Diversification

Here’s a great article about diversification…But not the traditional kind. It’s not like buying small, mid, and large cap stocks and seeing them all decline. Or Int’l and domestic funds and seeing them tank too. Or even diversifying into Real Estate and watching that crater. 🙂

Side note: don’t sweat too much those who have been diversified but are “down”, it’ll come back up and it doesn’t negate the critical diversification and dollar-cost averaging principles that ultimately work best over the long haul.

Anyways, this is a VERY different kind of diversification. It’s income diversification, and it’s pretty darned difficult to do in a traditional business. Expert trainer Tim Sales says that poor people buy “stuff””, middle class people buy “liabilities”, and rich people buy “assets”, though he uses a bit of a different definition than the traditional accounting ones (“stuff” is the junk you keep around your house, “liabilities” are things that cost you money, and “assets” are things that make you money.).

Below, you’ll read about how rich people all across North America are investing in assets that are available to millions of people across North America, regardless of income, background, or experience. Pretty amazing.

Not long ago, Craig Lapp made his living driving a truck that helped carve Southern California’s soil into new developments. But then housing sales slumped, and in November 2007 Lapp’s construction company let him go.While he searched for another job, Lapp began working alongside his wife, Lynne, in a business based in their Temecula home, selling nutritional supplements made by the direct-sales company Isagenix. Nearly two years later and with no construction job in sight, Lapp says a one-time sideline has become the couple’s bread and butter.

“It’s paying our mortgage, our car payments … putting food on the table,” says Lapp, 55, who adds that he and his wife are earning a six-figure income. “It was our ‘Plan B’ that turned into our ‘Plan A.’ “

Click here to read the entire story.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good heartiness, it�s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

May 9, 2009May 20, 2009

Just In Case…

Al Keranen and Glenn "Big Daddy" Hubbard

…you missed it and you’re a Univera associates (or interested in making some extra money), here’s a replay.

Normally, I reserve my blog for topics related to leadership, service, and wellness–mixed in with some personal stories. Yet so much of my life is Univera and the related activities spillover continually–and this is one of those. The following was a really fun announcement (Glen and Teresa were great thanks to you both) to make via a simulcast to well over to 1,000 Univera associates who watched LIVE from all over North America–and on a Friday night to boot. In addition, we had about 150 people attending the Executive Invitational this weekend who were also in the audience.

Watch live video from Univera’s channel on Justin.tv

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all when. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

May 5, 2009May 18, 2009

27 Years

“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

-Nelson Mandela

On my mind tonight is the perspective of perseverance, passion, and perspective as it relates to our leadership and ourselves.

I have a personal lesson learned about perseverance in the last ten days, but I need to let another week go by before writing about it–to see if the lesson learned has actually stuck. As I’ve gone through the last few days I have been uplifted by hearing of stories of challenge and perseverance and ones leadership. At times it’s really helpful to hear about people that you thought had it all–or appeared to–yet they still struggled. Alternatively, you hear about someone who has seemed to have “arrived”, but then go on to learn what they went through in order to get closer to their destination.

Nelson Mandela was such a man. And you can read a brief backgrounder here.

Here’s a person who spent 27 years in prison, among other trials and tribulations throughout his life. Think about the length of that, and if you literally had nearly three decades of your life taken from you. Or, for those that are younger, imagine being committed for another 20 years to imprisonment. A year would feel like an eternity (heck, some “tough days” feel like an eternity). I can’t imagine 27 stacked back-to-back years.

So, today, there are two simple quotes from Nelson Mandela that inspire me with a lesson of leadership. One’s about purpose and passion, which is the quote that originated at the beginning of this blog entry.

The other, which I’ll use to close, is about perspective amidst or in spite of difficulty.

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

-Nelson Mandela

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all when. What is the most significant data you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good heartiness, it�s doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

May 4, 2009May 12, 2009

Genius: The Modern View

Why do we love the “underdog” story? Susan Boyle. “Mine that Bird” (Derby this weekend). Slumdog Millionaire (brilliant fictional drama).

To some degree, I think it’s because it represents more of “us.” Where we think we are, and what we hope to someday do or be.

But the reality is that we’re less than an underdog than we give ourselves credit for. The following New York Times article is a good reminder that hard work, a commitment to excellence and focus, and patient determination count for a tremendous portion of our successful outcome and result.

And there really are a lot of examples of this. A few that come to my mind off the cuff are Eric Clapton, whose music I really like, who acknowledges that if you go into a few bars chances are you’ll find someone as good or better on the guitar than him. Or take the common bit of wisdom passed onto University President’s which says “Be nice to your A-students because they’ll come back and teach; be nice to your C-students, because they’ll make all the money that funds your endowment.” And just today fact my dad sent onto me a list of “NFL Busts”, stories of guys with great talent–superhuman talent–who never went anywhere in the NFL (which was especially interesting to me because one of the guys I played against in high school was featured on the list and the guy was a rock star).

So sometimes the “talent myth” is too often decided by perception or some false quantitative measurement. No question, you need some talent. But, beyond that, there are other factors that seem to matter more.

OP-ED COLUMNIST for the NEW YORK TIMES

Genius: The Modern View

By DAVID BROOKS

Published: April 30, 2009

Some people live in romantic ages. They tend to believe that genius is the product of a divine spark. They believe that there have been, throughout the ages, certain paragons of greatness — Dante, Mozart, Einstein — whose talents far exceeded normal comprehension, who had an other-worldly access to transcendent truth, and who are best approached with reverential awe.

We, of course, live in a scientific age, and modern research pierces hocus-pocus. In the view that is now dominant, even Mozart’s early abilities were not the product of some innate spiritual gift. His early compositions were nothing special. They were pastiches of other people’s work. Mozart was a good musician at an early age, but he would not stand out among today’s top child-performers.

What Mozart had, we now believe, was the same thing Tiger Woods had — the ability to focus for long periods of time and a father intent on improving his skills. Mozart played a lot of piano at a very young age, so he got his 10,000 hours of practice in early and then he built from there.

The latest research suggests a more prosaic, democratic, even puritanical view of the world. The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark. It’s not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success, even in realms like chess. Instead, it’s deliberate practice. Top performers spend more hours (many more hours) rigorously practicing their craft.

The recent research has been conducted by people like K. Anders Ericsson, the late Benjamin Bloom and others. It’s been summarized in two enjoyable new books: “The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle; and “Talent Is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin.

If you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average verbal ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar biographical traits. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same ethnic background, or, shared the same birthday — anything to create a sense of affinity.

This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would, Coyle emphasizes, give her a glimpse of an enchanted circle she might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, infusing her with a profound sense of insecurity and fueling a desperate need for success.

Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and literary biographies without end. This would give her a core knowledge of her field. She’d be able to chunk Victorian novelists into one group, Magical Realists in another group and Renaissance poets into another. This ability to place information into patterns, or chunks, vastly improves memory skills. She’d be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly perceive its inner workings.

Then she would practice writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. According to Colvin, Ben Franklin would take essays from The Spectator magazine and translate them into verse. Then he’d translate his verse back into prose and examine, sentence by sentence, where his essay was inferior to The Spectator’s original.

Coyle describes a tennis academy in Russia where they enact rallies without a ball. The aim is to focus meticulously on technique. (Try to slow down your golf swing so it takes 90 seconds to finish. See how many errors you detect.)

By practicing in this way, performers delay the automatizing process. The mind wants to turn deliberate, newly learned skills into unconscious, automatically performed skills. But the mind is sloppy and will settle for good enough. By practicing slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, the strenuous student forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance.

Then our young writer would find a mentor who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance from the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems — how do I get characters into a room — dozens and dozens of times. She is ingraining habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems.

The primary trait she possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a deliberate, strenuous and boring practice routine.

Coyle and Colvin describe dozens of experiments fleshing out this process. This research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is smitten by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes place a leash on our capacities. But the brain is also phenomenally plastic. We construct ourselves through behavior. As Coyle observes, it’s not who you are, it’s what you do.

More Articles in Opinion »A version of this article appeared in print on May 1, 2009, on page A23 of the New York edition.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

April 24, 2009May 4, 2009

Energy (UPDATED WITH PICTURES!)

Starting this weekend I’m going to do a multi-part series of posts over the next week on Servant Leadership, specifically as it relates to some of the lessons I learned from my trips to Kolkata, India. Originally, I was going to start the series today, but today, after our most recent Univera Celebration Cruise I’ve gotta write about ENERGY.

Team California (and special award winners on last night!)

The magic of Xtra is, ultimately, energy. 300 billion cells. Renewal. Alpha-Ketoglutarate. Kreb cycle. All that stuff, it works to give people a breakthrough botanical product–not a juice–that gives people natural and high output energy (among other things).

Last night, as I was preparing some final remarks for the last night of the Cruise celebratory sendoff, it dawned on me that the magical benefit of Univera products is also the magic of our business and associates: energy.

We’re just returning from the Univera Cruise where we had all the top performers over the past year, spanning numerous ranks, spend five days and four nights in the Bahamas. I think it was this trip that I really started to understand how much I love the people in this Company. It might be a bit like with kids, where I go through each stage of their life and I say “Now THIS is the best stage, I love them so much and wish they could just stay right here.”

Yet, invariably, the next stage gets better. This weeks trip was, in some ways, like that.

Except this included a bunch of new people that I’d never before met. I met individuals and teams from every part of North America who, in their own unique way, make a community what it is. Filled with diversity and uniqueness–people of all colors and ages, with all sorts of different backgrounds and work experiences; some who were familiar with Relationship Marketing prior to Univera, and many many others who at one point in their past said “I would NEVER do Relationship Marketing!”, until they found our products. And the model. And also the people–which are fundamentally what comprise the culture.

Mr. Fun and Personality, CEO Regan Miles (GREAT guy!)

I heard the most magnificent stories this week, and watching the attendees interact and exchange and collaborate and share with fun, laughter, and enjoyment–as well as straight out deep dives into business opportunities and ways to advance to the next level, was simply satisfying. The week was devoid of the things that break down leadership groups like ego, arrogance, and exclusivity. Instead, it was filled with the bounty of leadership behaviors like inclusivity, excitement, coachability, appreciation, and mutual concern, and regard for each other. There are many stories I could share from the event, unfortunately time doesn’t allow and I’ve precious few pictures on my iPhone (though check back in a few days, I’ll upload a few other pics I get from peers or the office).

Some highlights:

The two workshop sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Stephen was simply exceptional (I realize he is always good, but this was a top 10 moment). And the 90-minutes of field leader led presentations (thanks Diamonds/Blue

Diamond) was about the best training session that I’ve seen. It was insightful, authentic, fun, and applicable. I heard so many great comments from those who say through the presentations. Each was good, but the one that stands out was the roundtable discussion between Kenny Rossi and Angelyn Toth. They actually have a nearly identical color code, yet they’re in many ways so different. But that’s part of what makes this group so good, they’re each exceptional individuals who represent some of the top business performance by their teams during the past year.

Okay, what else?

Karaoke. This was probably the most fun portion of the trip, where we laughed together–including some laughing at me–during my first-ever Karaoke debut, as well as that of Dave Nash. Meredith, I’m quite certain, would win the most talented award for Karaoke. She was almost annoyingly good. 🙂 If they had kept it open, I could’ve stayed and hung in the Karaoke lounge for many hours more.

I loved hearing Glenn and Kenny sing/rap a Ricky Martin song. It was truly memorable. And just a little bit bad. Lots of energy, you can’t say they don’t give 100% to everything they do. Even singing. And unfortunately my rendition of Hey Jude wasn’t as good as the original below but I think the energy on stage with all the associates was better.

At our first stop I was supposed to take the Platinums snorkeling, but weather didn’t allow it. Twenty minutes later Julie Darby helped me come up with an alternative game plan which worked out great, including a picture perfect lunch on the beach overlooking crystal blue seas and conch fritters along with great company–which then was followed by a really cool trip to some local Bahamian gardens (featuring a lot of medicinal plants). It really didn’t matter what we did because just getting to know the people was the enjoyment. The setting just made it better.

Also this week I received my honorary Canadian citizenship bestowed by a team from up North, and I’ll always remember the first night out on the deck of the ship wee into the night looking at the stars with Richard, Yogita, and a few others from their team, where we talked about everything from business to life to spirituality and religion at a level of openness and authenticity that I’ve not felt in a long time. It was a revealing moment of getting to know people as just that.

As I write I feel so blessed and appreciative of all the Univera team who worked so hard to earn this trip, for showing your spirit and enthusiasm and friendship this past week, and also those who invested many hours to prepare and organize the event (thanks Corporate team).

We’ve got the magic.

In the products.

As well in our business.

And it all starts with energy.

The Univera Cruise Winners, such a fantastic group!

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all period. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

April 18, 2009April 24, 2009

Incredible, Neal Boyd

I said I couldn’t do three reality show blog entries in a row, so I broke it up with the Road Tour highlights.

So here it is, for my third (but not consecutive) and possibly final reality show blog entry here is Neal Boyd (thanks to Mary Lou Kaiser for this reco).

And what I LOVE about this one is that you can tell this guys heart runs really deep–and particularly for his mom who was so instrumental in his life growing up. I think a vital success principle is being passionate about what you do–regardless the industry, title, task, or role.

This guy’s got passion in spades.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

April 17, 2009April 23, 2009

One Last Look…

I know what you’re thinking…

“Hey, Raz has yet another one of those Susan Boyle/Paul Potts videos for us.”

Well, actually I do but not for today.

Though as I’m on it, there’s another really great video with a super touching story about an American guy who has a special relationship with his mom and just seems like the sweetest man. But that’s for another posting, I can’t do three of those blog entries in a row.

So today? One last look…at the Road Tour. Thanks to everybody that made this such a success.

And a few “behind the scenes” looks at the Road Tour.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all when. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, it�s doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

April 16, 2009April 22, 2009

And to Paul Potts, too

So with all the fanfare with Susan Boyle and her amazing performance on “Britain’s Got Talent”, and my many many views of her performance in the last few days (to the point that my wife is teasing me), I’ve become captured with a few other great stories ofnormal people doing exceptional things that have been featured on a few reality shows. I don’t watch much TV, but some of these highlights on YouTube are just too fantastic not to share.

The ones below I saw about a year back, a similar story to Susan’s. I think there’s a reason that we’re all so intrigued by these exceptional shorts–in total these videos have been viewed on YouTube tens of millions of times, there’s a buzz about it.

Why are these so popular?

For me, I’m drawn by seeing someone’s inspiration. Sheer determination. And ultimate. success. Seeing someone’s “Renewal.” It’s the archetypical underdog story of a longshot, someone left behind or forgotten and dismissed or simply underestimated, that has “it” deep within them, sticks with it, and wins big.

I’d love to hear other opinions on what has made these clips of Paul and Susan SUCH a sensation–comment away! 🙂

So, here it is…Paul Potts, from over a year ago on Britain’s Got Talent. The first video is his audition. The second video is a deeper look at the Paul Potts story.

And once again, take a look at the crowd–the smirks and laughter–before his performance, and how he absolutely transforms the audience during the event.

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And here’s the other clip that gives a bit more of the story after it unfolded.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, it�s doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

April 14, 2009April 18, 2009

Thank You, Susan Boyle

Sometimes there are certain moments that words don’t describe well.

Which is why I won’t try to share much about today’s posting and I’ll let this seven minute video taken from “Britain’s Got Talent” give you chills from seeing someone’s dream realized. I wish I could embed the video itself, but that feature has been disabled by YouTube for this particular video–so you’ll have to go to the link at the bottom of this posting.

When watching this, some of you will get chills.

Some will laugh, or smile.

And others will cry.

All of you will be moved.

The experience of watching this is among the most powerful I’ve felt in months. Look at the change in the audience, from the beginning, where they were laughing and mocking this lovely woman who simply has a dream–to being an audience that’s simply…inspired.

So many lessons in this seven minutes. About perceptions. Judgment. Perseverance. Potential. And dreams.

I’ve watched her performance four times in a row, and I can’t stop the overpowering sense of emotions and insight I get from watching what is probably seven of the most magical moments on television that have happened in a long while.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&NR=1

And, by the way, if you’re up for a little extra sentiment and contemplation, read the lyrics to the song she sang from Les Miserable “I Dreamed a Dream” below.

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all period. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good heartiness, it�s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

April 12, 2009April 17, 2009

Dogged Pursuit

Can we agree on a few simple premises?

1. There’s a huge need for secondary or replacement primary income right now? More than ever in the past three decades, perhaps longer? Everybody is faced with the prospect of layoffs, 401k matches missing, salary reductions, and on. Not to say that everyone is going through it–but everybody to some degree is faced with the prospect. Heck, I just read that even Sesame Street is laying off 20% of it’s workforce–including some of the letters of the alphabet, such as Q, K, Z, K, and the semicolon! (the latter is pulled from a funny piece of online satire, but the former is apparently true and not so funny).

2. That there’s nothing wrong with pushing a hotdog cart (though I wouldn’t recommend eating one everyday). People do what they need to do. No judgment here.

3. That an opportunity in Univera makes vastly more sense in terms of a) lower initial investment, b) time factor of money, c) income potential, d) capitalizing on a growing marketplace, e) feeling better physically, and f) intersecting what you do with what you love–or in other words, finding purpose in work?

Check this recent article from the Wall Street Journal, and tell me it doesn’t motivate you to go and find that extra person to give them a shot at what they might never have known but for your contributions and enthusiasm…The best advice probably comes at the very end of the story, where Mr. Mottola says “I’m creating my own stimulus plan…I’m not waiting for the President.”

Dogged Pursuit: Professionals Find New Livelihood Selling Frankfurters

BANDERA, Texas — In hard times, some small-town Americans are turning to a new livelihood with relish.

Among them are Andrea and Ben Guajardo. They began selling hot dogs from a pushcart on Main Street in November.

Ms. Guajardo is a grant administrator for a health-care system. Her husband, Ben, is a pipeline operator. Theirs is the first hot-dog stand in Bandera, pop. 957, that anybody here can remember.

Click here to read the full story.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all season. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

April 8, 2009April 14, 2009

The Phoenix VLOG

This is one of my first-ever predominantly video-blogs (vlogs), but it’ll tell the better story comprised of a few different clips from a great evening. Thanks to all the Phoenix leadership, including Barry and Connie Lucas, Kenny and Esmerelda Rossi, Ron Faunce, Dr. Jack Burns, and many many others who participated and helped. Thanks to all the first-timers who showed up to check out Univera, the products and the business.

In short, this was my favorite trip to Phoenix so far–I loved the time at the event, meeting all the new people (probably 70% guests), and the great socialization with the leaders post event at Los Alevios! So, enough writing–onto the VLOG…

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant data you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

March 25, 2009March 29, 2009

A Tale of Two Gates

Travel can be a lot of fun, albeit in doses. And I certainly prefer personal over business, as a lot of the road wears on you and in many ways that people who don’t have to travel simply do not realize or appreciate. But it can also be very rewarding and the experiences provide so much learning along the way.

An old football coach of mine used to carry the quote by someone (unknown to me) which was “You’ll be the same person ten years from now that you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

Largely, I think that’s true.

So I try to do a lot of reading. And, particularly on trips, I try to make it an intentional point to make the best of each adventure and learn something along the way—particularly from the people that I meet.

So I’m checking in around 6am on WorstWest Airlilnes, a carrier that I simply do not like and is generally notorious for poor service. So as I’m checking in, the two people behind the desk are throwing verbal assaults like left and right hooks at each other. Honestly, I was in shock.

Employees fighting or undermining each other in front of customers is among the childish as well as recklessly irresponsible behaviors. So I try not to be annoyed, I mean I really tried, I smile and manage to squeeze out a “thank you” as politely as possible despite standing there at the desk for five minutes waiting for these two cranks to quit their bickering, all while cringing to think about the impact this behavior has on customers as well as others in their organization.

We board the flight to Montreal, I actually sleep for a few hours which is quite rare for me—generally I love the cabin time for solitude, writing, and reading. I did read a bit in the book “They Call Me Coach” by John Wooden, as well as jammed through about seven old Wall Street Journals.

Upon arriving we’re probably a half hour late into our transfer city of Minneapolis, but there’s seven of us on the plane continuing onto Montreal so I’m certain they’ll hold the next puddle jumper for us. Certain. 100%. I mean, what idiot wouldn’t hold the gate when 25% of your cabin (remember, puddle jumper) isn’t there but only a few minutes away. Right?

We run to the gate, only to find the doors are closed. One person made it, from row 19 on our first leg. We, unfortunately, were in rows 35 and above. So, yes, the back of the plane is safer. It is also slower. I prefer the “crazy and reckless” front of the plane to that of the “safe-and-cozy-in-the-event-of-a-????” in the back of the plane.

Then, knowing that six more were right behind them, they closed the door. So the group of us sat there for ten minutes, all the while the plane is sitting there as well, with a group of gate attendants full of “I can’t” (umm, actually you could but you don’t want to), “No” (Why say yes, when your culture makes it feel so good to say no?) and “Well what do you want me to do?” (Ah, yeah, well, just do your job and help me out here…And maybe a smile would be nice as a kicker).

The two of them had about the level of service, empathy, and desire to try to help as much as a door knob. Really, it was unbelieveable. I really tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, and perhaps these are really at the heart of the matter good people having a bad day. But, then again, it’s likely they’re a product of the environment and culture they’ve created.

Suddenly, like a little angel fluttering her way through the terminal wearing red and white, a bubbly woman by from another gate to offer to help us over in her little area, a totally different culture. In fact, RGL (Rude Gate Lady) actually tried to stop NGL (Nice Gate Lady) from taking us over to her little section. RGL actually had us rebooked on a flight that got us into our final destination by about 11pm, with two more flight legs to go. And all the while, she was doing us SUCH a favor and it was SUCH a burden to get us on our way.

A little jacked with such bad service, we followed the NGL just with the hunch that someone who smiles and actually offered to help us simply MUST have some better outcomes for us—and if not, at least she’d be nice to work with.

When we walked over to her gate, it was a totally different experience. Apologies for the delay. Empathy. Solutions-orientations. It was as simple as “Hey guys, looks like a long day. I’m sorry. Let’s find some solutions to get you outta here into your final destination, and I think I might find some better options that what you currently have that can get you in a few hours earlier.”

No surprise, she found seats on a flight that got us in earlier—three hours earlier—but more so did it in a way that made the group of us feel better.

And, I expect, her as well.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant data you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

March 22, 2009March 27, 2009

The Problem with People

I know it’s a negative sounding start, but there are–indeed–quite a few problems with people. All of us. 🙂

Without railing against humanity, as there’s good to humanity as well, the problem with people is we’re often greedy and selfish.

I’ll forego the whole “well is it nature or nurture” debate, partly because it doesn’t really matter and partly because it’ll distract from the post.

I remember reading about a really interesting study done a while back, this is probably many years ago now though I expect there have been quite a few variations before and since. The study was simple. They looked at a group of people and through a series of systematic trials and proper research offered them two different options to determine which choice they would make and why (the numbers I’m using below are illustrative–I don’t remember the exact amounts offered but the principle is what I’m trying to share).

Here were the two simple options presented to the study participants.

1. You get $20 and another peer/neighbor would get $40.

2. You get $10 and another peer would get nothing.

Guess what the majority of people chose?

Option two.

I don’t understand it. If you’re reading this you’d probably say you don’t understand it either. But, the conclusion was that many people (not everybody) are generally were not motivated for a decision that was better for them (though perhaps not as “better” as someone elses) but, instead, opted for the decision that would be lesser for them than the alternative BUT better than someone else’s alternative.

It’s not just scarcity thinking (a whole other topic which isn’t quite as black and white as some project), it’s really just selfish thinking. It’s pride. It’s ego.

So maybe, just maybe, this is our natural inclination (I don’t really like to admit it, but I’m relying on the research here), yet there’s also a way to work through it. I’m not sure how to really articulate it, but I think part of it is through community (though we should work to be less selfish even if people aren’t in community).

(I sure am using a lot of parenthesis in this blog posting).

Over the past week I’ve seen some great examples of humanity and selfLESSness. And I think it’s one of the virtues of getting connected in the right community. Some are small examples, and others still quite big.

It’s one of the great things about Univera, after some fantastic meetings with the best of our leadership at the Corporate offices last week followed by some exceptional meetings over the weekend down in Portland. During this time I met people that through personal development, aspiration, inspiration, and discipline were focused on forging out the selfish behaviors and decisions that cloud the success we can see in our life–and I’m not just talking about success in the context of “more money” though I think that’s probably related as well.

The Kimpton Hotel chain is, to me, a great example of what can be done through community that helps change personal behaviors. It’s one of the best service chains I have EVER experienced. I could easily give you about ten examples of some spectacular service I’ve experienced. But it’s not forced. THE PEOPLE THERE ACTUALLY LIKE TO SERVE. It’s not like the Ritz Carlton, which I never have liked because of the expense AND pretense of the environment, what rubs to me as “forced” levels of service. I realize some will disagree with this so it’s just my opinion. But, instead, the Kimpton employees are genuinely gracious. Sincerely kind. Helpful. Polite. Naturally friendly. But part of the catch is they are already hiring in great people, it’s not like they are trying to run a rehab program for people with bad attitudes. But I am also certain that, in conjunction of hiring genuinely great people, those people in turn become better.

I am certain that a key part of their very sophisticated strategic plan is the exceptionally complicated initiative called “let’s just hire nice people.”

So how does this relate to the origination of the post, where the study referenced suggests people would rather have much less but be “better off” than their peers versus having more yet being “less” compared to others?

Well, a few simple things. And I don’t think there’s anything profound here–it’s just some observational thoughts after a long week of seeing a bunch of human dynamics.

1. Ego ruins an awful lot. And it causes people to make very irrational decisions. In addition to simply selfish ones.

2. Community is important. Lest we become even more selfish, greedy, and try to keep up with even more Joneses.

3. The right community is even more important. It’ll either spur you on and encourage you to give and serve more, or in the wrong one it’ll cause likely encourage the reverse.

4. And, finally…I think rationalization helps improve selfishness. If, at times, it’s an instinct to make for a selfish decision I think the process of stopping. Thinking. Assessing. Reassessing. And then really looking at, as the wise Dr. Taylor Hartman says, your motive.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all period. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

February 22, 2009March 26, 2009

An Entry Without a Subject (yet!)

It’s rare that I start blogging without a specific purpose or subject, but today’s entry is starting

just with that. As my fingers pound the keyboard (quite loudly; I’m among the loudest typists in the world–if “Surf Lifesaving” made it as an Olympic event one year during the last hundred years, why not “loud typing”? ) I am subjectless and purposeless with this particular blog entry.

But I have two things going for me tonight.

1. I’ve got the headphones on and am listening to Pandora (www.pandora.com). If you

haven’t used it before, you’ve gotta try it. Their stated mission is to “only play the music you love.”

It’s customized Web-based radio that’s free based on the genres, songs, or artists that you love. I’ve mentioned it before but it’s simply

amazing. I’ve found that music helps me focus and remove distractions. I need white or background noise at times to keep my mind from jumping to “the next thing”. My various music selections on Pandora are a haven where I can escape life for a few moments and immerse myself into writing. There’s also a free iPhone app for Pandora which is fantastic. No, I’m not trying to sell iPhones. But the app features are amazing.

2. I feel like writing. At times writing can feel a tad of a burden, at others it’s an incredible form of stress relief or simple enjoyment. It’s probably a bit like working out or any other project, where a lot of the times the toughest part is simply starting. But once you get going something transforms. I think it’s why the TV can be such an evil force against greatness. During that moment of “should I go workout, file, read, write…whatever” the TV is such a quick and seemingly gratifying temptation that can suck the time out of you. Like those chocolate chip cookies looking at me from our kitchen counter. I will resist both the TV and the cookies at this very moment, but it’s a bit easier because I desire to resist them.

As I write, two stories come to mind–probably related to some thoughts I’ve had throughout the day.

Victor Frankl’s book, “Mans Search for Meaning” tells the story of having lived through the Nazi concentration camps. I haven’t read the book for over a decade, but I remember a fascinating story about the importance of meaning of even remedial work–moving rocks. And how the meaning impacted the work and the simple sanity, ultimately the purpose and the

health, of their everyday lives. It’s a great book with the underlying premise that meaning is tied to motivation.

Related to motivation yet on a totally different basis I recently read a fascinating article in a magazine called “The Week” (www.theweek.com). Which is a fantastic news resoures that hails itself as “All you need to know about everything that matters.” A bit of a stretch, but it’s an incredible magazine. I can’t recommend it enough, in an hours worth of reading you can be fairly well versed on a lot of current events with a variety of opinions and perspectives on a multitude of matters.

So last week there was an interesting story in “The Week” about people who survive calamities. Airplane crashes. Boating disasters. Fires in buildings. In short, there are a few categories of people and how the behave. The point of the story is that the ones who often survive are the ones who don’t quit. It’s the ones that simply refuse to resign themselves to fate. Fodder for another blog entry, I can attest to seeing the amazing differences of human behavior fairly closely on 9/11 when we lived downtown during the days events.

The leadership lesson is a simple one that works in any difficult situation, including economic.

Find something to do that you find meaningful.

And then don’t quit.

I think this one is really simple. Do what you’re supposed to be doing. And then keep doing it.

Great leaders are tenacious and dig in when things get tough.

Some will always be on the lookout for excuses or justification to simply “give up” and accept their fate in a situation of disaster. But not great leaders, and not people who want to win. Or, in the case of this article, simply live.

The people (leaders) who keep looking for ways to figure it out are the ones with the greatest success–in situations of crisis or otherwise. And if you can tie that to having a purpose or meaning in life, all the more powerful. Though the reality is, that with some things in our life it simply requires a grind–there’s probably nothing noble or even mission-worthy about it. The very basic premise at times can be survival, which is why both stories–Frankl’s and the recent article in “The Week” came to mind today.

By the way, on a very unrelated matter to leadership…This weekend Univera launched it’s second amazing Immune stimulating product of the year (yes, two products already in ’09!) called Solanyx. It’s a seven day course of botanical immune-boosting greatness that’s in a handy system comprised of morning and evening doses. Check it out on www.univera.com.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all season. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, it�s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

January 14, 2009March 26, 2009

So Goes Leaders, So Goes the Team…

One of the things that I love about spending time in the Field is hearing the excitement and enthusiasm of Associates, particularly the newer ones; and business testimonials are a great way for these to manifest.

One of the most memorable messages came back in early November at the Portland Super Regional. The Friday night leadership session was fantastic, and one of the best stories of heart and team came forth that night by new Diamond Harry Mathers, whose Upteam Diamond is Angelyn Toth (who also is part of the Canadian Leadership Council and received the esteemed 2008 Associate of the Year award).

In any field organization, direct selling or otherwise, there are some real highs and lows. Already this is a truism in life, but particularly in a role where you are dealing with so many people and emotions. One of the things I have learned and try to balance is not to get too high (leads to arrogance!) and not to get low (leads to depression!).

Personal stories, however, have the ability to drive back into the real meaning of what we do, why we do it, and how it can so profoundly change people’s lives. This is exactly what Harry’s story did for so many others on that Friday night. So when you’re on a high, it’s probably easier to encourage others and raise them up. Conversely, when in a valley, it’s helpful to be carried a bit, though I think it’s really magical when you’re in a low and you can still carry people with you. That’s rare, but it’s magic.

In fact, recently Erica and I met a woman named “R” who epitomized this magic, but that’s a story for another day.

Another great story I received just recently was from our great Diamond leaders Dave and Becky Ylinen who live in Illinois (Yes, Dave and Becky, I still have my pretzel pin!). During the Road Tour, we went to a lot of great cities, and among out top three favorites on both Road Tours was our stop in Chicago where the event was hosted by Dave and Becky.

Why? Energy. Excitement. Enthusiasm. Positivity. Progress.

It didn’t mean everything was perfect at the event or in their lives, and that’s part of the point. As goes the leadership, so does the team. And Dave and Becky are another example of leadership of heart, enthusiasm, encouragement, and appreciation.

So it came as only a little surprise to read the e-mail below from Dave and Becky about Captain Ron, who in December just achieved his first month of Gold. This, in itself, is a tremendous accomplishment considering he started just in October. Yet, to really understand the magnitude of this, you’ll have to read more to hear where he lives and how he built his business.

Thanks to the leaders of heart and spirit, like Angelyn, Harry, Dave, Becky, and Captain Ron—the letter I received is as follows.

Hi Rich,

One of our new business partners (Ron Gravdahl), usually referred as Capt. Ron from his earlier interests in yacht racing, has achieved his second month of Silver. Starting his Univera venture in early October, Capt. Ron invested quality time in reviewing his Getting Started Kit and other available training resources to fully understand our business and marketing model. Since then he has been a classic example of following the proven Gift Team Enroll (GTE) model and getting it done! Capt. Ron’s comment to his developing team, “the accomplishment is because of the TEAM. Not me. All I did was invite people with gifts. Everything else is G-T-E. The Product is the best in the world backed by a company that is the best in the world. Those that use the product can’t help but tell others about the benefits of the product.”

What is especially different about Capt. Ron is that he is doing this all from the other side of the world. He left for his home in Thailand within a week after joining Univera. But beforehand, he enrolled his friend Guenter Wortmann as an Executive, now also a Silver. Between the two of them they put together a plan where Guenter ships gifts to Capt. Ron’s contacts around the country. Their gift packs include a notice not to open until he is on a gifting call with them with a follow-up a few days later. The Captain very effectively uses Skype (Internet telephone connection) to place calls to his prospects using us on conference connections as necessary.

We are all looking forward to Univera’s expansion into off shore markets beginning in ’09. In some ways Capt. Ron is a forerunner to how we can introduce others to Univera, our incredible products and business opportunity effectively using the Team and available cost effective technologies.

Best regards,

Dave & Becky Ylinen

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all period. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

January 1, 2009March 26, 2009

PLAYING TO WIN IN 2009

As many of you saw and heard today, we launched a very aggressive plan for this year via a video on our corporate site (us.univera.com), followed by a live call which is available for playback (check your back office for numbers).

It’s a plan to go on offense.

It’s a plan to win.

It’s a plan for your success.

If you have any interest in achieving economic, physical, and personal renewal in 2009 take 28 minutes to watch this video. The decision that you make to get engaged, or more engaged, in Univera can change your life.

BUT, any plan–however good–is only as strong as the execution of that plan.

So today’s entry, albeit a little on the long side (I’m excited!), is about getting it done. Making it happen. Crossing the goal line.

It’s about heart, effort, discipline, and your ultimate success this year. And you can’t wait until June to start to plan for your success if you’re already engaged, you’ve got to start now.

Everybody in this industry talks about goals and dreams (the terms, to a degree, are somewhat interchangeable–though I think goals are more finite and short-term oriented, and dreams often convey a “bigger than life” scenario that are longer-term but oftentimes too esoteric and intangible).

Yet, often with all this great discussion there’s a vitally important missing step.

Action.

There’s a big difference between an accomplishment-oriented dreamer and a daydreamer.

An accomplishment-oriented dreamer sets tangible dreams. A daydreamer doesn’t.

An accomplishment-oriented dreamer tracks and assesses her progress. A daydreamer doesn’t.

An accomplishment-oriented dreamer knows precisely the next action steps needed to move the few steps closer to accomplishment. A daydreamer doesn’t.

The biggest difference is in the action of it.

For example, I hear people tell me all the time they want to “Go Diamond”, and while I think they think they mean it what they often don’t realize is there’s a giant chasm between their desires and accomplishment of their dream. And often it’s the “Next Action Steps.”

Sometimes people don’t realize what it takes to achieve success, but others people know it will require hard work but they just haven’t specified how to begin.

There’s a really good book on organization skills called “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. Pages 75-77 explain a simple concept that’s critical for the success of project management, but dream/goal management isn’t really that much different. It’s just a really really big project. And a really really important one.

The magic on those pages is the simple concept of a “Next Action” for each of the projects. Specifically, every project needs to have a “Next Action” that is required in order to keep it moving. And it’s not what you need to do next year, next quarter, or next month. It’s what you need to do today, tomorrow, or this week.

At Convention I challenged everybody with the “Dream Cubes”, and to try to set an achievable dream/goal in each quadrant of your life: business, cultural, physical, personal.

Then, perhaps equally importantly, on the flip side of the cube there’s a square that lists out the “Next Actions” in order for you to accomplish these dreams. It’s the very things you need to do this week, however small, to move you closer to your dreams.

I’ve been following this process as well, with both some success and failure. Right after Convention I completed my Dream Cube, and I’m including a picture of the front and back below.

The front, of course, are my dreams. These are simply stated, and each of them has a timeline for completion–all of them are to be done by the end of 2009. Yours might be radically different, the dreams might be for three or six months from now, or maybe not for another 12-years. Whatever works for you. But once I’m done with one quadrant I’m going to re-up for something that’s bigger or different in each part of my life.

As you look to goal setting for 2009 I would really encourage that you think about the balance in your life and the various areas where you want to make an impact–the business is vitally important, but so are the other areas as well.

For example, for me there are a few important areas outside of business that I’m focused on. One of my culturally dreams is on my mind right now; when we talk about the importance of Servant Leadership in our Company, I think it’s not just about what we do and how we act at the Company but how we serve outside of it. If I’m ONLY trying to serve associates, well, this is good–but there’s a part of my life that is unbalanced, whether that be serving my family, community, etc. So a part of my cultural dream for the next year is to spend some time at an important place to me for a few weeks volunteering, while also participating in some consistent volunteer organizations in my local community.

Naturally, I’m pretty aggressive with my business dreams–being aggressive and focused on the business dreams has never been a problem, though this year I’m writing some very specific “Next Action” steps for each of the areas important to me including the business dreams.

It’s important that each of us realize that if we had a mediocre plan for 2009, we could still achieve great success through phenomenal execution.

But here we are today, with a PHENOMENAL plan. It is unequivocally the best in the industry, created by countless hours of benchmarking, incorporating field feedback, and retrospective analysis of the things that have generated our greatest growth.

We’re here with…

A completely committed team.
The best leadership in this industry, both inside and outside the Company.
The number one compensation plan in Direct Selling.
The most superior science of any nutritional products company.
An incredible owner filled with passion and commitment, coupled with resources.

And it’s all tied together with a purpose to be the best in the world, and the best for the world.

Which, in part, means binding together the culture that’s so important to each of us. My encouragement to you today is to take and understand our “Playing to Win 2009” plan for your success, and to sit down and ensure you’re working towards targeted goals/dreams in each quadrant of your life, with the appropriate and visible Next Action step required in order for you to move forward today towards your success.

Best of success, health, prosperity, and relationships to each of you and your families in 2009.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant data you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, it�s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

December 13, 2008March 20, 2009

A pretty big day

Yesterday was a big day. Really big. Not JUST for Univera and its associates, but for people across North America who need some form of physical, financial, or cultural renewal.

If you missed it, listen to the replay: 512-703-6112 option 7

January 1st will be an even bigger day when we announce our “Playing to Win” plan for 2009.

At a time when many companies are “hunkering down” and “playing defense” and forging forward with “layoffs”, “commission reductions” and “product de-hancements”, we’re instead taking the alternative approach.

We’re going on offense.

We’re getting more aggressive.

And we’re playing to win.

January 1st at 9am PST will unveil the “Playing to Win” plan via a video launched on www.univera.com, followed by a live field call (for anybody and everybody) to kick off the new year at 10am PST. Yesterday’s announcements were just a few examples of how we’re taking the current market scenario and moving aggressively to provide solutions and opportunities to those who need it the most.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all period. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

December 10, 2008March 26, 2009

Reflections from Hilltop Gardens

I’ve been on the road a lot the past two months. Singapore for the WFDSA, Australia for preliminary assessment, Road Tour, Super Regionals, among other activities and events. One that many of you might not be aware of is a recent trip to Lyford, Texas, where all the ECONET management participated in a three-year planning workshop at the Historical Home of Aloe.

On the way home I wrote an e-mail to a select group of leadership within the Company, and I felt compelled now to share these thoughts with the larger community of those embedded in our mission, purpose, and business together.

It was a brief three-day weekend but consisted of some serious business planning in addition to some great team-building and team-engaging activities.

Bill’s home on the property is gorgeous; it’s very comfortable, and while it’s not lavish, it’s exceptionally well-designed and decorated. The architectural dimensions are stunning; it’s a Spanish-style home and we enjoyed an impressive tour. From the entrance to Hilltop Gardens, to Bill’s home and all the gardens around it, the venue has a great energy and feeling to it. I’m really not sure how to describe it beyond simply feeling good. It’s like when you walk into someone’s home and you just feel comfortable, relaxed yet energized. It was that feeling for me, and I know many others.

Aloecorp CEO KS Yoon and COO Joseph Kim were fantastic hosts for the whole event, while Aloecorp CSO gave a willing supply of endless tours of the labs and countless stories of the amazing benefits of Aloe. Beyond learning more about Aloecorp and experiencing that part of the business firsthand — which makes this so much different than any other company or product provided to the marketplace, we also generated some great progress for our three-year plan.

More on the plan later, another day. For now, I’ll conclude by sharing my thoughts captured in an e-mail on the flight home from Hilltop Gardens. As I mentioned earlier, while the original audience was to the Blue Diamond and FLC leaders, it is also something that I feel can be shared with each of you as leaders as well; regardless of your rank it is through each of you and your impact that we will make a difference in each others lives, and the world.

Dear Blue Diamond and FLC Leaders, I write this email to each of you on my flight home from Lyford, Texas, where we conducted an ECONET-wide leadership retreat over the past three days at Hilltop Gardens, the Historical Farm of Aloe. It really is an email that could also be addressed to each of our Diamond leaders as well. Yet, in my heart right now, and for whatever reason, I am writing this to specifically to each of you Blue Diamonds and FLC leaders.

This past weekend all the key ECONET leaders, including Univera management, participated in a retreat where we worked to forge our 2009-2011 plans, and to solidify our success for the future as a Team. Beyond being highly productive for strategic planning purposes, it also served as a worthy reminder of the value of resources, heritage, commitment, and Teamwork.

My desire to write to you drew from reflections over this weekend—some about our past, but mostly about our future. Together. As a Team.

Click here to read the full e-mail.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

November 2, 2008March 26, 2009

Winding Down (the Road Tour, that is)

We left Jax early enough, around 8 a.m., and caught a 10 a.m. flight that had a layover in Philly.

Now, when I kidded about foreshadowing in a previous post and how Stephen was forced to wolf down some rather unwholesome (but probably tasty) Bob Evans food due to scheduling problems, it probably was an indicator of scheduling challenges to come.

We arrived in Philly around noon and waited for our 1:30 p.m. connecting flight to Portland, Maine, which never happened. Nor did the 3:30 p.m. flight. Nor did the 5 p.m. flight. And then the 7:30 p.m. flight got delayed.

Hey, if the weather was bad enough to shut down a game of the World Series as well important political rallies, it was also very capable of trapping three Univera executives and Michael Jr. at the Philly airport.

With the Portland meet scheduled to start at 7 p.m., Regan, Stephen, Michael Jr., and I decided we needed to split up. Or risk that nobody would get to Portland on time.

So Stephen waited for the flight and managed to arrive at the Marriott in Portland at just about 9 p.m. Meanwhile, Regan, Michael Jr., and I drove around Philadelphia before finding a warm, cozy respite from the dreary weather that featured bottomless hot coffee and an ample supply of fried, sugary treats to tempt our health-conscious taste buds.

Yeah, we wound up at a Dunkin’ Donuts. By lack of better choices.

In the end, all was not a lost cause as Stephen was able to address the amazing crowd in Portland while Regan, Michael Jr., and I SKYPED in from our haven from the storm. Admittedly, the connection wasn’t ideal. Michael was able to deliver a good 10 or 15 minutes of comedy, which left just enough time for me greet the crowd but then, quickly, sign off prematurely due to a worsening SKYPE connection.

I can’t say enough about how great the folks in Portland were, however, braving this crazy weather and coming out, en masse, to hear about the Univera message. Kudos to the host and other local leaders including Claire Owens and Eddy Wittry, who really hustled and were able to both cover for us as we scrambled to get to Portland and then excite the 250 or so people in attendance about the possibilities with our company. Thank you so much for your hard work and your enthusiasm!

Determined to not be bogged down again by weather issues, Regan, Michael Jr., and I wasted no time making our way across the border to the Great White North, as our next event would be in Montreal in less than 24 hours. We passed countless Walmarts, McDonalds, and an assortment of roadside dining and shopping opportunities in our rental car, arriving in Montreal at about 5 a.m. Tired, but happy to still have time to rest and re-up for our event in the evening, the three of us pondered, where was Stephen?

Our question wouldn’t be answered until about 6:15 p.m. that evening, as Stephen apparently encountered his own travel issues while driving from Portland to Montreal. Did I forget to mention that when Stephen parted company from the rest of us in Philadelphia, we also left him with all of our checked bags?

If you were a border patrol agent — Canadian or American — would you find a very charming, physically fit, silver-haired man driving alone in a rental car with about eight pieces of luggage in the back seat suspicious? Apparently, the agent who checked out Stephen at the border did and consequently pulled him over for further interrogation. Poor Stephen would not be able to win the agent’s favor until he astutely remembered an old Road Tour flyer shoved somewhere in one of his bags. Only then was the agent convinced it was OK to let Stephen go.

So we had about 45 minutes to get ready, which, in light of all we’d been through in the last 48 hours, was almost a blessing. And we had a fabulous time meeting everyone in Montreal. We switched things up a bit due to language barriers and cultural differences, having Michael Jr. get the crowd laughing towards the end of the event rather than the beginning, but folks didn’t seem to mind too much. We heard all sorts of great testimonials both about our products and their health benefits, as well as how people have benefitted from our business opportunities.

We are so indebted to Andre Bedard and other Gold and Platinum leaders in that area of the country for their general leadership and in this case, for organizing a fantastic event that attracted 224 people (with more than half being guests). They even had simultaneous translations that were seamless and very helpful for the French-speaking folks in attendance.

And then before you know it, we reached our last stop: Schaumburg, Ill.

I don’t have a great, outlandish travel story to tell you about our last leg, but I do want to say this was one of the best events on the trip, thanks in large part to the great enthusiasm and leadership from local Associates like Dave and Becky Ylinen and Tim Kaufman as well as Mark and Patty Middleton and Tony Fightmaster among other great leaders. We had about 250 people in attendance and, again, about half of the people there were guests who might never had heard of Univera prior. It was a wonderful event with strong and sometimes poignant testimonials, especially about the benefits of AgelessXtra and Essentials for children.

As with our Spring Road Tour, we wrapped up our Fall Road Tour in Illinois (it was Chicago in May). And as with that previous event, this event was magical to each of us.

I will wrap up this rather long travelogue-type post by saying that sometimes I fear my chronicles make it seem like these Road Tours are all about us, and they’re plainly not. Lost baggage and travel delays aside, the Road Tour events give us at Univera Corporate the opportunity to reach, serve, and support the Field—the leaders and customers of today, and equally importantly those of tomorrow. They give us the chance to connect with who we think are the true VIPs: our Associates and prospects across North America who join with us in Bill’s mission of Bringing the Best of Nature to Humankind.

So thank you to everyone for coming to see us this time around. It is always heartening for us to witness firsthand the generosity, compassion, and friendship that characterizes our Independent Associate base.

And when that base intersects with the opportunities that come from Univera, it’s simply magical.

Road Tour: By the Numbers

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October 30, 2008March 20, 2009

Meanwhile, in Eastern Canada…

Regan, Stephen, Michael Jr., and I have had a blast meeting everyone on our Road Tour, but we weren’t the only ones indulging in our wanderlust this last week. Dave Nash, Univera’s Director of Sales, Canada, has traveled to several cities in Eastern Canada to meet both Associates and prospects there and share with them the Univera story, vision, and opportunity. We are SO PROUD of the Canadians and all they do to contribute to Bill’s vision.

Here’s what Dave had to report back:

“In the last 10 days, nearly 500 Canadians from Eastern Canada – of which more than 230 were guests – joined me at 10 meetings held between Charlottetown, Halifax, Toronto, Montreal, and Sault Saint Marie. At these events, Associates and prospects alike found inspiration in both the health and business success stories that were shared, offered their own insight and tips on the best business-building strategies, learned about the scientific firepower of Univera and its sister companies in the ECONET, and — despite the financial challenges that are facing the economy – came to realize how Univera is in the forefront to alleviate these monetary stresses. The local leadership, with Corporate support, has been doing amazing work this region, which is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing areas in the entire company. A special thank you to the Field event hosts and presenters who prepared, organized, and executed these flawless events. These Associates are listed below:

Andre Bedard, Diamond Associate
Richard Denomme, Platinum Associate
Phillipe LeFrance, Platinum Associate
Stephanie Locker, Associate
Harry Mathers, Platinum Associate
M’Ellen Mathers, Gold Associate
Heather Patton, Gold Associate
Paavo Pollari, Platinum Associate
Tammy and Brad Snyder, Platinum Associates
Sara Spicer, Platinum Associate
Angelyn Toth, Diamond Associate
Louis Villeneuve, Platinum Associate
Jessie Wheatley, Gold Associate
Bill Wolfington, Diamond Associate”

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