How the quality, relevancy and validation of education effects you.

In today’s world, access to education is more abundant than it has ever been. In 2010, Google announced that there are 129,864,880 books published in the world. The internet has opened up the floodgates to an era of free knowledge made easy, where with just a tap of a finger we can gain access to more hours of content than we have hours left to live. At the same time that I enjoy the benefits of this easy-access education, I firmly believe that the way in which we acquire it and the types of education we seek out will significantly shape our success. I would like to take a moment to address this in order to illustrate how to weed out the trash that will negatively impact a person’s future and, more importantly, how we can all gain the knowledge to achieve more than we ever thought possible.

I often find that people are surprised by the fact that I have no formal college education. At 19 years old, after attending one half of one semester of college, I decided that I would rather be an entrepreneur. This decision was largely based on the fact that I had no desire to learn from the teachers at the nearby Community College and I simply couldn’t afford to go to a prestigious University. I was not well educated and I didn’t have any practical or technical knowledge about business. What I did have was desire. The desire to get out of the small town I grew-up in and to have financial success. I also had an unwavering belief in supplementation because of the life-saving benefits I experienced as a young boy with severe asthma and allergies, backed up with a passion for helping as many people as possible with good health.

It was a long road to get from where I was to where I wanted to be, and those around me were very quick to point this out, including my own father. My mother’s encouragement, however, was so infectious that it helped me realize that in order to be successful I would need to strengthen my mindset. I began reading books like Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill and the all time best seller, the Bible.

I started out as a Distributor for other nutrition companies and watched as they failed, one by one, each within its first couple years. I witnessed the destructive effects of short-term thinking, unsound accounting practices, and poor management. I felt the embarrassment and heartbreak of telling my team and my family time and time again that it was out of my control. At each company I was able to quickly rise to the top ranks as a Distributor, experiencing the power of this industry. Even in the midst of the turmoil caused by moving from company to company, the Direct Selling business model empowered me with the platform to build a net worth of over $5 million in just 4 years. My income as a Distributor served as a springboard each and every entrepreneurial venture I would later embark on, including owning NeoLife.

While still in my early 20’s, in my search to find a stable company to partner with as a Distributor, I became more and more educated about the traits and practices that lead to success versus failure. I was not about to let lack of experience or education prevent me from succeeding. At every opportunity, I surrounded myself with people who I admired as entrepreneurs and would read book after book on topics ranging from business management, to investing, to entrepreneurship, health, finance and accounting. But far more important than quantity of books was the quality of the content.

Sometimes it is extremely difficult to tell what is true wisdom versus what is eloquent nonsense, but I developed a simple formula to help navigate through the sea of content I could access through libraries, television, and conferences. I still use this formula to this day.

First, I look at the quality of the source. Who wrote or said it? Have they accomplished something of significance that I would also like to do? Or, are they representing the ideas of people who have?

Second, I look at how relevant it is to my goals. Is the subject relevant to a goal I have set to accomplish within the next 6 months to a year? I don’t have the time to waste on learning things that are unrelated to my life objectives.

Third, I look at third party validation. Who are the people who endorse it? Are there people who would pass the first test of, “quality of the source”, who agree that this content is worth my time?

Following this system has allowed me to become educated in the areas that I needed in order to be a good steward of NeoLife, operating the company in a way that has provided millions of people around the world with a platform to reach their dreams.

With NeoLife we are committed to providing each and every member of our global family with access to quality education that is crucial for success. We focus on three key areas: health, wealth, and personal development, facilitating higher learning through events around the world as well as various forms of media, publications and recommendations. This education naturally unfolds as you build your NeoLife business and continues for as long as you choose to be a part of it.

I absolutely think formal education can be beneficial, however, I don’t think it adequately equips young people with the life skills they will need for success. I also believe that no matter where someone started from, healthy or unhealthy, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, we can all choose to make the most of our God given gifts and abilities and take control of our own future. We are only as disadvantaged or advantaged as we allow ourselves to be.

It is my hope that every single member of the NeoLife family would experience personal development through real life education in a way that allows us to truly and significantly make the world a healthier and happier place.

God Bless,
Jerry Brassfield
Founder

 

For more information on NeoLife and NeoLife nutritionals, please visit neolifeclub.com or call 800.432.5842. To learn how to build a foundation of good nutrition for you and your loved ones, visit shareneolife.com.