Hey everybody,
I hope all of you have had a wonderful and prosperous week as have I. A special thanks to all of you who have just recently signed up for my newsletter. My circulation is growing and growing. To all of you who have been here from the start, thanks for continuing to receive the weekly editions. And finally, don’t forget that if you miss a week or you are just joining us you can read previous weeks editions by either going to my web-site and clicking on the link for the week you wish to read from my FAV LINKS page or by going to my blog page. Either way you will have access to any and all previous week’s writings.
Those addresses are :
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com/links or http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
Also, anyone that wants to work with me and an AWESOME bunch of people that I have come to know as not only my business associates but also as my friends, go check out Success University at:
www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
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"Don't wish it were easier; wish you were better. Don't wish
for less problems; wish for more skills. Don't wish for less
challenges; wish for more wisdom."
-Jim Rohn
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I’m sure you have all heard the saying, “People don’t plan to fail. They fail to plan !!!” Now, this is normally quoted in reference to the business world and similar situations but make no mistake about it. Most lessons can be applied to ALL aspects of your life. Case in point, I’m running a little behind today because I got sloppy with that lesson.
TRAVEL TIP OF THE DAY: If you PLAN on going visiting in excess of 100 miles from your home and you PLAN on doing this on a motorcycle it is HIGHLY ADVISABLE to seek the guidance of your local weather channel when PLANNING your trip !!!
The lesson to be learned here is to NEVER get so comfortable with the way you do things that you stop being focused on the basics. Never run you business OR your personal life with the “Wet finger in the air” method. Always stick to the system that is in place and always make sure you have ALL the information available to you whether you think you need it or not. You see, I got on my Harley this morning with the “I’ve been doing this for years. I don‘t need to check the forecast” mentality and I sit here typing this newsletter to you with wet socks on. THE BASICS WILL NEVER FAIL YOU !!!
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“He has not learned the lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet
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Ok, the first thing I want to go over is making your expenses PAY YOU. For many people, especially those of you who may be new to the internet and internet marketing, almost ALL of the businesses whose services you will use whether it is banner advertising, web hosting, site building, etc. will have an affiliate program. An affiliate program simply means that you sign up as an affiliate with the vendor whose services you are using and they give you an ID number. It will usually be attached to a text or banner link.
As you refer other people to utilize their services they will pay you a small fee for each referral. For example, if you look on the FAV LINKS page of my site (www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com) you will see several banners advertising various products and services. Each of these banners has MY affiliate ID number attached to it so anytime someone uses the services of one of these vendors by clicking on their banner on my site I make a commission. See how something so simple can bring your expenses down and quite frequently actually generate a pretty descent stream of income?
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“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Supreme Court justice
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The next thing I want to touch on briefly is the old saying, “Fake it till you make it.” Now, properly utilized this can be very beneficial to you in the business arena, HOWEVER, some people tend to take it to a level that quite often does more harm than good. The main reason for that is that they put all their focus on LARGE changes in their lifestyle. They will do crazy things like go out and lease a new car that they can’t afford, buy expensive watches and jewelry or start taking their clients out to fancy restaurants that are way out of their budget. Yes, these things DO create the appearance of success around you but they can also TAKE YOU DOWN !!!
If you want to APPEAR successful while you work to make it happen then try these SENSIBLE approaches:
1. Start waxing and detailing your present car.
2. Keep your home presentable and your lawn well groomed if you entertain clients at home.
3. Men, keep a nice, fresh and clean haircut and keep all mustaches and beards trimmed.
4. Ladies, get a neat hairstyle and keep your makeup and jewelry conservative.
5. Men and Women, keep you dress clothes cleaned and pressed.
6. Men, keep a shine on your shoes.
7. Watch your posture and start carrying yourself differently.
8. Watch your attitude and make sure you are always positive and upbeat.
9. Avoid inappropriate habits. Don’t chew gum, smoke, etc. when in the business arena.
10. And MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL….. WATCH YOUR MOUTH !!! If you want to appear Successful and On Top Of Your Game you need to police what you say. Avoid slang and inappropriate conversation when around clients or potential clients. And NEVER, while trying to establish a connection with someone on a business level, bring religion or politics into the conversation !!!
These may seem simple and to many people they may seem like common sense but I guarantee you that if you were a fly on the wall of a corporate productivity meeting of a large company, the low producers would be in violation of AT LEAST 80 % of these guidelines. It’s ok to “Fake it till you make it.” Just do it the RIGHT WAY !!!
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“In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves . . . Self-discipline with all of them came first.”
– Harry Truman, 33rd U.S. president
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And lastly today, since we are on the subject of success, I would like to go over the actual meaning of the word SUCCESS. “Why”, you may say. Well, quite simply because far too many people seem to have a skewed understanding about what SUCCESS really is. People, you CANNOT measure success with decimal points alone !!!
Webster defines success as: favorable or desired outcome, the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence.
Now, I don’t know about you but when I read that definition I don’t get the idea that SUCCESS is just about money. Yes, wealth is a PART of success but only a part. My father died broke and in debt but he was a PHENOMENAL pianist. While he never acquired wealth in his life he still had a lot of success in his life because he was able to bring years and years of happiness to many people with his music. The point is that having money does NOT make you successful and not having it does NOT make you unsuccessful.
You must focus on being successful in ALL aspects of your life. You should strive to be successful in your relationships, your spiritual walk, your health and YES, in your financial life. Think about it for a minute. All of these areas affect each other. Any one of these areas that has problems will weaken the other areas. If your spiritual walk has problems it often times affects your relationships. If you health has problems it often times affects you ability to work and make money. I think you get the idea.
I have found that the best way to keep balance in all areas and to have the greatest opportunity for SUCCESS in all these areas is, believe it or not, TIME MANAGEMENT !!! I’m serious. Make time to work on all these areas. Block off time to attend your local church. Block off time to spend with your family and strengthen your relationships. Block off time to get some exercise and I promise you that there will be plenty of time left to make money. How can I promise that? Because when all those other areas are in harmony you have a much lower stress level and you will be able to be more focused on your work and you productivity and success in that area will SKYROCKET !!!
Just remember what Zig Ziglar said, “Success is never final, failure is never fatal and it's only courage that counts.”
Folks, as usual, it has been wonderful sharing my thoughts and feelings with you. I’m going to wrap it up for now but next week will be here before you know it. In the meantime, If any of you need anything I’m easy to find. E-mail me, call me or just drop me a letter. Take care and we’ll talk again soon.
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“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.”
- Henry Ford
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JUST SAY “NO” TO NEGATIVITY !!!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Scott Hodges
www.thedreameffect.com
www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com
www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
270-320-1324
615-644-5434
