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Five sources of inspiration. Here's the first one. Deciding. If you just make a decision,
it can be sometimes the day that starts you on a brand-new journey. Now, some decisions
are incidental and some are small and some, you know, are-are-are part of a working day.
But sometimes, decision making can be one of the most important days of your life. Maybe
a decision you've postponed and postponed and now you understand the penalty of postponing
that decision, you've got to do something. And finally, you come to the conclusion, "Today
is the day, I now decide." And whether you decide on a new direction, whether you decide
on a refinement in philosophy uh, whether you decide to act when before, you haven't
acted. Uh, you decide on, uh, o-on a series of things that you're going to do. Uh, y-y-you
decide. Deciding can be, uh, such an incredibly important uh, very exciting inspirational
day. Also, deciding sometimes starts the process of lifting our self-esteem. Sometimes when
you look back on it, uh, the day that you decided, uh, was just about as exciting as
the day when you finally accomplish the project. That when you finally made the decision, you
finally got the monkey off your back, as we say, uh, in English. Um you finally, you know,
got through whatever barriers kept you from making that decision and finally, you made
a decision. And now, it seems like the sky is blue and the air is clear and your mind
is ready and, uh, you know, the adrenaline starts to flow, things start to happen to
you, uh, from that moment of decision. So, that can be an incredible source of inspiration.
Now, if you don't follow through, it's not gonna last all that long. If you decide and
then, you know, postpone and-and you decide and--but you don't still don't get to it for
a week or a month or a year, you know, soon all that energy and that source of inspiration
i-is all dissipated. So, deciding i-is inspiring but-but not for that long. Uh, but once you
decide, it can be a very powerful day. But now, of course, you know you must follow through.
But, um, if there's some things that you've been postponing, uh, some decisions you have
just you know, haven't gotten to. Uh, I would ask you to just, you know, take out your journal
and just go through, you know, "What I have been postponing? It's not gonna be better
for my health. It's not gonna be better for my future. It's not going to enhance my finances.
Uh, maybe a problem needs to be solved. I've got to decide when I'm gonna do it and-and-and
how I'm gonna proceed. I need to get to it." I promise you, if you'll go through some of
that list, uh, and start making those decisions, uh, your inspiration will start to flow and
those could be very critically important, exciting days. Uh, indecision is the thief
of opportunity. Uh, indecision means the door is still closed. Uh, indecision means the
opportunity waits. Uh, indecision means what could be is postponed or may never be. You
know that, those are all the penalties of indecision. And sometime we can't make a snap
judgment. We can't decide immediately on something so important, but after a while, after a while,
we must understand sometimes the heavy penalty of putting off our-our decision making. So,
one source of inspiration, deciding. Here's the next one, planning. Now that you've decided
and you've started--you start making plans, it's in-incredible what can happen as a source
of inspiration. When finally what's in your head, what's in your imagination, now finally
starts to take shape on paper. When I first heard about network marketing, I was 25 years
old. And I heard some of the testimonials and I heard that people have gotten rich and
I've heard that it's changed people's lives and I've heard that you could start with nothing
and become something. But let me tell you what was exciting. When I finally made the
decision, "Yes, I was gonna be part of the industry. Yes, I was gonna make it part of
my marketing future," what was really exciting was when I sat down and started making plans.
I started committing imagination and belief to paper. I started writing it down. I started-started
as we often do, drawing those circles. You know, "What if I had five? What if I had 10?"
And then when I had a concept of what that could bring for me, then I said, "How can
I reach the first 5? How can I reach the first 10? Uh, what could I do?" Starting to make
those plans, I'm telling you I remember those days as if they were yesterday. They were
so exciting. I had a concept of what I wanted. I had a dream of-of what could happen for
me. If it could happen for others, maybe it could happen for me. But when I started putting
it on paper and started making the plans, that was an incredible source of inspiration
for me because the plans seem to now start making it real. That what I had thought about,
what I dreamed about, now, I'm actually getting to it by making a plan. However, you can make
all the plans in the world and it is a source of inspiration for only so long. And you can
make one plan and then you can make another plan and you can make some plans today and
the next day, you can make some more plans and the next day, you can make some more plans
and it is a very exciting source of inspiration but only for a while. Uh, I'm sure we would
all agree, that making plans that-that inspiration wouldn't last for a week. Now, that inspiration
now must drive you, uh, to do number three. The first source of inspiration is deciding,
second source of inspiration is planning and now, here's a big source of inspiration, beginning,
getting started. Actually turning thought and the notes on the paper, the plans, actually
now committing it to action, getting started. And beginning can be an incredible source
of inspiration. Guess what you can say when you begin a change in your diet, when you
begin to take the Herbalife products. Guess what you can say? "I'm on a new track. I have
carved out for myself a new beginning. I'm on my way to the most incredible health. I
will never be the same again. I'm leaving the old, undisciplined part of me. I'm leaving
that behind. I'm a new person. I'm taking my first shake. I'm swallowing the first tablets.
Uh, I made my first, you know, walk around the block that I'd thought about for so long
and never did. I finally did it today. I've started. I have begun." That is an incredible
source of inspiration. And that is to start, to begin. You cannot believe what can happen
to your self-esteem, and many of you have already experienced it. I'm just asking you
to begin something new in all the areas of your life. Maybe you've always thought about
benevolence and you just haven't gotten started or you haven't made the plans or you haven't
made the decision. I'm asking you to start taking that stuff now that's in your head,
that imagination, which is very powerful and-and-and it's a great source of inspiration in itself.
But then I'm asking you then to decide, use that inspiration. Then I'm asking you to make
plans, begin to make plans, use that inspiration. And then if you take that first step, uh,
it can be the first step of an incredible journey. And, uh, when Mark had his first
meeting, when Mark recruited his first distributor, when Mark got his first customer, his grandmother
using the product, when Mark got that first few yeses from people and he started the process
as simple as it was, you know, from the trunk of his car, you know, a-a-a-as crude as-as
the literature was in the beginning, it was a start. And so, beginning can be an incredible
source of inspiration. And beginning can be many things, uh, beginning a new commitment
to learning. You say, "I'm gonna have a library second to none and I bought the first book
of my new library today. I'm gonna be surrounded by information and inspiration. Of the cassette
tapes and the videos and the books, I'm gonna have a library second to none." Uh, I've thought
about it. Wouldn't it be wonderful? And, uh, you know I've-I've started making plans. You
know, I provided some space in my room for my expanded library. Uh, but here's what's
exciting, I got the first book today. I've gotten started. Uh, this is just the first
of many, many books. This is the first o-of a whole flow of information for me. This is
the first time. Um, you wanna learn a new skill and you sign up for a class. Let's say
you wanna learn accounting or something and you-you sign up for the class and you take
the first class. You get started. You'd thought about it, you made some plans for it, you
made some time for it, but there's nothing like sitting there in the class with the pen
in your hand and the pad ready to take notes. Here I am. I'm starting on a new journey of
learning. Remember that. Beginning is a fantastic source of inspiration. Planning is an incredible
source of inspiration. Deciding is an unbelievable source of inspiration. But now, beginning
only lasts so long. If you begin that first week and then you don't continue, yes, you'll
be inspired by deciding and planning and beginning. But all of that now will start to fade away
if you don't do number four. One of the great sources of inspiration is progressing. Once
you've gotten started now you proceed, you progress. Now you go to class the second week.
You go to class the third week. But it's not only progressing in terms of time, it's progressing
in terms of what you're learning. Progressing in terms of getting the information, uh, that
you hadn't discovered before now you're excited about that. Progress, one of the greatest
sources of inspiration is progress. When you start jogging around the block and, uh, you
know, at first it's a little difficult and then it's two blocks and then you go around
four or five times. But then you notice-notice you're breathing easier. Uh, you notice when
you go up a flight of, uh, stairs you're not out of breath. And it suddenly occurs to you
in a fairly short period of time you're making progress. With these incredible Herbalife
products, when people first started taking the products and they've got some health challenges
and they discipline themselves, they do it the first day and the second day and first
week and the second week, but it isn't long. If they need some--to lose some weight, you
know, a-a pound or two, four or five pounds that is so incredibly exciting. You don't
have to wait for 50 pounds. You don't have to wait for a hundred pounds, you know, that
first one, that first two or three, making progress. Having more oxygen in your lungs,
you-you can tell within a short period of time, "I'm making progress on my-my oxygen
supply. I'm making progress on losing weight." Then when you start making progress in your
business, your ability to make contacts, your ability to talk to people, uh, being so shy
you decided one day, "Hey, I've had enough with being too shy. Uh, I've made the decision,
I'm making some plans, I'm gonna begin talking to people." And you start, and at first it's
difficult. But then very quickly--and it doesn't take a year, I'm telling you, it doesn't take
a month, it doesn't take a week. I promise you even though you're a little bit shy, if
you'll just start to introduce yourself, if you'll just start to talk to someone you've
never talked to before. Just get started. I promise you in a fairly short period of
time because two things are happening. One, it's deciding to overcome a liability but
also understanding that with this new skill now, with this new ability and with my progress,
no telling what I can accomplish. Because if I can get over the fear of talking to one,
I can get over the fear of talking to number 10, number 50, number 100. And by the time
I get to number 50 and number 100 my self-confidence is gonna be so strong, my self-esteem is gonna
be so high, my new skill is gonna show such incredible progress that I will never look
back on the old ways. So what an incredible source of-of inspiration, progressing. I jotted
this down. Happiness is--unhappiness is simply the lack of progress toward a preset goal.
If you're not making progress, see, that's when unhappiness sets in. But here's where
happiness begins, making progressive progress. You don't have to arrive all at once. You
don't have to have it immediately. But as long as you're making progress, as long as
progress is part of your experience now, it is a fantastic source of inspiration. Now
here's the next one, source of inspiration, and that is achieving. When you finally have
arrived at that goal that you set, "I wanna have this much experience and be able to do
this by 30 days from now, 60 days from now, six months from now," and finally that six
months passes and there you are. Finally the time passes and you have it. Finally the time
passes and the skill is now beginning to be polished and it is so unique and effective.
Achieving is an incredible source of inspiration. But here's what we noticed. When you do achieve
whate-whatever you set out in the beginning where you decided and planned and you got
started and you progressed, when you finally achieve, that achievement is not much more
inspiration than when you decided. It's a different kind of inspiration. It's a different
kind of feeling, uh, to having arrived, uh, knowing that you've got many other objectives
to accomplish, many other places you wanna go, things you wanna do, uh, the person you
want to become, but at least I've got this one, you know, I've done this one. I remember
wa--way back when I wanted to do the training and I wanted to do teaching, I would like
to do seminars 'cause I saw people that had such a magnificent effect on their audience.
They use the language to such, uh, an unbelievable degree. I could tell that something was mixed
from their heart and their soul and their mind and their vocabulary and this mixture
of stuff together presented to someone's ears to hear and a heart maybe to believe and a
mind to understand that the most incredible magic could occur. I thought to myself, "If
I could possibly do that, uh, it would be the greatest feeling in the world." Later
I have come to have one more goal, which I-I-I just probably won't ever attain and that is
to be a singer. To not only speak the poetry, to not only speak the language but to sing
it accompanied by music. I-in my opinion, that's probably the most awesome impact you
can have on any person or any group or any audience, is the ability to communicate a
message or a poem or lyrics or what you feel or what you know to communicate it, uh, by
music a-a-and by song. Uh, to me it is the most incredible impact that one human can
have on another or have on an audience. But next to that is to be able to feel strong
about some ideas and have the ability to put it into words, to put it into language, drive
it by emotion, have it mixed with experience, you know, and all the stuff that goes in on
your head and your heart and your soul and deliver it to the best of your ability, even
as I am doing today, to an unseen audience. But since I can visualize the audience and
where it goes from here and where it may go beyond or where it reaches even at the moment,
uh that inspires me to do my best to come up with ideas, uh, that will be meaningful
and helpful. To me this-this is the most incredible experience. You know, the-the song, I will
never get there because, you know, I-I don't have that particular powerful talent. Uh,
but next to it, I'm telling you, you can have next to that the most incredible effect on
someone else. Uh, without a doubt, uh, you can stir someone's imagination. Uh, you can
reach that achievement. Uh, you can be there. Uh, what you've wished for and what you've
dreamed for, if you will draw from the source of deciding that inspiration and the inspiration
of planning, the inspiration of beginning, and the inspiration of progressing, then you
will know this incredible inspiration of achieving, of finally getting there, finally being the
person, finally accomplishing the goal, and here's what's exciting about Herbalife, we
get to practice all of these everyday. All of this is working everyday, simultaneously.
And that simultaneous--because some of you right now are achieving and deciding, and
perhaps you have achieved and decided the same day. Uh, because what you have achieved,
you have decided, I'm gonna mul--multiply it now by two, by three, by five. And so it's
amazing how you can plan and decide, begin and decide on something else. You can be making
progress in one area and deciding on--on--on--on starting another. All of this can happen,
especially in--in our social, in our business life, uh, combined, uh, with our spiritual
life and Herbalife. All of this can be happening at the same time. You know, it's so amazing
to go to Salinas, California. Uh, Salinas is called the Lettuce Capital of the World.
The soil is so rich, it's unbelievable. Not far from there is Castroville, and Castroville
is called the Artichoke Capital of the World. And within a few miles of there is a place
called Gilroy, and Gilroy is called the Garlic Capital of the World. They now have a Garlic
Festival every year. Now over 300,000 people come from all over to Gilroy, California to
get in on the Garlic Festival. Not far from there is a place called Watsonville, and Watsonville,
California is known as the Strawberry Capital of the World. All within a--within a very
short--you--you can drive to all of these little towns, uh, within a very short period
of time and it--it--it only--it doesn't take half a day. And yet, these are the capitals
of the world in terms of productivity and the reason is because the soil is so unusual
that in these areas, you can grow two, three crops a year. Now, as you know, most of the
world is restricted to, you know, one crop a year, spring, summer, uh, harvest, and then
winter. But in this area, it's unbelievable, when you drive through, to see them harvesting
in one field and planting in the field right next to it. Harvesting and planting. On the
same day that they're harvesting, they're planting. It--it--it--it's just--it-it's just
a phenomenal place. But, you know, that's true of Herbalife. Uh, you can harvest and
plant the same day. You can achieve and decide, uh, in a single day. Uh, you can be making
progress in one area and having achieved something in another area, all mixed in together, all
happening--happening simultaneously and at the same time. Uh, I wanted to call that to
your attention so that you would appreciate it and how, uh, our lives are so dramatically
affected by the business we do, you know, and our social life and our religious life,
uh, and our life of the community, but especially the opportunity that Herbalife offers for
all of this to be working simultaneously. Deciding, planning, beginning, progressing,
achieving. Here's what's exciting about Herbalife. We get inspiration by inspiring others. Uh,
this is a two-way instantaneous experience. As we inspire, we become inspired. Now--now,
you--it--it's difficult to fathom it, you know, with just our finite mind. But this
thing called spirituality and human emotion is so unbelievable that--that two things can
happen simultaneously at the same time. As we inspire, we become inspired. We are being
taught by teaching. As we teach, we learn. Sometimes we learn what not to say because
you know, it--it--it didn't go over very well and we just make a mental note, you know,
"I'm going to dispense with that. I thought it was a clever idea. It turned out that it
really wasn't." But we learn and we learn simultaneously as we teach. It's incredible.
Um, we are becoming wealthy ourselves by creating wealth. As we create wealth, we become wealthy.
As we give it out, it comes to us. As we dispense it through our facilities of speech, language,
spirit, emotion, eyes, handshake, contact, as we do that, from incredible sources now,
uh, it comes flowing into our life and sometimes it flows simultaneously. We are becoming wealthy
by creating wealth. You can't have a much more exciting experience than that. Next I
wrote down, we are changing by creating change. By helping others to change, we change ourselves.
And sometimes, we decide to makes some changes the very same day we're trying to help someone
to change for the better. We're trying to help them change their mind. We're trying
to help them change their position. We're trying to help them change their plan, refine
it so that it works better. And as we do that, we suddenly find ourselves changing, yeah,
making mental notes as we go. As I am now teaching, as I'm helping someone to change,
by the way, I'm going to start making the changes. It--it--it is a powerful experience
we can have with all of this happening simultaneously at the same time. Next. We progress by creating
progress. We create progress for others. We get them to grow. And by helping them to grow,
we grow. By helping them to succeed, we succeed. That's what happened to Mark Hughes. Immediately,
he started helping people with their health. Immediately, he started helping people with
their financial future. And as he helped them, his came to him. He didn't even have to concentrate
on what he was getting, you know? He didn't have to zero in on, you know, "What was--how
much was that for me today?" He could forget that. All he had to do was invest in those
early distributors, invest his time, invest his energy, invest his ideas, invest his emotion,
and it--it--it--and it just started coming. As he gave it, so he received it. That is
the awesome experience. Not just of Herbalife, I understand, this applies to all of our other
social, personal, religious gifts and experiences. But--but it works so well in what we're doing
in Herbalife. Next. We become happy by creating happiness. When we put a new pin on someone
and it creates this incredible joy for them that they finally arrived, they did the meetings,
they did the classes, they did all the stuff, now they've arrived, we create this happiness
for them by putting the pin on, giving them a hug and giving them our congratulations.
Um, we create happiness for them, but it simultaneously, uh, raises our level of happiness to an incredible
degree. We learn to see by creating sight in others. If we can help them to see, we
can see. We develop our vision by inspiring vision. Um we develop sight for someone, we
develop a future for someone, and our future automatically then starts to develop and starts
to grow and starts to expand as we develop vision for others. Sources of inspiration.
I thought you would enjoy it.