When you really think about it, and I’m sure deep down you already know it, but what is really holding you back from the success you desire is fear. Am I right? So how do you overcome fear?

To answer that question first of course you will have to pinpoint exactly what you are afraid of.

In network marketing that could be a variety of things. For example: fear of rejection; fear of talking to strangers; fear of picking up that 500 pound phone and present your opportunity to somebody you don’t know, or worse somebody you do know well.

To tell you the truth, making cold calls has always been my weak spot. I don’t like it and I haven’t done it in years. Personally, I don’t think it’s a very effective way to be prospecting because even if you are a master at it, the people you bring on to your team most likely are not.

But even if you market your network marketing business online in social networks such as Facebook, or LinkedIn, eventually you will have to take the conversation offline and that means you will have to pick up that phone to follow up with people.

So how do you overcome that fear
and pick up that phone?

There’s really no other way around than to just do it. So get over it, pick up that phone, start dialing, take a deep breath, and start talking.

When you hang up, after the conversation, you will feel….”Oh, that wasn’t so bad. Actually, that was pretty fun.”

Little girl overcomes fear of first ski jump.

I came across this incredible video of this little 4th grader’s first ski jump. She is standing up on that ramp looking down at people way below her that seem like tiny little ants. Through positive self-talk she’s trying to overcome her fear.

She’s absolutely TERRIFIED! You can hear it in her breathing and you certainly can hear the trembling in her voice as she assures herself that she can do it.

And then suddenly she’s off. At first you can still hear that fear but half-way through the run, fear gives way to the excitement of the moment…and then jubilation sets in as she completes the run.

You’ve got to watch this!…

This is one brave little girl!!

I don’t know if I could have been as brave as her at 9 years old. Most likely not. I probably would have messed my bridges up on that ramp.

The reason I shared this is because this little girl gave a great example of how to overcome your fear.

Through positive self-talk, re-assuring yourself that you will be alright and that you CAN do it…and then just doing it.

No matter what our fears are, oftentimes they are all in our head. They are holding us back from what we could become. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to look back on my life someday and think, what if?

One thing’s for sure, I’ll be thinking about this brave little girl a lot. She’ll be my poster girl for overcoming my fears in the future.

To Your Massive Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

No related posts.

Now focus and belief are areas I struggle with myself occasionally and  I know I’m not alone. But both focus and belief are two of the very key ingredients to success. Success in anything for that matter.

What do you visualize when you think
“Focus on one thing?”

I visualize this…

When our boys were just kids they went out into our cul-de-sac one day and did a little experiment with a magnifying glass and the newspaper they found lying in our drive way. I’m sure you can guess what’s coming.

They angled the magnifying glass so that the sunlight would totally concentrate in the middle of the lens and the beam would create a very small area on the newspaper. All of the sun’s energy was focused on that one small area of the paper and before long it was on fire.

(Unfortunately our boys were curious if that experiment would have the same results on grass. So a short time later they tried it out in the gulch near our neighborhood. Luckily they didn’t set the whole neighborhood on fire but just a little area of the grass. But boy did they get in trouble for that!)

So you see, when you really just focus on ONE thing and put all of your energy in it then you will set it on fire.

Believe in yourself with every fiber of your being.

The same goes for your belief. You absolutely have to believe with every fiber of your being that you will succeed.  Think about it, if you don’t believe in yourself, who will?

I know it’s hard sometimes, when you don’t see results although you have been working so hard.

You’ve been planting the seeds, you’ve been watering them, however you don’t see anything grow. It’s very easy then for doubt to creep in, isn’t it?

When that happens to me, I think of the bamboo story.

You may know the story. It goes something like this…

See when you plant a bamboo seed in the ground you don’t see anything grow for the first year, yet you need to water it constantly or it will die. You don’t even see anything grow in the second year, or the third, or the fourth for that matter. But if you don’t keep watering it, it will surely die. So you do.

Then finally in the fifth year you will see a tiny little sprout appear from the earth. That is of course, if you hadn’t given up on it in the meantime.

So if you kept up your belief and didn’t quit, and kept watering that little seed you will be nicely rewarded as this little bamboo sprout will grow to 100 feet high within the next six month.

Now the story of the bamboo is really a great example for believing in yourself because, just because you don’t see anything grow doesn’t mean there is nothing going on.

You see, during those 5 years of seemingly nothing happening, that little bamboo seed grew strong roots that gave it what it needed to survive.

The moral of the story is, that just because you don’t see any results means that there are none. So keep planting those seeds and keep watering them and eventually you will reap the rewards of your labor and create the success you desire.

And now on to the great video who was the inspiration for my blog post for today.

Let Tyler Perry show you how to …

Focus on just one thing and  then don’t stop believing in yourself!

If you found this post inspirational, please  pass it on to your friends. And as always do leave your feedback in the comments below. Thank You!

To your massive success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

No related posts.

There Are No Problems

I watched Michael McMillan’s “Pink Bat” movie the other day. It’s about turning problems into solutions.

As I was watching this little movie I was thinking … Are we looking at problems the wrong way?

I know, as you know as well, there are always two sides to each coin.

A pessimist sees a glass half empty. An optimist sees it half full.

A pessimist sees a problem. An optimist sees and opportunity.

What if the problems we see aren’t really problems at all, but just unseen solutions instead?

How would it change our life if we would see problems in a positive light rather than in a negative one?

What would happen if we welcomed problems as new opportunities, which most of them really are?

I wanted to share this little movie with you today. And once you watch it, you may see things a little bit differently.

Just think about some of the problems you are facing right now and see if they are not just unseen solutions.

To your success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. What do you think about the “Pink Bat” movie? Leave your feedback below.

P.P.S. If you found this post of value to you, be kind and share it. Thank You!

No related posts.

Napoleon Hill said, …“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve. Regardless how many times you may have failed in the past or how lofty your aims and hopes may be.”

When you read the story below, than you will see that this is absolutely true.

So get away from the naysayers and dream stealers and go realize your dreams. If you have a vision and you believe deep down in your heart that you can absolutely accomplish it … then  go for it!

Just like Washington Roeling did.

Here’s his inspiring story….

Back in 1883 a visionary and engineer by the name of John Roeling had a big vision. He wanted to build something really big. Something spectacular that had never been done before. He wanted to build a bridge between New York and Long Island.

Everyone told him that was foolish. Something like that had never been done before and he should give up on his crazy idea as it was impossible to do something like that.

Roeling couldn’t. He was bound and determined to realize his vision. So he set out to look for some influential people to buy into his dream. Finally he recruited his son Washington who was an up and coming engineer.

“We can do it! Let’s build that bridge.”

They found the capital needed and started building the bridge. But only a few months into it there was a terrible accident on the bridge which cost Roeling his life and left his son Washington with brain damage in a hospital bed.

He couldn’t talk. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t do anything more than move his fingers on his left hand.

Now all the media, all the employers and all the naysayers said, “See, we told you it couldn’t be done.

There’s no way. Why are you doing this? People lost their jobs, they lost their money. Now there is no bridge.”

Laying there in his hospital bed Washington wasn’t about to give up. As a sudden flash of light came through the window he took it as a sign and all his determination came back. He said, “I have hope. I have vision. I can do this!”

While his body wasn’t working, his mind still was and was sharp as ever.

His beautiful wife was by his side and supported him through all these moments of terrible hardship.

Washington said, “I am actually going through with this. I will finish this bridge.”

So since he could only move the fingers of his left hand he developed a communication code to express every single idea in his mind to his wife so she could understand.

He called back all the engineers and for 13 years communicated every single idea in his head by tapping his wife’s arm with his left hand.

He finished the bridge … which today is known as the Brooklyn Bridge.

And that’s the Brooklyn Bridge Story – A Story of Determination and Realizing Your Dream.

Again … Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”

See, whatever you set your mind to, you can do. If you only believe it. So don’t let anyone steal your dreams.  Go for it! … Realize them! You can do it!

To Your Success…

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. If you liked this story please be sweet and re-tweet it and also share it with your friends on Facebook. Don’t forget to tag me so I can thank you properly. Thank you!

No related posts.

Georgi - Learning about Limiting Beliefs

My last blog post was about the fact that dogs really don’t love bones. (Who would have thought?) They just settle for them. The moral of the story … why would anyone (dogs or humans) settle for less.

Well, there are actually reasons why we are settling for less than we could have and I will illustrate that in another story from the great personal development seminar I attended last weekend.

So here’s the “rest of the story”…The story of Gus, the lab, and the tennis balls

Gus, like all dogs, loves to play with tennis balls. (Our dog Georgi goes nuts over them as well.) So his owner, would bounce a brand new tennis ball a couple of times just to tease Gus and then he would throw it and Gus would go to retrieve it. But he wouldn’t drop it once he brought it back. Instead it would take some prying that ball out of his mouth.

Of course that ball then would be soaked with drool. Yuck!

Anyway, Gus’ owner would throw it again. This time purposely right into the dirt. Gus again would go get it and bring it back. But then, instead of prying that grimy ball out of Gus’ mouth his owner would bounce a brand new tennis ball in the hopes that Gus would drop the one he has in his mouth. Of course he doesn’t. He’s hanging on to that yucky, dirty, slimy ol’ ball.

As a matter of fact, it will take several more throws of that brand new tennis ball before Gus finally will let go of his grimy treasure.

What’s the take away of this story?

That grimy tennis ball symbolizes the limiting beliefs we are sometimes holding on to and which keep us from achieving the success we desire and deserve.  It is just easier to hang on to them and use them as an excuse instead of getting rid of them and to take action to change our life.

Such limiting beliefs as…

• I am too old to do this business.
• I don’t have enough experience.
• Rejections from our prospects.
• I’m not good enough.
• I tried this before without success why would it work now?
• I’m not smart enough.
• I cannot do this because…

Well, you get the point.

Just think about it. These limiting beliefs are actually what is holding us back from accomplishing our goals and live our dreams. We do deserve better!

We can start overcoming limiting beliefs by silencing that critical little voice inside of our head and start turning negative self-talk into positive self-talk.

The only way we can make room for positive thoughts though is if we drop our negative thoughts (that grimy tennis ball) first.

Go drop your limiting beliefs and fetch some “I Cans”

To your success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. I tried that game on Georgi this afternoon by the way. And either Georgi is smarter than Gus, or he just doesn’t care about dirty tennis balls. Anyway, he went after the new one every time. Another reason could be of course that Georgi just doesn’t have any limiting beliefs and is just going for the prize every single time. Smart Dog!

P.P.S. If you liked this story and it made sense, please share it with your friends on Twitter or Facebook. Thank you!

No related posts.

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!

No related posts.

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. Changes at The Enlightened Networker and Your Feedback Please
2. Shake It Off and Take a Step UP – An Inspirational Story

Good question! The answer is, actually, quite a bit.

Read on to find out….

A man came across a young boy who happy as could be was shoveling horse manure. There was a big pile of it and the boy would dig up shovel full after shovel full and toss it aside.

“What a stinky job”, the man thought to himself, “who would want to do that?”  But the boy seemed to get happier with every load he tossed aside.

Finally the man couldn’t stand it any longer and he asked the boy, “what are you doing?”

The boy, with a smile from ear to ear answered, … “well, with all of this horse manure, there has got to be a pony underneath.”

So again, what does all  this have to do with network marketing?

Well, as network marketers we have to put up with, well, a lot of crap.

Rejection from prospects; Ridicule from friends and family; Getting paid very little money for a whole lot of work in the beginning; A steep learning curve and what seems to be never-ending challenges.

However….

If we keep our eyes on the price, keep a positive attitude, face our challenges with a smile on our face and never give up … we will be handsomely rewarded at the end.

Remember… “Your attitude determines your altitude!”

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. If you liked this story, spread the love by sharing it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

No related posts.

It’s not a straight shot to the top. Just like in life itself, there are peaks and valleys, ups and downs. It takes hard work, dedication, perceverance, and yes, failure too. But as long as you fail forward, believe in yourself and never let doubt creep in, you’ll be alright.

Someone shared this quote from Michael Jordan with me…

Michael Jordan
June 21, 1991
Wins First NBA Championship

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot … and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Michael Jordan failed more times than he succeeded.

He averaged 30+ shots a game and only made 47% of them.

But Michael always threw the ball up.

He never doubted his abilities. Some games his averages were better than others, but he would never not play the game.

There is no difference between playing ball and network marketing.

In order to succeed you need to throw that ball. The more you throw it, the better you will get. You have to believe you can make that basket. But the only way you will, is  by throwing that ball up at it. And keep throwing it … and throwing it … and throwing it.

Practice doesn’t make perfect … it makes better.

So keep practicing. And hang out with people who inspire you. People who lift you up and who believe in you and your ability to succeed.

To Your Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. May I ask you a huge favor? If you enjoyed this post would you be so kind and re-tweet and comment and share it on Facebook? Thank you ever so much!

No related posts.

Who said the road to the top was going to be easy? Heck no, it’s definitely not. Au contraire mon ami. It’s actually pretty tough and only the strong will get there. Only the strong, the dedicated, the ones who know their real WHY will reach the top because those are the ones that will not quit until they get there.

Success doesn’t come without hard work. It doesn’t come without commitment either. Nor does it come without drive and determination. You have to overcome incredible obsticals sometimes and you may even have to give up things that are very precious to you in order to reach your final goal and get what you really want.

There will be many heartaches and many rough spots. You will feel like quitting many times, but it will be your WHY that will keep you  going.

If you have dream, if you know exactly what you want out of life, don’t let go of it until you achieve it. Don’t let anyone cloud your vision, don’t let anyone talk you out of it or steer you into another direction. Hang on tightly. Keep your dream alive and don’t quit until you are there. You may have to swim through a sea of no’s. You may have to overcome many obstacles. But you will get there at the end if you don’t give up.

Rocky is one of my favorite movies, but I didn’t know the story behind it until just now. I didn’t know about the unbelievable obstacles Sly, Sylvester Stallone had to overcome until the movie was made. Listen to Tony Robbins tell the story about “Rocky.” It will truly inspire you.

Click here to watch and listen to the story of “Rocky.”

No related posts.