Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
The only way to guarantee financial independence
Today, you are going to make a commitment to make more money. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, does it? If you are ambivalent (see Word to the Wise, below), consider this: The only way to be truly independent – to not have to rely on relatives, friends, and the government for material support…
Read MoreNotes From Michael Masterson’s Journal: Airport Security
Almost everything about airport security is idiotic. The X-raying of shoes, the prohibition against cigarette lighters and cigar cutters, the puff machines, the random searches. Today, a wizened (see Word to the Wise, below) old Palm Beach County airport cop dressed me down for leaving my bags “unattended” while I got myself a coffee. Rather…
Read MoreBecome a More Powerful Leader
If you can learn to lead, you can conquer the world. You can accumulate wealth, amass power, and accomplish your most important goals. Today’s resolution is about becoming an effective leader – but not in the conventional sense (i.e. developing business management skills). I’d like to talk to you about developing personal power. Think about…
Read MoreFailures and Successes: Which Do You Remember?
“Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill When Bluebird K7 crashed in a lake in Coniston, England in 1967, it was the fastest speedboat in the world. Its pilot, Donald Campbell, radioed as the boat suddenly lurched up and tumbled over: “I can’t see anything – I’m…
Read MorePower and Persuasion
“A leader is a dealer in hope.” – Napoleon Bonaparte Throw three darts at the table of contents of any business magazine and chances are very good that you will have barbed an article on leadership. Unfortunately, most of them are based on half-baked notions and even a few potentially false ideas. When I think…
Read More#1559 – Mentors and Proteges
“My chief want in life is someone who shall make me do what I can.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Most of my achievements are the result of partnerships. Top on the list – of course – are my three spectacular children, products of a partnership with my spouse. My first $100-million-plus business was the result…
Read MoreAbout Your Growth and Marketing Strategy
“A businessman seeks to remake some part of the world in his own image, and in doing so succeeds in proportion to his vision, creativity, flexibility, and intelligence.” – Dan Ferris Let’s begin with a business principal that is behind many – if not most – of America’s greatest fortunes. It may be the most…
Read MoreRise Early and Catch the Golden Worm
I zonked out at 10:00 last night and woke up seven hours later. I got up and stepped into the shower. Forty-five minutes later, I was in the office. It’s 7 o’clock now, and I’ve already done 16 things. For me, going to bed before midnight had always been unthinkable. It was capitulating to a…
Read MoreHow to Accomplish Your Most Important Goals…Without Fail
Every January, I write down a set of goals. Some are financial. Some relate to my business. And some are personal. When I put my new list down on paper, I feel powerful and confident. Here are the things I will accomplish this year. Clean and simple. I imagine how I will feel when they…
Read MoreCan 10 Minutes Each Morning Really Change Your Life?
Why should you bother reading Early to Rise every morning? You’re a busy person and you’ve got other, more important, things to do. And so do I. That’s why I’ve designed ETR to be a quick read – one main message and three or four briefs – that you can read in about 10 minutes…
Read MoreAn Argument in Favor of Buying Chateaux – Or Anything Else
“The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.” – Henry Hazlitt Some of my friends have strong opinions about how other people should…
Read MoreFrom Madonna: Two Ways to Stay on Top
I admire Madonna. I really do. The woman is more than 40 years old and is still at the top of an industry that usually puts its leading ladies to pasture by the time they are old enough to vote. Madonna’s history of reinventing herself is well known. But her latest transformation into a sort…
Read More