LOOK AT ALL THESE RUMORS

Tomorrow at 10 a.m. Apple will unveil their long anticipated RAT (“Rumored Apple Tablet”…we won’t know what the “official” name is until then). I admit to being a tech junkie (and Apple fanboy) and so I have followed the news, leaks, guesses and opinions offered on the “wild, wild West” also known as the internet.

I’ve laughed at all the people who lack vision and see no use or need for such a product. I’ve snickered in disbelief every time some chucklehead proffers that it will be too expensive at $1,000+ (we don’t know the price yet). And I have smiled silently every time some doofus stock analyst pronounces that “it” is doomed to fail (ummm have they ever used ANY Apple product?) before they even really know what “it” is.

While we don’t absolutely “know” much about the RAT at present, this afternoon McGraw-Hill CEO, Terry McGraw confirmed on CNBC that the RAT will indeed be the new product that Apple is unveiling tomorrow. I’ve been an Apple user since 1985. I purchased my iPhone the first day that they went on sale in 2007 and will probably be in line to purchase the RAT on the first day that goes on sale. Based upon my experience with Apple over the past 25 years, tomorrow’s announcement is going to be a GAME CHANGER.

This RAT is going to revolutionize the way we as consumers relate to our media (print, online and video). It’s going to change the way gamers play video games. And if my hunches are right, it’s going to change the way that we communicate with each other.

I’ve been hearing rumors since last Summer that ACN (thru Worldgate) is developing an application for the iPhone that will enable VOIP video calls. I dismissed the rumors at first because the iPhone does not have a front-facing camera. Apple has traditionally released new versions of the iPhone in the Summer, so the use of such software would be at least a year away at best.

But over the past 60-90 days as the RAT has incubated into what will tomorrow become “reality,” it’s become more and more apparent that the RAT may be more conducive to video phone technology than even the iPhone. It’s speculated that any application devised for the iPhone will work on the RAT. Terry McGraw leaked today that the RAT will run on the iPhone OS (Operating System). Assuming that the RAT has a front facing camera (I will be SHOCKED if it does not), then it makes sense that if there is ANY basis to the ACN rumors about developing an iPhone app for video calling, that the RAT will be the first implement to use it.

So what does this all potentially mean for ACN reps? An opportunity that has never been seen before. If ACN/Worldgate develops an app to enable making video calls from the RAT, and those calls are able to be sent and received from ACN Videophones, then hold on to your seats ACN reps. We keep hearing how there will be hundreds of millions of videophone users in the next three years, the RAT may be the bridge to that.

Imagine being able to take the RAT out on a 2 on 1 and do videophone demo calls from it. How much credibility and excitement would that generate for your prospects? Imagine all the customers we’d be able to get if there is a subscription cost associated with the ACN Videophone App? How much would your residual income grow as a result?

It’s also being rumored that tomorrow may bring an end to AT&T’s exclusivity with the iPhone. If that happens, then it stands to reason that it won’t be long (San Jose anyone?) before we will be able to sell the iPhone thru ACN here in the United States. It’s already available to ACN reps in Canada. That just goes to show that the hold up has been with AT& T and not with Apple.

Of course these are all just rumors right now. Twenty-four hours from now? I’m sure we’ll all be on iTab/iSlate/iWhatevertheyendupcallingit overload.

BEING CAUGHT

We all have “beliefs,” things that we hold on to as tenets in life. Some are public beliefs, things that we state openly. Sometimes these are things that we really believe...and sometimes they are things that we say because we know that it’s the socially acceptable and responsible thing to do (don’t text while driving…unless it’s a REALLY important text).

Then there are our private beliefs. These are the things that we tell ourselves that we believe. Sometimes these are the “shoulds” that we feel will make us happier, wiser, thinner or healthier.

Finally there are our CORE beliefs. These are the things that we actually act upon. What we “do” in life is really a reflection of our core beliefs. These are the proverbial “lines in the sand” that we won’t cross.

While I can’t speak for everyone, it would seem that when I was young, my core beliefs outnumbered my private and public beliefs. As I grew older? I tested the waters and put many of my “core” beliefs to the test. Sadly many of the good ones transcended to “private” or even “public” levels.

Core beliefs lead us to move. Sometimes they cause us to takes leaps of faith. That’s where the trapeze artist comes in. There are two roles in the trapeze play. One is that of the “flyer,” this is the person who swings back and forth and eventually lets go of their swing, soaring thru the air, waiting to be caught.

The second role is that of the “catcher.” The catcher hangs from their legs and awaits the “flyer.” The catcher’s role is to do just that: CATCH the flyer. The catcher must be strong, steady and dependable. While the flyer seems to get all the props for their daring, it is the catcher who is ultimately responsible for the success of the feat. The catcher is often the unsung hero in this act.

There are three things that the flyer must do in trapeze dance:

1. They must LET GO. You can’t soar thru the air if you won’t let go of the swing.
2. They must WAIT with outstretched arms. There is that moment in the air when all is at stake. Success (being caught) and failure (free falling) are both possibilities at this instant, and make no mistake about it, it is but an instant. But that moment must seem like an eternity when you are the one who is flying.
3. They must BE CAUGHT.

All great leaps of faith require these steps. Having kids? Getting married? Starting your own business? Mustering up the courage to talk to someone who intimidates you?

Make no mistake about it, the flyer must have absolute confidence in the catcher’s abilities. In ACN, every time a new rep puts their contacts in front of an expert, they are letting go and waiting. As experts, are we doing a good job “catching” our flyers?

Beyond that, who are you trusting to “catch” you? I was reading in the book of Galatians this morning and I came across the following verses (Galatians 6:7-10):

… A man reaps what he sows. ⁸The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people…

As I read thru this verse, it struck me that “letting go” refers to the sinful nature that leads to destruction. The “waiting” part is the part where we do good to those around us. “Being caught” is reaping the harvest.

I will admit that I have grown weary of “doing good” far too many times in my life. As a consequence, I have been forced to hang in the air far longer than I should at times. I have no problems letting go. As Tom Petty once sang, “the waiting is the hardest part.” I grow weary and I bring back my outstretched hands. and then? I fall to the safety net below. Thank you LORD for that safety net!

And once again, I am letting go of the security of the swing. I am soaring thru the air. I am ready to be caught….

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

The January “Empire Team” Leadership Conference began today in Las Vegas. A few weeks ago, our Remedy Team made a conscious decision to forego this event. We did so because there are only six more weeks until the San Jose International Training event.

The gap between what we know and what we do not know often is not as significant as the gap between what we know and what we do. That’s why we decided to stay and do the Saturday Training tomorrow in Glendora instead of making the trek to Las Vegas.

I’m a big believer in “events.” I know that getting groups to events is paramount to gaining momentum. But I also know when Phase I takes precedence. Coming off the holidays, we need to generate new momentum. That means that we need to have a local training to steer people into this weekend.

There will no doubt be plenty of great information at the Leadership Conference. Fortunately, Mike Bisutti generously posts videos of that training online at theempireteam.com website. So we’ll still have access to the info. For now though? We need to redeem the days. San Jose is just six weeks away.

NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION

revolution |ˌrevəˈloō sh ən|noun

1 a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people’s ideas about it.

Year after year, people go thru the ritual of thinking up New Year’s Resolutions. Just as common, are the feeble decisions to abandon these half-hearted pledges within days or weeks of the New Year beginning. We don’t need to make more promises that we don’t intend to keep.

WE NEED REVOLUTION!

We need a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way life works. In the last hundred years or so, we have transitioned from the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age to the Information Age. We’ve gone from being farmers to factory workers to knowledge workers. A change is upon us once again though. The Knowledge Age is giving way to the Conceptual Age. Knowledge workers are yielding to Creators and Empathizers.

A revolution is coming folks. And just as Gil Scott Heron predicted nearly forty years ago, “The revolution will not be televised.” Corporate America is failing us all around. The tale we’ve been fed since childhood about getting good grades to get into a good college so that we can get a good job and live happily after? It’s been rendered a myth. Folklore. Nostalgia.

At the turn of the last century, we all were self-employed. In just over a hundred years? We’ve sold ourselves into indentured servitude. We gone from independent to dependent. We now need to transcend to INTERdependence. We have that opportunity to change the way that work is organized.

We need to alter our ideas on how to provide for our families, or we will succumb to the on-going decline of the corporate system. Big Brother is no longer here to take care of us. But we are the remedy.

In 2010, we are looking for like-minded people who have the dreamers disease. We’re looking for people who want to share a common future of hope and abundance. We’re looking for people who know in their soul of souls that they were made for more than what 2009 had in store for them.

The revolution will not be televised. It will happen in living rooms across the United States, in Canada and in dozens of countries around the planet. It will happen in coffee houses and lunch rooms. It will happen on planes, trains and in automobiles. It will happen in parks, at High School Reunions and in chance encounters.

The revolution may start with a whisper, but it will triumph with a BANG. It will be doubted by nay-sayers and feared by the ignorant. Some may try to sleep through it, but 2010 is the year for the slumbering giant within us to awaken. Ennui is torn asunder by a single solitary light of determination. The bridge back has been destroyed and there is no where to go but forward.

We need to declare that we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We need to refuse anything less than we were created for. We need to each one, teach one. We need to share like we have never shared before and get out of our comfort zone…THERE IS NO MONEY IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE!!!

We are living history. What we have is recession-proof, undeniable and cannot be touched by the government. There is no excuse. You have been advised. The revolution will not be televised, but you can be a part of it. Or you can just look back with regret and wish that you had.

This is our New Year’s Revolution.

The revolution will not be televised…but it will be blogged. We are the Remedy. Welcome to the revolution.