 "A baseball swing is a very finely tuned instrument. It is repetition, and more repetition, then a little more after that." Reggie Jackson How Many Times Have You Seen The Godfather?
By Glenn Fisher It starts in darkness, with Nino Rota's famous score... Into view comes Bonasera, the undertaker. He describes a terrible attack on his daughter. He is asking for justice. He wants the men who attacked her killed. We're in morally polysemous waters here. The camera slowly zooms out, bringing into view the man he's petitioning. It's Don Vito Corleone. The Godfather. This opening scene establishes several things. For one, you get the fact that The Godfather is a mafia boss who people come to for favors of a somewhat criminal kind. And that, rather than paying for those favors, they simply owe him a favor in the future. Having seen the film many, many times, I knew all this. Yet, watching it again recently, the scene still interested me. Why? Well, because I already understood the basics, I was able to think about the scene in a different way. And I realized that one of its purposes is to get you on The Godfather's side. I mean, let's face it. The man kills people. He threatens people. He launders money. And so on and so on. Just One Secret Could Be Worth $10,000 to You (or More) Whether you're wanting to start your own online business or already have one that's up and running, ETR's "All-in-One" Home Business Kit has everything you need to take things to the next level. You'll be learning cutting-edge secrets and strategies from leading experts like: - Michael Masterson
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Just one secret ... one tip... one insight... could easily put an extra $10,000 in your pocket. Because everything you'll be learning from them is geared to making you and your business far more profitable. To get started, go here. Yet, for the film to work, you've got to be able to sympathize with his actions. Consider... The Godfather reasons that it would not be justice to kill the men who attacked Bonasera's daughter, because they did not kill her. This gives us the perception that Don Corleone is fair. Furthermore, he points out that Bonasera never came to see him before. He has never visited out of friendship. Bonasera is coming to him now only because he wants something: revenge. So though it was Bonasera's daughter who was brutally attacked, this makes us think of The Godfather as the aggrieved party. And despite all that, The Godfather still agrees to handle Bonasera's problem, asking nothing more of him than that he return the favor sometime, maybe never. The Godfather is a criminal. He is head of a huge mafia family. He's pretty damn evil. Yet, only 10 minutes in and, if you're anything like me, you're cheering for him. So, what's all this got to do with the price of fish? What strikes me is that, no matter how many times I see The Godfather, I still enjoy it. More important, I always see something new in it that I hadn't seen before. That's the thing. When you analyze something over and over and over again, you start to look at it in a deeper way. Take something like a successful sales promotion. The more you look at it, the more you pick up. On first look, the main benefit of the product being sold may stand out. But then you look again. And because you now take the main benefit for granted, you might notice a deeper benefit or a little piece of information that you didn't see before. I've been writing copy for years. But just as I still watch The Godfather, I still read old promotions that I've read many times. By doing so, it helps me notice a turn of phrase or clever technique that I might not have picked up in a first or second reading. Whether it's writing a promotion or reading it, whether it's filling out a job application or reading one, whether it's going over your company accounts or reading a report on the latest SEO techniques... Or watching a classic film... Don't just read, watch, or listen to it once and think you're done with it. Don't think you've got everything you can from it. Give it another look. Try to think about it from a different angle. If you were on one side of the argument before, play devil's advocate and put yourself on the other side. Not only does this help you to enjoy important things on a deeper level and hone your observational skills, it could shed a brand-new and unexpected light on something that could change the way you think. [Ed. Note: Glenn Fisher is the Managing Editor of Shortcut Publications, a division of Agora UK dedicated to finding new ways to generate extra income streams. Through his writing on information publishing, Internet marketing, and copywriting, Glenn has developed a loyal following, helping and inspiring thousands of readers to achieve personal and financial freedom. To receive Glenn's free, daily e-letter, go here.] The First Major Shift in Business Thinking Since the 1937 Publication of Think and Grow Rich Michael Masterson's New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Ready, Fire, Aim, lays out a completely new approach to business and life. It's the blueprint that helped Michael go from pool installer to self-employed multimillionaire before his 40th birthday. And it's so practical and sensible that just about anyone can use it to make their first $1 million... $50 million... $100 million or more! Find out more here! "This year's conference BLEW MY SOCKS OFF again." "I just had to tell you what a LIFE CHANGING experience it has been to attend ETR's Info-Marketing Bootcamp for the second year in a row. "I thought I knew what to expect from Bootcamp this year because I had attended last year... because the ETR family is committed to giving each attendee MORE THAN THEY COULD HAVE DREAMED of to equip them for SUCCESS. This year's conference BLEW MY SOCKS OFF again. "Thank you for being amazing people with the willingness to share those gifts with others... "I will be there to be CHANGED again next year, and WILL have my own business growing (with your help, of course)! "Blessings!" John Marsh Are You Part of This Elite Group? After hearing about the many successful folks who credit Michael Masterson and ETR with helping them along the way, we've come to realize there is an "elite" group of ETR readers. These are people who are serious about their success. They are "doers" and want to take action. However, they need that little extra "oomph!" to get them going. That's why we created ETR Premium... To give you behind-the-scenes access to a one-of-a-kind of "mentorship" with Michael Masterson and ETR's trusted advisors that will help you get the ball rolling (and then some!)... ...all for just $5 a month. Today's Words That Work: Polysemous Polysemous (es-kam-uh-TAJ) -- from the French -- is sleight of hand; trickery; unfair or dishonest conduct. Example (as used by Davide Accomazzo in an article titled "High Frequency Trading: The Rise of the Machines"): "Many high frequency traders trade not for profit but for rebates paid by the electronic platforms to attract liquidity. This escamotage incentivizes useless and toxic volume." | 
