Say Nothing but That Which Serves a Good Purpose

“Criticism should not be querulous and wasting, all knife and root-puller, but guiding, instructive, inspiring.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson If you’d like to make a major, powerful change in the way your team interacts, get them to agree to the following experiment. The Game: For a certain period of time (a month works well), everyone…

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Promise #3 for the New Year: To Put (or Keep) Something You’ve Always Wanted to Accomplish on Your List of New Year’s Resolutions

Surely you have a secret goal you’ve never accomplished. I’m not talking about some dream that involves luck (like winning the lottery) but an accomplishment of some kind — like writing a book or building a log cabin or learning to fly. Three years ago, when I first suggested that ETR readers identify and pursue…

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Be Healthier, Fitter, Lither, Leaner, and Stronger

“Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God and value it next to conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of, a blessing money can’t buy.” – Izaak Walton To accomplish your other goals — to live a full, productive, and happy life — you need a…

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6 Ways to Profit from Commodities

“Goodness is the only investment that never fails.” – Henry David Thoreau In the latest issue of the monthly communique that the Oxford Club sends to its members, Steve Sjuggerud says, “At a time when stocks appear both boring and expensive, commodities are hot and don’t look like they’re going to cool off anytime soon.”…

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Save As Much As $1,046,428…Simply by Moving to Another State

“Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress.” – Alfred A. Montapert About 20 years ago, I relocated from Washington, D.C. to Boca Raton, Florida because of a career opportunity I couldn’t resist. It was a reluctant move on my part. I didn’t like the lifestyle…

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Take Your Pick: Good Day or Bad Day

“You can’t expect to prevent negative feelings altogether. And you can’t expect to experience positive feelings all the time. The Law of Emotional Choice directs us to acknowledge our feelings but also to refuse to get stuck in the negative ones.” – Greg Anderson Every day you have a choice: Will it be a good…

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How to Become Virtuous in 7 Months

“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery I’ve been using Ben Franklin’s program to get rid of most of my most-persistent and vexing vices. You can do the same thing. The idea is to work on eliminating all…

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How Ronnie Bergeron Became a Millionair Using ETR Secrets

“It is not enough to aim; you must hit.” – Italian proverb Ronnie Bergeron grew up dirt-poor in the 1940s in Florida’s Everglades. Today, he is one of the state’s biggest landowners, one of its biggest road builders, and the owner of the biggest mining company in the U.S. He’s played a leading role in…

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How to Double Your Money Every Three Years

“No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” – William Blake To double your money every three years, you need an average yearly profit of about 26%. Does that number seem low to you? If so, do the math. A hundred dollars becomes $126 after the first year, $157 after the…

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How to Pay Back Loans and Earn Yourself Trust and Admiration

“Creditors are a superstitious sect, great observers of set days and times.” – Benjamin Franklin Ben Franklin, in his autobiography, tells the story of Ralph, a friend of his who had an affair with a young woman whom Ben admired. When Ralph moved to London, he left this woman in Franklin’s care. Franklin helped her…

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How Well Are Your Customers Being Treated?

“A thousand things advance; nine hundred and ninety-nine retreat: That is progress.” – Henri Frederic Amiel As a general rule, customer service today stinks. Little businesses tend to be sloppy and forgetful. Big businesses and organizations are even worse. They seem to have policies specifically designed to infuriate you. Trying to get satisfaction after some…

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