Smart Business & Career Tips

Solving the Mystery of Letting Go

Sometimes the greatest truths are laid right before our eyes, in the simplest of things, and yet we just can't see them. Take for instance our own hands: what a miracle they are. If we consider for even a moment all they are capable of doing, it's evident that a great wisdom sits hidden behind their incomparable design. But, with this thought in mind, permit me to add one other to help us see another part of their special purpose that lies "hidden" in plain sight.

What good would our hands be to us or, for that matter, to the world they are made to help shape, if all they could do was close down around something and cling to it? How stale and old everything would soon be for us if the act of "holding on" to things were all our hands had the power to do? Just imagine what life would be like if we were unable to touch anything new.

To be able to touch and appreciate what is new, our hands are also created to open up -- and, as needed -- to let go of whatever is in them that is no longer useful.

This same basic truth applies, even more so, when it comes to our need to release those old feelings and worn out thoughts that first clog up, and then compromise our heart and mind. These tiresome states of ourselves have become "stuck" within us because we haven't learned how to release them.

Once we understand that letting go is the missing half of the whole happiness our heart longs for -- that it is a necessary and full partner in the power to discover and complete our True Self -- everything about our life grows easier. Old regrets dry up and blow away. We awaken to a quiet kind of faith that fears nothing. New possibilities for us appear almost moment to moment because we've hung an "open for business" sign on the door of our life. And, as our contentment grows with who we are -- within ourselves -- we stop compromising ourselves in order to win the approval of the world around us.

And best of all, as a result of our growing discoveries about the secret of letting go, we find ourselves on the threshold of solving the greatest mystery on earth: who are we? Why are we here? And what is our true role in this world? For as we start to see reality -- as it is -- in its timeless expression of creating life, perfecting it, and then letting it go, only to start all over again, we realize that we ourselves are an integral part of this Great Endless Story. And if the whole of Life is being made new in each and every moment -- and we ourselves are a part of its never-ending process of perfection -- then letting go isn't some distant and difficult faculty to be acquired. To the contrary: letting go is an effortless state of our own consciousness; it is a natural power of ours needing only to be actualized in order for us to realize the freedom that it alone can grant.

- Guy Finley

Bring Your Story Home to Your Reader

By John Carlton

Let's go deeper into storytelling, what d'ya say? My last article in ETR ("You, The Movie") seems to have hit a nerve.

In that article, I discussed the importance of storytelling as a skill, especially for copywriters attempting to persuade prospects to become customers. The brief exercise I suggested was aimed at sharpening your ability to weave a pithy tale... and the response was overwhelming. At last count, more than 160 folks posted their efforts in the new "comments" section on ETR's website. (And I read every single one. Thanks, again, to everyone who participated. It was fun, wasn't it?)

Today, if you're up for it, I have another exercise that will help hone your writing chops to dangerous "street-wise salesmanship" levels.

But first... let's do some triage.

In case you missed it, I reviewed specific submissions in the comments section. But, in general, if there was one glaring fault in the three-sentence stories that were posted, it was the lack of a clear punch line. This is the most common error rookies make (and it's an easy fix, once you get hip to advanced storytelling tactics). Many of the narratives sort of "floated," without moorings. And while meaningful to the writer, the tales remained mysteries to the reader.

Great storytelling sucks people into your world. This is especially important when one of your ultimate goals is to use your writing to sell stuff. (Most legendary ads involve some type of storytelling.)

Even the most rollicking yarn can put people to sleep if it's too complex, goes off on too many tangents, or doesn't tickle the reader's short attention span.

And most people are not natural storytellers... so they sometimes ramble off on quirky paths, repeating themselves, unable to clearly explain plot points, and bombarding the listener with irrelevant details. "Did I tell you about the UFO that attacked us? No? It was Tuesday last week. No, wait, it was Wednesday. Yeah. It must have been Wednesday, because I was headed to IHOP to meet Suzy for waffles. You know they have specials every Wednesday, don't you?"

This is how people get strangled.

In my long experience trying to force folks to tell better stories, the first task is nearly always to trim the excess verbiage and fluff.

The outline to follow is: the set-up (the tease of the payoff to come)... plot elements (relevant details)... action (the fulfillment of the tease)... and punch line.

Focus on your reason for telling your story... which could vary from pure entertainment to providing insight to persuading someone to buy. When you're done, you want your listener or reader to FEEL something. Happiness ("Aww, the puppy got rescued")... alarm ("My God, I'm gonna keep a loaded gun by my bedside from here on out")... astonishment ("My neighbors are doing what at night?")... or, yes, even greed ("Hey! I want that kind of deal too!").

The process can also be described biologically. Like this: foreplay... climax... resolution.

Stories, like sex, benefit from a focus on the goal. The less extraneous interruption, the better.

In other words: It's not about you at all, even if you're the star of the story.

It's about your reader.

Ideally, he will "see" himself in your story. Or feel like he's temporarily privy to the world you create with your words - a world he would not otherwise have access to.

Have you ever read a story to a child? Once they get a taste for it, just saying, "Once upon a time..." will glaze their eyes over, as they eagerly prepare themselves to be transported to a world far different than their own.

The concept of "transporting" is critical. You're driving the story, and it's your responsibility to keep it on the road. Your reader will abandon you at the first hint that you don't know where you're going. And he'll despise you for getting his hopes up for a good tale if you then dash them with a feeble punch line.

That's why striving for pithy, concise stories is so important for writers. Set-up... plot elements... action... punch line.

And the three-liner is classic. One of the best: "I've been poor. And I've been rich. Rich is better."

No need for any details. In this example, the words "rich" and "poor" carry their own payload of emotional backstory with them, because, in this context, nearly everyone will have a feeling about being rich and a feeling about being poor. A long-winded rant about HOW poor you were, or HOW rich you became, is excessive.

Concise, memorable stories pack a punch.

Even better, there is a segue into the life of the reader in that three-line beauty. "Rich is better" may seem like an obvious statement, but coupled with the set-up lines, it delivers a strong message that smacks of truth. You want to hear what else this guy has to say.

The flow of a quick story, told with feeling, is always ripe with implications for the reader.

However, good ad copy doesn't rest on implications. It's got to move quickly to specifics.

So here's a simple tactic from my own bag of tricks that has helped bring many a story "home" to readers: First, you tell your tale, aiming for the kind of breathless prose that makes your prospect afraid to exhale for fear of missing a delicious detail.

Then, you deliver the punch line or the moral or just the ending. Don't try any clever transitions back into your sales pitch. Instead, you merely say: "And here's what that means for YOU..."

When reading fables to kids, any attempt to explain the moral would ruin the transcendent pleasure of listening to them. Ideally, you want the ending to rattle around in their heads, while they mull over the ethical implications and come up with their own conclusion. (Kids hate it when adults wag fingers and try to force lessons on them.)

But when you're writing to adults, you no longer have that luxury. Especially with ad copy. Adults are so numb to incoming data, they will hear even a great story, store it away somewhere in their cluttered brain, and move on to the next volley of arriving stimuli without coming to any conclusion whatsoever.

So, as the copywriter, it's your job to complete the thought.

You just continue the thread, going deeper into your sales message.

"I've been poor. And I've been rich. Rich is better. Here's what that means for you: You can continue on with your life believing that 'money can't buy happiness,' if that makes you feel better. But I'm here to tell you that having a pile of extra cash is actually a fabulous feeling... and your life will get better almost immediately. Plus, since I've already done the hard work of going from clean broke to filthy rich, I know all the shortcuts... and I'll share them with you..."

Et cetera.

So, if you're up for it... here's your next assignment: Tell a short, three-sentence story (using the set-up, plot, action, and punch line outline). And then write a one- or two-line segue that brings the story home to your reader. Leave it in the "comments" section on ETR's website here. 

You're allowed to be nonsensical for this exercise. In other words, you don't actually have to be selling anything. You can make it all up.

Just think - really, really hard - about how the punch line of your story MIGHT lead into a sales message.

Be concise, and bring it home to the reader. That's the key to world-class sales messages.

You cannot "fail" at this exercise, because you're just warming up your chops.

You don't learn to ride without hopping into the saddle. And it's okay to fall off, as long as you climb back on.

Again, I'll read every submitted story, and comment as needed.

[Ed. Note: Think storytelling doesn't matter? Think again. John Carlton is an expert copywriter, a pioneer in online marketing, and a teacher of killer sales copy - and he's honed the storytelling craft to a fine point. From John, you can also discover how to get your hands on the kick-ass secrets of the world's smartest, happiest, and wealthiest marketers.

And be sure to read his insights, tactics, and advice on copywriting and marketing at his blog.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

Success: Key to Success is Self Confidence and Overcoming Inferiority Complex

Let me tell you a brief story. By the time you finish reading this quick article, you will see the key to success.

An inferiority complex, feeling not good enough, leads to less than desirable results, even failure.

I asked a doctor the characteristics of an inferiority complex. She said, "Symptoms can be attacking others, speaking negatively, propagating gossip and doing damage to self. A large number of people, who look like they have self confidence, suffer from the inferiority complex."

The key to success is to overcome the inferiority complex, either your own or someone else's.

After speaking to a convention of men and women in a large city, I moved from stage to an area of the auditorium near a sign saying, "Lori Prokop Book Signing."

At the autograph table I was greeted by a large number of people and signed books when a visibly intense man asked, "Excuse me. Lori Prokop, may I speak with you privately about self confidence and dealing with an inferiority complex?"

I answered, "Yes. Can you wait until the crowd has gone?"

With relief, he politely answered, "Yes, Lori Prokop, I would like that very much."

Once back stage, he began, "I need all the self confidence I can find. I have to achieve the biggest business deal of my life. Lori Prokop, if I have success, it means the world to me. If I fail, I'm done for."

I proposed he relax. Few situations or deals are so final, although they may feel to be the only key to success. An important step is to know if he did succeed that was fine. If he didn't succeed, there would be other days and deals. This is the beginning of overcoming an inferiority complex and achieving self confidence.

He continued, "I have a real inferiority complex. I just don't have the self confidence I want. Here I am forty-five years old. I've been plagued by my inferiority complex. Lori Prokop, I listened to your speech tonight about self confidence. I want to know the key to success you, Lori Prokop, would recommend to help me achieve self confidence."

"There are three steps to take," I answered.

"First step is to discover why you have these feelings. I have a free report at my web site that reveals the 12 Rules of Abuse, which are beliefs people learned as children that keep them from achieving what they want as adults.

"You must approach the inferiority complex and self confidence problems looking for a cause and removing it. This may require self-analysis or assistance of a counselor or therapist.

"To help you and be of assistance now with your immediate problem, I will give you my own Lori Prokop formula which works for me. Starting today, I want you to repeat this powerful phrase I will give you. Tomorrow, I want you to say it throughout the day. Do you agree?"

He replied, "Yes, Lori Prokop, I agree."

I said, "Here is the Lori Prokop Formula."

"I am free of worry about how to figure things out. God does that for me. Together, as partners, God and I achieve success in everything, whether overcoming obstacles or going straight to the top."

I continued, "You can substitute words for what God is to you. The main message here is that you are not alone. Your Life Partner is powerful and on your side always."

Posted by Lori Prokop

Expensive specs made me see an opportunity

This is an inspiring article from The Sunday Times by Rachel Bridge How I Made It: James Murray Wells, Founder of Glasses Direct

:BECOMING a young entrepreneur was not something James Murray Wells planned. Born and brought up in Gloucestershire and sent to boarding school at the age of nine, he dreamt of getting a job in the theatre as a director or manager. But while at university studying English he decided he ought to pursue a less risky profession such as law. The problem was that, deep down, he knew it was not what he really wanted. “I was racking my brains for a business idea or an opportunity that would save me from law school,” said Murray Wells. And then the answer came to him when he had to buy a new pair of glasses. “They were £150 and I thought it was way too much. What the hell was I paying for? They were just a bit of plastic and a bit of glass,” he said. “It didn’t make sense.” He started researching the market while he was supposed to be revising for his finals, looking up market reports in the university library and trying to track down manufacturers through the internet. He eventually found a lab in Lancashire that agreed to make a pair of glasses from the prescription Murray Wells sent in. One week later they arrived — with a bill for £5. “That was the wholesale cost. It just shocked me because I had paid £150 for the same thing,” he said. So Murray Wells borrowed £1,000 on his student loan and, working from the front room of his parents’ house, hired a student web developer at £6 an hour to help him design a website where customers could enter their prescriptions and order spectacles. The website went live in July 2004 with all prescription glasses priced at £15. Murray Wells started publicising his service by handing out flyers in the street. He said: “I used to jump on trains at Bristol Temple Meads and put flyers on the tables and get off the train before it went. So people had two hours to sit there and read about Glasses Direct.” Within days Murray Wells was receiving so many calls he had to get friends to answer the phone. “At one point I had eight friends working from my home and my mum was the staff canteen in the kitchen,” he said. “We were laying cables into my parents’ spare bedroom.” Read Full Article Here

Act To Create It

by Jack Canfield, America's Success Coach

The thing that most separates winners from losers in life, is that winners take action. If you want to live your dreams, not only must you decide what you want, turn your dream into measurable goals, break those goals down into specific action steps, and visualize and affirm your desired outcomes — you must start taking action.

I recommend making the commitment to do something every day in at least three different areas of your life that moves you in the direction of your dreams. If one of your goals is physical fitness, make a commitment to do some sort of exercise — aerobics, weight training, stretching — four to five times a week for a minimum of twenty minutes. I read recently that if you simply go for a 30 minute walk four times a week, that would put you in the top 1% of those people getting physical exercise! If your goal is financial independence, start saving and investing a portion of your income every month with no exceptions. If your goal is to write a book, write for a minimum of one hour every day.

Don’t Let FEAR Stop You
Most people never get what they want because they let their fears stop them. They are afraid of making a mistake, looking foolish, getting ripped off, being rejected, being hurt, wasting their time, and feeling uncomfortable.

Fear is self-created by imagining catastrophic consequences that have yet to happen. It is all in your mind. In fact, you can actually scare yourself by imagining negative and harmful images. But simply stop the catastrophic thoughts and images, and the fear goes away.

Rejection Is a Myth
One of the biggest fears that stops people from asking for support, guidance, advice, money, a date, a job, the sale, or anything else is the fear of rejection. In fact, it’s been known to literally paralyze people. They become tongue-tied and refuse to reach for the phone or get up and walk across the room. They break out in a sweat at the mere thought of asking for what they want.

I have come to realize that the whole concept of rejection is false — that rejection doesn’t really exist. Think about it for a moment. If you asked someone to join you for dinner, and they said no, you could tell yourself that you had been rejected. But think about it. Did you have anyone to eat dinner with before you asked them? No! Did you have anyone to eat dinner with after you asked them? No! Did your life really get worse? No. It stayed the same!

Act As If
One of the secrets of success is to start acting like a success before you are one. Act as if. If you had already achieved your dream, what kinds of clothes would you be wearing? How would you act? How would you treat others? Would you tithe a portion of your income to your church or favorite charities? Would you have more self-confidence? Would you take more time to spend with your loved ones?

I suggest that you begin to do those things now. When I decided that I wanted to be an “international” consultant, I immediately went and applied for a passport, bought an international clock that told me what time it was anywhere in the world, printed business cards with the words “International Self-Esteem and Peak Performance Consultant,” and decided I would like to first go to Australia. I bought a poster of the Sidney Opera House and placed it on my refrigerator. Within one month, I received an invitation to speak in Sidney and Brisbane. Since then, I have spoken and conducted trainings in over 20 countries and continue to expand my business around the globe.

Start acting as if you already have everything you want. Most people think that if they have a lot of money, they could do the things they want to do, and they would be much happier. In fact, the reverse is true. If you start by creating a state of happiness and abundance, then do the things you are inspired to do from that state of being, you will end up having all the things you ultimately desire.

You may not be able to fill your closets with expensive Italian suits and designer clothing, but why not invest in one or two really great outfits, so that when you do need them, they are there. When you dress like you have already made it, you will look the part, and successful people will naturally be attracted to you and invite you to participate with them.

The Law of Attraction states that you will attract to you those things that match your state of being. If you focus on having gratitude for what you do have, you will feel rich, and you will attract more abundance into your life. If you focus on what youdon’t have, you will send out a message of lack and you will attract more lack into your life.

For more on The Law of Attraction, I highly recommend watching The Secret, a ground-breaking, feature-length movie presentation. The Secret reveals how to apply this powerful knowledge to your life in every area from health to wealth, to success and relationships.

Jack Canfield, America’s Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at www.JackCanfield.com

Electric

They called him ‘Electric’. Later I found out that there were two pieces to that name—one public, one private. The public name referred to his ability to dance to a popular tune of the same name. The second secret of the name was the fact that he was able to throw the campus of our private boarding school in Jamaica into chaos by plunging us into blackout because he knew which switches to pull to do just that.

I first met him through his insistence that he join my literature class. I was head of department and so I chose the students of my class based on motivation and behavior. Electric did not qualify on the second ground because his teachers said he was a troublemaker. Since I was busy he had to hang around outside my office several times before he met me. He made a passionate plea to be in my classes. He said the other teachers did not want him to do well. When I asked why my classes he said I made the students laugh.

“When you make learning fun, people learn easily,” he said gravely as if he were some educational expert.

On a hunch I took him into my class but I warned him that I could send him to another class if he breached my code of conduct.

One of the things I impressed on my students was the need to own their own copy of the five essential texts. I gave a deadline for students to have the texts by the end of the month.

One evening my wife who was in charge of the library came home troubled. She had caught one of the students stealing books. She, however, was sympathetic once she heard his story. He pleaded with her not to report the matter to the principal because he said with his record he was bound to be expelled. That student was ‘Electric”. He has stolen the texts for my course.

We made a decision not to report the matter. Between us we had sample copies of the texts from the publishers which we donated to “ Electric.” We also asked him not to let on where he got the books so that we would not be questioned why we gave him the books.

After this incident Electric became a model student in my class. He volunteered to lug the big ,heavy reel to reel tape recorder from its storage place in the Principal’s office every time we played the “ Julius Caesar “ recordings. He helped me pack up the tapes, set up the recorder. He was eager to carry my books and notes. When we showed the movie “ To Kill A Mockingbird” he was the one who did all the arrangements of the projector, changing the reels and so one.

Often he would follow me to my home on campus discussing the books. He knew some of the texts by heart and could quote appropriate parts easily. I found out that he used to live on the streets of Kingston and was rescued by a foreigner working in Jamaica who was paying his tuition at this exclusive school.

Electric in his own way balanced out the costs of his education. I learnt that he asked certain teachers for help with buying his shirts, others he asked for pants, shoes and other school necessities. He told me that as a street kid he knew not to ask for too much help from any one person.

Electric taught me a lot about Jamaica. One day he surprised me by telling me that I had a political mind. It was after he told me that any would be political should read “ Julius Caesar.” When I asked him about this he said,

“ Mr. D. I know who is sleeping with whom in Kingston. I wash cars to earn money. I wash cars in the rich areas. They pay more to keep me quiet because I see whose cars are parked in whose driveway early in the morning. I see who comes out to pay me. I can tell what kind of person by the way they treat me. I know *Mr. Seaga and *Mr. Manley.”

“ Mr. D. you are a different person. You are a tough teacher but you and your wife have kind hearts. You treat me like another human being. You don’t act like a Pharisee shouting, ‘ Lord,Lord,look what I do’. You are like the Good Samaritan, you just help and move on.”

Electric went on to do really well in the regional examination but fate had one more card to play with us. Electric had really bad hand writing. I tried my best to get him to practice better handwriting but he did not think it was important.

At the regional examination I was a manager of a team of markers.

The head of the examining team was an old school mate. He was now Professor of English at one of the regional campuses. We were not allowed to mark students whom we taught. So Electric's paper went to another team. His answers caused some trouble. One marker who claimed she could not understand his writing scored him at three marks out of twenty on one essay. Our system,however,had a checking procedure where another marker looked at each script. This marker gave him 17.The head of the team who had to arbitrate the scores was inclined to give him at least 14 marks.

The head of the team, an earnest woman, who was determined to be fair sought out the Chief Examiner who was my friend. I had just decided to take a break and the Chief spotting me started a conversation on my teaching experiences in Jamaica. For some reason I told him about the strange student called Electric and how good he had become as a student by linking literature to his street experience.

We were interrupted politely by the head of the team who asked for an expert opinion from the chief.

He looked it over and said ,”I think it’s 16 or 17”.

Passing it to me, he said,” Have a look.”

A quick glance revealed it was Electric’s script.

“ This is the student I was telling you about, “ I replied shocked at the co-incidence.

The Chief took the script to his team of chief examiners. Later I was told they agreed that despite his bad handwriting they felt that he deserved a passing grade in all his essays.

I have often wondered if Electric would have passed if there were not a dispute, if the head of the marking team had not consulted the chief and if that chief had not decided to let his expert team mark the script.

Today, years later, I recall with fondness my long talks with Electric. I can still see his excitement of the day of graduation. When he introduced myself and my wife to his benefactor he said,” these are the people who most helped me graduate”.

That graduation night I finally asked “ Electric” why he had never asked me for money or clothes.

“ Mr. D, you gave me the most valuable thing any person can give—your time ,your knowledge and your respect. I thank you and Mrs. D. from the bottom of my heart.”

Be A Millionaire Day

Did you know that Saturday, May 20^th is Be A Millionaire Day?

I just found out that T. Harv Eker is giving away $1 million in scholarships to his highly popular 3-Day Millionaire Mind™ Intensive seminar. It is an amazing program full of life-altering ideas that positively changed my life forever. I know you'll get a lot out of this amazing course. By the end--you will have a completely different point of view towards money and success; a millionaire's view.

All you have to do to get your scholarship is go to: Millionaire Day  and sign up.

But, only the first 386 people who register ON MAY 20 ^th will be eligible. If you miss this opportunity, the tuition is $1295 (and worth every penny of it). So hurry!

On May 20^th, when you get to the site, all you have to do is put in your name and email address. You will then be notified if you are one of the lucky winners for this remarkable course. Let me know if you were able to get in so we can celebrate together!

Happy Be A Millionaire Day!

And, psst...pass this message on to 5 more people that you care about who could do a lot of with financial success in their lives!

P.S. If you want to receive a reminder email on May 20^th, get to the site, put in your name and email address and an email will be sent to you on May 20^th.

Online Volunteer of the Year 2005

Ana Maria da F.M. Saravia (Brazil) - Shine a Light, la red internacional pro niños de la calle (USA)

June 22, 2005

Contribution to achieving MDG1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, Millennium Campaign: "No Excuses, Promises Must be Kept"

Ana Maria has invested her language skills to translate diverse research work on street children in Latin America from Spanish into Portuguese. Her host organization Shine a Light connects organizations serving street children in Latin America and uses digital technology to leverage local successes into international solutions.

The challenge in researching street children, and even more so in translating such research, lies in understanding the argot of Latin American street gangs, with its own set of codes in each country, and obscure to mainstream society. Ana Maria approached her Portuguese translation of a study on Colombian street gangs by first spending several weeks researching the gíria, or slang, of the gangs in her native Brazil. She successfully attempted not only a literal but also a cultural translation, and found ways to connect the discourse of Colombian gang members to that of their Brazilian peers in the favelas of Rio and São Paulo.

After numerous translations for Shine a Light, a task she started in 2003, Ana Maria is now working on the translation of a DVD-based curriculum for teachers in refugee camps – her largest endeavour to date. In order to apply on the point and culturally appropriate Portuguese terms when e.g. subtitling documentary videos that were made by refugee teenagers in the Colombian capital of Bogotá, Ana Maria has again immersed herself in the vocabulary and culture peculiar to the refugee and migrant communities.

Ana Maria’s translations are helping to overcome the barriers between hispanic and lusophone community workers. They have made findings and experiences obtained in Argentina, Colombia and Mexico available to Brazilian organizations and have facilitated experience sharing and reciprocal learning.

By volunteering online with an organization that is far away from her home, and engaging in assignments that deal with projects in other Latin American countries, Ana Maria has also learnt a lot about the social situation in her own country and neighbourhood.

"In short, being an online volunteer with Shine a Light has made me become aware of realities I was comfortably blind to and has also made me realize that I can contribute a few keystrokes a day to help some committed people who in turn will help others."

3 Instant Strategies to Overcome Fear and Achieve Happiness and Peace of Mind

Once you know these three strategies, fear melts away. Let me illustrate the three secrets with a quick story. Then, I'll give you them to you

I spent time in the Midwest where an old livestock farmer said to me, "Lori, I've learned my greatest life lesson from Hereford cows."

I thought that was a bit unusual. After all, I've spoken to many great people who have shared many incredible life lessons. What could we learn from cows?

Well, I was shocked and grateful.

On cattle ranches, the freezing rain, bitter winds and extreme temperatures of winter storms can wipe out entire herds. Flying ice can even cut into flesh.

Facing this dangerous enemy, most cattle turn their backs and slowly drift downwind until they find another obstacle which stops them. Be it a river, fence or something, they pile up against the obstacle and die in large numbers.

But Herefords intuitively stand shoulder-to-shoulder facing the icy storms with their heads down against the bitter blasts.

The farmer told me, “Well, Lori, you almost always find the Herefords alive and well. It is the greatest lesson from the open range. Just face life’s storms.”

When a person stands up to a challenge or fear that challenge or fear tends to fold and give way. People with courageous persistence win.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.”

Do not attempt to ignore what you fear and go drifting with the wind. Every person must decide over and over whether to deal with fearful situations or to run away.

Most fears are unfounded and empty. A successful businessman in his 60’s calculated that only about 8 percent of what he feared had happened. He looked back on his life saying that 92 percent of what he feared never came to be.

Of the 8 percent of fears that did occur, he said, “Lori, I just stood up to them with persistence. It was my persistence that overcame them. All fears are controllable.”

Here are three strategies to overcome fear and achieve happiness and peace of mind.

Lori Prokop Happiness and Peace of Mind Strategy #1

Be a person of persistent faith. Most importantly, say morning, noon and night, “I will not be motivated or dominated by fear or anxiety any more. I remove fear and anxiety from my mind. I now decide my fear and anxiety will be brought under control and eliminated. I am a person of persistence and faith.”

In addition to this statement, you will need to choose matching thoughts and actions. This statement will program your mind to remove and reject fear-based thoughts.

Lori Prokop Happiness and Peace of Mind Strategy #2

Work on fears one at a time. With a pen and piece of paper, write out all the fears you have. Make as complete and honest a list as possible. Look over your list and determine the fear that disturbs you the most. Decide to resolve that fear alone, first.

Most people’s strength, energy and persistence are powerful enough to resolve one fear at a time. Resolving all fears or multiple fears at one time can be more than a person could energetically handle.

When you overcome one fear and then the next, you will experience an increased sense of accomplishment, confidence and personal power you can use to defeat all the fears on your list.

Lori Prokop Happiness and Peace of Mind Strategy #3

Increase your faith and persistence power. Faith and persistence can be the result of a long-practiced mental and spiritual process.

Often, those who need faith and persistence the most need it now. They don’t have time for years of spiritual development. To develop faith and persistence quickly and powerfully, I suggest learning and mastering your inner Life Guidance System.

What is your Life Guidance System?

It is a chart of 21 emotional levels which each person uses, with or without awareness, to create and react to situations in his or her life.

At the bottom of the chart is fear which creates 1% of what you do want and 99% of what you don’t want. In the middle of the chart is anger which creates 30% of what you do want and 70% of what you don’t want.

A little higher is contentment which creates 75% of what you do want and 25% of what you don’t want. At the top of your inner Life Guidance System is love and gratitude which manifests 100% of what you do want and 0% of what you don’t want.

You create your life experiences from your chosen emotional levels. As you choose higher and higher emotions, you will be amazed how much easier, more peaceful and more successful your life becomes.

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Big Time Pay Offs For Being Friendly at Work

Likeability -the way people feel about you on the job can have an
important effect on how successful you are at forming important work
relationships that enable you to get things done.

In fact, according to a Harvard Business Review study, likeability
trumps competence, even if the disagreeable employee has the right skill
set.

Other benefits of being perceived to be friendly and likeable on the job:

* Likeable employees may bring more business to a company because
they have better rapport with customers.
* Being agreeable can often bring more promotions and bigger salaries.

Conversely, an unpleasant personality may cost you that new job you were
looking for, and the old one you wanted to leave behind.

However, there can also be a downside to likeability. For example,
managers who are too likeable can occasionally get too sociable with
their subordinates, blurring the line between boss and friend.

USA Today December 28, 2005