When I was younger, I went to a number of motivational seminars. And while they all gave me something, there seemed to be a typical response within me to all of them.

And what’s the point of investing thousands of dollars and days of your time in ending up back where you started just a few months before?

Of course, I’ve always received some value out of these events.

But their inherent weakness is the ‘rah, rah’ is impossible to maintain over the long term.

And you’ll often notice, just like an old friend of mine, people returning year in and year out to get the ‘pick me up, high’ (just like a drug) without really making the inert changes they came for.

There is a better way.

And it’s all based around setting up the right rituals. After all, it’s our habits which will either make us or break us over the long term.

It’s what we do every day which makes us, not what we do once in a while.

So let’s take a look at some of the rituals we can set up to help us grow.

Health Rituals: like taking your vitamins every day, having a healthy breakfast, starting the day with an apple, etc.

Social rituals: Calling one friend a day for a quick chat and just to say hello.

Planning ritual: Every day, spending 10-15 minutes planning your day.

Inner peace ritual: meditating for 10-15 minutes every day, visualising the way you would like your life to be.

Getting more customer rituals: investing 10-15 minutes every day to get more customers. Whether it be calling existing clients, sending out letters, or using the social networking, fax marketing, joint venture,  and internet lead generation strategies you’ll learn at http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com

It makes sense doesn’t it? So stop looking for the magic bullet and implement rituals into your day.

They will make you far happier – and make you far more – than going to a rah-rah seminar for a pick me up!

Here’s something to think about if you have a website. People go to it for one of three reasons:

To learn something

To buy something

To be entertained

And that’s about it.

So take a moment to print out this email now and then open up your web site as you go through the rest of the content.

And as you are loking at your web site, ask yourself:

Does my web site teach anything?

If not, why not add a blog and give away information. Or get a team of people who can work with you to provide
information your target market wants.

If you’re a mechanic, teach people about how to do an oil change,  how to choose a mechanic, 7 things you need to do
to keep your car in order, etc.

If you’re a doctor, have tips for keeping your immune system in check.

YOu get the picture.

Throw some teleseminars up there. Or some videos.
Whatever.

To buy something.

If you check out my blog at http://www.scottbywater.com you’ll notice I’m NOT doing this.

Yes, just like every other “expert” on the planet, I’m not perfect. And I don’t always do what I should.

But I’ve got that as my number one priority. Heck, if you’re providing great content, you’ve got to sell something too.

Keep an eye on that site over the next couple of weeks and you’ll notice the change

To be entertained.

If you can make people laugh or give them some interesting facts, then they will come back for more.

Now I don’t do that on my web site, but if you go to my twitter account at http://www.twitter.com/scottbywater you’ll
notice that every fourth post or so in recent times is an interesting fact, like:

Did you know in Japan, mobile phone companies text users earthquake warnings – free of charge?

or…

Did you know the first VCR, in 1956, was the size of a piano?

I also give a bundle of copywriting headline templates and tips as well, all designed to get readers coming back for more.

Anyway, take a close look at your web site right now and ask yourself:

How can I better entertain my readers. How can I better educate my readers. And if you want to know how to sell your
readers better, you really should check out http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/cashflow

I have been holding off on redesigning my office for weeks now and I have finally worked out what’s been stopping me.
The evil of procrastination.

But what causes procrastination?

In my view, it all boils down to trying to do things perfectly.

It doesn’t matter if it’s…

writing a book
writing an email
writing a sales letter
writing an advertisement
making an important phone call

… if you demand perfection from yourself, you’ll probably never get around to it.

So give yourself a break and in the words of Nike:

“Just do it”

Whatever you’ve been putting off, just grab the bull by the horns and make it happen.

Well, in most cases anyway.

The one time when you should procrastinate is when you’re truly not sure – in your gut – if it’s the right way to go.

For instance, you’re not sure whether to take on a client because you get a bad gut feeling. Or you’re not sure whether to hire a new staff member because something just doesn’t feel right.

The key to making the right decision, in my view, boils down to feeling in your gut the difference between
intuition and perfection.

So take a moment now to think of the things you have been putting off. And then ask the question:

Am I putting this off because I don’t think I am doing it perfectly?

And if you answer yes, schedule some time in NOW to make it happen.