The Enlightened Networker » Success

Are You Sabotaging Your Own Network Marketing Success?

Ilka Flood — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:25:24 +0000

Success in Network Marketing

Success in network marketing starts (and ends) with YOU. Have you ever heard that?

If that is news to you, listen up.

Can you relate to this scenario?

You are doing everything your upline sponsor tells you to do. You are using the tools he or she recommends. You attend all company meetings and listen to every single conference call. Yet, … for some reason you don’t see the network marketing success you would like to have.

What’s wrong?

One important ingredient is missing. Actually, the most important ingredient is missing.

Neither systems , tools and conference calls nor company meetings are building your success. They do help considerably and are very important, don’t get me wrong, but unless you add the most important ingredient you will never see the success in network marketing you could have.

This one missing ingredient is … YOU!

Plain and simple!

It’s YOU and what you are THINKING.

Do you have doubts about your products? The comp plan? The company? Doubts about your own ability to succeed? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Maybe you are afraid of your own courage?

If you have a case of “Stinkin’ Thinkin,” get rid of it. Stop sabotaging your own network marketing success!

I am just re-reading “Think And Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and in the book he states …

“Both Poverty and Riches are the Offspring of Thought”

Think about this for a minute. That’s very a powerful statement!

If this is true, than that would mean that you can think yourself into poverty or you can think yourself into riches. Which would you choose?

Well, I know which way I would go.

In chapter 3, Napoleon Hill talks about “The Law of Autosuggestion.”

“The subconscious mind makes no distinction between constructive and destructive thought impulses. It works with the material we feed it, through our thought impulses. The subconscious mind will translate into reality a thought driven by fear just as readily as it will translate into reality a thought driven by courage or faith.

…If you fill your mind with fear, doubt and unbelief in your ability to connect with and use the forces of Infinite Intelligence, the law of autosuggestion will take this spirit of unbelief and use it as a pattern by which your subconscious mind will translate it into its physical equivalent.“

Wow! Pretty scary stuff, huh? So, be very careful what you think.

I would like to close with a poem that describes the law of autosuggestion very well…

“If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.

“If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will—
It’s all in the state of mind.

“If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

“Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!”

Napoleon Hill, “Think & Grow Rich

Think POSITIVE!

Success in network marketing can be yours if you can adjust your thinking. When you get a case of “stinkin’ thinkin”, which we all do at times, get rid of it immediately and change your negative thoughts into positive ones. You do have a choice.

When I get down and negative thoughts creep into my mind, I get away from it all. I do something fun and uplifting. Sometimes I go for a walk. Doodle a while in PhotoShop or listen to upbeat music. Or I read a few pages in a book. (Hint: Think & Grow Rich is a great one.) Or I take a shower and wash those negative thoughts right out of my mind.

To your Network Marketing Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. Share with us what you like to do to get rid of “stinkin’ thinkin’.” And if you found value in this post, please share it. Thank you!

The “Rinse and Repeat” Formula for A Successful Network Marketing Business

Ilka Flood — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:22:26 +0000

"Rinse and Repeat" Formula for a Successful Network Marketing Business

So, just what is this formula for a successful network marketing business?

It’s been said, that our habits predict our future. I believe that to be true. How about you?

Have you ever noticed that the more you do something the better you get at doing it? You can take anything in life and you will see that there is actually some truth to it.

Remember when you first learned to ride a bike?

You were wobbly. You knuckles turned white because you were holding on to those handle bars for dear life. You prayed that your dad (or mom, or whoever was holding on to the bike to keep you stable and give you support) wouldn’t let go.

You practiced every day and every day you got better. And then came the day when you were practicing again, and you turned around and there was nobody holding on to you anymore. You were riding that bike all by yourself.

At first that scared you and may have caused you into ‘wobbling mode’ for just a few seconds. But then you regained your confidence and you were enjoying the ride. A proud feeling of accomplishment came over you. You did it!

Now when you get on a bike you don’t even think about what you are doing. It’s just automatic.

It can be the same in your network marketing business.

You may be totally overwhelmed, pulled into different directions. Everybody and their brother telling you what to do and how to do it. (You’re in wobbling mode.)

But when you get really down to it, it’s quite simple. Just like riding a bike. Focus on the basics.

There are certain tasks that you must accomplish every day in order to reach your goal of running a successful network marketing business. Some of them may be new to you and may require a certain amount of practice. But by practicing them every day, you will get better.

“Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.” ~ Zig Ziglar

So what’s the formula for a successful network marketing business?

Identify the tasks you absolutely have to do every day in order to move your business forward.
Do them in order of priority. (Life happens, so do the most important tasks first, just in case.)
Practice those tasks that need perfecting.
Rinse and repeat

Stick to that formula no matter what. Put your blinders on if you have to in order to keep from getting distracted. I know there are many distractions out there. All I have to do is open my email inbox and there are tons of them…But…

Repeating important activities that move your business forward on a daily basis is the key to a successful network marketing business.

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.

I don’t know how they came up with 21 days but it seems to work. So write down what you need to do every day. Do it for 21 days and see what happens. (Of course keep going after that.) There is power in positive habits.

Just keep your focus right on your target and you will get there.

Bye for now, I’ve got to go do some rinsing and repeating.

To your successful network marketing business,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. If you found this article helpful please share it with your friends. Thank you!

Not Ready to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone?

Ilka Flood — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:16:09 +0000

Stepping Out Of Comfort Zone

You’ve probably heard MLM trainers before recommending that you should “step out of your comfort zone.” Well, I even mention it on a few of my blog posts here at The EnlightenedNetworker.

That’s great advice! But what if you are just not quite ready?

What if you don’t feel comfortable of stepping out of your comfort zone completely and do things you are just not ready for yet. That’s okay! We’ve all been there at one point or another. It’s all part of the growing process.

Don’t panic!

Instead of freezing and doing nothing at all try to just ‘stretch your comfort zone’ a little bit. It’s much better to grow a little than not growing at all.

Build on your small successes and then stretch it a little more.

You will find that with every little stretch your confidence builds a little more.

Success is a great confidence builder.

I remember a few years back when I was asked at an opportunity meeting by a corporate member of our company to get in front of the audience and give my testimonial.

Oh dear! If there would have been a hole in the ground I would have gladly jumped in to it. With every passing minute I was waiting for my turn to speak my palms got sweatier and my throat dryer. I was terrified.

“What if I get stuck and can’t find the right words?” Or, … “what if I accidently throw in some German words?” That sometimes happens when I’m nervous.

All kinds of thoughts were going through my head. (F.E.A.R – False Expectations Appearing Real.)

When I was called to go up there and speak, it took a whole two sentences and I was calm like an old pro. I wasn’t nervous at all anymore, didn’t get stuck, and as far as I could tell no German words slipped out either. At least nobody in the audience seemed to be confused about what I was saying. Everyone just looked at me and really listened. Which by the way, really made me feel good and gave me a lot of confidence.

I stepped wayyyy out of my comfort zone that day. Or should I say, I GOT stepped out?

But I am so glad it happened. I build on that success and started stretching my comfort zone on my own.

It’s important to celebrate our small accomplishments.

Every little step we accomplish on our way to success is cause for a celebration. It gives us more confidence.

Ralph Waldo Emerson says …“A mind once expanded can never shrink back to its original state.”

Substitute the word “mind” with “comfort zone” and the same holds true.

Once you expand your comfort zone, it will never shrink back to where it was.

Are you stepping out of your comfort zone? Or at least stretch it a little bit? Share your experiences with us in the comments below.

To your success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. If you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends. It’s easy to share on Twitter, Facebook or Digg using the buttons at the top.

Are You Truly Committed To Your Network Marketing Business?

Ilka Flood — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:43:13 +0000

Developing Leadership Skills Can Be Learned

Or are you just going through the motions because you are not ready to quit just yet?

So, how about it? How’s your commitment to business?

For your network marketing business to give you the success you desire it takes a 100% commitment from you. Don’t treat it like a hobby. Treat it as a million dollar business because that’s what it really is. Even if you paid a low entrance fee and your monthly commitment (autoship) is very low. Eventually your business - if you treat it in a professional manner – will become a million dollar business.

If you are truly committed, trust me, you will reach your goals.

Okay, so right now you may have hit a snag and you really have your doubts.

I know how it feels. I’ve been there. The key is not to give in. Doubts can stop you right in the tracks and they can even kill your business if you let them. If you are having doubts, get to the root of them and find out why.

Why are you doubting? Do you think you just can’t do it?

Take a look at the top leaders in your company. How do you think they got there? Are these people so very different from you? If you really look at them, I don’t think they are so different. They just posses more leadership qualities and skills than you do right now. But that can be learned.

I bet if you had a chance to meet them and sit down and have a chat, they would give you several reasons why they got to where they are.

They have a “Can Do” attitude.
They surround themselves with leaders, with successful people who walked the path before them.
They have a library of self-development books and actually read them.
They are not afraid (or too proud) to ask questions.
They stepped out of their comfort zone and said good bye to F.E.A.R (False Expectiations Appearing Real).
They learned everything possible about their company and products so they can talk intelligently to prospects.
They have built great relationships over time and have a list of people they can draw from for referrals.
They have a plan and work it.
They know that in order to succeed they will have to fail.
Quitting is NEVER an option for them.

Developing leadership qualities can be learned.

Think about it … Do you believe in your heart of hearts, that if you did the same exact thing as your top leaders; if you had the same type of commitment to your business as they have; do you believe that you could achieve the same kind of success as they did?

If your answer is “YES” then what’s stopping you? GO FOR IT!

To become a good leader you must first become a good follower. Start by finding a great mentor and then really start listening and implementing what he or she teaches you.

To your success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

Can There Be Success Without Gratitude?

Ilka Flood — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:02:18 +0000

Developing an Attitude of Gratitude!

Hmm, I wonder.

I’ve been reading quite a bit about “developing an attitude of gratitude” lately.

Taking things for granted is never a good thing.

Have you ever noticed that when you loose something you suddenly (and sometimes painfully) notice its value to you?

I try hard not to take anything for granted, but this morning when I sat down on my computer I noticed that I had taken for granted the very things that are KEY to my business success.

Here are just a few things I had totally taken for granted …

My computer
The very first thing I do every morning after getting out of bed is turn on my computer. Without even thinking about it, I expect it to turn on and to hear that familiar humming sound.

I never gave thought to the many people who were involved in creating the parts and putting it together. Nor have I ever thought of the genius who was able to figure out that a bunch of zeros and ones somehow could make a computer in the first place.
The Internet
Again, I totally expect it to appear as soon as I log in. Should it go out (usually right in the middle of me working on something – like would you believe it – right now as I am writing this) I kick and scream (sometimes) and get very upset.

The internet is the life line to my customers, my team members and prospects, my online friends … well to basically everything. It’s the heart beat of my business. Without it I am dead in the water.
Email
I took it for granted (until right now) that I can send an email to someone half-way around the world in seconds and that I can get a response back just as quickly.
Skype
I can call friends, family and prospects all over the world and don’t have to pay a penny to do so (if I call from computer to computer) or very little if I call from computer to a land line or cell phone.
The Telephone
The ultimate credit goes to Alexander Graham Bell for inventing it in the first place. But look how far we have come since then. I’m not tied to a wall phone but can call people from anywhere and can be reached anywhere with a cell phone or mobile phone.

Someone had to invent all these tools I’m using on a daily basis to build my network marketing business.

Someone had to make all this possible. But have I ever thought about those people or thought about giving thanks to them? If I’m really honest … no, not really. I’ve totally taken all that for granted.

So here today is my official expression of gratitude to everyone who has anything to do with me building my online business. Thank you for making this possible for me!

The only ‘thing’ I haven’t taken for granted are you, my readers. I truly appreciate you stopping by and reading my posts and leaving me your thoughts. Thank you so much!

So again my question … Can there be success without gratitude?

In my opinion, no, there can’t be success without gratitute. Because expressing gratitude for the things you have opens yourself up to receiving more. And the power of gratitude goes a very long way.

What are your thoughts?

To your success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. As always, if you got something out of this post please don’t forget to share it with your friends on Twitter or Facebook…or Digg it.

Failure Is Not An Option? – It Better Be If You Want To Become A Network Marketing Pro

Ilka Flood — Fri, 14 May 2010 21:28:52 +0000

Just think about it … If failure wasn’t an option we would never have heard of any of the following individuals. They all failed. Some of them miserably before they reached success. For all of them failure WAS an option!

Walt Disney …. Was fired from a newspaper because he “lacked originality and had no imagination.”

Lucille Ball … had been dismissed from Drama School with a note that said, … “Wasting her time. She’s too shy to put her best foot forward.”

Harrison Ford … was fired from Columbia Pictures and told he “was never going to make it in the business.”

Michael Jordan … was cut from his high school team saying he “wasn’t good enough.”

The Beatles … were turned down by Decca Records saying, …”we don’t like your sound and guitar music is on the way out.”

Abraham Lincoln … failed in business twice, had a nervous breakdown, his fiancé died and he was defeated in eight elections.

Thomas Edison … was told that his inventions were of “no practical use.”

I could keep going but I think you get the point.

All these people failed. But they never gave up trying. And because of that, all of them eventually succeeded.

Think back to when you were a baby…

When you first started walking, did you give up after falling on your butt a few times? No, of course you didn’t. You got right back up and tried again to the cheers of everyone around you.

What has changed?

So alright, maybe nobody is cheering you on anymore. (But maybe you’re wrong about that one. Your peers are watching and they want you to have success. Especially if you are part of the “Better Bunch.”)

Maybe FEAR has set in. Fear of Failure!

But think about what F.E.A.R really means … False Evidence Appearing Real. Do you think FEAR of failure stopped any of those people above? They were not even thinking about that. Not for a split second. They failed and they pushed on.

So, is failing in Network Marketing an option?

Absolutely! It better be! But only if you let failure stop you from trying again have you really failed.

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” _ Henry Ford

Maybe you have heard of the failure rate in network marketing being 97%. That’s 97% of the people who join network marketing who give up because they failed at one time or another and didn’t push on. They quit. And that made them fail permanently.

So, are the 3% that made it just lucky? No, luck has nothing to do with it. They succeeded because they didn’t let failure stop them. They used it as stepping stone, pushed on and never quit.

What would have happened if Thomas Edison just would have given up in his efforts to find a stable filament to make his electric light bulb invention work? He tried thousands of different versions and none of them worked. His comment: “I have not failed. I’ve simply discovered ten thousand ways that don’t work.”

So go ahead, embrace failure!

Because, for one, it’s going to happen anyway. Unless you stop trying all together. And two, it’s the only way for you to get to where you want to be. And if you persevere then you will write your own network marketing success story someday and people will know your name too.

There is no success without failure. The only time you have really failed is … if you quit. Then failure becomes permanent.

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. Let’s make some noise and share this post on Twitter, Facebook or Digg. Thanks!

Which Way Is Success?

Ilka Flood — Mon, 03 May 2010 22:12:56 +0000

If you have been following my blog for a while you may have noticed that I like to tell stories to illustrate a point. Well, here’s another one …

Which Way Is Success?

A man meets a successful person on the road and asks him, “which way is success?”

The successful person speaks no words, he just points to a place off in the distance.

The man, thrilled by the prospect of quick and easy success, rushes off in the direction he was sent to. Suddenly, there comes a loud “SPLAT.” After a while, the man comes limping back, tattered and stunned, assuming he must have misunderstood the message. He repeats his question to the successful person, who again silently points in the same direction.

The man obediently walks off once more. This time the “SPLAT” is deafening, and when the man crawls back, he is bloodied, broken, tattered and very irate. “I asked you which way is success,” he screams at the successful man. “I followed the direction you indicated. And all I got was knocked down. No more pointing! Talk!”

Only then does the successful person speak: Success IS that way. Just a little PAST splat. (Original author unknown)

How often do we give up too soon? If we only had pushed a little harder; gave it a little more effort; dusted ourselves off and tried again after we were knocked down; where would we be today?

Success doesn’t come easy. If anyone ever told you it does, they haven’t been telling you the truth. There’s no such thing as “Easy Street.” The road to success is bumpy and littered with obstacles.

Ask any leader in the industry and they will tell you they have been bloodied, broken and tattered many times. But they always got up again and went past “SPLAT” one more time.

I too, found myself nose down in the dirt many times. Quitting was never an option looking at the alternative.

“Quitters never win and winners never quit!”

How about you? Found yourself with bloody knees once or twice? Or maybe even more often? Share your thoughts with us in the comment box.

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. As always, if you liked this post, tweet it or share it with your friends on Facebook. Thank you!

Holy Cow!! – I Really Feel Like A Big Shot Now

Ilka Flood — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:15:37 +0000

Yep, I feel like a million bucks today.

What a difference a day makes, because yesterday I certainly didn’t feel anywhere close to that. More like a nickel maybe.

Sometimes life, circumstances or people drop a boulder in your way and then sheepishly watch in the woods to see how you handle it.

Well, you have two options …

You either climb over it, or find a way around it. But… under no circumstances do you let that boulder stop you from moving forward.

Besides, …tomorrow is another day. And who knows what it will bring.

I could have gone to bed last night, sucking my thumb and feeling sorry for myself, …

Instead I decided to shake it off and move on.

The last thing I did last night before going to bed was submitting my first article to BetterNetworker.com. It’s been on my “to do” list and last night it felt like it was the perfect thing to do to end the day on a positive note.

This afternoon, when I checked my emails I found quite a surprise.

As I opened an email from BetterNetworker, to see what’s new over there … to my amazement, my own article headline caught my attention.

If it wouldn’t have been past noon, I would have thought I was still dreaming.

Great things happen when you step out of your comfort zone!

If you are not yet a member of the BetterNetworker, then you definitely should go check it out immediately. When you do, you will find that it is a community of highly respected network marketers and industry leaders. You will also find some of the biggest names in network marketing training there.

It is quite an honor for me to find my article in this week’s issue of– The Best of Better Networker.

I couldn’t have done it without my friends.

So, a BIG thank you goes to, Jason Better and the “Better Bunch.” Thanks guys for helping me believe in myself and pushing a little harder to bring out in me what I didn’t even know was there. And thanks for making me feel like a big shot today! You guys ROCK!!

A quote from the “Great One” (Wayne Gretzky) comes to mind… “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

So, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. Take that shot. And watch what will happen! I dare ya!

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. If you’ve ever felt like a big shot (or hot shot) please share it with us in the comments below.

Face It… You’ll Never Do It Perfect…Unless You Are Woody Woodpecker

Ilka Flood — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:51:01 +0000

Woody has been living in our backyard for a couple of years now. Every spring he would show up and peck on our trees and on occasion also on our house. Which especially made my husband mad. Not just because of the horrible noise, (woodpeckers sound like little sledgehammers), but also because of the damage. Our neighbors actually had to redo the top of their chimney because of Woody’s pecking.

Actually, I found him pretty annoying too, until, earlier this year when I stumbled upon his “perfect work of art” in our backyard. Looks like Woody has decided to move in permanently with us and built his home in one of our old tree stumps.

I stood in total amazement when I saw the perfect circle. I even went as far as to measure it. It is exactly 1 inch and 5/8 across horizontally and vertically. How can that be? How can such an annoying little guy create such a perfect circle?

We’ll probably never know unless we ask him. And I for one am no Dr. Doolittle.

As network marketers we often want things to be perfect. We want to build the perfect business website or sales letter targeting the perfect audience. Write the perfect email or autoresponder series to connect and stay in touch with our prospects or customers. Create the perfect blog post on our network marketing blog accompanied by the perfect picture with the perfect keywords so we will be found in search engines. Even down to our profiles on social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook, everything has to be perfect.

Let’s face it…It will never be perfect.

Even practice doesn’t make perfect. But it does make better.

Much more important than perfection is completion.

If we constantly fine tune or redo whatever we are creating and never finish it, nobody will see it.

Remember the NIKE commercial … Just Do It!!

Your success in network marketing does not depend on perfection, but on completing the tasks along the way to reach your ultimate goal.

Finish your sales letter, your website, your social media profile, your email series, your blog post or whatever it is and send it out there so people can see it. It may not be perfect, but it is completed and it’s out there doing what it is supposed to do …grow your business.

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. This post is not perfect. But if you liked it, please share it anyway. Thank you!

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Could This Be The „Missing Piece“ To Your Success in Network Marketing?

Ilka Flood — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:07:40 +0000

While browsing around the BetterNetworker.com site over the weekend I found a blog post I had posted there about a year ago. I thought it would be a good one to share with all of you today to start the week off on the right foot.

Lessons From A Blender

As I strolled into the kitchen that morning for my second cup of coffee, I saw my husband put huge chunks of ice into the blender for his chocolate shake. I looked at him and the first words out of my mouth were, …“you’re going to break the blender.” (Always the positive thinker.)

As he hit the button nothing happened. A grin went over my face. I knew it! There was no way it could crack these huge chunks of ice. He should have broken them into smaller pieces first. Ha, I told you so =)

Then my eyes wandered over to the outlet. The blender wasn’t even plugged in.

My husband, who had followed my eyes, picked up the cord, and, with a huge smile on his face, plugged it into the outlet. Then he hit the “Ice Breaker” button on the blender. Noisy but without any difficulty the blender started to break the ice.

Still grinning from ear to ear, my husband turned to me and triumphantly asked,… “Now, what did you learn from this lesson?”

“That to be successful, you’ve got to be plugged in”, I answered.

You can’t light up if you’re not plugged in.

And you can’t become a leader that way either. It just doesn’t work that way.

Leaders are plugged in. They attend training calls and events.

They continue to learn and grow. They are involved.

And, they do what others don’t, they always push themselves!

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. If you liked this post, please share it with your friends on Twitter and Facebook.