February 9, 2009

$10,000 in Change... How My Greatest Failures Have Led to
My Greatest Successes... Find What You're Looking for...
Make Them Want You Most... and More.

** $10,000 in Change
By Adrian Newman, Founder of e-Wealth Daily

Perhaps one of the most difficult parts of being an entrepreneur is sticking with your plans all the way to achieving your goals.

Daily changes and distractions can set you off course and, when times get tough, it may feel like the best option is to give up altogether.

I know of some successful business people who will constantly take on new projects before completing the ones they have on the go. Now, I say "successful" because, while jumping on other opportunities, they make sure that everything they start is carried out through completion. Those who are unsuccessful simply ignore what they start when something new comes along.

You see, to really stick to your goals and make it beyond the obstacles that will get in your way, you need to develop the habit of never giving up.

That's right. We often talk about bad habits and fighting to stop them. Think of spitting or using the word "like" in every sentence. These are harmless habits that are a small annoyance to the people around you. Yet, breaking these habits can take a lot of time, energy and patience.

Well, what about developing good habits? You wouldn't want to break a good habit if it helped you achieve your goals.

For example, the Humphreys are a New York family with a good habit. What started as a family bonding activity has since become a daily pursuit to raise $10,000 for charity.

While out running errands or on walks, the family finds lost change and then blogs about their discovery every day. Some times they'll find just a few cents, but, every now and then, they'll find a 10 or 20.

Since starting three and a half years ago, the family has found almost $1,100 in lost change. Not only does this show that there's a lot of lost change rolling around, but it also shows that sticking to your good habits (of searching for items and then recording them on a blog) can help you achieve loftier goals.

Now, in order to develop good habits, you must remember one thing: repetition. That's right; in order to develop a habit, all you have to do is repeat an action over and over again until it becomes natural.

In the case of the Humphreys, by keeping an eye open for change and posting their findings day after day, they have created a habit; one that may be hard to break once they reach their $10,000 goal.

When it comes to your own goals, try to identify the actions that will help set you on the path to success and then make these actions a part of your daily routine. Before you know it, you could automatically be working towards your goals without even having to think twice.

If you'd like to follow the Humphreys, you can visit their blog at http://changepot.blogspot.com/.

** Prepare Yourself for Setbacks and the Road Could Be Smooth
By Doug D'Anna, the "Hundred-Million-Dollar Man"

To many people, the words "rejection" and "failure" have many negative connotations attached to them.

It can mean losing a job, a sale, the chance at a salary increase, or going bankrupt. It can result in feelings of frustration or perhaps not being able to provide well enough for the people you love. It can be a vicious cycle for some people. They get discouraged by something and this starts a cycle with an end goal of not succeeding. Not to mention, every single person hates to be rejected -- no matter what they are being rejected for, be it a loan, a grant, a job, or a date. Rejection hurts, plain and simple. Getting turned down for something can not only leave you feeling inadequate, but it can also add a pretty serious blow to both your ego and your self-esteem. But, this is only true if you let it. It is up to you to decide just how rejection or a setback will affect your life.

For some people, rejection becomes a disappointment in their life. As a result, their outlook on everything turns negative.

To others, failure can mean something quite different. It can mean a second chance and a new beginning. It is an opportunity to redo something, to try again, and perhaps take their lives to a whole new level.

Now, while I am not entirely sure how you view rejection and disappointment, I do know this:

How you look at the failure and frustrations that will inevitably come your way will determine your success at dealing with them.

If you view your failures as the end of something, then they will be just that for you. If you simply view failure as a setback, then that is exactly what it will be, a minor setback.

On Wednesday, I'll tell you about my own personal story of rejection and how it changed my life forever.

** The Value of Trust 
By John Hurd, Chief Wealth Researcher

When the customer service representative at my telephone company put me on hold, the song "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by the band U2 came on the line.

This made me laugh out loud. Here I am, hoping to find the solution to my phone problem, and playing on the line is a song about not being able to find an answer.

Thankfully, the representative was good at his job and took care of my concern quickly, with no wandering around in an aimless search for either of us.

However, this got me thinking about how to find useful information when there is just so much distracting and misleading stuff out there -- on the Internet. A search engine is a powerful tool that, with the click of a button, can locate millions of web sites; all with the potential of holding that answer you're looking for.

However, there are also millions of web sites with the potential to send you off course and that can mean you forget about your problem until it's too late.

So, how do you sift through the bad to find the good?

Well, much like you would go to your doctor with a medical question, you should also go to the places online that have a greater expertise in what you're looking for.

Got a medical question? Look around for a web site that focuses on just medical articles. If you see something about the latest celebrity gossip, well, time to look elsewhere.

Many of us have also formed a relationship of trust with other news sources such as our daily paper or nightly newscast. Odds are, both your paper and your news show have a web site.

The Internet is a very, very big place. Finding what you want online can seem scary at first. But once you start finding a few trusted sources, you'll uncover the wealth of information that could hold the big answers you've been searching for.

** Simplify? It's Not as Hard as it Sounds
By Michael Newman, Self-made Millionaire

On Friday, North American unemployment numbers were released and, to put it bluntly, they weren't very good. The rate climbed to levels that were beyond early projections, and definitely provide an even bleaker outlook of our current economic situation.

Many people who have been lucky enough to keep their jobs have also suffered setbacks. In fact, I recently heard about an acquaintance who had their salary reduced 75% from a year ago. To say the least, the tough times keep getting tougher for the majority of us.

If you've been able to hold onto your job this far, good work. These days, it's very important to prove to your employer that you are indispensable in order to increase your chances of staying on board. Here are few things that you can do to increase your profile and value to your company that help ensure when the next payday comes around, you're receiving your check as usual.

Put in Time: If you can be in the office before your boss arrives and after they leave, it will become apparent that you're putting in hard work and are dedicated to the success of the company. This will also increase your output, making you a go-to person when things need to get done. When you become that reliable person in the office, your value should skyrocket.

Offer Your Services in New Areas: If you can step up and volunteer to help out in areas that are not in your department, you are showing a number of valuable traits to your employer. This shows that you are willing and capable of helping out in a number of areas, able to offer a helping hand in areas that may be short-staffed. Once again, this increases your value and importance to the company.

Offer Ideas: Show that you have valuable ideas to offer your employer and that you are dedicated to finding ways to be successful even in slow times. Consult with your bosses and show that you are committed to the success of the company, and are willing to do what it takes to ensure its survival.

These tips can help increase your value in the workplace, so the next time the axe comes down, you may be able to avoid it. Try boosting your profile in the office and enjoy today's luxury of having employment.