Some Things Matter; Some Things Don’t.

Some things matter; some things don’t.

A few things last, but most things won’t.

-Author Unknown

What matters to you? What is lasting to you? A matter of lasting value to our Heavenly Father is that we learn of Him, humble ourselves, and grow in obedience to Him through earthly experiences. He wants us to change our selfishness into service, our fears into faith. These lasting matters can test us to our core.

It is now, with our mortal limitations, that the Father asks us to love when loving is most difficult, to serve when serving is inconvenient, to forgive when forgiving is soul stretching. How? How will we do it? We earnestly reach for Heavenly Father’s help, in the name of His Son, and do things His way instead of pridefully asserting our own will.

Our challenges can pull us off this course of happiness. We can lose our trusting connection to God if trials drive us to distraction instead of sending us to our knees.

-Neill F. Marriott

Respect

"Let us look for ways we can respect differing views and still live together in society. Rather than simply living according to our own views without infringing on another’s freedoms, let us try something better—something that is fundamental in a pluralistic society if everyone is to be treated fairly. We must stand up for the basic civil rights of others, recognizing their right to express their opinions and speak up for what they believe in, if we are to expect others to stand up for our basic civil rights." —Von G. Keetch

Ignorance Is Not Bliss.

What you don't know can hurt you. 

Ignorance is not bliss. 

Ignorance can shorten your life, 

it can create disease, devastation, 

tragedy,it can leave your life empty.

So no, ignorance is not bliss! 

Learn every day.

Freedom

Here we are the day after the Independence Day in the USA and I'm still thinking about freedom.

One of the main reasons Melissa & I joined the network marketing profession back in 1990 was the idea of having the freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted. Once you get your business to a certain level, that's a possibility, but it takes a lot of hard work to get there. As the saying goes, "Freedom is not free." Just being involved in network marketing does not give you that freedom, it has to be earned! And I'm here t tell you it's possible for you just like it's been for so many others. Why not you? I was young and somewhat cocky thinking, "If that guy can do it, why can't I do it?" Many you can't do it as fast as others, but you can do it. Maybe you can even do it faster!

What type of freedom are you after? Melissa & I wanted to be debt free, to pay off some student loans. We wanted to be disease free - my father passed away at a young age and left my mother with 3 same children and I did not want to do that to Melissa. So we started taking better care of ourselves, becoming educated on nutrition and wellness, in fact choose that as our profession in place of finance where I was spending my time at my day job. And finally, what most people want but few actually attain was time freedom- the ability to do what we want, when we want.

Some people have all the money they need, but no time freedom to enjoy. They are slaves to their jobs or their business. Others have all the time they want, but not the money (In other words, they're unemployed.) We wanted both, and I'm not talking no money and no time!

I remember my first real job out of college. You may recall yours as well. Do you remember on your first day when they took you around and introduced you to the others you'd be working with, and then eventually showed you where you'd be "stationed'? They said, "Meet Susan and Danny, you'll be sitting next to them, so get to know them, become friends, you'll be spending a lot of time with them, possibly even more time than with your family and loved ones!"

What?! I didn't pick Susan and Danny as my friends! I want to pick my own friends! I want to spend lots of time with my family, not my co-workers! Those were the thoughts that went through my mind and it was soon after that when we were introduced to network marketing and realized this was our ticket out. Thanks to Kim Brady and Steve Campbell, Kelly Thayer, the ones who introduced us and helped us in those early days, we'll always be grateful for their friendship.

It took time for us to achieve some of those early goals, in fact it took several years until I was able to replace my full-time income. After all, I had gone to college for 7 years to get my degrees, and I was working full-time on my job, while working part-time on my network marketing business and Melissa was a full-time mother. I gave my employer my full effort and commitment, but with my personal time, I was able to apply the principles that were taught to me by my mentors and upline leadership, and eventually was able to work our business full-time.

In today's environment, it still takes time, but I don't believe it should take as long as it did for us back then. Why? Because there have been enough books written, enough video created, and enough people for you to learn from who have had the success you desire.

Network marketing works when done correctly, so get out there this second half of 2017 and set some outrageous goals and let's get to work and have some fun!

-Gary Hasson

*video on this topic can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/GlobalLeadershipforNetworkMarketingProfessionals/videos

Our Careers.

Our careers are more like a climbing wall than it is a ladder.

A ladder is vertical and unidirectional, most careers are not. Don't be surprised when you change directions along the path, just stay focused on your ultimate goals and you will eventually arrive, some faster than others, but you will arrive!

Civility and Social Media

We must not let such a powerful vehicle for mass communication become a carrier of toxic taunts and tirades that serve no noble purpose and are an affront to the values of civil discourse. 

I was hoping the rising tide of online nastiness would subside after the elections last year but unfortunately that does not appear to be the case. What do you think can be done?

Many years ago, I took the Scouts on a campout in the desert. The boys slept by a large fire they had made, and like every good Scout leader, I slept in the back of my truck. In the morning when I sat up and looked at the campsite, I saw one Scout, whom I will call Paul, who looked particularly rough around the edges. I asked how he had slept, and he replied, “Not very well.”

When I asked why, he said, “I was cold; the fire went out.”

I answered, “Well, fires do that. Wasn’t your sleeping bag warm enough?”

No answer.

Then one of the other Scouts loudly volunteered, “He didn’t use his sleeping bag.”

I asked in disbelief, “Why not, Paul?”

Silence—then finally the sheepish reply: “Well, I thought if I didn’t unroll my sleeping bag, I wouldn’t have to roll it up again.”

True story: he froze for hours because he was trying to save five minutes of work. We may think, “How foolish! Who would ever do that?” Well, we do it all the time in much more dangerous ways. We are, in effect, refusing to unroll our spiritual sleeping bags when we don’t take the time to sincerely pray, study, and earnestly live the gospel each day; not only will the fire go out, but we will be unprotected and grow spiritually cold.

Taken from Gary B. Sabin's talk: Stand Up Inside and Be All In. Entire talk available at: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/04/stand-up-inside-and-be-all-in?lang=eng

Confirmation Bias

The 2016 election provided a perfect example of "confirmation bias," which is the human tendency to seek out and value information that confirms our own perceptions. This tendency also leads us to avoid, undervalue, or disregard any information that conflicts with our beliefs.

Hegemons are powerful entities. USA, Russia or China?

I love doing business around the world, especially the largest country in the world. And I don't profess to be an international relations expert, but having spent the last two weeks in China and traveled there for business and family vacations 3-4 times each year over the past 20 years, I do know this: China is unlike any other country participating in the U.S. led global economy. It intends to benefit from the openness and security offered by the system without being obligated to abide by its norms. Hegemony is the economic, political, or military predominance or control of one state over others. A hegemonic country has the power to help countries cooperate with one another for the maintenance and, when needed, the restoration of prosperity. When no country can or will act as hegemon, a world crisis erupts. Trump’s suggested retreat, along with China & Russia’s ambitions, and the reasons why the two probably can’t fulfill them—it all suggests the unnerving possibility that this eruption is already underway.

3 Things Most People Want In 2017

Do you know what your personal definition of wealth is, beyond a dollar amount?

If our only objective is to have more money, not only are we likely to never reach our objective (because there is always "more" to be had), but we are not likely to find lasting satisfaction from our money.

Money is just a tool to enhance our lives, and not the meaning of life.

If you haven't already, decide now what true wealth means to you and set that as a priority in 2017 for you and your family.