Whether you are rich or poor is a choice and a mindset. You must take responsibility for what you have or what you lack. That may sound harsh, especially in the current economic climate. Many people feel things are out of their control. After all if your company has down sized and made you redundant, leaving you without an income, is it your fault that you have spiralling debt? Well real leaders take full responsibility for everything in their lives.

But more than that, remember that thoughts become things. Everything mankind has ever done has begun as a thought before becoming a tangible reality. So too for each of us.

Let me share something. Some years ago I had to close my conventional business and sell my house. Due to circumstances at the time I emerged from the situation in a poor financial state and because of some unwise decisions I went on to accumulate very bad debt. When this kind of thing happens we have a choice as to where to focus; what mindset to adopt.

I did not choose well for some time. All I could think about was my lack of money. If I went out I was afraid to spend the money to buy a coffee. I told myself I couldn’t afford anything. I was even afraid to buy a good personal development book and that further drained my resolve .

My mindset was ‘poverty’ so more poverty came into my life. I made excuses for my lack of income. But usually the toughest lessons in life can be the best wake up call.

I decided I’d had enough. Like Jim Rohn used to say – It’s not the government, the economic situation or anything else that needs to change. It’s us that need to change. – Do you recall his story of how he could not afford to give two dollars to a young girl who was raising money for a good cause? He lied to her and swore it would never happen again. Well if anything, the economic situation is worse now but I simply made the decision to focus on wealth instead. Things changed. Opportunities appeared. There was money in my bank where there had been none, when previously I was almost afraid to check my balance! I put aside the fear that had previously held me like a strait jacket

Now I hope that you are not in such a state. But we can still embrace the mindset of poverty in all sorts of subtle ways. Take a look at how you live and see if you are doing that. Even in the darkest economic times, such as the Great Depression of the 1930’s, many people become wealthy. Network Marketing offers us a way out of the mire, but only if we embrace the concept of wealth and see ourselves as already having it.

I would love to hear if you have experienced anything like this and how you overcame it. I wish you wealth.

Do you want to have a good network marketing business or a great business? If money is your main motivation, then you will never reach the heights of greatness. That will ruffle a few feathers.

If you saw the video posted in my last article, with Art Jonak, Ken Dunn and Orjan Saele, you should have begun to get a feel for how the top people in our profession think. You may say that it is easy not to be concerned about the money when you have it.

I would like to suggest that you need to let go of the need for money in order to reach the big league. That may not be so easy. Perhaps you are still working towards replacing your job; you have a family to support; you desire a new home – whatever. These are important things but the dream of network marketing is one that offers the potential for true greatness. That is a word one of my mentors uses often and with good reason.

So what can you do to change your vision? Take time to re-asses your values. Step back and spend some time in quiet contemplation. Everyone finds their own way to do something like this. I find real seclusion works for me.

Regular visitors to my blog will know that I was offline for a while recently and that it gave me a chance to look at things afresh. However that process is still ongoing and at the beginning of the week I was on a remote Scottish island with no internet access nor mobile phone. It was wonderful. The surroundings put me in a totally different state of mind. That is when you can hear what the universal intelligence (as Napoleon Hill says) is telling you. You see with new eyes and maybe you find that what is really important to you has changed. Then you may need to change how you work.

Launching a network marketing business is a brave step that most people are afraid to take. We do what most people will not do, in order to have a lifestyle that most will never experience. Now I challenge you to take another brave step and lift your vision even higher.

Maybe this short video will inspire you. The background noise is the wind and the crashing of the North Atlantic waves! Enjoy it.

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As some of you will know I recently had major technical issues with my blog that resulted in it being offline for nearly two weeks. I changed my hosting provider and I had to transfer the domain name. It should have been a simple process, taking maybe a day or two.

You know how it is when you keep getting messages like – “it will be ready soon…….!” The thing is that my blog is the nerve centre of my online work. Everything I do on social media, YouTube etc points to my blog. Another day and another day went by and my blog was still in cyber space. So that kind of posed a challenge, an unplanned break.

I’m sure you’ve heard the advice that we cannot control what happens to us but we can control how we react, our emotions. That is so important. At every moment we have a choice. Do I get upset? Do I get angry? Who is to blame? We truly choose how our life will be.
If we give in to those negative feelings, we suffer. So many people go through life reacting not responding. A surge of negative emotion comes up and we allow ourselves to go with it. I truly believe that every cloud has a silver lining; there is a reason behind everything although sometimes we do have to look hard for it.

Occasionally it is really good to have something happen that slams the brakes on for us. I know I can get into patterns of work which become sterile. They were good when I started but they need fine tuning and I don’t see it. Then something comes out of left field and it forces me to take stock and learn new lessons.

We are all working hard – blogging, developing a network marketing business, balancing home life and maybe a regular job. Often we don’t allow ourselves to take stock.

Well I did step back. I’ve not made mega changes, more a shift in emphasis with some innovations planned. You will see one or two new resources on my blog over the next month or so. I hope they will help you.

So welcome whatever happens and know that it is perfect. It’s good to be back in touch with you all. Let me know how you are.

Why does it matter? Because you are the average of the five people you spend most time with – in your income, your general emotional state, etc. So who do you keep company with and where do you want to be?

Pursuing the life of your dreams demands you pay a price. The obvious things are working extra hours when most people are chilling out in front of the TV; perhaps putting some hard earned cash into your business that means you miss out on a vacation. But the real price you pay is working on yourself, personal growth – to have more, you must become more. As you change on the inside, so what you need on the outside will change too.

Most folk get in a comfortable rut as young adults and not much changes as the years go by. You hang out with the same crowd; follow the same football team; go to the beach in summer; try to keep life comfortable as you get greyer; you know how it is.

Then you start working towards a life that most people only dream of and things get uncomfortable. Your friends think you’re crazy and they try to steal your dream. When they want to complain about life and their debts, you want to talk about how you are going to buy a second home. When they say the cup is half empty, you say it is half full.

The trouble is that this negative energy seeps into you and it will drag you down – make no mistake. As you change, you will have to make choices. Many of your old friends and maybe family members too will hold you back. They really don’t want to see you succeed because that confronts them. Most of them are living ‘lives of quiet desperation’.

Don’t get me wrong. There is no need to sweep all your old friends out of your life. Friends are a precious thing and your family are important too. But you do need to spend quality time with people who share your vision; who will encourage and reinforce the things you are working to achieve.

I have had to make hard choices in this way, especially over the last couple of years. I didn’t feel I was superior to some old friends and I still cared about them. But their company was not good for me and they certainly did not understand the direction I was going in. I even moved country because my situation was not going to change where I was. The thing is, finding the upbeat people to spend time with is not so easy. I have an international business and all but one team member lives outside the country where I am.

The good thing is that we live in an age with fantastic communications. The internet, webinars, telephone conference calls and videos can all connect us with the visionaries who will inspire us. I find following the videos that my mentors post on YouTube gives me great inspiration. I also get on as many team conference calls as I can. Try to get to your company convention, even if it stretches your finances.

Use these resources to insulate yourself against the stuff all around that will drag you down. You still have to live where you are, with your neighbours and work mates. But you must keep feeding your inner resolve. I’ve seen one friend in network marketing who talked a good talk; knew that the ’95%’ will drag you down but who still spent way too much time just gossiping and hanging out. After ten years of struggle her dream has died.

So the choice is yours. If you want to keep your dream alive, choose carefully those who are close to you. Your decisions may not make you popular but it is your life.

Please share your experience. Do you agree? I love to hear from you.

If you enjoyed my recent post published last Friday, July 30 you should find this ebook by Charles Burke really interesting. It has inspired me to new insights on the what ‘Luck’ really means. Earl Nightingale defined it as ‘opportunity meeting preparedness’.

Click on the image to the left to save the book to your computer. Let me know if you enjoy it. I’m sure you will.

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Are you still looking for the four leaf clover or the rabbit’s foot? Of course not because you know that the harder we work, the luckier we get – you don’t need that stuff. We are all true network marketing professionals. I wonder…..

Do know how a lie detector machine works? You tell a lie and someone hears your words but the machine picks up more subtle things like heart beat. Those subtle signals reveal the truth. So where does this fit with luck?

Believing in luck is rooted in a mentality of lack – poverty thinking.Of course you don’t believe in luck, but just maybe your actions betray that. Recently I was talking to a fellow distributor in my network marketing company who made a reference to buying a lottery ticket. Is that a big deal? I’m afraid so. You see the lottery concept is a huge scam. The chances of winning are like looking for a snowflake in the Arctic. It appeals to get rich quick people and losers; people who can often hardly afford to eat well but who waste money on the ‘lotto’. In some countries a percentage is siphoned off for worthy causes but this is like the gangster who puts some money in the church collection plate on Sunday to try and sanctify his blood money.

So think carefully what the thinking is behind things like that when you do them.

Do you recall what Jim Rohn used to say about when he started in network marketing? When he was still poor, he used to focus on how it would be when he was wealthy. In a restaurant he would ‘tip like a rich man’, because he knew he was headed for riches. Now how does that apply to some of your daily actions?

Are you the kind of person who is always looking for a bargain? Do you always go to sales and cut price stores? Do you feel you have achieved something if you found an item cheaper than your friend did? Do you keep telling your kids you can’t afford it? Now I don’t say that you should never compare prices. Sometimes, if finances are still a concern, you have to be balanced in your behaviour. Blowing cash irresponsibly is foolish. But driving to a store to get a couple of bucks off something is kind of crazy when you could have bought the item next door, without spending money on gas for the car!

Many people lives their life looking at the right hand side of the menu in the restaurant before they order. Don’t let the price tag dictate what you do. Just look to see what the thinking is behind your actions. It may be sending a message to the universe that is not what you really want.

I welcome you sharing this post.

Setting your goals too high can be a recipe for frustration and disappointment. But hey, what about all those dream boards filled with pictures of beautiful mansions and exotic holidays?

We often tell newbies in network marketing to set big goals. You know the stuff about it being impossible to ask for too much. I’ve done it. I still do. That’s the big dreams and that’s fine. But how you get there is by working day to day on the small stuff.

So you want to earn 10K a month or even just 5K. But have you ever seen that kind of money? Do you know what it feels like? If you or your new team members are like most people, that’s like funny money – to begin with. It is possible to go from zero to big bucks in just a few months. It does happen. But for most of us, this is not how it is, despite all the hype you hear. You got into network marketing to reach that goal but you are setting yourself up for failure if you keep telling yourself it is definitely going to happen super fast. I know, I’ve been there and I’ve seen it happen to a lot of guys.

Disappointment, frustration, a nose dive and then people quit. Maybe they go hunting the next opportunity. Another good person lost down the rat hole of broken dreams.

So how do you avoid that but still keep aiming high? Have the dream board in place. I look to my left from my computer and there it is and I have some outrageous pictures on it, because I know those things will be mine. But then put that aside and sit down with your new distributor (or yourself) and look honestly at what you have earned till now. How much extra cash each month would make a big difference?

Remember Jim Rohn’s stories about ‘The Magic of Part Time’. I reckon an extra thousand a month, part time, to start off, would make a lot of difference to most folk. If you want more, that’s OK too. But be realistic and set out your plan of action accordingly.

The next step is to build a self-talk (auto suggestion) that backs this up. But sometimes the missing ingredient here is how we feel. Plans and strategies are great. But they can cause you to get too bound up in the ‘how’. Here’s a tip. You have a figure in mind:

• Close your eyes; relax; imagine you have it. Now what is the feeling that comes up?
• Relief, joy, sense of security?
• Whatever it is will be yours so own it.
• Then as soon as you wake each day, spend at least 20 minutes reliving the feeling.
• As you dive into the feeling, let that take you back to your goal.
• When you achieve the goal, then move to a higher one.

This will open you to the abundance of the universe, free of your notions of how to achieve it. Then you will be much more receptive to new people or ideas that come along. And you must do it before getting into the day.

If you try it, let me know how it works for you. I would love to hear what happens. But remember to give it time.

When do you keep pushing on? Sure you have to work like crazy to get your network marketing business into top gear, but do you never stop?

Some days you wake up feeling uninspired. Well I used to believe that actions followed emotions. You know the old excuse – ‘Well I’m not in the mood so I’ll wait till inspiration strikes.’ That’s a bit like getting struck by lightening, which is pretty rare.

If you make yourself start on a project or some of your daily business building activities, then inspiration and energy begin to flow in. You feel better and your momentum builds up. The emotions have changed because you took some action. But sometimes this doesn’t work.

Just recently I’ve talked with a couple of team members who were feeling jaded. One of my mentors talked about this the other day. Yesterday I felt pretty flat. Often we find it hard to take a break. We feel guilty. Usually this comes because we worry about what others will think.

I told my team members I would….

My fellow bloggers expect me to comment….

I just have to write that article….

‘It is of no concern what others think of me. All that matters is what I think of myself.’ Now that is not an excuse never to take advice or guidance. That is why I have a mentor. But in the end the only person I answer to is me. Yesterday I woke with a long list of stuff to do.  I really should do all this, I kept saying. ‘Should’ is not a good word and we use it because of expectations that have been laid on us all our lives by other people.

I like what Jim Rohn used to say about the Seasons of Life, which apply to all aspects of our life. The spring is a time of renewed energy, followed by the action that we take during the summer. But we need a time of renewal which is why we slow down in the autumn and rest up in the winter.

Sometimes we need an autumn break – even in mid summer. Grinding on and on is not going to be productive if we feel burnt out. If we genuinely can’t put our heart into what we are doing, well, take a break. But don’t forget to come back after winter!

My mentor is off for a few days. He is going somewhere with no internet access. Me – I did almost no work yesterday and even chilled out with a movie!

Sometimes we have to set aside down time. Make sure there are no appointments for a while and just chill. Everything will be there when we get back. So if I disappear off the radar for while, you’ll know why! Soon I will be heading off to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland, with no wifi, internet access or much other technology. Although it is not all vacation, I will switch off from my internet business for a while.

Do you sometimes struggle with this? Leave a comment and have a great weekend.

The teacher in my karate class last night really captured my attention……are you wondering what is coming next?

They say stories sell – well maybe not quite but they catch people’s attention. We don’t see them as a sales pitch so we are listening to what follows. You know how it is when you are stuck for inspiration for an article or a video. You want something original and everyone else you read seems so good but nothing comes.

Marketing you and your business should fit naturally into your life. Less effort, more natural, more effective. So go to your life for inspiration:

• I was in the mountains and the sun rising reminded me….
• One of my kids made me remember….
• Watching the trees growing in my garden made me think…
• The teacher in my karate class last night really captured my attention….

This may not work if you plan to write something more technical but you’d be surprised where your mind will go when you let it roam free – even for the techies. Just be yourself. That is who your readers want to get to know. Be inspired by others but don’t copy them.

Well what did he say in the karate class night?

Sometimes people come to the class and go through the motions. Maybe they are tired or recovering from injury. That’s fine. It’s a personal choice. But there are those who put everything into what they are doing, no matter what. They progress and go through the grading till they reach black belt.

It struck me that network marketing is a bit like that. We can go through the motions or we can put everything into what we do. Some days I don’t feel inspired but if I don’t pour my heart into my activity – well it’s like, garbage in garbage out. As long as I’m working, my choice is to be right with what I’m doing. Then people feel the energy I’m putting out and they respond.

I put 100% into my classes and I progress through to become a karate black belt (the top grade). I put 100% into my business and I move up to the top of my compensation plan. That’s how it works.

Be yourself. Your story makes you human and approachable. When someone responds to your story, they are responding to you and that means you can build a good relationship. Then who knows what will happen.

Tell me your story. I would love to learn more about you.