Recently we talked about How the Law of Attraction can Work Against YOU because your mind have tendencies to think negative thoughts. And these negative thoughts hold captive your unlimited potential and deprive you of the success you deserve.

So…

How can you stay positive all the time even when bad things happen?

How do you prevent these negative thoughts from coming into your minds?

How do you get rid of existing negative thoughts?

Solutions to Protecting Your Mind

Fortunately there are many solutions.

To control our minds and prevent negative thoughts from happening, you can:

- hang around with positive people

- read a motivating book

- listen to a motivating audio

- stay away from negative people

- stop reading the news (which is always negative)

The Easiest Solution

The great news is that there is even an easier solution!

The best way to stay positive and protect your mind from debilitating negative thoughts is with GRATITUDE.

Take a few moments each day to be grateful for what you have.

My normal routine is I start and end my days with a prayer of gratitude and mentally list out 5 things that I am grateful for.

Do your best to come up with 5 different things everyday. If you can’t come up with new things each day, then you can simply be grateful for the same 5 things. Sometimes I have 5 different things and sometimes I have the same 2 – 3.

If I am having a rough day, I have learned to take a mental “time out” and just close my eyes for 30 seconds and repeat the 5 things that I am grateful for. Just by doing that, it can totally change my attitude and attitude change always leads to better results and transforms a bad day into a good day.

It is as Easy as This

Just take 30 – 60 seconds and come up with 5 things you are grateful for. I will lead by example and share with you first.

At this moment I am grateful for:

1) Having the time to share this important exercise of gratitude with you

2) Being able to have the resources to share with you (computer, internet)

3) My wife for her support and for being the world’s best mom

4) My healthy and adorable son, Ethan

5) My “best friend”, Obi

IMPORTANT NOTE
Notice that my 5 things are in random order and were the first 5 things that came to my mind while I am writing this. That is the secret to this exercise. Just mentally let go and put down whatever comes to your mind.

What are YOU Grateful for?

Take a minute to think and be thankful for 5 things. Do it now.

Make a commitment to do this at least 2 times a day… it will do wonders for you! After you do this a few days, let me know how it has changed your life!

Sincerely,
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
P.S. If you interested to have me help you with a home based business or have a general business question about marketing and sales, feel free to Contact Me
 
P.P.S. Many of you have contacted me and enjoy the lessons that I have included in my past blogs.  If you are hungry and want to learn more tips on how to increase your productivity, improve your life and become more successful, I would like to invite you to become a member of Simon Chan Insider’s Circle. For a limited time Membership is FREE. Click Here to learn more.
 
 
 

I’ve been spending the last few days on the island of Maui in Hawaii for a great family vacation. It’s been a great to enjoy time with family and also just to be around nature. Hawaii is beautiful!

Throughout this trip, I kept on thinking about YOU along with the rest of my Simon Chan Insider Circle members.

I wish all of you could be here with me in Hawaii and not only could we enjoy the sights and sounds but we could form a big mastermind and share ideas on how we can grow our home businesses and empower others.

3 Things were on my Mind while I was in Hawaii.

1) Gratitude

The first was I am very grateful for what the network marketing and MLM industry has done for me. Without my home business, I would never been able to just take off and travel and spend time with my family in beautiful places like Hawaii.

2) Helping Others

The second thought was that the ONLY way I could have enjoy my current success is because I have been able to live my purpose and “have a positive impact” on other people’s lives. I have been fortunate to have helped tons of families achieve freedom from their jobs and the corporate world.

The people whom I worked with were able to earn enough from their network marketing business to quit their jobs and go full time. You can say they “fired their bosses” because their jobs could no longer “afford them.” They were able apply what I had taught them and I saw them outgrow their jobs, and become more business savy than their bosses. They became “overqualified.” I witnessed lives being changed and I saw the transformations of average employees to a successful entrepreneurs through network marketing businesses.

That is the power of network marketing and the MLM industry.

However… my 3rd thought humbled me and challenged me…

3) I realized I have not done ENOUGH.

There are still millions of hard working people who live paycheck to paycheck because no one presented them with an opportunity to unleash their potential and excel.

There are still millions of families that never get to spend enough time with their kids because of the demands from their jobs…

And then… there are the millions of people in the network marketing industry that still has NOT achieved the success they hoped for.

This Hawaii vacation has made me grateful but at the same time made me realize that I still have MUCH MORE WORK TO DO!

There are still thousands of people that I need to help…

While these thoughts were in my mind, I realized that I can’t just sit back and analyze…

I need to take action but in order to take action, I needed a BIG GOAL.

A BIG GOAL that would inspire me to wake up every morning…

A BIG GOAL that would allow me to have a STRONGER POSITIVE IMPACT

so…

After much contemplating… I have set a realistic and BIG goal for the next 100 days.

100 families in 100 days.

For the next 100 days, my goal is to help 100 families achieve freedom and be able to quit their full time jobs and work at home.

Once they quit their jobs, they will no longer be slaves to a job and be able to spend more time with their families.

100 families in 100 days. I believe that would have an everlasting impact on our children, families and our economies.

So… in the next 100 days, you will see me create new training resources, write more blogs and work on new projects that will help the network marketing community. It will be a busy time but an exciting time… but we must move fast since families and lives are at stake.

Let’s all work harder on our BIG GOAL in the next 100 days and make this happen!

Sincerely,
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
P.S. If you have already achieved freedom in your network marketing business, then I recommend you to take this challenge yourself and pass it to your team. Focus your time on helping your team hit this target and when that happens, not only will you be more successful but more importantly you will know that you have helped others and helping others is what ultimately makes us happy.
 
P.P.S. If you interested to have me help you with a home based business or have a general business question about marketing and sales, feel free to Contact Me
 
P.P.P.S. Many of you have contacted me and enjoy the lessons that I have included in my past blogs.  If you are hungry and want to learn more tips on how to increase your productivity, improve your life and become more successful, I would like to invite you to become a member of Simon Chan Insider’s Circle. For a limited time Membership is FREE. Click Here to learn more.
 
 
 

Recently I read Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon and it is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile.

Everyone should read this book because it teaches you to be creative.

If you need to be creative, you MUST read it. And I believe that we all need to be creative so that we can get new ideas; because new ideas allows us to change and it is only through change that we get better.

If you are an artist, musician entrepreneur, have a network marketing business or just want to have a more interesting and fun life, you MUST READ THIS BOOK ASAP!

The book is one of the best books I’ve read because:

1) It is short and fun to read but profound. I read it in less than 2 hours but have found myself going back to the book numerous times to re-read and let the ideas sink in

2) It has great and amusing art that reinforces the lessons. It is teaching at its best because you will remember the artwork and that will help you remember the lessons.

3) It teaches how ideas are originated

4) Provides you great tips on how to be creative

Digital World versus Analog World

One of the major things that the author teaches was something I was already doing it but I was never aware of it.

The author emphasizes separately your time between the digital (internet, computers, electronics) and analog world. (old fashioned paper, pen, sketching, being outdoors, etc). The analog world is where ideas are originated but the digital world is where the ideas are executed. Wow!

Now it makes so much sense… no wonder I get my best ideas when I go for my daily bike rides! When I bike, I am in the “analog” world. For example, I came up with the ideas to write this blog while I was biking to the gym and now I am executing my ideas (typing them up) on my Mac. (digital world)

Go get the book. It is a very fun and great read. Not only will you enjoy it but you will learn valuable lessons and the book will become one of the treasures in your growing library.

By the way, where do you get YOUR ideas from? The Digital or the Analog world? I’m interested to know!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
P.S. If you interested to have me help you with a home based business or have a general business question about marketing and sales, feel free to Contact Me
 
P.P.S. Many of you have contacted me and enjoy the lessons that I have included in my past blogs.  If you are hungry and want to learn more tips on how to increase your productivity, improve your life and become more successful, I would like to invite you to become a member of Simon Chan Insider’s Circle. For a limited time Membership is FREE. Click Here to learn more.
 
 
 

- 2 pre-school teachers
- 1 kindergarten teacher
- at least 10 teachers in our 5 years of elementary school
- at least 45 teachers in our 3 years of junior high
- at least 100 different teachers in our 4 years or high school
- and at least 100 different professors and instructors in our 4 years of college.

That is over 250 teachers in my lifetime!

And I don’t remember many of them.

I do not remember their names and I definitely don’t remember 99% of the specific lessons that they teach.

But once every few years, you get lucky and bump into a great teacher who provides a huge positive impact on your life.

I want to share with you one amazing teacher that I had at Columbia University and her name is C.P. Sobelman (Su Tai Tai).

She Gave Me One of My Lowest Grades Too!

When people talk about their favorite teachers, they often tell stories of a teacher who gave them a good grade. For me, my favorite teacher did NOT give me the best grade…

Ms. Sobelman was my Advanced Chinese teacher (4th year Chinese) at Columbia but it was not the Chinese lessons that made her a great teacher. Anyone can teach Chinese but it was the real life lessons behind the lessons that helped me in life.

I have a confession to make. I took Chinese at Columbia for the SOLE PURPOSE to get an easy “A.” Chinese was my first language and I was fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese. I also went to over 10 years of Chinese school in Chinatown so I basically took Chinese in college so that it could boost my overall GPA. Chinese was a 5 credit course so it weighed a lot in calculating my GPA and it would balance out the bad grades that I was getting in my other classes.

I had no real intention to “learn.” It’s funny how at 18 years old, I did not care about learning. All I wanted was to take classes to boost my grades!

The ironic thing was that my favorite teacher, Ms. Sobelman, turned out also to be the teacher who gave me one of my LOWEST grades at Columbia!

I still remember the grade I got in the second semester of Advanced Chinese but the grade did not matter to me because what I actually learned from that class was way more valuable than the “A”s that I got in my other classes. Today I don’t remember a thing about what I learned in my other “A” classes but the lessons that I learned from Ms. Sobelman will be with me for the rest of my life.

The Lessons I Learned from Ms. Sobelman

After 50 years of teaching at Columbia, Ms. Sobelman is retiring and the world should know the impact that she made on not just me but for the thousands of students that she has had over the years.

The 3 ways that made Ms. Sobelman a great teacher:

1) She forced us to always speak and communicate in Chinese

Whether it was a vocabulary test or writing an essay, EVERYTHING had to be in Chinese. No English was allowed! For example, in most vocabulary tests, you are presented with a Chinese phrase and you could give the definition in English. But it was different with Ms. Sobelman’s class. We did not need to give the best nor exact phrase when we gave the answers but it HAD to be in Chinese.

This was a huge challenge for me in the beginning but what Ms. Sobelman taught me was that even though if you did not know the best terms or Chinese vocabulary to describe something and had to resort to “simpler and baby words”, as long as you were confident in your explanation, you would do well. It taught me that it was okay to communicate as if we were talking to a 6 year old as long as you were CONFIDENT and was clear in your communication. The style was not important as long as the content and meaning was delivered correctly.

The lesson learned was very valuable later on in my career working at the NBA (National Basketball Assocation) and even more importantly after I started my global network marketing business in 2003. Even though my Chinese was not as good as the businessmen that were brought and raised in Asia, I had tremendous success in sales and leadership because I was able to communicate effectively and not be intimidated.

2) Interesting and Lessons that are Applicable

I must admit that throughout college I was not the best student because I saw no future in what I studied. Maybe I was too young or too immature but I could not see how the lessons I learned in my textbooks could help me in my life. College was simply going through the motions to get the good grade so that you could get a good job.

Ms. Sobelman was the FIRST teacher I had who used teaching materials that were interesting and applicable. I was able to see how I was able to apply what she taught and this made the content relevant. I saw a purpose in what I was studying and her class was more than “just getting a grade.” I loved the excerpts from magazines that she used and almost 2 decades later, I still remember some of the articles that she used!

This lesson has helped me become a more effective mentor and network marketing trainer in my business. Whether it is 1 on 1 mentoring or speaking to thousands at a conference, I always remember to follow Ms. Sobelman’s footsteps and craft my lessons so that my students can see how they can apply the lessons I teach.

3) Unleashing my Hidden Potential

Ms. Sobelman helped me overcome my shyness and gave me my first platform to be a good speaker. I was always shy but found out that somehow I could speak confidently in Ms. Sobelman’s class. And the more I spoke, the more I liked it! Maybe I was naturally a better speaker because I had over 10 years of Chinese school background but by giving me the platform and encouraging me to speak in front of class, I realized that my fear of public speaking was ALL MENTAL. I was a shy and quiet kid and I had always labeled myself that way. For the first 20 years of my life, I believed that I was “born” shy and good communicators and good speakers were “born” and not made.

Our beliefs lead to our actions and as long as I believed that, I was not good.

But Ms. Sobelman somehow made me realize my potential…

She gave me the platform to speak… and the more I spoke, the more I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed it because I was confident.

I was confident because I knew my Chinese was better than everyone else’s.

And then one day I realized…

I realized that my shyness was all mental. I just did not have the right platform to speak. I was not “born” shy. I asked myself this, “Why could I become a great communicator in Chinese but NOT in English?”

It was all because of confidence… and my limiting beliefs…

That was my big revelation which I discovered in Ms. Sobelman’s class.

She showed me that I could be a great communicator.. and I could be a great speaker… and that all the fears and low self esteem of speaking in front of others and my shyness were all fabricated limiting beliefs. They were all lies that I told myself. I could be a great speaker and I had the potential. I just had to clear out my head.

That revelation was the first step that I took in breaking out of my shell and allowed me to be the communicator I am today.

For that, I am eternally grateful to Ms. Sobelman.

Tribute to a Great Teacher

To see a former student succeed in life is a teacher’s ultimate compliment and I would not be where I am today if it were not for Ms. Sobelman.

The fact that I can still remember how Ms. Sobelman made a permanent positive impact on my life is simply one example of how Ms. Sobelman’s contributions to thousands of students and to the Columbia Community. Ms. Sobelman is retiring and will no longer be at Columbia but her legacy will last forever.

We will all miss her!

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
P.S. If you interested to have me help you with a home based business or have a general business question about marketing and sales, feel free to Contact Me
 
P.P.S. Many of you have contacted me and enjoy the lessons that I have included in my past blogs.  If you are hungry and want to learn more tips on how to increase your productivity, improve your life and become more successful, I would like to invite you to become a member of Simon Chan Insider’s Circle. For a limited time Membership is FREE. Click Here to learn more.
 
 
 

Going back to Dallas was a trip down memory lane. One of my favorite things to do when I visit a city is to go jogging in the morning and explore the city and get my workout in. About 10 years ago, I had come very close to moving to Dallas and as I jogged down the familiar streets, my mind was full of happy memories.

It brought back the days when I was employed at the National Basketball Association (NBA) and worked with Wang Zhizhiz, the first Chinese player to make it to the NBA. During those days, I used to travel to Dallas at least 1 – 2 times a month and had a fun time. I loved my job and wanted to work at the NBA forever. I got great perks and got to hang out with NBA players. I used to willingly work long hours and even slept at work a few times. I had a huge passion for basketball and never would have thought that I would start my own business and become an entrepreneur instead. I had wanted to be a “NBA lifer.”

Unfortunately as I got older, financial responsibilities increased and I realized that the salary and work hours demanded at the NBA would never allow me to fulfill the dreams that I had wanted to achieve. Maybe you can say I “matured” and realized that all the parties and NBA tickets and autographs would not allow me to pay the bills. More importantly, I also saw myself going down the same path as my father; which was working long hours and not being able to spend time with the family.

I realized that in order for my life to change and for me to achieve what I really wanted, I had to change. If I wanted to have BOTH time and money, I had to change careers and most importantly, I had to start a business and become an entrepreneur.

The NBA was a ton of fun and I appreciated every minute working there but I had to start a business. It was and still is the only way to financial freedom.

I was the “reluctant entrepreneur.”

3 Things I Learned

Though it seemed like last year, it has been over 9 years since I last visited Dallas. So much has changed. As I reflect back on the those 9 years, I realized I learned 3 major lessons. I hope you can learn from my experience and apply what you learn so that you can become successful faster than I did.

Lesson 1: Luck = Hard Work + Opportunity

My first big break in Dallas was when I became good friends with Wang Zhizhi who played for the Dallas Mavericks from 2001 – 2002. I never had a goal to become close friends with him. I just wanted to develop a relationship with him hoping that it could lead to something bigger down the road.

But Wang started to trust me after I helped him and provided value to him. I still remember he was impressed how quickly I sent video tapes of his first NBA game to his parents in China. This was before internet video was available in China.

Sending video tapes seemed like a simple thing but I remembered all the trouble that I had to go through to make that happen. It was all “overtime work” that I did not get paid for and late hours working that no one noticed …. such as… while other colleagues were out having a drink in the city, I was staying at the arena late so that I could pick up the video tapes ASAP before waiting to the next day… then I had to prepare the Fedex package to beat the deadline and have the tapes shipped to the dubbing facility so that the tapes could be converted to VHS. Then I had to convert the VHS tapes from NTSC format to PAL so that they could be viewed in China. Finally I had to pick up the copies from the dubbing facility and get the tapes shipped to China. It was stressful to get all this done within 48 hours AND still do my job responsibilities in Dallas. This was stressful and way beyond the job description but I realized the importance of speed. People want things fast and I needed to get tapes to his parents fast!

I had gone out of the way like this hundreds of times before and every time it led to nowhere. It never bothered me though because all it takes is 1 time and you get your lucky break. For me, my lucky break was about shipping a few video tapes to China.

The happy ending to this was through Wang really appreciated it and it started to build his trust in me. This trust led to a great friendship and eventually he asked me to leave the NBA to work with him. That was my first step towards success and was my first big break in life.

Lesson 2: Change Your Environment

After I was able to win Wang’s trust with the video tapes, he started to let me in his world. I would hang out at his house all the time and I got to meet other NBA players.

If you want to change your life, you must change the people that you spend time with. My ambitions for success and to have a better lifestyle was rooted in Dallas. Dallas was the first time I got to spend tremendous time with NBA players such as Wang Zhizhi, Dirk Nowitzki, Ed Najera, Steve Nash and Tariq Abdul Wahad. Even though I was close friends with only Wang but just being around these 5 players and seeing their lifestyle made me dream big. The 5 guys all came from different backgrounds and had different struggles but through hard work, focus and continued self development they made it to the top of their profession. Even though these players were in the NBA, every offseason they would bust their butts and work hard to improve different parts of their game. There really is no “off” season in the NBA. It is a nonstop continued improvement through practice, practice and practice.

Watching their work ethic and the rewards (their lifestyle) taught me that regardless of what career you choose, you must work hard and continue to get better EVERYDAY. It laid the foundation for me and is one of the reasons why I am a huge fanatic of self development and read over 1 book a week. I must continue to work hard and learn new things EVERY day.

Lesson 3: The Dots will Connect

Steve Jobs said it the best in his commencement speech at Stanford that as long as you work hard and put yourself out there, sooner or later things will make sense. 10 years later, it all makes sense in Dallas. Dallas was when I got my first break and also when I first realized that I needed to change and start my own business so that I could have the same lifestyle and perks as NBA players have. I started to separate myself from my peers at my job because I saw a life much better. I wanted to aim higher and go for loftier goals.

At the time I thought I would have a sports business or something like that… never would I have thought that I would instead have a successful global home business in the network marketing industry. But life is fun and takes interesting turns. Sometimes it does not make sense but later on, the dots will connect and it will all work out.

It will all work out as long as you get outside your comfort zone and put yourself out there!

Your Next Steps

Apply these 3 lessons. Put yourself out there. Do something different and weird. Do the extra work that no one notices. No one may pay any attention to you for the first 99 times but all it takes is 1 time and you will get your lucky break.

All the dots will then connect and things will make sense but you have to put yourself out there first.

For me, it all started out with a bunch of VHS video tapes.

Sincerely,

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
P.S. If you interested to have me help you with a home based business or have a general business question about marketing and sales, feel free to Contact Me
 
P.P.S. Many of you have contacted me and enjoy the lessons that I have included in my past blogs.  If you are hungry and want to learn more tips on how to increase your productivity, improve your life and become more successful, I would like to invite you to become a member of Simon Chan Insider’s Circle. For a limited time Membership is FREE. Click Here to learn more.
 
 
 

It is true.

Formal education makes you a living while self education makes you a fortune!

This past weekend, I attended an amazing event in Dallas; Glazer Kennedy Insider’s Circle Super Conference (GKIC). GKIC is an annual event for small business owners to learn about the latest market and sales strategies hosted by the famous Dan Kennedy. There was a huge range of different small businesses from real estate investors, plumbers, authors, doctors, lawyers, home business owners, network marketers, dog biscuit manufacturers, etc, etc. You name it, and that business was there.

With my business partner Scott McGee at Glazer Kennedy Marketing Super Conference

It is always encouraging to be in the environment of successful entrepreneurs who work hard, have positive attitudes, supportive and refused to give up on their dreams and settle for the “secure paycheck” from a job. Not only did I find myself at home and had an amazing time but I got motivated and learned new perspectives on current challenges and problems I have. The environment alone at the event was well worth the $1,600 seminar ticket.

3 Things That Stood Out

I could write a book on the lessons I learned at the event but these are the immediate 3 things that stood out.

1) All entrepreneurs are Readers and Leaders

The event reinforced my belief that all leaders are readers and learners. Everyone there wanted to learn how to work smarter and to learn new skills that they could apply to their business.

We live in a fortunate age. Whatever we want to learn, we can learn! Whatever skill you are weak in, you can learn and improve!

Throughout the entire weekend, I found myself with one of the most well read group of people that I have been around.

You need to be a reader in order to be a leader. And if you are new to business and don’t have many customers or associates to lead, then start by leading YOURSELF.

Lead yourself first!

What about you?

Which brings up the question, what skills do you need to work on in life?

Whether it is a personal challenge you are facing… a business challenge or a relationships challenge… there is information and mentors out there that can help you! But they won’t help you until you take the first step. You have to take action first and decide you want to get better.

2) You Must Stand Out!

If you want your business to be successful, you have to stand out. What makes you different from your competition?

How can you stand out in your job?

How can you stand out in your home business?

If you have a home business, you can stand out in a number of ways:

1) Your confidence
2) Your sincerity
3) Your website
4) Your content
5) Your business card

Here is an example of the benefits of "standing out." I was able to build a connection with country singer superstar and the keynote speaker at the event, John Rich because of my special business card! John Rich has had multiple #1 hit singles and is the only artist who has had #1 singles as a solo, duo and band. I've never been a fan of country music but now I am!

If you are just like everyone else, then why would anyone buy what you have to offer. People like things that are different and unique. How are you unique?

The successful entrepreneurs I met all had a well-crafted 30 second pitch that told people what they did and how they were different.

If someone asked you what you did, what is your 30 second reply?

3) Network Marketing Provides GREAT Training

After the first day, I immediately noticed the amazing value that home business owners have with a network marketing business.

All the entrepreneurs that I met from traditional businesses learned their skills through seminars, books and experience. (by the way, experience is the most painful way but also the quickest way). Other business owners have to pay for their training.

But in network marketing, we get all the great training in areas such as marketing, prospecting, sales, presentation skills, communication skills and leadership for…. FOR FREE!!!

Others have to pay while people in network marketing get it all for free… and we get it for free and get to earn money at the same time!

This is one of the reasons why I always emphasize in my prospecting presentations that the benefits of network marketing are not just to make money and retire early but more importantly, you get to learn tremendous business skills in a supportive environment. Whether you earn $1,000,000 a year or $50,000 a year or $500 a year in network marketing, it does not matter.

The hidden value is you are learning important business skills at a bargain and these skills can be a launching pad to other opportunities later on in your life.

Remember: “If you are not earning, just make sure you are learning.”

Your Next Steps

Here are some things you can apply to help you:

1) Your environment plays a huge part of your success. Spent time with positive people who are where you WANT to be. Even if it is a short 3 day seminar, the effect will be tremendous. Look up the next business conference that you can attend, schedule it in your calendar and make sure you attend!

2) Figure out how you can stand out from your competition. Ask yourself, what makes you different?

3) Come up with a 30 second pitch that tells people what you do and how you are different

4) Continue your self development! Whatever challenges you are facing now, I’m sure you can find the answer in a book!

That’s it for now.  In upcoming posts, I will share specific marketing and sales lessons that I learned that you can apply to your business.

Sincerely,

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
P.S. If you interested to have me help you with a home based business or have a general business question about marketing and sales, feel free to Contact Me
 
P.P.S. Many of you have contacted me and enjoy the lessons that I have included in my past blogs.  If you are hungry and want to learn more tips on how to increase your productivity, improve your life and become more successful, I would like to invite you to become a member of Simon Chan Insider’s Circle. For a limited time Membership is FREE. Click Here to learn more.
 
 
 

The foundation for success is to have a winning mindset.

In the timeless classic, “Think and Grow Rich” , by Napolean Hill, the author spent over 20 years as an apprentice to study the wealthiest men of his time.  His book details the 13 principles of how one can be wealthy.  If you are in business or want to succeed in any career, you need to read it.

If I was to give a 1 sentence summary of the book, it would be:

“You attract what you think and if you think about wealth and success, then you can achieve it.”

Another popular classic is “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen and it is has the same message.  You attract what you think.  If you think about success, that is what you get!

Both books emphasize the Law of Attraction which states that you attract what your thoughts are.

In recent years, a modern adaptation of these books was made into a movie and a best selling book which you may have heard about called “The Secret.”

People love these books because after you read them, it makes you feel good.  It makes their dreams real.  It makes the impossible possible.  Success is simple.  All you have to do is think about it.

But then why does success elude those that read and are devoted to the “Law of Attraction?”

Why the Law of Attraction does NOT bring Everyone Success

The Law of Attractions is ALWAYS working but often it is working AGAINST YOU!

People fail because when they apply the Law of Attraction they only pay attention to the POSITIVE part.  All you have to do is think and you will become rich.  That is so simple and easy!

They like the “feel good” part but they NEGLECT the OTHER side of the Law of Attraction.

The other side is dark, negative and brings you down.

The other side are the other beliefs and thoughts you have that are running in your mind that KILL off your positive thoughts.

The negative thoughts cancel out all your mental energy and winning mindset.

Examples of Law of Attraction Working Against You

You want to be wealthy and successful and your goal is to be rich.  But later on you would refer to the super wealthy billionaires people like Bill Gates and Mark Zucknerberg as “the filthy rich.”

If rich was that “filthy” that means, it can’t be good and that’s why you can never be wealthy.  Your subconscious mind considers wealth bad and that belief alone will kill off any thoughts of being rich themselves.  Your subconscious mind can only guide you to 1 thing.  Wealth cannot be something you want and “filthy” at the same time.

Another example…

You start a network marketing business and after attending trainings and reading the books, you get excited and see the vision of success and wealth.  But at the same time, once you encounter challenges and you start saying to yourself that “this business is hard and why it is hard to be successful.”

So what thoughts will dominate your mind?

It does not matter how much positive and feel good thoughts you have, they will be killed off by the 1 negative thought that “this business is hard and why it is hard to be successful”

Last example…

It bothers me all the time when people complain that professional athletes make too much money.  The average NBA player makes over $6 million a year and people say that is unfair.

Why is it unfair for someone that has a talent that only 1 out of 15 million people in the world have?

Why is it unfair to someone that enriches the lives of people that watch them play?

Why is it unfair when these players create tremendous value in the marketplace?

Iif you don’t believe me that they are valuable and contribute to the lives of thousands, just ask the ones that worked at stadiums that got laid off in the last NBA lockout. When the NBA players don’t play, jobs are lost and people suffer. Why? Because million of people pay money to watch them.  (you pay every time you watch them regardless of whether it is a live game, on tv, on radio or streamed internet. You are paying…) These players have tremendous value and they deserve every penny they earn because they worked their entire lives to make it.   The ironic thing is that the people that complain how athletes make too much money are the same ones who are financially struggling.

Hmmm, I wonder why.

Why You Procrastinate and not Motivated

Have you ever wondered why you procrastinate and are not motivated?

The reason is because the Law of Attraction is working against you!

Ask yourself, what thoughts are running in your mind?

Gandhi’s Genius

Gandhi was a genius and summed up everything in just 30 words.

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

If you procrastinate and can’t get things done it is because; your beliefs and thoughts are becoming your actions!

In other words…

What Beliefs are Holding You Back?!

Go re-read Gandhi’s quote a few times and contemplate what thoughts you need to start changing today.

Give up the negative thoughts and let’s all have the Law of Attraction work for us instead of against us!

Sincerely,
 

 
 
 
 
 
P.S. If you interested to have me help you with a home based business or have a general business question about marketing and sales, feel free to Contact Me
 
P.P.S. Many of you have contacted me and enjoy the lessons that I have included in my past blogs.  If you are hungry and want to learn more tips on how to increase your productivity, improve your life and become more successful, I would like to invite you to become a member of Simon Chan Insider’s Circle. For a limited time Membership is FREE. Click Here to learn more.
 
 

Growing up I was a huge sports fan and baseball was my favorite. During the cold winter months in New York City, I would count down the days till Opening Day so that I could start reading about my baseball heroes in the newspapers every morning.  Baseball was my first love and I when I played baseball with my friends, I would dream one day I would be the starting third baseman for the New York Yankees just like my idol, Graig Nettles.
 

Graig Nettles - 3rd baseman for New York Yankees making one of his many historic catches in 1981 World Series

Later on as basketball became my favorite sport, my dream was to follow Patrick Ewing’s footsteps and play in college for the Georgetown Hoyas and then play in the NBA for the New York Knicks.

Patrick Ewing dunking on Kentucky (1985)

My friends had similar dreams…

The adults around me all idolized the pro athletes and had similar dreams as well…

To be a professional athlete was the COOLEST thing in the world.  Not only do you get fame, fortune but you got to make a living doing what you love!

And back in school… the jocks were the studs and were popular.  They were cool while the nerds were losers who everyone picked on.

So it was a shock when my father would scoff at my heroes and would not idolize professional athletes like the other people around me did. He always taught me that just wait a few years and you will see who the real “winners” were.  The athletes were just the latest flash in the pan and my future would be better than theirs.

I just thought my dad was so dumb and just didn’t get it.

My Dad’s Wisdom

20 years later, I see the wisdom in my dad’s philosophy.

Over the years as I have built a successful network marketing home business worldwide, I have learned 3 critical components that are necessary to provide you long term success and security.

- Importance of time (our only asset that is limited)
- Building something for the future that will last
- Importance of your Mindset

To understand my dad’s wisdom, you have to look at the stats and reality of professional sports and how they violate all of these 3 critical components.

It’s All or Nothing

For most people, life really “starts” after age of 22 and we grow our careers and business and ultimately reach our peak around ages 50 – 60.  For athletes, their career peak is at age 21 and things go downhill.

Only 1% of Division I college basketball players make it the professional NBA (for baseball players, less than 1% of the best high school players make it to the pros!)

So knowing the facts, why should anyone invest their time into something that has such a low percentage of success?  To make it worse, often the kids that invest their time into pursuing a dream of playing professionally do it at a SACRIFICE to other important parts such as education and relationships.

The prime of an  amateur athlete’s life is under the age of 22.  Once they don’t make it to the pros, their options in life are limited.  Their lives go downhill fast.  They don’t have the education nor skills in the workplace to find a job or start a business.  I got firsthand experience of this when I was a sports agent and helped professional basketball players who were not good enough in the NBA to play overseas.  It was a sad to see former college stars who “had it all” go from the peak of the lives to bottom.  Fame is fleeting and when you are a star, you have all the perks and friends in the world.  When you don’t make it to the NBA, you wake up all day and realize it is all gone.  The most painful loss is all the “friends” that they thought they had and often it is a very tough emotional adjustment for these athletes to realize that life is on the downhill.

It was unsettling to see how players were just discarded as if they were just pieces of a chess game but I guess that is how life is.  When you are no good, no one wants you.

It is all or nothing and sadly, 99% of the time it is nothing.

My dad was right.  These kids were investing their time (their entire lives) in the wrong area.

It’s a Short Party

Even if the amateur is good enough and beats out the 99% and makes it to the pros, he has a short career.  The average career in the NBA is less than 4 years.

Most kids who fantasize about being a immortal star such as Michael Jordan don’t realize that most pros end up like Quincy Lewis (who the heck is he?) and forgotten fast.

Lack of Wealth Mindset

Even if you beat the odds and become a professional star and sign a big multimillion dollar contract, your future still looks bleak.  According to Sports Illustrated, over 60% of NBA players file for bankruptcy within 5 years of retirement!!!

Warren Sapp during better days

A great recent example is former NFL (American football) star, Warren Sapp who just filed for bankruptcy this week and owes creditors over $6.7 million.  Warren Sapp was one of the top players at his position for over a decade and was a glamorous TV analyst but is still broke…

So basically, you worked hard all your life only to end up poorer than you started.  I know money is not everything and doesn’t bring happiness but I’m sure being poor and bankrupt adds stress and doesn’t help you with happiness.

Why do these athletes become poor so fast?

They do not have the right mindset to manage their money.  You can have all the money in the world but if your mindset is poor and weak, you will lose the money.  The mindset to manage money is NOT easy to begin with and it is even tougher on these professional athletes because they spent their entire lives on sports and not on financial education or on life skills.

Another important factor to consider is the feelings of these athletes.  Money is not everything but when you “have had it all” and then you not only lose it but have the media scrutinize you, how do you feel?  It’s definitely not something you go to bed smiling about.

Invest Your Time Wisely

My Dad Was Right.

Now that I am older and more mature, I see my dad’s wisdom.  He was right… You should be investing your time and activities everyday in creating something that will last long term. 

I also think my own mortality has given me wisdom. I used to play basketball 7 days a week at a competitive level. As I got older and slower, I sadly realized one day that I could no longer play at the level I enjoyed. When that day came, I got bored with playing basketball and decide to invest my time (business) into something that I can do till I am at least 80 years old.

Here is a good question to ask your question.

Are you investing your time and resources into something that will last?

Are you in a career that will provide you satisfaction in the future?

If the answer is no, then are you currently devoting time to building a part time business that will allow you to do the things you really want?

If not, then you are simply wasting your time and putting your eggs in the wrong basket.

If you need advice in what you should do, please Contact Me.

Learn to use your time wisely!

I Still Love Sports

I still do love sports though and I do admire the professionals but I also know now that there are far better ways to invest your time and your life.  I’d rather be a normal person and invest my time into a career or business that has greater chance of success and secure my future.

If my son Ethan tells me he wants to devote his time to practice and become a professional athlete, I would still let him pursue his dreams but also guide him to invest time into education and other options.

I’m interested in your thoughts.  Feel free to share below.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
P.S. And don’t worry, I’m still a sports fan!

P.P.S. If you want to invest your time into something that will last and need advice, feel free to Contact Me
 
 
 

Sometimes it is okay and important to quit!

 
 
What?

Did I just tell you to quit?

What about all the famous quotes that preaches the virtues of persistence and the evils of quitting?

Such as…

Winners never quit and quitters never win?!

That quote is true… but it is true depending only on your situation.

There are only 3 situations in the world and each situation has a different outcome. In every situation in your life you are in either 1 of these 3 situations:

1) POT OF GOLD

- The Outcome is a Positive Long Term Reward (a Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow.)

- The rewards are tremendous and justify the resources that you invest. Some examples are staying focused in school so that you graduate, taking time everyday to exercise, being committed to your network marketing home business, etc.

2) DEAD END ROAD

- There is NO Outcome.

- There are hardly any rewards and you are going down a dead end road. Some examples could be working at a job that goes nowhere, spending time in a relationship that has no long term future, spending time watching TV.

3) DRASTIC DEATH

- Outcome is Negative.

- If you continue in these situations, you will encounter a negative and drastic outcome. Some examples are smoking, spending time on illegal activities, taking drugs, etc.

If you look at these scenarios then it is obvious that it is CRITICAL that we quit situations DEAD END ROAD and DRASTIC DEATH. Those situations and activities lead us to nowhere. Quitting DRASTIC DEATH scenarios are obvious but quitting DEAD END ROAD scenarios are equally important because they take our time and attention away from our POT OF GOLDs. Unfortunately, we often forget about DEAD END ROAD and waste years of our lives going nowhere.

And POT OF GOLDs scenarios are the ones that we must persist and continue to fight through because the ultimate reward is worth it. So the quote, “Winners never quit and quitters never win” only apply to POT OF GOLDs.

Now you can start analyzing the different scenarios in your life and decide what you need to continue and persist doing and what things you need to quit.

Short Term Long Term

When you do decide to quit, always make sure you are quitting for a LONG TERM reason and not for a SHORT TERM reason. Just because things are painful and you can’t figure out a problem does not justify quitting. If the outcome is a long term positive reward, you have to suck it up and persist. Stay focused on the problem and have the satisfaction of knowing that if you solve the problem and get through your current crisis, you will soon see the POT OF GOLDs at the end of the rainbow.

However, if what you are doing will lead to a long term negative outcome, then you must quit now!

NEXT STEPS: So what will you be Quitting Today?

- Make a list of 10 activities that you spend the most time on.

- Classify each activities to the 3 Scenarios:

Which activities are POT OF GOLDs? Which activities are DEAD END ROADs and which ones are DRASTIC DEATHs?

- Make a commitment to persist and stay focused on your POT OF GOLDs.

- Come up with a Quitting Plan for your DEAD END ROADs and DRASTIC DEATHs. Set up a time and a date for each. (If you are in a dead end job, give yourself a deadline to quit your current job.)

- Once you quit your DEAD END ROADs and DRASTIC DEATHs, you will be relieved and also find more time and energy to focus on your POT OF GOLDs

If you do not have any POT OF GOLD activities or you feel unfulfilled and want to do something that can provide long term benefits, Contact Me and I can give you some recommendations on what you can do.

Sincerely,

Predicting Your Future

A few years ago, one of the best advice I learned was:

Where you will be 5 years from now will be determined by:

1) Your self development (books you read, audios you listened to, seminars you attended)
2) The people you meet and spend time with
3) The places you have traveled

When I first heard it, I thought this was one of the most amazing things that was ever taught to me… it basically breaks down life into 3 simple rules. If you want success, you have to make a daily devotion to learning and to be very picky with who you decide to spend time with. Unfortunately, this was never taught to us in school!

How to Learn FAST!

Often we rely on “experience” to teach us our lessons; however, experience is a way to learn but NOT always the best teacher. It is true that our experience teaches us some painful lessons and we learn from our mistakes that we will never forget, however, it is a SLOW way to learn. What I mean by that is… if you never did something, then that means you never had the experience and you will never learn…

Instead, the fastest way to learn is to commit yourself to self development. That is the FASTEST way to learn since you will learn about situations and know about them in advance so that you know what to do when you encounter it. That is why reading and meeting new people is SO important. Self development is the SHORTCUT to learning. You can even say it as “it is a shortcut to success.”

3 Different Types of Mentors

Self development is one of my favorite topics and something that I can go on and on about… but today I just want to share with you an early mentor that helped me towards the path of this success.

I consider myself as having 3 DIFFERENT TYPES of Mentors:

1) Mentors that I see and talk to frequently
2) Mentors whom I met only once but they had such a profound influence from that 1 meeting that I still remember the lessons learned today
3) Mentors who are authors of books and audios that impacted me

Meeting an Old Mentor for the First Time

Simon Chan with Tom "Big Al" Shreiter

Recently I finally met a mentor that I have had since 2005.

His name is Tom “Big Al” Schreiter and he has written books and produced numerous audios on the network marketing business.

I first encountered his works back in Jan 2005 and his audios helped me view aspects of my business in a different perspective. (And often, a different perspective or philosophy is all we need to motivate us or to inspire us). 7 years later, I finally met Tom “Big Al” Schreiter. He was in Los Angeles giving a workshop and when I found out he was speaking, I had to make the time to finally go see him live and also to thank him for “mentoring” me all these years.

The funny thing was that I discovered that “Big Al” in life was NOT THAT BIG! His name has always been “Big Al” and I had always imagined him being one of those big Texans that stand 6′ 6″ tall and 300 pounds… but he turned out to be shorter and smaller than me!

Anyway, it was a highlight to finally have met him. We had a great training session and afterwards he took us all out to pizza where I got to know him better.

A good question to ask yourself today is, who are YOUR mentors? Who are you learning from?

Don’t rely on experience… experience is a slow learner!

Sincerely,
 

 
 
 
 
P.S. If you need a mentor in life, Contact Me and let me know and I will do my best to help you.