It is what it is - opportunity

I've been thinking about what happened to me when I first saw this business presented back in 1970.  It was a long time ago, but I remember very clearly what took place. I heard an idea that seemed very compelling and my thinking started to change almost immediately. I didn't know if the opportunity was as good as it seemed, but the person who showed it to me had belief and confidence and I was impressed.

 

We're all different.  When confronted with a new idea, some people are immediately on guard and   skeptical. Others hear the very same idea and are curious, decide to check it out and learn as much as possible. In the first couple weeks, I can recall very vividly that I got excited about the possibilities. The future. 

 

I heard about goals and decided to set some for myself.  I started to design results in advance. I was getting excited about the future, thinking differently, setting some goals....allowing myself to dream. I loved it. I wasn't doing very well at this new idea but thinking and dreaming about the future was exciting. The best way to get excited about the future is to think about it and then figure out what you want and then redesign your future.

 

So here I am, 43 years later, sitting here thinking about how our lives have changed because I decided to learn, ask questions, go to meetings and listen. I made the decision that this business is about opportunity. I feel incredibly blessed beyond anything I could ever describe. You have the same opportunity we had all those years ago, and it's up to you to take advantage of it. You have to be willing to learn and do the work. If you do, I know this: you'll never regret accepting the challenges and sticking with it.

 

Lastly, my hope and prayer for you is that you will some day reflect back and be thankful that you took advantage of the opportunity. Go for it. 

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's really very simple.

Yesterday the message was about our thoughts. Very basic, but if we don't pay attention to our thinking it's easy to slowly have doubt, fear and excuses take control. Our business is more of an "attitude" business than it is a "product" business. 

 

I have always kind of liked simple over complex. As I've said, simple attracts and complexity impresses. Our job is to learn how to attract people to an idea, not necessarily to impress.  Again, rather simple, isn't it? Keeping with the "simplicity" theme, the following are 4 simple words (though there are many books written about them) to help you better understand what it takes to build, grow, and make a better future for yourself.

 

Thought - Belief - Persistent Action - Results

 

If most of us would resist the "yeah, but...." "If only" "I can't afford it" "I don't know how to...." and focus only on "What?" and "When?" it would make life and business a lot easier.  The questions we should ask ourselves are: Am I making progress? Am I doing my best? Am I being a good example for people to follow? Do I have persistent action?    

 

Think about it. 

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A formula for getting better results

I heard the following on the radio one day last week and I've been thinking about it quite a bit:

 

"The more control you have on your thoughts, the more control you'll have on results."

 

I know that the above is true, and I'm sure most of you reading this know it's true as well.  As I've said, there really aren't any secrets about making things work and becoming highly successful. Easily said but not always easy to do. But the fact remains that everything starts and/or ends with a thought. So I think it's fair to ask yourself: How's my thinking? Do I encourage myself or hope someone does it for me? Do I listen to myself and catch myself thinking things I know aren't good for me? Am I doing a good job of correcting myself when I have thoughts that are not what I want?

 

Knowing and believing that the above is true should give you reason to pay attention to your thoughts and start correcting yourself as often as possible. The more you correct yourself, the more control you'll have on your thoughts, which of course means your results will start to be what you want them to be.

 

Think about it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Where am I headed?

Opportunity is an interesting word.  It can mean many things to many people.  It can mean a chance, a probability, an occasion, luck, a decision, a choice, destiny, turning things around, taking advantage of something, doing it again, starting over...we all face opportunity every day of our lives because we make decisions every day to say or to do something.  

 

In our business, we have an opportunity to literally change our lives. It's happened to thousands of people in this industry of network marketing.  So my question for today and something to think about over the weekend is this: where am I headed? 

 

       If we don't change our direction we're likely to end up where we're headed.

                                                          Chinese Proverb

 

I remember some of my first thoughts as I was checking things out about this business.  

"I wonder if it's true about the company, the products, and the earning opportunity?  I wonder if I can do that?  I've never seen an opportunity like this.   What would I have to do?  I don't know many people who would be interested."  

Bottom line I was just like so many other people who get involved, because I had a lot of "WHAT IFs."

 

I certainly wanted to change my direction because as I've said so many times at meetings and in these messages, I thought, "I have what some would consider a good job but I don't have a future." Doggone it, I really wanted a future and somehow, I knew the difference between a good job and a future. So a simple thing happened: I chose to build this business. I had doubts at times just like everyone else. It was challenging, but at the same time, inspiring to me and I think it was because in some way I knew it was up to me to make it or break it. It wasn't up to the company or the products. It was up to me. Period.

 

You have the same opportunity as every person who has ever made the decision to get started.  Lots of people don't pursue the dream they have in their heart. Little things stop many people. It's not always easy. It takes time and effort. But this I know: I know you will never regret working hard at learning what has to be learned and accepting the opportunity for what it is. A chance to change things. Accept the challenge and remember, it's up to you to stick with it and make it work.  No finger pointing allowed.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Which person are you?

What you're going to read on this message is very interesting because it's about people. When I got started in Shaklee in 1970, I heard from several people about why they thought I was crazy. They just couldn't understand why I would want to start "selling soap." Of course, my view wasn't about selling soap. My view was about having a future. I had a job but I didn't have a future and I was determined to change that.

 

There are people out there and maybe they are friends, relatives or neighbors, and they feel their job is to protect you and me from making mistakes. Of course they don't know much of anything, but they feel compelled to tell us what we can't do. I'm sure most of you have had the same experience at some point in your efforts to step out and be different.

 

I say all of the above just to share the following with you. This excerpt came from a final lecture from a university professor to his class to end the school year:

 

"If there is a problem somewhere," he said with his dry chuckle, "this is what happens.  Three people will try to do something concrete to settle the issue.  Ten people will give a lecture analyzing what the three are doing.  One hundred people will commend or condemn the ten for their lecture.   One thousand people will argue about the problem.   And one person - only one - will involve himself so deeply in the true solution that he is too busy to listen to any of it."  

"Now," he asked gently, his penetrating eyes meeting each of ours in turn, "which person are you?"

 

Enthusiastically, 

Gary Burke

Keeping your dream alive

There are some things in growing this business that are very helpful in keeping your dream alive. We constantly suggest to new people that they use the products, attend meetings, have a plan, and invest in themselves, and we have always suggested that if they want to grow to never miss the annual conference. The following audio clip is a wonderful example of what it takes to build and grow. It's also a great example of the power of conferences like we will have in a few weeks.

 

Believe me, it is worth your time to listen to what Bonnie Donahue and her team has to say to encourage you. We are extremely proud of Bonnie and her team as they are in our downline several levels down under the Doris Johnson line.

 

http://images.shaklee.com/shaklee/fc/BonnieDonahueTeam.mp3       

 

GREAT JOB Bonnie and team!

 

Investing in yourself by attending events has always been a major key. All I can say is if you make plans to always attend you'll never find yourself saying you can't afford it. You will be re-energized, re-inspired, and re-motivated. I have always felt that the people who understand it is their job to keep their dream alive and then work at doing so are the people who move forward.

 

It's never to late to register for the conference in Nashville. I assure you that you'll never regret investing in yourself.  

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A launching pad is...

Last week I was asked this question:

"What is the most important thing you've learned about becoming successful in this business?

 

For me the, answer was very simple: Be persistent.

 

Being successful takes a lot of persistence. There are always problems to be solved, challenges to accept, lessons to be learned, obstacles to overcome and skills to develop. The mental side of success in anything is a huge factor because it's very easy to slow down, or start to wonder, or fight back the doubt that seems to creep into our thoughts.

 

I have often talked about the thoughts I used to have while driving in my car.  "I wonder if we will ever be as successful as those people who speak at the meetings? I wonder if this will really work for us?" I can't tell you how many times that thought was in my head. Especially in the first two years when we saw many people grow much faster than we were growing.

 

But my answer to that "doubt fight" I had in my head was always the same: "I just have to learn to do what they know how to do. If they can do this then so can we. I just don't know how yet. But I'm willing to learn." I am telling you this today because I expect there is someone out there who might be fighting doubt and negativity and wondering if it's really worth the effort.

 

Believe me, if we can build a good business then so can you. You just have to be willing to learn what the successful people know how to do and be willing to put yourself in a growth environment. Make up your mind right now that there isn't anyone or anything that will stop you from learning and achieving in this business.      

 

The absolute best thing you can do for yourself is make sure you find yourself in Nashville at the annual conference the end of July and first part of August. Forgive me, because I'm going to be real straight with you: if you truly want to grow in this business in the coming months, there isn't a good reason for you to not be there. Don't tell me you can't afford it because that's an excuse. You've got time to earn what you need...go to work like never before and make up your mind to be there. I guarantee that you will never regret it. 

 

The only reason a person or a couple can't truly make it to Nashville would be because of a family issue of some kind that is on schedule or is just unable to travel for those specific days. I look forward to seeing you in Nashville and I know this...it will be fun, you'll meet some great people, and it can become a launching pad for a tremendous year for you.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Fill in the blank

“If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now!

Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it."

- Priscilla Welch

 

The above excellent quote is a concept that can be used in many areas of a persons life - see below, where I've replaced "runner" with a blank space for you to fill it in to what's important to you:                          

 

“If you want to become the best ____________ you can be, start now!

Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it."

 

Some possibilities: leader; builder; listener; presenter; prospector; Executive, Key, or Master Coordinator; husband or wife; parent; upline

 

YOU decide what it is you want to become, and start becoming the very best ______  you can be.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Something or nothing?

I was asked a question a couple days ago by a friend I see at the gym every. I made a comment about what I do, and evidently he got curious, as he knows a couple people who were involved in network marketing and didn't do very well.  He asked, "how did you make it work like you have?"

 

As I've told you, I told him that there really isn't a mystery in what it takes to succeed.  For the most part I decided very early that I was going to listen, evaluate and then go from there. I decided to listen to the people who had the experience and were successful. At the same time, I was talking with people about our business and I heard a lot of negativity. The pattern was always the same. People seemed to focus on problems and/or issues - I was just trying to learn what to say and what to do. It was easy for me to decide that I wasn't going to listen to someone doing nothing. 

I just received an e-mail this morning from someone in our downline who decided to get herself going again and she's doing a great job! Here is what she said in her message to me: 

 

The most important thing is I’m doing SOMETHING, and if I do enough of "something” something will happen. If I do nothing, nothing will happen!

 

Print out the words in that statement and in some way keep it in front of you. It is probably one of the simplest and very powerful statements you will come across - and it works. Early in our business I just started to "do something" and learned lots of lessons (some people call these lessons "failures!"). I kept "doing something" and "something" started to happen. The successful people I was listening to were right about what to say, what to do, "learn the lessons, work hard and some day you will reach your goal" and that is what happened.

 

You might be thinking that this is over-simplified. You would be right but I like things kept simple.

If you want to grow, be careful who you listen to, find people who have been successful and my guess is you'll find that those people will all tell you the same story of how they made this business work. 

No one ever told me it would be easy, but it is simple.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke 

Skills vs. study

Growth isn't an event. It doesn't happen because a company has exceptional products or a compensation plan that can potentially pay huge amounts of income. Growth happens because people take action and work hard at learning lessons about what the building activities really are - they become skilled. Skills are developed by taking action. The more skilled a person becomes, the higher their chance of success. 

 

There are people with skills and there are people with incredible knowledge. But knowledge alone isn't enough - you need action. When you see or hear of growth taking place it's because action pays more than study. That's not saying that study isn't important. All I'm trying to suggest this morning is that this business is a skill-based business and if a person wants to double, triple or quadruple their income, it's a matter of either using the skills they have or developing the skills they need - it's something to think about if you really have intentions to have growth and reach goals and dreams.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

What motivates people?

When I first saw the Shaklee opportunity, the greatest attraction was the idea of building a business  that would pay me when I wasn't there or not even working.  To this day, that is very exciting to me. It's never been about sales to me, although we all sell ideas, and of course, products. But if the opportunity had been only selling a product, I never would have gotten involved. It was the idea of building something, not just making sales. It was an idea that captured my attention and compelled me check it out the way I did.  I saw and heard an idea, and was simply compelled to check it out to see if it was really true. My curiosity was so strong, I couldn't just walk away.

 

So what's the point of today's message? People look for ways to motivate other people. Some talk loud, some talk faster than normal, some add specifics and complexity...but what really works? IDEAS motivate people. Complexity impresses people, but as I've said for many years, I've never felt my job is to impress people.  My (and your) job is to attract people to an idea that can literally change their life in many ways. 

 

We have lots of ideas that will help someone become curious enough to check that idea out. The following are some examples of ideas we have to talk about:

• Earn more from part time effort than most people earn from full time effort
• Live debt free
• Have control of your time
• Travel
• Earn more than you need
• Become healthier
• Help lots of people with their health
• Have a second home in a place you love to visit (where there is no snow!)

So there are just a few ideas, but my point is this: go out and show people some great ideas and believe me, when you show people various ideas, you will find that people are very interested in what we have to offer.

How many appointments do you have lined up for this week or for the rest of June? People are out there looking for ideas and you have many to offer. That's what happened to me. I wasn't looking for this kind of business but once I saw it I became very curious, and here we are, over 40 years later. Because my curiosity was at a high level, I took the time to learn, and the rest is history.  

Just show what we have to offer, and you to will find those who will be curious and will take the time to evaluate the great ideas that are built into this business.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A very unique principle

Greetings,

 

Here is another gem from the book The Answer.  If you read the following statement 2 or 3 times, slowly, I think this principle will make you sit back, clear your mind, and think. 

 

"There is a principle in physics known as Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which teaches us that 

when you change the way you look at something, the thing you look at changes in response."

 

What if you change the way you look at yourself?  Meaning you are highly capable of building this business to any level you choose.  

(Read the above underlined words.)

 

What if you change the way you view prospecting?   Prospecting can be done rejection free.

                                         

(Read the above underlined words)                      

What if you change the way you view how you host a business meeting?  Meaning you are a very inspiring person and others can't wait to hear you speak.      

(Read the above underlined words)

 

What if you look at your monthly earnings differently?  Knowing it can double, triple and quadruple in a very short period of time.          

(Read the above underlined words)

 

I know changing how we view things is a challenge. Many of us see ourselves a certain way and don't really have that belief that things can change for us. Over the weekend, read this post a few times and start to look at things differently. I had never heard of this principle before I got involved in this business, but I know who and what I was and I'm not same as I was 40 years ago. If the truth be known, when I reflect back to who I was - quiet, laid back, no goals, didn't like to talk in front of groups, etc., as I reflect back I wouldn't have considered myself a very good prospect. 

 

The more I got around other successful people in the business, the more my thinking changed.  I loved the meetings because I always left feeling better than when I arrived.   My view of myself changed business wise.   Slowly, I might add! But I decided that I could learn what it would take to build a highly successful business.  I became incredibly focused, determined, inspired, and motivated to learn and to work hard.   It worked. I started to believe, really believe, that I could make this thing work. And I became a different person than I was when we started. 

 

Try it friends.  Look at yourself differently.  Look at your future differently.  Get focused.  Go for it.

You'll never regret it.  

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Purpose and goals are...

When I first started in our business, I had never written out goals and didn't know much about them. I knew that there were things I would have liked to do and places that would be fun to visit, and of course I wanted to be successful at something. I never read much as I was busy having fun being involved in athletics. I can't really say I had much purpose either. I was just going from job to job and hoping there was something out there for me.

 

Once I started attending meetings and hearing about possibilities for my future, my thinking started to change.  I couldn't seem to read enough or learn fast enough. I was starting to have a very specific purpose. The following statement from The Answer by John Assaraf and Murray Smith is representative of the kind of things that always made me stop, think, wonder, hope, and dream about having a very unique life.

You achieve goals: you live purpose.  

In other words, your purpose is something ongoing and never-ending; it's not something you ever "finish." Your purpose is a description of what living your ideal life looks like. 

Goals are something you definitely can finish and should.  

Goals are mileposts along the road of life; purpose is the direction the road takes.

 

Kind of an interesting statement, isn't it? Do you have specific goals you are currently working on?  The next question in my mind is really important. Do you like the direction of your life and/or do you have a purpose that is so compelling to you that every day you are doing something to make progress? I've learned that having a purpose is exciting. Setting those mileposts and figuring out how to get where I want to go is challenging. But believe me friends, it's worth it.  

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A few important things

I read the following statement in the book The Answer by Assaraf & Smith:

 

"Growing your dream business - any dream business - is a systematic process that boils down to this: You need to know, out of all the possible things you could be doing, which are the critically important few actions you must take. And you need to be doing those few things every single day."

 

This statement should make you and me sit back and think about what they are doing with our time. I hope you will read it a couple of times, and then actually sit down and just think about your day yesterday and what you will do today.

 

What are those few important things to be DOING that will guarantee your personal and business growth? Will you be doing those things today?

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

What should I measure?

I was reading a business magazine over the weekend and I came across the following, which struck me as very interesting. Let's see if you agree.

 

"Progress comes only from inquiry, effort, discipline, testing, learning, reflection and wisdom.  Rest a little bit, then repeat the cycle. Adjust if you must. But be sure you measure the right things."

- Richard Karlgaard

 

The words that stuck with me were....... "But be sure you measure the right things." What would be the right things to measure in our business? Attending webinars? Listening to CDs?  Watching Shaklee University? Sending people to web sites? Doing book work?  Writing out goals for the umpteenth time? Knowing what to say? Knowing exactly what to do?  Developing skills for building? Making phone calls? Learning how to get appointments? Giving presentations every week? Learning how to be effective with a system?  

 

All of the above could be labeled important.  But what to you would be the top 3 or 4 things from that list if you want to make regular progress? Once you have the 3 or 4 most vital things to do, measure them. When I say measure, I mean assess whether you are doing those things. Ask yourself some questions, which is what I did this weekend. How often are you doing those things? How's it working?  Are you having more enrollments every month? Is your personal group PV the same every month or is it increasing? Are your monthly earnings increasing?

 

Here is a final thought: you focus on what you measure. It's something to think about.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke