Where is Your Fairy Godmother?
I was thinking the other night about the stories we heard as children and that our children still hear today. I’m talking about classics that include Cinderella, Snow White, Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast and others like this.
These are truly iconic stories, made the more so by the Disney treatment. But the basic premise of these stories is that some form of magic always saves the day.
The question is, are these are just harmless fairy tales, or do they have some latent and lasting effect on young viewers? Obviously this will be different for different folks. Some will simply accept that these are purely fictional tales that have absolutely no bearing on real life.
But others may carry with them a very real feeling that, at some level and at some point in life, there is real magic in the world. Because they believed in those fairy tales as children, they now believe at some unconscious level their “luck” will change and things will magically start going their way; their “fairy godmother” will come along and wave her magic wand and turn their fortunes around!
Let’s face it, emotional events we experience as young children can leave a profound and lasting impact on our lives. We can all remember various events from our past. Naturally, if there is a strong emotional component, these memories can become part of our psyche, part of our overall psychological makeup. Be they positive or negative, if an experience is accompanied by a strong emotional anchor, there is potential for that long term impact.
The stories mentioned in the first paragraph are powerful emotional experiences for children, much more so for some than for others. It makes sense that they could leave a permanent impression in the little minds that are exposed to them if that exposure is at an age where the distinction between reality and fiction is blurred. Depending on the emotional maturity of the child, that distinction may be non-existent. Very young children simply accept as reality the things they see and hear, even though we, as adults, might tell them it’s just a story.
So yes, I suspect that these stories have at least some influence on a lot of people, even though it’s at an unconscious level for most. Is this the reason that so many people live their lives in a state of wishful thinking? Can this, at least in part, explain why so many people buy lottery tickets, play VLTs, visit casinos and bet on horse and dog races?
Could this account for the huge popularity of something like “The Secret” where a lot of people took the concept at face value and seemed to believe that all you needed to do was to “think” or “wish” things into existence and somehow the “universe” would deliver it to your doorstep?
The belief that “luck” or some kind of magical force would somehow, at some point, smile on them and turn their fortunes around.
What about you?
Do you have a belief at some level that the only way you’ll realize your dreams is to be “lucky”? Have you let those childhood stories affect the way you look at life? Do you buy lottery tickets with the belief that this will be your lucky day?
My message is a simple one. If you’ve been waiting for your lucky break, if you buy lottery tickets with any more than a passing thought that you might win, if you gamble regularly looking for that “big” win, here is some harsh news: You are the only one who can make the changes in your life! You need to be in control. You need to set yourself a goal and then you need to take action every day to move yourself closer to that goal.
See the theme here? It all comes down to YOU and the action you take.
If you really want to experience changes in your life, realize you need to do things differently than what you’ve done to this point to get you where you are.
Let go of the fairy tales. No one is going to wave a magic wand to change your life overnight.
Click here if you’re ready to discover how you can significantly change your life… no magic, just you taking one step at a time to move you ever closer to your goals.
How is the Economic Crisis Affecting You?
As the world economy continues its slide, as the debt crisis worsens, as the Fed continues to create more and more currency, where does this leave you?
Quite simply, if you don’t educate yourself about the things going on, you won’t be in a position to take the right action.
Protect yourself and your family. Watch the video I posted above, then click here!.
Are you positioned to profit during the gobal economic crisis?
Do you know about the 50 trillion dollar transfer of wealth taking place right now?
Do you think the worst of the economic crisis is behind us?
Do you know how to profit during these tough economic times?
There is so much about the current global financial crisis that’s “under the radar”.
Mainstream media doesn’t give you the whole story. Nor does the government. And the FED is not there to protect you.
Massive change is underway. And if you don’t protect yourself, you will become a victim.
Fortunes will be lost in the next few years and the middle class is in danger of being wiped out.
Only a very few will profit in the coming changes. Will you be one of them?
Your best protection is knowledge. And that knowledge needs to come from credible sources you can verify.
It’s no secret that the world’s economy is in a state of upheaval unlike any that’s been seen before. We have massive government debt so large that it can never be repaid. It’s this debt that’s propping up the world’s economy. At some point, and that’s likely to be sooner than later, that bubble has to burst.
When it does we could be faced with hyper-inflation, huge tax increases, massive unemployment and a major depression.
The fallout will be swift. The type of bailout we saw for Greece cannot be repeated over and over. There simply is not enough money in the world to sustain it. Yet several more countries are teetering on the brink of economic collapse: Ireland, Spain and Portugal are all in serious economic trouble along with the rest of the European Union. And yes, that will affect everyone throughout the world. No country stands alone in this.
The experts are not telling you this. Why? Simply this: they have a vested interest in keeping you in the dark. Your ignorance about what’s coming supports their income. And of course governments fear widespread panic which would simply accelerate the problems.
I have one simple message. Arm yourself with information. Make your own decisions. Don’t believe everything the media reports.
Most importantly, learn how to profit, even in these tough times. It is possible, but only a very few know how. Even fewer are willing to share their knowledge.
What should you do, when and how do you do it?
If you are at all concerned about the economic problems our country faces, if you know that things just aren’t right, if you want to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to shelter yourself and your family, now is the time to begin your financial education. Right here, right now. Doing nothing is not an option. This is real, it’s not going away, ignoring it won’t help.
The information here may shock you:MoneyConspiracySite.com. But you must see this for yourself.
Take action. Be proactive. Your family will thank you.
How Committed Are You To Your Success In Your Home Business?
I’ve seen so many people “make a commitment” to building a business, then as the first little obstacle comes along they quit!
In other words, their so-called commitment was nothing more than idle chatter. No substance. There was nothing there.
At one time this bothered me. But I’ve come to the realization that it’s necessary to pay no attention to the words people speak. The only thing that impresses me these days is actual business building activity.
If you’re looking for success in this industry you need to have the same outlook.
But what does commitment really mean? And what does your commitment look like?
Are you thinking about starting a home based business? Are you currently in a network marketing business? If so, ask yourself a few basic questions. And be honest in your answers.
Are you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve success? Now obviously I don’t mean going outside of basic ethical standards. I’m not talking about lying, cheating, fraud, etc. What I am talking about is this. Are you willing to do the things you’re uncomfortable doing? Are you determined – and I mean really determined – to move around, under, over, and beyond the many obstacles, large and small, that will inevitably block your way?
What are some of those obstacles? Let’s look at a couple to give you an idea.
A very real obstacle you might face, one that so many have dealt with, is the negativity of those around you. You’ll likely hear lots of negative comments, your friends will advise you not to get involved, prospects will tell you it doesn’t work, maybe even your spouse or other family members will be unsupportive or downright negative.
How you handle this wave of negativity is a very real test of your commitment. And it’s one that many in this industry never get over.
Even if you’re mentally ready and expect it, dealing effectively with it is hugely challenging for many.
The best answer is to surround yourself with like-minded people who support you in your goals. This is an easy statement to make, but requires tremendous effort to do. But it’s critical.
And what about the time challenge?
It’s a lot easier to give up rather than push yourself to make the effort when, after working at your job all day, spending time with your family in the evening, all you really want to do is go to bed!
Like all objects, we humans tend to search for the path of least resistance. And quitting when faced with exhaustion at the end of a long day is that path. That becomes a true test of your commitment: is it strong enough to get you past those obstacles.
When you’re at an event and you see the top leaders in your company on the stage, we tend to think they had it easy and that they were always successful. When someone excels at a task they tend to make it look effortless!
Deep down you know they went through many tough times, they faced all kinds of obstacles. The main difference between them and the rest of the crowd is this: the leaders who are being recognized made firm commitments, they work their business every day, they attend training calls and events, and they are leaders for their teams. The lesson for you? They do the things you absolutely must do to attain the same level of success.
That’s how you need to treat your business.
Success doesn’t come in one fell swoop! It’s a culmination of all of these efforts that are made on a daily basis. Some big and some little. But consistently learning, taking action, failing (yes, failing!), learning, then taking more action, that’s what leads to success.
Are you ready to make a commitment to your home based business? Check out Kim Thornton’s site.
A Dream Worth Pursuing
We all carry within us a basic need for independence. For some, this drive is so strong it leads to being your our own boss, having your own business, to writing your own ticket.
For others, if this basic urge is unfulfilled, a high level of frustration is the result. This can be the motivating factor that leads to actions required to satisfy the urge.
That’s one of the most fascinating aspects of the human psyche: what drives us to take certain actions?
Since before recorded history humans have responded to life’s challenges and frustrations by being inventive. Our ancient ancestors invented tools to answer those problems. They created methods of communication. The structure of great societies was developed. Trade and commerce evolved over the centuries to become our current financial system.
And throughout it all, individuals rose up to lead in certain areas, be it in thought, in religion, in government, in science, in business.
Let’s focus on leadership in business.
Just as the role of business leader is essential in corporate America, in the home based business arena, the role of leader defines success. To achieve true success as a self-employed entrepreneur you must learn and then exhibit leadership qualities that are evident to everyone you meet.
Let me ask you this? Are you someone who has a strong urge to be self-employed? But you find yourself working in a job where that dream is, as yet, unfulfilled? If so, you’re not alone.
If you find yourself in this situation and want to change it, here’s my advice. Start by working on your leadership qualities.
This may sound like strange advice if in fact you’re looking for a business opportunity. People spend hours researching business opportunities given their desire for financial freedom and independence. These are, of course, goals well worth pursuing.
What you must realize is that the foundation of success in your own business, whatever it may be, is your leadership skill. So while you search for the right business, developing those skills is essential.
The simple fact is, nobody is going to believe you’re serious about your business if you don’t project those strong leadership qualities. You need to ooze confidence. You need to be decisive. You need to have firm convictions about your choices. People who join you in business need to feel assured that you are someone they can follow with confidence.
Think about yourself and who you choose to follow. Would you follow a “non-leader”? Someone who couldn’t make a firm decision, who was insecure in their choices, who was unsure about which way to turn? The majority of people, if they start following someone they thought was a leader but turned out not to be, quickly abandon that person in favor of a leader to follow.
So, do you see my point? This is why developing your leadership qualities while you search for the right business opportunity is so important. When you find it, you need to be ready. That will not be the time to start working on your leadership skills! When you find that opportunity you need to be ready to demonstrate that yes, you are a leader, and move forward with conviction and confidence! That will give you the momentum to surge ahead to your success.
Click here to learn more about building your own home-based business.
I LOVE Mornings! Don’t You?
Are you someone who complains about mornings. Do you especially complain about Monday morning? It’s a shame, but this is such a common habit that people have in our society.
But pause for a moment and think about the alternative.
Waking up in the morning is a good thing. If the choice is between waking up or not waking, what do you prefer?
MCs (morning complainers) seem to have pretty much decided what their day is going to be like even before they’ve gotten out of bed! It seems to me that they must be pretty unhappy with their lot in life.
Let’s face it, waking up with a new day laid out before you, 24 new fresh hours ready for you to experience is really a wonderful gift.
Now I know that not every minute of every day is filled with joy and happiness. Not every waking moment is overflowing with enthusiasm. That’s just not realistic. We all have things we must do that are not on our top ten favorite list. We all need to deal with some boring activities. But… to “hate” getting up says one thing loud and clear to me. You’ve made some not so great choices in life! If the thought of doing a few unpleasant tasks colors your entire outlook on life, give yourself a shake!
Because life really is all the choices we make. We make hundreds, maybe thousands of them every day. The vast majority of our choices are small such as what shirt to wear or should I have that second cup of coffee, and a few are major such as the decision to buy a new house or to find a new job.
Our choices can involve the physical like the ones in the last paragraph. However, most choices happen between the ears. That’s what the rest of this article is about. And that brings us back to the MCs.
We all make the choice of waking up to a day full of opportunities and challenges or focusing on all the things we dread.
Here again we are dealing with choices.
Do you go to a job everyday that you despise? Ask yourself why you’re there. What were your choices that put you in that situation? And what choices do you continue to make that keep you there?
And are you choosing to be miserable and making your situation worse? What would happen if you changed your perspective and made a simple choice to enjoy your life? What would your days be like if you smiled more and tried to be helpful to those you meet?
Whether you like it and accept it or not, we all choose the outlook we have towards life. It really is sad that a lot of people choose to be victims. And yes, that is a choice people make. Maybe not consciously, but that’s the nature of being a victim. In reality most people who play the victim role won’t even recognize themselves as such.
Now I’m not saying that you choose to be a victim, it’s just an example. What I am going to do though, is challenge you to take a serious look at your perspective on life.
If you fall short, in other words if you don’t view life as a great and wonderful adventure that you anticipate with enthusiasm every day, I challenge you to make some new choices. Do you need to find some new opportunities to go after or do you simply need to start seeing life in a new light?
The choice is yours!
Are you ready to change the direction of your life? Are you looking for more for you and your family? Check out the FireYourBossAdvisor.com. It might be the best choice you’ve made for a long time!
A Classic by Dale Carnegie
As someone who is building a business, you probably read a variety of self help and business books. You know the importance of self-education. Along with all of the great current material, do include some of the classics.
You can always learn something new, regardless of how old the material seems.
Which is why I include the classics in my reading material.
One of these is Dale Carnegie’s “How To Win Friends And Influence People”.
Published in 1936, the content is as rich and valuable in today’s world as it was 75 years ago.
Sections include:
Fundamental Techniques in Handling People,
Six Ways to Make People Like You,
Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking,
Nine Ways to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment,
Letters That Produce Miraculous Results, and
Seven Rules For Making Your Home Life Happier.
To illustrate, read this segment from “A Sure Way of Making Enemies — and How to Avoid It”:
“You can tell a man he is wrong by a look or an intonation or a gesture just as eloquently as you can in words — and if you tell him he is wrong, do you make him want to agree with you? Never! For you have struck a direct blow at his intelligence, his judgment, his pride, his self-respect. That will make him want to strike back. But it will never make him want to change his mind. You may then hurl at him all the logic of Plato or an Immanuel Kant, but you will not alter his opinion, for you have hurt his feelings.”
At the end of Part II he sums up that section with “Six Ways to Make People Like You”
Rule 1: Become genuinely interested in other people
Rule 2: Smile
Rule 3: Remember that a man’s name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Rule 4: Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Rule 5: Talk in terms of the other man’s interest.
Rule 6: Make the other person feel important — and do it sincerely.
The writing may seem a little quaint at times and it’s not “politically correct” by today’s standards, so just take into account when it was written and ignore that.
Dale Carnegie was born to poor farmers in Missouri in 1888. He managed to get an education, then tried sales with moderate success. Later he tried acting after attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts but found little success in that line of work.
His greatest achievement is likely the course he developed known simply as the Dale Carnegie Course. It is still popular today more than 50 years after his death. His most famous book, the one I’ve referred to in this article, How to Win Friends and Influence People, has sold over 15 million copies worldwide!
If you’re new to this classic, get a copy and read it. If it’s been a long time since you read it, dig it out and read it again. You’ll be glad you did!
Take Massive Action: What Does This Really Mean?
If you’ve been in the network marketing business for even a short while, you have undoubtedly heard the term “take massive action” multiple times. It is one of those phrases that gets used so much that I really think the meaning is diluted.
I’m certainly not disputing the necessity for massive action, but I think the term needs to be examined. The reality is that to be successful in this business you must work diligently and consistently toward your goals. And yes, you can call this massive action.
But just for a moment I want to break it down and see what this ubiquitous phrase means.
Let’s take James as an example. He’s just joined a network marketing company becoming a distributor for the first time. So, unlike many in this business who have been involved in one way or another before, our friend James is brand new.
If you think back to when you first joined your opportunity, you can imagine his level of excitement. Everything is fresh in his mind, he’s thinking of all the possibilities and all the people he wants to share the opportunity with.
So what will it take for James to be successful?
Well, massive action for one thing! But what does that really mean?
Let’s step back and try to understand what really happens when someone joins a network marketing business.
For most people it is their first foray into the world of business, entrepreneurship, or self-employment.
Most of us come into this industry having worked for someone else in a traditional job. And for many, the transisiton to doing something that takes initiative, drive and self-motivation is the first major challenge.
Once that initial excitement wears off, as some of the inevitable challenges surface, the first true test of being an entrepreneur is faced.
What I’m assuming here is that James has set some very ambitious goals. He wants to be among the top earners in his organization. He wants to build a significant organization in a relatively quickly.
This is where true massive action comes into play.
It comes down to a major shift in his thinking, his daily habits, and maybe even his relationships.
Every waking minute must be devoted to his new business. All of his activities, at least in the initial phases of his business growth, must be focused on the specific tasks and actions that bring results. He needs to assume the mantle of leader and live it and breathe it. Those around him need to see these changes and recognize that yes, James is serious about his business.
His entire demeanor needs to become that leader so that people want to follow him. That new persona needs to be evident in-person and online.
And as his business begins to grow he needs to continue to grow personally.
James needs to schedule specific business-building time into each and every day. Time for prospecting, following up, marketing, mentoring his team, attending live events.
That’s what massive action really means.
So when you hear that term tossed about, think about what you’ve read here. It’s not about phoning one or two more prospects, it’s about finding a way to phone dozens. It’s not about trying a few online lead generation methods, it’s about becoming a master at one, then moving on to master another.
That’s what massive action really means.
So the next time you hear someone say massive action, think about this article.
To be successful you must match your actions to the size of your goals.
What do you want to achieve? Are you ready to match the size of your action with the size of your goals?
Only you can decide.
If you’re looking to lay the foundation of your massive action plan to propel you to your goals, Mike Dillards Magnetic Sponsoring program is a must. It’s a classic in this industry. Nobody in network marketing should be without it!
Network Marketing: Business or Hobby?
I’ve just posted an article about understanding the difference between those who treat their network marketing business as a hobby and those who treat it as a real business.
You see, starting a network marketing business is really easy. This ease of entry is both a good thing and a bad thing.
The bad part is, if you’re not careful, you’ll end up with lots of people joining your team with an “I’ll try it to see if it works” attitude.
If you’re building a real business, this is something you want to avoid.
As a team leader, you invest a huge amount of time and emotional energy in supporting, motivating, mentoring and training your team members.
So it makes sense to qualify your prospects early in the process. If you can weed out those with the “I’ll try it” attitude, you’ll be a lot further ahead.
Let someone else sponsor those weak prospects! You don’t need or want them on your team. They’ll drain your energy and waste your time.
The most important thing you can do in the prospecting stage is to make a decision: Is this person someone I want to invest my time and emotional energy in?
You need to qualify your prospects to determine if they are going to be serious about building a business.
Are they willing and able to devote the necessary time?
Are they willing to invest in their own training?
Are they ready to respond positively to training and to do things that are outside their comfort zone, that is, are they coachable?
These are just some of the things you need to learn about your prospects.
You might think that it is worth sponsoring anyone and everyone just to see what “sticks”. In fact, some organizations train their distributors to do just that.
I think this is a bad strategy. Let me explain why.
When you invest emotional energy in a new distributor, and they quit your business a short while later, it is a draining experience. A real downer. There are enough obstacles in this business to deal with without adding one that you can easily avoid.
And that brings me back to qualifying your prospects.
You can’t, of course, know with 100% certainty that someone will succeed in your business, regardless of how well you qualify them. But by employing some time-tested techniques you can filter out a lot of those who are all talk and no action.
I strongly encourage my team members to learn from the best. There is no point in trying to figure everything out on your own.
Mike Dillard interviewed one of the industry’s top recruiters. Click here to watch this very informative interview. And it’s free!
Note that I am both an affiliate and a user of Mike Dillard’s products.
Business Advice I Learned From My Dog
We just got a new dog. Not a young puppy though. She’s about 8 months old – a rescue dog – and appears to be a husky/shepherd cross.
We got her as a companion to our other dog, a lab/boxer cross. You see, we just moved into our new home on a large acreage and felt that “Jed” needed a companion.
Not being interested in all the work and possible damage that can come with a very young puppy, we searched for and found a dog that was almost full-grown.
So “Tasha” joined our “pack”.
For any readers of this who are dog lovers, you might be familiar with Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan.
His mantra is to be calm and assertive. You must be the leader of your pack in order for your dog(s) to respect and follow you.
And this is where my dogs have taught me some very valuable business advice!
Just like Cesar says, you must assert your leadership to your pack. So it is in business, you must demonstrate your leadership to your team, and those around you!
This is a simple concept, but not always an easy one.
This article is not about dog training, it’s about being a business leader. And so it is vital that you begin to establish yourself as a leader. But what exactly does that mean?
Here are some considerations.
First and foremost, decide what it is you’re trying to achieve. If you are going to be a leader, you must have a clearly defined set of goals and objectives that you are aiming for in order to lead others who are on a similar quest.
The other critical aspect of leadership is you must add value to those you want to lead.
Let’s briefly explore these two items.
Where are you going?
If you ask a lot of people who have a network marketing business to tell you their specific goals and objectives, you’ll find that the vast majority of them have only a vague idea of what they want to achieve. It goes something like this: “I want to be rich.”
This is not a goal, it’s a wish.
A goal is a specific target, within a given time period with measurable action steps laid out as to how this goal will be achieved.
This could be along the lines of, “In six months I have a monthly income of $____. To reach this goal I will generate X leads per week, and sponsor X new distributors per month. To do this I will spend X hours per day working on my business in the following activities: X% of time on marketing, X% on calling new leads, X% on training and X% on follow-up calls.”
There are actionable steps with success indicators along the way to gauge progress.
That’s quite a different scenario than the lottery mentality of “I want to be rich!”
The other critical factor I mentioned is adding value to those around you.
This one stumps a lot of people, especially people who are new in an opportunity.
They don’t feel they have knowledge to impart, or that they are too new and therefore come across as weak and indecisive.
Mike Dillard talks about “Demonstrations of Higher Value” (DOHV) and the opposite, “Demonstrations of Lower Value” (DOLV).
The only way you can establish yourself as a leader in the eyes of someone else is if you consistently demonstrate to that person the higher value they will find through their relationship to you.
The fact that you are reading this article is an example that you are acquiring knowledge. And this knowledge can be imparted to others as part of your DOHV.
One of the most important things you will do as a leader is to continually learn. Make a point of exposing your mind to new training material and self-improvement on a daily basis. That way you’ll not only keep yourself motivated, you will have new and exciting things to share with others, which will go a long way to establishing you as a leader.
The other part of this value is simply the ability to provide positive support to those around you, particularly those on your team. Giving encouragement, which can be in the form of challenging people in a positive way to do better, is another great aspect of leadership.
Of course leadership is a massive topic, one that many volumes have been and continue to be written about.
But the business advice from my dogs holds true! By being calm and assertive, and in the case of business leadership, assuming a posture of confidence, you will attract others to you simply because these are qualities people want to associate with and be close to.
One of the best books on this topic as it relates to network marketing is Mike Dillard’s influential work, Magnetic Sponsoring.
But even before you get the book, you’ll have access to 7 information packed videos that will reveal some startling facts about this industry.
If you’re serious about success in network marketing, the best business advice I can give you today is to check it out!