I’ve gotten several comments, private e-mails, and even some phone calls concerning my falling out with John Frenaye. It appears that I’m now the brunt of some criticism and poking which I will take complete responsibility for. I’ve released the need to blame, complain, or justify my current situation. Most people apparently would want to worry and obsess about what is going on with a company that they aren’t even involved with. About all I can say at this point is this…
“Thanks for sharing”.
The Spin Machine known as “MLM’s and Travel: A Bad Mix” has just gotten way too low for my intellectual level. I had mentioned before how comments and questions were merely thrown out to cast doubt and spread rumor about our company. It’s a trick and tactic Anti-MLM Zealots use to keep us in YTB on our toes and busy deflecting and defending nothing more than lies and rumors started by them.
These tactics became way too obvious for me when accusations were thrown up concerning our Carnival Pinnacle Awards. The spin was made that YTB was not only not awarded the Pinnacle but the question was all of the sudden thrown out concerning the Awards dating back some 3 years. When I posted published pictures dating back to April of 2005 and another set of pictures from the 2007 National Convention and recalled more than 12,000 witnesses for our most current award, the blatant way these pictures were simply ignored and the way accusations were pointed back in my direction just got a little too childish for my taste.
The final straw for me was when John tried to defend his position by twisting words to insinuate that I was calling a High Level Executive with Carnival a liar. That’s when an image formed in my head and I just called a spade a spade and made it known in no uncertain terms that I was insinuating that it was John Frenaye who was the liar.
What a waste of my valuable time, talent and energy.
I now have to let this go and trust that like everything else that’s been thrown out there to cast doubt and rumor will eventually come to light and set the record straight. Truth always had a way of doing this with our company, and I believe it’s partly due to Coach and his relationship with his Higher Power.
An RTA forwarded me an e-mail from Ann Sedgewick (the one in the two sets of pictures with Kim Sorensen.)
YTB was presented with Carnival’s Pinnacle Award for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007. (The awards that were presented in February 2008 were for 2007).
We gave YTB their award in October 2007, presented by Vicki Freed. We actually gave it a little earlier than normal because of the FUNSHINE event in Orlando and so many RTA’s in attendance. Normally, it would not have been presented until February.
Thanks,
Ann N. Sedgwick
Business Development Director
Carnival Cruise Lines
3655 N.W. 87th Ave. Miami, FL. 33178-2428
Based on the font and Ann’s signature in the e-mail which matches all the e-mails I get from her, it’s authentic. I would imagine once the Home Office renovation is complete, all these awards will be prominently displayed. If anyone would like to invite our Traditionalists to a Red Carpet Day to take their own pictures, feel free.
One other note that I found out yesterday as well is that YTB will need another case for Apple Vacations. Business Development Director Sandy Meyer made a special stop at the YTB Edwardsville office to present YTB with the Platinum Apple Award for 2007. Our second year in a row, and an upgrade from Gold for 2006.
I don’t know what it’s going to take to help give some people this clue they need to help them with their perception of YTB and MLM’s. No matter what we do, no matter where we are ranked, no matter how many Travel Awards we have, I just get the feeling someone, somewhere will say “It’s just not good enough”.
I pulled out and am re-reading Joe Vitale’s “The Key” currently. I remembered a quote from my first reading concerning “The Law of Attraction” that I just loved. Many naysayers will tell you that “The Law of Attraction” doesn’t work. It’s all a bunch of hocus pocus. That’s like saying “The Law of Gravity” doesn’t work simply because the ball you dropped from the roof didn’t hit your intended target or mark. I attracted these comments and accusations towards me just as sure as the ball hit the ground, but neither hit exactly where I wanted it to hit.
This experience has been a real life lesson for me with our Traditionalist. Here I am trying to attract people who for a myriad of reasons want to join a home based business or YTB and I’m directing my attention at a blog and people who absolutely detest the model, founders and company. On the other side of the fence, our Traditionalists are blaming, complaining, and condemning how unprofessional, untrained, and classless YTB is, and what do you imagine they find more of? What you focus on expands and there is no way to get around that. (Believe me, I’ve tried.)
A couple years ago I read the book “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind “. I also participated in his “Millionaire Mind Intensive” twice, once as a participant, and once as a volunteer. I remember reading some of the testimonials before I went to the first seminar and was myself skeptical about just how good this program was touted as being. (Nothing can be THAT good…right?) It was one of the most remarkable weekends I ever experienced and it was no mistake that less than a month later I qualified for Coach’s Corner and was heading for Director before I got my attention and focus distracted by our Traditionalists last October.
A couple of things I want to share with you that I learned. One, I often hear that we in MLM have been “Brain Washed”, and when I hear that, I think of two words, “Thank God”. Yes, my mind has been washed of all the limiting, false, negative, self defeating beliefs that I have been told my whole life. My mind has been cleansed and I make no apologies for allowing others to help me do that. (Including Harv Ecker and Joe Vitale.)
I can think of another “cleansing” for some of our Traditionalist, but that’s another topic and I think there may be one or more MLM’s out there that can provide the product I’m thinking of to help with the constipation they have concerning our business model.
Two, fear is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real. Things are never quite as bad as everyone makes them out to be. Look at what was being said about Royal Caribbean and the onslaught of suppliers that were going to cut off YTB. Look at how loosing IATA hasn’t affected your ability to sell or get paid on Travel. All that hoopla with doom and gloom 5 or 6 months ago, and yes, I fell for it too. Looking at YTB today with some 50,000 new RTA’s, our expansion into Canada and the Caribbean, other suppliers like Carnival and Trafalgar coming to bat for us, it looks to me like YTB is stronger than ever.
I can’t wait for June 23rd when the 2008 Travel Weekly Power Rankings come out to see how far YTB climbed up the list.
My final point is this for those of you in YTB. I had a personal conversation with Kim Sorensen a few months back. He told me that when he, Coach, and Scott were building AL Williams back in the 80’s, they were going through the same issues YTB is having right now. Traditional Insurance Agents were saying and doing the same things Traditional Travel Agents are doing to YTB right now. The similarities are remarkable. While I have not read this book in it’s entirety but I did find a chapter which I think everyone in YTB needs to read Chapter 15 to help put our current situation into perspective, and how we can learn from the lessons of the past.
In closing, I don’t know how much I will be posting for the time being. I have a number of things I need to do for me, including clearing and cleansing many of these limiting believes that Traditionalists are trying to shove down my throat. I’ve overcome this garbage before, and have been bitten by snakes many times before. Sometimes it can be difficult to step on their heads when they’ve got them buried in the sand.
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Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812
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There’s a reason why Carnival is called “The Most Popular Cruise Line in the World” – and Porthole Cruise Magazine just gave the line eight more awards in it’s latest edition to help it maintain this title. Ann Sedgwick is obviously extremely excited about these honors and forwarded the press release to her list this weekend. 
