Steve DeVane

Moving day for the blog

2009-04-14T20:08:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that the blog has moved to a new server and to share a lesson I learned along the way.

The blog is now located at stevedevane.com. That address was previously forwarded to this blog, but is now located on a separate server. Please adjust your bookmark or feed reader accordingly.

The move was not as simple or as easy as I’d hoped. To be honest, it was kind of intimidating. Numerous times along the way, I’d read the instructions for what to do and say to myself, “Huh?”

Several times, I wanted to just stop and forget it. Have you ever been trying to accomplish something and a little voice keeps telling you that you can’t do it, that you ought to just give up? That’s what happened to me over and over.

But I knew that moving the blog made good business sense. It was something I needed to do.

So I stuck with it. It wasn’t simple. It wasn’t easy. But I got it done.

The move in that way symbolized my recent business life. There have been times when a part of me wanted to give up, but I keep going, knowing that it’s the right thing to do.

In due time, I’ll be rewarded.

Steve DeVane

Winning the race, one goal at a time

2009-04-11T13:47:00.007-04:00

The other day, I was reading a story about NASCAR driver Kyle Busch. He’s not my favorite, but I admire his will to win.

In the story, Busch talked about what motivates him.

“What I use is the car in front of me. If there's a car in front of me, I'm going to chase him,” Busch said. “... I want to pass that guy. If I'm the leader, there's another car in front of me, he's going a lap down. The more guys you get a lap down, the more you don't have to deal with at the end of the day. There's always some motivation to go forward. There's always somebody ahead of you that you can pass that's going to mean something. Even if you are the leader.”

I thought that was a pretty good motivational strategy for anyone in business. It’s good to set goals. I’m a big believer in the importance of having lofty aspirations.

Sometimes, however, those high expectations aren’t enough. If that’s all we have, making progress might seem like we’re not accomplishing anything.

So, in addition to high, long-term goals, we have to stay focused on what’s going on now. Like Busch focuses on the car in front of him, concentrate on being the best at whatever you’re doing.

I once heard a speech by an Air Force officer who had reached the rank of general. In his comments he said his goal was always to be the best officer he could be, no matter what his rank.

Likewise, we should focus on being the best business people we can be. If we do this, we’ll reach our highest goals.

Steve DeVane

Give yourself a hand

2009-04-10T23:31:00.003-04:00

The other day, my wife was talking to our daughter about how her day at school went. My daughter talked about an exercise one of her teachers had the students do that day.

The teacher asked the students to join their two hands together, interlocking their fingers. She then told the students to look at their fingers to see which of their thumbs were in front.

When people put their hands together like that, they almost always do it the same way, the teacher said. She asked the students to try to do it the other way to see how it felt.

I put my hands together several times. Sure enough, they went together the same way every time. I had to make an effort to bring my hands together the other way. But after a while it started feeling comfortable either way.

Later, I thought of how similar the exercise was to many things in life and business. Often we are faced with issues that call for us to readjust the way we think or the way we do things.

Sometimes such small changes will feel uncomfortable at first, but will eventually feel fine. When that happens we need to be flexible. Our lives and businesses will benefit.

Steve DeVane

A runaway conversation that gets you nowhere

2009-04-02T22:25:00.003-04:00

One evening last weekend, my daughter wanted me to go jogging along the beach with her. I had taken a long walk with my wife and son that morning, but I was still up for a nice relaxing run.

Unfortunately, a storm came up before we started. So we decided to jog the next morning instead.

Bright and early, we headed out on the sand. It was beautiful.

We had barely got started when I told my daughter we should go till we were even with the next beach house and turn around. I thought she knew I was joking.

A couple of minutes later, she said we could run about three more houses down and turn around. I knew she hadn’t been feeling very well, so I figured she wasn’t up for much of a run that morning.

I said, “OK,” and a couple of minutes later we turned around to head back.

Later, back in the room, she said something about not running very far. I said that we could have run further.

Eventually, I figured out that she thought I was serious about stopping shortly after we started.

It made me realize the value of clear communication. I should have let her know I was joking. I didn’t. As a result and pleasant Sunday morning run along the beach was cut short.

Communication is key in business and in life.

In business, relationships are vital. Miscommunication or too little communication can make it difficult to make those connections.

Here’s a few tips to help you communicate:

• Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. If your business partner makes a statement that you don’t understand, see if he or she will explain it further.

• Listen attentively. When the other person is talking, pay attention to what they’re saying. Don’t make the mistake of thinking about what you’re going to say next while they’re still talking.

• Talk it out. When a disagreement arises, discuss it until you agree or at least reach a point satisfactory to you both.

• Notice more than just words. Some people will say they’re OK with something when they really aren’t. They’re body language will let you know they’re true feelings. Better to talk about their issues sooner than later.

• Be flexible. Realize things won’t always go your way. Knowing that up front will improve your communication and your relationships.

Steve DeVane

Surfing toward success

2009-03-30T23:35:00.002-04:00

While taking a walk along the beach the other day with my wife and son, we noticed a fellow surfing in the Atlantic Ocean.

I spent the first few minutes watching the guy thinking about how cold he must have been. Water temperature in the area averages about 55 degrees in March.

But the more I watched, I noticed the way the surfer would time his attempts to ride waves. As a suitable wave approached, he’d paddle with the wave before standing up and trying to ride it.

Of course, this didn’t happen often. The waves weren’t very large. He had to wait several minutes just to find one large enough to try to ride. We watched him for about 15 to 20 minutes. He only tried to ride five or six waves and only managed to stand up on his board two or three times.

The surfer reminded me of a couple of good lessons for life and business.

First, you have to recognize when the time is right. If you’re thinking about starting a home-based business, now is a great time. When economic woes hit, home-based businesses often thrive.

Second, you have to realize when the right business comes along. If you’re ready to start a business, find an opportunity and company that gives you the best chance of success.

Remember these tips and you’ll be riding the wave of success.

Steve DeVane

Walking with a new perspective

2009-03-29T23:40:00.004-04:00

I recently spent a weekend in North Myrtle Beach with my family. One morning, I went for a walk on the beach with my wife and son. We walked to the Cherry Grove pier.

The walk was pleasant even though it was a cloudy day. We made it to the pier and turned back toward the resort where we were staying.

About halfway back, it occurred to me that the walk going to the pier seemed much shorter than the return trip. It made me realize the importance of perspective.

When we were walking toward the pier, we had a fixed goal in mind. Walking back, our goal was not as visible. Moreover, we realized that we had walked a long way to the pier and now faced a long walk back.

I learned was re-reminded of a couple of good lessons for life and business.

First, always set clear goals. Write them down and celebrate when you reach them.

Second, if you don’t like the way things are looking, it will probably help if you change the way you’re looking at them.

Steve DeVane

Create success by staying calm

2009-03-22T22:02:00.003-04:00

I was thinking earlier tonight about a seminar I went to several years ago that included a session on the way families work. One of the things I learned is the importance of being what the teachers called a “non-anxious presence.”

It seems that often issues that arise within families can be handled if one of those involved can keep his or her anxiety level down. That “non-anxious presence” can serve as a calming agent of sorts.

I often thought of that when uneasy situations arise in my life. I try to stay calm, and I’ve found that helps me deal with whatever I’m facing.

What’s more, I’ve discovered that the peaceful attitude often spreads to those around me.

When the military is choosing its most elite teams, it chooses those who demonstrate the ability to stay calm in chaotic situations. Those making the selections know the importance of staying focused no matter what’s going on around you.

As I was thinking of all this, it occurred to me that business people can also benefit from being a non-anxious presence. For those in network marketing, the opposite often happens. This comes across in two forms.

First, we know we have such a great product that we anxiously share it with anyone and everyone, even if they don’t need it.

Second, we’re often taught “closing” techniques that don’t fit our personalities. Moreover, we know that such strategies are likely to turn off the person to whom we’re talking.

Here’s how you solve both issues: don’t mention your product unless the person gives you a reason to think they might need it, and forget every pressure tactic you’ve learned.

Anyone who buys your product if they don’t need it will never buy it again, and those who are pressured into joining your business will never stay. Both situations waste time and effort and make our profession look bad.

Some of the best advice to help your business can be summed up in two words: stay calm.

Steve DeVane

Getting in tune with a lack of stress

2009-03-18T22:53:00.005-04:00

Sometimes I get too stressed over stuff that’s not worth it.

Last week, our band was supposed to play during a church service. We had all the songs picked out except the one that would be played right before the sermon.

Of course, that’s considered the most important song of the service. We try hard to make it fit with what the pastor’s going to say in the sermon.

Usually, the bandleader’s pretty good about finding a song that goes with the sermon. He has a knack for such things. Many times after a service, I’ve told him that the music was perfect.

But this particular week, we couldn’t find the right song. At rehearsal, we thought about a couple of different songs, but none were right. We finally decided that we’d have to practice the song on Sunday morning before the service.

Our thinking was that we’d come up with a song during the week. The bandleader and I e-mailed back and forth several times, but nothing clicked. Finally, he decided we’d do a song that wasn’t a great fit for the sermon, but would generally go along with the theme of the service.

At the rehearsal just before the service, we discovered that our children’s choir was also going to sing. After some discussion we decided that they would sing just before the sermon.

Issue settled.

All that worrying for nothing.

Made me realize that I can probably relax about a great many other concerns. Next time I’m stressing about something, I think I'll sing a different tune.

Steve DeVane

The quick fix can be a good thing

2009-03-14T17:47:00.007-04:00

I finally got a new car. Well, it’s not a new car. It’s actually a kind of old car — a 1995 Volkswagen Jetta — but it’s new to me and has a lot less miles than you'd think.

It’s not my dream car, but I got a good deal on it. As a matter of fact, I got a real good deal.

Unfortunately in this case, the deal wasn’t quite as good as it seemed. The car actually broke down on me on the way home after I bought it. I had to get it towed to my mechanic’s shop.

First, he fixed a small oil leak. Then he cleaned out a clogged screen that was keeping oil from getting to the engine. Thankfully, it wasn’t near as expensive as I feared.

My mechanic tried, but couldn’t fix the transmission that was slipping a little. He suggested another mechanic who worked on transmissions.

I took the car to him and initially got good news. A broken part was keeping a filter from doing its job.

He fixed that, but unfortunately, it didn’t correct the problem. He told me the repair would cost more than I paid for the car.

But he also told me a way to work around the problem by starting off in low gear. When I do that, the transmission shifts much better.

The mechanic told me there’s no telling how long the transmission will last. So far, I’ve driven the car more than 500 miles with no issues. I expect I either keep driving it like that or just sell to someone who’s willing to get it fixed.

When I picked the car up, he mechanic told me something that struck me. He said that more than likely the transmission is in such bad shape because the person who owned the car before me didn’t fix the smaller issue.

In other words, if that person would have paid less than $150 to get it fixed then, it wouldn’t be needing a repair costing nearly 10 times that much now.

At first it frustrated me a little, but then I realized that there’s nothing I can do about it now. Moreover, if I’m smart, I can learn something from that person’s mistake.

I thought of all those things in my life that need fixing. I can ignore them and let them get worse, or I can work on making them better now.

It’s the same way in business. The key is finding the right path to success and staying on it. When we see we’re off track, the sooner we get back on the right road the better off we are.

Steve DeVane

Lessons from Larry Legend

2009-03-07T21:52:00.007-05:00

I was reading an article the other day on the Sports Illustrated web site about Larry Bird.

The article was an excerpt from “When March went Mad: The Game that Transformed Basketball,” a book about the 1979 NCAA basketball championship between Bird’s Indiana State team and the Michigan State team lead by Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

The article focuses on Bird and how he came to play basketball for Indiana State. He had originally signed and attended Indiana University, but went back home to French Lick, Indiana, after having a bad experience at the school.

Later, Bill Hodges, an assistant coach at Indiana State, went to Bird’s town to talk to him about coming to that school, according to the article. Hodges was talking to Bird about needing good players when Bird suggested a player from French Lick who had graduated from high school a few years earlier.

"He would have been a really good player if he had gone to college," Bird told the coach.

Hodges replied, "You know, Larry, someday they're gonna say the same thing about you if you don't go to school."

The article said that for the first time that day, Bird looked Hodges straight in the eye. He said nothing.

As you probably know, Bird went on to play for Indiana State where in 1979 he led them to the championship game that is the focus of the book. He went on to become one of the great NBA players of all-time.

Later, I couldn’t quit thinking about the comment the coach made to Bird. I thought of all the people who go through life in their own personal French Lick. They realize later they should have taken some chance in life to become who they were meant to be.

If that thought hits you, consider these questions:

• How are you still holding yourself back? Loosen up on the reins a little.

• What kept you from doing what you think you should have done? Make sure you don’t make the same mistake again.

• What feelings arise when you think about missed opportunities? If you feel bad, realize that it’s never too late to do what you should do.

Get in touch with your dreams, then focus on reaching them. Start today.

Steve DeVane

Success from the inside out

2009-03-03T21:53:00.003-05:00

I was in a study group the other night when the leader pointed out that the spiritual life is a paradox, requiring both solitude and contact with others. He was, in effect, encouraging us to spend some time in quiet meditation between our weekly sessions as a group.

Good advice. Every once in a while everyone needs to get away from the chaos of daily life. I think burnout is in large part caused by the way we keep our engines revved way too high for much too long.

Of course we can’t stay shut off from the world for too long, either. We need to stay connected to other people. The relationships we form with other people enhance our lives.

Business can work much the same way. We must look inwardly and become comfortable with ourselves. As one of my mentors likes to say, “You do not have to change who you are to have success in your life or business.”

At the same time, we need a team of people behind us and around us. When a group of people works together for a common purpose, great things happen.

One key to success in life is finding a balance between introspection and interaction.

Steve DeVane

The frustration of procrastination

2009-02-28T09:38:00.002-05:00

I’ve been finishing a major project over the last week or so. I’ll be writing more about it in future posts, but first I thought I’d share a lesson learned during the process.

During the early and middle stages of the effort, there were a number of times, I thought about details that needed to be done. I kept telling myself that I’d do them later. I thought it’d be easier to work on them all at the same time during the final phase of the project.

Wrong.

As you might expect, many small details turned into a major hassle as I was trying to get the project completed. I had a tough time doing all the tiny tasks that I had to finish first.

I thought back on all the times I put off doing small, simple stuff. Later, I paid the price for procrastinating.

In business, I’m often faced with similar choices. I’m learning that it’s never a good idea to say to myself, “I’ll do that later.”

Steve DeVane

Thoughts on thinking: Presenting the present

2009-02-18T21:37:00.005-05:00

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my thinking. Specifically, I’m trying to have more positive thoughts.

That’s why an ABC News feature on a German spiritual thinker caught my attention. Eckhart Tolle has sold millions of books and was the subject of a 10-part online series by Oprah Winfrey, according to the network.

Tolle teaches people how to “shut off the noise in their heads and be happy,” the article said.

In answer to a question from ABC’s Dan Harris, Tolle said it’s important to use our minds rather than letting our minds use us.

“Psychologists found that 98 or 99 percent of our thinking is repetitive. And also a lot of our thinking is very negative,” he said. “People tend to dwell more on negative things than on good things.”

Tolle said the mind becomes obsessed with the negative things, leading to judgments, guilt and anxiety.

Then Tolle said something that really got me thinking.

“Many people live habitually as if the present moment were either an obstacle that they need to overcome in order to get to the next moment, and imagine living your whole life like that, where always this moment is never quite right, not good enough because you need to get to the next one, that is continuous stress.”

It occurred to me that, while I don’t really think of the present moment as an obstacle, I often tend to either focus on the future or the past.

Don’t get me wrong. I think we ought to learn from our past and plan for our future, but fixating on either can get us off track.

So, I’ve decided to try to focus more on the here and now. I want to be present in the present.

Steve DeVane

Getting to the CRX of the matter

2009-02-14T12:02:00.003-05:00

Since my car died, I’ve started looking for a new one. Well, not a new one. I prefer to get a used car because I drive a lot and new cars lose value quickly when you put a lot of miles on them.

So I was looking at craigslist yesterday, focusing on the two areas closest to where I live. I saw a few possibilities, but nothing real promising.

Then I decided to look in a region of my state that’s a little farther away. Not sure why, but I thought it was worth a look.

On there I saw a car that I’ve wanted for more than 20 years — a Honda CRX. For those of you unfamiliar with the CRX, it’s a sporty little car that gets great gas mileage. It’d be perfect for me since I drive so much.

The ad said the fellow was selling the car because he had bought another one. The CRX was just sitting in his yard so he was selling it for $500. He said he was going out of town for the weekend and wanted to sell it by the time he returned on Tuesday.

I immediately replied to the ad, sending an e-mail asking if Tuesday was the first opportunity to see the car. If not, I asked when I could see it.

The car was about a three-hour drive from my house, but I was willing to make the trip.

Last night, I got an e-mail reply from the guy’s wife. She said “a kid” had seen a “For Sale” sign on the car and stopped to look at it. She sold it to him for $400. Later, she checked her husband’s e-mail and realized after seeing all the interest that she probably shouldn’t have sold it.

I replied, thanking her for her response. I told her I was sorry that she’d sold it, because I would have driven up and paid at least $500 for it based on what it looked like in the photos. But then I told her that the way I looked at it, that kid must have needed a car more than I did.

Later, I thought about how bummed I could be since I missed out on a great deal on one of my dream cars. But then I thought about some kid riding around happy as all get out over his good fortune. Thinking about his joy is a lot better than sulking over my missed opportunity.

And another good deal will come along.

Junk car, but a valuable mind

2009-02-12T22:32:00.005-05:00

My car’s dead.

Kaput.

Done.

Finished.

What’s worse is I’ve only had it a couple of months. I bought it after my last car got totaled in an accident last year.

It was a good car while it lasted. It just didn’t last long.

First the water pump went. Got it fixed.

Then the head gasket started leaking.

Now it won’t stop overheating.

It’s not worth fixing. That’s what the mechanics tell me.

It’s been suggested to me that I call the fellow who sold it to me. Ought to give him a piece of my mind, they tell me.

Not going to do that. I don’t know if he knew the car was about to die or not. Doesn’t really matter. Wouldn’t change the fact that the car is dead.

And my mind is much too valuable to be given to someone who may or may not have sold me a lemon.

Steve DeVane

A little help from my friends

2009-02-10T23:24:00.002-05:00

We all need help sometimes.

My car has been in the shop more than two weeks, so my family of five, including two teenagers, had to get along with one vehicle. We were managing, but it was challenging.

Over the weekend, a friend insisted that we borrow her car. Her family had a truck and a van they could use and she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

So for the last couple of days, I’ve been driving a red VW Beetle convertible. I’m extremely grateful for my friend helping us out.

It’s helped me realize that it’s OK to ask for help. You can’t do everything on your own.

The same thing happened in my network marketing business. About a year and a half ago, I was really struggling — getting nowhere fast. Then I found someone who showed me a way to success.

I could have kept doing things the same way I had to years, but it hadn’t worked before so why would it have all of a sudden started working?

Instead, I got the help I needed. If you’re not where you want to be, find someone who’s done what you want to do and learn from them.

Steve DeVane

All you have to do is ask

2009-02-09T22:30:00.004-05:00

Earlier today, I stopped by the school where my teaches and my three kids attend. When I saw my wife she asked me to take a fund-raising form to my son and tell him that he needed to find teachers to sponsor him if he wanted to participate in a jump-rope event.

When I found my son, he initially said it was too late because today was the deadline. Then his teacher said he could still turn in the form tomorrow. My son took the form and said he’d try to find sponsors after he finished his homework.

Less than three hours later, my son came into my wife’s room and told her he’d raised nearly $50. My wife looked at him and said, “See. All you had to do was ask.”

That statement can also apply to life and business.

I run my network marketing business in a very non-pushy way. As a matter of fact, I use a system that’s designed to be non-threatening. It’s built around the principle that if you help everybody you can, those that are supposed to join you in business will.

That’s where my wife’s statement comes in for me. All I have to do is ask people if they need help. And when do, I help them.

Whatever business you’re in, I expect there comes a time when all you have to do is ask.

Steve DeVane

How busyness can hurt your business

2009-02-08T20:45:00.001-05:00

I’ve been thinking today about how my busyness seems to get in the way of my business.

Sometimes I just think I have so many things to do that I don’t get anything done. I was reminded of this watching a clip from one of the morning TV shows this morning. It focused on traffic and included a section comparing how efficiently ants got around to traffic jams on major highways.

The ants it turned out, get around much better even though there are a lot more of them than there are cars in the traffic jam.

Later, I thought about how my life sometimes seems like the traffic jam. All the things I want or need to do are stacked up behind each other.

As I pondered what to do about it, it occurred to me that I need to set priorities and do the most important things first. I also need to set aside a certain amount of time for each area of my life.

I have a feeling that getting my priorities in order and honoring a time schedule will help me stay on the fast lane to success.

Steve DeVane

Hit the brakes and find success

2009-02-07T14:24:00.002-05:00

The other day, I was driving my wife’s van (my car’s in the shop but that’s another story) when an indicator light on the dash told me that a brake light was out.

A day or two later I went to an auto parts store and got a replacement lamp. How hard can it be to change a brake light, I thought to myself.

Wrong.

When I finally got a chance to make the change, it was a freezing cold morning. I got out the manual and tried to follow along. I made it through the first few steps easily.

Then I got to the step that said to remove the lamp assembly by sliding it backwards.

Sounds simple.

Didn’t work.

I tried to slide the assembly out. It wouldn’t budge.

Tried again and again. Nothing.

I tried until my fingers were numb. Finally had to give up and leave for work.

Later that afternoon, when it warmed up, I tried again. Still couldn’t get it to move.

Finally, I thought to look at the other lamp assembly on the other side. I could tell that it had been removed before. I took it apart and, with some effort, determined that when I pulled it a certain way a tab was released that was holding it in place. Then I went back to other side and was able to pull it out rather easily.

Later, it occurred to me how life and business is like that. Many times, we struggle and struggle as we seek success. Eventually, we figure out the importance of learning from people who are already successful.

Next time, you’re having a tough time, stop struggling long enough to find a person or group who have previously done what you’re trying to do. Better yet, find a tested, proven system.

Steve DeVane

Weathering the business storm

2009-01-22T22:22:00.007-05:00

It snowed this week. The first significant snowfall for my area in about five years.

It was also the first snow since we moved in our new house about 14 months ago. Once it got deep enough we headed to a nearby golf course for some sledding.

It was the most fun I’d had in years. I’d forgotten how exciting zipping down a hill on a plastic disk can be.

Of course, once you get to the bottom of the hill, you have to grab the sled and walk back up to the top.

During one of my many treks up the hill, I thought of how sledding can symbolize our lives and our businesses.

In nearly anything, you have to do some work to enjoy the benefits. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

In network marketing, the successful businesspeople have paid their dues. Consider this, no matter where you are in your business, every superstar was once where you were. If they can get to the top, so can you.

And trust me, the ride is worth the effort.

Steve DeVane

What to give the person who has everything

2008-12-24T12:02:00.005-05:00

If you’re still searching for a gift for the person who has everything, here’s a great way to honor them and help people who have almost nothing.

During this season of giving Tony Cartledge reminds us of those who are most in need. He suggests giving a living gift that will help them survive by going to Heifer International’s website, where you can check out a gift catalog and send a donation. The site even lets you print out a gift card or send an e-mail to the person you’d like to honor. (Hat tip to Baptist Planet for calling Cartledge’s blog to our attention.)

Instead of rushing around madly in crowded stores today, browse on over to Heifer International or a charity you support and spread some Christmas cheer. With times getting tough, now is a perfect time to share your blessings.

Steve DeVane

More small stuff to not sweat

2008-12-20T23:21:00.004-05:00

My last post focused on the book, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … and It’s All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. Here’s a few more of the book’s principles.

“Smile at strangers, look them in the eye and say hello.” Carlson says there’s a parallel between our attitude toward strangers and our overall happiness.

“In other words, it’s unusual to find a person who walks around with her head down, frowning and looking away from people, who is secretly a peaceful, joyful person,” he says.

It seems these days that most people go through life trying to avoid as many people as possible. You can take great strides toward being successful in life and in business if you’ll just make the effort to connect with people. That connection starts with eye contact and a smile.

“Become a better listener.” Carlson says effective listening goes beyond the urge to finish someone else’s sentence. “It’s being content to listen to the entire thought of someone rather than waiting impatiently for your chance to respond,” he says.

One key to business is helping other people solve their problems. The way to find out if they have a problem is to listen closely to them.

“Develop your own helping rituals.” Carlson says little acts of kindness help us remember how good it feels to be kind and helpful.

The adage is true that if you help enough other people reach their dreams, you’ll certainly reach yours. Focus on helping people whether or not it’ll help your business. As my mentor, Michael Dlouhy likes to say, “Be a mentor with a servant’s heart.”

All these principles are keys to forming relationships, which are the backbone of a strong business.

Steve DeVane

Don't sweat the small stuff in your business

2008-12-12T22:59:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite books is “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … and It’s All Small Stuff,” by Richard Carlson. I found it one day while I was browsing in a bookstore. It was one of those times when I knew I had to have it when I saw the title.

The title came from an experience Carlson had with another author, Wayne Dyer. Seems Dyer had endorsed one of Carlson’s earlier books. Carlson had told a publisher he’s ask Dyer if he’d endorse another one. He asked but never heard back from Dyer. When the book came out, Dyer’s old endorsement was on the new book.

Carlson’s agent told the publisher to pull the books off the shelf. Carlson wrote Dyer a letter of apology. In response, Dyer wrote Carlson a note saying there are two rules for living in harmony — (1) Don’t sweat the small stuff, and (2) It’s all small stuff. Dyer told Carlson to let the quote stand.

Over the years, I pick Carlson’s book up and read some when I get frazzled or uptight about something. It includes 100 chapters, each with a life principle. Here’s a few of my favorites.

Ask yourself, “Will this matter a year from now?” Carlson suggests that when you’re facing an issue consider whether it will seem as important in a year. The exercise often gives perspective, he says.

Let others have glory. Carlson says it’s enjoyable and peaceful to resist the tendency to tell something about yourself in response to someone else’s story. When you listen and ask for more information about the other person, both of you will feel more relaxed and the your need for glory will be replaced with quiet confidence.

Resist the urge to criticize. Carlson says a person who is criticized with either retreat in shame or attack in anger. Being critical accomplishes nothing and contributes to the distrust in the world, he says.

These principles can also apply to our network marketing business.

We often spend lots of time focusing on issues that won’t matter in the long run. We spin our wheels on minor issues that aren’t helping our business grow.

If we focus on helping others succeed, our business with increase because our relationships with our partners will be stronger.

By building up and not criticizing our colleagues in our business and those in other companies, we’ll become trustworthy people others will want to join.

Next time you’re frantic about some issue you’re facing, remember the two rules for living in harmony. They’re good principles for business, too.

Steve DeVane

Success in business — the drive to thrive

2008-11-30T22:10:00.004-05:00

I recently bought a car. My old car got totaled in a wreck several weeks back.

The car I bought is a smooth riding Oldsmobile Aurora. It’s got a number of bells and whistles my old car didn’t have. Among them is a gadget on the dashboard called an information center.

The information center tells me all kinds of things about the car, including how much oil life is left and how the battery is doing.

The thing that intrigues me most about the information center is the section that gives me an instant readout of my gas mileage. When I start out, it tells me I’m getting five or six miles to the gallon. It increases until I reach cruising speed, where it usually levels out at about 20-something. Going downhill, it can get as high as 99.

The most interesting thing about this is the impact it’s had on my driving. I’m not known for being slow. As a matter of fact, I have something of a lead foot.

But I soon noticed that my gas mileage is considerably lower when I speed up fast. So, I’ve taken to taking my time getting up to speed in an effort to save gas. This change happened almost without my noticing it.

It occurred to me how useful a similar device would be to my business. I wish I had something that informed me when I needed to slow down and pay more attention to folks or let me know when I was getting too carried away with something that’s not important.

Then I realized that I always had the ability to save gas. I knew that I was using more gas the way I was driving. All I had to do was change my driving habits.

Similarly, I know what it takes to be successful in business. I just have to take the needed actions.

Steve DeVane

Personal connections — Relational business-building

2008-11-30T12:19:00.004-05:00

Earlier today a friend of mine was talking about her son’s decision about which college to attend. I paid close attention because my oldest daughter is about to go through the same process.

Seems my friend and her son visited three schools. There were a number of reasons behind his choice, but one of the biggest was the visit to that school.

During the visit the school representative went out of his way to make them feel welcome. The prospective students had to fill out a piece of paper with their name and hometown. During his presentation, the school official recognized each student and said something to personally connect with him.

My friend was impressed. She said that if she would have been making the decision, she would have chosen the same school.

That’s how we act in our businesses. Each time we meet someone, we should try to connect with him or her on a personal level. Moreover, we should do that not just because they might be a prospect for our business, but because we want to get to know them.

If you try to connect with them while thinking about the possibility of them joining your business, the connection will likely feel fake to them. That’s not surprising, because it will be fake.

Next time you meet someone, try to be their friend before you try to make them your business partner.

Steve DeVane

Business boost — build relationships

2008-11-29T00:11:00.004-05:00

Earlier today I was putting our riding lawn mower in the shed. My son had mowed the front yard for probably the last time this year.

The boards that we usually use to help the mower ride up into the shed were missing, but I thought I could just drive the mower over the ridge between the ground the concrete floor of the shed.

I was wrong.

The mower got part of the way in the shed and stopped. I put it in the reverse and tried to back out. It wouldn’t move that way either.

Tried it again in forward. Nothing.

Reverse. Nothing.

I tried it both ways a couple of more times, before finally becoming convinced that it was stuck.

So, I turned the mower off, got down and manually pushed the mower the rest of the way into the shed.

It occurred to me that sometimes that’s the way it is with our businesses and our lives. We have all these high-tech ways to get leads and to contact people, but ultimately you have to make a personal connection.

People join people they know, like and trust. That takes building relationships.

Next time your business needs a boost, be sure you’re making personal connections with other people.

Steve DeVane

Feel better - Shaving the years away

2008-11-18T14:34:00.003-05:00

Recently, I did something I haven’t done it years – I shaved my entire face. Since then, nearly everyone who sees the “new” me, asks me why.

I can explain in one quick sentence: I was tired of looking old. You the hair on the top of my head remains mostly black. My moustache and beard, however, were gray. I once had a friend who hadn’t seen me in a while ask me if I was coloring my hair. I joked that I tried it, but the wax from the crayons was making a mess.

I wasn’t coloring my hair, but I could see how she thought that because my moustache was so gray. I resisted the temptation to explain to her that if I was going to color my hair, I’d have the good sense to color my moustache, too.

At any rate, I really haven’t minded looking a little older than I was. But now that I’m getting a little older (closer to 50 than to 40 now), I decided it was time to look more my age.

There’s an added benefit. As someone in the wellness profession, I think I look better. I’ve lost about 25 pounds in the past year, too. I believe that a leaner, clean-shaven me looks better.

And since, I look better, I naturally feel better. Since I feel better, I think I’m a better me.

I had forgotten what a pain it was to shave every morning, but it’s a small price to pay for feeling and looking better.

Steve DeVane

Pathway to success - change for the better

2008-11-16T23:55:00.002-05:00

I recently heard an excellent presentation about making the most of our talents. It included this old proverb: “If you want to know what you’re doing in the future, tell me what you’re doing right now.”

As I thought about it, the wisdom of the statement stuck with me. So often we go through life hoping things will get better. But if we want our lives to change for the better, we have to change for the better.

I’ve also heard it said that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things and expecting different results.

In our lives, if we aren’t happy, we need to make a decision to be happy. Once we make that decision, we’re on our way to reaching our goal.

In our businesses, if we aren’t successful, we need to make the changes needed to be successful. Once we make those changes, we’re on our way to reaching our goal.

Steve DeVane

Business skills — Practice leads to success

2008-11-11T09:42:00.002-05:00

The other day, I was listening to a college football game while I was driving home. One of the announcers pointed out that the statistics were pretty even, but one team was winning because its players had made athletic plays at the right times.

It occurred to me that the same idea applies to business in general and network marketing in particular. Many people work hard at MLM, but never seem to get ahead. They're as busy as people who have success, but their results don't match up.

There may be other reasons for this, but often it's because the people who aren't successful don't have the needed skills. They do a lot of things, but they're either not doing the right things or they're not doing the right things well.

That's why it's important to learn the right skills in network marketing and keep practicing them until we become good at them. The good news is that the skills are easy to learn and we can practice them whenever we want.

Steve DeVane

Strong business model - So good, I can't wreck it

2008-11-09T11:26:00.008-05:00

Recently, I was in a car accident. It wasn't very bad by most standards, but it still shook me up, literally and pyschologically.

I was sitting at a stop light when someone ran into the back of me, knocking my car into a pick-up truck in front of me. Since then I've had some relatively minor health challenges, but I also had to make some other challenges.

For one, my car was totalled. I had a rental for a while, but then my family had to get by with one vehicle while I searched for a new car. The search took longer than I planned, but I finally purchased a nice, used car.

Between the injuries, adjusting to having only vehicle and the time spent searching for a car, I didn't have as much time to devote to my network marketing business. In most businesses, that could be catastrophic. In MLM, it's not near as bad.

During my time away, my downline kept working and my group has grown. I'm grateful to my great team and thankful to have a business model that kept moving forward, even while I was parked for a while.

Steve DeVane

Workable business plan — Keep It Significantly Simple

2008-10-18T20:48:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I make things way, way too complicated. I’ve often analyzed, designed and planned exactly what to do, when all I needed was a workable business plan.

I was on a conference call the other night, when I heard network marketing explained in a simple, straightforward way. When it was over, I said to myself, “That’s it. That’s all there is to it.”

Here it is: there are only two parts to the business. (1) Find people. (2) Tell them your story.

Simple, isn’t it? Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. You still have to do those two things, but sometimes we tend to make it too complicated.

Here’s a few tips for each of the two parts.

You can find people in multiple ways. Here’s a few:

• Participate in social networking sites. Don’t try to sell. Just participate. Be friendly. Form relationships. When someone asks you what you do, tell them your story.

• Place ads. You can buy them from newspapers and paid web sites, or you can find free sites that work quite well. When the person responds, tell them your story.

• Flyers. Design your own or go with one from your company or upline. Place them on community bulletin boards or similar places. When people call, tell them your story.

• Internet forums. Find a forum on a subject that interests you. Participate in the discuss. Don’t sell. When people ask what you do, tell them your story.

There are multiple ways to tell your story. Here’s a few suggestions.

• Keep it short. Use the five B’s of a presentation: Be Brief, Brother, Be Brief. Try to limit it to two minutes or less.

• Make sure it’s your story. Your upline or company will have some suggestions, but be sure and personalize it to fit you.

• Memorize it. The key is to know the story so well, that it sounds natural.

Follow this workable business plan and you’re business will grow.

Steve DeVane

Finding the right income opportunity – Five non-negotiables

2008-10-12T23:29:00.003-04:00

You know how a lot of people are struggling to make ends meet? Many are looking all over for a way to make extra cash.

Here’s a way to make sure you find the right one for you. Look for these five keys.

• An opportunity that pays you while working part-time but has the potential to allow you to soon leave you current position.

• A system that’s already working for people who are teaching it to others.

• Great products that people want.

• A profession and company that have a strong past and a bright future.

• A company with experienced, dependable leaders.

All five are important. Having less would be like taking a trip and only planning to a fraction of the way toward your destination.

Steve DeVane

The real story — Make it personal

2008-10-11T14:29:00.002-04:00

I was on a conference call recently when several people talked about the change that they’ve had in their lives due some nutritional products.

The stories were moving. After several of them, I thought to myself, “I wonder if I should try that product.”

Later on, I was thinking about why the stories were so powerful. It occurred to me that every one of them was personal. The person was sharing from their experience and from their heart.

I know that if someone had rattled off a series of statistics about each of those products, I wouldn’t have been near as compelled to try the products.

In short, a personal story will beat impersonal stats nearly every time.

So, next time you’re talking to someone about your business, your company or your products, make it personal. Tell them how each has made a difference in your life.

Steve DeVane

MLM companies — appearances can be deceiving

2008-10-08T23:32:00.003-04:00

Sometimes impressive stuff gives the wrong impression.

Some network marketing companies go out of their way to show prospects plush offices with expensive furniture and corporate jets for well-paid company executives. I suppose the company wants to come off as upscale, a place for the ultra-wealthy.

But instead distributors should realize that money spent for such extravagance is money that could be going into the compensation plan.

In the early days of network marketing, it wasn’t unusual for companies to keep as much as 60 to 70 percent of the profits with the rest going to distributors. Later, companies working hard to attract new distributors made the division nearly equal.

Now some companies have found ways to make their operations even more efficient, passing on as much as 70 percent to the reps.

The end result is that distributors get a bigger slice of the profit pie and have to recruit fewer into their downlines to find success.

In addition, part-time distributors make money faster, increasing retention.

Private jets and lush offices are nice, but it's better if they belong to distributors, not company executives.

Steve DeVane

Celebrity endorsements — You can get paid to promote products

2008-10-06T21:56:00.004-04:00

Have you ever seen a celebrity on a television commercial and said, “I wonder how much they’re getting paid for this?”

You can bet it’s a bunch of cash. Perhaps even more than most people will make in a lifetime.

Many companies think this is a great way to advertise their product. They believe that the celebrity’s endorsement will bring enough buyers to more than make up for the money they’re paying.

Now, suppose there was a company that was willing to pay you to promote their products. Good news — there are plenty of them.

That’s what network marketing companies do. They pay their distributors to promote and recommend their products. Instead of paying huge amounts of money to celebrities, MLM companies divide their income with their reps.

More good news — the better a promoter you are, the more you get paid. When you recommend the company’s products to people who use them, the company sends you a check.

Even more good news — nearly all network marketing companies have great products. They have to have good products, because they rely on word-of-mouth advertising. If people don’t like the products, they don’t recommend and promote them.

The key is to find products that people already want and promote them. All you have to do if connect the people and the products.

So next time you see one of those celebrities on television, think about how nice it’d be to get paid for promoting products.

Steve DeVane

Personality types — Learning the tendencies

2008-10-05T20:40:00.003-04:00

I’ve always been fascinated with personalities. It’s always been intriguing to me to think about my personality and the personalities of others.

I’ve taken a number of personality tests. I learned something from each of them. And they all came out pretty much the same, when you allow for different terminology.

But I’d never seen anything that helped me learn to quickly identify personalities in other people until a little more than a year ago. Michael Dlouhy, who has since become a good friend and mentor, used colors to describer the four basic personality types.

Using colors makes it easy to remember the personalities, but what makes Michael’s system extraordinary is how he teaches people to identify them. He shows you how, by listening to someone, you can determine with a high degree of certainty the person’s personality type.

Michael’s training has helped me in many ways, most importantly how to better understand why people do the things they do. It’s helped me understand members of my family and improved my communication with other people.

The training has changed my life for the good in ways I can’t even describe.

That’s why I was excited to learn that Michael will be touring the United States and Canada teaching his colors training. His schedule for the rest of this year is below.

I'm offering all readers of my blog a free ticket to any of the events. If you’d like to attend one, e-mail me at stevedevane@gmail.com or call me at 910.978.8452.

Jacksonville, FL
10-24-08

Greenville, SC
10-25-08

Charlotte, NC
10-26-08

Roanoke, VA
10-27-08

Baltimore, MD
10-28-08

Harrisburg, PA
10-29-08

Philadelphia
10-30-08

Ridgewood, NJ
11-1-08

New York City Area
11-2-08

Marlborough, MA
11-3-08

Manchester NH
11-5-08

Moncton, Canada
11-7-08

Montreal, Canada
11-8-08

Toronto, Canada
11-9-08

Cleveland OH
11-12-08

Detroit, MI
11-13-08

Chicago, IL
11-14-08

Milwaukee, WI
11-15-08

Indianapolis, IN
11-16-08

Elizabethtown, KY
11-17-08

Nashville, TN
11-18-08

Memphis, TN
11-19-08

Little Rock, AR
11-20-08

Kansas City, MO
11-21-08

Mineapolis, MN
11-22-08

Fargo, ND
11-23-08

Winnipeg Canada
11-24-08

Sioux Falls, S.D.
11-25-08

Omaha, NB
12-1-08

Tulsa, OK
12-2-08

Boulder, CO
12-3-08

Denver, CO
12-4-08

Dallas, TX
12-5-08

Austin, TX
12-6-08

San Antonio, TX
12-7-08

Houston, TX
12-8-08

Tallahassee, FL
12-10–08

Tampa, FL
12-11-08

St. Petersburg, FL
12-12-08

Ft Myers, FL
12-13-08

Fort Lauderdale, FL
12-14-08

Steve DeVane

Make the right decision — It’s not too late

2008-10-03T23:02:00.004-04:00

Isn’t it great when you think you’ve missed an opportunity to do something, and then you realize you haven’t.

And it’s even greater when you understand the bigger meaning behind the realization.

The other night, I went to an awesome concert by Kyle Matthews, a Christian singer and songwriter. I like his singing and piano playing, and I really enjoy his concerts.

You know you’re watching a talented person when it’s just the musician and his instrument.

No blinking lights. No fog machine. No backup singers. Just pure music.

After the concert, I went a table where Kyle’s CDs were on sale. He has a new CD coming out, and for $13 you could get a single and have the full CD mailed to you when its released. That’s what I decided to do.

Four other CDs were on sale, including one which I already have. After I wrote the check for the new CD, someone mentioned that you could get it and the other four for $40.

“Bummer,” I said to myself. “If I would have known that, I would have went for that deal.”

A short while later, I was telling my wife about the CDs as we were fixing to leave for home. “I would have gotten the $40 deal if I would have known about it,” I said.

Then it hit me — I could still do it. So I went back to the table and asked if I could give them $27 and get the other CDs. “Sure,” they said.

And that’s what I did.

Later, it occurred to me that many times, that we often make the same mistake in life and in business. We think it’s too late, when it’s really not.

Sometimes we get the idea that when we make a decision that we’re stuck with it forever and ever. Not necessarily.

So next time, you’re thinking about how you want your life to improve, perhaps you should reconsider your options. Chances are you have the capacity to make things better. Just make the decision and do it.

Steve DeVane

Sometimes “No” is the best answer

2008-09-30T21:19:00.004-04:00

Even minor victories make a difference.

Today, I walked into the gym just as my daughter’s volleyball game was about to get started. There weren’t many people there so I was making my way up the bleachers when I noticed the referee pointing at me.

Now, I’ve had my share of run-ins with referees. Let’s just say I can get a little vocal when I don’t agree with the calls. But I didn’t recognize this ref and even if I did, I couldn’t see him throwing me out of a game before it started for previous bad behavior.

Turns out they needed someone to be a line judge, one of two people who stand near a corner of the court so they can tell if the balls land inbounds or not. The referee saw me come in and wanted the coach to ask me to do it.

Here’s my problem. I drove about 35 miles to watch my daughter play volleyball. I couldn’t pay attention to her if I was judging the lines.

So I said, “No.”

Now that might not seem like a big deal, and in the grand scheme of life it’s not earth shattering. But I often have a problem turning down requests for my help. It’s like I have a devil on my shoulder telling me I need to do anything and everything that’s asked of me.

I’m learning, however, that I can’t do it all. In fact, all I can do is all I can do. And I’m much better when I can focus on one thing at a time.

I’m also learning that lesson in business. When I take on too much, I usually spin my wheels and don’t get much accomplished. When I can do one thing, and do it well, I make more headway.

So, the next time you’re asked to do something, consider whether it’s the best thing to do or not before you answer. Sometimes you win when you take a pass.

By the way, we won the volleyball game, 3-0.

Steve DeVane

Financial bailout rescue plan – Find your own way out

2008-09-29T17:35:00.004-04:00

Even the most optimistic investor is antsy today after the U.S. House of Representatives voted down a $700 billion financial bailout rescue plan for the nation’s financial sector. Some are even worried about the possibility of another Great Depression.

The stock market had its biggest single drop in history, even bigger than the decline after 9-11. Since nearly everyone has money invested with some connection to market, the reason for concern is evident.

Most folks can only watch as their 401-K or other retirement accounts drop like a rock. Those who have to rely on a job to replace the lost money have a tough task ahead of them.

The reason for the difficulty is because jobs generally result in linear income – trading time for money. If you go to your job, you get paid. If you don’t show up, no paycheck.

Even high-paying jobs are based on this model.

A more favorable method of payment is royalty income. You get this by doing something once and getting paid over and over and over.

Most people think that such income is reserved for movie stars, musicians ad authors. It’s not. Network marketers make it every month.

Network marketing is responsible for more than $100 billion in world-wide sales. Instead of paying high-dollar celebrity endorsers, MLM companies pay distributors.

To earn their pay, networkers simply promote and recommend the companies’ products or services, which are usually high quality.

What if you went to your mailbox next month and found a royalty check? Would that make a difference in your life?

It can happen. It happens to network marketing professionals every month. They have developed their own financial bailout rescue plan.

Steve DeVane

Day-to-day business plan - Simple ways to get where you’re going

2008-09-28T22:39:00.006-04:00

Some business strategies take weeks or months to implement. But more important to your success is your day-to-day business plan.

In a previous post, I talked about the problems with approaching your family and friends with your network marketing opportunity. I suggested, instead, to talk with people you meet in the course of your life.

The challenge is getting people to know, like and trust you. People tend to join people they know, like and trust.

The question: How do you get people to know, like and trust you?

The answer: Get to know, like and trust them.

You do that by asking them questions about themselves. There are many possibilities, but here’s two that are simple to remember.

1. What do you do for a living?

This will immediately get the person to talk about his or her work life. If you listen and ask follow-up questions, the person will almost always tell you something they don’t like about their job.

Nearly everyone is frustrated to some extent by work. Sooner or later, they’ll share those frustrations with you.

The great thing about this question is that once they tell you what they do, they’ll almost always ask you what you do. That’s a great opportunity to lay the groundwork for telling them about your opportunity.

It’s important that you give a simple explanation of what you do. Do not launch into a detailed presentation of your business. Odds are you’ll turn them off.

2. What do you like to do in your free time?

This will often reveal the person’s innermost dreams. If you listen closely and ask follow-up questions, the person will tell you what they’d really like to be doing with their life.

The answer will let you ask them how great it would be if they got to do that whenever they wanted. This will lay the groundwork for the time when you share your opportunity with them.

These questions will help you begin to build a relationship with people. You have to do that if you want people to know, like and trust you.

And you have to build that relationship with no agenda. They’ll never know, like or trust you if you pressure them with your opportunity.

Once you have that relationship, an opportunity will present itself to share your products or services and company. That’s the way your business will grow.

Steve DeVane
I learned how to build a strong business from this mentoring program.

Simple business plan — getting paid for something you already do

2008-09-27T17:41:00.007-04:00

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a simple business plan that paid you for something you do anyway?

Good news. There is.

Most people do network marketing every day. They just don’t get paid for it. Network marketing is nothing more than recommending and promoting products that you like.

Nearly everyone already does that with their favorite restaurants, a good movie, a great place to shop and other things. When you hear a good joke and pass it on, you’re effectively recommending and promoting that joke.

So, with network marketing, you simply find a company that has a product or products that everyone wants and you recommend and promote them. But here’s the key — you have to do it with no agenda.

That’s difficult, and it’s also where most network marketers go wrong. Most MLM companies train their reps to immediately make a list of their friends and family.

It’s the worst thing to do.

The new distributor and their upline proceed to call the people on the list with the sponsor usually doing most of the talking.

The prospect feels pressured in two ways. First, he wants to help out his friend. Second, the upline will often use some kind of closing technique to get the person to buy. Even if he buys something, it likely leaves bad feelings.

Before long the new distributor is an official member of the NFL — No Friends Left.

At first glance, the strategy appears to make sense. People tend to join people they know, like and trust so why not approach those who already know, like and trust you.

The problem is more than 90 percent of people don’t like to be sold. When they feel like a friend is putting the sales squeeze on them, it turns them off even more.

The solution: don’t go to your friends and family first. As a matter of fact, don’t go to them at all. Don’t tell them about your business unless they ask.

And once you’re successful, they will ask.

So, who do you go to? You go to people you meet. Live your life. Be knowable, likeable and trustworthy.

Along the way, you’ll meet the right people. The moment will present itself for you to promote and recommend your business and its products. If you follow that simple business plan with no agenda — not like a salesman — you’ll start getting paid for something you do everyday.

Steve DeVane

A practical way to reach your dreams

2008-09-25T22:20:00.005-04:00

I recently took my daughter and one of her friends to a reception and presentation hosted by Western Carolina University. My daughter and her friend are both high school juniors considering where to go to college.

The event was well attended. The presentation was well done, and the school representatives were well informed and presented the university well.

On the way home, I asked my daughter her favorite part of the evening. She told me it was when one of the professors told her that if she’d score a little higher on the SAT that every school in North Carolina would want her.

Then she turned the tables on me and asked me my favorite part. After jokingly telling her it was the pretzels (they were quite good), I said it was a conversation she had with the representative of WCU’s School of Business after she told him she was thinking about double majoring in business and communications.

The professor — I think he might have been the associate dean — seemed pleased with my daughter’s plans. He told her that she was wise to follow her passion, which he assumed was communications, while also getting the practical basics of business.

In effect, he told her that you should always do what you want, but remember that you have to pay the bills, too.

Thinking about it later, it occurred to me how wonderfully network marketing fits into that scenario.

Many people realize early in life that they have to make money to provide for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, they jettison their dreams along the way.

Network marketing offers a way for people to reconnect with those dreams. Once we understand that opportunity, we’re practically on our way to reaching them.

Steve DeVane

Persistence — vital to success

2008-09-24T15:36:00.003-04:00

Persistence is vital to success. In network marketing, once we’ve found a system that works, we only have to keep doing the right things until success is ours.

It’s a great moment when we realize that our goals are achievable. That they’re not in some far-off never, never land. If we persist, one day we’ll realize that we’re growing, and we’ll sense that success is within reach.

In his classic book, “Think and Grow Rich,” Napoleon Hill says, “Sometimes it appears that there is a hidden Guide whose duty is to test men through all sorts of discouraging experiences. Those who pick themselves up after defeat and keep on trying, arrive; and the world cries, ‘Bravo! I knew you could do it!’ The hidden Guide lets no one enjoy great achievement without passing the PERSISTENCE TEST. Those who can't take it, simply do not make the grade.”

When I read this, my spirit was lifted. I know this guide. He’s the one who whispers, “You can do it,” when other voices are coming up with a million reasons to quit. The guide sends a clear message to keep going amid the bombardment of images coming my way.

We might not be where we want to be, but if we persist we will get there.
Soon we will smile when we hear the world cry, “Bravo! I knew you could do it!”

Steve DeVane

Change your life - It's your decision

2008-09-21T20:59:00.005-04:00

Have you ever given any serious thought to how you ended up in the job you have?

I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. I was talking with a friend about it the other day and he was telling me about the path that led him to his current position. I didn’t tell him this for fear of offending him, but his description unnerved me quite a bit.

It seemed he ended up where he was because of a series of unrelated events that had little to do with his strengths, talents, gifts or desires. What made it worse was his apparent reluctance to consider any alternatives at any point along the way or even now.

I was just about to question him about it, when I realize that until recently my life was much the same. I thought that I was where I was and there wasn’t much I could do about it.

Fortunately, I’ve come to realize that I am where I am because of my past choices, and I can change direction by making different choices.

It’s not easy, but it can be done. Think about it. If you want something different, change direction. Decide and do it.

Steve DeVane

What if ... you took a positive view?

2008-09-15T12:44:00.004-04:00

One of the coolest things I’ve learned recently is the art of turning a negative into a positive.

Sometimes this can be accomplished just by looking for the good in whatever situation you face. Often, however, you can turn a whole issue completely around just by changing the way you approach it.

One of the best examples of this I’ve seen I discovered through a blog by Joe Vitale. It’s called “What If Up.”

What If Up encourages you to turn “what if …” questions into an examination of positive possibilities. Often we ask such questions in a negative tone. Some dreaded circumstance usually follows the “what if.”

Instead, the What If Up movement promotes considering all the great things that might happen. It involves three steps: identify a challenge; notice how you’re mentally approaching it; then What If Up it.

What If Up even has its own online community called the What If Up Club with more than 160 members.

Next time you face a challenge, “what if up” it and turn it into a positive.

Steve DeVane

Speak up for your profession and products

2008-09-14T22:59:00.004-04:00

The other day, my daughter called me on the phone to complain about the cost of ice cream. She and her friend had been to a nearby ice cream shop. Each had ordered a scoop of ice cream.

When they got ready to pay, the cashier told my daughter it would be $8.03. I told her that maybe it was just an expensive place to buy ice cream. She said it wasn’t that expensive because a sign said that each scoop of ice cream was $2.

I asked her why she didn’t mention that to the cashier.

She said she didn’t want to.

I told her she had to learn to speak up in those circumstances.

She protested a little, but I think she understood.

Later, it occurred to me that network marketers often face similar tests in their business. Occasionally, you’ll be talking with someone and they’ll say something about being in a financial crunch. Or someone will tell you about a challenge they face that one of your company’s products would help.

Many network marketers make one of two mistakes in those circumstances: they come on too strong or they clam up and don’t say anything.

Putting a sales squeeze on people never a good idea. Good networkers learn to present their opportunity or products in a non-threatening manner.

In order for people to know about the wonderful profession of network marketing and its many amazing companies if you have to learn to speak up.

Steve DeVane

Learning leadership by following first

2008-09-11T18:07:00.004-04:00

Have you ever wondered what makes a good leader?

Sometimes you see someone who has a certain way of speaking, of acting, of living that leads you to describe the person as a “born leader.” Turns out that description is probably not accurate.

Most great leaders were once great followers. If you want to be a good leader become a good follower.

That’s why it’s so valuable to have a mentor. That importance applies to all areas of life, but it takes on greater meaning in network marketing.

In MLM, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of so-called “systems” competing for your attention. Each claims to be the best way to market your opportunity.

When you’re considering marketing options, pay close attention to the person behind the system. Is that person someone you can learn from? Can you picture them showing you how to succeed?

Then look closely at the people that person has already mentored. Has he or she successfully taught the system to others? Moreover, did he or she teach them how to pass it on?

Once you’ve found that mentor, follow them down the path to success. In no time you’ll be the leader you are meant to be.

Steve DeVane

Focus like an Olympian

2008-08-30T23:25:00.002-04:00

As I was watching the Olympics recently, I was thinking about how all the athletes had sacrificed much to make it to the Games.

That type of singular focus is admirable. I couldn’t help but think how each of them had discovered the sport they loved and worked at it until they became great at it.

It also reminded me of how important it is to have focus in our network marketing business. It’s easy to go from one idea to the next and the next while we seek success.

Many new networkers are just learning one technique when another one comes along that makes them leave the first one. Instead it’s better to find an approach that works and master it. Once you’ve got it under control, then you can try another.

In short, a narrower focus is almost always better than a broader effort.

That’s why many who are trying to develop “multiple streams of income” struggle. It sounds like a good idea, but in practice it usually doesn’t work.

Steve DeVane

Strong system sets up success

2008-08-29T22:50:00.004-04:00

Volleyball season just started for my two daughters. My oldest daughter plays on the varsity team, while my younger daughter plays junior varsity.

I enjoy going to their games. The last couple of home games, I’ve been asked to run the scoreboard. It’s been a new perspective in a couple of ways.

For one, I can’t just watch what my daughters are doing. I have to keep an eye on the whole court so I can make sure to keep the score right.

But I also sit higher and closer to the court than I did when I was in the bleachers. The scorer’s table has a much better view.

My oldest daughter is the primary setter for her team. This means she’s the one usually responsible for putting the ball in a position for a teammate to spike it.

It occurred to me the other day that her role was similar to that of a sponsor in network marketing. When we sponsor someone into the business we want to “set” them up for success.

The easiest way to do this is to have a successful system that is easily teachable. Then, it’s just a matter of training the person to use the system.

If the system works, and the distributor takes the necessary action, success will naturally follow.

In the volleyball games, sometimes the ball will be so far away from my daughter that she can’t get to it. She immediately yells, “Help! Help!” One of her teammates nearly always manages to keep the ball in play.

Similarly, in network marketing, we need to realize that we sometimes need help. If we’re on a solid team, all we have to do is ask.

A good system run by a good team makes a great business.

Steve DeVane

Network marketing that works

2008-08-20T20:43:00.004-04:00

Many network marketers struggle early in their careers.

One reason they flounder is because they lack focus. Sometimes they don’t know what to do. Sometimes they don’t do what they know.

Network marketing is a business, but most networkers don’t treat it that way. One good way to start is to treat it like a job. Here’s some tips on how to do that.

• Go to work like you’re getting a paycheck. Many networkers don’t take action. Even worse, when they act, they often take incorrect actions. It’s best to learn the right actions, and do them consistently.

• Punch the clock. Decide when you can work, and work during that time.

• Find a good sponsor and treat them like a boss. You need to learn the proper way to do the business. Find someone’s who is successful and learn from them. Tell them to tell you what to do. Then do it.

• Don’t quit. You wouldn’t leave your job after a short amount of time, so don’t give up on networking so quickly. It takes time to be successful. Be patient. You’ll be rewarded.

Business building secrets - More than just one

2008-08-15T11:36:00.005-04:00

Every once in a while you run across someone who says they have the secret to success.

The person may very well have something that will help you succeed, but in truth there is no one secret. There’s not a single thing that by itself will automatically grant you instant success. Instead there are many reasons for success. Here’s a few.

• Do what you love. One of the most best things you can do for yourself and for your business is figure out why you’re doing what you're doing. And while you're thinking about it, understand that just making money isn't enough to motivate most people.

• Give. Nearly everyone who's successful gives and gives and gives. You might be saying to yourself, "It's easy for them to give because of they have, so much." Instead, the opposite is true - they have much because they give much.

• Find a system that works. Find something that’s proven to be successful and follow it.

• Join a team. No one can build a business by themselves. You've got to have help.

• Do it. Even the best plans are worthless without action. If you want the reward, do the work.

Steve DeVane

Best home-based business — Examine your options

2008-08-12T00:25:00.005-04:00

Have you ever made a mistake that you know you wouldn’t have made if you’d studied the issue more. Taking that extra effort to investigate your options can make a difference when you’re looking at network marketing companies.

When you’re looking for a way to make extra income from home, it pays to do some research.

Many people in network marketing are often behind from the very beginning because they didn’t take a good, long look at the opportunity they joined.

Here’s a pretty good rule of thumb. When someone is talking to you about their opportunity, ask for specifics.

For example if someone tells you that they can promise that you’ll be able to sign up 25 people in your first month, ask for the names and phone numbers of the 25 people he signed up in the last month. That’s fair, but it will probably end the conversation.

Perhaps, the person is just starting out. OK. Then ask for information about the 25 people that his upline sponsored last month.

It’s not outside the realm of possibility to sign-up 25 people in a month. Unfortunately, even if you pull it off, you’ll never be able to build strong relationships with all of them.

And if you can’t build relationships, you’re going to have a tough time succeeding in network marketing. The easiest way to succeed is to find a network marketing company with a proven system that helps you build relationships with your distributors.

Steve DeVane

Surfing through some networking lessons

2008-08-09T16:11:00.002-04:00

While doing some research for a writing project I’m working on, I came across this video about how to surf. It taught some lessons that are applicable to business and to life.

The pros on the video pointed out that while surfing you have to know your environment. Look out for yourself but keep and eye on everyone else, too.

In network marketing, we have to work our business, but also help out those we sponsor. Learn the skills to be successful and pass them on.

When you surf, you have to first paddle out through breaking waves. The surfing pros suggest paddling through the spot where the least amount of waves are breaking so the waves don’t keep pushing you back in.

In business, we often feel like there’s some hidden force keeping us from success. Often, we need to take a good look around, find out what’s holding us back and find a way to deal with it.

The surfers on the video gave some hints about catching a wave. It takes timing to judge the wave and start paddling so that you’re paddling at full speed and are going almost the speed of the wave by the time it gets to you.

While networking, we often miss opportunities because we’re not paying attention. When we see an opportunity approaching, start working. Get going. If we over-think it and try to wait for the opportunity to get to use, it’ll pass us by because we’re not ready for it.

Once the wave arrives, the surfer has to stand up. The pros said not to give it much thought. You find the point where the wave is pushing you and you have momentum, then you pop up. No fumbling around or you’ll get tossed off.

Network marketers often fumble around and overanalyze situations when the arise. Sadly, many waste precious time even when there’s nothing they can do about the situation. When you’ve got momentum, stand up and ride the wave.

The pros called riding the wave the fun part of surfing. Most of the work is done, so you find your balance and get on what they called “the face” of the wave where the energy is.

In business, when you’ve done the hard work, you enjoy the benefits. You find the thing that gives you energy and you do it.

But riding the waves can be scary. Everyone wipes out, the surfers said. If you don’t wipe out, you’re not having a good time, they said. When it happens, head back out and do it again.

Networkers often get discouraged at the first sign of failure. Think of these times as learning opportunities. When it happens, figure out why and try again.

The surfing pros said great surfers are the ones having the most fun. That’s a pretty good way to live.

Steve DeVane

A picture’s worth ... at least one post

2008-08-08T07:03:00.002-04:00

I’ve written a couple of posts about my recent trip to Belize.

I’ve talked about running through the rainforest and swimming with the stingrays. I thought you might like to see some of the images from the trip so I uploaded them to flickr.

You can see them by clicking here.

Enjoy.

Steve DeVane

Make a decision and stick with it

2008-08-06T20:10:00.005-04:00

Last year, I got to coach my daughter’s recreation league basketball team.

I was really looking forward to it. I knew since I hadn’t coached that age level before that my team probably wouldn’t be as talented as many of the other teams, but I thought we’d be competitive.

I was wrong. We lost every game. There were only two games that we had any chance of winning. Most games we got our doors blown off.

By the end of the year, I was totally frustrated. To be honest, I felt like a failure. Looking back, I’ve tried to find lessons that I could learn from the season.

I think I made two big mistakes.

First, I overestimated what the girls could learn. I had in mind several plays and several defenses that I thought they could play.

We practiced our plays, and we practiced our defenses, but when we played our first game we looked lost. It seemed as if we’d never been on a basketball court before.

After a similar performance the next game, I decided we had to scale back on what we were doing. That was my second mistake.

When I tried to get back to more basic basketball, the girls got even more confused. It took me several more games before I realized that the shift had made things worse. By then, it was too late to do much about it. I tried several desperate moves, but nothing worked.

So what’s the lesson? Once you’ve decided on a strategy stick with it until you have to change.

Napoleon Hill analyzed hundreds of successful men for his book, “Think and Grow Rich.” He discovered “that every one of them had the habit of REACHING DECISIONS PROMPTLY, and of changing these decisions SLOWLY, if, and when they were changed.”

Sometimes adjustments are needed when things go wrong, but don’t be too hasty to change directions at the smallest bump in the road.

Steve DeVane

Learning the right lessons

2008-08-04T22:10:00.002-04:00

When I was in college, I used to get really anxious before a test. Sometimes just as the professor was handing out the exams, this terrible thought would pop into my head — “What if I studied the wrong material?”

Fortunately, that never happened. And despite my anxiety, I usually did pretty well on tests.

Unfortunately, many people in network marketing make the mistake I feared — they study the wrong thing. They get into network marketing with the plan of learning everything they possibly can about their company's products or service. They dedicate themselves to becoming an expert. Problem is, it’s is a total waste of time.

If you were going to sell a product, that would make sense. But this profession is about building relationships rather than selling a product or service.

You are not a salesperson. If you have to convince people to buy your product, then you are dead before you begin. And even if you can pull it off, you won't be able to train anyone else to sell.

Selling just is not duplicatable.

Instead, you need to become an expert on people. In network marketing, people are your REAL product.

Your goal is to help people achieve their dreams in life. That means you must understand them, and you must build trust with them. Build the relationship. That is job number one.

Spend your time getting good at relationship-building skills. Train yourself to be a great listener.

When you understand exactly what the people you talk to want, focus on helping them get it. Then, in order to reach their dreams, they'll buy your products, but only if you have built that relationship with them.

Steve DeVane

Innovative networking

2008-08-02T17:35:00.005-04:00

I was in a doctor’s office the other day when I spotted a copy of the Fall 2007 issue of the Smithsonian Magazine that focused on “America’s Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences.”

I was initially a bit bummed that I was more than 10 years past what the magazine called young (35 and younger), but immediately became fascinated with the stories inside. I even asked the receptionist if I could have the magazine and she said OK.

I haven’t read all of the stories yet, but I have noticed some traits of those great thinkers that apply to network marketing.

• Innovators tend to be people who recognize a problem and devote high amounts of energy to solving it.

In network marketing, we’re often too quick to offer our business as the solution before we find out if the person we’re talking to even has a problem. We should be willing to help people, even if it means telling them they’re better off pursuing something other than our opportunity.

• Innovators are committed people.

MLM tends to attract people who are looking for a “get rich quick” scheme. Those of us who are professional network marketers should make sure we don’t market our businesses in that manner and steer clear of anyone who’s looking for that.

• Innovators find their place and excel there.

Successful network marketers find a system that works and work that system.

Steve DeVane

Lessons in leadership

2008-07-31T19:10:00.003-04:00

When I worked at a newspaper about 15 years ago, I interviewed a group of ROTC cadets who were going through Advance Camp at Fort Bragg. The cadets’ performance during camp could help determine whether their Army careers started well or not.

The cadets were in between their junior and senior years of college. After graduation, they would get their commissions.

One of the cadets had been in the Army before as an enlisted man. He’d come out of college an officer.

During the interview, I asked him the biggest difference between basic training and ROTC Advance Camp. He said in basic training, you want to blend in and not get noticed. In camp, you want to stand out and show your skills.

Isn’t that the difference between and leader and a follower?

Remember as network marketers we’re leaders of our group. The people we sponsor count on us to show them how to be successful.

So don’t be afraid to be noticed. Learn skills and use them.

Steve DeVane

Swimming with the stingrays

2008-07-30T18:35:00.004-04:00

Recently, I went on a mission trip to Belize with 33 other folks from my church. We worked hard and had a great week.

After we finished our work, we had the option to go snorkeling on the last day we were there. When they told us about it, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to go. I tried to snorkel one other time when I was a kid. It wasn’t pleasant.

And to be honest, I was tired. I would have loved to just stay in the hotel room, play on the computer and sleep.

All that to say I wasn’t planning to go. But the leader of the group kept talking about how much fun it was going to be. And it occurred to me that it’s not every day you get the chance to snorkel near the world’s second largest barrier reef.

So, I went. It took me a while to get the hang of only breathing through my mouth, but it was a blast. We saw beautiful sea life and coral scenes that defy description.

On one of our stops, the captain announced that we were in stingray alley. When he stopped the boat, stingrays were swimming all around. When we got out of the boat, they were swimming right up against us. After a while one of the others got my attention and pointed toward a four-foot barracuda about 10 feet away.

Later I thought about how I almost missed all the fun. I reflected on how life is a lot like that trip. We can stay inside ourselves and not take any chances. Or we can live life and do things we want to do — memorable things.

I also thought about why I decided to go snorkeling. The main reason was the excitement in my friend’s voice when he described it. He had experienced it. He knew it was going to be unforgettable.

Think of the experiences you have that other people need. When you talk about something that’s made a difference in your life, don’t be afraid to let it show.

Steve DeVane

Speaking up and standing out

2008-07-28T22:45:00.004-04:00

My daughter played in a softball tournament for the state championship this weekend. Her team played well, finishing second.

I was proud of my daughter and her team. And, as I’m beginning to discover about almost everything, I learned a valuable lesson along the way.

Her coach asked me to keep the scorebook for the team during the tournament. I was glad to do it. It made me feel like I was contributing to the effort.

As in most tournaments there were rules that teams had to follow. One of them dealt with how many innings a pitcher could pitch. One pitcher could only pitch six innings over any two-game stretch.

In other words, if a pitcher pitched four innings the first game, she could only pitch two in the next game. In the game after that, she could pitch up to four more.

My daughter’s team eventually played seven games in the tournament. They won five, with their only two losses to the team that won the championship.

It was a double-elimination tournament, meaning that you could lose one and keep playing. Lose twice, you go home.

My daughter’s team had three pitchers, but two of them did most of the pitching. One pitcher started every game, pitching three innings in every one. Another pitcher would usually come on in the fourth inning and pitch the rest of the game. Each game was six innings so it worked out well.

But during the first game we lost, our second pitcher pitched less than two innings. The next game, we won with our first two pitchers going three innings each.

The following game, we got a big lead early, so the coach took our top pitcher out after the first inning, thinking he might be able to use her for more innings in the next game if needed. Our second pitcher threw the second, third and fourth innings. When our team was warming up for the fifth inning, I noticed that she was back on the mound.

So I walked over to the coach and told him I didn’t think the pitcher could pitch that inning. The coach immediately walked over to the official scorekeeper, then yelled out to the pitcher to switch positions with our shortstop, who was our third pitcher.

Turns out that if our second pitcher had pitched one pitch in the fifth inning, we would have had to forfeit the game. The coach thanked me numerous times. I was glad to help, and I found a lesson in the situation.

There once was a time when, even if I noticed something like the pitcher issue, I would have said to myself, “The coach knows what he’s doing. He wouldn’t want me getting in his business.” My self-confidence was so low, I would have automatically assumed that I was wrong.

If I would have done that this time, my daughter’s team would have needlessly lost a game they were comfortably winning.

So the lesson I learned is to speak up. Many times in network marketing, I hesitate to talk about my business because people have a negative feeling about the business.

Those of us in network marketing need to set an example and speak up when someone speaks ill of our profession.

Unfortunately, some people have given MLMs a bad name. It’s time we started getting out the good word about how much our profession can help people. This word will spread when our actions back up what we say.

Steve DeVane

Seeing the forest with the trees

2008-07-25T17:20:00.011-04:00

Lately, I’ve been trying to take a long look at life. Seeking to step back and get a wide-angle shot of what I’m doing and where I’m going.

This thinking brought to mind a saying one of my college professors had. He taught a course on how nations related to each other. Every once in a while he’d point out that a country’s leaders had focused too much on details and failed to see the big picture.

“They couldn’t see the forest for the trees,” he’d say.

Sometimes I feel like that. I’ve got all these things going on in life that need attention. And often each of them has multiple facets, each requiring time and effort.

I like all the various areas of my life. I need or want each of them. But I need and want to know how they all connect.

When looking for answers it’s always best to first ask questions. Here’s five that I’m pondering:

• What is the most important thing I want to accomplish with the rest of my life and why? Or as I friend so eloquently put it, “When you look back on your life, what do you want to see?”

• What are the reasons for all the various things I do? In other words, why do I do the things that I do?

• What are my priorities? Among these various things, which do I need to do more than others? Which do I want to do more than others?

• Who benefits and how? When I perform these tasks, what is the result?

• What do I get out of each? How do the various things fit into my life’s purpose, my mission, my reason for being?

I’m still working through all this, but I feel certain that as I consider these, the pieces of my sometimes puzzled life will start fitting together.

Steve DeVane

A little gift that meant a lot

2008-07-20T13:55:00.005-04:00

About a week ago I was looking for a book on a shelf when I saw something jammed between two of the larger books.

I pulled it out, and recognized it as booklet given to me by a good friend years ago. It has excerpts from “The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn.” I opened it up and saw the note my friend wrote to me.

I immediately remembered thinking that it was a great gift when I had received it. Jim Rohn is one of the most influential personal development speakers in the world. The booklet meant a lot to me then and still means a lot to me.

I enjoyed perusing again the 134 quotes in the booklet. It has subject headings at the top of each page, making it easier to find an inspirational thought about the area in which you need help.

I get something every time I read one of the quotes in the booklet. Here are some of my favorites.

“If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs I education to turn him around.”

That quote in the knowledge/education area makes me realize that the best thing to do when I know I’ve made a mistake is stop and make a course correction. Knowing you’ve made a mistake doesn’t do any good if you don’t correct it.

“Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you’ve got.”

That quote in the personal development section helps me see the importance of working on getter better as a person. I’m beginning to see that the better I get, the more my situation improves.

“My mentor said, ‘Let’s go do it’ not ‘You go do it.’ How powerful when someone says, ‘Let’s!’”

That quote in leadership/management shows me the importance of helping other people. Another one in the same section reaffirms that thinking:

“Learn to help people with more than just their jobs; help them with their lives.”

All these quotes take on even greater meaning in network marketing, but the last two are especially important. We should strive to serve as mentors to those we sponsor. When we say, “Let’s go do it,” we’re showing them how to build a strong, successful business.

But even beyond that, we should become friends with those in our business. Friends help friends, not only with their businesses, but with their lives.

Steve DeVane

The bridge between thought and accomplishment

2008-07-15T19:50:00.005-04:00

The teachings of Jim Rohn have popped into my life recently on two separate occasions.

One way is a little book I found squeezed between two bigger volumes on my bookshelf. It’s called “The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn.” A friend gave it to me years ago. I’ll share some of the quotes in a future blog.

The other instance is this video sent to me by another friend. It’s based on Rohn’s new book, “Lessons on Life.”

The video makes several points on ways to live to a successful life. Here’s a few of them.

• Learn to be happy. The video defines happiness as “activity with purpose.”

When I was younger, I thought happiness was over-rated. To me honest, people who were happy ticked me off, which of course made me even less happy.

I’m not sure where or how I learned it, but somewhere along the way, I got it in my head that I was somehow a better person if I was unhappy. I was almost snobbish about my unhappiness. I looked down on happy people like riff-raff who had not yet learned the high and holy ways of being unhappy.

As I’ve gotten older, I see how utterly ridiculous that is. Why not be happy? Being happy certainly beats being unhappy. And the great thing is, happiness is a choice. If you want to be happy, all you have to do is decide to be happy. Now some things will make you sad at times, but for the most part, happiness is only a decision away.

• Discipline yourself. Discipline, according to the video is the bridge between thought and accomplishment. We all suffer from either the pain of discipline, which weighs ounces, or the pain of regret, which weighs tons, the video says.

We often think of discipline in a negative sense, as in punishment. But discipline, as in self-control, is a positive. We become better people when we learn to apply ourselves.

• Embrace change. The video points out that we can change all things for the better when we change ourselves for the better.

Today, it seems change is happening everywhere. Someone said the only constant in the world these days is change.

So change is happening. We can’t stop it. Why not embrace it and make the most of it by changing ourselves for the better.

• Live well. If we don’t design our own lives someone else will, according to the video.

Too often we get stuck in the day-to-day existence of life. We do the so much that busyness becomes our only business.

It seems difficult, but we are in control of our lives. We just have to realize it and do something about it.

Take some time and think about where your life is going. It’s a great time to start improving your life for the better.

Want to know what the best five years of your life are?

The next five years. Make the most of them.

Steve DeVane

Go-giving in action

2008-07-12T14:39:00.001-04:00

Shortly after I wrote a post about a presentation by one of the author's of The Go-Giver, I spotted a video blog that provides a good example.

Jim Kukral posted a blog called "The Power of Free! A Case Study." It talks about his experience in four weeks after he launched a web site that gives away information on how to make web videos without having to spend a lot of money on equipment.

Kukral said four things happened in the month after he started the site.

(1) He was contacted by what he called a "big-time book publisher" inviting him to write a book about the business of online video.

(2) He was invited to speak at what he called a "mastermind event" about online video.

(3) He was interviewed by what he called a "major market publication" that goes out to more than 400,000 readers.

(4) He got two "consulting gigs" from companies that got the kit and decided they could use his help.

Kukral asked his viewers what they're giving away from free.

"When you give, you get and it comes back in spades," he said. "I'm living proof."

He then adds that whatever you give away, it has to be truly free. It can't be preloaded with sales pitches.

"What can you give away that's very valuable information that's free?" he asked. "Go ahead and do it and you'll see good things happen."

That's great advice.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book contains valuable information for anyone looking for success in network marketing.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

A go-getter with a go-giver's heart

2008-07-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

I recently heard a presentation by Bob Burg, who wrote “The Go-Giver” with John David Mann.

Burg said pointed out that the opposite of a go-giver is not a go-getter, but a go-taker. Being a go-getter is good as long as you have the heart of a go-giver, he said.

The key, Burg said, is to shift one’s focus from getting to giving. You do this by constantly adding value to people’s lives. This is not only nice but a profitable way to live life.

Burg went over five laws of success.

— The law of value says that your truth worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment. Give more in use value than you take in cash value and everyone will feel great.

— The law of compensation says that your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them. People will exchange money for that which they feel has equal or greater value. By adding value, you’ll build an extraordinary business through referrals.

— The law of influence says your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interest first. All things being equal, people do business with people they know like and trust. There’s no better way to elicit those feelings than to add value to their lives. Think of how you can make their life better before you earn opportunity to do business with them.

Burg said he was not saying to give without expecting to receive, but instead to give without emotional attachment to receive. It’s OK to expect to receive. Great things happen because great relationships are established, he said.

Burg said win-win relationships are not 50-50, but are instead “100-100” with both people caring more about the other person.

— The law of authenticity says the most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself. Skills are all for naught if you’re not yourself, Burg said. Be authentic and communicate it. Multiplies skills sets. People sense authenticity. Why fake it when being truly authentic is profitable, he said.

— The law of receptivity says that the key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving. Burg said giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. There can be no giving without receiving. If add value to other’s lives, you’ve earned the right to receive, he said.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me understand the power of giving.

The value of time

2008-07-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

The other day, I was off work and had a little time to catch up on some things that I had been putting off.

One of those things was a small leak behind our toilet. My wife had noticed it a month or so ago, and I had promised to take a look at it.

The leak wasn’t bad, just a drip every once in a while, but it needed to be fixed.

So I crawled down where I could get a good look at it, and discovered the source of the leak at the point where the water line goes into the tank. Perhaps it just needs to be tightened, I thought. So I headed off to get some wrenches out of my toolbox.

I tightened the bolt. The leak got worse.

The more I tightened, the worse it leaked.

I finally turned off the water to keep the bathroom from being flooded. I disconnected the water line, took off the water line and the connection and got ready to go to the hardware store.

Then I remembered that our faucet wasn’t turning off all the way. Might as well fix it, too, I thought. So I took off what I thought was the cause of that problem and headed off to the store.

About an hour later, I returned with the stuff I thought would fix the problem. Only cost about $10.

I attached the new water line to the toilet, then put the new gasket on the faucet.

Turned the water on. The toilet still leaked. I tightened it as much as I dared. Still it leaked.

Worse news at the faucet. It was running even though it was supposed to be off. I turned it on and the knob came off in my hand and water spewed out all over the place.

I ran to the road, turned off the water and told my wife we’d have to call a plumber.

Fortunately, the plumber said he could be at the house in about an hour. When he arrived, I explained the problem.

Took him about 30 seconds to fix the toilet. He just tightened it more.

The faucet was a little trickier. He had some trouble getting it disassembled, but in the end all it needed was a little spring and a gasket – just not the gasket I had gotten at the store.

That made me feel a little better. Had I persisted, I would have spent the better part of the day on it and likely would not have figured out that all it needed was the spring and gasket. I would probably would have bought a whole new faucet assembly.

All in all, the plumber was well worth the $75 he charged us. He knew what he was doing. I didn’t.

What lesson did I learn? Time has value.

I spent about three hours and $10 and made both situations worse. For $75, the plumber fixed the problems in less than an hour, and the only time I needed to spend was about two minutes to explain the issues.

So, even if I’d have fixed the problems, which I didn’t, my time was worth somewhere around $22 an hour. In this instance, $22 an hour of inexperience was worth far less than $75 an hour of expertise.

Steve DeVane
This mentoring program helped me learn to make better use of my time.

Strength under control

2008-07-06T19:31:00.005-04:00

Has anyone ever described you as gentle?

Did you take it as a compliment?

I admit, I’ve always had a negative feeling about the word. Who would want to be gentle?

Then this morning, my pastor talked about the passage in the Bible where Jesus describes himself as gentle and humble. Humble, I was OK with. Gentle, not so much.

Then my pastor defined gentleness as “strength under control.” The example he gave was wild horses that are tamed. They still have the same strength, the same horsepower if you will, but it’s been brought under control.

As I thought more about it later, I remembered one of the highest compliments I received in 20-plus years as a journalist. A state legislator who I had interviewed numerous times told me I was a “gentleman reporter.”

I told him I appreciated it, but I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant until a few years later when a colleague wrote a column about me when I was leaving the paper. He pointed out that some reporters thought you should do whatever it takes to get the story, and added that I would disagree with that but get the story anyway.

As I thought about that, it brought to mind my pastor’s description of humbleness as “the sane estimate of ourselves and our abilities.”

I’ve often underestimated myself and my abilities simply because I didn’t want to appear stuck up or overconfident. That’s not exactly insane, but it wasn’t good thinking either.

I’m not sure where I got it, but somewhere along the way I got the erroneous idea that thinking less of myself would somehow allow other people to think better of themselves.

Life doesn’t work that way. In fact, the opposite is true. It is by being true to ourselves that others are better able to get in touch with their true selves.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me better understand myself.

The trail of fears

2008-07-03T23:01:00.006-04:00

Recently I went on a trip to Belize with some folks from my church. We spent four days working and about a day and a half sightseeing.

One of the sights we wanted to see was the Blue Hole. It had been raining hard that day, and initially it appeared that the park where the Blue Hole was located was closed. But a park employee came out and opened the gate to let us in.

Before long we were hiking along a muddy, slippery trail in search of the pool of water. Since it had been raining and I hoped to take a dip in the Blue Hole, I had changed my tennis shoes for sandals. Big mistake.

Our group got spread out along the trail as some of the younger, more adventurous ones went on ahead. After a while the group I was in heard someone shouting behind us.

It was the park ranger. Turns out we were on the wrong trail. I understood him to say the trail we were on didn't even go to the Blue Hole. I agreed to try to catch us to the ones ahead of us, while the others turned around.

After a couple of near slips, I knew I wasn't making up much ground. I decided I had to run. So run I did.

Weird things go through your mind when your running along a slick rain forest trail.

Things like, "If I fall down that steep embankment, will they ever find my body?"

And, "What in the world am I doing here?"

And, "I certainly wouldn't have put on these sandals if I knew I was going to have to run?"

Eventually, I caught up with several of the others. I went back with a group of them while another fellow went ahead and caught up with the others. On the way back the raindrops came to an end and mosquito swarms came out of nowhere.

Later, I found out that I had misunderstood the ranger. The trail did go to the Blue Hole, it was just a mile and a half away — a good 45 minute hike on a dry day. A few of those in the group made it to the pool and even took a swim.

I never even laid eyes on the Blue Hole, but the others told me it wasn't very blue because of all the rain.

Initially, I was disappointed, tired and frustrated. Looking back, it wasn't so bad. We all made it back, although a few had some minor injuries, and it makes a great story.

So what did I learn, other than never change into sandals when you're going to be hiking through a rainy rain forest?

First, I learned it's best to know where the trail leads before you start. Sometimes in life, we're faced with multiple options. It's good to be decisive and take action, but it's usually better to get the information you need to make a good decision.

Next, I learned it's best to listen closely to people who know the lay of the land. Had I realized that the trail eventually led to the Blue Hole, I would have likely either turned back then or kept going until I reached the destination. Either way, I wouldn't have had to make a mad dash on slick grass.

At times, when we face a decision it often pays to find someone who's been in a similar position. Find out how they fared and learn from their experience.

Finally, I learned that it pays to have a leader. If any of us had ever been on that trail, we would have known how far it was to the Blue Hole. We would have known to drive down to another trail, much closer to where we wanted to go.

In life and in business, a good mentor makes the difference. Find someone who's already successful and do what they did. They know the trail already.

Steve DeVane
This mentoring program made a difference in my life and business.

Finding the keys to life

2008-06-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

The other day I got out my keys to unlock the door at my office. While looking for the key to the door, I noticed an old GM car key.

I don't remember where I got that key. I suppose it went to one of our old cars. I have no idea which one.

Why is it still on my key ring?

Don't know.

Perhaps at some time it held some special meaning to me. But if it did, I don't have a clue what it was.

Or maybe I just forgot to give it to whoever bought one of our old cars. If so, I expect the person just paid a buck or so and got another key made. They had to have at least one key to the car or they wouldn't have been able to drive the car.

Seeing the unknown key, made me take a closer look at the keys on my key ring. On my key ring are nine keys and one of those keyless entry things.

Of the nine keys, I know I need four — one to my car, one to my wife's car, one to my house and one to my office.

One of the keys is to an old briefcase that I don't use anymore and is never locked anyway.

I don't know what four of the keys fit. The above mentioned car key and three keys that look like they might be house keys.

One of them might go to my parents' house, but the other two probably go to one of the places where we once lived. But I'm pretty sure they don't go to the house from where we just moved and we lived there about 14 years. In other words, I probably haven't needed those keys in at least 15 years or so.

The keyless entry deal doesn't work anymore. Don't know why it's still there.

So, of all the junk on my key ring, I could get by at most just five keys. About half the stuff can be removed without harm.

All of this got me to thinking about my life. How much useless junk am I carrying around for no good reason? How much stuff in my life serves no good purpose?

From time to time, we need to take a look at all the baggage in our life. Perhaps a good chunk of it is doing nothing but slowing us down.

How many keys in your life no longer fit? Perhaps you've long since unlocked those doors and need to move on.

Steve DeVane
This free mentoring program is a key part of my business and my life.

Learning along the journey

2008-06-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

I'm leaving soon for a mission trip with my church. We're going to another country to help build a room for a church and lead a Vacation Bible school for the children.

In preparation for the trip, one of our leaders talked about some ways we could make the trip a success. It occurred to me that her suggestions also made good advice for life.

First, we're supposed to realize that we're the outsiders. We'll be in a different culture. We shouldn't expect the people there to be just like us. Instead, we should get to know the people, love them and listen to them.

In our everyday lives, we might not be visiting a separate culture, but we still need to understand that other people are not just like us. Other people come at life from a different perspective. Try to look at things from their point of view and you'll understand them better and have a much better relationship.

Taking the time to get to know people is always worth the effort. Listening to their stories is a good start on learning to love them.

Another suggestion for our trip was think about what we can learn in every situation.

In life, we should seek to be constantly learning. Every experience is a teacher. We need to only look for the lesson.

We were also told to think about how best we can serve other people, how best we can help them succeed.

Serving other people is always a good strategy. When we help other people, we're always the better for it. Helping them succeed moves us forward on our journey to success.

Steve DeVane
When I need to move forward, I read Success in 10 Steps.

Putting words into action

2008-06-21T09:59:00.002-04:00

Recently a friend of mine showed me a list of famous Napoleon Hill quotes. Since Hill is the author of "Think and Grow Rich," one of my favorite motivational books, I read the quotes closely. Here are a few that have helped me in life and in business.

— "Don't wait. The time will never be just right."

Often we find ourselves overanalyzing our situation in life. We think of something we want to do, then we try to come up with a plan to do it. The plan isn't quite right, so we plan some more. We plan and plan and plan and plan some more.

I've come to realize that planning is one way of not taking the action we need to take. When we put effort into doing instead of planning, we get much more accomplished.

— "Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything."

Too often, we spend energy on things that are not that important. We don't take time to think about what we really desire. Sometimes we know what we desire, but we get distracted from the actions that will move us toward those desires.

When deciding what to do, we should always ask ourselves if that action will move us toward our desires. If it does, we should do it. If not, we shouldn't.

— "Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit."

Many times we give up on our desires too easily. We hit an obstacle and abandon our dreams. How many times were we close to reaching our goal when we threw in the towel?

One of my favorite sports figures when I was growing up was Jim Valvano, the late coach of the N.C. State basketball team. Even as he was dying from cancer he urged people to "never give up."

In 1983, Valvano's team won the NCAA basketball tournament despite being heavy underdogs. Several times in the tournament the team was behind late in the game, but the players never gave up and won the championship.

— "The world has the habit of making room for the man whose actions show that he knows where he is going."

Consider the three parts to this quote in reverse order.

First, we must know where we're going. We'll never get to where we want if we don't first decide on the destination. It has been said that someone who doesn't know where they're going will surely get there.

Second, we must take the action necessary to get there. Once we know where we're going, we have to take the steps to get there. Action is the key.

Finally, then and only then will the world make room for us to accomplish our desires. When we know our desires and do what we know we need to reach them, the path to success becomes clearer and easier.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me discover the steps to success.

Now is the time

2008-06-16T23:33:00.004-04:00

When I was young, I loved to play sports. Basketball was my favorite, but I liked other games, too.

Most of the games I played were pick-up games in the backyard or in the street. One of my friends even painted yard lines on our street so we could play football.

But I also played some organized sports. Some of my favorite memories came from playing church-league basketball and softball games.

One year, my cousin's father, Jack Llull, said that he'd coach our softball team. Now, most of the guys on the team were pretty decent athletes, but I didn't think we were going to be that great.

That year I found out how much difference a coach can make. Mr. Llull knew softball (and I found out later most every sport) like no one I'd ever known.

He'd pay attention to the smallest details. When a player on the other team hit the ball we always had them played perfectly. It seemed like they'd always hit the ball right where we were playing.

When we were at bat, Mr. Llull had a rule. We could never hit until we had a strike and we could never hit if we had three balls and only one strike.

There was only one exception to the rule. We could hit away when Mr. Llull, who always coached third base, would say, "Now's the time."

I loved it when I'd come up to hit and I'd look down at Mr. Llull and he'd say, "Now's the time, Steve."

I'd almost always get a great pitch to hit. I was so excited, I usually knocked the tar out of the ball. I think I hit better that year than ever.

One day I asked Mr. Llull why he only let us hit like that in certain situations. When he explained it, I understood it immediately.

When he was coaching third base, Mr. Llull was studying the pitcher. He first determined whether or not the pitcher could control where he pitched it.

If the pitcher didn't have much control, we had to keep waiting until we got a strike to hit it. We usually walked a lot, which helped us score runs.

But sometimes, the pitcher was pretty good and could pitch strikes and balls whenever he wanted. After a while the pitcher would start figuring out that we were never swinging until we got a strike. So he'd start grooving the first pitch down the middle trying to get ahead in the count.

That was when we'd hear Mr. Llull say, "Now's the time."

I didn't realize it at the time, but Mr. Llull taught me about more than just softball.

First I learned to be observant.

I had played a lot of softball and had never paid much attention to what the pitcher was doing until I got up to bat. It didn't occur to me that what happened to the batter before me or even several batters before me might impact what the pitcher pitches to me.

In life, opportunities sometimes come along in unexpected ways. If we're not paying attention, we might miss them. We can learn from our mistakes, but we can also learn from our successes. And we can learn from the experiences of others.

Next, I learned that there are times to be patient and there are times to act.

We were always excited to hear the words that meant we could swing, but often it was just as important that the batters before us had walked because they didn't swing when they shouldn't have.

There are times in life when planning and analysis are needed. But there are also times to act, times to move forward and do what needs to be done.

Finally, I learned how everything fits together in softball and in life. That year, we won the regular season softball championship. We didn't have the best players, but we were the best team.

In life, we often get too focused on ourselves and our situations. To be successful, it takes a team. As we help others, we often help ourselves.

After that year, I was a better softball player and a better person.

Coach Llull, I never told you that, and now it seems like I might not get that chance. I've got a feeling you knew anyway.

Steve DeVane

Where there's a wheel, there's a way

2008-06-09T21:44:00.003-04:00

Every once in a while it's good to sit back and take a good, long look at life. Here's a simple, easy way to think about where you are. It's called the wheel of life.

First, draw a circle. Make it plenty big enough to write in.

Now divide the circle into eight pieces. You do that by drawing a line straight up and down, then one side by side. That makes four pieces. Then draw two more lines diagonally each way to divide the four into eight.

Now write these in the eight sections:

— Career

— Family and friends

— Significant other/ romance

— Fun and recreation

— Health

— Money

— Personal growth

— Physical environment

Now, take several minutes and think about how your life is going in each area. After you've given it some thought, rate it on a scale of 1-10.

Then think of the center of the circle as zero and the outside of the circle as 10. Draw a line in each area where you rated.

Now take a look at the circle. That's your wheel of life.

Notice if it's uneven or pretty round.

See which areas you make you feel good and which areas need some work. Perhaps you need some coaching to help your wheel ride a little smoother.

Steve DeVane
This free mentoring system helped me in several areas of my life.

Marketing with no agenda

2008-06-07T11:40:00.006-04:00

Is it possible to be a marketer and have no agenda?

That question has been on my mind lately.

At first it seems the answer is no. After all, isn't a marketer's agenda always to market his product or service Doesn't marketing something mean you're trying to sell it? And if you're trying to sell something, that's an agenda, right?

Dictionary.com defines marketing as "the act of buying or selling in a market" or as "the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling."

How can someone involved in that have no agenda? Is it possible? If it is possible, wouldn't it be futile. How could someone with no agenda market anything.

In the midst of my contemplation, I read a definition of marketing by Joe Vitale. "Marketing is sharing your love for what you do with the people who will most celebrate hearing about it," he said on his blog.

That's a great perspective on marketing. Let's take a closer look at it in light of whether or not it's possible to market with no agenda.

First, Vitale says marketing is sharing your love for what you do. Is it possible to do that with no agenda? Absolutely.

Sharing is not selling. When you share something, you don't need an agenda. The focus is on helping another person.

Furthermore, you're sharing the love you have for what you do. You share because of your love, not because of greed or other negative motivations.

Vitale further says that you share with "the people who will most celebrate hearing about it." That's the key. You're not sharing with anyone and everyone. You're not hitting people over the head with your products or trying to cram your services down someone's throat.

If you're sharing what you love with people who want to hear about it, there's no need for an agenda.

So find what you love and share it with people who will love you for sharing it with them. No agenda needed.

Steve DeVane
This marketing system taught me the value of having no agenda.

Use whatever life gives you

2008-06-02T23:17:00.007-04:00

A friend of mine is a huge Tony Robbins fan. He told me the other day that Robbins says that one of the most important decisions you can make to ensure you long-term happiness is to decide to use whatever life gives you in the moment.

According to my friend, Robbins says there’s nothing you can’t accomplish if:

1. You clearly decide what it is that you’re absolutely committed to achieving,

2. You are willing to take massive action,

3. You notice what’s working or not, and

4. You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want, using whatever life gives you along the way.

I think Robbins provides an excellent blueprint for living and for life.

First, decide where you want to go. I've come to see one of my purposes in life is to help people decide where they should go and how best to get there. Don't just take off without deciding where to go. If you don't you might be headed in the wrong direction.

Next, take action. The best plans aren't worth squat if you don't do what it takes to carry them out. Robbins takes it a step further, suggesting "massive action." If you want to live your dreams and own your life, you have to go after it in a big way.

Then, assess the situation as you go. Notice what's working and what isn't, Robbins says. When you start taking massive action, invariably some things will work and some won't. Keep doing the things that work, but jettison the ones that don't.

Finally, continue to adjust until you're getting the results you want. Think of it like taking a trip in your car. You never go in a straight line from your house to your destination. That would take you through houses and trees and all kinds of things.

Instead, you make turns and take curves, constantly adjusting your path, but staying on course throughout the journey.

For more thoughts on Tony Robbins and his philosophy, check out this thread at Your World Your Life, a personal development forum.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped get my business and my life headed in the right direction.

A different perspective

2008-05-30T22:56:00.003-04:00

There's an adage that says, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

The other day, I was looking for a notepad on my desk. I needed it to write down some information that I wanted to be sure to remember later.

My desk can get kind of messy. OK, it can get very messy. Stuff was piled all over the place.

I looked and looked. No notebook.

I moved some piles around. Looked under other piles. Nothing.

Finally, I stood up. I quickly spotted the notebook right where I could see it perfectly from a higher vantage point.

On the way home later that day, the odometer on my ever reliable car hit 272, 931 miles. It occurred to me that there is another six-digit number that would logically follow that one.

And no, I'm not thinking of 272,932. But, yes, I know that number would also logically follow 272,931.

I'm thinking of another number. Figured it out yet?

Try this. Remove the comma — 272931. Does that help. No?

All right. Give this a shot. Don't think of it in thousands. That help? No?

All right. Think of the numbers in groups of two. 27 29 31. Now you know it, right?

The number I'm thinking of is 333,537. After 27 29 31 comes 33 35 37.

When you change the way you look at the number, the number changes.

It's often that way in life. Often a problem arises. A challenge occurs.

If we groan and fuss and gripe about it. We're not likely to find a way to solution.

But if we focus on finding a way around, over or through the situation, we're much more likely to solve it. We might even find a way to turn it into a positive.

There's a great episode of a show that's been off the air for a while called, "The West Wing." In it, the sitting president was running for re-election. The opposing candidate was portraying the president as aloof and out of touch.

Indeed the president was a brilliant man and often came across as condescending to some. His team struggled with a way to deal with it, until finally one of his advisors pointed out that they should use it to their advantage. He said it should be a blessing to have a president with a high IQ.

The president quit worrying about looking too smart. In the next debate, he showed his intellect and made his opponent look stupid. He went on to win re-election.

Next time you're struggling with an issue, try to look at it from another perspective. See if there's an upside, a way to use the situation for good.

Even if the thing you're looking at doesn't change, you'll change for the better.

Steve DeVane
This network marketing system helped me change the way I look at business and at life.

The recipe for success

2008-05-28T22:01:00.005-04:00

My wife makes this great hash brown potato casserole that is out of this world. She takes some hash browns and mixes in some butter and other stuff, then puts them in a pan, tops them with bacon bits and cooks them in the oven.

They are good. I mean, they are real good.

She often cooks them for family reunions. When we're going through the line, one of the first things I look for is those potatoes, because I'm hoping there's still some of them left.

Often there's not. I hate it when that happens.

My wife got the recipe from someone she knew. I was thinking the other day about how my wife follows the recipe. If I'm going to the store, she tells me exactly what she needs for that recipe. Then she puts in exactly the right amount of each ingredient and then cooks it for just the right amount of time.

She does all that because she has a recipe. She knows if she follows all those steps the casserole will come out just right.

It's the same way in our life and in our business. If there's someone who's successful and is willing to show us the way, all we have to do is follow their directions. Do what they do and we'll have the success that their having.

I spent years floundering in my network marketing business. I knew successful marketers, but their success didn't translate to my success.

Then I found this free mentoring system. The networkers I met freely shared their expertise and their time with me. People who had absolutely no stake in my company showed me the path they had already taken to success.

For a while, I couldn't believe it. I kept waiting for the manipulation.

It never happened.

I kept saying to myself, "What's the catch?"

Never was one.

Finally, I got past my disbelief and started doing what my mentors showed me to do. Now, the success I had missed is coming my way.

All I had to do was follow the recipe.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book was the first step in my recipe for success.

Learn the art of success

2008-05-24T23:50:00.003-04:00

I am often amazed at how techniques I learned in coach training apply to the network marketing profession.

Coaches are taught to have no agenda. A coaching session is all about the person being coached. That outlook fits perfectly with network marketing.

The best way to help people is to first understand what they need. If we don't know what they need how can we know how to help them.

The best way to understand people is to get to know them. The way to get to know them is to relate to them with no agenda.

Think about it. We shouldn't want someone in our business if they don't really want to be in the business.

If they don't really want to be in business, they're never going to succeed. They'll spin their wheels and get nowhere.

Furthermore, if they don't want to be in business, we'll spend a good amount of our time convincing them rather than training them. It's a waste their time and our effort.

My friend and mentor, Tom "Big Al "Schreiter, has taught me the importance of having skills in our network marketing business.

Here are some coaching skills that will help you learn about people. It's based on the acrostic — LEARN.

Listen. When you're in a conversation, try to spend at least 80 percent of the time listening. That means you should not be talking more than one fifth of the time.

Encourage. Look for ways to support the person. Too often we're looking for something wrong, so we can pounce on the person with our "opportunity." Instead, encourage the person to find their own path.

Ask powerful questions. The answers will help you get to know the person better. Ask open-ended questions that will give the person an opportunity to share about their hopes, their dreams, their goals.

Respond. Make sure you understand what the person is telling you. Don't get ahead of them in the conversation by thinking about what you're going to say next. Tune into what they're saying, what they want, and what they need.

Negotiate action. In network marketing, we need to emphasize negotiation. Coaching sessions usually end with the person being coached deciding what they want to do and when they're going to do it. In our business, make sure the person is making the decision with no pressure.

These skills will help you in your network marketing business and in your life.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book taught me how to be successful in network marketing

Lessons from high school athletes

2008-05-21T00:14:00.005-04:00

I went to my daughters' school athletic banquet tonight. Team after team went to the stage as their coaches told about the seasons they had this year.

Each coach told about how his or her team came together, each in different ways.

Some coaches talked about adversity that their teams faced. Some had injuries. Some had other challenges. Each had worked their way through them.

One coach talked about nicknames that his team had adopted for each other. Clearly this brought the team closer together.

Another coach talked about the goals the team had strived to reach.

But the most inspirational words of the night came from seniors who had played their last high school games.

One talked of how he was grateful to have had a school that allowed him to participate in athletics.

Another talked about how sports had taught her the power of teamwork.

Another talked of how athletics taught her leadership skills.

All this got me thinking of how each member of each team gave up part of their individuality for the good of the team.

A star basketball player had to learn how to make the other players better.

A softball player had to switch positions to make the team better.

All this got me thinking of how I can improve the teams of which I am a part.

First I can look at the overall goals of the team instead of just my goals. If the team is doing well, I'm doing well.

Next, I can decide how my talents and my gifts can fit into the team. I'm on each team because I contribute to it. I can look at what part of my strengths will fit into the needs of the team.

Finally, I can look for ways to improve myself in every situation. The seniors athletes didn't just go through the motions in their sports. They looked at how they could improve themselves in each game.

If we'll look, we can find ways to improve ourselves in the situations we face. Do that and we'll be winners no matter the score.

Steve DeVane
This network marketing system constantly teaches me how to improve my life and business.

Thirty days to change your life

2008-05-18T22:56:00.003-04:00

A few minutes ago, I heard some noise coming from one of my daughter's rooms upstairs. It's late, so I hollered up to her that she needed to get to sleep.

She said OK, but she was putting up some of her clothes. Not wanting to stop her from something that needed to be done, I let her go.

A couple of minutes ago, she yelled down for me to come upstairs because she wanted me to see her room, which she had just finished cleaning.

I went up and saw her nice, tidy room. It was a beautiful sight. Everything was cleared away and in it's proper place. I could tell my daughter felt better to be in a clean place.

As I came back downstairs, I thought about how I feel like my mind is much like my daughter's room. All the junk that used to crowd my thoughts have been cleared away. My thoughts are almost always positive now, and even when a stray negative thought sneaks in, I recognize it and do away with it.

It wasn't always this way. Until about six months ago, my mind was full of useless chatter. Now I'm much more focusedthanks to the Mental Cleanse.

The Mental Cleanse can help you clear your mind and get you on the path toward success in 30 days.

Below, Michael Dlouhy, the founder of Mentoring for Free and the originator of the Mental Cleanse, explains how those 30 days can change your life. Michael, my good friend and mentor, made the video for me.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book started me on the path to success and happiness.

Avoid strategies that don't work

2008-05-16T20:08:00.004-04:00

Several years ago, someone I trusted in network marketing suggested that I buy some leads to help build my business.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Earlier, I had made the list of family and friends as I was taught to talk to about the business. When that didn't work, it sounded good to have a list of "pre-qualified" people to call.

So I bought leads.

And I made calls.

And I bought more leads.

And I made more calls.

Didn't work.

Now I know why.

My friend and mentor, Michael Dlouhy, studied hundreds of networking companies. He's been in the business more than 25 years.

In this video, he explains why buying leads doesn't work.

Steve DeVane
This free mentoring system taught me what does and doesn't work in network marketing

Why we do the things we do

2008-05-11T23:55:00.001-04:00

Success in life comes easier when we decide to take our own path.

Knowing that direction comes with knowing ourselves. Once we become familiar with our strengths, gifts and talents, we'll more easily recognize the way we are meant to go.

Another key factor in getting to know ourselves is understanding which of the four generally recognized personality types most closely characterizes us.

Everyone is perfect just the way they are. Realize that you don't have to change to be successful in business or in life.

One of the best ways to think about the four personality types is using colors to represent them. The four types can easily be determined by considering how you interact with other people.

About 35 percent of people have a yellow personality. Those with this personality are open, but indirect. They answer questions, but tend to give short answers. They are nurturers. They value their families. They want to help people.

People with a blue personality represent about 15 percent of people. Those with this personality are open and direct. They will let you know their feelings. They want to have fun and like to talk.

Another 15 percent have a red personality. They are direct, but self-contained. They will answer questions, but won't reveal much. These are usually people in power.

Those with a green personality make up about 35 percent of the population. They are indirect and self-contained. They are the least likely to directly answer a question. There is often dead space in conversations with them because they have to process the information before answering. The are analytical and want to have as much data as possible.

Knowing your personality will help you understand yourself better. You'll understand why you do the things you do. And you'll realize that you're a great you just the way you are.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me understand my personality better.

Push your business to its limits

2008-05-03T20:02:00.004-04:00

I was reading a thread on a personal development forum about Dean Karnazes, an endurance runner. He gives his advice for pushing athletic performance to its limits. A lot of what he says is great advice for our business life.

Karnazes says to be audacious. Any goal worth achieving involves risk, he says.

We networkers often get stuck in what is called "analysis paralysis." We find something we think will work, but we want more information. We want to be sure.

So we sit and waste valuable time and energy searching for more information. If that time and energy would have been put up into the process we were considering, we would have been far ahead of where we are. And if we were going to put the time and energy into researching it anyway, why not put that time and energy into moving forward.

Karnazes also says to flirt with disaster. He pushed himself to near death to find out that he was strong enough to survive.

Less than a year ago, my business was near death. I was getting nowhere fast. I was nearly spent. Then I came across this business system which turned my business and my life around. I wanted to throw in the towel, but I pushed through that wall. I took a chance that's paying off.

Karnazes also says to promote yourself. His high profile motivates him because he knows his family income is dependent on it.

We network marketers sometimes look for ways to build our business with a low profile. We think we can stay in the background.

Network marketing is not a sales business, but it is a relationship business. We have to make a name for ourselves. You do this by simply sharing what you know and helping other people.

The beauty of building a business this way is that the more we help people, the more we better ourselves and the more we better the profession of network marketing.

One thing I liked about Karnazes' advice is that so much of it seems counter-intuitive. For example, he eats lots of junk and has cut back on his sleep.

Sometimes we have to go against the grain in order to reach our dreams. To some it doesn't make sense for network marketers to help people in other companies. People in competitive mode look on others as adversaries instead of what they are - our colleagues.

Take a chance. Be an endurance networker.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book changed my perspective on network marketing.

What makes a great network marketing company

2008-04-27T23:20:00.003-04:00

If you want to be successful in network marketing, it's important to have a strong company behind you. Your company should have key characteristics, known as the "five pillars."

The first pillar is company management with experience and integrity. Google the company president to find out more information about the one leading your company. Read your company's policies and procedures.

The second pillar is timing in the company and the industry. You don't want to be in a brand new company. It's best if the company has been up and running for at least two years.

The third pillar is a product that lasts a lifetime. The number one mistake people make is they think they have to love the product. You don't have to love the product. The product just has to be remarkable. Find a product that people are screaming for and fall in love with it. You don't have to research every little tidbit of information. Most MLM companies have great products. It's easier to sell what people want. Ask yourself if it's a product that people would buy even if there wasn't a business opportunity attached.

The fourth pillar is a compensation plan that pays the part-time person. Most reps will only work part-time, at least initially. The key is to find a compensation plan that pays the most with the least amount of people. Find out how many distributors you need to make $10,000 a month.

The fifth pillar is to have a proven system that duplicates when you quit. Run if your upline tells you to buy leads or to make a list of your friends and family. That does not duplicate.

I found just such a system. It teaches you how to fish rather than giving you a fish. It teaches the skills necessary for success.

My friend and personal mentor, Michael Dlouhy, made a video for me explaining the five pillars.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book taught me the importance of having a "five pillars" company.

Straight from the source

2008-04-19T20:28:00.006-04:00

I spent the last 20-plus years as a journalist. I've written hundreds of news stories. One thing I learned is that if you want to get the best information, you need to go directly to the source. Someone at a speech can tell you what they think the speaker was trying to say, but you have to go straight to the source for the direct information.

I've written often about the book, "Success in 10 Steps," that changed my network marketing career. When I read that book, I felt like the author, Michael Dlouhy, had written it just for me. It was as if he had been monitoring everything I did and knew exactly why I had been failing.

The book changed my life. It showed me that my failure was not my fault. It saved me from years of frustration.

Now Michael Dlouhy himself can tell you why he wrote "Success in 10 Steps," and why he freely devotes his time to helping people in any network marketing company succeed.

Click here to get your free copy of "Success in 10 Steps."

Steve DeVane
This link will take you to information about Mentoring for Free, the MLM system based on "Success in 10 Steps."

Choose your own adventure

2008-04-16T23:55:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, I bought a box of Louis L'Amour western novels. He's one of my favorite authors, and I was happy to find several of his books that I had not yet read. In the box were several books by other authors.

As I was looking through them, I noticed one from a series of books called, "Choose Your Own Adventure." I had never heard of the series, so I took a closer look.

The cover said there were multiple endings to a story that put the reader in the old west. I showed it to my son, who took an interest when I started reading him sections and asking him which choices to make. We had a good time as he talked about each decision as we progressed through the book. When we finished, we started over making different choices as we went.

Today, my wife and kids went to the library. My son excitedly showed me that he had found three more "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. One book about space has 44 possible endings. In another, the reader is on "the planet of curiosity. It has 15 exciting endings. A deep sea adventure has 42 possible endings.

My son has already read two of them. He told me about some of the choices he had to make along the way.

Sensing one of those elusive "teachable moments," I said something like, "You know, it's the same way in life. We make choices that determine our future."

As I thought about my life, I see I've made good and bad choices. I can't do anything about the decisions I've made in the past, but I can focus on choosing the best path forward from here.

In his book, "Think and Grow Rich," Napoleon Hill devotes an entire chapter to decision. He says successful people make decisions quickly and are slow to change from that course. In effect, those who decide succeed. Those who don't decide fail. Those who know what they want, get it.

Forget the mistakes you've made in the past, but remember the lessons you learned. Decide what you want and go after it with a burning desire. Persist until you get it.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book taught me how to make better decisions.

Leading with certainty

2008-04-13T23:17:00.003-04:00

Several years back, I went through a leadership training course with about 12 other people, mostly ministers. It was a valuable experience. I learned a lot about myself and why I think and act the way I do.

One of the things I learned was there are different types of leaders. One of the instructors said that sometimes the best leader is the one who says, "We're not ready to take that hill yet."

So how can you spot a leader? Let's get specific about what it takes for you to be looked at as a leader.

You must offer a clear-cut path in a single direction. If you give choices, people get into a debate inside their own mind over which is best. They've convinced themselves, often without even realizing it, that they just don't have the ability to make a good choice. So nothing will happen. The way their thinking goes, they don't know how to get to where they want to be. They will be totally happy following, so long as you grab the lead. Just tell them exactly what they must do. That gives them a clear choice to follow you or not.

For people to follow you, you must have chosen a path in which you have very strong belief. You need total certainty, because any doubt in your voice or in your actions comes through loud and clear to everyone who is looking at you. If you demonstrate the single-minded will to lead in one definite direction, then you have a real opportunity to gather followers. But if you are dispersed and can't focus, then people will keep on looking for a leader.

No leader can force anyone to do anything for very long. Your team must want to follow you, or it will all fall apart. You promise very specific results, and you spotlight a step-by-step plan to achieve them. You do everything in your power to make it as easy as possible for each team member to walk (or run) their chosen path. Every time you truly inspire your people, they subscribe to your plan and commit to their assigned roles - because by doing so, they move closer to achieving what THEY want.

Steve DeVane
This free mentoring program taught me about leadership

Overcoming fears on the path to success

2008-04-10T23:45:00.005-04:00

Earlier tonight, I was reading Steve Pavlina's personal development blog about switching to a 100 percent raw diet. I admire his commitment and the general reasoning behind his move. Two sentences in a section on dealing with social issues struck me.

"Every time you stretch beyond the social conditioning, risking the rejection of your peers, you simultaneously serve as a powerful example to them," he said. "You help other people awaken to the knowledge that they can exceed their current performance levels."

This not only applies to changing your diet, it fits perfectly into how we promote our network marketing business. Let's be honest, MLM doesn't have the best of reputations.

Some folks have the wrong idea that it's some kind of illegal pyramid scheme. Other people have been burned by MLMers who pressured them to buy unneeded products or resources. Some distributors have wrongly thought that the way to make their company look good was to make other network marketing companies look bad.

I believe we can turn that around. By presenting a positive perspective and telling the truth about our companies and our products, we'll peel back the layers of disinformation and dishonesty.

I know that I have often been needlessly concerned about what people would think about me being a network marketer. To paraphrase Pavlina, by stretching beyond my social conditioning and risking the rejection of my peers, I serve as a powerful example to them.

Moreover, with that risk comes reward — self-confidence. Since, I've been involved with this mentoring system I've grown as a network marketer and as a person.

This reminded me of a quote one of my coaches once told me. The quote has been wrongly attributed to Nelson Mandela, but it's actually from a book called A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Overcome your fears and help liberate others.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me overcome my fears.

Success is team effort

2008-04-07T21:50:00.005-04:00

I got home a short while ago from my daughter's softball game. We won, 5-0, defeating the #1 team in the state.

After the game, I was talking with one of the coaches about how well our girls had played. I told her that I thought our defense was the difference.

She didn't disagree, but added that it was more than just defense. Our girls played as a team.

As I thought back on the game, I saw that she was right.

When there was a play at first, our right-fielder was hustling over behind the first baseman to back up the throw. (I might add that she was doing a great job of it and not just because she's my daughter.)

When a member of the other team bunted, all our infielders yelled, "Bunt!" Everyone knew just where to go. Our first and third basemen charged toward the batter, while our second baseman ran over to cover first. It was smooth, clean — like clockwork.

When one of our players was at bat, other players were yelling encouragement. In the field, everyone was talking to each other, letting each other know the number of outs and where the next play was to be made.

Isn't this a lot like our business and a lot like life.

Success in business comes much easier to those supported by a team. When we share our gifts, it's to everyone's betterment.

It's good to know that when you're trying to get somewhere, someone is there backing you up.

What a great feeling to know that others who have taken the road to success are willing to show you the way.

How wonderful to hear encouragement from others that you can be successful, that they believe in you.

I'm thrilled to say I've found just such a team. If you'd like to know more, go to this link. Your teammates are waiting for you.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me learn the value of teamwork.

On track to success

2008-04-07T01:10:00.004-04:00

I heard a story the other day about two owners of horse-racing stables. Seems the two had been heated rivals for years.

One of the two had the idea to hire a professional jockey to ride one of his horses in a big race. When the race started it was clear the horses from the two stables were far superior to any other horses in the race. They opened a huge lead over all the other horses.

As they neared the finish line the two horses hit each other, knocking both jockeys to the ground. The professional jockey got his wits about him quickly, climbed in the saddle and raced to the finish. When he got to the winner's circle, his boss was furious. The jockey looked puzzled and said, "Why are you mad? I won."

The owner said, "Yes, you won, but you're on the wrong horse."

That's the way it is sometimes in network marketing. We can't reach success because we're on the wrong horse.

Sometimes, that horse is our company. If the company doesn't have integrity or other key characteristics, we'll get tossed off before we reach our goals.

Sometimes that horse is our training. If we're taught the wrong things to do, it doesn't matter how well we do them. Some strategies just don't work.

Sometimes that horse is our friends and family. If we listen to negative thinkers who are constantly dragging us down, it's like running with concrete blocks tied to our feet.

Sometimes that horse is our own "go-it-alone" attitude. It's kind of like the dog in this video. The dog is chewing on a bone and sees his own back paw approaching. The dog thinks it's leg is another dog, growls at it and eventually bites it. No one can succeed in network marketing without a team.

The key is to find a proven system that works for anyone. That system needs excellent training, great teamwork and positive reinforcement.

Find a system that works for you, and you'll be much closer to the finish line of success.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book put me on track to success.

The power of passion

2008-04-03T22:34:00.008-04:00

I was in a forum on a web site for piano players when one of the participants asked how other people felt about being called "gifted." The person took some offense at the description, thinking it failed to acknowledge the amount of practice it takes to play the piano well.

The discussion brought to mind my early years taking piano lessons. I was a student of what was then called the "lab method." There were six students in rows of two. The teacher was at the front of the class. She had her own piano and could listen to any of us with headphones at any time.

The first couple of years, I was easily the best student in my class. I enjoyed being the "star student." About the third year, the teacher decided to put all her best students in one class. I went from being the best to the middle of the pack.

The teacher thought that the class would cause us each to push each other to become better. It had the opposite effect on me.

All this got me thinking about passion. In our network marketing business, having a burning desire is one of the keys to success.

One of the things I learned from the training I've received in this system is the importance of coming to grips with the reason we're in business. We can have to determine our driving force.

If that force is only driving you at 50 percent power, then you'll be stuck if you come against an obstacle that 51 percent or stronger.

That's why you have to search deep within yourself to decide why you want to succeed. Figure out why you're in this business.

About a year after joining the class of top piano students, I quit. The teacher told me that one day I'd regret it. Of course she was right, but I didn't listen.

I had some talent, but I didn't have the desire to be the best of the best. At least not at the time. It's a lesson I'm still learning.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me understand why I'm a network marketer.

Video about my favorite book

2008-04-02T23:04:00.002-04:00

About six months ago, I was sent a free e-book that has changed my life. The book was written by Michael Dlouhy, who has since become my good friend and a personal mentor.

When I read the book, "Success in 10 Steps," it seemed as though Michael was writing it to me. It was like he knew everything that had happened to me in my network marketing career. He couldn't have described it any better if I had told him all about it myself.

The book was an amazingly easy read. I had finished it within 24 hours of downloading it.

Since then, I've learned why I was failing and why it wasn't my fault. I made a video that explains it more. Take a look.

Thanks.

Steve

Listen without an agenda

2008-03-30T22:32:00.003-04:00

Have this ever happened to you: you're talking to someone, perhaps sharing a matter of deep concern, when you notice they have a far-off look in their eye. When you finish talking the person responds with an odd-sounding anecdote that doesn't make sense until you realize a slight connection with something you said very early in your remarks.

Or worse yet, have you ever been listening to someone when they say something that causes your mind to immediately think of an event in your life. Your brain starts racing, formulating your response, all the while nearly ignoring the rest of the other person's remarks.

Unfortunately, that happens in too many conversations. Sometimes the person being ignored immediately realizes it. While they're often too nice to speak out, they're hurt. The depth of the pain often corresponds to the strength of the bond they felt with the other person.

Even if the person doesn't immediately realize the slight, they leave the conversation with less than they deserve.

Overcoming the propensity to think about yourself during conversation takes practice, but it is a skill well worth the effort.

The key is to focus your attention on the other person. Realize that at that moment, what they're saying is most important.

One way to learn how to listen more attentively is to get in the habit of asking questions instead of offering advice or suggestions. You can't ask someone a question about what they just said unless you've listened to them.

Part of the training I've received as a certified coach with Valwood Christian Leadership Coaching is the importance of asking powerful questions. Powerful questions make the other person think. They are almost never yes or no questions.

These questions are usually best if their part of the context of the conversation, but some general examples are:

— What do you see as your purpose in life?

— What are your retirement plans?

— What do you see as your strongest talents?

— Where do you see yourself in five years?

— What options have you considered?

— What are the potential obstacles?

Perhaps the easiest way to learn how to listen to other people is to care about them. You must listen without an agenda. Set aside what you want and help them get what they want. Help them reach their dreams and you'll almost certainly be closer to yours.

Steve DeVane
Click here to learn more about my free MLM mentoring program.

Help yourself ... then help others

2008-03-29T16:42:00.003-04:00

Have you ever thought about why you're in network marketing? What is it that most keeps you going toward your goal?

I've been giving that a lot of thought recently. I've been trying to strip away all the peripheral reasons to get to my core desires.

All this has forced me to ask myself a lot of question. Some of them were tough questions. Some were downright scary.

For example, I've thought about what I want to be said at my funeral. At first glance, that doesn't seem to be a pleasant thought. Why would I want to think about my death?

I think about it because it forces me toward a better perspective on the present. By thinking about then, I get a much clearer look at now.

Moreover, it crystallizes my view of myself. Truth is, we look at other people the way we look at ourselves. We view them through our own eyes, our own lens. If we don't trust others, we're presenting ourselves as less than trustworthy. We are measured by the standard we use to measure others.

Before a plane takes off, the stewardess always talks about safety issues. For those traveling with children, she says, be sure to put on your oxygen mask before helping you child put on theirs.

It works much the same way in our lives. We must help ourselves before we can help others. Once we know the path to success, we can show others the way.

That's why your "why" has to be about you, not about your friends, your family or anyone else.

Once you find that reason, nothing will stop you, because MLM is about you, not about products and companies.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book saved me from failure and frustration.

Living into the future

2008-03-24T21:03:00.004-04:00

Recently I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my story. After a while, it occurred to me that I was thinking almost entirely about my past. I decided that it would be better to look instead at the future. I’ve thought about what my “future story” will be.

For me, it turned out that my future story is strongly influenced by my successes and failures in the past. My aim is to emphasize the strengths and downplay the weaknesses.

The way my future will unfold will impact my family, my home life and my career.

First, I want to be able to provide my family with the life they deserve. I have a wonderful wife and three great kids.

In the past, I have felt bad when we have had to put off or not do some things that my family wanted to do because we didn’t have the money or were too worried about money. I can now see the day when money issues will no longer be an issue.

The second related issue is our home life. I am proud to say we were recently able to move to a bigger house in a safer location. Now all three of my children have their own room. Our house is nicer, larger and newer than our former house.

While the location is more convenient to many of the places we go, it’s just a little closer to my place of work. I still drive nearly an hour a day each way.

I figured it up. In the 11 plus years I’ve worked at my current job, I’ve spent more than seven complete months — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — in my car driving back and forth to work.

If you figure it in business terms, I’ve spent 140 work weeks behind the wheel to go to and from the office.

With my home-based business, I work from home on my computer and the phone. I also get great training on my computer and my phone from this system.

The third area of my future will be related to my career. I’ve been a journalist for more than 20 years. Early in my career I really enjoyed the adrenaline rush of working on a “big story.” But, after a while I burned out on newspapers and the constant pressure of deadlines.

So I became a network marketer because I saw a way out of all the stress by working for myself and helping other people. I realized it was a way to take back my life, not just make a living.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book started me down the path to success.

Taking steps on the path to leadership

2008-03-18T22:01:00.004-04:00

To achieve what you want in network marketing, you must be a leader. To be a leader, you must have followers.

For you to lead, somebody has to follow you. For someone to follow you, they must see you as a leader. Others have to picture you as the person who can lead them out of the morass they are in.

And why would anyone follow YOU, you ask? That's easy. They follow you because you believe in something. You are passionate. You are enthusiastic.

Since you are a passionate, enthusiastic believer, that puts you way ahead of everyone else. Do you believe that a passionate, enthusiastic belief can change a person's life? A lot of people see it that way, which means you can be an MLM wizard. You have personalized the first part of the "MLM Wizard Formula."

Does this sound like I'm talking about somebody else? You're probably thinking that you are on the other side of this deal, one of the masses looking for that leader. But here's the point. So long as people can see your rock-solid, core belief, it doesn't matter that you've never been looked at as a leader before. You will inspire people and they will follow you. And as distant as that idea of solid belief may seem right now, it's just a matter of some intensive coaching and some dedicated practice to actually reach it.

Even if you're a long way from flawless, you can help a lot of people turn their lives around. They are looking for the right model. You can become their network-marketing leader, but only if you learn to really drill down into your steel-hard core belief.

So the question is, how do you get there from here? You talk to people now, you look around you, and there just is no one who would follow you. And even if they would, you're not really sure where you would lead them.

Maybe you have some possibilities, but there's just no certainty that's strong enough to inspire very many people. Worse, you have your own moments of self-doubt when you think it's all hopeless, that you will never get to the place you want in life.

I understand that success seems so distant, it's almost like a dream. But the fact is, with the right training and some dedicated effort on your part, "you" as an inspirational leader could be just a few weeks away ... not months or years. Will you make a commitment to your future?

Steve DeVane
This no-cost mentoring program taught me about the path to leadership.

MLM - it's a relationship business

2008-03-14T21:57:00.005-04:00

In my MLM career, I’ve worked with some folks who I thought were great networkers. I’ve been trained by some who I considered to be the best in the business.

I’d go to their seminars with this thought in mind, “Please just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

They’d tell me what to do. I’d do it. It didn’t work.

They were great ideas. At least they sounded like great ideas. But they didn’t work.

I’d listen to the tapes. I’d get motivated. I’d do what they told me to do. It didn’t work.

I didn’t know why it didn’t work. Since it worked for other folks, I thought that there must be something wrong with me.

Eventually, I discovered something — nearly everyone else was struggling as much as I was. In fact, it seemed nine out of 10 of us were working our tails off but were treading water at best.

We were being told to recruit, recruit, recruit. But it seemed that just as fast as we could sign them up at the front door, others were headed out the back door. We could never get ahead.

Then several months ago, I learned about different personality types. It was part of a no-cost MLM training program that has changed my life.

I learned that those training seminars were teaching me to be someone I wasn’t. When I tried to be non-me, I came off predictably phony.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, I found out that all those sales tricks and closing techniques are worthless for the more than 90 percent of people who don’t like to be sold.

I was trying to be someone I wasn’t doing things that don’t work. It was a double-negative that was anything but positive for me.

Now I know that MLM is not a sales business. It’s a relationship business. People join people they like.

So, I’m having fun being me helping people learn to be themselves. I’m being myself, and I like seeing other people succeed, too.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book saved me from failure and frustration

The first steps toward success in MLM

2008-03-11T21:57:00.003-04:00

Do you remember when you first saw the potential of network marketing, when you realized the possibilities of MLM?

I can. I remember thinking to myself, “This really evens the playing field.” I could see that the old adage that “you have to have money to make money,” was no longer valid.

You remember, too, don’t you? All of a sudden you thought about providing everything your family never had. You reclaimed those early dreams of spending more time with each of them. And you wanted to help others just like you be more successful.

But somewhere along the way, something went wrong. You spent time and effort, but what seemed great in theory was not very good in practice.

You did your best but then not only were you still a thousand miles from financial freedom, you were way worse off than before you started. You had less money and fewer friends who would talk to you, and you worried that your family would think you were an idiot.

And losing all that money wasn't the low point. There's a joke that when you sign up for MLM, you also join the NFL. You've become part of the "No Friends Left" league. They don't answer their phone when you call. They hide when they see you coming. They know you are on a mission, and they are the target. And no one wants to feel like they're being tracked and hunted down.

OK. Nothing you can do about the past. But what's next? You are smarter now. So how do you REALLY get what you want in life? Good question. I have some answers for you.

I’ve been where you are. You want to give up but something deep inside you knows you can be successful. Let me show you what changed my attitude, my business and my life. Start here.

Steve DeVane

Making decisions key to MLM success

2008-03-08T22:40:00.010-05:00

I just listened to a a great training call featuring one of my friends and mentors, Richard Dennis. He focused on the power of making decisions.

Richard pointed out that the speed of your action determines your success. It’s not whether you’re right or wrong. It’s whether or not you act.

The call reminded me of something Napoleon Hill said in his book, “Think and Grow Rich.” Hill analyzed several hundred millionaires. He found that everyone of them had the habit of reaching decisions promptly and changing decisions slowly, if and when they were changed.

Those who decide, succeed. Those who don’t decide, fail.

Those who know what they want, get it.

While some are waiting and only doing one thing, someone else is doing 20, Richard said. Even if the second person got 15 wrong, they were still right five times. Meanwhile, the first person only did one thing, and it was probably wrong.

He pointed out that you’re not going to make the money you want in network marketing unless you’re a leader and you’re not going to be a leader unless you make decisions.

I once heard a MLM leader say that one of the questions he was most asked was, “What should I do?” His response: “I don’t care what you do. Just do something.”

Some networkers are often striken by the paralysis of analysis. They think they have to know everything before they do anything.

Richard said that if you want to be a leader you have to “put yourself out there.” You never know what’s going to happen, he said, but if you don’t take the leap, you know where you’re going – that’s nowhere.

Leaders leave their comfort zone. He suggested that you write down where you’re comfortable. Then write down where you’re not comfortable. You’ve got to go where you’re not comfortable. That’s what makes you a leader.

Most people get scared and stop, according to Richard. You can’t do that. You have to make decisions. Get in action. All the planning, thoughts, and resolutions with no action is not going to get you what you want.

Michael Dlouhy, another one of my friends and mentors and the author of “Success in Ten Steps,” urged those who want to be successful to “Launch and learn.”

“Fail forward,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just take action.”

Steve DeVane
(NOTE — Richard's call and Michael's book are part of a no-cost MLM training program that changed my life.)

MLM success - it takes a team

2008-03-05T23:42:00.004-05:00

Over the years, I’ve been to dozens and dozens of MLM training seminars or workshops. Each time, I’d go hoping that it would be the time I would learn the secret that would propel me to success.

Numerous times, I left the meeting thinking that I’d found the answer. Usually it was some sales method or closing technique.

Often I’d say to myself, “This has got to work. All I have to do is what they told me to do.”

Then I’d do what they told me to do. It didn’t work. At the time, I had no idea why.

Looking back, I see that there were several reasons I feel short.

First, I’m no salesman. No matter how many methods or techniques I learned, I couldn’t make myself into something I’m not.

Second, network marketing is not a sales business. It’s a relationship business. I was trying to makes sales, when I should have been trying to make friends.

And the friendships have to be authentic. You can’t just make friends so you can make sales. A friend of mine has a simple way to accomplish this — listen without an agenda.

Listening is not always easy. Too many times I catch myself thinking of the next thing I’m going to say instead of focusing on what the other person is saying.

A third reason I was less than successful early in my network marketing career was my “lone wolf” attitude. I had the mistaken idea that I could get the job done by myself.

I’ve learned that success in MLM can only come through the power of teamwork. Napoleon Hill points out in his classic work, “Think and Grow Rich,” that a group of minds that come together in a spirit of harmony provide more thought energy than the minds by themselves. He calls this the power of the mastermind.

People take on the characteristics of those with whom they associate. It pays to hang around those who are already successful doing what you want to do.

Find a mentor. Learn from him or her. Follow the path of one who can show you the way.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book showed me the power of teamwork