Orrin Woodward on LIFE & Leadership

Inc Magazine Top 20 Leader shares his personal, professional, and financial secrets.

  • Orrin Woodward

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    Former Guinness World Record Holder for largest book signing ever, Orrin Woodward is a NY Times bestselling author of And Justice For All along with RESOLVED & coauthor of LeaderShift and Launching a Leadership Revolution. His books have sold over one million copies in the financial, leadership and liberty fields. RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions For LIFE made the Top 100 All-Time Best Leadership Books and the 13 Resolutions are the framework for the top selling Mental Fitness Challenge personal development program.

    Orrin made the Top 20 Inc. Magazine Leadership list & has co-founded two multi-million dollar leadership companies. Currently, he serves as the Chairman of the Board of the LIFE. He has a B.S. degree from GMI-EMI (now Kettering University) in manufacturing systems engineering. He holds four U.S. patents, and won an exclusive National Technical Benchmarking Award.

    This blog is an Alltop selection and ranked in HR's Top 100 Blogs for Management & Leadership.

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Archive for May, 2012

Living the 13 Resolutions

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 14, 2012

George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Jonathan Edwards were all eighteenth-century colonial Americans who made a difference in the world. What did they have in common? Each developed resolutions to live their lives by. Today, the Mental Fitness Challenge (MFC) captures the wisdom of the ages into a 90-day program for long-term success. 

What is the life you have always wanted to live? Many know what they want but are unsure how to get there. The MFC is a road map to help you get there through my new book RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE. Here is a short video describing the process in the lives of these three great colonial Americans.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUHR92EEDS8]

Posted in Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: , | 50 Comments »

LIFE Business Seminars

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 13, 2012

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! Laurie and I are back from Denver, Pennsylvania, where we had a super day with the leaders from the Penn teams. Passion, excitement, and results were on display as the recognition went on and on! Details and techniques on how to grow the LIFE business through the explosive growth of the Mental Fitness Challenge were shared, along with a talk from the RESOLVED book. A huge congratulations to Tony and Sharon Hoffman for hitting the prestigious RT rank! Here is a picture that I took from stage. This was the rowdiest Pennsylvania seminar that I have ever attended!

LIFE Business Seminars picture

What LIFE seminar did you attend this weekend? Which location had the most excitement this weekend? Who were the speakers at your event? What was your key nugget that you took away to expand your leadership and influence in LIFE? Please share below.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

Posted in Orrin Woodward | Tagged: , | 111 Comments »

The LIFE Business

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 11, 2012

Imagine a business where the product is a better you.

Imagine a business where 70 percent of the point dollars flow back to the community.

Imagine a business founded upon an award-winning leadership team.

Imagine a 90-Day Mental Fitness Challenge Program where you receive self and 360-degree assessment tests, 16 CDs, 3 books, numerous weekly videos, and even a community in which to apply the principles learned.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvZXoarOqjA]

Imagine all this for well under $300, and you have imagined LIFE!

LIFE is turning the dream business into reality by changing the rules of the game. If you are looking for a pay-for-performance system, then you have found your home. If you are looking for the best products at the best value, then you have found your home. If you are looking for a principle-centered servant leadership community, then you have found your home. If you are ready to grow and change, then you have found the answer in the Mental Fitness Challenge.

The LIFE business doesn’t promise you easy, but we do promise worth it.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VmCYyNSkVU]

Posted in Orrin Woodward | Tagged: , | 24 Comments »

Thriving or Dying Through Change

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 9, 2012

All improvement, by necessity, requires change. For if a person never changes anything, nothing will ever improve. Interestingly, although everyone knows this intellectually and accepts it as a fact of life, most people still resist change. Why? Having been in a people business for nearly 19 years now, I have a couple of points for people to ponder.

First, recognize the truth in the statement that techniques may change, but principles never do. For example, the team community has been built upon character, community, and leadership from the day it was formed. In 19 years of business, this has never changed. However, the techniques utilized by the community to communicate the message of character, community, and leadership will constantly change since society and the team continue to grow and change.

Second, equilibrium ought to be sought from the resolutions/principles within a person, not the external circumstances experienced. In my life, the 13 Resolutions (covered in my book RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE) are non-negotiable core principles that won’t change regardless of how much external change swirls around me. Peace, in other words, must be sought on the inside, not on the outside. Those taking the Mental Fitness Challenge will quickly realize that the internal achievements precede the external achievements, which precede the leadership achievements and legacy. These principles have stood the test of time.

Third, looking back on my life, some of the biggest blessings that I have are things that I resisted at first. Why? Because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I have learned to trust God and his plan for my life, even when I don’t understand it.

The movie Karate Kid demonstrated a beautiful example of trust. When the wise Mr. Miyagi told Danny to wax his car, Danny was incredulous at first. Even so, he waxed the car because he wanted to learn Karate so badly that he was willing to do what he didn’t want to do in order to be able to do what he did want to do. Danny began with the end in mind, knowing that by learning Karate, he could defend himself from the bullies. Here is the dialogue between the mentor and student:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PycZtfns_U]

Miyagi: First, wash all car. Then wax. Wax on …

Daniel: Hey, why do I have to? …

Miyagi: Ah, ah! Remember deal! No questions!

Daniel: Yeah, but …

Miyagi: Hai!

[makes circular gestures with each hand]

Miyagi: Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand. Wax on, wax off.

At first, through lack of trust, Daniel thought he was being taken advantage of, but in truth, Miyagi was teaching him the basic skills of Karate and improving his hand coordination and muscle strength. However, the most important principles Daniel learned from Miyagi through this process were earned trust and self-discipline. In other words, Daniel’s mentor had proven himself by displaying character and results over his lifetime, so Daniel didn’t have to understand the why to do the how. He trusted Miyagi had a plan even though he couldn’t see how the end result would be achieved through the beginning actions. In truth, he didn’t need to because Miyagi did!

It’s called “Speed of Trust” in the business world. Indeed, an organization’s health and vitality directly correlate to this “Speed of Trust” within it. It’s similar to a principle I teach called “slow to go fast.” A team, in other words, cannot run together until it has learned to walk together. Unless the team has trust (a combination of character and competence), there is no point in attempting to execute plans to achieve objectives, since everyone will question everything. In contrast, when trust is high, changes can occur quickly because the organization knows the character and competence of its leaders in the given field of operation.

Trust, then, is a two-way street. If the leadership team has exhibited character and competence over time, then trust and execution constitute the reciprocity given by a thankful team. Daniel, in the end, reciprocated to Mr. Miyagi because he knew he could trust his mentor to lead him to the results he desired. Admittedly, in today’s pragmatic world, where character-based leadership is on the decline, it’s hard to trust; however, the two ways to ensure failure are to trust no one or to trust everyone. Trust must be earned!

Chris Brady, Tim Marks, Claude Hamilton, Bill Lewis, George Guzzardo, and Dan Hawkins have earned my trust by displaying character and competence over time. We have all learned from the 13 Resolutions in our own lives; that is why we developed the Mental Fitness Challenge to share with others. Have you earned “Speed of Trust” leadership with others?

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

Posted in Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: , , | 27 Comments »

Mental Fitness Challenge Testimonials

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 8, 2012

Mental Fitness Challenge

The Mental Fitness Challenge (MFC) is entering its second week, and the reports from the mental workouts are mind blowing! 🙂 When a person changes his or her thinking, he or she changes nearly everything. When I formed the idea of RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE, I began by studying the principles that were absolutely essential for success in my own life. This wasn’t a quick process Mental Fitness Challenge pictureas I didn’t want to leave out any key element in the success process. Eventually, after nearly a year of examining every part of my own life and the lives of other successful people around me, I was left with thirteen essential resolutions for success. After another year of writing, the book was released in November of last year.

However, that’s just the beginning of the story. For when Chris Brady finished the book and we talked through the concepts, we realized it wasn’t just a book, but a road map to true success. The Brady/Woodward partnership strikes again with the development and release of the Mental Fitness Challenge total success system. Everyone can improve in the resolutions as I attempt to do daily. And with a step-by-step program, accountability partners, CDs, books, and weekly follow-up videos, this is a complete package. In fact, the MFC is as close to a connect-the-dot success plan as I have ever experienced.

Mental Fitness Challenge Results

With that said, we all know that the proof is in the pudding. Therefore, for any of the thousands of people taking the Mental Fitness Challenge currently, I would like to offer a small reward for the best testimonial. Chris Brady and I will autograph a first-release edition of our LIFE book and personally deliver to you a FREE copy at one of the seminars or leadership conventions around the country. I want to shake the hand of the man or woman who has changed the most thanks to the MFC. So sharpen up your writing skills and pen your MFC testimonial below.

All testimonials must be submitted by comment on this blog by June 8, 2012. Here are some questions to get you started:

1. How has the information changed you?
2. How are you thinking and responding differently?
3. What is the biggest breakthrough you have had so far?
4. Have others noticed changes in you?

The MFC is going to change millions of people’s lives, but first the information must change ours.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvZXoarOqjA]

Posted in Leadership/Personal Development, Mental Fitness Challenge (MFC) | Tagged: , , | 326 Comments »

The Tom Chenault Show

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 7, 2012

The Tom Chenault Show pictureTom Chenault, my good friend and a top leader in community building across the globe, recently asked me to join him on his radio show The Tom Chenault Show. I enjoyed the interview immensely as Tom has a unique way of coaxing out the good stuff and summarizing the material into bite-sized morsels for mental consumption.

My personal highlight of the interview, however, wasn’t anything I said, but what Tom and Denice (Tom’s lovely bride) shared about his recovery from alcohol abuse, being sober now for over 23 years. Tom’s forthright conversation on his alcohol addiction and his resolve to join AA many years ago was inspiring. This victory is impressive enough, but there’s more. At the beginning of this year, he added further resolutions to his plate – working out, attending daily AA meetings, etc. – and has followed through faithfully. This is what makes the Chenaults champions. I loved hearing Denice explain how the resolutions have helped Tom grow and change. You can hear the authenticity of the admiration coming from her voice in the interview.

Tom and Denice Chenault exemplify the power of resolutions to change a person’s life. The whole point of my writing RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE and launching the Mental Fitness Challenge was to have millions of stories like that of Tom and Denice, who went through the struggles, resolved to change, and through God’s grace, achieved victory! To God alone be the glory!

Here is the link to the interview (about 25 minutes into first hour) if you would like to give it a listen for yourself. Have a great day and resolve to live the life you’ve always wanted today!

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

Posted in Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: , , | 12 Comments »

Give It Your Best

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 5, 2012

I have attended many of my kid’s soccer, basketball, and wrestling tournaments over the years. Before the game, I always share with them the same principle: give it your best. This isn’t revolutionary, for in reality, what parent wouldn’t want their children to give it their best? Today, however, while watching my son’s soccer match, a peculiar twist on this thought crossed my mind. Why do nearly all parents encourage their kids to give it their best when study after study reveals conclusively that the parents are not practicing what they preach?

Consequently, parents who repeatedly display gaps between their words and their actions quickly lose the respect of their teenagers. However, judging by what’s exclaimed on the sidelines of the kids’ sporting events, I would be convinced the parents were philosophers of success with massive results. Today, for example, I witnessed parents losing their cool on the sidelines, berating their children to hustle after stray balls, shouting at them to pass to open teammates, and yelling at them to finish strong. All of it, in truth, is good advice insofar as it’s lived, but it’s nothing short of hypocrisy when the parents aren’t living the philosophy espoused.

Once I started down this mental track, I couldn’t help but recognize the irony. Imagine what life would look like if the roles of the kids and parents were reversed. For example, imagine the children waiting at the door when their parents come home, shrieking out statements like the parents do at the games. The kids could throw temper tantrums asking questions like:

1. Did you hustle today or just barely make it through another day?
2. Did you play as a team today or just focus on yourself?
3. Did you finish strong, or did you quit when the going got tough?

Please don’t misread me. On one hand, yes, I know that it would be disrespectful for children to behave in this fashion to their parents and it wouldn’t be tolerated. On the other hand, however, is the kids’ behavior in this example much different than how parents across North America act at their youths’ athletic competitions? What gives here? Why, in other words, is it perfectly acceptable to hold the bar high on one’s children, but not upon oneself? People seem to demand excellence from their children; meanwhile, accepting daily mediocrity from themselves. This MUST change.

The Mental Fitness Challenge is a total success program designed to create the needed change. It teaches people the proper thoughts, plans, and actions that will help them live the life they always wanted. In my best-seller RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE, I teach the 13 Resolutions as a road map to take a person from where he is to where he wants to be. Remember the old saying “Example isn’t everything in life; its the only thing”? This statement is true in many areas of life. Consequently, the best thing that parents can do for the next generation is to back up their strong words of advice with similar strong actions and results.

Yes, the kids should hustle on the field, but so too should the parents in life; yes, the kids should play as part of the team, but so too should the parents in their professions; finally, yes, the kids should finish strong, even when it hurts, but so too should the parents in similar circumstances. The world is crying out for examples of men and women whose walk is as good as the talk. Instead of waiting for someone else, why not each person choose to become the model for others? One might argue, but, Orrin, no one is perfect, and I wouldn’t disagree; however, just because perfection is impossible, that doesn’t mean progress is. Likewise, just because progress is difficult, that doesn’t absolve the parents of their responsibilities.

When I ask parents how important purpose, character, attitude, and vision are to their children’s future, I receive hearty amens. Unfortunately, when I ask them how important purpose, character, attitude, and vision are in their future, I receive throaty ahems. My dear reader, there is a champion inside of everyone, but it feeds on discipline and accountability food. If the champion has been starved up to now, the good news is that there is still time. Resolve today to be the example for our next-generation leaders, not because it’s easy, not because it’s always fun, but because it’s our God-given responsibility. Do you believe your kids deserve the best? I do. Parents give their children the best when they become their personal best for them. If you are unsure of where to start, then take the Mental Fitness Challenge Self-Assessment Test to identify areas to start improving today.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

Posted in Mental Fitness Challenge (MFC), Orrin Woodward | Tagged: | 32 Comments »

Mental Fitness Challenge for Customers

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 3, 2012

Mental Fitness Challenge

It’s been three full days since the Mental Fitness Challenge rollout in Columbus, and the MFC already has 1,254 new customers. That’s over 400 customers a day joining the Mental Fitness Challenge, and it’s only three days old! Chris Brady and I set a goal to create a program available to all, affordable to all, and achievable by all. The MFC has accomplished all three.

I know what the reader is thinking. Sure Orrin, yet another program to help people grow and change. Hasn’t everyone witnessed people who tried program after program for change but never seemed to really change? I know I have. For without the formation of new habits in thought and action, a person quickly reverts to his old self, regardless of how many CDs listened to or books read. The MFC, however, is different because it is designed around the two crucial elements of all lasting change – congregation and community. Let me explain:

First, a person takes the MFC Self-Assessment Test to determine which of the thirteen resolutions for success represents an area where he needs help. Second, he can email his friends and request that they take the MFC Self-Assessment Test about him, providing 360-degree feedback to ensure he is not self-deceiving himself on his score. The friends’ grading results are compiled together, ensuring complete honesty from one’s friends on the test, before being sent back to the MFC participant. Many firms pay tens of thousands of dollars to gather 360-degree feedback, but with the MFC, it’s just part of the program.

Third, the MFC participant dives into the CDs and the RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE book, reading the first chapter on Purpose and beginning his journey of change. Every week, videos by Chris Brady and myself will be emailed ensuring the student is picking up the key nuggets in each chapter. The MFC member will also have a grading sheet to assess how his implementation plan is going on the specific weekly resolution, similar to how Ben Franklin checked and adjusted as he applied his “13 Virtues” in his life. On top of all of this, if any friends of the MFC participant choose to take the MFC, then he also has his friends as accountability partners, and they can help each other follow through on the commitments made to change. Even more crazy, if three of his friends choose to take the Challenge with him, then his MFC is FREE!

Fourth, if one desires additional support, then he can join a local Challenge Group and attend Challenge Trainings available in his area at affordable prices. The Mental Fitness Challenge is 90 days of attacking the status quo in a person’s life, asking him or her to view life from a different perspective. Like Albert Einstein once said, “The significant problems we face in life cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created them.” The 90-day MFC teaches a new level of thinking, resolving the problems that hold a person back from the life he always wanted. After 90 days of reading, listening, and associating with other like-minded people, nobody will want to go back to his old reality.

Now I am back where I started – congregation and community. The MFC is built around the two pillars for real change (congregation and community), and thus, it works. Congregation teaches the group the right principles, and community ensures the group associates with the right people. The MFC is the only personal development program that provides ongoing support in both of these non-negotiable areas.  The MFC program is a 90-day plan; however, any satisfied customer can join a monthly subscription of 4 CDs and a book for the unheard of price of $50 per month. Furthermore, the MFC participant can join a local chapter of our Challenge Groups and enjoy fellowship and trainings at $10 or less per event.

The entire MFC package is just $220 plus shipping. I know it’s crazy, but we truly want to reach the world with real change that makes a difference. What is the reader waiting for? Go to the www.mental-fitness-challenge.com site today and take the Challenge or at least sign up for the free Pre-Challenge. 🙂

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvZXoarOqjA]

Posted in Mental Fitness Challenge (MFC), Orrin Woodward | Tagged: , , | 36 Comments »

Are You Trip Tracking?

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 2, 2012

One of the keys to launching the Mental Fitness Challenge was to provide significant incentives for the newer LIFE Members to develop proper business habits. When a person is trip tracking, he or she qualifies for a trip at the ridiculously low level of 6,000 points! All the qualification details are described below. People are going to begin the Mental Fitness Challenge program and resolve to go on a dream trip within the first year of starting their business. LIFE has never been better! 🙂 What goals have you set, and which trip are you taking?

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

Are You Trip Tracking? pictureIncentive Trips: Where Are You Going?
At the Spring Leadership Convention in Columbus, Ohio, LIFE was thrilled to introduce one of its most prodigious new programs: Incentive Trips! Rewards don’t get much bigger or more sensational than this! Read on to learn more about the fabulous trip options available and the criteria necessary for LIFE Members to qualify for one of these splendid world-class vacations.

Incentive #1: 6,000 for 6 Trip

Qualifications

Trip Tracker – 200 Personal/Customer PV each and every month. For existing LIFE Members, Trip Tracker can start in April or May. For new Members, Trip Tracking begins with the first month in business.  If one month is missed, including even the first month for the new member, then the member is no longer eligible for this trip.

PV – 6,000 Total PV for 6 consecutive months with a minimum of 4,000 PV in Team #1 and an additional 2,000 PV, including personal and customer volume, outside of Team #1.

For example, a new member that was enrolled in May would start trip tracking in the month of May and continue to do 200 PV each month through the six month consecutive PV requirement.

If in the months of January – March 2012 a member has not met the PV requirements, they are eligible to qualify for the 6,000 for 6 trip.

Trip Options

Disney World, Orlando, Florida – 4-day/3-night stay at Disney’s Beach Club Deluxe Resort. Disney’s Beach Club Resort is a New England-style Disney Deluxe Resort, shaded by broad oak trees and lapped by the gentle waters of the 25-acre Crescent Lake. This trip includes a round-trip airfare credit, Disney Park Hopper Passes, Disney dining meal plan, transportation to and from the airport, and transportation to all Disney properties and theme parks.

Arenal, Costa Rica – 6-day/5-night stay at the Arenal Kiori Suites and Spa hotel.  Perched one thousand feet above the Arenal Valley, the Arenal Kiori allows for incomparable views of the Arenal volcano, the lush valley, and the surrounding towns that sparkle at night. This trip includes an airfare credit, daily breakfast, canopy tour, volcano hike, and safari boat floating.

Oasis of the Seas, Bahamas Cruise – 8-day/7-night balcony cabin cruise. Experience the ship that revolutionized cruising; its revolutionary and breath-taking design includes seven distinct neighborhoods tailored to create the ultimate experience of enjoyment for all passengers.

Incentive #2: Leader 6 Trip

Qualifications

Trip Tracker – 200 Personal/Customer PV each and every month. For existing LIFE Members, Trip Tracker can start in April or May. For new Members, Trip Tracking begins with the first month in business.
PV – 15,000 PV for 6 consecutive months with a minimum of 9,000 PV in Team #1 and an additional 6,000 PV, including personal and customer volume, outside of Team #1.
If in the months of January – March 2012 a member has not met the PV requirements, they are eligible to qualify for the Leader 6 trip.

Trip Options

Disney World, Orlando, Florida – 6-day/5-night stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Deluxe Hotel. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Victorian-style Disney Deluxe Resort distinguished as the flagship hotel of the Walt Disney World Resorts and offering world-class dining, entertainment, and luxurious accommodations in its six striking red-gabled buildings. This magnificent hotel sits along the white-sand shores of Seven Seas Lagoon. This trip includes a round-trip airfare credit, Disney Park Hopper Passes, Disney dining meal plan, transportation to and from the airport, and transportation to all Disney properties and theme parks.

Maui, Hawaii – 5-day/4-night stay at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, which is located between two beautiful beaches with pristine white sands and endless blue water. This trip includes a round-trip airfare credit, transportation from the airport to the hotel, Lei greeting, and a helicopter tour ride.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica – 5-day/4-night stay at the Beaches Boscobel, which takes advantage of its stunning seaside locale to infuse all of its accommodations with the flavor of Jamaica. This trip includes a round-trip airfare credit and access to Pirates Island Water Park. Parent magazine voted Beaches Boscobel among the Top 10 Best Beach Resorts.

Celebrity Cruise – 10-day/9-night trip package, including a 7-night cruise from Seattle on the Seattle Celebrity Solstice, 3 nights at a 4-star hotel, and a Mount Rainer sightseeing trip.

Princess Cruise – 10-day/9-night Alaskan cruise on the Coral Princess. This trip includes a 7-day voyage of the glaciers cruise, 1 night at Mount McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, 1 night at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, a natural history tour, and a 1-night Fairbanks with Sternwheeler Riverboat Cruise. This cruise is perfect for witnessing all that Alaska has to offer.

Posted in Fun, Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: | 27 Comments »

Mental Fitness Challenge: Self-Improvement Program

Posted by Orrin Woodward on May 1, 2012

In Columbus, Ohio, the LIFE Founders rolled out the Mental Fitness Challenge, a program for personal growth and change. Instead of complaining about the culture of the world or protesting against the powers-that-be, the LIFE Founders launched a program to assist people in changing themselves from the inside out.

What is the life you always wanted to live? What would it take for you to get out of the stands and onto the field in the game of life? The Mental Fitness Challenge was designed to help the common man and woman produce uncommon results. What are you waiting for? Launch the Mental Fitness Challenge into your life today!

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvXVqFC9bMI]

Posted in Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: | 12 Comments »