We’ve been in several businesses and I get asked often what the key to building a big group was.  And the answer is one you’ve heard before.  You get cooperation from others.  Empowering people is really the key to building a great team.  Because once you empower them by learning how to motivate and inspire them, they want to work with you to help you get to your goals.  But it’s this ability to enlist the know-how, energy and resources of other people that gives you the ability to leverage yourself to get more done in a short period of time.

OK, so we know we need to empower people – but who should be our key players?  Well, for me it is the people closest to you – family, friends, spouse and kids.  Next, at work, or in your network, it’s your downline, or coworkers, your peers, and even your boss.  The next group are the people you meet everyday – like your banker, customers, people you run into at stores.  You goal here is to get people to help you.

It’s interesting when I looked up the word empower, it actually means putting power into.  But it can also mean bringing energy and enthusiasm out of.  See how empowering people is really you ceasing to do anything that disempowers them – well, reduces their energy and enthusiam for what they are doing.  And, wow – when you think about it – there are tons of things you can do every day to empower people and make them feel good about themselves.

I’ve found through years of working in this field that one of the deepest needs a person has is that of self-esteem.  A sense of being important, valuable and worth something.  I remember Jim Rohn once saying to simply look at people as if they had a sign hanging around their neck that said – make me feel important.  Just remember that every interaction you have with someone affects their self-esteem in some way.  Give others what you want for yourself.

Appreciation is one of the best ways to affect self-esteem.  Just say thank you when it’s due.  Thank friends when they do something small – make it a habit of appreciating everything.

Finally, create a community with your team or group.  I talked earlier about empowering them.  When you create a community, you empower each person with a task.  The group takes on its own personality and before you know it, it’s like a fine-tuned machine.  People want to become a part of that.

Give, but at the same time, empower.  You’ll find it so rewarding and yes it will shoot you straight to the top.

I don’t watch the news much, but I know that most are saying we’re in a recession. If you’re smart, you won’t participate. And if you are savvy, I know you’ll be interested in what I’ve found on recession-proofing your income.

First of all, I believe the media is at the center of all this. This stuff sells papers and advertising on TV because people are drawn to it. When you get together with your circle of friends, what is the first thing you talk about after the weather?

“Say, did you hear how many foreclosures in Fort Myers?”

So you, too, become the bearer of bad stuff. And what is the recipient supposed to think? They hold back even more money and become part of the problem. Why are places closing? Is there really a lack? No – we’re just not buying out of fear. It’s a house of cards.

OK, so now for some good stuff. First, with all this stuff going on, how secure do you feel in your job? My wife had a cushy summer job at a local interior design firm. She was office manager. But one day – out of nowhere – the boss came in and asked her to sit down. And that was it. Sorry… we ran out of money.

Here’s what most will do. Panic. Or, wait and hope. Or maybe even get another job. But in times like these, you could sit down and take control. I mean the timing doesn’t get much better than this, people.

I am so into how businesses are stretching and molding themselves to the new economy. And I think it’s important that we do the same thing. In fact, during these so called “recessions” more people start little businesses than at any other time. Cool!

What if there was a way, with a little investment, you could own your own business. I mean something you could make some money at part time, in addition to your 9 to 5. I’ve found that network marketing offers this kind of ease and the cool thing is you are able to engage with like-minded entrepreneurs – like you. Really! Take a look at my Facebook page.  These guys are capturing a piece of today’s marketplace, with very cool cutting-edge products.

I didn’t realize the power of network marketing until my wife and I built one up to the second to the top level.  And even today we are paid residual checks from it and we don’t lift a finger.  It’s like I wrote a cool song, and people liked it, and still like it – and it gets played – and I still receive a residual on it.  I did the work – once.

This is a real cool way to have great income during this “recession.”  You get real resourceful in times like these and we come up with all sorts of money-saving skills.  Small niche businesses thrive!

So consider it – network marketing.  More than 61 million people are doing this and more joining each day with a myriad of goods and services.  It’s really as basic as it sounds.  You rely on a network of people in which you market your business.  Money that most companies spend on advertising is paid to you.

Look.  I’ve done this form of business for over 20 years.  And I’ve owned a few businesses – still do.  A lot of friends and family will rain on your parade, but they aren’t paying your bills.  Look at the people who are making a good income with this and ask yourself if you couldn’t do the same.  And remember my story… I love that check that comes in, every month without fail.

Do you think network marketing is a good business model?

I know my buddy Chris Widener has a nice session on how to stay motivated.  And I’ve been to a dozen or more seminars with the great speakers and have around that many notebooks around the house with tons of notes taken while soaking in the best way to stay motivated.

Since January 1 has come and gone and you may not be doing all the fun things you planned for this year, this might be a good refresher on how to quickly get back on the wagon.  And if you’re already there, print this out and hand it to a friend.

It all boils down to 5 things – here they are:

1. Write out a clear life plan – your ultimate goals – and refer to this plan often.
2. Exercise – Yikes!  You knew this would be in here somewhere.  Just look at the people who have it together in life.  Increasing your heart rate increases your energy level to tackle other goals.  Thus, no exercising close to bed time.
3. When undertaking a lengthy and difficult project, especially something you DON’T want to do, imagine what you’d like to be doing when finished – like eating a great meal, see a cool movie, read a good book – and make this task a priority.
4. Keep your WHY in front of your eye.  Do you want a new iPhone, car, more time with the family, a new netbook?  Keep a photo of your goal on your desk or where you will see it often.
5. Figure out how much sleep works for you.  I know I cover this often.  It’s because I was the biggest cheater on sleep in the world, next to my son, Dennis.  But it catches up with you.  Especially in health.  The body needs time to repair itself.  Most of us need six to eight hours.  Adequate sleep fuels inspiration and clarity and helps maintain healthy eating.

That is all for now.  If you follow a few of those, you’re doing good.  If you want to make it happen this year – follow all of them.  Make them your boss!

Questions?

It wasn’t until last month that I really got a grasp on how powerful the influence of thoughts is; i.e. the things we think on and to what degree they actually influence our day. But an Ah-ha moment came to me when I looked back over my life and could actually see how I had changed, and more importantly, how circumstances around me changed, when I had taken the time to get my thoughts working for me.

So, I thought I’d share how I start my morning, and you and I can compare notes.

First, let me tell you that morning is the best time to do this because negative, or unproductive thoughts have not had a chance to influence you. You probably already guessed that.

And I had even heard the fact that it takes 10 positives to outweigh a negative, or something like that. So I stayed busy keeping myself with a positive outlook. But what I didn’t realize was that there was an easy method to get positive every day and in this way to combat any negative influence.

The exciting thing is that I’ve tried this and it really works. In fact, it works so well that others teach this, too. Here’s how easy it is:

The night before, write down your to-do list for the next day. Direction equals energy. Make your to-do list your boss. I’ve been working out of my home since 1997. And I have a high level of discipline. But even so, it is a challenge to stick to my plan. However, I’ve learned that if you’re hard on yourself, life will be easy.

Check the weather the night before as well. You want to make sure you are dressed appropriately.

When you do get up – and I have to schedule this because it takes a good hour – get into what I call my power hour. This is the crux of my message today. What I do is usually watch an hour of self improvement – you can find these in Success Magazine. They have a DVD that comes bound in the center. I also have a good library of seminars I can watch or listen to.

And if you want to mix it up a bit, as I do, grab Success Magazine and read how others have achieved greatness. SO many lessons – the hour will be gone before you know it.

So what does this do? Well, it sets the mind in a can do attitude which is vital when life comes at ya. You will be set to go about your day in a way that empowers you. I challenge you to try this for three days and tell me your results. Your day will be different.

Now here’s the bad news.

You need to make this a habit, because it is one of those things that is easy to do, and easy not to do. You have total control here and must see the value and be disciplined enough to do it every single day.

Make it fun.

I rip my DVD’s and put them on my iPod and then walk down to the beach and watch them there. Or get up before the sun comes up and put on a pot of your favorite coffee and get in your favorite place in the house and watch or read. You will soon see you are empowered just by that area of the house.

Take care and let me know how it goes for you.