Quote - Know Thyself

"Finally I am coming to the conclusion that my highest ambition is to be what I already am. That I will never fulfill my obligation to surpass myself unless I first accept myself, and if I accept myself fully in the right way, I will already have surpassed myself."

— Thomas Merton

Quote - Einstein

"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else." - Albert Einstein

There isn't a better quote that clearly points out the keys to success with life or trading stocks.

Quote - Question to Self

"The important and only vital question is, how much greater, finer, am I than I was yesterday? Have I fulfilled my possibilities, made the most of my potentialities?"
— Edward Weston

QW #5 - Success Tip

(For success), you need to believe you have gotten the big things right and only need to fix the tiny details.

- advice given to Kirsti Alley from her partner on DWTS in order to have the right mindset to keep moving on and to never give up.

Love - USPS

Mail comes 6 of 7 days...it comes when rainy, snowing, cold, and even at times of disaster. Like Karl Malone, the USPS always delivers

We might get annoyed at the increase of rates but only when you look at the private alternatives that you will see just how great the USPS is...not to mention how most workers are nicer than the high school dropouts working at UPS and Fedex stores...

Check below at the difference in price for this 0.8 lb letter I need to send today. $100 for a letter? You have to be kidding me! God bless the United States Postal Service for not robbing us over a simple mail delivery. At FedEx rates, it will be more worth it to just fly myself to Thailand. I take back every bad word I ever said about the USPS. They are great! I love them!

Wisdom - Success

Look at the following list of people...what do they all have in common?

Warren Buffett
Donald Trump
Oprah Winfrey
Rachael Ray
Jamie Oliver
Howard Stern
Jim Rogers
Bill Gates
Hugh Hefner

They are all:

a. successful
b. in love with their job
c. made riches from extending who they really are

The super successful are successful because of their ability to be more of themselves, not less. They don't fake who they are. They found out who they really are and shaped their careers and lives to fit their interests and personalities.

Warren Buffett =
Donald Trump = cocky real estate magnate = Made a fortune from a reality show based on him
Opray Winfrey
Rachael Ray = loves food and loves to talk to people = tv chef turned talk show star
Jamie Oliver = loves food and has a good heart = start restaurants and projects helping the world through food
Howard Stern = loves controversy = most popular shock jock
Jim Rogers = cocky and loves learning about the world = travels the world investing in what makes sense
Bill Gates = computer geek = makes Windows
Hugh Hefner = loves beautiful women = makes playboy

Key to Success
1. learn who u are
2. be more of who u are...study what interests u, act the way u feel most natural
3. when decision time, always pick the path that mirrors who you are...

Tips - Phone Interviews

After a successful interview with EPIK the day before yesterday, I know what i should continue to do in the future and what to change...here are my tips:

Do:

• post not pages on the wall on list of weakness, strengths, top Questions probably get asked (with answers), lesson plans, ideas, stories
• handwrite big description of each sheet of notes in Red ink or a marker (ie. accomplishments, weaknesses, questions, etc)
• practice answering questions outloud in the exact manner you want to answer the complete question during the interview
• imagine having success during the interview and the great feelings u have afterwards
• answer the question + give 1 supporting statement in under 1 minute
• tab up multipage page documents (applications) with handwritten table of contents notes
• stand up while talking (louder voice)
• smile and show enthusiasm
• do mock questions and practice walking to the corresponding note sheet
• close your door
• reread over and over your 60 second sell and be very familiar with your 5 selling points
• allow for silence after you finish your question (they are just writing notes...just wait...shows confidence)
• use hand motions when talking to slow down talking speed
• allow for slight pauses and slower annunciated speech to allow self to gather thoughts and to emphasize points
• have an answer to every possible question u can think of that they might ask (you should not be surprised by any question if u were fully prepared...if surprised, u were lazy and ill-prepared)
• relate every question back to atleast 1 of your selling points
• do something enjoyable like watching music videos or listen to your favorite music prior to the interview
• take control of the interview by your answers.
• turn off any cell phones or alarms in the room
• practice over and over 1 or 2 great stories that can be used as accomplishments or difficult situations - very likely to be asked about it
• take notes on what they are asking so u can refer to it during or after the interview
• sound positive, energetic, and courteous.
  
• make it a goal to make them smile or laugh during the interview
• write down their name and use it when saying thank you in ending the interview
• have questions ready
• use printed paper for notes (better than PC)
• research the company and any thing they might ask you about...best to have notes on it on the wall to refer to as well
  

Don't:

• write too much on the note sheets - only 1-5 words per line...purpose of the notes is not to read, its to give an outline..too much writing hurts u
• allow yourself to get off topic
• babble because you feel the answer is too short (it weakens your points and makes them forget your initial arguments) - if it really is shorter than they want, they will ask for followup questions
  
• add new arguments after a question is fully answered
• answer questions that go way off point of your 5 selling points
• allow them to give you a multipart question (if it happens, write notes!)
• give more than 1 supporting statement unless necessary. (you are just making it more difficult on yourself and weakening your initial and best argument)
• ask more than 1 question. The time to ask questions is after your pass the interview. During the interview, extra questions can only hurt their impression of you. (remember that more than likely, you can get better answers online or from another source anyway)
• use your computer during the interview...frustration is possible if you can't find what you want...and it forces you to be a stressed out sitting position. better to just have notes hanging on the wall. (the new job will pay for all the ink and paper that you will use...it's a good investment)
• feel the interview is over after their questions are over...it is only over after you hang up. don't lose focus and get sloppy with your speech. stick with the gameplan. time to celebrate and be casual after the phone call is over.
• take the interview lightly. You can never be too prepared. Remember that today's preparations is tomorrow's successes
  

**most advice was learned from "60 seconds and you're hired"