Happy Halloween

Halloween marks something special for me. Yes, it can be exciting carving pumpkins, and handing out candy and dressing the kids up for trick or treating. But, it can also be exciting from a goal setting perspective.

Why?

Because the next day represents November 1rst. That's right! You have approximately 6 months to redirect your focus and realign your priorities to hit your goals before April 15th!! That's right...Tax day!

You can make the next 6 months count in a HUGE way...both from a business perspective and tax perspective.

Make sure you update your tax folder, keep your receipts, track your expenses, log your mileage!! Not only will this save you money in the long run, but pay for your business!!

#1 Write down where you want to be in 6 months.
#2 Write out what it will take to get there.
#3 Break that down into 6 monthly goals
#4 Give yourself a reward for hitting the goal!!
#5 Tell your upline, your downline, and SOMEONE YOUNGER!! (maybe a 5 yr old if you have one around! :))

Why? Because writing down your goal triggers a response in your brain. It puts your thoughts and words into concrete form. It moves you in the direction you want to go.

Why tell people? Because it turns the seriousness up a notch. Now you have people cheering you on, and periodically checking your pulse?

Why would I tell my 5 year old? Because little ones are relentless. How often do you think my 5 year old asks me about my goals? EVERY DAY.

Why? Because he knows that when we hit our goal....we're going to Disney World.

That my friends....is lighting a serious fire under you!

Set your 6 month goals today!

Deep Inside of You is the voice of an Opera Singer

If you can believe it...you can achieve it! SING! SING! SING!
Sing the song of your heart.....it was a song placed there by God and it was meant to be sung!

It's about the process!!

We can have more than we've got because we can become more than we are.

Think about that for a second............

It's not about all the money. It's not about all the fancy cars and nice homes. It's not about the trip to Hawaii. It's about "GROWING".

The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You can't believe what it does to the spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit.

Don't settle for less. Don't wish for things to be "easy"....wish to get "better"

Pity the man who inherits a million dollars and who isn't a millionaire. Here's what would be pitiful: If your income grew and you didn't.

Think about that......"if your income grew and YOU didn't"

The most important question to ask on the job is not "What am I getting?" The most important question to ask on the job is "What am I becoming?" Are you growing? Are you getting stronger, faster, better?

See, money is one thing. Becoming is another....and after the ride is over the Good Lord won't ask you about your pocket book.

After you become a millionaire, you can give all of your money away because what's important is not the million dollars; what's important is the person you have become in the process of becoming a millionaire.


It's about the process.....

Process that!

Lesson of the Seasons "Jim Rohn"

Would you like fries with that?

Why are people drawn to McDonald's? Is it for the mouth watering burgers? Is it for the unforgettable meals? Maybe it's because of the earth shattering fries and top notch service from a few select High School students?

Ray Kroc came up with a SYSTEM that was predictable, speedy, and low in prices. He then turned around and SOLD that system to franchise owners. His system was simple and allowed high school students to work a business that consistently turned beef into cash.

Let's face it. People don't buy a McDonald's franchise so they can sell delicious food. They're in business to make money and Ray Kroc sold that opportunity in a box...and called it McDonald's.

Here's a thought: Network Marketing has nothing to do with your company or product.

(As much as I love my product....this is the truth).

If your product holds real value and offers a solution to the consumer...that's all that matters.
Whatever business or product you are offering...understand that somewhere, someplace, someone is offering something more unique, more economical, more convenient, better tasting, and better packaged.

So....what separates you from the rest of the pack? What do YOU have to offer that others don't?

The answer: YOU.

Network Marketing is about "Marketing". And the business you are marketing is YOU Inc.

You are the CEO, President, Sales Manager, Marketing Director of the hottest company on the planet. YOU!

Think about it. What makes McDonald's so appealing? It's the predictable experience. You know what you're going to get. You know that you can order a happy meal and your child will love it....why? Because somewhere deep inside that goofy little box is a 25 cent toy. Cheap? Maybe, but your child will love that little toy and the experience will be worth every single little cheap burger you eat!





This is called personal branding.....and attraction marketing. People will follow you and listen to you...because its YOU!! The fact that you have an outstanding product is just the cherry on the sundae! Or should I say...."Would you like Fries with that?"

A Message from "The Lost Boys of Sudan"

In 1983, about 25,000 boys from southern Sudan, most of them 5 to 10 years old, fled the advancing Muslim army from the north that was seeking to exterminate the male population of black Christians. The Lost Boys, as they came to be known, trekked barefoot for more than 1,000 miles and eventually settled in a U.N. refuge camp in Kakuma, Kenya. Rather than becoming bitter and hostile, the boys formed a close-knit society in which they all took care of one another, boys as young as 11 taking on the responsibility of surrogate fathers. What is remarkable to see is that these children did not let their sadness and suffering -- many buried their families -- wipe out their good will and kind nature.

Last week, one of these Lost Boys (John Bul Dau) came to Mason City and spoke about the events that unfolded.

He was forced to flee from his village in the middle of the night from attacking Muslim soldiers. He escaped only to walk barefoot for 3 days in the desert (No water, no food). He drank water from the mud on the ground, and found a peach-like fruit in which he ate to survive.

He came upon a refuge camp in Ethiopia where he lived for nearly 4 years. The camp was surrounded by armed guards and prevented the refugees from leaving. The camp came under attack AGAIN from Muslim Soldiers and they were forced to flee.

This time, they had to cross a river to reach freedom. This river was no ordinary river. It was so wide that it took nearly 3 days to cross. They had no boats, no rafts, to floatation devices, and were forced to wade and swim across the river. The only thing they had to help them across the fast moving current was a single rope that had been strung across the river to prevent mothers and children from being swept away. If that wasn't enough....the river was full of crocodiles. Many people perished from the man eating crocodiles, and on several occasions, some of those people were eaten alive right next to John.

I write this blog today for several reasons. First, I think that everyday we complain about the simple things in our life. I believe that alot of us, living in the FREE WORLD, take our freedoms for granted. How blessed are you to be able to get up everyday and have opportunity knocking at your door?

John Bul Dau had two main points to his speech.

First, he wanted everyone to know that the Almighty God saved him. He believed that it was the only thing that allowed him to survive the nature of events that unfolded. Everything from surviving war, to desert, to lack of food and water, to crocodile filled rivers.

My question to you is....where are you at personally with your relationship with God? It's a big question. But it is one that John felt was important to list as his #1. There isn't anything too big happening in your life RIGHT NOW that God can't handle.

Second, he cried out "NEVER GIVE UP!".

Every day as Americans we get out of bed and we should say these two words with every foot that hits the ground. "Thank"..."You". Thank you God that we live in a time and place that allows us to walk to work without crossing a river filled with man eating crocodiles. Thank you God that you put us in a time and place that allows us to live free. Thank you that we have the freedoms to either deny You or accept You. Thank you that we have opportunity to work a home based business, work a job we love, walk away from things we hate, involve ourselves with family, friends.....WE HAVE OPTIONS...and WE HAVE THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE.

From a Life perspective: What are you doing RIGHT NOW to live the life you want?

From a Relationship perspective: What are you doing RIGHT NOW to strengthen your relationships?

From a Business perspective: What are you doing RIGHT NOW to further your business? You can make 10-20 contacts a day. Why? Because you don't have a crocodile sitting by your phone.
We might be able to make excuses for our failures....we certainly don't have excuses for quitting.

The Tortoise and Hare "revisited"

1. Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the argument with a race. The tortoise and hare both agreed on a route and started off the race. The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race. He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ. The hare woke up and realised that he'd lost the race.

The moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race. This is the version of the story that we've all grown up with.

2. But then recently, someone told me a more interesting version of this tortoise and hare story. It continues.
The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching. He realised that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed.
This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.

The moral of the story? Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. If you have two people in your organisation, one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and still reliable at what he does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organisational ladder faster than the slow, methodical chap. It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable.

3. But the story doesn't end here. The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realised that there's no way he can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted. He thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route. The hare agreed. The tortoise and hare started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometres on the other side of the river. The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.

The moral of the story? First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency. In an organisation, if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that enable the senior management to notice you.
If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research, make a report and send it upstairs. Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed, but will also create opportunities for growth and advancement.

The story still hasn't ended.

4. The tortoise and hare, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better. So the tortoise and hare decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time.
They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. Both the tortoise and hare felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.

The moral of the story? It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well.

How can we use this philosophy?

Tune out the Negative Voices!

I saw an old friend of mine today after a business meeting in a local coffee shop. As I stopped to talk with him I quickly learned he was majorly depressed. His life wasn't turning out the way he thought it should. His finances, his career, his relationships, his family, and his health were all unbalanced. Throughout the conversation he would say "I'm just not sure what I'm doing, where I'm going. I feel like a loser"

Ever felt that way?

I went on to tell him that I thought he was being bombarded by the negative voices inside his head and that the only way to turn things around was to TUNE OUT THE NEGATIVE VOICES.

We are constantly being bombarded with negative words, thoughts and images. (Especially as of late with the national election around the corner.) The television, radio, news print, all seem to emit a negative vibe and the only way to curb it is through TURNING those media outlets off, or casting them to the side and replacing them with positive and motivational books, CD's, and Video's. Our minds are fragile places and it seems that whatever we allow inside blossoms into something much, much, bigger on the way out!

Take a single word for example. What could a single negative word do? Well, the English Language has somewhere near 750,000 words. This constitutes the most words in any given language with German running a distance 2nd place with half as many words.

What's so fascinating about this?

The average person's vocabulary consists of between 2,000 and 10,000 KNOWN words. That means we regularly use only 1/2 of 1 percent of the language! Out of this figure only 3,000 words are related to human emotion, and out of those emotional words only 1,051 of them describe a positive emotion. That means 2,086 (over half) describe negative emotions.

We are naturally bombarded within our own culture with a vocabulary that includes twice as many negative emotional words than positive words. So, it only makes sense that when we turn on the television, open the next day newspaper, flip on the radio, that our own senses will be attacked by these SAME negative words of influence. That SINGLE negative word....could be self-destructing. Thus, it's important to realize that words shape our beliefs and impact our actions.

Advice: Tune out the negative and replace it with something positive. Go on a mental fast and cut out the destructive static in the back ground that is sabotaging your dreams and your life!! Do it today and reap the benefits!!

My "Why"

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words....isn't it?

Life is Short

I had a long conversation with my mother last night. We normally talk about things like..the grandchildren, brother and sister stuff, family, church, community, jobs, career, finances, vacations....all the normal stuff.

But the conversation quickly changed to my cousin. She hasn't been feeling well the past few months and she went to see her doctor. The tests recently came back that she has cancer in her liver. They can't operate. They can't cure it. They sent her home and brought in a stay at home nurse to take care of her.

I'm familiar with liver cancer. My Grandmother died of it. She lived exactly ONE week after being diagnosed with it. Liver cancer moves fast...and I know my cousin will be gone soon.

Sorry if this seems like a down and out posting on my blog. But sometimes we all need a reality check.

Life is short. One day we are here, and the next day our Father calls us home. We know neither the time or place.

People are not going to remember whether or not you made billions of $$$ in your life time. They are not going to remember whether or not you worked for Target Corporation and worked a 90 hour a week job.

BUT........

They will remember the time you spent with them. They will remember the special phone calls, the walks, the talks, the trips, the memories of being TOGETHER.

My business means nothing to me. My Family means EVERYTHING.....and that is why I work my home-based business. Because my family is my "Why". Everyday when I get up...I don't think about how many people could benefit from my product or opportunity. No...instead..I think about how my family is benefiting from Mom and Dad staying at home...being together. How I am investing in myself and my family rather for someone else and their pocket book.

Why? Because I know that eventually someday....my time will come. And when it comes..I want to make sure that I have lived my life to its fullest. I especially want to make sure that I have spent that time wisely...and not foolishly.

Have you written out your why? If so....great. If not....WHY not? Check out my next posting...."My Why"

Life is short.........start living it!

The Pyramid of Success Part 3 (The 2nd Tier)

The 2nd Tier of Wooden's Pyramid involved Self-Control, Alertness, Initiative, and Intentness.

Control of your organization begins with control of yourself. Do you lead by example? Be a heads up leader! Make alertness a habit. Take the necessary steps to see what's coming. Are you ready for Glimpse?

Never fear failure. Even well-reasoned actions can fail. Mistakes and failed action are part of progress. An effective leader understands this....accepts it...and strives to make sure those misstep's are not caused by sloppiness, haste or poor judgement.

And for the last building stone in the 2nd tier...always remember to have intentness. Call it focus, persistence, determination.....in the end they all mean the same thing!

Let's put the 2nd tier into practice today!