Thursday, February 19, 2009

Copy cats are Top cats: Do what other successful people are doing!

The people who are most influential in our life, the people we look to for advice, strength and clarity, also known as our mentors have the potential to affect our life greatly. How? Do the activities successful people are already doing and then create for yourself the success you are looking for. Are you spending your time on things or investing your time? If you are just going to meetings and not learning from them, or perhaps you bought a good book that is now on your shelf collecting dust, you are spending your time (basically wasting your time!). You want to invest your time; by doing so, you are also investing in your life. Learn from your mentors and from the books you read. Two mentors in our lives are: Jim Rohn, the renowned business philosopher; and John Maxwell, the leadership expert. We own many books from both of these mentors with dog-eared pages and highlighted passages. How does this help us?

By getting advice from people who are very successful in their own lives helps you to see that anything is possible in your own life. Very successful people have mentors; of course they do, how do you think THEY became successful? Jim Rohn and John Maxwell are great mentors that anyone could look to for advice, wisdom and life lessons. Think about this: Who are your personal mentors? Who do you look up to? Learn from the experts! Read biographies or autobiographies of these people, learn from their own personal development and way of thinking. They are sharing their secret to success, (which is not a secret at all!) so it increases the success other people will have.

The great thing about network marketing is it's all about people helping other people to succeed. Nearly everyday I mention how vital reading is to your growth and personal development. Enrich and enlighten your mind. Discover who your mentors are and learn from them. Doing this will not only ignite the fire within you, but open up your eyes to all of the possibilities around you!

Cheers,
Garrett & Sylvia McGrath
XELR8 / Bazi First 250K Diamonds
TeamInspirit.com

Listen to today's 12 minute call!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Perfect Practice: How this can improve your performance and your results!

Professional athletes are some of the most dedicated and committed people in the world. This is why I love to read autobiographies by these people. I find it so interesting to learn about their story, struggle and never ending persistence when pursuing their dream. What is something we could all learn from professional athletes? Performance is impacted by practice; practice needs to be perfect and repeated often. What does this mean? Practice is the preparation you take before taking part in an activity in which you are ultimately trying to gain some desired result. Think about what this means. It is easy enough to see how practice would affect your performance and your results. Ask yourself this: Are you practicing in your life to get better and improve your quality of life?

What is perfect practice? In order to practice perfectly and get the results you desire you must do three things, which are:

1. Plan - Write down a list of things you would like to work on. This list is different for everyone but it basically covers things having to do with personal development. Whether it be confidence, people skills, stopping procrastination, starting a new work out plan or overcoming a fear. Write down what you would like to work on and the action you plan to take in order to change the current results you are getting. Be thorough and look at every aspect of your life.

2. Do - Get into action! Do the things you wrote down in your plan, whether it be getting yourself out there more, making that phone call to a prospect you have, putting yourself into situations you may not be familiar with in order to push yourself to overcome your fears. Maybe you are finally starting out a work out regimen or you have decided to dedicate some time every evening to reading ten pages of a good book. Whatever it is you planned, get into action and do it!

3. Review - Take time to review and reflect back onto the action you took; be observant. Did you get the result you wanted to? Is there something you could have done differently to improve it? It can be very humbling to learn from your mistakes, but also foolish if you choose not to. Learn from your successes as well. Now that you see you are able to get the results you want if you just take the correct preparation, you will become that much more confident and READY to grab ahold of your goals and see them through to completion.

There are some of you reading this who are naturally talented; perhaps you don't have many things that are holding you back. Athletes are not the only people that can be naturally talented. Perhaps you are already confident, professional and proficient in carrying out tasks. What does this mean? Naturally talented people usually spend more time in the "doing" part of this process than planning or reviewing, if they do it at all. Although these people will be able to obtain some success, they are also limiting their success as well. How is this? By just doing you are not learning, which, in turn, causes you to not grow, and affects your progression with the results you would ideally like to get. If you know that you have the talent, intelligence and confidence to reach some of your goals, why stop there? Why don't you accomplish all of your goals? Fulfill all of your dreams and aspirations? If you plan, do, and review, you will surely see that you can have the results you seek and the life you want to lead. Have a wonderful day and remember there isn't anything that is impossible, or out of reach. You can improve your practice and your performance, and today is a great day to start!

Cheers,
Garrett & Sylvia McGrath
XELR8 / Bazi First 250K Diamonds
TeamInspirit.com

Listen to today's 12 minute call!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

You are not dice; The odds are in your favor!

After a conference one day in Las Vegas, I was walking through the hotel back to the room when a gentleman at one of the slot machines stopped me. He had seen me walking through there earlier and saw people talking to me. He asked who I was and what I did for a living. I introduced myself and briefly explained our business and network marketing. As I wanted to move on, because I could tell he had had a few drinks, he asked me what the odds were of winning in network marketing. I told him the honest truth, that there is a 100% chance that you will become a winner. This gentleman seemed a little bewildered, whether it was the drinks or maybe his skepticism in what I just said, I told him, "I truly believe this, because we are not a slot machine, or a pair of dice. Odds are irrelevant, because that is assuming you cannot change your outcome." As I told him good evening and went back to my hotel room I thought more about this and it's true, in our business there aren't odds. The only variables are: When are you going to get there? And who will you get there with? In network marketing you can DRASTICALLY change your outcome because all of the odds are in your favor. If you choose to stick with it and not quit, you CAN accomplish all of your goals and aspirations.

Network marketing is not like a traditional job. In a traditional job, you can do everything you're supposed to do and be a diligent, punctual worker, but still get paid what the job is worth, but not what you're worth. In a traditional job you don't necessarily get paid based on performance. Many people in traditional jobs often feel that they are under paid. I'm sure many people out there have held positions like that or known someone who has and can attest to this. Other than having no effect on how much you get paid, you can't influence when or if you will be promoted. Assuming that there is a position available, what has to happen for you to be promoted? The person in that current position either has to be promoted themselves, get fired, quit, move to another company, or die (sad, but true). All of these are odds that you have no control over and have the potential to not work out in your favor; because, of course, you also have to factor in the people you are competing with for that promotion. Wouldn't it be great to be involved in a company where EVERYONE has a chance to advance and succeed?

The longer you stay involved in network marketing increases your chance for success because repetition is the best way to learn and get better at something. You can create the life you want, you are in the driver's seat when it comes to this line of work. Realize that you are ready to get paid what you are worth and that you have everything you need to propel yourself and your family forward. You can start leading the life you want today, because when it comes to network marketing anything is possible! You are a strong and intelligent person and because you are reading this you know that there are no odds that can hold you back. You can and will have the outcome you want and deserve!

Cheers,
Garrett & Sylvia McGrath
XELR8 / Bazi First 250K Diamonds
TeamInspirit.com

Listen to today's 12 minute call!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Old stories and old pictures: How to create new stories, new pictures and a new life!

One of the things I have learned with speaking, coaching and mentoring other people is sometimes we get stuck in the past. How does this happen? When perhaps something doesn’t go right, or we are presented with a challenge we don’t believe we can surpass, we start to think disempowering thoughts. These thoughts tend to create a negative picture in our heads of how we see ourselves and how we see our life. We then attach our down personal meaning and emotions to those pictures; which, in turn, effects how we see the future. This sometimes turns into a vicious cycle where we live our lives in the past, replay it in the present and then prepare for it to be the same in the future. How do we change this?

First, you must be aware of negative meanings you attach to parts of your life. When it comes to:

Sustaining: “I’m great at starting things, but I’m hopeless at finishing them.”

Business Life: “Other people tend to succeed, but I don’t succeed.”

Leadership: “Other people are leaders, I am not a leader.”

Time: “I’m always late.”

God: “Why does God always forsake me?”

Money: “I’m bad with saving money; it seems to just slip right through my fingers.”

What do all of these thoughts do? What they do is immobilize us, making us unable to move forward into a more positive life. These thoughts are actually a “story” you are telling yourself and it affects you in more ways that you know. This story is what gets you into this vicious cycle of forming the future from situations in the past. Now that you are fully aware of the negative things you may tell yourself in relationship to the past, write them down. You may be surprised at how often you may think these things and don’t even realize it. You may have gotten used to feeling like that. You may wonder, "How long have I been doing this?" Writing down these thoughts removes the power they have in your life. You can choose to acknowledge them and then remove their presence in your life completely. Remember WE are the ones who assign meaning to the things that happen in our lives, so it is important that we do not assign MEAN meaning. Sometimes we can be over critical of ourselves, let’s choose to avoid beating ourselves up and stop being disempowered by the past.

Once you remove the negativity from your story you can look to the past for strength. Know that because you have been through some challenges you are that much stronger because of it. Know that because of this you will be able to get through any other challenge you may face. We know that from the story we choose a picture to attach to it. Let’s choose a new picture. Maybe it’s a picture of your dream home? Maybe your dream car? Or the neighborhood you want to live in? Make these pictures visible in your life, whether it’s in your personal journal or on your fridge. Make sure you see these pictures every single day! You want a collection of powerful and compelling pictures that will generate optimism and clarity. You do deserve the life you want to lead. You do deserve happiness and security for you and your family. You have God given talents that can help you get to where you need to go and propel you forward. Find new pictures and write a new story, because you DESERVE it!

Cheers,
Garrett & Sylvia McGrath
XELR8 / Bazi First 250K Diamonds
TeamInspirit.com

Click here to listen to today's 12 minute call!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Don't tell me what to think: I don't want that life!

In preparation for Vegas we have been staying up late working late hours; you know I could be tired if I really thought about it. Whether we realize it or not we have a thought process that makes us feel a certain way. If I tell myself, "Wow! I have had very little sleep," my mind relays this message to my body, making me realize how tired I actually am. Then what happens? I become focused on my body's need; it's sheer demand for rest. However, I don't think about how tired I am. I choose to have a thought process that motivates me, that actually generates energy. Why is this important? Your own personal thought process or belief system can affect many aspects of your life; it can do so either positively or negatively. This is your choice.

I'm sure many of us in our business have heard this before: "Work harder on yourself than you do on your business". What does this really mean? Personal development is a very important part of our business and the understanding of this will truly help you not only feel better about yourself, but also help you get the results you've been looking for. Remember, belief comes before success. If you have belief in yourself, that you have talent, confidence and of course potential, you will see things begin to move forward for you. If you have belief in the team, in the product and in the compensation plan, you will see that sharing the business has become so much easier. You may have been at a loss of words at one time, but not any more! You are a passionate and powerful individual and your words will flow with ease because you have that belief system in place. There may be a little bit of a challenge to get to this place. Why is that? We are all naturally inclined to program negativity in our mind; and in today’s economic state, more of us are doing this than not. If you surround yourself with negative people and expose yourself to the negativity of the media, you are choosing to let an outer force form your belief system. In doing this, you are giving up control. This does not have to be the case, in fact, know that it won’t be anymore.

Control what kind of energy you are exposed to, whether it’s the people in your life, what you watch on television or what you read. Be influenced positively. Plug in daily to our 12 minute call. Listening to 12 minutes of motivation is a great way to start off the day. Read ten pages of a good book every night and write down your plan. What do you want? What is it going to take to get you there? Acknowledge that the economy is not in a good place, but understand that you will get out of it. If you are reading this, you are one of those people. You are choosing to not give up control. You have the power to be in control and move forward positively and with a purpose! Have a wonderful day!

Cheers,
Garrett & Sylvia McGrath
XELR8 / Bazi First 250K Diamonds
TeamInspirit.com

Listen to today’s 12 minute call!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The spirit of the Soldier's Creed: How to enjoy more freedom!

On a trip to Seattle, a young woman in her 20's sat beside me. She was a soldier going through Basic Training and she was reading an Army handbook named the "U.S. Soldier's Creed". When I asked her about it she explained to me how the Soldier's Creed isn't only for when you're in uniform, but is a philosophy and way of life, and that is how she chose to live her life. I was impressed, and that is how this blog came about.

Are you looking for motivation? Or maybe you are having a hard time being inspired? Something that has helped me put things into perspective and also regain focus is the "U.S. Soldier's Creed”. This creed is taught to all U.S. Army soldiers during basic training; it truly is a way of life, enriched with commitment, loyalty and reverence. Our country is built and protected by the men and women who have taken this creed; it is a reminder of our freedom and the great nation we live in:

"I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life."

Soldiers who take this creed are willing to put their life on the line, and live by this philosophy so we can be free. It is truly amazing, and we all know about it, but do we value it? Are you willing to approach things in your life with the same level of commitment and dedication to create the life that you and your family deserves? Defeat is something soldiers do not take with ease. We will no longer take defeat with ease, but we will rise above it and come out a winner. Never leave a fallen comrade. In our business we are all on a team, working together to fufill our dreams, to accomplish our goals. We know the true importance of teamwork and understand that in order to be successful we must also help others gain success. Do we approach things in our life with discipline? Are we proficient in the tasks that are set before us? Know that you do have the discipline, the mental strength and physical strength to propel you through any task you may encounter. Nothing is out of reach. Know that you can use your expertise to attract the kind of people you WANT in your life. Know that because you are a professional you can help others along with their journey and positively influence them at the same time. This was a part of the original U.S. Soldier's Creed before it was modified in 2003 to the version above:

"I am an American Soldier -- a protector of the greatest nation on Earth -- sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
I will treat others with dignity and respect and expect others to do the same.
I will honor my country, the Army, my unit, and my fellow soldiers by living the Army Values.
No matter what situation I am in, I will never do anything for pleasure, profit, or personal safety, which will disgrace my uniform, my unit, my country.
Lastly, I am proud of my country and it's flag. I want to look back and say that I am proud to have served my country as a soldier."

Do we view this as the greatest nation on Earth? Or have we become discouraged and disengaged because of the current economic situation? It is important that we don't lose that vision, and that we still see that this really is the greatest nation on Earth. We have the opportunity and freedom to create anything we want. We have it easy in comparison to the U.S. soldier, and what challenges they may face. Understanding this will help you put into perspective how attainable your goals actually are. What are you willing to commit to? Discover your soldier strength within and prevail.

Cheers,
Garrett & Sylvia McGrath
XELR8 / Bazi First 250K Diamonds
TeamInspirit.com

Listen to today's 12 minute call!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Are you giving or are you taking? How to avoid momentum killers

Sometimes in life we feel stuck. Maybe you feel you hit a road block in life or you are having trouble being inspired. However, we are never really "stuck", because there is no standing still in life; we are either moving forward or going backwards. When we believe we are stuck, we are actually moving back in our life. What you need to help you get back on your feet again is momentum; this is what will get you into action and "un-stuck". Where does momentum come from in our business?

- Leaders
- Managers
- Followers

Leaders create momentum. Leaders know that sometimes it's "the start" that stops us. Leaders know how to create the momentum. Followers know how to tap into it. Managers know how to tap into that momentum that was created, plus keep it going once it's begun. Many of us in this business start off as followers. We then transition into managers, so we can help other people move forward. However, not that many of us actually move into the driver's seat and become that leader who creates momentum. Some people may believe that it is too difficult to create momentum, or that it takes more energy than you think you possess. This is not the case at all. You can be a leader and create momentum, you just have to put the right attitude into place.

It all starts with your attitude. Do not be influenced by today's economically challenged world. Sometimes when we feel financially overwhelmed the smallest task seems huge, don't let this affect your attitude. Prevail! While everyone else is feeling down on themselves, be the optimistic one. When you have a negative attitude, people have to motivate you. This action actually takes away from the momentum because now you are like a weight or extra work, as opposed to someone who is maintaining the momentum or creating it. This is a great opportunity for people who truly understand that attitude plays a key role in creating momentum and how implementing a good attitude will help you maintain it. Decide today that you are going to remove as much of the negativity from your life as possible. Choose to plug into positive reinforcement such as our "Daily Morning Motivation Call" as opposed to the negativity seen in the news.

Avoid momentum killers:

- Procrastination
- Drama
- Negativity
- Fear

Some of us may not be happy with our current situation, and want to change it. Although we have the need to change it, we sometimes have trouble finding the energy or inspiration that we need to move forward. Procrastination is one of the worst momentum killers. Avoid saving things for tomorrow, get into action today! We all encounter drama in our lives, however, it is important that we limit the effect it has on our life. Do not let the drama you may face in your personal life spill into your professional life; drama is a definite energy drain. Fear is another momentum killer that can overflow into many areas of your life if you let it. Banish your fear by taking part in activities that will minimize it. Remember, idle time is not good time and fear will grow. Have clarity, always look ahead to the next step you have to take. Momentum starts with you and then moves into your life.

Decide what you want your future to be like; know that you can create it, and get into action! Start doing things today that will help move you forward tomorrow. As soon as you get moving, take that energy and repeat the process daily. All of you have greatness inside and have an opportunity to bring greatness into other people's lives. Realize today that you can handle your own motivation and you don't need to be a follower or even a manager. Become that leader that everybody looks to for their motivation and momentum! Have a wonderful day!

Cheers,
Garrett & Sylvia McGrath
XELR8 / Bazi First 250K Diamonds
TeamInspirit.com

Click here to listen to today's 12 minute call!