Planning

Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn
PLANNING

I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change.

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much.

The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don't have it well designed.

The guy says, "When you work where I work, by the time you get home, it's late. You've got to have a bite to eat, watch a little TV, relax and get to bed. You can't sit up half the night planning, planning, planning." And he's the same guy who is behind on his car payment!
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Vitamins for the Mind is a weekly sampling of original quotes, on a specific topic, taken from The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn (TTOQ). TTOQ, a beautiful, burgundy hardbound book with gold foil lettering, is a collection of over 365 quotes on 60 topics gathered from Jim's personal journals, seminars and books spanning over 39 years. To order the TTOQ by Jim Rohn or Excerpts from TTOQ by Jim Rohn or Brian Tracy, please go to Jim Rohn's Online Catalog

Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

Perseverance/Persistence

It takes time to build a corporate work of art. It takes time to build a life. And it takes time to develop and grow. So give yourself, your enterprise, and your family the time they deserve and the time they require.

Americans are incredibly impatient. Someone once said that the shortest period of time in America is the time between when the light turns green and when you hear the first horn honk.

The twin killers of success are impatience and greed.

How long should you try? Until.

Some people plant in the spring and leave in the summer. If you've signed up for a season, see it through. You don't have to stay forever, but at least stay until you see it through.
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Vitamins for the Mind is a weekly sampling of original quotes, on a specific topic, taken from The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn (TTOQ). TTOQ, a beautiful, burgundy hardbound book with gold foil lettering, is a collection of over 365 quotes on 60 topics gathered from Jim's personal journals, seminars and books spanning over 39 years. To order the TTOQ by Jim Rohn or Excerpts from TTOQ by Jim Rohn or Brian Tracy, please go to Jim Rohn's Online Catalog

How to Add Value to Others

Every day I read a daily devotional from John Maxwell (Leadership Guru) called "Leadership Promised for Every Day". This one was too good not to share...I truly believe that if we are going to grow our at home businesses that we should also grow as leaders. So, here goes...

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, taching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people."

~ Matthew 4:23

When people think about you, do they say to themselves, "My life is better because of that person?" Their response probably answers the question of whether you are adding value to them. To succeed personally, you must try to help others. That's why Zig Ziglar says, "You can get everything in life you want if you help enough people get what they want." How do you do that? How can you turn your focus from yourself and start adding value to others? You can do it by:

1. Putting others first in your thinking.

2. Finding out what others need.

3. Meeting that need with excellence and generosity.

(Failing Forward)

I'm Ready to Be There for YOU,

Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

RESULTS

At the end of each day, you should play back the tapes of your performance. The results should either applaud you or prod you.

The greatest form of maturity is at harvest time. This is when we must learn how to reap without complaint if the amounts are small and how to reap without apology if the amounts are big.

Life asks us to make measurable progress in reasonable time. That's why they make those fourth grade chairs so small – so you won't fit in them at age twenty-five!

There are some things you don't have to know how it works - only that it works. While some people are studying the roots, others are picking the fruit. It just depends on which end of this you want to get in on.

Vitamins for the Mind is a weekly sampling of original quotes, on a specific topic, taken from The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn (TTOQ). TTOQ, a beautiful, burgundy hardbound book with gold foil lettering, is a collection of over 365 quotes on 60 topics gathered from Jim's personal journals, seminars and books spanning over 39 years. To order the TTOQ by Jim Rohn or Excerpts from TTOQ by Jim Rohn or Brian Tracy, please go to Jim Rohn's Online Catalog

Get the RESULTS you want!,

Rich Dad's 8 Core Values for Success

Robert Kiyosaki, author of the best-selling Rich Dad, Poor Dad series, shares tips for getting ahead in business.

1 - Find equal opportunities. Don't be a victim of the survival-of-the-fittest technique. Make yourself marketable.

2 - Get a life-changing business education. Feed your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs. No, this doesn't necessarily mean sitting in a college classroom. Get an education from life.

3 - Latch onto friends who will pull you up, not push you down. Protect yourself from negative influences.

4 - Find value in your network. The more people you can meet in business, the better.

5 - Develop your most important business skill. Communicate, communicate and communicate.

6 - Be a leader. Influence others by being a great teacher.

7 - Don't work just for money. Work to build wealth, not money. Invest.

8 - Live your dreams. First of all, make sure you have dreams. Then make them a reality. You can be a successful businessperson and still make your dreams come true.

Don't forget the Hope

Leaders: Don't forget the Hope

by Tim Sanders

In my line of work, finding the ultimate definition of leadership is to find the holy grail.

I've heard an assortment of good definitions over the years, but during a mid-May interview with USA Today, AMEX CEO Kenneth Chenault came up with the best one I've heard so far.

For his definition, he took words from a leader who experienced great success and failure -- Napoleon: "The role of a leader is to define reality and give hope."

That's a GREAT way of thinking about leadership. This simple definition gives you two clear mandates to carefully balance: Reality (the way things are) and Hope (the way things can be). By focusing on both, you are able to be candid, yet inspirational.

Leaders who, like Chenault, follow this credo will hit their financial goals, and build an emotionally sustainable business along the way. Without hope, you have follower burn out and revolt. Without reality, you have idealism and no results.

So the trick to leadership, then, is balance and not just vision or charisma. Is hope part of the emotional comp plan for the people that work for you or follow you? Are you the reality king/queen or the 'big idea person'? You've got to own both of those roles to succeed.

~Tim Sanders

Best-selling author Tim Sanders says that it's not just a matter of what you do, but of what you think and how you make others feel. Now, in The Likeability Factor (his popular DVD program), Sanders can help you learn to boost your "L-Factor" and achieve your life's dreams.

Concentration

Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn
Concentration

The best advice I ever came across on the subject of concentration is: Wherever you are, be there.

When you work, work. When you play, play. Don't mix the two.

Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of attention.

On the way to work, concentrate on the way - not the work.

Pay attention. Don't just stagger through the day.

Book Review - Parable of the Pipeline

The Parable of the Pipeline
(How Anyone Can Build a Pipeline Of Ongoing Residual Income In The New Economy)
By Burke Hedges

From the Back Cover:
One Pipeline is Worth a Thousand Paychecks!

We’re living in the most affluent economy in decades. Yet millions of people are still living from paycheck to paycheck, working longer and longer hours just to stay even.

Why? Because they bought into the wrong plan! They’ve fallen for the Time-for-Money Trap. You know, a day’s work for a day’s pay. A month’s work for a month’s pay. Sound familiar?

Whether you’re a $10,000 a-year dishwasher or a $100,000 a-year doctor, you’re still trading one unit of time for one unit of money. You’re still living paycheck to paycheck. As for “job security” – if you can’t do the work because of layoffs…illness…injury…or retirement – the paychecks stop!

Where’s the security in that?

How do you escape the Time-for-Money Trap? By building pipelines of ongoing, residual income. With residual income, you do the work once and get paid over and over again. That’s why one pipeline is worth a thousand paychecks. Pipelines keep pumping day after day, year after year, whether you’re there to do the work or not.

Now, that’s security – true financial security!

The Parable of the Pipeline will teach you how to build pipelines so that you can make the leap from earning a living today…to enjoying a lifestyle tomorrow!

From Me:

I never fully understood the importance of the “pipeline” until I finished reading this book. It was like the lights had been turned on in my head and all of the sudden I knew what I had to do next.

I would strongly encourage anyone, whether you are in network marketing or not, to read this book and grasp the importance of stepping out of the Time-for-Money trap that the author talks about. Once you grab a hold of that information it will radically transform how your look at your job, your business, and your life.

Keep Reading, Learning, and Growing,

Success Magazine Article - Part 2

Direct Selling Offers Flexibility and Financial Freedom
Erin Casey May 5, 2008

Tap into a proven system for success. Avoid wasting time or money by learning from others’ experiences and wisdom. Direct selling companies often provide high-quality, high-impact marketing tools, including personal Web sites, brochures, catalogs, DVDs and CDs to help direct sellers present a professional image—at a fraction of what it would cost to produce the same tools on their own. Additionally, training in best practices is frequently offered online and via conference calls as well as at local and national conferences.

Start a business for $500 or less. Direct selling companies offer big opportunity with minimal startup costs. For a small sign-up fee, new reps receive access to training and marketing materials, discounts on products and sample products to show and sell. You can set up office at your kitchen table with phone and laptop. Low overhead combined with minimal(if any) inventory expenses make direct selling businesses affordable. And because many companies handle online orders and deliver directly to customers, independent representatives can focus their time on connecting with potential clients and team members.


Experience flexibility and time freedom. The flexibility to work around full-time jobs or to create an income stream that fits into their families' schedules is a huge perk. Becauseeach representative is an independent contractor, not an employee, there is no set schedule or required number of hours. On average, part-time direct sellers devote three to 10 hours per week to their businesses. Those who pursue the business full time invest 15 to 35 hours per week. In either case, representatives can set their own schedules and build their businesses during off hours and lunch breaks or on weekends.


Earn what you’re worth. When you’re the boss, you don’t have to ask for a raise—you simply go out and earn one. A results-driven industry, direct selling levels the playing field by offering the same opportunity to everyone regardless of age, ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic background. Equal opportunity, a clearly defined career path and no earning restrictions mean there are no limits on what successful direct sellers can earn. While some in the industry are earning millions, it’s more common for direct sellers to use their businesses to earn extra cash per month to pay for dinnersout, private school, college expenses, cars and family vacations.


Maximize your earnings with residual(or passive) income. By building a team of people who love the products and are excited about telling others about the opportunity, direct sellers can leverage their time and maximize their income. Capitalizing on a team’s efforts means a business owner can devote 10 hours a week to their business, but with 10 other people also devoting 10 hours to their businesses, the team leader earns a commission from the collective sales and team-building results of 110 hours’ effort. It also means a team builder’s business has the potential to grow, even while he or she is on vacation.


“I like the honesty about direct selling,” says economist Paul Zane Pilzer, author of The Next Millionaires, “because it openly tells people the way to get rich is residual income: Get paid tomorrow for something you did yesterday—and let it accumulate.”


Reap the rewards of helping others succeed. Building a team definitely makes financial sense, but it also offers significant intangible rewards. Though representatives run their businesses independently, they often develop a family-like connection with their team members and others in the business. The friendships formed and the experiences of helping others improve their personal and financial lives are often as meaningful to direct sellers as the money they earn.


Get the recognition—and prizes—you deserve. In the corporate world, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, much less free vacations, luxury cars or fine jewelry. Direct selling companies know most people work more diligently and with more enthusiasm for a reward. First-class incentive trips to exotic locations, free cars or car allowances, fine jewelry and cash bonuses are offered by many companies to those who excel. And the opportunity to earn such rewards is open to everyone.


Become a better you. Direct sellers are faced with numerous comfort-zone challenges, and by overcoming those challenges they grow personally and professionally. The encouragement and training these independent business owners receive from their companies’ leaders as well as others in the field spur them to step outside their comfort zones to achieve success.

Book Review - 5/2/08

Network Marketing is an interesting field to work in. It can be the life you've always wanted but it can also take a lot of work and time. Every so often I will do a Book Review here on this blog to let you know about some REALLY amazing books that I have read about this phenomenal industry.

Knowledge is POWER and I truly believe that we can all grow to be at our absolute BEST if we continue to learn, grow, and care for others. The first book I want to tell you about is probably one of my ALL time favorite books about Network Marketing and that's because it is told in a parable in which you become intertwined into the characters of the story's lives.

Let me share with you what I found about the book on the Random House web site.

Network marketing is a burgeoning field, and it can be a frustrating and difficult experience. There are many who have achieved minimal success, and many more who have made no money at all. With these discouraging figures, how can one become a member of the successful elite? Millions agree that the best way to do this is to spend some time with The Greatest Networker in the World.

John Milton Fogg’s extended parable is the story of a young man on the verge of quitting the multilevel marketing business. As he prepares to give his final opportunity meeting, he meets the individual everyone refers to as The Greatest Networker in the World. This warm and wise man takes in his young counterpart and shows him the trade secrets so he too can become a successful network marketer.

The young man soon learns that the trade secrets have very little to do with conventional marketing techniques. In fact, he has to unlearn everything he thought he knew about business. "The paradigm of network marketing is so fundamentally different and distinct from all other paradigms of business, that it requires a pretty complete shift from the way we normally view business to appreciate and understand it."

The new paradigm is built around one’s habits of thought and discovering that the secrets to network marketing success are within oneself. The values of responsibility, team building, and caring for one’s downline play a much more important role than competitive promotion and advertising. A critical skill for all marketers is the ability to teach people to teach others.

Once one has mastered the new paradigm of multilevel marketing, he needs to not only show his downline how to master it, but also how to teach those techniques to others. This leads to greater leadership within the organization, more stability, improved productivity, and as a result, long-lasting success.

About the Author
John Milton Fogg is an international speaker and the author of more than two dozen books and tapes, including The Greatest Networker in the World. He is the founding editor and chairman of Upline and Network Marketing Lifestyles magazines. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Take a minute right now and head over to Amazon.com and pick up a copy of the book, you won't regret it!

Your Dream Begins Today

What will you life be like when you've acheived your most deeply held dreams? Let's take a look at how you can start living your dreams this very day.

Do you have a specific dream, a vision of the life you wish to live?
How specific is that dream?
How clear is that vision?
How do you intend to reach it?
What obstacles stand in your way?
Are your fears holding you back or are you using them to move you forward?

Your fears can actually lead you to success. Fear is an intense emotion. But that doesn't mean it has to control you, or even stop you. Fear can prepare you and push you forward just as strongly as it can hold you back. Fear heightens your awareness and icreases your physical strength. Fear brings your mind to sharp focus. With all that going for you, does it make sense to just run and hide? Of course not. Fear gets you in shape to take action!

Are you waiting for things to get better before moving ahead? If you're serious about success you need to start taking action today. If you're waiting for things to be perfect, you'll wait forever and get nothing will ever get done. The way to achieve is to bloom where you're planted, to do what you can, where you are, with what you have. It's easy to think up excuses for not taking action. "If only I had more hours in the day. If only I had a better job. If only I could meet the right person." But excuses won't bring you anything of value. You've got to change your "If only" into an "I will". "I will make better use of my time. I will work on improving my career, create and nuture my relationships." Take a chance. Have faith in yourself. Your circumstances will improve when you make the effort to improve them. Start where you are right now. You have everything it takes to reach for whatever you desire. Stop wishing. Use your time, your energy, your thoughts and efforts to make it happen! You'll be glad you did!

By Les Brown
(Les Brown is an internationally recognized speaker and author)

What Every Business Needs

There are several factors involved in making your business a success. Determination. Hard work. A good product or service. A flexible plan. A strong business team. The list can be endless. But there is one thing that every business, large or small, absolutely must have in order to exist: customers. If you learn the secret of attracting and keeping new customers you can overcome any obstacle on your path to success.

Terri Bowersock was the student most likely to be thumped on the head with a ruler. She was commonly labeled "dummy" and "stupid" by teachers and peers alike. Because her dyslexia wasn't diagnosed until after graduation, she faked and cheated her way through school. College was not an option. Traditional job hunting was impossible-Terri couldn't even fill out a job application. Terri's mom always knew her daughter was smart and she recognized what most people overlooked. Terri had true grit and enough determination to run her own business. When her mom got her a job operating a small gift shop another thing quickly became obvious. Terri had a knack for bringing in customers.

After 4 years honing her sales skills at the gift shop Terri decided it was time to open her own business. In 1979 twenty-two year old Terri borrowed $2000 from her grandmother, signed a lease (which she couldn't read) and opened her own furniture consignment shop. For the sake of space I will fly over her years of struggling to make ends meet, evictions, setbacks and a host of other challenges. By 1997 Terri's Consign & Design Furnishings had become a $16 million corporation with franchises in several states.

When Terri started her own business she lacked education, maturity, business savvy, and a long-range plan. Consignment shops are a dime a dozen and for every one that opens another fails. So what made the difference for Terri? She instinctively knew the value of constantly bringing in new customers and keeping the old customers faithful. What can you and I learn from Terri's experience? Simply this:

-No matter how well business seems to be going, always assume there are more customers that need your services.
-Find creative ways of marketing and gaining consumer awareness.
-Don't be afraid to try something no one else is doing.
-Always provide better service than your customers expect.
-Make your customers feel like you care about them personally. There is no substitute for personal attention.
-Don't be too proud to hawk your business on the street or from door-to-door if that's what it takes to get people's attention.

If Terri Bowersock could achieve business success in spite of some astounding roadblocks, so can you. I have faith in you!

You can do this, I know you can...email me and let me show you how we can work together to make it happen!

How You Can Do This

Many people NEED more money, and most people just do not HAVE millions, hundreds of thousands and maybe not even enough to start that lawn-care business I talked about earlier.

If you go to a bank to borrow money, you must HAVE money in order to BORROW money. With THIS business you don’t NEED a college diploma, not even a high school education, or ANY prior training. And you don’t NEED a lot of money.

You don’t NEED an office or helpers. You don’t NEED to drive your car to work. This is your OWN business that you work from HOME. In fact, you can work in your pajamas or sweats, naked even, unless you have neighbors or relatives who just “drop by”.

All you DO need is a telephone, a computer, access to the Internet, and put forth effort by TELLING others about it. Then you’ll need a little money for postage, telephone bills, and the Internet access fee. Peanuts! But, you know this; it takes SOME money to make money.

If you don’t have a computer, GET ONE! They’re cheap. If you don’t understand how to use the computer, it’s easy. I’M a computer “dunce”. I can send emails, find out the weather when I travel overseas (or from Texas to Minnesota), title and times for movies and look up info on Google.

That’s IT! With your computer, you can send a message or letter to thousands in minutes. I learned to do these things in ONE HOUR! Since my brain works from a different side that most of you who have even a degree of technical know-how, you can learn how to do it in a HALF hour!

PLUS, the “tax advantages” of owning your own home-based business MORE than makes up for what you have to spend. If you don’t know what they are, ask the person who gave you or sent you this book; THEY will know!

All you truly HAVE TO DO is to “find” at least 10 hours a week, LEARN about the business, and TELL others how to find your web site. If you spend fewer hours, you might earn a few dollars. If you spend more hours, you have a chance to make more.

I have NEVER seen a company, product, and a home-based business that has EVERYTHING! Don’t panic, I’ll tell you about it ALL in the chapters ahead.

~Written by Pete Billac, “Shoot for the Stars”

I want you to know that if you are even remotely interested you should contact me.

What do you have to loose? Really...what?

Let me show you how to travel more, spend less, and make money doing it!

I'm looking forward to hearing from you,
Melissa

Change Your Life in Only Minutes a Day

I'm going to ask you to this next part on faith alone. When you do, I believe you'll see amazing results. You're going to set goals like you've never done before. You may be saying to yourself, "Not that goal stuff again." Think about it. Since successful people talk about goal setting over-and-over, perhaps there's something to it. Look where they are and then look where you are. If you see them and wish you could change places, get out a pen and a piece of paper.

What you are about to read is probably different that anything you've ever been told about setting goals. Many of you who have heard the "goal speech" before, remember being told to set realistic and attainable goals. Unfortunately, that often keeps you from driving toward what you really want.

Ask yourself, "was landing on the moon a realistic goal?" "Was finding cures for polio and other diseases realistic?" How about skyscrapers, jets, submarines, Olympic Gold medals, or any other accomplishments? Were any of those, or thousands of other things that make your life better, realistic? Then, if you were to go for great success like those who accomplished the preceding did, why would you set a single "realistic" goal? Realistic is whatever you believe!

Open your mind. Set aside 20 minutes tonight before you go to bed. Take a few pieces of paper and a pen and write 101 of the most outrageous goals your mind can come up with. Don't concern yourself with any details. Just keep on writing. When you clear your mind and focus on what you want, you'll surprise yourself with what you come up with.

Keep the list handy and review it often. Whenever you are deciding whether or not to do something, take out the list, read it, and ask yourself, "Will doing this bring me closer to any of my goals?" Once you determine whether or not doing something will help you reach your goals, your decision becomes easier. Will taking that action keep you on-track or take you off-track.

The above is from the book, "If they say No, just say Next!" by John Fuhrman

What's stopping you from making your list right now?

What's stopping you from achieving every single one of the 101 Outrageous Goals on your list?

Chase the Dream and Enjoy the Journey,

Melissa