“Those who want milk don’t just sit in a field and wait for a cow to back up to them.” – Author Unknown

That is my all time favorite quote. I first heard it over 12 years ago on a conference call. It cracked me up back then and it still makes me smile. The illustration is so ridiculous yet so appropriate.

If you want milk you have to do something to get it. Action is required. These days you can go to the store so its pretty easy.

Sadly many people approach their business as though they were sitting in a field waiting for something to happen. I guess they are hoping osmosis will kick in and things will just happen.

They start their network marketing business with a glimmer in their eye. “One day I’ll retire from the drudgery of a job,” or “I will earn a thousand or so to supplement my income”, or “I’ll earn enough to cover a car payment.”

Remember that feeling? You learned about how network marketing worked and bought into the dream. The problem is, far too many sign up as distributors but they don’t take any action. They just wait for something to happen.

Network marketing is a business that you can fulfill your dreams. You can open up unimaginable freedom and lifestyle changes but . . .

. . . one thing is required. Well, actually a few things are required but they all require ACTION!!

Here are 3 ways to help keep yourself motivated for action:

• 1. Know Your WHY -This is really important. Recently I heard someone say your why should be big enough to make you cry. Mine sure did. Even still I can get choked up when I tell my story of how I got started. It needs to be emotional and inspiring. Although others will benefit from your cause, it has to be about you.
  

  
  Example: My why was freedom: emotionally, financially and freedom from health problems – I was financially in trouble and I was suffering from suicidal depression. At that time I was exposed to medicinal grade essential oils. My sponsor, who knew I was in bad shape brought some oils over for me to try. Within minutes of trying an oil blend, I was lifted out of that depression to such a point that I was giggling and dancing around the house. My son came home, not knowing what had happened, asked if I was “On something.” That was life changing for me.
  

  
  Having been in network marketing already but not feeling a good fit, I realized this was the company for me. This could, not only help my husband’s health issues, but also the financial mess we were in. We live in the poorest county in Ohio, my husband had lost his job of over 20 years. He had serious health issues and had been in the hospital. We were in a desperate situation. Being over 40, it was difficult for Mark to find a decent job so we both ended up doing all kinds of things but not making ends meet.
  

  
  Freedom from all that mess was my HUGE WHY!

• 2. Focus Daily on your WHY – When you are doing that, make sure you think deeply for a few minutes and let yourself access the emotion under it. This is VERY important. You’ll find motivation if you focus on this why EVERY SINGLE DAY. Start your day with it so you set the tone for the day.
• 3. Take Daily Action – Read books, listen to audios and conference calls, work on personal development, use at least 3-5 ways to promote your business, etc. Learn what you need to do and do something daily.

Even if you take small steps in the beginning, keep stepping forward and making progress. Visualize, set goals, work on personal development, learn to be a good marketer and leader. Stick to it and have a DMO – Daily Method of Operation.



If you stick to it and keep taking action, you won’t regret it.




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I have been thinking about passion in relation to business. It is really important that you have passion for what you do. If you don’t, you will find it difficult to achieve success.

In the beginning, when you first get involved with a network marketing business, there is an excitement. You see the possibilities and you feel a new sense of energy. After a while that new excitement wears off. Usually this excitement has worn off before you really get a chance to build your business up to a point where you see any real income.

This is the point where most network marketers jump ship to another program and another shot of new exciting energy.

But what if . . .

What if you stick it out and keep building your business.

What if you keep focusing on what you intend to build.

What if you keep learning and developing your skills and you get better and more comfortable as a business person.

What if that initial excitement grew into a deep passion for the network marketing industry as a whole and helping other people learn how to build their own successful business.

That is what happens to network marketers who stick with it and work on their skills.

It’s no secret that the most successful people love what they do. Once you find real passion for what you are doing, that energy begins to radiate from you in everything you do. You become like a light in a dark room. The people who need what you have will be drawn to you and you will be there to help them.

Your business can be compared to a marriage. Yes, that initial excitement of the brand new relationship is gone but it is replaced with another kind of energy. An energy of love, caring and building something that will take you far into the future.

There is a statistic I have heard many times over the years that only about 3 percent really make any serious income. I don’t know if that percentage is accurate but I do know there is a lot of failure in this industry. It’s not just this industry actually. There are lots of areas where people struggle with success.

Most blocks to our business success are based in FEAR.

I want to share a handy little technique that I learned a few years ago. I use it to help in releasing fear and other negative emotional blocks. It’s called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). This is a technique I wish I had known about in the beginning of my business.

EFT is a form of psychological acupressure that uses tapping instead of needles on acupuncture points on the face and body. This tapping is combined with verbalizing the problem.

The originator of EFT, Gary Craig, learned that all negative emotions are caused by a disruption in the body’s energy system. The energy system is made up of meridians in Chinese medicine. Tapping on these meridian points while focusing on the negative emotion can help reverse the disruption in the energy.

Negative emotions around certain areas of our business end up as obstacles, or blocks to our success. We all have things that make us uncomfortable. For me, when I began my business, I had an intense fear of being a leader. A leader must be visible, in front of the team and demonstrating the way for others to follow.

One childhood trauma that contributed to my fear was being abducted by a stranger. Even though I escaped from my abductor, it left an impression on my subconscious mind and has effected the way I function in all areas of my life. I have had fear of standing out and being noticed. Being too visible felt dangerous for me.

This is a problem when you enter a business where the only way to be successful is to become a leader.

I struggled with being a visible leader for several years. To get the courage to act in spite of my fear, I read lots of books and listened to audios, over and over and over. Jim Rohn and Tony Robbins were a couple of favorites.

Then I learned Emotional Freedom Technique and began using it to release a lot of the negative energy around things in my business as well as other areas of my life.

How to Do Emotional Freedom Technique – EFT

The basic EFT sequence is pretty easy and takes only a few minutes to learn. With a little practice, you will be performing each round in under a minute.

You will be tapping with the fingertips of your index finger and middle finger and with only one hand. Either hand works just as well. Most of the tapping points exist on either side of the body, so it doesn’t matter which side you use, nor does it matter if you switch sides during the tapping.

When you tap on the points outlined below, you will tap about 5-7 times. The actual number is not critical.

The EFT Points

KC = Karate Chop
EB = Beginning of the Eye Brow
SE = Side of the Eye
UE = Under the Eye
UN = Under the Nose
Ch = Chin
CB = Beginning of the Collar Bone
UA = Under the Arm
WR = Inside of Wrists
TH = Top of Head

You can also tap the fingertip points. I sometimes tap these points discreetly when I am in public. Each finger can be tapped at the base of the nail.

Next: Focus On Your Problem

Think about the issue you want to release negative stress around.

The basic EFT setup phrase goes a little like this:

“Even though I have this _____________, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

The blank above is filled in with a brief description of the negative emotion or other problem you want to address.

While tapping on the Karate Chop Point, say your setup phrase 3 times.

Here are a few examples of EFT setup phrases for business owners:

“Even though I have this fear of being a leader, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

“Even though I have this fear of success, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

“Even though I have this fear of failure, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

“Even though I am not motivated to talk to people about my business, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

“Even though I have phone phobia, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

Once you have tapped your setup phrase 3 times, then use a short reminder phrase on the other points.

For fear of being a leader, you could say, “fear of leadership” or whatever short phrase you want that keeps your mind going along that theme.

Don’t get too worried about the exact wording you use. Just focus on the negative emotion you want to clear. There is an EFT technique that I use all the time called “Tap While You Gripe.” You just start talking and tapping. I like this technique if I am really upset about something or if I just don’t know where to start.

You don’t need to say things out loud. You can be thinking the words as you tap. Just focus on the negative emotion while tapping.

I have recently written an E-Book on EFT for Network Marketers and Other Business Owners. Please visit the link if you would like more information on EFT.

“We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.” ~ Lee Iococca

The economy is bad these days. It is effecting people everywhere. I see friends and family suffering and I hear them complaining about their situation. All the while my business is THRIVING.

Network marketing tends to be one type of business that does well in times of economic down times. One reason for that is because people are looking for ways to supplement their income.

Really, the way you look at it has a lot to do with whether your business will thrive or take a dive in a bad economy. I see it in my own downline. Some are thriving and growing their business while some are having their sales volume fall off. The ones who are dropping in sales volume are moaning about how bad the economy is and saying they can’t get anyone to buy anything. They are projecting poverty mentality and it is literally shutting down their business.

Your mindset, the words you use and the energy you radiate have a lot to do with how successful your business will be, especially in a bad economy.

When I began my network marketing career, over 13 years ago, I was going through a tough time financially. My energy and belief was at a really low point. At the time, I was also a struggling artist doing art shows and selling Rainbow Cleaning Systems on the side. Both of those involved sales. Both of those I was failing miserably at.

At the time I hadn’t yet learned about mindset and the power of the Law of Attraction. I just knew I couldn’t sell anything if my life depended on it. I was radiating the energy of desperation which actually repelled buying customers.

Since that time I have spent a lot of time learning about how the words we use, the emotions and the energy we radiate effects how successful we will be. If we are worrying about the economy and how expensive things are, that sends an energy that actually repels sales. This is not the energy we want if we are intending to build a successful business.

It is important to have a strong belief in your business and your products. Not only that, but you also need to realize and BELIEVE that you have a potential solution for many people’s economic crisis.

Some of the greatest growth in this industry happens when the economy is bad. Are you going to see this as an opportune time to build your business or are you going to join the masses and be paralyzed with fear?

Hey, why not check out the Super Simple Marketing Series and give your business a kick in the pants?

“Do not wait; the time will never be “just right.” Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” — Napoleon Hill

Procrastination is a problem for many network marketers.
The days are ticking by one after another. Now that the economy is bad, you have all the more reason to get to work on your business.

Oh, by the way. Times of bad economy are ideal times to build a network marketing business. People are looking for ways to supplement their income!!! I am actually having record sales volume. I hit a new record in the size of my monthly check from my primary company. I attribute that partly to the bad economy and partly to my association with a powerful master mind group called Million Mind March.

Please don’t let procrastination cause you to miss out on this opportune time to build a successful network marketing business.

Every day that you don’t do some work on your business, self improvement and training are putting you one step further away from your goals.

Have you noticed how fast time flies by? I am amazed that 13 years have passed since I started with my primary company. I am ever thankful that I kept moving forward in my business and not only do I but several family members and others in my downline also experience the freedom of network marketing.

I realize I am a bit of an odd duck. I tend to procrastinate on doing non business things. Almost every morning my husband asks me if I plan to take any time to play a game today. I always say, “Yes. I plan to do that.” That’s one area I procrastinate. I rarely get around to game playing. For me, working on my business is more fun than any game I could play. I also procrastinate exercising which is something I need to be more focused on.

Tips to help with Procrastination:

1. Know WHY you are building this business and think about it every day. Then decide what you will do TODAY that will take you one step closer to your goal.



2. Make a list of the IMPORTANT things you want to accomplish today. I also have a tomorrow list that I start in the afternoon for the next day’s activities.



Some of the things on your list need to be things that will actually cause you to increase income – Getting people to your web site, putting marketing materials out, talking to prospects, etc.



3. Prioritize your list. Decide which things are most important on the list. Do those first. If you have something unpleasant to do, I recommend to get that over with first or early in the day. Everything else will be a breeze.



4. Big jobs can be broken down into parts. Part of your daily routine should be reading success books and training. I have several books I am in the process of reading. I read a bit from each every day. Even 15 minutes a day reading will be a positive step forward.



5. Make a plan and take action. Decide how much time you will spend each week on your business. Then plan what you will do during that time.

I recommend at a minimum of talking to at least two new prospects every day… that is 60 a month. If you recruit just 10%, you will have 6 new recruits personally sponsored every month.

You will never be perfect. You don’t have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going.

I have been re-reading some of the books I read in the early days of my network marketing career. This morning I was reading the The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason.

The Richest Man in Babylon is one of my recommended reading books. This book has wisdom that applies to life, money and our network marketing business.

In the chapter, “Meet the Goddess of Good Luck,” the richest man is telling a group of men where real luck lies. Not in gambling tables or betting on horses but in real opportunity. He asks a man to tell of a time when real opportunity was within his grasp but he failed to grasp it.

The young man explains about the opportunity that came before him and how he shared the idea with his father. His father tells him to hurry because opportunity can slip away.

Enter the scene at the point where his father tells him to hurry. Read the paragraphs below and think about how it applies to our business opportunity.

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‘Thou, my son,’ bespoke my father unto me, ‘art now in thy young manhood. It is my deep desire that thou begin the building of a valuable estate for myself that thou mayest become respected among men. I desire to see thou profit from a knowledge of the thoughtless mistakes of thy father.’ ” ‘

This do I most ardently desire, my father,’ I replied.

” ‘Then, this do I advise. Do what I should have done at thy age. From thy earnings keep out one-tenth to put into favorable investments. With this one-tenth of thy earnings and what it will also earn, thou canst, before thou art my age, accumulate for thyself a valuable estate.

‘ ” ‘Thy words are words of wisdom, my father. Greatly do I desire riches. Yet there are many uses to which my earnings are called. Therefore, do I hesitate to do as thou dost advise. I am young. There is plenty of time.’

” ‘So I thought at thy age, yet behold, many years have passed and I have not yet made the beginning.’

” ‘We live in a different age, my father. I shall avoid thy mistakes.’

” ‘Opportunity stands before thee, my son. It is offering a chance that may lead to wealth. I beg of thee, do not delay. Go upon the morrow to the son of my friend and bargain with him to pay ten percent of thy earnings into this investment. Go promptly upon the morrow. Opportunity waits for no man. Today it is here; soon it is gone. Therefore, delay not!’

“In spite of the advice of my father, I did hesitate. There were beautiful new robes just brought by the tradesmen from the East, robes of such richness and beauty my good wife and I felt we must each possess one. Should I agree to pay one-tenth of my earnings into the enterprise, we must deprive ourselves of these and other pleasures we dearly desired. I delayed making a decision until it was too late, much to my subsequent regret. The enterprise did prove to be more profitable than any man had prophesied. This is my tale, showing how I did permit good luck to escape.”

“In this tale we see how good luck waits to come to that man who accepts opportunity,” commented a swarthy man of the desert. “To the building of an estate there must always be the beginning. That start may be a few pieces of gold or silver which a man diverts from his earnings to his first investment. I, myself, am the owner of many herds. The start of my herds I did begin when I was a mere boy and did purchase with one piece of silver a young calf. This, being the beginning of my wealth, was of great importance to me.

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That is such a good story. It applies to what we are intending to build.

Whatever network marketing company we are involved with, we have the same opportunity to either create something that will provide financial freedom, or we can be like this man who delayed and let opportunity slip through his fingers.

As he was buying robes, someone else grabbed the opportunity and built great wealth.

“Do not wait; the time will never be “just right.” Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” — Napoleon Hill

We have opportunity at our fingertips too. We are in a network opportunity where many have built great wealth, investing time, effort and money to build and advertise their business. Many have signed up for a network marketing opportunity but haven’t started building their business yet.

Will you grasp your opportunity or will you let it slip away? It’s entirely up to you.