How to Save Gas Part 1
The recent tragedy in the Gulf Coast has caused gas prices to jump dramatically.

As gasoline gets more and more expensive, and less available, the need to conserve it increases, both to save money on a personal level and to help avoid a repeat of the energy crisis of the 1970s. Those of us who endured long gas lines and only being allowed to buy gas on certain days of the week know how much of a hassle it can be and how many problems it can create.

Though there can be no comparison to the misery of the hurricane victims, we owe it to ourselves as a nation to use less gas. Gas shortages and long lines also reduce the overall productivity of our nation. Hours spent waiting in line instead of working or running a business can drag down the economy.

In the first part of this two-part series, I want to focus on ways to reduce your gas consumption on your daily commute.

To begin, examine your driving style. Though most of us hate speed limits, driving at the limit uses less gas. Speeding uses more. It is a simple formula. Whenever possible, and safe, accelerate slowly. Anticipate stops and reduce speed gradually, rather than stomping on the brake. But once again, do so only when safe.

Maintain your vehicle. Do all of the scheduled maintenance on time. Your car will not only operate more efficiently, thereby using less gas, it will also last longer and perform better.

Use the air-conditioning only when you need it. AC uses a lot of gas.
Look at your commute schedule. If you leave earlier in the morning and come home later you waste less gas sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Find out if your company offers flex time or telecommuting. Cutting back on commuting even one day a week can save a lot money and reduce stress.
Use public transportation. Many communities offer excellent public transportation (and many don’t). Check out the possibilities. If you don’t want to ride the bus or train every day, consider doing it once or twice a week. In addition to saving gas, it can save wear and tear on your car and on your nerves.

Form a carpool or find out if your company facilitates carpooling. Some businesses provide vans for that purpose. Check with you supervisor or HR person.

If you form your own carpool, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Carpooling can create some legal issues. Check with your insurance agent about your liabilities as a carpool driver and your rights as a passenger in the event of an accident.

Look for compatible people. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with these new “friends” in a very small space, so try to fine people you can get along with.

Establish rules. You can reduce misunderstandings and the possibility of conflicts by having firm rules that all must adhere to. Some of the things to consider are:

Arrival and departure. When do you leave for the office and when do you come back home.

Waiting. How long will you wait for someone who is late?

Radio and stereo. Will you play the radio or CD player? Who gets to decide what music you will listen to?

Eating and drinking. Will you allow food and drink to be consumed in the car?
Determine which car you will use and when. Will you use one person’s car each week, or a different car each day? Set up your schedule ahead of time and put it in writing so there can be no misunderstandings and no excuses. And everybody gets to work on time.

A CLOSING THOUGHT:

The possibility of gas shortages, short-term or long-term, may cause millions of us to make adjustments in our lives. It's too early to tell.

If there should be shortages, the added expense and changes to our lifestyles are miniscule compared to the suffering of the hurricane victims. Even once their initial suffering has been relieved, for most of them, their lives will never be the same.

For hundreds of thousands of Americans, homes, businesses, jobs, communities and loved ones are gone forever.

Who knows what the ultimate solutions for these people will be. I certainly don’t. But at least for now, we can each give little, even if it’s only a couple of dollars, to the many worthy relief agencies that are doing so much to help the victims.

Please consider doing whatever you can.

Thank you,

Danek S. Kaus

GREAT WORDS TO INSPIRE GREAT DEEDS


To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

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Persuade Anyone to Do Anything, Anytime

Read "Power Persuasion: Using Hypnotic Influence to Win in Life, Love and Business." www.power-persuasion.com/book

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Motivational Quote of the Day

Great Thoughts to Inspire Great Deeds


To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes

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Persuade Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere
Read "Power Persuasion: Using Hypnotic Influence to Win in Life, Love and Business. www.power-persuasion.com/book

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One-Minute Workouts You Can Do at Work
By Danek S. Kaus
Sitting at a desk all day can add on the pounds and reduce your energy level.
Now you can lose weight and get into shape at the office in only one minute at a time, thanks to the book Gotta Minute? The Ultimate Guide of One Minute Workouts for Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime!, by Bonnie Nygard, M.Ed. and Bonnie Hopper, M.Ed.
Here are just a few tips to begin sculpting your new Olympian body at work:
Create ways to do more walking. Make time to walk in the morning, at midday and in the afternoon. Although five minutes would be better, one minute is still good. If you think you can’t spare a minute, or that it might look odd, find some excuses to walk. For example, instead of going to the closest bathroom, use one farther away, perhaps on a different floor. Then you can walk up and down the steps as well.
Instead of discussing something with a co-worker on the phone, walk to their office. If they are of like mind, you can even suggest that you have a walking meeting. The same can be true of your breaks, instead of sitting in a lunch room, take a walking break with a friend.
You can even walk back and forth while talking on the phone. If the cord is too short, buy a longer one. One word of caution: running or jogging in place can damage your joints, so please limit your one-minutes workouts to walking.
There are also a number of great exercises you can do while sitting to tone and stretch your body.
To stretch your pectoral (chest) muscles, simply reach your arms around the back of the chair and expand your chest.
While seated, alternately extend each leg in front of you, which works the quadriceps.
You can work your inner thighs and hips by doing a seated jumping jack motion, that is, lifting your feet in the air, spreading them apart and then back together.
When you have the chance, stand up and do push-ups against your desk or a wall. Be sure to hold your arms shoulder width apart and wear non-slip shoes.
So remember, whatever your fitness goal is -- to lose weight, slim down, get in shape, have more energy or simply feel better, you can do it one minute at a time.
Remember also, to consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.
There are lots of other quick and easy ways to keep in shape at home, in the car or at the office in Gotta Minute? The Ultimate Guide of One-Minute Workouts, published by Robert D. Reed Publishers. So walk to your local bookstore and pick one up.
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The Lies That Hold You Back
By Danek S Kaus
What lies do you tell yourself that keep you from living your dreams?
According to Steve Chandler, author of the best-seller “17 Lies That Are Holding You Back & the Truth That Will Set You Free,” we tell ourselves lies because we are afraid.
We are afraid of the unknown. We are afraid of our own power. We are afraid of being great.
And what are some of these lies? One of the biggest ones is that we don’t have enough time to take steps toward our dreams.
“You have all the time that Bill Gates has,” Chandler says. “You can do anything you want with the 24 hours you have each day. You need to tell stop telling yourself that you don’t have enough time. It’s a horrible suggestion to give your subconscious mind.”
Another lie is “it’s who you know.” Before becoming a success coach and business consultant, Chandler was part of a songwriting team. They spent countless hours trying to make the right contacts. “It was just an excuse to avoid the hard work of writing,” Chandler says.
Ultimately, he and his writing partner had their greatest success having songs recorded by performers who didn’t know them.
For many Baby Boomers, one of their favorite lies already is or may soon be “I’m too old for that.” Many who dream of starting their own small business never begin because they think that it’s too late. It’s never to late to start a new business venture.
One friend of Chandler’s began a lucrative career as a comedian at the age of fifty-two. At seventy-three, retired teacher Norman Maclean wrote the beautiful novel made into a movie, A River Runs Through It.
“The key to changing your life is to see the lies,” Chandler says. “Knowledge is power.”
Take the four-minute mile. People once thought that the human body was not designed to run a mile in under four minutes. When Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier, running a mile under that time became commonplace
“Humans are learning to stop lying about their limits,” Chandler says. He believes it’s time to replace the lies with dreams. “It’s the same imagination that creates both, so why not take the dreams?”
“17 Lies That Are Holding You Back & The Truth That Will Set You Free” is published by Renaissance Books. Chandler’s other books include “Reinventing Yourself,” 100 Ways To Motivate Yourself” and “The Joy of Selling.”

YOU’VE GOT 10 SECONDS TO Get Free Publicity -- GO!
By Danek S. Kaus
That’s how much time you have to catch the interest of an editor or reporter.
10 seconds. Sometimes less.
The key tool for promoting your small business or home based business to the media is a press release, also known as news release by TV and radio reporters.
Most news releases get thrown in the trash.
Here’s how to make sure yours gets read, and more importantly, gets your small business the free publicity you deserve.

Use Press Release Format -- because reporters and other decision makers are bombarded by releases and other written requests for a story (some on scraps of paper, others in illegible handwriting) your release must follow some general guidelines to make it easy to learn what the story is about.
If you are sending hard copy (not an email) your name or company name with all contact info should be at the top of the page. Usually, your letterhead will do the trick. If you are sending an email release, letterhead is not necessary, but it can be helpful.
Include Release Info -- this goes on four separate lines (double-spaced) below the letterhead. First line is the date you send the release. The second line is simply the words NEWS RELEASE (in caps) The third line should be when you want the press to publish any information from the release. If you want to get publicity as soon as possible, write FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (in caps). Sometimes you may want the info published at a later date, perhaps to coincide with a new product release or event. In this case write FOR RELEASE August 25, 2005, etc.
The fourth line should say CONTACT: John Smith 408-555-1212. This is the person you want all calls directed to. You may want to include the email address after the phone number.

Write A Great Headline -- it goes one to two inches below the contact info. THE HEADLINE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE NEWS RELEASE!!!
A good headline will make the reporter want to learn more and continue reading. IT SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN CAPS.

Write the text (also known as “copy”) -- this first paragraph is crucial to the success of your release. It should be just a few sentences that explain or backup the headline. This paragraph is the main idea you are trying to communicate.
The second and succeeding paragraphs should elaborate on the headline and first paragraph, in descending order of importance.
Use quotes -- the second or third paragraph is a good place to put a strong, RELEVANT quote from you or an official of your company. You may use quotes later in the release, as well. Quotes liven up copy so be sure to use them if you can. Many releases wrap up with a good quote.
Include Your Contact Info again. End the release with something like “for more info call or e-mail …” etc. If your release is well-written and useful to the publication, they may publish it as an article, so you want to be sure that readers know how to find you.
Write in Newspaper Style -- even if you are sending the release to a radio or TV station. Study “hard news” stories such as politics, crime, business, etc to see how this is done. “Soft News” stories, also known as features, follow different rules. Features are generally human interest stories, entertainment or profiles of famous and not-so-famous people who have an interesting story to tell. Your story may make a good feature, but pitch it with a hard news style press release.
Keep it short -- 400 to 600 words is the norm. If reporters want to know more, they’ll ask you. You may want to add supporting material such as a short bio or company history, a fact sheet or FAQ as separate documents. The purpose of the press release is to sell the story so that reporters will want to do an interview with you.
Don’t Use Jargon -- reporters hate this, especially if they don’t know what the jargon means.
Use Everyday Language -- don’t try to impress anyone with your vocabulary. Your purpose is communicate, not confuse.
Use Short Sentences -- long-winded sentences that start in San Jose and finally end up somewhere near Reno are boring and confusing. Don’t make the reporter hunt through tons of words to try to discover what you mean.
Keep Paragraphs Short -- forget what your English teacher taught you. This is the real world.
Double Space -- it makes your copy easy on the eyes of reporters who must read thousands of words a day. Single spaced email releases are OK.
Be Accurate -- check for typos. If you use statistics or other facts, make sure they are correct.
I hope this information is helpful in your quest for free publicity. If you ever have any questions, feel free write.

Dan Kaus dkaus@sbcglobal.net

A NEW BLOG ABOUT WINNING

Winning what?

Whatever you want.

I've written hundreds of articles on business, personal development, motivation, success and more that have appeared in about 75 magazines and newspapers.

So who am I to write about success? What makes me so smart?

Fortunately, I don't have to be. Most of the success and personal develoment articles I have written were based on what experts have told me. Many of the people I have interviewed are best-selling how-to authors. Others are less well known, but just as rich and savvy.

And I'm going to share their secrets with you.

The first secret is the power of Modeling.

Modeling is based on NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), which is the study and use of the relationship between the brain and language.

NLP began it's life as a form of thearpy. It has morphed into an ever-expanding set of tools that people can use to actually reprogram their brains in minutes to create whatever kind of changes they want.

NLP creators Bandler and Grinder wanted to know what made some therapists so good at helping people while others just flat out stunk, and often made people worse than when they started therapy. These men were not therapists. If I remember correctly, one was a linguist and the other a mathmetician. (Forgive me B & G, if I got that wrong)

So they studied the best therapists they could find. Among them were Milton Erickson and Virginia Satir. Erickson was one of the best hypnotists of the 20th Century, if not the best. Satir was a counselor with an amazing success rate.

What was perhaps most amazing is that when asked, the therapists could not say why they were so good at helping people. They just did what they did and it worked. Often, they were unsure of just what it was they really did do.

Bandler and Grinder got permission to study Erickson and Satir, and a few others, in action. They observed everything they did. How they sat in a chair, how they spoke, the words they used. Then they asked them about their thought processes, the pictures in their minds, the thoughts they thought, their feelings.

After they learned what they could, Bandler and Grinder started doing the same things that these therapists did and they got the same results -- without any training in therapy.

They had effectively created a model for therapeutic success. And in so doing, they devloped a powerful technique for creating success in any field.

B & G had developed a technqiue called M0deling.

Is there something you would like to do better? Make more sales, be more successful with the opposite sex? Then find somebody who is very good at what you want to do and model them.

For example, ask that top sales pro how they do what they do -- on an internal level. What images do they have? What is the first thing that comes to mind when they walk in the prospect's office. What's the next thing they think of, and the next? Find out what their internal images, dialogue and feelings are and the sequence in which they have them.

Do they first have an image? What is it? Then do they say something to themselves? What do they say? Is that followed by a feeling? What do they say and where do they feel it?

What do they think when they get an objection? What gives them the strength to do what they do, even during slumps that every sales pro goes through? What makes them knock on that next door, make that next cold call on the telephone?
Ask to observe them in action. Most sales organizations usually have a newbie go along to observe the "heavy hitter" in action. Watch how this heavy hitter acts. How does she or he stand, sit, shake hands, smile, speak? When you adopt another person's physiology, you become like them on internal level. More about this in another blog.

And when you model their thought proccesses, you start to use your brain the way they use theirs, in a sales context. You start making more sales.

So decide what it is you would like to be better at and then find somebody to model.

You'll be glad you did.

Do you have questions about sucess or creating a better life? Chances are, I've already interviewed an expert on that subject. If not, I'll find the expert.

That's all for now, and thanks for reading. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dan Kaus