Life Has No Guarantees!

Are You Expecting The BEST?

2011-05-05T11:32:00.000-05:00

Do you have the right kind of expectations? Do you expect to receive the BEST or the WORST?

"The Law of Attraction" teaches us that whatever we give focus and energy to--that is what we are going to receive. So, I suggest that you focus on great things to come!

That is really hard for some people. Many individuals do not believe that they deserve good. Live a good life. Put others first. Care for your own family. Help people in need! If you focus on these types of deeds, good will also come to you.

Expect the best! You do deserve it. Don't let anyone tell you "You don't deserve it." They may not, but you do. Stay positive.

What Are You Grateful For?

2011-04-14T16:56:00.000-05:00

Even during our darkest days we have so much to be thankful for. God has definitely blessed me and my family.

Teaching bad habits early!

When I was diagnosed with cancer almost 18 years ago, one of my first goals was to live long enough to see my children graduate high school. For my youngest, that was 8 years away. Not a lot of non-Hodgkins lymphoma patients live that long. But I can tell you today, that all three children have graduated college and are all married. Three weeks ago, Gwen and I were in Houston to enjoy the birth of our first grandchild. Last week we returned to babysit while Momma go out for the first time.

In June, 1993, I never thought about a "bucket list" per se, but there were definitely milestones I wanted to reach in this life and I am so grateful that I have greatly exceeded all of those expectations!

When times are tough, don't let yourself stress too much, or become depressed. Rather, spend your time counting your blessings.

A "bucket list" is a good thing. We all need to have goals and dreams. Create, or update your list, then start celebrating as you check out the items on the list.

Cash Aaron - Our latest blessing!

All Network Marketing Companies Are NOT Created Equal!

2011-03-05T20:34:00.000-06:00

When some people hear MLM, multi-level marketing or network marketing, they ask, "Is this one of those pyramid schemes?" I ask them, "What do you mean by that?" Some respond, "Where only the people at the top make all the money!"

If that's your perception, then let me briefly explain why USANA is so different.

There were approximately 200,000 active associates in about 14 countries when we started in 2004, yet we were recognized at the 2010 USANA International Convention last year as being in the Top 200 income earners.
We can only grow our income by starting new business centers (virtual stores) at the bottom of our organization.

Did you ever consider that the organizational structure of every Corporation is a pyramid.

As an employee, can you ever make as much money as your boss or the President of the company?

In USANA, I have the potential to earn more than anyone who started their business before me.

The U.S. Government is one of the largest pyramids in the world.

Here are some other key differences.

USANA is a 19-year-old company, publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol USNA.
Associates DON'T get paid for recruiting people - you are paid on volume of products sold.
You get paid on the volume of everyone in your organization.

Network Marketing is the industry of growth in the 21st Century. If you aren't networking, you may not be working!

How's Your Life Going?

2011-02-07T11:12:00.000-06:00

Are you happy with your current place in life? Are you doing what you want to do? Does it seem to good to be true? If not, then what is keeping you from having the life that you want?

I think it is very simple. As the great motivational speaker, Les Brown puts it, "You aren't hungry enough!" Until we are hurting so bad that we will do anything to change our life, some people will never get out of their comfort zone.

For years, I know that I was a perfectionist. One of the biggest problems with a perfectionist is that they are afraid to embarrass themself. They won't get out and try something unique, something that might make them stand out, because they are afraid of failure.

If you have a USANA business and it is not growing, it is pretty simple--you are not talking to enough people, or you are not sending the right message. You can offer the #1 Nutritional products to people. You can offer the #1 company in network marketing, both documented by third-party sources, so what is holding you back? Probably YOU!

You must present your business with great confidence and excitement. You must exhibit the confidence that you know you are going to be successful. You could be saying the right things, but if you don't show any enthusiasm, it doesn't matter. It must be evident to people that you love what you are doing and they would love it too.

Failure only happens if you are not introducing USANA to other people. You can go too far--you can talk too much about USANA to your friends. If you mention USANA to one of your prospects every time you see them, then you are saying too much, unless they are asking you for more info, or asking how your business is doing, you need to make it a point to NOT mention USANA in the next couple of conversations.

Failure is not sharing your business with others!

If you are introducing USANA to people on a regular basis and your business is not growing today, don't worry about it. The other thing is that you can't just talk to the same people over and over. You have to get out and meet new people--contact people you haven't approached before. When you are approaching new people, you are planting seeds. Don't burn any bridges. If people are not in "the looking mode" it doesn't matter what you say to them. Build relationships and work your business. When people see you later and ask, "Are you still doing that business?" and your response is, "Absolutely!", they will be impressed.

Don't be a failure. Action overcomes fear. So what if you look silly a few times. It didn't kill me the first 1,000 times I did it, so it probably won't the next.

Sanoviv - Delivers Hope When Most Doctor's Can't

2011-02-03T13:25:00.000-06:00

The current issue of the USANA magazine, Vol 1 2011, has in-depth group of articles about Sanoviv. If you are a USANA associate, use the magazine as a prospecting tool. Show people the science behind USANA.

Click here to see the entire USANA magazine on-line. It is large, 11MB, so it will take a minute to download the PDF file.

Here's my article.

If you are not a USANA associate, but would like to learn more about Sanoviv or USANA, please email me.

If you are looking to go to Sanoviv, and a Sanoviv patient has not referred you, please use my referral code, GB100579. The code will create a $100 credit for your stay.

Check out Sanoviv's improved website.

Take charge of your health!

Maintaining Optimal Health

2010-12-14T10:41:00.000-06:00

I just returned from a week at Sanoviv Medical Institute and all of my test results were great! My doctor said that he normally doesn't see results this good! Of course, he is usually dealing with people who have come there because they are dealing with serious health conditions. I've just defeated cancer on 6 different occasions.

This was my first doctor's visit of any kind in 13 months. That's the longest period of time between visits in the last 17 years. I have had check-ups or treatments every 3 to 6 months, or more frequently since 1993.

This blog entry is titled "Maintaining Optimal Health", because that's what you learn to do at Sanoviv. Every evening they provide a 1 - 2 hour class on nutrition, mental health, proper digestion or another related topic. You are assigned a primary doctor, dentist, chiropractor and nutritionist. Each of them are specialists in their area. Your room has a beautiful ocean view. Your meals are included. You have a heavy, raw vegetable diet, but you also have some great fish and chicken dishes. On Saturday nights, you get a dessert. One morning is pancake day and they have some awesome, fluffy, gluten-free pancakes. On Thursday, it's time to give you digestive track a break, so it is a liquid diet all day. If you like meditation, or you have never tried it, you can attend a meditation class every morning. Then, you can go to light stretching class every morning before breakfast.

While there, I was asked to do a video testimonial of my experiences at Sanoviv. That should be posted on YouTube soon.

Did you know that you can have a cholesterol level that is too low? It is unhealthy to have a level below 150. Your body needs good cholesterol was good health.

A major emphasis in the area of nutrition is to make your diet "gluten-free". Gluten is the new, major problem for a lot of people. Many people are developing allergies, because fast foods are loaded with gluten products. Of course, for those of you that bake, flour contains gluten. So, avoid gluten when you can. By the way, USANA has several gluten-free food products--Chocolate Whey Nutrimeal, Peanut Butter Nutrition Bar, and the Chocolate Fusion Bar, among others.

Also, I was put on a protein and good fats diet (very low carbs), because I am not absorbing my nutrients as efficiently as I should. After doing this for 3 months, and continuing to eat a healthy diet, my gut should function as designed by our Creator. Did you know that you can eat all of the natural, raw butter and not gain weight? It's a good fat for us.

Give yourself the gift of good health, or share it with a friend! If you decide to go to Sanoviv, I would appreciate it if you would use me as the referral person, and use my code GB100579.

If you are one of my Facebook friends, you can view a Sanoviv testimonial video that I made a short time ago there.

Have a great Holiday season!

A Difference Maker

2010-11-05T09:59:00.000-05:00

In a network marketing company, the founder can make all the difference in the world in whether the company is, or is not successful.

In most network marketing companies, the founder of the company was very successful in another industry, made a lot of money, then started their own company, because of the huge sums that can be made in network marketing. In many cases, they start the company, then search for the product that will make them successful. I am not bashing the following company. I'm just using it as an example. Look at the bios of the founders, yet this is company is selling 'green' products. Their backgrounds don't have anything to do with the industry.
Wowgreen International, LLC founders

In the case of USANA Health Sciences, you will see that the founder is typically wearing a lab coat, because that is his comfort zone, the laboratory. Dr. Wentz has dedicated his life to improving the quality of lives of people by developing viral test kits (Gull Laboratories), USANA and Sanoviv. Dr. Myron Wentz is well respected around the world, because of his huge vision of "I dream of a world free from pain and suffering ..."

Dr. Wentz created his own product, The Essentials, then his team worked to find a way to distribute the product where they could maintain the high quality of the products, yet sell them at a reasonable price. The only answer was direct sales or Network Marketing. Watch the USANA Difference below.

A Great Week Ahead!

2010-11-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

We are very fortunate to have a big Super Saturday this week in San Marcos, TX at The Embassy Suites. Fred Cooper, USANA President, is our special guest. Fred is always entertaining, but he is also a genius. He is the personal behind the USANA compensation plan that generates the highest payout percentage of all reporting network marketing companies.

For Gwen and I, it is so great to have an event like this about 8 miles from our house. We normally drive 35 - 40 miles to San Antonio events. This weekend, they will be driving out near us.

Then, January 28 - 30, 2011, is the 2011 STI Live event, which is also at the San Marcos Embassy Suites. STI Live is the absolute best training in network marketing. Several of the top USANA income earners will share how to build a solid USANA business. Any associates wanting to grow their business need to attend this training if at all possible.

Have a great week!

Quality Nutritional Supplements Are Necessary!

2010-10-29T10:01:00.002-05:00

The following video shows how uninformed the medical community and nutritionists can be about the need for taking quality vitamins and minerals. Now, the other problem may be that there aren't many quality products and they don't know about USANA's products.

In the video, this "expert", talks about how he is healthy and just eats right. I thought I was also very healthy when I was diagnosed with cancer. I was running 2 miles, 3 times a week and felt great, but I felt a lump in my throat. The surgeon went in to remove a thyroid cyst and was shocked to find cancer. I had no warning that I was dealing with cancer. I was in Stage III. This person could find himself in the same position.

Quality nutritional supplements like USANA help prevent major problems from occurring. Take a look at my post about the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements a couple of days ago.

This shows why we must have patience and be willing to educate many people on the need for nutritionals. However, I don't recommend that you try to spend your time convincing doctors and nutritionists. In many cases, they are convinced they know what is best.

Those of us that take quality supplements and have seen a significant improvement in our quality of life know the value of taking them. Many people try inferior supplements and don't feel any improvement, thus they conclude that supplements are not any good. If someone will commit to taking 5 to 7 days of the HealthPak, then they may be worth sampling.

The great thing about our products is that they work even if you don't believe they will!

Share this video from USANA's Media Center with your prospects!

Why Waste Time Complaining - Be Positive

2010-10-29T09:14:00.000-05:00

Sorry, but I have not been inspired to write this week. Sometimes, thoughts overrun in my head, but this week, not much seems valuable. I got up this morning at 7 a.m. and now I'm at my local Starbucks. It is 50 degrees, with crystal clear skies and it is just a gorgeous day. I hate to see daylight savings time come to an end in a week.

I do understand one specific need. Right now the kids are waiting on the school buses in the dark. That's not a safe thing, so that is the only real important reason to move the time back in my mind. I sure don't like it getting dark by 6 pm, but in the big picture, it really doesn't matter.

You know, we can find plenty to complain about if we want to, but why do we want to spend so much time on something so worthless? Complaining about meaningless stuff is a downer for everyone you discuss it with. I'm sure you have someone in your life that comes to mind when I mention a "constant complainer". When you think about the drudgery of being around that person that complains about the small stuff in life, doesn't it make you want to avoid that person?

That's one reason I really don't like spend much time discussing politics with people. A good rule of thumb is "Don't complain about things that you are not willing to take the time and effort to change." The other is, "Don't complain if you don't have a solution to offer." The vast majority that complain about politics don't vote on a regular basis, and they certainly don't educate themselves about this issues or candidates. The only input for them is the news channel.

There are a couple of activities that you can vent your frustrations about, knowing that you aren't going to be able to change things, and it is still fun - television shows (especially reality TV, because you know a lot of it is predetermined for the best ratings) and sports. People who are really plugged into a TV show, get engrossed in the characters and "know" how they want specific situations to turn out. For the sports enthusiast, they have their favorite sports and favorite teams. Every player, no matter how good they are, have bad games and nothing goes right. It is very frustrating as a fan, but I know that it is even more frustrating as the player or team when they perform poorly. When things don't go our way, we want to express what we would have done differently. It is totally subjective and the overcome of your ideas will never be proven, so it is a lot of fun to speculate and express you meaningless opinions.

Go out and make someone's day by doing something special for them. You won't hear complaining from someone who receives an unexpected gift from you.

The Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements

2010-10-26T09:26:00.000-05:00

If you don't have a copy of the Nutrisearch Guide to Comparative Supplements, you should. However, I just found a great link that provides a solid overview of the guide and it's information. I like this link, because it is another third-party source.

Here's the link - check it out.

http://www.squidoo.com/nutritional-supplement-guide

What Does Your facebook Say About You?

2010-10-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

Are you a big fan of facebook? Do you constantly update your status? You have a lot of FB friends that are watching you and forming opinions about you, based on what you post.

facebook can be a great place to promote yourself and it can work against you. Are you trying to promote your business on your FB page? Have you ever considered what kind of image you are promoting with your status updates?

Are you one of those people that others want to remove, because you constantly enter updates about senseless stuff--what TV show you just watched; how long it took to change your baby; what your dog just did; or, that you are dreading the potatoes you have to peel? If you are providing constant updates, you may be annoying to some of your friends, and, you may be giving them the impression that you have nothing else to do.

There are other types of updates that could be detrimental to your business.
1. You don't want to offend others by including curse words.
2. Don't complain about never being able to afford things you want, or gripe about the cost of things, i.e., gasoline, medical expenses, groceries.
3. Don't brag about being out-of-your-mind drunk from partying all night, or anything like that.

If you give the impression that you can't pay for the basics of life, then what does that tell people about your business, except that it is not making you much money. Others will be offended with bad language, or with those that promote a party life. Be careful what you post. Provide status updates that will promote that person you want others to see in you.

Social media is a great way to stay connected with folks. It can also be the wrong message, if you are careless with it.

What's Your Mood?

2010-10-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

Go out to a busy Starbucks, a shopping mall, or sporting event and sit back and watch people. You will see all types. It's very interesting. If you go to the same place for several days in a row, you will probably see repeat patrons. You are probably more likely to find regular clientele at a small coffee shop or cafe than at a sporting event or shopping mall.

What are the modes of those people? Are they consistent? Are they different from one day to the next? Some people enter the door with a smile each morning. Others drag in. Their hair is a mess and it appears that they are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. Then, there are those people totally in their own world. They don't communicate with anyone. They have their iPhone and headsets on, just talking, or listening to their music. They don't respond to anyone.

What I have observed in the Starbucks that I frequent is that people are the same day after day. They are either always in a good mood, or always in the "woe is me" mode. I think some people just want attention. If you are a loyal customer of a small establishment, other regulars are, and have been, watching you. They have their preconceived ideas about you. How do they see you? Do you care? If you want to have a relationship, whether business or personal, you should care.

I actually sat down for more than an hour with one of the other regulars the other day. To start off the conversation, he asked me, "How are things going?" I said, "I'm doing great!" He said, "You are always doing great!" It just resonated with me, that he has been listening to the small talk and watching me. I'm glad that it was a postive impression that he had. I have my bad days just like anyone else, but I work at not displaying it.

I have been playing basketball with the same guys for a couple of years now. Some of them have asked, "What's going on? Is everything okay?" when I was in a bad mood. Then, I had to try and snap out of it.

How do you want others to see you? Do you care what opinion they have of you? If you do, then I would suggest that you enter with a smile on your face and greet the people that you contact. Add something to their day, regardless of how down-trodden they may be!

Have a great weekend!

"ME" Time

2010-10-21T10:05:00.002-05:00

Do you allow yourself "me" time? Time that you get to be by yourself and do whatever it is to relax, whether that is meditating, reading a book, yoga or praying. Sanoviv recommends to their patients that you give yourself at least 20 minutes each day to relax and focus on something you enjoy, but that is not time in front of the television. Television is a stimulus. Although I fall asleep watching it frequently on weekends, it is recommended that you never turn the TV on right before you go to bed, because it stimulates you.

"Me" time is important for you to focus on positive, inspiring things. Reading a personal development book, the Bible or something that is very positive would qualify. At Sanoviv, Monday through Friday, they have a meditation class at 8:30 each morning. They are exposed to a different type of meditation each day, so that you can possibly find one that you enjoy.

The real challenge for most people is devoting that time to themselves. For some people, they don't feel that they can give themself 20 minutes each day, but lets get real. We find time to do what we want to do. That may be watching a particular TV show each day, or reading the newspaper. Neither of those qualify as quality time for yourself.

Again, at Sanoviv, you are NOT allowed to have your cell phone, laptop or newspapers. You are to spend free time relaxing. And, that is not surfing the Internet, reading news stories that are typically very negative in nature, or talking or texting on the phone.

So, I challenge you to dedicate 20 minutes a day to yourself. During that time, focus on positive thoughts and inspiration. It can be focusing on your goals; on reading your affirmations, or anything else that I have already mentioned. If you are suffering from an illness, it can be a time for visualizing yourself being healthy and combining that with positive affirmations, such as, "My body is healing and I feel much better."

"Me" time -- you deserve it!

In My View - Why Network Marketing Turns Off People!

2010-10-20T14:44:00.002-05:00

Do you find that some people are very receptive to Network Marketing and others are very turned off by it? That's just like anything else. There are people for it and people against it.

Many baby-boomers were turned off by the Amyway approach from many years ago. People would lie to your face, because they were taught to never tell a prospect what the name of the company was until they were in a presentation. I even had people that I attended church with, lie to me. I hate to admit that, but will definitely turn off people.

Support, or lack thereof, is a huge reason why people are turned off by Network Marketing, or MLMs. They enroll, pay the money, then they never see their sponsor again.

Then, there are companies that require you to carry a significant inventory of products. For most people, this runs up their credit card balances much quicker than they can move the product. This give a person a bad taste very quickly when their garage or closet is filled with products that haven't moved--that's pressure!

If a person is only able to make a significant income as long as they recruit new people, then they grow weary of having to constantly recruit. Instead, our compensation is based on the amount of product consumed in our business network. We don't get paid for recruiting people.

So, how do you overcome this? If the person is belligerent, just move on to the next person. If the person expresses concerns, but still has an interest, then:
1. You must sell yourself. You must make them believe that you will be there to support them.
2. You can explain to them that USANA is very different.
     A. Associates never sign a contract with USANA. You can freeze your auto-ship at any time. All you
   lose is your accumulated volume when you freeze your auto-ship.
   B. Therefore, we have no sales quotas. No weekly or monthly volume is required to keep your business
   open.
3. Be upfront with people and let them know you represent USANA Health Sciences.
4. A true residual income can be built with a consumable product.

Believe that you have a gift of health and financial freedom and you will be successful! Keep sharing!

Are You The Friend That You Want Others to Be With You?

2010-10-19T08:25:00.000-05:00

Surprises, shocks, disappointments, friends turning on you. They all result in surprising you. Some are positive and some are very disappointing. It really shows you those who are your friends and those that simply use you. At times it may not be a friend that wrongs you, but rather a third-party who heard something about you and took a shot at you.

A true friend will let you know what they are thinking, whether it is something you would like to hear or not. Friends can share their differences and still be friends. A good friendship many more good times than bad. The solid relationships will cause you to overlook the rare instances when you are blindsided or surprised! In addition, a true friend will know when one of your sarcastic remarks was just a funny line, and when you really meant it. Friendships may be put on hold when one of the parties offends the other, but in most cases, a short time heals the situation and the offender will apologize to the one offended.

Are you one that will work hard to keep the friendship sound? If the other person offends you, do you have the courage to let them know? Sometimes, that person doesn't even realize that they said or did something offensive. You would be a friend by letting them know that it was hurtful and something they should not do. Other times, they may try to take advantage of the relationship and you need to let them know that is not acceptable. Every situation is different. You have to decide what is best. Some people want to avoid confrontation at all costs and that ends up leading to them being hurt time and time again. Don't be one that is confrontational, but have the courage to let someone know when they have overstepped the boundary and wronged you.

When the friendship is fairly new, you may very well have some interesting situations. The other person may not respond just the way you expected. It may be that you made a sarcastic statement and they didn't understand that you were just teasing. You need to be aware when you do or say something that is a little edgy, to watch the person's response. Was their response spontaneous or did they seem confused, startled or puzzled? You may need to explain yourself, before the situation escalates.

Are you the friend that you want others to be with you? If you will honestly evaluate yourself from time to time, then your attitude is in the right place! If you never feel that you do anything wrong and it is always the other person at fault, you are probably at fault! Be honest with yourself. Everyone else knows!

Time Flies!

2010-10-18T09:23:00.000-05:00

Do you remember when you were in grade school and your parents take about how time flies? My parents did and I just couldn't understand what they were talking about. Especially, during the summers. My parents were very strict. We lived in a rural area and I wasn't allowed to get away on my bicycle without them knowing exactly where I was going and how long I would be gone. Typically, it was never more than 2 hours at a time that I could be gone. Instead, I had chores to do around the house--burning the trash, painting fences that my Dad welded, etc. The summers seemed to just drag, and drag, and drag.

But how time changes as you get older. It's hard to believe that most of October 2010 is already gone. Before we know it, it will be Christmas, then 2011. If you don't put an event on your planning calendar, you probably aren't going to be a part of it. Time becomes a very precious commodity as we grow older. For one thing, you start seeing your high school friends becoming very ill, or dying. That's a WAKE-UP CALL! That type of news can make you very depressed and you can start dwelling on how little time I have left, or "What is around the corner for me?" But don't do that!

Instead, embrace the moment! Be thankful for each day. Tell those that mean so much to you, just how important they are. Remember those goals that you have and put everything into getting what you want! We have no guarantees in life. You may be that person that lives to their late 90's, or you may not have much time left, because of health problems, or just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We can waste a lot of time worrying about what might happen, or we can live each day to it's fullest! What's your choice?

Rank or A Solid Check--What Do You Want?

2010-10-15T09:22:00.000-05:00

This post is USANA-specific more so than a lot of my other posts.

Associates tend to get hung up too much on what their rank/title is. Rank advancement is the easiest way to measure if someone is building their business, because you can see advancement, but it is not a true indicator how solid their business is.

People can become a Silver Director in the first week of working USANA, but if they don't recruit anyone in Week 2, they don't have a paycheck on Week 2. A solid business is about the auto-ships that you have in your network of customers and associates. Without auto-ships, you don't have a residual income. If someone becomes a Gold Director in 4 weeks, that means that they have at least 10,000 points of enrollments and purchases each of the 4 weeks, but their auto-ships on weeks 5, 6, 7 and 8 may only be 1,000 points left and right (1,000 points per side could be 5, 200-point auto-ships). Meaning that their checks, if everyone was doing a 200 point auto-ship and no one stopped, would be $200 a week. That's not close to being a solid Gold Director, making $1,000 per week on one business center. You must continue to build your business until you have more than 5,000 points in auto-ships in every leg, every cycle.

Personally, I have always been much more concerned about the size of checks we receive, than the rank we have achieved. We are not yet solid Ruby Directors, but a solid Ruby Director can make $3,000 - $5,000 per week. I would be very happy with that kind of income. Achieving that level is more important to me than reaching Emerald director.

If you will focus on building a solid business, your rank advancements will happen. But being a Silver Director by title, but only having a weekly check of $100 - $500 does not constitute a solid business.

Now, there is an exception to what I have said. If you are working with people in a new area, it is important to have one of those new team members advance to the level of at least Achiever as quickly as possible. That way, the new associates and prospects will see that this thing really works. As more people receive checks, the easier it is to promote the business.

I'm not saying that your Rank is not important. Until you reach a full-time level of Gold Director or above, it is important. If someone sees you at the Builder or Achiever ranks for 4 to 5 years, you will have to spend more time justifying why USANA is not working for you. It may be easy to say, "I'm very happy with the $400 - $500 a week that I receive", and the new prospect will be impressed. There are not a lot of people making $2,000 residual per month in Network Marketing.

Enjoy building your business!

Another Coffee Shop Bites The Dust!

2010-10-13T09:49:00.000-05:00

And so goes our economy. I usually go to a local Starbucks to write my blog and check emails. This morning I decided to go to the coffeshop on the Square in downtown New Braunfels, only to find the signs gone and a sign in the window, "Office Space Available." So, I'm back at the local Starbucks.

It surprises me how much business is done at a Starbucks. I spoke with a Yellow Book salesperson the other evening after one of his appointments. They move from one small town to another, working as teams. He said they used to rent an office space, but with laptops, they usually meet at the client's place of business, or at the Starbucks. That has really changed from when I owned a software company in the 80's. I see job interviews, managers conducting out-of-office one-on-ones, etc. A lady that makes wedding cakes meets clients here all the time.

Traditional businesses are falling left and right. At the same time, opportunities are always there. Robert Kiyosaki will tell you that recession is a great time to start a new business. In his latest book, "The Business of the 21st Century", he quotes from a recent study, "72 percent of all adult Americans would rather work for themselves than for a job, and 67 percent think about quitting their jobs "regularly" or "constantly"." What he recommends is the direct sales industry or network marketing.

You can't depend on the longevity of a traditional business. It has as many flaws as owning your own business. A traditional business needs employees. Employees never have the same level of commitment as the business owner. They don't have the same fixed costs and intangibles. Employees can make your business or break it up with a poor performance. Being the business owner requires you to be self-motivated, willing to make things happen when no one else is doing anything.

Being a business owner requires sacrifice. I don't watch all the television and sports that I used to watch. We don't get to be with family as often as we would like because we are attending Super Saturday trainings, or traveling on business. When we travel to work with our business partners, we usually get up early and work late, making the most of their time, because we are only available for a short period of time. Most people are not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make their business solid. After 10 presentations, with one no-show and 9 "No's", they are ready to do something else. A "no" just means that you are getting closer to your next "YES!". Persistence is critical for any business owner.

Robert Kiyosaki and Napoleon Hill will tell you that successful people have just failed more times than those that are not successful. Kiyosaki says that he has lost everything on two different occasions, yet today he doesn't have to work, because he has built a solid stream of income and true wealth with time and financial freedom.

If you don't want to be an "employee" the rest of your life, you must be willing to fail many times, and then celebrate the small victories as you move forward. There is no 'silver bullet' in doing our business. It's a matter of speaking with a lot of people and finding those who value their health or want to be their own boss.


Do you feel like this?

Or this?

You have to believe in yourself and walk around with a big smile on your face. If you look frustrated or down, people are not going to want what you have to offer. Obviously, it doesn't make you happy. They must see you full of energy, enjoying everything in life and needing to ask you what you do. Greet strangers as you walk by them. Show a genuine interest in others. If you are not genuine, people will see right through you. Some days you have to fake the happiness, but if you act like you are happy, you may just start feeling it. Remember, "Things could always be a lot worse."

Positive Influences Are Important!

2010-10-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Do you watch the news on TV? Would you agree that a majority of the news is very depressing? The US economy is in the tanks; wars continue; constant reports of new ponzi schemes; crime, and moral corruption among celebrities and sports figures.

I would suggest that you need to stay away from the news on the television or radio. Instead, find an inspirational audio book, paperback or whatever. A personal development CD can set you in the right frame of mind for the day.

Do you start the day by watching the news or reading the newspaper? Where do you turn in the newspaper--leading stories are usually bad news about political battles, government corruption or crime. I know that some people turn to the obituaries to see who died and that is not very uplifting.

I watch too much TV, but the majority of what I watch is sports. I love rooting for my favorite teams, or rooting against those I can't stand. The special stories that they have are usually informative and a good insight story about a particular athlete, but this last year has been filled with reports of immorality with the likes of Ben, Roethlisberger, Tiger Woods and now, Brett Favre.

We would all be better off if we turned to the Bible, or personal development books, DVDs or CDs that are uplifting and encouraging. If we would focus on starting each day with something positive, our attitude would be set to the right thought process.

Spend time on your way to work listening to a motivating CD or reflecting on things that you should be grateful for. If you stay at home, start with some personal time in reflecting on things that you appreciate, or reading the Bible. Start the day with a positive influence, whatever that is for you, and you are much more likely to enjoy your day.

Life Is Too Short! Get What You Want!

2010-10-11T09:29:00.000-05:00

If you have read my blog, this may seem repetitive, but it deserves repeating--what do you want out of life? What do you really desire to do with your time on earth?

What you are about to read is nothing new. You can find a lot of authors who teach this. It took me a long time to listen to any of them, but after I read "Think and Grow Rich" and I applied these principles, my life changed in a big way! Goals became a reality.

Have you discovered your WHY? Still pondering

Do you have a plan in place to achieve your goal? Have you written down your goal? I'm going to be very straight with you. If you don't write down your goal(s) or affirmations, you will not achieve it. An alternative is to create a dream board, that contains images of what you dream of, but you must have a visual aid. You MUST read or visualize your goal(s) every day, morning and evening. It must be constantly in front of you to keep you focused.

Here's the real important part--It doesn't have to seem possible today. It may seem unreachable, but if you focus on it and work towards that goal, it can become a reality. You may not even know how you are going to attain it. You don't have to have a specific plan in place, but you must be focusing on your dream! Your goal statement must be written in the Present Tense, specific as to date and goal. And, you must read it DAILY!

It is very easy to let the stresses of life depress you. Life can become overwhelming IF YOU LET IT! You have a choice of letting yourself dwell on the negative or focusing on the positive. I choose to focus on the positive. What good does negativity have? NONE!!!

I know that some people don't believe that writing goals is necessary. They don't see the value in it. I was there myself for many years. You say, "I want a positive change in my life," but do you really mean it? Are you willing to take the steps necessary to make that change a reality.

Let me ask you this--How is your current plan working? Is it producing the results you are looking for? If your answer is an emphatic NO! then why don't you change it? What can you lose? The current plan isn't getting you what you want.

Step out of your comfort zone and do something right away that you fear. That may be going and talking to a stranger. It may be buying clothes that are little on the wild side for you. A new hairstyle? It will grow back if you don't like it! Sign up for a 5K run or a 10K run--something you never thought you could do.

If you know what you want, then what are you waiting for? Quit letting fear stand in your way. Don't let people who DON'T have what you want, tell you that you can't have it. Place yourself near people who have what you desire.

It's Great To Be Home!

2010-10-07T09:28:00.002-05:00

First, I need to apologize to my regulars. Traveling got me out of the habit of writing. We had several early mornings with the Akron Diamond University and working with others. I haven't worked that hard in quite a while and it felt good.

No matter how good of a time you have when you go somewhere, it always feels great when you get home. You are back to sleeping in your own bed, using your own shower and life gets back to normal (whatever that is). I've played basketball the last two days, so I got back in my exercise routine. It actually wasn't too bad after a two week break.

We had a very productive and enjoyable trip to Ohio Amish Country. We have made a lot of new friends and business partners. We were there 12 days and took the least expensive route, flying standby, because our daughter-in-law works for Continental Airlines, but there are still a lot of expenses. Between airfare, rental car and parking, we spent about $700, then there were product purchases for sampling and a Sense' party, plus business tools. Flying standby can also give you some scheduling skills. The flight that we were booked on ended up being full, a 2:55pm flight. The next flight to Houston was also full, but then I went on the Internet and saw a flight from Cleveland to Newark to San Antonio. I called my daughter-in-law, she said it looked open and so we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the Newark, NJ airport, then had a 3.5 hour flight to San Antonio. We made it home the same day. We were able to decompress from a busy two weeks and everything was great!

The one thing that surprised me, was that the typical Amish meals are carbohydrate intensive. You have yeast rolls to start every meal at a restaurant and who can turn those down. When they brought 2 rolls to the table and asked if we wanted more, we told them not to bring any more, because if we had them, we would eat 'em. Then, those people love noodles or french fries with their meals. Their pastries were delicious--cinnamon rolls, cream-filled pastries and pies. Broasted chicken and Swiss steak are mainstays for lunch or dinner. Fortunately, we were so busy that we usually only ate 2 meals a day, so neither one of us gained any weight, much to our surprise. It wasn't a healthy diet, but it was good, just not good for you. Now it's back to our healthier meals with USANA shakes every morning, fresh Pico in the fridge and low-glycemic meals during the week. I splurge on weekends and have my desserts then.

That's all for today, except a few more pictures.


Barn on a curve of the main road we traveled to work with one of the associates.

Parking area for buggies at Troyer's Market (grocery).

One of our associates sells beautiful, all wood caskets by day.

Baby pony feeding out in the country.

A Great Experience

2010-09-29T09:25:00.002-05:00

Because of our business, my wife and I have spent several days in the Amish community of Sugarcreek, OH. I am writing as a novice about this topic, but it is very interesting to me. Those of us that live the fast-paced life could learn a lot from them. You might have the misconception that they aren't as aware of what's going on in the world, but I have quickly found that is not true. They are avid readers. They listen to the radio. Their school education is only through the eighth grade, but they are very intelligent.

They have a work ethic that is so strong, it would put many of us to shame. And, this area is some of the most beautiful country I have seen. It has lush, rolling hills with rows of corn interlaced with rows of deep green pasture for erosion protection on the hillsides. Their main mode of transportation is the horse, so you see beautiful horses and cattle in the pastures. Most of the buggy horses are thoroughbreds, mainly black and dark brown, but the work horses are mostly Belgiums. They are beautiful animals that are treated with great respect. There are mainly Holstein cattle, but there are also a lot of Jersey.

As you drive down the country roads, it so neat to see the horse-drawn carriages converging on an intersection from multiple directions. Many of the local auto drivers are very impatient with them and rude. Because of the hilly roads, it is dangerous to pass, because there are so many blind spots, plus you can top a hill and find a buggy right in front of you, so you have to drive carefully.

I'm out of time for know, but I will share more later. Have a great day!

Relationships Are An Integral Part of a Happy LIfe

2010-09-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

Everyone needs a good friend. Someone that you can vent to if things are tough. Someone to celebrate with. Someone that is always there for you. Life is very lonely if you never build relationships.

At the same time, an adult maintains multiple relationships. If you are a married parent with a child in school, lets take a mother, you have the:

Mother - child relationship
Husband - wife relationship
PTA Mom - school relationship
Friend relationships
If you work, you have the relationship with your boss or employees

All of these relationships are different. You deal with each of these in a different way, because you have differing responsibilities. There are several steps to strong relationships. They don't just happen.

The baseball diamond below depicts the steps that we must follow for a successful relationship. Remember, in a baseball game there are rules on how you score a run. You must go in a particular sequence--from Home Plate to First Base, First Base to Second Base, Second Base to Third Base, Third to Home Plate and you score a run. You cannot skip any steps in building a relationship either. So refer to the following diagram as you read on.

First, you must show someone that you care for them. The other person must see that you have a genuine interest for them. You must be sincere in your efforts to build a relationship. That means that it is NOT about you. You will ask them something about their life, their interests and listen intently to their response. Maybe, you compliment them because they are wearing something that looks good, or is something that you would wear yourself.

Second, you must build a trust. You do this by sharing something about you with them. If they see that are being vulnerable, the relationship will grow. When you are willing to share something about yourself, you are risking the possibility that they will use that vulnerability against you, but a true friend would never do that. You must take chances in a relationship. You will share your inner thoughts, a weakness you struggle with, or something that is important to you or troubling you. Those are things you don't share with everyone, but you do with a friend.

If both of you are being vulnerable, then you will begin to support each other. That support comes in the form of challenging one another to be better at things, or it may be encouraging someone to be strong in a difficult time. That support feels great. You know that you have someone that you can count on when times get tough, or when you want to celebrate.

Keep in mind that in a new relationship, you must be willing to take the first steps in showing care, trust, and support. This takes time. It won't happen in one, short visit. A relationship is something that you must work at building. The reward is that you will be connected with that person through thick and thin, through heartache and euphoria. You will want to be there for that person and they will always be there for you.

Building and supporting your team is exactly the same. In order for someone to see that you will be their mentor, they must understand that you really care for them. They must know that they can trust you, and that you will always support them. The same goes for every human relationship that you find yourself being a part of.

The Most Under Diagnosed Deficiency!

2010-09-16T16:54:00.000-05:00

Dr. Wentz's opening comments at this year's USANA International Convention focused on the value of Vitamin D. He stated that Vitamin D deficiency is the most under diagnosed problem in the world.

One of many interesting points he made was that the closer people live to the Equator, the less cancer exists in their society. Why? The SUN. When we are in the sunlight, and we have not used a sun-blocker, our body will manufacture Vitamin D.

Dr. Wentz recommends that we get out in the sunlight, 15-20 minutes per day without any sunscreen, so that we can maintain our Vitamin D levels. Of course, we should all supplement with the USANA Vitamin D. It is very potent and inexpensive. One in the morning and one in the evening is needed. You can't overdose, but having a deficiency makes you much more susceptible to cancers and other diseases. Dr. Wentz stated that the Vitamin D deficiency is a major cause for the rise in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) cases the last several years.

With winter coming, everyone needs to get their order in for Vitamin D and keep it on hand. We can't overdose, and we are putting our health in great danger if we become deficient.

How Many Trips Do You Have Planned?

2010-09-15T09:37:00.002-05:00

Have you listed the various trips that you want to take in your lifetime? You know:
Paris, St. Thomas, Honduras, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Alaska, Quebec, whereever!

For purposes of example, I am going to use 75 years of age as the age to which we can travel with pleasure, no complications and we will be able to really enjoy the trip. For some people, that is very generous, while for others it is cutting them short. You can plug in your numbers.

If you are 35 years old and you can travel for one week, one time a year, then you have about 40 trip opportunities left in your life. Have you ever thought of it that way? Let's say that you have 10 trips that you definitely want to make in your life already and you have 40 trips left. If everything goes perfectly, you are already 25% booked!

As you get older the percentages go up. If you are 50 and you have 10 trips on your list, you only have 25 open slots, so you are almost 50% booked. That's a sad way to look at it, but if you have a job, you are limited to the vacation time you have and what you can afford.

The alternative is to start working hard in your own business, building a residual income that in 3 to 5 years will allow you the time to take 2 to 5 trips a year. If in 5 years you have built that residual income and you will turn 50 at that time, now the percentages turn in your favor. You have 10 trips planned, but now you have 75 slots available (taking an average of 3 trips per year). Now you have more options than you did when you were working at age 35.

By the way, I have NOT considered any life-changing events occurring in you life. You know, a car accident, a bad health diagnosis, stroke, etc. You may not have until you are 75. None of us have any guarantee that we will be here tomorrow.

I heard on the radio today that Brett Michaels, lead singer of Poison, the current Celebrity Apprentice, tells the story that when he was in the hospital after suffering a stroke recently, there was one song constantly on his mind. That song was Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying." Michaels says that he is living life with that in mind.

To get the most out of life, we MUST KNOW WHAT WE WANT OUT OF LIFE. Next, we must DEVELOP A PLAN to achieve what we want. Last, we must WORK THE PLAN and make it happen to the best of our abilities.

Life Happens -- Stay Positive Through All!

2010-09-14T14:30:00.000-05:00

Our business partners have experienced a lot of trying times recently, but they always seem to be very upbeat and inspiring. It is so important that you look for the positive blessings out of every road block in your life.

One person recently lost their job, so we received a call, asking if we could still get specially priced tickets for convention and if we knew of someone that they could share hotel expenses with. Instead of saying, I don't have a job, so there is no way that I can spend money on gas, event passes, food and hotel for 4 days, they were ready to learn how to build the business. That's exciting!

Another partner has had a lot of serious health challenges and didn't know until the last week if they could attend the USANA International Convention, but then we received the call that said "I'm coming." Wow! We had decided that it would in their best interest to not come, because of health challenges, but that didn't stop them.

Another associate had just received a preliminary diagnosis that the doctor was pretty certain they had cancer and surgery was scheduled immediately following convention. Did that stop them? Absolutely not. In fact, they were updating their names list so they could start building their business soon after they got home. They scheduled multiple appointments for the next week.

If you keep yourself focused on moving forward in life, you have a lot less time to worry about the negative possibilities. You can learn a lot from the drive and positive vibes that you receive from these people. If they didn't tell you what was going on, you would have no clue that they were facing some major obstacles that life had thrown at them.

Maintaining a 'positive energy' at all times is the best possible thing you can do in trying times. It may be that your business leader is doing a lot of stuff that is very frustrating and it's easy to let that get you down, but it can't keep you down. You must not let anyone stop you from moving your life forward in the your desired direction.

Are you going to let someone else stand between you and your goal? You shouldn't. Ignore the negative and stay positive!

What Drives You?

2010-09-13T09:44:00.002-05:00

People are motivated by different things. What's "your thing?"

No matter what we are doing in life, we need to have a purpose. That may be one long-term goal, or that may be several different goals along the way. It's important that you identify what is most important for YOU. You can't live your whole life doing what others expect of you and find gratification in doing so. Unless your life-long desire is to make others happy, a people-pleaser, then you need to stop and explore, "What do I really want to do some day?"

Does this approach sound selfish? It's really not. Everyone around you (except maybe your boss) wants you to be happy, everyone that truly cares for you any way. What would be satisfying to you? We don't let ourselves explore this thought process often enough. Everyone needs "me time". We need to focus on self from time-to-time. If you are a Mom, then you are likely to be focused on the family, and children in particular. If that's you, more power to you. We need great parents to develop our children. As parents, we devoted endless hours to our children when they were in grade school. I coached every sport in which they were involved prior to school sports, and we never missed one of their games during school activities. When they wanted to participate in talent shows, my wife would stay up all night to get their costumes or props ready, if necessary. She read to them every night before they went to bed. I was often still at work. Owning my own traditional business, a software company, was one of those dreams that didn't turn out as expected--it owned me for 7 years.

So, what is it that you would love to be doing?
Writing a book? Children's books? Novel?
Riding horses?
Traveling the world?
Founding and working your own charitable foundation?
New car every year?
Volunteering at Hospice or other organizations?
New home? Second home? Lake home?
Missionary work?

Whatever it is that you would love to be doing, you need to identify it. That will give you a purpose and reason, to develop a plan to attain that goal or dream.

If you never develop the plan (the goals) to achieve what you want, you will never attain them. Define and set goals. Work to achieve those goals. Be focused and never quit. Applying these principles in your pursuit of happiness is critical.

Have a great day!

Laughter Is Good For You!

2010-09-10T09:39:00.000-05:00

When you laugh, you are happy and your body responds in a very positive way by producing endorphins. This sensation can last up to 12 hours for some people.For more detail, check out Endorphins 101. I'm not endorsing the iVillage website on which this article appears, but it is a good article about endorphins.

So, my purpose today is to simply help you laugh a little. Enjoy some or all of the GIFs below.

Do You Write Goals?

2010-09-09T16:03:00.000-05:00

For years, I told people that I didn't need to write goals down. I was successful climbing the Corporate ladder and receiving promotions. How dumb was I? But, I have changed!

I changed and things started happening for me. I was never taught during my school years that it was necessary to write goals. Sure, people told me that you need to have goals, but I was never told that you need to write specific goals down and read them daily. I am still working on making this an every day routine. It hasn't become a habit yet, but I'm a lot better at it than I used to be.

There are multiple ways to do this.

Writing a specific goal and posting it in a prominent place that you look at daily
Write a movie script that describes what a perfect day for you would be like--smells, sites, people around you, the location, etc.
Write affirmations on a 3"x5" card that are positive statements to get you thinking positively

No matter how you do it, there are a few key points that are important in everyone of these!

You must write or speak in the present tense, not future
You must be as specific as possible with exact amounts of money or whatever the exact goal is, and the exact day on which you expect to achieve the goal
You must read your statement(s) daily
They must be achievable

Another way to have a visual motivation is to create a Vision Board or Dream Board. This poster will have pictures of things that represent what you want most in life, whether that is a specific car, travel to certain countries, vacation with the family, a new home, a new television, or whatever.

The important thing is that you must do one or more of things on a daily basis so that you will always remember why you are living life and what you are working to gain! If we have nothing to gain, we lose motivation very quickly.

Dress for Success - What is That?

2010-09-07T10:08:00.000-05:00

There are books written about this subject that will spend a lot more time on it than I will. I'll tell it in my terms.

When I was an employee, working 45 - 60 hours a week, I really looked forward to the weekend. Sound familiar? When we would go out for breakfast or shopping on the weekend, I dressed so relaxed it was sloppy. Very comfortable, but sloppy. I was like 90% of the other people.

"Dressing for Success" says that you need to dress a little better than that 90% when you go out in public. For your friends that have been running around with you for years, they need to be able to recognize a change in your appearance. It doesn't mean that you have to start wearing a starched shirt and pressed jeans all weekend. It can be simple changes. For women, it may mean that you put on makeup on the weekend, when you didn't used to do that. For men, it can be washing and combing your hair, plus shaving on the weekend. For men, that can be harder than wearing nicer clothing. Men can start wearing neat polo shirts instead of the T-shirt with holes, along with cargo shorts that are pressed, or at least neat.

Now here is where I will be different than a lot of other people. Men, you don't have to wear a suit and tie to an appointment to impress a business man. And women, you don't have to wear your nicest dress and stiletto shoes to impress. Let's get real! How many business people want to wear suits and dresses when they are away from work? I may be different than others, but I was not looking for a business opportunity that required me to wear "my Sunday best" all the time.

Look at the latest trends. Right now, nice jeans are very popular. If you wear a nice blouse or shirt and fashionable jeans, that will work most of the time. Add a blazer to dress it up. For women, your hair style is important. It needs to be current. Not the latest in fashion, but not 1980s either. Then, you will have your own definition of this one, but you can't look frumpy! Your appearance needs to be current! If you feel that you can't afford current, there are a lot of stores where you can find inexpensive, trendy clothing - Target, Kohls, etc.

Change things up! Make people notice that you have changed. Your friends will comment when they see a change and that will be a great lead into a good conversation.

Do I Approach Business with the Right Posture?

2010-09-06T09:34:00.002-05:00

When I ask this question, I'm much more concerned about the mental aspect of posture than the physical aspect. However, your physical posture (body language) is very important when someone meets you for the first time. A 'first impression' is very important, and it must truly portray who you really are. When you approach someone, you must walk with confidence. To me, that means an upright walk that shows you are confident in what you do. You must walk with a purpose in mind, not aimlessly.

The mental aspect of posture is much more important. Again, it must portray the "real you." You must believe:

In yourself
In what you promote (products)
In the Company you represent
The Business (Industry)

Posture is about confidence and self belief, not about how busy you are.

If you don't have strong beliefs, your doubt will show when you stutter when you speak, or when you try to justify everything you say. You may stutter as you speak, because you are nervous or excited about the opportunity, but that will come out differently than stuttering because you have doubt. When you truly speak with posture, you will speak with confidence that what you are saying is fact, and you know it without a doubt.

Posture IS NOT acting like you are busy, by placing people on hold when you are speaking with them on the phone, or by planning to have someone call you when you are in the middle of a business presentation so you appear to be 'in demand.'

Consider a telemarketer that has called you in the past and it was obvious that they were reading a script. If you tried to interrupt them while they were reading, they became confused, or lost their place. They may have ignored you and continued reading. It was obvious that they were just reading a script they didn't understand. But, if you asked that telemarketer a question and they were quick to respond with a valid statement, then continue, you would know that they have been doing this for a while and are confident in what they are doing (posture).

When you are brand new at a job or business, you will have to develop posture. It comes with experience. When you first begin, you posturing will be different, typically approaching someone with excitement about something. If you are brand new, no one should expect you to have a strong posture. It is better that you are totally honest with them and tell them that "I just started my own business and I am very excited about the potential ...". If you are brand new as a phone support person, you should have enthusiasm about what you are doing, but if you are asked a question for which you don't know the answer, let them know, like "I am brand new at this and I haven't dealt with that before, but I will get you an answer, so please hold." When you are straight with people, that builds are stronger relationship than if it is obvious to them that you are acting very different.

Portraying posture is very important when you have been involved in the same thing for a while. If you are not "sold" on what you are doing, then you need to reevaluate why you don't have the confidence you should have and start working to fix that. If 'fear' is the problem, the best thing to overcome fear is action. Put yourself out in front of people enough times until you are comfortable doing it.

Sanoviv - Ever Heard of It?

2010-09-03T09:23:00.000-05:00

If you are into Health, then you need to plan a trip to Sanoviv. Add it to your bucket list! Going there is like going to a 5-star health spa for medical care. If you are a cancer patient--when was the last time your oncologist consulted your dentist to determine the status of your health? It never happened for me until I went to Sanoviv. They treat so much more than cancer, so visit the Sanoviv website to learn more.

Sanoviv was founded by Dr. Myron Wentz, who is also the founder of USANA Health Sciences, that is where the link ends. You don't have to be in USANA to be a patient at Sanoviv. Sanoviv is for the world! But, Sanoviv emphasizes the science that is behind the USANA products, because USANA products are used as part of your treatment at Sanoviv. Everyone needs optimal nutrition.

I have been a patient at Sanoviv three different times. The care that you receive is amazing! The first time was for a health assessment. On day two, I was informed that my next form of cancer would be liver cancer if I didn't start a detoxification program. For the next 10 days, I was placed on a detox program. For 7 straight days my diet consisted of nothing but vegetable juices and some fruit juices. By the end of my stay, my blood work had totally changed! When I returned home, several friends told me that my complexion was amazing. I didn't have a yellowish tint to my skin anymore is what several noticed.

The second trip was a follow-up and another 1-week detox program. The last trip was for surgery when my cancer returned for the sixth time. What they did next is the amazing part! They took my tumor into a lab for two different purposes. They cultured healthy, donor, white blood cells on the tumor. Then, they made an oral vaccine for me, containing the white blood cells that had been 'programmed' to fight my cancer, and I took that vaccine over a period of 6 months. My immune system has been rebuilt to fight my cancer, which it never had before. Finding the right chemo drug for treatment was the second purpose. They tested 6 different drugs on my tumor to determine which one was most effective--outside my body! It took my immune system two years to completely rebuild itself and I was in treatment during that time. The testing concluded that Rituxan was the best drug for me and that's what was administered for the next 2 years--32, 3-hour, IV treatments in all. Today, I should be cancer-free! Sanoviv doctor's were the first to tell me that they have a high cure rate for my type of cancer.

At Sanoviv, they treat the individual, not the general disease, which is different than going to an oncologist in the states. For 17 years, my oncologists have said, "You have non-Hodgkins lymphoma and we treat it this way ..." without trying to determine the root cause.

Sanoviv has just started a surgical program for MS, multiple sclerosis, patients, that has been very successful. Recent studies have shown that MS is caused by blockages in our veins. If you have MS, or you know an MS patient, you MUST tell them about this.

If you plan to go to Sanoviv, please let them know that I referred you, and use my referral code GB100579 to receive a $100 credit.

Not Everyone Likes Themself

2010-09-01T10:46:00.000-05:00

Do you like yourself? Do you have a high opinion of yourself? Do you believe that you are contributor, a valuable friend or partner to someone?

To enjoy life, you must believe that you have value, that you are worthy of the praise of others.

The biggest reason why people do not try new things is because they do not believe in self. They don't have the confidence that they should to be successful. We need to get out of our own way!

Everyone who is doing positive things in life--being a good parent, spouse, friend, employee, volunteer, etc., has great value. It doesn't matter how great or how small your contributions seem to you, they are important. Give yourself a break! Don't be so hard on yourself! We all make mistakes. You must be willing and able to forgive yourself for some 'stupid' things you may have done in your life. You probably are a great friend to others and you are very quick to forgive the faults of others, but you aren't as kind to yourself. Why not? You need to celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may seem. Give yourself credit for being the friend that everyone wishes they had, or for being the volunteer that the group can always count on, or for being the parent that is always supporting your children.

You are more valuable than you think! If you have a circle of friends that you consistently communicate with--you are valuable to them. Don't dwell on your mistakes. Realize that there are people who respect you and want you to be an important part of their life. Believe in yourself and your life will be so much more fulfilling!

Live life to its fullest!

Education Stifles Creativity

2010-08-31T17:23:00.000-05:00

When I started teaching this concept in a dream building workshop, I had no idea how many websites supported this concept.

Studies show that by the age of 5, children use 80% of their creative capacity! Yes, 80%! By the age of 12, young people use 2%! Not much creativity, huh? Most people live the rest of their lives only using 2% of their creative capacity.

So what happened between age 5 and age 12? Education!

Education is necessary for everyone to succeed in life. At the same time, we must not let education destroy our ability to be imaginative and spontaneous! Our education system teaches us how to be conformists! We are taught that we must speak or act a certain way to be acceptable in society.

If you are taught what to do and how to do it, how creative can you be? There is not much room for expressing your personality in that plan.

I totally bought into this whole process when I was young. I was class president my junior and senior years in high school. I was also Student Council President and Salutatorian. I graduated from Oklahoma State University in 3.5 years with a double-major in Business Management and Business Administration. I climbed the corporate ladder over a 30-year career. I have been happily married for over 36 years, with 3 children, the typical middle class, American family.

But then I became part of the #1 Company in network marketing. I started seeing many young couples who taught dream building workshops and how we need to write goals and read them daily. Their success spoke for itself. They were living the life they were promoting, so I finally told my analytical self, "Shut up and listen!" I started writing goals, even a movie script, and reading them daily, and it has been totally life changing. Below is a picture of my work truck today.


Now I am the non-conformist in my neighborhood!

I'm not afraid to be different. My wife has always had a promoter personality, but it has been a transformation for me. But, I was able to leave Corporate America at age 53, so it has been so worth it!

You must take action to make your dreams a reality!

Why Stick With USANA?

2010-08-30T12:53:00.003-05:00

USANA was started in 1992 and is publicly traded on NASDAQ (symbol USNA). All of their financial statements are published online at www.usanahealthsciences.com. I want to be part of a company that is an "open book" company.

USANA is financially 'rock solid' and has a 50-year business plan in place. My business is willable to my children and their children, or anyone I choose.

FHTM (Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing) is a hot network marketing company in Central Texas right now. I have been approached by several of their associates this year. The #1 thing they claim is that FHTM pays out over 90% of their sales revenue to the associates. Folks, do the math! A major Corporation can't survive on less than 10% of their sales revenues, if that is their only source of income.

FHTM associates have told me that publicly-held corporations are bad. The Enrons, Arthur Andersens, and other corrupt corporations were all bad because they were publicly traded. How stupid does that sound! FHTM is a privately-held company, meaning that they do not have to disclose any of their financials to the public and therefore, they can make all kinds of claims about payout percentages, but will never provide any solid evidence to back their claims. Are publicly traded companies all bad? Absolutely not! Isn't it interesting that the companies that FHTM represents are publicly-held corporations, i.e., Dish Network, AT&T, Sprint, GE, etc.? They broker the services of these companies.

USANA states on the front page of their website, "Highest Payout Percentage for Profitable, Reporting Companies in the Industry." USANA is very conservative in their computations and will only state this if they can prove it. And, the USANA payout is greater than 50 percent. The network marketing industry is full of claims, but there are few companies that publish their complete financials on the web like USANA Health Sciences.

People get sucked into these claims (over 90% payout, etc.) and trust the marketing hype published by their company. Here is a quote from KENS5.COM, "At least two attorneys general got wise to it all: South Dakota and Montana's top law officials have filed suit against the company for its deceptive practices." You can watch a video and read the story by clicking on the KENS5 link above.

So, if an FHTM associate attempts to recruit you, ask them these 3 questions.

Where is the documentation that FHTM pays out over 90% revenues to their associates?
If publicly-held corporations are so bad, why do you market the products of some many publicly-traded companies?
If I quit recruiting people, can I live on my residual?

Then, consider 'residual income' potential. With USANA, you can start with a 20% commission rate with 3-business centers. Your residual in USANA is based on the number of autoships in your organization. FHTM raised their commission rate to 1.5% this year, so they are not about residual income. Their main income comes from recruiting people. A person pays $300 for their business system binder. That $300 is largely distributed to the sponsor and their managers. If it is deemed to be a legit company and you want a company that will allow you to walk away in a few years, yet maintain a huge residual income, then FHTM is not the company for you. You can only make big money as long as people are signing recruits.

One of the statements that was used when I heard the presentation was, "It only makes sense that you would signup with FHTM. You already use a cell phone and cable or dish TV, so why not get paid for the services you use." The problem with that logic is that at 1.5% commission, on a $300 monthly bill, you make $4.50. You would have to have $100,000 per month of services to make $1,500 per month residual income.

Hopefully this information will better arm you to discuss FHTM in the future!

Stick with USANA and share it with everyone! You too can have a large residual income that is willable!

Dream Big and Live Your Dreams!

USANA International Convention

2010-08-23T08:44:00.000-05:00

This is an exciting week for me. The USANA Int'l Convention has been voted the #1 Corporate live event in the US for the last 2 years. Can't wait to see what new products will be introduced and business changes. I'm excited to learn more about the new presentation DVD that will help new business partners a great deal.

For me, it's always exciting to hear Dr. Wentz and Denis Waitley speak. I want to take in every opportunity to do so, because we never know how many more we will have. It's a great time to reconnect with team members from all over that we don't get to see on a regular basis, although our time is way too limited. Reconnecting with cross-line USANA associates from New Zealand, England and across the US is always great. We have built a lot of great relationships through USANA over the years.

I'm really glad to see that USANA will be recording a lot of the events so that associates who can't make the event can see a lot of it online. This will be the first year for that.

I plan to provide some updates this week, but they will be limited. I'll be back on a regular basis next week.

Do You Have Any Bad Food Habits?

2010-08-20T10:28:00.000-05:00

I do! I love ice cream in particular, but I love all kinds of desserts. When I went to Sanoviv, I learned that cancer feeds off of sugar. I definitely had to cut back, but I'm not strong enough to say "No more desserts!"

Sanoviv teaches you that your diet should consist mostly of raw fruits and vegetables, at least 50% and more like 60% to 70% of your diet. I have to confess. For 2 years afterwards, I did really good with my diet, but I have reached the point that salad just doesn't sound good. What we do eat a lot of fresh pico de gallo. We make it fresh on a weekly basis and I eat it with avocados, chips, etc.

A Sanoviv nutritionist gave me a goal and it went like this. We have 21 meals a week. If you can eat good, raw foods and low glycemic foods, for 15 - 16 of those meals, you have done well. When it's broken down like that, it's not so bad.

When it comes to desserts, I try to limit them to weekends. Before, I had ice cream almost every night of the week. And, I can tell you that the USANA Reset package really helps you in cutting the carbs and sugar cravings. After a week on the Reset, I didn't want any sweets, which is a good thing.

The problem is that I stay beat up and bruised, because I keep falling off the cart! We just have to do the best we can and try to improve our habits a little at a time!

Have a great weekend!

Do You Have Value?

2010-08-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

I'm asking about your personal opinion about yourself. Don't answer this according to how you believe others would answer the question about you. Be honest. How is your self esteem?

Which one of the following statements best describe you?

I can go out and conquer anything I decide I want to do!
I don't think anyone would really miss me if I were gone.
I know I have some value, but I don't know who would benefit from me.
I would be a valuable asset as a team member, maybe not the leader, but a contributor.

If you answered #1, that's great. You believe in yourself and you have the confidence to take on anything. My only encouragement would be, is never be so confident that you become unteachable. We don't know everything and we can always learn something knew. If others see you as obnoxious or arrogant, maybe you should tone down your attitude and approach. Appearing to be arrogant can be a huge deterrent to your success.

If your answer was #2, then we have a lot of work to do to build up your self esteem. You must learn to respect yourself. Because of that, you probably don't take many chances. You don't step out of your comfort zone, and you are only comfortable around your family and very close friends. If you are not comfortable around your family, then search to understand the underlying problem. Be honest with yourself and if there is an abusive situation, then be brave enough to contact someone that can help you approach the abuser and begin to enjoy life. No one should have to suffer abuse from a spouse or partner. I'm not here to give marital relationship advice, but abuse is not right in any personal relationshp.

If you answered #3, then you have some work to do to build your confidence and to acknowledge that you do provide great value in relationships and certain social environments. Be proud of the your strengths and understand that your contributions are needed. It's always nice to feel needed and wanted by others.

#4 is a good place to be. If you only want to be a team member and not the leader, there is nothing wrong with that. A team always needs players who contribute, but are willing to let others lead them. You may grow into a leader role, but if you don't, there's no shame in that.

When others compliment you or your actions, accept that praise and understand that they appreciate your added value. Celebrate the small things in life! Don't minimize the role that you play in the life of others.

What Do You Say?

2010-08-18T09:49:00.000-05:00

We have all known someone who just lost a loved one, or someone who was just diagnosed with cancer or another life-altering disease. Did you find yourself wanting to express your compassion for them, but you just were not sure what to say? We have had several situations in which people have responded to our losses or diagnoses. For us, no response was wrong. Maybe you just give the person a hug and let them know you care for them. It could be showing up at their home with food or sending a card.

When it came to my cancer first diagnosis, I was just fine with someone using the word cancer. There are always those who are in denial after receiving the bad diagnosis and don't want to discuss it, but I would encourage you to express your concern and support. Let them know that you will be there when they need someone to help or listen.

I find myself unsure of what to say to someone at times. Plus, I am an emotional person and I don't want to show a lot of emotion when I approach someone, because I don't want to cause them to get emotional. Most likely, they are in that phase or have been. In those case when I am emotional, I don't say a lot. I simply say "I'm very sorry for your loss", or "Call me if I you need anything" or simply give them a hug. Once you say something, then it opens the door for more conversation.

The "Feel, Felt, Found" approach may be something you use. It goes something like this--I know how you feel. My brother was recently diagnosed with cancer and he felt there was little hope in having a long future, but what we found has that by discussing a positive result from treatments, he found hope in moving forward.

Everyone needs to know that people are there for support, whether they want to admit it, or not. When others show that they are concerned about us, then we feel blessed to have those kinds of friends. Let people know that you care and don't worry about how your words come out. The important thing is to be sincere and your intent will come through.

Be A Good Listener

2010-08-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

In order to be a true friend to someone, you must be a good listener. All of the conversations can't be about you. Rather, you must be willing to listen to that person and understand their perspectives. If the relationship is all about you, then the other person will grow weary and feel unimportant at some point.

Everything your friend does is probably NOT going to be exciting or interesting for you, but that's where compromise is important. The same thing applies concerning you. Some of things you do are not really important to your friend, but a true friend will be there for you to share your experiences and hear what you like.

I like watching Major League Baseball games on television, but I also know that a lot of people are 'bored to death' watching it. Some people like to collect all kinds of frog figurines. That doesn't interest me in the least, but if I have a friend who collects frogs, I'm going to be thinking about that person when I see a unique frog figurine and I may buy it for them if I know they don't have that one. You should do things, because you care about that person, whether or not, you have the same likes or dislikes.

You MUST know the NEEDS of a person before you can help them. You must listen to people to understand what needs they have. Let's say that I have a friend who doesn't like baseball at all. If I gave them 4 tickets to see the Yankees and Rangers play, would that really be a good gift? Only if they could sell the tickets and make some money. Your gift must be something that they enjoy in order for it to fulfill a need. If your friend is needing to feel accepted and you tell them, "Just do it and don't worry about what people think," have you made them feel any better? Absolutely NOT! You need to reassure them that people are going to find them interesting, or give them ideas on how to be accepted.

When you are in the middle of conversation, stop and listen to what the other person is saying. Don't just sit there, waiting to tell them what you want to say, not caring about what they have to say. Your response needs to show that you heard what they had to say and you either what to confirm that, or voice an alternative view. This applies to conversations between friends or business partners; between a parent and child; between a teacher and student, or between a manager and an employee.

Your relationships will be greatly improved when you are a good listener!

The Leadership Style I Prefer

2010-08-16T08:17:00.000-05:00

There are many different leadership styles, but I'm going to focus on my preference in this space today. When my kids were younger, I coached their baseball, basketball and softball teams. From 1983 - 1989, I was a partner in a software company and we employed 1 programmer. Prior to that, I was Vice President of a small software company and had about 7 direct reports. For the last 15 years of employment, I was in a management position. As an athlete for 40 years, I was always a leader on my team, so I have experienced leadership from my different facets of life.

Remember those new jobs that you have had? When you first started waiting tables, did you know how to do it? Or, when you graduated college and entered the Corporate world, had college prepared you for the "real world?" You still needed "on the job training" when you started. It gets easier as you go to your second, third and fourth jobs in the same field. But, if you change careers, the learning process starts over.

Ask yourself: If I was the new employee or associate, would I want ME as a leader? When you can honestly answer, YES, to that question, then you are on the right path to leadership.

I prefer to be a coach or mentor, not a boss. People that want to learn from you, want someone who:

Provides training and shares techniques
Makes learning interesting
Listens to them
Allows them to fail
Celebrates their successes
Comes along beside of them (mentor)
Challenges them

One of the most important points I could give someone about leadership would be this - "Don't tell someone how to do something--show them." There is a huge difference between telling someone what to do and showing them how to do it. If someone has never down something before, how can you expect them to know how to do it, unless you show them? This definitely applies in parenting, coaching and being a leader.

Remember the programmer I said I employed earlier. Several years later, I reconnected with that person and he thanked me for the opportunity he had to learn programming while working for me. He said, "I would ask you if this code would work, and you would say "I don't know--try it and find out." He said that he learned a lot from having to find out for himself. At the point that I responded that way (try it and find out), I had already provided a lot of training for him and I knew what the answer was, but I knew that experiencing the success or failure provides a more lasting lesson than just providing a quick answer. I mention that to say that coaching, or mentoring, should only go so far. At some point, the person that has been trained, has to put that training into practice and see what works for them. But, that doesn't mean that your job as a leader is over at that point. After they attempt to apply the principles learned, they are going to have additional questions, based on the feedback they received. Training can't address every situation, so they will need suggestions on how to handle specific situations as they present themselves.

In network marketing, a lot of people consider themselves leaders, but the only way they encourage their partners is with words like, "Go make it happen!", or "Make something happen!", or "Just get out among people and share with them." Those words are not "empowering." People that have never done it before need to be trained on what to say, and how to say it. You can only "empower" a person by providing training on "how to's." If your training an experienced person, that's very different. They only need to be trained on what makes your company unique and other points of emphasis.

A good leader is not "a boss." I really like the concept of "mentor", which I see as someone coming along side of someone and assisting them in developing their skills. That means that when they need help, you will be there to support them. They can get out and do things on their own, but when they indicate that they need help, you don't say "You ought to know that by now."

Feel free to post comments on what you like to see in a leader. Have a great day!

Don't Be Predictable

2010-08-13T14:18:00.000-05:00

Some people are so predictable. They always do the same things, day after day. I can be that way, but I like to surprise people at times.

I coached my kids baseball, softball and basketball teams when they were young. I can remember in baseball in particular, there would be situations when the pitcher was having a hard time throwing strikes. I would call time out, and when I got to the pitcher, I would say "What are you going to do after the game?" or "Was that clown funny at the circus?" Something off the wall. For a second they quit thinking about their frustration with pitching or the umpire. Instead of additional pressure, sometimes we just need to forget about things and have fun!

Live life! Do something you have never done before. Get out of your comfort zone! What have you always wanted to do, but you never had the guts to do it? Put it on your bucket list and make it happen! There are not guarantees of how many opportunities you will have.

Go sky diving; attend the monster jam; fly in a hot air balloon, or go sing karaoke. Have you always wanted to change your environment and move somewhere where you don't know anyone? If so, make plans and read affirmations to make your dreams a reality!

Have a great weekend!

Make Someone's Day!

2010-08-12T09:25:00.001-05:00

I'm going to keep it short today, but here is a suggestion given to me a few years ago that I am so glad that I followed through with.

Was there someone in your past that really made a difference in your life? Someone that did something special for you, yet you haven't ever expressed just how much that relationship meant to you. Even if you haven't spoken with them for the last 15 or 20 years, give them a call and let them know that you were thinking about them, and that you want them to know just how important they were in your life!

It will make you feel great in addition to how you will brighten that other person's day!

Have a great day!

The 40-Year Plan---How's It Working For You?

2010-08-11T14:11:00.000-05:00

Are you familiar with 'the 40-year plan'? I'll briefly explain. Your parents prepare you by telling you:
"You must go to school and get good grades, so you can get a good job, where you can work and provide for your family. You work for 40 years for someone, then you will have a solid retirement to live happy for the rest of your life." Insurance statistics show that only happens for FIVE PERCENT of the people--yes, 5%!

About 30 percent of the people die before retirement age and the rest are still working, or depend on the government, family or charities.

The 40-year plan wasn't working for us. I was climbing the Corporate ladder, but my bills were climbing faster. When we decided to break the traditional plan, I had already been a 5-time cancer survivor, so even with good insurance, the medical bills were huge. Then, we also had 3 children in college at the same time for a few years. Plus, we lost everything in the New Braunfels flood of 1998--we had 17 feet of water run through our house.

So it was obvious, "if nothing changes, nothing changes." We chose to enter network marketing, again. We had done it with four other companies and never made any money. Why was this one different? Maybe the timing was better for us. But, the huge difference was that we found a consumable product that was better than anything else on the market (USANA) and we didn't have to inventory product or deliver product. Plus, every time it shipped to the consumer, we received credit for that sales volume (true residual income). In 9 months, Gwen was able to quit her job, then within 3 years I was able to leave my senior management position. We worked hard, but it worked for us.

We chose to get out of our comfort zone and do something totally different. We were totally committed to do it right and kept going when times were tough.

Five years ago, did you have dreams and expectations of where you planned to be? Are you there today? If not, then I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and take control of your financial future.

If you would like more information, click here to Contact Me.

Your Attitude is A Choice!

2010-08-10T11:00:00.001-05:00

Do you choose to be a happy person? Or, are you a pessimist? Many people do not see themselves as negative, yet they really are. They are constantly complaining about how much gas costs; how much food costs; how bad the traffic is; how horrible our government is, etc. Is that you?

If we choose to be happy, we will be grateful for all of the good things that we see or experience and not just take it for granted, or worse yet, expect something bad to happen, because something good just happened. Is this your attitude--You just know that things can't continue to go smoothly. Hey! It's easy to get caught in that rut, but you shouldn't! Nothing productive will result from you having negative thoughts, or expecting "bad" to happen.

Practice 'positive affirmations.' You will be surprised how you can turn around your life expecting that "good" will happen today. Practice statements like, "I am excited about what I can do for others today", or "I am so grateful for the life that I have", or "I am so fortunate to have a healthy family", or "I am so grateful that I am healthy and have a great family". When you start your day with an "attitude of gratitude", you will experience a great day. If you start your day with negative thoughts, you will continue down that road and it will not be a good day.

If necessary, take a 3"x5" card and write your positive affirmations, then, start every morning by reading those affirmation cards until you don't need to read them, because they have become your normal thought process.

Choose to be happy and when someone asks you how you are doing, or how your day is going, respond with "Great!" or "Awesome!" or "Life couldn't be better!"

Have a great day!

Most People Love Fridays!

2010-08-06T09:37:00.000-05:00

It's the day you've been waiting for--Friday. At 5:00 p.m. the weekend starts! Do you have some big plans? Gwen and I are heading to Houston on Saturday morning. We will be with our kids. That's what is important to us.

My first, long-term goal after diagnosis was to live long enough to see all of my kids graduate high school. Well, they have all graduated college now, so my goal has been far exceeded.

Set goals for yourself! Maybe you want to 'fire your boss' some day. Whatever your goal is, write it done and read it twice a day-morning and evening. Keep it constantly in front of you. The great part about having built a solid, residual income with USANA is that Mondays are just like Fridays or Saturdays. We enjoy the 'time freedom' to sleep in; set our own schedules and to help others succeed.

Have a great weekend! I'll post again on Monday!

Count Your Blessings!

2010-08-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

It's easy to take life for granted. For some of us, it takes facing a life-altering challenge to wake us up! I don't take the small things for granted today like I once did.

Are you able to walk on your own?
Can you feed yourself?
Do you have a job? Even if you don't, do you still have a roof over your head?
Are you healthy? Are you kids healthy?
Is your car dependable?
Do you have close friends?

If you can answer 'YES' to all or some of these, you have something to be grateful for.

I have 6 arthritic spurs in my left knee and I haven't been able to straighten my left leg for 15 years, at least. When I get up in the morning, I limp around like someone with a major leg injury, but soon I'm moving with less pain. A few hours later, I'm running up and down the basketball court (although it's not a pretty sight). I am so thankful that I can still play the sport that I love.

At 51, I had to give up basketball, because my knees hurt so bad. Then I went to Sanoviv for 2 weeks of detox. After years of cancer treatment, they told me that my liver was in very bad condition. If I hadn't gone, I would not have known until I had a full-blown disease. Little did I know that with proper nutrition such as USANA and a great detox program, the inflammation from my arthritis was gone and I was able to take up my favorite sport again at 53. Most of the other players are 16 - 35 years of age.

It's never too late to take charge of your life and health and make changes that greatly improve your quality of life.

Celebrate the 'small things' in life. Life could be so much worse!

Please Share Your Thoughts!

2010-08-03T19:52:00.003-05:00

Has life ever blindsided you? For me it happened in 1993, when I was 39. While on a business trip, I noticed a hard lump in my throat while I was shaving. After monitoring it for a month, I told my wife about it and made a doctor's appointment. My doctor felt there was a 90% chance that it was a thyroid cyst--nothing to worry about. He called and made me an appointment with a surgeon he recommended, because I sure didn't know one. First of all, we had just moved to Texas 8 months earlier. We were new in the area. No family nearby. Besides, I had been healthy and an athlete all my life. I had never been in a hospital, certainly no surgery.

The surgeon came to the same conclusion, 90% chance it was nothing to worry about, but only surgery would tell us for sure. When the surgeon met my wife after surgery, he was very troubled. He told her it was not what he expected. It looked like cancer to him. During my follow-up visit a few days later, he delivered the news from the pathology report--stage III, Hodgkins lymphoma. We were shocked! After we did some research, we were glad it was not non-Hodgkins lymphoma. From what we read, we had learned that Hodgkins disease was curable, but non-Hodgkins was not. A few weeks later, we met with the oncologist, and he said, "You have stage III, non-Hodgkins lymphoma." "Wait a minute, doc! You mean Hodgkins, don't you?", I replied. Come to find out, a second pathology report had changed the diagnosis--it was stage III, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, both aggressive cells and low-grade cells. Soon after the initial shock, I told my wife, "I am going to be the healthiest cancer patient they have ever seen." In many ways, I have done just that.

So much for the details for now. Today, I am a six-time, cancer survivor, but cancer is not the only major challenge that we have faced. There have been many others, which I can share as time goes on, if anyone cares. What I do want to share with you now is that because I have had to fight cancer (and win and win and win), there have been a lot of positive benefits from those experiences. There are no guarantees in life, so I encourage you to look for the positive results in every tough situation. Some of those positive things:

My priorities in life changed for the better

I was much more focused in my commitment to God
I quit being a workaholic

I was much more empathetic towards others
Cancer prepared me for other life challenges, because I realized that the most important things in life are not things, but God and family

Also, you need to know that I have found the high-quality, nutritional supplements can add to your quality of life. Because of our USANA business, I have learned how to live a healthier lifestyle. The greatest blessing was that I found out about Sanoviv Medical Institute. If you have a serious health concern, you need to spend some time researching Sanoviv at www.sanoviv.com. At a later time, I will share how my three trips to Sanoviv have added years to my life.

I like "keeping it real." If you have questions about cancer, about how I dealt with certain life-changing events, or you want to share some of your own experiences, please do so. While I was going through treatment, writing / journaling was very therapeutic for me. Later, I compiled those writing into my book, "Personal Growth Through Crises". You can learn more about my book on my Facebook page.