Since we’re on the subject, here’s a brief personal story from my own life as a parent …

I have two sons. Due to life circumstances, we were a nuclear family of three for more than half of their “growing up” years. Being a single parent was an enormous challenge, but also a phenomenal opportunity to grow as an individual and to form a uniquely beautiful and lasting bond with my children that is very different than it would have been otherwise.

For instance, every time I thought maybe I had things figured out and I understood pretty much what I needed to do to be the best possible parent …. they’d change. You know how kids are! They’re always growing and evolving! And that meant I had to as well.

So I’d say to them: “Hey guys, I’ve never done this job before – (being a parent)- and I’m doing the best I can. This (whatever it was at the moment) is all new to me, but if we stick together, then we can do anything! So help me on this one, please.“

I can look back now and see that there was some kind of MAGIC in that approach. We developed the kind of open and trusting communication that every child (and parent) needs and deserves …. and it worked.

I gave them options when it was appropriate and tried to set appropriate boundaries where they were needed. And my sons grew strong and kind and independent and wise. Together we were a team that was able to take on anything that came at us with courage, resilience and love; growing and learning from each other. Today, my sons are my best, most trusted friends and I am a profoundly proud of them both. They continue to be sources of inspiration in all areas of my life.

Raising children is an awe-some responsibility – arguably it’s more demanding and important than any other job in the world. It teaches us lessons that can be applied to everything else in our lives. Good thing it also gives us the most astonishing and effective on-the-job training – in the world!

As we strive to provide leadership for our children, we are preparing them to be the next leaders, instilling in them all the inspiration and creativity we possibly can, along with every other admirable quality we can muster … like honesty, integrity, courage, strength, intellectual curiosity, appreciation for nature, respect for self and others. The list goes on and on, and the questions and challenges never cease.

Whether you have children or not, you have undoubtedly had an impact on the lives of someone’s children.

What leadership qualities are YOU passing on and what inspires YOU the most? Please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear what you think.

If you missed “Jairek Robbins part 1″ or “part 2″, you can find them here: “What’s Your Story?” and  “Rewriting Your Story”.

To Your Most Inspired, Extraordinary Life,

Buff Elting

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this. If you did and think that others might also, I’d really appreciate it if you’d share this with your Facebook and Twitter friends and with any of your other favorite social media, using the buttons above and below. Also, please put your name and email address in the form above so that we can stay in touch. I look forward to getting to know you.

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Buff Elting

P.S. If you have been enjoying the wisdom of Jairek Robbins and think others would too, please share this post with your friends using your favorite social media. Also, I would love to hear what you think about memory and how you are working with your personal story. Have you ever considered trying to actually rewrite your story to create the life you’ve always dreamed of living? Let’s talk about it! Leave me a comment.

And if you haven’t done so already, please enter your name and best email in the form at the top of this page so that we can stay in touch. I’m looking forward to sending you a very special free gift. I may be working on something new for you right now, but I’ll send it to you just as soon as it’s ready.

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“Wealth is what you have when you lose all your money.” ~ Jairek Robbins

Jairek Robbins lives life with purpose and is passionate about inspiring others with his unique view on what it takes to create an Extraordinary Quality of Life.

I felt fortunate to catch him relaxing at the end of the first full day of presentations at the No Excuses Summit in Las Vegas, just as everyone was leaving his breakout room. His easy-going nature put me immediately at ease. In part 1 (of 3) we talk about the unique qualities of people who make a career out of inspiring others and the process of figuring out your own story. Here’s part 1:

So what DOES it take to create an extraordinary quality of life? According to Jairek, it’s fairly simple …

• Personal Development – The process of gaining a new or alternative perspective on something that already exists that will create an opportunity to better one-self or business
• Personal Growth – Taking massive action with the newly acquired perspective to create progress & momentum
• Intelligence – Do what you need to do to take action on your newly acquired personal growth
• Personal Accountability – Someone who knows you, knows your standards and understands you, who will hold you accountable
• Value Extraction vs Value Creation – Giving more than you take. Learn to share your unique gifts, be passionate and find a way to give, to inspire and to live your perfect day every day.
• Progress – 1) Get the best tools & resources you can. 2) Make your breakthrough!

Thanks again for spending some time with me today!

To Living Your Most Inspired Story,

Buff Elting

P.S. To hear the rest of my interview with Jairek Robbins and learn more from him about creating an extraordinary quality of life, don’t miss part 2 (“Rewriting Your Story”) & part 3 (“Your Inspired Child”). To see my review/summary of the No Excuses Summit and all the other online legends & leaders who shared the stage with Robbins, click here.

If you enjoyed this and think others might also, please be sure to share this with your all friends on Twitter, Facebook & other social media. And please leave your name and best email address in the form at the top of this page. I look forward to staying in touch, getting to know you and will be sending you a free gift in appreciation.

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The sign behind us in this picture couldn’t have been more perfect as a comment on the quality of the No Excuses Summit and to make it even better, there I was standing next to Todd Falcone.  I had no idea what to expect from any of the industry “gurus” I was meeting but I needn’t have been concerned. Todd’s warmth and positive energy made it as easy to talk to him as if we were old friends.

If you’re not already familiar with Todd Falcone, here’s a bit of background on a guy who – if you’re in the Networking Industry – should definitely be on your radar: With over a decades in the business, Falcone has excelled in in-the-field Direct Sales and Network Marketing and several programs bear his name, including Insider Secrets to Recruiting Professionals.

He also hosts a nationally recognized prospecting clinic and is the author of “The Fearless Networker”, a newsletter providing expert advice on success in Network Marketing. Known for his candid, in-your-face approach to teaching success principles, he was equally frank about his past and his motivation for creating an exceptional life for himself.

So let’s look at the golden nuggets that Todd Falcone shared with us …

We all carry certain experiences from childhood. Sometimes, in weaker moments, their latent impact on our lives can make us falter in our path. Viewed through different lenses, we can use those memories to make us stronger and more full of resolve to seek the high road …  and our highest potentials.

His advice to the over 800 people in the No Excuses audience was this: “Give more … give as much as you can!”… and as a multi-million-dollar earner who has made his way to the top in four leading Network Marketing companies, he continues to follow his own advice and is considered one of the hottest rising stars as a trainer, personal coach and mentor to thousands of top-performing home business owners.

Todd shared another bit of lasting advice that can be applied to basically anything you are interested in achieving: “Decide what you want and stick with it!” In other words, stay focused and don’t give up … words of wisdom we can all use to create the life we dream of.

What experiences from your past have helped to make you stronger – in mind, body and spirit? Please leave a comment about something that has inspired YOU to push past perceived obstacles to reach for your most cherished goals? And share this on Twitter or Facebook or other social media. We all occasionally need reminders about transforming the hard things from our past into the gold of our future realities.

To Living Your Most Extraordinary Life,

Buff Elting

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Pruning hurts.
Pruning helps you grow.
quote / saying by Emilie Barnes

This morning I pulled several handfuls of baby carrots from the garden. The curly green tops were like froth against the dark earth and I felt like a robber come too soon as I eased the tiny, brilliant infants from their moist, dark mother. I would have gladly left them there to enjoy another day in the sun, to be blessed again at evening by the chance of rain, to push their delicate roots against the forgiving soil as there leafy tops broadened under the shelter of neighboring tomatoes. I would have except … the carrot patches were so thick, so densely packed with other carrots that I had to choose – who would go and who would stay – for the benefit of all.

Leaving them all in place would – most certainly – spell a dismal future for all. In allowing every carrot seedling to remain, they all would face the doom of overcrowding and the result would have been a poorer crop in the long run for me (and for them). Painful as it is in some ways to pluck out carrots before they are big enough to be more than a fleeting sweet taste on the tongue, it’s a necessary task for the mindful gardener …

Creating space for growth was my goal.

Good fortune and good gardening habits at sowing time meant that all but the tiniest vermilion slivers have at least a momentary value, as visual and gustatory treats. To prolong the visual delight, I ran for my camera in the softness of the early morning light.

Plus, a few of the newly unearthed gems will grace tonight’s dinner salad – something I’m already looking forward to with anticipation and delight.

As for the ones left behind: there will now be room for a greater number of long, straight spears of carroty goodness. Simple as that.

While moving through the paces of this dance of green and brown and gold, I couldn’t help but think of analogies to life and business. The successes we strive for on a daily basis are rich with possibilities and if we are open to options, we all inevitably fall prey from time to time to the dangers of over-crowding. In other words, too much of a good thing can be harmful to our growth. Too much information, too many options, too many opinions, too many questions … all of which may have great value, but when piled one against the other and one atop the other, can smother all but the best of our intentions and rob us of vital life-enhancing energy and room to expand.

The carrots have it easy. No worries …. just keep growing until the master gardener frees them from the ground. If you want to have a full-time job with a boss always there to tell you when and where to direct your energies, that can be arranged no doubt. Lots of people for that job who would love to get their hands on your carroty, creative juices.

But if you want instead to be your own master gardener, in charge of your own destiny, than you must accept the blessings and the curse of tending your own plot of soil.

Lucky you … free to choose what to leave in the garden for deeper nurturing and what to let go of! Though if we’re at all alike you may at times feel the pressure of “so many good ideas, so little time!” I speak from a lifetime of experience here: learning to decide what to give your energy to and what to get rid of can at times be extremely difficult.

But if there’s one life lesson to learn from the garden today, it’s this: have faith! Know that whatever you choose to nurture in your internal garden has value and by continuing to believe in yourself and the seeds and projects within you, life will bring you good harvest. Plus you might even be able to enjoy a few treats along the way from the early thinning of your efforts.

Not everything has to reach full size to taste wonderful!

Blessings on your day and may you be inspired by the delights of your own garden, whatever its form may be,

Buff Elting

All photos are the authors own, all rights reserved.

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When I recently changed my domain from BuffElting2.com to 2LiveInspired.com, I temporarily “lost” my Google Friend box and contents. Here’s a quick and easy video showing you how I solved the problem. Hope it helps.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OgkZOGjmLI

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I realize the tagline is ordinary people|extraordinary lives … but I have to admit that I really don’t see ANYONE as ordinary, and certainly not Sam Rubino. An engineering student at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Sam has had a heap of honors and awards already in his life – from athletics to academics.

But he always seems to look his best and be his happiest when he’s on the river!

Can’t say as I blame him.

What inspires Sam? I’m going to let him tell you himself:

Click here to view the embedded video.

To Your Wonderful Inspired Life,

Buff Elting

P.S. Ever long for a river to run through YOUR life? What is your favorite place to be and why? Please leave me a comment … it’s mid-summer and the days are already getting shorter! Get out there and enjoy your one wild and precious life!!! And don’t forget to leave your name and email in the form above on the right. I’d love to send you the “What Inspires Mike Dillard?” video series.

And if you’d like to see more photos from this beautiful river trip, head on over to my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/buffelting/  (http://bit.ly/cAUbyb)

P.P.S. We’ll miss you on Lodore next week Sam!

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The Light of Birds

I early learned to love birds

the light of birds the kingdom of birds

in the high treetops

stricken with light

living their separate

weightless lives

Light years they lived

apart from us

flashing in sunlight

high above Bronx River Parkway

or high on Hudson’s Palisades

they flew about

light as leaves

(and they were as leaves

except in the fall

when they did not fall)

calling to each other

over and over

in the upper air

or lost in the sky

as they soared up there

way up behind the reservoir

where we came as kids

chattering like birds

on a Sunday at sundown

and played in the falling light

and heard for the first time

the distant muffled caws

of our own night

Lawrence Ferlinghetti – San Francisco, CA

(from How to Paint Sunlight: New Poems, New Directions, 2001

borrowed from The Bloomsbury Review-March/April 2003)

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So … what inspires Mike Dillard??? … and all the other Top Industry Gurus who spoke at The No Excuses Summit? Great question … and one I intended on asking. All these Internet celebrities giving their best stuff, basically for free! What an outstanding concept!!! But I wanted to get inside their hearts and heads just a little bit deeper and I wanted to share it with YOU!

So, with cameras in my hands and butterflies in my belly, I headed off for the bright city lights – hoping to return with a lot of inspired footage, stories and … No More Excuses. Here’s what happened …

Ferny Ceballos & Raymond Fong put together a jam-packed weekend and we – the 840+ participants – were kept super busy with non-stop, back-to-back presentations, MC’d by Internet Rock star Jimmy Davis.

For 2-1/2 days, we listened and took notes as one talented & energetic speaker after another climbed up on the stage and gave us their most awesome tips and strategies for hitting home-runs and creating massive success. Just to make sure no one went back to their room at night with any extra brain-cells untapped, each full day was followed by over an hour of bonus “breakout” sessions with each speaker who had just presented that day.

Whew! It was amazing! I filled a whole notebook!

All in all, I managed to catch all but a few of the presentations, often skipping lunch and dinner in my quest to track down as many of interviews as possible. (ANYTHING for you!) And it was worth it! I not only had a chance to meet and speak to every single one of the presenters (all of whom are top internet leaders) at the event, I was also able to get two-thirds of them on video … just for you.

One key quality that all these leaders share in common is their enthusiastic passion for sharing what they know in order to help others succeed. It really is deeply inspiring to talk to so many dedicated professionals – committed not only to constantly expanding on their own education and personal growth while creating massive wealth, abundance and quality of life BUT ALSO 100% generosity when it come to sharing what they know with others who are interested in listening to them. If only all industries could model after the heart-of-gold intentions and high standards these leaders consistently exemplify. Here’s a list of the “Internet Gurus” who were there so you’ll know what you can be looking forward to:

Mike Dillard - a real rags-to-riches success story, Mike went from waiting tables to millionaire in less than 18 months … but only after he struggled for over 6 years, going into debt, even selling personal possessions just to eat. Finally he discovered the art and science of “Magnetic Sponsoring (TM)”, a multi-million dollar company, which teaches anyone, in any company, how to attract endless new prospects & customers. These techniques (and others he’s helped to develop) have now revolutionized the internet industry.

Brian Fanale - has become a highly sought after internet marketing coach & trainer. With the company he co-founded, “MyLeadSystemPRO”, he has helped thousands of net-workers find success with lead generation, prospecting, mindset and creating profit in the network marketing industry. His passion for helping networkers succeed is legendary.

Norbert Orlewicz -is Fanale’s partner, co-founder of MyLeadSystemPRO. Norbert, like many other network marketers, began his career with years of struggling before discovering the secret weapon of attraction marketing and shooting to the top levels of his company. He now excels in teaching simplified internet marketing in a step-by-step blueprint which allows even newbies to find success with their online businesses.

Katie Freiling - has mastered social media and soared to the heights of social media marketing guru status, creating a multiple 6-figure business for herself along the way. She recently launched The Unified Tribe, for which she developed a unique technology to assist other networkers everywhere in their syndication and free lead-generating abilities.

Ferny Ceballos - started out with a highly successful career as a defense industry engineer (after earning degrees from MIT and University of Southern California in Computer Science & Electrical Engineering. Not satisfied with his life however, he formed a partnership with Raymond Fong and together they have mastered internet marketing and become the top SEO experts in the industry.

Raymond Fong - earned an engineering degree from Harvey Mudd College and worked full time in the aerospace industry, meanwhile picking up a masters in computer engineering from USC before realizing he would be happier among the ranks of self-employed. Today, he and his business partner Ferny Ceballos are masters at helping other network marketers gain top results with Search Engine Optimization.

Jairek Robbins - has spent his entire life immersed in the Personal Development Industry. He has a BA in Psychology and in 2008 was awarded The Congressional Award, Gold Medal. During his Summit presentation, he shared his unique view of what it takes to create an Extraordinary Quality of Life , define & achieve consistent lasting results in your profession and create a powerful vision for your overall success.

Jonathan Budd - another saga of “struggling at the start” … Jonathan progressed from his parent’s basement to – in 3 short years, at the age of 25 – becoming the youngest multi-millionaire in network marketing. Jonathan now enjoys tremendous demand as a mentor and trainer to all internet marketers of ages and skill levels and his 7FigureNetworkingSystem has become a sort of online university – where students at all levels can learn and implement the most up-to-date strategies for successful online marketing.

Todd Falcone - considered one of the hottest rising stars in training and development within the network marketing industry, Todd practices a straight-forward teaching style that has earned him a solid reputation as a trainer, personal coach and mentor to thousands of successful home business owners.

Mark Hoverson - went from living in debt, in a trailer park, to earning a 7 figure income within 2 years by  developing his specialties of direct marketing, the art of influence and Pay Per Click advertising. He has a real passion and gift for turning ordinary internet marketers into leaders with his extremely popular and highly successful Coaching Club.

David Schwind - at 29, yet another “restaurant waiter turned millionaire” (a common story within the online network marketing world). His special abilities with network marketing, direct-response and copy-writing allow him to create massive success while appearing to ‘not really work much’. No surprise that this has gotten him lots of attention from top industry leaders.

Jim Yaghi – a brilliant scientist with a PhD and traditional business-world experience who has created phenomenal success for himself and others. Just to name a couple things, he created Magnetic Sponsoring’s “PPC Domination” and “8 Days to Cashflow”. Some say Jim’s a PPC genius. Not to mention, he and his business partner David Schwind really know how to do this “dance” while having a ton of FUN!

Jimmy Davis - created “MLM Goldmine” and is one of the founders of Youtube marketing. A talented speaker with a big heart and sincere passion to help others, he possesses a deep understanding of how to network, market and build relationships. How can you not love and respect someone who – despite all the success and celebrity still considers that his all-time favorite job was being a camp counselor as a teen? Like all the rest of these guys, Jimmy really truly loves to help others succeed.

Cedrick Harris - got his start in direct sales and network marketing which he has leveraged into an extremely successful career effortlessly recruiting thousands of people “offline” using highly effective “non-techie” strategies for traffic generation. He is a skilled trainer in internet marketing, closing skills and prospecting with a real gift for dynamic and effective communication. His enthusiasm is boundless.

Tim Erway - possesses legendary skills as a black belt copywriter and website conversion expert but is best known as the co-author of the original MLM Traffic Formula course, which revolutionized the online industry and introduced internet marketing to network marketers for the 1st time in history.

Jeff Learner - synthesizing his passion for learning with a fierce work ethic, Jeff mastered the arts of driving and converting internet traffic to skyrocket from $250,000 in debt with zero experience in network marketing to a 7-figure earner in 18 months. He is now VP of Business Development for CarbonCopyPro, while still running a 7-figure networking business. He also is co-creator of the premier website builder for marketers, LandingPages website system.

Justin Christianson - one of the first “attraction marketing rockstars”, Justin was Mike Dillard’s business partner and co-owner of Magnetic Sponsoring for 4 years. He is a highly sought after international consultant to internet entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Adam Holland - put 4 years of Amway failure behind him to become a shooting star in network marketing. Adam excels with his persistence and speed of implementation.

Joe O’Day - a split-testing and analytics specialist who has taken over operations of Attraction Marketing Formula, a company founded by Ferny & Ray. He specializes in using a team of out-sourcers to do his work and automate Search Engine Optimization for market-domination with zero effort. I don’t know about you but I’m planning on picking his brain on these topics as soon as possible.

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In general, I don’t believe that war, or fighting in general, are the best solutions to the problems and disagreements we face in our lives or in the world. However, I am extremely grateful for my freedoms as an American citizen and realize that no matter what I personally believe in, men and women have been giving their time and sometimes their lives, to ensure that those freedoms remain strong and viable.

So, on this day after the 4th of July, I wanted to share this video from our First Lady, Michelle Obama. I really appreciated her reminder to all of us to continually express our thanks to our military and their families, who sacrifice so much to maintain our freedom. My own step-daughter, Anna Rubino, is currently serving in the Navy as an Intelligence Specialist with Top-Secret clearances. Her time in the military has been interesting, and relatively pain-free, but a certain level of sacrifice on her part, never-the-less … and her family really admires and appreciates her for the outstanding job she is doing.

If you are reading this and you are in the military or have someone in your family who is, please consider this as my personal thank you!

Click here to view the embedded video.

May you always enjoy the freedom to live your life to its fullest potential and never take it for granted!

Wishing you Peace, Harmony & Freedom,

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