Prudence

Prudence

Okay, so here it is…The vlog I’ve been postponing for ten days. Please, don’t even watch it. I was compelled to post it by a Beatles song from 40-years ago. Yeah, I know. It makes no sense. To me, either. I am just trying to follow a “sign.”

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 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, its 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.

With Dad Laid Off…New York Times

24bethtwo1_650This “With Dad Laid Off” New York Times article one isn’t easy to read, partly because it’s so familiar. And while reading it I was reminded of a quote “When one person dies it’s a tragedy, when thousands die it’s a statistic.”

I don’t think the current economic environment is quite as difficult as death, though I expect there are some who in a different situation than me who might debate the point. This article is a sobering reminder of statistics personalized.

Yet, I also see so much hope threaded throughout this; perhaps easier for me to say, because I don’t share the exact same circumstance as the family in this article. But the opportunity they have to transform as a family, to grow, and to change is significant.
But, beyond this, the fundamental nature of such significant financial (and emotional) need right now is also the reason for the belief and passion I have about the Direct Selling Industry.

It represents so many things; in the right company and environment it represents the opportunity for incredible personal development and a chance to make an impact, with an identity. An opportunity for community and connection.

And the ability for financial freedom.

Some people think of financial freedom as never having to worry about money again; and, for some, if you can resist the urge to keep jamming up your lifestyle, the Direct Selling environment can be just that. But I think a lot of people see freedom as not having to worry about how to pay the mortgage this month. Or groceries. Childcare. School. Books. Even something as simple as an evening out for Pizza.

It’s not just about helping contribute to some random person…It’s about helping the Winklers. Or people like them. And that is, precisely, one of the reasons why I’m so excited about the opportunity that exists in this industry, and the impact that each of us can have.

Finally, regardless of all this, this New York Times article is a strong reminder of the compassion we should have for others in financial circumstances–coupled with all sorts of angst and upheaval–that are all around us at any point of the day. Like everybody else, there’s little to like about the current economic environment we’re in. Yet, as an American, I sometimes wonder that amidst all of the challenges if this isn’t an opportunity for people to get regrounded, for us to better learn and extend compassion (and in comparison to others throughout the world, the Winkler’s still have it pretty easy–as difficult their situation is) and prioritize our lives according to the things that really make a difference.

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. — Among the flotsam and jetsam that gather over the years in a home, there is now the random taillight behind the Winklers’ living room couch. And a 1967 Buick Riviera dashboard under the desk. When jobs are short and the savings account dwindles, selling spare parts on the Internet can help put braces in mouths, and pay a credit card bill or two.
“Check it out,” Phil Winkler said, hoisting a chrome piece of trunk onto his lap. “This one is next.”
Unemployed for a year, Mr. Winkler, 41, who until last August had never lost a job, has sold his favorite car, canceled the cable and is now scavenging junkyards for auto parts that he resells on eBay.

Click here to read the full 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 soundness, its 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.

The Speed of Leadership

Myspace, Facebook, and Web 2.0

I used to hear someone constantly repeat this expression of “slowing down to the speed of wisdom.” I’m not sure why I disliked that saying so much, but I did. Maybe it was the way it was said (with a tad–a heaping and overfloweth tad–of self-righteousness), perhaps it just sounds so consultant-speake, and, quite likely, I don’t like slowing down TOO much (though there is, of course, great wisdom and insight that’s generated when you just stop and think; it’s all about balance).

Actually, as I write, I realize it isn’t the latter–it’s the first thing that irritated me. So there’s wisdom in slowing down. But this entry is about speeding up. Not just keeping up, but moving ahead.

There’s a great video on YouTube that speaks so visibly to the speed of technology, and it’s transformative effect on how we interact and connect. It’s not that the takeaway is that you should be on MySpace (though apps similar, like Facebook, are  really powerful connection tools). I think there’s something inherent in this that relates to market leadership that requires a Web 2.0 level of communication, connectivity, and speed.

And it’s not about slapping an iPhone application up for your business, or creating a Facebook page–though those both might be good idea. It’s more systemic than that, a more transformative change and cadence that’s rippled throughout our environment, in a way that some people don’t even realize. This has nothing to do with hard work, but the connectivity and speed at which people can work–together, and apart, and how that can create in you a new level of leadership position. There’s a great quote whose author I can’t remember, but it probably dates back five years ago (pre Facebook evolution)–so it’s more applicable today than ever before.

“It’s no longer the big who eat the small, but the fast who eat the slow.”

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all date. 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, its 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.

Diversification

athome_image

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, its 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.

What’s the definition of a “Depression”?

jobsrecessions
This graph hits hard visually. Very hard. It’s a sobering reminder of the mess we’re in, and what won’t leave us soon. It’s not hopeless, at all, but it’s a reality of the challenges we’re facing in the United States, in Canada, and ultimately the effect being felt around the world. And next door.

Today I was speaking with a good friend. A really successful and exceptionally intelligent person, who is sideways financially. Very sideways, in a scary way. It was a painful story to hear; and it’s not that we don’t hear about these every day or read about them on the front page of every paper or website. It’s just that, well, when it touches someone you care about…it’s just a different level of emotion.
layoffssuckPerhaps President Truman said it best: “It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job. And it’s a depression when you lose yours.”
I could feel the pain in the voice and experience of my friend, yet it’s not without great hope that I have for people just like him as a result of this industry.
My blog is a muse of leadership, culture, and business. A large part of my business writings, though not all, are about Relationship Marketing and specifically Univera. I can’t help it–I love this industry, it’s a powerhouse of opportunity.
Which is why the recession data isn’t all bad news.
There is, within this calamity, an opportunity.
Amidst the turmoil, some people–perhaps you–will become millionaires. Others will simply find a way to keep the mortgage paid off, or pay for college, or put food on the table. Some will find freedom. Others will regain the passion they have for life. And others still will reunite themselves with a purpose within business they didn’t know existed.
The reasons I love Relationship Marketing are simple: you can take control, rather than having control taken of you.
Look at the hundreds of thousands of people laid off every month, few of these people had control. In fact, ironically, 95% of the layoffs happen to the people that have the least control over their own destiny within their companies.
So, ultimately, part of this is about freedom. And I want you to have it too.
The reasons I love Univera as a business are simple as well.
1. Patented products that work. Over 150 patents are put to work over a multitude of products that change the way people live, look, and feel. We’ve got the best of a “single product lead” with Xtra, yet with a multitude of breakthrough products that are simply untouchable that add diversity and strength. Nobody in the industry matches these resources.
2. Resources. It’s easy to talk about joint ventures, co-licensing arrangements, partnerships, and collaborative or exclusive resources. But it’s totally different to talk about an integrated set of businesses; at Univera we often forget the power of the “Farm to Family” concept (for our core ingredients). A Company that has resources across all of the world touching a multitude of Continents–particularly great resources right here in North America in Lacey headquarters, which also houses some of the most talented and passionate people in Corporate America, that are working for you. And with you.
3. Compensation. There simply is not a better plan in this industry, that’s more balanced or more aggressive at all the key touchpoints in an Associates business. Our 2009 Plan, available at www.univera.com, highlights the major components that we’ve ADDED to the compensation plan to make it among the most competitive plans on the front and back end. Which means, ultimately, if you work you’ll get success early on. But, equally importantly, you’ll develop a powerful back end residual that builds for you the freedom you desire.
4. Culture, Heart, and Purpose. To a degree, the words could be synonyms. But we each have a definition of what that means.
famHere, Culture is about integrity, respect, and listening. It’s about acts of service, it’s about teamwork and collaboration, and it’s about developing a set of relationships and an environment that’s unlike anything else. And it’s about changing the health and wellness of the World, or as we say “Bringing the Best of Nature to Humankind.”
If you’re all about money, you’ll not likely be a perfect fit here. You can do amazing things with the money from Univera for your family and humankind. But let’s all acknowledge that our life, including the time we spend during the day, can be so much more meaningful if done in conjunction with purpose and people with whom we care about–and care about us.
I see the decline in the graph, and on one hand it’s just another number and statistic. It could be sterilized and desensitized to be meaningless as we get calloused to the bad news. But, we can’t let it. It’s our society, it’s our friends, family, and neighbors that this all affects. It’s causing a transformational change that could lead to the biggest transformational change in our industry, and for our Company.
Margaret Meade said it best: “Never doubt that a small and committed group of people can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
I’m ready to change the world.

satawardsesion019

And that starts by simply taking the step to help change the life of those we come across every day.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all date. 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, its 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.