Negotiating the Job Offer

You have been offered a job. CONGRATULATIONS! Now you have to decide whether you want it or not. Before you say yes or no, it’s important to realize that there is a correlation between how much experience you have and how much you can negotiate. But you can strengthen your position if you know how much the job is worth in the open market.

College fairs can give you a good idea of entry-level salaries, but you can do further investigating on the internet such as www.salary.com which allows you to search for free.

Know what features are most important to you when you go job hunting. Company A may offer less than Company B, but Company A has a better training program.

When you are looking for your first job, sometimes there is little room to negotiate a better salary. If you really see yourself working at the company that wants to hire you, don’t jeopardize it for a few hundred, or few thousand dollars. Having a positive feeling about your workplace is priceless. However, it’s very important for you to be able to live on your salary.

When and How to Say “Yes” to the Job Offer

As much as it is tempting to say “Yes!” to a job the minute it is offered to you. It might be wiser to wait, even if you are sure you want the job. It is perfectly alright to ask the person who offered you the job a 24 hour period to give him/her your final answer. But don’t keep them waiting too long. If you get a job offer on Friday, say that you will call Monday with your answer. Otherwise call the next day.

During the 24 hour period, or weekend, you an then determine if there is a way to negotiate your salary, determine if this job is right for you, and discuss anything further with your mentor, parent, or friend.

Starting When You Want to Start

You’re exhausted, you haven’t had time to furnish your new apartment, buy a computer, or even time for yourself, and the company wants you to start right away. What do you do? Before you give up on taking a break, consider these options

· Tell the Truth. Tell the company you worked hard during your job search and you plan to give %100 to your job. You’d like some time off to get re-energized and take care of some personal business. Give your employer a specific start date.

· Tell the company you’re willing to start work when they want you to, but ask if you can take a week off without pay sometime in the first few months. Give the company a specific time when you will be way so that they can plan for your absence.

· If you are moving from another city, say that you need some time to move and take care of your relocation matters. State the date you’d like to start.

· If you have a planned vacation, be sure to mention that during the salary negotiation stage. Don’t make the mistake to accept the position then tell your boss 3 months later that you need some time off.

If an employer asks why you need the time off, here are a few legitimate reasons:

1. You need to finish a temporary job

2. You want to get doctors’ appointments out of the way, so that you won’t need to take time off once you start

3. You have personal errands to complete (business clothes shopping, getting a phone line for your apartment, working out details for your commute, etc).

Getting What You Want

Let’s talk about money. You get a phone call from the company, they want to hire you and they start talking about money. You can’t believe your ears; they are offering you less than you expected. Your contact tells you that there is absolutely no flexibility with the salary. When you ask why, your employer explains that there are people in the department who have more experience than you and who have worked longer. If the company paid you more there would be a salary inequity.

Making less than you anticipated can be a setback. If the job is really what you want and there seems promise and growth for you, then the salary probably won’t affect you that much. Otherwise consider asking these questions dealing with compensation:

· Would you be able to conduct an earlier performance review, say after 6 months?

· Would you be able to offer a sign-on bonus?

· Would the company be willing to help with moving some moving costs (If you are relocating)?

It doesn’t hurt to ask any of these questions.

Here’s an example of a tactful, yet effective strategy to negotiate a little more, if the salary you are offered is lower than you expected and lower than you can live.

“I am extremely interested in working with you and your company. Unfortunately, I cannot accept your offer at this point, because the salary will not allow me to move from San Diego to New York. If you were able to offer an 8% increase and pay a portion of my relocation expenses, I would gladly accept the position immediately.”

You have demonstrated interest in the job, but you made it perfectly clear that you need more from the company. In addition you have opened the doors for communicating firmly and professionally.

Conclusion

In negotiating your salary, you want to consider your total compensation package such as 401(k), vacation, benefits, and other things. Be sure to also mention your specialized skills and what separates you from other candidates. This can help with your negotiating. Don’t take a job you don’t want, weigh your options before you decide, and be honest with your employer and with yourself. Am sure you found this article helpful and have fun job hunting.

Source: Job Interviews That Get Your Hired

10 Success Factors Most Employers Look for in Job Candidates

1. Accomplishments/ Getting Results

One of the most common questions is, “What is your greatest accomplishment. The thing you are most proud of?” The interviewer is trying to determine if you get satisfaction from achieving results and if you are proud of your accomplishments. Being proud of your accomplishments translates into taking pride in your work with your prospective employer.

You can use completing your education as your accomplishment, getting your writing published, passing a difficult class, or whatever individual challenge you over came.

2. Initiative

In a fast-paced, competitive environment, it’s important to hire people who can take charge, even if the responsibility is not in their job description. It’s about doing something that needs to be done and not waiting for someone else to do it. An employer wants to hire people who can recognize problems and take independent action to fix them.

3. Communication Skills

Your interviewer will be aware of how long it takes you to answer questions. There is a balance of saying enough and saying too much. Be concise and don’t get sidetracked on irrelevant details. For example, if your interviewer asked about your college experience, please do not get sidetracked and tell him/ her about the beer bong experience. Also avoid using slang and filler words such as m, eh, and uh.

Don’t be afraid to sit in silence while you prepare your answer. A little silence to prepare is a lot better than hearing “ummmm” to prepare your answer. If silence is uncomfortable for you then paraphrase the question to allow yourself time to think. For example, the interviewer might ask, “How would you describe your college experience?” You can say , “I would describe my college experience as…” By repeating the question you have given yourself time to think.

4. Problem Solving: Thinking and Working Independently

It’s important to take directions and work independently. Working independently is not always smooth sailing. So when your interviewer asks you about your ability to work independently. Tell them about the obstacles you overcame to solve a particular problem.

5. Innovation

Companies look for employees who can think outside of the box. Everyone can be creative in problem solving. Don’t limit yourself to the box.

6. Leadership and Team Playing

So much work today is done in teams and employers want to know if you can get along with others and get the work done. Stories about playing sports, working in small groups in classes, or participating in college clubs and organizations all demonstrate you work well with others.

7. Project Management

Try to think of specific examples that illustrate your abilities to manage many tasks at once. For example, finishing college while juggling a part-time or full-time work, maintaining a social life, club activities, and maybe volunteer work can be all examples of managing yourself. If you can manage yourself you have the potential to manage others.

8. Decision Making

How you arrive to your decisions will generate interest in your prospective employers. Decision making involves generating multiple solutions to a problem and the ability in selecting the best alternative. Talk about how you choose your major and why you decided to take certain classes. Tell your employer about how you weighed the pros and cons in your decision.

9. Strategic Thinking

Thinking strategically is the ability to link long-range visions to daily work. It’s the ability to achieve your long-range goals despite setbacks and unpredictable events. In the workplace it would translate to cut expenses or saving money for your department throughout the year.

10. Staying Cool Under Pressure

Part of maturity is coping with pressure, knowing what to do when you walk in the office and you have 50 e-mails, phone ringing, and clients who are pissed off. Okay maybe a little too much but you get the picture. Think of a story of your own performance under pressure. Maybe you were on a sports team and you had to practice for a playoff game and the next day you had a final. Something like that. Explain how you controlled the situation and explain the end result.

Conclusion

Learning how to use your success stories cannot be overemphasized. You must showcase your achievements and prove your suitability for the job. Take some initiative to find openings for your success stories, even if the interviewer asks you a question that can be answered with a simple yes or no answer. Resist the urge. And please be honest with you stories and do not over-emphasize them.

Source: Job Interviews That Get you Hired

What Clients Love

· Your Prospects: Everybody’s Talkin at Them

No one can hear when everyone is talking. So when everyone talks, no one can hear, and everyone stops listening.

1. Don’t talk when everyone else is. Advertise where your competitors do not, so that your message differs from what people are hearing

2. Say little. A single point penetrates. A lot said will loose people’s attention and you will sound like everyone else.

3. Speak visually. We cannot hear words but we notice images, especially appealing ones.

4. Make each word count. If people learn that your communications rarely say anything, they will stop listening, even when you do have something to say.

To be heard you must say something different, simple, and visual.

· The Rise of Images

Because words have lost their value, a business looking to grow should turn to two weapons: Actions and Images.

Actions – Actions always speak louder than words

Images – You must sell the client without words. How would you dress when you meet them?

Never mind words. How do you act and look?

· Placebo Effect

People experience what they want to experience and see what they expect to see. Our challenge in marketing, especially the invisibles, is to shape these expectations. We need to manage the placebo effects. Do you create the expectation that you will be skilled, reliable, and trustworthy? Does your business card? Does your advertising distinguish you? What does your briefcase say?

Study everything that can affect people’s perception of quality, and make each one excellent.

· Snap Judgments

The first seconds are make-or-break. Rehearse them, and ask others to help you prepare for them: the right dress, the right materials, the right watch, the right message. The first second shapes every second, and month that follows. Master the first seconds.

· Simplify Everything

Customer retention will be higher and they will be more motivated to take action when they understand. A confused customer won’t take action.

· What Your Prospects Know

What do people know about companies whose names only appear in mailboxes? Companies that send them junk mail because they throw your advertisement in the trash. Companies that advertise often and well become familiar to their products (GEICO, State Farm Insurance, Fidelity, and more). Advertising comforts prospect, they assume the company must be at least good. Warm your direct mail, and all your other marketing efforts. Advertise.

· A Word on Word of Mouth

Though word of mouth advertisement is still the one of the form of advertising we like, we can’t rely strictly on word of mouth. We want our clients to rave to others about what we do, but people do rave as often as they used to. Today’s clients race from work, then rush for four more days. When they get the time to reflect, they have forgotten their good experience with you because they are overloaded. Do not forget about conventional advertising has become even more important. The best advertising is advertising.

· Your Shortcut to Luck

Publish. Anything can happen. Publish for a magazine, newspaper, or even create a blog. You will never know you will read it, and he or she may like it.

· Getting Publicity: The Giant Hole

“The media is a black hole that cannot get enough stuff to suck through it” said Mark Pincus, co-founder of Freeloader. This was his reason why you will find it surprisingly easy to get your articles published. The media needs you.

· 4 Rules for Getting Yourself Ink

1. Demonstrate respect for the editor by studying the magazine, determining their goals, and writing a query letter that reveals your study and understanding.

2. Do not pitch weak ideas as strong ones. You always want the editors to think, “he always has good ideas worth looking into.”

3. You are not selling a story. You are selling happy readers, people who will enjoy your story and think better of the publication.

4. Don’t only thank the editor; thank his/her staff for their valuable help.

Before contacting an editor, review these steps.

· Clichés

Clichés make prospects think you have nothing to say, or that you are being deceptive. For example “a commitment to excellence.” It implies we aren’t there yet, and if the firm is excellent, it would say that. No clichés.

Source: “What Clients Love. A field Guide to Growing Your Business” by Harry Beckwith

8 Rules for New Investors

1.      Fall in love with your partner, not your stocks

Many investors become emotionally attached to the companies they own. New investors are extremely vulnerable. First comes infatuation, when your stock can do no wrong. If it falls, you’ll make an excuse and forgive it. Others see your stock for what it is, but you hold on, refusing to admit betrayal. Love is blind, the market isn’t. Don’t get attached to your investments.

2.      Stocks can always go lower

Many young investors choose stocks as if they were at a swap meet. Price is their major consideration. Its true stocks drift up and down, sometimes without a rational explanation and most of the time there are good reasons why the stock is beaten down. A seasoned investor looks beyond the stock price in determining whether it’s cheap or not. Seasoned investors will compare the stock price to others in the sector, and consider if they are any temporary, correctable factors holding down the share price. Choosing a stock based solely on its price is not a wise game.

3.      But stocks can also go higher and higher

There is no ceiling on a stock. Just because it is trading near its high doesn’t mean all of the gains have been squeezed out of it. A long upward line on a stock chart may give a prospective investor a pause. We all are familiar with the rule what comes up must come down. Does this apply to stocks?

 For example, had you invested $1,000 in Starbucks in the early nineties, you could’ve cashed out two years later $7,000 in profit. But if you wait, you could gain an additional $240,000 on those shares today.

4.      Don’t read a magazine to buy stocks

Reading a magazine is a lot more exciting than reading a shareholders report. But don’t buy stocks to have fun, buy stocks to make money. Luxury good, entertainment, and the internet, have proved to be spectacular investments. But you should examine the reasons for your own attraction to stock.

5.      Don’t dis the dividend

Dividends offer dependable returns. That’s important in a volatile and punishing market, where you might end the year exactly where you started. If a stock pays a decent dividend, consider reinvesting in it. This option allows you to take the payment in the form of additional stock. For example, if you own 100 shares that pays a quarterly dividend of $0.50, instead of receiving a check for $50, you take it in stock. Chances are you won’t miss the cash, and it’s a smart way to continue to invest in a company that you believe has long-term potential.

6.      Pigs get slaughtered at the market

Las Vegas Casinos make billions catering to a simple basic emotion, Greed. People like only one thing better than cash, and that’s more cash. Casino owners know this.  It’s why so few people walk away when they’re ahead of the game. If you ever gambled you know the feeling.

In stocks it can be no different. You can avoid the pitfall by choosing a “sell” price at the time you buy, and sticking to it. You don’t want to fall in the “just a little more” trap.

7.      Celebrate diversity

 

Many novice investors think diversity only guarantees smaller returns. If you’ve bought solid companies in diverse sectors, over the long run your portfolio should experience healthy gains with less volatility. One or two dogs in a well managed, diverse portfolio won’t kill you. One or two dogs with nothing else will.

 

8.      Keep your eye off the ticker

 

With many of us just a few click away from the internet, it’s tempting to compulsively check to see how our stock is doing. Resist. Your boss won’t like it if he catches you on Yahoo Finance. More importantly too much attention to the market can distort your sense of time. The market punishes the trigger happy. Since 1953, stocks have provided an average annual return of almost 12 percent. Sure not every stock will be a long term winner. But for serious long-term investors, there will be no more reliable strategy than “buy and hold.”

 

Conclusion

 

Keep these in front of you and avoid the common mistakes all beginners trip themselves on. If picking and choosing stocks isn’t for you and you want in on all this capitalism stuff. For you, there are mutual funds. Mutual funds are so important to any beginning investor’s portfolio, and millions of ordinary investors swear by them, and with good reason. It’s much easier to beat the market’s average return by choosing a few good mutual funds than a few good individual stocks.

 

Source: “Financially Fearless by 40. Practical advice for the smart, successful, and financially clueless” by Jason Anthony

20 Ways to Manage Your Time

1. Establish Clear Goals for Your Job

Set career and job goals. Your own goals and objectives, not your boss’s or your company’s. Then work to achieve those goals and objectives within the context of your current job. If we don’t have goals and objectives, we wander through life aimlessly, which will likely lead to somewhere we don’t want to end up.

2. Write Down Your Goals and Objectives

Written goals allow you t do some decision making about your job, career, and sometimes even your life. Written goals help you know what you want from every job and what kind of time you should spend on those personal objectives in each job.

3. Start Your Day the Night Before

The best way to get off to a good start in the morning is to do it the night before. Start your day the night before by making any preparations you need to then. This will give you an added advantage and a great start.

4. Don’t Procrastinate

Procrastination is costly in time and in your efficiency. It’s the most significant causes of lost time.

5. Write Down Tasks as You Receive Them

Write down verbal instructions and new tasks communicated to you verbally. This starts your record, gets it on your To Do List, and allows you to track your task to success.

6. Set Deadlines for Assignments

Setting deadlines early allows for problems in your work schedule while allowing the work to get done on time. Make your deadlines one or two days in advance to provide yourself with a buffer.

7. Under-Commit and Over-deliver

Sometimes you might have to say no to people, but definitely not your boss. Give more than a %100 on every task or project. Do the job right, on time, and better than anyone else.

8. Make a To Do List

Managing your time means knowing what to do with your time.

9. Organize Your Workspace

Organization saves time, and time is what we are after.

10. Handle Your Mail Efficiently

Some people just wait all day for the may. It’s the highlight of their day, and when it arrives they jump on it immediately. What a waste of time. The best way to handle mail is to let it arrive, and set time to handle it.

11. Know Your Best Working Hours

Determine your best and most efficient working hours. Then schedule your most important work for that time of day, and fence the distractions out.

12. Use an Electronic Calendar

They are neat, handy, clear, and extremely useful.

13. Handle Voice Mail

Listening to all your voice mails throughout the day can use up 15-20 minutes. Tell people to send you an e-mail, delete the basic messages (ex, “Just calling to see how you are doing and checking about our appointment”), and discourage long messages.

14. Speaking Is Faster Than Writing Memos

Some people write memos that are a couple sentences long. Speak it, don’t write it. Speaking also increases your personal interactions with employees.

15. Handle Your E-mail: When

· Disable the message function so it does not interrupt you

· Set the application to check for new e-mail at a longer frequency. Instead of every 15 minutes, set it for 30 minutes, or 45 minutes, or even longer

· Deal with e-mails in batches, not just a few at a time

16. Make It Really Save Time. Not Use More Time

Resist the impulse to get the newest and best device that claims to save you time. Wait until they are mainstream and have proven themselves as true time-savers before you take the leap.

17. Make Certain Your Computer Is Operating At Speed

Create a monthly schedule to run scandisk and defrag. These take a while to run, so you may want to do this over a weekend or overnight.

18. Virus Protection

If you have an antivirus program, good! Make certain that your subscription is up to date. If not, get a new one.

19. Meetings

I hate it when they say a meeting will only last for 15 minutes but goes on for an hour because of people showing up late, lack of organization, and many other reasons. A recent study conducted by the University of Iowa determined that as much as 50 percent of the time in meetings is wasted. Fix this!

20. Learn to Delegate

Learn which jobs are yours to do and which your staff can handle better and more efficiently. Then assign those jobs to your staff and supervise them; don’t do the work yourself.

Source: 151 Quick Ideas to Manage Your Time by Robert E. Dittmer, APR

Increasing Your Savings

To accumulate a savings and increasing your net worth is to spend less than what you earn. Smart money management could lead up to hundreds of dollars a year added to your savings, and over the years can add up to thousands. How can you spend less than what you earn and boost your savings?

 

Don’t surround yourself with cash

Don’t keep large amounts of cash in the house. Putting it in the bank or an investment plan will earn interest and your money will make more money.

Don’t pay your bills early

Paying your bills early reduces the time your money can be earning interest. Also be sure not to pay it late to avoid late penalties.

Don’t have more taxes withheld than you owe

 Many people deliberately have too much taken out of their salaries to avoid a large tax bill in April or to accumulate a refund. Those excess withholdings could be put to work earning interest, leaving you with even more left over after your taxes are paid.

Get the max from your savings

Any plan to maximize your future savings must begin with an up-to-date record of the savings you have now. There are lots of opportunities for squeezing more out of your savings such as CD’s or Money Market Accounts.

Conclusion

Increasing your savings is a matter of spending less than you earn and using a portion of your income to invest. All comments are welcomed.

Source: www.kiplinger.com

 

 

Picking a Financial Planner

We all need to accumulate capital for retirement one day. A good stockbroker can help. But if you seek the services of someone to make investment recommendations based on extensive knowledge of your financial situation, you might be in the market of a financial planner.

 

Financial planners aren’t hard to find; just look in the Yellow Pages. Then select a few potential candidates, visit the office of each and ask for a detailed statement of fees and services. Then compare them on the following points.

Experience

If your planner has a few years of experience in planning, accounting, securities analysis, trading, or law, then he or she is still your potential candidate.

Credentials

Certified Financial Planner (CFP) is probably the best-known credential. Graduates must take a series of courses, pass a two-day, ten-part exam, and complete three years of work experience to earn the CFP designation.

Chartered Financial Consultants (ChFC) have earned the designation from the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa., which also grants an insurance-business certification, Chartered Life Underwriter. The ChFC has successfully completed an eight-course sequence over a period of two to four years and passed two-hour exams on each.

Master of Sciences in Financial Services (MSFS) is also conferred by the American College, after 36 credits of coursework. Twelve of the credits are earned by attending two weeks of study at the college.

Registered Financial Consultants (RFC) have met the requirements of the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants, which confers the designation on planners who meet certain academic and work-experience guidelines.

These titles do provide some assurance that the planner took the trouble to take the courses to raise his or her level of skill and knowledge in the field.

Access to experts

No individual has the knowledge to deal in depth with all problems that can affect an individual’s financial future. A planner should demonstrate that he or she consults regularly with experts in a variety of fields.

Fees and commissions

There is no standard fee system or scale in the planning business. Some planners work only for fees, much like lawyers. Others operate entirely or almost entirely on commissions. In between are the larger number, who depend on a combination of fees and commissions. In some cases the planner might partly credit commissions against the fee to encourage the client to buy insurance or other financial products through the planner’s company. A planner who feels confident of being able to sell a high-commission product might gamble on a low fee.

Unless you’re dealing with a fee-only firm, you can expect to get suggestions that you purchase an investment or insurance product that the planner sells. There’s nothing wrong with that, provided the product is suitable for someone in your financial situation and compares favorably with the scores of others you might buy elsewhere.

However, you’d want to think twice about buying a load mutual fund when there are so many no-load funds available, for instance. And why buy the stocks recommended by the planner at a standard commission rate when you can use a discount broker? It’s up to you to decide whether the quality of the planner’s service is worth the cost.

For a directory of fee-only practitioners, contact the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors.

For names of CPAs who have earned the credential of Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), contact the American Institute of CPAs.

The Financial Planning Association has a registry service you can use to get names of members in your area. Visit its Web site, where you can do an online search. The site also features consumer information related to financial planning.

Conclusion

Choosing the right financial planner is very important to ensure that you build capital successfully. You don’t want to pay them and not get any results. Ask around and see if anyone in your sphere of influence might know of one. All comments are welcomed as to who your planner is and why you choose them. Thank you for your time.

Source: www.kiplinger.com

Presidential Politics

The Presidential election is nothing short of a farce. They are all liars. They are promising to do things that no president can do unilaterally. Many of the things they promise require congress, and congress is fractious and unpredictable. Even the Democrats are split on spending, and spending is what the candidates are promising.

We should concentrate our votes on the Congress, and put market-oriented people in those seats. It will probably result in a Republican majority if we prevail. But I’m not concerned about party, I’m concerned about philosophy.

Another thing that really bothers is that just about every proposal on the Democratic side involves spending money, and this government is broke.

Obama’s proposals add up to over $800 billion, even measured conservatively. Not one candidate is considering the big problem, which is the unfunded liabilities of over $50 trillion. They aren’t addressing it because they can’t do anything about it, and the public probably wouldn’t understand it if they did.

So let’s concentrate our votes to get a free-market congress, and one which will support free-market judge nominees.

I’m still supporting McCain over three issues:

1) He takes seriously the fight against Islamic fascism (no surrender in Iraq);

2) He will appoint judges who will judge based on the constitution; and

3) His voting record in congress is basically conservative, instead of the usual liberal, free-spending ways.

 I do have several real hang-ups with him. But I’d rather have someone I disagree with 30% than someone I disagree with 90%, like Obama and Hillary.

Although my decisions may seem political, they are based on economics. That’s my strong suit; if I can’t follow my philosophy, what can I do?

Source: Ruff’s E-Letter www.rufftimes.com

A Rule to Break In Life “Don’t Mix Business with Pleasure”

Everyone believes in this rule, but the idea that business can’t be fun is quite immature. Separating business from pleasure implies that business can be somewhat of a drudge, surrounded by uptight people who don’t smile.  Business should be a good game that is enjoyed by the people you respect and like. There are standards that do apply like dating colleagues and partying with employees or whatever the case may be. Put aside the notion that pleasure deals with a naughty subject. Pleasure is fun!

·         Five factors that affect our pleasure at work

 

1.       Time Flexibility – Most people have to be physically present at work during certain hours and certain days of the week.

 

Break the rule – Create a work style that is not dependent on your physical presence. Enjoy work that can be performed anywhere.

 

2.       The Work Itself – Many people are tired of their work. Some people perform repetitive tasks, and the challenge and excitement they once felt is no longer there.

 

Break the rule – Do something that helps other people and makes a difference in their lives. Find work that is interesting that changes everyday, and provides you with challenges.

 

3.       The People – They can make the job fun or a living hell.

 

Break the rule – Surround yourself with positive, caring people. Imagine a boss who helps you get what you want. Imagine a boss who acts as a mentor. Imagine working with people who have your best interest at heart. Environments like this do exist.

 

4.       Rewards – All work should provide meaningful rewards. Many rewards bring pleasure and satisfaction. They should be fun! They should be n direct proportion to the effort you put in.

 

Break the rule – It is important to be rewarded for the work you do. Rewards can be monetary or personal. Monetary should come first. Imagine work with unlimited rewards and incentives. You can make as much as you like and receive all the recognition you need. Get a dream and then find a situation that combines a great business with the attainment of that dream. This is how you start designing your own destiny.

 

5.       Ownership – Being able to affect the total outcome and profit from it makes people productive and happy.

 

Break the rule – You will not have control over your life until you own your own business. Ownership lifts barriers to personal fulfillment. If you own your own business, you can control all of the other factors affecting the pleasure you derive from work.

 

Conclusion

 

It’s possible to combine work and pleasure. In fact, it is necessary for a healthy mental outlook. Did you ever wonder what people meant when they say, “Have a balanced life?” They are referring to increasing your relaxation time by reducing the amount of time spent at work. Or use another approach and make work more pleasurable. Today many businesses are attempting to make the workplace more enjoyable. Just look at how Google and Yahoo are doing it. Network marketing offers families to get involve with goal setting and rewards of the work they perform. Husband and wife can travel together while building a business. That’s mixing business with pleasure.

 

“The secret of happiness is to do what you love to do, and learn to love what you have to do to get there.” – Dexter Yager

 

Source: “10 Rules to Break & 10 Rules to Make” The Do’s and Don’ts For Designing Your Destiny. by Bill Quainn, Ph.D.

 

How to get the Midas Touch

What is the Midas touch? Let’s look back at Greek mythology and the story of King Midas. King Midas was the king of Phrygia. One day he gave assistance to an old friend of Dionysus, the god of revelry, and as a reward, Midas was granted one wish. He asked Dionysus to make everything he touched turn into gold. Midas touched a tree it turned into gold; he touched a horse it turned into gold. In a matter of minutes, he was becoming the richest man in the world. There is more to the story but for the sake of the article we’ll end it at that. Today when someone is told they have the “Midas Touch” it is usually meant as compliment. It’s an indication he has a great knack for making money.

Real wealth isn’t found in what we acquire. “In this world it is not what we take up, but what give up, that makes us rich.” – Henry Ward Beecher

Giving truly is the highest level of living. It makes the world a better place. And it also makes for better business. You can develop the ‘Midas Touch” with people by taking your focus off yourself and what you can gain, and instead focusing on adding value to others. If you desire a full bank account and you desire to build riches by investing in people, then strive to live out the following practices.

· Treat People Better Than They Treat You

It’s easy to love people who love you. And showing kindness to people who treat you well is little more than common courtesy. It takes a person of strong character to treat others better than they treat you. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” Try taking the high road with people, even when they don’t treat you with the respect you feel you deserve. Try to be kind instead of treating people in kind. It’s very freeing.

· Walk the Second Mile

There seems to be a lot of people in this world who aren’t doing their fair share of the work. People who do the bare minimum never much in life for themselves or for others. Oprah Winfrey said it best, “Doing my best at this present moment puts me in the best place for the next moment.” A person with the extra mile attitude is someone who:

1. Cares more others think is wise

2. Risks more than others think is safe

3. Dreams more than others think is practical

4. Expects more than others think is possible

5. Works more than others think is necessary

If you do more than is expected, not only will you rise above the crowd, you will help others rise with you.

· Help People Who Can’t Help You

We live in a competitive world. Businesses are positioned to crush competitors, sports teams look for any weaknesses to exploit, and etc. Often we define our success by how much better we are than the next person.

John Bunyan said, “You have not lived today successfully unless you’ve done something for someone who can never repay you.” If you want to live at the highest level, that’s what we must do.

· Do Right When It’s Natural to Do Wrong

It’s not easy to do right when doing wrong is easier. It takes strong character. But the rewards can be remarkable. If you do wrong instead of doing right, there cannot be a good reward. Live by this advice:

Do all the good you can

To all the people you can

In all the ways you can

For as long as you can

· Keep Your Promises Even When It Hurts

Charles Brewer, the founder of MindSpring Enterprises included this statement in the company’s core values: “We make commitments with care, and then live up to them. In all things, we do what we say we are going to do.”

Promise keeping is the cornerstone of all relationships, and it is essential for success in business. Joseph Abruzzese, president of sales for CBS Television says “In selling commercial time, integrity means everything. About %80 of your business comes from the same people every year, so selling is about the strength of the relationships. In the end, the honest broker really does win.”

Source; Ethic 101, What every leader should know by John C. Maxwell