The Poverty Snowball Follow Up: Yaks For Everyone, And My One Big Thing

It’s been about two weeks since Blog Action Day and The Poverty Snowball post, and I want to thank everyone who took me up on the discount offer of the Never Procrastinate Again program, where $10 of the purchase price went to the Heifer Foundation, a kick-ass organization that helps break the poverty cycle around the world.

You guys and gals helped raise $150 over 3 days for Heifer, and I just wanted to let you know about the Cuomei Tibetan Community Development Project that was funded as a result.

This project will help impoverished Tibetan households in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) to improve economic self-sufficiency and preserve their culture through Heifer’s values-based community development activities. Seventy yellow cattle, 210 female yaks and related training and services will be provided to 140 impoverished Tibetan families to improve their living standard. A Tibetan Veterinary Technologic Book will be published for indigenous cultural preservation. A solar power system will be provided to the 140 families to support environmental protection. Capacity building for targeted communities and passing on the gift will lead to long-term sustainable development.

What You Do Today Echoes For Eternity

$150 won’t change the world overnight, but it will put a dent in part of the problem for a few people … and all the people who come after them … and all the people who come after them.  Anything you do to get the Poverty Snowball rolling today will have larger and larger long-term effects for real people as time goes by, and that’s as good a reason you can get for not putting off helping people today.  That’s why I’ve decided that moving forward, a percentage of all product sales from this blog will be going straight to Heifer every month.

I recommend you do the same in some fashion or another.  Pick a way to make a difference to someone who’s living a life on the opposite end of the financial spectrum as you are, and do it on a monthly basis.  It changes the way you look at your own life, your own choices, your own everything.  It takes your eyes off of your own day-to-day issues and gets you looking at the big picture – the really, really big picture – and how you can be a big part of how that picture ultimately turns out.

My One Big Thing, And The Coming Direction Of This Blog

This month a big truth hit me – there are things in my life I’ve been settling for – attitudes, circumstances and bogus “limitations” I’ve been imagining have Great and Unchangeable Power over my life.  I’ve been so caught up in The American Dream and all of those Otherwise Capitaliz-able Profound Things that I’ve missed the point – that life (in my beliefs) isn’t about having things or doing cool things as much as it is about making those “echoes in eternity” – in other words, in making a lasting difference in the lives of people you love as well as people who will never, ever know you.

One thing I’ve been striving to do with Rock Your Day is to not make it another one of those overrated, mindless productivity blogs that saturate too many people’s feed readers.  I’ve unsubscribed from them all, and I’m sure a lot of my readers will, too.  Because we’re not looking to live a life where we do more.

We’re looking to live lives that matter more.

We’re looking to live a life on our own terms, not one where we just take what’s put in front of us.

We’re looking to never again feel like we’ve sacrificed time with the people we love for stuff, or glory, or some future where we’ll finally be able to live “the good life.”

Screw the future “good life.”  We’re ready for that stuff now. And we don’t need to be rich to do it.

Get Ready To Learn How To Rock The Hell Out Of Your Days

This blog is going to get a lot more aggressive, starting now.  I’m going to be asking tougher questions that make you take harder looks at your life.  I’m going to be poking and prodding you to see where you’re settling for things, where you’re selling yourself short, and where you’re setting yourself up for regret (but you’re just avoiding acknowledging it).

This blog is going to get tougher, grittier, and totally unapologetic about dealing with the important stuff head on.

Because your life is going to end some day - poof! - and you’re going to be left with one of two things:

Many, many regrets … or many, many snowballs.

The choice is yours.  I know what mine is.  I’m 32.  That’s one-quarter of my life already accounted for (hey, I think optimistically when it comes to advances in health technology).  I’ve had good times and bad times in those three decades, but some of it has been hit-or-miss.  I haven’t taken full advantage of my potential, and I haven’t honored the people I care about with the full measure of their worth.  I’ve missed out on some things that I wish I hadn’t.

Never again.  Screw that.

Perhaps you can relate.

If so, then subscribe to this blog and to the newsletter (in November I’m going to make a radical change to my mailing list that I think you’ll really appreciate).

The time for settling is over.  The time for taking total control of your life – and the echoes you make in eternity – is here.  The time for living a life that matters more is at hand.

Thanks for all your support so far.  I look forward to returning the favor.

Make it matter -

Dave

Why I Love This DVD And Will Not Be Buying It (Sorry, Havi)

I dig yoga.  I’m not a hardcore yoga practitioner or anything, but I can’t argue with how much better it makes my back feel (and how much less I have to go to the chiropractor when I do it).  It also just makes me happier.  In fact, I’m going to do some yoga right after I publish this post.  But before I do, I want to share a sad little secret about the yoga industry:  These people tend to suck at making DVDs.

I have a library of yoga videos/DVDs, most of which suck outright (with the exception of two which are tolerable but either require me to have really high energy, which ain’t always the case).  When I first started trying to do yoga, made my eyes bleed and my heart become filled with rage towards those who couldn’t make a video that wouldn’t either put me to sleep (Rodney Yee, I’m talking to you and your A.M. Yoga) or scare me outright (I won’t mention names).  Until I found my secret weapon (more below), I never liked yoga.

Today my good friend and fellow Jedi Havi Brooks is a running a promotion on the last 54 copies of what she calls “a yoga DVD that doesn’t suck.“  And I tend to trust Havi, because I love her programs (yes, I’m saying I love a competitor’s programs but too bad, free market capitalism, I have to call them as I see them).  Like a good Jedi Master, she always gets my hearty thumbs-up not because she can do Jedi mind tricks, but because she has a knack for taking all the suck out of habit change.  And that’s something that goes a long way.  So if she loves this DVD, then it must be a suck-destroying DVD, and I’m all for that.

So if you’re interested in yoga at all – or in pushing past the things that make you dread doing it – check out Havi’s offer today before all 54 copies disappear into the Havisphere (her offers tend to sell out fast).  But alas, Havi, I won’t be taking you up on this offer, because I have a secret weapon of my own in the fight against sucky yoga DVDs:  A first rate yoga instructor in my own family.

So count me out, Havi, but only because I have a kick-ass sister who teaches yoga, sings lead, can perform emergency heart defibrillation (what, hasn’t everybody driven an ambulance?), and inspires me to get all yoga-ish even when I don’t feel like it.  And she can fly.  I have proof.  Just ignore that cliff she’s on, it’s in the background.

If you’ve got one of those, then you don’t need this DVD.  But if you’re short one yoga-teaching sister, then head on over to Havi-ville and see how you can take the suck out of yoga.

The Poverty Snowball: What Is Your Life Worth?

You’ll have to forgive me (well, actually, you don’t have to), but I’m going to get a little existential on you.  In the vast global economy, are you a consumer or a producer?  And before you say “both,” I’m not talking about the things you buy, or the things you make (or the money you make).  I’m talking about the take-home pay this planet gets out of your life.  After taxes.

You see, you’re here for a while, and then you’re gone.  Regardless of your belief system, the person you are right at this moment is going to quit breathing eventually, and all we’ll be left with is the memory of who you were and what you’ve done.  And there’s something so incredibly cool about that, because memories are powerful. They change the lives of the people who are still breathing, and the people who have yet to draw their first breath. And when your deeds and your character are remembered, will they add value to the world or  take value away?

(And in case you’re wondering, there is no neutral.  The idea that a single person doesn’t matter diminishes us all.)

Like It Or Not, You Matter.  A Lot.  So What Are You Going To Do With That?

In the movie Gladiator, the character of General Maximus says that “What we do today echoes in eternity.”  No doubt.  Whatever you do, every day, makes a ripple effect in the lives of the people around you.  When you do something nice for someone, chances are it will encourage them to do the same to someone else, and the ripple continues.

Conversely, when you’re an ass to someone, the same ripple effect applies.

And when you do nothing?  You are the example that serves to direct others who are looking to the outside world to drive their actions.  What will the memory of your actions encourage others to do, long after you draw your last breath?

Though the General’s line was scripted by a Hollywood screenwriter, it continues to affect how I view my actions on a day to day basis.  It inspires me to take action to make the world a better place.

You Have Power And Influence And Value, Whether You See It In Yourself Or Not

If you are reading this, chances are you’re better off than at least a billion or so people in this world.  You have electricity.  Water.  The ability to communicate with the people around you.  And that makes you a Titan to those who don’t.  Even if you feel powerless to handle your own life stresses (which quite honestly, are unlikely to be worse than the poorest people on this Earth), you have the power to do something truly, utterly amazing.

You can save lives.  Let me repeat that:  You can save people’s freakin’ lives.

Yes, you. You. Not “those other people.”  I’m talking to you.

You have something that other people don’t.  You have time, even if it doesn’t feel like it (you made the time to read this, didn’t you?).  You have money, because you spend at least some of it on things you don’t need.  You have influence, because you interact with other people online each day.

Power.  Influence.  Value.  Are you using it to enrich your life only, or do you realize exactly how much you can enrich others?  I’m not trying to guilt trip you – but what I am doing is trying to smack you upside the head and realize how you can help change the world – even if you have the most limited of means.

You see, your spare change – or even your modest donations – may not make much difference in your first/second-world nations, but they can literally save lives and change the future of millions over the coming decades in third world countries.   But only if you take command of the massive personal power you have to direct even a fraction of your power, influence and value there.

Introducing The Poverty Snowball

You may have heard of the “debt snowball” – the idea that you pay off your lowest balance credit card first, which gives you a tangible psychological boost based on the fact that you are seeing debt disappear immediately.  This boost reinforces the idea that every dollar matters, and you become more motivated to channel additional money into debt elimination – wiping out debt faster.

We can have a “poverty snowball” as well.  If we contribute to meaningful causes that help elevate conditions for others, we can take people out of the poverty cycle forever. If we use our influence to convince others to do the same, we take even more people out of the cycle.  And as more and more people realize the power they have to actually make a difference – even with small actions – people are taken out of that cycle at a faster and faster rate, creating a long term avalanche of global economic improvement.

Remember that scene in Schindler’s List, where they show the descendants of the thousand or so Jewish people he saved placing stones on Schindler’s grave as they walk past?  He saved roughly 1,200 people, and at the time of the films release around 6,000 descendants were alive because of him.  How many people will that end up being in 100 years?

Now think about it – if you help a few people during your brief stay on the planet, and you influence a few others to do the same, how many people will that affect over the next 100 years?  Now that’s something worthy of remembrance.

Passing On The Poverty Snowball With A Big Ol’ Push

One of the people who has influenced me the most to give has been my amazing wife, Alison. She uses her influence to spread the word about charities and events that can affect the lives of people she’ll never meet, and that’s insanely inspiring.  She’s made a difference through her direct donations but has also influenced others to give, too, which acts as a force multiplier to her gifts.

She’s used the power of her words to open my eyes up to an amazing anti-poverty charity called Heifer International, which helps take people out of the poverty cycle every day.  Now I’d like to give her the opportunity to give the poverty snowball another push by telling you about it in her own words:

Everyone likes refunds.  There’s almost nothing better than buying a gift that you know is going to give something back, right?

Well that’s what Heifer International has been doing for almost 60 years.  No, they don’t refund you part of your hard-earned cash with a smile and a pat on the back; instead, they have a pay-it-forward approach that’s proven to make a difference in the world.

Here’s what happens:  Heifer International takes your monetary donation and uses it to create a ripple effect in the world in the hopes of bringing about an end to poverty and hunger.  A donation to Heifer International purchases a food gift – a flock of geese, hive of bees, a cow, any number of options – to help a poverty-stricken family overcome financial hardship.  A family that would otherwise have no income can profit in many ways from a Heifer gift.

For example, a family that owns goats can have fresh milk every day and sell the extra at the local market, putting food on the table and money in the family’s pocket for other basic necessities.  The waste produced by the goats can be used as fertilizer in their garden, or, again, sold at the local market.  Goats are easy to feed – there’s a reason why every sentence that refers to non-picky eaters begins with “he eats like a” ends with “goat” – and put no burden on a low-income family to support.  Children who would otherwise spend the day picking through trash for scraps or sell-able items are instead able to go to school with full stomachs and the hope for a brighter future.

Heifer International is committed to changing the devastating course of poverty in the world one family at a time.  Before the gifts are even given, Heifer is changing the world through educating the recipients on animal husbandry, well-being, sustainable development of the land, and – most notably – on the importance of passing on what they have learned.  In addition, recipients promise to pass along offspring from their animals to their neighbors, benefiting entire communities one family at a time.

Giving a gift through Heifer International – even one gift, whether that be one chicken or a flock of goats -  makes an exponential difference in the lives of people throughout the world.

How’s that for a refund?

Damn, I love that woman.

Now It’s Your Turn To Give The Poverty Snowball A Push

Now that you know about Heifer International, I encourage you to strongly consider a donation – even if it’s a small one – to get that poverty snowball started.  If you’re feeling hesitant, so be it – consider it from a selfish standpoint.  If you gave just $5 a month to an anti-poverty charity that could change lives – and save them – wouldn’t you feel better about your life and the value of it?  Wouldn’t the sense of contribution create a meaningful impact on your own self-image?

Don’t settle for just being a consumer of the wealth, power and influence you command in your own life.  Leverage it in simple, effective ways that elevate those who have less opportunity than you do and start an upward spiral which, while it might not reach its peak in your lifetime, will still be the better because of what you do.

Use your influence to spread the word.  Use your resources to spread your power.  Speak.  Give.

What you do today echoes in eternity.

That’s it.  I can hear you from here.

P.S. – Please Stumble and Digg this post so the snowball picks up speed faster

Last Chance To Get The 25% Discount on Never Procrastinate Again

Howdy, folks.  No post today as I’m working hard on packaging the Never Procrastinate Again program for a Wednesday launch (where $10 of every pre-launch sale today and tomorrow will be going to anti-poverty group Heifer International as part of Blog Action Day 2008).

When I launch on Wednesday at 6:00 a.m. EST, the program will be selling for $37, but you can get it for $27 before that if you sign up for the Advance Discount List right now. I’ll be sending out the link with the discount to the Advance Discount List list tonight and tomorrow, so if you want to save some cash and contribute to a great cause, you need to jump in now.

On Wednesday morning, the price goes up to $37 – so don’t miss it – and if you want to be an affiliate starting Wednesday shoot an email to dave (at) rockyourday (dot) com.

Click the image below to sign up for the Advance Discount List, and you’ll hear from me real soon!

Blame The Mirror: Why You Can’t Stop Procrastinating

Feel like there’s nothing you can do to stop procrastinating? Today you’re going to find out why.  All you need is a mirror, 60 seconds of your time, and a little bit of courage. (And if you’re low on courage, just think of something you don’t feel like getting to this morning and consider how much more fun it would be to make goofy faces at yourself in the mirror instead).  So there’s homework coming – read this, then find something shiny to gaze into for one short minute.

Why Your Mirror Makes It So Hard To Stop Procrastinating

What do you see when you look in the mirror?  If you answered “I see myself,” I’ve got news for you – you’re lying. You don’t see yourself – you see what you physically look like, plus all your emotional baggage.  Whatever your reflection looks like, it’s completely distorted based on your self-image, self-esteem and self-loathing, and it’s not an accurate picture of who you are.

Why am I bringing this up?  Because as a human being, your ability to take action is based on the value judgments you make about yourself. Words like “winner,” “loser,” “achiever,” “slacker,” “success” and “failure” are the labels we put on ourselves either based on what people tell us or what we choose to believe about ourselves.  And the right label – or the wrong one – will undeniably direct the course of your life.

The problem is, most of us don’t consciously decide what that label is going to be.  And we suffer for it.

You Can’t Trust What You See In Your Mirror

What you see in your mirror is a reflection of who you think you are – and since we’re such experts on keeping our emotional baggage packed up tight, you don’t want that driving your life.  There are too many things that give us delusions of inadequacy as it is.  Too many labels driving our actions.

Want to know why you can’t stop procrastinating?  Because somewhere in that reflection you see yourself as someone who has procrastinating wired right into your DNA, like your eye color or your ability (or non-ability) to roll your tongue.  But procrastinating isn’t a character trait – it’s a pattern.  It’s a learned behavior.  But you’re not seeing it that way, and that’s why you’re still tolerating it. You think it’s you – but it isn’t.

It’s Time To Decide Who You Want To Be – And Who You Are

Don’t let emotional baggage drive you.  Don’t let the labels people gave to you (or the ones you gave yourself) drive you any longer.  Decide that the next time you look in the mirror, you’re going to challenge those labels and call yourself something different than what you’ve been calling yourself so far.  You want to stop procrastinating?  Stop identifying with it.  It’s just a learned behavior – and you can unlearn it.  It’s just a pattern you can interrupt and overwrite with a new pattern.

I’m not promising that you’re going to rewrite that pattern overnight.  But I can promise you that you’re never going to stop procrastinating until you decide that you’re going to stop identifying with the label of “procrastinator” and see yourself as something different.  The mirror lies, because we lie to ourselves.  Wouldn’t it be nice to start telling ourselves the truth – that we can be who we decide to be, instead of who we’re “stuck with?”

That’s your homework.  60 seconds in front of the mirror.  Think about the labels you’re giving yourself, and decide that you’re going to start peeling them off, one by one.  Spend 60 seconds a day on this, and I’ll bet you’ll start finding it easier to stop procrastinating.  Do it now.  You’ll thank yourself for it.

Why It’s So Damned Hard To Stop Procrastinating

If there’s anything that the last five days have shown me, it’s that the number of people who want to stop procrastinating is bigger than I thought.  And it’s not just a problem for “slackers” or lazy people, either – procrastination is a chronic demon even for some pretty big names on the web (based on some of the “Help me!” emails I received this weekend).  So let’s talk about why overcoming procrastination is such a hard nut to crack.

There’s No Magic Pill That Makes You Stop Procrastinating (No Matter How Badly You Wish It So)

I blame the microwave. Besides Google Search, I can’t think of anything in the world that so strongly feeds our innate desire to have something now, now, NOW. We’ve become a generation of people who want instant results without doing the work.  The magic pill.  That damned genie in that damned bottle.  We long to believe that there’s some magic switch that we can flip, and everything will be okay.  But it ain’t so.

For those of us living in this little thing we call “reality,” life is a little more complicated than that.  We can’t just take a pill and experience a massively pleasant psychological change.  (Well, technically we can, but that either involves illegal and addictive narcotics or some bizarrely named pharmaceutical like ProZanaPaxil that comes with 55 paragraphs of reported side effects.  Such as sudden and uncomfortable death).

But that doesn’t stop us from trying. The desire to believe in something that will “make it all better” is so strong that we will push past all logical reason, believing that if we could just develop a magical ability like Willpower or Inner Strength or Passion we could become non-stop achievers. All we have to do is get that One Thing and we can crash through those walls like Superman and become “totally successful.”

The only problem with that strategy is it goes against the way our brains are wired.

The Reason Why Procrastination Makes Total Sense

Our brains aren’t stupid.  They’re smart.  I mean, they’re 100 percent brains, for crying out loud.  You can’t get any brainier than that.  And our brain’s decision making ability is highly driven by emotion – but those emotions are also highly driven by logic.

For example, when you believe something is going to make you uncomfortable or put you at risk, your brain logically isn’t all too interested in doing that.  And so it starts focusing on the risk and the danger, and translates those thoughts into emotions that fall somewhere in the “get the hell away from this” category.  Fight or flight.  It makes sense.

In other words, procrastination is a completely natural defense mechanism that keeps you away from things that stress you out.  It’s kind of like your body’s immune system – it sees something it doesn’t like, and BAM, it tries to lock it out.

But sometimes our immune system can work against us.  For example, if you receive an organ transplant, your body will work overtime fighting off the “foreign” tissue – which, naturally, isn’t in your best interest.  To get around this, doctors would give you anti-rejection drugs to suppress certain parts of your immune system so that you can continue doing that “living” thing you like so much.

How We Get Around To Overcoming Procrastination

Whenever we get past procrastination, we do it by producing the mental version of those anti-rejection drugs.  We inject these into those little mental conversations we have, the ones we’re usually unaware of because it’s off in the back of our mind.  You know, those lame conversations that go something like this:

You: I really need to get around to doing <whatever>.

Your Brain: Ugh.  That’s going to be really, really hard / painful / uncomfortable / whatever.

You: Yeah, I guess – hey, look, something new in my feed reader!  (distraction ensues)

Did you see what happened in that conversation?  Your brain set off that “but I don’t like this!” flag and you took it.  You let it distract you.  You obeyed. You were whipped, my friend.

And this isn’t always a bad thing.  It’s like physical pain – sometimes it’s there to tell you that you shouldn’t be doing this.  Take your hand off the stove, already. But a lot of times the pain isn’t such a big deal, like the soreness you get after a great workout – it’s pain, but you just have to push past it to get what you want.

When we get past procrastinating, it’s because we respond to our brain with a “So what?” instead of a “Ok, I guess you’re right.”   We accept the fact that there will be pain/discomfort, and we move on. We become “grown-ups” about it all instead of treating ourselves like sheltered kids. We move on, we push through the pain, and we claim our prize of achievement on the other end.  Our conversations look more like this instead:

You: I really need to get around to doing <whatever>.

Your Brain: Ugh.  That’s going to be really, really hard / painful / uncomfortable / whatever.

You: Yeah, I guess – hey, look, something new in my feed reader!  (distraction ensues)

You: I know.  But I really want this, and I’m going to do it.

Your Brain: But this is going to be really hard.

You: I know.  But I really want this, and I’m going to do it.

Your Brain: But this is going to be really, really hard.  And uncomfortable.  And –

You: I know.  But I really want this, and I’m going to do it. I’m tired of putting this off.

Your Brain: But –

You: Shut up.  I’m doing it.

See, here, you’re turning the tables.  You’re getting the last word in.  You’re consciously aware of the conversation, and you’re taking control over it instead of saying “Okay, I guess you’re right …”

Whoever gets the last word wins.  You just have to make sure you’re the one doing it.

Your Brain:  “That’s Easier Said Than Done.”  Me:  “That’s No Excuse.”

Yes, this is easier said than done, but that doesn’t stop you from doing it every day.  There are things you make yourself do even though the thrill isn’t there, because you don’t let that conversation own you.  Sometimes it’s because you’re taking a stand.  Sometimes it’s simply because you have no other option – you’ve procrastinated all you can, and now you’re out of time.  You tell yourself “Those excuses aren’t valid any more – this simply has to get done.”

In upcoming posts we’re going to talk about how to start getting the upper hand and stop procrastination in its tracks, but for now I’m just going to leave you with this:  Stop beating yourself up about procrastination. It’s natural.  It actually has a purpose in an instinctive, base survival sort of way.

But we’re not animals running around on instinct, or toddlers at at the mercy of our underdeveloped self-control.  We’re adults.  We have the power to push past the reactive flinching that is the foundtion of procrastinations and tell ourselves, “It’s ok.  This sucks, but we’re going to do it anyway.”

Quit beating yourself up.  That’s not helping.  Stick around, subscribe to this blog, and get a little more awareness about how to control those conversations in your head.

And if you’re serious about overcoming procrastination, go ahead and sign up for my Advance Discount List.  I’ll be releasing my Never Procrastinate Again program on the 15th, and if you’re on the list, you’ll get an early discount on it that you won’t find anywhere else.  Click here to get on the list right now.

Honk If You Love Freelancing / Writing: 2 (+5) Posts You Might Want To Comment On

If You’re A “Hired Gun” You May Like These Articles …

Hello all – I’d love to have you drop by some of the other blogs I’ve been posting on and get your feedback if the topics are helpful to you.  (Any Comments / Stumbles / Diggs are appreciated as well.)

Drop on by and check out what I’ve been writing about at:

• Freelance Switch - Are You Missing The Point Of Being A Freelancer?

• Freelance Folder - 3 Reasons Your Rates Are Still Low (And How To Start Raising Them)

Previous “Honk If You Love Freelancing” Goodness

Are you a new subscriber?  Check out some of my recent posts elsewhere in the last 60 days …

• Freelance Switch - 3 Smart Moves To Make After Landing A New Client

• Freelance Folder - 3 Freelancing “Bad Habits” That Cost You Money

• Men With Pens - How to Feel Consistently Confident About Your Writing

• Remarkablogger - How to Begin Blogging When You Don’t Know Where to Start

• IttyBiz - Balls-On Marketing: Why You Need To Strut Your Stuff

The Jedi Guide To Beating Procrastination

Important Note: This offer is (kinda) over, and kinda not.

Why It’s Over: During Havi’s pre-launch promotion, I was giving my upcoming Never Procrastinate Again program away for free for anyone who purchased Havi’s program and contacted me by Sunday night (October 5th), whether they purchased via my affiliate link or not. However, Sunday night has come and gone, and that offer is no longer on the table. (There’s only so much of my stuff I can give away for free.)

Why It’s Not Over: If you purchase Havi’s anti-procrastination program via my affiliate link right now, you can still get my Never Procrastinate Again program for free.  But you do need to purchase through my affiliate link to receive this bonus (thanks for understanding).

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming …

Ok, I’m about to do something that may sound a little weird and counter-intuitive. Many of you know that I’m working on turning July’s well-received Overcoming Procrastination teleseminar into a downloadable workshop product. It will actually be launching October 15th or so, and you can get it before it officially launches at a great discount by signing up on my Advance Discount List here.

Or, you can get it for free by buying my competitor’s program instead.

Whaa?

That’s right – I’m promoting my competitor, and then I’m giving my product away for free.  It’s a brillant marketing plan, don’t you think?  Except it’s not about marketing.  It’s about changing habits and making those changes stick.

You see, I’ve downloaded Havi Brooks’ “Procrastination Dissolve-o-matic” program and it is very, very different than mine.

• As in she’s a yoga-loving, in-touch-with-your-feelings, really artsy kind of person, so she presents her strategies in a way that calms you down, centers you and eases you into habit change.

• And I’m a project-driven, software engineering, step-by-step kind of person, so I present my strategies in a shortest-path, simplest explanation, whip your butt into gear kind of way.

So who’s better?  Neither.  Both.  Half-and-half.  It doesn’t matter.  It’s like Yoda and Obi-Wan-Kenobi – different approaches, same goal.

You see, there are some times when you need your butt whipped into gear, and other times when you need a calming voice to get you to pay attention.  People who are serious about habit change will make sure they have access to both.

But here’s the thing – Havi’s about to raise the price of her program significantly.

On Sunday - Havi’s pre-launch price of $67 bumps up to the higher (but still worth it) price of $108.  I’m sure you’d rather save the $41, so I’m letting you know now.

At the same time, when I release my Never Procrastinate Again program around the 15th of October, it will be somewhere in the $27 – $37 range.  So you can either wait until then and spend some more money, or you can get it for free.  (Or another way to think about it is that it’s like buying both, except Havi’s program comes down another $30 or so.  Yum).

So Here’s How To Get Your Jedi Training From Yoda (and Get Obi-Wan for Free).

Oh crap, did I just call Havi wrinkled and green?  Sorry chica.  Click here and you’ll see that she looks much livelier than our Jedi friend.

So here’s the deal:

• Pick up Havi’s “Procrastination Dissolve-o-matic” program BEFORE Sunday by clicking here,
• Forward your receipt to dave (AT) rockyourday.com and I’ll respond, letting you know you’ll have the Never Procrastinate Again program in hand for free before the 15th,
• Become an Anti-Procrastinating Jedi (without even having to defeat the evil Empire).

If for nothing else, it’s worth checking Havi’s page out to see the pictures.  I swear, it’s like a flashback to that old Beatles “Yellow Submarine” movie.  I love it.  Click the picture below to see why she’s the Jedi of Choice at Rock Your Day.