Ideas Are Your #1 Asset

Tips from a Top Patent Attorney for Protecting Your Ideas and Innovations
by Michael Lechter

When Robert Kiyosaki -- author of the best-selling books "Rich Dad,
Poor Dad" and the 'Rich Dad series -- sought the legal services of
Michael Lechter, a top intellectual property (IP) and patent attorney
with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Phoenix, Arizona, he brought with
him a prototype of his new board game 'CashFlow 101' and a steely
determination not to repeat history.

Twenty years prior, Kiyosaki developed a nylon and Velcro wallet --
dubbed the 'surfer wallet'. Sales exceeded his wildest expectations.
But he neglected to protect his invention by securing a patent and,
three years later, when competitors stormed the marketplace with
'knock-offs', sales plummeted. The company folded the following year.

Lechter, who has since joined the team of Rich Dad's Advisors and
written the book 'Protecting Your #1 Asset," guided Kiyosaki through
the legal maze of patent, trademark and copyright protection for the
'Cashflow 101' and 'Cashflow for Kids' games. He encourages all
innovators to implement basic strategies to sustain competitive
advantages, and ensure that they -- as opposed to competitors --
profit from their innovations.

Five Key Steps:
Lechter details five key steps that every creator of a game or toy --
or any product -- should follow:
1. Keep contemporaneous records of product development; sign and
date each entry, and have it witnessed. There are a number of
circumstances which might require proving what you did and when.
2. Develop a protection strategy. Legal protection mechanisms
(trade secrets, utility patents, design patents, trademarks,
copyrights, and mask work protection) can be used sequentially and/or
concurrently to protect different product aspects.
3. Consider patent protection early - after you've gone to
market is too late in most of the world! In the U.S., an inventor has
one year from the first commercialization, or public disclosure of
the invention in which to file a patent application.

Most other countries do not have any such grace period. Filing a
patent application early in the development cycle of a product can
also minimize the time that the product is on the market before a
patent is granted.
4. Consciously build intellectual property into your product.
Any distinctive, non-utilitarian aspect of your product can become a
trademark including e.g., color schemes (trade dress),
non-utilitarian design elements, smell, even sound (music or voice).
5. Before putting a product on the market, investigate potential
adverse third party patents or trademarks. You can do a preliminary
investigation online at USPTO.gov. A patent attorney should be
consulted for comprehensive investigations.

Lechter, in intellectual property since 1972, is an adjunct professor
at Arizona State University and a featured presenter for The Learning
Annex. He is committed to educating business owners and entrepreneurs
about turning competitive advantages into assets and ensuring that a
company's creativity and innovation are its number one assets.

Michael Lechter, Esq. is an attorney specializing in intellectual
property (IT) law since the early 1970's and handled the
patent-protection on Robert's game CASHFLOW#174; 101. Author of
Protecting Your #1 Asset, Michael teaches people how to turn ideas
into income-generating assets.

Breaking The Success Barrier

Session 1: Know What You Want
The golden age of opportunity. Masters and victims of change. Owning
your future. How to blaze your own trail. A lifetime of searching.
What makes some people successful? You are what you think you are.
Choose your own thoughts. Controlling your response to life's
challenges. Cultivating optimism. The principle of the "Objective."

Session 2: Do Whatever It Takes
Becoming action oriented. Learning the "Offensive" principle. Feeding
your need for control. Planning continuous and sustained attacks. Why
we need courage. The power of persistence. Learning the GOSPA formula
for success. The difference between desire and ability. How the
world's top executives spend their days. The ultimate test of leadership.

Session 3: Put First Things First
Mastering a simple formula. Paradigm shifts in the 20th century.
Organizing your life. The problem of complexity and how to avoid it.
Making lists of your priorities. The 80/20 rule. Using the ABCDE
method to simplify your life. Something old, something new. The seven
"R's" to greater productivity.

Session 4: Concentrate Your Powers
Learning to concentrate. Your one most important goal. The benefits
of self-discipline. Cultivating the commitment of champions. The
seven critical success factors. Increasing your return on equity.
Planning in advance. Keeping your eye on the prize.

Session 5: Lead from the Front
Becoming a united force. Playing the part of a leader. The greatest
success story ever told. Three major forms of power. Asking the right
questions. The qualities of effective leaders. Maintaining your
vision. Determining your core competencies. Giving what you're
getting. How to pass life's many tests.

Session 6: Leverage Your Strength
The principle of concerted action. Supporting your team. Taking on
more responsibility. Why many small businesses fail. The four types
of people. The key to becoming a great manager. Command vs. control
management. The importance of conflict. The power of group commitments.

Session 7: Learn All You Can
The principle of intelligence. Honing your ability to gather
information. Getting the facts straight. Upgrade your education. A
results-oriented world. The minimum requirement for success. Tapping
your brain's power. Striving to be brighter than the rest.
Accelerated learning techniques. The three most important forms of
knowledge. Rules of continuous learning.

Session 8: Be Fast on Your Feet
The principle of movement and positioning. Creativity and
entrepreneurial thinking. The purpose of every business. Strategies
for becoming more flexible in a highly-competitive market. Getting a
share of the customer. Zero-based thinking. The importance of
admitting our errors. Flexing your creative muscles.

Session 9: Minimize Your Costs
Appraising your worth. Choosing your battles. The principle of
economy. Becoming an invaluable asset. Ten steps that will accelerate
your personal and professional advancement. Developing a positive
image. The value of networking. Strengthening your character.

Session 10: Conserve Your Resources
The principle of security. Building your financial fortress. Securing
a positive mental attitude. Why we take things for granted. The
importance of customer service. Improving the quality of life. The
age of the independent contractor. Seizing the initiative. Battling
the know-it-all within all of us. Saving your money. The financial
secrets of self-made millionaires.

Session 11: Do the Unexpected
The principle of surprise. Satisfying the customer's appetite for
speed. Why customers love individuals. Listening to and acting on
every complaint. Your most important competitive edge. The four
levels of customer service. Learning from your rivals.

Session 12: Fulfill Your Potential
The principle of exploitation. Taking advantage of your resources.
Launching your shuttle toward success and lifetime prosperity. The
importance of strategic follow-up. The disguise of every opportunity.
Look within yourself. Determining your unique talents and abilities.
Becoming a no-limit person.

Brian Tracy International

Creating Buzz About Your Company

The key to any successful PR campaign revolves
around creating interest in your company - both
with your customers and with the media.

There's a famous saying that goes like this, "If
the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign
saying 'Circus Coming to the Fairground
Saturday,' that's advertising. If you put the
sign on the back of an elephant and walk him into
town, that's promotion. If the elephant walks
through the mayor's flowerbed, that's publicity.
If you can get the mayor to laugh about it,
that's public relations. And if you planned the
elephant's walk, that's marketing."

While this may seem like just a cute anecdote,
there is an important lesson to be learned from
it: A well-timed public relations (PR) campaign
can increase your businesses' chances of reaching
your target market with exactly what they want to
hear, when they are ready to hear it. Like most
PR experts, Marissa Verson Harrison, co-founder
and principal of California-based InterActive
Public Relations, agrees that this is not a
simple task, explaining "good strategic PR is an art."

The art of building a successful PR campaign
revolves around creating strong relationships
with the media and your customers, planning
special events and building an image - elements
that when combined gain publicity, or "buzz," for
your company. You need not spend thousands of
dollars creating buzz about your company,
however. Innovative methods, such as identifying
a media niche, creating a theme, and using trade
shows and celebrity spokespersons are all
publicity-generating vehicles for budget-minded businesses.

Can You Hear the Buzz?

You can garner attention for your company using a
variety of creative techniques, from basic media
relations to outrageous stunts. Fred Cook, a
general manager for Golin/Harris International
(GHI), says entrepreneurs who seek to generate
excitement about their businesses should start by
establishing local media contacts and building
long-lasting relationships with them. "On the
other end of the spectrum, staging a larger media
event or stunt related to a specific product or
announcement may help generate buzz about a company," he adds.

Cook helped create buzz for Southwest Airlines
with an out-of-the-box idea that complemented the
company's offbeat attitude. When Southwest
acquired Morris Air in 1994, they were thrust
into the cold corporate spotlight. To reinforce
Southwest's fun-loving company culture, GHI
arranged a quickie mock marriage in Las Vegas
between costumed characters "Southwest Spirit" and "Morris Magic."

An engagement announcement was distributed to the
media, and on the special day, an Elvis
impersonator "married" the blissful couple in
front of well-wishers from both airlines, with
flight attendants and pilots acting as the
wedding party. GHI then distributed a "marriage
announcement" to key media outlets nationwide. As
a result of the event, Cook says Southwest
Airlines gained extensive media coverage from the
likes of CNN, CBS Radio Network, Associated Press
Wire, Bloomberg Business News and more.

Staging Your Own Media Event

Trade shows can provide an excellent,
cost-effective arena for creating buzz about your
company and introducing new products or services
to a captive audience. Dave Lakhani, a former
small business owner and current sales director
for Idaho-based Cougar Mountain Software,
proposes turning trade shows into your own media
events. "Send engraved invitations to the media
that will be attending and have a special time
set aside for them," he suggests, "then dazzle them while you are there."

One company that put such a plan into motion is
Connecticut-based Verilux, Inc., a full spectrum
lighting company, which lit up the competition at
a recent national hardware trade show in Chicago.
To promote a line of healthy lighting products,
they featured a representative dressed up as a
"human light bulb" and circulated throughout the
convention center talking to attendees and posing
for photographs. The light bulb stood almost
eight feet tall, which made the Verilux booth
very visible to the attendees. "We also sent out
a press release before the show to let people
know to look for the human light bulb to find the
Verilux booth," says Dwight Robinson, Verilux's
account executive at California-based PR firm Christie Communications.

This bright idea for the human light bulb was a
collaborative effort between Robinson and Gillian
Christie, president of Christie Communications.
Robinson says of the thousands of trade show
exhibitors, only one other company used a costumed figure.

"All the other lighting companies were talking
about the Verilux light bulb. It was so unique
that even some of the trade show organizers and
personnel came by to get a photo with [him]. This
brought a tremendous amount of media attention
including that of the Detroit News and the Chicago Sun-Times," boasts Robinson.

Finding Your Media Niche

When it comes to approaching the media to attract
buzz, customizing your message is the only way to
get their attention. After all, you don't carry
on the exact same conversation with everyone you
know, so why would you send every newspaper the same press release?

"Each media outlet has different story needs and
a different audience," says Anthony Mora,
president and CEO of Anthony Mora Communications,
Inc. and author of "Alchemy of Success," a how-to
book describing successful media tactics. Before
attempting to pitch your story to an editor, Mora
advises asking yourself what would make a
disinterested party want to read an article about
your company. "Once you hit on the 'hook,'" he says, "you have a story."

"An explosion of both new companies and new media
is generating stiff competition in the
marketplace of public awareness," says Rob Roth,
business-to-business communications specialist at
BSMG Worldwide. "It's also creating a gold mine
of opportunities to reach the audiences that
matter to you." Roth says when you find a media
niche for your business, you engage in your
industry's dialogue, establish a company
presence, create an awareness and build credibility.

Roth explains that entrepreneurs can also
generate a buzz by identifying their own media
niche. He cites, as an example, his schoolmate at
Northwestern University, Sam Jones, co-founder of
Mercator Group, a Chicago-based business
acquisition consulting firm, who found an
African-American minority media niche and turned
it into free press exposure for his company.
"Using talent and determination, [Jones] not only
won admittance to a top university but worked to
pay his own way through it. During school, he
traveled the Midwest, speaking to minority youth
about achieving for one's self and community. He
now brings that same ability and determination to
the company he helped found. That's news," insists Roth.

Jones was one of four entrepreneurs featured in
the Boston Business Journal's annual "minorities
in business" focus section. He is but one example
of an entrepreneur who took on the media without a PR firm and succeeded.

"The beautiful part for entrepreneurs is that
most everyone and every business has a story to
tell, a distinctive voice than can make a space
for itself amid the noise," Roth explains. "As we
enter the new millennium, good entrepreneurial
media relations is primarily about identifying
your story and determining who cares about it."
It can be time-consuming, he warns, but this kind
of work is inexpensive and can give the business
owner a greater understanding of his industry.

Celebrity Buzz

When celebrities appear in a company's product
advertisements, it can create a very loud buzz.
Art Siegel, publisher of Florida-based
SalesDoctors magazine, says this happens for two
reasons: "We are unconsciously drawn to the
familiar. So, right off the bat, the presence of
a celebrity gives many customers an extra reason
to stop and pay attention to the ad. Second is
the widespread belief that a celebrity appearance
in an ad represents a true endorsement - that the
celebrity uses the product and believes it to be better than its competitors."

Siegel adds that celebrity endorsements can carry
the same weight for customers as a recommendation from a friend.

"While the illusion is that the celebrity is
endorsing the vendor's product or service, the
job of celebrity spokesperson is strictly
business," explains Siegel. He says if you can
afford the celebrity's fee, you have as good an
opportunity of attracting the celebrity's
services as any other company. "And many
celebrities cost much less than one would expect.
A well-known person might work on a television
commercial for $10,000 or less per day. To the
celebrity, $10,000 per day is very nice income.
To the business owner, who then runs that ad on
television 100 times, the talent
fee-per-appearance is really quite small," he says.

Celebrity spokespersons are usually represented
by agents who serve as brokers. If you're
interesting in contracting the services of a
celebrity spokesperson, Siegel suggests
contacting several agents, describing your
business goals, then asking for recommendations
on available celebrities who best fit your
product or promotion. "The key to making
celebrities work for a company is finding someone
who will be credible for your product. That's
more important than how famous they are. If you
sell plant food, find a famous horticulturist,
not just an actor. If you sell coffee, find a
famous chef. And if you sell carpet cleaning,
find someone who is recognized in decorating or
living in a fine home," says Siegel. "The closer
the fit, the greater the perceived endorsement value."

In one such innovative marketing relationship,
PostNet Postal and Business Services has teamed
up with NFL players to create their own buzz in
the pack-and-ship industry. Steven Greenbaum,
CFE, president and CEO of Nevada-based PostNet
International Franchise Corp., conceived the
idea. "Conceptually, it made a lot of sense to
utilize a spokesperson who had to make the same
kind of commitment to his career that we did to
succeed in our business," he explains of the teaming concept.

Rather than a single personality, PostNet
franchisees sign various known sports figures to
work in specific regions. "We wanted more than
just a program that would heighten brand
awareness," Greenbaum says. "With the support of
the athlete in the local market, we're also
increasing sales of products and services."

PostNet's offerings include packaging and
delivery of time-sensitive materials and various
business-support services such as printing,
binding and laminating. NFL players, like former
San Franciso 49er and four-time Super Bowl
champion Ronnie Lott, help generate a marketing
buzz in home territories by allowing their name
and endorsement to be used in local, regional and
national advertising campaigns, making personal
appearances in local stores, and participating in
joint community-service efforts. The athletes are
then compensated based on the performance of the territories they represent.

So how did PostNet land such a plum deal? "I
believe [the athletes] share our strong desire to
compete and succeed in the marketplace," says
Greenbaum. "They know we have put our hearts and
souls and everything we own into developing this
business. Winners are always interested in winning opportunities."

Not only did Greenbaum believe the company and
the players shared a similar philosophy, but he
was also not afraid to approach them. "In
business or life you don't get anything without
asking," he says bluntly. "You might be surprised
to learn that the person you are asking just
might be flattered by the request and thrilled
about the opportunity to endorse your small business."

Why Some Companies Get All the Buzz

Have you ever wondered why the same companies
seem to attract all of the media coverage? No
matter where you turn - newspapers, trade
magazines, even lifestyle publications - it seems
that some businesses are just natural media
darlings. Do they know some secret that the rest
of us don't? According to Kris Bondi, founder of
California-based Communications Network
Worldwide, the answer is probably not all that
mysterious. "Companies that get all the buzz
usually have a good marriage of solid or
innovative product or service with good promotional ideas," she explains.

Silicon Valley-based interactive software
developer Marimba is a prime example of a company
that has been getting all the buzz in the
software industry since its 1996 inception. Not
only does Marimba have cutting-edge products and
a very visible CEO in Kim Polese, but Bondi says
they captured the media's attention, then
maintained it, by creating relationships.

"The best way to get the industry's attention is
with a 'first, biggest or best' of a new product
or service. If you are the second company to
offer something, you are already at a
disadvantage, but if you can show why yours is
different than the rest, you are on your way to
getting buzz. Marimba's success is due, in part,
to being consistently evaluated by independent
organizations such as PC Magazine as having a superior product," she explains.

It is a myth, Bondi says, that companies like
these have to spend a lot of money on marketing
to become buzz magnets: "Too many companies think
they need to do ongoing promotions. They are
wasting money. Promotions are important, but
there needs to be something behind it." She cites
Nabisco, maker of Oreo cookies, as an example of
one of the best and least-expensive promotions
she has seen. During a 1997 news assembly at the
National Restaurant Association conference, the
cunning cookie company generated an economical
buzz by listing the event in daily conference
announcements, in addition to distributing a
"media alert" that they were holding the press
briefing. The information given out was not
ground breaking at all, she explains, but Nabisco
had an ace up its sleeve: They fed the news
conference attendees milk and Oreos. As a result,
the company had a packed house of hungry
reporters and PR people listening to their announcement.

"This wasn't an expensive promotion, but it was
effective. It fit the company culture and
accomplished Nabisco's goal of getting reporters
to their news conference," Bondi explains.

Media Kits Build Media Relationships

There are several strategies for developing media
kits, but experts agree a visually appealing
media kit, with professional photos and
well-written press releases are an important
resource for creating buzz. A good media kit will
pique an editor's curiosity and gain the company free publicity.

Ogilvy PR Worldwide (OPR) specializes in the
production of strategic media materials. Sherry
Pudloski, a senior vice president at OPR, says,
"While the appearance of the kit can peak a
reporter's interest, the buzz a company is
looking to create comes from the effort put
behind the kit, from the development of the
content to the follow-up discussions with
reporters." She says the biggest mistake most
companies make in creating media kits is making
it look or read like a company or product
advertisement. "The goal of distributing a kit is
to generate a story, but also to provide a
valuable resource. If you can demonstrate a
perspective beyond your company and can tie in
the relevance of your company to the broader
business environment, you'll become a valued resource," explains Pudloski.

"If you respect their deadlines and are helpful,
not pushy, you will build relationships," Bondi adds.

So what should be included in a professional
media kit? Just the facts. Experts say less is
more, information-wise. Terri Firebaugh,
principal of Firebaugh Communications, a PR firm
that specializes in small- to mid-sized
businesses, says small business owners should
include a company biography, a professional
photograph of the key players and the product or
performance of a service, a fact sheet and a
recent news release geared toward the target
audience. But, Firebaugh says, you should never
include sales information in a press kit.

The budget for a first-time professional media
kit varies, depending on labor and materials.
Smaller firms can be contracted to develop press
kits for as little as $500 while larger media
houses may charge up to $8,000. However, experts
warn a half-baked press kit could do more harm
than good, so you shouldn't skimp on value. If
the information is not presented professionally,
your company's image will suffer.

Further, without functionality, your packet is
likely to end up in the circular file (read:
wastepaper basket) of a busy reporter's office.
Press releases are often the backbone of an
appealing media kit. "A well-written news release
serves as an outline of what the story is. If the
release is written like a news story, and it
actually has news in it, it is more likely to
interest the reporter in doing a piece on it,"
says Bondi. If you are not a good writer, hire
one, adds Lakhani. "Third- and fourth-year PR
students make good PR writers," he suggests.

Including published clips about your company is a
popular tactic, however, Bondi says sending
reprints from other publications can sometimes
backfire. "The New York Times does not want to
see that The Washington Post covered this story
last month. The response you will receive is that
the story has been covered." Bondi also warns:
Don't change the date on news releases. "A news
release is a snapshot in time. If you are caught
changing the date on news releases to make them
appear 'fresher,' reporters will not trust that
anything you tell them is current," she explains.

Professional artwork is also important and should
always be included in a professional media kit.
"It should contain graphics in a variety of
formats as well as black-and-white and color
pictures for scanning," says Lakhani. A
well-prepared media kit will provide an editor
with everything he or she needs to run a story on your company.

Creating Buzz by Creating a Theme

Savvy companies use media kits to create buzz by
creating a theme. Mike Neumeier, group director
of business-to-business technology for
Atlanta-based Duffey Communications, says small
businesses must use creative media kits to break
through the clutter on a reporter's desk. He says
themed press kits can help personify a company.
For example, Duffey created a Denmark software
maker's media kit around a cowboy theme, which
included a bull whip and press release stating,
"In the wild, wild world of Windows, we're
whipping business into shape." Similarly,
Duffey's client Navision Software smoked out the
competition with a cigar box theme. Neumeier says
reporters couldn't resist the package, which
included an actual cigar, lighter and cutter.

However, Neumeier stresses props must be used
correctly to be effective. "It needs to capture
the spirit and message of the product, company,
organization or event. In public relations
creativity for the sake of creativity is
dangerous - that is what art is for. In the
marketing communications field creativity needs
to contribute to the bottom line. Often it is
used to make the company stand out or to show
that the company is a thought leader. In the end,
pushing up the bottom line is what matters," he insists.

Creating themes can be expensive, but need not
always be, says Neumeier. You can utilize
technology, for instance, to equalize the cost of
a theme-based promotion. Last Christmas, Duffey
dressed its Web site in holiday garb, complete
with Christmas lights and a tree. "We then
disseminated a release letting our targeted media
know about how we had 'decked the Internet
halls,'" says Neumeier. The result: Duffey Web
traffic analysis reports indicated that more
people visited the site in December than any
other month in 1997. "All it took was a little
creativity surrounding a likable theme," explains Neumeier.

Contrarily, sometimes the best press kit is no
press kit at all. When the Boston Beer Company,
maker of Samuel Adams beer, started out, the
company consisted of its founder Jim Koch and his
secretary. Koch himself became the information
vehicle for the media. "If we had sent a big, fat
press kit, we would have left the incorrect
impression that there was a company there," says
Sally Jackson, founder of PR firm Jackson & Co.
Koch went door-to-door selling the recipe that
had been his great-great grandfather's and
embarked on a telephone calling campaign to media
and restaurateurs as part of his PR stratagem.
"In that case, the media, who covered the story,
created the buzz. And we did it without a press
release, a product photo or anything like that.
It was a couple of months later that we issued
our first press release, and that was only after
we'd been voted Best Beer In America at the Great
American Beer Festival," says Jackson.

Getting the Word Out

Experts say mass distribution of media kits can
be expensive and ineffective. "The best way to
distribute media kits depends on what you are
trying to accomplish," says Bondi. She suggests
selected mailings to targeted reporters. "For the
smaller outlets, you can usually just send them a
release," says Firebaugh. However, she says for
larger national outlets, very individualized
mailings are more appropriate. Follow-ups are
just as important as the initial mailings.
Experts agree three days is the standard waiting
time, unless breaking news is involved.

Bondi offers some final buzz words: "Make sure
when you are pitching a reporter you actually
have news or a reason why your company should be
profiled. When you build a relationship with a
reporter they will cover you again - ultimately,
that is how you create ongoing buzz that will help your business grow."

Copyright © 2003 Virtual Advisor, Inc. All rights reserved.

You'll be Judged by Your Voice

From its earliest days the Net has been home to a rich variety of
voices. Never before have regular people had the means to communicate
their views to such a large and diverse audience. In fact, before the
Net came along, the power to publish lay in the hands of a few
powerful media companies alone. The best that you or I could hope for
was to find that our letter to the editor had made the cut.

The technology of the Net allowed anyone and everyone to publish
their views. From Usenet, to The Well, to a choice of thousands of
discussion lists and groups - millions of people discovered the joys
of raising their voices online.

Within this new culture, a premium was placed on voices that had a
unique and authentic character. That was how people stood out within
a text-based environment. No graphics. Nothing to see. Just words.
And the words that spread furthest were the words that carried the
unmistakable ring of an interesting voice.

The voices that attracted the widest or most attentive audiences did
so not by being loud, but by being interesting. And even being
interesting wasn't enough. There are lots of people out there with
interesting things to say. In addition, you needed to write in a way
that engaged the attention of your readers and always rang true.

This all happened before commerce came to the Web. And during that
period, people developed an uncommon sensitivity to voice online.

When commerce finally came to the Web, the writers or copywriters who
were responsible for writing commercial sites, emails and newsletters
failed to tap into the unique touch and flavor of online writing.
Instead, they simply borrowed their writing styles from what they
knew best - print and broadcast media.

And even today, companies online still don't get it. They still write
their online text in the slick, corporate style of offline writing.
The text of ecommerce has no character, no humanity, no recognizable voice.

This is a problem because your prospects and customers are quick to
ignore and skip over 'dead' text - wherever they see it.

To illustrate the point, here are two ways of talking about the new
Apple iBook laptop computer.

First, here's how Apple pitches it on their site:

The first thing you'll notice is that the iBook weighs just 4.9
pounds - almost 2 pounds lighter than before. You'll also note that
this iBook is appreciably smaller: just 11.2 inches wide, 9.1 inches
deep and 1.35 inches thick. The perfect size and shape to fit in your
backpack or briefcase. Fact is, the new iBook is designed to fit your
life. Fortunately, it's priced so you can still afford to have one.
Starting at $1,299.

With iMovie, iTunes and iTools, the new iBook is designed to work and
play with your digital tools and toys. Fact is, the iBook adds
fun-filled new dimensions to your MP3 player, music CD collection,
digital camera, DV camcorder and personal digital assistant. Your
iBook is right there at the center of it.

We'll forgive the writer for starting two sentences in the same way
with 'Fact is,'. A minor point.

But more telling is the construction and rhythm of the text. Take a
look at the four sentences at the end of the first paragraph.

The perfect size and shape to fit in your backpack or briefcase. Fact
is, the new iBook is designed to fit your life. Fortunately, it's
priced so you can still afford to have one. Starting at $1,299.

The first sentence has 12 words. The second has 11 words. The third
has 11. And the fourth and final sentence has just 3 words.

In other words, you get three sentences of equal weight and emphasis
followed by a very short, final sentence that places focus on the
price, and closes the paragraph on a high note. If you get my drift.

What's the big deal? The construction of the copy reeks of
'professional ad writer'. That's how you write for a print ad or a
catalogue. The construction is too measured, the voice too
commercial. The style is from the offline world where, as a customer,
you're meant simply to pay attention and listen to the message.

By way of comparison, here is an excerpt from an iBook review at epinions.com:

The first iBook was, like the first iMac, trying to make too radical
of a statement. The monstrosity weighed in at nearly 7 pounds. When
opened, it looked like an orange toilet seat. When closed, it looked
like a Hello Kitty purse (especially with that handle!). The colors
Apple picked made it look like a toy more than anything else. It was
underpowered and, despite Apple's greatest efforts, it was still
overpriced. The original iBook became sort of the odd little runt in
Apple's line - like the ugly duckling - and it sold like that too.

Well today is the day the little duckling turns into a beautiful
swan, and BOY whadda swan it is!

True, Apple probably wouldn't have the nerve to publish text like
this - however right the reviewer may be.

But it's not really the content I'm talking about. It's the voice and
the construction - or lack of construction - of the text. This iBook
reviewer writes pretty well, but the text isn't 'self-aware' or
'self-indulgent'. The voice is normal. It's from a regular person
with an interesting opinion.

The text has a strong character that is individual, not commercial.

And that's pretty much what I'm talking about. Real voices online
have character. And for that character to ring true in the online
environment, it has to be authentic, interesting and human. That's
why the 'toilet-seat' intro to the new iBook is so much more
compelling and powerful than the Apple version.

The voice fits with how real people communicate online in a way that
'commercial' writing never can.

And that's a good reason for us all to review our own sites, emails
and newsletters - and check for the power and authenticity of our voices.

Yes, online writers can still be 'professional'. But those
professionals, myself included, have to relearn how we write. We
can't write for print. We have to write for the online environment.

We have to learn to write with a voice that is true to our clients,
true to their customers and true to the culture of communicating
online. (And, of course, true to ourselves.)

*Nick Usborne speaks, writes, and consults on strategic copy issues
for business online.

Not enough good quality prospects

Not enough good quality prospects = Stress.
Nine quick solutions.

The cause of stress in business is having
too few prospects. When we only have a couple of
prospects, we press, we push, we strain to make
them join our opportunity. Prospects feel this
pressure and instinctively back away from us.

*** Prospects can smell desperation.***

This leads to fewer prospects and the vicious
cycle gets worse and worse.

When we have an abundance of prospects, we're
happy. We are not desperately waiting for a single
decision from a single prospect. We aren't married
to the outcome of a single presentation.

Instead, we're relaxed. We simply share our opportunity
and take the first prospects who volunteer and step
forward. Now we're working with volunteers and we
have more great prospects waiting in line.

Which scenario describes your business career?

A. Are you pressing and struggling from too
few prospects?

B. Or, are you simply accepting applications
from the best volunteers from your large
pool of quality prospects?

The solution is simple:

Increase your marketing so that you have an
abundance of prospects.

Why not increase your personal contacts now? Here
are some quick ideas:

1. Host your class reunion. You don't have to wait
for a 10-year or 20-year anniversary. You can do
it anytime.

2. Take your best three or four headlines and first
sentences and test them. Mail out 100 postcards
and test the response for each.

3. Start your own breakfast club.

4. Offer to be a guest on a local radio talk show.

5. Loan out ten "How To Get Rich Without Winning
The Lottery" books.

6. Establish some contacts who will send you referrals.

7. Pass out 10 product tapes or CDs.

8. Pass out 10 product samples or information packs.

9. Get some leads via Google AdWords.

There are plenty of ways to expand your universe of
quality prospects. Just pick a method that's comfortable
for you.

"Tom 'Big Al' Schreiter

Acceptance

<http://www.motivationalquotes.com/cgi-bin/db/db.cgi?db=db&uid=default&ID=&Quote=&Author=&Source=&Prayer=&Affirmation=&Keywords=acceptance&keyword=&mh=25&sb=---&so=asc&view_records=View+Records>Acceptance

Character Traits of Extraordinary Leaders
by <http://www.madeforsuccess.com/>Chris Widener

The success of every organization rests on the foundation of
leadership. A group of people, whether a business, organization,
family or society, can only go as far as leadership will take it.

Some people do not believe that they are leaders or even that they
can be a leader. I believe that every person is a leader in at least
one situation.

Maybe you aren't a leader at work but you are in your family or as
the soccer coach of the little league team. Somewhere you are
leading. That brings me to my final point before today's specific
topic. Here is my working definition of leadership: INFLUENCE.
Nothing more, nothing less. So as you are reading this understand
that I am giving you these thoughts in order to help you influence as
many people and in the most effective way possible

When people make a decision (either consciously or unconsciously) to
follow your leadership, they do it primarily because of one of two
things: Your Character or your Skills. They want to know if you are
the kind of person they want to follow and if you have the skills to
take them further. Yes, there are other variables but these are the
bulk of the matter. This week we focus on the kind of character that
causes people to follow your leadership.

1. Integrity. Integrity is that you do what you say you will. You are
trust worthy. People can rely on you. You keep your promises. The one
thing that will most keep people from following you is if they can't
know for sure if you will actually take them where you say you will.
Are you known as a person of integrity? If so, you will become an
Extraordinary Leader!

2. Optimistic. People don't want to follow others who think the
future is bad! They want to follow those who can see the future and
let them know that there is a better place and that they can get them
there! Do you see the cup as half empty? Then you are a pessimist. Do
you see it as half full? Then you are an optimist. Do you see it as
totally full - half air and half water? Then you are a Super
Optimist! Are you known as an optimist? If so, you will become an
Extraordinary Leader!

3. Embraces Change. Leaders are the ones who will see the need for
change and willingly embrace it. Followers will at first desire to
stay where they are. Leaders need to see the benefits of change and
communicate them to followers. If you don't change, you won't grow!
Are you known as a person who embraces change? If so, you will become
an Extraordinary Leader!

4. Risk Taker. Whenever we try something new, we are taking a risk.
That is part of growing though and it is imperative. Most people are
risk averse. Not the leader! They calculate the risk and what is to
be gained from taking the risk. Then they communicate that to the
followers and away they go to a better tomorrow! Are you known as a
person who is willing to take risks? If so, you will become an
Extraordinary Leader!

5. Tenacious. The tendency of the follower is to quit when the going
gets tough. Two or three tries and their motto becomes "If at first
you don't succeed, give up and try something else." Not the leader!
They know what good lies beyond this brick wall and they will go and
get it. Then they will bring others with them! Are you known as a
person who is tenacious? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

6. Catalytic. A leader is ultimately one who gets people going. They
are able to move others out of their comfort zone and on toward the
goal! They can raise the passion, enthusiasm and the ACTION of those
who would follow. Are you known as a catalyst? If so, you will become
an Extraordinary Leader!

7. Dedicated/Committed. Followers want people who are more devoted
and committed then themselves. At the first sign of lack of
commitment, followers scatter for the doors. If the leader sees the
end and is bailing out, they better get out first. Followers follow
those who will stick it out because they see the importance of the
task and the goal. Are you known as a person who is committed and
devoted to the goal? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

Imagine a sad pencil that wants all the pens of the world to
acknowledge its handsome lines, but it can't win its way! So, it
decides not to be a pencil any more. And while one end of this pained
pencil concocts ways to change itself into something that is no
longer a lead-filled stick, in the end - by the very need it has to
dream such dreams to escape itself - it remains a pencil.

Quote: Whatever you have

Whatever you have, spend less.
- Samuel Johnson

Influence and Motivation

I was helping to enhance the effectiveness of a sales presentation
for a division of a Fortune 500 company this week. Lots of fun and
filled with some real "aha" experiences...

In just a moment I'm going to show you how to motivate people. Very
few people have the ability to motivate others to do anything because
people who have evolved to becoming agents of change haven't
discovered the lens with which you MUST view each person.

As you read the story, don't forget the message...and then...record
the analysis for your every day reminder...

Imagine:

Someone goes to work five days per week. They "punch in" at 9 and
"out" at "5." By an entrepreneur's standards, those are pretty wimpy
hours...OK, really wimpy hours. Then it dawned on me that most people
who do the "punch in" and "9-5" have to punch in because otherwise no
one would know they were there. In other words, it's sort of like
wearing an ankle bracelet when you are released from jail and
required to be at a certain place at a certain time and no where else.

As time passes the individual becomes like the hamster in the wheel.
Each day like the last and very predictive of the future.

When you say "job" the person immediately thinks of THEIR experience.
When you say "work" they think of THEIR OWN "work" or place of
employment. After a few months, and then a few years the person
becomes dependent on the job, the company,

...the wheel. They almost become a hamster....

Take away the wheel and the hamster freaks out.

[4] Tinnitus, Pain and Visual Delusions: Repairing Perception Problems

You may hear it (tinnitus), or know someone who does, feel it (pain),
see it (visual delusions). But you don't have permanently live with
these experiences!

12 years ago I woke up with tinnitus. 70-80 dB of h*ll. Talking with
a dozen doctors and reading tons of medical literature boiled down to
one thing: You are stuck with it. Get used to it.

Not possible. There was NO way I could live with the jet engine 24/7.
In addition to medications and a whole slew of lifestyle changes, I
started studying the brain. I got caught up by buying every textbook
I could find on neurology, psychobiology and neurobiology.

I'll tell you one thing: We know 100 times more about the brain today
than we did 12 years ago, but...the doctors still tell people there
is nothing that can be done.

They tell that to people who taste metal, see delusions, have
schizophrenia (paranoia w/delusions), feel chronic pain and have the
nightmare of them all: tinnitus. And they are wrong.

Kevin Hogan

The People Behind Technique and Strategy

by Kevin Hogan

You can know all the techniques, strategies and mental linguistics on
the planet...but...if you aren't a person of influence you haven't
got a chance.
Similarly you can be a person of influence but your client quite
simply might not be motivated to change. (at least not yet!)

Let's look at both of the people in the process and find out what
kind of a person a person of influence is...then find out what your
client must feel about you to best be motivated by you....

First: What is influence? It's a process where one person motivates
another person to change something.

Let's look at just what it takes to motivate that person and who the
person of influence needs to be to accomplish persuasion.

Just who is the person of influence?

Who is the great salesman, the great therapist, the great lover, the
great President, the great you get the idea....

There are a number of qualities and characteristics that are crucial
to success in persuasion and influence...in every usage from therapy
to selling. Above all else is one characteristic that dwarfs all of the rest...

Empathy.

*Nothing* is more important than empathy for someone who wants to
motivate others to change. What is empathy? It's the ability to
feel...to understand...to walk a mile in their shoes...Empathy means
that you can *feel* and see life from the perspective of the other
person. If and when you can do that...you can be influential. If you
can't you will only be able to "close a percentage" or get lucky now
and then. You can know all the techniques on the planet but if you
can't feel their pain you will never truly be a great salesman, a
great communicator, a powerful person of influence.

***You walk into the hospital, see your loved one with the I V in
their arm. You paste a smile on your face but they know it hurts you
as much as it does them. That's empathy.

***Your child is home sick from school. You feel as bad for them as they feel.

***You see the result of their bad decisions and the pain of the
future they now face. You feel it too.

When I think of empathy I think of people like former President
Clinton. (gasp!) He has far more empathy than most people in the
public eye. Politics aside, when you watched Clinton with people, you
sensed he could really be in that person's shoes...and he was.

That means he has the capacity to identify and feel what others are
feeling at this moment. People of great empathy have three common traits.

* They have experienced pain first hand.
* They have a wide range of experiences with all kinds of other people.
* They are validated and feel good based upon the approval of others.

I saw a book on the shelf today at B & N. It was called "Disease to
Please." I didn't pick it up. Why? The person doesn't get it. (Just
like the guy who wrote "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. It's All Small
Stuff.") The book might be helpful but the *title* spreads a very bad
ideavirus.

In a broad sense, the ideal life is about two things. Giving and
receiving pleasure. (Pleasure broadly means anything that is good.)
Take away one of the two (giving or receiving) from the person and
you have a half of a person...

Take away the giving part, and in the vernacular, you have a jerk....

I'll bet a nickel the author of "Disease to Please" will tell the
reader that the reason people are unhappy and unsatisfied is that
they are trying to please other people at their own expense. (And
that might be a fact.) The possible solution might be proposed to
*stop* trying to please others and start doing what the reader has
never done perhaps...please themselves.

Problem.

As soon as the person stops being helpful, kind, loving, supportive,
nurturing to others they lose the other half of who they were. The
half of them that IS powerful and useful.

The real solution obviously is to always be supportive, kind and
helpful. And then to be supportive, kind and helpful to yourself as
well. (It requires no more time or effort. A simple set of choices.)
Then instead of becoming a jerk they becomes a complete
person...and...a person capable of powerful influence...which means
they are only one step away from success at any level they choose.

The influential person has a strong desire to please... and if they
are going to be influential that extends to the desire to help (for
both altruistic and selfish purposes) others be happy, feel better,
and be useful as a human. This desire to help, to create value, to
love will often be paired with some kind of pain and no one should
tell this person to try and squelch the feelings of being rebuffed,
rejected or hurt. That IS the healthy and normal response. These are
the feelings that generate the empathic response.

How To Attract Good Leaders

by Tom "Big Al" Schreiter

"Stop fooling around!!! I already know all that! Just tell
me where I can get some good people!"

The caller wasn't very happy with me. My suggestion
to improve one's skills and attitude certainly hit a raw
nerve.

"Hey! I've been in Network Marketing for over five
years. Don't give me any of that phony self-improvement
stuff. I'm not some wet-behind-the-ears beginner. I just
need to find some quality people."

Well, there was the caller's problem all laid out. He
just wasn't listening to himself talk. In fact, this caller
was one of the thousands of Network Marketers who
just don't get it.

They think that networking success is outside of
themselves. They are looking for someone else to
make them successful. They hope that a great ground
floor opportunity will go to work for them while they
wait for the big, successful bonus checks to arrive in
their mailbox. Or, they hope to find a really good
prospect who will go to work and make them rich
while they watch.

Master Your Mind

by Paul J. Meyer

Achievers set goals, are dedicated to reaching them,
concentrate on strengths and minimize weaknesses. They
continuously step up their courage, pride, determination
and confidence, all the while keeping their achievements
in perspective. In combination, these qualities make up
the achiever's attitude, the overall frame of mind that
enables people to become successful in all areas of life.

An achiever's attitude is essential to reaching goals and
fulfilling dreams. Through practice and repetition, you
can develop positive habits of thinking. Your mind
believes what you tell it, and your body receives direction
from your mind. Tell yourself constantly that you can do
something, and you will.

Master your mind with these suggestions:

Focus On Your Goals
When you have sufficient desire to reach the top, you
gain the determination, courage, pride and willingness
necessary to exert the effort to overcome obstacles that
stand between you and your goals.

Exert Self-Control
Many people panic when they make a few mistakes.
Achievers look forward­not backward. They keep
their mind focused on their goals and possess mental
toughness, never letting their emotions disrupt
performance.

Be Teachable
Achievers realize they do not know everything there is
to know. They know they can always improve, no matter
how good they are. They welcome constructive criticism
and pursue suggestions from others to reach even higher
levels of expertise and excellence.

Being rich

"Being rich has more to do with a picture than a bank account... it
is all about the picture you see in your mind about your life... that
determines what's in your bank account."
Doug Firebaugh

Success is a state of mind.

If you want to be successful, start thinking of yourself as being
successful. You are what you believe yourself to be.
Don't be afraid of what life has to offer you. If you believe that
life is worth living, your belief will help create the fact.
The barrier between you and success is not something that exists in
the real world. It's simply composed of doubts about your ability.
Your only limits to your realization of tomorrow will be your doubts of today.

by Max Steingart

Paraphrase Your Customer's Words

The customer is only sure that you have been listening when you
paraphrase what the prospect has said and feed it back in your own
words. This is where the rubber meets the road in effective
listening. This is where you demonstrate in no uncertain terms to the
prospect that your listening has been real and sincere. This is where
you show the prospect that you were paying complete attention to what
he or she was saying. Paraphrasing is how you prove it.

Question for Clarification
When the prospect has finished explaining his or her situation to
you, and you have paused, and then questioned for clarification, you
paraphrase the prospects primary thoughts and concerns, and feed them
back to him or her in your own words.

Use the Right Words
For example, you might say, "Let me make sure I understand exactly
what you are saying. It sounds to me like you are concerned about two
things more than anything else, and that in the past you have had a
couple of experiences that have made you very careful in approaching
a decision of this kind."

Feed it Back Accurately
You then go on to feed back to the prospect exactly what he or she
has told you, pausing and questioning for clarification as you go,
until the customer says words to the effect of, "Yes, that's it!
You've got it exactly."

Earn the Right to Sell
Only when you and the customer completed a thorough "examination" and
have mutually agreed on the "diagnosis" you are in a position to
begin talking to the customer about your product or service. In
general terms, this means that you can not pull out your brochures
and price lists and begin telling the customer how your product or
service can solve his problems or achieve his goals until about
seventy percent of the way through the sales conversation. Until
then, you have not yet earned the right. Until then, you don't even
know enough to begin an intelligent presentation without embarrassing
yourself.

Be a Good Listener
The more and better you listen, the more and better people will like
you, trust you and want to do business with you. The more they will
want to get involved with you as a person and the more popular you
will be with them. Excellent listeners are welcome everywhere, in
every walk of life, and they eventually and ultimately arrive at the
top of their fields.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, remember that your first job in the sale is to get the
customer to like you and believe that you understand his situation.
Paraphrasing is the way you accomplish this.

Second, be sure that the customer agrees with you completely when you
feed back his concerns to him. Only then can you really start selling.

Brian Tracy

Your Lifestyle

One of the major reasons why we fail to find happiness or to create
unique lifestyle is because we have not yet mastered the art of being.

While we are home our thoughts are still absorbed with solving the
challenges we face at the office. And when we are at the office we
find ourselves worrying about problems at home.

We go through the day without really listening to what others are
saying to us. We may be hearing the words, but we aren't absorbing the message.

As we go through the day we find ourselves focusing on past
experiences or future possibilities. We are so involved in yesterday
and tomorrow that we never even notice that today is slipping by.

We go through the day rather than getting something from the day. We
are everywhere at any given moment in time except living in that
moment in time.

Lifestyle is learning to be wherever you are. It is developing a
unique focus on the current moment, and drawing from it all the
substance and wealth of experience and emotions that it has to offer.
Lifestyle is taking time to watch a sunset. Lifestyle is listening to
silence. Lifestyle is capturing each moment so that it becomes a new
part of what we are and of what we are in the process of becoming.
Lifestyle is not something we do; it is something we experience. And
until we learn to be there, we will never master the art of living well.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Prioritize your decisions

If you find it difficult to make decisions, or you worry that your
decisions are not good decisions, or you lack the confidence to make
decisions in a timely manner... you're not alone! Many people express
their concerns about their decision-making abilities. But if you ask
them, "What's your routine for making decisions?" they often will
tell you they don't have one.

Truthfully they do, but they don't recognize it, or they don't like
it. Their decisions are based on Something, and if they stop and
think about it they'll discover what it is. However, it's much better
to purposefully and thoughtfully develop your decision-making system,
and then follow it whenever you need to make decisions

If you ask Zig Ziglar how he makes decisions, he'll tell you that he
follows some basic rules. Here they are:

1. If I'm really tired, I don't make significant decisions (except in
emergencies).

2. If someone is pressing me to decide something "right now," unless
an immediate decision is critical, I say, "If I have to decide now,
the answer is no. After I have had a chance to catch my breath and
review the facts, there's the possibility it could be yes." Then I
put the ball back in his or her court and ask, "Do you want my
decision now, or should we wait?"

3. I like to determine the maximum benefit of a decision, assuming
that everything goes my way. Then I ask, "Suppose nothing goes my
way? Suppose this doesn't develop and materialize as I expect it to?
What is my maximum exposure? What would I lose?"

4. For significant business-related decisions, I run them past my
advisors. These people are successful in their businesses and
professions and have a considerable amount of knowledge, experience,
and wisdom, all of which are musts in the decision-making process. I
get their advice and follow their recommendations, with good results
in most cases. If the decision is too minor to involve my advisors
but I still want input, I get my family together to look at the pros and cons.

5. I like to pray about my decisions. I ask God to help me see the
truth of my motives and to lead me in the way I should go. If I'm
about to make an unwise decision, I simply don't have peace about
that decision, and I consequently act on that feeling of unease. I
ask myself, "How will this decision affect all the areas of my
life--personal, family, career, financial, physical, mental and
spiritual?" Obviously, not all decisions affect all areas, but if the
decision involves a financial reward but also carries considerable
family sacrifice, for example, I think carefully as to whether what I
give up is compensated for by what I gain.

One final note: Prioritize your decisions. Some are more urgent than others!

by Zig Ziglar

If you're doing a presentation

Whenever and whatever you're pitching, dozens of factors will figure
in the final decision of your prospects. All else being equal, you
have the edge if you can establish a personal connection. Connect
emotionally and intellectually, so they like and trust you more than
your competitors. How can you get your prospects to like you? Try these tips.

Focus and be sincere. If you appear nervous or unsure, you may seem
devious or incompetent. If your presentation does not respond to
their concerns and you just grind on with a prepared pitch, they will
decide you don't care about them and their problems. Look people
right in the eyes and convince them that you stand 100% behind the
ideas, products, or services that you want to sell them. Pick up on
their concerns, and address them.

"Divide and conquer." If you're doing a presentation, shake hands
with everyone as they enter the room. Connect with them so you see
them as individuals, and you become more memorable to them too.
(People are usually more shy of groups of strangers than in
one-on-one contacts.)

Use technology to enhance your presentation, not drown it. PowerPoint
can keep you on track, but it can't establish trust.

Keep it simple and memorable! When your prospects have a debriefing
afterwards, you want them to remember what you said more than
anything your competitors pitched to them. Break your talking points
into snappy sound bites that are easy to write down and remember.
Make them interesting and repeatable.

Steer clear of technical language and jargon. Rehearse your
presentation in advance with your spouse or an intelligent
12-year-old across the dinner table. If there's anything they don't
understand, it's too complicated.

Tell great stories. People are trained to resist a sales pitch, but
no one can resist a good story. Let's say you're trying to get money
to fund your software company. Tell a story about how the prospective
investor's life will change when you bring the product to market:
"Imagine that a year from now you'll come to work and use this
software to do in 5 minutes what now takes you 45 minutes. I don't
know what that would do to your life, but in all our test markets or
pilot programs, people tell us . . . " Then add more stories.

Take a lesson from Hollywood. Give your stories interesting
characters and dialogue, plus a dramatic lesson that your prospects
can relate to. Don't say, "Certain companies have used our software."
Don't even say, "IBM has used our software." Instead, say, "Joe Smith
at IBM said to me, 'If we don't increase sales turnover by 20%, we
won't make our projections'. We guaranteed them they could if they
used our software. Six months later, Joe called and said, 'You guys
saved us.'"

If you are pitching a product that hasn't been built yet, build a
story about what it will be like for someone using it.

Everything else being equal, you're way ahead of any and all your
competition when your prospects relate to you, like you, and trust you.

by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Acting On Your Dream

I have not often admitted this, but I was inspired to become a public
speaker by perhaps the worst motivational speaker I've ever heard in my life.

This fellow is still working, surprisingly, so I won't give his name.
He was the opening speaker in a seminar I attended early in my
speaking career and he nearly closed the show early with his
monotone, unenthusiastic presentation. As he spoke, the room grew as
quiet as a graveyard between funerals.

I went to sleep to be awakened by what could only be called courtesy
applause for his presentation. You could make more noise clapping
with one hand. After the less-than-stirring speech, I leaned over to
the guy sitting next to me and said, "That was really boring." And he
said, "You should be so boring for the kind of money he makes." The
fellow told me this terrible speaker was getting $5,000 for each
terrible speech.

After hearing how much a really bad speaker could make, I decided it
was time for me to go after this dream. A few days later, I caught a
Greyhound bus from Miami to Orlando where I'd signed up for a seminar
for beginners held by the National Speakers Association. It seemed
like the bus ride took weeks. I know it took every last dollar I
could scrape together. And so I was road-weary but eager to hear some
inspiring, motivational, and dynamic speaking when I finally took a
seat at the event. But who should walk out to lead the first session
but that same terrible $5,000-per-speech speaker? I could not believe it!

All that time on a stinking bus, stopping in every one-horse town
between Miami and Orlando, to hear this guy again? I nearly got up
and walked out. By the time he'd gotten halfway through his speech,
nearly half the audience had fled. But I stayed on until the bitter
end and the speaker's parting shot, as it turned out, was worth the
price of admission. He obviously had noted the exodus of the audience
and the drooping eyelids of those who remained because, as he built
up to his anticlimax, he stopped suddenly, looked out at the
remaining numbers of aspiring public speakers and said, "You know,
the only reason that I am standing up here and you are sitting down
there is that I represent the thoughts that you have rejected for yourself."

I don't know about the other dozen or so people in the audience, but
Mr. Monotone hit me right between the eyes with that shot. It was
true. He had acted upon something that I had only dreamt of doing.
I'd spent years dreaming of becoming a public speaker. But dreaming
was all I had done. This guy may not have had any talent for it. He
may have been the most undynamic public speaker in history. But he
was up there while I was still dreaming. And so that is how I became
motivated to start a new career by perhaps the worst motivational
speaker I have ever heard.

by Les Brown

CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Think about the following question:
What stops you from having the things in life you want...or want more of?
Did you answer money?... time?... my boss, mother, father,
partner?... fate?... bad luck? What is interesting about these
answers is that the cause is external to you and outside of your
direct control.

In order to understand how you can influence your external world, you
need to understand how your thinking affects your internal world. NLP
(Neuro Linguistic Programming) is the most useful approach we know
for doing this.

THE CONSCIOUS MIND

Why should we bother to "think positively?" Based on much published
information, many people have benefited from positive thinking. And
those of us who have consciously tried it have found it to be
worthwhile. But how does it work--and how much of the success of
positive thinking is a result of the Conscious mind?

You may already know your conscious awareness has a restricted
capacity for retaining information. Research has shown we can hold 7
plus or minus 2 chunks of information in awareness at any one time.
Techniques for helping people with their memory often vary the size
of the chunks, or find ways to link small chunks into one larger
chunk to allow more memory capacity. This is why telephone numbers
are broken into three and four digit sections.

THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND

So what else is happening behind the 7 plus or minus 2 chunks of
information in our conscious thinking? What organises our heartbeat,
our digestion, our response to outside temperature? What allows us to
drive our car without having to think about it? What receives
literally billions of pieces of external information, and processes
them with no effort?

Psychologists refer to this part of the mind as the Unconscious, or
more accurately, the Other-Than-Conscious, because it is far from
unconscious. It is awake and active even when we are asleep. Doctors
were surprised to discover that, under hypnosis, patients who had
been anaesthetised were able to recall every word said in the
operating theatre. One part of their mind was obviously fully aware
of what was going on!

The brain looks after thousands of functions in the body every
moment, and can handle astronomic amounts of information. What is
most impressive is it can do all of these things at the same time
without any need for conscious control. And fortunately, it never forgets how.

The Unconscious responds to every external stimuli, and every
thought. Each response sets off a chemical reaction which is sent to
the rest of the body. Therefore WHAT we think takes on a vital
significance. The Unconscious is like a good assistant, and basically
it will do what you tell it. But what exactly are you telling it to do?

You may say, "I deserve the very best," but if in your Unconscious
the message is being countered with,"You?...You'll never amount to
anything," what is going to be the result?

Unless you stop and think about it, you will be unaware of the
Unconscious thought. All that you will probably be aware of is a
slight sense of unease or something not being quite right An internal
conflict may result and this will lead to incongruent behaviour. This
explains why saying an affirmation, or positive statement about
yourself, sometimes does not work.

NLP has techniques and strategies to help you become fully congruent.
Congruence is when you align your mind and behaviour behind positive
thoughts so there is total commitment to achieving an outcome. This
is important because as Anthony Robbins says, "It is in your moments
of decision that your destiny is shaped." A good way to experience
congruence is to utilise past positive experiences and incorporate
these into present behaviour. The result is new and empowered ways of
thinking.

We each have ten billion neurons (brain cells). And there are more
potential simultaneous connections between neurons than there are
atoms in the known universe. Yes, you may need to read that again!
This means we have an almost infinite capacity for creativity and
problem solving. As Einstein pointed out, the ONLY way we limit
ourselves is by not fully utilising this amazing gift. NLP is
designed to help us access more neurological pathways and thereby
create more choice in our life.

by PENNY TOMPKINS AND JAMES LAWLEY
NLP Consultants to Business and Individuals

Would you like to increase your creativity?

Thinking increases creativity.

Think association. What can you associate with what you are thinking about?
Think combination. What can you combine with what you are thinking about?
Think rearrange. What can you rearrange in what you are thinking about?
Think adaption. What can you adapt to what you are thinking about?
Think substitution. What can you substitute for what you are thinking about?
Think magnification. What can you magnify about what you are thinking about?

Then, if you can't associate, combine, adapt, substitute, magnify, or
rearrange, what can you do with it? That's where the creativity really
comes in. Try it with everything you come across for the next week. See
where that takes your mind. Enjoy the trip.

by Jan Tincher

Do you know how to form a belief?

To form a belief, you need to recall or imagine enough experiences to
build your belief up. Let's say you want to build up a belief that says
you are successful at something. What have you been successful at
before? Remember all those times, and just for the heck of it, imagine
it even better than it was, because your brain does not know the
difference between real and VIVIDLY imagined.

Think of those experiences that build your belief up. If you have more
experiences that tear you down than build you up, your belief won't
stand on its own, so really work on this. *Tear down" the beliefs that
hold you back. Imagine them a long ways away from you, and bring up
close all those real or VIVIDLY imagined successful times.

Your experiences are like table legs and your belief is the table. You
need to form experiences *table legs* that support your beliefs *the
table*.

Author: Jan Tincher

Five Steps for Declaring Independence from Negative Thinking

It's the 4th of July weekend, and no doubt many of our readers in the U.S.
are celebrating Independence Day. In that spirit,
today's article is about science-based techniques for declaring
independence from negative thinking.

We all have negative thoughts from time to time. But some of the most
destructive negative thoughts we have jump into our minds so
quickly and reflexively that we barely notice them, even though we
definitely feel the negative emotions they trigger. Aaron
Beck, the founder of cognitive therapy, described these with the term
"automatic negative thoughts." Others call them "inner
critics" or "gremlins," but the label doesn't really matter. What matters
is preventing these Automatic Negative Thoughts - or
ANTs - from spinning into unproductive cycles of negative thoughts and
emotions.

==> Step One: Identify Your ANTs & Triggers

Different people have different Automatic Negative Thoughts. So the
process of overcoming negativity requires some introspection
and begins with identifying your unique ANTs. ANTs are generally triggered
by specific situations, so identify situations that upset you, and try to
pinpoint your immediate reaction. For example:

- In response to a professional setback, some will automatically think:
"I'm a loser."
- After a romantic disappointment, others instantly assume: "I'm unworthy."
- After a failed attempt to make life changes, some will say "I fail at
everything" or "I'll never be
able to get thin/stop smoking/start my business, etc."

After identifying your habitual negative thoughts, and the situations that
trigger them, then recognize the negative effects your ANTs have. Most
people find that their negative thoughts trigger broader patterns of
negative emotions, counter-productive behaviors, and additional negative
thoughts.

==> Step Two: Focus on "Managing" Your ANTs, Not Eliminating Them

Automatic Negative Thoughts are automatic largely because they have
recurred many times over many years. Indeed, they often got
their start with intense emotional experiences from childhood
or adolescence. So don't expect them to disappear overnight.

Of course, it would be great to eliminate negative thoughts completely,
but for most people, that's an unrealistic expectation. Indeed, anyone who
promises to eliminate negativity forever is probably selling self-help
snake oil. However, it is certainly possible to manage your ANTs, and
although they might still occur from time to time, the research is very
clear that you can learn to prevent ANTs from spinning into downward
spirals of negative thoughts and emotions.

Certainly there is some value in reviewing the past to understand how your
ANTs got started. But the key to managing ANTs is to
recognize that they now have a life of their own, and the path to resolving
them lies primarily in the here and now.

We've all seen movies or TV shows in which someone suddenly figures out the
origin of a specific negative thought or psychological problem, and then
has an immediate and dramatic recovery. That's certainly convenient for a
TV show that needs to have everything neatly wrapped up by the end of the
hour, but that's not really how the mind works. There are some effective
ANT-management techniques that we can use, but they will require some
effort and practice.

==> Step Three: Observing Your ANT Objectively

This step begins with an insight from Buddhism: the inner monologue that
has been cycling through your head since you
learned to talk is not "you." In a sense, "you" are the listener rather
than the voice itself.

As the listener, you can shape the nature of that internal monologue, and
choose to listen to a more positive voice. Most importantly, you can learn
to prevent that little voice - those isolated thoughts - from spinning into
full-blown cycles of negative emotion and counter-productive actions.

When an ANT occurs, try to observe it objectively. Just because you have
"heard it," doesn't mean that you have to believe it, or give into
it. Recognize that this thought occurred to you, and let it go. Ride out
the thought like a surfer riding a wave. If this technique appeals to
you, you may want to explore meditation in more detail, as many meditative
techniques are focused on this type of "impartial observation" of thoughts.

==> Step Four: Just Stop It

Try carrying a 3x5 card with the word "STOP" written on it. When your ANT
pops into your head, pull the card out and spend some time looking at it.
Another alternative - wear a rubber band around your wrist, and snap it
when your ANT occurs.

This technique may seem simplistic and "self-helpy." Certainly it is no
magic bullet to eliminating your ANTs forever. But it will help you become
more aware of your ANTs, the situations that trigger them, and most
importantly, your ability to consciously prevent your ANTs from spinning
out of control. And it is good preparation for our fifth and final step...

==> Step Five: Learn To Argue With Yourself

The final step in our process of ANT-management requires going on the
counter-attack. Fight back against the negative thoughts by asking
yourself a series of questions that will reveal the ANTs as false and
counter-productive. Try asking yourself these seven kinds of questions:

- Evidence: What is the objective evidence for this ANT?
- Exaggeration: Is this ANT an exaggeration? Am I over-reacting? Am I
over-generalizing?
- Alternatives: What are some other possible explanations?
- Flexibility: Can I evaluate this situation in more flexible terms? Am
I thinking in overly rigid, black-or-white, all-or-none terms?
- Utility: Is this belief empowering or counter-productive?
- Comparison: How have others fared in similar situations?
- Role reversal: How would I evaluate other people who performed as I did?

==> For Example...

Suppose you don't complete a certain project on time, and as a result, you
find that you are calling yourself a loser. Try challenging this ANT by
asking yourself questions like:

- Does not finishing my project on time really indicate that I am a
loser? Haven't I completed lots of other projects on time? (Evidence)
- Isn't "loser" a little strong? (Exaggeration)
- Is it possible that I didn't finish my project on time because I didn't
have the resources I needed? (Alternatives)
- Just because I may have room to improve my project management skills,
does that really mean I'm a loser? (Flexibility)
- Does it really benefit me to think of myself as a loser just because I
was late with one project? (Utility)
- Did everyone else finish their projects on time? (Comparison)
- Would I consider everyone who didn't finish their projects on time a
loser? (Role reversal)

At first, this process of "arguing with yourself" will probably seem forced
and artificial. But research has shown that, with practice, this technique
can be an effective technique for managing the negative thoughts and
emotions that undermine confidence. In fact, this technique is the basis
for cognitive-behavioral therapy, pioneered by Dr. Aaron Beck, and
rational-emotive behavior therapy, pioneered by Dr. Albert Ellis. Both
types of therapy have repeatedly proven effective in treating depression
and managing negative thoughts.

By Dr. Stephen Kraus

Three Keys to a Healthy Relationship

The real secret to a loving and healthy relationship may not be what you
thought. Of course, every healthy relationship needs love and appreciation,
but the third important element in keeping the relationship healthy is
often missing, that of, confrontation.
In fact, for most relationships, the other two ingredients, love and
appreciation, are in short supply.
The Three key elements for maintaining a healthy relationship are:
Love
Appreciation
Confrontation
1: Love: is the space we create for each other to be who we are. That's the
space of total acceptance with no desire or intent to fix or change. You
might want to ask yourself if you provide, or are experiencing that kind of
total acceptance for, or from your significant other.
If not, real love may be missing and what's there in its place is something
else. In most cases instead of real love you'll find in place a sort of
barter system, as in, I'll love you if.....
2: Appreciation: I'm sure you appreciate your loved ones, friends, and
associates, but how often do you say so, show it?
The word appreciation, means add value to. When you express your
appreciation to your spouse, kids, and other relationship partners, you add
real value to that person and to the relationship. Try it. You'll get it
back ten fold. When was the last time you showed someone dear to you that
you loved and appreciated him or her?
If you want your relationship to become a loving happy place to be, just
make up your mind to show your appreciation now, today; don't put it off.
Make it your intention to make a habit of showing appreciation at every
opportunity. Then pay back off and attention to what shows up in your life
in the form of happier, more loving relationships.
3: Confrontation: Most of us avoid confront like the plague. We side step
the delicate issues, probably because we're afraid that we may be the one
at fault.
But know this: Those thorns in the relationship are hidden issues that just
don't go away until they're dealt with. Instead they're like a festering
splinter that keeps getting worse until pulled to the surface and disposed
of it.
If you have a desire to improve the health of your relationships, find the
courage to confront the hidden problems. You might want to ask, "What's the
most important thing you and I should be talking about today?" And then
listen with no intent to defend yourself.
For this to work, the questioning must be done in the space of
unconditional love as described above. Then, when given an answer, ask more
questions that will help you get a broader view--the whole
picture--questions like, "Tell me more about that. I really want to know
and take responsibility for how I may have caused it."
Be prepared to hear some things you were pretending not to know, and do
not, I repeat, DO NOT, at any time during the questioning, try to clarify
your position. If you really want to know the truth, listen full out. The
benefits?
· You'll learn something of great value
· You'll be able to tackle tough issues

· You will enrich your relationship.
What's the danger in not interrogating reality? A tough issue, avoided can
grow and grow until it destroys the relationship. Dealing with the issue
before it gets out of hand will strengthen and enrich the relationship.

Author: Darel Rutherford

Quote

"Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy
even the best strategy."
General George S. Patton, Jnr.

"Always stay humble, and stay hungry!"
-- Mark Colyer

Are You Too Sexy?

According to a recent study conducted by Tulane University, women who
exhibit sexy behavior on the job--such as wearing revealing clothes,
flirting in person or through email, or massaging a male coworker's
shoulders--may be losing out on promotions and raises.

The study surveyed 164 female MBA graduates who had been in the workforce
for 12 years. 49% of those admitted (remarkably) that they had tried to
advance their careers by being sexy.

The women who said they never engaged in sexy behavior had earned an
average of three promotions. Women who said they had engaged in sexy
behavior had earned on ly two promotions.

Women who did not engage in the sexy behavior earned an average of
$75,000-$100,000; the sexy women earned an average of $50,000-$75,000.

The study didn't include any theories as to why sexy women receive fewer
promotions and pay raises. Perhaps their bosses don't take them seriously,
seeing their blatant sexy behavior as an attempt to get ahead through
less-than-ethical means.

In any event, if you're a woman (or a man, for that matter) who has the
misguided notion that flirting with your boss or dressing in revealing
clothes will give you a boost up the corporate ladder, maybe you better
think again.

Author: Bonie Lowe

How Are You Treated By Others?

How Are You Treated By Others?

Self-acceptance begins in infancy, with the influence of your parents and
siblings and other important people.

Your own level of self-acceptance is determined largely by how well you
feel you are accepted by the important people in your life.

Your attitude toward yourself is determined largely by the attitudes that
you think other people have toward you. When you believe that other people
think highly of you, your level of self-acceptance and self-esteem goes
straight up.

The best way to build a healthy personality involves understanding yourself
and your feelings.

Let the Light Shine In
This is achieved through the simple exercise of self-disclosure. For you to
truly understand yourself, or to stop being troubled by things that may
have happened in your past, you must be able to disclose yourself to at
least one person. You have to be able to get those things off your chest.
You must rid yourself of those thoughts and feelings by revealing them to
someone who won't make you feel guilty or ashamed for what has happened.

Understand What Makes You Tick
The second part of personality development follows from self-disclosure,
and it's called self-awareness. Only when you can disclose what you're
truly thinking and feeling to someone else can you become aware of those
thoughts and emotions If the other person simply listens to you without
commenting or criticizing, you have the opportunity to become more aware of
the person you are and why you do the things you do. You begin to develop
perspective, or what the Buddhists call "detachment."

Be Honest With Yourself
Now we come to the good part. After you've gone through self-disclosure to
self-awareness, you arrive at self-acceptance. You accept yourself for the
person you are, with good points and bad points, with strengths and
weaknesses, and with the normal frailties of a human being. When you
develop the ability to stand back and look at yourself honestly, and to
candidly admit to others that you may not be perfect but you're all you've
got, you start to enjoy a heightened sense of self-acceptance.

Do An Inventory of Your Accomplishments
A valuable exercise for developing higher levels of self-acceptance
involves doing an inventory of yourself. In doing this inventory, your job
is to accentuate the positive and minimize the negative.

Think of your unique talents and abilities. Think of your core skills, the
things that you do exceptionally well that account for your success in your
profession and in your personal life right now.

Think About Your Future
Think about your future possibilities and the fact that your potential is
virtually unlimited. You can do what you want to do and go where you want
to go. You can be the person you want to be. You can set large and small
goals and make plans and move step-by-step, progressively toward their
realization. There are no obstacles to what you can accomplish except the
obstacles that you create in your mind.

Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, sit down with your spouse, or a good friend, and tell him or her
about something that is troubling you and is still causing you unhappiness.

Second, develop perspective on your problem by standing back from it and
imagining that it was happening to someone else. What advice would you give
to that person?

Third, think continually about the good experiences and accomplishments you
have enjoyed in the past. Remind yourself regularly that you are a pretty
good person and you've done a lot of good things in your life.

Author: Brian Tracy

Positive Attitiude

Author: Arthur Buchanan

The story of your life is still being written and why not make the final
chapter a happy one!

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO SO!

What we want to let you know is this, that you hold all the keys to your
future and only you can change you, so why not work at
changing yourself for the better and make yourself the best you that you
possible can? You can write the rest of your life as a
success and they may say

HE MIGHT HAVE NOT STARTRD OUT VERY WELL, BUT HE SURE FINISHED STRONG!

wouldn't that be a great way to go out with a bang and a feather in your
cap, after all you have been through! So let's grab that
pen and start to write the final chapter of your life, but how you may ask?
Well the first thing that we need to develop is a
positive attitude and this will do wonders for you in all areas of life and
it is a must in writing a successful ending to our
story.

SO BRING ON THE POSTIVE ATTITUDE PLEASE!

We are not going to go into that in great detail on how to do this because
in this book as it's not the goal of this book and
because I go into it in great detail how to have a positive attitude in my
previous book

OUT OF DARKNESS

Here are some suggestions for having a positive attitude:

1) No matter what the situtation looks like you need to say to yourself,
things are going to turn out all right I just know it.

2) When you need a lift say postive affirmations and this should lift your
sprits.

3) On a regular basis you need to listen to postive tapes and read
motivational books every chance you get.

4) Smile, Smile, Smile it will do wonders for your self esteem not to
mention you will become more like able

Those are some basic things you can do for a postive attitude.

Now that we have the seedlings of a positive attitude, what's next? Let's
work on self esteem a bit. I know you may be saying
to yourself this book sure took a funny twist, but everone can use a
postive attitude and some good healthy self esteem now and
then.

(CAN'T THEY?)

How do we get healthy self esteem?

One, is to know that there has never been anyone like you ever created in
the entire world and as long as this world keeps
creating people thier shall never be another like you! You are unquiue and
speaical and no nobody can be a better you than you
can be, you are a winner, so be the winner you were made to be and that
should be enough for anyone. Know that you are loved by
God! Please belive me when I tell you that he loves you and that should be
enough to keep anyones self esteem up knowing that God
almighty loves them and without fail I might add,

HE NEVER STOPS FOR THAT MATTER!

So when you are getting down on yourself remember that

YOU ARE LOVED

And that you can never a have poor self esteem when we know that God truely
loves us!

WHAT'S NEXT?

Please try to understand that we are just touching on these area's in this
book and that they should be covered in greater
detail to understand how they fully work.

LET'S GET ON TO RETRAING THE BRAIN!

What we mean here is the fact that you need to reprogram your brain to
think in a different manner. When you get an
undesirable thought you need to put in a different thought as fast as you
can. Example this is a bad day:(

INCERT POSTIVE THOUGHT

This day isn't so bad and I know that it's only going to get better:) You
have just had your first lesson in retraining your
brain! How did it feel? Pretty painless hun, after time you will find that
you really kinda like the retraining stuff and it is
showing postive results also so why not develop it until you are a pro at it.

GO AHEAD YOU DESERVE IT!

TIPS FOR COMMUNCIATION SKILLS

SHINING SMILE: Always remember to smile brightly. A smile immediately
makes you more attractive. Furthermore, it makes you look more approachable
and like a nicer person. I know it's common sense BUT most of us spend our
days wading through life with scowls on our faces without even realising
it. SMILE.

REMEMBER NAMES: Again simple stuff but why do we forget them? If is that
you 'just aren't any good' at remembering names? NOP… Most of the time it's
cause we never hear it, we are too busy inside our heads talking to
ourselves about something stupid. When you meet someone. Stop, listen to
their names, repeat it back as you look at them twice inside your head
firmly and once or twice out loud in conversation. It'll help you a lot.

RIGHT STATE: Remember when two people meet and one is awkward and one is
comfortable, the person in the strongest state will influence the other. So
when you are meeting anyone, get into a really comfortable state of mind
first and they will soon feel comfortable themselves.

MATCH UP: Something useful to remember is people like people who are like
themselves. So, to create better relationships with people: breath at the
same rate as them; talk at the same rate; match their posture. This
unconsciously sends them a signal of similarity and improves the rapport
between you.

FOCUS ON THEM: Take the opportunity to make them feel good about
themselves. Listen out for anything they seem proud of and drop an indirect
compliment their way. Act as if it's not meant as a compliment but you
truly believe it. People like people who make them feel good when they're
around.

KEY WORDS: Listen out for key words and key phrases they like to use and
use them back to them. Be careful though. Do not overdo it. Just
occasionally to keep them thinking you are thinking like them.

Source: SimplyNLP