Measure and Celebrate Your Success!

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By: Philip Humbert.

In over fifteen years of TIPS, I think this is the first
time I've mailed one out on the dreaded "April 15th Tax
Day!" Fortunately, the Government has given us an extra
couple of days this year or I'd be concerned that people
would be so stressed about their tax returns that few would
take time to read this.

But of course, that would just be silly! TIPS subscribers
are, in measurable fact, so disciplined, so pro-active and
so organized that I'm sure all of you sent your taxes in
weeks ago and have already received and invested your
refunds! I'm really proud of you guys! So relax, pat
yourself on the back and enjoy this issue of TIPS!

In all seriousness, as a group, TIPS subscribers really
are different than the average newsletter subscriber,
and I truly am proud of you!

It fascinates me that whenever I compare notes with my
colleagues in the "newsletter business," my colleagues are
amazed at you guys! I've written about that before, but I
don't think I've ever explained exactly what I mean.

When my colleagues and I compare "open rates"--the number of
subscribers who actually read the letters--TIPS is always
far higher than others. Industry-wide, open rates seem to
hover around 8-15% of subscribers, but TIPS subscribers
consistently run above 25%, and sometimes over 40%!

Similarly, when we talk about how long the average
subscriber stays on the list, or when we talk about
"response rates"--how many people respond to offers or click
on links--TIPS subscribers are far more active than others.
And when we talk about the feedback we receive from
subscribers, and the sense of community that builds, my
colleagues are amazed (and, I suspect, intensely jealous)!

Which leads me to an ancient Japanese proverb that says,
"the way you pour a cup of tea is the way you do
everything."

The proverb says that it's very hard for an individual to be
responsible in some areas of life, but irresponsible in
others. People who are careful and thoughtful, professional
and ethical in some areas of life, are probably consistent
in other areas as well.

I've heard many employers say they can tell more about a
potential employee after one round of golf (their honesty,
integrity, consistency, courage, etc) than they can learn
through any interview or personality test. How they play
golf says a lot about a person! And I suspect that is true
of any activity that requires skill, honesty, integrity and
patience.

Which brings me back to TIPS subscribers.

We live in a culture that tends to emphasize all sorts of
comparisons. We compare ourselves with those who are "more
successful" than we are. We compare ourselves to people who
are thinner, who look younger, who have more money or whose
kids do better in school, and we judge ourselves harshly.
And sadly, the conceited or insecure among us sometimes
compare themselves to "losers" in an attempt to build
themselves up.

Either way, we "discover" our level of success by comparing
ourselves with others, and it doesn't always work out well.
Too often, in my opinion, we end up feeling we "should" have
more, do better, or be different than we are.

So, for this week, I'm here to tell you that if you
subscribe to TIPS, there is reason to suspect that you are,
in actual measurable fact, more successful, more responsible
and have more integrity than you give yourself credit for.
And, that is very good news!

In measuring your success, it is very important to be
accurate! If we misjudge too harshly, we undermine our
confidence and lose momentum. We may fail to give ourselves
adequate credit and become unnecessarily discouraged. We may
not aim high enough or reach far enough. We may limit
ourselves and that's not good.

And, of course, the opposite is also true. When we misjudge
ourselves to be more successful than the facts will support,
we can become complacent, over-confident or arrogant. And
that's a sure path to ultimate failure.

So, judge your success accurately and give yourself credit
wherever and whenever credit is justified! Most TIPS
subscribers are very smart. We are extremely well educated.
We are ambitious, talented, assertive and pro-active. These
are good things! And they predict very good things for the
future!