Nehemiah 4:2 "Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish-stones that are burned?" I was only a boy, maybe ten years old, when I was awakened on an unusually warm autumn night by the siren of the local volunteer fire department. Mom in her nightgown, Dad in his boxers, and me in my racecar pajamas stood in our back yard watching flames lick the starlit sky. It was an eerie sight. The largest, most prestigious house in our very middle class community was on fire.
The next morning Dad and I walked down the road to check out the damage. Our neighbors, who beat us to the scene, were already gawking at the white, two-story icon, now a smoldering pile of ruins. The chimney still stood like a "Washington Monument "to its former glory. It was hard for me to believe. Such a stately house, the nicest on our little street, was a heap of coals. I watched trails of smoke still rising from blackened wood and stone. The ornate furniture, up-to-date appliances, and beautiful woodworking were completely charred.
You know, houses aren't the only thing susceptible to catch fire and burn. People get burnt too. I'm sure some of you have been burned, haven't you? The stories are similar. With a promising future you walked into life with confidence. Then, like the big white house in my neighborhood, an unexpected catastrophe occurred and you were seared by life's flames. Burnt. Unrecognizable.
You watched as smoke rose from what was left of yesterday's optimism and prosperity. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't part of the plan. You're not the first one to experience such heartache. Nehemiah experienced the adversity of being burned. The hometown he and his people revered had been completely destroyed by fire. Jerusalem's wall, the spiritual emblem of national strength and dignity was torched. By his own admission he was overcome with grief as he recalled its former glory.
What makes the devastation worse is in knowing what once was. Remembering how great things were makes the present misfortune feel all the more hopeless. It's a lot like staring at the biggest house in your community lying in a pile of ashes. We all have mental photos, flashbacks of our life before we were burned. There's the daddy pushing you in a swing, a mother cooking, a happily married occasion, a healthy child, and a younger you. Likewise, you see the college degree you never finished, the friend who hurt you, the prayer that wasn't answered, a worthless 401(k) with no retirement benefits, and the pink-slip from the company you invested your life in.
Smoldering histories, they're reminders of the great fire, that catastrophic event when you were burnt. The question arises, "What now?" When Nehemiah heard about his beloved Jerusalem he was overcome with sorrow. His mind pulled up the photos of better days, the way God intended things to be, and he just couldn't handle his emotions. Can you hear his anguish? "I sat down and wept, mourned, fasted and prayed" (Neh 1:4).
Nehemiah's emotional response is predictable, but what he did next was not. While Nehemiah prayed, he stumbled onto praying the answer. "Give your servant success TODAY" (Neh 1:11, emphasis mine). When you spend time calling out to God sometimes you pray the answer, if even by mistake. He knew he couldn't go back to the innocent years when the wall was first built, but he could use what he was left with "TODAY."
From that prayer, Nehemiah determined to rebuild the wall with the rubbish of its former glory. I imagine Nehemiah rummaging through the debris of the old, burned down wall, picking out burnt, but usable stones to rebuild with. It took some work, but he and a handful of faithful, tenacious men rebuilt the city wall using burnt stones from yesterday's tragedy. Scripture records, "The wall was built" (Neh 7:1). Using "leftovers", Nehemiah built a new wall that restored hope to his people and gave glory to God.
You thought you could never again be used as you once were. Ever since your "fire", you declared you would not trust again, teach again, work again, speak again, write again, or love again. You've said that that chapter in your life had closed. Well, maybe it's time to think again. Burnt stones are not only usable, they're desirable.
Years after the neighborhood mansion had been leveled by fire I was invited into the new house the family had rebuilt. I was about sixteen years old when I walked through the front door into a large living room that was designed around the most beautiful fireplace I had ever seen. It was made from unusual looking, dark colored stones that rose to the ceiling, mounted with a stunning mantel made from some sort of darkened wood. It was built to overwhelm you when you walked into the room, and that it did! "Whoa!" The words jumped out of my mouth before I realized it. The owner smiled and said, "Everybody likes the fireplace. The stones came from what was left over from the fire six years ago. And the mantelpiece is made from several floor beams that didn't completely burn up."
Amazing how something so beautiful can be built from scorched wood and burnt stones. You need to know that God uses burnt stones. The Lord searches through the fragments of our hardships, picking up the scraps He can use again. He helps people who have been burned to get up and rebuild their dreams and fulfill their destiny. And today, of all the people on the planet, He's chosen you, burnt, but still beautiful. Don't you think the time has come for you to arise and rebuild?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bill William is a writer, author, public speaker, and pastor in North Carolina where he lives with his beautiful wife, Karen, daughter Karly, and two dogs, Rosie and Gracie. You can reach him at billbaldwin@ctc.net or check his website http://www.billbaldwin.org
Sent to you as a courtesy of...
Your friends at AsAManThinketh.net
For a free eBook of James Allens classic:
http://www.AsAManThinketh.net
Κυριακή 24 Ιανουαρίου 2010
Παρασκευή 22 Ιανουαρίου 2010
The Laws of Money
January 22, 2010
http://www.briantracy.com/catalog/product.aspx?pid=13&cid=2
One of your major goals in life should be financial independence. You must aim to reach the point where you have enough money so that you never have to worry about money again. The good news is that financial independence is easier to achieve today than it has ever been before.
The Law of Abundance
We live in an abundant universe in which there is sufficient money for all who really want it and are willing to obey the laws governing its acquisition. People become wealthy because they decide to become wealthy. People are poor because they have not yet decided to become rich.
The world is full of thousands of people who have had far more difficulties to overcome than you could ever imagine, and they've gone on to be successful anyway. So can you.
The Law of Exchange
Money is the medium through which people exchange their labor in the production of goods and services for the goods and services of others. The amount of money you earn is the measure of the value that others place on your contribution. To increase the amount of money you are getting out, you must increase the value of the work that you are putting in.
The Law of Capital
Your most valuable assets, in terms of cash flow, are your physical and mental capital—your earning ability. How much time you put in and how much of yourself you put into that time largely determine your earning ability. Time and money can be either spent or invested. If you invest your time or money in becoming more knowledgeable and better skilled, you can increase your value.
"WARNING! - Offer Ends Tomorrow
Discover The #1 Way To Increase Your Income In Any Economy"
Most people don't make enough sales because they don't know how to overcome their prospects' objections. With a proven system you could be easily making an additional $25,000 to $125,000 each month in income. It's the strategy we've used here at Brian Tracy to increase our sales. Step-by-step guidance to increased sales!
Discover the fastest way to ramp up your income.
The Law of Time Perspective
The most successful people in any society are those who take the longest time period into consideration when making their day-to-day decisions. Your ability to practice self-mastery, self-control, and self-denial, to sacrifice in the short term so you can enjoy greater rewards in the long term, is the starting point of developing a long time perspective.
The Law of Saving
Financial freedom comes to people who save 10 percent or more of their income throughout their lifetime. Savings today are what guarantee the security and the possibilities of tomorrow.
The Law of Conservation
It's not how much you make but how much you keep that determines your financial future. The true measure of how well you are really doing is how much you keep out of the amount that you earn.
The Law of Three
There are three legs to the stool of financial freedom: savings, insurance, and investment. One of your major responsibilities, to yourself and to the people who depend on you, is to build a financial fortress around yourself over the course of your working lifetime. To be fully protected against the unexpected, you require liquid savings equal to two to six months of normal expenses.
The Law of Investing
Investigate before you invest. This is one of the most important of all the laws of money. You should spend at least as much time studying a particular investment as you do earning the money to put into that particular investment. The only thing easy about money is losing it. If you think you can afford to lose a little, you're going to end up losing a lot. Invest only with experts who have a proven track record of success with their own money.
The Law of Magnetism
The more money you save and accumulate, the more money you attract into your life. The Law of Magnetism has been written about for more than 5,000 years. It explains much about success and failure in every area of life, especially in the financial arena. The more positive emotion you associate with your money, the more opportunities you will attract to acquire even more.
Action Exercise
Take time every day, every week, and every month to reflect on your financial situation and look for ways to deploy your finances more intelligently. The more time you take to think intelligently about your finances, the better decisions you will make and the more money you will have to think about.
http://www.briantracy.com/catalog/product.aspx?pid=13&cid=2
http://www.briantracy.com/catalog/product.aspx?pid=13&cid=2
One of your major goals in life should be financial independence. You must aim to reach the point where you have enough money so that you never have to worry about money again. The good news is that financial independence is easier to achieve today than it has ever been before.
The Law of Abundance
We live in an abundant universe in which there is sufficient money for all who really want it and are willing to obey the laws governing its acquisition. People become wealthy because they decide to become wealthy. People are poor because they have not yet decided to become rich.
The world is full of thousands of people who have had far more difficulties to overcome than you could ever imagine, and they've gone on to be successful anyway. So can you.
The Law of Exchange
Money is the medium through which people exchange their labor in the production of goods and services for the goods and services of others. The amount of money you earn is the measure of the value that others place on your contribution. To increase the amount of money you are getting out, you must increase the value of the work that you are putting in.
The Law of Capital
Your most valuable assets, in terms of cash flow, are your physical and mental capital—your earning ability. How much time you put in and how much of yourself you put into that time largely determine your earning ability. Time and money can be either spent or invested. If you invest your time or money in becoming more knowledgeable and better skilled, you can increase your value.
"WARNING! - Offer Ends Tomorrow
Discover The #1 Way To Increase Your Income In Any Economy"
Most people don't make enough sales because they don't know how to overcome their prospects' objections. With a proven system you could be easily making an additional $25,000 to $125,000 each month in income. It's the strategy we've used here at Brian Tracy to increase our sales. Step-by-step guidance to increased sales!
Discover the fastest way to ramp up your income.
The Law of Time Perspective
The most successful people in any society are those who take the longest time period into consideration when making their day-to-day decisions. Your ability to practice self-mastery, self-control, and self-denial, to sacrifice in the short term so you can enjoy greater rewards in the long term, is the starting point of developing a long time perspective.
The Law of Saving
Financial freedom comes to people who save 10 percent or more of their income throughout their lifetime. Savings today are what guarantee the security and the possibilities of tomorrow.
The Law of Conservation
It's not how much you make but how much you keep that determines your financial future. The true measure of how well you are really doing is how much you keep out of the amount that you earn.
The Law of Three
There are three legs to the stool of financial freedom: savings, insurance, and investment. One of your major responsibilities, to yourself and to the people who depend on you, is to build a financial fortress around yourself over the course of your working lifetime. To be fully protected against the unexpected, you require liquid savings equal to two to six months of normal expenses.
The Law of Investing
Investigate before you invest. This is one of the most important of all the laws of money. You should spend at least as much time studying a particular investment as you do earning the money to put into that particular investment. The only thing easy about money is losing it. If you think you can afford to lose a little, you're going to end up losing a lot. Invest only with experts who have a proven track record of success with their own money.
The Law of Magnetism
The more money you save and accumulate, the more money you attract into your life. The Law of Magnetism has been written about for more than 5,000 years. It explains much about success and failure in every area of life, especially in the financial arena. The more positive emotion you associate with your money, the more opportunities you will attract to acquire even more.
Action Exercise
Take time every day, every week, and every month to reflect on your financial situation and look for ways to deploy your finances more intelligently. The more time you take to think intelligently about your finances, the better decisions you will make and the more money you will have to think about.
http://www.briantracy.com/catalog/product.aspx?pid=13&cid=2
Παρασκευή 15 Ιανουαρίου 2010
Great Goals Make You Stretch!
MY FRIDAY STORY
Great Goals Make You Stretch!
by Fran Briggs
I met my alternate self three months shy of my 40th birthday as I struggled with clinically-diagnosed depression. During this same period, I was challenged, immensely by the debilitating effects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and being rendered permanently partially disabled as the result of being involved in two car accidents in six days (neither of which was I at fault).
I recall an incredible sense of emptiness and a daunting feeling of being completely overwhelmed; especially when trying to figure out which pills went with what "ills." I was unable to return to the vocation I loved. That hurt more than my pain. Most of my time was spent in bed where I eventually became 48 pounds "over-fat."
When dreams and reasons for living are wiped out by the greatest, of the least unexpected, most people priorities typically change. My priorities? Well, they just disappeared. I was defeated physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually and knocking on "Financially's" door. Making the bed was not a priority; it simply went unmade. And when it came down to paying the bills, many went unpaid.
One day I was moved enough to actually cultivate the emotion of being "fed up!" During this awakening, I made the decision to reclaim complete responsibility for my life. And I did. 37 months post accident's, I went to work on my mind, body, and spirit. I studied, and applied everything that would enhance these areas. It wasn't long before I was 51 pounds lighter, and at least 52 times brighter.
Following my "awakening" I set goals to become an author, speaker, consultant, and educator. I quickly established myself in each discipline and began to promote and practice life-altering strategies. My approach was innovative, strategic, fun, proven and desired-results focused. Paramount to enhancing my personal energy level was to identify, outline and writing down my physical goals.
Returning to playing competitive softball, being the team's starting short stop and winning the league championship were my top three goals. I promised myself I would return to play softball at a competitive level if it killed me. It almost did! Playing softball on several teams simultaneously left me limping around with a blue, pain-alleviating ointment. I had soreness in muscles I never even knew existed! Nevertheless, by season's end I had accomplished all of my goals. I figured, if I could overcome all of my physical, spiritual and psychological ailments, discovered how to run faster; jump higher; throw farther; look younger, stay up longer - manifest twice as much energy than I did when I was a "starting" NCAA athlete half my age - anyone else can do the "undoable," too! Whatever the "undoable," may be.
As I continued following a disciplined program to attain goals in every area of my life, something just short of magical happened. My personality sparked with a resurgence of charisma, confidence and boldness. My muscles grew stronger, my energy increased and the fat melted off my body. Taking part in an activity not only became easier, but quite enjoyable. Suddenly, I was living life as I had designed.
Great goals make you stretch. They absolutely can take you well beyond anything you could possibly imagine! The most important part of setting great goals is not the goals themselves, but the person you become in the stretch.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fran Briggs is a motivational speaker, author, success coach, and founder of The Fran Briggs Companies, an organization which helps individuals and groups take their human potential beyond the max. She is also the creator of "Get Sponsored! e-Course and Teleseminars." Fran can be reached at franbriggs@aol.com For additional information, please visit http://franbriggs.com
Sent to you as a courtesy of...
Your friends at AsAManThinketh.net
For a free eBook of James Allens classic:
http://www.AsAManThinketh.net
Great Goals Make You Stretch!
by Fran Briggs
I met my alternate self three months shy of my 40th birthday as I struggled with clinically-diagnosed depression. During this same period, I was challenged, immensely by the debilitating effects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and being rendered permanently partially disabled as the result of being involved in two car accidents in six days (neither of which was I at fault).
I recall an incredible sense of emptiness and a daunting feeling of being completely overwhelmed; especially when trying to figure out which pills went with what "ills." I was unable to return to the vocation I loved. That hurt more than my pain. Most of my time was spent in bed where I eventually became 48 pounds "over-fat."
When dreams and reasons for living are wiped out by the greatest, of the least unexpected, most people priorities typically change. My priorities? Well, they just disappeared. I was defeated physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually and knocking on "Financially's" door. Making the bed was not a priority; it simply went unmade. And when it came down to paying the bills, many went unpaid.
One day I was moved enough to actually cultivate the emotion of being "fed up!" During this awakening, I made the decision to reclaim complete responsibility for my life. And I did. 37 months post accident's, I went to work on my mind, body, and spirit. I studied, and applied everything that would enhance these areas. It wasn't long before I was 51 pounds lighter, and at least 52 times brighter.
Following my "awakening" I set goals to become an author, speaker, consultant, and educator. I quickly established myself in each discipline and began to promote and practice life-altering strategies. My approach was innovative, strategic, fun, proven and desired-results focused. Paramount to enhancing my personal energy level was to identify, outline and writing down my physical goals.
Returning to playing competitive softball, being the team's starting short stop and winning the league championship were my top three goals. I promised myself I would return to play softball at a competitive level if it killed me. It almost did! Playing softball on several teams simultaneously left me limping around with a blue, pain-alleviating ointment. I had soreness in muscles I never even knew existed! Nevertheless, by season's end I had accomplished all of my goals. I figured, if I could overcome all of my physical, spiritual and psychological ailments, discovered how to run faster; jump higher; throw farther; look younger, stay up longer - manifest twice as much energy than I did when I was a "starting" NCAA athlete half my age - anyone else can do the "undoable," too! Whatever the "undoable," may be.
As I continued following a disciplined program to attain goals in every area of my life, something just short of magical happened. My personality sparked with a resurgence of charisma, confidence and boldness. My muscles grew stronger, my energy increased and the fat melted off my body. Taking part in an activity not only became easier, but quite enjoyable. Suddenly, I was living life as I had designed.
Great goals make you stretch. They absolutely can take you well beyond anything you could possibly imagine! The most important part of setting great goals is not the goals themselves, but the person you become in the stretch.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fran Briggs is a motivational speaker, author, success coach, and founder of The Fran Briggs Companies, an organization which helps individuals and groups take their human potential beyond the max. She is also the creator of "Get Sponsored! e-Course and Teleseminars." Fran can be reached at franbriggs@aol.com For additional information, please visit http://franbriggs.com
Sent to you as a courtesy of...
Your friends at AsAManThinketh.net
For a free eBook of James Allens classic:
http://www.AsAManThinketh.net
Παρασκευή 8 Ιανουαρίου 2010
The Top 25 Network Marketing Companies by Michael S. Clouse (www.nexera.com/top25/)
Who are the Top 25 Network Marketing Companies? Well, it really depends on how you define the
"Top 25..." As you might imagine, the truth can be a bit subjective. Let me explain...
The best-selling car in the World is the Toyota Corolla. Apparently it's a great car, and yet at the
same time probably not the car of your dreams. Which begs the question, "Does an MLM company
deserve a higher ranking simply because more people are involved?" It's a fair question. Here's what
we know for sure: Popularity is definitely one of the best ways to determine what's going on in the
marketplace. It plays a part in the movies we see, the music we download, and sometimes even
where we invest our money.
So is the "Top 25..." just an online popularity contest? Not exactly. To make a fair assessment we
gave consideration to things that really don't matter; for instance, 24 of the 25 companies are
members of the DSA, and things that really do matter, like Time In Business!
In short, we wanted you to know the exact criteria we used in order to select, and then to rank,
"The Top 25..." You may agree with our findings, or you may not; we welcome your thoughts and
opinions either way. Here's the Nexera Five-Factor Formula we used to make our selections:
1) The company must be a self-described Network Marketing, Multi Level, or MLM company.
2) The company must be in business for at least 10 years as of January 1, 2009.*
3) The company must have a Google Page Rank - GPR. A scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best.
4) The company must have an Alexa Rank - AR. Here the smaller the number the better.
5) The company must show up in Google Trends - GT. All Regions. Last 12 months.**
The five factors above are taken into account at the end of each quarter and then a ranking decision
is made. As of December 31, 2009, the Top 25 Network Marketing Companies are:
Company Time In Business GPR - AR - GT
1. Herbalife 1980 - 29 Years 6 - 29,422 - 2.08
2. ACN 1993 - 16 Years 6 - 26,322 - 1.12
3. Amway 1959 - 50 Years 6 - 36,250 - 1.80
4. USANA 1992 - 17 Years 5 - 14,285 - 0.44
5. Pre-Paid Legal 1972 - 37 Years 5 - 14,582 - 0.05
6. Nu Skin 1984 - 25 Years 5 - 21,820 - 0.18
7. Forever Living 1978 - 31 Years 5 - 33,752 - 0.36
8. Arbonne 1980 - 29 Years 5 - 51,604 - 0.70
9. Nikken 1975 - 34 Years 5 - 80,999 - 0.31
10. Tahitian Noni 1997 - 12 Years 5 - 85,053 - 0.15
11. 4Life 1998 - 11 Years 5 - 86,629 - 0.11
12. Shaklee 1957 - 52 Years 5 - 117,523 - 0.21
13. Advocare 1993 - 16 Years 5 - 165,261 - 0.11
14. AmeriPlan 1992 - 17 Years 4 - 47,432 - 0.12
15. Freelife 1995 - 14 Years 4 - 53,676 - 0.03
16. Nature's Sunshine 1972 - 37 Years 4 - 79,554 - 0.01
17. Neways 1994 - 15 Years 4 - 88,747 - 0.18
18. Reliv 1988 - 21 Years 4 - 146,516 - 0.10
19. Sunrider 1982 - 27 Years 4 - 149,155 - 0.09
20. GNLD 1958 - 51 Years 4 - 165,161 - 0.08
21. Oxyfresh 1983 - 26 Years 4 - 185,986 - 0.01
22. RBC Life Sciences 1991 - 18 Years 4 - 1,174,924 - 0.01
23. Unicity 1991 - 18 Years 3 - 180,816 - 0.10
24. New Vision 1995 - 14 Years 3 - 366,884 - 0.50
25. Vision For Life 1998 - 11 Years 3 - 2,139,540 - 0.01
*Why 10 years? Because that amount of time really seems to matter. For example, according to
research, since 1957 thousands of different MLM, Multi Level, or Network Marketing companies have
opened their doors; and to date only 50 MLM companies have found a way to celebrate their 10th
anniversary and still remain in business today. Now, to be completely fair, we should also point out
that each and every company on our list was at one time a start-up company too.
**For purposes of comparing Internet search term interest using Google Trends (GT), all 25
companies were compared to the term, MLM. A score of 1.00 would indicate the same level of
Internet search interest; anything above 1.00 more interest, anything below 1.00 less interest.
A few noteworthy points on this list... The only companies considered for this list are U.S.A. based;
and if you click on each and every company linked above, what you will not find should be as
interesting to you (and as revealing) as what you will find. There are no travel companies, only one
technology company (ACN), just two services companies (Pre-Paid Legal and AmeriPlan), and 23
health and wellness companies. Even Amway, whose core product line still includes soap, really got
started by way of the wellness revolution! Read this book by Paul Zane Pilzer and you'll understand
why skincare, nutrition, and weight management products continue to drive the trends in this
industry to this day.
Lastly, if the company is publicly traded, and seven are, we have linked their year in business above,
in red, over to MarketWatch for a real time stock quote and other financial information.
All the best,
MSC
P.S. Network Marketing continues to gain in popularity throughout the world. By some estimates
there are currently over 1,000 different companies to choose from, and yet the truth is the vast
majority of these companies will never survive to celebrate their 10th anniversary. As I wrote in,
Future Choice: Why Network Marketing May Be Your Best Career Move, "This week, 175,000 people
will find a new way to increase their financial security and personal freedom. They will join more
than 57 million others who are earning a living, full- or part-time, through Network Marketing."
Therefore, if you are one of those people looking into Network Marketing, and would like to learn
more, reading Future Choice would be an an excellent way to begin your journey.
P.P.S. If you are already involved in Network Marketing, and/or you have a comment, please feel
free to contact us directly via e-mail: info@nexera.com. And if you're ready to begin, continue, or
super-charge your business, I would suggest you read this article on The MLM System.
© 2009 by Michael S. Clouse. All Rights Reserved.
About the author: In addition to over 50 published articles on the subject of Network Marketing,
Michael S. Clouse is the author of numerous books and CD programs on the subject of Network
Marketing. An internationally recognized Network Marketing expert, Michael is a well respected
business consultant, personal success coach, and a dynamic educational speaker. His weekly
newsletter is read by tens of thousands of Network Marketing Professionals around the world.
Please Visit All Four MLM Success Store Pages
MLM Books & CDs - Our Packages - Quantity Prices - The MLM System
"Top 25..." As you might imagine, the truth can be a bit subjective. Let me explain...
The best-selling car in the World is the Toyota Corolla. Apparently it's a great car, and yet at the
same time probably not the car of your dreams. Which begs the question, "Does an MLM company
deserve a higher ranking simply because more people are involved?" It's a fair question. Here's what
we know for sure: Popularity is definitely one of the best ways to determine what's going on in the
marketplace. It plays a part in the movies we see, the music we download, and sometimes even
where we invest our money.
So is the "Top 25..." just an online popularity contest? Not exactly. To make a fair assessment we
gave consideration to things that really don't matter; for instance, 24 of the 25 companies are
members of the DSA, and things that really do matter, like Time In Business!
In short, we wanted you to know the exact criteria we used in order to select, and then to rank,
"The Top 25..." You may agree with our findings, or you may not; we welcome your thoughts and
opinions either way. Here's the Nexera Five-Factor Formula we used to make our selections:
1) The company must be a self-described Network Marketing, Multi Level, or MLM company.
2) The company must be in business for at least 10 years as of January 1, 2009.*
3) The company must have a Google Page Rank - GPR. A scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best.
4) The company must have an Alexa Rank - AR. Here the smaller the number the better.
5) The company must show up in Google Trends - GT. All Regions. Last 12 months.**
The five factors above are taken into account at the end of each quarter and then a ranking decision
is made. As of December 31, 2009, the Top 25 Network Marketing Companies are:
Company Time In Business GPR - AR - GT
1. Herbalife 1980 - 29 Years 6 - 29,422 - 2.08
2. ACN 1993 - 16 Years 6 - 26,322 - 1.12
3. Amway 1959 - 50 Years 6 - 36,250 - 1.80
4. USANA 1992 - 17 Years 5 - 14,285 - 0.44
5. Pre-Paid Legal 1972 - 37 Years 5 - 14,582 - 0.05
6. Nu Skin 1984 - 25 Years 5 - 21,820 - 0.18
7. Forever Living 1978 - 31 Years 5 - 33,752 - 0.36
8. Arbonne 1980 - 29 Years 5 - 51,604 - 0.70
9. Nikken 1975 - 34 Years 5 - 80,999 - 0.31
10. Tahitian Noni 1997 - 12 Years 5 - 85,053 - 0.15
11. 4Life 1998 - 11 Years 5 - 86,629 - 0.11
12. Shaklee 1957 - 52 Years 5 - 117,523 - 0.21
13. Advocare 1993 - 16 Years 5 - 165,261 - 0.11
14. AmeriPlan 1992 - 17 Years 4 - 47,432 - 0.12
15. Freelife 1995 - 14 Years 4 - 53,676 - 0.03
16. Nature's Sunshine 1972 - 37 Years 4 - 79,554 - 0.01
17. Neways 1994 - 15 Years 4 - 88,747 - 0.18
18. Reliv 1988 - 21 Years 4 - 146,516 - 0.10
19. Sunrider 1982 - 27 Years 4 - 149,155 - 0.09
20. GNLD 1958 - 51 Years 4 - 165,161 - 0.08
21. Oxyfresh 1983 - 26 Years 4 - 185,986 - 0.01
22. RBC Life Sciences 1991 - 18 Years 4 - 1,174,924 - 0.01
23. Unicity 1991 - 18 Years 3 - 180,816 - 0.10
24. New Vision 1995 - 14 Years 3 - 366,884 - 0.50
25. Vision For Life 1998 - 11 Years 3 - 2,139,540 - 0.01
*Why 10 years? Because that amount of time really seems to matter. For example, according to
research, since 1957 thousands of different MLM, Multi Level, or Network Marketing companies have
opened their doors; and to date only 50 MLM companies have found a way to celebrate their 10th
anniversary and still remain in business today. Now, to be completely fair, we should also point out
that each and every company on our list was at one time a start-up company too.
**For purposes of comparing Internet search term interest using Google Trends (GT), all 25
companies were compared to the term, MLM. A score of 1.00 would indicate the same level of
Internet search interest; anything above 1.00 more interest, anything below 1.00 less interest.
A few noteworthy points on this list... The only companies considered for this list are U.S.A. based;
and if you click on each and every company linked above, what you will not find should be as
interesting to you (and as revealing) as what you will find. There are no travel companies, only one
technology company (ACN), just two services companies (Pre-Paid Legal and AmeriPlan), and 23
health and wellness companies. Even Amway, whose core product line still includes soap, really got
started by way of the wellness revolution! Read this book by Paul Zane Pilzer and you'll understand
why skincare, nutrition, and weight management products continue to drive the trends in this
industry to this day.
Lastly, if the company is publicly traded, and seven are, we have linked their year in business above,
in red, over to MarketWatch for a real time stock quote and other financial information.
All the best,
MSC
P.S. Network Marketing continues to gain in popularity throughout the world. By some estimates
there are currently over 1,000 different companies to choose from, and yet the truth is the vast
majority of these companies will never survive to celebrate their 10th anniversary. As I wrote in,
Future Choice: Why Network Marketing May Be Your Best Career Move, "This week, 175,000 people
will find a new way to increase their financial security and personal freedom. They will join more
than 57 million others who are earning a living, full- or part-time, through Network Marketing."
Therefore, if you are one of those people looking into Network Marketing, and would like to learn
more, reading Future Choice would be an an excellent way to begin your journey.
P.P.S. If you are already involved in Network Marketing, and/or you have a comment, please feel
free to contact us directly via e-mail: info@nexera.com. And if you're ready to begin, continue, or
super-charge your business, I would suggest you read this article on The MLM System.
© 2009 by Michael S. Clouse. All Rights Reserved.
About the author: In addition to over 50 published articles on the subject of Network Marketing,
Michael S. Clouse is the author of numerous books and CD programs on the subject of Network
Marketing. An internationally recognized Network Marketing expert, Michael is a well respected
business consultant, personal success coach, and a dynamic educational speaker. His weekly
newsletter is read by tens of thousands of Network Marketing Professionals around the world.
Please Visit All Four MLM Success Store Pages
MLM Books & CDs - Our Packages - Quantity Prices - The MLM System
Παρασκευή 1 Ιανουαρίου 2010
Mario Andretti: A Glass Half Full for the Indy 500 and Formula One Champion
Mario Andretti: A Glass Half Full for the Indy 500 and Formula One Champion
Mario Andretti is breaking his own personal records of success off the speedway.
Stephanie Smith December 29, 2009
You could say Mario Andretti's reputation precedes him. Driving down the highway, a young trooper pulls him over. So, maye he was speeding just a little. "Who do you think you are?" the trooper asks. "Mario Andretti?" The answer of course is, "Yeah," when you really are Mario Andretti, a professional race car driver like no other, a man officially clocked driving 234.275 miles an hour, a man who saw 111 checkered flags in a career spanning five decades.
Not only is Andretti considered the most successful race driver ever, but also the most versatile, winning the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, Formula One World Championship and the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb.
Retired from racing since the mid-1990s, Andretti, 69, has pursued other passions in business, with ventures including the Mario Andretti Racing School in Las Vegas, the Andretti Indoor Karting and Games facility near Atlanta and the Andretti Winery in Napa Valley.
Yet his name remains synonymous with speed. A dozen books have been written about him, and he’s mentioned by name in more than that many songs by artists as varied as Gwen Stefani, the Charlie Daniels Band and the Beastie Boys. Andretti sums up his mass name recognition modestly: “A lot of it is that I’ve been around so long. I’ve been fortunate.”
RICHES EVEN IN POVERTY
Fortune didn’t always smile on Mario Andretti, though. Born in 1940 in Montona, Italy, his father was a prosperous farm manager. But at the end of World War II, surrender terms required Italy to cede the Istrian Peninsula, where the Andrettis lived, to neighboring Yugoslavia. After three years trying to adapt to the communist country, they decided to flee. For the next seven years, the family of five lived in a refugee camp northwest of Florence, Italy, sharing a single room, partitioned with blankets, with several other families.
In 1955, the Andretti family immigrated to the United States. They had only $125 when they settled in Nazareth, Pa., where Andretti still lives with wife, Dee Ann, his former English tutor whom he married in 1961.
Andretti feels no bitterness about those camp years. He was a child and he didn’t know to want anything more, he says. In many ways, he was infl uenced more by the rich experiences he enjoyed than the poverty and hardships of his youth. He’s maintained that glass-half-full attitude throughout his life.
It was during those early years that he developed a passion for opera and, of course, racing. His exposure to opera came with free tickets given to his father, who worked as an extra. Today, music by Verdi (“the most dramatic expression of human emotion,” Andretti says) plays on his Web site.
Andretti’s love of cars also stems from childhood. He remembers frightening old ladies as he and twin brother Aldo raced wooden buggy carts down Montona’s hilly streets when they were 7. His passion deepened as an adolescent during Italy’s racing heyday, with its gleaming, sexy Ferraris, Maseratis and Alfa Romeos. He remembers watching pro races with his brother, particularly Formula One and the Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile lap of Italy.
A WINNING BUSINESS PLAN
Andretti stepped away from his racing career in the mid-1990s, at age 54. He had seen some of his colleagues overstay their welcome and didn’t want to continue to compete if he couldn’t do it well. “I’ve always said I didn’t have a Plan B in life. I was in pursuit of my dream from the very beginning. It’s all about desire and passion. At all costs.”
So it wasn’t a Plan B, but more like Act II when Andretti launched his post-racing career. He translated his winning racing plan to business: Surround yourself with the top people in the field, make sure they have the necessary tools to do their jobs, go out there to win each time and don’t fear failure. He was never a conservative driver and he goes pedal-to-the-metal in business as well. “If everything is under control, you’re not going fast enough,” Andretti says.
He’s the first to admit he doesn’t know everything about making wine, but he has a 53-acre vineyard in California’s Napa Valley. And he knows fine wine after sampling some of the best in the world through his racing career.
“I’ve seen that too many times: people who feel threatened by subordinates who know more than they do. I think it’s counterproductive in many ways to pretend to know things you don’t. You surround yourself with people who are the real experts. At Andretti Winery, I’m not the winemaker. I have a hell of a winemaker, Bob Pepi. He’s my engineer. I’m the one who enjoys the wine and approves the finished product.”
COMPETE TO WIN
That Andretti is fearless of failure or of much else comes as no surprise. “When you stick your nose out there, you’re going to get it bitten sometimes. I’ve had crashes. If it’s a mistake you made, just don’t repeat it. We’re not infallible. If you’re so afraid of failure you will never succeed. You have to take chances. I didn’t win races because I was conservative.”
Andretti never went into a race thinking he would just be good enough to make a respectable showing. “My mindset was always to win. Entering every race, you don’t always have all the tools at your disposal. Still, your attitude should be the same. If you go in there and think ‘I have no chance today,’ you damn well will not have any chance because you’re not going to fight for it. You never go in there with a mindset of failure or you will never win.”
Beyond attitude, Andretti says success requires seeing and seizing opportunities, as well as a strong work ethic.
In his early years, a driver for a top team was injured. Andretti was called to test a car, and his performance was impressive enough to replace the unfortunate driver on the team. “I was a young guy coming up and I showed promise; I got in my licks. It was career changing and propelled me to the next level,” he says. “But the key is to not just recognize the opportunity when it comes to you. When you’re given that opportunity, you have to really step up. It’s up to you to earn the position.”
THE PRICE OF SUCCESS
All the work and adversity makes the triumph that much sweeter, Andretti says. “For every negative, there’s a positive. It’s in everything. How you deal with life, outlook, how much energy you put into achieving something. That’s why I detest entitlement. Anything that’s worthwhile is going to call for some sacrifice. Nothing worthwhile will come to you without a price. People think in sports, you have different rules. You really don’t. It’s whatever motivates you,” he says.
Andretti doesn’t want to hear excuses for not pursuing your passions, either. He meets guys all the time who tell him they also could have been race drivers but their wives wouldn’t let them or some other excuse. Nonsense, Andretti says: “They didn’t really want it.”
Andretti did want it and he got it many times over. He and his brother Aldo lied about their age to race at a track near their house—they were 19 but had to be 21 to be legal. Converting a 1948 Hudson Hornet Sportsman into a stock car, they took turns racing and winning in secret their first season. They lied to their fearful father, who only found out when Aldo was seriously hurt the last race of the season. “We didn’t do it to defy him. We did it in spite of him,” Andretti says.
Aldo suffered a skull fracture, but recovered, took a year off and raced another 10 years. Another serious crash in which he suffered major facial injuries caused Aldo Andretti to leave racing for good. But he recovered, and passed on his love of racing to his son, who continued the family tradition.
TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED
Mario Andretti says he and his brother shared the same dreams, the same passion, yet Aldo wasn’t as lucky. “The question to me is, ‘Why am I so fortunate and why is he racing with a cloud over his head?’ That’s why I don’t take anything for granted. I’ve dodged quite a few bullets and sometimes, that’s how it goes. It’s hard to make sense,” he says.
His sons, grandson and nephew have had successful racing careers of their own. But their motivations aren’t the same because they grew up in a different world than his. Son Michael Andretti is “brilliant” and is now a team owner, Andretti says. “He has a career to be proud of—42 wins. His work ethic for sure was at least the same as mine, total commitment. But his motivation was different. His upbringing, his world was different than mine. His was, ‘My dad showed me the path and I want to do that.’ I made that point at a very early age with him. You have to do it for yourself.”
Andretti says he and Michael have different attitudes toward winning and losing. “If he wasn’t successful, he was totally miserable. I always looked at the brighter side. Whenever there is rain, there is sunshine.”
Although the checkered flag is “the ultimate definition of winning, of success,” Andretti has found satisfaction in his family successes and in his business pursuits. Although there are no pole positions or checkered fl ags in business, he says, “you have the sense, the feeling, you know what you’ve accomplished. You know whether you’ve been successful.”
http://www.successmagazine.com/mario-andretti-Indy-500/PARAMS/article/923?utm_source=sos-12_29_09&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ezines
Mario Andretti is breaking his own personal records of success off the speedway.
Stephanie Smith December 29, 2009
You could say Mario Andretti's reputation precedes him. Driving down the highway, a young trooper pulls him over. So, maye he was speeding just a little. "Who do you think you are?" the trooper asks. "Mario Andretti?" The answer of course is, "Yeah," when you really are Mario Andretti, a professional race car driver like no other, a man officially clocked driving 234.275 miles an hour, a man who saw 111 checkered flags in a career spanning five decades.
Not only is Andretti considered the most successful race driver ever, but also the most versatile, winning the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, Formula One World Championship and the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb.
Retired from racing since the mid-1990s, Andretti, 69, has pursued other passions in business, with ventures including the Mario Andretti Racing School in Las Vegas, the Andretti Indoor Karting and Games facility near Atlanta and the Andretti Winery in Napa Valley.
Yet his name remains synonymous with speed. A dozen books have been written about him, and he’s mentioned by name in more than that many songs by artists as varied as Gwen Stefani, the Charlie Daniels Band and the Beastie Boys. Andretti sums up his mass name recognition modestly: “A lot of it is that I’ve been around so long. I’ve been fortunate.”
RICHES EVEN IN POVERTY
Fortune didn’t always smile on Mario Andretti, though. Born in 1940 in Montona, Italy, his father was a prosperous farm manager. But at the end of World War II, surrender terms required Italy to cede the Istrian Peninsula, where the Andrettis lived, to neighboring Yugoslavia. After three years trying to adapt to the communist country, they decided to flee. For the next seven years, the family of five lived in a refugee camp northwest of Florence, Italy, sharing a single room, partitioned with blankets, with several other families.
In 1955, the Andretti family immigrated to the United States. They had only $125 when they settled in Nazareth, Pa., where Andretti still lives with wife, Dee Ann, his former English tutor whom he married in 1961.
Andretti feels no bitterness about those camp years. He was a child and he didn’t know to want anything more, he says. In many ways, he was infl uenced more by the rich experiences he enjoyed than the poverty and hardships of his youth. He’s maintained that glass-half-full attitude throughout his life.
It was during those early years that he developed a passion for opera and, of course, racing. His exposure to opera came with free tickets given to his father, who worked as an extra. Today, music by Verdi (“the most dramatic expression of human emotion,” Andretti says) plays on his Web site.
Andretti’s love of cars also stems from childhood. He remembers frightening old ladies as he and twin brother Aldo raced wooden buggy carts down Montona’s hilly streets when they were 7. His passion deepened as an adolescent during Italy’s racing heyday, with its gleaming, sexy Ferraris, Maseratis and Alfa Romeos. He remembers watching pro races with his brother, particularly Formula One and the Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile lap of Italy.
A WINNING BUSINESS PLAN
Andretti stepped away from his racing career in the mid-1990s, at age 54. He had seen some of his colleagues overstay their welcome and didn’t want to continue to compete if he couldn’t do it well. “I’ve always said I didn’t have a Plan B in life. I was in pursuit of my dream from the very beginning. It’s all about desire and passion. At all costs.”
So it wasn’t a Plan B, but more like Act II when Andretti launched his post-racing career. He translated his winning racing plan to business: Surround yourself with the top people in the field, make sure they have the necessary tools to do their jobs, go out there to win each time and don’t fear failure. He was never a conservative driver and he goes pedal-to-the-metal in business as well. “If everything is under control, you’re not going fast enough,” Andretti says.
He’s the first to admit he doesn’t know everything about making wine, but he has a 53-acre vineyard in California’s Napa Valley. And he knows fine wine after sampling some of the best in the world through his racing career.
“I’ve seen that too many times: people who feel threatened by subordinates who know more than they do. I think it’s counterproductive in many ways to pretend to know things you don’t. You surround yourself with people who are the real experts. At Andretti Winery, I’m not the winemaker. I have a hell of a winemaker, Bob Pepi. He’s my engineer. I’m the one who enjoys the wine and approves the finished product.”
COMPETE TO WIN
That Andretti is fearless of failure or of much else comes as no surprise. “When you stick your nose out there, you’re going to get it bitten sometimes. I’ve had crashes. If it’s a mistake you made, just don’t repeat it. We’re not infallible. If you’re so afraid of failure you will never succeed. You have to take chances. I didn’t win races because I was conservative.”
Andretti never went into a race thinking he would just be good enough to make a respectable showing. “My mindset was always to win. Entering every race, you don’t always have all the tools at your disposal. Still, your attitude should be the same. If you go in there and think ‘I have no chance today,’ you damn well will not have any chance because you’re not going to fight for it. You never go in there with a mindset of failure or you will never win.”
Beyond attitude, Andretti says success requires seeing and seizing opportunities, as well as a strong work ethic.
In his early years, a driver for a top team was injured. Andretti was called to test a car, and his performance was impressive enough to replace the unfortunate driver on the team. “I was a young guy coming up and I showed promise; I got in my licks. It was career changing and propelled me to the next level,” he says. “But the key is to not just recognize the opportunity when it comes to you. When you’re given that opportunity, you have to really step up. It’s up to you to earn the position.”
THE PRICE OF SUCCESS
All the work and adversity makes the triumph that much sweeter, Andretti says. “For every negative, there’s a positive. It’s in everything. How you deal with life, outlook, how much energy you put into achieving something. That’s why I detest entitlement. Anything that’s worthwhile is going to call for some sacrifice. Nothing worthwhile will come to you without a price. People think in sports, you have different rules. You really don’t. It’s whatever motivates you,” he says.
Andretti doesn’t want to hear excuses for not pursuing your passions, either. He meets guys all the time who tell him they also could have been race drivers but their wives wouldn’t let them or some other excuse. Nonsense, Andretti says: “They didn’t really want it.”
Andretti did want it and he got it many times over. He and his brother Aldo lied about their age to race at a track near their house—they were 19 but had to be 21 to be legal. Converting a 1948 Hudson Hornet Sportsman into a stock car, they took turns racing and winning in secret their first season. They lied to their fearful father, who only found out when Aldo was seriously hurt the last race of the season. “We didn’t do it to defy him. We did it in spite of him,” Andretti says.
Aldo suffered a skull fracture, but recovered, took a year off and raced another 10 years. Another serious crash in which he suffered major facial injuries caused Aldo Andretti to leave racing for good. But he recovered, and passed on his love of racing to his son, who continued the family tradition.
TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED
Mario Andretti says he and his brother shared the same dreams, the same passion, yet Aldo wasn’t as lucky. “The question to me is, ‘Why am I so fortunate and why is he racing with a cloud over his head?’ That’s why I don’t take anything for granted. I’ve dodged quite a few bullets and sometimes, that’s how it goes. It’s hard to make sense,” he says.
His sons, grandson and nephew have had successful racing careers of their own. But their motivations aren’t the same because they grew up in a different world than his. Son Michael Andretti is “brilliant” and is now a team owner, Andretti says. “He has a career to be proud of—42 wins. His work ethic for sure was at least the same as mine, total commitment. But his motivation was different. His upbringing, his world was different than mine. His was, ‘My dad showed me the path and I want to do that.’ I made that point at a very early age with him. You have to do it for yourself.”
Andretti says he and Michael have different attitudes toward winning and losing. “If he wasn’t successful, he was totally miserable. I always looked at the brighter side. Whenever there is rain, there is sunshine.”
Although the checkered flag is “the ultimate definition of winning, of success,” Andretti has found satisfaction in his family successes and in his business pursuits. Although there are no pole positions or checkered fl ags in business, he says, “you have the sense, the feeling, you know what you’ve accomplished. You know whether you’ve been successful.”
http://www.successmagazine.com/mario-andretti-Indy-500/PARAMS/article/923?utm_source=sos-12_29_09&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ezines
Herbalife's Tips on How to Eat to Stay Warm
Press Release Source: Herbalife On Tuesday December 29, 2009, 2:00 pm EST
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--While piling on the layers is one way to keep the winter chill away, certain foods can help warm us from the inside. Warm soups and hot beverages are a natural, but some foods actually stimulate heat production more than others.
As temperatures drop, appetites perk up. The cold, dark days of winter often bring on cravings for hearty comfort foods, warm beverages, and spicier dishes that held less appeal during the warm summer months. Our biology drives us to consume more calories in case food should become scarce, and to add a little extra padding to help us stay warm. But unlike our ancient ancestors, we live in heated homes and food is readily available - so we don’t need to pack away those extra calories.
“Whenever we eat and digest a meal, the body temperature rises – in a process called diet-induced thermogenesis, or DIT for short,” said Dr. Luigi Gratton, vice president of medical affairs at Herbalife. “But some foods stimulate heat production more than others. High protein foods, for example, increase DIT more than starchy or fatty foods, so they are more ‘warming,’” adds Gratton.
Pungent ingredients – like spicy ginger, chili, pepper and garlic – can aid circulation and generate warmth.
We’re more inclined to drink fluids when the weather is hot but we need plenty of fluids in the winter to warm and humidify cold, dry winter air.
So, let your warm winter coat warm you up from the outside, and try these tips to generate some heat from the inside out:
• Protein-rich dishes fuel the furnace to keep us warm. But choose low-fat proteins – fish, poultry and lean meats, or protein powder in soups or oatmeal - to avoid excess fat and calories.
• Turn to warm teas and soups to help hydrate you and keep air passages moisturized.
• Add an extra dash of spices and seasonings to your winter dishes.
• If you catch a cold or the flu, don’t forget the chicken soup. Studies show that it works better than other hot liquids to speed up the flow of mucus. It’s thought that the traditional aromatic seasonings in the soup - such as onion and pepper - travel in the vapors and help to open up clogged nasal passages.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Herbalifes-Tips-on-How-to-Eat-bw-644069548.html?x=0&.v=1
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--While piling on the layers is one way to keep the winter chill away, certain foods can help warm us from the inside. Warm soups and hot beverages are a natural, but some foods actually stimulate heat production more than others.
As temperatures drop, appetites perk up. The cold, dark days of winter often bring on cravings for hearty comfort foods, warm beverages, and spicier dishes that held less appeal during the warm summer months. Our biology drives us to consume more calories in case food should become scarce, and to add a little extra padding to help us stay warm. But unlike our ancient ancestors, we live in heated homes and food is readily available - so we don’t need to pack away those extra calories.
“Whenever we eat and digest a meal, the body temperature rises – in a process called diet-induced thermogenesis, or DIT for short,” said Dr. Luigi Gratton, vice president of medical affairs at Herbalife. “But some foods stimulate heat production more than others. High protein foods, for example, increase DIT more than starchy or fatty foods, so they are more ‘warming,’” adds Gratton.
Pungent ingredients – like spicy ginger, chili, pepper and garlic – can aid circulation and generate warmth.
We’re more inclined to drink fluids when the weather is hot but we need plenty of fluids in the winter to warm and humidify cold, dry winter air.
So, let your warm winter coat warm you up from the outside, and try these tips to generate some heat from the inside out:
• Protein-rich dishes fuel the furnace to keep us warm. But choose low-fat proteins – fish, poultry and lean meats, or protein powder in soups or oatmeal - to avoid excess fat and calories.
• Turn to warm teas and soups to help hydrate you and keep air passages moisturized.
• Add an extra dash of spices and seasonings to your winter dishes.
• If you catch a cold or the flu, don’t forget the chicken soup. Studies show that it works better than other hot liquids to speed up the flow of mucus. It’s thought that the traditional aromatic seasonings in the soup - such as onion and pepper - travel in the vapors and help to open up clogged nasal passages.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Herbalifes-Tips-on-How-to-Eat-bw-644069548.html?x=0&.v=1
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