By: Brian Tracy
The Quality of Thoughtfulness
The ability to think and plan strategically is perhaps the most important single skill of the effective executive. In a longitudinal study of leaders who, in retrospect, made the best and most effective decisions, the single quality that stood out from all others was the quality of "thoughtfulness."
Thoughtfulness may be defined as a careful concern for the secondary consequences of each decision and each action. This is the essence of strategic thinking.
Your Most Powerful Tool
The most powerful tool that you as an executive have to bring to bear on your work is your mind - your thinking ability. Everything you do that sharpens and hones your ability to think with greater clarity before acting, will benefit you and help you to move upward and onward more rapidly in your career.
Use a Two Pronged Approach
The best way to approach strategic thinking is two pronged. This means to work simultaneously on the personal and the corporate.
Increase Your "Return On Energy"
In personal terms, strategic planning is an exercise in increasing "return on energy." Your greatest single asset is your earning ability. And your earning ability is nothing more than the total of the mental, emotional and physical energies that you can apply toward getting valuable results for yourself and your company.
Anything that you can do to increase your return on energy invested will increase your overall levels of effectiveness and contribution in every area of your life, especially, and most importantly in your work.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to increase your return on equity and your return on energy.
First, think about everything that you are doing in terms of its financial return to your organization. What are the things that you do that yield the highest return on equity? Whatever they are, do more of them.
Second, think in personal terms about the things you do that give you the highest return on energy. Where do you contribute the greatest value and achieve the greatest satisfaction? Whatever they are, do more of these things.
Monday, June 30, 2008
What One Thing Can Lose Clients Fast?
There is one simple thing that can lose potential clients fast. Once you have lost them due to this one thing, it is virtually impossible to ever get them back.
You can also lose your current clients with this one simple thing. Not only will it cause your clients to stop using your services but they will definitely not refer anyone to you. That is the power of this one simple thing.
This one simple thing is not keeping your word. It's saying you'll do something and then not doing it. Just suppose you say to a potential client, "I will send you that additional information tomorrow." Then tomorrow comes and goes and you get really busy and you don't send it until the day after. No big deal, you think to yourself as it's only one day late and it's not going to make a big difference. Yes, it probably does not make a difference to the potential client whether they get it tomorrow or the day after. However, if you don't do it when you said you would do it, it will make a HUGE difference to what the client thinks of you.
What do you think a potential client would think of you if you said you would do something, no matter how minor, and you did not do it? They could possibly think:
This person is unreliable. I can't trust them.
This person lacks integrity: their word is not their word.
I can't trust this person to do what they say they will do.
If they are not keeping their word on these simple things, can I trust what they are saying about their service?
If this is how they treat me before I become a client, then how will they treat me if I become a client?
I am obviously not that important to them.
Just suppose a current client calls you with a problem and you promise to call them back with a solution later that day. You get busy on another project and forget to call them. What do you think they might say to themselves about you? They could possibly say:
This person is unreliable and lacks integrity.
Now that I am a client, they obviously care less about me.
I am not going to buy any more services if this is how I'll be treated.
Is there someone else I can find to do this for me who is reliable?
I am definitely not going to refer anyone to them and risk my reputation.
So keeping your word is important not only for gaining new clients but also in keeping your current clients and gaining referrals.
Keeping your word is also important for how you think about you. If you don't keep your word, you take a hit on your own confidence and self-esteem. You start to lose trust in yourself. This impacts all areas of your business and personal life.
When you have said you will do something by a certain date and something comes up preventing you from doing it, simply communicate and renegotiate as soon as possible. Communicate with the client, apologize, and get their confirmation that it is okay if you now complete it by date "x" instead.
Starting today, I urge you to honor your word with everyone no matter how small or apparently insignificant what you have committed to appears to be. Then start to observe how clients react and how you feel. Client attraction will be just one of the rewards. Let me know how you go.
You can also lose your current clients with this one simple thing. Not only will it cause your clients to stop using your services but they will definitely not refer anyone to you. That is the power of this one simple thing.
This one simple thing is not keeping your word. It's saying you'll do something and then not doing it. Just suppose you say to a potential client, "I will send you that additional information tomorrow." Then tomorrow comes and goes and you get really busy and you don't send it until the day after. No big deal, you think to yourself as it's only one day late and it's not going to make a big difference. Yes, it probably does not make a difference to the potential client whether they get it tomorrow or the day after. However, if you don't do it when you said you would do it, it will make a HUGE difference to what the client thinks of you.
What do you think a potential client would think of you if you said you would do something, no matter how minor, and you did not do it? They could possibly think:
This person is unreliable. I can't trust them.
This person lacks integrity: their word is not their word.
I can't trust this person to do what they say they will do.
If they are not keeping their word on these simple things, can I trust what they are saying about their service?
If this is how they treat me before I become a client, then how will they treat me if I become a client?
I am obviously not that important to them.
Just suppose a current client calls you with a problem and you promise to call them back with a solution later that day. You get busy on another project and forget to call them. What do you think they might say to themselves about you? They could possibly say:
This person is unreliable and lacks integrity.
Now that I am a client, they obviously care less about me.
I am not going to buy any more services if this is how I'll be treated.
Is there someone else I can find to do this for me who is reliable?
I am definitely not going to refer anyone to them and risk my reputation.
So keeping your word is important not only for gaining new clients but also in keeping your current clients and gaining referrals.
Keeping your word is also important for how you think about you. If you don't keep your word, you take a hit on your own confidence and self-esteem. You start to lose trust in yourself. This impacts all areas of your business and personal life.
When you have said you will do something by a certain date and something comes up preventing you from doing it, simply communicate and renegotiate as soon as possible. Communicate with the client, apologize, and get their confirmation that it is okay if you now complete it by date "x" instead.
Starting today, I urge you to honor your word with everyone no matter how small or apparently insignificant what you have committed to appears to be. Then start to observe how clients react and how you feel. Client attraction will be just one of the rewards. Let me know how you go.
What is Bond ?
1. Bonds are fancy IOUs
Companies and governments issue bonds to fund their day-to-day operations or to finance specific projects. When you buy a bond, you are loaning your money for a certain period of time to the issuer, be it General Electric or Uncle Sam. In return, bond holders get back the loan amount plus interest payments.
2. Stocks do not always outperform bonds.
It is only in the post-World War II era that stocks so widely outpaced bonds in the total-return derby. Stock and bond returns were about even from about 1870 to 1940. And, of course, bonds were well in front in 2000, 2001 and 2002 before stocks once again took charge in 2003 and 2004.
3. You can lose money in bonds.
Bonds are not turbo-charged CDs. Though their life span and interest payments are fixed -- thus the term "fixed-income" investments -- their returns are not.
4. Bond prices move in the opposite direction of interest rates.
When interest rates fall, bond prices rise, and vice versa. If you hold a bond to maturity, price fluctuations don't matter. You will get back the original face value of the bond, along with all the interest you expect.
5. A bond and a bond mutual fund are totally different animals.
With a bond, you always get your interest and principal at maturity, assuming the issuer doesn't go belly up. With a bond fund, your return is uncertain because the fund's value fluctuates.
6. Don't invest all your retirement money in bonds.
Inflation erodes the value of bonds' fixed interest payments. Stock returns, by contrast, stand a better chance of outpacing inflation. Despite the drubbing stocks sometimes take, young and middle-aged people should put a large chunk of their money in stocks. Even retirees should own some stocks, given that people are living longer than they used to.
7. Consider tax-free bonds.
Tax-exempt municipal bonds yield less than taxable bonds, but they can still be the better choice for taxable accounts. That's because tax-frees sometimes net you more income than you'd get from taxable bonds after taxes, provided you're in the 28 percent federal tax bracket or higher.
8. Pay attention to total return, not just yield.
Returns are a slippery matter in the bond world. A broker may sell you a bond that is paying a "coupon" - or interest rate - of 6 percent. If interest rates rise, however, and the price of the bond falls by, say, 2 percent, its total return for the first year - 6 percent in income less a 2 percent capital loss - would be only 4 percent.
9. If you want capital gains, go long.
When interest rates are high, gamblers who want to bet that they'll head lower should buy long-term bonds or bond funds, especially "zeros." Reason: when rates fall, longer-term bonds gain more in price than shorter-term bonds. So you win big - scoring a large potential capital gain in addition to whatever interest the bond may be paying. If rates rise, on the other hand, you lose big, too.
10. If you want steady income, stick with short to medium terms.
Investors looking for income should invest in a laddered portfolio of short- and intermediate-term bonds. For more on laddered portfolios, see our "Sizing up risks."
Companies and governments issue bonds to fund their day-to-day operations or to finance specific projects. When you buy a bond, you are loaning your money for a certain period of time to the issuer, be it General Electric or Uncle Sam. In return, bond holders get back the loan amount plus interest payments.
2. Stocks do not always outperform bonds.
It is only in the post-World War II era that stocks so widely outpaced bonds in the total-return derby. Stock and bond returns were about even from about 1870 to 1940. And, of course, bonds were well in front in 2000, 2001 and 2002 before stocks once again took charge in 2003 and 2004.
3. You can lose money in bonds.
Bonds are not turbo-charged CDs. Though their life span and interest payments are fixed -- thus the term "fixed-income" investments -- their returns are not.
4. Bond prices move in the opposite direction of interest rates.
When interest rates fall, bond prices rise, and vice versa. If you hold a bond to maturity, price fluctuations don't matter. You will get back the original face value of the bond, along with all the interest you expect.
5. A bond and a bond mutual fund are totally different animals.
With a bond, you always get your interest and principal at maturity, assuming the issuer doesn't go belly up. With a bond fund, your return is uncertain because the fund's value fluctuates.
6. Don't invest all your retirement money in bonds.
Inflation erodes the value of bonds' fixed interest payments. Stock returns, by contrast, stand a better chance of outpacing inflation. Despite the drubbing stocks sometimes take, young and middle-aged people should put a large chunk of their money in stocks. Even retirees should own some stocks, given that people are living longer than they used to.
7. Consider tax-free bonds.
Tax-exempt municipal bonds yield less than taxable bonds, but they can still be the better choice for taxable accounts. That's because tax-frees sometimes net you more income than you'd get from taxable bonds after taxes, provided you're in the 28 percent federal tax bracket or higher.
8. Pay attention to total return, not just yield.
Returns are a slippery matter in the bond world. A broker may sell you a bond that is paying a "coupon" - or interest rate - of 6 percent. If interest rates rise, however, and the price of the bond falls by, say, 2 percent, its total return for the first year - 6 percent in income less a 2 percent capital loss - would be only 4 percent.
9. If you want capital gains, go long.
When interest rates are high, gamblers who want to bet that they'll head lower should buy long-term bonds or bond funds, especially "zeros." Reason: when rates fall, longer-term bonds gain more in price than shorter-term bonds. So you win big - scoring a large potential capital gain in addition to whatever interest the bond may be paying. If rates rise, on the other hand, you lose big, too.
10. If you want steady income, stick with short to medium terms.
Investors looking for income should invest in a laddered portfolio of short- and intermediate-term bonds. For more on laddered portfolios, see our "Sizing up risks."
Personal Development with a Purpose - By Paul Chek
There's an old saying that goes, "If you don't know where you're going, any path will take you there." The same is true of personal development. Everyone who starts down the path of personal development wants to grow -- to evolve into something more than when they began their journey. But figuring out just what path to take when you set out is a major challenge in and of itself.
As a holistic health practitioner, I'm a big fan of getting right to the heart of the matter. So the first thing I do when I meet with a new client who is ready to begin their quest for personal development is to ask them if they have a legacy.
What exactly does that mean?
Most of us have some sense of the meaning of the term "legacy." The common use of this word is backward looking.
Take this question: "What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?" In this case, a legacy is something like the achievements we're known for when we're gone. But this backward looking sense of a legacy is just a small part of what I'm after when I talk to clients about their legacy. After all, we're not planning for their funeral here!
The reason why I use the word "legacy" is that it focuses our attention on the whole picture and purpose of our lives. It's fantastic to have career goals, financial goals, or relationship goals, but oftentimes we tend to ignore the other aspects of our lives in favor of pursuing those particular achievements. This imbalance inevitably slows down our growth and frequently results in all sorts of health problems.
True personal development requires a holistic approach, one in which you've set out the ideal picture of your life and developed a goal structure that supports the achievement of that total life goal. Because a legacy just is your complete life's goal, having one is a crucial step in taking a holistic approach to personal development.
So one fantastic benefit to having a legacy is that it can help you to create and organize goals. It provides you with the ideal toward which all your efforts in life are directed. But having a well thought-out legacy offers so much more. As with any other project, there will always be distractions while you are working on yourself. We have habits to overcome, patterns of procrastination, people who need our time and energy, and so forth. The power of a legacy is that it can provide a very powerful tool to conquer those habits, steer clear of the procrastination, and to meet the needs of those around us without getting diverted.
In fact, the reason why these diversions can have such a pull on us is that we don't have any particular force guiding us in a direction that we truly want to go. But when your day is built around your legacy, those distractions become impotent. The short-term pleasures that procrastination offers pale in comparison to the potential of your legacy, and as long as you stick to your goals, you're always one day closer to realizing that dream.
Of course, the extent to which your legacy will help you to create and organize your goals and boost your motivation is going to depend upon how much detail you give to the picture of your ideal life. This picture of your legacy often develops over a long period of time, but you can get a decent handle on it by thinking about the following lifestyle components:
1) People. What kind of people do you value, feel comfortable with, get excited about spending time with?
2) Passion. What is it about life that enlivens you and fills you with energy?
3) Purpose. What is it that brings meaning to your life or gives you a sense of fulfillment?
4) Responsibilities. What kinds of responsibilities are you comfortable handling in your life, whether they be personal, professional, or spiritual?
5) Career. What manifestation of your abilities, purpose, and passion would best fulfill your career needs?
6) Values. Your values are your needs and desires, ranging from your most basic physical needs to those that dictate your relationships with your friends, loved ones, co-workers, and the environment at large. What are your values?
This list here certainly isn't exhaustive, but it's a good start. Not only will it help you to fill out the picture of your career, but the relationships you develop with yourself and your loved ones. At the C.H.E.K Institute and in my PPS Success Mastery Program we get into much greater detail as we help our clients find and create their legacies on a daily basis.
Because this picture you're developing is your life's goal, I recommend, just as with any goal, that you write it down. Or, if you are artistically driven, you can draw it, paint it, sculpt it, or make it physical in whatever way works best for you. However you do it, don't allow your legacy to remain just an idea! Your legacy will be much more motivating when you can look it in the face each and every day.
Knowing that you have a purpose and that you are living your purpose every day is a wonderful thing. It makes me spring out of bed each morning, energized and excited! How many people do you know that look forward to their day, every day, in that way? So take the time to map out your legacy today. You'll be giving yourself a path to personal development with a purpose, and that's a path to success!
About the Author:
Paul Chek is an internationally renowned holistic health practitioner, consultant to some of the world's most elite athletes and business professionals, and founder of PPS Success and the C.H.E.K Institute. His workshops and seminars have helped thousands of people from all walks of life to go after and reach their fullest potential.
Happiness-----Where to look
| By Dr Ken Onu Ladies and Gentlemen. Are you looking for happiness? |
Author's Bio Dr Ken Onu is the CEO and founder of Attract Freedom. An organization with the sole purpose of empowering others to personal and financial freedom. An Ophthalmologist by profession, he is a keen speaker, communicator, entrepreneur and an aspiring author.Free personal development sessions =>http://www.kenonu.com |
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Don’t Sell Your Services;That’s Not What People Buy
Believe it or not, no one actually buys your service. No one buys coaching. No one buys consulting. No one buys financial planning. So what do people buy? Well, there are, in fact, two things people buy.
The first thing people buy is a solution to a problem.
People buy a service only because they believe it will solve certain problems and give them certain results. They are not buying the "how" of a service. Your service is simply the "how" you do it. Your service is the tool or method you use to solve problems and deliver results.
Do you buy a hammer because you just want a hammer? Do you buy a car because you just want a car? Do you go to the dentist because you happen to feel like being drilled? These examples show you that you are buying a solution to a problem; you are buying a result. You would not buy a hammer, a car or go to the dentist unless they all solved problems and delivered results.
Just suppose you focus on telling someone all about "how" your coaching and consulting service works and what it is. At the end of the conversation (if they are still listening), they will have a good understanding of your "how" but they'll be left wondering what problems you will solve for them and what results you will deliver.
If people do not know what problems you will solve for them and the results you will deliver, it is highly unlikely that they will buy your service. If however you focus on understanding their problems and the results they will get, you will be focussing on what people are buying and your chances of success will be dramatically increased.
The second thing people buy is YOU
Once someone has decided they have a problem they want solved, they then make a decision as to who will solve it for them. If you have focused the conversation on telling them all about your "how" and what your service is, they will feel that you are focussed on yourself and your needs. When the focus is on you, people get the sense that you have your own best interest at heart and don't really care about them. They will start to think you are simply trying to sell them something, and all sorts of sales resistance will surface.
If you have been focussing the conversation on understanding their problems, they will feel that you have their best interests at heart. They will start to trust you and open up to you. They will naturally decide you are the person to solve their problems (assuming of course there are problems to be solved, etc).
So in summary, don’t focus on selling your services. Instead, have conversations where you focus on understanding problems and then people will assume you know "how" to deliver results. The more you focus on understanding their problems, the more they will trust that you are the one they should be working with.
The first thing people buy is a solution to a problem.
People buy a service only because they believe it will solve certain problems and give them certain results. They are not buying the "how" of a service. Your service is simply the "how" you do it. Your service is the tool or method you use to solve problems and deliver results.
Do you buy a hammer because you just want a hammer? Do you buy a car because you just want a car? Do you go to the dentist because you happen to feel like being drilled? These examples show you that you are buying a solution to a problem; you are buying a result. You would not buy a hammer, a car or go to the dentist unless they all solved problems and delivered results.
Just suppose you focus on telling someone all about "how" your coaching and consulting service works and what it is. At the end of the conversation (if they are still listening), they will have a good understanding of your "how" but they'll be left wondering what problems you will solve for them and what results you will deliver.
If people do not know what problems you will solve for them and the results you will deliver, it is highly unlikely that they will buy your service. If however you focus on understanding their problems and the results they will get, you will be focussing on what people are buying and your chances of success will be dramatically increased.
The second thing people buy is YOU
Once someone has decided they have a problem they want solved, they then make a decision as to who will solve it for them. If you have focused the conversation on telling them all about your "how" and what your service is, they will feel that you are focussed on yourself and your needs. When the focus is on you, people get the sense that you have your own best interest at heart and don't really care about them. They will start to think you are simply trying to sell them something, and all sorts of sales resistance will surface.
If you have been focussing the conversation on understanding their problems, they will feel that you have their best interests at heart. They will start to trust you and open up to you. They will naturally decide you are the person to solve their problems (assuming of course there are problems to be solved, etc).
So in summary, don’t focus on selling your services. Instead, have conversations where you focus on understanding problems and then people will assume you know "how" to deliver results. The more you focus on understanding their problems, the more they will trust that you are the one they should be working with.
Bonds Vs Equities
Investors may normally associate bonds with low risk and low returns, and equities with higher risk and thus potentially higher returns. For investors who diversify their portfolio of funds using bonds, they will notice that returns from their bond funds fluctuate less than their equity funds. So why are bonds less volatile than equities? The answer lies in the difference between these 2 asset classes.
Bond Characteristics
Bondholders are lenders to a government or company that issues the bond. Bondholders are entitled to a coupon payment, which can either be paid semi-annually (once every six months) or annually. When the bond matures, the investor will get back the full principal amount. For example, if you have purchased a 4% coupon bond with a principal value of $1000, you will receive $40 annually. At the end of 10 years, you will receive $1000.
Since bonds represent loans made by investors to a particular company, bondholders are effectively creditors. They have the right of claim to assets of that company should it go bankrupt. That's why they focus on the credit worthiness of the company, or the ability of the company to finance its interest, and payment of its assets.
If a company is borrowing only a small amount, and makes more than enough revenue to finance its loan obligations, then bond investors will feel more secure in lending money to these companies (see the example later in the article). Companies that have valuable assets have stronger credibility with bond investors. Investors will be more willing to lend such companies money at lower interest rates. They know that even if the company runs into financial trouble, it has assets that can be liquidated to pay bondholders.
Differences Between Bonds & Equities
In comparison, equity holders take on different risks. A bond often trades close to its nominal value. You will rarely find a bond selling at two times of its nominal value. In contrast, a stock can easily trade for more than two times of its book value. A company's equity often trades at multiple times its yearly earnings. A company can typically trade at more than 10 times Price Earnings (PE) ratio. The PE ratio is often used to value a company. It measures the market value of a company's equity over its earnings. Hence, the future earnings of the company will often have a direct impact on a profitable company's share price. Equity investors actually base the price of the equities they own on the cumulative future earnings of the company. And since few investors believe that company will close down in the next few years, they often price its stock at a multiple of its earnings.
Although equity holders are taking on greater risk, they can potentially get a greater profit when earnings rise. The value of the company's stock actually increases with earnings, since the cumulative earnings that a company can expect to receive for the next couple of years is higher. In addition, equity holders may also receive dividends if the company is performing well. However, for bondholders, when earnings take an upturn, the coupon and the principal amount to be paid to investors upon maturity remains the same. This actually means that bondholders are missing out on the capital gains and dividend payout that come with holding equity.
What if the company's projected earnings come down? This will affect equity owners directly but not necessarily the bondholder. As long as the company is still capable of financing its debt, the bondholder is indifferent to the fact that earnings has come down.
This goes to the root of why the value of equities will be so much more volatile than the value of bonds. As a company may go from making a loss in one year, to making a huge profit in the next, its stock price will go through large swings. That's because equity holders are constantly reassessing the value of the stock based on what they can now expect it to be worth in relation to its future earnings. Whereas for bondholders, the returns they can receive from the bonds coupon payments, is already fixed. Their primary concern is whether the company can repay its all its loan obligations. As such, variation in corporate earnings have a much smaller impact, unless the company's fundamentals fail to such an extent that its ability to repay its loans becomes uncertain.
An easy way to see this would be to use an actual example. If a company earns 100 million every year, and uses 10% of that to pay the interest on its bonds, what happens if its earnings drop to 50 million? In such a situation, it is still able to repay its interest comfortably. Furthermore, if the company has $1 billion worth of assets such as land, etc, then bond holders have a claim to those assets, should the company default. This helps to reduce the bondholders risk. But to a stock investor of that same company, a drop of 50% in that company's earnings is likely to be very bad news. This directly affects the value of the stock. Hence, the stock price may fall sharply.
Bonds As A Diversification Tool
Bonds are good alternatives for conservative investors and for investors who are aggressive and wish to diversify their risk. Unlike equities where price follows an irregular trend, bond prices usually trade around their principal value. The reason bond prices fluctuate at all is because the price of a bond depends on future coupon payments and current interest rates. If interest rates are higher, bond prices will decrease, and vice versa if interest rates go lower. There are mathematical formulas that can be used to explain this. But simply put, as interest rates increase, the opportunity cost of holding a bond at a fixed coupon rate actually increases. For example, when interest rates for fixed deposits go up, you are comparatively better-off putting your funds in a fixed deposit. In such an environment, bonds will get cheaper over time.
However, interest rate movements matter less if you intend to hold the bond to maturity (you will receive fixed coupon payments during the life of the bond, and the principal payment upon maturity). In comparison, equities offer much less certainty. The price will generally fluctuate in line with the market and the fundamentals of the company. If the corporate earnings forecast declines rapidly, then stock prices will fall too.
Chart 1
Source: Bloomberg
In Chart 1, we compare the return between bond funds and a global equity index. In order to represent bonds as an asset class we used a composite index that included returns from OCBC Savers Global Bond Fund and the Deutsche Lion Bond Fund. These funds are invested in global bonds and Singapore bonds respectively. To represent equities, we used the MSCI World Index. The chart illustrates that bonds are less volatile than equities. From the 2000 to 2002 period, investors who have consistently diversified in both asset classes, would have lost less during that period. At the same time, conservative investors would have been able to preserve their capital as well.
Since bonds are relatively stable investments with fixed current income payments, why do people hesitate to invest? The reason may be that when markets are rallying, investors tend to be overly optimistic about the future performance, ignoring the importance of diversification. Another reason is that whenever there's news about interest rates moving up, people will tend to think that it is not a good time to buy bonds or bond funds. Investors should take note it is always useful to use bonds or bond funds for diversification. This applies in both bull and bear markets. For conservative investors they can consider bonds or bond funds as a useful tool to earn stable returns.
Chart 2
Source: Fundsupermart Compilations
Chart 2 shows how three different portfolios with $10,000 fare over time. The first portfolio includes a 100% equity fund portfolio, the second portfolio includes 60% equity and 40% bond funds, and lastly the bond portfolio includes 100% bond funds. From this chart, we observe that when investors include bond funds in their portfolio, the portfolio is much less volatile than an equity only portfolio. Thus, for an aggressive investor, investing in bonds is an effective way to diversify risk.
Conclusion
If you compare portfolios that comprise bond and equity funds, you will find that the former is always less volatile. The fundamental reason behind this is that bond investors are effectively debt holders of the company and have a claim to the assets of the company when the company goes bankrupt. Equity-holders do not have this advantage. This actually means that investors take on less risk when they invest in bonds. In addition, the volatility of bond prices will decrease when the bond is closer to maturity. As bonds mature, the debt holder will get back the full amount of the principal. This is unlike equities when prices are volatile there is actually no guaranteed amount that an investor can get back.
During strong market rallies, investors usually go into equities and forget about the importance of diversifying during a period of market downturn. During a market downturn, some investors start to regret not diversifying earlier. Thus, the advice that we would like to give to investors is to make use of the stability of bonds to diversify their portfolio. That would actually mean including bonds or bond funds in an equity portfolio, even if markets are rallying.
Bond Characteristics
Bondholders are lenders to a government or company that issues the bond. Bondholders are entitled to a coupon payment, which can either be paid semi-annually (once every six months) or annually. When the bond matures, the investor will get back the full principal amount. For example, if you have purchased a 4% coupon bond with a principal value of $1000, you will receive $40 annually. At the end of 10 years, you will receive $1000.
Since bonds represent loans made by investors to a particular company, bondholders are effectively creditors. They have the right of claim to assets of that company should it go bankrupt. That's why they focus on the credit worthiness of the company, or the ability of the company to finance its interest, and payment of its assets.
If a company is borrowing only a small amount, and makes more than enough revenue to finance its loan obligations, then bond investors will feel more secure in lending money to these companies (see the example later in the article). Companies that have valuable assets have stronger credibility with bond investors. Investors will be more willing to lend such companies money at lower interest rates. They know that even if the company runs into financial trouble, it has assets that can be liquidated to pay bondholders.
Differences Between Bonds & Equities
In comparison, equity holders take on different risks. A bond often trades close to its nominal value. You will rarely find a bond selling at two times of its nominal value. In contrast, a stock can easily trade for more than two times of its book value. A company's equity often trades at multiple times its yearly earnings. A company can typically trade at more than 10 times Price Earnings (PE) ratio. The PE ratio is often used to value a company. It measures the market value of a company's equity over its earnings. Hence, the future earnings of the company will often have a direct impact on a profitable company's share price. Equity investors actually base the price of the equities they own on the cumulative future earnings of the company. And since few investors believe that company will close down in the next few years, they often price its stock at a multiple of its earnings.
Although equity holders are taking on greater risk, they can potentially get a greater profit when earnings rise. The value of the company's stock actually increases with earnings, since the cumulative earnings that a company can expect to receive for the next couple of years is higher. In addition, equity holders may also receive dividends if the company is performing well. However, for bondholders, when earnings take an upturn, the coupon and the principal amount to be paid to investors upon maturity remains the same. This actually means that bondholders are missing out on the capital gains and dividend payout that come with holding equity.
What if the company's projected earnings come down? This will affect equity owners directly but not necessarily the bondholder. As long as the company is still capable of financing its debt, the bondholder is indifferent to the fact that earnings has come down.
This goes to the root of why the value of equities will be so much more volatile than the value of bonds. As a company may go from making a loss in one year, to making a huge profit in the next, its stock price will go through large swings. That's because equity holders are constantly reassessing the value of the stock based on what they can now expect it to be worth in relation to its future earnings. Whereas for bondholders, the returns they can receive from the bonds coupon payments, is already fixed. Their primary concern is whether the company can repay its all its loan obligations. As such, variation in corporate earnings have a much smaller impact, unless the company's fundamentals fail to such an extent that its ability to repay its loans becomes uncertain.
An easy way to see this would be to use an actual example. If a company earns 100 million every year, and uses 10% of that to pay the interest on its bonds, what happens if its earnings drop to 50 million? In such a situation, it is still able to repay its interest comfortably. Furthermore, if the company has $1 billion worth of assets such as land, etc, then bond holders have a claim to those assets, should the company default. This helps to reduce the bondholders risk. But to a stock investor of that same company, a drop of 50% in that company's earnings is likely to be very bad news. This directly affects the value of the stock. Hence, the stock price may fall sharply.
Bonds As A Diversification Tool
Bonds are good alternatives for conservative investors and for investors who are aggressive and wish to diversify their risk. Unlike equities where price follows an irregular trend, bond prices usually trade around their principal value. The reason bond prices fluctuate at all is because the price of a bond depends on future coupon payments and current interest rates. If interest rates are higher, bond prices will decrease, and vice versa if interest rates go lower. There are mathematical formulas that can be used to explain this. But simply put, as interest rates increase, the opportunity cost of holding a bond at a fixed coupon rate actually increases. For example, when interest rates for fixed deposits go up, you are comparatively better-off putting your funds in a fixed deposit. In such an environment, bonds will get cheaper over time.
However, interest rate movements matter less if you intend to hold the bond to maturity (you will receive fixed coupon payments during the life of the bond, and the principal payment upon maturity). In comparison, equities offer much less certainty. The price will generally fluctuate in line with the market and the fundamentals of the company. If the corporate earnings forecast declines rapidly, then stock prices will fall too.
Chart 1
Source: Bloomberg
In Chart 1, we compare the return between bond funds and a global equity index. In order to represent bonds as an asset class we used a composite index that included returns from OCBC Savers Global Bond Fund and the Deutsche Lion Bond Fund. These funds are invested in global bonds and Singapore bonds respectively. To represent equities, we used the MSCI World Index. The chart illustrates that bonds are less volatile than equities. From the 2000 to 2002 period, investors who have consistently diversified in both asset classes, would have lost less during that period. At the same time, conservative investors would have been able to preserve their capital as well.
Since bonds are relatively stable investments with fixed current income payments, why do people hesitate to invest? The reason may be that when markets are rallying, investors tend to be overly optimistic about the future performance, ignoring the importance of diversification. Another reason is that whenever there's news about interest rates moving up, people will tend to think that it is not a good time to buy bonds or bond funds. Investors should take note it is always useful to use bonds or bond funds for diversification. This applies in both bull and bear markets. For conservative investors they can consider bonds or bond funds as a useful tool to earn stable returns.
Chart 2
Source: Fundsupermart Compilations
Chart 2 shows how three different portfolios with $10,000 fare over time. The first portfolio includes a 100% equity fund portfolio, the second portfolio includes 60% equity and 40% bond funds, and lastly the bond portfolio includes 100% bond funds. From this chart, we observe that when investors include bond funds in their portfolio, the portfolio is much less volatile than an equity only portfolio. Thus, for an aggressive investor, investing in bonds is an effective way to diversify risk.
Conclusion
If you compare portfolios that comprise bond and equity funds, you will find that the former is always less volatile. The fundamental reason behind this is that bond investors are effectively debt holders of the company and have a claim to the assets of the company when the company goes bankrupt. Equity-holders do not have this advantage. This actually means that investors take on less risk when they invest in bonds. In addition, the volatility of bond prices will decrease when the bond is closer to maturity. As bonds mature, the debt holder will get back the full amount of the principal. This is unlike equities when prices are volatile there is actually no guaranteed amount that an investor can get back.
During strong market rallies, investors usually go into equities and forget about the importance of diversifying during a period of market downturn. During a market downturn, some investors start to regret not diversifying earlier. Thus, the advice that we would like to give to investors is to make use of the stability of bonds to diversify their portfolio. That would actually mean including bonds or bond funds in an equity portfolio, even if markets are rallying.
What's your personality? Easygoing, positive, creative, cautious, inspiring, loyal?
What’s your personality? Are you generally easy going, friendly, and well liked, but you’re not taken seriously? Are you an authority figure, confident, controlling, with strong belief in yourself? Are you charming, self-sufficient, positive and inspiring? Or would you call yourself loyal and trustworthy, fair, cautious and dependable? Keep going; maybe you’re not who you think you are. Or maybe you’re more than you think you are.
What is Personality?
Personality is the particular habit of mind we use to avoid pain in our lives, and, therefore, to avoid being ourselves. As children we experienced painful feelings in our lives. We learned to adapt our natural behavior to survive and to deal with pain. Now, even though we’re grown-ups, we still live in that defensive attitude of mind, almost in a state of trance, or a self-program, unaware of the true reality of the moment. The more we know about ourselves now, the more we can free ourselves from a subconscious view of life. We do not change our basic personality type over our lifetime, but we can become more conscious of it, and moderate it.
The Nine Personality Types
There are nine basic personality types. Each of the nine types is one human way of dealing with the difficulties of life. We share some qualities from each type as human traits, but the motivation behind our behavior is what determines personality type. No one type is better than any other. Each of the nine types has a reason for doing what they do, which, when understood, brings compassion to our hearts for them. The nine basic personality types are the Perfectionist, The Pleaser, the Performer, the Special One, the Observer, the Safety-Seeker, the Enthusiast, the Boss and the Merger. The purpose of knowing our type ultimately is to help us on the path to freedom from the trance of habituated mind, to see who we really are and to experience reality without these filters.
Personality Type 1. The Perfectionist
In the childhood of the Perfectionists, there was a lot of criticism and judgment. To avoid criticism, they learned to make everything they did perfect. They learned the rules and stuck to them rigidly so that they would not be judged. They learned to delay their own fun in order to make sure they had done things right, so they would not be scolded.
If you want a job done well and thoroughly, give it to a Perfectionist. They are dependable and responsible, often going out of their way to do it right. There would be no mistakes in their lives if they had their way. Of course this is not possible, but Perfectionists try to accomplish this. They are organized ten times over. They delay any pleasure for themselves in order to make sure things are done right. They are very self-critical, worrying about what others may think of them. They expect others to do the same. They tend to resent people who aren’t trying as hard as they are. They also believe that other people want to have things perfect too, so they irritate them with unwelcome advice. As judgmental as they are, they judge themselves even more harshly, often setting impossibly high standards.
With personal growth, the Perfectionists can find that Life is already perfect as it is, the trees grow, the birds sing, without any effort or help from us. Their anger and self-criticism will be replaced with serenity, when they squelch their internal taskmaster and take time to focus on what is really important. Finally, they grow in the knowledge that they are OK as they are. They learn to include relationships and relaxation in their lives.
Personality Type 2. The Pleaser
The Pleasers need approval and recognition. In childhood, their needs were only met if they took care of their parent first. They learned to focus on taking care of others in order to survive themselves. This became a habitual way of acting in the world. The Pleaser projects an image of being helpful, in order to be seen as indispensable and to earn love. The Pleasers take pride in pleasing others, at jumping in before you have even asked. The relationship is what matters to them, and feelings are important in the service of this. Pleasers may force other people into the role of the needy and helpless, and assume they know what’s good for them.
Pleasers are usually well liked and appreciated. But even with their popularity, Pleasers need reassurance. The Pleasers appear to be selfless. But in fact they need others to reciprocate their attention and anticipate their needs. It is an unspoken contract. People can feel manipulated by the Pleaser, especially if they did not ask for the help. The Pleasers will get upset if they don’t get something in return, because they have done all this for you. Pleasers can resent it when they are asked for something because they feel they have already done so much for everyone. They sabotage themselves this way. Other people may love the attention a Pleaser gives, can become very dependent on them, and sometimes take advantage of them.
The Pleaser uses flattery to get attention and approval from others. The Pleaser takes pride in being indispensable to others. When Pleasers mature, they don’t feel the constant need to prove their value and they realize that they are not inexpendible. They will be brave enough to try being themselves, and to experience being loved for who they are.
Personality Type 3. The Performer
In the childhood of the Performers, they were noticed and loved mostly for what they did, not who they were. So they learned to focus outside of themselves on the next task to do to get attention and recognition. In order to be noticed in their family, they had to be the Best to gain approval, and they worked hard to accomplish this. The Performers do this by performing, accomplishing, succeeding, achieving goals, being number One, and being a workaholic.
Performers become goal oriented, efficient, productive, confident, optimistic, focused, tenacious, successful, and accomplished. Examples of Performers include Olympic athletes, corporate managers, sales reps and executive directors.
Performers did not get in touch with their own feelings, or find out who they even were, since no one else was interested. Instead, they learned to project an image of what their loved ones wanted to see. Performers don’t know who they really are behind their projected image, so it’s hard for them to relate to their authentic self. They can’t handle failure. In the extreme, they become vain, deceptive and even cutthroat in order to protect their image.
What helps a Performer grow? The Performers must first challenge their own false image. They must learn to tolerate mistakes and lack of accomplishment. They should accept the idea that people might like them for who they really are, if they are willing to be authentic. When you Performers realize you are good enough just as you are, you can be honest about yourself, and others will respond to this.
Personality Type 4. The Special One
In the childhood of the Special One, there is some kind of abandonment by a care-giving figure, even if it was not done intentionally. The child loses the person they are close to. So they long for that person to return, along with their love and approval. They look critically at themselves, wondering if there was something wrong with them that caused the loved one to leave. Emotionally they are grieving for what is lost. And they envy those around them who still have their loved ones.
Special Ones focus inward on themselves and their feelings. They feel they need to prove to the world that they are special in order to avoid being abandoned again. They often become artists, dancers, painters, singers, and poets to express the depth of their feeling in their art. The Special Ones’ ability to feel deeply also makes them able to sympathize and listen to others who are going through a difficult time.
They are often dramatic in their expression, drawing attention to themselves in order to reassure themselves of their value to others. Unable to believe they are good enough, they are convinced they have something wrong with them. They may cling emotionally to melancholy or depression.
As a Special One, you can grow by being present in the moment, to appreciate what you do have, without longing for what you think is missing. Melancholy and envy of others pulls you down, while your calm and originality can be your strength.
Personality Type 5. The Observer
In the childhood of the Observers, there was some kind of intrusion on their person, which they could not escape. For some it was parental intrusion. For others it was an outside intrusion, such as a long stay in the hospital for extended operations. The result was that the young Observers retreated into their mind, into a place where no one could reach them, where they still had some independence. Their mind became their place of refuge, their strength, their sense of safety. They saw the world as unsafe and people as demanding and intrusive. The Observers keep quietly to themselves. They are very private, tending to keep different parts of their lives separate. They usually can only take socializing for short periods of time, because they need time to be alone to process what might have happened when they were with other people. Their home is their refuge.
Observers have a strong intellectual life. They often have special areas of knowledge and hobbies. Other people may interpret their withdrawn nature as rejection, but withdrawal makes the Observers feel safe. They tend to keep things simple to avoid hassles in their lives. In spite of their usually simple and modest lifestyle, they will spare no expense when it comes to an area of interest and expertise, such as camera equipment, computers, bicycling, or stereo equipment. They are extremely cautious, and don’t like doing new things they know nothing about. They feel safer if they research whatever it is they are going to do. They believe that if something could possibly go wrong, it actually will.
Observers are able to develop and grow when they are able to let go of the security of their mental life, when they let themselves feel emotion, when they learn to experience their body. They work through their fear of calamities. They begin to see that avoiding intrusion makes their loved ones feel left out. They grow by sharing their knowledge and stepping away from their fear of involvement.
Personality Type 6. The Safety Seeker
In the childhood of the Safety Seeker, there was either abuse or danger. The young Safety Seekers became vigilant, watching for any signs of danger to protect themselves. Safety Seekers have issues of doubt, insecurity and anxiety. They develop a habit of scanning their environment for danger. They have a slight paranoia about life based on their childhood experience. They can be suspicious, jumpy, act impulsively to avoid danger, or suddenly attack others for assumed wrongs. They can also withdraw, freeze up, or avoid others for fear of conflict.
On the positive side, they are very loyal once they know they can trust you. They are great troubleshooters on any job because they can see what might go wrong. They are use their minds well and have a great ability to put imagination to work. They are fair and follow the rules because this creates safety for everyone. They are sensitive, responsible and dependable.
Although they have a vivid imagination and well-developed minds, they have self-doubt. They don’t trust their own ability to make decisions, to discriminate, and to choose the safe route. They avoid conflict and may be withdrawn, but, when afraid, will sometimes lash out angrily
Growth comes when they get reality checks from other people, develop faith in themselves and focus on the positive, confident in their ability, knowing that they can cope and trusting life. When this happens, they become courageous.
Personality type 7. The Enthusiast
In the childhood of the Enthusiast, there was some sort of emotional neglect, but not necessarily intentional neglect. The Enthusiasts became self sufficient in getting what they needed at a young age. Now, they look out for themselves because they don’t believe anyone else will. This causes an anxiety-driven personality.
Many Enthusiasts are not aware of the anxiety that drives them. Enthusiasts are charming and sound positive. But they avoid conflict rather than meet it. They are visionaries and idealists, able to see and imagine the big picture. They inspire others. They never give up when motivated, being positive and able to see all the options. They are lively, fun, and full of energy.
The problem is that the Enthusiasts live in the future, never resting or appreciating what they have. Anticipation becomes a drug to them. They avoid the unpleasant things in life, focusing on the next interesting thing in front of them. Their fear of not having what they need causes them to grab impulsively They don’t take time to make wise choices, whether choosing food, a relationship, or a house. They fill up their schedule with many things to do, causing them to change scheduling often, fearing that they will not be satisfied. Enthusiasts focus on the next experience rather than on their relationships, so they hurt other people.
In the extreme, Enthusiasts become gluttons, not craving quantity, but craving many interesting experiences to fill their void. They may obsess about the future, planning and re-planning. The Enthusiasts grow by being willing to endure anxiety or disappointment, to develop commitments, to trust that the world will give them what they need. This can be done through meditation, by simply listening to their anxiety. Not having to take any action can be excruciating at first for the Enthusiast. They begin to see the value and beauty of the small, things in life. Eventually the Enthusiasts can calm down, move more slowly, take time to smell the roses, and stop avoiding life.
Personality Type 8. The Boss
In childhood, the Bosses learned that power is all that matters. They learned how to control others to get what they wanted. They got attention by taking control. The Bosses act as if life is a battle. When in battle, one does not feel fear, because it will disable you, so you deny it. If you are in warrior mode, you cannot let anyone see that you are weak, because they will take advantage of it. You project an image of fearlessness, which you have to believe yourself, in order to go out and meet the dangerous world. You believe you are invincible and that you are always right. To build your self-confidence, you deny your own fear and vulnerability and you deny part of your self.
At the same time, Bosses care deeply for the people they are close to, feeling and acting protective of anyone in their sphere. They can be generous to a fault. Yet, at the same time, they don’t see how they run right over other’s needs. They are very intuitive, and often pick up on subtleties that others miss. They make excellent leaders in the right situation. They have a great gusto for life, and enjoy it immensely, sometimes to excess. They are very direct communicators if they want to be. However they don’t believe the rules apply to them.
Bosses are bigger than life, because it gives them more control. They believe if they don’t, someone else will take control of them. Bosses use anger as part of their ability to take control. They are the authority figure, the one in charge, and they want to keep the upper hand. Bosses often scare other people.
Unchecked, the Bosses can become vengeful, and punish those who are in their way. They believe they must be on guard to survive, and therefore they must punish anyone who gets in their way. They become lustful, when their excess gusto for life is unrestricted.
The evolved Bosses grow in maturity when their self-serving power is transformed into concern for others towards a higher purpose. They learn to trust Life. They learn to relax their control and enjoy the simple act of Being. Bosses can grow into humility and become courageous enough to admit their weaknesses. The mature Boss becomes a calm presence, able to be aware of other’s needs as well as their own.
Personality Type 9. The Merger
In childhood, the young Merger is often lost in the shuffle of the family, ignored somewhat, neglected a little and overlooked. No one asks them what they think or feel, so Mergers don’t learn how to connect with their feelings and needs. Often, what they do say is ignored, so they learn to not rock the boat, to not say what they want. They learn to keep things in harmony for the family. They learn to get what they want in indirect ways, passive aggressively. Their attention becomes focused outside of themselves, on their environment, on the whole, rather than on themselves as individuals.
Mergers are generally easy going, friendly, and well liked since they understand everyone’s point of view. They can make good mediators because they see all sides to an argument. They avoid conflict at all costs because it feels dangerous to them, out of harmony. They tend to merge with their environment because they don’t know their own inner world. As a result of this, Mergers have a scattered focus. It is hard for them to find a reason to pick one thing, because they are not in touch with their own internal choices. Mergers are easily distracted. It is hard for them to make a plan and stick to it without structure, lists, and deadlines to guide them. They tend to forget things easily because they are not naturally focused. They find it difficult to make decisions and easy to procrastinate, since all choices look equal to them. They may express anger passive aggressively because of this fear of conflict. It can take them a while to form an opinion. When they DO have an opinion, they can be very stubborn about it, since it was hard to come by. It is difficult for them to know how they feel about something. They are easily swayed one way or the other.
In the extreme, the Mergers find it impossible to take action. They may become slothful from inactivity. What helps Mergers grow? Mergers grow by focusing on their own feelings, needs, wants, and opinions. They learn methods to help them set priorities and stay organized. They come to understand that avoidance creates more problems as things pile up, and people get disappointed. Conflict resolution skills allow them to handle disagreements more successfully. Ultimately, the mature Mergers learn to be self-aware and centered in themselves.
My wish is that these personality studies help you understand yourself. I hope you have a very happy day.
What is Personality?
Personality is the particular habit of mind we use to avoid pain in our lives, and, therefore, to avoid being ourselves. As children we experienced painful feelings in our lives. We learned to adapt our natural behavior to survive and to deal with pain. Now, even though we’re grown-ups, we still live in that defensive attitude of mind, almost in a state of trance, or a self-program, unaware of the true reality of the moment. The more we know about ourselves now, the more we can free ourselves from a subconscious view of life. We do not change our basic personality type over our lifetime, but we can become more conscious of it, and moderate it.
The Nine Personality Types
There are nine basic personality types. Each of the nine types is one human way of dealing with the difficulties of life. We share some qualities from each type as human traits, but the motivation behind our behavior is what determines personality type. No one type is better than any other. Each of the nine types has a reason for doing what they do, which, when understood, brings compassion to our hearts for them. The nine basic personality types are the Perfectionist, The Pleaser, the Performer, the Special One, the Observer, the Safety-Seeker, the Enthusiast, the Boss and the Merger. The purpose of knowing our type ultimately is to help us on the path to freedom from the trance of habituated mind, to see who we really are and to experience reality without these filters.
Personality Type 1. The Perfectionist
In the childhood of the Perfectionists, there was a lot of criticism and judgment. To avoid criticism, they learned to make everything they did perfect. They learned the rules and stuck to them rigidly so that they would not be judged. They learned to delay their own fun in order to make sure they had done things right, so they would not be scolded.
If you want a job done well and thoroughly, give it to a Perfectionist. They are dependable and responsible, often going out of their way to do it right. There would be no mistakes in their lives if they had their way. Of course this is not possible, but Perfectionists try to accomplish this. They are organized ten times over. They delay any pleasure for themselves in order to make sure things are done right. They are very self-critical, worrying about what others may think of them. They expect others to do the same. They tend to resent people who aren’t trying as hard as they are. They also believe that other people want to have things perfect too, so they irritate them with unwelcome advice. As judgmental as they are, they judge themselves even more harshly, often setting impossibly high standards.
With personal growth, the Perfectionists can find that Life is already perfect as it is, the trees grow, the birds sing, without any effort or help from us. Their anger and self-criticism will be replaced with serenity, when they squelch their internal taskmaster and take time to focus on what is really important. Finally, they grow in the knowledge that they are OK as they are. They learn to include relationships and relaxation in their lives.
Personality Type 2. The Pleaser
The Pleasers need approval and recognition. In childhood, their needs were only met if they took care of their parent first. They learned to focus on taking care of others in order to survive themselves. This became a habitual way of acting in the world. The Pleaser projects an image of being helpful, in order to be seen as indispensable and to earn love. The Pleasers take pride in pleasing others, at jumping in before you have even asked. The relationship is what matters to them, and feelings are important in the service of this. Pleasers may force other people into the role of the needy and helpless, and assume they know what’s good for them.
Pleasers are usually well liked and appreciated. But even with their popularity, Pleasers need reassurance. The Pleasers appear to be selfless. But in fact they need others to reciprocate their attention and anticipate their needs. It is an unspoken contract. People can feel manipulated by the Pleaser, especially if they did not ask for the help. The Pleasers will get upset if they don’t get something in return, because they have done all this for you. Pleasers can resent it when they are asked for something because they feel they have already done so much for everyone. They sabotage themselves this way. Other people may love the attention a Pleaser gives, can become very dependent on them, and sometimes take advantage of them.
The Pleaser uses flattery to get attention and approval from others. The Pleaser takes pride in being indispensable to others. When Pleasers mature, they don’t feel the constant need to prove their value and they realize that they are not inexpendible. They will be brave enough to try being themselves, and to experience being loved for who they are.
Personality Type 3. The Performer
In the childhood of the Performers, they were noticed and loved mostly for what they did, not who they were. So they learned to focus outside of themselves on the next task to do to get attention and recognition. In order to be noticed in their family, they had to be the Best to gain approval, and they worked hard to accomplish this. The Performers do this by performing, accomplishing, succeeding, achieving goals, being number One, and being a workaholic.
Performers become goal oriented, efficient, productive, confident, optimistic, focused, tenacious, successful, and accomplished. Examples of Performers include Olympic athletes, corporate managers, sales reps and executive directors.
Performers did not get in touch with their own feelings, or find out who they even were, since no one else was interested. Instead, they learned to project an image of what their loved ones wanted to see. Performers don’t know who they really are behind their projected image, so it’s hard for them to relate to their authentic self. They can’t handle failure. In the extreme, they become vain, deceptive and even cutthroat in order to protect their image.
What helps a Performer grow? The Performers must first challenge their own false image. They must learn to tolerate mistakes and lack of accomplishment. They should accept the idea that people might like them for who they really are, if they are willing to be authentic. When you Performers realize you are good enough just as you are, you can be honest about yourself, and others will respond to this.
Personality Type 4. The Special One
In the childhood of the Special One, there is some kind of abandonment by a care-giving figure, even if it was not done intentionally. The child loses the person they are close to. So they long for that person to return, along with their love and approval. They look critically at themselves, wondering if there was something wrong with them that caused the loved one to leave. Emotionally they are grieving for what is lost. And they envy those around them who still have their loved ones.
Special Ones focus inward on themselves and their feelings. They feel they need to prove to the world that they are special in order to avoid being abandoned again. They often become artists, dancers, painters, singers, and poets to express the depth of their feeling in their art. The Special Ones’ ability to feel deeply also makes them able to sympathize and listen to others who are going through a difficult time.
They are often dramatic in their expression, drawing attention to themselves in order to reassure themselves of their value to others. Unable to believe they are good enough, they are convinced they have something wrong with them. They may cling emotionally to melancholy or depression.
As a Special One, you can grow by being present in the moment, to appreciate what you do have, without longing for what you think is missing. Melancholy and envy of others pulls you down, while your calm and originality can be your strength.
Personality Type 5. The Observer
In the childhood of the Observers, there was some kind of intrusion on their person, which they could not escape. For some it was parental intrusion. For others it was an outside intrusion, such as a long stay in the hospital for extended operations. The result was that the young Observers retreated into their mind, into a place where no one could reach them, where they still had some independence. Their mind became their place of refuge, their strength, their sense of safety. They saw the world as unsafe and people as demanding and intrusive. The Observers keep quietly to themselves. They are very private, tending to keep different parts of their lives separate. They usually can only take socializing for short periods of time, because they need time to be alone to process what might have happened when they were with other people. Their home is their refuge.
Observers have a strong intellectual life. They often have special areas of knowledge and hobbies. Other people may interpret their withdrawn nature as rejection, but withdrawal makes the Observers feel safe. They tend to keep things simple to avoid hassles in their lives. In spite of their usually simple and modest lifestyle, they will spare no expense when it comes to an area of interest and expertise, such as camera equipment, computers, bicycling, or stereo equipment. They are extremely cautious, and don’t like doing new things they know nothing about. They feel safer if they research whatever it is they are going to do. They believe that if something could possibly go wrong, it actually will.
Observers are able to develop and grow when they are able to let go of the security of their mental life, when they let themselves feel emotion, when they learn to experience their body. They work through their fear of calamities. They begin to see that avoiding intrusion makes their loved ones feel left out. They grow by sharing their knowledge and stepping away from their fear of involvement.
Personality Type 6. The Safety Seeker
In the childhood of the Safety Seeker, there was either abuse or danger. The young Safety Seekers became vigilant, watching for any signs of danger to protect themselves. Safety Seekers have issues of doubt, insecurity and anxiety. They develop a habit of scanning their environment for danger. They have a slight paranoia about life based on their childhood experience. They can be suspicious, jumpy, act impulsively to avoid danger, or suddenly attack others for assumed wrongs. They can also withdraw, freeze up, or avoid others for fear of conflict.
On the positive side, they are very loyal once they know they can trust you. They are great troubleshooters on any job because they can see what might go wrong. They are use their minds well and have a great ability to put imagination to work. They are fair and follow the rules because this creates safety for everyone. They are sensitive, responsible and dependable.
Although they have a vivid imagination and well-developed minds, they have self-doubt. They don’t trust their own ability to make decisions, to discriminate, and to choose the safe route. They avoid conflict and may be withdrawn, but, when afraid, will sometimes lash out angrily
Growth comes when they get reality checks from other people, develop faith in themselves and focus on the positive, confident in their ability, knowing that they can cope and trusting life. When this happens, they become courageous.
Personality type 7. The Enthusiast
In the childhood of the Enthusiast, there was some sort of emotional neglect, but not necessarily intentional neglect. The Enthusiasts became self sufficient in getting what they needed at a young age. Now, they look out for themselves because they don’t believe anyone else will. This causes an anxiety-driven personality.
Many Enthusiasts are not aware of the anxiety that drives them. Enthusiasts are charming and sound positive. But they avoid conflict rather than meet it. They are visionaries and idealists, able to see and imagine the big picture. They inspire others. They never give up when motivated, being positive and able to see all the options. They are lively, fun, and full of energy.
The problem is that the Enthusiasts live in the future, never resting or appreciating what they have. Anticipation becomes a drug to them. They avoid the unpleasant things in life, focusing on the next interesting thing in front of them. Their fear of not having what they need causes them to grab impulsively They don’t take time to make wise choices, whether choosing food, a relationship, or a house. They fill up their schedule with many things to do, causing them to change scheduling often, fearing that they will not be satisfied. Enthusiasts focus on the next experience rather than on their relationships, so they hurt other people.
In the extreme, Enthusiasts become gluttons, not craving quantity, but craving many interesting experiences to fill their void. They may obsess about the future, planning and re-planning. The Enthusiasts grow by being willing to endure anxiety or disappointment, to develop commitments, to trust that the world will give them what they need. This can be done through meditation, by simply listening to their anxiety. Not having to take any action can be excruciating at first for the Enthusiast. They begin to see the value and beauty of the small, things in life. Eventually the Enthusiasts can calm down, move more slowly, take time to smell the roses, and stop avoiding life.
Personality Type 8. The Boss
In childhood, the Bosses learned that power is all that matters. They learned how to control others to get what they wanted. They got attention by taking control. The Bosses act as if life is a battle. When in battle, one does not feel fear, because it will disable you, so you deny it. If you are in warrior mode, you cannot let anyone see that you are weak, because they will take advantage of it. You project an image of fearlessness, which you have to believe yourself, in order to go out and meet the dangerous world. You believe you are invincible and that you are always right. To build your self-confidence, you deny your own fear and vulnerability and you deny part of your self.
At the same time, Bosses care deeply for the people they are close to, feeling and acting protective of anyone in their sphere. They can be generous to a fault. Yet, at the same time, they don’t see how they run right over other’s needs. They are very intuitive, and often pick up on subtleties that others miss. They make excellent leaders in the right situation. They have a great gusto for life, and enjoy it immensely, sometimes to excess. They are very direct communicators if they want to be. However they don’t believe the rules apply to them.
Bosses are bigger than life, because it gives them more control. They believe if they don’t, someone else will take control of them. Bosses use anger as part of their ability to take control. They are the authority figure, the one in charge, and they want to keep the upper hand. Bosses often scare other people.
Unchecked, the Bosses can become vengeful, and punish those who are in their way. They believe they must be on guard to survive, and therefore they must punish anyone who gets in their way. They become lustful, when their excess gusto for life is unrestricted.
The evolved Bosses grow in maturity when their self-serving power is transformed into concern for others towards a higher purpose. They learn to trust Life. They learn to relax their control and enjoy the simple act of Being. Bosses can grow into humility and become courageous enough to admit their weaknesses. The mature Boss becomes a calm presence, able to be aware of other’s needs as well as their own.
Personality Type 9. The Merger
In childhood, the young Merger is often lost in the shuffle of the family, ignored somewhat, neglected a little and overlooked. No one asks them what they think or feel, so Mergers don’t learn how to connect with their feelings and needs. Often, what they do say is ignored, so they learn to not rock the boat, to not say what they want. They learn to keep things in harmony for the family. They learn to get what they want in indirect ways, passive aggressively. Their attention becomes focused outside of themselves, on their environment, on the whole, rather than on themselves as individuals.
Mergers are generally easy going, friendly, and well liked since they understand everyone’s point of view. They can make good mediators because they see all sides to an argument. They avoid conflict at all costs because it feels dangerous to them, out of harmony. They tend to merge with their environment because they don’t know their own inner world. As a result of this, Mergers have a scattered focus. It is hard for them to find a reason to pick one thing, because they are not in touch with their own internal choices. Mergers are easily distracted. It is hard for them to make a plan and stick to it without structure, lists, and deadlines to guide them. They tend to forget things easily because they are not naturally focused. They find it difficult to make decisions and easy to procrastinate, since all choices look equal to them. They may express anger passive aggressively because of this fear of conflict. It can take them a while to form an opinion. When they DO have an opinion, they can be very stubborn about it, since it was hard to come by. It is difficult for them to know how they feel about something. They are easily swayed one way or the other.
In the extreme, the Mergers find it impossible to take action. They may become slothful from inactivity. What helps Mergers grow? Mergers grow by focusing on their own feelings, needs, wants, and opinions. They learn methods to help them set priorities and stay organized. They come to understand that avoidance creates more problems as things pile up, and people get disappointed. Conflict resolution skills allow them to handle disagreements more successfully. Ultimately, the mature Mergers learn to be self-aware and centered in themselves.
My wish is that these personality studies help you understand yourself. I hope you have a very happy day.
Moving Upward and Onward
By: Brian Tracy
Don't Sell Yourself Short
It's not what you have but what you do with what you have that will determine your success or failure. Abraham Maslow, the great psychologist said that the story of the human race is the story of people selling themselves short. He said people have a tendency to settle for far less from life than they are truly capable of. Many people are spinning their wheels in careers where they should be moving rapidly onward and upward. Here's how you can put your career on the fast track.
Choose Your Parents Carefully
Someone once said that the key to success was to choose your parents carefully. That may be partially true but it is even more important to choose your job or career with great care. The choice of a job or occupation for which you are ideally suited comes before anything else. If you try to work at something you don't enjoy or don't believe in, you'll never be happy, and you'll never be successful.
Be the Best At What You Do
Which leads us to the next point. If you want to reach the stars in your career, you have to become excellent at what you do. You have to pay any price, go any distance, spend any amount of time necessary to "be the best." Extraordinary rewards only go for extraordinary performance; average rewards for average performance; below average rewards, insecurity and failure for below average performance. And here's a vital key, you are being paid today exactly what you're worth - no more, no less. If you want to earn more, you must increase your worth, your value to others.
The Key to Motivation
The reason why choosing the right career, why doing what you love to do is so important, is because unless you really care about your work, you will never be motivated to persist at it until you become excellent. And until you become excellent at what you're doing, you can't move ahead.
The Key to Peak Performance
The antidote to these fears is the development of courage, character and self-esteem. The opposite of fear is actually love, self-love and self-respect. Acting with courage in a fearful situation is simply a technique that boosts our regard for ourselves to such a degree that our fears subside and lose their ability to effect our behavior and our decisions.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to be more successful in your career.
First, set high standards for yourself and recognize that anything that someone else has achieved, you can probably achieve as well. There are no limits.
Second, select one key skill area that is important in your job and resolve to become absolutely excellent in that area. Start today to get better and better.
Don't Sell Yourself Short
It's not what you have but what you do with what you have that will determine your success or failure. Abraham Maslow, the great psychologist said that the story of the human race is the story of people selling themselves short. He said people have a tendency to settle for far less from life than they are truly capable of. Many people are spinning their wheels in careers where they should be moving rapidly onward and upward. Here's how you can put your career on the fast track.
Choose Your Parents Carefully
Someone once said that the key to success was to choose your parents carefully. That may be partially true but it is even more important to choose your job or career with great care. The choice of a job or occupation for which you are ideally suited comes before anything else. If you try to work at something you don't enjoy or don't believe in, you'll never be happy, and you'll never be successful.
Be the Best At What You Do
Which leads us to the next point. If you want to reach the stars in your career, you have to become excellent at what you do. You have to pay any price, go any distance, spend any amount of time necessary to "be the best." Extraordinary rewards only go for extraordinary performance; average rewards for average performance; below average rewards, insecurity and failure for below average performance. And here's a vital key, you are being paid today exactly what you're worth - no more, no less. If you want to earn more, you must increase your worth, your value to others.
The Key to Motivation
The reason why choosing the right career, why doing what you love to do is so important, is because unless you really care about your work, you will never be motivated to persist at it until you become excellent. And until you become excellent at what you're doing, you can't move ahead.
The Key to Peak Performance
The antidote to these fears is the development of courage, character and self-esteem. The opposite of fear is actually love, self-love and self-respect. Acting with courage in a fearful situation is simply a technique that boosts our regard for ourselves to such a degree that our fears subside and lose their ability to effect our behavior and our decisions.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to be more successful in your career.
First, set high standards for yourself and recognize that anything that someone else has achieved, you can probably achieve as well. There are no limits.
Second, select one key skill area that is important in your job and resolve to become absolutely excellent in that area. Start today to get better and better.
人类的起源：潜意识能量的发掘--罗伯特·柯里尔
漫漫的历史长河中，人类对宇宙起源的探索始终没有终止过，往往到最后都归结为一个因果问题——是先有鸡，还是先有蛋？
有一句波斯的古谚语这样说：“地球停在一头大象的背上，大象站在海龟壳上，海龟在牛奶做的海洋里遨游。”但是接下来呢？生命究竟是如何产生的？谚语只是这样闪烁其词地一笔带过——无须询问，一切冥冥之中自有安排。
每一个人，无论自己有没有意识到，要么就是唯物主义者，要么就是唯心主义者。古往今来，各个哲学流派，乃至公众之间都曾为宇宙到底是什么的问题激烈地争论过，然而往往一时的结论都是经不起推敲的——刚从揣测的崇山中解脱出来，又滑入了备受质疑的深海。
唯物主义者一般都宣称世间只存在物质及物质与生俱来的力量，而唯心主义者则认为宇宙中的一切都不过是意识罢了，物质是虚幻的、不真实的。8801.net
如今，人们早已不满足于这些不足以让人信服的理论了。随着对早期历史的进一步了解，意识逐渐在这些争论中略占上风。阿基米德曾说过“给我一个支点，我就能用杠杆撬动整个地球”。这个支点就源于人类的意识。
几十亿年前，地球上除了滚烫的岩浆什么都没有，那么万物何以出现呢？必然是受到一种意识的支配，在一种思想的指引下，地球才按部就班地经历了各个阶段，得以生机盎然，欣欣向荣。
每件事，每种情况，或是每样物品的起源都是某个人心里的一个念头。在建房子之前，你总会制定一个计划，再根据计划作出房子的蓝图，然后房子就会按照蓝图一步一步地修建起来了。所有的有形物体都是这样产生的。
我们思维先作出大致规划，再进一步思考，描绘出具体的设计蓝图，至于设计的优劣，则取决于你的思考是条理清楚还是模糊紊乱。
总之，一切都从意识发展而来。宇宙的创造性法则就是意识，意识不断地创新、发展，从而创造出焕然一新的世界。然而，正如电的效力取决于与它相联的机制、系统一样，意识的效力也取决于我们利用它的方式。
我们每一个人生来都是精力充沛、思维活跃的，都拥有无穷无尽的意识力量，但我们必须让它有用武之地，给它一些任务，让它有事可干，只有这样，意识才会发挥出它的威力，否则，我们也不比那些懵懂无知的动物强到哪里去。
世界七大奇迹是人类在没有任何现代机械设施的条件下创造的。古人先在头脑中对这些宏大的工程做出初步设想，对其进行细致的设计。在长期的筹划准备当中，潜意识里往往会迸发出灵感，使他们能够跨过那些即使现在看来也难以逾越的障碍。
让我们来想象一下吉萨的金字塔是怎么建成的：当时什么都没有，完全靠赤手空拳把巨石一块块地垒上去。再想象一下罗兹的巨像，它如此庞大宏伟，两根柱子之间甚至能通过一艘巨轮！古人们付出了多少辛劳、血汗，经历了多少痛苦的日日夜夜，才能完成这样宏大的工程啊！
然而，在那个设备简陋，机器闻所未闻的时代里，人类仍然凭借智慧和辛劳创造了这些奇迹。人的意识无疑是充满创造力的，只是人必须有所想，才会有所创造。没有具体的设想，创造力就无用武之地了。
其实，在意识当中，潜藏着千百万个伟大的想法，它们能创造出比世界七大奇迹还要卓越的伟业。并且这些想法对于每个人都触手可及，我们可以像迈克尔·安奇洛一样设计出圣彼得堡大教堂那样的传世建筑。
我们所处的生活状况以及一切的经历都是某些心理活动产生的结果。我们只可能成为我们想做的那种人，也只可能拥有我们想要的那些东西。
我们所做的、所拥有以及所处的状态都取决于内心所想，绝不会做出任何从来没有在头脑中出现的事。所以，要获得权利、成功、富裕，首先必须往这些方面去梦想。做任何事，都要先让它在头脑里生根发芽。
著名的心理学家威廉·詹姆斯认为，人类在100年后取得的最大成就将会是对潜意识能量的发掘。那也将是人类在过去、现在乃至未来的所有时代里取得的最伟大的成就。
那个时候，人们能以自己的内在力量去控制、支配所处的环境，能主宰命运、书写未来，而不再苦苦等待机遇的垂青，命运的恩典。那时，人类已成为外部环境的主人。
胸怀远大的志向吧！只有梦想卓越时，你才可能成就卓越。你的幻想往往预示着未来的样子，你的梦想也常常是你将来的生活。
即使最信奉唯物主义的科学家也不得不承认事物并不是毫无来由地形成的。根据物理学的理论，物质——上至人的身体，下至一块木料——都无一例外是由性质不同的原子聚集而成的。单个地来看，这些原子都特别渺小，只能通过高倍的显微镜才能观察得到。
作者简介
罗伯特·柯里尔（robert collier），出生于美国的圣路易斯，小时侯家人希望他成为一名牧师，但他违背了家人的愿望，前往弗吉尼亚寻求新的出路，后来，他来纽约，和他的叔叔创办了柯里尔出版公司，在出版界取得了巨大的成就。
他是一个富有传奇色彩的成功大师，在美国，他是和戴尔·卡耐基齐名的成功学大师，同时他还是一位伟大的多产作家和出版商，他的数十本著作，都十分畅销。他的著作都基于他在玄秘学上的研究，以及他对“人人都能轻松又正当地获得成功、幸福和富足”的信念上。
他的其他著作将继续由中国华侨出版社翻译出版。即将推出的是，他的另一力作——《秘密II——远东大师的惊天机密》，讲叙古老东方土地上隐含的人生秘密！
有一句波斯的古谚语这样说：“地球停在一头大象的背上，大象站在海龟壳上，海龟在牛奶做的海洋里遨游。”但是接下来呢？生命究竟是如何产生的？谚语只是这样闪烁其词地一笔带过——无须询问，一切冥冥之中自有安排。
每一个人，无论自己有没有意识到，要么就是唯物主义者，要么就是唯心主义者。古往今来，各个哲学流派，乃至公众之间都曾为宇宙到底是什么的问题激烈地争论过，然而往往一时的结论都是经不起推敲的——刚从揣测的崇山中解脱出来，又滑入了备受质疑的深海。
唯物主义者一般都宣称世间只存在物质及物质与生俱来的力量，而唯心主义者则认为宇宙中的一切都不过是意识罢了，物质是虚幻的、不真实的。8801.net
如今，人们早已不满足于这些不足以让人信服的理论了。随着对早期历史的进一步了解，意识逐渐在这些争论中略占上风。阿基米德曾说过“给我一个支点，我就能用杠杆撬动整个地球”。这个支点就源于人类的意识。
几十亿年前，地球上除了滚烫的岩浆什么都没有，那么万物何以出现呢？必然是受到一种意识的支配，在一种思想的指引下，地球才按部就班地经历了各个阶段，得以生机盎然，欣欣向荣。
每件事，每种情况，或是每样物品的起源都是某个人心里的一个念头。在建房子之前，你总会制定一个计划，再根据计划作出房子的蓝图，然后房子就会按照蓝图一步一步地修建起来了。所有的有形物体都是这样产生的。
我们思维先作出大致规划，再进一步思考，描绘出具体的设计蓝图，至于设计的优劣，则取决于你的思考是条理清楚还是模糊紊乱。
总之，一切都从意识发展而来。宇宙的创造性法则就是意识，意识不断地创新、发展，从而创造出焕然一新的世界。然而，正如电的效力取决于与它相联的机制、系统一样，意识的效力也取决于我们利用它的方式。
我们每一个人生来都是精力充沛、思维活跃的，都拥有无穷无尽的意识力量，但我们必须让它有用武之地，给它一些任务，让它有事可干，只有这样，意识才会发挥出它的威力，否则，我们也不比那些懵懂无知的动物强到哪里去。
世界七大奇迹是人类在没有任何现代机械设施的条件下创造的。古人先在头脑中对这些宏大的工程做出初步设想，对其进行细致的设计。在长期的筹划准备当中，潜意识里往往会迸发出灵感，使他们能够跨过那些即使现在看来也难以逾越的障碍。
让我们来想象一下吉萨的金字塔是怎么建成的：当时什么都没有，完全靠赤手空拳把巨石一块块地垒上去。再想象一下罗兹的巨像，它如此庞大宏伟，两根柱子之间甚至能通过一艘巨轮！古人们付出了多少辛劳、血汗，经历了多少痛苦的日日夜夜，才能完成这样宏大的工程啊！
然而，在那个设备简陋，机器闻所未闻的时代里，人类仍然凭借智慧和辛劳创造了这些奇迹。人的意识无疑是充满创造力的，只是人必须有所想，才会有所创造。没有具体的设想，创造力就无用武之地了。
其实，在意识当中，潜藏着千百万个伟大的想法，它们能创造出比世界七大奇迹还要卓越的伟业。并且这些想法对于每个人都触手可及，我们可以像迈克尔·安奇洛一样设计出圣彼得堡大教堂那样的传世建筑。
我们所处的生活状况以及一切的经历都是某些心理活动产生的结果。我们只可能成为我们想做的那种人，也只可能拥有我们想要的那些东西。
我们所做的、所拥有以及所处的状态都取决于内心所想，绝不会做出任何从来没有在头脑中出现的事。所以，要获得权利、成功、富裕，首先必须往这些方面去梦想。做任何事，都要先让它在头脑里生根发芽。
著名的心理学家威廉·詹姆斯认为，人类在100年后取得的最大成就将会是对潜意识能量的发掘。那也将是人类在过去、现在乃至未来的所有时代里取得的最伟大的成就。
那个时候，人们能以自己的内在力量去控制、支配所处的环境，能主宰命运、书写未来，而不再苦苦等待机遇的垂青，命运的恩典。那时，人类已成为外部环境的主人。
胸怀远大的志向吧！只有梦想卓越时，你才可能成就卓越。你的幻想往往预示着未来的样子，你的梦想也常常是你将来的生活。
即使最信奉唯物主义的科学家也不得不承认事物并不是毫无来由地形成的。根据物理学的理论，物质——上至人的身体，下至一块木料——都无一例外是由性质不同的原子聚集而成的。单个地来看，这些原子都特别渺小，只能通过高倍的显微镜才能观察得到。
作者简介
罗伯特·柯里尔（robert collier），出生于美国的圣路易斯，小时侯家人希望他成为一名牧师，但他违背了家人的愿望，前往弗吉尼亚寻求新的出路，后来，他来纽约，和他的叔叔创办了柯里尔出版公司，在出版界取得了巨大的成就。
他是一个富有传奇色彩的成功大师，在美国，他是和戴尔·卡耐基齐名的成功学大师，同时他还是一位伟大的多产作家和出版商，他的数十本著作，都十分畅销。他的著作都基于他在玄秘学上的研究，以及他对“人人都能轻松又正当地获得成功、幸福和富足”的信念上。
他的其他著作将继续由中国华侨出版社翻译出版。即将推出的是，他的另一力作——《秘密II——远东大师的惊天机密》，讲叙古老东方土地上隐含的人生秘密！
你眼中的世界：通过意识控制物质能量--罗伯特·柯里尔
到目前为止，原子学说被认为是有关物质的终极学说，揭示了组成物质的最小单位。世界中的一切有形物体，都是由这些极小的微粒构成的。
它们如此微小，以至于单个原子几乎看不到、摸不着、没有气味，也没法称量，并且这些微粒都是无法被破坏、被分解的。
科学家们对原子进行了一次次更深入的分析、研究，发现它们确实不能再被分解成更小的粒子了，因而总是完好无损、不可摧毁的。
原子是由带负电的电子和带正电的质子飞速旋转环绕而成的，这些质子、电子没有硬度，没有密度，没有质感，甚至不像是真实存在的，然而它们是能量的源泉。
在宇宙中它们形成了一个个高速旋转的能量漩涡，充满活力，从不停滞，总是伴随着生命的存在而跳动，不可思议的是它们居然可以形成有灵魂的血肉之躯！
总之，随着原子说的不断发展，生命的谜团却越来越神秘莫测了，就像英国一位知名的科学家所说的，现代科学家总试图解释物质的组成，然而物质在显微镜下却变成了一团虚无缥缈的漩涡，原本实实在在的物质似乎化成一缕青烟，消失得无影无踪了。
无论你相信与否——摆在你面前的结结实实的桌子、房子，你的身体，乃至整个世界，都是由这些虚无缥缈的漩涡构成的。
我们曾经以为宇宙是由无数种不同性质的物质构成的，每种元素都是独特的物质；以为每发现一种新元素，都预示着许多不可预期的新情况，因为这种元素可能具有某些出乎意料的特性或某些难以想象的功用。
现在，这种幻想已经无法立足，因为我们已经知道了物质的终极构成单位无外乎两种——两种货真价实的电。一种带负电，被称为电子；另一种带正电，被称为质子。铁、锌、氧、金，以及其他所有的元素，都是由质子和电子构成的，只不过在数目上有所差别而已。
你可曾想过，也许有一天人类可以通过意识控制这些物质能量，可以呼风唤雨，可以成为自然界的主人。到那时，一切美好的愿望皆有可能实现。我们应该相信这一天总会到来。
物质的神奇或许可以通过琴的一根弦来表现。当这根弦被弹奏到某个音高时，引起的振动可以使布鲁克林大桥坍塌！再看看海洋、山峰、岩石、铁块，它们都能被分解成为细小缥缈的微粒，差一点就让人怀疑它的存在。
再想一想，我们的身体是85%的水，15%的尘埃和磷组成的，这些都可以被进一步分解为气体和水汽。那么，灵魂到底来自哪里，又要去往何方呢？也许正因如此，我们往往才能在生活中付出自己想要付出的，收获自己想要得到的——我们每天都会有这样的感受。
当雄伟秀丽的自然景观展现在面前时，在你看来，这是一幅绝美的画卷，而在另一个人眼里也许只不过是一些岩石和草木的堆砌而已。一个女孩飞奔出来迎接你，在你看来，她就是美丽的化身，而在别人眼里，也许你所欣赏的优雅、美丽就成了呆板和丑陋。
一个洒满月光的花园，花香弥漫，草叶上缀着晶晶亮亮的露珠，对你而言，这里无比迷人、无比浪漫，而对别人而言，眼前的情景只会让他们联想到哮喘、高烧或风湿。甚至，一种颜色在你看来是绿色的，而在别人看来却是红色的；一种预景会让你欢欣不已，而在别人眼里这种前景却是艰苦、坎坷的，完全不值得期待。
看一看沃伦·希尔顿在《实用心理学》中所写的一段话吧：同一种刺激因素作用于不同的感觉器官时，就会引起不同的感受。眼睛上被打一下，会眼冒金星；耳朵上挨一下，耳膜就会轰鸣作响，仿佛听到爆炸声。这样看来，触觉对眼睛和耳朵能产生像光和声音一样的效果。
对外界事物产生的看法或反应完全取决于在你大脑的哪一部分与感受刺激的神经末梢相联系着。
我们只能看到太阳，而不能听到它发出的声音，这是因为人体中只有某一种神经末梢能与太阳的光波产生共振，从而感受到太阳的存在，并且这种神经末梢只与大脑中主管视觉的部分相联系。
詹姆斯教授曾经说过：“如果能把我们的视觉神经末稍连接到耳朵上，把听觉神经末梢连接到眼睛上，那么我们就会听到闪电而看到雷声，听到指挥家的动作而看到交响乐的声波。”
换句话说，我们对周围世界产生的种种认识、对此而生的一个个想法，以及我们所生存的这个环境、这个世界的特性——这一切都源于每个人与众不同的生活圈子和内心世界。
简而言之，就像是古代寓言中盲人摸象的故事一样。对于那个摸到象腿的人来说，大象就像一棵树；摸到侧面的人则觉得大象像一堵墙，而摸到尾巴的人说大象像一根绳子。
同一头大象，在三个盲人脑中的印象却有天壤之别。其实，我们对世界的看法也正是这样的，每个人都对世界有自己的看法。
你就像一台收音机每时每刻都有成千上万种感受向你扑来，但你只会选择喜爱的那些——欢乐或悲伤，成功或失败，乐观或畏惧。你可以选择最有利的，可以只听想听的，拒绝一切反感的想法、声音、经历。当然你也可以选择泄气、失败、绝望的声音，不可避免地受到消极的感染。
总之，选择都是自己做出的，从这点来看，内在力量会让整个世界黯然失色、束手无策。无论外部世界是什么模样，总是可以按自己的意愿去选择一种生活方式。
也许你会说，事物自己并没有改变，只是你看待它们的眼光变了。谁能证明在清醒时所经历的一切不会像梦境一样是意志的杰作呢？
你一定做过这种无比清晰的梦：在梦里，什么都像在醒着时感受到的一样真实，你还伸手摸了那些东西，甚至还掐了自己几下，然而梦还是没有消失，直到醒来……那么，我们所感受到的真实生活何尝不会是一个很清晰的梦境呢？
许多科学家都认为，只要努力地向自己的内心和所处的环境里注入所向往的美好想法、美好事物，同时摒弃那些让你畏惧的邪恶因素，那么，渐渐地，展现在你面前的生活就会变得可爱而灿烂。
显然，这是你能做到的。事实上，许多人已经做到了，他们摆脱了物质的主宰，转而重视内在思想的修养；无论环境如何变换，他们总是拥有平和、旷达的心境。
正如自然界中最强大的能量总是看不见的——热、光、空气、电，人类拥有的最强大的能量也是潜藏着的——意识的力量；就像电能使坚硬的石头、钢铁溶化一样，我们的意识也具有巨大的威力，它可以控制我们的身体，同时，可以成就也可以毁掉我们。
作者简介
罗伯特·柯里尔（robert collier），出生于美国的圣路易斯，小时侯家人希望他成为一名牧师，但他违背了家人的愿望，前往弗吉尼亚寻求新的出路，后来，他来纽约，和他的叔叔创办了柯里尔出版公司，在出版界取得了巨大的成就。
他是一个富有传奇色彩的成功大师，在美国，他是和戴尔·卡耐基齐名的成功学大师，同时他还是一位伟大的多产作家和出版商，他的数十本著作，都十分畅销。他的著作都基于他在玄秘学上的研究，以及他对“人人都能轻松又正当地获得成功、幸福和富足”的信念上。
他的其他著作将继续由中国华侨出版社翻译出版。即将推出的是，他的另一力作——《秘密II——远东大师的惊天机密》，讲叙古老东方土地上隐含的人生秘密！
它们如此微小，以至于单个原子几乎看不到、摸不着、没有气味，也没法称量，并且这些微粒都是无法被破坏、被分解的。
科学家们对原子进行了一次次更深入的分析、研究，发现它们确实不能再被分解成更小的粒子了，因而总是完好无损、不可摧毁的。
原子是由带负电的电子和带正电的质子飞速旋转环绕而成的，这些质子、电子没有硬度，没有密度，没有质感，甚至不像是真实存在的，然而它们是能量的源泉。
在宇宙中它们形成了一个个高速旋转的能量漩涡，充满活力，从不停滞，总是伴随着生命的存在而跳动，不可思议的是它们居然可以形成有灵魂的血肉之躯！
总之，随着原子说的不断发展，生命的谜团却越来越神秘莫测了，就像英国一位知名的科学家所说的，现代科学家总试图解释物质的组成，然而物质在显微镜下却变成了一团虚无缥缈的漩涡，原本实实在在的物质似乎化成一缕青烟，消失得无影无踪了。
无论你相信与否——摆在你面前的结结实实的桌子、房子，你的身体，乃至整个世界，都是由这些虚无缥缈的漩涡构成的。
我们曾经以为宇宙是由无数种不同性质的物质构成的，每种元素都是独特的物质；以为每发现一种新元素，都预示着许多不可预期的新情况，因为这种元素可能具有某些出乎意料的特性或某些难以想象的功用。
现在，这种幻想已经无法立足，因为我们已经知道了物质的终极构成单位无外乎两种——两种货真价实的电。一种带负电，被称为电子；另一种带正电，被称为质子。铁、锌、氧、金，以及其他所有的元素，都是由质子和电子构成的，只不过在数目上有所差别而已。
你可曾想过，也许有一天人类可以通过意识控制这些物质能量，可以呼风唤雨，可以成为自然界的主人。到那时，一切美好的愿望皆有可能实现。我们应该相信这一天总会到来。
物质的神奇或许可以通过琴的一根弦来表现。当这根弦被弹奏到某个音高时，引起的振动可以使布鲁克林大桥坍塌！再看看海洋、山峰、岩石、铁块，它们都能被分解成为细小缥缈的微粒，差一点就让人怀疑它的存在。
再想一想，我们的身体是85%的水，15%的尘埃和磷组成的，这些都可以被进一步分解为气体和水汽。那么，灵魂到底来自哪里，又要去往何方呢？也许正因如此，我们往往才能在生活中付出自己想要付出的，收获自己想要得到的——我们每天都会有这样的感受。
当雄伟秀丽的自然景观展现在面前时，在你看来，这是一幅绝美的画卷，而在另一个人眼里也许只不过是一些岩石和草木的堆砌而已。一个女孩飞奔出来迎接你，在你看来，她就是美丽的化身，而在别人眼里，也许你所欣赏的优雅、美丽就成了呆板和丑陋。
一个洒满月光的花园，花香弥漫，草叶上缀着晶晶亮亮的露珠，对你而言，这里无比迷人、无比浪漫，而对别人而言，眼前的情景只会让他们联想到哮喘、高烧或风湿。甚至，一种颜色在你看来是绿色的，而在别人看来却是红色的；一种预景会让你欢欣不已，而在别人眼里这种前景却是艰苦、坎坷的，完全不值得期待。
看一看沃伦·希尔顿在《实用心理学》中所写的一段话吧：同一种刺激因素作用于不同的感觉器官时，就会引起不同的感受。眼睛上被打一下，会眼冒金星；耳朵上挨一下，耳膜就会轰鸣作响，仿佛听到爆炸声。这样看来，触觉对眼睛和耳朵能产生像光和声音一样的效果。
对外界事物产生的看法或反应完全取决于在你大脑的哪一部分与感受刺激的神经末梢相联系着。
我们只能看到太阳，而不能听到它发出的声音，这是因为人体中只有某一种神经末梢能与太阳的光波产生共振，从而感受到太阳的存在，并且这种神经末梢只与大脑中主管视觉的部分相联系。
詹姆斯教授曾经说过：“如果能把我们的视觉神经末稍连接到耳朵上，把听觉神经末梢连接到眼睛上，那么我们就会听到闪电而看到雷声，听到指挥家的动作而看到交响乐的声波。”
换句话说，我们对周围世界产生的种种认识、对此而生的一个个想法，以及我们所生存的这个环境、这个世界的特性——这一切都源于每个人与众不同的生活圈子和内心世界。
简而言之，就像是古代寓言中盲人摸象的故事一样。对于那个摸到象腿的人来说，大象就像一棵树；摸到侧面的人则觉得大象像一堵墙，而摸到尾巴的人说大象像一根绳子。
同一头大象，在三个盲人脑中的印象却有天壤之别。其实，我们对世界的看法也正是这样的，每个人都对世界有自己的看法。
你就像一台收音机每时每刻都有成千上万种感受向你扑来，但你只会选择喜爱的那些——欢乐或悲伤，成功或失败，乐观或畏惧。你可以选择最有利的，可以只听想听的，拒绝一切反感的想法、声音、经历。当然你也可以选择泄气、失败、绝望的声音，不可避免地受到消极的感染。
总之，选择都是自己做出的，从这点来看，内在力量会让整个世界黯然失色、束手无策。无论外部世界是什么模样，总是可以按自己的意愿去选择一种生活方式。
也许你会说，事物自己并没有改变，只是你看待它们的眼光变了。谁能证明在清醒时所经历的一切不会像梦境一样是意志的杰作呢？
你一定做过这种无比清晰的梦：在梦里，什么都像在醒着时感受到的一样真实，你还伸手摸了那些东西，甚至还掐了自己几下，然而梦还是没有消失，直到醒来……那么，我们所感受到的真实生活何尝不会是一个很清晰的梦境呢？
许多科学家都认为，只要努力地向自己的内心和所处的环境里注入所向往的美好想法、美好事物，同时摒弃那些让你畏惧的邪恶因素，那么，渐渐地，展现在你面前的生活就会变得可爱而灿烂。
显然，这是你能做到的。事实上，许多人已经做到了，他们摆脱了物质的主宰，转而重视内在思想的修养；无论环境如何变换，他们总是拥有平和、旷达的心境。
正如自然界中最强大的能量总是看不见的——热、光、空气、电，人类拥有的最强大的能量也是潜藏着的——意识的力量；就像电能使坚硬的石头、钢铁溶化一样，我们的意识也具有巨大的威力，它可以控制我们的身体，同时，可以成就也可以毁掉我们。
作者简介
罗伯特·柯里尔（robert collier），出生于美国的圣路易斯，小时侯家人希望他成为一名牧师，但他违背了家人的愿望，前往弗吉尼亚寻求新的出路，后来，他来纽约，和他的叔叔创办了柯里尔出版公司，在出版界取得了巨大的成就。
他是一个富有传奇色彩的成功大师，在美国，他是和戴尔·卡耐基齐名的成功学大师，同时他还是一位伟大的多产作家和出版商，他的数十本著作，都十分畅销。他的著作都基于他在玄秘学上的研究，以及他对“人人都能轻松又正当地获得成功、幸福和富足”的信念上。
他的其他著作将继续由中国华侨出版社翻译出版。即将推出的是，他的另一力作——《秘密II——远东大师的惊天机密》，讲叙古老东方土地上隐含的人生秘密！
The Law of Attraction is MORE Than Just Positive Thinking
| By Maritza Parra The Law of Attraction is a tool to help you guide your thoughts into a better feeling place by providing an understanding that your are an energetically vibrating being. Science has been telling us that we are all made up of energy, and that energy in the Universe is neither created nor destroyed. It's just changing in form. So, the condensed version of all this is that we are all one and we are all made up of this same vibrating energy. This has been an important lesson for me because when I see someone who would have made me angry or offended, I realize that I must have been vibrating in a certain place to attract that person into my life and I must have had some of that within me somewhere! |
Author's Bio Training and speaking about the Applying the Principles of Self Empowerment is one of Maritza's passions. She leads several groups in San Antonio and is the co-founder of Our Law of Attraction Podcast mentioned during her interview with Oprah Winfrey for Oprah's XM radio Show, "Oprah & Friends: The Soul Series" in May 2007. |
Are You the Boss?
| A Perspective of Tao Leadership "I'm the Boss!" |
Author's Bio Tekson Teo, BSc (Econ), MBA, DIC, London; is a writer and speaker specializes in Tao and self growth. He makes Tao easy to understand and use for achieving clear mind, effectiveness, leadership and health. He is well versed in Chinese and reads the original Tao literature including Lao Tzu and I Ching. www.tao-in-you.com. |
Creating Passive Income Streams
| By Kelly Robbins Positioning your business to be self-sufficient |
Author's Bio Author of Powerful Interviewing Techniques for Healthcare Marketers E-book, Kelly Robbins is an award winning copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, "5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits" - info@AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285. |
How to evaluate your life and move forward in a positive direction
| By Judy Merrill There are two things involved here: the thought and the action. In thought we often consider that our life is not what we want it to be. Perhaps it is time to consider: we can make it what we want it to be. |
Author's Bio Judy Merrill is an accurate, experienced, Professional Spiritualist Medium, available for private readings, parties, corporate events in the GTA and Southern Ontario. As an ordained minister in Spiritualism her attention to the needs of her clients is paramount. |
Build Rapport Quickly And Drive Up Your Closing Ratios!
| By Michael Beck Product knowledge is important in selling insurance. Understanding how to uncover your prospect抯 needs and then determining which product will best address those needs is critical. But as we抳e heard before, people buy from people they like. People buy Benefits, not Features ?and they抮e more likely to believe in the benefits you offer when they like you, trust you, and can relate to you. A key to effective communications is understanding and applying your knowledge of the four social styles ?Analytical, Commander, Expressive, & Stabilizer (A.C.E.S.). In this article we抣l touch on each of the four styles, how they think and act, how to read your prospects to spot their style(s), and what to do once you know who you抮e talking to. |
Author's Bio Written by Michael Beck, 揌ead Zookeeper?at www.ClientMonkey.com , a marketing strategies website dedicated to getting more clients, making more money, and having more fun! Receive a FREE program on recruiting & prospecting success at: www.PowerRecruitingandProspecting.com |
Writing Winning Proposals That Lead To Profits
| By Barbara K. Giamanco If you think of the proposal writing process as intimidating, daunting and time consuming, I want you to know that you are not alone. Daunting though it might be, you抳e got to learn to do it well, because writing proposals for almost every profession a key to securing business. |
Author's Bio Talent Builders CEO Barbara Giamanco capped a corporate sales career at Microsoft, where she led and trained sales teams and coached sales executives, before establishing Talent Builders, Inc. in 2002. She has more than 25 years of experience in selling to enterprise, mid-market and retail accounts and knows what it抯 like to walk in the shoes of the sales person. During her career, her accounts have included American Express Worldwide, Motorola, Best Buy, Circuit City, Anheuser-Busch, Target, and Honeywell. Visit us on the web at www.talentbuildersinc.com |
3 Keys to Creating Different Perspectives
| By Gail Solish The expression "Thinking Outside The Box," has become a catch phrase in our busy world. Innovation and creativity generally comes from taking a different perspective, perhaps even going against the norm. The other end of the spectrum would be finding yourself in a rut, always doing or thinking in the same way. You may have some habits which have served you well, but perhaps they are habits which have created "1 channel" thinking for you. This is where you stay on the same channel to deal with all situations. |
Author's Bio Gail Solish, provides Executive/Personal coaching to managers, directors and executives focused on workplace development and relationship management. Claim your FR-EE e-course "Unleash Your Potential and Increase Productivity and Fulfillment" at www.ActualizeYourGoals.com |
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Three Principles of Cross-Selling/ Up-Selling
By Bryan Flanagan Bryan Flanagan is our Director of Corporate Training. Bryan Ziglar clients since 1984. His programs can make your sales force “more dangerous than they are now!” Contact him at bflanagan@ziglar.com or call him at 972.383.3285.
Earlier this year, one of my clients conducted a customer satisfaction survey. The number one response was, “I want a knowledgeable salesperson helping me.” I asked my client how she was interpreting that response. She said that she thought it meant that more training was needed in the area of product knowledge.
I suggested that she study the surveys a bit more. The reason for this suggestion is that most salespeople can learn product knowledge on their own by studying and/or using the products. They can read a user’s manual. They can observe other salespeople selling the product or service. In other words, salespeople can learn product knowledge by themselves.
Most salespeople don’t need more product knowledge.
What most salespeople need is more knowledge about the prospect and his or her needs, issues, and challenges. If the salesperson took the time to uncover the true concerns of the prospect, he or she would know what features of the product to demonstrate. He or she could then communicate the value, advantages, and benefits that would most serve the prospect’s needs and solve his or her problems.
Salespeople who live off the “low hanging fruit” never seem to develop the skills necessary to uncover the true concerns of the prospect. These individuals aren’t skilled in identifying the specific needs of the prospect. These types of sales individuals just take the easy sales (hence, the low hanging fruit) and move on to the next tree. You can make a sale that way but you can’t build a profession that way. You must learn to probe for needs so that you can truly serve your prospects. You must learn to climb the tree so that you can satisfy more of the prospect’s needs. Once you have acquired those skills, you can better sell more of your products and services to meet more of the prospect’s needs.
This is referred to as “cross-selling” and/or “up-selling.” It is also referred to as “selling deep.” That is, selling deeply into the prospect’s true needs and wants. Yes, you have to meet their recognized needs, but you should also attempt to determine the deeper needs that the prospect may have. Oftentimes, the prospect has a need but has not yet realize it is a true need.
Let’s illustrate this with a health care industry example. A patient has an appointment with his physician. It’s his annual check-up. All the patient wants is a physical exam so he can get on with his day. The doctor asks a few probing questions and determines that there may be some concerns. The doctor then “goes deep” into the family history, recent illnesses, etc. Instead of just a visit, the doctor suggests a full work-up including stress test, blood work, and EKG. By going “deep” the doctor is better serving his patient’s needs.
You can use this in any industry. Retail salespeople understand this concept. A man walks into a clothing store searching for a tie. Some sales people would just sell the tie or attempt to sell additional ties. However, the experienced sales professional will sell deep by asking and listening, linking benefits to needs, and seeing the buyer’s side of things. The customer leaves with a new suit. Why? Because the sales professional asked enough questions to determine the true needs, issues, and challenges to “up-sell” the customer. Another example: A husband and wife need financial protection because they have just delivered their first child. A true sales professional will ask about all the financial needs of the couple. Insurance, disability, and college funds may be discussed because the salesperson probed for present day needs as well as future financial needs.
Here are three principles on cross-selling and up-selling. Remember, these principles only work if you do!
- Ask and listen. In its simplest form, selling is nothing more than asking and listening. Yes, it is not any more complicated than that. Keep it simple. Learn to take the attention off yourself and focus it where it belongs --- on the prospect. In order to determine additional needs, you must learn to be a skilled questioner. These questions should be high-gain and high-impact questions. That is, they should solicit the real needs of the prospect. You could ask, “If you could receive more productivity at a lower cost, would you buy from me?” However, a more powerful question is, “If you could receive more productivity at a lower cost, what is the benefit to you?” This second question will allow you to drill down deeper into the needs of the prospect. Perhaps there are additional needs that the prospect has not voiced to you yet. This question may identify the real benefits that the prospect is seeking.
- Link your products and services to the prospect’s challenges. This takes work. It also requires discipline. It is easy to move into your own “comfort zone” without any regard for the prospect’s “buying zone.” In order to move out of your comfort zone you must really focus on the needs of the prospect. You achieve this by asking the right questions to determine the deeper needs. You then communicate your solutions by linking to his or her personal benefits. By making your prospect’s life easier, increasing his or her personal effectiveness, and/or providing a path for individual recognition, you are linking to personal benefits. By doing so, you have a better chance of “up-selling” this prospect. Remember, your prospects desire what your products and services will do for them. They aren’t concerned about what your products do unless you can link what your products accomplish for him or her.
- Use the P-P-O-V Formula. This stands for “Prospect’s Point Of View.” In order to be successful in selling deep, you must focus on the other person and on his or her needs. By asking the right questions and by linking your solutions to his or her benefits, you have a better chance of understanding the PPOV. Don’t hesitate to ask “hard questions.” These may include questions such as:
“Once that need is met, what needs will you have in the future?”
“In addition to that concern, what other challenges are you facing?”
“What steps are in place for you to reach your future goals?”
It may be uncomfortable for you to ask those questions. However, the information you receive from those questions will allow you to better “cross-sell” or “up-sell” to the prospect’s needs.
Well, there you have it: three specific principles to assist you in selling deeper into the prospect’s needs. Remember, these principles only work if you do.
Now, go sell somebody something!
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