“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.

My definite date is September 17, 2014, God willing on that date several things will happen. One, is that I will turn 45 years old. Two, I will have achieved my financial goal. Having the definite date makes it real as well as helps my mastermind group hold me accountable for my progress to get to that point. If not, I could easily get distracted by the latest and greatest income opportunity offering a turnkey, ‘just enter your name and e-mail’, ‘we’ll do all of the work’, ‘the industry has never seen before’-dare I say it? SCAM. So I’ve got a checklist which consists of action, self-improvement, upline accountability, proven system, and conference calls. I have a personal mentor that is not bending me over, er um-I mean charging me for their experience of what works in network marketing-how cool is that?

I don’t buy leads, I don’t sign up for affiliate programs, no cold market calls, and no friend and family recruiting. So what is my job in my mastermind group? Participate. Yep that’s all they’ll give me right now. But little do they know, I’m in business with them, and I’ll be moving on to the things that I excel at-just as soon as I figure out what they are-just kidding. Obviously I’m good at not knowing everything, especially about products. My company has amazing products! Haven’t tried all of them but what I have tried are top notch quality. I can let you in on a little industry secret-ALL MLM’s have good products-yessir it’s true as I’m blue. Blue as in my dominate personality color-not blue like I just maxed out my credit card on the latest get rich quick pyramid scheme. All of this stuff, the training, mentoring, definite date, all of it has come in trade for my most valuable asset-my time. Otherwise free, er um I mean priceless!

How does self-improvement create opportunity you might ask?  Well, in network marketing it’s not wholly about the products, just about every network marketing company has excellent products, it’s about the relationships you build with people.  A personal friend and upline sponsor of mine makes the qualification for sponsoring someone into your organization, “would you want to spend a month with them on a cruise?”  So how would you know if this is something you would consider if you haven’t taken the time to build a relationship with them?  How cool is it to pick the people you want to work with?  I personally think this is greatest thing about the network marketing industry.  So if I’m not in a daily habit of self-improvement who will I be attracting into my business?  Everyone knows the answer to this question, if you don’t then click here for more information on the subject.

One of my favorite sayings and the motto I live by is, “I want to be a little bit better today than yesterday, and even better if I get to experience tomorrow.”  Day by day, every little self-improvement increases the possibility of achieving one of my personal goals: creating a wildly successful, highly prosperous, fun loving-and having, network marketing organization.

“A leader is not measured by how many followers they have, but how many followers they have inspired to lead.”

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!