As I sit here watching my 7 year old and 4 year old daughters attempting to wrap presents for their friends and cousins, I just have to laugh! They are wrapping the gifts the best they know how and plastering the wrapping together with massive amounts of tape. It will be a miracle if the intended recipients of those gifts will even be able to open them!

I absolutely am grateful for the birth of the Savior and would like to remind everyone to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Santa Claus is alive and well in the hearts of every child throughout the entire world and will be for time and all eternity as a symbol of giving and kindness.

Give all that you can, spend time with those you love the most, and be grateful for all you have, even the small things. Remember our Savior who is the Master of all giving.

Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy your Holidays!

This was forwarded to me by a fellow associate. I post this to my blog in honor of Scam.com and all the other sites like it on the internet. This is a tribute to you:

Man, I’m mad.  I’m so mad I can’t see straight.  And I’m not just being emotional.  I’m an intelligent person and I’m speaking from experience.  Don’t make the mistake I did or you’ll regret it.

Gold’s Gym is a scam.  In fact, I think the whole fitness club industry is a scam.

I saw pictures of people who were fit and trim and beautiful.  And I wanted to be fit and trim and beautiful.  So, I paid the $30 fee to come every month.

Then, guess what!  No one told me that I had to pay extra for those power-bar snacks that were on the counter.  Or that my membership fee didn’t include the sports drinks.  Or that a personal trainer wasn’t included.

These things should have been my first red flags.

But, still I was excited that I might be able to lose some weight and start looking good.  So I ignored the warning signals and started working out.

Well, I did everything they told me to do.  I worked my legs a little.  I didn’t work out my arms because I hurt it one time in the past working out and I was afraid I’d get hurt again.  So I skipped the arms.  After all, you don’t want to get hurt again.  You’ve gotta be careful.

I worked out my back.  I worked my stomach a little bit but I decided I didn’t want to push myself too hard.  Plus, I was getting hungry after all this working out so I went and bought a powerbar.  SIX DOLLARS!  I kid you not.  If I hadn’t been so hungry, I wouldn’t have bought one.  But one of the guys who worked out there said he used them for daily snacks and he looked pretty good.  So I thought I’d “try” one.

Anyway.  That’s not what made me mad.  I’m coming to that part.

This all went on for a few days.  I even spent $100 on workout clothes.  It wasn’t required but other people in the gym had them so I thought I’d get some, too.

In fact, I spent another $100 on a pair of new workout shoes.  I picked a pair that I felt like I could still use even if I stopped working out.  You never know if things are going to pan out the way you want, you know?

Anyway…one day, I was talking to a guy in the locker room.  He was about 40 pounds overweight and he told me he’d been coming to the gym for SIX MONTHS.  I did the math in my head…”If this guy has been here for six months, why isn’t he thin and trim yet???”

That’s when the warning bells went off again.  This whole thing might just be a scam to get people’s money.  I mean, this guy wasn’t mad or anything….in fact, he was excited that he’d lost some weight….BUT HE’S STILL OVERWEIGHT!  And he’s spending that money every month…and Gold’s Gym just keeps taking it!

Then I thought, “I should get on the Internet and look up Gold’s Gym!”.  I don’t know why I didn’t do that before!  So, I went to Google and typed in “Gold’s Gym scam” and you won’t believe what I found!

Seriously.

Did you know that 80% of the people who join Gold’s Gym cancel their membership within the first year?  That 95% of the people who join Gold’s Gym have never won a fitness contest?  Or gotten a job as a model?

I found one lady online who said she joined Gold’s Gym and the manager of the gym said she needed a personal trainer to help her create a “fitness plan” and to keep her on track.  Guess what?  She said it cost her an additional $200 a WEEK!  What a ripoff!  She DID say that she lost some weight while she was going but that — after she stopped going every day — the weight came back.  She fired the trainer and said it was all a scam, too.

I even found one story about a guy who said that they Gold’s Gym stole his money.  He was supposed to get a promotional price of $19 a month but when he got his credit card statement, he found out that they were charging him $30 a month.  That’s like $120 a year in stolen money if he hadn’t caught it.

Anyway….

As if that wasn’t enough, some friends and I were at McDonald’s the other day and I mentioned something about Gold’s Gym.  My friend Susan said that she’d tried Gold’s Gym a few years ago and got NO results at all.  She laughed that I’d fallen for it, too.  I was so mad I almost spilled my milkshake.

Anyway….after I read all the stuff on the Internet about Gold’s Gym and talked to some of my friends, I decided to quit.  I don’t deal with scam artists.  They’re just in it for the money.  They act like they’re interested in people’s health but I guarantee you that — if no one paid them — they’d close up shop.  So much for their “mission”, huh?

And I’m beginning to think that those fit, trim, beautiful people in the Gym are part of the scam, anyway.  Gold’s Gym probably pays them to come in there and work out so they can sell more memberships.

Am I saying that exercise doesn’t work?  No, I’m not saying that.  I’m sure it does.  I’m just saying that you have to be careful when you join these big fancy gyms with the full-color brochures and all the stories of how people are getting results.

Because the truth is that those people are probably coming in there EVERY day (not just sometimes)…..they’ve probably changed their eating habits (which no one mentioned to me)…and you can bet that they’re all buying a lot of extra stuff from the Gym that’s not part of their regular membership fee.  There’s a lot of stuff going on there that they don’t tell you about.

And I know they got me for several hundred dollars, too.  I think the whole experience cost me $500 at least.

So, take it from me:  Gold’s Gym is a rip-off.  I know.  I’ve been there.  The idea that you can come in and work out every day and start looking fit and trim SOUNDS good….but that’s just to get you in the door.  Then you find out that there’s more to it than that.

Remember what they say:  “If it sounds too good to be true…it probably is.”

Anyway, all this has taught me a lesson.  I’m not going to get suckered again.  Next time I see someone or something that can supposedly “improve my life”, I’ll think twice.

Whether it’s a diet…..a business idea…..a network marketing opportunity….or just an idea….I’ll go check it out on Google first.

After all, if it’s on the Internet it must be true, right?

Advice from my Dad for Father’s Day by Harvey MacKay

There’s an English proverb that goes: “One father is worth more than a hundred schoolmasters.”

Fathers can teach their children many important lessons. Father’s Day is Sunday, June 15, and it brings to mind some of the valuable lessons I learned from my father, Jack Mackay. I’ve shared many of them with you in my books and columns, but here they are, in one nice package, for the 64.3 million fathers out there.

My dad headed the Associated Press in St. Paul, Minn., for many years. He lived by deadlines. When he told his 10-year-old fishing partner, “Be at the dock at 7:30 a.m.” and I arrived at 7:35, I would be holding my fishing pole in one hand and waving bon voyage with the other. Time management 101.

When I began my career selling envelopes, I asked my father how I could make twice as much money as my fellow sales reps.

He asked me how many sales calls my peers made every day. I told him that everyone made about five calls a day, and I could match them call for call.

“No good,” he said. “Do what they do and you’ll make what they make. Figure out how you can get to 10 calls a day and your income will double.”

We worked out a game plan, which became a life plan. I learned when the buyers were in the office and worked according to their schedules, which sometimes meant anytime from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday mornings. I quit making cold calls, was among the first to get a cell phone and learned many other time management tips from my father.

TRUST is the most important five-letter word in business and in life. When I was only eight years old, he said: “Son, would you like to learn a lesson that might save your life some day?”

“Sure I would, Dad,” I answered.

“Just slide down the banister and I’ll catch you,” he urged.

I slid … and landed on the carpet. As I dusted myself off, he announced, “Never trust anyone completely. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you.”

Similarly, my father encouraged me at a young age to keep track of all the people I met on Rolodex cards, now on my computer. He was a master networker. He knew where to get stories, much like I learned where to get sales.

Maybe the most important lesson my father taught me was that your best network will develop from what you do best. In my case that was golf. When I joined the sales game after college, where I had been a varsity golfer at the University of Minnesota, my father suggested I join Oak Ridge Country Club, which I couldn’t afford. Because Oak Ridge was historically at the bottom of the city golf league, I offered to play for them and try to win them a championship. Six months and numerous meetings later, I was admitted to the club where I gained access to many of the major companies around town.

My father also taught me that the big name on the door doesn’t mean diddly. You have to know who the decision makers are.

In addition, he warned me against telling anyone how I vote. That’s why it’s a secret ballet. The Democrats think I’m a Republican, and the Republicans believe I’m a Democrat.

My father’s greatest professional attribute was his nose for a good story and his indefatigable zeal in getting it. He taught me the same desire, determination and persistence for sales.

After a skiing accident that landed me in the hospital for 35 days in neck traction, he told me, “You can take any amount of pain as long as you know it’s going to end.”

My father taught me many more life lessons, among them:

• They don’t pay off on effort . . . they pay off on results.
• No one ever choked to death swallowing his pride.
• He who burns his bridges better be a damn good swimmer.
• Education is like exercise. As soon as you quit you begin to lose the benefits.
• It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you’re dressed like a turkey.
• If you win say little. If you lose say less.
• We are judged by what we finish, not by what we start.

Mackay’s Moral: One person can make all the difference in the world—a father, for example.

We’ll, we haven’t had the baby yet but we know that it will in fact be another girl! We are going in tomorrow, Tuesday the 26th, to get the process going. This will be my third daughter. I have yet to have any boys and can’t really figure out the trick there. We are so grateful to have another angel come into our lives. I am so excited and friggin’ nervous at the same time. It has been four years since we have had an infant in our home. We have two daughters now, one is 6 and the other is 4. You would think that I would be used to have a baby in the home. I really don’t think you ever get used to it. At least that stands true for me.

We are naming her Mayce Kay Allred. At least that is the way I want to spell it. Amy may have a different version of that. But you know what, while “you know who” is resting after the birth, Daddy gets to tell them what to put on the birth certificate! I know, she is going to be ticked at me but, oh well.

You know, the last time we had a baby we were in Alabama in the military. It was a very nice experience all in all. Besides being on the opposite side of the US from where our family was, it was great. But the pregnancy before that, I remember explicitly. I was working a job and given the day off to be there for the birth of my firstborn. My boss gave me a call the next day and told me that I had to be back at work and could not assist my wife home. She had to drive herself home with our newborn baby, after having an Episiotomy. How wrong is that.

I am taking the entire week off for this delivery. I love what I do. The great thing, I will be  making money even though I am not working. I love this business!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a happy new year and assume that everyone had a blast last night! We spent the evening at the movie theater with just our family watching Alvin and the Chipmunks. Our kids barely made it through the movie and were passed out in the car before we were 5 minutes down the road. Slackers! No discipline. We had about 45minutes to wait once we arrived home, kissed each other and went to bed at aroun 12:30am. The important part, is that I have not worked since the Friday before Christmas eve. Through the holidays I have seen fathers and mothers alike having to go back to work during the holidays. I am just grateful that I have the option to choose for myself, being self-employed, whether or not to work. It is a great freedom that I will never take for granted.

So with this new year here, it important to set some lofty goals for myself and for my family. Of course, my goal is to make seven-figures by this time 2009. I intend on assisting as many like-minded entrepreneurs in doing the same as well. I had great success last year, received an award, assisted many people in this business, but it will not hold a candle to this years results. If you are ready for wealth, abundance, and freedom in your life, jump on the train. I am going places in this business and am determined to assist as many people in board as I possible can.

So, enjoy the day and Happy New Year to you all!