Americal Idol Gives Back

For a second year in a row American Idol and many around the world did something very special during the "Gives Back" special. Actors and artists came out in support of the poor, homeless, and forgotten. It was a wonderful showing demonstration of what we as a society can do, if we want to make a change.

Despite rising gas prices, unemployment, and the threat of a recession, America was still able to rise millions of dollars to help people across the world. Seeing demonstrations like this proves that we do not have to live in a world that is full of hurting, poor, homeless, sick and forgotten people. We can change the world if we will just for a moment forget about the drama in our own lives and remember that there are people around us that need our help and support.

It is not good enough to simply see a need and acknowledge that someone should do something about it. We all must take it upon ourselves to do what we can to help someone, somewhere, somehow. If everyone did this, and stopped being self-centered, we will see a world that we are all proud to live in.

After compassion is an attribute that God has given all of us to share His love for those around us. There are people praying everyday for help...Will you answer someone prayer today?

Why 95% of People Fail in Network Marketing

Network marketing is an industry that has been around for years, and will stay around for years to come. There are many people who start a home based business with the intentions of being successful and achieving their financial dreams. Unfortunately, most people find themselves discouraged and frustrated with not being as successful as they hoped they would.

What's the problem?

The problem isn't the industry of Network Marketing. There are many reputable companies with quality products and/or services that can be a benefit to customers. Many of the companies have competitive compensation plans that can change peoples lives with a residual income. Others, offer great support and training for their distributors to "position them for success". This forces us to ask the question, "Why do so many people fail, if the opportunity is real?" Are we running around a track chasing a carrot that we will never catch?

I had the pleasure of spending time with a very successful entrepreneur, Peter Daniels, who shared some invaluable information with me concerning network marketing. He said there are 3 things you need to be successful in the industry: 1.) a quality product, 2.) a great compensation plan, and 3.) charismatic leadership.

When he shared this with me, a light turned on as to why most people fail to make money. It's because there isn't enough leadership to lead, motivate, and inspire people to achieve a level of success that they could not with out the passion of that leader. After reading many books on leadership, you understand that there are different types of leaders. And the fact of the matter is that most people struggle to just motivate themselves, let alone motivate others around them.

This is why there is a 90 - 95% fall-out rate in the industry. People struggle to stick with their decision to start their business, and they tend to treat their business like a hobby. And if you treat your business like a hobby, it will cost you money like a hobby. If I can't motivate myself to work to achieve the goals that I set for myself., then how can I possibly lead someone else? How many diets have we thought about doing? How many work out routines have we stopped because we did not feel like working out anymore? How many books are still on the book self, or in the store? This does not mean that you can not be successful, but it does shed some light on why the goals still have yet to be achieved.

I understand that my success is not dependant upon others, and I have taken the responsibility to make my business a priority. This brings me to another major issue. Even though you must motivate yourself to do the things necessary to achieve your goals, you still have to develop a relationship with those around you who know that you truly care about their success, just as much as your own. Calling people only when they need to come to a meeting, or make an order so you can get paid, gets old and causes people to not want to answer your call.

You should not have to motivate people to do a business that they believe in! If you have people that you work with that believe in the product or service, then they should be actively seeking others that will benefit from the product you offer, not just the opportunity to make money. Because the fact of the matter is that 90 - 95% of the people that start the business, end up dropping out. Not because the product changed, or the compensation plan changed (in most cases), but because they did not make money. And if you start your pitch with money, then they will drop out of the business when they don't see it.

Don't be a part of the 95%. Motivate yourself to achieve your goal, by leading yourself, and develop real relationships with those around you that also believe in your product and believe in you.

Perfect Practice

My rookie season in the NFL, I had the best coach I could of had. He was a perfectionist, and would only talk to you when you made a mistake! So you can imagine he talked to me a lot during training camp. Coach wouldn’t just give you constructive criticism... he would GO OFF ON YOU for running the wrong route, or making the wrong read.

In 1996 we were still running the run-n-shoot offense in Atlanta, and every play had multiple options for every person. If the play called for a simple 12 yard out route, I could have a combination of routes based on the coverage of the defense, and the position of the defensive backs. My head was swimming the first week. But I soon figured coach out. He knew you were going to mess up occasionally. But as long as you don’t make the same mistake twice, or make the same mistake that someone else just made, then you were fine.

I decided to take daily notes in our meetings of my mistakes and the mistakes of others to make sure I wouldn’t do it again. This habit allowed me to make the team and play over guys who were bigger, and faster than me. To quote coach, "I’m going to cut you, before the owner cuts me. If I can’t trust that you are going to do the right thing every time, then I can’t play you in a game."

If you want to make it to the next level, start paying attention to the little things, and do the right things right every time!

Sports & Books

Over the years I have seen and played with some of the most talented athletes on the planet. I’m talking about Hall of Fame players, and people with rare God-given talent. Unfortunently, I have also seen some of these same people waste their talent and opportunity because they either didn’t prepare themselves off the field, or they felt the rules didn’t apply to them.

One of the worst things that can happen to an athlete is for them to be treated differently because of their talent. When parents and teachers stop emphasizing the importance of school and an education, it leaves a major void in the person and they are typically not ready for life during or after sports. Too many player struggle because school was something they did to play sports, not something they did to prepare them for life.

80% of NFL players end their careers broke! Why? Because they never learned the value of a $, and thought that $ will always be there. If you are an athlete, or helping to develop one, please push them just as hard off the field, as you support them on it!

Who Has Time to Eat Right?

"Beloved, I wish above all things, that thou prosper and be in HEALTH, even as thy soul prospers."

III John 2

I don't know about you, but my life is very busy from being a husband, father of 5 children, Assistant Pastor and Dean at a church, business owner and public speaker, I find it very difficult to find the time to eat a proper diet.

I know I'm supposed to eat the right things, but for the past few years I just did not do a good job in eating the right things. Either I would eat a good breakfast, and then get busy during the work day and miss lunch. Or, I would rush out of the house not eating breakfast, then still get busy at work and miss lunch. Either way, I was basically starving myself during the day until dinner.

There really is no excuse! In college, Coach Paterno would make you run extra laps in practice if you missed breakfast. I would always eat a solid breakfast and lunch during my NFL career as well. Even though I have been educated through my NFL career and at Penn State about a proper diet, I find that eating a healthy balanced diet is difficult in today's society. In fact, if I wasn't taking good multi-vitamins and supplements, I know my body would not have the proper nutrition to function properly.

A couple years ago, I talked to a doctor friend of mine, Dr. Orville Campbell (http://www.claimwellness.com/), and he educated me on the fact that most current medical conditions can be fixed with a proper combination of diet, water, and work-out. Think about it, diabetes, osteoporosis, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and cholesterol can all be fixed by eating the right things! He specifically mentioned making sure you are on a whole food/organic multi-vitamin. Visit his website to see articles on the subject.

I don't know about you, but I refuse to let my body shut down on me because of either a lack of knowledge, or just not eating the right things! I have recommitted myself to live the very best life that I can to the glory of God, and live it HEALTHY! That is why I am not just talking about eating healthy, but I am educating myself, and investing in myself!

For information about the products Dr. Campbell recommends visit: www.healthywize.com/eliteallstargroup.