Put the Oxygen Mask on yourself first!

While reading this months issue of Success Magazine, I realized something very important. So in case you haven't read the April Issue, here is the article from Publisher, Darren Hardy.
Recently, I was on a flight traveling with my 6-year-old goddaughter sitting next to me. To set a good example, I told her to listen carefully to the flight attendant’s safety instructions. While talking about the oxygen masks, one flight attendant made a point to come to me to reiterate: “Make sure you secure yours before helping with hers.” I smiled politely, but inside I sneered, “Yeah right. Think of myself first before helping her? No way.”

Then I looked at the elderly couple across the aisle and the child traveling alone in the row in front of me. I visualized needing to assist all these people in the event of an emergency (it’s amazing how the mind starts dramatizing a scenario). I realized if I couldn’t breathe, I might not be able to help anyone around me. I then realized that securing my own oxygen mask was the most selfless and helpful thing I could do for everyone else. But this is too often not how people live their lives. Instead, they run around helping everyone else with their oxygen masks (errands, requests, obligations, etc.) and eventually run out of oxygen themselves, becoming stressed, tired, unfit and unhealthy.

When I ask people the order of their priorities and core values, I often hear an order like this:

1. God

2. Family and friends

3. Business, customers and employees

4. Well-being, personal interests, etc.

This order will eventually cause you to run out of oxygen. You are no good to God, your family, your company or anything/anyone else if you are rundown or you get sick or drop dead of a heart attack.

You cannot give what you do not have. If you want to give more, serve more, contribute more, build more, create more, you have to be stronger and more vital, have more stamina and vigor.

You need to make you your first priority so that you can give more, be more and do more for others. Jim Rohn put it this way: “You take care of you for me, and I will take care of me for you.”

My suggestion is to take out your calendar and schedule you first. Schedule your exercise, meals for proper nutrition, enough sleep, mental relaxation and recreation for recovery. Then go down the rest of your priority list and start adding family, business and social obligations.

What’s your order? Do you practice putting your own oxygen mask on first? Comment below.

Choosing the Right Company

by Pete Zdanis

Evaluating network marketing companies can be a daunting task. However, it is well worth the effort to insure that your time, money and reputation are not wasted on trying to build a business with an inferior company.

We know you will find the following guidelines to be valuable in helping you select a company that you will be proud of and that will provide you with the level of lifetime residual income that you aspire to.

There are four main areas to evaluate. First, you'll want to look at the company. Who are the leadership of the company? The management? What are their credentials? Is there a vision for the future? Do they function with integrity, and can you prove it? Is this the company...are these the people that I want to align myself with?

Second, you'll want to look at the products. Does the company do the research and development of the products? Does the company own their formulas? Does the company do their own manufacturing? Are they in control of quality control procedures? Are the products highly consumable...that people use and reorder on a monthly basis, and become loyal to? Do the products have a positive impact on people's lives?

The third issue is timing and trends...timing in the industry, as well as timing in the company. Is the industry just now emerging as a growth industry? Does the company have a history of solid growth...not one that is declining, or flattened out in terms of growth?

And, the 4th is the compensation plan. How do you make money? And, is it fair for the individual who is working on a part-time basis...someone who wants to make an extra few hundred dollars per month, and beyond that... will it pay an individual $10,000, $20,000, or more per month...for the people who really want to go out and create wealth and financial freedom?

Don't short-cut this process! And, trust your answers! Because we know that if any one of these areas is lacking, your chance for success is cut in half. Which means you'll have to work twice as hard to be successful. If two of these areas are lacking, you'll have no chance.

The time to do your homework is before you make the decision to partner with a specific company...not by jumping from one company to another.

Chance or Choice

While having a conversation with a friend the other day, I remembered these words from Timothy Lewis, "we are not broke by chance but by choice". I have to admit I had never heard those words before. After our conversation many different variables came to mind. If we were to be very honest with ourselves, we could fill in the blanks. Let's try it! I am not _______ by chance but by choice. Whatever your wording you decided on leads me to ask you this question, what are you going to do about it? The late Philosopher, Jim Rohn says "in order for things to change you have to change". Ouch! I thought I was just fine and everybody and everything else needed to change. How do you make the changes? I am so glad you asked. Check your environment, your friends, the books you are reading, the things you are listening or better yet, the people you are listening to. The best advice I was ever given was not to take advice from someone who was not were I wanted to be whether it is spiritually, emotionally or financially. I hope this helps!