Ten Traits That Make You Filthy-Rich
Saving money isn't all about whether or not you know how to score screaming bargains.
It has more to do with your attitude toward money.
Just think of those who don't fit the filthy-rich stereotype. People like Warren Buffett.
Here are 10 key traits:
1. Patience
Patience is one of the most important traits when it comes to saving money.
This means waiting until the first wave of product hype has passed, keeping a car for an extra few years before getting another one and waiting until something you want fits into your budget instead of putting it on credit.
Patience is often the difference between creating savings and being in debt. Having the patience to wait until you find a good deal is a cornerstone of good finances.
2. Satisfaction
When you're satisfied, there is no reason to spend money on nonessentials. The sole purpose of commercials is to make you believe that buying a product or service will make you happier, wealthier, better looking or improve whatever isn't bringing you satisfaction.
People spend because they want to capture the excitement shown in advertisements. When you are satisfied with what you have and your life (not trying to live like those on TV), your finances will be in a lot better shape.
3. Organization
Being organized can make you more productive and ensure that all the many issues pertaining to personal finances are addressed.
It means not paying late fees, not buying two of everything, knowing deadlines that can affect your finances and getting more done in less time. All these can greatly benefit your finances.
4. Discipline
You need the discipline to continue to save money for specific, long-term goals every month.
Personal finance isn't a way to get rich quick, but is a disciplined execution of your lifetime plans.
5. Reflectiveness
It's important to be able to look at your financial decisions and reflect on their results.
You're going to make financial mistakes. Everyone does.
The key is to learn from those mistakes so you don't make them again, or recognize if you keep repeating them.
6. Creativity
The economy and our earnings don't always match our expectations.
Unexpected developments wreak havoc to elaborate financial plans. When this happens, changes are needed to deal with the new circumstances. Creativity is essential to accomplish this.
Creativity allows you to make something last longer rather than purchasing it when you don't have the money. It means juggling money to stay out of debt rather than simply paying with a credit card. It means finding a cheaper alternative when money is tight.
In these ways, creativity plays a large role in keeping finances in order.
7. Curiosity
Having curiosity helps you learn, study and improve yourself.
The curiosity of wanting to know more, to take the time to study and then take what is learned and put into practice is an important process that is driven by curiosity.
8. Risk-Taking
To build wealth, one needs to be willing to take risks. This doesn't mean uncalculated risks. It means weighing all the options and taking calculated risks when appropriate.
The stock market has risks involved, but over the long term, history shows that it provides good returns on money that is invested wisely. Those who fear risk altogether end up saving money in accounts that likely lose money to inflation in the long run.
9. Goal-Oriented
The importance of setting and working toward goals is obvious. If you don't know where you are going, it's difficult to get there. It helps your personal finances immensely if you have money goals and are motivated to reach the goals that you have set for yourself.
Those who lack goals don't have a road map to take them to the financial destination they want.
10. Hard- and Smart-Working:
Creating wealth and staying out of debt rarely comes about without a lot of hard work.
Many people might hope that the lottery will solve all their financial problems. The true path to financial freedom, however, is to work hard to earn money while educating yourself to continue to have more value and increase your salary.
You may not possess all of the above traits. But knowing them can help you make changes so that you nourish the ones that you have and obtain the ones you're missing.
Ultimately they will help you with your personal finances and create a plan to accumulate the wealth you desire.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
5 things to make habits
Top 5 Daily Habits for Your Longevity
It takes 14 to 21 days of repetitive behavior to form a new pattern in your brain. Once the pattern is formed, it becomes an automatic behavioral response.
As you develop new healthy habits, they will begin to replace bad habits. These healthy lifelong habits are adapted straight from the time-tested traditions practiced by centenarians all around the world, and I can say with certainty that they will transform and rejuvenate you!
Eat five small meals a day.
In the Western culture, meals are taken three times a day, but it is much better to eat five smaller meals. When you eat smaller portions five times a day, you deliver a steady stream of nutrients, blood sugar, and energy to your body throughout the day.
Additionally, eating this way is less taxing on the digestive and metabolic systems and also reduces your risk of heart disease.
Climb the stairs instead of using elevators.
The health benefits of a daily exercise program cannot be stressed enough. Regular exercise can help promote physiological well-being, strengthen the immune system, maintain joint mobility, increase energy - and the list goes on.
Look for opportunities all through your day to work in physical activity. Power-walk, run, or ride your bike instead of driving. Begin a daily tai chi practice. Join a gym and actually go! Practice safely and watch your health results pile up.
Laugh it up!
We know from research that laughter and joy boost immune functions, especially the production of the natural killer cells that help protect the body from illness and cancer. Laughter also increases the release of endorphins, compounds that give you a sense of well-being, in your brain. Without a doubt, joyful people live longer and healthier lives.
Drink 8 glasses of water every day.
Water is essential for all healthy body functions. Centenarians from around the globe cite their native water as the source of their health and longevity - and the scientists agree with them. What they all have in common is pure water sources located far from any city, free from chemicals and toxins.
Choose filtered water; the best filtration processes are the ones that use activated charcoal, which removes the impurities but leaves the water-soluble minerals. Also, do not store water in plastic containers because the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can leach into the water.
Unwind with meditation.
Stress is the root cause of most of the diseases that shorten our life span. In our modern society stress will continue to increase - unless you find techniques to manage it. Meditation is the best way to release tension and revitalize your being. It teaches you to breath properly, which is critical for eliminating up to 70% of your body's toxins and wastes. It also quiets your mind, lowers your stress hormones, and teaches self-discipline, which is a necessary attribute to achieving your health and longevity goals.
Try this beginning meditation:
Sit comfortably on a chair or the floor. Breathe naturally and close your eyes. Each time a thought appears, put it inside a balloon and let it fly up into the sky and disappear. Do this until the thoughts are exhausted. After a bit, your body will feel very light, and your mind will become still. The first few times it may take a while, but it will get easier and faster with practice.
I hope you use these healthy habits for years to come! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
-Dr. Mao
It takes 14 to 21 days of repetitive behavior to form a new pattern in your brain. Once the pattern is formed, it becomes an automatic behavioral response.
As you develop new healthy habits, they will begin to replace bad habits. These healthy lifelong habits are adapted straight from the time-tested traditions practiced by centenarians all around the world, and I can say with certainty that they will transform and rejuvenate you!
Eat five small meals a day.
In the Western culture, meals are taken three times a day, but it is much better to eat five smaller meals. When you eat smaller portions five times a day, you deliver a steady stream of nutrients, blood sugar, and energy to your body throughout the day.
Additionally, eating this way is less taxing on the digestive and metabolic systems and also reduces your risk of heart disease.
Climb the stairs instead of using elevators.
The health benefits of a daily exercise program cannot be stressed enough. Regular exercise can help promote physiological well-being, strengthen the immune system, maintain joint mobility, increase energy - and the list goes on.
Look for opportunities all through your day to work in physical activity. Power-walk, run, or ride your bike instead of driving. Begin a daily tai chi practice. Join a gym and actually go! Practice safely and watch your health results pile up.
Laugh it up!
We know from research that laughter and joy boost immune functions, especially the production of the natural killer cells that help protect the body from illness and cancer. Laughter also increases the release of endorphins, compounds that give you a sense of well-being, in your brain. Without a doubt, joyful people live longer and healthier lives.
Drink 8 glasses of water every day.
Water is essential for all healthy body functions. Centenarians from around the globe cite their native water as the source of their health and longevity - and the scientists agree with them. What they all have in common is pure water sources located far from any city, free from chemicals and toxins.
Choose filtered water; the best filtration processes are the ones that use activated charcoal, which removes the impurities but leaves the water-soluble minerals. Also, do not store water in plastic containers because the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can leach into the water.
Unwind with meditation.
Stress is the root cause of most of the diseases that shorten our life span. In our modern society stress will continue to increase - unless you find techniques to manage it. Meditation is the best way to release tension and revitalize your being. It teaches you to breath properly, which is critical for eliminating up to 70% of your body's toxins and wastes. It also quiets your mind, lowers your stress hormones, and teaches self-discipline, which is a necessary attribute to achieving your health and longevity goals.
Try this beginning meditation:
Sit comfortably on a chair or the floor. Breathe naturally and close your eyes. Each time a thought appears, put it inside a balloon and let it fly up into the sky and disappear. Do this until the thoughts are exhausted. After a bit, your body will feel very light, and your mind will become still. The first few times it may take a while, but it will get easier and faster with practice.
I hope you use these healthy habits for years to come! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
-Dr. Mao
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Interval Training to burn belly fat - 8 seconds intense, 12 seconds rest for 20 Minutes!
New Study: Interval Training Helps Reduce Belly Fat
By Craig Ballantyne
Conventional wisdom says you can't spot-reduce belly fat. But new wisdom says you can lose that spare tire -- and not the way you think. Forget crunches. A new report says that "high intensity intermittent exercise may result in greater fat loss in the abdomen." In other words, interval training burns stomach fat first, over all other sources of fat on the body.
Professor Steve Boucher, the study's Australian co-author, and his colleagues put young women into two groups:
Group 1: Three workouts per week of 20 minutes of intervals (8 second sprint followed by 12 second recovery) for 15 weeks
Group 2: Three cardio workouts per week of 40 minutes for 15 weeks
Group 1, the interval group, lost a significant amount of abdominal fat.
So why do the intervals work so well?
Boucher believes it has something to do with the increase in hormones called catecholamines (adrenaline is a catecholamine hormone). These increase after intervals, but not after slow cardio. Catecholamines are a fat-burning hormone and there are a lot of catecholamine receptors in belly fat. He thinks the elevated fat-burning hormones from intervals ends up leading to targeted belly fat burning.
Interesting theory. We'll see if more research is able to confirm that hypothesis. Regardless, it's great to see studies showing intervals to be more effective for losing stomach fat than slow cardio workouts.
By Craig Ballantyne
Conventional wisdom says you can't spot-reduce belly fat. But new wisdom says you can lose that spare tire -- and not the way you think. Forget crunches. A new report says that "high intensity intermittent exercise may result in greater fat loss in the abdomen." In other words, interval training burns stomach fat first, over all other sources of fat on the body.
Professor Steve Boucher, the study's Australian co-author, and his colleagues put young women into two groups:
Group 1: Three workouts per week of 20 minutes of intervals (8 second sprint followed by 12 second recovery) for 15 weeks
Group 2: Three cardio workouts per week of 40 minutes for 15 weeks
Group 1, the interval group, lost a significant amount of abdominal fat.
So why do the intervals work so well?
Boucher believes it has something to do with the increase in hormones called catecholamines (adrenaline is a catecholamine hormone). These increase after intervals, but not after slow cardio. Catecholamines are a fat-burning hormone and there are a lot of catecholamine receptors in belly fat. He thinks the elevated fat-burning hormones from intervals ends up leading to targeted belly fat burning.
Interesting theory. We'll see if more research is able to confirm that hypothesis. Regardless, it's great to see studies showing intervals to be more effective for losing stomach fat than slow cardio workouts.
Best practice for wealth learn and priactice a 'financially valued" skill
He saw my point. I gave him a quick rundown of an idea we've talked about often in ETR - that the best way to make good money and keep making good money (i.e., keep your job) is to learn and practice a "financially valued" skill. It doesn't matter what skill you choose to develop, so long as it's one that will make it easy for you to eventually charge $100 an hour for your time.
The best way to get rich is to own your own business and invest in real estate. But the best way to avoid penury - now and, more important, when you reach "retirement" age - is to be very good at doing something that people will pay good money for.
A hundred dollars an hour is a good minimum number to shoot for. If you worked 50 hours a week at that rate, you'd be making $250,000 a year. Yes, you can make a lot more money than a quarter million bucks a year if you have your own successful business, but in terms of having a reliably high income (one you can earn regardless of how old you are or where you choose to live), having a financially valued skill is the way to go. You can even retire and work on a very-part-time basis... and still have a good income to live on.
Here's a short list of financially valued skills:
knowing how to market
being able to sell
being capable of creating a positive bottom line Those are the premium skills, the ones that - combined with being able to work well with people - will put you at the very top of almost any organization and assure your employment for pretty much as long as you want it.
But there are other, less-valued but still valuable, skills - and I reminded Bruce that he has one: developing information technology.
"That's a liability," he told me. "All the good tech jobs are in India. First, the entry-level jobs - the data-input and basic programming jobs - went. Then, the middle-level jobs. Now, even jobs at the top level are over there. American technicians just can't compete."
I thought of my eldest son, who, despite my warnings, got his degree in computer programming. He recently got his first real job, working for a company in L.A. that does special effects for movies. And I'm sure his bosses love him. But he's a technician - and, from a business point of view, a technician is a necessary expense, not a vital asset.
"Even the most qualified engineer," I told my son, "is viewed by the CEO and shareholders as a cost of doing business. He may be providing a very necessary function in a highly skilled way - but until he can find a way to position himself on the profit side of the ledger, there will always be the risk that he can be replaced by someone cheaper."
The situation that Bruce is in right now proves that point.
Bruce is too strong, too smart, too gifted a person not to be able to find a good job. But in order to do that, he's going to have to make some changes. Instead of continuing to search for a high-paying position where he can "work with people," he's going to have to perfect (maybe even learn from scratch) a financially valued skill. When he sends out his next resume or has his next interview, he'll have to be able to answer one or several of the following questions:
"How will you increase our revenues?"
"How will you reduce our costs?"
"How will you expand our customer base?"
"How will you increase our profits?"
Bruce can make the transition. I hope he does.
The best way to get rich is to own your own business and invest in real estate. But the best way to avoid penury - now and, more important, when you reach "retirement" age - is to be very good at doing something that people will pay good money for.
A hundred dollars an hour is a good minimum number to shoot for. If you worked 50 hours a week at that rate, you'd be making $250,000 a year. Yes, you can make a lot more money than a quarter million bucks a year if you have your own successful business, but in terms of having a reliably high income (one you can earn regardless of how old you are or where you choose to live), having a financially valued skill is the way to go. You can even retire and work on a very-part-time basis... and still have a good income to live on.
Here's a short list of financially valued skills:
knowing how to market
being able to sell
being capable of creating a positive bottom line Those are the premium skills, the ones that - combined with being able to work well with people - will put you at the very top of almost any organization and assure your employment for pretty much as long as you want it.
But there are other, less-valued but still valuable, skills - and I reminded Bruce that he has one: developing information technology.
"That's a liability," he told me. "All the good tech jobs are in India. First, the entry-level jobs - the data-input and basic programming jobs - went. Then, the middle-level jobs. Now, even jobs at the top level are over there. American technicians just can't compete."
I thought of my eldest son, who, despite my warnings, got his degree in computer programming. He recently got his first real job, working for a company in L.A. that does special effects for movies. And I'm sure his bosses love him. But he's a technician - and, from a business point of view, a technician is a necessary expense, not a vital asset.
"Even the most qualified engineer," I told my son, "is viewed by the CEO and shareholders as a cost of doing business. He may be providing a very necessary function in a highly skilled way - but until he can find a way to position himself on the profit side of the ledger, there will always be the risk that he can be replaced by someone cheaper."
The situation that Bruce is in right now proves that point.
Bruce is too strong, too smart, too gifted a person not to be able to find a good job. But in order to do that, he's going to have to make some changes. Instead of continuing to search for a high-paying position where he can "work with people," he's going to have to perfect (maybe even learn from scratch) a financially valued skill. When he sends out his next resume or has his next interview, he'll have to be able to answer one or several of the following questions:
"How will you increase our revenues?"
"How will you reduce our costs?"
"How will you expand our customer base?"
"How will you increase our profits?"
Bruce can make the transition. I hope he does.
Salary rankings for the US overall, top 1% has as much wealth as bottom 30%
Where Do You Stand on America's Wealth Spectrum?
by Lee Eisenberg
Thursday, November 1, 2007
The best way to give people a sense of where they stand is to lay out some data. Every three years the Federal Reserve Board conducts a national survey that tracks the financial health of American households.
The Fed slices and dices this stuff with the vigor of an Iron Chef; the result is a rich, if dry, array of offerings on household net worth, pension and income levels, plus other demographic side dishes.
Whenever I slip these tidbits into cocktail party chatter, people are surprised to realize how little money it takes to win a gold star from the Fed. If you and yours are bringing in $40,000 a year, you're doing better than half the households in America.
Or, as a Washington think tank recently pointed out: If you're a teacher married to a policeman, your combined household income puts you in the top 25 percent of all households in the nation.
Below you'll find the average income picture sliced into income levels. Think of this chart as a parking ramp. If your household income is $170,000, you're among the nation's top 10 percent wage earners and get to park on the top floor.
Anything in six figures means you're in the top 20 percent and get to park on the floor right below.
Annual income parking ramp
Income level (percentile) Median income (rounded)
Level VI (90 to 100) $170,000
Level V (80 to 89.9) $99,000
Level IV (60 to 79.9) $65,000
Level III (40 to 59.9) $40,000
Level II (20 to 39.9) $24,000
Level I (less than 20) $10,000
Source: Before-Tax Family Income, 2001 Federal Reserve Board Survey
So does making $170,000 a year make a person rich? Last year a plurality of respondents (29 percent) in a survey by The New York Times said that "rich" was making between $100,000 and $200,000 a year. Unfortunately, the survey didn't break out how many people in that salary range considered themselves rich. If the people I talk to are any indication, very few do.
Of course, income is only one part of the equation defining where you stand. Net worth is more telling. Net worth, as every financially precocious schoolchild knows, is the sum of one's assets -- home equity, investments, savings accounts, retirement funds, cars, furnishings and such things as jewelry, furs, wine collection, old baseball cards -- minus all outstanding liabilities such as mortgage balance, revolving and credit card debt, college loans and so on. Across all households, the national median net worth is $86,000. Half of your fellow citizens have more than that, half less. As you see, there's a massive disparity between the haves and have-nots.
Net worth parking ramp
Net worth (percentile) Median net worth (rounded)
Level VI (90 to 100) $833,600
Level V (80 to 89.9) $263,100
Level IV (60 to 79.9) $141,500
Level III (40 to 59.9) $62,500
Level II (20 to 39.9) $37,200
Level I (less than 20) $7,900
Source: Family Net Worth, 2001 Federal Reserve Board Survey
We live in a country that once celebrated itself as egalitarian, yet 1 percent of the population -- nearly 3 million people -- currently has as much money as the 100 million people at the bottom of the ramp.
Yet when I ask those at the top of the ramp how they feel about the future, whether their fortunate place on the ramp gives them a measure of confidence about it, they shake their heads. They give me a look that says, "What planet do you park on?"
by Lee Eisenberg
Thursday, November 1, 2007
The best way to give people a sense of where they stand is to lay out some data. Every three years the Federal Reserve Board conducts a national survey that tracks the financial health of American households.
The Fed slices and dices this stuff with the vigor of an Iron Chef; the result is a rich, if dry, array of offerings on household net worth, pension and income levels, plus other demographic side dishes.
Whenever I slip these tidbits into cocktail party chatter, people are surprised to realize how little money it takes to win a gold star from the Fed. If you and yours are bringing in $40,000 a year, you're doing better than half the households in America.
Or, as a Washington think tank recently pointed out: If you're a teacher married to a policeman, your combined household income puts you in the top 25 percent of all households in the nation.
Below you'll find the average income picture sliced into income levels. Think of this chart as a parking ramp. If your household income is $170,000, you're among the nation's top 10 percent wage earners and get to park on the top floor.
Anything in six figures means you're in the top 20 percent and get to park on the floor right below.
Annual income parking ramp
Income level (percentile) Median income (rounded)
Level VI (90 to 100) $170,000
Level V (80 to 89.9) $99,000
Level IV (60 to 79.9) $65,000
Level III (40 to 59.9) $40,000
Level II (20 to 39.9) $24,000
Level I (less than 20) $10,000
Source: Before-Tax Family Income, 2001 Federal Reserve Board Survey
So does making $170,000 a year make a person rich? Last year a plurality of respondents (29 percent) in a survey by The New York Times said that "rich" was making between $100,000 and $200,000 a year. Unfortunately, the survey didn't break out how many people in that salary range considered themselves rich. If the people I talk to are any indication, very few do.
Of course, income is only one part of the equation defining where you stand. Net worth is more telling. Net worth, as every financially precocious schoolchild knows, is the sum of one's assets -- home equity, investments, savings accounts, retirement funds, cars, furnishings and such things as jewelry, furs, wine collection, old baseball cards -- minus all outstanding liabilities such as mortgage balance, revolving and credit card debt, college loans and so on. Across all households, the national median net worth is $86,000. Half of your fellow citizens have more than that, half less. As you see, there's a massive disparity between the haves and have-nots.
Net worth parking ramp
Net worth (percentile) Median net worth (rounded)
Level VI (90 to 100) $833,600
Level V (80 to 89.9) $263,100
Level IV (60 to 79.9) $141,500
Level III (40 to 59.9) $62,500
Level II (20 to 39.9) $37,200
Level I (less than 20) $7,900
Source: Family Net Worth, 2001 Federal Reserve Board Survey
We live in a country that once celebrated itself as egalitarian, yet 1 percent of the population -- nearly 3 million people -- currently has as much money as the 100 million people at the bottom of the ramp.
Yet when I ask those at the top of the ramp how they feel about the future, whether their fortunate place on the ramp gives them a measure of confidence about it, they shake their heads. They give me a look that says, "What planet do you park on?"
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Seven Secrets of Inspiring Leaders
The Seven Secrets of Inspiring Leaders By Carmine Gallo
Thu Oct 11, 8:08 AM ET
American business professionals are uninspired. Only 10% of employees look forward to going to work and most point to a lack of leadership as the reason why, according to a recent Maritz Research poll. But it doesn't have to be that way. All business leaders have the power to inspire, motivate, and positively influence the people in their professional lives.
For the past year, I have been interviewing renowned leaders, entrepreneurs, and educators who have an extraordinary ability to sell their vision, values, and themselves. I was researching their communications secrets for my new book, Fire Them Up. What I found were seven techniques that you can easily adopt in your own professional communications with your employees, clients, and investors.
1. Demonstrate enthusiasm -- constantly. Inspiring leaders have an abundance of passion for what they do. You cannot inspire unless you're inspired yourself. Period. Passion is something I can't teach. You either have passion for your message or you don't. Once you discover your passion, make sure it's apparent to everyone within your professional circle. Richard Tait sketched an idea on a napkin during a cross-country flight, an idea to bring joyful moments to families and friends. His enthusiasm was so infectious that he convinced partners, employees, and investors to join him. He created a toy and game company called Cranium. Walk into its Seattle headquarters and you are hit with a wave of fun, excitement, and engagement the likes of which is rarely seen in corporate life. It all started with one man's passion.
2. Articulate a compelling course of action. Inspiring leaders craft and deliver a specific, consistent, and memorable vision. A goal such as "we intend to double our sales by this time next year," is not inspiring. Neither is a long, convoluted mission statement destined to be tucked away and forgotten in a desk somewhere. A vision is a short (usually 10 words or less), vivid description of what the world will look like if your product or service succeeds. Microsoft's (NasdaqGS:MSFT - News) Steve Ballmer once said that shortly after he joined the company, he was having second thoughts. Bill Gates and Gates' father took Ballmer out to dinner and said he had it all wrong. They said Ballmer saw his role as that of a bean counter for a startup. They had a vision of putting a computer on every desk, in every home. That vision -- a computer on every desk, in every home -- remains consistent to this day. The power of a vision set everything in motion.
3. Sell the benefit. Always remember, it's not about you, it's about them. In my first class at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, I was taught to answer the question, "Why should my readers care?" That's the same thing you need to ask yourself constantly throughout a presentation, meeting, pitch, or any situation where persuasion takes place. Your listeners are asking themselves, what's in this for me? Answer it. Don't make them guess.
4. Tell more stories. Inspiring leaders tell memorable stories. Few business leaders appreciate the power of stories to connect with their audiences. A few weeks ago I was working with one of the largest producers of organic food in the country. I can't recall most, if any, of the data they used to prove organic is better. But I remember a story a farmer told. He said when he worked for a conventional grower, his kids could not hug him at the end of the day when he got home. His clothes had to be removed and disinfected. Now, his kids can hug him as soon as he walks off the field. No amount of data can replace that story. And now guess what I think about when I see the organic section in my local grocery store? You got it. The farmer's story. Stories connect with people on an emotional level. Tell more of them.
5. Invite participation. Inspiring leaders bring employees, customers, and colleagues into the process of building the company or service. This is especially important when trying to motivate young people. The command and control way of managing is over. Instead, today's managers solicit input, listen for feedback, and actively incorporate what they hear. Employees want more than a paycheck. They want to know that their work is adding up to something meaningful.
6. Reinforce an optimistic outlook. Inspiring leaders speak of a better future. Robert Noyce, the co-founder of Intel INTC, said, "Optimism is an essential ingredient of innovation. How else can the individual favor change over security?" Extraordinary leaders throughout history have been more optimistic than the average person. Winston Churchill exuded hope and confidence in the darkest days of World War II. Colin Powell said that optimism was the secret behind Ronald Reagan's charisma. Powell also said that optimism is a force multiplier, meaning it has a ripple effect throughout an organization. Speak in positive, optimistic language. Be a beacon of hope.
7. Encourage potential. Inspiring leaders praise people and invest in them emotionally. Richard Branson has said that when you praise people they flourish; criticize them and they shrivel up. Praise is the easiest way to connect with people. When people receive genuine praise, their doubt diminishes and their spirits soar. Encourage people and they'll walk through walls for you.
By inspiring your listeners, you become the kind of person people want to be around. Customers will want to do business with you, employees will want to work with you, and investors will want to back you. It all starts with mastering the language of motivation.
Thu Oct 11, 8:08 AM ET
American business professionals are uninspired. Only 10% of employees look forward to going to work and most point to a lack of leadership as the reason why, according to a recent Maritz Research poll. But it doesn't have to be that way. All business leaders have the power to inspire, motivate, and positively influence the people in their professional lives.
For the past year, I have been interviewing renowned leaders, entrepreneurs, and educators who have an extraordinary ability to sell their vision, values, and themselves. I was researching their communications secrets for my new book, Fire Them Up. What I found were seven techniques that you can easily adopt in your own professional communications with your employees, clients, and investors.
1. Demonstrate enthusiasm -- constantly. Inspiring leaders have an abundance of passion for what they do. You cannot inspire unless you're inspired yourself. Period. Passion is something I can't teach. You either have passion for your message or you don't. Once you discover your passion, make sure it's apparent to everyone within your professional circle. Richard Tait sketched an idea on a napkin during a cross-country flight, an idea to bring joyful moments to families and friends. His enthusiasm was so infectious that he convinced partners, employees, and investors to join him. He created a toy and game company called Cranium. Walk into its Seattle headquarters and you are hit with a wave of fun, excitement, and engagement the likes of which is rarely seen in corporate life. It all started with one man's passion.
2. Articulate a compelling course of action. Inspiring leaders craft and deliver a specific, consistent, and memorable vision. A goal such as "we intend to double our sales by this time next year," is not inspiring. Neither is a long, convoluted mission statement destined to be tucked away and forgotten in a desk somewhere. A vision is a short (usually 10 words or less), vivid description of what the world will look like if your product or service succeeds. Microsoft's (NasdaqGS:MSFT - News) Steve Ballmer once said that shortly after he joined the company, he was having second thoughts. Bill Gates and Gates' father took Ballmer out to dinner and said he had it all wrong. They said Ballmer saw his role as that of a bean counter for a startup. They had a vision of putting a computer on every desk, in every home. That vision -- a computer on every desk, in every home -- remains consistent to this day. The power of a vision set everything in motion.
3. Sell the benefit. Always remember, it's not about you, it's about them. In my first class at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, I was taught to answer the question, "Why should my readers care?" That's the same thing you need to ask yourself constantly throughout a presentation, meeting, pitch, or any situation where persuasion takes place. Your listeners are asking themselves, what's in this for me? Answer it. Don't make them guess.
4. Tell more stories. Inspiring leaders tell memorable stories. Few business leaders appreciate the power of stories to connect with their audiences. A few weeks ago I was working with one of the largest producers of organic food in the country. I can't recall most, if any, of the data they used to prove organic is better. But I remember a story a farmer told. He said when he worked for a conventional grower, his kids could not hug him at the end of the day when he got home. His clothes had to be removed and disinfected. Now, his kids can hug him as soon as he walks off the field. No amount of data can replace that story. And now guess what I think about when I see the organic section in my local grocery store? You got it. The farmer's story. Stories connect with people on an emotional level. Tell more of them.
5. Invite participation. Inspiring leaders bring employees, customers, and colleagues into the process of building the company or service. This is especially important when trying to motivate young people. The command and control way of managing is over. Instead, today's managers solicit input, listen for feedback, and actively incorporate what they hear. Employees want more than a paycheck. They want to know that their work is adding up to something meaningful.
6. Reinforce an optimistic outlook. Inspiring leaders speak of a better future. Robert Noyce, the co-founder of Intel INTC, said, "Optimism is an essential ingredient of innovation. How else can the individual favor change over security?" Extraordinary leaders throughout history have been more optimistic than the average person. Winston Churchill exuded hope and confidence in the darkest days of World War II. Colin Powell said that optimism was the secret behind Ronald Reagan's charisma. Powell also said that optimism is a force multiplier, meaning it has a ripple effect throughout an organization. Speak in positive, optimistic language. Be a beacon of hope.
7. Encourage potential. Inspiring leaders praise people and invest in them emotionally. Richard Branson has said that when you praise people they flourish; criticize them and they shrivel up. Praise is the easiest way to connect with people. When people receive genuine praise, their doubt diminishes and their spirits soar. Encourage people and they'll walk through walls for you.
By inspiring your listeners, you become the kind of person people want to be around. Customers will want to do business with you, employees will want to work with you, and investors will want to back you. It all starts with mastering the language of motivation.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Healthy diet, walk after big meals
Light exercise after a heavy meal is a very smart idea.
Consume naturally occurring fats, balanced with protein and vegetables. Go very light on the starches, especially if you're consuming a higher-fat meal.
When eating starch, be sure to consume protein and veggies to slow the absorption of sugar.
Consume naturally occurring fats, balanced with protein and vegetables. Go very light on the starches, especially if you're consuming a higher-fat meal.
When eating starch, be sure to consume protein and veggies to slow the absorption of sugar.
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