The future is now! It's your choice.

The following is from the book Life Is Tremendous  by Charlie "Tremendous" Jones.

 

"You can teach someone how to do a task, but that doesn't assure his doing it.  But let him discover why and he'll learn how in spite of all obstacles."

 

I think that's a pretty strong statement. I know from experience that obstacles are going to be a part of anyone's future if they are planning on growing personally and growing their business. That's just the way it is. That's life.  

 

What obstacles are stopping you from doing what you're capable of doing?   Think about it. My guess is if you're reading this message, you want to make 2017 a year to really make things happen. I think the first step is to accept the idea that it's up to you how your new year is going to be. Only you can make that decision. 

 

The decision comes first, then comes the plan to make it happen.

 

Enthusiastically, 

Gary Burke

How to improve your confidence

I was reading the Minneapolis paper's sports section and they had a terrific article about this player and how he changed from one season to the next.  This player said that after last year's season he decided not to take vacation time during the off season because he felt it was his time to really invest his time to work on his game.

 

The following is what he said happened when he was asked about his commitment to invest quality time improving his skills:

 "I found that zone where hard work and confidence meet."   

 

Of course when I read that simple quote I immediately thought of our business. If we want to improve our skills in building this business, it's all a matter of working hard because what happens when people work hard at something they care about things change.  

 

Do you want to improve your skills and become more confident with the idea you can literally double or triple your monthly PV (and of course that means you would probably also double or triple your income)? I believe it's true that when someone works extra hard, they put in more time working the fundamentals, they also will find that zone where hard work and confidence meet. Which also means it will change your business.

 

Faye and I are going to spend Thanksgiving with Rachel and family so 

I have decided to take this week off so I will not be sending any messages the rest of this week. Have a great Thanksgiving!

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

It's always a choice

Now that we've had a wonderful Thanksgiving we can look forward to making December a great month and get ourselves mentally ready for the new year. Some people seem to convince themselves that December is a slow month. Not true in my book because the month we qualified as Director with over 5000 PV was the month of December.

 

December is basically a reflection of your October and November efforts. If December is what we might call a slow month, it's because of what we did in October and November. So if you want to get 2017 off to a great start it's all a matter of what you do in November and December.

 

For 2017 to be a special year, it's all about choice. Will you be telling the Shaklee story at your appointments?  Are you planning on telling your story? Or is it "I hope" or "I will?" It's always a choice so give it some thought and make your decision about how you want your 2017 to be like.

 

Enthusiastically, 

Gary Burke

 

 

Are you a balcony person?

I read a book years ago and I was reminded of it early this morning.  The name of the book is BALCONY PEOPLE by Joyce Landorff.  What Joyce says very simply is that everyone needs at least one or maybe even more balcony people in their life.

 

A balcony person is someone who no matter what happens they are up on a balcony of some kind cheering you on.  Just imagine standing on a basketball floor and when you look up there is a running track. Imagine looking up and what you see is many people cheering you to keep going forward, you're going to make it, we're behind you, we're with you, we love you.  

 

Then what Joyce says a few pages later is we have to be aware because there are also many what she calls basement people. These people are the ones who are trying to pull you down to their level.  They aren't positive, they make negative comments, they trying to convince you that you'll never reach your goals.  

 

Our job in this business is to be or to become a balcony person for every person in our business, plus every person we come in contact with. That's this business. Everyone needs someone who is a balcony person in their life.  Cheering them on. Encouraging them no matter what. Everyone!

 

Faye and Rachel are some of my balcony people and I feel incredibly fortunate to have other balcony people who also encourage me.

 

Think about it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's keep our eyes on our goals

I heard the following on the radio yesterday. It's really very simple and certainly makes sense because one of the difficult things to do is to keep a focus on a project such as we have in this business. 

 

Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goal.

 

I personally feel there are two things that takes our eyes off the goal we're seeking.    Obstacles and various distractions are the culprits but the fact of the matter is, that's life. We all get distracted at times and we also have obstacles to fight. MI believe that the people who learn how to keep distractions to a minimum and mentally fight the various obstacles are the people who make progress on their goals.

 

Today is Monday and all of us just might face an obstacle or two and we might even get distracted. Let's do our best to not allow anything to stop us from having a terrific week.  

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

 

 

It's true

I'm going to give you one simple quote but one that will make you think about your goals and what you want to achieve in the next few years.

 

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Dream. Discover."

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

 

Have a great weekend. Go for a walk.  Think. Decide. Read over your goals. Do whatever inspires you. Don't be afraid to think BIG.  

 

We've got the company, the products and the compensation plan that has the potential to make your dreams come true.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Wishing won't make it so

"If there's a single lesson that life teaches us, it's that wishing doesn't make it so."    

                                 Lev Grossman

 

Oh how I wish that quote was wrong. I wish we could grow faster. I wish I could lose 10 lbs. this week. I wish this business was easier. I wish I was a Key Coordinator. I wish I knew more people. I wish we would have more monthly income than bills to pay. I wish....

 

We should be thinking, "I'm going to have my best month ever. I will do whatever it takes to build this business. I believe that people need what Shaklee has to offer. I can sponsor 3 people a week." Etc.  

 

Building this business is about being a doer of the basic fundamentals and to do those fundamentals on a very consistent basis. That might be the secret for an incredible future.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

It's about re-commitment

Here is a definition of commitment. I don't know the source but the idea of commitment has always been a major piece of the success puzzle for me. 

 

"Commitment is when the head moves the heart and the heart moves the feet."

 

I know that everyone faces times when they have to take some time to think through if they are going to continue their efforts in whatever dream they are chasing. Some people quit after their first obstacle, while others seem to stick with their decision no matter what happens.  One thing you can be assured of is that everyone faces times when things don't go as planned or takes three times longer to achieve.

 

What I have learned is that commitment doesn't start until a person faces a setback, has obstacles to overcome, or maybe has a tough problem to solve.  The truth of the matter is re-commitment is what takes place when things aren't going well. We all have to 

re-commitment several times if we are to continue the success we want.

 

It's the re-commitment that is the secret.   Think about it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

Simple but powerful principles

Today I am going to copy a couple of what I call principles. I don't know what or who the source is for writing this but I found it in my notes from a few years ago.

 

Everyone experiences a battle with themselves. We all have thoughts that are negative and full of doubt at times.  The people who succeeds the most are the people who fight and win that internal battle.

 

This business rewards steady, continuous effort far more than short bursts of passion. Being consistent with attitude and effort is a major key for succeeding.

 

This last one is one that usually makes me think about my attitude. People choose their attitudes. How's your attitude about disappointments, setbacks, prospecting, selling, getting appointments and of course sponsoring?

 

Think about it.

 

Enthusiastically, 

Gary Burke 

   

Finishing strong is a great goal

November is here and the question is, what are your goals for this month? Do you have a plan for making November a special month for seeing growth, or will it be the same as October?

 

Here is another simple statement that I found years ago that always made me think. Do you reduce your goals to meet your income, or increase your income to meet your goals?  

 

I know it probably seems like these messages are always about having goals, growth, increasing effort, etc. But if we don't have a new goal the chances are pretty good that we will just repeat the old ones.

Last year will look like the year before.

This year will be like last year.

Next year will be like this year.

 

We are closing out 2016 in the next two months, November and December. Starting out the new year always create lots of talk about new year resolutions and what should we do in this new year? 

 

Why not get a running start and since results usually follow effort by 30 to 90 days, this means that your November and December efforts will probably show in January and February. That my friend is how you start the new year off with exciting results.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

Growing this business is about one word

There is nothing magical about making the process work for building a highly successful Shaklee business.   It's about one word. Repetition.  The following is a definition of repetition.

 

Repetition is the action of repeating something that has already been done, said or written. 

 

How many people have you talked to about our products? How many times have you talked to them? How many appointments have you had with one person to talk about the Shaklee opportunity? How many meetings have you attended in the past 30 days? Better yet, how many meetings have you comducted in the past 30 days?

 

The more you do one thing many times, the more skill you will have developed doing that activity. After you've done 10 or 30 appointments, you will have more confidence and will have become more skilled.    

 

If there is no activity, there will be no growth. I'm sure you get the idea. Think about it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke