Schadenfreude is a characteristic of those who aren’t happy just with the good that happens to them. For them, happiness is a zero-sum game, wherein any gain someone else experiences must be matched by a loss on their part. Instead of valuing and celebrating another’s talents and virtues, we instead feel threatened or diminished because of them. Or, some simply feel better about themselves when they see the struggles other people have.

For people with healthy self-esteem, schadenfreude is a completely foreign concept. Instead of reveling in the setbacks of others, they have an abundance mentality that does not mistake life as a competition for achievement. When we are content with our good fortune, there is no room for us to resent the good fortune that comes to another. (And, in a big-picture view, another’s struggles prompt us to reach out to help.)

As the Book of Proverbs warns, “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him” (Proverbs 24:17–18).

Years ago I worked for a man who, at the time, was the richest man in the state of Utah. I ran one of his companies and we became close.

I quickly learned that his whole goal in life was to make more money.

When I first started working for him, another Utah man was richer. He celebrated when his net worth superseded that of the other man.

He would criticize philanthropists for diminishing their net worth. Accumulating wealth was his entire focus.

I don’t mean to criticize this good man unfairly. The fact is that he did a lot of good in the world.

I’ve just learned for myself that if I focus on acquiring and accumulating, without sharing my blessings with others, I can never progress beyond my current level.

One of my favorite books is Self-Wealth: Creating Prosperity, Serenity, & Balance in Your Life. The authors write:

“If you have included in your self-wealth plan a specific goal of providing a significant part of your newly-acquired wealth to others, and if you are passionately intent to follow through, your motivation is far stronger.”

I have found this to be true in my own life.

When I was younger, I used to dream of being a millionaire. Now that doesn’t mean much to me. Now I have bigger, more philanthropic goals — and these motivate me far more than my previous selfish goals.

I don’t hold myself up as a Mother Teresa. I simply know the motivational power of having goals bigger than personal comfort and pleasure.

Anyone can become a millionaire. But few become truly great by making their goals bigger than themselves.

Are you one of them?

If you’re feeling burned out with your Max business, it may be because you don’t know how to “keep score.” You haven’t defined the parameters of success clearly enough.

Charles Coonradt’s great book, The Game of Work: How to Enjoy Work as Much as Play, has the solution to this problem.

He observes:

“On a hot summer day when the air conditioning goes off, employees start tugging at their collars and complaining that it’s too hot to work. But after work in the parking lot, where it is twenty degrees hotter, they will look at each other say, ‘Well, what do you think, golf or tennis?’

“Why will people, in recreation, pay for the privilege of working harder than they will work when they are paid?”

Contrary to what you may be thinking, the answer isn’t because play is intrinsically more enjoyable than work.

Think about it: Playing sports is often more strenuous than our daily jobs.

Here is Coonradt’s answer:

“In sports, a player has constant feedback on how he or she is doing ­the score is known and the effort necessary to win is established.

“In work, feedback is unreliable, inconsistent, and often nonexistent. At work you seldom know the score or what it takes to win.”

Many people in networking only look at the obvious “points” of new recruits and new product users. The truth is that there are many more points that must be scored, both before and after these.

Remember: It’s now how many points you score that counts, but what the scoreboard says at the end of the game.

Here are the points you should be scoring in your Max business:

• Clearly identifying your “Why.” This is the first and foremost step to success in network marketing. Without a clear and compelling “why,” you won’t develop the emotional stamina needed to win long term. You need to have a clear vision of why you want to succeed, and this vision must be written down and referred to daily.
• Contacts. Make it a goal to contact a specific number of people per day, for a total of ___ (fill in the blank) per week. Hold yourself accountable to this.
• Appointments. Record how many weekly appointments you set.
• Presentations. Record how many weekly presentations you do. Make it a goal to do at least ___ (fill in the number).
• Follow-up appointments. Once you’ve presented and people don’t buy on the spot, continue following up with them.
• Recruits. The number of people you recruit depends on how many you contact and meet with. If you’re discouraged with low recruiting numbers, focus on more contacts and presentations.
• Product users on auto-ship. Auto-ship is gold for the sustainability of your business and income.
• Contacts and appointments with your recruits’ warm market. It’s not enough for you to recruit; you also need to help your downline. Spend quality time with them. Help them make contacts and teach them how to do it effectively. Help them make a specific number of contacts weekly.
• Downline recruits and auto-ships. Depth leads to income and sustainability.
• Income. Dollars are the fun points to measure — but they come after effort.
• Personal development. Success isn’t just about how much you earn; it’s also about who you become. Record how many books you read. Monitor your relationships closely. Count kind words and service performed on your personal scoreboard.
• Impact. Lasting success is also about more than you — it’s about who and how you serve and the legacy you leave. Measure quality time spent with your family, dollars contributed to your favorite charities, critical connections made, foundations formed, and other personal goals.
• Achieving your “Why.” Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about. If your “why” is big enough, it will encompass impact, personal development, and income. It will give you the strength to endure the emotional roller-coaster of networking. It will be your guiding star no matter what you have to wade through. And it’s the scoreboard at the end of the game.

Yes, working the business can be difficult. But playing sports can also be difficult.

If you know how to keep score and you’re constantly giving yourself feedback, you’ll be much more inclined to stay in the game and actually enjoy it.

Watch this video to learn from a person for whom this was a reality.

*If you’re reading this in an RSS reader or email, you may need to click the title of the post to view the video on our blog.

*If you’re reading this in an RSS reader or email, you may need to click the title of the post to view the video on the blog.

“True charity is not typified by an almsbox. The benevolence of a checkbook does not meet all the wants of humanity. Giving food, clothing, and money to the poor is only the beginning, the kindergarten class, of real charity.

“Charity has higher, purer forms of manifestation. Charity is but an instinctive reaching out for justice in life.

“Charity seeks to smooth down the rough places of living, to bridge the chasms of human sin and folly, to feed the heart-hungry, to give strength to the struggling, to be tender with human weakness.” -William George Jordan

Contribute your thoughts on the quote to the community by commenting below.

This consists of content, media, training events, and community interaction.

It is designed to help Max Associates live balanced lives, discover and follow their unique path, and achieve their full potential.

The Philosophy Behind Max Living

Max International is bound and governed by our Code, which, among other standards, states the following:

• We believe that people can improve their lives by adopting and living by truth; therefore we feel a responsibility to search for, live by, and teach correct principles.
• We believe in personal development. We help other grow and reach their potential.

There are core, universal aspects of human life that must be understood and developed in order to have a balanced and significant life.

The Max Atom encapsulates these aspects, which are economics, health, unique abilities, personal values, relationships, and philanthropy.

Max Living provides an environment, content, deliverables, and training to support each of these elements equally in our Associates.

The Max Atom

Max Associates generously gave over $7,000 in cash and pledged monthly contributions totaling $14,000.

On October 24th, Bob Kaelin traveled to Honduras with four members of Amigos of Honduras to inaugurate the first Max water project at the Max Mountain and choose the village for the next project.

Bob discovered a country of contrasts in Honduras. Roatan Island’s spectacular scenery and beautiful resorts are juxtaposed with great poverty and desperate living conditions.

Bob visited a family who lost their new baby to a simple medical condition. The baby could have been saved with routine pediatric surgery. He witnessed families living in makeshift structures squatting on a mountain side with no clean water or sanitation systems.

He learned that AIDS is rampant in Honduras, affecting between 10 and 15 percent of the population. Families are often torn apart when men are forced to choose between abandoning their families or risk infecting them with the virus.

Bob and members of Amigos of Honduras visited a nursery for babies who were abandoned or taken away from their mothers by the government. Bob saw the love and care provided by a small group of dedicated women trying to provide a future for these beautiful children.

The key to their future is the money that is so desperately needed for them to continue their efforts. If formula can replace mother’s milk for newborns at a volunteer AIDS clinic, that Bob also visited, a high percentage of these babies will avoid becoming HIV positive.

The group visited private orphanages and a jungle school high up in the mountains of La Ceiba.

Amigos of Honduras and Max International help fund these incredible projects. Many children now have a future because of the education they are receiving.

Bob said that visiting the Max Mountain and celebrating the first water project with the entire village was very rewarding. The men of the village were proud to show the work they have accomplished at the top of the mountain, where reservoir tanks have been built at the water source.

Bob gave the head of the village a Max shirt and his group gave presents to the children and played soccer with new balls that were presented to the children.

They visited another village at the top of Max Mountain and Bob contracted with the men to provide the materials to start their water project. This village has no water or electricity but all the children will have hope and a future if Max continues to support and donate to this water project.

Please help by donating and pledging monthly donations to Amigos of Honduras.