Failure Is The Fog Through Which We Glimpse Triumph
Almost everything in life involves learning, going to school, going to university, getting a job, being in a relationship, we're all constantly learning. Part of learning is figuring out what works, but the often overlooked aspect is learning what doesn't work.
Thomas Edison famously said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Very few people, including me, would be most likely be discouraged to the point of giving up after about 10 or 20 "ways that won't work", and unfortunately this perceived failure is then constantly replayed in our minds as we undertake the next venture.
I imagine there were many times when Edison thought to himself, "I've done it! This is going to work!" and like all the times before, it didn't. This is the risk of doing something new, something outside of your comfort zone, there's a chance you will succeed and there's a chance you will fail miserably.
After the Edison's first attempt was unsuccessful he likely assessed his invention, trying to figure out how to improve his design, trying to figure out why it didn't work, then built a new prototype and tested it again. Being an inventor he was likely used to this process but I doubt even he could have imagined he'd fail 10,000 times before he succeeded. Could you imagine the disappointment of trying something thousands and thousands of times and not seeing any breakthrough?
It's normal to want something to work as planned, we get all our ducks lined up nicely and stand back, proud of our hard work, and almost without fail, one-by-one the line falls apart and your ducks are scattered all over the place. We invest so much of ourselves into our plans and dreams, so when our plans don't work out as we intended we see it as a reflection on us.
When something I've planned doesn't work out, my first thought is something along the lines of, "I have failed", but in truth, it is the plan that failed, not me. And this is where we all stand to learn something. If we can look at the failure objectively, think about what we could do differently next time, think about how the plan could be adjusted so that next time it succeeds, then we can use failure to propel us forward and not pull us backwards.
My favourite quote of the moment comes from Iron Man 3 and it goes, "Failure is the fog through which we glimpse triumph." Failure can blind us, failure can make us second guess ourselves, failure can make us wonder around lost and confused as we try to get to our destination. But in the end, for those who can persist despite failure all around them, there is a flicker of triumph in the distance, and when you see it, you'll know exactly where you're going.
Stay strong, think positively, and look for the flicker of light through the fog!
We all have beliefs about ourselves which are so ingrained that changing them seems virtually impossible, but what if you could change those beliefs in an instant? Imagine getting a complete makeover and not even recognizing the person in the mirror, the old you is gone, you can be whoever you want to!
The truth is, it is possible. Almost the entire makeup of who we are is the result of repetitive behaviours rooted in beliefs we have about ourselves, and all beliefs are simply repetitive thoughts.
This is where things get interesting, because, if our beliefs are the result of repetitive thoughts, we can interrupt our current thoughts and replace them with new ones. To illustrate this, I'm going to expose myself and list a few thoughts that float through my head:
No matter how hard I work and how committed I am, success is always just outside my grasp.
I'll always be just on the edge of great health, but reaching and sustaining great health just isn't possible.
I will never realize my full potential and achieve my dreams.
Blah, blah, blah, you see where I'm going with this. The point is that all these things are true firstly because I believe them, and secondly because I act on those beliefs daily in my thoughts and actions.
But I have come to bring you good news! You can change any and all negative thoughts about yourself forever by doing the following.
Just start by saying: I'm the type of person that... [insert your new belief about yourself here]
For example:
I'm the type of person that works hard, is committed, and is becoming more successful every day.
I'm the type of person that is happy and confident.
I'm the type of person that is generous and greatful.
Research on habit change shows that changing your identification with your habits is the most critical ingredient to making a lasting change.
Think about it, if you identify yourself as a very fit, strong person, you'll naturally take actions that support that belief. If you identify yourself as sexy and confident, you'll naturally emanate a very attractive energy.
So go ahead, start with one and work from there. Write it down and put it on your fridge, your bathroom mirror, the center of your steering wheel, wherever you will see it and read it often.
It might feel weird at first and that's normal. If you're feeling some internal resistance, try using a 3-part technique.
What I desire is ... (because that is always true)
Moving to "I'm becoming the type of person that..."
Finally, "I'm the type of person that..."
My dad always said, "What's the best way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time." A task may seem far too big and daunting at first, but if you break it down and take small deliberate steps every day, you'll be way better off than staring at the elephant wondering how to eat the whole thing...
For most people, the mention of "multi-level marketing" or "downline" automatically makes them think of pyramid schemes and people getting scammed out of all their hard earned money. Unfortunately there are pyramid schemes out there, but by knowing what to look for you can very quickly separate the scams from the real money making opportunities.
First, let's take a look at pyramid schemes. Wikipedia defines a pyramid scheme as, "a non-sustainable business model that involves promising participants payment or services, primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, rather than supplying any real investment or sale of products or services to the public." Here's a link to the page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_scheme.
Pyramid schemes are also illegal, and the only people who will ever be able to make money are the people at the top of the pyramid. Pyramid schemes are appealing because they promise huge returns on your investment in a very short period of time and because they have no real product or service, all you have to do is get other people to do the same thing. Often the information about the company is vague and sketchy, so be careful when people aren't willing to tell you much about the company.
Now that we've pointed out some of the ways to identify a pyramid scheme, let's look at multi-level marketing. One difference is that members at any level of a multi-level marketing model can make income through the company's products and/or services without signing up any new members. This is true of Vemma because we have real products!
The second difference is that members of any level in a multi-level can advance past the people who signed them up. We see this happening all the time in Vemma. If you're willing to do the work, you can earn as much money as you want to!
When you start investigating an opportunity you'll quickly be able to see if it is a legitimate multi-level or if it's a pyramid scheme. If you're expected to pay large signup fees and make stacks of money with little to no effort, it's a pyramid. If there is little-to-no signup fee, the company has a range of products or services, and you're rewarded for the work you put it, then it's most likely an MLM. Having said this, please always do as much research as possible when investigating a potential MLM.
It's really unfair that multi-level marketing get's a bad reputation because of illegal schemes but we're working on that. Every person who changes his or her life for the better thanks to Vemma or another MLM is another feather in our cap and testament to the legitimacy of MLMs.
I hope this info helps all you 24two'ers out there!
I was really impressed when I heard that Vemma gives everybody a free website, Vemma gives us so many tools to run our business and make the absolute most of the opportunity. When you're starting a business it's vital to keep your overheads low and the clever guys at Vemma have worked out a way to give everybody all these tools for free!
If you run a business, it goes without saying that you have to have a website. It gives you access to way more people than you could normally reach just by word of mouth, and it means that people can access the information from anywhere in the world.
Normally you'd have to hire a web agency to design and build the website, pay monthly hosting fees for your site, and then manage all the enquiries and orders yourself, but, once again, Vemma are rewriting the rule book and giving us all these things for free, plus they manage every order and enquiry that comes through your site! Without even hiring somebody, you've already got staff working for you around the world!
That is a massive resource and adds incredible value to your business. In the time it takes you to register on the website, which as you'll remember is free and takes about 3 minutes, you go from having no business, no staff, no product, no distribution network, no packaging, no website, nothing, to having an international business, an amazing product, staff already trained and working for you, and a website to run your whole business from.
As a web developer, I've investigated every part of the website, and I'm really impressed. They've made it all very easy to use, it's available in multiple languages, and it has great tools to track and manage your business. To develop a website with the same functionality would take an agency at least a few months to design and code and would cost you around R 100,000. I know, it's insane! And they give it to you for free!
This really is the easiest way to start a business and you can earn as much as you want. Every bit of work you put into it will pay off, and you'll be creating a long-term income to live the life you want and dream of!
If you want to start your business and make more money, you can go to my website or David's and click on "Start Your Business" on the left. We'd love to have you on the team and we're ready to help you get started and change your life!
It’s a valid question, and one of the first I asked Luke when he was telling me about Vemma and Verve, but before we talk about stopping, I’d like to remind everybody that it is free to join Vemma, no one-off sign-up fee, no hidden monthly fees, nada, zilch. You can start and run your own business, with international distribution and highly qualified staff and set yourself up financially for the rest of your life, for FREE! I’ve seen many bargains, I’ve been enticed by clever marketing ploys, but I’ve never heard of an opportunity like this, Vemma is changing the world with it’s products and business model!
Now that that’s out the way, what will happen if you stop? First thing’s first, your account will stay active for 9 months after you stop ordering your Vemma product, so if you have a change of heart a few months later you can get back in the swing of things without starting from nothing again. Vemma also has a 30-day money back guarantee on all of it’s products, if you’re not completely satisfied with your product you can send back the empty cans/bottles and they’ll give you your money back. I think it’s important to point out that, to date, Vemma only has a 1% return rate! That is incredible!
Something else I’d like to point out is that nobody is being forced to join Vemma. As Clif Braun said last night, “if they say no, they can go”, that’s not arrogance, that’s just the way we work. As I’m building my team I’m looking for people who are motivated, people who want to change their life and help others do the same, I’m not trying to convince or coerce people, I’ll leave that to the politicians.
The reality is that some people will join Vemma, get really excited and after a few months, give up and go back to what they were doing before. Everybody who joins has the same opportunity, everybody has access to the same tools and resources, and everybody has the support of the rest of the team, if it’s not for you, no worries dude, I wish you the best in all your future endeavors.
Vemma offers freedom, freedom to choose when and where you work, where you want to live, how much money you want to make, the freedom to turn your dreams into real tangible things, and the freedom to stop whenever you feel like it.
As for me, there’s no way I’m stopping. Have a great day guys!
It's not easy to make something of yourself when you come from very little, yet history has shown us time and time again that where you come from doesn't determine where you'll end up. It's easy to get overwhelmed by your situation, whether it's not having enough money, not having a job, parents that didn't love you, no friends, losing your parents at a yound age, all of these things can be overcome by the human spirit. Here is a selection of billionaires (yup, Billionaires!) who grew up, semingly with nothing, but didn't ever let that stop them.
Thomas Peterffy (Net worth: $1.4 billion)
Peterffy moved as a refugee to New York in 1965 to escape Communist Hungary. Born in Budapest in 1944, he survived a Russian bombing raid and arrived speaking no English. He taught himself computer programming and stirred up the room at the American Stock Exchange when he brought an early handheld computer there in 1977 after buying a seat. During his time at the AMEX, Thomas would write computer code in his head during the day and head back to the office at night to apply computer models to trading. The Interactive Brokers Group, an online discount brokerage firm, was born out of this. IBG gained popularity for its low costs and maintains the position of "least expensive trading venue for investors" – a surefire Oscar category for 2014.
Howard Schultz (Net worth: $1.5 billion)
Every time you sip that caramel macchiato or peppermint mocha, you can thank Howard Schultz for ensuring that it's available on almost every street corner in large cities. Schultz's story began in public housing in Brooklyn, N.Y. – the Canarsie Bayview Houses. He was the first family member to graduate from high school. After heading to Seattle to check out a little-known, but locally popular, coffee bean store known as Starbucks, he joined the company and became head of marketing and operations in 1982. The plot thickens. Schultz left Starbucks after clashing with the owners over offering coffee in stores (can you imagine?!), and started his own coffee business, Il Giornale. A year later, Schultz had the last laugh and bought Starbucks for $3.8 million, turning it into the mega company it is today.
Oprah Winfrey (Net worth: $2.7 billion)
Arguably one of the most influential women in the world, media mogul Oprah Winfrey was raised in poverty by an unmarried teenage mother in rural Mississippi. With a rocky childhood that included abuse, pregnancy, and being bounced around the country, it wasn't until she was midway through high school that Oprah got on track. She landed a job at age 17 doing the news part time for a local black radio station, and the rest is history. Oprah climbed her way up through anchor and host positions, and was catapulted to fame with "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1986. The Oprah empire now includes her own magazine, TV and radio stations, website, charities and countless other endeavors.
David Murdock (Net worth: $3.3 billion)
David Murdock didn't finish high school after dropping out in ninth grade. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 during World War II. After the war, he moved to Detroit and was homeless for a while until he received a $1,200 loan from a good Samaritan. He used it to buy and flip a diner, making a profit of $700 in 10 months. From there, he began working in housing and commercial real estate, acquiring a string of properties in Los Angeles. The turning point came when he began buying control of major companies in the late 1970s and early 80s including International Mining and Occidental Petroleum and Hawaiian company Castle & Cooke, owner of Dole Food Co. He turned Dole into the world's largest producer, distributor and marketer of produce. Dole went public in 2009, and Murdock became one of the richest men in the world.
John Paul DeJoria (Net worth: $4.2 billion)
Luscious locks would lose some of their sheen without the help of John Paul's famous hair care line, but the world he lives in now if a far cry from where he began. After his parents divorced, his mother couldn't provide for John and his brother so they were sent to a foster home in East Los Angeles. Here, John Paul got caught up in a street gang for a while but managed to graduate from high school, then spent several years in the US Navy. He worked as a janitor and sold insurance. He finally found his calling working for Redken Labratories, but was fired over a disagreement on strategies. Looking to stick it to his former employers, John formed the John Paul Mitchell Systems shortly after and turned it into one of the most high-demand products for salon and at-home use.
George Soros (Net worth: $19.2 billion)
Soros was 13 when the Nazis invaded his homeland in Budapest, Hungary. He immigrated to England four years later to live with his uncle, who paid for his school expenses. Soros had come with very little from war-torn Hungary. He earned a bachelor of science degree from the London School of Economics. Soros wore several different hats, working as a railway porter, waiter and souvenir shop salesman. He eventually got a job at merchant bank Singer & Friedlander. After moving to New York and holding various positions as an analyst and trader, Soros developed the Theory of Reflexivity. This theory refers to circular relationships between cause and effect with regard to the market, and it proved true for him when many of his speculations paid off – in a big way. He is now the chairman of Soros Fund Management, one of the most profitable hedge fund management firms in the industry.
Sheldon Adelson (Net worth: $21.8 billion)
The man who currently controls most of Las Vegas did not grow up in the casino business; nor did he grow up around money. Sheldon Adelson lived in a less-than-safe neighborhood of Dorchester, Mass. outside Boston. His father worked as a cab driver and Adelson sold newspapers on a street corner. By age 12, he made it clear that he was meant to be the head honcho and own his own business. He had a business selling toiletry kits as well as a charter tour business. It was the first Sands Hotel and Casino that he took over in 1988 that churned out his immense wealth.
Ingvar Kamprad (Net worth: $23 billion)
Without Ingvar Kamprad, the world would have had to go without the satisfaction that comes from assembling a couch, color-coordinating your entire kitchen, or owning the same end table as everyone else you know. As a boy growing up on a small farm in Sweden, Kamprad used to buy matches for in bulk from Stockholm, and sell them on his bicycle individually for a good profit to neighbors. This expanded into selling a variety of other things including pens, pencils, seeds, decorations, and eventually into the massive phenomenon known as IKEA. Despite his success, Kamprad is still notorious for shopping at sales, flying economy class and even stopping by his own stores for a cheap meal.
Lakshmi Mittal (Net worth: $28.7 billion)
Lakshmi Mittal was born into the Marwari Aggarwal caste in 1950 in Rajasthan, India, and lived with more than 20 family members in very meager conditions. His family's home was made of bare concrete floors, each slept on rope beds, and cooking was done over an open fire in a brick yard. Today, he is CEO and founder of ArcelorMittal, the world's leading integrated steel and mining company. He is the richest man of Indian descent, and is continuously named one of Forbes' most powerful people in the world.
I hope that by reading about these people you are encouraged to not let your current circumstances hold you back from achieving everything you dream of. So often, doing so is reserved for a small portion of society, but not any more. People are changing their lives around the world thanks to Vemma and Verve, it's changing my life every day! You can be everything, and achieve everything, you dream of!
One of the great things about Verve, amongst a sea of other things, is meeting so many new people, so with that in mind I thought it would cool to write a regular article and introduce everybody to a new member of the 24twos team.
For our inaugural article I'm pleased to introduce you to Kate Gardy. She has an amazing bubbly personality and the friendliest smile you'll ever see. I'll stop talking now so you can get to know Kate :)
Tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Kate Gardy. I've been a human on this earth for 20 and a bit years. Have spent the last 8 months living and studying in the beautiful Cape Town after finishing the most indescribable gap year abroad in 2012. I'm here to really make the most of my time on earth. Said to be a dreamer...but hey, even castles in the sky can do with a fresh coat of paint. Love adventure and spontaneity - the best experiences and stories always come from the unexpected! Really believe in opening your mind, arms and heart to diverse people, new ways of thinking, and a mixture of cultures; we are united in our differences. I appreciate life's small beauties and live everyday at my own laid-back Kate pace. Singing and playing piano are two of my favourite things in the world, along with many other passions, of course!
What are some of your dreams/ambitions?:
I dream to never stop traveling the world. I have an ambition to always be learning new languages which I can then use on my travels. I love the idea of being able to tiptoe into the worlds under discussion everywhere I go! I dream to have the freedom to pursue what inspires me and feeds my soul ---> I want to fill my life with creativity and imagination. With music - making it and listening to it and mixing those two together. Immersing myself in anything cultural/arty - theatre, concerts, painting, writing etc. Foreign accents. Meeting people and going out. Spontaneity. Books. Philosophical conversations at 2am. Tea. Languages. Tasting new foods. Aeroplanes. Photographs. "Unusual" people (even though there is no such thing - some just require more understanding than others). Biltong. Unicorns. Sushi. The outdoors and sports. Tropical fruits. Mermaids. (Sorry, I'll stop there. I'm going slightly off topic).
What appealed to you about Verve & 24twos?:
I got all excited at the idea of a way of life that would lead to making countless new friends and connections, becoming financially independent, getting healthy and energised and being immersed in daily love and motivation! 24twos is a fantastic means of spreading that love and being an active part of that which we call divine humanity.
Where do you see yourself in 24 months?:
I feel like I always undergo a mini inner battle when I get asked questions like, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" and "Have you figured out what you want to do one day?" At this moment in time, I feel like I don't want to have any hard and fast plans as to where I'll be so far down the line. My strategy, for now, anyway, is to involve myself in everything that gets me curious and excited and fuels my creativity, and I have faith that that will lead me to where I need to be in the future As long as I am happy and inspired in what I'm doing, I believe I am on the right track.
Your favourite quote:
I have a few quotes that make me warm and fuzzy:
"Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a f*cking sharp knife to it." — Banksy
"Life is better when it's messy." - (I blurted that out to my sister once while eating a pesto sandwich that was dripping everywhere but tasted so damn good, and the saying stuck!)
"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic.
Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don't bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: 'It's not where you take things from - it's where you take them to.'" - Jim Jarmusch
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path; and that will make all the difference." - Steve Jobs
Last thoughts:
Don't stay in anything or with anyone that/who tires you out or leaves you feeling exceptionally bored and unmotivated. As soon as life gets too serious and you feel that you need something new to spice it up, move on!
I hope you guys enjoyed meeting Kate, I know I certainly have. And before I forget, a huge thank you to Kate! You're awesome!
Certain words seem to stir up horrible images in our mind and send shivers down our spine. Words like, "responsibility", and, "patience", and, "nutrition". In truth these only have that effect on us because somewhere in the course of our lives we've in all likelihood had somebody trying to beat these concepts into our minds with a sledgehammer, a metaphorical sledgehammer of course.
As we get older we realize that these words aren't actually so bad and slowly start to embrace them. Take the last one for example, "nutrition", when you first hear it you picture broccoli, and brussel sprouts, and those weird things you see in the supermarket but completely ignore, but eating a well balanced, nutritious diet is easier than one might think.
So you decide to go shopping and fill your trolley with a bunch of healthy looking stuff, that's genuinely fantastic, I'm sure you feel yourself getting healthier already... Or are you?
Recent studies have shown that the quality of the soil used for most commercial farming has dropped by as much as 80%. Genetically modified crops mean we can grow fruits and vegetables bigger and faster, pesticides are now more prevalent than ever, fresh food is frozen and shipped across oceans to be put on a shelf in a supermarket for your convenience. All of these factors add up and result in us getting only a tiny fraction of the nutritional benefit from our food. We haven't even talked about how unhealthy fast food or the modern stressful lifestyle can be...
At this point most people would turn to a multivitamin to supplement their diet. Pop a pill every day and you're getting everything you need right? Wrong.
As we wrote in a previous article, your body only absorbs between 10% and 20% of those vitamins, so you're literally flushing 80-90 percent of those vitamins, and your money down the loo.
That's why Verve makes so much sense to me. Drinking one can a day is the equivalent of eating 3 whole bags of organic fruits and vegetables, and not those lame GM veggies either! I'll be the first to admit that my diet could use tweaking and improving, but at least I know I'm getting all that goodness every day.
If you enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, or maybe you really need that coffee to shake you out of your post sleep zombie state, try substituting it with a can of Verve instead.
It's the smallest change I've made to my daily routine that's had the biggest effect!
