FROM THE DESK, MIND AND HEART OF JEFF HODGES
Hey everyone,
It’s almost that time. It’s almost time to say good bye to good ole 2007 and embrace 2008 with open arms and a positive outlook. I realize that this a time of celebration and that things are pretty much going in circles right now but I would encourage you to use this also as a time reflection. What the future holds is largely dependent on what lessons you learned from your past. Welcome back to all my regulars and welcome aboard to my new readers. As always, if you are new and want to catch up or if you just missed an edition, you can always go back and read them by going to either…
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com/links.html (bottom left corner of page)
OR
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
******************* Success University *******************
Here we go !!! It’s time to start the New Year and you need to start it right. I hope all of you have included in your list of resolutions to make 2008 a phenomenal year for you financially. Also, I hope that you have set some serious goals in the Personal Development department. Now, wouldn’t it be sweet if you had a place to go where all those areas could be covered and covered by the best??? Success University has teamed up with over fifty of the World’s foremost authorities on all areas of Personal Development. You will have access to a curriculum put together by the likes of Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Les Brown, Denis Waitley, and many, many more. These are people that ARE where YOU want to be in life and for less than the price of a value meal you can take an ALL ACCESS, UNRESTRICTED, FULL FEATURED 14 day Trial Membership. Get in there, get your feet wet and see what We are all about. Then, 14 days later if you don’t feel that Success University is a fit for you then simply call and cancel. You owe nothing and we part as friends. And, the best part is that the FULL $2 is donated to an International children’s charity that we are partnered with. Do your self a favor and check it out…..
http://www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
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Ok, it’s after Christmas and it’s started again just like it always has. For as long as I’ve been working with people in network marketing, whether in my own personal organization or helping others in my group, right after Christmas the first thing everybody comes to me with is “Every time I try to talk to somebody about joining my business they say they are broke and can’t afford it”. HORSE HOCKEY !!!
This is called an objection of convenience. And, as we all know, objections are just a cry for more information. People that are sincerely not interested will tell you that they are not interested. Objections are simply a way of a person telling you that you have not covered all their questions and concerns. It’s not that they can’t afford it right now. It’s that they want to be convinced of why working the money for your business into their budget is a wise thing to do.
I LOVE it when someone tries to use the NO MONEY or IT COSTS TOO MUCH routine on me. I have a literal ARSENAL of weapons to use in that scenario and if you try to tell me one of those things I’m coming out with guns blazing !!! Too many people let situations like this intimidate and discourage them. I just look at them as a challenge and a battle of wits and I just LOVE a good challenge.
You see, we all make decisions every day concerning what we want and what we are willing to do to get it. People today are so caught up in the IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION mindset that sacrifice is a word that is losing it’s place in our society. But, on a daily basis people make purchasing and business decisions based on what they are willing to give up to get it. The only problem is that they are willing to give up things to get what they want RIGHT NOW but not to achieve their goals for the future because that would cause them to be UNCOMFORTABLE right now.
Just let somebody tell ME that they can’t afford my business and watch me work. Some of you who know me personally know exactly what I’m talking about. The first thing I’ll do is analyze their lifestyle. Do they eat out all the time? Do they consistently buy their kids EVERYTHING they ask for? Are they driving outlandishly expensive cars to try and keep up with the Jones’s? Do they have a TV the size of my refrigerator? How about a swimming pool in the back yard and a boat in the driveway. That was one of my personal favorites. Yes, these are actual circumstances of real people I have dealt with that tried to tell me that they couldn’t afford $50 a month to change their financial future.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Jeff, what about people that really don’t have any money?” I have got you covered there too. My grandmother used to say “You know, there’s a really good place to go when you don’t have any money…… TOO WORK !!!” Think about it using my business of Success University as an example. Excluding people living under a bridge and frequenting soup kitchens, who can’t come up $50 a month ??? I mean give me a break ! That’s just a little over ten hours or work at minimum wage AFTER TAXES. That’s less than three hours a week. Can you say PART TIME JOB ?!!
Ok, I guess I’ve hammered on this long enough but I think you get my point. If someone honestly cares about there future and is willing to get off their butt and put forth a little extra effort there is no such thing as someone that can’t afford your business. I can take anybody to my site right now and show them how to spend 30 min. A MONTH and make enough money to be in my business for FREE !!!
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com/links.html
Tell them that if they are not interested then that’s totally fine but you tell them FOR ME that if MONEY is the best they can do for a reason to not go into business for themselves and with you then you have a solution to their problem. It’s a little thing I like to call EFFORT !!!
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“If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.”
- Henry Ford
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I would like to share something with all of you that I have recently incorporated into my life. I am quite sure that the vast majority of you have been exposed to the high levels of stress and chaos that can be a familiar part of being in business for yourself. But, what a lot of you might not know is that this can affect your health in ways your never thought of. I mean, everyone has heard that stress is bad for your and can cause things like high blood pressure but did you know that it can actually affect things like how long your hair keeps it’s color, how long your teeth stay in your head, how efficiently your body digests the food you eat, your sex drive and stamina, the condition of your skin and your immune system, just to name a few ???
I’m talking about day to day relaxation techniques. Not just the ones that you use to relax after the fact but, also, the ones you can use to prevent stress in the first place. It has been working wonders for me and how I deal with the stressors that I have. Now, some of you “I’m a MAN’S MAN” kind of guys might not like the thought of doing some of this stuff but all I can tell you is GET OVER YOURSELF !!!
The first thing I have done is to make sure that I take a long walk of one mile every morning be fore I do ANYTHING else. Now, this has nothing to do with my workout. If it’s cardio day I still do my cardio in what ever fashion I had planned but this is a RELAXING walk. It’s the perverbial “Stop and smell the roses” kind of walk. It gives your mind time to get geared up for the day while allowing you to remind yourself that before there were planes to catch, before there were meetings to attend and before there were calls to be made….. THERE WAS LIFE !!!
The next thing is your work environment in general. When you walk into my office you would swear you are in a spa instead of a place where I spend my day chasing my tail. First, I have some very soothing music playing in the background on my laptop. I shopped around until I found the music that best connected with me and, surprisingly enough, I found it at good ole Wal-mart. I’m sure you’ve seen the display close to the candles. It’s entitled Feng Shui. It is an excellent sub-conscious distracter and I keep it playing constantly.
Next, I have a small, table-top waterfall going. It may sound crazy but the sound of that water gently splashing really blends with the music to create an atmosphere like you just can’t imagine. Yep, you guessed it… I found it right there next to the candles too. Hey, who needs to go to a department store to get good stuff. Frugality is one of basic concepts of wealth.
One final touch to my office of tranquility is the aroma therapy candles. Your external sensory organs are very closely tied to your mindset and largely control your emotions. If you don’t believe me, try walking by a bakery where they are making fresh donuts if you are a donut fan and attempt to not let it affect your mood. You get excited. Ask a race fan if they don’t get excited at the track partly from the smell of burning tires and exhaust fumes. I’m serious. The right smell can make your day.
Ok, now comes the good part. What do you do after you are winding down for the day? I can tell you what I do. I grab a good book and head for the tub !!! And, that’s not where the story ends. Oh, No. Have you ever enjoyed a good foot soak with Epsom salts in the water? Well, modern technology has taken that to the next level. I’m talking about effervescence balls. You ladies probably know what I’m talking about and you guys are probably raising one eyebrow but, I’m telling you, these are the best things since sliced bread !!! You spend about a half hour or so in a hot tub with one of these little wonders in the water and you are going to sleep like a baby and wake up in the morning totally refreshed.
I would have never thought in a thousand years how much of a difference in my day could be made with doing things as simple as these but I’ll never have it any other way. Let’s face it, when you are relaxed and not all stressed out you are more productive, you make less mistakes and you are a LOT nicer to be around. Ask the people around me !!! LOL
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“To be at one with God is to be at peace ... peace is to be found only within, and unless one finds it there he will never find it at all. Peace lies not in the external world. It lies within one's own soul.”
- Ralph Waldo Trine
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Well, it’s about time for my hot soak !!! Seriously though, it is really easy to get caught up in working toward your goals and cheat yourself out of the simple pleasures in life, not to mention the added stress you bring on yourself which is not only counterproductive but unhealthy. I’m going to go read a few pages from the Good Book now and set my mind to thinking about the coming events. Stay focused, stay determined and stay the course. It’s going to be a GREAT year !!! See you in 2008. Until our Heavenly Father grants us this time together again, just remember to……..
JUST SAY “NO” TO NEGATIVITY !!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Hodges
JeffreyHodges@thedreameffect.com
http://www.thedreameffect.com
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com
http://www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
615-230-7997
270-320-1324
Skype ID : jeffhodges1
