Getty Images

What Your Skin Is Saying About You

It's not just about your numerical age. Certain habits may make you appear much older than you really are.

9 important questions to ask yourself

More Health Stories

• What Ads for ED Drugs Don't Show
• Condition May Get Worse With PMS
• 7 Drinks That May Increase Gout Risk

Alamy

Best Natural Pain Treatments Named

A Consumer Reports survey reveals the most popular options for relieving neck pain, IBS, depression and more.

What respondents find most helpful

More Health Stories

• Should Your Dog Share Your Bed?
• Condition That's Linked to Obesity
• Why Women Live Longer Than Men

Courtesy Adam West

Iconic Batman Opens Up

Legendary Adam West told us he was just a kid when a discovery made him realize he'd someday be a superhero.

Baby pic shows him way before fame

Hollywood Headlines

• Star Debuts Totally Shaved Head
• Singer, 23, Reveals She's Married
• CBS Host Taking Break From Show

Getty Images

Fed Secretly Preparing for Doomsday

Fearing the worst, the Federal Reserve is actively preparing for the possibility the US may default on its $14.3 trillion debt.

Plan to deal with the unthinkable

More News

• Default Would be 'Lehman on Steroids'?
• Host Walking Away From MSNBC
• Family: 911 Murder Call Ignored

AP

'Job Well Done, America'

Just before dawn this morning, Space Shuttle Atlantis made one final touchdown in front of a record crowd of spectators.

When Americans may go into space again

More News

• Heat Wave Kills At Least 22
• Google to Shut Down Popular Feature
• School to Revisit Evolution Debate

12 Rules I Live By (What are yours?) JULY 15, 2011 12 Rules I Live By (What are yours?) The one thing I admire about people who have strong nutrition beliefs is their dogmatic behavior.For example, a vegetarian, under no circumstances, will ever eat meat. There is no, “well, everyone else is having a burger, so just this once, I will too.” That’s not how it works. Not when a vegetarian has a strong personal philosophy that they never, ever, ever eat meat. And that strong personal philosophy guides them to guilt-free behavior that is congruent with their goals. I’ve also taught my fat loss clients to develop their own personal philosophy – essentially a set of rules that dictate decisions, and I’ve also created my own rules that determine how I live my life so that I reduce guilt, stress, and wasted emotional energy. Now the purpose of this email is not to say that my personal philosophies are wrong or right. Instead, they are simply here to encourage you to adopt your own rules for the sake of living a better, more productive stress free life. You may have your own rules in your head, but I encourage you to put them in writing. And you can adopt a set of rules for every aspect of your life, from health to financial to family and business. These are the 12 rules I live by. (By the way, I believe that EVERYONE has some personal philosophies or rules, and we'd love to hear yours in the comments section on ETR here.) I go to bed and get up at the same time 7 days per week (9pm and 5am.) I do not deviate from this schedule unless it is due to an important (and this word is not used lightly) work or social function.  I stick to a diet of whole, natural foods, avoid caffeine after 1pm, and avoid alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime. I write for at least 60 minutes first thing every morning. I do not check email before 9am. I do not talk on the phone unless it is a schedule interview or conference call. I create a to-do list at the end of every workday and I follow that to-do list starting first thing the next morning. I also perform my daily readings at the end of every workday, and I write in a gratitude journal. I am thankful everyday for identifying my mission and what I wanted to do with my life at such a young age. I do not engage in confrontations with anyone, in-person or online. This is a waste of time and energy. If I have caused harm, I apologize and fix the situation. However, if someone simply doesn’t like something I have done or something that I do or disagrees with me, that is fine, but I’m not going to get into an argument about it. For any confrontation-like situation, I simply take a deep breath, relax, breathe out, and re-focus my efforts back on my work and goals. I am guided by these two phrases:a) “Nothing matters.” – By this, I mean that arguing on the internet changes nothing…I can only work towards the major, massive goals that I have set for my life…that I have a vision of helping others, and there is no time to let petty arguments stand in the way. b) “It will all be over soon.” – This servers me in both good times and in bad. In hard times, such as bad days, troubled times, or intense physical effort or discomfort, I know that it will all be over soon. A small amount of suffering now will be forgotten later when I will enjoy the rewards of my work. And in good times, I will remember that life is short, and I must make things count now, and no matter how good things are going I must never let myself become soft and lazy, because I have too much to accomplish in such a short time. Everything that happens to me – good and bad – is my personal responsibility. I blame no one but myself. These are the choices I’ve made – this is the life I’m living. I will accept the consequences of my actions. I will not stop until I have helped 1 Million men and women transformed their lives – physically, financially, or emotionally. I will not be the person I don’t want to be. I will not be petty, jealous, or envious, or give in to any other of those lazy emotions. I will not gossip or speak badly of others, no matter who I am with or what environment I am in. I will not be negative when it is easier to be positive. I will not hurt others when it is possible to help. I will know the temptations, situations and environments in life that I must avoid, and I will, in fact, avoid them, even if it means loosening relationships with others who “live” in those environments. It’s my life and that matters more than what other people think of me. “I will always keep the child within me alive.” – Frank McKinney. I will laugh everyday. That’s not hard when you have the friends – and dog – that I have. And if they don’t make me laugh, there’s plenty of Louis CK on Netflix. “I will write with honesty and feeling.” – Ted Nicholas. I’ve long since giving up caring about how others choose to judge me. What matters more than other’s opinions is the number of people that I can help by sharing advice and encouragement in my writing. The most powerful songs are written by songwriters who bare their souls. So screw it, let’s do it. Let’s put it all out there. I’m not going to help as many people as I could if I keep the “real info” to myself. I also understand now, better than ever, that sometimes you have to “write to repel” in order to strongly attract the readers you desire. So that’s it. These 12 rules allow me to live my life with less guilt, more energy, and more productivity than if I did not have these personal philosophies outlined. Now I know there will be two types of reactions to this content. First, some will dismiss it – and dismiss me. But to those people, remember the point of the list is not for you to sit there and think, “Oh, what a total weirdo. I never want to hang around with this guy.” Instead, the point of the list, the idea, the article is to simply stimulate your thinking. And that’s the 2nd type of reaction you can have to this article. This is the reaction of the people who I’m interested in – the people who will realize what’s holding them back is not a lack of knowledge (because the knowledge is out there and freely available), but instead, it is decision making. Listen, I know that every week you make decisions that leave you full of guilt and remorse, but on the other hand you also make decisions that you know are correct – even though they are difficult to make. Wouldn’t you be better off if you made MORE correct decisions with less effort? Of course, and that is where you rules to live by, your personal philosophies, come into play. With this post, I’ve given you a model so that you can create your own personal philosophies that will allow you to make the correct decision and fewer decisions that leave you with remorse. As a result of making more correct decisions, you’ll move closer to your goals and suffer less frustration. Life will be simpler once you start adhering to your own personal philosophies – and not worrying about what others think. Again, we'd love to hear your personal philosophies on ETR here. With honesty and feeling, Craig Ballantyne Editor Early to Rise “The surest way to accomplish your business goals is making service to others your primary goal. The key to success is adding value to other’s lives.” – Kekich Credo #87

The most ridiculous job interview blunders

• 64
• 13

• Print
• Comment

July 20, 2011: 10:27 AM ET

Don't offer to arm-wrestle your job interviewer. Or handcuff yourself to his desk, or answer a question with a knock-knock joke -- all of which, hiring managers say, actual applicants have done.

By Anne Fisher, contributor

FORTUNE -- Okay, so maybe your last job interview wasn't perfect. You might have felt you hesitated too long when asked about your greatest weakness or forgotten to mention an important accomplishment with special relevance to the job opening at hand.

Well, cheer up. According to surveys conducted by staffing firm Robert Half International, you could have done worse. A lot worse.

Asked to recall the weirdest, most unforgettable job interview blunders they've seen, human resources executives and hiring managers came up with some doozies, including these:

• "The candidate bounced up and down on my carpet and told me I must be highly thought of by the company because I was given such thick carpeting."
• "One applicant took a brush out of my purse, brushed his hair with it, and left."
• "A job seeker told me that, if I didn't hire her, she would have her grandmother put a curse on me."
• "One candidate [at our company] challenged the interviewer to arm-wrestle."
• "After a difficult question, the candidate asked if he could leave the room for a moment to meditate."
• "One applicant sent his sister to interview in his place."
• "When asked by the hiring manager if he had any questions, the candidate replied by telling a knock-knock joke."
• "An applicant sang all of her answers to interview questions."
• "One candidate handcuffed himself to the desk during the interview."
• "I interviewed someone who had a jawbreaker in her mouth during the entire conversation."

Of course, candor is always best, but there's such a thing as volunteering too much information, as these interviewees proved:

• "An individual applied for a customer service job and, when asked what he might not like about the work, he replied, 'Dealing with people.'"
• "One individual said we had nice benefits, which was good because he was going to have to take a lot of leave over the next year."
• "One prospect gave me a list of all the reasons why he shouldn't be hired."
• "The candidate said she would really prefer a job offer from our main competitor."
• "After being complimented on his choice of college and the high GPA he earned there, the candidate replied, 'I'm glad that got your attention. I didn't really go there.'"
• "When asked by the hiring manager why she was leaving her current job, the applicant said, 'My boss is a jerk. All managers are jerks.'"

That last one raises an important point, says Brett Good, a senior district president for Robert Half who frequently coaches job seekers on how to shine in interviews: "Even a mildly sarcastic quip about a current or former employer can raise a red flag so, when in doubt, take the high road."

And of course, leave your handcuffs at home.