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14 September, 2004.
Good Morning Freedom Fighters and Truth Seekers,
Had the pleasure of talking with Brian Tracy yesterday after his stirring presentation. The 1,200+ in attendance at the conference were taking notes and trying the best the grab all the nuggets he shared. Many of these are contained in the series of essays which appear here every week. Brian is getting some strong feedback from many sectors on his powerful new book, Something For Nothing - The causes and cures of all our problems and what you can do to save the America Dream. It is a blockbuster. It came out of Brian's research and the information he gained in his campaign for Governor earlier this year. The ability to solve problems and make good decisions is one of the master skills for success in every aspect of your life. Read the essay is this issue at least once a days for the next week.
The other speakers were also excellent covering topics on knowledge and memory development, protecting yourself from law suits, learning how the stock market really works, Debt...the power to build and the power to destroy and real estate...the asset of strongest value.
PLUS YOUR RELATIONSHIPS FOR PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL AND UNIVERSAL SUCCESS
by Mark Victor Hansen
Creating great success does not always lead to having phenomenal relationships.
But creating great relationships always leads to having phenomenal success. It
is the nurturing, or plussing, of our personal, professional and Universal
relationships that allows us to receive complete and total abundance.
When I speak of personal relationships I'm referring to those people that we
love ? our parents, spouses, partners, children, life-long friends, etc. These
are the people that know us better than anyone on the planet. These are the
people we would lay down our lives for, and they would do the same for us. These
are the people for which we live and breathe.
We plus these relationships by becoming more lovingly involved in their lives,
and by allowing them to become more involved in ours. We don't stick our noses
in where they don't belong or give advice that is not wanted. If our spouses or
children have something to say, we stop what we're doing and we listen. If our
friends have problems and want to talk, we show up and support them. We don't
judge and we don't nag. We nurture these relationships by being present in
their lives and loving them.
We have professional relationships with the people we work with. These are
individuals we need, and who need us, to accomplish professional goals. We plus
these relationships by creating win-win situations in the workplace. Find out
what your co-workers, employees and bosses need. Once you figure out what
everyone wants and needs you can easily help them achieve their goals. They, in
turn, will help you achieve your goals. It's the law of give and take. When you
help others, you, in turn, are rewarded for your efforts.
Universal relationships are those we have with every living thing on earth, and
with God, or whatever Infinite Intelligence you believe exists. Let's say you
decided to help build houses for the homeless. This selfless decision plusses
your relationships with other human beings, and sets a karmic chain of
prosperous events into motion. Those homeless people become homeowners. They
remember the kindness and generosity others have shown them and help build homes for the homeless. Those people do the same ? and so on, and so on ? until one day there are no homeless people, only homeowners helping one another.
While you're doing that, others are working to save the rainforests and clean up
the oceans - helping other living creatures on this planet. Plussing our
Universal relationships lead to prosperity for everyone and everything.
Improve your business, your life, your relationships, your finances and your
health. When you do the whole world improves.
Solving Problems Effectively
by Brian Tracy
Your ability to communicate is the most important skill you can develop to get on to the fast track in your career. Perhaps the most important thing you do in business is to solve problems and make decisions, both by yourself and with other people.
Use a Systematic Process
A major type of communication in the business organization is meetings for problem solving and decision making. The key to effective problem solving and decision making discussions, is for you to all go through the process systematically.
Define the Problem Clearly
Right at the beginning, you ask the question, "What exactly is the problem?" Clarity of definition will resolve 50% of the issues before they go any further.
Focus on the Future
When discussing a problem, be sure to focus on the future over the past. Ask the question, "Where do we go from here?” “What do we do from here?” “What are our options for the future?" Too many problem-solving discussions end up focusing all of the attention of all the people present on what happened in the past and who is to blame. The effective executive uses this type of communication to focus on where the company and the individuals are going, and what can happen in the future - the only part of the equation over which anyone has any control.
Talk About the Solutions
A second element in effective problem solving communications, is for you to talk about the solutions instead of talking about the problems. It is for you to keep the attention of the individuals in the meeting focused on the possible solutions and what can be done rather than what has already happened.
Release Creativity
The discussion of solutions is inherently positive, uplifting and has a tendency to release creativity amongst the group. A discussion of problems is inherently negative, demotivating and tends to inhibit creativity.
The Key to Positive Thinking
You can become a positive thinker simply by becoming a solution-oriented person rather than a problem-oriented person. If you get everyone in your organization thinking and talking in terms of solutions, you will be astonished at the quality and quantity of ideas that will emerge.
Action Exercises
Now, here are two things you can immediately to become a better problem solver and decision maker.
First, take some time to be absolutely clear about the problem that is under discussion. Give some thought to what an ideal decision or solution would accomplish. Instead of focusing on the situation as it is, talk about the situation as you would like it to be.
Second, keep the conversation focused on solutions, on what can be done in the future. The more you think and talk about solutions, the more positive and creative everyone will be and the better ideas you will come up with.
Transforming Debt into Wealth
By John Cummuta
The Building Blocks to Wealth
The very first step you'll want to take after becoming debt-free is to set up an emergency fund. Why should you be debt-free before setting up such a fund?The answer lies in the math. Most financial professionals recommend an emergency fund equal to six times your monthly cash flow requirements, so you can go six months without working and still pay all your obligations. Your living expenses with debt are greater than they will be when you are debt-free, so you'd need a larger emergency fund if you start while in debt. To compound the problem, the amount of extra cash you have each month is smaller when you're in debt than when your debts are gone. So, if you have to save up a large amount of money using a small amount of cash each month, it will take a long time to gather your emergency fund.
Therefore, it is better to pay-off debts first, then set-up an emergency fund.The second step to building wealth is a solid understanding of an asset vs. a liability from an investor's perspective. It is different from a banker's perspective. For example, your car is a liability because even if you own it outright, it will not appreciate in value-whereas a banker would consider a fully owned vehicle an asset. Your student loans are liabilities because, even though you used them to get an education that may bring you more income, the money for the loan is benefiting the lender. Your children, while a great source of joy in your life, are probably liabilities as well. Your antique doll collection, your gold coin collection, and your diamond engagement ring may also be assets.
However these kinds of "hard assets" are not the best investment choice because they typically hold their value instead of increasing their value. Your home-based business, if it is operating a profit, is an asset. Your life insurance policy, although it becomes income when you're dead, is a liability when you're alive because it creates negative cash flow. Your home is yet another liability because it too causes negative cash flow. However, real Estate can be an asset in your portfolio if it is investment real estate that you rent out, or if you are investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).
And finally, focus on spending your money on assets, or investments versus liabilities. Investing means - regularly putting your money into good securities and letting it appreciate over time.
The best tool to guarantee the regularity of your investing is called Dollar Cost Averaging. Not only does it provide consistency for your investment program, but it actually aids in your assets' appreciation. Dollar Cost Averaging is when an investor takes a set amount and invests it regularly; usually monthly. And these investments are made regardless of whether the market is up or down when the investments are made.
This is the opposite of a market-timing strategy. You're not trying to time your investments to "buy low." You're buying consistently, whether security prices are low or high. But this systematic approach actually uses the market's up and down movement to increase the value of your investments.
William Prouty, CLU RHU CBC CEC MBA PhD
CEO and Founder
Champions For Life Foundation
PO Box 989, Sun City, CA 92586-0989
909-301-0605 Phone
909-301-0606 FAX
wprouty@aol.com
www.gewdc.org
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