Elizabeth Harrington

If You Don’t Love It – Change It!
One of my favorite rants these days is that the old way or “Old School Network Marketing” has gone the way of the dinosaur.

When my good friend George Madiou told me about the theme for the August issue of The Network Marketing magazine, I was excited.

One of my favorite rants these days is that the old way or “Old School Network Marketing” has gone the way of the dinosaur.

“Old school” is just not working in today’s marketplace.

Yet many executives in our industry don’t see it. Those distributors perched at the top of the pay scale don’t seem to see it.

What I am seeing in company after company in our industry is that many decision makers want to do it the way they have always done it.

Of course my question to the people at the top is: “when was the last time you actually did any of the activities that are required to build your businesses… such as get 5-10 new customers in a month?” Or how about “when was the last time you recruited someone new to the industry and coached them to a first level leadership rank?”

After some stammering, if they are frank and honest with me, they admit they haven’t had to in many years due to the beauty of “residual income.”

The reality is, in many cases, these are the very same people who are designing the compensation plans, and creating the training programs etc.

We’re living in the most cluttered marketplace in history.

The noise or “din” is deafening!

Everyone is skeptical of anything that smacks or hints at a “get rich quick” scheme or a “drop 30 pounds in 30 days” fantasy”. Sales people are NOT to be trusted.

In fact, one of my favorite authors, Seth Godin has written a best selling business book called “All Marketers Are Liars”. The title pretty well sums up the feeling in the marketplace today.

After 13 years in this industry, I still shudder at the many trial and errors I have made along the way. One of the biggest was buying into the “old school” way to drive success.

“Ya gotta have a story AND if you don’t have one, tell the story of someone in your upline or company who has made it big.”

I want to know today “why can’t it be your story?”

What’s wrong with you telling your story? Being authentic? Why not tell people why you joined your company?

Such as “I tried the ** cream and was able to play a good game of tennis without any pain. I was so impressed that I decided to join the company and share this product with the many other boomers I know who are suffering from the same condition.”

If I heard that from someone I respected, like a fellow tennis player, and had that same pain, I would probably be interested in trying it. Makes sense doesn’t it? If it worked, I would probably be offering that same solution and my story to a fellow player who was wincing in pain at the net.

Welcome to New School “viral marketing” or “creating evangelists” or better yet, turning your customers into your sales reps!

So do we really need to apply the “Old School” tactic of: “You must be hunting for recruits all the time.”? UGH!

How many times have I heard training CD’s or calls where it is suggested to “chat people up in the line at the grocery store, the post office… funerals (how bizarre and may I say tasteless was that one!)? Or “you must practice your 30 second intro for the… Elevators, weddings, class reunions, on and on and on… “

Or how about the “3 foot rule”? “Anyone who fogs a mirror’… OR “you can find a hero from the zeros, so don’t prejudge anyone”!

I find that whole process totally lacking in dignity and respect to others and DOWNRIGHT RUDE.

Network Marketing is NOT EASY and NOT EVERYONE CAN DO IT!

It requires training and practice to do it well.

The New School way is to offer your product or business to people who share similar values and interests. Take the time to explore what other people want. Listen and ask good questions.

Did you know that many Fortune 500 companies right now are recruiting introverts for sales positions? No, that is not a typo! Introverts! Why would that be?

Well, they talk less and listen more. Simple really.

People want to be listened to, not sold to, or hustled. Let’s return to the example of the ** cream that helped me with the pain so I could play a better game of tennis. Assuming I got the results and started to spread the word to other tennis player friends, well, if I was interested in taking on something new, I would in all likelihood express some interest to the person who sold me the product initially or google the company/product to start some research. Doesn’t that make sense? Especially when studies show that 2/3 of Americans (Canadians are the same) have entrepreneurial aspirations. Where will they all go to find these businesses?

Research is showing as well that entrepreneurs today are shifting their priority from making money to finding purpose and meaning in what they do.

I know this as well because I work with the University of Minnesota as a Purpose Coach or a Life by Design Coach.

Here is the biggest mistake and I believe the most heinous “Old School” mistake –

Keep walking by the biggest and richest market of all: WOMEN.

For years, I’ve heard:

“Don’t waste time recruiting the little guys (gals). Hunt down the big guns, hard-charging and successful, preferably from other companies who can bring a large organization with them.-it will save you time.” Huh? Do you know how hard it is to find these people? Not just find but to recruit, not just recruit but TO KEEP! Not many of us travel in those rarified circles even after years in the industry.

What about the newbies? Now what if the stars are aligned and you’ve applied the Law of Attraction successfully and you’ve reeled in a big fish. Do you know that one of the dirty little secrets of our industry is that many top leaders are given substantial rewards to A) join your company B) Stay with your company.

A real challenge to maintain a consistent, secure income with that happening at the top!

How about these numbers:

Women comprise of 80% of our network marketers and direct sales.

85% of consumer purchases are made by women and growing.

Women join this business on a part-time basis. Part-timers comprise of 85% of our business.
As Kim Klaver says in her 11 Point Manifesto:

“Many part-timers together make up big business volume. Let’s give them equal recognition.

Women join to be part of a community… to be part of something meaningful. New School is about making a difference.

Those who stick do so because they love what they do even if they are making little money.”
Kim Klaver

There is so much more to rant about but time and space are limited. Let’s continue the discussion… Post a comment on my blog.

Let’s start a new conversation and create a different reality.

The Way of the Inspired “New Story” Leader

Welcome to the era of new rules…

Never before has the past had such little if any influence on the unfolding future. We live in such a time. A time of churning uncertainty that ignores the rules of the past order, and is plunging us all into a turbulent, chaotic disorder.

Old rules aren’t working– have you noticed? What are we to do when the old rules don’t explain our current conditions? The following story is a good example of why I believe we need an ERA of NEW RULES in the business world!

One of my pet beefs about aggressive “old style” sales people was brought jarringly to my attention this past week, when I received numerous phone calls from a woman, (representing one of the top direct sales companies) requesting that I give her the contact info of one of my friends.

Let’s back up a moment… I am the Founder of a network group, called “Fabulous Women.” It started in Toronto after 9/11 in that brief moment of time when the world as we knew it collapsed. All of a sudden women took a collective breath from their busy harried lives and just needed to connect.

In my role as a life coach and avid networker, I have the opportunity to reach out to a wide variety of women. It was easy to see that the women in my life, including me, needed to connect over this horrific act of violence.

Take the space, create a moment, catch our breath– all in an environment of warmth and trust. Do what women do so very well– create a connection.

Some of the most interesting and liveliest women came. We met at my favorite Thai restaurant in Toronto, for the best Thai food this side of… (Sasi’s on Jarvis St. Shameless plug!)

We had 24 fabulous women at that event, many meeting for the first time. The evening was an enormous success with much laughter and many tears as we shared our innermost thoughts and feelings– heart to heart.

“Magical” and “lively” are two of the most common words to discuss each of our events. Thousands of dollars of business transactions have taken place through Fabulous Women developing relationships with each other, and then doing business with each other.

When I moved to the Twin Cities a few years ago, I thought starting a Fabulous Women group here would be an ideal way to meet new people. It was! We had our third event a few weeks ago.

Now back to my story and my pet peeve!

In the many years we have had these events, not once has anyone complained about any aggressive sales follow-up from connecting at our events– until last week. The victim was me!

This rep was determined to get my friend, Chelsea’s contact info from me. It did not matter what my response was to this direct sales rep… she would not listen to me! At our last event, Chelsea had mentioned in passing to her that she might be interested in learning more about the business but that she was getting married in Mexico soon and would not be interested in learning more until returning from her honeymoon. Makes sense to me!

Well this rep had just returned from her company annual conference in Arizona. She HAD TO CONNECT with Chelsea ASAP to let her knew all about the most exciting news that came out of the conference she was at…! Is any of this hitting a chord?

My response was that Chelsea was getting married that very day, so I doubted that she would respond with the same enthusiasm about the business opportunity if she were to get a call on her cell-phone… oh, by the way, did I mention she was getting married that very day — in Mexico?

I had real difficulties getting this rep off the phone and boy was I ever in a hurry to do so! The bad news is that I don’t believe this story is all that unusual. In fact I admit that in my early days of building my business I probably was guilty of similar misguided enthusiasm. Where it was more important to me to share my enthusiasm than to care about what was going on with the person at the other end of the phone.

The good news is, today I believe that:

“New Story Leaders do not need to recruit because their CAUSE becomes a beacon, attracting the PASSIONS of people from far and wide!”
Lance Secretan

One of my favorite she- heroes is Kim Klaver. She recently wrote the New School 11-point Manifesto. To see it in full go to: KimKlaverBlogs

In it she explains that the future of our industry rests on the fact “we are members of a community not hunters.”

People like to do business with people they like.

The new era rules that “we offer our products or business to those who are most likely to share our values and interests NOT market to anyone who can fog a mirror!”

There are many more but this much is certain. To regain a steady hand on the directions of our business, we must unlearn a host of old rules and learn many new ones. I believe there is no more daunting task we face than to adapt to the idea that much of what we thought we knew is wrong!

I believe that the ‘old story leader’ tries to motivate others. The ‘new story leader’ wants to inspire others.

Here is the definition of each word.

Motivation: to provide a motive, to induce, incite, impel.

Inspiration: is from the Latin word spirare, meaning in spirit, to breathe, to give life, the breath of God.

When we’re inspired it’s because we love something, we love the people we’re doing it with, and we love the reason we’re doing it.

“Love is what powers Inspiration. Motivating others means bribery, exploitation, manipulate.”
Lance Secretan

We mix up motivation and inspiration all the time.

The Old Story Leader says I want you to meet my targets, so I will bribe you to meet your targets, so therefore when you meet them I will meet mine. It is an act of selfishness and greed.

The Old Story Leader is going the way of the dinosaur. People can see them coming today and duck to get out of the way– FAST!

The New Story Leader wants to inspire others, following the example of history’s greatest servant leaders:

Jesus Christ, Confucius, Gandhi, Buddha.

The #1 lesson I learned from reading their biographies is to treat your team as customers and inspire them to do what they love.

As Kim Klaver states in Manifesto #9,

“Making a difference is first, then making a buck. Making a difference is the dream. Those who stick do so because they love what they do, even with little money.”

“The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice, love and passion.”
Nadia Boulanger

So if you envision creating a team in which truth-telling and promise-keeping are restored, where the culture is built around personal integrity, then you must seek the Way of the Inspirational Leader!

[Digg]

The Pursuit of Happyness – Part 2
We continue the journey to the BEST years in life… NOW!
We live in a world of instant everything. How often have you found yourself tapping a foot or squirming and dancing around while waiting for water to boil? I cook my Irish steel cut oats the slow way for 30 minutes so to save time, I cook it the day before. Hence the need to warm it up for 2 minutes in the microwave the next day. I had to stop myself the other day as I caught myself dancing around in front of the microwave, tapping my foot, waiting to hear the ding of the timer yesterday… it only takes 2 minutes but there is so much to do I was telling myself! Yikes- so easy to fall into that trap isn’t it?

“Hurry is fear disguised as passion”
J Ray

I now believe that it is more important to think and reflect on what we want to create, than to be a person who is “action-oriented”.

In her book Unstoppable, Cynthia Kersey writes that a prominent psychologist asked 3,000 people, “What have you to live for?” An amazing 94% answered by saying they had no definite purpose for their lives – NINETY FOUR PERCENT!

With these kinds of results, is it any wonder that there are so many unhappy people in our world today?

“The journey into the heart is our future and our only way of creating a future. It is movement toward wholeness, integrity, and compassion. It is the healing each of us longs for and the healing that each of us must accomplish if we are to move forward into our fullest potential.”
Gary Zukav in The Seat of the Soul

As I am again ending my sabbatical, I remind myself of the power of these words of wisdom from many centuries ago.

Without this practice of reflective thinking or reflective living, as it is often referred to, how do we know what we want to create to design our “life roadmap” or “life plan?”

Until I understood the critical nature of slowing down to take the time to reflect, I was part of the crowd who asked themselves each and every December, “Where did the year go?”

Now I set aside time to review my life, my actions, and the results I’m receiving. Each day, each situation, I ask myself what I have learned and how can I apply this learning?

I urge others to do the same.

Reflection is the habit of digging deep to understand why you do what you do and what you don’t do.

Most don’t take the time from their harried and fast paced lives otherwise known as the “hurry disease” to explore themselves and their lives at this level. I meet many through my coaching practice who are afraid or too deeply uncomfortable to “even go there.”

To examine ways of growing whole – to become what we are capable of being – is a vital part of life– particularly a critical second half of life venture.

“If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you’ll be unhappy for the rest of your life.”
Abraham Maslow

My colleague and teacher, Richard Leider, the Inventure Group, is the architect of the “Purpose Project” and “Working on Purpose”.

During one of our Guild meetings, the question arose of how to tell the difference between knowing when you are in a hurry and when you are acting with passion. Great question! One that made us sit back and really think about it.

What we came up with is a series of basic questions to ask yourself:

Am I having fun?
Does what I’m doing right now bring me joy?
Is this a mission or an adventure?
Am I following my love or my destiny?
Am I grateful for the opportunity to do what I am doing right now?
We will be discussing more about each of these in future articles.

For now, if you are not living a life filled with joy, having fun, in love with what you’re doing, and full of gratitude – then I suggest this would be an excellent time to set aside some time each day and start asking yourself some important questions.

You don’t have to take a sabbatical (although I love going to Maui and Sedona for reflection, it isn’t always possible). I DO keep my favorite MAUI sunsets and Sedona Red Rock photos around me though to enhance the spirit of creation.

Time alone is essential – at least 30-40 minutes a day. Can’t swing that much time? Find 10 minutes and get started. Turn off that plug- in drug known as the TV, stop surfing the net for more information, get off eBay… what ever it takes. Find it! Do it!

It’s worth it.

Your life is waiting.

Full actualization of your potential and growth will only come about when you make a commitment to examine your life and explore your identity.

What better time than now? If you’ve read this far… then you know this is the right time, the best time, for you to make a commitment to dive deeply into your heart and soul. You can make this the best year of your life!

I challenge you to spend some quiet time with yourself and explore what you have learned this year. You’re worth it. Your life is worth it.

Decide right now that you will not be one of the sad people I wrote about last month, who are struggling with the blues because they have given up on believing they can make a difference in their own lives – and all of this sadness occurred from giving up on their dreams and New Year’s Resolutions before January was even over!

Reading this, ask yourself how you have grown in your business, in your relationships, in your health, your spiritual connection, your professional and personal development, your financial life? Write down some of the win-wins so you start the following exercise on a positive note.

REMEMBER YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE BEST PART OF YOUR LIFE.

I often hear people refer to the quote… “Youth is wasted on the young.” People who quote this are perpetuating and accepting that only the young can enjoy life to the fullest. As I greet each new birthday, happier, fitter and more fulfilled than ever, I realize how untrue this really is.

The truth is that many older people enjoy their advancing years as much if not more than their young days.

Michael, in his mid-50’s, is a college professor I coach. Comfortable in all respects, he anticipated like many other baby boomers, that he would continue teaching until he reached retirement age. The college faced a budget shortfall last year, and took the unprecedented step of eliminating a number of its academic departments, including Michaels’s. Michael felt his entire world was destroyed. Everything he had counted on was gone. He would read in the newspapers that there were no good jobs for those over 50. He felt great anxiety as he felt too old to search for another job similar to the one he had lost and too old to start all over again.

I suggested Michael take the time to gain a new perspective. Instead of grieving over the loss of his old job and life, why not focus on the brave new world of many opportunities that lay before him. Never before had he had the chance to start over again, to decide what he wanted to do and where he wanted to do it.

It proved to be a very positive time for him because of this focus, and he took a year off, to live without the structure of a job, traveled to some exotic places and not so exotic places. For the first time since he was a student, he had the time to visit favorite family members and friends. He embarked on an exercise program and committed to a healthier lifestyle. At the end of the year, he admitted to me that he had never been better. In fact he admitted to me that he had always had a dream of operating his own business so is in the process of exploring an internet marketing business with me where he can fully utilize his knowledge and talent.

What do you truly want for yourself this year?
What do you have to let go?
How do you have to grow?
What do you want to learn?
What will you commit to doing differently this year so you will stop and say with wonder and pride next December, “WOW look at what I’ve achieved this year”
Hurry Up and slow down…your best life is waiting!

This is the second article in the series of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!

Elizabeth Harrington is a “Working On Purpose” coach and facilitator. She is honored to be a founding member of the Working On Purpose GUILD with Richard Leider of the Inventure Group and the University of Minnesota. She is a “thought-leader” yet evolving student of the network marketing industry and has been passionate about helping others achieve their dreams and goals for more than a decade.

After initially working her way up through the corporate executive ranks with Xerox, on to a senior government post in Toronto, Canada, then spending the past decade exploring the rollercoaster ride as an entrepreneur with Unicity International, Elizabeth is uniquely prepared to understand the demands of each career role as well as the best practices required for extreme success.

Elizabeth was married in Maui, Hawaii 2 I/2 years ago to Tom Spindler. Together they are living a balanced happy life in a suburb of Minneapolis MN, where frequent visitors are bunnies, deer, and possum! She and Tom escape to Maui as often as they can to enjoy their Pacific paradise!

Following her passion of being the best leader and mentor she can be, she and Tom are currently becoming certified as Master Coaches and becoming part of the Purpose Project at the University of Minnesota (it’s going to be all about vital aging over the next 2 decades)

Find out more about Elizabeth by going to her website: ElizabethHarrington.com (under construction)

LET me know what you think of my new Spring like color theme on my blog!…

Long awaited March article coming today..and April within 2 days..lots of activity happening on my Blog!

The Pursuit of Happyness?
Begin the process of designing your life and discovering your
dreams and the pursuit of happyness will become your reality.

Life happens…and rarely according to plan.

If that is true, why plan?

We are at the beginning of a new year. This is the most popular time of
the year to set goals, make resolutions. Our obsession with the “new
year” is not actually new. The ancient Babylonians were observing New
Years Day 4000 years ago!

Resolutions aren’t new either. Ancient Babylonians were obsessed with
returning borrowed farm equipment. Ancient Romans sought forgiveness
from their enemies. Today our focus is on more health related goals like
losing weight, exercising more, and quitting smoking.

As a coach and trainer, the beginning of the year has always been the
peak time of the year to encourage my clients to craft a clear and
dynamic personal vision, set goals, and then together we’d clearly define
a series of actions to support the achievement of these goals. Sound
familiar?

Then I would talk about the fundamental need of creating a “blueprint” or
a “roadmap” to follow.

Anyone ever hear the phrase
“without your own life map, you’ll
end up part of someone else’s life
plan?

Today while I agree with the basic core principles of the value of creating
a good plan, I think it is so much more important to learn to ask yourself
the right questions first.

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Socrates

Many times over the years, I have participated in self development
seminars with well-known gurus advising us to write out 101 life
goals…can you imagine writing 101 life goals in an hour or two? I can’t
even remember what I wrote down– and I’ve done this exercise at least
three times! Too rushed, no reflection, therefore not much meaning
attached to the list of goals.

Today? Well today, I sent out an email to my team and kept rewriting the
content a few times before I just wrote the truth. I wrote…”These first few
weeks of the New Year, have been very busy for me, I’ve been busy
thinking.

Thinking? Busy thinking? Isn’t that an oxymoron?

I can just imagine the perplexed expressions on their faces as they read
that sentence over a few times!

People don’t take the time to
really think about what they want
to create in their lives.

Statistics prove this point; I just heard on the Oprah radio news today,
that on January 24th each year, more people have the blues than any
other day. January 24th is also known to be the gloomiest day of the year!
Why?

Many people start the New Year with great intentions, great optimism
and great resolutions. January 24th is the day that 80% of Americans
have already broken their resolution. They realize it just isn’t going to
happen, so they give up trying because they believe nothing will change
in their lives.

This is only the 3rd week of January! What a startling and very sad
statement of the current reality facing millions of people in their lives.

Life is a marathon, not a sprint!
To enjoy the journey, start over
each time you have a “false
start”!

If you are one of the 80% who are disappointed by your performance
since you rang in the bells of a new year– don’t give up! Decide today
that February 1st or even March 1st, is the beginning of your new year.

In previous articles, I have mentioned that I have recently started
in a Guild- collaborating with Richard Leider, of the Inventure Group and in
partnership with the University of Minnesota. Together, we are involved in
the “Working on Purpose Project.”
For a fascinating read by one of the greatest thought leaders in the world today, I suggest you read moe about Richard at www.the inventuregroup.com.

Richard refers to the “hurry sickness” engulfing our society today. I
heartily agree with Richard’s premise that many people today will
immediately improve the richness of their journey in life when they start
asking themselves the right questions.

Next month, in part two of “The Pursuit of Happyness”, I will discuss the
questions to start asking yourself… here is one of them:

“Are you having fun?”

Take the time to reflect on and answer the questions, then you will begin
the process of designing your life, discovering your dreams and the
pursuit of happyness will become your reality.

“A dream is a wish your heart makes.”
Disney

Throw away the alarm clock! Read every word you choose to in the New York Times! Indulge yourself with a third cup of coffee in the morning while still in your bathrobe mid-morning!

Let go of that harried jammed schedule, all those irritating obligations, those numbing chores! Book that trip to an enchanted isle, take a safari through the African desert with noted adventurer Richard Leider, sail around the world… live your dreams!

Growing up, this is what many of us thought our lives would be like when we grew up… way up way up… living the dream- the fairy tale mantra of the princess chanting for her prince -at a certain age the tune changes to “someday my “retirement” will come!”

Well here we are… more than 7000 baby boomers are turning 60 each and every day here in North America. The two biggest hits on the search engines now are “menopause” and “retirement”.

The media is full of dire warnings about Medicare and “Social Security” plans failing down the road.

On the other hand, the media is full of good news about a new reality for many healthy baby boomers… 60 is the new 40!

What is your current reality?

On a positive note… Research shows that 50% of us who live to 65 with no major health challenge will live past 100!

So my question again is “what is it going to be for you”?

Many years ago Mark Victor Hanson (for those of you living under a mushroom cap, he is the co-author of the best selling books-Chicken Soup for the Soul series) spoke to a group of us at a direct selling corporate event about John Goddard. Who is John Goddard? Like many of us at 15 years old, he had a lot of big dreams. Unlike many of us at 15, on one ordinary day in 1940, he wrote all 127 of these big dreams down on paper!

Life magazine in 1972, reported that at age 47, he had achieved 103 of his original dreams!

That article “One Man’s Life of No Regrets” detailed his Master Dream List and became one of the most requested reprints in Life’s long history.

I know I have kept his extensive list in my Dream journal for many years. I also know that they have served as the best example of a life blueprint for “fun, excitement, and knowledge”

What a vast array of dreams! Everything from studying 12 primitive cultures, climbing 16 of the highest mountains, visiting every country in the world, carrying out successful careers in medicine and exploration, learning to play the violin and flute, and many, many more! (A link to the entire list is at the end of this article)

John was one of the lucky ones. He learned at an early age that many adults complain that life just seems to slip by and they have many regrets. As Oliver Wendell Holmes so succinctly states it:

“Most of us go to our graves with our music still inside us.”

As my teacher and guru, Richard Leider, so wisely puts it:

“The road ahead can be the best part of your journey. It can present a chance to discover and play your music.”

As a passionate advocate for the entrepreneurial spirit, especially in network marketing,

I believe that our industry is a great vehicle to discover and play your music, especially in the second half of your life or middlessence!

So decide right now to be one of the blessed Boomers who still have time to repack your dream bag and start living boldly while:

“advancing confidently in the direction of your dreams.”
Goethe

To be truly inspired, visit:

www.JohnGoddard.info/life_list

Ths is my article.

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