If You Get Knocked Down, Get Up

By Paul Lawrence

The letter was from the publisher of a magazine where I'd just placed an ad for an instructional ballroom dance video I'd produced. He informed me that he was pulling my ad. Why? After watching the video, he felt that the quality wasn't good enough for his subscribers.

This was quite a blow to me. The Internet hadn't yet developed into the marketplace it is today, and this magazine was the only one that catered to readers interested in ballroom dancing.

I understood why the publisher had a problem with my video. At that time, I had virtually no capital, so I'd videotaped it on my home camcorder and edited it with my VCR. Technologically speaking, it was weak. Still, I believed that people who bought it wouldn't mind since the content itself was so good.

My video business was temporarily kaput.

Fortunately, I didn't give up on the idea of selling dance videos. After improving my recording techniques and testing several marketing channels, I ultimately sold many thousands of dollars' worth. I then expanded into producing other types of instructional videos that have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Steve - an old friend of mine - came out of the army with a few bucks and decided to go into the vending machine business. He bought a couple of machines from a slick company that grossly overcharged him and gave him poor locations. Like me, his ignorance of the industry he was getting into led him to make a big mistake. Unlike me, Steve panicked, sold his machines at a big loss, and never tried to get another business started.

Listen, there is a good chance that you'll stumble a few times with any new venture. But, if you keep picking yourself up, wiping yourself off, and learning from your mistakes, you will achieve success.

Michael Masterson calls this the Principle of Accelerated Failure. "To develop any complex skill," says Michael, "you must be willing to make mistakes and endure failures. The faster you can make those mistakes and suffer those failures, the quicker you will master the skill."

So get out there and fail. Learn from your mistakes. And don't give up.

[Ed. Note: Paul Lawrence is a successful small-business entrepreneur who has started over 12 profitable enterprises.]

How to Firm Up Your Backside

By Jon Benson

Most every gal in the gym is familiar with the lunge. You see hordes of women doing lunges. Some trainers even have them walking around outside doing lunges.

Good idea... bad execution.

The right way to do lunges is one leg at a time. Do not alternate between both legs or do walking lunges. It is hard on the knees, and it doesn't take advantage of the mind/body connection that focusing on one leg at a time can give you.

1. Burn out the muscle on the first leg with mental and physical focus.

2. After you do one leg, do the other.

3. Rest one minute. Then do a set of 20 squats using dumbbells or a Smith machine.

4. Repeat the lunge exercise, one leg at a time, then the squat... then you're done.

That's two "giant sets" - two sets of one-legged lunges and two sets of squats. That's it. You can do it in less than 10 minutes.

Not only is this a great exercise for your legs, your butt will be screaming for mercy and will be more toned practically by the time you get to your car... assuming you can walk to your car! I'm kidding, of course. But seriously - this is a great workout for the booty.

[Ed. Note: If you want to build more muscle in less time while you burn body fat, pick up nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's book, 7 Minute Muscle. It's a complete system for dropping fat and building muscle that's guaranteed to work for you.]

It's Good to Know: Giving Medication by Remote Control

For those who find it difficult to take medication without help, new technology could make pill popping a thing of the past. The idea is for electronic implants placed under the skin to dispense meds automatically or be controlled by a healthcare professional via a wireless signal.

The technology - Remote Intelligent Drug Delivery Systems - is being developed for patients with disabilities, but has the potential to pass into wider use.

(Source: Popular Science)

Word to the Wise: Defalcate

To "defalcate" (dih-FAL-kate) - from the Latin for "scythe" - is to misuse or embezzle money or property held in trust.

Example (as used by Thomas Moore in a letter to Leigh Hunt): "I suppose you have heard of the calamity that has befallen me through the defalcation of my deputy at Bermuda, who has made free with the proceeds of two or three ships and cargoes deposited in his hands... ."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2597, 02-20-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.