Saturday, June 30, 2007

Sticking it Out - Will you?

So many people just get blown out of the water and fail simply because they didn't stick around long enough to have success. Success is the result of good old fashioned work and effort.

What about you?

Did you ever decide you'd like to change things? Maybe you're sick and tired of making your boss rich? Sick of being told to get up and go to work day in day out, rain or shine and not enjoying your job. You may want to do something different, but what?

You look around. You begin to think "maybe, just maybe", you could find something to do that could help you break free of that hum drum existence. You see something that seems "easy" so you sign up and get started with a network marketing company or some affiliate type program that you could work online and you jump in, with little or no experience.

You're excited! You think you found the answer to freedom. You tell a few people and they laugh at you, and tell you you're crazy. They burst your bubble but you set out to prove them wrong.

A few months pass, and you find you're not rich, and retired and the "work" gets old. After all you have a day "job" and then may have to come home and work on learning a 2nd career…so you start to fade away. Friends invite you out for a night on the town and it's much more inviting than trying to build your business, so you go. You drift away and you eventually either give up, OR see another offer where the grass looks greener so you jump over there. You start over again and again, maybe with 2 or 3 different opportunities, but NONE make you rich, so you give up. You decide this won't work.

On the flip side of the coin, maybe you did sponsor a few people, but with a few people, you still are not rich and this is too hard, so you quit.

I find that SAD. Many times, those that gave up, and quit, left behind someone they sponsored that went on to do well, and that one person could have made the difference in their life. Many times it's NOT who you sponsor, but maybe someone they sponsor or someone that leads you to a person that becomes a great leader. However, remember you quit, so you don't even know it. Some of the best leaders on my team, came to my organization as a result of people that gave up.

I made a vow to myself 15 years ago when I decided to break out of the working world, and learn about this industry they call network marketing. That vow was this, "no matter how hard it gets or how many times I have to start over, I will NEVER QUIT. I saw that there really were people that were earning a living and many of them I saw were really kind of goofy people. I thought, it they could do it, I could too.

I never bought in to those stories of billionaires, and that. I also found many times there are stories about lifestyles and most of the time, while they may be true or semi true, the stories are NOT stories but more paid advertisements. I never bought into that kind of thing. I found that misleading. The masses do NOT make millions,however, what if you could make a decent living? What if you could replace your full time income in a few years? What if you could make a little more than your full time income but work for yourself instead? That's more realistic and that is more reality.

Sure there are millionaires in our industry, just like there are millionaires in every industry, but at what price? To get that kind of income takes much hard work, much effort. In the traditional world it may even take 6 or 8 years of expensive colleges, and also starting at the bottom and working your way up, and it's not easy. Why would anything think that becoming a millionaire in the networking industry would be an easy task? IT IS NOT and most people won't make it to the top of ANYTHING but it a job or be it network marketing. It's doable of course, but it's really more of a pipe dream.

Now… if you are truly serious, and you want to build a residual income that comes in and grows over time like interest in the bank, you can do it but you MUST be realistic. You must work. You must find a product you can believe in and you must sell it. YES I said sell. I do not care what business you're in, you are either selling a product or a service, or there is no business. A real business depends on people moving products.

Even if you have a JOB in accounting, someone in your company must be out there selling "SOMETHING" or your company is not going to be around long. You also had to sell, no matter what you do. If you went on a job interview, you had to sell them on hiring you. I don't know why people get scared when someone mentions "SALES". The world revolves around sales. No company survives without sales.

To be successful, you must be willing to get started with whatever you choose. You also must be willing to stick it out. The quote I live by (and I don't know who started it but it's been my very existence) is simply "Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit".

I chose NOT to quit. I chose to stay thru thick and thin. I decided if I stuck around long enough eventually I would find a winner of a company and product and move forward to build it. I had to start over many times but I never gave up and never let anything stop me and today I'm glad I did. What about you?

Remember…we all have the same choices. It's what we chose that makes the difference. You can chose to stay where you are in that job, and learn to live with it, love it and hope they don't downsize you….or you can chose to find something you can do to become independent, and build a future.

I am thankful I chose the later. My family on the other hand, chose the first "JOB world". This past year was a nightmare for both my kids. It breaks my heart to see, but they are of the menality that network marketing is like the company that started it all years ago, and they just don't believe in it even though they know I make a good living at it.

In 2007, I watched as both my son, and than later my son-in-law's companies came along and downsized them right out of their jobs that they had worked hard at to advance with. My son was fortunate enough to find another job within 2 months, and "start over" with a lesser salary where he can work his way back up. He also had to relocate and is presently stuck with a 500K home in another state he has to work on selling. This is the 4th time this has happened to him in his career. He has worked his tail off for the companies, and worked up running million $$$ operation only to have his head on the chopping block when they don't need him anymore or want to "cut back"

My son-in-law just lost his last "job" about a week ago. This has happened to him in the 15 years they have been married at least 5 times. He was relocated about 7 years ago to the north and a year later the company that sent him there downsized and closed that operation and he found himself without a job for the 2nd time in as many years. Each time he manages to find another "JOB" work hard, turn around operations for the company, and they take all his ideas, and suggestions, use them and then find someone that will work for less. This time, it is the company he WAS with, had a merger, they came in with all their own management staff. They downsized the entire company management and brought in their own… demoting everyone from the prior company and keeping them on…. (For 6 months or so). As soon as they learned about the new company they bought, they canned EVERY person from the old company cause they could now operate for less with people they didn't have to pay. So he's back in the JOB market.

Both of these are my "family". This is the "family" that has watched me build an income in network marketing thinking I'm not working, cause I don't report to a JOB. They also within the 4 or 5 companies they each were promoted thru got transferred to other states. Both were top performers in their companies so many times got sent on "trips" with company management, cruises and such and of course, I was the one to fly up and take care of the grandkids when they went. I didn't mind, I love traveling and I can work any place I have a cell phone and laptop…but again, perception. They think I don’t "work".

I say all this to say, many times your family can be your worst critic. Many times they don't GET it. Many times they think that JOB is security…but is it?

To me the reality is what I see, and in the Corporate America world these days there is NO Security. IMHO, I watch as big companys chop jobs, and ship our job over seas. Ever call for an air reservation, or a computer question these days and not be able to talk to a person that you can understand? Call your hotline for service? You talk to machines, that press 1 for this and go into a loop forever before finally gettting a live person. I'm not at all prejudiced, but I would like to talk to a LIVE person, that can speak fluent English. After all I live in America and am calling an American company. Bottom line, the companies are farming out our jobs overseas, cause they can pay peanuts and they only care about the bottom line $$$ so where is the security in that?

For my kids and family they are still trying to hang on to the past where you went to work for 40 years and retired with a gold watch. I think that only exists today in fairy tales. We have to carve our own future. If you have a good paying job today, consider yourself fortunate and blessed, but also stay on your toes because they may decided to hire someone for less and you may be out the door, just as my kids were this year.

Who's better off, them or me?

I could have quit early on, when people laughed at me or told me I was nuts. I could have easily thrown in the towel when companies failed me and closed, or I found out they were NOT what they said. Companies in network marketing are no better or worse than the corporate world in some cases so you do have to do your homework and find the right fit. However, with the skills and education I've gotten plowing thru the failures and weighing the options, I am thankful I didn't give up and stuck it out.

You have the same choices and same options. The thing is will you stick with it or will you give up and quit when the going gets rough. It is NOT an overnight thing, you will NOT be rich over night. You can make a living at this but it may take time to learn. If you are willing to get started and vow to NEVER a quit, you can become all you want to be.

I challenge you … take action. Action is the key and the future is here. Too many people put off making decisions, and then the years pass and they life in regrets. They WISH they had listened 2 or 3 years ago, but then again the only time you have is NOW. If you're considering doing something, do it NOW. Don't wait because tomorrow could be to late. Today is all any of us have.

Hope to see all of you at the top. Find something you love and get started carving out a future and don't wait another day. DO IT NOW!

Diane

Diane "AKA MLMBlonde" Walker is a professional network marketer and author who has built her business using the power of the internet. She has also developed MULTIPLE income streams and is committed to helping others reach their dreams. She has a book coming out the later part of 2007. Watch for the publication.

Click Here To learn more about MLMBlonde

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