How to stay inspired

During the early years when I got started I loved going to the meetings that were held here in the Minneapolis area. What I remember most was the fact that I always felt better leaving the meetings than when I arrived. That's what a positive environment can do for people.  Get inspired. That's what meetings are for, to get inspired and learn as you go.  What I learned rather quickly was the secret, if there is such a thing, is to figure out how to stay inspired.

 

When I felt inspired I knew in my mind that we were going to have fun building this business and earning a car, travel and helping others to do the same. At different times doubt would creep into my mind and I would wonder if we really could have the kind of future I was thinking about. If I didn't get back to a meeting that doubt could hang around for weeks. I'm talking from experience because it happens to everyone at different times in our lives. I would limit myself when my thinking went down that road.

 

"There are no limitations except those you acknowledge."

                                                              Napoleon Hill

 

I learned there were what was called self-help books. I started to read books about successful people and as they told their story I felt as inspired as when I left a meeting. AHA! That drove me to purchase more books and I found it much easier to stay inspired. One book said, "Leaders are readers and readers are leaders." I remember writing that on paper and keeping it in front of me.  I can't begin to tell you how many times I read those words. I loved reading that simple statement. Books became my method to help keep myself inspired and I've done it for over 45 years. I still read a lot and I still feel inspired.

 

What are you reading? Who do you spend time with? 

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

Investing your time and effort is the smartest thing you can do

I had a conversation yesterday about building this business and what it might take and I want to give you a couple things to think about. First of all I'm going to assume that everyone who reads this is serious about changing their life by building the business of their dreams.

 

Quickly I'm going to recap what I did. I went to every meeting I could for 4 months. I never missed. I asked questions and met many people who were making it work. In my 4th month my belief kicked in. Others were making it work so why couldn't it work for me?  I had a full time job, was helping a friend do some work on his home, and I committed 12 hours a week to learn and take action in this new idea. I was busy but at the same time I wanted everything that Shaklee offered and my sponsor told me that if I would commit to being consistent and make sure I put the time in I could build a business. I made the time.

 

Here is my point for today: most people just kind of "do Shaklee." A couple hours here and then maybe a couple more every week. They might attend a meeting online and then again maybe they are attending many online meetings to learn.   Can you find 10 hours a week to commit to building your business? Investing 10 hours a week, every week, learning and doing? Let's assume you commit to 10 hours a week.

 

Investing 10 hours a week looks like the following: 10 hours a week = 40 hours a month, and lets say you work 10 months a year at 10 hours a week. This will give you 400 working hours a year. Let's say you did this for 5 years. This will give you 2000 hours that you've invested in your future. Think about it for a couple minutes. Do you realize what a person can accomplish if they work part time 2000 hours over a 5 year period of time?    It's amazing! It's stunning! It will be life changing!

 

Yes, there will be obstacles, problems, issues and negative people to deal with.   But that is what will make you become mentally strong.  But my bet is that even if a person isn't in this business, they will have obstacles, problems and experience some negativity from some people. That's just life. That's just the way it is.

My hope for you is that you think about what you want out of this business.  Once you make that decision I'll tell you what my sponsor told me. You will never regret investing your time in your future.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Are you going to finish what you've started?

I remember when I first got involved in this business and I started to learn about setting and achieving goals. I feel fortunate because whatever I was reading it talked about the difference between setting goals and achieving those goals. I was in my early 30s and had never written a goal for myself. Of course I had thoughts that I wanted to do well but that's about as far as I got.

 

Then I learned that lots of people say they have goals but they never get written on paper. That means it's a wish not a goal. So I thought I probably should write out what my goals were. That was the start for me to start to learn the difference between setting goals and goals achievement.  

 

I also recall learning that finishing what you start will separate you from the majority of most people. People will have goals but if they aren't serious and ready to be faced with obstacles, most people give up because of roadblocks, problems and obstacles. So what this means is this, if we want to accomplish great goals we must commit to finish what we start.  Aha! The secret is to have the mindset that you're going to finish regardless of what happens.

 

A couple days ago I was asked to describe the kind of person I would like to sponsor. I came up with three things I would look for in the perfect prospect...I would especially want someone who is mentally tough, the mindset to finish and an attitude that was always expecting the best. The last thing is I would like this person to be coachable. Think about it.   Are you going to finish what you've started?

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

This is about a certain habit

So much of what has been written over the decades seems to have the same type of message about becoming successful. There aren't any secrets, that's for sure because the books written 40 or 50 years ago seem to focus on the same things as books written here in 2016. This certainly should be telling us something about what it takes and the amazing thing to me is it's so simple.   Not always easy, but certainly simple.

 

"Successful men / women become successful only because they acquire the habit of thinking in terms of success."

                                                              Napoleon Hill

 

I'm going to focus on one word from the above quote. The word is "only." Please read the above quote again and stop at the words "Only because...." It doesn't say a person has to be smart, a college graduate, a high school graduate, or come from a success driven family, or be a certain age with a certain background.

It's saying it comes down to how we think about things.

 

Some people think that prospecting is difficult. Some think they don't have time,  others think they don't know very many people so how can they build a successful business. Some people hang around with negative people who keep telling them what can't be done. I could go on and on but I think you get the jest of what I'm talking about. The above quote says, "only because they acquire the habit of thinking in terms of success."

 

Here is an assignment for you to consider. Carry a notebook around and take notes on what you think about.  Don't show it to anyone but it will help you to identify what's going on in your thinking and what you might have to change. Have a great week.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Shaklee-- business freedom

Greetings,

The following message from Rod Larkin is worth reading.  

Gary Burke

Hi,

 

I just wanted to share this in the hope that someone else will read this and say-- this is just what I've been looking for!  I wasn't looking for Shaklee, it found me one day when my boss in the company I was working for asked me a simple---"Would I be interested in making an extra $1000 a month?" and I said yes.

 

Some people join Shaklee just to use the products.  Some people join Shaklee to earn a little extra income each month-- a part-time hobby business.  Some people join Shaklee to build a business to be their own boss and have a business  that will pay them thousands of dollars a month-- this was me when I was 21 years old.  8 months after joining Shaklee, at age 22, I quit my job to make Shaklee my career.  It has been so long since I worked for someone else and answered to their schedule for me-- I just can't even remember what that is like.  I just know I would not like it knowing how freestyle my life has been for the past 37 years.  In most people's eyes who know me and are around me where we live now-- they think I'm retired, or semi-retired!  Well-- in a sense, it's like I have been semi-retired for 37 years!

 

Here is a current example this week of the advantages of having a home-based Shaklee business--I was working in my shorts, t-shirt, and barefeet at my desk and at about 2 PM Tuesday afternoon I said to Danette-- let's do a river float because it was such a beautiful summer afternoon-- so off we went. While doing so we came across this huge snapping turtle (his shell was bigger than a pizza pan-- he was a monster!) sunning himself on a log overhanging the river. I guess he decided it was time to call it quits for the day too and headed out of the office for an afternoon time of river relaxation.  And guess what-- since Wednesday was such a nice day, we headed out on the river at 2 PM again and probalby will today and tomorrowtoo!  We do things according to what the weather does on a given day-- not by what day the calendar says and what time of day it is.

 

 

For 37 years now-- it doesn't matter what time of the day, or the day of the week it is, I can stop what I'm  doing and head out to do something fun. This is why I worked my butt off for the first 3 years solid (and brief  periods of times over the years) to build a business that will pay me even when I'm not there-- as Gary Burke says.  That's known as Residual Income-- money you earn now for work done in the past. 

 

There is no greater benefit the Shaklee business has to offer than---- TIME FREEDOM and the MONEY to go along with it.  For as long as humans have walked the earth-- there has ALWAYS been a price to pay for freedom-- no matter what kind of freedom it is.  If you want freedom of any kind-- you have to sacrifice for a period of time and work for it.

It takes a strong commitment and your own self-discipline to stick with it no matter what happens in your life-- but the pay off is worth it all! Does this type of lifestyle for the rest of your life sound good to you? You can have it as long as you are willing to work for it and do what it takes! 

Rod Larkin

     

It's about today!

Here is a great thought I found in my notes from a few years ago. I'm not sure who said this but this is one of the best  simple principles I have saved. At times we need reminders that kind of help us to continue to do what we have to do in order to get to where we want to be.   This is one of those special principles that I really like and I hope it will kind of make you pause and think.

 

What we become tomorrow is shaped by what we do daily.

 

Think about that for a minute. Write it down and maybe even put it on your computer screen for a reminder. I'm not going to make any comments about those words except to say that personally I think this is one of those gems that make people think.

 

What do you have planned for today?   Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not next month. What are you going to do TODAY?

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Figuring it out

The following message is a great example of what it takes to make this business work. I asked Jenny if I could send her message out because I believe it will help many people to think about what you have to do to make this business work. Jenny is doing a great job and has the kind of attitude I look for in people.

 

Gary Burke

 

Hi Gary,  

I've been doing a lot of self reflection the past week. I'm really struggling to keep my head in the game this summer. My kids and husband are home for the summer and there are distractions EVERYWHERE!! But, I know I can't use that as an excuse; I need to work through it and get better.

A couple weeks ago, shortly after our last conversation, I saw an Eric Worre video about a summer challenge. It was to do 30 presentations in 30 days. I switched it up a bit and wrote down 30 people before Orlando. I did 7 and then felt stuck. 😕 Your presentation last night hit me between the eyes. Making a skill based goal makes so much sense to me.

You asked last night about what do we struggle with and create a goal around that. I have such a hard time making calls, reaching out, inviting - crazy, those are probably the most important skills to develop! I am okay at using messaging to reach out and invite, but really struggle to pick up the phone. So I am making a goal to make 2 phone calls every week day in the name of Shaklee in addition to my messages and texts. After that becomes a habit and I consistently do that, I can up the ante. (Or maybe I need to up it now??)

I look forward to our call on Monday. You can ask me how I've done on my calls. :)

Jenny Utrie

Build your business on paper

While I was working out yesterday I had a thought: I wonder what it was that excited or compelled me to make the decision to learn what was true and what wasn't about this business? I took notes at every meeting. I used two or three of the cleaning products. I was around people who had strong belief in what they were teaching about this business.   That sounds simple and it is but why did I hang in there when it didn't seem to be working very well for me?

 

The first month my bonus check was $7.33, second and third months we identical at $0. The fourth month was $19.19. I was going to the meetings, sponsoring a few people here and there, and my total earnings for the first four months was $26.52. The amazing thing was I wasn't really discouraged.  

 

I never had a business course in my life and when the comp plan was explained I didn't get it. I just couldn't figure it out.  There were lots of numbers to deal with.  It was always interesting to me but I didn't have a good understanding of the business. In the second month I decided to sit at a table and draw circles and build a business on paper. I did about five or six a night. I did one to show $1000 a month bonus, then $2000 a month, $5000 and up to $10,000 a month. The next night I would do the same thing again. That was the best thing I ever did for myself. I built my business on paper night after night after night. Finally, I GOT IT. Understanding is freedom. I GOT IT.

 

That is why when I have a new person who says they want to build a business, I usually ask them if they would like to see on paper what it's going to take to get it done. I ask how much they would like to earn in  two or three years. Once they tell me we sit and draw circles and build their business on paper and it's always interesting how quickly they GET IT and how exciting it is for them.

 

What's your dream business look like after 4 or 5 years,10 years of building? I suggest you sit down and draw your business on paper. Once you can see it on paper you will know exactly what it is you have to do. Then you get busy and make it happen. You can do it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's time to dream again

Today's message is going to be one paragraph from one of the best books I've read about growing a business and succeeding. The book is THE ANSWER  by John Assaraf & Murray Smith.

 

If you want to build your dream business and create the most wonderful life for yourself, then you need to get your head right back up there in those clouds and exercise your imagination to it's fullest.  Imagination is the seat of your capacity to create anything:  A thrilling career, your dream business, a wonderful home, a fulfilling relationship, a magnificent life.   Einstein put it well:  "Imagination is more important than knowledge."  Imagination is where every extraordinary achievement begins.  In your imagination there are no limits, you can be completely free.   It's crucial that you awaken that faculty you had as a child and start to daydream again.

 

When I first read the above comment I kind of smiled to myself because I went back mentally when I was a kid. I was one of the best dreamers ever. I thought about being the best baseball player there ever was. I would dream about hitting 400, stealing bases, etc. During football season it was about that sport and becoming an All-American halfback.   I wasn't fast enough, but in my mind I was. In my mind I always seemed to be really exceptional. Those were fun years.

 

What did you dream about when you were a little girl or boy?  When I found Shaklee I did the same thing. I dreamt of having a large business and helping lots of others do the same. In my mind I never failed. There were other dreams but maybe that's for another day. Do you still have dreams? Think about it then start creating it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke 

Great examples for sticking to your goals/dream

In a recent magazine I found the following rather humorous. It's another example of people who keep going regardless of what other people may think, say or do.   You go for your dream because you think and believe you can make it happen.  

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke 

 

Our Heroes Are Failures Too 

 

After dropping out of college, pop start Madonna took a job at Dunkin' Donuts - only to be fired for spilling jelly on a customer.

 

Before I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball's drama instructor told her to find another profession.

 

Decca Records rejected The Beatles in 1962, telling them that guitar groups were on the way out.

 

It took the Wright Brothers almost six years of failed attempts before they perfected their design for the first practical airplane.

 

After auditioning to sing at a club in 1954, Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'N' Roll, was told to stick to truck driving because he'd never make it as a singer.

 

9,000 is the approximate number of shots basketball legend Michael Jordan missed.

 

300 is the approximate number of venture capitalists that rejected Pandora.

Making decisions makes a difference

At times I ask people what is it that might be holding them back from making progress as they are trying to build their business. Of course most of us are very part-time so it's very important to have a plan for use of our time. We all have the same amount of time to choose from and that is out of the 24 hours allotted to us we make our choices.

 

I found the following in the most recent SUCCESS magazine by Tony Jeary who is an expert on time management.  

QUESTION:  I'm a people pleaser - I have trouble saying no.  How can I change?  

ANSWER:  Learning to say no is the single most effective way to increase your focus and productivity.  Saying no will help you reduce what I call low leverage activities and invest more time and energy into high leverage activities, which are the key to achieving the right results faster.  We must learn to say no to the things that don't matter so we can say yes to the things that matter most.

 

I could relate to the time issue because I had a very difficult time sorting through my options of how to invest my time. I believe it comes down to distractions more than major things we might add to our schedule. You might want to give some thought to where does the time go in your life? I think this is a step that is important if you are to be consistent with your efforts. Distractions mean simple things like 15 minutes here and 10 minutes there. I think you know what I'm driving at.

 

I will say this: once I decided that Shaklee was important I made some choices. I had a full time job, was committed in various areas and was looking at a business that I believed could make a huge difference in our lives. My choice was to carve out 12 to 15 hours a week, every week. To keep this simple, I did exactly that - 12 to 15 hours a week.  Every week. And we built the foundation of our future on that time schedule to be doing the right things that create growth.

 

I know what can get done with 60 hours a month (15 hr./week) being focused on building a foundation. Do you have your plan for use of your time? If yes, GREAT!   If no, take time to create a schedule. It does take time to build. Things don't just happen. You make them happen.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

How to keep yourself focused on doing the right things

Very early in my Shaklee career I learned to ask myself questions: What am I  doing with my time today? Where am I headed? Is what I'm doing working? Do I currently have someone to work with who is committed to build? There are more, but my point is that in this business each individual is responsible for moving themselves forward. In this month's SUCCESS magazine I found the following quote from Ekaterina Lyapustina who is the CEO of JetNest.

 

"I start the day with 15 minutes meditation, followed by asking myself a series of questions:

What do I plan to achieve today? 

How can I be more successful than yesterday?  

Which of my qualities and abilities will be most useful? 

I then challenge myself by trying something new every day. I exercise and try to get out of the house to attend events and meet positive, interesting and successful people who can teach me new things."

 

Asking yourself questions will help you stay on track for achieving higher levels of success. Are you good at asking yourself questions about what you are doing? If you are, my bet is your business is growing because you're doing the right things and those questions help you to stay focused. If you are not asking yourself questions about your business and making progress, I suggest you try it for 30 to 60 days. This is a challenge but I know it will be helpful for you.   

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke 

Here we go again. It's about making choices.

From the book The Impossible is Possible by John Mason.

You'll find that life responds to your outlook.  

We go where our vision is.

Life is mostly a matter of expectation.

 

Just think about this for a couple minutes. What seems to really matter to make life more interesting is based on three things according to John Mason.  Our outlook, our vision, and our expectations. First of all, let's think about our outlook. How do we view the Shaklee business? Is your outlook that you don't know many people so how can I grow?   Or is your outlook that we've got an awesome gift for people so we just have to keep giving the gift? This could go on and on but the point is, is your outlook helping you to grow or is it an obstacle to overcome?

 

Of course our vision makes a difference and what this means to me is what is our vision of the end result? Are you going to have 2000 PV every month or is your vision to have 10,000 PV every month?   Can you see in your mind the 20 people coming into your organization every month? Can you see in your vision what you want your business to look like five years from today? It's about our vision.

 

What if the author is correct that life is a reflection of our expectations? I know that I have heard many people talk about how difficult recruiting is for this business.  On the other hand when I talk with someone who is having some very exciting growth, they expect to grow because of the awesome products we have and there always seems to be an incentive of travel to work for. They expect results.   

 

Bottom line is, it's each individual's choice. What's yours?

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's about chasing a dream

I read an article in the Minneapolis paper yesterday about a young author, Blair Braverman, who had a dream and her book is about chasing that dream. I found the following in the article: "Dream-chasing requires grit and stubbornness, patience and persistence." I enjoy reading and finding thoughts and quotes that inspire me and this one about chasing a dream does exactly that. 

 

I remember our first few months in Shaklee back in 1971. At meetings the leaders had some great stories about the products, it was possible to earn a bonus car, travel incentives, potential earnings, and building a business that would pay you for whatever you are willing to work towards. For me, talk about chasing a dream. That was what it was about.  It just sounded to good to be true.   It turned out it really was that good and it was in fact true.

 

I think I've always had good work ethic and when I started to think that a person like me who knew nothing about sales or building a business could come into this business with zero experience and in a few short years be financially set - wow. I knew I had some of the above qualities like grit, stubbornness and persistence. I wish I could say the same for being patient but I can't.  

 

How about you? Are you chasing a dream? Do you have the grit, stubbornness, persistence and patience?  Maybe two out of four or maybe three out of four. Regardless, the point is we have been given the opportunity to build a future that feels like we're chasing a dream. It's worth the effort. As I've said in other messages, a person will never regret working hard and chasing that dream. Regret comes from thinking about things we wish we would have done.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

Impressive example of business growth

The following message is about business growth and personal growth to go along with it. Would you be impressed with your business if you checked and found that in one year your monthly bonus check increased by 150%? That's what happened to sales leader Jenny Utrie.  She decided to include that in one of her in-home events and after looks on the faces of the attendees it was easy to see they were impressed.

 

I'm impressed as well and I'm sure anyone who reads this message will also be impressed. Keep doing the right things, Jenny, and you'll continue to see personal and business growth.

 

Gary Burke

 

 

Hi Gary,  

So yesterday I looked at my January 2015 bonus check and my January 2016 bonus check and found out it was a 150% increase. :) So I included that in my story during an in home event last night. The looks on their faces told me it had an impact. :) Now, to get more comfortable sharing this new story. 

Thanks for the encouragement!

Jenny Utrie

Renewing your commitment is a key

Thanks to Sarah Drew for the following quote by C.S. Lewis. "You are never too old to set another goal." Simple but accurate for sure. I think I will add that it's never too late to start over. Here we are in the first day of July. I was sponsored on May 1st, so July was my third month in the business. I had questions but my beliefs were growing every month because I was going to meetings twice a week and looking for answers to my questions and doubts.    

 

July was when I decided to use the Vita-Lea and Protein. My sponsor had kept after me to give it a try so I bought some to get him off my back. I promised him I would use it every day and I wasn't expecting any results. About two weeks into my program (to get him off my back) and using the products every day it became clear that something changed because I wasn't really tired in the middle of the day. I had to admit that I had more energy. That was the start for me.

 

I started over again a number of times.   What that means is I wrote new goals and made another new decision to make this thing really work the way it was working for many others. I updated my goals two or three times a year and created a chart where I could check off what I had been doing.

 

My suggestion for you is simple: don't accept the negative people into your inner circle. Keep being consistent with your efforts and your belief. I know I've said it before but here it is again: you'll never regret working to build your future.   It's okay to start over and to create new goals or to just look at your present goals and work the program.   

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke