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CAREER

Profitable Good Samaritan?

By Dan Miller
48days.com

CBN.com – In an interview with Investors Business Daily, I was asked about the effects of the “recession” and how a person can make him or herself “recession-proof.” I said we will always have cycles in the economy. I also emphasized that your chances for success will not be determined by what happens in the White House, but rather by what happens in YOUR house.

If you sit in the LazyBoy, sipping a BudLight and watching TV, you’ll be convinced we are in a major recession, no one is hiring, and all the good jobs are going to India. If you realize you are in the driver’s seat for creating your future, you’ll find a way to translate your passion into meaningful work and can be driving any car you want this year.

Stay up to date, add your comments, and share your successes at my No More Mondays Blog.

"Making money is much harder to do if, deep down, you suspect it to be a morally reprehensible activity." -- Rabbi Daniel Lapin

Need to kick-start your New Year? Check out our Creative Thinker package

Being a Do-Gooder

Last week I mentioned having received a note from a gentleman who has been an auditor, fighter pilot, stock trader, missionary, and pastor. He has made and lost his first million and at age 42 is trying to find God’s will for his life. His real goal: to be “a profitable Good Samaritan.”

Is that possible, to be a “profitable Good Samaritan”? Or is doing good always connected to being broke yourself? What do you think? Is it easier to help someone from a position of financial strength or from a position of poverty? Personally, I’m pretty clear that it’s a whole lot easier to provide help while I don’t have to worry about my own lights being turned off.

A primary principle of the Jewish culture is that the only way to achieve wealth is to attend to the needs of others and to conduct oneself in an honorable and trustworthy fashion. If that’s true, then what does it mean to pray to God for more income? What it appears you are really asking for are more opportunities to serve the people with whom you come in contact.

So what are you doing to serve more people? If you have determined the best application of your skills and talents, you should be seeing more people served and more wealth coming your way. Don’t think it’s responsible to just do something meaningless in order to get a paycheck. You’re sabotaging the process for helping the most people -- and for bringing profits your way.

Look, Ma, No Office!

Latest figures show that 28.7 million Americans now telecommute. And these are not just with the hippest, coolest companies leading the way. No, one of the biggest users of telecommuters is the U.S. government. In the U.S Patent and Trademark Office alone, 3,609 employees participate in some form of telecommuting. USPTO Director Margaret Peterlin recently told Congress they will encourage more employees to telecommute. She said their experience shows teleworking results in “greater employee productivity, higher levels of sustained performance, reduced traffic congestion and air pollution, and reduced real estate costs.” She added that the USPTO employees who telework collectively save more than 613,000 gallons of gas per year and save more than $1.8 million annually in fuel costs.

This is just one of the new models of work. You can save time and frustration and help save the environment at the same time. You can work from home, from the beach, or from the barn on your property as I do. Further options allow you to:

Have five to six “customers” rather than just one
Focus on your specialty rather than being forced to do multiple lower competence tasks
Be paid for the results you produce rather than just the time you put in

Kathy came to see me because she wanted a change. She was a high level human resource director at a Fortune 500 company. With that she made the trip to the office complex each day in her business suit to find the cubicle with her name on it.

I proposed that because of her training background she was an excellent candidate to present the training that companies like SkillPath, CareerTrack, Fred Pryor, and others offer. They promote for a specialized workshop, fill a hotel conference room, and need someone to walk in and do the presentation.

Kathy was eagerly accepted by two of these companies as a presenter. For that she chooses three to four days a month where she presents the material and is paid $2,000 for each day. In addition she is now an online faculty member for two major universities. Two evenings a week she “teaches” and has office hours from her ranch where she sits at her computer in her blue jeans and cowboy hat.

Recognize that she is still using the same skills that she used previously in a corporate setting. But Kathy told me recently that she is working approximately one third the time she did in her former position – and she has more than doubled her income.

What are the options for you in making your work more fulfilling and profitable?

No More Mondays Overview

This week instead of answering questions I did a chapter by chapter overview of No More Mondays. You’ll hear my comments from:

Chapter One – Don’t Be “Stupid.” Be careful of repetitive, predictable work.
Chapter Two – Let Your Life Speak. Each of us has a “calling.” Do you know yours?
Chapter Three – Who’s Making Your Lunch Today? The importance of accepting responsibility for where you are.
Chapter Four – Don’t Wait for the Wizard. Don’t wait for God to hand you the life you want.
Chapter Five – Donald’s Not Coming – Fire Yourself. Would you apply for the same job you have now?
Chapter Six – Secure or Imprisoned? Sometimes we confuse loyalty with burying our head in the sand and missing opportunities.
Chapter Seven – But You Owe Me. Don’t expect to be paid for your “time.” Only results count.
Chapter Eight – Finding Work That Fits. When you recognize your marketable skills, you see the possibilities for having five or six “customers” rather than just one.
Chapter Nine – One Place Forever – Blessing or Curse? Change is inevitable. Our only choice is how we will respond.
Chapter Ten – Throw out your TV. Don’t blind yourself to new ideas and opportunities all around us.
Chapter Eleven – No Money – No Problem! Is it really possible to make a lot of money without working for a big company?
Chapter Twelve – Living With Passion, Purpose & Profit. Don’t worry about “recessions” and “economic downturns.” Those have very little to do with your success. Your future is not determined by what’s happening in the White House – it’s determined by what’s happening in YOUR house.

You can hear this entire overview of No More Mondays right here.

48 Days Online Radio Show

Thanks for the variety of interesting questions you are submitting each week. As you know, I then scan through and answer as many as possible in each week’s 48-Minute podcast. If you could please keep your questions to about 50 words they are much more likely to make it into the lineup!

Just click on this e-mail link and you can ask about resumes, interviewing, at-home business or finding your purpose in life: AskDan@48Days.com.

If you click on the 48 Days Podcast Player here you can listen to this week’s broadcast immediately—no downloading—no wait.

Humor: Worker Dogs

Four workers were discussing how smart their dogs were. The first was an engineer who said his dog could do math calculations. His dog was named "T-Square," and he told him to get some paper and draw a square, a circle, and a triangle, which the dog did with no sweat. The accountant said he thought his dog was better. His dog was named "Slide Rule." He told him to fetch a dozen cookies, bring them back, and divide them into piles of three, which he did with no problem. The chemist said that was good, but he felt his dog was better. His dog "Measure" was told to get a quart of milk and pour seven ounces into a ten ounce glass. The dog did this with no problem.

All three men agreed this was very good and that their dogs were equally smart. They all turned to the government worker and said, "What can your dog do?" The guy called his dog, whose name was "Coffee Break" and said, "Show the fellows what you can do.” Coffee Break went over and ate the cookies, drank the milk, went to the bathroom on the paper, claimed he injured his back while eating, filed a grievance for unsafe working conditions, applied for Workmen's Compensation, and left for home on sick leave.

48 Days Featured Businesses

YTB: Your Travel Biz
Bernie and Debbie Swartzendruber purchased 48 Days To Creative Income more than three years ago and have been 48 Days subscribers since. Just nine months ago they embarked on their dream to be business owners and keep Bernie at home to be that dad he wanted to be to their four children. The travel industry is growing 23% faster than the global economy, and YTB Travel* is one of the fastest growing travel agencies in the country, offering great travel services and an incredible business opportunity that can be run from your kitchen table. If you are seeking self-employment and enjoy the idea of being involved in exciting travel, contact Bernie and Debbie for more information. Their Web site is www.swartzport.com, or you can e-mail them directly at berniedebbie@aol.com.

How would you like 227 interested prospects for your business...in one week? That's what YTB (Your Travel Business) received from their very first week of being listed as a 48 Days 'Recommended Business.' Statistically, it takes five times of repetitive exposure to a prospect before they act. Why didn't it take that long for YTB? A targeted and loyal audience here at 48 Days. You can apply here.

Tax MiniMiser
Our next business is Tax MiniMiser. It serves a great need for the self-employed: Taxes. Being self-employed means you have a fair sized task ahead of you in caring for your taxes. You can waste a ton of money and time if you don’t keep on top of it.

The upside, however, and it’s a BIG upside, is you can save a ton of money if you know what to claim. Being organized, though, that is the key. For 14 years now, 48 Days subscriber Bob Whitaker has been providing entrepreneurs and the self-employed with his brilliant Tax Minimiser product.

Even if you have a great CPA, it’s up to you to track your expenses. This is how you do it, with this proven, simple system. You can even write off the expense of purchasing it!

Paid 'Featured Business' Disclaimer:
48 Days LLC does not represent the accuracy or reliability of any of the recommendations or promotions shown above...or the quality of any products, information, or other materials displayed, purchased, or obtained by you as a result of an offer in connection with this newsletter... Please...do your own due diligence before purchasing any product or service.

More Recommended Resources

48 Days – Fulfillment Director
Yes, we need an additional person to work with Ashley in organizing and handling our product orders. With the addition of No More Mondays and the 48 Days Video Workshop series, Ashley is pushing Clara (8 months old) to get off her little rear and help move boxes and prepare packages for UPS. But we suspect there is a better candidate out there to help here with this process. We need someone right here in Franklin, Tenn., who already believes in our 48 Days message, is organized, has basic computer skills, is blessed with a wonderful personality, and can show up for about 15-20 hours a week. If this just fits you perfectly, let us know at Ashley@48Days.com.

48 Days Seminars
We’ve discovered that many of our champions for the 48 Days Seminars are people who currently are in transition themselves. So if you find that you’ve been laid off, fired, or are just looking for a better opportunity, how would you like to earn the complete Seminar package? If you can introduce this to your company, church, or community group, get 10 people to join you, and then turn the DVD on each week, we’ll give you the Leaders Guide and your own Participant Package free ($649). Just send an e-mail with your name and contact information to our National Seminar Director, Alan Thomas, at seminars@48days.com. You can also listen to a 48-minute overview that explains the basic details. Just two weeks ago, one of our subscribers started a Sunday school for his church and had 15 sign ups. The church has only 200 members, so that's 7.5% of the congregation! People are so hungry for career fulfillment.

Could You be the Next President?
The most popular product in the 48 Days arsenal continues to be the Computerized Personality Report. Before you begin seeking a better job or self-employment, you need to be sure you are pursuing opportunities that match your personality style and will fulfill and reward you for a lifetime!

Dan Miller is the bestselling author of 48 Days To The Work You Love and a renowned Life Coach specializing in career fulfillment. His weekly newsletter reaches 70,000 subscribers. Dan’s articles are featured here at CBN every Tuesday, and you can find out more about Dan at www.48days.com.