Let Freedom Ring!

Lucky

2008-11-25T16:07:00.004-06:00

I don't know how true the story is, but, it's inspiring and as always, I had to share:

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease . . . in fact, she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her . . . what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember . . . live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget . . . the people who make a difference in our lives are not t he ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

href="http://www.whatisthesecret.tv">

Success University in the News!

2008-11-11T20:18:00.001-06:00

Success University Empowers Others Through Personal Development

Jay Lillie
October 09, 2008

On one side are millions of Americans who live in fear of a bad economy.

On the other side is a life full of peace, prosperity, and freedom.

In the middle is a man on a mission.

Matt Morris, founder and CEO of Success University has dedicated his life to helping others achieve their goals and avoid becoming victims of a bad economy. Matt became a student of personal development and self help since he was in his teens. Today, he runs a multi million dollar company that has become one of the fastest growing personal development companies in the world.

"The goal behind Success University is to help people get the skills they need to excel in life regardless of the current economic situation. The current economic situation is one of the greatest times in history for savvy entrepreneur to gain incredible wealth if you have the right mindset and tools for success," beams Morris

Success University just completed two back to back record breaking months in total revenues since the inception of the company 3 1/2 years ago... obviously Matt knows something most of the business world does not. His curriculum has been designed with one thing in mind - to teach you the right kind of knowledge that will raise the level of success in every area of your life.

Success University firmly believes that knowledge alone won't make you wealthy and we have assembled over 150 of the most top business minds on the planet who collectively have helped millions of people achieve astounding levels of success. Success University now brings you the most advanced online courses on success ever assembled.

Faculty members include Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, Les Brown and many others.

For more information visit www.successuniversity.com

ABOUT SUCCESS UNIVERSITY

Success Learning Systems Inc., dba Success University, became the #1 most visited personal development company on the Internet in their first year in business. Now, after two and a half years in business, Success University has enrolled almost 100,000

students in 180 countries around the world to become one of the largest companies in the personal development industry generating millions of dollars annually.

Lucky

2008-11-07T15:17:00.001-06:00

Lucky

I don't know how true the story is, but, it's inspiring and as always, I had to share:

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease . . . in fact, she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her . . . what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember . . . live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget . . . the people who make a difference in our lives are not t he ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God

Tips for an Exceptional, Superb & Powerful Life!

2008-08-25T11:06:00.005-05:00

Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate antidepressant.

Always pray and make time to exercise.

Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants And eat less foods that are manufactured in Plants.

Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

Try to make at least three people smile each day.

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a layman, and dinner like a beggar .

Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

Forgive everyone for everything.

What other people think of you is none of your Business.

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH LIFE'S A gift that's why it's called PRESENT ... UNWRAP IT! Have a Blessed day. Please share with friends!

The Mayor of Your Life

2008-08-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

The Mayor of Your Life

Whenever I do a boot camp, my students are amazed at how I seem to know everybody. One time while doing a boot camp in New York City, one of the guys termed me “The Mayor of New York City” because everywhere I went, I knew somebody. I knew men. I knew women. I knew kids. I knew dogs. I knew shopkeepers. I knew everybody. By knowing all these people everywhere I go, I also continually met more new people.

The number one mistake that people make when they go out and try to meet someone romantically is that they go out with the laser focus of locating and speaking to people they are attracted to, while ignoring everyone else. To become really successful at meeting and connecting with people romantically, you need to learn how to be the “Mayor” not of New York City – but of YOUR own life! It is when you take on this attitude about how you interact with the world that you will also meet members of the opposite sex.

Here are four key elements to becoming the mayor of your own life:

1. Stop Trying To Just “Meet Men” or “Meet Women,” And Start Meeting People. I admit that I used to do this. I'd call my buddies up and say “Let's go out and pick up some women today!” So all day long we would go out and find women, stress out about what to say to them, and ignore everyone else. Now, let me teach you something that is far simpler, a thousand times more effective, and will decrease your rejection rate 100%. Instead of going out and trying to “meet someone,” go out and start meeting PEOPLE. That's right. Start talking to everybody you know . . . and everybody you don't know. By going out and communicating with everyone, you'll start attracting people instead of having to chase them. By talking to the little old lady who is walking her dog, that man or woman you are really attracted to and want to meet will notice the good positive energy you're displaying, which will cause them to become attracted to you and even get them to approach YOU. By being personable and friendly as you interact with everyone, you will attract those people you always want to meet just by your demeanor.

1. Get To Know “Key People” In Your Life. In addition to starting to be friendly and talking to everyone around you, there are certain “key people” in your life that you need to get to know. The exact people will vary person to person depending on your individual routine, but these will be people who are in the places you go on a regular basis. For example, get to know the checkout people who work at your local supermarket, the person who serves you coffee every day at Starbucks, the person who works the counter at your dry cleaners, the person who makes your sandwich at lunch or the host at the local restaurant you eat at regularly. By getting to know these people, when someone you're attracted to is behind you in line, you can break the ice by starting a conversation with the checkout person with whom you're already comfortable. That eases the pressure of beginning a conversation with the person with whom you're not yet comfortable. People are attracted to people who are personable and who make them feel comfortable.

1. Repetition Is The Mother Of Skill. As you are also already well aware, it is extremely hard to start a conversation with a total stranger when you haven't talked to anyone else all day long. Think of talking to everyone like a warm up. All good baseball players warm up over and over again before they play. NFL quarterbacks and their receivers who have played together for years still practice with each other every day. Do you think meeting members of the opposite sex is any different from anything else you want to become skilled at doing? To become skilled at connecting with members of the opposite sex requires you to become skilled at connecting with everyone. So, the old adage “repetition is the mother of skill” is 100% true. It's time you went out and started to practice meeting everybody – and practice it every day!

1. Be Authentic and Be Yourself. As you go out there meeting and interacting with everyone around you, keep in mind that you need to be authentic and genuine in your conversations. By doing this, members of the opposite sex are going to become attracted to you. Not only that, when you talk to everyone you don't ever have to worry about “opening lines” or routines to meet someone that are fake-looking and obvious. I am going to lose it if I hear one more guy walk up to a woman and lay some lame routine on her. I am no fan of using canned routines. You will never again need a routine if you naturally learn how to become mayor of your own life. Not only that, but the members of the opposite sex you want to meet will start to approach YOU.

It's time you became mayor of your life! Not only will this give you the opportunity to meet all the members of the opposite sex you have been wanting to meet, but you will enjoy the way you connect with people every day.

All the power to you,
David Wygant
http://www.toolstolife.com

Inspire someone you love...

If you like today's Inspiration send it to someone you care about. Brighten their day!

Be in the Prosperity Flow

2008-08-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

Visit: http://www.thoughtsalive.com for more great inspiration!

Be in the Prosperity Flow
Perhaps you've heard, "What you resist, persists."

But what does this mean?

As a child of God you are entitled to all things necessary for your complete mental, physical, and spiritual development.

As writer Wallace Wattles put it,

"Man's right to life means his right to have the free and unrestricted use of all the things which may be necessary to his fullest mental, spiritual, and physical unfoldment; or, in other words, his right to be rich...

"To be really rich does not mean to be satisfied or contented with a little. No man ought to be satisfied with a little if he is capable of using and enjoying more. The purpose of Nature is the advancement and unfoldment of life; every man should have all that can contribute to the power, elegance, beauty, and richness of life; to be content with less is sinful."

To be content is to reject growth and development. We can and should be grateful for life as we have it now, but discontentment is God's natural tool for encouraging us to continue striving toward our greatest potential.

When we resist change, we are fighting against nature itself. All nature, by definition, is impelled toward growth. If it is living, its object is expansion. We have a choice, to live, grow, and expand through change, or to begin the process of decay by refusing to grow.

So, nature is friendly to your plans. You want to grow and expand and develop into something greater than you were before. Nature expects that of you and has provided the way for you to achieve it. When life appears difficult and seems to be keeping you back from achieving your potential, it is not because the things you need are out of reach... it is because you are in resistance to the natural flow of growth.

When you fuss about the lack of money, you are in resistance. What you need will appear when you need it so long as you continue moving your feet in the direction of your objectives, trusting God to bring you the resources you need as you need them. So long as you can still do something more without additional resources, you are not stuck. Keep going.

In this moment, you have all you need. Be grateful. If you don't have the money for next week's bill, stop thinking about what you lack. You don't need next week's bill money today because it is not next week yet. Be grateful now and get busy setting up avenues for God to send you the money. Put the buckets out so that when the rain falls, you're ready for it. Do what you can do RIGHT NOW.

How do you know what to do right now?

Decide what you want, and picture yourself with it. Pretend in your mind that it is already with you. See it; feel it. Ask God for it. Thank him for it.

Then go back to your life, and pay attention to ideas that will pop into your head. They may be as simple as "call John" or as random as "go pick up that piece of trash on the sidewalk". They may be as easy as "wear your blue shirt today" or as hard as "take your vacation money and invest it in education".

If you have taken the time to really picture and feel what you want, you can trust that you will be led to the resources you need for it to all work out in its proper time. Thought by thought, and action by action.

Giving more energy to the desired outcome and giving less energy to the way things are will lead you along in the flow of prosperity. It's like tapping in to the jet stream and having it carry you swiftly and almost effortlessly to where you want to go. The hardest part is believing that faith in the flow will not fail you.

Learning to trust in God and in his direction for your life is probably the hardest but most rewarding thing you will ever do. Trust him, and he will lift you up to become more than you could ever become on your own. You'll be even more extraordinary than you already are. You'll be a light to others. You'll lift and inspire, because God will be working through you... and wherever there is flow, things grow.

I love this segment of Richard Bach's book, Illusions:

Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a great crystal river.

The current of the river swept silently over them all - young and old, rich and poor, good and evil, the current going it's own way, knowing only it's own crystal self.

Each creature in it's own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth.

But one creature said at last, 'I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die of boredom.’

The other creatures laughed and said, 'Fool! Let go, and that current you worship will throw you tumbled and smashed against the rocks, and you will die quicker than boredom!'

But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks.

Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more.

And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried

'See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies!’

So if you want be free, you have to trust in the flow. Avoid resistance to the challenges and hardships God provides, because they contain the key to your freedom. Accept them, face them, focus on the successful outcome of them.

If your money is to grow, it needs to flow. Let it flow through you and you're living according to the principles of prosperity. Currency is meant to keep circulating... think "current-cy"! (A wonderful tip I received from one of our mentors in training... thanks, Ken!)

Exchange money for things that have greater value and your wealth will grow. I know, it's counter-intuitive, but you must invest. Invest in yourself. Have the mental stamina to think long-term and plan for your prosperous future. Make sacrifices - and remember that a sacrifice is, by definition, giving something up for something greater.

What can you do with that $50 (or $500... whatever the case may be), that will put you in a position to be able to receive more than what you spent? If, for example, you have access to money at 2% interest and earn 10% on that money, you have created wealth in your life... and in the lives of the other parties involved. As money flows, wealth grows.

(Spend borrowed money on things that do NOT produce income, and you are on the wrong side of the wealth creation equation. Be careful. Let money flow, but choose carefully where you put it.)

Investment in education is an investment in your ability to produce greater income. Investment in your business is an investment in its ability to produce greater income. Put your money where it will help you earn more money. Eventually, it works for you while you're sleeping. It purchases your freedom to focus on all that was neglected when lack of money was a constant concern.

So get a clear picture of life the way you want it to be. Set the firm intention, and focus on accomplishing it.

You already have all you need to get it done, right now. Just like the team on Apollo 13 had a limited pile of gadgets to work with, they nevertheless had all they needed to reverse the catastrophe and bring them all safely home.

Keep your thinking in check, and you'll be able to arrange all that you have, already at your fingertips, in such a way that you'll get safely to your destination as well.

Serenity from Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day

2008-08-18T16:28:00.001-05:00

Vistit http://www.insightoftheday.com and sign up for Bob Proctor's daily eZine:

Serenity

Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.

A person becomes calm in the measure that one understands themselves as a thought evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought, and as one develops a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect, one ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene.

The calm person, having learned how to govern themselves, knows how to adapt themselves to others; and they, in turn, reverence their spiritual strength, and feel that they can learn of them and rely upon them. The more tranquil a person becomes, the greater is their success, their influence, their power for good. Even the ordinary trader will find their business prosperity increase as one develops a greater self control and equanimity, for people will always prefer to deal with a person whose demeanor is strongly equable.

The strong, calm person is always loved and revered. They are like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. Who does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered, balanced life? It does not matter whether it rains or shines, or what changes come to those possessing these blessings, for they are always sweet, serene, and calm. That exquisite poise of character which we call serenity is the last lesson of culture; it is the flowering of life, the fruitage of the soul. It is precious as wisdom, more to be desired than gold, than even fine gold. How insignificant mere money seeking looks in comparison with a serene life - a life that dwells in the ocean of truth, beneath the waves, beyond the reach of tempests, in the eternal calm!

How many people we know who sour their lives, who ruin all that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers, who destroy their poise of character, and make bad blood! It is a question whether the great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control flow few people we meet in life who are well-balanced, who have that exquisite poise which is characteristic of the finished character!

James Allen
1864-1912, Author

Steve Jobs (Apple) Your Friday Story from Bob Proctor

2008-08-15T09:41:00.004-05:00

From Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day (http://www.insightoftheday.com

Here is your Friday story,

Love and Loss

I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started?

Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT.

I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple.It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.

Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs gave this as his second story of his Commencement Address at Stanford University on June 12, 2005.

Bob Proctor
Create your own Vision Board.
Make a screen saver or print it on a poster.
This is a spectacular program.
Find out more by going to:
http://www.lifesuccessvisionboard.com

What would you do for love?

2008-08-13T09:48:00.001-05:00

“You can explore the universe looking for somebody who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and you will not find that person anywhere.”

– Anonymous

The Crazy Things We Do For Love
toolstolife.com

I want you to remember a time in your life when someone that loves you really “went to bat for you” and did you a really huge favor, or went out of their way to do something nice for you.

Now, ask yourself, if you had seen the same opportunity that they did, and you had the means… Would you have taken similar action for yourself?

We all do crazy things for love. We work our fingers to the bone, spend money to buy gifts or help out when we don’t really have the money to spare, some of us would bleed ourselves dry for the ones we love. Wars have been waged, sacrifices made, there is almost nothing we wouldn’t do for love.

If you could (you can) harness that self-same energy, passion and drive from the love you give to others and turn it inward on yourself, what would you do for you?

Question of The Week – August 13th, 2008

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done in the name of love? How did it feel to do it?

Share something outrageous that you’ve done because you really love someone, and let’s all really “feel the love” with this week’s question.

Visit: http://www.toolstolife.com

The House of 1000 Mirrors

2008-08-11T10:48:00.003-05:00

The House of 1000 Mirrors

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?

Japanese Folktale

Having A Vision: Courtesy of Bob Proctor

2008-08-08T10:53:00.005-05:00

Here is your Friday story,

Having A Vision

Whether you liked his politics or not, much can be learned from the life of former President Clinton. Grolier's "New Book of Knowledge" reports that as a teenager "Clinton thought of becoming a doctor or a reporter or even a musician. But after a fateful meeting with President John F. Kennedy, while still in high school, he made up his mind to enter politics." At that moment a vision was born that he would hold onto - that he would glorify in his mind over and over - for the next 30 years, until he himself was elected President at the age of 46.

Jay Leno, who succeeded the venerable Johnny Carson as host of "The Tonight Show," first envisioned that he would be the host when he was just 22-years-old and unknown and unproven as a comedian, much less as host of a show of such regard. For twenty years he enthroned in his heart an ideal that most people would have thought was "foolish, outlandish and impossible."

The ancient writer tells us in Proverbs that "Without a vision, the people perish." And Thoreau told us that "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." No doubt because the masses are without a vision for their lives.

What is your vision for your future, your ideal life? Is it written down? Do you review it and think about it often? Have you "enthroned" it in your heart? Is your life organized around goals and objectives that will ensure your vision is reached?

Wallace D. Wattles, wrote "There is no labor from which most people shrink as they do from that of sustained and consecutive thought; it is the hardest work in the world." And yet it is the "sustained and consecutive thought" about our vision that is the first and primary labor of achievement.

Thoreau also wrote one of my favorite passages of all time. And it gives us the best reason there is to stop what you're doing today and identify the vision for your life. "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

And that's worth thinking about!

Vic Johnson

Vic Johnson is a speaker, author and entrepreneur. You can visit his website at: www.asamanthinketh.net
Click here for our printable version

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Bob Proctor
Finally! After many requests it''s here!
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Quote of the Day from Bob Proctor (The Secret)

2008-08-07T11:26:00.006-05:00

I think it's wonderful to get these daily doses of "inspiration" like the quote below from Bob Proctor's daily Ezine and yesterday's message. Keep yourself motivated. Keep yourself in action. Determine your goals and GO FOR IT!

"Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal. Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your knowledge and adding to your experience, so that you can make the most of opportunity when it occurs.'"

Mario Andretti
Auto Racer

Don't forget to sign up for Bob Proctor's daily Ezine at http://www.insightoftheday.com

Inspiration - Procrastination: The Secret

2008-08-06T11:52:00.003-05:00

I subscribe to a list from an awesome little site called: ToolsToLife.com. You check it out if you haven't already. Today I received this email & how timely it was!! Isn't it marvelous how these little tidbits arrive just when we need them most? Just in time to give me a good swift kick in my "procrastination" :) Enjoy!!

“Don’t fool yourself that important things can be put off till tomorrow; they can be put off forever, or not at all.”

- Mignon Laughlin

Can you put a stop to putting it off?

This week, in Monday’s inspiration, we kicked off a conversation about a problem that at one time or another plagues us all. Procrastination.

Continuing the conversation in the daily podcast, the one thing I want you to get out of this is to identify, act, and share what it feels like to take action to attaining one of your goals.

It doesn’t matter what it is, the only thing that matters is that Tomorrow Can’t Wait.

I want you to ask yourself, why is it acceptable to push yourself to things you really don’t want to do like running errands, mowing the lawn, doing the dishes… But when it comes to the things you really want in life it’s okay for you to say “Oh I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Well, we can’t wait till tomorrow. And that brings us to this week’s Question of the week.

Question of the Week – August 6th, 2008

Share one of your goals that you’d like to achieve, but have been putting off “till tomorrow.” Now, take a minute to think what is one simple little thing you could do to set your feet in the direction of that goal?

Finding Gratitude

2008-08-05T10:14:00.001-05:00

As is usually the case, Dale Thomas Smith's Motivational Monday inspired yet again! If you'd like to subscribe to her weekly "Motivational Monday" - visit http://www.winnersbychoice.com - until then I'll share:

1. "Be grateful when the sun rises in the morning and shines through your window into your eyes. It's a sign that your alive for yet another wonderful, and magnificent day.

2. Be grateful for the mistakes you make today. These mistakes will shape you into a stronger person tomorrow and allow you to gain knowledge and wisdom you didn't have before you made that mistake.

3. Be grateful for the love you have in your life. Even if you have absolutely no one in your life right now, be grateful for the friendship and love you have with and from yourself.

4. Be grateful for the flaws you have as a person and an individual. This reminds you that there is always room to grow and develop and advance as a person. Life would be boring and uneventful for those who are perfect.

5. Be grateful for the cold wintry morning as you leave your house. The cold bites at us and reminds us that we are alive, and it gives us a chance to enjoy the site of our breathe which also reminds us that we are alive and breathing.

6. Be grateful for the person who stabs you in the back. It reminds you of the people who are always there for you no matter how bad it gets or what goes wrong.

7. Be grateful for the music that gets on your nerves. It reminds you that you still have ears to hear with and a mind to decide what you like and don't like.

8. Be grateful for the problems you have because it reminds you that you have the ability to solve problems and improve your life in every area of your life.

Simply remember to be grateful, for every single thing." Dwayne Gilbert

Bob Proctor: Are You Letting "Circumstances" Hold You Back?

2008-08-04T10:48:00.002-05:00

The greatest stumbling block to achieving anything of importance in your life is circumstances. We let circumstances get us off the hook when we should be giving it everything we've got. More dreams are shattered and goals lost because of circumstances than any other single factor.
How often have you caught yourself saying, "I would like to do or have this but I can't because...?" Whatever follows "because" is the circumstance.

Successful people use circumstances to catapult them on toward their goal, while the masses use them as road blocks. A circumstance may cause a detour in your life but you should never permit it to stop you.

George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying, "People are always blaming circumstance for what they are. I do not believe in circumstance. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstance they want and if they can't find them they make them."

Napoleon said, "Circumstances hell, I make them."

The next time you hear someone say they would like to vacation in Paris, or purchase a particular automobile but they can't because they have no money. Tell them they don't need any money, your reward will probably be a blank stare followed with, "What do you mean I don't need any money?"

Explain they don't need the money until they make a decision to go to Paris or purchase the car. When the decision is made, they will figure out a way to get the amount needed. They always do.

The circumstance they are using is one of the most common: a lack of money. The real cause of their problem is lack of decision. You always attract what you need when you decide it must be done. Try this yourself today. You know the task you have been putting off "because..." Make a decision, forget the circumstance or adopt Shaw's theory, but get it done!

Bob Proctor

Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day: Your Friday Story

2008-08-01T16:07:00.002-05:00

If you enjoy a daily dose of inspiration, go to:

www.insightoftheday.com and subscribe! Until then:

Here is your Friday story,

Gifts From the Heart

According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.

Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"

The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter. Heartfelt gifts deserve the return gift of gratitude."

I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it's a ceramic tray or a macaroni bracelet, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.

Gratitude doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.

Michael Josephson
www.charactercounts.org

Sent to you as a courtesy of: www.insightoftheday.com

Bob Proctor
Unlimited income and wealth are within your reach
if you can leverage the hidden income sources in your
business. Join Bob Proctor''s Wealth Lab
To find out how, go to:
http://www.mywealthlab.com

Make the Most of IT!!

2008-07-30T13:21:00.005-05:00

Dale's Motivational Monday this week included this story. As always, passing on the inspiration. Make it a GREAT day - Make today count!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's Your Life So Make the Most of It
By Nathaniel Branden

One of the most important ingredients in your personal development is taking real responsibility for your actions. This requires that you consciously become the cause of the results that you want. Refuse to behave like a victim... or to wait for someone to save you from life's problems.

Keys to Self-responsibility

To reach your full potential, you need to take responsibility for your actions in meaningful ways...

Consciousness. You have a choice -- you can pay attention and be fully present when you are making critical decisions, such as working on a project, reading your performance review or deciding whether to have another drink. Or you can be physically present but mentally absent during these activities. Either way, you are responsible for the level of consciousness you bring to any occasion -- and you are responsible for the results.

Decisions and actions. It is tempting to "disconnect" from our choices -- to insist that someone or something is driving us to behave the way we do. Other people don't make you talk or act in certain ways. You are responsible for how you speak and listen... whether you act rationally or not... whether you treat others fairly or unfairly... whether you keep your promises or break them. Once you recognize that you are the source of your own decisions and actions, you are far more likely to proceed wisely -- and to act in ways that will not cause embarrassment or regret later.

Fulfillment of desires. A major cause of unhappiness or frustration is imagining that someone will come along to "rescue" you -- to solve your problems and fulfill your wishes. A self-responsible person recognizes that no one is coming to make life right or to "fix" things. You acknowledge that nothing will get better unless you do something to make it happen.

Beliefs and values. Many people are happy to reflect passively what others believe and value. Or they assume that their ideas arise naturally out of their feelings -- by instinct. Self-responsible people work to become aware of their beliefs and values... to critically scrutinize them... to seek out people who see things differently... and then to make up their own minds.

Setting priorities. The way we spend time and energy is either in sync with our values or out of sync with what we claim is important. If you understand that the way you prioritize your time is your own choice, you are more likely to correct the contradictions. Instead of being overwhelmed or neglecting people and activities that are important to you, you reexamine your values or set priorities that make more sense.

Choice of companions. You can blame and resent others when they repeatedly hurt or disappoint you. You can feel sorry for yourself. Or you can recognize your responsibility for choosing with whom you spend time... and make different choices.

For more information on Dale and having her speak for your organization log onto the Book Dale page of http://www.DaleSmithThomas.com

Home Business Directory

So You Watched the Secret?

2008-07-28T22:09:00.005-05:00

Awesome article from Tony Rush's Liberty League Blog:

So you watched "The Secret"....

So you read the book....

So you downloaded "The Science of Getting Rich"....

So you went to a Tony Robbins weekend....

So you read "Think and Grow Rich"....

So you've been around personal development for years....

.......and you've learned some really "profound" things.

Let me ask you a question, though:

How profound is it if you know everything and your life doesn't work any better?

Does it really matter how educated you are about success principles if you can't see a dramatic difference between how your life looks as a result of what you know?

Seriously. Think about that.

Because, here's the thing: you've got a limited amount of time on this earth before your ride is over. And every day, week, month and year that goes by in your present situation ....is a day, week, month or year that you are not...living...up...to...your...potential.

Period. End of Story

All the resources I mentioned at the top of this post are GREAT. They really are. But, if your life is not a demonstration of what you know....then you're still not getting it.

The Beyond Freedom Life Achievement Course is unique in that it has a built-in COMMUNITY of people whom you can mastermind with daily and weekly.

It's not a book.
It's not a DVD.
It's not a CD.
It's not a study guide.

It's all of those things PLUS a personal experience.

Check it out for yourself at http://www.libertyleague.com/libertylifestyle

Start living the life you deserve right NOW. Not tomorrow.

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You Don't have to get it right - You just have to get it going! by Mike Litman

2008-07-25T15:11:00.004-05:00

I'm listening to some great CD's from Jeffrey Combs and today's CD featured Mike Litman. Now, I've never heard Mike but his CD was awesome. I jotted down the two books he recommended and then logged onto his site at: www.MikeLitman.com

There I discovered his Blog with a lot of the same materials - just a whole lot more. Drop by his site, check out the Blog, sign up for the newsletter and GET GOING!!

http://www.mikelitman.com/blog/

Sitting on the sidelines.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Millions of people are doing this today. Millions.

I used to do this as well. For 7 years.

Let me share with you an idea today that if you CAPTURE can
radically, radically change your life. And fast. Very.

Back in 1998, I was 24 years old and I hosted a success radio
show. My radio show has 3 listeners, 2 of them were my
parents.

If you saw my website back then, here was the headline,
‘World’s
#1 Personal Development Radio Show’.

I didn’t say I had the most listeners, though I believed I
had the most valuable, life changing radio show on the air
today.

“Mike, interesting, why are you telling me this story today?”

Good question amigo.

I’m telling you this because this is one of many examples I
can give to you that is revealing a powerful success
principle.

One more for today.

Was famous boxer Mohammed Ali telling everyone he was the
‘Greatest’ before he became the best in the world?

Yes, he was.

Too many people today are waiting for someone to tap them on
the shoulder and say, “You’re ready to leave the sidelines
and enter the game. Your time is now.”

In my experience, the game of success doesn’t work that way.

Here’s how it works.

***You have to VOTE YOURSELF IN.

Yes, YOU have to vote yourself in.

You have to stand up, leave the sidelines and enter the
playing field.

Start branding yourself.

Start writing your own newsletter.

Do a talk at your local library.

Start a website.

Whatever the next step is for you, here’s what’s important.

DECIDE to vote yourself in.

From politicians, to entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, and
all the names you know all voted themselves in.

Are you ready to do the same?

Love Ya! You’re The Best!

Your Coach,

Michael
P.S. One of my early mentors said this, “Nothing great has
ever been achieved without stretching yourself.”

Monday Motivation from toolstolife.com

2008-07-21T17:33:00.001-05:00

What is your excuse?

There is no definition of your life other than the definition you give your life.

-Devlyn Steele

For most of us, there are things in our life we would like to do, improve, or change; and a parallel set of excuses why we are not achieving them.

So the first question is what do you want to do, improve or change? Interestingly enough I found out recently that many people get defensive when asked that question. In truth, we all have things we want to see in our life. For me as I work so hard at trying to change the world, I forget balance at times. If it is not a concrete thing like weight, or career, or finance, or relationship, maybe it is increasing travel, joy, and laughter. Maybe it is seeing your family and friends more.

It does not mater who you are and what level of success you have achieved in your life, we want improvements in same manner or another. That simply is human nature, the drive of life to accomplish and improve. So, what is it for you?

Interestingly enough, even though we all want improvement we often are not doing what we can to accomplish those changes. There are many factors to the why behind that. One of the factors is the excuses we make.

Excuses come in all shapes and sizes; however at the end of the day no matter you call

It - a reason, a fact in your mind, an explanation, a set of circumstances, the way it is, or a million different ways I have heard it phrased, it is all the same: these are excuses.

I don’t have time.

I have a lot of responsibilities.

Once I get through this heavy schedule, I’ll get to it.

It cost too much.

It’s not possible with managing a family, a job and all right now.

I can’t do it.

I don’t like doing it.

I have other priorities.

I can’t meet anyone.

The list is endless. The bottom line is you do have the time, you can do it and there is nothing getting in your way other than you. You are the only obstacle between you and the life improvements you want in your life.

The question I have is simple: how important are the changes you want? Human character is amazing; when something really becomes important we do what it takes to accomplish it. We no longer see obstacles and we no longer find excuses, we simply go into action.

Therefore, the next question: what will it take to motivate you to make the changes you want important enough to get into action and give up your excuses? I’ll give you a very simple example of what I mean by motivation. When people give me their list of excuses, I always ask, “If I offered you a million dollars could you do it?”

The answer is, “YES!”

So when the motivation, the time and other excuses go away, you would make it happen.

Now motivation comes in many different forms other than money. What I would like to know, when it comes to improving your health, your career, your relationships, your finances, your joy, laughter and overall happiness in life, what is it going to take to motivate you? What will it take for you to realize that the only thing holding your life back is you?

This week, list at one thing, one thing you want to do, improve or change in your life. There has to be one. List it and then ask yourself what is your excuse you use to prevent that from happening in your life? Then decide to get motivated; decide that nothing can hold you back. Pretend you will get one million dollars if you accomplish it, and get into action.
Your life truly is your decision. Decide to make your life what you want you life to be!

May You Find...

2008-07-21T16:44:00.001-05:00

"May You Find"

"May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand. May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism. Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone. May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace. May a kind word, a reassuring touch, and a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them. Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending.

Teach love to those who hate, and let that love embrace you as you go out into the world. May the teachings of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them. Remember, those whose lives you have touched and whose have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more important than the form.

May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future. May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgment of your accomplishments. May you always feel loved."

Make Today Count!

Tools To Life! Join Free & Be Free!!

2008-07-18T16:44:00.004-05:00

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You can ACHIEVE YOUR SUCCESS in 15 minutes a day!

* Choose A Program
* Tell your story to the Tools Community
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* Get Excited, and Get started...Today!

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Here's a clip from their Ezine. Read, enjoy, join!!

Wake Up!

I recently had the opportunity to go to a Coldplay concert, which was just phenomenal. I like Coldplay because they show such passion, which made their concert a great experience. You know, right in the middle of the show, Chris Martin said, “Nothing is better than going out, standing there in front of all these people, creating great energy and playing with all of your best friends.”

That is what life is all about! Life is about enjoying your self. Life is about experiencing things; having fun with your friends. Life is not about chasing people you want; life is about attracting people into your life.

I had a wake-up call inspired by the experiences at that Coldplay concert and realizations I made when something happened to me that rocked my world. I discovered that a lump I found on my six year-old English Lab Daphne's belly contained mast cells. Although mast cells in a dog can be either malignant or non-malignant and although I received conflicting medical opinions, I chose to have the lump taken out. I am figuring she will be okay. My fingers are crossed.

What all of this makes you realize, though, is that life is very precious. Life can be taken away from you at any moment. Everyone that you love can be lost in an instant. You don't know what fate has in store for you. You have no idea what's going to happen to you on any single day. So why do so many people choose not to live life to the fullest? Why do so many people go through life like they're in a coma?

So many of us go through life like we are here forever and we have an unlimited amount of time to experience life. Not only are we not here forever, we could be here a much shorter time than we anticipate. Life is a gift, and it's a gift that you need to embrace every single day. Enjoy life!

People spend so much time trying to chase members of the opposite sex and worrying about what to say or do when they see someone they want to meet. Just walk up to them.. Stop wasting your time with worry, and start experiencing. What if you made a list of all the things you are afraid of doing? How about a list of all the things you have wanted to do “someday” but have never done? Why not start doing the things on these lists, because you never know when you'll no longer be here.

I'm walking Daphne right now and noticing how happy and content she is just sniffing the warm night air. This beautiful English Labrador may not be here forever. Although I am going to do everything in my power to make sure she is, I am also going to make sure that every moment she does have here is amazing. I am going to appreciate every moment I have with her. It's time to get out of your comas and start looking at life as the gift that it is. Wake up! Seize the day.

All the power to you,
David Wygant

Inspire someone you love...

The best-kept secret to financial wealth... by James Arthur Ray

2008-07-15T17:12:00.003-05:00

Visit Jame's site at: http://jamesray.com/ - Isn't it time you were inspired?

The best-kept secret to financial wealth...

Contrary to popular opinion, creating unlimited financial wealth won't come from chasing more money.

Now don't get me wrong, I can help you make more money--plenty of it! And if the statement above seems counterintuitive to you, then that's exactly why you and I need to spend more time together. Check this out...

A recent Gallup poll posted in USA Today found that 55% of those surveyed state their families are worse off financially today than they were this same time last year. This is the highest number since 1976, and it's an eleven-point jump since February of this year.

Interestingly enough, in the very same survey, 26% say they're better off than they were a year ago. What gives?

How is it that in the same economy (with the same government officials, the same war, same gas prices, same housing market) that one group thinks their finances are doing poorly but another group actually believes things are better?

Now you might think that the 26% are just some of the more privileged few... maybe. But just suppose there's more to it than that. The answer to this question resides in a money paradox that a distinct few understand and most may never grasp. We'll get to that in a minute.

In my new book Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want, I share the little known truth that, while many people believe wealth is equated to vast sums of money, if you trace the root of the word wealth back to its origins, it literally translates as "well-being."
Now I know you might be thinking, "Well James, if I had more money, I'd have more true wealth and well-being!"

But studies show that this is not necessarily the case... In fact, most often it's not.

A recent survey posted by US Private Banks surveyed individuals with a net worth of $38 million or more. Of those surveyed, 65% stated that they felt "financially insecure." Now get this... These are people with a net worth of at least $38 million! So maybe it's not just the privileged few that are feeling better off than last year.

Think about it, if you have a net worth of $38M and wake up in the morning feeling financially insecure... with wealth being defined as well-being, are you truly wealthy? The obvious answer is a resounding "No!"

Many Americans believe that a new president is the answer to our situation. Many believe that dealing with the oil and gas companies will make things better. Even more think that if we get out of the war in Iraq, all will become harmonious. While all of these issues may have an impact, they are in no way the answer.

So what is the answer? What will bring more financial well-being into your life? The answer resides in the thoughts, feelings and actions of you as an individual.
First, shift your focus of attention.

Get your mind and continued thoughts off the economy and all the problems being pumped into your home by the mass media. As difficult as this may be, those who are truly wealthy--financially and otherwise--choose where they place their attention and stand guard like a watchdog at the gates of their mind.

Peter Lynch once stated, "I don't spend more than 15 minutes a year thinking about the economy." Lynch's results speak for themselves. Stop. Just stop for a moment and think rationally... There's no way in hell that any company's true worth can fluctuate as dramatically on any given day as the New York Stock Exchange would indicate. It's nothing but an opinion--and other people's opinions are only predictions if you allow them to be.

There's a principle in our universe which states: Energy flows where attention goes. So consider this: Where are you directing your energy and attention every single day? Regardless of what you answer, your current results will tell the truth... for your results are a reflection of you.
Second, stop chasing the money.

Science tells us that everything is vibration, including your thoughts, feelings and actions... And yes, even your money. Now think about this... If you're constantly thinking, feeling and acting (what I call going "3 for 3") as if you "need more, need more," what's the real message you're sending out energetically? You guessed correctly if you said the message is, "You don't have it."

The universe hears the real message at the level of vibration and states, "Your wish is my command!" As a result, you'll end up living your life always wanting but never having. You'll never get financially wealthy with that strategy.
Third, be grateful for all the good that currently exists in your life.

If all things are an energetic vibration (which they are) and energy flows where attention goes (which it does), then to place your consistent attention upon the things for which you're grateful is one of the most powerful things you can do. Unlike the message of "I don't have it," when you place your attention with gratitude on all the goodness that currently exists, it's like stating, "Thank you for this. Send me more." When you get grateful, the universe sends you more to be grateful for.
Finally, consistently focus on providing more value and service to the world.

Take the attention off of "What can I get?" and place it upon "What can I give?" If you want to have more, give more. Winners always give ten times more value than they ask for in return.

Doubt me? Look around. I challenge you to find a millionaire who's not surrounded by six-figure income earners. Likewise, find any billionaire and they'll be surrounded by multimillionaires. Why? Because you only profit handsomely in life by providing service and value to others. In other words, you'll only get your big dreams by helping others get theirs.

I recently shared the stage with billionaire Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines. There were two things Richard stated that really reinforced what I knew to be true. First, he stated, "I've never done anything in my life to make money. I just always ask, 'Is it going to be fun?'"

Next, Richard stated, "Money is just a convenient way of keeping score." If you truly understand this principle, you'll realize that in a capitalistic society, the amount of money you have (or don't have) is directly correlated to the depth and span of the value you provide.

So here's the money paradox I mentioned earlier:
The greatest way to attract and create more money (or anything for that matter) is to not need it.

Now think it through again... If you need something, the real message you're sending out is, "I don't have it." Your neediness is like a raging bonfire, and you're throwing another log on it day after day, hoping it'll go out. The only way to squelch the fire of your lack of financial abundance is to not feed it.

Just continually focus on providing tremendous value and service. Henry Ford so wisely put it years ago, "Money will never be achieved when sought after directly. It only comes as the by-product of providing a useful service."
Truth is timeless.

Get your attention off the economy and your problems, stop chasing the money, become continually grateful for all the goodness you currently have and consistently think, feel and act (going "3 for 3") on what you can give versus what you can get. You'll have true wealth and well-being in every area: relational, mental, physical, spiritual and yes, financial. And just like Branson and so many others who have figured it out, you'll have a lot of fun doing it.
That's Harmonic Wealth, my friend, and that's what we all want.

To your continued wealth and happiness,

James Arthur Ray
President/CEO
James Ray International, Inc.

Learn to be Thankful for What You Already Have by Jim Rohn

2008-07-15T10:16:00.008-05:00

One of Life's Great Lessons - Learn to be Thankful for What You Already Have by Jim Rohn (excerpted from the 2004 Jim Rohn Weekend Event DVD/CD series)

Is thankfulness a survival skill? Perhaps most of you would respond with, "No, Jim, thankfulness is not key to survival", and I would tend to agree with you. Most of us have probably already solved the necessary problems of survival, gone beyond that and are now working to achieve our desires. But let me give you this key phrase, "Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want." I believe one of the greatest and perhaps one of the simplest lessons in life we can learn is to be thankful for what we have already received and accomplished.

Both the years and the experiences have brought me here to where I stand today, but it is the thankfulness that opened the windows of opportunities, of blessings, of unique experiences to flow my way. My gratitude starts with my parents who raised me, gave me an incredible foundation that has lasted me all of these years and continues with the mentors that I've met along the way who absolutely changed and revolutionized my life, my income, my bank account, my future. I am also very thankful for the people, the associations, for the ideas, for the chance to work and labor, and to produce results, all of that has brought me to this place, to this weekend. I'm grateful for it all.

What a unique opportunity each one of you here has, so many of us; representing different countries, nations and cultures, to appreciate the uniqueness of our own experiences that has brought us all here, together, for these three days to learn new skills and sharpen old ones. For the countries we represent; we have freedom and liberty. These are extraordinary times, about eleven years ago the walls came tumbling down, in Germany, and it started a wave of democracy and freedom like the world has never seen before. We as a country and as a world have so much to be thankful for. Always start with thanksgiving; be thankful for what you already have and see the miracles that come from this one simple act.

Now thankfulness is just the beginning; next, you've got to challenge yourself to produce. Produce more ideas than you need for yourself so you can share and give your ideas away. That is called fruitfulness and abundance. Here's what I think fruitfulness and abundance mean - to go to work on producing more than you need for yourself so you can begin blessing others, blessing your nation and blessing your enterprise. Once abundance starts to come, once someone becomes incredibly productive, it's amazing what the numbers turn out to be. But to begin this incredible process of blessing, it often starts with the act of thanksgiving and gratitude, being thankful for what you already have and for what you've already done. Begin the act of thanksgiving today and watch the miracles flow your way.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn's philosophy for successful living demonstrates a deep understanding of the world. His simple, yet insightful messages have touched millions of people, and continue to offer inspiration to generations.

If you love the worldly wisdom of Jim Rohn, coupled with inspirational images and beautiful music...you're really going to love this new 3-minute movie http://www.SUCCESS.com/lessons

What Men Don't Tell Women About Business

2008-07-14T22:15:00.006-05:00

What Men Don't Tell Women About Business

I watched this show tonight and it was AWESOME because it's a subject I've been looking into and then BINGO here it is on the Big Idea. I love it when what you "think about" ... "comes about"!!

Here is the link and a short description of tonights episode:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15838512/site/14081545/

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Is there a secret code in business allowing a handful of Alpha Males to have it all while dooming everyone else to fight for the scraps? Tonight, it's your turn to join the elite. Whether you're a woman or a man, we'll show you how to break the Alpha Code and become the ultimate ruler of your success. Learn more about the guests below!

Chris Flett - Author, What Men Don't Tell Women About BusinessChristopher Flett is revealing the secret code of Alpha Males in his controversial new book, "What Men Don't Tell Women About Business."

Carla Chrisofferson - Co-Owner, Los Angeles SparksCarla Christofferson went from tom-boy beauty queen, to a tough-as-nails attorney and co-owner of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.

Mel Robbins - Host, Make It HappenMel Robbins helps thousands of people find inner power as host of the nationally syndicated radio show, "Make It Happen."

Kandi Haupt - Founder, One-Eleven CompaniesKandi Haupt went from hitting rock bottom, with just a-dollar and eleven cents to her name to starting her own business, the success coaching firm "One-Eleven Companies".

Elizabeth Berkley - Founder, Ask ElizabethElizabeth Berkley overcame negative sterotypes that haunted her early in her acting career.. to start her own production company and help teenage girls follow their passion.

Kimberly Spinks Burleson - President & Editor-In-Chief, Millionaire BlueprintsKimberly Spinks Burleson lays out the roadmap for women ready to take on the world, as President and Editor in Chief of Millionaire Blueprints Magazine.

Janine Driver - Body Language ExpertHow do the power players of the world communicate their status to the rest of us.. without ever saying a word? Through an intricate language of movement and gesture. Janine Driver has spent more than a decade with the Department of Justice, training 30-thousand police officers on the secrets of body language.

Genevieve Bos - PINK MagazineGenevieve Bos knows all the pitfalls for women in business after founding the nation's premier magazine exclusively for professional women: PINK.

Nadira Hira - Writer, Fortune MagazineFortune Magazine's Nadira Hira is opening the world's eyes to how Generation Y is changing the convential code of behavior for men and women.

Susie Castillo - Author, Confidence is QueenSusie Castillo is a presenter on MTV's "Total Request Live" and a former Miss USA. Now she's sharing her success secrets in the book "Confidence is Queen."

© 2008 CNBC, Inc. All Rights Reserved

2008-07-11T10:10:00.003-05:00

I posted this story in a few posts back because it's such an inspirational video. Today's Friday story from Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day is about this same video. There are more details and another story - worth sharing - again!

Here is your Friday story,

Be sure to watch the video at the end of this story.

Free Hugs

"Do you want a hug?" The young man asked Ginny. He held a sign in his hand, "Free Hugs." I looked around. There were other people with him. They held their hand-made signs high. The message was the same on all of them - "Free Hugs!"

"Do you want a free hug?" The young man asked Ginny again.

"Sure!" Ginny smiled and walked up to him. She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her level, and hugged him with all the love she had in her heart.

They parted. "WOW!" He exclaimed. "That was the best hug I've had all day!"

"I'm a hugger." Ginny smiled at him.

He looked at me. "How about a hug?"

"You got it!" I walked into his open arms. We held briefly and parted.

A young lady walked up and hugged Ginny. She turned to me, opened her arms, and hugged me too.

Ginny and I stepped back and watched the "Free Huggers" work their magic with those who accepted them. They offered hugs to anyone and everyone.

#############

Juan Mann (One Man) returned to Sydney, Australia in 2004, after living in Europe for several years. He was depressed over his parent's divorce. Most of his friends had moved on. It was just him. He sat for months. Alone and depressed, Juan Mann decided to make a difference and reach out. He made a sign that read, "Free Hugs" and stood at the Pitt Street Mall - one of the busiest streets in the center of Sydney. He put his arms around anyone who accepted his offer.

At first, he left his wallet at home, had a friend watch over him, and expected to be ridiculed. After fifteen minutes, a woman approached him. "My dog died today." She said. "It's also the first anniversary of my only daughter's death. I could use a hug."

Juan was quoted as saying, "That first woman, it was more than a hug; it meant something to her."

People joined Mann. They opened their arms to others. His message spread across the city. Afraid of lawsuits, officials banned "Free Hugs". The people revolted. More than 10,000 people signed a petition to allow him to continue his mission.

Shimon Moore, the lead singer of "The Sick Puppies" happened to see Juan. They hugged and became friends. Moore borrowed a video camera and filmed Juan giving hugs. When Mann's grandmother died, Moore put the video together with his band's song called, "All The Same" and posted the video on "YouTube" with the following caption:

"Sometimes, a hug is all we need. Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, a man whose sole purpose mission was to reach out and hug a stranger, to brighten up their lives."

The video was a hit. It spread around the world. Juan has appeared on Oprah and several other major television shows. His idea continues to gain support and grow.

After his first day on Pitt Street, Juan wondered if others were doing the same. He found Amma - The Hugging Saint of India, Jason Hunter in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jayson Littman in New York.

Jayson started his hugging campaign the same year as Juan. They both felt a need to reach out to humanity. A financial analyst in Manhattan, Jayson believed New Yorkers could use a hug. From 2004 through to 2006, he spent one weekend afternoon a month holding his "Free Hugs" sign in his hands and opened his arms to anyone who needed human comfort.

Since then, Jayson's mission has been taken over by others who believe - hugs for all. On the last Saturday afternoon of the month, you'll find them gathered in Union Square in Lower Manhattan. They hold their signs high and offer their open arms to all who need a human touch.

#############

The huggers worked the crowd. Most people ignored them or shook their heads to indicate they were not interested. Those who opened their arms in return, walked away with a smile on their face.

I felt a warmth - a glow - fill my heart. Ginny and I were going through rough times. Money was scarce, bill collectors called on a regular basis. We were stressed and worried, but on that afternoon, for a brief moment, it was all forgotten. It took a simple hug to make everything better.

Michael T. Smith

See Juan Mann and the song about him here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O6vZTvQl4o

Ginny and I plan to join them this month. We want to hug those who don't know the power a hug can have.

Michael lives in Fort Lee New Jersey with his wonderful wife Ginny. He works as a project manager in the telecommunications industry during the day. In his spare time, Michael writes stories for a collection to be called, "From My Heart to Yours." To read more of Michael's stories, go to http://ourecho.com/biography-353-Michael-Timothy-Smith.shtml#stories To send Michael a note, email msmith4@nj.rr.com

Dale Thomas Smith's Motivational Monday

2008-07-07T10:36:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Motivational Monday! I hope that all of you here in the United States had a great 4th of July. It was a busy week for my family with my birthday and the 4th. Thanks to all of you who sent birthday wishes to me last week. I appreciated it so much.

I want to share an idea with you today that I have believed all of my life. I was reminded of it again when I was reading Jack Canfield's book, The Success Principles. It's a simple life principle that is so powerful. It is this, " Be a Class Act." That's it. Strive to become a person who acts with class and becomes known as a class act.

Class acts treat others with respect and dignity and the first person they treat with high esteem is themselves. Do you treat yourself as a class act? If you are sloppy, always late and you don't care how you conduct yourself you are not treating yourself with class.

I am sure you will agree there are certain people who command a certain level of respect not only because of how they treat others, but more importantly how they treat themselves. If you want to be treated as a class act, then treat yourself as a class act.

Choose to live by a higher set of standards. Here are a few ideas to live as a "Class Act."

1.) Be an energy creator not an energy drainer. Make positive choices in every area of your life. Look for the good in each and every situation.

2.) Take Responsibility. People who operate as class acts take responsibility for their actions. They don't play the "blame game." They admit their faults and failures and transform their defeats into forward progress.

3.)Live by a Higher Standard. Class acts set themselves apart by living at a higher standard. They choose to behave and think at a level that is above and beyond conventional society.

4.) Maintain Dignity and Grace Under Pressure. Calmness in the face of chaos. A class act chooses to respond not react when things go wrong.

5.) Be A Great Role Model. The easiest way to spot a class act is to look at the kind of people they attract. Class acts attract people that are at the top of their game.

My goal each and every day is to be a "class act" in everything that I do. If we use that as a guide each day then we can work toward being our personal best in each and every situation.

Have a great week!

Make Today Count,
Dale

www.DaleSmithThomas.com

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

2008-05-27T16:17:00.001-05:00

A professor stood before his child development class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents the mind of each student as they enter your classroom on the first day of school. The golf balls are the important things — God, family, friends, health, home, and the children’s favorite passions — and if everything else was lost and only they remained, their life would still be full.

The pebbles represent the knowledge they have acquired up until now. Unfortunately, each child will have a different amount of pebbles.

The sand is your responsibility! It is your job to fill their minds as tight as you possibly can in the short time that you have them. At the end of each year, the sand comes together as pebbles, ready to be sent off to the next teacher.

The professor paused…

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked.”

He replied, “The coffee is CARE and LOVE.”

~Author Marcey Gaitan~

Sharing Motivation - Dale Thomas Smith "Motivational Monday"

2008-05-19T10:22:00.002-05:00

I have several Ezines that I subscribe to, Dale Thomas Smith's "Motivational Monday" was one of my first. I stumbled upon Dale's website quite by accident while looking for something completely unrelated - but - so works the Law of Attraction. I'd like to introduce those of you who haven't heard of Dale to her website, her Blog and her latest "Motivational Monday".

Enjoy!
Melissa

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MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY - Dale Thomas Smith

http://www.dalesmiththomas.com/

Welcome to Motivational Monday! I am writing this late on Sunday night and I must admit I have sat here for over an hour trying to find a message I wanted to share with you. There are some weeks it seems so easy to write and then on other weeks I really struggle.

Actually I struggled this week working on my new book proposal. I had a couple of challenging days but then I just made the choice to stop making excuses and just start writing. It's amazing what happens when you just get started. I ended up with a very productive week.

As I was thinking about this message tonight I wanted to remind all of you that we have to daily take responsibility for ourselves and every choice we make in our lives. We are responsible. I was responsible for the days I wasn't writing and also responsible for the days I was.

One of my favorite authors and speakers is Jack Canfield. I found this article that Jack wrote on personal responsibility and I wanted to share it with you. I am adding a new motto to my speaking and I am also having the rubber bracelets made with this motto. It's simple, yet powerful. "It's My Choice." Regardless of what is going on in your life you need to be reminded that you have a choice.

I hope you will really take Jack's message to heart!

The Person Responsible for Your Success - Jack Canfield

It's time to meet the person who has been responsible for the life you live right now.

This person has created your income, your debt, your relationships, your health, your fitness level, your weight, your attitudes and your behaviors. Who is it? To introduce yourself, just walk to the closest mirror and say hello! This person is you!

Although one of the popular myths out there is that "external factors" determine how you live, the truth of the matter is that you are in complete control of the quality of your life.

It's time to look at the life you've created and determine what is working and what is not. Certainly there are wonderful things happening in your life, whether it's your job, your spouse, your grades, your children, your friends, or your income level.

Congratulate yourself on these successes; you are creating them for yourself! And then take a look at what isn't working out so well. What are you doing or not doing to create those experiences?

It's time to stop blaming outside factors for your unhappiness.

When you realize that you create your experiences, you'll realize that you can un-create them and create new experiences whenever you want. But you must take responsibility for your happiness and your unhappiness, your successes and your failures, your good times and your bad times. When you stop blaming, you can take that energy and redirect to focus on creating a better situation for yourself. Blaming only ties up your energy.

It's also time to stop complaining.

Look at what you are complaining about. Really examine it. More than likely it is something that you can do something about.

Are you unhappy about something that is happening? Make requests that will make it more desirable to you, or take the steps to change it yourself. Making a change might be uncomfortable to you. It might mean you have to put in more time, money, and effort. It might mean that someone gets upset about it. It might be difficult to change or leave a situation, but staying put is your choice so why continue to complain? Face the facts that you can either do something about it or not. It is your choice and you have responsibility for your choices.

Successful people take 100% responsibility for the thoughts they think, the images that visualize and the actions they take.

They don't waste their time and energy blaming and complaining. They evaluate their experiences and decide if they need to change them or not. They face the uncomfortable and take risks in order to create the life they want to live.

Taking responsibility requires you to first decide to believe that you create all your experiences. Second, to pay attention to yourself, your behavior, and your life experiences. And last, to face the truth and deal with what is not working in your life. You have to be willing to change your behavior if you want a different outcome. You have to be willing to take the risks necessary to get what you want.

Isn't it a great relief to know that you can make your life what you want it to be? Isn't it wonderful that your successes do not depend on someone else?

Commit to taking 100% responsibility for your every aspect of your life. Decide to make changes, one step at a time. Once you start the process you'll discover it is much easier to get what you want by taking control of your thoughts, your visualizations, and your actions!

Our office's will be closed for Memorial Day and Motivational Monday will return in 2 weeks. Be sure to check out the website and my personal blog on the site!

Making Today Count,

Dale

PS. If you are interested in Boot Camp for Beauty Queens please contact our office via email. We are offering a special deal on our 2008 camp!

FREE HUGS - Inspiration Worth Passing On!

2008-04-17T09:54:00.003-05:00

I watched this video a while back and shared it with my family. I was very moved by the video, almost to tears, and I'm not sure why. Very inspirational, very moving and SO worth sharing. It had been an while since I'd watched it and I didn't want it to slip away.

Watch It
Share It
Live It

www.free-hugs.com

“All our dreams can come true —
if we have the courage to pursue them”
— Walt Disney

My Rich Dad: Robert Kiyosaki on Network Marketing

2008-04-07T21:53:00.002-05:00

The Perfect Business

"New York Times best selling author explains why
everyone should own a Network Marketing business."

WHY NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO CHANGE

A friend I flew with in Vietnam called me the other day. He said, "I've been laid off again. What do I do now?"

Jim and I went through flight school and Vietnam together. When we returned to the states, he got a job as a pilot with the airlines and I began building my business. Jim was absolutely in love with his work. He loved flying and the company he worked for. Unfortunately, the company was with Pan American, which for those of you who are old enough to know that Pan Am went out of business, even though it was once the number one airline in America. After five years of taking odd jobs, he finally was rehired by an airline whose name I will not mention, because it is still in business today, but just barely. This is the airline he was laid off from.

"I'm 53 years old." said Jim. "I still have two kids in school. I have nothing saved for retirement. And worst of all, how am I going to find a job that pays me $85,000 a year, especially when all I know is to be a pilot?"
Job Security Is An Obsolete Idea

For those of you who have read my books or come to my seminars, you may know what I think about the idea of job security. I have said it for a year, "Job security is an obsolete idea." The reason I say this is because the issue of job security was the issue for my parents, the World War II generation. My parents grew up in the Depression and to them, just finding a job was a challenge, so when they found one, they clung on to it for dear life. Once they retired, they did not have to worry because the government pension, Social Security and Medicare were there to take care of them once they were through working. We do not have that luxury.

For those born after the WWII generation, job security is not an issue. The reason I say job security is not an issue is because there are plenty of jobs. Always remember that McDonald's is always hiring. I still see help wanted signs everywhere. So the problem is not finding a job. It is long term financial survival. For my friend Jim, a well-educated, highly skilled man, hard working man, the question is, where is he going to find another pilot's job that pays him what he needs when the airlines today, are downsizing? How will he continue to pay his mortgage, pay for his kid's college education, and put enough aside to retire on?

When Jim asked me for advice, I said, "After you find a job, this time why not start a part-time business?"

"What kind of business?" he asked.

"Why not build a network marketing business in your spare time? Why not build something you control and you own?"

"No, no way." He said. "I just want a high paying job. I want to fly again. I'm not interested in network marketing. But thanks for the advice. I'll call you back when I find a new job with another airline. I love flying and that is all I want to do."

Lifetime Job Security Is Over

Jim has not called back. It has been almost three weeks. Obviously, he did not like my advice but for you, I would like to give you the reason I offered him that advice. As I write, President Bush is in China and our military is in Afghanistan. If you cannot see the writing on the wall, let me open your eyes. The days of lifetime job security and your mutual funds going up by 20% per year are over. If you think your mutual funds will carry you after you retire, I think you had best make other plans. Why? Because what has just happened to my pilot friend Jim, will be happening to millions of people. The idea of high paying jobs and pension funds that increase by 20% per year is an obsolete idea. America is at war, battling an invisible enemy, an enemy without a country. On top of that, China is expected to pass the U.S. as a world financial power in less than ten years. It does not take a crystal ball to see that there will be plenty of jobs in America, but fewer and fewer will be high paying. Why? Because the Chinese are smart, hard working, and willing to be paid less... much less.

Jack Welch, the retired CEO of General Electric said recently, "20% to 30% of what is produced in America will soon be produced in China." In other words, in order to compete with China in the world economy, we must produce for less or lose. Highly skilled pilots like my friend Jim need to work for less, if they want to work. Pilots need to work for less, many other professions will need to work for less and produce more in order to survive. If you have been watching the news, between the stories of Anthrax and President Bush in China, you may have caught a glimpse of Bill Gates and other American business leaders shaking hands with the Chinese. Let me say this, these leaders of American business are not there because they like Chinese food.

Network Marketing Is The Business Of The Future

The reason I suggested that my friend Jim start a network marketing business on the side is because becoming a business owner is a very wise strategy, especially at this time in history. Starting your own business gives back some control over your life. If you think your boss or company can protect you from the geopolitical forces that are at play today, I think you need to rethink that thought. There is an old song that said, "For you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone, for the times they are changing." Our leaders are in China, not in the war zone. That should tell you how much things are going to change and change soon.

The reason I recommend network marketing is because network marketing is the business of the future. Back in the late 1990's, it was often difficult to talk to people about network marketing when the economy was so strong. It was hard to talk to people about network marketing when their mutual funds were going up by 20% per year. But those days are over. If you ever wanted to get ahead of the curve, now is the time to open your mind and look at this business of the future. Now is the time to talk to people when they too are looking for new answers and new ways to find true long-term financial security. A network marketing business is one of the asset classes. It is a business. If you work hard and build the business, that business will give you the excess cash to acquire the real estate and stocks that will give you true long term financial security... security you can pass on to your loved ones. You can't do that with your job, no matter how secure it is.

My friend Jim the airline pilot is also a casualty of the September 11th event. The problem is, he is not willing to make changes. My prediction is that for employees who are well educated, well trained and ambitious, the next few years will be tough ones. Why? Because well educated, ambitious, high paid employees are often the first to be downsized and once downsized, they often find it harder to find a job at the pay scale they were used to. In the Industrial Age, if you were well educated, hard working and experienced, you were desirable. In the Information Age, experience and age are liabilities, not assets. So with each passing year, it gets harder to re-enter the job force and find a high paying job in the new economy. As my rich dad often said, "The rules have changed. If you want to do well, change with the rules." Unfortunately, we are in time of crisis. None-the-less, for the brave at heart, now is the time to make changes, changes that will give you life time financial security which is far better than job security.

Network Marketing - It's an Asset, Not a Job

I am sometimes asked, "Why do so few people make it to the top of their network marketing system?"

The truth is, the top of the network marketing system is open to everyone — unlike traditional corporate systems, which allow only one person to reach the top of the company. The reason most people do not reach the top is simply because they quit too soon. So why would someone quit short of the top?

Most people join only to make money. If they don't make money in the first few months or years, they become discouraged and quit (and then often bad-mouth the industry!). Others quit and go looking for a company with a better compensation plan, but joining to make a few quick dollars is not the reason to get into the business.

The Two Essential Reasons to Join a Network Marketing Business

Reason number one is to help yourself. Reason number two is to help others. If you join for only one of these two reasons, then the system will not work for you. Reason number one is to help yourself. Reason number two is to help others. If you join for only one of these two reasons, then the system will not work for you.

Reason number one, means that you come to the business primarily to change quadrants — to change from the E (Employee) or the S (Self-employed) quadrant to the B (Business owner) or I (Investor) quadrant.

This change is normally very difficult for most people — because of money. The true 'E' or 'S' quadrant person will not work unless it is for money. This is also what causes people to not reach the top of the network marketing system: they want money more than they want to change quadrants.

A 'B' quadrant or 'I' quadrant person will also work for money, but in a different way. The 'B' quadrant person works to build or create an asset — in this case, a business system. The 'I' quadrant person invests in the asset or the system.

As a 'B' or an 'I', sometimes you don't get paid for years; this, a true 'E' quadrant or 'S' quadrant person will not do. It's not part of their core values. Risk and delayed gratification disturb them emotionally.

Delayed Gratification and Emotional Intelligence

One of the beauties of network marketing is that it focuses on developing your emotional intelligence as well as your business skills.

Emotional intelligence is an entirely different matter from academic intelligence. In general, someone with high emotional intelligence will often do better than someone with high academic intelligence but low emotional intelligence. That explains, in part, why some people do well in school but not so well in the real world.

The ability to delay gratification is a sign of higher emotional intelligence. In a recent study of emotional intelligence, it was found that people who could delay gratification often led more successful lives than those who could not.

This is why the educational system inherent in a good network marketing opportunity is so important. It's the emotional education or emotional intelligence aspect of their programs that I find so valuable for people.

Many people write me and tell me they loved my book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, but I fear that many of them don't get the most important point of the book: Lesson #1, "The rich don't work for money."

Once I have built or bought an asset, that asset works hard to make money for me. But I will not work for money — I will work only to build or buy assets. Those assets make me richer and richer, while I work less and less. That is what the rich do. The poor and middle class work hard for money, and then buy liabilities instead of investing in assets.

What Kind of Asset is a Network Marketing Business?

Remember, there are two reasons to be successful in network marketing: to help yourself, and to help others. Reason number one means helping yourself get to the 'B' side of the quadrant. What about reason number two? Remember, there are two reasons to be successful in network marketing: to help yourself, and to help others. Reason number one means helping yourself get to the 'B' side of the quadrant. What about reason number two?

The beauty of most network marketing systems is that you don't really make much money unless you help others leave the 'E' and 'S' quadrants and succeed in the 'B' and 'I' quadrants. If you focus on helping others make this shift, then you will be successful in the business.

If you only want to teach yourself to be a 'B' quadrant and 'I' quadrant person, then a true network marketing system won't work for you. You may as well go to a traditional business school, which focuses only on your becoming a 'B' quadrant person.

The beauty of a network marketing business is that your goal is to create assets, which are other 'B's working under you — and their job is to create other 'B's working under them. In traditional business, the focus is for the 'B' to have only 'E's and 'S's working for them.

The type of business I was taught to build is a business with me at the top and 'E's and 'S's at the base. I really don't have room at the top for many other 'B's, which is why in my businesses, I strongly recommend that all my employees look into network marketing as their own part-time business.

The traditional corporate system really is a pyramid, because there are a few 'B's and 'I's near the top, and more 'E's and 'S's at the base. A network marketing system is a reverse pyramid: its primary focus is to bring more and more 'B's to the top.

One type of pyramid, the traditional type, has its base on the ground; the other type has its base in the air. It's a pyramid that pulls you up instead of pushing you down. A network marketing business gives everyone access to what used to be the domain only of the rich.

Robert Kiyosaki's site www.RichDad.com is the place to begin your journey to financial freedom with access to media, forums, events and more.

Free De-Frustration Teleclass This Monday

2008-04-06T22:44:00.001-05:00

OK, I know it's short notice, but Ann Strong invited me to host her weekly Thriving Coaches roundtable this Monday at 8PM Eastern, and I totally forgot to tell you about it!

The topic I'll be presenting is "Getting Results with De-Frustration"

What will I be talking about, exactly?

I have no idea. I'll have to tune in to find out, just like you will.

But you won't get the dial-in info unless you register here: http://thrivingcoaches.com/topic.htm

When you click on the link above, enter your info in the red box on the right-hand side. Then you'll get an instant email with the dial-in info

See you there, ok? Tell your friends, it's gonna be FUN and INTERESTING if nothing else...

I can't wait to hear what I say!

Test Your Awareness

2008-03-31T13:56:00.003-05:00

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change."

Buddha

A friend passed along an "Awareness Test" - it made me smile and then made me start thinking about awareness and all we miss in our hectic, day to day lives. So here it is, watch closely:

What's Her Secret? 'Aging is not a disease'

2008-03-28T10:43:00.007-05:00

102-year-old Campbell woman's secret:

'Aging is not a disease'

By Cathy Weselby
Los Gatos Weekly-Times
Article Launched: 03/27/2008 06:39:17 PM PDT

Campbell resident Alma Gloeckler celebrates her 102 birthday. (George Sakkestad/Campbell Reporter)

A lma Gleockler turned 102 on March 22, and family members gathered on March 16 for an early birthday celebration for the Campbell centenarian.

When asked about the secret to her longevity, Gleockler says she had no idea that she would live so long, but contends that aging is not the same as growing old.

"Aging is not a disease," she says. "When people age but continue to be interested in the world and keep learning, they don't grow old."

Born in 1906 on a farm in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, Gleockler was the eldest daughter of nine children; seven reached adulthood.

Her niece, Susan Fenton Olson, says Gleockler never smoked or drank alcohol.

"She's been an inspiration to us as to what a community means," niece Evelyn Heinrichs says. "When she broke her hip, she had a circle of people who rallied around her."

Maruth Gruver, Gleockler's 85-year-old sister, says she had three mothers, "my mom, Alma and my other sister Myrtle."

"Alma's been a key person in all of our lives," Gruver says.

Although Gleockler never married or had children of her own, children have surrounded her throughout her life. She earned a Ph.D. in children's literature from Columbia University and taught English to elementary, junior high and high school students.

Her family moved to the farming community of Wasco, near Bakersfield, when Gleockler was in her teens. She attended Tabor College in Kansas and went on to earn a master's degree from Mills College and a teaching credential from UCLA.

During World War II, Gleockler taught the children at the Tule Lake Japanese internment camp. She says she noticed that the girls deferred to the boys, and she would work to get the girls to defer to themselves.

"She went against the tide," Heinrichs says.

Gleockler was a teacher in Potsdam, N.Y., for many years until she moved to the Bay Area in the early 1970s to care for her ailing mother.

She taught first grade at the Queen of Apostles elementary school using unconventional methods. Her classrooms had pillows strewn in the corners for children to sit on and read. The nuns did not approve at first, but the parents were singing her praises because their children were learning to read.

"Don't tell your children they can't, because they don't know they can't," Gleockler says.

She believed in self-determination because students would become independent more easily and produce better schoolwork.

"People have studied her teaching method, but no one has been able to explain it," Heinrichs says. "She just had an innate sense of how children learn."

At her 90th birthday, her former first-grade students organized a birthday party in her honor and paid tribute to her 20 years later, many of them saying, "I found out I could read."

Gleockler devoted her spare time to causes that helped feed the hungry and house the homeless and was recognized by Habitat for Humanity for her charitable contributions. She worked tirelessly on the hunger and housing task forces at the Campbell United Methodist Church.

Pastor Linda Pickens-Jones admires Gleockler's lifelong involvement in helping others.

"She's a great spirit," Pickens-Jones says. "She has a passion for children and is a role model for all of us."

http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_8721682

Simple Truths from Mac Anderson: The Gifts of Inspiration

2008-03-25T10:46:00.003-05:00

Have you ever visited Simple Truths? They have a Free Inspirational Newsletter you can sign up for and a great list of inspirational movies you can view and share. I found out about the site when I came across the 212 degree video and I've been hooked ever since. I've even had some friends email me new videos as they pop up so I know I'm not the only one "inspired" by the site!

You can visit the site by following the links below. Sign up for the newsletter, check out the videos and share the inspiration!

http://www.simpletruths.com

http://www.simpletruths.com/movies/index.asp

Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day

2008-03-21T11:45:00.002-05:00

What an awesome Friday story from Bob Proctor's E-Zine. I love this one and it is SO true. If you want to sign up, go to:

http://www.insightoftheday.com/default.asp?affid=1336

Here is your Friday story,

The Nature of Character

Abraham Lincoln was very concerned with character, but he was also aware of the importance of having a good reputation. He explained the difference this way: "Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

Put another way, your reputation is what people think of you. Your character is what you actually are.

In a world preoccupied with image, it's easy to worry too much about our reputation and too little about our character. Building a reputation is largely a public-relations project; building character requires us to focus on our values and actions. Noble rhetoric and good intentions aren't enough.

What we're looking for is moral strength based on ethical principles. Character is revealed by actions, not words, especially when there's a gap between what we want to do and what we should do and when doing the right thing costs more than we want to pay.

Our character is revealed by how we deal with pressures and temptations. But it's also disclosed by everyday actions, including what we say and do when we think no one is looking and we won't get caught.

The way we treat people we think can't help or hurt us (like housekeepers, waiters, and secretaries), tells more about our character than how we treat people we think are important. People who are honest, kind, and fair only when there's something to gain shouldn't be confused with people of real character who demonstrate these qualities habitually, under all circumstances.

Character is not a fancy coat we put on for show. It's who we really are.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Michael Josephson
www.charactercounts.org

Quote of the Week

2008-03-18T11:07:00.004-05:00

I received this quote in Dan Miller's E-Zine (*To view this newsletter in full html, please go to http://48days.c.topica.com/maakwbwabFJ6nbLAZDGeafpQsz/ ).

Had to share! Enjoy!!

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends, and spirit - and you're keeping all these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."

Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises from 1959-1994

What I'm Reading Today!

2008-03-14T17:11:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone!! Happy Friday!! Thought I'd share what I'm ready today. I've picked up two of Brian Tracy's books and they are FABULOUS! What are they?

Brian is a great writer and speaker. Below is an article from his Blog. Visit his site and take advantage of some great advice from one of the masters!!

http://www.briantracy.com/

Be An Optimist at All Times

Everyone wants to be physically healthy. You want to be mentally healthy as well.

Everyone wants to be physically healthy. You want to be mentally healthy as well. The true measure of "mental fitness" is how optimistic you are about yourself and your life.

In this newsletter, you learn how to control your thinking in very specific ways so that you feel terrific about yourself and your situation, no matter what happens.

Control Your Reactions and Responses
There are three basic differences in the reactions of optimists and pessimists. The first difference is that the optimist sees a setback as temporary, while the pessimist sees it as permanent. The optimist sees an unfortunate event, such as an order that falls through or a sales call that fails, as a temporary event, something that is limited in time and that has no real impact on the future. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees negative events as permanent, as part of life and destiny.

Isolate the Incident
The second difference between the optimist and the pessimist is that the optimist sees difficulties as specific, while the pessimist sees them as pervasive. This means that when things go wrong for the optimist, he looks at the event as an isolated incident largely disconnected from other things that are going on in his life.

See Setbacks as Temporary Events
For example, if something you were counting on failed to materialize and you interpreted it to yourself as being an unfortunate event, but something that happens in the course of life and business, you would be reacting like an optimist. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees disappointments as being pervasive. That is, to him they are indications of a problem or shortcoming that pervades every area of life.

Don't Take Failure Personally
The third difference between optimists and pessimists is that optimists see events as external, while pessimists interpret events as personal. When things go wrong, the optimist will tend to see the setback as resulting from external factors over which one has little control.

If the optimist is cut off in traffic, for example, instead of getting angry or upset, he will simply downgrade the importance of the event by saying something like, "Oh, well, I guess that person is just having a bad day."

The pessimist on the other hand, has a tendency to take everything personally. If the pessimist is cut off in traffic, he will react as though the other driver has deliberately acted to upset and frustrate him.

Remain Calm and Objective
The hallmark of the fully mature, fully functioning, self-actualizing personality is the ability to be objective and unemotional when caught up in the inevitable storms of daily life. The superior person has the ability to continue talking to himself in a positive and optimistic way, keeping his mind calm, clear and completely under control. The mature personality is more relaxed and aware and capable of interpreting events more realistically and less emotionally than is the immature personality. As a result, the mature person exerts a far greater sense of control and influence over his environment, and is far less likely to be angry, upset, or distracted.

Take the Long View
Look upon the inevitable setbacks that you face as being temporary, specific and external. View the negative situation as a single event that is not connected to other potential events and that is caused largely by external factors over which you can have little control. Simply refuse to see the event as being in any way permanent, pervasive or indicative of personal incompetence of inability.

Resolve to think like an optimist, no matter what happens. You may not be able to control events but you can control the way you react to them.

Action Exercises
Now, here are three actions you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, remind yourself continually that setbacks are only temporary, they will soon be past and nothing is as serious as you think it is.

Second, look upon each problem as a specific event, not connected to other events and not indicative of a pattern of any kind. Deal with it and get on with your life.

Third, recognize that when things go wrong, they are usually caused by a variety of external events. Say to yourself, "What can't be cured must be endured," and then get back to thinking about your goals.

2008-03-11T17:42:00.000-05:00

I've started listening to "The Secret" again. It's a wonderful tool to have in your toolbox and it's helping me get back on track. It's so easy to get side tracked and caught up in the cares of the world and life's little "dramas" ... If you haven't read the book, listened to the CD or watched the movie, check out the link below:

http://www.thesecret.tv/index.html

Living The Secret

T he Secret teaches us that we create our lives, with every thought every minute of every day.

Living The Secret offers tools and ideas to help you live The Secret every day. Find inspiration by reading stories from people like you who have embraced Secret principles. Sign up for The Secret Scrolls, Secret daily messages, connect with others in The Secret Forum.

* Secret Story Sharing
* Featured Stories
* The Secret Scrolls
* Secret Daily Messages
* Free Screenings
* The Secret Forum
* Summary of Secret Teachings

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Secret reveals the most powerful law in the universe. The knowledge of this law has run like a golden thread through the lives and the teachings of all the prophets, seers, sages and saviors in the world's history, and through the lives of all truly great men and women. All that they have ever accomplished or attained has been done in full accordance with this most powerful law.

Without exception, every human being has the ability to transform any weakness or suffering into strength, power, perfect peace, health, and abundance.

Rhonda Byrne's discovery of The Secret began with a glimpse of the truth through a 100 year old book. She went back through centuries, tracing and uncovering a common truth that lay at the core of the most powerful philosophies, teachings and religions in the world.

What Rhonda discovered is now captured in The Secret, a film that has been viewed by millions around the world. The Secret has also been released as an audio-book and printed book with more than six million copies in print.

The Secret explains with simplicity the law that is governing all lives, and offers the knowledge of how to create - intentionally and effortlessly - a joyful life. This is the secret to everything - the secret to unlimited happiness, love, health and prosperity.

This is the secret to life.

What I'm Reading?

2008-03-04T10:28:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Thought I'd add a new "regular" feature to my Blog. It's a chance to share "what I'm reading" with everyone and I hope everyone will feel free to share back! Send me any reading suggestions or comments to help me "feed my mind"!! I have to admit that bookstores make me happy. If I'm having a bad day, I can count on the local Books-A-Million, Barns & Noble or Borders, to put a smile back on my face. As a matter of fact, last night I discovered a BRAND NEW, HUGE B&N opening in a new shopping center close by .... heaven :)

So what am I currently reading?

On the night stand - bedside reading:

Going Places: How America's Best and Brightest Got Started Down the Road of Life

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
What one piece of advice has made all the difference in your life?

That was the question longtime journalist and Fox & Friends cohost E.D. Hill asked of scores of the most famous and successful figures in America -- from President George W. Bush to supermodel Carol Alt. The result is Going Places, a collection of moving and instructive profiles that reveal exactly what inspires and drives our nation's best and brightest to survive and thrive.

In the pages of Going Places, you'll discover how Donald Trump approaches the competition, what makes NFL star Tiki Barber a smart player on and off the field, and what life lesson television star Doris Roberts learned on a trip to Napa Valley. You'll follow country music star Trace Adkins's journey from working on a rig in the oil fields of Texas to signing a deal with Capitol Records in Nashville, and Donna de Varona's path to becoming the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic swim team at age thirteen. Sometimes heart wrenching, sometimes humorous, and always captivating, these portraits are sure to inform, entertain, and, most important, inspire.

-Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, on searching for her soul in Tibet -Champion bull rider Justin McBride on what it means to get a good night's sleep -Senate Majority Leader Dr. William Frist on medicine as a currency of peace -Dolly Parton on her father's horse-sense advice -Dean Cain on rejection, perseverance, and lessons he learned from his son

Sharing these stories in these figures' own voices, Going Places reflects a vast and diverse America in which anything is possible. "It is my hope that you'll have this book by your bedside table and turn to it, alone or with your children, to find inspiration from wonderful people." After all, as these real-life stories illustrate, great advice can come from anyone, at any time.

Have You Signed Up for Bob Proctor's Insight Of The Day Yet?

2008-02-29T12:59:00.000-06:00

Here is your Friday story,

What Will You Be Doing 7 Years From Now?

I graduated from Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas in May 1972. Not dressed in white (honors), but I graduated.

That summer like the previous summer, I worked as a longshoreman loading corn, flour and corn sacks weighing 50 to 140 lbs. and 900 lbs. caustic soda drums on freight ships bound to other countries at nearby Brazos Harbor and Dow Chemical A2 Dock.

This was one of the better paying jobs in the area. It was grueling, hard, heavy work, but I loved it at the time. My father had been doing this job most of his life since it paid well.

Fall came around and I had already decided that I did not want to make my living as a longshoreman. Work was inconsistent and when it was there it only went to the ones with the most seniority, unless there was too much. There was very little opportunity for a better job when you got older.

I had always heard that a college education would get you a better job and decided to find out. So I went to nearby Brazosport College and set up an appointment with a counselor.

I got to his office at the appointed time and he asked me what work or profession interested me the most. I had taken Auto Mechanics I & II during my junior and senior years in high school and asked him if Brazosport College had an auto mechanics program.

He said "no." I asked him if they had anything similar to it. He said that the Machine Tools Technology program was very similar and described the program to me.

I was very interested and asked him how long it would take if I went full time. He said "4 years." I said I couldn't go full time since I am working (whenever work was available).

I asked how long would it take if I go part time? He said "7 years." I was shocked. I said, "Man, I'll be old then, I'll be 25 years old. I don't think so."

He asked me, "what did you say you did for a living right now?"

I told him again that I worked as a longshoreman throwing bags and manhandling drums. Then he bent over his desk and looked me square in the eye and asked me the most significant words I will never forget in my life:

"IF YOU DON'T TAKE ANY CLASSES. WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING 7 YEARS FROM NOW?"

These words hit me like a ton of bricks! I sheepishly told him that I would be doing the same thing. I signed up for the classes right then and there.

These prophetic words have inspired many of my relatives and friends. The sun will rise and fall 365 days a year. What you choose to do in between will determine many things in your life.

This story alone has inspired relatives and friends to realize an age-old truth: Time will go on regardless and it waits on nobody.

Years later, I told a co-worker this story. He got inspired enough that he went on and got 3 different degrees in computers in less than 7 years! He said afterwards, "7 years ago I would've been saying to myself, 'If only I had the opportunity.'"

TIME WILL PASS REGARDLESS!

Augie Mendoza

Used with permission from www.PositiveNews.net
Click here for our printable version

Sent to you as a courtesy of:

Bob Proctor
Become a member of Bob Proctor
Year long Coaching Program.
For all the details please email:
Carol@bobproctorcoaching.com or go to:
http://www.bobproctorcoaching.com

Great Website to ADD to Your Favorites!

2008-02-28T16:03:00.000-06:00

http://www.daveramsey.com/

A Letter from Dave Ramsey

I have an unusual way of looking at the world. My wife, Sharon, says I’m weird, and truthfully – I am weird. But there’s a reason. Starting from nothing, by the time I was 26 I had a net worth of a little over a million dollars. I was making $250,000 a year – that’s more than $20,000 a month net taxable income. I was really having fun. But 98 percent truth is a lie and that other 2 percent can cause big problems, especially with $4 million in real estate. I had a lot of debt – a lot of short term debt – and I’m the idiot who signed up for the trip.

The short version of the story is that debt caused us over the course of two and a half years of fighting it to lose everything. We didn’t tell anyone what was going on, but if we had to do it again, we would learn from the wisdom of others who have been through it. We soon learned that we were not the only ones at the bottom. Barbie and Ken (you know, the couple who appear to be perfect – perfect clothes, perfect car, perfect house) are broke, and I don’t take financial advice from broke people anymore.

After losing everything, I went on a quest to find out how money really works, how I could get control of it, and how I could have confidence in handling it. I read everything I could get my hands on. I interviewed older rich people, people who made money and kept it. That quest led me to a really, really uncomfortable place – my mirror. I came to realize that my money problems, worries, and shortages largely began and ended with the person in my mirror. I realized also that if I could learn to manage the character I shaved with every morning, I would win with money.

I went back to my first love, real estate, so I could eat and get out of debt. Along the way I began another path – the path of helping others, literally millions of others, take the same quest to the mirror.

I formed our company in 1988 to counsel folks hurting from the results of financial stress. I’ve paid the “stupid tax” (mistakes with dollar signs on the end) so hopefully some of you won’t have to. I wrote the book Financial Peace based on all that Sharon and I had learned and began selling it out of my car. With a friend of mine, I started a local radio call-in show called “The Money Game,” now nationally syndicated as “The Dave Ramsey Show.”

Think and Grow Rich

2008-02-26T17:14:00.000-06:00

Have you ever read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill? If you haven't, add it to your reading list. Below is a clip with the author himself. Check it out and don't let anything hold you back from success!

No More Mondays

2008-02-20T11:26:00.000-06:00

When I come across a website, product, ezine or anything that inspires me, I like to share. I listen to Dave Ramsey sometimes when I get the chance and I discovered 48 Days while listening to Dave. Below is an excerpt from his Blog. Visit his site at:>www.48days.com

He has a lot resources, including the 'radio' link - the podcast's are free and it's a great resource to check out!

Is Your Music Still in You?

February 18, 2008 by 48days

Oliver Wendall Holmes once said “Many people die with their music still in them.” I think that captures the fear of about 99% of the people I see who come in for career coaching. Either they know exactly what gift or talent they have that they are not using or they are just afraid they have somehow missed finding their real authentic and fulfilling path.

What is that area that is lying dormant for you? I recently had a pharmacist approach me at the end of a short presentation I titled Hold Fast to Dreams. He said he had been in his profession for 17 years and could not think of any dreams he had. In his description of his “responsible, predictable” life it became clear to both of us that his dreams had become buried along the way. All those childhood passions had been put aside as one responsibility led to another. At this point he was so desensitized that he couldn’t even bring them to mind anymore. He began weeping in the 3 minutes of our conversation as he identified his current life.

You know the symptoms: as a child you loved singing but now you haven’t sung in 20 years. Or every time you see a news item about the starving people in Africa it brings you to tears - but you’ve never done anything to help. Or when you see a beautiful painting you remember how much you loved that second grade art class. You may recognize that whenever you are around old people you are energized by the compassion and wisdom they have - but you only go there once or twice a year.

Change - even when unwelcome or unexpected, often wakes up those dormant dreams. I have seen physicians move to the country to take up organic gardening, pastors who switched to fulfilling careers as artists, and housewives who emerged from the years of raising children to release their gifts in writing and counseling.

“Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live…Before they know it….time runs out.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

Check out this 7 year-old singing the National Anthem. He’s getting his “music” out. It will be interesting to see where he is 30 years from now. Will he be enjoying singing as he does today? Or will the realities of life have him push that down as “unrealistic” as he goes off to his cubicle each day?

The Net Lady Confesses to Her "Dirty Little Secret"....

2008-02-08T17:20:00.000-06:00

I found this article while surfing last night. How true it is - Great Read! You can find it and others at: http://www.womensnet.net/mlm/mlm_art.html

The Net Lady Confesses to Her "Dirty Little Secret"....

by Melody Wigdahl, aka The Net Lady

For years I hid a “dirty little secret” - I LOVE network marketing. If that offends you - sorry. But the truth is I have been involved with network marketing for years, and I have been very successful with it. The other truth is that my success as not always been IN network marketing but rather from the very core that drives the entire concept - and that is residual income.

But I hid this secret carefully because I lived in area overrun with well-educated professionals that looked down on “MLMers”. Unfortunately, as most of you know, public perception of network marketing has been created by promoters who promise the "miracle product" and a "killer pay plan" for "anyone who can fog a mirror". It’s been given a bad name by the guy with the soap leaflets that kidnaps you from your cousin’s wedding for a “brief” 2 hr presentation at the local Denny’s.

The bad part of selling the business as something that everyone can do is that it is simply not true. While network marketing has made business and financial success accessible to the "little guy", it is not easy, nor can just anyone be successful at it. You cannot simply sign up, sit back and wait for the moola to arrive. It's like any other business, - effort, persistence and resources yield results.

But, here is the real power of network marketing: there are very few businesses that can offer what networking marketing does - and that is the possibility of real lifetime earnings from every sale you make - Residual Income. Understanding the true meaning of this concept is the difference between simply making a few extra dollars every month - or being able to take control of your life!

You see, once you begin to truly understand the power of residual income, you look at every product or service you are thinking about selling differently - and for someone that has been a sales professional her entire life - this was a profound lesson to learn!

I owned a mortgage company for many years - and worked 80 hour weeks on a regular basis. As soon as one deal closed - I had to get another one. I also ran a very successful real estate magazine for 3 years - and as soon as one issue went out the door, I had to start selling the next one.

And as soon as I stopped selling....I stopped making money. The perpetual loop of frustration!

When I first learned that there were actually products that would pay you not just for the sale of the product but (in essence) for acquisition of the customer....my life changed. Now if that sounds pretty dramatic - I meant it that way, because it has had that profound an impact on my life.

Over the next several years, I completely changed the way I evaluated any new opportunity or product presented to me - and my first criteria, now, is ALWAYS .....residual income!

Has it paid off? Yes, in a big way. I have a good life, and a happy one. Has it been without it’s challenges? No - some of the companies and ventures I tried did not work as I had hoped, some were simply just not “right” for me, since I really only want to work with companies and products that I like and can personally recommend.

Further - I don’t want to spend every evening coercing people into signing up, I refuse to “sell” to my “warm circle”, I can’t stand conference calls & I HATE “recruiting”.....gee, I really sound like the ideal MLM candidate don’t I?

The point is - if I can be successful in MLM - so can just about anyone that takes the time to find a great product and a good company. And with all of the online tools and resources available today - you really can build both a customer base and a downline without losing your family and friends!

So, to those of you that have been afraid to try network marketing, please understand that it CAN be done without the hype & arm twisting - you can be successful without ever selling a single bottle of vitamins to your mom or your next door neighbor.

The most successful people are those that understand that this is no different than any other business - you need to find, acquire and RETAIN customers. Good customers that love the product become distributors, and many of those distributors will go on to become GREAT distributors because they truly believe in the product....true network marketing NEEDS customers to spread the word, and to keep the company alive and growing, just like Dell and McDonalds and Macy’s.

Satisfied customers are the heart and soul of every retail business, and network marketing is nothing more than retail marketing that utilizes a vast sales force rather than store shelves to sell the products, not just the opportunity!

If your current network marketing company is telling you differently - get out. The ones that stay, the ones that will be here a decade from now, are the ones that encourage you to get customers and sell product.

Last but not least - you will most likely find that the people that you will be working with in your chosen network marketing company are individuals with positive attitudes that are willing to do something more than the average person to make changes in their lives. Being around people that are working diligentlyto make a positive change in their lives is much more motivating and energizing than the gang at the office that spends the day complaining about how much they hate their jobs.

Network Marketing is NOT for everyone - but if you truly want to start a new business that does not require a huge investment to get you started, and are willing to put forth the effort - it can be the perfect business opportunity for many.

So don’t let the old image of network marketing scare you away...just as the internet has changed so many other businesses - it has revolutionized network marketing, too, and it might be just what you are looking for!

Eat That Frog!

2008-02-05T15:10:00.000-06:00

Have you checked out the Simple Truth's website? They send out these awesome movies and publish lots of great motivational items. The latest is below. Check them out and sign up - it's a great resource!

There’s an old saying that says...

“If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day!”

Brian Tracy says that your “frog” should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one you’re most likely to procrastinate; because, if you eat that first, it’ll give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day. But, if you don’t...and let him sit there on the plate and stare at you while you do a hundred unimportant things, it can drain your energy and you won’t even know it.

In Eat That Frog!, Brian cuts to the core of what is vital to effective time management: decision, discipline and determination. In 21 practical steps, he will help you stop procrastinating and get more of the important tasks done...today!

Brian is one of America’s leading authorities on development of human potential. He speaks to over 250,000 people a year and has written over 25 books. Eat That Frog! is an international best seller, with over 500,000 copies sold. We’re pleased to say, however, that Simple Truths has taken a great book, and well...made it better! How? We’ve made it a little shorter; a little more engaging with great graphics; a little more “giftable” with an embossed hard cover, and of course, packaging that can create a “wow” effect! In short, we’ve turned a great book into a great gift for employees, customers, friends and family.

Here’s a small sampling in Brian’s chapter titled: Apply the 80/20 Rule to Everything. Enjoy!

Live with passion,

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

Eat That Frog!
By Brian Tracy
Excerpt from Chapter 3: Apply the 80/20 Rule to Everything

The 80/20 Rule is one of the most helpful of all concepts of time and life management. It is also called the “Pareto Principle” after its founder, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who first wrote about it in 1895. Pareto noticed that people in his society seemed to divide naturally into what he called the “vital few”, the top 20 percent in terms of money and influence, and the “trivial many”, the bottom 80 percent.

He later discovered that virtually all economic activity was subject to this principle as well. For example, this principle says that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results, 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your sales, 20 percent of your products or services will account for 80 percent of your profits, 20 percent of your tasks will account for 80 percent of the value of what you do, and so on. This means that if you have a list of ten items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth five or ten times or more than the other eight items put together.

Number of Tasks versus Importance of Tasks
Here is an interesting discovery. Each of the ten tasks may take the same amount of time to accomplish. But one or two of those tasks will contribute five or ten times the value of any of the others.

Often, one item on a list of ten tasks that you have to do can be worth more than all the other nine items put together. This task is invariably the frog that you should eat first.

Focus on Activities, Not Accomplishments
The most valuable tasks you can do each day are often the hardest and most complex. But the payoff and rewards for completing these tasks efficiently can be tremendous. For this reason, you must adamantly refuse to work on tasks in the bottom 80 percent while you still have tasks in the top 20 percent left to be done.

Before you begin work, always ask yourself, “Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?”

The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you will be naturally motivated to continue. A part of your mind loves to be busy working on significant tasks that can really make a difference. Your job is to feed this part of your mind continually.

Motivate Yourself
Just thinking about starting and finishing an important task motivates you and helps you to overcome procrastination. Time management is really life management, personal management. It is really taking control of the sequence of events. Time management is having control over what you do next. And you are always free to choose the task that you will do next. Your ability to choose between the important and the unimportant is the key determinant of your success in life and work.

Effective, productive people discipline themselves to start on the most important task that is before them. They force themselves to eat that frog, whatever it is. As a result, they accomplish vastly more than the average person and are much happier as a result. This should be your way of working as well.

Buy 2 or More of This Book & Save!

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Eat That Frog!
Hardcover, 160 pages, 6.75" square
By Brian Tracy

So you want to get organized. You want to simplify your life. You want to learn to focus on priorities… to get more done in less time. The answer… read Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog!

The article above was excerpted from the book "Eat That Frog!" By Brian Tracy. It is reprinted here with permission. You may share this story as long as you do not edit the content; leave the links and this resource box intact.

Dani Johnson's Millionaire Secrets

2008-02-01T11:13:00.000-06:00

I've gotten into "The Big Idea with Danny Deutsch" on CNBC. Great show and I've been tuning in nightly. This week I was surprised and delighted (does that sound corny?) to see Dani Johnson on the show!! I guess I shouldn't have been, I'm on Dani's email list and I'm sure I received an email "heads up" that I SHOULD HAVE read. No worries - guess I was meant to see it and you can too!

Here's the link: http://www.cnbc.com/id/22923995

Just click to watch a video replay from Donny's site. I received Dani's new book the same day she was on the Big Idea. As I was watching, my son Stephen picked up the book and held it up with a smile. It's beside my bed and has been added to my nightly read. Great stuff!!

The Big Idea is a great show to get you inspired. It's on CNBC Monday through Friday at 9pm CST. Check it out if want to get those creative juices flowing again. You can also visit the website at:

www.bigideadonny.com

The Power of Kindness

2008-01-30T17:18:00.000-06:00

I'm signed up for the free ezine & videos from Simple Truths (.com). It's a great site and they also have an awesome blog. Below is a sample "The Power of Kindness" - a great read!

Visit the site and check it out for yourself!

http://blog.simpletruths.com/
http://www.simpletruths.com/

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "One of the greatest compensations in life is that no person can help another without helping themselves." How true it is!

Mary Kay Ash was the inspirational founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics. Many years ago I heard her speak to a group of executives, and she told of her first sales job when she was in her early 20’s. She had been excited because she was attending her first convention, and was going to get to meet the top sales person of the company. At a reception, she made her way through the crowd, introduced herself, and asked th man to please share some of his secrets to success. And, do you know what he said…nothing. Absolutely nothing! He just walked away.

Mary Kay said it was a defining moment in her life, and she promised herself that if she ever enjoyed any success in her life, she would share it with others. Once she started her own company, she said, when she walked into a room she would pretend that everyone had a sign around their neck that said…MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT.

We all want to feel important, and one of the simplest acts of kindness, one of the simplest ways to make anyone feel important is to sincerely listen to what they have to say.

In my opinion, there is no real success, in any life, until they can discover the beauty of simple, random acts of kindness.

Six Dollar Haircuts

2008-01-25T11:19:00.000-06:00

This story came from today's "Insight of the Day" - Bob Proctor's ezine. I loved the story and wanted to share. You can subscribe at:

http://www.insightoftheday.com/default.asp?affid=1336

Six Dollar Haircuts

This is a true story about a third generation barber in a small community in the Mid-west. The shop had been handed down from his grandfather and developed not just a hair salon but more of a community center where the farmers and families would come in not only to get their hair done, but enjoy the coffee and donut bar and spend time with their neighbors sharing the news of their farms and families. This shop had grown to include 10 stylists who cut all the men's hair and all the women's hair in the community.

The owner's son came home from graduate school over spring break, to find his father depressed and reclusive. Finally getting his father to share what the problem was, the father confided that there was a new, national chain that had been moving across the country, bringing in cheap hair salons into all of the different communities and driving everyone out of business. And so, even though the community had loved all of the work that he had done, the perms and the haircuts and the styles over the years, right down the street opened up this new shop. It offered six dollar haircuts. Person after person had left to go to the new low cost shop.

The father told his son, "There is absolutely NO way I can compete with $6.00 haircuts. So much of my clientele has now gone to the new shop that I have no choice but to close our shop. After three generations, we are going bankrupt. I can't pay the stylists or the overhead anymore," he despondently said with his hands covering his face so his son would not see the tears rolling out of his eyes.

The son said, "You know, this last semester I took a "science of success" program that was offered for extra credit in my marketing class. One thing I learned was something that Einstein said. He said that "The significant problems we face can never be solved at the level of thinking of the problem." So, Dad, we have to find another way to think about this. We've got to find another way to see this. Another one of the strategies I learned may help us."

So the son left the room and brought back a notebook and a pen. He told the Dad about "Masterminding", a strategy introduced in the 1930's by Napoleon Hill who had been commissioned by Andrew Carnegie to study the patterns of extremely successful people.

"Here's what we do. We let ourselves think of any idea that comes to mind and we write it down. No editing. We get a flow of ideas for 15-20 minutes and try to get as many as possible. No idea is off limits. Let's go."

The father said, "Well, the only idea I've got is..close the shop!" The son said, "Well, you're right that IS an idea." He wrote it down. Then the son said, "Ok, let's keep going." Before long the son and the father started getting a flow of ideas and writing down every one of them, even every crazy thing that came to mind. When they finished, one of the ideas absolutely jumped off the page and they looked at each other in astonishment and said, "This just might work!" The son left the next day to go back to college.

The father implemented the idea. Within 6 weeks, not only had his drop in clientele completely returned, but the number of customers was now 11% higher than ever in the history of the shop. Do you know what the idea was that turned sure failure into a new course of increasing success?

The idea was, "Place a BIG sign on top of the shop that read,

"WE FIX SIX DOLLAR HAIRCUTS!!"

This story has meant a great deal to me particularly when I am tempted to think that the problem is "out there" in the land of circumstances. Any time I think the problem is "out there", THAT THOUGHT is the problem. As Einstein said, "The significant problems we face can not be solved at the level of the problem." Learning to think in a new way brings Freedom and Power.

Mary Manin Morrissey

Mary Morrissey is a minister, teacher and author. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Education, a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology and a Doctorate of Humane Letters. Take a look at her latest collaboration with Bob Proctor here: http://www.insightoftheday.com/a.asp?bpap&1336&isp

It’s NOT About Creating A “Relationship”!

2008-01-23T13:15:00.000-06:00

Great article from Michael Oliver (Natural Selling). There is an audio version on his site.

It’s NOT About Creating A “Relationship”!

Here is something that I confess makes my hair stand on end! It’s part of an email I got and refers to something I hear frequently.

“When I call people it’s not for the purpose of selling but to get to know them, create a relationship and then call them back again the following week.”

Let’s be clear about this. It’s NOT about having a nice chat, creating a relationship and calling them back next week.

It IS about establishing in the first call whether they are serious about changing their present situation and whether they are prepared to do something about it. That’s all!

If they are, you introduce your solution and how it can help them get what they want.

If they are not... you don’t! You bow out graciously. You let them know that when they are ready, you’re ready. Then clear your mind and move on and talk with others who are NOT satisfied with where they are and ARE prepared to do something about it.

I don’t care what kind of products, business opportunity, compensation plan etc., you have. If they are not serious about taking some kind of action, then nothing is going to change and there is no point in wasting both your time pursuing something that is an illusion.

Let’s talk about the “Relationship”.

In Natural Selling it’s not about creating a relationship for the purpose of making a sale. The relationship is created as a natural consequence of how you think and how you talk with people. The relationship is cemented regardless of the outcome. It comes with the territory of understanding and applying Natural Selling.

The way you do this is to allow them to talk about the difference between what they have and what they want and why they want it. Help them get clear about their present situation. The Natural Selling dialogue itself is designed to do this. It will even go so far as actually taking their interest and desire up a notch or two.

The main point though is to get to their level of seriousness.

Here are some key points;

You’re looking for someone who is looking to move away from and/or move toward something and has enough desire to do it.
You’re looking for someone who is prepared to help themselves. Ask yourself, is it possible to help anyone who is not prepared to help themselves? No. It’s impossible.
You’re looking for someone who is prepared to take responsibility for their actions in the past, in the present and in the future.

Think abundantly. Think leadership. If you were the CEO of a company (which you are by the way) would you hire just anyone off the street and trust your business and life on random chances? Of course you wouldn’t.

So think like and act like the CEO of an enlightened company whose primary purpose is to look for and help those who are prepared to help themselves.

And if you'd like a blueprint for making calls that will find and help those kind of people, then take a look at my "Calling Leads" audio program. The 4 CDs in this program reveal exactly how to make every call you make a productive exercise in business building and relationship building with the right people.

Have a peaceful and prosperous week…

Best Selling Author of "How to Sell Network Marketing Without Fear, Anxiety or Losing Your Friends!" - Selling from the Soul. Ancient Wisdoms. Modern Practice.

Want to get rid of all the techniques, systems and gimmicks simply by changing the way you think and the way you act on what you think? Choose one of the many convenient options on the right hand side of this newsletter. Or click here www.NaturalSelling.com

Equipped To Succeed Beyond Your Dreams!

2007-12-11T19:59:00.000-06:00

Dani Johnson knows first hand what it takes to overcome adversity and succeed in Business. She went from living out of her car with $2.03 cents to her name to making $250,000 her first year and went on to earn her first million by the age of 23.

Dani Johnson

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Since then she’s committed her life to sharing with others her proven success system and the true keys to success and total freedom in all areas of life. Dani is a Relationship Marketing Expert and has trained thousands how to achieve extraordinary success in the home business industry and beyond. She has shattered records, been a #1 international producer and owned her own Direct Selling company. Never before has she been available to train outside her personal sales force. Now this industry trainer who has been sought after by numerous companies is available to you. Dani's ability to give very specific answers in a direct, straight to the gut, no holds barred, no fluff manner combined with her raw motivation style is what sets her apart from other trainers. Her First Steps To Success seminars propel you forward and bring out your maximum potential by giving you the tools that you need in order to achieve success in your home based business, professional career and personal life. This training will take years off your learning curve and will give you the specific tools, techniques and a burning desire to get the results you've been looking for now! If you are ready for a life changing experience, ready to step up as a leader, be a top producer and affect other people’s lives, then don't miss this powerful full 2 day event!

http://www.danijohnson.com/

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Get your Free audio program and Learn the 7 habits that lead to poverty and financial struggle. You’ll also discover the 10 Step Wealth Formula to create prosperity and success in your life.
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