What is your motive for being in this business?

Today is one of those days where I just can’t seem to get myself going. So, I figure

If I get started maybe I can find something that might be helpful to some of you. I usually just look through some of the books I’ve read to see if something jumps out at me - and I just found something that might be helpful.

 

The following is from the book The Answer by John Assaraf about starting a business.

 

Why Are You In Business?

Let’s start by asking a fundamental question:  Why?  Why are you in business?  Why are you doing what you’re doing?   People talk about motivation, but motivation – at least the way we usually interpret the word – is fairly ineffective.  Getting pumped up because someone else has cheered you on or whipped up your enthusiasm is all very well, but typically it doesn’t last more than a few hours or days.  Here’s what does last, for months, years, a lifetime:  Your motive.

 

Big goals, in and of themselves, do not create great accomplishment.  What creates great accomplishment is what lies behind the big goals;  your own personal motive, the force that drives you.  Whatever it is , that motive is what we call your WHY.  Clearly knowing why you want to achieve your goals will play a major in your achieving them.

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My personal why was to get to the Master Coordinator level because that was the top rank and I figured that once we got there we would have a better lifestyle. I thought about it constantly. Daily. There were only three Masters in the country at the time and it just seemed like a challenge. I wanted to go for it and we did. 

 

It took us 8 years to get to that high level. Some were doing it in 3 to 5 years. The best thing I did was to not compare myself to those who grew much faster then we did. My why was to have a better lifestyle and we got there.

 

What’s your why? Whatever it is make sure you don’t allow any negative comments to take you away from your why. Hang in there. Don’t give up. Keep doing the right things and you’ll make it.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's not always easy but it is simple

When I got started the meetings I had the opportunity to attend here in the Minneapolis area were incredibly valuable. That was where I met some people who were making it work.   That’s also where I learned what they did to make it work. What I needed more than anything was to listen to those who were teaching and coaching what to do to get started and how to grow. 

 

If we aren’t teaching/coaching the basics, how will people know where to put their efforts?  If no teaching or coaching is taking place that means each person ends up doing what’s comfortable to them. That also means that new person will probably leave some steps out because of the unknown.  

 

What helps people is having someone to learn from and to run ideas past a teacher or a mentor.  I have said the following many times and that is this isn’t always an easy business but it is simple. It saves time when learning from those who know what to do and how to get it done. Think about it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's an important step to succeeding

Hi, I’m back!  It’s time to resume the daily messages so let’s start with a very strong quote.

 

“Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.”      Benjamin Disraeli

 

 Your life today is a result of your thinking yesterday. Your life tomorrow will be determined by what you think today. When you are willing to change your thinking, you can change your feelings. When you change your feelings, you change your actions. One of the reasons people don’t achieve their dreams is that they desire to change their results without changing their thinking.

                                      From the book:  Layered Leadership by Bob Goshen

 

Let’s start thinking what improvements we want to make in ourselves and our business. Think about it for a minute. Would it be recruiting? Doubling GPV  Reaching a higher rank? Changing your attitude about success? Making 2018 your best growth year ever? Get a piece of paper and make a list of the top 3 - 5 things you want to improve.

 

I know you’ve heard about the simple idea of how our thinking affects our self and our future. I think I’ve shared this in previous messages but here goes again. When I got to about my fourth or fifth month I decided that Master Coordinator was my goal. I thought about that every day for eight years. That’s right, eight years. I’m not telling you it’s easy but it’s the truth.

 

What is it you really want from this business? Keep thinking about it. Don’t allow anyone or anything stop you from thinking about your future.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Be consistent

Another idea from my favorite business philosopher who of course is Jim Rohn.

 

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”

One thing I learned very early in this business was to learn the basics of building this business and then stay on track by being consistent with my efforts. Over the years I’ve gotten off track several times. What I learned from that is it’s tougher to get back on track and time does march on with or without us.     

 

Some people go for the idea of the week or the idea of the month and they seem to continue to be starting over. Over and over and over. Once someone does that what happens is the person is bound to lose confidence. When confidence goes down that also means activity follows. No activity means no growth.

 

I believe this business is really very simple in terms of what creates growth. Forgive me for talking about myself here, but one thing I committed to was to keep things as simple as possible. I have done exactly that. I don’t jump on the ideas of the month because of my strong belief that keeping it simple will help me to reach my goals.

 

My hope for you is that you be consistent with good thinking and good efforts.

You’ll never regret it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Disappointments are a clue that success is coming

“Men’s best successes come after their disappointments.”

 Henry Ward Beecher

 

What a wonderful insight that is from Mr. Beecher. Most people seem to always be avoiding disappointments by not doing what they know has to be done.  This principle is saying that as long as we keep up the effort, no matter how many disappointments we may experience, success is on the way.

 

There isn’t anyone reading this that hasn’t experienced being disappointed.  I remember my first year and how many disappointments we experienced. I wasn’t looking for every person at every appointment to say “Yes” to the idea of starting their own business. I knew better than that. But some success did take place.

 

So the heart of this message is saying that how you view disappointment is important because you just have to keep moving forward believing that success is right around the corner. Disappointment is a clue that you’re getting closer to succeeding. Keep your eye on the future, talk to people, become skilled at the fundamentals of this business because success will come. Just keep working and believing.

Enthusiastically, 

Gary Burke

 

Make this a great week.

I have read the following very simple quote many times over the years and I came across it again yesterday so I thought it might just be a good reminder to start off this week. 

“I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.”

- Mae West    

                                                                        

That certainly applies to our business because it isn’t easy but once a person understands what to do and how to do it, it seems to get easier. My opinion is it’s really who is willing to put the time in and learn the basic fundamentals?  

 

I have to agree with Mae West when she says it would be worth it. I have seen many people’s lives change mainly because they fell in love with some products and were willing to talk to others about how they could help them feel better. It didn’t take long to learn the products were terrific, but for me I fell in love with the opportunity because it seemed too good to be true but many people were making it work and I decided that I just had to listen to the people who were making it work and then copy success as much as I could.

 

Are you ready to make this week a great week for yourself?  Why not? Why not you?

Why not this week?

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A great idea.

As you have probably figured out I am a big fan of Jim Rohn.  I attended a seminar that he did here in Minneapolis about 30 years ago and I still refer to the notes I wrote from that seminar.  The following is another of his  gems.

“We all have two choices: we can make a living or we can design a life.”

 

I was looking for a job and I found an opportunity and that was Shaklee. When I read those words from Mr. Rohn that says "we can design a life," that was a new world for me. I'd never heard that before. As I think back what we did, we did design how we wanted our life to be and we did whatever we had to do to make that a reality. 

Once I had the belief about the company, products and the opportunity, I decided we were going to have whatever Shaklee offered.

 

How about you? Have you considered designing your future life? I had a number of jobs in my life but not one ever offered me the idea to design my life. We chose Master Coordinator. It certainly wasn’t easy but it was worth all the ups and downs. This opportunity is for everyone and anyone. Is this what you want? It all yours if you want it. The decision comes first, then the plan comes second, and finally it’s about making the effort and deciding to never look back.

 

Just follow your dream. You’ll never regret it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Getting started is the key

There are some days when I don’t feel like doing anything. It feels like I have hit a mental wall and it’s hard to get myself moving. I think I mentioned this last week - what I’ve learned is the way to get started is to do something. The following quote by Jerry West addresses this issue.

“You won’t get much done in life if you only work hard the days you feel good.”

 

That is so true. If I got myself going only on days I felt inspired I’m positive I wouldn’t have a business. Or at least it wouldn’t be a growing business. I decided years ago that If we were going to have a business I had to have a routine. That was the answer for me. I can assure you that there are many days I really don’t feel like sitting at this computer and wondering what I can write today. But this is how I get my day started.

 

Almost every day is the same for me. Get up and get ready for the day. Get to my office and read for a while. This morning I spent time reading Proverbs 3. Then I start to think about a word or an idea and I just start. Getting started in anything seems to be the challenge and is the answer for me to have a good start of the day.

 

How about you. Do you have a routine for running your business? Do you ever feel like not doing anything? My bet is of course you do. I think the answer is to just start. 

 

Whew! This morning I just got started and now I can go work out. Make this a great day for yourself and how to do that is to get yourself started.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's what I call the magic principle

One of the things we must be consistent with is to have a prospecting mindset. No matter how long someone has been in the business, if growth is the goal it will always depend on bringing new people into your organization. Once you accept the idea that prospecting for new people is the answer to your growth, I would suggest that you adopt the following principle:

 

You can’t say the right thing to the wrong person and you can’t say the wrong thing to the right person.

 

If this is accurate it means my job isn’t about talking people into the idea that Shaklee is for them. My job is to talk to people and find people who want what this business offers. Once you’ve found the right person this business gets easier.

 

Let me give you an example: On May 1^st, 1970 I believe I was the right person and it was the right time. Anyone could have sponsored me on that day because I had a job but I didn’t have a future. I called a stranger because I heard he was looking for people because he had an opportunity. It happened to be Shaklee. I went to his home and he showed me the Shaklee idea. I decided to check it out and here I am 47 years later telling you my little story. 

 

Quit thinking you have to have the perfect words to attract people into your organization. Just be yourself. Ask questions. Listen. Practice your presentation. If you take the principle above it suggests that everything doesn’t have to be perfect. Don’t be afraid of saying the wrong thing. You can’t say the right thing to the wrong person and you can’t say the wrong thing to the right person.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Do you have a list?

The following Jim Rohn quote is one of my favorites.

 

“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.”

 

Here is the question for today. What do you have planned for today? Success in this terrific Shaklee business really is about keeping it simple and doing something every day that has potential to make a difference. A phone call.  An opportunity presentation. Encourage someone. Read a chapter in your favorite book. Read through your goals for the month of November. Whatever!

 

Don’t be willing to accept less than you want. Write a list of what you really want and keep it handy so you can remind yourself every day of what you’re working for.

 

Hope you had lots of kids last night for “trick or treat.” Weren’t the costumes terrific?

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke