This example was used recently in a conversation with a friend. We were explaining why a company that sells the benefits of its products (in this case, hope) will always be more successful than one that sells features.

"Why do you wear makeup?" We asked.

"So I can look pretty," she replied.

"And why do you want to look pretty?"

"So I'll feel good about myself."

She thought for a moment and added, "I see what you mean. I don't buy a particular brand of cosmetics because it 'goes on smooth' or 'lasts all day.' Those are features. I buy it because of a benefit that's implied in the way it's advertised - the hope that it will make me look pretty and feel good about myself ... and maybe even attract Mr. Right."

Take a look at the way you're marketing your product. Are you selling its benefits? And are you clearly communicating those benefits to your potential customers? If not, you're not selling nearly as much as you should.

And here is something else you should know.

Somewhere inside you, a fire is burning. It is your core desire - your deepest, truest idea about what you'd like to do ... the person you'd like to become...the home business you would like to create.

If you can vent that fire, it will give you all the energy, imagination, and boldness you need to make your life full and rich and satisfying. If you ignore that fire, it will consume everything that is potentially great and good about you. It will burn out your secret hopes, desires, and passions, one at a time, and leave you - as an older person reflecting back on your life - with a cold, charred core.

By getting up early each morning and making those early hours - as well as the rest of your day - more productive, you can make your life into exactly what it should be. What it should be, of course, is different for every person. Only by digging down deep and finding out what really motivates you - by identifying your core desire - can you find the fire that will fuel your future.