Mark Joyner has always struck me as a straight-from-the-hip (and heart) marketer who may have been caught up in the glitter of being an Internet guru superstar for a brief moment in history. He recovered quickly. Though I heard of his glowing achievements in forums and elsewhere, what struck me most about the present-day Mark was (and is) his authenticity. He truly tries to provide thought-provoking, action-taking products and services which empower his followers with a full-throttle life.

Whenever I get a letter from some Internet guru telling me that he/she is retiring from the Internet marketing game, my first reaction is flat-out skepticism. I think it is some marketing ploy to reposition him-/herself in the marketplace.

I then usually scroll down looking for a Jeff Walker-type pre-launch link, but Mark offered none. The letter was starkly authentic and refreshing. Surely, many of the incestuous mastermind groups with big players are reading this letter and dismissing it as either foolhardy or a well-developed ploy.

My take is that it is congruent with the man, material and accomplishments of this Internet marketing pioneer. In future entries, I will cover some of the other high-profile marketers who have refused Faustian bargains so that they can maintain their integrity. Cautionary tales will also be covered.

Read Mark’s email letter, as I did, with a breath of hope, and pray that my trust in him and his mission is not a case of mistaken identity:

Dear Richard,

Mark Joyner
MJ on Marketing

Edison was a man flowing down a river of interest. I don't think he had the word failure in his vocabulary.

Dream stealers are almost as common as cockroaches. If we listen to those who wish to defang our dreams and reign in our passion, then our lives will be similar to a dog on a short leash. The dog on a short leash becomes discouraged and choked up every time he leaps forward to sniff a patch of grass. Finally he just walks passively at the pace of his master, which suits his master fine. And if we were dogs, then the short leash would be fine for us as well.

The maestros are not on leashes (but some will put you on one in a New-York minute!). They know who they are and what they wish to accomplish. They are far from perfect but they are willing to fend for themselves regardless of whether others approve of what they do. They are not caught up in endless guilt. They are not trapped by the fear of failure. They thrive on chaos and see opportunity where others see trouble and insurmountable problems.

Who are you? What do you stand for? What do you value? What do you want? Where do you want to live and with whom? How do you define success? What do you deep down inside want to become?

Success does leave clues.

When you were a child, what was it that tickled your soul? What kind of people touched you deeply? What was your vision of how the world should be? What did you want to be when you grew up?

The maestros asked and answered those questions, and then proceeded with purpose and self-confidence to make their dreams a reality. They live on purpose and so should we.

So find your passion and then march with the self-assurance that life will bring you what you desire most. Be the best and do the most you can. The people you are about to touch are action people and they appreciate those who mirror that behavior.

Are you looking to find out what your life pursuit should be? Then CLICK HERE and take this detailed test at absolutely no obligation.

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. ~Sun Tzu~

To put these two concepts in simple terms, strategy is the overall plan to reach a goal or a plateau and tactics are the day-to-day actions to get you there.

More accurately, most businesses are reactive and just trying to stay afloat. They are tactical, at best. Usually they are random and incongruous.

They may have a high-sounding strategy written down somewhere, but they readily abandon it when the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune arrive at their business doorstep.

They and their staff often become rats in a maze just fighting to survive rather thrive. They take their eye off the ball and haven’t a sliver of a chance for long-term success.

Nobody on this planet teaches the difference better than the god of finding the gold in each business, Jay Abraham

Please watch him in action...

Everyone has an inkling that their must be a key to the abundant-time-and-money kingdom, yet we don’t seem to sense it can’t be found in NeverNeverLand.

There are so many smooth talkers, aka gurus, who will have you gawking and orgasming at their newest widget or training program, yet if you have been struggling for years to rub two nickels together then you should know instinctively that that bait is fool’ gold.

What’s missing is you. You put the money first, and the interest or passion on the back burner. Not too smart, Bunky.

In the video that follows, noted motivational speaker, businessman, philanthropist and life coach, Bob Proctor, says that when the bill collector called when he was poor and asked where the money was, his humorous response came down to this: “If I knew where the money was, you wouldn’t be calling me.”

The gut-feeling truth is that most people either have time or have money, but few have ample of both. Is this a sign of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? I think not. A samurai warrior does not go to battle with a dull sword or inadequate training. You don’t fight battles you can’t win. Most people are fighting their challenges on an empty tank and that can only lead to disaster.

It all comes down to learning how to be fully present. It’s a process which may require retooling, rethinking and a break from chasing money just because it seems to be there. It’s always been there and people like Mr. Proctor put in his spiritual mileage to discover it.

Where that is for each one of us is only available when we are patient enough to prepare for battle. Preparing means knowing yourself rather than running away from yourself in an effort to make a killing or to please others.

This life game is all about you – and that ain’t all bad nor selfish.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Les’ work.

Once again, I found a video recording of Les – who rose from ghetto poverty to optimum success – about sticking around when surrender would be easy. He also addressed the unequivocal advice to get rid of toxic people in your life.

Les – Like Tony Robbins -was also an avid fan of the late Jim Rohn (see previous entry). Les Brown has a photographic memory, capable of remembering thousands’ of quotes and stories in an instant. Moreover, his laugh and his humor are infectious. Enjoy…