Invest some time in yourself

It's been said that most people only use about 10% of their potential for becoming what they are capable of becoming. If this is accurate, that means if we would just use another 5% of our potential we would have a totally different life. It also tells me that there are questions we might want to ask ourselves:

- What are the barriers that are stopping me from becoming what I want to become?

- Do comments by others stop me from taking action?

- Am I taking steps for my personal development?

- Am I putting in the kind of effort I am capable of?

- Do I have goals I am excited about?

I think it's healthy to sometimes just sit back or go for a walk and just think about ourselves and ask ourselves some questions. My suggestion for the next few days is to get by yourself, or get in a conversation with someone you know won't criticize or judge you. Then, think or talk, first, about your future as it stands right now and second, about the kind of future you would love to have. If you don't know what you really want it's really tough to make progress.  

It's fun to dream and create a new future for ourselves. I know this is a challenge but for those of you who are willing I know you will not regret investing your time thinking and talking about your future.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

You have to make it happen...

I think most of you would agree that one thing we all want is to get better - better helping more people, better at presenting the opportunity, better at putting in the effort it takes to build a bigger and better business, and better at goal setting. The following is one of those statements I found that made me think. I don't know who said this but I've kept it because it's telling me who is responsible for making things happen. I hope it also makes you sit back for a minute and just kind of ponder on what you really want.

You must take life as it happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you want to take it.

That's the key - to try to make our lives happen the way we want it to be. I just love that statement. So how do you want your life to be 3 years from now?  How about 5 or 10 years from now?  When I came into this business in 1970,  I wanted a better future. It was that simple for me. The more I learned about the Shaklee opportunity and discovered it really was true for the people who worked hard, I decided we could have a better life by working at building the business as well as ourselves. Little did I know it would turn out to be like it has.  This opportunity has given Faye and me a lifestyle that is way beyond anything we were able to think about. The two major things for me in our lifestyle are being totally debt-free and not having to drive in traffic.  

How about you?  Are you ready to make it happen the way you want your life to be?

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke 

 

Worth its weight in gold

I often think how great this opportunity is and what it takes to make it work so you can fulfil your personal goals or dreams.   I know people want to grow and help people as well as earn a good income and it seems to me that at some point you have to ask questions about what it takes.

I won't go into everything it may take but there is one step that if it isn't learned then absolutely nothing will happen.   That one step happens to be talking to people. It's called prospecting. Asking questions and getting appointments, then telling the Shaklee story as simply as possible and of course following up.  If there is any skill you want to work and get better at it is the "finding the people" side of the business.

Over the weekend a principle came to mind that I learned years ago. Here it is: You can't say the right thing to the wrong person and you can't say the wrong thing to right person.

If ever there was a principle that is worth its weight in gold it's this one. Why? Because what stops people from talking to people is hesitation or fear. What if they...?   What if they don't...? So read it slowly. Read it again. Think about it. Accept this simple principle and you will change yourself and your future; you will talk to everyone and not be intimidated with fear.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Lifestyle examples

Yesterday I sent a message about lifestyle and I received some great feedback from several people. Below are comments from a couple of top Shaklee leaders. 

Gary Burke

Gary,

It is so good to hear from you.  I am so thankful for Shaklee for so many reasons.  Two of my daughters are financially secure, my grandchildren have traveled the world with Shaklee and are also benefiting from the income Paul and I generated over the years.  I think God for this wonderful opportunity and Dr. Shaklee who had the vision and passed it on to us.                                                                                      Ruth Hallberg

[Gary's note: Ruth is 88 years old and doing well.]

Hi Gary,  

I agree. My first lifestyle change was someone to clean my house. I decided early on that I didn't need to do it, but it had to be done. I appreciate everything clean on the same day...didn't happen before.   Also, I've had a deep tissue massage from a European lady every Tuesday at 5:45  for 15 yrs....in my basement. Don't even have to go out in the cold.  

 We probably do need to talk about Lifestyle more.  What a trip around the world!!   I've heard them talk about it.   I have a friend who says "I love working from home.  I'll do anything to stay out of traffic and panty hose!   Have a great day.       

                                                                                   Lorraine Ulrich

   

The power of our own words

I found a small piece that we had printed a few years ago and it has five major principles. Today, I'm picking out one of those principles that just happens to be one of my all-time favorites: the words a person uses will ultimately shape them and their future.

Another way of saying the same thing would be: what you talk about you will bring about. Just think for a minute about what these words are saying. They are suggesting that we alone are responsible for what we do, what we become, what we achieve, and what our future will be like. That to me is really amazing and very powerful.

How do you talk about our products?  The compensation plan? Sponsoring?   Running high PV? Conducting a meeting? Building this business?   Remember, what you talk about you will bring about.

I'll keep this short and simple but end with a suggestion. Make it a point to listen to yourself for the next couple days and just for your own information give yourself a grade. Remember, you're in charge of your life and your future and the words we use will determine the direction we will go.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's about lifestyle

Yesterday I had a conversation with our good friend Roger Olsen who has been a highly successful sales leader for many years. We were in the car driving and started to talk about our view of what this business really is to us. Each of us had our major reasons for why we viewed it the way we do, and we agreed that this business is really about designing a lifestyle.

Many people believe this is a product business, a people business or a sales opportunity. Of course, they are correct because this business is all of those things. But it is more about having the opportunity to live a different life. 

Roger and I talked about our experiences in travel as he and his wife Norma recently took a 5 week trip around the world, stopping in Australia, Hong Kong, Bangkok, New Delhi, Agra, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Nairobi, Masa Mara Safari, and Paris. It was their dream trip and as they were traveling their Shaklee business keep paying them - that is the residual income feature of being in this kind of business.

As we discussed our views of what Shaklee offers we decided that if more people realized the lifestyle they could have, they would put in the time and effort it takes to build whatever size business they wanted.

Yes, you will run into challenges because that's just the way it is. Everyone has challenges. The fact of the matter is that who you become and what kind of life you build all depends on how you respond to challenges. What I know is that you will never regret doing whatever it takes to build the kind of life you truly want. Yes, you can do that - go for it!

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A unique message about fears

I am sending you a message today that can literally change your life if you have any fears in your life. I thank Jeff Bowden for sending this to me as it is probably one of the most unique messages I have ever listened to. I have listened to this three times so far and I'll be saving this for future use for any person I know who has fears of some kind and is willing to do something about it. I certainly fall into the category of having fears.  Some I have overcome and some I have not.  If I could have heard this message in my early years building this business it would have been a big help for me. I sincerely hope that if you have something stopping you from becoming the person you are capable of becoming you will listen and act on what you hear. Click on the link below and listen and learn.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/01/16/377239011/by-making-a-game-out-of-rejection-a-man-conquers-fear?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150116&fb_ref=Default&fb_source=message

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A follow up message

I want to do a follow up to yesterday's message because I received a number of responses. When that happens it means for lots of people it kind of touched a nerve. Yesterday's message said: "You can fail your way to success! Yes is the destination but no is how you get there.   Go for no!" 

A number of the responses said basically the same thing: "Nos are challenging and disappointing." I certainly agree. But I believe that once we have a good understanding of what we are facing when we talk to people, and accept the idea that Shaklee isn't for everyone and we of course will hear many nos along the way, it's a lot easier to build and make progress on a consistent basis.

I read something very early in the business that said that any time a person has an idea and they start to talk to people about this idea, no matter how great this idea may be, they will be tested. I had already been tested more than I wanted because of course I heard many people make doubtful and/or negative comments. I learned that my faith in this great idea would be tested. I also learned as I reflect back that what was and is needed to grow this business is endurance. Yes, we all will face problems, issues, doubt, unbelief, negativity in some cases, and many people quit. What it means to me is I have to become mentally tough and have the endurance it will take. But we also need an attitude that says, "there isn't anyone or any thing that will stop me from making this business work." I can't tell you how many hundreds or thousands of times I said that to myself.  Maybe you have something that helps you get through the various tests we face. Stick with it. Never quit because the end of the story says something like this: "Boy are they ever lucky - just look at the business they have."

"Go for no" just means get comfortable with the concept that you will be tested. It also means you'll have the right attitude; you will be mentally tough and many will call you "lucky."

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Read the postcard - this is important

The following is a message I received from a couple who have a business named "Go For No."  The theme they have is on the postcard below.   Read it carefully....slowly.   It is probably the most accurate description of what it takes to be successful. ENJOY! Copy these simple words and keep them in front of you for 90 days. Memorize it. It will help you.

Gary Burke

 

 

 

Several years ago we were sitting in the office and Richard answered the phone (a rare event but anyway...) and it was a young guy who asked if we'd 'invest in him' and give him a free copy of Go for No!  Well, Richard wanted to turn this into a teaching moment for our young caller. So he said, "I'm going to say no, but here's what I will do. Today is Monday. If you call me every morning this week and ask for a book, I will tell you no. On the last day, Friday, I will say yes and you'll get a book."  The young man never called back.

How ironic that we would have invested in him but he wouldn't invest in himself first. Persistence does not come to many very naturally. Whether it's just laziness, lack of belief that a pay-off will happen - whatever the reason - we know this: persistence is not a nice-to-have when it comes to building a business, it's absolutely essential.    

Your willingness to positively persist, doing what you can to bring value to your contacts, staying on the path (not jumping from one thing to another), and growing your business one customer at a time demonstrates consistency. That consistency will grow trust and will eventually be a factor in people doing business with you. 

Very interesting discovery

The following is an excerpt from a message I received from a high potential person who has probably not produced like she could have. I've learned that once someone figures things out and realizes that just keep doing the right things and not getting distracted by what someone else may or may not be doing, growth is in the near future. Read the following message slowly and think about what this person has discovered.

"There has been a shift in the thinking, looking backwards at what we have done instead of possibilities of the future is the hardest shift for us to make.  I don’t know why I got stuck there because I know I can do much more than I have been.  I think I also got caught up in what everyone else was or was not doing instead of being a LEADER and doing what I had to do."

Kind of interesting isn't it? I have always believed this business is simple. Simple doesn't mean easy, far from it. You want to make sure that the activities you have been doing are the growth actions. It's easy to get caught up being busy as there will always be what I would call low level tasks to do. The high level tasks are the ones that creates growth in PV as well as income. Suggestion: make a list of actions that have potential to literally cause growth verses low level activities that may keep you busy.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Excellent suggestions for growing your business

Richard Brooke is considered one of the best and most highly respected individuals in network marketing. He has been a part of this industry for well over 30 years and is currently the owner and CEO of a major network marketing company. I came across the following list of 20 suggestions Mr. Brooke offers to any person who wants to grow in this industry. 

(Credit: http://blog.blissbusiness.com/tips-for-building-your-own-network-marketing-empire-2/)

1. Use all your products in as many creative ways as possible. Your product experiences become your basis for retail sales.

2. Think about what you will do with your Network Marketing asset income ALL THE TIME and let yourself FEEL how it will feel.

3. Create and maintain a list of people to prospect and how to get a hold of them…there ought to be hundreds of people on it. Do NOT pre-judge their interest.

4. Study MLM like you are pursuing a four-year degree in it. Read and listen to EVERYTHING.

5. Manage your beliefs. Study, listen to and watch people that have the beliefs you want.Learn to believe in what you want as an expectation.

6. Create a business plan…a simple one that you WILL follow every day. Boil it down to a daily action plan, then let the plan work you.

7. Treat your opportunity like any new career. Dedicate yourself to mastering it.

8. Work at least part time — 10 to 20 hours a week. Sometimers only get paid sometimes.

9. Learn to SELL the income opportunity as well as you might sell the products. More people are interested in the money.

10. Sell income and free time more than a business opportunity or home-based business. People want holes, not drill bits.

11. Don’t push ropes. Work with the willing. Work only with those who work, not those who promise to work.

12. Give yourself options from which to pick your leaders. Sponsor enough people to create some odds in your favor.

13. Sponsor and keep sponsoring until you find an Ace (worker). Then, take them DEEP! (There are always four aces in every 52 cards. Oddly enough, there are usually at least four builders out of every 52 you sponsor).

14. Be mindful of “placing people” under people. No one likes being given up for adoption. It is not as good an idea as it sounds.

15. Sponsor as though you could only do so for the next 12 months and then had to build it all from that.

16. Prospect as though you believe everyone is at least interested. They would be, if they knew what you knew…wouldn’t they?

17. Keep a prospecting pace and attitude as though the company was paying you $10,000 a month JUST to introduce people to it.

18. If all you had to do was introduce the company to get paid, who would you talk to? What would you say? What would you do if they said no? Do the same thing with the same attitude and you will earn $10,000 a month and more.

19. Some will; some won’t. So what? Who’s next?

20. Remember, the more people who say no, the closer you are to the one who says yes.The odds PROVE it, so bank on it.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Guest blogger: how big could your pumpkin be?

Thanks to our upline Dan Henderson for the following excellent message.  

When I saw Seth Godin's message today, I couldn't help but think about

how our thoughts are so self-limiting. 

What we could achieve, is almost 

always far greater that what we actually do achieve. 

Seth said it this way … the huge hurdle we face is, "seems out of reach.” 

The truth is that far too many people talk themselves out of reaching ... 

aren't thirsty enough to take a leap. 

For those who are willing to take the leap, pound away, and never stop pounding — 

amazing things are possible. 

Every year, somebody grows an even bigger, heavier pumpkin

than last years winner. 

So the question is...

If you really set your mind to it … really gave it your all … how big could your pumpkin be?

Let's all grow bigger pumpkins in 2015!  

:: Dan  Henderson

Watch :: http://youtu.be/4JVYvuDPbMs   BIG Pumpkins

Go for it - step across that line

We all have a comfort zone. We have things in our lives to do on a daily basis that are easy to do mainly because of the many, many times we have done them.  It's just a simple part of living. Everyone has the things they are comfortable doing and there is no hesitation on our part for doing them.  We don't even have to think about it, we just do it.

Then something comes along in our life that is very different than anything we've ever done before. We want to take action of some kind, maybe just that first step.  But we hold back because of the lack of confidence and belief. We have interest but no activity. We seem to be willing to learn so we attend webinars, listen to CDs or watch a DVD and maybe even attend a meeting, but that's it. Getting started is our desire but something is holding us back from becoming what we're very capable of becoming. It's probably that comfort zone! I have to say here that I felt very uncomfortable with the idea of approaching people with a new idea, of conducting a meeting meant speaking in front of people. Yikes!  But to make a long story short, my desire to have a highly successful Shaklee business was stronger than the fear of doing things I knew I wasn't any good at. 

I learned that I wasn't the only one who had these feelings and also learned that if I wasn't willing to get outside my comfort zone I wouldn't do much of anything. I learned that once I was willing to challenge my comfort zone I could see bigger possibilities. Over time it became a new world. Small successes were encouraging to keep doing the right things. Doing the right things created success. Not always, and not immedisty, of course but I learned that the daily, weekly failures are what would help me to become strong. 

I don't know where you are at this time but this I do know: if you challenge your comfort zone and keep doing it you're going to get better and better and your small successes will encourage you all the way to whatever level you want to be.     Go for it. Step across that line in the sand.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A simple idea with huge possibilities

Many times in the early years of our growth, I would be in my car thinking about what it would take to grow this business. I always believed the potential for an incredible future was right in front of me so all I had to do was figure out how to make it work for us. 

What if you decided to find one hour a day every week for five days each week to work on your future?

That would mean 5 hours more each week working your business. 20 hours more each month. Over a year, you would have invested over 200 additional hours.

Do you realize what would happen to your monthly PV as well as your income with just one more hour a day for five days a week? Take some time and think about it. Everything starts with an idea and this is just an idea. But the possibilities with this very simple idea of finding one hour a day are huge. I know this is a challenge. A big challenge! I assure you that your results would be well worth the effort. Just something to think about.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke          

I remember when

When I think back to the first day I heard about this opportunity, I remember feeling compelled to learn more. It sounded exciting. I can't say I totally understood the compensation plan that first day, but I do remember it felt like I just found something unique. I just had to learn more and find out if this could be something for me. 

I remember attending my sponsor's meeting and hearing the presentation again. I went to every meeting possible.  At my sponsor's meeting, most of the time there were just three people.  I remember using Basic H and getting excited about what it could do. Yes, that's right, I literally got excited about the cleaners.  

I remember sponsoring my mother and my sister that first week. I also remember getting my first bonus check as it was for $7.33. I also remember getting my first $5000 bonus check and also our first  $10,000 bonus check and our first $20,000 bonus check. I remember flying to our first Shaklee convention in California. That was awesome and so fun and exciting.

What kept me excited was the fact that this opportunity had an incredible future and I wanted everything this company offered. Here it is 44 years later and those memories are still alive in my spirit.   Are you excited about what 2015 has in store for you? Here is my point: you have to remember to remember.

Do you remember when you first used these products and got excited? Do you remember being willing to  go out and talk to people? Do you remember how exciting it was to sponsor some people?   Do you remember going to your first Shaklee meeting? Do you remember how it felt to be so doggone excited?

Do you want this year to be something special? I suggest that you make it a point to remember to remember all those fun, exciting times in your past. The past is the past but the memories are forever.  Focus on the future. These products are still awesome. The opportunity is still alive and people are building futures. Take time to remember to remember. You will inspire yourself. Why not? Why not you?   Why not now?

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Are you stirred up for 2015 to be a great year?

I don't know about you but I always seemed to have to get myself stirred up mentally to get what I would call re-started at the beginning of a new year.  It was kind of easy to do though as I would read and/or listen to various books and tapes, CDs, etc. I felt that if I could just do one or two things that were a challenge for me it would be easier. The point here is that I knew I had to stir myself up. This is still my job. It isn't Shaklee's responsibility, it's about me getting myself going. 

I learned early in the business that I needed to make sure I had some targets (goals) for January as well as new thinking and new behaviors. I can't recall if I called it "new thinking," I just knew I had to get myself going. As I said in yesterday's message, a little optimism can go a long way in helping a person to get themselves going.

How about you?  Do you have new goals for this new year?  Do you want to have the same kind of year as 2014 or are you planning on making 2015 your best year ever? How high are you planning for your personal group PV to be? How much of a raise in income will you be giving yourself this year? Will you attend the annual Shaklee event in Cleveland in August?

Just some thoughts that might help you to stir yourself up mentally. As I've said in many messages, it's a good habit to ask myself questions and to challenge myself.  I suggest the same is true for you.    Write out 3 to 5 questions you might have for yourself and then this weekend take some time to write out your answers.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Let's start 2015 out with optimism

The new year is here and I hope you've taken some time to give some thought about what you want this new year to be like.  A little optimism can go a long way for getting off to a great start.  There are certain steps that can make a huge difference for anyone who truly wants this year to be the best ever and the following quote describes the process:

  "First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination."                                                           - Napoleon Hill

Just think about that for a minute. It says the beginning is in our imagination. Don't think for a second that you can't have your best year ever. You can if you will just buy into these simple ideas and make your plan for making things happen. How about doubling your personal group PV?  How about doubling your current income...tripling it? How about developing two to three new first level Directors? Why not? Why not you? Why not now? You can make it happen.  Let's all start this new year out the right way by being optimistic and make January your kick-off month for your new plan.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke