In the journey of life, a person has three choices before him. Does he quit, camp or climb? The answer to this question directs the rest of his outcomes. Here is a portion of my new book RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE. Which of the three choices have you picked? Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Doctor Paul Stoltz describes three types of people. All of them begin in the valley staring  up at the mountain of life with the inborn urge to climb. The three types are:  Quitters, Campers and Climbers.  There are billions of people in the world who are made for the climb, and yet the mountaintop remains practically empty. What happens to all of life’s mountain climbers? Most of them end up compromising what they truly want for what is immediately available, unwilling to endure the painful climb, becoming given-ups, instead of grownups.

Quitters see the mountain with its jagged cliffs, threatening storms and endless paths as dangerous, deciding to pass on the climb entirely, avoiding the PDCA process rather than risk failure. But through denying their God-given urge to climb they make major compromises in their life. Quitters are typically people who entertain themselves to death, escaping into drugs, sex, or other non-contributing time consuming activities.  They keep themselves busy doing mindless activities in order not to confront the mountain they are doing everything to avoid climbing.  Regrettably, they suffer the worst pain of all—the pain of regret – for a life spent in a service to self, not others.  Quitters lead compromised lives, selling out convictions for conveniences. However, when confronted with the truth of their pitiable lives, they obfuscate the facts, attempting to justify the unjustifiable: a completely wasted life. The worst quitters, those having no remaining conscience, actually solicit others to join their lamentable condition.

Campers, on the other hand, start climbing the mountain through using the PDCA process. They are excited about the opportunities present on the mountainside, beginning life’s climb enthusiastically. However, at some point, through a combination of success already achieved and the pain associated with further climbing, they cease the PDCA process, compromising their ideals, and selling out their courage for the comfort of camp. They may achieve a nice mountain view, but their best days are behind them, surrendering their future for doing “pretty good”.  Although campers know the price of the climb, they are unwilling to pay it any longer. They may convince themselves that they are only resting for a season, but few will ever break camp again. Some of the most talented people are content in camp having achieved a good lifestyle, fooling themselves that this is more important than their purpose. Don’t misread this, everyone needs a break once in awhile to refresh, but not one for the rest of his life. Take a vacation when needed, but a person should never compromise his calling for his comforts. Vacations end, but one’s purpose only ends with his life.

Lastly is the group of Climbers. These are people who refuse to compromise their calling and convictions deciding to press on with their PDCA processes as far as they can go no matter how painful the climb. They know they were called to climb the mountain and are willing to do the work in order to accomplish it. Climbers are a rare breed since they understand that life isn’t about obtaining the best spot in camp or gathering the most items into the tent. Life is about purpose; it’s about the climb. Climbers have learned one of the keys to a happy life is fulfilling one’s purpose, becoming who he was intended to be, not necessarily through reaching the top, but through the constant effort to improve.  A true climber battles his mountain, and in the process, he conquers himself.  A climber’s journey leaves a path for others to follow in pursuit of their purpose, and it allows the climber to teach others the lessons he has learned through life’s mountain climb.

Each person must make his own decision while staring at life’s mountain. Will he quit, camp, or climb? If he chooses to climb, the PDCA process will be an invaluable aid in his journey to improve, helping him to learn life’s lessons, so that he can pass them onto others. This is what true success in life is all about.

What separates those who achieve greatness in life from those who seem to just get by? More pointedly, what separates those who just get by from those who blame others for their sorry existence? The answer to both questions relates to the level of commitment made to live by one’s resolutions. I am excited to announce the release of RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE on November 1, 2011. It is a perfect match to go with the launch of LIFE. Get ready for an exciting future. Here is a portion of the introduction from the new book. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

In the early eighteenth century, three young colonial Americans resolved to build lives of virtue through the study and application of daily resolutions. Each made his life count, creating a legacy of selfless thoughts, words, and deeds. The first, through tireless sacrificial leadership, against indescribable odds, defeated the mighty British Empire with his ragtag group of colonial volunteers. The second, through his growing international fame, sterling character and endless tact, became America’s leading diplomat, forming international alliances that secured war funding, without which, the colonial’s cause was doomed. The third, by his overwhelming intellectual and spiritual gifts, became colonial America’s greatest minister, who by his preaching and writing, fanned the flames of the Great Awakening; a spiritual renewal in colonial America, that led to further political and economic freedoms after the American Revolution. These men, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Jonathan Edwards, transformed themselves through the diligent study and application of their resolutions, creating an enduring legacy, not just through what they did, but more importantly through who they were. George Washington developed into a man of character whose love of principles surpassed his love for power; Ben Franklin developed into a man of tact whose desire for influence surpassed his need for recognition; and Jonathan Edwards developed into a spiritual giant whose humility surpassed his need for human advancement. All three developed wisdom by overcoming self. Through developing, studying, and consistently applying their resolutions, these men changed not only themselves, but also the world.

But if three of the greatest Americans utilized resolutions to develop wisdom and virtue, why isn’t this practice taught in every family, school and church around the world? Stephen Covey suggests an answer, “As my study took me back through 200 years of writing about success, I noticed a startling pattern emerging in the content of literature. . . I began to feel more and more that much of the success literature of the past 50 years was superficial. It was filled with social image consciousness, techniques and quick fixes – with social band-aids and aspirin that addressed acute problems and sometimes appeared to solve them temporarily, but left the underlying chronic problems untouched to fester and resurface time and again.” Society it seems, values image over integrity, commercialism over character, and fame over foundations, but what a high price has been paid for these errors. Jose Ortega y Gassett, in his book, Revolt of the Masses, describes the dichotomy, “The most radical division that is possible to make of humanity is that which splits it into two classes of creatures: those who make great demands on themselves, piling up difficulties and duties; and those who demand nothing special of themselves, but for whom to live is to be every moment what they already are, without imposing upon themselves any effort towards perfection; mere buoys that float on the waves.”

Washington, Franklin, and Edwards achieved lasting greatness then, not as floating buoys, but by swimming against the current. Resolving to be different, they nurtured themselves on principles not personalities, seeking the true greatness of character, not the false friendship of fame. Author Jim Black wrote, “For most of our history, Americans placed greater stock in a man’s character than in his possessions. The American Dream held that, by hard work and self-discipline we could achieve success. And success was not measured in material possessions alone…The common wisdom of the day taught that greed, luxury, and self-indulgence were the passions of weak character. And the frugal nature of the pioneers taught that the treasures to be valued most were the virtues of honesty, good character, and moral strength.” Covey describes America’s founding success literature similarly, writing, “The first 150 years or so focused on what could be called the Character Ethic as the foundation of success – things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule.” Without character, in other words, one can never be truly successful because the foundation of all long-term success isn’t what a person owns, but who a person is. Regretfully, society seems to have forgotten this commonsense principle, probably because commonsense isn’t so common today.

One of the TEAM differences is our culture of conflict resolution. When leaders have issues with one another (a given in our fallen world) we teach a 5 step process of conflict resolution. This process works every time two leaders of character practice the process. Indeed, the only time I have seen this process fail is when one or both leaders lack the courage to follow it. For when they refuse to follow the conflict resolution process, communication triangulation results, leaving friendships and communities to suffer the consequences from the alleged leaders lack of humility. This is a portion of the chapter on conflict resolution in my upcoming book RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE. If anyone has an issue with me or TEAM, there is an email help line similar to Amazon’s help desk. All reasonable concerns are addressed promptly as always. This is the only way to build tens of thousands into communities. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Communication Triangulation


When dealing with conflict, don’t fall victim to communication triangulation, a vile process where people attempt to draw others into gossip from their unresolved conflict.  As Joseph Stowell writes, “The ‘juicy morsels’ stay with us, permanently staining our perceptions of and appreciation for those about whom we are hearing. The vicious chain of gossip continues until it finally comes up against someone willing to stop spreading information about feuding factions and start praying. Only then will the fire die down.” Why would anyone willingly choose to help assassinate one of his friends by listening to gossip? Unless a person is asking another to help mediate a resolution, in which the mediator hears both sides of the story, the person is simply gossiping, no matter what the gossiper’s claimed intentions. Instead of falling victim to this sickness, follow the process described by Kibbie Ruth and Karen McClintock, of Alban.org, keeping the focus on resolving conflict, not furthering gossiping and taking sides:

While people often suggest that venting is good for the soul, it is actually not very productive. Venting to someone about a third person is simply an avoidance technique that creates what is known in counseling theory as a relationship triangle, or triangulation. Triangulation is talking about feelings, opinions, or personal issues regarding some person or group with a third party instead of with the person or group actually concerned. Relationship triangles usually involve three people who each take one of three roles: victim, persecutor, and rescuer. Once in a triangle, people change places among its three points. The only way to stop the triangulation is for each person to communicate his or her feelings, concerns, or opinions directly to the other.

Of course, the best communication strategy is to avoid being recruited into a triangle in the first place. But so often well-intentioned faith leaders and congregants listen to another person’s concerns, feelings, or opinions, then realize they inadvertently let themselves be co-opted into involvement, sometimes even taking sides. Once in a triangle, escape may take some courage and clarity but is possible. The triangulated person can redirect the other person straight to the appropriate individual or committee—the one actually involved in the personal issues or the one that can address the concern or mend the relationship. A three-way conversation sometimes helps, but only if the third party facilitates without taking sides or having an agenda, without speaking for one of the other parties, and without adding to the emotional drama.

The gossiper quickly learns that communication triangulation isn’t condoned in the community, and that if the gossiper refuses to go directly to the person he has gossiped about then he will be called out by being quoted. This does two key things. First, it let’s everyone know that one isn’t a gossiper. Second, by protecting the party not present, one builds trust throughout the organization, as others know that one will do the same for them when needed.  Through these actions a person displays his scorn for gossipers, refusing to be drawn in to a foolish losing triangulation game. Only through addressing conflict directly does the merry-go-round of gossip and lies end. Organizations cannot thrive in a negative environment, therefore, the gossiping garbage must be cleaned out of, not cultivated within, one’s community.

Orrin Woodward loves systems. Thats right, I love them. As a boy, being mathematically inclined, I develop statistical permutations to simulate a baseball game with my baseball cards. In fact, I realized years later, in my Statistics class at GMI, that I was being taught similar techniques to the ones that I developed when I was 12 years old. I LOVE SYSTEMS!

When I went to GMI-EMI (now Kettering), my bachelor of science was in Manufacturing Systems. I learned so much about manufacturing processing, theory of constraints, and cost analysis to become dangerous in the systems field. Becoming an engineer was one of the better decisions I made, helping me to think systematically when challenges arose.

Now I am a leader and networker, but I still love systems. Indeed, if it weren’t for my systems background, I would have never accomplished the result in networking that I have. To date, I have been blessed with 12 separate teams that gather over 300 people (some many more) at seminars monthly. How can anyone have that many organizations growing at the same time? Simply put, through systems.

On the last day of my all expenses paid trip to Hawaii courtesy of MonaVie, Dallin Larsen presented me with a $300,000 bonus. What for do you ask? For simply repeating the Presidential rank. Last year, Dallin announced that he would pay a one time cash award for anyone in North America who repeats or advances their rank. Laurie and I were the highest ranking distributors in MonaVie to repeat rank. How did we do it? Again, through systems thinking and the great group of leaders developed through the TEAM system. I know, I know, many people had written the TEAM off, like they always do, but lacking in systems thinking, their predictions consistently fail.

While amateurs, who have no systems training rail against systems, those in the know seem hungry to learn the secret of systematic success. In my former company, several of the top distributors with the largest businesses, sat down with me for hours at a time, seeking to learn how to run duplicatable processes and systems within networking. I was more than happy to help as I believe a rising tide lifts all ships. A person either builds a system to do the heavy lifting in networking or he becomes the system until he falters through sheer exhaustion. Building leaders and building systems has been, and will always be the path that I choose to build networks. In reality, there simply is not other way to build a long-term sustainable business, regardless of how many failed non-systematic networkers believe otherwise.

One of the systems gurus of the 20th century is a man named Buckminster Fuller. When Fuller was a young man he initially felt he had wasted his life. When he was 32, his only daughter died leaving him severely depressed. Soon afterwards, alone at an ocean beach, Fuller waded further and further from shore contemplating ending his life. But at the point of surrender he realized he hadn’t really given life a chance. From the brink of suicide, he resolved to spend all of his energy discovering what a single human life could achieve. In a 1972 interview, Fuller explained the power a single human life had to change the direction of the world:

Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could do. Think of the Queen Mary — the whole ship goes by and then comes the rudder. And there’s a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trim tab. It’s a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. So I said that the little individual can be a trim tab. Society thinks it’s going right by you, that it’s left you altogether. But if you’re doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go. So I said, call me Trim Tab.

LIFE is the Trim Tab for Network Marketing, taking systems thinking to the next level. I am so excited to help more people than ever accomplish their dreams through a systems mindset. If a person chooses to be a student, then get ready for the best year of your life. With that said, I have neither the time, nor the inclination, to convince people against their will. If a person doesn’t see value in our system, then quit. If he doesn’t enjoy the CD’s, then quit. If he doesn’t like me, then quit. But even if one chooses to do so, you have no right to criticize someone more courageous than yourself.  You, in other words, are not God and your perception of the facts is not valid for all. Since 15,000 people plus are enjoying the benefits of the TEAM system perhaps your opinion is wrong. Is anyone truthfully saying they are smarter than the combined intellectual firepower and leadership capabilities of 15,000 people? This doesn’t even account for the over 100 plus businesses buying thousands of LLR CD’s yearly. Free Enterprise means that people and companies are free to choose or free not to choose. LIFE certainly isn’t for everyone as it takes a dream, courage, guts, determination, and drive to fulfill one’s destiny. My goal is not to sponsor the world, but only the people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired by what the world has to offer.

My son (Jordan) turned 18 last week. He was given the free choice to either choose the business path, building his own business and setting himself financially free or the employee path through attending university. I explained to him that if he chose the 5% path, then he can self-educate himself as many leaders on the TEAM have. However, if he chose the 95% path, then he needs copious amounts of educational training through respected universities in order to advance through Corporate America. In fact, I told him that we would give him one year to display either his hunger to build a business or its off to 95% university training. Life passes by those who are not committed, and, in my opinion, too few people make and keep commitments. My son has chosen the path of entrepreneurship. Now let the dreams, struggle, and work begin to achieve his victory. Jordan asked me what it would take to succeed, and I told him he needed to find a job or conventional business to invest in books, CD’s, attending seminars, and showing the plan to earn his freedom. Sound familiar? I hope so. No one gets a special deal on the TEAM, no one, not even the founders son. In a nutshell, I told him he had to master systems! It never changes. I love systems.

I believe that if a new person were to ask for and listen to any random ten Launching a Leadership Revolution CD’s, that he would quickly realize why LIFE is going to be so huge. Indeed, each person ought to listen to 10 CDs as quickly as possible to decide for himself the value of the system. Remember, a man with the facts is never at the mercy of a man with an opinion. No organization has married so many of the correct principles of a systems mindset together in one place as LIFE will on November 1, 2011. The only question is: are you ready to work for your dream. If you are, then welcome to your destiny. If you are not, then you are already fulfilling your destiny. Destiny is not in the stars, it’s not even in the circumstances, but it’s definitely in the decisions that you make and keep. I decided years ago to master systems, it has made all the difference for me, my family and the TEAM. Perhaps is time you revamped your life, making LIFE the Trim Tab that changes everything. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Adversity Quotient (AQ) is the ability to persevere through numerous setbacks in order to achieve one’s dreams. Everyone has the ability to develop AQ, but winners through pupose, vision, and perseverance develop it, while the rest do not. The LIFE community is a great way to start learning AQ. Here is a portion of the Adversity Quotient chapter from RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE. Enjoy. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Another compromise that leads to failure and despair is an improper response to the pain inherent in the process of growth.  There are actually two types of pain: one comes from the inside due to the change process; the other comes from the outside due to criticism from those unwilling to make the same changes. Hope is the only fuel capable of burning through both types of pain.  Without hope, either of the pain versions will trump one’s willingness to endure, instead choosing to stop the pain by quitting the journey.  Author Robert Grudin writes, “One might reply that most people who surrender simply lack the ability to get very far.  But it is more accurate to say that ability and intelligence, rightly understood, include a readiness to face pain, while those characteristics which we loosely term ‘inadequacy’ and ‘ignorance’ are typically associated with the avoidance of pain.” When the pain reaches a certain threshold, everything inside of a person screams for relief, but champions, people with high AQ, persevere. Pain is overcome through the continuous focus on one’s purpose. Moreover, achieving greatness will require a faith that can move mountains, an AQ to endure the rising pain in the process, eventually reaching levels of success that more timid souls refuse to believe possible.

Grudin elaborates on the outside pain given to achievers as an unjust reward for their quest for personal excellence:

Modern society has evolved an idiomatic defense of non-achievement so subtle and elegant that it almost makes failure attractive.  We can equivocate with failure by saying that we could not stand “the pressure”. We can inflate mediocrity by calling cow colleges universities, by naming herds of middle-level executives vice presidents or partners, and by a thousand other sorts of venal hype.  We can invert the moral standard by defending a fellow non-achiever as being too sensitive or even too good for the chosen arena. This double rejection of pain—a surrender sanctified by a euphemism—has in our time achieved institutional status.  Because it includes its own anti-morality, it can be passed on with pride from generation to generation.  Other ages may have been as full of non-achievers as ours, but no other age, I believe, has developed so comprehensive a rhetoric of failure. To conclude, then:  those people in quest of intellectual dignity and independence in the late twentieth century must act in a cultural context that has done its best to annul or camouflage one of the key elements in the quest, the challenge of pain.  For this reason such people currently labor under a double burden: they must face the pains inherent in their task, and they must do so in a culture that has little appreciation for their suffering.

Today’s achievers then, handle not only the traditional pain associated with excellence, but the additional pain associated with the envious prattle of today’s internet age non-achievers. Champions understand that it’s better to be mocked and criticized by non-achievers, than to become a non-achiever themselves.

AQ can be developed, but only through discarding excuses, rejecting compromises, and choosing to feed one’s faith, not one’s fears. In order to achieve dreams, people must willingly surrender who they are, to become who they dream to be. One cannot have his cake and eat it too. AQ refuses to surrender personal responsibility (what one desires) to an impersonal environment (what is offered). Bestselling author Chris Brady, in his book Rascal, articulates what it takes to break free the herd, “It takes character to be different. It takes character to stand apart from the masses for legitimate, purposeful reasons. It takes character to be who God called you to be without succumbing to the pressures of others and their ideas of who you should be and how you should live. For those who embody this concept and live a truly authentic life, we will assign the name of Rascal.” People with AQ are Rascals, refusing to be lulled to sleep by comfort, choosing instead, to pursue their convictions over conveniences.  Rascals pay the temporary price of pain for success, rather than pay the permanent price of regret for failure.

Here is a portion of the systems chapter in the new upcoming book, RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE.  Anyone who learns to think in systems will increase their ability to lead. Leadership is the new frontier and LIFE is on the leading edge, showing the way. Committed leaders do make a difference. Why sit around and be part of the problem when you can lead and be part of the solution. LIFE is forming a community of the latter group, those who want to be part of the solution. Enjoy. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Butterfly Effect
The Butterfly Effect, a part of the Chaos Theory, confirms the massive results that slight changes can have when applied to a leverage point within a system. The butterfly effect is such that a butterfly flapping its wings has the capacity to change the initial atmospheric conditions enough to trigger a series of changes that compound into a hurricane on the other side of the world.  The same effect applies to human affairs in that subtle adjustments in initial conditions can create profound differences in results. In fact, according to the University of Bath, it was through studying weather patterns that the Butterfly Effect was first expounded:

In 1960 a meteorologist named Edward Lorenz was researching into the possibilities of long term weather prediction. He created a basic computer program using mathematical equations which could theoretically predict what the weather might be. One day he wanted to run a particular sequence again, and to save time he started it from the middle of the sequence. After letting the sequence run he returned to find that the sequence had evolved completely different from the original. At first he couldn’t comprehend such different results but then realized that he had started the sequence with his recorded results to 3 decimal places, whereas the computer had recorded them to 6 decimal places. As this program was theoretically deterministic we would expect a sequence very close to the original, however this tiny difference in initial conditions had given him completely different results.

Lorenz’s findings teach that slight changes running through complex systems compound over time, creating significant differences in results. For leaders who understand systems, a little extra “flapping of the wings” at key points of leverage can multiply with time creating major changes in the long-term outcomes.  Although no one can predict the results in complex systems omnisciently (as in weather forecasting), leaders know that small variances in initial conditions can produce big differences in the finished products. History is filled with examples of how little incidences impacted the destiny of civilizations. The Great Courses series, taught by historian J. Rufus Fears, dramatizes this point:

January 10, 49 B.C.: Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon River into Rome, igniting a civil war that leads to the birth of the world’s greatest ancient civilization.

October 12, 1492: The Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus, weary after months at sea, finally drops anchor at the island of San Salvador and takes Europe’s first steps into the New World.

September 11, 2001: On a calm Tuesday morning, a series of terrorist attacks on the United States of America ignites a global war on terrorism that continues to this day.

History is made and defined by landmark events such as these—moments that irrevocably changed the course of human civilization. While many of us are taught that anonymous social, political, and economic forces are the driving factors behind events of the past, acclaimed historian and award-winning Professor J. Rufus Fears believes that it’s individuals, acting alone or together, who alter the course of history. These events have given us

* spiritual and political ideas,
* catastrophic battles and wars,
* scientific and technological advances,
* world leaders both influential and monstrous, and
* cultural works of unparalleled beauty.

Without them, human history as we know it today would be shockingly unfamiliar. It’s because of these events that our world will never be the same again.

Here is a snippet from the new RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE book coming out November 1. Sam Walton is one of my favorite all-time business men because he endured so many setbacks and criticisms on his way to massive success. Enjoy. Orrin Woodward

Walton, after a decade of being the Butler Brothers top performer, began to chafe under their rigid bureaucracy and mismanagement. The Butler Brothers, who at the time made huge profits with their business model, seemed incapable of recognizing the impending,  competitive threat from discounting stores to their variety store chain. But Walton, not suffering from the myopia, recognized before others that the variety stores chains must adapt or die. The billionaire Butler Brothers, in a hubris induced coma, preferred to play it safe. They may have secured higher margins temporarily, but ultimately, they destroyed their business by not responding to the “creative destruction” inherent in the free enterprise system.

Walton anticipated the future, realizing the days of high margins were following the dinosaur into extinction becoming a fatality of the discount store’s more competitively priced business model. Walton flew up to the Butler Brothers’ office in Chicago, proposing a partnership with them to launch a discount model. He wasn’t far into his presentation when he mentioned the margins would have to be cut from the typical 25% plus to around 12.5% or less of the sale’s price. This terminated the meeting. Walton recalled, “They blew up,” not willing to risk their easy profits; choosing instead, to ride out the variety store model into business oblivion. Exasperated, Walton explained that the profits would be made up on volume; that the high margins were going away regardless, but the Butler Brothers, blinded by the past, rejected the new reality along with Walton.

Not easily dismayed, Walton flew to Texas, hoping to become a franchiser of Herb Gibson, the highly successful discounter at the time. Gibson however, rejected Walton outright, seeing Walton, “as a bush-league variety-store merchant who possessed neither the finances nor the experience necessary to succeed in the Gibson chain.” Not surprisingly, it’s the revolutionary leaders with the largest of visions who must endure endless criticism from those who profit from the past, who stand to lose the most if the leader’s vision is fulfilled.  Walton, with every avenue possible rejected, did what all revolutionary leaders do in this situation – he did it anyway. In fact, 95% of the money for the original Walmart came from Walton himself; simply because no one else believed enough in his vision to invest.

If someone wants to truly understand what motivates me, then they need go no further than this post. Since 1967, the year of my birth, I have witnessed decline and demoralization because of the non-character centered leadership prevalent in our society. I am through waiting for someone to step up and lead, so have vowed to build the community myself to restore Western Civilization. Neither fame, fortune, or anything for that matter, that the world can offer motivates me in any degree like the thought of fulfilling God’s plan for my like through restoring God’s principles of grace, hope, charity, love, honor, integrity, character, and redemption into the cultural current. This is not a job for the weak of heart, but if you are tired of waiting also, then let’s stop waiting and start building LIFE! Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Harvard historian, Niall Ferguson, in his book, Civilization: the West and the Rest, writes:

“. . . what distinguished the West from the Rest – the mainsprings of global power – were six identifiably novel complexes of institutions and associated ideas and behaviors. For the sake of simplicity, I summarize them under six headings: 1. Competition 2. Science 3. Property rights 4. Medicine 5. The consumer society 6. The work ethic.

To use the language of today’s computerized, synchronized world, these were the six killer applications – the killer apps – that allowed a minority of mankind originating on the western edge of Eurasia to dominate the world for the better part of 500 years.

This is of more than purely historical interest. For it is only by identifying the causes of Western ascendancy that we can hope to estimate with any degree of accuracy the imminence of our fall.

My conclusion is that we are already living through the twilight of Western predominance. But that is not just because most of the Rest have now downloaded all or nearly all of our killer apps. It is also because we ourselves have lost faith in our own civilization.”

Although I agree with Ferguson’s six killer apps, I contend that the killer apps cannot be downloaded directly into other cultures. Extending the computerized age analogy further, I believe that each of the six killer apps requires a certain “operating system” to function properly. This “operating system” is the Judeo/Christian Biblical principles upon which the West was founded.  In fact, if a person were to trace the historical origins of each of the six “killer apps”, he would discover that each is rooted within Western Civilization’s Biblical teachings. Lamentably, as the West progressively rejected it’s faith in God and Biblical principles (the operating system), in parallel, it lost faith in the institutions, ideas, and behaviors (killer apps) built upon the discarded foundation. For when the West lost its faith in God, it was only a matter of time before it lost its faith in everything. Simply put, when the foundation collapses, so too do the structures built upon it. Each of the six “killer apps” without the leavening effect from its Biblical foundation, descends into the exploitation and manipulation of the masses for the benefit of the elites. Nevertheless, the dismal current created from these poisonous beliefs can and must be reversed.

Instead of tossing the “killer apps” with the operating system, why not re-boot the operating system that set the West apart originally? Before thinking I have lost my mind, remember that for the last 18 years I have communicated to millions of people across North America, through a leadership training community now called LIFE. I have witnessed numerous examples of demoralized and downtrodden people turned around through the power of faith, hope, love, and leadership. In truth, there are no hopeless situations, but only hopeless people in situations. As a Christian leader, I refuse to lose hope for the future; I refuse to succumb to the demonic despair around me; and lastly, I refuse to surrender my role of sharing the good news with others. If a leader’s role is to reverse the current, leaving a legacy for others by “schooling his soul,” patiently forging the 13 Resolutions into his being, then what the West needs is to launch a leadership revolution. To use Arnold Toynbee’s “Challenge and Response” language, the challenge is identified, the response has been proposed, but where are the morally courageous leaders who will stand in the widening gap? Indeed, Western Civilization is committing suicide, having lost faith in her principles; the signs of decay and demoralization are readily apparent; the alarm bell has sounded for nearly a century; will any leaders answer the call?

In the past few months, since the announcement of LIFE, the TEAM, and more specifically me, have been under increasing online attacks. Why the sudden surge of negativity? Simple, LIFE is a game-changer that will change the rules of the profession. Since the LIFE business cannot be attacked, the next best thing is to attack the owners. Not being intellectually honest, they  follow the principle if one cannot attack the message, then attack the messenger. I know I am not perfect but these critics must believe they are.

When I was younger and naive, I was befriended by several “legends” in my old network marketing company. Since my business was the fastest growing in North America, I was exposed to the society of “Haters” early. People who didn’t know me, but with an axe to grind against Network Marketing, shot at me. In my inexperience, I took it personally, not professionally, wanting to fight back. However, the company’s rules, at the time, forbid any online discussions from distributors, so my hands were tied. When a person on my team started an anonymous blog, I realized this was the only way to get our side of the facts out. I didn’t start the blog, but I did contribute content. In fact, many of the board members, of which I was not a part of at the time, provided facts, figures, and later gossip that I passed on. For this, I am sorry. This was not helping my cause, but only hurting my attitude. Later, I requested for the blog shut to be down. It stopped posting, but for whatever reason the blogger refused to take down the content. In late 2005, I made a commitment not to fight back against critics, but instead, let the truth be my first, last, and only defense. I heard a beautiful quote that exemplifies this principle, “Don’t criticize the old, but just create the new.” LIFE is not about criticizing the old, merely focused on creating the new.

Although I am more than happy to entertain any genuine questions or concerns about the LIFE business model, I will not stoop into mud-slinging. In truth, LIFE shouldn’t even be perceived as a business threat because it will not accept applications from distributors under contract with other companies. We simply are not interested in building a business by raiding others networks. If any company has a leader under contratual obligations attempting to move over, all that it has to do is contact LIFE when it’s launched, we will remove his number immediately. Our goal is to build a business and help people, not hurt any current companies. Of course, anyone in networking can enjoy the benefits of the leadership as a customer only, helping him to become a better leader. The goal then, is to grow an organic community that reaches one million people.

With that said, let me share why I believe LIFE will reach one million people. Scott Larsen, probably Network Marketing’s most logical critic, was an engineer as I was. He pointedly reasoned why Network Marketing doesn’t work for most people, identifying the cost of of buying premium products as excessive. In fact, his price comparisons made the products offered look ridiculously overpriced compared to what a person could purchase similar merchandise at Walmart or Target. Larsen also identified that the compensation plans did not reward distributors appropriately for the level of work involved, leading to top networkers using system money fill the gap instead. Although I have no issue with someone making money from quality training, Larsen pointed out that the system became the main business and the products were just along for the ride. After reviewing his concerns, I had to admit Larsen was onto something.

After 3 years of attempting to drive change within my former company and 3 years of legal proceedings, I am finally free to pursue the vision. My partnership with Dallin Larsen has been a God-send to me. He believes in the dream to reach millions of people and has provided a green light to build LIFE. For a new person, if money isn’t an issue, then MonaVie products can be purchased in the fitness category immediately; however, if money is a constraint, then instead of having nothing to offer him, we can bring him into LIFE until we turn his finances around, eventually making the fitness category affordable for him. This is a true win-win partnership for both companies and why I respect Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year Dallin Larsen so much.

Maybe, I am mistaken. Perhaps LIFE isn’t the answer for this profession, but I do believe as an American, I have a right to discover this for myself. For anyone to assume that I launched Life to pad my bank account, he must either be living in a hole somewhere or have an agenda. It would have been much easier for me to surrender my dream and keep my money, but the vision refused to die. The TEAM leaders dreamed of an opportunity to change this industry, and we have paid dearly for the opportunity do so. This is not the actions of a money-hungry mob, but instead, a vision-oriented leadership group on its way to one million people.

Here are the five fixes proposed to change the rules of Networking forever:

First, Chris Brady and I wrote the Wall Street Journal and New York Times best seller Launching a Leadership Revolution. The book is used extensively by top corporate leaders. (I would gladly list their names and companies, however to protect them from being internet flamed, I won’t) I receive emails monthly from leaders who are teaching the book’s materials into corporate America. We realized that our leadership materials were world-class, not surprising, since we had to to build communities, despite the anchor of high-priced products. Since this book, both Chris and I have received numerous awards for our leadership blogs, twitter accounts, and online presence, recently commended as two of the Top 30 leadership gurus in the world. Indeed, LIFE is the only company with two Top 30 Leadership Gurus. For the first time in our Networking careers, we had products already in demand in the marketplace, since our leadership materials were selling briskly to customers already.

Second, by thoroughly reviewing the leadership field, we identified the pricing strategies of every major leadership supplier. Competitors Leadership CD’s ranged from a low of $12 to over $50 per CD on the high end. Because the TEAM is building and serving communities everyday, we are constantly learning and growing in the field of leadership, ensuring our information never becomes dated or out of touch. Simply stated, LIFE will be the lowest cost provider of the highest quality leadership material in the marketplace, period. No ifs, ands, or buts, about it. New members of LIFE can get started own their own business for under $150 which includes the first leadership materials. Through purchasing as little as $50 per month for personal development, he is fully qualified for bonuses. Instead of the $200, $300, sometimes as high as $600 a month in purchases, we are bringing Network Marketing to the people, at a price that they can afford. On top of this, if a member or even a customer, refers three other people as customers, his personal leadership subscription will be FREE! After LIFE launches, Network Marketing will be affordable for everyone. Where in the history of networking has a company launched with the proven top quality products, from recognized leaders in the field, all at the lowest price? Has this ever happened before? It will on November 1, 2011.

Third, by taking the best quality, lowest price, and adding the most lucrative compensation plan in the history of network marketing, one can quickly see why LIFE will be world-changing. With the benchmark compensation plans currently running around 50% of revenues, what would happen if a company, which was less concerned about it’s bottom line, and more concerned about helping people get financially free, were to release a marketing plan that started at 70% of every revenue dollar paid back to field leaders in bonuses. How is this possible? Simply put, each of the owners of LIFE has committed to make his money through leading communities, not by riding on his ownership shares. This is revolutionary because it brings field leadership to networking ownership with the goal to change people lives, not become billionaires. We studied leadership, because we experienced first hand the effects that leadership delivers into a person’s life, we intend to pay this blessing forward. In fact, a 70% payout is over twice as much money flowing to the community leaders as many of the top compensation plans in networking today. Don’t forget this is on top of MonaVie’s top notch compensation plan. As the LIFE business grows, I intend to go even higher. Can you imagine, receiving an un-promised and unexpected LIFE profit-sharing check for tens of thousand of dollars, all because LIFE is thriving financially? I can, and intend to make this vision a reality.

Fourth, the TEAM, with nearly 15,000 plus people attending seminars monthly, either live or through streaming video, is expanding its reach and scope monthly. LIFE Founders and leaders of the caliber of Chris Brady, Tim Marks, Claude Hamilton, George Guzzardo, Bill Lewis, and Dan Hawkins, each personally lead communities of thousands of people. If someone desires to learn leadership, I do not believe there is a better community to learn from anywhere in North America. Since 1999, we have been perfecting our craft, building numbers and building leaders. Because the Team is a performance-based culture, 100% of the profits remaining after expenses are flowed back to the field leaders who qualify as directors. Unlike most training companies, where a few keep all profits, we designed a fair system to reward the leadership team that builds the TEAM. No special deals period, everything is based upon numerical performance. What other training company can say that? Indeed, to my knowledge, TEAM is the only zero profit training company in the marketplace. Anyone who builds a community through serving others can become a Director, helping to train new leaders and be rewarded for doing so. In addition, thanks to the lucrative compensation plan associated with LIFE, the majority of a person’s income will come from the MLM, not the training system. The bigger the community the bigger the leader must be. Building large numbers requires grace, to love people where they are at, long enough for them to want to get better. However, no community is perfect. When issues arise, we have a culture that teaches conflict resolution, gaining “teachable moments,” from every issue, making each leader grow and improve. This is a TEAM difference.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone in Network Marketing. I have met some of my best friends in network marketing, as they are some of the hardest working, best attitude people on the planet.  In the West’s current leadership crisis, who knows but that some of the top networking leaders will stand up and do something about this mess. Many Americans and Canadians citizens are are wary of more Big Governments solutions to the problems facing us. Maybe it’s time for communities to grow large enough to solve these issues through social power, not State power. LIFE is a plan for citizens to join together, improving ourselves so we can improve our communities, ultimately improving the world. By combining world-class credibility, compensation, and community together, all at the lowest cost/price, we have designed the 4C’s for your success. If a person chooses to believe rumor, hearsay, and popular opinion, then all I can say is good luck and God bless you. But if a person is truly looking for an opportunity, an opportunity that the LIFE leaders invested millions to gain the freedom to offer, then your journey has ended. Welcome to the LIFE TEAM, and your destiny. It’s time to move on to 1 million people, what part will you play? Sincerely, Orrin Woodward