Author: Mentor Ben Drake

The Geography of Success by Ron White

I will suggest to you that success has a lot to do with geography, although, perhaps not in the way you might think. I am not implying that success is a result of being in the right place at the right time. Rather it is about the geography of who you surround yourself with. To illustrate my point, take a moment to reflect on the history of the United States of America. While I believe that it is not up for debate that today the United States is the world's only superpower, how it achieved that status is obvious and yet often overlooked.

Geography has played a large part in the success of the United States. To the east and west are large oceans of protection. This cannot be overlooked as a major factor in the success of my country. What did Britain have to do in order to fight the colonists for control of the new world? They had to sail from England across the Atlantic! What did the Japanese have to do in order to attack Pearl Harbor? They had to bridge the distance of the Pacific, and if the Pacific Fleet was based instead on the West Coast of the mainland, would such an attack even have been possible?

There is no doubt about it—two mighty oceans of protection have served as barriers to forces hostile to the United States and acted as a buffer for the nation to grow and prosper unimpeded. To our north is Canada and to the south is Mexico. When the United States was in its infancy, Mexico was not considered an ally, yet today it definitely is. Therefore, the United States of America has walls of protection to its east and west in the form of massive bodies of water, and friendly neighbors to its north and south.

What do our neighbors to the north and south want for the United States? They want us to be militarily strong, economically prosperous and a symbol of strength in the world. Why do our neighbors want this for us? Make no mistake; it is not simply to see a friend prosper. These nations are very aware that the stronger we are, because of their proximity to us, the stronger they will be. In turn, it is in the national interest of the United States that Mexico and Canada are strong countries. Therefore, we will go out of our way to see that they are safe from foreign attack and that they remain prosperous nations.

Now, you see a couple of the reasons why the United States has prospered. We are surrounded by friendly neighbors and the safety of oceans. After you have examined the success of the United States, the next step is to look at the lives of those you know who are personally successful. I believe you will find the same marks of geography on their success.

What kinds of people do you find around successful people? What kinds of people are surrounding you? Do they desire for you to succeed or fail?

Where do you spend your free time? This is a geography question again. The geography of oceans has helped enable success for the United States. The geography of where you place yourself in your free time will also enable or disable your success. You must ensure that at least a portion of your geography is in an environment that enables learning. This can be done in a place to read or study.

You must ensure that at least a portion of your geography is in an environment that enables rest. This is any quiet and calm place where you can relax with your thoughts and recover for the work yet to come. A massage or a trip to the country are great examples of this type of geographical resting.

You must ensure that at least a portion of your geography is in an environment that enables health, strength and physical stamina. This could be accomplished at the gym, local track or simply jogging around your block. For your body to hold up to the test of success it must be in top shape.

Make no mistake, a nation surrounded by hostile neighbors constantly attacking or plotting its harm is going to be a nation constantly on the defensive and fighting simply to maintain the status quo. The nation surrounded by friendly geography has the potential to prosper beyond the wildest imaginations of its founders. You are no different than that nation. To ensure your success, constantly monitor your personal geography.

—Ron White

From Ron Whites newsletter, wow a powerful little article asking us who am I around?

Learn how to be successful

"When you compliment your children, praise them for inner qualities such as kindness, honesty and perseverance so they will strive to contribute to the world in meaningful ways."
Toni Schutta
Psychologist and Author of Get Parenting Help Now
From Insight of the Day emails

"So let your deepest desires direct your aim. Set your sights far above the 'reasonable' target. The power of purpose is profound only if you have a desire that stirs the heart."
Price Pritchett
Author of You2

Tom "Big Al" Schreiter here.

Here is your Mini-Report #5 from the "7 mini-reports of amazing, easy sentences that create new, hot prospects"

that I promised you.

Mini-Report #5:

Great signature files.

You don't have to just say easy sentences, you can write them too!

A cheap and easy way to send people to your home page is to use attention-getting signature files. Don't use boring signature files such as:

* The world's best home-based business opportunity

with lifestyle enhancement features. Go to

http://www.boringopportunitypage.com/1234/id=j2kt4

Now, that's bad.

Instead, use your imagination. Make a signature file that creates curiosity and interest.

Here are a few examples:

* Click here to see a picture of my wife's stomach.

* Click here to see a picture of my boss' face when

I told him I quit.

* Click here to see a picture of the new car I won.

* Click here to see how much weight I've lost this month.

* Click here to see my "before" and "after" picture.

* Click here to see a picture of my dog biting my ...

See the difference?

Your prospects will click on your signature file and will go to your sales page or testimonial page.

Did you notice how I started each sentence with:

"Click here to see a picture of ..."

There is magic in that phrase. You'll learn more about that magic later in the no-cost e-course on prospecting over the Internet.

Watch your inbox for more amazing, easy sentences from me that will create new, hot prospects.

- Tom "Big Al" Schreiter

SUCCESS Book Club Win Ch. 5: Prioritization

"The key is not to prioritize what is on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." —Stephen R. Covey

Winners—in Win author Frank I. Luntz's sense of the word as achievers—have the uncanny ability to prioritize: to separate what must be done from what should be done. They focus intensely on their priorities, and then pour all of their resources into those priorities.

Focusing on what must be done develops impeccable time management skills.

It's fun to be in management. You sit in your big office and people come to see you. But that takes time, a lot of time, and I finally decided that I wouldn't see people in my office any longer. If somebody came to see me, I would say, "Fine, I will be right down." And I would go meet them by the front desk to find out what they wanted—money, a job, whatever. I would stand and talk to them right there, it would take five minutes, and then I'd return to my office. But if they sit in your office, they are going to take five minutes just telling you what a beautiful office you have. By the time they get around to talking about what they want, it's a half hour or forty-five minutes later. That's not an efficient way to manage your time.

—Amway Founder Rich DeVos

Winning Trait: Winners develop time management skills to prioritize what must be done.

Articulating your priorities quickly is one of the most important components of communication. First words make impressions—impressions you have only a few precious seconds to make.

Winning Trait: Brevity is the hallmark of good communication.

Read more from SUCCESS Book Club Chapter 5 on the SUCCESS blog.