Cheat Sheet: Success

"Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil."
~ J. Paul Getty

We aren't all going to strike oil in our lifetimes but we all have hopes and dreams pinned to one or more home businesses that we are working at making successful.

Have you achieved your desired level of success? If not, there may be some wisdom to the term "fake it 'till you make it"

Successful people wake up each morning planning for success, work towards success through the day, reflect on that success in the evening, and then plan for the next days success.

Although not every successful person lives exactly the same as the last there are some strong similarities in how they work for their success.

1. Successful people get out of bed each morning ready to accomplish something. It's easier to stay in bed for a couple of rounds of snooze button smash but getting up with a positive and determined attitude will go far in making you a success. That ten minutes you just wasted could have been spent sending emails or marketing your business on a forum.



2. Successful people never stop learning. The world is changing, successful people know that to get left behind is fatal. We see this by the way that the world wide web has changed network marketing. If you don't evolve you cannot be successful.






3. Successful people expect more of themselves. Every day brings new challenges and possibilities. Successful people embrace them and face them head on. Are you happy with your home business only supplementing your 9-5 job? If you want more you can't be content with mediocrity.







4. Successful people exercise. They move, they get fit, they understand you have to feel good and look good to succeed. Exercise boosts brain power, puts you in a better mood and makes you look great. Plus you can meet a new group of prospects at the gym or running in the park.





5. Successful people have little time for television. It's called a boob tube for a reason. The more time spent in front of the idiot box is less time spent reading, exercising, learning and achieving. After you are done working for the day allow yourself to 'veg out' and unwind, but don't let TV steal your time. Time is money.



6. Successful people compliment others. They realize that they didn't get to where they are without help. They appreciate and acknowledge that help. In turn they will value and nurture others. James D. Miles famously said: "You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." A successful person knows that there is potential gain everywhere and from everyone.



7. Successful people listen. When you spend your time talking it's much more difficult to listen. To the untrained eye, sales is all about talking. However, the successful salesperson knows that sales is 99% listening. Successful people know their audience and the way to learn about your consumer is to listen louder than you talk.



8. Successful people plan. They look at what they want to do, decide if it can be done, and then outline the steps to accomplish it. Setting goals and planning your steps will take your business to a whole new level of success.




9. Successful people expect more of you. Successful people have a difficult time understanding mediocrity, even more difficulty understanding why others settle for it. Surround yourself with achievers and you when you are feeling low they will lift you up.


10. Successful people make the effort and sacrifice to get what they want. It's easy to dream but much harder to give up the two hours of TV each night or sleeping ten extra minutes. Starting your own home business can be the most difficult and rewarding challenge you ever face (next to raising children) Be ready to sacrifice your time, your money, your comfort to make your vision a reality.


Your dreams of success ARE achievable with hard work and dedication. There is no such thing as 'get rich quick'. There are no 'secrets to make you fabulously wealthy'. It's all common sense, hard work, and the ironclad will to succeed. 

The Antioxidant Truth

You can't really do anything today without hearing the word "Antioxidant".  I have been a big believer in the antioxidant method of wellness and it didn't hurt that some of my favorite treats were on the list...berries, coffee, chocolate and wine.

Imagine my shock at finding out that I have been misinformed.

We have all seen products in the grocery store ranging from supplements to candy claiming high antioxidant content. 

But what does that mean?

"Antioxidants came to public attention in the 1990s...Some studies showed that people with low intakes of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables were at greater risk for developing these chronic conditions than were people who ate plenty of these fruits and vegetables. Clinical trials began testing the impact of single substances, especially beta-carotene and vitamin E, as weapons against heart disease, cancer, and the like." credit: Harvard School of Public Health

So how did the media, and the supplement and food industries react to this news?
"Even before the results of these trials were in, [they] began to hype the benefits of “antioxidants.” Frozen berries, green tea, and other foods labeled as being rich in antioxidants began popping up in stores. Supplement makers touted the disease-fighting properties of all sorts of antioxidants." credit: HSPH

(That's sort of exactly how we should expect them to react.)


So are the corporations lying to us?  Well, kind of.  Certain foods and supplements are higher in antioxidants than others.  They can even rate them according to amount of antioxidants so you can be confident in knowing that the dark chocolate covered pomegranate is kicking butt and taking names.

What is not proven is whether the antioxidants actually affect your body and health one way or the other. 

Yes, you read that right...nobody knows for sure if antioxidants do a blessed thing for your health.  If you look closely at the products on the grocery shelves claiming high antioxidant content you will notice that none of them actually make any sort of health claims  We consumers just connect the two in our minds and buy buy buy. 

Right now are you paying more for specific kinds of juice that claim immense amounts of antioxidant power?  Because if so you are wasting your money.

Well, at least ingesting copious amounts of antioxidants might help...and it can't hurt, right?   'Just in case'.   Not so fast.

"The first inkling came in a large trial of beta-carotene conducted among men in Finland who were heavy smokers, and therefore at high risk for developing lung cancer. The trial was stopped early when researchers saw a significant increase in lung cancer among those taking the supplement compared to those taking the placebo." credit: HSPH 

But "Not all trials of beta-carotene show this harmful effect, however. In the Physicians’ Health Study, which included few active smokers, no increase in lung cancer or any other adverse affect was seen even after 18 years of follow-up." credit: HSPH 

The Bottom Line on Antioxidants and Disease Prevention:

According to the Harvard School of Public Health: " Free radicals contribute to chronic diseases from cancer to heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease to vision loss. This doesn’t automatically mean that substances with antioxidant properties will fix the problem, especially not when they are taken out of their natural context. The studies so far are inconclusive, but generally don’t provide strong evidence that antioxidant supplements have a substantial impact on disease."

So eat healthy, include whole fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and buy the super juices only if you really love the taste. 

There are ways to provide protection against many of these scourges of aging but, sadly, chocolate and wine are not going to do it.  That's not to say they aren't enjoyable and can contribute vitally to our emotional health. 

A Healthy Terrain

The healthiest crops grow out of healthy soil.  Regardless of whether you grew up in Kansas, Brooklyn or the Moon you KNOW this essential truth about good soil. 

Many believe that our bodies work the same way.

How?

Meet Antoine Béchamp who believed that living entities called "microzymes" created bacteria in response to host and environmental factors; he did not believe that bacteria could invade a healthy host and create disease on their own. (credit: Wikipedia)

Wait, what?

Haven't we been taught in elementary school health class about how germs work?  The germ theory of disease refers to the discovery in the late 19th century that some infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms, small organisms too small to see without magnification, that invade the host. (credit: Wikipedia)

Germs invade the host and we get sick.  Soooo the logical conclusion is to create antibiotics and vaccines that KILL THOSE GERMS!  Right?

Well, not exactly.

Bechamp (among others) believed that the "germs" couldn't create disease on their own but that a healthy 'terrain' could prevent the invasion. 

I, personally do not want to be invaded.  At least not by germs.  I also don't enjoy the idea that I am helpless against the microorganisms that float around our lives just waiting gather enough forces to attack.  Really? 

What would happen if a country didn't work at defending it's borders but instead just tried to fight the enemy once they had begun occupation? 

I will tell you what...the country would lose more troops AND civilians fighting an adversary that had already started buying real estate and joining the PTA. 

Doesn't it make more sense to fortify your defenses before the enemy strikes?

Doesn't it?