Kosta Gara

Time Management!

2008-07-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

It is a perfect summer day in Vancouver. The streets are lined with fragrant flowers. The sun is shinning and the birds are singing. I am sitting at my favorite Starbucks in downtown Vancouver listening to Feist and watching people happily walk by. On days like this, the city seems to transform. It becomes energized and you can’t help but feel relaxed and happy. It reconfirms my belief that Vancouver is the best place in the world.

It is finally starting to feel like summer, the time of the year where a sense of anticipation is in the air. It must be a left over feeling of our adolescents when we couldn’t wait for school to be done for the year and we could have the summer off. A summer full of adventure and joy. We can easily find ourselves staring out the window, daydreaming.

This is also the time of the year when we feel overwhelmed with professional and personal obligations. What better time than now to start managing your life more efficiently.

I believe Time Management is the key to success both personally and professionally.

To begin, let’s talk about the three main reasons why you should manage your time better. You might say that the answer is obvious but if you really understand what you will gain, it might motivate you more.

• You will have more energy and less stress.
• More time for family, friends and yourself.
• You will gain at least 2 productive hours per day. That equals to 520hrs per year.

Before you start, you first need to understand how you spend your time. For the next seven days, keep track of your time. Account for every hour by filling in your schedule every few hours. At the end of the week, look at how you’ve spend your time. Take note of the times of the day when you feel most productive and alert.

These are the five main steps to Time Management:

1. Plan your day in advance. Usually the night before.
2. Prioritize your plan from the most important to the least important.
3. Organize your tasks by locations/functions.
4. Block in appropriate contingency time
5. Revisit your plan. Usually morning of the day.

Let’s look at these five steps in detail:

Step 1. Planning your day.
Start by writing down everything you need to get done that day. Break down large tasks into smaller tasks.

Step 2. Prioritizing
Rank your To-Do list from most important tasks to the least important. Mark the priority of tasks from 10 (very important) to 1 (least important). Plan your most difficult and important for earlier in the day when you feel most productive. These tasks are necessary and most beneficial. Make sure to tackle the important task before anything else. You can always carry unimportant task to the next day.

Step 3. Organize Tasks by location/function
Minimize the number of times you switch between tasks and try to organize related tasks together. For example, try to schedule your meetings in the same area. That way you don’t waste time traveling back and forth.

Step 4. Block in Appropriate Contingency time.
Make sure your plan is realistically achievable. You can de-motivate yourself by over committing. Leave some contingency time for the unexpected.

Step 5. Revisit your plan at the start of the day.
Review your list. You might need to add new task that takes priority. You might find that you can delegate some task to others.

This is only a guideline on how to manage your time. Time management is an on going process. With practice, you can learn how to get more out of your time. You will benefit by achieving more in your life and having more time to do the things you enjoy doing.

Starbucks closing...

2008-07-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

These days you can't go anywhere with out passing a few Starbucks on the way and usually packed with people. So imagine my surprise when I heard the news Starbucks will be closing 600 stores in United States this summer. This means over 10,000 Starbucks employees will be looking for an opportunity out there very soon. The next time you're in any of their locations, make sure you have your business card as well as few samples with you. You never know...

The Seattle Times Company

Starbucks closing 5 percent of U.S. stores

As many as 12,000 Starbucks workers will lose their jobs when the company begins closing 600 U.S. stores this summer. The Seattle coffee company...

Patrons sit Tuesday inside a Starbucks store in downtown Boston. While the company is cutting 5 percent of its U.S. locations, it still is going ahead with expansion plans in foreign markets.

As many as 12,000 Starbucks workers will lose their jobs when the company begins closing 600 U.S. stores this summer.

The Seattle coffee company is cutting 5 percent of its U.S. locations as part of a wide-ranging effort to boost its bottom line and its stock price. The chain is accelerating international growth.

Most customers whose Starbucks stores close will be a short walk from a caffeine fix, the company said, because many of the unprofitable stores were being cannibalized by nearby Starbucks locations.

The company will try to find jobs for people within Starbucks, but that could be difficult with fewer than 350 new U.S. stores expected to open in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

About 200 of those will be directly operated by Starbucks, with the rest managed by other companies like bookstores and airport concession firms.

As much as 7 percent of Starbucks' work force could be slashed. The company had 172,000 employees worldwide last September.

Starbucks officials said the closures are happening in "all major U.S. markets" between late July and March. Florida and California are among the largest states affected, spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil told Bloomberg News.

There were 2,496 stores in California and 625 in Florida in March. Those two states have been especially hard hit by the real-estate downturn and credit crisis.
To read more, click here.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008028854_starbucks02.html

Earth Hour

2008-03-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

We have never faced such predictable massive threat to our environment as we do today. We don’t know exactly what is going to happen but given the destructive changes we have introduced into our ecosystem, we know that what ever is going to happen it is going to be significant.

According to Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson unless we make drastic changes, half of all plant and animal species will be extinct by the year 2100.

I recently watched an amazing DVD series called Plant Earth. The DVD on Jungles, really amazed me. I learned that Jungles occupy only three percent of the planet and yet is home to more than half of the world's species.

These DVDs put into perspective the true beauty of our planet. It helped me understand how our world is interconnected and the choices I make affect everything else in our planet.

I don’t consider myself an environmentalist. I used to think that I was doing my part by recycling. But that is not enough.

My wife Deva, and I are doing more and more. Here are a few of the changes we made. We eat organic, locally grown food. Deva takes her own canvas tote bags when shopping for food. We only use biodegradable cleaning products. We have installed high efficiency bulbs through out our house. We can all make small changes that can have big impact.

I want to ask you to join me on Saturday March 29, 2008 at 8pm for Earth Hour. All you need to do is turn off your lights for an hour in the name of fighting global warming. Go to www.earthhour.org for more information.

We all need to do our part to preserve our planet. I highly recommend you watch Plant Earth if you need any convincing on why we need to do this.

Pass it on...

2008-02-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

Oscar Wilde once said, “The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.”

Over the years I have received a lot of great advice that has been very beneficial to me both in my personal and professional life. I would like to pass on in case it might be of some help to you.

The best advice that I have received is that “You can’t control what happens to you in life, but you can control how you react to it.” We were reminded of this as we watched in shock the horrors of Mother Nature earlier this month.

Something like the storms in Southern US puts life into perspective in many ways. One that Global Warming is happening and we need to start making changes right now. Two, life is a very precious and we shouldn’t take any thing for granted. And lastly, we cannot control what happen to us.

When we try to control things that are beyond our power, it takes focus away from things that we are able to steer.

Years ago, a few weeks after I married my wife Deva, our life got turn upside down. The life that I had worked very hard to build, fell apart. Due to circumstance beyond my control I lost the high tech company that I had not only put every waking second into but also every penny I had.

We had to sell our house, our cars, even the wedding gifts we had received to pay the bills. This was a very difficulty time for me. I didn’t want to get out of bed.

This was the greatest thing that has happened to us. When I look back, I didn’t own my business. My business owned me.

Sometimes, I think about how our life would be like if things had gone according to plan. We would have never had the chance to travel around the world, meet the people we have meet or learn about different cultures. We would not have had the time or the finances to be able to do the things that we have done.

Life can be unpredictable. How we react to those unpredictablies is the difference between success and failure. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Be “S.M.A.R.T.” in 2008…

2008-01-24T23:06:00.000-08:00

A lot of us start the New Year with big plans for what you wanted to achieve that year. Weather it is to lose weight, quiet smoking or start taking control of our financial future.

Most start motivated enough, but by the time Valentines Day comes around they forget about their New Year Resolutions. You see this at every gym. The resolutionists will stampede to the gym on the first week of the year. Gym memberships rise about 65% in January. High percentage of those people will only use their memberships a few times before they give up.

If you are on your way of achieving your goals, keep up the great job! If you find yourself losing motivation, here is some help.
So what can we do to ensure that we stay on track and achieve our New Year Resolutions? Here are a few tips that have helped me achieve me goals.

1. Remember that we all have a picture of the life we want to live. Think of goals as the road map to get you there. Start by writing down your goals.

2. Make sure you follow the SMART rule.

i. Specific: This is where you decide what your goal is, why is it worth your effort and how are you going to achieve it. For example don’t just set a goal to have a better life. Set specific goals to improve your health, relationships and financial situation.

ii. Measurable: You must have a quantifiable way of tracking your progress. Measurements help you stay on track. As you see changes occur you will be more motivated to continue.

iii. Attainable: You know your ability better than any one else. You want to be challenged by your goal but it has to be attainable. Make sure your goal is something you can committee to.

iv. Realistic: You must ask yourself if this goal is an objective that you are wiling and able to work towards. Do you have or are you able to acquire the knowledge and skills to achieve this goal? For example: Your goal is to run the Boston Marathon on April 24th 2008 but you can’t walk up a flight of stairs, you might want to reconsider.

v. Timely: Giving yourself a deadline is a great motivator to achieving your goal. The urgency of the deadline will help you avoid distractions. You need to have a precise day, month and year. You need a clear target.

3. Break down your goal to small specific goals. If you want to run in a marathon, start training for a 5k and then a 10k. Once you master these, move on to the big race.

4. Keep the End in Mind. When you face distractions or lose motivation, remember that what you do today effects how you live in the future.

5. Goal setting is a great habit to get into. Once you have achieved your goal, set a new one.
Our world is changing so rapidly, that waiting to make changes will only leave you two steps behind. Goal setting is an ideal way to motivated you to work towards living your “Dream Life”.

Good luck on achieving your goals. Have a prosperous 2008.

bHIP Global

2007-12-30T18:04:00.000-08:00

Warner Bros.

2007-11-19T23:15:00.000-08:00

I am often asked what I enjoy the most about my profession. Helping others is on the top of my list. I also enjoy it because I get to travel to different places and meet a lot of remarkable people.
Recently I got to see an interesting side of the Entertainment Industry. I had a meeting at Warner Bros. While there, I got to tour the lot and see where they shot shows like ER, Nip/Tuck, Chuck, Gossip Girl and many more.

It was fascinating to see the set of Central Park, New York used in
Friends was also the same park used in Gilmore Girls, Star Hollow Connecticut. This was down the street from County General Hospital in Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. Many of you might know this as home to ER.

It was an amazing experience to see where some of my favorite actors
worked. My meeting took place next to George Clooney and Clint
Eastwood’s Offices. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication for an actor to make it in the Entertainment Industry. Dirty Harry had to deal with a lot of rejection before he got his big break in Rawhide. Imagine if he had given up after he was rejected for a role.

Similar to our profession, you have to keep the "end in mind". Every successful Network Marketing professional will tell you that you must set goals for you business and see obstacles as learning experiences not as an end.

So the next time you face an obstacle in you business think what would have happened if Academy Award Winner Clint Eastwood had given up. Remember, acting is a lot harder than Network Marketing.

GUERILLA MULTILEVEL MARKETING

2007-10-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

You might recall in my September newsletter that I first announced my participation in Guerilla Multilevel Marketing. I am pleased to announce that the book is officially released in North America. Whether you are new to network marketing or a seasoned veteran, I urge all of you to read this book. It is an inspiring collection of stories from some of the top names in our industry. I have had the opportunity to preview the book and I can tell you that I found it full of phenomenal suggestions to improve my business. I am sure you will agree that it is a “must have” book to add to your own library.

MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO GUERILLA MULTILEVEL MARKETING

I must confess that working on this project proved to be an even greater honor than I expected. Not only was I asked to provide some of my insights in the form of my initial contribution, I was subsequently asked to write the foreword for the entire book. This was both an exciting and, simultaneously, very humbling experience.

On the one hand, it was exciting because it is a form of recognition of my accomplishments within the industry. Each and every one of the contributors to this book would have been just as deserving of the opportunity to write the foreword. They have all achieved tremendous success and are truly wonderful people. It still gives me goose bumps to think that, out of all of them, I was asked to write the foreword.

And while it is very exciting, it is also, as I said, very humbling. It is humbling because of the very nature of our industry. We are in NETWORK marketing. And what is a network? A network is PEOPLE, plain and simple. Our industry is about people; the people who become part of our network and who help it grow.

Any recognition I have received is a testament to your efforts. I was asked to write this foreword because of you…the members of our network family. You achieved this honor for me. It is with great humility that I thank every member of my network family for helping to make this possible.

I have a dream

2007-09-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

War and violence are starting to become a normal part of life. At any time you can turn on the news or pick-up the news paper and you are reminded of the turmoil that is going on around the world.

As we mark the sixth anniversary of 9/11, I can’t help but reflect on how much our world has changed. That one single incident transformed every single one of us. In a way it stole our innocence.

It doesn’t matter how you feel about the war, current or past. Whether you think it is right or wrong, I am sure you will agree with me that there should be another way to solve conflict. The human race has advanced in many ways, yet we are still resolving conflict through war and violence.

I recently visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington,
D.C. I was surprised at how much it affected me. I stood there
and read all the names of the fallen soldiers. I also thought of the current war and all of the young men and women who lost their lives. It pained me to think of their families. I lost my own father to war. It was hard to think of another child growing without a father.

I was also fortunate to visit the place where Martin Luther King made his “I have a dream” speech. Although his speech was about the American Civil Rights movement, the message is still current. His message was about peace and acceptance. It is an inspiration for us to find ways to coexists with each other regardless of race, religion or geography without using violence.

As we have learned over and over, violence is not effective. I think we forget that they are real people involved. Sons, fathers, husbands, wives, mothers, daughters are losing their lives.

The greatest thing about my line of work is that I get to meet people from all over the world. I learn about different cultures, races, religions and belief systems. We have many differences and many similarities. But the one thing that we all have in common is that we all have dreams about a better future.

The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."
Abraham Lincoln

The Premier of "Pass it on"

2007-08-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

I attended the Red Carpet Premier of the "Pass It On" movie at the Aqua Lounge in Beverly Hills this past Wednesday evening. In attendance were celebrities, producers and directors from all over California. I had a great time and met many great individuals from different professions. Overall, It was a great experience.

"Pass It On" is sequel to the "Law of Attraction" movie. "Law of Attraction" is about attracting success, "Pass It On" is about helping others achieve success. Those of you who know me, know that this is a philosophy that I live by. So it was great to meet a group of like minded people.

If you get a chance check out the movie.

http://www.passitonmovie.com/

Kosta & former Boss from 80s

2007-07-29T13:57:00.001-07:00

Over twenty years ago, this man and his wife gave a young teenager a chance that no one else would. They gave me a job in their restaurant in Athens, Greece. This allowed me to put food on the table and pay rent for our little shack. Mr. Yanni also became a father figure for me. I learned alot from him and his wife.

This June I went back back to Greece after being away for almost two decades. The country has changed tremendously but I was still able to find the place where we lived, the restaurant where I worked and the places I hangout. I was fortunate enough to find my old friends Mr. and Mrs Yanni.

They were very surprised to see how much I had grown. They were also happy to see my success. It reminded me of one of those 'rags to riches" stories where the self made millionaire goes back to his home town to thank the people who gave him a chance.

Those of you who know me, know that I am very thankful for every thing I have in my life. I feel that every success that I have been able to achieve both personal and professional, is due to my past experiences.

It was very surreal to be able to go back to where it all started.

Andy and I in Rome

2007-07-29T13:51:00.001-07:00

I was recently shopping in Rome when I ran in to Andy Garcia. It was odd running to The Godfather III. He is a very classy guy. I've been told often that I resemble him.

You be the judge...

2007-07-28T08:25:00.001-07:00

Meet 35-year-old Kosta Gara, an international business leader with NHT Global. At age 31, Kosta became the youngest million dollar annual earner in the company. He’s built an organization of over 175,000 distributors in 40 countries, and leads the strongest and most well known team within the industry.

Kosta is an industry-wide trainer and MLM consultant. He is the co-author of the new direct marketing book, More Build it Big, and he recently finished recording an interview for a new industry-wide generic marketing video. Right now he is involved in negotiating the movie rights to his life story. That life story is extraordinary, and begins far from the comfort of his beautiful home in Vancouver shoreline.

Kosta and his mom immigrated to Canada to escape the war in his native country. When they arrived in Canada in 1990, they had only 75 dollars to start their new life.

Along the way Kosta did whatever it took to survive, taking jobs regardless of how difficult or menial they might have been, and ultimately making it all the way through university. After university, he started his own technology company and built a successful corporation at a young age. Like so many, he lost that company to bankruptcy after 9/11 and the ensuing crash. And yet even when he lost his company, his car, and was $250,000 in debt, he told his newly wed wife that he would start from scratch and become successful all over again.

From a very young age, Kosta was always certain that he would succeed, because he knew that regardless of the difficulty of his circumstances, he would never, ever give up.
Kosta has built an extraordinary organization around the world by focusing on recruiting, empowering and building leaders. He does so by imparting his unique worldview, incredible work ethic, and a never-ending optimism, to each of his leaders.

We look forward to having you join us to hear Kosta’s unique perspective on “How to Recruit and Motivate Top Leaders who will Grow Your Company.”