The Truth About Fat Loss

By Craig Ballantyne
Last November [in 2007], I traveled to Mesa, AZ to hear Bill Phillips speak at a seminar. Phillips is the creator of the Body for Life Transformation Challenge. But at the end of the conference, it wasn’t Phillips’ words that I remembered. Nor was it Richard Branson’s, who spoke to us via satellite. Instead, a man named Dave Kekich caught my attention.

Mr. Kekich has written something called “The Kekich Credos” – 100 success secrets that I’ve been reviewing and then figuring out how to relate them to my clients’ fat-loss goals.

For example, here’s Kekich Credo #4: “Real regrets only come from not doing your best. All else is out of your control. You’re measured by results only. Trade excuses and ‘trying’ for results, and expect half-hearted results from half-hearted efforts. Do more than is expected of you. Life’s easy when you live it the hard way… and hard if you try to live it the easy way.”

Here are my thoughts on how to apply this success secret to a fat-loss program:

• Who are the ones berating themselves every Monday for not exercising or eating properly over the weekend? The people who did not do their best to exercise and eat right on Saturday and Sunday.

• Most people fail to control themselves. They trade minutes of pleasure (i.e., fast food) for days, weeks, months, and years of regret.

• Focus on quality workouts, not quantity. Focus on planning ahead to overcome obstacles, rather than trying to “out-cardio” a bad diet.

• Always hit a personal best in each workout. This guarantees progress in both fat-burning and muscle-building.

• Fat loss is easy once you understand how hard it is… and it’s hard if you think it is easy.

To make fat loss easy, you must:

1. Plan and prepare your meals in advance.

2. Follow a professionally designed, structured workout routine that is more intense than anything you’d put together for yourself.

3. Get social support from others who have gone through the same trials and tribulations that you face.

Do those three things… and you will succeed.

[Ed. Note: To get the biggest fat-loss benefits of exercise, you need a specialized, structured workout routine. Craig has put together just such an exercise regimen that can help you drop fat and get fit. Learn more here.]

"Money often costs too much."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Curse of the Lottery

By Robert Ringer
The story 20/20 did on Jack Whittaker, winner of $315 million in the Powerball multi-state lottery in 2002, was heavy, to say the least. (Since he opted to take a one-time payout, Whittaker actually received “only” a little over $113 million after taxes.) His is yet another in a long line of tales about people who suddenly find themselves immensely wealthy – and subsequently miserable.

The first reality of newfound wealth that Whittaker was confronted with was an endless parade of people with requests for money. Some folks didn’t even bother to ask for a handout in person. They just sent letters – 50,000 of them! – telling him they needed some of his green stuff.

Whittaker forked over about $50 million before he came to his senses. But when he backed away from his role as year-round Santa Claus, the moochers became angry. A number of them even threatened him.

When their threats failed, many of the good folks in West Virginia started suing Deep Pockets Whittaker for a variety of alleged torts. (He’s counted about 400 legal claims against him since he won the lottery.)

Confused and intensely unhappy, Whittaker began carousing, drinking, and propositioning young gals in strip clubs. His wife of 44 years threw him out, and, after giving away millions, he found himself with no friends.

But there was one glowing light in his life – his beloved granddaughter, 17-year-old Brandi. Whittaker gave her four new cars and an allowance of $2,000 a week. It was a real-life Beverly Hillbillies saga, only played out in West Virginia instead of California.

As one might have predicted, having that kind of cash in her pocket led Whittaker’s granddaughter to drugs. Soon after that, in September 2003, her boyfriend, Jesse Tribble, died of a drug overdose in Whittaker’s home. Then, a little over a year later, Brandi, too, was found dead of an overdose.

Stating the obvious in his tearful 20/20 interview, Jack Whittaker said, “Money is not what makes people happy.” Of course, every half-sober, mature adult already knows that. But it’s also important to understand that money doesn’t automatically saddle a wealthy person with unhappiness.

Money, contrary to the popular aphorism, is not “the root of all evil.” And, in fact, that’s not what the source of those words – The New Testament (Timothy, 6:10) – actually says. Rather, it states, “For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil.” (My emphasis.)

What makes money (and, I would suggest, fame) appear to be evil is the way some people react to it. From Marilyn to Anna Nicole to Britney, it’s as though money is a demon that brings certain people to their knees.

It seems to me that the trouble begins when people who find themselves with instant riches relate to it in a way that causes them to reflect on that age-old question, “Is that all there is?” And the answer to that question is always, “No, that is not all there is.” As Jack Whittaker discovered, money cannot buy friendship, money cannot buy love, and money cannot buy a meaningful purpose in life.

I think the reason we see so much of the lost-soul syndrome among Hollywoodites is because the odds of achieving success in the world of glitz and glitter borders on the same odds as winning the lottery. When you’re suddenly making $10 million to $25 million for memorizing someone else’s words and mouthing them in front of a camera, it’s not difficult to understand why it might have a detrimental effect on your psyche. In all honesty, I’d probably feel guilty, too, if I got paid that kind of money just for pretending to be someone else for a few weeks. (I’d take it, of course, but I’d feel guilty.)

This, I believe, is what causes so many celluloid stars to desperately search for meaning in half-baked causes, redistribution-of-the-wealth politics, or adopting needy children halfway around the world (when they could do just as much good by adopting needy children right in their own hometowns). To paraphrase Richard Bach in The Bridge Across Forever, when you suddenly come into a lot of money, it’s like being handed a glass sword, blade first. You had better handle it very carefully while you take the time to figure out what in the heck you’re supposed to do with it.

Bach should know. He went from journeyman writer to author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull (which was then the biggest-selling non-fiction book of all time) to bankruptcy! In other words, he’s been there. He took the bait and grabbed the glass sword by the blade.

If you are fortunate enough to one day find yourself the recipient of great wealth, heed Bach’s warning about money. Handle it carefully. And before doing anything foolish, ponder long and hard what it’s for.

Even better, start pondering that right now. By doing so, you not only will be ready for the glass sword if and when it makes its appearance, but, should it never get around to showing up, life without money will be much more meaningful to you.

My heart goes out to Jack Whittaker. May he find meaning in his travails with his windfall fortune… and a meaningful purpose in his life.

How to Hire a Freelance Copywriter

By Bob Bly
Hiring a freelance copywriter is no small responsibility. Make the right choice, and you get great copy that brings in leads, sales, and profits – in bushels. Make the wrong choice, and you end up pouring thousands of dollars down the drain. Fortunately, you can avoid that particular heartache (most of the time, anyway) simply by knowing what to look for in a direct-response copywriter.

Here are six questions that must be asked.

“Do you have experience in direct marketing?”

The answer should be “yes,” and backed up by samples.

“Do you have experience in my industry?”

Previous experience dealing with your industry or product is a great plus to look for in a freelance copywriter. It helps to have a writer who already speaks the language and knows the buzzwords. Also, a writer with experience in your industry can offer valuable insight and guidance a neophyte cannot provide.

“If I wanted to hire you, how would I go about it?”

Some writers insist on payment up front, a practice many clients won’t agree to. Others get advance retainers. Some simply send a bill when the job is done. The important thing is to make sure you are comfortable with the writer’s prices, fee arrangement, and working methods.

“What is your style?”

Get samples from several writers, and pick the one whose ap­proach seems “in sync” with your own. Don’t hire a writer whose style you don’t like and then ask him to write in a different style. It just won’t work.

“How well has your copy pulled?”

It doesn’t hurt to ask the writer how his copy has pulled for other clients. Just don’t weigh this information too heavily. After all, most freelancers, when asked, will naturally say that their copy is successful. Also, keep in mind that many freelancers do not have access to timely, accurate response figures.

“Who have you worked for?”

Lack of a client list means you are probably talking to a writer who is just starting out in freelancing (not necessarily a drawback). A long client list tells you the writer has been in business a while and is probably somewhat successful. However, keep in mind that it’s easier for a freelancer to get a small project from AT&T than it is for a major ad agency to win the entire AT&T account. So don’t let the client list impress you too much.

[Ed. Note: If you have the cash, you can hire your own copywriter. But if you’re just starting out, you should consider mastering the art of copywriting on your own.]

It's Good to Know: The Latest Hacking Technology

Anti-virus software, firewalls, spyware blockers. Our computers are full of features to stop hackers from stealing our confidential data. But computer security researchers have recently found a new way to bypass all that security.

A German team from Saarland University uses telescopes to focus on the reflection of computer screens on glasses, bottles, teapots, spoons, and even eyes. They can read 12-point type from up to 15 feet away, and 18-point type from 30 feet. As far as they know, no one has yet exploited this technique to "hack." But to be on the safe side when you're working on your computer, keep an eye out for people lurking around with telescopes.

(Source: PC World)

Word to the Wise: Saturnine

Someone who's "saturnine" (SAT-ur-nine) is bitter, melancholy, or sullen - the temperament of someone born under the supposed astrological influence of Saturn.

Example (as used by Susan Stewart in The New York Times): "Fans of [Hugh] Laurie's current series, the medical drama 'House,' may have a hard time reconciling his sarcastic and saturnine diagnostician with the goggle-eyed goofballs he's made a career of playing."
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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2379, 06-11-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.