Gary Barnes is a
global premier business, money and relationship coach; an author, and
an international speaker. He is the founder of MaxLife International, dedicated to helping people create wealth in all areas of life.
Gary
believes anyone can lead an empowered life, no matter what their
circumstances are. He has built three successful businesses from the
ground up. To do this, he developed principles and tools that helped
him increase his business 2000% over a three-year period.
He
also understands dealing with adversity - he has fought life-
threatening illness and won. He believes that your worst day is the day
you meet the man or woman you could have been. It's a choice. That's
why he's dedicated his life to helping people maximize
their lives and their businesses through workshops, teleconferences and
individual coaching. His mission in life is to make a difference and to
empower everyone he connects with.
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Networking effectively means building a relationship. This means finding a connection between you and the other person. Find a need and connect the person with a possible solution. Many times the solution comes from someone you know and not directly from you. The goal is to find the solution to as many needs as you can.
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Greetings!
It's hard to believe that in a couple of weeks the first quarter of 2009 will be over. Our topic for March is "Living Deliberately". With so much uncertainty in our lives today, we can still be deliberate in how we spend our time. It's the one asset that we all have been given the same amount of and, depending upon how we use it, will determine the benefits we receive.
Two new additions for March. First, is the addition of Bubba's Networking Corner (look for it in the left column under my bio). I will be giving tips on networking every month under this column. Second, I also want to bring your attention to the bottom of this newsletter is a special offer to order Spend and Grow Rich: the Seven Secrets of Unlocking the Goldmine in Your Checkbook at the pre-publisher's discount of 40% off.
To your success,
Gary Barnes
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Living Deliberately 28,908,000 Times
by Gary Barnes, MaxLife International
Recently, I had a birthday and my wife wanted me to say how old I was. I have never been one to attach a chronological age to myself so I was thinking how I could answer my wife in a creative way. It occurred to me to calculate how many minutes had elapsed since I was born. That's how I came up with almost 29 million minutes. Wow, that's a lot of minutes, and I started to think about how I had spent that time.
I'm sad to say that I have not always lived deliberately. Living deliberately means to me that I make a conscious choice on how I spend time. That's not to say that I obsess in time management, but look to invest my gift of time that will lead me to the outcome I desire. I relate to time just like I relate to money. Both are assets, the difference being that when we spend time it can not be re-created or recaptured.
In 1988, I became acutely aware of my own mortality (time). I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and was told that I would be in a wheelchair or dead within 10 years. A sobering thought for a young father. Somehow, I made the decision to live deliberately from that moment on. I want to share with you a process I developed from this experience.
First, I had to Make a Decision. That decision was to think about what the doctor said as his diagnosis, which was his opinion, and not accept it as my reality. Some people told me that I wasn't being honest with myself; and that I needed to accept my fate. I disagreed and 21 years later, I'm still going strong! Making a decision is the critical step. In essence, you're deciding which direction you will take. It may be in finance, a personal relationship, or any other area of your life. The key is to make a decision yourself. Allow your intuition to direct you.
Second, is to Create Your Vision. Go into your future and create a picture so vivid and real that you can see, taste, feel and smell your future outcome. Then bring that picture back to your present and allow your future to draw you to it. Napoleon Hill said "Whatever the mind of man can see and believe it can achieve". Nothing has ever been created without first becoming real in a person's mind.
Third, is to Take Action. Fear is the one thing that blocks this third step. Many times I asked my audience what is their definition of courage. Many of the answers involve the absence of fear. My definition of courage is "action in the presence of fear". The first step of action can be the hardest. Don't worry about the third, fifth or 50th step; take them one at a time. Trust yourself. You can do it.
Living Deliberately Is A Decision. Ask yourself these questions to get started: What do I want to have, be, do, go and give? Dig deep. Anything is possible. The world is waiting. Enjoy the Ride!
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The Blame Game
by Nordine Zouareg, Triple Impact, LLC
Whose fault is it that you're out of shape?
If you go by what you hear in diet ads then you believe that it's anyone's fault but yours.
The big diet companies think that if they put the blame on you, then you wouldn't buy their bogus pills. So they put the blame on your cortisol levels, your modern diet (ie fast food), or your busy schedule instead of where it belongs - which is squarely on your shoulders.
Sure, you have obstacles that get in your way - your schedule, your job, your kids, the weather, your knee injury from college...but ultimately you have the body that you accept.
I'm going to repeat that so it will really sink in.
You have the body that you accept.
Embracing the blame for your current weight is not a bad thing - it's empowering. Think about it. If it really wasn't your fault, if it really was due to a long list of variables that you have zero control over, then you'd be stuck. You'd have no way to change.
The Secret Behind 'Before and After' Pictures
Allow me to pull back the curtain for you on something that the diet industry doesn't want you to know. You've seen countless before and after pictures documenting weight loss as a result of a diet product. Well, there is more involved than just the diet product, and it's the same across the board.
Look into the eyes of any person in their before picture and you'll see that they are disturbed. The body they have is no longer in sync with the body they can accept.
They changed the body that they accept.
Now look into their eyes in the after picture - see the sweet satisfaction? They now own the body that they decided they could accept. And what a great feeling that is.
Your Time To Transform
Whether you realize it or not, you already possess everything you need to transform your body, but it all starts with taking responsibility for the body that you have today. You have your current body because until this moment you've been OK with it.
Oh sure, you aren't thrilled with it, and you even talk about losing weight and getting fit, but you haven't changed what you'll accept. Here's how to transform your body in 3 steps:
Step One: Get Disturbed
You've heard it said that emotion creates motion. This is essential when it comes to losing weight. Just like those folks in the before pictures, to transform your body you must first decide that you can't live another day in the body you currently have.
It's time to get your emotions stirred up. Make a list of all the reasons that you must lose weight and get fit. Get disturbed!
Step Two: Get Focused
Without clarity it's very hard to get where you want to go. Now that you're disturbed with the body you have, it's time to decide what the body you can accept looks like.
I want you to think in concrete and specific terms. Just like the captions under those before and after pictures - "Suzy lost 25 lbs", "Mike lost 8 inches from his waist", "Jenny went from a size 18 to a size 6" .
Get a clear picture in your mind of what you'll look like in your after picture and visualize what the caption will read.
Step Three: Get Moving
The time spent between your inspiration (now) and your action determines whether you will succeed or fail. Don't allow yourself to get stuck between inspiration and action - there is always something that you can do right now.
Don't you agree that you'll be happier living life in a fit, healthy and attractive body, rather than the body you have today? Of course you'll be happier.
I've helped scores of clients just like you finally lose their unwanted weight.
I am here to take you from your before picture to your after picture, however, you need to bring something to the table - you need to make up your mind about what you'll accept of yourself.
What will you accept? Contact me!
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Second-Mile Service
by Karen Schatz, Virtually With You
Last month, I wrote about how to create a great relationship
with your VA. In this month's article, I
want to talk about creating a great relationship with your customers/clients.
In the past couple of months, I have experienced complete
frustration (and borderline anger) with a large tv satellite service company. A year ago, I entered into a 2-year contract
with this company. The contract is simple ... they expect timely payments and I expect quality equipment and quality repair services (notice the
emphasis on the word quality?). To my disappointment, after having lost my
satellite reception twice due to Mother Nature, I was informed both times that I would
have to wait more than a week to have my equipment repaired! In this day of the electronic age and instant
gratification, can you imagine life without tv services? Okay, maybe some of you can but can you
imagine life with a 12 year old boy and no tv service? I couldn't ... but worse than that, I couldn't
fathom a company unwilling to go the extra mile to satisfy me as their
customer. I felt like I didn't matter
and I was 'stuck' with their services until my contract ends.
This started me thinking about the services I offer to my
customers. Do I do everything within my
power to make sure that my customers are happy and delighted with the quality
of my services? More to the point, do I
go the extra mile for them? Chick-fil-A has
a name for going above and beyond the services you are paying for; they call this their
'second mile service'.
My idea of the 'second-mile service' that the best service
professionals offer are:
- Be a
priceless resource: when your customer is looking for a resource, share
ideas and people resources freely. They
will appreciate your generous nature and come to trust you more.
-
Invest
more of yourself: show your customer that they are never far from your mind. When you find things
that you think would be helpful to your customer, share it with them. If you meet someone who would benefit from
your customer's products or services (or the other way around), introduce them. They will be delighted that you are thinking
of them and the success of their business.
-
Be an
expert problem-solver: when problems arise, be creative in finding a
solution that creates a win-win for both of you. Think outside the box and show your customer
that he or she matters.
-
Add extra
value: Always look for ways you can give added-value to your services. People love receiving more for the value so
go ahead, give more!
So what about you?
Are you willing to go the second-mile to provide your very best to your
customers? If you are, your customers will love and
appreciate you all the more for it!
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Dire Straits for Baby Boomers! How to survive pre-retirement in a time of recession
By Kim Kirmmse Toth, Positive Aging Inc.
"Difficult times ahead for Boomers!"
"Probable recession leaves Boomers in a lurch!"
"Retirement only a dream for Baby Boomers!"
This is not the first nor the last time you will hear or read these lines. They are everywhere. Is it the Medias intention to frighten you? Maybe. Maybe not.
Regardless of the reality it's time to stop whining and blaming and do something positive for your future. When are you going to begin taking care of yourself and not expecting others to do that for you?
That may sound a bit harsh but the reality is that no one is going to take care of you except YOU. Did you have anything to do with what is happening in our economy? Probably not, but it really doesn't matter anyway. It is what it is.
You create your own current life and you can begin creating your own future, if you haven't started already. It doesn't feel 'secure' or 'comfy' to most people right now. Your discomfort level is probably pretty high and something definitely needs to change.
Taking a risk can be scary. Stepping outside of your comfort zone takes guts, and you may need guts right now.
The first piece of this you need to believe is that it's YOU who needs to change. It's you who may need to reinvent yourself, get a new career, or begin working if you have stopped. You can not depend or wait on Washington D.C. to fix this for you. Even if they could, it would take years. Do you have years to wait? You wouldn't like the way they set things up for you anyway.
How do you cope when you are confronted with a difficult situation? Are your coping skills rusty? Here are a few tried and true that may be helpful to you.
- Surround yourself with supportive, optimistic people
- Exercise regularly
- Eat well, sleep well
- Go back to school, learn a new skill, educate yourself
Look at how you are living your life now. Pay attention to how you are you using your energy, your strengths and your values. Don't allow unproductive behaviors to interfere with your progress. It may be time to deal with them so they don't hold you back from a solid, successful and exciting future.
You have the power within you to do this. Now is the time to look up at the sky, throw out your arms and say "I will create my best life now!"
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Do you want to reprint this article?
You may, as long as it remains intact and you include this complete blurb with it:
Kim Kirmmse Toth is a strengths based coach who works with boomers on transition. These may include re-crafting or re-careering so the work is a joy and not a dread. Go to www.redhotretirement.com and sign up for her free Top Ten Retirement Secrets!
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