A Plexus Slim Ambassadors (Surprising) Take on the Popular "17 Day Diet"

Should One Praise a Competitor?

In recent news, Shape Magazine covered a story originally published in "Diets in Review" which, since 2008, has rated the most popular diets. Top on their list: "The 17 Day Diet" by Dr. Mike Moreno. Second on their list, beating out Medifast, Nutrisystem, Jillian Michaels, Skinny Fiber, Biggest Loser, and Weight Watchers: you guessed it, Plexus Slim. 

How could a company like Plexus Worldwide, that you probably have never heard of accomplish this? One simple phrase: "word of mouth". But before I praise Plexus, I want to give you my honest, and maybe surprising review of the top diet, "The 17 Day Diet".

Let me give you a little background. Two years ago, I was introduced to Plexus Slim through a friend named Sonya Dudley. Actually, Sonya told my wife about it, and my wife told me. Anyway, I initially had no interest. But, through some sly tactics, my wife got me to try Plexus (which is actually a small line of products) because, as I am sure many wives feel, she wanted me to work on my "physique". Long story short, I lost weight. 43 lbs of ugly fat. And I have kept it off. I am now a full time Plexus Ambassador too. NOW, to my review.

What is Good About the 17 Day Diet?

I think the 17 day diet sounds tremendous. The name is a little misleading, given that the diet actually lasts more than 17 days, but the point is that you change your eating every 17 days. Amongst experts, it is disputed whether there is any validity to changing one's diet every 17 days in the manner suggested by Dr. Moreno actually contributing to weight loss. There are, however, a few key elements to the diet that I find most important.

1. Restricted calorie intake. It has been well documented that reducing one's calorie intake at the approprite times and with the appropriate foods can lead to weight loss.

2. Low-fat, No Carbs in the beginning. The human diet was never meant to consist of the high carb, high-fat, processed foods that people, especially Americans, have become accustomed to. The popularity of diets such as Adkins and Paleo have come about because people have sought to return to a more natural and healthy diet.

3. Excerise Required. If you are to truly follow the 17 day diet, then you must excercise. I am currently training to become a Certified Personal Trainer. One of the most astounding facts that I have encountered is that the vast majority of Americans do not come close to having enough physical activity in their day to even lead a normal life; nevermind training to become some sort of superior athlete. In times past people had more physical activity in their daily routine, because the work that they did was naturally more physically involved. In today's computer run work place, most people lead sedentary lives. This, in and of itself, is cause for alarm and is a major contributor to the growing obesity epidemic. 

How I would Recommend Using It

Yes. I would actually recommend using The 17 Day Diet. An awesome thing about The 17 Day Diet is that for the cost of a book, a person can learn it. There are no other required products to purchase. As a Plexus Ambassador, one of my goals is to educate people on living healthier lives. My only criticism of the 17 Day Diet is the same criticism I would have of many of the other diets; it is all about personal will-power and personal choice. If it were easy to make those choices, everyone would be in perfect shape. Even though Plexus Slim is listed as the second most popular diet of 2014, I have long stated that Plexus Slim is not a "diet" in the traditional sense, but more like a poweful tool to help a person get their body in "alignment" and to make better choices. In other words, Plexus Slim might actually help make doing something like the 17 day diet a lot easier. On top of that, the Plexus products are known to help people lose weight with relatively little effort in comparison to diets that require radical food selection changes. In addition, many people have found the amazing side health benefits of Plexus are really primary benefits, and Plexus is becoming famous for this as well. All things considered, I would like more of my customers to take a more serious approach to their health. Some people are so impressed with the stories of success with Plexus, that they might expect to not make any changes at all and still lose weight. While stories of this do exist in Plexus, it is not my recommendation to approach weight loss and health in this way, nor is it something that people should expect. There is a reason why people are overweight, out of shape, and sickly. 

Plexus on it's own may benefit you tremendously. But paired with a proper view of diet and excercise, you have a powerful tool for life change. Will Plexus make it easy? That is my story. I did not want to diet. I hated the feeling of being deprived. That, outwardly is what changed for me. Inwardly, Plexus helps to level blood sugars, cholesterol, and lipids. In conjuction with some of the other Plexus products, Plexus Slim can make whatever better choices you make far easier; that is my experience, and the experience of so many other people who have used Plexus, and is why I love Plexus. 

Make a better choice for your life this year. As you make your new year's resolution, make it something that can last. What if this could be your last new year's weight loss resolution?  

How to Broadcast Your Own LIVE Google Hangout on YouTube

A Step by Step Guide

A live broadcast can offer your downline and potentiontial customers a type of connection with you that phone conferences cannot. People like to see the emotions on other peoples faces when we talk. Seeing someone in (near) real time offers a human side of one's self that a phone conversation cannot. My wife Michelle and I started doing live broadcasts on YouTube several months ago. Check out our channel where the broadcasts are automatically recorded here. The feedback has been awesome, and although we sometimes make mistakes, that is part of the appeal of the live broadcast. People feel that we are more relatable.

                                                    Check out one of our recent videos

If you have thought about doing live broadcasts, but you weren't sure where to start, or you felt overwhelmed by the technology, you are not alone. But thankfully, Google and YouTube have made something that once required thousands of dollars worth of equipment and licensing not only affordable, but free and fairly easy to do. We can now have our own TV studios within our homes. Here is a step by step guide to set up your Google+ Hangout with YouTube live broadcasting.

Before you start, it is recommended that you download Google chrome to your computer, then proceed with the following steps. You must have a computer with a camera and microphone.

1. You need a Google account. If you already have a Google account, then just open another window in your browser, log in to your account and proceed to step #2. If you don't have a Google account, getting one is simple. Just click on this LINK and sign up for one, then proceed to step #2.








2. Sign up for Google+. If you just opened a new Google+ account, then you will automatically be
directed to this page. If you just have a Gmail account, then once you are logged in, you need to open a new window in your browser and do a search for Google+. Click on the Google+ link and follow the promts. Be sure that when you are creating your account you add a photo so that those you connect with will know it's really you and not someone else with the same name.





Once you are signed up, you will have a homepage that looks something like this.

3. Hover your mouse over the word "Home" in the upper left hand corner of your page. It will reveal a drop-down menu. Select "Hangouts". When the next page comes up, if you see a box that shows options for Android and iPhone, you don't need to do anything with that right now. Just click the "X" in the upper right corner of the ad.

4. Click on "Start a Hangout on Air". (If you're thinking "Wait a minute, I don't have a YouTube account yet". That's ok, we're getting to it.) 

5. Fill out the Hangout on Air form. This will tell everyone what your broadcast is about, and in the future, it is all you will have to do to create your Hangout on Air. For now, set your hangout for some time later, maybe a half hour. All that matters is that it will be an opportunity for you to test it out. It is necessary for it to be public when it's a Hangout on Air, so you can't change that option. Click share when you've finished filling it out. Don't worry, no one knows that you are setting this up yet. You will see text pop up that says "Click here to verify your YouTube Account". Click on it.


6. As you will see, you now have a new YouTube profile which has opened in a new window. But we

are not ready to broadcast quite yet. Go back to the Google+ window and click on "Click here to verify your YouTube account" again. This is the actual verification. You will be promted to enter your cell phone number. You must enter your real cell phone number, or else this will not work and you will not be able to broadcast. I selected "Text me the verification code". One cool thing that this verification does is allow you to upload longer content. So, instead of the usual 15 minute max length that YouTube gives, you will be able to upload much longer videos.

7. Almost there! Once you enter your phone number, you will receive a text or a call that will tell you the verification code you need to enter on the next page. Enter the correct number and you should see a page like the one pictured to the right that says "Congratulations, Your YouTube account is now verified." Click "Continue". You will be taken to your status page that shows you which features you have available on your YouTube account. If you click on the YouTube icon in the upper left corner, you will be taken back to your home page.

8. Go back to your Google+ page in your open tabs. Click "Share" again on the Google+ Hangout on Air, and you should something like what is pictured on the right. Click the arrow on the right until you reach your page where your event is scheduled. From here on out, you can find the Hangouts on Air that you schedule in "Events" which is located in the drop down menu under "Home" as pictured earlier.

9. Click on "Start" to start the hangout. You may be prompted to install a plug in. If so, go ahead and install.

10. Invite Guests. Once you have added people to your circles, you will be able to have guests on your show. You will see a window that looks like the one on the right where you can add them. Skip this for now. You will be taken to a screen where you will see yourself and your control panel. You are NOT live yet.





11. At the bottom of your screen, you will see a green button that says Start Broadcast. Pressing this will make your show go live, even if it is not the correct time for the show to start. Any time that you press this, you are LIVE. It will be recorded and available on your YouTube channel and your Google+ page! You will want to run a couple of tests, and delete the videos from your Google+ and YouTube pages afterward. Spend some time playing around with this. Ask a friend who has a Google+ account to join you on your tests to make sure you know how to use all of the features.

FAQ:

1. Q. Where do people go to see my videos on YouTube? A. From your Google+ Event page, select the Hangout you wish to refer people to. It will take you to the Hangout's event page. There, you will see a box that says "Details", and an icon with "Links". Click the "Links" icon, then copy the YouTube page URL. This is the actual URL of the YouTube page where the live broadcast can be viewed. Paste that link wherever you wish so that people will be able to easily access your live broadcast.

2. Q. Do the people I am interviewing need to have their Google+ account connected to YouTube like described here? A. No, they only need to have a Google+ account, and if they are using their phone for the interview, they need to download the Google+ app and the Google hangout app.

3. Q. Why am I not finding people who say they have added me to their circles on Google+? A. Allow an hour or two. Sometimes Google+ takes a little time to show the people who have added you to their Circles.

4. Q. Can anyone see my live broadcasts, or just the people I invite? A. Anyone who knows the YouTube link can watch your broadcasts.

5. Q. Are my broadcasts automatically recorded? A. Yes. Your broadcasts are available on your Youtube channel and Google+ page moments after you finish broadcasting. You can delete and edit them from your YouTube channel. If you wish to delete them from Google+, you must do that seperately.

Science Confirms: Failing is the Fast Track to Success!

Don't give up before you learn what you need to be successful. Failing is integral to learning a new skill!

From Fast CoCreate

Originally Posted at Awkward Family Photos

We're all familiar with the term "muscle memory." Once you've learned to do

something--serve a tennis ball, play a difficult piece of piano music, or draw a lifelike human hand--your body seems to intuitively "know" how to reproduce that action. But researchers at John Hopkins University have recently discovered that our ability to perform a physical athletic or creative task isn't entirely about what the body has learned to do right. Instead, we owe our success to the hundred times we've tried to master a skill and failed.

"When you're just starting to learn something new, the errors that you experience are helping you learn faster," says David Herzfeld, a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering involved with the Hopkins study.

To demonstrate this, Herzfeld's team devised a simple video game in which subjects used a joystick (represented on screen by a blue cursor) to hit a red target. The exercise was similar to throwing darts. "When the dart lands below the target, the next time you throw just a bit higher," Herzfeld says. "But next time, maybe the dart goes above the bullseye. What do those two errors together tell you? Your error sensitivity was too large. You overcorrected."

After a series of failed attempts, players corrected just enough to master the game. Then, the scientists secretly reprogrammed the joystick to always send the cursor 30 degrees to the left. After a few huge errors, subjects again adjusted to the new paradigm, learning to aim right. But as soon as they'd gotten the hang of it, the scientists switched the cursor back to its original "straight-ahead" position. Subjects were again forced to correct their shots, this time by aiming left. The scientists discovered that most people increased the speed at which they were able to readjust.

Even though this article is referring to learning hands on skills, I can't help but relate it to the many times I've failed at something in my business, and how the pain of that failure was so indelibly printed on my memory that I made sure that I changed my approach the next time. If failing at a certain task is the way we eventually learn to master that task, then not only am I more resolute to continue on to success in all things, but I am more certain that I should never let my failures get me down. It's just part of the process.

Betting on Plexus

The Story of Patty

Recently, my wife Michelle and I started a campaign in our affectionally named "Rock the Pink" downline organization.  The name of our campaign is "put your money where your mouth is." Michelle and I believe so firmly in the vision and direction of Plexus Worldwide, that we have already spent thousands of dollars of our own money in the last year and a half traveling, putting on meetings, creating marketing materials, and doing giveaways all in an effort to promote the Plexus line of products that has radically changed our family's lives. But, it is our belief that we can't just tell people about Plexus, we have to be willing to put something on the line too.

Tonight, as we were sitting at the table at a local grill, we were remembering just how far that Michelle's mother, Patty, had come in her health since starting Plexus. About 10 years ago, Patty came down with pneumonia right before she left for vacation to Mexico. By the time the day arrived for her to leave, Patty's doctor had cleared her to go, believing that her body had recovered enough to be able to handle the trip. While in Mexico, Patty's weakened lungs contracted a form of bacteria from the air conditioning in her hotel room, and within a couple of days Patty was admitted to a hospital in Mexico. According to the doctors there, had she tried to leave without treatment, she would have probably died on her way home. From this bacteria, Patty developed a rare condition called Legionnaires' disease.

For years, we feared we could lose Patty any day. The bacteria causes an inflammation which triggered all sorts of complication. From food allergies, to breathing difficulty much like asthma, except the attacks could sometimes last for weeks and even months. Her body became weakened to the point that she began struggling with irregularities in her heart beat. When Patty tried the Plexus products, none of us had any idea how it would impact her life, and ours.

Patty had visited many doctors in her efforts to try to get better. At one point she was told that she just needed to stay well long enough for her body to be able to heal itself. She went on very strict diets, eating the same things every day for weeks on end, with no seasonings. She was told to eat a lot of yogurt to try to get the probiotics (the good bacteria) into her system. She would go for a while, seeming to do ok, then suddenly, an attack would come on. For almost 10 years, Patty spent about 6 months out of the year sick and hardly able to leave her house.

On top of this, Patty was in a car accident that had left her with a bulging disc and annular tear in her back. The pain of this, combined with her declining health left her in a place of such misery that even as a Christian woman, she began to struggle to find any hope. We asked her to try Plexus for her back pain, and at the time, we knew very little about the products. Within 3 weeks, the back pain she had had reduced in her words "on a scale of 0-15, from an over the top 15 down to a 0 to 2." Both she and her husband Ken were blown away. She had just had a cortisone shot for which she paid $2,000 that had not even touched the pain, and here she was using this natural "fast relief" product "from the sea" and it actually worked.

Patty became a believer in Plexus because of the pain relief, but what none of us imagined possible came afterward. Patty began using Plexus Slim, and Plexus ProBio5 along with the Fast Relief product. Ingredients in both Plexus Slim and Fast Relief can help with inflammation in the body. Along with this, ProBio5 has an anti fungal and an enzyme which can fight against bad bacteria in the body, plus the probiotics the body needs to allow the immune system to function properly.

Patty has not had any long term attacks since starting this regimen. In fact, she has had only a couple of small attacks, and these only lasted from a few hours to a couple of days. Up until the Plexus products, Patty had no answer. We did not know what was going to happen to her from day to day. Now, she is living a fun and "normal" life again. There is no price for this. It is this story and several others like it that have made Michelle and I diehard Plexus people. We don't just sell it, we believe in it. It's really not just about weight loss at all to us. How could it be?

Getting Down to it

So, one reason we are betting on Plexus is because we need to make sure these products stay around for our family, and we are going to do everything in our power to make this company successful, come hell or high-water.

Another reason we are betting on Plexus, is because Plexus has already weathered some storms. When we had to change from the original Accelerator to the Accelerator+, people were worried and complained. Some blamed Plexus for the change, even though the removal of the original Accelerator was required by the FDA. Some confusion about one of the ingredients surrounds that product, but in the interest of building a long lasting and stable company Plexus did what it had to do. The Accelerator+ has been a very successful product in helping to speed up weight loss for many people. Plexus also introduced a second weight loss supplement called Boost that offers an alternative to the Accelerator+ for those who would like to try it. The factors involved with this change have made Plexus decision makers worth listening to when it comes to their opinions about what products they should bring to market. Having weathered a storm withe the FDA means that they will be more likely to recognize when another is coming, and be able to better avoid it as well. This said, Plexus' revenue reached nearly $160 million in 2013. Not bad for a company that grossed less that $300,000 in 2009. This brings me to my next reason why I am totally sold, and betting on Plexus.

With $160,000,000, no debt, and a powerful and impressive range of products, Plexus has the resources and the researchers to bring any supplemental product to the market that they wish. Therefore, despite the impatience of some, this position is an exciting prospect, given that it means that the world is available when it comes to new products. With the explosive growth and fortune of Plexus Worldwide, is there any reason to doubt that they have passed on thousands more products than what they have brought to market? In the position Plexus has attained at this point, the question is not how to bring products to people, as if some product were out of their reach, but the question is rather WHAT products SHOULD Plexus bring to people. That is a question that any company with real vision must ask. Knowing the goal of being in business is to make money, the only reason why a company would not bring a particular supplemental product to market would be that it could not make money, or that the company does not believe it is safe. Therefore, for instance, Plexus is not under the pressure that a small start up would be in that could cause them to utilize supplemental products that are more risky or unsafe; a company that has built some stability will instead look introduce products that are fit for their long term goals.

We are betting on Plexus because with the resources, the complete line of products, and the experiences under their belt, Plexus stands out as a company with the long term firmly in their grasp.

On a side note, most people are probably not aware of what it even means to be a $100 million company.

Quote from Ewing, Marion, Kauffman Foundation

"In the paper, "The Constant: Companies that Matter," Kauffman Foundation Senior Fellow Paul Kedrosky explores the rate and founding locations of companies in the United States that "matter" from 1980 to present.  

Kedrosky uses three criteria to define companies that matter: They must be scalable, quickly reaching $100 million or more in revenues; they must be able to generate jobs quickly and broadly; and, they must be disproportionate creators of wealth, both directly through profits and salaries and indirectly through equity.

"Companies unable to reach $100 million in revenues are still relevant to the economy," Kedrosky says. "But the $100-million firms meet an entirely different threshold that gives cities, states and countries an even greater economic advantage."

Anywhere from 125 to 250 companies per year (out of roughly 552,000 new employer firms) are founded in the United States that reach $100 million in revenues."

Plexus Ranks #8 on Inc. Magazine's Top 5000 - What Does it Mean?

Breaking it down

From the Inc. Website

New York based Inc. magazine, a publication which has been in circulation since 1979, publishes a yearly ranking of the top 5000 fastest growing companies in the U.S. They also highlight the top 10% with what they call the "Inc. 500". In the ranking, each company's three year growth is measured. To qualify, companies must have an annual revenue of at least $2 million in the most recent year measured. Without that revenue measurement, the list would be suspect of having any reasonable meaning. However, with that measurement, the public is able to get a glimpse into what could be the nations future top businesses, and companies that might be worth seeking out when looking for a job.

Plexus' ranking at #8 on this list is quite substantial for the company. First, that position makes them the fastest growing network marketing company in the country. An article from April of this year in Direct Selling News said, "Plexus Worldwide may be the biggest company in the direct sales industry that you’ve never heard of. But Plexus executives don’t expect that to be the case for long." Now that Inc. has published their list, it would seem that the Plexus executives are correct.

The other important note in the ranking is that among the top 10, Plexus ranked #2 in revenue last year, with $159.9 million. Fuhu, a company that makes an Android tablet for kids ranked #1 in both revenue and sales growth amongst the top 10, with $195.6 million in revenue last year.

Accolade

Michelle Thomas, Emerald Ambassador for Plexus holding a copy the of
Success from Home magazine which featured Plexus, and in which
she is also pictured.

Plexus was also recently featured in Success from Home magazine which is circulated throughout the United States at Barnes and Noble bookstores. But the sudden rise in notoriety is only bested by their own explosive growth, with a clip of 16,458% over the last three years.

Plexus vital signs are incredible. Add to their explosive growth and sudden notoriety the fact that Plexus Worldwide is also a debt free company, and you have a meal that investors would salivate over, if Plexus were public.

But you won't find Plexus stock available on the market today. Plexus has chosen to remain a private company, which means the only way that you can get a piece of the action is to become one of their distributors. And Plexus has developed it's own way of dividing up the company profits. According to  Plexus International President, Alfred Petterson, their goal was "to do network marketing the way it could and should be done." This has proven to be very lucrative for many stay at home mom's, who tend to lean toward the weight loss focus of Plexus' marketing. But don't count the dad's out. Several of Plexus' top distributors are men, and Plexus product offering expands well beyond weight loss and into other areas of health and help with pain.

The overall picture looks very good for Plexus. Though they are still in the young, growing stages of their business, they are off to a nearly unrivaled start. This fact alone gives Plexus the upper hand in the battle for strength and longevity; a promising thought for any company.

Momentum Starts in Your MIND

Definition

mo·men·tum

 noun \mō-ˈmen-təm, mə-\

: the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes

Health Momentum

If you are trying to get healthy and lose weight, but you have a negative or hopeless belief about it,

you are likely to never see the results you desire. Even when you add in a product as extraordinary as Plexus, your downer mentality can sabotage your results. But, it's not magic.

I've said in countless meetings that I "only" lost 3 lbs. in the first 6 weeks after starting Plexus. I felt great, better than I had in years, but weight loss was almost absent. I've since lost 42 lbs. I have even seen people go 3 months before losing a pound. Yet, many people quit only 1 or 2 months in because "Plexus was not working". But, the things we later find out time and again with many of these are:

1. They are not drinking the recommended amount of water.

2. They are not taking the products regularly (or even at all).

3. They decide to "test" the products, and so begin eating worse than normal.

4. The products have had some positive effects, but they are concerned more with the cost and are embarrassed to say it.

5. The products have had some positive effects, but not what they were hoping for, yet.

6. Their spouse or someone close to them is very negative.

7. There are other underlying health issues which complicate weight loss that they had not divulged.

In the first three above examples, there are a couple of possibilities. First, these customers may simply be uninformed of the Plexus process. In this case, some education is necessary. The other possibility is that the person is not truly committed. They have for one reason or another agreed to "try" the Plexus products, but they never actually intended to do their part.  They could be one of the millions who have tried and failed using other weight loss products, and have become cynical toward anyone offering any kind of help.

The last four examples typically happen when a customer has the wrong expectations up front. That is why we must educate our customers and continue to talk to them throughout the process. These folks usually started the products sincerely wanting to do something for their health. But, as a Plexus Ambassador, you have to know that the job is not always going to be easy when it comes to helping people, even with the extraordinary results that Plexus has.

All of these examples come from a negative mentality. That negativity carries with it strength or force which will be the impetus to moving more quickly toward a negative result. People in poor health don't typically start that way. There is usually a negative thing that happens in their life, or in their belief which starts the ball rolling. Perhaps an accident, or the loss of a friend. Perhaps they had a difficult time after the birth of a child. Or, perhaps as a child they just were never taught proper eating habits. Poor eating habits as a child lead to health complications later in life. By the time that they decide to do something about it, like use Plexus products, they have full momentum going in the wrong direction.

So, why would someone who has tried other weight loss products want to continue with Plexus if they are not immediately seeing the results they hoped for? Because Plexus is not a weight loss company per se. Even though we have products that most definitely help with weight loss, we actually focus on health which results in weight loss. Where many companies have weight loss programs, depending on the method, that weight loss may or may not be healthy. What we are currently engaged in with Plexus is actually the process of redefining the weight loss industry. One thing we see over and over with Plexus is that people feel better first, and the weight loss is second. Many will lose many inches before they ever see weight loss. As it says on the package, Plexus Slim helps burn fat, not muscle.

Momentum comes with a positive or negative mindset, and there is no middle ground. In the first three examples above, the negative mindset has trumped any long term results the customer may see, because the customer will not use the products properly for the long term. The positive mindset says, "I am going to do what it takes. I will take the products faithfully. I will listen to my body when it says I don't need more food or more sugar. I will drink the recommended water. I will look for the positives along the way." Some people do not need to lose weight to be healthy. But improvements in their health will show in inches lost, reduction in medications, clearer skin, more energy and vitality, better sleep, a clearer mind, less mood swings, less pain, a happier disposition, and many other things that have all been attested to by Plexus users.

What happens with the positive mindset is amazing. A person takes the products and first of all, they feel better, not always, but very often. Some might not feel much, but they see inches lost, or a few pounds lost, or will be sleeping better, or will not be as hungry, or some random thing that they had not expected will change in their health. They feel happier and more content. Momentum has begun. For me, because I was not as hungry, I felt that I could eat better. So, I did. When I started eating better, I started feeling better. This naturally led to me feeling more energized, which made me want to get out and play with my kids. The exercise led to me feeling younger, and even more energized, so I decided to start working out. See the progression? This is momentum! It started by taking the products, mixed with a positive mentality. It has led to eating better, feeling better, playing more with my kids, and working out. All things that were difficult to do alone. The positive mentality provides the strength and power which will be the impetus to move ever more quickly and easily toward positive results, at which point you can no longer tell what is your effort, what is the product's effort, and what is just the momentum.

Business Momentum

The same goes for your business.  If your mentality is positive, it allows for other good things to happen. But if, on the other hand, you have a negative mentality, it is guaranteed that if you keep it, you will sabotage your own efforts. On the outside, you may be doing everything "right", but you find yourself tending to believe the negative things other people say, and your self-talk sounds fearful. You might not say "negative" things to the public, but maybe you have to your spouse. You find yourself wanting to read negative things, and you find some sort of comfort in it. This is an indication that your mind is looking for an excuse to quit. Like it or not, that attitude comes through to other people. No one can make you keep going; you are free to quit. But, don't make excuses. There are people who will be successful who had far less training, equipping, tools, resources, and help than you.

A positive business mindset believes that there is a solution to every problem. It may not always readily present itself, but through effort, time, and thought a solution will come. The positive business mindset understands and believes in the principle of sewing and reaping. It knows that all seeds must have time to grow. It also knows that there will be thorns, thistles, and weeds to contend with, but harvest will come. The momentum comes when people align themselves with these beliefs. When we talk, we sound more confident. We instill belief in others. Others take what we have given and then start off with a positive mindset, which begins their momentum, which strengthens our own. Momentum starts in your mind. And through a positive mentality we gear ourselves toward the type of success we desire.

Why You Shouldn’t “Worry” About Pay Points”

Plexus pays Ambassadors every month based upon the total point value of products sold for the previous month. Out of the 11 ways we get paid, this is arguably the most exciting part of the Plexus commission structure. The more revenue per commission qualified ambassador, the more each point is worth. Obviously, as Ambassadors, we want those points to be worth as much as possible. If the point value is $3.00, then an Ambassador who has 100 points will be paid $300. If the points are worth $3.50, that Ambassador would make an additional $50 with the same 100 points.

Me

So, why should we not “worry" about the pay points? When I first started in Plexus, like most Ambassadors, I had no idea what a pay point was, and certainly no idea how they were calculated. I did know that I was feeling much better physically than I had in years, I had lost some weight, and that if I shared the products with other people, they might experience the same thing as me, and I would make a commission from the sale of those products (this is another way that Plexus Ambassadors get paid). It was simple, and it was easy. When family members began to see the benefits of using the Plexus products, losing weight, getting off of medications, feeling more energized, feeling much less pain from inflammation and such, my passion for the Plexus products grew. I continued to share, and our paycheck continued to increase.

There are guidelines that we learned along the way, and of course we became more educated in how to run our business, and how the Plexus system worked. But, the bottom line never changed. Plexus is about helping people get healthy, and there has to be passion behind that. 

I never would have believed that Plexus would be our sole income. I was so grateful back when we were making $500 a month with Plexus because I had no expectation of that. With Ambassadors moving up into higher and higher ranks, it’s easy to start to get anxious and wonder "why not me?” I’ve been a Senior Ruby Ambassador for several months. Some people have blown right past me. But that’s when I have to remember, I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to have lost 42 lbs. by drinking a drink. I’m not supposed to be able to say that my mother-in-law got her life back after years of struggling with pain and crippling symptoms from her disease. I’m not supposed to have friends upon friends who have gotten their health under control, and been freed from their medications. I am certainly not supposed to be enjoying my work this much.

There are many Bible stories that I learned as a child that illustrate that people have a tendency to forget how far they have come and what good they have received. When we do this, we start to focus on what we don’t have, instead of all the good that we do have, then we start to worry.

Worry can be paralyzing and create self fulfilling prophecies, where instead of helping ourselves to improve, we actually sabotage ourselves. That is why I go back to where I started, to the point in my mind when I didn’t have any of this. To the point where I weight 250 lbs. and I struggled to pay my bills without any hope of help from anything else. It helps me to be thankful and it defeats my worry. It gives me my passion. By myself, I cannot increase the pay points, but with passion for the products that have made possible what I now possess, I already have what I need. The points will take care of themselves.