5 secret steps to tackling life and achieving success

01/26/2026 by

If you’re looking for a formula for achieving success, dear reader, then I think you might find this blog post useful.

Many desire success, but few really achieve it. So it’s useful to study successful people, identify their approaches, and use them as role models. If something worked for them, then it might just work for you.

In the embedded video, Hollywood legend, movie star, two-term Governor of California, and former Mr Universe, Arnold Schwarzenegger shares his five secret steps to tackling life and achieving success.

Essentially, these are his five rules to excel at whatever you choose to do.

He has an interesting story to tell, and his story proves that no obstacle is too big to overcome and no vision is too big to achieve if you’re determined enough and you’re prepared to work hard.

Achieving Success:

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Change the world:

To summarise Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rules, they are:-

  1. Find your vision and follow it;
  2. Never, ever think small;
  3. Ignore the Naysayers;
  4. Work your ass off; and
  5. Don’t just take, give something back.

However, if you listen to Arnold’s story, his burning desire was to move to the United States and become a big star. This was his reason why.

Initially, he had no idea how to achieve that goal, but a little piece of good fortune came his way.

Arnold happened to read an article in a magazine about a man just like him who achieved just what he wanted to achieve. The article explained how the man did it, and Arnold used that success template as the basis for pursuing his own goal.

Identify successful people and do what they did:

Once he knew his ‘why?‘, Arnold Schwarzenegger just needed to work out a way to get there. Knowing your ‘why?‘ will always, eventually, lead you to your ‘how?’.

Once Arnold knew his purpose and his passion, he was always going to find a way to achieve success. His determination and his willingness to do whatever was necessary saw to that.

Had he not been lucky enough to identify a role model through a magazine article, something else would have guided him because that’s the nature of life. When you’re searching for something, you’ll tune in to all the little clues you need.

Once you know your ‘why?’, you develop a keen sense of that subject and everyone else involved.

Trust yourself:

If you know your why, then you’ll have the drive and determination to pursue your goal.

Nothing happens by accident, of course. You must make it happen.

So figure out for yourself what it is you really, really want. What would make you happy? What would you regard as a real achievement?

Then find a role model.

Someone who’s done what you want to do. Identify how they did it and copy what they’ve done. If their approach worked for them, it can work for you.

Avoid distractions:

If you want to be successful, then don’t allow ‘time sucks’ to throw you off course.

Television and social media are the biggest time wasters of all. So avoid them.

Time is a precious resource, and successful people don’t waste it. So if you want to be successful, don’t waste your time either. Put every minute to good use.

Know your ‘Why?’

The key message today, both from this article and the embedded video, is that you must:

Know your ‘Why?’

That’s the starting point for success.

So if you’ve yet to do that then I suggest that’s where you start, if you want to be successful.

And remember this; if not you, who? If not now, when?

Achieving success is possible and people do it all the time. So can you, if you’re determined and prepared to work hard enough to get it.

Good luck.

Phil Sutton

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The importance of teaching children about money

01/25/2026 by

The importance of teaching children about money is not something that’s taken as seriously as it should be, in my opinion.

Certainly not in the education system. As far as I can see, financial education for children and young adults is rarely covered within the education system at all. It wasn’t when I was young, and it isn’t now.

Some might say that money’s not the most important thing in life, and philosophically, that may be true.

However, money’s up there with oxygen and water when it comes to sustaining human life. In the modern age, life revolves around money, whether we like it or not.

Money’s a measure of the value we add to the lives of others, and it’s also the oil that lubricates human existence.

Without money, living would be virtually impossible for almost everyone today.

Teaching Children About Money
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1. The point of teaching children:

The point of teaching children is to prepare them for adult life, surely?

Our aim should be to equip them with everything they need to know so they can function effectively as adults once they leave the education system.

Now reading, writing, and arithmetic are all essential subjects, of course, because you can’t get too far in the world of work without these basic skills. And it’s through work that we really add value and maximise our income.

Nevertheless, where I believe the education system generally fails children and young people is the omission of the teaching of essential life skills, like earning an income and managing money. Important subjects, such as money and personal finance, are often overlooked; certainly, they are not in any significant way.

2. Money and personal finance:

To me, it’s surprising that we don’t teach our children about money or personal finance in their formative years.

Surely whilst at school, children should learn about:-

  • The way money is earned;
  • The way to manage money;
  • How to budget, so they can pay their bills; and
  • How to spend their money wisely.

Children should also learn about how they should prioritize expenditure to avoid getting themselves into a financial mess, in my opinion.

3. The pros and cons of debt:

Personally, I think that children and young adults should learn about the pros and cons of debt.

They should learn about the difference between secured and unsecured debt, given the impact these factors will have on the interest rates that will be applied to such debt.

Young people should learn about the power of compound interest, too. Not so much as a mathematical exercise, but in terms of how it can quickly turn a relatively small debt into a very large debt if we’re not careful.

And they should also learn to appreciate that credit cards are not just a convenient means of cashless payment.

Used thoughtlessly, credit cards can result in personal wealth destruction and excessive levels of expensive debt.

Children and young people should know that credit cards are a form of unsecured debt, which means they come with very high rates of interest, which accelerate a personal debt mountain rapidly if not paid off immediately once the bill arrives at the month’s end.

4. Interest rates matter:

Everyone should know that interest rates really do matter. They’re very significant and shouldn’t be treated lightly.

Children and young adults should learn that they should never go into debt for the purchase of discretionary items. It’s always better that they save up for that discretionary purchase before they buy, of course.

5. The nature of work:

Every young person should learn about how work is just doing stuff for other people in exchange for money, and that the more value they can add through their skills and know-how, the more they’ll earn throughout their life. So skills matter too.

Everyone should be taught about the economics of supply and demand and their impact on pricing.

Kids should understand the difference between trading their time with one employer for a wage and the opportunity to serve multiple customers through their own business and their own creativity.

If they can create products which solve problems for customers, then they have the potential to make a lot of money.

Essentially, kids should learn to appreciate the difference between employment and self-employment.

6. The road to financial freedom:

Young people should learn about wealth, pensions, and how to achieve financial freedom through putting money aside regularly and investing it wisely.

They should be positively encouraged to work towards achieving financial freedom.

Once they’re financially free, they can focus on doing things they enjoy doing rather than things they have to do because they have no other choice.

If nothing else, this makes the goal of achieving financial freedom a worthy aim, in my opinion.

7. The impact 0f inflation, taxation, and government borrowing:

Kids should learn about the impact that inflation will have on the value of their money and how this can affect their savings, particularly in old age. They should also be taught about risk and its relationship with reward.

They should learn about taxes and how the money they pay in taxes will be spent and frequently squandered by the government.

Everyone should know that there’s no such thing as government money, only taxpayers’ money. Our money!

Children and young people should know that it’ll be their hard-earned money that’s being spent by the government.

They should also know that when governments borrow money, this is simply a means for spending today and then passing the bill on to future generations. In other words, our children and grandchildren, and indeed their children, will pay the bill for today’s government borrowing. Potentially, future generations could be impoverished by excessive government borrowing today.

Government borrowing is not a free lunch. Someone eventually must bear the interest payments in future years, as well as the repayment of the original capital sum that was borrowed. And don’t forget, governments are borrowing money continually.

8. Holding government to account:

Children should be taught to question how their money is being spent by the government and how to register their disapproval if they’re not happy with what’s being done with that money in their name.

9. Money matters:

Sadly, most people have little real understanding of money, which means that they’re easily conned by sharp business practices, particularly in Financial Services, and by politicians driven only by their own self-interest.

Perhaps that’s why schools are not encouraged to teach personal finance as a subject.

Parents should demand that their children be taught about money, in my opinion.

If the education system fails children by not teaching them important life skills, then, as parents, we must shoulder at least some of the blame, surely?

And as always, we’ll get what we tolerate.

For me, teaching children and young people about money is an issue for the education system as much as it is for parents themselves.

Money really does matter, and, in my opinion, we fail children and young people if we don’t provide them with the know-how and skills to make the most of it throughout their lives.

Phil Sutton

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Why an investment in knowledge pays dividends

01/19/2026 by

Today, I want to explain why an investment in gaining knowledge is important and should be considered seriously.

Investment in knowledge

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. ~Benjamin Franklin

You don’t get paid for the hour; you get paid for the value you put into the hour. Everyone must understand that important distinction, dear reader.

You get paid for the value you add.

The more value you can add, the more you’ll get paid over time.

It’s really that simple.

If you can solve problems for people with the skills you’ve got, then you can earn an excellent living.

The question is, what underpins your skills and your ability to add value? The answer to that question would be knowledge, of course.

Knowledge comes from learning, and learning is a lifelong process.

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Learning is an investment

The quote at the top of this post from the venerable Benjamin Franklin reminds us of the importance of learning. Learning is an investment in ourselves.

We all have an enormous capacity to consume and retain knowledge in our heads, and that knowledge is then a currency with which we can trade. The more knowledge we have, the more value we can add.

When it comes to investing, nothing will pay you a better dividend than making sure you have a good education. And I stress that it’s a lifelong process. It doesn’t end when you leave school or college.

And it’s not about whether or not you went to college or university. Important as they may be, learning can be achieved in many ways.

Self-education is the best education

Knowledge can be gained through reading books, listening to audio and video tutorials, and challenging yourself to master anything that appeals to you.

Learning from hands-on experience, making mistakes, and learning the lessons you can take from any mistakes you’ve made.

In particular, if you want to master the game of money and all matters financial, then you need to become a seeker of financial knowledge and know-how.

You need to become a reader and a keen student of finance. To be successful in investing, of course, you need to know what you’re doing. You need financial education.

The price of ignorance

If you think that education is expensive, then think again. The price of ignorance is far greater.

Ignorance can prove to be very costly indeed. And that’s true in every aspect of your life.

Getting an education may seem expensive, but it’s nowhere near as expensive as ignorance.

So, if you’re not already, become a reader.

The investment in yourself is well worth the effort, and it’ll pay you a handsome dividend.

As the late, great Jim Rohn once said:

“Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”

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Thank you for your support.

Phil Sutton

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How to improve your life quality and have much more

01/11/2026 by

How to improve your life quality? That’s a question we often ask ourselves when life does not quite meet our expectations.

Embarrassed by circumstances

Have you ever been embarrassed by your limited circumstances?

Consider a situation. Perhaps all your friends were going on a night out, but you couldn’t join them because you simply didn’t have the money.

You wanted to join them, of course, but wealth and financial freedom were nothing but a distant dream for you at the time.

Perhaps you haven’t had that particular experience, but something similar, possibly? The actual situation for you may have been different, but your sense of embarrassment will not have been any less painful and hard to bear, I’m sure.

In one of his audio programs, the late Jim Rohn tells a story about an event that drove him to take a very close look at his life.

A Girl Scout called at Jim’s house one day to sell Girl Scout Cookies as part of an annual fundraiser. In exchange for the cookies, all she asked for was just two dollars.

This was many years ago, of course, but even then, this was not a huge sum of money.

However, Jim’s problem at the time was that he didn’t even have two dollars to spare, so he was reduced to lying to the poor girl. At this point, wealth was something Jim had yet to encounter.

How to improve your life quality

Money does matter

Now, some people will tell you that money doesn’t matter, but it does. In our world today, you can’t live without money any longer than you can live without oxygen or water.

Exactly how much money you need depends on your preferred lifestyle, of course. If you don’t want much out of life, then you’ll get by on very little money.

However, most of us do want more out of life; hence, having at least a degree of wealth does matter.

Wealth and financial freedom

Put simply, wealth means financial freedom.

Financial freedom, in turn, means you can do what you want whenever you want without feeling constrained by your circumstances.

A worthy aim, therefore, is to decide what you want out of life and then start working towards building your wealth.

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It all starts with change

Have you ever thought to yourself, I don’t want to live like this anymore?

Perhaps you’ve said to yourself, I want more out of life.

You want more, but the problem is that you have no idea how to change your circumstances, right? If you need a little help, then don’t worry, dear reader; you’re not alone.

However, one thing you must accept is that unless you change, nothing will change.

You must increase your value

Perhaps you look at your salary each month and think, How can I start building wealth when this is all the company pays?

If that’s how you think, then you’ll need to change your philosophy or the way you look at things.

The salary you get may be all the company pays you, but it’s for the value of the contribution you make.

There will be other people who are paid a lot more than you. They’re paid more than you quite simply because they’re considered to be more valuable than you to the company.

I’m not suggesting that you’re not valuable. You are valuable as a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a friend, or even a colleague.

However, my point reflects your economic value to your employer.

It’s a fact that if you’re in a low-skilled job where there’s an oversupply of potential replacements for your services, then you won’t earn much. That’s simply the economics of supply and demand.

However, just because you’re not more valuable now doesn’t mean you can’t become more valuable.

You can increase your skills with a little effort on your part, and you can become more valuable. Become more valuable, and your income will rise.

So while your circumstances may be limited right now, they don’t have to remain that way.

You can work on yourself and improve yourself. It’s all about self-improvement and personal development.

Success can be yours

Success doesn’t just happen to people. No one just gets lucky.

If you asked the CEO of a multi-national corporation how he or she got to where he or she is today, the response is unlikely to be, “Well, I just showed up for work each day, and they just kept promoting me.”

No, people have worked very hard to get to a lofty position in life. You don’t get anywhere without hard work.

However, you attract success by the person you become, and you really can become more than you are now.

Jim Rohn suggested that profits are better than wages, and he had a point.

Every rags-to-riches story I’ve ever heard always involves someone’s own business. They started their own business, worked very hard, and one day they became very rich.

Phil Sutton

Build a business

Now you’re probably thinking, I don’t have the money to start my own business, and I can’t afford to give up my job on a whim.

That’s all true, I’m sure, but some people keep their job initially and start their own business as a part-time enterprise.

Jim Rohn himself built his success that way.

Jim began life in modest circumstances, but he went on to become a millionaire and one of the most influential thinkers of our time. And in case you’re wondering, no, he didn’t go to university.

It can be done; people do, and you can too.

Just make up your mind to start working on yourself.

Increase your value and look for opportunities to solve problems for people.

Solving problems is the basis for any business. Every product should solve a problem for consumers.

The psychology of wealth

There’s psychology linked to building wealth, and you would be wise to understand it.

In the embedded video included here, the late Jim Rohn explains the psychology of wealth and provides a lot of sensible advice.

Jim was a successful man by any measure, and it’s always worth listening to people who’ve achieved success. They know what they’re talking about because they’ve been there and done it.

He offers simple messages that are thought-provoking and powerful.

This video is well worth your time, and I recommend it to you. Watch it now while you have the chance.

How to improve your life quality

 

Recommendations for your library

I think the late Jim Rohn was one of the best motivational speakers I’ve ever heard, and he’s been a big influence on me; that’s for sure.

He’s produced many books, videos, and audio programs over the years, and all of them would add real value to your library.

Two I can strongly recommend you add to your personal reference library are:

Book: Seven Strategies for Wealth & Happiness by Jim Rohn

Audio Program: The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn

I purchased both of these some time ago, and I still use them constantly as sources of inspiration and motivation.

The audio program is particularly useful, as I listen to it while driving. This means I can use my travel time profitably. Why listen to the radio when you could be listening and learning while you drive?

Purchasing these items represented money well spent for me, and I’ve found them enormously useful. I strongly recommend them to you.

Even if you don’t buy them, they’re certainly worth considering. Go check out Jim Rohn’s books and audio programs now while they’re fresh in your mind.

Check out Jim Rohn on Amazon

Should you make a purchase, you will not regret buying them. I’m very confident in that.

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How is success achieved? Could this be the secret?

01/05/2026 by

How is success achieved? Certainly many desire it, but few achieve it. Why is that, do you think, dear reader?

Could it be all about your mindset? Can your thinking have an impact on whether you succeed or not?

In the embedded video, Carrie Green suggests that your mindset matters.

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Programming your mind for success:

This is an inspirational talk on success by Ms Carrie Green, who gave it at TEDxManchester.

Her underlying message is that success is never achieved by accident.

Success is achieved by knowing what you want, knowing why you want it and then programming your mind to drive you towards your goal.

I’d not heard Carrie Green speak before I stumbled on this video, but I must say I’m very impressed.

If you can spare a few minutes, then this video is well worth a little piece of your time. I’m confident that you won’t be disappointed. Recommended.

How is success achieved?

Phil Sutton

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Thank you.

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21 thought-provoking quotes about inspiration

01/05/2026 by

Do you need a little inspiration occasionally, dear reader? I know I do, frequently.

From the feedback I regularly receive from readers, it seems that most people find quotes an excellent source of inspiration.

And not just quotes from the great thinkers, of course. Rather, it’s those observations from ordinary people about life and the human condition that can be truly inspiring.

So today I offer you 21 thought-provoking quotes about inspiration.

And let me say, they’re not so much about inspiration; they’re intended to be a source of inspiration for you.

Most of all, each and every one of these quotes offers something different by way of inspiration, I think.

These quotes will make you think, too, which is important.

If you’re trying to develop your own personal philosophy for dealing with life and the people around you then these quotes should help you.

So read them all, reflect on them and see how many of them you can work into your day. And please, pass them on.

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Quotes About Inspiration (1-10):

  1. Everyone is good at something and once you find it, what you can achieve is limitless. ~Andrew Flintoff
  2. The deepest craving of human nature is to be appreciated. ~William James
  3. Every man has three characters: that which he shows; that which he has; and that which he thinks he has. ~Alphonse Karr
  4. The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is neither likely to make money nor find much fun in life. ~Charles M. Schwab
  5. Never mind what others do; do better than yourself, beat your own record from day to day and you are a success. ~William J.H. Boetcker
  6. Don’t be afraid of failure. If something doesn’t work, use what you’ve learned to try and try again. ~Sir James Dyson
  7. Even if your vision is flawed, if you have the passion and the implementation skills, you’ll get there [in the end]. ~Jim McCarthy
  8. The drops of rain make a hole in the stone not by violence but by oft falling. ~Lucretius
  9. Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression. ~Haim Ginott
  10. A truly loving parent won’t be looking for payback from a child. The child’s happiness, self-confidence and independence are the only rewards for good parenting. ~Roy Sutton
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Quotes About Inspiration (11-15):

  1. Being considerate of others will take your children further in life than any college degree. ~Marian Wright Edelman
  2. If you look around at successful people, the movers and shakers are those who are positive, who won’t take no for an answer, and who make things happen – either for themselves or for others. ~Carole Spiers
  3. I think one of the most pervasive evils in the world is greed and acquiring money for money’s sake. Once you have six houses and a plane it is just about a number. It’s never been anything I understood. ~Kevin Bacon
  4. Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity. ~ Clement Stone
  5. There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found while journeying east and west. The only folks we really wound are those we love the best. We flatter those we scarcely know. We please the fleeting guest. And deal full many a thoughtless blow to those who love us best. ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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Quotes About Inspiration (16-21):

  1. If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. ~Martin Luther King
  2. Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have. ~Dr Norman Vincent Peale
  3. Other people may not like what you choose to do but as long as you’re not hurting anyone else then it is your business and yours alone. You weren’t put on this earth just to please other people. ~Roy Sutton
  4. The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology or the president. You realise that you control your own destiny. ~Albert Ellis
  5. My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others, and that’s nice too, but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success. ~ Helen Hayes Brown
  6. The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration. ~Pearl S. Buck

Please share with all your friends:

Did you enjoy these thought-provoking quotes about inspiration?

Were any of them particularly relevant to you and your life right now?

Please comment and share your thoughts. And please share these quotes with your friends on social media. When people share, everyone wins.

Do it now and I’ll be ever so grateful.

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How to get along with people and make the world better

12/07/2025 by

How to get along with people? It’s a classic problem. We don’t have to like people, but life’s better if we can get along with them. But how?

How to get along with people
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Life’s great challenge:

Dear reader, do you have problems getting along with other people?

Do you find it difficult to deal with some people as you go about your daily routine?

Well, it’s true; some people can be challenging and quite difficult at times. I’m sure most readers will have had that experience occasionally.

However, in my experience, most people just want you to be nice to them. They want to be respected for who they are and treated with courtesy.

I’ve learned over the years that if you respect people and take a genuine interest in their lives, then generally they’ll respond warmly to you. Not all, perhaps, but certainly most people.

How to get along with people:

Think about it.

We all just want to be treated with courtesy and respect and appreciated for who we are and what we do, don’t we? Certainly, I do. Don’t you, dear reader?

If we accept that as true, then the way to get along with other people is not difficult, surely?

The trick is to treat people with courtesy and respect, regardless of who they are or what they do. Treat them as you would prefer to be treated.

Be kind and considerate to them as individuals, and there’s a good chance that they’ll treat you well too.

You don’t have to like people, but life’s better if you can get along with them. And if you can get along with them and get to know them, then you might just get to like them in time as well.

Saily eSIM

The world can be a better place:

If we can all get along, then it will make the world a better place.

If we can all be kind and considerate to our fellow human beings, then we could have a world free from strife and tension.

So go on, show people some respect, show them a little appreciation, take an interest in them for who they are and what they do, and above all, never underestimate the power of a thank you.

I always feel better if I think I’m appreciated, and I’m sure you do too. We all do.

So the trick to getting along with people is simply to treat them as you would prefer them to treat you. It works every time for me.

And I’m confident that it will work well for you too, dear reader.

So go on, make every effort to get along with people, and make the world a better place.

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When you share, everyone wins.

Go on, please share it now, and I’ll be forever grateful.

You’ll be helping a keen blogger reach a wider audience.

Thank you, dear reader.

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How to sell anything to anybody and make money

11/15/2025 by

Selling is a subject that often gets a bad name. Some people even look down on those who make their living by selling.

However, we’re all trying to sell something all the time. Even if it’s just the skills we have or a service we can provide. Let’s face it, if we’re to make a living, we must sell something. If you think about it, I’m sure you’ll agree, dear reader.

Learning the art of successful selling is very important. Everyone should hone their selling skills, even if it’s just to sell themselves effectively.

Selling is a process, and by learning a few simple techniques, you can improve your ability to sell.

So what are these techniques?

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How to sell anything to anybody

1. Know your product:

Ultimately, it’s all about the product.

If you want to sell anything successfully, you must know your product. You must believe in the product too.

That product has to be something that you would buy yourself.

You need to know the product in detail. You need to know the features and benefits. You must be able to explain the advantages and the disadvantages.

Then you need to know all about your competitors’ products that your customers could buy as an alternative to your own.

This is important if you are to position your product against that of the competition and counter any reasons given by your customers as to why they might be reluctant to buy from you.

You need to be able to talk about your product favourably, relative to any other options that may be available to your customer.

2. Know the problem your product solves:

Ultimately, every product must solve a problem for the customer. A product must make the customer’s life easier in some way.

If a product doesn’t solve a problem for the target customer, why would they buy it? Why would any customer part with their money unless the product made their life easier?

So it’s simple. You must have a good understanding of the problem or problems for which your product can be an excellent solution.

And you must be able to explain this in simple, straightforward language.

3. Capture buying intent:

Cold-calling is the most inefficient and soul-destroying sales approach there could possibly be. Phoning or door-stepping people and saying, “Want to buy this?” will have a low success rate.

The key to successful selling is capturing warm sales leads. In other words, you must capture buying intent.

If a customer walks into a shirt shop, then you know they’re looking for a shirt, and therefore you have a very good chance of selling them one.

So find ways to engage people who are actively looking for something like the product you are selling.

To do this, you’ll need to ensure that your customers and potential customers have visibility of your product.

You must raise awareness of the product, as well as the features and benefits and the value it offers. You must create desirability too.

4. Know the customer’s needs:

Your product should have a target customer. You must know the sort of person for whom the product offers an ideal solution.

In other words, you must know who the product is aimed at and what their needs are likely to be.

To understand the customer’s needs, you may need to ask some questions first.

For instance, using the shirt-selling example again, a customer may be looking for something to wear for a formal occasion, or perhaps they’re looking for something more casual. You want to ensure that the shirt you sell them is right for their needs.

So you must identify the ways in which your product will satisfy the customer’s needs because, if you make a sale, you want the customer to feel they’ve got exactly what they wanted.

You want to ensure that they get a good buying experience. You certainly don’t want them to feel like they’ve been cheated in some way.

5. Build trust with the customer:

Trust matters, particularly when selling big-ticket items.

Customers need to feel that they can trust you to deliver a quality product and provide excellent after-sales service.

Far too often, people pay good money only to be let down. So naturally, they’re wary of salespeople, particularly when high-value products and services are involved.

Take the time to build trust with customers and reassure them that they will get what they’re paying for, and, should there be any problems at all, you will be there to ensure any such problems are resolved quickly and efficiently and at no cost to the customer.

Building trust with customers will pay dividends.

6. Sell the benefits:

You don’t sell the product to the customer; you sell the benefits and the problems that it solves.

In what ways will your product improve the customer’s life?

In what ways will your product potentially be an answer to the customer’s prayers?

In what ways does your product offer excellent value for money?

You don’t have to be the cheapest on the market, but you must convince a customer that it makes sense to buy your product rather than simply going for the cheapest product on the market.

Customers won’t part with their money unless they believe your product will add value to them somehow.

7. Know why your product is their best option:

Now, dear reader, if you’re in business, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that it’s a highly competitive world out there.

Put simply, today’s customers have plenty of options.

You must be able to convince a customer as to why your product is their best option.

If you’ve got a good story to tell about your product, you can stimulate the customer’s interest.

And once you’ve got the customer interested, you can gently apply pressure to close the sale.

And don’t be shy when it comes to applying pressure gradually.

Business is business, and if you don’t close the sale, you can be sure that someone else will.

There’s an art to knowing how much pressure to apply, of course.

You shouldn’t push too hard because that can result in a negative reaction from the customer.

It can also leave customers feeling like they’ve been sold something they didn’t need.

If that happens, you’ve made a sale but lost a customer. That’s counter-productive.

The last thing you want is an unhappy customer because they’re likely to tell a lot of people about a bad experience.

Bad publicity and customers badmouthing you can hurt your business if you’re not careful. I’m sure you know that, but it’s worth repeating.

Conclusion:

No business or individual can succeed without making sales.

If it’s your job to sell, then you’ve got to sell. And if you don’t sell, you’ve failed. Simple!

If you don’t make sales and meet your targets, then the result is likely to be that you’ll lose your job very quickly.

Business can be an unforgiving environment, as I’m sure you’re only too well aware, dear reader.

No company can afford the luxury of having people on the payroll who don’t deliver the results for which they are paid.

And let’s face it, we’re all paid to deliver results.

In order to sell, the question to which you must have the perfect answer is:

“Why should the customer buy my product?“

If you’ve got a good answer and you’ve targeted the right customer with buying intent, then you’ve got a good chance of making a sale.

You also want to be confident that you can leave the customer feeling that in exchange for the money they’ve spent, they’ve received good value and a good buying experience.

So learn the art of successful selling. It will pay you a handsome dividend.

Saily eSIM

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So please share it now. If you do, I will be ever so grateful, and you’ll be helping a keen blogger reach a wider audience.

You’ll be helping your friends, and you’ll be helping me too. So you really can make a difference to the lives of others.

Thank you.

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How to stop worrying and start living

10/26/2025 by

How to stop worrying and start living is a topic we would all do well to reflect on.

We all tend to worry a bit more than we should.

Worrying is natural, but it is rarely helpful. It just adds to our stress levels. And what’s the worst thing that can happen anyway?

And even if it did happen, would worrying have stopped it from happening?

Life’s too short to stress ourselves out with worry.

The question is, how do we stop ourselves from worrying? Well, consider this idea.

Dale Carnegie’s book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living is a very useful guide. This book is a great personal development text, and it’s well worth reading. I can strongly recommend it to you.

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How to stopworrying
Saily eSIM

How to stop worrying:

However, until you have the chance to read it, this animated video provides a useful summary of the key ideas in the book.

So I can recommend you watch this video now and then read the book whenever you get the chance.

Further reading:

Readers serious about their own personal development will be keen to establish their own small library of motivational resources, I’m sure.

Dale Carnegie’s book would be an essential addition to any personal development library.

So, take action now. Check out How to Stop Worrying and Start Living while it’s fresh in your mind.

Check on Amazon USA
Check on Amazon UK

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If so, then please share it on social media with your friends. When you share, everyone wins.

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Thank you.

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How to find and do work you love, now and forever

10/13/2025 by

How to find and do work you love? A great question for all you very intelligent readers to contemplate today.

Now, not everyone will find the answer, of course, but most people frequently ask this question in my experience.

Job satisfaction:

How many people would say they get job satisfaction from their work, in percentage terms?

Apparently, it’s only around 20%.

That would suggest that 80% of all people hate their jobs.

If true, I think that matters, and it’s especially relevant to society if you think about it. Why?

Quite simply, because it suggests that most people will not be quite as productive as they might otherwise be. Let’s face it, you can’t really be at your most productive if you’re not happy in your job.

A sense of purpose:

So dear reader, which side are you on?

Does the work you do place you in the 20% who enjoy job satisfaction, or are you one of the 80%?

Essentially, job satisfaction comes as a result of doing work that gives us a sense of purpose.

If we have a genuine sense of purpose, we’ll have a strong desire to do our work well. And we can only do it to the best of our ability if it really matters to us.

Doing our work well matters because that’s how we make a difference.

Hence, that’s how we make a contribution and leave a legacy behind us.

So in that sense, job satisfaction certainly matters.

Consider your work:

Does your work really matter to you?

And does it give you a sense of purpose? Perhaps it’s simply the means for paying your bills?

Do you get out of bed each morning looking forward to the day ahead?

No job is ever perfect, but given that work takes up a third of our lives, it’s essential we enjoy what we do and derive at least some job satisfaction from it.

Maybe there’ll be some elements of a given job we dislike, but mostly we should enjoy our work because that way we’re better placed to do it well.

In the inspirational TEDx Talk video embedded below, Scott Dinsmore explains how, during the early part of his career, he was encouraged to do any job just to build up his resumé.

However, he very quickly realized that this approach was unwise and resulted in no job satisfaction.

He makes his point with an excellent quote from Warren Buffett who said, “Taking any job just to build your resumé is like putting off s*x until your old age.”

Now, why would that make sense?

Experience is important, of course, but work should not just be about building your resumé.

Work should be about adding value and making a meaningful contribution to society.

It should be about using your skills and natural talent to make a difference to the lives of others.

So, if success is your aim, then the work you do must matter to you.

If you find work you enjoy, then job satisfaction will follow.

Put simply, if you like the work you do, you’ll do it well. And if you do it well, people will notice. And once people begin to notice you, then you’re on your way to achieving real success.

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Knowledge required:

The trick is to find work that you can’t not do.

Something you’d happily do for nothing if you couldn’t find someone to pay you to do it.

That’s the basis for real job satisfaction.

All of this is more easily said than done, of course.

Perhaps you’ve no idea about what matters to you in terms of work.

If you’re relatively young and new to the world of work, how could you possibly know? In that case, you need to start improving your basic knowledge and awareness.

1. Know yourself:

A good starting point for improving your knowledge is becoming a self-expert. Knowing just what you have in your arsenal.

  • What are your unique strengths?
  • What are your weaknesses?
  • What fills you with enthusiasm?
  • What fills you with dread?
  • What do you love to do?
  • What do you hate doing?

If I asked someone you knew well to tell me what you’re good at, what would they say?

  • For what activity do they regard you as the ‘go to’ person?
  • What do they regularly thank you for?
  • What would you do for fun if you couldn’t do it for a living?
  • On what activity can you lose yourself for hours at a time?

By answering these questions and others like them, you’ll get a better idea of what you’re looking for. And let’s face it, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’ll never find it.

2. Know your values:

What do you regard as your set of values? What moral framework matters to you when you’re making decisions?

What would you not do simply because you wouldn’t want to disappoint your family? What would make you feel proud if you were to tell your family that’s what you’re doing?

Anything you choose to do should be congruent with your own set of values.

3. Know your experiences:

The most powerful lessons in life come from the mistakes we make. The lessons we learn from our own mistakes and the things we’ve done are collectively known as experience. And experience is a valuable commodity.

Pay attention to your experience. Think about the things you’ve done right. Think about the things you’ve done wrong.

When have you felt completely in control of a situation, regardless of the challenges you face?

When have you felt completely out of your depth?

Think about the things you’ve enjoyed doing. Think about those activities you really hated.

4. Know what matters to you:

In crude but simple language, the underlying question here is, “What is it that you actually DO ‘give a sh*t’ about?”

We tend to do stuff because other people suggest it’s what we should be doing. However, it really should be about what actually matters to us.

Identify what it is that makes you come alive and makes you feel energized.

John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi famously said, “Playing the guitar is all very well, John, but you’ll never make a living at it.”

Fortunately, John didn’t listen to her, and his guitar helped him to make a very lucrative living because he really enjoyed writing songs and playing music.

In fact, his creative output continues to generate millions of dollars for his estate 45 years after his death.

John Lennon did well because he did something he enjoyed doing, and he didn’t allow himself to be influenced by those who thought he should pursue a different line of work.

Confidence compounds:

By working to your strengths, your confidence will grow.

Each success you have will improve your confidence. And as your confidence grows, one success will lead to another. It’s a virtuous circle.

Environment matters too:

Jim Rohn once said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Personally, I think this is true.

The people around you really do matter.

They influence you, and their attitude rubs off on you.

Human beings are social animals, and we exist within groups. We also have to fit into the group otherwise we’re very quickly ostracized by other group members.

Hang around with people who inspire possibility. People who lift you up and not pull you down. Mix with people who will influence you in a positive way. Find role models from whom you can learn.

How to find and do work you love:

Scott Dinsmore’s mission is to change the world by helping people find what excites them and build a career around the work only they are capable of doing.

If you can find the work you are compelled to do, then you can add real value to your fellow human beings.

Discover what you’re really meant to do and you’ll be on to a winner.

You’ll also get maximum job satisfaction.

Therefore, in conclusion, if you’ve yet to find what you’re looking for, then keep looking until you do.

In the meantime, I recommend that you watch the video. It is thought-provoking and compelling, and it will be a good use of your time.

Please share this post with your friends:

Did you find this article and video interesting and useful, dear reader?

If so, then please share it on social media with your friends. When you share, everyone wins.

So please share it now. If you do, I’ll be forever grateful, and you’ll be helping a keen blogger reach a wider audience.

Thank you for your support.

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