I have watched it happen over and over again with better people than me and have thought “there but for the grace of God go I…” and yet I never realized how true those words would turn out to be… but does that mean I am no longer in His Grace? No… I don’t think so … That would make no sense.

Rather I think it might actually be the other way around. I think that maybe I have been brought to this place by His Grace.

Maybe I am supposed to rebuild my life from the ground up with a better purpose in mind. Maybe I have been delivered from a place that was fraught with anxiety and questions and doubt because I am finally ready to be guided down a better path – not an EASIER path – but one that has TRUE meaning and purpose that will allow me to act with a servant’s heart to achieve all that I thought I had been searching for.

Seems all that I have been searching for is actually available when I step on to the path that is NOT paved with GOLD but rather laid by hand, brick by brick. Nurtured to life with careful application of water, food and love. Grown from the ground and not delivered in fancy packages and false promises. Sewn together stitch by thoughtful stitch. There is no “fast track” to wealth – there is no “magic pill” – there is no “new way”… in fact all of that is the ILLUSION used to woo us in our desperation but it is not the TRUTH.

The TRUTH is, you must learn the right skills, apply them consistently over time, and understand that the Donald Trumps, Bill Gates’, and Warren Buffets of the world did not arrive where they are by working part time hours for 2 to 5 years. The Leaders of Industry are not there by accident – they worked, they trained, they invested in their education, they learned the SKILLS and APPLIED them CONSISTENTLY OVER TIME.

So if you have arrived, as I have, in a place in your life where you are standing at a Crossroads. Consider that the path paved with “Gold” is just painted bricks and facades created to give you the illusion of success and that if you really desire to achieve your goals, you must know WHY you want them, and then you must decide if you are really willing to do the work – and remember, even though something may be simple, does not mean it is easy.

Only you can know if you are at this place but I can promise you, you will know if you are – I thought I was here once, but I was mistaken. Now I know that I am finally here – staring down the two paths, resisting the urge to step into the fantasy on one side, and scared to walk down the path that needs tending because…. what if I fail? Well, got news for you, I have been on the other path and the thorns of the roses on that path are poisonous.

Soon I will have to take my first steps … I will take a deep breath… and I will walk….

I have probably heard it 1000 times if I have heard it once. Heck I have even paraphrased it myself. But it wasn’t until literally the other day when I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment that made this quotation take on new meaning for me!

You see, I have heard it used so many times by people I thought of as leaders involved in one business opportunity or another and so the meaning always seemed to be that if I helped others get into that opportunity that it would somehow BE what they wanted – it would therefore solve their problems and, by extension, solve my own!

Then, somehow, like a light from the clouds, it dawned on me…. that was NOT what it means. Actually, I can tell you how it came to me. I was talking with my friend and Mentor, Luc Despres. We were discussing our Free program which is open to anyone in any business… and that’s when it hit me… I’m not supposed to help people get into my business to solve their problems and there by solve my own… I’m supposed to help people make the business they are already in work for them. If, through the process of helping them, they then CHOOSE to go into a sponsorship with me – that’s just icing on the cake!

Remember when you are about to do something that feels uncomfortable – like calling someone to talk to them about business – this is NOT about YOU! You want to focus on them – not with the idea that you will then use their own words to somehow ‘manipulate’ them into doing business with you – but rather with the idea that you really want to know what they do, where they are struggling and how or IF you can bring them something to help them!

If you are already in our free mentoring program, then you know you do have something that will help them. If you are not but would like to know more, please contact me directly and I will be happy to help YOU!

Peace,
Leanne
leannelasky@gmail.com
623-2347-9100

Well… I don’t have a speech writer or a copy editor but I have some things to say – no.. not about the politics of the US – about home based businesses in 2010…

This is a very interesting time for those of us who are network marketers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. One in Ten people in the US (alone) are out of work and are desperate for a way to make income for their families… this presents a certain set of issues for us as professionals in our industry.

In addition, unlike any other time, our industry is open in a global market faster and more connected than ever before.

First you might think – yah! Loads of prospects flooding the market everyday – nice problem to have! But let’s really consider what kinds of prospects these people are.

Never before has our industry had more opportunity to change lives but with that comes a tremendous responsibility. The new prospects coming to us are from all walks of life and now, more than ever, they are displaced laborers as well as white collar and executive level employees. There are more and more men in a traditionally women dominated industry.There are more and more young adults, not just stay at home Moms. There are more and more retirees. There is a diversity of educational levels, basic skill sets, ethnicity, and economic means.

The speed of our business has changed dramatically even in the last year. Internet Marketing was still more or less a “buzz” at the beginning of 2008 and now it is part of our everyday language. Business and Product Launches are practically a business in themselves. An explosion of “mentors”, “coaches”, “leaders”, “gurus” at every turn, in every niche it is truly the industry of opportunity and opportunists… it is this later group that we, as professionals, MUST be aware of and help to guide the new flood of prospects away from.

We, as professionals, MUST protect our beloved industry from those that WILL “set up shop” and woo the desperate into thinly veiled money laundering schemes and scams – these kinds of things have always been around the edges of the home business industry but the “BOOM” here will have the same effect the real estate boom did – anyone that could fog a mirror could get a real estate license but they were not professionals and would not survive the bust… the same is true for us. Anyone creative enough to put up a flash site can draw in paying customers, take their money and be gone before anyone knows what happened.

But let’s also consider our own responsibility to the people we speak to each day. There are going to be many people that probably really NEED income and there are no jobs for them… but that may not mean that they are really suited to being in business for themselves. Yes, we are supposed to focus on duplication, and yes, there are always people that get started and do nothing, but I think it is our responsibility to say “NO” to prospects that really have no business putting up money for an opportunity they are never likely to succeed with – and you can tell who these folks are – these are folks that really need a job – not a business.

So… treat your business like a business – you wouldn’t let just anyone represent your business, your story, your name – there are a lot of people in need of what we have but, as one of my early mentors was fond of saying: “Life rewards for deserve, not need – if you do the do, good will come to you”.

Go Forth and Build and Remember… Enrich Yourself And The World Around You,

Peace,
Leanne

And so it is with Success. Especially in online business or network marketing business.  The precepts are simple – build a list, build a relationship with the list so that the people on the list come to Know, Like, and Trust you, bring them something they want and ask them to buy – bingo! Success.  Simple, repeatable, lucrative.  Yes.  Easy??? NO.  If it were EASY then EVERYONE would be doing it!  If it were EASY there would not be so many products, programs and gurus “out there” trying to make is even EASIER for you.  The truth is, it IS Simple… BUT… it AIN’T EASY! It’s WORK, it’s time invested, it’s money invested, it’s consistency, it’s persistence, it’s adaption, it’s making mis-steps and starting all over again, is testing, it’s constant learning and implementation. And JUST when you think you have done all you can do, you need to do more!

I wrote a blog not that long ago about Opportunity. In that blog I discussed the meaning of the word as not JUST the “good chance of advancement or progress” but also as the “favorable juncture of circumstances” (www.Merriam-Webster.com).  The point of my Blog at that time was that we are bombarded daily with “Once In a Lifetime Opportunities” to get in on the latest and greatest money making event be it a real estate deal, a huge launch of an affiliate product, or a network marketing business.  But what most of us (myself included) often fail to do is examine this thing offered to us to see if there actually IS a Favorable Juncture Of Circumstance.  In other words, just because this thing is available, are we really in a position where we can take FULL advantage of it to actually REALIZE the opportunity as it is presented?  I suggest that we do not and that we FAIL to do this more often than we would even care to admit.

Here’s why I say this.  Most of us are drawn in by sales copy because it addresses our pain – we identify with it and we want to make the pain go away. And wouldn’t you know it – this guy has the answer – but only if I act RIGHT NOW because I will only see this page ONCE and then it will be gone FOREVER!!! EEKS!!! I can’t let that happen!! I KNOW I have at least $77 on one of these cards!  I mean, how pathetic would it be if I didn’t have a measly $77???  Okay… I’m gonna do it… what’s the worst that can happen? I have  blown more than $77 on dumber stuff and THIS is tax deductible, even, because it’s for my “business’ RIGHT!!!???? WHEW!!! MAN! I sure am glad I got that… could have been a missed opportunity!!!

And then it happens.  You gear up to read, watch or listen to what was just sold to you.  And you realize that – you have to build a list, you have to develop a relationship with that list so that they know, like and trust you, and then you bring them what they WANT and ask them to buy… just that SIMPLE!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

Guess what?  It’s never NOT going to be that simple.  But guess what else? It’s never gonna be any Easier either! The challenges we all face is that we buy in desperation, UN-prepared to do what is necessary to make the “thing” work in the first place.  Why? Because we have not even identified a favorable juncture of circumstance – instead we have been surfing the net, looking for an answer to our pain and then leaping as soon as we scrounge up a credit card with some money left on it and yet we have not done the WORK to capitalize fully on the so-called  opportunity, when it showed up on our door step.
In real estate we are trained to find BUYERS first.  Why? Because it is MUCH easier to find a house for a BUYER than to find a BUYER for a house.  Same thing in any other business.  Don’t create or buy a product to sell until you know who you are going to sell it to! – Go BUILD YOUR LIST FIRST.  Create a relationship with them, get them to know, like and trust you, then bring Them what THEY want and ask them to buy.. bet they will! Bet they’ll buy more than once!  Bet you can build a list for any number of products or market segments but it won’t be easy… you’ll need to actually TALK to these people, you’ll need to offer value, you’ll need to give stuff away first… you’ll need to create in them a favorable juncture of circumstance so they’ll jump on the opportunity when you bring it to them!
So… what are you waiting for!!!??? It’s SIMPLE!!!

Leanne

1. I always wanted to be an entertainer and I have done the following things: Danced the Part of Jelly Lorum in CATS (off, off Broadway), played the part of the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland, Danced on a Fundraiser Telethon, Backup Singer for a Country Band, Lead Singer in a Rock Band, Karaoke Host! LOL! And other such things… I had a lot of fun doing all of it and would do it all again in a heartbeat!

2.  I was a competitive equestrian as a pre-teen riding English Hunter/Jumper and Cross Country.

3.  My very FIRST job was developing film in a family owned photography business. (not my family, just a mom and pop shop).

4. I have one sibling, an older brother, who is the funniest, smartest and most talented person I have ever known.

5. My two favorite movies of all time are Blade Runner and Mary Poppins – I know it’s weird… like me!

6. When I was little, back in Toledo, we had a big brick house with gas fireplaces and a laundry shoot and a player piano – this was my favorite house I have ever lived in.  I found it on Google Maps – here it is:

7. My favorite newscaster was and always will be Walter Cronkite.  Also, he used to narrate a school program called “And You Were There…” We used to watch them in grade school.

8. I have a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and a Master’s in Public Health.

9. We have three cats.  Two are litter mates that we got from a breeder. They are American Curls. Their names are Joliet Jake BluesCurl and and Elwood BluesCurl   The third is a little girl named Zoe – she’s a gray shorthair that was rescued from a drain pipe. In fact, Elwood is sleeping right on my shoulder right now!

10. I got married at the Little White Chapel Drive Thru in Las Vegas!  We both wore all BLACK!!! LOL!  It was GREAT! (this is a photo of the drivethru, not our wedding though)

11. I was named after the women in my dad’s family – My Grandmother Lee, Aunt Annette, and Aunt Susan (Leanne Sue)

12. Thanksgiving is my ALL TIME FAVORITE HOLIDAY!!!  I love the parade, the food, the football and the family… there’s nothing better and no better time of year! Autumn is the BEST!

13.  I took a flying less once in a Cessna (single engine, top wing)… it was the most fun thing I have ever done – I would have loved to continue lessons but it was very expensive – maybe I can pick that up again when my business get’s more successful!

14.  I sold Apple Macintosh Computers when the Macintosh SE was the first portable Mac!  I also Zenith Lap Tops – they were HORRIBLE! LOL!  My first cell phone was a carphone – the block went in the trunk of the car… oy! Am I dating myself eh?

15.  I have never needed braces – my teeth aren’t perfect but I have had people tell me that there is no way I didn’t have braces!  Sorry – naturally straight teeth do happen! LOL!

16.  I have NEVER been a Bridesmaid!

17.  Birds fly into my car at higher rate of probability than for other people! I am not kidding – In fact, I got hit by a bird the other day – just flew right into my windshield! I’m so used to it that it doesn’t even freak me out anymore!

18. I drove from Oswego, NY to Tucson, AZ with my Mom in 1992… that was the most fun road trip I have ever been on! And the longest!  It took us a week.

19.  I was in my mid-20′s before I had meatloaf for the first time!  My friends were amazed!  I was older than that before I ever tried tarter sauce!

20.  I have held 23 different jobs at 23 different places in the last 26 years (some simultaneously). I have also started 4 businesses.  Never be “content”. Always keep learning, keep growing, never give up.

21. Our 7yo daughter is the best thing we have ever done – she is a joy and the light of our life – I’m not sure if this really counts but it counts to me! My dream for her is that she realizes that she doesn’t have to follow a set path in life – there is so much to see and do and try and I hope I will be more open-minded than my parents were in terms of letting her explore her world.

22. I have a very hard time getting rid of books.  I have tons of them, some of which I have never read!  I never say “no” when Sarah wants to buy a book, go to the library or the bookstore.

23. Music is one of the most important parts of our lives.  We listen to all kinds of music. We watch music based movies, we sing, we dance we play a LOT of Rockband!  We can’t get enough of it – Music, Music, Music!

24.  My favorite song is Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel – we saw him in 2006 – this is exactly what it looked like!

25.  My goal in life is to make a legacy, a mark, a small impression on the world and to leave behind something of merit and meaning for my Daughter.  I want the “dash” on my marker to be filled with stuff that people remember fondly because something I did or said made their part of the world just a little more interesting or fun or meaningful.

BOY! this was a challenge – 25 things really take some thinking!  I hope you enjoyed my list and if you read this and have not done one yet, I challenge YOU to put up your own!

Cheers~
Leanne

Can't. Type. Any...more.

Who doesn’t love a three-day weekend? This weekend, of course, we are to celebrate “Labor Day” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_day) here in the USA and for us it does usually mean a lot of backyard Bar-B-Ques, Beer Drinking and Parades. We rejoice in the end of summer, the kids going BACK to school and generally have a grand old time! So… I want you to share your weekend with me! Tell me what you did? Where you did it and with whom! (PLEASE – G-RATED STUFF ONLY – this is a FAMILY SITE!) If you took photos or videos – post your links! I’ll be posting mine so keep your eyes peeled! (YIKES!!! That sounds sorta creepy!)

CHEERS!! ~

WOW!!! Well, our weekend has started off a bit “WET!”

Leanne

BUT LATER…..

Alas.. there are no recordings or photos from Sunday – it was a day of rest!!!

Then on Monday – it was a LOVELY day for a BBQ and Pool Time at the Neighbor’s Place!

For example, I happen to LOVE animals. I have always thought that, if time and money were not an issue, I would have a rescue farm for all kinds of animals. But there’s, as my Dad would say, “no money in it”… which means something has to pay the bills – hopefully the something that pays the bills is something that I excel at and enjoy as well! I really enjoy creating companies. I am on my third company in under three years. All have been real estate related. All have experienced levels of success and levels of failure. I have learned from each one and suspect I will continue to do so. I have a talent for creating infrastructure and for branding and marketing. At least, I have experienced success in those realms and I enjoy it – so I can be pretty sure that these talents will continue to grow and improve and expand and will create an income that will allow me to pursue my calling of helping animals.

The great thing about that scenario I just described is that it’s set up to allow me to focus on the animals without worrying about or trying to find away to finance their needs – those things will be taken care of by the businesses that run and create income and residuals for me and my family and, ultimately my calling and my husband’s and my daughter’s.

When I went to college, I started as a business major and HATED it. I nearly flunked out my first semester. My father told me to study what I loved instead – and when I did my grades shot straight up and my college experience went from one of misery to one of mastery (my degree, by the way, is in Anthropology). Now the downside to this course of action was that it was very difficult to find a job after graduation. Three years later I realized I needed to go back to school and, again, started considering Business (an MBA).. but I would get so discouraged looking at the curriculum. One day, I found something called “Public Health and Epidemiology” PERFECT! It was just like my concentration in Biomedical Anthropology and it made sense to me! This time I was able to parlay my degree in to a series of career successes but, as I mentioned in my first post, I found out fast that I hated BUSINESS in the traditional sense. It’s so restrictive. There’s no real sense of joy in that kind of work – no creativity – no real opportunity to create a lifestyle that makes sense either.

So… today I don’t define myself by what I do or what I have learned specifically. I think of myself as just a curious person. I’m an idea tinkerer, animal lover, a wife, a mother, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a woman, a dreamer, an artist, a comedienne, a writer, a thinker…. What I do is create and run businesses in areas that interest me – real estate, internet marketing, network marketing. My business models are not revolutionary to anyone other than me but they are mine. They allow me freedoms and they WILL allow me to reach goals, create a future, ensure a legacy and to pursue my “calling” …

I guess one other thing I might consider doing is pre-blogging so you don’t get my stream of consciousness every time… but that sounds too much like work to me !

Peace~
Leanne