Latest Blog Post Makes It 100

…97…98…99…100! Here I Am 100 Blog Posts Later

I can’t believe I am writing my 100th blog post today. I started this blog back on 30 May 2009, right when I was going through one of the “down phases” of the network marketing roller coaster. (Yep, if you have been in the industry long enough you know there are ups and downs. However, the downs make the ups so much sweeter.)

By writing inspirational and motivating posts I was hoping that I could find my way up again, and maybe help inspire someone else to stay the course as well …if by chance they found my blog in the sea of millions of blogs out there, haha.

My very first blog post was “Marketing Out-Side-of-the-Box”

For the next six months nothing much really happened. I was lost out there in cyber space and nobody seemed to know that my blog even existed. My visitor count was so low that I could count the people who found my blog on one hand.

But in January 2010 all of a sudden that all changed drastically.

Somehow I found Jason Better’s blog. (You can read what happened next here, “Why You Should Surround Yourself With Successful People”.)

I hooked up with the “Better Bunch” and things started happening like magic. I posted more often. Made new friends by commenting on their blogs and replying to the comments on my own posts. (Something I didn’t know I needed to do. Duh!)

So here I am today writing my 100th blog post.

And because it would not have been possible without the people who inspired, motivated, encouraged, and supported me with their expertise, thoughts and comments I want to make sure I acknowledge them and thank them properly. Some of them have become very dear friends.

So here they are…(If you haven’t hooked up with these leaders yet, I strongly encourage you to do so.)

Susanna Hess, Twila Jacobs, Ken & Melisa West, Anne Theriault,  Ana Hoffman, Carla Gardiner, Susan Daniels, Jason Better, Dwayne Huggins,  Tommy DiPietro, Chris & Tragena Owen, Josh Garcia, Derek & Monique Alvarez, Jerome Ratliff, Marcus Baker, Mitchell Dillman, Wayne Vassell, Eric McMillan, Michael Cole, Wayne Wu, Fred Williams, Ryan Biddulph, Peter Fuller, Jonathan Sweeting, Soren Egstrup, James Hampton, Hector Cuevas, Murray Lunn, Adam Paudyal, Jose Lasa, Kimberly Castleberry, Carl, Joshua Black, Kirian Finn,  Robert Strong, Chris Bernardo, Mirdza, Richard Goutal, Michael Wilbraham, Mavis Nong, Slavik G….

Thank you so very much for sharing your wisdom with me and my readers. I truly appreciate you all and I value your friendships.  Without you, this post would probably never have been written. So, again thank you from the bottom of my heart ♥♥♥

You have inspired me in so many ways. You have brightened my days with your sometimes hilarious comments .  You taught me new tricks and helped me grow. And most of all I could always count on you to be there. ♥ Thanks!! ♥

So since my first blog post here on The Enlightened Networker I have made it to an even one hundred…

To the next 100 posts! Hope you continue the journey with me!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

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The Starfish Story

I thought it was time for another story. I love stories. Do you?

Stories have a way to connect and stay with us like nothing else ever could. They tap into our inner feelings and make us part of it. The reason why we remember stories is because they pull on our emotional strings. … They make us think and they make us feel. And it’s that feeling that helps us remember.

The story I am going to tell you today is one of my all-time favorites.

So… without further ado, here it is…

The Starfish Story

adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley
1907 – 1977

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “I made a difference to that one!”

Great story, isn’t it?

We often think we are too insignificant or too unimportant to make a difference. We couldn’t be further from the truth.

One person CAN make a difference.

Just like there are many starfish out there that need saving there are many people out there who are hurting financially in these tough economic times. We can’t save them all, but we can save some of them and then teach those to save some more. That’s called leverage.

Eventually, together, we can make a difference to a whole lot of people.

Did you know, that just $250 extra a month would keep many people from bankruptcy? A home based business could help accomplish that. On top of that, owning your own business has great tax benefits.

To your success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. If you liked this story, please share it with others. Thank You!

Related posts:

1. What Makes You Think You Are Not A Good Enough Network Marketer?
2. 212°…The Extra Degree

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.

Related posts:

1. Success: Even Eagles Need A Push
2. Change is Good…You Go First!
3. Are You Truly Committed To Your Network Marketing Business?

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!

Related posts:

1. What Makes You Think You Are Not A Good Enough Network Marketer?
2. Which Way Is Success?

Time Out!

Sometimes I feel I write this blog just as much for myself as for you, my visitors. I have been extremely busy lately. Learning new things, figuring out new WordPress plugins, and gadgets and widgets. I’m almost at the point of burnout.

You can only burn the candle at two ends for so long.

Last night, while laying in bed, unable to sleep because my mind was still going a thousand miles an hour, I remembered this story below. I love motivational and inspirational stories. Lately I’ve been putting them into custom greeting cards and sending them to my customers, team mates, friends and family.

So here’s the story …

The Mayonnaise Jar and Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar… and the coffee…

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.  When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  He then asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.  He asked once more if the jar was full.  The students responded with an unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.  The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ” I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.  The golf balls are the important things – your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.  The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.  The sand is everything else – the small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.  The same goes for life.  If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.  Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Play with your children.  Take time to get medical checkups.  Take your partner out to dinner.  Play another 18.  There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.  Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter.  Set your priorities.  The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.  “I’m glad you asked.  It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

That really puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? I’d really love to hear your thoughts.

Related posts:

1. Are You Using Affirmations to Create the Life You Dream of?
2. Jim Rohn Poem

I have listened to a lot of leaders in my 10+ years in network marketing. Only a handful have really inspired me. Jordan Adler, my upline in SendOutCards is one of them. I listen to him every Monday when he makes his team call and then I listen again to his recordings. Jordan has the ability to paint pictures in my mind. Very vivid pictures. He makes me think. He gets my imagination flowing. He truly inspires me.

Here’s what he shared on one of his first calls of the year and I would like to share it with you.

2010 can be your best year ever. Begin to imagine what life is like living each day without regard to what things cost. Imagine what life is like knowing that when you spend your money it comes back again next month whether you go to work or not. Your bank account is overflowing. Each month, you give excessively to your favorite charities. You see money as a life giving tool that can help people. You feed your source of inspiration by donating your time to worthwhile causes because you have the time and you don’t have to work quite so hard to make your money.

You are in your perfect home with your family.
You are taking the dream trips you have always imagined.

You practice saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘we can’t afford it’. That nagging underlying fear doesn’t exist any longer. You are free. You feel empowered and alive. You have money set aside to secure your future. You have money to invest and to play with. You have more than enough money to live your life exactly the way you want it.

Money isn’t everything but it certainly makes life easier.

Let those pictures run through your mind. Imagine it to be reality. Imagine it in the present. You’re sitting at the beach feeling the warm sun on your skin and the sand between your toes. You hear the sound of the waves and the wind in the palm trees. It’s real. At this moment it is very real.

Have you ever imagined something and then it became reality? Your imagination is a very powerful tool. Keep using it to make your dreams realitiy. Imagine the life Jordan painted for you…because you deserve it!

“If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.” ~Walt Disney

Who inspires you? What does your dream life look like? Leave me your comments in the box below.

Related posts:

1. 212°…The Extra Degree

If you want something bad enough … go get it!

When I was in grade school in Germany I wanted to take an English language class that was offered as an extra curriculum class. (Back then English and French weren’t part of the curriculum like they are now.) The Beatles just started to get real popular and I wanted to understand what they were singing. Since I had to have the permission of my teacher to take that class I went to ask her if she would allow me to go. Here’s what she told me, “Ilka,” she said, “I’m sorry but I can’t give you permission to take that class. Your grades in German are so bad you will never make it. You’ll never learn English. You can’t even speak German properly.” (Well, who at the age of 10 really does?)

I was crushed. Twice a week my friends would take “Walter & Connie” classes and I couldn’t go with them. So I saved up the money for the audio lessons – they came in the old 45 records back then – and taught myself. After I had the basics down I started translating Beatles songs with the help of a dictionary. And after that, I bought every English language book I could find in the bookstores of my hometown. I looked up the words I didn’t know in my dictionary and just kept going.  With each and every book I got better. That teacher couldn’t stop me. I was bound and determined to learn English … and I did! What’s funny is, that years later when I met my husband (he was stationed in my hometown), he had me spell-check his letters to his mom before he mailed them home.

Here’s a video of a few people you might know that didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer either. They tackled that thing that couldn’t be done and they did it!

“If you never failed you never lived”

P.S. Also see my post below … “It couldn’t be done”

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A couple of months ago I posted this on my old “The Enlightened Networker” blog. This morning I needed a little reminder of the difference between good and great. So I watched this movie again to encourage myself to give it that extra little push that makes all the difference in the world. I thought I’d share it again with you all. Maybe you need a little reminder too.

Did you know that…

• At 211 degrees, water is hot.
• At 212 degrees, it boils.
• And with boiling water comes steam.
• And steam can power a locomotive.
• The one extra degree makes all the difference.

Are you reaching your goals, your dreams, whatever you set out to accomplish in life? Maybe you need to push just a little harder. Remember in last year’s Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps won another Gold Medal by one hundredth of a second.

So many times in business as well as in life (or sports) it is that one extra degree that makes all the difference in the world.

“To get what we’ve never had we must do what we’ve never done.”

See you at the top!

Related posts:

1. Great Quotes from Great Leaders
2. The Strangest Secret
3. Are You Using Affirmations to Create the Life You Dream of?

1. “Well done is better than well said.”
Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790)

2. “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its’ pants on.”
Winston Churchill
(1874-1965)

3. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
Mother Teresa
(1910-1997)

4. “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.”
George Washington
(1732-1799)

5. “The time is always right to do what is right.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929-1968)

6. “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, has strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”
Walt Disney
(1901-1966)

7. “Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.”
Abraham Lincoln
(1809-1865)

8. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”
Vince Lombardi
(1913-1970)

9. “It is better to light the candle than to curse the darkness.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1884-1962)

10. “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”
Dwight Eisenhower
(1890-1969)

11. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Nelson Mandela
(1918 – )

12. “We must become the change we wish to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)

13. “The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, not touched, but are felt in the heart.”
Helen Keller
(1880-1968)

14. “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”
Henry Ford
(1863-1947)

15. “Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.”
Ronald Reagan
(1911-2004)

Watch the Movie to see More Great Quotes fromGreat Leaders:

Related posts:

1. Are You Using Affirmations to Create the Life You Dream of?
2. 212°…The Extra Degree
3. Change is Good…You Go First!

By Jack Canfield

1. An affirmation is a positive statement affirming your being in the state of having already accomplished the goal.
2. So many affirmations out there. Why not create your own? Start with the words “I am” and remember to use present tense.
3. Remember, affirmations CHANGE things. They Release the Brakes (and the breaks) and change your limiting beliefs.
4. Remember to state affirmations in the positive. Affirm what you WANT, not what you don’t want.
5. Affirmations program your subconscious mind.
6. Keep your affirmations brief and repeat it often! Carry it in your pocket. Post-it to your steering wheel. Send it to your own voice mail.
7. The Law of Attraction is INTENSIFIED by affirmations.
8. Include an action word for your affirmations (ending in ing).
9. Include at least one DYNAMIC emotion or feeling word in your affirmations.
10. Use affirmations to greatly accelerate your success.
11. Make affirmations for YOURSELF (not others).
12. Use affirmations to create the life you DREAM of.

Related posts:

1. Great Quotes from Great Leaders
2. What Can You Learn From A Mayonnaise Jar And Coffee About Life?
3. Not Ready to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone?