Bill Taylor's Comments on Kathryn Sandford's "15 Things Everyone Should Stop Doing For A Better Life"

I was reading Kathryn Sandford’s article, “15 Things Everyone Should Stop Doing For A Better Life”, when it struck me it was all in the negative.  I doubt if the author has thought about the impact negative thinking has on us. I once heard that Mother Teresa would not attend “Ban the Bomb” rallies because they were framed in the negative. It is much better to work off a list of 15 “DO’s” than 15 “DON’Ts”.  Individually there are many good topics here for consideration.  I like the first one: “Simplify”. Ever notice that most people's problems can be solved by the average 12 year old?    What prevents change are the emotions and many obstacles we create to make it complicated.  The legendary Green Bay Packers' coach, Vince Lombardi,  had a simple but great motto for life: “Keep your life simple and stick close to the virtues.” I have found that when you keep it simple it is easier to understand and to make decisions.   Bill Taylor

Bill Taylor's Comments on Kathryn Sandford

I was reading Kathryn Sandford’s article, “15 Things Everyone Should Stop Doing For A Better Life”, when it struck me it was all in the negative.   I doubt if the author has thought about the impact negative thinking has on us.   I once heard that Mother Teresa would not attend “Ban the Bomb” rallies because they were framed in the negative.   It is much better to work off a list of 15 “DO’s” than 15 “DON’Ts”.   Individually there are many good topics here for consideration.   I like the first one: “Simplify”.    Ever notice that most people's problems can be solved by the average 12 year old?    What prevents change are the emotions and many obstacles we create to make it complicated.  The legendary Green Bay Packers' coach, Vince Lombardi,   had a simple but great motto for life: “Keep your life simple and stick close to the virtues.” I have found that when you keep it simple it is easier to understand and to make decisions.   Bill Taylor

Having Your Cake & Eating it Too

        We’ve all heard the age old saying: “Have your cake and eat it too.”   The corollary or paraphrase is probably just as familiar: “You can’t have it both ways.” I have always held the Christian value, “It’s better to give than to receive.” And throughout my life I have found it to be a good feeling when I helped others.But when it came time to dig deep and give up some of my assets, like money, I was always hesitant and caught with the “either or”.   Either I hold back some of this money for a rainy day or I trust in the Lord to provide and “give till it hurts.” I guess I’m different from other Christians, I always choose to limit my giving so it doesn’t hurt. Then I carry the guilt that I’m really not where I should be in this giving thing.  That’s just the way it is.  Right?

         But what if you found a business that allowed you to do just that?   Give money to others and still be able to keep it for yourself.  That’s not possible, right?  But it is.   Our Compensation Plan since 1992 has had the option that you can send commissions down the ladder to people who joined after you did. When I buy products from the company to sell or use myself,  I receive commissions on the wholesale purchase.  On average it is about $12.00 on a hundred dollars purchased. I am asked by the system, at time of purchase, where I want my commissions placed.  I can place all of it under myself and receive the $ 12.00. Or..., I can place it under another person, who I personally sponsored and brought into this business.  If I do that, this other person gets the $12.00.   Wow, nice gift.   But the commissions don’t stop there.  They flow up to the people above this other person and they also get $12.00. Wow  Even better, I’m giving a gift to more than one person.  Since I am above this person, who I brought into the company, I also get $12.00. Is that cool, or what? I get to keep my gift of $12.00.   I gave it away and I got to keep it. And every person in this business has the option to send his/her commissions to others he/she brought into this business as a gift while getting the same gift back.  So...., if this other person I sent my commissions to does the same thing, he gives his commissions to some other person below him who he sponsored in this business.   Then he gets his commission back. Cool.  We all get to “have our cake and eat it too.”   But even better,   when my “other” person gets his commissions back, they don’t stop with him.   It is the gift that keeps on giving.   The gift continues on to those above him.  And one of those people is me.   I get to watch my new partner share with others he has sponsored and then get his gift back and then send it on to me.  

         But what if this other person I sponsored came in later and is like way down the organizational ladder?  That would mean there are many people between him and me.   If the gift ($12.00) goes up, then shouldn’t those people also receive the $12.00?  And how can that be?  If this doesn’t pique your interest, you don’t qualify for our organization.  If it does, WE NEED TO TALK.

Bill Taylor's Commentary on, "4 Actions Toward becoming An Agile Entrepreneur," by Taffy Williams

In reading "4 Actions Toward becoming An Agile Entrepreneur," by Taffy Williams, it struck me that it has some similarities to Jim Collins findings in “Great by Choice.”  What Williams calls an agile entrepreneur describes some of the critical leadership characteristics Jim Collins found in his studies, as described in his book, Great by Choice. More specifically, these are traits needed if an entrepreneur wants to survive and even thrive in these difficult and unstable times. Collins found these exceptional leaders had 3 traits that set them apart: 1.  Fanatical Discipline,  2.  Hyper Vigilance and 3.  Empirical Creativity.  Williams 4 actions are different aspects of these three traits.  Collins found these traits were interactive and created an ongoing fluid process to deal with situations. For example, Collins leaders would be guided in their studies and planning by what they found as a result of their experiments and their hyper vigilance.  Adjustments were guided by these same factors but their discipline would cause them to be methodical and deliberate in the steps then taken.  Williams ideas are a good start in creating the mind-set needed to be a successful entrepreneur.  

Bill Taylor's Commentary on " 5 Unusual Ways to Start Working Smarter, Not Harder," by Belle Beth Cooper

In talking to my friends about the ideas of this article - 5 Unusual Ways to Start Working Smarter, Not Harder by Belle Beth Cooper (i.e. take naps, take more breaks, change locations during the day, etc), I was most surprised by their surprise.   Apparently, many people have not learned there is a point of “diminishing returns”.  An underlying fear is: “If I stop, I’ll never start again.”  The ideas of this article are very old.  It is the “Yin & Yang”.  Gestalt Psychologists call it “Figure/Ground”.   If you look at an object, the background becomes fuzzy, and if you look at the background to a figure, the figure becomes fuzzy. Shifting from one to the other allows you to est see both.  Staying with just one causes fatigue and dullness.  I heard a professor once say: “Changing the subject is as good as a nap.”  The old saying, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, applies equally to a workday as it does to a lifestyle.

Bill Taylor's Comments on "3 Secrets Behind the '80/20 Rule' of Giving -- and Getting More In Return."

"3 Secrets Behind the '80/20 Rule' of Giving -- and Getting More In Return" is a fascinating article!  
If you you think about it, it’s pretty logical.  When do we horde?  When do we least feel like sharing our toys with others?   It is when we don’t feel very good about our situation or ourselves.   Entrepreneurs  build-up their  self image by “doing”, by “undertaking” things.  People who live mundane/unchallenged lives are  often afraid if they give up something they will not be able to replace it.  That creates more bad feelings.     
       
The thing I love about my business is that your success is directly tied to the success of others.  Giving is rewarded.  

Economic Opps' William Taylor comments on, "Designs On Being An Entrepreneur? 5 Things You Need To Know."

        As I read Jim Dyson’s "Designs on Being an Entrepreneur?  5 Things You Need to Know." ( He is the vacuum cleaner inventor), it struck me that he was looking back on what he did to become a successful entrepreneur. I like the definition of entrepreneur he sites: it is “a doer” or “one who undertakes things”. What have you accomplished in your life?  What have you taken a risk on and decided to undertake, whatever “it” is. 

        What I love about my business is that the risk is pretty well limited to your time and effort, not your life savings.   The company is the innovator and your job is to find out what works for you and never give up until you do.


That is what separates entrepreneurs from the rest of the people looking to be paid to sit in a chair, where they dream about wealth and success falling in their lap like a winning lottery ticket.

Economic Opps' William Taylor's thoughts on the Scottsdale, AZ Market America seminar.

Saturday, June 21st we attended a local seminar in Scottsdale.
Mkt America sponsors these all over the country which allows you
to turn part of your vacation into a tax deductible business
trip.  We met about a hundred local distributors in the Phoenix
area.  Four of the distributors were making residual incomes of
more than $18,000 a month working 15 hour weeks.  One man said
every week they get a check for $10,000 or more.   The story
they tell is simple and consistent:   1.   Find customers and
sell product, 2.  Find people looking for a business and  3.
Get your people to these events where they can meet successful
people and learn how to do the business.   “If you are spending
more than 15 hours a week you are probably wasting time on the
wrong tasks.”   Unlike most other businesses, your success
depends on the people you find becoming successful.   We are
already planning now to visit Phoenix again in September around
the time of the next event.  If you like being your own boss,
you really should look at this.    Bill & Sue Taylor

Don't Wait For Motivation

Wanting to do something more with your life? I recently read an article entitled Don’t Wait for Motivation. Do This Instead. I was intrigued because I, like many other, have those days when I’m not motivated and wanted to see what others were doing to get ahead. Consider this, the most successful people in their field, whether it be sports, business, writing, etc don’t wait until they’re motivated to do something before they do something. They schedule it and they plan it. Today, most people’s day gets away from them leaving them with nothing to show for the things they truly wanted to do. Before they know it 5, 10 or more years go by and they wonder how they’ll ever get want they want now.

Below are some examples I took from the article that really made me look at how I’m scheduling myself. First, “Franz Kafka is considered one of the most creative and influential writers of the 20th century, but he actually spent most of his time working as a lawyer for the Workers Accident Insurance Institute. How did Kafka produce such fantastic creative works while holding down his day job?

By sticking to a strict schedule.”

“He would go to his job from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM, eat lunch and then take a long nap until 7:30 PM, exercise and eat dinner with his family in the evening, and then begin writing at 11 PM for a few hours each night before going to bed and doing it all over again.” I've found this to be very helpful. I have my set work schedule that doesn't change. From there, I determined what needed to get done during my day to accomplish my long-term goals and then I scheduled the time.   I've found I get tons more accomplished and really feel I’m making a difference.

Secondly, for those of you familiar with weight lifting or just working out in general, might be able to relate to this. It’s difficult to say exactly when you’ll be at the gym and set a PR (Personal Record), but if you aren’t consistently scheduling yourself and showing up to do the work, that PR most certainly won’t happen. I’ve also found this to be true in my life. When I’m consistent with a planned schedule of working out, I make bigger gains when I least expect them.

Many things don’t “happen” for people because they’re spending too much time wondering when or where they’re going to do it. You could say the same for building a habit, writing an article or a book, working out, starting a new job, or even starting or building your own business. And building a business can even give you more time freedom if you work it correctly.

If you don’t have the time to do the things you want, write out your daily schedule. Put it to paper so you can see exactly what demands your time. I’m certain you’ll find some time to do those things you “don’t have time for,” I certainly did! Now, schedule yourself, make a system and stick to it, and don’t wait until you get motivated. Do this, and your life will change for the better.

- written by Dr. Matt Link

A Pleasant Saturday Surprise.

Something neat happened last Saturday. 

Magee is a customer who found Shop.com on her own and ordered some Market America products on February 15, 2014. Market America then randomly assigned her to me. I received $25 retail profit on her $ 119.00 in purchases. In addition, I received another $9.35 in commissions. This $9.35 is also received by partners and not for profit organizations under me.

 I can actually share my good fortune with others while not giving up a dime. I really do get to "keep my cake and eat it too!"