Equipping Leaders for Life

What’s the difference in these two pictures?

If you study these two pictures, you will find many things that are different. For example, the books, reading glasses, chair in the background, taller grass along the edge of the pond, and likely many other things.

For our followers, you likely know that this is a view off of our back porch which tends to be my summer office/reading area. The books in the picture represent my most recent reading.   This morning, in preparation for the front coming through our area on Labor Day weekend from the hurricane, I found myself focused on the difference between a “sunny” and “cloudy” day.

A bit more context, I received a Facebook message from an old colleague of mine this morning. This past year, the company I previously spent the majority of my corporate career (I left 4 years ago) was acquired by a major competitor. Unfortunately, as it typically goes in an acquisition, there are efforts to centralize and downsize the combined entity. This has resulted in many people making a decision not to relocate therefore severing their relationship with the new company. So, in some aspects, I guess you could say that it’s a “cloudy” day for a lot of these folks. (more…)

Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to see Oliver DeMille (http://oliverdemille.com/), speak a couple of times and have read his books, Freedom Shift and 1913. In November 2011, he began his speech by telling a story of a successful businessman going to a major university and giving a speech on “Becoming a leader of the 21^st Century”. This link is DeMille telling the story which I would encourage you to listen. What you will hear is that 6 people in a stadium full of 15,000 – 20,000 raised their hands when asked the question, “How many of you are going to change the world?” The speaker then invited these people to come down front and proceeded to conduct a seminar on “Becoming a leader of the 21^st Century” while the rest of the stadium including the President of the university were invited to leave. DeMille made his point quite well by sharing the story and asking a stadium full of people to whom he was speaking the question: “how many of you are going to change the world?”

So, what does it look like to “change the world”? DeMille is one of those people that when he speaks, everyone intensely listens. In a word, DeMille’s purpose in this world is “freedom”. In his book, Freedom Shift, DeMille states:

“Americans enjoy a legacy of freedom and prosperity that is perhaps without equal in the history of the world. The pride we have traditionally felt over the idealism, vision, heroism, and sacrifice of our Pilgrims, Founders, and those that followed them is a part of our national heritage.

And yet it seems that it is no longer alarmist to assert that we are in grave danger of losing the freedom and prosperity that were won at so terrible a cost. Strangely, though, our culture of idealism, heroism and sacrifice is not lost.

Our people still show a great capacity for moral courage, tenacity and altruism. There are still those among us who are willing to take risks, endure hardships and make difficult choices. We still take our hats off when the flag goes by. We honor the sacrifices of our military brothers and sisters; we show compassion to the less fortunate. Why, then, are we sliding virtually unchecked down the slippery slope of cultural and societal decay?

Why are we losing our freedoms?”

In his November 2011 speech and his book, Freedom Shift, DeMille talks about the fact that every hundred years, give or take a few, there is a major world shift for or against freedom. The last major shift in American was during the period of 1913 to 1936. DeMille outlines four specific events which transpired (3 – 1913 and 1 – 1936) which shifted America in the direction of “force” or less freedom. I’ll let you read his books and listen to his speech to better understand what these four events were and how they have changed our world. DeMille states, that what he is sharing, you’ll likely not hear on the news, learn in schools, or other public media.

DeMille believes, which many tend to agree, that we are in the midst of another “world freedom shift” which will happen within the next 10 – 12 years. This shift will either take us dramatically further away from the freedoms our country was originally founded or be a “turning point” restoring many of the freedoms we’ve lost to date.

So, the question comes, what will it take to insure this world shift is “for freedom”? DeMille says, it will not be easy, however, it’s not as difficult as many would have it to be. He emphasizes that the events of 1913 were originated by a very small percentage of the population, 3% – 5% or even less. It’s his belief, that if this same 3% – 5% of inspired leaders band together and do three things, then we’ll make a dramatic difference and “change the world”.

What are these three things? You really need to read DeMille’s books or listen to his CD, however, here they are:

1. A Revolution of Entrepreneurship – Entrepreneurs tend to be free thinkers or Rascals, whom aren’t easily influenced to “follow the herd”.
2. The Rise of Vivacious Readers and Independent Thinkers – DeMille stresses the importance of reading; you’ve likely heard it said “leaders are readers”. He states that very few have ever truly read the founding documents of our country and they aren’t taught in our schools anymore. Adding to this, he states that as readers we must develop our ability to be “independent thinkers versus institutionalized thinkers”.
3. Building and Leading the New Tribes – Referring to Seth Golden’s book Tribes, DeMille speaks of the importance of this small percentage of leaders banding together and building tribes within their local communities.

Again, I encourage you to get DeMille’s books to better understand the history and his position on freedom. Many have chosen to band together with the LIFE community and support the principles DeMille outlines.

Going back to his speech in November 2011, DeMille challenges the crowd to stop and think about their grandchildren. He says that many of you will have the opportunity to sit with your grandchildren 25 years from now and share the story of how you lived during the time of a major world shift for freedom. With tears in his eyes, DeMille challenged the crowd to really stop and think about that moment. (pause) What will you tell your grandchildren? (pause) Will it be how you lived during one of the most important times in history and sat on the sidelines because you didn’t know what to do. Or, will you chose to engage with 3% – 5% of the population whom are banded together as a community of influence and committed to doing what’s required to insure we have a shift “FOR FREEDOM”!

DeMille’s books, as well as many other great resources related to Freedom, are accessible through our LIFE website. You will need to enroll as a member or customer and then you will be able to purchase DeMille’s products as well as a suite of many other life transformational products. We encourage you to get on a subscription of this information as part of your continual learning experience.

We live in a time where there is more information accessible at our finger tips, than any other time in history. The challenge is discerning, what of this information, is TRUTH? While LIFE doesn’t claim to have all the right information, they do work very hard to discern and publish the information weighted on the principles by which our country was founded.

So, with that, I have one final question for you: “How many of you are going to change the world?”

Sincerely,

Chris

Wow! We are coming off of an exceptional weekend and we wanted to share the exciting news.  The reason you’re receiving this email is that we have either met one-on-one to discuss or you’ve had an inquiry via web expressing interest in our LIFE business.

 LIFE is experiencing exponential growth and it just accelerated!  This weekend, the Policy Council of LIFE held another fantastic conference with some exceptional news.  Likely one of the best ways for us to share our thoughts is to share our response to Orrin Woodword’s blog post, LIFE Teams Gather Across America , where he asked for our biggest take ways from the weekend.

“Orrin,

I think the biggest take away was a continued affirmation of the heart and purpose behind the LIFE business. One gentleman’s comments sums it up for me. He said, “What we feared the most about this organization is truly what we’re seeing be the heart of the organization”. As he explained it, many look at this opportunity asking if God truly is at the center of it. Or, is it a scam, cult, deceptive lie which is not God honoring. What this gentlemen experienced this weekend and we personally had reaffirmed within us was that this opportunity has a much higher calling associated with it and the hearts of the PC are truly honorable.

With the present registration offering, the PC is providing the best opportunity yet to allow people to become a part of this journey and “test the waters” for the price of a tank of gas. This speaks to the confidence of the leadership knowing that really all we need to do is get people around our community and they will experience what the true heart of the organization is. There are no more excuses associated with the level of investment required. We are plugging everyone in upfront to the right systems designed to promote behaviors to allow someone to truly understand what this opportunity is about and how you can actually be successful in the very first month.

There were many more highlights of the weekend which I anticipate others to share. Overall, I would like to thank the PC and yourself for your continued leadership. You’ve never promised this would be easy and always promised it would be worth it. We look forward to seeing you at the top!

God bless,
Chris and Lisa Arnold”

 I encourage you to read others responses and the testimonials on the LIFE site to see firsthand the impact these life transformational products are having.

So, what do we mean by, “there are no more excuses associated with the level of investment required” to become part of LIFE’s compensated community.  LIFE now has a Super Charged Enrollment Process:

Super Charged Enrollment – $49.99 and 50 PV

Yes, you are reading this correctly. We have come up with a simple $49.99 enrollment option and the details are:

• The $35 LIFE Enrollment Fee is waived if the new Member subscribes to a $50 book/cd subscription of any type or combination.
• The new Member will also get a FREE Open Meeting Subscription for 1 month.
• The $45 Team EBC Subscription is waived if the Member registers for Team’s Training System.

So the added value of this $49.99 enrollment process is:

• Waives $120 ($160 for a couple) of typical member sign-up investment.
• Get’s members plugged into the TEAM system and Open Meetings immediately such that your best equipped to build the business.
• Provides access toward over $200 worth of additional savings which I won’t try to even explain at this point.

So, why the email?  Well, we wanted to get this news out to you as quickly as possible as we are experiencing massive growth and the sooner you’re involved the better positioned you are to benefit from our compensation model.  We are so busy getting people started in the business, we don’t have the time to call and discuss this with everyone.  Frankly, it’s a no brainer to invest $49.99 in this opportunity to “hold your spot” on faith, get more information to evaluate, and allow us to build a huge organization below you.   Historically, many of our teams would target 10 member per month enrolling.  With the announcement this weekend, we’re seeing members across the Team add 10 members per day and many exceeding these levels.

Not interested in the business?  We all know that its most likely not a question of interest, it’s a question of belief.  I addressed “belief” a bit above, however, I want to share something a pastor friend external to the business shared with me yesterday.  She said, “If you look at the twelve disciples, did they “believe” first or “belong”?  (Pause & Smile) They “belonged” before they believed.”  This is the same with our community.  It’s not until you “belong” to our community that you truly “believe” that this is a business opportunity where anyone can “live the life you’ve always wanted” and be a part of a much bigger vision.

So, what’s next?  HOLD YOUR SPOT!!!  Simply, click here , go to “enroll”, and “enroll as a new member”.   The process is self explanatory and you’ll want to enroll in LIFE, get on a subscription, enroll in TEAM, and get on a TEAM subscription to take advantage of the Super Charged Enrollment.  Once you do this, we’ll be notified and will contact you to schedule a time to sit down and go through more details of how your team will assist you in getting started.

Yes, I am using the word “team” which is critical for you to understand the importance of not delaying your decision.  At this point, we’re really not asking you to join or “belong” to our community as much as we are asking if you want to HOLD YOUR SPOT!.  The truth of the matter is, we have already built a large organization and will continue to place thousands of people on this team regardless of your decision.  Really, you’re simply paying $49.99 for an opportunity to check us out  and benefit from those who HOLD THEIR SPOTS following you.   Your delaying even 24 hours could cost your thousand of dollars in the long term.

Need more information?  Of coarse you do!  Members and their guests are always welcome to attend one of our Open Meetings.  The next meeting is tomorrow, Tuesday, July 31st from 8P – 10P and you can register and obtain specific information by clicking here.

It’s difficult to express in words how great of an opportunity this can be for you and your closest friends, family, and fans.  This isn’t just another one of “those things” and we truly hope you’ll give us the opportunity to share the Truth with you.

Go ahead, click here to HOLD YOUR SPOT!  We don’t promise easy, however, we do promise worth it!

God bless,

Chris & Lisa Arnold

PS:  If that didn’t get you, check out these Incentive Trips which you can qualify for after only a few months.

We’re reaching out to our community encourage you to “take a chance”. You see, we know that if you clicked on this blog, there was something that drew you toward a “challenge”. We all have a desire for a “challenge” or “quest” to aspire to be the best we can be. No matter whether this “quest” is personal, spiritual, or business related, it always starts with the right type of thinking. With The Mental Fitness Challenge and many of the other LIFE products, we are focused on aiding you in “living the life you’ve always wanted”. Yes, while it may be buried deep within your heart, you have a picture of what the “life you’ve always wanted” looks like and you need a catalyst to spark that fire once again.

Why do we know this is true? Because that is what life was for us prior to our decision to “take a chance”. We along with thousands of others have made this decision. We encourage you to read the list of testimonials to see firsthand the impact these life transformational products are having. These people have “no dog in your race” and simply want to share their experience with you as encouragement to “take a chance”.

No, this isn’t a “magic pill”! And, frankly, not many will finish “the challenge”. Our experience is that many times, we fall into our “comfort zone” and we think we are “doing pretty good”. When you partner with us on this journey, you’re going to be challenged to re-exam things like your: Purpose, Character, Attitude, Vision, Keeping Score, Financial Management, Leadership, Adversity Quotient, Conflict Resolution, and Legacy to name just a few. When this happens, we often uncover some “blind spots” which need to be addressed. This sometimes isn’t the most “blissful” experience and, therefore, some will choose not to engage in such an intense examination of themselves. For those who choose to engage and continue on the journey, we have story after story of demonstrated results of people “living the life you’ve always wanted”.

So, go ahead, “take a chance”. The MFC has a Money-Back Guarantee which allows you to take the challenge at absolutely no risk. And, with the 3 For Free model, you can take the challenge for FREE! Click Here to start your personal journey.

As a side note, you may be wondering, whether there is a financial incentive behind The Mental Fitness Challenge and LIFE. Absolutely, there is a financial incentive for those who desire to be a part of our “compensated community“. Details of what this might look like can be seen by clicking here and you can enroll by clicking here.

So, I challenge you to do what most people will not do: “TAKE A CHANCE”!
We’d love to partner with you and share in your personal journey. We don’t promise easy, but do promise worth it!

Looking at your business or personal relationships, what is that “one thing that changes everything?” That one foundational “thing” that, if done correctly, will explode the growth of any business or personal relationships. Vice verse, if done incorrectly, it will destroy your business and personal relationships over night. Taking it even deeper, it can make or break you as an individual having self worth. What is it? It’s The Speed of Trust!

Intuitively, most would acknowledge that trust is important. However, how big of an issue is it and how impactful is the “speed of trust”? Stephen M.R. Covey’s book, The Speed of Trust, does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of trust and its impact.

Looking at an organizational level, Covey provides the following statistics:

• “Only 51% of employees have trust and confidence in senior management.
• Only 36% of employees believe their leaders act with honesty and integrity.
• Over the past 12 months, 76% of employees have observed illegal or unethical conduct on the job – conduct which, if exposed, would seriously violate the public trust.”

Looking at relationships, Covey says to consider the following:

• “The number one reason people leave their jobs is a bad relationship with their boss.
• One out of every two marriages end in divorce”

What about on an individual basis.  Covey states: “consider the percentage of students who acknowledged that they cheated in order to improve their odds of getting into graduate school.

• Liberal arts students – 43%
• Education students – 52%
• Medical students – 63%
• Law students – 63%
• Business students – 75%”

Do you think that these students simply cheated just this one time to make the cut? I seriously doubt it. And, they say if you cheat once, it’s always easier to cheat the next time. Deep down, how do you think these students are doing today with respect to “self-worth”?  There is a strong correlation, guaranteed. Folks, trust is HUGE!

What’s the economics associated with trust? I’ll let you read the book and learn a much more comprehensive overview of the cost of trust. However, a formula which Covey offers is:

“Decrease Trust = Decrease Speed Increase Cost

Increase Trust = Increase Speed Decrease Cost”

Seems intuitive, right? But is it really a problem for you personally in your organization and your relationships. We work with a lot of organization, have a variety of relationships with individuals, and our experience is consistent with many of the statistics being shared above.

So, what do we do with this “crisis of trust”? Covey outlines “The 5 Waves of Trust – Self Trust, Relationship Trust, Organizational Trust, Market Trust, and Societal Trust.” Notice that the first wave starts with “self trust”. In the book, Covey discusses how “self trust” is gained, or lost through, “The 4 Cores of Credibility – Integrity, Intent, Capabilities, and Results”.  I believe it’s important to recognize that many think if you’re an honest person, or a person of integrity, you are “trustworthy”. Well, Covey challenges this and contends that “trustworthiness” is actually the combination of these 4 cores. For example, I might be the most honest, best intentioned individual you know; however, you likely wouldn’t trust me to do brain surgery on you or a loved one. Clearly, I don’t have the capabilities or results which would build this type of trust.

Moving on into the book, Covey outlines The “13 Behaviors” which will significantly enhance your ability to establish trust in both your personal and professional relationships. It truly is a great read and I encourage you to click through and get your copy.

In his LIFE Success talk a few weeks ago, Kirk Brittles, discusses Covey’s Speed of Trust and the great impact that trust has in all of life’s relationships. “Trust is built as you speak openly and honestly in a tactful manner. Developing an ‘I’ve-got-your-back’ attitude will help create a ‘Speed of Trust’ with everyone you associate with. Taking pride in yourself and your actions and being up-front, open, and honest when you make a mistake will only help you in the long run.” This success talk is one of many other talks existing in the LIFE compliment of products that we recommend plugging into and sharing with your teams.

With all of this talk on trust, I would be remise if I didn’t briefly go down the path of “trusting” and “distrusting” individuals. The question I get asked frequently is: “What do you do with a non-trustworthy individual?”  My response is, you have to find a way to bring trust to that relationship. At the point you bring mistrust, you become part of the dysfunction in the relationship. Mistrust occurs when you don’t stop and deal with the conflict or issue immediately with the person(s) involved. This topic is far beyond the scope of today’s message and there are multiple resources we would recommend in the event you would like to learn more. Please feel free to contact us for more specifics.

So, while I haven’t offered a lot of actionable content, I hopefully have given rise to the importance and impact of trust. Additionally, I have offered a few great resources to plug into to continue to assess, learn more, and take actionable dialog for personal development.

Please feel free to go to our blog and comment on this post or any of the others to provide and seek input from our community.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Equipping Leaders for Life

Watch this brief, 5 minute, video to learn more about the latest with our business.  We are nearing our fourth year and, while a lot has changed, our core purpose remains the same.  Check us out and give us your feedback!

Click here to access the additional videos referenced.

Last night, we once again had another great challenge group discussion.  This week’s discussions were based off Orrin Woodward’s, book Resolved:  13 Resolutions for LIFE – Resolution # 3 – Attitude – “Choose to Be Positive in All Situations”.  While there were many great takeaways, the majority of the group truly related to “reframing circumstances”.  This was a light bulb moment for some and a great reminder to others that we are always at choice as to how we react to “circumstances”.  The meaning we assign to the circumstances can either be dis-empowering and empowering.  Additionally, our reaction greatly influences the people around us.  Likely, you’ve heard and experienced the phase “if momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy” in the home.  While the group chuckled when one of the members brought this example up, we all can relate firsthand to the influence our attitude has on those around us.  For your benefit, I encourage you to click on Challenge Group Questions – Resolution 3 and reflect on these discussion questions.

So, what are these Challenge Group’s and how can I become a part?  Great questions!  Challenge Groups are meeting all around the world as part of The Mental Fitness Challenge (MFC).  The MFC is best described in the link attached and we’re seeing lives transformed across the world as people engage in this challenge.  We have partnered with top leadership experts Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady, and the other partners of LIFE to bring the MFC and other LIFE products to communities around the globe.  We encourage you to take the challenge and share how it has changed you’re life in our blog comments.

We can’t stress enough that these are challenge “groups”.  Much of your experience in going through the challenge comes from surrounding yourself with like-minded people wanting to make a difference in each other’s lives.  When is the last time you truly reflected on key aspects of your life and had a group of people encourage you in this process?   As mentioned, we have groups meeting all around the world; so, please don’t hesitate to contact us to find out how to be a part of an existing group.

While we don’t promise easy, we promise worthy and wouldn’t it be worth a 90 day Mental Fitness Challenge to insure you’re on course to Live the Life You’ve Always Wanted!!

Wow!!!

What a topic for the Mental Fitness Challenge Groups.  Last night, we kicked off our initial MFC group with a video on Purpose from Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady, two of the top leadership experts in the world and Co-founders of LIFE, and the following Challenge Group Discussion Guide.

Challenge Group Discussion Guide
May 15th, 2012
Purpose is Not Discovered, It’s Detected

Collins’ Hedgehog Concept of Purpose

What are you deeply passionate about? ______________________
What can you be the best in the world at? _____________________
What drives your economic engine? __________________________

Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever encountered someone you believe is living his/her purpose? What stands out to you about that person?
2. Have you ever been asked to make a mission statement or to define your purpose? How has that experience been?
3. Why is passion so important for purpose?
4. What does purpose have to do with priorities?
5. Woodward and Brady say that purpose is the foundation of the resolutions, why is that?
6. What will you take away from tonight’s discussion and begin applying into your life?

Now, really, when is the last time you reflected on these types of questions?  Better yet, when is the last time you openly discussed these type of questions with your family, friends, co-workers, church small group, etc?

The Mental Fitness Challenge Groups are forming all over the nation and getting rave reviews.  We encourage you to go to Chris Brady’s blog,  Challenge Yourself and review the post comments.

Are you prepared to challenge yourself to “Live The Life You’ve Always Wanted”?  Go to our Mental Fitness Challenge site today and get started.  By the way, check out how to get your challenge for FREE!!!

Please comment on the post and let us know how your challenge is going!!

Sign up for the FREE Pre-Challenge or get started today using referral code:  61235019.

Contact us to learn more about how you can become a member or customer.