I published this on Facebook yesterday with tons of response and some private messages from friends asking me to explain more of what I meant.

I introduced the poem by saying that I could, and possibly still may be, just like the Lisa’s male spiritual friend who inspired her to write this poem in the first place.

One of my friends asked how that was so.  How did I think I was just like this guy.  (You’ll have to read the intro to the poem below to understand the reference.)

My friend referenced what I posted here… “Many times in my life, possibly even now to some degree, I was the “male spiritual friend” of Lisa’s who inspired her to write the this poem.”

Then asked, “How so Keith?”

Here was my answer verbatim…

“Oh I am not sure I have ever been FULLY vested in relationship…perhaps just once. I constantly compared my partners to others instead of digging in to create the intimacy desired.  With that said … I have never been in the place I am right now. It just really hit me that this (described in the poem) is what I want. Sure I want to be on the recipient side of love but honestly…I want the experience of loving someone this fully.”

I get this and I want this.  I believe I am open.  I struggle with the balance of when to dive in and when, based on my hearts connection, pull back.  As the poem says…

“There is only one Goddess.
Look into Her eyes and see -
really see if she is the one to bring the axe to your head.
If not, walk away. Right now.
Don’t waste time “trying.”
Know that your decision has nothing to do with her
because ultimately it’s not with who,
but when we choose to surrender.”

I share all of this today as a way to continue the conversation with my Self.  I have nothing to hide.  I have massive work to do still on myself, I mess up, I make poor choices often…but I am getting better and growing a bit more aware and alive every day.

Here is the full story and poem by Lisa Citore.  You can learn more about Lisa and her work here:

http://www.magdalenewomen.com/love-a-woman

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When a fairly spiritual male friend of mine who had finally found and was deepening into committed relationship with his soul mate confided in me he was thinking of being single again, and in the next breath expressed his latest idea for raising consciousness worldwide, I wrote this poem.

If you want to change the world… love a woman-really love her.
Find the one who calls to your soul, who doesn’t make sense.
Throw away your check list and put your ear to her heart and listen.
Hear the names, the prayers, the songs of every living thing-
every winged one, every furry and scaled one,
every underground and underwater one, every green and flowering one,
every not yet born and dying one…
Hear their melancholy praises back to the One who gave them life.
If you haven’t heard your own name yet, you haven’t listened long enough.
If your eyes aren’t filled with tears, if you aren’t bowing at her feet,
you haven’t ever grieved having almost lost her.

If you want to change the world… love a woman-one woman
beyond yourself, beyond desire and reason,
beyond your male preferences for youth, beauty and variety
and all your superficial concepts of freedom.
We have given ourselves so many choices
we have forgotten that true liberation
comes from standing in the middle of the soul’s fire
and burning through our resistance to Love.
There is only one Goddess.
Look into Her eyes and see-really see
if she is the one to bring the axe to your head.
If not, walk away. Right now.
Don’t waste time “trying.”
Know that your decision has nothing to do with her
because ultimately it’s not with who,
but when we choose to surrender.

If you want to change the world… love a woman.
Love her for life-beyond your fear of death,
beyond your fear of being manipulated
by the Mother inside your head.
Don’t tell her you’re willing to die for her.
Say you’re willing to LIVE with her,
plant trees with her and watch them grow.
Be her hero by telling her how beautiful she is in her vulnerable majesty,
by helping her to remember every day that she IS Goddess
through your adoration and devotion.

If you want to change the world… love a woman
in all her faces, through all her seasons
and she will heal you of your schizophrenia-
your double-mindedness and half-heartedness
which keeps your Spirit and body separate-
which keeps you alone and always looking outside your Self
for something to make your life worth living.
There will always be another woman.
Soon the new shiny one will become the old dull one
and you’ll grow restless again, trading in women like cars,
trading in the Goddess for the latest object of your desire.
Man doesn’t need any more choices.
What man needs is Woman, the Way of the Feminine,
of Patience and Compassion, non-seeking, non-doing,
of breathing in one place and sinking deep intertwining roots
strong enough to hold the Earth together
while she shakes off the cement and steel from her skin.

If you want to change the world… love a woman, just one woman .
Love and protect her as if she is the last holy vessel.
Love her through her fear of abandonment
which she has been holding for all of humanity.
No, the wound is not hers to heal alone.
No, she is not weak in her codependence.

If you want to change the world… love a woman
all the way through
until she believes you,
until her instincts, her visions, her voice, her art, her passion,
her wildness have returned to her-
until she is a force of love more powerful
than all the political media demons who seek to devalue and destroy her.

If you want to change the world,
lay down your causes, your guns and protest signs.
Lay down your inner war, your righteous anger
and love a woman…
beyond all of your striving for greatness,
beyond your tenacious quest for enlightenment.
The holy grail stands before you
if you would only take her in your arms
and let go of searching for something beyond this intimacy.

What if peace is a dream which can only be re-membered
through the heart of Woman?
What if a man’s love for Woman, the Way of the Feminine
is the key to opening Her heart?

If you want to change the world…love a woman
to the depths of your shadow,
to the highest reaches of your Being,
back to the Garden where you first met her,
to the gateway of the rainbow realm
where you walk through together as Light as One,
to the point of no return,
to the ends and the beginning of a new Earth.

Lisa – thank you for sharing your heart with me.  Your intention has moved my world.  :)

Health is timeless.

Check out the 8 Principles of Health as outlined by ForeverGreen’s CEO, Ron Williams.

It just makes sense.

Click here to view the embedded video.

That fact doesn’t make it any less funny.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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.

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.

http://soundcloud.com/realsavvy/keithobrien

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

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.

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.

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.

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.