Something for Nothing-"Just become an affiliate..."

"Just become an affiliate and watch the $$$ come rolling in, I made $652,287.47 last minute and so can YOU!" I love this stuff. Today I just have to say it, WTF? Sorry for cussing but sometimes there's just no other way to get the point across with the same emphasis. I know some will disagree but that's why there's a comment button at the bottom of the post. I mean, really? Last minute? On autopilot? Without talking to anyone, doing anything? I've been looking for a way to make money without doing anything for quite some time now, I found only one persistent obstacle. A conscience. Yes good old fashion I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror, sleep at night, constantly afraid to give out my home address-conscience.

I can't bring myself to ignore this for the accumulation of money. And the truth is that I wouldn't want to be without the satisfaction that I provided the world with the necessary contributions to acquire it. What does it mean to me at the end of the day? I'm right with God and myself. I used to spend a good deal of time caught up in the fear of criticism of others-not a good way to live life or do business. But over the years this has been replaced with a definite purpose, goals, and the understanding of the wonderful industry I will be a part of for the rest of my days. What is this going to require of me? First, it will require training in network marketing. And guess where that starts? You guessed it, with me.

To be successful I have to know a little bit about people, and if I don't know about myself I will flounder from one affiliate scam to the next. Self-improvement leads eventually to self-confidence, or at least it better! Is that all there is to it, definitely not. Having a plan might be helpful in checking to see if you are indeed making progress. Some of this is beginning to sound like work. Hence the saying you don't get 'something for nothing' I think our government is in the process of finding this out too! Yes, I had to go there too, but you know it's progress and today that's where I'm at.

So how does all of this affect my motivation? Definitely in a positive way. I know why I'm in this industry, why I want to be successful, and why it is I'm still alive and healthy-the most surprising of all. It's because of the people who took the time to help me. Call it a debt of gratitude, but this is what moves me beyond the objections of family, friends, and former colleagues. This is what will push me beyond my current capabilities to realize legitimate royalty income, to say nothing of the residual income. I have never been averse to hard work, but I can say in all honesty that working on myself has been the most difficult and rewarding.

So while $652,287.47 a minute did catch my attention and seems inviting enough, at the end of the day if it doesn't push me beyond my current capabilities it could never be worth it. Why? Because leaders don't inspire without motivating others to become more than what they are now. And also is there the possibility for duplication? Can I mentor the people in my organization to take action to develop the leader relationship with themselves so that they can mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs? Cause network marketing is NOT a sales business, if it was then I'd be able to make $652,287.47 a minute and be able to sleep at night. The truth is it's a people building business that takes commitment and yes, some hard work.

Traffic, where are all the people?

I spent some time last night following some suggestions for target marketing, which entailed creating an account on a service called Traffic Swarm. If you've never checked it out, it's interesting to say the least. As with any other online business they have a 'pro' version or a 'free' version or its equivalent. The free version allows for you to activate your account by simply browsing ads for home based business, network marketing, multilevel marketing, income opportunities, passive income, wealth, wellness, lead generation, you get the picture.

So as I went through and checked out the different sponsored/listed sites I got to thinking about how many people are looking to create income opportunities on the internet. There is definitely an aggressive market for working from home, firing your boss, residual income, completely automated-you don't have to do ANYTHING! opportunities. Wow, nothing? Really? I was raised by a single mother and didn't have my father a part of my life due to alcoholism, so there was not a lot of money to buy luxuries like nice clothes. This is something I am extremely grateful for today.

I wanted a few things that my mother couldn't afford as a teen and petitioned the great State of Texas for a working permit at 13, which they granted with conditions. My first job other than chores was working for Arby's a sandwich shop. I don't remember much about the day to day stuff but do remember the people involved. I know that it was during that first job that I really started to form an understanding of what I would do for the rest of my life-helping people.

So as I clicked through enough links to activate my account on Traffic Swarm I got to thinking what am I doing here? What will I write that hasn't already been written? And it dawned on me that all of these superstars with their turnkey, recruit...recruit...recruit!, replicated websites, scams, and automated downline builders-where you NEVER have to call any PEOPLE! I came to a realization that it is about the people for me, it's about hearing their hopes, their dreams, about their experiences, their children, their successes and failures.

I had a man once ask me if I wanted 10 years of success, right now? And being at a low spot in my life I said, "of course!" And he told me two of the most important things I have ever heard. He said, "first you will miss all of the miracles along the way. And second if you didn't have to work for it, then it won't have enough meaning to fight to keep it flourishing." I now understand about not missing all of the miracles along the way-10 years later. And I have no problem learning and working and growing to build a wildly successful, highly prosperous, fun loving and having, network marketing organization.

And I know in my heart that I could no more join an automated opportunity that adds 10,000 people to your organization before you can fall asleep than I could rob a bank, or gamble and lose someone's retirement in the stock market. I'm just not concerned with any opportunity that doesn't value the people who are willing to work to improve themselves and this world one person at a time.

Why I Will Commit To One Year

What can be accomplished in one year? When thinking about this question what comes to mind is that I have never measured my progress over a defined period of time. Wow! That's taking a few moments to sink in, and why is that? Lack of focus on a set, determined, measurable goal. It seems that some questions come harder to answer than others but this one comes with more power than most.

I'm feeling a curious sense that like most people who have made a one year commitment to a specific goal I will be amazed before I am halfway through the year as to the power of this process. What will it mean to my personal life, business life, or spiritual life? What will it do to my motivation in my day job, my on-line business, wellness, or more importantly to my self-confidence?

I believe that the first opportunity it will provide me with is being accountable to myself, my team, and help with focus as I work from home. I can see that it will also allow me to free up time for self-improvement, time for meetings, and increased productivity. And who couldn't use help in these areas while building a wildly successful, highly profitable, fun-loving/having, network marketing organization?

I suppose it's the difference between a professional and a wannabe home-based business builder. There's no doubt my upline will agree that being coachable, having a yearly commitment to self-improvement, and a definite business plan are the essentials that lead to success. I will commit to a year for these reasons, and besides what's to lose? A few bad habits, a few beliefs that weren't mine to begin with, or more importantly fear of failure. Can you imagine a year with commitment and purpose-I can, starting today!

Why I Am Proud To Be A Professional Networker

I am proud to be a professional networker because that's what I've
always had a talent for doing. The only problem with where I was
before and where I am now is that I wasn't getting compensated for
networking. For example, I wear some really expensive shoes. The
reason I wear them is because they took the pain from my knees and
lower back away, roughly 2 full days after wearing them-I installed
carpet, sheet goods, hardwood floors and ceramic tiles for a few
years. I have not worn another shoe since-during my daily
activities-unless I am running or really dressed up. I have told many
friends about the shoes and the benefits I have gotten from them. I
wish there was a compensation for word of mouth, with this
company-actually I will be contacting them tomorrow to make sure there
isn't. MBT is the shoe.
I love the fact that I get to help people to
a solution to their problems, whether it's diet, mentoring,
addictions, alcoholism, effects of abuse, what a gift to share with
people. Some of these things pay me with money, the rest satisfy a
spiritual need to pay back for the peace of mind and freedom I
experience daily. My days are filled with gratitude-what an awesome
frame of mind to greet others and the world with. I am proud to be a
network marketer because it not only allows but requires that I be
more than I am, any given day, but also that I get to use constructive
and creative imagination. My imagination is fired with purpose and I
can feel the momentum starting to stir an enthusiasm that is infecting
a larger group of folks around me. I am already there in my mind,
nothing left but the joy of learning the details of the wonderful
people coming with me into my new business life.

Servant Leadership

I really like the sound of this servant leadership. I wake up early on most days and cook myself breakfast and decided to microblog the ingredients to my Twitter and Facebook status. Well, did you know there are hungry folks out there? Well, maybe they didn't realize it until reading my status. A friend of mine on Facebook was kind enough to comment, "did you make enough for everyone? Seriously!" In fact I had. Our student organization at the university Non-Traditional Students Organization was hosting a table for a Marrow Donor Drive and I made a round for my officers and volunteers.

Does that make me a servant leader? Probably not. But it does make me feel good to help out those who help out the organization I lead. I made a commitment to my health to follow a food plan suggested by a personal trainer-he suggested 80/20. And I know what you're thinking, it's 80% good home made, healthy meals and 20% junk-not the other way around! I also made another commitment to my mastermind group, that I would participate in a 30 day mental cleanse. OMG! Has this commitment been life changing! Without going into details, let's just say it has helped me to stop the chatter and focus on the guy who has been the main character in my drama of life-me.

In many areas of my life I have been freed from character traits that have not served me very well. Now it is such a gift to continue to take out the trash so to speak surrounding my business life. Since I am in a people business it seems that the only way to help others is by first ironing out my own kinks and letting the rest fall where it does the greatest good at the end of the day. Life has and continues to bring challenges and gifts by the bucket full. Some days it's a little easier to notice the challenge bucket, which always reminds me of one of my favorite bumper stickers, "Oh no, not another learning experience!" But now the days that are most precious to me are the days where gratitude is the guiding thought for my interactions with all the wonderful people in my life.

Courage

Where does this precious quality come from? Is it nurture or nature? Is it a learned behavior acquired by watching the behaviors of others? I don't know, don't want to know, and further don't really care. I know it when I see it in another and have been attracted to such folks making lasting friendships with them. These are the kinds of people you want not only in your business but in your community and life as well. The courage to tell it like it is, the courage to say that's not a business model I'm willing to associate myself with-no matter how much money is involved.

The courage to really know oneself, the courage to inspire others, the courage to open the conversation so the prison walls of loneliness fade into the far off distance of another lifetime. The courage to give freely of oneself without freely giving oneself away. The courage to pursue one's dreams while understanding that it is only by helping others to a solution to their problems is all of this possible.

So, one might ask how does all of this relate to network marketing? It all sounds aloof and surreal-life is simple not like that. This is where personal commitment and courage meet the status quo. Dreams are not only discouraged but actively attacked from so many fronts in society that very few of make it to a successful realization. As a child my dream was real simple-I just wanted it to stop. All the fighting, the cruel words, all the things that transpired that no one ever talked about.

My dream was not possible then because we didn't have any solutions. We didn't have anything to compare it against, and we didn't have the courage to ask for help. Boy did I learn that lesson well, I look back and can honestly say that asking for help almost killed me-literally. But when I acquired the courage to say, "I don't know what I'm doing, can you please help me?" My life has never been the same since. People have not only shared their dreams with me, but have inspired me to use my creative imagination to create my own-what a gift!

In my mastermind community the amount of courage among the individuals is without equal in any one place, at any one time. There are many things I want to lose and replace with more of this precious quality. What do I want to lose? I want to lose the death grip on the self-sufficiency that served me so well as a child, a survival tool that has no capacity to allow dreams. I want to lose this idea that only a select certain few are capable of success, anyone with the commitment to personal growth can succeed. I want to lose many misconceptions about work, if I come up with results that are above and beyond I want to be paid or pay accordingly.

I know that my company shares my philosophy in many ways-especially the results. I'm inspired by the courage of the people on my team as well as everyone who is in my mastermind group. Courage is what sets one apart from a life of the ordinary to a life capable of the extraordinary. My dream as a youth has been fulfilled because I could finally say with an honest humility, "I don't know what I'm doing, can you please help me?" The courage it took to say those words again and again over the years has led me to a life that people like myself could only dream about, and today it's my reality! I pray that I continue to have the courage to be a light for others to make it from bridge to shore.

Definite Purpose

Having a purpose. A clear and defined purpose. I have met with a wonderful loving community of folks sharing their time and ideas-an amazing mastermind group for a student of the network marketing industry. I will be part of creating a highly prosperous, fun-loving-and having, organization of leaders who will lead the way in taking back the American Dream.

Infectious enthusiasm! Repeat after me, Infectious enthusiasm. Infectious enthusiasm for health, infectious enthusiasm for prosperity, infectious enthusiasm for family, for community, for our world, for our children. As a drop on the calm waters of much needed change for humanity we will ripple through through the world’s communities with this infectious enthusiasm-the vehicle is my loving family-Mentoring for Free.

What a gift to give to a spirit starved world-one leader, one dreamer, one person at a time as a community-the truest altruism! I am so grateful to be a part of the greatest movement in network marketing. Network Marketing, the opportunity that will pay my children’s children and inspire the next generation of leaders.