Posts by Early to Rise
Success Story
The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy. Suddenly, an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling…
Read MoreHow to Get People to Listen to You
“A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end, he may disagree sharply, but because he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with.” – Kenneth A. Wells Most people, most of the time, are more than willing to listen to what you…
Read MoreThree Essential Rules for Fast Learning
“Never believe on faith, see for yourself! What you yourself don’t learn you don’t know.” – Bertolt Brecht (The Mother, 1932) If you want to learn a complicated subject quickly and completely, you need to follow three rules: 1. Learn less, but learn it. My big problem with learning is that I want to…
Read MoreDont Sugarcoat Your Criticism
“We are all jellyfish, too pitiful and too afraid of being disliked to be honest.” – May Sarton (“Monday, January 19th,” The House by the Sea: A Journal, 1977) In Message #745 (“For Best Results, Make Your Performance Reviews Frank, Positive, and Specific”), I talked about why you shouldn’t “polish the truth” when giving…
Read MoreEnjoy the Subtle Pleasures of Keeping a Daily Journal
“If you would not be forgotten, / As soon as you are dead and rotten, / Either write things worthy of reading, / Or do things worth the writing.” – Benjamin Franklin (Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1738) One of the consistent small pleasures in my life — something I recommend to you — is keeping…
Read MoreHook Your Prospect in the First 25 Words
Want to write something that will grab a reader’s attention and get them—and keep them—reading? Then pick up a copy of Leads & Conclusions by Marshall J. Cook. One interesting tip he offers comes from the Direct Mail Marketing Association. They wanted to find the point where people stop reading a direct mail solicitation. And…
Read MoreHow To Be Convincing When Pitching a New Idea
“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.” – Edmund Burke (Reflections on the Revolution in France, 1790) When pitching a project, you’ll increase your chances of success if you draw a simple and compelling picture of the benefits it will bring. Of the benefits…
Read MoreHow to Start Your Own Multi-Million-Dollar Catalog Business
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin. Boldness has genius, power, and umagic in it.” – Goethe SL and his wife began their catalog business together 15 years ago with a tiny display ad for a reading lamp — and have grown it into one of the largest and most impressive businesses…
Read MoreSix Ways to Find the Time You Need to Achieve Your Dream
“Modern man thinks he loses something — time — when he does not do things quickly; yet he does not know what to do with the time he gains — except kill it.” – Erich Fromm (The Art of Loving, 1956) “How many of you get up at 5:30?” I asked the 60 students who…
Read MoreWhat Makes for a Well-Lived Life?
“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.” – Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, 1974) The New York Times recently ran an obituary on a doctor named Salvator Altcheck. He had died the previous weekend…
Read MoreBoost Your Creativity with “The Mozart Effect”
“A verbal art like poetry is reflective; it stops to think. Music is immediate; it goes on to become.” – W.H. Auden (“Notes on Music and Opera,” The Dyer’s Hand, 1962) Researchers have discovered many interesting things about the effects of classical music — especially Mozart’s — on the brain. For example: * In…
Read MoreA Prescription for Happiness
“The reason why so few good books are written is that so few people who can write know anything.” – Walter Bagehot Adam Phillips is a fully fledged ETR. He gets up at 4:30 a.m. every morning to do research and work on a massive project: a digest of the 24-volume “Complete Works of Sigmund…
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