I had been expecting a meeting with 2 or 3 people at a restaurant over tea or coffee. Being open minded, willing to listen and genuinely interested in what people do to earn a buck, I didn’t hesitate at the invitation.

However, a few minutes after showing up in the lobby of the hotel, I was signing in and being ushered into a conference room with about 200 people. Even, now, I still think it was a sleazy way to get someone to listen to an opportunity presentation for a network marketing company.

I did end up signing into the opportunity after several weeks of studying their business model. And I still believe it’s the most stable and profitable compensation plan in the industry.

Would I have sat down and listened to the presentation had I not been duped into attending the meeting in the way I was? I don’t know.

It does amaze me that people still use these back door tactics to get people to listen to their pitch. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve done it. (I don’t any more.) It’s not what we’re taught by the company. But many people still do it.

Unfortunately, its these type of tactics which give the industry a bad name. People who are legitimately looking for a network marketing opportunity will find us. It’s a waste of time to try to convince those who will never have any interest in our opportunity to sit down and look at it. Even if they look at it and get in will probably drop out. You then enter the never ending game of signing up and replacing people . It’s a waste of time.

A much better way of finding those who will be interested in listening to you is to listen to them. The more time you spend listening, the less time you’ll spend pitching. And the less time you spend pitching, the less time you’ll spend on damage control.

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Weekly Chart for AUD (Australian Dollar) vs. USD (U.S. Dollar)

I realize that I haven’t posted any updates on what I’ve been doing with Forex, lately. That’s because I haven’t been doing much.

The only position I have is a LONGGGGGG term position in the Australian Dollar. Why? My fundamental belief is that commodities (Gold, Silver, etc.) will continue to strengthen whereas the U.S. Dollar will not only continue to weaken but will, at some point, cease to be the “go to” currency.

Australia’s economy not only remains strong but will only get stronger. Australia’s economy is driven by commodities. Their overnight lending rate is 4.5% (versus the U.S. overnight rate of 0%) which means that, by holding a position in the Aussie, my account is credited interest every single day.

This strategy is an easy one to monitor. I only check the weekly chart on Sundays. If I see a breakout from resistence, I add another position. Otherwise, I hold.

Simple and boring. The best way to invest.

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Such is my experience in resuming my running life.

Today, Saturday, July 24th, I finished my 12th week of running after a 4 year lay-off. I’m up to a whopping 20 miles. My long run is 6 miles. To a guy who used to routinely run 6-10 miles in the middle of the week and single 20 milers on the weekend, my progress hasn’t seemed fast enough.

It may be just the sign of a faulty memory, but I recall being able to ramp up much quicker. Forget that I was younger, then. That shouldn’t matter. Should it?

In fact it does. And that has been the greatest lesson of getting older – learning humility. With these lessons in humility has come a few revelations in actions that ensure that I will, ironically, be able to off-set the physical limitations of an aging body.

The first is that I’ve learned the importance of planning. I used to put training plans together with a lot of “wiggle room” to deviate from them at will. Therefore, I would often times find myself doing a longer training run than planned and/or running at a faster pace than planned. This would usually result in poor training which would then lead to lower than expected race performance.

The second lesson is the importance of building the solid base – which takes time. A solid base of mileage will take 6 months – at least. Maybe more for us older folk. My current plan has me “basing” through to the middle of December. That, of course, assumes that I take it easy and follow the plan.

There is a part of me that wants to expedite the process. I am an American, after all, and it’s the American way to want things quicker than we can have them. So, as part of my plan, I’m adopting a South American attitude towards my marathon training – which is fitting since the temperatures are going to be tropical for the foreseeable future.

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Another interesting aspect to this is that Geithner is white. Snipes is black. Where is Jesse Jackson? Or Al Sharpton?

I’m just saying…

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Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time “when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies” according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813. [1]“

Impressed?

I would think we we’d be more productive in the summer. After all, there is more daylight. We don’t have to waste time “layering” and warming up the car. Higher temperatures mean that our muscles are loose right when we get up. You’d think that we would “feel” like doing more productive work.

However, other than my morning run, I feel like vegetating the rest of the day. Vegetables grow during the summer. Maybe, during the summer we have a tendency to want to get in touch with our inner vegetable?

On the other hand, we all like to play during the summer- sometimes at the expense of more “important” work. Our energy and resources, then, are diverted to our fun rather than our responsibilities during the summer. Could it be that we are less sensitive to the consequences of our actions during the summer months? I would think that getting fired, for instance, would be much more palatable when the temperature is above 70 degrees outside than if it were 20 degrees .

That’s enough thinking for one day. Time to go lay on the porch.

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Several years ago, I read a book called the ” Introvert Advantage” by Dr. Marty Laney.

In this book, Dr. Laney makes several points that have stuck with me.

The first point is that there are physiological differences between introverts and extroverts. In each of our brains, one of two neurotransmitters dominate – Acetylcholine or Dopamine. Acetylcholine dominates in the introvert whereas dopamine dominates in the extrovert.

AC takes a longer path to the cerebral cortex which is why introverts are the way they are – they are seemingly slow to react to stimuli. Ask an introvert a question and you are often times met with a blank stare for a minute or two before you get an answer. Introverts are the type B,C or D personalities. They move at their own slow pace.

On the other hand, extroverts – in which dopamine dominates – will give you a quick answer to the same question. It may not be the correct answer but they need to react, immediately. Extroverts are the thrill seekers. They are the type AAA, AA and A personalities. There are no low gears in the extrovert.

The other point that Dr. Laney makes in her book is that introverts and extroverts gain their energy from different sources. Introverts derive their energy from the inside. They are most comfortable with their thoughts. Put an introvert in a room by him or herself with a good book and they’re happy.

Extroverts, on the other hand, derive their energy from outside themselves. Extroverts thrive on being with as many people as possible as often as possible.

This understanding of introverts and extroverts is very important to you in building your network marketing business. It’s important because to be the most successful you can be, you need to help the people in your organization be the most successful they can be.

Having an understanding of what would motivate a person to join a network marketing opportunity will help you work with them in the most efficient and effective manner.

The motivation for an introvert to want to develop a network marketing organization is to someday have an income that would allow them to minimize the time they have to spend with the “outside world” or, put a more positive way, to maximize the time they have to spend with their friends, family and themselves.

The motivation for an extrovert to want to develop a network marketing organization is to have a large group of people in which to interact with anytime they like. Extroverts also enjoy taking action and taking charge. They love to be at the front of the room, doing the business presentations.

You would think you would want to build a downline with no one but extroverts. This isn’t the case. You need a mix of the two for steady, solid growth.

Extroverts are energized by the building process and their energy can be addictive for awhile. However, they are in constant search for new stimulus. So if, after a few months, they don’t see big results, they may be likely to jump to another business.

Introverts may not make as many phone calls, go on as many appointments or attend as many meetings or seminars in the same amount of time as the extrovert – but they’ll be more patient and look for results over the long term. Introverts will have a deeper understanding of the company, their products and the compensation plan. The introvert will not be as likely to jump ship as the extrovert.

I count myself as an introvert – which is why I read “The Introvert Advantage” in the first place – and I appreciate the other introverts in my business. They make it solid and stable. I also appreciate the extroverts in my organization. They keep it fun and exciting.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the product brokerage business that my team of introverts and extroverts are building, please don’t hesitate to email me at kevin@kjmastaw.com . We’ll be sure to contact you as soon as possible.

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The simple answer to this question is that most people do not want to change their lives. Most people are suspicious of anything or anyone who offers positive change because, subconsciously, they believe that any kind of change is bad.

Building a solid network marketing downline requires finding people who a) are looking for ways to improve their financial situation and b) will take action to do so. Unfortunately, this does not describe the majority of people.

Most people SHOULD always be looking for ways to improve their financial situation. By the same token, most people SHOULD always be trying to live a healthier life, expanding their minds, socializing with positive people, etc. What people should do and what they will do are two different things.

Now, of those people who are looking for ways to improve their financial situation, a small percentage of them will actually take action on an opportunity when they find it. The rest are paralyzed by fear – the fear of loss, the fear of making a mistake, the fear of looking silly, even the fear of possible success! Mankind has always been infested with fear of some form or another. At the root of most of these fears is the fear of change. Let’s face it. Most of us are comfortable with the status quo. We like knowing the sun will come up in the morning and will set in the evening.

So, if you are one of those who have entered the world of network marketing, don’t be surprised when everyone you know isn’t jumping into business with you. They’re afraid. Your job, then, is to find those who aren’t. People like you!

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If you work for a major corporation, you are in a PYRAMID.

If you work for a small company, you are in a PYRAMID.

If you work for the government, you are in a PYRAMID.

If you are in the military, you are in a PYRAMID.

If you are a member of a church, you are in a PYRAMID.

Even your family structure is a PYRAMID!

The bottom line is, if you are employed by, or are a member of, any organization, that organization is organized in the form of – yes, you guessed it – a PYRAMID!

So, why is that one of the main objections to multi-level marketing or network marketing organizations is that they are “pyramids”? Of course they are!

For ANY business to be legal it must meet two criteria. First, it must offer a product or service that can be purchased by customers OUTSIDE the business organization. Second, its organizational structure must be shaped as a – AHHHH – PYRAMID!

Now there are some companies out there which operate outside of the law, not because they are shaped as a pyramid, but because the bulk of their sales are between members of the organization and not to outside customers. So they run afoul of the first criteria in defining a legitimate business.

Another sure sign that a company is illegitimate is when current members of the organization are paid a direct commission (head-hunter bonus) from the “application” fees of new participants. (The best example of this is the Social Security system, by the way. Current recipients are paid with the contributions of new participants.)

There are many valid reasons NOT to take advantage of an opportunity to make a little extra money. However, a company’s organization structure is just not one of them.

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Like when you say, “it’s all downhill from here!” is that good?

Going downhill when I’m running always feels good.

And when you’re skiing, going downhill is good. Of course, when you’re riding the ski-lift up, you’re not going downhill. But that’s at least ok. It’s not bad. And you’ll be going downhill, again soon – which is good.

You would think that going downhill would always be good. It implies the scaling back of effort or being able to coast.

Why, then, is it bad when someone applies that word “downhill” to a marriage or a career?

For example, it doesn’t sound good to hear this advice: “after your first 2 years of marriage, it’s all downhill from then on.”

Or, “after your first year with the company, it’s all downhill.”

What about when you’re “over-the-hill?” If you’re over the hill, you would be going downhill. Right? Shouldn’t that be a good thing?

If you google “going downhill” all the synonyms are bad: “worsen”, “slump”, “decline”, for example.

Our language is very confusing to me sometimes.

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“Live Life to the Fullest” We’ve all heard that phrase. It sounds good. It sounds like something we should all be doing – “living life to the fullest.”

We hear it a lot at funerals. “He lived life to the fullest.”

Ok…Now would someone please explain to me what this means?

“Living life to the fullest” sounds awfully busy to me. It sounds like you have to be playing volleyball or jumping out of an airplane or bowling or doing something – all the time.

Can you take a break, once in awhile – just sit out on the porch and watch the squirrels – and still be living life to the fullest?

If you take a nap every day, are you living life to the fullest?

If you spend a half-hour watching “Wheel of Fortune” every evening are you not living life to the fullest?

Maybe we need to trash this phrase.

If not, then at my funeral I want the eulogist to be accurate. They should say, “Kevin lived his life to the nine-sixteenth full.” I like my naps and watching the squirrels.

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