.

                         IT TAKES TREMENDOUS DISCIPLINE TO GET INTO AND FOLLOWA REGULAR EXERCISE ROUTINE. BUT IT IS EASIER IF YOU CAN DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND START EXERCISING IMMEDIATELY.

                                                             TRICK YOURSELF

                       MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING MYSELF, TRICK THEMSELVES INTO EXERCISING IN THE MORNING BY PUTTING THEIR EXERCISE CLOTHES RIGHT NEXT TOTHE BED SO THAT TRIP OVER THEM WHEN THEY GET UP. BEFORE THEY ARE EVEN AWAKE, THEY FIND THEMSELVES PULLING ON THEIR EXERCISE CLOTHES AND RUNNING SHOES AND STARTING OFF AROUND THE BLOCK. BEFORE THEY EVEN KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED, THEY ARE HALFWAY INTO THEIR EXERCISE ROUTINE, THEIR HEART RATE IS UP, THEIR LUNGS ARE PUFFING AWAY, AND THEY ARE FEELING GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES.

                          WHENEVER PEOPLE COME BACK FROM A MORNING RUN OR ANY OTHE FORM OF MORNING EXERCISE, THEY ARE ALWAYS HAPPY AND SMILING. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE "EXERCISE EFFECT" THAT KICKS IN AFTER TWENTY-FIVE OR THIRTY MINUTES. THEIR BRAINS RELEASE ENDORPHINS AND THEY FEEL EXHILARATED.

                                              INCREASE YOUR INTELLIGENCE

                        PEOPLE WHO ENGAGE IN AEROBIC EXERCISE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE BRIGHTER, MORE CREATIVE, AND MORE INTELLIGENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THEY ACTUALLY SCORE HIGHER ON INTELLIGENCE TESTS, AND THEY SEEM TO COME UP WITH MORE IDEAS TO HELP THEM TO THEIR WORK BETTER DURING THE COURSE OF THE DAY.

                        THE REASON FOR THIS IS OBVIOUS. WHEN YOU ENGAGE IN AEROBIC EXERCISE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, YOU DRIVE HYPER-OXYGENATED BLOOD INTO YOUR CEREBRAL CONRTEX, THE PART OF YOUR BRAIN THAT YOU USE FOR THINKING, ANALYZING, AND DECISION MAKING. THIS MAKES YOU WIDE-AWAKE AND ALERT FROM FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND THEN FOR SEVERAL HOURS AFTERWARD.

                         WHEN YOU EXERCISE AS SOON AS YOU GET UP, YOU KICK YOUR METABOLIC RATE INTO A HIGHER GEAR. AS A RESULT,  YOUR BODY CONTINUES TO BURN CALORIES ALL DAY LONG. YOU CONTINUE TO LOSE WEIGHT FOR SEVERAL HOURS AFTER EXERCISING.

                       WHEN YOU EXERCISE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING OR ANYTIME DURING THE DAY, YOU BECOME HUNGRY. HOWEVER, BECAUSE YOU ARE WORKING OUT YOUR BODY BODY IN SUCH A HEALTHY WAY, YOU WILL HAVE A NATURAL APPERITE FOR HEALTHY FOODS. YOU WILL HAVE LITTLE OR NO DESIRE FOR SWEET FOODS OR DESSERTS.

                                MAKE EXERCISE A PART OF YOUR LIFESTYLE

                   ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN HIGH LEVELS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS IS TO JOIN A GYM OR A HEALTH CLUB AND ATTEND REGULAR EXERCISE CLASSESS. YOU CAN EVEN PAY A LITTLE MORE AND GET YOURSELF A PERSONAL TRAINER WHO PUTS YOU THROUGH AN EXERCISE REGIMEN THREE OR MORE TIMES EACH WEEK.

                      YOU ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO START AND MAINTAIN A FITNESS ROUTINE IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS EXPECTING YOU TO BE AT A CLASS OR MONITORING YOU ON A REGULAR BASIS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU FOLLOW THE EXERCISE PROGRAM TO WHICH YOU COMMITTED.

                   MANY PEOPLE TODAY ARE HIRING PERSONAL TRAINERS. EITHER A PERSONAL TRAINER CAN COME TO YOUR HOME OR PLACE OF WORK OR YOU CAN GO TO A GYM THAT HAS PERSONAL TRAINERS ON STAFF WHO WILL WORK WITH YOU ON THE SPECIFIC EQUIPMENT YOU WANT TO USE.

                 PEOPLE WHO USE PERSONAL TRAINERS ARE ALMOST UNIVERSALLY DELIGHTED WITH THE RESULTS. THEY FIND THAT BEING ACCOUNTABLE TO A TRAINER EXERTS A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON THEM, CAUSING THEM TO EAT LESS SO THEY HAVE LESS WEIGHT TO BURN OFF AND TO WORK HARDER WHEN THEY EXERCISE SO THAT THEY CAN EARN THE APPROVAL OF THE TRAINER.

                                                   JOIN AN ORGANIZED SPORT

                             ORGANIZED SPORTS ARE A WONDERFUL WAY TO ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN HIGH LEVES OF PHYSICAL FITNESS. THEY ARE FAR MORE DEMANDING IN TERMS OF TIME AND SCHEDULE, BUT THE PAYOFF IS OFTEN EXTRAORDINARY.

                         IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF A SPORT LEAGUE - WHETHER THAT BE BASEBALL, TENNIS, FOOTBALL, SOCCER, RACQUETBALL, OR ANYTHING ELSE - AND YOU HAVE A COACH OR TRAINER THAT YOU WORK ITH ON A REGULAR BASIS, YOU TEND TO BE MORE FOCUSED AND DISCIPLINED. YOU WILL EXERCISE MORE OFTEN AND MORE VIGOROUSLY, AND YOU WILL BE FILTER AND TRIMMER THAN MOST OTHER PEOPLE.

                   

                                             DEVELOP NEW BETTER HABITS

                   UNFORTUNATELY, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND SPORTS TRAINING REQUIRE SUCH HIGH LEVELS OF DISCIPLINE, AND FEW PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF STARTING AND CONTINUING THIS KIND OF EXERCISE REGIMEN. FOR BETTER OR WORSE, WHATEVER YOU DO REPEATEDLY BECOMES A HABIT, AND MANY PEOPLE GET OUT OF THE HABIT OF REGULAR EXERCISE AND NEVER GO BACK.

                    FORTUNATELY, IT IS NEVER TOO LATE. AT ANY TIME, YOU CAN DECIDE THAT YOU GOING TO ENJOY HIGH LEVELS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS. YOU CAN MAKE A DECISION, RIGHT NOW, TO START A PHYSICAL FITNESS ROUTINE OF SOME KIND AND THEN SET IT AS A PERSONAL TEST OR CHALLENGE TO SEE IF YOU HAVE THE WILL POWER AND DISCIPLINE TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON YOUR RESOLUTION.

             

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SALES

 

                  OVERCOME YOUR FEAR OF REJECTION

                       ASSUMING THAT YOU HAVE AN ATTRACTIVE PRODUCT OR SERVICE, ONE THAT IS REASONABLE PRICED AND SUITED TO THE CURRENT MARKET, THE BIGGEST PROBLEM THAT TELEPHONE SALESPEOPLE AND OUTSIDE SALESPEOPLE FACE IS REJECTION. THE FEAR OF REJECTION DOES MORE TO SABOTAGE A SALES CAREER AND UNDERMINE SALES ACTIVITIES THATN ANY OTHER SINGLE FACTOR. IT IS THE MAJOR OBSTACLE TO SALES SUCCESS.

                       IT TAKES TREMENDOUS DISCIPLINE FOR SALESPEOPLE TO GET UP EVERY MORNING AND GO OUT AND FACE THE INEVITABLE REJECTION THAT THEY KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO RECEIVE ALL DAY LONG. MOST PEOPLE CANNOT HANDLE THIS CONTINUES REJECTION. THEREFORE, TO AVOID THE EMOTIONAL PAIN THAT COMES WITH REJECTION, MANY SALESPEOPLE ENGAGE IN A SERIES OF "DISPLACEMENT", ACTIVITIES TO AVOID BEING REJECTED.

                     FIRST OF ALL, THEY MAKE FEWER CALLS. ACCORDING TO COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, THE SALES PERSON WORKS ABOUT NINETY MINUTES PERDAY-IN OTHER WORDS, ONLY ABOUT ONE AND AND A HALF HOURS OUT OF AN EIGHT-HOUR DAY. HE SPENDS THE REST OF THE TIME WARMING UP AND GETTING READY, SHUFFLING PAPERWORK, CHECKING THE INTERNET, READING THE NEWSPAPER, CHATTING WITH COWORKERS, COMING IN LATE, LEAVING EARLY, AND TAKING EXTENDED LUNCHES AND COFFEE BREAKS. AS A RESULT, BY THE END OF THE DAY, ON AVERAGE. THE SALESPERSON HAS WORKED ONLY NINETY MINUTES.

                                INCREASE FACE TIME WITH 

                                           CUSTOMERS AND PROSPECTS

                   WHEN IS A SALESPERSON WORKING? THE SALESPERSON IS WORKING ONLY WHEN HE OR SHE IS EAR TO EAR (ON THE PHONE) OR FACE TO FACE WITH SOMEONE WHO CAN AND WILL BUY WITHIN A REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME.

                 THE RULE FOR SALES SUCCESS CAN BE CONTAINED IN SIX WORDS: "SPEND MORE TIME WITH BETTER PROSPECTS". THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO GENERATE A HIGH, CONSISTENT, THE PREDICTABLE LEVEL OF SALES RESULTS.

                  BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF REJECTION, HOWEVER, SALESPEOPLE PROCRASTINATE AND DELAY THROUGHOUT THE SALES DAY, DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO AVOID GETTING FACE TO FACE WITH PEOPLE WHO CAN SAY "NO"!

                THE KEY TO SALES SUCCESS, AS I LEARNED AS A YOUNG SALESMAN, IS TO REALIZE THAT REJECTION IS NOT PERSONAL, PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS ALWASY SAY THINGS LIKE, "NO, I'M NO INTERESTED". OR VARIATIONS OF , "I DON'T WANT IT, "I DON'T NEED IT", " I CAN'T USE IT, " I CAN'T AFFORT IT, " I'M NOT IN THE MARKET RIGHT NOW", OR I'M HAPPY WITH MY EXISTING SUPPLIER".

                 THE PROFESSIONAL SALESPEOPLE REALIZES THAT THESE ARE SIMPLY NORMAL AND NATURAL RESPONSE TO ANY COMMERCIAL OFFER IN COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE. AGAIN, THEY ARE NOT PERSONAL - SO DON'T TAKE THEM PERSONALLY.

                                     REMAIN POSITIVE AND OPTIMISTIC

                    THE KEY TO SALES SUCCESS IS TO ELIMINATE THE FEAR OF REJECTION, TO BECOME SO CONFIDENT AND OPTIMISTIC THAT THEY YOU CAN CALL CONTINUALLY ALL DAY LONG AND STILL REMAIN POSITIVE AND CHEERFUL. AS WINSTON CHURCHILL SAID, "SUCCESS IS THE ABILIT TO GO FROM FAILURE TO FAILURE WITH NO LOSS OF ENTHUSIASM".

                  THERE IS A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF NEW CUSTOMER CONTACTS YOU MAKE AND YOUR LEVEL OF SALES. IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SALES, SIMPLY DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO CALL ON MORE PROSPECTS.

                 WHEN YOU INCREASE YOUR LEVLES OF SALES ACTIVITY, YOU ALSO ACTIVATE THE LAW OF PROBALITIES TO WORK ON YOUR BEHALF. YOU TAP INTO THE LAW OF AVERAGES. YOU "WORK THE NUMBERS'. TO ENSURE SUCCESS.

                                   HOW TO DOUBLE YOUR SALES INCOME

               PRACTICE THE "MINIUTES PRINCIPLE" IN YOUR SALES WORK. THIS PRINCIPLE SAYS THAT, IF YOU ARE EARNING ALL THE MONEY THAT YOU ARE EARNING TODAY WITH ONLY THE NUMBER OF MINUTES YOU ARE SPENDING FACE TO FACE WITH CUSTOMERS TODAY, BY INCREASING THAT NUMBER OF MINUTES, YOU CAN ALSO INCREASE YOUR SALES, IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SALES, SIMPLY DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO CALL ON MORE PROSPECTS.

                  WHEN YOU INCREASE YOUR LEVELS OF SALES ACTIVITY, YOU ALSO ACTIVATE THE LAW OF PROBILITIES TO WORK ON YOUR BEHALF. YOU TAP INTO THE LAW OF AVERAGES. YOU "WORK THE NUMBERS" TO ENSURE SUCCESS.

                                     HOW TO DOUBLE YOUR SALES INCOME

                      PRACTICE THE "MINUTES PRINCIPLES" IN YOUR SALES WORK. THIS PRINCIPLE SAYS THAT, IF YOU ARE EARNING ALL THE MONEY THAT YOU ARE EARNING TODAY WITH ONLY THE NUMBER OF MINUTES YOU ARE SPENDING FACE TO FACE WITH CUSTOMERS TODAY, BY INCREASING THAT NUMBER OF MINUTES, YOU CAN ALSO INCREASE YOUR SALES.

                     WITH OUTSIDE SALESPEOPLE, WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF MINUTES THEY SPEND FACE TO FACE WITH CUSTOMERS. WE TEACH THEM TO USE EVERY  BIT IF INTELLIGENCE AND CREATIVITY THEY HAVE TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF TIME THEY SPEND TALKING IN PERSON WITH PROSPECTS RATHER THAN FOLLOWING THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE AND ALLOWING THEMSELVES TO PROCRASTING GETTING OUT INTO THE MARKETPLACE.

                    IN ALMOST EVERY CAKE, WHEN A SALESPERSON DOUBLES THE NUMBER OF MINUTES THAT HE OR SHE SPENDS FACE TO FACE OR EAR TO EAR WIH CUSTOMERS, THAT SALESPERSON'S SALES DOUBLE AS WELL. THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT, IT IS BASED ON LAW, THE LAW OF PROBABILITIES.

                                      CONTROL YOUR SALES ACTIVITIES

                       YOU CAN SELDOM TELL WHEN YOUR NEXT SALE IS GOING TO COME FROM. THEREFORE, YOU HAVE TO "CAST AS WIDE NET" AND SPEAK TO AS MANY PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS AS POSSIBLE.

                          THE ACTUAL SALE ITSELF IS NOT UNDER YOUR DIRECT CONTROL. IT IS CONTROLLED BY A VARIETY OF FACTORS ABOUT WHICH YOU CAN DO VERY LITTLE. BUT THE ACTIVITIES THAT LEAD TO SALES ARE COMPLETELY UNDER YOUR CONTROL. THE RULE IS "DO WHAT YOU CAN WITH WHAT YOU HAVE RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE".

                         TO ACHIEVE HIGH LEVELS OF SALES SUCCESS, YOU MUST DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO PLAN YOUR DAYS AND WEEKS IN ADVANCE YOU MUST DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO PLAN YOUR SALES ACTIVITIES - ESPECIALLY YOUR PROSPECTING ACTIVITIES - EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON YOUR PLANS AND RESOLUTIONS.

                                             IMPROVE TO SALES SUCCESS

                        YOU HAVE TWO RESPONSIBILITIES WHEN IT COMES TO ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN SALES :

                              1. FIRST OF ALL, KEEP YOUR FUNNEL FULL. ALWAYS HAVE MORE PROSPECTS TO CALL ON THAN YOU HAVE TIME DURING THE DAY. NEVER LET YOUR FUNNEL BECOME EMPTY. NEVER RUN OUT OR PROSPECTS.

                              2. SECOND, GET BETTER AT EACH STAGE OF SELLING. STUDY, READ, LISTEN TO AUDIO PROGRAMS, AND UPGRADE YOUR SKILLS IN PROSPECTING, PRESENTING, AND CLOSING SALES. THE BETTER YOU GET, THE FEWER PROSPECTS YOU REQUIRE IN THE TOP OF THE FUNNEL TO GENERATE SALES OUT OF THE BOTTOME OF THE FUNNEL.

FINANCIAL FAILURES

 

                THE REASONS FOR FINANCIAL FAILURE

 

                             THE PRIMARY REASON WHY MOST ADULTS HAVE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IS NOT LOW EARNINGS. IN THIS CHAPTER THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR, THOMAS STANLEY AND WILLIAM DANKO SHOW THAT TWO FAMILIES LIVING ON THE SAME STREET, IN THE SAME SIZE OF HOUSE, AND WORKING AT THE SAME JOB CAN HAVE COMPLETELY DIFFEENT FINANCIAL SITUATIONS. BY THE AGE OF FORTY FIVE OR FIFTY, THE COUPLE IN ONE HOUSE WILL BE FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT WHILE THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR IS DEEPLY IN DEBT AND HAVING TROUBLE MAKING THE MINIMUM PAYMENTS ON THEIR CREDIT CARDS.

                          THE REASON FOR THIS IS NOT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THEY EARN. THE REASON IS LACK OF SELF-DISCIPLINE AND THE INABILITY TO DELAY GRATIFICATION. WHY IS THIS WEAKNESS OF CHARACTER SO PREVALENT AMONG THE MAJORITY OF ADULST IN SOCIETY TODAY? IT GOES BACK TO EARLY CHILDHOOD.

                     WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD AND YOU RECEIVED MONEY (WHETHER IT WAS YOUR ALLOWANCE OR A GIFT FROM A FRIEND OR RELATIVE) THE FIRST THING YOU THOUGHT OF DOING WAS TO SPEND THAT MONEY ON CANDY. CANDY IS SWEET. CANDY IS DELICIOUS. CANDY FILLS YOUR MOUTH WITH A WONDERFUL, SUGARY FLAVOR. YOU LIKED CANDY WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD, AND YOU PROBABLY COULD SELDOM GET ENOUGH OF IT. MANY CHILDREN WILL EAT CANDY UNTIL THEY BECOME PHYSICALLY ILL BECAUSE IT TASTES SO GOOD.

                      AS YOU GREW OLDER, YOU DEVELOPED WHAT PSYCHOLOGISTS CALL A "CONDITIONED RESPONSE" TO RECEIVING MONEY FROM ANY SOURCE. LIKE PAVLOV'S DOG, WHEN YOU RECEIVE MONEY, YOU MENTALLY SALIVATE AT THE THOUGHT OF SPENDING THIS MONEY ON SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY, AT LEAST TEMPORARILY.

                                        SPENDING MAKES YOU HAPPY

                      WHEN YOU BECOME AN ADULT YOU EARN OR RECEIVE. MONEY, THIS AUTOMATIC REACTION CONTINOUS. YOUR FIRST THOUGHTS IS, "HOW CAN I SPEND THIS MONEY TO ACHIEVE IMMEDIATE PLEASURE?

                      WHEN YOU GET YOUR FIRST JOB, THE VERY FIRST THING YOU THINK ABOUT IS HOW YOU CAN SPEND NOT ONLY THE MONEY YOU EARN, BUT ALSO EVERY PENNY YOU CAN BORROW ON A CREDIT CARD ON CLOTHES, CARS, COSMETICS, SOCIALIZING, ENTERTAINMENT, TRAVEL, AND EVERYTHING ELSE. YOUR MENTAL EQUATION IS MONEY = ENJOYMENT. 

                      WHEN YOU GO ON VACATION TO A RESORT OF ANY KIND, YOU FIND THAT THE HOTELS AND STREETS ARE LINED WITH SHOPS SELLING USELESS TRINKETS, BOBBLES, AND TRASH, PLUS CLOTHES, ARTWORK, AND OTHER ITEMS THAT YOU WOULD NEVER THINK OF BUYING AT HOME. WHY IS THIS? SIMPLE. WHEN YOU ARE ON VACATION, YOU FEEL HAPPY. YOU HAVE A CONDITIONED RESPONSE TO ASSOCIATE HAPPINESS WITH SPENDING MONEY. THE HAPPIEAR YOU ARE, THE MORE UNCONSCIOUSLY COMPELLED YOU ARE TO GO OUT AND SPEND MONEY ON SOMETHING - OR, RATHER ON ANYTHING.

                    AS AN ADULT, WHENEVER YOU RECEIVE YOUR PAYCHECK, A BONUS, A COMMISSION, AN IRS REFUND, A PRIZE, OR A INHERITANCE, THE VERY FIRST THING YOU THIK ABOUT IS HOW YOU CAN SPEND THIS MONEY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND ON AS MANY PLEASURE AS POSSIBLE.

                                 REWIRE YOUR RESPONSES ABOUT MONEY

                       THE STARTING POINT OF ACHIEVING FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE IS TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO REWRITE YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD MONEY. YOU NEED TO REACH INTO YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND DISCONNECT THE WIRE LINKING, "SPENDING" AND "HAPPINESS". YOU NEED TO THEN RECONNECT THAT "HAPPINESS" WIRE TO THE "SAVING AND INVESTING" WIRE.

                   FROM THE MOMENT ON , INSTEAD OF SAYING, "I FEEL HAPPY WHEN I SPEND MONEY", YOU WILL SAY, I FEEL HAPPY WHEN I SAVE MONEY.

                  TO REINFORCE THIS SHIFT IN THINKING, OPEN UP A "FINANCIAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT" AT YOUR LOCAL BANK. THIS IS THE ACCOUNT IN WHICH YOU DEPOSIT MONEY FOR THE LONG TERM. ONCE YOUR MONEY GOES INTO THIS ACCOUNT, YOU RESOLVE THAT YOU WILL NEVER SPEND IT ON ANYTHING EXCEPT THE ACHIEVEMENT OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM.

                   IF YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY TO BUY BOAT OR A CAR, YOU OPEN UP A SEPARATE ACCOUT SOLELY FOR THAT PURPOSE. BUT YOUR FINANCIAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT IS INVIOLABLE. YOU NEVER TOUCH IT EXCEPT TO INVEST THOSE FUNDS SO THAT THEY CAN YIELD A HIGHER RATE OF RETURN.

                                   ASSOCIATE HAPPINESS WITH SAVING

                  WHEN YOU BEGIN SAVING IN THIS WAY, SOMETHING MIRACULOUS HAPPENS WITHIN YOU. YOU START TO FEEL HAPPY ABOUT THE IDEA OF HAVING MONEY IN THE BANK. EVEN IF YOU OPEN YOUR ACCOUNT WITH ONLY $10, THIS ACTION GIVES YOU A FEELING OF GREATER SELF-CONTROL AND PERSONAL POWER. YOU FEEL HAPPIER ABOUT YOURSELF. THE VERY ACT  OF DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO SAVE MONEY YOU FEEL STRONGER AND MORE IN CONTROL OF YOUR DESTINY.

                   EACH TIME YOU GET SOME EXTRA MONEY YOU PUT IT INTO YOUR FINANCIAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT. EVENTUALLY, YOUR FINANCIAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT WILL BEGIN TO GROW. THEN, AS IT GROWS,    YOU ACHIEVE TWO LAWS, THE LAW OF ATTRACTION AND THE LAW OF ACCUMULATION.

                   BECAUSE THE MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT IS EMOTIONALIZED BY YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS, IT SETS UP A FORCE FIELD OF ENERGY THAT BEGINS TO ATTRACT MORE MONEY INTO IT. IF YOU SAVE $10 A MONTH FOR A YEAR, YOU WILL BE ASTONISHED TO FIND THAT WITH THE EXTRA BITS OF MONEY THAT YOU HAVE PUT INTO THAT ACCOUNT, YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE MORE THAN $200 RATHER THAN JUST $120. IF YOU SAVE $100 PER MONTH, YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE MORE THAN $2000.

                  THE LAW OF ACCUMULATION SAYS THAT "EVERY GREAT ACHIEVMENT IS AN ACCUMULATION OF MANY SMALL ACHIEVEMENTS". THE LAW OF ATTRACTION SAYS THAT "YOU ATTRACT INTO YOUR LIFE THOSE THINGS THAT ARE IN HARMONY WITH YOUR DOMINANT THOUGHTS. BECAUSE OF THESE LAWS, YOUR FINANCIAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT BEGINS TO GROW WITH THE MIRACLES OF COMPOUND INTEREST.

                  THE MORE MONEY YOU HAVE IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, THE MORE ENERGY IT GENERATES AND THE MORE MONEY IS ATTRACTED INTO YOUR LIFE . YOU HAVE HEARD IT SAID THAT "IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY". THIS IS TRUE. AS YOU BEGIN TO SAVE AND ACCUMULATE MONEY, THE UNIVERSE BEGINS TO DIRECT MORE AND MORE MONEY TOWARD YOU THAT YOU CAN SAVE AND ACCUMULATE.

                 EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER PRACTISED THIS PRINCIPLE OF REGULAR SAVING IS ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHED AT HOW QUICKLY THEIR FINANCIAL FOTUNES CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

                   THE RULE FOR FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE, ONCE YOU HAVE REWIRED YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD MONEY, IS TO "PAY YOURSELF FIRST". MOST PEOPLE SAVE WHATEVER IS LEFT OVER AFTER THEIR MONTHLY EXPENSES - IF THERE IS ANYTHING LEFT OVER AT ALL. THE KEY, IS TO PAY YOUSRSELF FIRST, OFF THE TOP, FROM EVERY AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU RECEIVE.