Monday, February 25, 2008

Issue 456 - Sometimes You Just Have To Accept The Manflu

Hi,
I hope Monday finds you well.

Before I get into the subject of today's title, I want to cover the UK prison overcrowding.

Regular readers will remember a long while ago that I wrote about the upcoming crisis of overcrowding, that prisoners were being put into cells at police stations instead of jails because there was no room.
This costs a ludicrously high amount of money to the taxpayer, and is a problem that the government has long known about.

Well this week saw us go to absolute full capacity - even the police station cells are full.
The government has responded to the crisis by introducing an early release scheme, whereby prisoners simply get let out early!

2 glaring issues with this - firstly the government has to give taxpayers money to these prisoners to cover their living costs for the time they haven't served!
Of course most of these criminals then go and promptly buy a bucket load of drink and cigarettes.

The second problem is the message it sends out about justice.
It says that if you are mugged or burgled, then *if* the person is caught, *if* they are prosecuted, *if* they are convicted, then they will be let out early anyway!
Hmm...

It's simply incompetent management of a problem, and things like this drive me up the wall.

Ok, today's title is 'Sometimes you just have to accept the manflu.'

You'll remember that at the recent English curling championships I got the manflu.
I battled through it because I didn't want to look like a big sissy.
Unfortunately my battling through has contributed to the bad chest hanging around so that even now it isn't 100%, and all this affects another of my sporting activities, the marathon.

It's now only 6 weeks until the race, and although my training had been going just fine up to the manflu, it has gone right off course since, because you just can't do long runs with a tight chest.

So, goal achievement wise what can I do about it?
Nothing.

My training has been deeply researched and planned, getting the experience and knowledge from the plenty of people that have done it before me.
That's basic goal achievement stuff, but an important point about goal achievement is that sometimes you just have to accept the setbacks.

I can't do anything about the loss of training. As it happens I reckon I'll be ok for the race, because let's face it I'm not out to break any records.
On the other hand, had it been the case that the manflu wrecked my training totally, I would have to take the option of putting my place in the race back to next year.

Sometimes these things happen, it's just life, or as my mother says 'all part of life's rich tapestry.'

Accepting these setbacks is crucial, you only get to the setbacks by taking action in the first place, so by definition, even if a setback is so bad that it 's the end of the road for your goal, you are always further forward than you would have been had you never acted.

This way of thinking encourages a contented mind, and means I can smile as I cough up my breakfast.

Ok, that's it for this week - can you think of incompetent management, and are you prepared to sometimes just accept manflu?

Don't forget if you'd like to sponsor my marathon run, please click the link below.

'Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!

Please sponsor my marathon:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/marathon08.html

Transform Your Life In 21 Days:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com

How To Make Money From Movies:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/movies

Grab my free 8 Step Goal Achievement Plan by sending a blank email to:
mailto:transform@getresponse.com

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Issue 455 - How I Write My Articles

Hi,
I hope everything is ok where you are.

Thanks for all the kind words after I went past 5 years of the newsletter last week, and I want to crack into the 6th year with a focus on the wealth creation side of things.

In a word - article writing.
Er, ok, in 2 words - article writing.

Articles are great.
A bit like notes can be pushed around to create music, I love the fact that words can be pushed around to create pieces which can earn you money.
It's a skill which is not that hard to develop, and once you have the skill, it can be used anytime you want, for as long as you want.

Once you can create articles, you can use them to drive traffic to any page you want.
It may be your own page, or someone else's page, but it will be a page that earns you money from the traffic you send it.
If you do the simple logic that the articles create traffic for free, and what's more it is targetted traffic, then the idea appeals even more.

There are other ways to profit from articles, and a good way is just to sell them.
You can either sell them as a finished product, a one-off sale that someone can then put their name to, or you can sell them in packages.
The package idea works well as it leverages the time you spent once on the article creation, to end up with more than one sale.

Or, you can write articles for others according to their brief, in other words you sell your writing skills.

What I'm doing is starting a course to teach people how to write articles.
It will be over 5 x 1 hour sessions, and it won't be a seminar type tuition.
I'll be teaching you one to one, online.
I'll be writing and talking to you personally, I'll be webcammed up so you can see me too.

In the first session I'll be covering the where, why and how articles work their magic.

Session 2 will cover how I construct an article - the formula I use everytime which really helps to speed up the process.

In session 3, I'll be creating an article as you watch, on a subject you choose, to show you the process from start to finish.

Session 4 will see you creating an article to my formula on a subject I choose.

In the final session we'll go over the whole course and concentrate on any particulars.
These sessions of personal tuition will leave you equipped with the permanent knowledge of how to create an article on any subject in the world, plus the knowledge of how to profit from your skill.

I enjoy passing on my knowledge and ideas, and I'm looking forward to passing on this stuff.
I hope you'll agree it sounds a good package, and the next question you might (or might not) be asking is what the price might be.

Well, a plumber, electrician, mechanic, washing machine repair man will charge $80 here in the UK.
That's a flat rate.

So going by that, 5 hours would be $400 - a nicer price point would be $397, so that would be a fair price, since you are getting exclusive one to one time with me.
I may well be charging that in the future, but to start with that's a bit steep and not within everyone's price range.

Another price range you see a lot online is $197.
That's a good deal cheaper, and still allows me to run an affiliate program at the same time.

I still think that to start with, I could go with a $97 price.
To be honest that's getting cheap now, $20 per hour for me as opposed to the $80 if I were a plumber or mechanic.
This isn't sales spiel by the way - if you've been reading my stuff for long enough you know I will quite happily think as I write, and that's pretty much what I'm doing now!

I'll go for the $97 then, and the joy of the internet means that the sessions can be timetabled to suit *you*, and the gap between sessions means you have time to digest the information, it doesn't just all merge in and overload.
Obviously there are only so many sessions I can have on the go, so it is a sort of 'first come first serve' basis, and as a newsletter reader you are getting first crack.
If you are interested, email me.

Once you've made payment, we then arrange the sessions.
I don't offer money back, for the simple reason that you are paying for my knowledge.
Once you have the knowledge, what you do with it is up to you, but you can't hand it back, nor can you hand back my time.
What I say is this - if after the first session you don't feel the course is for you, just let me know, and you get the other 4 sessions cancelled and refunded.
That sounds fair to me.

Ok, that's it for this week, as The Great Gordino Newsletter goes into its' 6th year, is it time for you to grab my article knowledge?

'Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!

Please sponsor my marathon:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/marathon08.html

Transform Your Life In 21 Days:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com

How To Make Money From Sport:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/sport

Grab my free 8 Step Goal Achievement Plan by sending a blank email to:
mailto:transform@getresponse.com

Monday, February 11, 2008

Issue 454 - 5th Anniversary of Waffle

Hi,
I hope all is well where you are.

This week sees both Valentine's Day and the 5th anniversary of this newsletter.
Let's face it, Valentine's Day is just like any other sodding day as far as my love life is concerned, so I'm going to concentrate on the newsletter's 5th anniversary.

If you've been reading for a long time, thank-you for staying with me.
If you've only just come across me, thank-you for staying.

Over the last 5 years I've been thrilled to have people say how much they enjoy my writing.
I've also had people say when they didn't enjoy issues, which is fine as you know I'm a fan of free speech.

My intention when I started was to write about things I had seen that week, or things happening to me, and put a slant on events, either of goal achievement, self improvement or wealth creation.

I believe that by simply choosing to self improve, and then acting on proven techniques, we can make changes beyond our imagination.

Every 50 issues or so of the newsletter I like to use a piece of writing not written by me.
It was written around 1920 by Max Ehrmann, and it's called Desiderata.
I enjoy reading it everytime, and make no apology for using it a few times, it's been around a year since last time!

I reckon that if you find yourself unhappy, unfulfilled or discontented, the answer could quite easily be in this writing.
You are either doing something it says not to, or not doing something it says you should.

I've been pleased with a lot of my writing, my self improvement book in particular, but this is one piece of writing I wish I'd written.
Enjoy it and let me know what you think...

****************************************************************
The Desiderata - Max Ehrmann, circa 1920
****************************************************************

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

********************************************************************************

Thanks again for reading, and here's to the next 5 years' of waffle!

'Til next time as ever,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!

Please sponsor my marathon:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/marathon08.html

Transform Your Life In 21 Days:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com

How To Make Money From Sport:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/sport

Grab my free 8 Step Goal Achievement Plan by sending a blank email to:
mailto:transform@getresponse.com

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Issue 453 - What Price Experience?

Hi,
I hope Thursday finds you well.
It's a late newsletter this week - I've not been a well bunny.

I turned up all raring to go for the first match of the English Curling Championships, to hear a couple of other players say they had dodgy colds.
I remembered hoping to myself that I didnt catch it, only to wake up Thursday to find that I had indeed caught it.

I dosed myself up with pills and soldiered on, but let's face it, a 2 and half hour session of aerobic workout on ice, twice a day, is not really what you want if you have a chest cold.

I stayed up to watch the SuperBowl on Monday morning (great game), and then expected a nice long sleep to be enough to see me right, but the wretched thing has hung around all week, and it's only now that I'm feeling vaguely normal.

I had a great time at the curling, it was a real blast.
The draw saw our team play its' first 3 games against the previous 3 winners.
This meant we could relax and play without pressure as nobody expected us to win.
As it turned out, we gave every team a good game for the first half, but then they pulled away in the 2nd half.

Of our 7 matches we had the chance to win with our last stone on 2 occasions, but narrowly missed.
When our solitary win did come, it was hugely popular amongst the other teams, because they knew we had given them a game.

I was viewing the tournament as a chance to see where my game stood against the best in England.
It's only my 2nd full season, and I was playing people who had 15-25 years of playing.
My game stood up well - it almost surprised even me how well we played.

It was much more intense play than at club level, which you would expect, but there is nothing like experience.
I watched the tournament last year and thought my game might stand up to the comparison.
I could have chosen to watch this year too, but I took the plunge, and now have that priceless experience in the bank.
Next year, I can play in the knowledge that I fully deserve to be there.

Great fun, a real thrill for me, and hopefully some dodgy photos in due course.

Ok, I'll keep it short this week, hopefully my germs haven't spread all over the web, and remember the priceless value of experience!

'Til Next Time,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!

Please sponsor my marathon:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/marathon08.html

Transform Your Life In 21 Days:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com

How To Make Money From Sport:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/sport

Grab my free 8 Step Goal Achievement Plan by sending a blank email to:
mailto:transform@getresponse.com