Ray Edwards Show

What does it mean to be more persistent and why is it important? Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week: The ONE PLATFORM To Build Your Business   Looking for a solution to your tech nightmare when it comes to running your online business? Here's what we use and recommend: Kajabi. It's recommended more than any other Knowledge Commerce platform. The E-Learning market is soaring! Its projected valuation is $275 billion by 2022. The fastest and easiest way for people to launch their online business is by teaching others through online courses, coaching, and membership sites. You shouldn't have to: pay for multiple tools to sell your knowledge, encounter tech headaches, or string multiple systems together to get your business off the ground. Kajabi: The Only Platform You Need Create the perfect product with their course builder Set up your own branded online store Get paid easily with a built-in shopping cart Send emails to potential buyers & customers Build fully automated marketing campaigns Kajabi provides digital entrepreneurs an all-in-one platform which enables them to create a life of freedom on their terms, whatever that may look like. Try the free trial and see for yourself…rayedwards.com/kajabi Spiritual Foundations: You Already Have All the Faith You Need Like everything else in the Bible, faith is all about Jesus. He is the author (the maker or creator) of our faith and he is the finisher. He completes it, fills in the gaps, and strengthens the weak places of our faith. Romans 12:2 The faith of Jesus is all the faith you will ever need! None of God's promises are dependent on your effort or level of faith. You can't work up enough faith to get the job done. Tap into the faith of Jesus. His faith is perfect – and it's all the faith you need! Feature Presentation "5 Strategies to Make You More Persistent" There is always some measure of persistence in any success story. But giving up offers no hope of success. Regardless of the outcome, persisting through tough times and overwhelming odds becomes part of the victory. Here are a few reasons to persist: Persistence gets results. Few things in life worth achieving are gained without persistence. Nearly all successful peoplelook up to have a long, hard trail of failures behind them, through which they persisted. The harder you work, the luckier you get. Persistence sets you apart from everyone else. Anyone can quit. Quitting is the easy way out. Persisting puts you in a whole different class of the elite. Persistence builds character. Giving up takes no effort. Giving up gives one a false sense of relief that ultimately Feels like defeat. Any growth of muscle or character requires resistance training. Persistence always offers some measure of success. Just by hanging in there, you've accomplished more than most. But in quitting there is no success. Abraham Lincoln, a man all too familiar with failure said, "If you are resolutely determined to accomplish some thing, the thing is more than half done already. Always bear in mind that your resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing." But when the bills are piling up and everyone is telling you to hang it up and get a "real job," it's hard to persist. How do you maintain persistence in the face of so much apparent failure and resistance? Here are 5 Strategies for Boosting Persistence: Believe in yourself and what you have to offer. Sylvester Stallone was rejected by more than 600 casting agents before developing his Rocky screenplay. His first film took in $117 million (in 1976 dollars) and made him more than $5 million. "Belief is the thermostat that regulates what we accomplish in life. A person is a product of his own thoughts. Believe BIG! Adjust your thermostat forward. Launch your success offensive with honest, sincere belief that you can succeed. Believe big and grow big." — David J. Schwartz from The Magic of Thinking Big Keep trying new things. Keep trying new things. The Wright Brothers experienced thousands of failed experiments before getting it right. Discover your niche. Experiment. "The way to succeed is to double your failure rate." — Thomas J. Watson, founder of IBM. Redefine failure. View minor failed experiments as learning experiences. Now you know one more way not to succeed. Instead, view quitting as a failure. As long as you persist, you haven't failed. When you fall, keep getting up. Expect to fall, trip, and stumble, but keep getting up. And soon you'll find that your business is not only walking but running like a gazelle. Don't listen to naysayers. When Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield wrote the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, they were rejected by 140 publishers. Publishers told them the book wouldn't Sell. But when the two authors finally landed a contract with a publisher willing to take a risk, their books sold over 100 million copies! Don't listen to naysayers. Instead spend time with those who believe in

Have you ever struggled with missed deadlines, hurried work, increased stress, and lost opportunities because of procrastination? Imagine overcoming procrastination once and for all, so you restore joy for your work, strengthen your relationships, and grow your business. I once was a great procrastinator.  My motto was, "Hey anything worth doing is worth putting off!"  I felt I was "just wired that way." But over time, I've overcome the Procrastination Plague and you can too. You weren't "just born that way!" Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week: Stop This! Stop saying you "have to"… you don't "have to" do anything. What if I don't? If #1 doesn't cause disaster, why bother? If it still needs to be done have someone else do it. Spiritual Foundations "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 4:19, NLT When Jesus cried out, "It is finished!" the wall of sin that separated us from God crumbled, and God unleashed a flood of His grace upon us. That grace is still flowing toward us today, supplying whatever we need in this life, daily loading us with benefits! My friend, the essence of God's grace is SUPPLY. When you are conscious of His supply, instead of the demands of the world, you are under His grace. That's when you will see His abundant provision for every need and situation. So if you're having trouble finding a job, beyond trusting God for employment, see the Lord stirring up the dormant giftings and abilities that He has already placed in you. As you hone these gifts, the Word of God declares that your gifts will unlock doors of opportunities in due season and cause you to stand before great men. Don't just believe you'll be employed, believe God to also prepare, grow and develop you for a position of influence in your industry! Feature Presentation "The Cure for Procrastination" Procrastination is NOT a permanent personality trait. If you tend toward procrastinating, you can change. But first, let's look at some of the pitfalls of procrastination and why this is such a crucial problem. Pitfalls of Procrastination Missed deadlines – Customers, clients, vendors, etc. are counting on us to complete a task or project. But when we put off completing that task or project, we fail to meet its deadline. Hurried or sloppy work – When we postpone a project and then rush to try and complete it, our work tends to be second-rate. We miss details and can't give the project the attention it deserves. Increased stress – When we put off an assignment until the last minute, we sentence ourselves to a life of stress until that assignment is finished. Under stress like that, our health and relationships tend to suffer. Missed opportunities – Entrepreneur Victor Kiam wrote, "Procrastination is opportunity's natural assassin." When we put things off till the "eleventh hour," we're unprepared to take on new opportunities that present themselves. We're stuck, trying like mad to finish the obligations that have been piling up and so these new and exciting opportunities pass us by. Defeated attitude – Eventually, the consequences of procrastination catch up with us and get us down. We feel bad about ourselves for all our missed deadlines, the stress we've caused ourselves, and for letting others down. We find it hard to climb out of this hole we've dug for ourselves. Damaged reputation – Almost without exception, when there are deadlines involved, other people are counting on us. But when we're late or produce less-than-quality work time and time again, we get a reputation for being unreliable. And that can kill any business. As you can see, there's a long, compelling list of the dangers of procrastination. But what causes it? Why do we fall into its trap? A few of the reasons for procrastination might be: Habit Lack of planning Misplaced priorities Distractions Lack of self-discipline Fear of failure Fear of the task itself Unsure of how or where to start on a project All those reasons and more can lead us into the trap of procrastination. So, let's focus on the cure! The Cure for Procrastination Only take on projects that fit. One of the things that promote procrastination is taking on projects that don't fit our mission, values, or what we enjoy. Accepting these makes us regret it later and we drag our feet. In the end, nobody's happy. Get it on the calendar. Put your projects, tasks, appointments and any other crucial dates on a calendar that is easy for you to monitor. This is vital for breaking a procrastination habit. Prioritize tasks. Check your calendar often to determine what's due when. Figure out which projects take priority and tackle them in their priority order. Make a list daily and weekly of what you need to complete to stay on track. Anticipate and eliminate distractions. This takes self-discipline. We especially must resist the temptation to run after those "

In our fast-paced and entertainment-saturated culture, it's easy to let book-reading fall by the wayside. In fact, many studies show that after college, the average person only reads 3 more books for the rest of their life! And don't be tempted to think that the reading of books is old-fashioned and no longer relevant. There is power in the written word. And whether you're an entrepreneur, business person, or simply someone who wants to continue to grow, reading books is an effective way to continue your personal development.   "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read." — Charlie "Tremendous" Jones Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week Since developing Parkinson's in 2011, I have been receiving deep-tissue massage therapy as part of my treatment. I started with once a month, then once a week, and these days I get 3 massages a week. Here's what this has taught me: your body is the frame through which you see the world. If the frame is bent, twisted, or in pain… you will experience the world that way. Get over your hangups, and go get a massage from a reputable massage therapist. Try it at least once per week for a month or more and let me know the difference it makes in your life! Spiritual Foundations Pray Prayers of Proclamation. When you have a need, do you pray or do you plead? Do you begin your prayers with words like, "Please God, please! God, I beg You to have mercy!" Prayers that plead and beg imply that your heavenly Father is not willing to help you. Yet, He is far more gracious and willing to give to you than you are willing to ask, think or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) He desires above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2) In fact, long before you have a need, God has already met that need. Long before you knew you needed a Savior, He sent His Son to be your Savior. This is your God! He is a good God. So when you beg Him for something, you are actually saying that He is reluctant to give and needs to be persuaded strongly before He will move. Yet, He is not like that. Jesus knew the heart of the Father. When He saw the woman bound with a spirit of infirmity, He did not pray, "Oh Father! She has been suffering for 18 long years! I beseech You, Father, have mercy on her. Please, please heal her!" No, when Jesus saw her, He immediately proclaimed, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity!" He spoke this way because He knew the heart of the Father. He knew that the Father wanted her delivered from her crippling condition. At the end of a church service, I don't stand and pray, "Oh God, please bless Your people. Oh God, do keep them. Oh God, be ever so gracious to them!" Instead, I proclaim, "The Lord bless you. The Lord keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you!" Beloved, when you pray, proclaim your healing, protection and provision because your Father's heart overflows with love for you. And when you declare it, He sanctions it. When you declare it, He establishes it! Feature Presentation "9 Reasons You Need a Book-Reading Plan" Here are 9 reasons you need a book-reading plan: Reading helps keep you current. Books can help keep you current on business trends and strategies. You can either spend thousands of dollars flying around the country going to seminars and masterminds or spend a few dollars on a book! Consider reading Michael Hyatt's book, Your Best Year Ever – A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals. Provides material for your own writing and podcasting. Reading books offers you fresh information, strategies for presenting that information, and great stories to share with your readers. Read Chris Ducker's book, The Rise of the Youpreneur. Reading books exercises your brain. Joseph Addison wrote, "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." Believe me, in this competitive environment, you don't want a "flabby" brain!  I challenge you to read a book like, Miracles by Eric Metaxas. I guarantee that book will give your brain a workout.   Expands your worldview. Let's face it. Most of us live and work within a fairly small bubble of relationships. Our market is defined by what and who we know. Reading can broaden our perspective. Consider reading, Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W Chan Kim. Stimulates new ideas. Frequently, I'll be reading a book and the content I'm reading launches me into a totally new idea. Reading does that! If you need some fresh ideas and new thinking for your business, read a book. Try reading, The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Increases your vocabulary and conversational skills. Whether you realize it or not, when you're reading, your mind assimilates new words and phrases. These new modes of expression become part of your vocabulary and find their way into your conversation without your

On this week's podcast, we discuss "To increase your performance, increase expectation."  Take note as we shine a spotlight on the 7 Lies That Are Destroying Your Life. If you've ever said, "there is nothing I can do, or I have mastered that, or I know that already," be sure to listen and discover the lies that are quietly destroying your life. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week To increase performance, increase expectation. Discover how mastermind groups, the Habit share app, and coaching programs are all about increasing performance by increasing your expectation and your activity. Spiritual Foundations Jesus never gave the sick a sermon first or examined their inner condition first.  He never asked what sin they might have committed to merit their sickness.  This would have been harsh and would have hurt the sick even more. So, why are we so quick to judge the sick? Jesus said, "Whoever comes to me, I will not reject."  This is why it is always wrong to think that illness is a "blessing in disguise." Let us remember this, all who came and those who brought the sick and lame to Jesus had a great deal of faith and hope. The Savior welcomes each one who comes to him. Remember this simple principle: Good things come from God and bad things come from the Devil.  Feature Presentation "7 Lies That Are Destroying Your Life" The first rule of science is you must not be fooled – Uncover why you are the easiest person to fool. Discover why "I know that already, that's common knowledge" is lie #1 that is destroying your life – Knowing or doing, this is the key difference that impacts everything in your life. The danger of assumptions, automatic rebuttals and refutation – Why camping out in the rebuttal zone gets you nowhere. Bursting the "unique snowflake" myth – How to grasp the reality that plus or minus 5% we are all the same (including our businesses). "What one person can do another person can do." – How to harness the power of the Anthony Hopkins' philosophy and grow your business and your life. Why the cemetery is filled with people who had long "someday" lists – How to overcome the illusion, "I have plenty of time," because it's stealing the life you want. What if money is not a solution to your spiritual problems – For once and all settle this fundamental question about money. Have you been fooling yourself when it comes to mastery? – In order to move forward it's essential to distinguish between hearing and doing and growing and dying. Since mastery is a path not a destination, examine your life – If there is no steady state and you are either growing or dying, which are you? How to exploit the power of the stimulus, pause, response cycle and transform your life. Why right thinking will be rewarded, and wrong thinking will be punished. Discover Victor Frankl's research on victimhood and the power of choice – The one freedom you have that can't be taken from you. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Mastermind groups, the Habit share app, and coaching programs Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl   Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

Have you ever wondered if those AHA! Moments, Big Ideas, Eureka Breakthroughs just happen or if you can set yourself up to experience more of them? What if you could create an environment to generate Brilliant Ideas… On today's podcast, I share how you can set yourself up for more AHA! moments by adding these 5 activities to your routine. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week How can you read an extra book a week, with no added time? Read audio books and speed them up – during your workout, while your cooking, as you're working around the house. As you listen to an audiobook you're expanding your thinking, fostering creativity, and setting yourself up for more AHA! moments. Spiritual Foundations Why doesn't God answer every prayer?  Have you considered, what if He does, and sometimes His answer is "no"? But he said, "Ask whatever you will in My name." What does it mean to ask something in someone's name? In biblical times, when decrees and commands were given in the name of the ruler they were speaking in "his name." Feature Presentation "How To Have More Aha Moments" Imagine the impact of putting more knowledge in your brain with no net time increase and very little effort. How to foster creativity – Understanding why new thoughts and original ideas don't happen in a vacuum. The magic phrase I use to uncover underlying thoughts and motivations. How Dale Carnegie's principle about asking questions transformed my interactions. The power of actually listening – Why it's important to avoid the "me-too switch." How taking notes is powerful, even if you never read them again – Welcome to the ideahopper.com. Discover the danger of "echo-chambering yourself." – How confirmation bias is hindering and minimizing your openness to diverse thoughts. How to create more AHA! moments – Read more, listen more, take more notes, intake from wide sources, set aside time for rest. What if you have a new twist on an old idea? – Why taking time to rest is a catalyst for new ideas. Judging, wrestling, and the battling over pro-life and pro-choice – How to talk with someone who has opposing views and learn to understand people with different viewpoints. Your "ghostly second mind" – Discover your library of conclusions and how rest and relaxation link ideas together. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Permission to Prosper is your key to unlock the vaults of wealth, wellness, and wisdom that will prosper you and everyone around you. Join us at this life-changing event, where we will help you construct you own prosperity blueprint… remove the inner conflicts about money, wealth, and possessions… and learn from our world-famous speakers, including Jeff Goins, and more surprise guests to be announced soon. Register now at the early bird rate of just $497 per ticket… prices increase on May 7th – this is the lowest price you will receive on this ticket. VIP seating and red-carpet perks are also available, including personal time with Ray. To get the details, and to get your ticket now at the lowest possible price, go to permissiontoprosper.com. Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

Success comes with surprises — the ones we don't like, we call problems. Doesn't the Bible say to be content with what you have? A tip on how to say "No" to someone who won't take "no" for an answer. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week How to say "No" to someone who won't take "No" for an answer Don't give them an opening. Don't allow a loophole. Email templates for saying "No" #1 The Definitive NO Name, Thanks so much for your interest in having me (WHATEVER THEY ARE ASKING), Unfortunately, due to my existing commitments, my answer is "No." Just to prevent any confusion, this answer is "No," and is not "maybe later" or "check back." There is no need to check back. The answer will not change. Thank you again for asking. Best of luck in finding (WHATEVER THEY ARE ASKING). Ray Edwards # 2 The Next Level NO Name, I apologize for not being clear. The answer is "No," and the answer will not change. Anything else you feel you MUST communicate should be directed to my attorney: ATTORNEY'S CONTACT INFO. This email marks the end of our communication. I will not respond to any future emails or other contact, nor will my team. Not only will we not respond, your messages will be blocked; we will not read them. I'm sorry the situation came to this. I wish you well. Ray Edwards Spiritual Foundations Doesn't the Bible say to be content with what you have? We're Christian Mythbusters. Philippians 4:11-13 NLT (New Living Translation) The Apostle Paul explained, "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." You can be content while building wealth, Paul is not saying, "Don't aspire to having goals or to do things." He's saying don't let your circumstances dictate your mindset. Feature Presentation "The Dark Side of Success" The Dark Side of Success: 5 Challenges We Didn't Expect Your success changes relationships. Success is a magnifying lens for your personality. You can become obsessed, which is not healthy. You can find your identity wrapped up in your success. Higher revenues can equal lower pay. Why it's harder to make $100,000 than $1 million dollars — How to be courageous and prepare for those in your life who will say, "You owe it to me." 11:00 Unwinding the concept of no regrets in Heaven — Why will our tears need to be wiped away? What tears? Why tears? 12:45 If you're unhappy when you're poor, will you be unhappy when you are rich? — How the volume of who you are is magnified by success and money. 15:18 Obsession — Why it's crucial to distinguish whether you're pursuing or preoccupied with success. 17:00 Uncover identity issues based on bank balances and status — How to discover if you are only living for the approval of others. 18:44 Solving a puzzle leads to a higher-level problem — What you can learn from a good Roman emperor. 21:10 Do you find happiness? — How discovering what you think about obstacles, puzzles, and problems helps you create happiness. 23:01 Resources Mentioned In This Episode Email templates for saying "No" Philippians 4:11-13 NLT Shake off lies and limitations related to prosperity, construct your own Prosperity Blueprint when you join us at our new conference this summer, check it out at PermissiontoProsper.com. Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

We've just come off two years where we crossed the one million mark in revenue. We're working on year number three and it looks like a pretty sure bet we're going to do it again. I've had a lot of questions and we've hosted a couple of workshops where we actually show people how we've done it. Today we pull back the curtain and share a behind-the-business discussion to reveal the secrets to: How we got to our first million-dollar year. How we could have done it sooner. Things we would do differently. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week 3 ways to grow your list faster. Create a lead magnet that no one else is offering. Go and find three successful people in your arena, download and study their lead magnets. Make yours better by asking questions like: What did they leave out? What did they include that is unnecessary? How can you improve the formatting? Have a contest. The interest and commitment level is going to be lower than your normal opt-in, but remember they are on your site to begin with, because they're interested in your topic. Do some list swapping. No, not a product launch where you get your JV partners to mail for you and you pay them. I'm simply suggesting, "If you promote my newsletter to your readers, I'll promote yours to my readers."  You both gain. Spiritual Foundations Scripture without commentary, Psalm 1:1 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in it's season. Whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper." Feature Presentation "How We Had Our First Million Dollar Year" When you find a sense of urgency you can increase your level of seriousness by a factor of 100 — How to stop screwing around and start acting like you don't have all the time in the world so you propel your business toward your first million-dollar year.  7:34 Why embracing the Roger Bannister principle breaks barriers, rewrites history, and gets you to your goals faster than you ever imagined possible.  8:18 If you think it's harder to become a millionaire or a billionaire than ever before, then you are sadly mistaken — Examine the big bucket of sloppy lies behind excuses like:  "It's a bad economy. Nobody gets ahead. Nobody will give you a chance. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer." 9:54 Why my vow after leaving corporate America held me back for years — How investing heavily in a team empowers you to reach your goals. 10:51 The power of a JV launch — Examine how to generate considerable income and grow your list quickly by joining forces in a JV launch.  12:10 If you have a singular focus on the million-dollar mark you're likely to hit that number.  12:56 How skill, talent, and reading the marketplace correctly are essential in helping you hit your goals.  13:16 Why pricing correctly, knowing what your customer wants and needs and getting your copy correct creates a huge competitive advantage.  13:23 Why embracing the Covey concept is essential to growth — How to overcome the dull-axe dilemma.  13:32 What I'd do differently — How to increase margins so you keep more of the money. 14:10 What I learned about watching expenses, creating accountability, and not building a business based solely on the one pillar income of a JV Launch.  14:48 How JV launches help you escape velocity and break free from earth's gravity of needing more money and more customers.  15:50 It's common knowledge but uncommon practice — Why establishing multiple streams of revenue is wise and shooting the Saturn V rocket over and over is massively inefficient. 16:00 Out of the spirit of play comes creativity, and out of creativity comes creation…money, money, money — What if working less and playing more actually fosters business growth. 17:51 Consider the influence of "intentional distractions." — Imagine the impact on your business and your life if you could spend a month in another culture, meeting people with other beliefs, and different approaches to life and business. 18:36 Examine what essentialism means in your business — How new ideas, new directions, new things to do may be keeping you distracted from what's essential in your business. 19:16 Have you hit the million dollar mark in your business? What lessons have you learned? Share your answers on social media or in the comment section of our blog.   Resources Mentioned In This Episode Psalm 1 Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

If your self-worth comes from your bank account, you're going to be a nervous wreck the rest of your life. You'd better find a different foundation to stake your life on. Today we discuss 15 slavery-inducing, life-murdering lies about money that you've probably been told. We also share 15 Liberating Truths About Money. "The truth will set you free but at first it will probably piss you off." — Joe Kloss Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week 3 Lead Magnets You Can Create in about One Hour Checklist: Describe steps, or a process, what you always include or exclude…a great example is the checklist for a minimalist traveler: What to Include in Your One Travel Bag Resources list: Tools, books, websites you use that will help others Templates: A done-for-you, simple, fill-in-the-blank resource you use in your business that others will find helpful Improve the lead magnet by hiring a designer. Do your research, but a designer on a site like Fiverr.com is a good, inexpensive option to improve your lead magnet. Spiritual Foundations   Why did Jesus come to the world? According to the Bible, He came to the world to reveal the Father, to be a witness of the Father. As followers of Christ, what is our witness? We too represent God for others. Our witness of Him to people is how we love others. When we honor, love, and respect others with our words and actions we are accurately reflecting how God sees them. By loving people, we are exposing the potential He put within them to be great, significant, and powerful people. John 13:34-35,  "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." So you've taken the discipleship classes and attended the cell groups, yet the assignment according to Christ is to LOVE one another. Feature Presentation "15 Liberating Truths About Money"   Ever engage in "Wishcraft?" — How your beliefs either free you or enslave you and why "wishing it" doesn't make it come true. 9:16   Money is the root of all evil — How one misquoted, misunderstood principle has redefined value and what is fundamentally good with money. 10:00   It takes money to make money — What if money is the product of creativity and you can create money out of nothing.   Uncover this unique distinction of the USA — How America was the first government designed to help people make money.  11:10   Money is "dirty," it's called "filthy lucre," and people are "filthy rich," — How our biases about money are revealed in our word choices.   Why many believe the height of virtue is being poor — Discover how money doesn't make you poor and poverty doesn't make you holy. 12:54   Discover how pride and snobbery are not limited to one social class — How hostility related to money may be quite different from what you expected. 13:00   Rich people don't get into Heaven — Why you need to read and understand the entire story of the Rich Young Ruler (before you give away all your possessions).  14:12   Who gives us all good things to enjoy? — If money is a necessary evil and the best things in life are free, why does God bless us?  17:24   Why it's essential to examine your insecurity of who you are and how you see money (and your relationship to it).  18:38   Discover whether formal education is a requirement for making money — How lack of education is an unfounded excuse for living in poverty.  19:26   How to understand the nature of money and how to free yourself from the "burden" of money.   20:36   What looks like hard work to one person looks like fun to another — Uncover the truth related to the "hard work" of making money.  21:20   Why uncovering your premises and challenging your thinking about money and wealth is essential.  22:39 Resources Mentioned In This Episode The Twelve Steps to Happiness: A Practical Handbook for … Quoteinvestigator.com Fiverr.com Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.  

In today's episode we discuss whether it's more virtuous to give your products away for free, or to charge for your work. If a corporation is making 25% profit or more, eyebrows go up and there may be pressure to "give back." Have you ever wondered about that language? It's as if this implies they "took it" from someone. Even someone as successful as Michael Hyatt, has wondered, "Is it more virtuous to give my products away?" This NY Times bestselling author, former CEO of Thomas Nelson, and blogger with over 1 Million readers per month gave his content away during his first three years of blogging. When he started selling his first ebooks, he struggled with thoughts that he was "selling out." But after much consideration, he concluded that it's essential to charge for your work. Today I share 8 Reasons Why Charging for Your Work Is More Virtuous than Doing it for Free. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week This Week's Tip of the Week is a Christmas gift I finally started using called Tile.  When you use Tile, you'll never lose anything again. Place the Tile app on your phone and put the Tile in your car, on your keys, or with anything you might misplace, and you can track the exact location of the tile, so you'll never have to search for a missing item again. Spiritual Foundations John 10:14, 27. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd;  I know my sheep and my sheep know me. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." In the past, I was troubled when Christians would say,"God told me…." Since starting on my spiritual  journey, I have examined the stories in the Bible and nowhere does it say that these things (like God speaking) would stop happening. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." Does God still speak today? I want to encourage you to read the Bible for yourself, not through the lense of your pastor or your denomination, but through an objective lense. Join us today as we discuss open visions, the audible voice of God, casting pearls before swine, hallucinations, and Parkinson's disease. You have to hear this wide-ranging discussion for yourself. I believe God does speak and we his children can hear his voice. Feature Presentation "Why Selling Your Product Is More Virtuous Than Giving It Away For Free"   How to successfully struggle with feelings of selling out — Why it's essential to ask for value when you give value.   If man's primary purpose is to produce value, then why do we find it difficult to refine and reshape resources (and make a profit)?   Why uncovering your thoughts about expectations, value, and entitlement is essential for self-awareness.   People's needs over people's rights, or people's rights over people's needs — How examining your beliefs on this is critical to your worldview.   Why the more we pay for it, the more we value it — Understanding the impact of contextual value.   The power of social signals — How one famous real estate broker and teacher quadrupled his income by making one simple purchase.   Uncovering the problem when something feels "off" — Why leaders need integris lives and how our subconscious is always searching for contradictions.   Why it's important to uncover whether money is more than a simple commodity or a trade medium.   Why Jesus talked so much about money — What you can learn from the parable of the three servants and their money.   Your self-worth and the greatest commandment — If you love your neighbor as yourself you'll realize this virtue.   What world view are you teaching? How expecting to be paid or not expecting to be paid impacts the world.   Are you a world-changer? How Apple changed the world (no, it wasn't by giving it all away).   What we can learn from the one character in the Bible who condemned people for not giving to the poor.   How to become as rich as possible — Why capitalism and the creation of value have changed the world and why you should be part of it. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Tile app Michael Hyatt Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

No, it's not like I had a bag with $200 Million Dollars and left it at the bus depot.  But today, I'm going to share with you what turned out to be the 3 Primary Lessons I Learned From Losing $200 Million Dollars. How to face your reality in relation to money. Uncover the well-kept secret all wealthy people know (and poor people don't). Discover the one key factor that's proven to determine destiny. Should we love the Giver rather than the Gift? Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week No gadget…no gizmo…just a fact that blew me away. The fantasy football market generates 70 billion dollars a year.  Think about this astounding fact and send us three profound marketing truths embedded and implied in this statement. We will send a prize to the first astute marketer who emails us three profound marketing truths based on the fantasy football league market.   (No, it's not a Ferrari.) Send to [email protected] Spiritual Foundations "Love the Giver and not the gift" — How your philosophy and your faith are influenced by your view of the Gift and the Giver. Altruism, vending machines, and prostitution, so what's that got to do with my spiritual foundation? Is charity bad? Selfless motivation, self-interest, and altruism — Why what you think about these terms underlies your view of yourself, others, and God. Selfish brute or selfless doormat — Uncovering the two historical ethics options and considering the possibility of others. Why did Jesus make the ultimate sacrifice? — Rethinking it all, was it really the Ultimate Sacrifice? Ayn Rand, "The question is not should you give the homeless man some money, but do you have the right to exist if you don't?" Feature Presentation "3 Things I Learned From Losing $200 Million" How social security, deep debt, 100 extra lbs., and a timer ticking on my health finally jolted me to take action.  18:00 "It stops here!" — Why putting an end to toleration is the first step toward transformation.  20:22 NO, it doesn't matter what you make — How this one shift in thinking will transform your life now (and impact your future).  21:45 Why keeping up appearances keeps you poor — How to embrace becoming wealthy and finally realize that income is fantasy.  22:40 The one deal you should NEVER make — Why it seems so tempting, yet save yourself the headache because it's always a disaster. 23:38 How your three brains impact your thinking in ways you never realized — Why knowing it in your "head" is not enough.  24:24 The difference between the poor and the wealthy — Why one key principle separates the haves and the have-nots.  26:15 If your house is re-possessable then you need to realize you're poor — How to shift your view and put every dollar to work for you. 26:48 The desire formula — Why understanding the root word "sire" helps you uncover the unexpected origin of your pure desires.  29:10 Your desires are imprinted on you as possibilities by your Creator — Why some people think because you desire it that is enough (really, how's that working for you?). 31:00 How Christians embrace superstitions and mystical ways by evading reality — Why you can believe in the power of prayer (even if you're rational you can still believe in miracles.). 32:18 Uncovering why destiny is not magical (even though most people mistakenly believe this …especially Christians). 33:00 Discover the "good works prepared for you before you were born" — Why most will not fulfill their potential. 35:58 The one thing that determines your destiny — The famous D word we all avoid yet it strongly impacts everything in your life. 35:36 Are you guilty of sitting on the couch waiting for God to make things happen?" — Why God gets a bad rap and how to change your thinking about God. 37:00 Resources Mentioned In This Episode Ayn Rand Francis Bacon [email protected]   Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

Today I want to enter into an interesting discussion Ken MacArthur started on Facebook https://www.facbook.com/marketingtactics. Ken states, "Serious question, I've always been a skeptic. I have no problem under-promising and over-delivering, but I've always been hesitant to make a 'Big Promise.' Given the current state of the world I live in, I'm more inclined to think things like 'most people will fail, most of the time when they start something new.' That's why babies don't walk on the first try. Making a 'big promise' is part of the sales conversation equation. Some of my mentors find it essential and don't believe you can close high-ticket sales without one. Obviously, showing value and creating trust impact your sales. The skeptic in me always hesitates to promise anything. Do you ever wrestle with this kind of question?" Today, I unpack  Ken MacArthur's crucial question all entrepreneurs and marketers must answer, "Should I make a 'Big Promise'?" Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week This week's tip of the week is The Ridge, a wallet that is minimalist without being limited, so you can carry less and always have what you need. It's RFD protected, so you're identity will not be stolen. Check out the EDC Movement, it's about getting the most out of what you carry (efficiency, utility, and worth). Even if the wallet doesn't interest you… be sure to check out their website. Spiritual Foundations The Spiritual Foundation is from the Sermon on the Mount and follows the theme of today's podcast, "Are Big, Bold Promises Biblical?" Uncover what the Bible says in Matthew 5:33-37: "You have also heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.' But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, 'By heaven!' because heaven is God's throne. And do not say, 'By the earth!' because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, 'By Jerusalem!' for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, 'By my head!' for you can't turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't.' Anything beyond this is from the evil one." Deliver on your promise. If it's a Big, Bold Promise, good, keep it.   Feature Presentation "Why You MUST Make Big, Bold Promises"   5 Reasons to consider making bold promises in your marketing — How to overcome your own skepticism when making the offer and the promise. 13:25   How you're robbing others (although you're unlikely doing this intentionally) — Seriously, did you ever consider it's not all about you? 14:20   Why uncovering how you're intentionally robbing yourself is crucial to living your most magnificent life.  17:00   Throwing your gift on the ground — What really happens when you refuse to step into your most magnificent life. 19:00   Discover the one thing that penetrates the cloud of confusion — Successful marketers understand this better than anyone.  20:10   How to overcome the mass mumbling of mediocrity — Sparking this causes some people to retreat into their comfort zone. 21:30   Uncover the powerful force you must dismantle in order to grow your business — Overlooking this crucial influence is guaranteed to doom your sales. 23:00   The world is made a better place by those who get their "Hopes UP!" 23:30   Why this simple yet neglected principle, espoused by Donald Miller, is key to all successful marketing — Change this one element in your marketing and reap the financial rewards …all the way to the bank.  24:24   How setting Big, Bold promises tricks you into higher performance. 24:53 Resources Mentioned In This Episode   The Ridge wallet EDC Movement The Bible Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

Time is an interesting resource unlike any other.  Any two people have differing financial resources, and differing skills and talents.  We have different opportunities, different circumstances, and a different network of friends and acquaintances.  But we all have the same number of hours in a day, week, month or year. When it comes to time, we're all on level ground.  No one has extra hours stashed away in a savings account for a rainy day.  None of us has the ability to turn the clock back, stop it, or even slow it down.  Our daily allotment of time is a 24-hour-period, or is it? Today we talk about how we can actually multiply our time.  Learn how to optimize your time today by applying the 4Ps: Planning, Persistence, Patience, and People. Click here to download or listen to this episode now.   Spiritual Foundations It's a curious thing. We love to quote Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper." But chances are, you know some Christians who are constantly faced with overwhelming challenges, defeat, tragedy, and sickness. What is happening here? You see that the promise comes with a condition, "In righteousness you shall be established." So it is when we are established in righteousness that we will be far from oppression, terror, tragedy, and not a single weapon formed against us will prosper. How can we possibly be righteous? It turns out, you already have righteousness. When you receive Jesus as your Savior, you are also given the gift of righteousness, which empowers you to reign in life (Romans 5:17). You are established in His righteousness. I believe God wanted us to know that we are righteous by the blood of Jesus, by his perfect work on the cross, so there's nothing we can do that will add to it or take away from it. When you feel,"attacked," afraid, worried, and anxious, remind yourself of who you are in Christ. When you remind yourself of these things, notice how the worry, anxiety, and depression begin to fall away, "you shall not fear, terror shall not come near you." One more thing. Belief takes effort.  It's an action, not a floating generality. As you continue believing and confessing, (speaking out loud) your righteousness in Christ, you'll get an ever-increasing revelation that will give you the assurance of God's miraculous provision, his blessing, his divine protection and sovereign grace over your life. Tip of the Week The AllTrails App is my tip of the week. With over 50,000 trail maps, it's the largest collection of detailed, hand-curated trail maps. AllTrails will help you hit the trail with confidence anytime, anywhere. Two additional features you'll appreciate: 1.  Driving directions; 2. Saving your favorite trails for future adventures. Feature Presentation "How to Finally Master Your Time" Why time is an interesting resource — Finances, skills, and talents vary, but we all have one thing in common. We're all on level ground — Why no one has an advantage in this key area of life. Dream of stashing away extra time in an account for a rainy day? — What if you could turn back the clock, stop it, or even slow it down. Why breaking down time into two categories gives you unlimited power (you never knew you had). Personal time is finite and leads to your frustration — Discovering the secret productivity principle guaranteed to multiply your capacity for creating the life you desire. The 4 Ps of time optimization — How to expand your productivity by understanding a few secret principles. How planning is both a discipline and an art — Start planning and stop allowing time to fritter away. The art of planning — How to regain "lost time" by re-organizing your tasks. Harness the principles of training, experiences, processes, and technological aids to help you plan what's important in life. Why embracing time management as an art form helps you avoid frustration by anticipating the anomalies and building in extra time. The one weapon you have to help you overcome laziness, procrastination, and setbacks —  Why persistence is a key to optimizing time and carrying out your plan. How to apply persistence in a variety of ways — Push through or wait for an epiphany?… the question all creatives ask. Why being flexible and creative with "when" and "how" is a powerful discipline for increasing time optimization. The unexpected, unusual way to optimize your time — How persistence and patience go hand in hand. Uncover how persistence without patience works against you in time (and in relationships). Discover how to avoid coming off as an uncaring jerk — Persistence alone blinds you to shortcomings and the inevitability of setbacks. How to gain a more realistic view of the uncertainties of life — Why coming to grips with this one fact will give you peace and productivity. Why roadblocks and setbacks viewed through the lense of patience gives you insight into new possibilities — Learn how to stop writing off possibilities in your

Today I want to cover some new directions for the company and how we're going to be helping you in new and improved ways.   Don't worry, we'll continue to focus on:    Copywriting and marketing Building an online business Strengthening your spiritual life I don't believe it's possible to separate the two things, business and spirituality. Because you only have one life, spirituality and prosperity are both part of the same life.   The premise for today's podcast: Every person listening to this show can and should build a prosperous personal-brand business by following 5 proven phases.   If you get these phases out of order you will have problems. If you are frustrated with lack of traction in building your personal brand online, chances are you're out of sequence.     If you want to start a platform-based, personal-brand business by taking your knowledge, your wisdom, your expertise, and your giftings and you can share them with people (the world) via the power of the Internet. You can establish your global reach for $50-$100 by creating a radio show (podcast), TV show (YouTube channel) and other various ways of having people communicate with you (social media).  (7:11) Many businesses have done just that. Casey Neistat  started out with a video camera and making movies and had no audience, no following, and built a seven million follower YouTube channel. Part of his company was purchased by CNN for $25 million last year.  (8:00) Peter McKinnon, a photographer, cinematographer, and videographer who lives in Canada has built a million subscriber YouTube channel.   It's not just YouTube channels, there are people in all social media markets like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You know the names of the people who rule these marketplaces, but you may not know the people in the niches that are getting wealthy serving a small, few thousand people in their particular niche. (9:00)   "The internet and the ability to build a personal brand online is the great equalizer of all entrepreneurs."  Ray Edwards 5 Phases of a Prosperous Business Determine the meaning of life and the meaning of your business. Define your mission, your vision, your goals, and your tasks. Clarify your message. (Who you help, why they need you, what you do that helps) Create marketing materials. (Marketing that is clear, repeatable, and sticky.) Collect money.  (Give value first.) Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week It's common knowledge but it's not common practice, "Carry a pen and a notebook with you at all times." The reasons for your pen and notebook: Be ready when inspiration strikes. You can always count on a pen and paper (unlike the internet or electricity). A pen and paper don't make unexpected interruptions or distractions (no software updates, wait time, or computer bug). Capturing your thoughts and your best ideas is invaluable.   If you're a writer, this is required. " Writers are the ones with the pens and the notebooks." (4:40) Spiritual Foundations The Dream… Should you pursue your dreams?  God is the giver of dreams. He places the talents and gifts within you. He spurs you on to have the motivation to go out and give those gifts to the world. Commerce, the marketplace, and capitalism are all God's ideas.  (2:37) Proverbs 18:16, "A man's gifts make room for him and brings him before great men." "The world needs your message." — Ray Edwards God gave you your gift, not for you but for others.   Your gift makes room for you and it brings you before great men and women.   In God's kingdom, it is always fair but it's not always equal.    According to your gifting will be the opportunity. (4:14) It's up to you whether you're going to seize your gift and take advantage of it or not. God intended your gift for your benefit and others. I think you should grab hold of it and make the most of it. Feature Presentation "The 5 Phases of a Prosperous Business" How to create your own media empire – Why overcoming the learning curve will give you the freedom to create your own business (with your own distribution channel). (10:10) Why it's better for your customers if you keep more of the money – How avoiding big corporations and committees allows you to create exactly what your customers want.  (11:00) Revel 77's new branding advantage – How to leverage your personal brand and beat your competition.  (12:34) Discover why you're not getting traction or creating the income you want – How Armand Morin's sequentialism principle is mysteriously impacting your business.  (13:40) Fire-ready-aim – How stopping and giving a bit of thought at the beginning (although it's counterintuitive) helps entrepreneurial types increase their success rates.  (15:40) Why are you here? What are you supposed to do? How uncovering these core beliefs is the essential first step in creating your business. &nbs

Chris Ducker's book Virtual Freedom is a best seller, he has employed over 450 full-time employees, and he has built multi seven-figure businesses. Chris is frequently featured in INC., Entrepreneur, Success, and Huffington Post. He's the founder of youpreneur.com (a term he coined in 2014). Youpreneur.com is an entrepreneurial mastermind community that helps experts become the go-to leader in their market. "Whether there's a transaction involved immediately, or whether it's further down the line, they're doing business with me because of the relationship they have with me first." By serving youpreneurs, Chris transcends the old rules of business and helps people build a sustainable business based on their experience, interests, wisdom, personality, and personal brand. Today Chris shares his insights on personal branding and we discuss his recently released book, The Rise of the Youpreneur. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week My tip of the week is simply, buy Chris Ducker's book The Rise of the Youpreneur.  Along with his book he has included hundreds of dollars of bonus material that you'll want to check out.  Michael Hyatt said, "I've done pretty well as a personal brand. If I'd had this book I could have done it twice as fast." Check it out at a bookstore near you. Spiritual Foundations Today's spiritual foundation is based on Proverbs 11:26 from the ancient book of wisdom. "The people will curse him who withholds grain during a famine, but blessings will be on the head of him who sells it."  So, I encourage you to think about that. God blesses the man for selling grain during a famine. Feature Presentation "The Rise Of The Youpreneur, An Interview With Chris Ducker" In reality, as soon as you start coasting, you start dying – Why it's critical to face the fact you're either growing or you're dying. (1:12) Want to be the definitive guide in your industry? – How to shorten your path to success by reading The Rise of the Youpreneur. (5:39) "People do business with me personally way before they do business with any of my companies or businesses." Chris Ducker (6:00) Burnout – How it led me to recreate my business with virtual employees and write the book Virtual Freedom. (7:02) People do business with me because of the relationship they have with me first –  How to build, market, and monetize your personal brand. (7:38) Regardless of your niche, there is enough noise out there – What the world needs is YOU, they need someone like you to show them the way. (8:38) Your goal as a personal brand – Why becoming someone's favorite is crucial to your success in a personal branding business. (9:22) There are people who will only respond to your voice on this subject – Why realizing you've been called to serve will help you build a future-proof business. (9:58) When you build the business of YOU there are no real competitors, regardless of the industry or market – How being YOU is the unique factor for your profits and success. (10:31) How you are 100% in control of your future – Overcoming being tied to or enslaved by your personal brand business. (11:12) Build a business based on you – How to create a business that's not reliant only on you. (11:20) Michael Hyatt is the personal brand entrepreneur personified – Why creating a legacy that will live on past your time on earth is possible as a personal brand. (12:02) The most unexpected, amazing Zig Ziglar impersonation – Why I still consume some Zig every month. (12:50) Build a business based on you, your messaging, your philosophy, the impact you want to make on the world and the people you want to serve. (14:00) How to create a smart personal brand without it being totally build on you. (14:15) Why listening to the feedback from your audience and community is key – How filling the gaps helps you serve your community. (14:47) Why I saw the need to create The Youpreneur Roadmap – How to build, market and monetize a personal brand. (15:15) The genius of giving your community what they need rather than what you want to give them – How to serve by "on-ramping" your customer wherever he may be at the time. (18:00) How to help your person-to-person businesses thrive – Why sharing behind the scenes with Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter (any social media) helps you connect with your community. (19:00) The Personal Brand Building Manual – How to use this resource to rise up and embrace your calling. (19:41) Why you help people – When you know you've been put on this earth to create this message you realize it's your calling and it's your duty.  (20:19) The Youpreneur Summit – How Chris Ducker discovered his life's work and created a movement that's calling people to rise up and serve. (20:30) "All the world's a stage" – How to position yourself as an expert through coaching, speaking, being a podcast guest, and being featured in the press. (22:10) No one can tell your story and get your point across the way you do. (23:

Outsourcing is so hot right now. I blame Tim Ferriss' book, The 4 Hour Workweek and Chris Ducker's book, Virtual Freedom for starting the outsourcing phenomenon. In Tim's book he tells you why you should do it and Chris tells you how to do it. In fact, Chris Ducker has a new book for entrepreneurs entitled, The Rise of the Youpreneur. This outsourcing topic started during a recent consultation I had with Mike Kim. We discussed the theme of each of my recent years. 2015 was the year my fitness journey began, and I lost 70 lbs. In 2016 I lost an additional 15 lbs. So, four years after my diagnosis, I realized the one proven weapon I had against Parkinson's disease was exercise and fitness. Drugs and surgery only affect the symptoms of the disease.  Scientific evidence has proven that exercise slows down the progression of Parkinson's disease and may even reverse the damage already done in the brain. I cannot outsource physical exercise. No one can do the pushups or road work for me. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week Today's Tip of the Week is a toy, an iPhone app called the 8mm Movie Camera App. It will spice up your videos and make cool movies for Instagram and Facebook. Don't overdo it, but use it when you want to create that special 8mm movie feel. Spiritual Foundations I've been having lots of conversations lately about grace and Christianity. No, I'm not talking about the judging and protesting brand of Christianity. I'm talking about the grace-offered-by-Jesus-over-2000-years-ago Christianity. Grace is "favor you get without earning it." It's possible to earn forgiveness, but it's not possible to earn grace. When Paul discusses grace in 1 Corinthians 6:12, he states, "All things are lawful for me but not all are helpful."  When this was written, the Corinthian Church had gone wacko. They were engaging in outrageous sin such as the practice of sleeping with their mother in law and having sex with temple prostitutes. Paul was stating that grace means all things are lawful, but all things are not going to grow you or develop you. Grace is not a license to sin. Although many people believe this concept of grace, they shy away from teaching it out of fear of appearing to give people permission to sin. Feature Presentation "The One Thing You Can't Outsource" Outsource things you're not good at and don't like – Why there's one common denominator running through the one thing we can't outsource. (11:18) No one can do this for you – Why the power of habits requires self-discipline. (11:28) We always have time for what we prioritize as important – How we make excuses for not doing the things we don't value. (11:30) You always have time for what's important – How self-discipline is the key characteristic in each zone of progress. (11:32) Paul struggled with self-discipline – Why the thing I want to do, I don't do. The thing I hate, I do.  (13:10) You aren't born with a finite amount of self-discipline – How to increase your capacity for self-discipline with a 3-step plan. (13:43) We are wired for our survival to avoid pain – Why human nature places chasing after pleasure as secondary. (15:40) Why we allow momentary, fleeting pleasure to sidetrack our long-term gain – Learn how anyone can increase capacity for self-discipline. (16:19) How expanding self-discipline is like building a muscle – Why the pain and discomfort of pushing against resistance are part of self-discipline. (18:00) Practice polarity – How the pain/pleasure paradigm undergirds our motivations and actions. (19:32) Why it's not enough to know Tony Robbins' pain/pleasure paradigm – Pushing yourself to do something uncomfortable increases your self-discipline muscle. (20:25) Most people are not happy, yet they're not unhappy enough to do something about it. (20:40) Living in no-man's land – How no attraction and no repulsion keeps you stuck in the pain zone. (21:02) Do your actions make God want to vomit? Why being like lukewarm water makes God sick. (22:00) Jim Edwards' principle applies to all areas of life – "Love me or hate me, but there's no money in the middle."  (22:39) The power of transformation hinges on changing your view of pain and pleasure. (23:09) The practice of practice – How increasing capacity for self-discipline is rooted in just doing it…the power of habits and situational awareness. (24:15) What we can all learn from Cliff Ravenscraft – How to stick to your commitments and change your life (even if that means running the stairs). (26:08) The practice of perseverance – Why starting with momentum is never enough. (26:58) Why steadfastness is the key to success – How to resume as quickly as possible (and avoid wasting time repenting).  (27:25) The 3 practices to increase your capacity for self-discipline – How you can't outsource polarity, practice, and perseverance. (29:05) Examine your goals – Why you will not persist in goals that aren't worthy of you. (29:40)   R

Today we discuss a unique method by which you can guarantee your business will always have a profit (even from day 1). You'll never miss having a profit because you take your profit first. My guest is Mike Michalowicz. Mike is the successful entrepreneur behind three multimillion dollar companies. He is the author of The Pumpkin Plan, Surge, and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, which BusinessWeek deemed "the entrepreneur's cult classic." He is a former small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal and a former MSNBC business makeover expert. An advocate for entrepreneurs, Mike says his purpose in life is to eradicate entrepreneurial poverty. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Tip of the Week I'm a little late to the Instagram party, but my tip of the week is an Instagram tool I find to be a big help, it's called InShort Video Editor. This app is great for editing videos on your iPhone and turning them into smooth, seamless Instagram stories.  Check out InShort Video Editor in the app store today. Spiritual Foundations An indicator of someone's character and integrity is how they handle their possessions. Paul stated in Philippians 4, "I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Paul was actually talking about wealth in this circumstance. He was saying, "I've had a lot and I've had very little, and I've learned to be content in both circumstances. I can handle either situation through Christ who strengthens me." Powerful advice! (3:00) Feature Presentation "Profit First- An Interview With Mike Michalowicz" Here are some snippets from our conversation: The book Profit First revolutionized my thinking about my business. – How to change your CPA's thinking about business and pocket profits like never before. (4:00) Profit First is a new approach to cash management. – Discover how an old approach to cash management brought to business for the first time will increase your profits. (5:00) Sales – expenses = profit. – Why this flawed definition has negatively impacted so many businesses. (5:25) Accounting says profits come last. – How to change one simple formula and start making a profit immediately. 83% of small businesses are not profitable. – Uncovering why entrepreneurs get so many things right but continue to make no profit. (5:40) Is there a flaw in the formula? – How the Profit First principle will change your business (and your life). (6:01) Sales – profit = expenses. – What to do every time you make a sale (truth is, practically no one does this). (6:45) Sell, hide, pay. – Why this sequence works every time and guarantees you profits. (No, I'm not advocating illegal activity.) (7:09) The 20/80 rule you've never heard. – How logic, emotions, and habits impact your business profits. (7:35) Business says, "The more I grow, the more I spend." – How to break this popular no profit system. (8:00) Profit First leaves you less money for your expenses. – Why this forces you to make harder choices that lead to the appropriate decisions. (8:52) Reverse engineer profits. – Discovering the secret for overcoming negative inertia and creating the habit of making a profit. (9:02) Tony Robbins, "The definition of an entrepreneur is someone who knows how to make enough money to cover their mistakes."  (9:10) The mindset of just making more money. – What entrepreneurs do when they're not profitable and why it's such a bad idea. (9:29) Too much month at the end of the money. – Why continuing with a flawed money management system is insane.  (9:37) How Profit First forces you to define the path to profitability. – Why revealing outcome-based thinking is powerful. (10:30) If you can't pay your bills you never could afford your bills. – How we fall into the trap of stealing (and think it's OK). (10:54) How to run your business in a disciplined and appropriate fashion. – Why Profit First is required reading for every entrepreneur. (11:06) Is Parkinson's Law impacting your profits? – What naturally happens when your resources increase, and how to break this unprofitable habit.  (11:36) Resources Mentioned In This Episode Philippians 4 InShot app The Pumpkin Plan Profit First The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz.com Mikemotorbike.com At Mike's site you'll have access to free chapter downloads, his Wall Street Journal articles, blogs, and podcasts. How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

Out of a hundred people who hear this, one of you will do this and you're the one who will succeed. I have a question that I would seriously like you to think about. Are you important? Are you? This is a vital question and it speaks to something we call self-image. It's popular to believe that your self-image, having a good self-image, a strong self-image, a positive image of yourself is wrong. It's popular to say that. This is the first line of attack of the enemy, trying to deceive your mind by convincing you that you're not important. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Spiritual Foundations The Book of Mark, chapter 12, "Then, one of the scribes came and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, asked Jesus, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, 1. "The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment." 2. "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." According to Jesus, if you want to love your neighbor, what do you have to do first? • If we adopt the mindset, "I'm a worm and everyone else is awesome," and then, we're told to love our neighbor as ourselves, we must first love ourselves. Not in the sense, "Oh, I guess I'm okay." God is not contradictory. • If you worship God as the all-sufficient Creator and Father, then, you're doing no service to the Artist by condemning His art. Now, think about this: you're doing no service to yourself by calling something beautiful (you), ugly. • "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," and then, he said, "There is no other commandment greater than these." That's strong language. No other commandment, not even your favorite one, whatever that might be. Are you important? In Romans 12:3, Paul says to the church of Rome, "Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us." Now, this verse is often quoted to communicate, "Think poorly of yourself." But it says, "Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us."  He's saying, "Take an honest assessment of yourself and think that." Just before that verse, Jesus gives you a plan of self-improvement. Paul says, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world (the system of thinking that is present in the world today), but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." His will for you is for you to be good and pleasing and perfect, a plan for self-improvement. Tip of the Week I'm about ready to abandon Evernote. Evernote, of course, is a note-taking application. Here's the thing that's been bugging me lately. Evernote has its own proprietary way of storing your stuff. You're locked in and I think of it as a "roach motel." Your documents go in, but they never come out. I think I'm going to replace it with a new note-taking application called Bear, B-E-A-R. Here's the reason why: • It uses plain text files to store all your documents. • It uses markup to do any formatting, so it exports to any other application. • There's no translation problem getting into virtually any other application. • They have a special function to help you export all your notes out of Evernote into Bear. • You can preserve your tags. • You can get your notes into plain text files so they're portable. So, no matter what happens in the future, you future-proof your documents. Feature Presentation "Are You Important?" The three reasons to get your self-image healthy and robust: 1. We limit ourselves by the imagery we hold of what we're capable of doing. 2. Our self-image is self-constructed, made of our words, the pictures we hold in our mind and our actions or our physical environment. 3. You grow your life by growing your self-image, not just making it better but making it bigger. Our self-image is self-constructed. Dr. Denis Waitley says, "Relentless repetitive self-talk is what changes our self-image." What are you saying to yourself all the time? The most powerful force in the human psyche is people's need for their words and actions to remain consistent with how we define ourselves. If we have this belief that we suck and that we're bad, then, we will work very hard to make that consistent in our lives. Our brains want consistency. It all starts with how we see ourselves. Our self-image is self-constructed made of our words, pictures and actions, our physical environment, and our beliefs, w

I have a proposal for you in today's episode: You have in your life what you tolerate. What you tolerate is what you receive in life. I already know there are a lot of people who are coming up with examples to prove me wrong. There are people saying, "Well I have a genetic disorder that I had no control over. I could not have stopped it. I did not want this." No, but the way you deal with it, the way you process it, and the way that you experience it is up to you. That's not genetic. That's not something you can blame on your ancestors. That's all you, my friend. If I sound fired up, I am. I'm not angry but I am advocating for a different view on your behalf. That is, that if you're unhappy in your life, if you're dissatisfied with any part of your life, the thing you most need to do is stop tolerating that! That's what today's episode is about. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations For Spiritual Foundations, I'm just going to grab a little segment from the Book of Revelation. There's a lot of controversy over this book. There's a part of the Book of Revelation where Jesus is writing letters to seven churches. Most scholars and early church fathers believe the churches were real churches in the area. But they also represent the church as a whole, over time. There's one letter in particular where Jesus writes to one church and says to them, "You are lukewarm. I wish that you were either hot or cold but you're lukewarm and I want to spit you out of my mouth."  Revelation 3:16 If you translated this more viscerally from the original language, it would say, "You're like lukewarm water. You're not hot or cold, you make me want to vomit." What does that have to do with today's topic? Everything, because what I think Jesus was saying to this church is, "You guys tolerate everything. You don't get upset on either end of the spectrum. You're not like total libertines just doing whatever you want. You're not crazy legalists who are looking for the smallest, tiniest, little sin you can condemn in people. You're just in the middle. You're not committed to anything. You tolerate everything, you make me want to puke." Now if Jesus felt that about His church, isn't that a lens through which we might look at our life? I'm not suggesting that you should look at your life and feel bad about yourself, but maybe it's time to question what you tolerate. Tip of the Week My tip of the week is another geeky, techno tip. It's a piece of gear that I'm using these days. We're shooting some video for a big product launch that we're doing soon. I was going to hire a video crew and I just decided, "You know what? I enjoy this stuff so much. I'm just going to do it myself." You've heard us talk about it before in the show, it is the Panasonic GH5. It's like having a million-dollar studio in your camera bag (yet you only paid a couple of thousand dollars for it). It has the capability of shooting 4K video at 60 frames per second. There are very few consumer level cameras able to do that. That means you get this fantastic resolution with crisp, sharp pictures and video. Even more exciting to me, I've just discovered that I'm able to shoot 180 frames per second slow-motion video, which means it is crystal clear and buttery smooth. This camera is really a technological marvel. For some baffling reason, with the GH5S, Panasonic degraded the in-camera stabilization, which is one of the greatest advantages of the GH5 other than the 4K and the super slo-mo. My opinion is: don't get the GH5S, get the GH5. Feature Presentation: "The Devastation Of Toleration" Here are some snippets from the podcast: Zero-in on the Real Question – How to respond when you're dealt a bad situation.  9:08 Called according to God's purposes –  Discovering the hidden truth about how all things work together… I said all things. 9:20 Create a new model for your life – Shifting your viewpoint on THIS transforms your view of life (yes, it really is that powerful)! 10:25 You get what you tolerate in life – How feeling like you'll puke can be the catalyst for creating your best life. 11:15 When is enough, enough? –  How to face the fact there are things in your life that you don't like… but you don't dislike them enough to change them. 13:00 Make an "intolerables" list – How drawing a line in the sand is the first step toward taking control of your life. 15:20 Sick and tired of not living up to the potential for your life? – How to uncover what you're put here to do (even if you've reached the second or third act in your life).  18:55 "Well, what do I do about that?" – Why looking at all your intolerables and asking Tim Ferris' powerful question (in his book Tribe of Mentors) will change your life. 19:18 What it means to no longer tolerate – How to improve your self-image, feel stronger, more empowered, and more capable. 21:17 Stop constantly criticizing yourself – Why you're not complimenting the Artist when you'

Today's podcast is a lesson in the history of marketing online. I believe there is great value in knowing the history of our industry. Most of you in direct response internet marketing may not know we owe our careers to Ken McCarthy. Time Magazine credits Ken McCarthy with originating the idea of using click-through rates as the key metric of website performance.  In the early 1990s, as the owner of a direct response company, Ken saw the potential of direct marketing on the internet even as software CEOs, internet enthusiasts, and advertising executives all failed to grasp the power of commercializing the internet. In 1994, Ken organized and sponsored the first conference ever held on the commercial applications of the World Wide Web. Marc Andreessen, co-author of Mosaic and co-founder of Netscape was one of the twelve attendees of this world changing conference. Ken's early internet marketing experiments included email advertising, contributions to development of the banner ad, pay-per-click advertising and internet video. Ken's success was built on anticipating changes in the internet during the Golden Age of Innovation. A true visionary, he shares his fascinating insider's stories from the early years of the World Wide Web. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Feature Presentation: "An Interview With Ken McCarthy" Here are some snippets from our conversation: 1994-2011 Systemseminar.com – How learning from cutting-edge direct response pioneers will benefit your business. 42:00 The internet turned content on its head – Understanding the difference between print and the internet and how it shaped the world. 43:00 An early discovery that still impacts direct response marketing today –  How Ken McCarthy realized the unexpected power in giving.  44:00 Give away foundational material for free – How pre-system lessons shaped our industry. 45:00 Split testing – Embracing this one practice changed an early web designer's approach. 46:20 So many System Seminar firsts – Why we owe homage to Ken (the first to use email for marketing, create sequential autoresponders, develop push-button audio, and integrate video advertising on the web). 48:00 Being cutting edge – How anticipating what was coming on the Internet was foundational to Ken's career. 51:00 "You can only work binge for so long." – Understanding John Reed's insight and why systematizing your business is essential. 53:00 Apple almost closed its doors until Jobs proclaimed it, "The Education Computer" – How to follow Steve Jobs' one simple action and revolutionize your business. 59:00 One foundational job of every entrepreneur – Why you can't afford to miss this opportunity (it's like pouring gas on a fire). 1:01 Ken McCarthy's success principle – How new opportunities appear when you're listening, looking, paying attention, talking, and reading. 1:04:25 Being prolific – Why doing lots of stuff leads to success (even though not much happens with 90-95% of what you produce). 1:01:45 The ONE thing writers must do every day – Embracing the Irving Berlin Principle will change your writing and transform your life. 1:02:09 Follow your passion + Have commercial instincts – How to grow your business, avoid a bland life, and optimize the fire within. 1:05:30 Claude Hopkins and David Olgilvy – You're not born with it…you can develop it. (This one skill separates the successful from the struggling.) 1:06:00 No one has this instinct – Learning how to sell, persuade, and package from the giants in the industry will set you apart.1:06:45 Enjoy the process of learning – How learning from your predecessors and being prolific is key to your success. 1:07:46 Behind the scenes of work and success – Keeping the engine running requires this. 1:08:45 Resources Mentioned In This Episode Systemsseminar.com/lessons Kenmccarthy.com The System Club Jazzonthetube.com System Secrets (Maximum Money in Minimum Time Online): Ken …   Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript

Today I talk with the genius, the master, the go-to-guy, the king of all things LinkedIn…John Nemo. As one of the top promoters of Copywriting Academy, John Nemo joined me at my Joint Venture Mastermind at The Coeur d'Alene Resort in Alene, Idaho. No one knows the subject of LinkedIn like John Nemo. John transformed my LinkedIn profile, he's the real deal when it comes to LinkedIn and he's here to teach us all how to cash in on LinkedIn. The 3 core components of his LinkedIn Riches training program: Profile Prospecting Profiting                                       John's free LinkedIn training is available at rayedwards.com/nemo. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the LORD whatever you do and your plans will succeed." It doesn't mean you have to be a believer, but you see your work as holy and sacred and you commit that to God, then I think you'll find, more often than not, you'll: Do better work Perform at a more excellent standard Succeed Something to try, just see what happens. Tip of the Week The tip of the week is the Behmor Connected Customizable brewer, a coffee brewer that simulates the results you get with a specialty coffee pour-over. It simulates the pour-over without having to do the pour-over. You can control it with your iPhone. Feature Presentation: "How To Cash In On LinkedIn" Uncover Why LinkedIn Is the Biggest Underused Secret Weapon in Your Online Marketing Arsenal Here are some snippets from our conversation: Frustrated, not getting anywhere online? – How changing this one common mistake will skyrocket your success.  5:17 The ONE thing almost no one understands – How to go viral on LinkedIn. 6:40 People Pleasing – Why repelling people is a good idea (and being all things to all people kills your business). 9:50 The shocking secret to LinkedIn success – How much personal sharing is too much? 10:33 The surprising tip to leveraging LinkedIn – How to draw people into your story with one simple tweak to your posts. 11:16 LinkedIn's image problem – How proactive entrepreneurs can use it to your advantage.  13:45 The world's biggest professional coffee shop – Why most people misunderstand LinkedIn (and how you can cash in from this podcast).  14:52 500 million users in 200 countries – How to tap into LinkedIn and use it as your infinite lead generator. 14:25 99% do this wrong – Why flipping your profile upside down changes everything. 15:10 4 simple questions – How transforming your LinkedIn profile will multiply your lead generation by making it client-facing 15:58 Where all the money is made on LinkedIn – How to find and engage your ideal prospects (it's easier that you think). 17:35 Scaling up and bypassing the gatekeepers – How to quickly harness the power of LinkedIn. 20:03 Don't freak them out – Why communicating with prospects in a non-spamy way is the only way to make LinkedIn work for you. 20:45 The world's biggest professional search engine – How to personalize and automate your engagement on LinkedIn so you can maximize your relationships.  21:23 Courtship & Dating – Why asking for time or money on your first interaction is guaranteed to backfire. 23:14 The Power of the ASK – How stepping back and asking permission builds trust and like-ability (and sets you apart).  24:40 Should you send an ebook? – Why understanding what your prospects value is the key to lead generation.  26:43 You don't see cat videos – The business mindset of LinkedIn users and how professionals are searching for your content, direction, tips, and advice. 33:00 The Biggest Underused Secret Weapon in your Online Marketing Arsenal – What I really think about the power of LinkedIn and why you must act today. 33:59 Rayedwards.com/nemo – How to get more business and more profit for yourself.  34:15 A Powerful Online success tip – Why LinkedIn helps you scale up faster and more effectively. (It's all about relationship building.) 35:47 Writing LinkedIn profiles for high profile clients – How to implement the same system used by Ray Edwards, Chris Brogan, and John Lee Dumas. 35:15 Resources Mentioned In This Episode LinkedIn Riches by John Nemo LinkedIn Riches online course by John Nemo Behmor.com Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript

We're talking about prosperity. That's the word of the year with my company and with me. What does it mean to prosper? We know that it means to do well financially, but it's so much more than that. It's your health, your relationships, it's the ways you are fulfilled in life (such as growing as a person and contributing in a meaningful way to other people). Prosperity is a fullness of life and a fulfilling way of living in every way possible. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations This week, I'm reading from Psalm 1 (the New Living Translation). "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on in day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." Tip of the Week One of my goals this year is to read through the Bible again in a year. My tip of the week is the Daily Audio Bible Mobile app. I used the Daily Audio Bible app last year. The new mobile app is a very pleasant and nearly effortless way to read through the Bible in a year. Brian, the guy who does the reading, is an excellent reader, that makes all the difference. He reads different translations throughout the year. The Daily Audio Bible Mobile app is available for android or iOS. Feature Presentation: "The Pathway To Prosperity This Year" As I've been writing my book, Permission to Prosper, I've been thinking about how one can be more intentionally prosperous. For instance, let's take Psalm one at face value, and recognize that if we're in the group that God refers to as the righteous, then we are like trees planted by the river and everything we do prospers. That's what He wants for us. The world is not perfect, of course, but what He wants for us is for us to prosper in all that we do. How do we do that? I've developed a 7 Step Prosperity Practice you can engage in every day as part of your morning routine. This practice will move you in the direction of your goals and dreams. This is an amalgam of wisdom that I've learned from other people (great passages of Scripture and books by people like Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, and Brian Tracy). I practice these seven steps everyday. They are constructed in a way that is meant to mirror the actual needs of your psychological self. If you're familiar with Tony Robbins' Six Human Needs psychology, then you know his hypothesis is that we have six psychological needs that are wired into our nervous system. So, the steps I've chosen are not arbitrary. 7 Step Prosperity Practice Calibrate Your State      The three components for putting yourself into peak state are: Physical – what you do with your body (get moving and breathing) Mental – what you do with your mind (practice gratitude) Verbal – what you speak out of your mouth (declare truths over your life) Experience Gratitude Close your eyes and let gratitude flood your body and your mind. Match Your Desire with ClarityReview your goals and visualize experiencing the outcome of those goals.  Address Problems as QuestionsTransform the problem in your mind from a problem to a question and ask … What's great about this problem? What can I learn from this? What's not perfect yet? What am I willing to do to make it the way I want it? What am I not willing to do to make it the way I want it? What does this make possible? How can I enjoy the process of dealing with this situation? Contribute in Some WayContribute in some way to the joy, peace, and prosperity of another human being. Make a Connection with Other People by Being Present with ThemLook them in the eyes, listen to them, value their presence and be present. Learn Something New Every DayLearn a new word, a Bible verse, a scientific fact or tidbit. Each morning, in my journal I write down the answers to the seven questions based on my 10 Minute Prosperity Practice Journal Template. It only takes me about 10 to 15 minutes to write all of this down, but writing it down is where the value is. As Dave McCullough says, "Writing is the doing part of thinking." You haven't done it until you write it down. It's not real until you write it down. If you want my 10 Minute Prosperity Practice Journal Template, then simply text the word "prosper" to 33444. (You'll also receive an invitation to join our Facebook community for Permission to Prosper. I'll be sharing more about the upcoming book. If you join our community, you may get an early glimpse of the book.) Remember the word this year is PROSPERITY. Here are some snippets from our conversation: The relationship between goals and prosperity – Why you are focusing on prosperity whether you have any money goals or not. 1:12 A seismic shift in thinking – Uncovering the catalyst that's guaranteed to change your attitude about goals, intentions and resolutions. 2:11 Gett

This week is a special edition of the podcast. It's 100% Spiritual Foundations – so, if you're not into that, you may want to skip this one. During today's episode… * The one theme found throughout the Bible that applies to your goals, dreams, and desires. * One of the most familiar verses in Scripture (even most atheists know this one!) … and how it has been woefully mis-translated in most English Bibles. When you find out what Jesus actually, said you may be surprised! * What we can learn from the "midnight pest" who was really a "privileged guest". * The simple, biblical, 3-step process for getting your desires, needs, and goals met! (Really!) * …and so much more! Click here to download or listen to this episode now. How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript

Conventional wisdom tells us that success takes time…sometimes a long time. Well, I think we've been lied to, and I can prove it. In this episode I'm going to give you a set of tools that will put you on the pathway to a brand new you in seven short days, but as you'll find out, I believe that success can happen in an instant. Stay tuned… Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations I've been reading my friend Frank Viola's giant new book called There Must Be More, a Titan's Collectible. If it's still available, you should get it. But reading this book triggered a memory for me of something I learned from Frank about the two trees. In the beginning there were two trees, The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is the serpent's promise. He promised, "You will be like God, and you will decide for yourself what is good." This is what Jesus referred to when He was talking about the "leaven" of the Pharisees. Jesus is the Tree of Life (see John 15) this is the forgotten tree. This is the one we don't talk about. When we choose the forgotten tree, we take the life of God into ourselves. The Pharisees, meanwhile, ate from the first tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and so do many or most modern churches. These are the people with the protest signs, with the signs about the groups that they hate, with the signs about how America is being punished for its sins, because they are only conscious of the knowledge of good and evil. Better that we eat from the Tree of Life, Jesus. There's a term that's applied to Christians quite often. People say we are "People of the Book." We are not. We are not a people of the Book. We are a people of the Person. And the Person is He whose birth we celebrate today, on the day this show is being released, Jesus Christ. He is the Tree of Life. We must begin living under the forgotten tree (the Tree of Life) rather than eating the fruit of the forbidden one. Merry Christmas! Tip of the Week My Tip of the Week is the HabitShare app. This is an amazing free habit-tracking app that I was turned on to by my friend Cliff Ravenscraft, and I was sold on it immediately. This is a cool habit-tracking app because it allows you to share habits that you're trying to form with friends, so you get extra motivation and accountability. It's very simple to use. You can set prompts to help you remember to do your new habits, you can create custom habits that fit your specific goals, and you can make them daily or weekly. If privacy is a concern, you can control which of your habits your friends see and which ones they can't. I love this app and I recommend you check it out. They've got it both for the Apple platform and for Android, so anybody can use it. Feature Presentation: "7 Days To A Brand New You" Any person can change their life and become successful in as little as 7 days by walking through the 7 Doors of Decision and asking the 3 Crucial Questions. Decide WHAT you want Decide WHY you want it Decide if it's WORTHY of you Decide WHEN you want it Decide with WHOM you want it Decide WHERE you want it Decide HOW you're going to get it (with a big WHY you can overcome any HOW) Questions to ask: What's the cost? Is it worth it? Am I willing and able to pay the price Here are some snippets from our conversation: Break the shackles of justification – Why it's okay to want what you want just because you want it (13:30) The Power of Why – Discovering the oft-overlooked fuel that allows you to accelerate toward your dreams (15:09) Putting goodness on display – How reaching for your fullest potential is the surest way to reach your fullest satisfaction (18:29) Someday isn't on the calendar – Uncovering why a goal without a deadline is just another unfulfilled dream (20:19) Success alone is not success – Unlocking the key to picking the right partner who will never leave you nor forsake you (21:10) Location, location, location – Success includes the freedom of choosing where to succeed…you possess the power to move at will (24:23) "Why" overcomes "how" – Identifying the reason you would choose to put yourself in the place where preparation and opportunity meet (26:59) The Golden Key in your pocket – How asking the right questions will help you successfully navigate through the Doors of Decision (31:21) Are you delusional or dedicated? – How taking the next logical step is the portal to the success pathway (33:18 Resources Mentioned In This Episode There Must Be More HabitShare Wanting What You Want How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript

Content marketing is a hot industry buzzword right now, and everyone seems to have a theory about what works. I don't know about you, but I don't have time for theory, so in this episode I'm going to show what we do in our own content marketing…because it works. The key to successful content marketing is value, because we're in a current environment where you've got to give value upfront. In fact, our topic in this episode is a term I've coined called Value First Content Marketing. Stay tuned, this is going to rock your world. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations In this episode of spiritual foundations, I want to get back to basics. One of the things I've learned as a copywriter is that the precise meaning of words is vitally important. Let me share a recent example of this… My wise wife was having a conversation with a person with whom she's acquainted, and they got into the discussion about what it means to be under grace. My wife was explaining, "Well you know our sins are covered, so we don't have to worry about sin anymore. That problem is dealt with." This person rather inappropriately took affront to that and begin to argue. She countered, "Well, what about James 2:26, it says faith without works is dead. If you don't have works, then you're not saved." My wife responded with, "Well, I didn't come prepared to have this debate, but I guess I would start with looking up the precise meaning of the word 'death' or 'dead' in that verse to see what it really means." I was so proud of her. I looked it up, and it means "inactive." It reads, "Faith with no works that flow from the faith, is inactive,"…which is a whole different thing. Just remember that Jesus is perfect theology. Knowing that, be very careful about what you're willing to blindly accept as true. Tip of the Week Our tip of the week is a resource that we're giving you for free. Normally, we talk about other people's products or services or books, but this week we're giving you a week's worth of what we use to do our own content marketing. You can then use this as a model to structure your own…I'm just asking that you don't take this content and pretend it's yours. This will be a good way for you to look at the source material we use to create stuff and turn it into different pieces of content for your business. You can download this free resource at rayedwards.com/315. Now go forth and prosper! Feature Presentation: "How to Build Your List by Giving Away Your Best Content for Free" There's a lot of talk about content marketing, and there are a lot of content marketing experts and gurus that'll teach you content marketing, but what they do in most cases is neither content, nor is it marketing…it's a thinly disguised sales pitch. Any business that markets online can and should grow their e-mail list by using the Seven Pillars of Value First Content Marketing. The Seven Pillars There are three forces that have converged to bring us to this point. To attract attention, you've got to fight the content wars. Content marketing works for everyone, and everyone should be doing it. Give valuable content as often as possible. You must be present on every significant channel. You must have an investment mindset. Practice the Strategy of Preeminence. Here are some snippets from our conversation: Nobody was born with a list – Why you should ignore theory and model your list-building after a strategy that actually works (19:55) Words matter – Why it's important for you and your bottom line to know what content marketing is, and more importantly, what it is not (22:25) The proof is in the pudding – Meet David Robertson, who traveled 3,000 miles to give 30,000 reasons why this stuff really works (23:30) The perfect storm of content marketing – Discover the three forces that have brought us to the point where we have to think differently about how we market, and how to use those forces to your advantage (25:01) Open war is upon you – Why the key to victory in the content wars is to offer your unique value (27:35) All means all – Why every business should use Value Based Content Marketing to stay ahead of the game, win market share, and to make more money (32:24) How soon is now – Why you need to accept the uncomfortable truth that the more value first content you release, the faster you grow (33:14) Your presence is required – Why your blog, live video, podcast, and print needs to be present on every significant channel (36:42) Avoid the unsubscribe link – Why you must be willing to sacrifice short-term gain for long-term profit and value (40:30) Inside the mind of Jay Abraham – Why you don't want to be simply the superior marketer…you want to be the superior provider (42:17) Resources Mentioned In This Episode https://rayedwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Weekly-Content-Marketing-Package.pdf Atlas Shrugged The Fountainhead How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. 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If you've listened to this podcast for any length of time, you've undoubtedly heard us extol the virtues of Revel 77, our favorite coffee shop. So, when its existence was in jeopardy we stepped out and bought it. But that begs the question, "Why the heck did we do that?" In this episode we'll attempt to answer that question, and show you why we're willing to put our money where our mouth is when it comes to walking out the prosperity principles that we teach. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Prosperity tends to mean different things to different people, but to simplify this I've boiled prosperity down to one acronym (you guys know how much I love these). L.I.F.E. will help you determine whether you're living a prosperous life. Check it out… Love what you do, and do what you love. Invite God's presence into every part of your life. Fight evil. Empower good. If you'll do those things you're living a prosperous life. Tip of the Week In 1879 Thomas Alva Edison created the first commercially practical incandescent light. I think we can all agree that was a revolutionary moment. Now Philips has created Hue lighting which lets you easily control your light and create the right ambiance for every situation. When you experience a beautiful sunset, you realize that light can change your emotional state. Now imagine having total control over the light and color of your environment, bending it to your will so that it matches your mood…that's some pretty heady stuff. Combine that versatility with the ease of access that a company like Alexa gives you and, my friends, you are gazing straight into the eyes of progress. Feature Presentation: "7 Reasons Why We Bought A Coffee Shop" When we bought our favorite coffee shop we were inundated with questions about our reasons for doing so. We're known primarily as internet marketers, so why would we dip our toes into the brick and mortar marketplace? In this episode we reveal our reasons, and show you why we're willing to put our money where our mouth is when it comes to walking out the prosperity principles that we teach. Here are our 7 reasons: Community Ministry Investment Proof and flexing our muscles Synergy with our existing business Because we wanted to More Income Here are a few snippets from our conversation: Sean's Rant of the Week – Illuminating the hidden meaning of capitalism (16:45) The story behind the story – What specialty coffee and power outlets had to do with the purchase of Revel 77 (21:20) Assembling the wings on the way down – Why growth can be messy and good at the same time (24:18) Creating the Third Place – How a safe shared space allows a community to find an anchor and flourish (28:15) Becoming the feet of Jesus – How business can help people experience God's Kingdom through abundance, peace, and joy (30:59) The Shark Tank Factor – How to strategically invest in businesses to increase your income and wealth (35:06) Put your money where your mouth is – What a coffee shop taught us about the validity of our marketing model and forever answer the question. "Will this work for my business?" (38:39) Coffee is magical – How a delicious beverage helps us carry the atmosphere of Heaven to a thirsty world (41:19) Resources Mentioned In This Episode Philips Hue Lighting Alexa Revel 77 How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

You can hardly open your email these days without seeing someone promising the super-secret key to insane business growth. I know that the title of this episode seems like over-the-top clickbait, but by the time we're done you'll see that it's no exaggeration. This kind of extraordinary growth is happening right now to my friend Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner. We're going to be talking with him this week and let him explain exactly how he has done this and how you can do the same for your business. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations This week's spiritual foundations should be exciting for you because I'm about to reveal to you a secret superpower you probably did not know you had. If you're a follower of Jesus, you are part of what's called the royal priesthood. It means that you are both a king and a priest under the kingly priesthood of Jesus Christ. In the old covenant, kings and priests were two different groups of people. You could be a king or a priest, but you could not be both at the same time. Today, if we are in Christ, we are both kings and priests. A royal priesthood. That means we have double the supernatural speaking power because of our king-priesthood roles.   How do I know this? Well, if you look in Ecclesiastes chapter eight verse four it says, "Where the word of a king is, there is power." If you look at Deuteronomy, chapter 21 verse five it says of priests, "By their word, every controversy and every assault shall be settled." As a believer, if you're in business, you have an edge over other business people. There you go, I said it.   What you say about your business deals will come to pass. You have that power in your speech. If you get falsely accused of something, if people give you bad reviews online or say bad things about you as they inevitably will, you need to know that by your very word, every controversy and every assault will be settled. This doesn't just apply to your business, it also applies the rest of your life. As a king-priest, you can bless your children by speaking words of destiny over them. You have the power to set in motion the supernatural forces that will give them what they need to win the battles of life and live out their destiny.  Instead of agreeing with the devil when he says bad things about you, your life, your business, and your family, you should declare the opposite. You should say, along with me, "I live under supernatural protection. I prosper in all my relationships. God forgives all my iniquities and heals all my diseases."   You can say, straight from Scripture, "The Lord will make my way prosperous and give me good success." You've got double the speaking power of any king or priest from the old covenant. Use your double speaking power and bring these blessings to fruition in your own life. Speak what you want to see and go out there and be the royal priest that you are. Tip of the Week I'm going to confess right now that I have never understood cryptocurrency. I hear people talking about Bitcoin and I just nod politely and listen, realizing I have no idea what they're talking about. That is until I had a conversation with my friend Joel Comm who is now the co-host of The Bad Crypto Podcast. This is a great place to start getting answers to questions like: What is cryptocurrency? What is Bitcoin? Does it have a place in your future? I think after listening to a couple of episodes, the answer is, "Yes it does." I think this is the future of currency, of investing. It can be hard to understand, but these guys make it easy. My advice is to start at episode one and listen to each successive episode to get caught up. Take a listen, you'll thank me…I promise. Feature Presentation: "Make Your Own YouTube Reality Show & Grow Your Business Like Crazy" This week's guest is my friend Michael Stelzner. He's the founder of Social Media Examiner, and the author of books like Launch and Writing White Papers. Michael is also the man behind Social Media Marketing World, the industry's largest conference. He's also the host of the Social Media Marketing Podcast, founder of the Social Media Marketing Society, host of the weekly Social Media Marketing Talk Show, and the central character in the YouTube reality show The Journey, an episodic documentary about his own company. Here are a few snippets from our conversation: Take a journey – Michael discusses how an episodic YouTube channel played a significant role in growing his business by 62% (6:13) The Mother of Invention – Michael reveals the story behind "The Journey" and how he went from idea to execution in seven days (7:30) Video killed the radio star – Michael answers the questions, "Why video?" and "Why now?" (9:12) No one resonates with rosy – Why it's a good idea to reveal your flaws to your audience, even if it makes you uncomfortable (11:13) Authenticity is a contact sport – Michael talks about the dark side of being transparent

All of us want a business that hums along, routinely churning out profits as if on autopilot, but how the heck do you do that? This week I've enlisted the help of the undisputed market leader to teach you practical steps to amplify, accelerate, and automate your profits. Amy Porterfield teaches business owners, educators, and entrepreneurs the action steps for building a highly engaged email list, creating online training courses, and using online marketing strategies to sell with ease. She is one of our favorite people and what she has to say will blow your mind. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Is it possible to use peace as a weapon? I want to read for you a little passage of Scripture you've probably heard, even if you've never darkened the door of a church in your life. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." – Psalm 23:4 Marketplace minister Os Hillman has a website called TGIF…Today God Is First. In one of his devotionals he says, "In battles of the workplace, your peace is actually a weapon. The workplace creates many opportunities to rob us of our peace." He goes on to list things like cash flow, relationships, conflicts with employees, deadlines, and other things that create stress and disturb our peace. He points out that when Jesus confronted the devil, Jesus didn't react from his emotions or out of fear because He knew that the devil is a liar. Jesus just refused to be influenced by the lie. His peace overwhelmed the adversary, His authority shattered the lie, and the forces of darkness were sent scurrying away to the corner to hide. Pretty cool insight. I really enjoy a lot of stuff that Os Hillman writes, so be sure to check out his site at TodayGodIsFirst.com. Tip of the Week Everything you touch ends up on your phone…I mean everything. So how do you keep your phone, and the other tech gadgets you use, clean and sanitary? I discovered the answer to this conundrum on a recent trip to the Apple store. I noticed they use a product called WHOOSH! to keep all the high-end products free from fingerprints and Lord knows what else has been on the hands of hundreds of people who visit that store daily. I figured if it's good enough for Apple, it's good enough for me. Pick up some WHOOSH! for your devices, because the alternative is just nasty. Feature Presentation: "The One With Amy Porterfield" Amy Porterfield is one of the most interesting women on the internet, maybe even on the planet. She started out her career working for Harley Davidson and ended up working with Tony Robbins. Now through her best-selling marketing courses (List Builder's Lab, Courses That Convert, Webinars That Convert), a thriving Facebook community, and top-ranked podcast, Amy inspires a grounded, tangible and self-affirming sense of, "Wow! I really can do this," for over 250,000 online entrepreneurs. She proves that by moving away from "step-by-step" and into "action-by-action," even the newest online entrepreneurs can bypass feelings of self-doubt and being overwhelmed. Instead, they can generate exciting momentum as they move closer to building a life and business they love. Here are some snippets from our conversation: The Entrepreneurial Incubator – Why surrounding yourself with the kind of people you want to be like is the secret sauce to successfully starting a business (8:29) Burn the Boats – Amy shares the fastest way to turn a side hustle into the life of your dreams (10:31) One dollar can change the world – Amy tells the story of how Ray started writing copy for Tony Robbins, and the unusual strategy he used to write a killer sales letter (13:46) Trading one boss for many bosses – What to do if you wind up hating the business you start, and how to successfully get back on track (15:29) Authenticity will always have an audience – Amy shares the secret to overcoming your client's biggest fears and writing copy that converts like crazy (17:40) The Power of Belief – If you don't possess this one thing you're going to lose the trust of your audience forever (20:32) Connection isn't a one-time thing – Amy teaches us the extreme value in creating a follow-up sequence that is just a continuation of your webinar or sales process (21:54) You like me, you really like me! – Amy reveals the clandestine way to get inside your customer's mind and feel like you're talking to them directly (23:38) Selling after the sale – Why making the sale is just the beginning of your copy journey with your customers (24:25) Should you outsource your voice? – Why you need to become a student of copywriting…even if you plan on hiring a copywriter (26:02) Everything is copy – Why understanding the art and science of copy can improve everything from social media posts to your personal relationships (28:53) Resources Mentioned In This Episode Today God Is First WHOOSH! Listbuilder's Lab Courses That Covert Webinars That Convert How To Help

Just like you, Marie Forleo started her business with nothing more than a laptop and a dream. Now she commands a socially-conscious digital empire that touches millions of people, and makes millions of dollars. In this episode we're going to talk with Marie and get some little-known insight into how she created such a remarkable business, a business that has allowed her to design the life she always wanted to live. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Recently I did a podcast on the truth about Parkinson's. I've received lots of responses, which has been a real blessing because I think it has helped a lot of people. I think there's an opportunity for us to use our circumstances, whether good or bad, to advance the gospel…the Good News. In Philippians 1:12 the Apostle Paul says, "Now, I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel." It would serve us well to remember that Paul was a businessman…he was a tent maker. As far as I can tell, this was not something that he did just because it was an easy way to make money. It required skill, and he did it because he didn't want to rely on the church for his income. He took it seriously. He had an overall ministry objective for his business, and that meant that sometimes he was thrown in prison, he was persecuted, he was beaten. It's easy to be a shining example of God's grace when everything is rosy, but when things get tough most people want to give up and quit. When things get stormy and rough we go through periods where maybe we're tempted to say, "I don't even know why I'm doing this, it just seems pointless." First off, remember that God didn't cause these things to happen to you. There is an enemy that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy…but a loving Father that wants you to have an abundant life (John 10:10). Your temporary negative circumstances can be used to advance the Kingdom, to bring more of the reality of God to the world around you, to transcend your circumstances and transform them into something that is in your favor and to your advantage. I think our friend Paul serves as a good example of that. Selah. (Think about it.) Tip of the Week It's time for me to convince you to spend money on an app, and I'm playing no favorites this week. The app is called PORTRA and it's available for both iOS users and Android people. There are a lot of apps out there that will put your photos through an art filter, but I've never seen anything that does as a good job as PORTRA. They really do look like paintings, it's pretty amazing. I also have a little secret tip for you. If you use a high-resolution photo to do this, you could take that resulting artwork and send it off to fractureme.com. These people will print your photos on glass, which just amplifies the cool factor. You could use PORTRA to make a very unique photo into something that looks like a work of art, and then have it printed on glass and it would be a very groovy gift. Check it out, I think you're going to like it. Feature Presentation: "The One With Marie Forleo" Marie Forleo has an award-winning show called Marie TV, which when it first started up, I thought, "Oh, come on. Really?" And now she's like Oprah on the Internet. She's got a world-class online training program called B-School. She also has a book that's in 16 languages, and an audience in 195 countries. Marie helps people dream big and then back it up with meaningful action to get results, and she's also an extraordinary copywriter. Up until very recently, she wrote every word of copy that you saw come out of her business, which I think is just amazing. So, let's get into it. Here are some snippets from our conversation: Persuade with Purpose – Marie reveals the absolutely vital skill you must learn to authentically communicate with your audience (10:58) Achieving copy consciousness – The surprising way that your everyday world can become a copywriting classroom (12:55) Fail in public – Why allowing your tribe to watch your progression serves as both inspiration and education (14:34) Look spontaneous and brilliant – Marie talks about the importance of taking the time to really understand your audience and craft complete comprehensive answers to their questions (16:23) The fine line of web design – Marie discusses the value of intertwining copy and simple, clean design that causes your audience to become emotionally engaged with your brand (17:25) Sales doesn't have to be slimy – Why modern marketing, which includes generosity, compassion, and value is the key to overcoming the fear of sales (21:11) The virus that's killing your business – Why learning the art of writing copy is the single most powerful tool you have to grow a healthy, robust enterprise (24:22) Your voice matters – Should you write your own copy, or should you hire someone to do it for you? Marie tackles this question and provides a unique and wise perspective (26:46) The Steven Spielb

There's a shift happening in the world of copywriting. People are beginning to recognize the wisdom that can be gleaned from studying the fundamentals of copy directly from the masters themselves. In this episode, we're going to help you walk that path by introducing you to the most ripped-off copywriter alive. John Carlton is one of the guys who got me started in the world of professional copyrighting. He's got a degree in psychology, understands how the human mind works and how people make buying decisions, and he uses his knowledge of behavioral psychology to sell stuff…which I think is a pretty smart idea. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations I've been doing some reading from John Maxwell's Leadership Bible, and I discovered he has an interesting take on one of my favorite Scriptures… "Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise. Which having no captain, overseer or ruler provides her supplies in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8 Maxwell came up with an acronym that explains what we can learn from the ant. Attitude of Initiative: Ants don't need a boss to tell them how to get started. I like that. Nature of Integrity: Ants work faithfully and need no outside accountability to keep them doing things the right way…because if they don't they'll die. Thirst for Industry: Ants work hard and will replace their anthill when it gets ruined…they don't give up and go look for ant welfare. Source of Insight: Ants store provisions in the summer because they know there's a lean time coming. Go to the ant and be wise. Tip of the Week Our tip this week comes from the book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. This is a topic that a lot of people discuss, but not very many people have studied the psychology behind the idea of rest as this guy does. He says in the front of his book, "For most of us, overwork is the new normal and rest is an afterthought." In our busy lives, rest is defined as the absence of work, something to do once we've finished everything else on our to-do list. Dismissing rest stifles our ability to think creatively and truly recharge. The author works in Silicon Valley and posits that rest is not the opposite of work if they are part of the same cycle. Instead, without one you can't really enjoy and benefit from the other. I'm reading this as part of Michael Hyatt's monthly reading program LeaderBox. This program gets you reading two books a month, which is pretty awesome! You should sign up for it at LeaderBox.com. Feature Presentation: "John Carlton: The Most Ripped-Off Copywriter Alive" Some people call John Carlton the most ripped-off copywriter alive and that's because there was a period of time when everybody was ripping off his one-legged-golfer headline. He's the guy who wrote the headline: The Amazing Secrets of the One-Legged Golfer, and it was for a course on how to play better golf. The premise is so obvious, if a one-legged golfer shoots a good game of golf, he must be doing something right. Or she, could be a one-legged lady. Well, that became the most swiped headline in history for a long time. The list of well-known marketers who freely reference John Carlton as their primary mentor for writing sales messages is staggering. In fact, I went to a conference with the sole intention of spending $5,000 to buy his swipe files. So, let's get into my interview with John Carlton. Here are some snippets from our conversation: The grooming of a guru – The process that took John Carlton from introvert to a commanding stage presence (11:14) Share your best stuff – Why John Carlton made the decision to give the world a license to steal his stuff (12:34) My greatest joy – Why sharing and hands-on mentoring can become an accelerant for your business (13:50) Birds of a feather – Why copywriters are a rare tribe of scribes, and are the ones who will write history (14:42) The ultimate calling card – Why you should have a book, and the easiest way to get that done quickly (16:33) Is your marketing working? – Why direct-response copy matters and the reason mastering this art form is the fastest path to the cash (21:42) The Father of the Hot Seat – How a random idea in an elevator created a powerful way to solve even the most difficult business problems (27:15) Operation Money-Suck – How a crisis revealed what your number one job should be, and how focusing on this one task can save your business (34:25) Turning failure into success – John Carlton reveals his simple secret to writing highly effective sales copy (44:17) You are who you hang around – John explains the power of the mastermind and why tapping into brilliant minds makes everyone better (48:05) Unleashing the Power Within – What John Carlton learned from Tony Robbins that made him a better marketer (50:05) The Freelance Epiphany – How a stolen book launched John Carlton's writing career, and what that experience taught him ab

Your core beliefs control everything you do, from your attitudes to the actions you take each day. But how did you develop those beliefs? Did you thoughtfully choose them yourself, or were they handed to you over time from potentially unqualified sources? In this episode we continue to discuss the core beliefs we hold here at Ray Edwards International. If you listen closely you may discover the key to developing your own North Star that can be counted on to guide you safely home. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations If I took Jesus out of my business, would it make any difference? This is a little bit of a trick question, because what you are on Sunday you should be every day of the week. It's not about living a balanced life, it's about living an integrated life. If what you believe doesn't make a difference in the way you live every part of your life, then perhaps it's possible that you don't really believe it. We take a deeper dive on this subject in this week's episode, but take warning…it's not for the faint of heart. Tip of the Week This week I'm going to share a tip that will eliminate the most ubiquitous challenge that video content creators face. No, it has nothing to do with the quality of your video…it's the quality of your sound. The newest smartphones are great for shooting video, but the microphones that are built into them are lousy. Don't be fooled, if your audio isn't great, viewers won't stick around. That means all your great content and world-changing ideas go right down the drain. Fear not, I have a simple, cost-effective solution for you. Introducing the TASCAM DR-10L, an ultra-compact, incredibly convenient digital recorder/lavalier microphone combo. You can shoot the video and record the audio separately on this device, it uses a microSD card. All you do then is take the sound from the microSD card and put it on top of the video in your video editing software. It sounds like a big deal, but it's not hard to do. In fact, Final Cut Pro makes it super easy because it basically does it for you. Free yourself from the horrors of awful audio, and become the world-class content creator you were born to be! Feature Presentation: "The Entrepreneurial Manifesto" If you're an entrepreneur, or on your way to becoming one, this week I'm going to cover some important philosophical and positional tenets that you can use as a roadmap to guide your enterprise to true and lasting success. Let's begin… The fire in which we burn – Why you must guard your time like the absolute treasure it is (13:02) Seek and ye shall find – How to live the life you really want to live and bless those of your choosing without needlessly sacrificing yourself on their behalf (14:14) Tripping the thought wire – The secret to being successful and thriving while also being accountable (15:32) Where did you get that idea? – The real reason why business, wealth, and possessions are inherently moral and good (20:55) Creating value and building wealth – Money and resources can only exchange hands two ways, either voluntarily by trading value for value, or by force. Which do you choose? (23:59) Creating value can save the world – How copywriting saved a pastor and his family from financial ruin (29:34) And the winner is… – Why the Free Market is the only market that actually works (32:09) Are you worthy? – The reason it's important to be ready to give an answer for what you believe (34:45) Resources Mentioned in This Episode TASCAM DR-10L Final Cut Pro The Virtue of Selfishness Prosperity Academy How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

Remember the good old days of email marketing when you could just send email to someone and they would actually look forward to receiving it? While it's true that email marketing was different in the past, I believe there is a case to be made that we are in The Golden Age of email marketing right now…and you can still be a part of it. My guest this week is someone who knows a lot about how to get the most out of your email marketing. Nathan Barry is the founder of ConvertKit, and he is going to share some simple hacks that will help you become a vital part of the email renaissance. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations When I walk into my office each day, the first thing I see is a pink index card with three words written on it. Those three words are the principles that drive my business daily. Those words are: Presence People Profit Presence has two meanings for me: number one, and the most important, is the presence of God. I want to be aware of God's presence every moment of the day. The second meaning of the word presence is being present with people. This is a big deal to me. The second principle is people. The real foundation of my business is people just like you. No people…no business. But people mean much more to me than that. We all need deep relationships with others and relationships are reciprocal. We need each other. We need people in our lives. The third principle is profit, because if you don't have a profit, you won't have a business for very long. Those are the priorities that I think about every day in the business as I walk in the door. If I stay focused on the presence of God while being present with people and recognizing their importance, the profit will take care of itself. Tip of the Week I ditched my iPad…kind of. I ditched my smaller 9.7" iPad in favor of the larger 12.9" one. From the outside I can understand why people might have a problem with that decision…I mean, does it really make that big a difference? Yes, and here are five reasons why: It's the size of a full sheet of paper. It has a split screen. I can handwrite my notes and draw little illustrations, or do sketch-noting. I can easily annotate PDF's. I can leave my laptop behind, because there are very few things I can do on my laptop that I can't do on my iPad Pro. While the adage isn't always true, in this case, bigger is actually better. Feature Presentation: "The Death & Rebirth of Email Marketing" My guest Nathan Barry likes to build audiences and companies. Right now he is focused on building ConvertKit, an email marketing company for professional bloggers. It's both powerful and easy to use, plus amazing people like Tim Ferriss, Pat Flynn, Chris Guillebeau, as well as 12,000 other great bloggers swear by it. Here are some snippets from our conversation: The riches are in the niches – Why ConvertKit isn't just a different email service provider, it's a better one (18:10) One of these things is not like the other – Why trying to be all things to all people is a recipe for business disaster (20:28) Scratch your own itch – How Nathan Barry learned that solving his own problem was the fastest path to the cash (21:05) What's your startup story – Join Nathan in a no-holds-barred look behind the scenes of what start-up success really looks like (21:22) "Shut it down, or double down" – The wise advice Nathan Barry received from a friend that completely turned his business around (23:10) Mired in the Sea of Sameness – Why it takes more than a just passionate message to get your voice heard in the marketplace (27:34) Stop celebrating complexity – The real reason why consistently providing value still reigns supreme in the marketplace of ideas (29:05) The right tool for the right job – What ConvertKit learned about the mistake of trying to make everyone fit into the same box (30:45) Here's what to do first – Simple hacks that can take from no list at all, to having an engaged list that you can be proud of (32:51) Dodging the fiery darts of email marketing failure – What tagging and segmentation are, and why they may be the secret weapon your marketing system has been searching for (36:07) The Cowardly Lion approach to marketing – How to easily spot customers who are digitally raising their hands and ready to buy from you (38:06) Focus on what you care about – What you can learn from ConvertKit's commitment to user experience so you can dominate your segment of the online world (41:17) Resources Mentioned in This Episode ConvertKit GoodNotes 9 Inch iPad Pro Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

What you believe controls how much success you're willing to allow yourself to experience. Is it possible that by tweaking what you believe you could start to achieve things you once thought impossible? In this episode we're going to begin to examine and share some of our core beliefs, how they influence our business, our personal lives, our behavior, and how we arrived at these beliefs. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Our Spiritual Foundations segment this week is sure to ruffle a few feathers, but what else is new? In this episode I unveil a new way to think about one of the most quoted passages in the Bible…Matthew 22:15-22. "Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.' So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?' They said to Him, 'Caesar's.' And He said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way." So, was Jesus saying that taxes are cool and He was totally okay with the government? Or is it possible that His answer had a deeper meaning. The answers you seek are inside this week's episode. Tip of the Week If you're anything like me, you have dozens of apps on your phone that you never use. They seemed like a good idea at the time, but now they've been relegated to the Island of Forgotten Apps. Fear not, I have an elegantly simple solution. Delete all the apps on your phone and only add them back when you need them. I know, it sounds extreme, but think of it as a game. How few apps can you keep on your phone and still feel like a king or queen of the digital playground? I think you'll be surprised at the answer. Feature Presentation: "7 Beliefs That Create Success" We stand for: Spiritual foundations Virtuous prosperity Rational, virtuous self-interest Reality-based thinking Non-evasiveness Productivity Legacy Here are some snippets from our conversation: Stop living on a flat earth – Why your worldview is dangerously incomplete without a spiritual component (11:16) Is your mental castle made from bricks or straw? – Why what you believe about reality may actually be making your life more difficult (12:24) Be fruitful and multiply – How your built-in power to reason gives you the ability to create things that advance and sustain life (18:25) The Dangerous Dichotomy – How Jesus' command to love yourself is the key to helping as many people as possible (24:09) You reap what you sow – Why thought without action dooms you to a life mired in the mud of false reality (28:58) If I don't see it, it doesn't exist – Why evading reality never helps you in the long run and eventually winds up stealing all your joy (35:39) You are The Genesis Device – How embracing your creative nature is the fastest way to become productive and turn work into worship (40:39) The work you do today impacts tomorrow – Why you should build the world today that future generations can enjoy tomorrow…just like you wish previous generations had done for you (45:26) Resources Mentioned in This Episode The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

I just listened to an episode of Amy Porterfield's podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy. That episode shook me up (hah hah, the first Parkinson's joke of the episode). After hearing Amy speak so powerfully, I felt an overwhelming sense that I needed to say a few things publicly. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. I'm sharing not because it's important to me (believe me, I'd rather not be talking about this) – but because it's important to you. WARNING: This episode may not be suitable for those uncomfortable with the cold, hard truth.

Stories have a way of sticking with us. The world of marketing is changing around us, and those businesses that don't invite their customers into a heroic story will soon find themselves forgotten. If you're tired of your marketing having the same affect as a monkey yelling into a bullhorn, then you're listening to this podcast at exactly the right time. In this episode my guest Don Miller is going to introduce you to a roadmap that will clarify your message and draw customers to you like a magnet. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations If you're like most people, you were raised with an understanding of The Golden Rule, "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12) Regardless of your belief system, you have to admit that this is a pretty solid idea. But does it apply to governments as well as individuals? In this episode Sean and I have an provocative discussion that is sure to raise the hackles of more than a few people. Tip of the Week We've discovered the greatest camera ever made. Pretty bold statement, right? If you're a content creator who relies on outstanding video (YouTubers I'm looking at you) then this camera is going to change your world. With this camera you can take stunningly sharp videos and crisp photos with one device. The mirrorless frame is lightweight for easy travel, and the 20.3-megapixel technology delivers on clarity. We go into a whole geeky discussion about this inside the episode, but suffice it to say that this camera is a photographic rock star! Feature Presentation: "Building A Storybrand with Donald Miller" Donald Miller is the CEO of StoryBrand and every year helps more than 3,000 business leaders clarify their brand message. His audiences are challenged to lean into their own story, creatively develop and execute the story of their team, and understand the story of their customers so they can serve them with passion. Don's thoughts on story have deeply influenced leaders and teams for Pantene, Ford/Lincoln, Zaxby's, Chick-fil-A, Steelcase, Intel, Prime Lending and thousands more. Combined, Don's books have spent more than a year on the New York Times Bestsellers list. Here are some snippets from our conversation: If you confuse you lose – Why asking your customer to focus on more than one idea is killing your business (17:49) Even a caveman can do it – Why the "Grunt Test" is important and how you can use it to test your marketing in five seconds or less (19:22) Accidentally ignoring the important – How story plays such an important role in our businesses and why it's so often ignored (22:05) Using resistance as a compass – Why your insecurities and fears can be used as a guide to the life you desire most (24:09) The Storyteller's Formula – What movies can teach us about making marketing matter (26:15) Clarify to amplify – How the human brain processes story and how you can use that revelation to multiply the results in your business (28:38) Survive and thrive – What you need to know about the human brain, and how that knowledge can cause your message to stand out in the marketplace (30:37) The making of a President – What the results of recent elections can teach us about the power of story when used correctly…and incorrectly (33:55) It's not what you say, it's how you say it – How using the proper framework can transform your marketing from sad to successful (36:07) Resources Mentioned in This Episode Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die The Greatest Camera Ever Made Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

You've heard and read me talking about this topic of prosperity for some time now. If you're still reading, chances are you have at least cautiously accepted the idea that you, too, may prosper. At this point you may even be thinking, "Ray, you've sold me on this prosperity idea. But how do I start? What's next?" The rest of this podcast attempts to answer that question. Let's get started. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations 4 Principles for Living a Prosperous Life Find your ultimate joy and satisfaction in God. View your business as a means for glorifying Christ. Serve others as a demonstration of your love for them. Continually ask God to bless you. Tip of the Week Free training on powering up your platform! Feature Presentation: "How To Live Long & Prosper" Having established a foundation for prosperity, you now want to build on it by focusing on vision, mission, plans, strategies and goals that apply specifically to your business. Create a Prosperity Pathway There is power in a prosperity pathway. A prosperity pathway helps you: Develop clarity about how to proceed Focus on achievable outcomes Stay on course The steps in creating your prosperity pathway: Vision Mission Plans Strategy Goals Perhaps you've heard the acronym SMART Goals. SMART stands for: S – Specific M – Measurable A – Achievable R – Realistic T – Time-based SMART goals are a good place to start. The problem with conventional goal-setting in this fashion is that it's: All or nothing Pie in the sky Demoralizing Demotivating Without goals we have no idea how we're doing, or where we're heading. So, here's what I suggest and what I do: I set BAM! Goals. BAM is an acronym and stands for: B – Baseline A – Amazing M – Miraculous Resources Mentioned in This Episode Client First Training How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

Things can change so quickly in the online world it sometimes feels like a full-time job just trying to keep up. Which platforms are still relevant? What are the emerging trends I need to keep my eye on? In this episode my guest Mark Mason will tackle these questions, clear out the cobwebs of confusion and shine a light on the path forward.  Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations In the church world today, when people are presented with an opportunity it's common to hear them say, "I'm going to wait on the Lord till I get a sign from Him that this is the right thing to do." This drives me nuts because God has given us eyes, ears, and a glorious brain to think with…we should be able to evaluate opportunities using the tools He has given us. So, I found some Scripture to back up my viewpoint, which is what you do when you're a Christian. Check this out: Proverbs 10:5, "He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully." Or how about Proverbs 14:23, "In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." We serve a God who doesn't have any problems making decisions. Let's follow His lead and strike when the opportunity is hot. Tip of the Week The tip this week is one of the coolest apps I've seen in a long time. If you ever watched the TV show Fringe you'll remember how they had those 3D titles that showed the name of the city floating on the screen. It looked really cool. Now with Placer Cam you can create that same effect in your videos just using your phone. Getting perfectly tracked text in your videos has never been as fun, quick or easy. The best part is that there's no expensive editing software required, do it all on your mobile device! Feature Presentation: "An Interview with Mark Mason" My guest this week is Mark Mason, the host of the brilliant podcast Late Night Internet Marketing. There you can expect to hear practical internet marketing advice you can apply to your own internet business, great interviews with successful and interesting marketers, and tidbits of helpful information delivered in an easy-to-understand format. In this episode I get to pepper Mark with questions we all want answers to, like: Is affiliate marketing still a real thing normal people can do? Why would one approach an internet business as a side hustle, instead of burning the ships? Day Job Secrets: Should You Tell Your Boss About Your Side Gig? Do you think all this vlogging, snapping, Vining, and Instagramming is a sign of rampant narcissim? Why don't you post a bunch of quote memes to show us how smart you are? How hard is it for the Average Joe to optimize a website? And finally, why a post about depression? Here are some snippets from our conversation: Let there be value – Why leading by example has helped Mark Mason lead the way in helping people build profitable side businesses (8:58) Get Ziggy with it – How to get what you want by helping people get what they want (11:01) Jesus was a smart Dude – Why the Golden Rule has always been the key to longevity and prosperity in business (13:10) Playing with fire can get you burned – The real reason that building a side hustle is the smartest way to transition out of a job (15:22) Stay away from the eject button – Why it's always better to run to something than run away from something (18:07) Stop waiting for your "calling" – How to enjoy what you're doing while you're doing it so your calling can find you (20:34) To tell or not to tell – The questions you need to answer before you decide to tell your boss about your side hustle (23:42) Expect to be discovered – A parable about what to do if your side hustle is discovered (29:35) The value of narcissism – How to spot the fine line between making it all about you and entertaining and enlightening your audience (31:40) An alternate view of depression – How to overcome the things that drain our energy and move your business forward every day (37:29) Resources Mentioned in This Episode Placer Cam Late Night Internet Marketing Zig Ziglar The Ethical Side Hustle How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show.   Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

It's the dark secret of many small business entrepreneurs – most are a couple of bad months away from total bankruptcy. I learned this lesson the hard way after generating hundreds of millions and having nothing to show for it. While I changed that over the last few years, I am still a work in progress. And many small business owners I know are still living check-to-check. The book Profit First changes all that once and for all. Ask yourself. "What would it be like if I could immediately start taking profit from ny business – this month, and every month from now on? What if I could be permanently profitable?" Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Keeping your accounting straight and your business profitable is not just a good idea – it's biblical. "Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds; For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations." – Proverbs 27:23-24 Tip of the Week Try this with me: one book, one month, deep. Profit First, by Mike Michalowicz. Feature Presentation: "Profit First, Broke Never" TESTIMONIALS FOR PROFIT FIRST Darnyelle Jervey: "It feels good to be building a business that serves me. Profit First is helping me to live out my mission in my own business." Bottom Line: $296,763.20 in profit, 258 percent revenue growth, and more than a million dollars in sales. Carrie Cunnington: "My business finances are organized and clean. I'm profitable (yeah!), disciplined, in control and motivated." Bottom Line: Debt free and posting quarterly profits. Christian Maxin: "I now need just 60 minutes a week to manage my financial planning." Bottom line: Christian can see the financial health of his business at a glance: $250,000 in new profit and business growth of 20 percent. Paul Finney: "Once you have cash, opportunities start to appear like never before." Bottom Line: 500 percent growth in weekly sales; costs cut by 20 percent. Helen and Rob Faulkner: "After 18 years of being in business, we finally feel we're a success." Bottom Line: Helen and Rob turned around their business and posted a first-ever profit distribution within four weeks of starting Profit First. Notes and Quotes from Profit First: Money problems occur when one of two things happen: Sales slow down. The problem here is obvious when you operate check-to-check and sales slow down: you won't have enough to cover expenses. Sales speed up. This problem is not obvious, but it is insidious. As your income climbs, expenses quickly follow. Exchanging the newly leased car for a rust-bucket, laying off employees because we're overstaffed, saying "No" to our partners—all of this is very hard to do because of the agreements and promises we made. We don't want to admit we've been wrong in how we've been growing our business. So rather than reduce our costs in any meaningful way, we scramble to cover ridiculously high expenses. We steal from Peter to pay Paul, hoping for another big payout. Most business owners try to grow their way out of their problems, hinging salvation on the next big sale, customer, or investor, but the result is simply a bigger monster. (And the bigger your company gets, the more anxiety you deal with. A $300,000 cash-eating monster is much easier to manage than a $3,000,000 one. I know; I have survived operating both.) "Profit must be baked into your business. Every day, every transaction, every moment. Profit is not an event. Profit is a habit." THE FOUR CORE PRINCIPLES OF PROFIT FIRST Old "Profit Last" Formula: Sales – Expenses = Profit New "Profit First" Formula: Sales – Profit = Expenses Here's how you apply the four principles:   Use Small Plates—When money comes into your main INCOME account, it simply acts as a serving tray for the other accounts. You then periodically disperse all the money from the INCOME account into different accounts in predetermined percentages. Each of these accounts has a different objective: one is for profit, one for owner compensation, another for taxes, and another for operating expenses. Collectively, these are the five foundational accounts (Income, Profit, Owner's Comp, Tax, and Operating Expenses). Those five accounts are where you should get started, but advanced users will use additional accounts (outlined in Chapter 10). Serve Sequentially—Always, always allocate money based upon the percentages to the accounts first. Never, ever, ever pay bills first. The money moves from the INCOME account to your PROFIT account, OWNER'S COMP, TAX, and OPEX (OPERATING EXPENSES). Then you pay bills only with what is available in the OPEX account. No exceptions. And if there isn't enough money left for expenses? This does not mean you need to pull from the other accounts. What it does mean is that your business is telling you that you can't afford those expenses and need to get rid of them. Eliminating unnecessary expenses will bring more health to your business than you can ever imagine. Remove Temptation

We all have fears and beliefs that hold us back, but what we don't usually have is a proven process that can destroy, once and for all, the limits those fears and beliefs place on us. This week I sit down with my friend Cliff Ravenscraft for an in-depth discussion on this very subject. We're going to introduce you to tools and strategies that will unleash your potential and allow you to take the big leap from your Zone of Excellence to your Zone of Genius! Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Feature Presentation: "Breaking Through Your Upper Limits: A Conversation with Cliff Ravenscraft" We all have a thermostat in our lives that regulates how we feel with the amount of financial success, relationship success, and also business success that we have in our lives. In a very real sense, that thermostat has put a ceiling on how much greatness you allow in your life. Imagine for a moment that there was no ceiling…what would that make possible in your life? That's exactly what we're going to discuss in this episode. But first, as some of you may know, Sean and I recently bought a local artisan coffeehouse here in Spokane, and we thought you might enjoy a little insight as to why we did that. Enjoy! Here are some snippets from our conversation: Part One: The Coffeehouse Chronicles Sad news & an idea – How to spot opportunity in the most common areas of your life (3:22) Coffee and Community – Why a successful business is more than just a business (4:04) The strategic growth plan – How your unique skill set as an online entrepreneur can create new growth opportunities in the brick and mortar world (5:10) No more excuses – Why we believe coffee can open the door for all the brick and mortar businesses that are unsure online strategies will work for them (5:30) "I just don't want it to close" – Why it's okay, and even encouraged, to get emotional about business (7:38) King Solomon was right – Why it's always a good idea to have multiple streams of income (8:37) Keep your eye on the prize – How to make your money go to work for you (8:48) A gathering place for friends – How to create a business model that turns customers into friends (9:06) Part 2: Breaking Through Your Upper Limits What's the big deal? – How a cryptic message from Cliff changed my life (12:32) Control your temperature – How your inner thermostat dictates how much success you're allowed to have in your life (14:10) Introverts and the post-vacation blues – How your mindset controls how much joy and excitement you are willing to allow in your life (18:51) The $25,000 check – Why most people refuse to accept random acts of kindness and how to fix that forever (22:55) The Upper Limit Injury – The never before released reason why your unconscious mind is fighting against your success, and what to do about it (25:31) The new high-water mark: How to identify your underlying positive message so you can blow the roof off your potential (27:01) Let's get real – An intimate look at Ray's experience with the Upper Limit Challenge, and the "miraculous" victory that came from that (27:33) The unintentional criminal – Why continuing to do something you're awful at is robbing someone of the blessing of using their gift (31:37) Is this the best use of your time? – Why doing things others can do better is costing you money and draining your most valuable resource (35:04) The Land of Milk and Honey – Why your business should be based on something you do that comes easy to you but is difficult for others (36:59) The Zone of Genius – Why your unique gift is the key to enjoying all the love, financial abundance and creativity that's rightfully yours (39:50) Watching Television Professionally – What can you do for long stretches of time without getting bored or tired? (45:01) Live long and prosper – What Spock can teach us about living with an abundance mindset (45:29) Working hard or hardly working? – Discovering the work you do that doesn't feel like work (52:23) The Russian Doll Experiment – The magic of uncovering your unique ability by asking the right questions in the right order (53:03) I'm looking at you – Everyone has a Zone of Genius and it's your personal mission to discover and share it (55:04) Feel the fear and do it anyway – How to defeat fear and use The Resistance as a compass (57:35) Now hear this! – The important information about the first Ray Edwards Live Meet-Up at Revel 77 (58:57) Resources Mentioned in This Episode Revel 77 Coffee The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

If you ask a room full of people with jobs why they go to work, what do you think their answer would be?  Probably something like, "To pay the bills… because I have to… because I have an addiction to living indoors with plumbing…" If you ask entrepreneurs why they work, what will THEY say? Probably something like, "Because I love my business… I'm doing what I love… I'm on a mission…" But pose the question differently and see what happens. Ask those same entrepreneurs privately, if they won the Powerball and a got a $25M windfall, what are the first 5 things they would do… and one of the top items on that list is ALWAYS "get rid of this business." In this episode, we're going to get to the root of this problem and help you live a more authentic life starting right now. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Recently I've been re-reading the classic book Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. Dr. Maltz popularized the idea of self-image and its effect on performance. There's a difference between self-esteem and self-image. Your self-esteem is how you appraise your value, your self-image is simply the picture you have of yourself. Who do you think you are? There's an ancient proverb that says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." I believe what He was saying is, what you say reveals who you think you are. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." I believe what He was saying is, what you say reveals who you think you are. If you consistently find yourself behaving in a way that you don't want to behave… you must look closely at your "secret identity." You'll find that somewhere you hold conflicting views that cannot exist in the same person. You are at war with yourself, and you are at war with reality. The masses lead lives of quiet contradictions. That is the pattern of the ordinary behavior of the world. It's why the Apostle Paul wrote "Don't be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind…" We renew our minds by thinking different thoughts. How do you do this? Notice the feelings that alert you to internal conflicts. Trace your thought backwards and find the place where you find two conflicting ideas. Resolve the conflict. Establish a new thought that is not in conflict. Reinforce the "trigger" and the "thought pattern." In this episode, we do a deep dive on all of this…trust me when I say that you don't want to miss this. Tip of the Week In keeping with the theme of today's episode, How to Reinvent Your Business, Your Income, and Your Life, Jeff Walker opens his store today for you to enroll in his Product Launch Formula (PLF). We're big believers in PLF as an approach, and the tip of the week is about how you can get $20,000 in coaching and training from me and our company for free when you sign up for PLF through the link rayedwards.com/plf. These bonuses are only available for a limited time…until Thursday, September 14, 2017. So, if you want the $20,000 worth of free goodies from us, go to rayedwards.com/plf. While you're there, be sure to watch all the videos because you would be surprised at how much you can learn from that content, and by observing the PLF launch process. Now go forth and prosper! Feature Presentation: "How To Reinvent Your Business, Your Income and Your Life" Let's pretend you won the New Life lottery…what would be the first things you would do? Most entrepreneurs, if they told the truth, would just get rid of their business. Why? Because they feel trapped by their business and they go to work in their business for the same reason that people go to work at a job, to pay the bills. So, if money were no longer a concern… How would you redesign your life? How would you redesign your income? How would you redesign your business? Here are some ideas and some snippets from our conversation: You are here – Answering this question honestly is the very first place to start when redesigning your life (30:05) Check your B.S. at the door – How redefining your belief system is the fastest way to make a life U-Turn (32:54) Opportunity comes dressed as work – How to give yourself permission to want what you want (34:50) How to eliminate the belief that there is a moral connection between hours worked and income earned.(35:54) The tug at your soul – You are a creative, productive person…and if you aren't creatively productive, your soul begins to die (38:05) Be fruitful and multiply – Why creating value is a Divine calling and simply the smartest thing you could possibly do in business (40:10) Reinvention simplified – How to do a wholesale redesign of your life with a minimum amount of disruption (43:38) The seven-figure solution – Why a product launch is the fastest and most strategic way to reinvent your business (47:53) The clock is ticking – Why setting a deadline for yourself puts you on the fast-track to

Where did you get your beliefs about money? Chances are they were not consciously chosen, and that they aren't a well thought-out integrated "philosophy of money." The most commonly held misconceptions about money are actually dangerous deceptions… contradictory beliefs in a reality that punishes those who try to navigate life based on contradictory tactics. In this episode we'll bust the 21 most common – and most dangerous – money myths…and we'll expose the liberating truths that will set you free of your self-imposed limitations.   Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations One of the things we love most about our listeners is that you're a smart group of people. We're honored that you listen to this show for guidance, but when presented with the truth you're able to figure things out on your own. In that spirit, this week we're simply going to present you with a series of quotes from the Bible and let you come to your own conclusions. Let's begin… "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." – John 10:10 "The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it." – Proverbs 10:22 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." – Matthew 6:30 -33 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich." – 2 Corinthians 8:9 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. – Ephesians 3:20-21 Tip of the Week Before I can serve my business, I have to serve you…my audience. I have to produce valuable content that you find interesting and valuable, and that's exactly what I'm doing on my YouTube channel. There's a ton of great content there and more to come. What would be awesome is if you subscribe to the channel. When you subscribe, you'll see a little bell icon. You want to click on that. That way you'll get a notification when I put out a new video. I welcome you to leave comments there and let me know what other stuff you'd like to hear about or see on that channel. Psst…here's a little secret, like the secret menu at In-n-Out Burger. We actually offer several tips in this episode, but you have to listen to hear the others. Aren't we sneaky? Feature Presentation: "21 Money Myths That Keep You Broke…and the 21 Liberating Truths That Will Set You Free" Myth: You can no longer start a business in today's economy. Myth: I don't have a product to sell. Myth: I don't have any experience in anything. Myth: Another breed of people are the only ones who can do big things. Myth: I must be shown how to do things by experts from institutions. Myth: Money isn't important. Myth: You can sell anything online. Myth: A businessman is in the low order of talent and importance in society. Myth: Selling is easy and not that important. Myth: People who just put up the money for an enterprise don't deserve much of a cut of the profit. Myth: Artistic or technical alent is rare and super expensive. Myth: Money must be made slowly. Myth: If you aren't born rich, you'll never be rich. Myth: I will be successful because I'm going to school. working for a big established organization, having talent, and working hard. Myth: People are basically bad, or people are basically good. Myth: Making a profit is sinful. Myth: Entrepreneurs are bad. Myth: I am not smart enough to do anything big because I didn't get good grades in school. Myth: Watch the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves. Myth: I must be certified by some recognized authority before I can do big things. Myth: To become rich another must become poor. Here are some snippets from our conversation: Same as it ever was – The truth about why it's easier than ever to start a business today (19:44) You need a Wesley – What Star Trek can teach you about building a business (22:08) It's right under your nose – The simplest way to create a product or service that people will happily pay you for (23:52) Get out of your own way – Somewhere someone is looking to pay money for knowledge you take for granted (24:55) All humans can generate wealth – Why your self-limiting beliefs are the only thing standing between you and a fortune (25:44) Climb your own ladder – How to kick the "Education Crutch" to the curb and go with what you know (29:59) Certifi

Most people have heard of a mastermind, but they don't truly understand the power masterminds produce or how to correctly participate in one. Even fewer people know the five reasons you need a mastermind…that and more will be revealed in this week's episode. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Peter Drucker is famous for asking these two questions: "What business are you in?"  and, "How's business?" Business is good. I'm not talking about having more customers or how fat your bottom line is…I mean business is morally good. Business is not morally neutral…it is inherently good. If you read through the Gospels, you'll notice that Jesus uses business and wealth as a method for teaching the principles of the Kingdom to His followers more than He uses any other subject. In this episode we're going to show you what it really means to be about your Father's business. Tip of the Week Before I can serve my business, I have to serve you…my audience. I have to produce valuable content that you find interesting and valuable, and that's exactly what I'm doing on my YouTube channel. There's a ton of great content there and more to come. What would be awesome is if you subscribe to the channel. When you subscribe, you'll see a little bell icon. You want to click on that. That way you'll get a notification when I put out a new video. I welcome you to leave comments there and let me know what other stuff you'd like to hear about or see on that channel. I want to give a shout out to my new friend, Nick Nimmin. I watched his stuff for quite some time and decided, "I want to engage this guy to help me grow our channel," so I did. I brought him in to do a little coaching and consulting, and he's really been helpful. If you are interested in building a YouTube channel, definitely check out Nick's channel. Feature Presentation: "5 Reasons You Need A Mastermind" A little over a week ago, we hosted our affiliate mastermind meeting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. This was a meeting of our top affiliate partners from our launch of the Copywriting Academy earlier this year and it included: Mike Kim: Branding Strategist Extraordinaire John Nemo: LinkedIn Expert Mark Timm: Leader of Ziglar Family Ernie Svenson: Master of Paperless Productivity Jeff Bullas: The World's #1 Business Blogger Why am I telling you about our affiliate mastermind? Because it really underlined for me the value of mastermind meetings. Here are the Five Reasons You Need A Mastermind: Clarity Collaboration Critique Caution Confidence Here are some snippets from our conversation: The brilliance of mutual benefit – What a mastermind actually is and how it harnesses the power of the third mind (15:40) Speaking their language – The surprising ancient origins of the mastermind…you've never heard this before (16:35) You're inside the bottle – Why you need others to help you avoid pitfalls caused by your blind spots (18:51) I can see clearly now – How you can ignite the fuel of ambition in your life and business (20:19) Many hands make light work – How working together makes your yoke easy and your burden light (22:16) Brutal compassion – Why vulnerability and the creation of a "safe space" lead to answers you would never find on your own (22:37) Running east in search of a sunset – How a mastermind can save you from the peril of unrealistic optimism and keep your business from running off the tracks (24:55) Your most important asset as an entrepreneur – Why you must protect your confidence at all costs (25:52) Keep it real – Why authenticity is your biggest advantage in the marketplace (27:08) The Impact Factor – Why sharpening your critical thinking skills can be the difference between running a business and making an impact (27:57) Who are you hanging around with? – How to avoid the extreme danger of staying confined to your own universe and thinking you've got it figured out (28:51) The power of generosity – Poor minds compete with one another, rich minds empower each other (30:38) Birds of a feather – If you want to fly like an eagle don't hang out with turkeys (31:16) Become an action figure – Why education without endeavor won't get you very far (31:30) Resources Mentioned in This Episode Ray Edwards YouTube Channel Nick Nimmin YouTube Video Tips Mike Kim John Nemo Mark Timm Ernie Svenson Jeff Bullas Jody Maberry Matt McWilliams Mark Sieverkropp Coeur d'Alene Resort How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

This is a special "Bonus Episode" of the show, which consists exclusively of my interview with author Frank Viola, discussing his new book, There Must Be More. Click here to download or listen to this episode now.  Buy a copy of Frank's book, There Must Be More, by clicking here. How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.

Have you ever felt guilty about the amount of stuff you have? This is something Christian entrepreneurs deal with all the time. It goes something like this, "If you were a real Christian you would sell your stuff and give the money to the poor."  This mindset has led to some really messed up thinking like affluenza…the "sickness" of having too much stuff. This week I'm going to introduce my own term…Maximalism…and show you not only why this is a good thing, but why it may be the very thing that saves us from ourselves. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations I recently took a trip to Hong Kong and suffered some awful jet lag in the process. I figured that because I only sleep a few hours a night as it is and because I was there to do God's work I could just struggle through the time difference and be right as rain. That got me thinking about this whole issue of, "What does God cause, what does He allow, and is there a difference?" One of the verses in the Bible that gets brought up to point out that God does cause bad things to happen to people for His own glory, is the story of the blind man who was blind from birth. The disciples come to Jesus and they say, "Who sinned that this man is blind? Was it him or was it his parents?" That was their belief system in that culture. If you were born with a handicap, it was because of somebody's sin. You get punished for someone else's sin…man that is twisted! In this episode I'll share the answer Jesus gave and reveal to you the proper context so you'll finally be able to understand what He was really saying. This will set you free. Tip of the Week I just got a drone, the DJI Mavic Pro. Right away I discovered two things about owning a drone. First of all, when you set the thing on the ground and you turn the engines on, the props spin up, and you realize you're about to send a lot of money hurtling into the sky. That's a little scary. The second thing I discovered is there are a lot of places you're not allowed to fly your drone. Funny thing is they don't mention that when you buy it. The FAA, municipalities, state and federal parks, and even private property owners all have something to say about where you can fly your magical new device. It's all very confusing…or at least it was. Now there's an app for that. It's called airmap.io and it incorporates all the available information and it marries it together with Google Maps. You pop up a map on your iOS or Android device and it shows you all the different airspaces, and who controls them. By using this app all drone owners, or Droners as they're called, can now safely and responsibly fly without fear. Feature Presentation: "Is Affluenza A Thing? In Defense of Maximalism" I was recently listening to a Cliff Ravencraft podcast episode entitled, "Do I really need all this stuff?" In this podcast he was discussing an email he received from a listener chiding him for buying all the expensive podcast equipment he uses when, in their opinion, he should have given that money to the poor. Cliff made a very impassioned argument about how that was not true, and I think he is right. It makes me want to spend a little more time on this topic this week because Cliff touched on something that I think is really important to understand. Conventional wisdom says that either you have affluenza, the disease of accumulating too much stuff, or you are a minimalist. This week I would like to present a third option, Maximalism. Here are a few snippets from our conversation: Words mean things – Sean's latest Rant of the Week (20:32) The living system – Why the correct definition of a concept matters so much and the high calling of trading value for value (23:19) The wealth of selection – Why it doesn't matter how much stuff you have, but instead it matters about making your stuff meaningful to you (23:43) Think for yourself – You, yes you, get to decide how much is too much and how much is not enough (24:45) You're asking the wrong question – Why putting an arbitrary limit on how many items you can have is completely ridiculous and shows that you don't understand why you have things (26:07) The intentional decision – How to determine whether you own things, or things own you (26:35) You wasted your money on that – The truth about items you hardly use and how they amplify your creative process (27:29) I just want that – How to turn any purchase into your own personal R&D experiment (29:39) Wanting what you want – How to leave behind a world of justification and scarcity and enter a world of abundance and creativity where you're always free to want what you want (31:09) You have permission to prosper – Discover the massive difference between want and need when it comes to being successful (32:51) The mic drop moment – The shocking truth that Jesus did not make the ultimate sacrifice, and what really happened (36:14) Business is good – Here's what you're really doing when you buy stuff (37:07) The

This is our time. It's time for the writers, the scribblers, the storytellers and teachers to take out those manuscripts, those Moleskins full of ideas, and those dreams of making a living as a writer and finally bring them to fruition. If you've followed me for very long, you know that I believe that the end result of our creative efforts is to become wealthy…and in this episode I will begin laying down a path to prosperity specifically for writers, or for those whose primary calling involves utilizing the written word. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations There's this bizarre story in the Old Testament where the prophet Elijah pronounced a drought over the land because of the sin of Ahab and the nation of Israel. There was only one problem…Elijah had to live in the same land as Ahab, so he was going to suffer the same consequences. What's my point in telling this story? Well, if you think about it, the provision that Elijah received from God was the only form of wealth that was available to him in that situation and in that time. In this episode I'm going to introduce you to a simple question that could change your life, and put forth the controversial idea that God uses money to confirm direction in our lives. Tip of the Week Our tip of the week is yet another photo tip. One of the things that I have not felt like I had a good handle on was backing up my photos, because really the only backup I had was through iPhoto or iCloud. Enter Google Photos. Google Photos is a photo sharing and storage service developed by Google. It was announced in May 2015 and spun out from Google+, the company's social network. Google Photos gives users free, unlimited storage for photos up to 16 megapixels and videos up to 1080p resolution. It works with your iPhone and it works with Android…you just get the app from the appropriate app store and give it permission to grab your photos. Easy peasy. Feature Presentation: "How To Become Wealthy As An Unknown Writer" I'm giving you the roadmap to becoming a high-income writer, instead struggling as a starving artist. I started this journey a couple of weeks ago by writing a blog post entitled, "How I Work as a Million Dollar Writer" and it has taken on a life of its own. In this episode, I cover the 5 Fundamentals of building a million-dollar Copywriting Business (this one) and some thoughts on how you can ethically copy me. If you are determined to be one of The 12 at our upcoming workshop, you can get all the details on the Copywriting As a Million Dollar Business Workshop when you click here. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Google Photos How I Work as a Million Dollar Writer (blog post) How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript. 

So here's the deal…you have a podcast and now you need listeners. By now you've discovered that it takes more than putting your show up on iTunes and expecting subscribers to just come out of the woodwork and become raving fans. One of the easiest ways to get those listeners is to have Apple, Google, Overcast, Stitcher, and other giant media platforms send you listeners for free…listeners who want EXACTLY what you have to offer on your show. This week my guest Daniel J. Lewis is going to show you exactly how to do that very thing. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Peace Is a Weapon "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) Fear is the enemy of faith. Fear is slavery, the Un-Maker, the Adversary, and the Resistance. Fear wants us to live in bondage to the past (guilt and shame) and even the future (depression and anxiety) – but God wants us to live in the freedom of His love and power in the present. Paul wrote, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" (Romans 8:15) To be the person God calls us to be, we must conquer fear. But what weapon can empower us to do that? This is a spiritual battle, and it can only be won with spiritual weapons. Peace is the weapon that defeats fear. Jesus told His followers, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) The apostle Paul told the persecuted Christians in Rome, "The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly." (Romans 16:20) The peace of God is our weapon against fear and Satan. Before going to the cross, Jesus told His disciples, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27). Fear is a natural response to adversity. Peace is the supernatural response that God gives us by His grace. Just as Jesus has authority over the wind and waves, He has authority over the storms in our lives. He has authority over our doubts, fears, and shame. "…as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17) And Jesus is now "seated … in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Ephesians 1:20-23) Doubts, depression, anxiety, fear, and shame are the weapons of the Great Enemy. Take hold of the peace God has already provided for you today. Tip of the Week I've been doing a lot of photography and post-photographic processing of late. And I just rediscovered something that's been around for a while…Adobe Lightroom for mobile. It allows you to access, edit, organize, and share photos on your iPad, iPhone, or Android device. Changes sync seamlessly, so updates are available from the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC desktop app, or from your Lightroom account on the web. Note: Syncing to Lightroom CC on the desktop and the web requires a Lightroom CC trial or a paid Adobe Creative Cloud membership. Feature Presentation: "How To Get Free Podcast Listeners From Apple and Other Media Giants: An interview with Daniel J. Lewis " As an award-winning podcaster, Daniel J. Lewis helps others share their passions and find success by improving their own podcasts. He creates training resources (SEO for Podcasters) and podcasting tools (My Podcast Reviews) and he does one-on-one consulting and group training. Daniel is a sought-after keynote speaker on podcasting and social media, and he hosts a network of award-nominated shows covering how to podcast, clean comedy, and the #1 unofficial podcast for ABC's hit drama "Once Upon a Time." He also writes about technology, productivity, and entrepreneurship on his personal blog. Here are some snippets from our conversation: The most intimate medium – How podcasting literally allows you to get inside people's heads (9:52) How do you know that? – The not-so-secret way to create community with your podcast (10:57) Sandpaper on the ears – If you want to have a successful podcast, never do these things (12:03) The sound of silence – How to interview a podcast guest without irritating them (14:30) The SEO puzzle – How to get the right content in front of the right people at the right time (15:49) The strategy behind SEO – The hidden way to create high quality, consumable content that draws listeners like a magnet (19:01) Search engines are creepy – Why your ranking in the search engines improves by being of greater service to your audience (20:32) I wouldn't do that if I were you – The lazy person's guide to bad show notes (21:35) Kissing cousins – Why treating your podcast like a blog

Live video is a big deal these days, and it seems like everyone is doing it. It's great for business. If you do it right. But if you're like many people, you've never dipped your toe into the video pool. Maybe it seems too complicated, or you feel like it's just too late to get started now. This week we clear out the clutter and introduce you to Luria Petrucci from LiveStreamingPros.com. Together, we're going to fill you with hope, simplify the process, and set you on the right path to confidently making live video an integral part of your marketing. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Feature Presentation: "Why You Need To Do Live Video" My guest this week is Luria Petrucci from LiveStreamingPros.com. She has helped some of the biggest names in the business like Michael Hyatt and John Lee Dumas create and refine their live video marketing. In this interview, Luria offers practical tips and strategies to help you create more professional live streams, and integrate live video into your overall marketing strategy. Here are some snippets from our conversation: The power of connection: why live video is the single greatest lead generation tool and community builder on the planet (2:20) Are you connect-worthy? The surprising role that vulnerability plays in your live video success (3:25) "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough": How to use Google to overcome any fear you have about doing live video (4:08) Unleash your evil twin: the little-known secret to getting comfortable on video (7:16) The Alice-in-Wonderland Dilemma: what do to if you feel like you're too late to the live-video party (8:13) Taming the Adrenaline Monster: use these simple steps to overcome the most common worries about doing live video (9:19) What to do when you don't know what to do: how to use The Four Levels of Live Streaming to get started the right way (9:51) Put your best face forward: the newbie's guide to making sure you're using the right tools (10:28) You are here: the simplest way to get started using live video (13:02) Take the 5-Day Challenge: how get to a customized live video learning experience for FREE (13:52) Practice, practice, practice: how to use the tools available to you to create a "Life Stream" (15:12) Know your why: how to develop a plan to use live video as a means of creating value, establishing expertise, and inviting your audience into the process (15:56) The ageless medium: why it doesn't matter how old you are in the age of live video (18:05) Resources Mentioned in This Episode Live Streaming Pros Free 5-Day Live Streaming Challenge How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.  

Does any of the following sound familiar? You set goals but never seem to hit them…you never seem satisfied…you experience up's and down's, but always seem to live your life somewhere in the messy middle…you have that "someday I'll be happy" mentality. If that's you, here's what I know about you, you aren't productive, rich, or happy. You're familiar with the adage about keeping the same pattern but expecting different results, right? Starting right now it can all be different for you. This week I'm going to explain why you're having this problem, and I'm going to give you a roadmap to escape the messy middle.   Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations Here is a truth I was reminded of the other day, "You are the books you read, the movies you watch, the music you listen to, the people you spend time with, and the conversations in which you choose to engage." The Bible says something similar in Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." This week we'll show you how to develop new patterns of thought so that your life becomes "on earth as it is in heaven." Tip of the Week In this episode I encourage you to "zero base" your life. What is that you ask? Our all-knowing friends at Wikipedia describe zero-based budgeting, as an example. Zero-based budgeting is: "a method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each new period." You start from zero, and every expense needs to justify itself. You can do this with your environment as well. Do the people you hang around with lift you up or drag you down? Does your office or home make you feel productive or drive you crazy? In this episode you'll get a glimpse behind the scenes as I zero-base my own life. WARNING: This gets a little weird… Feature Presentation: "Why You'll Never Be Productive, Rich & Happy" I've got seven reasons why you'll never be productive, rich, or happy. But don't worry! I've also got some suggestions about how to fix them forever if you choose to do so. Here are the seven reasons you're shackled to mediocrity… You're just as productive, rich, and happy right now as you want to be. Most people are thermostats, pre-programmed and unaware of it. Most people suffer from scotoma (partial loss of vision). Most people have no one who will tell them the truth. Most people are unwilling to experience discomfort. Most people have conditioned themselves to "scratch the itch." Productive, rich, and happy is a matter of being, not doing. I promised I would have solutions for you…here they are: Admit that you're just as productive, rich, and happy right now as you want to be. Recognize your thermostatic nature. Figure out what your scotoma are, and work to eliminate them. Find people who will tell you the truth. Embrace discomfort as an indication of growth and progress. Recondition yourself to only feel the itch being scratched by achievement, not merely by activity. Figure out who you must become to get where you want to go. Here are some snippets from our conversation: You steer the ship – If you don't like where you are, remember that you plotted the course to get there (11:40) Pay attention to the pattern – Why the unexpected is so predictable (12:24) Sean's Rant of the Week – The biological reason you need to stop making excuses and do something with your life (12:54) What you don't know can hurt you – How your pre-programmed ideas are sabotaging your success (16:10) Do you need glasses? – Your mental blind spot could lead to you getting blindsided (16:34) You can't handle the truth – Why being "kind" may be the meanest thing you can do to someone (18:04) Comfort is overrated – How to get off the fast track to becoming broke, unhealthy, and stupid (19:06) Thinking does not make it so – Why confusing activity with accomplishment is a one-way ticket to the poorhouse (19:56) The Used Car Principle – It doesn't matter what the outside looks like if what's under the hood is broken (23:10) You can't have both – You can have your excuses, or you can have results (23:55) Take ownership – How to start making the transition from renting your life to owning it (24:11) Escape The Matrix – The more you deny your programming the tighter its grip becomes (25:08) You have two ears for a reason – Why listening to truth-tellers can be a painful, but necessary process (26:48) Resistance is a compass – Why discomfort is often the most accurate map you own (28:56) Nothing succeeds like success – How to break the habit the failure by doing the one thing you don't want to do (30:50) Resources Mentioned in This Episode The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand   How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Trans

As entrepreneurs, we have one mandate…get as rich as possible. How did you react when you read that? Did it make you feel uncomfortable and even a little squeamish? Money is not a "zero sum game" (meaning in order for me to win you have to lose) – it is quite the opposite. Money is infinite, a representation of the wealth created by entrepreneurs, tradesmen, and investors. So if money is infinite, why don't you have more? That's part of the fabric of my discussion with Perry Marshall on today's show. Perry is one of the most expensive and sought-after business consultants in the world. I think you'll enjoy the conversation. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations The Bible often uses the natural world to teach us lessons about how to live an abundant life. A perfect example of this is found in Proverbs 6: 6-11… Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep— So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. As entrepreneurs, we're like the ant. We have no boss to force us to do what's necessary. Either we do it, or it doesn't get done. Now go forth and prosper! Tip of the Week Imagine me mentoring you each and every month. What would that make possible for you? We would start with an intensive training about how to get your online marketing system set up and running, no matter what type of business you own. Then, each month, we would do a live video training session where you could ask me any question you like. Each month I would sit down and write you a 12-page memo about what to do, and then I would deliver a proven marketing campaign you could copy and use in your business. We'll be opening the doors to this new, group coaching/mentoring/training program in the near future. If you would like more information, go immediately to rayedwards.com/reic to get on the VIP notification list. Feature Presentation: "Optimizing for Picnics" Perry Marshall is one of the world's most expensive and sought-after business consultants. Clients seek him out for his ability to integrate engineering, sales, art, and psychology. He has launched two movements in modern marketing. His Google Adwords books laid the foundation for the $100 billion Pay-Per-Click industry, and techniques he pioneered are still standard best practices. Perry wrote the world's best-selling book on web advertising, Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords. More recently, he's turned "80/20" into a verb. His book 80/20 Sales and Marketing is mandatory reading in many growing companies, and his books are course material in several business schools. Here are some snippets from our conversation: The Universal Law of Cause and Effect – How to work less and make more (19:34) The world is skewed – Why this is the best time ever to become a serial entrepreneur (20:47) Everything is connected – Why 20th century thinking will strand you on the Island of Misfit Toys (23:59) Optimized for picnics – What ants can teach us about business (27:53) Upsetting the corporate apple cart – Why Dilbert thinking is so destructive, and what to do about it (29:15) Arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic – How your business myopia is causing missed opportunities for massive growth (32:20) Extreme Inequality – How 80/20 is running your life whether you know it or not (34:15) The frictionless internet – The speed of your business is entirely dependent on the speed of your platform (36:41) The rise of the business state – Why Instagram is more powerful than 100 countries in the world (37:59) The center is the edge – How mastering principles the key to your leap forward (38:58) Better than Bruce Lee – Why specific focus is the key to competing with the masters (40:11) Look for the levers – The secret of turning a little input into a whole lot of output (41:44) How to create an addict – Why Minecraft is fifty-two times more effective a creating addition than alcohol (44:05) The Swiss Connection – Learn why Perry recommends deleting all your social media apps from your phone (45:47) The Tsunami Effect – Why one person's catastrophe is another person's opportunity (49:40) The six-year old marketer – What Perry's daughter taught him about what we really sell (50:35) Polishing turds – Why the standard eight hour work day is a joke (53:05) The Star Principle – How to spot opportunity and how it can make you rich (1:01:19) Islands of profit in a sea of red ink – How to determine which of your customers are costing you money (1:04:13) Resources Mentioned in This Episode The Bible The Science of Success: The Secret to Getting What You Want by Wallace Wattles The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwe

Hosting a live event is complex, expensive, risky, and stressful. Yet for some of us, live events seem like a necessity due to our business model. Even if you have decided that hosting a live event, seminar, or workshop is just too big a pain…Even if you have decided you have no interest in pursuing live events as part of your business model… I urge you to reconsider. Why? Because if you pass this up, you could be passing one of the most rewarding, enjoyable, life changing, and profitable business activities available to you. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations We in the entrepreneurial and human potential field are fond of quoting Napoleon Hill and his mastermind alliance principle which states… "The coordination of knowledge and effort between two or more people who work towards a definite purpose in a spirit of harmony…no two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind." Sounds kinda spooky, right? There is another book which states something similar, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." – Matthew 18:20 (NKJV) But wait, there's more. "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." – Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV) In this episode I'll weave these concepts together and prove to you that there is power in the proximity created by people gathered in agreement. Tip of the Week Imagine me mentoring you each and every month. What would that make possible for you? We would start with an intensive training about how to get your online marketing system set up and running, no matter what type of business you own. Then, each month, we would do a live video training session where you could ask me any question you like. Each month I would sit down and write you a 12-page memo about what to do, and then I would deliver a proven marketing campaign you could copy and use in your business. We'll be opening the doors to this new, affordable group coaching/mentoring/training program in the near future. If you would like more information go immediately to rayedwards.com/reic to get on the VIP notification list. Feature Presentation: "10 Reasons Why You Should Host Your Own Live Events" Despite the fact that live events can be complex, expensive, risky, and stressful…we still came up with ten reasons why you should host your own live events. Here they are: The Honored Prophet Phenomenon Credibility Community Culture Networking Authority Leverage Product Clarity Money And, as always, here are some well thought out snippets from our conversation: Putting more pep in your step – An invitation to enjoy our all-new intro music (11:25) Can you hear me now? – What Jesus can teach you about going from tolerated twit to honored prophet (12:42) Set yourself on fire – Why putting yourself on a platform will draw others to you (16:43) Connected but still lonely – The magic power of developing a vibrant community (17:24) The courage to commit – Discovering the real reason why authenticity will always have an audience (18:16) It's not just about yogurt – How to consciously create a culture (19:18) Give your audience Champagne – Why getting our attendees sideways was one of the best decisions we ever made (21:55) Connect and Conquer – The simple step to go from event idiot to treasured advisor (22:09) The audacity of authority – Why sticking your neck above the crowd is risky, but worth it (25:38) A lever to move the world – Why the right kind of pressure can be the most effective way to bring out the best in people (27:47) From passion to profit – How to translate great content into multiple streams of income (30:03) It's a bright sunshiny day – How knowing your desired outcome can guide you from failure to freedom (32:11) The Grand Design Game Plan – Ray's super secret strategy that leads to live event success (35:43) Oh behave! – Why the way you conduct yourself in the marketplace is your best source of branding (36:44) Resources Mentioned in This Episode VIP Notification for The All-New Ray Edwards Affordable Group Training/Coaching/Mentoring Program Matt Champagne Gail Mercer-Mackay Andy Mason Ernie Svenson Mike Kim Cliff Ravenscraft Jack Ainley How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript. 

Everybody knows that to succeed online you need to build your emails list. Email is still the most effective selling tool online. Videos, webinars, and "the socials" don't work without email. But building an email list is hard. Unless you know the secrets in today's podcast episode. We're going to share exactly how to build and email list fast. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations The first act of business is service to others. Profit is the result of service. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.  1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) Tip of the Week Focus at Will concentration app. Focus@will is a new music service based on human neuroscience. It helps you focus, reduce distractions, maintain your productivity and retain information when working, studying, writing and reading. The scientifically tested technology behind focus@will has been shown to alter brain activity toward a state that is more conducive to productivity. Feature Presentation: "How To Build an Email List Fast" How to Build an Email List Fast Identify your core idea Create your core content Publish Find a problem you can solve Offer a quick fix Continue publishing Go fish where the fish are Snippets  (0:00) The "Independence Day" Question. Why zombies are better than aliens. (2:13) Why profit is the result of service.(4:54) A powerful tool that helps you increase your focus and productivity. (5:23) How you can have 1-million people on your email list, and why you shouldn't do this. (9:03) The perfect people you want on your email list, and how to make that happen. (10:28) What lawn darts have to do with email lists (making our point). (11:23) The one thing you must never stop doing if you want your email list to grow. (15:10) How to get to 1,000 subscribers by doing nothing. (15:46) Are you sitting on a gold mine? (20:07) Facebook secrets for list building. (22:05) Resources Mentioned in This Episode Focus@Will How To Help Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and "Save As" to Get the PDF Transcript.