Jan 27, 2009

Promotion of Book for Guy Finlay

Here is an e-mail that I was supposed to send out for a promotion of a book by Guy Finlay


    Hi First_Name,

    Something big is happening today and I knew you wouldn't want
    to miss out.

    Today, January 27, my friend Guy Finley has gathered together

    over 165 leading authors and experts to show you new ways to

    lift your life to breathtaking heights -- including the one

    great secret to being wise, fearless, and free.


    You can go here now to find out what's going on:

    http://www.EssentialLaws.org/special/1279/

    Guy has written an earth-shaking new book called The Essential

    Laws of Fearless Living
    . But this isn't just another book.

    This book is so important, and Guy is so well respected by his

    peers, that over 165 other authors and experts are joining in

    to help spread the word...




    And would you believe that just 12 short hours after its

    initial release the book became the #1 best-selling title on

    Amazon.com? It's that powerful!

    If you're interested in solving the great inner-mysteries of

    our time -- and enjoying more success, more love, and less

    stress in the process -- this is your chance to learn EXACTLY

    how, and get over 130 free bonus gifts to boot.



    Just go here now for all the details. You've got literally

    nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

    http://www.EssentialLaws.org/special/1279/


    All best wishes for a fearless life,

    Ernie J. Zelinski


Here are other resources to check out:

Jan 25, 2009

Retirement Resources to Help Your Retire Happy


Here is the latest e-mail about The World's Second Best Retirement Book. The name has been changed due to the nature of the e-mail:
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Leonard Bernard
    To: Ernie John Zelinski
    Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2009 3:14 AM
    Subject: The Mentally Ill

    Hi Ernie,

    I discovered I had to find ways to spend my leisure time when I was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1997. This is where your book The Joy of Not Working came to be useful often. I recommend The Joy of Not Working to all people diagnosed with mental illness, especially the major ones of schizophrenia and the bipolar illness.

    Not everyone who is diagnosed withmental illness wants to stay on disability. Some prefer to take a risk and go back into the workforce. But to those on disability who want an opportonity to follow their dream(s) and/or artistic inclination (which a lot of the mentally ill have), or even those who only don't want to get bored, this book can really help!

    Leonard Bernard
    (A reader from Ottawa)

Here are some other retirement resources to help your retire happy:

Jan 21, 2009

Happily Retired - Avoiding the Top-10 Dumbest Retirement Moves


Here is the latest E-mail that I received about How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Ted L Wilson
    To: vip-books ( at ) telus.net
    Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 7:26 AM
    Subject: How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free

    Dear Ernie,

    Just finished your book and I couldn't agree more with you! I took early retirement at 55 with a minimum pension and depended on the savings I had from my 401K as the primary source of income. I also now work 125 days a week for one of my former retailer customers and I work in sales. I get to pick my 125 days a year that I work and take most of the winter off and travel to Florida and long four day weekends all of the summer where, we spend our time at our small lake cottage. The primary reason I continue to work half time is for the benefit of health insurance. I am privileged that my employer agreed to provide health insurance if I would work 125 days a year.

    I have to tell you that I really enjoyed the section in your book about taking risks. When I first retired I made it my goal to bicycle accross the USA from coast to coast. I divided the USA into three chunks and took three-three week periods in the summer to bicycle from coast to coast (Astoria Oregon to Camden Maine.)

    I met so many great people in this country, it helped to restore my faith in humanity. The final motivation to push me forward on my goal of crossing the USA via bicycle was an 84-year-old friend of mine who said to me that he retired early at 50 and has not regretted a day of his early retirement. He challenged me to not be a member of the "Wish I would-a club" but be a member of the "I did it club".

    I used this to encourage me to take early retirement and to take the bicycle trip. Since I have retired I have had the privilege of taking fly in fishing trips in Canada, South Dakota and Iowa pheasant hunting trips , spending three winter months in Florida since my retirement. Watching the sunsets over several of the Great Lakes, Cruises in the Caribbean, week long bicycle trips across five different states with my wife. Took two classes in a local University-fiction and nonfiction writing, and have written 7 articles and have 5 published. I would like to write more but just have to take the time to do so.

    The thing I have to say I enjoy the most is that I take every Friday and spend it with my grandchildren.

    Thanks for your book and I can't wait to read Career Success Without a Real Job.

    Happily Retired,

    Ted Wilson
Here are some new website posts to help you retire happy, wild, and free during a recession:











Jan 16, 2009

Retirement Life Begins When the Kids Move Out and the Cat Gets Run Over




Someone once said, "Life begins when the kids move out and the cat gets run over." Today, for many people that is when they reach retirement age.

Here are a few more retirement quotes, retirement sayings, and retirement jokes that I just placed on my new website The Retirement Cafe:


    Bob: Do you have a retirement plan?
    Ted: Yup, lottery tickets.
    Bob: Lottery tickets? That's it?
    Ted: Of course not. Retirment Plan B is to sue some mega-corporation for a milllon bucks.

    When the majority of people get my age, once they retire and get Social Security they lay on the couch and do nothing. The next thing you know, they're not with us any more.
    — 77-year-old Retiree August Gonsoulin

    Retirees have two choices: choose the couch — or choose life.
    — Jane McBride

    For a happy day, look for something bright and beautiful in nature. Listen for a beautiful sound, speak a kind word to some person, and do something nice for someone without their knowledge.
    — Unknown 85-year-old Wise Retired Person

    RETIRED: Now I have a life!
    — Unknown wise person

    To fear retirement is to fear life.
    — from
    How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free

    Have you ever considered that your perception of reality could be wrong? If you haven't, this is a pretty good sign that it is.
    — from 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting


Also see: WHERE TO RETIRE

Jan 12, 2009

Air Canada Sucks - The Ritz-Carlton Rocks




Yes, that is right:

Air Canada Sucks and the Ritz-Carlton Rocks!

Here is why:

In late November KalDer - The National Turkish Society for Quality flew me to Istanbul through London, England, to make an one-hour speech about my book The Joy of Not Working to 2,000 scholars, business executives, and university students.

The Air Canada flight from Edmonton to London was delayed 9 hours due to a navigation computer having to be repaired and then a new flight crew having to be flown in from Vancouver. Instead of arriving in London at 9:35 AM, I arrived at 6:30 PM. I had to incur the added expense for a hotel room that I would otherwise not had to get plus much inconvenience. I also missed attending a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London with two friends — the ticket was wasted, of course.

Despite the fact that my Air Canada Premium Business Class return flight between Edmonton and London cost my client a total of $11,500, Air Canada refused to compensate me in any way aside from a $75 voucher - the same compensation they gave to everyone else on the plane including those in economy whose flight cost only $1,200 return with taxes. I would think that the fact that I asked my client to provide me with Premium Business Class as a cost of 11,500, Air Canada could afford to compensate me more than a measly $75 voucher.

That is why Air Canada Sucks!

Here is why the Ritz-Carlton Rocks!

On this same trip I stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Istanbul in an executive suite overlooking the Bosphorus that with tax goes for 710 Euro ($1,280 Canadian) a night. The other day I noticed a charge of $48 to my VISA by the Ritz-Carlton that shouldn't have been there. I sent a note to the Ritz-Carlton and got a response within 24 hours.

Get this: The manager of The Ritz Carlton apologized, said the hotel would immediately reverse the charges, and in compensation they will give me two free nights of equal accommodation at the Ritz-Carlton the next time I visit Istanbul. Remember this suite goes for $1,280 a night.


Below are two photos of my Executive Suite that I had at the Ritz-Carlton. (It had two TVs, two washrooms and 4 phones)








Photo Living Room in Executive Suite (Room #611) at the Ritz-Carlton


Photo: Bedroom in Executive Suite (Room #611) at the Ritz-Carlton

Now do you see why Air Canada Sucks and the Ritz-Carlton Rocks?

From now on I will avoid Air Canada any time I can. I have already booked a flight to Vancouver with
Westjet even though I could have used the Air Canada voucher. When a client wants me to go to Europe again, I will ask for tickets with British Airways even though I will have to fly to Calgary first before I head to London.

Quite frankly, the management at Air Canada don't know much about customer service. They could have compensated me with a free executive class flight to Hawaii or London or Cuba! Because the flights are not always at capacity, this would have not cost them very much — just like the Ritz-Carlton providing me with two free nights will not cost them that much.


Instead, Air Canada will continue to get a lot of bad publicity from me.

And given that I am an author and professional speaker, I get to tell tens of thousands of people.

So, Air Canada may have saved themselves a measly few hundred dollars by not giving me any compensation — but Air Canada will lose tens or hundreds of thousand of lost business due to the bad publicity that I will give them. Not very bright, wouldn't you say?

For the record, here is the letter that I received from the Ritz-Carlton:


    The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul
    Istanbul,

    Dear Mr. Zelinski,

    First and foremost, I would like to share with you that it was our honor and pleasure to welcome you in The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul as our guest for the first time and then I, personally and on behalf of the Ladies & Gentlemen of our property would like to express our intense and still continuing sorrow felt from the first moment we have learned about your inconvenience.

    I sincerely would like you to know that we have never experienced such an incident before and this is the reason why we feel so desperately sorry for it. I offer no excuses but my sincere apologies for the undesired shortcomings that have resulted in distrust and inappreciativeness on your side.

    You can rest assured that I have shared the incident with our management committee and also with each member of our team carrying the responsibility for this in order to avoid the possibility of similar cases to happen in the future.

    Mr. Zelinski, we have immediately rebated the amount, namely 60,00.- YTL to your credit card recorded in our system. For your next visit to Istanbul, we kindly invite you for two complimentary nights with similar accommodations as in your previous stay. I am certain that we will live up to your expectations and will be honoured to have you back with us.

    Please contact me directly or my personal assistant, Ms. Sibel Esiyok at the following email address sibel.esiyok@ritzcarlton.com in order to arrange for your reservation.

    I sincerely hope that you give me and my team the opportunity to restore your faith in our organization by welcoming you back at The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul in the near future and offer you the excellent service you certainly deserve.

    Warm Regards,

    Raul Salcido,
    General Manager
    The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul.
    Siizer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367 Istanbul Turkey
    Tel: +90 (212) 3344444- Fax: +90 (212) 3344455

Jan 5, 2009

FALL DOWN SEVEN TIMES - GET UP EIGHT !



I received this e-mail the other day: (I have deleted the last name due to the personal nature of the e-mail).

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: anne
    To: Ernie Z.
    Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 9:12 AM

    Dear Mr. Zelinski :

    Every time I go down, I read one of your books. They have helped me so many times, you have no idea.

    This time though I am having a hard time getting back on my feet. I am so tired.

    How do you get back on your feet after many failures? And how do you cope with all that is going on in the world like sickness, children missing, starvation . . . sometimes it seems there is no hope at all.

    You are an intelligent writer and I can't wish you anything but the best.

    Anne L.
This was my response:

    Hello Anne:

    In reply to your questions about how I get back on my feet after many failures, I agree it is easier for some people in this world than for others.

    And the world is full of misfortune.

    But even individuals who appear to have it good have their own problems that they have to deal with.

    For example, there are many things in my life that I have had to do without that others have and have got me down at times.

    But we must look at our own situations and see what we can be thankful for.

    Here are three
    inspirational quotes that I have on one of my websites:

      Our disasters have been some of the best things that ever happened to us. And what we swore were blessings have been some of the worst.
      — Richard Bach

      Fall down seven times. Get up eight.
      — Japanese proverb

      There is no particular reason why you lost out on something. The world is not necessarily just. Being good often does not pay off and there is no compensation for misfortune. You have a responsibility to do your best nonetheless.
      — Unknown wise person


    Just for the record lately I have been affected by the recession in several ways:

      1. I have lost about $65,000 in the stock market.
      2. My half-duplex has gone down in value by over $40,000 since I bought at the height of the market (because I had no good place to live at the time).
      3. My income is down dramatically because my retirement book sales have gone down dramatically due to house prices dropping in the U.S. and many baby boomers now not retiring.

    But I am looking for opportunity in the recession.

    I am about to reinvent myself as an Internet marketer.

    My motto is "Do It Badly - But At Least Do It!"

    Here are links to my latest projects on the Internet: (These are not the prettiest websites on the Interment - but this is no problem because the interment marketing gurus have found out that ugly websites make much more money than those professional-looking ones that cost a fortune to set up.)



    Thanks for your interest in my books.

    Ernie Z.

Jan 2, 2009

Your Retirement Wealth Is Where Your Friends Are

A study (titled It’s My Turn Now) conducted by the Simon Fraser Gerontology Research Centre in Burnaby, B.C., found that the happiest seniors tend to be those who are experiencing community involvement. They belong to an active community of peers found in such places as churches, clubs, or housing communities. Study director Veronica Doyle concluded, “It isn ’t how often you see your kids — it ’s how many places in the world you are a somebody.”

For most retirees,making and maintaining great friendships are keys to creating a new sense of community that translates into social,emotional,and physical well-being. Several research studies conclude that people who have intimate relationships with others live happier,healthier,and longer. On the other hand,lonely people who have few or no friends stand a greater chance of becoming ill and dying an early death.

Titus Maccius Plautus,the Roman playwright whose works influenced Shakespeare and Molière, proclaimed, “Your wealth is where your friends are.” Put another way,,the more people who truly care whether you get up in the morning,the richer you will feel.You will find this particularly true when you retire. Regardless of how much wealth you have acquired, you cannot expect to have a great retirement if you do not have great friends. To be sure, the worst poverty is to be without any friends.

Friendship Quotes at The Friendship Cafe