Married to a woman from Seattle (who I met in Ohio) with two kids, one who was born in Seattle, and one who was born in The Cayman Islands.

Crazy, right?

Even stranger, my mother and father both live here in South Florida, within ten miles of my house, even though they were both born in Ohio and divorced when I was young.

Life can be strange, and maybe you have moved around quite a bit, too.

Anyways, this story is about my dad.

My dad lives in a beautiful house about 5 miles away from me. And sometimes, for a change of scenery, I will ride my bike down to his place and work there on my laptop.

My dad lives alone, and has a nice private patio with a pool, and a spare bedroom. It’s a wonderful place to work, so my company actually paid to install broadband wireless throughout his house.

We pay the bill every month, so pops basically gets free Internet. It’s kind of my way of thanking him for letting me swing by and work occasionally.

So I was on dad’s patio the other night, working away, and he came out and said he was going to bed… Then he pointed to a lamp in the living room and said,

“Turn all the other lights off when you crash, but leave this one on. I ALWAYS leave this light on.”

Then he said “And check all the doors before you go to bed.”

I told him I would, and then I got to thinking…

You know what? I do the same exact thing before I go to bed!

If I am the last one awake at home, I always leave one light on, and check all the doors before calling it a night. If Wendy is still up, I ask her to leave the surface light above the stove on, and I also ask her to check all the doors.

It really made me wonder what other subconscious traits I picked up from my parents.

In particular, I started thinking about money.

I was lucky. My parents always encouraged me togo for whatever I wanted in this world.

But what about your parents?

What did your parents think about money? About success?

How did they talk about money, and bills?

Were they convinced that the “little guy” didn’t stand a chance? Or did they believe in hard-work success stories?

I bet however it is they felt, you probably feel the same way to some degree… Whether you notice it or not.

And if your parents “trained” you to have a negative view of money, and a defeatist attitude towards success…

How do you break that way of thinking?

The book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” talks about some of these topics. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.

In the meantime I would love to hear your thoughts!

Erik

It’s been almost three years since I posted this about Strategic Coach. I got such great feedback on my “Entrepreneurial Time System” blog post that I thought I would take a minute to update you on how things are going.

Before I do, read my original post if you haven’t:
http://www.erikstafford.com/the-entrepreneurial-time-system/

I know it sounds glamorous, but being self-employed is hard. It’s so easy to fall into that trap of working day and night, around the clock…

Is that you?

• Do you check your email day and night?
• Work around the clock?
• Spend all your time working IN your business, instead of focusing ON it?

That was me. And I found that when I tried NOT to work… When I tried to take a whole, uninterrupted day away from the computer…

I couldn’t! I was twitchy and had no idea what to do with myself. I had become obsessed. Totally one-dimensional.

And so what I learned from Strategic Coach has proven invaluable in adding some dimension back to my life. Strategic Coach suggests you split your time into three types of days:

Free Days: Free Days are not mandatory, they are required. Free Days are 24 hours, from midnight to midnight… completely unplugged. No email, no work, no phone. I am not even supposed to read books that relate to work.

Buffer Days: These are days where I plan, delegate, and generally complete any work that I have to get done. This includes administrative stuff, blogging, social networking stuff, customer support emails, meetings, etc. etc.

Focus Days: Focus Days are days where I spend almost all of my time doing “focus” activities, which are basically activities that center around my unique abilities, and directly affect my bottom line and the growth of my business. For me this means working on new projects and content, and setting up partnerships and joint venture opportunities.

So how’s it going?

Well… It’s going great!

But at first it was very, very difficult to commit myself to a set schedule. It still is, honestly.

Typically I make Friday and Saturday my free days.

Sunday is a buffer day, Monday is a focus day, Tuesday a buffer day, and Wednesday’s are generally focus days. Thursday is a buffer day.

This gives me two days a week completely unplugged, and two days a week doing only activities that grow my business.

By the end of the year I hope to move towards three focus days a week… And three free days!

I suggest you try it out… You might just find that you get more done, and add some balance to your life, and generally feel better and grow your business faster.

I hope this helps!

Erik

P.S. – Strategic Coach has some great information available for free on their website… Check out their ” Ten Freedoms Of The Smart Entrepreneur” report here:

http://www.strategiccoach.com/info_request/download_tenfreedoms_form

So much so that you could probably call me a bike-fanatic. I am to the point where I am cycling up to 20 miles a day.

Why do I tell you this?

Well, for a couple reasons.

Since I am interested in biking, I signed up for some websites where I could interact with a community, get maps and plan routes, and grab other cycling information. Several of these websites (Those that understand Direct Response Marketing) have been emailing me with offers for various cycling equipment.

And you know what? It doesn’t offend me. Actually, I look forward to the emails, because as I mentioned, I am a fanatic.

I went ahead and got new tires, a new seat, and extensions on my handlebars…

I bought a helmet, gloves, and padded shorts to protect my rear end…

And in the process, someone made a profit. Those who understand how to market to a list of targeted people are now holding some of my money…

And the best part is that I got results! I went from averaging 9 miles per hour to almost 13 miles per hour, and I have a much more comfortable ride. So I can bike longer without wearing out.

Eventually, towards the end of the summer, I will most likely buy a totally new bike… And will most likely buy it online from someone I trust.

Someone who gave me great info and got me results.

My point here is that you need to build a list of targeted folks who are hyper-responsive and REALLY interested in a particular topic.

Anyways, I have been spending a bunch of time on Google Maps, mapping out routes for these rides I have been going on in the morning.

And as I run my errands, driving around in my JEEP, I have been paying attention to the roads: which roads have the least traffic, which roads have sidewalks, which have shade, and so on…

It’s funny how you start to really notice things when you focus on them.

I remember when I was in High School, I was really into graffiti. We used to scope out walls on our adventures around the city, paying attention to which walls were easily accessible, which were brick, which were painted cinder block…

Walls! Something I never noticed, until I started paying attention…

And in College, when I started getting really interested in Typography, I noticed myself paying close attention to movie intros, and which fonts were being used.

I tell you this so that you understand one thing:

In this journey you are on, trying to figure out how to make money online, you probably got yourself signed up to more than a few Email Marketing lists.

And you probably get a bunch of offers each and every day, from people trying to sell you training courses, e-books, audios, software…

Notice it for what it is! When you start paying attention to it, and noticing it for what it is, you will quickly realize that you don’t need to buy everything that comes down the pipe at you. You start to look at these emails tactically, as research…

Rather than looking at them as magic pills.

And you will start to catalogue the really good ones, and mark them for future use in your own marketing.

It’s a great way to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Just a couple things I noticed while riding my bike. See you all at the next Tour de’ France!

Erik

Anything about color theory, design, human factors, typography, etc. etc. always grabs my interest.

Here's an amazing collection of Megan Jaegerman's BRILLIANT news graphics for anyone interested in explaining complex concepts, processes, and situations with simple graphics:

http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0002w4&topic_id=1

Megan Jaegerman produced some of the best news graphics ever while working
at The New York Times from 1990 to 1998.

Courtesy Edward Tufte:
http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/

Posted via email from staffordmarketing’s posterous

You see, the Superbowl is the most expensive media buy of the year.

So even though I am not much of a football fan, as a direct marketer I
watch each year to see the commercials.

And in my opinion, this one was the best, by far:

Click here to view the embedded video.

So why did this commercial resonate with me so much?

Because it’s a great example of how the Internet REALLY works…

Bottom line: People search.

And when they do, if you can be the link that comes up, you can rake
in thousands of dollars each and every month…

Again, watch the commercial…

Now imagine you own that church in Paris… Or the chocolate shop…

Or the travel agent that comes up when people search for “cheap paris
flights”…

See what I mean?

It’s as easy as stepping into a fast moving money stream when you plan
it right…

So plan eight, and start building your Internet Business with The Faster Webmaster right now!

http://www.thefasterwebmaster.com

Erik

I work when I want.

I work on my back porch in the beautiful Florida weather, and I get to walk my kids to school in the morning and pick them up each day at 3:30.

I get more time with them than most fathers get with their kids… And I am grateful.

We don’t live “high on the hog” as my father would say…

Despite our success, we don’t drive fancy cars or live in a huge mansion.

There are, however, three areas where I spare no cost.

The first is my kids, and the experiences I am able to provide them. We travel frequently. We go to the beach alot. Them have access to the best schools, teachers, and technology.

Even before I started my business – When we were still living paycheck to paycheck – I still put my kids first.

It’s really important to me.

The second place I “splurge” is my mental and physical health. I take regular breaks from work to ride my bike, ride my skateboard, swim laps, and do Yoga.

I meditate. I take afternoon naps:-)

I get regular massages and regular pedicures, too. So as you can see, my success has enabled me to treat myself well, which helps me be a better husband and father… And keeps me feeling energized and motivated so I can get more done and spend less time doing it.

The third area where I indulge myself is in my travel. Anytime I have to fly, I fly first class.

Let’s face it: Flying SUCKS. Flying First Class even sucks… But it sucks alot less. With the extra leg room and wider, plusher seats you actually have a chance to sleep, or work.

Erik

My friend Ernie spends each December begging, borrowing, and stealing to raise money to bring active military personnel (who can’t afford tickets) home for the holidays, to be with their families.

Whether you agree with the “war” or not, I think we can all agree that this is the time of year to be with those you love.

And Ernie gets hundreds of emails like this, which breaks my heart:

Ernie,

God bless you and all you do!

I have a wonderful son who is in the Marines, stationed right now at Twenty Nine Palms, CA. We are trying to get him home to Northern Michigan for the holidays, but the airfares are running $1000-$1200 for the flight, even with 3 connections and layovers.

This has made it impossible for him to come home. I have been a single mom since 1994 of five wonderful children, so ’set aside money’ just does not exist.

Would it be a possibility for your charity to assist us?

And if so, when should I check to see, or should I just look everyday?

I appreciate your time in reading this and letting me know. God bless you and thank you for all the good times, memories and love you have brought to so many with your efforts.

With all my respect,
Cindy L. Proud Marine Mom!

I want to give Ernie my support, so here’s the deal:

For every dollar you donate to help bring a soldier home to spend the holidays with their loved ones, I will MATCH your donation with my own money.

Can we raise enough money to bring home 50 hard working active military personnel for the holidays?

Your donation is 100% tax-deductible. Even $5 bucks helps…

Click here to donate:
http://www.lbeh.org/?help

With gratitude,

Erik

Not just business-related…

But personal goals too: Things to work towards, things you have always wanted to do for yourself and your loved ones.

Want to know mine?

Here are three of my “big ticket” personal goals that I look forward to accomplishing in the next two years:

1. Eat at Masa.

Masa is a gourmet sushi restaurant in New York City. The restaurant was opened by Chef Masa Takayama in 2004 and is considered one of the most expensive restaurants in the world. The menu is Omakase (Chef’s choice) only and a dinner costs roughly $500 per person, not including tip, tax or drinks…

There is only one seating each for dinner and lunch. Reservations are taken three weeks in advance. Chef Masa prepares the menu himself, often including seasonal ingredients. He uses many exotic ingredients, such as truffles and Kobe beef. Most of the fish is flown in from Japan. Chef Masa can be seen working behind the bar and will sometimes serve the food as well.

2. Take my wife to the Maldives Rangali Island Resort.

The award-winning Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort is set on two private islands among miles of idyllic white-sand beach and pristine reef. Wendy and I will arrive at the hotel in style in a seaplane over the lagoon, then dine in the world’s first all-glass, undersea restaurant:

Twice voted ‘Best Hotel in the World’ the Maldives hotel boasts 21 fabulous spa water villas with private treatment rooms. Sounds like just what the doctor ordered, right?

3. Spend a month in Italy with my family.

Wendy has always wanted to visit Italy, and so this is a must. I think we will probably go in the summer, maybe even next summer! We will rent a beautiful, old farmhouse or villa, and spend the month swimming, hiking, and drinking wine:)

I can’t wait.

So? What are your goals?

I would love to know: Post a comment and share them!

Erik

I just hired a wicked-awesome assistant named Beatrice. She is an organizational NINJA, which is sure going to help me out a ton…

And even better: She is totally new when it comes to eBusiness and is really helping me understand how to better explain what I do so I can help more people who are starting at ground zero.

You guys are going to get to know her a lot better as she helps me manage my emails, schedule calls, and get better at getting back to you.

Here is a quick video we recorded today:

Cheers,

Erik

Anyways, here is what she sent. Happy Labor Day, folks…

It’s time to pick your pears. It’s Labor Day. It’s time to pick your pears. This admonishment has come down from several generations of grandmothers in our family.

You must recognize when it is time to act…when it is time to pick your pears. If you stall around, thinking it is not yet the right moment, you risk losing your best opportunity. So even if all is not ready yet, you must put things in motion, set the stage, and you will be positioned to harvest your fruit at its peak and realize your optimal reward.