This past week I reread a book on by bookshelf called The Traveler’s Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews that I read about 7 years ago for the second time. I forgot what a great book it was and am glad I read it again. Wow what a powerful book!

The book The Traveler’s Gift is about a successful businessman named David Ponder who loses his job, his savings, his self-respect and his hope.  He feels as though he has failed in life and has let his wife and daughter down. Through a dream he jumps back and forth through time to receive wisdom and advice from some of the greatest achievers.

The book goes into 7 principles of wisdom that turn David Ponder’s life around from not wanting to live to be fulfilled, grateful and excited about life.

If you have not read the book I highly recommend the read.

The 7 actual principles/decisions covered in the book are:

1. The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and my future.
2. I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant to others.
3. I am a person of action. I seize this moment. I choose now.
4. I have a decided heart. My destiny is assured.
5. Today I will choose to be happy. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit.
6. I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive myself.
7. I will persist without exception. I am a person of great faith.

The book goes into ways business leaders and the government can fix our current economic conditions in the United States.

Chapter Eleven in the book called FIX HEALTHCARE OR DESTROY JOB CREATION really stood out at me as to one of the options that we as American’s have direct control over. Healthcare costs are America’s biggest current fiscal drain. America’s healthcare bill is 10 times bigger than the annual war bill at a staggering cost of $2.5 trillion per year.

Prevention is the solution and is staring everyone right in the face. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 75% of the total $2.5 trillion healthcare spending is on people with chronic, and in most cases preventable, conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. If Americans just took new found individual responsibility for their own health, lifestyle, and well being, the looking healthcare disaster could be miraculously fixed.

If Americans were fit the healthcare problem would be fixed. The bottom line is that the big solutions lie within getting people to eat differently keeping their weight inline which cuts down healthcare costs. So until these unaffordable costs are reversed, until Americans greatly improve their health behaviors, the country is at too much of a competitive disadvantage to win the global war for jobs.

So what does this have to do with Direct Sales? Well Direct Sales companies are creators of jobs and income with a low barrier to entry. Anyone with the desire can go out and create an income stream which stimulates the ecomony and creates jobs.

Furthermore companies like ViSalus and their distributor force are doing their part in job creation and the war on obesity to cut down healthcare costs. ViSalus is all about getting fit and losing weight with the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge while providing Americans a way to make a part-time or full-time income.

The book was very insightful and worth the read.

Jobs was known for living each day of his life as if it was his last. He was absolutely devoted to his work, and the results of his dedication completely changed modern technology and impacted millions across the globe.

In his commencement address to the University of Stanford’s Class of 2005, Jobs said this:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” – Steve Jobs

Don’t settle!

Quite possibly the greatest advice a person can get, especially when it comes to network marketing.

There are stories after stories of MLM industry leaders and top earners who struggled for years, racked up massive amounts of debt, lived in trailers, cars, or even had their homes foreclosed while pursuing their dream of achieving success.

Yet like Steve Jobs, they never gave up on their dreams, because they knew what they wanted to achieve in life, and refused to settle for anything less.

Watch the inspiring video below about the 7 Principles That Drove Steve Job’s Success which are:

1. Do what you LOVE!
2. Put a dent in the Universe!
3. Connect things to spark your creativity!
4. Say “NO” To 1,000 Things!
5. Create Insanely different experiences!
6. Master The Message!
7. SELL DREAMS, NOT PRODUCTS! 

In the Friday, September 23, 2011 issue of the USA TODAY there is a great article insert on “Why Direct Selling Works” that is worth reading.

In the article it talks about 7 Reasons Why Network Marketing which are:

1. Job Security
2. Make More Money
3. Freedom
4. Discover Your Hidden Potential
5. A Second Career
6. You’re Sharing, Not Selling
7. A Life of Greater Impact

There are some other bits of information as to why the business model of direct sales is a no brainier.

After much investigation, Robert Kiyosaki recommends network marketing as a solid path to entrepreneurship.

Go pick up a copy. It is worth the read.

P.S. => Check out the back page that is all about ViSalus.