Albert Einstein’s 7 Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks

An excellent article on how you can succeed and learn from the mastermind himself. The school of hardknocks is what helps you succeed in life and this piece explains it like none other.

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Upgrade an Unproductive Day to a Better Tomorrow

There’s no going back in time, but there are ways to learn from the past rather than live in it.

Every day we walk through a minefield of potential distractions, sometimes arriving on the other side unscathed, sometimes not. One digression leads to another, the cycle repeats, and hours later we wonder where the time went. It’s tempting to criticize ourselves for getting nothing none that day, and even if the criticism is somewhat accurate (it’s unlikely that nothing got done), the diagnosis itself is idle — which is to say, “So what?”

Figuring out the obvious moves nothing forward. On the other hand, recognizing the problem implies recognizing the solution. When I run into this situation, I ask myself to process questions:

* How did I get nothing done today?
* What will I do differently tomorrow?

Since a day’s accomplishments, or lack thereof, is the sum of many behaviors, neither of these questions can be addressed by a single answer — at least to have the level of precision necessary to make a substantial change.
Mental modeling

It’s not enough to know our worst practices in general. To make tomorrow a more accomplished day than today, we need to rewind the film strip to the precise moment where we got derailed.

For instance, I noticed that whenever I boot a computer and don’t seem to get straight to business, the problem usually starts at boot time. Since I can’t do anything on the laptop for two or three minutes, I start to zone out. What I would be doing if boot time wasn’t a factor is doing a daily review on the Palm Desktop, looking at each of my action lists.

Asking myself, “What would I do differently?”, it took about 10 seconds to realize that I needed to have my lists — especially my @Computer list — available before the computer was. So I started scanning my at least my @Computer list on my Palm Centro, so that by the time the hourglass on my laptop’s screen disappears, I can hit the ground running.

If I get a call before 9:30 am, it may take me 15 to 30 minutes to regroup after the call and get back to writing. So I’ve set my phone to turn on only after that time (an application called Phone Technician allows you to set your Palm smartphone’s connection times).

The basic idea is to mentally step through the day, looking for the forks in the road that compelled you to do X when you know in hindsight that you should have been doing Y. When was the precise moment what your attention shifted to the path of less resistance? What precisely was the distraction?

I believe the sequence of behaviors is critical, and that the earlier ones have the most leverage. If you can maintain a chain of focused activity in the first few hours, you create the momentum necessary to minimize the effects of distractions later on.

Sometimes the problems aren’t necessarily distractions, but behavioral patterns that yield predictably regrettable results. Having too many sugared foods or beverages in the morning leads to an energy crash in the afternoon. Driving past a great bookstore on the way home from work leads to the unbearable lightness of wallet. A change of environment or route may be in order.

Always make tomorrow a better day.

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Five Simple Ways to Relax at Work When Stress Strikes

Stress sucks. It is one of those things that can sneak up on you at work and explode in terrible and hurtful ways. When stress strikes it is really important to have some simple techniques in your arsenal that allow you to deal with the emotions in the short and long term.

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6 Things Money Cannot Help you Achieve

Before you ride on the jet of euphoria and focus your entire life on earning money, know there are simply things that a roll of hundred dollar bills cannot get for you, not even if you are Mr. Gates.

1. Time: Money is a tool for trade. With that said, we spend a good chunk of our allotted time on this earth getting, spending, worrying and fantasizing about money. You can't buy the time and save it in your storeroom even if you are Mr. Gates. On the contrary, money takes away your time that could have been spent playing with your children or having a long walk with your alter ego. When the sun sets, a day goes away from our life forever. No money has power to bring that back to life.

2. Self Awareness: Ignorance is bliss, right? It's a curse. Not having self-awareness and self-consciousness lead to decisions that can cost you dearly. Well, the cost may be life itself. As a result, many people live a mediocre life without living for a true purpose. Their ignorance can't be transmuted into awareness with money. They believe that their ignorance is their awareness.

3. Self esteem: I have a plethora of examples to prove that no money can purchase self-esteem. Self-esteem is earned from within. If you are your worst enemy, gods of money can't rescue you from the self-destruction you inflict on yourself. King of rock Elvis Presley had the best life one can imagine with no dearth of cash. He took his own life with the deprivation of self-esteem.

4. Health: As I write this, I found out that Senator Kennedy has brain cancer, and it is terminal. Of course money can get him the best health care possible but no money can buy insurance for a life. We buy insurance for just about everything including our life but money can never bring life back.

5. Respect: Try this. Slap someone on his face and then hand him $100 to get his respect. Will you get it? I doubt it. We all live our life in pursuit of self-respect from peers, from family members, from our alter ego and even from strangers. No money can buy respect from others if our actions speak volumes about our negativity - insult, rudeness and lack of respect for others.

6. Happiness: This is controversial. Money can buy happiness if it is spent on to bring grater financial security for the family. However, money can't buy happiness if the purpose is to make money to make other people happy. The chase of possession of possessions can never find its destination with incessant desire to accumulate more possessions. Happiness comes from within. When we trade so much time and energy to get money, we deprive our inner self from the food of happiness.

I'm sure that you either are nodding you head in disbelief by now, or you've been enlightened by the revelation that, after all, money can't buy some of what matters most in our life. I'll be glad to get a zap or a hug from you.

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The 60-Second Guide to Healthy Living

0:60 Create The Possibility of Being Healthy
Understand that the only time is right now, so no excuse of 'I'll only cheat once', or 'I've been good all day, why not?', is going to be good enough. Each time you put food in your mouth, you must treat it as the most important time.

0:55 Differentiate Between Healthy and Unhealthy Foods
If it's a plant-based whole food it's good morning, night, and day. If it's full of grease and fat, it is a no go -- no matter what. Keep the meats lean, preferably chicken and turkey, and no red meats.

0:50 Take Inventory of The Refrigerator
Go through your refrigerator and food cubbies and look at the type of food that you are currently harboring. Compare this to the food that you decided is healthy -- get rid of the rest.

0:45 Water -- Choose
Make a decision that the only beverage that you will allow past your lips is water. It's the original, and is still the best. Forget sodas, processed juices, coffees, teas, and alcohols -- you'll be amazed by the difference.

0:40 Trade Inhaling For Chewing
Often times we're in such a hurry to feel satiated and go about our daily business that we forget that food is supposed to give pleasure. By taking the time to chew, we can love food and have it processed into easily digestible tiny bits at the same time.

0:35 Get Accountable
When your willpower is questioned, it helps to have people in your life to keep you accountable. This is the same reason why personal trainers are so effective -- because they make you do it. Figure out who is close enough to you to give you critical feedback.

0:30 Pledge To Under Eat
I'm not talking about starving yourself, I'm talking about eating to the point before you feel full. This point greatly aids in digestion and is the number one habit of people with quick metabolisms and low body-fat.

0:25 Eat Often
Hand-in-hand with not overeating is eating often. Having small meals 5-6 times a day that you might think of as snacks instead of meals. It will help you stay slim and keep you alert after your meals instead of lethargic (the tiredness after a big meal).

0:20 Say 'No'
Whenever an unhealthy food option presents itself, say no. Do not think of it as restricting yourself, think of it as an opportunity to strengthen your resolve to be disciplined and think of it as doing a really good thing for your health.

0:15 Consider Cardio
Cardio is great for losing weight (which could be a problem for people trying to bulk up) but it's absolutely essential to keep yourself healthy (especially a healthy heart). Commit now to walking at least 4 times a week for 30 minutes each time, or running 3 times a week for at least 20 minutes.

0:10 Breathe
Breathe because this has been an intense 60 seconds and because breathing will reduce stress, which will decrease the cortisol being released into your body, and ultimately decrease stress related diseases. Make a commitment to meditate for 15 minutes each morning when you wake up for ultimate stress relief.

0:05 Celebrate Victory
Do a little pre-victory celebration; you deserve it. You now know everything it takes to live healthy. All you need to do is go out there and do it.

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7 Ways To Manage Your Email Like An Expert

For the rest of you, here are the ways to manage your email like an expert:

1. Set a time frame: This is very important; it is easy to lose track of time while checking your mail. In between the deleting and replying, you simply lose track of time and find later that 4 hours has slipped by. You could probably set 3 slots of 20-30 minutes each, during different times of the day, to check your email. Use reminders or other time tracking tools to keep track of your time.

2. Use Gmail: If you are using a different web based email then waste no time in switching to Gmail. It will make you much more productive. You could also switch to Gmail without changing your original email address, which is probably preferred. Here is an article that explains how to do it.

I advocate the use of Gmail, not as a die-hard Gmail fan, but as someone who has tried out various email clients in the past 5 years and found that nothing else compares. It has some amazing features including filters and keyboard shortcuts and if you use a desktop client like Outlook or Thunderbird, then Gmail also provides for IMAP access which makes life easier.

3. Prioritize using Labels / Folders: It's important to differentiate the important mails from the unimportant ones. If you use Gmail, then you can set filters which will do the job automatically by applying labels or re-routing the incoming mail. In all the other email clients, there are folders which you can use to prioritize your email as well. You can make folders named "friends", "Reply today", etc. and when you open your inbox, immediately start shifting mails to their respective folders.

4. Be Precise: Be precise and to the point when answering emails. You could even skip 'Hello' and 'Regards' if you want; I don't think anyone will mind it. Learn to use one-liners effectively. If you use web-based email and Firefox as your browser, then there are some add-ons like Paste Email which helps you to paste repetitive texts in forms or emails with one or two clicks.

5. Delete Ruthlessly: You can easily conclude from the subject line of an email if it's worth reading. If it isn't, delete it without thinking twice. If you slack, thinking that you probably might read it later, then believe me, that email will remain there as unread until you finally decide to do away with it. Act upon the email the first time you see it by either responding immediately, deleting it, or setting it as a task to accomplish at a specific time.

6. Don't leave it for the next day: Try and finish replying to the emails and clearing your inbox within the time frame you decided. I know, it's not always possible, especially if you get more than 100 emails a day, but if the emails go pending then the next day it becomes much more difficult for you to sift through your inbox. Think of your inbox like a snowball, the more it rolls, the larger it gets.

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So What Really Is The Meaning of Life?

What is adding value?
Ask 100 people what they think gives meaning to their lives and you will get 100 different responses. Money, property, a successful career, a big car, an attractive spouse, partner,… But I’m sure most people would agree that these things in themselves do not add lasting and profound meaning to us.

Albert Einstein said that ‘only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile,’ and I believe that a life of service to others is what truly brings meaning.

The term ‘service’ may suggest that we have to give up our jobs and money to go help the poor and destitute. I know several people who have done just this, and they have certainly found happiness and peace in their choice of lifestyle. But a life of adding value does not mean abandoning your own needs and desires. It is not the same as sacrifice; far from it. When we truly add value to the lives of others, we cannot help but receive value ourselves. Adding value is the only real way to live a meaningful life.

Love what you do
So the question remains: How can we add value? I believe the answer to this is surprisingly simple.

To quote Steve Jobs in a speech he gave in 2005:

‘Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.’

Through Apple, Steve Jobs has undoubtedly added immense value to the world. He did it by following his heart and has been richly rewarded for it. The same can be said for many famous, successful and wealthy people.

Loving what you do means starting right here, right now. Whatever you are doing, you can start to love it.

Of course, you’re not suddenly going to love a job you’ve hated for years. In fact, if you hate your job so much then you probably ought to leave. But it’s unlikely that there is no aspect of your job that you like. The trick is to identify these good bits and focus on them, making them more central to your experience. And the things you don’t like? Can you find any redeeming qualitative in these things? Can you change your attitude so that you see these tasks as useful or meaningful?

If you can start to love what you’re doing, then you’ll be adding value in some way.

Do What You Love
Interestingly, Steve Jobs didn’t say do what you love. He said love what you do. You don’t have to quit your dull nine-to-five job and start all over again. But doing what you truly love certainly has its rewards. In Making a Life, Making a Living, Mark Albion cites a study carried out by Srully Blotnick. The careers of 1,500 business school graduates were tracked from 1969 to 1980 and were split into two groups: group A said they wanted to make money first so they could do what they really wanted later, and group B said they would follow their interests first, regardless of financial considerations. At the end of the study, there were 101 millionaires. All but one came from group B.

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5 Common Obstacles That Keep You From Reaching Your Goal

Let's take the example of starting an Internet business as our model to see how to overcome your obstacles. Here are 5 of the most common ones you may come across while seeking your goal:

1. Too much information. You've read the books, taken the teleclasses, and studied the websites. You're on information overload, so you go into analysis paralysis. Which means you do nothing. Solution: Pick one person to study and go with that model. One of the earliest Internet success stories was Corey Rudl, and after he died, Derek Gehl took over. So if I were building an Internet business, I could choose him as my role model, and read his website, his ezines, buy his products, and take his courses.

2. No clear plan. Many people get lost after they decide to pursue a certain goal. Most goals are merely a progression from where you are to where you want to be. You need a clear plan from A to Z so there's no guesswork. Solution: Derek Gehl, for example, has a 30-step action plan that can keep you on course.

3. Shortage of time, money, or other resources. We often are enthusiastic about achieving a certain goal, but fail to do our homework before embarking on the course. Solution: Before you set out on your goal, figure out the amount of time you will need to put into this, the costs you will incur, and the resources you will need to obtain and use. For our particular goal of launching an internet business, these could include software for auto responders, shopping carts, and eBooks, a copywriter to write your sales page, and at least 2 hours a day to learn the specifics of online marketing.

4. Mindset and attitude. If you don't have the mindset and attitude of a winner, you have less chance of succeeding. Solution: Find successful online marketers and study them. Talk to them. Listen to their language. Adopt the mindset of success by thinking and speaking positively. Adopt the attitude of success by seeing obstacles as opportunities and setbacks as feedback.

5. Lack of support or guidance. You may hit some roadblocks and get stuck, not knowing what to do next. On any journey, support and guidance are essential. On a road trip, it's your map or GPS system. For an online business it's experienced marketers. Solution: find a mentor, coach, teacher, friend, joint venture partner, anyone who will hold your hand, guide you, support you until you reach your goal. Then you can celebrate together!

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3 Steps to Success: Thinking, Acting and Breaking Up the Day

"I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four."

- Yogi Berra

3 Steps to Success: Thinking, Acting, and Breaking Up the Day

By Michael Masterson

For the past few months, I've been sharing some of my personal productivity secrets in a series of articles to help you "Master Plan" your life so you can finally accomplish all your goals. Ultimately, it all boils down to how you spend your time. What you do and what you fail to do.

Setting goals is easy. Establishing priorities is pretty simple too. The tough part is following through. Fortunately, there are a few easy steps you can take to coach yourself through the process.

1. You must recognize that good intentions are not enough.

Writing up a list of yearly goals or New Year's resolutions might make you feel great. It may even make you feel like you are on your way. But you can't claim to be making any progress toward accomplishing anything until you start acting on your Master Plan.

2. Don't spend too much time thinking about your future success.

Imagining what you want out of life - the big house, the luxury cars, the yacht - may give you pleasure. But despite what the think-and-be-rich gurus says, it won't make you successful. You must spend most of your time taking action, not daydreaming about all the toys you will have "some day."

Most of the most accomplished people I know - and in that group I include some success coaches who preach the think-and-get-rich philosophy - don't waste their time thinking about success. What they think about is how to do a certain task or solve a specific problem. They know that wealth and success will come to them if they have a good plan and follow it.

3. Break up your busy day.

Once you begin to implement your Master Plan, you will find that you will want to keep working for hours and hours at a time. Because you will be making progress toward your goals, you will be energized by the work itself. (If this has not been your experience with work before, be prepared to start enjoying your days a whole lot more!)

The extra surge of motivation will be very useful in getting lots more important work done. You'll be working more intensely, more intelligently, and just plain longer and harder than ever. But because you'll be working longer and harder, you'll need to force yourself to take little breaks - three- to five-minute breaks to reduce stress, recharge your batteries, and ensure that your body is not stuck in the same position too long.

It's not easy to take breaks once you are in a groove. In fact, you may be amazed at how difficult it can be. Most of the successful businesspeople I know think nothing of sitting at a computer or being on the telephone for four to six hours at a stretch. This is a testament to the motivational power of having a Master Plan, but it still puts a lot of pressure on your body and brain.

To make sure you take the breaks you need, I recommend a very simple device: an old-fashioned egg timer. Gene Schwartz, the legendary copywriter who was instrumental in the success of Boardroom Reports and Rodale Publishing, never sat down to work without setting an egg timer for 33 minutes. When the buzzer went off, he walked away from his computer and did something else for five minutes. He said the habit made him more productive. He said it was an important part of the process that made him a success.

When I'm writing, I set my timer according to the writing objective I've set for myself. Since I'm currently working on many writing projects at once, my daily goal is usually between 300 and 1,200 words. It takes me, on average, about 10 minutes to write 100 words. Therefore, I can knock off 300 words in a half-hour, 600 words in an hour, and a full, 1,200-word ETR article in two hours.

That's how I break up my time - in half-hour or hourly segments with an occasional two-hour sprint. Between segments, I usually stretch backward and forward over a Pilates barrel I keep outside my office. Sometimes I'll go outside and just breathe in the fresh air.

My afternoons consist of meetings and phone calls, which have natural breaks so I don't need my egg timer. (I schedule most of my meetings for 15 or 30 minutes. It is seldom necessary to have a meeting any longer than that.)

Like Gene Schwartz, I have found my mini-breaks to be very refreshing.

Sometimes, if I had a short night of sleep and an intense midday workout, I get very tired in the middle of the afternoon. When I feel that way, I lie down and try to nap for 15 minutes. I will do that anywhere and under any circumstances. I'm not embarrassed by it. I think people who don't understand it should be embarrassed, not me.

Once, suffering from jet lag in London, I lay down on the floor underneath the conference table before a board meeting. Fifteen minutes before the meeting was to start, NR, a board member and multimillionaire German publisher, came in. Our eyes met. I thought he might say something. Instead, he took off his shoes, lay down next to me, and we both enjoyed a power nap.

To help alleviate the boredom of working in one place all day, I split my time between my home office above my garage (where I do my writing in the morning) and my office at ETR headquarters. I have outfitted both offices with efficient workstations and comfortable chairs. And I have pillows handy in case I need a nap.

In the late afternoon, after a good day's work, I often reward myself by walking over to a cigar shop two blocks from ETR. I can do some additional writing there while enjoying an espresso and a fine Nicaraguan cigar.

I get home at 7:30, open a bottle of wine, and head to a favorite spot in the backyard where I do some light reading and/or solve a crossword puzzle. It gives me a chance to unwind and, if necessary, blow off a little steam. Sometimes, I'll jump in the hot tub. The idea is to get into a good mood for dinner, which starts promptly at 8:00.

All these little breaks and naps and rewards enhance the pleasure of my day. No matter how much work I have on my task sheet, I'm never more than two hours away from some pleasurable experience.

If you find that your workday is one long trek down a dull road, try breaking it up the way I do and see if it doesn't make you happier and more productive