Pippen was a great SIDE KICK….and now….so is Lebron!

Time will tell what the fall out of the 2010 Season of Free Agency in the NBA will be.  Will Lebron create a dynasty with Dwane Wade and Chris Bosh?  Will Pat Riley end up with more championships than either Red Auerbach or Phil Jackson?

Will Cav’s owner Dan Gilbert’s prediction that his team will win a championship before his former superstar wins on come to fruition?  Will anyone ever think of Lebron again in the same way that they think of Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant?

As I said, it will be very interesting to see how all of this unfolds in the next 5-10 years.  One thing is for sure.  The last few weeks’ dog and pony show has been one of the most annoying sideshows in the history of sport.  I am a passionate sports fan, as many of you know by now and I am a huge Knicks fan (one of the main teams in the whole circus), but by last night when Lebron announced his decision I had honestly gotten to the point where I didn’t even care any more.

Part of me thinks that in the era of players making staggering incomes far beyond what they really deserve, that it is refreshing to see players take LESS money so they can win multiple championships together.  On the other hand I have to be honest and admit that the Miami Heat are now the exact same as the NY Yankees in my book; they are buying an all-star team that SHOULD win the championship every year.  Because of that I believe that I will be rooting against the Miami Heat in every game they play for the next 10 years!

What about poor Cleveland?  This is a crushing blow to the entire city, the owner of the Cavs, the players and the fans.  It will probably affect the overall economy of the city to the degree that it will affect just about everyone.  I feel bad for all of them, but I honestly cannot tag Lebron as a villain for leaving them.  His owners knew what they had to do to keep him…. surround him with enough talent to win championships.  The real bottom line is that they did not do that.  I think Gilbert could have made it a no-brainer for him to stay if Lebron honestly felt he could stay in his hometown and create a dynasty.

I think that was honestly his number one desire. The problem was that Lebron lost out on the game of convincing Chris Bosh to play in Cleveland.  I sincerely believe that if he could have sold Bosh on that he would still be a Cavalier.  But D wade and Pat Riley proved to be much better salesmen that Mr. James.

Once Bosh decided to go to Miami, it appears that Lebron did not have the guts to go somewhere/stay somewhere without him.  That is what blows me out.  You would thing that Bosh was the “King.” You would think that he would do what Lebron told him to do, but it was clearly the other way around.  Once Bosh committed to Miami….The real game began.

Did Lebron stay home, like MJ did and lead his team to victory?  Did he go in to be the savior of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises and join Amare Stoudamire in NYC?  Should he be the literal second coming in the second city and join the Bulls?

All of those would have been better choices to me.  I really think Lebron is one of the greatest ever!  It seems obvious that he does not.  I cannot imagine Michael Jordan EVER doing what he just did! I think the Gods honest truth is that Lebron lacks the confidence of a Michael Jordan, or a Kobe Bryant, or a Larry Bird…..or apparently a Chris Bosh!

What’s done is done, but I am deeply saddened.  I think a tweet I saw shortly after he made his decision said it best.  “Lebron went from being considered in the same breath with Michael Jordan to being mentioned in the same breath with Scottie Pippen.” No disrespect to one of the greatest players in NBA history, but Pippen was not…THE MAN in Chicago.  He actually proved that in the two years MJ played baseball.

Pippen was a great SIDE KICK….and now….so is Lebron!

Happy New Year 2010!

Just wanting to wish everyone a great 2010, remember that goals no matter how unattainable they seem can be achieved if you believe in yourself.  We at MarcAccettaSeminars are happy to have served hundreds of thousands of individuals during 2009.  We hope that you have signed up for our Newsletter on MarcAccetta.com.  If you aren’t please do so ASAP, there will be many surprises for all our Newsletter Members in 2010.

In Memory of Kim Eaton

It’s hard to believe Kim Eaton is no longer with us.  It was hard to believe that she was sick when I received a call about a year and a half ago.  At that point I had only known Kim for about 18 months.  She exploded at me on a Friday night in March when she walked across the stage at an open WorldVentures business presentation and took about 60 seconds to tell what she had accomplished with the company up until that point.

To say she got my attention would be the understatement of the year.  I was observing WorldVentures for the first time.  (I have gone on to become their Director of Training)  I was listening intently to everything that was said by the company’s co-founder Mike Azcue, and it’s number one income earner, Steve Little.   There were a number of others who took the stage before Kim to share their experiences with the company.  While they all did a wonderful job, none of them could hold a candle for what was about to happen.

I have been to thousands of such business presentations over the last 20 years, and heard thousands of people tell their stories, but Kim immediately went to the top of the list.  This petite woman spoke with the power and authority of a top politician or military leader.  Everyone in the room stopped whatever they were doing and tuned into Kim’s message.  Her words were even more eloquent than the power that she commanded the stage with.  When she was done with her one minute dissertation, I was ready to be involved with the company!

That was just the beginning.  I was blessed to develop a relationship with Kim.  I found out how amazingly bright and talented she was.  She was also one of the most compassionate people that God ever put on this earth.  She had a burning desire to rise above the first 40 years of her life, where she did what she was expected to do, and live her life to the fullest with the time she had remaining.  She was one of the greatest speakers that I have ever seen (and I have seen them all).  Her ultimate goal was to become a trainer with WorldVentures so she could share her passion and knowledge with others who wanted to breakthrough in their lives.  She was, to say the least, a powerhouse!

That is why I was shocked when I received a call from my good friend Stephanie telling me that Kim was in the hospital, and that it was very serious.  She went on to say that Kim did not want anyone to know what was going on.  I went about the rest of my busy day in Dallas, but that night me and my good buddy, Monico sneaked into the hospital where she was being treated.

She was asleep when we walked into the room, but as divinely guided, she suddenly woke up, and proceeded to ball us out for being there.  Once we convinced her that we had risked life and limb to be there (a gross exaggeration) she relaxed and talked with us.  I later found out that she had a tumor burst through her chest, and the tests revealed stage four breast cancer.  The doctors gave her about one month to live. 

All Kim said was that she needed to “get up out of there” and get to Miami for a weekend Acceleration training with WorldVentures.  We laughed at her.  We knew she could not possibly be serious.  We spent some time with her just chatting, said a few prayers and were on our way.

I was on stage Friday night in Miami when I saw Kim walk in the room.  I was legitimately stunned.  I thought she was crazy, but I later realized that was the only way that Kim knew how to live; all out, all the time!

The next 12 months saw Kim get weaker and weaker.  She was already a slim lady, but she became frighteningly thin.  She refused to follow traditional medicine and take Chemotherapy, etc.  Rather, she completely adjusted her diet and perused alternative health options.

One year later, Kim was in Florida again for Acceleration training.  She was sitting by herself at the pool at the Dolphin resort at Disney World when I saw her.  I spent about a half an hour with her just catching up on things.  I realized from that conversation that the main thing that was keeping Kim alive was her connection with all the people that she saw every month at trainings from her WorldVentures family, along with the positive, uplifting message that the training itself brought her.

She was in so much pain, and had to spend super human strength just to make it to the events.  Simple things like traveling, bathing, and dressing took massive efforts on her part.  She had not missed a training event since she was diagnosed, which included two marathon events called Journey and A View From the Edge.

She did not care what price she had to pay, she was going to be there.  I sensed that conversation I had with her in Orlando would be one of our last.  She had developed tumors in 4 other parts of her body by then.  The doctors were astonished that she could even walk, let alone continue to function as she did.  We spent the Monday after the training at EPCOT in Disney World with Kim and about a dozen close friends.  She had never been, but I assure you, she enjoyed that day as much as any little child ever did.  There are many images that I take from that day that I will never forget.

During all this time, WorldVentures President, Robert Oblon was in daily contact with Kim.  The bond and friendship that they forged was something right out of a movie.  Even though WorldVentures is on track to do 100 Million in sales in their third year, and Robert routinely works 12-15 hour days, he always made time for Kim. 

Robert orchestrated raising funds to send Kim to one of the finest cancer clinics in the world shortly after the Orlando event.  After the expert doctors there felt as if there was nothing that they could do for her, we all knew the end was coming soon.  Robert helped get her an apartment on the beach in southern California so she could live her last weeks in a beautiful setting.  A number of incredible ladies volunteered as caregivers for Kim while she was there as well. 

I heard through the grapevine that she was on her last legs when I was conducting a training in Nashville.  When I got a call from Robert a couple of days later, I knew it as soon as I saw his name on the caller ID. 

Kim had always wanted to inspire people to greatness.  In her own mind, she had not achieved enough production in her business to be able to do so.  What Kim did not realize, was that in overcoming the challenges she faced in the last 18 months of her life, she would end up setting an example that would inspire people to a much larger degree than anyone would ever be able to do through their business production.

Close to 1000 people turned out for Kim’s memorial service.  Many of them were part of the WorldVentures family.  The service was a combination of loved ones sharing their favorite memories of Kim, and Robert reading a series of emails that Kim had sent him over those special 18 months.  Kim’s legacy was cemented that day.  People probably learned more from Kim through her emails to Robert, about having a successful life, than they would have learned from attending seminars for 20 years.

Ironically, Kim had finally reached her goal to become a WorldVentures trainer.  It was not in the way that she had envisioned, but she had achieved it just the same.  Kim’s words will be immortalized for years to come.  Every year at our biggest event of the year, (A View From the Edge) we will be giving out an award to the most inspiring rep in the company for the previous twelve months.  The award winner will be held to the highest standard.  They will be someone who displays outstanding character and unparalled determination. They will be the most celebrated rep in all of WorldVentures for that next year, because they will have received the most prestigious award the company offers; Kim Eaton Award.