Entries Tagged 'Success' ↓

When I was 18 years old, I joined Amway.

I called close to 100 different people in my warm market, and I even hunted down unsuspecting “prospects” in public places like Barnes & Noble.

Embarrassing, I know.

During that time of my life (from age 18 to 21), I listened to scores of motivational tapes. One of them, more than any of the others, left its mark on my thinking.

It was a tape by Burt Gullick, who at the time was a Diamond in the Amway business. On the tape, Burt described Amway as “the goose that laid the golden egg.” He then proceeded to explain this metaphor.

Is Copywriting Your Goose?

Basically, Amway had provided Burt with a means of achieving his freedom. It provided him with a level of wealth and time independence he hadn’t been able to find anywhere else.

After achieving success in Amway, Burt used his income to invest in other opportunities. One of them I remember vividly because it was so unusual.

What did Burt invest in?

Landfills.

Yep, Burt used his Amway money to buy trash dumps. The model (as I remember it) went like this:

• Buy land near a city.
• Charge waste management companies to dump trash on the land.
• Collect monthly income from the waste management companies.
• Sell land later for a profit.

As you can imagine, this story really stuck with me. Here was a guy who had achieved success in Amway, but then reinvested his money in other opportunities.

Essentially, Burt Gullick diversified his income streams.

And wisely so!

But the other key point was that Burt needed “the goose” to get to a point where he had other opportunities to invest in.

As I’ve reflected on this story, I’ve decided that for me, copywriting is “the goose that laid the golden egg.”

I say this not because I’m done being a freelance copywriter. Fact is, I intend to continue as a freelance copywriter for quite some time, even though I may cut back on my workload.

Rather, I say this because copywriting has given me a greater income than I could have found in a job; more time flexibility than almost any other self-employed profession; and more opportunities than I know what to do with.

I have achieved a measure of success within the field of freelance copywriting. But more importantly, this success has positioned me for even greater success in the future.

Obviously, a career as a freelance copywriter isn’t for everybody. Neither is a career in Amway.

But ask yourself, “What is my goose? Where will my golden egg come from?”

There are many different “gooses” that can lay golden eggs. The trick is to find one that fits your skills, preferences, and personality. Once you find it, stick with it — and really put forth your best effort.

Because, if you do, your “goose” could easily become a stepping stone into bigger and better things for you in the future.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Think freelance copywriting might be for you? Then you’ll want to watch the free training videos posted here.

P.P.S. Questions about running a freelance copywriting business are continuing to come in daily. If you’ve asked a question, John and I will do our best to respond as quickly as possible. Thanks.

P.P.P.S. Video #4 is going to be released tomorrow, July 1. In this video, I reveal some methods and strategies for commanding copywriting fees you can be proud of. If you’re on the notification list, you’ll be automatically emailed when the video is posted.

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It’s not often that I feel compelled to share a blog post with you right after I finish reading it.

This is one of those times.

If you are involved in online marketing as a student or marketer, take five minutes to read this timely message from Rick Butts:

==> Unsubscribe from Whomever Emailed You StomperNet

-Ryan M. Healy

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Terry Dean has recently made two public statements on his blog about the value of copywriting. In one post, he wrote, “Copywriting really is the million-dollar skill.”

Only four days later, Terry wrote, “If there was one skill you could learn that would almost guarantee the success of your Internet business, it would be copywriting.”

Of course, I love it when Terry (or anybody else, for that matter) gives the skill of copywriting such high praise. After all, I am a copywriter.

But is copywriting really the most important skill in business?

I would like to suggest that it’s not. In fact, I believe copywriting is one facet of a broader skill. And so I want to elevate your thinking a little bit.

But first, let me tell you a story…

My Dad Tells Me Something, and It Sticks

Parents must say a million things to their kids in an effort to raise them up to be successful, functioning adults. And probably only a small fraction of what parents say actually sticks.

I’m the oldest of five kids. It’s funny to talk with my siblings because often something our parents said is firmly lodged in my brain, but my siblings can’t remember it at all. And vice versa.

Well, one of things that stuck with me was something my dad said. He said:

“Ryan, the most important skill you’ll ever master is communication. If you know how to communicate well, you can do anything.”

Boom.

I never forgot that.

The Most Important Skill

It’s my belief that communication is the most important skill you could ever learn.

There are then many sub-specialties within communication. For instance, copywriting, negotiating, direct sales, etc. Heck, even body language is communication.

Occasionally, someone will say, “Everything is copy.”

This is only partially true. I think it’s more accurate to say that, “Everything is communication.”

And by adopting this view, you can begin to focus on where you want to excel in the field of communication. Perhaps you want to be a copywriter. Perhaps you want to be a negotiator. Perhaps you want to be a public speaker.

All of these are different specialties within communication.

Become a Student of Communication

Ideally, you will not become a student of copywriting only, but a student of communication.

Because at the end of the day, you’ve got TALK with customers and clients, PERSUADE influential people to joint venture with you, NETWORK with other entrepreneurs at seminars, and WRITE the copy that appears on your blog and sales pages.

The list goes on.

Now you see why I say that copywriting is not the most important skill, although it certainly is a “million-dollar skill” just like Terry says.

Really, communication is the most important skill. And copywriting is one critical part of it.

-Ryan M. Healy

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I shut off my computer on Friday night. I disconnected my Wi-Fi. And I didn’t turn on my computer or check my email until this morning.

Felt great.

That’s a full 58 hours without email or Internet.

Instead of sneaking to my computer to peek at email or blog comments every few hours, I played with my kids, went to the park, vacuumed the garage, put together a puzzle, bought a new pair of shoes, did some reading, and did a little bit of list-making and writing in my notebook.

Not much different from what I might normally have done; the difference was a feeling of clarity. A feeling that I wasn’t chained to my laptop. A feeling that I was living in the real world.

I’m sad to confess that until this past weekend it had been months since I went two days or longer without checking email.

It’s my fault for letting down my guard and allowing my own busy-ness to consume my time.

Note to self: Turn off my Wi-Fi more often.

-Ryan M. Healy

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I was on the phone with a blog reader of mine yesterday. We were talking about a possible joint venture. During our conversation, he mentioned to me that he thought my transparency may be hurting my ability to attract clients.

What did he mean by “transparency?”

In this case, he was referring to another blog I write. It’s a blog about debt reduction. I haven’t tried to hide this blog; but I also haven’t promoted it to many people who know me.

His thought: If people know I’m in debt, wouldn’t they be less likely to hire me?

I guess we could ask this question of other issues as well: If people know I’m a Christian, wouldn’t they be less likely to hire me?

Or how about: If people know I like snowboarding, skateboarding, and motorcycling, wouldn’t they be less likely to hire me? (”That Ryan, he’s such a hooligan!”)

I’ve thought about this issue quite a bit. And I have wondered, “Was it a bad decision to use my real name on my debt blog?”

I haven’t really fully answered that question yet.

But consider this:

• Gary Halbert did hard time in jail. That didn’t seem to hurt his ability to get clients.

• James Brausch is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As far as I know, he still grosses over a million dollars in revenue per year.

• John Carlton was fired from every job he ever had (or nearly). He still commands hefty five-figure fees for the copy he writes.

Obviously, some things will definitely hurt your business. For instance, a scandal à la Eliot Spitzer.

But other “negative” things seem to have little or no effect. Possibly even a positive effect.

Why do I say positive?

Because I believe people want to know that those they respect and esteem are normal folks, just like they are. They want to know about their failures, their foibles, their unusual beliefs and interests.

Why else do tabloids sell so well?

Why else do Carlton-esque hooks attract so many readers? (”Man with no legs and no arms drives golf ball 500 yards… by swinging a club he holds with his teeth!”)

It all comes down to real people succeeding and doing big things in life.

It’s about being human and becoming great in spite of your humanity.

It gives you hope.

“Hey, if so-and-so can do it, so can I.”

That kind of thing.

So… what do you think? Is transparency a good thing or a bad thing for business? Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

-Ryan M. Healy

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Update: Based on the recent gains in the price of gold, it seems wisdom is becoming more valuable by the day.

In turbulent and uncertain times like these, nothing is more important or valuable than wisdom.

-Ryan M. Healy

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The legal name of my business is Gambit LLC. Last week, when I cashed some checks at the bank, the teller came back with a grin on his face.

Teller: “Are you the business owner?”

Me: “Yes, I am.”

Teller: “Did you name your business after Gambit, the comic book character?”

I get this question a lot… because nobody knows what “gambit” means.

I hated to let the teller down, but I had to. I realize Gambit is the name of a Marvel comic book character, but he was not my inspiration. And I told the teller so. I went on to explain that…

Chess was my inspiration.

I love the game of chess. Unfortunately, not many people share my interest in the game. It’s a nerd’s game, I guess.

This is also why most people don’t know what gambit means.

In chess, a gambit is a sacrifice made to improve your board position.

So a player may choose to sacrifice a bishop if it sets up a move that might allow him to pin down the queen. This is just an example. There are literally hundreds of different gambits that can be made in the game of chess, depending on the circumstances.

This is why, when I quit my job back in 2005, I viewed it as a gambit. I was sacrificing my job to improve my overall “board position” in the game of life.

This gambit set me back in the short-term. But it gave me the possibility of improving my situation over the long-term. I felt that the sacrifice was worth it. Turns out, it was more than worth it.

What gambits have you made in the game of life? How did they turn out?

-Ryan M. Healy

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Nearly everybody deals with inertia at some point. The law of inertia says this: things at rest tend to stay at rest; things in motion tend to stay in motion. Nobody is immune to this law.

Maybe this is why whenever John Carlton writes a sales letter, he imagines his prospect as a fat slob sitting on a couch. He is watching television. And he is the type of person who’d probably not even bother to get up if his house was on fire.

While most folks aren’t quite as extreme as this imaginary prospect, we all have to fight the urge to “stay at rest.” With that in mind, here are three things I do on a regular basis to overcome inertia.

1. Write to-do lists by hand.

This may sound old-fashioned, but it works like magic. Simply get a spiral notebook, write the date at the top of the page, then list everything you need to do in a numbered list.

I’ve been using this technique for years. It has probably contributed to my productivity more than any other single activity.

Here are a few tricks I’ve learned along the way that can make your to-do lists even more effective.

First, write your list in order of urgency and importance. What needs to be done first, second, third, etc.?

Second, whenever you complete a task, cross it off the list. The more items you cross off, the more momentum you build… and the more eager you are to get more done.

Third, get in the habit of rewriting your to-do list. Once you’ve crossed off 30% to 50% of the items, rewrite the list. Any task that has not yet been completed will then be rewritten on the next list. You may add new items as well.

This process of rewriting goes to work on your brain in ways that I can’t even explain. Rewrite a certain task enough times and you’ll do it… just so you won’t have to rewrite it again!

In terms of timing, I find it’s best to rewrite my to-do list at the END of the day. This sets my subconscious mind in motion. I usually wake up in a state of intense focus, ready to tackle whatever is first on my list.

(Hat tip to Brian Tracy for teaching me these tricks. They really work!)

2. Work on short deadlines.

As a copywriter, I have the tendency to budget too much time for copy projects. But too much time can actually be a bad thing. Why? Because Parkinson’s Law says this: Work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion.

In real life, this means you’ll probably do most of the work required to complete a project immediately before the deadline. Remember cramming before a test? That’s Parkinson’s Law at work.

The fact is, you don’t need as much time as you think. So give yourself shorter deadlines. You’ll get more done faster, build momentum, and literally be amazed by how much you are able to do each day, week, and month.

3. Take time to rest.

This last one is counterintuitive. How can you get things done when you’re resting?

The answer is, you don’t. But you have to take time to rest to recharge your batteries. Otherwise, you may burn out and start to engage in avoidance behavior (like mindless surfing so you don’t have to start that project you’re dreading).

I view work as a series of sprints and rests. When you work, you work hard. When you rest, you rest hard. By working hard, you rest better. And by resting hard, you work better.

When you don’t allow this natural rhythm to run its course, bad things happen. Example: You ever meet a “muscle head”–one of those guys whose got to be in the gym lifting almost every day of the week?

Guys like this who are addicted to weight-lifting are actually hurting their bodies and reducing their potential muscle gain. They constantly rip their muscles, but never give their bodies time to rest and repair the muscle. This is a recipe for suboptimal performance and even injury.

True story: I saw one of these guys a couple weeks ago at my gym. His entire left arm was bound up in some weird-looking contraption. I overheard him explain the injury. His bicep had literally ripped off his arm and bunched up at his shoulder… a result of lifting too much weight and, I imagine, not allowing his body time to rebuild.

So the lesson is this: rest is critical to achieving peak performance and productivity.

In my own life, I like to start work early around 5:30 a.m. But if I feel my body needs rest, I’ll sleep in. That’s because I know I’m always more focused and productive when I’m fully rested. So I refuse to be dogmatic about getting up early. It’s simply counterproductive.

Of course, there’s much more you can do to maximize your productivity. But I’ve found these three things to be the most effective for me. Perhaps they will prove to be effective for you, too.

-Ryan M. Healy

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I had planned a different post for today, but as I read the book of John this morning, God directed me to write something different. Which probably means one or more of my readers needs to hear this.

So let me ask you a question: What’s worth more than $970.50 an ounce?

If you follow the financial markets, you probably already know I’m making a comparison to gold. As of this morning, $970.50 is the price of gold per ounce in U.S. dollars. With the exception of perhaps a near-perfect diamond, I can’t think of anything that would rival the price of gold, ounce for ounce.

Well, I can think of one thing that not only rivals the price of gold, but exceeds it by far. I’ll get to that in a minute.

But first, let me make an observation. Whether you are employed in a job or self-employed, I’m willing to bet that you’re literally slaving away to achieve greater success, maximize your earning power, and (ultimately) become wealthy and well-known (a.k.a. “rich and famous”).

I hate to burst your bubble, but…

You’re seeking the wrong thing.

Success, wealth, and fame come and go. They are transient. Here today, gone tomorrow.

In a sense, we are all a bit like Sysiphus. We toil and strain to push an enormous rock up a long incline. When we are close to the top, we are ready to rejoice… only to witness the rock slip and roll down to the bottom of the hill.

Then we start all over again.

So the question arises: What should we be seeking?

The things of this world serve a purpose. But they don’t deserve our passionate pursuit. All the gold in the world can’t buy love, happiness… or immortality.

Rather than gold, seek wisdom.

I offer this advice because of this…

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her.

Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast. (Proverbs 3:13-18)

This is such a beautiful picture. In the pursuit of wisdom we also find riches, honor, peace, long life, and happiness.

Do you remember when you were a kid? Remember the game we used to play where we imagined holding a magic lamp that contained a genie? We used to say:

“If you had three wishes, and you could wish for anything in the world, and the genie had to give you whatever you wished… what would you wish for?”

This was always a fun mental exercise.

I remember as a young boy trying to “game the system.” I’d usually use my first wish to wish for unlimited wishes.

The reason I bring this up is because this really happened to a man. Except instead of three wishes, he got only one. Here is the story…

In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. Now, O Lord God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

“Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?”

God said to Solomon, “Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth, or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you.” (2 Chronicles 1:7-12)

This is what I felt I needed to write to you this morning:

Wisdom trumps wealth.

Therefore, seek wisdom.

Oh, and one last thing: All wisdom comes from God. If you desire wisdom (as you should), you’ll have to make friends with your Maker.

Have a great weekend.

-Ryan M. Healy

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According to an experiment published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, just one act of self-control depletes your ability to have self-control in another unrelated area.

For example, when subjects were told not to eat chocolates sitting right in front of them, their persistence in puzzle-solving deteriorated. When they were told to suppress an emotional reaction to a movie, they had problems solving a solvable anagram [source 1, below].

This is the overwhelming reason why will power only works in the short-term. You only have the conscious resources to exhibit will power on one or two fronts at the same time.

This is also why it is so difficult to stay disciplined with eating right, exercising, goal-setting, and similar “uncomfortable” activities.

Any conscious self-regulatory strategy has unavoidable costs that deplete a person’s general resources for self-regulation [source 2, below].

Here’s good news…

While your conscious mind is only able to process approximately 50 bits of information a second, your unconscious mind processes approximately 11 million bits per second [source 3, below].

This means your unconscious mind processes information about 220 THOUSAND TIMES FASTER than your conscious mind.

Much of the time, your conscious mind is actually the bottleneck that stands between you and true change. This is because its main role is getting you through the day in the here and now AND setting long-term goals. (Researchers call this ”Executive Control.”)

So what’s the solution?

The trick is to have the triggers for your desired behaviors deeply embedded within…

Your unconscious mind.

For example, if your goal is weight control, you would naturally want your unconscious mind to automatically desire healthy green foods, water, smaller portions, exercise, etc… without having to think about it consciously.

If, on the other hand, your goal is to be more productive, you would want the habits of goal-setting, taking immediate action, and laser-like focus to be automatic.

If you have to consciously think about these actions all the time, you will exhaust your resources.

These are just two examples, but I think you get the picture.

This is one of the reasons why tools that help you develop unconscious (and positive) behavioral patterns…

Are so powerful.

The only method for making changes that bypass the conscious mind that is approved and validated by mainstream scientific organizations like the American Medical Association and the British Medical Association is hypnosis–and only when performed by a licensed health care provider (like a medical doctor or psychologist).

Get this… at the University of Iowa they are doing MRI studies where you actually see the brain following instructions under hypnosis.

People are actually shutting off the feelings of pain, and you can see the pain gateways in the brain being blocked…

All under hypnosis.

If you can control pain under hypnosis, you can certainly control the way you think about food, stress, and your personal productivity.

Hypnosis can stop stress-induced eating, pain, procrastination and more–but make sure you get the real thing.

Did you know that 99% of “Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists” do not even have a psychology degree or a license to practice mental health? Pretty scary.

More disturbing is that most hypnosis training requires only 150 hours to get a certificate.

To put this into perspective, most professional barbers have to take more than 1,000 hours of training. (150 hours is less than 4 full-time work weeks.)

You wouldn’t go to a mechanic with 150 hours of training, or even 500 hours of training… that would be crazy.

For hypnosis to work, you want the therapist to have an advanced degree in psychology (for a doctorate it is typically 4-7 years post undergraduate).

So, ultimately, you are looking at eight-thousand hours of training! Not to mention, at least one year of supervision afterward.

And that is before the hypnosis training!

Here’s the story.

A couple years ago, I was hired by a company whose whole philosophy is to bring you the real thing. They choose the best therapist for every issue for which they publish audio hypnosis programs. They more than meet the criteria above.

What’s more, they actually record their sessions so that people can listen to them at home. Many people find these to be very effective and affordable (including me).

I especially like and recommend their audio program that helps you to be consistently productive and master the art of…

Getting things done.

Anyway, I asked the publisher (The Hypnosis Network) if they would give my readers some type of discount on the programs and they came through.

So if you would like to accelerate your productivity without having to read another “how to” book, then I strongly recommend you get their program created by Dr. Neil Fiore:

==> http://www.DrNeilFiore.com (affiliate link)

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. By the way, I wrote the sales letter that promotes this audio program. I wrote it two years ago… and it’s still being used today. I have personally listened to the entire Productivity Engineering audio program and believe it’s a worthwhile investment for anybody who wants to program their subconscious mind to be productive.

P.P.S. Sources cited in the this article:

Source 1: RE Baumeister, E Bratslavsky, M Muraven, and DM Tice. “Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 74, 1998.

Source 2: Moraven, M., Tice, D. M., & Baumeister, R. F. (1998). “Self-control as a limited resource: Regulatory depletion pattern.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74. 774-789.

Source 3: Zimmerman, M. (1989). “The nervous system in the context of information theory.” In R. F. Schmidt & G. Thews (eds.), Human Physiology, pp. 166-173. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag.

Here is the link again:

==> http://www.DrNeilFiore.com (affiliate link)

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