There are a massive flurry of videos popping up in this “Shit People Say” video series.  Network Marketers are awesome.  We truly believe everything we say.

That fact doesn’t make it any less funny.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I came into the industry back in the early 90′s and everything was incredibly externally focused.  We did business in person…always.

We were taught to look the part, dress as well as we could afford (or go in debt for), never have change in our pockets (change is for poor people) and if we didn’t have a nice car we were told to park around the corner and walk to the meeting.

It was plastic.  It was fake.  It was inauthentic.

And I hated every minute of that part of the business.

When I finally got my feet under me in the industry and started making money, I vowed right then to not ever act that way again and never to teach anyone to build a business that way.

Once I grew up and started becoming clear about the kind of man I wanted to be in the world, I desired a business culture that reflected those values.

I want to help people, our industry and the world evolve, so I don’t use marketing tactics or business tactics that keep people small…even if they are effective.I am an idealist, therefore I believe wholeheartedly in many “best possible outcomes.”

For example, I want real relationships with my leaders, not this removed “untouchable” appearance.  I understand the psychology behind that strategy…but it’s not what I want.

It’s just my choice.  Turning 40 this year, I am clear that I am committed to REAL & AUTHENTIC…in everything I am a part of.

Besides, “fake it till you make it” was never intended to be about faking other people…it was always about reprogramming your subconscious.  Faking your own mind out into believing your were already successful so you can manifest what you want.

Now, as we move into 2012 and look back over the last few years, we have witnessed a whole new fake it till you make it that has emerged.

The last few years as personal branding, attraction marketing and the internet have found their way into the mainstream of network marketing…this concept has taken “fake it till you make it” to an entirely new level.

And I don’t like it.

Not one bit.

Apparently, as soon as you sign a distributor application and read a few courses, you are An Expert or a Coach…whether you have ever made a decent check or not.

Parking your car around the corner has been replaced by weaving an elaborate, inflated story about yourself online about how you struggled and struggled to make money in MLM until you found this magical system that now allows you to generated endless leads.

Reality Check

If you aren’t making a solid part time income from your network marketing company, you are NOT an Expert.

If you aren’t generating consistent traffic, leads and sales online, you are NOT an Expert.

What are you then?

• You are inauthentic.
• You are someone who has lost their way.
• You are someone who has failed to realize one of the most powerful relationships in network marketing.

The relationship of Prospect – New Guy – Upline Expert.

I have always taught people to hang on to that “New Guy/Girl” title as long as possible.

We think we need to know everything…we DON’T.

We think we need to be everything…we DON’T.

Branding yourself as something you are not is killing your business.

STOP IT!

Most people chasing these internet courses and systems have made this business so complicated.  They have educated themselves right out of a check.  They have created so much sophistication in their approach to marketing that no one can duplicate it.

Be real.  Master the BASICS.  Be the “new guy” for as long as you can milk it.

USE YOUR EXPERTS until you are one.

That is what this industry is built on.

You are hurting yourself.  You are hurting the industry.  Most importantly, you are hurting the new people getting started in your business.

Learn how to block and tackle before you start running flee flickers and double reverses.

And trust me…you’ll never need to call yourself an expert.  If you build it right, your team will do it for you.

P.S. Heads up next week for a new course I just completed called “Get Real & Get Paid.”  We will dig into this subject in much greater depth and teach all the core basics of building a successful and authentic business in this industry.

Please Join Me In My STAND To Feed 100,000 People…

By December 31st, 2012

What Is My Stand For Humanity?

Join A Growing Community Of Leaders From All Over The World Who Are Taking A Stand To End Hunger… Starting Right In Our Own Backyards.

• Nearly 20% of all children in America live in food insecure households
• 22% of all children in America live below the poverty line
• Poor nutrition effects school performance, brain development and overall health
• Wherever you live, there are children within 25 miles of your city who have not eaten today

We are providing Children and Homeless Families organic, raw food nutrition…not processed, chemical laden crap in a box.  We are educating children on proper nutrition and the benefits of raw foods and plant based eating.

WE ARE ASKING YOU TO TAKE A STAND WITH US TO FEED 100,000 PEOPLE THIS YEAR.

Go Now To: http://mystandforhumanity.com to hear the entire story and to Take Your Stand.

Please Go Now…There Is A Lot To Be Done And We Need Your Help Today.

Hear all the dirt right here.  Full audio interview.

http://soundcloud.com/realsavvy/keithobrien

Thank you Kimber & Jodi…two amazing women entrepreneurs and industry champions!

I just heard the news…and it sucks.

Jobs is dead. Cancer. Again…it sucks.

Apple has become one of my favorite brands in the world.  I love everything about the products, the stores, the culture and the vision that goes into building something like that.

He drew a salary of just $1 a year as CEO of Apple.  He took his pay in stock.  Gotta love a leader who says…”I win only if we win.”

The world is definitely better because Steve Jobs lived.  More importantly, we are better because Steve Jobs chose to live FULLY.  There are any number of people who have similar talent, ability and opportunity as he did…I truly believe that.  But Mr. Jobs chose to play a Big Game.

He rocked his life…

And his life touched millions.

And in one of my favorite speeches over the last decade or so…this is what he had to say to a graduating class of Standford.

His speech, aptly entitled, “How To Live Before You Die.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Perspective impacts everything.

Change your Perspective, Change your Life.

From the home of one of my good friends, another Million Dollar Industry Leader, you will get a perspective worth working for!

What paid for her view?

Network Marketing…and her drive to build a life she loves.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When you are done, take a minute and watch one of my favorite all time videos on the Power of Perspective by National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones.  This is just a clip…but you’ll get the point…big time.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dewitt’s Strategy?  Like most things, it’s really pretty simple.

1. Focus The Vision

2. Training Your Technique

3. Put Yourself In The Place Of Most Potential

4. Stay Open To Possibilities

This is the exact process I have used over the last 7 months in building my new team.  To learn about The Vision, Training, Potential and Possibilities that exist in our team for you…let’s talk now.

Lot’s of people have issues with MLM.

Some call the industry a scam.

You hear things like, “I got ripped off,” and “I lost money with _____ company.”

These statements have always been funny to me.

Most companies charge next to nothing to become a distributor. People’s money is spent on products…most of which are consumable. If you are getting something of value, how can you be ripped off?

If you don’t think the products are worth the money…you shouldn’t become a distributor.

I definitely see a shift in the industry…and it’s a bit of a throwback…and it’s a good one.

The shift is where flash is giving way to substance and people, more so than ever before, are being drawn to companies that focus on superior products and services.  People are searching for companies that they can really build into that is sustainable so they don’t have to be on the opportunity merry-go-round…rebuilding every few years.

Think about it.

If you want to produce 100,000 points a month in volume in your team (which would mean anywhere from $5k/mo to $8k/mo in commissions, which do you think is easier?

1. Build a team of 2,000 people at $50/mo autoship?
2. Build a team of 1,000 people at $100/mo autoship
3. Or a team of 100 people who build to $1,000/mo in autoship + retail customers.

I’ll take #3 any day of the week for 3 main reasons.

First, anyone can be taught to share quality products.  The product experience IS the marketing.  It’s simple.

Second, building a team of 100 is much easier.  It’s easier to build and it’s easier to manage.

Third, the stability of creating a retail customer base is phenomenal.  When distributors leave the business, they often drop autoship.

Happy customers don’t leave.  They stick.

I was moved to start this discussion based on the article that came out a few days ago stating that the Grand Daddy of all MLM’s, Amway, hit a billion in sales…in the month of June.

Yes, the MONTH OF JUNE.

I know people who have been buying Amway product for 25 years.  Do you think that is a stable residual for the upline?  Ah…yeah.

Here is the full article:

http://www.businessforhome.org/2011/07/amway-1billion-in-sales-in-june-2011/

Personally, I wouldn’t join Amway to build a business today for any amount of money.  It’s just not for me (well, strike that, there is probably a number that would motivate me)…but their success speaks to this “shift” that I see happening.

People are tired of hype.  They are tired of flash.  They are tired of doing business without meaning.

People want quality, authenticity and substance…and they deserve it.

In my little opinion…this shift is going to last for quite some time.

Stability is the new Sexy.

Today I did a bunch of yard work.  It was long overdue.  Combining my recent travel schedule, my regular business schedule and just flat out not wanting to do it…I have let the landscaping slide.

Honestly, I love doing it.  It’s meditative for me.  A few years ago I took my front and back yard completely down to new dirt and started over.

In my back yard, just behind the pool, I have a small area with a night blooming Jasmin tree that was in dire need of a trim.  It was insanely overgrown.  It smells amazing…but it was looking pretty bad.

So, today I dug in.

I mowed.  I trimmed.  I weeded.

And then I started on the Jasmin tree.  It was a real mess.

Whack. Whack. Whack…it started looking good.

As I tour into the side nearest my house I noticed something.

The tree was so overgrown, so forgotten about that I had totally forgot what was in the bed below.

A beautiful Amaryllis that had just bloomed.

Honestly, had I not actually trimmed back the Jasmin tree today I would have completely missed this beautiful display of Mother Nature in full view.

I would have missed it.

I realize we do this all the time.

How many beautiful qualities do you have, or what potential greatness are you missing simply because you haven’t focused on clearing away some of the debris to let the light shine?

It’s really hard to see the sun behind the clouds…and yet the sun is still there…longing to get out.

I think there are beautiful Amaryllis flowers within everyone.  Everyone has layers of beauty within…and unfortunately, some never, ever let their light shine.

For those of us in network marketing, think about how this applies to your team.  How many people have the potential to be great if you would just take a little time to help them clear back the debris?

How many rock stars are wasting time in your team, their talent hidden by the years of overgrown weeds of neglect, poor self-image, past pain and broken dreams?

What could a little attention, a little focus and a little effort create?

What flower could bloom in YOU if you invested just a little more time to make things beautiful in and around your world?

It’s time to let all that is beautiful in you out.

It’s time for you to connect with all that is beautiful in others.

What starts to grow may just surprise you.

There is something just undeniably special about Mothers.

It’s part love, part unconditionality, part intuition, part forgiveness and part…well, I’ll just call it “Mama’s Wisdom.”

The base of Enchantment Rock. The first place we scattered Mom's ashes.

I can’t say that I always felt this way growing up.  In fact, I often felt the opposite.  For many of the years of my youth I resented my mom.  I was often embarrassed by her and dad (I was not nearly as cool as I thought I was).  I challenged either how hard she was on me and ironically, I resented how easy she was on me.

But no matter what the feeling was or the emotion that was present in the moment, I knew without question that I could always, always go to my Mom.

It was like coming home.

It was the one place in the chaos of the world as a toddler, a teenager and honestly, even more so as an adult that I knew was safe.  Regardless of the outside world, my Mom just always made me feel better.

My Mom died 6 1/2 years ago just a day before my 33rd birthday and there is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t think of her.

When my son Brennan was born, I picked up the phone to call her repeatedly.  She had died just 3 1/2 months earlier.  Mom, you would really love Brennan, he is an incredibly special young man.  You granddaughters are also amazing.  You would love them all dearly and you would spoil daily…and we would love you for it.

When cool stuff happens in my life or when I feel unusually challenged, I still have the thought to call her.  So instead, I just talk to her.

Even in death, just thinking of her presence brings me great comfort.

I was lucky.  I got to experience an amazing Mom for 33 years.  I know this isn’t the case for everyone.

All I can say is this.

If your Mom is still around…appreciate her.
If the relationship is broken, heal it.
If you don’t spend as much time together as you’d like, change it.
If you are often short with her, be more patient.
If she frustrates you, breathe and smile.
If Mother’s Day is the only day you do something special for her, shift your priorities.

Just figure it out.

Now, I understand that not all Moms really even want to be Moms.  But I do believe there is something so unique within a Mother/Child relationship that deep within every single Mom in the world is a inarguable connection to her children.  Sometimes they just need some help to feel it again.

So if that is your situation…be the bigger person.

Be authentic.  Be real.  Be understanding.  Be VULNERABLE.

But make the effort.

Do it for you.  Do it for your Mom.

Do it for Moms and Children everywhere.

It doesn’t last forever.

You only have one Mommy.

And I miss mine every day.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing Mothers in the world.
I love you all for what you bring to this world.

While many Americans are out of work…millions and millions have found peace and security in part-time jobs.  However…it may not be what you think.

So what’s the part time job of choice for the average American?

Is it retail?  No.

Is it fast food?  No.

Is it telemarketing?  No.

Is it the home business industry?  Unfortunately, no!

So, what is this industry that is getting so much attention from people?  In the midst of some of the most challenging economic times of the last few generations…where are people placing their focus?

TV.

You mean, like trying to become actors, producers or work behind the scenes?

No…I mean like WATCHING it.

The average American now spends 5.1 hours per day in front of the tube.

5.1 hours!!!

To put that in perspective, that is nearly 1 full week a month.

Or, if you take the average lifespan of 78…that means the average peep will spend almost 17 years of their life watching TV.

Let that sink in a bit.

17 years.

And people complain that they don’t have enough time, money & freedom.  I find this statistic horribly bothersome for so many reasons.

Now, before I start in let me say that I enjoy TV here and there, although it’s on my “Do Less Of” list for 2011.  I find some shows entertaining, however I am clear what TV is for me…a pure, mindless escape (I am working on that one).  Herein lies the problem.

So what is this new part time job really doing to us?  It has more impact than we think.

1. Entertainment Has To Be Mindless – this is a horrific trend in America.  Entertainment used to stimulate the senses, make people really think and in the best of cases, educate.  How many times have you heard someone say, “I don’t want to think!  I just want to sit and veg out in front of the TV!”?

Since when did “thinking” become a life occupational hazard?  Of course TV has made what used to happen in theaters more convenient…but have we incubated ourselves from the real, human social interaction that we all crave?

2. Lack Programming – let me say that there are definitely some channels and TV programs that have intellectual benefit, however, the vast majority don’t.  It’s easy to say that it’s just entertainment, however, our thinking and choices are run by our subconscious programming and we simply can’t ignore the power of TV to influence our subconscious.

Most shows depict people in some level of victim mentality, poverty consciousness, powerless to change, playing small, violence, negative portrayal of women…it goes on and on.

Much of these messages are not obvious…they are subtle.  They slip in the back door and are often so quiet…you don’t even know they are there.

You just can’t constantly feed your mind messages of lack and limitation and expect to live free and fulfilled.

3. Playing Small - Alright, now this is certainly not the case ALL the time…but for many, TV becomes a way to not do nothing.  A lot like the “mindless entertainment” point above…TV distracts.  For many people, this is the point of TV.  It’s certainly easier to watch someone else live out their dreams then it is to manifest your own.

What about you?  What do you use TV for?

Has it become a crutch, an escape, a distraction from what’s important in your world?

And if so, how much time are you giving your addiction?

17 years of TV.

To put that in another context, there are many Countries in Africa where the average lifespan is only 38, 39 or 40 years.

The AVERAGE American will watch TV half that much in their lifetime.

Does that seem right to you?

I think we need a new part-time job.