Fail to plan? Then plan to FAIL!!

Just a short note this morning. Was thinking about this and wanted to share it with you.

So.... Fail to plan, plan to fail. What does than mean to you?

One thing you need to remember is it is a marathon not a sprint. You are not going to get to your goals overnight. One of the most difficult things to remember is that after a week of going full speed ahead to reach you goal and realizing you haven't made any progress is that the time wasn't wasted. You have lived a whole week working towards your goal. I may be difficult to see it now but you have made progress. Sometimes it takes a while to see the effects of that progress. But trust in the fact that progress was made.

Start slow and keep moving forward. remember it is a marathon not a sprint. Don't burn out before you get to the end. Slow progress is progress. To reach any goal you must make a clear and concise plan and follow it to the letter. Don't try to do it on the fly as you WILL FAIL!

The best plan is to make a plan. Believe me when I say I have made plenty of plans to reach different goals. And I have went after a goal with no plan. When I had a plan I succeeded, when I didn't have one...... Yep I FAILED! And failed big. When I did create a plan I may not have always followed the timeline of the plan, however, if I made a plan and stuck to it to the end, no matter how slow or fast I went as long as I had a plan and followed it to the end I reached my goal.

Hmmm read that last sentence again. Go ahead I'll wait.................................

Understand it? Set a goal and make a plan and you WILL WIN. Goals without plans are dreams. They are there but you will never reach them.

Now get off the computer and go make a plan to reach your next goal.

Self Shaming!

Upon logging into My Fitness Pal this morning, I scanned through the past 2-3 days of posts from my newly widened circle of friends and saw a lot of negative comments. Not about others, but about oneself. This type of self-shaming is, in my opinion, harmful, counter-productive, and indicative of the lack of the right mindset to make a lifelong sustainable change.

It is harmful because there is already a larger social problem of body shaming -- whether you are too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short -- discrimination against anyone not falling within the definition of perfect is a real problem. By mocking and negatively pointing out what we view as our own physical shortcomings, we are contributing to and perpetuating this form of discrimination. Loving your body even at this time of transition is necessary -- even if it isn't yet the body you dream of -- you should love it and not shame it. Because isn't the reason we are getting healthy because we love and care for ourselves?

It is counter-productive because it fails to acknowledge the very good things you are doing. Instead of knocking yourself down for not doing this amount of exercise today, or not hitting your macros, or going over on your calories -- reframe this as -- what did I learn from today? What can I do different in the future when faced with these choices? Negative thinking can be more of a setback than the actions or decisions you are scolding yourself about -- viewing your actions negatively frames this very positive experience in a negative light. I would venture to guess that most of us are not here because we have 10-20 pounds to lose that were gained during something like a pregnancy or perhaps recovery from a major surgery or accident that prohibited us from engaging in activity or eating right after a lifetime of doing so. Most of us are here because we have a significant amount of weight to lose that was gained over many, many years of not making the healthiest choices for our bodies. And that is POSITIVE and you shouldn't forget that.

It is indicative of the wrong mindset. As I said above, most of us are probably here because we are changing a lifetime of unhealthy habits. It took us many years to develop the previous eating and exercise habits we are now trying to change -- those habits are not going to change in a week or a month. This is all about trial and error, it is about becoming comfortable in your own skin during this time of great transformation. I really dislike words like "cheat" -- and I see this SO frequently. If we do not make the best choices for a single meal or even a day -- this is NOT cheating. We are in the process of learning -- and whether you are learning a new sport or learning a new subject -- you are going to fall down and you are going to get less than a perfect grade. You are learning -- and falling down or getting a bad grade is part of the learning process. You make choices -- you see the outcome -- and if you are not happy with the outcome or cannot accept it -- then you make adjustments.

Further, viewing a treat or a larger meal as a "cheat" or a failure, to me, reflects a mindset that you are not ready to make a sustainable, lifetime change in the way you approach your health. Never allowing yourself sweets, or a big carby meal, or whatever it is that you view as your food weakness is NOT sustainable. Food can be a very enjoyable and pleasurable thing -- and for me, it is very healthy to allow yourself to enjoy it -- and if you change your thinking from this restrictive "I can never have and I'm cheating if I do" so a more sustainable "This is okay as part of my overall path to wellness" you will be more successful. For me, the largest part of my effort is on how I think about food -- it is no longer a comfort or a reward or a punishment. Exercise also -- it is not punishment or a have to. It is part of my life - it is necessary and pleasurable. And food also -- it is necessary, it is pleasurable.

Proven Tips for Finding The Right Business

With 2015 here, people tend to re-evaluate what they are doing. With some massive launches taking place in January, this is a good time to make a move. I am keeping this article company neutral. But enjoy the articile and help it guide you to your best decision.

These 7 Criteria are critical for long term success in this industry. I have evaluated every MLM in the US through this lens and it helps you create a more objective decision based on the true indicators of performance instead of making an emotional decision that will leave you confused as to why your product which you love just isn't getting the results you hoped for. Look at each of the 7 criteria carefully- each one is crucial:

1) Leadership Ethics and Cause
The Market is emotionally driven, successful companies rally around a cause beyond the monetization of the product. aka Thomas shoes. The cause creates momentum by touching your purpose.
2) Market Timing
The best time to get in is NOT when the company is ground floor (9/10 fail in first 2 years). We look for companies that are 5 years to 15 years. That way you know they have survived the launch and have worked out the glitches and infrastructure in order to “scale”. Scaling is where to residual is established with global market growth.
3) Compensation
This is a crucial aspect, yet one of the most misunderstood areas. Look for compensation plans designed with a strong front end loaded compensation for new members as well as balance throughout the life of the business. Unilevels with a binary attributes are the best. Binaries alone are a weak model. (One is being revealed in January that is the best I have ever seen- and offers EQUITY- and I have seen them all)
4) Cash Liquidity
This point is one many overlook....many companies boast about being debt free. Frankly, you can be debt free and broke. I look for liquid assets. Does the company have cash liquidity to advance product development and marketing when others have to hang tight to survive in a strained economy. 
5) Training and Support
Training must be simple and duplicatable. This should not be an involved process, but one designed with simplicity plus hands on mentoring. 
6) Technology
Innovation in Social Media, Mobile Applications as well as future development are essential for the competitive edge. 
7) Product
No matter how good your product is, it will not move without these first 6 criteria. But Product is important. Once you have find a good product, it works best with the following features:
a) Consumables- These are the best products to get into for several reason. First point- they need to be replenished so you can create volume off of repeat business
b) Redirect Products- Consumables based on meals (meal replacement) work the best because they are redirecting money ALREADY SPENT on a monthly basis so you can build a business without adding any additonal cost for the new member.
c) Disappearing autoship- programs that help give free product creates market stability

These seven criteria have shown themselves to be very accurate in predicting future success. Use them for your benefit. 

Is it wrong to start a startup just for the money?

If the only reason you're starting a business is to get rich, then you'll likely fail.

However, if you're not interested at all in attaining at least one purely selfish goal (like money, power, recognition, etc.), you'll also likely fail.

That's the paradox: you need to both believe in your vision and also have a few selfish goals.  If you create something great that benefits the world, you deserve some selfish gain and it is ok to want it and crave for it -- that inner "want" will propel you to be a better creator, a better entrepreneur, and a better leader.

Suppose you start a venture. If you are not making money soon enough, you will be willing to give up and try something else. Motivation is important because only if you are motivated you won't give up during the tough times.

But here is something to inspire you by. My only motivation has been money. From March 2012 till September 2013, I spent about 12hrs a day working at my business. I don't have many friends. I was feeling miserable because I was thinking why am I not having fun, when this is the age I should be doing it. I asked myself will it be worth it? Here I am sitting in my office, alone while this whole world around me is having fun. I thought about everything that I won't get, what if I don't make it? If I fail? I would have wasted this time doing nothing. This thought brought a tear to my eyes and guess where it fell? On THE  keyboard. Yes I was still working it even then. I knew whatever happens I am not giving up. I had to make it, I just had to. 

Anyways let's continue with the story, to give you some inspiration.  I launched my business. After the launch, for 60 days, I worked for many hrs a day, spamming the shit out of internet, telling the world about my business. I used to sleep only when I couldn't open my eyes. I used to eat while spamming. Now after 5 1/2 months, NOTHING. 

My income wasn't good, but still I had managed to create a steady supplemental income. And then nothing. My motive was purely money. 

When I was working, my love for the money was much much more than anything else. Now the question is, are you motivated enough, by money? Probably not, it will be easier if you find a passion, because then the intensity of pain will decrease. Do something you are passionate about. Something you can use to help other, not your wallet. Focus on helping others and make sure your motivation is NOT about money.

Oh the money will come because if you help enough people get what they want, them you will have plenty of money. 

Fail and Fail Big!!

Most of us have spent our entire lives trying to succeed. Why? Well simply put, it's what we've been taught. 

From an early age we have been taught to work hard at succeeding. Get passing grades so you can be on the honor roll. Get a high GPA so you can get into a great college. Study had in college to get a degree. Get the degree to get a good job. 

Why?

Many of the greats FAILED their way to success.  Success is usually a long list of failures. As long as you learn from your failures, they can actually help you. 

FAILURE can be SUCCESS - look at Thomas Edison! He had many failures on his way to discovering electricity. He in fact hired helpers so he could fail faster on his was to success.

FAILURE can be a SUCCESS - look at Columbus! In an attempt to sail to East Indies, he fails by landing in the Bahamas and "discovers" America.

Just get on your ship and go! Don't whine about lack of funding or naysayers opinions that the world is flat (economy is bad) and you'll be eaten by dragons (get rejected). Just go! Who knows what you'll discover!