Medication Shop

If you’re getting your house ready to put it on the market, keep in mind that buyers are looking for their dream home. Your job is to make them believe that your home is their dream. In order to sell them the dream, though, you’ll need to avoid the ten things that will completely kill the illusion and guarantee that no home buyer will ever by your house.

1. Odors

Dream homes don’t smell. If you have pets, if you smoke or if your basement gets damp and mildewed, your house will tattle on you. A house that smells doesn’t’ sell – it’s that simple. You may not even notice the odors yourself – but someone who doesn’t live in it and isn’t used to them will. Ask a friend for their honest opinion – and if they tell you that your house has unpleasant odors, don’t try to cover them up. Tackle the root causes by cleaning down to the shine – and then avoid building odors back up. Move the cat’s litter box outside, and if you must smoke, do it in the yard. Don’t overlook more transient odors either. Avoid cooking pungent, garlicky or highly spiced food within a few hours of a home showing. And while baking chocolate chip cookies or apple pie won’t sell your house, it certainly can’t hurt.

2. Evidence of pest control

People living in dream homes don’t need to put out mouse traps or roach bait. Make sure that any pest control items are well out of sight when you’re showing a house to avoid any hint that there’s a pest problem in your house.

3. Clutter and personal items

When prospective buyers are looking around your home, they want to see themselves in it – not your family. Buyers don’t want to buy a ‘lived in home’. They want their own, special dream home. Put away pictures, albums and mementoes, clear off countertops and get rid of clutter.

4. Overstuffed storage space

When you clear away the clutter, move it further than the nearest cabinet. If your closets look like Fibber McGee’s, spend a weekend paring them down. Buyers will want to open closet doors and see attic and basement storage space. If those spaces are overcrowded, they won’t be able to gauge the amount of space they have. Not only that, overcrowded closets subtly hint at other hidden ’secrets’ – if you’re hiding your clutter, what else might be hidden behind the walls?

5. Stained ceilings and walls

Water stains on your ceilings and the tops of walls are evidence of leaks – either in the roof or in the plumbing, and that’s trouble no one wants to buy. If there IS a leak, get it repaired. Once it’s fixed, prime and paint the damaged walls and ceilings.

6. Dirty bathroom

It doesn’t matter how clean the rest of your house is if your bathroom is dirty. Scrub the tiles, get rid of every sign of mildew and make sure that the fixtures shine. Not only does a dirty bathroom smell bad, it hints at a basic lack of cleanliness about the entire house.

7. Dated and worn-out wall-coverings and flooring

Threadbare carpet, worn and missing floor tiles and outdated wall coverings all suggest a house that hasn’t been cared for or kept up to date. Unless they’re specifically looking for a ‘fixer-upper’, few buyers will look twice at a house that they’ll have to redecorate before they can live in.

8. Unkempt landscaping

The first impression that buyers get of your house is the most lasting. Make sure that your house has ‘curb appeal’. Shaggy lawns, weeds choking the pathways and cracked driveways are all turn-offs to potential buyers. Spruce up the outside of your house – fresh paint if you can, mowed lawn, and an attractive entry to their dream home will go a long way toward making an excellent first impression.

9. A price that’s too high

Even if your house is in tip-top shape, if you’ve priced it too high for the market, it will not sell. If your house is in the $150,000 range, and you’re asking $175,000 for it, prospective home buyers will compare it to other houses in the $175,000 range – and likely find it lacking.

10. Pets, children and other interruptions

No matter how much people like pets and children, there are times that they’d rather not have them around. Remember that you want prospective buyers to feel comfortable and at home in your house. They’ll find that difficult to do if their exploration of their possible dream home is interrupted by an over-enthusiastic dog or your children.

Filing bankruptcy can help consumer who are unable to pay their bills. The bankruptcy options available can wipe out debt or create a reasonable, managable payment plan. Filing bankruptcy is a viable option for getting out of debt without the stigma of long ago. However, it should be taken seriously. Financial experts often agree that this step should be considered only as a last resort.

Consumers have two bankruptcy options. Chapter 7 bankruptcy, also known as liquidation, and Chapter 13 bankruptcy which is a repayment plan.

If you have no disposable income, then Chapter 7 bankruptcy can be considered. Given a successful conclusion, many of the most damaging debts, including those owed to credit card companies, may be discharged. If so, you are given the opportunity to start over with a clean slate. Keep in mind though that property that is not exempt in a chapter 7 can be sold to pay off some or all of your debts.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy, often referred to as a “wage-earner bankruptcy,” is quite a bit more complicated. If you want to keep all of your property, chapter 13 should be considered. Probably the biggest benefit to filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy is that it can stop a foreclosure on your home. You must have income and commit to making monthly payments to the bankruptcy court that are then paid to your creditors. Only about 30% of ch 13 filers complete their payment plan.

Regardless of what type of bankruptcy you choose, the road to a successful outcome is paved with honesty. If you’re caught manipulating the numbers or trying to hide property, your bankruptcy has a strong chance of being canceled. A bankruptcy dismissal can cost you a lost more financially and legally. A free bankruptcy review from a bankruptcy attorney can help you make the right decision about filing bankruptcy.

It appears to be that each time I browse through a London mag I see an advert for the most popular club in the city, or the latest play. London is full of energy, the people here are fabulous, the disco scene is hardcore and the stores are heaving with shoppers spending their disposable income. The great thing about London is it has the best Past Life Regression psychics.

When I first arrived in the city, the first thing I did was go to Kensington High Street and pick myself up a top for going out. The next thing I did was put on my new outfit that I bought and head out to Soho to party till the small hours. This cycle of spending and dancing seems to be adopted by the majority of 30 year old guys and gals.

I am also shocked at the services that are on offer in this place, I recently went to find a past life therapist who took me back to a past life; of course I was a king. Very strange but very real apparently, and I am constantly intrigued on how various successful girls and guys have their own personal trainers and lifestyle coaches. These Londoners are year after year running all around achieving and making loads of money, wonder if lifestyle coaching will be for me. And lets not forget seductive Soho and all the sexy lingerie shops, you will consistently note an obscene looking dildo in the shop windows. Find a Life Coach in London and make the change today.
The best thing about the city is its vast amount of sex shops where you can get a decent Cock Ring.

One of the items often toward the bottom of the heap whilst preparing for a college education is health insurance for college students. In general, the last thing on any student’s mind is how they will cope with medical insurance needs. Let’s face it, in your 20’s you will usually tend to think that you are immortal and of course you will not develop illness. Regrettably, this is rarely a sensible attitude irrespective of how fit a person might seem. A student medical insurance plan isn’t simply a luxury, it’s an essential. Individuals who are covered by a parent’s health insurance are in the main included up until their twenty-third birthday. For the individual who doesn’t currently have cover through a family insurance, getting an appropriate student health insurance plan must be apart of budgeting for a college education. So what’s fundamental in health insurance aimed at college students? Deductibles: This is a minimum yearly sum you must pay before the health benefits start kicking in, akin to an auto deductible. For example, should your deductible be $500, $500 has to be paid before applying for any payment from your insurance.

What is meant by the term co-pay? When you meet the deductible, virtually all health insurance policies require you to pay a portion of the bill of each trip to the doctor’s surgery, medicine or operation. That, put simply is co-pay. What is the scope of coverage? Most plans include Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) or Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA). This could mean particular physicians may not be included in your “network” or not be covered under the insurance plan. Most plans provide a directory of approved providers, so look at that before you choose a medical plan for students.

What is catastrophic coverage? Limits are frequent in medical insurance for students especially as far as critical illness, the amount of cover extended in virtually all student health insurance is by and large lower than a regular plan.

Limitations: Restrictions are very frequent in most college student health insurance policies. It’s crucial to study your insurance policy thoroughly to check out exactly what may and may not be covered in any policy.

Have any medical insurance cards nearby at all times. Accidents and illnesses are not only impossible to anticipate, but they are in all probability likely to happen when it is least expected. Make sure you are au fait with your insurance policy, whether through your parent’s insurance or you have taken your own insurance policy.

Let’s get REAL about something – and quelch the LIES you have been told about Real Estate Investing

What I am going to reveal to you are some basic truths about Real Estate investing – truths that may totally affect the Real Estate investments you have now – and certainly I intend to modify the way you do Real Estate investing in the future.

Let’s get right to it – and into the heart of the real estate investing issue

You have been programmed all your life to become what you are today – from school, friends, relatives and, yes, your parents.

Recent studies show that you are who you are now, more from what you learned prior to age 8 than in anything else you have learned since.

Now, that may surprise you, but it is true that what you learned at the earliest ages affects the way you make Real Estate investments today, and the type of Real Estate investing success you will have going forward!

Yes, that’s a bit shocking

You see, if you grew up in an environment where you heard things like We can’t afford it, Be sure you have saved enough and have the cash to buy it (i.e., never use credit) or numerous other phrases that you now hear yourself saying (you know what I’m talking about – those times you catch yourself “becoming your parents”), it is because of your early programming (from 0-8 years) and what you were told about money, success and life in general.

That is controlling your current income – and your success – or lack of it…

The things you were told at that early, most influential age, are now creeping out and affecting how successful you are in business, in life and yes, in your Real Estate investing.

THERE IS GOOD NEWS

The greatest thing about this fact – as horrible as it seems – is that you can change the ‘programming’ – you have the power to do it!

You can reprogram yourself in any way you want – have anything you want – do anything you want

All it takes is simply to ‘reinstall’ the right kind of thinking.

And, it is easier than you might think!

One of the best ways to do that is to get a CD audio set from someone you like to listen to – someone that thinks positively and speaks of the life you want to live. Many home study courses are available (yes, including mine) that are designed to inspire and motivate you, while they teach you the methods and secrets of real estate investing.

Purchase one – listen to it, over and over – until you hear yourself speaking that way, too.

You see, we are all simply creatures of habit and environment – if we allow junk to get into our heads, all we will ever say is junk coming out.

If all you listen to is the bad stuff in life (like the TV news, most ‘talk radio’ shows, those TV ‘real life’ shows that end up in fights – you know the ones, and even violent movies where the language is nothing you’d ever expect to hear from your own lips), that is exactly what you will wind up sounding like!

It is true – ‘you are what you eat’ – and that counts just as much for what you put in your ears as it does for what you put in your mouth!

If you spend your time around ‘bar people’, you’ll speak and act like them. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as long as you made a conscious thought that it is what you want, but I think you’d be much more successful at Real Estate investing if you were listening to a successful person teaching you about Real Estate Investing!

Now, let’s get right to the point about the various methods and concepts you have learned about Real Estate Investing

You may call yourself a ‘real estate investing expert’, but if you have to get up every morning and wonder where your next check is coming from, you aren’t making real estate investments, you are being employed in a Real Estate Investing JOB!

Yes, that’s a hard-hitting statement.

You see, I want you to ‘get real’ with yourself and simply admit it – Real Estate investing is when you put money into a Real Estate investment and then get some money out – ‘real estate investing’ defined

Yet, it seems that most people I meet want to attend my real estate training or purchase my real estate courses that have to do with ‘No Money Down’ (NMD) real estate investing

Now, that kind of talk just proves the point – you can reprogram yourself to speak a different language – even if it doesn’t make sense!

A bunch of ‘gurus’ have told you over and over again that ‘No Money Down’ is real estate investing – even though you learned at an early age that ‘invest’ means to put money into something and get money out (see http://dictionary.reference.com/search? q=invest for other definitions – none of them say ‘No Money Down’…)

Now, it’s not that ‘NMD Real Estate investing’ is all bad – heck, my students and I make several thousand dollars from these types of ‘Real Estate investing’ transactions every year, too.

Just don’t lie to yourself and say they are ‘real estate investments’, we know very clearly that these are simply ‘earned income’ from one portion of your real estate investing business – the real estate ‘job’ portion – earned while in transition from your ‘corporate job’ to your ‘real estate investing job’ and on the road to true Real Estate Investing.

In other real estate investing articles, I cover some of the methods and techniques you, too, can explore while moving from your ‘corporate job’ to your ‘real estate investing job’ and you’ll learn some insider secrets for taking that leap quickly.

Steve Majors – The Lazy Investor Profit from Real Estate Investment articles, real estate investing information and news from one of the most creative investors on the planet ~FREE MEMBERSHIP & real estate training course~ http://SteveMajors.com

Here is a question to ponder. What kind of exercise equipment do you utilise? The selections are endless. There are, treadmills, Elliptical machines, Cross trainers, Free weights and a crew of others, nevertheless those are the basics. for sure I have left out some major categories, but really, that is not my point anyhow.

So what is the central point? If you’re reading this chances are you’re interested in finding info concerning exercise equipment. I have been deliberating about purchasing a decent home gym equipment personally, since I am tiring of traveling some 20 minutes to get to the gym and 20 minutes to return.

That’s 40 minutes that could be my complete physical exercise. Therefore, I’d like to to impart a couple views about what I’ve been thinking about when it comes to purchasing exercise machines for the home.

The central point is simply this, if you go to a corporate gymnasium then it really does not matter because you, more often than not, have access to any of the above named types of exercise equipment. Nonetheless, if you are constructing a home gym region in the home chances are space is minimal. If you live in a great mansion then kudos, you have plenty of room for any type of exercise equipment.

Regardless, most people searching to have home gym equipment, you need to decide what needs to be your essential piece of gym equipment.

Do you need strength training? Do you desire a more vigorous exercise? Do you need to cardio train?

Before you go out and buy exercise equipment, carefully deliberate about your body type. about what your goals are and then try to match them to the right exercise equipment. To be honest, I wouldn’t buy something merely because there is a brilliant sales pitch on tv.

If you have never exercised then just getting up and down off the sofa as many times as possible you’ll probably develop a nice leg routine and assist weight loss. If you do not enjoy utilizing the gym equipment, you will not utilise the equipment and it is money down the toilette.

Let us say you aren’t a person that enjoys to walk, then don’t get a something that mimics walking. If you don’t desire to build muscles then you don’t require weights.

A Some common sense when purchasing gym equipment will go a long way toward saving money.

Why Many Enclosed Mall Turnarounds Fail

Recently we (TKO) received a call requesting a proposal for leasing a “turnaround” for a mall of a million sq.ft. that is 65% vacant. Turnarounds like this are extremely difficult, and often the buyers of these centers have no idea what they are doing, but because they acquired the project for $10 psf or less, they think they’re getting a bargain (which they never are). So before going into our services and costs, I asked some questions on what its owner thought could be done, what type of money he had for TI, how long the owner anticipated waiting before seeing results, etc. (why waste both of our time if we can’t do the job) The good news was that the new owner recently did a Steve&Barry’s deal, which in my opinion makes sense, since they’re so unique that they’ll draw from a larger radius than a typical JCPenneys, Sears, Wal*Mart, etc. So our conversation started off on the right track. (Oh, the center can’t be demalled).

The owner also built into his proforma a substantial TI budget; is prepared to do “sweetheart” deals and wait 18 months before seeing any real results. A rare and knowledgeable buyer of distressed enclosed malls compared to most I meet. Our conversations went well, but there were two areas I disagreed with him on. First, when we take over a center of this size with problems we want to also manage it, not for the money (you never make real money off managing) but because it provides us with the degree of control we need to make a turnaround work. The owner felt that currently the amount of tenants in the center is small enough where he could manage it until the project begins to lease. Yes, he’s right, it’s small enough for him to manage as a one-man show BUT you have to treat a turnaround not only as a leasing situation but also have to “turn” the marketing and management around at the same time so not only are new tenants being solicited but the few existing retailers are kept somewhat happy. And keeping existing tenants happy and getting new ones interested means that there has to be traffic in the center and centers with this low of vacancy usually have no traffic to speak of, which is why the center is in trouble (Which came first, the chicken or the egg?).

I’ve written this before but I’ll say it again, traditional advertising doesn’t work for a “C” or lower center. You have to do “event marketing” in order to have an impact. Event marketing means having traffic-generating events that bring people in for that specific show but then hopefully they shop the rest of the center. In traditional advertising, you promote the center, the consumer comes, but if the center has few retailers, the shopper is disappointed because of the lack of merchants and they never return (you only have one chance to make a first impression). We’ve promoted gun shows, arcade auctions, book events, etc, sometimes bringing in as many as 25,000 consumers over a weekend. We gave space for free to hold comedy clubs on alternate Fridays and allowed Yoga teachers use of stores during the week to help increase traffic. All our food and many of the other stores benefit from this increased traffic. They did enough volume to keep the existing retailer’s spirits “up.” That’s why marketing goes hand in hand with leasing.

We also want to have enough control that we can minimize the number of retailers closing every month, and in a problem center there’s always a high turnaround. I’m a great believer in temporary tenants, but they have an extremely high failure rate since most are startups with limited capital and with no walk-bye traffic, they usually fail. Therefore, you have to be extremely selective on who/what you put into the center. Also, we’ve learned that we have to keep cash flow as high as possible or at least keep the losses low, which means working hard on lowering CAM costs. Anyway, that’s why we “need” the management.

The next point I disagreed on is that the buyer put together an elaborate and well-documented report on every mall-oriented retailer operating within 20 miles of his project. You could tell there was a lot of time and effort researching this info, BUT I’m not sure how useful it is. The center itself is over 20 years old and there’s no doubt in my mind that 99% of all the mall-oriented retailers within 50 miles knows of the project and has a negative view of the center’s future. Yes, there are many mall-oriented retailers I’d love to have and some of ‘em might be willing to be “bought” in order to entice them in, but besides requiring lot’s of TI money and kickouts I don’t think they would have an immediate impact on traffic because they are in every mall.(there are three competing malls within 15 miles). Anyway, the new buyer asked that I put together a proposal and list of tenants I’d go after and that got me thinking of my “dream team of mall tenants” and guess what, most are not mall-oriented. I want tenants that build traffic and draw on their own, not needing their neighbors traffic to survive, at least at the beginning. Rent considerations were secondary, since the center was bought “right,” so we could make it work.

So here’s the type of retailers I’d want to start a turnaround with: (not in any order of importance) Five Below (if I couldn’t get them, then Dollar Tree), MJM Shoes or DSW would be excellent draws; While I’d love a Barnes & Noble or Borders, realistically I can probably do a Book Warehouse or Books-A-Million deal. Stein Mart would also be an excellent draw, as would Guitar City. Add to the list Children’s Place, Ann Taylor Loft, Radio Shack, Causal Male, Dress Barn, Fashion Barn, Mandees, HomeGoods, Sleepy’s, Verizon and in a rear, outside location, the Post Office (a great draw from 9-to-5), Hancock Fabrics/JoAnn’s, David’s Bridal, Cato Fashion, Deb Shops, K&G Men’s Center, Hobby Lobby, Party City, Shoe Carnival, Famous Brand Shoes, Petland, Wood Workers Warehouse, Sally Beauty, Dot’s, Eastern Mountain Sports and I could go on and on. As far as food, I’d want a 10,000 sq.ft. Chinese restaurant or Old Time Buffet, they’ll cater to my immediate customers and are in the right price points. I can afford to do a deal with the Chinese restaurant, but can’t afford a “Friday’s” deal. I’d also want a large and well merchandised nursery somewhere on the outside of the property.

What I chose are both strip and mall tenants (in today’s world, most retailers are bi-center…(the political correct way of saying it. Ann corrected me; they go either way) and few of the retailers I mentioned are high rent payers. I picked the retailer based on tenant mix and their ability to draw customers into the center on their own. Neither JoAnn Fabrics nor Hancock are high-volume retailers, but they are “unique,” not usually found at every street corner and command a high degree of loyalty from their customers. All are destination-oriented tenants, which in the long run will strengthen the entire center. Few of these retailers are considered “trophy” tenants, but they can all do a lot of good for the right center.

Non-category killers, such as a Petland, are good traffic builders for a center. Parents bring in their children to show the “mini-zoo” to their children and animal lovers of all types can’t resist the cute rabbits in the front window. The buzz word of our industry today is Lifestyle Centers, but isn’t a pet shop part of a “lifestyle,” as is a fabric store or hobby shop or a “Guitar City,” a well-merchandised nursery definitely adds to my center’s “lifestyle” and we’ve dont it on the “cheap.” Maybe they’re not all high end merchants but they bring in a dedicated customer willing to spend time and money.

Now in all probability, we won’t get the account since I’m taking an unorthodox approach, and all owners would rather hear that we’re going after the Limited instead of Dots. And in the perfect world I agree, but we don’t live in a perfect world. First, the Limited builds-out costs a fortune and second they are already in every mall within 10 miles. So, while we are making it more convenient for some customers to come to “our” center, the drawing power is probably limited to three miles, while a “Guitar City” will draw customers from a larger radius. Problem centers can’t compete with their successful neighbors, they have to complement and that’s why leasing and marketing have to take a non-traditional approach.

Let me ask you this question, “Are you motivated to achieve
great accomplishments in your life?” The following are ten
action steps you can apply today to achieve more success in
in your life:

1. Positive Affirmations

Our subconscious mind is a wonderful tool for success or
failure. It will do what we tell it to do. It all depends on what thoughts we feed it. So why not feed your inner mind with
only positive thoughts. The following are some examples of
positive affirmations you can feed your inner mind for
success:

* “Today, I will win because I have faith, courage and enthusiasm.”

* “I see failure only as a signpost on my road to success.”

* “When I feel stress, I will relax and release my stress before I take on my next task.”

* “I always write down my priorities, thinking of my
responsibilities. I may not get everything done, but I will do the most productive thing possible at every given moment.”

* “I am a winner, I work for a winning organization, and because of my contribution and cooperation we will keep on winning.”

* “Today, I will see opportunity in every challenge offered to me.”

2. Positive Language

Recent research has come out that 75% of daily conversation
is negative. Whether it is the words we use or the body
language, we need to communicate in a positive manner all
the time.

The following are some examples of how you can turn
negative words into positive communication:

* Instead of saying “problem,” call it “opportunity.”

* Instead of an action being a “failure,” describe it as a
“learning experience.”

* Instead of “I have to,” say “I choose to.” This gives control for your actions back to you.

* Instead of saying, “There’s nothing I can do,” say, “Let’s look at our alternatives.”

* Instead of saying, “That’s just the way I am,” say, “I choose a different approach.”

* Instead of saying, “He makes me so mad,” say, “I control my own feelings.”

If you notice, by using the positive response, you have control over your actions and life.

3. Exercise

A Gallup survey found the following among men and women
who have taken up exercise recently:

* 66 percent report a more relaxed life

* 62 percent a new surge of energy

* 55 percent less stress

* 51 percent better looks

* 46 percent more confidence

* 45 percent better love life

* 44 percent greater job satisfaction

* 37 percent more creative on their jobs

These are great motivators to exercise! Next time you feel
demotivated, give your body a workout. Recent research
reports that as little as fifteen minutes three times a week has
profound effects. Get moving. Get motivated.

4. Take Risks

We all live our lives in comforts zones, avoiding risky
situations, avoiding the potential to fail. It’s real safe for us.
But in order to get ahead of your competition and master the
ongoing change in your life, you must go out of your
comfort zone. Start one step at a time. Try that little new
thing, that different approach. It could be as simple as taking
different routes to and from work. Once in a while I like to
“take the road less traveled” to stir up my creative juices.
Then, keep stepping out of your zone. It may seem
uncomfortable at first. But the more you do it, the more it will
seem natural and you will see an increase in your creative
juices and opportunities you never thought about before.

5. Positive Reading

Read about the lives of successful people. Make sure you
read only those people that embrace the timeless values that
make them truly successful through the ages. Not the
“success today, scandal tomorrow” success stories that we
are experiencing today. People like Herb Kelleher of
Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith of Federal Express, Mary Kay
Ash of Mary Kay, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln,
Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are good
examples. These are people who overcame enormous
challenges, created real value for others, or changed other
people’s lives for the better.

6. Positive Visualizations

Condition yourself to paint your vision for success. One of
the best ways to do this is the following:

* Go to a quiet place in your home or elsewhere. Turn off all radios, televisions, etc.

* Find a comfortable chair and get into a relaxed state of mind.

* Start thinking about one goal you want to accomplish. Remember, visualize as if you are already accomplishing this goal.

* Visualize taking all the necessary steps to successfully
complete these goals. The better your visualization, where you can actually see, feel, hear, and touch your vision, the more real it is to you.

* Visualize any challenges to your successful completion of this goal and how you will eliminate this challenges.

* Visualize how good it feels to complete this goal. Visualize what benefits it will bring to you, your family, friends, co-workers, etc. Enjoy the moment!

Important: If you don’t take time to see it, it won’t happen!

7. Think Big

See the big picture in everything we do. So much of our time
is wasted dealing with the unimportant things in our lives
(what that person said or did, the driver who cut us off this
morning, and activities which don’t add value to our lives,
etc.) that we forget about the big picture. We were put on
this earth to make a difference. We make a difference for our
families, our communities, our organizations, and for
ourselves. All of our actions must be put into action with
this concept in mind. Think a little bigger today than
yesterday, and you’ll create a better future tomorrow.
Thinking big leads to great actions. Thinking small leads to
small results. So Think BIG!

8. Set Goals

The fastest way to fail in life is to not set clear goals. Set
goals in the financial, family, health, spiritual, and career
areas. Your goals must incorporate the SMART techniques
or else it’s just a “conversation in the park.”

* S for specific

* M for measurable

* A for attainable

* R for realistic

* T for time-based

For example, you might have a goal of achieving $2 million
for retirement in twenty years. After doing your research, a
SMART goal would be the following:

“I will acquire $2 million dollars for retirement by 2024. I will
do this by contributing $20K, or $1667 per month, to my
various retirement funds each year. Of the $20k each year,
$2k will go to my IRA, and $18K will go into my
organization’s retirement program.”

Remember the most detail you can add, the more realistic
your goal becomes.

9. Positive Appearance

Super achievers are very careful about their appearance and
their movements. They know that looking good translates
into feeling good. Billy Crystal, of Saturday Night Live and
movie fame, once played a character that was known for
saying, “It is better to look good than to feel good.” What
he was really implying was the “fake it until you make it”
concept. In other words, if we are feeling down, then think
positively and your mind will tell your body to follow suit
and act positively. Also always dress the part of an
achiever. Model the dress, actions, and behaviors of
someone who is successful and embraces the long term
values of successful people. This will also tell your mind that
I am an achiever.

Don’t let that be the deciding factor on being motivated.
You can easily distinguish those who are motivated from
those who are not motivated just by looking at their
appearance and their movements. The motivated move
forward, onward and upward with confidence.

10. Helping Others

Develop an obsession to help others. Share your special
talents without expecting a reward, payment, or
commendation. And above all else, keep your good deed a
secret.

You know what, it you apply the helping techniques to
others, it will automatically come back to you tenfold in a
number of ways. First, the enjoyment of knowing that a
special talent you had made someone else’s life better.
Second, because you didn’t seek it, word will spread about
you and your deeds. This will be translated into unexpected
riches and opportunities. Third, you will gain a new level of
confidence in knowing that you can make a difference.
Super achievers find motivation and meaning by helping
others.

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success
coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress
management, customer service, and team building. You can
e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at
(757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,
http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for his newsletter,
OnPoint, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint, and receive
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