MEME Delivery Newsletter: A Slightly Different Perspective.

Welcome to the third issue of MEME Delivery, an inspirationally timed newsletter about business, life, and good stuff in general.

This is the LOVING DISRUPTER issue!

Disruptive Viewpoints, Disruptive Experiences, Disruptive Technology, Disruptive Suggestions, Disruptive Requests, Lovingly Delivered!

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PRINT MEME Delivery out on recycled paper, put a staple in it, and read it while you brush your teeth, or whatever! ;)
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Contents:

1. Current Thought Currents: Disruption! But in a good way!

2. Required Reading:

3. In the CD player:

4. What's Up With John?

Lots. LOTS, actually.

5. Wish list.
I need your unique contributions! I would love to contribute to you, too!

1. Current Thought Currents.

Spirituality - The Process of Transformation

In September I made the decision to face into several things by which I felt threatened. The decision to face my fears and move powerfully into areas I had been avoiding has proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has made life much more difficult, in some ways, but infinitely more worthwhile in all ways. In the spiritual realm I decided to do the Landmark Forum. Like many, I had my preconceptions. But, with the gentle urging of my girlfriend Stacy, I decided to check it out. I finally did it exactly because I found the thought of doing it so challenging and confronting. What did I get out of it? A lot, first I got my hope back. The Forum is a 3 day intensive course (Fri. - Sun.) with a Tuesday evening follow up session. On the Monday after my 3 day session I was surfing. In the midst of some pretty big waves I had a deeply shocking realization, and I started crying like a baby.

I was thinking about what it would be like to be a Forum Leader. First I thought about what a "rock star" Audrey LeGassik, the 60-something year old woman who had led my Forum is. Then I realized she is more like a world class conductor who walks into a room of approximately 175 people on Friday mornings knowing what they themselves don't even suspect yet. And that is? That each of them is a world class musician. Each can play their instrument better than anyone else in the world, once they realize they can play it at all! Audrey knows that every Friday morning. Then she lovingly, cajolingly, pointedly, candidly, points it out to everyone. It is really amazing. I felt like we were the living notes in a lilting piece by Mozart. The craft, the elegance, the structure of the Forum is awe inspiring. It still inspires me to think of it.

There in the bosom of the Ocean I thought about all this. I remembered how beautiful the people in the room became as I watched them open up, get real, become present and stop worrying about looking good. I remembered that feeling. Suddenly something inside of me snapped and I realized in an instant that at some point I had given up on the world ever becoming a truly better place. Despite my contributions to non-profit environmental groups, despite picking trash up on the beach, despite doing everything I could think of to make the world a better place through my being here, I was resigned to things always and ever getting worse. I believed the world was going to Hades in a Handbasket and all my bravado was just pissing into the wind as passionate, if star-crossed, defiance.

Yet, if these other people are all willing to examine themselves, are willing to begin a process that restores them and their worlds, then all hope is not lost! I sobbed as I paddled to get outside the breaking waves so I could just cry it all out. The realizations that came rushing out of that breach in my inner wall are still coming fast and furious. I feel like my life has become more worthwhile, even more worth living. But, that's just crazy talk, isn't it? I know that my enthusiasm for what I have experienced and continue to experience, scares some people. Not everyone is ready for a change in their life, even if it is one of the most positive things they'll ever experience. That's ok, too. If you're ready for the big roller coaster, if you're ready to play full out and if you are willing to look at the things you don't even know you don't know, then I recommend checking out http://www.landmarkeducation.com and finding a Forum near you.

In my opinion this is the most approachable, powerful, realistic route to world peace and the fulfillment of human potential that I have ever experienced. That is why I stand for everyone who is at all willing to experience this to do so. The insights are so profound, the realizations so beautiful, and the process so empowering that it is a gift I want for everyone I love. More coming soon to http://www.JohnBates.com/landmark.

Health - Do You Realize the Level of Antioxidants in Your Body is Directly Correlated to How Long You Will Live?

"What are antioxidants?" most people say. The answer is something that will make a profound difference to you and your loved ones for the rest of your life, and theirs. Here we go... (Watch out, John is back in the saddle in a big way. I am on a new quest, a "mission from God," so to speak!) Your body is under constant attack by free radicals (not the ones from Berkeley!). Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that damage your body from the inside out on a cellular level. When you cut an apple in half it immediately begins to brown. That is because it is oxidizing, essentially rusting, as it is attacked by free radicals in the air. That same process is going on inside of your body all the time. Free radicals are created by everything from your own metabolism to pollutants, UV radiation, stress, cigarette smoke, and so on. Happily, our immune system evolved along with us to protect us from that kind of damage. Our immune system function is inextricably linked to, and dependant on, our antioxidant level. The immune system is inextricably linked to, and dependant on, fruits and vegetables because they deliver large amounts of antioxidants. No kidding! Your immune system doesn't function without antioxidants. We would all die within 3 days if we didn't have antioxidants in our system. When you cut fruit and you want to keep it from turning brown you put a little lemon juice on it. That's because there are a lot of antioxidants in lemon juice. You've heard of vitamin C, right? Well, vitamin C is one very powerful antioxidant. Since the immune system depends on antioxidants and we're getting such inadequate amounts of them diseases like Alzheimers, cancer, diabetes, macular degeneration, heart disease, and many other degenerative diseases are on the rampage.

The problem today is that so many people don't eat enough of the fruits and vegetables that are often the only source of very important classes of antioxidants. As well, there are a lot of people who say that our petrochemically fertilized, overused factory farmland turns out food with much lower amounts of antioxidants and other nutrients than we evolved needing. That is why I am asking you to call me or email me and let me get you set up with monthly deliveries of the best vitamins in the world. Vitamins have been a hobby of mine since I was about 5 years old (Grandma loved whole wheat bread, brown sugar, less processed food and vitamins!) If you don't know me very well you might see this cynically as a pitch, but if you really knew me you'd know that turning 40 has put me in touch with how much I want to live a long and healthy life and have my friends around me, doing the same!

Through the Landmark Self Expression and Leadership program I am in the process of putting together a "Defensive Eating" course which I will then give away to schools in the Bay Area and beyond. Once I realized that the vast majority of people know more about how to drive and care for their cars than they do about their own bodies I decided to do something about it! If you want to get involved, or if you have any suggestions at all about it, I would love to hear from you!

Business - I Made a Controversial Decision and Got My Groove Back

I have faced into things which scare me in business, too, and been well rewarded for it. I recently got a call from one of my best friends, Trell, in Utah. "John, you've got to talk to Bill. He's into something I know you'd like - vitamins and technology, it sounds like it was made for you." he said. So, I called Bill and it turns out that the University of Utah has developed a device which uses a Nobel prize winning technology developed by an Indian scientist, C.V. Ramen. The device uses blue argon laser light to detect carotenoid molecules (there are 18 types of carotenoid molecules). It was developed to test people's retina's. If you don't have enough carotenoids in your retina then you are at an elevated risk for age-related macular degeneration (your retinas deteriorate and you go slowly blind). One great source of carotenoids is carrots, and that is why carrots really are great for your eyes. Since our retinas are bombarded all day by ultravoilet radiation (light!) the body concentrates carotenoids in the retinas to protect them from the free radical damage caused by the UV radiation. Higher carotenoid levels correlate with higher levels of protection from free radical damage.

The scientists at the University of Utah realized they could measure the amount of carotenoids in other tissues, as well. At this point they contacted the company I am now actively involved with, Pharmanex. Long story short, the company has the Global, exclusive rights to the University of Utah's 8 worldwide patents for this technology for the next 17 years and has miniaturized the technology, as well.

The Biophotonic Scanner, a fancy name for something that uses laser light to scan living tissue, is an amazing device. It is essentially a measure of your overall immune system health. In fact, recently I scanned a gentleman, who is now working with me. His score was below 10,000. For reference, the average American scans at 18/19,000 (NOT good) and I scored at 38,000 initially and now score above 50,000. Anyway, people who score that low are counseled to see a doctor, and it turns out that this gentleman's prostate cancer has returned. It's bad news, but it's better to know sooner rather than later. I have heard other stories of people who felt fine, but whose scores suddenly plummeted and who subsequently went to the doctor and found things early. It is a really amazing device.

It is also a tremendously disruptive technology, that's a good thing for Pharmanex. The supplement industry is a $20 Billion dollar industry and it grows at a Billion dollars a year. Pharmanex has locked up proprietary intellectual property thus creating a huge barrier to entry. The trends driving the marketplace are aligned, as well. Every 8 seconds someone turns 50. The entire football of the baby boom is now in the health and wellness demographic of the proverbial garden hose. They know that they'll be taking some sort of pills for the rest of their life, and they would much rather take something that maintains them in health, instead of something that maintains them in illness. The tide is rising for this whole arena.

The products are sincerely the best vitamins I have been able to find, as well. Something I really like, besides the excellent formulations, is the fact that Pharmanex tests every single batch of raw materials that they use and they end up rejecting up to 30% of them due to pollutants, heavy metals, pesticides, etc. Those raw materials end up in someone's vitamins! That was something I always worried about and that led me to switch my vitamins all the time, in an attempt to avoid buildups of anything. I am happy to have found Pharmanex.

As well, the company is one of the good guys of direct selling. I have researched them a lot and the parent company is publicly traded (NUS). After doing a lot of reading, poking and prodding I have overcome my reservations about Network Marketing. I like the ability to build leverage with my time, as opposed to just billing for hours, and I am actively building my own organization with Pharmanex. I am very inspired by this and I would love to tell you more about it. I am committed to becoming successful at this, and to contributing to many others' success with this, too.

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Finally, I realized that in my business life I have had a habit of not being powerful enough in my commitment to what I know. That may surprise many of you who know me and have worked with me, but let me tell you what I mean.

There have been times in my professional life when I have been just plain lucky enough to have known what was coming long before others did. The Internet is a prime example! However, within that knowledge I let my employers down by not going "toe to toe" with them when they didn't want to listen; didn't want their routine disrupted, didn't want to take the risk toward which my vision pointed. I was content, unconsciously, to avoid my responsibility by telling myself that they knew better than I did what would work; that they were the owners. But, it was my knowledge and vision for which they had hired me! Then, later, when it would turn out my idea had been a good one I would derive great satisfaction from saying, "I told you so." WOW, that is SO unsatisfying! What a dumb game that is!

So it is with this. I want you to know that I can see where this whole thing is going and it is so big, and so different from anything that we've experienced that I have a hard time sleeping sometimes. I am looking for some self motivated, team oriented, entrepreneurs to knock this out of the ballpark with me, so contact me immediately if this inspires you. 415 939 7873

2. Required Reading

The Greatest Secret in The World - Og Mandino
This is yet another one of the challenging, confronting things that I have taken on and which I now love. Og Mandino got his idea for this book from Benjamin Franklin. Among his many other accomplishments Ben Franklin actually made an attempt to become a perfect person. He picked 13 virtues and then worked on them, one by one. He would choose a virtue, and then begin living it every day. At the end of each day he would give himself a mark for how well he had done living the virtue he was working on that day. Once he felt he had mastered that virtue, he'd move on to the next. In his autobiography Ben Franklin spends more time talking about, and recommending, this approach than he spends on anything else.

The Greatest Secret in The World is a journalized version of the Greatest Salesman in the World (I am a salesman, and I feel like everyone who has any desires and goals is a "salesman". You marketing types, get over yourselves!) The way it works is that you read each scroll three times a day for five weeks. Just like Franklin, at the end of each day you mark how many times you read the scroll and you rate yourself on how well you lived the principle it espouses. It takes about 9 months to get to the end of the book, and most people who make it through once like it so much they just do it again.

I admit that I thought it would be pretty dumb, at first. But, it is unabashedly one of the coolest things I have ever done. I have also been joined in the journey by a large group of students from AIESECUS.org (I sit on the US board of this International Student group dedicated to bringing about world peace through the exchange of business students between countries thereby increasing world connection and understanding.) and the CEO of one of my most admired companies! I am stoked! I highly recommend this book if you have any goals, or if you'd like to be more successful in your dealings with people in general. If you want to be a part of our reading group just drop me an email and I will include you.

The Power of Now - Eckart Tolle

You've heard about this book for long enough, just get it now. I got the CDs so I could listen to them in the car (much more uplifting that the news) and I am very glad I did. Eckart has a soft German accent and I have heard that he can hold a room awestruck with his mere presence. All I can say is that listening to him read his book was a gift I am very glad I gave myself. There is so much to say about it that I will, instead, tell you about a huge philosophical question it answered for me.

I have struggled with the question: "Does the end justify the means?" For example, would murdering Hitler when he was a baby be justified? Well, let's look at it. Eckart points out that there is never really anything but now. The past is gone and the future will never actually get here, because the moment it does it will be now, and then it will be the past. The only place that we ever get to exist is in the now. However, our brains are able to remember the past and imagine the future and that is how our brains derive their importance. But, those are not the places we can actually live. We derive our best happiness when we focus on being in the moment, being present where we are, when we are. The now is the most precious gift we have, yet so often we squander the now by reliving the past, or worrying about the future.

So, if the past and future will never actually exist, the end cannot possibly justify the means. Look at the Communist Revolution of Russia, millions and millions of people were killed in order to bring forth the beautiful vision that communism is on paper. The big problem is that the lovely future could never materialize in a now that was willing to kill the very people it was intending to liberate. When we sacrifice our now we sacrifice the only worthwhile thing we actually have. Believe me, there are a bunch of gems for you to find in this book. Get it now.

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie

I was definitely avoiding this unfortunately titled book. I hated the thought of "winning friends and influencing people," I mean, you know, put like that! However, now that I have "read" the book (I listened to this one on CD, too and I have to say I love listening to CD books now. Yet ANOTHER thing that I thought I hated. Surprise John!). I have decided to rename it. I call it How to Live Powerfully and Well Among People. I think that sounds more like the book to which I listened. Another bonus of the CD is that the guy who reads it is the perfect, amazing, wonderful "authority figure" voice. You'll recognize his voice as being very similar to the guy who did the bawdy Internet sound file about the entemology of the F word which everyone sent each other a few years ago. His voice is perfect, once you stop laughing.

If you want to give yourself a totally amazing leg up on your life then get this book immediately and read it like you mean it. Dale Carnegie shares such wonderfully illustrative stories from his amazing trove of experiences that you can't help but be moved and inspired to deal better with the people you interact with. If I could enforce it I would decree that everyone who works with me or for me would read this book. I will also assure you that anyone who wants to succeed in their endeavors will find it time well spent.

The nice, unexpected bonus is that the language of the book, and the stories that are told, are so recognizably from a very different time in the past that I found it quite comforting to listen to the book. The Principles the book extolls are, however, timeless and every bit as important, or more so, today!

Bottom line: If you never have to deal with people then don't worry about reading this book. If, however, you ever interact with others then this book is a must read. Further, if you read this book you will gain an advantage over your peers in business who haven't read it, that is almost unfair.

Next time: Iron John, by Robert Bly. This is a wonderful and liberating book for men and the women who have to deal with them, I mean, love them! Men, if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend that you don't wait any longer.

3. In the CD player

Lately I have been listening to streaming music over the Internet almost exclusively at home. In the car I have been listening to books on CD (something, as I mentioned, I never thought I would like).
http://www.RadioIo.com has an ambient channel that I really love for later in the evening. It's super mellow and very listenable. Here is a quick thank you rant: I have been all over the United States and I have been in every major college town in the country and I have never been in such an awful, arid, terrible radio wasteland as the Bay Area. I have no idea why that happened here, but that is one reason everyone in The Bay Area listens to NPR all day long and chews their nails. :) There is nothing even close to KCRW's truly excellent music programming anywhere up here. Thank the Internet for saving us!

I also must highly recommend zero7's album :simple things. This album keeps finding it's way into my CD player and I love it every time. It's introspective, beautiful, varied and one of the best CD investments I could suggest you make. You can hear a bit of one of my favorite songs when you visit their site, http://www.zero7.co.uk/. The vocalists are wonderful, the music is lush and the subjects are deep. If you still wonder, let me point out that it's on the Quango label which is a very good predictor of musical excellence!

4. What's Up With John?

Well, lots. LOTS, actually. I feel like I recently woke up. Or, maybe I feel like I really got awakened to myself again. I don't have words to thank the people around me who love me so much. My girlfriend, Stacy, is a truly extraordinary human being. She's one of the most tenacious, loving, committed people I know. I can't thank her enough for being so loving, understanding, and caring. I have learned a lot from her. One of the things she has given me is an understanding of how important it is to be willing to disrupt things when you have a vision for making them better.

I am also undyingly grateful to my mentor, Dick. What an exquisite being he is. From cranky to sublime we share a lot of wonderful, learning, growing moments and all I can say is that it's just a wonderful thing to work side by side with a friend like him. I think that one way we're really ripping ourselves off these days is by segregating ourselves into narrow little demographics. Dick has a perspective that none of my younger friends even could have. His years have given him a deep keel and a lot of wisdom to go along with everything else. If you have ever considered asking someone to be your mentor I highly recommend that you just be a little disruptive and do it!

Peru was amazing. In a way I think it really gave my spiritual transformation a swift kick in the butt. The surf only cooperated for about 3 out of the 14 days, but the land and people were so spectacular and amazing that I just can't wait to get back. I blew it, by the way, and didn't go to Maccu Piccu. I have to go back asap and check it out. All I can say is that I had no idea of the complexities of the creations you witness along the Inca trail. Like the Nazca lines, there was a lot of mystical effort put into things. They truly don't make them like that anymore. Pictures and more about the trip are waiting for you at http://www.playalink.com

Finally, I have gotten very involved with a group called Challenge Day, a non-profit organization based here in Martinez, and I have agreed to be a table captain at their upcoming fundraiser. The Challenge Day team is committed to stopping teen violence and alienation. Their award-winning programs are designed to tear down the walls of separation; inspiring participants to live, study and work in an environment of compassion, acceptance and respect. I have participated as an adult volunteer for a Challenge Day at thunder Road, a juvenile rehab facility. I have also taken their Next Step course, a three day experiential seminar on leadership. All I can say is that their programs work, their programs are powerful, and their determination is unwavering. Challenge Day's vision is that every child lives in a world where they feel safe, loved and celebrated. That's worth joining me to hear more about, I can promise you! Typically lasting under 90 minutes, these events are as much about building community as they are about raising money. There is no cost to attend and no minimum contribution required. We want people to come, be inspired, and learn more about our work in communities across the country. Our job is to inspire them to want to give. Save the date, March 13th, 2004, email or call me, and I will get you an invitation to come to the Westin St. Francis Hotel here in San Francisco! My goal is to bring 20 people with me! You'll love it!

5. Wish list (even though I am more committed to getting these things than just wishing!)

Since I am not being as chicken about asking for what I need these days you already know what I am wishing for! But, just to be clear, here is the current wish list.

At least 60 people who are willing to contribute to my success, as well as their own health, to get in touch with me this week so I can sign you up for a longer, healthier, more conscious life! Let me send you more info about LifePak and add life to your years.

Please contact me if you're inspired by the Pharmanex business, or if you know people I could contact who would be. I want people who are serious about their commitments and excited about contributing to people's wellness and quality of life. The groundswell is starting to roll and I want top people working with me.

I need at least 20 people to RSVP to me about the March 13th event for Challenge Day. No more Columbine tragedies, let's make school a great place to be for all students!

I also welcome thoughts, suggestions, contacts, leads, (Flash help needed!) teachers, websites, or anything you think might contribute to a better "Defensive Eating" course. My deadline for getting the Flash presentation finished is the end of February, so I am moving quickly.

Please let me know how I can help you! I have been powerfully brought back to my Eagle Scout roots by the work I have begun and I have remembered that the highest success is found in service. I would love to serve you in any way that I am able. Don't you love it when your friends ask you for a favor and you can easily and gladly provide an important key for them? Well, I would love to do that for you! Don't hesitate to ask. I will say No, if it's what I mean, but I will gladly say Yes if I am able!

By the way, as always, Thanks to http://BIGWORDS.com.
If you're a college student and you'd like to get paid to save your fellow students money then join us!
I want to be a Campus Consultant!

That wraps up the third installment of Meme Delivery. I hope you enjoyed it and I wish you a wonderful, abundant 2004!

Please forward this to friends, if you think they'd enjoy it.

Finally, I welcome your feedback about the newsletter at MEME Feedback
I won't respond unless a response is asked for, but I am grateful for your feedback in all its forms.
If you want to send me a personal email then click here: Personal email to John.

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John Bates has a wonderful dog named Milo, loves to surf, and is the President of MEME Dispersal Unit, a memetic marketing group with the ability to co-create and disseminate great marketing messages.
More about John Bates at http://JohnBates.com/introduction.html
Copyright 2004, John Bates

Let the waters settle
You will see moon and stars
Mirrored in your being
--Rumi