Randy's Rants
Riding the Storm Out
By Randy Gage
Nov 3, 2005, 16:59

Dear Colleague,

My life is many things. Fortunately, boring has never been one of them.

I’ve had lots of the good stuff: Flying the Concord, falling in love in Paris, buying sports cars to match my shoes, walking the beaches of Fiji, Hawaii, and Tahiti, and hitting the game winning home run. I’ve been in the stands as my home team won Game 7 of the World Series, watched Michael Jordan defy the laws of gravity, and got the thrill of opening a box from the publisher and seeing the first edition of a book I wrote.

Of course on the other side, I’ve lost in love, been in jail, had my business seized by the tax authorities, been shot in a robbery, and conducted the definitive research on dysfunctional relationships. I’ve buried those I love, survived a couple earthquakes, and weathered more hurricanes than I can count.

Hurricane Wilma was just the latest in a long line of relationships I have had with Mother Nature’s more fearsome storms. I moved to Florida when I was 16, and shortly thereafter experienced my first hurricane. I was mesmerized by it, and began a lifelong fascination with these amazing natural phenomena.

Like now, I was living on Miami Beach when Hurricane Andrew, a catastrophic Category 5 storm was approaching. The weather service said it was heading straight for the beach, and we should evacuate down south. So that’s what I did.

Andrew followed.

I remember huddling under a mattress as 200 mph winds howled around me, and the house I was in appeared to inhale and exhale with each gust. My poor cat, curled between my chest and the mattress howled and moaned, quivering in abject terror. He stayed mad at me for about three weeks.

At the end of the storm, the vacuum finally sucked out a bathroom window, shearing the steel latch like it was made of Styrofoam. If it had happened earlier, while the eye wall of the storm was closer, I don’t think I’d be around to rant at you today. I emerged after the storm to find an absolute wasteland, completely unrecognizable from the neighborhood I had seen on my way in.

Since then I have increased my fascination, making studying hurricanes a lifelong passion. I’ve personally been through about eight or nine now.

My condo I live in at present is pretty recent construction, and I have hurricane shutters on my three balconies. I also have three large picture windows without shutters, but they have special window tinting with high impact resistance, guaranteed to withstand a direct hit at 200 mph. That wind speed is a Category Five storm. But of course at the level my condo is at, even a Category Two or Three storm could have winds of 300 mph at that height. So my rule is I stay and watch Cat One and Two storms. Cat Three and above, I get on a plane and go somewhere with TV, spa facilities, and room service!

I had a conference scheduled with 1,000 people in Orlando last weekend. The weather service said that Wilma would hit Orlando dead on, on Saturday. I sent out an email telling the attendees that everything they were hearing on TV and radio was wrong, and I predicted that the storm would stall before the Mexican Peninsula, churn up cool water from below (which would weaken it), and then pass over the Yucatan, breaking it up even more.
Then I suggested it would turn toward Florida, driven by an impending cold front, and hit South Florida on Monday. It would be strengthening, but likely wouldn’t be stronger than a Cat Three.

Of course the meteorologists looked foolish, and I looked like a genius, because that is exactly what happened.

But my gloating was short-lived. You’ve heard the expression, “Know just enough to be dangerous”

I figured the storm would hit Florida’s west coast, then make its way over land to the east coast where I live, and arrive early Monday morning. Which she did. Hurricanes gather their strength from the water, so they weaken over land. So I also figured Wilma would be down to a Cat Two or even One by the time she reached us.

Which she wasn’t…

Wilma raced across the state so fast she was still as a Cat Three monster by the time she got to my place. But I was so exhausted from my conference and the pace I’ve kept the last few months that I collapsed into bed Sunday night, without even checking on the storm’s progress.

The early morning hours, the noise woke me up. I turned over and went back to sleep. A little while later, the fire alarm went off. I sat up, but was so exhausted, I went back to bed.
It’s not unusual for storms to set off the alarm. And if it was a fire, I figured there was a hurricane outside! Not the brightest logic I admit, but that’s how fatigued I was. Finally by daybreak the noise was so deafening even I couldn’t sleep.

I got up and took a seat by my picture window. The show was thrilling. The wind and rain flew horizontal, bending palm trees almost parallel to the ground. On the pool deck underneath me, bricks started popping out of the cement. The stairwell ‘Exit’ sign blew off in a shower of sparks.

A gorgeous 60-foot yacht broke loose of all ropes, but one. It spun around, floating in the entrance to the marina. If the last rope went, it would take out the pier and a few more sleek, luxury boats downwind. But the last rope held, and right after the storm, the owner came and secured her again.

The mass of sailboats bobbing in the bay that I wake up to each day were not so lucky. I watched one by one, as Wilma methodically sunk five of them. After the storm I noticed a sixth, with only a mast sticking out of the water at a cruel angle.

When I finally got out and walked around afterward, I realized how fortunate I had been. And how foolish. Within a few blocks of me were structures that had suffered complete collapse or had their roof peeled off. Street lights and power lines were dangling dangerously everywhere. Massive trees that had survived for decades were completely uprooted or splintered.

After Hurricane Andrew, you could find scattered spots with electricity. After Wilma, it appeared that the entire cities of Miami, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and dozens of others were completely in the dark. In fact a bunch of them are still without power.

On Wednesday I was supposed to fly to Moscow to give a workshop Saturday and Sunday. Yet I still had no power, lost the water pressure, the phone service died, and my cell phone batteries were toast. The airport was closed, and I discovered my office had lost part of the roof and was flooded.

I had a sinus infection and the drug store had no power. To make matters worse, I’m a Divo, so I don’t schlep my luggage around, I have it shipped home. Because of the storm, my suitcase hadn’t made it back from Orlando.

I have an act of God clause in my speaking contract and decided that the universe was sending me enough messages about not going to Moscow. I sent the organizers a message that I wasn’t coming.

That didn’t go over so well…

I thought I was speaking at their conference. Turns out I was the conference. And people were coming from all over Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the other Republics. A lot of them were spending a fortune for them, traveling to see me. The client wanted to know if I could get there by Saturday, and do an all-day session on Sunday.

Well by Thursday I was feeling a little better, got my suitcase back, and had power and water restored at home. So I left Friday, traveled for 15 hours overnight, over eight time zones, and then did my thing on Sunday. (All the time chanting my mantra, “I choose not to participate in jet lag.”)

As always, the crowd in Moscow was amazing. They are one of the most appreciative and energetic audiences you will find anywhere. They have such a passion for free enterprise and success it is heartwarming. I finished the program, had dinner with my hosts, and collapsed into bed for a 12 hour sleep.
I woke up feeling energized. That lasted till after breakfast, when I was ready for a nap. Alas I needed to leave for the airport, so I packed and began the adventure that is Moscow traffic.

If you ever want to witness firsthand the dismal failure of the Communist Central Planning Committee, a ride around Moscow will do that for you. I’ve been to virtually every major city in the world, and I can tell you traffic is pretty much horrible in all of them. London is pathetic, NY is arduous, and LA is a joke.
The South American capitals are heart stopping terror rides.
But Moscow is the worst of them all. Basically, the roads don’t work from early Monday morning until Friday evening.

Now I am comfortably ensconced in the George V, Four Seasons hotel in Paris, far away from storm damage, 3-mile-long gas lines, and nighttime hurricane curfews. I’m even thinking it might be ok if my life is a little boring for a few days.

But of course it’s impossible to be bored in Paris. It’s just cool enough here so that you walk hand-in-hand or with your arms interlocked. The summer tourists are gone, and the city is left for the local denizens, and the true wine connoisseurs, culinary groupies, Opera buffs, and the fashion addicts like me.

Colombian Tenor Juan Carlos Echeverry, who now calls Paris home, took me to a little neighborhood bistro, where you can get real French food, without tourists, pretense, or gouging prices.
(Now I love the Four Seasons, and I am not a coupon clipper.
But even I have to admit laundry charges of 7 Euro for socks and
17 Euro for undershirts is a bit much!)

Anyway, the bistro is called, L’Abadaehe, and it is the perfect place to get away and sample some delicious and different food, cooked with exquisite care and wonderful imagination. Yan Piton, the owner, serves as the chef, and creates a unique menu of three or four items which are featured on the chalkboard each day.

The food is simply delicious, and you’ll experience a true Parisian experience. If you want to stop by, you’ll find it at
85 Rue Lemereier, in the 17th Arrondissement. But keep this as our little secret, eh? Yan only has eight tables!

But enough of my masquerading as a travel writer. It’s time for me to revert to what you pay me for, showing you how to manifest more prosperity in your life. Because if there is one thing all of these hurricanes this year have proven, it is the wonderful benefits and freedom that come from being in the right business.

I’ve been practically begging you to become an information entrepreneur or a network marketer for some time now. If you followed my advice, a storm like Katrina or Wilma poses no threat for you. No matter what disaster strikes, you simply pick up your laptop and fly to the nearest luxury hotel and you’re back in business in a matter of hours. I spent the day shopping, dining and sightseeing, yet I still had residual income streaming in. If you can’t say that, you’re leaving yourself seriously at financial risk.

Along those lines, here are a couple things you should be aware
of: Let me share them with you before I sign off this issue.

First, there is the Internet Association of Information Marketers. It is run by a couple friends of mine, Tom Antion and Dr. Gayle Carson. The association offers you education and support on building your business. There is a helpful members-
only website, and an email newsletter. I serve on their
Advisory Board and I expect that they will be conducting some events in the future that you’ll find quite helpful. I suggest you join at http://www.netaim.info/.

And speaking of events, the Information Entrepreneurs Intensive I told you about previously is coming up in a few weeks. If you are serious about wanting to build a major business as a speaker, consultant, coach or Internet marketer, you really have to get your ticket now and arrange your travel. This is the ultimate program for information entrepreneurs. You’ll learn how to create physical information products like books, Special Reports, CD’s, DVD’s, and multimedia resources, as well as digital online products.

Then you’ll learn how to market them via talk programs, e-zines, websites, direct mail, catalogs and magalogs, display ads, affiliate programs, dealer networks, and other mediums. And you’ll learn how to sell your knowledge through speeches, public seminars, consulting contracts, coaching programs, and even infomercials.

This is the program I’ll be conducting with Joshua Shafran and Ford Saeks. It is undoubtedly the most intense training ever put together in this area. If you want to make $1,000 a month selling information, this is way too advanced for you. But if you would like to create some serious leverage and build a multi- million-dollar business, then this program is exactly what you need. Get the specifics at www.HowToSellInfo.com.

Finally I just got a message last night from Derek Gehl, the guy who is now the CEO of Corey Rudl’s Internet Marketing Center.
He recently teamed up with a fellow by the name of Brandon Dupsky, who is currently making $22,000 a DAY selling 'everyday'
stuff on eBay. If you've never heard of Brandon before, you should know that he's just a 'regular guy' who got his start on eBay by selling everyday items from his basement.

Anyway the two of them have come up with an easy-to-follow system that will let anyone copy Brandon's strategies and start making serious cash on eBay almost immediately! I’m getting this myself and I suggest you do the same. I think it will have lots of great info that would help any information marketer.

The "Insider Secrets Of An eBay Millionaire" system includes a 237-page guidebook plus an additional 4 solid hours of audio instruction on 4 CDs, and reveals every secret, every strategy, and every tip that self-made eBay multi-millionaire Brandon Dupsky uses to earn over $22,000 a DAY on eBay. Get all the details at: http://www.auctiontips.com/t.cgi/803011

I’m home for a day, then off to Tempe, Arizona to conduct a marketing lab for the National Speakers Association. I’ll check in with you when I get back, as I have a few marketing resources you’ll be interested in. Until then, have a great week.

-RG

P.S. Here are all the links for you again: To get more information about the internet Marketing Association, go to:
www.NetAim.info. To learn if the Information Entrepreneurs Intensive is right for you, check out:
www.HowToSellInfo.com.

© MMXI Randy Gage. All Rights Reserved.