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One Minute Odd Job Tip

Don't wait for success, and don't wait for tomorrow! Live your life the way you want to live it. You are in charge of your schedule. You are in charge of who you hug, how much you smile, what you think about, and how much you learn. Of all the creatures on earth, only humans get to choose how we will live our lives. Don't blow it! Live well. Focus on the things that enrich your life. Learn. Grow. Every day, be happy.

>>> NEXT WEEK: A life of one’s own

Strictly Business: Three of Life's Essential Truths

This week, I've been reminded of three of life's most powerful truths. Each of them deserves a newsletter all by itself, and perhaps I should make a series out of them, but I can't wait to share them with you. Patience and waiting are not always a virtue, so I want to give you all three at once. I'll try to be clear and brief, so hold on!

Truth #1: "How we live our days is how we live our lives."

This quote from Annie Dillard is one of the most important things I know. Every week, I talk with people who say that "some day" they'll create the life they truly want, but they always have an excuse why they can't do it now. Right?

Obviously, some dreams require patience while we move toward them, but many of our most important dreams take no time at all! You can have them TODAY! Do you want a better relationship? Do you want to be more fit, have more energy, have more fun, or be more relaxed? Do you want more time with your kids or your parents? Would your ideal life involve more humor, more laughter, more love? Why are you waiting?

Reach out to someone you love. Read a good book. Go for a run, or get a massage. Tell a joke, hold someone's hand, send them a card. What are you waiting for? These things don't cost a penny, and they are available right now.

Whatever your ideal life looks like, move toward it this week. Take control! Set your alarm clock, adjust your schedule, and move toward your ideal life. The way you live your days is ultimately the way you live your whole life!

Truth #2: "We become what we think about most."

This quote has been credited to many people, from Aristotle to Marianne Williamson, so I don't know who said it first, but whoever first said it, it is TRUE!

The things we think about become the themes, the focus, and the center of our lives, and we control the things we think about, every day.

Right now, as you read this, think about the color blue. Now, think about elephants. Now, think about being sick, or being poor. See? You can think about love or success or fun or health or anything else you focus your thoughts upon. Is that all there is to "success"? Of course not! But focusing your thoughts on the things that enrich your life and make you happy can't hurt, either. The things we think about most, will surely influence the direction of our lives. Choose wisely!

Truth #3: "To have more, you must first become more."

This is a wonderful quote from my teacher and friend, Jim Rohn.

Alcoholics Anonymous defines insanity as "doing the same thing over and over, hoping for a different result", and yet that's what many of us do every day. We go to work with the same skills and the same attitudes we had last year, hoping for a different outcome. Or, we talk to our kids with the same tone of voice and using the same words, but hoping for a different response. That is crazy!

To change your outer life, first change your inner life. Improve your skills. Read more and better books. Take classes. Listen to tapes. Get a coach or talk with experts. Take notes. Try a new way, or a new approach.

The biggest challenges in life are not to be successful in business or to become famous, or to win first prize in some contest. Those things are fun and valuable, too, but the BIG pieces in life are living well, fulfilling our potential, and making a difference.

Don't wait for success, and don't wait for tomorrow! Live your life the way you want to live it. You are in charge of your schedule. You are in charge of who you hug, how much you smile, what you think about, and how much you learn. Of all the creatures on earth, only humans get to choose how we will live our lives. Don't blow it! Live well. Focus on the things that enrich your life. Learn. Grow. Every day, be happy.

An Odd Job You May Never Have Considered:

He Farms 35 Hours a Week By Himself and Makes 6 Figures as a small vegetable farm— (S Quadrant¹)

This week I saw a video about a guy who is managing a vegetable farm in about 35 hours a week and makes 6 figures a year.

It’s a captivating video even if you can’t imagine being a professional gardener.

My take-aways form this video.

• Design your life the way you want it

• Don’t necessarily do things the way it is “normally” done

• Debt is NOT needed for a great business

This video is on YouTube and a great 20 minutes of watching.

This Weeks Quotes:

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.

—Albert Einstein

The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels.

—Hazrat Inayat Khan

The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.

—Albert Einstein

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.

—Eleanor Roosevelt

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

—Colin Powell

A Book for Success — This is an oldy, but a goody. I really need to pick up a copy and read it again. What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School: Notes from a Street-smart Executive by Mark H. McCormack. This man almost single handedly developed something we all take for granted today, Sports Endorsements. When you see an athlete donning his uniform or whatever he wears while playing, and yo see Coca Cola, or Verizon Wireless on his clothes, they are being paid to do that. Mark McCormack did a lot to develop that industry.

Granted it’s literally been over 25 years since I held this book in my hand, but it was a fun read and really opens your mind to looking for possibilities that you mat never have thought of.

It’s full of first hand stories of how he got certain athletes on board and the deals he got for them. As the name of the book implies, it’s not about
inside the box thinking”

I just looked and yo can still get this book in Paperback, Hard Cover or even Kindle at Amazon.

Humor — The following questions and answers were (supposedly) collated from an SAT test given in Springdale, Arkansas to 16 year old students, who knows, but they are snarfy and fun

Q: Name the four seasons.

A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.

A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?

A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: What is a planet?

A: A body of earth surrounded by sky.

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?

A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Q: What are steroids?

A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?

A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Q; Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.

A: Premature death.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour?

A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What is the Fibula

A: A small lie.

Q: What does "varicose" mean?

A: Nearby.

Q: What is a seizure?

A: A Roman emperor.

Q: What is a terminal illness?

A: When you are sick at the airport.

Q: Give an example of a fungus. What is its characteristic feature?

A: Mushrooms. They always grow in damp places and so they look like umbrellas.

Q: What does the word "benign" mean?

A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.

Q: What is a turbine?

A: Something an Arab wears on his head.

Q: What is a Hindu?

A: It lays eggs.

Some Random Final Thoughts— Do more than say “Some Day….”

This spring, develop a 90-day marketing plan that you personally love. Focus on your strengths, and the things that are easy for you to do. Think about your natural allies and partners, and invite them to work with you. Set a budget, commit to a plan, and stay the course. Decide to have your best year ever, and work your plan! This is not hard - it's easy, and it can be extremely profitable!

¹ Cashflow Quadrant references the book, Cashflow Quadrants, by Robert Kiyosaki. In a nutshell, there are four sources of income — “E” Employee, “S” Self-Employed, “B” Business and “I” Investor. We reference these quadrants at the beginning of each of the jobs we talk about in Odd Job Tips Newsletter. To see more about this concept, please refer to this issue of this newsletter.

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Disclaimer: All information in this newsletter is for entertainment purposes and should not be construed as financial, career, or any other kind of advice. Use any information from this newsletter at your own risk. C’mon, put on your big boy pants, and take personal responsibility for your own actions!

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