I have no doubt that in the short time he was with us he accomplished his life’s goal of creating a million friends.  He certainly changed the lives of tens of thousands through his seminars and books.  I was one of them.  I celebrated his knowledge and experience by giving away his books by the case to both distributors and prospects as well. 

John and I shared a common bond.  The medical community had written us both off.

The last time I saw John, I was barely holding my own; miraculously, he was in remission from a cancer that is nearly always fatal.  I was ecstatic for him.

Now, John’s passing brings to mind an adage that my uncle drilled into me:  “It’s later than you think!”

I don’t know how much time I have left.  Neither do you.  As a result of my experiences as a combat marine and later as a U.S. Army Special Forces operative, coupled with seven years spent in emergency rooms and operating rooms, I have an especially strong sense of that truth—and I brought that sense into my network marketing business.

If you don’t have a sense of urgency, you need to develop one—and quickly.  “It’s later than you think!”

If you are complacent, you’re defenseless.  Why not become proactive now—and prepare yourself for eventualities outside of your control?

Several years back I had three folks in my organization who were battling catastrophic illnesses.  Heartbreaking.  None of these folks had developed a sense of urgency about their business when they had the opportunity.

Early on, I had encouraged them to get serious about their businesses.  Their responses:  “I don’t have the time.”  All I could do was shake my head sadly.  I knew what they didn’t know and didn’t want to hear:  “It’s later than you think!”

Within weeks of each other they awoke to find they had terminal cancer.  Suddenly they were panic-stricken over their families’ financial future.  But it was too late.  With tears in their eyes, each came to me begging for an answer as to how they could build the business overnight.

Nothing is built overnight.  This business is built showing the plan one presentation at a time, one distributor at a time.  There was nothing that I could tell them.

Sacrificing a little time and money now for higher quality time and a more solid financial picture in the future was a concept that they never understood.  I’d tell them that “it’s later than you think,” but they wouldn’t believe me.

Three years ago, without warning, I nearly expired due to congestive heart failure and surrounding complications.  I was admitted to the hospital in critical condition with a BP of 45/20.  I was minutes from death.  It took several days to get me stabilized—but the damage was done.  My heart muscle was irreparably trashed.  I was told that it would never again operate at greater than 15 percent.  My life expectancy was measured in weeks, a few months at best.  I was finished!

The greatest solace to me during those dark days was that I was debt-free—and I had built a solid network marketing business that would not only pay me residually while I was alive, but would also take care of my family after my death.

Where would I have been if a few years earlier I hadn’t exercised the sense of urgency necessary to build my business?  On a paltry social security disability, I would have had to sell my home and move into a low-rent apartment in some seedy neighborhood…and wait around to die.

You know how stuff always happens to the other guy?  At some point in your life, it will happen to you—you will be the other guy.  In my case, it was heart trouble.  In John’s it was cancer.  It shouldn’t have happened; both of us were physically fit and nutritionally conscious.  But it could just as easily have been an auto wreck, a fatal fire, or some other equally devastating situation.  None of us are immune.

You have no time to waste.  Get your butt in gear!  Make it happen!  A successful network marketing career is the cheapest insurance policy that you’ll ever get.  The premium is a little effort put forth to help others—the down payment for your family’s security tomorrow.

It’s later than you think.

By  Frank Keefer
Network Marketing Lifestyles