The Blue Dye Effect

A teacher brought a ten gallon aquarium of clear water into the classroom.  To this crystal clear water she added a few drops of blue dye.  The result?  Cloudy, blue water.

Looking out at her class, she asked the question, "How much water will I have to add back into the tank to get it crystal clear again?"

"Several drops?"  said one student.

The teacher added several drops.  Nothing changed.

Realizing it would take more, the teacher started adding water.  After adding several GALLONS of fresh water, the water was once again crystal clear.

People are just like that crystal clear tank of water.  And the blue dye?  One negative attitude.  It doesn't take much negative "blue" to taint a person, a family or a team.  And once the "blue" invades, it's going to take a whole lot of positive to get it clear again!

I think of this illustration often.  Unfortunately, I've watched "blue dye"infiltrate a crystal clear tank.  I hate to see this happen because the attitude of a person, family and team is so important!

I know for me, I have to guard my attitude because I can be my own worst "blue dye". I certainly don't want to pollute my own tank let alone taint another persons'.  So I know I have to limit the amount of negative I intake, and doing this ensures the amount of negative thoughts I think and words I say are limited.

One way I do this is by avoiding negative media.  Radio and TV are teaming with negative.  Instead, I listen to Team and LIFE Cds and read good books as much as possible.  I strive every day to speak all the positive I can.

I also limit my time in negative conversations.  I do this by reframing.  I appreciate what Orrin Woodward has taught my on this subject. (The Resolved book is an excellent source on how to do this.) If reframing doesn't work, I remove myself from the negative source completely.

Recently, I was reading an article that mentioned Socrates' filter test. (There's no evidence proving this is actually Socrates' filter test, but I think it's good enough to use anyway, regardless of who said it first!)  The filter test is an excellent way to filter the negative out of our own minds as well as that coming from others!

Socrates was said to hold knowledge in high esteem.  

One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Pause a moment," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything, I'd like you to pass a little test.  It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple Filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say.

The first filter is TRUTH.  Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it and......."

"All right," said Socrates.  "So you don't really know if it's true or not.  

Now let's try to second filter, the filter of GOODNESS.  Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary......"

"So" Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true.  You may still pass the test though, because there is one filter left:  The filter of USEFULNESS.  Is what you're about to tell me about my friend useful to me?"

"No, not really." 

"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you're about to tell me is neither true nor good or even useful, then why tell me at all?"


Brilliant!  Speak all the true, goodness filled useful things you can!  That will certainly keep our mind crystal clear!  It will also help you guard your own family and your team from any "blue dye" that tries to cloudy the waters with thinking that isn't even true, good or useful!

I challenge you to be a crystal clear tank and guard yourself and others from untrue, bad and useless blue dye that only serves to make you feel lousy, slow you down and cloudy up an otherwise awesome day!

God Bless
Marc

Be a "Jackie"!

I loved this video about "Jackie" the Krispy Kreme donut employee!  She is an excellent example of what I believe we do every day with the LIFE company-exceed the customer's expectation!  Really, the best part is the blogger's reaction.  The kind, service-first response of one person blew him away.  Let's go bring the LIFE company to the world and be a "Jackie" to someone today! 

Enjoy the video!

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/krispy-kreme-donut-order-rejection-video-153858341.html

A man's quest to overcome his fear of rejection by making at least one crazy request a day for 100 days was throttled last week when a Krispy Kreme employee accepted his order for five doughnuts linked together in the colors and shape of the Olympic symbol.

"It's only my third day and I have already failed," Jia Jiang wrote on his 100 Days of Rejection Therapy blog. "But I did so with such amazement and happiness."

When the 31-year-old approached the register to make his "specialized" doughnut order, Jackie Braun, a shift leader at an Austin, Texas, Krispy Kreme, asked him when he would need it.

"In the next 15 minutes," Jiang replied.

"I was honestly just hoping for a 'no' and to go home," Jiang told Yahoo News in an interview on Monday.

(Krispy Kreme)

Instead, Braun spent several minutes using the back of some receipt paper to diagram the unusual order.

"Let me see what I can do," she said.

Fifteen minutes later, she emerged with a Krispy Kreme box with the glazed Olympic ring arrangement inside—and, astonishingly, did not charge Jiang for it.

"It wasn't exactly what he wanted," Braun told Yahoo News. "To my eyes, it wasn't perfect, so I didn't think I should charge him for it. It was the best I could do in the time allotted."

"Wow, Jackie, I'm a fan," Jiang told her, on behalf of everyone in America.

"I was overwhelmed, I couldn't believe it," Jiang said. "I went home and tweeted to Krispy Kreme and blogged about it. I wanted the world to know about what she did."

A campaign to get Braun a raise and promotion was quickly launched in the YouTube comments section underneath Jiang's video.

"Jackie is awesome," more than one viewer wrote. "The world needs more people like her."

"Yo, if Krispy Kreme doesn't promote her to CEO I'm boycotting!" wrote another. "And I love doughnuts."

Jiang, who launched a Facebook page called "Give Jackie at Krispy Kreme a Raise," said he returned to Krispy Kreme on Sunday to thank Braun for going above and beyond the call of doughnut duty.

Braun, though, said she didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

"It was a simple thing," Braun, who's been with Krispy Kreme for five years, said. "The Olympic symbol was the only unusual part, because they're not on TV right now. But we do orders like that every day. We're here to make people happy."

Two Steps to Change Your Life

"You are the same today as you'll be in five years except for two things, the books you read and the people you meet."  -Charlie Tremendous Jones

I walked downstairs yesterday to find this mound of books in my dining room.  My first thought was, "wow, that's a lot of books".  My second thought was, "WOW"! I've read all those books!!!

I knew I had a lot of books; I just moved, I carried a lot of heavy boxes! I was also the one who put them on the bookshelves.  And now having them moved again for my office to be finished I got a chance to look at them, only this time it was different. It wasn't until I saw that mound of books on the floor that I realized how many books I've read over the last few years. 

I know I haven't just read this stack of books!  I've been a STUDENT of this stack of books!  So many of the corners are turned up (that'd be from Kristine, not me!) and the pages are worn.  There's highlighter and underlines and notes and tabs.  These books have been my education.  I wouldn't part with them.  

This stack of books is pure gold in my mind.  I can promise you what I say and do comes out of reading these books, and often, it isn't until I read the book again that I realize where some of my best lines are from!  

Why take the time to tell you about my stack of books?  The quote from Charlie Tremendous Jones says it all: 

"You are the same today as you'll be in five years except for two things, the books you read and the people you meet."  You want to change your finances?  Your relationships?  Your leadership?  Your results in life? NOTHING will change until you do something to change.  In the LIFE business we provide the two components that, according to Charlie Jones, will give you different results five years from now:  BOOKS and ASSOCIATION!

The ironic thing is, not only did I buy the books lying all over my dining room, I read them and then I got PAID!  I want to stand on my roof and yell:  "I GET PAID TO READ, LISTEN AND ASSOCIATE AND YOU CAN TOO!  I'm not sure I'll get any of my new neighbors interested with that approach, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to do it!  

If you are a LIfe business member or customer, every month a new book comes to your mailbox.  I challenge you to make the commitment TODAY to start changing your own life.  Don't just read the books, become a student of the books. But don't stop there! Remember the second part of the quote:  The people you meet.  

I could have sat in my house and read a bunch of books and I can guarantee you not a lot would have changed. That's only PART of it.  The second part:  The people you meet-association is key!  And guess what?  I could climb right back on my roof and holler over this part too! (can you even imagine me hollering on my roof?  makes  me laugh even thinking about it- but THAT'S HOW EXCITED I AM!)  Not only do I get paid for reading books, I get paid for associating with people who are teaching me how to be just as successful as they are.  There's nothing like the Life Company in the WORLD!

"You are the same today as you'll be in five years except for two things, the books you read and the people you meet."  -Charlie Tremendous Jones 

I know I have a long way to go, but I know if I keep reading books and associating with great people, I can get wherever I want to go.  And you can too. 

What will your life look like in five years?  It starts with taking two steps, and it starts TODAY! 

BE BRAVE!! GIVE IT YOUR ALL!

I think the most important lesson that Orrin Woodward has taught me is that success is largely based on work ethic and courage.

I know that when I look at my life and look at the things I am most proud of, it always starts with the things for which I put all the chips in the middle of the table and sold out by working as hard as I could.  I don't mean working hard to be busy, as so many people do on a daily basis, but working towards a worthwhile goal and/or dream. I remember Kristine and I running for financial freedom and never feeling more alive then knowing I was out there giving it everything I had. Maximum Effort=Complete Satisfaction.  I feel that same way now as we run towards a big goal.  The feeling that I have when I walk into a quiet house at night knowing that we are paying the price is literally priceless! The best thing about running with the LIFE community is that it is a community of men and women who strive for excellence.

Along with working hard, courage is the other component of success. When I was young I always looked at courage as the heroic event: Saving someone's life or some amazing act of courage.  I now know that real courage isn't only one huge act of greatness, but instead, small, daily steps towards greatness!  It's these small acts of courage that bring big results. Stepping out and doing things that are uncomfortable, having the crucial conversation to resolve a conflict, or just leading your family by example.  All of us have things in our lives right now that take our courage to move forward. Our ability to push through the paper thin wall to move on to the next "small act of courage" is the key to lasting success.

The real questions for you to answer are: Are you giving it your all? Are you addressing the next small act of courage needed to move toward success?  If you answer yes to both of these, then lasting success in that area is yours!  If you answered no, the good news is you can change that and you can begin TODAY!

TOP 5 IN 5 MONTH 2!!

It's month 2 of the Top 5 in 5 months!!

This month, the top 5 book I read from the Life Business was The Magic of Thinking Big. My biggest nugget comes from chapter two: Excusitus.  I believe, with all my heart, that the quality that will seperate winners from losers is the ABILITY TO NOT BUY OUR OWN EXCUSES! Successful people do not allow circumstances to dictate results. 

I'm a big believer in leveraged learning because it  always amazes me how much I learn just from hearing another person's perspective. I learned this from watching Orrin Woodward.  He is a master at this.  Even though he is the #6 leadership guru in the world, he still takes the time to let his performers share. There's always a lot to learn from others out there in the battle, and that's why I want to hear from you!  Which top 5 book did you read this month, and what nuggets are you applying in your life and your business right now?  

Top 5 in 5!!!

Many great books have been published over the last 100 years, but only five titles can make the cut to be called the Team's Top 5!  These 5 titles contain the time-tested principles on successful human relations; and therefore, they are the 5 books that Orrin Woodward himself has said can't be read enough in the first years of owning your own business.

That's high praise for these books, but the Top 5 are only as good as the principles we learn from them and apply into our daily lives.  That's why I launched the Top 5 in 5 Challenge: 5 months to read, learn from and apply the life changing principles to our lives.  

So, let's hear it!  Month 1: Which book did you read, what principles have stood out for you and how are you applying it?  Can't wait to read your answers!

Real Life Means Everything!

I've been in the community building profession in some way or another for 10 years.  And throughout that entire journey, my mom, Susan Militello has had a front row seat.  Now, a customer of LIFE  herself, she has had the unique opportunity to experience our company from the inside out, and her honest evaluation of our company is priceless.

You see, before my mom was a customer of LIFE, she knew I was a student of personal development, so she started to buy products from Jim Rohn and others in the profession, to start on the personal development journey herself.  She really liked what she was listening to, and she knew it was making a difference in her life.

When LIFE launched, she decided to become a customer of our Life Series as well.  She told me the other day, that at first she thought the information was good, but she admitted the cds were a little difficult to adjust to because she had become accustomed to the smooth, polished speeches from the other materials she was buying.  But that all changed the other day when she told me, with such excitement, that she finally realizes the TEAM/LIFE difference and how special what we have really is!

"The people on the cds, these are REAL people!"

She went on to explain, "I bet that's why people love this information.  "The people who struggled are up there, and they are just like me!  They've struggled and I've struggled."  And I love what she said next, "That's the winner thing about this.  It's very real!  They get me and I get them.  It's a whole a different experience."

She gets it!  That IS what makes what we do special.  No one gets on stage because they have a polished speech.  The TEAM/LIFE stage is reserved for those individuals who have built a successful business and have wisdom- THROUGH EXPERIENCE-about what he or she is teaching.  That is the win.  We do get each other, and we do learn from each other's struggles!  Like Orrin Woodward always says, "Other people's experience is the best teacher!"  I can't think of another organization in the world that offers what we have.

I believe I have the best profession and purpose in the world because it makes a difference in my life and the lives of those I love the most: My family and friends.  TEAM/LIFE is the greatest blessing.  Thankful God chose this journey for me.

Orrin Woodward, Forbes: The Rest of the Story

I was watching my boys, both 8 years old, play baseball in the back yard recently.  I could see one of them getting increasingly angry over the calls his brother was making.  It seemed every call made was going in Jackson’s favor.  Finally fed up, Justin stomped off the field hollering back over his shoulder, “You’re making unfair calls. I’m done!”

The Whistle Blower, calling it as he sees it. 

Left to ourselves we humans can be pragmatic.  And when pragmatism is our guiding paradigm, we are ruled by the thought, “What’s in it for me.”  And when two young boys are in the backyard playing ball, “What’s in it for me” says, if the calls are close- I’m making them go my way because I want to win!

But what happens when we leave the backyard, grow up and begin playing in the bigger arena of adult life?  If we take that same, seemingly insignificant incident ruled by pragmatism into the corporate world, what is the result?

I can tell you first hand with an example that happened 12 years ago to my wife.  Pregnant at the time, she was at a local mall letting our oldest play in the kids’ area.  It was then she was approached by a local, rather “famous” news woman, who requested an interview about being pregnant.  Kristine thought, sure, I’ve seen this woman on t.v.!  I’ll answer her questions.  

In the interview, my wife was asked about her views on pregnancy nutrition.  She answered the questions and was excited about the idea of being on the news.  But oh were the rose colored glasses shattered when she watched the clip on the evening news.  They had cut and spliced Kristine’s words to make her say what the t.v. station wanted!  She was shocked!  The interviewer was looking for someone to say that pregnancy caused her to have poor nutrition.  Kristine didn’t answer that way! In fact, she said the exact opposite.  She believed that pregnancy made her more aware than ever to make good nutritional choices.  That didn’t matter.  The news reel was cut and pasted to make her answer the way the t.v. station wanted her to.  They were still Kristine’s words, but the interview was manipulated to make her own words answer the questions to suit the wishes of the station.

Too lazy to go find someone who agreed with their story line; “what’s in it for me” says, we can make this say whatever we want.  And they did just that.  

In backyard baseball, one can be fooled into thinking it doesn’t really matter.  It’s just two young boys being “boys”.  No harm done.  Or has harm been done?  Don’t young boys grow up to be adults?  Adults who cut and splice news reel.  Who can fool themselves and say, “What’s in it for me?  It’s a short clip on pregnancy nutrition.  I’ve got deadlines!  It’s just a few minutes and this doesn’t really matter.......”  Doesn’t matter or does it? 

A few years ago I had my own experience with the media.  But this time it wasn’t our local news, it was mainstream American media.  Orrin Woodward was to be interviewed by Forbes magazine, and along with him, they interviewed me as well.  

According to Forbesmedia.com, Forbes magazine has a readership of 5.4 million, with 18 million unique visitors monthly to Forbes.com. That’s pretty impressive!  

I asked Orrin how this unprecedented interview came to be.  He said, “Shortly after joining Monavie, I received a call from the Team office stating that Forbes had contacted  me asking for an interview about Team.”  He continued, “Why would Forbes want to do an article on a small, $42 million dollar company?  Especially when it was in the middle of the legal battle of its life?"  

Being part of the process myself, I remember Woodward telling me the interviewer asked questions about  Team being a pyramid, which anyone who knows anything about pyramid law would know it is nowhere near being a pyramid scheme.  She also wanted to know why is it that some people don’t make money and others do.  Other questions focused on how much did it cost to be a member of Team and so forth.  Woodward continued to explain that Team wasn’t a MLM, it only supplied the support for those building one; but that seemed to fall on deaf ears. 

It became obvious to both of us, based upon the question content, that his interview wasn’t about finding the good in Team.  Regardless, Woodward knew he had nothing to hide and answered all the questions truthfully and completely.  I know that Woodward personally invited the interviewer to the Columbus Major as a VIP, but she already had tickets for a Willie Nelson concert and had to turn the offer down.

I also remember my interview, which lasted for 40 minutes.  I actually thought my interview went really well. She asked a lot of great questions.  I told her how I was able to get out of massive amounts of debt, how my marriage was dramatically improved, how I thought Orrin Woodward was an amazing leader, and that I thought the Team business was the best financial decision I’d ever made.  Interestingly, not a single word of that 40 minute interview was used.  Instead, a short quote jabbing Team about a man and woman who had gotten divorced due to her involvement in Team and Amway was used instead.  

As it turns out, the man quoted in the Forbes article was an atheist and the woman a Christian.  But the man claimed in the article the divorce was blamed on her involvement with Team.  Why would Forbes choose to quote this person and not me?  Or better yet, any of the thousands who believe that Team has strengthened their marriage?  Had the interviewer attended the convention she could have asked any number of people the blessing Team has been in their lives.  And yet all that was used was one negative quote about a divorce.  

Meanwhile, I began asking my own questions. What led the reporter to take this article in the first place? What was her background in the leadership field and did she understand the moral dimensions from a Christian perspective? She admitted she had never heard of John Maxwell (the #1 leadership teacher) nor, even though living in Chicago, had she ever heard of Bill Hybels (pastor of Chicago’s largest church.) 

Interestingly, Amway, at this time, was an advertiser in Forbes magazine.  And when the Orrin Woodawrd article was printed, Amway and Woodward/Team were in a heated legal fight. 

Could it be that pragmatism had reared its ugly head again?  Could “What’s in it for me?” Be the guiding force for Forbes too?  

After visiting forbesmedia.com, I found an interesting guarantee on pg. 28.  It’s called the Brand Increase Guarantee.  This is a Forbes guarantee that states: 

If there is no significant increase in at least one of the key metrics- brand awareness, brand favorability, message association, purchase intent, Forbes will return advertising spend. 

Could it be the interview had nothing to do with finding the balanced truth about the Team and Orrin Woodward?  

In a strange coincidence, or perhaps not, less than two weeks later, Dallin Larsen, the  CEO for Monavie, the company that Woodward joined after leaving Amway, received a call from Newsweek and they proceeded to do another “less than overwhelming” article on MonaVie. Fifteen years in business and no magazine articles and strangely two came up in two weeks for magazines with rather impressive readership numbers. 

That's quite some coincidence.....In the middle of the legal battle between Amway and Woodward/Team  in comes Forbes and Newsweek to do articles on Woodward/Team and Monavie.  I find it interesting that the only entity with any relation to the powerhouse magazines was their advertiser: Amway.  

Coincidence?  Maybe. Needless to say, I learned a ton about the “free” press and its partnership with advertisers.

For more on the story check out  what  Troy Dooly, an MLM expert who serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Network Marketing professionals which works with both companies and distributors around the world has to say on the topic. 

Do You Have What it Takes???

If you ever thought chasing after living the life you've always wanted was tough.....read this!

Shine looked at the numbers to see what it really takes to become an elite athlete fit for Olympic glory.

5. Sessions per day martial arts expert Travis Stevens trains in order to prepare for London 2012. A typical schedule: 7-8:30 am, Weight training. 9-10:30 am, Judo. 11-11:30 am, Sprints. 2-3 pm, Cross-training. 6:30-8 pm, Judo. 10-11 pm, Running.

12,000. The calories swimmer Michael Phelps eats every day to replenish the energy he burns training. That's more than enough to feed a family of four.

100. Chin-ups executed by gymnast Shawn Johnson during conditioning sessions when she was in eighth grade.

Related: Raising an Olympian: Shawn Johnson

4. Years in advance that Olympic hopefuls schedule their workouts (sometimes eight). Do you know what you are doing next week?

85. Miles per hour skeleton racers achieve hurtling headfirst and unprotected down curving tracks that can drop as many as 50 stories in a few minutes.

35. Hours per week British triathlete Jonny Brownlee works out--rain or shine. That breaks down to an average of eight hours swimming, 10 hours running, 17 hours biking, plus hitting the gym for weight training.

25,000. Dollars that a gold winner medal on Team USA receives. Silver earns $15,000 and bronze nets $10,000. And, if you don't win or get sponsorship? Zero. The United States government does not support athletes financially or with health insurance, unlike some other countries. The USA Track and Field Foundation estimates that fewer than 50% of competitors ranked in the top ten in their event earn more than $15,000 a year from sports.

10. Miles per day world record holder Janet Evans swam per day, six days a week in her bid to return to competitive swimming after a 16-year hiatus. That's 330 lengths of an Olympic size-pool.

1. Year that Maria Sharapova's mom had to spend waiting for a visa to travel from Russia to the United States to see her then-seven-year old daughter who was already training in Florida.

90. Percent of players on the current U.S. Women's Soccer Team who have had at least one surgery for a sports-related injury.

Pre-School Winner!!!!

Colin Smith

(from mom Janine ) Here is Colin Smith's submission.  I've typed it up but these are his words:

What I Have Learned From the Edge 2 Learning For Life Series, by Colin Smith (5 years old):

Story 1:

I learned from Orrin Woodward's 1st story during candy bar sales, people didn't have any money.  Orrin Woodward went to the bank because people at the bank had money and he sold all his candy bars.

Respond positively or negatively - only let positive soak into my head.

I am going to learn from my mistakes.

Story 2:

He was running laps.  He's gonna take it easy, doing good.  He was going for a sprint.  Show me the money!  Don't let others believe what you can do.  Refuse to fail.

Story 3:

There were kids playing basketball, one wasn't good.  They were down and then iceman was back.  Just keep getting it to iceman.  Orrin Woodward was the tv announcer and calling him iceman.

Everyone was speaking positive.

If you believe it, you can achieve it.

Elementary Winner!!

Isaac Ashworth

Be Real Contest

Becoming a Professional

Chris Brady & Dario Brose

The Cd I chose was Becoming a Professional. I learned that you have to have your dreams be bigger than your obstacles if you are going to achieve your goals and dreams. 

I also learned that never listen to critics or dream stealers. Dream stealers can only take your dream if you let them. Dario never allowed his critics or dream stealers to keep him from achieving his goals and dreams.

The last lesson I learned was you have to put your time in through practice to earn your success. 

I recently started playing soccer I know I have to practice hard to be the best soccer player I can be.  I want to be a professional soccer player like Dario Brose.  I need to keep my dreams big so then the obstacles won’t get in my way.

Isaac Ashworth

Middle School Winners!

Miranda Millington

 SEE IT AND BELIEVE IT 

By: Miranda Millington 

I can still hear my dad saying to me “Visualize getting a home run hit!” as I was on deck during our second game of the softball tournament this season. As I stood there taking a few practice swings, I closed my eyes and visualized getting a solid hit into the outfield, hearing the smack of the ball against the bat, and my coach telling me to” go home” as I touched third base! I looked up and it was time for me to bat. I went up to the plate and waited for the pitch. I could hear my teammates cheering me on in the background. First pitch, low but was called a strike. Second pitch, swing and a miss. Third pitch, SMACK, I got a solid hit right in-between first and second! It landed in the outfield and rolled all the way to the fence! As I touched third my coach told me to “go home” and I ran as fast as I could to home plate! THUMP! I had touched home plate and had gotten my second home run of the whole season! I don’t think I could have gotten that hit if I hadn’t visualized it before I was up to bat! The power of visualization is so amazing! 

Have you ever imagined yourself doing something you’ve always wanted to do? Have you ever played through a whole event in which you do something great and amazing and it’s exactly how you want to do it in real life? Then when you go to do it, it happens exactly how you imagined it! That’s the power of visualization! 

To me, visualization is not only picturing something how you want it to be, but also including all of the senses. For example, in the above situation I heard my teammates cheering me on in the background, I saw the ball soaring in the air to the outfield, I smelled the dust in the air as I was running the bases, I could taste the ice cream awaiting my victory, and I could feel the solid hit when the bat connected with the ball. 

Learning about visualization has made a huge difference not just in my softball games, but for future experiences when I want to accomplish something! It showed me that if you visualize something over and over that you really want to do, you can do it! I’m lucky to have had this experience with visualization because as I get older there will be more times when I will use this technique and will accomplish what I want to do. I hope after reading this you realize visualizing something you want to do isn’t silly. It could make the difference on whether you achieve or not. I know that I’ve learned the power of visualization is truly AMAZING! 

Anna Smith

Edge Series

The Edge Series is a wonderful and powerful series of CD’s. Each and every CD has helped me, but three specific stories out of all stories have made the biggest impact on my life.

The first story was told by Orrin Woodward and it was about him taking all of the rejection he took from his neighbors when he was selling candy bars. Everyone said that they had no money so he solved that problem and went to the bank where people had money. His sister was constantly saying she was going to sell the most candy bars. That gave Orrin energy to try his best to sell more candy bars than his sister. 

This story actually helped me during a test in school.  There are two people who always get an A+ on all of their tests so that made me study hard for the test.  This story constantly helped me study for this test every day for hours.  The day of the test I took the longest to take the test.  After each question I looked over it, and when the teacher passed back the test, all of the studying paid off that day.  I could not stop smiling, I felt so good because I got an A++ on that test.

The second story is told also by Orrin Woodward, this story is about him running a lap-a-thon, and each person he told, he was going to run 30 laps in an hour said he couldn’t do it.  The first time I listened to this story, I was surprised he didn’t let anyone change what he thought he was capable of.  Anyway each lap he ran he dedicated to a person who thought he couldn’t do it which gave him energy and a reason to run all of those laps.  At the end he felt so good collecting that money because he proved to every person that he could run those 30 laps.

This story helped me during a soccer game when it was the last quarter of the fame and my team was down by two goals.  Everyone on the sidelines through we were going to lose this game there was only 12 minutes left of the quarter and everyone who said we couldn’t win that game gave me more and more energy at the end of that game my team won by two points.  All of that rejection gave me more energy and it did not make me rethink about how the game would end, the entire game I thought my team would win and we did.

The third story was told by of course Orrin Woodward, it is about Ice Adidas and how Orrin gave ice Adidas confidence and a positive attitude which made him play better.  This story taught me that if you believe it you can achieve it.  He gave Ice Adidas a good self talk.  During this story I thought that even if they lost that game they probably would have won on the inside because they did their personal best.

This story is actually helping me right now when my mom said that there was going to be a contest coming up and asked me if I wanted to do it I said no way.  Before I started I was already thinking in my head “I’m going to lose I’m not doing that.”  Then I thought of Ice Adidas, and now I know that if I have a positive self talk I could win this.  Even if I don’t win I will still be a winner on the inside because I did my personal best writing this.

Anna Smith – 5^th grade going into 6^th grade (11 years old)

High School Winner!

Joshua Smith

EDGE

Listening to these Edge CD’s have impacted my life a lot. This has changed my way of thinking, and actions toward things. These CD have taught me to not be afraid but to try things out, and that if I didn’t succeed and I tried my very best I would know that I didn’t fail, but that I have only succeeded. It also taught me to keep positive thinking that has made a very big difference in my life. 

In seventh and eighth grade I never had lost a race for hurdling, I always won my races, and I beat all of the other Junior high schools. I went into this year thinking I was going to win, but it all changed when I got put on high school varsity. So I had to keep the mindset that I had to do my very best, and that’s what I did.

I’m a ninth grade freshman, and I love track and field. I was a freshman on the varsity team and did the 110 meter hurdles, and the 300 meter hurdles. I never thought that I was that good to be on the varsity team, but I trained and worked hard and tried my best. I always had stayed positive when I was about to run even though I might lose. Even though I never won one race that whole season, I always had that mindset that I’m next year going to beat my hurdling teammates. I’m grateful that I’m able to learn these things now so I will be able to keep this information from the Edge CD’s for the rest of my life. 

Joshua Smith – 9^th grade going into 10^th grade  (15 yrs. old)

GRAND CHAMPION

BeReal Writing Event

A few months ago I started running again. I hadn't run since I did track and cross country three years ago, and assumed I would be able to do a six minute mile like I could back in the old days. I started out with a 5k, raising money for our local nature center. Going in I was completely confident, and thought I would be able to finish with a time of about twenty minutes, but realized after the first quarter mile that I hadn't prepared enough for this kind of run. I had to deal with the humiliation of being beaten by my mom, and promised myself that from then on I would never let that happen again. 

I started to run again, but would get tired, and end up stopping to walk. Since I wasn't doing my best I wasn't improving, and with out improvement I saw no need to run, and therefore quit after the first few weeks. 

Just that day, when I woke up, knowing I should get out of bed and at least take a short jog, the second Edge CD was delivered. My sister and I popped it in and listened to the stories of Orrin selling his candy bars, running laps on the track, and encouraging "Ice Adidas" as he played basketball. He talked about how when he couldn't sell any candy, he realized why he couldn't, and instead of giving up, he problem solved and achieved his goal. I knew the reason I wasn't improving on my runs was because I wasn't running my hardest. Whenever I would get tired, or get a cramp I would stop and walk. I made the decision to start again, and to not to quit, even when my entire body was aching in pain. For a week I would go out in the mornings or evenings and do my best, and eventually it got easier and easier. The CD encouraged me not to give up, but to figure out what was making me quit and run until I hit my goal. I would tell myself I could do it just like Orrin did to the young basketball player. 

June 2nd came up. It was the annual church race they held every year. Last 5k I made a promise not to be beaten by my mother. It would have been easy to give up on my goal, and have humiliated myself further, but instead I trained, and came up with a far better time than last (while beating my mom). I'm glad I heard the positive information that kept me going. I look forward to the CDs every month, and appreciate the time that the leaders of Life have put aside to create them for us.

Be REAL Writing Contest!

Be REAL Writing Contest 

The Results Are In!!!

As many of you know, teaching kids is one of my passions in life.  And with the LIFE Edge cd series, I now get the opportunity to connect my passion for kids with my purpose in life!  I think that's pretty cool. 

Kristine and I love the Edge cd series and what we see it doing in our own children's lives, so we wanted to expand that to include all the kids in our Revolution family.  That's when we launched Be REAL.  That stands for Revolution EDGE Academy of Leadership.  Which is just a really cool way of   reminding ourselves, and the young people in our lives to Be REAL:  The REAL you inside. We accomplish this through listening to our awesome series of cds specifically designed to present leadership principles packaged just right for those in the younger years of life. 

In the spirit of Being REAL, we launched a writing contest to all the kids on the Revolution.  We asked them to write about any of the Edge cds and show how they were using the principles in their own lives.  WOW!  We received a lot of awesome entries.  It was a blessing to read how this series of cds is affecting kids' lives. 

We broke the entries into 4 categories:  Preschool, elementary, middle school and high school.  We chose a winner for each category and an overall grand champion!  It was very difficult to choose the winners and a lot of time was spent by the judges as they went back and forth on several entries!  We'd like to thank our celebrity judges Richard Kroll and Tim and Peggi Kern for taking the time to read each entry.  The voting we so close we had to call in the big gun to help us choose the final Grand Champion!  A big huge thank you to Laurie Woodward for casting the final vote for our GRAND CHAMPION!!!!

Each of the category winners will be featured on my blog this week.  I know you will be impressed and inspired as you see the next generation learning and leading right where they are.  There's so much hope, and the Edge series of cds is leading the charge in giving these kids the information they need to be world changers!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS!

And great job to those who best expressed how the EDGE cds are impacting your life!

Grand Champion

Tom Wright,

High School 

Joshua Smith 


Middle School
it's a tie!
Anna Smith
Miranda Millington


Elementary 
Isaac Ashworth


Pre-School
Colin Smith

What is Your Medicine?

As I moved through Orrin Woodward's book, RESOLVED,  I came to Resolution #3 Attitude (which I have read more than any other chapter).  This past Tuesday we had a challenge group and talked about that topic.  As I listened to others talk about their struggles with bad attitudes and their victories in having good attitudes it struck me how important association is to being positive.   We live in a negative culture and as the news shows us, we naturally gravitate towards the "negative news story".

I know the LIFE material has helped me with my attitude tremendously by giving me positive things to listen to and read. But as I listened to my friends at the challenge group,  I was again reminded that one of the best remedies for my bad attitude is to get around positive forward-minded people!

I want to know what you do to cure yourself of the "bad attitude" disease.  Take the time and share one tip you use to remedy a bad attitude!  It will be a benefit to all.

Looking forward to reading and thanks in advance for sharing.

What is in your Jar?

I love the story in Orrin Woodward's book, Resolved, on the importance of putting in the big rocks first. (Pg. 39). If you remember the story, the presenter had filled a wide-mouth jar to the top with big rocks to where no more would fit.  After doing that, the presenter then added gravel, next he added sand, and finally water.  That jar was used to its capacity.  The interesting thing in the analogy is, if the presenter had started with any other ingredient-water, sand or gravel the materials would not have fit. It is only because he had put the big rocks in first that everything was able to fill the jar.  Our lives are just like the jar. Every one of us has obligations, priorities and choices that we make daily that are either water, sand, gravel or the big rocks.

The question that comes to my mind is what are the big rocks that you are putting first?  Or are you even starting with the big rocks, maybe sand or gravel or water is consuming your jar and you are leaving the big rocks sitting on the table.

I hear people all the time say, "I would like to do that, but I don't have time."  We all have the same 24 hours in a day, so what this person is really saying is, "I don't value that enough to make it happen."  I have watched business partners of mine, myself included, do amazing things when their business is a big rock. When laser focus is employed great things happen!!  I've also seen and experienced the opposite- water, sand or gravel filling the jar before it's even noticed.

I believe it is important to always evaluate your life plan and make sure you look at your big rocks and look at your schedule and make sure they line up.  It is very easy to get caught up in the busyness of life.  I know it happens to me all the time IF I don't ask myself,  Are my big rocks lining up with my schedule?

It is always eye opening to me when someone says to me, "I want to make this goal happen by this date!" But when I look at their daily schedule I know what they said they wanted to do but their actions show that their goal is not a big rock.  Self deception is a devious suitor!  The only way that I can make sure I am "living" my big rocks is to make sure I continually revisit my schedule.  I challenge you to do the same!  If you want great things to happen then you need to plan for them!

Ask yourself, what am I running for? And then, check last month's schedule and see if it says the same thing.  Don't allow yourself to be self deceived.   If you are honest with yourself on these points amazing things can happen.  I know I have a lot to learn and I know I need to work on this also.  but I also know that when I am diligent about this process my life is on fire for my purpose! Remember,  YOUR SCHEDULE SPEAKS SO LOUDLY I CAN'T HEAR WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.

Put the big rocks in first 

Physically Fit, Mentally Fit

Looking at the Mental Fitness Challenge from the eye of Olympic Gold

This morning I watched a video about Michael Phelps; the man who has the chance to become the most decorated Olympian in history.  He's just three medals shy of this accomplishment.  His accomplishment hasn't been without a price.

In the Slight Edge, Olson writes, "Success is not a random accident."  Phelps' life is a testament to this very statement.  Currently 26 years old, Phelps has been in Olympic training for 16 years.  Of that time, he went 6 straight years without missing a single day of training.  That's 2,190 days straight of being up in the dark and arriving at the pool at 6:30am and staying there for the day.  In the video he said he has visited so many fantastic places during his career as a swimmer and yet, he hasn't seen a single one of them outside the pool and his hotel room.  16 years.  Swimming.  Dedicated.  16 Olympic medals.

"Success is not random." Michael Phelps has paid a great price to achieve what few people will ever achieve.  In the 116 years of modern Olympic history the standings are 20 individuals have earned 10 medals or more.  Just 20 people have achieved 10, and yet Phelps stands at 16 with a chance to be the most decorated Olympian ever.  2,190 days straight.  16 years of training.  Sun up to sun down.

"No success is immediate," writes Olson.  Phelps has spent years of his life to achieve what he has.  He wasn't a medalist at 10 years old, not at 11 or 12 or 13 or 14 or 15 or 16 or 17.....but when he turned 18, he won 2 bronze medals and 6 gold at the Athens Olympics.  And then in Beijing in 2008, at the age of 22, he won 8 gold medals!  The most gold medals every awarded in a single Olympics.  "No success is immediate."  Day after day after day, training for 8 short races.  16 years.  Hard work. 

The power of Phelps' victorious swimming career is the power of the Slight Edge: "The power of daily actions compounded over time."  Michael Phelps used this principle to become one of the most physically fit, most decorated and most successful athletes of the last 100 years. 

If the Slight Edge worked for Phelps with his physical goals, couldn't it work for you and me and our mental goals?  That's exactly what the Mental Fitness Challenge is all about, using small actions, repeatedly over time to achieve an extraordinary result in your life and my life not just in one day, but over time. 

When taking the Challenge there are a few practices that need to be repeated daily:

1. Review Your Goal

2. Take Action Toward Your Goal

3. Listen to 2 Cds

4. Read 15 minutes a day

5. Watch the MFC video

6. Grade Your Performance

Did you read sun up to sun down training?  In a pool?  Swimming lap after lap after lap?  Or lifting weights or strict dietary guidelines?  No!  Just take 6 easy to do steps daily for you mental fitness.  WOW.  What a program.  It's so easy to do, but easy not to do too.

That's the the whole point of Woodward and Brady's Mental Fitness Challenge.  Small incremental steps done over time to create the Life YOU'VE Always Wanted!   Easy to do, easy not to do. 

Isn't the chance to live the life you've always wanted worth some focus and discipline?  We're not talking duplicating the physical endurance and abilities of Michael Phelps, abilities most of us don't have.  But what the challenge is about is no less important!  In fact, in your life and in my life, it's more important!  By training mentally, something everyone can do, stacking up daily disciplines, in the same manner any winner does, you can begin to compound efforts over time by creating successful habits in your life to achieve whatever it is that you and I set our minds to doing.    6 steps.  Every day.  Read, listen, watch.  Set goals. Check your goals,  Take the challenge. 

I imagine swimming lap after lap in a pool over years can get lonely.  Sure there are other swimmers in the water, but none of them can share in his laps with him:  Michael Phelps swims alone.  The Mental Fitness Challenge is different.  In this challenge, there are daily disciplines no one can do with you, yes that's true, but built into the Mental Fitness Challenge is a group of people who are going to go the distance with you.  This group is called a Challenge Group.  

A Challenge Group is an opportunity for you to gather with like minded individuals twice per month to share, discuss and learn together.  What a brilliant concept!  Creating success habits for myself, but not by myself.  Challenge groups are going to take our mental fitness to the next level.  

It comes down to one thing,  "Success is not a random accident."  Michael Phelps has achieved greatness because he put in the daily disciplines to do so over years of time.  It's no different for you and me.  Daily disciplines over time will compound into success.

Take the Challenge.  Become mentally fit.  Achieve your own gold medal in life and 

Live the life you've always wanted. 

Your Influence Goes Farther Than You Think

There is a story in the book Trust, one of the LIFE products I read recently, about Harmon Killebrew.  He remembers as a child playing baseball in the backyard with his dad, and his mom yelling out the window, "You are going to ruin the grass!"

To which his dad would reply, "We ain't  raising grass, we're raising boys!"

Most of my backyard is the perfect shape of a baseball diamond.  My kids and I have completely ruined the grass! And that worn out baseball shape means everything to me because it's an example of sacrifice and of dreams accomplished.  It reminds me of what one can do with hard work and an opportunity! An opportunity like the one we all have with the LIFE business.  Orrin Woodward and the Life Founders have provided an unbelievable vehicle for dream accomplishment.  I am so thankful for the information and example it has provided.

The reason I love my imperfect backyard is because of how it came to look the way it does.  Can you imagine how many hours it takes running back and forth over grass to wear it out?  Not just a path-but to solid dirt?  My boys are out there every day as soon as they can, staying as long as they can, not ruining the grass but chasing their dreams!  Why would two young boys spend so much time playing baseball?   Because they have examples to follow. Others who have followed their dreams. Examples like Orrin Woodward and the policy council and my teammates.  These examples are my children's heros!  Not too long ago my son Jackson and I were in the backyard and he said to me, "Dad you know I am going to accomplish my dreams!!  You know why?  Because so many people around me are accomplishing theirs!  Mr. Woodward, Mr. Brady, Mr. Schill, Mr. Hartmann, Mr. Kroll, and Mr. Kern, actually all your friends and especially you Dad!"

How can you put a price on what example this association is? You can't!  Orrin always reminds me "Never underestimate the influence you have with others."  I just want to say to all of you LIFE members that are influencing others' lives. Thank you for influencing my family with your incredible example of men and women chasing their dreams and standing for truth.

God Bless
Marc