Quitting Quitting

Our good friend has decided not to quit. Kudos to him.

I was hoping he'd be staying around, because despite what he thinks, I do enjoy his point of view.

In other news, yet another busy week at work. The first two weeks of September, when my overtime was broken down, it was an extra 79 hours for that period. Oh well, it should slow up soon.

I hope that it slows down soon, or else all of my extra money will end up going into alimony;0)

We'll hopefully have a better post tomorrow. Have a good day, everyone.

Quitters Inc.

You know what is really sad? When people stop doing something because they get a little bit of friction for doing it.

I just finished going through the blog since it switched over from pluck. There were some good points made in there. Some were pretty off kilter, in my opinion, but hey, who am I?

I guess I just feel sorry for the dude, since it took very little to make him quit.

If someone has a hard time dealing with people who don't automatically agree, then I think it's going to be a tough row to hoe becoming successful in any MLM, any general challenge life throws your way.

I guess this is why the "successful" Amway/Quixtar folks don't visit internet forums. It's very difficult to defend, I suppose, especially when facts get in the way.

While we are talking about quitters, when someone quits, who is to blame? The quitter, or reason for quitting?

Ray Kroc said it......

I'm going to be having a regular Sunday feature about what real successful people have written about, and how in my opinion that relates to the Amway/Quixtar Motivational Organizations.

I was reading the book "Grinding It Out" which, as most of you know, is an autobiography of the founder of McDonald's. This book is very intriguing to me, because it's essentially a no nonsense look at the realities of creating a real corporate empire. He was writing about setting up all his franchisors and creating what would ultimately become the McDonald's empire.

One thing that really caught my attention was this quote, pay attention, it's really intriguing:

"One of the basic decisions I made in this period affected the heart of my franchise system and how it would develop. It was that the corporation was not going to get involved in being a supplier for its operators. My belief was that I had to help the individual operator succeed in every way I could. His success would ensure my success. But I couldn't do that and at the same time, treat him as a customer. There is a basic conflict in trying to treat a man as a partner on the one hand while selling him something at a profit on the other."

I find it to be a very compelling point, and the irony of it should sink in when IBO's use McDonald's as an example of a successful franchise.

Diamonds tell you they are your partners. They are telling you that for you to succeed as a partner, you need to buy the necessary tools.......from them. In most Amway/Quixtar organizations, the tools are essential for your success, it is said. This is according to the very people who profit from the sale of said tools.

Up until a few years ago, the fact that the "leaders" make a substantial profit from the sale of motivational tools was not common knowledge. Now, people can ascertain this by simply surfing the web, or by checking out Scott Larsen's website.

Somehow, it appears as though everything Mr. Kroc was trying to avoid in his business is common practice within Quixtar Motivational Businesses.

Does anyone out there view the motivational organizations as a conflict of interest?

The Conspiracy Theorist

I need to clear something up with the dingbat. Dude, I don't know what the hell is up with you, but I did not leave those URL's on your site. Trace them, it ain't me. Trace them, then deal with that guy.

How in the hell am I a Troll? You linked me to your site under the word troll. I haven't left a comment on your website since I soundly defeated you in a little banter, which ended when you lifted the option of anonymous comments. That's a good idea, by the way. End conversations you can't win.

You seem to run into difficulty when challenged on anything

Please define what you mean by "Trolling Behavior"

Believe me, I have better things to do than try to sabotage your little venture.

I'd tell you to go pound sand, but I've been given a great idea from your blog!

You'll love it! It's AWESOME!!(awesome is an overused Amway word, actual idea may not be awesome)

New Computer

Hey gang. I'm typing this on my new computer. I now am surfing on an Intel P-4 3.0 Ghz with 250 GB hard drive and 512 MB of RAM. We also put in a DVD burner and CD burner. A friend of mine is well versed in computers, so he built it for us. I don't know much about what he built us, but I can attest to the fact that its a lot faster.

Even though I only can get FRICKING dial up!! It's like owning a classic Mustang Fastback, but no gas.

When you get a new hard drive, it just doesn't seem new if you don't accessorize. So we got new speakers,a wireless mouse and keyboard, new speakers, and a new 17" flat screen.

Thanks to all who provided advice on what to get!

I'll have a real post to mull over by the end of the weekend. In the meantime, check out my buddy Dave Robison's blog. Strong message. You're all right, Dave. You and Skyler Leglantier.

Or, if you need a good laugh, you can check out this dude's humerous attempts at making all of Quixtar seem OK. Newsflash!! This just in on the donkey!! You don't make money in Quiixtar because of the movement of products. Sheesh

See you soon folks.

On The Road

Hey gang

I'm out of town for the next few days. I'll update as soon as I can.

Busy, busy, fricking busy at work.

Ray Kroc Said It..........

**NOTE**
I was having a tough time making my point here. It does get wordy, and if you hang in there, you should catch my drift.

One person Amway/Quixtar folks tend to dwell on when presenting their "opportunity" is Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's. They compare their "businesses" to mini franchises, like McDonald's did.

Whether or not an individual Quixtar business falls under the term franchise is very much up for debate, but we aren't going to discuss that today. What I'd like to do is present a quote from Ray Kroc, who was a very successful and accomplished man, insofar as his business endeavors.

In this passage, Kroc is explaining how he would sell his Multimixers, which is what he did prior to venturing forth with the McDonald brothers expansion.

"I didn't bother setting sales goals for Multimixer. I didn't need any artificial incentives to keep me working at top speed. My estimate of when I was having a good year was when I sold 5,000 units. I had several of those. One year-1948 or 1949-I sold 8,000."

So what I get from reading this, and based on my life experiences, if you truly believe in what you are doing, you don't require fabricated motivation. I didn't have to listen to some guy on a tape every day to achieve the career I am now involved in. I wanted it, and just did what it took to get there.

If Ray Kroc was able to achieve his McDonald's empire without ever hearing Dexter Yager, Don Wilson, Mark Crawford or Bill Britt speak on a tape or at a motivational rally, is there a chance someone else can be successful without those "leaders" as well?

Ever hear of Bill Gates?

I guess the "leaders" feel a need to create a belief in the Amway/Quixtar IBO's mind.

Funny how "Grinding It Out was a book of the month for a while in a few organizations.

I will be showing a few more passages from Ray Kroc which seem to go against the Amway Quixtar grain.

I Can See Clearly Now...Part 2

So, I got my eyes fixed. My point that I was trying to make:

I am not in Quixtar, and I was able to drop about 5 grand in one day. I am not a rich man, but my wife and I are prudent with our money. We save, and do not overspend or overconsume.

From what I've seen, diamonds are ridiculous overspenders. Why? Because they have people that they need to impress, so that those people will remain within Quixtar. They speak out of both sides of their mouths when they say people who are into status spend money they don't have, to buy things they don't want, to impress people that they don't even like.

But out of the other side of their mouth, they are doing the very thing that they criticize to accomplish a different goal. They are speaking of themselves.

You do NOT have to rely on Amway or Quixtar to be successful. Their definition of success by their so called "leaders" is skewed and misleading. According to them, if you aren't in Quixtar, you aren't successful. That's like a firefighter saying that because you're not a firefighter, you're not successful.

Find out what you like to do, and do it. Quixtar or Amway is not the only path to success.

In fact, in North America Quixtar appears to be the path less travelled with its dwindling numbers.

I think that Quixtar was right about one thing though. The internet did kinda make their business explode.

I Can See Clearly Now

In June this year I had laser eye surgery. It was a big decision I made, and I ensured that I had lost any apprehensions before I decided to go through with it.

Before the procedure, I had several choices to make. First of all, I had to decide whether I wanted to have a thin flap of tissue cut across my eye for the laser to get easier access to my eyeball. The pro was, it creates very little scar tissue which may hamper your vision after the healing is done. Not common, but not exactly uncommon either.

Flap of tissue it is.

Then I had to decide whether an extremely sharp razor blade was going to do it, or, for an extra $250 an eye, a laser would do it. The pro for the laser was if something wrong did happen, it will shut down the computer program faster than any human could respond, thus preventing any permanent damage. The CON for the razor - A razor is cutting a flap of tissue away from your eye.

The procedure with the laser cutting flap and the instrument the Dr. used was to give me what's called "high definition vision".

My vision problem was I had astigmatism, which means my eyeball was not completely round, and the images projected to my brain from my eye were distorted because of it (ie. fuzzy). My left eye was pretty bad, but the right eye was just a bit off kilter. I needed glasses to drive and watch TV from a distance. It was also no fun playing hockey unless I was wearing contacts, which were about as reliable as the weather.

So in I went and got it done. I could have went to a discount place and had it done for $3000 Canadian. I decided to go with a guy recommended by my company's Dr. and it cost $4500 Canadian. These are my eyes for God's sake. I'm not going to nickel and dime it here.

Bottom line.......20-15 binocular vision.

Best $4500 spent...........ever.

The next morning was absolutely astounding. I could see individual twigs and leaves on trees from my hotel room. I could see everything clearly when I was showering. My first order of business was to go buy an excellent pair of sunglasses, as I always had to get prescription or else the inserts that hook over your normal glasses. I got a pair of Ray Bans for $200. My wife was happy for me, and even now we have little contests to see who can read the sign fastest when we are approaching it.

My point? Next post................

Is it worth it.....Really?

This is not at all like this.

The numbers look good when presented by the main stakeholder.

The REAL numbers are not as glamourous for the average guy. Isn't that what this is? A business for the average guy or gal?

It seems that the company is doing better for the individual IBO if you don't live in North America, as far as product movement.

I wonder what the motivational business numbers are?

Thanks to Scott Larsen for the info!

Thanks to Quixtar as well!

What would it take?

This post is simply a question that I want to pose to ANY Quixtar IBO who may be reading this.

What would you have to hear, see, or experience that would change your mind about being involved in Quixtar?

If you are an ex IBO, what was it that changed your mind about being involved with Quixtar?

I'll be fair. What I would need to see, hear or experience to change my viewpoints about Quixtar:

• The motivational tools are NOT the primary source of income for the leaders.
• The products were REASONABLY priced
• There was no negative stigma attached to MLM in general.
• The products were not cumbersome to order
• It was more essential to move product then purchase motivation
• There was no "holier than thou" attitude about people who don't wish to become involved.

That's just a sample of what it would take for me to change my viewpoint. If there is anyone out there who can show me this is possible, I'd love to hear from you.

Put Up or Shut Up

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" - Carl Sagan

This would be a good thing to keep in mind if you decide to present the Quixtar Sales and Marketing Plan to a person who decides to verify what you've been trained to say.

You can say to your prospect that he or she can make an unlimited amount of money in Amway/Quixtar, or even just an extra couple thousand a month, after all expenses.

But can you prove it?

My Apologies

Still really busy at work lately. I got the upcoming weekend off, so I'll try to give you something to mull over then.

I still haven't had time to really figure out this blogging business, but I am committed to learn. The dial up is really freaking me out and I can't wait to be back on DSL soon. The year is 2005. You'd think it wouldn't be so scarce.

Still checking out different computers, and am really looking forward to a new one this or next month. We live in kind of an isolated area, so when we do make trips into the city, it's usually an extensive schedule. On a typical trip in we'll:

1. Take in our SUV for servicing
2. Take in our Bichon Frise for grooming
3. Hit Costco
4. Have a great meal at a nice restaurant like Red Lobster (In Canada, Red Lobster is not trashy and dingy like the ones I've been to in the states.)
5. Get photos printed
6. Get any and all hardware we may need soon (lightbulbs, cleaning products, nails, yard care items)
7. Usually end up at home again late at night exausted.

As you can see, we really don't have much that we are able to buy at home. We have one store which hardly EVER has fresh produce. If you have ever seen the show "North Of 60", that pretty much sums it up. Fresh produce is an hour away, but even there is not much more than that. It's a good 2 hour drive to get to a city that you can get everything accomplished in.

But I do suppose there are others out there with heavier crosses to bear.

Interesting Statement by Quixtar

"Quixtar provides safeguards to ensure a positive experience for consumers and IBOs, including money-back guarantees"

Found this on the Quixtar website under the Facts about Quixtar heading. It really interested me, simply because it doesn't seem to match up with what all the people who decide to terminate their "business" say.

Firstly, what safeguards are in place? I know there is a money back guarantee on the products, but that's not really what I'm referring to.

Who is responsible for ensuring this positive experience? What would be considered a positive experience in Quixtar? I assume that the motivational rallies can't be considered a positive experience created by Quixtar, since that is not Quixtar. It's a separate motivational business.

Anyone I know who is not in Amway or Quixtar quit doing it because something wasn't right about their involvement, otherwise they'd still be in.

I don't know if the adage "everything ends bad, otherwise it wouldn't end" applies here. It seems like not too many people quit doing this "business" when it's going well.

If it hadn't ended, these people would be worse off if their business had continued, since virtually all of them were losing money doing it. I say virtually because I honestly don't know anybody personally who made any kind of significant financial gain through Amway or Quixtar.

AND......nobody seems to be all that impressed when they find out that the majority of the diamond lifestyle appears to be through the movement of motivational tools. Is that something separate from the corporation?

To me, if somebody is representing Quixtar, then Quixtar would probably not be too happy with them taking actions to give them a bad name. The tools scam is really what seems to bother people, aside from the premium prices.

I wonder what the safeguards are?

They don't seem to be working.

J-O-B Stealing My Dream

Didn't post yesterday. Things have been ridiculous at work. My dream of having a cool blog is being stolen in order to provide sustenance to my family. Overtime rocks when you get it. Before anyone even thinks "Oh, yeah, but you get it all taxed more" be quiet. You still get more money, even if you get into a higher tax brackett. That's Stinkin' Thinkin'!

I did, however, make a couple drafts on some things I think are interesting. Doesn't help anyone right now, and my drafts + a buck fifty will get you a cup of coffee.

If anyone knows how to delete comments (Imran?) could you let me know? I turned on word verification to not get spam from my good friend the auto insurance provider again. Seriously, I don't know that guy :0(

My mom's birthday is coming up as well, and my sister who lives in Iowa and I are planning a big get together with family members up here in Canada. That also takes time. With winter coming, things will ease up at work, so hopefully this won't be a common thing.

I encourage you all to have a bit of an early thanksgiving this week. I know you crazy Americans have Thanksgiving in November (!) but let's al be thankful for what we have, and hope that everything that can be done happens for those who've been affected by the hurricane. If you're into praying, I think they'd appreciate a word to the man upstairs on their behalf.

By The Way, Saskatchewan Roughriders humiliated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the football game. Ahh Saskatchewan......Hard to spell, easy to draw.

Banjo Bowl!

I have to watch the Banjo Bowl Classic today. It's CFL football at it's finest. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders play each other every Labour Day Weekend. An intense rivalry developed, and a few years ago, the kicker for the Bombers, Troy Westwood, thought it a bright move to advise everyone watching the news that Saskatchewan fans were a bunch of banjo plucking hillbillies. It just stuck. I do enjoy watching both teams as I consider myself a CFL fan, not a fan of any particular team. Take a click on the link to CFL on the right later on to check out the results! Go ahead! I don't mind. Me casa Su casa.

Good to hear Alticor is helping out the flood victims by matching all IBO, and employee donations up to $250,000. That's pretty honorable from a company that is, in my opinion, not so honorable. I do respect the fact that they are helping others (that aren't diamond level). Just don't let any of the "leaders" be in charge of disseminating the money to the cause. I'm not kidding.

I would like to apologize to all of my friends south of the 49th parallell for the typical non-active Canadian response. At least your country's leader will do something, even if its considered wrong by many. Not ours. He's been given the handle of "Mr. Dithers" by the press.

Still working on making this website a bit more fashionable, since it seems to look pretty stark in contrast to many other blogs. I'm going to be adding a few more Crapway/Quixtar sites on the side bar with links. I'm also going to be making word links, or whatever the hell they're called.

I am trying to think of a weekly thingamabob, kinda like QBlog's Farcial Help Desk, which was quite cool this past week. You just know you're in for a treat when you get:

"SA8 With Bioquest is a magnificent value. Consider yourself lucky to even be allowed to use it."

Anyone with any ideas, throw it out. Jeez, it's hard thinking about what you can do to make it a great site without copying an idea or just plain sucking at blogging.

Fret not, my good friend(s?) I will come up with something.

Better go. Wanna watch the kickoff soon.

New computer ideas, anyone?

Well, here we are on day 2. I adjusted my title on the previous entry, as I had not really known that you had to format the settings for the title in each post.

Geez, I'm already breaking one of my own rules.......Writing about crap that probably nobody gives a rip about. Seriously, who cares that I figured out titles?

Anyhoo, I've got a few topics on the backburner that I'm going to write about. One thing I've found out already is that this blogging business is excruciatingly painful to do because of my lame-assed dial up connection. Arg.

My computer is also not performing very well and my wife and I are looking to buy a new one within the next month or so, just don't really know what to look for. Anyone with ideas about what to get, feel free to let me know. We mainly surf, have a few personal documents, and process A LOT of digital photos right now. Methinks that may be part of the problem, the photos. They take up an obscene amount of storage, and with the new baby (6 months ago) my better half is going nuts with the pics. It's all good, just time to move on to a better computer.

On my way home tonight, I saw some incredible Aurora Borealis (that's Northern Lights to all my friends not in the know) Really beautiful. Where I live, it's one of the nicest things you can see. Go far enough north in Canada, and you can actually hear them. Hard to believe something that appears so beautiful and natural is in reality a very destructive force of nature. I guess just another lesson in not everything is at it seems.

On a completely unrelated topic, my good friend Michael has gone fishin' this weekend. Hopefully he does catch and release, or the fish are just too smart to fall for his clever lures. I'm still working on how to make links without doing the whole web address on the screen, but if you're reading this, you likely know where to find his website. I'm not sure if he's after walleye or pickeral, but I know he's probably going to come across the odd sucker. Join me in wishing him well!

Anyways, still working on getting some links in order. Thanks to good ol' Imran for the warm welcome. My wife gave me a crash course in making links, so hopefully I can implement those right away.

One thing that does give me concern is the potential of this getting stale, or uninteresting. I've seen a few blogs look good for a while, then suck eggs.

Hope to hear from anyone who's reading this about good computer ideas.

3,2,1.......Liftoff!

Welcome to my Blog!

Please bear with me whilst I get my act together. I will be setting up some things as I go, so keep stopping by. The next few days may be sporatic, but I'll try to keep on top of this.

I know things look a little sparse as far as links to cool stuff and the like, but I will be doing this as I go.

Why Blog? Well, I have had countless hours of entertainment because of blogs. I'll be posting my fav's soon, as well as ones that I don't like, but for some sick reason I have to keep looking....... Kinda like the "Oh My God" squad who gawk at car accidents.

Anyhoo, I hope this works out. I'm not too tech savy, but my chances of being a successful blogger far exceed anybody making a fortune in Amway or Quixtar!!

That is a big bone of contention with me, simply because so many people have lost money to a perpetuating lie. There are countless links which solidify this, and be patient my friend, I shall get to it.

Anyhoo, Amway/Quixtar bashing will be only one facet that I will be devoting my time to. I'm also going to be talking CFL (Canadian Football League), NHL (If I have to explain what that is, you are most definately not Canadian), some politics, a bit about my family, dog, blah blah blah, and general crap that pisses me off, or general crap that makes me happy.

I named this blog Rocket's Rantings because I tend to be quite abrasive, on and off line. There are a lot of people out there who just do not get it when it's not said in a brutal honest fashion, so I need to work on that (maybe). Maybe this will be theraputic.

Also of note, I live in a pathetically tiny community right now, where the ONLY internet option is dial up. I'll be living here another 16 or so months, so if I'm sparing with pictures, etc...that's why. Bad enough that I have to pay for 2 phone lines so I can surf and talk at the same time. One of my rants will be about how this ends up costing me MORE money than having DSL!!!!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and come again! I'll likely be pretty obsessive about this for a while, since there's not a whole lot else to do here.

I should jet for now. My computer is acting up and is dire need of a defrag.