Paying for Tomorrows Pleasure Today

Hello Friend, 

In this newsletter we’ve covered the topic of discipline many times.  We’ve done this because it’s extremely important for your success… 

Discipline produces success even if your definition of success has nothing to do with money. 

If your idea of success is to be a great pianist or painter or gardener, then to get there you must postpone immediate trivial pleasure such as watching TV or going out to the bars. Instead you must practice the piano, study painting, or weed the garden ready for the spring. I would submit that even if your definition of success was to be at peace with the world and to be in a blissful connected state with the universe you must first practice the long hours of discipline required for meditation, and practice the minute-by-minute discipline of pushing out the constant chatter of thoughts from your mind. A Zen monk, for example, could be said to be almost perfectly (and excessively) disciplined. 

I think unsuccessful people are often that way because they have these two characteristics: 

1.They rarely think of the future or plan for it. They live only for today. 
     
Self-development guru Jim Rohn’s secret of happiness is 'enjoying today while planning for a better tomorrow’. 

Living for the moment is only half of the story. You can only enjoy today because of the plans you made or work you did ‘yesterday.’ Similarly you can only enjoy tomorrow because of the plans you make or work you do today. This includes simple pleasures like a day walking, listening to the birds sing. You can only do that because 'yesterday' (last year, etc.) you worked hard enough and saved some money so that you could take time off. It is obvious that you can only eat today because of the work you did yesterday, unless you have set up your life to scavenge from others. 

2. They spend every single penny they earn (and usually more) on pleasures right now, today, and do not put anything away for the future. 

This is similar to being given a week’s worth of candy and eating them all in one sitting! 

Disciplined people use their time and talents to create present and future wealth for themselves. This means doing something. This is hard. This takes effort and it takes will-power. Undisciplined people watch soap operas seven days a week, go out all the time (a net outflow of money), buy all the latest toys or generally fritter away their time and talents for thirty of forty years. And then.... huge surprise...they're broke when they retire! 

Look, this hardly needs saying. There's nothing wrong with watching television sometimes, going out now and then and having the odd meal out. These are pleasures. This is jello now. Then, you turn the TV off and get to work on projects that will make you wealthy. You stay in several nights and work through until midnight on the same thing. This is investing time in your future, and is an identical concept to investing (saving) money for your future. 

A disciplined person does not spend all his/her time now, in trivial pleasures, they save some for the future. Time is funny stuff. You can't put it in a box and save it for a future day, say the end of your life, and then haul it out and get extra days of life. The rule with time is that you have to invest it straight away. It multiplies and produces money in the future. You use this money to buy time from other people. For example, the money releases you from the need to work, and so that gives you a whole lot of time - much more than your original investment of time. Or, you use the money to pay someone to do your garden, and that frees up a whole lot of time for more pleasurable things. 

So the analogy is exact. Undisciplined people squander all their free time now on pleasures (eat all the jello) and get, say, 100 units of pleasure. Disciplined people use a little of their time for pleasures (eat a little jello now), then invest their time for the future. This multiplies many fold, and frees up vast amounts of time in the future. The net result is that they get (say) 1,000 units of pleasure in total over the years. This is their reward for being disciplined. I hope this makes sense. 

Everyone has a sense of discipline. Heck, without it, you'd never get out of bed in the morning. Discipline is exactly that voice which says to you after the alarm has gone off: "Right, come on, up you get!" Without that, you'd just lie in bed all day. The trick is to start cultivating that sense of discipline - that small voice which nags away at you. You need to make it habitual. Don't suppress it. Listen to it and follow it. This is the difference between success and failure. The 'secret magic formula' of getting rich can be encapsulated in the quality of self-discipline. It's little more than that. 

As an example, if you were disciplined enough to go out cleaning cars on a Saturday (or a few evenings a week) instead of frittering away your time, then after ten years of doing this and investing the money you would have $100,000 in the bank! I mention this not to encourage you to start a car cleaning business, but to prove that you don't need to start a stockbrokerage business, or open a chain of restaurants to make money. A simple piece of self-discipline in a lowly profession makes you a $100K in ten years, $300K in twenty years! Imagine what would happen if you really applied your talents! The only thing which stops people doing this is lack of self-discipline, or laziness by another name. 

Your future life is governed by a series of choices which you make. Little choices. Hourly, daily, weekly choices. Most people always choose the 'jello now' option. This route leads to failure, I promise you that. Every little choice they make is an 'instant gratification' choice - to watch another hour of TV, to sleep late again, to go out, to have some entertainment, to lie in at the weekend, to buy some more goodies, to book a vacation they can't afford, and so on. 

Life, you know, is incredibly short. Those of you over forty will know this already; those between 30 and 40 will be glimpsing the truth of this, and those under 30 probably still think they are immortal. I certainly did! 

But, you know, the rewards of life come to the doers, not the talkers. This is so true. You receive riches from life in direct proportion to the amount of effort you put in. True again. 

There is no 'miracle' short cut to wealth - basically, it's about getting off one's ass and actually fighting, daring, and winning against the system. 

That's really it. 

It's a fight now, just as it was a hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago, for that matter. The rules have changed, but the game remains the same. 

You need a better life and more money? Here's an important key to wealth: 

Life doesn't respond to needs, wishes or desires. It laughs straight back in your face. Only your disciplined effort right now will plant the seeds of future crop that will meet your needs. 

To complain that your needs should be filled right now is effectively to say: "I have needs. Someone else should work and slave so that my needs might be provided for." 

What would the soil say to your statement "I need some corn"? Why, the answer would be "Bring me your seed and your sweat!" The soil would not care a finger snap for your needs. Who cares about your needs? Nobody. Furthermore the seed alone is not enough, is it? You must also plant, tend, water, and hoe it. 

These activities can be summed-up by the phrase 'disciplined effort.' Effort means the sweat of your brow; discipline means meticulously and regularly applied. A little each day. Gradually. This is how the rewards build up over the years. Not in a rush. You don't hoe, weed and water all in one day and expect a bumper crop the next. No, it doesn't work like this. You hoe a little one day, weed the next, water when it's dry, then go right back to hoeing. 

Sounds like hard work? Welcome to the real world! 

Plant nothing, and get...nothing. 

Spend all your money and save nothing, later in life you have...nothing. 

Fritter your time away in trivia instead of learning - then, when you really need a skill or knowledge for that important job, you reach into your bag and pull out...nothing. 

Work to the clock and never go the extra mile - when 'pay rise day' comes around then expect...nothing. 

What's the magic solution for growing an instant crop? The crop you need now because you are hungry and couldn't be bothered to plant the seed and do the work? 

And he's right. There is no magic solution. There is a long term solution and that is to learn the habit of discipline and make it your master. It can be done. Start with the small things and build up gradually until you become a powerful, self-disciplined person. 

Successful people are disciplined. They choose some pleasure now, but will then choose hard work and effort over further immediate pleasure - this sows the seeds in order that they can reap a richer future harvest. They become successful and wealthy people. 


Regards, 

Mark Patricks 

How to Teach Your Way to a Fortune

Hello Friend,

You can make money a ton of money with online education.

I recently taught a course online and received $150 for two hours of work.

Actually, there was a bit more than two hours involved because of the prep work and research. But it was still quite easy and a lot of fun.

The market for online learning is growing like wildfire.

And the best part is….

There are several ways to grab your share of the online education cash flow.

In this issue I’ll focus on becoming an online instructor…but believe me, there are a ton if ways to make money in this market.

The first thing people usually say is “I’m not qualified”.

That’s what Steve E. said to me at lunch recently at a historic deli in Camden Maine.

Steve is a high-end graphic designer.

He works for the biggest companies in his field.

Steve’s been honing his craft for more than 20 years and he’s qualified to teach and train others.

I showed him nine online instructor opportunities he could take advantage of immediately…as in the next few hours.

He checked out the opportunities, applied and sent me an email confirming two schools were interested in his services.

The Online Education Market is the Fastest Growing Segment on the Internet

The reason online education is growing so fast isn’t money.

But actually it’s the lack of it!

People are weighing the pros and cons of traditional schools versus online and distance education.

Most people have realized there’s no comparison when it comes to cost.

The cost of online education is puny when compared to what you’ll pay to attend a “traditional” school.

A Masters Degree in 14 Months…..Instead of Four Years

Online education and distance learning is changing the way people learn.

If you’re online for any amount of time each day you know it’s true.

What’s more, online education can slash the amount of time it takes to get an education.

For example, at most traditional colleges and universities it can take up to four years to earn a Master’s degree. You can earn a Master’s Degree at accredited online schools and distance learning centers in as little as 14 months.

On top of that, traditional schools require students to be in a classroom at specific times and days.

Time and physical location are irrelevant at most online schools and distance education centers. A student can work at his or her own pace!

Granted, most people go to traditional colleges and universities for more than education. Students go to college for camaraderie, sports, for a new adventure and to get away from mom and dad.

Oh…and don’t forget the parties. But let’s not go there!

Huge Demand Presents a Profit Opportunity!

Traditional colleges and universities are nervous because people are turning to the Internet for their education.

But don’t shed any tears for the “big boys.”

Colleges and universities have themselves even embraced the Internet and distance learning.

One thing colleges and universities could do is lower the cost of their courses.

The cost of a college course today is ridiculous. More than 80 percent of the tuition goes to tenured professors, administrators, management, overhead, taxes, fees, etc.

The online learning market is huge.

The demand for online teachers, instructors, and tutors is skyrocketing, according to Ken White, author of the Online Teaching Guide.

Help Wanted: Web-Savvy Entrepreneurs and Teachers!

Online education offers exciting opportunities for Web-savvy entrepreneurs and people who can teach.

I recently accepted an assignment as a guest instructor for a distance learning program called Understanding Internet Search Engines. I was paid $2,500 for about three hours of work.

Granted, most traditional colleges and universities have steep academic requirements for online instructors.

The good news is you don't have to work at top colleges and universities to make money as an online instructor. But traditional schools may be an option worth considering too.

Look….it’s simple…the way people are learning has changed.

The “classroom model” of instruction for the past 300 years is dying.

Today, you can receive instruction on your iPhone, iPad or Droid.

On top of that, online education is becoming intertwined with online gaming… much to the chagrin of “old world” tenured professors and teachers.

My oldest son was homeschooled. He received his high school diploma online, as well as his certification in four programming languages. Much of his learning came by way of online gaming!

Here are some of the biggest online colleges and schools with web-based curriculum:

•    DeVry University

•    University of Phoenix Online

•    Walden University

•    Capella University

•    ITT Tech

•    Baker College

•    AIU Online

•    University Alliance

•    The Art Institute Online

•    Keiser University eCampus

•    Jones International University

•    ECPI – College of Technology

•    Clayton College of Natural Health

•    Everest University

What is Distance Learning?

Distance learning gives people the option of earning college credits off-campus, via television, the Internet, satellite classes, web-conferencing, correspondence courses, and other means.

Today, most major colleges, universities, and technical school have distance or online learning divisions.

And hundreds of online "virtual" learning centers are being launched every month.

How to Make Money as an Online Instructor

There are basically two ways to make money as an online instructor.

•    You can apply for positions or projects at established colleges, universities, and learning centers. To do that, you submit your application to the Human Resources Department (which can usually be done at the school's website).

•    You can teach as a freelance instructor. If you decide to go with this approach, you may have to forgo some of the benefits and perks that on staff teachers usually enjoy -- but you will have more freedom and flexibility.

Do I Need Academic Qualifications?

Granted, most conventional colleges and universities require an academic background or qualifications in order to teach online courses.

But many do not!

Here’s a funny story…

A friend of mine stumbled upon an advertisement at an online college for an “Internet savvy entrepreneur with bricks and mortar expertise.”

Just for the fun of it I applied. But rather than submit my colorful academic qualifications (which are non-existent because I’m a college reject and drop-out), I submitted a powerful sales letter and a list of my dismal business failures!

But to be fair I included a brief overview of more than 30 business start-ups I launched.

On top of that, rather than submit the information online, I sent it to the appropriate person in a FedEx NextDay letter!

I was retained for the project within three days.

I realize some higher education centers, colleges, and universities require specific academic qualifications, and this doesn’t change with online instruction.

But the fact is you have (or can develop) specialized knowledge and the demand in this area is growing like wildfire!

Some online learning centers and distance learning programs compensate instructors on a "per student" basis.

For example, let’s say an online school compensates instructors $40 to $150 per student per course. And there can be anywhere from 5 to 75 students registered for each course. (Course lengths vary, but are generally from one to six weeks.)

Let’s do the math . . .

If you teach 20 courses a year (two per month, with summers off) with 32 students per course, and you are compensated $80 per student, you would earn $51,200 per year.

But let’s say you’re only willing to teach 10 courses per year, with only 20 students per course, and you only receive $50 per student. Fine – that’s still $10,000 a year doing something you love.

As you can see, this is an exciting opportunity and a great way to make a living (or a nice chunk of extra money).

More Ways to Make Money as an Online Instructor or Teacher

1. Become an online researcher.

2. Start your own online college, course search engine, or virtual learning center.

Starting an online college could be a substantial undertaking. But people are going online in droves to improve and enhance their education. And as an Internet-savvy entrepreneur, you can't afford to ignore a trend like this.

One way to launch an online college or learning center would be to specialize and target a specific niche. For example, you could start an online college that specializes in network security, encryption science, or Web development.

A course search engine also has potential. The idea is to populate a search engine with thousands of online courses from hundreds of colleges, universities, and online learning centers around the world. Students could search for a course by title, keyword, phrase, or popularity.

This search engine would be free to users. Entering into partnerships with the colleges, universities, and learning centers would generate your revenue.

You could also offer "enhanced listings and links" to those that want to be featured "foremost" in the search results. It would be similar to the Google AdWords model.

As you can see, the potential for anything involved with online and distance learning is substantial.

******* Action Plan ********

If you want a job as an online instructor at a college, university, or distance learning center, submit your application on their respective websites.

If you prefer to work as a freelance online instructor, the process is similar, but you’ll have more choices. Stop by the websites listed in this week’s issue or browse the Internet for more resources. Follow the links for online instructors.

Believe me… the demand for online education, distance learning, and edutainment has just begun. New schools are being launched every day! This market will be HUGE!

“What’s The Deal with Edutainment”?

Edutainment is the combination of “education” and “entertainment.”

Online instruction and distance learning often incorporates both of these areas into the education process.

In other words, in order to make education and instruction more entertaining colleges are integrating high definition video, PowerPoint presentations, online tutorials, TV, movie clips, texting, live Internet, and teleconferencing into the presentations.

The more you can integrate these applications and resources into your presentations the better!

Either way, online education and distance learning is a trend that’s hear to stay and a very profitable market.


Regards,

Marc Charles

“The King of Business Opportunities”

(Ed Note:  Marc Charles is referred to as "The King of Business Opportunities" ....and for good reason. He should be known as "The King of Legitimate Business Opportunities"...because he's launched, bought, sold reviewed and advised on hundreds of businesses and money making opportunities. He understands legitimate opportunities.) 

The Million Dollar Sales Idea You’ve Been Waiting For

Hello Friend, 

Running a business can be frustrating, especially an internet based one. I should know I run several. 

You read all these blogs, subscribe to all these newsletters, buy products and services and yet you’re still not making those millions of dollars they promised you could make. 

I know you are frustrated. 

Relax, because today I’m going to share with you the only thing you need to know to finally get your business to the level you want it to be at. 

Really I can tell you how to do it in just two words. These two words are a concept that I use in every single one of my businesses I create and run. 

In fact every business that’s ever become a success uses this concept to become so. McDonald’s uses it, Amazon uses it, Apple uses it, Costco uses it. 

This system works for everyone—no matter if you your business is small and struggling or big and booming. It doesn’t matter where in the spectrum your business falls, or how long you’ve been in business or what market you are selling to. It works across the board for everyone, including me. 

And after today, if you apply these two words, it will work for you. Your business will grow and so will your pockets. 

The concept isn’t hard to understand either, in fact, you’ve probably heard the two words I’m about to tell you before. But sometimes you have to go back to the time-tested lessons of the past to move forward. If you want to see more sales and more profit from your business then you need to start using a sales funnel to do so. 

Nothing about your business should be random. You shouldn’t do anything without knowing what your next step will be. Don’t send out an email or create an ad or craft a new product without having a precise reason for doing so. 

Your goal isn’t to have a business, it’s to make money, a lot of it, and to do so with as little effort as possible. Sure you can create products, advertisements and websites willy-nilly and make money doing so, but you’ll have to put in a lot more time and effort than is absolutely necessary. 

To make a lot of money and to make it as fast as possible you need to create a process for your business, a funnel if you will. This funnel will guide everyone who comes in contact with your business down a carefully crafted road to get them to become a frequent customer of yours. 

At the top of the funnel is everyone who is in your market. Anyone who has ever expressed an interest in your niche or wants to learn more is your audience. It’s your initial job to turn your audience into a lead. 

How do you turn a person who doesn’t know you from Adam into a potential buyer? With an offer that is too good to be true. 

Your initial aim is not profit. You’ll never make this concept work if you try to make money at every step along with journey. In fact at this point in the sales funnel process you will most likely be losing money. 

You must recognize that most people won’t buy from you the first time they meet you. It almost never happens. No one sees an ad on TV and immediately goes and buys the product. It doesn’t work like that, no matter how innovative or awesome the product is. 

What most people will do is take a bit of information from you, and then another and become more interested at each step. That’s why the first bite they take from you has to be good. You have to leave them wanting more so they’ll continue down the funnel. 

The first thing they see from you has to be an offer that is too good to be true. Give them something that is worth way more to them than what they are giving you. I like to offer a free report on something they are interested in, in exchange for their name and email address. 

In your business it doesn’t have to be a free report. It can be anything. But no matter what it has to provide tremendous value. Think about what irresistible bribe you can offer members of your audience to get them to give you their contact information. 

Now that you’ve got a list of potential sales leads you’ve got to turn them into new customers. 

At this point your aim still isn’t to make money from your audience. I know it seems like it should since they’ve already expressed an interest in what you have to offer, but this is where most businesses get it wrong. If you do this the right way, which I’m about to explain, you’ll be ahead of most of your competitors. 

Your goal is to turn this lead into a buyer. The fastest and easiest way is to offer them an initial product or service that is extremely affordable. Every market is different so I can’t say what is affordable for your market, but in general, your initial offer to them needs to be sold for no more than $79. $20 is better and $1 is ideal. 

Yes, you could lose money selling your product at this price. That’s fine. Remember your goal isn’t profit. It’s to turn this lead into a buyer. There is nothing more valuable than having a list of known buyers. 

Every big name business does it this way. Take Microsoft’s X-Box gaming system for example. Microsoft offers the X-Box game console to customers at a loss. They make no money selling it to you. In fact all video game companies lose money or make virtually zero profit selling you their gaming console. 

Did you think Amazon makes money selling the Kindle? No way. They lose money each e-reader they sell. But Amazon doesn’t care. They know that the more people they can convert to buyers with their initial, loss leader product has the potential to deliver major profits down the line. 

At this point you’ve got this buyer to make two transactions with you. First they gave you their contact information and then they bought a loss leader product from you. You now have a list of buyers. 

The next step in the sales funnel process is to sell them a product that you make some, but not a lot of profit on. You most likely have products or services like this for your business. You probably consider them your core group or flagship products. 

Most businesses never become successful because they make the mistake of offering these products to customers first. Like I said before if you run your business this way, you can make some money, but you’ll never get to that coveted success level you’ve always dreamed about. 

Remember none of the work your business does should be random. Your flagship products exist to get customers to become more familiar with your company and comfortable with buying from you. You are sending a message to them that you are a trustworthy brand that has a lot to offer to them. 

It’s the next step in the sales funnel where things get interesting and by interesting I mean extremely profitable. 

You’ve inevitably hear the terms up-sell and cross-sell. These are ways businesses make more money per transaction. While your flagship product may only make you a little bit of money, the up-sell or cross-sell you include with it, will make you a ton of cash. 

You’ve seen these kinds of offers a zillion times, you probably just haven’t realized it. When you put something in your cart on Amazon, the next thing they show you are all the other products people who have bought what you’ve bought have also bought. When you go to a clothing store and buy a dress, you’ve been told by the sales associate that a lot of people like a certain belt or hat to go with your item. When buying a TV from Best Buy the sales associate offers you a warranty or to have Geek Squad install it for you in your home. These are all ways companies make huge profits from you, for virtually no effort or cost. 

Think about what you could offer as an up-sell or cross-sell to your core products. What can you bundle with your offer? This is where you start to make serious money…but it doesn’t stop there. 

To make this sales funnel super successful you’ve got to do one more thing. If you do this, I promise you, you’ll see your sales numbers explode. 

After you’ve sold a customer one of your flagship products you need them to come back and buy from you again. How do you do that? 

By keeping the lines of communication open with them. You contact them regularly and frequently and not always with an offer. I like to do this through my blog posts. I send out blog posts 3 times a week. Sometimes I make them an offer to buy something and sometimes I do not. Whatever I send out though is an opportunity to keep my business in their mind. I want to be there when they decide they are ready to buy. 

Do this and you’ll not only create a new customer, you’ll create a customer for life. 


To your future and mine! 

Mark Patricks 

Train of Thought… or Apathy?

Hello Friend, 

“People wish to be settled, but only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Welcome back, my friend, to a new day. Each day offers a new chance, a rebirth. But do we take it? 

As chance would have it, last week I found myself on a commuter train returning from the big city at the end of the working day for the passengers. I’m sure you know the scenario: not a spare free seat in the house, people with their head down or glancing suspiciously at fellow passengers, the drone of the tracks, and the sway of the carriages. And an invisible cloud of impending doom over them all. 

As we zipped past a graveyard I pondered this existence, an existence that countless numbers of people endure. The same train at the same time taking them to and from the same place every day. Get home, eat, sleep, and do it all again the next day. And these are the ‘lucky’ ones who have jobs… 

I gazed around the carriage and felt genuine sympathy. With the state of the economy, they were all clinging on to this existence for dear life, I imagined. But even when times were good, and I travelled this way, I can remember that discontented look on their faces. 

And then I studied them more closely, and my sympathy for them evaporated… 

They were clearly unhappy or bored or both, and faced unprecedented challenges in the employment market. Uncertain times. Their livelihoods and existence in jeopardy, even for government workers. By any rational measure, this would be a time when they should all be working on safety nets, a ‘plan b’. I mean, if the light at the end of your tunnel is fading, doesn’t it make sense to find another light? 

But when I studied them more closely, at how they were filling this dead time on the train, what do you think they were all doing? Reading a good book? Making calls to run their new home business on the side? Typing away on creating a new marketing promo for their website? 

No. 

They were playing video games on their iPads, falling asleep, gossiping about nothing, staring out the window, etc. etc. I imagined it as a livestock carriage full of bleating lambs on the way to the slaughterhouse. 

“Hey, Mark, you cynical old goat- just last week you were saying how life needs balance!” 

Correct, and it does. BUT, this was dead time on the train. Potentially, this was a whole hour that could lead to a successful business endeavour or money-making venture, NOT out of greed, but necessity for these people. These same people probably complain that they don’t have any time to run a home business or improve their lives, but they all have time to screw around in a dead hour on the train. Just like they have time to wait in line for expensive coffee, smoke cigarettes, and get tattoos. 

My hat is off to you. Those people do not read newsletters like this one. They are skeptical of home businesses, trading systems, and generally making money. They believe it’s safer to do what they do. They never really left school- they just continued in the pattern that school taught them: show up on Monday morning and count the hours to Friday, living for weekends. A rush of euphoria on Saturday morning slowly slipping into a dark depression on Sunday evening. 

Apathy kills. We are headed into an economic tempest the likes of which hasn’t been seen in human history. Major sovereign states running out of money would have been an unthinkable at one time, but now we discuss it as if it was something normal. A single ‘app’ can put an entire industry out of business (just ask the people who make pocket calculators), and more are coming. It doesn’t matter if you work for government or not, nobody is safe. 

This shouldn’t frighten you, it should excite you. Because out of chaos comes order, and you can be a part of that new order if you resist apathy. 

Imagine if I’d have stood up on that train and made this announcement that I’m making to you now: “Yeah, so there you go. How do ya’ll like them apples?” 

How would my message have been greeted? With anger, right? But why? 

Have you ever heard of or witnessed the phenomenon of crabs in a bucket? If several live crabs are caught and thrown in a bucket headed for a restaurant, and one crabs tries to climb out, do you know what the other crabs do? 

I would like to think that they would help out. “Here you go, buddy, let me give you a ‘claw up’! Good for you for trying!” 

But sadly, this is not in the nature of animals (and humans are animals). What happens is that the rest of the crabs in the bucket pull that escaping crab back down with them. The message is quite different in reality: “Hey, who the hell do you think you are? You’re not better than me! You get back down here in the collective with us!” 

How often does this happen to you in daily life? People can’t help themselves. It doesn’t matter if it’s your dearest and closest friend, your beloved spouse, your parents, your co-workers (they’re the worst), they will all act like crabs in a bucket because that is human nature. 

And the trouble is that you (understandably) trust those people more than me. You listen to them, you are heavily influenced by their compulsive need to pull you back into the bucket. And if you lost your livelihood, they would also be pushing you to do things the same way all over again even though it led to your demise. 

My advice is, and always has been, to keep your blueprints for financialfreedom safely tucked away where nobody can see them. 

If the crabs can’t see you escaping, they won’t pull you back down. Don’t stand up on that commuter train and try to convert or help others, because they’ll shout you down: “No, you’re wrong… you stay on the zombie-train with us,” they groan, drooling, and shuffling towards you with arms reaching out for you, clutching iPads with a card game on the screen. 

You’re reading this because you’re a special kind of person. At the very least, you questioned the existence we’ve been programmed to follow. But do you take action? That’s the key. 

And how much of your INACTION or APATHY is because you can feel the other crabs in the bucket pulling you back down? Are you on the train of thought… or apathy…? 


More fun next time, 

Mark Patricks 

Is This Making You Poor?

Welcome back, friends, to this circle of sanity, this cabal of clarity, this… you get the idea: once again it’s my task to IMPROVE your existence so you may join the ranks of the rich. This is my base assumption each time we speak: that you want to be wealthy. If you don’t wish to become wealthy, then, as they say in government, I just work here…

But the rich are in the tiny minority of people, so how could little ol’ you join them? Do they have something you don’t? Do they have an unfair advantage over you?

Your suspicions are correct. The rich DO have something over you, an unfair edge. It’s not a college education (many successful people are high school dropouts). It’s not inherited wealth (most started from nothing, and often began as dirt poor).

So what edge did they have?

How can we say its all “unfair” when most rich people started from nothing and often didn’t have higher education? And so follows the inconvenient question: what’s your excuse for not joining them??

The ‘edge’ they have is mostly based in the mind, and no I’m not talking about smarts. I want to talk about two obstacles you face in this regard: thinking small and not having a coherent logic about money. First, thinking small…

Most people think in terms of ‘chump change’. They have miniscule goals when it comes to money. For modern proof of this, take a look at what people evidently want to watch on TV: reality shows about pawn shops, bidding on abandoned storage units, rummaging through mud in search of an old coin, searching through the attic in the hope of restoring something, buying stuff you don’t want with coupons and cheering about it… it’s a frenzied craze of late.

People have become obsessed with, and are celebrating, breadcrumbs on the floor of the banquet hall. We are developing into a scavenger-race like something out of a ‘Mad Max’ post-nuclear holocaust.

And while most people are playing in the dirt, the rich man plays a different game- a faster game, and he never gets his hands dirty.

All because he thinks on a different level, and because he has a coherent philosophy about money.
It’s more about a question of how you think, and on what level. If your entire day is spent obsessing about small things and ‘chump change’, you’re not getting a good return on your thoughts. As Donald Trump famously once said, “You have to think anyway, so you may as well think big.”

So I must ask you if you’re ‘big minded’… or ‘small-minded’.

If your financial goal consists of a running battle from day to day, scavenging what you can here and there like some crazed biker in Mad Max, it’s time to take stock of your situation, and most of all, your THOUGHTS. Take a ‘time out’, and evaluate where you are and where you need to be…

The rich man was once dirt poor. But back then he didn’t participate in this kind of small thinking, he wasn’t HAPPY with breadcrumbs from the banquet. He said, “Screw this! I want to get me a seat up there on the banquet table!”

So how about you?

Will you give me a big, loud, “Screw this!” too?

Picture yourself on that cold floor of the banquet hall… the smell of the roast beef… the laughter and chinking of glasses… while you fight with the other rats for that bone that just landed on the floor…

That’s your first step. You have to make a decision to think bigger, to not be content with what you have, and to actually do something about it.

You see, what most people do on the floor of the banqueting hall is find reasons why they can’t get up on the table. They’ll complain about the system or try and change it (good luck with that). They’ll pin all their hopes on winning the lottery or a self-serving politician saving them with his empty promises of throwing a little more meat on that floor.

Which brings me onto my second point: having a coherent philosophy about money…

Most people are extremely confused about money to an oxymoronic degree. On one hand they crave money, and on the other they feel wealth and wealthy people are somehow corrupt, immoral, and that ‘money is the root of all evil’. You can see this in some of the postings we get on the website. I mean, it beats the crap out of me why some people are reading a newsletter specifically about making money and then they complain about ‘the system’, capitalism, how unfair everything is, yada, yada, yada. This is pure nonsense.

That is NOT a coherent logic. You have to make a choice, because this confusion in your mind is stopping you from growing rich! So which is it? Are you here to make money? Yes? Great! If so, it’s time to clear out all that garbage in your head that’s holding you back- the cynicism, the laziness, the negativity, the confusion, and guilt you feel regarding wealth.

Look, money is indifferent to you. It’s like a beautiful and sophisticated woman who doesn’t need men, and she’s repulsed by desperation and inconsideration. She doesn’t care one way or the other what you think about her. If you want me, come and get me, she says. And if you don’t, that’s fine too, because plenty of others will if you don’t.

The guy with the balls to approach her is the one who’ll get her. Do you think she gives a hoot if you go and complain about that outcome if you didn’t approach her first?

She’s been around as long as civilization itself, and she’s here to stay. And throughout history, any time humans have tried to share her equally among the masses, she went into hiding. Just ask anyone who lives in Cuba.

The man who has a coherent philosophy about her, the man who knows what she is, accepts her as such, and respects her… he’s the one who’ll take her home.
Be discerning about what nonsense fills your head each day, because you’re exposed to a lot of anti-wealth propaganda on a daily basis, thanks to what is predominantly a covertly socialist media campaigning for a ‘fairer’ society. Most Hollywood stories are just as guilty- notice how the bad guy is the rich guy in movies, and how the dirt-poor underdog is the one with virtue and victory. And of course, Hollywood does this because most movie-goers ARE that working class ‘hero’, and it’s what the masses want to hear, it appeals to their mental coping mechanisms that justify their financial inadequacy.

Compare that to the person who lets nothing but quality information into his head, someone who reads books on growing rich instead of watching reality shows about scavenging. Which person will be wealthier in the next five years?

Don’t think all that stuff going in your mind isn’t doing anything to you! It’s the equivalent of a junk food diet slowly destroying you. Your body is a temple, and so is your mind.

On one hand you want wealth, and you KNOW that way too many rich people didn’t have a privilege over you. But on the other hand, there’s a conflict inside you based on what society and media feeds you: that wealth is corruption and rich people are evil. This all adds up to a paralyzing affliction and an incoherent philosophy regarding money that will keep you scavenging for breadcrumbs in instead of banqueting with that beautiful woman, money.

And if you truly don’t want to get up on that table, that’s fine too, as long as you get out of the way of others who do. At least you have a coherent philosophy now. Just make a decision and end the conflict in your mind. 

FIVE MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Lesson 1
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.
The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.
When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbour.
Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.'
After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.
The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.
When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'Who was that?'
'It was Bob the next door neighbour,' she replies.
'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'

Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2
A priest offered a Nun a lift.
She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.
The priest nearly had an accident.
After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'
The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'
The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.'
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'

Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.
They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.'
'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.'
Puff! She's gone.
'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.'
Puff! He's gone.
'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'

Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.
A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?'
The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.'
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull.
'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.'
'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.'
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch..
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story: Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson 6
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.
While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.
The dung was actually thawing him out!
He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!