“Success is how you bounce when you hit bottom.” General George S. Patton

NEWSFLASH!  Everybody fails at some point in time in their life.  The difference between the winners and the losers is how they deal with the failure.  Winners bounce back.  They DON’T GIVE UP.  Losers?  Don’t. For some unknown reason, when some people hit the floor.  They don’t bounce at all.  They just lay there.  They simply wallow in their failure, seeming to take solace in feeling sorry for themselves and expecting others to feel sorry for them, as well.  It’s okay to feel sorry for yourself.  It’s NOT OKAY to wallow in misery!!!  Get up!!!!

Winners, on the other hand, seem to bounce as if they were on a trampoline.  They rise.  They fall.  They rise higher with each bounce.  Gaining momentum.  Using each fall to build up for the next endeavor…the next rise.  When we fail, as everyone does at some point, we should learn.  Assess what went wrong.  Adjust and try again.  Assess and try again…and again…and again until we finally achieve our desired objective.

Use failures as stepping stones to success.  Stepping stone?  That’s crazy.  How can failures lead to success?  How does one turn a failure into a stepping stone?  Use it as a lesson. Say, “Well, I’m not going to do THAT again…at least, not that way”.  Then, ask “How can I do it differently in order to achieve my objective?”

The ancient Chinese proverb defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  We have to change what we are doing in order to achieve the desire result.  Thomas Edison said he found 10,000 ways NOT to make a light bulb before he finally found just the right combination of materials and method.  You could say he “failed” 10,000 times.  But, look at what he did.  He assessed what he had done.  Adjusted it and tried again…and again….and again, until he found the right combination.

Think about the prize fighter.  He gets knocked down.  He gets up.  He gets knocked down again.  He gets up again.  Over and over.  Through shear tenacity, strength, training and will-power he keeps coming back for more.  He finally beats his opponent, because he comes back one more time.

Be resilient! Be tenacious! Be brave! Dare to try one more time.  Only, this time, do it differently.  Do it better.

The pathway to your success can be defined and achieved by applying the Five Ps.  Purpose, Passion, Planning, Perspiration, and Persistence.

 Purpose

• What is your purpose?
• What is your idea of success?
• How do YOU define it?
• What is your objective or goal?

Why is defining your purpose important? Defining your purpose helps you focus. Focus creates power. Remember when you were a kid and discovered you could create fire using a magnifying glass and a piece of paper. A piece of paper left in the sun did nothing. But, when you focused a point of light on the paper, using the magnifying glass, it started to blacken, smoke and suddenly began to burn. Having a clearly defined purpose does that same thing for you. It focuses your mind. It makes you more receptive to seeing opportunities as they arise.

Passion

• Are you passionate about your stated purpose?
• Why are you excited about your purpose?
• What is your burning desire?

Passion is vital to your success. Passion drives you toward your goal. It defines WHY you are pursuing you goal. This is where you psych yourself up for the next step toward your ultimate success. If you know WHY you are pursuing your objective, your purpose, nothing can stop you.

Planning

• How are you going to make your goal happen?
• What is the first, second, third thing you must do?
• When do you expect to complete each step?

Your plan is your “treasure map”. At this point, you know what you want to do. You are convinced, excited, and believe you can actually do it. Your plan is the map of how you expect to achieve your purpose. Write it down. Set a timeframe for each step.

 Perspiration

Take ACTION!!!! The journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step. John Wooden said, “Nothing works, unless you do.” Get started. Even the smallest step can give you a sense of accomplishment that reinforces your belief and your willingness to keep working.

Persistence

• What could possibly go wrong?
• What could possibly go RIGHT?

If it was easy, anyone could do it. Like the steady power of water, slowly eroding a fissure through solid rock, so is your persistence to achieve your objective. Will you encounter obstacles? Absolutely. Can you overcome them or go around them? Without a doubt, there will be challenges. Maybe even a couple of “failures” along the journey. Remember, failure is a bruise, not a tattoo. Learn from them and keep moving toward your ultimate objective. Remember WHY you are pursuing your goal. You can find a way! Never, never, NEVER give up!

Purpose, Passion, Planning, Perspiration and Persistence provide a pathway to success.

The trials of building a fledgling network marketing team can be daunting.  You have to be able to withstand a lot of people saying, “No” to your fantastic opportunity.  Some of the people telling you “No” are people you love and respect.  What are they seeing that is so bad about this great business opportunity?  Then.  Slowly, you start to suspect yourself.  Maybe it’s you!  Maybe YOU aren’t good enough to be able to share the business.  You start to doubt yourself and you sink into a funk of self-pity and despair.  You are a failure.

Guess what!  You are not alone.  With very few exceptions, everyone who gets into the network marketing industry goes through the same growing pains.  Look at this experience as a rite of passage to the eventual greatness you will achieve.  Jim Rohn, the wonderful business philosopher, talked about the journey and your development into the person you will become as you strive for success.  He said, “Don’t wish life was easier. Wish that you were better”.  Find ways to get better at what you do.

Network marketing is a tough business!  If it was easy everyone would be doing it.  Oh, wait.  When you first get started, it seems that everyone you talk to already IS in another network marketing company.  It only seems that way.  There are plenty of people who are looking for an opportunity to make a little extra money in their spare time, with products or services they are passionate about sharing with others.  The fact is that some of the people in those other companies are looking for something else because they are not satisfied with the company with which they are currently partnered.

When you are down, what can you do?

1. Regroup!!!!  Use your apparent failures as lessons from which you can learn to do better.  That is what a true professional does.  Napoleon Hill said, “Every failure carries with it the seed of an equivalent opportunity”.  If you LEARN from your mistakes, YOU WILL eventually find success.
2. Seek help from your support team.  My dad told me, “Look at the people above you.  If they have what you want, do what they do”.  Ask your support team for advice.  Do some role playing with them.  Face it.  If you succeed, they succeed.  They want to help you achieve success.  You are NOT alone.
3. Listen to motivational CDs and audio recordings. 
4. Read motivational sayings and post them around where you can see them routinely.
5. Reassess your “Why”.  Why did you get into the business in the first place?  Is your “Why” big enough to carry you over the rough spots or do you need to readdress why you are in the business?  Maybe you need a bigger why.

Being “down” because some people said “No” to you is natural.  Staying down is NOT.  Are you going to let someone who can’t see the opportunity for what it is, force you into the spiral of defeat?  Are you going to let some stranger destroy your dream?  Are you going to permit someone else to determine your future? NO! NO!! NO!!!

Pick yourself up and start again!!!!  Never!  Never!!  NEVER GIVE UP!!!

People become representatives in multi-level marketing (MLM) companies every day.  In your case, you have a dream.  You have a burning desire to succeed.  You don’t  “just want to give it a try”.   You are committed.  Until…..invariably, someone you know will tell you “You can’t succeed at that”.  “It’s a scam.” “No one ever makes money doing that.”  Do you believe them?

Consider the source of the negative comments.  Was it your Uncle Chuck who’s never had more than two nickels to rub together?  Maybe there is a reason for that.  Was it your brother, Bill?  Bill never succeeded at anything in his life because he always gave up within the first month.  Maybe it was your mom or dad.  They “tried” one of those MLMs years ago.  It didn’t work out for them.  Was it because, they too, gave up the first time someone told them “No”?  Was it the opportunity or them?  In the end, there is only one opinion that matters.

The ONLY person whose opinion really matters is yours!  The little voice inside your head, what does it say?  While it is wise to consider what others say, YOUR opinion and belief in YOUR ability to succeed is what truly matters.  It is what you tell yourself that matters.  Daily affirmations of your dream, your desire, and what you are willing to do to achieve your goals are powerful.

If you have a burning desire, true belief in the products or service and your own abilities, and are willing to take the actions required, YOU CAN SUCCEED!  Make no mistake!  Network marketing can be a tough business.  You have to deal with a lot of rejection…lots of people telling you “No”.  But, sooner or later, you find that one “Golden Yes”.  That is the person who will work with you to create a huge organization, allowing you both to earn a fortune.  If you are really persistent…and really lucky, you might even find several “Golden Yeses”.  Then, hang on for a wild ride!

Are you living on purpose? Are you doing what you want with your life? Or, are you simply stumbling through life day to day with no specific goal or plan? 

As we seek to make our way through life, so many of us (me included) get stuck in a rut.  We get a job that pays us just enough to keep us coming back.  We work that job for years…or as long as the boss decides he needs our services.  We muddle through the rest of our day, only to start all over again tomorrow.  Once or twice each year, the boss might let us take a short vacation.  We become comfortable and eventually lose sight of the goals and dreams we had as children.  Sometimes, I think the worst thing that could happen to a person is they become too comfortable with the known drudgery of their day-to-day existence. Because they are comfortable, they never seek to move beyond their self-imposed prison of mediocrity.  So, there they stay – day after day after day after day.

What if you DECIDED to live your life on purpose?  What if you set your own goals? What if you could break the cycle?  What if you could rekindle the excitement you had as a child and start dreaming again?  Wouldn’t that be fantastic?  Wouldn’t it be great to feel alive and enthusiastic with each new day?

Wow!  That sounds great.  But, how do you do that?  How can you break free of your job and make the money to live?  How can you take control of your life and gain the freedom to spend more time with your family and friends?  You can do it through the magic of “part-time”.  Work for your fortune part-time until you can transition to full-time.

My dad was a successful family dentist.  He told me he made a good living. However, he was limited by what he could do with his own two hands.  He encouraged me to seek business opportunities where I could partner with others to leverage the efforts of a team to seek my fortune.  Around that time, network marketing and multi-level marketing (MLM) companies were springing up all over.  Companies like Amway, Mary Kay, and hundreds of others sprang to life, offering millions of people the opportunity to determine their own future.  I tried several companies, but failed miserably every time.  Some were start-ups that failed.  Napoleon Hill said, “Each failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent benefit”.  Over the years I learned.

Today, I am thrilled to be part of a team working with a solid, well-established, well-run company.  The company offers a variety of consumable products, families use every day.    I don’t have to purchase and maintain a garage full of stock.  Whatever I buy is what I use, nothing more.  The best part is that I can build a team of like-minded people who are focused on achieving their own personal goals.  By working together, we are stronger and more successful.  I can dream again.  What about you?

Everyone needs a dream. What are your dreams? Is it more money? Is it love? Is it a new car or a house? What is it that motivates you?

It is a shame, but so many of us lose sight of our dreams. We get worn down by the daily grind and repetition of our routine activities. The things we “try” don’t seem to accomplish what we expected or wanted. Consequently, our dreams seem to fade away over time and we fall into the trap of simply living day to day without any specific direction in our lives.

How do you break that cycle? Reconnect with your dreams! Search back in your memory for the dream you once had that energized you. Grab onto it. Visualize it. If it is something of a material nature, like a car or a house, get pictures of your dream car or your dream home and paste it where you will see it every day. This daily reminder will help you stay focused and provide direction for your life and activities.

Now that you have reconnected with your dreams, establish goals designed to take you in the direction of your dream. Start with big goals. Then map your smaller (more achievable) goals that will act like stair steps to the ultimate attainment of your dreams. Your goals are your plan of action to achieve your dreams. Review your actions on a daily and weekly basis to evaluate your effectiveness. Insanity can be defined as is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. If something is not working, change what you are doing! Ben Franklin used to review each past week, looking for ways to improve. It is a great tool to help you improve your overall performance and move you in the direction of achieving your dreams.

What are your dreams? If you’ve lost sight of your dreams, reconnect with them. Develop your plan of action to attain your dreams and remain focused by visualizing your dreams on a daily basis. Review your actions on a weekly basis and revise your plan of action as needed to remain on course. Life is too short to let your dreams slip away.

People in network marketing or MLM companies are always looking to recruit others to join their team.  Somebody.  Anybody!  They BEG people to join their team.  They think of the most “needy” person they know.  They think, “Oh, so-and-so can really use this business.  I’ll get them in to help them.”  Then, they go about begging so-and-so to join their team.  So-and-so joins and NOTHING HAPPENS.  Why? 

It is absolutely true.  In order to succeed in any network marketing company you have to recruit people to join your team.  But, what kind of people do you WANT to join your team?  Do you want people you are going to have to BEG to join, then BEG do the work?  Or, people who are energetic and entrepreneurial? Think about it.  If you have to “drag” someone into your company, you are going to have to “drag” them along on your journey to success.  Do you really have the energy or desire to drag others?  Probably not.  You want people who are as just enthusiastic as you about the business opportunity, or even more excited.  You want people you can work WITH as part of a team.  Ideally, you want people of equal or greater commitment to success.  I call people like that a “Golden Yes”.

What is a “Golden Yes”?  A “Golden Yes” is a person who is better at network marketing than you…a person who will WORK the business with you, with equal or greater enthusiasm.  You want to recruit up.  Search out people who are already successful.  Find people who already have a strong work ethic.  Search out people who understand a great opportunity.   Are there really people out there like that?  Absolutely!!!  And the great thing about it is that you don’t have to find more than a few people like that for your business to explode. 

Network marketing is a numbers game.  It is that simple.  Unfortunately, you have to go through a lot of people who will say “No” and people who will “try the business” before you find the “Golden Yes”. 

Your attitude is crucial to your success in recruiting!  You are NOT begging people to join your team.  You are doing a job interview to see if they are someone with whom YOU want to work.  Change your attitude and change your recruiting approach.  You are no longer looking for just anybody.  You are sifting through people to find the RIGHT people for your team.

Think about the value you bring to the marketplace.  The marketplace can be your family, your community, your church, your job, or the market in general.  Rabbi Daniel Lapin’s book, Thou Shalt Prosper, stresses the age old, proven principle that the marketplace pays for whatever value you bring…no more.  Your value can be measured in the products you sell, the intellectual value you offer, or the quality of the services you provide.  The marketplace pays for value.  Poor value brings little.  Mediocre value brings a little more.  Exceptional value brings wealth.  If you want to make more money in the marketplace, you must increase your value.

 So, how do you bring more value to the marketplace?  In order to increase your value, increase your skills.  You can increase your skills and increase your value to the marketplace in several ways. 

Read.  You can increase your value by reading books to enhance your knowledge regarding specific area of endeavor.   One of the most challenging aspects of any MLM business is recruiting.  How do you find potential customers and business partners?  Once you find them, what do you say to them?  Every MLM provides training to help you in these areas.  There are several books I recommend to anyone who wants to succeed in any endeavor in life and business.

• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
• Thou Shalt Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin

Find a mentor.  You can seek out a mentor, someone who will help you learn how to succeed.  Your up-line is a great source of mentors.  They’ve been down the road.  They know what you are going through.  They can share what they did to achieve whatever level of success they’ve attained. 

Practice, practice, practice.  You get better through practice.   You talk to ten people and recruit one.  You talk to another ten people and get another one.  You talk to another ten people and get two.  Why?  Because you got better through practice.

The marketplace pays for value and you can increase the value you bring to the marketplace.  By increasing your value, you can increase your income.

Be careful what you ask for – you might get it.  Have you ever asked for something, but didn’t ask the question the right way?  Then, you got something you didn’t really want.  You are not alone.  It is critically important to ask the right questions.  Especially, when you are thinking to yourself about issues or problems you are trying to solve.  Here is why. 

Your subconscious mind is a powerful tool in helping you achieve success.  It is always working.  It never sleeps.  It immediately responds to your every desire.  The problem is your subconscious mind does not discern between positive and negative impulses and desires.  If you ask yourself, “Why can’t I do this?” or “Why am I so stupid?” your subconscious mind will immediately go to work identifying 100 reasons why you can’t achieve your goal or reinforcing your self-destructive image.  Therefore, it is imperative you ask yourself the right questions to achieve the most positive results.  Put your subconscious mind to work on positive solutions to your dilemma by asking the right questions. 

Ask yourself positive, empowering questions like:

   How can I do this? 

   How can I overcome each obstacle I’ve identified?

   What would it take for me to succeed?

   What do I need to learn to get better at…whatever it is you want to do?

   Who can I get to help me?

These questions allow your subconscious mind to immediately go to work to identify possible solutions.  What is most amazing to me is when I wake up at three in the morning with the solution to a problem.  It may have been a problem I hadn’t thought, consciously, about in days.  But, all of the sudden, my subconscious mind hit on something.  I woke up and immediately wrote down the idea.  (TIP: Keep a pad and pencil on your nightstand to write down these ideas.  It is soooo frustrating to wake up the next morning, knowing you had a flash of inspiration during the night, but not being able to remember what it was.)

Your subconscious mind is a powerful tool.  But, you must be careful what you ask for – because you might get it.

Are you a winner or a loser?  Losers go around convincing themselves that winning isn’t everything.  Losers make excuses.   They say, “I failed.  Oh, well.  Guess it wasn’t going to work out anyway.” NEGATIVE…NEGATIVE…NEGATIVE!  Winners never give up.

Not everyone can win all the time.  Everybody fails at one point or another.  It is what you do AFTER you fail that matters.  Do you give up or GET UP one more time?

The great football coach Vince Lombardi put it this way…“Winning isn’t everything. Wanting to win is.” 

WANTING to win is what is important.  Having the will and determination to continue in the face of adversity is the hallmark of a winner.  If you continue to WANT TO WIN when things don’t go the way you expected, THAT is what is important.  Why?  If you really want to win, you don’t give up.  You keep trying in spite of the failures and setbacks.

If you have a very specific goal you really want to achieve, you may fail many times before you finally achieve your goal.  In each case, learn from your missteps and find alternate ways to move closer to your objective.  The main ingredient to your success is your determination to win.  YOU WANT TO WIN!  Lombardi also said, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up”.  The winner gets back up one more time…every time.

Some believe winning isn’t everything, it’s the ONLY thing.  These people are willing to win, no matter what the cost, even at the expense of their integrity and honor.  These are the people that believe the ends justify the means.  Don’t fall into this trap.  Winning without integrity and honor is hollow and eventually you will end up losing far more than you gained.

Wanting to win provides focus and direction to your actions.  You are certain to encounter failures and setbacks.  With perseverance you will ultimately win.  GET UP one more time.  Never give up and you will be a winner.