Am I the only one who sees through this mess on Wall Street and on Capitol Hill? O.K. I have to admit… I don’t normally watch television, however, I have been following the CSPAN coverage of the debates over the $700 BILLION dollar bailout bill in the House and Senate this past week. And, once again, I remind myself of why it is so important NOT to plug in to things I cannot control.

BUT - and this is a HUMONGOUS BUT…. I cannot help but respond to this situation with concern. Not because of what is reality at the moment, and not because I fail to see the need for action, but how even now, our leadership in this country does not understand that even the average person can see through this mess and what is going on here, and even with this passed bill, they are participating in the biggest failure of TRUE leadership in the history of this country.

Did you know that in the original bill passed by President Bush, it proposed to give a $700 Billion dollar blank check to his appointed Secretary of the Treasury? Did you also know that that gentleman was the former CEO of Goldman Sachs? One of the failing insitutions in this debacle that is now going to be the beneficiary of taxpayer bailout dollars?

And, has ANYONE stopped to think through what we are really doing? I mean, common… If all of these HUGE corporations are failing because of junk mortgages and paper, then why would we EVER propose that the American taxpayers buy them and expect a return? Even if we are buying them at pennies on the dollar? Hasn’t anyone heard that you get what you pay for?

And, has it occurred to anyone that the entire government, including EVERY SINGLE SENATOR AND HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE on Capitol Hill today, and all of the millionaire CEO’s on WallStreet who have sucked out millions of dollars in compensation over the last several years from the wheeling and dealing during the inflated housing market and frenzy of irresponsible lending, SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EASILY PREDICT THIS CRISIS?

I believe that the Wall Street executives, with the support of President’ Bush’s massive deregulation policies over the last eight years, and with his buddy Mr. Polson, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, knew EXACTLY what they were doing. That they knew EXACTLY what would happen. And they also knew EXACTLY how they were going to BAIL OUT by creating a crisis for the American people, put them in fear of losing their retirements, investments, and homes, to ENSURE that they could SUCK IT ALL BACK IN from the American people when all was said and done. 

And why would they do that?? So that the CEO’s of every single one of these huge conglomerates could have a feeding frenzy of MILLIONS of dollars in executive compensation - for as LONG AS IT WOULD LAST - AND UNTIL THE ENTIRE AMERICAN POPULATION WOULD STEP IN AND PAY FOR IT..

AND….

Do they REALLY BELIEVE that the American people are so ignorant and stupid and naive that we will just bend over and take it up the rear????  Well, that seems to be EXACTLY what the leadership of this country is proposing to do right now. And it is disgusting to see how our leadership, rather than taking time to look at ALL OPTIONS on how to solve the problem and act prudently, and HOLD ACCOUNTABLE - FINANCIALLY - AND LEGALLY - the CEO’s of each of the failing financial institutions, they expect the already struggling American people, to SUCK IT UP and do it for “America”….  THAT MY FRIENDS, IS THE POOREST EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP AND TEAM WORK I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

This may be a simple, naive question, but can anyone tell me WHY every single executive from these major financial institutions is not sitting in JAIL right now awaiting trial for the MASSIVE negligence and FRAUD that has taken place here with the amount of wierd and strange transactions like hedging and other unusual lending transactions, that seem to have been drafted so that NOBODY could understand them?  Didn’t ENRON set a precedence whereby we should have the RIGHT to put CEO’s of failing companies in jail, or at least MAKE THEM PAY for the mess they created?

I realize that this blog and the topics I choose to write about are usually about home-based business, leadership, and financial well being.  So, I will now tie this discussion in to how this relates to me, and anyone else who is self employed in direct sales.

People ask me all the time whether or not my company or others like it in direct sales are a “Pyramid”.  And usually those people who ask that question see network marketing opportunities as a situation where people at the top are making all the money, and the people at the start or bottom are making none.  Well folks, if this situation does not PROVE to you that there is no bigger pyramid than Corporate America and the existing distribution of income in this country, than I don’t know what is…

In direct sales, the people at the top HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY as EVERYONE ELSE to get there. It is not reserved just for people who come from wealthy families, already in positions of government contacts and people in “high places” like Mr. Polson, former CEO of Goldman Sachs. 

And, in my business with Platinum One Destinations, the only way people at the top can get to the “TOP” is if they demonstrate that they can make personal sales of their own, as well as assist other people they bring into their downline in getting to the top as well.

In direct sales, people SHARE in the wealth - ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP.

I just think about this whole situation from my own perspective. I am a smart person, I am a dedicated leader in my field, I work hard, I pay my bills and mortgages, and I support my people. But what would happen if I started wheeling and dealing and sucking money out of people for my own personal benefit? Should I expect the American taxpayers to bail ME OUT???? So why should I be expected to bail out these millionaire CEO’s from their own responsibilities????

I realize that this is a very complicated mess. And I realize that it requires action. However, it also requires new leadership. It requires a BASIC RESPECT for the intelligence and integrity of the American people. It requires an APOLOGY from EVERY SINGLE LAW MAKER on Capitol Hill, for FAILING TO SERVE AND PROTECT the American people, while laws were continually proposed by President Bush, and SUPPORTED by the House and Senate, to deregulate the financial and mortgage industries.  And, when we are going to go out and spend $700 BILLION dollars, it requires TIME to consider all the options, and DO IT RIGHT - NOT IN HASTE.

The Declaration of Independence declares that when the government no longer serves the people, that the people have the right to abolish such governement and reinstitute a new one. Folks, based on what I’ve seen take place over the last couple weeks, I believe it is TIME…

Your Partner in Prosperity,

Carol Ann Martin
Founder, Synergy Prosperity Alliance
Synergy Certified, Platinum Executive Leader & Instructor
Platinum One Destinations, Synergy Marketing Group
Learn more about Platinum One Destinations

 

 

 Have you ever had one of these kind of days like this poor guy? You have every intention of making it a GREAT day…  You read your goals, say your affirmations or whatever you do to get pumped for the day - and then bam… You find yourself completely out of control of MAKING IT HAPPEN the way you planned and the way your coach or direct sales sponsor tells you to do.. Events that are out of your control begin affecting you and your plans. Almost like someone or something is doing this to you intentionally and laughing all the way..

I got an interesting tip from a law of attraction/spiritual coach and mentor I’ve been seeing for the past year or so.. He told me that I need to see powerlessness as an asset.. I looked at him like he had 3 heads and was speaking Alien… WHAT?? How can powerlessness EVER be an asset?  Now, guys, he knows I have tendencies to be a control freak. He knows I’m an overachiever, dooer, goal getter kinda gal.. So he was purposefully stretching me..

So, I sat with that one for about a week. Powerlessness? Powerlessness? Powerlessness?? I kept saying it over and over again with different tonation thinking that it might come to me if I kept saying the same word differently.. It didn’t..

But, then, I decided to entertain this idea and said, ”O.K.. If I just allowed for a moment this statement to be true for me, just for a tiny little milisecond, what would it mean?”  And then I started to think about times in my life when I felt powerless. REALLY wanting something to happen or somebody to do something that I couldn’t control in the moment - and how frustrated I felt during those times.

But then I thought about how later on - maybe it was within an hour, a day, or even a year.. And in every circumstance or situation, I can honestly say that I’m glad that things turned out the way they did. There was something about the experience that I learned from, grew from, or that was actually in my or someone else’s best interest in the end but I just couldn’t see it in the moment.

I thought about my past relationships, my past jobs, my past misstakes. I thought about the people I’ve wanted to have join my Platinum One Destinations business that never did, about the people who I knew had so much potential and quit before they even got started. There is nothing more frustrating to me than seeing people with potential and desire for their lives bail out on themselves…

But in the end, every time, I’ve been able to see the gift. And how cool it is to have an understanding that we are all one. That everything that operates in this universe is controlled by divine intelligence.  Just take a minute and look closely at a flower sometime. It truly is amazing isn’t it? How incredibly intelligent and perfect it is? How it knows exactly what it needs to do to live, blossom and grow?

And it is not up to me to judge this intelligence in everything and everyone. I have no other choice but to cooperate with it. I can choose to struggle with it - but that’s pointless and useless - as I would never win that battle.  Everyone has their own lessons to learn. And in every experience we have - we are part of a bigger plan that is SO MUCH bigger than our human brains can even understand. 

There is always a reason we have a certain experience. We may not like it, and it may not feel good. But if we can begin to acknowledge & respect the intelligence in all living things, and have comfort in knowing there is a reason for it all - whether it is for ourselves or someone else’s plan for growth or learning in this lifetime, than we can just CHILL OUT.  We can start to cooperate with this power. And when we begin to acknowledge it, respect it, welcome it, recognize it in the MOMENT, we begin to harness a power that is so much greater than human beingness can imagine.

So, if you are currently struggling with circumstances, situations, relationships in your life, in your business, take a moment and recognize that you are powerless. Once you do that, you can begin to shift your focus off the things and people you can’t control, and tap into the true power that is available to you and working through you at all times… And that is the awareness and faith and trust and acknowlegment that you have everything you need in the moment to make the right choices for the highest good for yourself and others. Always, and in All ways..

Your Partner in Prosperity,

Carol Ann Martin
Founder, Synergy Prosperity Alliance
Synergy Certified, Platinum Executive Leader & Instructor
Platinum One Destinations and Synergy Marketing Group
Learn more about Platinum One Destinations 

 Ahhhh…. Being a baby. When was the last time you felt as safe and secure as the baby in this picture? Resting all wrapped up in a blankie, stomach full, with every need satisfied, no worries or concerns as to how you would be fed, clothed, loved, cared for. Completely resting in the knowing and trusting that all of your needs are met and will be met?

There was a time, that probably none of us can remember, when we felt that way.  Babies don’t know HOW to concern themselves with the matters of the world or how to analyze how their bottle will arrive. They have no other choice but to trust that everything they need will be provided.  BUT, they INSTINCTIVELY KNOW how to get what they want. It’s called SCREAMING UNTIL THEY DO…  Ha Ha..

As we grow up in our culture, our society, we are conditioned and trained to “unlearn” what our natural intelligence as babies knows to be comfort. Along the way in our education and entry into the culture as growing adults, we learn that money DOES make the world go around. And we begin to believe that somehow, if we have alot of little green pieces of paper in our bank accounts, that we are “comfortable” and feel secure.

But here’s an interesting statistic. In a recent survey done by US Private Banks of people with a net worth of $38 million dollars or more, 65% admitted that they felt “financially insecure.” Can you imagine? EVEN if you got to the point that you had $38 million dollars in your bank account or in liquid assets or equity in real estate, the majority of you would feel “insecure”?????  WHAT IS THAT ALL ABOUT?

It’s because money is an illusion. If you stop and think about money. What is it?? It is simply a piece of paper. We have put a random value on little pieces of paper with numbers on them, and everyone else in the world buys into that idea.

And so, the game is on. Everyone spending their entire lives trying to “hoard” as many little pieces of paper they can, doing whatever they can to get as much as they can in their own bank accounts.  For what? To feel secure? To feel powerful? To allow them to keep up with the Jones’ next door who have the new car, new home, vacations every year to exotic places?

The truth is, what we all long for deep down is the feeling we felt as babies. Unconditional acceptance and love. We all crave that feeling of ultimate clarity of just being - an uncluttered mind that trusts that everything we need will be provided. It’s NOT the money.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I have no judgment about money. I LIKE having it. As it allows me to DO things I choose to do.  But, I don’t buy into the idea that having it is the source of my comfort.

So many people say they are afraid to do things because they don’t like to step outside their “comfort zone”. I talk to people every day who say they are interested in starting their own home based business in Platinum One Destinations.  Many of them tell me they see the potential, they love to travel, but they just don’t feel “comfortable” taking the leap.

Here’s the thing, though… Is it “comfortable” right now for most people in this economy? Is it comfortable to drop your newborn baby off at daycare every day to play the “money” game? Do you feel comfortable as the bills are pouring into your mailbox and you are trading more TIME for DOLLARS to keep up? Are you comfortable when you go to bed at night - totally secure in knowing that your job will be there next week?

Can you honestly say that on a daily basis you achieve that level of serene peacefulness that you at one time felt as a baby - even for 5 minutes out of your day??

So, what is a comfort zone anyway?? It’s really just another term for a certain level of tolerance for mediocrity, anxiety, worry, and stress. It’s another term for denial of what your heart is calling for you to do, if money were not an issue. It’s basically an EXCUSE to live out a life of quiet desperation, fooling yourself and everyone else that you are truly happy.

In order to attain or achieve or BE the things we have never had or been, we have to be willing to do things we have never done. And yes, anything we do that is new or different, we may feel “uncomfortable”. We may doubt our abiliites, we may feel awkward or clumsy. We may worry about what other people may think, because so many other people are “buying in” to this illusion of comfort that the minute you step outside the status quo, you may very well be labeled as a freak, as crazy, as a wishful thinker. 

DON’T BUY INTO THE ILLUSION  

If you don’t step outside your comfort zone NOW… If you feel that you do not have the financial success you wish to have NOW, where will you be 10, 20, 30 years from now? Would you not agree that if you don’t make changes in your life right now that will contribute to better health, a better relationship, a better financial situation for yourself or your family, that you will just be “uncomfortable” later in life?

There is really no such thing as COMFORT.  The only sure thing is CHANGE. Whether you like it or not, whether you think that having money or things are going to make you feel better - your body is changing every moment at the microcosmic level.  The world is constantly changing - and so are you. You cannot stop or control change.  The only thing you can do is to wake up from the illusion, realize that change is inevitable, and start to COOPERATE with it. 

It’s kinda funny when you think about it. We start off in life with very little hair, and completely dependent on other people and the universe to provide for our well being. And as we reach the last decade or so of our very short lives - we end up back in diapers, with very little hair, and EXACTLY where we were in our first few years of life.

In the end, you are going to arrive in the very same place you started, whether you like it or not. The key is to realize that there is no such thing as “comfort”.  And when you get comfortable with being “uncomfortable” you will begin to trust yourself, your passions, your desires. NOT your bank account. You will begin to allow your heart, rather than your head, be your guide to know how to bring it into your life - just like a baby knows instinctively, and what you at one time knew too.

All that you need and REALLY want is already right there. It always has been. You have just forgotten what it is. Trust in yourself, and DO the things that make you the MOST uncomfortable. And I promise you that those things are the keys that will unlock the doors to your GREATEST life.

Your Partner in Prosperity,

Carol Ann Martin
Founder, Synergy Prosperity Alliance
Synergy Certified, Platinum Executive Leader & Instructor
Platinum One Destinations, Synergy Marketing Group
Learn more about Platinum One Destinations 

 I’m sure you don’t think of yourself as a cheater, or someone who would ever rob someone.. No person of integrity would ever consider themselves as someone who would do that.

But here’s the thing in our line of work in direct sales - network marketing - people developing…

Every time that you don’t tell people about what you do - about your business, about an opportunity that may change their life - you are cheating them. Every time you fail to share what cards you hold in your hand - that you could give to someone else - you are robbing them. And you know what, I do it sometimes. And I would venture to say that if you are in direct sales - there has been AT LEAST one time that you’ve thought about striking up a conversation with someone, but you didn’t because of all kinds of reasons that are all about YOU alone and your uncomfortableness, what YOU think they are going to think about YOU.. And that, my friend, is selfish. Yes, it is..

Let me tell you about why I am discussing this right now.  I am venturing now to build a local team in my area in Tampa Bay, Florida.  I am organizing a team of fabulous, committed people already in Platinum One Destinations in my area and we are committing to hold weekly live meetings and to bring people from the local area to learn about our amazing business.

I’m doing this because I know that live events just work more effectively than any other method to provide people with the comfort, validation, and belief in our company, our products, our training, our integrity. I also have to admit that I love to train, and so I’m creating an environment where I can get up in front of people and share my enthusiasm and passion for motivating others and Platinum One.

BUT - I have built my very successful business completely online even to this day. I have team members that have joined from around the GLOBE - right from my little home office with my telephone and computer. That’s how successful our systems and training are. I’ve never had to step outside my home to make thousands of dollars per month.  And I’ll tell ya - there is nothing like the freedom to opt not to take a shower for a day or two if I choose….. But don’t worry - I do shower daily! LOL.. It’s just great to know I can choose not to if I don’t feel like it!

Now, I am putting myself and this local team, in a situation where we will all be doing something we are all not necessarily comfortable in doing - because we don’t HAVE TO - reaching out to people we’ve never met on the street, sharing our business, inviting them to our meetings,  etc.  It’s requiring us to get beyond our own selfish thinking about ourselves and our uncomfortableness, and proactively reaching out to others in person - rather than having the comfort and distance of the phone line and computer.

But - the way I see it - Who am I to cheat others of what is meant for their lives? Who am I to assume that I know what is best for someone else? That is arrogant.  The truth is, we never know what is best for another person. But, when we have information and tools that we know works for us, and others, don’t you think it would be our DUTY to share it with them?  Does it even really matter whether they would be interested or not? Whether they may reject the information? Whether they decide to join or not? NO!! What matters is YOU. What matters is that you get out there and SHARE information that may benefit others. And if you’ve read my last post, we know that the more we GIVE, especially without an expectation of a return, the more we actually RECEIVE… It’s a natural law.

So, my suggestion is that you get out of your own and other’s way and start giving to others by sharing your business and the potential you know is there for others. There is nothing more fulfilling in life than knowing that you had even a MINOR positive contribution in someone else’s prosperity. Even if it is as small as seeing someone OPEN UP to the possibilities in their lives when they don’t believe there are any when you are prospecting.  That is a win for you and them.

Take the risk and show your hand to others in this game called life.  The great thing about direct sales is that when you help others get what they want, you get what you want - and you BOTH get to share the JACKPOT!! 

Your Partner in Prosperity,

Carol Ann Martin
Founder, Synergy Prosperity Alliance
Synergy Certified, Platinum Executive Leader & Instructor
Platinum One Destinations & Synergy Marketing Group
Learn more about Platinum One Destinations