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Pay yourself first.

What does that mean?

Well, if you begin today to save ten percent of your earnings, off the top, and never touch it, providing you’re not already over 40 years of age, you will be wealthy by the time you choose to retire. This is your fund for long-term financial accumulation and you never use it for any other reason except to assure your financial future. If you are over 40, you will need to put aside a greater amount, but if you do so, astronomical wealth building can still be your achievable goal.

The principal of paying yourself first comes from the classic book – “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George Classon. If you haven’t read this book, you really should put it at the top of your reading list.

Here’s a contemporary quote based on that exact same premise:

” Financial freedom comes to the person who saves ten percent or more of his income throughout his lifetime.

One of the smartest things that you can ever do for yourself is to develop the habit of saving part of your salary, every single paycheck. Individuals, families and even societies are stable and prosperous to the degree to which they have high savings rates. Savings today are what guarantee the security and the possibilities of tomorrow. ”

- The “Law of Saving” by Brian Tracy.

So what else can you do to assure your financial future, and put extra money in your pocket for your wealth building right now?

Here’s what Brian has to say:

Develop New Habits Regarding Money
The remarkable thing is that when you pay yourself first, and force yourself to live on the other ninety percent, you will soon become accustomed to it. You are a creature of habit. When you regularly put away ten percent of your earnings, you soon become comfortable living on the other ninety percent. Many people start by saving ten percent of their income and then graduate to saving fifteen percent, twenty percent, and even more. And their financial lives change dramatically as a result. So will yours.

Take Every Advantage
The second corollary of the Law of Saving says, “Take advantage of tax deferred savings and investment plans.” Because of high and even multiple tax rates, money that is saved or invested without being taxed accumulates at a rate of 30% to 40% faster than money that is subject to taxation. Self-made millionaires, according to Dr Thomas Stanley’s book The Millionaire Next Door, are almost obsessive about accumulating their funds in assets such as real estate, self owned businesses and equities that increase in value without triggering tax liabilities.

Invest in company pension and retirement plans, 401(k) plans, IRA’s, Keough Plans, Roth IRA’s, Education Investment Accounts, stock option programs and whatever else has been approved by the IRS for long term financial accumulation. Make every dollar count!

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to apply this law immediately:

First, begin today to put away ten percent of your earnings. Set up a special account for this purpose and treat your contributions to this account with the same respect that you do your rent or mortgage payments each month.

Second, become a lifelong student of money. Read the best books, take courses and subscribe to the most helpful magazines. Know what you are doing so you can always make intelligent decisions when you invest your funds.

How Can You Attract More Wealth and Abundance?
Yes, you can! – Here’s how …
We are now surrounded by more wealth than at any time in our history. The real question is how do YOU gain this abundance? Brian Tracy can show you how! Become a money magnet, immediately increase your income and learn wealth building secrets. Get the knowledge you need to make your financial future an outstanding one with The Unbreakable Laws of Money Package.

Click here to get yours today!

There are online business options everywhere. You can literally sell anything under the sun, from durable goods to services to ideas. But with some many options out there, how you can make sure that your business is a success?There are several tips that will apply to any online business:

1. Do your homework. Learn as much as you can about the product you intend to sell, the people you are selling to, who your competitors will be, etc. The first year should almost be like a college course, where you spend a good portion of your time just researching everything you can think of that might affect your business, both now and in the future. This will help you to set reasonable goals and create strategies to win.

2. Remember that just because your business is online, you don’t have to conduct all of your business online. Think of all the people and places you go on a regular basis. The odds that they may stumble across your website on the internet are fairly low, but you have chances to let them know your business is out there all of the time. Don’t hesitate to do some good old-fashioned marketing, like fliers and print ads in local newspapers. Tell your friends and carry business cards. You never know when you will meet someone who could benefit from your business.

3. Try to look as professional as possible. You may be working with a small budget starting out, but simplicity can still look professional. The reason for this is that some people may be wary of doing business with a company that is run out of someone’s home. There is no shame in it, but you want your customers to be as comfortable with your company as possible so they will be more likely to purchase. It’s not hard to appear professional. Keep your correspondence formal and make sure your email address is linked to your website instead of a free service like yahoo or gmail.

4. Understand before you start that a home business requires a lot of time and effort. It may reach a point where it is easy, but the beginning will require a lot of hard work. A lot of new business owners find themselves unprepared for the amount of work they will have to do because of the idea that a home business will be easy. It will not, but the trade off, such as being your own boss, will be worth the extra effort.

Making your home business a success does not require a lot of money or talent. Remember that dedication, hard work, and some common sense will go a long way in ensuring that your business succeeds.

by Diego Norte

Self-Discipline for Success
by Brian Tracy

There is one special quality that you can develop that will guarantee you greater success, accomplishment and happiness in life. Of a thousand principles for success developed over the ages, this one quality or practice will do more to assure that you accomplish wonderful things with your life than anything else. This quality is so important that, if you don’t develop it to a high degree, it is impossible for you to ever achieve what you are truly capable of achieving.

The quality that I am talking about is the quality of self-discipline. It is a habit, a practice, a philosophy and a way of living. All successful men and women are highly disciplined in the important work that they do. All unsuccessful men and women are undisciplined and unable to control their behaviors and their appetites. And when you develop the same levels of high, personal discipline possessed by the most successful people in our society, you will very soon begin to achieve the same results that they do.

All great success in life is preceded by long, sustained periods of focused effort on a single goal, the most important goal, with the determination to stay with it until it is complete. Throughout history, we find that every man or woman who achieved anything lasting and worthwhile, had engaged in long, often unappreciated hours, weeks, months and even years of concentrated, disciplined work, in a particular direction.

Fortunately the quality of self-discipline is something that you can learn by continuous practice, over and over, until you master it. Once you have mastered the ability to delay gratification, the ability to discipline yourself to keep your attention focused on the most important task in front of you, there is virtually no goal that you cannot accomplish and no task that you cannot complete.

Successful people engage in activities that are goal-achieving. Unsuccessful people engage in activities that are tension-relieving. Successful people discipline themselves to have dinner before dessert. Unsuccessful people prefer to have dessert most of the time.

Successful people plan their work, and work their plan. They take the time to think through their responsibilities before they begin. They make clear decisions which they then implement immediately. They get a lot more done in a shorter period of time than the average person. And it all has to do with their disciplines.

Perhaps the most important benefit of self-discipline is the personal benefit that you receive. Every act of self-discipline increases your self-esteem. It gives you a feeling of personal power and accomplishment. Each time you discipline yourself to persist in the face of distractions, diversions, and disappointments, you feel better about yourself. As you continue to discipline yourself, you achieve more and more in life. As you achieve more things, you feel more like a winner. Your self-confidence goes up. You feel happier about yourself. You get more done and you have more energy. You earn the respect and esteem of the people around you. You get more rapid promotions and are paid more money. You live in a nicer house, drive a nicer car, and wear nicer clothes. You get a natural high from the thrill of achievement. And the more things that you achieve as the result of employing your personal habits of effectiveness and productivity, the more eager you are to achieve even higher and better tasks. Your life gets onto an upward spiral of success and happiness. You feel great about yourself most of the time.

Every act of self-discipline strengthens every other discipline in your life. Every weakness of self-discipline weakens your other disciplines as well. When you make a habit of disciplining yourself in little things, like flossing your teeth every night, you’ll soon become able to discipline yourself to accomplish even larger things, like working long, long hours to bring a major task to completion.

Your entire life is an on-going battle between the forces of doing what is right and necessary on the one hand and doing what is fun and easy on the other hand. It is a battle between the forces of discipline and the forces of ease or expediency. And when you develop the strength of character that gives you complete self-mastery, self-control and self-discipline, you feel wonderful about yourself. You develop a deep inner sense of strength and confidence. You replace positive thinking with positive knowing. You reach the point inside where you absolutely know that you can do whatever it takes to achieve any goal that you can set for yourself.

Self-discipline is its own reward. Not only does it pay off in terms of greater self-esteem and a more positive mental attitude, but it pays off throughout your life in terms of the goals that you achieve and the success that you attain in everything you do.

Self-discipline is a skill and a habit that can be learned by practice. Every time you practice a little self-discipline, you become stronger and stronger. Bit by bit, you become more capable of even greater disciplines. As you become a totally self-disciplined individual, your entire future opens up in front of you like a broad highway. Everything becomes possible for you and your future becomes unlimited.

Working from home would be a dream come true for many. Finding a legitimate online business might be a challenge, but if you find an online business that interests you, you should reach out and grab the opportunity. Some people would not even know where to begin with a business opportunity, but taking into consideration a few recommended business “priorities” before getting started may help you along the way.The first and most important priority to consider when starting a business is to have a positive attitude. Having a positive attitude will make things go smoother with your business. There are more than likely going to be rough times and you will make mistakes, but using your positive attitude and learning from your mistakes will make the rough times seem not so rough. A negative attitude might make the rough time seem rougher than it already is.

The next priority to consider is to have expectations for your business. You must “expect” that your business may thrive and be successful, but you should also “expect” that it may be unsuccessful and fail. Having expectations will keep your positive attitude and head up whether your business is successful or not. If your head is held up with a positive attitude and your business fails, it will be easier for you to try again.

Another priority is to set goals for your business. Setting realistic goals will help you realize your expectations and stay on track along the way with your business. Realistic goals are goals that you can accomplish and are within your reach. An example might be “I want to earn $1,200 my first month of business so I will place an online ad to sell my product.” An unrealistic goal is “I want to earn $1,000,000 my first month without having to lift a finger.” Set goals to your comfort level, but be realistic. Setting a realistic goal will be easier for you to accomplish.

The last priority for your business is to find and build support. Find family and friends who will encourage you through your business ventures, even during the low times. Your support system should have a positive attitude and should perform their job duty, which is to be supportive of you and your decisions as a business entrepreneur. A strong support system will help you stay strong and keep your head up.

There are other priorities to take into consideration when starting an online business, but start out by having expectations and setting goals, along with building a support system, if you do not already have support. If the priorities listed are not taken into consideration, your business will let you down. Know what is expected from and for your business and set realistic goals. Keep your head held high, and if you happen to trip and fall along the way, pick yourself up and keep trying. You may take several falls, but don’t give up. If you lift yourself up and keep trying, your chances of success will be greater.

What does the God say about money? If you think man created money, don’t forget God made the trees that money is made of. Don’t you think God still has a say in this? Only in the recent decades did people start blowing the dust off their Bibles for the purpose of studying biblical prosperity and how it relates in their lives today.

Sure we know all about the God who parted the Red Sea. Miracles are the business of the divine; but for the man who needs to wake up early Monday morning for another day of drudgery to earn his keep, where does this God of abundance and prosperity figure in his life?

We see people like Abraham, David, even Jabez become prosperous beyond belief by walking in the wisdom and obedience to God’s Word. You don’t think it applies to you? Abraham was childless for decades; David was a shepherd boy bullied by his brothers; Jabez had a mother who named him ‘Cause Of My Pain’. They were blessed not because of their circumstances or virtues but because God ordained it so.

God wants you wealthy. Now all that’s left for you to do is receive this and move on from there.

Understand that the earth operates under certain immutable laws that God set in place. After the flood in Genesis 8:22, God decreed that as long as the earth endures seedtime and harvest shall not cease. This means that whatever you plant, you will sow. If it is a good deed, expect a harvest of favors coming your way. If you gave money for God’s purposes, wait for it to come back bringing other presidential friends of higher value. That is why tithing is so important. It allows you to work your faith by trusting in God’s goodness while sowing in other people’s lives.

Riches come with great responsibility to those entrusted with them. Once you are walking in the reality of prosperity, guard your heart above all things. Enjoy the comforts and conveniences money can afford you but do not trust in them. The Bible teaches earthly possessions are of passing value and it is foolishness to put your hopes in them.

Biblical prosperity is as relevant today as it was then. Abundance and prosperity has not changed much. It will be wise to learn more about them through people who walked with them often in the pages of the Bible.

You’ve watched the wealthy long enough. Now it’s time for you to have abundance and prosperity in your life as well. It’s not impossible. You only need two things: a passionate desire and will of steel. Without these two, you will encounter frustration and give up – never knowing that your breakthrough was just around the corner.

Everything starts with your desire. How much do you really want it? Are you willing to do whatever it takes? It will be uncomfortable and many times you will think you are crazy – but prosperity laws as outlined in this article are constant and infallible. Make a commitment to follow through until you see the results and you will. You have been forewarned. Now let’s get you rich.

How do you view the world? Is it a constant parade of problems and challenges coming to face you day after day after day? Stop right there. If you answered yes then that’s your problem – you are expecting negative situations to present themselves to you and the universe will have no choice but comply. See the good and beautiful in the world and it will only be too happy to reveal itself to you. I know, hope unrealized hurts – there is no discounting that. But understand that whatever hurt you in the past is over and you didn’t know better then. Now you know you can hope with expectancy because you are created and empowered to change the very world.

This brings us to the next foundational principle in prosperity attraction – take control of your life. Too often we have been tossed and turned by the winds of fortune. No more. You cannot control certain things but your attitude and subsequent course of action can catapult you to higher ground. Choose the words that you speak and the thoughts that you entertain, it is more powerful than you think.

You cannot see the manifestation of wealth until you see yourself rich in your mind’s eye. Envision it, meditate on it, and own it. Prosperity laws guarantee that your conviction will determine the life you will live. Is it ill health? Expect to be sickly and plagued with medicine bills. Is it good fortune? Then that is exactly what you will have.

Let me ask you, what do you do when you know you are expecting a windfall of sorts? Don’t you make preparations to receive it? Maybe opening a bank account for projected financial rewards or taking extra care of your physical form in anticipation for that perfect spouse. The thoughts you have deliberately nurtured will result in you doing what needs to be done when your blessing finally shows up.

Be always thankful and enjoy everything that you have right now. Abundance and prosperity should start where you are and not at the end of a completed checklist. It’s pretty simple really. And the best thing about it all is this: Live this way and you will find wealth to be incidental to the contentment of the life you are now living.

Supplementing Your Future
by Diego Norte

Are you one of those rare people in the world who see the potential of running your own online business? Maybe you are even one of the many people who decided to stop wasting time and pursue that dream.

Either way, you are probably wondering how doing so will affect your income, and if and when you can expect to reap the financial benefits of taking such a risk. I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone, every day millions of people simply walk to the mailbox and collect their checks. Or, they see their return on their bank statement each month. It really is that simple.

Finding ways to supplement your income is an idea that is gaining popularity. More and more Americans are worried about how they will look when it comes time to retire. Running your own online venture is a great way to stop the worries and increase your happiness. Think about it like this, which would you rather do, work day in and day out your whole life, and end up wasting away in suburbia? Or, start planning now for your future, keeping in mind where you want to live out your retirement, what your financial situation looks like right now, and what it will take to reach your financial goals and retire, living the good life? I’ll bet the second answer makes much more sense when you think about it in those terms.

If you know what you want to do, are willing to put the time and dedication into doing it, and keep at it with a continued sense of success, you too can be one of those people who simply walk to the mailbox and collect the checks!! All you need to do is take that initial leap of faith, and start your very own online business.

The most important idea to remember is this…failure is not an option. As long as you adopt that slogan and live by it, you are almost guaranteed to bask in the financial rewards of pursuing your dream. If you aren’t the type of person who believes in those types of self motivating slogans, try doing this…think about where you want be living and in what sort of lifestyle you would like to be a part of when you get ready to retire and live out your golden years.

If the picture in your mind includes scenes like sparkling beaches with miles of open sand and crystal blue waters, than you are the type of person who knows what they want out of life. You understand that working a 9 to 5 day in and day out will not provide you with the cash you need to retire in such a setting. You need something to help supplement your income now, so you can make the plans that will enable you to live out your days sunning and sipping margaritas.

Make the decision today on where you want to be financially when you retire. Then consider starting that online business you always wanted. I guarantee you won’t regret it!!!

If you’re interested in taking control of your life, you will be interested in this guest article from one of my co-authors in “The Path to Success” – Brian Tracy.

Brian’s new book lays out a personal development plan that will see you taking control of your life in record time.  Here’s what Brian has to say …

Rising to the Challenge
By: Brian Tracy

It’s like things that go bump in the night. Only in this case it’s about things that go bump in your life.

The only way that you can realize your full potential, and become everything you are capable of becoming, is by dealing with crunch points effectively. The only way that you can achieve all your goals is by responding and reacting effectively to the inevitable crises of day-to-day life.

The Key to performing at your best during the crunch times of your life is for you to focus single-mindedly on the solutions rather than the problems. The more you think about possible solutions, the more solutions will occur to you - and the better they will be. The more you think about solutions rather than problems, the more positive, focused, and creative you will become. The more you think in terms of specific actions you can take, the more in control you will be.

The most important quality of leadership is the ability to function well in a crisis. It can be said that leadership is the ability to solve problems, of all kinds, including huge problems that arise suddenly and unexpectedly.

No matter what you do, unexpected problems are sure to pop up. One minute things are rolling along smoothly then BAM! All hell breaks loose.

Your biggest customer files for bankruptcy and leaves you out in the cold. Your business is already cash-strapped, now what do you do?

The economy is kicking you below the belt. You just lost your job. It’s not fair! You’ve worked hard yet things just seem to happen when you least expect it.

Unexpected personal and financial problems can hit you or your business at any time. Suddenly you find yourself up against the wall. You feel like you went from 100 to 0 miles per hour in sixty seconds.

Now you’re in a crunch.

What you do next is vital if you want to survive your challenge. You can freak out. Cop out…Or face it head-on in a cool, relaxed and stress-free way. The choice is yours.

When I first started out in business, I faced many challenges. Not all of them were expected. What seemed overwhelming at first gradually became less severe as I learned how to deal with each situation effectively.

Sometimes it seems like challenges come rapid fire one after the other. Just remember none of these problems are your fault. Life happens to all of us.

After years of putting out fires and coping with unexpected crises, I developed a system for dealing with the inevitable life and business emergencies we all face.

During this time I created Crunch Point as a way to help me cope with these annoying situations. Now you can benefit from my experience. You don’t have to do it alone.

Remember it’s not the situation; its how you perceive it and more importantly how you deal with it. If you let it get to you emotionally it can eat you alive. Your personal power comes from controlling your response.

Sure it sounds easy to say but you and I know it sure doesn’t feel that way.

In my book Crunch Point I give you 21 proven ways to overcome any crazy situation you may be facing. Personal or financial it doesn’t matter. You will be in control of things now.

Imagine yourself:

• Taking control of any situation - You are in charge, feel the power
• Staying cool and rational while others are falling apart – You are in control
• Identifying and removing all obstacles to resolving your problem – No roadblocks
• Dealing with your problems quickly and effectively  – You are unstoppable
• Generate cash-flow to solve your financial problems – You are stress-free
• Knowing when to cut your losses and walk away – You are a savvy business person

Whatever inevitable and unexpected problems may arise in your future you’ll be ready. Why waste your valuable time trying to figure it out on your own? These proven techniques have worked for me and they will work for you. I guarantee it.

The best part is you can start right now…

In a Crunch? Learn to Deal With Help From Brian Tracy’s Crunch Point Today!

There’s no time to dilly-dally. You’re going to have to move decisively. So please don’t hesitate. Not even for a second.

You do want to survive your next Crunch Point…Don’t you?

In a Crunch? Learn to Deal With Help From Brian Tracy’s Crunch Point Today!

To your success,

Brian Tracy

P.S. I am only making a very limited number of these beautiful hard bound editions available. Once they’re gone, I may not print any more copies. My Crunch Point techniques are really important to your survival in today’s economy. I’m excited about sharing my Crunch Point secrets with you.

In a Crunch? Learn to Deal With Help From Brian Tracy’s Crunch Point Today – CLICK HERE!

Well, Brian and I can’t wait to hear your success stories!  So get on over there and see what all the fuss is about – get Crunch Point and learn how to deal with stress in your life right now by implementing effective stress management techniques, find out about taking control of you life right now, and learn how to put into place your own personal development plan that is really going to work!

A marketing plan that outlines the key steps you will need to take to drive traffic to your website is essential.Having a marketing plan will also help you set your advertising budget for your website, which determines the tools that you can use in generating traffic to your website. “Fail to plan and you’re planning to fail.”

Here are the steps that you must take to develop your marketing plan and build traffic to your website:

1. Determine your objectives and targets. After you have built your website for your online business, you must establish your primary objective: “How much do I want to earn from my online business?” This will determine the volume of traffic you will need to make the necessary sales you want to make. Your objective will guide you in deciding the level of promotion you need to do to advertise your website and build traffic to it.

2. Establish your advertising budget. This is a very important step. There are many ways of driving traffic to your website; some are free, some affordable, while others are expensive. You need to decide what your budget is and therefore what tools to use to drive traffic to your website.

3. Invest in the necessary tools that you need in advertising your website. In order to capture leads and follow-up with your prospects, it is necessary for your website to have an automated email system or auto-responder which captures your prospects email address and automatically send them emails on a regular basis. These emails will have a link to your website and will invite your subscribers to visit your website. Your emails can (and should) also be used to build the relationship between you and your visitors, and promote interest in your products.

4. Decide what your short and long term advertising strategies are. The quickest and easiest way to generate traffic and leads for any business is pay per click (PPC) advertising because it can bring you immediate results. PPC can also help you drive targeted traffic to your website. Pay per click marketing is normally considered to be the short-term solution for generating targeted traffic and leads fast, but it is also considered to be one of the most expensive ways to advertise your business. However, you also need to have some marketing strategies that will generate traffic to your website in the long term. Article marketing, blogging and forum participation are some of these less costly ways of generating traffic to your website.

Before you start spending money on any strategy for generating traffic to your website, you must ensure that you follow the steps outlined above as they help you select the best marketing tools for driving traffic to your website.

by Diego Norte

I just had to share with you this wonderful initiative to empower entrepreneurs in developing countries to succeed with their endeavours.  This obviously has flow on effects for their families and ultimately their communities.  Although I do donate freely to many charities, to me the www.Kiva.org initiative has the potential to be at least as beneficial as charitable donations, and is based on a far better principle whereby people are actually working for themselves (rather than relying on handouts), bettering themselves, being role models for their children and their communities.

The fact that the monies I give are actually a loan that will be repaid to me is of little importance, other than it is beneficial to the person receiving the funds to feel that they are receiving a loan rather than a handout.

What a great initiative.  I just can’t say enough about how fabulous I think this is.  Helping people to help themselves.  Whether you follow the precepts of one of the world’s great religions whose teachings include that sentiment, or not, I’m sure you agree that helping people to help themselves is a really worthwhile thing to do.

You can go to Kiva’s website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business – like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. 

Each loan request has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent – and you will also receive updates from time to time, letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.
  
When the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back – and Kiva’s loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.  So you might want to think about lending a greater amount than you would give as a charitable donation, since you will ultimately receive the money back!

I just made several loans.  One was to a group of entrepreneurs named R.E.C Primary School, Bassa Town Group in Sierra Leone.  They still need another $2,700.00 to complete their loan request of $2,975.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!).  You can help me get this entrepreneur (or many others) off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to R.E.C Primary School, Bassa Town Group (or many other entrepreneurs involved in a diverse range of businesses):

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=97223

See how easy it is to actually do something about poverty – using Kiva to lend money to budding entrepreneurs who would never get loans if they relied on the banking industry in their own countries, I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they’re using it for. 

And I also know that I’m helping these people build a sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world – one loan at a time.

Thanks!

———————————————————
What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

‘Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.’
– BBC

‘If you’ve got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you’ve now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.’
– CNN Money

‘Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.’
– The Wall Street Journal

‘An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity…All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.’
– Entrepreneur Magazine