How the Art of Positive Reinforcement Will Pay You 10-Fold

Want magic in your life today? You've heard how giving money will come back to you 10-fold - well what about giving positive feedback to people, and see what comes back?

I'll never forget a networking meeting I attended in London in which the leader asked this question - how can you get rid of stress in 1 minute? Her answer was to give another person a compliment. We then had one minute to compliment the stranger next to us - and presto - it worked like magic. We all felt lighter and happier.

Thereafter in my training courses, I experimented with enlarging this concept.

"Show people the best in themselves, and they will follow you anywhere," was my adage. It became a leadership doctrine that I was brought in to teach the military and corporations around the world.

Here's my question to you today:
How hard is it to hold a mirror up to someone with your words of positive reinforcement, and reflect their potential? Or as my business partner Liz Uible would say - "Show someone a promising future ahead based on their unique strengths."

It's not hard at all - simply listen to people talk about their achievements or challenges, and as you listen, let your heart and mind see a strength in them.

For example, if Judy was Chair of her Trade Association, you probably see leadership skills in her, or maybe organizational skills, or maybe people skills. You simply need to say, "Judy, I see wonderful leadership strengths in you." - How hard is that!!! Really - think about it. Is that something you can do with little or no effort? Can you do that in 10 seconds or less? Of course you can, and the impact on Judy is enormous! But here's the point. Few people do this. Few people know the power of assisting the world in this way.

Imagine being on the receiving end. Wouldn't you like to get this input about your unique talents and strengths? Of course you would. By hearing this, your confidence goes up. You start to see yourself in a new light.

And what about the return to you? That's easy too. People immediately see you as a leader. People have faith in you. When you show people the best in themselves, they will follow you anywhere!

New horizons will open up for you. New opportunities will materialize. Wealth creation can not be achieved alone. You need a team - whether it be supporters, or suppliers. If you want loyalty, start now to develop this ability to show people the best in themselves through Positive Reinforcement. Show them their unique strengths and talents. "Mary, I see great organizational strengths in you." This 10-second sentence will reap you rewards 10 times over. Not just in leadership, but instantly in feeling good about helping another human being. And by boosting another human being, you're boosting the world.

10 Second Focus Tip: Today listen in a new way as people talk. When you hear them talk of an achievement, or how they handled a challenge, look for the unique ability or strength they used. Then tell them. "Bob, when I hear you talk about your challenge with your teenager, I admire the dedication you have in making that relationship the best it can be." Then stand back and watch the positive reaction you get. Start today - develop this art and your life will unfold in magical new ways.

If you're a member of the Prosperity Teams™ starting this week, you'll have plenty of opportunities to practice this. But don't wait - get started now - practice with everyone you meet and everyone you speak to by phone!

Laptops in Africa

from Liz Uible
A friend just sent me this article from Yesterday's New York Times about buying computers for African school children. For $400 you get a laptop for a child and one for you! (Sounds like it might be great if all you need is the internet!)
Here's the link to the actual article, also copied below.


Buy a Laptop for a Child, Get Another Laptop Free

By STEVE LOHR
One Laptop Per Child, an ambitious project to bring computing to the developing world’s children, has considerable momentum. Years of work by engineers and scientists have paid off in a pioneering low-cost machine that is light, rugged and surprisingly versatile. The early reviews have been glowing, and mass production is set to start next month.

Orders, however, are slow. “I have to some degree underestimated the difference between shaking the hand of a head of state and having a check written,” said Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the nonprofit project. “And yes, it has been a disappointment.”

But Mr. Negroponte, the founding director of the M.I.T. Media Laboratory, views the problem as a temporary one in the long-term pursuit of using technology as a new channel of learning and self-expression for children worldwide.

And he is reaching out to the public to try to give the laptop campaign a boost. The marketing program, to be announced today, is called “Give 1 Get 1,” in which Americans and Canadians can buy two laptops for $399.

One of the machines will be given to a child in a developing nation, and the other one will be shipped to the purchaser by Christmas. The donated computer is a tax-deductible charitable contribution. The program will run for two weeks, with orders accepted from Nov. 12 to Nov. 26.

Just what Americans will do with the slender green-and-white laptops is uncertain. Some people may donate them to local schools or youth organizations, said Walter Bender, president of the laptop project, while others will keep them for their own family or their own use.

The machines have high-resolution screens, cameras and peer-to-peer technology so the laptops can communicate wirelessly with one another. The machine runs on free, open source software. “Everything in the machine is open to the hacker, so people can poke at it, change it and make it their own,” said Mr. Bender, a computer researcher. “Part of what we’re doing here is broadening the community of users, broadening the base of ideas and contributions, and that will be tremendously valuable.”

The machine, called the XO Laptop, was not engineered with affluent children in mind. It was intended to be inexpensive, with costs eventually approaching $100 a machine, and sturdy enough to withstand harsh conditions in rural villages. It is also extremely energy efficient, with power consumption that is 10 percent or less of a conventional laptop computer.

Staff members of the laptop project were concerned that American children might try the pared-down machines and find them lacking compared to their Apple, Hewlett-Packard or Dell laptops. Then, in this era of immediate global communications, they might post their criticisms on Web sites and blogs read around the world, damaging the reputation of the XO Laptop, the project staff worried.

So the laptop project sponsored focus-group research with American children, ages 7 to 11, at the end of August. The results were reassuringly positive. The focus-group subjects liked the fact that the machine was intended specifically for children, and appreciated features like the machine-to-machine wireless communication. “Completely beastly” was the verdict of one boy. Another environmentally conscious youngster noted that the laptop “prevents global warming.”

Still, the “Give 1 Get 1” initiative is mainly about the giving. “The real reason is to get this thing started,” Mr. Negroponte said.

He said that if, for example, donations reached $40 million, that would mean 100,000 laptops could be distributed free in the developing world. The idea, he said, would be to give perhaps 5,000 machines to 20 countries to try out and get started.

“It could trigger a lot of things,” Mr. Negroponte said.

Late last year, Mr. Negroponte said he had hoped for orders for three million laptops, but those pledges have fallen short. Orders of a million each from populous Nigeria and Brazil did not materialize.

Still, the project has had successes. Peru, for example, will buy and distribute 250,000 of the laptops over the next year — many of them allocated for remote rural areas. Mexico and Uruguay, Mr. Negroponte noted, have made firm commitments. In a sponsorship program, the government of Italy has agreed to purchase 50,000 laptops for distribution in Ethiopia.

Each country will have different ideas about how to use the machines. Alan Kay, a computer researcher and adviser to the laptop project, said he expects one popular use will be to load textbooks at 25 cents or so each on the laptops, which has a high-resolution screen for easy reading.

“It’s probably going to be mundane in the early stages,” said Mr. Kay, who heads a nonprofit education group, whose learning software will be on the XO Laptop. “I’m an optimist that this will eventually work out,” Mr. Kay said.

Who is Supporting YOUR Success?

from Christine Harvey

Since Liz Uible and I met in 2005 , we've been developing systems, programs and articles for women's success.

If you've read John Grey's book 'Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus,' you know that men and women process differently. Women thrive in special environments of bouncing ideas off others and having a supportive group behind them, achieving together.

In addition, we've researched role-models and training methods that inspire women and lead to true prosperity. In the early days of our product and course development, we were fortunate to have the support of creative people like Juli Butler, Emily Cressey and Cecelia Lance. Word spread quickly about these tools and now our membership network extends from the US to South Africa and beyond.

Today we're announcing our latest powerhouse in achieving together, Prosperity Teams™. While some people lovingly refer to this as 'a mastermind on steroids,' they are actually quite different.

The new Prosperity Teams™ start next week & run for 90 days. There is a start date and an end date. People are clustered by interest area- Business, Personal, or Real Estate Success. Also, the trademarked process of POA, Powerhouse of Your Achievements, creates a bond and platform for utilizing the Professional Women's Network.

Most of all, in Prosperity Team™ members take responsibility for each other's success. This is done through a specialized structure, incorporating the creativity and support of others in 3 areas:

1) Through the POA™, Powerhouse of Your Achievements, highlighted above

2) Through Prosperity Exercises™ on goals, overcoming obstacles, and business skills

3) Through Prosperity Solutions™ - a dynamic team interplay which produces extraordinary possibilities.

Prosperity Teams™ are also different from mastermind groups in that there are component parts of each meeting. One component for example utilizes the 3 C's - contacts, credibility and creativity. As a Team member you are able to draw upon the creativity of the group to solve any obstacle you have in your way. Likewise you are able to utilize the contacts and credibility of others in your team to reach the highest of your goals fast.

You may wonder how you will fit in with a group of people you don't know. That's a viable question. One part of our unique process is the built in methodology which enables you to identify your own key successes in life to date and to let others help you identify your unique talents quickly and easily. In doing so, they quickly bond with you and visa versa so that your team platform is solidly and effectively built from the first phone meeting.

We would love to have you (and the people you care about) join in this adventure to success. The cost for this 90-day program is included in the $14.97 monthly membership- that's only $3.74 per session, less than a Starbuck's coffee, and you get propelled to your financial goal. And it's cancelable any time if satisfaction is not achieved. How's that for a guarantee!!!

To sign up to join a Prosperity Team™, click here.

WANT EVEN MORE SUPPORT? What if you have a group of friends and colleagues who you would like to propel to a whole new level? We can even help you start your own Prosperity Team™!!!.

As Connie Kadansky, member from Phoenix said, "I brought in 3 friends and colleagues because it intensifies the fun and energy of the group. More importantly, we can support each other between sessions by referring to the Prosperity Exercises even if we are on different Prosperity Teams™."

If you want to bring friends and colleagues in to support you, just have them click here or you can Email Liz@WomenForWealth.com for more information.

A Different Kind of Mastermind

from Liz Uible

I am sitting here watching the sunrise in Sedona, Arizona, where my mastermind group is currently having our retreat. (Being the only person from the East Coast, I can wake up at what feels like a perfectly reasonable hour and still beat everyone else up by a couple hours! So I can get a lot of outside work done.)

I am sitting here reflecting on how impressive this group of women really is in my life. I feel incredible gratitude for their influence and love in my life. They love me for who I am today and where I am going tomorrow. They support me in creating the financial life I plan for, and they stretch me to be more of myself than I sometimes dare. I never before had a group of female friends/colleagues who are so totally supportive and loving and helpful in making my dreams a reality. And I never imagined that I would have a group of supporters and friends like this. It is quite a gift and I am very grateful.

What we are doing in person is simply a deeper level of what we do on our weekly calls. We are going over our goals for the year and also for the long-term. We are giving contacts and support for what we are each creating, and we are stretching we each other to think bigger than we have dared before, whether financially, in relationships, in business, or other endeavors, we help each person in the group see herself as we already see her. And in doing so, we are each fed an extraordinary amount.

Christine and I really wanted to bring that bond, that mutual commitment to other successful women around the world. That is why we created Prosperity Teams™. In our weekly Prosperity Team™, which Christine and I participate in, we run a fast-paced, exciting mastermind-on-steroids… or would that be a mastermind-on-estrogen???

New groups form every month and are designed to make your goals a reality faster than you can imagine while creating a team of successful women supporting you in what you are doing. It is extraordinary! Checkout our latest article on Prosperity Teams at womenforwealth.com free articles or by following this link to learn more about our cutting-edge mastermind concept.

Is That Dollar in Your Pocket, Really Worth a Dollar?

Will your money buy anything in a year? In 5 or 10 years?

Our own Tom Harvey has been tracking the value of the dollar in your pocket and reporting on it daily*. Taking the news on the ‘Sub-Prime Meltdown’ and making the impact to your pocketbook clear. Distilling the adventure that is the current economy so we can navigate it to create real prosperity.

How can we safely profit from the big-guy’s failures? He analyzes it all and gives us the secrets the press isn’t talking about.

In last Friday’s post he wrote:

“The Stock Market went up 119 points today because President Bush announced help for some homeowners with good credit and only a little behind in paying their mortgage.

Here are the details behind the speech. The fine print said those lenders have 2,200,000 mortgages out there that are predicted to default and end up in foreclosure. President Bush’s help through the FHA is stated by the FHA to help about 80,000 households. You do the math. The President’s announcement is nothing more than political rhetoric.”

Tonight we are asking Tom to explain even more. To define terms, cut through the rhetoric we hear on the news and in the papers, and just give us the real story. All live for you. And he agreed. Just the real story**.

He will tell us:
What does all this mean to my real estate portfolio?
What does it mean for the savings and investment accounts I have?
In all this ‘market turmoil,’ how can I get the edge to create massive wealth?

Also,
What is inflation? …and what does it mean to your bank account?
…and how can you make big money on it?
…what does it mean for your investments?

What does the international currency market look like?
…and how can you protect your hard-earned assets from erosion?
…and how can you cash-in on the weak dollar?

What about the Gold and Silver Markets?
…what’s the big deal and why these seem to be going up
…how this market can protect your family’s nest egg

Where is all this market talk going and what should we be looking for in the coming months?
…learn what sign-posts to look for in the market to change strategies

Tom will explain it all tonight, Wednesday September 5^th at 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. Click here to get access to this live call and access to the recording. Plus ask questions and personalize the discussion for your own situation!

This is a call we are pleased to offer at a discounted rate to our entire community, men and women, so that every person and every family who wants to protect assets and/or make a bundle, can have the information to do so. But you have to act to get this important information. Please register above.

We look forward to exploring this world together!

All the best as you grow and prosper,

Liz and Christine

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*Right now, the reports Tom has been writing are on EconomyGuy.com

** This is the real story as Tom sees it. Please note that this call (and this email) is for your information and education only. It will help you to understand what you see and hear happening in the media and in the economy and make decisions for yourself about your money. It is not intended in any way to be investment advice. We are not licensed to do that.