By Robert Ringer
There are some people who aspire to have power over others. And there's not a person on this earth who hasn't found himself on the short end of that power stick at one time or another.
Have you ever asked yourself what it is that gives someone power over you? The truth be known, it's a matter of perception - both the other person's and yours. By this I mean that most power is abstract, and therefore impossible to quantify.
So the question becomes, "If the power someone holds over you is abstract, how can you overcome it?" Answer: You simply refuse to grant permission. You see, the only power another person can have over you is the power you give him.
Which means it's really your power. And only you can grant another person permission to take your power. By the same token, you can refuse to grant that permission.
Of course, you do not verbally grant permission. It's much more subtle than that. As I said, power is an abstraction. The way it normally happens is that you get yourself into a position where you need the other person. If, for example, you ask him for a favor, that immediately gives him power over you.
Thus, the surest way to prevent others from having power over you is to be independent. And the corollary to this is that independence gives you power. The plain truth is that even a master intimidator like Donald Trump would have no power over you if you were totally independent. He may be a powerful person in his own right, but his power would not affect you unless you allowed it to. And you certainly are under no obligation to do that.
The next time you feel as though you're in a position of weakness when dealing with someone, remember that his power is really your power - power that you have given him. And anytime you wish to revoke that power, you need only withdraw your permission for him to use it.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
How did you limit yourself last year, and how can you remove those limits in 2009?
Were there certain actions you took or didn't take that came back to haunt you? You need to bring these self-defeating actions to the surface, shine light on them, and, most important, determine what you must do differently to make sure you don't limit yourself the same way all over again. Here are just a few of mine for working the Home Seller Assist program created by John Alexander and otherwise known as We Provide The Cash .
Not reviewing my goals daily
Not sticking to a daily sleep schedule
Hoping things would work out well in a few situations where my gut told me not to
Once again, make a list and identify the takeaways.
For example, one of the self-defeating actions on my list was not reviewing my goals on a daily basis (even though I know better). And when I don't review my goals daily, I get sucked into what's currently happening and distracted from what's most important. That caused me to miss the mark on a few goals I had set for myself in 2008.
The takeaway: I'm determined not to make the same mistake in 2009.
Not reviewing my goals daily
Not sticking to a daily sleep schedule
Hoping things would work out well in a few situations where my gut told me not to
Once again, make a list and identify the takeaways.
For example, one of the self-defeating actions on my list was not reviewing my goals on a daily basis (even though I know better). And when I don't review my goals daily, I get sucked into what's currently happening and distracted from what's most important. That caused me to miss the mark on a few goals I had set for myself in 2008.
The takeaway: I'm determined not to make the same mistake in 2009.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Link-Building
You want the good links - the high-quality, relevant, highly trafficked websites. So how do you weed them out? There are a few online tools that can help you make the distinction between a good link and a bad link.
Alexa.com and Compete.com. These websites give you a general idea of the kind of traffic a particular site gets, and that can help you determine the quality of the site. High traffic typically means high quality.
Google Toolbar PageRank (PR). Always controversial in SEO circles, many debate whether this particular little number means anything at all. Whenever I mention it, I always recommend taking it with a grain of salt. But a site with a higher Google PR is seen by Google as a higher quality site with a respectable number of links. In other words, a website you would want a link from.
These are good tools to have on your side, but not the only ways to determine the quality of a potential link. You can also use a kind of website common sense.
Does the site have quality relevant content?
If the site makes it possible for users to leave comments about its content, are they participating? This can be a sign of how active the site's community is - a sign of quality.
Does the site consist of nothing but links to other sites? If it's not a known directory like Yahoo, etc. it's likely a link farm - so stay away.
Does the site have good design and navigation? Or does it look like it was patched together with FrontPage in 1998 and left to die?
Once you've identified the websites you definitely want to target for links, you have to determine the best way to approach each one.
Alexa.com and Compete.com. These websites give you a general idea of the kind of traffic a particular site gets, and that can help you determine the quality of the site. High traffic typically means high quality.
Google Toolbar PageRank (PR). Always controversial in SEO circles, many debate whether this particular little number means anything at all. Whenever I mention it, I always recommend taking it with a grain of salt. But a site with a higher Google PR is seen by Google as a higher quality site with a respectable number of links. In other words, a website you would want a link from.
These are good tools to have on your side, but not the only ways to determine the quality of a potential link. You can also use a kind of website common sense.
Does the site have quality relevant content?
If the site makes it possible for users to leave comments about its content, are they participating? This can be a sign of how active the site's community is - a sign of quality.
Does the site consist of nothing but links to other sites? If it's not a known directory like Yahoo, etc. it's likely a link farm - so stay away.
Does the site have good design and navigation? Or does it look like it was patched together with FrontPage in 1998 and left to die?
Once you've identified the websites you definitely want to target for links, you have to determine the best way to approach each one.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Gift of Christmas: The Wait
By Phil Ware
What's the longest wait you have had to endure? (Not a pleasant subject, I know. But just hang in there a bit, it gets better; you just have to wait a paragraph or two and you'll get to the good part!)
Waits come in all sizes -- the "wait" until the baby gets here, the "wait" until the weight is off, the "wait" until you graduate, the "wait" until you get married, the "wait" until you get a driver’s license. But maybe the hardest "wait" of all for me happened every year when I was a little kid. It was that horribly long "wait" from the time the Sears and Roebuck catalogue arrived until Christmas came. Wow! It seems like they mailed that thing out earlier every year and Christmas came later!
Now one thing you must know about me; it is HARD for me to wait! I don't like it at all. Never been good at it. But Christmas has always brought out the worst in my ability to wait. I remember once when I was a boy, and I snuck in real late one night and opened my "mystery present" under the tree. I was disappointed in the gift. I was disappointed in myself for peeking. Most of all, I was disappointed in having to act surprised when I opened it the second time in front of the rest of the family. I wish I had waited.
Because of my problem with waiting, I've always loved Peter's description of the wait the prophets had, and how the angels even had a hard time waiting and trying to figure out everything they said about Jesus:
The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10-12 RSV)
I still remember my beloved Bible professor Dr. Neil Lightfoot, standing up on his tiptoes saying something like, "Ah yes! The coming of Christ was something that even the angels stood on tiptoe trying to see as they tried to look over the horizon of history."
Christmas time is an interesting, wonderful, and bewildering time. Now I assume you know that we don't really know when Jesus was born -- at least not the exact day or even month of the year. Most likely it wasn't in the winter since shepherds were out in their fields at night. However, if we will hold our skepticism just a bit and stand on tiptoe with open hearts, I do believe that we can find some amazing gifts that our Father has left for us. We won't find them under a tree or in a stocking. No, we will find them in an amazing story of a baby and his little family who were caught up in the dazzling display of God's sacrificial glory. It was, of course, glory in the ordinary, found as it was in simple everyday folks who believed that God kept his promises because he loves his people.
How and when the end of this wonderful story of God's glory will be written is still a lot more mystery than popular writers would lead us to believe. But I, for one, have decided to join the angels on tiptoe and revel in the greatest of all stories ever told, penned by the Master Storymaker himself. However, I hope you don't wait on me -- or anyone else for that matter. No, go unwrap this gift right now and give the first two chapters of both Matthew and Luke a little read. As you do, ask God to help you see past the ribbons, bows, papers, and sparkling lights so you can find his greatest gift.
P.S. I'm really not any better at waiting for Christmas now that I'm older. Since I'm the adult, I say we can start opening one present a night every night, starting December 20th. Not a bad idea. You might try it sometime. Unless you find it too hard to wait until the 20th!
Article source: www.heartlight.org
What's the longest wait you have had to endure? (Not a pleasant subject, I know. But just hang in there a bit, it gets better; you just have to wait a paragraph or two and you'll get to the good part!)
Waits come in all sizes -- the "wait" until the baby gets here, the "wait" until the weight is off, the "wait" until you graduate, the "wait" until you get married, the "wait" until you get a driver’s license. But maybe the hardest "wait" of all for me happened every year when I was a little kid. It was that horribly long "wait" from the time the Sears and Roebuck catalogue arrived until Christmas came. Wow! It seems like they mailed that thing out earlier every year and Christmas came later!
Now one thing you must know about me; it is HARD for me to wait! I don't like it at all. Never been good at it. But Christmas has always brought out the worst in my ability to wait. I remember once when I was a boy, and I snuck in real late one night and opened my "mystery present" under the tree. I was disappointed in the gift. I was disappointed in myself for peeking. Most of all, I was disappointed in having to act surprised when I opened it the second time in front of the rest of the family. I wish I had waited.
Because of my problem with waiting, I've always loved Peter's description of the wait the prophets had, and how the angels even had a hard time waiting and trying to figure out everything they said about Jesus:
The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10-12 RSV)
I still remember my beloved Bible professor Dr. Neil Lightfoot, standing up on his tiptoes saying something like, "Ah yes! The coming of Christ was something that even the angels stood on tiptoe trying to see as they tried to look over the horizon of history."
Christmas time is an interesting, wonderful, and bewildering time. Now I assume you know that we don't really know when Jesus was born -- at least not the exact day or even month of the year. Most likely it wasn't in the winter since shepherds were out in their fields at night. However, if we will hold our skepticism just a bit and stand on tiptoe with open hearts, I do believe that we can find some amazing gifts that our Father has left for us. We won't find them under a tree or in a stocking. No, we will find them in an amazing story of a baby and his little family who were caught up in the dazzling display of God's sacrificial glory. It was, of course, glory in the ordinary, found as it was in simple everyday folks who believed that God kept his promises because he loves his people.
How and when the end of this wonderful story of God's glory will be written is still a lot more mystery than popular writers would lead us to believe. But I, for one, have decided to join the angels on tiptoe and revel in the greatest of all stories ever told, penned by the Master Storymaker himself. However, I hope you don't wait on me -- or anyone else for that matter. No, go unwrap this gift right now and give the first two chapters of both Matthew and Luke a little read. As you do, ask God to help you see past the ribbons, bows, papers, and sparkling lights so you can find his greatest gift.
P.S. I'm really not any better at waiting for Christmas now that I'm older. Since I'm the adult, I say we can start opening one present a night every night, starting December 20th. Not a bad idea. You might try it sometime. Unless you find it too hard to wait until the 20th!
Article source: www.heartlight.org
Friday, December 19, 2008
"Why Should I Trust You?"
Just yesterday while I was checking my emails I got asked "Why should I trust you?" And then a few minutes later I got a message from a person so hungry for a change that they were willing to put their house on the line to join the Home Seller Assist program created by John Alexander and also known as We Provide The Cash. Then, not a minute later, I got a message from someone who was at a time on my team,but decided to give up a little too soon, only to tell me about the great new business they want me to look at that launches next month. Yet here I am, in the same business, doing the same things, getting the same results.
If that doesn't sum up the home business industry then I don't know what does. At first glance these happenings appear totally unrelated, but there is a secret hidden behind them that if understood . . .
The ONE pink elephant in the room of the home business industry that no one ever talks about is that no one trusts anyone. For the most part, most would be home business entrepreneurs have "tried" so many businesses that they're in a total state of confusion. They feel slighted, they feel used, yet at the same time they feel desperate to succeed. Stop and think about it for a second.
That's a lot going on in a person's head. A ton of conflict, a lack of focus, lots of fear, and mental paralysis. It's not that much different than a sweet little puppy would act if you kept being nice to him, fed him, and then immediately scolded him for no good reason. After a period of time the poor guy doesn't know what to think of you. (That's kinda how your prospects look at you) What happens to network marketers over and over again (at least in terms of their perception)?
Someone says "Hey buddy, we got the best bizon the planet. Join us and we'll take care of you." The would be entrepreneur says to himself: "That guy seems nice, he's got a great product, he seems to have it all figured out,and you sure can make a lot in the business.I think I'll give it shot." The entrepreneur jumps in, is told to call leads then immediately feels the constant cold sting of rejection (like our puppy friend getting scolded)
Then our entreprenuer friend is told to go to all the company gatherings where everyone's so happy, excited, and nice. Back home again, our friend hits the phones for more rejection while his pocket's bleed of cash with no praise and no profits. Eventually he gives up. What happens next?
Another guy in another opportunity of the same nice character presents him with another great opportunity. Our entrepreneur jumps in,a few months later the same exact fate befalls him.
Eventually our would be entrepreneur, get's hardened, disillusioned and trusts no one. For the most, that's what we go through,until something changes. (What?) Keep reading . . .
Remember I told you about the three different messages I got yesterday? Can you spot the stages each person is in? I can. I can't fault the guy that doesn't trust me for not trusting me. He's probably been burned so many times all he knows is fear and anger spawned from past experiences, but still the question remains . . . Why would he be reading my emails and responding that way? He had to proactively opt in, become a subscriber, read a few issues, and then start to complain. (Hmmm . . .)
Why did the person who was once on my team tell me about her new great opportunity? Why was the third person dying so bad to be apart of my team?
Understand this . . . No matter how many times a person's been burned, no matter how many times a person comes to you with a new opportunity for you to look at, no matter how many people are willing to mortgage their house to join in business with you . . .
On thing remains true. The desire for more. The fire that was originally ignited never goes out. Once a wealth seeker always a wealth seeker. What changes a wealth seeker to a wealth getter?
Instead of looking outwards for the answer.You start to look inside and ask questions. Then simple focus and discipline to see through the answers you find inside. But to be pragmatic about it. You do the opposite of what isn't working now. If you've been in more than a few businesses, then maybe committing to one biz for the next five years may be your answer.
If you've always followed the advice of your sponsor as doctrine, then maybe NOT doing that anymore is the answer. If you've been buying and calling leads and it's not working, then just maybe NOT calling leads and instead giving the Home Seller Assist program and John Alexander is the answer.
It was for me!
Larry Potter
847-872-4047
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Why home values may take decades to recover
By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY
Rick Wallick moved into a new, three-bedroom $200,000 home in Maricopa, Ariz., in October 2005. Today, the home is worth $80,000.
The disabled software engineer stopped making mortgage payments this month. His $70,000 down payment is now worthless. His dream house will be foreclosed on next year.
"We're so far underwater it's not funny," says Wallick, 57, who had to return to his original home in Oregon to care for a sick family member and tend to his own medical problems. Wallick, one of the hardest-hit victims in one of the states hit hardest by the housing crisis, lost 60% of his home's value in three years.
His story is an extreme example, but home values have fallen so sharply since hitting a historic peak in the spring of 2006 that many Americans are wondering how much more prices can sink.
As painful as the decline has been, history suggests home values still may have a long way to drop and may take decades to return to the heights of 2½ years ago
Rick Wallick moved into a new, three-bedroom $200,000 home in Maricopa, Ariz., in October 2005. Today, the home is worth $80,000.
The disabled software engineer stopped making mortgage payments this month. His $70,000 down payment is now worthless. His dream house will be foreclosed on next year.
"We're so far underwater it's not funny," says Wallick, 57, who had to return to his original home in Oregon to care for a sick family member and tend to his own medical problems. Wallick, one of the hardest-hit victims in one of the states hit hardest by the housing crisis, lost 60% of his home's value in three years.
His story is an extreme example, but home values have fallen so sharply since hitting a historic peak in the spring of 2006 that many Americans are wondering how much more prices can sink.
As painful as the decline has been, history suggests home values still may have a long way to drop and may take decades to return to the heights of 2½ years ago
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