Past issues

Mindconnection eNL, 2002-09-28

In this issue:

1. Featured product
2. Pro-reader environment: how to keep it coming
3. Special Offer #3: Letter writing e-book
4. Brainpower tip
5. Finance tip
6. Health tip
7. Fitness tip
8. Thought for the day

1. Featured product

How many times have you solved a problem, only to have it return with a vengeance? You can put a stop to "I'm ba-a-a-a-ck" with our problem-solving course. The author of this course solved a 15-year-old problem with the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant. He solved it in about a week, using the techniques in this course. The staff at that plant included nuclear engineers--they had worked on the problem without success to the tune of $45 million in losses over 15 years. Hmm. One week vs. 15 years. Do you think maybe this course contains principles a lot of folks don't know?

Here is the link to it:
https://www.mindconnection.com/product/CRS-PRBLMSLVG.html

2. Pro-reader environment: how to keep it coming

You may have noticed this eNL doesn't come with banners and ads. Well, we do write about our own products. Long-time readers know this eNL is a one-person operation. It's not part of some big conglomerate that funds eNLs--which is why you aren't peppered with all kinds of ads, banner, and pop-ups. And also why we aren't selling your name to other parties. We give up a lot of "quick money" to have this pro-reader environment.

The eNL depends on word of mouth to grow and on product sales in our store for its continued publication. That's where you come in: Each issue provides you with you useful, interesting and sometimes entertaining facts to help you work, play, and live better. Can you take just a minute to help me out in return?

If you think this eNL is a worthwhile read, just send the following link to a friend, along with a note that you find it helpful or whatever: https://www.mindconnection.com/library/enl/index.htm. If you don't think it's a worthwhile read, we'll send someone to your house to tie you down and bludgeon you until you do. Well, OK, I'm joking there. But, do recommend this to a friend.

Your friend just may find a new source of useful information and appreciate the tip. I may gain a new subscriber. Everybody wins. You can also use the referral form to enter our polo shirt contest: https://www.mindconnection.com/contests/poloshirt.htm. You may win a nice-looking shirt, and the Mindconnection name gets out to more people. I wear the shirt, and people ask, "Say, what is Mindconnection?" Great way to start a conversation. If you're shy, you might want to skip the contest.

Well, I know some folks will hop on this, and I am thanking you right now!

3. Special Offer #3: Letter writing e-book

I have been pleasantly surprised by how smart so many of our readers are. So, once again, we have a special offer where you trade some time with your thinking cap on for one of our products. This product is in a new format.

It has a low conversion rate, but lots of folks read the product page. We are doing something wrong! All you have to do is visit the product page and tell me what you think. Is the price too low? Too high? Is the ad copy believable? What are some specific things you recommend changing? What would make you buy or not buy this product?

Once I have your feedback, I'll e-mail you the product. If you already have this one, just pick a different one and I'll send that to you instead.

Here are the steps:

1. Visit: https://www.mindconnection.com/product/CRS-BUSLTRS.html
(You may need to paste this into your browser)

2. Take some notes.

3. Send me your comments and suggestions

4. Receive the course.

5. Give me your first impressions on it, and keep the course.

4. Brainpower tip

I remember watching a movie with a friend of mine back in 1979, over at my mom's house. We laughed so hysterically that she wanted to know what comedy we were watching. In fact, it wasn't a comedy. It was an alleged horror flick, starring then 21-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis. In "Halloween," people were victims because they just stood there and let the bad guy do whatever he wanted. They acted stupid. Their brains did not engage. We saw the same thing in a televised Congressional hearing, but that's an item for another eNL.

What we found so funny was the script was so poorly written that it was unbelievable. Nobody would simply give up in the face of an enemy like that, but would instead go at him with all they've got. Which is what saved JLC's character. We did not realize then that brain paralysis is a common occurence.

When we give in to fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) or simply panic, we put our brains into shutdown mode. Even very smart people do this, and the actions they subsequently take make no sense.

This is, in fact, what the IRS counts on. An audit of them by the Office of Management and Budget showed 96% of the notices they send out are wrong. Imagine if colleges graduated students who get a 4% average--wouldn't hapoen, would it? But, what do most people do when they get a notice? They pay it! And they do this even though it's a long shot that they owe a dime! The brain simply does not engage, because folks fear an organization known for incompetence, theft, and corruption. The people we deal with at the IRS are, by and large, common criminals. By definition, they are stupid! Use your superior brainpower to protect yourself. Make them show you the law, and don't accept anything they say without proof and documentation. You'd be amazed at how well this works. Yes, there are some decent people in the IRS--but probably only 4%, if the OMB results apply the same way as to the notices; and why would they not?

When you find yourself in a panic, a tizzy, or a rage, stop. Remind yourself of who you are and that you are in charge. Then, take a deep breath and try to assess the situation as calmly as you can. Sounds good in theory, but it takes practice for it to manifest itself in practice. You have to make a conscious decision to work at this. Do you find yourself babbling when discussing things with your boss? Then make up your mind to remind yourself you are the subject matter expert your boss needs for whatever job you do. Do you find yourself screaming at the computer when you can't figure out what the moron programmers were smoking and why you can't make it do X or Y? Just go for a three-minute walk--when you come back, the problem won't see so big and the solution may even be obvious. Take a longer walk, if you need to. Or just go do something else.

5. Finance tips

The magic word is "deductibles." Most people are way overinsured on the bottom end and underinsured on the top end. Take a look at your policies. You can save big $$ by increasing your deductible for your homeowners (or renters) insurance. But, don't pocket that money just yet. How long has it been since you've matched your coverage to your home? Consider that where I live home prices have gone up 50% in five years. Well, I made sure to update my insurance. That's one example. Auto and health insurance are other examples

Let's take a closer look at health insurance. If you have the ability take all the right discounts, such as being a non-smoker, etc., you may not be aware of new discounts. For example, with obesity being a raging epidemic in the USA (something like 70% of the population is obese), insurers are re-assessing their arcane provisions. On the horizon is a discount for folks who understand crime prevention, with such common-sense steps as firearms training and ownership (all propaganda aside, the facts are clearly in--folks who can shoot back simply are not the violent crime victims that other people are). If you take care of yourself, what you really need for health insurance is major medical. Who cares if the insurance company pays $40 of a $55 office visit (especially if they make you wait 90 days to get an appt), when you can save $100 a month on premiums by paying for office visits yourself? Unless you are going to the doctor's office three times a month, this depth of coverage isn't worth the premium paid. I suggest making a list of your anticipated medical expenditures, and then comparing those to the cost of coverage. A $5,000 deductible might sound steep, but if it saves you $2500 a year in premiums then you are fine unless you have a major medical problem more often than every two years.

In short, insurance companies play on irrational fears (see the brainpower tip) to sell people products they don't need. This same irrationality prevents big payouts by keeping people from obtaining the coverage they need just in case something major goes wrong.

6. Health tip

Here's a way to reduce stress, provided enough people apply the brainpower tip in this issue. The elections are coming up very soon. Voters are always blackmailed into voting away more of their hard-earned wages "for the kids" or some other emotional tug cause. News alert--no matter how much your taxes go up, the problem being "solved" by the additional funding (read, "waste") will remain. For each of the past 40 years, every dollar in new federal tax has resulted in more than a dollar in federal spending. This, in turn "requires" a new round of tax increases. It goes on at the local level, too. The result? You work more hours for less money. Who needs the stress? Now is the time to talk to your pals and let them know that you are tired of working more for less, simply because some politician has no financial common sense and likes to use tax dollars to get re-elected via gimme programs. If enough folks vote against the spenders, things will change. And that means less stress for all of us.

7. Fitness tip

Vary your routine. Most folks get into a "program" of exercise. They lift the same weights the same way, week after week. They run on the same stupid treadmill, etc. This gets your mind and body into a rut, and both adapt to reduce the loading effect of the exercise. To overcome this, add some variety. Go climb on an indoor climbing wall somewhere. Instead of walking in your neighborhood, walk in someone else's neighborhood or a park.

This winter, grab a snowshovel and go nuts with it. Depending on where you live, you can do the whole block or just another drive. Don't let age be an excuse. When my great-uncle Larry was 82, he went to the doctor to complain he didn't have any energy. The doctor asked about his activity level, and was astonished to learn Larry was shoveling every driveway on his block, plus the sidewalk on both sides of the street. This was not in Nashville, TN, but in Rockford, IL--a town where three-foot snowfalls happen with some regularity.

What about that treadmill? You can add variety there, too. Run backwards on it for a bit. Do a run/walk, where you run for two minutes flat out, then walk for two. Repeat. This actually burns more fat in 10 minutes than an hour on the treadmill just walking. Don't stop there. Get a heavy bag or something else to punch on. Run two minutes, punch one minute, walk a minute, run two minutes. I find this completely exhausting. It's good variety.

Use your imagination, and come up with new ways to challenge yourself. This will result in muscle, nerve, and connective tissue development that is highly functional. BTW, yes, your nerves do regenerate and do improve with exercise. If you don't believe this, write to Christopher Reeves, whose intense exercise regimen is causing nerve cell growth. He recently felt his son's fingers on what was once "dead" skin. And he can now wiggle one of his fingers.

8. Thought for the Day

Are you planning your days with some overall goals to satisfy, or are you just ambling through your days? Those who amble through are in reactionary mode, often feel bored, and need others to entertain them. Those who plan find they accomplish great things, are in charge of much of what happens in their lives, and make incredibly rewarding friendships.

Wishing you the best,

Mark Lamendola
Mindconnection

Authorship

Except where noted, this e-newsletter is entirely the work of Mark Lamendola. Anything presented as fact can be independently verified. Often, sources are given; but where not given, they are readily available to anyone who makes the effort.

Mark provides information from either research or his own areas of established expertise. Sometimes, what appears to be a personal opinion is the only possibility when applying sound logic--reason it out before judging! (That said, some personal opinions do appear on occasion).

The purpose of this publication is to inform and empower its readers (and save you money!).

Personal note from Mark: I value each and every one of you, and I hope that shows in the diligent effort I put into writing this e-newsletter. Thank you for being a faithful reader.

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