Category Archives: Blog Posts

The Importance of Milestones

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When I think of milestones, I do not think of material wealth or things that I have gained. I think of milestones as points in our lives when we have reached personal achievements within ourselves or for the benefit of others. To me, success is relative. It is relevant to the person, and for me, success is certainly not material or about status or about money.

Some people say I am successful, but I do not feel successful and I am not successful in many areas. I might meet someone who can speak ten languages and I think to myself how successful they are. I can only speak two languages and I truly respect those who have learnt to speak many. The day I can speak ten languages will certainly be a milestone for me!

When we do reach these milestones, we must acknowledge them. We must reflect on them and ponder how we are going to continue to better ourselves and others. In a recent speech by US President Barack Obama, he said: “You will be judged on what you have built; not what you have destroyed.” When I heard this, I had to write it down because it is so true. If we reach a milestone, and have had to destroy others – whether it be the possession of others or the hopes of others – it cannot be considered a milestone. But if we have helped, raised or built others on our way, then our achievement can truly be considered a milestone.
Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director
QI Ltd

Maybe, Maybe Not

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The dualities of life are a funny thing. One minute you’re prancing across the dizzying heights of success, and the next, you feel as if you’re standing in the deep trenches of despair. It is easy to be caught up on this wave of life, allowing your moods and attitudes to reflect the push and pull of the world around you.

Seeing people who are constantly riding this volatile wave has made me think very seriously about my own life journey. Everyone has ‘ups and downs’, but when I allow my character and disposition to mirror these ups and downs, I must remember that I am only expressing a fleeting reflection of outside pressures.

Consider this ancient parable:

There was a farmer who had a strong, hard-working horse. This horse could plough fields all day and carry heavy loads. The farmer’s neighbours, who did not have such a prized animal, often said to him, “You’re so lucky to have that horse.”

The farmer, going about his work, simply replied, “Maybe, maybe not.”

Then one day, the farmer’s horse broke through the farm gates and ran away, leaving the farmer without the animal that he had come to depend on. The farmer’s neighbours said to him, “Gee, you’re so unlucky that your horse ran away.”

The farmer, getting on with life without his horse, simply replied, “Maybe, maybe not.”

A little while later, the farmer’s horse came back with ten mares, all strong, fit and healthy. The farmer’s neighbours gasped and said, “You’re so lucky to now have 11 strong horses to work on your farm!”

The farmer, grooming his 11 horses, simply replied, “Maybe, maybe not.”

The farmer’s only son decided to take a ride on one of the mares. On the way home, the mare bolted and threw the farmer’s only son to the ground, crushing his legs, which became infected, and later leading the son into delirium, balancing on the brink of death. When the farmer’s neighbours heard this, they said, “Oh no! Your only son is dying! You are so unlucky.”

The farmer, while aiding his son, simply replied, “Maybe, maybe not.”

Before long, war was declared, and officials came to the village to draft the village’s young men to serve in the army. Upon seeing the condition of the farmer’s only son, the officials decided he could not fight, and so they did not draft him into the war. A few days later, the son’s fever broke and he regained his health. The farmer’s neighbours, whose sons had all been drafted into the terrible war, cried out to the farmer, “Oh, you are so lucky that your son did not have to go to war!”

The farmer, while hugging his son, simply replied, “Maybe, maybe not.”

I am always revived when I hear or tell this story. The moral is that the true significance of things that happen in our lives can never be totally understood at the time they are occurring. Every event holds elements of both good and bad, and the true implications of the event may not be truly known for many years. Life will throw so many things at us and it is our job to steadily steer through all of it to live our lives doing what we need to do. Who has the right to say whether something is good or bad; lucky or unlucky? Even bad things happen for a reason. My father used to always say to me, in Spanish, that “everything bad happens for a good reason”. How true this is.

Please take a moment to ponder… If we allow ourselves to be thrown around by life and if we wallow in self-pity or boastfully brag during good fortune, we are allowing ourselves to become the puppet of something we cannot control and are blinding ourselves to tomorrow’s ramifications of today’s events. Take the good with the bad. Ask yourself if YOU are lucky? I hope that you find the answer is: Maybe, maybe not.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director
QI Group

Celebrate Christ this Christmas

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I would like to greet all of you by saying “Merry Christmas!”. You may realise that I am not wishing you a Merry Xmas’. Today is Christmas Day, and not Xmas Day. Let us not cross out the name of Christ in this wonderful season.

Let us continue to remember Christ’s very short but meaningful life on Earth.

Jesus Christ was the greatest networker of all time.

He was the true fisher of men. He appeared more than 2000 years ago and yet, His influence prevails today and is felt throughout the world. Even the atheist uses the calendar that is based around the incarnation of Christ.

He taught us to “mind the things that are above and not the things on Earth”. He taught us that “we are not flesh and blood, but rather the spirit inside the body”.

Christmas is not only a season of peace and joy. Christmas is also a season when we can ask forgiveness for our trespasses, and learn to forgive others who have trespassed against us.
Christmas has become so commercialised, that somewhere along the way we have forgotten the person whom we are celebrating: Christ

So, on Christmas Day (not Xmas Day), let us not forget Christ. Christ is the reason for the season. It is not our birthday today. It is Christ’s birthday. Let this day not be the focus for our own self-enjoyment. Let this day be homage to Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us celebrate this day in its true spirit of giving. The most valuable gift you can every give a person is love, compassion and the truth. Material gifts will just perish and in the great scheme of things, will not really make a person happy.

Please take a moment to ponder… Let us not lose the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas and a Joyous Holiday to all!

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director
QI Ltd

Talk is Cheap…Is It?

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Every time I talk and open my mouth, I am making a choice: Will I use my power of speech to heal, or will I use my words to hurt?

It is said that the power of words in our speech can be sharper and deadlier than a knife. A knife on the other hand can only damage you physically, whereas the words in any speech can damage a person emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It can create more permanent damage internally and leave a wound of suffering. A knife can only cut or kill the body, whereas a powerful speech can cut or kill the spirit and inspiration of any person. Such is the power of a curse.

Yet words can also be the best form of healing and inspiration to the soul. Through inspiring words, we can achieve the impossible; people inspired by words are motivated to make changes within themselves. No mountain is too high, no sea is too wide that we cannot climb or swim. Nothing is impossible with an inspired person.

Inspirational words are food for the soul. This is what we can truly live by. Every person wants to be inspired by words. We need recognition, praise, gratitude.

Some of the most powerful words: “I love you”. “Thank you”. “I care for you”. “Please”. “I appreciate you”.

Talk is cheap, as the saying goes, but it really isn’t, because every time we open our mouth, there is a valuable price attached to what we say. It depends entirely on how we value our words and opinions.

So next time you have to open your mouth and use words…think twice…the reason the Creator only gave us one mouth and yet a set of ears, eyes, and arms so we can or should always hear twice on both sides before we speak…look twice before we speak…work twice before we speak.

If you have nothing good to say to anyone…just shut up! Only open your mouth if you have something good to say that can inspire or correct someone to be a better person.

People so easily give their opinions even without being asked. That is why their opinion is said to come so cheap. Whereas if a person only gives opinion when it is solicited, his opinion is more valued.

Please take a moment to ponder…Talk is valuable, make good use of it. If you want to be a good talker…be a good listener first.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director
QI Group

Pay It Forward

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Network marketing has always appealed to me as being a truly unique and beautiful industry. By personally touching the lives of a few, we can change the lives of many. It is like a game of pass-the-parcel.

QuestNet has perfected a genuine business opportunity and then taken this opportunity and passed it onto our network of Independent Representatives. This opportunity is continually being passed on, like a parcel of goodwill, financial freedom and success, changing lives with every passing of hands.

With this is mind, I’d like to recommend every one of you take the time to watch a movie that should be close to the hearts of every network marketer around the world:

‘Pay it Forward’: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/

It contains many lessons for us, also sharing the same principle as networking, that by helping others we can create a ripple effect of goodwill that can affect many more – exponentially.

The movie, ‘Pay It Forward’, is a remarkable, touching film that focuses on a small boy and his school project. The project is simple: think of something that will change the world, and then put it into action.

The boy decides to do a favour for three strangers. Instead of these three people ‘paying him back’, they are asked to ‘pay it forward’, meaning each person who was the recipient of this one boy’s random act of kindness, is then asked to go forward and do something good for three other people.

This creates a chain of good deeds that spreads outwards, and more and more people are touched by the generosity of strangers from city to city. It is a film that shows how the kindness of one person can be contagious, and the help of one person can result in benefit to many.

Please take a moment to ponder…

In network marketing, we have the chance to help as many people as we can. But our help shouldn’t stop there. For each person we reach out to with our business opportunity, who knows how many more people will benefit as a result?

If we ‘pay it forward’, each of us can truly change the world.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

Top Ten Traits for a Successful Networker

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I have been looking into this topic and found a very interesting article online, let me summarise and share it with you all…

Top Ten Traits for a Successful Networker

Network marketing is a people business. You tap into an unlimited pool of contacts and help them build their own business or market/sell the company’s products and services. Either way, the cultivation of relationships with potential businesspeople is for the mutual benefit of both you and them.

Network marketing can be very rewarding in terms of achieving financial reward and personal freedom, but it requires the networker’s determined effort of developing, maintaining, and/or renewing relationships with a sizeable number of social and professional contacts.

Do you think you have what it takes to bring you to the top of the trade? Yes, you do! All you need is to embody these 10 traits found in highly successful networkers:

1. Persistence in Follow-up
Ranked as the most important trait, following up means that when you say you’re going to do something when you say you’re going to do it, you follow it through. Follow-up builds your credibility and trust with your network.

2. Positive Attitude
A positive attitude is both contagious and magnetic. When you are positive, it makes people want to associate and cooperate with you. Being around a positive thinking person gives people confidence that obstacles can be overcome and actions will lead to results.

3. Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm, just like positive thinking, is a motivation in itself. Enthusiastic networkers receive the respect of their networks and motivate people to make things happen.

4. Trustworthiness
Trust is earned and plays a huge role in your credibility. In networking, your personal and professional reputation is at stake. You need to be able to get the trust of your prospects especially where money and commitment are involved.

5. Good Listening Skills
Listening to the needs and problems of the people in your network shows sincerity in the mutual purpose of helping each other to succeed.

6. Commitment to Networking 24/7
Master networkers ‘never say die’. They are like the Energizer Bunny (“Keep Going”). They never waste an opportunity that is presented to them on a daily basis, and they take the chance to network wherever they are.

7. Gratitude
Expressing gratitude to business associates and customers is just another building block in cultivating relationships that will lead to increased referrals. People appreciate professionals who express gratitude and will not hesitate to help and support these grateful people once again the next time around.

8. Helpfulness
Master networkers are always on the alert for opportunities to advance other people’s interests. It is in their heart to help others succeed whenever they can, simply because they get joy out of it.

9. Sincerity
One of the best ways to develop sincerity is to show undivided attention. Don’t multitask and keep eye contact while you are dealing or talking with people. Be sincere in showing interest or people will sense otherwise.

10. Dedication to One’s Network
Master networkers keep an organised network. They are fully aware of the contact information and networking status of their prospects and ‘downlines’. They know their point persons and make an effort to get to know the new contacts.

These ten traits help foster long-term relationships with the people who will grow and succeed with you in the business. Take the time to demonstrate them in your daily networking and in due time you will be among the self-made success stories in business.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

Follow Up!

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As the famous saying goes, “ideas are a dime-a-dozen, but the men and women who implement them are priceless”.

The world is full of people with great ideas motivated with the best of intentions and yet the majority of them never seem to perform. Such people will invariably make poor leaders.

NOTHING GREAT CAN EVER BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT FOLLOWING UP!

What makes a good follow-up?

1. Listen
We must learn to listen. We need to have the patience to hear every detailed concern about challenges that our peers, staff, managers, customers and leaders face in the field. By listening, we can genuinely appreciate what others are going through and become motivated to do something about the problem.

2. Involve others to help formulate the solution
There are many perspectives in life and we all need to hear different ideas or solutions on how we can get things done. After hearing all sides, we can decide what course of action is best to take.

3. Follow-up and follow through
This is only possible if you know where you’re going! It is only possible if you have a goal and you have shared that same goal to the people in your team.

Build a program in your department where you make it a point to hear opinions, comments, or suggestions from your team. Such feedback processes should be programmed into our business culture. This will help us to listen carefully to what people have to say about us.

What is more important is that we gain an indication of an action plan in response to what we have heard. Feedback and following up like this allows us to:

1. Analyse and implement a possible solution
2. Test the solution with selected target groups
3. Take results back to the team
4. Enlist the full support of everyone on the team
5. Implement effective changes

Please take a moment to ponder… if we learn to follow-up and to follow-through properly, then we can all make the necessary changes to improve our company.

A simple follow through of ideas is what will get things done.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

Fitness Matters

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In today’s ever demanding world of global business domination, most CEOs and managers spend a lot of their time flying and travelling. They end up eating unhealthy, processed and oily foods that are commercially-prepared and microwave-heated many times over. Eventually, bellies are turning into balloons and heading down south as the weight of extra fat succumbs to nature’s force of gravity.

Last year I travelled three million air miles on business flights alone and was bound to consume the most fattening in-flight food. I always fool myself into thinking that I will work out at the hotel gyms to burn the added calories but fail to do so each time.

Today, I have gained an additional 30 pounds and the proof of it is something I need to hide under a loose shirt. Every morning as I look into the mirror I see a fatter version of myself, and it does not make me feel good. From then on, I made a decision to do something about it and start fighting the battle towards a better and healthier body.

I know it is a difficult journey but surely, it is worth the effort because a healthy body means a healthy mind, and a healthy mind leads to more productivity. This means I will have the energy needed to be able to deliver what is expected of me at the workplace, and yet have enough stamina to enjoy time and life away from work.

Businessmen and corporate people need to stay fit to cope up with the stress and demands of their job. It is no wonder that physical fitness programmes, gyms and yoga centres, have become the latest corporate lifestyle craze of this era.

Assess yourself … how fit are you? You may be just one of the many caught in the wheel of procrastination who put off health and fitness for tomorrow … or next week… or the week after. Stop making so many excuses and stop giving yourself reasons and hurdles to overcome before starting your health fitness programme.

DO IT NOW!

Pre-requisites to starting your own personal fitness programme:

1. DECIDE exactly what you want to achieve (define your objective or target weight, etc.);
2. Make sure you actually have a BURNING DESIRE for the objective;
3. Set and document the EXACT GOALS of what you want to achieve;
4. VISUALISE and ‘feel’ what you want to achieve as if you have already achieved it!;
5. BELIEVE that you CAN actually achieve it;
6. Take positive action today…NOW. Start achieving (do not procrastinate). Use the ‘DO IT NOW!’ attitude.

In order to be successful at anything, all excuses need to go out the window . . . there are no excuses that will justify your failure. There is no such thing as “Not enough time”.

These are the things nobody ever wants to talk about, but it is important to get the right mindset first before dealing with the ‘minor details’ about physical fitness. These details are actually easy to tackle once you have set your goals and made the commitment.

So, make sure to take a second look at the six points above that you absolutely need to be clear about first. I want you to really give some serious thought to each one. Take a moment to ponder . . .

Again, once you are straight about proper mindset, you can get started on the ‘details’! Go get a trainer, enrol in a yoga class or fitness programme, or get a friend or buddy to work out with.

. . . DO IT NOW!

Sincerely,
Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

Principles of Decision Making

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We cannot avoid making decisions. Right or wrong, decisions are made every minute of the day. They are unavoidable. And if we try to avoid making decisions, someone else will make them for us.

Do you really want to put your life and decisions about your life in the hands of someone else?

It is best to make our own decisions. Making decisions is a way of moving forward in life. Not making decisions is to stagnate and die.

We are faced with challenging decisions about our lives every day; from the simplest to the most complex tasks.

Let me share with you some points and principles on decision-making to make the task easier and more rewarding.

  1. Do not make decisions when you are feeling angry or emotional.
    If you make decisions during these times, you are likely to end up regretting the decision you make. Decisions made under the influence of these emotions are always subjective and destructive and will do neither you nor anyone else any good. All good decisions are made when a person is sober and clear-headed, as this is the state of mind in which we can think most objectively.
  2. Do not make a decision until you have heard all sides of the story.
    Do not assume you know everything needed to make a particular decision. Talk to people who are experienced about the subject. Not only will they present you with new options, but their insights could completely change the way you think about your decision. You must always be willing to hear an opposing view. Be as detached and objective as possible from the task and the decision-making process.
  3. Consider all your possible options.
    I have yet to meet a decision maker, good or bad, who had checked out all available options. You can invariably come up with options never considered, or hear options you would never have thought of yourself.
  4. Do not make decisions when you are under pressure.
    Remember the oldest technique in the book of selling; sales people will use pressure to try to make you decide in haste:

    “It’s the last best deal in town… you cannot let this go! You will lose this deal, you have to decide NOW!”

    Do not fall for this old trick… if the deal is not there when you are ready, then it is not the deal for you. There will be plenty more deals waiting for you when you are ready to make a decision.

  5. Do a reality check before making a decision.
    Make a list of things that can go wrong and the things that probably will go wrong. Keep the number of things that must go right for the decision to succeed to a minimum. At the end of the day, there are no wrong or right decisions per se, but we do need to be prepared to correct some decisions to make them better. Expect the worst and work for the best. If you did not make the best decision the first time around, this is great if you can learn from it! But do not stop there. Be sure to continue to manage your decisions and your decision making processes.

Good decision making comes from disciplined thinking. If you follow some of these basic principles before making decisions, the results of your decisions are most likely to work. If you think haphazardly when you make a decision, then little of what you plan will eventually work out.

Good decision making is habit forming. Each time you make the right decision, you gain more self-confidence to keep making good decisions.

Please take a moment to ponder… Follow some of these basic principles before making your next important decision(s); these principles are most crucial to remember and apply.

Sincerely,
Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

Are You an Expert?

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I once asked this question during one of my training seminars: “Who wants to have the mind of an expert?”

Everyone in the hall raised their hands.

Do you wonder why I was asking an irrelevant question?

Do you think of course everyone should want to think like an expert, so why should I even ask?

Most people assume that success is synonymous with being an expert. If this would be the case, then anyone who is an expert should automatically be successful?

We all know that this is not the case, in fact most experts find themselves analysing to the point of paralysis. It stops them from moving forward, from taking risk, or from being open to new ideas like those coming from a beginner’s mind. The expert tends to reject ideas easily if they do not conform or agree with their ‘expert’ mindset. This is one of the major reasons many experts of the past failed to recognise the great minds and great innovations of today.

Let me give you one example:

“Smith the founder of FEDEX attended high school at Memphis University School. In 1962, Smith entered Yale University. While attending Yale, he wrote a paper for an economics class, outlining overnight delivery service in a computer information age. Folklore his professor suggests he received a “C” grade for his paper.

The paper became the idea for FedEx (for years, the sample package displayed in the company’s print advertisements featured a return address at Yale).”

Source: Wikipedia

I went on to ask my second question: “Who wants to have a beginner’s mind?”

No one raised their hands.

I realised, at that moment, what a hindrance this could possibly be and how it could prevent people from further learning.

The major reason people are afraid of taking risk is because of the fear of making mistakes. This is not what is expected of an expert.

Smith had a beginner’s mind when he wrote that paper for his economic class, while his professor in his ‘expert opinion’ thought that such a proposition would not work. The beginner’s mind is the root of all great innovations. It is empty, open to learning, and open to taking on impossibilities and making them reality. The beginner’s mind has a humble approach to life and work. It will not hurt to think like a beginner or have a beginner’s mind. It is always better to be reminded of things even if you happen to know about them already… Why say “I know”, when you can say “I do not know” for a change? You will see how fast you can learn things that you thought you already knew!

Besides, the experts are always in a state of anxiety… because they cannot make mistakes… they are the experts after all… they will be hanged if they make mistakes… but who would hang a beginner if they made mistakes?… he is just a beginner, so excuse him…

So my advice is to always be a humble beginner and have that peace of mind and openness to everything in life. Please take a moment to ponder this…

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark
Group Managing Director, QI Ltd