Mark Yarnell's Blog

How to Start A Conversation with Propects

Mark Yarnell — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:55:30 GMT

A question I’m frequently asked is: “How should distributors start conversations with prospects?”

The simple answer is - always start with a question that allows a prospect to describe his or her work. My favorite question is, “Just out of curiosity, what do you do for a living?”

Then I listen carefully to what they have to say. A quality person will always reciprocate by asking what I do … and that’s when the fun begins.

Sometimes I’m an “Emergency Retirement Planner.” Other times, I’m a “Unit Actuary.”

Either response will cause a prospect to become curious. Most will ask me what the heck a Unit Actuary is.

I simply point out that I help people compute the total effort required to retire in one, two or three years based on the number of units they need to fund their favorite retirement lifestyle.

I explain that a fisherman might only need two units in order to have a nice boat and fish several days a week, while a pilot who likes to travel may need six or seven units in order to fund a nice plane and afford fuel.

I end by explaining that my job is to compute unit needs and then help a person find a funding vehicle which will yield that number of units in three years or less.

Virtually all prospects will appear completely befuddled and most will ask what a unit is. In response, I simply tell them it’s a bit complicated, but one unit equals $10,000 a month for life with no principle drawing interest.

I tell them to check out www.15yearsleft.com and then I give them my home number and ask them to call me if they’re still curious.

Those of you who own the first four Holy Grail books and accompanying CDs know exactly what to do next.

Obviously, this is one of many strategies and applies to situations where you’re face-to-face.

Many distributors laugh when I teach them this approach, but I’m very serious. Some say they can’t possibly start a conversation that way and that’s perfectly okay with me. I’ve got a big pile of money and maybe when people stop making excuses they’ll get theirs.

In the meantime…how’s your approach working for you? Been to Tahiti lately?

Ant Farm Network Marketing

Mark Yarnell — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:04:14 GMT

When I was a kid growing up in Missouri I sold Christmas Cards one year just to make enough quarters to buy an ant farm. The kid next door had one and I loved to sit and watch through the glass sides as a small army of industrious ants tunneled through the sand.

I never really thought about the ant perspective until I read a humorous dialogue in a marvelous book called Ant Farm by Simon Rich.

It’s not only a fascinating book crammed with short, humorous stories, but a very interesting collection of bizarre tales that metaphorically reflect the human condition. Buy the book and I promise you a day of absolute wet-your-pants laughter.

In the Ant Farm dialogue below, the author has imagined a conversation between the leader ant and his workers as they try to find a way out of their desperate situation.

What struck me were the similarities between the plight of the ants and the equally frustrating efforts of many Network Marketers who just keep doing the same things year after year and expecting different results. Here’s how Simon Rich imagines it.

“Ant Leader – All right team, listen up. As you know, we’ve built seven tunnels and we still haven’t found a way through the glass. I can tell you’re discouraged and I don’t blame you. Tunnel 7 was our most ambitious project to date and you all risked your lives to make it happen. But rest assured, we’ll be out of this hellish wasteland soon enough. I have a plan.

Ant Worker – What is it? What’s the plan?

Ant Leader – An eighth tunnel. Through the sand.

Ant Worker – I don’t know, sir…we’ve been digging tunnels ever since we got here. We always end up hitting glass. We lost ten on the first tunnel: Brian, Jack, Chris –

Ant Leader – I know their names.

Ant Worker – Why don’t’ we just give up? I mean seriously, what’s the point?

Ant Leader – The point? The point is we have no food or water. The point is we’re trapped in this crazy desert, and if we don’t find an exit soon we’re going to suffocate.

Ant Worker – What kind of God would put us here, just to torture us? Sand to the left…sand to the right…

Ant Leader – It’s a test, William. He’s testing us.

Ant Worker – You’re right. We can do this. We just have to work ten times harder than we’ve ever worked before! (Starts digging)

Ant Worker – You want to know something? I’ve got a good feeling about this one. A really good feeling.”

Many times I’ve wanted to point out the futility of some MLM companies, but that’s not my role as an industry author and mentor. Unfortunately, many people fail in our industry because they join companies with pay plans that are cash games, products that nobody needs, owners who are inexperienced and leaders with no loyalty.

Many great people fail because they are sucked into Ant Farm Networking.

If you wind up digging and digging over and over and continue to remain financially desperate…maybe it’s time to try some new digging strategies or sell the farm and join a new one that at least meets the basic criteria for a viable Network Marketing company.

…More on those basic criteria in a future blog.

How to Recruit Realtors into Your MLM Business

Mark Yarnell — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:08:31 GMT

This is a very simple strategy – so simple anyone can do it. Do not deviate from this system.

Step One

Obtain a list of Realtors’ names and telephone numbers.

Step Two

Call one Realtor at a time from a landline.

Step Three

Identify yourself and ask them if they’d be willing to sell something besides real estate if they could triple their income in the first year.

Step Four

If they say “no” or argue, thank them politely and hang up immediately.

Step Five

If they say “yes” send them to www.15yearsleft.com or some other short enticing message that works and ask them to call you back if they’re interested in checking it out further.

Step Six

If they call you back interested, present your business opportunity in any manner you wish – face-to-face, or walk through a web presentation, or whatever works best in your company. Most companies provide a presentation booklet or web site presentation.

Step Seven

Repeat those six steps 30 times a day.

Do not worry about any details. You’ll become better with practice and within a couple of months you’ll easily sponsor one out of thirty Realtors who go through the entire process. It’s all a numbers game, just like any other form of sales, with one major exception…do it for a year or two and you’ll be sipping your favorite beverage on some exotic beach and jetting to Paris for Fois Gras and Crème Brulee.

How can I be so sure? Been there…done that.

Trust in Network Marketing

Mark Yarnell — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:58:55 GMT

If you really want to know why MLM has become so filled with money games and goofy scams, I have the books for you.

The first one was written by the editor of “Machinist”, the daily technology newsblog at www.Salon.com, F. Manjoo. The book is called True Enough and Mr. Manjoo is a dynamic, young technology expert who explains in simple English what guys like me have been trying to say to the world for years.

When I say or write these facts, some people dismiss my comments. When a technology genius like the contributing editor at Salon.com says or writes this stuff…you need to pay attention because his wisdom will help you avoid the money-game scams and prepare you to earn those huge checks you’ve always desired.

The problem is lack of trust and the biggest challenge is now the process of picking an ethical company. Now that pseudo-MLM leaders are changing organizations like jumping beans and bad mouthing their former companies, who can you trust?

Now that some company owners are taking away checks, lowering payouts, adding bogus products with questionable science behind them, creating silly front-end load sign-ups, inventing training that doesn’t work, allowing people to lie about their checks or change downlines and all the while hiding behind the mask of Christian values, how can people ever hope to join a long-term, ethical company?

Well, first, we must understand why trust is so important in human ventures and then we must be willing to never compromise our principles. A good start is Monjoo’s book, True Enough.

Here’s one quote from his book that will make sense to you:

“Society works better when people trust one another. The US was once among the most trusting countries in the world. In 1960, nearly 60% of Americans said they trust most people. By the early 70’s, it had dropped to below 50% and by 1990 it was just below 40%.

In 2006, only 32% of Americans surveyed said that they trusted most people. Modern communications technology has shifted our understanding of the truth and completely altered our grasp of ethical reality.”

Folks, trust this book recommendation and stay tuned to these blogs because in the coming weeks, I’ll arm you with some additional materials that will help you sort the scams from the real companies. In order to succeed in MLM, you need to know who you can trust, how you can find them, what questions to ask and how to avoid unethical companies and pseudo leaders.

After 23 years in this industry, both as a builder in 2 companies and author of numerous books and articles, I’m still persuaded that MLM is the last bastion of capitalism in a world of dramatic change.

But due diligence is more important than ever to those who truly need to create a good life for their families. Some future blogs will be dedicated to helping ethical Networkers and their prospects navigate though the expanding vortex of entrepreneurial leaders ---many of whom are just plain untrustworthy.

My life as an industry leader has become a series of phone calls from people who feel confused and betrayed. They wonder why so many of us earned such huge checks when there were only a dozen companies. They wonder if our industry has grown too saturated now that there are thousands of companies. Some have squandered thousands of dollars in sign-ups and systems and strategies that never worked and they wonder why they’ve failed in our industry after succeeding in others.

Simply put, people wonder what’s going on. I’m going to tell you. I will argue that Network Marketing has always been based on trust and word of mouth distribution. Trust is the essence of MLM. As that trust has eroded, our industry has suffered. The question is this…can we recover and once again grow and prosper as an industry?

You bet we can and if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t waste my time writing these blogs. When I recommend a book, I suggest you read it. When I present a concept, please think about it. When I warn you about a delusional strategy…avoid it.

Or, keep right on doing what you’ve been doing and keep right on earning what you’ve been earning. How has that been working for you so far?

Anyhoo, I’m going trout fishing and the next blog will appear in a couple of days.

MY FINAL COMMENT ON CODEX

Mark Yarnell — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:59:20 GMT

Today I was half way through writing a blog about how to recruit realtors when I received a very disturbing telephone call. A woman from Atlanta called to tell me that I was a “fool” for thinking that Congress would allow Americans to lose their freedom to use and sell nutritional food supplements by accepting the World Trade Organization’s Codex rules.

She basically told me that we live in a constitutional democracy and our right to consume nutritional juices, vitamins and herbs of our choice are protected. That’s when I realized that some Network Marketers need a basic course in reality.

If you’re among those people who think that CODEX isn’t coming or Congress will protect us from it, here’s a short history lesson from a year and a half ago. The mainstream media didn’t cover this story because many Americans were more focused on Brittany Spears. And, of course, most journalists don’t want to wind up like Dan Rather.

As societies evolve, they tend to become more compassionate. The more educated, the more rational and decent. In America, we once bought slaves, yet today we respect defenseless animals. That is, we did until November 27, 2006 when Congress passed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act by a vote of 5 to 1. Out of 2135 Congresspersons, only 6 were present for the vote.

Let me explain. If special interest companies want to ramrod a bill through Congress, they simply have the House Judiciary Committee place the vote on the “suspension calendar” which allows for a voice vote. Then they hold the vote hours before the scheduled time so less than 10% of the lawmakers will be present.

That’s how they passed the AETA Bill (Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act). That’s also how they might approve CODEX. That way, congressional representatives will be able to act upset when the supplement industry is handed over to big Pharma and MLM is basically dealt a fatal blow.

Before 2006, if animal rights activists discovered that a major company was testing new shampoo by dropping it into the eyes of rabbits to see how they responded, they could file a formal protest. Now, they can’t or they’re called terrorists and put into jail.

By violating the first and fourteenth Amendments and defining whistle blowers of animal cruelty as terrorists if they “interfere with corporate profits,” they can and already have put people in jail.

The group Earth First was charged with terrorism and sentenced to 22 years in prison collectively for posting a website that exposed corporations involved in the vivisection industry. Vivisection is the act of cutting into or performing operations on live animals for the purpose of experimentation or scientific research.

Now for the insanity…160 groups opposed this law before 5 Congress people passed it. The National Lawyers Guild, the League of Human Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine and The New York City Bar Association were among the credible groups that opposed this nonsense.

That’s why in an earlier blog I suggested that you send a letter about CODEX to your Presidential candidate. Congress will not protect MLMrs against CODEX and the plan of big Pharma to take total control of the herbal, vitamin, nutritional juice and supplement industry. Period. End of the story.

I’m not necessarily against animal testing. I’m against animal testing in secret. Consumers should have the right to know which companies are engaged in animal testing so they can decide which products to purchase based on full disclosure. Calling people terrorists and putting them in jail for posting facts about animal testing is potently absurd.

Giving our government the power to monitor and control our use of supplements is patently absurd. But when journalists remain silent as a bogus congressional act makes factual disclosure of business practices a punishable offense, that’s anarchy.

So, I’ve done my part by telling the truth. The ball is now in your court and I’m terribly sorry for being so negative.

SAMPLE LETTER RE CODEX

Mark Yarnell — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:41:38 GMT

Dear Fellow Networkers,

As promised in yesterday’s blog “A Warning to All Rational Networkers,” here is a sample letter to Presidential candidates regarding Codex. I am e-mailing mine today to McCain and Obama. I urge you to send your copy as well.

Let’s act now!

Cordially, Mark

***

Dear Senator ________________,

Re: What is Your Stand on Codex?

There are 12 million Presidential votes up for grabs among members of our direct sales distribution industry.

We distribute vitamins, herbs, minerals and nutritional supplements and we can be expected to vote for the candidate who takes a stand against the Codex Plan of the World Trade Organization which will destroy most of our industry, as we know it.

We’ve studied Codex and we fully understand the small print in its entirety.

Will you protect U.S. distributors and consumers of natural health products and supplements against Codex?

Will you state publicly that if elected President you will take specific steps to ensure that our right to use and sell natural health products, as created and upheld by the US Congress, cannot be superseded or overridden by the implementation of Codex or any other world trade organization?

We need to know your position. We are not conspiracy theorists who can be marginalized to the fringes of capitalism, nor can we be pacified by silence or semantic gymnastics.

We understand Codex and it’s time to learn your position.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,
Your full name
Your full address
Your phone number
Your e-mail address
Today’s Date

A WARNING TO ALL RATIONAL NETWORKERS

Mark Yarnell — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:42:55 GMT

Finally, a credible documentary by international award-winning filmmaker Kevin P. Miller is available by simply visiting www.welltv.com and watching the DVD, “We Become Silent – The Last Days of Health Freedom.”

“I am releasing a 30 minute version of ‘We Become Silent’ because it is vital to engage the worldwide public about the dangers of CODEX ALIMENTARIUS,” said Miller. “If we don’t defend our health freedoms, they will be lost — and nothing would make the drug companies happier than to have free rein over our health.”

For over three years, I’ve been warning my fellow Networkers to either take action immediately or expect most nutritional MLM companies to be put out of business by Codex and the World Trade Organization.

Some of my closest friends rolled their eyes and others pretended that this was all just going to disappear like a bad nightmare. A few company owners asked me to shut up about Codex because it would scare their distributors. Others suggested that this didn’t apply to them because their companies are involved in distributing other products.

Those responses to my concerns are pathetic. Sorry folks, the silence must end. I believe Martin Luther King was right when he said, ”Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about things that matter.”

If your income matters to you and you’re in a Network Marketing company that distributes any form of nutritional beverages, vitamins, minerals, herbs or supplements, I pray that you’ll spend 29 minute watching this documentary.

I don’t care if you believe me…you better pay attention to the MDs, congressmen, congresswomen, scientists, and experts in this documentary.

If you’re as concerned about the future of our industry as I am, I strongly urge you to send this information to everyone you know.

The bottom line is this…our freedom has already begun to atrophy because of our own inaction. Slowly, sovereign rights fade away if we don’t act.

Codex will RUIN our industry and all Networkers must make this an issue. Contact your choice for President and demand that he makes health care freedom an issue.

We Networkers have 12 million votes in America and our voices will make a difference.

Your choice for President is solely your own, but I think it’s time to find out between Obama and McCain, which one is willing to stand up to Codex and the WTO and protect our personal freedom to use and sell supplements, natural health foods and functional beverages.

My next blog will provide a sample e-mail to send to your candidate for President. This Presidential election puts us in the perfect position to find out which candidate is willing to take a stand.

In France, the people ignored Codex while big Pharma and the WTO rammed it down their throats. One woman has been arrested for selling 500 milligrams of Vitamin C.

The time is NOW!

If you don’t act, your personal choice to use and sell supplements will soon be chipped away. Visit www.welltv.com and watch, “We Become Silent – The Last Days of Health Freedom.”

LET’S GO!

Because You Want To Be!

Mark Yarnell — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:22:47 GMT

Occasionally I flip open one of Larry Winget’s books like You’re Broke Because You Want To Be.

I do that to remind myself that it’s okay to tell the truth even if it makes some people uncomfortable. His books always comfort me after I’ve had several calls from people who tell me they just can’t succeed at MLM.

Winget reminds me that life is not necessarily made up of the haves and have-nots. In some cases it’s made up of the wills and will-nots. Sometimes I hear so many sad stories and excuses back-to-back that I begin to buy into them. In reality, most people need to stop rationalizing and start working.

Remember one important fact: in order to have what you’ve never had and get something you’ve never gotten, you have to do something you’ve never done.

Sacrifice has always been one of the cornerstone principles of success and I’ve found no exception to that rule among the dozens of wealthy Networkers I’ve interviewed for my books and articles.

Everyone paid the price necessary to succeed. No one ever lucked into $100K a month.

Wishful thinking won’t cut it. There is no “secret” to effortless wealth. You cannot expect to earn the big checks if you’re being mentored by those who haven’t.

Thousands have now joined our Holy Grail Associates Club and enjoy our free newsletter. Many have made the small sacrifice to purchase the first four volumes of the Holy Grail Collection, studied them and applied our strategies.

And guess what -- not one of those people has called me to complain about problems and discuss how it cannot be done. The calls I get on a regular basis are from people who refuse to invest in their own education to learn how to build a profitable business.

Larry Winget’s book title, You’re Broke Because You Want to Be, offends some people. It will probably never sell a fraction as many copies as others that promise “secrets” and “shortcuts” to wealth, but I love his books because, just like me, Larry doesn’t make the rules. He just figures them out, plays by them and wins.

Radical Wealth in our great industry is about aligning our intentions with our actions. If you intend to succeed, I suggest that you act. And your first action should be to make certain that you and everyone in your downline visits MarkMLM.com.

Had you taken that action a year ago, you could be reading this blog on a laptop in Tahiti, sipping a pina colada.

Where are you now?

Chasing The American Dream

Mark Yarnell — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:48:03 GMT

I trout fish on backwoods lakes and streams where I often see bears and moose. I think it’s the complexity of the challenge that keeps me fishing. I gave up keeping the fish long ago because I don’t eat them. In fact, I use a barbless hook on all my flies so trout are more challenging to catch, but easy to release.

Years ago, I began tying my own flies and it has become a bit of an obsession with me.

There are an infinite number of possibilities when tying flies, but the most effective ones simulate specific insects. We call it “matching the hatch” and we tend to gravitate toward those particular flies that imitate an aquatic insect once we see it on the water.

Trout are very aware of which insects are hatching on any given day, so catching a large rainbow requires the angler to be observant.

The bigger the trout, the smarter it is. Big fish are big because they’ve outsmarted many fishermen for many years.

Globalization, outsourcing and downsizing have affected trout fishing dramatically. Instead of being able to purchase a great fly from an experienced fly-tyer, most fishermen are forced to purchase flies tied by seven-year-old African children who are paid pennies an hour to churn out dozens of flies using the cheapest possible materials. Since most fishermen don’t tie their own, they have to purchase cheap, assembly-line copies and never know any better. Fish do.

The best fly fishermen tie their own flies slowly from their personal stash of expensive feathers, beads, hooks and fabrics of every imaginable color and texture. The ultimate reward comes from our own inventions and creative insect copies.

In my tying years, I’ve created over a thousand such flies and only one has proven to be highly effective. I have one special room filled with fly-tying materials from all over the world and I’ve spent countless hours tying wet and dry flies.

On the rare occasion when a new effective pattern is invented, the rumor spreads quickly among our small community of fly fishing enthusiasts. If someone in England creates a successful fly, we’ll know about it in British Columbia in a matter of days and begin to immediately copy it. There are very few secrets in this sport.

And that brings me to the purpose of this blog. Two weeks ago I made a momentous discovery. Somebody had created a new insect pattern that is so blasted effective that they named it, “The Guaranteed.”

I bought the last four Guaranteeds I could find anywhere in our province and immediately began to search for the rare peacock neck feathers required to make it.

Literally, everybody was out of those feathers, partly because they’re so expensive and partly because very few flies, until now, required their usage. At 50 cents to $1.00 per feather, most tiers consider the peacock neck plumage an absurdity.

I have a different opinion. Any feather that will catch a big rainbow trout is priceless. Thanks to my 23-year Network Marketing career, I view rare feathers as a necessity, not a luxury.

So, all my friends wanted me to tie up some Guaranteeds, but there were no feathers anywhere. Then I found a farmwoman in the backwoods of Oregon who had peacocks all over her acreage and literally bags of neck feathers.

She asked me how many I wanted at a few cents apiece and I asked, “Do you have any hefty trash bags?” She laughed and collected a couple of hundred which cost me less than the overnight Fed Express charge to ship them. She thought I was nuts paying $50 for overnight delivery. I thought I’d died and gone to trout heaven.

I spent the next hour calling all my fishing buddies who were as excited as I was about the miracle discovery. When my wife Valerie came home, I explained my unbelievable find and she later told me that she had never seen me quite so excited.

That night, as I sat back contentedly and thought about my good fortune, it occurred to me just how silly life really is. Here I am approaching sixty, having enjoyed a life filled with mansions, airplanes, jet boats, Lotus Esprit Turbos, Swiss Chalets and Aspen ski homes. I spent six decades chasing the American Dream and no matter what I acquired, I always wanted more.

I used to think that I could find contentment and fulfillment if I just accumulated the right material possessions…and I was right to a certain extent.

I just wish someone had enlightened me when I was much younger to the real meaning of life, but no one told me the truth. So let me spare you years of unnecessary stress and toil.

Here’s the ultimate secret:

Serenity is the ability to derive absolute fulfillment from a bag of nickel feathers that may or may not arrive overnight.

Far Worse Than Ignorance

Mark Yarnell — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:57:10 GMT

I’m asked a lot of truly interesting questions from a very broad cross section of professionals. Some answers require a lot of thought while others require none.

The question I’m asked repeatedly is one of those that’s quite simple to answer. But the answer is very important. Here’s the question:

“Do most Networkers fail because of ignorance?”

No. Most Networkers fail, not because of ignorance, but because of the illusion of wisdom.

Our industry, unlike medicine, law, teaching, stock brokerage or accounting, has no requirements for participation. Even real estate sales people take tests that demonstrate minimum standards of competence. Fail, and you’re denied a license.

In fact, if you get caught impersonating a police officer, you’re in trouble. But if you’ve never recruited one person, sold one product for a Network Marketing company or ever participated in any MLM venture, you can still fabricate your credentials, slap up a pretty website and sell the illusion of wisdom about how to succeed in Network Marketing.

Not only can people impersonate successful distributors, but they can actually earn a lot of money teaching what they’ve never done. But wait, there’s more…

Not only can an incompetent sell the illusion of wisdom, but if he or she provides a large enough financial incentive to MLM leaders, affiliates will promote his or her training materials to their downline. But wait, there more…

If a person is a celebrity author with brand name recognition, all they need to do to sell their books and tapes is say something nice about the MLM industry. Evidently, Networkers are so starved for credibility and recognition, that anyone who has ever achieved success in any field will be welcomed by our profession like some liberating hero.

A person who has been on TV a few times or written any bestseller on any subject need not even create the illusion of wisdom. Presumably, their celebrity alone qualifies them to deliver speeches, and sell books and training information that will help Networkers succeed. But wait, there’s more…

If your company owners like to schmooze with celebrities, you’ll notice that every year at the annual convention, when the most loyal and committed leaders make a pilgrimage to the biggest corporate event of the year, everyone will be treated to celebrity speeches.

If Paris Hilton needed the money, I’m sure she’d be keynoting several MLM conventions. Those of you who have been in this industry for several years may remember that immediately before his murder trial, OJ Simpson was a keynote speaker at the annual convention of one of the most respected MLM companies. He was their celebrity pitchman because he once played football. Go figure.

So, how do we professional Networkers help new people avoid falling prey to the illusion of wisdom? I have a simple plan.

First, introduce your people to this blog article so they can appreciate the problem.

Second, teach them to verify the credentials of any Network Marketing trainer before buying materials. Often, a simple e-mail request for proof of credentials and follow up verification will suffice. Call their former company and verify their income claims.

Third, send an e-mail to your corporate leaders requesting a speaker at your next convention who is a recognized industry professional like Rod Cook, Jerry Clark, Sandy Elsburg, Todd Falcone or Dr. Charles King.

Fourth, do not, under any circumstances, promote training materials to anyone in your downline, no matter how much you’re financially incentivized, until you are absolutely certain that the trainer’s credentials are legitimate and you’ve successfully applied his or her strategies.

Fifth, encourage distributors to get out of their seats and into the streets. Cyberspace is crammed with the illusion of wisdom…and very little substance.

Internet training is far too seductive and filled to the brim with get-rich-quick schemes aimed at vulnerable new business builders. But a pretty website does not a competent mentor make, and it’s our job to warn folks.

Remember, unlike virtually every other field in capitalism, we have no competency tests, minimum standards of performance or standardized licensing procedures. Like the early days of mixed martial arts, “there aren’t any rules!” Most new distributors do not fail because they’re ignorant. They fail because someone who has successfully created the illusion of wisdom sells them a system.

What Inspires You?

Mark Yarnell — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:45:09 GMT

Recently, I was inspired by an act of true kindness. I wanted to pass on that inspiration and submitted this article which was published, in our newspaper, The Daily Courier.

MERMAID RESCUES SIDEWALK SAILOR

Recently, I witnessed a random act of extreme kindness and I’m thankful to have been present.

At the busy intersection of Harvey and Richter, the light changed and an elderly person slowly rolled onto the highway. For some reason, the wheelchair malfunctioned and the person was trapped on Hwy 97.

A petite young woman jumped from her SUV and raced across several lanes, grabbed the back of the wheelchair, and struggled to push the person to safety all the way across Harvey. She then ran back to her own vehicle just in time for the light to change and drove off anonymously as many of us sat and marveled at her decisiveness and bravery.

In my 58 years, I’ve witnessed many acts of kindness for which the activity itself was reward enough to the unselfish participant. But written across the young woman’s SUV was the word, “Mermaids” so I felt compelled to acknowledge her decency, although I have no idea who the Mermaids are.

But about one thing I am certain. On that Saturday, on a busy street in Kelowna, one Mermaid became an angel.

By Mark Yarnell

Inspiration comes from many sources when we’re tuned in.

Please send us a message (holygrail@telus.net) and tell us what inspires or has inspired you? Where do you find your inspiration? Please share a story with us. We’d love to hear from you.

What to Do the Next Time You Doubt Your Potential

Mark Yarnell — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:18:26 GMT

“Families is where our nation takes hope, where wings take dream. I know how hard it is to put food on your family.” –George W. Bush (2005 speech)

The next time you are feeling down and out…the next time you are rejected by prospects or scolded by an upline leader…the next time you feel like quitting Network Marketing altogether and returning to traditional business…the next time you question your own ability to become a wealthy, successful leader…pull out the above quote and re-read it several times.

Surely you’re capable of earning $100,000 a month in a system of global capitalism which is led by individuals who have made it to the very pinnacle and then articulate such brilliance from on-high.

Or better yet, purchase the book from which I’m quoting: The Mammoth Book of Zingers, Quips and One-liners, by Carroll and Graff and immerse yourself in the absolute genius of international leaders and billionaires.

Trust me---you can succeed in Network Marketing.

How to Earn and Keep the BIG Checks Coming In

Mark Yarnell — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:27:08 GMT

“People can always be counted on to do the right thing – after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” – Winston Churchill

I’m always fascinated by the amount of money people spend on training systems that DO NOT WORK before they throw up their hands and purchase the Holy Grail of Network Marketing volumes.

It’s become so absurd in recent years that corporate managers who sit on their butts drawing salaries are creating training systems for entrepreneurs in our industry.

Authors, consultants and celebrities are being paid huge fees to speak at Network Marketing conventions, in spite of the fact that they’ve never built squat.

It’s no wonder so many people keep switching companies as if the solution were to be found in some magic pre-launch or one secret strategy.

Do you really want to know how most of us get to the huge checks and keep them coming for decades? OKAY. Here is it.

Do one thing at a time.
Do it right.
Finish it.

And before you waste another penny on any strategy, lead list or training system, make absolutely certain that the individual selling it has earned at least $100,000 a month in Network Marketing for several years, consistently.

13 1/2 Years Left...And Counting

Mark Yarnell — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:58:46 GMT

13 ½ Years Left…and Counting

“America is sleepwalking into the future. In fact, we have walked out of our burning house and we are now heading off the edge of a cliff.” – Dan Garner

A year and a half ago, when I recorded a sizzle call on www.15yearsleft.com, some people rejected my position, calling it “too negative.” Others considered it the ultimate new recruiting tool.

Today, people are paying closer attention to my analysis. Why? Because less than two years after my predictions, gas has gone to $4.00 a gallon, schools and businesses are so worried that they’re scaling back to a four-day week, and the worst mortgage meltdown since the great depression has caused record foreclosures.

So let me reiterate…get your prospects to www.15yearsleft.com and make certain that all your new recruits purchase and study the first four volumes of The Holy Grail of Network Marketing.

Folks, this is just the beginning of large-scale change in our society and Network Marketing is the best viable exit strategy. We’re now down to less than 14 years.

Unlock Your Potential

Mark Yarnell — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:58:13 GMT

“Aligning our intentions with our actions is the key to unlocking our potential. It is something you can learn, but in exchange you have to give something up.” – Larry Winget

People are often amazed by the story of Kathy Denison, the maid-turned millionaire whom I was lucky enough to sponsor on my front line in NuSkin. They are so intrigued by her rags-to-riches account that they miss the basis of her success - sacrifice.

Kathy gave up her cleaning business, her friends and everything she loved in Aspen when she packed a u-haul and moved with her teenage daughter to San Diego to build her Network Marketing business.

In exchange for wealth, Kathy gave up her entire environment, borrowed money, and moved to a city with a huge population and much more potential – one where she knew nobody. She sacrificed the familiarity of her comfort zone for the excitement of wealth.

What are you willing to give up in exchange for the ability to unlock your potential?

If I Were King

Mark Yarnell — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 11:17:38 GMT

My worldview has become such a tapestry of ideas that it is becoming virtually impossible to credit everyone properly for their individual contributions to the picture. So let me just say at the outset of this essay, that most of my proposed solutions to the issues discussed in my earlier blog called, “Dumbed Down Without a Fight,” are not a result of my own original thinking.

I’m often asked for my sources because people want to read some of the books I’ve read and when possible, I disclose them. But these solutions are a compilation of three decades of living, reading and thinking and that’s a long time. So I would urge you to accept what makes sense and reject what doesn’t. Think for yourself. Don’t worry about who said what.

First, I’d like you to know my motive for writing this. I now realize that the two factors most responsible for my serenity were a direct result of nothing but luck. I am, like everyone else, a product of heredity and environment. I had absolutely no role in the selection of my parents, nor my time and place of birth. Over time, I learned to control my own choices and emotions and that ability has served me well.

Along the way, I discovered three distinct categories into which I’m certain humans fit. I call these categories IG, DG and PG.

THE IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION CATEGORY (IG)

Immediate Gratification (IG) is the primary category because it contains as many as 75% of all human beings. Half the poor souls in this world are born into impoverished cultures where their entire lifetime focus is about finding enough food for the very next meal.

IG people on some continents have been known to engage in behavior that the rest of us can’t grasp. Some sell their children into slavery, auction off one of their own kidneys or climb on tiny makeshift rafts and risk their lives at sea, praying to reach a land of better opportunities.

They aren’t the only ones in the IG category. Those born into cultures of wealth and privilege often face the flipside problems of clinical obesity and diabetes, alcoholism and drug addiction, crime and punishment, boredom and suicide.

Throughout all human history, the manner in which IG people function has depended largely on their time and place of birth. Those born into cultures of poverty are often doomed to a life of subsistence living, that is, wandering around with wooden bowls searching for roots and grub worms to eat. Those born into cultures of plenty have to figure out how to avoid the seduction of whiskey, pastries and greasy meat. That’s been the story throughout recent history. Think about it. Today, as always, the two leading causes of premature human death are related directly to starvation or obesity depending on where IG people happen to have been born. So, that’s the first group.

Before discussing the other two, let’s examine why the world has always been in crisis mode. Rape, plunder, war, suicide and sexual abuse have always plagued us in spite of our alleged progress as civilized primates. I’m convinced that our human brain has genetically evolved to survive in immediate gratification mode because until just recently human beings have always lived in scarcity.

We know intellectually that it’s more sensible to make sacrifices and avoid the huge pitfalls of immediate gratification, yet most seem to be cognitively hardwired to be IG humans. We’ve all seen poor immigrants come to North America and work their fingers to the bone in order to create better lives than those they’ve left behind, only to have their children grow up as slackers. That’s the way it works. Those who sacrifice the most, ultimately enjoy the wealth that comes to many DG members. But that often doesn’t last for more than one or two generations.

Poor Africans and South Americans born into IG environments, have a justifiable reason for spending their lives in search of their next meal. They are IG by birth. In our world, people fully understand why it’s best to make sacrifices and delay gratification, but most can’t. We make feeble attempts like New Years resolutions, but we soon break those. By mid January everyone is right back into their overeating, over-partying, underperforming modes. Does that make them stupid? No. It makes them typical IGrs who comprise 75% of the population.

Only those willing to make sacrifices will ever escape and most people would rather risk death by answering their cell phones in traffic rather than turning off the ringer until they arrive at their destination safely. In fact, cell phones are a perfect illustration because they’re the ultimate example of predatory capitalists manipulating consumers deeper and deeper into the IG category.

It’s been estimated that 74% of Americans own and use cell phones. That’s a very close number to the estimated 75% people in category IG. Why do 26% of the people in America not own cell phones? After all, they’re so cheap that many homeless people carry them. Here’s why. The minority of people who understand the importance of prioritizing effort and sacrifice above immediate gratification will never tether themselves to a wireless feed drip of irrelevant minutiae which encourages them to be diverted from their intended objectives. Are they smarter? No. They are card-carrying members of DG and they’ve decided to self-regulate behavior. Two out of ten human beings have demonstrated that it’s possible to delay gratification and that’s category number two.

THE DELAYED GRATIFICATION CATEGORY (DG)

The second group, DG, those capable of delayed gratification, make up around 20% of the population. They are those who learn to make the sacrifices necessary today in order to enjoy the postponed cumulative benefits of tomorrow. By avoiding the seduction of immediate gratification, they hope to one day enjoy the results of their self-discipline. Many do, but many also die along the way because that’s what happens in life. We die and we have no earthly idea of when or how that’s going to happen. All we know for certain is that our odds of death are one out of one.

THE POSTHUMOUS GRATIFICATION CATEGORY (PG)

The final five percent of human beings fall into the PG category - posthumous gratification. They don’t expect to be taken seriously until long after they are dead and gone. PG humans often become experts in some narrow field or niche domain, live long enough to educate others about their chosen field, and then live out their lives on the fruits of their delayed gratification. They may become celebrities and enjoy worldly status, but that’s usually an accidental bi-product, rather than their intended objective. They do what they love in a field they enjoy and they hope that perhaps, long after their death, people will benefit from their life’s work.

Of the 5% that fall into the PG category, a small number spend their early years in IG, their middle years in DG and their final years, if they are lucky enough to be granted longevity, in PG. They differ from other PG people in two very important respects. Instead of becoming an expert in one field, they focus their spare time learning from experts in multiple disciplines. And instead of becoming celebrities, even when offered that opportunity, as many are, they choose instead to enjoy their anonymity and avoid the pitfalls of stardom. They are content to write about what they learn. They have enough self-esteem, money and time freedom to do whatever meets their needs. The last thing they are willing to do is give that all up for their proverbial fifteen minutes of fame.

Such people are not the most educated or intelligent, nor are they absent of all character defects. To suggest otherwise would be quite disingenuous because although I’m a member of this tiny minority, I’ve had to stumble through my own fair share of self-induced narcissistic dramas. While I’m fairly content today living in my own skin, that hasn’t always been the case. Even now, I realize that my decision to stay at home with the people I love where I can trout fish or paraglide daily stems primarily from selfish personal choices, rather than some deep spiritual commitment to Buddhist-like nonattachment.

And that brings me back to the motive for this essay. It’s simple. I find gratification in the knowledge that my years of research have led to some conclusions that might one day, long after I’m gone, prove not only accurate, but also beneficial.

As a minority member of the PG group, I have no delusions that what I write today will influence any significant number of my contemporaries. Beyond the usual number of kind e-mails from a handful of readers, I’m content with the simple joy of writing and the knowledge that if these solutions were implemented, they might influence the course of human events. For me, that’s motive enough.

SOLUTIONS

In this, the second essay of a trilogy beginning with “Dumbed Down Without a Fight” and culminating in “Welcome to Game Internet,” I will offer smart solutions to dumb problems. I called this essay, “If I Were King” because to make these changes as a politically elected member of any Democracy would be impossible, given the huge number of special interest groups who profit directly from infomania and other forms of commercialized stupidity. Now for some solutions.

Eliminate Lobbying

First we eliminate all lobbying of all elected officials. People should go to jail for bribery, not earn millions. If I were King, my first act would be to decree that lobbying is illegal.

Ban Pharmaceutical Advertising

Next, we ban all pharmaceutical advertising. On this entire planet only two civilized nations allow the pharmaceutical industry to advertise directly to consumers: New Zealand and The United States. There’s a good reason why 91 countries have banned such activities.

Pharmaceutical companies not only invent products that sometimes have horrible side effects or often don’t work, they also invent new diseases whenever they want to create new profit centers. “Social Anxiety Disorder,” “Restless Leg Syndrome” “ADT” B.S.!

Let’s knock off the big pharma ads. They are manipulative. The only serious virus we need to cure is mindless consumerism.

Decriminalize Drugs

Next, we decriminalize all drugs. I don’t expect most people to know American history so permit me to point out that when heroine, marijuana and cocaine were legal in the US prior to 1914, there was far less addiction, few crimes related to drugs, and very few prisons. People simply went to their pharmacist each morning, got their drugs, then went home and caused no trouble. Today, prisons and illegal drug trafficking are two of America’s biggest growth industries, exceeded only by pornography. Police, lawyers, judges, drug cartels and terrorist organizations are making so much money that they want to hide the truth.

Here’s the truth. In every civilized nation where medical professionals legally dispense drugs to anyone who wants them, including England, crime and addiction are far lower than in the US. That cannot be debated.

Let me give you one more irrefutable fact: methadone is far stronger and lasts hours longer than heroine. Anyone in America can walk into any methadone clinic, take a simple blood test to prove that they have opiates in their blood, and pay a couple of dollars for a full day’s high. They can do that legally every day. So why don’t you ever hear about methadone addicts committing crimes? Because it’s available every day, legal and cheap. The reason such a powerful, legal and cheap opiate drug is available in every community is that there are a handful of huge pharmaceutical companies making a killing by selling a product stronger than heroine and keeping it all very quiet. It was Bayer who sold the most heroine until a few politicians decided there was a problem. There wasn’t.

Addiction levels have absolutely no relationship to drugs being legal or illegal. But if they are illegal they create massive amounts of crime and crime in America, just like pornography, is a huge growth industry. Addicts don’t commit crimes unless drugs are illegal and therefore over-priced.

Clean up the Eastern Garbage Patch

If I were King, I’d lead an initiative to clean up the Eastern Garbage patch between Japan and the United States. What’s that, you ask? It’s a swirling vortex of poisons, plastics and trash roughly twice the size of Texas, growing exponentially, and killing every living mammal, bird and plant in a several thousand-mile triangle.

You don’t hear any of the presidential candidates talking about that one, do you? Why? Because it’s going to take another 25 years to reach any shore, at which time most politicians plan to be dead. Obviously, they could care less about their grandkids or California real estate values in 2032. And by the way, why not check out Eastern Garbage Patch yourself (Google it) and read what unbiased scientists and journalists are saying.

Ban Cell Phone Usage in Vehicles

Next, I would make cell phone usage in automobiles punishable by one month in prison. Every 16 minutes, some idiot causes a cell-phone-induced traffic fatality in those nations that still allow and encourage their usage…you know, like America. It would be very easy to run a cell phone check on a driver in any accident by having police simply contact service providers to determine if any accident perpetrator was talking on a cell at the time of the accident. If they were…boom! Off to jail.

Withdraw Self-Esteem Programs from Schools

Finally, I would pull self-esteem programs out of all school systems in North America. I agree with Dr. Jean Twenge: instead of creating well-adjusted, happy children, the self-esteem movement has created an army of little narcissists.

Decades of research have shown that high self-esteem does not cause good grades or good behavior. The purpose of school is to help children learn and assist them in developing strong self-esteem through experiencing successes and bouncing back from failures.

Most of the 25 to 39 year old guys you see skateboarding around every city looking at their text message screens feel very hip. What they don’t realize is that in ten years many of them will be pushing shopping carts full of cans or waiting tables all thanks to the self-esteem movement. Many are convinced that they will become great writers or major league stars if they “Think they can.” That’s “The Secret?” Think positive thoughts, believe in yourself and get ready to claim your abundance because the whole universe is conspiring to acknowledge your greatness. Right.

Tax Junk Food

If I were King those are the first few solutions I would implement. There would be many more like a huge tax on fast food, candy and pastries so we could diminish diabetes and clinical obesity and fund universal health care.

Caps on Spending

Caps on political spending would be imposed so that many professional women could afford to run for President.

Prioritize Rebuilding New Orleans

We would abandon all space missions until we’ve rebuilt New Orleans and fed all of America’s poor children.

Eliminate Corporate Tax Loopholes

We’d eliminate all corporate tax loopholes and impose a 10% flat tax on all citizens.

Vote on Military Invasions

Military invasions of any country would require a 2/3-majority vote of all our citizens.

I could go on and on, but the reality is that I’m not King and never will be. Most primates appear to be cognitively hardwired to pursue immediate gratification and that probably won’t change. But I hope that anyone who picks up this blog two hundred years from 2009 will appreciate the fact that, although impotent and in the minority, a few folks in the 21st century were not living in denial. We saw the problems and we saw the solutions. We did our best to make the facts available to everyone, but most people were too scattered to pay attention to reality. We tried, and in our attempts to sound the alarms, we found personal contentment although the masses were too involved in the immediate gratification of digital gizmos to pay attention.

Excuse me, but I’m now leaving to go paragliding. To anyone reading this in 2200, let me explain paragliding.

“Before your great-great-great grandparents moved underground, primates used to live on the earth’s surface. Back before the comprehensive animal extinctions in the early 21st century, a decade before planetary air and water toxicity reached lethal levels, we humans actually built our homes above ground. Back then we had mountains which were real high peaks and humans could run off them with beautiful wings and soar on thermals with the eagles. What were eagles? They were huge birds who had six-foot wingspans and survived by hunting salmon. What were salmon? They were a beautiful species of fish that lived in clear water rivers and streams. What was clear water? Oh, never mind.”

The Spirit Bear

Mark Yarnell — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:09:57 GMT

Dear Friends & Members of The Holy Grail of Network Marketing,

Last fall, as Valerie and I floated down a wilderness river in the forest near Bella Coola, B.C., we encountered a number of grizzly bears feeding on the spawning salmon. The male grizzly that Valerie captured in the photo below was more curious than aggressive. It inspired me to write a short poem about spirit. We felt that it would be nice to share it with our friends and members of The Holy Grail. Feel free to pass it on if you feel moved to do so.

Enjoy, Mark

The Spirit Bear

Beyond each green cathedral,
And shadowed human shrine,
A silent strength remains in wait,
A predator…sublime.

That courage born in every child,
To challenge and compete,
To taste the joy of victory,
And learn from each defeat…

Still lingers just beyond one’s sight,
More camouflaged each year,
As weeds of age grow taller,
Obscuring dreams once clear.

But lest you think the joy is gone,
From goals you once believed,
Until you take your final breath,
There’s much to be achieved.

For just beneath the surface,
In spite of aging’s toll,
There dwells the spirit bear of youth,
Your boundless human soul.

-Mark Yarnell

Dumbed Down Without a Fight

Mark Yarnell — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:31:03 GMT

I think it’s time for rational, mature adults to step up to the plate and tell the truth about the state of humanity. I’m going to do that right now. But even more important than my telling the truth is your spreading it so that we can deal with it. Here’s what I would appreciate. If what I write makes sense, please send information about this blog to everyone you can reach.

Although Random House recently approached me to do so, it would mean absolutely nothing for me to write another best selling book in a society where 95% of all citizens do not read one book a year. But with your help, we can get this information to the masses in time to alter our course somewhat. Without your technological assistance, these ideas will continue to be overlooked and ignored. We’ve all got a dog in this fight and most of us realize that our societal direction is becoming psychotic.

First of all, I take no credit for the ideas I am about to share. I’m a simple Missouri guy who, thanks to risk, sacrifice and hard work, created the wealth and time freedom to embark on two decades of pleasurable study and research. For the past twenty years I have made it my hobby to read as many as five books a week by some of the greatest minds in business, science, technology and culture.

Second, I have purposefully read books on both sides of issues so as to not fall victim to confirmation bias by reading primarily those authors who support my personal opinions.

Third, I’m not a conspiracy theorist who finds adversaries behind every tree, nor do I believe that our current social and economic problems are hopeless.

Fourth, I have no political agenda in spreading this information. It’s up to you and me, and not some new president or celebrity, to make changes. What we need immediately is a widespread return to common sense which no celebrity or politician has been able to facilitate.

It’s all up to you and me.

Finally, if you’re happy with the human condition as it exists, you need read no further and certainly need not recommend this essay to anyone. If for example, you are better off emotionally and financially than you’ve ever been or if you feel that spending trillions of our tax dollars to send Americans to Mars by 2020 makes more sense than solving the mortgage crisis, the US deficit and feeding the 30,000 kids who die each week from hunger, this essay will only anger you. Stop reading right now.

Before I begin, I would like to give some of the credit for the ideas shared in this essay to Benjamin Barber, author of Consumed, and consultant to numerous civic leaders on every continent in the disciplines of democracy, citizenship, culture and education. Barber serves as Distinguished Senior Fellow at The University of Maryland.

I would also like to call your attention to a book called Moving Cultures by Andre Caron who holds the Bell Chair at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Emerging Technologies at the University of Montreal. And I learned a great deal from Marc Houser’s book Moral Minds. Hauser has a background in evolutionary biology, and psychology and serves as Director of the Cognitive Evolutionary Mind, Brain and Behavior program at Harvard University.

Now to my thesis concept. I believe that North American Society is being dumbed down and its citizenry systematically converted from energetic producers to passive consumers. I believe that you and I can and must reverse that process if we are to preserve capitalism.

In this first essay I’ll offer some insights into how we arrived here. It does absolutely no good to assign blame to any sector of an economy for creating profitable systems when that’s the stated objective of every for-profit company. My purpose is to eliminate stupidity, not draw attention to those who have figured out how to profit from it.

The dumbing down of America was officially launched when the corporate world discovered that people could be seduced into a world of digital communications and trapped there. Corporate strategists facilitated a slow addiction to social connectedness by convincing people that they don’t just need tools for urgent communications, but rather that all communications are themselves urgent. They aren’t. In fact, most are irrelevant.

The result is a culture of widespread attention deficit disorder where meaningless, superficial and shallow dialogue have become more important than focus, concentration and productivity. “Quick, pull your car over. Your babysitter is calling because she can’t find the ketchup!” Or worse, keep right on driving while you talk to her and risk a head-on. Cell phone induced traffic fatalities occur every 16 minutes.

By popularizing a widespread attitude of infantile habits and behaviors that legitimize childishness and immediate gratification, an army of mindless consumers has been ushered into a kind of “Stepford Existence” where everyone gets to be master and commander of their own little screens and ringers.

Once rational adults are frozen in perpetual adolescence, they remain youth consumers even when they become adults. The process is what I call the Peter Pan syndrome. In case you’ve forgotten Peter’s philosophy, here’s a direct quote from the book and movie: “I don’t want to grow up. I don’t want to be a man. I want to always be a little boy and to have fun.”

In fact, if it hadn’t been for his sister Wendy’s common sense, Peter and his siblings would have been flying around in their pajamas flinging tinker bell dust right into adulthood.

Or to put it in today’s context - unless rational adults start telling the truth, many will continue rolling around on skateboards listening to Moby, answering cell phones, flinging e-mails into Cyberspace and playing Grand Theft Auto well into their fifties.

And who can blame all the intelligent, responsible thinkers among us for keeping quiet? Many of us see the insanity, but what sane person likes to be emotionally hammered by special interest celebrities?

We’ve all witnessed the same scenario over and over. The second step in the infantilzation of America has been for special interest groups to trot out pseudo experts in order to systematically discredit those who point out that the Emperor has no clothes. Nobody likes to be publicly ridiculed as “dinosaurs, technophobes and ludites who, ‘just don’t get it’.”

It’s gotten to the place now where any credible authority who holds a magnifying glass up to America’s cultural stupidity becomes the victim of public attacks. Let a PhD in quantum physics point out anything that diminishes the stock values of some aerospace or pharmaceutical giant, and you can bet that within a week there’ll be a panel of experts on Larry King spinning some rumor about that expert’s former relationship with a goat. Or you’ll find out that his daughter used to be his son and now heads up Lesbians Against The Bible. I think you get the picture. Thinking people have become a bit gun shy. Credible experts are mercilessly attacked by hired guns with minimal expertise.

So back to my thesis. The problem is that we are allowing ourselves to be systematically dumbed down without a fight. We’ve been led to believe that communications are urgent, immediate gratification is more of a priority than focused effort, consumption is more fulfilling than production, and being stuck in adolescence is not only possible, but desirable.

The self-esteem experiment initiated into our school system twenty years ago has churned out an entire generation of narcissists who believe that they can achieve all their goals with or without skills or experience if they just dare to dream. If you want to know much more, read the fabulous book Generation Me.

Books like The Secret perpetuate that same myth among adults. For the first time in human history the Internet has opened an infinite portal of human philosophy, history and wisdom. Yet according to Google’s own statistics, the top searches from 2001-2005 were Eminem, Britany Spears, Pamela Anderson, Harry Potter, Janet Jackson and Paris Hilton. Go figure.

Clinical obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Grand Theft Auto III outsells Beethoven, Bach and Mozart combined. Millions of people have decided to take prescription drugs for PR-created maladies like restless leg syndrome, rather than depending on the former cure known as walking. And those who do walk have been persuaded that they need ski poles.

With all this going on, it would seem that most adults with an IQ above room temperature would be highly cynical, negative and demoralized. Millions of Americans are! Others, like me, are incurable optimists. I give thanks every day for the good fortune of having been born in the greatest country on earth at the greatest time in human history.

I believe in the intelligence and resourcefulness of my North American brothers and sisters and I think the solutions to the challenges we face are not only within reach, but doable.

First though, we all need to take a deep breath, stand back and view our civilization from a posture of common sense and clarity.

The purpose of this essay was simply to get your attention. If I succeeded and you share some of these same concerns, tell other people the truth and we’ll get a dialogue started. I think you’ll agree that the path forward is not nearly as daunting as our celebrities and leaders would have us believe.

We have to begin by giving up a few bad habits and before you know it, stupidity will gradually begin to wind down and rational adult decision-making will return to its rightful position in society.

Believe it or not when I was young, air was clean and pornography was dirty. Drive-bys are nothing new - that’s what our family did every Christmas Eve. We kids put on our pajamas and Dad drove us around town so we could look at all the beautiful lights. There were two gangs on our block. I was in the gang of guys that played baseball. The guys in the other gang were more into fishing.

You may think of me as an old guy, but I must tell you, the 60s were cool years to be a teenager. Like dude, real cool. So chill and help me spread the word.

NETWORK MARKETING - A VEHICLE FOR CHANGE

Mark Yarnell — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:48:00 GMT

Although many of the best authors in numerous fields are of the opinion that most Americans are not prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to change the direction of humanity, I refuse to abandon my optimism.

Right before the fall of the Roman Empire, Livy wrote, “We have reached the point where we cannot stand either our vices or their cures.”

While necessary changes may appear difficult, we better get to work because history is very clear about one fact. When any world power in the past found itself with both its moral ecology and economic growth in disarray at the same time, it slipped into dictatorship.

I believe that today it’s different because of two new and unique cultural facts. First, digital communications provide us for the very first time in human history with the ability to get the facts to the masses in a hurry. That means that if something really makes sense, everyone can learn about it in time to initiate change. That’s the main reason I ask you to please pass this blog forward if you agree with it.

Second, Network Marketing is a new profession without any earnings cap and it provides a vehicle for average people to rapidly accumulate the money, power and time freedom necessary to facilitate change. That’s why I continue to champion this industry. To cash in now, kick back and disregard everyone else, would be to give in to the poverty of affluence. As long as so many others are suffering, no amount of personal material belongings can bring anyone complete happiness and fulfillment…certainly not me.

I believe that three things are self-evident. First, change is possible if enough decent people create the personal wealth and time freedom to facilitate that change.

Second, if we offer the best strategies in the best field in order to assist people in the accumulation of personal prosperity, millions of decent folks will then have the time and incentive to join us and accept the challenge.

Third, I believe that those who acquire our training materials and accumulate enough personal resources and free time to make a real cultural difference will respect us enough to participate in our social initiatives.

It is simply no longer acceptable to deny the human condition in our quest for personal prosperity. Perhaps you agree.

So here’s the deal. We’ll help you acquire the funds, then let’s give everyone the same opportunity.

Remember, we live in a very unique time. Those millions of folks who desired change in every previous historical empire, lacked the communications tools we have and the personal funds available to us.

Those poor souls with big hearts, though in the majority, simply lacked the ability and resources to demand changes that were in the best interest of the masses. In the history of all humanity, we alone have the capacity to refocus our efforts and redefine destinies.

I believe the masses in every generation have always been decent folks who were unfortunately born into caste systems of labor and poverty governed by ruling elites who were focused on perpetuating their own wealth, power and control.

That’s not the case today. But if we continue to allow ourselves to be dumbed down without a fight into robotic consumers who refuse to embrace the higher ideals of character, morality and charity, we will have no one to blame but ourselves when our culture follows in the footsteps of all others and descends into a swirling vortex of mediocrity and institutionalized greed.

And please don’t be delusional. Every world power and advanced human civilization has been sucked into the same vortex which we are now poised to enter. There are no exceptions in all of recorded history. My analysis may not be pleasant, but it is factual. Let’s deal with it.

Let's End the Blame Game in Network Marketing

Mark Yarnell — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:14:52 GMT

Last week I watched a documentary about people who were dying. The interviewer was asking them all kinds of questions and an answer from one guy really grabbed me. It was indicative of how defeatist some human beings in western culture have become. The guy was 300 pounds overweight, dying from complications related to his weight and he knew had less than a week to live. The interviewer asked him, "Are you scared?" He said, "No, but I'm a bit angry. I just can't believe that my friends and family allowed me to get this fat."

I couldn't believe my ears and yet I hear a similar version of this attitude from Networkers who blame others for their own mediocrity. If I could wave a magic wand and create one universal mindset among entrepreneurs it would be simply this, "I am responsible for my income."

In Network Marketing the only objective is to sell products or services and recruit new distributors. No upline ever dragged anyone across the finish line. We're paid to sponsor and sponsors are people who provide opportunities.

Can you imagine Tiger Woods saying, "I can't believe Nike let me lose the Masters!" Nike is his sponsor, not his babysitter. Don't waste time worrying about your upline and never waste time babysitting your downline. Do support those who are working, but don't feel responsible for those who project their failure onto you.

A leader is someone who consistently demonstrates what's possible. That's what makes Tiger Woods so great. He keeps winning because he keeps doing what he's paid to do. You are today exactly where you have chosen to be and it has absolutely nothing to do with anyone but you.

The same is true about everyone in your downline, so don't waste your time pandering to those who want to blame you for their averagism. You provided them access to the greatest opportunity in capitalism, what they do with it is solely up them.