Success Requires Some Risk

Success requires risk, and risk requires guts. Success demands that you stretch your boundaries and challenge your limits. History honors the daring but forgets the fainthearted. Virtually all of the great achievements in human history are the result of risk-taking. Every successful venture, breakthrough innovation, and technological advance was achieved because someone took a risk.

The rewards of risk are enormous, but most people never dare to embrace it. Why? Because every risk carries the possibility of failure. That's what immobilizes most people. They're just plain scared to fail. But if you don't attempt great things you will never achieve greatness.

When Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca reflected on the risks he took in business, he observed, "I have to take risks every day. I'd rather not, but the world doesn't give you that option. You're never going to get what you want out of life without taking some risks."

When you enter into a risky venture, there are specific steps you can use to minimize the possibility of failure. Here's an acronym to help you remember how to master RISK-taking:

Research: Never incur blind risk. Before taking any significant risk, gather all relevant information. Assess the potential for both gain and loss. Your research should provide a big-picture summary of the probability of success and the possibility of failure. Make sure the probability of gain outweighs the possibility of loss.

Invest: Count the cost. Never risk what you can't afford to lose. There's no such thing as "risk-free" success. Your risk will cost you in time, energy, and money. Know what you will need to invest, and be prepared to pay up.

Strategize: What are the exact steps you need to take to make your venture succeed? What people or organizations should you involve? How will you market your product or service? These are the fundamental questions that your success rides on. Most people attempt to strategize after they've incurred risk. By then it's too late. Formulate your strategy at the beginning so you can hit the ground running--not just hit the ground.

Know your critics are wrong: There will be plenty of people who believe your idea is impossible, who swear it can never be done. The same thing was said to every great innovator, from Ben Franklin to Bill Gates. Opposition cannot be avoided, but it can be transcended. Refuse to listen to negative, critical people.

If you've followed these keys and feel you are facing a wise risk, go for it.

Don't be intimidated. The thrill of a lifetime awaits you. Go ahead ... Jump!


To learn your credit score or find ways to improve your score, as well as financial advice and credit repair - go to Credit-Score for free information and links.

Merry Christmas!

Today is not a day to be doing any kind of work and if you are stop what you're doing right now.

Christmas is a time to be with loved ones and to give thanks for all the good things that have happened in your life in 2006.

Believe me, even if you think this year was unkind to you, you're still better off than most. Many in the third world don't even have any food to eat or a place to call their own.

Give thanks for your family, friends and all that you have. Merry Christmas to everyone and a very happy new year as well!

Experience Builds Immunity to Stress

It's long been known that experiencing control over a stressor immunizes a rat from developing a depression-like syndrome when it later encounters stressors that it can't control. Now, scientists funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have unraveled the workings of the brain circuitry that inoculates against such hard knocks – the circuitry of resilience.

Control not only activated the brain's executive hub, the prefrontal cortex, but also altered it so that it later activated even when the stressor was not controllable. This activation turned off mood-regulating cells in the brainstem's alarm center. The immunizing effect was so powerful that even a week later, when confronted with an uncontrollable stressor, the cells behaved as if the stressor was controllable and the rat was protected.

"It's as if the original experience with control leads the animal to later have the illusion of control even when it's absent, thereby producing resilience in the face of challenge," explained NIMH grantee Steven Maier, Ph.D., University of Colorado. "The prefrontal cortex is necessary for processing information about the controllability of stressors as well as applying this information to regulate responses to subsequent stressors."

A report on this first study exploring the neural mechanisms by which an initial experience with a controllable stressor can block the later behavioral effects of an uncontrollable stressor, by Maier, Jose Amat, Ph.D., and colleagues, appears in the December 20, 2006 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

"Lack of control over stressful life experiences has been implicated in mood and anxiety disorders," noted NIMH Director Thomas Insel, M.D. "Understanding how the brain encodes the experience of control to protect against such adverse consequences should help us develop better treatments for these disorders."

Rats exposed to uncontrollable stress develop a syndrome similar to depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in which they lose the ability to learn how to escape stressors and behave more fearfully.

Maier's research team had last year reported that the prefrontal cortex quelled the brainstem center's alarmist tendencies. The current study sought to pinpoint how and when the cortex influenced the alarm center to produce the stress immunity.

The researchers chemically inactivated the cortex at critical stages of experiencing and reacting to controllable and uncontrollable stress while measuring neurotransmitter activity and gene expression in cells of the alarm center via chemical monitoring and brain mapping techniques. Increased secretion of serotonin (a mood regulating chemical) and gene expression in the alarm center, as well as the depression-like behavioral changes, no longer occurred following an uncontrollable stressor, if a controllable stressor had been experienced as much as a week earlier.

When the prefrontal cortex was experimentally turned off during the controllable stressor, the animal failed to develop such immunity. Similarly, turning the cortex area off prior to the uncontrollable stress also abolished the usually protective effect of a prior controllable stress experience. Thus, the prefrontal cortex was required both at the time of the initial control experience and then later at the time of challenge for protection to occur.

"Perceived control, or coping, can buffer individuals against the negative emotional and physiological impact of stress," said Maier. "Enhancing the cortex's control over brainstem and other stress-responsive structures appears to be critical for preventing and treating mood and anxiety disorders."

To learn your credit score or find ways to improve your score, as well as financial advice and credit repair - go to Credit-Score for free information and links.

Discover the "Secret"

Every so often a self-help book, CD or video comes out and actually delivers on its promise of changing your life for the better - provided you apply what it tells you too.

You may or may not have heard of the movie, "The Secret."

The story centers around a woman who finds a book with the hidden secret of life in it. She then goes online to find others that know the secret and what follows turns from a fictional story into a documentary with interviews of successful people like Joe Vitale, John Assaraf, Bob Proctor and many more explaining in detail what the secret is and how it can change your life if you use it.

I for one was blown away when I watched it. I knew what the secret was, but it was never explained so clearly and concisely before. You will come away from this with a whole new perspective on life and your incredible potential.

I truly believe that if people follow the wisdom contained in the movie
and apply the knowledge they've learned - "The Secret" could have a greater impact than even "Think and Grow Rich" has had in changing lives for the better.

The producers of film have put the entire movie online on Google Video for free. So as a special treat for my readers here, I have embedded the film onto my site.

Watch the movie, listen and apply what you learn and I guarantee, your life will never be the same again.




To learn your credit score or find ways to improve your score, as well as financial advice and credit repair - go to Credit-Score for free information and links.

The Five Worst Foods to Consume

Leading nutritionists recently got together and a list of the five most damaging foodstuffs for humans.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Sweet carbonated soft drinks. In fact, they are designed to cause thirst instead of quenching it. All of them have huge sugar content; a glass of cola contains an equivalent of five tablespoons of sugar.

2. Potato chips are sheer poison, especially those made of potato puree. The chips are basically a mixture of carbohydrates and fat with some artificial food additives thrown in to enhance flavor.

3. Sweet candy bars. A high content of sugar combined with various food additives makes this high-calorie food pretty addictive.

4. Frankfurters, kielbasa, mortadella, pates and other foodstuffs containing the so-called hidden fat. The foods are disguised as meat yet they are actually made of lard, internal fat and pork skin up to 40% by the weight. A variety of food additives helps do the trick.

5. Meats with high fat content, especially when fried.

To learn your credit score or find ways to improve your score, as well as financial advice and credit repair - go to Credit-Score for free information and links.

Happy People Are Healthier People

Happiness and other positive emotions play an even more important role in health than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine by Carnegie Mellon University Psychology Professor Sheldon Cohen. The paper will be available online at www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/

This recent study confirms the results of a landmark 2004 paper in which Cohen and his colleagues found that people who are happy, lively, calm or exhibit other positive emotions are less likely to become ill when they are exposed to a cold virus than those who report few of these emotions.

In that study, Cohen found that when they do come down with a cold, happy people report fewer symptoms than would be expected from objective measures of their illness. In contrast, reporting more negative emotions such as depression, anxiety and anger was not associated with catching colds.

That study, however, left open the possibility that the greater resistance to infectious illness among happier people may not have been due to happiness, but rather to other characteristics that are often associated with reporting positive emotions such as optimism, extraversion, feelings of purpose in life and self-esteem.

Cohen's recent study controls for those variables, with the same result: The people who report positive emotions are less likely to catch colds and also less likely to report symptoms when they do get sick. This held true regardless of their levels of optimism, extraversion, purpose and self-esteem, and of their age, race, gender, education, body mass or prestudy immunity to the virus.

"We need to take more seriously the possibility that positive emotional style is a major player in disease risk," said Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon.

The researchers interviewed volunteers over several weeks to assess their moods and emotional styles, and then infected them with either a rhinovirus or an influenza virus. The volunteers were quarantined and examined to see if they came down with a cold. This was the same method Cohen applied in his previous study, but with the addition of the influenza virus.


To learn your credit score or find ways to improve your score, as well as financial advice and credit repair - go to Credit-Score for free information and links.

New Report: Give PPC the Finger

I just got an email about Keith Baxter's Free Report called - "Give PPC the Finger"

I will admit, like you may be feeling now, that I thought it was some hyped up offer to get me to join for free and get some offer...

...Turns out I was wrong. Way wrong.

The bottom line is, this report really opened my eyes. The good news is, the report also shows you what you need to know to succeed in the near future.

The times are changing and I it would be a shame for anyone to not read this report and fail like many will.

I read it, and I wanted to share it with you ASAP.

If you are involved in anyway in earning money online, then you should read this report. I recommend you take a break from whatever it is you are doing, if you can, and get access to this report now.

Consider your future online success by going here now...

Give PPC the Finger


PS - Keith says it will only be available for a few weeks at most so do not delay...

Getting Out From the Debt Trap

Do you dream of living without the burden of excessive debt hanging over your head? It's possible, but not easy. Living debt free requires financial discipline, all the time. To become debt free and maintain a debt free life, try the following three steps:

1. Get rid of existing debt. This is obviously your first step to living a debt free lifestyle. Cut up any credit cards that you currently have in your wallet, purse, or desk drawer and do not apply for or accept any other cards. Pay your bills on time, sending as much as possible to one account while paying the minimum due on all of your other accounts until the account is paid off. Do this until all of your debt has been paid off.

2. Create a budget. Every single person who lives without debt has a financial budget and follows it. Without budgeting for expenses and incidentals, people overspend on unnecessary items and then when things just "happen" unexpectedly, (otherwise known as unplanned for expenses) these individuals rely on credit cards to make ends meet. Make a list of every monthly expense you can think of. Then, make another list of every incidental expense that you pay throughout the year but not necessarily on a monthly basis. If you usually get 3 oil changes a year at $20 a piece, you need to plan for $60 a year for oil changes, which is the equivalent of $5 per month. Once you have a comprehensive list, subtract your total monthly expenses from your total monthly income and see what is left over. Be sure you include savings accounts in your "expenses." Pay yourself first is a good rule to live by. If there is still money left over, congratulations! Use it to pay more on each individual account until everything is fully paid off, or invest in IRA, 401K's, or even a money market account with high interest rates to help your money earn more money.

3. Avoid credit like the plague. Make all of your purchases with cash and you will never fall into the debt trap again.

Manage Your Money

As you are starting the process to a debt free life, you should be extremely mindful as to where your money is going. It's important that you track your spending habits for a period of time in order to see where money is being wasted, or where you can cut costs without completely changing your lifestyle. Keep a notebook where you list every single item you purchase, including the amount you paid, where you purchased it, and the reason. Include all bills that were paid, how much you paid, and how much you still owe.

After a few months of tracking your spending habits, you will be able to determine exactly where all of your money is going, and you may be surprised at how much your little purchases are adding up and eating away at money you could be using to pay off debt to enjoy a debt free lifestyle! That cup of coffee you grab every morning on the way to work could be costing you $10 or more each week- about $40 per month, and brewing your own coffee at home could save you considerably since you can purchase a can of coffee for about $4 and it will last you about a month!

How to Remain Debt Free after Recovery

One of the biggest mistakes people make after making a financial recovery is to allow themselves to fall back into old habits and get into debt. Before they know it, they have racked up another few thousand in credit bills, and they are heading down the same path to having a desperate situation where they just can't make their payments on time each month.

You do not need to have credit cards in your wallet. Yes, it is a very odd feeling to go from having several cards available to you to none, but it is the safest way to avoid overspending. You may want to keep one credit card in a safe place in your home, for purchases that do require a credit card.

Think long and hard before using the card, and if it is possible to buy it with cash, than do that instead. A credit card should not be used for every purchase, nor should it be used when you want to buy something unnecessary that you don't have enough cash to purchase.

If you want a luxury item, save your money until you can buy it- if after several months of saving you decide you don't need it, then you have saved the money on an item you previously may have purchased on a credit card, discovered you didn't really need or want it, and then had to pay back three to four times what the item is worth after all the interest and finance charges were added.


To learn your credit score or find ways to improve your score, as well as financial advice and credit repair - go to Credit-Score for free information and links.

Successful Living Podcast 5: The 3 Ways to Create Wealth

The Successful Living Podcast is a show designed to give honest advice about what it takes to succeed in the game of life. The Successful Living podcast will feature discussions on various self-improvement and business building topics.

In this podcast you'll discover the only three ways to create wealth.

This podcast runs a little over 11 minutes and provides important information that any success seeker needs to hear and reaffirm in their own lives.

You can listen to the show in streaming media here.

Or you can download the podcast by clicking here.


To learn your credit score or find ways to improve your score, as well as financial advice and credit repair - go to Credit-Score for free information and links.

Stop Struggling Online - Make Money Selling Other People’s Stuff

You have probably heard before that the easiest way to get started making money online is to sell other people’s products.

But how do you actually get started?

You could literally spend hundreds of hours trying to get to grips with affiliate marketing, as it’s called, but basically all you need to do is find the best products to promote and start sending people to them.

The biggest site to help you do this is ClickBank and there are now thousands of people making a lot of money just by promoting other people’s products that can be found on ClickBank.

You can get up and running in minutes and start making your own passive income stream for your future and the best place for you to start is to get the free report called “Cheney’s ClickBank Report” that shows you HOW to get started. It will save you a lot of time and help you avoid the mistakes and dead-ends that can rob you of your precious time and resources.

You can get the free ClickBank Report here;

http://www.cheneysclickbankreport.com


To learn your credit score or find ways to improve your score, as well as financial advice and credit repair - go to Credit-Score for free information and links.

Emotions Drive Irrational Decisions

Irrational behaviour arises as a consequence of emotional reactions evoked when faced with difficult decisions, according to new research at UCL (University College London), funded by the Wellcome Trust. The UCL study suggests that rational behaviour may stem from an ability to override automatic emotional responses, rather than an absence of emotion per se.

It has long been assumed in classical theories of economics that people act entirely rationally when taking decisions. However, it has increasingly become recognized that humans often act irrationally, as a consequence of biasing influences. For example, people are strongly and consistently affected by the way in which a question is presented. An operation that has 40 per cent probability of success seems more appealing than one that has a 60 per cent chance of failure.

In the study, published in the journal Science, UCL researchers used a gambling experiment to establish the cognitive basis for rational decision-making. The goal of the task was to accumulate as much money as possible, with the incentive of being paid in real money in proportion to the money won during the experiment. Participants were given a starting amount of money (£50) at the beginning of each trial.

They were then asked to choose between either a sure option or a gamble option (where they would have a certain chance of winning the entire amount, but also of losing it all). Subjects were presented with these choices under two different frames (i.e. scenarios), in which the sure option was worded either as the amount to be kept from the starting amount ("keep £20"), or the amount to be deducted ("lose £30"). The two options, although worded differently, would result in exactly the same outcome, i.e. that the participant would be left with £20.

The UCL study found that participants were more likely to gamble at the threat of losing £30 than the offer of keeping £20. On average, when presented with the "keep" option, participants chose to gamble 43 per cent of the time compared with 62 per cent for the "lose" option.

Furthermore, there was a marked difference in behaviour between participants. Some people adopted a more rational approach and gambled more equally and consistently under both frames, while others showed a real aversion to risk in the "keep" frame while at the same time displaying high risk-seeking behaviour in the "lose" frame.

Brain imaging revealed that the amygdala, a region thought to control our emotions and mediate the 'fight or flight' reaction, underpinned this bias in the decision process. Moreover, the UCL study revealed that people with more rational behaviour had greater brain activity in the prefrontal cortex, a region known to be involved in higher-order executive processes, suggesting that their brains are better able to incorporate their emotions into a more balanced reasoning process.

Mr Benedetto de Martino, of the UCL Institute of Neurology, says: "It is well known that human choices are affected by the way in which a question is phrased. For example, saying an operation carries an 80 per cent survival rate may trigger a different response compared to saying that an operation has a 20 per cent chance of dying from it, even though they offer exactly the same degree of risk.

"Our study provides neurobiological evidence that an amygdala-based emotional system underpins this biasing of human decisions. Moreover, we found that people are rational, or irrational, to widely differing amounts. Interestingly, the amygdala was active across all participants, regardless of whether they behaved rationally or irrationally, suggesting that everyone experiences an emotional reaction when faced with such choices. However, we found that more rational individuals had greater activation in their orbitofrontal cortex (a region of prefrontal cortex) suggesting that rational individuals are able to better manage or perhaps override their emotional responses."

To start your own resume writing business go to Write Powerful Resumes or to learn how to make lots of money by starting your own online business check out the Info Riches website.

Successful Living Podcast 4: Do You Expect Success?

The Successful Living Podcast is a show designed to give honest advice about what it takes to succeed in the game of life. The Successful Living podcast will feature discussions on various self-improvement and business building topics.

In this podcast, you'll find out how important it is to not just think about success in your life, but to expect it.

The podcast runs a little over 13 minutes and provides important information that any success seeker needs to hear and reaffirm in their own lives.

You can listen to the show in streaming media here.

Or you can download the podcast by clicking here.


To start your own resume writing business go to Write Powerful Resumes or to learn how to make lots of money by starting your own online business check out the Info Riches website.