Don’t Blend In, Be a Hero Instead

I love to read about the time in Israel’s history known as the restoration period.  

The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah tell us how Almighty God used ordinary men and women to accomplish His purposes on the earth.

We might prefer to think of them not as ordinary at all but as heroes of the Faith, but actually they were both.  None of them were perfect and none of them achieved hero status automatically. They all had life choices to make, they all had to have their faith tested and their characters built in the circumstances of life, through trials and triumphs, difficulties and challenges. 

Others were tried and failed, these were the ones who overcame.

In a world where most people are just trying to fit in, to keep their heads down, not rock the boat, not fight city hall or offend anybody real spiritual heroes are willing to stand out and stand up for what’s right.

As believers we are not made to fit in, which really means blend in and disappear from sight. We are only here for a brief time and every one of us has a purpose.

We won’t all achieve God’s purpose in our lives, we can miss it, any many do, but His purpose will be achieved. He will always find a way. 

That’s what Mordecai said to Esther and that’s what caused her to stand up, she fulfilled her destiny and Gods purpose.

That should be our aim.  My destiny and Gods purpose fulfilled. 

King David prayed before all the people of Israel in 1st Chronicles 29…this is part of what he said starting at verse 13

 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

The next day they rejoiced as they sacrificed 1000 bulls, 1000 rams and a thousand male lambs and they crowned David’s son Solomon as their new king.

David left a wonderful legacy and the fact we are talking about him 2700 years later is a testimony to that.  Not many will emulate all the mighty deeds that David did.

But are we at least meant to stand out in our own circle while we are here? 

That means being outstanding. 

And I don’t mean being loud or overpowering or chasing after celebrity status. 

It might simply mean standing up for what’s right, when everybody else is compromising. 

It might just mean speaking the truth in a time when society frowns upon truth and governments pass laws against it.

It might mean we lose our job, or finish up in prison, or in a fiery furnace or a den of lions…because we stood for what’s right. 

I am not suggesting we fight every battle.  

There are some battles that have been lost already. 

Just because we don’t fight them does not mean we agree with the enemy, we are not sleeping with the enemy but we must let him lie in the bed he has made for himself. 

The judgement is coming but we are not the judge.

God will set things right.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  

And that’s not what we want for anybody. 

It’s not what God wants either. 

It’s not his will that any should perish…but the truth is evident…the heavens declare the glory of God.

And the word of God…the Holy Bible is God’s gift to mankind. 

Nobody can look into it with an open heart and mind and not find truth. 

Many look into it with a critical spirit and a desire to take out the parts that offend them and the truth is hidden from them.

The bible is full of undisputed proofs that it cannot be the work of men but quite obviously must have had a supernatural author but there are many who don’t want to know that…or at least to admit it 

Because if they do they will have to change the way they live.

And they don’t want to change…they enjoy their sin.

And sin is enjoyable…but the enjoyment doesn’t last

So the people of God have chosen 

…rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

Hebrews 11:25

a commendation to stand in faith alongside Moses, another of these outstanding heroes who have gone before.

26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.

Moses left the land of Egypt where he had been born and raised…the world was our spiritual Egypt and we left it by faith when we too looked upon the one who is invisible and trusted in Him.

But we are not at home…

“The Bible says that as long as we are here on Earth, we are strangers in a foreign land. 

“We must look up, but we can’t go up until He calls us. Heaven doesn’t make this life less important; it makes it more important.”

There are enemies to be conquered before we return home. There are multitudes to be rescued. Many are in the valley of decision.

This world is not our home; we are citizens of heaven.”

Jesus said,  We are not of this world, 

but we are in it and we are in it on purpose, with a purpose.

There was another great Hero of the faith, who was carried away to Babylon in the time of Nebuchadnezzar and continued to live there even after Cyrus allowed Zerubbabel to lead the first return and was still alive when the Persian King Darius threw him in the lions den. 

Daniel was probably 90 years old when the King was flattered into demanding that everyone should worship him. Daniel stood strong refusing to bow the knee to any God except Yahweh.  

He knew he couldn’t win every battle but this was one place he knew he must draw the line. 

He was a mighty man who knew his times were entirely in Gods hands and he was right. God shut the mouths of the lions.

Daniel knew a lot about the things that were to come too. 

Chapters 7 to 12 were written decades, and hundreds of years before the events they describe happened….and yet they are a record of history so accurate, so well timed and detailed that many unbelievers are certain that Daniel could not have been written when it was.  Even some believers struggle, suggesting parts of it must have been added later.

They are wrong. They just can’t admit it because they will be admitting that only God could have known these things.  

Some of them have still not happened. 

But they will… and soon.

As often happens with the things of God there is simply 2 choices.  

1.  It was all written later and the Bible is a cheat and we can throw it in the bin or at best simply think of it as literature. 

Or 

2, Daniel wrote the book as God gave him the prophetic messages before it all happened in which case God knows the future in advance. 

In fact He knows the end from the very beginning.

I go with the latter and there is further proof all over the Bible. and that’s why we need to look for it…to strengthen our faith. We believe the Bible and we try to teach it. 

Not just a gospel message…that important for the lost…but its only the beginning… the saints need meat. 

They need to build their faith in the same way they need to build and maintain physical strength.

They need to hear the deep things of God to strengthen their faith. That’s why people come to church…and thats why they stop coming when the word is watered down. Or when the word is not taught at all.

Genesis 38. is a great example. Most people will pass it by. What could possibly be in it of value? It seems like a break in the story, and even a break from Gods plan, but was it? 

Judah left home and married a Canaanite woman. Over time they had 3 sons Er, Onan and Shelah. Er married a young lady called Tamar. But Er was a wicked man and God killed him. 

Isn’t that terrible, that a sovereign, holy God should deal justly with wicked men. 

But Judah tells Onan to marry Tamar and raise up a child for his dead brother. 

Well Onan turned out to be disobedient and God killed him too.  You can read the sordid details for yourself.

So Judah told Tamar to wait until Shelah grew and would be old enough to marry her. 

She dutifully went back to her Dad’s house and waited patiently but Judah broke his promise  and never gave Shelah to her. 

It’s hard to blame him having already lost 2 sons but a promise is a promise so she took matters into her own hands and waited at the road-side pretending to be a prostitute at a time she knew Judah would be coming by. 

He was unable to resist the temptation and being impecunious at the time He promised to send payment for her services later. He left his staff and seal as a pledge but the man he sent back with the payment couldn’t find her. 

Truth is she didn’t want to be found.

So when the neighbours were ready to condemn her to death because she was pregnant out of wedlock she produced the staff and the seal asking who is actually guilty here? Judah confessed.  Tamar was saved. 

Twins were born and the one called Perez is in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter 1. 

If you count 7 generations from Judah you come to a righteous man called Boaz, who you may know married a Moabite woman called Ruth. She was saved too because a Jew was not permitted to marry a Moabite woman but Boaz saw that she was a part of God’s plan.

Actually she became the grandmother of King David.  

People accuse me of talking the Bible literally. 

But I don’t take it literally. 

I know the Bible is full of metaphors and allegories and pictures and types. 

You can’t take them literally. 

But you better take them seriously because it’s usually pretty clear what the pictures mean.

The book of Daniel is a mixture. The first 6 chapters are factual historical stories of a group of young men living as exiles in a strange land but refusing to be assimilated into the culture.  

The challenges were great but their faith was greater. They served the same 

 miracle working God we serve and he shows he is with them all the way.

They are called Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah. 

They were high born and educated in the ways of Israel but the Babylonian plan was to re-educate them to serve the king of Babylon.

Jewish parents name their children with a purpose and every name has a meaning so the re-education started with a change of name. 

Daniel became Belteshazzer. The others became Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

They didn’t seem to resist the change of name, they knew it was God who sent them there. 

They will have received some important words from…Jeremiah 29:1

Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. 

This is what Jeremiah’s letter said:

4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

You won’t build anything if you are always pulling down, objecting and rebelling. 

Jeremiah says it was God who sent them.

If God had sent them then they should do their best to follow His plan for them. They knew they couldn’t win every battle.  

So the deportation and the name changes, and the education and all of those things they went along with. 

They were going to live pretty well, they were supposed to eat the same food as the King. Drink the same wine. Their indoctrination was not going to be arduous. Three and a half years free education in all the wisdom of Babylon. 

They could learn to fit in pretty quickly. 

By the time they graduated they would have been wonderful devoted models of Babylonian society. 

An asset to the empire and a guarantee of its future security.

And in some ways that’s what Jeremiah had told them to be…work for the peace and prosperity of the city, pray to the Lord for it,  its welfare will ensure your welfare. 

You are to live in that world now…but we will never belong to it.

And we must never forget who we really are, never lose our identity. 

and thats the difficulty we all face…how to live as exiles in this world, to work hard and do well in it whilst staying right with God.

Many Christian young people today have trouble dealing with the temptations of the world when they go away to university. 

They move away from home for the first time, and mum and dad are no longer there to help them stay on the straight and narrow…and its probably the biggest test of their lives so far.   Sadly many don’t pass it.

Moving away to college is tough enough, but being forced to move 900 miles away from home, to the city of Babylon, which was one of the most ‘worldly’ cities that has ever existed was something completely different.

One of the most difficult things for Daniel and his friends was to remain faithful to their religious beliefs and values, in a city and country that was full of immorality.

But it’s not just young people, if you claim to be a Christian are you still a Christian in the work place?

Do your colleagues know you’re a Christian? 

Do you live differently or do you blend in perfectly with them, and do all the same things they do, talk the way they talk?

The rich meat and the good wine was more than just food and drink, it was part of the Babylonian culture and the worship of their gods.  

They knew they could not fight every battle, and actually they didn’t want to. 

They didn’t see Babylon as the enemy even though they were captives. 

Babylon was going to be their mission field. And they were not going to win anyone over if they fought them on every little thing. 

But they needed to stay pure.  

They had some red lines,  lines which they would not cross.

Daniel Chapter 1: 8 But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. 

Not acceptable, why?

Because it wasn’t kosher and it had been dedicated to false gods…

What’s acceptable in Great Britain today.  They serve halal meat in many of our English schools these days. Even some Christian Schools.

They sell it in Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s . 

Not only is it killed inhumanely. It’s dedicated to Allah at the point of slaughter.  

Daniel was determined not to defile himself …but he didn’t make a fuss. That would not have got him anywhere.

He was being trained in diplomacy and he made a good start. 

1:9 Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. 

10 But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”

11 Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 

12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.

15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 

16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.

17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

God gave them natural wisdom but also he gave Daniel the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirt. The Gift of the Word of Wisdom and the Word of Knowledge and the Discerning of Spirits. 

God made Daniel a real live prophet.

18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. 20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

21 Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.

Do you think that Daniel might have mentioned to Cyrus those verses Isaiah wrote about him, calling him by name nearly 200 years earlier?  

Or perhaps showed him what Jeremiah had written about the return after 70 years.  

I can imagine Cyrus being quite thrilled that God knew him before he was born.

I can imagine him asking.  

And when will these 70 years be up Daniel?… three weeks on Saturday your majesty. You’ve turned up just in time. 

Now the Bible doesn’t say those conversations took place, maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. 

But we know that Daniel was still there and would be there even after Cyrus had gone.

He was there at the end because he nailed his flag to the mast right at the beginning.

All these people were ordinary men and women but they became heroes of the faith by the choices they made.

If you nail your flag to the mast, if you stand up for Jesus you can be sure he will show up for you. 

Let’s give the Bible the final word. 

Hebrews 11:33-34 NLT

“By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.”

Persistence and Determination are Omnipotent

The Bible is the users manual to get us through life and it’s full of tools that we must use if we are going to be over-comers. Revelation 2 and 3 tells that’s our goal in life. Every reward goes ‘to he that overcomes’. 

100 years ago in 1923 Calvin Coolidge became the 30th president of the United States. There’s not much of historical significance to remember about his administration but he left a personal quote behind that has changed thousands of lives for the better. 

Maybe you’ve head it.  Let me read it to you.   

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.                                      Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.          Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.                                     Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.                                       Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.                                             The slogan ‘Press On!’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” 

Sometimes life is tough. Maybe you are going through a tough time right now.

Remember the Billy Ocean song?  ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” 

There’s always a choice…give up or keep going. What will you do?

The old president said Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent.

Jesus dealt with persistence In Luke chapter 18 first in the parable of the widow and the unjust judge and then we saw through what happened with the blind beggar by the roadside just how it works in practice.

And between those two stories He dealt with determination head on…

In Luke 18:31-33Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

Accomplished just doesn’t seem to be the right word does it?  But Jesus knew that it was the right word, and He knew that the words of the prophets had to be accomplished in what was about to happen to Him.  

The journey to Jerusalem had begun back in Luke 9 verse 51 which says Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,  

I’m sure there were many times that Jesus  would have preferred an easier option. None more so that in the garden of Gethsemane where He sweat blood as He prayed, but we all know what he said there.  

Not my will but yours be done. 

So much of our praying is about our will, we want the Lord to do it our way, its what makes us comfortable, it’s what makes our life easier, eases our suffering. 

And much of the time that’s what God wants too, but what he wants more than anything else if to get us into heaven, and getting us ready for heaven sometimes means trials and testings and suffering here. 

Paul told the Romans. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Romans 8:17

He set His face to go.

When we can set our face to go God’s way no matter what it takes, when we can truly say and mean, “Your will not mine be done”,  I believe we will see the revival we all think we want. 

so Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem. Three and a half years of ministry were coming to a climax and it was going to mean pain and anguish and unimaginable suffering. 

But He was on His way anyway.

And even knowing what was coming, His kindness, His goodness, His care for those that were lost was still uppermost in His mind.  There were souls to be gathered in. The blind beggar at the roadside received his sight. and all the people when they saw it gave praise to God.  

That was something they would never forget. How many would be telling the story to their grandchildren in the years that followed.

“We all told that worthless blind beggar to be quiet but he shouted out and Jesus stopped, He stood still and commanded some of us to bring the blind man to him. And then He healed him. He could see as well as me.’

If you call out to Jesus, from the depths of your heart, He will stop, and listen, and He will answer.

If you are in trouble today, take your eyes off your problems and cry out to Jesus. He may not do it your way but if your happy for His will to be done you might find He knew best all along. 

He knows best but if you want His best there is one thing required of you. Keep going. Don’t give up. Pray without ceasing.  

Remember, the parable of the widow and the unjust judge: Jesus told it for one reason.  Luke 18:1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 

12 Essentials for Financial Independence and Time Freedom

If you are going to put all your energy, your time and, most importantly, your reputation into building a business from home you MUST do your due diligence first. 

We used the following checklist before choosing our company 16 years ago and we have always been so glad we did. So many “great opportunities” and fancy offers have come along in that time and most of them were gone within a few months. Nothing is certain in life but we can definitely keep the odds in our favour so would like to share the list with you.

You MUST be able to tick off ALL 12 to create long-term residual income

1. COMPANY TRACK RECORD
Because most companies fail within the first 5 years its best to pick
a company thats been in business for a minimum of 5 years but 10 years would be better…and is it still growing or is it in decline?

2. FINANCIALLY SOUND
If you are going to put in time and effort you need to ask – will it last? The company you choose needs to be financially healthy and if it is free of debt that’s a big bonus.

3. STRONG MANAGEMENT
Strong Fortune 500 style management is preferable and the company should NOT be ran by MLM guys. They can end up owning the downlines and start making decisions to make themselves wealthy off the backs of everyone else

4. UNIQUE CONSUMABLE PRODUCTS
Products must be highly consumable by ALL and the kind of things people are already buying. People’s budgets can’t be changed especially at a time like this so they must not be required to spend any new money.
I’ll say it again for emphasis. NO NEW MONEY.

5. COMPETITIVELY PRICED
Products must be considerably less expensive than the supermarket they are already shopping at, or of noticeably better quality.
Smart shoppers want you to give them great valuefor being a customer.

6. HIGH MONTHLY REORDER RATE
You want your customers to stay for years so there needs to be overwhelming value and as many reasons to stay as possible so they want to keep ordering month after month whether or not they’re in it to make money.
Hint. (A 95% monthly re-order would be an impossible dream for most companies but it can be done)

7. LOW PERSONAL PRODUCTION REQUIREMENT
Low monthly order requirement and no monthly quotas no matter what position they advance to in the company. They should only have to buy what they can reasonably use in their own home that month.

8. LOW ENTRY FEE
There needs to be a very low cost for anyone to join and the enroller
should not be paid a bonus on the joining fee. The fee should be small enough that anyone can open their account ‘right way’ and they must not be buying inventory with their entry fee

9. TIMING
Don’t go for so called ‘ground floor’ deals since most deals fall apart in the first 5 years
Bad news travels fast and when people get hurt and lose money, they tell everyone they know. That’s why most MLM companies get a bad name so it’s best to steer clear of MLMs.

10. KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS FOR LIFE
You should NOT be penalised for enrolling someone better than you
nor should you lose a person’s volume because they do better than you do. This is the hidden drawback in many companies compensation plans.
Leadership development should be rewarded… not penalised and a company should be built on a sense of gain… not a fear of loss so check this out before joining anything. 

(Hint. You should actually be hoping and praying that you find a few guys or gals who are better than you are and when you do, cheer them all the way to the top.)

11. NO RISK
There needs to be a 100% Money Back Guarantee on all products and
on the opportunity itself… no questions asked! It needs to be safe for everyone… and everyone needs to feel safe whether they are customers or intend to be business builders

12 IN ALL BUSINESSES THE WELL KNOWN 80-20 RULE APPLIES.
(if you don’t know what that is don’t feel its silly to ask, there are no daft questions here)
But wouldn’t it be great if there was a business that even the 80%’ers could do? Make that a part of your thought process when deciding on your company…Can a single person bringing up children do it? Can a person do it in their retirement years to supplement their pension? Can a very busy person do it in just three or four hours a week? The question you are really asking is…Can I do it?

A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

● Which one of these 12 points would you be willing to forego and still throw your time, energy and (I’ll say it again because it is the most important thing) YOUR REPUTATION into the business?
● Are you looking for the next ‘rising star’ opportunity… or are you looking for the last one you’ll ever need?

If the company you are a part of doesn’t meet ALL 12 of the factors, and you’re looking to find a business model that does, we’d love to talk with you. We’ve been building a solid business that aligns with ALL 12 of the factors. We would love to tell you how it all works and what’s involved.

10 years after…the Blue Moon is still in the ascendancy.

To me it was the day the worm turned. An FA cup semi final against the old enemy and though none of that team is around today, they and their manager Roberto Mancini will always have a place in the hearts of every City fan.

The Stretford Enders at Old Trafford were finally made to eat their words and their wretched banner, the door was finally closed on 35 trophy less years. That was 10 years ago and apart from one blip City have finished above United in every season since.

Right now it’s almost one full year since crowds have been allowed into the nations football stadia. Locked out and locked down, socially distanced and subjected to all kinds of other draconian measures supposed to fight a global pandemic. Enough said.

City went to Goodison Park to play against a very well organised parked bus and took until the 84th minute before Ilkay Gundogan scored the breakthrough goal. Six minutes later as they entered time added on Kevin DeBruyne made it 2 and killed off Everton’s hopes. It meant another semi-final, this time again Chelsea in April. City were already booked to go to Wembley in April to meet the Spurs in the Carabou Cup Final and it looks like the Premier League is all but sewn up with them being 14 points clear with 8 games to go. A Champions League Quarter Final Borussia Dortmund is the next step on the road to a possible(almost impossible) quadruple but see of us are beginning to dream.

BLUE MOON GOES DOWN A TREAT AT LUNCH…THEN RISES AT TEATIME SEMI.

It was 17th April 2011 when I first posted the following.

Henry’s Wine Bar on Piccadilly was a great place to gather our strength for the big match.  We had taken Shanks’s Pony round the Streets of London. Grace had never been to the big, big city before so we had to see the Eye, a Captain Jack Sparrow look-a-like and some guy stood up a ladder escaping from chains and padlocks. Then we crossed the bridge to get a closer look at the seat of government, and the big clock and we were thinking about going into Westminster Abbey but the queue was too long and they wanted 16 quid a head. Clearly no-one has told them that my Fathers House is not to be made a place of merchandise?

The beer may have been cloudy but there were no clouds on the horizon

So what was left but to sit outside Henry’s, enjoy a very pleasant steak club sandwich and down the Blue Moon.  It was cloudy to look at but tasted like nectar. To be fair it would not have mattered what it tasted like. It just seemed to be the right thing to do on the day the other blue moon was due to rise over Wembley Stadium.

The best team in the land, and the only football team to come from Manchester were about to end the treble hopes of the London Reds. “This city is yours, this city is yours, we’re going home now, this city is yours”, rang round that half of the national stadium that was dressed in sky blue as the defeated red army scurried hastily away.  Someone pointed out the fact that they are not good losers but that’s probably because they have not had as much practice at it as us.

Rob with Grace and Esther before another big match

I think that victory marks the point in history where we will look back and say the worm turned.  For twenty minutes it looked like the trophyless misery might continue for another year but when the Silva Spaniard picked up the game by the scruff of its neck hope began to rise in the hearts of the blue clad tribe. The half ended all square and a different team came out after the tea break. They took their time. I thought they weren’t coming but when they did appear all those good things we expect and hope for were more apparent. Like commitment, drive, passion, precision passing and the vital ingredient from Toure Yaya.  The GOAL.

The girls were so excited. “I hate this game” one of them said as she hoped we would desperately hang on to the end, and then the extra 5 minutes that’s customary when Fergie is in attendance, even if he is banned from the touchline and conducting his orchestra electronically from the stands.  Unusually for me there were no nerves at all at that point. I could see they were a spent force. Scholes had left in disgrace after trying to emulate former Kung Fu heroes. All they had left to do was spit their dummies out because Super Mario flashed his badge toward the stand long vacated by the now distraught red army. Calm down Mr Anderson. Never mind Rio, go home and tweet, it’ll make you feel better. But get used to this. The Blue Moon is rising.

!

Is There Such a Thing as a Business Where Everyone Wins?

We are proud to promote a company that really cares about the planet we all call home.  In our considered opinion it’s a company where everybody wins: and we would like to tell you why in exactly 500 words.

Direct customers may purchase great products online that make their homes a healthier place by eliminating toxins and improving nutrition.

Preferred customers get all the above plus 30-50% discounts off those products.  If Preferred Customers place their monthly orders before the 25th of each month they get 15% back in points with which they get free products. Because there are nearly 200 products in the range being able to try new ones for free is a nice little incentive.

The Company wins because it always knows in advance what quantities it needs to manufacture of each product. This also benefits the customer because since the ingredients  are natural, they are best when they are fresh.

Preferred Customers also have the choice to come Marketing Executives at no extra cost which means they can introduce other customers  to the company and be paid a little commission on every order those customers place as long as they both remain customers. This commission may start small but it rises according to the number of customers they introduce and there are many bonuses for encouraging their customers to do likewise. This can result in a few pounds off the monthly shop, a few hundred to set against household bills or a full time replacement income with no ceiling. It is entirely up to the individual.

The Manufacturer wins because it gets more customers without paying for advertising. Advertising and distribution is a great expense in business and a lot of the money saved is shared out with the Marketing Executives. Some of the money saved goes to market research and some goes for better safer, natural ingredients in the products.

So the customer wins because they get better quality products, their children and pets win because their homes are safer.

The wider environment wins because there are no harsh chemicals entering the ecosystem through the drains and landfills.

You may be thinking, “Surely somebody must lose if all these people are winning?” Actually no! That’s the great thing about it, contrary to popular thinking that there must always be a loser if there is a winner there is often a way for everyone to win…we just have to look for it.

We were so glad when we found it we have been partners with the company for the last 14 years…what is it called?  Melaleuca, the Wellness Company.

We have travelled the world, we’ve met so many people who have become lifelong friends. We have seen people build solid second incomes that have made a huge difference to their lifestyles and others go all out and develop 6 figure businesses out of their own front rooms. Truly anything is possible

 If you would like to know more, especially how we can help each other send me a message in the comments.

Long live the Resolution

New Year’s resolutions are a complete waste of time! You probably don’t want to hear that but you will have to admit it’s the truth…it’s the last day of February as I write and most people will have once again concluded that…

They might work for a few people but for most of us nothing really changes. For one single mum I know those resolutions made a couple of years ago have multiplies her income by five to more than six figures…and its increasing every month… so if she can surely anyone can?

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…shes a one off, so be honest, have you or anyone you know actually achieved the New Year’s resolutions that were burning so brightly on the 31st of December waiting for the kisses and the fireworks?

Actually its not all bad and she’s not the only one, surveys say about 8% do see them through to the end; so if you are one of that elite group allow me to congratulate you…and if you were just on the point of lapsing let me encourage you. Even if in previous years you have found yourself among the 90% maybe we can still do something to turn it around this time.

And even if it is too late, if you failed already, who says we have to start on Jan 1st. Every new day is a good day to change if we really want to: you could actually make a March Hare resolution tomorrow if you like, but we all have to stop making excuses. Of course most people don’t have excuses, they have excellent reasons why they didn’t manage to drop that stone in weight or stay sober or finally give up that expensive habit.

A lady told me on December 31 that she was going to read a new book every 2 weeks.. Honestly by the 3rd of January, when I asked her how was it going she already felt it would be impossible because she couldn’t even make their mind up about which book to read first. Said she was too busy on the 1st and too tired after the revelries of the holiday period on the 2nd. Maybe she will try again next year. But haven’t we all found ourselves making resolutions in years gone by just to see them lying in ruins within a few weeks?

“Yeah but 2 days Rob? You’re having a laugh.” Alright I agree, never even starting is an extreme case, and dangerous too, because if we will give up so easily on something like that then we will probably be a pushover in other areas of life as well. But don’t be too hard on my friend because so many are unable to keep up with their resolutions beyond the first few days of the year… Maybe a book a week was too big an ask, what if she had said I will read 10 pages a day and see where that takes me?

Serious studies tell us that nearly 70% of people who make New Year resolutions will have abandoned them within the first two weeks! So if you are not already in that magic 10% how do you get into it? What is the difference between those who actually achieve their goals and those who don’t? None of us set out to fail do we? We THINK we’re on the right track to reaching our goals but then something always seems to happen. John Lennon told his son in the song ‘Beautiful Boy’, “Life is what happens while your busy making other plans”

So what separates those that DO from those that Don’t? The truth is we are all creatures of Habit…and New Years Resolutions are a head on confrontation with what is probably one of our most powerful negative habits. It’s obvious really, the thing we hate most about ourselves is bound to be the accumulated results of our worst, and most deeply entrenched habits. Why else would we want that to be the thing we change on the first day of a new year. Here is the truth of it…

Successful people have success habits. However, they were not born with them, and they probably didn’t just decide to make a change one day and bingo, they were a new creation with a whole new set of habits. It doesn’t work like that. As humans we don’t like change and we are resistant to changes to our behaviour, but that doesn’t mean all efforts to change are doomed from the start. It just means we have to come at it from a different angle. Lasting change can only be achieved through the power of habits.

It is a law of nature that only a new habit can subdue and replace another habit. Bad habits are a slippery slope to certain failure so we must find a way to take on that bad habit and replace it with a new and better habit, one that will serve us and take us toward our definite major purpose in life. It is possible to fail even with well thought out “specific goals,” if we are not aware of or able to make the small changes that need to happen in order to actually achieve them. And what’s even worse, this failure to achieve goals plagues every aspect of our lives, from our relationships with friends and family, to our jobs and businesses!

So if we humans are all creatures of habit we have become what we are through the repetition of our behaviours. Actually experts tell us that more than 40% of all our daily activities are simply routines that require little conscious thought. So if we really want to create different results in your life, it’s imperative that you break bad habits and replace them with good ones.

So how do we get rid of those age-old habits? I promise to carry on with the rest of this discussion in my next blog post in a few days… For now let me give an example of how I changed years of failure into measurable success in only the first three months of 2021.

I was 65 years old in February. I have tried to make the internet work for me for years but if I am honest I have not really tried at all. I have expected a free lunch. I have usually asked my sons to handle the technology and they have obliged in the past as sons do but that meant I have never learned to do it myself and that in turn conditioned my brain to accept I never could learn.

I began to think I was too old a dog to learn this particular new trick even though I have always been a quick learner in other areas. I began to create the habit on January the First. I too had celebrations the night before like my friend who was going to read a book a fortnight. There were days when it got very late at night before I could get free. This time I was pressing through and it was not many days before I had built up a head of steam. I read the tutorials on WordPress, I watched the youtube videos, I googles my questions and worked through the answers and I am building this very site that you are reading even as I write. I wanted to build a parallel site on WIX and I have the design clear in my mind. I asked a lady called Holly and she helped me with the technology on another parallel site on WIX. You can see it at the2020Vision.co.uk…its simple but it does a job I’ve been trying to do for years.

I was learning every single day …never missed a day.

You should know that I have spent thousands over the years on courses. but now I know I didn’t need any of them. Because I am working on it every day I have created a good habit and I have replaced another habit which was hurting me, a habit of always looking for the next thing, flitting, butterflying, call it what you will.

My goal was to create interest in my Network Marketing Business where we have enjoyed a measure of success for 16 years but where we have always had to work hard to find new prospects. I will still have to work hard of course but with automated help to take up much of the heavy lifting.

We also own a renewable energy business as well as the Network Marketing thing and we are beginning to generate enquiries for that too. Its all about saving the planet and we know we will save thousands in advertising costs while we save our customers thousands in energy bills and get them wholesale prices of better safer grocery products.

I little effort has turned the lights on for this 65 year old technophobe who was wandering around in the dark for years. It’s exciting stuff, I will even stick my neck out and say it’s easy, but only if you commit to make it a habit and that means doing something every day.

The Law that always Replaces Failure with Success.

I may have a different philosophical view to the lady I am about to quote below but I have read her work and wholeheartedly recommend it, particularly Atlas Shrugged which I regard as her masterpiece.

If we only read books by authors who tickle our ears…who we know write in line with our existing viewpoint, how will we ever learn and broaden our horizons? If we are not secure in what we believe and are afraid to debate and discuss then our faith will falter eventually anyway since it is not really faith but dogma. If we dare to believe we already know all we need to know we are sadly mistaken and are in a dangerous place.

“It is the Communists’ intention to make people think that personal success is somehow achieved at the expense of others and that every successful man has hurt somebody by becoming successful.” – Ayn Rand

I wrote in my previous blog post about the power of words and what can happen just by changing even a single word…if you read the post you will remember we had a card on which we wrote a task to be completed by a certain deadline. In the beginning we referred to the card as a “Chore Card” and then we switched its name to “Service Card.” The atmosphere around the card and the task changed instantly and although the goal was the same the personal pleasure derived from good performance was far greater. If I am doing a job to tick a box I can’t get very excited but if I am serving my fellow man, well that’s entirely different.

Ayn Rand’s comment above is not peculiar to communists. I have often heard people who see themselves as unsuccessful refer to those they perceive to be more successful as having cheated in some way, deprived others to gain what they have. Whilst this is not helped by the television soaps who seem to depict successful business people as rogues more often than not it is no excuse because we are all responsible for our own thoughts and the words that follow.

In truth very few rogues have ever made it to the top and stayed there.

I recently heard a quote. “People say, “It’s lonely at the Top” but they don’t know, they have never been to the top because nobody gets there on their own”.

In truth the great majority of people who achieve and maintain success are the people who serve the most people well. They take other people with them on the journey and they recognise that greatness comes with humility and a desire to serve.

The Master Teacher said “if any would be great among you let him first be your servant”

If you are not currently as successful as you would like to be you are the best person to change that situation and you can start right now.  I want you to take action immediately. If you have in the habit of using negative words regarding other people because you are jealous of their success I want you to apologise right now. I understand they are not with you and you may not even be able to name a particular person. That doesn’t matter, you are apologising to yourself for your attitude to others in general. Do you see, you have never been able to affect anyone else by your attitude and you have not diminished their success but you have bound yourself. If you resent someone else riches and say so your thoughts and words have cursed you with poverty.

So now repent…say out loud “I am sorry I have taken such a churlish attitude regarding people who have done better than I…I see now that their success has been achieved because of their willingness to give and serve where I have too often expected something for nothing.  I forgive myself, I ask God’s forgiveness and I resolve to change from this moment on.

I will no longer see my work, even though it may be menial right now, as a chore but I will do it proudly as a service to others. I will guard my heart for out of it come the issues of life, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Then I will guard my lips and ensure that only words of praise and encouragement come from them. If I feel negative emotions or unhelpful thoughts come into my mind I will not try to suppress them. I will use the Law of Substitution and immediately begin to replace them with new thoughts of something good, something great, perhaps I will sing a song of Praise, croaky and difficult at first but rising in tone, clarity and volume. Soon I will be lifted higher. I will get to work and I will do the best I can and I will resolve to read in my profession so that I can do even better tomorrow. I will learn to use positive words. I will eliminate idle curse words from my vocabulary. If I cannot think of something good to say I will say nothing.

Can I promise you if you will do that for even a few days you will feel better, you will soon begin to see better results. People will begin to favour you and if you maintain this new positive attitude of yours for thirty days it will become a habit and will sink deep into your inner man and you will be a new person. True success is available to every person…it is never achieved at the expense of anyone else and in fact you becoming successful will be a service to many around you. You may have heard it said, “A rising tide lifts all the boats”

6 Things You Must Do Before You Can Build the Future You

Before we can build something monumental we must lay a strong foundation. Before the foundation can be laid, the land must be cleared and any rubbish or debris removed. All truth is parallel and so what applies in the physical, for say a tract of land, a river or lake, also applies to the human experience, our education, our physical bodies, our spiritual life. To build something new we have to remove the toxic waste of the past. I am not saying all past experience is toxic, there will be much we can bring forward and use out of our past experience. I am saying that we must remove those objects and memories and even relationships which are toxic and are preventing us from moving forward.

Let me give an example from the great City where I have lived for most of my life.

On the East side of Manchester there were thousands of acres of land that had been used for generations in heavy industry, paint manufacturers, chemical plants and so on. There had been steady decline and decay over several decades and the area was one of the poorest in the region. Businesses were struggling, many of the houses were outdated and some were rat infested. Huge tracts of spare land were so contaminated with chemical waste that thousands of tons had to be taken away and replaced before any new building work could be undertaken.

Fortunately the City of Manchester was awarded the 2002 Commonwealth Games and a new stadium was to be constructed for the track and field events. This was combined with the councils ideas for a regeneration project in the Eastlands area. A deal was struck with one of the local football clubs who agreed to use the stadium on a permanent basis after the games were over. It would require a second phase of construction to make it suitable for football but the agreement was that Manchester City Football Club, a part of the fabric of Manchester since 1885 would move from their outdated, although much loved Maine Road Stadium on the other side of the city and become the new residents of Eastlands.  Leaving the old ground was hard for many who had known it all their lives, some just did not want it to happen but the progress train was on the move anyway.

The ideas and the developing project attracted enormous interest and huge financial investment from the UK and abroad. The football club became more attractive and was the subject of a takeover which has changed the face of world football.

It has also changed the whole landscape on that side of Manchester with thousands of new modern houses, a state of the art training centre for the football club but with facilities also being used by the general public. The stadium itself was renamed The Etihad Stadium by the new owners in agreement with their main sponsor.  Local businesses are thriving now and the whole atmosphere on the East side of Manchester has changed beyond compare. The football club even started winning trophies after a barren period stretching back over 35 years. In fact in the 10 years between 2010 and 2020 they have been the most successful club in England. Not bad for what a certain rival manager called the ‘noisy neighbours’.

The physical structure, the body of the area has been rebuilt.  The soul of the area has been renewed with people’s attitudes soaring as they have found new jobs and clean living conditions and this has paved the way for a spiritual revival which we are beginning to see across the whole city.

So much for the example…but how is that going help us to build something special out of our lives. Well that will be the ongoing subject of the Personal Growth Program,  the highlights of which will be recorded here. Lets start with 6 steps to clear the ground.

6 Steps to clear the ground. 

1     Forgive… and that means shut up and move on.

The very first thing, without which there is no moving forward, must be forgiveness. We all need it sometimes and we all need to give it too.

More physical and emotional health problems are caused by the unwillingness to forgive than any other single reason. The bitterness that a refusal to forgive causes spills over into every area of life resulting in addictions, financial problems, fights and arguments, emotional stress and physical illness.  At no time ever is there a positive outcome to the harbouring of an old grudge.

Now please hear me, I understand some people have gone through some terrible experiences often caused by other people, either maliciously or maybe through negligence or accident and life may be damaged as result. But will the refusal to let it go fix it…will it make it better? The answer is always no, it is never yes.

Sometimes the perpetrator of the evil is no longer around so how is hating them possibly affecting them? People hold grudges against people long dead. I always say there is a judge, but it’s not me.

I know two halves of a broken marriage and I love them both and try to be impartial when speaking to either one, which is not always easy.  The lady was a lovely outgoing person who did not deserve to be treated the way she was, but then again who does?  Sadly she has become reclusive and is carrying the rejection very badly, she is consumed by a hatred that she is actually convinced is love. She is suffering terribly with Rheumatoid Arthritis which came on as a reaction to her husbands infidelity. I sometimes ask her how her love/hatred/unforgiveness is affecting him.  Actually I know the answer, it isn’t, three nights a week he is out dancing, he is not a bad man, he made a big mistake and he has also paid a price for it but he has asked for forgiveness and though it has not been freely given he has now moved on.

So who is the bitterness affecting most? You know the answer… and you also know if you need to remove the toxic waste of your own past experience, I hope not, I would not wish it on anybody but if you do let’s start right now.

However deep it goes you need to make the decision to forgive…and it is decision only you can make. Speak out the words that you have forgiven…decide to live to the best of your ability as if it had not happened…every single time the thoughts return say it again out loud… I forgive, I release him or her, or God or myself or whoever it may be that you are bitter against.  Complete release may take time but the enemy inside that’s trying to destroy the rest of your life will get weaker and weaker every time you confess your forgiveness out, until one day soon you will be totally free.

2    Take personal responsibility for  you own future.  

Don’t blame the government or the place you work, or ‘the system’ or anybody else.                     Having forgiven and released the past it’s time to take personal responsibility for the future. It’s your future after all.  Don’t give the power to determine what happens there to anybody else. Repeat after me…If it’s to be it’s up to me… If it’s to be it’s up to me.  Write it on a 3×5 card and carry it with you. Repeat it 20 times every morning and every night until you absolutely know.  It’s up to you.  If you think that’s silly just trust me…it really isn’t.

3   Don’t hold on to things of the past.

Have you ever heard the story of the African tribe that eat monkeys. Them crafty monkeys are pretty hard to catch aren’t they? Well actually they are not…the even more crafty hunter cuts a hole in a tree that’s just big enough for the monkey to get his hand in and grab some shiny object that really fascinates that monkey. Once he wraps his little fist around it he can’t get his hand out. All he has to do to get free is let go…but guess what…he can’t, or rather he won’t and the hunter knocks him on the head and has roast monkey for dinner.

Think of that monkey that won’t let go! What is it you won’t let go of that’s preventing you from receiving what life wants to give you next. It’s time to make another decision, can you let it go? Of course you can…but the real question is…will you?

4   Work hard to keep the unity.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  Don’t just think of this as a religious thing, no-one achieves anything alone…we function best with a life partner…we work best in teams…it’s just who we are. But unity isn’t automatic and there will be disagreements if we are to progress. The best advice I can give anyone and it is one I have always preached and tried to practice. Never show division to anyone outside the team or partnership, have your disagreements, even fights and arguments if it comes to that, behind closed doors. You will work it out, every time, but once someone else is involved they can lose confidence in you and in your ability to achieve the goal. Even worse pride can come in, nobody wants to be first to back down and that can make agreement harder. Chose to work and live with people you can rely on and make sure they are able to rely on you. One thing though and this is important, to rely and to depend are very different things. Don’t ever get in the place of dependency on anyone or anything else and if someone looks like they are becomings dependent on you don’t walk away…run.

5    Never say you can’t when its clear that it has to be done. 

Maybe you think the task is too big, and right now it might be but don’t let failure come out of your mouth.  If it’s ever been done before or if it is possible for someone to do it you can find a way. Why don’t you add this to your 3×5 card, or make another.  I CAN, I WILL, I MUST.

Affirm it until you believe it. If the assignment requires a skill set you don’t have, then find someone who does have it. Nothing is impossible to those who believe. One of the things we will be covering over the coming weeks is how to acquire new skills and to take the skills we already have to a new level. But remember point number 4. No one achieves great things alone,  if it’s going to be an ongoing need and you can’t learn the skills yourself then invite people with different skills to be a part of your team.  If it’s a one off need then pay the best expert you can afford. But never confess it can’t be done…Rather ask the question “How can I?” Find a way to win.

6    Ask yourself,  “Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing?”

There is nothing more tragic than working your way to the top of a ladder to find it was leaning on the wrong wall all along. Do you enjoy what you’re doing? Is it taking you towards your life purpose? Are you good at it which is quite important or at least are you confident you can be? If the answer to any of those questions is no then may I kindly suggest you get off the ladder. Remember the monkey, is it something you need to let go of? If it is you don’t need to just jump and hope. You can sit down and think, discuss with your partners your ideas about the way forward and make a proper exit plan. Don’t move out of something without knowing what you are going to move into. But if you are in the wrong place, the wrong job, harmful relationships or whatever it may be get out sooner rather than later.

If you are in the right place and you have been taking it for granted.  Maybe you have been giving it less than 100% effort. If so it’s time to change…not sooner or later but RIGHT NOW.

Full speed ahead, take personal responsibility for it…even if no-one else cares very much…you be the one to take it to the next level.

If this post has helped you then please share it with others you think might benefit.  

How We Chose our Business Partner

A lot of people ask me the same question and I heard it again only yesterday.  

“How did you choose which company to partner with once you had decided that the Home Based Marketing Profession was for you?

They tend to say things like, “It seems to be a  minefield, and there are so many companies out there. We don’t want to put in lots of effort to find it all fizzles out when the company leaves the country or goes out of business altogether. We’ve heard that happens a lot.”

We felt exactly the same way when we started. Over the years I had been approached to join dozens of companies very few of which are still going strong. The great majority actually folded within a very short time meaning any investment made in them has been lost.  Time, money and effort seem to be the biggest concern on the surface but the loss of credibility and the emotional expense is actually far greater, some people find it hard to get over the disappointment and some have even turned bitter against the whole profession.

Actually in its early days and with some of the sharp players who were involved it deserved its reputation and you could not really call it a profession but times have changed and now many huge corporations use what has become a perfectly legitimate method of moving great products from manufacturer to consumers.

Still I suppose it’s only human nature to be careful. Perhaps a little fear is a good thing if it makes us think more carefully next time…but too much fear could paralyse us for life. Fear and faith are polar opposites.

So how do we pick a company to partner with that will be around for years to come and will continue to reward our efforts fairly. Here are a few of the requirements we had all those years ago when we first started out. Of course times have changed, for instance the internet and social media are certainly playing a much bigger role now, but the fundamentals are still the same. Its always been a people business and it always will be. The computer is an important tool but talking to a real person on the telephone and face to face in meetings or one on one over coffee are just as important as ever, maybe even more so.

Obviously there are no guarantees, even Woolworths closed their doors in the UK, but you can still do your due diligence and give yourself the best possible chance.  If we forget about the Network Marketing type Companies for a moment and consider all types of business startups we find that most of them fail in the first couple of years, in fact 90% go under in the first 18 months and at 5 years only 1 in 1,000 is left.

Who would stake their time, money, and probably most important, their reputation and all their goals and hopes and dreams on a 1000-1 chance.

Not me or Steppy. We figured it would be best for us to choose from those companies that had overcome the early hurdles and were at least 5 years old. Actually the one we chose was almost twenty years old at that time and has gone from strength to strength since. We did not just want to build a business that would last our lifetime but we want to leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren too.

Next we considered various products and services, telephones and utilities were very popular then, some of our friends took that route and one or two have done very well indeed.

We started with 12 essential ingredients which I have covered in another post, and we insisted that we should be able to put a tick against every one of them.

We did look at the utilities company. It was excellent and it did fit all the criteria, but Steppy just couldn’t get excited about electricity and gas and our last and most important criteria (not actually on the list of 12) was we must be in complete agreement. How can two walk together unless they are in agreement.

We were looking for a consumable product that if they were better than what people were using now they would come back for them month after month, year after year. The one drawback with utilities was the fact that if someone else came along with a cheaper deal many of the customers would switch again, so we weren’t keen on price alone being our USP.

We didn’t want to educate people on why they should use a product they didn’t already use, we preferred to just ask them to switch stores and try different brands that were not so different than what they were already using. Of course they would have to be top quality and they would need to compete fairly on price or why would anyone swap? There were a few companies that worked but we were certainly narrowing the field down.

We wanted a privately owned company that could prove it was financially sound and a strong, stable management team was also important. We saw lots of videos of owners and big hitters in their flashy cars and big mansions but to be honest all that hype turned us off.  When I wanted to talk to these people to ask a few questions and get the feel of how they might think of their workforce it proved very difficult. In most cases it was virtually impossible, like trying to meet Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley. So when I finally was able to meet the CEO of one of these multi-national companies and found him to be a humble, family man who seemed like he genuinely cared I suppose I was sold. His name is Frank and he brought nearly two years of research to a close in an hour long meeting. His parting shot to me was “Welcome aboard, I hope we grow old together”. I’ll never forget that. We have spoken several times since and it is always a pleasure for me, and it never seems to be too much trouble for him either.

Our choice might not be the right fit for your family but whatever company you choose let me encourage you to do all you can to get a feel for the character of the people at the top. I don’t care what car he drives, actually I have no idea, all I know is he wants me to succeed in an honest and ethical way…his motto, “Exceptional products at reasonable prices” his company Mission Statement…   “To enhance the lives of those we touch by helping people reach their goals”…and something else I have heard him say many times at various meetings and conventions that sums the man up…  “there is never any need to exaggerate, the truth is always enough”.

So let me finish there, in promoting your products and your business you will have to tell your story time and time again, sometimes to people who know and trust you and sometimes to people who you only just met but if you can’t put your hand on your heart and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about your company, then you should either pick another company or get out of the business altogether.

Network marketing has come of age, it is a worthy profession, a great way to earn a living or for those that put in the greatest effort, to make their fortune. Jumping around from deal to deal looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is not very professional…many do it and good luck to them, some do make a fast buck, but at what cost?  

As for me and my house we have chosen to build on solid foundations.

Success Starts and Ends With the Man in the Mirror

If you could be celebrating some great big accomplishments of your own design just 90 days from now, how would that make you feel?

Or you could be looking back at another quarter of mediocre results, still hoping that next quarter will be better. (I like to think in quarters because years seem to be going by so quickly and I reckon if things are not going as well as they could be, the sooner we change it the better.) Unfortunately, most people are in the latter camp and just struggling along in the same old way.

You may have heard it said…“If things don’t change they will stay the same.”

Its really up to you whether or not you stay with the apathetic majority or decide to change things and become the individual you were born to be.

Let me ask you a question…

What could you DO differently, starting RIGHT NOW that would make the rest of your life bigger, brighter, better, and more profitable than you have ever thought possible?

And don’t panic, it’s doesn’t have to be such a big thing.  Don’t say I’d like to do something different Rob but it’s a bit frightening what you are saying. I will come back later when I have time to read this properly.

If you haven’t got time now you won’t have time later either, you are really saying I am going to stay the same…and that’s OK by me, if you are comfortable, you stay there. But remember, great accomplishments are not generally found in the comfort zone.

So Let’s Make a Start

About 600 years before Christ Lao Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

I don’t believe he was thinking about walking a thousand miles so I will assume it was his way of saying however big the goal, whatever it may be, you will need to get started.

Mary Poppins said  “Well begun is half done.” (Actually she borrowed that from Aristotle.)

And the rest of the journey will also be made up of many tiny steps too: so every day if you make a step in the right direction you can be pleased with yourself. If you take no step at all or worse, take steps in the wrong direction you know you have to make some changes.

All great achievers know that they must meet with setbacks along the way. Even at the thousandth step they may meet with danger or difficulty but there will come a time when success is just around the next bend in the road; just a few more steps, but unless they take that next step, unless they go round that bend in the road they may never know just how close they were.  The road is littered with the corpses of those who never took another step, those who lost hope and gave up on their dreams.

Achievers are always willing to take another step, and another and yet another until the goal is accomplished.

Dreamers fantasise about the expected rewards but never actually get to hold them in their hands because they are not willing to do the hard mental work to achieve them, and most of the work is mental. I think we have all been dreamers at times, thats why I am talking about change.

Achievers know they must first look in the mirror to understand where they are.  Then they form a clear picture of exactly where they want to be.  They meditate on the goal, they focus on it until they can see it, until it is real in their spirit and they approach it with a definiteness of purpose that will make them unstoppable.

Because those two ends of the journey are firmly fixed it all the various ways to get there just seem to come into their minds and as they decide which is the best way for them right now they are already taking the first physical steps on the journey. Each subsequent step becomes automatic because progress becomes habitual. When we do something repeatedly it becomes easy, when it is easy it is a pleasure to do it and when we do something with joy we do it well.

We are taught and we have tended to believe that we have free will but actually we are all slaves to our habits whether they are good or bad. If you are going to be a slave it is better to have a good master. Benjamin Franklin observed “It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.”

When you look in that metaphorical mirror you might ask your self some questions.  Here are a few which may seem trivial, but could possibly be foundational examples…

•Am I getting enough physical exercise?

•Am I eating for pleasure in the moment or with an eye on tomorrow?

•Am I reading regularly and is the quality of the material building me up?

•Do I work on improving myself every day

•Am I using social media well, is it the best use of my time ?

When I asked myself those questions a while back, and no excuses, I had asked them many times before, corrected them and subsequently backslidden, but I found that…

•I was exercising but not regularly enough.

•I was eating too much sweet food and had gained weight

•I had not read as much as I should have over the past year although I have been reasonably selective, I am happy with the quality, but not the quantity.

•I had done some self improvement stuff but not recently

•I was wasting a lot of time just chatting on Social Media, honestly, I still am. It’s a tough nut to crack.

So that’s me, baring my soul again, now what about you? What does your mirror say?

It’s Time for a Check-Up

It’s time to give yourself a check-up and identify the habits that are hurting you. There may be more than one habit that you need or would like to replace with habits that will serve you better but we can’t boil the ocean so lets take them one at a time. It is a law of nature that the only way to get rid of a habit is to replace it with another habit. And the only way to bring about lasting change and so get better results in life is to change old habits for new ones.

To quote Welsh rugby star Jack Dixon  “If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.”

So back to the two ends of the journey. Once you have a clear picture of where you are now and you know where you want to be…It’s time to take a scientific look at how we human beings form and can change our habits.

Step 1  Decide what really matters.

Determine what the end should look like and focus on getting there.

Focus…What will be more important on the journey to your legacy, checking on the football scores or writing your blog or the first chapter of your book. Is it better to watch a TV show or spend the time preparing for the interview for your dream job? The answer may be obvious but the dreamer will get to the important thing tomorrow, today they need their relaxation.  For me enrolling my next Business Builder and helping him or her achieve a six figure income in our business is the number one goal right now.

That demands maximum effort. It requires me to do the first things first. To make the best use of every hour.

Napoleon said the thing that made him great was that he knew the value of five minutes. Don’t tell me about Waterloo, everyone meets one of those in the end but he did pretty well up until then. So if you have been in the habit of butterflying from one thing to another, even double minded, come to an agreement with yourself about what really matters to you and let’s get on with it.

Step 2  Create Some Unbreakable Rules

I learned from my friend Craig Ballantine that creating rules for your life will help you stay on the path to success and wisdom. You may slip now and again but it is better to have rules than not, and its better to do your best to keep sound well thought out rules and fail than to end with the  regret of knowing you didn’t do the best your could.

With your written rules posted for you and everyone else to see your habits will be easier to establish, and each of those tiny steps to success much easier to make. Some things that are easy to do are also easy not to do so making yourself accountable will recruit the help of all who care about your success.  Thus you will have a much better chance of getting the important things done first.

Step 3 Choose a Cue

Create or choose a Cue or Trigger that initiates an automatic response in your brain which kickstarts you into action.

The simplest of examples for me, I wanted to get up half an hour earlier every day to spend some extra time reading and praying, but getting up earlier sounds good the night before but when the music starts playing in the morning it is not so attractive. I started by putting the phone which I used to wake me on the other side of the room so I had to get out of bed just to switch it off. I managed to train myself not to get up in the night for a loo break, it’s amazing how even that becomes a habit.

So when the music played I leapt out of bed hit the button on the phone and the next stop had to be the bathroom, it was urgent. The bathroom light would have woken me if I had not been too tired to open my eyes but that was not as easy as it sounds.

So the next step was the electric toothbrush in my mouth, that lovely Melaleuca Peppermint sensation hit my taste buds and by the first buzz of the brush at 30 seconds my eyes popped open and my brain switched on. By the time I had flossed and rinsed, the plans that I had written down the night before were now top of mind.  I bet you think I am joking, it might sound ridiculous but that’s really what it took at first. It was only a week before I woke a minute before the music every morning, and was able to head it off before my wife was disturbed. After a few weeks I decided to get up an additional half hour earlier and this time it was much easier.

So as we begin to replace an old habit and establish a new one we must first…

Choose a New Cue…one that will trigger an effective response.

It could be setting a timer like I did or what if the habit you want to get into is taking a run after work to get in shape? Perhaps you could pin a poster on the wall or on the sun blind in the car. Perhaps a picture of someone with the body you are aiming for.

You can try different cues, and experiment with different combinations of them until you figure out what works best for you! If one starts to get stale change it up for a new one.

But remember it’s YOU who wants to establish these habits. It’s all about you and it’s all for YOU. They are your rules and in this case rules are definitely not made to be broken.

It’s OK to start small, getting up half an hour early to read and pray was quite small. It’s an hour and a half now and it is having a big impact on my life.

Cartoonist Robby Gilbert said…”First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you.”  

I am not perfect yet, probably never will be this side of eternity, but I am winning. I find the rules keep out most of the things that might hinder my progress and make the formation of the new habits easier.

Time-wasters must be eradicated

I will give you one more little example because it is the little things that make the biggest difference in the long run.  I was wasting a lot of time browsing through other peoples trivia on Facebook and Twitter, and to a lesser degree on LinkedIn; which would actually have been more useful for me. I do use these media to promote myself and my business, I will promote this post through Facebook for example and that is a decent use of my time. What is not worthwhile is reading somebody else’s outdated opinions on an election or referendum that took place over a year ago, and then becoming embroiled in a worthless discussion with them about it.

“Guilty as charged and full of remorse your honour!”

So I set some rules regarding the times I would allow myself look at social media…and also I am learning how to create and preload several posts that will come up at preordained times over a period of a few days or a week. That will mean I can spend three or four hours preparing and loading them and not have to look at Facebook so often.

Meanwhile my sales systems for the Network Marketing side of the business are all automated as are the lead producing systems. This frees up hours every day for reading and research, writing, thinking and doing the physical things that only I can do like the energy assessments in prospects homes where I am needed to personally design and sell the appropriate renewable energy systems. If someone else can do it cheaper or better I pay them to do it so I can use my time in the best way possible.

To make a great habit solid, we all like to reward ourselves so that’s the final step in our new habits formation plan. The reward needs to provide instant motivation, so that you’ll immediately have a strong desire for it the second your cue triggers your brain. This step also needs reviewing occasionally, especially if the reward no longer has the  same motivational power that it first did. Just choose a new reward, bigger better and brighter, more in line with the progress you have been making. Remember you are your best asset…

If you don’t motivate you, no one else will. So choose a new reward in order to continue building a more powerful habit.

WARNING! Never miss a day, never miss even one time and think to yourself that you will pick it up later. Never, never, never.  “Stay with the Program,” Cue-action- reward, cue-action-reward. Staying motivated is extremely important, particularly when establishing new habits.  I will finish with one last  thing that has helped me stay motivated more than probably anything else.

Keep a journal.                                                                                                                              It’s something I learned from the late great Jim John many years ago and it’s so simple the more you do it the better you get at it and the more you enjoy it. Jim’s recommendation has probably been my most effective motivational tool?

Here’s why I think it’s a good idea to Keep a journal.…

I have found it more important than any monetary reward, it’s so powerful in the tough times when you think you’re not making any progress to look back and see how far you have come. I have more than a dozen books filled with my scribblings and observations over many years. Maybe my children will benefit from reading those notes one day when I have gone home to glory. Maybe they will help or inspire someone: I hope so.

I find creating meaning from even the tiny daily actions is a great way to get the brain excited and the juices flowing. The occasional profound thoughts that lead to breakthroughs and quantum leaps seem to have been growing underground like a volcano getting ready to blow and I am sure it is from the accumulation of those little jottings, tiny thoughts, staying in the game, always being curious, never thinking nothing matter. Even the bad things seem to work out for good in the end.

We all have to deal with setbacks and negative input as part of daily life but by keeping a daily chronicle of progress towards your goals, you’ll be able to reflect on the positives, however small, and the feelings of accomplishment and fulfilment will drive you on.

I often just jot a few things down several times each day in a notebook, I recollect and capture what I achieve over the course of the day, but at least once a week I sit down for an hour or so to think and write up the story of that week, what I did, what I learned, new people I met, places I went to and so on…

Start a Blog

Maybe you would prefer to type it up on your computer. I like to write in a book but I like the blog concept too. So I do both.

If you publish what you have learned it might help someone else on the journey. It is so encouraging to receive comments from total strangers who say how much they needed to read what you have written. That motivates me more than anything. It has become a regular habit now for me. Just one more little thing that’s making a great big difference in my life and in the lives of those I care for.