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Thursday, November 27, 2008
How To Improve Your Luck



Many times, when good things happen to people, they give the credit to Luck. And similarly, when bad things happen, they also blame it on Luck. I stumbled upon a very interesting article at mercola.com's site this morning entitled "How To Improve Your Luck". The source of this bit of information is from "Readers Digest November 19, 2008". I have made an extract here and after reading it, I definitely agree that basically, we can all improve our Luck.. and quite easily too. So, read on....

For centuries, people have recognized the power of luck. To investigate scientifically why some people are consistently lucky and others aren't, Richard Wiseman advertised in national periodicals for volunteers of both varieties. Four hundred men and women from all walks of life responded.

Over a ten-year period, Wiseman interviewed them, asked them to complete diaries, questionnaires and IQ tests, and invited them to his laboratory for experiments. He found that lucky people get that way by applying some basic principles -- seizing chance opportunities, creating self-fulfilling prophecies through positive expectations, and adopting a resilient attitude that turns bad luck around.

For example, he gave lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to determine how many photos were inside. On average, unlucky people spent about two minutes on this exercise -- but the lucky people only spent seconds. On the paper's second page, in large type, was the message "Stop counting: There are 43 photographs in this newspaper."


Lucky people tended to spot the message. Unlucky ones didn't. Halfway through the paper, was a message that read: "Stop counting, tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $250." Again, the unlucky people missed it. The lucky people saw what was there, rather than just what they were looking for.
Lucky participants also put effort into adding variety to their lives, tended to be more optimistic, and were happier and more satisfied with their lives.


One unlucky subject said that after adjusting her attitude, her bad luck vanished. Thoughts and behavior affect the good and bad fortune you encounter. The most elusive of goals -- an effective way of taking advantage of the power of luck -- is actually available to everyone.



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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Keys to Wealth & Success - Easy as ABC

I have been learning a lot over these past 2 months and I have come to realize that the keys to wealth and success is not really a mystery. Most of the time, it is things we already know but perhaps did not put into practice. Whatever our business may be, there are just 3 keys we have to remember.

A) The first key is to always find out the NEEDS of our target group of customers. Whatever the product or services we are selling is not as important as the needs of the customer. We must focus on their needs, whether it is a real need or a perceived need. So, how do we find out the needs of our customer? The easiest way is to ASK. Never assume that we know because our customer is not us. Do what I have been taught, do the F.O.R.M - i.e. ask about matters related to his family, his occupation, his recreation and money matters. From here, you will be able to start understanding the needs of your target customer.

B) The second key is RAPPORT. Always build rapport with our target customers. It is not about our products or our services that people buy from us. There are plenty of similar products and services out there in the marketplace. So why is it that some people are more successful in pushing in a sale? Most of the time, we too tend to buy from people who we know and like. That is why we keep going back to the same butcher, the same florist each time. It is definitely not because his cut of prime beef is a class above the rest. It is because he has along the way turned from just the butcher.. to our friend, the butcher.

A lot of times, all we are concerned with is just to close the sale. BIG MISTAKE. When we do that, we become that obnoxious pushy salesperson that we ourselves don't like to deal with. Be a little patient and build rapport first. That the first few steps at the beginning might be slow, but this might be what propels you to breakneck speeds later. Just have a look at the long jumpers.

C) Maximize PROFITS and not revenue. Many a times we are so caught up with just pushing in a sale that we forgo the recommended retail price and undercut. Sure, this makes the top line figure appear great. When you drop price below the recommended retail price, definitely you might increase the number of successful sale closed. But as your profit has been eroded, there will come a time when your expenses will exceed your revenue and it will not be worthwhile to continue doing the business.

I'll bet that you already know these ABC to being more successful in your business. So, just keep these ABC keys in mind all the time.

Oh yeah. Picked this up today. It was reported that the handful of industries which are predicted to grow during this recession are likely to be Information Technology, Health Care, Accounting and Auditing and Security. But whatever the business or industry is, just remember your ABCs.

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Monday, November 10, 2008
Make Extra Money for this Christmas & New Year


Yup, that's right.. Christmas is the time of giving, a time of Joy and a time of Presents. But looking at the economic situation, it does not really look that bright does it. In these times of uncertainties, a lot of people are worried about job continuity, retrenchments, VSS and pay cuts. No point denying this fact. But for those of us who are not worried for our jobs, there is still the issue of shrinking or fixed income over expanding expenses. So, how does one go about earning extra money to cover these extra holiday expenses?

If you were to look around for answers to this question, most of them will involve selling of some sort, whether it is selling on eBay, onLine or over the counter. When I went to Yahoo Answers with this question, some suggestions were like "Go shovel Snow to earn extra bucks", "Find an extra job until then to earn some additional money", "Do chores for people". I think I still like the part about selling but whether it is selling on eBay or onLine or over the counter, you will still have to have something to sell, be it a product or a service.

If it is products you are selling, you'd have to make sure that it is a product which is in high demand and of good quality. You would not want as many people returning the products as they are buying them would you? As for services, and if you are the one rendering it, you have to make sure that you have the time to deliver these services to meet the demand.

Well, I am lucky as I have both of these products and services in abundance and if you are wanting to find out how you can make the extra money for the Christmas shopping and also the New Year to, drop me a line at my email address (nypl118@gmail.com). And the best part of it? It is a no money down on your end. Interested? Take Action Then. Rewards go to those who Act!

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5 Ways To Make Money Effectively
It is the desire of everyone these days to find ways to make either a little extra money to tie them over the month or substantially enough to free them from their financial shackles. And all of us wish for that magic formula that will allow us to make money quickly, loads of it and with very minimum effort. Have you been receiving loads of emails, especially of late, mainly spam mails which will tell you that it is possible to "Make A Lot of Money Quickly and Without Hassle" or something to that effect? I am not saying that it is true or not true, but I have not really found one that worked for me yet.

I have come across many methods and formulas but at the end of the day, I have come to realize that some effort and time are definite ingredients necessary to make money. To have instantaneous wealth, one has to either rob a bank or try to win it through a lottery. Otherwise, both effort and at least a little time will be required. Even the beggar on the street will need to beg for days before he could accumulate some "wealth".

At the moment, I personally have embarked on 2 projects and the 3rd one might take off before the end of the year. My advice is that before one embarks on any business or money making projects, there must be sufficient considerations made, with some effort and time investments. These are my suggestions.

1) Identify a profitable business for you.
Many of us are more than happy to jump into the latest bandwagons without really checking to see if it is the right wagon for us. Like for example, the latest bandwagon to riches is the one to Blogland. People have been extolling the ease of making money through blogging. But is it really that lucrative for us? Do we know if we have what it takes to be a good blogger? All those bloggers who are already making 4 to 5 figure incomes did not get there overnight. They have put lots of effort to get there. If you were just to visit their blogs, you will notice that many of them would have started blogging months or even years ago. They have to build up their readers list and to be a profitable blogger, we will be required to publish posts often and the contents must be interesting enough to make our readers keep coming back. Content and Traffic are the 2 important and crucial factors to making money on a blog.

So, I would say, research, read up, cross check with people who are business builders around you already. And find that profitable business that will work for you.

2) Revisit Your Objectives
A lot of times, people will advice you to start a business based on what you love to do. But let me remind you that sometimes what you love to do may not be what sells. Like in my case, I love to bake and found that I really enjoy decorating cakes. However, there are many home bakers out there who are much better at this than me and the time it takes to bake and decorate for a person who already has a day job is definitely very tiring and the money is minimal. When I switched to my next two projects, I discovered that I make a lot more money from one transaction than if I were to baked and sold my cakes for a month.

Hence, if it is really making money that you want to do, then you will have to revisit your objectives.

3) Start a business on a part-time basis
The best time to kick-start a business is on a part-time basis. That is what I have been sharing with my family and friends. Do not wait until you sack your boss or worse, for your boss to sack you first before starting your business. One thing, when you do this part-time, there is less pressure on your part. When a person is out of a day job and his business becomes the only income generator, he can become a little desperate, a little pushy and it is this scent of desperation which other people could smell a mile away.

Even if you only dedicate an hour or two, a few days in a week to your business, that is a good start already. If you are engage in a high-profit business, then the big bucks can already been seen. Of course, working part-time will not allow you to maximize your full potential in your business. However, what started of as a comfortable extra income earner may turn into a full blow money generator. And when the time comes, you will know that it is time to sack your boss :D

4) Every Customer is Your Customer
Select a business where potentially anybody or everybody is your potential customer. It should be a business which sells a product or service which is under the "Evergreen" industry. When in good economic times, people will be happy to buy your product(s) or service(s) and in bad economic times, people will come knocking on your doors too. With this type of business, it is very hard not to succeed.

5) A Business with a System and Marketing Plan
I have heard often enough that when a person fails to plan, the person has already planned to fail. Similarly, a business with a system and a marketing plan is likely to be more successful than a business which has no system nor plan. It is like operating a business based on gut feel. What if your gut feel is incorrect? Can you afford to fail and lose all your investment and restart again? A rather expensive lesson, don't you think? Look for a business where it has already been tested by many and the success rate is measurable. Statistics and records are often available as measurements of a business success rate. Have a look at these before you decide that this is the business you want to embark on.

A last note is that all things good is worth the time and effort invested. Similarly, if you are looking for a business that will generate long term wealth for you, it will be worth it to put in the time and effort. I have done exactly the same research as I have mentioned above before I embarked on my current 2 projects, the first one being a Learning Portal and the second one is a device which deals with beauty and age reversal. The first being in the Education Industry and the second being in the Beauty Industry, both are evergreen industries. If you want to know more, just drop me a line at my email nypl118@gmail.com

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Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Jokes Inspired by the Current Financial Crisis
A friend sent these jokes to me this morning. As in everything in life, we must always look for the light side of things. So, here goes :)

President Bush said clients shouldn't be concerned by all these bank closings. If the bank us closed, you just use the ATM, he said.

George Bush said that he is saddened to hear about the demise of Lehman Brothers. His thoughts at this time go out to their mother as losing one son is hard but losing two is a tragedy.

The problem with investment bank balance sheets is that on the left side, nothing is right. On the
right side, nothing is left.

If you had purchased $1,000 of Delta Air Lines stock one year ago, you would have $49 left. With Fannie Mae, you would have $2.50 left of the original $1,ooo. With AIG, you would have less than $15 left. But if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drunk all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminium recycling REFUND, you would have gotten $214 cash.
Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.

or the other version

If you had purchased $1,000 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would be worth $49.00. With Fannie Mae, you would have $2.50 left of the original $1,ooo. With Enron, you would have $16.50 left. With WorldCom, you would have less than $5.00 left. If you had purchased United Airlines, you would have nothing left. But if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drunk all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminium recycling REFUND, you would have gotten $214 cash. Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle. This is called the 401-Keg Plan.

Quote of the day (from a trader): "This is worse than a divorce. I've lost half my net worth and I still have a wife."


Resolving to surprise her husband, an investment banker's wife pops by his office. She finds him in an unorthodox position, with his secretary sitting on his lap. Without hesitation, he starts dictating, ".. and in conclusion, gentlemen, credit crunch or no credit crunch, I cannot continue to operate this office with just one chair!"

Q : Why are all the MBAs going back to school? A: To ask for their money back


What is
the difference between Investment Bankers and London Pigeons?
The Pigeons are still capable of making deposits on new BMWs.


What's the difference between an investment banker and a large pizza? A large pizza can feed a family of four.

I had a cheque returned earlier. "Insufficient Funds". Mine or the banks?

Masked man holds up a bank cashier with a gun. Says "I don't want any money. I just want you to start lending to each other..... "

Have a good day. Local time is 10:20am. US Presidential Election Updates : Obama 174 Electoral Votes to McCain 64 (270 Electoral Votes to win)

Picture Source : media.cnbc.com

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Tuesday, November 4, 2008
7 Quick and Easy Ways to Make Money
Someone famous must have uttered these words "When You Stop Learning... You Stop Earning!". And I agree totally with that person. When you think about it, there are so many ways to make money, only if you stopped a moment to listen and learn. And that was exactly what I did.

I was catching up with a friend during lunch yesterday and as expected, we broached on the topic of making additional money. And I was sharing with him some of the projects that I am currently involved in. He too was also doing some projects of his own but he was sharing his thoughts about how people who are wanting to make money, but not willing to work too hard at it should consider the following ways to make money.

1) One can take a bowl and stand downstairs in front of one's office building and beg for money... but don't let the boss catch you. (I thought that was a stupid idea but he insisted that some people have made lots of money this way)

2) Make money by going through trash cans or going to the junk yard. (Well, I suppose you can make money as we have heard often enough that one man's trash is another man's treasure)

3) Making money with things you already own or have, like renting your camera, video cameras, your printer, etc.. etc.. (But you must have a damn good fool plan to ensure that you are not saying bye bye to your equipment... forever)

4) Making money by selling home made stuffs, which could be cakes, small furniture items. (Mmm.. that gives me an idea.. cakes are something I can handle..any takers??)

5) Making money by selling a service. You could offer to take your neighbors' dogs for walks... or take their children for a walk (and not bringing them back...haha.. sorry.. bad joke). Teach people how to go online (you'd be surprise how many folks are still computer not-savvy), how to start a blog.

6) Make money by lending money (yikes ... is this an Ah Long's job scope ah?? Ah Long = Money Lender)

7) Making money by collecting unwanted stuff from your family, relatives and friends and selling them at the flea market. You'll be doing them a great favor too by helping them rid of their rubbish.

Now, some of the ways may be plausible to make a little money or some money. It is worth considering if you are desperately in need of a little money to tie you over. But if you are seriously looking to make more money, then you must listen harder and learn more :)

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